Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIAN CHURCH STARTS IN NORTHERN IRAQ

Interfax, Russia
March 14 2007

Yerevan, March 14, Interfax – The foundation stone of a new Armenian
church was laid in the northern Iraqi town of Duhok.

The ceremony was held within the framework of the Armenian Apostolic
Church’s Archbishop Avag Asatourian of Iraq visiting the northern
part of the country, the press service of Holy Etchmiadzin said.

Following the Armenian Church’s ancient tradition, Archbishop Avag
blessed 16 cornerstones for the future church. The ceremony was
attended by the local Armenian community and some clergy from other
churches.

Before the US led coalition forces invaded Iraq, there had been c.
20,000 Armenians, many of whom were later to leave for neighboring
countries, Western Europe and the US. Currently 12,000 to 16,000
Armenians are estimated to remain in Iraq, mainly in Baghdad, Basra
and in the northern part of the country.

ws&div=2729

TRADE TURNOVER GROWS BY 4.7% IN ARMENIA IN JANUARY 2007 ON SAME MONTH OF LAST YEAR

Noyan Tapan
Mar 13 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN. In January 2007, trade turnover
in Armenia made 72 bln 123.2 mln drams (about 198.3 mln USD),
increasing by 4.7% on the same month of last year (at comparable
prices). According to the RA National Statistical Service, retail
trade turnover made 47 bln 993.3 mln drams, growing by 8.2% on
January 2006. Wholesale trade made 19 bln 466.2 mln drams, declining
by 4.3%. Car trade, including sale, technical servicing and repairs
of cars and spare parts at specialized points of trade, amounted to
4 bln 663.7 mln drams, increasing by 12.4% on January 2006. As of
February 1, 2007, the commodity stock in the retail trade network of
the country made 56 bln 817.4 mln drams.

EX-KARABAKH LEADER SILENT AFTER ‘INTERROGATION’
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
March 13 2007

Samvel Babayan, Nagorno-Karabakh’s former military leader increasingly
involved in Armenian politics, pointedly avoided any contacts with
media on Tuesday after being reportedly summoned to a feared security
agency for questioning.

Newspaper reports in Yerevan said Babayan and several members of his
Dashink (Alliance) party were interrogated by officers of the National
Security Service (NSS) on suspicion of illegal arms possession on
Monday. Some of them were said to have been briefly detained by the
Armenian successor to the Soviet KGB.

The NSS press service refused to confirm or deny the reports. "We
have no information about that yet," a spokesman told RFE/RL.

Babayan and his aides were also extremely tight-lipped, ignoring
repeated media inquiries throughout the day. Liana Terian, one of
Dashink’s top candidates for the May 12 parliamentary elections,
claimed at the party headquarters in Yerevan that the once powerful
general is too busy to provide explanations. She then told security
guards to order journalists away from the premises.

The reported interrogations are bound to be attributed to Dashink’s
active involvement in the Armenian election campaign. Babayan has
claimed to be in opposition to President Robert Kocharian ever since he
set up the party in late 2005, just over a year after his unexpected
release from a Karabakh prison. He had been serving a 14-year prison
sentence for a botched 2000 attempt on the life of Karabakh President
Arkady Ghukasian.

Dashink is contesting the elections under the system of proportional
representation and in some of Armenia’s 41 single-member districts.

Setting up one of the most intriguing individual contests, Babayan has
decided to challenge Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian’s controversial
brother Aleksandr in a constituency close to Karabakh.

The Yerevan newspaper "168 Zham" reported last week that the Armenian
authorities are considering declaring that Babayan is not eligible for
a parliament seat. Under Armenia’s constitution, only those Armenian
citizens who have permanently resided in the country for the past
five years can run for the National Assembly.

Babayan and his loyalists have repeatedly stated that he is eligible
to join the race, citing a 1989 act by the Soviet Armenian parliament
that declared Karabakh a part of Armenia. Kocharian and his allies
invoked the same document he controversially ran for president in
1998 less than a year after moving to Yerevan from Stepanakert.

According to "168 Zham," Babayan recently met unnamed "influential
officials" from the presidential administration and threatened to
appeal to the Constitutional Court in case he is not registered as
a candidate. "Samvel Babayan is ready to make serious and scandalous
revelations in the court," the paper said.

Incidentally, among the individuals who were seen entering the
Dashink offices on Tuesday was Kim Balayan, a Karabakh-born member
of the Constitutional Court. Contacted by RFE/RL later in the day,
Balayan denied discussing any political issues with Babayan. He said
he visited the former Karabakh strongman for "personal reasons" only.

ARISTOMENE VARUDAKIS APPOINTED NEW DIRECTOR OF WORLD BANK YEREVAN
OFFICE

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Aristomene Varudakis, of Greek
descent, was appointed the new director of the World Bank Armenia
Office. WB Yerevan Office Acting Director Naira Melkumian announced
this at the March 9 press conference. According to her, A. Varudakis
will arrive in Armenia next week but start official work from April 2.

ARMENIAN CB BOARD REGISTERED THE BRANCHES OF THE "AREGAK" AND "SEF INTERNATIONAL" CREDIT ORGANIZATIONS

Mediamax, Armenia
March 6 2007

Yerevan, March 6 /Mediamax/. The Board of the Central Bank of
Armenia made a decision today on registration of the branches of the
multi-purpose "Aregak" credit organization in Ararat, Abovian and
Yerevan, and the representative "Talin" office of the multi-purpose
"SEF International" credit organization.

As Mediamax was told in the CB press service today, the Board of the
Central Bank permitted the "ITB International Trade Bank" CJSC to
join the international Master Card system.

The CB Board also made changes to the orders "CB total turnover" and
"Business accounting of the CB securities".

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
March 6, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

SENATE PANEL DELAYS CONSIDERATION OF
RESOLUTION CONDEMNING HRANT DINK ASSASSINATION

— Sen. Lugar Calls for Postponement of S.Res.65 Vote
Amid Heavy Pressure from the State Department

WASHINGTON, DC – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today
delayed discussion of a measure, authored by the panel’s chairman
Joe Biden (D-DE), condemning the brutal murder of journalist and
human rights activist Hrant Dink, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).

The Committee’s top Republican, Richard Lugar (R-IN), called for
the delay in the consideration of S.Res.65 amid heavy pressure from
the Administration to remove references to Dink’s prosecution
"under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code for speaking about the
Armenian Genocide." The legislation also urges the Turkish
government to repeal this anti-free speech law. The resolution
will now be scheduled for discussion at the Committee’s next
business meeting.

"We are troubled that Senator Lugar – apparently acting at the
request of the Administration – has delayed the U.S. Senate’s
tribute to the life and memory of Hrant Dink," said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian. "We look forward to the panel, at the
next opportunity, rejecting any efforts to block or water down this
measure, and passing it in the form it was introduced."

Following the delay, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Member
Chris Dodd (D-CT) stated that, "It is unfortunate that the
committee deferred action on this important resolution. I look
forward to voting in support of the resolution when the committee
considers it at the next business meeting."

Chairman Biden noted that, "Hrant Dink was a leading voice in
Turkey’s Armenian community and an eloquent advocate for human
rights, press freedom, and reconciliation. His assassination was
an outrage and a tragedy. Hrant’s legacy deserves our respect and
his death, our condemnation."

"Hrant Dink spoke out for tolerance in an era when voices like his
need to be heard," stated Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. "His
assassination was a terrible crime which warrants the strong
condemnation of the Congress and the entire international
community."

In the days leading up to today’s delay, ANCA activists in the 21
states with Senators on the Committee encouraged support for
S.Res.65 through phone calls, faxes, and meetings. They also
reminded Senate offices that Hrant Dink’s brutal murder is a wake
up call for the U.S. Senate to pass legislation formally
recognizing and commemorating the Armenian Genocide. Those
interested in taking action on this issue may visit:
d’51776&type=CU

On March 5th, the ANCA, in a letter sent to each of the members of
the Foreign Relations Committee, urged Senators to oppose any
efforts to water-down the language of S.Res.65. "We are opposed to
any amendments which would alter the meaning of this measure,
especially any that seek to remove mention of the Armenian
Genocide, the very crime that Hrant Dink was so brutally persecuted
for recognizing. An amended resolution that does not openly and
honestly address the Armenian Genocide would represent a tragic
surrender to the very same forces of intolerance that silenced
him."

Hrant Dink, editor of the bilingual Armenian/Turkish "Agos"
newspaper, was gunned down outside his office in Istanbul on
January 19th – sparking worldwide protests and renewed scrutiny of
Turkey’s repression of free speech and international campaign of
Armenian Genocide denial.

Two similar measures have been introduced in the U.S. House by
Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY), one that mentions the Armenian
Genocide and one that does not. The ANCA supports the former, but
not the latter.

#####

S. RES. 65
110th CONGRESS
1st Session

S. RES. 65

Condemning the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and human
rights advocate Hrant Dink and urging the people of Turkey to honor
his legacy of tolerance.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 1, 2007

Mr. BIDEN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Relations

RESOLUTION
Condemning the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist and human
rights advocate Hrant Dink and urging the people of Turkey to honor
his legacy of tolerance.

Whereas Hrant Dink was a respected, eloquent advocate for press
freedom, human rights, and reconciliation;

Whereas, in 1996, Mr. Dink founded the weekly bilingual newspaper
Agos and, as the paper’s editor in chief, used the paper to provide
a voice for Turkey’s Armenian community;

Whereas Mr. Dink was a strong proponent of rapprochement between
Turks and Armenians and worked diligently to improve relations
between those communities;

Whereas Mr. Dink’s commitment to democratic values, nonviolence,
and freedom in the media earned him widespread recognition and
numerous international awards;

Whereas Mr. Dink was prosecuted under Article 301 of the Turkish
Penal Code for speaking about the Armenian Genocide;

Whereas, notwithstanding hundreds of threats to Mr. Dink’s life and
safety, he remained a steadfast proponent of pluralism and
tolerance;

Whereas Mr. Dink was assassinated outside the offices of Agos in
Istanbul, Turkey, on January 19, 2007;

Whereas tens of thousands of people in Turkey of many ethnicities
protested Mr. Dink’s killing and took to the streets throughout the
country to honor his memory;

Whereas the Government of Turkey has pledged to undertake a full
investigation into the murder of Mr. Dink;

Whereas the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has
stated that when Mr. Dink was shot, `a bullet was fired at freedom
of thought and democratic life in Turkey’;

Whereas the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vartan Oskanian, stated
that Mr. Dink `lived his life in the belief that there can be
understanding, dialogue and peace amongst peoples’; and

Whereas Mr. Dink’s tragic death affirmed the importance of
promoting the values that he championed in life: Now, therefore, be
it

Resolved, That the Senate–

(1) condemns the murder of Hrant Dink as a shameful act of
cowardice perpetrated with contempt for law, justice, and decency;

(2) supports the pledge of the Government of Turkey to conduct an
exhaustive investigation into the assassination of Mr. Dink and to
prosecute those responsible;

(3) urges the Government of Turkey to repeal Article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code and work diligently to foster a more open
intellectual environment in the country that is conducive to the
free exchange of ideas;

(4) recognizes the decision of the Government of Turkey to invite
senior Armenian religious and political figures to participate in
memorial services for Mr. Dink;

(5) calls on the Government of Turkey to act in the interest of
regional security and prosperity and reestablish full diplomatic,
political, and economic relations with the Government of Armenia;
and

(6) urges the people of Turkey to honor Mr. Dink’s legacy of
tolerance.

PROGRAM ON DEVELOPMENT OF TSAKHKADZOR DECLARED TOURISM CENTER TO BE COMPLETED IN 2015

Noyan Tapan
Mar 05 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Measures of the target program
"Tsakhkadzor as Tourism Center in line with International Standars"
will continue until 2015. Mekhak Apresian, Head of the Tourism
Department of the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development,
told this to NT correspondent. According to him, the program,
which was approved by a governmental decision on June 9, 2005,
envisages development of Tsakhkadzor infrastructures, extension
of international cooperation in the tourism sector, as well as
implementation of marketing studies and measures on creation of
Tsakhkadzor’s image – familiarization trips, creation of web sites,
publication of advertizing and informational materials in famous
periodicals, etc. He said that the Armenian government’s February 1,
2007 decision to declare Tsakhkadzor a tourism center has two goals:
first, to present to the world the traditions and unique natural
and climatic conditions of this place, secondly, to bring it in line
with international standards. "Such status will make Tsakhkadzor more
attractive for investors and donor organizations." It was mentioned
that on the initiative of Tsakhkadzor mayor’s office, more than ten
Russian tour operators and journalists paid a familiarization visit
to Tsakhkadzor in late January.

ARMENIAN LEGISLATION ON FINANCIAL SERVICES BROUGHT INTO LINE WITH EUROPEAN LAWS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 27 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on
February 27 passed 15 bills and legislative packages discussed the
day before. Most of these bills and legislative packages envisage
amendments and additions in current laws.

Particularly, the amendment to the RA Code of Administrative
Infringements (it was passed in first reading) invalidates the article
on entering an election center while being armed, as the RA Criminal
Code also envisages punishment for this action.

The addition to the Law on Protection of Atmosphere (passed in first
reading) clarifies obligations of construction organizations with
the aim of reducing dust emissions during construction.

In accordance with amendments to the RA Criminal Code (passed in
first reading), the minimum amount of fine for illegal tree cutting
has been increased.

The bill on preservation, protection, keeping and hunting of hunt
animals and the bill on organic agriculture were passed in first
reading, the package of bills on insurance and insurance activity –
in second reading, particularly, the RA legislation on financial
services is brought into line with EU laws, and the bill on unions
of employers was passed in third reading.

CAN SREBRENICA RULING BENEFIT TURKEY ON ARMENIAN ISSUE?

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Feb 28 2007

The acquittal of Serbia on a charge of genocide was not easy for
Turkey, while it was unacceptable for the Bosnians who were direct
subjects of the worst massacre on European soil since World War II.

However, the judgment is still considered an important landmark in
international law.

The ruling of the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) is
significant for it confirmed that a genocide had taken place in
Srebrenica and also that Serbia had the power to foresee and prevent
the slaughter, but had failed to use it. Moreover, the judges found
that Serbia failed to comply with its obligations to punish those
who carried out the genocide. All in all, however imperfect Monday’s
decision was, it might serve to clarify the definition of genocide and
the responsibility of states to prevent it in terms of international
law, which is very important for Turkey, a target of claims that
mass deportation of Armenians in 1915 at the hands of the Ottomans
was tantamount to genocide.

The decision also came at a time when the Turkish Foreign Ministry
is considering taking the case to the Court of International Justice,
and put an end to Armenian allegations.

Analysts underline that the law of the ICJ, founded in 1945, might
not prosecute crimes committed before 1948, when the Convention on
the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by
the UN General Assembly. Most say that although an acquittal decision
might be positive, ideally, the decision of an international judicial
body should not recognize the deportation as genocide. In a way, it
remains unclear whether the court ruling on Srebrenica is encouraging
or discouraging for Turkey to take the case to the Hague.

For Professor Huseyin Pazarcý from Ankara University’s Political
Science Department, the author of international law textbooks that
prepare Turkey’s future diplomats, it is hard to say whether the
decision was good or bad for Serbia. However, he believes that any
application to the ICJ regarding the Armenian genocide claims would
fall out of the scope of the 1948 UN convention on genocide, the
document which was the basis for the Srebrenica ruling.

"Normally, at least initially, on the principle of the non-retroactive
application of laws, Turkey’s case is outside the scope of the 1948
convention," Pazarcý explained, since the incidents resulting in
genocide claims happened in 1915.

Some experts, including political analyst Professor Huseyin Baðcý from
Middle East Technical University (ODTU) Department of International
Relations, said that the court ruling that what happened in Srebrenica
was genocide without holding Serbia directly responsible could signal
that in the event Turkey’s case were taken to the ICJ, the outcome
could be similar in terms of not attaching any retroactive political
or financial responsibility to Turkey.

Retired Ambassador Omer Engin Lutem, who currently heads the Crimes
against Humanity Department of the Eurasian Research Center (ASAM),
is also of the same opinion. In an interview with the ANKA news agency,
Lutem said the Armenians pursued putting the blame on Turkey, insisting
that Turkey was the successor of the Ottoman government.

"However, this ruling accuses the individuals involved, rather than
the state. This might mean that it has the potential to serve our
interest," Lutem said, adding that the case was likely to set up an
example ruling for future similar cases.

All experts emphasize that there is always the possibility of the
ICJ refusing to hear the Armenian genocide, since incidents before
1948 fall outside its scope.

"Normally, it shouldn’t be taking up such a suit," Lutem said.

However, Lutem expressed that a decision to acquit Turkey of a
genocide, but recognizing the forced deportation of Armenians at the
hands of Ottomans in 1915 could create a backlash.

"The legal statements should express that forced deportation was
essentially not genocide," he explained. In order to explain his
interpretation that the ruling does and can not have any significance
on Turkey’s Armenian question, Sabah columnist Erdal Þafak points out
to two crucial points in how the ICJ works. He notes, in contentious
cases, the ICJ produces a binding ruling between states that agree
to submit to the ruling of the court. In other words, Turkey would
need consent of the other party, Armenia, to apply. If the court,
based on the 1948 convention, rules that the application is valid,
then the party where the genocide claims originate has to document
concrete proof of systemic, organized and planned action to eradicate
an ethnic group, which is where Bosnia was weak in the current case,
Þafak notes.

In a case between Turkey and Armenia, it would be the job of Armenia to
prove that the deportations were genocide, which would not be easy. In
addition, for an international court ruling to set a precedent, at
least two or three similar rulings should come out. At the end of day,
it is almost impossible to express that the ruling has any significance
for Turkey’s case at all. The ruling is certainly a disappointment
to the Bosnian people — and to the Serbs to a certain extent —
and confusing for Turkey as its relevance to Turkey’s concerns about
the future of the Armenian question remains open to debate.

–Boundary_(ID_8rUCC3LwtW8ec9ZWIkJDHA)–

A TURKISH NOVELIST ACQUITS HERSELF NICELY
By John Freeman

Newsday, NY
Feb 26 2007

Salman Rushdie once noted that societies that emerged from colonial
rule in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s became hotbeds for literary invention.

"The Empire Writes Back," he called the phenomenon, punning on George
Lucas’ "Star Wars" film.

That phrase is gaining new currency in Turkey, where, according to
35-year-old writer Elif Shafak, a young generation of Turks is using
the novel, a form that came to them from the West, to reimagine their
society from within.

"Novelists have played a very, very critical role as the engineers of
social and cultural transformation in Turkey," Shafak says, sitting
in an empty hotel ballroom in New York City. "Maybe in that regard
we are closer to the Russian tradition than the Western tradition."

The debate over what these novels say about Turkish society, and
how they say it, lurched to the forefront of life in Istanbul in
recent years, as the Turkish government began prosecuting writers for
"offending Turkishness."

Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and several dozen other writers were
tried under this code of Turkish law. In September, Shafak, too,
was put on trial because of passages from her new novel, "The Bastard

of Istanbul" (Viking, $24.95), which referenced the long fallout of
what many call the Armenian Genocide, when up to 1 million Armenians
were forcibly removed from Turkey and killed.

The book has become a bestseller in Turkey, selling more than 60,000
copies, but not without repercussions for Shafak. Writing in The
Washington Post, Shafak explained how critics within Turkey claimed
she "had taken the Armenians’ side by having an Armenian character
call the Turks ‘butchers’ in a reference to the Ottoman Empire’s
deportation and massacre of Armenians during World War I."

Although Shafak was acquitted, others have not been so lucky. On Jan.

19, her "dear friend," journalist Hrant Dink, the Armenian
editor-in-chief of a Turkish newspaper, was murdered on a street
in Istanbul, allegedly by an ultra-nationalist teenager. The
reverberations of this event are still etched on Shafak’s face.

"The debate on literature and art is very much politicized," she
says, her voice revealing palpable anguish, "sometimes very much
polarized. I think my work attracted it because I combined elements
people like to see separate."

Shafak is referring to sex and religion, faith and skepticism, and
all these elements come together in "The Bastard of Istanbul." The
novel tells the story of two families – one Turkish Muslim, the other
Armenian – who discover they are united by a shared secret.

Set mostly in Istanbul, it is a lively book, populated by powerful,
talkative women who are full of superstitions, folk tales and vengeful
schemes.

"Turkey is incomparable with any other Muslim country with regard to
the freedoms women exercise," Shafak says. "But we have a tradition
of state feminism. To this day, when we talk about women’s rights, we
say Ataturk gave us our rights," she says, referring to the republic
of Turkey’s first president. "And that tells us a lot. What we need
is an independent women’s movement."

In some people’s eyes, Shafak is a walking contradiction: a radical
feminist Muslim Turk who writes about sex and slang; a leftist on
some issues who believes in the power of religion. Every point of
her identity is politicized, even the types of words she uses.

"Turkish as we speak today is very centralized. We took out words
coming from Arabic origin, Persian origin and Sufi heritage. And I
think in doing so we lost the nuances of the language."

Born in France, Shafak spent her childhood shuttling between Germany,
Jordan and Spain, with stops in between in Turkey. She earned a
graduate degree in international relations and titled her PhD thesis
"An Analysis of Turkish Modernity Through Discourses in Masculinities."

Since 2003, she has lived in Turkey and traveled to the United States
to teach. She calls herself a commuter, not an immigrant. "There is
a metaphor I like very much in the Quran, in the Holy Book, and it’s
about a tree that has its roots up in the air. When my nationalist
critics say you have no roots, you are a so-called Turk, I say no,
I do have roots, they’re just not rooted in the ground. They are up
in the air."

In popular conception, Istanbul is the great meeting bazaar
between East and West, but Shafak says the city remains somewhat
uncomfortable with that role. "One thing that worries me is that
there is no … mobility between classes. There’s not that kind of
geographical mobility – east and west, north and south – that you
have in the States."

And yet, Istanbul remains a source of endless inspiration for Shafak,
and it also remains her home. "For anyone," she says, "especially
after 9/11, who is asking herself how western democracy and Islam
can co-exist side by side, how seemingly opposite forces can be
juxtaposed, for anyone asking these sorts of questions, Istanbul is
a very important case study."

As for how she is going to manage, given the controversy and the real
security issues, she’s up for the challenge.

"My relationship with the city has been like a pendulum. I am deeply
attracted to it, but sometimes suffocated by it.

"So I need to take a step outside of it and then come back."