Author: Badalian Vardan

MHP’s Bahceli warns government on Ocalan retrial
Thursday, May 5, 2005
DOMESTIC
The possibility of PKK leader Ocalan’s retrial will cause upheaval
in Turkey, says the leader of the MHP
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bah§eli said
on Wednesday that if the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK/Kongra-Gel), Abdullah Ocalan, is to be retired, it would cause
a public outcry, adding that the domestic supporters of terrorism
would try to incite ethnic provocation.
Speaking at MHP headquarters, Bahceli accused the government of
creating false crises in order to hide the truth.
He said it appeared the European Court of Human Rights would call for
Ocalan’s retrial, adding: “The retrial of this murderer will explode
like a bomb. The government needs to announce that itwon’t permit
this murderer to initiate a provocativecampaign under the guise of a
retrial. If not, Turkey will enter a serious period of tension. The
heavy cost of this burden will fall on the Justice and Development
Party (AKP) government.”
“The traitors who are trying to set up traps will fail to provoke
Turkish nationalists. No force will be able to cause nationalists
to flood the streets. We will not permit the children of the country
to arm themselves. Our fight against those who are trying to envelop
Turkey in flames will be carried out on democratic platforms.”
EU siege caused Armenian issue:
Bahceli said the recent Armenian problems were caused by the pressure
applied toTurkey by the European Union, adding that they were worried
about Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s public dialogue with the
Armenian president.
He said the trap Turkey was being pushed into would start causing more
trouble in the future and that separatists, who were becoming bolder,
would cause serious tension.
–Boundary_(ID_X8avEk4h//wgjSV7ZERwLg)–

ARTICLE 19 Survey of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia
International Freedom of Expression Exchange, Canada
May 4 2005
This briefing summarises the main findings of an ARTICLE 19 report on
the extent of the implementation of freedom of information legislation
in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia and its impact on the media of
these three countries.
It also gives an overview of the evolving media landscape in each
of the three countries. The report examines media?s difficulties in
obtaining information from public bodies and how this affects their
ability to disseminate information in the interest of the general
public and fulfil their vital role as a “watchdog” in a democracy.
It includes a survey of 135 media professionals and 105 public
officials in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, carried out with the
assistance of ARTICLE 19 partner organisations.
The report focuses on situations where access to information procedures
should have facilitated the media’s performance. Instead, as the
key findings and recommendations of the report reveal, the media has
faced a large number of problems in seeking to access information,
and positive stories on access to official information appear to be
rare in the South Caucasus region.
To download the report
;Key.pdf
To download the Russian version
amp;KeyRussian.pdf
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Billionaire Kerkorian makes surprise play for GM shares
Agence France Presse
May 4 2005
NEW YORK (AFP) – Corporate takeover specialist Kirk Kerkorian stunned
financial markets, announcing plans to boost his stake in General
Motors, sending the ailing automaker’s shares skyward and leaving
analysts puzzled.
The offer from Kerkorian’s Tracinda Corp., known for its buyout
efforts, is for 28 million shares at 31 dollars a share, or about
868 million dollars.
The 87-year-old Kerkorian, who has bought and sold MGM studios and
was once Chrysler Corp.’s largest shareholder, could end up with
nearly nine percent of GM as a result.
The offer price is 13 percent above GM’s closing price of 27.77 dollars
on Tuesday, without regard to General Motors’ regular quarterly
dividend of 50 cents per share expected to be paid in June 2005,
Tracinda said.
GM shares surged some 18 percent to close at 32.80 on the news.
Tracinda currently owns 22 million shares of General Motors common
stock, which represents approximately 3.89 percent of the outstanding
shares, according to the holding company.
A statement from Tracinda said the move is “solely for investment
purposes,” but that it made the announcement public “to remove any
uncertainty in the marketplace as to its investment intent.”
Analysts said the move appeared to be a vote of confidence in the
world’s biggest automaker, which has been in a turmoil over eroding
market share in the US and growing financial uncertainties.
But it may also signal some effort to influence GM’s board or
management.
Joseph Amaturo, analyst at Calyon Securities, said the buy could
ultimately prove to be more than a passive investment.
He told clients in a note that the stake “will give Kerkorian a
‘license’ to put pressure on management and/or the UAW at some point
down the road … Tracinda could be the catalyst needed to drum up
major structural changes at GM as well as in the entire automotive
industry.”
The move “is an indication that auto shares are at their lows,
statistically very cheap,” said David Healy at Burnham Securities.
“Obviously he wants to make money but possibly he could intend as
well to mess with the management, that’s his history.”
Analyst Rebecca Lindland at the research firm Global Insight, called
the move “an interesting strategy” but that Kerkorian’s intentions
were not clear.
Lindland said it is possible that Kerkorian may be able to help GM
wring concessions out of the United Auto Workers union to help
the automaker’s financial picture.
“I don’t know what his long-term strategy is here,” Lindland said.
“This could have a beneficial influence on the union. If GM were able
to get the union under control while simultaneously getting exciting
products out, they could be on the road to recovery.”
Kerkorian, who with estimated assets of 8.9 billion dollars is listed
as the 41st richest person by Forbes magazine, has a long history in
takeover efforts. He bought and sold MGM studios three times and has
been a major investor in Las Vegas casinos.
The son of Armenian immigrants, he bought about 80 acres (32 hectares)
of land in the Nevada desert, for less than one million dollars in
1962 and helped to make Las Vegas a worldwide name. He remains an
active investor in the casino industry.
The news comes just weeks after Kerkorian suffered a legal defeat in
his billion dollar lawsuit over Daimler-Benz’s takeover of Chrysler,
which alleged the German firm misled investors.

Kerkorian roars back into autoland
By Jim Jelter
Investor’s Business Daily
May 4 2005
Last Updated: 5/4/2005 3:59:02 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) – Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian,
by going after a bigger stake in sputtering General Motors Corp.,
has put his billions back in gear after his big DaimlerChrysler
lawsuit backfired.
Kerkorian held 22 million shares, or 3.9%, in General Motors (GM)
before announcing Wednesday he plans to more than double the stake to
50 million shares and is willing to pay up to $31 a share to get there.
The news triggered a 17% rally in GM’s share price, adding a cool
$95 million to Kerkorian’s holdings before he bought a single share.
This whopping one-day gain goes a long way toward soothing some of
the sting from his failed legal tussle with DaimlerChrysler AG (DCX).
Kerkorian, through his Beverly Hills-based Tracinda Corp., took
DaimlerChrysler to court in 2000, seeking $3 billion in damages.
The lawsuit claimed Daimler-Benz management defrauded Chrysler
shareholders by tricking them into thinking the 1998 deal was a merger
of equals to avoid paying a premium for Chrysler shares.
This was especially galling to Kerkorian, who owned 13.75% of
Chrysler. The steady decline of DaimlerChrysler shares, from over
$108 in early 1999 to just under $30 in late 2001, didn’t make the
deal any easier to swallow.
Kerkorian argued the $36 billion merger was, in fact, a takeover that
put control of the company in German hands, reducing Chrysler to a
division of Stuttgart-based Mercedes Benz.
Last month, he lost the case. See full story.
Kerkorian, already a big wheel in Las Vegas through Tracinda’s
controlling stake in casino and hotel operator MGM Mirage (MGM), has
a history of betting big money on the auto industry, having attempted
a takeover of Chrysler back in 1995.
Prior to his fascination with the auto industry, the 87-year-old,
Fresno-born son of Armenian immigrants, made his fortune developing
some of the most famous properties on the Las Vegas strip, which he
parlayed at one point into ownership of Hollywood’s Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer
studios.
While Kerkorian has a reputation for using his holdings to badger the
management of poor-performing companies, he insists his heightened
interest in GM is that of an investor, not a corporate raider.
But analysts aren’t convinced the old lion is willing to buy and hold
GM stock and wait for a turnaround.
Rather, most see him as a catalyst that can help revive the lumbering
carmaker and tackle some of its tougher problems, like spiraling
health-care costs, a deeply entrenched union, and lackluster product
line.
“He’ll put pressure on management to do the right thing for
shareholders,” said David Giroux, an analyst at Baltimore-based T.
Rowe Price Group Inc., which owns GM shares in various mutual funds.
Judging from the rally in GM’s share price, the market clearly expects
Kerkorian’s latest junket to bring better times to Detroit.

Le Nouvel Observateur
Semaine du Jeudi 21 avril 2005
Un regard turc sur le génocide
Taner Akçam : dans la peau du bourreau…
par Ursula Gauthier
Peut-être est-ce sa naissance à Kars, au c~ur de cette Arménie
historique devenue turque moyennant la liquidation de ses habitants.
Ou bien l’année qu’il a passée dans les geôles, torturé pour avoir
osé parler des Kurdes. Ou encore le refuge trouvé dans une Allemagne
perpétuellement tendue dans l’effort pour comprendre son histoire…
C’est à Hambourg que le sociologue Taner Akçam se met à regarder en
face le passé de son pays – la violence, la torture, le nationalisme.
Il y découvre sa mission d’historien: comprendre de l’intérieur, dans
la peau du bourreau, l’autre visage du génocide des Arméniens. Dans
«De l’Empire à la République: nationalisme turc et génocide arménien»
(à paraître aux Editions l’Aventurine), il montre que le génocide est
la pierre angulaire sur laquelle s’est bâtie la Turquie moderne. Que
l’assentiment au crime prend sa source dans un sentiment
d’infériorité, de victimisation, de peur panique à l’idée de perdre
l’Empire, associé à une mentalité d’assiégé et à l’exaltation stérile
du passé. C’est cet état d’esprit qui a poussé les Turcs à voir les
Arméniens non comme des concitoyens, mais comme l’ennemi de
l’intérieur. C’est lui, aujourd’hui, qui conditionne l’amnésie
collective.
Aussitôt le forfait commis, la Turquie a prétendu repartir de zéro
grâce à la révolution kémaliste. Elle a refoulé le carnage qui lui a
permis d’encaisser le bénéfice (l’Anatolie ethniquement nettoyée)
sans en payer le prix. Elle révère des héros fondateurs qui ont les
mains pleiPublicité
nes de sang. Aujourd’hui comme hier, elle veut être reconnue comme
puissance tout en craignant pour sa survie. Pour Akçam, fervent
partisan de la reconnaissance du génocide et de l’entrée dans
l’Europe, seule la marche vers une vraie démocratie permettrait à la
Turquie de repenser le pacte national condamné à être pulvérisé par
l’aveu du crime. Installé désormais aux Etats-Unis, il participe
depuis 2000 à une réunion annuelle d’intellectuels turcs et arméniens
qui donne corps au dialogue. «Nous acceptons tout chercheur qui admet
l’existence de tueries massives et qui les condamne moralement, dit
Akçam. Nous n’invitons donc pas de négationniste. Imagine-t-on un
débat entre juifs et nazis?»
–Boundary_(ID_qSckEIwNjNC6GWAe3gKlPQ)–

DISMANTLED HISTORICAL MONUMENTS TO BE GATHERED IN ONE PLACE
AZG Armenian Daily #079, 03/05/2005
Home
According to chief architect of Yerevan, it was decided to dismantle
the historical monuments in the capital’s center and remove them to
a separate area.
By means of this “arrangement” that part of the city will bear the
image of Old Yerevan, including the museums and exhibition halls. Some
of the historical monuments will remain in their old places, undergoing
some changes.
Recently, the issue of Kond (a historic district), as well as the
Firdousi Street and the neighboring area of St. Gregory the Illuminator
Church were discussed at Yerevan Municipality. It was decided to build
various two-five storied buildings in Kond. While Firdousi Street
will become a multi-functional center of underground and elevated
entertainment places. It is also envisaged to built dwelling houses
in this area.
By Karine Danielian

IT’S UNTIMELY TO SPEAK OF CONFIRMING ARMENIA’S APPLICATION TO MILLENNIUM CHALLENGES
AZG Armenian Daily #079, 03/05/2005
Cooperation
Corporation Representative Noted
The 10th intergovernmental session of Armenian-American work group
of economic cooperation discussed Armenia’s application first time
made to the Millennium Challenges, Vartan Khachatrian, RA minister
of finances and co-chair of the Armenian side, informed yesterday.
Head of the US delegation and Europe and Eurasia coordinator, Tom
Adams hailed the discussions successful and productive. He informed
that they discussed Armenia’s macroeconomic condition, ways of
attracting overseas investments and obstacles as well as issues
related to anti-terror struggle.
US ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, underscored that America’s
support is directed either at Armenia’s economic development or
democratic advances. He noted that the US encourages reforms in
constitution and in elective legislation.
Alex Russin, representative of the Millennium Challenges, noted the
application of the Armenian government has been only just submitted
and it’s untimely to speak of confirming it. He only repeated what was
previously known that Armenian government’s suggestions are directed
at decreasing poverty in rural areas.
By Ara Martirosian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia Rejects Turkish Proposal for Political Relations with Turkey
Journal of Turkish Weekly
May 3 2005
(JTW) Armenia rejected the proposal of Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Erdogan on Saturday to establish political relations while jointly
researching the historical Armenian allegations regarding the World
War I clashes.
The proposal by Turkish PM Erdogan, made on Friday, “does not contain
anything new,” said Armenian presidential spokesman Viktor Sogomonyan.
“We have proposed to establish diplomatic relations without
preconditions, and examine outstanding issues between our two countries
within the framework of an intergovernmental commission,” Sogomonyan
said. However Turkish Caucasian experts say ~SArmenia is not the
country which can talk about conditions. Armenia is an occupier
country in the region. Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan and
made more than 1 million people refugee~T.
Armenia insists the ethnic clashes during the First World War
constitute genocide, and refuses to make establishing relations
conditional on agreeing to review what it says is fact. Turkey has not
accepted genocide allegations. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said earlier in an interview that Turkey might establish
political ties if Armenia agreed to his proposal for investigating
the events. “Political relations might be established on one side and
studies (about killings) can continue on the other side,” Erdogan said.
Earlier this month, Erdogan invited Armenia to set up a joint research
committee. Armenian President Robert Kocharian responded by saying ties
should be formed first. Turkey was one of the states which recognized
Armenia~Rs independence. However Turkey cut the diplomatic ties when
Armenia occupied 20 percent of neighboring Azerbaijan. Armenia does
not recognize Turkey~Rs national borders.
Armenia Opens Its National Archives
On the other hand, the head of the Armenian national archives,
Amatuni Virabyan, said Saturday that the first Turk to be allowed to
carry out research there. Ektan Turkyelmaz, from Duke University in
the U.S. state of North Carolina, would begin work Monday, Virabyan
said. But many files remained the close while the Tashnak Archives in
the US has never been opened. Tashnak Archives has important documents
about the Armenian uprisings during the Ottoman period and about the
Tashnak-Nazi co-operation.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
05/02/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Members of Congress Mark 90th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide in Floor Speeches 2) Parliament Head Reviews Status of Armenian Churches with Georgian Patriarch 3) Turkey Claims Professor to be Red Listed after Denying Armenian Genocide 4) Schroeder Warns Turkey Not to Go Back on Reforms 5) Possibly Kocharian-Erdogan May Meeting 1) Members of Congress Mark 90th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide in Floor Speeches WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)--Over forty Senators and Representatives joined Armenians around the world this week in commemorating the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian genocide, during "Special Order" remarks on the House floor and statements in the Senate--made in the weeks surrounding April 24. Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) organized the April 26 House commemoration, providing Representatives an opportunity to offer 5-minute statements in remembrance of the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Turkish Government from 1915-1923. Senators and House Members also submitted additional statements in the days surrounding April 24. "We want to extend our appreciation to Congressman Pallone for his leadership once again this year in hosting the Armenian Genocide Special Order on the House side," said Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We thank, as well, the many Representatives and Senators who offered remarks and attended commemorations--here in Washington and around the nation." During their statements, many Senators and Representatives spoke forcefully about the importance of ending US complicity in Turkey's continued campaign of Genocide denial, pledging their support for legislation that will come before Congress on this subject. Several called for immediate US and international action to end the genocide currently taking place in Darfur, noting that Turkey's ability to commit genocide with impunity has set a dangerous precedent for worldwide genocide prevention efforts. The Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman noted, "As we speak, the Sudanese Government is taking a page out of the Turkish Government's denial playbook and continuing the vicious cycle of genocide denial in what is happening in Darfur. If we are ever to live in a world where crimes do not go unpunished and fundamental human rights are respected and preserved, we must come to recognize the Armenian Genocide, thus allowing for proper reparations and restitutions to be made." 2) Parliament Head Reviews Status of Armenian Churches with Georgian Patriarch (PanArmenian.net)--The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Ilia II, received Armenian National Assembly Speaker Arthur Baghdasarian and members of an Armenian delegation on April 29 to discuss the status of Armenian churches in Georgia and other religious issues, reported IA Regnum. His Holiness told journalists after the meeting that the talks were very congenial and the parties discussed a variety of issues, including problems tied to several churches in Georgia. "It is a dubious question. Armenians say that those are Armenian churches, Georgians say that those are Georgian ones.~T The sides subsequently discussed forming joint commissions to thoroughly review the problem. Baghdasarian said he raised the matter of providing legal status for the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia and indicated that the opening of a Georgian Church representation in Armenia is a good start in forming a solid relationship. 3) Turkey Claims Professor to be Red Listed after Denying Armenian Genocide HURRIYET--According to Turkish sources, Swiss authorities have placed a Turkish professor on their red list for his claims that there was no Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turkey. The step reportedly comes after Yusuf Halacoglu's insistent and public rejection last year of the Armenian genocide, when he said that Armenians, in fact, killed Ottomans, and claimed that "many studies had been conducted in the archives of several countries, and mostly in that of the Ottoman Empire, but have not turned up a single document or record mentioning genocide." According to Turkish sources, Switzerland has issued an order for Halacoglu's arrest, and has undertaken steps for Interpol to prepare a "red bulletin" for his arrest. Switzerland~Rs Canton of Geneva adopted a resolution on December 10, 2001, initiated by Switzerland~Rs Grand Conseil on June 25, 1998, which recognizes with a solemn declaration the fact of the Armenian genocide of 1915. Its Canton of Vaud adopted a similar resolution on September 23, 2003. 4) Schroeder Warns Turkey Not to Go Back on Reforms (scottsman.com)--German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has assured Turkey that membership negotiations with the European Union will start as scheduled on October 3, but has warned it must not go back on reforms, according to an interview published in a Turkish newspaper today. Schroeder, who has long backed Turkey's bid to join the bloc, was speaking ahead of his trip to Turkey, which begins on Tuesday. There have been concerns that a recent slowdown in the pace of Turkish reforms might derail the talks. "It's important to continue on the path that has been chosen. Reforms, especially in terms of basic freedoms and human and minority rights, need to be implemented and it needs to be made sure there's no going back on the reforms. For this, as Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has said, there needs to be a change in mentality. This won't be possible overnight," Schroeder was quoted as saying. "The negotiations will start on October 3. The conditions that Turkey must fulfil are known. The negotiations will definitely be long and difficult. The progress that Turkey makes in the reform process will determine to a large extent the progress it makes in the negotiations." At a December European Union summit, the bloc agreed to open membership talks with Turkey. But it must sign a customs agreement that would mean de facto recognition of the government of Cyprus--a step it has been hesitant to take. Schroeder said a recent call by Erdogan to establish political relations with Armenia while jointly researching the killings of Armenians during the First World War is "a step in the right direction." Armenia has rejected the proposal, saying that the Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turkey is a substantiated fact. Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamlet Gasparian criticized on April 29, Turkey's continued insistence that scholars from both countries establish a joint commission to determine whether the killings of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915 constituted genocide Erdogan proposed such a commission to President Robert Kocharian last month as a precondition for establishing formal diplomatic relations, but Kocharian rejected it, calling instead for establishing diplomatic relations with no preconditions. Gasparian implied that Turkey was resorting to "excuses," and has no real desire to normalize relations with Armenia. 5) Kocharian Possibly Will Meet Erdogan in May YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--President Robert Kocharian could meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan later this month to discuss ways of normalizing relations between Armenia and Turkey, his spokesman said on Monday. Victor Soghomonian, the presidential press secretary, did not deny a Turkish newspaper report saying that the two leaders plan to follow up on their high-profile exchange of letters which was sparked by worldwide commemorations of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey. But he added that "there are no concrete agreements yet" on the venue and date of their meeting. Citing sources in Erdogan's office, the "Zaman" daily reported on Sunday that the meeting is likely to take place in Warsaw on the sidelines of a summit of Council of Europe member states scheduled for May 15-16. A government source in Yerevan confirmed that the likelihood of the meeting between is great. Armenian and Turkish leaders have had sporadic face-to-face encounters in the past but made no progress towards the improvement of bilateral ties. The first-ever talks between Kocharian and Erdogan would inevitably address the latter's calls for the creation of a Turkish-Armenian commission of historians that would look into the 1915-1918 mass killings of Armenians and determine if they constituted a genocide. Kocharian turned down the offer, saying Ankara should instead drop preconditions for establishing diplomatic relations with Yerevan and opening the Turkish-Armenian border. He also suggested that the two governments set up a commission that would tackle all issues of mutual concern. Reacting to Kocharian's letter, Erdogan said the lifting of the Turkish embargo is conditional on an end to the Armenian campaign for international recognition of the genocide. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

Cambodia welcomes UN go-ahead to organize Khmer Rouge tribunal
.c The Associated Press
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) – Cambodia on Saturday praised the United
Nations’ decision to go-ahead with a tribunal to prosecute Khmer Rouge
leaders for genocide and crimes against humanity, a quarter-century
after the brutal regime decimated the country.
The United Nations said Friday in New York that it now has enough
money to pursue its longtime agreement with Cambodia to hold the
tribunal, and asked the government to start organizing the trials.
“This is very good news, a positive step. Now maybe we can have hope,
a real hope, to see the establishment of that tribunal,” said Kek
Galabru, president of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho.
The breakthrough came eight years after the government first sought
U.N. help in financing the prosecutions, and more than 25 years after
the communist revolutionaries decimated their Southeast Asian nation’s
population through mass executions, torture, starvation and overwork.
The U.N. said it had received enough funding to finance staffing and
operations of what will be called the Extraordinary Chambers “for a
sustained period of time.”
It said Secretary-General Kofi Annan was determined to see it up and
running “as soon as possible.”
No former Khmer Rouge leaders have been tried for the regime’s
extremist policies of exterminating intellectuals, professionals,
minority groups, political enemies and others; of emptying cities and
driving people into forced labor in the countryside; and of allowing
massive food shortages to kill many more.
An estimated 1.7 million of Cambodia’s 8 million people died during
the Khmer Rouge’s 1975-79 rule.
Khmer Rouge chief Pol Pot died in 1998. Several of his top
lieutenants, aging and infirm, still live freely in Cambodia, and
Prime Minister Hun Sen had voiced concern that defendants might die
before trials could start.
The tribunal, expected to last three years, is estimated to cost about
US$56.3 million (euro44 million).
The United Nations, responsible for US$43 million (euro33 million),
has collected about US$38.4 million (euro30 million) from member
states.
Om Yentieng, a member of the government’s tribunal task force, said,
“if it is true, it is good news.” He said the government will
continue to appeal for donors to help fund its US$13.3 million (euro10
million) share of the budget for the trials.
Youk Chhang, director of a center documenting Khmer Rouge atrocities,
said the government should quickly start dealing with issues of
logistics, such as the premises and recruitment of personnel.
“Let’s be united for justice,” he said.
04/30/05 01:54 EDT