Author: Boshkezenian Garik

BY THE END OF 2004 SANIR COMPANY TO ANNOUNCE TENDER FOR SUBCONTRACTOR WORK ON
ARMENIAN SECTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17. ARMINFO. By the end of this year the Sanir
company from Iran will give start to a tender to enroll subcontractors
for laying the Armenian section of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline,
says the director general of ArmRosGazprom company Karen Karapetyan.
He says that his company will certainly take part in the tender and
has quite good chances to win it. “Even if we lose the winners will
be forced to cooperate with us considering that we have domestic gas
market monopoly,” says Karapetyan. He notes that after the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline is built and the Abovyan underground gas depositary is
restored Armenia will have almost no energy security problems.
Sanir is the general contractor of the project. Iran will lend Armenia
$30 mln for laying the Armenian section of the pipeline – from Megri
to Kajaran. The loan will be given for 7.5 years at 5% a year. The
project will be finished in two years to be launched Jan 1 2007.

Armenian refugees sue Azerbaijan in European Court of Human Rights
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
16 Dec 04
[Presenter] Four families who were forcibly deported from Shaumyan
[Azerbaijan’s Goranboy District] and Getashen [Azerbaijan’s Caykand
village] have filed a lawsuit against Azerbaijan with the European
Court of Human Rights.
They have filed the suit in connection with the violation of the
property and housing rights of people who lived there and were
forcibly deported.
The Shaumyan-Getashen Union of Patriots, which has initiated this
action, expressed its readiness to defend the interests of thousands
of Armenian families that suffered from the aggression unleashed by
Azerbaijan in 1990.

Turkey knocks, EU ponders
Membership talks likely to start, but Europe yet to shed misgivings
JEFFREY FLEISHMAN    
Posted online: Friday, December 17, 2004 at 0000 hours IST
The Indian Express
BERLIN, DECEMBER 16: Can a Turk be a European? That centuries-old
riddle will be asked again, when Turkey is expected to take a big
step in its troubled quest to join the European Union. EU leaders are
likely to make an official announcement on beginning membership talks
with Turkey, a prospect certain to intensify doubts that a Muslim
nation can be embraced by a Europe anxious about the rise of Islam
across the continent. The historic negotiations could last 15 years.
There is no guarantee of membership. A din of caveats and protests
has already erupted over economic and human rights concerns. But,
in the end, the question is identity: Are Turkey’s history, religion
and borders compatible with the geographic and cultural landscape of
Europe? And, perhaps more important, does a predominantly Christian
Europe want them to be?
“No, it’s not a natural fit,” said Hans-Ulrich Klose, a Social
Democrat and deputy chairman of the German Parliament’s foreign
affairs committee. “It’s going to be very difficult. But we
should give it a good, fair try. If it’s a success and Turkey turns
European, it could be good for security regarding all our concerns
from the Middle East.”
Big-shouldered and chaotic Turkey wants to nudge itself into a
continent that is perplexed about its own identity and future. The
EU admitted 10 new, mostly East European members in May and is still
awaiting approval of a contentious constitution. Economic problems and
high unemployment across much of the continent are hurting the middle
class and eroding the welfare state. Some leading European officials
contend that admitting a moderate Muslim democracy to the EU would
calm the tremendous strain between East and West over terrorism and
the war in Iraq.
The belief is that Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally,
could help stifle Islamic fanaticism around the world and enhance
Europe’s diplomatic leverage in Central Asia and the Middle East. The
clamour against Turkey, whose per capita gross domestic product is
only 28 per cent of the EU average, has energised right-wing European
political parties and much of the continent’s population. Turkey’s
entry would mean that the EU’s Muslim population would soar from 12
million to 81 million. Sceptics envision Europe opening itself to a
flood of religious extremists and migrant workers, and with minarets
cluttering skylines from Vienna to Krakow.
Many Europeans, most notably the French, argue that admitting
Turkey would threaten European secularism and tip the EU’s balance
of power. Former French President Valery Giscard D’Estaing warned
that Turkey’s accession would mark the end of Europe. Conservative
German politician Edmund Stoiber has vowed he will do everything he
can to derail Turkey’s chances if elected chancellor in 2006. Writing
in Le Figaro, Robert Badinter, an ex-justice minister in France’s
Socialist Party, said of Turkey: “Ninety-five percent of the
territory and 92 percent of the population are in Asia. We’ll have,
we Europeans, common borders with Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and
Syria. I am asking you: What justifies our common borders with these
countries? What justifies that we’d get involved in the most dangerous
areas of the world?”
Such sentiments have led to qualifications and demands that seem to
daily raise the bar for Turkish membership. Pressure is mounting on
Ankara to recognize its longtime enemy and EU member, Cyprus. France
is pressing Turkey to acknowledge genocide over the killing and
deportation of as many as 1.5 million Armenians during World War
I. Some European politicians have hinted that membership talks
would fail and Ankara would be granted a “privileged partnership”
a consolation prize that infuriates Turks and has led to calls that
negotiations end only in full membership. The European Parliament
passed a resolution on Wednesday urging the EU to open accession
talks “without undue delay.” —LAT-WP
–Boundary_(ID_khK7b0T5gnAas2ji1/+CqQ)–

Saudi Press Agency
December 16, 2004 Thursday 8:01 PM EST
Riyadh, December 16
E.U. leaders confident Turkey will win
entry talks 3 Brussels Observers expect the E.U. to fudge the issue
at the summit and issue a declaration saying they welcome “the
intention” of Turkey to extend customs union.
Asked about calls by France for Turkey to recognise the killing of up
to 1.5 million Christian Armenians under the Ottoman Empire in 1915
as a genocide, Barroso said the question would have to be up for
frank discussion.
But he underlined this should take place at a later date.
Turkey rejects the label of genocide with regard to the Armenians.
The second major summit sticking point is what wording will be used
to make clear to Ankara that negotiations will be open-ended and
their successful outcome is not guaranteed.
A senior German official said full membership for Ankara was the E.U.
goal and demands by a minority of member states, led by Austria, for
setting an option of second class membership – a so-called
“privileged partnership” – was not on the cards.
“That issue is dead,” added an E.U. diplomat.
Austria as well as France and Denmark, still remain nervous about
admitting a large, poor and mainly Moslem state with 70 million
people to what has until now been a mainly Christian club.

EP Adopted Turkey Report, Turned Down Motion for Special Partnership
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Dec 16 2004
The European Parliament adopted thee report about Turkey which calls
on beginning membership negotiations without delay. The report of
Camiel Eurlings was adopted by 451 votes in favor. 227 votes were
against.
The motions about calling on to empower EP to reject Turkey’s
membership and offering special partnership to Turkey, were rejected
in a secret vote. EP also rejected the motion about imposing a
condition to Turkey to recognize the Armenian genocide claims, to
launch accession talks.
Even though EP decisions are not binding, they will beee referred to
in the EU summit’s final declaration.
Source: Hurriyet, Turkish daily

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
12/16/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Chirac Gives a 'Yes, But' for Turkey's EU Membership 2) Youth in Athens Convey Opposition to Turkey EU Membership 3) Oskanian Commends European Parliament's Resolution as Joint Victory 4) Karabagh Leader Calls for Stronger Ties with Population 5) BRIEFS 1) Chirac Gives a 'Yes, But' for Turkey's EU Membership PARIS (AP/AFP)--President Jacques Chirac, beset by opposition to Turkey's drive to join the European Union, told a divided France that the mostly Muslim country belongs in the EU--but that Paris will block negotiations if Ankara fails to meet membership conditions. "Does Europe, and particularly France, have an interest in Turkey joining it? My answer is, 'Yes, but,'" was how Chirac summed up his position on national television late Wednesday, explaining that adhesion could only occur after up to 20 years of negotiations and each current EU state, including France, could slam the door at any time. The French would have the "last word" in a referendum, he said, giving the three principle criteria as a commitment to peace and stability, democracy, and economic and social development. France also wants the issue of the massacre of Armenians in 1915-23 to be on the table during membership negotiations, although Foreign Minister Michel Barnier has said France will not demand official recognition of the killings as a condition for entry. Turkey vehemently denies its genocide of 1.5 million Armenians, under its Ottoman Empire. On Wednesday, the European Parliament called on EU leaders to open membership talks with Turkey "without undue delay." However, it urged Ankara to carry out more democratic reforms, move toward recognizing Cyprus and acknowledge the Armenian killings. The summit, gathering the leaders of the 25 member states of the European Union, was expected to give the green light to the start of negotiations with Ankara. But Chirac's ruling conservative UMP party has pronounced itself against EU membership for Turkey, a large, relatively poor Muslim country, and surveys in France show most of the public was also against. Chirac's support for Turkey's eventual membership has been met with grave misgivings among ordinary citizens worried about an influx of cheap labor to France, already stung by 10 percent unemployment. Many also question Turkey's human rights record. A poll published earlier this week by the newspaper Le Figaro suggests two in three French oppose bringing Turkey into the 25-nation bloc. The Socialist Party is divided over the issue, and Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front, insists Turkey is a country that "cannot be European." "Only a rejection of the European constitution can save the French from this trap," Le Pen said Wednesday. "This willingness to integrate an Asian and Muslim country, against the will of the European people, illustrates the noxiousness of Brussels' Europe." By throwing his support behind Turkey, Chirac also has broken ranks with his own party, the conservative Union for a Popular Movement, which favors a "privileged partnership" between the EU and Ankara that would fall far short of membership. Although Chirac favors full membership for Turkey, while conceding it could take up to 20 years, a skeptical Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin argues that the influence of Islam in Turkey would clash with Judeo-Christian European values. Confronting that argument head-on, Chirac contends that bringing the nation of 70 million people into the EU is the best way to tamp down Islamic extremism and eliminate what some Europeans see as a threat Chirac had previously evoked a negotiating period of just 10 years. Suggesting talks could drag out twice as long with no certain result was latched upon by the French media Thursday. "Even though he was forced to steer a straight course, Chirac seemed hesitant sometimes to pull on the oars," the left-leaning newspaper Liberation said of the interview. It noted that Chirac's real reason for reiterating his position at such a crucial time was to save another referendum he has proposed for next year, and which he holds more dearly: a plebiscite on adopting the European Union's first constitution. The French president fears that though two-thirds of voters are in favor of the constitution, they may reject the constitution as a way of registering their opposition to Turkey's EU membership. In his interview, Chirac said that referendum "must not be distracted from its very important goal by considerations which have nothing to do with it." Le Figaro, a conservative daily that was the only national newspaper to put Chirac's interview on its front page, said that the event was forced upon the president because he was "completely out of step with his country's public opinion and isolated within his own camp." 2) Youth in Athens Convey Opposition to Turkey EU Membership ATHENS (Aztag Daily)--Armenian youth picketed European Union offices in Athens on Wednesday to protest Turkey's aspirations to join the European Body. "Turkey's criminal past casts a shadow on it European dreams," read one of their placards, while another declared, "Recognition of the Armenian genocide is the only way to Turkey's EU membership." Organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Youth Organization, the protest drew more than three hundred, including the youngest of ARF youth, the "badanees." In conveying their message to the EU, the youth presented the head of Athens EU office a statement of protest. 3) Oskanian Commends European Parliament's Resolution as Joint Victory YEREVAN (Arminfo)--Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian hailed the European Parliament's adoption of three strongly worded measures by the European Parliament calling on Turkey to properly recognize the Armenian genocide, lift its blockade of Armenia, and abandon it hostile policies toward Armenia and the Armenian people. In an interview with Public Television of Armenia, Oskanian stressed the political significance of the measures. Calling the resolution the joint victory of Armenia's diplomacy and the diaspora, particularly European Armenian organizations, Oskanian was cautiously optimistic. "If during the first stage, Turkey does not conform to the political criteria, including improvement of relations with Armenia, negotiations will not necessarily be broken off," he noted. The provisions were added on the eve of the December 17 vote of the European Council on opening membership talks with Turkey as amendments to a Parliamentary report on Turkey's progress toward accession to the European Union. 4) Karabagh Leader Calls for Stronger Ties with Population STEPANAKERT (RFE/RL)--The president of Mountainous Karabagh Republic Arkady Ghukasian said on Thursday that his government has lost touch with its people. Meeting with a large group of government officials and public figures in Stepanakert, Ghukasian promised a cabinet reshuffle and other "resolute steps" to boost his administration's standing. "Government officials are often indifferent to citizens' problems. There is mistrust towards the authorities," he said. "Judges often hand down wrong verdicts for profit-making considerations," he said without elaborating. His criticism came amid the improving economic situation in the Armenian-populated territory. Ghukasian declared that the local economy is on course to expand by 30 percent this year on the back of growing foreign investment. He also said that the government will have more money at its disposal next year. At the same time, he noted that many Karabagh Armenians live in poverty and are unaffected by the positive change. He urged local business people to do more to help the poor. 5) BRIEFS EU Talks 'To Settle' Cyprus Issue ANKARA (BBC)--As European Union leaders are set to hold accession talks at the two-day summit now under way in Brussels, commission head Jose Manuel Barroso urged them to reject any half measures during discussions of the membership bid. Asked about the latest progress on the Cyprus issue, Erdogan told reporters in Brussels it "will be resolved tomorrow," without elaborating. Barroso urged Turkey to "go the extra mile" and recognize Cyprus, which is an EU member. He asked what kind of message Turkey was sending if it did not recognize all the members of the club it wanted to join. Turkey, however, which occupies northern Cyprus, has said it will not bow to demands to recognize the country, calling the issue a "red line." Powell, Gul Discuss Turkey's EU Accession WASHINGTON, DC (AFP)--US Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke Wednesday with his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, on Turkey's EU accession. "The secretary spoke this morning with Foreign Minister Gul, just to check in and see where things are," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "We'll continue to keep in touch with Turkish leaders on the subject," he told reporters. The European Union is waiting to give its approval to Turkey's negotiated accession during a summit which opened late Thursday in Brussels. No Change in Ties with Armenia over Dispatch of Military to Iraq YEREVAN (Itar-Tass)--Speaker of the Russian parliament's lower chamber Boris Gryzlov, said on Wednesday that a possible decision by Armenia to send military specialists to Iraq will not change relations between the two former Soviet republics. "Armenia is a sovereign state and the decisions it makes are decisions of a sovereign state," Gryzlov told a press conference in reply to a query concerning Armenian authorities' intentions to send military specialists to Iraq. Gas Leak Kills Family in Armenia YEREVAN (RFE-RL)--A natural-gas leak from a homemade heater killed a family of five in Armenia, officials said Thursday. The accident Wednesday in the city of Echmiadzin killed a married couple and their three small children, the Prosecutor General's Office said. It said the heater was set up without regard for safety standards. The family was among a growing number of victims of accidents resulting from the improper use of homemade heaters and from insufficient oversight by officials charged with enforcing safety standards. OSCE to Send Monitoring Mission to Karabagh BAKU (Interfax)--The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will send a monitoring mission to Karabagh to check reports from Baku about Armenia's plans to establish settlements in the area, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists in London. An agreement to organize a monitoring mission was reached with Armenia during talks between the Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers in Sofia and Brussels in early December, he said, adding that the co-chairman of the Minsk Group directly settling the conflict should join the monitoring mission. Exhibition Captures Essence of Childhood YEREVAN (Arka)--Photographer Zaven Khachikyan's latest exhibition, "We are all from Childhood," opened in Yerevan on December 16. Devoted to the 10th anniversary of UNICEF's efforts, Khachikyan captures the essence of the children's daily lives. He said, "In order to go forward, it is necessary to go back to childhood for some time and to see the reality of children's lives in Armenia in order to improve it in future." The exhibition, organized by the Armenian representative office of UNICEF and "West-East" center of photojournalism, will last until December 19. UN Food Program to Halt Food Aid for Azeri Refugees BAKU (Combined Sources)Food distribution for 140,000 Azeris displaced by the Karabagh conflict with Armenia a decade ago will come to a complete halt next month because of a $10 million shortfall in aid sought for the three-year operation by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). WFP country director Rahman Chowdhury said the agency had halved rations for refugees last month in an effort to stretch food stocks. The WFP faces a $10 million shortfall this year, he said, in part due to higher retail prices and rising gasoline and natural gas prices. "Most of the displaced are so poor they don't have the means to buy food. It's a dreadful situation, especially in winter, when temperatures drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius." 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) 2004 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.

Big News Network, Australia
Dec 15 2004
Turkey riled by genocide reference

France’s demand that Turkey accept responsibility for the alleged
1915 Armenian genocide has drawn an angry denial from Ankara, The
Times of London reports.
In preliminary talks among European foreign ministers on Turkey’s
entry into the European Union, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier
said Turkey must first officially recognize the 1915 genocide.
When the time comes, Turkey should face up to the requirement of
remembrance, Barnier said. The European project itself is founded on
reconciliation.
Historians claim Turkish authorities orchestrated the killing of 1.5
million Armenian Christians, who were indigenous inhabitants of
Turkey, in an attempt to make an ethnically pure nation. However,
subsequent Turkish governments have maintained only a small number
were killed in spontaneous violence.
Tuesday saw a similar denial from an unidentified government official
in Ankara.
They are just trying to make us angry. It is their last chance to
cause trouble against us, the official said.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
December 14, 2004, Tuesday
09:44:00 Central European Time
French not to press Turkey on admitting Armenian genocide
Paris
Turkish acknowledgment of genocide against the Armenian people during
World War I will not be a prerequisite for starting negotiations for
Ankara’s admission in the European Union, French Foreign Minister
Michel Barnier said Tuesday.
“This is not a condition posed by France, especially not a condition
for opening negotiations (with the E.U.),” Barnier told France 2
television. “Legally, this would not be possible.”
France’s sizeable Armenian community has been pressuring the French
government to force Ankara into acknowledging its responsibility in
the deaths of more than 1 million Armenians between 1915 and 1917,
which Turkey has steadfastly refused to do.
However, Barnier said this “is a question, a question we will ask
during the negotiations, and we have a dozen years to ask it”.

Sunday Magazine (Sydney, Australia)
December 12, 2004 Sunday
Fashion addict
SOURCE: MATP
by: ANDREA DUFF, TONY MAGNUSSON
SEX ON THE BEACH
Feraud is hot – again. Almost half a century after Brigitte Bardot
sported a white sundress at the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, the label
pioneered by designer and artist Louis Feraud, and which counted Kim
Novak and Ingrid Bergman among its devotees, has reinvented itself.
Cast your eyes on this vibrant print silk blouse and you’ll see what
we mean.
Check out this season’s collection at the Feraud boutiques in
Sydney’s QVB or West. eld Bondi Junction. Prices range from $350 to a
cool $5000. Call (02) 9264 0067. For national stockists, call (02)
9669 9700.
TONY MAGNUSSON
FAB FIND
It’s the perfect day bag.
A funky canvas satchel with leather trim and room for everything.
$62.50, from Wilson Australia Accessories.
Call: (03) 9509 7855.
BUB’S THE WORD
Babywear used to be as inspiring as a dirty nappy, but not anymore.
Online boutique Baby’s Got Style has an extensive range of quirky
clothing and accessories from celeb baby clothiers such as Tea
Collection and Posh Baby.
Pick of the bunch? BlaBla’s adorable sheep booties, $42.95, handmade
in Peru.
SHOE FETISH
Feeling slinky? Slide your pedicured piggies into a pair of snakeskin
stilettos, $649, from the range at G&L Hand Made Shoes. The
brainchild of Armenian shoe designer Levon Karapepyan, G&L also make
shoes to order. Call: (02) 8354 1005 or (03) 9510 5526.
Treat yourself to the latest issue of Monster Children magazine for
$9.95, and pick up one of their funky T-shirts for Christmas gifts,
$60 from General Pants.

Denver Post, CO
Dec 10 2004
Immigration agency frees Armenian family
By Nancy Lofholm
Denver Post Staff Writer

An Armenian family that has been held in an immigration detention
center in Denver for nearly five weeks was unexpectedly released
Thursday, setting off a wave of joy that quickly spread through a
small Western Slope community that has fought for their freedom.
“I’m shaking. It happened so fast. It’s incredible. I feel like I’m
in a dream,” said Gevorg Sargsyan, moments after he, his sister Meri,
brother Hayk and father Ruben walked out of the Immigration and
Customs Enforcement Center where they had been held since Nov. 4.
The four members of the Sargsyan family were taken into custody while
their attorney was waging a legal battle to obtain visas for them
based on their contention they were victims of a con man who
trafficked in fraudulent visas. That battle will continue now that
the Sargsyans are free from detention.

The family has lived and worked in Ridgway for more than six years.
When they were taken into custody, Hayk was a senior honor student at
Ridgway High School. Gevorg was on the dean’s list at the University
of Colorado, where he was studying chemical engineering. Meri was
well known for playing piano in local churches. And Ruben, a
space-optics scientist in Armenia, had been working multiple jobs to
provide for his family.
His wife, Susan, and their daughter Nvart, who both work in Ouray and
Ridgway, were not taken into custody because their immigration cases
were being heard separately.
Since realizing last summer the Sargsyans were in danger of being
deported, Ouray County residents have raised more than $30,000 for
their legal defense, wrote hundreds of letters and e-mails, and
pressured officials from regional immigration officials to President
Bush to take another look at the case and allow the family to stay.
“We are very glad ICE made this decision,” said Pete Whiskeman, a
Ridgway businessman who has helped lead the effort to free the
Sargsyans.
Carl Rusnok, a Dallas-based spokesman for the immigration division,
said the Sargsyans were released on orders from Washington on
Thursday.
“They were released because they are not a threat to national
security and not a flight risk,” Rusnok said. “Frankly, we can use
the detention space for more dangerous criminals.”