Author: Chmshkian Vicken

NOR ZHAMANAKNER PARTY REPRESENTATIVE REFUTES STATEMENT ABOUT PARTY’S COLLAPSE AND QUALIFIES ITS AUTHOR AS “AGENT”
Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. No one has left either the youth wing
or the women’s board of the Nor Zhamanakner (New Times) Party. Party
Vice-Chairman Alexan Minasian made such a statement at the May
15 press conference refuting the statement by head of party’s
Malatia-Sebastia branch Arsen Amirkhanian who has left the party
recently and declared that the Nor Zhamanakner Party is breaking
down. According to A.Minasian, besides the above-mentioned person,
there are more than 10 “agents in their party and they gradually
get rid of these agents”. According to him, by introducing agents
the authorities try to intimidate the party that was the first
one to speak about carrying out a revolution. Alexan Minasian also
informed that the Nor Zhamanakner Party is going to organize a rally
dedicated to the problems of the Armenians of Javakhk on May 30 in
Aznavour Square. According to his information, it is possible that
the Armenians can leave Javakhk as 10 thousand Meskhetians are to be
settled there. According to A.Minasian, the Nor Zhamanakner Party is
not going to conclude an alliance with any party at the forthcoming
elections. As for the possible cooperation with the Orinats Yerkir
(Country of Law) Party, according to him, the time will show whether
this will take place or not.

RA PRESIDENT PRESENTS PRESENT STAGE OF SETTLEMENT PROCESS OF KARABAKH CONFLICT TO OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA President Robert
Kocharian received on May 13 Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, OSCE
Secretary General, who visited Armenia on the occasion of opening of
the “Melange” project for liquidation of the rocket fuel remained in
the territory of Armenia still from the Soviet times. The President of
the republic welcame the OSCE Secretary’s General visit and appreciated
effeciency of the cooperation with the OSCE in the sense of volume,
level and prospects. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the President’s
Press Office, the interlocutors discussed in details the developments
taking place in the OSCE region and the process of reforms of the OSCE
structure. At the guest’s request, the President presented the present
stage of the peaceful settlement process of the Karabakh conflict. He
attached importance to the circumstance that the problem settlement
takes place within the OSCE framework and a rather effective format
has been chosen. The Armenia-Turkey relations were also touched upon.

HARPER MAKING HIS MARK IN FOREIGN POLICY LANDSCAPE
by George Koch, For the Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald (Alberta)
May 14, 2006 Sunday
Final Edition
When the Danish Muhammad cartoons controversy erupted in early
February, the days-old Conservative government’s equivocal response
disappointed those hoping for a tough answer to terrorist apologists
and Islamist radicalism. Would this become the default mode of a weak
minority government?
Barely three months later, it’s looking like a mere opening stumble
by a not yet fully staffed government. Since then, the Conservatives
have made a series of moves — some small and symbolic, others big
and important — that add up to a sharp departure from the indecision,
inconsistency and political correctness of the Liberals.
The latest item triggered outsized controversy. Last month, the
government issued a statement commemorating the Armenian genocide,
which peaked in 1915. Noting the Armenian people’s “terrible suffering
and loss of life” from Turkish actions that Canada officially considers
a “crime against humanity,” the four-paragraph statement was signed
by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
It barely made Canadian news, but it quickly outraged the Turkish
government, which recalled its ambassador and is expected to boycott
joint air force exercises later this year.
Whatever one’s views on the Armenians’ tragic past, Harper’s
statement hardly suggested timidity. Indeed, since mid-February, the
Conservatives have cut a veritable swath through the foreign policy
landscape, including:
n Harper’s visit in mid-March to Canadian troops fighting in
Afghanistan;
n Suspension in late March of the $25 million in annual funding to the
Palestinian Authority, after the terrorist group Hamas came to power;
n Adding the Sri Lankan Tamil Tigers to Canada’s list of prohibited
terrorist organizations, which the Liberals had refused to do;
n The plan, announced in the recent budget, to arm Canada’s border
guards (also after years of Liberal refusal);
n The increased defence budget;
n Casting a March UN vote in favour of Israel;
n Condemning Iran’s president after he called for Israel’s
annihilation;
n A more favourable attitude towards the United States, culminating
in the recent agreement on Canada’s softwood lumber exports;
n The acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide.
“We’re thinking hard about foreign policy, partly because there’s a
lot of interest among Conservative party members in foreign policy,
including earlier policy resolutions,” says one senior government
official, who spoke to the Herald on a background basis.
Some of these are now becoming government policy. For example, the
Conservative party in 2004 resolved to recognize the Armenian genocide.
Harper’s showing up in Afghanistan — at considerable physical risk
— wasn’t a mere stunt. He’s been in the thick of nearly all the
recent moves. According to a recent article in the Western Standard,
following the evidently rigged elections in Belarus in March, Harper
also over-rode Foreign Affairs bureaucrats and personally toughened
Canada’s official response.
“We understand that Canada is not some island on which we can live
in splendid and peaceful isolation,” Harper told the House of Commons
in his response to the Throne Speech in early April.
“We want Canada to be a player, at home and abroad, on the great
challenges of the day.” In his speech to the troops in Afghanistan,
Harper referred specifically to the Canadians killed in the World
Trade Center atrocity on 9/11.
The Conservative government is reorganizing Canada’s foreign policy
around two concepts: that foreign policy must advance Canada’s
interests, and that it should promote four fundamental principles.
Described in the Throne Speech, they are freedom, democracy, the rule
of law and human rights. The new foreign policy concept, and the way
it’s being carried out, almost sounds like an emerging Harper doctrine.
“Foreign policy is what we do outside the country to influence the
behaviour of foreign actors,” says the government official. “It’s a
tool, because we intend to get something out of it — like improved
relations with the U.S.” One beneficial outcome, he argues, was the
recent softwood lumber deal.
It’s a sharp departure from the Liberals’ vision of foreign policy
which, like that of former U.S. president Bill Clinton, seemed driven
primarily by the desire to accommodate various domestic interests. A
classic example was senior Liberals appearing at fundraisers for the
Tamil Tigers’ domestic front group.
In addition, former prime minister Paul Martin’s international approach
was so scattered it became virtually ineffective. A Conservative
official notes incredulously that Martin’s otherwise all-powerful
prime minister’s office (PMO) had no foreign policy section. Martin
PMO officials considered foreign affairs just politics and spent
their time “chasing headlines.”
At its worst, the Liberal approach was largely about striking
fashionable poses in highly visible settings — such as Martin
cavorting with Bono, or calling for relief of African national debts
— while doing little or nothing. “Soft power” in practice was as
oxymoronic as the words suggested.
The Conservatives are intent on concentrating Canada’s middle power
resources on a limited set of achievable objectives. Government
officials describe it as a “team effort.”
Day-to-day activity is handled by Foreign Affairs Minister Peter
MacKay and his department. Stockwell Day, foreign affairs critic in
opposition and now minister of Public Safety, is involved in files
such as banning the Tamil Tigers and arming Canada’s border guards.
The prime minister “maintains a keen interest” in foreign policy and
runs big-ticket items affecting Canada’s direction in the world.
Harper’s key officials include Ian Brodie, chief of staff; Mark
Cameron, manager of policy; and Keith Fountain, Cameron’s policy
adviser for foreign affairs and national security.
It meshes with the Harper government’s broader campaign to advance
the Conservative agenda in small steps, equal parts symbolism and
substance, that don’t require legislation (the budget being a major
exception), avoiding open confrontation with the opposition parties.
It’s been dubbed incrementalism.
Incremental, yes, but not necessarily uncontroversial. The statement on
Armenia may have repeated concepts introduced in previous parliamentary
resolutions. The prime minister’s imprimatur, however, was new.
The Armenian genocide, in which 600,000 to 1.5 million Armenians died
at the hands of Turkish army units and government officials during the
First World War, may seem like a 90-year-old historical curiosity. But
in the Middle East, it’s fraught with meaning. Armenia is the world’s
oldest officially Christian nation, having maintained its culture
and religion amid centuries of expansion by Islam. Today Armenia
is a struggling country with mostly Muslim neighbours, including
totalitarian and soon-to-be nuclear-armed Iran.
Turkey continues to deny what it did to the Armenians was genocide.
Turkey’s foreign ministry has accused Harper of displaying a “gravely
prejudiced attitude.”
Turkey is also where the Muslim caliphate was dissolved after the
First World War, and which al-Qaeda and other groups are fighting
to re-establish.
Harper’s comments are very likely circulating among the chat rooms,
websites and e-mails of radical Islamists the world over, and they
are certain to regard them as provocative.
Canadian government officials say they do not think the issue will
increase the risks to Harper, or Canada. “The radical Islamists
already want to kill the PM,” notes one. “And Canada is already on
al-Qaeda’s top five list (of potential target countries).”
Meanwhile, the emerging Harper doctrine will continue to flesh
itself out. Reportedly, Harper will soon deliver a major speech on
Afghanistan. Some believe he may press China to improve its planning
and co-operation concerning anticipated pandemics such as the bird
flu. Canada will likely continue to push reform of the UN.
The government might list additional groups as banned terrorist
organizations, or move to expedite deportations of known criminals
and bogus refugee claimants with possible terrorist ties.
Thanks to better relations with the U.S., American authorities might
allow Canada Customs to station officers at U.S. airports to pre-clear
home-bound Canadians (as U.S. Customs does at Canadian airports).
Although most Canadians don’t seem to have noticed the Harper doctrine,
at the prime minister’s current foreign policy pace, it’s unlikely
to remain obscure for much longer.
George Koch is a Calgary-based freelance writer. More of his articles
can be read at his weblog,

PARTY “ORINATS YERKIR”: “AMIRYAN” PEDAGOGICAL ORGANIZATION BEARS NO
RELATION TO THE PARTY “ORINATS YERKIR”
Yerevan, May 13. ArmInfo. “Amiryan” pedagogical organization bears no
relation to the party “Orinats Yerkir,” says “OY” party statement
received by ArmInfo, Saturday.
The party informs that a press conference scheduled for May 13 at
Hotel Yerevan wherein “Amiryan” organization’s withdrawal from “OY”
will be announced is application of dirty technologies. Certain
impostors keep on announcing about their withdrawal from the
party. “Any similar attempts in future will be considered as
provocation,” the party says.

SERGO YERITSIAN TO RESIGN FROM POST OF RA MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
ATTENTION, CORRECTED VERSION! YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. RA
Minister of Education and Science Sergo Yeritsian, member of the
Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) Party, will resign after May 22. Noyan
Tapan correspondent was informed about it from the Ministry. Chairman
of the Orinats Yerkir Party and NA Speaker Artur Baghdasarian said in
the May 12 statement that after his official resignation all state
officials representing the party should resign from their posts during
the next NA 4-day session to start on May 22.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 12, 2006 Friday
THE OSCE WILL ORGANIZE A SCHEDULED MONITORING ON THE LINE OF
CONFRONTATION OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANIAN FORCES
A scheduled monitoring will be organized on the line of confrontation
between Armenian and Azerbaijanian forces near the village of Ashagy
Askiparra in the Gazakh district on May 11. Imre Palatinus and Peter
Key, field aides to the plenipotentiary of the OSCE chairman, will
participate in monitoring. Armenia’s part of the group will consist
of Andzhei Kasprshik, plenipotentiary of the OSCE chairman, and his
field aides Harry Eronen and Zhiri Abberle.
Source: Turan information agency (Baku), May 10, 2006

Opposition figure urges Armenian leader to dissolve parliament, sack
government
Mediamax news agency
12 May 06
Yerevan, 12 May: The secretary of the opposition Justice bloc, Viktor
Dallakyan, said today that “the Armenian president should speak on TV
today and say that the coalition does not exist any more”.
Commenting on Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan’s resignation and the
Law-Governed Country Party’s departure from the ruling coalition,
Dallakyan said that the Armenian president should dissolve the
parliament and dismiss the government and the prime minister.
Dallakyan believes that “the speaker resigned as a result of pressure
from the ruling circles”. He did not rule out that “Bagdasaryan
probably encountered the same kind of pressure as the former head of
the presidential administration, Artashes Tumanyan”.
The secretary of the Dashnaktsutyun faction, Grayr Karapetyan, said
today that the Law-Governed Country Party left the ruling coalition
“in the most civilized way”. He also said that each of the three
member parties of the coalition is an independent political force and
has the right to determine its political line independently.

The New Anatolian, Turkey
May 12 2006
Belgium follows in French footsteps
The New Anatolian / Brussels

Members of the Belgian Liberal Party (MR) are planning to bring a
bill stipulating prison terms for questioning the Armenian genocide
claims before the Belgian Parliament, a move similar to that of the
French socialists.
The bill, drawn up by MR Senators Francois Roelands du Vivier and
Christine Defraigne, aims to impose prison terms of up to a year and
up to 5,000 euros in fines to those questioning the events of 1915.
Belgian Parliament last June shelved a similar bill after heated
debate and criticism from Turks living in Belgium. The Parliament,
while not approving the Armenian bill last year, decided not to
abandon another decision on the controversial case, such as the
recognition of genocide claims.
The latest bill is the expanded version of a law enacted by Belgian
Parliament in March, 1995 which considers the Jewish Holocaust a
crime.
While the Parliament is expected to begin debates on the bill this
month, sources told The New Anatolian that they might be postponed so
as to avoid sparking criticism from Turks in the country ahead of
local elections set for Oct. 8.
Turkey pulls out military exercise in Canada
Turkey pulled out of a military exercise in Canada, a Foreign
Ministry official said Thursday, further expressing Turkey’s
displeasure with its NATO ally for saying Turks committed “genocide”
against Armenians during World War I.
The refusal to send Turkish F-16s and officers comes in a week of
tense diplomacy for Turkey.
The Foreign Ministry official spoke on condition of anonymity, in
keeping with government rules. He said the military exercise in
Canada isn’t a NATO exercise, but was open to other allied countries
and that Turkey had planned to send six or seven F-16s and pilots.

Turkish Press
May 11 2006
Press Review
TURKIYE
ARINC: `IN ADDITION TO HINDERING TURKEY’S EU BID, THE ARMENIAN BILL
IS ALSO MEANT FOR DOMESTIC POLITICAL CONSUMPTION’
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said yesterday that France’s Armenian
bill wasn’t meant solely to hinder Turkey’s European Union membership
bid, but also was meant for domestic political consumption. Saying
that Turkish parliamentarians were lobbying in Paris against the
bill, he added that he thought the bill would be rejected by the
French Parliament next Thursday. This bill disappoints Ankara, he
stated, warning that this would be taken into consideration in
relations. In related news, opposition True Path Party (DYP) leader
Mehmet Agar said that he hoped the bill won’t pass. `Such initiatives
can hurt Turkish-French relations,’ added Agar. /Turkiye/

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
05/12/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Communities Unite in Support of ANCA Telethon 2) Orinats Yerkir Leader Confirms Resignation; Avoids Blaming Kocharian 3) Honorary Presidents of 31st Navasartian Games Donate $50,000 to Homenetmen 4) Armenian And Hellenic Caucus Leaders Join Together In Opposing Missile Sale To Turkey 1) Communities Unite in Support of ANCA Telethon (Washington, DC)--Armenian Communities and organizations across the United States are uniting in overwhelming support of the May 21st Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Telethon. In the last several weeks, individual communities have mobilized to build support for the Telethon including early community-level local fundraising initiatives. With less than a week before the Telethon air date, there is a groundswell of widespread interest across the entire spectrum of community organizations coming together with a united purpose of supporting the Armenian Cause, "Hai Tad." With this in mind, representatives of various communities and organizations are planning on appearing live during the Telethon to show their moral and financial support. The Telethon will be on May 21 from 3-9 PM Pacific Time (6 PM-Midnight Eastern Time) and will be broadcast nationally on i Network (formerly known as the PAX network which can be viewed on local cable systems); Horizon TV, which is carried on cable and the DISH satellite network; and will be web cast on <; Viewers can go to the Telethon page of the ANCA website (<;) where they will find a station locator by entering their zip code to obtain local channel details. "Representatives from communities throughout the United States will be traveling to Los Angeles to participate in the Telethon live," said Raffi Hamparian, member of the ANCA National Board and Telethon Organizing Committee. "The Telethon has touched a common emotion and desire in people to support the Armenian Cause in all the different parts of our communities, regardless of organizational affiliations or politics. It is worthwhile to note this very positive development because 'Hai Tad' is a calling that should be awakened in every Armenian. As the Telethon will demonstrate, we all have an important and critical role to play." Representatives from ANCs, community organizations, churches and performing artists from across the nation are scheduled to appear during the Telethon in addition to an unprecedented number of public officials including mayors and representatives from city and state governments; dozens of members of Congress and the Congressional Armenian Caucus; and leaders from the Republic of Armenia. Representatives of ANCA chapters around the nation will show the tangible results of their grassroots advocacy and activism during the broadcast with in-depth documentaries about the many activities on Armenian issues in every community. "We are eager to share the progress we are making in Pennsylvania on key issues of importance to the Armenian community and that's why I'll be making the trip to Los Angeles for the Telethon," said Dr. Ara Chalian, Co-Chair of the ANC of Pennsylvania. "The surge in interest and activism demonstrates we're on the right track and when we put the additional financial resources behind our volunteer work of our grassroots network we will see even greater results. That's what makes this Telethon so critical to our united future." To make a donation in advance of the May 21st ANCA Telethon or find out channel information, call 1-866-402-2622 (ANCA) or go to <; and click on the Telethon logo to make a donation online. 2) Orinats Yerkir Leader Confirms Resignation; Avoids Blaming Kocharian (Combined sources)--Armenians parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian was careful to avoid any attacks on President Robert Kocharian on Friday as he officially announced his Orinats Yerkir Party's departure from the governing coalition and its transformation into an `opposition force.' Baghdasarian dismissed reports that the dramatic collapse of his parliament faction was engineered by Kocharian. He insisted that he decided to resign and pull Orinats Yerkir out of the coalition because of major policy differences with the country's leadership. `It is morally right for me to tender my resignation and for our political team to leave the coalition,' he told a news conference. `All Orinats Yerkir members holding [government] posts must also resign. This is the decision unanimously taken by our political council.' The party's exit was followed with defections of about a dozen Orinats Yerkir lawmakers which caused the party's faction, the second largest in the National Assembly, to shrink by half. According to some senior members of the Armenian coalition, their departure was initiated by Kocharian with the aim of forcing Orinats Yerkir out of his government. Presidential press secretary Victor Soghomonian denied this on Friday. `I don't want to comment on gossip,' he said. `A change in the ruling coalition is an ordinary phenomenon for any civilized country. So in this case, nothing very extraordinary has happened, especially given the fact that there were some disagreements within the coalition and they understandably deepened during the pre-election period.' Baghdasarian said that the defectors had come under unspecified `pressure' to leave Orinats Yerkir and caved in because of `an atmosphere of fear that stifles dissent' in Armenia. `Everything is clear to everyone. Was there pressure? Yes, there was. From all sides,' he said. At the same time, Baghdasarian insisted that the Armenian leader played no part in the process. `There was no such thing,' he said. `We have for months had disagreements on different issues, including with the president of the republic.' Baghdasarian added that those differences have centered on the Kocharian administration's socioeconomic and foreign policies as well as `democratic reforms' which he believes need to be carried out in Armenia. He refused to go into details. The speaker, who was at one point regarded as one of Kocharian's potential successors, and his party have repeatedly criticized the government and had an uneasy relationship with its coalition partners ever since they signed a power-sharing agreement three years ago. Orinats Yerkir's exit from power appears to have been precipitated by Baghdasarian's recent interview with a German newspaper in which he called for Armenia's accession to NATO and implied that Kocharian's reelection in 2003 was fraudulent. `Of course we are becoming an opposition force. There is no question about that,' said Baghdasarian. But he would not specify whether he is ready to align himself with Armenia's mainstream opposition groups that have long challenged Kocharian. Leaders of those groups seem to remain mistrustful of Orinats Yerkir. Stepan Demirchian of the opposition Artarutyun alliance said the bloc will consider cooperating with Baghdasarian's party only if it becomes a `real opposition force.' Another Artarutyun figure, Vazgen Manukian, referred to Orinats Yerkir as a `party artificially created and artificially broken up' by the authorities. Another prominent oppositionist, Artashes Geghamian of the National Unity Party, was even more dismissive of Orinats Yerkir, alleging that it had been created by the influential Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian. `We are confident that what happened will not lead to an internal political crisis,' said Soghomonian. `The so-called divorce took place in an open and civilized atmosphere. Both the government and the National Assembly will continue to work in a normal regime.' `The resignation was tendered voluntarily,' said Dashnaktsutyun (ARF) leader Armen Rustamian. `It was not a punishment. It was a normal political event.' Orinats Yerkir's exit leaves the HHK and Dashnaktsutyun in direct control of only 51 of the 131 parliament seats. But Rustamian was confident that the restructured coalition will rely on other pro-Kocharian factions to push government decisions through the National Assembly. He said none of them will likely get ministerial posts in return for the backing. Rustamian also did not rule out the possibility of Dashnaktsutyun taking over some of the senior positions that have been held by Orinats Yerkir until now. `We have not made such a clear-cut decision,' he said. `But I don't rule out that the discussions will lead to such a reshuffle.' The Armenian parliament is expected to accept its speaker's resignation when it resumes its sessions on May 22. Deputy speaker Tigran Torosian, who is a leading member of the governing Republican Party, will perform Baghdasarian's duties in interim. 3) Honorary Presidents of 31st Navasartian Games Donate $50,000 to Homenetmen Longtime Homenetemen members and supporters Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Elo Boyadjian were appointed Wednesday Honorary Presidents of the 31st Navasartian Games and donated, on this occasion, $50,000 to Homenetmen, said Regional Executive Chairman Raffi Ispenjian. During the ceremony at Note Luna restaurant in Glendale, the couple humbly accepted their appointment as Honorary Presidents and reaffirmed their belief in the role Homenetmen plays in our community and the mission of the organization. `Elo and I will try our best to help out in any way possible and make sure that this year's Homenetemen Navasartian Games are a success,' said Joseph Boyadjian. Joseph Boyadjian has been a member of Homenetemen since his youth in Lebanon, where he played soccer for the organization. He is currently a member of the Pasadena `Azadamard' chapter of Homenetemen. Both Joseph and Elo Boyadjian have consistently been active in the Armenian community and are highly respected within the community for their many contributions. 4) Armenian And Hellenic Caucus Leaders Join Together In Opposing Missile Sale To Turkey --Reps. Bilirakis, Pallone, Radanovich, and Maloney Warn that SLAM-ER Missile Transfer Will Undermine Cyprus Peace Process and Threaten Armenia (WASHINGTON, DC)--The Co-Chairpersons of the Hellenic Caucus, Reps. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), were joined Thursday by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Armenian Genocide Resolution lead sponsor George Radanovich (R-CA) in calling on Congressional leaders to reexamine a controversial $162 million US missile sale to Turkey. In letters addressed to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House Armed Services and International Relations Committees, the four legislators voiced their "deep concern and opposition to the application currently before your Committee for the foreign military sale to Turkey of 50 AGM 84K Joint Standoff Land Attack Missiles - Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) and associated equipment and services." Noting that Turkey has enforced an illegal blockade against Armenia for the last twelve years, provides support to Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabagh, and refuses to normalize relations with Armenia, they stressed that, "there are no safeguards in place to ensure that the transfer of these advanced new weapons to Turkey will not be used to threaten Armenia." Commenting on the presence of more than 40,000 Turkish military troops in the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus, the legislators argued that the sale would "exacerbate the already existing military imbalance over Cyprus," and "worsen the uneasy, insecure and disadvantaged position of the Republic of Cyprus in terms of its defense and weapons proliferation." They closed the letter by requesting a "thorough reexamination of all factors pertaining to the sale" of the missiles to Turkey. "We join with our friends at the American Hellenic Institute in thanking Representatives Bilirakis, Pallone, Maloney, and Radanovich in calling for a careful review of this ill-advised and destabilizing arms sale to an already over-armed Turkish military," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. "Neither US interests nor American values are served by providing advanced offensive weapons to a government that used US arms to invade Cyprus in 1974, transferred weapons to Azerbaijan during the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, regularly invades Greek airspace over the Aegean Sea, and has used American military equipment in committing human rights abuses against its own citizens." The full text of the Congressional letter is provided below. Dear Mr. Chairman: We are writing to express our deep concern and opposition to the application currently before your Committee for the foreign military sale to Turkey of 50 AGM 84K Joint Standoff Land Attack Missiles - Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) and associated equipment and services. Considering the presence of more than 40,000 Turkish military troops in the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus, this particular sale - if materialized - will exacerbate the already existing military imbalance over Cyprus. It will worsen the uneasy, insecure and disadvantaged position of the Republic of Cyprus in terms of its defense and weapons proliferation. We also believe that US approval of this sale will negatively influence the ongoing efforts of the Administration to encourage a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus question. Support for the sale could be perceived as adversely affecting our third-party role in helping to bring the interested parties together. Turkey has also has enforced an illegal blockade against Armenia for the last twelve years, continues to provide support to Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabagh, and refuses to normalize relations with Armenia. There are no safeguards in place to ensure that the transfer of these advanced new weapons to Turkey will not be used to threaten Armenia. This potential sale sends the wrong political message at the wrong time to Turkey and the neighboring countries. In a time of delicate diplomatic balance by the United States in that region of the world, the sale of this particular weapon to Turkey runs the real danger of being seen by the other countries of concern as a politically insensitive move. We therefore request a thorough reexamination of all factors pertaining to the sale of the cruise missiles to Turkey. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Michael Bilirakis Co-Chair, Hellenic Caucus Frank Pallone Co-Chair, Armenian Caucus Carolyn Maloney Co-Chair, Hellenic Caucus George Radanovich Member, Armenian Caucus 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) 2006 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.