Author: Ekmekjian Janet

Stolichnyye Novosti, Kiev,
10 Oct 06; p 3
RUSSIAN PLANE MAYBE NOT DESTROYED BY UKRAINIAN MISSILE, BUT BOMB ON
BOARD
US and Israeli secret services have evidence that the Russian
aircraft travelling from Tel Aviv to Russia that crashed into the
Black Sea in 2001 was not accidentally hit by a Ukrainian missile, a
newspaper has said. Its US correspondent reports that it was
destroyed by an explosion on board. Israel and Russia agreed to the
missile theory to prevent mutual accusations, because a group of
Russian experts on weapons of mass destruction was flying on board
the plane, the paper alleges. The following is the text of the
article by Dmytro Dymov entitled “Ukrainian missile did not bring
down Russian plane, was it blown up?” published in the Ukrainian
publication Stolichnyye Novosti on 10 October:
A week ago it was the fifth anniversary of the tragedy that took the
lives of almost 80 people – the disaster to the passenger liner of
the Sibir airline company flying from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk.
Our correspondent in America, on conditions of anonymity, was
informed of a sensational theory of the crash of the Russian plane
over the Black Sea. The American and Israeli special services have
reliable information at their disposal that the Tu-154 plane was not
brought down by a Ukrainian missile [during military exercises in
Crimea], but was blown up by a bomb placed in the luggage. The
explosion was also reported on 4 October 2001 and the only witness of
the horrific tragedy was the commander of an AN-24 of Armenian
airlines that was flying on a parallel route. He did not see any
trace of a missile in the sky.
So who destroyed the plane and why? Why was it that only one theory
was immediately launched into the media, which serious specialists
completely dismiss? The answer to the mystery, it is thought, lies in
the plane’s passengers. Not all of them, but a group of scientists
who had been in Tel Aviv at the invitation of their Israeli
colleagues. It is known with absolute precision that those people
were staff from the secret Novosibirsk scientific centre that was
developing weapons of mass destruction. It may be not only Muslim
terrorists that had an interest in their death, but also in theory,
for example, the Americans.
However, our collocutor believes that the explosion on board was
indeed organized by terrorists. But the Israelis and Russians agreed
on the “missile theory” in order not to accuse each other, making
Ukraine into the “scapegoat” once again. Military specialists from
various countries even then expressed doubts as to the ability of a
Ukrainian S-200 to overcome such an enormous distance and accurately
to hit the target. They also drew attention to the absence of visible
external damage, scorching and traces of soot remaining after an
“external” blast on the surface of the liner. The video clips shown
five years ago made experts assume there and then that the blast had
indeed been on board. And the missile itself that was launched from
the test site but did not shoot down the plane, it seems, can be
sought on the sea bed – there are relevant estimates of the place
where it fell, very far from point of the plane disaster.
So far as can be judged, the bomb could have been planted in
Bulgaria. The Tu-154 made an unscheduled stopover there, which has
never been reported in the press. In all likelihood, it is a matter
of the airport in Burgas, where some people left the plane and some
luggage was put on board. One other thing is surprising: at the time
of the disaster one of the crew members declared to be on board was
missing.
We hope that in the near future the editorial board will have new
facts at its disposal shedding light on the terrible tragedy. And we
will certainly continue the topic.

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Oct 13 2006
A French law harms free speech in Turkey
By Howard Eissenstat
Commentary by
Friday, October 13, 2006
On October 12, France’s National Assembly approved a proposal to
criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide. If it also passes
the Senate and receives presidential approval, the law will be a blow
to freedom of speech in France; more importantly, it will also be a
blow to freedom of speech in Turkey.
For advocates of free speech in Turkey, the past few years have been
a time both of great hopes and great frustration. In 2003 and 2004,
when the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party government
of Prime Minister Reccep Tayyip Erdogan first came to power, it
seemed to promise a new, more democratic and pluralistic Turkey. In
those heady days, it seemed that Turkey was poised to achieve its
long-term goal of membership in the European Union.
For the past year or two, however, such hopes have seemed
increasingly Pollyannaish as Turkish reforms have stumbled. Most
dramatically, a steady stream of Turkey’s most prominent
intellectuals, journalists, and authors have been brought to trial
under the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish criminal code, which
makes it a criminal offense, punishable by as many as three years in
prison, to “denigrate Turkishness.” The international stature of
several of those accused, including novelists Orhan Pamuk and Elif
Shafak, have ensured widespread media coverage of the trials and a
steady decline in Turkey’s stature abroad. Even as charges against
one intellectual were dropped, several more cases emerged in steady
succession, so that they have remained in the news and become a
constant drain on Turkey’s international standing.
On September 21, Elif Shafak’s case was thrown out of court as
baseless. The charges against her, based on what a character in one
of her novels said, was only the most absurd in a long series of
embarrassing trials. Nevertheless, within a matter of days, new
charges were brought up against Hrant Dink, the publisher of a small
Armenian newspaper.
In fact, this situation appears to be part of a concerted effort by
members of the old elite within the bureaucracy and the military and
their allies to sabotage both the Erdogan government and Turkey’s
European aspirations. The liberalization promised by the government –
and demanded by the EU – placed elements of the old elite in a
dilemma. Many in the Turkish bureaucracy, and particularly within the
military, believe it is their right and duty to shepherd Turkey
toward modernization. Elected officials are seen as too corrupt and
the populace as too ignorant and fickle to be trusted with
stewardship of the nation. When legal limitations are insufficient
for maintaining control, a murky system of patronage, strong-arm
tactics, and outright violence that the Turks refer to as the “deep
state” can be relied on to keep both politicians and ordinary
citizens in line. The liberalization demanded by the EU and the
reforms implemented early on by the Erdogan government threaten this
monopoly on real power.
In recent weeks, the battle between the government and elements of
the Turkish state has become more heated, with generals warning of
the threats of political Islam almost on a daily basis. Yet,
advocates of free speech have gained significant popular support. The
public, seeing the ludicrous nature of the Article 301 trials, has
started accepting the virtues of defending unpopular opinions. Both
Erdogan and his foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, called Shafak while
she awaited trial to demonstrate their support. For a time it seemed
a corner had been turned, and advocates of free expression were
starting to feel hopeful.

All of this came to a crashing halt thanks to the debate in France’s
National Assembly over the proposed law to criminalize denial of the
Armenian genocide. The law is a bad idea for France and, more
importantly, it has proven to be a tremendous blow to Turkish reform.
History is not the issue. If we accept the definition of genocide
used in the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, there is no
question that the Ottoman state’s destruction of much of its Armenian
population between 1915 and 1917 was genocidal. In dispute is whether
denial of this fact should constitute a crime. After all, freedom of
speech is the right to say what one believes, even if those beliefs
are stupid, wrong, or offensive. Indeed, it is often beliefs that are
offensive that require protection since they are most likely to be
limited by state power.
This has been the argument that Turkish liberals have been making as
they have tried to build a more open and democratic society. This is
the argument that has created space for public discussions of the
Armenian genocide and for advocates of Turkish recognition of the
crime, like Dink and Shafak. Despite significant pressure against
this, openings have been made, conferences held, and articles
written.
Now, however, discussion of Article 301 has almost completely
disappeared from the Turkish public sphere while newspapers endlessly
discuss the French proposal. The draft law, moreover, has allowed the
most anti-democratic elements in Turkish society to pose as
“defenders of liberty.” Turkish intellectuals who had been exerting
their energy to develop greater awareness of the Armenian genocide,
or simply working for more freedom, have been forced to suspend their
criticisms of Article 301 to argue against the French law. They
realize that defending the freedom to express unpopular opinions in
Turkey requires that they also defend unpopular opinions in France.
Criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide tarnishes France’s
reputation as a bastion of freedom of expression. More seriously, it
will be a devastating blow to freedom of speech in Turkey.
Howard Eissenstat teaches Middle Eastern history at Seton Hall
University in New Jersey. He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY
STAR.

Today, Azerbaijan
Oct 13 2006
Rovshen Mustafayev: “Patrick Devechian knows Jacque Chirac’s family
secrets”

14 October 2006 [00:22] – Today.Az

Rovshen Mustafayev, the head of National Academy of Science Human
Rights Institute, held press conference on a law would make it a
crime to deny false Armenian genocide.
Mustayev said that this decision has historical background. He also
stated that a contract was signed between France and Armenian ASALA
terror organization in 1982. The contract considers the mutual aid
and cooperation on making false Armenian genocide worldly recognized.
Mustafayev said the author of the draft law is Devechian who has warm
relations with France president.
“Devechian is Jacque Chirac’s family lawyer, and he knows all family
secrets. He has great impact on the president’s decisions. Armenians
consider that Chirac is an Armenian surname and the original form is
Chiracian,” he said.
Mustafayev showed the pieces of Washington Post, Armenian reporter,
Le Mantin newspapers and short records of the discussions held in the
US Senate about the relations between ASALA and France.
The deputy chief Araz Gurbanov said it is very interesting that
France supports the organization which sows terror in France after
Turkey. He said Azerbaijan and Turkey should bring to a focus the
genocides committed at Van lakeside where thousands of Turkish people
were killed and Algeria Genocide.
Mustafayev said that France violated Europe Human Rights Convention
item 10 by adopting of this law. “Turkey and Azerbaijan should appeal
to Europe Human Rights Court,” he said, APA reports.

URL:

YEREVAN STARTS MARKING 2788TH ANNIVERSARY TOMORROW
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.10.2006 13:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian capital of Yerevan celebrates its
2788th anniversary this year. As Chief of the Department of Culture,
Sport and Youth of the City Hall Kamo Movsisyan had stated before,
festivities will be held in the capital October 13-14.
“10 delegations will visit the city during the celebration,” he
said. The festivities will be full of surprises this year and these
will be held under the personal supervision of Yerevan Mayor Yervand
Zakharyan.
The opening ceremony will take place in the National Academic Theater
of Opera and Ballet after Alexander Spendiarov tomorrow, while the
closing will be in the Sport and Concert Complex after K. Dermichyan
October 14.

Signatures and ratifications of Council of Europe treaties on the
occasion of the 27th Conference of European Ministers of Justice
Yerevan, 12.10.2006 – On the occasion of the 27th Conference of European
Ministers of Justice taking place on 12 and 13 October in Yerevan (see
our press release 566a
< 83&BackColorInternet=3DF5CA75&Back ColorIn tranet=3DF5CA75&BackColorLogged=3DA9BACE> of 09.10.2006), the
following treaties have been ratified or signed by the member states
below:
Convention on Cybercrime (CETS No. 185
< ueVoulezVous.asp?NT=3D185&CM=3D1& CL=3DENG > )*
This treaty was ratified by Armenia
Additional Protocol to the Convention on cybercrime, concerning the
criminalisation of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed
through computer systems (CETS No. 189
< ueVoulezVous.asp?NT=3D189&CM=3D1& CL=3DENG > )
This treaty was ratified by Armenia and Lithuania
Protocol No. 14 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms, amending the control system of the Convention
(CETS No. 194
< ueVoulezVous.asp?NT=3D194&CM=3D1& CL=3DENG > )*
This treaty was ratified by Poland
Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No.196
< n/QueVoulezVous.asp?NT=3D196&CM=3D1& CL=3D ENG> )*
This treaty was signed by Germany
Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human
Beings (CETS No. 197
< ueVoulezVous.asp?NT=3D197&CM=3D1& CL=3DENG > )*
This treaty was ratified by Austria
Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and
Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of
Terrorism (CETS No. 198
< ueVoulezVous.asp?NT=3D198&CM=3D1& CL=3DENG > )*
This treaty was signed by Greece
Council of Europe Convention on the avoidance of statelessness in
relation to state succession (CETS No. 200
< ueVoulezVous.asp?NT=3D200&CM=3D1& CL=3DENG > )*
This treaty was signed by Norway
* * *
Detailed information on the Council of Europe treaties (full text, chart
of signatures and ratifications, reservations and declarations, summary,
explanatory report) is available on the Treaty Office’s web site
<; --------------- (*) CETS : Council of Europe Treaty Series

ERDOðAN SLAMS SARKOZY’S CONDITIONS
Turkish Daily News
Oct 10 2006
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan blasted conditions French
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy laid down in return for voting down
a controversial bill penalizing any denial of the alleged genocide
of Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
Presidential hopeful Sarkozy said on France-Inter radio that he had
spoken with Erdoðan on the telephone twice with regard to the French
bill, which will be debated at the National Assembly on Thursday,
and told him that they could oppose the bill if Turkey opens its
border gate with neighboring Armenia, scrap Article 301, which the
European Union says is restrictive of freedom of expression, from
its penal code, and establish a joint commission between Turkey and
Armenia to study the genocide allegations.
In response to Sarkozy’s conditions, Erdoðan said it was the Turkish
side which proposed the establishment of a joint commission for
academic debates on genocide allegations and made clear that Turkey’s
good intentions were not welcomed by Armenia, which rejected the
proposal.
On Article 301, Erdoðan said the French suggestion on that issue
had nothing to do with the issue, stressing that France was not in
a position to demand something from Turkey.
“First of all France should take a look at itself,” Erdoðan said.
Facing pressure from the EU to amend or scrap Article 301 under which
scores of Turkish intellectuals have been put on trial, Turkey has
accused the bloc of applying double standards, saying that France
itself is blocking free speech under the bill that it plans to
legislate.
On opening the border gate, Erdoðan said Armenia should first act
with good will toward Turkey’s approach.
The border gate between Turkey and Armenia has been closed for more
than a decade. Turkey closed the gate and severed its diplomatic
relations with Armenia after Armenian troops occupied Azeri territory
of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Ankara now says normalization of ties depends on Armenian withdrawal
from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as on progress in resolution of a
series of bilateral disagreements, including Armenia stopping to
support Armenian diaspora efforts to get international recognition
for the alleged genocide.
–Boundary_(ID_i03bILoDs1a18XHzxKfRhg)- –

TURKEY FORMER FM OFFERED TO DEPORT 70 000 ARMENIANS MIGRANTS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 9 2006
“Turkey should deport 70 000 Armenian migrants if the bill on
punishment for denying Armenian genocide is adopted by France
Parliament,” Yashar Yakish, Turkey former Foreign minister and chairman
of the Parliament’s Adaptation Commission to the EU said, APA reports.
He said 70 000 Armenians work illegally in Armenia.
“They will have problems when Turkey government sends them back to
Armenia. Armenians should realize its responsibility,” he said.

TURKEY’S MEMBERSHIP IN EU WOULD BE END OF POLITICAL EUROPE
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.10.2006 14:02 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ French Interior Minister and presidential hopeful
Nicholas Sarkozy on Friday reiterated his opposition to Turkey’s
membership in the European Union. Speaking to French magazine Le
Meilleur des Mondes, Sarkozy claimed that Turkey’s possible membership
in the Union would be the end of “political Europe.” “I love Turkey,
but its membership would be the end of Europe politically,” Sarkozy
said, reiterating his support for a “privileged partnership” for Turkey
rather than full membership. Accusing British Prime Minister Tony Blair
and U.S. President George W. Bush of not wanting the development of
Europe politically, meaning their support for Turkish membership,
Sarkozy also described their attitude as “inconsistent,” reported
The New Anatolian.

Genocide armenien: Accoyer (UMP) “regrette” que le PS legifère sur l’histoire
Agence France Presse
6 octobre 2006 vendredi 2:23 PM GMT
Le president du groupe UMP a l’Assemblee nationale, Bernard Accoyer,
a declare vendredi a l’AFP “regretter” que le PS veuille “legiferer a
nouveau sur l’histoire”, a propos de la proposition de loi PS reprimant
la negation du genocide armenien.
“Le president de la Republique a rappele lors de sa visite en Armenie
que la France avait reconnu officiellement le genocide armenien et
oeuvrait pour une meilleure entente entre les Etats de la region”,
a declare M. Accoyer.
“En tant que president de groupe, je regrette que le groupe PS de
l’Assemblee ait juge utile de proposer au Parlement de legiferer a
nouveau sur l’histoire”, a-t-il ajoute.
En visite a Erevan, Jacques Chirac avait juge samedi dernier que la
Turquie devait reconnaître le genocide armenien avant de pouvoir
adherer a l’Union europeenne. Il avait en outre estime que la
proposition de loi socialiste faisant de la negation du genocide un
delit “relève de la polemique”.
La Turquie a averti vendredi la France que les relations bilaterales
allaient souffrir en cas de vote, jeudi prochain, de la proposition
de loi PS visant a penaliser la negation du genocide armenien de 1915.
–Boundary_(ID_x33v+12dCTuF45qA6lRAoA)–

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
Oct 6 2006
“Zerkalo”: Armenian Separatists Undermined OSCE “Fire” Monitoring
06.10.2006
“We regret that OSCE didn’t provide necessary conditions for
participation of representative of Nagorni Garabagh in preparation of
OSCE mission in order to evaluate ecologic situation on territories
damaged by fire.
However, it doesn’t exclude Garabagh experts’ opportunity to realize
given monitoring as realization of it has been postponed to next
day in connection with necessity of joining of “Nagorni Garabagh”
representatives to mission”. “Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nagorni
Garabagh”, Georgiy Petrosyan, said it while informing “Regnum”
correspondent on activities of “official Stepanakert” connected
with departure of OSCE group from Baku to the places where fires
were committed.
G. Petrosyan also informed that “Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Nagorni Garabagh” sent note to OSCE stating position of “leadership of
Republic” concerning participation of experts from “Nagorni Garabagh
Republic” in monitoring. “Part of territories where evaluation is
expected to be made, is under jurisdiction of “Nagorni Garabagh
Republic” being serious ground for our participation in mission
realized on opposite side”, “minister” stressed.
We should remind that accordingly to information available at “Nagorni
Garabagh Republic” authorities “alarming ecological situation is
observed on Garabagh territories “occupied by Azerbaijan”: felling of
woods in Shaumyan region is going on, ecological balance of eastern
part of Martuni region with damaged soil structure is upset”.
Thus Garabagh separatists undermined OSCE monitoring that should have
started October 4.
–Boundary_(ID_O4q6klNTv+OXMmPMxfWKcg)–