Author: Emil Lazarian

JURIST
Feb 22 2007

France Senate ducks Armenian genocide bill
Joshua Pantesco at 1:12 PM ET

[JURIST] Lawmakers in the French Senate have buried a draft bill
that would have criminalized any denial that the mass killings of
Armenians in Turkey during World War I constituted genocide. The bill
has been taken off the Senate agenda, and as presidential and
legislative elections are scheduled for April through June, the new
National Assembly would have to hold a second vote on the bill to
place it back on the agenda. EUobserver has more.

French lawmakers first tried to pass the bill last May, but the
legislative session ended before parliament could agree on its terms.
When the debate came up again in October, the Turkish parliament
threatened to pass a similar bill labeling the colonial killings of
Algerians by French authorities as genocide and making it illegal to
deny France’s culpability. The National Assembly eventually passed
the bill. France, home to thousands of Armenians, has already
recognized the 1915-1919 killings as genocide. Turkey denies the
genocide label, saying the killings were part of a partisan war in
which many Muslim Turks died as well.

02/france-senate-ducks-armenian-genocide.php

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REGIONAL SEMINAR ON ISSUES OF EMPLOYMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA AND CAUCASUS
OPENS IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Subregional seminar on the subject
"Ensuring of Incomes and Planning of Programs on Employment,
Monitoring and Estimation in the Countries of Central Asia and
Caucasus" opened on February 22 in Yerevan.

The two-day seminar is held under the aegis of the United Nations
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP). Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Arman Kirakosian and
Minister of Labor and Social Issues Aghvan Vardanian spoke at the
opening of the seminar. The latter, in particular, said that as
before, the main problem in Armenia is the great difference between
incomes of population and poverty in Yerevan and in the regions, as
well as great polarization of population’s incomes. The program was
corrected when being implemented, as implementation of a number of
events resulted in real indices’ surpassing the planned ones for many
times. Representatives of Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan take part in the two-day
seminar. They represent national programs aimed at poverty reduction,
employment, as well as process of monitoring of programs.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

"RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE WON’T BE RATIFIED BY U.S. SENATE,"
AMERICAN PROFESSOR AFFIRMS

ISTANBUL, FEBRUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The resolution
on the Armenian Genocide’s recognition presented to the U.S. Congress
House of Representatives will not be ratified by the Senate. Professor
of the U.S. Georgetown University Clyde Wilcox said about this
responding the Turk correspondents’ questions during a TV bridge
organized at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul.

"The probability of the resolution’s adoption in the House of
Representatives is 40%. Even in case of ratification it will not be of
great importance, because in the U.S. any resolution should be
ratified by the two Houses of the Congress," he stated.

Wilcox asserted that the democrats did not show the expected
assistance towards the Armenian resolution, as a result of which, in
the American professor’s words, Speaker of the House of the
Representatives Nancy Pelosi had to postpone a little the discussion
of the resolution. "In all probability, this resolution won’t be
adopted by the Congress," he announced, at the same time adding that
even in case of its ratification "President Bush will have a telephone
talk with the Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan and will inform him that
this is not a decision of his administration and that the adoption of
the resolution will not have any impact on Washington’s policy towards
Ankara".

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Arminfo
2007-02-22 15:06:00

USA faces question whether to adhere to hypocritical policy of
prudence or to historical truth

U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan cannot afford a
repeat of demonstrations closing the airbase in response to the
passage of the resolution on the Armenian Genocide in the US House of
Representatives. This opinion is expressed in the article of Soner
Cagaptay, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East
Policy, published in the Washington Times, Thursday.

The author of the article reminds that in September 2000, when another
Armenian resolution was submitted to Congress, more than 10,000 Turks
demonstrated outside the Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, an
invaluable asset for U.S. military operations, shutting it down for
three days.

In the author’s opinion, if passed in the House, the resolution would
sever the bilateral ties between Washington and Ankara. The resolution
would also be the Democratic majority’s first foreign-policy blunder
in the new Congress. At this critical juncture of spiraling
instability in Iraq and a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan, the United
States cannot afford to lose Turkey, a major, if underappreciated,
partner for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan alike. Besides, an
overwhelming number of Turks say that the 1915 deportation of
Armenians from Anatolia to Syria in the Ottoman Empire does not
constitute genocide, yet the House resolution declares 1915 to be a
genocide, S.Cagaptay writes. By passing the resolution, the Congress
would be passing judgment on Turkish history, which the Turks would
see as the ultimate insult. This is bad news at a time when America’s
favorability rating in Turkish opinion polls is already at an all-time
low of 7 percent. The House resolution would cause a massive public
outpouring of Turkish resentment against the United States. This
backlash would inevitably cripple U.S.-Turkish military cooperation,
the author says.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Arminfo
2007-02-22 13:29:00

William Saroyan’s play "Is Anybody There?" staged in Minsk

William Saroyan’s play "Is Anybody There?" was staged at the Yanka
Kupala National Academic Theatre in Minsk. The play was performed by
the Moscow Armenian Theatre.

The press-service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told ArmInfo that
the theatre’s tour was organized on the initiative of the Armenian
community of Belarus, with the assistance of the Armenian Embassy in
Russia, on the basis of the cooperation agreement between the Armenian
Embassy in Belarus and the Yanka Kupala National Theatre.

To note, the Moscow Armenian Theatre is only 4 years old, and its art
director is Slava Stepanyan

Arminfo
2007-02-22 20:34:00

The Court of Appeal of Hungary made no changes to the verdict of the
Court of 1st Instance on the case of Azeri officer Ramil Safarov

"At the today’s sitting, the Court of Appeal of Hungary made no
amendments to the verdict of the Court of 1st Instance on the case of
Azeri officer-killer Ramil Safarov," lawyer Nazeli Vardanyan – who
presented Armenian side in the case in the Court of 1st Instance, told
ArmInfo correspondent today. An Azeri officer Ramil Safarov hacked to
death Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan and attempted to kill another
Armenian officer – Hayk Makuchyan in Hungary on 19 Feb 2004. The Court
of 1st Instance sentenced the killer R. Safarov to life term
imprisonment without a right to appeal for pardon for 30 years.

And so, the regular efforts of Azeris for a new expertise failed. N.
Vardanyan said that the verdict of the Court of Appeal can be reviewed
in the Court of Cassation of Hungary only if serious violations took
place and if material rights were violated and if new details of the
case emerged. "None of such happened," the lawyer pointed out and
added that the Court of Appeal actually was the last chance of Azeris
to try to smoothen the verdict. "They have no chances left," asserted
N. Vardanyan. She emphasized that Azeri side tried to "explain" to the
Court to make it take into account that R. Safarov is a representative
of "other culture" and that assassination of an Armenian is not a
crime in Safarov’s country.

However, Armenian side declared that it was an ethnic murder and that
nowadays, assassinations in the world are based on ethnicity. The
lawyers mentioned the recent assassination of Hrant Dink, and the
Court took it into consideration when making the verdict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

French Minister-Delegate for Regional Development to visit Armenia February 23
22.02.2007 14:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ French Minister-Delegate for Regional Development
Christian Estrosi will visit Armenia from February 23-26, the Press
Office of the French Embassy to Armenia reports. Deputies of the
French National Assembly Michel Tabarot and Thierry Mariani are also
in the delegation. Estrosi will have meetings with Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, Police Chief Gen. Hayk Harutyunyan, and
students of French University in Armenia, as well as will hold a
conference-discussion on economic competition. The French delegation
will lay wreaths on the Memorial to the victims of the Armenian
Genocide.

Besides, the French minister alongside with Armenian Minister of
Healthcare Norayr Davidyan will participate in the opening ceremony of
Scanning Department in the hospital of Akhurian town.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

In near future a discussion to take place in Turkish
parliament on 301st article
22.02.2007 14:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In near future the controversial 301st article of
Turkish Penal Code will be discussed in the parliament of the country,
Turkish PM Rejep Tayyep Erdogan stated. `I shall listen opinions of my
colleagues, but I have my own viewpoint concerning thisproblem.

Summing up we will put this issue under the discussion of parliament.
It will be done in a very near future, Erdogan stated, Turkish Media
reports. The 301st article supposes criminal punishment for `insulting
Turkishness’.

Armenian-Turkish `Agos’ bilingual weekly editor-in-chief slain Hrant
Dink and Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk were prosecuted under this
article.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

Hungarian Appeal’s Court left in force decision on
life imprisonment for Safarov
22.02.2007 18:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Hungarian Appeal’s Court chairman Karpat Piroshki
left in force the April 13, 2006 life imprisonment verdict of a lower
instance court for Azeri officer Ramil Safarov, who killed Armenian
officer Gurger Markarian. This information was spread by Safarov’s
layer Ikram Shirinov. At the court’s session also chief of Azerbaijani
Bar Association Azer Tagiyev, embassy employees and representatives of
Azeri Diaspora in Hungary were present. I. Shirinov avoided expressing
further plans, saying only that he will do it as soon as arriving in
Azerbaijan, namely after February 24, `Trend’ reports.

Lieutenant of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia Gurgen
Markarian, who was participating in the English language courses in
the framework of `Cooperation for Peace’ NATO program, was brutally
hacked to death with an ax by the Azeri officer, who was also
participating in the same program. The Hungarian court sentenced
Safarof to life imprisonment without the right to pardon during the
first 30 years.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+

DRAMBYANS TO BE DEPRIVED OF PROPERTY
[02:28 pm] 22 February, 2007

The heirs of the Drambyans, living in Gyumri, are in peril; they may
be exiled from their dwelling. Today Ashot Qalashyan, the head of the
department of the Gyumri Municipality controlling the issue of illegal
buildings and lands, demands Irina Abajyan, the heiress of the
Drambyans to vacate house 26 on Alexnadrovski.

Irina Abajyan claims that house 26 comprising of 23 rooms belonged to
her ancestors. In 1923 the house was taken from her with the right to
property confiscation and given to self-government bodies.

The corresponding documents can be found in the archive of modern
history, Irina Abajyan claims. After the collapse of the USSR, the
house was returned to the heirs of the dynasty, Hasmik and Liana
Drambyans, with the right to property under the court verdict. They
are Irina’s mother and aunt.

Even then the doors of the house were closed for the heirs on
motivation that the presence of residents would hinder the court
procedures.

Court of First Instance of Shirak Marz has already moved to another
district. The Municipality has decided to exile the legal owners
instead of giving them the house.

Irina Abajyan qualifies the court verdict a violation of her rights as
an owner.

Furthermore, it was beyond the jurisdiction of the Municipality to put
the house an action in 2006.

Armenuhi Minasyan

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress