Author: Emil Lazarian

TURKEY CONCERNED OVER JACQUES CHIRAC’S VISIT TO ARMENIA
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 29 2006
Today some Turkish media published a number of articles, expressing
concern connected with the French President Jacques Chirac’s visit
to Armenia. One of the reasons of this anxiety is the expected visit
of the French President to the memorial to the Genocide victims in
Tsitsernakaberd and the Genocide Museum. The main reason of concern is,
however, the draft on the agenda, which envisages penalty for denying
the Genocide. The vote on the draft law is expected on October 12.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIE: M. CHIRAC A RAISON MAIS AURAIT Dû PARLER PLUS TôT (BAYROU)
Agence France Presse
1 octobre 2006 dimanche
Le president de la Republique a eu raison de dire que la Turquie
devrait reconnaître le genocide armenien avant d’entrer dans l’UE mais
il aurait dû le faire “plus tôt”, a estime dimanche le president de
l’UDF Francois Bayrou.
“L’absence de reconnaissance” du genocide armenien “pèse très lourd
sur notre memoire commune europeenne”, a declare M. Bayrou dans le
Grand rendez-vous d’Europe 1 et TV5.
Mais il fallait “dire il y a trois ans” que la reconnaissance du
genocide devait etre “un prealable” a l’entree dans l’UE, a regrette
M. Bayrou, qui ne cache pas son opposition a l’entree de la Turquie
dans l’UE.
“C’etait une faute de le part de la France et de tous les autres
signataires” de la decision de commencer les negociations d’adhesion
avec Ankara sans ce prealable, a dit le president de l’UDF.
M. Bayrou s’est en revanche montre hostile a la proposition de loi
des socialistes au Parlement francais, visant a faire de la negation
du genocide un delit.
Le problème “appartient a l’histoire et a l’equilibre politique de
l’Europe, pas a la loi penale, me semble-t-il”, a-t-il dit.
–Boundary_(ID_ToH+yiDSSSGscRZBuKtIWA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FRENCH SOCIALISTS SHARE CHIRAC LINE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Agence France Presse — English
October 1, 2006 Sunday
A leading French Socialist who hopes to run for the presidency said
Sunday his party shared President Jacques Chirac’s view that Turkey
should acknowledge genocide of the Armenians before it can join the
European Union.
Speaking during a visit to Yerevan, capital of Armenia, on Friday,
Chirac said Turkey ought to recognize the killing of hundreds of
thousands of Armenians during World War I as genocide if it wants to
join the EU.
“This is also the position of the Socialist Party,” said former
finance minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a contender for selection as
the Socialist candidate for next year’s French presidential election.
Turkey strongly denies responsibility for genocide, arguing that
300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in an internal
conflict sparked by attempts by Armenians to win independence in
eastern Anatolia.
“We have considered that acknowledgment … of the Armenian genocide
should be made a condition of Turkey’s entry into the EU,” Strauss-Kahn
said on television.
“There are plenty of other conditions, but this one is symbolic,”
he stressed.
France, with 400,000 citizens of Armenian descent, officially
recognized the events as genocide in 2001, putting a strain on
relations with Turkey.
Previously, however, France had refused to make a direct link between
the genocide issue and Turkey’s EU membership bid. The bloc of 25
nations has not made it a condition.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FRANCE’S CHIRAC PAYS HOMAGE TO ARMENIAN “GENOCIDE” MEMORIAL
Agence France Presse — English
September 30, 2006 Saturday 7:45 AM GMT
French president Jacques Chirac attended a solemn ceremony at
Armenia’s monument to the 1915-1917 massacres of Armenians at the
hands of Ottoman Turks in a move likely to irritate neighboring Turkey.
Accompanied by his wife Bernadette, Chirac is on the first ever visit
of a French president to the impoverished Caucasus nation, which is
at odds with its Turkic neighbors Azerbaijan and Turkey.
Chirac placed flowers at the towering Tsitsernakaberd monument where
he was greeted by an honor guard playing mournful music before being
taken on a tour of a “Genocide Museum.”
France, which has 400,000 citizens of Armenian descent, officially
recognized the World War I-era events as genocide in 2001, putting a
strain on its relations with European Union aspirant and fellow NATO
member Turkey.
Visiting dignitaries traditionally plant a fir tree at the memorial
grounds and Chirac paused near a pine planted by slain Lebanese Prime
Minister Rafiq Hariri, asking to be photographed before planting his
own sapling.
France became the first Western power to officially recognize the
massacres as genocide.
Many countries, including the United States and Israel, have so far
refused to label the massacres as genocide.
Armenians throughout the world have pushed for official recognition of
the killings, in which they say 1.5 million of their brethren perished,
as genocide.
But Ankara argues that 300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks
died in an internal conflict sparked by attempts by Armenians to win
independence for eastern Anatolia and secure assistance for their
bid from Russia — Turkey’s age-old nemesis.
Armenia is also locked in a stalemate with Azerbaijan over the
ethnic-Armenian enclave of Nagorny Karabakh, which it gained control
of in an early 1990s war but which is still internationally recognized
as part of Azerbaijan.

L’ARMENIE NE VOIT “AUCUN DANGER” DANS UNE ENTREE DE LA TURQUIE DANS L’UE
Agence France Presse
30 septembre 2006 samedi
Le president armenien Robert Kotcharian a dit samedi au cours d’une
conference de presse commune avec son homologue francais Jacques
Chirac ne voir aucun danger dans une eventuelle entree de la Turquie
au sein de l’Union europeenne
“Nous ne voyons aucun danger dans ce processus”, a declare
M. Kotcharian au sujet des aspirations de son voisin turc.
“Mais nous voudrions que nos interets soient egalement discutes dans
ce processus”, a-t-il ajoute.
M. Kotcharian a fait remarquer qu’il serait dans l’interet de l’Armenie
d’avoir un voisin “avec un système de valeurs qui autorise la libre
circulation et des frontières ouvertes”.
La Turquie a ferme sa frontière avec l’Armenie en 1993, par solidarite
avec l’Azerbaïdjan dont la province du Karabakh, a majorite armenienne,
est passee sous contrôle de Erevan. Seules les liaisons aeriennes
sont assurees entre les deux pays. La frontière entre l’Armenie et
l’Azerbaïdjan est egalement fermee.
Les journalistes venaient de demander a MM. Chirac et Kotcharian
s’ils pensaient que la Turquie devait reconnaître un caractère de
genocide aux massacres d’Armeniens de 1915-1917 avant de pretendre
adherer a l’Union.
A cette question, M. Chirac en visite d’Etat de deux jours en Armenie,
avait repondu de facon plus ferme, disant “honnetement, je le crois”
et ajoutant : “Tout pays se grandit en reconnaissant ses drames et
ses erreurs”.
“Quand de surcroît il s’agit de s’integrer dans un ensemble qui
revendique l’appartenance a une meme societe et la croyance en de memes
valeurs, je pense qu’effectivement la Turquie serait bien inspiree,
au regard de son histoire, de sa tradition profonde, de sa culture
qui est aussi une culture humaniste, d’en tirer les consequences”,
a declare le president francais.
–Boundary_(ID_7sM0L9yR96Q9YvXufCTTPw)- –

KOCHARYAN: ANY TENSION IN RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN RELATIONS IMPACTS ARMENIA
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 30 2006
At the joint press conference with the President of France Jacques
Chirac, RA President Robert Kocharyan declared that “any tension in
Russian-Georgian relations always impacts Armenia.”
“Our transport routes pass through Georgian territory, and tension
in Russian-Georgian relations in the reduction of our commodity
turnover volume, and generally has negative impact on our economy,”
RA president noted.
Robert Kocharyan expressed the hope that the tension in
Russian-Georgian relations will be settled through rapid negotiations.”
“I’ve stated many times in Moscow and Tbilisi that Armenia is
interested in the existence of friendly relations between Georgia
and Russia,” Mr. Kocharyan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CHARLES AZNAVOUR TO PERFORM AT THE REPUBLIC SQUARE
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 30 2006
At 20:00 in the evening “Aznavour and friends” open-air concert will
be held in the Republic Square. Renowned singer Charles Aznavour will
perform in the concert.
The concert in the Republic Square will be open for public from Tigran
Mets, Amirian and Vazgen Sargsyan streets; those having tickets can
enter form Nalbandian Street. From 18:00 till the end of the concert
the “Republic Square” metro station will also be closed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JACQUES CHIRAC : LA TURQUIE SERAIT GRANDIE EN RECONNAISSANT LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
EuroNews – Version Francaise
30 septembre 2006
La Turquie doit reconnaître le genocide armenien si elle veut rejoindre
l’Union europeenne. Ce n’est pas la première fois que Jacques Chirac
fait ce genre de declaration. Cette fois, le president francais s’est
exprime a l’occasion de sa visite officielle de deux jours en Armenie,
une première pour un chef d’Etat francais. Des propos tenus au palais
presidentiel d’Erevan, après une visite du memorial de Tsitsernakaberd
a la memoire des victimes des massacres : “Tout pays se grandit en
reconnaissant ses drames et ses erreurs”.
Et Jacques Chirac de dresser un parallèle avec l’Allemagne qui s’est
grandie, a-t-il souligne, en reconnaissant la Shoah.
Le genocide armenien, officiellement reconnu par la France depuis 2001,
remonte a la première guerre mondiale. Jusqu’a un million et demi
d’Armeniens ont ete massacres par l’Empire Ottoman. Ankara, qui parle
de 300.000 a 500.000 victimes, refute le terme “genocide” et estime
qu’il s’agit d’un conflit ayant fait des victimes des deux côtes.
–Boundary_(ID_WVun+aJWT/23Ug6dtuFUag )–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KARABAKH: CHIRAC DEFEND LE GROUPE DE MINSK
Agence France Presse
30 septembre 2006 samedi
Le president francais Jacques Chirac a defendu le travail du groupe de
Minsk, qui tente de trouver une solution au differend entre l’Armenie
et l’Azerbaïdjan sur le Nagorny-Karabakh.
“Les experts du groupe de Minsk, depuis des annees, font un bon
travail, naturellement sur un sujet infiniment complexe”, a indique
M. Chirac en conference de presse a l’occasion de sa visite d’Etat
de vendredi a dimanche en Armenie.
Reconnaissant que les propositions de ce groupe pouvaient etre
contestees par Erevan ou Bakou, Jacques Chirac a juge qu'”elles
emanent de gens competents et de bonne volonte”.
“Dans ce contexte, vouloir transferer la responsabilite du groupe de
Minsk a d’autres experts qui par definition connaîtront beaucoup moins
le problème et depuis beaucoup moins longtemps, qui n’auront pas la
memoire des choses, honnetement, je crois que c’est une facilite qui
n’est pas justifiee et qui risque de creer plus de difficultes que
de satisfation”, a juge le president francais.
Sans vouloir exclure le groupe de Minsk, l’Azerbaïdjan, qui critique
ces mediateurs, souhaite que d’autres organisations, notamment les
Nations unies et le Conseil de l’Europe, se penchent sur cette question
de l’enclave disputee du Nagorny Karabakh.
Le processus de negociations continue malgre l’echec des entretiens de
Rambouillet (France) en fevrier. Le groupe de Minsk est mandate par
l’OSCE (Organisation pour la securite et la cooperation en Europe)
et constitue des Etats-Unis, de la France et de la Russie.
Le Nagorny Karabakh est une enclave habitee en majorite par une
population armenienne et qui a fait secession de l’Azerbaïdjan après
un conflit meurtrier au debut des annees 1990.
Un cessez-le-feu est intervenu en 1994, mais la situation reste tendue.
–Boundary_(ID_9e+6LInvVnRqO7W4F3qf6w)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ex-diplomat saw Iraq as ‘I quit’ issue
John Brady Kiesling’s new book tells why U.S. invasion
plans forced his 2003 resignation
STYLE & CULTURE
Los Angeles Times
September 25, 2006
By Bob Thompson, Washington Post Writer
WASHINGTON – When John Brady Kiesling decided, in February 2003, that
the looming United States invasion of Iraq would make it impossible
for him, in good conscience, to remain in the U.S. Foreign Service, he
carefully crafted a letter of resignation from his post as political
counselor in the Athens embassy. Widely praised for its eloquence,
the letter briefly made Kiesling semi-famous. Eventually, it helped
earn him a tiny advance from Potomac Books.
Yet when he later reread the letter, says the author of the newly
published “Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower,”
he was startled to find that it contained a hole.
“It was so obvious to me that Iraq was going to be a disaster,”
Kiesling says, “that nowhere in my letter had I explained why it was
going to be a disaster…. My knowledge that Iraq would be a disaster
was intuitive.”
One way of looking at his book is as a two-year effort “to figure
out where that intuition came from.”
The short answer is that it came from 20 years of diplomatic
postings in places such as Morocco, Greece and Armenia, where he
worked extremely hard – motivated in part by what he calls his
“intellectual vanity” – to understand the way Moroccans, Greeks and
Armenians thought and acted. That is a diplomat’s fundamental job,
he says, and “a resource for the United States of America.”
The longer answer involves specific mistakes made and lessons learned.
In a chapter titled “Diplomatic Skepticism and the Lessons of Iraq,”
for example, he tells the story of his “failure to prevent a Florida
con man from bilking the government of Romania out of $250,000.” He
then speculates pointedly as to whether this kind of humbling
experience might have kept Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld from falling so hard for Iraqi exile Ahmed
Chalabi, “an indicted embezzler who had already been written off by
both the CIA and the State Department as a swindler.”
Mainly, however, “Diplomacy Lessons” is a plea that Kiesling’s old
profession be taken more seriously.
“Diplomacy is not a miracle cure for anything,” he says. “Diplomats
bust their butts for years, and most of the time what they achieve
is that the planet is still spinning around on its axis at about the
same speed it was when they started. But that’s actually an incredibly
important task.”
tyle/la-et-diplomacy25sep25,1,2541339.story
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress