Author: Emil Lazarian

THE PARLIAMENT CHANGING THE RA CONSTITUTION
A1plus
| 13:43:24 | 04-05-2005 | Politics |
Today at 12:40 p.m. the discussion of the three draft constitutions
started in the NA. Right away Rafik Petrosyan, head of the NA
Standing Committee on state and legal affairs, is representing the
coalition draft to the delegates. By the way, when Arthur Baghdasaryan
announced while representing the draft that the authors are the three
members of the coalition and the fraction «Democratic Delegate»,
Karen Karapetyan, head of the fraction, announced that they will not
represent the corresponding chapter of the draft. «Do you decline
the draft? », asked Arthur Baghdasaryan. No, we simply are not
co-authors», said Karen Karapetyan.
The discussion of the draft constitutions has special procedure in
the NA. 60 minutes are given to the representation of each draft.
Rafik Petrosyan representing the coalition draft informed that by the
first draft constitution 1 article has bee removed, 25 have been filled
up, and 97 have been improved from the RA present Constitution. Before
representing the changes Rafik Petrosyan informed the delegates with
a long introduction why constitutional amendments are done. «The
Constitutional amendments have perspectives», he announced adding
that they are done not to solve the present problems but to reflect
the internal and foreign policy of the Republic in the Constitution.
At present Rafik Petrosyan has finished his speech and the delegates
are asking him question.
–Boundary_(ID_cc/JccGBSQFsZOPEkSeEvg)–

CANCER HAS TURNED INTO AN EPIDEMIC
A1plus
| 15:20:38 | 04-05-2005 | Social |
In Armenia 6174 people have cancer. 3800 of the patient are
women. During the last 10 years the death rate from breast and uterus
cancer has increased for 37%, 50% of women suffer from this illness.
The aim of today’s discussion «The Problem of Women’s Health
Protection in Armenia» was to prevent cancer illnesses, to cure
them and to investigate the reasons of the illnesses. According to
Gagik Bazikyan, head of the «Oncology dispensary after K. Bazikyan»
today the number of the women having cancer of breast and reproduction
organs is like an epidemic.
In Yerevan alone the number of patients has increased for 27.7%,
and in the regions the situation is worse ~V 37%. According to
Mr. Bazikyan, the reasons of the illnesses are the social-economic
situation of the country and the problem that many women do not turn
to doctor on time. According to him, the average age of the patients
if 40-50, and this most important problem must be solved not only
with non-governmental organizations but also with state help.
–Boundary_(ID_IAb4o99EZOJgdpetosFoTQ)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Halacoglu: Target is not me, it’s Turkey
Journal of Turkish Weekly
May 4 2005
President of the Turkish Historical Society, Prof. Doctor Yusuf
Halacoglu, has said that it is not he who is on trial in Switzerland,
but the Republic of Turkey.
“They tried Galileo, but the world continued to turn,” said Halacoglu,
in reference to the move by a prominent Swiss prosecutor to have him
brought in for questioning for his views on the Armenian allegations.
Said Halacoglu further: “It is not possible to understand how countried
like France, Belgium, and Switzerland could have moves to forbid
the expression of rejection of the Armenian genocide. What sort of
democracy, what sort of freedom of thought is this?”
Halacoglu points out what he sees as the inherent conflict in what
EU countries are doing: while curtailing his research and his right
to express it, they question Turkey’s democracy, freedom of thought,
and human rights situation.
Dr. Nilgun Gulcan said Switzerland has to arrest almost all Turkish
academicians “because all of us support Halocoglyu and all we us
think that Armenians lie” said Dr. Gulcan.
Gulcan further continued:
“This is a dirty game. They try to limit, they try to control our
thought. This is not the Europe we know. They back to the Dark Ages.
They deny the new Europe. I condemn Switzerland. And I declare that I
do dont accept Armenian allegations. They massacred more than 523,000
Muslims in 1915 and they blamed their neigbours.”
Agencies

Russian paper says Islamic groups pose “serious” problems for Azerbaijan
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow
25 Apr 05
A Russian newspaper has said that various religious missionaries
have stepped up their activities in Azerbaijan which poses “serious
problems” for the country. Nezavisimaya Gazeta said that Azerbaijan
might turn into “an arena for struggle between various models and
movements of Islam – Arab, Turkish and Iranian” religious groups. It
said that the most radical of all is Wahhabism which could turn
into “a force capable of influencing the socio-political life of
the country”. The following is the text of Sohbat Mammadov’s article
headlined “Into the Mosque out of Hopelessness” report by the Russian
newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta on 25 April; subheadings have been
inserted editorially:
The National Security Ministry [NSM] of Azerbaijan recently made a
statement that a criminal group had been neutralized, which had been
preparing terrorist acts against areas where many foreigners live and
work. In the apartments of group participants the ministry discovered
a great quantity of dynamite charges, grenades, detonators, explosives,
and literature and audiocassettes promoting terrorism and jihad.
Local analysts are certain that Azerbaijan will become an arena for
struggle between various models and movements of Islam – Arab, Turkish
and Iranian ones, and this will quickly develop into serious problems.
The religious boom in Azerbaijan began almost immediately after
the fall of the USSR. First of all Islamic ritual and educational
activity started. After long years of ban in the republic, the Koran
was translated and published in Azerbaijani. Within a short time a
madras, a department of Islamic theology, was opened at Baku State
University, a Caucasian Islamic university. They began to construct
and to reconstruct mosques, which according to certain information,
now exceed 1,400 in number. The appearance on the streets of Baku of
women wearing the hijab, which was a rarity 10 years ago, is a sign
of the new times.
Wahhabism
The greatest danger today is posed by forces, which are attempting
to spread Islam in its worst form in the republic. “Benefactors”
from Arab countries, in particular from Saudi Arabia, as well as
from Iran and Turkey, have been particularly active in this. Under
the guise of philanthropic activity they have been carrying out
active work in refugee camps and among the part of the population
living in poverty. In addition they offer free education in their
countries. After having received a religious education there, the
Azerbaijani graduate imports the knowledge and views received to his
homeland. All of this plus unlimited financial inflows contributes
to the spread of radical Islamic movements in the republic.
Out of all this, the Wahhabis are especially radical. Skilled at
being secretive, they operate under the aegis of various philanthropic
organizations and religious movements and press organs. According to
certain information, today the number of followers of this movement
in the republic has reached 15,000. The Wahhabis are mainly found in
northern districts of the republic, especially in those bordering on
Russia, with a predominately Sunni population.
Local newspapers claim that the Baku center of Wahhabism is the
Abu Bakr mosque, built with petrodollars from Saudi Arabia. It is
curious that a considerable portion of members of this mosque is
made up of Russian citizens – ethnic Chechens temporarily living
in Azerbaijan. In the opinion of political analyst Rafael Hasanov,
“today Wahhabism is turning into a force capable of influencing the
socio-political life of the country.”
Other religious movements
Religious movements like “Nurculuq,” whose founder is considered
to be Academic theologian Said Nursi, are also gaining ground. The
followers of the Nur leader Fetulah Gulen, whose stated goal is
the establishment of a single Islamic Shari’ah state in the region,
have imported his teachings into Azerbaijan from Turkey. According
to Nezavisimaya Gazeta information, Nur today is a very strong and
secretive organization, having branches in Russia, Kosovo, Macedonia,
Albania and the Central Asian countries.
Teachers of Nurculuq [Nursism] appeared in Azerbaijan in 1992. One
of the reasons for the heightened interest in Azerbaijan may be
their striving to counterbalance the increasing activity of radical
Iranian Shi’i organizations. In contrast to Wahhabism, Nur ideology
prefers a peaceful assumption of power, therefore they actively push
their people into government structures. In addition, according to
information from the Baku mass media, almost half of the Turkish
business in the Azerbaijan market in concentrated in the hands of
this religious movement. They have already opened more than a dozen
educational schools and higher schools here.
Islamic radicals
Openly Islamic radicals have also become active in Azerbaijan, in
particular the Iranian Shi’i organization Jayshallah and the terrorist
group Hezbollah. Several years ago the Azerbaijani intelligence
services exposed their activity. In the course of the investigation
they learned that Jayshallah had operated illegally on Azerbaijani
territory since 1995 and it was led from Iran.
The Hezbollah group in its 12 years of secret existence in the republic
had succeeded in recruiting many young Azerbaijanis into its ranks,
who had gone for training in terrorist preparation camps in Iran. This
organization had many prominent killings to its credit, including
that of the well-known academic and orientalist, Ziya Bunyadov.
Christian missionaries
Against the background of the struggle of radical Islamic organizations
for Azerbaijan the activation of various Christian missionary
communities has also been observed. The religious sects Life-giving
Grace, Living Stones, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Church of Praise,
Seventh Day Adventists and others have been the most active. Many
of them distribute books that they have published themselves, are
proselytizing Christianity and are calling on Muslims to accept the
Christian faith. Material considerations here play far from the least
role here. Some Azerbaijanis living in poverty willingly agreed to
accept Christianity for 200-250 dollars.
By the way, sources in the force structures of the republic believe
that the danger of sectarianism at the present time is obvious. Even
more because missionaries do not conceal plans for transforming
Azerbaijan into a kind of beachhead for large scale sectarianism. By
the way, no one today can guarantee that tomorrow one of the Islamic
fanatics won’t attempt to even scores with missionaries who are
feeling free and easy in Azerbaijan.
Studying the tendency for a growing portion of the republic’s
population, especially young people, to be religious, analyst Sultan
Cavansir believes that the main reason for this phenomenon is an
increase in the portion of uneducated and despairing young people
who do not have any possibility for realizing themselves, and the
poverty and social discontent of a major portion of society, of the
refugee camps, where under the guise of humanitarian assistance,
various foreign forces are operating.

Turkish Press
April 3 2005
Press Scan
HARSH REACTION
HURRIYET- Switzerland decided to arrest Prof. Dr. Halacoglu,
chairman of Turkish Institute of History (TTK) only because he said
that Armenian genocide had never taken place in the history. Turkish
Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul harshly reacted
to the decision and said, “the decision is nothing but a violation of
the European Convention on Human Rights. I suppose that an individual
has the freedom of explaining his/her own views and it is one of
basic values of Europe, isn’t it? It is a serious mistake.”

ABC’s ‘Fallen Idol’ Shocker Redeems Tony Blair
Spoofnews.com
Monday, 02 May 2005
ABC is still making last minute changes to the news special “Fallen
Idol.” Correspondent John Quinones has uncovered the reputed criminal
syndicate behind “American Idol.” The 19 Entertainment underworld
empire is so far flung that “Good Morning America” will run additional
reports Thursday and Friday. Wednesday night, ABC News will expose
“Idol” Kelly Clarkson’s role in a massive international coverup. This
new scandal will have an eleventh hour impact on elections in the
United Kingdom on Thursday.
Voters go to the polls in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland to elect 659 members to the House of Commons. The Prime
Minister will be the leader of the party able to broker a coalition
majority. Polls show current PM Tony Blair’s Labour Party pulling 40%
of the vote, but a private Labour poll shows very tight margins in key
districts. The latest poll by The Guardian shows that 55 percent of
voters think Blair is charismatic, 44 percent think he is slippery,
and 33 percent said he’s creepy.
Last minute revelations about Blair’s Iraq policy might prove to be
his undoing. Newly released secret documents reveal that a year before
the war, Blair was committed to supporting George Bush’s desire for
regime change in Iraq.
In a memo to Blair dated March 14, 2002, foreign policy adviser Sir
David Manning said he told Condoleezza Rice “you would not budge
in your support for regime change but you had to manage a press,
a parliament and a public opinion”. In public, Blair was telling
Parliment no decision had been made.
A classified document titled “Iraq: Conditions for Military Action,”
stated that the next month, “the prime minister discussed Iraq with
President Bush at Crawford in April he said that the UK would support
military action to bring about regime change”.
The Attorney General, Lord Peter Goldsmith, wrote Blair a 13
page secret memo on March 7, 2003. Less than two weeks before the
invasion of Iraq, Blair was advised that regime change was not grounds
for war. The memo also advised that Iraq was in material breach of
previous UN Security Council resolutions, but a any mandate for war
was open to interpretation. To fully justify war, more evidence that
Iraq still had weapons of mass destruction was needed.
Iraq was invaded on March 19, 2003. To this day, no weapons of mass
destruction have been found.
The home of “Azerbaijani Idol” is a glamorous complex between Baku,
the capital, and Sumqayit. Straddling the middle of the narrow Aberson
Peninsula, the 750 acre campus offers fabulous views of the Caspian
Sea in three directions.
The crown jewel is the 140,000 seat stadium where auditions are
held. The huge bowl style arena dwarfs the 92,542 seat Rose Bowl
Stadium which inspired its design. Lambeau Field could hide in its
shadow. Soccer matches and concerts are held year round.
A 5,000 seat theater, nicknamed “Hollywood” is used for the second
round of auditions and the semi-finals. On a huge cul-de-sac, twelve
palatial homes with full domestic staffs house the finalists. A fleet
of Bentleys transport them each day to the 15,000 seat indoor arena
where the finals and results shows are broadcast.
All this in a country of 7.8 million people. Why does “American Idol”
have to rough it by comparison?
Once again, ABC’s John Quinones followed the money. A short trail of
Swiss bank accounts and phony stock transactions ended 400 miles away
– in Baghdad. That’s right, Saddam Hussein financed the construction
of the “Azerbaijani Idol” complex in 2001, tapping into a fortune
amassed by decades of looting the Iraqi coffers.
Bakunian gossip columnists say that Hussien put up the money when
he became hooked on the original “Pop Idol.” ABC News decided to dig
deeper. They sent five producers undercover to work as laborers in the
“AzI” complex. The four who came back alive had an astonishing story
to tell.
An huge rail terminal beneath the “AzI” campus gives Bakunians easy
access to the bowl stadium, theater and arena. The undercover ABC
laborers noticed a train track that mysteriously ran past the end
of the commuter train platform. They found a huge steel door closing
off the tunnel.
Once on the other side, they descended through five levels of
decontamination chambers and staging areas, like a real world Project
Wildfire complex. In fact, ABC hidden cameras caught “ER” Executive
Producer and author of “The Andromeda Strain,” Michael Crichton
getting a tour of his sci-fi vision brought to life.
After passing through the final level, ABC’s team was led into a vast
underground cavern dubbed “igloo village.”
ABC producers found an almost infinite cocktail of chemical,
biological and even crude nuclear weapons. The “Azerbaijani Idol”
campus sat atop the ultra top secret stockpile of Saddam Hussein’s
weapons of mass destruction.
In the fall of 2002, Saddam Hussein knew his number was
up. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld kept tinkering with plans
for the Iraqi invasion, but the ruthless dictator was ruling on
borrowed time. Saddam had to move his stockpiles to Baku.
Hussein turn to his 19 partners for help. The deployment would have
to move across northernmost Iran and disputed territory claimed by
Armenia and Azerbaijan. But 19 crime emperor Simon Fuller came up with
a brilliant cover. The convoy would be disguised as the “Pan-Arabic
Idol” tour. To give it even more credibilty, 19-controlled Arab news
channel Al-Jazeera sponsored the tour. Al-Jazeera’s handler Simon
Cowell handpicked the woman who would command the movement.
Kelly Clarkson grew up in the hardscrabble town of Burleson, TX, past
the outskirts of the Dallas Metroplex. She learned many lessons during
her rough and tumble girlhood. Kelly can use a police baton to inflict
pain with the skill of a Singaporean caner. She once threw a sumo
wrester off the roof of a the tallest skyscraper in Dallas. Clarkson
is fluent in seven languages and has a photographic memory. Kelly
can tie a cherry stem into a hangman’s noose with her tongue.
Most importantly, Clarkson is a brilliant logistician, able to
integrate the most obscure details into a cohesive plan. Plus,
rumor has it that she chews raw metal instead of tobacco and spits
out tacks. Kelly is truly the embodiment of Miss Independent.
For her “American Idol” audition, Kelly shuttled illegal immigrants
between Paula Abdul’s “drop houses” along the Interstate 10 corridor.
Abdul was gushing when the judges unanimously put Kelly through
to Hollywood.
The “Pan-Arabic Idol Tour Presented By Al-Jazeera” moved across some
dangerous territory. Clarkson marshalled Saddam Hussien’s demonic
arsenal at the Iraqi town of Arbil, east of Mosul. Diana Karazon
of Jordan, the “Pan-Arabic Idol,” and the other finalists rehearsed
while the convoy was lined up.
After crossing into Iran, the tour drove along the shore of Lake Urmia
to their gig in Khvoy. When they arrived a throng of hysterical,
cheering fans were waiting. The small town put on a reception that
eclipsed Conrad Birdie’s arrival in Sweet Apple.
The concert was an incredible success. Local government officials
decided to holdover the tour for a second show. Under the cover
of darkness, Clarkson rallied her convoy to storm through a 20 mile
sprint for the Azerbaijani border. “Clarkson’s Chargers” as they were
now called, stopped to rest and refuel at the border town of Naxcivan,
waving to the Iranian fans who gave chase.
The next day, the convoy passed through the strip of mountainous
territory that comprised southern Armenia. Outside the village of
Goris, Clarkson faced her moment of truth.
A squad of armed Armenian militia blocked the road. Clarkson set both
of her AK-47s to auto. She jumped atop the lead vehicle. The stocks of
her assault rifles were pressed against her voluptuous, inviting hips.
Without warning, Kelly unleashed a hail of gunfire on the enemy. The
recoil from her weapons made her supple, pear-shaped bottom quiver.
When the smoke cleared, her breasts still heaving, Clarkson kicked the
bodies of the militiamen to the side of the road. The smells of sex
and death lingered in the air. The show at Goris was cancelled. Saddam
Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction rolled on to their secret hiding
place in Baku, far beneath the studios of “Azerbaijani Idol.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Let’s talk in terms of values
Editorial
Yerkir
April 29, 2005
On different occasions one may hear the questions of whether Armenia
can normally develop without normalizing relations with Turkey and
Azerbaijan or whether it is not in Armenia’s interests to have good
relations with these countries.
Of course, any country will be more secure with friendly
relations with neighbors. But these relations should be based on
certain principles. It is not correct to oppose territorial or
property-demanding norms to good relations.
Each country has its national values, its history which serves as
basis for existence to the country. The Roman proverb says: “Those
who look at their history with negligence are doomed to look at the
future with fear and doubt.”
What is the price of those good relations? If the price includes our
national dignity, loss of motherland, and if we pay a price that will
turn us into a group of biological units carrying their existence,
then what is the worth of living on this land at all?
We can all go to more prosperous countries live on better conditions
there. What is the point of preserving the Armenian statehood, if we
do not have certain goals and principles?
And when our neighbors demand that we lose all that and condition it
for good relations, we say that we refuse to live as slaves. We want
to have equal relations, based on justice. The Armenian nation has
undergone a historical injustice and this injustice is recognized by
the whole world. The current process of the Genocide recognition proves
that the actual civilization recognizes the right of Armenian nation.
Let the Turks and Azerbaijanis think of being interested having
good relations with us, a nation that has suffered greatly from
them. Moreover that Armenia has announced to be ready to start
diplomatic relation without any pre-conditions. Turkey, in turn, sets
its conditions for regulating relationships, referring to relations
with a third country, which really violates our rights.
We must admit that each union, especially the one called a nation has
its values. The history does not know a nation without a values system,
a system that enables it preserve its existence. On the other hand,
the history has many examples of nations being destroyed for losing
their own values.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Houston Chronicle
May 01, 2005, Sunday 2 STAR EDITION
Turks’ patriotism raises flags as EU talks near;
The country’s sacred symbol is cropping up as nationalism rises
by GARETH JONES
ANKARA, TURKEY – Anyone visiting Turkey in recent weeks might be
forgiven for thinking the country had just gone to war or at the very
least won a major soccer tournament.
Public buildings, homes, buses, taxis and private cars have been
festooned with the national flag, which bears a white Islamic crescent
moon and star on a red background.
Rallies and protests featuring the flag have been held across Turkey.
In the eastern city of Erzurum, the German ambassador was prevented
from cutting a cake decorated with the Turkish flag on the grounds
it could signify disrespect.
This outpouring of patriotic fervor was sparked by an incident last
month in which youths tried unsuccessfully to set fire to a Turkish
flag during a pro-Kurdish demonstration in the port city of Mersin.
An overreaction? Turkey’s military General Staff did not think so. It
issued a statement vowing to defend the nation to its “last drop of
blood.” Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan announced sternly that the flag
was a sacred symbol for Turks.
Security officers detained the 13- and 14-year-old boys accused of
setting fire to the flag, along with nine others.
‘Feeling cornered’
The flag-waving has raised some questions about Turks’ state of mind
as they prepare for the start of talks in October to join the European
Union, a club founded on the rejection of nationalism that enjoins
its members to share sovereignty and focus on common values.
“Turks are feeling cornered, besieged from outside and betrayed from
within,” said Dogu Ergil, head of the liberal think-tank TOSAM. “The
explosion was waiting to happen. In Mersin, somebody simply lit
the match.”
The perceived threats from outside include EU pressure on a range of
sensitive issues including Cyprus, as well as the presence of U.S.
troops in neighboring Iraq. Inside Turkey, he said, people fear
“betrayal” by Kurds and other ethnic or religious minorities.
The reaction to the Mersin incident is just one of a number of signals
troubling advocates of Turkey’s EU membership.
Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitic tract Mein Kampf has shot onto the
best-seller lists. Turkey’s best-known novelist Orhan Pamuk has
received death threats for backing Armenian claims of genocide at
Turkish hands in World War I. A government minister said Christian
missionaries threaten national unity, even though only a handful of
Turks have converted.
Perception gap widens
The Constitutional Court struck down a law allowing foreigners to buy
real estate, and the president threw out a bill ending restrictions
on foreign ownership of national broadcasters, saying it would harm
national interests.
The ruling Justice and Development Party, the AKP, has vowed to press
ahead with those two laws. But the impression from these incidents
is of a country succumbing to paranoia and trying to retreat into
its shell, diplomats say.
“The perception gap between Turkey and the EU is wider than at any time
since the AKP came to power” in November 2002, said one Ankara-based
European diplomat.
The diplomat noted that nationalism is a founding principle of
the Turkish Republic and is viewed as a very positive force, while
Europeans are far more mindful of its destructive power, which led
to the decision to set up the EU.
“Turkey did not go through the catharsis of World War II. To
reject nationalism here is to reject the republic and (its founder
Kemal) Ataturk. This difference in experience can feed a sense of
incompatibility between Turkey and Europe,” he said.
Emin Sirin, an independent member of the Turkish Parliament, said
the Turks’ “pressure cooker” discontent stemmed mainly from a sense
of hurt pride over the EU’s treatment of their country.
The Constitutional Court struck down a law allowing foreigners to buy
real estate, and the president threw out a bill ending restrictions
on foreign ownership of national broadcasters, saying it would harm
national interests.

Azerbaijani president refuses to attend CIS summit alongside Armenian leader
The Associated Press
05/02/05 11:58 EDT
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – Azerbaijan’s president said Monday he would
not participate in an upcoming summit of former Soviet republics
because of the planned attendance of his Armenian counterpart.
Ilham Aliev said in a statement that it was inappropriate for
Azerbaijani officials to attend the May 8 summit of Commonwealth
of Independent States summit in Moscow given the hostile state of
relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The statement from the presidential press service also noted that
many Azerbaijanis consider May 8 a day of mourning, due to a key
battle during the six-year war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The statement said that Aliev, however, would attend the May 9
ceremonies in Moscow marking the 60th anniversary of Allied victory
over Nazi Germany.
Nagorno-Karabakh – a mountainous region inside Azerbaijan – has been
under the control of ethnic Armenians since the fighting, which killed
an estimated 30,000 people and drove a million from their homes before
a cease-fire was signed in 1994.
The enclave’s political status has not been determined, and shooting
breaks out frequently between the two sides across a demilitarized
buffer zone. Both sides routinely take prisoners and exchange them
via the Red Cross and other humanitarian groups.
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a loose grouping of former
Soviet republics.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish Press
May 2 2005
Press Review
Cumhuriyet
US STATE DEPARTMENT’S KENNEDY TO ARRIVE IN ANKARA TODAY
US State Department Undersecretary Laura Kennedy is due today to
arrive in Ankara to meet with Turkish officials to discuss a number
of matters, including the so-called Armenian genocide issue, Cyprus,
and the Caucasus. During her two-day stay in Turkey, she is expected
to urge Ankara to open its borders with Armenia and to stress that
closed borders aren’t useful for either side. However, Turkey doesn’t
want to open its borders to Armenia before it takes concrete steps
for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabagh dispute. The US sources
said that the genocide issue was up to the historians, but that the
issue also had a political dimension. Recently the US administration
urged Armenia to recognize its borders with Turkey. /Cumhuriyet/