Author: Felekian Ara

4 ARMENIAN WRESTLERS OF GRECO-ROMAN STYLE OF WRESTLING OF ARMENIAN
STRUGGLE IN FINAL OF IRAN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

MASHAD, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The international tournament of the
Greco-Roman style of wrestling finished in the city of Mashad, Iran,
on March 8. Former Europe champion Movses Karapetian (74 kg, Yerevan)
was recognized the winner. Other 3 wrestlers of Armenia performed in
the semi-final. But they were defeated and satisfied with the 2nd
place. They are Europe champion Karen Mnatsakanian (60 kg, Yerevan),
Edgar Babayan (84 kg, Yerevan) and Sasun Ghambarian (66 kg, Dilijan).

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 8 2007

Israeli businessmen: We have to hide to trade in Turkey

Israeli businessmen said during a Turkey-Israel joint economic
council meeting on Wednesday that certain companies with Jewish
capital had to conceal their actual identities to operate in Turkey
because of anti-Semitic sentiment.

Turkish State Minister for Foreign Trade Kürþat Tüzmen, however,
denied this claim and said there were many Israeli companies trading
in Turkey and that discrimination against Jewish capital was out of
question.

Israeli businessmen expressed their complaints at the meeting,
attended by a Tüzmen-led delegation of Turkish businessmen.

Tüzmen responded to reporters’ questions regarding the issue during a
visit to Masjid al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock. Tüzmen stated that
Turks’ tolerance toward Jews was well known and added that Israeli
businessmen were not discriminated against. He noted that Jewish
investors had major representatives in Turkey.

`Jewish businessmen occupy a significant position in Turkey.
Discrimination against them is out of question,’ he said.

Tüzmen also noted that Israeli businessmen had expressed their
support for Turkey regarding a Armenian genocide resolution presented
to the US House of Representatives. The clout of the Jewish lobby in
the US is well known, Tüzmen said. `They expressed significant
support,’ he said.

`We are sensitive about Harem al-Sharif’

Tüzmen said while visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque that a review board
would go to Jerusalem to make assessments on construction of a bridge
at Harem al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary). He said Turkish Ambassador to
Israel Namýk Tan was the one pursuing the issue. Tüzmen underlined
the sensitivity in the Islamic world over the issue. Tüzmen also
visited the Kubbet el-Sahra Mosque and prayed there.

08.03.2007

Hüseyin Sümer Jerusalem

LE GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

Le Temps, Suisse
6 mars 2007

A la veille de son procès a Lausanne, Dogu Perincek a declare ne pas
s’attendre a etre condamne par la justice pour avoir nie le genocide
des Armeniens. Le president du Parti des travailleurs turcs estime
que l’opinion est en train de changer en Suisse et se felicite des
prises de position de Christoph Blocher. (Lire en page 10).

Le 24 avril 1915, plusieurs centaines d’intellectuels et notables
armeniens sont arretes a Constantinople, puis tues ou deportes. Cette
date est consideree comme le debut des operations de destruction totale
du peuple armenien decidee par les Jeunes-Turcs, qui voient en lui
une cinquième colonne de la Russie. Le 7 avril, la ville de Van, a
l’est de la Turquie, s’etait donne un gouvernement armenien autonome,
avec l’appui du tsar. Ce geste avait souleve l’espoir des quelque
deux millions d’Armeniens de Turquie. Dès lors, ceux-ci devenaient
des ennemis a abattre.

Les Jeunes-Turcs procèdent avec methode. Leur ministre de l’Interieur,
Talaat Pacha(ci-contre), envoie un telegramme aux cellules de base
du regime: "Le gouvernement a decide de detruire tous les Armeniens
residant en Turquie. Il faut mettre fin a leur existence, aussi
criminelles que soient les mesures a prendre. Il ne faut tenir compte
ni de l’âge, ni du sexe. Les scrupules de conscience n’ont pas leur
place ici."

Massacres, exactions, deportations, spoliations se poursuivent
jusqu’en août 1916. Les deux tiers de la population armenienne de
Turquie, evaluee a deux millions d’âmes, disparaissent. En 1919,
a la Conference de Paris, la Turquie admet ce fait, quoique en
minimisant les chiffres. Lors de la signature du Traite de Sèvres,
en 1920, elle s’engage a poursuivre les responsables des massacres
et a proceder a des reparations. Mais le sursaut nationaliste de
Kemal Ataturk aboutit a une amnistie generale en mars 1923. Depuis,
le regime turc s’en tient a une version qui ne retient "que" 300000
morts survenues lors de "transferts" d’Armeniens sous la responsabilite
"d’elements qui ont agi de manière inadmissible".

–Boundary_(ID_duL2pUmprf9Ph/ zSyXbkqg)–

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES BILL SUPPORTING UKRAINE AND GEORGIA’S NATO MEMBERSHIP

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2007 15:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. House of Representatives majority approved
a bill Tuesday providing support and funding for Ukraine and Georgia’s
membership to NATO.

The bill, which was also approved by the Senate Foreign Affairs
Committee, also supports future NATO membership for Albania, Croatia
and Macedonia allocating 2008 budget funding to prepare the countries
for NATO accession.

Both Georgia and Ukraine have declared their plans to seek NATO
membership. As well as being uneasy about the opening of NATO bases on
the territory of Russia’s former Soviet allies in the Baltic Region and
Central Asia, Moscow strongly opposes efforts by Georgia and Ukraine to
join the Western military alliance, saying the prospect threatens the
security of the Russian Federation. The bill has yet to be approved by
a full Senate and will then be sent to the U.S. president for signing.

The pro-Western leaders from the two former-Soviet republics have
been pushing to join NATO since they came to power and officially
met last week in the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi, to discuss progress.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who swept to power on the back
of the "rose" revolution in 2003, was confident of success saying that
relations between Georgia and NATO may soon reach a new level when the
alliance completes an evaluation of military reforms in his country.

His Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, said in turn that
Ukraine’s drive to join NATO is in line with the country’s national
interests and that it was free to choose any collective security
system it preferred.

Opinion surveys indicate that more than 50% of Ukrainian nationals
are against joining the former Soviet Union’s Cold War enemy. Mass
anti-NATO protests rocked Ukraine’s Crimean autonomous region in
late May-early June, 2006 after a U.S. cargo ship delivered military
equipment to a local port ahead of a NATO exercise. The cargo was
removed following the protests, reports RIA Novosti.

WASHINGTON POST CALLS ON TURKEY "NOT TO TAKE SERIOUSLY" ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2007 14:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A recent article in The Washington Post newspaper
has called on Turkey not to take seriously the U.S. Congressional
vote on the non-binding resolution on the Armenian Genocide bill.

Post writer Jackson Diehl in the article titled "The House’s Ottoman
Agenda" asserts that Turkey’s behavior regarding the controversial
bill should be "like one of the Western democracies," and that Turkey
should simply "shrug its shoulders" and move on with regards to the
bill. Diehl also notes in his article that no one much will place
importance on the Armenian bill, pointing to another non-binding
resolution passed by the House of Representatives against the Iraqi
war as an example.

Dielh also uses his article to point to the estimated 70-80 ethnic
Armenian voters who live in U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff’s district,
a fact he asserts helped shaped Schiff’s heavy involvement in the
writing of the bill. Diehl also recalls that many other ethnically
Armenian voters live in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s district; Pelosi has
reiterated her support for the bill many times.

At one point in his article, Diehl touches on what he portrays as the
lack of knowledge on the part of most House of Representatives members
to even decide on such a long past subject as the Armenian Genocide.

Says Diehl, "Just think, 435 members of the House of Representatives,
most of whom don’t even know the difference between a Sunni and a
Shiite, will decide on whether or not to approve of Adam Schiff’s
version of events which occurred 92 years ago in the northeast region
of Turkey."

"HZOR HAYERNIK" TO ASSIST RPA DURING COMING ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Hzor Hayrenik" (Powerful
Fatherland) party will assist the Republican Party of Armenia
during the May 12 parliamentary elections. Shirak Torosian,
the Deputy Chairman of the "Hzor Hayrenik" party, Chairman of the
"Javakhk" compatriotic union who occupies the 40th place in the RPA
proportional electoral lists stated about it at the March 7 press
conference. He expressed confidence that the RPA "will introduce all
its potential" in the affair of both implementation of system changes
in Armenia and settlement of issues, the Armenians of Javakhk are
interested in. Sh. Torosian added that the RPA and "Hzor Hayrenik"
have ideological communities: both are parties professing liberal
values. Responding the question "what system changes the RPA has
brought to life by now," he mentioned: "It will be absurdity to say
that everything is good today. But not only the ruling wing is guilty
of bad tendencies existing among the society." In Sh.Torosian’s words,
opposing figures fostered a wrong policy during the recent years:
they arose problem of changing persons instead of presenting serious
political proposals.

ARMENIAN MINISTER, US STATE SECRETARY DISCUSS KARABAKH, FORTHCOMING ELECTION

Arminfo
6 Mar 07

Yerevan, 6 March: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed the progress of the
talks on a peaceful settlement to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict in
Washington yesterday.

They also discussed issues related to the development of bilateral
ties, the Armenian Foreign Ministry department of information and
the press has told Arminfo news agency.

They noted the significance of the Millennium Challenge programme
developed by the US government in the implementation of a programme to
alleviate poverty in Armenia’s rural districts. Vardan Oskanyan briefed
Rice on the already completed preparations for the implementation of
the project.

They also talked about the forthcoming parliamentary election in
Armenia and noted the importance of the election meeting international
standards.

They also discussed regional problems, the present state of
Armenian-Turkish relations and the USA’s intermediary initiatives to
settle them.

On the same day, Vardan Oskanyan had a number of meetings at the
US Congress.

KONA: TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN SHOULD CONCLUDE SECURITY AGREEMENT

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 5 2007

"Armenia’s aggressive actions should be always brought to
discussion. France and members of the European Union support Armenia.

It does not seem real that Armenia will release the occupied
Azerbaijani territories, we can even say that Armenia can deepen its
aggressive policy," Gamze Kona, professor of Turkish Military Academy,
told the APA’s Turkey bureau.

Gamze Kona, the author of the books on regional security in Turkish and
English said that "great states" do not condemn Armenia’s aggressive
policy.

"Armenia can maneuver in broad sphere. Alongside with OSCE Minsk
Group, Turkey should strengthen the intergovernmental relations and
support Azerbaijan. It does not seem convincing that several states
will impose sanction on Armenia. Turkey should strengthen pressure
on Armenia and simultaneously help Azerbaijan," she said.

Gamze Kona said that Turkey and Azerbaijan should conclude security
agreements.

"Armenia and Russia signed treaty on military cooperation 4-5 years
ago. Such a treaty was signed between Greece and the southern part
of Cyprus. "Caucasus security treaty" was brought to discussion in
the reign of Suleyman Demirel and five times underwent changes. This
treaty was not signed, as Armenia and Russia did not want it. These
countries avoid Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s resistance. I consider that
Turkey and Azerbaijan should immediately conclude security agreement.

Turkey should stand for ensuring Azerbaijan’s security. As Azerbaijan
has oil, great states will try to protect their interests in your
country. The name of the treaty to be signed between Azerbaijan and
Turkey is not so important, its’ signing is very important. Why have
Armenia and Russia signed such an agreement but Turkey and Azerbaijan
have not concluded it yet? Azerbaijan’s security is important for
the security of Turkey, Middle East and Caucasus," she said.

AZG Armenian Daily #040, 03/03/2007

Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations

ANOTHER AZERBAIJANI HYSTERIA

On a Southern Caucasian foodstuffs security conference, which has
started recently in Tbilisi, Georgia, Azerbaijan raised a complaint
against Armenia. The matter is that a business catalogue of Armenian
export companies included also several exporters from
Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Radio Liberty, the Azerbaijani side was
irritated by the fact that the companies from Nagorno-Karabakh were
represented as Armenian. Moreover, the catalogue was published by the
means of a Swiss development agency, and therefore Azerbaijan is
likely to consider the fact as an offence of international law.

By Agavni Haroutiunian

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 3, 2007 Saturday 01:14 PM EST

Office of WAC, Russia’s Armenians Union inaugurated in Yerevan

An office of the World Armenian Congress (WAC) and Russia’s Armenians
Union was inaugurated in downtown Yerevan on Saturday.

“We have much work to do improve the socio-economic situation in the
republic, settle the Karabakh conflict and gain an international
recognition of the genocide against Armenians,” president of both
organisations, well known Russian businessman and UNESCO Goodwill
Ambassador Ara Abramyan said. In particular, these rehabilitation
efforts in the republic envisage attraction of investments,
computerization of educational establishments, construction of
schools and hospitals, several other charity projects and broadening
relations with the foreign Armenian diaspora.

The office of the foresaid organisations is located in the overhauled
building, where the Soviet Armenian Trade Ministry and then the
republican Social Security Ministry were earlier headquartered. The
Armenian center for the Russian language development, which Abramyan
will finance, will be also located there.

“The inauguration of the offices is very important, as the World
Armenian Congress and Russia’s Armenians Union solve very important
for Armenian tasks, and the establishment of the Yerevan office is
mainly aimed at pooling the resources of the republic and the
diaspora for development of the homeland,” Abramyan pointed out.

According to him, in 2007 the WAC is expected to open nine offices in
various Armenian regions, as well as offices in Washington and Los
Angeles.