Author: Hakobian Adrine

TURKEY: NEW JUDGE PROLONGS CONVERTS’ TRIAL

Compass Direct News, CA
Oct 4 2007

President calls for change in controversial free speech law.

LOS ANGELES, October 4 (Compass Direct News) – A new judge has
prolonged the case of two Turkish converts to Christianity after
his predecessor resigned under pressure from the plaintiffs’
ultranationalist lawyer.

At a September 26 hearing, his first in the 12-month case, Judge
Metin Tamirci set the Christians’ next court date for November 29.

Defendants Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal had hoped for a quick
dismissal of charges of insulting "Turkishness" at their last hearing
on September 12 after the state prosecutor said in July that there
was no evidence against them.

But Judge Neset Eren prolonged the case when he told the Silivri
court, 45 miles west of Istanbul, that he was stepping down. He said
he hoped to "distance the court’s decision from any form of indecision
or doubt."

Eren’s announcement came after the plaintiff’s ultranationalist
lawyer, Kemal Kerincsiz, called for his resignation, accusing the
judge of failing to deal with the case impartially. Kerincsiz has
raised a number of cases against Turkish intellectuals, including
Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, under article 301 of the Turkish Penal
Code for "degrading Turkishness."

A higher court in Bakirkoy, Istanbul accepted Eren’s resignation
on September 13. Defense lawyer Haydar Polat said that despite the
change of judge and a new state prosecutor, he was still 99 percent
sure that his clients would be acquitted.

"There is no crime to be found, we’ll just have wait and see if the
state prosecutor agrees with us," Polat said.

In addition to insulting Turkish identity, Tastan and Topal are charged
with reviling Islam and secretly compiling files on private citizens
for a local Bible correspondence course.

At a hearing in July, State Prosecutor Ahmet Demirhuyuk called for
the Christians’ release, saying there was no credible evidence against
them. He said that the plaintiffs had give contradictory testimonies
and failed to offer evidence that the Christians had cursed Turkey
and Islam.

A new prosecutor has been present at each of the subsequent hearings.

Lawyer Polat said that the case could be prolonged if the judge decides
to call on further witnesses from Silvri’s gendarmerie. The military
police had ordered the initial investigation of Tastan and Topal.

New Turkish President Abdullah Gul yesterday called on the government
to change article 301 of the Turkish penal code. The controversial
article outlaws "degrading Turkishness, the Republic, the State or
its institutions."

Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in
Strasbourg, France on his first official visit abroad, Gul claimed
that the article had caused unfair criticism of Turkey.

"Nobody was sent to prison under article 301," Gul said, according
to the Turkish Daily News (TDN).

Writers have often been prosecuted for insulting "Turkishness" when
they challenge the Turkish state’s version of historical events,
such as the killing of hundreds of thousands of Armenians following
World War I, TDN reported yesterday. More than 100 writers were tried
under the controversial law in 2005 and 2006, according to an April
release from Human Rights Watch.

Last month, Turkey’s Human Rights Association reported that during the
first half of 2007, another 17 trials had been opened under article
301. Apart from ongoing trials, all cases have ended in suspended
sentences or acquittals.

European Union officials have repeatedly called on Turkey to abolish
the controversial law in order to bring their legal system in line
with European standards of free speech.

END

*** Photographs of Hakan Tastan, Turan Topal, their lawyers and
ultranationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz are available electronically.

Contact Compass Direct News for pricing and transmittal.

php?page=lead&lang=en&length=long&idel ement=5062

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN OFFER VIEWS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH DURING UN DEBATE

UN News Service
Oct 3 2007

As the United Nations General Assembly continued its high-level debate
today, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed
their views on the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

Taking the floor first, Vartan Oskanian, the Foreign Minister
of Armenia, noted that the Assembly’s agenda includes an item on
protracted conflicts. "Putting all these conflicts in one pot is
inherently flawed. Our own conflict, Nagorno-Karabakh, does not belong
there. The UN is not the place to address [it] because that issue is
being addressed within the OSCE" – the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe.

"We are negotiating with Azerbaijan and we’re inching towards a
resolution," he said.

He said that the process is evolving. "We have a balanced, solid
document in our hand which addresses not only the core issue but
also the consequential issues, and the two together add up to a
reasonable solution."

At the core of the process, he said, "lies the right of people to
self-determination."

In a subsequent address to the Assembly, the Foreign Minister of
Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, said the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh poses
the most serious challenge to the region’s security. "As a result of
the conflict, we are still facing the continued occupation by Armenia
of a significant part (almost 20 per cent) of the international
recognized territories of Azerbaijan," he said.

"We are hosting around 1 million refugees and internally displaced
persons (IDPs) who were ethnically cleansed and brutally expelled
from their homes of origin in Armenia and in the occupied territories
of Azerbaijan."

The negotiations being held in the framework of the OSCE "have not
yielded any results so far," he said.

"And as the time passes the more difficult it is for us to observe
from our side of the line of contact the attempts of the current
Armenian leadership to consolidate the results of occupation of
our territories, destroy everything associated with the Azerbaijani
legacy in these territories and carry out illegal activities thereon,"
he said. "The United Nations shall not tolerate such action."

TURKISH PRESIDENT CALLS FOR SETTLEMENT OF ANACHRONIC POLITICAL CONFLICTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.10.2007 18:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The settlement of anachronic political conflicts in
the European geography and in its periphery is a must for the future
security, stability and welfare of Europe," Turkish President Abdullah
Gul said in his address to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe.

"Cyprus remains the oldest unresolved conflict in Europe. The overall
settlement of this conflict could have been achieved during the
simultaneous referenda which were held on the island on 24 April
2004 on the UN settlement plan. However, that chance was missed due
to the rejection of the plan by the Greek Cypriot side," he said.

"Had this opportunity been seized then Cyprus now could have been a
reunified island and represented as such in this Assembly. Isolations
imposed on the Turkish Cypriots would have been lifted. The Turkish
and Greek Cypriot property issues would have been resolved. The
military presence of Greece and Turkey would have reached an agreed
solution. A negotiated settlement in Cyprus would have transformed
the eastern Mediterranean into a hub of regional cooperation between
Turkey, Greece and island of Cyprus. Nevertheless, Turkey remains
fully committed to a political settlement: A settlement which will
ensure the reunification of the island under the auspices of the
good-offices mission of the UN Secretary-General, based on the long
established UN parameters. I recognize the presence of two elected
representatives of the Turkish Cypriot people among you. I seize
this opportunity to thank the Parliamentary Assembly for taking this
modest but meaningful step in helping to ease the political isolation
of the Turkish Cypriots," Gul said.

WORLD’S SHORTEST WAR LASTED FOR ONLY 45 MINUTES

Pravda, Russia
Oct 3 2007

Since Biblical times and before, man has been constantly fighting. It
seems that never a year goes by without one war or another starting or
finishing. Some of these wars take many years and have very high death
tolls, but there have also been some extraordinarily short wars. The
following is the list of world’s shortest wars ever taken place.

5. Georgian-Armenian War lasted for 24 days

Georgian-Armenian War was a border war fought in 1918 between
the Democratic Republic of Georgia and the Democratic Republic
of Armenia over the parts of then disputed provinces of Lori,
Javakheti, and Borchalo district, which had been historically
bicultural Armenian-Georgian territories, but were largely populated
by Armenians in the 19th century. By the end of World War I some of
these territories were occupied by the Ottomans. When they abandoned
the region, both Georgians and Armenians claimed control. The dispute
degenerated into armed clashes on December 7, 1918. The hostilities
continued with varying success until December 31 when the British
brokered ceasefire was signed, leaving the disputed part of Borchalo
district under the joint Georgian-Armenian administration which lasted
until the establishment of the Soviet rule in Armenia in 1920.

4. Serbo-Bulgarian War lasted for 14 days

The Serbo-Bulgarian war was a war between Serbia and Bulgaria that
erupted on November 14, 1885 and lasted until November 28 the same
year. Final peace was signed on February 19, 1886 in Bucharest. As a
result of the war, European powers acknowledged the act of Unification
of Bulgaria which happened on September 6 1885. On November 28, the
Viennese ambassador in Belgrade, count Kevenhueller-Metsch, visited
the headquarters of the Bulgarian Army and demanded the ceasing of
military actions, threatening that otherwise the Bulgarian forces
would meet Austro-Hungarian troops.

Bulgaria’s victories on the battlefield played the main role in
defending the Bulgarian unification. They spread Bulgaria’s name and
infused respect towards united Bulgaria on behalf of its neighbors.

3. Indo-Pakistani War lasted for 13 days

The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a major conflict between India and
Pakistan. The war is closely associated with Bangladesh Liberation War
(sometimes also referred to as Pakistani Civil War). The Bangladesh
liberation war was a conflict between the traditionally dominant West
Pakistanis and the majority East Pakistanis. The war ignited after
the 1970 Pakistani election, in which the East Pakistani Awami League
won 167 of 169 seats in East Pakistan, thus securing a simple majority
in the 313-seat lower house of the Pakistani parliament. There is an
argument about exact dates of the war. However, the armed conflict
on India’s western front during the period between 3 December 1971
and 16 December 1971 is called the Indo-Pakistani War by both the
Bangladeshi and Indian armies. The war ended in a defeat for the
Pakistani military in a fortnight.

2. 6 Day War lasted for 6 days

Following Israeli threats against its Syrian ally, Egypt amassed 1000
tanks and 100,000 soldiers on the border of the Sinai Peninsula,
closed the Straits of Tiran to all ships flying Israel flags or
carrying strategic materials, and called for unified Arab action
against Israel. On June 5, 1967, Israel launched the an attack
against Egypt’s airforce. Jordan then attacked western Jerusalem
and Netanya. At the war’s end, Israel had gained control of eastern
Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, and the
Golan Heights. The results of the war affect the geopolitics of the
region to this day. Overall, Israel’s territory grew by a factor of 3,
including about one million Arabs placed under Israel’s direct control
in the newly captured territories. Israel’s strategic depth grew to
at least 300 kilometers in the south, 60 kilometers in the east and 20
kilometers of extremely rugged terrain in the north, a security asset
that would prove useful in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War six years later.

1. Anglo-Zanzibar War lasted for only 45 minutes

The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between the United Kingdom and
Zanzibar on 27 August 1896. With a duration of only 45 minutes, it
holds the record of being the shortest war in recorded history. The
war broke out after Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini, who had willingly
co-operated with the British colonial administration, died on 25
August 1896, and his nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, seized power in what
amounted to a coup d’etat. The British favoured another candidate,
Hamud bin Muhammed, whom they believed would be easier to work with,
and delivered an ultimatum ordering Bargash to abdicate. Bargash
refused. While Bargash’s troops set to fortifying the palace, the Royal
Navy assembled five warships in the harbour in front of the palace. The
British also landed parties of Royal Marines to support the "loyalist"
regular army of Zanzibar. Despite the Sultan’s last-minute efforts
to negotiate for peace via the U.S. representative on the island,
the Royal Navy ships opened fire on the palace at 9 am on 27 August
1896 as soon as the ultimatum ran out.

With the palace falling down around him and escalating casualties,
Bargash beat a hasty retreat to the German consulate where he was
granted asylum. The shelling stopped after 45 minutes. The British
demanded that the Germans surrender the erstwhile Sultan to them,
but he escaped to sea on 2 October 1896. He lived in exile in Dar es
Salaam until captured by the British in 1916. He was later allowed
to live in Mombasa where he died in 1927. As a final act, Britain
demanded payment from the Zanzibar government to pay for the shells
fired on the country.

‘WAR AGAINST AZERBAIJAN – CULTURAL HERITAGE TARGETED’ PUBLISHED

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 3 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Òrend corr S. Aghayeva / A book named ‘War against
Azerbaijan – Cultural Heritage Targeted’ written together by the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has been
published. The book informs of Armenia’s aggressive policy against
Azerbaijan and the consequences. Armenia’s actions intended to remove
signs proving that the occupied territories belong to Azerbaijan were
exposed in the book. The book is aimed to inform the world’s community
of the facts about the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage
by the Armenians’ vandalism.

The book includes facts on Azerbaijan’s cultural and historical
monuments located in the occupied territories, their photos before
and after destruction.

The book also includes lists of cultural and historical monuments,
a documentary film about them and a CD. A special web site is also
available:

–Boundary_(ID_vQdyAHHasf1IZE0 LNGOKdg)–

TURKISH BORDER SHOULD BE OPENED APART FROM KARABAKH ISSUE

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 2 2007

If the first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan runs in the
presidential election, the Karabakh issue may become one of the key
issues of the election campaign, says the leader of the Christian
Democratic Party Khosrov Harutiunyan who held a news conference on
October 2 at the Hayatsk club. The leader of the Christian Democratic
Party thinks the settlement of the Karabakh issue is crucial to
Armenia, both in a short-term and in a long-term perspective.

"And I think that everything should be done for a favorable resolution
of the Karabakh issue. But I want to use the terms and logic of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s famous article "War and Peace". The compromise is
not a choice between good and bad. It is a choice between the worse
and the worst, and the stronger benefits from a compromise. This
was written and this is acceptable. Now look, we are saying that
Azerbaijan is strong and is growing stronger. Now I am asking myself
whether it means that Armenia cannot have an adequate participation in
the talks. I am sorry but I have to say yes," Khosrov Harutiunyan says.

He says the Karabakh issue should be resolved but not at any price.

The leader of the Christian Democratic Party says the peace settlement
of the Karabakh conflict has a special importance to Armenia. But it
is not only Armenia’s problem. "It is a regional problem. In addition,
Armenia’s political problem number 1 should be the Armenian-Turkish
border. Will the Armenian and Turkish border open? I assure that
the political, the geopolitical importance of the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict will essentially diminish. Do we alone have a chance
of a breakthrough? I am saying yes because Turkey is a member of the
OSCE Minsk Group. In fact, it launched military actions against one
of the sides of the conflict. Our diplomatic corps did not even make
efforts to have the issue reported to the Council of Europe, the OSCE
along with Turkey. It is an opportunity of lifting the blockade of the
Armenian and Turkish border," Khosrov Harutiunyan says. He thinks it
will modify the state of the talks essentially. These options should
at least be discussed, says the leader of the Christian Democratic
Party, adding that for us it would be lavish not to speak about it.

SEN. MENENDEZ: IF BUSH DOESN’T RECOGNIZE ARMENIA GENOCIDE, THEN THE NEXT PRESIDENT WILL

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.10.2007 15:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Recognizing his principled stand on the Armenian
Genocide, the Armenian National Committee of America (Western Region)
honored Sen. Robert Menendez as Man of the Year during the ANCA’s
annual banquet on Sept. 30, 2007 in Los Angeles.

In an exclusive interview with Harut Sassounian, California Courier,
Sen. Menendez said he had become aware of the Armenian Genocide many
years ago as a member of the House of Representatives. The Senator
stated that he had learned of the Hoagland controversy from ANCA and
publications on this issue.

In his remarks at the ANCA banquet, Sen. Menendez said that the
next nominee as Ambassador to Armenia should be able to answer
the following question: "Do you agree that there was an Armenian
Genocide?" He clearly implied that a "no" answer would subject him
or her to the same fate as Amb. Hoagland.

Sen. Menendez ended his remarks by urging Pres. Bush to change his
policy and acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. If he won’t, then the
next President will, said the Senator to thunderous applause.

On August 3, following a year of Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA) led Armenian American community opposition to the controversial
appointment of an Armenian Genocide denier as U.S. envoy to Yerevan,
the White House announced the withdrawal of the nomination of Richard
Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.

The appointment was twice blocked by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). A
genocide denier must never represent the U.S. in Armenia, according
to him.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

MEDIA ALERT
October 2, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

Lawmakers Announce Vote on Armenian Genocide Resolution

Washington, DC – The authors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.
Res. 106) today expressed their confidence that the House Foreign
Affairs Committee will pass this important human rights legislation
during the Committee markup next Wednesday, October 10th.

In a press statement issued earlier today, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA),
George Radanovich (R-CA), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues, Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI)
along with Caucus Members Brad Sherman (D-CA), Ed Royce (R-CA) and Anna
G. Eshoo (D-CA), said they would work to prevent the adoption of
weakening amendments.

"We will work to ensure that when the Resolution comes to the House
floor for a vote, it will receive the overwhelming support it deserves,"
the lawmakers stated.

The Armenian Assembly remains encouraged by the groundswell of support –
both inside and outside of Congress – for H. Res. 106, and will continue
to rally strong congressional support to secure a vote and successful
passage of this legislation.

Editors Note: Below is the full text of the press release issued by
Representatives Pallone, Schiff, Knollenberg, Radanovich, Eshoo,
Sherman, and Royce.

October 2, 2007

LAWMAKERS ANNOUNCE COMMITTEE MARKUP ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
RESOLUTION

Schiff, Radanovich Resolution set for October 10th

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe
Knollenberg (R-MI), co-chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues; Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich (R-CA), lead sponsors
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution; Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Ed Royce
(R-CA), senior members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and
Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), a co-sponsor of the resolution and the only
Armenian-American Member of Congress, announced today that the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a markup next Wednesday, October
10, 2007, of the Armenian Genocide Recognition Resolution.

The seven lawmakers, all Members of the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues, issued the following statement today regarding the
announced markup:

"We are extremely pleased and very encouraged by the decision of the
House Committee on Foreign Affairs to move forward with a markup of this
critical legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide as the first
genocide of the 20th century. We thank Chairman Lantos and Ranking
Member Ros-Lehtinen for scheduling the hearing, as well as Speaker
Pelosi for her continued support.

"This Congress’ support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution sends a
strong message that the U.S. government will not tolerate genocide. Our
recognition of the Armenian Genocide is a vital step in helping to
prevent other crimes against humanity.

"We are confident that the House Foreign Affairs Committee will pass
this long-overdue legislation and will work to prevent the adoption of
weakening amendments. We will continue to work to ensure that when the
Resolution comes to the House floor for a vote, it will receive the
overwhelming support it deserves."

The lawmakers noted that the Resolution currently has 226 co-sponsors,
more than the 218 needed to have the support of a majority of the 435
Members of the House. This amount of support makes it possible to pass
the bill on the House floor, which is the next step after passage in
Committee. In September 2005, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
voted by an overwhelming margin of 40-7 to pass an Armenian Genocide
Resolution with the same language as the current Resolution, H. Res.
106.

The Armenian Genocide Recognition Resolution, which was introduced in
Congress last January, calls on the President and the U.S. Government to
properly recognize the atrocities that occurred in Armenia beginning in
1915, which resulted in 1.5 million deaths and countless victims of
torture, as genocide.

###

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

NR#2007-115

Dear Colleagues and Friends,
 
I hope you are OK. Please accept the warmest greetings from the Armenian Highland! It is my pleasure to forward to you the link to the English version of my recent interview on Regional Security and Ethnic Policy issues published by REGNUM earlier in Russian
(here you are:  )
 
Sincerely Yours,
 
Hayk
 

PARENTS OF ARMENIAN-CAPTURED AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER APPEAL TO AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT, MEHRIBAN ALIYEVA, SHEIKULISLAM AND DEFENSE MINISTER

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 2 2007

Parents of Armenian-captured Azerbaijani soldier Samir Mammadov
appealed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, President of Heydar
Aliyev Foundation, Azerbaijani MP Mehriban Aliyeva, Sheikulislam
Allahshukur Pashazade and Defense Minister Safar Abiyev, uncle of
the captured Vidadi Mammadov told the APA.

He said that they ask to assist in handing over Samir Mammadov to
Azerbaijan in their appeal.

Samir Mammadov was captured by Armenian Armed Forces on December 24,
2006.