Author: Jagharian Tania

THE EUROPEAN UNION AND MINORITY PROBLEMS
Written by Walter R Hunziker
Newropeans Magazine, France
May 11 2006
The EU has few subjects that nobody in Brussels likes to talk about,
among which we find minority problems. Corsica and the Bask country may
serve as examples for many others that are less visible or audible…
Paris and Madrid don’t mind, or actually demand EU subsidies to
help the economic development of its regions. However, they would
oppose vehemently any questioning by the EU parliament concerning
the political situation of these minorities, which they consider to
be a purely national affair.
Where democratic representation is involved, there are no national
affairs that do not concern the EU. The EU is to be a coherent body,
all its members being part of the total living community, like a human
body which cannot have totally independent members, legs or hands.
Can it be a real national affair if those concerned do not consider
themselves part of that “National”community? In such cases a higher
supranational instance such as the EU is the logical place to deal
with the matter.
Switzerland, a confederation of some 25 cantons, had a minority
problem with the French-speaking minority inside the canton of Bern.
Like Corsica , they had an independence movement with bombings,
demonstrations, etc. After years of repression, the minority was
finally permitted to create its own canton of Jura, thus adding a new
canton to the Swiss confederation, a solution that satisfied everybody.
There is no reason not to give any of the concerned European minorities
a chance to create their own state community within the EU, if after
careful comprehensive socio-economic studies, the inhabitants of a
region democratically vote and approve such a change.
What are the motivations for secession? Why do national governments
want to prevent such regional political formations? Is it a question
of national pride, historic patriotism etc. France, e.g. because of
Napoleon being a French icon, might oppose a Corsican secession. Is
it matter of regional egotism, the rich not wanting to share with the
poor as may be the case in northern Italy and Spain’s Catalonia ? Or is
it a cultural entity fearing to lose its character, its language , its
religion, or on the contrary an oppressed minority demanding liberty?
The EU should develop clear criteria to deal with these situations
faced within its present borders, including Wallonia, Bretagne, Kosovo
and many more regions, before engaging new more complex problems in
new eastern EU candidate countries such as Turkey , which faces three
big minority problems:
1. The Armenian genocide, although a historic event, is still being
denied by the Turkish government and people. This problem must be
overcome by a clear revelation and acceptance of the truth, e.g.
as established by an international court procedure, before Turkey
can join the EU.
2. The Cypress problem concerning its Turkish and Greek
communities. The EU and UN reunification proposal , which was accepted
by the north and rejected by the south shows a deep psychological
barrier. The immediate economic and practical advantages of
reunification could not overcome an anxiety concerning the unknown
risks of joining a Turkish minority in Cypress with 62.7 mi. more
Turks living on the close-by mainland. Would they not use Cypress as
the entrance door to Europe? The proposal was too much of an academic
dream. A unified Cypress can only come after Turkey joins the EU.
3. The EU adhesion of Turkey as it is now would probably solve the
Cypress question, but a much greater problem would arise with the Kurd
minority on its eastern borders. With Constantinople as the capital
of the Eastern Roman Empire, Turkey displays a cultural historic role
in Europe. Kurdistan however is definitely not part of it. In Turkey,
there are some 15 mi. Kurds, in Iran 6.6 mi., in Irak 6 mi, in Syria
2 mi, in Germany 0.6 mi., in Armenia and Azerbaijan some 50 000,
and elsewhere another 1.1 mi. a total of 31.l mi. Kurds.
They aspire an independent state; there is no population of that size
on earth that has not its own state.
If Turkey would give independence to its 15 mi Kurds, this would
reduce its population to some 45 mi, this could be perhaps more
easily acceptable by the EU, and it might lead to the formation of
a new Kurdistan together with the Kurds from Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc.
and thus create a new stable buffer state to Iran.
Kurd population dispersed over Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Azerbaijan
and Armenia
Such geostrategic thoughts must be included in the debates on
the eastern extension of the EU, if we are not to fall into an
“IMPERIALISTIC TRAP”. The EU has no business in Kurdistan except to
help the Kurds to become independent, and possibly to have new good
friends in this oil-rich region. We must remind our parliament in
Brussels that the EU is not in need of more territory, it needs to
create more democratic, and efficient administrative structures, it
should develop closer and better relations with all its neighbours and
specially with those that are part of our cultural family, wherever
they are. In today’s world territorial closeness or distance means
less than cultural affinity.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: REACTION DE SERGE KLARSFELD AUX CRITIQUES D’HISTORIENS
Agence France Presse
10 mai 2006 mercredi
L’association des Fils et Filles des deportes juifs de France de Serge
Klarsfeld, qui soutient une proposition de loi socialiste visant a
sanctionner la negation du genocide armenien, a critique mercredi
les historiens qui appellent a cesser de “jouer avec les memoires”.
“La loi doit dire l’histoire quand il s’agit de genocides dont les
auteurs ou les partisans s’acharnent a nier l’existence et parviennent
a persuader les dirigeants de pays comme la Turquie et l’Iran de
partager leur negationnisme a l’encontre des Armeniens et des juifs”,
selon un communique de cette association.
“Le lobby d’historiens qui exige que l’on cesse de +jouer avec
les memoires+ soutient avec arrogance que +la loi ne saurait
dire l’histoire+”, poursuit le communique, “la juste reponse des
parlementaires dans cette lutte pour la verite et la morale politique
sera le vote de l’Assemblee nationale pour sanctionner la negation
du genocide armenien”.
Dans une tribune publiee mercredi par le quotidien Liberation,
l’historien Jean-Pierre Azema denonce, au nom de membres de
l’association Liberte pour l’histoire qui avait lance une petition en
decembre, “les lois +memorielles+ qui pretendent imposer un jugement
historique” et interpelle les deputes en leur lancant: “Cessez de
jouer avec les memoires”.
Il incrimine notamment une proposition de loi socialiste completant
la loi du 29 janvier 2001 qui reconnaît le genocide armenien de 1915,
en prevoyant des sanctions penales contre sa negation.
Elle devrait venir en discussion publique a l’Assemblee le 18 mai. Le
texte a ete rejete de fait mercredi par la commission des Lois,
qui n’est pas passee a l’examen de l’article unique du texte.
–Boundary_(ID_ciwmI2Pj8UMkCxHfWHU6yg)–

PARLIAMENT OF BULGARIA REFUSES RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 11 2006
SOFIA, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Parliament of
Bulgaria refused on May 10 the resolution of one of extremist parties
which called on to recognize the Armenian Genocide. As Radio Liberty
informs quoting the “Francepress” agency, 81 deputies of the 170 ones
participated in the sitting of the 240-seats parliament of Bulgaria
voted “against”, 56 deputies voted “for”, and 33 deputies remained
neutral. The Nationalist ATAKA party called on the Parliament to state
April 24 “the day of memory of the Armenian Genocide victims in Ottaman
Turkey.” But the resolution was refused by the coalition created by
socialists making the majority in the Parliament, representatives of
which insisted that in the case of adopting the resolution, relations
with Turkey will be strained as well as straining will be created
in the coalitional government formed by three parties of Bulgaria
(one of which Turk minority’s party is).

ARMENIAN PUBLISHERS TO PARTICIPATE FOR FIRST TIME IN “BOOK EXPO AMERICA” INTERNATIONAL FAIR-EXHIBITION HELD IN WASHINGTON
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Association of Publishers
(NAP) of Armenia will participate for the first time in the “Book
Expo America” international fair-exhibition of books to be held in
Washington on May 18-22. As the Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed
by NAP Chairman Vahan Khachatrian, Armenian publishers participate
for the first time in that annual exhibition held in different cities
of the U.S. According to him, about 120 titles of literary-fiction,
popular scientific and children’s publishing products will be presented
at the exhibition. Publications dedicated to the Armenian Genocide
will also been presented. V.Khachatrian mentioned that the NAP will
also participate in international exhibition of book to be held in
September in Moscow as well, and in the annual exhibitions of book to
be organized in Germany (Frankfurt) and Turkey (Istanbul) in October.

Kuwait News Agency, Kuwait
May 8 2006
France still unable to apologize
By our staff writer
Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has repeated his demand that
France should apologize to Algeria for the “genocidal” colonial rule.
He said this was the only way to turn a chronically ill relationship
into a true friendship. Bouteflika first called for a French apology
in 2004 and repeated the demand again at the same May 8 ceremony a
year ago.
In a speech on Sunday evening, Bouteflika said: “It is clear that
since (independence on) July 5, 1962, each is master in his own house
and there is no question of us applying pressure to obtain what seems
our elementary right: that is to say, a public and solemn apology for
the crime of colonialization committed against our people.
“If we as a people have triumphed over an undiluted colonialism at
the price of unspeakable suffering, it is not to succumb to the
sirens of a one-sided friendship.”
Bouteflika’s speech was made in the eastern town of Guelma at a
ceremony marking the killings of thousands of Algerians who took to
the streets to demand independence.
France occupied the North African country for 132 years, and 1.5
million people were killed in the 1954-1962 Algerian war of
independence.
The call for an apology even sparked protests by some French
rightists, who complained that France should not have allowed
Bouteflika to come to Paris for medical treatment last month.
Although the lower house of the French parliament unanimously
approved a bill on January 18, 2001 which publicly recognizes the
massacre of Armenians in 1915 as genocide, France still refuses to
even apologize for the massacre of Algerian freedom fighters, let
alone recognize it as genocide.
Curiously, the death toll was the same in each incident. Armenians
claim that up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was
falling apart.
The French parliament’s vote on the Armenian massacre won the praise
of many organizations and human rights activists as a brave and
courageous move. However, the French parliament has never held such a
vote on the bloody suppression of the Algerian uprising.
Indeed, some circles in France even regard discussion of the issue as
taboo.
If the French parliament is truly sincere, it should taken the bold
decision to recognize that it committed genocide in Algeria and
apologize.
>From the perspective of history, the genocide in Algeria is all the
more outrageous because it occurred at a time when the world was
beginning to focus on the human rights issue, war crimes, and
genocide, and because it happened after World War Two, when France
itself experienced the Nazi occupation.
Meanwhile, last week, Turkey warned France that bilateral ties would
suffer “irreparable damage” if the National Assembly passes a bill
that would make it a punishable offence to “deny the existence of the
1915 Armenian genocide”.
France is considered one of the great Western democracies and still
uses the `Liberty, equality, brotherhood’ slogan of the 1789 French
Revolution, which inspired many social developments in modern
history. Therefore, why does it not step forward and recognize its
actions in the Algerian war as genocide?

Sky Control (press release), UK
May 8 2006
Armenian Plane Crashes in South Russia With 113 on Board
This news was published on Monday, May 8th, 2006 and is archived
under Airlines.
An Armenian passenger plane crashed in stormy weather early Wednesday
off Russia’s Black Sea coast as it was headed in for a landing,
killing all 113 people on board.
The Airbus A-320, which belonged to the Armenian airline Armavia,
disappeared from radar screens about four miles from shore and
crashed after making a turn toward the Adler airport near the
southern Russian city of Sochi, Emergency Situations Ministry
spokesman Viktor Beltsov said. Rescue officials in the ministry’s
southern regional branch said all 113 people aboard the plane,
including six children, were killed.
Armavia officials said they believed the crash was due to the
weather, but Sergei Kubinov, regional head of the Emergency
Situations Ministry, said the age of the aircraft and technical
problems could have been involved. Investigators did not believe
terrorism was a factor. Relatives of those aboard the plane were
gathering at Yerevan airport, Armenia, for a charter flight to Sochi
on Wednesday morning.
The plane broke up on impact with the water, and wreckage was thrown
in a wide arc, Kubinov said. Salvage workers said the fuselage was
recovered at a depth of nearly 1,500 feet. Search and rescue teams
had pulled 18 bodies from the water, Kubinov said. None were wearing
life jackets, indicating they did not have sufficient warning to
prepare for an emergency landing.
Rough seas, driving rain and low visibility were hampering the
search, Russian news agencies reported. A deep-sea robot was to be
used to try to recover the plane’s black box.
The plane disappeared from radar at about 2:15 a.m. local time during
a flight from Yerevan to Sochi, Beltsov said. He said the plane went
down while trying to make a repeat attempt at an emergency landing;
the Interfax news agency quoted the Russian air control agency as
saying that the plane’s crew had not reported an emergency.
Andrei Agadzhanov, Armavia’s deputy commercial director, said the
crew had communicated with Sochi ground controllers while the plane
was flying over the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The ground controllers
reported stormy weather but told the crew the plane could still land,
he said.
Just before the landing, however, the ground controllers told the
plane’s pilots to circle again before approaching the airport. Then
the plane crashed. Agadzhanov said that the airline’s deputy general
director, Vyacheslav Yaralov, was aboard. He said the crew was
experienced and that the bad weather was `certainly’ the cause.
an-plane-crashes-in-south-russia-with-113-on-board /

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
May 6 2006
Representatives of Azeri Justice Ministry did not find errors in work
of Hungarian court
Source: Trend
Author: E. Javadova
06.05.2006
Representatives of Azeri Justice Ministry that participate May 3 in
the work of second trial on Ramil Safarov’s case, said the process
is going on normally, Trend reports quoting Zavar Gafarli, head of
international relations, Ministry of Justice.
The process included examination of two jail guards. “We may state
justice or injustice of court’s position only after the sentence”,
– Gafarli said.
The court hearing is continued September 1, 2006. Representatives
of Azeri Ministry of Justice are expected to participate at this
session too.
The reason for the second trial is discrepancy between Ramil Safarov
and employees of jail, where he was kept under the investigation
for his original case. R.Safarov is charged with resistance to jail
employees. According to the accusation, on June 19, 2004 jailers
entered R.Safarov’s cell and demanded to give them phone card.
However, Safarov disobeyed and resisted jailers trying to cuff him.
On April 13, 2006 Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment for
killing Armenian officer G.Markaryan. His second case is tried in
Pest district court.

CATHOLICOS ARAM I EXPRESSES HIS CONDOLENCES TO RA PRESIDENT AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 05 2006
ANTELIAS, LEBANON, MAY 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia expressed his deep condolences in letters
sent to the president of Armenia Robert Kotcharian and the Catholicos
of All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II after an airplane belonging
to the Armenian Armavia Airlines crashed into the Black Sea in the
early morning hours of May 3, killing about 113 passengers and crew
members. “On this sad occasion we share your, our motherland’s and
our nation’s pain. We ask God to grant heavenly rest to the innocent
victims of the crash and to console their relatives with the Holy
Spirit,” the Pontiff wrote. The Catholicos also informed that requiem
services will be held this Sunday in memory of the victims of the
crash in the Mother Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in
Antelias and in all the Dioceses of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.

NO AVAILABLE EQUIPMENT CAPABLE OF RECOVERING BLACK BOXES – MINISTER
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 4 2006
SOCHI, May 4 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s transportation minister said
Thursday the flight recorders from an airliner that crashed off
Russia’s southern coast Wednesday with the loss of 113 people were
too deep in the sea to be recovered with available equipment.
The black boxes of the Armenian plane are at a depth of 680 meters
(2,230 feet), and there is no available equipment in southern Russia
that could recover them, Igor Levitin said.
On Thursday, French experts picked up a radio signal that could be
coming from the black boxes of the crashed plane. They said the signals
had been included in the design of the plane to make it easier to
identify the location of the flight recorders after a possible crash.
“Many fragments have been discovered where the signal was established,”
Levitin said. “We believe this is where the disaster happened.”
The minister said a request would be sent to the Navy to find the
necessary equipment.
“There is an experimental model in the north of the country, and we
will try to deliver it to the operation site,” he said. “It can work
at a depth of 500 meters [1,640 feet].”
He said the operation involved a Be-200 aircraft searching the coastal
line. Levitin added that recovery teams had reached Loo, a town 15
kilometers (9 miles) from the popular resort of Sochi and would now
move back to Adler, the airport servicing Sochi where the Airbus had
been trying to land when it crashed in poor weather.
Sergei Kudinov, the head of the southern regional center of the Russian
Emergency Situations Ministry, said international technologies would
be used to lift the black boxes from such a depth.
“We will employ international technologies, in particular, from France,
the U.S. or Norway,” he said.

OLEXANDR BOZHKO EXPRESSES HIGH OPINION ABOUT ARMENIAN-UKRAINIAN RELATIONS
Noyan Tapan
May 04 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 4, NOYAN TAPAN. “The Armenian-Ukrainian relations continue
developing sucessfully, and last year was a confirmation of it.” The
Ukrainian Ambassador to Armenia Olexandr Bozhko stated this during a
press conference on May 4 at the National Press Club. According to
him, Armenia and Ukraine have some common goals, particularly both
countries strive to integrate into Europe. O. Bozhko said that today
the commodity turnover between the two countries makes 100 mln USD,
which is a good index. Over the last 4 months of 2006, trade between
Armenia and Ukraine increased 2-3fold compared with the same period
of last year. The ambassador noted that the two countries should pay
great attention to diversification of electricity generation sources
and ways of transporting the power-bearing substances. Ukraine is
currently working with Iran in this direction. Nevertheless, in the
opinion of O. Bozhko, such energy programs can be implemented only
with the assistance of Europe. As regards the sale of the 5th unit
of Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant to Russia, O. Bozhko said: “I think it
was a compulsory decision for the Armenian government, and I find it
difficult to say what prompted it to make such a decision. The decision
was taken by the Armenian government that bears responsibility for it.”