Author: Jagharian Tania

KURDISH TERRORISTS OF TURKEY!
By Dr Rebwar Fatah
KurdishMedia.com
4/7/2006
It has become Turkish logic that every Kurd is a potential
terrorist. Under the Turkish regime, Kurds are now put in an impossible
position. A citizen of Turkey must have Turkish blood. Therefore a
Kurd in Turkey cannot be called a citizen. However, refusing to become
“Turkish” (when one is Kurdish) instantly makes one a “separatist”:
a term often used to describe “terrorists”.
Hence Turkey no longer bothers to distinguish between “Kurds” and
“terrorists”.
So I must declare that I am a “terrorist” as I am a staunch believer in
the establishment of a Kurdish state in Northern Kurdistan. And I have
no doubt many of you are also ‘terrorists’ under this Turkish logic.
And now the Turkish Prime Minster has labelled Kurdish women and
children pawns of terrorists. “Our security will make the necessary
intervention against those who have become the pawns of terrorism,
even if they are children or women,” said Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish definition of ‘terrorist’ expands to all aspects of Kurdish
and Kurdistani life, and has recently been taken to a new extreme. The
Turkish government have changed the names of three animals found on its
territory to remove references to Kurdistan or Armenia. The ministry
said the old names were contrary to Turkish unity. Are we to suppose
that a red fox, formerly known as the Vulpes Vulpes Kurdistanica and
now known simply as Vulpes Vulpes, is a terrorist threat too?
In a word, yes. Some Turkish officials say the names are being used
to argue that Kurds had lived in the areas where the animals were
found. So the Turkish government have changed these animal’s names
because they are separatists.
Turkey believes that many old names were contrary to Turkish unity, ”
Unfortunately there are many other species in Turkey which were named
this way with ill intentions. This ill intent is so obvious that even
species only found in our country were given names against Turkey’s
unity,” said a statement made by the Turkish Environment Ministry.
These simple examples show how insecure the Turks are, and perhaps they
have reason to be. After all, Turkey has been built on the foundations
of Kurds, Armenians and Greeks. And any form of rebellion is met with
instant oppression. A Kurdish youth was recently crushed to death
by an armoured Turkish vehicle. Turkish Security went on to kill 16
Kurds and arrest hundreds more. Are we really to believe that this
is based solely on Turkey’s fear all Kurds are potential terrorists?
In his recent visit the United Nations, Special Rapporteur observed
that, ” the definition of terrorism as contained in article 1 of
the Anti-Terror Act of 1991, which defines terrorism based on its
purpose or aims rather than referring to specific criminal acts,
is formulated vaguely and in very broad terms.”
The question boils down to this: who is a terrorist?
The Special Rapporteur stated, “It therefore raises concerns in
respect of the principle of legality as prescribed in article 15 of
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),
a provision that allows for no derogation even during states of
emergency. When applied in conjunction with other provisions of
the Act, this definition of terrorism may result in prosecution and
conviction in cases where the individual concerned is not personally
linked to any terrorist acts properly defined, i.e. acts of deadly or
otherwise grave violence against persons, or the taking of hostages,
in the furtherance of aims covered by the international understanding
of ‘terrorism’.”
Turkey argue that they legislated terrorism laws to combat
international terror. The UN Special Rapporteur does not think so. “The
Anti-Terror Act of 1991 does not meet the requirements of international
conventions in the fight against terrorism. Not all specific forms
of international terrorism, as defined in these conventions, are
covered by article 1 of the Act, which was drafted at a different
time in response to domestic needs. Whereas the Special Rapporteur
received indications that the 1991 Act was being reconsidered, he
was unable to obtain specific information about the review and the
relevant timelines.”
So who are the terrorists in Turkey? The Turkish Prime Minister has
the answer. They are Kurdish women and children. Or foxes.
My thanks to Chris Lacey.

MOST OF THE ARMENIAN YOUTH DO NOT TRUST DOCTORS
Yerevan, April 4. ArmInfo. 50% of the Armenian youth do not trust
doctors, said on a press conference Karen Asatrian, president of the
UN Association Armenia.
According to the survey results, represented by Mr. Asatrian, only 26%
of the questioned address the physicians in case their disease does
not threaten their life. 67% prefer receive aid from their family
members. Mr. Asatrian said that the questionnaire consisted of 176
essential questions which display the attitudes of eth youth for
economy, healthcare, social security and employment. 1050 people of
16-30 age were questioned.

FIRST STAGE OF WORKS OF WORKING OUT NATIONAL YOUTH REPORT OF ARMENIA FINISHES
Noyan Tapan
Apr 05 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The first stage of works of working out
the National Youth Report of Armenia by the RA Ministry of Culture and
Youth Issues finished. The report is a complex study that presents
the existing state of the youth of Armenia, and will in future be a
basis for working out and implementing a state long-term strategy. As
Arsen Soghomonian, the Chief of the Youth Policy Department of the
Ministry’s staff informed at the April 4 press-conference, public
discussions of the preliminary stage of working out the report will
start this month. Besides, the preliminary variant of the report
will be presented in April to the Department of Youth Issues of the
Council of Europe, and CE experts’ visit to Armenia is scheduled for
summer. During this visit they will present their proposal concerning
the preliminary variant.
Arsen Soghomonian mentioned that Armenia is the first among the CIS
countries that prepares the National Youth Report. Works of preparing
the report started in June, 2005, for what the UN Development Program
allocated 15 thousand dollars. An experimental group was created for
works of working out the report on the initiative of the Ministry,
and the “Sotsium” sociological center held sociological surveys
among 1000 people surveyed. 176 issues presented in 8 blocks involved
the most important problems relating to youth at present, including
the issues of education, family, spiritual-cultural ones, those of
employement, sports.

PUMPING OF IRANIAN GAS TO ARMENIA TO START TILL END OF YEAR
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.04.2006 23:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The pumping of Iranian gas to Armenia will start
till the end of the year, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham
Gharibjanian stated. In his words, the agreement on the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline construction is a priority issue for Armenia.
He also noted that the positions of Armenia and Iran on the relations
with the states of the region are alike.

PETER SEMNEBY: ARMENIA AND TURKEY EQUALLY IMPORTANT FOR EU
/PanARMENIAN.Net
05.04.2006 20:31 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The normalization of the Armenia-Turkey relations
is bound with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, EU Envoy
for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby stated at a press conference
in Yerevan today. In his words, Europe is interested in the opening
of the Armenian-Turkish border. “Armenia and Turkey are equally
important for the European Union. We hold membership talks with Turkey;
Armenia participates in the European Neighborhood Policy. It’s not
good that these two states do not enjoy diplomatic relations.” The
EU Envoy also emphasized that Armenia’s economy and the development
of regional economic projects suffer from the closed borders.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee ~ San Francisco Bay Area
51 Commonwealth Avenue,
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: (415) 387-3433
Fax: (415) 751-0617
Email: [email protected]
Web:
20 Voices
20 Stories Remembered From The 1915 Armenian Genocide
20 Voices The Turkish Government Could Not Silence
Wednesday, April 12
6:00 p.m.
Free Admission
Sponsored by the San Francisco Public Library and the Bay Area ANC
Koret Auditorium
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA
Over the course of 2005, Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Araz Artinian
(producer of The Genocide in Me), conducted individual interviews of 20
men and women who had escaped the 20th century’s first genocide: The
Armenian Genocide of 1915. This uniquely-structured documentary
presents some of the most compelling first-person narratives ever
documented on video of those who suffered the extreme conditions and
humiliations of the planned extermination of their people by the Turkish
government. Their captivating stories are at once heartbreaking and
hopeful. The accompanying educational website, , has
won the Grafika Award for Best Informational/Education Website.

PACE SPRING SESSION FOCUSES ON RELATIONS BETWEEN THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
Lragir.am
04.04.2006
Strasbourg
Relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union will
be a major theme of the Spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), which takes place in Strasbourg from
10 to 13 April 2006.
Later in the week, on Thursday, parliamentarians will debate a
memorandum of understanding between the two European organisations
as well as the specific issue of the EU’s new Fundamental Rights
Agency. Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis and the
Chairperson of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee
Elmar Brok will take part in the debate.
A possible urgent debate on stopping trafficking in women before the
FIFA World Cup, as well as debates on the human rights of members of
the armed forces and combating the resurrection of nazi ideology, are
among other highlights. Representatives of the Palestinian Legislative
Council and the Israeli Knesset have been invited to a debate on the
situation in the Middle East.
Debates are also due on the place of mother tongue in school education,
refugees and displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia,
the social reintegration of prisoners and poverty and the fight
against corruption in Council of Europe member states.

EU ENVOY TO SOUTH CAUCASUS ARRIVING IN ARMENIA APRIL 5
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.04.2006 23:37 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 5-7 EU newly appointed Special Representative
for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby will pay a familiarization visit
to Armenia, reports the Armenian MFA Press Service. During his visit
Peter Semneby will meet with Armenian President Robert Kocharian, PM
Andranik Margaryan, Speaker Artur Baghdassaryan, FM Vartan Oskanian
and MOD Head Serge Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II,
as well as NKR FM Georgy Petrosyan. Semenby is also scheduled to meet
with heads of a number of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia.

CBA PUBLISHES ITS FINANCIAL MARKET INSTRUMENTS
Noyan Tapan
Apr 03 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, NOYAN TAPAN. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
published the new set of its instruments and the logic of its
activities on the financial market. According to the CBA press service,
these are: The main instrument of refinancing – a 7-day repo to be used
each Wednesday. The structural instument – the isssuing of CBA bonds,
mainly 3-month bonds, although 6 and 12-month issues are not ruled
out either. The rectifying instruments to be applied for correcting
the short-term deviations from the target indices of liquidity
and interest rates (mainly by repo and reverse repo instruments and
foreign currency). The constant possibility instruments – deposit and
lombard credit to be used for a 1-day period. The interest rates are
set based on the interest rate of refinancing. It is noted that the
interest rate of lombard credit has been lowered to 8%. At a board
sitting to be held each month, the CBA will determine and publish
within next month the refinancing (repo) interest rate, the constant
possibility interest rate, as well as the volume, maturity and issue
date of bonds to be issued by the CBA. Market participants will be
provided explanations about rectifying instruments, implemented in
addition to the previously announced operations.

ARMENIA CONSIDERS PROVIDING AID TO EARTHQUAKE-STRICKEN IRAN
Armenpress
April 3 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 3, ARMENPRESS: The government of Armenia is considering
provision of humanitarian assistance to Iran to help it overcome
heavy consequences of March 31 earthquake.
The government said territorial minister Hovik Abrahamian was
instructed by prime minister Margarian to meet with Iran’s ambassador
in Armenia, Alireza Haghighyan, to convey his condolences and specify
what kind of assistance Iran needs. More than 70 people have been
killed and some 15,000 families have been made homeless by a series
of strong earthquakes and aftershocks that rocked western Iran early
Friday morning.