Author: Jidarian Alex

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: ACCOYER (UMP) DENONCE “LE DOUBLE LANGAGE” DES SOCIALISTES

Agence France Presse
18 mai 2006 jeudi

Le president du groupe UMP a l’Assemblee nationale, Bernard Accoyer,
a denonce jeudi “le double langage” des socialistes, en rejetant sur
eux la responsabilite de l’inachèvement de l’examen de la proposition
de loi PS reprimant la negation du genocide armenien.

“C’est un double langage absolu que de proclamer vouloir faire adopter
un texte et se debrouiller pour que la discussion ne parvienne pas
jusqu’au vote”, a declare M. Accoyer a l’AFP, après la levee de la
seance sans que soit acheve l’examen de ce texte.

Le chef de file des deputes UMP s’est insurge contre les accusations
des deputes socialistes, selon lesquelles la majorite et le
gouvernement ont fait de l’obstruction afin que cette proposition ne
puisse pas etre examinee.

“Le groupe socialiste a choisi de mettre trois propositions de loi
(renforcement des pouvoirs du Parlement, genocide armenien et fin
emploi des jeunes, ndlr) dans sa niche, ce qui est une première”,
a souligne M. Accoyer.

Il a releve qu’il avait ete demande en vain en cours de discussion a
Paul Quilès, auteur de la proposition de loi renforcant le contrôle
du Parlement, de retirer son texte.

Il a souligne que “nul ne songeait a nier les crimes, la monstruosite
dont a ete victime le peuple armenien”. Bernard Accoyer a rappele
qu’avec la polemique soulevee par l’article 4 de la loi de fevrier 2005
sur la reconnaissance “du rôle positif” de la colonisation francaise,
“sur tous les bancs”, il avait ete juge que “legiferer sur l’histoire
n’etait pas une bonne methode”.

“La France, a-t-il dit, ne peut pas etre la seule democratie a ecrire
l’histoire par la loi”.

Le groupe UMP, divise comme les autres groupes sur cette proposition
de loi, avait laisse la liberte de vote a ses deputes.

–Boundary_(ID_fBvfXg7fQVhVkQ6SPFtWJQ)–

IN OPINION OF CHAIRMAN OF KARABAKH “HELSINKI INITIATIVE-92” ORGANIZATION, THERE WILL BE NO PROGRESS IN NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS IN COMING TWO YEARS

Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006

VANADZOR, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Representatives of political parties,
NGOs and mass media took part in the discussion dedicated to the
12th anniversary of concluding a ceasefire agreement on May 12 1994
in the zone of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, organized on May 16
in Vanadzor by the Vanadzor Office of Helsinki Civil Assembly. The
prehistory and process of Nagorno Karabakh conflict were presented
by Karen Ohanjanian, Chairman of the Nagorno Karabakh “Helsinki
Initiative-92” organization. According to him, achievement of peace is
an intermediate stage in the process of Nagorno Karabakh’s recognition
as an independent state. “It is impossible for the region to completely
integrate into international processes without settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” K.Ohanjanian said. “Nagorno Karabakh should
take part in the negotiations process without fail. It is impossible to
solve the Nagorno Karabakh problem without Karabakh’s participation”,
he emphasized. Another participants of the event also presented their
viewpoints on the process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement. They, in
particular, were anxious about the issue, whether the civil society
takes part in the negotiations process. In Karen Ohanjanian’s opinion,
the civil society can take part in the negotiations process only by
means of the international organizations, which can have an impact on
the local authorities. Karen Ohanjanian gave a peculiar commentary to
the statement of OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut that
Nagorno Karabakh belongs to the people that lives there: according
to Ohanjanian, the OSCE representative meant that Nagorno Karabakh
belongs to the Armenians and Azeris living there. Karen Ohanjanian also
considers that no progress will be observed in the negotiations process
in the coming two years and no document will be signed by the sides.

35TH EUROPEAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE OF INTERPOL TO START TODAY IN MINSK

ArmRadio.am
17.05.2006 11:10

The 35th European regional conference of Interpol will start today
in Minsk.

The Armenian delegation is leaded by head of the Interpol Office in
Yerevan, Colonel Vardan Yeghiazaryan. Some issues of Interpol strategy
to counter terrorism and organized crime will be discussed. The
participants of the conference will focus also on fighting trafficking
and illegal migration.

WE’RE TALKING WISE THINGS BUT WE HAVE WHAT WE HAVE

Lragir.am
15 May 06

In an interview with the Karabakh Open Online Newspaper the leader
of the Karabakh organization of Yerkrapah Arkady Karapetyan stated
that we were cheated when the armistice was signed on May 12, 1994.

“We should have continued. They are still cheating. We are talking wise
things, but we have what we have. And we have social stratification,
a lack of ideology,” he said. What do we suggest the world recognizing:
what finance, what territories, and what ideology? They cannot realize
what we want either.

Arkady Karapetyan says we came to realize in 1998 that nation
preservation is the right for self-defense. “Currently, battle for
man, for person is underway in the world. Land belongs to the one
who lives on it. If you fail to organize your life on that land,
it no more yours,” said Arkady Karapetyan. The leader of Yerkrapah
of Karabakh commented on the words of the leader of Yerkrapahs of
Armenia that they will not give up a single patch of land. “There is
stratification among them too. Most of them do not have a cent, while
the rest are well off. I do not believe such statements, because I
think they have, to put it mildly, departed from the ideas that they
had. For the Karabakh Yerkrapahs, we are here, and nobody can make
us give up our home. If a person feels to be the lord of their home,
they defend their home some way. And those who consider our homeland
“a security area,” they are going to give up this land,” said Arkady
Karapetyan.

AZG Armenian Daily #087, 13/05/2006

Armenian Genocide

BRITISH-ARMENIAN HISTORIAN ARA SARAFIAN CENSURES FRENCH BILL

Following the May 10 rejection of the Armenian Genocide bill by the
Legislative Commission of the French Parliament, Turkey’s president
Ahmed Necet Sezer sent a letter to president Jacques Chirac of
France. The Turkish president expressed satisfaction with Chirac’s
contribution to Turkish-French relations, emphasized that historic
issues should be left for the historians to deal with and pointed out
that the draft penalizing Armenian Genocide denial goes against
freedom of thought – a basic principle in France.

President Sezer reminded his French counterpart of Turkey’s proposal
to Armenia on “setting a joint group to study genocide allegations.”
Regardless the context, the Turkish president uses the word
“genocide”. Unlike him, Turkish intellectuals including Hrant Dink and
Etien Mahchipian prefer “atrocities” to “genocide” in an open letter
in French daily Le Liberacion.

British-Armenian historian and director of the Gomidas Institute in
London, Ara Sarafian, has joined his compatriots from Turkey censuring
the French draft on the pages of Turkish daily Zaman.

Sarafian thinks the draft law may halt the blossoming debate in Turkey
on what happened in 1915 and once adopted will deal a blow to
Turkey-EU relations thus hindering democratic processes in the
country.

The following is the full text of his remarks in response to Zaman’s
questions about the proposed draft law:

The Armenian issue has become a political issue between two contending
camps, Turkish nationalists (and successive Turkish governments) on
the one hand, and Armenian nationalists on the other. Because Turkish
governments have until recently denied that there was an Armenian
issue to be addressed, or explained that the issue was the product of
“Armenian terrorism” (1970s and 80s), or unfortunate events of mutual
communal carnage, they also set the ground rules of how this issue
would be addressed i.e. in terms of power politics. They thus nurtured
and empowered the radical Armenian nationalist camps we see today.

Armenian nationalists are now playing the game by the same rules, and
they have recently found themselves in a powerful position because of
Turkey’s accession talks for EU membership. They have aligned the
Armenian issue in two somewhat contradictory camps, where the Armenian
issue is used as a yardstick to measure Turkey’s ability to come to
terms with its past, and in doing so, its ability to adopt a new
political trajectory that reflects core values adopted by the European
Union; and at the same time, the Armenian issue is used to give
substance to racists, xenophobes and anti-Islamicists who do not want
Turkey to enter the European Union.

The prospective French law is part of an unfortunate power dynamic,
and whether it passes or not, the final outcome will be the result of
power politics. It is ironic that the French legislature, with its own
past in Algeria and Rwanda, is willing to go down this path.

Perhaps the real tragedy is that the current Turkish government has
taken important steps to resolve the Armenian issue. After all, it has
“uncensored” the Armenian debate in Turkey by allowing it to be
discussed openly, letting Turkish nationalist institutions, such as
the Turkish Historical Society, to fend for themselves in the open
arena. It is true that the debate is unequal. There are still
draconian laws that are invoked against dissidents, and most TV
stations still espouse the anti-Armenian line, but there is still a
significant shift towards open debate. Not all TV stations programmes
espouse the state perspective, many newspapers and publications
discuss the Armenian issue more openly, and many court cases against
dissenters are quashed within Turkish legal system.

There are already many Turks and Kurds who have entered this debate in
a critical manner, and they have critical audiences who want to know
the truth. All of this is to Turkey’s credit and there is every
prospect that the Armenian issue will be resolved in a peaceful manner
in the near future.

It is unfortunate that, if the prospective French law is passed, it
could lead to a souring of relations between Turkey and the EU, as
well as a right-wing backlash within Turkey and its own
democratization process. Such a scenario will suit the interest of the
two nationalist camps, which will remain part of the problem and not
the solution.

I hope, irrespective of what happens in Paris in the next few weeks,
we do not lose the perspective of what is important. Today we have the
opportunity of resolving the Armenian issue in a peaceful and
meaningful fashion, based on the truth, and the dignity of the
descendants of the people concerned. Europeans should help and judge
Turkey and Armenians on how they progress down this road. The current
proposed legislation in Paris is a detraction at best, and a hindrance
at worse.

These views of London-based Armenian historian are pleasing to Turkish
official circles as Ara Sarafian identifies neo-fascistic xenophobia
of the Grey Wolves with the Armenian nationalism and equates the
Armenian Diaspora fighting for the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide with Turkey that insistently denies it. He views the
initiatives of Genocide recognition as a hindrance for settling the
Armenian issue in Turkey as well as for democratization of
Turkey. Meanwhile he condemns the authors of the initiative perhaps
sending a positive signal to Ankara and interested international
powers.

By Hakob Chakrian

PanARMENIAN.Net

Preparation for A-320 Record Boxes Withdrawal Started

12.05.2006 16:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The first stage of search works at the site of
Airbus-320 jet crash is finished. During the period the precise
location of the record boxes was determined. Presently the rescuers
proceeded to the second stage, that is the preparation for the
withdrawal of the record boxes out of the water. As reported Interfax
with a reference to head of the headquarters for technical support of
search works Alexander Davydenko, a deep-diving submersible capable to
take the record boxes out of the water will be sought for throughout
the globe.

To remind, on early May 3 Armavia-owned A-320 crashed into the water
killing all 113 people aboard including 6 children and 8
crewmembers. The jet was conveying 26 Russian citizens, one Ukrainian
citizen and one Georgian citizen; the others were citizens of Armenia.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
May 12 2006

AZERBAIJANI FM: AZERBAIJAN TO REMAIN COMMITTED TO ITS PRINCIPLED
STAND
[May 12, 2006, 12:03:32]

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov met May 11 with
special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office Pierre Chevalie to
discuss Azerbaijan-OSCE cooperation, negotiations on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan-Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, socio-political
reforms, large-scale energy projects and other issues.

Speaking of Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Minister E.
Mammadyarov stressed a need to settle the problem in line with
international law and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. According
to him, Azerbaijan will be committed to its principled stand during
the meeting of foreign ministers of both countries slated for late
May in Strasbourg.

Pierre Chevalier hoped for better results of the negotiations
mediated by international organizations, in particular, OSCE Mink
Group.

The meeting also focused on other issues of mutual interest.

“GENOCIDE” ARMENIEN: LA TURQUIE BOYCOTTE UN EXERCICE MILITAIRE AU CANADA

Agence France Presse
10 mai 2006 mercredi 9:51 PM GMT

La Turquie a decide de se retirer d’un prochain exercice militaire
international au Canada, selon le ministère canadien de la Defense,
protestant ainsi contre la position d’Ottawa sur le “genocide”
armenien.

“La Turquie a averti les organisateurs de l’exercice Maple Flag
qu’elle ne participerait pas a celui-ci cette annee”, a declare a
l’AFP cette porte-parole.

“La Turquie est un important allie de l’Otan et nous esperons qu’elle
participera aux futurs exercices”, a-t-elle ajoute.

Un diplomate turc a Ottawa, qui a demande a conserver l’anonymat,
a reconnu que la decision traduisait la mauvaise humeur d’Ankara a la
suite de declarations du Premier ministre Stephen Harper. “C’est lie”,
a-t-il dit.

Le 21 avril, le Premier ministre canadien Stephen Harper avait salue
la commemoration du “genocide armenien de 1915”, piquant au vif la
Turquie qui s’etait dite “consternee” par ces propos.

Ankara avait annonce lundi le rappel pour consultations de ses
ambassadeurs au Canada et en France en raison de desaccords avec ces
pays sur la qualification des massacres d’Armeniens sous l’empire
ottoman pendant la première Guerre mondiale.

Les Armeniens affirment que jusqu’a 1,5 million des leurs ont peri
dans un genocide orchestre par l’empire ottoman (1915-1917).

Ankara soutient que 300.000 Armeniens et au moins autant de Turcs ont
ete tues au cours de troubles suscites par des soulèvements d’Armeniens
et leur ralliement aux armees russes en guerre contre l’empire ottoman,
et lors des deportations qui ont suivi.

L’Operation Maple Flag, un exercice de combat aerien d’une duree
de six semaines, doit reunir a partir de dimanche en Alberta plus
de 5.000 militaires et une quarantaine de chasseurs de neuf pays,
dont la France, les Etats-Unis, le Royaume-Uni et la Suisse.

–Boundary_(ID_cuGGMeaO0yfoQa1FTp831g)–

PRIEST ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING GIRL

NBC30.com, CT
May 10 2006

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — A New Britain priest was arrested after he
allegedly sexually assaulted a 12-year-old girl inside of a church.

Krikoris Keshishian, 53, allegedly assaulted the girl while he was
acting in his official capacity as the priest of St. Steven’s Armenian
Church on Tremont Street.

Keshishian was charged with 4th degree sexual assault and risk of
injury to, or impairing the morals of, children by sexual contact. He
was released on $5,000 bond.

video can be viewed at

AZERBAIJAN OPPOSITION RETHINKS ALIYEV’S US VISIT
By Fariz Ismailzade for The Jamestown Foundation

ISN, Switzerland
May 10 2006

After President Ilham Aliyev’s trip to the US, opposition leaders in
Azerbaijan who were initially against the trip are now re-evaluating
their position.

Opposition parties in Azerbaijan were not happy with President Ilham
Aliyev’s invitation to visit the United States and were even hostile
about the warm welcome he received from the White House. Referring
to the contested presidential election in 2003, opposition parties
criticized US President George W. Bush for betraying his “freedom
agenda” and cooperating with a foreign authoritarian leader. Some
politicians even described Aliyev’s invitation from Washington as the
final humiliation for the domestic opposition. They predicted that
the visit would turn the opposition away from Western liberal values.

Surprisingly, the domestic opposition’s initially chilly reaction
toward the president’s visit has begun to thaw and refocus. Some
senior opposition activists are trying to sugarcoat the “damage” done
to the Azerbaijani opposition’s attitude toward the US government and
downplay the initial criticism of the Bush administration. Speaking
to the opposition daily Yeni Musavat on 3 May, Hikmet Hajizadeh,
a member of the Supreme Council of the leading opposition party
Musavat, observed, “America is busy now with the third World War
[i.e. the War on Terrorism] and just like the Second World War
brought freedom to many nations, this one can also bring freedom to
many peoples. We often seek a quick resolution of our problems, but
it is not possible. The US is now trying to fight for democracy and
economic freedoms globally. No one except the US is doing this and
wants to do this. Thus, we should help the US in this”. Hajizadeh
also heads Far Center, one of Azerbaijan’s preeminent think tanks.

Another prominent opposition activist similarly commented that the
ongoing crisis around Iran was the real motivation for inviting
President Aliyev to Washington. Fuad Mustafayev, deputy chairman of
the opposition Popular Front, commented, “That is why I believe that
[the opposition’s] relations with the US will remain the same as
before despite this invitation. The Popular Front party has never
expected anybody from abroad to come and build democracy for us here.

It is our own duty” (Yeni Musavat, 3 May).

Meanwhile, other experts clearly focused on the benefits of the
visit. According to independent political analyst Rasim Musabeyov,
“for a [country the] size of Azerbaijan, such a visit and talks with
the sole superpower in the world have extraordinary implications. It
shows the growing geopolitical role of Azerbaijan in the region”
(Echo, 2 May).

Another expert suggested that the visit had actually strengthened
Aliyev’s position as head of state. Echoing the opinion of some
Western analysts, Zardush Alizadeh speculated that President Aliyev
might change his mind regarding Iran should the time come for Baku
to take a stance.

Aliyev’s visit to the White House brought new dimensions to
US-Azerbaijani relations. Henceforth, bilateral ties will no longer
be evaluated through the prism of oil and gas alone. Now cooperation
between the two countries has shifted to address issues of geopolitical
strategy and the global fight against terrorism, both of which are
ongoing priorities for Bush and Aliyev in the region.

At the same time, opposition parties are now focusing on the
Iranian issue more and more, trying to draw Tehran into the critical
discourse regarding Aliyev’s visit. On 3 May, Yeni Musavat reported
that the United States is building a military base in the south of
Azerbaijan, which will host a radio-location station and air-defense
equipment. Such capabilities could be called into service should
Washington launch an attack on Iran.

Aliyev’s visit raised the US-Azerbaijani strategic partnership to new,
higher levels, but it still left many questions unanswered.

Pundits in Baku continue to wonder what will be Azerbaijan’s role
should the US-Iranian conflict intensify, and what will be the future
of the peace talks with Armenia over the disputed Karabakh enclave.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was expected to be on the agenda
of the Bush-Aliyev meeting, yet it still is unclear exactly what they
discussed and what will be the consequences of this meeting.

Meanwhile, the co-chairs of the Minsk group gathered in Moscow
this week to discuss the ongoing peace process around the Karabakh
conflict. Azerbaijani politicians and experts believe that the results
of Rambouillet talks in February between the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan are not as dead as they initially seemed. The Day.az
internet news service reported, “At this stage, the US is taking a
lead in the peace process.”

This article originally appeared in Eurasia Daily Monitor,
published by The Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC., at
(). The Jamestown Foundation is an independent,
nonpartisan organization supported by tax-deductible contributions
from corporations, foundations, and individuals.