Date Of Using Ban On External Cigaratte Advertising Postponed

DATE OF USING BAN ON EXTERNAL CIGARATTE ADVERTISING POSTPONED

Noyan Tapan
Mar 21 2006

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA National Assembly on March 21
adopted 9 draft laws and a legislaive package which were discussed
the day before. All the drafts, except the draft law on precious
metals which was passed in the second reading, envisage amendments and
additions to a number of laws. Particularly, the legislative package
on making amendments and additions to the Law on Advertising and the
Law on Local Duties and Payments enisages postponing the use of the
ban on external cigarette advertising until October 1, 2006. The local
duties for permission to advertise strong alcoholic drinks and for
poster panels with a blank space have also been reviewed. The package
of amendments to the Land Code and the RA Law on Repressed Persons
which was passed in the first reading, envisages extending the term
of allocation of land plots to repressed persons with the right of
ownership until June 30, 2007. In addition, it is stipulated that
in case of absence of land plots representing the property of the
state and communities, land plots shall be purshased for repressed
persons in order prescribed by the RA government. According to the
amendments and additions to the Law on Licensing which were adopted
in the first reading, the veterinary-sanitary expert examination, as
well as the production and sale of the main and biological means of
plant protection are considered to be a complex licensed avtivity. The
amendments to the Law on State Duty, which were passed in the first
reading, abolish the current duties for transporting the animals under
state vetrainary control, cattle-breeding production, raw materials,
forage and loads from one administrative territory to another. A state
duty in the amount of 200 state basic duties was set for production
of biological preparations, sera and disinfection means used in the
vetrainary sector.

ANKARA: American Professor: Armenian Genocide Is British Propaganda

AMERICAN PROFESSOR: ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IS BRITISH PROPAGANDA

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
March 20 2006

Renown U.S. historian and expert on Ottoman affairs, Professor Justin
McCarthy said allegations of Armenian genocide are British propaganda.

Professor Justin McCarthy, speaking at a conference in London,
said that a source known as the “Blue Book” chosen by Armenians to
prove their claims of genocide is one of the products of British war
propaganda bureau’s efforts of misinformation during first world war.

The Blue Book written by Viscount Bryce and Arnold Toynbee has been
used as proof that Armenians and the victims of the Jewish Holocaust
suffered the same fate in history. This book has been said to be a
product of British intelligence designed to promote and promulgate
lies during World War I. Britain had set up the war propaganda
bureau at Wellington House for the sole purpose of promoting lies and
misinformation on Germany and the Ottoman Empire. The British were
in full co-operation with American missionaries in Anatolia and the
American Embassy in Istanbul conjured a so called Armenian genocide
based on gossip, hear-say and erroneous information.

The real purpose behind this exercise was to create and strengthen
an image in the minds of British military officers that the Turk were
evil, horrible and untrustworthy McCarthy adds.

PROFESSOR JUSTIN MCCARTHY…

HISTORIAN AND EXPERT ON OTTOMAN AFFAIRS

All documents at the Wellington House where the British carried out
their propaganda were destroyed when the war ended. One document that
survived, however, was the Blue Book (it is documented that many more
of these books were published and copied for other countries). This
book is currently being used around the world as a legal document on
the genocide.

AMERICAN HISTORIAN PROVES THE FACTS

The American historian and expert on Ottoman affairs was a recent
speaker at the London School of Oriental and African Studies. He
commented on a few of the stomach churning activities of the British
during the first world war. He stated, When the war began, a secret
propaganda unit was set up at Wellington House, London (on September
2, 1914). This units sole aim was to provide support for Britain,
smear Britains enemies, obtain support for the British view through
the use of Americans, and to keep British morale high during the war.

This unit was headed by Charles Masterman a Liberal m.p. He was a
close friend of Lloyd George. There also was an American intellectual
named Viscount Bryce working in this bureau who had many influential
friends in the U.S. Arnold Toynbee, young historian, meanwhile was
one of Bryces close friends at the time.

SEVEN MILLION DOCUMENTS

At the end of the war all documents and records of work at the war
propaganda bureau were destroyed, and its existence was only admitted
in 1935. However, the sources of the propaganda bureau were discovered
due to one records book surviving until present day.

Publications prepared in this bureau and the existence of seven
million documents which were very efficiently sent to the United States
after the war were also exposed. Many famous authors of the time as
Arnold Bennett and John Buchan were also employed by the Wellington
House, where they published brochures, books and statements for the
war effort.

GERMANY, THE ACTUAL TARGET

Although Germany was the actual target of activities at Wellington
House, the Ottoman Empire, having sided with Germany during the war
received its fair share of false propaganda. No matter how sympathetic
the British officers felt towards their Turkish compatriots, the
image that Turkish officers were bad, evil and untrustworthy was
strengthened by such slanderous data.

NON-REAL NAMES

Work carried out by those at Wellington House on Ottomans involved many
so called authors and writers whose existence could not be verified
and thus, the information remains unconfirmed. For example, there
was apparently a Syrian member of the Ottoman Committee of Union and
Progress Party, named Faiz whose memoirs are mentioned in publications
of the Wellington House. This persons existence is totally make-belief
and his statements on Talat Pasha, a complete fallacy since he never
existed. Wellington House also proves the close co-operation which
existed between them and the American diplomats and missionaries based
in Turkey during that time. Since it is documented that these groups
were close to the Armenians in Turkey, their so called information
from Turkey is a total fabrication.

BLUE BOOK ORDERED BY LLOYD GEORGE

Public law and order was severely disrupted as a result of Armenians
revolting against Ottoman authority in eastern Anatolia, which led
Bryce and Toynbee to concoct material to document alleged atrocities
committed by Ottomans. Lloyd George asked to collect these documents
in the Blue Book. This document was later submitted to the British
parliament and has since been used as a classic documentation by
radical nationalist Armenian groups.

TOYNBEE WAS AN ANTI-TURK

It is thought that Toynbee believed in the authenticity and
truthfulness of material received from American missionaries in
Anatolia. However, he also added some spice to these imaginary stories,
since it was his country that was at war with Turkey and he thought
it would be right to lie in his reports. As was proved in his late
career, Toynbee was indeed an avid Turk hater, but was too far away
from the events of eastern Turkey in 1916 to document anything.

It is easy to see far away from such events Armenians living in
Turkey were and in looking at Toynbees data. Toynbee also seems to
have exaggerated their relýabýlýty for they turned and fought against
their former protector for promises made by outsiders. For example
so many anecdotes mentioned by western observers are not by western
travelers but by a local Armenians travelling only short distances.

One tenth of the anecdotes do not even have a source of any kind.

Other sources are generally hearsay and have no witnesses who can
attest to the so called crimes.

NO REACTIONS FROM TURKEY

All propaganda against Germany by Wellington House has been forgotten,
yet unfortunately Bryce – Toynbee documents have been recognized
as true in Britain and U.S. These documents have always been used
by radical militant Armenians to pursue their goals. There is no
information at hand about whether Turkey has shown any reactions
against the impact of these documents. The mentioned Blue Book has
been published more then once. Ara Sarafian who is to publish the
book for the third time does not mention the fact that the books
contents were prepared at Wellington House and that its sources are
untrustworthy. Thus, propaganda carried out by the British during
World War I continues to spread its venom against all Turkish people
living around the world.

–Boundary_(ID_O4/CBmpEje8KUOb4VLSTbg)–

ICG: Conflict Resolution In The South Caucasus: The EU’s Role

CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: THE EU’S ROLE

International Crisis Group
March 21 2006

International Crisis Group new report

Tbilisi/Brussels, 21 March 2006 (International Crisis Group Press
Release – website) – To guarantee its own security, the EU must become
more engaged in resolving the conflicts in the South Caucasus lest
they ignite into full-fledged wars in Europe’s neighbourhood.

“Conflict Resolution in the South Caucasus: The EU’s Role”, the latest
report from the International Crisis Group, examines the EU’s efforts
to address tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
and points out how the EU can do more.

“Greater engagement is a challenge Brussels has only just begun
to address”, says Sabine Freizer, Crisis Group’s Caucasus Project
Director. “There have been a few promising steps, but there is a long
way to go”.

Thus far, others have taken the lead in promoting conflict settlement
in the region, but over a decade of negotiations led by the UN in
Abkhazia, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) in Nagorno-Karabakh and South Ossetia, have not produced
comprehensive peace agreements. With its reputation as an “honest
broker”, access to a range of soft and hard power tools, and the lure
of greater integration into Europe, the EU has a greater role to play,
and offers added value to compliment the UN and the OSCE.

To avoid instability on its borders, the EU seeks a ring of
well-governed countries around it. It is further interested in the
South Caucasus to ensure access to Caspian oil and gas, develop
transport and communication corridors between Europe and Asia, and
contain such threats as smuggling, trafficking and environmental
degradation.

As the EU is unlikely to offer membership to Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan any time soon, it must identify innovative means to
impose conditionality on its aid and exercise influence. European
Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans are being finalised. These offer
a chance for the EU to enhance its role especially if the peaceful
resolution of the conflicts are defined as commitments.

The new EU Special Representative should observe ongoing negotiations
for the Abkhazian, South Ossetian and Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts. The
Commission has allocated significant funding to rehabilitation in
South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It should assess how it can start doing
more in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The EU is trying to define its role in a new neighbourhood which is
neither at war nor at peace”, says Nicholas Whyte, Director of Crisis
Group’s Europe Program. “If the EU fails to implement its strategic
vision for a secure neighbourhood, its credibility in the region, and
generally vis-a-vis Russia and the U.S., will suffer. More troublingly,
if the South Caucasus conflicts continue to deteriorate, the EU may
find itself unprepared for responding to wars among its neighbours”.

Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan: The Governmental Decision Contradicts T

OMBUDSMAN ARMEN HARUTYUNYAN: THE GOVERNMENTAL DECISION CONTRADICTS THE CONSTITUTION

ArmRadio
21.03.2006 17:02

>From early morning residents of Northern Avenue and Buzand Street
gathered in front of the Constitutional Court. The Court was
considering today RA Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan’s application
regarding the correspondence of the governmental decision on
“Implementation of facilities development programs within the
administrative borders of Kentron community of Yerevan” to RA
Constitution.

The Ombudsman considers that this decision contradicts the
Constitution. The opposite opinion is expressed by representatives
of the responding side – Minister of Justice David Harutyunyan and
Assistant to the President Gevorg Mheryan. The dispute between the
latter and the Human Rights Defender inspired the residents present
in the courtroom, and Armen Harutyunyan’s speech was welcomed with
applauds.

Armen Harutyunyan has investigated similar experience of foreign
countries, proving that the decision does not correspond to Article
31 of the Constitution.

Ankara Refuses US Call To Open Armenian Border

ANKARA REFUSES US CALL TO OPEN ARMENIAN BORDER

YEREVAN, MARCH 20. ARMINFO. The Turkish government responded negatively
once again to a demand from the United States to open the Armenian
border, Zaman reports.

An envoy from the United States brought the Mountainous Karabag
(Karabagh) region to the agenda in search of a resolution as they asked
the Turkish government to reevaluate the Armenian border. On Thursday,
Turkish foreign ministry officials met with Assistant Secretary of
States Daniel Friend of the United States as well as with Ambassador
Steven Mann, a United States negotiator assigned to find a resolution
to the Mountainous Karabagh question. Fried addressed the demand to
open the Armenian border, according to reporters. Ankara, however,
acted unenthusiastically to the issue at hand. Turkish officials
classified the Armenian cessation of its invasion of the Karabagh
region as one of the three requirements for the appeasement of
relations between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey is also pushing Armenia
to disavow its allegations of genocide and to remove from the Armenian
constitution the anti-Turkish clauses.

Another topic at the meeting was the demand to ease the administration
in North Cyprus off economic isolation. The United States envoy
preferred to give priority to diplomacy in handling with Iran,
reporters said, although the US administration reserves the possibility
of a military operation as well.

Armenian Boxers Achieve Medals In Warsaw

ARMENIAN BOXERS ACHIEVE MEDALS IN WARSAW

ArmRadio
20.03.2006 17:56

Armenian boxer Gabriel Tolmajyan achieved a silver medal at the
international tornament after famous Polish trainer Felix Shtamm.

Another boxer of Armenia, Samvel Matevosyan from Vanadzor was also
struggling for a medal. He lost in the semifinal and achieved only
a bronze medal.

Three other Armenian sportsmen were participating in the
tournament. None of them managed to reach the semifinal, which would
guarantee at least a bronze medal.

The trainer of the Armenian team is Rafael Mehrabyan.

At USC: “Turkish-Armenian Relations: The Turkish Perspective”

“Turkish-Armenian Relations: The Turkish Perspective”

A Discussion with Turkish Ambassadors

University of Southern California
Center on Public Diplomacy
March 20, 2006

EVENT DETAIL

Date: Sunday, March 26, 2006
Time: 12:00 PM (Noon)
Venue: Taper 201

Join Mr. Gündüz Aktan and Mr. Ã-mer Engin Lütem as they discuss:

“Armenian `Genocide’, International Law and the Psycology of Destroying
the Other”

Genocide, crime of crimes, is a legal category and as such law defines
it. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide signed in 1948 defines genocide. According to this convention
the many questions need to be answered such as: Did the Ottoman
administration of the day have intent to destroy the Armenians? Was
there a motive in their acts to forge such an intent? Was the forced
displacement of Armenians against international law?

The psychological mechanisms behind the intent to destroy a group as
such are key to understanding whether the events can be qualified as
genocide. From this perspective a short comparison between the Holocaust
and the alleged genocide of Armenians could be useful. How can this
problem be settled between the Turks and Armenians?

A Brief Glance at Turkish-Armenian Relations

The status of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, the contribution of
the Armenians to the Ottoman state and Ottoman culture, the Russian
invasion of Caucasus, the Armenian Catholics, American missionaries and
the Armenians, the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78, the emergence of
Armenian nationalism and its consequences ( revolts, terror, etc.),
Armenian collaboration with the Russian Army during the First World War,
the relocation of the Armenians , the dismemberment of the Ottoman
Empire and Armenian territorial claims, the war waged between the
Republic of Armenia and Kemalist forces on the Eastern front, Armenia’s
incorporation into the USSR, the rebirth of Armenian nationalism after
the Second World War, genocide allegations, Armenian terrorism and The
European Parliament’s resolution of 1987 are just some of the issues
that define the relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Gündüz S. Aktan

Gündüz S. Aktan was born in 1941 in Safranbolu, Turkey. He joined the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1967 and has served abroad in Paris,
Nairobi, New York, and Bern. He has been posted as Ambassador to Greece,
the Chief of Mission to the U.N., and Japan. From 1985 to 1988, Mr.
Aktan served as an advisor to Mr. Turgut Ã-zal, the Prime Minister, while
simultaneously serving as Director-general of Economic Affairs in charge
of relations with EC (now EU) (1986-88) during which time Turkey’s
application for full membership to EC was made. He has served as an
advisor to the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey on
foreign policy matters and was a member of the Turco-Armenian
Reconciliation Commission. On April 1, 2004, Mr. Aktan became the
Chairman of ASAM, a Turkish NGO that aids refugees, asylum seekers and
migrants.

Ã-mer Engin Lütem

Ã-mer Engin Lütem was born in İstanbul in 1933. He joined the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs in 1957. He was appointed as the Turkish Ambassador to
Sofia in 1983 and served there for six years. After his service as the
Deputy Undersecretary of Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1989 and
1992, Mr. Lütem served as Turkish Ambassador to Vatican between 1992 and
1995 and as the Turkish Permanent Representative to UNESCO between 1995
and 1997. He continues to work as the Director of Armenian Research
Institute, founded by Eurasian Strategic Research Center.

php/events/events_detail/1628/

http://www.uscpublicdiplomacy.com/index.

Law on Guilt of Armenian Genocide Denial Adopted in Berlin

2006-03-20 15:27:00

LAW ON GUILT OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL ADOPTED IN BERLIN-BRANDENBURG

In Germany, Berlin-Brandenburg Bundesland adopted a law on guilt of
the Armenian Genocide denial (paragraph 189).

>From now on it is prohibited to call `a lie’ the Armenian Genocide in
the Ottoman Empire in the territory, Regnum reports.

It is noteworthy that on the very day Turks were going to hold a
demonstration in Berlin to commemorate Talaat Pasha, however, because
of the resolution adopted, police thoroughly checked all the posters
and transparencies in order to register facts of the Genocide denial.

Berlin-Brandenburg is the first in Germany and the second in Europe
region in the number of Turks (the first is in Istanbul). Over 1
million Turks live only in Berlin. So, as the Armenian Turkologists
note, Germany, the main Turkey’s ally in the EU, has confirmed its
position on the resolution adopted by the Bundestag, which can bring
about a chain reaction everywhere in the EU.

http://www.defacto.am/index.php?OP=71310353

Indian Businessmen Visit Armenia

INDIAN BUSINESSMEN VISIT ARMENIA

Panorama.am
19:39 17/03/06

>>From March 18-21 the delegation of Indian businessmen led by
Honored Consul of RA in Mumbai (India) Harshad Mehta will arrive in
Armenia. As it has been informed in FM Press Department, leaders and
representatives of enterprises in the fields of jewelry, information
technologies, cinema production, metallurgy, pharmacy, tourism,
food industry are included into the delegation.

On March 20 a round table on the theme “Armenia-India: business
opportunities” will be held in Armenian Development Agency with
the participation of the Indian delegation and representatives of
different Armenian departments and enterprises. The meeting of the
delegation with RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan is expected to
take place on March 20. On March 21 the delegation is expected to
meet RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development as well as the
Minister of Culture. /Panorama.am/

BAKU: Second Congress of World Azerbaijanis Ends in Baku

Second Congress of World Azerbaijanis Ends in Baku

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
March 17 2006

17/03/2006 18:26

Second Congress of Azerbaijanis of the World finished its work. A
number of documents were adopted on the results of the forum.

Forum adopted the necessity of preparation the conception of Diaspora’s
activity. Until the Third Congress special attention must be paid to
these questions: consolidation of Azerbaijani communities; foundations
of the Congresses of America’s and Asia’s Azerbaijanis; creation
of the World Organizations of Azerbaijanis; adoption of measures
for Azerbaijanis’ representation in parliaments, state and municipal
organs of foreign countries; conduction of joint forum of Azerbaijani
and Turkish Diaspora organizations; rapprochement with mass media;
creation of “Sunday school” and other education-cultural organizations;
attraction of businessmen to implementation of socioeconomic programs
in Azerbaijan.

Forum decided to hold congresses of Azerbaijanis every 5 years.

Sessions of Coordinating Council of Azerbaijanis will be held once
a year.

The Congress called Azerbaijanis to consolidation. They called
the international organizations, parliaments, heads of states and
governments due to the Karabakh conflict. The document calls to
condemn aggressive Armenian separatism.

The Congress appealed to UNESCO regarding damage caused as a result
of Armenian aggression as a result of occupation of Azerbaijani
territories.

Congress re-elected Mahmud Kerimov, the President of the national
Academy to the post of chairman of the Coordinating Council.