Author: Kajoyan Gevork

FRANCE URGED FOR COMMON SENSE

Hurriyet Daily News
Jan 20 2012
Turkey

Turkey’s president and Parliament urged the French Senate “to heed the
common sense” during next week’s discussion of a draft law penalizing
the denial of Armenian allegations of genocide.

“[The adoption of the bill] will not only overshadow bilateral ties
but will deal them a blow,” President Abdullah Gul told reporters in
the central Anatolian town of Aksaray yesterday. The French Senate will
discuss the bill Jan. 23 after its Constitutional Committee evaluated
the proposed bill as incompatible with the French Constitution. The
committee’s evaluation was welcomed by Turkey who called on French
senators to drop it from the Senate agenda.

However, France’s Ambassador to Turkey Laurent Bili drew the attention
to the fact that the situation at the General Assembly could be a
little different as senators would defend the demands and the rights
of their electorates, in an interview with the private station Kanal
D. “[The committee’s evaluation] does not mean that the bill will
not be passed [Jan. 23],” he said.

The bill would later be taken to the French Constitutional Court if
the Senate would vote in favor of it, Bili said, calling on the Turkish
government not to overreact in this case. “What is happening in France
[regarding this draft law] does befit neither French democracy nor
France as the leading country of the EU,” he said, expressing his hopes
that French senators will not endorse a draft law which was found
as inadmissible by the committee. A similar call came from Turkish
Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday through a declaration.

“We wish that the common sense reflected by the committee will be
shared by the Senate’s General Assembly as well,” it read, adding that
the nature of this draft law was incompatible with universal values.

Turkey’s position is leaving the examination of the past’s contested
issues to the hands of independent historians and Turkey will have to
take retaliatory measures against France if Senate adopts the draft,
the statement said.

TURKEY URGES FRANCE TO DROP BILL ON ARMENIAN MASSACRE

Kuwait News Agency

Jan 20 2012

ANKARA, Jan 20 (KUNA) — Turkey called on Turkey on Friday to give
up a bill due to be examined by the French parliament on Thursday
making it illegal to deny the Armenian genocide.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a joint news conference
with his visiting South Korean counterpart Kim Sung-Hwan, his country
expected French President Nicolas Sarkozy and French Senate to
“respect European values”.

The French parliament is to debate the bill, which would see anyone
in France who publicly denies the genocide facing a year in jail and
a fine of 45, 000 euros (USD 58,000), on Thursday and is expected to
approve it.

The Turkish foreign minister reiterated that Ankara rejected any bid
to make capital out of this issue, which, he said, should be subject
to historical and scientific scrutiny.

He added that France should not poke its nose into a historical issue
that concerns only Turkey and Armenia.

Davutoglu even warned the French parliament that a passage of the
bill would be a stigma in the cultural history of France.

Armenia says up to 1.5 million of its people were killed during
World War I by forces belonging to Turkey’s former Ottoman Empire,
a finding Ankara disputes.

Turkey rejects the term genocide and says between 300,000 and
500,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died in combat or
from starvation when Armenians rose up and sided with invading
Russian forces.

France has a large population of Armenian descent seen as an
important element of Sarkozy’s support base as he prepares for a
tough re-election battle in April next year.

Turkey has repeatedly urged France to block the bill, or face “serious
and irreparable” consequences for Franco-Turkish relations. Turkey is
an important economic partner for France with about 12 billion euros
in trade between the two countries in 2010. (end) mm.mt KUNA 202251
Jan 12NNNN

TURKEY ASKS FRENCH SENATORS TO REJECT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL

Expatica France

Jan 20 2012

Turkey on Friday asked French senators to reject a bill criminalising
the denial of the Armenian genocide, which comes before the French
Senate next Monday.

“We expect (President Nicolas) Sarkozy, his party, and the French
Senate to respect European values before anything else. Those who
exploit history will themselves suffer from this exploitation,”
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in televised remarks.

“We invite each French senator to stop for a while and think beyond
all political interests,” Davutoglu told the press.

“If the bill passes, it will remain as a black stain in France’s
intellectual history. And we will always remind them this black stain,”
he said.

THOUSANDS IN TURKEY PROTEST VERDICT IN JOURNALIST’S MURDER
By SEBNEM ARSU

New York Times

Jan 20 2012

ISTANBUL – Tens of thousands of people marched in central Istanbul on
Thursday to mark the fifth anniversary of the murder of the prominent
journalist Hrant Dink, and to protest a Turkish criminal court’s
refusal this week to investigate whether the killing had resulted
from a conspiracy by an illegal network.

Mourners left red carnations and signs reading “This case won’t end
here” at the spot where Mr. Dink, an ethnic Armenian, was shot to
death on Jan. 19, 2007, outside the offices of Agos, a biweekly
newspaper in Turkish and Armenian that he edited. Mr. Dink, 52,
was a leading spokesman for Armenians in Turkey and an advocate for
peace and minorities’ rights. He campaigned relentlessly for official
recognition of the killings of more than one million Armenians by
the Ottoman Army in 1915.

Mr. Dink’s killer was convicted and sentenced in July. On Tuesday, an
Istanbul court of three judges also convicted Yasin Hayal, a militant
ultranationalist of instigating Mr. Dink’s murder and sentenced him
to life in prison. But it acquitted 18 defendants on charges that
they were part of a larger conspiracy behind the killing. Prosecutors
filed an appeal on Thursday.

Public outrage against the ruling focused on what many people see as
the strength of illegal factions within the government and the lack
of political will that obstructed an in-depth investigation into
the murder.

President Abdullah Gul and senior officials from the pro-Islamic
Justice and Development Party, to which Mr. Gul belonged before his
election, also expressed disappointment in the ruling.

President Gul said the case was a test for Turkey, and he urged
people to remain patient until the appeals process was completed. “The
conclusion of this case in transparency and fairness in line with our
legislation is an important test for us,” the semiofficial Anatolian
News Agency quoted him as saying.

The reaction of Mr. Gul and other officials, however, failed to
satisfy many in the crowd on Thursday.

“I don’t believe in the sincerity of the government,” Serpil Sarac, an
accountant, said as she leaned against a shop window with two friends,
holding signs. “They are the majority government, so if they are not
able to do anything about this injustice, then who can?”

Many in the crowd shared similar concerns while they silently held
signs in black that read in Turkish and Armenian: “We are all Hrant.

We are all Armenian.”

“This ruling hurts our public conscience so badly, when it is crystal
clear that this murder was the job of an illegal network,” said
Aliye Ucak, an advertising salesman, as he stood directly across the
street from where Mr. Dink was shot. “If state institutions like the
intelligence agency or the security forces were questioned properly,
there could have been a chance for a cleaner future.”

Nedim Sener, an award-winning investigative journalist who wrote a
book about his own investigation into Mr. Dink’s murder, said senior
members of the security forces and other state agencies prevented
timely intelligence about Mr. Dink’s murder from reaching the courts,
a view held by many.

Mr. Sener has been in jail for more than 11 months on charges of
aiding a terrorist organization. He says the charges are retaliation
by senior state officials mentioned in his research.

The prosecution in the case joined the public outcry, issuing a rare
public statement rebutting claims by the court that there was not
enough evidence to prove that Mr. Dink’s murder was an organized crime.

“These acquittals are against the law,” the chief prosecutor, Hikmet
Usta, said, according to NTV, a private broadcaster. “We want to say
that there is both an organization and evidence to prove it. Actually,
the evidence is more than enough.”

Mr. Usta said that when the court issued its verdict, the ruling on
one of the suspects had been left off, which he said showed the poor
preparation of evidence in the case over five years.

LAVROV, MAMMADYAROV DISCUSS MEETING OF RUSSIAN, ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS

Vestnik Kavkaza
Jan 20 2012
Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Azerbaijani counterpart
Elmar Mammadyarov have discussed preparations for the trilateral
meeting of Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Dmitry
Medvedev, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan in Sochi on January 23,
Trend reports.

The presidents will meet to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Lavrov and Mammadyarov signed an governmental agreement on mutual
provision of real estate for diplomatic missions of Russia and
Azerbaijan.

THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN FOR BIAS 2012 LAUNCH

Bahrain News Agency (BNA)
January 18, 2012 Wednesday

Manama, Jan 17 (BNA) — As the curtain goes up on the second edition
of Bahrain International Air Show (BIAS2012), the tarmac of the Shaikh
Isa Airbase at Sakhir is abuzz with activity.

The morning belonged to the Royal Bahrain Air Force, who gave a
brilliant display of para gliding. The skies around Sakhir airbase
were aglow with red.

The tarmac saw some heavy beauties of the sand fly down to take up
their own place. These include the amphibious choppers and the mean
machines with their guns pouting.

They were followed by the French Air Force, who turned up in force
in true style. A while along later came the brown Orion from Qatar,
plume up in the air like the Orion ready to clash.

The Wallan Aviation products came a tard later and included a
single-engined Cessna 172 trainer, Citation CJ1, the Citation CJ4
and the Caravan 128.

The post-lunch session saw the arrival of Armenian airline Armavia
Avia, announcing their presence at this airshow.

BIAS will kick start tomorrow.

IMPORTANT MANEUVERS
by Sergei Konovalov

DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 18, 2012 Wednesday

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, January 16, 2012, p. 3

CONSIDERING THE POSSIBILITY OF AN AMERICAN-ISRAELI STRIKE AT IRAN,
THE GENERAL STAFF COMPOSES THE LEGEND OF A FUTURE STRATEGIC EXERCISE;
Strategic exercise Caucasus’2012 will take place in southern Russia,
Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Armenia in September.

The Defense Ministry initiated preparations for strategic command post
exercise Caucasus’2012. Unlike the previous exercise of the series,
Caucasus’2012 will be organized on a larger scope. The latest global
military-political developments will be accounted for in its legend.

The exercise will take place in southern Russia, Abkhazia, South
Ossetia, and Armenia in September. Caucasus’2012 will become the
central event of the year for the Russian Armed Forces. Experts expect
the legend of the exercise to allow for the possibility of a joint
American-Israeli strike at Iran and for conflicts in the Caspian
region and the southern part of the Caucasus.

The first exercise Caucasus took place near the South Ossetian and
Abkhazian borders between July 16 and August 2, 2008. It was mostly
due to Caucasus’2008 that Russia managed to defeat Georgia after its
sneak attack in August that year. Exercises Caucasus became traditional
then, carried out on a yearly basis.

Exercise Caucasus’2012 will be strategic rather than tactical. It
means involvement of all branches of the military and participation
of other security structures (Interior Ministry, Federal Security
Service, Federal Service of Protection, Ministry of Emergencies,
and so on). All of the military organization of the country will
be involved, in other words. Also importantly, net-centric warfare
methods will be tested in the course of Caucasus’2012.

Official sources within the Southern Military District already
reported the appearance of nearly two dozens sophisticated command
vehicles with GLONASS facilities. It ought to be added that all new
helicopters and aircraft of the Southern Military District (not to
mention artillery and battle area missile defense) feature GLONASS
as well. Units of the Southern Military District wield Barnaul-T,
a new automatic system of antiaircraft defense control. This system
controls the skies above Russia and the southern part of the Caucasus
which is important since the 102nd Military Base in Armenia is isolated
from the rest of the Southern Military District.

Colonel Anatoly Tsyganok of the Center for Military Forecasts said,
“The impression is that preparations for Caucasus’2012 were launched
at this point on account of the tension escalating in the Persian Gulf
area… Some post-Soviet counties of the southern part of the Caucasus
might find themselves drawn, willingly or not, into a war on Iran. How
will we ensure combat capacity of the Russian troops stationed abroad,
say, in Armenia, in this case? The General Staff will probably plan
something to this effect… some elements of the forthcoming exercise
might involve getting supplies to the troops in emergencies.”

Tsyganok referred to the statement made by Igor Gorbul, chief of the
Southern Military District press service, to the effect that military
pipelayers were already practicing “construction of pipelines” within
the framework of preparations for Caucasus’2012. The Russian army is
the only one in the world that includes units of pipelayers. During a
tactical exercise in June 2011, for example, they built a 75-kilometer
long pipeline from Ardon in North Ossetia to the South Ossetian border.

Colonel General Leonid Ivashov of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems
said, “Sure, Caucasus’2012 and preparations for it were planned in
advance. Planned or not, its legend is going to be harmonized with
the military-political situation in the Caucasus, a region of Russian
geopolitical interests. It is in order to defend these interests that
military exercises are organized in the first place.”

The situation along the southern borders of Russia and particularly
likeliness of an American-Israeli strike at Iran must worry the
Russian leadership.

[tranlsated from Russian]

MURDERED JOURNALIST DINK CASE STILL ONGOING, SAYS TURKISH MINISTER

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Jan 18 2012
Germany

Jan. 18–ISTANBUL — Legal action relating to the murder by right-wing
Turkish nationalists in 2007 of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant
Dink are still ongoing, Turkey’s state news agency Anatolian reported
Wednesday.

Dink was shot dead in 2007 outside his Istanbul office. An
ultra-nationalist sympathizer Ogun Samast, who was 17 at the time of
the killing, to 23 years in prison for having committed the murder.

On Tuesday a court in Istanbul convicted one defendant Yasin Hayal
for having incited the killing and sentenced him to life imprisonment
but cleared a second defendant of involvement.

Turkish Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin said Wednesday that the case
will continue in Turkey’s supreme court.

“This trial is not finished, the process is ongoing,” he was quoted
as saying.

Controversially, the Istanbul court rejected allegations that Dink’s
murder was the result of an organized conspiracy.

Lawyers acting for the convicted killer have long claimed that the
killing was connected to an alleged military backed group dubbed
“Ergenekon.”

Several trials are currently ongoing in the Ergenekon affair.

Dink, who was the editor of the Turkish-Armenian weekly newspaper Agos,
is believed to have been murdered due to having described massacres
of Armenians in the latter years of the Ottoman Empire as “genocide”.

Turkey accepts that massacres took place but denies that they
constituted “genocide”. Author: David O’Byrne

H. HAKOBYAN: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DETERMINED TO TARGET GENOCIDE CRIMINALIZATION BILL TILL END

Panorama.am
18/01/2012

On the eve of 100th anniversary of Armenian Genocide the Ministry of
Diaspora intensifies its activities, Minister Hranush Hakobyan said
in a news conference. In 2011 commissions have been launched in all
the regions which already function.

H. Hakobyan highlighted that in Genocide issue there are no
disagreements in Motherland-Diaspora communication.

“Armenia’s President is determined to target criminalization of
Genocide recognition till the end,” H. Hakobyan said.

Referring to French National Assembly adoption of Armenian Genocide
denial bill, Minister Hakobyan hailed the adoption of the bill and said
“it’s evidence of united Diaspora – Motherland activities.”

LA FRANCE S’APPRETE, SAUF SURPRISE, A PENALISER LA NEGATION DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
Ara

vendredi 20 janvier 2012
armenews.com

PARIS, 20 jan 2012 (AFP) – Au grand dam de la Turquie, la France
s’apprete, sauf rebondissement, a penaliser la negation du genocide
armenien de 1915, avec un dernier vote attendu lundi au Senat d’une
proposition de loi UMP. Malgre de fortes reticences au sein de la Haute
Assemblee, toutes tendances politiques confondues, et les menaces de
la Turquie, une majorite favorable au texte devrait se degager lundi.

La proposition de loi de la deputee UMP Valerie Boyer a deja ete
adoptee le 22 decembre par l’Assemblee nationale. Si le Senat la vote
conforme (sans amendement) elle sera definitivement adoptee par le
parlement francais. Elle prevoit de punir d’un an de prison et 45.000
euros d’amende toute negation publique d’un genocide reconnu par la
loi francaise. La France reconnaît deux genocides, celui des Juifs
pendant la Seconde guerre mondiale et celui des Armeniens, mais ne
punit jusqu’a present que la negation du premier.

A quelques mois d’echeances electorales majeures, l’UMP et le PS
soutiennent ce texte, ne comptant par se passer des voix de la
communaute armenienne, la plus importante d’Europe occidentale
(environ 600.000 membres). Le president Nicolas Sarkozy comme le
candidat socialiste Francois Hollande ont promis a cette communaute de
soutenir cette proposition. Le PS avait fait voter un texte similaire
par les deputes en 2006 avant de l’inscrire au Senat dans une niche
parlementaire en mai 2011. Mais le Senat, alors a droite, l’avait
rejetee. Aujourd’hui beaucoup de senateurs ne comptent pas se dejuger.

Le groupe UMP (132 membres) cette fois-ci ne fera pas cependant pas
obstacle au texte “pour ne pas plomber la campagne de Sarkozy”. Selon
son president, Jean-Claude Gaudin, senateur-maire de Marseille, où vit
une forte communaute armenienne, “une forte majorite le votera”. “Une
quinzaine votera contre et une trentaine ne prendra pas part au vote”,
ajoute-t-on au groupe. Parmi les opposants, l’ex-Premier ministre
Jean-Pierre Raffarin et l’ancien president du Senat, Gerard Larcher,
qui preside le groupe d’amitie France-Turquie.

Le groupe PS (130 senateurs) est egalement partage. “Une majorite
le votera”, assure son president Francois Rebsamen. Deux ardents
partisans, Philippe Kaltenbach (Hauts-de-Seine) et Luc Carvounas
(Val-de-Marne), ont pris le soin d’organiser des auditions
d’intellectuels en amont. Mais c’est un socialiste, Jean-Pierre Sueur,
qui a seme le trouble en faisant voter par la commission des Lois
qu’il preside une motion de rejet d’un texte juge “inconstitutionnel”,
motion qu’il defendra en seance. Comme a l’UMP la plupart des opposants
au texte au PS se mettront aux abonnes absents lundi, ce qui devrait
faciliter l’adoption. Seuls comptent les suffrages exprimes pour
determiner la majorite.

Les 31 centristes et les 21 communistes sont partages. Seuls les
deux groupes minoritaires, RDSE (a majorite PRG) et ecologiste (10)
sont unanimement contre. Le RDSE defendra en seance deux motions
de procedure. Le gouvernement sera represente par Patrick Ollier
(Relations avec le parlement) qui a predit un debat “plus difficile”
qu’a l’Assemblee nationale. De source diplomatique turque on estimait
que “l’affaire n’est pas perdue du tout d’avance” et qu’il y a “de
fortes chances qu’elle soit arretee au Senat”.

Le vote par les deputes a declenche une crise diplomatique sans
precedent avec la Turquie qui a annonce de nouvelles sanctions envers
Paris si le texte etait vote au Senat. La Turquie refute le terme de
genocide, meme si elle reconnaît que des massacres ont ete commis et
que quelque 500.000 Armeniens ont peri en Anatolie entre 1915 et 1917,
les Armeniens evoquant 1,5 million de morts.