Author: Kalantarian Kevo

US Senator John McCain Calls on Azerbaijani President to Release All
Political Prisoners

WASHINGTON, D.C. January 5, 2012: On New Year’s Eve the US Senator
John McCain sent a personal letter to President Ilham Aliyev calling
for the release of all political prisoners. The Turan News Agency was
informed that Senator McCain had praised the last act of clemency by
the Azerbaijani president, in which the unjustly convicted youth
activist and blogger Jabbar Savalan was released. “I urge you to
immediately release 16 other prisoners convicted for organizing
peaceful rallies, as well as all other prisoners of conscience,” the
message says. The US senator expressed “extreme concern” that the
authorities still hold the brothers Farhad and Rafig Aliyev in jail,
although both could be released in accordance with Articles 76 and 78
of the Criminal Code (parole and for health reasons). “As President,
you have the power to release the Aliyev brothers and other prisoners
of conscience. This would be fair and right and would strengthen our
bilateral relations. The US appreciates relations with countries that
share common values and respect human rights and freedoms of all
citizens,’ the letter reads (Turan).

LOI DE PENALISATION
Didier Parakian « tous au Sénat le 24 janvier »
les Marseillais seront à Paris

De Paris à Erévan et Marseille, Didier Parakian dynamique Adjoint au
maire de Marseille, président délégué de « Marseille-Arménie »,
ex-président et actuel vice-président de la Chambre de Commerce et
d’Industrie Franco-Arménienne est sur tous les fronts de l’arménité.
Le déni du génocide arménien par le négationnisme lui donne encore
plus de force au combat pour « convaincre les amis politiques un par
un » puis « monter à Paris » et « se faire entendre ». L’an dernier il
avait lancé un site de pétition en ligne pour demander au Sénat le
vote de la loi. Il avait recueilli plus de 25 000 signatures. Didier
Parakian était début mai au Sénat en compagnie d’une large délégation
marseillaise. Il était également le 22 décembre dernier au Parlement à
la tête d’une délégation d’amis et membres de « Marseille Arménie ».
Il est l’un des proches de la députée Valérie Boyer qu’il côtoie
régulièrement tant à la Mairie qu’au sein de « Marseille Arménie »
dont la députée est membre. Après les attaques dont Valérie Boyer fit
l’objet, Didier Parakian lança un « Comité de soutien à Valérie Boyer
» réunissant très vite des centaines de signataires. « Le 24 janvier
nous serons tous à Paris au Sénat » affirme Didier Parakian qui
conduira une délégation de « Marseille-Arménie » « pour dire aux
sénateurs les attentes de la communauté arménienne de France » et
ajoute « j’espère que cette fois-ci le Sénat ne nous décevra pas. Mais
restons vigilants, nous avons encore quelques jours pour convaincre
nombre de sénateurs ».

Renseignements : [email protected]

dimanche 8 janvier 2012,
Krikor Amirzayan ©armenews.com

New Indian Express, India
January 8, 2012 Sunday

The Gutenberg of Venice

India, Jan. 8 — Gianni Basso is a man after my own heart. In an age
where technology threatens the future of the book as a physical
object, he surrounds himself with antiquated printing presses and
resolutely eschews any form of communication that favours speed over
style. “See,” he says, pointing to a black rotary phone from the 50s,
(the newest machine in his studio), “You cannot press one or two on
these phones even though nowadays you are always being asked to press
a button.” Gianni Basso has no e-mail ID or website, no machine that
accepts credit cards. He jokes that the carrier pigeon is his fax
machine. If you want to visit him you must telephone, write, or visit
in person.

I found him by chance on a wintry December day, at the end of the
Calle del Fumo in Venice. I had been to the St Michele cemetery nearby
to visit the graves of old heroes – Brodsky, Stravinsky, Diaghilev,
and on the way back, stumbled upon a beguiling shop window filled with
visiting cards and ex libris – some bearing names of the people I’d
visited in the cemetery. Entering Basso’s printshop was a bit like
stepping back in time-the wonderful smell of varnish, lead and wood
pervading the air, and the reassuring presence of those hulking,
beautiful machines – direct descendants of a time when Venice was the
printing capital of the world.

Basso is known to friends as the Gutenberg of Venice. He was part of
the last generation to be trained in the art of letterpress printing
by the Armenian Mekhitarists on the island of San Lazzaro – an art
that is no longer taught because the monks have returned to their
native Armenia. Thirty years ago Basso started his own printshop
determined to compete in the 20th century with 18th century machinery,
because he believed there was a niche market for quality and
handcrafted products. It has been a tenuous journey, but he has
established a diverse and international clientele. The list includes
musical composers, ballet dancers, fashion designers, writers and
actors. “It’s not elegant to say,” he replies coyly, when I ask who
his most famous client is, but he finally divulges that Angelina Jolie
is a customer, except her card isn’t in the window as it has her
telephone number on it.

There are all kinds of treasures in Basso’s shop. A cursory glance of
the cards on display reveals that Joseph Brodsky favoured a cat poring
over a book for his ex libris, while Danielle Steel preferred a
seashell. Basso shows me the original cliches of Collodio’s Pinocchio
from 1888. (I didn’t know that cliche and stereotype as used in
language, derive their meaning from these wood-zinc incisions that are
used repetitively as printing plates). The most gratifying thing about
his work, Basso tells me, is that his customers always return. “What
worries me is that they come back to check if I’m still alive!”

Will he ever be tempted to get a computer? I ask. In response, Basso
walks up to his desk and opens the top drawer with flourish. “This is
my memory, these are my floppy disks,” he says, indicating the rows of
cliches and woodcuts. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that floppy
disks became defunct a long time ago.

Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Jan 8 2012

Stepan Grigoryan on the year 2011

VK asked director of the Yerevan Globalization Analysis Center, Stepan
Grigoryan, to say some words about the results of the year 2011 for
the Caucasus.

“It’s hard to discuss the Caucasus as a specific region. The Caucasus
has a very complicated structure. We see several countries that differ
greatly from one another,” the expert says. “Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia constitute the first group of countries, Russia and Armenia –
the second.”

“The main problem for the whole region is the never-ending conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh,” Stepanyan
explains.

“One the one hand, there is no actual war, on the other, there is no
progress in peace talks either,” he adds.

“Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia are enhancing their ties. Russia and
Armenia are also trying to improve cooperation with each other,” the
expert says.

Speaking about possible progress in Azerbaijani-Armenian peace talks,
Grigoryan says that he believes Russia will come up with some new
propositions.

APA, Azerbaijan
Jan 7 2012

Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to UN submits letter to UN
Secretary-General and Security Council concerning ceasefire violations
by Armenians

[ 07 Jan 2012 14:29 ]

New York. Isabel Levine – APA. Ambassador Agshin Mehdiyev, Permanent
Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN, has submitted a 12-page letter
to the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council concerning the
latest updates on the ceasefire violations, APA’s correspondent was
informed by UN News Center.

According to the letter, during the months of October and November,
102 cases of violations of the ceasefire by the military forces of
Armenia have occurred.

As a result of these violations, five servicemen of the armed forces
of the Republic of Azerbaijan were killed and one civilian was
wounded’ noted Amb. Mehdiyev. `According to the annexed information,
during the reporting period, the armed forces of Armenia continued
intensive fire on both the military and civilian objects in
Azerbaijan, not only from their positions in the occupied territories
of Azerbaijan but also from the territory of Armenia’.

Ambassador Mehdiyev also raised his concern over the information
circulated by the Armenian side at the UN on a regular basis on the
alleged violations of the ceasefire by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.

`Similar to all previous documents of the same nature and content, the
most recent communications from the Permanent Representative of
Armenia to addressed to the Secretary-General [last month] leave no
doubt as to the deliberate attempts of the Government of Armenia to
mislead the international community and to draw its attention away
from the main problems caused by the continuing aggression of Armenia
against Azerbaijan’, Mr. Mehdiyev mentioned adding, `indeed, the
efforts of Armenia’s propaganda machine aimed at distorting the
reality are a priori inappropriate, to say the least, against the
background of the continuing illegal occupation by Armenia of the
sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, its unconcealed annexationist
intentions and apparent disrespect for the Charter of the UN and
international law’.

`Additionally, the information on the alleged ceasefire violations
annexed to the letters from the Permanent Representative of Armenia
contains a number of apparent inaccuracies, factual mistakes and
inconsistencies’, he emphasized arguing, for example, according to
Armenia’s allegations, from 1 August to 30 November 2011, the armed
forces of Azerbaijan violated ceasefire 4,825 times and used various
types of weaponry. The Armenian militaries contrived even to count 460
shots allegedly fired in their direction from sniper weapons. However,
against the background of the above-mentioned total number of
imaginary violations and the claimed use of sniper weapons, the
authors and compilers of such awkward fabrication did not give
themselves the trouble of throwing light on the suspicious lack of
casualties among the Armenian military personnel.

`Another example of unskillful falsification is definitely the unique
`ability’ of Armenian militaries to count from their positions in
trenches the exact number of firearm bullets allegedly shot by the
adverse side’, Mr. Mehdiyev noted, adding. `We are confident that the
Government of the Republic of Armenia will be obliged to cease its
aggressive and provocative policy, to put an end to the occupation of
the territories of Azerbaijan and to respect international law’.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 7 2012

Algeria asks Turkey to stop citing French massacre

Algeria’s prime minister wants Turkish authorities to stop referring
to Algerian history under French colonization as part of Turkey’s
quarrel with France over genocide allegations.

Turkey halted political contacts with France last month after French
lawmakers passed a bill that would make it a crime to deny that mass
killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago
constituted genocide.

Turkey’s prime minister then accused the French of “genocide” during
France’s 132-year colonial rule in Algeria.

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Jan 7 2012

ASALA’s Day in the French National Assembly

Saturday, 7 January 2012

`Inquisitorial, liberticidal and obscurantist’ said Josselin de Rohan,
then Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the French Senate,
on May 4, 2011. The first censorship bill regarding the Armenian issue
was rejected by an overwhelming majority of senators. For purely
electoral reasons, Nicolas Sarkozy oversaw the vote of a similar, new
bill on December 22. The text was presented by Marseille’s Deputy
Valérie Boyer. The text was adopted, against the opinion of most
French editorialists, from the social-democrat Jean Daniel to the
conservative YvanRioufol, who are hostile to the draft, against the
statements of prominent French historians including Pierre Nora, and
also against the hostility of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Alain
Juppé and `discontentment’ of the Minister of Interior Claude Guéant.
As too often, Mr. Sarkozy acted without reflection and did not fear
self-contradiction. And as usual for the Armenian bill, only fifty
deputies attended the vote’not even ten percent of the total.

The Poisoned Gift

Actually, Ms. Boyer’s text is totally counter-productive, even in a
strictly Armenian nationalist perspective. Indeed, it criminalizes the
`denial’ of the `genocides recognized by the [French] law.’ Only one
is `recognized”the so-called `Armenian genocide.’ Georges Vedel, one
of the greatest French jurists of the twentieth century and member of
the Constitutional Council from 1980 to 1989, devoted his last paper
to demonstrate that the `law’ of `recognition’ (2001) has all the
aspects of an unconstitutional bill. The bill further strays from
constitutional principles in that it is purely a statement and devoid
of any legal basis. In addition, the `recognition’ violates the
constitutional principles of non-retroactivity of laws and even more
obviously the principle of separation of powers: in calling an event
`genocide,’ the Parliament acts like a tribunal for events concerning
foreign, deceased people, which is forbidden. Robert Badinter,
President of the Constitutional Council from 1986 to 1995, then
Senator until September 2011, reiterated the point three times (the
last one this December 22, 2011). Other important jurists did the
same.
As a result, if the Boyer bill is fully adopted’which is hardly
probable’the single concrete and direct consequence, for the Armenian
activists, would be the cancellation of both the Boyer bill and the
`recognition’ bill by the Constitutional Council. Indeed, since 2008,
there is an aspect of French law called the Question prioritaire de
constitutionnalité (priority question of constitutionality). If you
are sued in the name of a law, you can ask for the conformity of this
law with the Constitution to be checked. There is not even a shadow of
a doubt that such obviously unconstitutional texts would be censored.
Turkey, or Turkish groups, could also sue France in the European Court
of Human Rights.

Anything to Please the Terrorists’ Fan Club
The Wall Street Journal called the adoption of an Armenian
nationalist-backed resolution in the U.S. Congress, in 1984, `ASALA’s
day.’ This label is also deserved for this vote. One of the staunchest
supporters of the Boyer bill, Patrick Devedjian, was an advocate of
ASALA from 1981 to 1984, and vehemently supported its terrorist acts.
Jean-Marc `Ara’ Toranian, co-chairman of the Coordination Council of
France’s Armenian Associations (CCAF), was the spokesman of ASALA in
France from 1976 to 1983, and the other co-chairman, Mourad Papazian,
wrote several inflammatory articles in the 1980s to support another
Armenian terrorist group, the JCAG/ARA’i.e. the group which
assassinated the Turkish diplomat Yılmaz �olpan in Paris on December
22, 1979. Mr. Toranian and other CCAF leaders call Turkey, if not the
Turkish people, `the hangman.’ The CCAF itself strongly supports the
PKK, at least with words.
The speeches supporting the Boyer bill were a remarkable collection of
absurdities, logical fallacies and half-truths. Many MPs, and the
representative of the government, denied that the bill targets a
country or even a specific `genocide,’ which is denied even by the
text of the bill itself, and by other interventions, making clear that
only the Armenian-Turkish conflict is concerned. They added insult to
injury in believing that any Turk, or any French historian, could
believe such self-refuting justifications.
Michel Diefenbacher, President of the Franco-Turkish Friendship Group,
saved the honor of the Assembly with a good speech, recalling that the
bill is unconstitutional and is not improving, quite the contrary,
Turko-Armenian relations. Deputy Jacques Myard denounced it as a
`crime against thought.’
This dark event took place only for electoral reasons: Mr. Sarkozy
wrongly believes that such a bill will significantly improve the
number of his votes, and most of the opposition does not dare
challenge this bill, fearing the loss of Armenian votes.

What Next?
The Turkish authorities threatened economic reprisals’respecting the
international law’ and warned of bad consequences for the French
culture and language. What else could they do? In 2001, the economic
crisis had prevented the Turkish government from taking really
dissuasive retaliation measures, and as a result it opened the way to
the `recognition’ by other parliaments; in 2006-2007, the promises
that the bill would not be voted on by the Senate limited the
harshness of the Turkish reply. Now, this is the very first time that
such an anti-Turkish, liberticidal and unconstitutional initiative
takes place through the sole decision of the President. Every rational
person must hope to avoid a clash, but studying dissuasive reactions
is a must for Ankara.
There are already some interesting, albeit insufficient, signs of fear
from the French government’s side. Bernard Accoyer, President of the
National Assembly and already an opponent to the bill, said that this
text will probably not be adopted until the legislative elections
(June 2012), at least because the government did not use the urgent
procedure. It is not a secret that several senators are already
preparing a new rejection motion for reasons of unconstitutionality.
This lamentable affair at least had the positive result of showing for
the first time the importance of the Turkish population in France,
including those who have the French citizenship. Between three to five
thousand Turks demonstrated in front of the National Assembly;
thousands of others were prevented from participating in the
demonstration by the police.The recently created Coordination
Committee of Franco-Turkish Associations published an open letter to
the deputies in Le Monde, as a full-page paid advertisement.
It is now the duty of every person concerned for fundamental liberties
in France to contribute to the defeat of several promoters of this
Orwellian bill in June 2012, and to finally inform the rest of the
French politicians. Enough is enough.

*Maxime Gauin is a French historian and a researcher at the
International Strategic Research Organization (USAK-ISRO).

Agence France Presse
January 7, 2012 Saturday 1:56 AM GMT

Turkish hackers target French websites before genocide vote

ISTANBUL, Jan 7 2012

Turkish hackers are threatening to unleash a wave of cyber attacks
against French websites after lawmakers in Paris voted to approve a
law that would ban the denial of the Armenian genocide.

Already, hackers have assailed dozens of French websites, including
that of Valerie Boyer, the French politician who introduced the law
that could punish genocide deniers with jail time.

Some attacks have been blamed on a hacking group known as AyYildiz,
which says it fights for Turkish values.

“AyYildiz has nothing against the French,” he said. “But if this
carries on, there will be far more serious attacks from many groups,”
said Ishak Telli, a spokesman for the group.

The French lower house approved the law pn December 22 and the Senate
is expected to vote on it by the end of January.

If it is enacted, anyone denying that the 1915-1917 massacre of
Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide could face jail
time.

Telli said hackers could initiate attacks causing millions of euros in damage.

“You can close commercial and banking sites,” Telli said. “You can
take down government websites … The AyYildiz team has that
capability.”

Ankara reacted angrily when the National Assembly passed the bill,
quickly freezing political and military ties with France. Turkey
withdrew its ambassador to Paris, but embassy officials say he will
return Monday to monitor the Senate’s handling of the bill.

Starting in 1915, during World War I, many thousands of Armenians died
in Ottoman Turkey. Armenia says 1.5 million were killed in a genocide
where many perished after being forced to march into the desert
without adequate supplies.

Turkey says around 500,000 died in fighting after Armenians sided with
Russian invaders.

France recognised the killings as a genocide in 2001, but the new bill
would punish anyone who denies this with a year in jail and a fine of
45,000 euros ($60,000).

Modern Turkey is still very sensitive about the issue, and has accused
France of attacking freedom of expression and free historical enquiry.

Akincilar, another Turkish hacking group, was blamed on attacking
Boyer’s site and that of French-Armenian politician Patrick Devedjian.

Such lawmakers would do better to “study Ottoman history,” the group
said in a video sent to AFP.

“Our goal is to expose the arrogance shown by France when it
legislates in its own parliament about the affairs of other
countries,” the group said.

Web hacking is illegal in Turkey and hackers run the risk of prison.

But for those that do it, hijacking a website attacking Turkish
beliefs and morals is not a crime, and no nationalist hacker has been
targeted by authorities, said Ozgur Uckan, new media expert at the
Istanbul Bilgi University.

“This type of hacking isn’t really punished,” Uckan said. “But if they
attack Turkish government sites, the police will do everything in
their power … It’s a kind of double standard.”

Vancouver Sun, BC
Jan 7 2012

Algerian PM Ouyahia to Turkey: stop making political capital of France
massacre of Algerians

ALGIERS – Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia urged Turkey Saturday
to stop trying to make political capital out of France’s killing of
thousands of Algerians during the colonial period.

He made the call as Turkey continued to assail Paris ahead of a French
Senate vote on a bill that would make it a crime for anyone to deny
that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 1915-17 amounted to
genocide.

Turkey has accused France of hypocrisy for its own hand in killings
committed in its former colony, Algeria, in 1945 and during the north
African nation’s struggle for independence between 1954 and 1962.

“An estimated 15 per cent of the Algerian population was massacred by
the French from 1945 onwards,” Erdogan has said. “This is a genocide.”

Ouyahia said every country has the right to defend its interests, but
“nobody has the right to make the blood of Algerians their business.”

French forces cracked down on a protest in the east Algerian city of
Setif on May 8, 1945, to call for an end to French colonial rule,
leaving 45,000 people dead, according to Algerian historians.

Western researchers put the death toll at between 8,000 and 18,000.

Ouyahia noted that Turkey had been a member of NATO during the war in
Algeria and as such had provided material support to France.

“We say to our (Turkish) friends: Stop making capital out of Algeria’s
colonisation,” Ouyahia said at a press conference.

The French lower house approved the genocide bill December 22 and the
Senate is expected to vote on it by the end of January.

If it is enacted, anyone denying that the 1915-1917 massacre of
Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide, could face jail
time.

news.az, Azerbaijan
Jan 6 2012

UN Security Council seat to open ‘new chapter’ for Baku’s diplomacy
Fri 06 January 2012 10:53 GMT | 12:53 Local Time

Azerbaijan has started its two-year term as a non-permanent member of
the UN Security Council.

“The start of work as a member of the UN Security Council officially
enables Azerbaijan to make its voice heard on a global scale. Now
Azerbaijan will have its say in global political, economic, cultural
and other projects,” Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman
Abdullayev has said.

Abdullayev said that Azerbaijan had proved its commitment to the
peacekeeping mission in Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan and had gained
diplomatic experience.

He said that membership of the UN Security Council would open a new
chapter in Azerbaijani diplomacy and enable the country to use its
experience on a global scale.

“Of course, Azerbaijan will also make achievements in its own
interests within these processes. Several projects are envisaged
during our membership. We will chair the Council twice according to
alphabetical order during the two-year membership which officially
began on 1 January 2012.

“This means that we will play a leading role in bringing certain
issues forward at the Security Council. These will naturally include
conflicts in our region and especially the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

News.Az