Author: Kalantarian Kevo

TURKISH PM CALLS FOR US ACTION

NDTV.com, India
Sept 28 2007

Friday, September 28, 2007 (New York)
Turkey’s Prime Minister urged the United States to act against Kurdish
rebels who have escalated attacks on his country from bases in Iraq,
warning that continued inaction was harming US relations with its
key Muslim ally.

Turkey has become increasingly frustrated with the US for failing to
live up to promises to tackle separatist guerrillas from the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party or PKK, who have been fleeing across the border into
Iraq’s predominantly Kurdish northern provinces.

Turkey massed troops on its border with Iraq earlier this year,
and officials are debating whether to stage a military incursion.

"Our expectations are very clear on this point. The Iraqi authorities
and the US must urgently take concrete measures beyond simply paying
lip service. Unfortunately so far we have not seen any concrete steps,"
said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip.

Erdogan said on Thursday at the Council on Foreign Relations in
New York.

Under a proposed counter terrorism pact with Iraq, Turkey wants its
troops to have the right to pursue the rebels across the border,
according to Turkish media.

But the agreement, which was expected to be signed on Thursday,
has yet to be approved.

The US considers the PKK a terrorist organization, but officials
have been reluctant to act for fear of widening the Iraq conflict
and increasing violence in what has been Iraq’s most stable region.

Iraqi officials, already weary of what they see as domestic challenges
to their sovereignty, including the US detention of Iranians in the
north and the recent killing of at least 11 Iraqis by US security
contractors, are not eager to see yet another foreign force crossing
over their border.

Relations have been strained between Washington and Ankara for years,
mostly over the Iraq war.

Territory to invade

Turkey, a strategically important NATO ally, refused to allow US troops
to use its territory to invade Iraq in 2003 and a recent opinion poll
found only 9 per cent of Turks had a favorable view of America.

Erdogan voiced support for a timeline on the withdrawal of foreign
troops from Iraq.

"If coalition forces announce a timeline, then Iraqi forces will
take responsibility. If there’s a timeline and training they’ll take
control," he said.

The issue of a troop withdrawal has been a big factor internationally
and in the US where support for the war has largely dissipated,
leaving President George W Bush struggling to make a case for a
continued US troop presence in the country.

Bush administration and US military officials have said while Iraqi
forces are making some gains, they are not yet ready to assume full
security responsibilities.

Erdogan also reiterated strong opposition to a US congressional
resolution introduced in January that would recognize the killings
of Armenians in the early 1900s as genocide.

Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.

Victims of civil war

Turkey, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying that
the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of
civil war and unrest.

The United Nations has not recognized the killings as genocide.

Similar resolutions have been introduced in the US before, but were
always kept from a full vote by congressional leaders.

The Bush administration has tried to quash the current resolution
because of pressure from Turkey.

GENNADI GUDKOV: RUSSIA READY TO ACT AS GUARANTOR OF PEACE

ArmRadio – Public Radio, Armenia
Sept 28 2007

"The existence of the Karabakh conflict, which has not been solved
yet and can break out at any moment, passing from the political to
the military stage, is very negative for Russia, as well," Chairman
of the Security Committee of Russia’s State Duma Gennadi Gudkov said.

"Azerbaijan and Armenia are our closest neighbors, and we want lasting
peace to be established there," he noted. According to the Russian
parliamentarian, "there are reasonable agreements n the Karabakh issue,
which Armenia and Azerbaijan can reach." "The only problem is that the
parties themselves must do it and must demonstrate a more realistic
approach, display less populism and rhetoric and try to find some
solution," Gudkov said, underlining that "Russia is ready to act as
the guarantor of peace, since this role is quite acceptable for it."

YEREVAN WILL START GSP+ SCHEME BY NEXT YEAR, SAYS MINISTER
By M. Alkhazashvili (Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
Sept 26 2007

Nerses Yeritsian, Armenian Minister for Trade and Economic Development,
announced at an EU-Armenia Cooperation Committee session that Armenia
should land GSP+ status by next year-as long as the country manages
to implement some key measures.

GSP+ status would help small Armenian businesses enter the EU market,
Yeritsian said. He also commented that the EU is the Armenia’s
biggest trade partner with 40 percent of Armenian exports going to
EU countries, according to the Regnum news agency.

The GSP+ system will mean zero tariffs for 7200 types of products.

Currently Armenia operates under the Generalized System of Preferences
(GSP), a trade scheme meant to encourage healthy growth of developing
countries.

Yeritsian also touted Armenia’s economic growth of 13 percent and
relatively low inflation levels.

The state central bank has taken pains to reduce inflationary effects
of the large influx of remittances and money transfers to Armenia
from abroad. Roughly 70 percent of that money comes from Russia,
with most of the rest from the US.

Yeritsian also declared that in the first half of 2007, trade turnover
with the EU reached USD 666.6 million, 35.2 percent of the country’s
total trade turnover.

In that period, goods worth USD 252.3 million were exported to EU
countries, 47.8 percent of Armenia’s total exports; imports from
the EU were valued at USD 414.3 million, 30.3 percent of the total
import figure.

EU investments in Armenian reached USD 32.5 million in the first half
of the year, including USD 23.6 million in direct investments.

"ECHO": OUR WATER – WAISTS OF ARMENIA AND GEORGIA

R. Orujev
Demaz.org, Azerbaijan
Sept 26 2007

Azerbaijani scientists are getting ready for international conference
dedicated to problems of pollution of river Araz In near future
international scientific conference dedicated to the problem of
ecologic state of the second river of the South Caucasus – Araz –
will be held in Nakhchivan. Director of the institute of Geography
of National Academy of science of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Budag
Budagov, informed "Echo" about it.

"Conference will be dedicated to the issue of all possible sources
of pollution of Araz river", scientist underlined. Mainly Armenia is
responsible for this. For example, Turkey, Iran and Azerbaijan have
no industrial objects on this river. But Armenia has Mezamor atom
electric power station, into which all waists of Yerevan and other
Armenian towns situated on Araz river are flowing. Broadly speaking
Armenia throws all its dirt in the river Araz. Moreover they have
molybdenum field in Kajaran situated in Sisian region. And there huge
throwing of harmful materials into Araz is taking place. Molybdenum
is a heavy metal. Accordingly to Budagov scientists from Turkey and
Iran will also join their Azerbaijani colleagues at the conference.

"Armenia, responsible for current consequences, won’t be presented
at the Conference". Scientist stressed that main organizer of the
event will be chief of Geography department of Nakhchivan University,
Nazim Bababeyli. "This specialist personally tested water of the
river starting from its source in Turkey, says B. Budagov. He has
got many factual materials. He had them taken from those parts of
Araz situated close to Armenian frontier with the help of Turkish
organizations. This helped to define exact sources of pollution of
river water. I personally examined them recently September 14 being
in Nakhchivan. The very place of waists flowing into river is clearly
seen on the screen. And waists are not dissolved in the water at once,
they are flowing as separate line and in some time they are dissolve
with water".

The purpose of upcoming conference is to make public all data on
pollution of Araz available in Azerbaijan, the extent of damage it
causes to all living in the river and everyone who use the water,
director of the institute of Geography says. "And damage is caused
to population of Azerbaijan as after Armenia only we use this water.

Araz is the main inflow of the main water artery of the Caucasus –
Kura river. And the major part of Baku is supplied by water from
Kura. This poisoned water comes from our taps This is absolutely
non-drinking water, but currently we don’t have any way out. Kura
is directly poisoned by such Georgian cities as Tbilisi, Gori and
many inhabited locations. That is all sewerage flows in Kura. Nobody
regards this matter seriously though it negatively affects health of
Baku residents. And it should be mentioned that half of Azerbaijani
population concentrated in Baku. Today Araz and Kura can be named
cesspit. And besides people’s health the extent of damage caused
by this activity to living organisms and vegetation shouldn’t be
forgotten. For example, in Nakhchivan there is a reservoir situated
on Araz river. There are fishes and other organisms with different
diseases". Recently mass media informed that local epidemiologists
measured water of Araz to define its radio-activity and clarified
that this level 7 times exceeds the norm. However Center of Hygiene
and Epidemiology of the Health Ministry of Azerbaijan informed "Echo"
that their specialists didn’t carry out such analyses recently. On
the other hand director of the Institute on radiation problem of the
National Academy of Azerbaijan, Adil Garibov, declared for "Echo" that
in Azerbaijan no structure but special laboratory in his institute has
necessary equipment for measuring radiation level of water. Information
spread earlier by mass media doesn’t reflect the fact. "The year before
the last our specialists carried out radiation related researches on
Araz river jointly with specialists of International Atomic Energy
Agency. It was clarified that radiation level is in line with the one
of drinking water. The same measures were made by our laboratory this
year, and results were the same.

There may be any sort of pollution in Araz but radioactive. Armenia
itself can’t be interested in throwing dangerous waists of electric
power station in river as international organizations may learn about
that and country may face tough sanctions".

ARMENIAN PM STRESSES EXPANSION OF TIES WITH IRAN

Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Sept 25 2007

Armenian Prime Minister Serge Serkisian said on Tuesday that his
country is determined to expand relations with Iran.

Addressing a press conference in Moscow, he said that the Armenian
government gives priority to expansion of ties with Iran particularly
in economic field.

Pointing to Iran-Armenia gas pipeline project, he noted that the
project would strengthen security in his country.

The Iranian and Armenian presidents launched the 141 kilometer pipeline
project in March.

He further noted that Iran-Armenia relationship is not against
any country, and that neighboring nations will benefit from such
constructive ties.

The Armenian premier expressed hope that there would be no war
against Iranians, adding that military moves against Iran would be
very unpleasant for Armenia.

Serkisian is in Moscow to hold talks with his Russian counterpart
Victor Zubkov.

TURKEY GETS BACK ON THE EU TRACK
By Kirsty Hughes – Writer on European affairs

BBC News, UK
Sept 25 2007

Turkey appears to have emerged from its simmering political crisis,
with the successful installation of a new government and president.

Brussels sees developments in Turkey as very positive As a result,
attention is now turning back towards Brussels, to see whether Turkey’s
stalled bid to join the EU club can gain new impetus, or whether it
will hit fresh obstacles.

In Brussels, politicians and diplomats are cautiously optimistic that
membership talks can move forward this autumn.

This positive mood is driven both by events in Turkey, and also by
EU hopes that the Union has resolved its own internal crisis over
the failed constitution.

Military worry

Gary Titley, leader of British Labour MEPs in the European Parliament,
calls the recent political developments in Turkey "very positive",
though he cautions that the future remains uncertain.

"Turkey has a newly elected government… with a strong electoral
performance, and a prime minister who up until now has been very
reform-minded and actively delivered what he promised," Mr Titley says.

Talk of a Christian club is manifest nonsense and unacceptable

Gary Titley, MEP "The worry is how the military will respond… but
I think they got their fingers burnt a bit, pre-election."

The European Commission will give its annual report on all the
candidates for membership, including Turkey, at the start of November.

Turkey could be criticised for its lack of political reforms over
the last year, so some EU diplomats and politicians are hoping that
Ankara will rapidly bring forward certain key reforms – not least on
freedom of speech and rights of religious minorities – rather than
wrapping all reforms together in a longer constitutional process.

The European Parliament is also debating an annual resolution on the
state of Turkey’s membership application – with a vote due before
the end of October.

Diplomats welcome the absence, so far, of some of the contentious
phrasing seen in some previous parliamentary resolutions.

There is no demand that Turkey recognise the Armenian massacres of
1917 as "genocide" this time, for example.

But neither is there any direct reference to the goal of the talks
being membership of the EU club – a reflection of the strong opposition
to the idea in some quarters.

Wise people

"The [German] Christian Democrats are fervently opposed. The trouble
is they express their opposition in a way most of us cannot accept
– talk of a Christian club is manifest nonsense and unacceptable,"
says Gary Titley.

The French president wants to avoid provoking a major EU crisis But it
is France’s President Nikolas Sarkozy who has been most vocal in his
hostility to Turkey’s eventual membership of the bloc in recent months.

In a wide-ranging foreign policy speech at the end of August, Mr
Sarkozy indicated that negotiations with Turkey could proceed, but only
if they were limited to areas that could lead equally to membership
or to his preferred alternative of a "privileged partnership".

He also added a second condition, that the Union set up a group of
"wise people" to look at the Union’s future direction in the years
2020-2030.

EU diplomats see these demands as Mr Sarkozy’s way of getting himself
off the hook of his own electoral promises to oppose Turkish EU
membership, while not provoking a major EU crisis.

But some also worry about how to handle France’s implicit demand
not to open talks on five or more areas of negotiation, or chapters,
which Paris says only apply to full membership of the club.

A new chapter?

In June, French diplomats already blocked talks going forward on the
single currency chapter, though notionally on technical grounds.

Other chapters on the French list are said to be those dealing with
regional funds, agricultural policy, finances, and institutional issues
(including voting powers).

So far, there has been no public confrontation or political discussion
of this French blockage at EU foreign minister level.

Some diplomats hope that such confrontation can be avoided for now,
as long as talks are successfully opened in one or more other areas
of negotiation this autumn.

But with eight chapters already blocked due to a dispute over Turkey’s
failure to open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels, the aim of building
up momentum in the talks faces challenges.

And if talks do not move forward in the autumn, or the pile of chapters
openly blocked by the French grows, then, as one diplomat puts it:
"It is another ball game entirely."

For now, there are hopes that talks could open soon in the area of
health and consumer protection.

Disenchantment

But with fellow candidate Croatia bounding ahead in its membership
talks, and likely to open as many as seven new chapters this autumn,
the slow pace of Turkey’s talks will become only too obvious.

Meanwhile, the Turkish mood towards the EU remains disenchanted.

In Istanbul, Hakan Altinay, director of the Open Society Institute,
says Turkish public opinion is deeply pessimistic on Turkey’s eventual
EU membership.

"This is related to the Cyprus impasse and to Sarkozy’s statements,"
he says.

"It is difficult to conclude that we have seen the end of French
manoeuvring."

And while he is optimistic about future Turkish reforms on free speech,
and on tackling the problems in the Kurdish-dominated south-east of
the country, he considers that "movement on Cyprus is unlikely".

But despite these doubts, the prospects for EU-Turkey talks are now
brighter than at the start of the year.

tm

ARMENIAN MP URGES AUTHORITIES TO SOLVE PROSECUTOR’S MURDER

ArmInfo, Armenia
Sept 11 2007

Yerevan, 11 September: Independent MP Viktor Dallakyan is demanding
that the Armenian Prosecutor-General’s Office solve as soon as possible
the murder of Albert Gazaryan, the prosecutor of Lori Region.

Speaking at the Armenian National Assembly today, Dallakyan said that
residents of Vanadzor, and first of all, his voters were outraged by
the cynical murder of the Lori Region prosecutor and insist that the
crime must be solved as soon as possible.

At the same time, Dallakyan said that a report about the questioning
of eyewitnesses in this case was shown on the Lori TV channel recently.

He said that residents of Vanadzor were outraged by the behaviour
of police officers who deliberately used methods employed in 1937 to
obtain the required testimony.

Dallakyan demanded that the Armenian prosecutor-general conduct an
official investigation into this case.

ARMENIANS RETURN AZERI CAPTIVE

Azerbaijani news agency APA
21 Sep 07
Baku

An Azerbaijani taken captive by Armenians on 30 June has been handed
over back to his country, APA news agency reported on 21 September.

Asraf Cafarov, 22, resident of a village in Azerbaijan’s Agdam
District, most of which is under Armenian occupation, was taken
captive by Armenians on 30 June, the report said.

Panorama.am

14:00 22/09/2007

PRESIDENT MAKES ADDRESS TO UNITED ARMENIAN FOUNDATION

President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan made an address
to United Armenian Foundation underscoring the
projects the fund implements. `Armenian United
Foundation has been implementing projects of vital
importance for Armenia and Diaspora that deserve high
gratitude. The consolidation of the efforts of
Armenian seven structures emphases the importance and
goal-orientation of the projects,’ the address says
also paying gratitude to the foundation for `helping
Armenia in crisis situations.’ `Today, when the
assistance of the foundation totals half million U.S.
dollars, we must give their due to the leadership,
employees and, of coarse, the benefactors for the
great and effective work.’ Kocharyan’s address says.

Source: Panorama.am

ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC GOLF OUTING IS SEPT. 25

Worcester Telegram, MA
Religion Notes
Saturday, September 22, 2007

WORCESTER – Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, 635 Main St.,
will hold its annual golf outing Sept.

25 at Juniper Hill Golf Course, Northboro. The cost is $125. For
information, call (508) 852-2414.