Author: Kalashian Nyrie

Newsday, NY
June 21 2005
Commission: No New Enlargement Wave Seen
By JAN SLIVA
BRUSSELS, Belgium — The European Commission warned Tuesday it would
postpone EU membership for Bulgaria and Romania if they failed to
introduce essential reforms, and said the European Union must ‘pace
itself’ after 10 new members joined last year.
“My message to (Romania and Bulgaria) is to fulfill the conditions of
accession to the letter,” said Olli Rehn, the EU commissioner
overseeing the expansion plans. “I hope that they will make it in
time, but I would not hesitate to recommend a postponement of their
membership.”

Romania and Bulgaria are scheduled to join Jan. 1, 2007, while
Croatia’s membership has been postponed because a fugitive former
general wanted by the war crimes tribunal remains at large.
The next wave of enlargement “isn’t just round the corner,” Rehn
said.
“We need to pace ourselves after last year’s big bang when the 10 new
states joined the union,” he told the European Parliament’s foreign
affairs committee.
Concerns over further EU expansion were believed to be one of the
reasons why French and Dutch voters rejected the EU constitution.
Turkey must maintain the momentum of its reforms if it wants to start
accession negotiations Oct. 3 and Rehn urged it to resolve a dispute
over the massacre of Armenians during World War I. Armenians say that
Ottoman Turks slaughtered 1.5 million Armenians in a planned genocide
and have demanded that Turkey recognize the killings as genocide.
“Turkey has problems tackling the truth, which is always the basis
for reconciliation,” he said.
Rehn also said it was important to prepare for membership talks with
other Balkan nations to give them a European perspective, and
insisted a long-term prospect of EU membership will help bolster
stability in a region recently wracked by war.
He spoke after Bosnia’s prime minister urged EU leaders not to stop
the enlargement process because of the current EU crisis triggered by
the disagreements over the bloc’s constitution and future funding.
“We expect European leadership to avoid having second thoughts about
future enlargements, after the double ‘no’ to the European
constitution,” Prime Minister Adnan Terzic told the Council of
Europe’s parliamentary assembly in Strasbourg, France.
Albania, Macedonia and Serbia-Montenegro are also seeking to join the
EU but are yet to start negotiating membership with the bloc.

A1plus
| 20:20:55 | 20-06-2005 | Politics |
EU NOT TO FINANCE PROGRAMS LEAVING ASIDE ARMENIA
Armenia which is included in the program `European Neighbors’ will get 100
million Euros from the structure, particularly for finding alternative
sources of energy. Today head of the EU Foreign Relations Administration
Hugh Mingarelli announced about it. Although, as Mr. Mingarelli notes, `EU
has not yet confirmed the 2007-2013 budget’.
The EU representative told the journalists about it in the press conference
held today in Yerevan concluding the Armenia-EU Cooperation Committee 6th
session.
According to the Committee Armenian co-chair, Commerce and Economic
Development Minister Karen Chshmarityan, in the session the closing of the
Metsamor nuclear power station has not been mentioned. Moreover, the
European side did not exclude the creation of a new nuclear power station.
This is an almost revolutionary point in the RA-EU relations.
Hugh Mingarelli also claimed that the EU will not finance regional programs
leaving aside Armenia.

Moscow Times
June 20 2005
20,000 March in Azerbaijan
Jeyhun Abdulla / Reuters
By Aida Sultanova /AP

Azeri police below a billboard of late President Heidar Aliyev on
Saturday.

BAKU, Azerbaijan — About 20,000 opposition protesters chanting
“Freedom!” marched across Azerbaijan’s capital on Saturday, pushing
for free parliamentary elections this year and urging the government
to step down in the biggest protest in years.
The demonstration, the second such rally in as many weeks, was
organized by three leading opposition parties, which formed the
Azadlig, or Freedom, bloc to run for parliamentary elections set for
November.
Tension has been building steadily in this oil-rich nation in advance
of the elections, leading some observers to predict that Azerbaijan
could see a massive uprising similar to those that toppled unpopular
regimes in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan during the past 18 months.
Supporters of the Musavat party, the People’s Front of Azerbaijan and
the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan chanted “Freedom!” and “Free
Elections!” and carried pictures of U.S. President George W. Bush
with the words: “We want freedom!”
The opposition bloc has chosen orange as its campaign color, the
color used by the Ukrainian opposition during the so-called Orange
Revolution. Many participants in Saturday’s rally wore orange
T-shirts and baseball caps and carried orange flags.

Several hundred followers of Ilgar Ibragimoglu, a dissident imam who
was evicted by the authorities from a mosque in Baku, joined in the
protest on Saturday after reading a prayer.
The opposition demands election law reforms and access to
state-controlled television.
“People won’t tolerate election fraud,” Ali Kerimli, the leader of
the People’s Front of Azerbaijan, told the rally.
He and other speakers said a change in government was necessary to
win back control over Nagorny Karabakh, a disputed enclave that has
been under the control of Armenian separatists since the early 1990s.

AZG Armenian Daily #111, 17/06/2005
Armenian Genocide
‘COMBATING ARMENIAN ALLEGATIONS IS AN IMPORTANT PRIORITY’
Turkish Foreign Minister Gul Warns
On June 14, US congressmen George Radanovich, John Nollemberg, Frank
Pallone and Adam Schiff submitted the resolution on Armenian Genocide
to the Congress. The website of Turkish Public Television informs
that the chairman of the Committee of International Relations of the
House of Representatives promised Schiff, author of the resolution,
that they will bring it up for discussion.
On June 16, the draft on “Armenian Massacres” was unanimously approved
by the Bundestag. While Ankara looked to Bundestag to make changes
to the text, Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul handed down
clarification on Turkey’s approaches to the initiatives of Genocide
recognition in a special English and French-language issue of Anatolu
paper of Belgium.
On June16, Turkish newspapers, Milliyet and Zaman, write about the
minister’s clarification in articles titled “Gul Warns States Backing
Armenian Resolution” and “Struggle Against Armenian Allegations is Our
Important Priority”. “Struggle against Armenian allegations is one of
the top priorities of our government’s foreign policy. At this point,
the important thing to do is to work out the necessary strategy. Out
ministry is working in this direction”, Turkish papers quoted the
minister as saying.
Then Abdullah Gul continued, “We have made a historic proposal to
Armenia about the Armenian allegations. The prime minister sent a
letter to Armenian President Robert Kocharian on April 13 officially
presenting the issue. We positively evaluated Kocharian’s reply to
our prime minister. We are still searching to find common approaches
in these letters to start a dialogue”.
Regarding the states recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Gul added,
“We seriously warn all those states whose parliaments accuse Turkey
and its people of a genocide and show initiative thereupon. No one
has the right to condemn Turkish people basing on false historic
documents and out of political interests”.
Rounding off, Abdullah Gul mentioned the Armenian-Turkish relations
placing the blame for unresolved relations on Armenia. “I want above
all to point out that our government is not against improving relations
with Armenia. Just the opposite. It will help establishing stability
in the region and creation of the atmosphere of cooperation. We are
after improving bilateral relations with Armenia step by step. This
is our imperative in continuing our dialogue with Armenia in order
to overcome mutual mistrust”.
By Hakob Chakrian

Land around Karabakh not to be given back to Azerbaijan – Armenian party member
Mediamax news agency
16 Jun 05
Yerevan, 16 June: The Armenian Revolutionary Federation –
Dashnaktsutyun [ARFD] and the Armenian public have no intention of
giving back to Azerbaijan the territory around Nagornyy Karabakh taken
at the cost of numerous losses, a representative of the ARFD board,
Grant Markaryan, said at the National Press Club today.
He said that international mediators are putting pressure both
on Azerbaijan and Armenia. “They demand that Azerbaijan surrender
Nagornyy Karabakh and Lacin [District] to Armenia and Armenia return
the occupied territory to Azerbaijan,” Markaryan said.
He pointed out that compromises can only be made at the negotiating
table, stressing that it is unacceptable for Armenian society to have
a complex of a losing side.
The fact that the negotiations are held between Armenia and Azerbaijan
on settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict can be explained as Baku’s
recognition of Nagornyy Karabakh as part of Armenia, he said.

ARMENIAN CHESS PLAYER CONTINUES TO BE PART OF LEADING GROUP OF WOMAN’s
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
KISHINEV, JUNE 16. ARMINFO. An Armenian chess player Lilit Lazarian
continues to be a part of the leading group on the personal European
championship amongst women in Moldova.
16-years-old Ukrainian chess player Katya Lakhno leads the tournament.

WITHOUT KOCHARYAN
A1plus
| 17:29:21 | 15-06-2005 | Politics |
Today Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliev discussed issues about the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict tete-a-tete. The Azeri internet
site day.az informs about it.
According to the same source, the RF President has said that he is
sure that both the economic and the political relations between the
two countries will develop at a high level.
Putin has thanked Ilham Aliev for taking part in an international
economic forum in Saint Petersburg.

Congressional Record: June 13, 2005
AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION AWARD WITHDRAWN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to express my
disappointment with the American Foreign Service Association, and its
decision to withdraw awarding a “Constructive Dissent” award to U.S.
Armenian Ambassador John Evans.
Ambassador Evans was due to receive the Christian A. Heter Award for
intellectual courage, initiative, and integrity later this week. The
award was as a result of courageous statements he made regarding the
recognition of the Armenian genocide.
In a series of public statements, Ambassador Evans, who has studied
Russian history at Yale and Columbia and Ottoman history at the Kennan
Institute stated, “I will today call it the Armenian genocide.”
Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Evans has studied history of Armenia, and
based on his substantial studies of the issue, he is willing to go on
the record and define the actions taken Armenians as genocide. The
Armenian genocide was the systematic extermination, the murder,
of 1.5 million Armenian men, women and children. To this day, the
Republic of Turkey refuses to acknowledge the fact that this massive
crime against humanity took place on soil under its control, and in
the name of Turkish nationalism.
Unfortunately, some 90 years later, the U.S. State Department continues
to support Turkey’s demands and denials despite all evidence to the
contrary. It is not likely that the State Department was happy that
their Ambassador to Armenia acknowledged the Armenian genocide.
And, therefore, Ambassador Evans retracted his remarks after receiving
substantial pressure from the State Department.
Well, now the selection committee at the American Foreign Service
Association has decided to withdraw the award with no reason for
its actions. I find the timing of the decision peculiar. The sharp
turnaround came right before Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan arrived in
Washington for a meeting with President Bush. Based on past history,
it is clear that the State Department, the Bush administration, and the
pro-Turkish lobby pressured AFSA to withdraw Ambassador Evans’ award.
It is simply unacceptable for this administration to continue to
penalize the ambassador for his comments. Ambassador Evans did a
courageous thing. His statements did not contradict U.S. policy,
but rather articulated the same message that this administration
has sent to the public. The only difference in this case is that
Ambassador Evans assigned a word to define the actions taken against
the Armenians.
This was a refreshing break, I must add, from a pattern on the part of
the State Department of using evasive and euphemistic terminology to
obscure the full reality of the Armenian genocide. Ambassador Evans
pointed out, and I quote, that no American official has ever denied
it, and went on to say, and I quote, I think we, the U.S. Government,
owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing
this problem.
Ambassador Evans was merely recounting the historical record, which
has been attested to by over 120 Holocaust and genocide scholars from
around the world. By doing this, he earned a prestigious award that
was taken from him because of politics and denial.
Mr. Speaker, I want to add my voice to all those who, in Ambassador
Evans’ own words, and again I am quoting, think it is unbecoming of
us as Americans to play word games here. I believe in calling things
by their name. Evans was right, and the American Foreign Service
Association was correct in awarding him the Christian A. Herter Award.
We should encourage our Ambassadors to speak the truth, and, more
broadly, end, once and for all, our complicity in Turkey’s campaign
of genocide denial.
Mr. Speaker, Ambassador Evans has been penalized for simply telling the
truth. The American Foreign Service Association has set a terrible
example by retracting Ambassador Evans’ award. I guess, even in
America, the Turkish Government is able to stifle debate.

Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Service de base francais
14 juin 2005
Developpement Visite de deputes turcs en Suisse Tentative
d’apaisement sur fond de question armenienne
Berne (ats) La Suisse et la Turquie jouent la carte de l’apaisement
après les remous provoques par la question armenienne. Le voyage
prevu par Joseph Deiss en Turquie aura bien lieu debut septembre, a
assure le chef d’une delegation du parlement turc.
“La resolution de la question armenienne n’est pas une condition
fixee par la Suisse” a de bonnes relations avec la Turquie, s’est
felicite le chef de la delegation de la commission de politique
exterieure du parlement turc Mehmet Dulger mardi soir devant la
presse a Berne.
“Oui, nous avons une sensibilite particulière sur la question
armenienne”, a-t-il toutefois reconnu, ajoutant qu'”il n’est pas
facile d’entendre nos grands-pères se faire traiter de criminels”.
Les massacres commis entre 1915 et 1917 par le pouvoir ottoman contre
les Armeniens sont au coeur d’une controverse entre Ankara et
l’Occident. D’après Ankara, il s’agissait d’une repression dans un
contexte de guerre civile. Selon les Armeniens, 1,5 million des leurs
ont ete tues au cours des massacres, que plusieurs pays ont
officiellement reconnus comme “genocide”.
En Suisse, le Conseil National a reconnu en 2003 le genocide
armenien, suscitant les vives protestations d’Ankara. Au niveau
cantonal, le genocide a ete reconnu par les autorites genevoises
(Conseil d’Etat et parlement) et par le Grand Conseil vaudois.
Vers une “commission Bergier” turque ?
Mardi, les elus turcs ont notamment rencontre les conseillers
federaux Micheline Calmy-Rey et Joseph Deiss, ainsi que les
presidents des Chambres federales Therèse Meyer et Bruno Frick. Les
deux parties “sont convenus de la necessite d’un travail d’analyse
historique des evenements tragiques de l’epoque”, selon communique
des services du parlement suisse.
Les parlementaires turcs ont notamment ete sensibles a l’experience
vecue par la Suisse quant a son passe durant la IIe guerre mondiale
et a la “solution apportee” par la creation de la commission
independantes d’experts, ont-ils fait savoir.
La delegation turque a egalement recu des explications “qui l’ont
satisfaite”, indique le parlement, après l’ouverture par la justice
suisse d’une enquete pour violation de la norme anti-raciste visant
l’historien turc Yusuf Halacoglu. Ce dernier se serait rendu coupable
de negation du genocide armenien lors d’un discours tenu en mai 2004
a Winterthour.
Les representants turcs ont pris note de ce qu’il s’agit d’une
procedure dictee par la Constitution mais qui n’entrave en rien les
mouvements de l’historien. Les questions relatives au sujet n’ont
toutefois pas manque de susciter une certaine nervosite lors de la
conference de presse.
La delegation, forte de cinq membres, a entame sa visite lundi et
sejourne en Suisse jusqu’a vendredi. Elle doit rencontrer notamment
notamment des representants de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce
(OMC), du Haut Commissariat pour les refugies (HCR) et du monde
economique, a Genève et a Zurich.
Elle repond a la visite d’une delegation de la Commission de
politique exterieure du Conseil des Etats qui s’etait rendue en
Turquie en septembre dernier.
Tensions multiples
La question armenienne a contribue a tendre les rapports entre Berne
et Ankara. Après la reconnaissance du genocide armenien par le
Conseil national, une visite de Mme Calmy-Rey prevue en septembre
2003 a ete annulee par la Turquie. Il a fallu attendre mars 2005 pour
que ce deplacement puisse avoir lieu.
Le ministre turc du commerce exterieur Kursad Tuzmen a ensuite annule
une visite qu’il devait effectuer fin juin en Suisse. Selon la presse
de son pays, le ministre a voulu manifester sa mauvaise humeur contre
l’enquete ouverte a l’egard de Yusuf Halacoglu.
–Boundary_(ID_IoGpNipFjMuOfAOS+9hxUA)–

SHALL WE HAVE A CONSTITUTION CORRESPONDING TO THE EUROPEAN STANDARDS?
A1plus
| 19:05:57 | 13-06-2005 | Politics |
Tigran Torosyan did not miss the opportunity to complain of the Venice
experts once more, «Of course, I can understand the reason of the
deep disappointment of the Commission, taking into account the 5-year
process of Constitutional amendments, but if there was an agreement
about clear-cut dates, I do not understand why the discussion of the
issue became so urgent».
Tigran Torosyan also informed that the Venice experts had been informed
beforehand that in our country all the radical changes are done during
the time period between the first and second readings. Besides,
Mr. Torosyan noted that they did not keep their promise: there
was an agreement that in the first reading the issues about which
there is an agreement in the political field would be adopted, and
before the second reading on June 1-2 the expert would arrive and
carry out discussions, and then the draft would be improved by the
second hearing.
In any case Tigran Torosyan assured the Armenian society foreseeing
what will happen to Armenia in case of the discussion of the issue in
the PACE session: they will discuss it, express their disappointment
and call the Venice Commission to work with the Armenian authorities;
and they will cal the Armenian authorities to remain loyal to the
European standards and adopt the draft constitution with a referendum.
–Boundary_(ID_TKZTBCAmUpprIyvXrvwNqw)–