Author: Kanayan Tamar

LE COMITE D’ETHIQUE REND SA DECISION SUR LE COMPORTEMENT DE SCHMIDT
Stephane

armenews.com
vendredi 16 septembre 2011

Un comite d’ethique de la Chambre des Representants a rendu public
les resultats d’une enquete pour determiner si la Representante
des Etats-Unis Jean Schmidt avait accepte de facon inappropriee des
cadeaux d’un groupe d’avocats turc.

Le cas decoule d’un procès en diffamation fait par Schmidt contre
son concurrent aux elections de 2008, David Krikorian.

Krikorian avait accuse Schmidt d’avoir empoche de l’argent d’un
“contrat” d’interets turcs pour nier le Genocide Armenien. Après qu’il
ait ete assigne par Schmidt, Krikorian avait depose une plainte auprès
de l’Office of Congressional

Le HICS (Bureau d’Ethique du Congrès) qui avait allegue que Schmidt
avait beneficie gratuitement des services de la Turkish Coalition of
America (TCA, Coalition Turque des Etats-Unis).

Le comite de la chambre a releve que les avocats de Schmidt ont
effectivement facture au TCA la somme approximative de 500 000 dollars,
mais que Schmidt n’etait pas au courant de ces paiements.

“La commission a releve que les avocats de Schmidt ont omis de
l’informer de leurs arrangements avec le TCA, et lui ont fait des
declarations fausses et deconcertantes sur leurs relations avec le
TCA et le TALDF (Turkish American Legal Defense Fund, Fonds de defense
juridique turc americain)”, lit-on dans le rapport.

La commission a dit que Schmidt doit s’assurer que le TCA ne payera
plus pour de quelconques services a l’avenir. Elle doit aussi
reverser aux avocats associes au TALDF et corriger en consequence
ses declarations de conflits d’interets 2009 et 2010.

Schmidt a declare vendredi dans un communique : “comme je l’ai deja
declare publiquement, je n’ai jamais cherche ni accepte les services
d’avocats gratuitement. J’ai attendu l’avis du Comite d’Ethique sur la
meilleure facon de payer ces notes d’honoraires. A present que j’ai
pris connaissance de cet avis, je prevois de continuer a travailler
avec la Commission pour s’assurer que ces notes d’honoraires soient
payes comme il convient.”

Traduction Gilbert Beguian

TAKING ON TURKEY: ISRAEL’S ‘DANGEROUS’ GAME IN REGION

Today’s Zaman
Sept 15 2011
Turkey

The UN Palmer Report, which largely exonerated Israel for murdering
nine unarmed Turkish civilians in international waters on May 31,
2010, seemed in some ways like the last straw.

Prior to its publication, the camel’s back had already mostly broken
and a collapse in Turkish-Israeli ties was looming.

Turkey’s sin was seeking an apology for the killing of its citizens —
on their way to deliver essential, life-saving supplies to malnourished
and besieged Palestinians in Gaza — at the hand of Israeli army
commandos.

If the civilians had been Israelis, and the commandos part of a
Turkish force, all hell would have broken loose. Israel and the US
would have declared Turkey a pariah state. Turkey, however, merely
demanded an apology, and it was affronted further for doing so.

Of course, this is not the first time that Israel deliberately provoked
and tested Turkish patience. Israel has attempted to infiltrate
Turkey’s own political spaces by supporting its regional opponents
and arming various rebel groups with the aim of destabilizing Turkey.

Instead of acknowledging the country’s rising significance and
accommodating the rules of the “new Middle East” political game, Israel
resorted to intimidation and insults. It repeatedly placed Turkey —
a thriving democracy and a proud regional power of 80 million —
in a very sensitive standing.

However, the anti-Turkish attitude in Israel was not an outcome of
the Mavi Marmara incident last year. “The height of humiliation”
is how an Israeli newspaper described a scene in which Israel’s
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon summoned Turkish Ambassador
Ahmet Oguz last January to humiliate him before Israeli media. Oguz
was reprimanded over a fictional Turkish TV show that was critical of
Israel. To ensure that the point had been successfully made, Ayalon
“urged journalists to make clear that the ambassador was seated on
a low sofa, while the Israeli officials were in much higher chairs,”
according to the BBC (Jan. 13, 2010). Ayalon noted that is “there is
only one flag here” — the Israeli flag — and “we are not smiling.”

How did Turkey respond? A statement issued by the foreign ministry
“invited” their counterparts in the “Israeli foreign ministry to
respect the rules of diplomatic courtesy.” Hardly outrageous. The
gist of the Turkish message that followed the murder of the Turkish
humanitarian activists a few months later was not much different. It
basically asked for an apology.

Turkey was shunned for the seemingly unreasonable demand. An unnamed
senior Israeli official explained the Israeli logic to Ynet news on
Sept. 2, following Turkey’s decision to downgrade ties with Israel.

“Turkey is an important country in the Middle East, but an apology is
a very strategic precedent for Israel in this region,” he said. That
is true, Israel’s diplomacy is predicated on unfair trade, violent
storming of humanitarian boats, subservient activities, espionage and
much more. Indeed, an apology for the murder of Turkish’s civilians
would be a precedent.

Even after the recent publishing of Palmer Report — a contradictory
and obvious attempt at exonerating the Israeli army while implicating
Turkish humanitarian activists — Turkey acted responsibly. But it
also acted with the poise and dignity that is expected of a democratic
country expressing the wishes of the vast majority of its people. It
downgraded military, trade and other ties with Israel. Why should
Turkey share military intelligence with a country that murders Turks,
humiliates its diplomats and refuses to apologize?

Still, from Israel’s point of view, Turkey has crossed all the
limits of acceptable behavior. “Turkish warships will escort any
Turkish aid vessels to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” said Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with Al Jazeera
(as quoted in the Guardian, Sept. 8). At the same time, Turkish
diplomacy continued to offer a window of opportunity to detain further
escalation. “Our embassy in Israel is open, and the Israeli embassy in
Ankara is open. The relations would return to the old days if Israel
apologizes and accepts to pay compensation,” said Huseyin Celik,
deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party)
(according to the Guardian, Sept. 8.)

Since an apology is a “precedent,” Israel responded in the only way
it knows how. An accusatory campaign was launched against Turkey with
outlandish insinuations and direct threats.

“This is part of the Islamization spreading there, and we must
recognize it,” said the senior official to Ynet. The leading Israeli
news source also published a column by one Ron Ben-Yishai, calling the
Turkish prime minister a “short-tempered thug.” In “Turkey no great
power,” Yishai accused the country of failing on most fronts. “Turkey
under Erdogan’s leadership is neither a reliable ally nor a credible
rival,” he charged.

These views are hardly marginal, and were matched by specific threats
by Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. “We’ll exact a price
from Erdogan that will prove to him that messing with Israel doesn’t
pay off,” Lieberman reportedly said. More specifically, he “urge[d]
all Israeli military veterans to refrain from traveling to Turkey
and facilitate cooperation with the Armenians — Turkey’s historic
rivals.” He said he also plans to meet with the Turkish rebel group
the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to “cooperate with them and boost
them in every possible area,” according to UPI, Sept. 9.

Per this logic, demanding an apology for murder equals a thuggish act,
while stirring regional instability and admitting to supporting armed
militias is an acceptable diplomatic maneuver.

Turkey had no other option but to escalate before an obstinate “ally.”

And considering the latter’s existing isolation in the region — and
the growing anti-Israeli sentiment in Egypt and elsewhere — it is
likely that Israel, not Turkey, will lose out in this political tussle.

*Ramzy Baroud () is an internationally-syndicated
columnist and the editor of PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book
is My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story (Pluto Press,
London), available on Amazon.com.

AZERBAIJANI AMBASSADOR TO U.S. PROTESTS EVENT ON SELF-PROCLAIMED “NKR”

Trend
Sept 15 2011
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Ambassador to the U.S. Yashar Aliyev voiced a protest
against the event associated with the self-proclaimed separatist
regime of “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”, a representative of Azerbaijani
Embassy in Washington told Trend.

Protesting against the event, hosted September 13 in Washington by
the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues in cooperation with the
Armenian Embassy and a number of Armenian-American organizations,
Yashar Aliyev sent a letter on September 11 to all 435 members of
the U.S. House of Representatives.

The letter lists the facts of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan,
occupation of Azerbaijani territories, forced displacement of hundreds
of thousands of Azerbaijanis as a result of this occupation, as well
as the establishment by Armenia of an illegal regime in the occupied
Azerbaijani territories that is not recognized by any country in
the world.

At the same time, the letter notes that the event organizers aimed to
divert the attention of members of Congress and the American public
from the fact of the continuing occupation of Azerbaijani territories,
and thereby to consolidate the results of the occupation.

In view of this, the ambassador urged lawmakers not to participate in
the event, intended against the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan, which is a strategic partner of the United States.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding
regions.

MINISTRY: AZERBAIJAN HAS NO RELATION TO UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE CRASHED IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

Trend
Sept 15 2011
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has no relation to the unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in
the Armenian-occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s
Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Thursday.

Earlier, Armenian media outlets reported on shooting down an
Azerbaijani unmanned aerial vehicle.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS ON KARABAKH TO MEET IN LATE SEPTEMBER

news.az
Sept 15 2011
Azerbaijan

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are planning to hold the next meeting
on Karabakh settlement.

The meeting is to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
in New York.

The statement came from the official spokesman of the Russian Foreign
Ministry Alexander Lukashevich.

“The next meeting of the co-chairs is scheduled for the last decade
of September on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in
New York”, he said.

EMBOSSED WOMEN, EMBOSSED LIVES: INTERVIEW WITH SUZAN KHARTALYAN: INTERVIEW BY ASTGHIK IGITYAN

Panorama

Sept 15 2011
Armenia

On September 21 a film by Suzan Khartalyan, who lives in Sweden,
titled “Tattoos of grandma” will be presented in Stockholm. The film
tells about Armenian Genocide, the women who survived those years,
but happened to have their fates embossed.

“Ermenihaber.am” had an exclusive interview with publicist and director
Suzan Khartalyan. Read the second part of the interview below.

-Suzan was your granny talking about her tattoos?

– Never. I remember my granny wearing white gauntlets to hide
her tattoos. She was trying hard to hide, to escape her life she
used to have in genocide years. She has cleared her memory and we
couldn’t speak about it at home. We were hiding that page of her
life in darkness. Until 16-17 I knew nothing about genocide. I knew
my granny for 20 years, but I knew nothing about her. As if she was,
but she wasn’t and in this dilemma she was keeping her secret.

-You said your granny’s sister also had some tattoos. Wasn’t she
speaking about it either?

My granny’s sister also had those tattoos. She also refused any talks
about it. I used to ask her why she didn’t speak about it, and one
day she got angry with me and said: “Do you want me to tell you that
Turks have done this? Does it really differ?”

– Did they do those tattoos against the women’s will?

Surely. Nobody asked them about it. There are hundreds of stories
how those women were clearing their tattoos after their slavery. Some
even used some chemical stuff to clean them.

– How those women managed to live bring those “embossed fates” on
their shoulders?

They were rejected by the Armenian men. Yet in 1924 Armenian women
were trying to restore their virginity through plastic surgery in
Beirut. Those women who were tattooed were rejected by Armenian men;
those tattoos told everybody their shared life with other men, with
Islam. Some pages of history we’ve been keeping secret because it
was shameful.

-Is it possible to show through documentary the emotional part of
the issue?

It was very important to show both the emotional part and the facts.

The film is interesting when you can find yourself there.

Read also: Tattoos of Grandma – film about Armenian Genocide

GEORGIA DISCOVERED MURDER OF ARMENIAN FAMILY COMMITTED 17 YEARS AGO

news.am
Sept 15 2011
Armenia

TBILISI. – Georgian law enforcement agents discovered a murder case
of an Armenian family, committed 17 years ago.

Special operational staff of the Department of Georgian Ministry of
Interior Affairs and the Prosecutor’s Office Anti-Corruption Department
disclosed a crime committed 17 years ago. They arrested three people,
who committed triple murder, Georgia News informs quoting Ministry’s
press service.

The murder case refers to the family of Nshan and Flora Minasyans
and their son Vazgen. The murderers also injured Minasyan’s daughter
Gayane in front of Vazgen’s spouse and small child. Seven people
are presecuted for the murder: Vakhtang Gvitishvili, his broter Koba
Gvitishvili, Georgi Otarashvili, Gela Kavtaradze, Revaz Demetrashvili,
Aleksandr Revazishvili and Malkhaz Modebadze.

The investigation revealed that above mentioned people first kidnapped
Vazgen on January 18, 1994 and demanded $150,000. They released him
after receiving a buyout in the amount of $15,000. However, the rest
of the buyout should have been paid in several days. Later the gang
decided to kill the whole family to cover the kidnapping.

Police arrested only three people from the gang: Otarashvili,
Demetrashvili and Revazishvili. The rest are wanted. Nothing is
informed on when they were arrested.

Protection of the accused has not yet made any comments for media.

STRENGTHENING AND DEEPENING TIES WITH GERMANY IS SUBSTANTIAL FOR ARMENIA – PRESIDENT

news.am
Sept 15 2011
Armenia

YEREVAN. – Strengthening and deepening ties with Germany is substantial
for Armenia, said the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan at the
meeting with officials of South Caucasus parliamentary group of German
Bundestag on Thursday.

Sargsyan noted that he highly values the visit of the delegation to
Armenia in the context of deepening the mutual trust. The president
appraised different high-level efforts aimed at strengthening bilateral
relations between Germany and Armenia. He thanked the German government
for cooperation and assistance provided to Armenia in various sectors,
presidential press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

ARMENIANS OF BAYSIDE GATHER FOR ANNUAL FESTIVAL
By Jason D. Antos

Western Queens Gazette
Sept 14 2011
NY

Hundreds attended the Oceania Street Festival.

Photos Jason D. Antos The Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs
at Oceania Street and the Horace Harding Expressway in Bayside,
celebrated its annual Oceania Street Festival in observation of the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 10.

Hundreds of people, mostly of Armenian descent, feasted on Middle
Eastern food that included chicken kebabs, salads, a variety of pita
breads, baklava, coffee, imported teas, wine and beer.

A band provided musical entertainment with ethnic dance performances
and modern musical selections.

Children~Rs rides, games and festival foods were located at the
far end of Oceania Street. Youngsters enjoyed slides, a rock wall,
a bouncy house, cotton candy, ice cream and a ring toss.

Dozens of vendors sold Armenian themed novelties and gifts, including
books, music, movies and jewelry.

Admission to the festival was free and, unlike last year~Rs downpour,
festivalgoers were thankful that the weather held out.

TURKEY, US SIGN AGREEMENT ON NATO RADAR DEPLOYMENT

Today’s Zaman
Sept 14 2011
Turkey

Ambassador Francis Ricciardone signed the agreement on behalf of the
US. (Photo: AA)

Turkey and US officials have signed a memorandum on the deployment
of US radar as part of a NATO-backed missile defense system designed
to protect European members of the alliance from missile threats.

According to the memorandum, the X-band radar system will be deployed
at a military base in the eastern province of Malatya, private NTV
television reported on Wednesday. It also said the agreement was signed
by Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun SinirlioÄ~_lu and
US Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone at the Turkish Foreign
Ministry on Wednesday morning.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed that the radar system would
be deployed in Kürecik, Malatya. â~@~The site surveys and relevant
legal arrangements have been finalized, and accordingly a military
installation in Kürecik has been designated as the radar site,â~@~]
a statement from the Foreign Ministry said.

NATO members agreed to an anti-missile system over Europe to protect
against Iranian ballistic missiles at a summit in Lisbon last year. A
compromise was reached with Turkey, which has cultivated close ties
with its neighbor Iran and had threatened to block the deal if Iran
was explicitly named as a threat.

At the NATO summit of heads of state and government in Lisbon last
year, Turkey formally backed NATO plans to build a missile defense
system, saying it will also contribute to national defense against
the growing threat of ballistic missile proliferation.

The summit came after months of discussions between Turkey and the US,
in particular over some aspects of the proposed shield, most notably
whether countries such as Turkey’s neighbors Iran and Syria should be
named as potential threats. Ankara insisted that the proposed system
should provide protection for all territories of member states and
that reference to any country would undermine the defensive nature of
the shield by antagonizing countries singled out as a threat. Turkish
insistence paid off in the end as the NATO summit endorsed the missile
defense system plans without naming any country as a potential threat.

Ankara on Sept. 2 announced its decision to host the early-warning
radar system as a contribution to NATO’s missile defense system.
Turkey’s decision annoyed Iran, which said Tehran would not tolerate
any aggression against its national interests. â~@~The West claims
the radar system [in Turkey] is to confront Iranian missiles, but they
should be aware that we will not tolerate any aggression against our
national interests,â~@~] Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi was
quoted as saying by Iranian state TV.

The Turkish and US governments say the radar system will help spot
missile threats coming from outside Europe, including potentially
from Iran. The system, provided by the United States, is to become
operational later this year.