Author: Kanayan Tamar

PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA AND FRANCE DISCUSSED THE ISSUES OF BILATERAL RELATIONS

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Feb 20 2007

February 19 Presidents of France and Armenia Jacque Chirac and Robert
Kocharian participated in the opening ceremony of "Sacred Armenia"
(Armenia Sacra) exhibition in Louvre. The Presidents visited an
exhibition, where 200 pieces were displayed, including 30 Khachkars
(cross stone), parts of "Noah’s Ark", etc.

Accompanied with France’s Culture and Communication Minister Renaud
Donnedieu de Vabres, Jacques Chirac stayed too long in front of a
wood piece of "Noah’s Ark" discovered in XVII century on the top of
Ararat Mount. The exhibition, which is organized within the frames
of Armenia’s Year in France, will be open till May 21.

After visiting the exhibition, Presidents of Armenia and France
held a meeting, in the course of which they discussed the issues of
Armenian-French relations and the current stage of the Nagorno-Karabagh
conflict settlement.

To remind, February 17 Robert Kocharian arrived in France on a four-day
visit. RA President is to meet France’s high-ranking officials, in
part, French PM Dominique de Villepin, the President of the French
Senate Christiane Poncelet and National Assembly’s Speaker Jean-Louis
Debre, IA Regnum reports.

ARMENIA MP: ARMENIAN-BELARUSIAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION PIVOT IS INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES AREA

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 19 2007

YEREVAN, February 19. /ARKA/. The pivot of Armenian-Belarusian economic
cooperation is informational technologies area, Manvel Badeyan, head
of Armenian National Assembly’s Committee on Foreign Relations, said on
Friday at the second session of Armenian-Belarusian inter-parliamentary
commission in Yerevan.

"High technologies can become the basis for Armenian-Belarusian
economic partnership. Armenia has achieved certain results in this
area and can share experience with Belarus, who take some steps for
IT sector development", he said.

Badeyan also mentioned construction as another area for partnership.

In his words, both nations face construction boom now.

He said 4 million square meters were put into exploitation in 2006
in Belarus. In his words Belarus also face human resources shortage,
and Armenian construction companies can compensate it, if they are
given a right to take part in tenders for construction.

PARLIAMENT UNNERVED BY ALARMING SURGE IN CRIME
Ercan Yavuz Ankara

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 19 2007

A parliamentary commission set up to investigate a surge in violence
across Turkey came up with astounding facts when the police sent
it a report containing comparative data on crimes committed across
the country.

Rising violence hit newspaper headlines and triggered a public debate
on causes of the phenomenon when high school children in several parts
of Turkey injured and even killed each other for a variety of reasons
in numerous reported incidents. The debate peaked when Ogun Samast,
a 17-year-old secondary school graduate from the Black Sea province
of Trabzon, gunned down Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in
downtown Ýstanbul in broad daylight.

The report, prepared by the Police Directorate General, shows that
there was a dramatic increase in crimes such as domestic violence,
murder and robbery in 2006, when compared to 2005 data. Number of
incidents of crime has risen to more than 2 million a year from an
average of 300,000 only five years ago.

"We have a generation that uses violence as a method to achieve
personal goals of a different kind," said Omer Ozyýlmaz, a member of
Parliament’s Commission for the Investigation of Violence. "People
who have personal problems and problems of identity do not respect
lives and property of others."

He identified uncontrolled migration to big cities and the ensuing
problem of adaptation to a new culture as well as financial problems
stemming from rampant unemployment as the main factors behind the rise
in violence, especially among the young population. Coupled with an
overall problem with law enforcement, these factors turn disillusioned
youth into easy prey for criminal gangs, he said."We are creating a
young generation that is prone to commit every kind of evil action,"
he said.

According to the police report, the total number of incidents of
crime stood at more than 460,000, representing a dramatic increase
as compared to 2005, when the number of crimes was less than 290,000.

The report also shows that the biggest surge between 2005 and 2006
was in incidents of personal injury; the police reported more than
50,000 cases of injury in 2006, a big surge as compared to 2005 when
the same number was approximately 36,000.

There was also a dramatic increase in cases of assault and abduction.

Some 71,564 cases of assault were reported in 2006, while this figure
stood at 46,612 in the previous year. There were nearly 7,700 cases
of abduction in 2006, compared to approximately 5,600 a year ago.

The figures point to a dramatic rise in domestic violence as well;
the police said there were more than 17,000 cases of "mistreatment
of family" in 2006, while the number of such cases was 9,901 in 2006.

Rising trends in suicide cases were also noteworthy. The number of
attempted suicides rose to 18,527 in 2006 from 12,094 in 2005. There
was a surge in the unauthorized possession of weapons, too. Security
forces seized 19,137 unlicensed weapons in 2006 compared to 10,667
in 2005. There was also a rising trend in robberies; the number of
residential burglaries increased from 53,932 to 85,956 while that
of burglaries of offices rose from 43,733 to 55,967. Moreover, car
thefts also increased from 32,051 in 2005 to 68,855 in 2006.

–Boundary_(ID_xyNKcbTPDNkgPqnpovmeDA)–

Agence France Presse — English
February 17, 2007 Saturday 5:01 PM GMT

Armenian President in France for ‘Year of Armenia’ gala soiree

Armenian President Robert Kocharian arrived here on Saturday for a
four-day visit kicking off with a fund-raising gala soiree as part of
France’s "Year of Armenia," the French foreign ministry said.

Eighty-two-year-old crooner Charles Aznavour, one of a 400,000-strong
Armenian diaspora living in France, will give a concert at the
evening ahead of the release of a new album on Monday.

Funds raised will go towards the week-long visit later this year of
hundreds of Armenian children learning French.

On Monday Kocharian was due to have a working lunch with French
President Jacques Chirac, who paid a state visit late last year
during which he called on Turkey to confront its past before joining
the European Union.

France has been at the forefront of efforts to persuade Turkey to
recognise as genocide the 1915 massacre of Armenians under the
Ottoman empire.

Last year the French lower house adopted a bill — which still
requires approval from the senate and the president — making it a
crime to deny that the genocide took place.

Turkey rejects the use of the term "genocide," saying that while some
300,000 Armenians died when the Ottoman Empire fell apart, at least
as many Turks also perished.

Commercial ties are also strong between Paris and Yerevan, with
France one of the biggest foreign investors in Armenia, foreign
ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei said.

Reuters Alert, UK
Feb 16 2007

Kurdish action series dropped from Turkish TV

16 Feb 2007 14:32:57 GMT
Source: Reuters

ISTANBUL, Feb 16 (Reuters) – A Turkish television channel has
dropped a popular action series depicting Kurdish separatist violence
over concerns that it could fan nationalism.

Violent nationalism, especially among impressionable young people,
has become especially sensitive in Turkey since the murder last month
of Turkish Armenian editor Hrant Dink by a teenage gunman apparently
motivated by ultra-nationalist ideas.

The action-packed "Valley of the Wolves" has been hugely popular both
as a television series and a movie, but the latest series, "Valley of
the Wolves — Terror", was controversial for its graphic scenes of
violence by the Kurdish separatists.

Turkish nationalists are strongly opposed to Kurdish separatist
rebels who have been fighting for an ethnic homeland in southeastern
Turkey since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed more than 30,000
lives.

The production company, Pana Film, said the broadcaster, Show TV, had
been told to pull the series or lose its licence.

But an official at the regulator, RTUK, said that although more than
13,000 complaints had been received, the decision to stop
broadcasting had come from Show TV.

Earlier this week Turkey’s leading newspaper, Hurriyet, said
regulators had met the head of Show TV to express concerns that the
series could provoke more potential killers like Dink’s 17-year-old
assassin, Ogun Samast.

An official at Show TV declined to comment.

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 14 2007

ARMENIA’S REPORT TO BE DISCUSSED AT JOINT MEETING OF FATF, MONEYVAL
IN STRASBOURG

YEREVAN, February 14. /ARKA/. Armenia’s report is to be discussed at
the joint meeting of FATF and MONEYVAL in the CE Headquarters in
Strasbourg on February 21-23.
The CE press office reported that about 400 leading experts from all
over the world will participate in the first joint meeting of
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Committee of Experts on
the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures (MONEYVAL).
The event is held to strengthen the international cooperation in the
fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. In
particular, the meeting participants will discuss the FATF report on
Turkey and the evaluation report of MONEYVAL on Georgia, as well as
the report made by Cyprus. MONEYVAL will also discuss the report of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, the press release says.
Issues on abuses in VAT system and the problem of money laundering in
the South Africa are also on the agenda.
The CE Secretary-General Terry Davis will open the meeting. The Head
of FATF Frank Sverdlov, the Chairman of MONEYVAL Vasil Kirov and the
CE General Director for Legal Issues Philippe Buayatte will give
press conferences.
46 CE countries are members of MONEYVAL. FATF has 33 country-members.
N.V. -0–

TURKEY AND RUSSIA EXERCISE GEOSTRATEGIC ARMISTICE BUT NOT MULTILATERAL COOPERATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.02.2007 13:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the recent years the Russia-Turkey strategic
relations that used to determine Turkey’s foreign policy for decades
were subjected to severe erosion and lost their real meaning, Dr
Ruben Safrastyan, the Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies
at the RA Academy of Sciences, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In
his words, this can be proved by serious discord between the United
States and Turkey. "Furthermore, with Erdogan’s islamistic Justice
and Development party coming to power, Turkey’s foreign policy
is remarkable for the aspiration to normalize relations with the
neighbor Islam states. However, it’s not to Washington’s liking,"
Safrastyan said.

According to him, the process of political reconciliation between
Turkey and Russia is not smooth, as the principal geopolitical
disagreements have not been settled yet. "The official Russian-Turkish
documents contain the term "multilateral cooperation" instead of
"cooperation" in order to underscore a higher level of relations
between the two states. I prefer the term ‘geostrategic armistice’
that implies the factor of rapprochement of Turkey and Russia with
geopolitical discrepancies maintained. Anyway, we can conclude that
Turkey’s foreign policy tends to independence," Safrastyan said.

VATRAN OSKANIAN TO MEET WITH OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

ArmRadio.am
14.02.2007 15:03

On February 15, in Paris, Minister Oskanian will meet with the
Co-Chairs of OSCE Minsk Group and with the personal representative
of OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

On the following day, February 16 Minister Oskanian, together with
the leadership of the Armenia Fund will meet with the representatives
of those community and donor organizations which are involved in the
Rural Poverty Eradication Program in Armenia and Karabakh.

On February 17, the Minister will join President Kocharian and his
delegation and take part in the activities organized within the
framework of the Year of Armenia in France.

On February 27 and 28, Minister Oskanian is scheduled for a working
visit to Ireland.

On February 20, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier will
visit Armenia.

On February 26 and 27, Mrs. Anna Fotyga, Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Poland, will visit Armenia.

TURKISH NOVELIST FLEES TO US ‘IN FEAR FOR LIFE’

The Daily Telegraph, UK
Feb 14 2007

The Turkish novelist and Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk is living in
exile in the United States and is believed to be in fear for his life.

Amid a climate of intimidation that has seen the prosecution and
even murder of dissident intellectuals throwing into doubt Turkey’s
aspiration to the join the European Union, Mr Pamuk, 54, who is living
in New York, is said to have told friends he has set no deadline for
his return. Instead, according to the prominent Istanbul columnist
Fatih Altayli, the writer has quietly gone into exile.

"What I was told was more than mere rumour," said Mr Altayli. "Pamuk
recently withdrew $400,000 from his bank account and said he would
leave Turkey and would not be returning to his country any time soon."

Following the murder of an ethnic Armenian journalist, Hrant Dink,
last month, Mr Pamuk expressed fears for his own safety. The writer
enraged Turkish nationalists by acknowledging that under the Ottoman
empire Turks had triggered the genocide of one million Armenians
nearly a century ago.

Such is the sensitivity of Mr Pamuk’s position, his agent and others
close to the novelist have declined invitations to comment publicly
on Mr Altayli’s allegation.

During the 1990s Mr Pamuk, whose novels includes Cevdet Bey and
His Sons and The Black Book, began to write candidly about human
rights issues and free speech in Turkey. The country’s authorities
vociferously campaign against any suggestion that the state has
inherited responsibility for the unacknowledged massacre of Armenians.

In an interview with a Swiss newspaper last year, Mr Pamuk said:
"One million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in these lands
but no one but me dares talk about it."

Two weeks ago, Mr Pamuk abruptly cancelled a speaking tour of Germany,
fearing that his engagements would expose him to hostile elements
within the diaspora. Yasin Hayal, a nationalist charged with incitement
to murder Mr Dink, made what appeared to be a threat against Mr Pamuk.

He said: "Orhan Pamuk be careful."

With its candidacy to join the EU already troubled by suspicion of
its Islamic government and the treatment of its Kurdish minority,
Turkey would be dealt a further blow if its most prominent writer
decided he was no longer safe in his homeland.

The damage would be compounded because Mr Pamuk is the foremost
chronicler of Istanbul as the meeting point of Europe and Asia.

In meetings with Western leaders, Abdullah Gul, Turkey’s foreign
minister, has moved to address concerns that the law granted a veneer
of legitimacy to the shadowy figures who were threatening its liberal
intellectuals.

He has promised reforms of an ambiguous law that allows nationalists
to demand punishment for those they accuse of insulting the Turkish
nation.

Mr Gul admitted that Turkey’s standing had been damaged by Mr Dink’s
murder and the threat to Mr Pamuk.

"People outside Turkey think you can be thrown into jail for opening
your mouth," he said.

"They think there are hundreds of journalists and intellectuals in
jail. This is all false."

But he warned that outside pressure for greater tolerance of dissenting
views was counter-productive, strengthening support for nationalist
politicians in the run-up to a general election later this year.

ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA
Office of the Mayor
200 N. Spring St.
Room 303
City of Los Angeles, Ca 90012

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Janelle Erickson
February 14, 2007
(213) 978-0741

MAYOR VILLARAIGOSA ANNOUNCES HIS SUPPORT FOR H. RES. 106 AND CITY OF
LOS ANGELES DIVESTMENT FROM SUDAN

The City of Los Angeles is divesting over $27 million of its
retirement and pension funds from companies aiding the government of
Sudan and rebel groups in the country.

LOS ANGELES – Adding its voice to the international cry to stop the
genocide in Darfur, today Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with city
leaders and human rights activists, announced that the City of Los
Angeles is divesting over $27 million of its pension investments from
companies aiding the government of Sudan and its rebel groups.

`Today the City of Los Angeles is adding its voice to the
international outcry over the genocide in Darfur,’ Mayor Villaraigosa
said. `With the hope of savings lives, the City of Los Angeles is
divesting its holdings from Sudan. We must stand for freedom and
basic human rights for all and we must do everything possible to stop
the killing in Darfur.’

The City of Los Angeles has over $27 million invested in companies who
support the Sudanese government or rebel groups through its employee
pension and retirement funds. These companies have been researched
and identified by the University of California Regents.

The Los Angeles City Employee Retirement System (LACERS) will be
divesting $18 million in holdings of 2 companies. The Police and Fire
Pensions will divest $7.5 million in holdings of 2 companies, and the
Department of Water and Power pension funds will divest $1.8 million
in holdings with 4 companies.

Since July 2003, the genocide in Darfur has been fueled by an ongoing
armed conflict between the Janjaweed militia group and the non-Baggara
people of the region. The Sudanese government, while publicly denying
that it supports the Janjaweed, has provided money and assistance to
the group and has participated in joint attacks systematically
targeting the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups in Darfur.

According to the United Nations, over 400,000 Darfurian civilians have
perished with an estimated 2.5 million people being displaced from
their homes due to violence. Nearly 4 million are now reliant on
humanitarian aid, and 90% of Darfur’s villages have been looted or
destroyed.

On July 23, 2004, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives
unanimously adopted a joint resolution declaring the atrocities in
Darfur to be genocide.

Darfur is located in the western region of Sudan. Sudan is the
largest country in Africa with a population of 41 million people.

Mayor Villaraigosa today also released a letter to the Speaker of the
House, Nancy Pelosi, stating his support for House Resolution 106.

Introduced by Congressman Adam Schiff on January 30, 2007, H.Res 106
places the House of Representatives on record as labeling the Armenian
Genocide as genocide. The Resolution would ensure that U.S. foreign
policy reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning
issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing and genocide – and
ensure that the U.S. record accurately characterizes the systematic
and deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.

# # #

Letter to Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi

February 14, 2007

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
The Capitol, H-232
Washington, DC 20515

Re: H.Res. 106 – Armenian Genocide Recognition

Madame Speaker:

The Armenian Genocide of 1915 was the first government-planned and
orchestrated genocide of the 20th century and a precursor to the
Jewish Holocaust and numerous other acts of inhumanity. As Mayor of
the City of Los Angeles, the home of the largest population of
Armenians outside of Armenia, it is my honor and pleasure to add my
name to the growing list of supporters of House Resolution 106, which
would officially place the U.S. House of Representatives on record as
recognizing the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

Just recently, Hrant Dink, a prominent voice of truth and justice in
Turkey was brutally assassinated because he spoke openly and frankly
about the Armenian Genocide. Dink, the editor of Agos newspaper in
Istanbul, was silenced because he advocated for official Turkish
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. I can think of no better way to
honor his memory and his struggle, along with the memory of over 1.5
million men, women, and children, than for the House of
Representatives to pass this resolution.

Gideon Hausner, the main prosecutor at the war crimes trial of Adolf
Eichmann in Jerusalem in 1961, stated, `No one can demand that you be
neutral toward the crime of genocide. If there is a judge in the whole
world who can be neutral toward this crime, that judge is not fit to
sit in judgment’. As a beacon of light and hope for millions around
the world, the United States should no longer remain neutral toward
this crime against humanity.

For over 90 years now the psyche of the Armenian people has not been
able to heal due to the constant denial and distortion of the Armenian
Genocide by the Republic of Turkey. It is morally unacceptable for
the United States to not properly recognize this terrible chapter of
history and I hope that you can bring this resolution to a full vote
at the earliest possible time.

Very truly yours,

ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA
Mayor

ARV:ai

Areen Ibranossian
Policy Analyst
Office of Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

[email protected]
(213) 922-9781