Author: Kanayan Tamar

Agence France Presse — English
October 13, 2006 Friday

France’s ‘genocide’ bill a ‘booby trap’ against Turkey’s EU bid: press

France has blackened its name as a country of freedom by voting a
controversial bill Thursday on the World War I massacres of
Armenians, Turkish newspapers said Friday, denouncing the draft as a
bid to block Turkey’s struggling bid to join the European Union.

"Genocide of thought," the mass-circulation Hurriyet said on its
front page, one day after the French National Assembly adopted a bill
— by 106 votes to 19 in the 577-seat house — making it a jailable
offence to deny that Armenians were the victims of genocide by
Ottoman Turks betwen 1915-17.

"106 stupid men," the popular daily Vatan blared, describing the
lawmakers who voted for the bill as "Les Miserables", after French
author Victor Hugo’s classic novel.

The mass-circulation Sabah ran, in French, the headline "J’accuse" —
after the title of another French author’s, Emile Zola’s, landmark
1898 article in favor of human rights — and described the bill as
"an unjustified decision that has hurt all Turks".

"France has guillotined democracy," the popular Aksam newspaper said.

Many commentators said the bill aimed to thwart Ankara’s membership
talks with the European Union, which began last year amid widespread
scepticim on whether this mainly Muslim country has a place in
Europe.

"The bill aims to booby trap Turkey’s path to EU membership rather
than touch our sore spot concerning the allegations of Armenian
genocide," a commentator in Sabah said.

"Turkey’s opponents… will now watch from the sidelines to see if we
fall for the trap and, if we do, they will create pandemonium,
arguing that Turkey has failed to adapt to European culture," he
wrote.

"Arrogant France does not want to become equals in the EU with the
Turks it despises," wrote the popular Vatan. "It is trying with this
unjust act to anger Turkey and make it feel insecure in order to sap
its will and determination" to join the EU.

A commentator in the liberal Radikal described the bill as a "blow
below the belt" to discourage Turkey from EU membership, an
alternative to coming up with concrete reasons to oppose Ankara’s
European aspirations.

Milliyet, another liberal daily, said the bill could result in a drop
of already waning public support in Turkey for EU membership.

It said the EU too should oppose the bill, which it described as
"indefensible anywhere in the world."

"This (bill) is a legal freak that the EU should oppose as firmly as
Ankara," it said. "The EU should remind France of the Copenhagen
criteria," the bloc’s basic tenets on human rights and freedoms.

Turkey has threatened retaliatory measures for the bill, which must
be approved by the French Senate and the president before it becomes
law, including barring French companies from potentially lucrative
projects.

Civic groups have said they are considering calling for a public
boycott of French goods.

But many commentators argued that Ankara should think twice before
going down that road and opt for legal action rather than economic
sanctions, which could have a bruising effect on Turkey.

"What we need to do is take steps that will deliver the biggest blow
to France without inflaming the public," a commentator in Sabah said.
"I hope we handle this well, because irrational xenophobia is the
last thing a country financing a… 30 billion dollar current
accounts deficit with foreign investment needs."

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Oct 13 2006

Genocide bill betrays France’s own values: Arinc

There is no evidence to suggest that the Ottoman Empire carried out a
systematic genocide of Armenians, a leading Turkish historian said
Friday.

Güncelleme: 16:34 TSÝ 13 Ekim 2006 CumaANKARA – By making the denial
of the alleged massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire a criminal
offence, France has betrayed its on principles, the speaker of the
Turkish parliament said Friday.

Saying that it was a great disgrace for the French parliament to have
passed such legislation, parliamentary speaker Bulent Arinc said that
the Turkish parliament would probably approve a resolution formally
condemning the decision.

On Thursday, the lower house of the French parliament approved
legislation that foresees fines of 45,000 euros and up to one year in
prison for those convicted of denying that the so-called Armenian
genocide took place.

`This is a big shame for France, and it has betrayed its own values
if any,’ Arinc said `It made this decision, violating all its
principles.’

Another to criticise the vote was Doctor Yusuf Halacoglu, the
chairman of the Turkish History Society. Speaking at a meeting of
representatives of Turkish non-government organisations to discuss
the new French legislation, Halacoglu said there was no indication or
document proving that Turks committed genocide.

In order to prove such allegations, there must be an open intention
to annihilate in a genocide, he said. However what had been
experienced by the Armenians during the Ottoman era was a relocation,
Halacoglu said.

`Not only the Ottoman documents but also the reports of the US
consuls indicated that these people were paid some allowances during
relocation,’ he said. `You won’t allocate appropriations to people
whom you want to annihilate. So it is impossible to define as a
genocide legally what the Armenians had experienced during World War
One.’

Sunday Times, Australia
Oct 14 2006

Armenians rally to support genocide billFrom correspondents in
Yerevan

October 14, 2006 02:30am

AROUND 1000 students rallied in the Armenian capital overnight to
thank the French parliament for backing a bill that would make it a
crime to deny that Turks committed genocide against the Armenians in
the early 20th century.

"Thank You France!" and "Hail French Justice!" read two of the
placards held up by the students from a nationalist youth group, who
waved flags of Armenia and France as they marched through central
Yerevan.

Participants at the rally laid flowers by the French embassy
building.

"With this march we want to express our gratitude to the French
parliament and the French people," said Aik Asatryan, head of the
Dashnaktsutyun group that organised the march.

"We want to say thank you. Despite threats from Turkey, they were not
afraid and took the right decision," Mr Asatryan said.

Participants at the rally presented France’s ambassador to Yerevan,
Henry Cuny, with a letter that read: "With this step France has once
again shown its support for defending human rights and freedom of
speech."

The French parliament on Thursday approved on first reading a bill
that would make it a crime to deny that the 1915-1917 massacres of
Armenians by the Ottoman Turks constituted genocide.

The bill still needs the approval of the Senate and the president to
take effect.

Turkey, which strongly rejects the use of the term genocide in the
sensitive Armenian issue, slammed the vote, saying France had dealt
"a heavy blow" to longstanding bilateral relations.

A1+

FRANCE IS NOT EU YET
[04:01 pm] 13 October, 2006

According to European Union Commissioner for External
Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita
Ferrero-Waldner, the decision of the French Parliament
to criminalize the negation of the Armenian Genocide
will not influence the process of the membership of
Turkey in the EU, Radio station «Azatutyun» informs.

«What happens in France differs from what the EU does
with the country which wants to join the EU»,
announced Benita Ferrero-Waldner on Friday.

The European Union Commissioner also said that «the
issue of the Armenian Genocide is raised in France
periodically because there is a large Armenian
community in the country».

CONCERNS OVER THE POPE’S VISIT TO TURKEY AFTER FATHER SANTORO’S MURDERER IS SENTENCED

AsiaNews.it, Italy
Oct 11 2006

The speedy trial left many grey areas uncovered: eyewitnesses not
called to testify; instigators not investigated. The culprit’s mother
praises the murder calling it "a gift to the state and the nation".

Nationalist-Islamist groups might create problems during the Pope’s
upcoming visit.

Rome (AsiaNews) – The sentence imposed on O.A., the 16-year-old
teenager found guilty of killing Italian priest Fr Andrea Santoro as
he was praying in St Mary’s Church in Trabzon, leaves many questions
unanswered. Whilst the boy’s mother might still defend him saying
"he did the deed in the name of Allah", Mgr Luigi Padovese, apostolic
vicar to Anatolia, views it with some concerns as it might impact
the Pope’s imminent visit to Turkey.

"It is terrible," he told AsiaNews, "that during the trial neither
the boy nor the mother showed any remorse about the murder. In fact
they almost said they would do it again . . . . And if the press
continues to show understanding for this attitude . . . there could
be difficulties" from nationalist-Islamist quarters.

After the announcement of the verdict was postponed nine times for lack
of a unanimous agreement, the court in Trabzon yesterday imposed an
18 year and 10 month prison term, but it is very likely though that
given the boy’s age and other factors, he will spend only seven or
eight years behind bars.

This brings to an end what for the Turkish government was an
embarrassment vis-a-vis Europe.

Never the less, many people are still left with doubts, pondering
over the trial’s haste and the failure to consider certain important
elements.

For instance, O.A. may be guilty in the court’s eyes, Loredana P.,
an Italian eyewitness who was in the church at the time of the murder
(she had come to Trabzon to work as a volunteer at St Mary’s parish),
is unwavering in saying that the hand and arm she saw shooting at the
priest could not be that of the boy. But she was not even heard at
the trial, which was held in camera without any representative from
either the Church or Italy.

Another element in the case that was not fully investigated was the
gun the boy allegedly used in shooting the priest, a type of gun that
was also used in the May killing of High Court Judge Mustafa Yucel
Ozbilgin, one that is quite expensive. This fact raises an important
question. How could O.A. get a hold of such a gun? And if it belonged
to his father, how could the latter get it since he is not rich?

Similarly, the court failed to look into the boy’s background, the
environment in which he was born and raised.

At the end the trial O.A.’s mother was asked what she felt. Her answer
sounds like an apology for murder. "Had he been put in jailed for
breaking the law or not respecting state rules, it would have been
a shame for us, a curse, but he is being punished for deed committed
in the name of Allah. For this reason I have nothing to say. I have
faith in man’s and God’s justice."

During the trial she always defended her son without showing any
remorse. Instead, she said her son’s deed "was a gift to the state
and the nation," that her condemned son "is a victim for Allah."

Yesterday, she went as far as comparing him to Ali Agca, the would-be
murderer of Pope John Paul II and told her son to shout "Allah Akhbar",
Allah is great.

O.A.’s brother also defended him and said that the fault lies with
Western provocations, their "attack against the nation". He accused
the West and the "American dogs" of causing all evils.

"It is clear," said Mgr Padovese, "that the background that made
Santoro’s murder possible is nationalist-Islamist. That milieu
is scary because it embodies the soul of some segments of Turkish
society, increasingly inflexible, justifying violence. It is terrible
that throughout the trial mother and son showed no remorse for the
murder. In fact they almost said they would do it again."

Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit Turkey in late November. "I
hope," said the apostolic vicar, "that this [the trial] will have no
repercussions on the Holy Father’s visit to Turkey."

"The local press has given little coverage to the trial and the
sentence imposed on Father Santoro’s murderer," he noted. "They are
more concerned with censuring France which is trying to acknowledge
the Armenian genocide."

"If the press keeps up this attitude of defending the murderer’s deed
and accusing the Church, the sentence might have some influence on
the Pope’s visit," he added.

"Fr Andrea Santoro was falsely accused of proselytising, of buying
conversions and forcing young Muslims to adopt the Christian faith.

If the press pursues this line, there might be difficulties, not so
much from the government but from nationalist-Islamist groups."

International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Turkey: A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation

Vienna, 10 October 2006– The International Helsinki Federation for Human
Rights (IHF) today published a 26-page briefing paper entitled Turkey: A
Minority Policy of Systematic Negation. The briefing paper discusses the
legal basis for Turkey’s restrictive minority polices, its interpretation by
authorities, and an abundant misuse of laws against minority members and
individuals who seek to promote minority rights and protection. It also
takes up case examples of how the rights of various ethnic, religious and
linguistic minority groups including the Kurds, the Armenians, the Greek,
the Alevis, the Laz, the Circassians, and the Roma are violated. In
addition, the paper addresses the situation of sexual minorities in Turkey.

`When discussing Turkey’s possible membership in the European Union, the
manner in which Turkey treats its minorities should constitute a central
criterion in judging the country’s observance of human rights. Today,
Turkey’s minority protection still falls seriously short of European
standards. A policy that is characterized by the failure to recognize the
mere existence of most minorities, continued legal prosecution of people who
speak about minorities or historical facts about them, and the reluctance to
solve basic problems faced by minorities, is unacceptable from a human
rights point of view,’ said Ulrich Fischer, president of the IHF.

Turkey continues to practice a policy of `Turkification,’ which it adopted
in the early 20th century. This policy amounts to a form of cultural
assimilation that fails to recognize individuals’ rights to ethnic,
national, and religious self-identification, and aims at forced assimilation
with a Turkish identity. It encompasses several strategies whose rationale
violates, in one way or another, internationally guaranteed standards for
minority rights. These strategies still include: denying formal recognition
of minority groups; hindering their access to the media; limiting their
political participation; violating their freedom of expression (especially
in their own language); impeding their freedom of religion; refraining from
facilitating their freedom of movement and to choose their place of
residence; and practicing or tolerating various other forms of direct and
indirect discrimination.

Turkey bases its minority policies on the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 and
claims to be bound only by this treaty c which itself is entirely obsolete
in light of current international standards for minority rights and
protection. Moreover, while the treaty provides for protection for all
non-Muslim minorities, all Turkish governments in the past more than 80
years have interpreted the treaty to guarantee protection only to three
minority groups: the Armenian Orthodox Christians, the Greek Orthodox
Christians, and the Jews. What is more, these groups are recognized only as
religious minorities r not as ethnic.

While Turkey has no laws in place specifically addressing minority issues,
an abundance of laws are misused against individuals who have sought to
promote minority rights, or even to address the existence of minorities.
These include inter alia the penal code, anti-terrorism legislation and laws
regulating the operation political parties and other associations.

For example, addressing the issue of discrimination against minorities, or
considering that Armenians in Turkey were victims of genocide, has been
prosecuted under the penal code for `inciting enmity or hatred among the
population’ or `denigration of Turkishness.’ Further, in 2005, Turkey’s
largest teachers’ union, Egitim Sen, was closed down for defending the right
to education in children’s mother tongues. In addition, the formal closure
of the pro-Kurdish DEHAP and HAK-PAR parties are pending with the
Constitutional Court for `creating minorities’ and using prohibited
languages in election activities.

Police continue to interfere in demonstrations and open-air meetings
organized by Kurdish activists many of whom have stood trial for
participating in them. Recent reforms that have lifted some language
restrictions in broadcasting and education of minority languages have been
clearly insufficient. By law, it is prohibited to use any other language but
Turkish in political activities.

Legislation regulating the operation of religious minorities treats Muslim
and non-Muslim religious communities in different ways and therefore amounts
to a serious challenge to freedom of religion and religious tolerance. In
practice, non-Muslim minorities enjoy restricted property rights, face
interference in the management of their `foundations, ‘ and a ban on
training their own clergy. But also Muslim minorities, such as the Alevis,
for example, experience difficulties in having their places of worship
recognized because authorities regard them as a cultural group, not
religious. In addition, reports persist that all religious minority leaders
remain under government surveillance.

While, under the Lausanne Treaty, non-Muslim religious minorities have the
right to give language education in their own language, in practice the
proper functioning of minority schools is hindered in several ways.

An old settlement act from 1934 explicitly discriminates against Roma
(`itinerant gypsies’) by forbidding their settlement in Turkey. In addition,
Roma are frequently treated as second-class citizens and therefore
discriminated against in employment, housing, and in access to medical care.

In the 1980s and 1990s, more than 378,000 Kurds were displaced and more than
3,000 villages completely destroyed under the pretext of combating the PKK
insurgency. Despite some legal steps and projects to ensure the return of
IDPs, the measures taken so far are clearly insufficient and partially
discriminatory.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey but sexual minorities are exposed to
various forms of discrimination and harassment. For example, groups
promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights have faced
difficulties in trying to register officially; they have been under the
threat of closure; gay marches have been banned and police have failed to
protect their participants against angry mobs; and a whole print run of a
gay magazine was recently confiscated.

The IHF briefing paper Turkey: A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation is
posted at
?sec_id=3&d_id=4318 (under
Recent Reports)

For more information:
Ulrich Fischer, IHF president, tel. +49-170-807 24 13
Henriette Schroeder, press officer, +43-1-408 88 22 or mobile +43-676-725 48
29

SUREN ABRAHAMIAN CLAIMS THAT IRRESPECTIVE OF WHO ORDERED VIOLENCE AGAINST HIM, PM IS RESPONSIBLE

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 9 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Irrespective of who ordered the
act of violence committed against him, the prime minister Andranik
Margarian is to blame. Major General Suren Abrahamian, member of the
political board of the Republic Party, former mayor of Yerevan and
former minister of internal affairs, made this statement during the
October 9 press conference convened by the Republic Party.

According to him, on October 8 at about 10 am he was beaten by some
unknown persons at 16 Kievian Street. Having inflicted injuries to him,
these persons took to flight. He said that while delivering blows, one
of the men demanded several times that he should go and appologize to
the prime minister, whom S. Abrahamian accused of being criminalized
at a regular meeting of Anticriminal forces.

According to S. Abrahamian, if this was a provocation organized by
some third force to discredit the prime minister, A. Margarian has all
opportunities to arrest the crime executors and thus clear himsellf of
unreasonable accusations. It was noted that by disclosing this crime,
the prime minister will be able to identify his real enemy because
"not Abrahamian but those standing close to the prime minister are
his enemies."

S. Abrahamian said that in connection with the incident, many members
of the opposition expressed their support for him. The ARF Bureau
member, NA Vice Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian expressed his regret in
connection with what has happened.

The Republic Party consideres the violence committed against
S. Abrahamian as an act of terror and political settling of accounts.

This is said in the statement issued by the party’s political board.

"The incident was an action done on somebody’s instructions, and
those who ordered it should be looked for in the criminal elite of
the Armenian authorities," the statement reads.

According to Aram Z. Sargsian, chairman of the political board of
the Republic Party, this was a political order directed against the
party. In his words, the fact that the notorious cases of the recent
period remain undisclosed shows that the authorities are behind them.

He stated that the party will continue its mode of action, and the
authorities will not succeed into provoking them to illegal reciprocal
actions.

According to Gegham Harutyunian, member of the party’s political board,
the incident is connected with the statements made by S.

Abrahamian recently. As regards the fact that the assaulter mentioned
the prime minister’s name several times, he noted that this might be
an attempt to conceal the name of the real person who ordered this
act of violence.

NEW JERSEY ARMENIANS ENDORSE MENENDEZ FOR US SENATE ELECTIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2006 16:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of New Jersey,
the grassroots voice of over 50,000 Garden State Armenian families,
has endorsed the candidacy of Senator Bob Menendez, reports ANCA. "Bob
Menendez, a true champion for Armenian Americans in New Jersey and
across the country, is our clear choice for US Senate," said ANC-NJ
Chairwoman Ani Tchaghlasian. "We value Bob Menendez’s principled
leadership on Armenian issues – most notably his firm stand against the
Hoagland nomination – and will encourage all Armenians – Democrats,
Republicans and independents – to go to the polls in support of his
candidacy on November 7th," she said.

NEW MONUMENT TO HOLOCAUST AND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN YEREVAN
By Ruzan Poghosian

AZG Armenian Daily
11/10/2006

The Jewish community of Armenia will unveil a new monument to the
Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide in Circular Park in Yerevan
on October 27. The monument will come to replace a memorial plaque
erected in 1999. Head of the Jewish community, Rima Varzhapetian,
says the new monument is unique as it is dedicated not only to the
Holocaust but also the Armenian Genocide, thus uniting the sufferings
of the two peoples.

"We are very thankful to the Armenian authorities for providing a site
for the memorial plaque to the victims of the Holocaust in 1999. An
idea to erect a new monument to the Armenians who saw the first
genocide of the 20th century and to the Jews exterminated during
the WWII has been haunting me since that time. I am very pleased
that my idea has become reality thanks to the support of the Jewish
community, the Republican Party, Nushikian Association and others,"
says Rima Varzhapetian.

A great number of guests from different countries will be invited to
the unveiling ceremony and round tables will be held to discuss the
consequences of the genocides of the 20th century. "We want to prove
once again that the Jews of Armenia strive for good deeds and have
no aim of doing harm to the state. We are hopeful that no scoundrel
will dare to deface the monument as it is dedicated to the memory of
nations who were victims of barbaric actions," Mrs. Varzhapetian says.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

Son Excellence
Monsieur Jacques Chirac
Président
de la République Française
Paris

Monsieur le Président,

En tant que Catholicos et Chef Spirituel de l’Eglise Arménienne Orthodoxe,
Siège de Cilicie, je salue, avec une joie particulière, votre dernière
déclaration à Erévan concernant le Génocide Arménien, où vous exprimez,
encore une fois, la position ferme et claire du peuple français à l’égard de
cette réalité historique.

Les Arméniens de Cilicie ont subi particulièrement le Génocide et ses
effets, suite auquel le Catholicossat Arménien de Cilicie a été forcé de
quitter son siège historique à Cilicie et s’est établi à Antélias, Liban.

La France, par sa fidélité aux valeurs humaines et aux principes de Droit et
de Justice est un modèle pour tous les pays qui continuent à dénier le
Génocide Arménien.

Le négationisme ne peut générer que de nouvaux génocides et par suite la
Communaute Internationale doit traiter sérieusement la question du Génocide
Arménien, qui reste toujours impuni. Je crois au dialogue entre les
cultures, les religions et les nations. C’est un thème que j’ai constamment
soulevé dans mes messages, mes interventions publiques et mes livres.
Cependant, c’est la proclamation de la vérité qui doit conduire au dialogue
et à la réconciliation.

l’Europe n’est pas un continent géographique, ni même une entité politique.
L’Europe est essentiellement une communauté de valeurs culturelles et
morales fondé sur les Droits de l’Homme. Par suite, je pose la question: où
est la place de la Turquie dans cette communauté?
Monsieur le Président,

Votre position en faveur d’une reconaissance du Génocide Arménien est digne
de la France, digne des principes relevés et défendus par la France, et du
rôle unique joué par la France dans le monde, en faveur de la défense des
Droits de l’Homme.

Je vous prie d’agréer, Monsieur le Président, mes remerciements les plus
profonds.

Avec mes
prières et mes bénédictions,

ARAM I

CATHOLICOS DE CILICIE
Antélias, Liban

##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of the
Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.