Author: Karapetian Hovik

RA HEALTH MINISTER CONSIDERS INFORMATION OF FDA ABOUT ‘JERMUK’ MINERAL WATER EXAGGERATED

Arminfo
2007-03-30 12:47:00

A panic concerned with an intolerable content of arsenic in the
mineral water "Jermuk" is unjustified and exaggerated. This water and
the content of arsenic in it meets all the parameters of RA GOST on
safety and quality of the natural mineral waters. Along with it, like
any other medical water, it should be used by doctor’s recommendation,
and as a table water – in definite quantities, the RA Health Minister
Norair Davidyan told ArmInfo, commenting on the information of FDA
about the mineral water "Jermuk" being hazardous for health.

He underlined that the indicators of arsenic content, given by FDA,
require fundamental and additional investigations. "I do not know what
they were checking but it is unambiguous that one should be based
on the results of analyses on one bottle only. Moreover, despite
the fact the human organism consist of water by 80%, the people are
contra-indicated to drink two pails of water at once. The same refers
to the indicators of chemical harmlessness of the mineral water,
which are determined by the values and ratios of their indicators. At
least, we drink the "Jermuk" and feel well. At that, we do not forget
that it is very useful in definite proportions and prescriptions",
N. Davidyan said.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
March 30, 2007
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS

Assembly One of 16 Organizations Invited to Testify at the Public
Witness Hearing

Washington, DC – Testifying before the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations Appropriations and Related
Programs, which decides assistance levels to Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh, Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny urged the
Subcommittee to continue funding for Armenia at "not less than" $75
million and to allocate $10 million for Nagorno Karabakh. 

"It is essential that significant assistance to Armenia be maintained
in the face of the fourteen-year blockades by its neighbors, Turkey
and Azerbaijan," said Ardouny, and also noted the "compelling
humanitarian and development needs" in Karabakh. "We also urge the
Subcommittee to institute new report language requiring a full
accounting of the steps the U.S. has taken and the responses therein
to eliminate these blockades," he continued.

With respect to regional cooperation, Ardouny stressed that "ongoing
attempts to isolate Armenia, such as the Azeri-proposed rail bypass of
Armenia, run counter to U.S. policy goals," and urged the Subcommittee
to build upon legislation (H.R. 3361) introduced last Congress by
Subcommittee Member and Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg
(R-MI) to combat such attempts and look for opportunities to promote
regional cooperation. "For example, funding should be made available
to provide for minor repairs needed to open the existing Kars-Gyumri
rail link between Turkey and Armenia."

Ardouny also expressed the Armenian Assembly’s extreme concern with
the "inclusion of counterproductive language" in State Department
reports and noted that language "labeling Armenia as an occupier is
not only patently false, but also directly contradicts the U.S. role
as a mediator and undermines" U.S. credibility.  Ardouny’s testimony
urged that it be "corrected post haste."

While noting that the Armenian Assembly supports the purpose of the
Millennium Challenge Act (MCA) to improve democracy and good
governance in Armenia, Ardouny shared the concerns raised by many
Members of the Subcommittee, including Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY),
that MCA funds "should not be used as a substitute" for other funding
priorities.  Specifically, it should not be used as a justification to
cut the Freedom Support Act (FSA), which provides critically important
assistance programs to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.    Ardouny drew
attention to Azerbaijan’s ongoing war rhetoric, "despite U.S. demands
to cease such  provocative actions," and called on the Subcommittee to
carefully monitor U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan "to ensure that the
principle of military and security parity" envisioned with the
conditional waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act "is
maintained throughout all funding areas." Further, should Baku
continue its anti-Armenian rhetoric, Ardouny urged the Subcommittee
"to suspend the waiver authority it granted and reinstate Section 907"
of the Freedom Support Act.

Ardouny also underscored the importance of Armenia’s energy security
and "urged the Subcommittee to utilize the tools at its disposal to
pave the way for Armenia’s full inclusion in, and contribution to,
existing and future energy and development projects."

In addition to the Armenian Assembly of America, the following
organizations testified before the Subcommittee: Georgetown University
Center for Intercultural Education and Development, The Asia
Foundation, Alliance for International Educational and Cultural
Exchange, National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes, Basic Education
Coalition, World Wildlife Fund, The Population Institute, Interns for
Peace, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, The GAVI Fund,
Internews Network, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Refugees International, Helen
Keller International, and Kiwanis International.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

###

NR#2007-043

Edit or’s Note:  Attached is the full text of Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny’s written testimony.

Testimony by Bryan Ardouny, Executive Director, Armenian Assembly of
America, Inc. Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related
Programs Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives

March 29, 2007

Madame Chairwoman Lowey, Ranking Member Wolf, and distinguished
Members of the Subcommittee, the Armenian Assembly of America
appreciates the opportunity to submit testimony regarding
U.S. assistance and policy in the Caucasus generally, and with respect
to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh specifically. The Assembly requests
that Armenia receive "not less than" $75 million and that $10 million
be allocated to Nagorno Karabakh from the FREEDOM Support Act
(FSA). In addition, we urge the Subcommittee to maintain military
parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan as envisioned by the conditional
waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act by providing equal
allocations of $4.3 million in Foreign Military Financing and $1
million in International Military Education and Training.

Recommendations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008

1. Assistance to Armenia

The Assembly urges the Subcommittee to maintain U.S. assistance to
Armenia in FY 2008 at a level of "not less than" $75 million.   It is
essential that significant assistance to Armenia be maintained in the
face of the fourteen-year blockades imposed by its neighbors, Turkey
and Azerbaijan.

Despite the dual blockades, Armenia’s economic reform measures are
progressing, as demonstrated by the Wall Street Journal and Heritage
Foundation’s "2007 Index of Economic Freedom," which ranked Armenia
32nd in the world.  In addition, the World Bank report "Armenia as a
Caucasian Tiger: Sustainable Economic Growth Maintenance Policies,"
released in March of this year, praised Armenia’s strong record of
performance noting that since independence in 1991, Armenia’s economy
has grown faster than that of any other post-Soviet state, excluding
the Baltics.

While we welcome the spirit and intent of the Millennium Challenge Act
(MCA) and the compact between the United States and Armenia, currently
under implementation, we share the concerns raised by many members of
the Subcommittee that MCA funding should not be used as a substitute
for funding in other areas.  Specifically, MCA funding for Armenia,
which supports rural roads and irrigation infrastructure development,
should not be used as a justification to cut FSA funding that promotes
economic and institutional reforms, democracy-building and civil
society development.

2. Elimination of Blockades, Regional Cooperation and Energy Security

Despite successful reforms, Armenia’s full economic potential cannot
be realized as long as its eastern and western borders remain under
blockade. The United States should ensure that concrete steps are
taken to remove the blockades, thereby alleviating the financial
hardships they cause. We urge the Subcommittee to institute new report
language requiring a full accounting of the steps the U.S. has taken
and the responses therein to eliminate the Turkish and Azeri blockades
of Armenia. 

Ongoing attempts to isolate Armenia from regional projects, such as
the Azeri-proposed rail bypass of Armenia, run counter to stated
U.S. policy goals of regional cooperation and economic
integration. Azerbaijan’s President had this to say about the rail
bypass: "If we succeed with this project, the Armenians will end in
complete isolation, which would create an additional problem for
their future, their already bleak future." We, therefore, urge this
Subcommittee to build upon and further enhance legislation H.R. 3361
that prevents the use of taxpayer funding of a rail bypass of
Armenia, by ensuring its implementation as a matter of
policy. Introduced last Congress by Rep. Knollenberg, H.R. 3361
enjoyed the support of many members of the Subcommittee, including
Chairwoman Lowey, Reps. Jackson, Schiff, Kirk, Rothman, and
McCollum. We urge the Subcommittee to undertake measures, such as the
full enactment of H.R. 3361, that combat these counterproductive
actions and ensure that Armenia has the resources to overcome such
obstacles. For example, funding should be made available to provide
for minor repairs needed to open the existing Kars-Gyumri rail link
that connects Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia, which would serve to
foster regional cooperation.

We also wish to draw the attention of the Subcommittee to Armenia’s
energy security – a fundamental element of the country’s economic
vitality. During the past decade, strategic energy projects launched
with U.S. support in the South Caucasus have created long-term
development opportunities for most of the nations in the region. 
However, these initiatives have not benefited Armenia, due to the
Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. The Armenian Assembly, therefore,
urges the Subcommittee to utilize the tools at its disposal to pave
the way for Armenia’s full involvement in, and contribution to,
existing and future energy and development projects in the region. The
Assembly also urges parallel U.S. assistance targeted to help Armenia
address critical energy security needs through diversified and
affordable sources of energy, including non-hydrocarbon, in order to
reduce the risk of overdependence on limited regional routes or
suppliers.

3. U.S. Military Assistance  

The Assembly urges the Subcommittee to maintain security assistance
parity and requests $4.3 million in Foreign Military Financing, and $1
million in International Military Education Training assistance to
Armenia. The conditional waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support
Act makes it clear that any assistance provided shall not "undermine
or hamper" the Karabakh peace process or "be used for offensive
purposes against Armenia" or any "Armenian community in the Caucasus
region."  The President must consult with Congress prior to the
provision of any assistance under the agreement and report to Congress
"in detail" on "the nature and quantity" of such assistance, its
impact on the "military balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia" and
negotiations over Karabakh.  Finally, there was an understanding
between the Administration and Congress to ensure military parity
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Providing asymmetrical military assistance to Azerbaijan violates the
will of Congress, subverts the short- and long-term U.S. policy goals
for the South Caucasus region, and will only serve to legitimize
Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockades against Armenia and Karabakh, thereby
making its position at the negotiating table even more intransigent. 

In fact, Azerbaijan continues its unabated war rhetoric against
Armenia, despite U.S. demands to cease such provocative
actions. Rather than heed U.S. and European Union calls for
cooperation with Armenia, Azerbaijan has rejected Armenia’s numerous
proposals for economic and regional confidence-building, and has
instead dramatically increased its military spending to levels that
nearly equal Armenia’s entire national budget. Given Azerbaijan’s
escalating military expenditures, the Subcommittee is encouraged to
continue supporting military parity in the region by adjusting its
policy accordingly. In addition, we encourage the Subcommittee to
carefully monitor military assistance given to Azerbaijan through
other assistance programs, such as the Caspian Guard initiative, to
ensure that the principle of military and security parity is
maintained throughout all funding areas.

Meanwhile, the U.S.-Armenia military relationship, at both the
bilateral and Euro-Atlantic levels, has grown, as evidenced by
Armenia’s continued participation in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq,
as well as in Kosovo as part of the NATO peacekeeping mission.  Last
year, Armenia’s partnership with NATO expanded significantly due to
the entry into force of its Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP).  Recently, Armenia held the "Week of NATO," which included the
formal opening of the NATO Information Center in the capital city of
Yerevan. NATO’s Deputy Secretary-General for Public Diplomacy Jean
Fournet, stated that "Armenia has reached real progress in the
implementation of IPAP" and that "…The leadership of the Alliance is
satisfied with the results already achieved…"

The Assembly strongly believes that it is in the U.S. national
interest to build upon this important area of cooperation with Armenia
at both bilateral and Euro-Atlantic levels, and looks forward to
working with the Subcommittee to further expand U.S.-Armenia military
relations.

4. Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act

Given the ongoing war rhetoric emanating from Azerbaijan, the Assembly
urges the vigorous monitoring of the conditional waiver of Section 907
of the FREEDOM Support Act to ensure the safety of Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh, and expects the Administration to provide substantive
reporting in this regard.   As the Subcommittee is aware, in the
aftermath of September 11th, pursuant to then-Secretary of State Colin
Powell’s request for flexibility to counter terrorist elements and
organizations operating in Azerbaijan, Congress granted a conditional
and limited waiver to Section 907.  While safeguards were built into
the waiver, the Assembly remains deeply troubled by the continued war
rhetoric emanating from senior Azerbaijani officials.  Should
Azerbaijan not cease its increasingly anti-Armenian rhetoric, the
Armenian Assembly urges this Subcommittee to suspend the waiver
authority it granted and reinstate Section 907. 

5. Assistance to Nagorno Karabakh (NK)

The Assembly commends the vision and leadership of the Subcommittee
for its continued support of critical assistance to NK.  We request
that the Subcommittee allocate $10 million for Karabakh in FY 2008. 
While progress has been made in Karabakh, there are still many
compelling humanitarian and development needs resulting from the war
launched against the people of Karabakh by Azerbaijan. For example,
out of some 5,000 homes damaged or destroyed by the war, only a
fraction have been restored.  In addition, many healthcare, education,
drinking water, sanitation and other needs have yet to be addressed,
including the urgent need for a new public hospital in
Stepanakert. The Assembly strongly urges the Subcommittee to ensure
that continued funding be provided to rehabilitate damaged
infrastructure and encourage development.

6. Peace Process (the Nagorno Karabakh conflict)

The Assembly praises the Subcommittee for previously providing funding
for confidence-building measures to help facilitate a peaceful
resolution of the Karabakh conflict.  In order to facilitate peace,
the Assembly requests that these funds continue to be made available
for increased cooperation among Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh.  In
particular, the Assembly recommends that the Subcommittee urge
Azerbaijan to support confidence-building measures that facilitate
interaction among the parties, in order to address the region’s urgent
safety and development needs jointly, while also working toward a
negotiated settlement.

Further, we are extremely concerned with the inclusion of
counterproductive language regarding Nagorno Karabakh in the State
Department Reports on Human Rights Practices for Armenia and
Azerbaijan. We urge that it be corrected post haste as the language
labeling Armenia as an occupier is not only patently false, but also
directly contradicts the U.S. role as a mediator and undermines the
credibility of its effort. We understand that State Department
officials have acknowledged this mistake. Finally, we urge the
Subcommittee to institute report language that  supports the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts to find a mutually acceptable
resolution of the conflict among all three parties – Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.

7. Conclusion

Madame Chairwoman, on behalf of the Armenian-American community, I
would like to express our deep and sincere gratitude to Congress for
its assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.  Armenian-Americans
remember the support the U.S. provided during Karabakh’s struggle
throughout the Soviet era, and America’s proud World War I record of
intervention during the Armenian Genocide. The enduring and natural
bonds that exist between the U.S. and Armenia are readily apparent in
Armenia’s ongoing support for America. 

Armenia stands at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and on the
frontlines in the new war against terrorism. Armenians in Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh look to the United States as the leader of the
Western world and a beacon of hope in pursuit of freedom and
self-determination. They stand ready to help America ensure the defeat
of terrorism and triumph of democracy.

The Armenian Assembly of America greatly appreciates your attention to
these very important matters and looks forward to working with the
distinguished Members of the Subcommittee throughout the 110th
Congress.

JULIE FINLEY: OSCE MINSK GROUP’S ROLE IN SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT HAS NOT WEAKENED

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
March 29 2007

"I can not say that the current situation in the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict shows weakening role of the OSCE Minsk Group
in this process," US Ambassador to OSCE Julie Finley told journalists
in Baku, APA reports.

Saying that OSCE MG continues to play a main role in the negotiations
for the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan, the ambassador noted that the European Union is also
taking part in this process.

"OSCE’s role in the negotiating process is not weakening. On the
contrary, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miguel Angel Moratinos and his
predecessor Karel de Gucht have always supported the settlement of
the conflict. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains to be one of the
most difficult conflicts," the ambassador underlined.

There will be a need for ideology

Yerkir.am
March 23, 2007

The electoral campaign will soon start officially. Will it be a
contest of ideas or will the political forces use the strategy of
denouncing others to appear as the most honest ones? Will they speak
about their platforms, ideas? Or will they prefer political
advertising based on black PR? We asked member of ARF’s parliamentary
faction, writer Ruben Hovsepian to comment on these questions.

R.H.: Let me say first that the campaign has started long ago. Neither
this campaign nor the official campaign that will soon start will be a
contest of ideas. Today it is even difficult to say that our political
arena is truly political. It is more electoral with the only question
being who will get more votes. And the means do not matter. Political
forces resort to all sorts of means except for politics and
ideology. From what I have observed, I can make one conclusion ` the
campaign will continue in the same way. There are very few ideological
entities in our political arena and even these few ones will be forced
not to adhere to their ideologies once they see the forms of electoral
campaign practiced by the majority. They too will resort to other
measures to get votes. Of course, the elections will take place, maybe
they will even be free and fair. Elections are a political action, and
therefore in this respect the country appears to be in a stalemate, or
even worse, it experiences a regress. Because it is not the contest of
ideologies that leads the electoral processes.

Q: Does the society need ideology?

A: I cannot clear say now if it does or does not. But I know that
these elections will be the bottom line after which the society will
feel nostalgic for some ideology. The political parties and policy
makers have developed this attitude towards the elections in the
society. However, the society also develops by itself and I think it
will feel a need for ideology in the coming years. The demand for
ideology will rise and the greater this demand becomes, the more
important ARF’s role will be. The reason is that ARF is the strongest
political party in terms of its ideological content.

Q: In the pre-electoral chaos, people sometimes find themselves
joining this or that party without often knowing what party that is,
or what ideology it carries. Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly
Vahan Hovhannissian also made a statement on this calling on people
not to give their passports to anyone. Do you think this is a result
of indifference towards political processes?

A: As I already said, the political arena is not political in reality;
ideas do not matter in our politics. This is the same logic that
underlies the practice of changing parties by our politicians. We have
an atmosphere in which such changes of political affiliation are not
considered shameful. No matter how hard they try to explain that they
change their political affiliation not for the purpose of getting into
the parliament one thing is clear: there is a collective entity that
is called political party, faction, or whatever you want to call it,
that has its own ideology, and if you can change ideological
affiliation so easily explaining your act by the justification that
there are so many parties and they are so similar to each other that
it does not matter which one you join, well then¦ It does matter
because the society, no matter how low it has fallen together with the
politics, it still can see and understand. The society might follow
the same decline as the politics is undergoing, but there comes a
point below which no further decline is possible. At this point the
society will feel the need for ideology. Once this need is
materialized all these phenomena will be eliminated, the society
itself will reject them. These elections will be the end point. The
next elections will aim at restoration and rehabilitation of the
society.

Q: As opposed to the elections in 2003, the opposition failed to
unite. Were ambitions the reason for this? Will the opposition’s being
fragmented intensify the electoral campaign?

A: To be sincere, yes there are some considerations deriving from
individuals ‘ ambitions. But I think it would not have been correct if
the opposition had united. If they had the intention to unite they
should do it in another way. If I were in the opposition, I would
suggest to do the following: why does it matter to be in one list? Go
for elections under different lists but support each other. What does
it mean to work together? It means to be different but together. While
unification would mean that they all would become the same. It is
impossible to unite people who have different positions, this would be
an artificial unification.

Q: What will be the different of the next parliament from the present
one? A: My considerations presented above do not allow me to say that
the next parliament will be better than this one. One of the
advantages of the new parliament will be that some people from this
parliament might not get into the new parliament. I am sure that the
political arena in the country will change when new people appear on
it. But these should not be arbitrary people. The most useful thing
about the new parliament will be that it will generate the need, the
nostalgia for ideology that I was speaking about. The absurd situation
will get to a point after which the improvement of the political arena
and the society will become an imperative.

By Karine MANGASSARIAN

PRELIMINARY VERSION OF RA MILITARY DOCTRINE MUST BE PREPARED BY APRIL
17: LAST INTERVIEW OF ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER ANDRANIK MARKARIAN TO
"NOYAN TAPAN"

YEREVAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Below is the RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian’s answer to to NT’s question concerning the RA
National Security Strategy. The answer was given two days before the
death of the prime minister. NT: Mr. Prime Minister, the RA National
Security Strategy was adopted by the February 7 decree of the Armenian
president. The same decree also contains a assignment to the Armenian
government to "ensure … the development and approval of programs
envisaged by provisions of the national security strategy." Has the
current government initiated or will it initiate development of the
indicated programs, or it will be done by the future government to be
formed after the parliamentary elections on May 12? Andranik
Margarian: The government has started developing programs envisaged by
provisions of the national security strategy. A short time after
adoption of the RA president’s Decree on Approval of the National
Security Strategy of the Republic of Armenia – on February 13, 2007,
the RA prime minister assigned the RA defence minister Serge Sargsian
to ensure the fulfilment of the assignment of Point 2 of the
presidential decree. According to the Feruary 26 order of the RA
defence minister, a commission was created to coordinate the work on
development of the draft military doctrine and its appendices on the
basis of the RA National Security Strategy. The commission must
present the preliminary version of the draft by April 17.

GREAT BRITAIN’S PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR SENDS CONDOLENCE MESSAGE TO
PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on
behalf of the British Government, has sent a message to President
Kocharian expressing his condolences to the family of Prime Minister
Margarian and to the Armenian people at this sad time. As NT was
informed from the Embassy of Great Britain in RA, the British Embassy
in Yerevan will fly its flags at half-mast on 28 March, as a sign of
respect.

World War 4 Report, NY
March 23 2007

Turkey rattles sabre at Iraqi Kurdistan – again

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, joined by MPs, military chiefs
and diplomats, say up to 3,800 PKK fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan are
preparing for attacks into Turkish territory – and Turkey is ready to
hit back if the US fails to act. Said Gul: "We will do what we have
to do, we will do what is necessary. Nothing is ruled out. I have
said to the Americans many times: suppose there is a terrorist
organisation in Mexico attacking America. What would you do?… We
are hopeful. We have high expectations. But we cannot just wait
forever."

"If they are killing our soldiers … and if public pressure on the
government increases, of course we will have to intervene," said Ali
Riza Alaboyun, an MP for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
Justice and Development party. "It is the legal right of any country
to protect its people and its borders."

Turkish sources told The Guardian that "hot pursuit" special forces
operations into northern Iraq’s Khaftanin and Qanimasi regions are
already underway.

The PKK has responded to the bellicose rhetoric in kind. Murat
Karayilan, a PKK leader, said this week that a "mad war" was in
prospect unless Ankara backed off.

Fighting between Turkish security forces and Kurdish guerillas has
claimed 37,000 lives since 1984. The last Turkish incursion into Iraq
occurred 10 years ago, when 40,000 troops were sent across the border
to hunt down PKK stronholds.

The Guardian reports a firm Turkish belief that the US is playing a
"double game" in Iraqi Kurdistan. Officials say the CIA is covertly
funding and arming the PKK’s sister organisation, the Iran-based
Kurdistan Free Life party, to destabilise the Iranian government.

The Guardian also cites US acquiescence in plans to hold a referendum
in oil-rich Kirkuk in northern Iraq. Turkey suspects Iraqi Kurds are
seeking control of Kirkuk as a prelude to the creation of an
independent Kurdistan.

The Turks are also incensed by a pending US Congressional resolution
blaming Turkey for genocide against the Armenians in 1915. Faruk
Logoglu, a former ambassador to Washington, said that if the
resolution passed, relations "could take generations to recover."
(The Guardian, March 23)

Daily Georgian Times, Georgia
March 24 2007

Ministers Foreign Affairs Of Georgia And Armenia Discuss Issues
Related To Bilateral Cooperation

Gela Bezhuashvili, Minister of foreign Affairs of Georgia, and Vardan
Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, are discussing
bilateral relations, regional cooperation and other issues.

Prime-News was told at the Ministry of Foreign Affiars of Georgia
that Gela Bezhuashvili accompanied President of Georgia Mikheil
Saakashvili on his brief, private, friendly visit to Armenia.

During his visit to Armenia, Mr. Bezhuashvili held a telephone
conversation with newly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk, congratulated him on his new office and
expressed hope that he will contribute to further development of
strategic relations between Georgia and Ukraine. Mr. Bezhuashvili and
Mr. Yatsenyuk agreed that the Georgian Foreign Minister would pay a
brief working visit to Kiev in the nearest future.

Tbilisi. March 22 (Prime-News)

GEORGIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES ON ONE-DAY VISIT TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The Georgian President Mikheil
Sahakashvili has arrived on a one-day private visit to Armenia by the
invitation of the Armenian president Robert Kocharian. According to
Radio Liberty, the meeting of the two presidents took place in
Tsakhkadzor. The Georgian president will leave Armenia on March 23.

RICE: US SHOULD NOT BE INVOLVED IN ‘GENOCIDE’ DISPUTE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 22 2007

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the United
States should not be involved in a dispute between Turkey and Armenia
over whether the killing of Armenians almost a century ago constituted
genocide.

Under intense questioning from Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the sponsor
of a resolution that would declare that Turkey’s Ottoman predecessor
state committed genocide, Rice repeatedly avoided answering whether she
believed there was any basis for historical debate on the matter. "What
we’ve encouraged the Turks and the Armenians to do is to have joint
historical commissions that can look at this, to have efforts to
examine their past, and in examining their past to get over it,"
she said. "I don’t think it helps that process of reconciliation for
the United States to enter this debate at that level."

Turkey categorically dismisses charges that Armenians were victims
of genocide at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire during World War
I and says the killings took place when the Ottoman authorities were
trying to quell an Armenian revolt in collaboration with the Russian
army invading eastern Anatolia.

A delegation from Turkey’s leading business group, the Turkish
Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (TUSÝAD), is currently
in Washington as part of lobbying efforts to prevent passage in the
US Congress of a resolution that urges the US administration to label
the World War I events as genocide.

Arzuhan Yalcýndað, the TUSÝAD chairwoman, said Tuesday that the
prospects for Turkey preventing the passage of the resolution were
better now than they were two months ago, although the risk that it
could be passed was still in place.

Yalcýndað likened the resolution to a "dark cloud" over US-Turkey
relationship; she said, however, initiatives on behalf of Turkey to
prevent the resolution’s success have been successful so far.

Answering questions at a news conference after the TUSÝAD delegation’s
meetings at the US State Department and think tanks, she said relations
with Armenia could be improved and that TUSÝAD has been developing
ideas in that regard but the present situation does not allow it.

"First, the dark clouds should be dispersed, then the Turkish Foreign
Ministry will evaluate the circumstances," she added.

–Boundary_(ID_TVAk2yLlMk3+NGHr+FtdTQ)–