Author: Karapetian Hovik

THE ENEMY OF MY FRIEND IS MY ENEMY? THE JEWISH DIASPORA AND GENOCIDE DENIAL
Noah’s Ark

Die Judische
?target=home&Param_Kat=16&Param_RB=&Pa ram_Red=9034
Dec 20 2007
Austria

With all due respect to the numerous Jewish-born humanists, historians,
writers, individual personalities, Chief Rabbi, Yona Metzger and many
other that have had the courage to take a stand for the recognition
of the Armenian Genocide and justice for this crime, it is none the
less obvious that the official representatives of Judaism and above
all Jewish/Israeli politicians still have a lot to catch up on.

Even though the internationally recognized and respected Jewish jurist
and human rights activist Rafael Lemkin already concerned himself
with and recognized the systematic destruction of the Armenians as a
"murder of race" at the start of the 1930s, the fact remains that
justice for the Armenian Genocide is still being aggressively denied
by influential organizations of the Jewish Diaspora as well as by
the State of Israel itself.

Genocide – extermination of a race – is a political crime. Genocides
are not committed by private individuals, but by the state itself.

The reference to historians and historical science in regard to the
Armenian Genocide is a tactical and spurious argument to relieve the
world governments from the responsibility to act while simultaneously
giving the perpetrators carte blanche. The proper reaction to political
crimes is therefore only possible through political response – from
the parliamentary houses, the politicians and the governments.

Now more than ever the denial of genocide must be responded to,
for denial is intrinsic to the methodology of genocide. Genocide is
denied even as it is practiced.

>From the beginning, the perpetrator seeks pretexts and justifications
to conceal the real intentions. Thus, the extermination is referred
to as "transporting," as "deportation" or "resettlement" – "moving
to secure places" or even as the "final solution." A verbal code
is used to camouflage and thus deny the annihilation, even as it is
being committed.

Genocide without simultaneous denial is unthinkable – yes, even
impossible. The first thing that must be done is to consider what the
perpetrators want to attain through denial. Denial is not just the
simple negation of an act; it is much more the consequent continuation
of the very act itself. Genocide should not only physically destroy a
community; it should likewise dictate the prerogative of interpretation
in regard to history, culture, territory and memory. As the victims-
Armenians – "never exists".

The Turkish have not only murdered humans , destroyed an ancient
culture/civilization and rewritten history, but they continue to
legitimize the act as well as the racist ideology that led to the
act. This includes the legitimization of any and all stereotyping
of the Armenian people as a dangerous enemy, as a deadly bogeyman in
the closet.

Denial is the final step in the completion of a mass extermination –
and the first step towards the next genocide. If genocide is committed
in Ruanda or Sudan, it is done with the knowledge that the rest of
the world will only watch and then forget.

They look to Turkey and think themselves safe in the assumption that
their actions will likewise remain unpunished! Whether in Sudan or
Ruanda or any other potential hotspot of mass murder the accountable
powers-that-be rhetorically ask – as Hitler supposedly did just before
invading Poland – "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation
of the Armenians?"

The Republic of Turkey has denied the Armenian Genocide for the
past 84 years, and politicians in Israel and a vast majority of
officials of Jewish Diaspora are aboard their boat now. In the USA,
for example, the Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL) not only denied
the Armenian Genocide in the past but also actively fought against
the Congressional Resolution for the Recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. At the end of August 2007, the ADL finally recognized the
Armenian Genocide through gritted teeth. The acknowledgment given,
however, was qualified to such an extent that one could have done
without it. A similar statement of recognition was also simultaneously
supplied by the American Jewish Committee.

Presently, the AIPAC totally denies to have ever fought against the
official recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US government
and now presents itself as being neutral in regard to the subject.

(And apparently "neutral" is just what they are.)

Pierre Besnainou, the acting president of the European Jewish Congress
(EJC) until early 2007, stated in 2006 that the Armenian people should
stop making fools of themselves: there has been only one genocide
in modern times and as everyone knows it was that of the Jews – an
Armenian Genocide never happened. (We have yet to see what the attitude
of Moshe Kantor, the current president of the EJC, is in this regard.)

In 2001, while he was the Israeli Foreign Minister, Nobel Prize
winner and current President of Israel Shimon Peres described the
Armenians as "meaningless" ("Armenian allegations") Moreover, this
year President Shimon Peres and the current Israeli Foreign Minister
Tzipi Livni did a heroic act that in no way pales to the statements
regarding the Holocaust expressed by the President Ahmadinejad: Peres
affirmed Israel’s attitude to the "Armenian Question" and promised
the Turkish Prime Minster Erdogan to lobby against the Armenians,
while Minster Livni prevented the Knesset from officially recognizing
the Armenian Genocide.

The statement given: "Genocide never happened. There was a "tragedy"
with victims on both sides. Please reconcile yourselves now and start
a dialog." Once again, a replay of the Turkish argument of shameless
denial by a Israeli official: "There were mutual killings and No
mass Killings."

Just recently Israeli President Shimon Peres let himself be vocally
celebrated by hundreds of Genocide deniers in the Turkish Parliament,
including numerous Turkish fascists, racists, ultra-nationalists
and fundamentalists In Ankara, President Shimon Peres reiterated
his support for the denial of the Armenian Genocide and conveyed his
full acceptance of the Turkish politics of lies and denial. But it
cannot escape the notice of an experienced politician like President
Shimon Peres that the Genocide deniers in Ankara are no longer simply
satisfied with the repudiation of the Armenian Genocide.

Turkish Prime Minster Erdogan and the other Turkish nationalists
have long since joined forces to create panturanic – "Pan Turkish"-
institutions with the specific aim of try(ing) to prove the
‘illegality’ of the existence of the Armenian people to the world.

When the French Ambassador to Great Britain, Daniel Bernard, referred
to Israel as "this shitty little country" in 2001, there was a storm
of protest and he was quickly labeled an Anti-Semite. But what should
an Armenian call someone that denies the Armenian Genocide and refers
to Armenians as "meaningless"? If that were even just all that is
being done: Above and beyond this, Turkey has demanded that Israel
instruct the "Jewish Lobby" to agitate against the Armenians. Of
course the reference to the "Jewish Lobby" is an allusion to the
Jewish Diaspora and – as is the case when talking of Diasporas –
carries a whiff of world conspiracy and global domination.

Thus, the "Jewish Conspiracy" should follow Ankara’s tune and
eliminate, obliterate, purge (whatever you choose to call it) the
"Armenian Conspiracy." Under normal circumstances the concept would
be laughable, but laughter is not advisable as it could result in
asphyxiation.

Why Do Jewish Organizations and their Functionaries Deny the Armenian
Genocide as Turkey Does Deny recognition and Justice for this Crime?

How can this act of denial be harmonious with the Jewish moral concepts
and identity in light of the xenophobia, racism, Anti-Semitism,
hostility and intolerance that the sorely tested Jewish People are
themselves confronted with on a daily basis?

Genocide is racism: it is the most paramount and aggressive form
of racial discrimination, and is aimed at the obliteration of the
existence and life of a people only because they belong to a specific
community or collective – a community that is defined by the aggressors
as "the others," as "the alien."

Two reasons are commonly given for the "placating" activities of the
international Jewish community in regard to Turkey’s denial policies:
Israel needs Turkey, and the Holocaust is unique. On occasion a third
reason is also offered: to do otherwise would result in repercussions
against the Jewish community in Istanbul. (Although if this were true,
the US Congress and Senate could never pass any resolutions against
Iran: as is well known, numerous Jewish people also live in Tehran,
Yazd, and Isfahan for centuries!) Statements such as those are, in the
end, nothing but hollow attempts to justify denial- The attitude of
Jewish Organizations and their functionaries in regard to the Armenian
Genocide not only results in their involvement in the guilt of the
perpetrators but also produces a culpability of their own as well.

An attitude such as theirs supports and perpetuates the bogeyman
image of the Armenians that has long been cherished by the Turkish
while simultaneously strengthening the Turkish nationalistic
self-image. Above and beyond this, when Jewish functionaries describe
the Ottoman Turkey as a paradise of earth, they both distort history
and negate the inhumanities experienced by the Armenian People;
instead, an unmerited image of a heroic and pro-Judaic Turkey is
propagated throughout Jewish communities and private homes.

Thus, in turn, within the sphere of the Jewish Diaspora and even Israel
itself, a new generation grows that is spoon-fed the misconceptions
of the valiant Turk and perfidious Armenian. In regard to this
current situation, is oddly ironic that the modern usage of the word
"Holocaust" – used so often by international communities to describe
the Shoah – was first introduced to describe the Turkish bloodbath
suffered by the Armenians in Adana in 1909. (Ferriman, Z.D.: The Young
Turks and the Truth about the Holocaust at Adana in Asia Minor during
April 1909; London, 1913.)

The Enemy of My Friend is also My Enemy Is the demonization of the
Armenian Community within the Jewish Diaspora done with this concept
in mind? Some examples among others: In July 2007 an article was
published in the "Judische Zeitung" ("Jewish Newspaper") in Germany
which totally supported and serviced the policies of genocide denial
and victim-perpetrator-reversal as practiced alla Turca.

The "Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs" published in November this
year in its webpage an article written by Ms. Aydan Kodaloglu, an
advisor to the former Turkish President Turgut Ozal; in her article,
Kodaoglu attempted to make the denial of the Armenian Genocide (even
more) palatable for the Jewish and Israeli population. (Ironically
enough, according to Nuzhet Kandemir, the former Turkish ambassador to
the USA, President Turgut Ozal was himself on the brink of recognizing
the Armenian Genocide.)

In turn, in the Jerusalem Post Joel J. Sprayregen (the former National
Vice-Chair of the ADL and a member of the Executive Committee of
the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA)) took the
Armenian resistance during the Genocide to justify denial alla Turca –
"There was no genocide" – he was referring to history fakers – despite
the fact that he must be fully aware that one could easily reinterpret
reality and deny the Jewish Holocaust through the misrepresentation
of the Warsaw Uprising, the Theresienstadt- deportation camp, the
"sale" and departure of the Jews to Switzerland during the Holocaust
and survival of millions of Jews people …

And in the US, one could easily come to assume that Washington Times –
which often reads as a copy of the Turkish press – aims at leading
a war against the Armenian Genocide Resolution (HR 106) in the US
Congress.

Holocaust-denier, David Irving, is serving more and more as example as
a paradigm for the denial of Armenian Genocide. Mr. Lenny Ben-David,
former undersecretary at the Israeli Embassy in the US and A adviser
for five years to the Turkish embassy in Washington, until earlier this
summer, In his article published in the Oct. 5 issue of the Jerusalem
Post, titled "Turkey and Armenia: What Jews should do," Not only
denied the Armenian Genocide and creates hysteria and Armenophobe but
in his article he gives a lot of credit to the fabrication of Turkish
and Azeri nationalists and fascists. This is again not a hidden fact
even for this politician that the aim of Turkish fabrications against
Armenians in the next step includes: suggesting removing Armenia from
the maps, as a people and country which doesn’t exist…

If you assume A Armenian student from Jerusalem will be allow in
an official ceremony in Israel to refer to the Armenian Genocide,
you are mistaken. This shouldn’t come to you as a surprise either;
in Istanbul the remaining Armenian children from "Western Armenia"
(After Gencode renamed to "Eastern Anatolia") are forced to write
essays how their ancestors committed "genocide against Turks" (This
is just distressful, nauseating, sadistic and perverse.)

Denial is known as a second killing (a "bloodless-killing"). There
is an aggressive denial of Armenian Genocide on going by Turkey.

Unfortunately, a big part of officials of Jewish Diaspora and Israel
are involved in the denial of Armenian Genocide and this act – their
involvement in denial – doesn’t differ much from the involvement of
German military officer in Armenian Genocide in 1915 (This reference
should make clearer – to help to reach a better understanding- what
really the denial of Armenian Genocide by Jewish politicians means
for Armenian people and other Christian people who were subject of
genocide by Turkish!)

If politically allies do it, it’s not genocide but "Tragedy". There
are Turkish "palace historians" that aim to erase all references to
"Armenia" and "Armenian people" in the libraries of the world. This is
a fact that is easily documented. Professor Dr. Yusuf Halacoðlu, the
racially motivated President of the Turkish Historical Society with
the assistance of Turkish fascists, extends great effort on proving
the non-existence of the Armenian People and, in turn, the state of
"Armenia." The statements of many Jewish Diaspora officials that
"there was no Armenian Genocide" play directly into the hands of the
official policy Turkey and the Turkish Nationalists and fascists.

A nation that has been the victim of genocide should not be forced to
prove the fact of genocide. For a nation to support the perpetrators
of genocide by placating the world with official statements supporting
the Turkish government’s shameless policies of denial is disgraceful
and appalling; for a nation that itself has likewise suffered an
attempted obliteration to do so is incomprehensible. The "placating"
efforts by Jewish officials and functionaries are doomed to backfire:
the denial of the Armenian Genocide in no way helps to make Israel
stronger or to increase the security of the Jewish People.

Turkey and Turkish nationalists have always used other people for the
implementation of their inhuman policies against "non-Turks" in order
to achieve their own final goals, if not their own "final solution"

Words such as dialogue, reconciliation, and rapprochement are terms
that awaken fundamentally positive associations, but they are being
used without any reflection upon or reference to historical fact
or fairness, let alone justice. It is beyond understanding that
the newspapers of the Jewish Diaspora present the Armenians as the
"irreconcilable" or "troublemaker", as the "true" disruptor in
international relations, when it is the Turkish that continually
attempt to illegalize or negate the discussion. (What dialogue would
the Jewish Nation have with Germany had Germany demanded and been
permitted to forbid the acknowledgment of the holocaust and justice?)

Is the Jewish community the "troublemaker" when the Iranian President
Ahmadinejad denies the Shoah? A crime that happened 60 years ago and
that he himself did not participate in?

The statement that the genocide happened 90 years ago or the
insinuation that the Armenian Diaspora – the "Armenian Conspiracy" –
are endangering world peace because they are motivated by self-swerving
interests serve again nothing else than to protect the perpetrator. But
is it not the purpose and duty of international criminal law to protect
the victim? Should criminal law protect the rapist or killer because
the victim supposedly "asked for it"? Is international law only a
"law for the stronger" and thus only there to protect the state and
not the individual?

Are terms such as "crimes against humanity," "genocide," "war crimes"
and "war of aggression" only there to protect the aggressors and not
the victims?

The Armenian Diaspora – the masses of people forced to disperse
throughout the world – is a result of the genocide executed by the
Turkish; the Diaspora Armenians are not pursuing an arbitrary and
unfounded interest, they have a justified demand for justice and
recognition. At the same time, this demand is also a concern of the
international community of states which created and approved the
legislation known as "public international law" or "international
criminal law."

It is not just a matter of morality to condemn genocide, it is a
premise for peaceful coexistence. It is a cornerstone of international
peace, and the looming threat of this very crime is a principal reason
behind military intervention and self-defense.

A question that might arise when reading this text is why do I only
write about the Jewish Community and Israeli politicians? Well,
this is due to the following fact: aside from the Turkish themselves,
Israeli politicians and the Jewish Diaspora are the only ones that go
beyond the "simple" denial of the Armenian Genocide (and denial of
Turkish genocides against other Christian people, e.g. The Assyrian
Genocide) to both aggressively practice a virulent policy of denial
and likewise try to inspire others to do the same.

For example, the unprecedented dedication with which Shimon Peres
supported the "fight" against the Armenian Resolution in the US
Congress while Bill Clinton was still president.

The relationship between the Jewish People and the Turkish is based on
lies and the denial of the Armenian Genocide – the denial of the 1.5
million Armenians that died by the hands of the Ottoman Turkey from
1915-1923. It is a relationship that is based on criminal complicity
in hushing up a horrific transgression against humanity and that
totally disregards all concepts of moral and justice.

Namik Tan, the Turkish Ambassador to Israel, described this
relationship in September 2007: "The Turkish People make no
differentiation between Israel and the Jews of the world. To us,
you are all one. We have no pact with Israel, but rather with the
whole Jewish world. If the Jewish lobby disappears, Israel loses its
importance to us. Therefore, Israel takes the responsibility when a
Jewish organization speaks of Genocide."

The truth will set Turkish and Jewish officials free. Implementation of
international agreed reforms for "Western Armenia/ Turkish Armenian"
and eliminating – "getting rid" – of a nation/people by Turkey are
not the same. Only the fact of genocide can keep alive disinformation
policy, the genocide denial industry and the nationally authorized
and aggressive Turkish politics of denial.

Israeli/Jewish officials should advice their "friends/allies" in
Ankara to stop making fools of themselves. Armenian Genocide was
proved as Armenian Genocide was happening.

The whole world was witness of this genocide. Besides this:
Armenian Genocide is well documented above all by Turkish war time
ally Germany (even though a part of this documents being destroyed
in1919 and 1940s.) According to Taner Akcam, a nonconformist Turkish
historian, "The denial of the Armenian Genocide is the basis of
Turkey’s existence."

At the latest, Namik Tan’s statements above and the aggressive denial
of Armenian Genocide by President Shimon Peres also reveal and proves
that the relationship between Israel and Turkey is also based the
denial of the Armenian Genocide (raison d’Etat instead of right to
truth and justice.)

One cannot help but wonder how long a relationship built on boundless
dishonesty, immorality, denial and lies is capable or destined to
last… Indeed, it is truly incomprehensible that the Jewish Diaspora
denies the Armenian Genocide for the "good" of Israel. What lasting
"good" has ever come from the denial of genocide, from the denial of
truth, from the denial of the justice?

Author’s Note: I am aware of the fact that my analyze of Jewish
Denial of Armenian Genocide may upset some so please feel free to
write comments on it . And, in the meantime, the author likes to let
you know: who ever denies one genocide he/she denies all genocides.

Jewish denial of Armenian Genocide kills not only the Armenian Genocide
but in the end this denial kills The Jewish Holocaust too…

–Boundary_(ID_6B9PshMDZhh8YSppVpwh/Q)–

GREETABLE STEP

Azat Artsakh Tert, Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Dec 19 2007

A recall

It’s greetable that there are people who notice others’ pain. A
neighbour wrote a letter to the dayly "Azat Artsakh" about
Gharakhanians’ family who live in very bad conditions from the village
of Mets Shen. This family isn’t the only one. Our country is announced
a social country by the first entry. The budjet which is discussed now,
60% of it has social direction and that is greetable.

I think our state must struggle against poverty. This idea was
mentioned in Bako Sahakian’s pre-election programm and this should
be the ministry’s priority.

It’s time to create a special fund in the country through which rich
people, businessmen, who are not less in our state, will give money
to poor families.

Reading the article about Gharakhanians’ family, NKR Labour Unions
Federation gives 25 000 drams to their family. This is not a solution
and a state struggle must be in our country.

P.S. There are many rich people, bisinessmen in abroad who must assist
those people and families who live in Artsakh.

Head of NKR Labour Unions Federation A. Ghahramanian

CONTROVERSY BETWEEN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND MINISTER

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 19 2007

The Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan and deputy speaker
Vahan Hovanisyan addressed the parliamentary hearings on December 19.

They touched upon the agreement of Kars but contradicted to each other.

The point is that Vardan Oskanyan stated that for Armenia the agreement
of Kars is valid as long as it has not been repealed.

Meanwhile, Vahan Hovanisyan stated that the agreement of Kars has
no legal validity. It seems to be an insignificant issue but perhaps
it should be made clear the stance of which of the two officials is
closer to that of official Yerevan because it may turn out that the
Republic of Armenia recognizes an agreement which the Republic of
Armenia considers as having no legal validity.

BELARUSIAN AMBASSADOR: GROUNDWORK FOR TRANSITION FROM POVERTY ELIMINATION TO WELFARE LAID IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 19 2007

YEREVAN, December 19. /ARKA/. Social problems solution confirmed
at Armenia’s 2008 state budget lays groundwork for transition from
poverty elimination to welfare, Belarusian Ambassador to Armenia Marina
Dolgopolova said as met with Armenian National Assembly Speaker Tigran
Torosyan on Wednesday.

National Assembly’s press office told ARKA News Agency that the
ambassador welcomed legislative changes being implemented by Armenian
lawmakers after the 2005 constitutional referendum.

Dolgopolova stressed that Republican Party of Armenia plays the major
part in reformation.

She also stressed the importance of inter-parliamentary ties and
cooperation within international organizations.

The ambassador passed on Belarusian Parliament chairmen’s invitation
to Torosyan.

Torosyan thanked them for the invitation and expressed readiness to
visit Belarus after presidential election in Armenia.

RA PRESIDENT APPOINTS JUDGES OF COURTS OF SPECIALIZED AND GENERAL JURISDICTION

Noyan Tapan
Dec 19, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. Robert Kocharian, the President of
the Republic of Armenia, signed a decree on December 18 on appointing
judges of RA Courts of Specialized and General Jurisdiction.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the Press
Office of the RA President, Lilit Katvalian has been appointed judge
of Yerevan Civil Court, carrying on cases on bankruptcy, and Gohar
Fidanian has been appointed judge of South Civil Court carrying on
cases on bankruptcy.

Armen Danielian, Arayik Melkumian, Yerem Yesoyan, and Gagik Avetisian
have been appointed judges of the Court of General Jurisdiction of the
Kentron and Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan. Margarita Hartenian
has been appointed judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of
the Ajapniak and Davtashen communities of the city of Yerevan, Levon
Avetisian judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of the Arabkir
and Kanaker-Zeytun communities of Yerevan, and Artak Zakharian has
been appointed judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of the
Malatia-Sebastia community of Yerevan.

Arman Kurekhian has been appointed judge of the Court of General
Jurisdiction of the region of Tavush, Ara Babayan, Misha Martirosian,
and Garik Avagian have been appointed judges of the Court of General
Jurisdiction of the region of Shirak, Armen Bektashian and Artashes
Hovhannisian judges of the Court of General Jurisdiction of the regions
of Ararat and Vayots Dzor, Samvel Mnatsakanian, Marine Melkonian,
Armenuhi Badirian, and Naira Avetisian have been appointed judges
of the Court of General Jurisdiction of the region of Lori, Samvel
Hovakimian, Karen Poghosian, and Vanik Vardanian judges of the Court of
General Jurisdiction of the region of Gegharkunik, and Arman Tovmasian,
Napoleon Ohanian, and Murad Hovakimian have been appointed judges of
the Court of General Jurisdiction of the region of Syunik.

HENCEFORTH IMPORTERS OF TRANSPORT MEANS WITH 18 AND OVER SEATS TO BE EXEMPT FROM VALUE ADDED TAX

Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The special session of the National
Assembly, which was convened on the initiative of the Armenian
president, ended on December 18 and was immediately followed by a
special session convened on the initiative of MPs. There was one issue
on the agenda: the bill, which was developed by a number of MPs and
envisaged amendments to the RA Law on Establishemnt of the List of
Goods, which are Imported by Organizations and Private Businessmen,
Have a Zero Rate of Customs Duty, are not Liable to Excise Tax and
on which Tax Bodies do not Calculate and Collect Value Added Tax.

The session lasted 10 minutes: the National Assembly took this time
to hear the main reporter and to adopt the bill completely in the
first reading and then in the second reading, without any discussion
and proposals.

By the amendment made, henceforth tax bodies will not collect value
added tax (VAT) for the import of transport means with 18 and over
seats.

According to the order established by the Armenian government,
until now this privilage only applied to transport means imported
into Yerevan. In the words of the bill’s co-author, chairman of the
RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Economic Issues Vardan
Aivazian, the purpose of this legislative amendment is to promote
the import of passenger transport means, ensuring equal conditions
for their importers throughout Armenia.

SITTING OF HEADS OF CUSTOMS SERVICES OF CIS COUNTRIES STARTS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Dec 14, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The 46th sitting of the heads of
customs services of CIS member states opened in Yerevan on December
14. Among issues on the agenda are reviewing the international
legal basis related to the customs sector of CIS member states,
organizaing the exchange of preliminary information on goods and
vehicles transported through customs borders, etc.

The chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Armenia
Armen Avetisian said that among issues to be discussed, the problem
of bringing the CIS countries’ classification codes of goods into
line with each other is especially important. In his words, as the
Asykuda system has already been introduced in all customs services of
the CIS, the existence of a united system of goods classification is
important in terms of cotrolling effieciently the commodity turnover
in these countries.

It was stated that the main goals of the council of heads of customs
services of CIS member states is extension of economic integration,
coordination of their actions, improvement of the customs legislation
and unification of the customs procedures.

The delegations of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrghyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are participating in
the sitting.

In 2006, Armenia’s export and import shares with CIS member states
made up 21% and 31% respectively as compared with 18% and 28% in the
previous year.

The same indices made 30.5% and 33.5% respectively in the first eleven
months of this year.

KURDISH ‘GENIE’ LET OUT OF THE BOTTLE

The Toronto Sun
December 16, 2007 Sunday
Diyarbakir, Turkey

Turkey gets tough as Kurds renew their battle for independent state

The Turkish army helicopter came in low, passed directly overhead,
then began descending onto a landing pad inside the sprawling 7th
Corps military base.

I thought it would make a good photo and I quickly snapped a couple
of shots. A shout from behind told me that someone took exception to
my photography. A young Turkish jandarma had his rifle pointed at me
as others came running out of a nearby building.

Keeping my arms outstretched to indicate my complete compliance I
walked slowly towards the jandarma. They quickly removed my camera
from my possession and despite the presentation of my press credentials
and passport, I was whisked into the guardhouse.

The sergeant inside was curious as to my identity and activity, but
I quickly realized he was only politely killing time until the M.I.T.

agents (Turkish secret service) arrived. About 90 minutes after my
apprehension, four M.I.T. operatives arrived. Dressed in civilian
clothes and carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles, it was readily
apparent that the M.I.T. inspired awe in the uniformed jandarma. As
none of the agents spoke English, they had to call a translator.

Eventually, they verified my press card registration and were convinced
of my identity.

The photos I took were examined and any shot that included an image of
Turkish military equipment or personnel was deleted. The M.I.T. team
then drove me several blocks away from both the military base and my
hotel and then left me on a deserted sideroad.

While I was disappointed by the deletion of some good photos and the
prospect of a lengthy hike back to my lodgings, the Turks certainly
have good reason to be on full alert in the Kurdish separatist hotbed
of Diyarbakir.

So far this year Kurdish rebels have killed 110 Turkish security forces
and wounded an additional 227. Most of these attacks took place in
the border region with the Kurdish ambushers then retreating back to
their mountain bases in northern Iraq. In a series of daring operations
last October, the Kurds killed 28 Turkish soldiers, wounded another
23 and captured eight.

In addition to these cross-border guerrilla-style clashes with Turkish
security forces, an extremist group called the Kurdistan Liberation
Hawks (TAK) has initiated a terror bombing campaign. These violent
provocations have ignited Turkish nationalist sentiment. A somewhat
embarrassed Turkish military has explained that their hands are tied
as long as the Kurdish rebels can operate with impunity from bases
inside Iraq.

As a result of mounting domestic pressure to restore national security,
the Turkish parliament approved a bill that will allow their military
to launch a self-defence pre-emptive strike against the Kurdish rebels
in Iraq.

Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Bush administration has
publicly refused to grant Turkey the authority to enter Iraqi territory
even to eliminate known terrorists. This double-standard policy —
America invaded Iraq to protect themselves from non-existent weapons of
mass destruction, but forbids Turkey from engaging proven terrorists —
has led to increased anti-U.S. sentiment among Turkish nationalists.

For the Turkish military, the anti-American sentiment stems from
the fact that the U.S. intervention into Iraq not only plunged a
neighbouring country into chaos, it also let the genie of Kurdish
nationalism in Turkey out of the bottle.

In 1984 the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) had first entered into
open revolt against Turkish authorities, resulting in 15 years of
bloodshed. An estimated 37,000 people were killed before the PKK
leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was arrested in 1999 and the remaining
Kurdish rebels fled from eastern Turkey into northern Iraq.

Following Ocalan’s incarceration, the Turkish government implemented a
number of reforms and economic development projects in eastern Turkey
in an effort to appease the Kurdish minority. Closely monitored by
the international community, the reformation and reconciliation with
the Kurds is one of the benchmark objectives for Turkey’s entry into
the European Union.

However, not all Kurdish residents of eastern Turkey view these
projects as progress.

"They built thousands of schools and, in particular, encouraged
the education of our women," explained Serdar Sengul, the foreign
relations advisor to the Kurdish municipal government in Diyarbakir.

"The problem is that the only official teaching language is Turkish
and this is therefore a program designed to assimilate the Kurds and
deprive them of their mother tongue."

TOO MANY DIALECTS

Turkish officials have argued that Kurdish is not a progressive
language for education purposes as it consists of three primary
dialects with dozens of regional sub dialects. Sengul, who studied
Kurdish on his own initiative, discounted this argument by explaining
that sometime in 2008 "Kurdish scholars will reach a consensus on a
common alphabet."

Following the 1991 Gulf War, the Kurds in northern Iraq had
militarily wrested control of three provinces from a severely
weakened Saddam Hussein. This autonomous region was monitored by the
UN and protected from Saddam by U.S. aircraft enforcing the post-war
no-fly-zone. Although they were free from the Baghdad regime, the
two major Kurdish factions in northern Iraq continued to battle each
other in territorial disputes.

The key rivals, Massoud Barzani with the Kurdish Democratic Party
(KDP) and Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), only
forged an alliance of mutual convenience on the eve of the 2003 U.S.

attack. Since that juncture, Barzani and Talabani have supported the
Americans. Talabani is now president of the entire country and his
rival, Barzani, is the head of the Kurdish Regional Government.

For the past four-and-a-half years, northern Iraq has been steadily
evolving into an independent state. Such an eventuality will not only
fuel Kurdish separatist sentiments in Turkey, it will also ignite
similar movements among the Kurdish minorities in neighbouring Syria,
Iran and Armenia.

"When I visited (northern Iraq) earlier this year my heart was filled
with pride," said 32-year-old Sengul. "Everywhere there was Kurdish
flags flying, people were openly speaking Kurdish, and the name
Kurdistan was evident everywhere. Here in Diyarbakir we don’t consider
that region to be northern Iraq. It is in fact southern Kurdistan."

With Turkish media continually broadcasting images of their military
buildup along the Iraq border, there has been mounting pressure on
the U.S. to push their Kurdish allies into reining in the PKK rebels.

Flexing their increased clout and independence, the Iraqi Kurds are
divided in their support for the PKK. Massoud Barzani’s KDP, whose zone
of control includes the border region with Turkey, is fairly pragmatic.

"We are not opposed to a Turkish cross-border operation provided it
does not destroy our villages and harm our people," said Omar Mirani,
the KDP representative in Turkey. "We don’t want a war between the
Turks and PKK in our garden."

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was more bellicose in his response
in which he declared that no Kurd, "not even a Kurdish cat," will be
turned over to the Turks.

It is estimated that there are upwards of 5,000 PKK fighters currently
based in northern Iraq. The rough mountain terrain where they are
encamped is in very remote and inaccessible regions. This makes
matters problematic not only for Turkish security forces, but also
for the KDP to control them.

For the Turkish military, any cross-border operation to engage the
PKK camps faces the same obstacle of hostile terrain that favours
guerrilla tactics. So far, it seems as though the Turkish military
response has been largely limited to only airstrikes and artillery
barrages. Many of the fighter jet sorties are flown out of the major
airbase at Diyarbakir to pound suspected PKK positions inside Iraq.

Ironically, it is Diyarbakir itself that might yet prove to be the
key battleground in this burgeoning conflict.

With more than 1 million inhabitants, Diyarbakir is the major Kurdish
urban centre in eastern Turkey. During the previous decade-and-a-half
of violence, more than 5,000 residents have been killed in this city
as a result of the fighting between separatists and security forces.

This past September, a bomb was detonated in one of Diyarbakir’s
public parks killing 10 Kurdish civilians — mostly schoolchildren
— and injuring another 14. Speculation is that Turkish nationalists
were responsible for the blast and that it was in retaliation for the
Kurdish TAK extremists bombing campaign throughout the rest of Turkey.

On Nov. 25, Turkish police were forced to use water cannons, tear gas
and batons on a Kurdish demonstration that spiralled into a riot. The
reason for the protest was to demonstrate support for the Democratic
Society Party (the political arm of the PKK) and to protest Turkish
military strikes against the Kurdish rebels. Turkish state prosecutors
have initiated proceedings to shut down the DSP for its refusal to
condemn PKK terrorists. The Turkish Constitutional Court has agreed to
examine the charges and to rule on the continued legality of the DSP.

"It will not be a quick process and it will obviously be a very
sensitive ruling," explained Osman Paksut, a vice president of the
Constitutional Court. "The DSP will have until next April to reverse
their position and condemn the PKK terrorists. But no one expects
them to take such action."

In the meantime, it appears the DSP in Diyarbakir has ample funding
and widespread popular support amongst the Kurdish population. When
I stopped by their new offices for a visit, it was my hope to obtain
an interview with Osman Baydemir, Diyarbakir’s 35-year-old mayor and
a key figure in the DSP.

In March 2006, Baydemir received national attention when Diyarbakir
erupted with violence. The spark was a funeral procession held for
14 members of the PKK who had been killed by Turkish security forces
as they crossed over the Iraqi border. Four of those killed were from
Diyarbakir and emotions had boiled over into a full-scale riot.

Police reaction resulted in the death of an additional 12 Kurdish
civilians.

MAYOR TALKED TO CROWD

At the height of the crisis, Mayor Baydemir addressed the crowd in
Kurdish and successfully dispersed them.

After making several phone calls, DSP officials advised me that, due
to a full schedule, an interview with the mayor was not possible. As
I left, a pair of F-16 fighter jets took off from the nearby airbase
and flew overhead towards the Turkish border. My DSP host shook his
head and said, "They’re (Turkish pilots) wasting their time flying
into Iraq. The PKK are here in Diyarbakir." When I asked him how he
could be sure of this, he just grinned.

The revelation that the PKK have a known presence within the
city limits made the actions of the M.I.T. agents far easier to
understand. Dropping me off unseen on a deserted street was probably
far safer for me than to be seen by Kurdish separatist sympathizers
stepping out of a Turkish intelligence vehicle .

Besides, it was a pleasant day for a long walk.

"ARMENIA SHOULD FREEZE NEGOTATIONS"

A1+
[06:38 pm] 14 December, 2007

"The Armenian side should take into account Azerbaijan’s destructive
policy and freeze negotiations within the framework of the OSCE
Minsk group," the leader of the Democratic Party of Armenian (ADK)
Aram Sargsian announced on December 14.

The Co-Chairs’ proposals are inadmissible for our party, the ADK
leader said.

The Azeri side displayed an anti-construction stance during the recent
talks over the Karabakh conflict resolution. The talks were held in
Snegiri, Russia, December 6-9.

In comparison with the preceding rounds where the conflicting sides
had reached a framework agreement, this time the Azeri side refrained
from considering the document.

The Azeri delegation underwent significant changes.

While the Armenian delegation is rarely changed, Aram Sargsian said.

This time Republican MP Armen Ashotian was involved in the delegation.

The latter was surprised at the fact that the Armenian delegation
followed unanimity rules at the negotiations. In reply to Ashotian’s
remark, Aram Sargsian noted that all political forces of Armenia are
unanimous with regard to the Karabakh issue.

According to the ADK leader the Azeri side was rather confident after
the OSCE FMs’ meeting. They even found the negotiations useless and
said the liberated six territories would be surrendered.

"Robert Kocharian could not have signed such a document. Besides,
he is not entitled to sign documents referring to Karabakh," Aram
Sargsian said.

They must come to realise that we do not "beg for peace." We can bind
it the way we did in 1994 through a ceasefire," editor-in-chief of
"Iskakan Iravunk" (True Right) Hayk Baukhanian said. Armenia cannot
wait for Azerbaijan to strengthen its economy with the help of oil
trade. We must establish land frontiers with the Russian Federation,
open a railway and return the liberated territories to refugees. We
must Azerbaijan recognise Karabakh’s status otherwise we should think
of a military solution.

WHEN THE THIEF SCREAMS, CATCH THE THIEF!
S. Baghdasaryan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily, Armenia
Dec 12 2007

During the most recent demonstration, ex-President L. Ter-Petrosyan
touched upon the privatization implemented in Armenia, naturally
trying to substantiate that the process was carried out brilliantly
under his rule. In the meantime, nothing was mentioned about the
results of the privatization. And this was done on purpose.

Whereas the results are extremely striking; however, this is not to
the benefit of the former authorities.

We have recently mentioned that there were more companies privatized
in Armenia in 1997, in comparison the subsequent 10 years.

All in all, 4187 out of the 9400 privatized companies were alienated
under the rule of LTP.

Although the number of the companied privatized in that period
was exceeded by 228, the profit received by the state was several
times lower. The 4178 enterprises were sold at a total sum of AMD 40
billion. Whereas during the subsequent years the sums debited at the
expense of the state exceeded by AMD 272 billion.

And what about the sums which were to be received by the state at
the expense of alienating the major part of public property?

The thing is that, they weren’t received or, they were received in
such an amount that was several times lower than the real sum. As to
the rest, it was pocketed by those who stood by the then leaders of
the country. Instead of increasing the financial means of the state,
which were scarce as it is, LTP and his surrounding world were doing
their best to speedily sell the state property for next to nothing.

One should be at least blind in order to justify the voucher
privatization. It was just eye-washing aiming to conceal the plunder
that was taking place at the first stage of the privatization. With
the purpose of dazzling the people, vouchers were distributed among
them, but they later became a tool for some people for acquiring
state property at a price several times lower than the state value.

As we know, a short time after their release, the vouchers lost
their nominal value. Moreover, they were 4-5 times below the nominal
value. So to say, a voucher costing AMD 10 thousand appeared in
the market at the price of AMD 2-2.5, as a result of the unbearable
conditions existing in the country. After a short while, the enriched
lords began to collect them and own the state property.

Let’s bring just one example. Thanks to ex-Prime Minister H. Bagratyan,
the "Ararat Wine Factory of Yerevan" was sold at the price of USD 200
thousand. And an additional sum of USD 1 million was paid in exchange
for the accumulated debts. But these were debts that had emerged in
the aftermath "good" governance of the state enterprise.

That is, the state had to pay for the improper work of some people.

Such problems were faced by almost all the companies preparing for
privatization. The outstanding figures of the Armenian pan-National
Movement appointed by the authorities as Heads of different enterprises
demolished them and halted their operation, accumulating debts in
large amounts. Instead of being held accountable for the damages
brought to the state, the same directors later acquired the privatized
factories. A question arises: wasn’t it at the expense of the company’s
debts to the state that the country’s leadership was doing it, while
being deeply immersed in debts? Has L.T.P forgotten all about this?

This obviously demonstrates that the state property was wasted by
the authorities, and no one ever bore any responsibility for that.

While the recovery of what we had lost required a long time.

Have the former authorities ever tried to understand why Armenia
started recording a high economic growth, the financial debits of the
states increased and the unpaid budgetary expenses were suddenly paid,
and the problem of the accumulated mutual debts (which the former
authorities never managed to resolve) fell to the bosom of history
long ago?

Naturally, economy cannot work on its own. Relevant conditions
are required for that. One of those conditions is to change the
privatization doctrine which envisaged the recovery of production or
the re-operation of the factory that didn’t wok for several years
running. And this became the basis of the high economic growth,
which L.T.P. avoids speaking about.