Author: Khondkarian Raffi

Jean-Pierre Raffarin : « Il n’y a pas automaticité de la négociation à l’adhésion »;

Le Figaro
22 décembre 2004

ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE L’intervention du premier ministre à l’Assemblée

Voici les principaux extraits du discours prononcé hier par
Jean-Pierre Raffarin à l’Assemblée nationale.

« Le président de la République a fixé la position de la France : oui
à l’entrée de la Turquie à terme, si elle remplit les critères
d’adhésion à l’Union européenne. Pourquoi ? Parce que, si les
conditions sont réunies, ce sera l’intérêt de la France et de
l’Europe. Ce choix nous engage. Ce n’est pas un choix d’opportunité,
c’est un choix qui s’appuie sur une vision de la France et de
l’Europe.

« Nous proposons à la Turquie de faire sa véritable révolution
européenne. Notre projet européen réunit un projet de paix et de
stabilité, un projet pour la démocratie, les libertés et les droits
de l’homme, un projet de développement économique et social. C’est
sur ces valeurs que la Turquie devra répondre.

« Rien ne condamne la Turquie à l’exclusion éternelle de l’Europe.
Aujourd’hui, nous voulons résolument qu’elle penche du côté européen.
N’ouvrons pas à nos portes un foyer d’instabilité tourné contre une
Europe qui aurait refusé l’espoir.

« Négociation n’est pas adhésion. Il n’y a pas, contrairement aux
caricatures que j’ai entendues, automaticité de la négociation à
l’adhésion. Le processus va être long et durer au minimum dix ans, et
peut être quinze ou vingt. Pour une raison simple : ni l’Europe ni la
Turquie ne sont prêtes aujourd’hui à une adhésion. En Europe d’abord,
et en France en particulier, il faudra du temps pour faire partager à
tous les acteurs concernés l’intérêt de la candidature turque.
Evidemment, La Turquie doit consolider sa démocratie, progresser en
matière de respect des droits de l’homme et des minorités, avec
notamment les tragiques questions arménienne et kurde, confirmer le
processus de réconciliation nationale qui a été engagé avec la Grèce
et régler la question de Chypre dans l’esprit de réconciliation qui
caractérise l’esprit européen.

« Il va de soi, s’il s’avérait que la Turquie ne veut pas ou ne peut
pas adhérer à l’ensemble de ces réformes, que l’Union lui proposera
un lien partenarial en lieu et place de l’adhésion. La possibilité
d’arrêter les négociations est maintenue.

« Toute nouvelle adhésion fera l’objet d’un traité qui sera
obligatoirement soumis, pour ratification, à référendum. Le peuple
souverain aura le dernier mot. »

–Boundary_(ID_mPnm8ZL7hkQJKaxdeRkB7A)–

EU, NATO TREAT FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS AS NEXT PHASE IN EXPANDING THEIR INFLUENCE

RIA Novosti, Russia
Dec 22 2004

MOSCOW, December 22 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union and NATO
are treating the former Soviet republics as the next phase in the
efforts to expand their influence, Konstantin Kosachev, the head of
the international committee of the State Duma, the lower house of
parliament, told reporters on Wednesday.

Mr. Kosachev said the EU and NATO “are beginning to divide the CIS
states into more preferable and closer partners in the integration
process and less preferable ones.”

Mr. Kosachev said Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia were among the former.
Belarus and five Central Asian states are not prepared to take part in
the integration processes, according to the MP. Mr. Kosachev believes
Azerbaijan and Armenia are somewhere in between the two groups.

Mr. Kosachev believes the situation is unfavorable for Russia. “The
West used to stake on democratic changes in Russia as the means of
implementing joint projects, whereas today its motto is: ‘if we did
not succeed in democratizing Russia, let us demonize it.'”

Mr. Kosachev said the European Parliament and the OSCE had subjected
Russia to constructive criticism recently, as well as accused it of
the “sins” other countries could afford.

While working to turn Russia into some rogue state, the EU and NATO
are getting Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia more energetically involved
in the integration processes.

“This shows that the EU and Russia have failed to implement their
major project of creating a common European space with no dividing
lines,” said Mr. Kosachev.

NEW RESOURCE CENTER ECMI TO SERVE POPULATION OF JAVAKHK

AKHALKALAKI, December 20 (Noyan Tapan). The presentation of the new
resource center of the Akhalkalaki office of the European Center
on National Minorities Issues (ECMI) was held in Akhalkalaki on
December 14.

According to Mikael Gertoft, manager of the program of the Akhalkalaki
Office of the center, the resource center will serve the population
of Javakhk. The center will render free computer and internet
services here. The resource center will provide the population with
a library. According to the “A-Info” Agency, they will also have an
opportunity to use the halls of the resource center for the holding
of seminars and conferences.

AZERBAIJAN, TURKEY: RELATIONS STRENGTHENING
[December 20, 2004, 22:11:24]

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Dec 20 2004

Speaker of Azerbaijan Parliament (Milli Majlis) Murtuz Alaskarov has
received Chairman of Religious Affairs Vagf of Turkey Ali Bardakoglu,
December 20.

Mr. Alaskarov said thanks to the heads of states of two countries the
bilateral relations are constantly strengthening. Reciprocal visits
of Presidents of both countries have set up favorable ground for
further development of links. The parliamentarians of both countries
successfully cooperate on the international organizations. And this
visit of Chairman of

Religious Affairs Vagf of Turkey will serve development of links of
the religious structures.

Chairman of Azerbaijan Parliament informed on the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorny Karabakh conflict, expressed deep gratitude for support of
the fair position of Azerbaijan in this question.

Speaker Murtuz Alaskarov also stated that the negotiations on admission
of Turkey to the European Union are in focus of Azerbaijan people. The
question should find its positive settlement, he said.

The existing fraternal relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan have
certain influence on the links in other fields and every visit makes
its contribution to this cause, Mr. Ali Bardakoglu underlined.

Turkey’s admission to the European Union is important for all Turkic
countries and we hope for best, he added.

Also were exchanged views on a range of issues of mutual interest.

Armenian official calls for Iran’s fuel

MehrNews.com, Iran
Dec 19 2004

TEHRAN, Dec. 19 (MNA) – Khachaturian, the governor-general of
Armenian Siunik Province on Sunday called for Iran to provide fuel
and fertilizers required by the farmers of his province. According
to ISNA, Khachaturian visiting governor-general of the Iranian East
Azarbaijan Province, Mohammad Ali Sobhanollahi said that Iran-Armenia
ties and East Azarbaijan-Siunik relations should be in the way to
represent a model for other provinces.

“We attempt to carry out the previously made contracts between the
two provinces coupled with fulfilling duties in implementation of
contracts signed by presidents of Iran and Armenia”, he stated.

The Armenian governor-general also said that dam construction and
the third electricity transmission line are among projects that are
presently being implemented between the two countries.

In his part, Sobhanollahi said, “Our cooperation in agricultural,
medical, and sanitary fields has been started, as presently Siunik
exports cement and meat to East Azarbaijan. In return, we can help
Siunik modernize its agricultural sector.”

In conclusion, the Iranian governor-general called for the
re-establishment of Tabriz-Yerevan airline as well as removing the
impediments in expansion of ties between the two provinces.

SERGE SARGSIAN: ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN MILITARY ALLIANCE HAS NO ALTERNATE

Azg/arm
18 Dec 04

Serge Sargsian, minister of defense of Armenia, stated yesterday
that the Armenia-NATO relations will develop so far as “they do not
contradict the Collective Security Treaty (CST)”.

There is no need to include the NATO membership in Armenia’s foreign
policy agenda today but this does not mean that we should not develop
our relations with the Organization, Sargsian said during a round
table organized to discuss issues of regional security.

The Yerevan-Brussels relations mark obvious progress during the
last few years. Speaking of the range of Armenia-NATO relations,
Sargsian said that Armenia has participated in 47 arrangements and
5 military exercises of the Organization in 2004 and is going to
increase these numbers.

Armenian political leaders, Russian and US representatives took part
at the round table. Serge Sargsian took time to speak of Armenia-NATO,
Armenia-Russia, Armenia-EU relations as well as the systems of regional
security separately.

“The Armenia-Russian military alliance has no alternate today”,
he said adding that the Armenian-Russian relations cannot hinder
Armenia’s integration into Europe especially in case when Russia
and Europe come closer. The minister noted that the Armenian-Russian
military cooperation is fixed on 6 dozens of pages.

Serge Sargsian highlighted Armenia-EU relations as key one. Our
country exports 40 percent of its goods to Europe. He underscored
the “brilliant military cooperation” of Armenian-Greek peacekeepers
in Kosovo.

The minister of defense noted that Armenia is the only country in the
South Caucasus that manages to implement balanced policy. He thinks
cooperation in the region will be one day possible and reminded that
such European states as England, France and Germany have history of
century-long enmity but today they are allies.

Levon Mkrtchian, representative of the Armenian Revolutionary
Party, added to more trends of cooperation to those mentioned
by the minister. He singled out relation with Iran and the Arab
world. Mkrtchian reminded two facts from the past: firstly, Iran
provided the only road to Armenia when it was blockaded from 3 sides,
secondly by taking a neutral stance in the Karabakh conflict, Tehran
prevented it to turn into a religious one, something Azerbaijan
strived for.

By Tatoul Hakobian

Azerbaijani president: Armenia too dependent on Russia in territory dispute talks
By AIDA SULTANOVA

The Associated Press

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – Russia is taking too active a role in the
negotiations over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, whose unresolved status
remains a source of tension for Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijan’s president said
Friday.

Ilham Aliev was reacting to comments by Russian parliament speaker Boris
Gryzlov, who said that Armenia was Russia’s outpost in the Caucasus region.
Gryzlov made the statement Wednesday at a meeting between Armenian legislators
and their Russian counterparts.

“We are confused: We have always considered Armenia a state, but now it
turns out that it is an outpost,” Aliev told journalists Friday.

“So whom should we negotiate with now – the outpost or the master of the
outpost?” he said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in a bitter dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan’s territory. Ethnic Armenian
forces drove Azerbaijani troops out of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s. Since a
1994 cease-fire, the sides have been separated by a demilitarized buffer
zone, but occasional shooting breaks out and each side accuses the other of
mounting small incursions.

“I believe that if these negotiations are conducted in a constructive way,
and the Armenian side does not go back on earlier agreed-upon positions …
we can come to certain agreements,” Aliev said.

Baku wants Armenian forces to withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh before a peace
treaty can be signed.

Aliev also said Friday that Azerbaijan is ready to fully reopen its railway
connection with neighboring Georgia only after it receives guarantees that
the cargo is not redirected to Armenia.

Azerbaijan closed its railway link with Georgia for five days in November,
barring about 1,500 train cars carrying oil and other cargo, on the grounds
that some of the cargo had ended up in Armenia. Baku then reopened the
connection partially – allowing in some trains, mostly those carrying oil – after
Azerbaijan and Georgia agreed that no cargo would be redirected to Armenia.

But Aliev said Friday that “smuggling and falsifications” were still
taking place.

“If it persists, the border will remain closed,” Aliev said. “We
understand that it causes harm to us and to a certain extent to Georgia, but we have
no other choice.”

12/17/04 11:22 EST

VARDAN OSKANIAN: EUROPARLIAMENT’S DECISION IS JOINT VICTORY OF ARMENIAN
DIPLOMACY AND DIASPORA

YEREVAN, December 16 (Noyan Tapan). The RA Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanian welcomes the adoption of the resolution by the Europarliament
on Turkey’s joining the EU. The resolution calls on Turkey to recognize
the Armenian genocide and lift the blockade imposed on Armenia. He
stated this in an interview to the Armenian Public Television. Noting
that the resolution approves the start of negotiations on the issue
of Turkey’s joining the EU, the RA Foreign Minister at the same time
inderlined some conditions have been also put forward. According to
Oskanian, for Armenia “from the political point of view it is important
that the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and the recognition
of the Armenian genocide have been included in these conditions.”

The minister also mentioned that if Turkey does not meet the political
criteria, which also include relations with Armenia, at the first
stage of the negotiations, “it is not ruled out the negotiations
might be interrupted.”

The RA Foreign Minister stressed that the decision made by the
Europarliament is a joint victory of the Armenian diplomacy and
the Diaspora communities. In particular he pointed out the letter
presenting the essence of the problem sent by the RA President to
the leaders of the EU member countries.

Interfax
Dec 15 2004

Talks on Nagorno-Karabakh entering second stage

Yerevan. (Interfax) – Problems in negotiations on ways to settle the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been
settled and the talks will soon enter their second stage, Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian told a news conference on Tuesday.

The talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in
Prague in 2004 produced joint proposals “which may provide a basis
for further talks on Nagorno-Karabakh,” he said.

These proposals were presented by the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents at the Astana summit of the Commonwealth of Independent
States.

“However, Azerbaijan has put the Prague process under threat by
submitting a draft resolution on Karabakh in an attempt to pass the
Karabakh process from one international organization [the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe] to another,”
said Oskanian.

“Due to the mediation of the co-chairmen of the OSCE’s Minsk Group on
Nagorno-Karabakh, problems in the talks have been settled and we are
planning to meet with the Azerbaijani foreign minister again at the
beginning of next year,” Oskanian said. The date and place of the
meeting have not been chosen yet, he said.

Oskanian said that in matters pertaining to the Karabakh settlement,
he is more optimistic than Armenian President Robert Kocharian.

Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh in a bloody conflict with
Armenia in the 1990s. Settlement of the problem is proceeding within
the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is co-chaired by Russia,
France and the U.S.

Annan asks UN members for Holocaust commemoration

By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Secretary-General Kofi Annan has
begun to poll U.N. General Assembly members in an effort to convene a
special session to mark the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Nazi
concentration camps, U.N. officials said on Monday.

Soviet Red Army troops freed the Auschwitz concentration camp in
Poland on Jan. 27, 1945. The 60th anniversary of the liberation of
Auschwitz is to be observed in 2005 as Holocaust Memorial Day.

“The secretary-general feels this would be an important event and
awaits the responses,” said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

A majority of the 191-member assembly will have to approve the January
session, requested by the United States and supported by Russia,
France, Hungary, Canada and the Netherlands, representing the
25-member European Union as well as other nations.

U.S. Ambassador John Danforth, in a Dec. 10 letter to Annan, said the
General Assembly should convene three days before the anniversary to
avoid conflicting commemorations in Auschwitz.

U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos, a California Democrat, visiting Annan on
Monday, said Arab nations had raised objections. However, Yahya
Mahmassani, the Arab League’s U.N. ambassador, told Reuters he was
unaware of any opposition.

“I am appalled by what I understand is the opposition of some (Arab)
countries to this session, which reflects a degree of a historical and
mindless venom which is difficult to justify in the international
arena,” Lantos told reporters, without naming any nation.

The secretary-general said he was determined to do everything in his
power to proceed with such a session,” he added.

“I feel very deeply and strongly about the importance of a special
session,” said Lantos, the only holocaust survivor in the
U.S. Congress.

Lantos survived by serving as a 15-year old messenger for Raoul
Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of
Hungarian Jews from Nazi destruction near the end of World War
II. Wallenberg is the uncle of Nane Annan, the wife of the
secretary-general.

Six million Jews were exterminated in the concentration camps and
millions of others — including Poles, homosexuals, Soviet prisoners
and Gypsies — were killed, imprisoned or used as slave labor.

A session on the Holocaust would mark a change for the General
Assembly, which sets aside several days a year for resolutions on the
rights of Palestinians and Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and
Gaza Strip.

12/13/04 21:52 ET