Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Interfax News Agency
February 9, 2007 Friday

Former Azeri prisoner of war arrested

Azeri law enforcement agencies have arrested Pvt. Eldaniz Nuriyev,
who was recently released by the Armenian forces after being held as
a prisoner of war.

A warrant for his arrest was issued by the Baku Court-Martial at the
behest of the Prosecutor General’s office.

"The soldier has been arrested on charges of treason, violating
sentry procedures and desertion," the Military Prosecutor’s office’s
press service told Interfax on Friday.

Nuriyev was taken prisoner by the Armenian forces on December 31,
2006 on the line of contact between the Azeri and Armenian armies in
the Fizuli district in Azerbaijan. He was released on January 16,
2007.

Earlier in January 2007, the Military Prosecutor’s Office opened a
criminal case against Azeri soldier Vusal Garadjayev, who was also
taken prisoner by the Armenian forces in 2006.

HRANT DINK’S FUNERAL HAVE BECOME REASON FOR FIRST OFFICIAL CONTACT
OF RA DEPUTY FM WITH TURKEY’S FM

Yerevan, February 9. ArmInfo. Participation of the Armenian delegation,
headed by RA deputy FM, Arman Kirakosyan, in the funeral of Hrant Dink,
was marked by the first official contact of RA deputy FM with Turkey’s
FM, Abdullah Gul, Arman Kirakosyan said at today’s press-conference.

According to A. Kirakosyan, Abdullah Gul has welcomed him and,
on behalf of Turkey’s Government, condoled with the death of the
"representative of the Armenian community of Turkey". A. Gul also
offered to hold a meeting with his representative who arrived in
Istanbul the next day. During a 3-hour meeting with the representative
of Turkey’s FM, the Turkish side expressed a desire to normalize
the Armenian-Turkish relations. "This desire was unambiguously
expressed. Another question is under what conditions", A. Kirakosyan
said. According to him, the desire to normalize the Armenian- Turkish
relations was also expressed by the representatives of Turkish
business-circles but without precedent conditions.

Having touched upon the purpose of his visit to Turkey, that is the
funeral of Hrant Dink, the deputy FM noted that the participation
in the ceremony caused a deep emotion. About 500,000 people were
present at the procession that exceeds the number of the Armenian
community of Turkey. "That was a demonstration of solidarity. Not only
Armenians, but Turks, Greeks and Kurds took part in the procession",
A. Kirakosyan said.

To remind, the Editor-in-Chief of the "Agos" Istanbul newspaper,
Hrant Dink, was killed on January 19 by Turkish nationalists.

PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN AND HIS ATTITUDE TO THE ARMENIANS
By Ruben Hayrapetian, Moscow

AZG Armenian Daily
08/02/2007

The particularities of the latest interview of Russian Federation
President Vladimir Putin were thoroughly represented by the world
mass media and there is no need to refer to them once more. The 3,5
hour-long meeting with the most outstanding representatives of press
proved the real respect of the Russian people to their President,
as a person who managed to recover the immense country from crisis.

As of the question of the Armenian representative addressed to the
President of Russia, one can say that it should have been done much
better. How moral is it to ask a head of a foreign state about his
personal attitude to some nation? Evidently, only Ilham Aliev could
openly declare that the hates the Armenians. One could hardly think
that even the president of Turkey could afford such an expression. On
the other hand, it would be vain to expect Putin to express love and
devotion to the Armenian people.

NUMBER OF CRIMES COMMITTED BY USING FIRE-ARMS INCREASES BY FIVE IN 2006 IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Feb 08 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of crimes committed
by using fire-arms increased by five or 6.2% in 2006 in Armenia as
compared with the previous year. Deputy Chief of RA Police, Hovhannes
Hunanian reported this at the February 7 press conference. It was
mentioned that 180 cases of making and illegal circulation of arms
and ammunition were registered in 2006 (in 2005 219). In total,
last year police bodies confiscated 181 units of fire-arms (in 2005
175), 126 units of explosives (in 2005 174), 11 523 cartridges (in
2005 13 397). Thanks to explanatory work among population, 264 units
of fire-arms (in 2005 388), 802 units of explosives (in 2005 1480)
and 48 669 cartridges were voluntarily handed over in 2006.

TURKISH CHILLI SOLUTIONS TO TURKISH PROBLEMS

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Feb 8 2007

I am an optimist. Yes, everything may go horribly wrong, but still
there are plentiful reasons to cheer up. It is always helpful to start
solving problems by thinking that the glass is half full rather than
saying glass is half empty.

Realistically, the prospects for Turkey are not very bright. Cyprus,
Armenians, Dink Murder, Northern Iraq, Ajdar (our megahyperwhatever
popstar see it yourself), football terror and last but not least
climate change are all messing up our hopeful foresights.

But as a Turk, it is hard to beat me. I survive when they think I am
finished. Even sitting silent, I can dream a thousand Vienna sieges.

Do not panic, it is just a joke.

So starting from the bottom of the list, climate change, these are
my solution scenarios.

The first priority is global warming because I want to make sure that
human survival is not at stake, so I and other Turks, Armenians and
Greeks can enjoy another millennium of collective hostility.

Before developing my own solution, I made a quick research on the
net for what to be done. From what I understood so far, we have to
make personal sacrifices to stop global warming.

Some rich columnists promise to give up frequent flying and skiing.

As a proletarian writer, I do not have those luxuries, but as a
frontier I have the urge to be a correct and cost effective example
to my readers.

Maybe it is not flying or skiing but I have managed to reduce my
personal contribution to carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 99%. I gave
up my girlfriend. Yes, to stop global warming, I found an excellent
proletarian solution.

"You know I love you, but to save the earth, I am giving up the
biggest carbon dioxide emitting thing in my life, and sadly that
is you", I said to her. Her initial response was "What?". The next
thing I remember before getting hospitalized was her bag, which is
full of stuff enough for a plumber to fix Africa’s drought problems,
approaching to my left eye.

Making a woman happy is enormously carbon dioxide emitting procedure.

You have to buy gifts, have all sorts of conveniences, be clean,
flowers, calls, dinner at the restaurants and all sorts of useless
things have to be done.

After all these unnecessary capitalist consumer tasks, what you get
is the unmatched, sacred love of a woman. My team Besiktas FC can do
it for 15 euros in 90 minutes without any gifts.

So precautions to stop global warming are done. No girlfriend and
more football.

But yet, this adds up to the problem of football terror. The more
I am away from the girls and close to the patriarchal atmosphere of
football stadiums, the more aggressive I become.

Things are not that bad. I still have "Valley of the Wolves" series
starting tonight to satisfy my lonely ego and mimic a maniac’s acts
to remedy my ailing personal character, try to persuade myself that
"Crows fly in groups, hawks fly lonely".

Hmm, you push a button, it pushes other buttons. Not a tree hugging
hippie but an eco friendly girlfriend can be a wise choice.

Even if I fail to correctly solve my involvement in global warming,
I can look to the events from a purple left eye with joy and happiness.

Maybe global warming is not a bad thing at all. The ice caps will melt,
water will rise and hopefully Cyprus problem will be solved.

After Greek Cyprus’s EU accession, the road for dialog has been
closed. Since then Turkish diplomats are working twice as hard to
prove Turkey is right.

Flying from country to country, trying to explain the situation to
every other diplomat is a big carbon dioxide emitting procedure. If
the Cyprus problem was solved, Turkey will already be reaching the
1990s emission levels, by just freeing up diplomatic efforts.

But the solution in the near future is unlikely, so the only solution
to the Cyprus problem can be global warming. Slowly they will sink
into the bottom of Mediterranean. Cyprus problem solved, diplomats
freed. But these Greek Cypriots are brilliant people, they can build
an underwater community like Atlantis and continue irritating Turkey.

No luck with this problem either. About Northern Iraq, I have no
idea… Ajdar has been beaten up by another star Alihan, case closed.

Still there is the Armenian problem. I broke up with my girl, football
terror increased, waters rise, Greek Cypriots formed an underwater
community, problem still continues deep under, but how about Armenians?

I am a proud Turkish and after Hrant Dink’s murder I have felt the
doubling of this proud. Do not get me wrong! Not because he is dead,
but because thousands of Turks showed the courage to chant "We are
Dink’s, we are Armenians".

This is the mercy and courage that Armenians have never expressed
behind the Turkish diplomats killed by Armenian terror organization
ASALA. Especially Diaspora Armenians didn’t express any sympathy
for those killed cowardly. Yet Turks show the world that they are
different. This is the premium I got by being Turkish!

But these lines will not solve any problem, on the contrary it will
inflame. A solution to this Armenian-Turkish problem is from Mr Dink
himself. The following lines are from an interview with Hrant Dink
in Turkish. Translation mistakes are due to me.

"We are two diseased nations, Armenians and Turks" he says and
continues:

"Armenians live with a big trauma against Turks and Turks live in
paranoia against Armenians.

We are two clinically diseased cases

Who [What] will cure us?

The decision of the French senate? The decision of the US senate?

Who will give the prescription? Who will be our doctor?

Armenians are the doctors[cure] for the Turks? Turks are the
doctors[cure] for Armenians.

Other than this, there is no doctor, no prescription..

Dialog is the only prescription

Doctors are each others.

There is no solution other than this…"

(Su Catlagini buldu)

Yes, Dink is certainly right. Dialog is the only solution, if we can
build bridges first.

Dialog is a long process and does not happen overnight. With in the
current discussions, the dialog is very unlikely because everyone
knows each others stance. If any dialog is intended, the rule must be
"Rejecting or Accepting genocide should not be discussed".

We have one big conflict and millions of other similarities. Can
Diaspora Armenians start a dialogue by placing their claims to bottom
of the list for subjects to be discussed? Is the glass still half full?

Can the civil society start an initiative? Does it possible for
people believing in dialog in both societies to start initiatives
like a Hrant Dink award for Turkish Armenian Dialog?

There is a long way to go, which needs lots of courage and patience
from both sides. As I demonstrated, I have given up my girlfriend to
save the world. Do the Armenians have this courage?

USA WAS WARNED AGAINST PASSING ARMENIAN BILL – TURKISH DAILY

Sabah website, Istanbul
7 Feb 07

Text of report headlined "The map unfolded in the White House",
in English, published by Turkish newspaper Sabah website on 7 February

[Turkish Foreign Minister] Gul expressed to the US vice president
Cheney the prospective damage of the Armenian Bill on the map and
added: "calculate well".

During his US visit, the minister of foreign affairs Abdullah Gul
opened the maps and said "see the significance of Turkey in terms of
energy and security halls both for the USA and the region" talking
to the US vice president Cheney.

Gul’s warning to the White House indicated on the map

The minister of foreign affairs Gul met with the US vice president at
the White House and mentioned the significance of Turkey. He added:
"calculate the costs of losing Turkey".

Gul expressed to the US vice president Cheney the prospective damage of
the Armenian Bill to be confirmed by the congress and slowing down of
the fight against PKK to the relationship between Turkey and the USA
on the map. Pointing out the maps unfolded at the tables, Gul said:
"Look Mr Cheney, you see how important Turkey is starting from the
energy halls to the security halls both for the USA and for the
regional equilibrium. You calculate the costs of losing Turkey."

HEAD OF TURKISH PARLIAMENTARY UNION SENDS LETTER TO U.S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SPEAKER

Turkish Press, MI
Feb 6 2007

ANKARA – Hasan Korkmazcan, the Chairman of Turkish Parliamentary Union
(TPB), sent a letter to the Speaker and members of the U.S.

House of Representatives, regarding the so-called Armenian genocide
allegations.

In his letter, Korkmazcan said that unilateral comments on this issue
may harm alliance, goorelations and peace between Turkey and the USA.

Recalling that Turkey`s initiatives undertaken with good-will to
launch scientific researches on the matter have been rejected (by
the Armenians), Korkmazcan said, "Baseless discourses have not only
distorted historical facts but also turned them into political moves
that thwart scientific discussions. I sincerely believe that you will
not agree with these racist claims, which have no proof, and you
will handle the facts seriously. I also believe that your approach
will create a fair answer to those who want to hamper improvement of
Turkish-Armenian relations with out-of-date and superficial policies".

FAMILIES OF SLAIN PRIEST, KILLER MEET AT MASS
Nicolas Cheviron

Middle East Times, Egypt
Feb 5 2007

PARENTS: Necmiye Akdin (L) and Hikmet Akdin (C), parents of the
murderer of Roman Catholic priest Andrea Santoro, talk to Cardinal
Camillo Ruini (2nd R) and Archbishop Luigi Padovese at Santa Maria
Church in Turkey’s Black Sea city of Trabzon February 5.

(REUTERS)

TRABZON, Turkey — The parents of a Turkish teenager jailed for
killing an Italian Roman Catholic priest last year met relatives
of the victim Monday at a memorial service here to mark the first
anniversary of his murder.

The couple visited the Santa Maria Catholic Church, where Father Andrea
Santoro, 61, was shot dead as he knelt in prayer February 5, 2006.

There they expressed their sympathy to Santoro’s mother and two
sisters and to Cardinal Camillo Ruini, head of the Italian Episcopal
conference, who were in Trabzon, a port city on the eastern Black
Sea coast, for the service.

"It was a very emotional moment. The boy’s mother kissed the cardinal’s
hand and she and her husband expressed their condolences and deep
sadness," Trabzon Mayor Volkan Canalioglu, who attended the meeting,
told reporters.

"Santoro’s family told them they would be praying both for Santoro
and the boy," he added.

The priest was shot dead at a time of widespread anger across the
Muslim world over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed
in European newspapers.

But the motives of the assailant, a 16-year-old identified only as
O.A., have never been confirmed. His trial, in which he was sentenced
to 18 years and 10 months in October, was held behind closed doors
because of his young age.

Witnesses had said that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akhbar" ("God Is
Great") as he fired two shots at the priest before fleeing.

The expression is used in prayer by Muslims, but also as a rallying
cry by Islamic militants.

Several newspapers suggested that the boy’s action was instigated by
Islamist extremists, but his father said that his son had no links
with religious groups and was receiving psychological support.

Cardinal Ruini, who led the memorial service, called for reconciliation
and understanding between Islam and Christianity.

"We are here today in the spirit of Father Andrea Santoro, respecting
Islam and considering Turkey and the Turks friends.

"Another reason why we are here is to show that dialogue between
religions is possible and desirable," he said.

The Santa Maria Catholic Church was built in the nineteenth century
on the orders of an Ottoman sultan to serve foreign visitors. It now
has a community of about 20 worshipers.

Trabzon, a nationalist stronghold, again came under the spotlight
after the January 19 killing of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant
Dink in Istanbul.

A 17-year old boy from Trabzon has confessed to the murder and was
arrested along with seven alleged associates, all young people also
from that town.

Some media reports have suggested that the murders of Dink and Santoro
might be linked.

Trabzon’s governor and police chief were removed from office last week
following accusations that they had failed seriously to investigate
groups of youths under the sway of ultra-nationalist and Islamist
ideas in the wake of Santoro’s murder.

The killing was the most serious among several attacks on Christian
clergymen in Turkey, virtually unheard of until last year.

Five days after Santoro was gunned down, another Roman Catholic priest
was harassed and threatened in the western city of Izmir and in July,
a third was stabbed by a man described as "mentally disturbed" in
Samsun in the north.

During a visit to Turkey in November, Pope Benedict XVI remembered
Santoro and called on Ankara to ensure the religious freedom of its
tiny Christian communities.

TURKEY IS AT THE CROSSROADS
By Harry Sterling, Freelance

The Gazette (Montreal)
February 5, 2007 Monday
Final Edition

The country can continue its march to political and human rights
reform, or return to the dark days of the past

Hrant Dink would have been impressed by the gigantic turnout in
Istanbul. More than 100,000 people jammed the streets, the main
thoroughfare overflowing, stretching for blocks.

Regrettably, the massive outpouring of support came on the day of
his own funeral, the ethnic Armenian newspaper editor murdered by
a young ultra-nationalist Turk angered by Dink’s writing about the
controversial events of 1915 in which much of Turkey’s Armenian
community died at the hands of the Ottoman Turks.

Although Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan was quick to denounce
the murder, as did many Turks, Dink’s assassination once again drew
attention to the divisions within Turkish society. Those cleavages
extend far beyond the Armenian issue, raising serious questions
of where Turkey is heading, including it prospects for joining the
European Union.

During the past year, there’s been an escalation of bombings by radical
groups, particularly Islamists and Kurds. A number of Turkish tourist
resorts have been targeted, as have public buildings in Istanbul. A
judge was assassinated in the capital Ankara by an Islamic militant.

That such attacks have taken place in a country where the security
authorities and military have a reputation for not tolerating
anti-government activities or demonstrations – even legitimate dissent
– is worrisome for many.

This is particularly troublesome for those concerned by a dramatic
decrease in popular support for Turkey’s longstanding application
to join the European Union. Until recently, there was a comfortable
majority in favour of joining the EU. Now only one in three regard
joining as important, many saying the Europeans demean Turkey by
constantly demanding more respect for the rule of law and fundamental
human rights. Nationalists and others, including Islamists, say Turkey
should concentrate instead on developing closer relations with its
neighbours and other Muslim countries.

The shift away from the EU has important implications for those who
want Turkish authorities to carry out political and human rights
reforms.

Numerous Turkish writers, journalists and others were charged with
violating laws prohibiting criticism of the country’s institutions
or which denigrated "Turkishness."

It was only after an international outcry that Turkey’s famous
novelist, Orhan Pamuk – winner of last year’s Nobel Prize for
Literature – had his charges dropped. He had been accused of defaming
Turkey in an interview by mentioning the Armenian massacre controversy
and plight of the Kurdish population. Another Turkish author, Elif
Shafak, also initially faced prosecution for having a character in
her novel make critical comments about Turkey.

It’s not just human rights activists and Armenians who would be
concerned if the government lessens its commitment to reforms. A
Kurdish observer pointed out that the government’s desire to join
the EU was a pivotal factor in its willingness to finally allow the
use of the Kurdish language on the radio and in certain schools. A
turning away from the EU could remove the gains of recent years

As it is, the situation of Kurds in eastern Turkey remains tense,
partially due to widespread resentment of the security forces that
harass and intimidate Kurds considered supportive of the PKK or
independence.

Despite the imprisonment of the PKK’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, the
PKK has been re-grouping from sanctuaries in northern Iraq where
Iraqi Kurds now operate a semi-autonomous administration because of
the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime.

However, the presence of the PKK in northern Iraq has introduced a
further explosive element: Turkey threatens to invade northern Iraq
to attack the PKK.

To further complicate an already volatile situation, Turkey is
opposed to Iraq’s Kurdish leadership trying to control the region
across its border, including oil-rich Kirkuk, laying the groundwork
for eventually declaring an independent Kurdish state.

Ankara sees this as highly dangerous for its national interests because
it might encouraging its own Kurdish population to support the PKK
in its struggle for an independent Kurdish state in eastern Turkey.

Turkish authorities have warned Washington that if it doesn’t find a
way to control the separatist tendencies in Iraq’s Kurdistan region,
Turkey could cross the border to take on the PKK and prevent the area
becoming independent.

The Americans argue that given the current difficulties they confront
in controlling sectarian violence in the rest of Iraq, they simply
do not have the resources to deploy U.S. forces in northern Iraq.

Turkish authorities nevertheless want action to contain such Kurdish
separatist threats. Some fear that if the Americans can’t act, Turkey
might do so.

But any such intervention would also have unpredictable consequences
not just for Turkey and the Kurds but also for Turkey ever joining
the European Union.

Harry Sterling, a former diplomat, is an Ottawa-based commentator. He
served in Turkey.

SEMINAR IN ARMENIAN CAPITAL TO DISCUSS ARMY REFORMS

Mediamax news agency
5 Feb 07

Yerevan, 5 February: A three-day international seminar dedicated to
military reforms in Armenia opened in Yerevan today. The seminar was
organized by the Armenian Defence Ministry and the George C. Marshall
European Centre for Security Studies.

Opening the seminar, a Marshall Centre representative, retired Maj-Gen
Horst Schmalfeld, noted the importance of reforming Armenia’s military
sector to distinguish between functions of the Defence Ministry and
the General Staff of the armed forces and ensuring the participation
of civilian personnel in managing the military sphere.

During the seminar, methodology and experience of legislative and
structural reforms will be proposed to Armenia.

Armenian Deputy Defence Minister Lt-Gen Artur Aghabekyan divided the
process of defence reforms into three conditional stages. The first
stage is legislative planned to be completed in 2008. In particular,
it is planned to adopt laws "On defence", "On military mobilization"
and "On special civil service".

The deputy minister said that Armenia’s defence doctrine will be
adopted in 2007. The strategic review of the army is to be held in
2008-2010. The reforms in the Armenian army will actually end by 2015.

Artur Aghabekyan said that the construction of the Defence Ministry’s
new building will end this autumn and this will allow to concentrate
the ministry’s administration and the General Staff in the same
building.