Author: Khoyetsian Rose

TWO TURKISH POLICEMEN ON TRIAL FOR POSING WITH SUSPECT IN DINK MURDER

By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Daily Star – Lebanon
Sept 29 2007

ANKARA: Two Turkish policemen went on trial Friday for their role
in a scandal which saw security forces pose for pictures with the
suspected murderer of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, the
official Anatolia news agency reported. The trial in the northern
city of Samsun is the first time that members of the security forces
have been brought before a court over the January 19 murder, which
the police are accused of failing to prevent.

The charges followed a complaint from Dink’s family that police
protected the self-confessed killer, 17-year-old Ogun Samast, when
he was captured in Samsun a day after Dink was shot dead in Istanbul.

Footage and photos leaked to the media at the time showed officers,
some of them in uniform, posing with Samast as he held a Turkish flag,
unleashing accusations that some officials may secretly approve of
the murder.

Eight police officers were given disciplinary sanctions, but only Metin
Balta, the deputy head of the terrorism department, and Ibrahim Firat,
a police chief in the same office, have been charged over the incident.

Balta is accused of "abusing his office by allowing acts unbefitting
state officials and leading to the impression that there was sympathy
for Samast’s action," Anatolia said.

He could be sentenced to between six months and two years in jail if
found guilty.

Firat risks a one-to-five-year jail sentence on charges of "violating
the secrecy of the investigation" by leaking the images to the media,
Anatolia added.

The police are also under fire for failing to prevent the murder
despite having received intelligence of a plot to kill Dink being
organized in the northern city of Trabzon, the home of Samast and
most of his suspected associates.

Dink, 52, a prominent member of Turkey’s tiny Armenian minority,
was gunned down outside the offices of his bilingual Turkish-Armenian
weekly Agos, in central Istanbul.

POPULATION INCREASE OBSERVED IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 24 2007

YEREVAN, September 24. /ARKA/. During the recent three years trends
of population increase have been observed in Armenia, said Head of
the Department of population census and demography of the Armenian
National Statistical Service Karine Kyumjyan.

"Before 2003 the indices of migration exceeded the population increase,
and the demographic situation did not improve, but starting from 2003
demography has become better accounted for the natural population
increase," she said.

Kyumjyan noted if in 1985-1990 in Armenia 80,000 children were born
annually, in 2002 the index reduced by 32,000, but recently comparative
increase is observed at the level of 37,000 annually. In 52.1% of
these case the child is a firstborn, and in 12.7% – third or more.

She said that Armenia gradually transfers from the model of large
family to that of with 1-2 children.

"In 90s the reproductive performance index was 2.6 children, in 2006
it reached 1,35, and in this period the number of children living
till the reproductive age reduced twice," she added.

She also pointed to the problem of reduction of registered marriages.

She noted that in 2006 the number of marriages was 16,000 against
28,000 in 1990. The correlation of the number of divorces towards
marriages increased. In 2006, 1,700 couples divorced against 4,000
in 1990.

Kyumjyan noted that the average duration of the first marriage
increased from 25.5 years in 1990 to 28 years in 2005.

At the same time she said that in this period the average index of
life interval increased from 67.9 to 73 of men, and from 73.4 to 76.5
of women.

JEWS WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN DECISION MAKING

A1+
[02:23 pm] 24 September, 2007

"We have received no congratulation from the RA authorities on this
great holiday. Despite the authorities’ indifference, we are punctual
tax-payers and RA citizens," Rima Varjapetyan, the head of Jewish
community in Armenia, told A1+.

A few days ago the community celebrated Rosh Hashanah -Jewish New Year
in Armenia. One of the popular practices of the holiday is Tashlikh
("casting off").

They walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, in the afternoon
and empty their pockets into the river, symbolically casting off
their sins.

On the whole, the Jewish community is content with the country’s
attention to national minorities.

"We would like to participate in decision makings and various actions
in Armenia. Unfortunately, so far we have been denied participation,"
Rima Varjapetyan said.

The Jews support Armenians in everything, especially in the recognition
of the Genocide. In this regard they even came into conflict with
the Jewish community of Azerbaijan.

"They attempt to support Azerbaijan in view of the Karabakh conflict
resolution and intervene in its recognition. But I am more than
convinced that they do it forcibly, against their will," says the
head of Jewish community in Armenia

According to Ms. Varjapetyan the two communities had better undertake
a peacekeeping mission to promote dialogue between the two countries.

It is due to mention that the Armenian Jewish community is comprised
of 300 members. Most of them live in Yerevan, Vanadzor and Gyumri. The
community has carried out different cultural programmes over the past
16 years.

Tehran Times, Iran

September 24, 2007

Gas export gives Iran bigger intl. influence: MP

TEHRAN (PIN) – Iran could play a more effective role
in the region and major parts of the world by
exporting gas to India and Europe, said a member of
parliament’s Plan and Budget Committee here Sunday.

Morteza Tamaddon told PIN, `We should not have a
unilateral view of gas export and think of only
economic interests as gas export to India and Europe
serves interests beyond economic profits, empowering
Iran in the region and world.’

He said the country now lacked enough capacity to
refine the whole volume of produced gas, adding the
country would have no alternative but export the
commodity until the refining capacity reached its
desirable level.

`If we stop exporting gas and derive gas from jointly
owned fields according to domestic refining capacity,
we will be outpaced and a part of resources will
fade,’ noted the lawmaker.

Caretaker of the Oil Ministry Gholamhossein Nozari
said Iran was pursuing the export of natural gas,
adding the policy was underlined in the directives of
the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

He said the country held more than 15 percent of the
world’s gas reserves and it needed to have greater
share in the global gas market.

Nozari said some countries, which had less than two
percent of the world gas reserves, currently had a
seven percent share in the global market.

The comments clearly put to question certain domestic
objections to the policy of exporting gas. Some
analysts and Majlis deputies have criticized the
government’s policy to export gas, arguing that the
country needs gas for domestic use as well as for
injection into oilfields. Although the idea is partly
defendable, its proponents ignore that production of
gas for domestic use and injection into oilfields
needs investment. Funds are required to develop gas
fields, especially since those shared with Qatar
cannot be allocated by the government. Gas projects
certainly need foreign and private investments.

State funds have not even been sufficient for
infrastructure projects since the Third Five-Year
Development Plan (2000-2005). So attraction of foreign
and private investments has been a priority for the
government. Deals in the buyback and finance modes
have also been introduced with the aim of attracting
investments.

Recent negotiations with European countries including
Austria and Switzerland as well as with Turkey have
opened new horizon export and expanding production.

Managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company
earlier said that Iran was able to export $35 billion
cubic meters of gas to Europe once contracts were
finalized.

Under the agreement, the country will export $35
billion cubic meters via Turkey to Europe.

Gas export to the Indian subcontinent has topped that
agenda for the past 15 years. If signed, the deal
helps materialize an important part of long-term
policies to make Iran a major gas exporter.

Now, the question is whether Iran will be able to
become a major exporter and also to supply gas for
household, industrial, commercial sectors and power
plants, and to inject into oilfields. As per target of
Vision 2025, Iran should become the world’s third gas
producer by the year. It also has to attain a share of
eight to 10 percent of global trade in gas products.

Given that Iran has abundant gas reserves, the
objective can easily be achieved if it is properly
planned and its gas fields are developed.

The country has to redouble efforts to achieve an 8-10
percent share in the world gas market.

Global gas trade either through pipeline or in the
form of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) stood at 581
billion cubic meters in 2002. The figure reached 748
billion cubic meters in 2006, registering an annual
6.5 percent growth. If the current trend continues,
world gas demand will hit 1,800 billion cubic meters
by 2020. Some 8-10 percent of this figure will be
amounted to 144 billion to 180 billion cubic meters.
In other words, Iran has to increase its gas exports
by 12-15 folds and production by five times.

This is while the priority was given to domestic
consumption and injection of gas into old oilfield.

If production is increased to 600 billion cubic
meters, the country can become the world’s second gas
producer by 2025.

Petroleum Ministry figures suggest Iran has 28.3
trillion cubic meters while domestic consumption is
321 million cubic meters per day or 117 billion cubic
meters per year. If consumption rises by an average of
eight percent, Iran will need six trillion cubic
meters of gas annually by 2025. It is predicted that
total gas injected into oilfields will exceed 1.6
trillion to 1.9 trillion by 2025. So total gas
consumed will be eight trillion or 29 percent of the
country’s gas reserves by 2025.

Despite all the figures, some analysts and
policymakers support the idea of becoming a gas
exporter. They opine if the country sets aside only
five percent of its gas reserves for export, the
target set in Vision 2025 can be achieved.

But the important issue is that the country should
attract investments in the sector to meet domestic
demand and to increase production. The only way to
attract investments is opening the doors to foreign
investors. Another solution is to bolster private
sector’s role. Unless the government overhauls the
structure of its energy sector, these objectives
cannot be materialized

PanARMENIAN.Net

"Screamers" screened in Bern
21.09.2007 14:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On September 19, 2007, the Switzerland-Armenia
parliamentary group organized in Bern an extraordinary screening of
the documentary feature "Screamers", the story of prominent
heavy-metal rock group, System of a Down, as they strive to gain
recognition of the Armenian Genocide, putting the crime in a universal
context of a violation of human rights, independent French journalist
Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The screening, at the Kino im Kunstmuseum of Bern, was held a month
before Switzerland’s federal elections to the Parliament, where the
current anti-racist law criminalizing Genocide denial is being
attacked by the SVP (Swiss People’s Party).

The screening was attended by prominent representatives of the Swiss
Parliament, representing the entire spectrum of Swiss politics.

In the opening speech, Ueli Leuenberger, Vice President of the
Ecological Party (Green Party) underlined the importance of having an
anti-racist law. "One thing is clear: whoever tries to trivialize
atrocities committed 90 years ago is practicing denial. The positions
of the Swiss National Council as well as the Vaud and Geneva Cantonal
Parliaments remind us of the historical truth. We will oppose, with
all the legal means we have at our disposal, every attempt to weaken
the anti-racism norm. The collective memory should be kept alive and
we all have to fight so that expressions like Never Again become a
reality,’ he said.

The screening was followed by a discussion with participation of
`Screamers’ director Carla Garapedian.

AZG Armenian Daily #172, 21/09/2007

Information Technologies

"VIASPHERE" TECHNICAL PARK RECOGNIZED THE BEST IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

IT Months Becoming Tradition in Armenia

This year the "IT Month" will last longer than the previous one; it
was launched on September 13 and will last until the end of
October. According to Armen Grigorian, the head of the Prime
Minister’s Council for IT Development, the IT Month is aimed at
increasing the role of the government in the process of development of
the IT sphere in Armenia.

The IT Month is organized by the Council for IT Development, the IT
Foundation of Armenia, the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, the IT
Enterprizes Union, the UNIDO, the UNDP "Competitive Private Sector in
Armenia" program, and the "Microsoft" and "Sun Microsystems"
companies.

In the frameworks of the "IT Month" event the fifth symposium
dedicated to the Electrotechnics and Radioelectronics International
Institute and the presentation of the "Real advantages of Microsoft
Windows" program have been already held.

An agreement about realizing joint education programs has been signed
between the Enterprise Incubator Foundation and the "National
Instruments" company, USA. At present the "ECAbit 2007" international
innovation symposium (September 20-21) and the "Imagine Cup – Armenia"
competition of young programmers are being held.

The last event of the IT Month shall become the international
"DigiTech 2007" exhibition, October 26-28.

The director executive of the "Synopsis-Armenia" company Rich Goldman
said that the IT sphere is the future of Armenia. Armenia can get the
supremacy in this sphere; therefore there is much to do. Head of the
Enterprise Incubator Foundation Bagrat Engibarian stated that the IT
Month of 2007 remarkably differed from the previous ones both by its
quantity and quality indexes. He emphasized the activity of the
Enterprise Incubator Foundation and "Viasphere" in the region of South
Caucasus.

Head of "Viasphere" technical park Aram Vardanian informed that over
30 companies, structures and services are quartered at present at the
technical park. Due to "Synopsis" the number of the employees of
"Viasphere" reached 800. According to data provide by the World Bank,
"Viasphere" is the best in South Caucasus

By A. Haroutiunian, Translated by A.M.

X2 60, X2 azat, X2 shax, Armen

RIDGEWAY REACHES OUT ACROSS THE GLOBE

Swindon Advertiser, UK
19th September 2007

Rosemary Cairns, Phil Bevan, Trond Vagmo, Gwyn Newman, James Povoas,
Eddie Sims and Silvano O’Malley IT might not be out to conquer the
world – but Ridgeway School is making all the global friends it can.

The Wroughton secondary school has just been awarded an Intermediate
Status International School Award from the British Council.

And to celebrate, Trond Vlagmo, from Ridgeway’s partner school Askim,
in Norway, visited the Inverary Road school to cut a cake and present
a certificate showing their new status. Ridgeway’s International
co-ordinator Eddie Sims said it was a proud day for the school.

"It shows we are being recognised for developing links with other
schools across the globe," he said.

"We are currently working with five or six schools altogether and
hope to increase that in the future."

Among the countries the school has links with are Canada, India, the
Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Armenia, Ghana and, hopefully
in the near future, South Africa, Northern Ireland and America.

advertisement"We really are doing very nicely," said Mr Sims.

"It means that we have a more exciting curriculum and that the students
really enjoy their learning. We really are educating them to become
global citizens, and the students I have spoken to about the award
all seem pleased and excited."

Mr Vlagmo’s visit to the school also marks the start of a permanent
co-operation between the two schools, which will see pupils from each
visiting the other. He said he had enjoyed his trip to Swindon.

"I have been looking forward to this," he said.

"I had some thoughts about the school before I came here. Some things
were how I expected them to be and other things have impressed me."

He said that he thought the school was well equipped and told staff
about the differences in the education system in Norway.

"Here there are different rooms for different subjects and the teacher
owns the room," he said.

"In Norway, my teachers run from one room to another as the class owns
the room and all lessons are taught in there, whatever the subject."

Mr Vlagmo said that he hoped students from Ridgeway would soon be
visiting his school.

He added that he would like the secondary school to have even more
links with schools around the globe.

A hope that Mr Sims said was shared by staff and pupils at Ridgeway.

Selectmen hear Armenian issue

Bedford Minuteman
Wed Sep 19, 2007, 02:22 PM EDT

Bedford, Mass. –

By Patrick Ball
Staff Writer

Flanked by fellow Bedford residents of Armenian descent, Nancy
Asbedian asked selectmen to help "lift the burden" borne by every
Armenian-American in the room – a burden that will be passed on to
their children.

Between 1915 and 1918, 1 1/2 million Armenians were systematically
slaughtered by the Ottoman Turks, she said. Much of the world has come
to recognize this tragedy as genocide, but some, including the
Anti-Defamation League, have not. This is the burden she spoke of.

There is no statute of limitations on justice, and the democratic
process starts with the people, she told selectmen Monday. "If the
truth doesn’t start in Bedford, then where?" she asked.

The truth sought by the Armenian-American advocates is for the
Anti-Defamation League to recognize unambiguously the Armenian
Genocide and to support a congressional resolution on the issue. The
ADL has said the massacre of 1 1/2 million Armenians by the Ottoman
Turks during WWI was "tantamount to genocide," but adamantly opposes
Congressional Resolution on the issue.

No specific action was requested of the selectmen at the Monday
meeting, but Asbedian, along with several other Armenian-Americans,
implored selectmen to support a letter sent by the town’s Violence
Prevention Coalition to the New England regional branch of the ADL.

Cathy Cordes, who is the selectmen’s liaison to the VPC, said part of
the VPC mission is to build inter-group understanding. "You being here
is doing that," she told the Armenian-American advocates. "I hope that
you keep telling your stories."

The VPC letter, was penned after discussing the issue with the
Armenian-American contingent at a Sept. 4 meeting, says the coalition
will "watch very carefully what the ADL does [at a November meeting
that will address the issue]." It was sent to the New England Regional
Office last week, and Sue Baldauf, VPC chairwoman, said she was
confident it would find its way to the national office.

Baldauf, who is also director of Bedford Youth and Family Services,
said the letter was intended to be supportive of the New England
regional branch of the ADL, which took a position contrary to the
national stance.

"The VPC letter is a very strong [statement], the only thing I see
missing is a deadline," said Stephen Dulgarian.

The New England regional office of the ADL sent a letter to Bedford,
which was received on Monday. The letter does not directly reference
the VPC’s letter, but does say, "We know that the Violence Prevention
Coalition and other members of the community have some questions and
concerns about the ADL and the Armenian Genocide issue."

The letter says regarding the "fundamental moral issue," the ADL did
acknowledge the genocide, but the "matter of the resolution before the
United States Congress … is a political issue by nature."

The ADL said it has been "proud to work with Bedford, and we certainly
hope to continue this vital work together." Furthermore, it hopes the
town will not "rush to judgment" before the ADL National Commission
addresses "this important issue further" at a November meeting.

Chairman Angelo Colao said the selectmen do not intend to make any
decision until after the ADL’s November meeting.

Baldauf said she agrees with the selectmen about not making any
decisions, and indicated the December VPC meeting is the likely the
earliest any measures would begin.

Selectman Gordon Feltman said the board was "in the process of
withholding judgment," and they not only wanted to see the ADL’s
November decision, but also any subsequent interactions between the
local and national offices.

The Armenian Genocide resolution is not new, Michael Bahtiarian said.
It has come up continuously throughout the 20-plus years he has been
active in Armenian-American issues, and Bahtiarian does not anticipate
changes will come of the ADL’s November meeting.

So swift and significant action from the selectmen will be expected,
since they plan to wait for the ADL’s decision, Bahtiarian said.

The "cynical and unprincipled" stance is tantamount to the U.S. State
Department’s backing of "every tin pan dictator in South America,"
said Feltman, who was surprised by the ADL’s national stance.

However, with the New England branch "spear-heading the effort" and
local groups embarking on a grassroots campaign, he is confident that
the November meeting will lead to change.
"I think your moment in history is coming," Feltman said.

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, The Massachusetts Municipal Association Board of
Directors issued a statement "on the importance of recognizing the
Armenian Genocide and supporting the congressional resolution." The
MMA, which was a founding co-sponsor of the No Place for Hate program,
"applauds and supports the position of the New England Regional
Director and New England Regional Executive Committee of the ADL for
their leadership in calling for the unequivocal recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and support for the Congressional Resolution before
the U.S. House and Senate."

The MMA statement also "respectfully calls on the national ADL to
support the Congressional Resolution," and says the MMA will
"subsequently re-evaluate its official sponsorship of the No Place for
Hate program" pending the national ADL’s decision.
In other business:

–Selectmen granted contracts for the re-roofing of the Town Center
North Wing and portions of the Fire Station to WPI Construction, of
Webster.

–Selectmen approved an agreement between the DPW and M.E. O’Brien and
Sons, of Medfield, for their services and furnishings for a new tot
lot, which will replace the two existing tot lots in the Town Center
area.

Source: 820

ECONOMIC COMPETITION COMMITTEE TO COOPERATE WITH WORLD BANK

Panorama.am
21:21 18/09/2007

Today the president of the state commission on economic competition,
Ashot Shahnazaryan, received Aristomene Varudakis, head of the World
Bank office in Armenia, and Fernando Montes-Negretin, director of
financial development in Europe and Central Asia, as well as Karen
Grigoryan, economist for the Armenian office of the World Bank. Armine
Udumyan, press secretary for the commission, gave this information.

The first meeting took place in July.

The commission president expressed his thanks for the acceptance of
the offer to cooperate and for displaying consistency. "Cooperation
with the Word Bank is an important step, and can be beneficial in
institutional development," he said. Shahnazaryan pointed out that
assistance from the World Bank is expected to advance the state
of the legislative field (maintain the status of the mechanisms of
independence, forcing the carrying-out of decisions, etc.) and the
shaping of capabilities and general competence.

Montes-Negretin was interested in knowing what steps had been taken
until now concerning the mentioned points and what sort of results had
been registered, what the current state of the commission’s activities
were concerning juridical issues, consumer rights, etc.

Director of the World Bank office in Armenia, A. Varudakis, said that
programs that are expected to be implemented will be discussed by the
commission, as well as the amount of future cooperation and future
steps to be taken to carry out the program.

TURKISH MEDIA: GOVERNMENT TOOLS

Blogger News Network
September 19th, 2007 by The Stiletto

Given how Turkish newspapers "report" the news, "independent
journalist" Alexis Debat would have no trouble landing a top spot
at any one of them. For instance, during Pope Benedict’s visit to
Turkey last November, local papers quoted Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan as claiming that the pontiff told him, "You know we don’t
have a political role, but we wish for Turkey’s entry into the EU" –
which prompted a swift "clarification" by the Vatican that essentially
boiled down to "as if."

In the latest example of great moments in Turkish journalism, here is a
comparison of how the paper Hurriyet sumarized a September 13th speech
by R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs to the
Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS) and what the third-highest
ranking official at the U.S. Department of State actually said.

Hurriyet: Nicholas Burns … has said that Turkey-US relations have
reached a "critical juncture."

Burns: "I am pleased to be back at the Atlantic Council to discuss
what is one of the most critical relationships for America in the
world today – the relationship between the United States and Turkey."

Note: Nowhere in his remarks, does Burns say that the relationship
between the two countries has reached a "critical juncture"; he does
say several times that the two countries have a critical relationship.

"Critical juncture" suggests a crossroad, which in turn suggests a
parting of the ways. No diplomat would use such language to an ally.

***

Hurriyet: "Turkey is critical for us, an indispensable ally, with her
commitment to secular democracy. Prime Minister Erdogan and President
Gul are reliable. They have kept promises they have made to us in
the past.

Turkey is an important portal for energy sources to reach Europe. We
support Turkey’s accession to the European Union."

Burns: "The Turkish people have just concluded important, even historic
elections. These elections demonstrated the strong health of Turkey’s
democracy, the most impressive in the Moslem world. The result was
a decisive and Turkey can now expect a period of renewal and growth
at home and responsibility and challenge in its foreign policy. The
United States government looks forward to a very close relationship
with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan. President
Bush and Secretary Rice respect both of these men. We have worked
very well and productively with them in years past and know that
will continue in the years to come. We would like to agree with the
newly-elected Turkish leadership on a period in the coming months of
high-level visits, discussions and joint commitment to face together
the challenges of stability and peace in the Middle East."

…

"Turkey is the gateway for exports of oil and natural gas from the
Caspian region and Iraq to Europe.

Building on our successful cooperation in the 1990’s to develop
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the South Caucasus gas
pipeline, we now seek to expand this critical energy infrastructure
into a Southern Corridor to help our European allies – Greece, Italy
and into Western Europe – create a free market for energy supplies
in Europe. These efforts can also help Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and
Turkmenistan bolster their own independence by providing them access
to European energy markets." …

"We are among the strongest supporters of Turkey’s EU aspirations. We
call on Europe’s leaders to signal clearly and unambiguously that
Turkey will have a voice in the European Union in the future."

Note: Nowhere in his remarks does Burns say that Erdogan and Gul,
specifically, have been reliable allies and kept their promises to
the U.S. Rather in weeping, historic terms, he states that Turkey
has been a dependable and important ally in a turbulent region dating
back to the Truman Doctrine.

***

Hurriyet: "The energy agreement between Iran and Turkey bothered us. It
is beneficial for both the US and Turkey to keep Iran, which supports
the Taleban and wants to possess nuclear power, under control."

Burns: "We have worked well together to support of the clear
international consensus demanding that Iran cease its nuclear weapons
development programs. Turkey has also proven to be strong partner
in countering Iran’s support for terrorists in the Middle East. But
the United States and Turkey still need to work out some tactical
differences in handling Iran. We understand that Iran is a neighbor of
Turkey and key trading partner, which sends over a million tourists to
Turkey each year. Turkey’s recent conclusion of a memorandum on energy
cooperation with Iran, however, is troubling. Now is not the time for
business as usual with Iran. We urge all of our friends and allies,
including Turkey, to not reward Iran by investing in its oil and
gas sector, while Iran continues to defy the United Nations Security
Council by continuing its nuclear research for a weapons capability."

Note: Hurriyet toned Burns’ remarks down big time.

This was the one and only clear criticism of Turkish policy Burns
dared to utter in his speech, and it was all-but censored. Burns
pussyfooted around every other sensitive topic – in some cases
ignoring some very inconvenient facts. For instance, Burns talked
about Turkey’s "160-year legacy of modernizing reform, as the most
successful example in the world today of a secular democracy within
a Muslim society that can inspire reformers in the greater Middle
East and beyond." He did not mention how the Armenian Genocide and
successive massacres of other Christian minorities during the Ottoman
era left modern Turkey 99.8 percent Muslim, how converts from Islam
are prosecuted and sometimes murdered, and the spate of murders of
Catholic priests that have occurred over the past couple of years. If
you are not Muslim, Turkey is neither secular nor a democracy.

***

Hurriyet: "The PKK is a terrorist organisation. Our good faith
should not be underestimated. I hope that solid steps will be taken
against the PKK within the next six months.""The PKK is a terrorist
organisation.

Our good faith should not be underestimated. I hope that solid steps
will be taken against the PKK within the next six months."

Burns: "[T]he United States condemns the PKK as a vicious terrorist
group. We mourn the loss of innocent Turkish lives in these attacks. We
remain fully committed to working with the Governments of Turkey and
Iraq to counter PKK terrorists, who are headquartered in northern
Iraq. We are making progress in putting in place the mechanisms
required to produce such concrete results against the PKK. We will also
follow up our success in working with Turkey and our other European
partners to interdict PKK terror financiers in Europe and bring them
to justice."

Note: Nowhere in his remarks does Burns mention a timetable.

***

Hurriyet: "The Fener Greek Patriarchate is of ecumenical status. The
US recognises Patriarch Bartholomeos as a friend. A priests’ school
should be opened in Heybeliada."

Burns: "We … hope Turkey will help make its own case with the EU
by allowing the Ecumenical Patriarch’s religious school at Halki in
Istanbul to reopen decades after it closed."

Note: Burns is very specific as to which school should be re-opened,
which has quite a different meaning than opening a school. Also,
Burns ties this to Turkey’s EU bid, not to U.S. "friendship" with
the Patriarch.

***

Hurriyet: "Normalize relations with Armenia. The Turkish-Armenian
border should be opened. We are opposed to the passing of the Armenian
bill in Congress. In the case of this bill passing, those in Turkey
who seek to keep a dialogue between the Armenians and the Turks will
be silenced."

Burns: "[T]he U.S. and Turkey face a serious challenge with regard to
Armenia. Each year on April 24, Armenian Remembrance Day, President
Bush has issued a public statement lamenting the mass killings
and forced deportations of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman
authorities at the end of World War I. …

We believe passage of the U.S. House of Representative’s Resolution
106, which would make a political determination that the tragedy of
1915 constituted genocide, would undercut voices emerging in Turkey
for dialogue and reconciliations concerning these horrific events. We
therefore have recommended to Congress that it not pass such a
resolution. We strongly encourage Turkey to normalize its relations
and reopen its border with Armenia, steps that will help bring peace,
prosperity and cooperation to the Caucasus. Now, in the wake of the
AKP’s resounding electoral victories, is the time for Ankara to make
a bold opening toward Armenia. And we hope that Armenia will respond
in kind."

Note: The phrase "will be silenced" has an ominous ring to it, as
compared to what Burns actually said.

Considering that Nationalist sympathizers "silenced" Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink by shooting him dead outside the offices of
his newspaper, Agos, this wording is not accidental.

***

Hurriyet: "Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, used even against
Nobel prize-winner Orhan Pamuk, should be lifted."

Burns: [W]e hope Turkey will repeal Article 301 of the Penal Code,
which restricts freedom of expression and has led to outlandish
legal cases against private citizens and global figures such as Nobel
Laureate Orhan Pamuk.

Note: And why should it be lifted? For some reason, the editors
at Hurriyet did not feel comfortable using the phrase "freedom of
expression." Maybe they would have found themselves in violation of
Article 301, somehow.

***

Hurriyet: "We are working for the UN to start a new venture in Cyprus."

Burns: "We appreciate the difficulties that such cooperation poses
for Turkey given the still-evolving Turkey-EU relationship, the
circumstances of Turkey’s participation in activities within the
European Security and Defense Policy, as well as the complications
resulting from the lack of a Cyprus settlement. Yet it is vital for
all of us, including Turkey, that NATO and the EU are indeed able to
work together in crisis areas around the world. For this and many other
reasons, we call on all relevant parties to reinvigorate UN-brokered
efforts to reach a comprehensive Cyprus settlement that reunifies
the island into a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. We welcome last
week’s meeting of President Papadopoulos and Mehmet Ali Talat, and
look forward to future such meetings to implement last year’s July
8 agreement."

Note: This bowdlerization of Burns’ remarks makes no sense – at least
not to The Stiletto. Maybe "new venture" is a code phrase that only
Turks can understand.

The U.S. State Department Web site posted Burns’ speech, and hard copy
was no doubt distributed to reporters covering the event. Hurriyet’s
"version" of the speech cannot be chalked up to a poor translation.

In a country where journalists can be prosecuted and jailed for
insulting Islam or Turkishness, it is reasonable to assume a chilling
effect that induces papers to report the news the government wants the
people to know instead of the news the people need to know. Until
Article 301 is repealed, Turkey will never be a Western-style
democracy. In the long run, the U.S. does Turkey no favors by
pretending otherwise.

Note: To reward Israeli president Shimon Peres for personally calling
Abe Foxman to ensure that the Anti-Defamation League doesn’t let up in
lobbying against the symbolic Congressional resolution recognizing
the Armenian Genocide, Turkey provided Israel with intelligence
on suspected Syrian nuclear facilities before a sortie into Syrian
airspace by Israeli F-15I planes. Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reports
that Turkish intelligence did not inform Erdogan of its plans. In an
article no doubt meant to create the cover of plausible deniability for
Erdogan, Hurriyet reported that an unnamed government official demanded
to know whether the Israeli planes flew over Turkish airspace during
the mission. Anyone who does not believe that Peres’ phone call and
Turkey’s behind-the-scenes role in the Israeli sortie is not a quid
pro quo is either naïve or not paying attention.

Turkey will stop at nothing to guarantee that it will never be held
accountable for the Armenian Genocide.

The Stiletto writes about politics and other stuff at The Stiletto
Blog.

–Boundary_(ID_MJ9xEXuWlccNG1OFEet FZg)–