Author: Nahapetian Boris

CNSNews.com, VA
Feb 18 2008

Joy, Fury Over Kosovo Independence Declaration

By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com International Editor
February 18, 2008

(CNSNews.com) – Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence has
sparked reactions that make it clear the final chapter in the
upheavals that roiled the Balkans at the end of last century has yet
to be written.

Within minutes of the announcement in the capital, Pristina, Serbian
Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica called the newly declared entity a
"phony state" and said "as long as the Serbian people exist, Kosovo
remains Serbia."

In a televised statement, the nationalist prime minister criticized
"the president of the U.S." in particular, saying America had
shamelessly breached international law by supporting independence for
Kosovo.

Newly reelected president Boris Tadic in a statement appealed to
NATO’s KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo to protect the Serb minority
there from possible outbreaks of violence by members of the Muslim
ethnic Albanian majority.

Angry protestors in Belgrade marched on the U.S. Embassy, chanting
"Kosovo is Serbia." At least 30 policemen were injured, local media
reported. The ultra-nationalist Radical Party is planning a mass
rally in the capital on Thursday.

Earlier, Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim
Thaci set off celebrations by declaring an independent state, which
they said would be "democratic, secular and multiethnic."

The territory of two million people has been under U.N. supervision
since a NATO campaign in 1999 ended Serb atrocities against the
Albanians and forced the withdrawal of Belgrade’s troops from the
province.

As Kosovar Albanians celebrated the announcement, Serbia’s Russian
ally called an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting which
reflected the international split over the issue.

The U.S. and most European governments, including permanent council
members Britain and France, are supportive of "supervised
independence." Russia is firmly opposed, as is the remaining
permanent member, China.

"Kosovo’s unilateral act can produce a series of results that will
lead to seriously negative influence on peace and stability in the
Balkan region," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in
Beijing on Monday.

Lui said the sides should continue to seek a proper solution through
negotiation.

Months of negotiations have, however, had little success, and
Sunday’s announcement has been expected ever since a Dec. 10 deadline
on reaching an agreement on Kosovo’s final status passed without
resolution.

Because Russia has vowed to use its Security Council veto to block
independence, Kosovo’s international status will remain in limbo.
While it may boast trappings of statehood including a new
blue-and-gold flag, it will not immediately obtain membership of the
world body.

The forthcoming days will see some governments recognize the new
state, with the United States and many European Union (E.U.)
countries among the first, along with some Islamic nations, including
Saudi Arabia and Albania.

The E.U. is split, however, with at least six of the 27 member states
— Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Cyprus and Slovakia — unlikely
to recognize an independent Kosovo, largely because of concerns about
secessionist movements in their own neighborhoods.

A number of other countries, including Group of Eight members Canada
and Japan, have indicated that they will not recognize the new state
immediately.

‘It creates no precedent’

One country that is more concerned than most is Georgia, which since
the early 1990s has grappled with two breakaway regions of its own —
the pro-Moscow enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia has
long hinted that if the West supports an independent Kosovo, it would
in turn throw its backing behind an independent Abkhazia and South
Ossetia.

The Interfax news agency quoted a top Georgian lawmaker as saying the
government of Georgia would not recognize Kosovo’s independence.

Georgia’s West-leaning President Mikhail Saakashvili has frequently
accused Russia of trying to destabilize Georgia by stirring up
tensions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In a statement released after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with
the leaders of the two territories, Russia’s foreign ministry said in
a statement, "the declaration and recognition of the independence of
Kosovo will doubtless have to be taken into account as far as the
situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia is concerned."

President Vladimir Putin has warned that independence for Kosovo will
set a legal "precedent" that could be cited elsewhere. Apart from
Georgia, other secessionist situations in the former Soviet region
remain unresolved in Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Moldova
(Transdnistria).

At Sunday’s Security Council session, U.N. envoy Alejandro Wolff
disputed the argument, telling reporters "we have knocked it down
over and over again. This is an unprecedented situation, it creates
no precedent."

In an earlier statement, delivered to the Security Council late last
week, Wolff said the recent history of the region made Kosovo
different from other conflicts.

"The situation in Kosovo is sui generis and provides no precedent for
any other part of the world," he said. "It hasn’t ever been, it
isn’t, and it shall not be a precedent. There is no purpose served in
pretending otherwise, and the United States will act consistently
with this fact in how it looks at other conflicts."

John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and American
Enterprise Institute senior fellow, joined former Secretary of State
Lawrence Eagleburger and senior Bookings Institution fellow Peter
Rodman late last month in calling for a reassessment of U.S. policy
on Kosovo.

They noted that notwithstanding the U.S. insistence that Kosovo would
not set a precedent, ethnic and religious minorities in other
countries have already signaled their intention to follow Kosovo’s
example.

Bolton, Eagleburger and Rodman also voiced concern about what they
called "the dismissive attitude displayed toward Russia’s
objections," and asked, "On an issue of minor importance to the
United States, is this a useful expenditure of significant political
capital with Russia?"

‘Stand up to threats’

Critics of U.S. policy on Kosovo include the non-profit American
Council for Kosovo, whose director, James George Jatras, warned in a
recent op-ed article for UPI that the issue "could transform into a
full-blown global crisis."

Kosovar Serbs’ concerns about what independence would mean for them
were "well-founded."

"Since 1999, some 150 Christian shrines have been destroyed or
desecrated," Jatras said. "At the same time, hundreds of mosques have
been built, mainly with Saudi money and propagating the intolerant
Wahhabi brand of Islam."

He argued that there was no clear U.S. interest in supporting
independence for Kosovo.

"Why should we provoke a needless fight with a newly muscular Russia?
Especially after Sept. 11, why should America want to be midwife to
the birth of a new Islamic country in Europe?"

Heritage Foundation scholars Nile Gardiner and Sally McNamara called
for the West to be united in supporting full independence for Kosovo.

"The Western powers must stand up to any threats coming from Belgrade
and Moscow and support full membership for Kosovo in the United
Nations as a sovereign state," they wrote in a weekend memo.

Gardiner and McNamara said the U.S. and E.U. should encourage Serbian
leaders to seek E.U. membership, while making it clear that any
attempt to sabotage Kosovo’s sovereignty would only isolate Belgrade
and weaken its chances of joining the E.U.

Among the most recent declarations of independence by territories
without the consent of legal governing authorities are the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983, and Rhodesia in 1965. Neither
won international recognition.

reaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200802/INT2 0080218a.html

The Irish Times
February 16, 2008 Saturday

EU will be making a terrible mistake by turning away Turkey

Opinion; Pg. 15

Europe will throw away a vital opportunity to improve ties with Islam
if Sarkozy and Merkel get their way, Lara Marlowe writes

A war of words between the Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and the German chancellor Angela Merkel this week showed how
seriously Turkey’s relations with Europe have deteriorated.

"I repeat: assimilation is a crime against humanity," Erdogan told
the Turkish parliament on February 12th. He enraged Merkel by saying
the same thing to 20,000 Turks in Cologne two days earlier, at a
rally for nine Turks who died in a fire in the German town of
Ludwigshafen. Turkish media claim they were the victims of a racist
crime.

Merkel questioned Erdogan’s "understanding of integration" which she
says requires "a willingness to adapt to a country’s lifestyle".

The tiff with Germany over the integration of 2.7 million Turks comes
as Erdogan’s government has quietly shelved efforts to pursue the
country’s EU application. Rhetoric from the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) is increasingly nationalistic.

There is plenty of blame to go around, but the main cause of the
chill in EU-Turkish relations has been the rise to power of Merkel in
Germany and President Nicolas Sarkozy in France, both of whom are
categorically opposed to Turkish accession.

EU countries which support Turkey’s application – Ireland, Britain,
Sweden, Spain – have watched passively as the Franco-German duo snuff
out Turkish hopes. Turkey has been trying to join the EU for nearly
half a century, but no one has explained to EU citizens what a huge
contribution Turkey could make to the union. When the door is finally
slammed in Turkey’s face, alienating 71 million of the world’s most
prosperous, educated and progressive Muslims, it will be too late to
cry over lost opportunities.

The most stubborn and strong-willed prevail in Europe, and Sarkozy
has been allowed to set the agenda for negotiations with Turkey.
"Turkey, which is not a European country, has no place within the
European Union," he said last year.

Sarkozy decided to close five chapters of accession negotiations last
summer, on the grounds that subjects like monetary union pre-suppose
full membership. He dictated his terms for allowing two new chapters
to be opened in December.

Sarkozy frequently evokes Europe’s "Christian roots", but he forgets
that Christianity started in the Middle East, not Europe. There was a
substantial Christian community in Ephesus, Turkey, in the first
century after Christ, when Europe was still populated by Barbarians.
Saint Basil established the monastery system in Cappadocia, Turkey,
between the 7th and 12th centuries.

Sarkozy and Merkel talk of a "privileged partnership" instead of full
membership for Turkey. But Turkey already benefits from just such a
partnership under the 1963 Ankara accord and the customs union of
1996. The Turks cannot be blamed for rejecting this attempt to fob
them off with second-class membership.

The two most obvious arguments against Turkey often go unstated
because they are politically incorrect. They are 1: Turkey is just
too big, and 2: Turkey is Muslim. It is the combination that scares
Europeans. Tiny Muslim Bosnia will probably be admitted to the EU.

But both arguments can be turned to Turkey’s advantage. True, Turkey
would eventually surpass Germany as the largest EU country. But the
EU needs a young labour force to support its ageing population. If it
wants to form a defence force, it needs soldiers. There are tensions
within Turkey between secularists and Islamists, in particular over
the new law allowing university students to wear the Islamic
headscarf. But the presence of a vociferous secular minority is a
guarantee that Turkey will not become a theocracy.

The AKP is trying to prove that Islam, democracy and modernity are
compatible. By accepting Muslim Turkey in the European club, EU
leaders would improve relations with their own Muslim minorities and
show the world that the "Clash of Civilisations" is not inevitable,
despite the US disaster in Iraq.

Turkish people define as European their desire to live in a consumer
society that enjoys social justice and the rule of law. But there is
deep frustration and a growing conviction that the EU keeps adding
new criteria, that the entrance exam is skewed. Due to hurt pride,
the number of Turks wanting to join the EU, like the number of
Europeans who want to let them in, is falling.

For two weeks in December, France fought to keep the words
"accession" and "membership" out of a statement on the EU’s
enlargement strategy. Paris won, over objections from Britain and
Sweden.

Now Turkish pessimists predict that Sarkozy will bury Turkey’s EU
application once and for all during the French presidency in the
second half of this year.

Optimists argue that Sarkozy will leave office in 2012 or 2017, that
the pendulum could yet swing back in Turkey’s favour.

Neither prospect is happy. If Sarkozy manages to sabotage nearly half
a century of Turkish efforts to join Europe, the message conveyed to
the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims will be disastrous. Allowing the
Turkish application to die a slow death is not much better.

"It is now possible to imagine Turkey becoming the first country to
begin accession negotations but ultimately failing to join," writes
Bulent Aliriza, the director of the Turkey project at the Centre for
Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Turkey should be required to fulfil the same criteria as other new
members of the EU; not more. It is not acceptable, after leading
Turkey on for 45 years, to say: "We never should have let you apply."
There must be a European leader who is willing to stand up to Sarkozy
and Merkel, to remind them that they are bound by their predecessors’
decisions to give Turkey a fair crack at accession.

On the Turkish side too, much could be done. The flourishing economy
that is Ankara’s best argument looks likely to continue. But Turkey’s
leaders are so discouraged about the accession process that they have
stopped trying. They can call the bluff of European detractors by
resuming the reform process.

In particular, the government needs to ensure that changes in human
rights legislation are enforced – that the infamous article 301 which
makes "insulting Turkishness" a crime is abrograted, not merely
amended. The country needs to examine what happened to the Armenians
in 1915 in a sober, reasoned manner.

Erdogan has made progress in treatment of the Kurdish minority, but
more remains to be done. The Cypriot issue could be resolved if
Ankara encourages a settlement between the Turkish north and the
Greek south within a European framework.

Last but not least, Turkey needs to state its case more effectively
in a sustained public relations offensive at home and in Europe,
especially in France and Germany. It is tempting to avoid those who
treat you badly. But these are the people Turkey most needs to
convince.

Lara Marlowe reported from Turkey for the "Inside Turkey" series of
articles in The Irish Times in October 2007

2 MILLION 320 THOUSAND 375 ARMENIAN CITIZENS MAY PARTICIPATE IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.02.2008 18:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to refined data, 2 million 320 thousand
375 citizens of Armenia, may participate in the presidential election
on February 19, Deputy Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission
(CEC) Harutyun Shahbazyan stated in Yerevan today. The electors’
lists will be finally specified on February 16, according to him.

On the election day, the same ballot-boxes and polling-booths as
during the parliamentary elections of 2007 will be used. In all the
1923 polling stations, posters with the biographies of all the 9
candidates and a specimen of a voting ballot will be posted up.

27 PACE observers will be in Armenia February 18-20.

Most of the polling stations are not convenient for disabled voters,
who number 158 thousand in Armenia, 100 thousand being entitled
to vote.

New Times party announced support to presidential candidate Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. Orinats Yerkir party leader Artur Baghdassaryan is
also reported to hold talks on unification with Ter-Petrosyan.

Meanwhile, the OSCE/ODIHR Observation Mission report says that "unlike
other candidates, Levon Ter-Petrosyan frequently directed derogatory
comments at the authorities".

"The campaign rhetoric has at times been acrimonious.

Eight candidates held campaign rallies. Most passed off peacefully, but
unrest occurred at two of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s events. The OSCE/ODIHR
EOM is aware of five incidents in which party or candidate premises
have been damaged", the document reads, elections2008.am reports.

THE FIRST MEETING IN STEPANAKERT WAS LIKE COLLAPSING WALL IN BERLIN
Grigory Afanasyan, teacher at Artsakh State University

KarabakhOpen
14-02-2008 12:44:50

For the people who desired freedom and dignified life, it took
little time.

In February 1988 the people of Karabakh announced to the world about
their determination to protect their indivisible right for freedom and
independence. At that time when the interrelations between nations
and people were prevalently black and white, the Karabakh movement
revived the self-consciousness of all the nations.

People knew that it is impossible to continue to live that way,
the instinct of self-protection pushed to crucial actions and
initiatives. The first meeting in Stepanakert was like the collapsing
wall in Berlin, and echoed the collapse of the great and powerful
country, which had seemed impossible to shatter.

For already 20 years our slogan of freedom – to be the invincible
citadel of the Armenian people – has imparted us with confidence in
our rightness, and no violence can stop our resolved movement towards
development and progress. Most former countries which started with
democracy are gliding into nationalism and chauvinism.

History teaches that all isms are war and destruction, terror and
violence.

In the long run, the most democratic states in the South Caucasus
are the three independent republics of Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia,
and South Ossetia. And there is nothing surprising about it because
we do not threaten anyone, we are for humane relationships. On the
other hand, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia cannot do without us. The
power of these countries is their relation to the "unrecognized"
states. Building bridges of friendship is harder than destroying.

Over the past 20 years a new generation rose, and the burden of hatred
should not be given to them. Every system which is based on some
idea eventually ends up in collapse and degradation, emitting immense
energy which causes destruction. The opposite process of creation and
reconstruction requires much more effort. Therefore, the recognition of
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the Republic of Abkhazia, the Republic of
South Ossetia will be a step towards mutual recognition of nations,
a stage of conciliation. The alternative to the peace process is
villages and cities set to fire, killed and wounded people, missing
people and innocent victims.

War is barbarism, and each action meets counteraction which usually
is not better.

Besides 20 years from the beginning of the Karabakh Movement, 20
centuries have elapsed since the birth of Christ, and in the era of
shuttles and atom it is time to think how to start creation.

Variety, CA
Feb 14 2008

Lady Jane
Posted: Wed., Feb. 13, 2008, 8:00pm

(France)
An Agat Films & Cie, France 3 Cinema co-production, with the
participation of Canal Plus, Cinecinema, with the support of La
Region Provence Alpes Cote D’Azur, in association with Le Centre
National de la Cinematographie, Poste Image, Soficinema 3.
(International sales: Films Distribution, Paris.) Produced, directed
by Robert Guediguian. Screenplay, Jean-Louis Milesi, Guediguian.

With: Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gerard Meylan, Yann
Tregouet, Frederique Bonnal, Jacques Boudet.

By RUSSELL EDWARDS

Violence begets violence and pat homilies in crimer-cum-morality tale
"Lady Jane," from earthy French helmer Robert Guediguian. After
previous efforts "The Journey to Armenia" and "The Last Mitterand,"
which took him onto a broader canvas, helmer returns to the gritty
Marseilles milieu that informed much of his earlier work. Thriller
aspect will likely alienate his fan base outside Gaul, and
international crime buffs will find the yarn too convenient and
unconvincing. Within France, however, combination of esteemed helmer
and noirish flavor is likely to find wide acceptance on April 2008
release.
Pic begins with three masked figures passing out free fur coats in a
Marseilles whorehouse while the soundtrack pumps rebelliously jaunty
electronic-blues music. Story then jumps to shopkeeper Muriel (Ariane
Ascaride) tending to a customer in a perfumerie whose moniker, Lady
Jane, matches a cannabis-leafed tattoo on her wrist. Mid-sale, Muriel
receives a distressing phone call in which, due to cell-phone
technology, she can see that her teenage son is being held at
gunpoint.

Upset but outwardly cool, Muriel gets together with her old pals,
shipwright Francois (Jean-Pierre Darroussin) and strip-club owner
Rene (Gerard Meylan), who agree to help her raise the requested
ransom.

Gradually, both Francois and Rene show evidence of a criminal past,
and a flashback confirms the three middle-aged protags were the
masked Robin Hoods in the film’s opening. Flashback climaxes with
Muriel revealing her tattoo to their victim, who was obviously chosen
to settle a score, before spitefully executing him.

Link between the killing and the kidnapping is not apparent at first,
but when the exchange of Muriel’s son for the ransom goes startlingly
awry, the connection becomes prematurely obvious. Earlier taut
narrative becomes blatantly schematic, and pic morphs into a
tut-tutting riposte to the sadistic (and more convincing) fatalism of
Michael Haneke’s "Cache". Matched with a ham-fisted resentment of
modern technology, the lecturing tone underlines the suspicion that
Guediguian’s film is too narrowly partisan in all its arguments.

Perfs by helmer’s regular ensemble players Ascaride, Darroussin and
Meylan impress in their emotional scenes and their onscreen
familiarity perfectly projects longtime camaraderie. However, only
the crumple-faced Darroussin is successfully reborn an aging survivor
from a Jean-Pierre Melville crimer.

For a director unaccustomed to thrillers, the action sequences are
well helmed. Fuzzy lensing gives pic a semi-romanticized, somewhat
amateurish hue. Soundtrack eclectically swings from blues to
classical and contempo French pop, but is smartly placed. All other
tech credits are pro.

Camera (color), Pierre Milon; editor, Bernard Sasia; production
designer, Michel Vandestien; sound (Dolby), Laurent Lafran. Reviewed
at Berlin Film Festival (competing), Feb. 12, 2008. Running time: 102
MIN.

festivals&jump=review&id=2478&reviewid =VE1117936207

The Moscow Times, Russia
Feb 15 2008

Belarussian Jet Flips Over
Combined Reports

A Belavia plane carrying 21 people crashed on takeoff from Armenia’s
capital early Thursday, injuring at least 10 people, the head of the
country’s civil aviation authority said.

The plane, a Bombardier CRJ-100, was heading for Minsk when it
flipped over on the runway at Zvartnots Airport and burst into flames
after hitting the runway on takeoff at 4:15 a.m., Artyom Movsesyan
said.

He said there were 18 passengers and three crewmembers aboard. Ten
people were hospitalized with injuries. A spokesman for the airport,
Gevorg Abramyan, said none of the injuries appeared to be
life-threatening.

A spokeswoman for the civil aviation authority, Gayane Davtyan, said
four people received serious burns, and that "nearly everyone on
board received burns of various degrees."

Belavia is the Belarussian state airline.

AP, Reuters

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 15 2008

Christian Democrat leader says he is not against lifting headscarf
ban

The leader of the most powerful political group in the European
Parliament (EP), the Christian Democrats, said they are not against
lifting the ban on headscarves at universities in Turkey.

Joseph Daul said individuals above the age of 18 should be able to
decide what to wear on their own and that there should be no
compulsion for adults. In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman,
Daul, whose group holds a record number of deputies (289) in the EP,
also differed from the stance of the most influential Christian
Democrat leader in Europe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, on
Turkey’s possible accession, making it clear he was not categorically
opposed to possible membership. His attitude in this was also
markedly different to that of his compatriot and president, Nicolas
Sarkozy: Daul is insists that accession negotiations should go ahead.

Calling the republication of cartoons that in the European press
portraying Prophet Mohammed as a terrorist "a provocation," he
cautioned European Muslims not to respond in kind. As a Frenchman,
Daul says penalizing the deniers of the Armenian "genocide" is not
the right way to sort out the problem. Though a firm believer in
Armenian claims of genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks in the
World War I years, he thinks Turkey and Armenia should be given time
to come to terms with their history. Asked whether there is a
contradiction in the French position on Algeria, which Sarkozy argues
should be left to historians, and the Armenian question, which may be
ruled on in the French parliament, Daul said, "I would not go so far
as to dub it a contradiction." Further excerpts from the interview
follow:

On the headscarf: On this issue we ask for a free vote for our
members as we think this is a matter of subsidiarity. Within the EU
there is not one sole position among member states. In France there
is a ban, but other members have more liberal approaches. So we think
we should not impose a position on this particular issue within the
EU or outside the EU. Every country should make its own decision. But
what is important for us is that it should remain as an individual
choice. If this freedom is not respected or guaranteed, then you can
be sure that our group will react very rapidly and fairly. In France
we have a ban in schools for kids, but as soon as someone becomes an
adult, i.e., 18 years old, his or her choice should be respected. We
are in favor of individual responsibility. We have no problem at all
if the ban is lifted as long as it respects the freedoms of the
individual. We will have no problem if Turkey decides to give this
right to students at universities. What I can tell you as a Frenchman
is that if people who are adults choose this, there is no problem at
all for us. The only thing is that people should not be forced to
wear headscarves. That is the only issue for us.

The cartoon crisis: I don’t think it is the right way to protest a
terrorist plot. My group has not discussed the issue yet but
personally I do not think this is the right method. There is no need
for this sort of provocation. We should not accept such things. I
have these discussions with the Turkish community in Strasbourg and I
clearly think it is provocation. But reactions should also not be
provocative. I have a method: On these issues I stay calm. Muslims
should likewise stay calm. Politicians should be careful not to
provoke; they should be firemen and refrain from adding fuel to the
fire.

Turkey’s membership in the EU: I am not categorically against
Turkey’s possible membership if Ankara fulfills the criteria. I
always give the same answer. Neither Turkey nor the EU is ready for
membership. We should work together; we should see what each of us
can do. I am a farmer and we have an expression: Begin with the end.
Every day we speak about the accession, whether it will be achieved
or not. I think this is the best way to block the system. We should
work as that is the only way forward. And basically, what I say is
that it is not up to us to decide. Rather, it will be your generation
that will decide, but I am clear on one issue: we should not accept
attempts to block the process. Personally I voted against Turkey’s
membership, but I think talks should continue as we have already
decided to start accession talks. I do not say that Turkey can never
enter the EU. What I say is that talks should continue and then we
will see what happens. I repeat, it is your generation that will
decide. It is difficult to predict what will happen with all the
changes in the Mediterranean as lots of things will change. In this
context, Turkey weighs heavily in this region.

Armenian question and EU negotiations: We will see later whether
recognition of the Armenian genocide will be a precondition for
Turkish accession or not. We have to give Turkey and Armenia time.
Look what happened between Germany and France. We waited for [former
German Chancellor Helmut] Kohl and [former French President François]
Mitterrand to sort out our differences over World War II. My feeling
is that things will evolve. What I refuse is to use such an issue to
block negotiations or to provoke the other. This is not my style. It
is a question of time and generation. The perception that France is
using the Armenian genocide to block Turkey’s bid is not correct. It
is true that France never apologized to Algeria, but that will come.
I would not go so far as to say that there is a contradiction in the
French position to Algeria and its position vis-à-vis the Armenian
genocide. I am telling you, leave this problem to the next
generation.

I do not think penalizing deniers of the Armenian genocide is the
right way to deal with the issue and the perception in Turkey that we
are obsessed with this issue is losing us money. But if you
intertwine the economy and the genocide, people will react. Then
citizens will wake up. If tomorrow papers write that French companies
are excluded from Turkey because of Armenia, the people will then
think about it.

Erdoðan’s speech in Germany: It is not a question of whether Mr.
Sarkozy is convinced or not on Turkey’s membership. Rather, the
important thing is we should continue talks. But if [Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip] Erdoðan continues to talk as he did in Germany
last week, people will get the impression that Turkey is not
interested in pursuing talks. His speech in Germany will be
interpreted as if there is no willingness to go ahead with talks. I
was not at the meeting but I read about it in the newspapers. The
method depicted in papers is not a good one. Those who are against
Turkey’s bid will be given oxygen by these arguments. The word
"assimilation" is understood as if there is pressure in Europe to
assimilate people and as if there is no freedom in Europe. It will
give hope to extremists in the Turkish community in Europe that they
are strong and supported by Turkey. But the Turkish community in
Strasbourg keeps telling me "let’s live together." Erdoðan might have
been upset by the death of nine Turks in Germany, and that is why I’m
not condemning him but just observing the issue. I am trying to
understand whether the items Erdoðan touched upon in his speech
signal a long-term strategy or not.

Cyprus: we support Kasoulides: I have not read [Greek Cypriot leader
Tassos] Papadopoulos’ program so I cannot tell you what will happen
to the peace process if he is re-elected. But I have read our
candidate’s program, i.e., [Greek Cypriot Foreign Minster and
presidential candidate Ioannis] Kasoulides, who has announced
everywhere that the most important item on his agenda is unification.
I am not for pushing to create room for Turkish Cypriots’
representation in the European Parliament. Personally I have no
problem, but it won’t solve any problem. We have a high-level contact
group and they can do more.

15.02.2008

SELÇUK GÜLTAÞLI BRUSSELS

PATRICK DEVEDJIAN

Les Echos
12 fevrier 2008 mardi
France

Charge de ramener la paix a Neuilly après la disgrâce de David Martinon
dans ce fief historique de la Sarkozie, Patrick Devedjian se voit
offrir une première occasion de prouver qu’il est aujourd’hui le vrai
patron des Hauts-de-Seine, dont il a pris l’an dernier la presidence en
succedant a l’actuel chef de l’Etat. Un costume que le maire d’Antony
et ancien du gouvernement Raffarin juge sans doute in petto un peu
etroit, lui qui guignait le ministère de la Justice auprès de Fillon,
avant d’en etre prive pour cause d’" ouverture ".

Mais l’impulsif avocat, passe dans ses jeunes annees par les rangs
de l’extreme droite et qui s’est lâche il y a peu en traitant de "
salope " la centriste Anne-Marie Comparini, a remise sa deconvenue.

Cale dans son fauteuil de secretaire general de l’UMP, il attend son
heure en jouant les serviteurs zeles du Château, confiant dans sa
proximite avec Nicolas Sarkozy, qu’il frequenta dès 1981 au service de
Jacques Chirac. A soixante-trois ans, le bretteur fervent de Cyrano
cultive avec la meme passion ses racines armeniennes, un sourcilleux
attachement a la patrie francaise, et le jardin de sa maison du
Gers. En petit-fils d’un haut fonctionnaire de Constantinople, il se
repaît aussi, a ses moments libres, des etudes.

–Boundary_(ID_lozsU7ajg15qGbcDTr1MWg)–

PROSECUTOR-GENERAL DENIES MEDIA SPECULATIONS ABOUT FIRE AT JUSTICE MINISTRY

AZG Armenian Daily
13/02/2008

Local

Today Prosecutor-General of the Republic of Armenia Agvan Hovsepian
brushed off media speculations claiming that the fire that destroyed
the archives of the Justice Ministry’s on February 9 was organized
in order to destroy the files on the October 27 terrorist attack on
the Parliament.

Speaking to the reporters the prosecutor-general said that those rumors
and some other claims are an election ploy designed to disorient the
public and discredit the authorities.

The prosecutor-general stated that no criminal files were kept in
the Justice Ministry as they are to be kept either in the archives of
the structures engage in investigations or in the archives of courts.

Mr. Hovsepian added that the Justice Ministry’s building was built in
1930 and saw several fires. At present the investigation is underway
into what was the cause of the fire.

"I think we have enough technology to discover what was the real
cause of the fire," concluded the Prosecutor General.

RUSSIA-ARMENIA FINANCIAL TRANSFERS FORM $700 MILLION

Panorama.am
15:07 12/02/2008

Armenia became one of the major countries receiving financial transfers
from Russia. According to Russian media, 10.1% of financial transfers
from Russia go to Armenia. The experts of Russian energetic and
financial institutes evaluated the situation increasing yearly, as this
figure was 615 million dollars in 2006 and rose to 700 million in 2007.

According to the Russian Central bank data, 36 billion dollars were
transferred by physical bodies through various transfer systems and
"Russian Post" to abroad.

Those sums were transferred particularly by non citizens of Russian
Federation. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Moldova are in the
list of transfer receiving countries.

According to the experts the final amount of the transfers were
recording, as it brought 50 billion dollars results to the country.