Author: Navasardian Karapet

WE WILL STRIKE HEAVILY BUT ACCURATELY

KarabakhOpen
04-05-2007 15:18:01

The state of the freedom of speech is better in Karabakh than in many
other unrecognized post-Soviet countries. We have media which can
afford to provide objective, alternative information. Though small
but there is possibility for public discussion of urgent problems
the country is facing.

So far the government has kept to this course, although on
the whole the information policy of the government was not
consistent. Nevertheless, there was no violence against journalists,
there were no court scandals. Moreover, last year the government
started financing non-governmental newspapers.

However, the situation seems to be changing. Gegham Baghdasaryan,
editor-in-chief of the Demo, said in an interview with the KarabakhOpen
that the government seems to have stopped playing democracy. This
year the Demo and the KarabakhOpen have been dropped of the program
of government assistance.

"The problem is not only that we lost a resource we needed,
in fact. Our newspaper is sponsored by the British organization
Conciliation Resources so we are not going to turn to different
funds for finance. The problem is the principle – who and how decides
subsidizing or not subsidizing a newspaper? I think this time it was
a political decision. The newspapers were dropped which accept the
alternative opinion, are free and independent. And it is perhaps
related to the pre-election period in Karabakh. As a member of
parliament, I have made an official inquiry with the prime minister
to explain on what basis the newspapers get or do not get a subsidy,"
said Gegham Baghdasaryan.

As to the KarabakhOpen, the refusal was unexpected. All through the
past year the English version of the Web site was sustained by the
government grant.

They explained the refusal by the decision not to finance online
media this year. They did not explain why. We had to turn to potential
sponsors, international funds to fund the English version. Otherwise,
we will have to close it down. We also propose non-commercial projects
in the framework of the Web site. We have got no answer yet.

In speaking about freedom of speech the problem of television comes
forth.

The problem is that in Karabakh there is only one channel – the Public
Channel. Now many are arguing if it has improved after the reshaping
earlier this year. They say airtime increased from 1.5 to 3 hours,
there are new programs.

These are the advantages. But does the Public Television perform the
functions it is entitled to? It is, first of all, supposed to provide
a variety of information, as well as a possibility for the viewers
to learn different opinions on the urgent problems of the country,
and hold public debates. In this sense, the television has not become
better. In fact, it presents a single point of view. There was a show
on Sundays, the 7 Days, which hosted people with different opinions
around the same table. The program has not been broadcast for two
weeks now. The author Lousine Avanesyan says nobody made her close
the program, she made this decision on her own. Meanwhile, we have
learned that the author and the directors of the channel disagreed
on who could be invited and who could not be invited.

In brief, worrying facts are obvious. And the Karabakh society
suffers, which loses an opportunity for a comprehensive evaluation
of the situation, choice and participation in the government of
the country. With about 30 newspapers in Karabakh people get most
information from private talks. They do not read newspapers, they
look through them. And they do not trust the television.

MARSHAL BAGHRAMIAN MEDALS GIVEN TO 95 VETERANS OF GREAT PATRIOTIC

Noyan Tapan
May 03 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of the 62nd anniversary
of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and 15th anniversary of
liberation of Shoushi, 95 war veterans were awarded Marshal Baghramian
medals. 24 doctors as well were rewarded with the same medal for their
contribution in the Karabakh war and in the affair of protection of
the borders of Armenia. RA Defence Minister Mikayel Haroutiunian gave
them the awards on May 2, at the Yerevan Arno Babajanian concert hall.

"Armenian soldiers together with soldiers of other nations won in
the struggle against Fascism 62 years ago. Few of them live now,
and we must appreciate their heroic deed as such an estimation is
very valuable for them," M. Haroutiunian mentioned in the interview
to journalists. The Minister at the same time mentioned that veterans
have social problems, and it is connected with general problems of
the country economy. But, as M. Haroutiunian assured, the state will
always find possibility to help them.

ORHAN PAMUK RESUMES GERMAN BOOK TOUR AFTER DEATH THREATS
Brigitte Neumann (kjb)

Deutsche Welle, Germany
May 3 2007

After having to cancel his German book tour due to death threats
in February, Turkish author Orhan Pamuk has finally set out across
Germany to present his latest autobiographical work "Istanbul."

The Nobel Prize winner began his book tour Wednesday evening in
Hamburg. Two and a half months earlier, Orhan Pamuk had called off
his appearance there after receiving public death threats from Turkish
ultra-nationalists.

Hamburg’s Deutsches Schauspielhaus was bursting at the seams and extra
chairs had to be pulled in. Some were curious to learn more about the
cancellation of the February book tour, while others came to hear the
55-year-old author’s opinion on the current political turmoil in his
home country.

Yet the evening turned out completely differently than expected.

No mention of death threats

Pamuk didn’t say a word about February’s cancellation, which happened
after his friend, Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, was shot and killed
on an Istanbul street on January 19. The perpetrators then warned
Pamuk, in front of rolling cameras, to be cautious.

Their warning referred to an interview the author had given in which
he’d said: "30,000 Kurds and one million Armenians were murdered in
Turkey and not a single person talks about it. So I have to."

Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Pamuk has been vocal about the Armenian genocide in Turkey following
World War One Since then, Pamuk has feared for his life. He devoted
Wednesday evening to his new book "Istanbul."

In the autobiographical narrative, Pamuk weaves together the
story of the city with that of his family. Since both are marked by
disintegration, huzun — the Turkish word for collective melancholy —
plays an important role in the book.

"This collective feeling of huzun has to do with loss, the loss of
the former kingdom," said Pamuk through an interpreter Wednesday in
Hamburg. "It’s also about the feeling of living on the border to the
West. On the other side of the border there are wealthy countries
and on this side we’re so poor."

The bridge builder

Pamuk has been called a "bridge builder between the Orient and the
Occident."

"Even though it’s not my job, I do it anyway because I don’t want the
East and the West, Islam and Europe to be in conflict," he said. "I
don’t want that, because I belong to both."

Although Pamuk didn’t mention the recent death threats, in the end
he didn’t need to. The half-dozen well-built men standing silently
behind the author while he autographed books spoke volumes for his
experiences over the past few months.

In what might be called prescience, in his Nobel Prize speech in 2006,
Pamuk said: "It’s a known harbinger of dark and foolish times in a
country when books are burned and writers are humiliated."

Orhan Pamuk’s "Istanbul: Memories and the City" is also available in
English. It was published by Vintage in 2006.

–Boundary_(ID_o6m3iAOqXJ+/zjhb96FHug)–

SCUFFLE FOR NAGORNO KARABAKH IN MOSCOW

ArmRadio.am
02.05.2007 14:50

Yesterday a clash occurred next to the Peoples’ Friendship University
after Patricia Lumumba in Moscow. Russian media report that hundreds
of people participated in the quarrel, many of who were Armenians. One
of the participants was hospitalized with a gunshot wound; others
were rendered medical aid at the scene of the incident.

Supposedly, the fight started during the "South-West planet"
exhibition, which presented pavilions representing different
republics. The maps of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the pavilions of
both countries depicted Nagorno Karabakh as their land.

WITHDRAWAL IN FAVOR OF HAYRAPET HAYRAPETYAN

ArmRadio.am
02.05.2007 15:42

Armen Manukyan, nominated at the 4th electoral district of Arabkir,
has submitted rejection to the Central Electoral Commission and has
called on his electors in Arabkir to vote for Hayrapet Hayrapetyan,
nominated in the same district by the Prosperous Armenia Party.

"I decided to refuse from the race, believing in the honest objectives
and professional skills of my colleague Hayrapet Hayrapetyan. He
has the willingness and resources to help the society. Besides,
by initiating the signing of the memorandum on holding free, fair
and transparent elections, Hayrapet Hayrapetyan proved that he is not
going to go to Parliament through frauds. He is an educated candidate,
a professional and honest man, who possesses all the opportunities to
work for the benefit of the people and the state. Considering all this,
I call on my electors in district #4, as well as all those who have
are not yet decided to cast their ballots for Hayrapet Hayrapetyan
during the parliamentary elections on May 12," he said.

Let us remind that in compliance with the Electoral Code, May 2 was
the deadline for withdrawing the candidacies.

TURKEY CHURCH LEADERS RECEIVE DEATH THREATS, WORLD COUNCIL SAYS

BosNewsLife, Hungary
May 2 2007

ANKARA, TURKEY (BosNewsLife)– The World Council of Churches (WCC)
said Wednesday, May 2, it has urged Turkish authorities to improve
protection of Turkey’s Christian minority amid reports of death
threats against key church leaders following the "savage murders"
of three Christians last month.

In a letter to the Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations
Office at Geneva, Switzerland, seen by BosNewsLife, WCC General
Secretary Samuel Kobia said there are reports "of plots against the
lives of the heads of two WCC member churches in Turkey," identified
as Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, and Armenian Patriarch Mesrob
II. He did not elaborate, appatretly for security reasons pending
an investigation.

Kobia suggested the death threats followed the April 18 killings of
German Tilman Ekkehart Geske and Turkish Christians Necati Aydin
and Ugur Yuksel at a Christian publishing in the town of Malatya,
which he described as "the latest tragedy" inflicted on religious
minorities by apparently Muslim militants.

The official said the WCC, which represents 560 million Christians in
over 110 countries, has noted a series of "killings and other threats
directed at members and leaders of religious minorities" in Turkey
which he stressed are of "serious concern" and cause "deep revulsion"
and "dismay."

He added that churches and citizens are therefore "watching the
authorities in the case [of the three murdered Christians] to see
that justice is done and that further crimes are prevented".

"REGRETTABLE LIST"

Besides the latest murders and death threats, his letter also contained
a "regrettable list" of crimes that "appear to be motivated by hatred
for whole groups of people," including the earlier killings of Armenian
writer Hrant Dink and of the Catholic priest Fr Andrea Santano.

Kobia said the attacks were part of "a series of incidents entailing
threats and violence against members of religious minorities." He
said the "appropriate governmental authorities" should "ensure the
respect for human rights and for the rule of law which safeguards
all citizens, including these whose cases we raise here".

The WCC leader added that his grouping WCC wants "to see respect for
human dignity – socially, politically and religiously – reflected in
the treatment of churches and other religious minorities". His letter
came at a time of political tensions over the role of Islam in Turkey.

On Wednesday, April 3, the European Union and the United States
warned Turkey’s military to stay out of the country’s political
showdown between the Islamic-rooted government and those in the
opposition who fear the country will shift toward Islamic rule. Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has found himself besieged ever since
his party’s decision to nominate one of his closest allies, Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul as president.

"ALARMING SYMBOL"

Gul, whose wife covers her hair with an Islamic-style head scarf that
secularists view as an "alarming symbol" of the primacy of religion
over state, has said he will not withdraw his candidacy.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday, May 3, she agreed
with the European Union that the Turkish military, which considers
itself the guardian of secular, must stay out of the political
debate. The military has overthrown governments in the past and Rice
made it clear that "the election, the electoral system and the results
of the electoral system and the results of the constitutional process
have to be upheld."

European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told reporters that
Turkey must abide by the rule of law and civilian control over the
military, warning that if the government in Ankara wanted to join
the EU "it needs to respect these principles."

The chief of Turkey’s electoral board has reportedly proposed July 22
as the date for early general elections – a month later than Prime
Minister Erdogan had wanted. (With BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos,
BosNewsLife reporting and BosNewslife Research).

AGOS NEWSPAPER’S WEB-SITE TO BE LAUNCHED

ArmRadio.am
30.04.2007 11:45

After long-running preparations, the Agos newspaper’s web-site, Agos
Internet, will begin publication in English and Turkish pages with
a brand-new look.

In this way, readers from all over the world will be able to access
news, commentary and files dealing with political and cultural
developments in Turkey and concerning the life of Turkey’s Armenian
community by means of Agos-Internet.

The principal goal of Agos-Internet, broadcast from the
( for English version) address will be to make
the content of the Turkish-Armenian language Agos newspaper available
to its members in an on-line context. The newspaper’s daily news,
society, art and culture, middle and back pages, commentary from staff
and guest writers, history, cinema sections and dossier subjects will
all be available on the website. The Armenian pages of Agos will also
be accessible for the subscribers.

Agos-Internet also aims to direct its efforts towards the
construction of a new concept of publishing, appropriate to the
internet medium, and, in time, building up its own unique spirit
and identity. Appropriate to this goal, through week-long news and
commentary in the areas of politics, current affairs, art and culture,
Agos Internet will try to present content that will keep its members’
fingers on the pulse not only of the Armenian community in Turkey,
but also the whole of Turkey and even the whole world.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN CALLED ON HIS TURKISH COLLEAGUES TO BRAVELY FACE THEIR PAST

ArmRadio.am
30.04.2007 14:50

Raffi K. Hovannisian, who was participating in the Brussels Forum for
the second consecutive year, offered comments at the Forum’s opening
session, asserting that in direct furtherance of the European-Atlantic
community’s pursuit of universal benchmarks of human rights and
the rule of law, as well as common foreign and security policies,
the Western world must also practice its own values by ensuring
equal application in Europe and its neighborhood of its principles,
precedents, and standards of accountability to all instances of
conflict resolution – from Kosovo to Karabakh – and of genocide past
and present.

He also participated in specialized sessions on Iran, Russia,
and Turkey, urging his Turkish colleagues to meet the challenge of
European values and membership by bravely facing their past and the
collective legacy of the great Armenian dispossession, and to ask
themselves whether Turkey will not lose Europe if the current mindset
remains in power.

In the margins of this world conclave of movers and shakers,
Hovannisian discussed both domestic and international developments
with Secretary General Javier Solana of the European Union; Belgian
Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt; Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt; US
Senator Bob Bennett; US Congressman Jim Costa of Fresno; NATO Secretary
General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer; Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay;
European Commissioner for Enlargement Dr. Olli Rehn; Justice Stephen
Breyer of the US Supreme Court; and Grigoriy Yavlinskiy, member of
the Russian State Duma and chairman of the Democratic Party Yabloko.

DUTCH ACADEMIC HANS JANSEN WARNS "MODERATE" MUSLIMS "MAKE USE OF RADICALS"

PipeLineNews.org, CA
May 1 2007

May 1, 2007 – San Francisco, CA – PipeLineNews.org – A Dutch academic
has issued an unprecedented call for the Dutch to use force if needed
to defend the country against the process of Islamization.

Professor Hans Jansen, who teaches modern Islamic ideology at the
University of Utrecht, criticized the Dutch for "tolerating the
excesses of multiculturalism" adding that "The Netherlands should
resist using non-peaceful means" and that the "Dutch Secret Service
[AIVD] should get their hands dirty if need be."

In what amounted to a call to arms, Jansen proclaimed that Dutch
society "will have to find a way to defend itself through non-peaceful
means from people who are not peaceful."

The expert on Islam called for the establishment of a "central
reporting station" for all people who are threatened.

Janssen cautioned that, "moderate Muslims too, strive for an Islamic
society in the Netherlands" and that they "intentionally make use of
the radicals to enforce their wishes."

Professor Janssen indicated that non-Muslims must chose their allies
carefully because many who are viewed as moderates are playing a game
of "good cop bad cop" i.e. showing a Westernized facade and making
statements non-Muslims want to hear while pushing a radical agenda.

A core component of the Islamist methodology involves charges
of discrimination made by young Muslims who are Western born and
educated. The resulting demand for understanding by the larger society
is a cloaking device for da’wa, with the Islamist activists insisting
that they can only be accepted if non-Muslims learn more about Muslims
and how to accommodate their unique practices.

This emphasis on religious identity and the need for non-Muslims to be
extra deferential to it leads to what can best be termed affirmative
dhimmitude.

Jansen cites a recent example in which an exhibition in an Amsterdam
museum about Istanbul opened by the Queen was censored, after the
Turkish government objected to the mention of its genocide against
the Armenians, claiming that people complied, "even without the threat
of violence."

He cautions that instead of leading to a more open "multicultural"
society Dutch tolerance and appeasement of Muslims has resulted in
the loss of free speech, "What is thought, written, or exhibited in
the Netherlands is to a large extent no longer made in freedom…It
is not the lie but the obscure threat that reigns."

fm?page=jansen5107.htm

Armenia going to deepen political dialogue with EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.04.2007 13:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian who is
currently in Brussels met with Javier Solana, High Representative
for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary-General of the
Council of the European Union, the RA MFA press office reports. Giving
a positive estimation to the Armenia-EU relations Vartan Oskanian said
Armenia wishes to deepen political dialogue with the European Union.

The parties discussed the peaceful process of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement, specifically the outcomes of the Belgrade talks of
the Armenian and Azeri FMs. If Azerbaijan demonstrates political will
progress in the Karabakh peaceful process can be possible, Minister
Oskanian said. He reaffirmed the position of the Armenian side on
the introduction of the GUAM’s resolution on ‘frozen conflicts’ into
the agenda of the UN General Assembly and pointed out to the negative
influence of the resolution on the negotiation process.

Oskanian and Solana also exchanged views on the Armenian-Turkish
relations and the latest talks on Iran’s nuclear file.