Author: Navasardian Karapet

SUSPECTS, LAWYERS FED UP WITH READING OF INDICTMENT

Today’s Zaman
Oct 30 2008
Turkey

The fifth session of the trial of 86 suspects on charges of involvement
in Ergenekon, a criminal network accused of plotting to overthrow
the government, was held yesterday with the continuation of reading
the massive indictment aloud.

Suspects and their lawyers were observed to be fed up with the reading,
with some asking the prosecutors to skip through the pages. Presiding
judge Köksal ?engun informed attendees of the trial that some
suspects and their lawyers have petitioned the court to stop reading
the indictment and directly start the trial process. Among these
suspects were Workers’ Party (Ä°P) leader Dogu Perincek, Ä°P Vice
President Nusret Senem, Ulusal Kanal (National Channel, supported by
Perincek’s group) board member Adnan Akfırat, its Editor-in-Chief
Ferit Ä°lsever and Ä°zmir Bureau Chief Hayati Ozcan.

After some of the suspects’ lawyers demanded earlier this week that
the 2,455-page indictment be read out loud, the court began the
time-consuming process. Journalists, who timed the prosecutor’s speed
— and found that one page takes about seven minutes on average —
estimate it should take at least 280 hours to finish reading the
massive indictment. The prosecution was able to finish only less
than 300 pages of the indictment in the first five sessions spend
reading it.

Å~^engun asked lawyers if they wanted the indictment to be read line
by line or if it would be okay to read solely the main headings of
some parts. Lawyers said summarizing some parts would be acceptable,
adding that those who asked to court to read the massive indictment
didn’t even attend the trial. Some of the suspects walked outside the
courtroom and did not listen to the indictment. Others dozed during
the trial while others chatted.

The Ä°stanbul 13th High Criminal Court is hearing the case in a
makeshift courtroom inside Silivri Prison, near Ä°stanbul. Among the
86 suspects are retired Gen. Veli Kucuk, former Ä°stanbul University
Rector Kemal Alemdaroglu, lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, who is known for
filing suits against intellectuals over their writings questioning or
criticizing the state line on issues such as Armenian allegations of
genocide, and retired Capt. Muzaffer Tekin. Forty-six of the suspects
are in custody, and the rest have been released pending the outcome
of the trial.

Ultranationalist mafia boss Sedat Peker, one of the defendants in the
Ergenekon case, attended the trial for the first time yesterday. A
large majority of defendants and their families, however, did not
show up at the courtroom, which was observed to be rather deserted
compared to previous sessions. All of the journalists waiting outside
were allowed into the courtroom to watch the session. It was claimed by
lawyers and many observers on the first day of the trial that the small
makeshift courtroom was not physically suitable to host a fair trial.

There was brief incident of tension yesterday between Senem and
prosecutor Mehmet Ali Pekguzel. Senem objected to the prosecutor
reading swearwords from the indictment aloud. "I’ve worked as lawyer
for 30 years. This is not how texts including swearwords should be
read," Senem said. Pekguzel, in reply, said other suspects reacted
negatively when he censored such words.

In the meantime, the Cihan news agency reported yesterday that retired
noncommissioned officer Mahmut Ozturk, arrested last June as part
of the Ergenekon investigation, told prosecutors earlier this month
that he was attacked in prison by retired Maj. Zekeriya Ozturk,
who is also on trial and is being held in custody.

According to the agency, Mahmut Ozturk told prosecutors that Zekeriya
Ozturk attacked him in prison when he asked the retired major about
a knife an Ergenekon suspect used in an attempt to commit suicide.

"[Retired Capt.] Muzaffer Tekin was staying in my house as guest. One
day, after I returned home, I found him stabbed in the chest. When I
asked him about the incident, he said he attempted to committed suicide
because he was accused of involvement in the Council of State attack
[in 2006 that killed a senior judge]. I called Zekeriya and told him
to get an ambulance. Zekeriya took the knife with him. Then I learned
that he did not submit the knife to police. When I asked him the other
day about the knife, he attacked me," Mahmut Ozturk told prosecutors.

Neo-nationalist academic met with PKK’s jailed leader

Emin Gurses, a neo-nationalist academic who is an Ergenekon suspect,
has met with the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan, the indictment has revealed.

According to the indictment, Gurses stated in a panel discussion he
attended in 2005 that Ocalan told him that Armenians were using Kurds
to seize land from Turkey. "Ocalan told me that Kurds shoulder the
burden for the establishment of Kurdistan but that Armenians will
have control of more than half of the new country. He said he goes
to largely Kurdish-populated villages and has a few of the prominent
figures of these places killed. Then, the whole of these villages
enter under my control," remarked Gurses.

–Boundary_(ID_0d/5OE7QfLF8v/5Mj4SQmg)–

AssA-Irada, Azerbaijan
October 22, 2008 Wednesday

AZERI, ARMENIAN AND RUSSIAN LEADERS MEETING TO AID CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Russian Ambassador in Baku Vasiliy Istratov has said possible
trilateral talks among Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders could
facilitate a settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
President Dmitry Medvedev has offered to hold the meeting, and it now
remains to await the consent from Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh
Sarkisian to come to Russia for that meeting, Istratov told reporters
on Wednesday. Medvedev made the proposal to host the tripartite
meeting on Garabagh settlement during his visit to Yerevan on Tuesday
where he had talks with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian. Commenting
on Baku and Ankaras discontent over President Medvedevs paying tribute
to the victims of the alleged genocide of Armenians while in Yerevan,
Istratov said this did not imply that Russia recognized the genocide.
The Russian head of state also lays flowers at the Alley of Martyrs
[the cemetery where Garabagh war victims were laid to rest] when
visiting Azerbaijan. This is merely a rule of official procedures, the
ambassador said.

ASIAN BANK TO PROVIDE 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS FOR DEVELOPING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS OF ARMENIA-IRAN RAILWAY

Noyan Tapan
Oct 21, 2008

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian government has reached
an agreement with the Asian Bank on allocation of 1.5 million dollars
for the development of construction projects of an Armenia-Iran
railway, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsian announced on
October 21.

In his words, it is envisaged that the business approaches to
invetsments necessary for the railway’s construction and to the
ownership of the railway, as well as feasibility studies will be
approved in mid 2009. The prime minister said that the approved
documents will be presented to representatives of the private sector
so that they could participate in the project. "We propose that our
strategic partners should participate in this project and we hope
that next year we will be able to report on serious progress in this
sphere," T. Sargsian stated.

‘SOUVENIR PHOTOS’ WITH SUSPECT NOT A CRIME

Turkish Daily News (subscription)
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Turkey

SAMSUN – Anatolia News Agency

Two senior police officers charged with negligence over the leaked
photos of police and gendarmerie officers posing with the man suspected
of murdering journalist Hrant Dink were found not guilty yesterday.

An ultra-nationalist teenager gunned down the editor-in-chief of the
Armenian weekly Agos on Jan. 19, 2007 in Istanbul and was captured
by the gendarmerie on his way back to his hometown of Trabzon on the
Black Sea.

The murder of Dink, who was vocal in his criticism of the official
stance on the killings of Armenians in 1915, caused serious domestic
and international criticism. While the Turkish state argues both
Armenians and Turks died in wartime conditions, Armenians say there
was a systematic genocide.

The photos of the suspect with police and gendarmerie officers appeared
in the media, causing a huge embarrassment for the department.

Two senior police officers were charged with "dereliction of duty"
by allowing the photos to be taken and then leaked to the media and
"causing the public to believe the department sympathized with the
murder suspect."

The court said there was no evidence the charged officers were
responsible for the leak and found both defendants not guilty.

WHAT WILL THE ELECTIONS CHANGE?

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
23 Oct 2008
Armenia

According to Kiro Manoyan, depending on the election returns in
the USA, the policy of that country in the region will change. "One
thing is clear, in case Obama is elected as President, there is more
possibility that he will recognize Armenian Genocide.

As regards NKR issue, I don’t think that there will be a great change.

The USA accepts that NKR must become self-determined and the newly
elected President doesn’t have any bases to change that stance. One
thing can change – their activeness. Because they intend to have
dialogue rather than vie in our region.

ARMENIA LEADER, NATO ENVOY DISCUSS TIES

Mediamax
October 20, 2008 Monday
Armenia

Yerevan, October 20. NATO welcomes and supports Armenia’s determination
in the issue of normalizing relations with Turkey.

As Mediamax was told in the press service of the Armenian president,
the special representative of the NATO secretary-general in Central
Asia and the South Caucasus, Robert Simmons, said this today during
his meeting with the Armenian President Serzh Sargsian [Sargsyan].

The Armenian president stated that European direction continues
remaining one of Yerevan’s foreign policy priorities, and cooperation
with NATO is one of its most important elements. According to Serzh
Sargsian [Sargsyan], Armenia considers its cooperation with the
North-Atlantic alliance a component for providing the country’s
security.

Robert Simmons highly assessed Armenia’s cooperation with NATO and
noted the presence of good perquisites for its further development.

The interlocutors exchanged opinions concerning the issues of providing
regional stability and security, the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict and the recent developments in Armenian-Turkish
relations.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

Thursday, October 23, 2008

YP Brazil’s "Armenia" Book Launch Attracts 200

On October 13, 2008, AGBU Young Professionals of Brazil, in
conjunction with the Consulate General of the Republic of Armenia in
São Paulo and others sponsors, hosted the launch of "Armenia," a photo
book by 29-year-old architect and photographer Stepan Norair
Chahinian. The event took place at Boteco Ferraz, a popular city bar,
and welcomed over 200 participants of all ages.

The idea for the book began four years ago while Stepan was living in
Armenia. He took more than 2,000 photographs over 5 months and
distilled his images into an attractive 144-page book. The final
photography book is a mixture of landscapes, architecture and people,
all with a documentary point of view.

"I’m glad to have accomplished this. I feel I can help the diaspora
and promote the Armenian culture and values through photography," says
Chahinian, who is also YP Brazil committee member.

"Armenia" will be available at the AGBU bookstore in New York and also
can be ordered by emailing [email protected]. Part of the proceeds
from the book sales will be donated to the All-Armenia Fund of
Argentina.

To learn more about the AGBU YP Network or how to establish an AGBU YP
Group in your community, please visit or email
[email protected].

For more information on AGBU and its other worldwide programs, please
visit

6MLN INVESTED IN DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTION AT ARMENIAN ARMENAL FACTORY IN 2007-2008

ARKA
Oct 22, 2008

YEREVAN, October 22. /ARKA/. Investments in development of production
at Armenian ARMENAL factory totaled about $6mln in 2007-2008, the
Press Service of RUSAL told ARKA Agency Tuesday.

According to the report, these investments were used mainly to launch
production of thin foil that is most demanded on the international
market.

RUSAL reported that serial production of 9-micrometer thin foil was
launched at ARMENAL foil-rolling factory. The share of thin foil in
overall output is to constitute over 70% when all production capacities
are operated in the factory. The products are to be exported to the
USA, Europe and Middle East, the press release says.

The company invested a total of over $70mln in a complex modernization
program in ARMENAL that enabled expanding the thin foil production
facilities.

Thin foil is used for household purposes and is widely utilized in
food industry in combination with other materials.

The quality of ARMENAl’s products is certified by Rosstandard and
the German ISEGA firm in line with the requirements for packaging
of foodstuffs, medicines and drugs. Currently the production of foil
thinner than 9 micrometers is being launched at the factory.

ARMENAL established in Yerevan in May 2000 based on Kanaker Aluminum
Factory (KanAZ) is currently one of the biggest industrial enterprises
in Armenia and the only producer of aluminum foil in the Caucasus
and the Central Asia.

The factory’s staff is over 700 people. The enterprise joined RUSAL
in 2000 and, together with "Sayanskaya folga", SAYANAL and "Uralskaya
folga", is the packaging division of the company.

OK RUSAL is the leader in world’s aluminum industry with its products
exported to 70 countries. OK RUSAL’share is about 12% in world’s
aluminum market and 15% in alumina market. The company has its offices
in 19 countries all over the world. The company was founded in March
2007 as a result of a merger of RUSAL, SUAL and Glencore alumina
assets. The company’s staff is 100,000 employees.

RUSSIA’S LAVROV SEES SPEEDY SOLUTION AHEAD FOR GARABAGH

AssA-Irada
October 7, 2008 Tuesday
Azerbaijan

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said a culmination
in settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh appears quite realistic. Just two to three issues regarding
the conflict settlement, which are to be agreed at the next meetings
of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, remain unresolved, he told
local Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. Such meetings, Lavrov said, will
take place shortly after Azerbaijans October 15 presidential election.

First of all, the Lachin corridor is involved. And, as one of the
three mediators, we feel that a culmination is quite real. Certainly,
it is up to Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve it within direct
agreements, but the mediators Russia, the U.S. and France who
perfectly understand all the subtleties and sensitivity of this
process, see the possibility of a culmination, Lavrov said. The three
countries co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group, which is brokering the peace
process. The Lachin corridor is a road connecting Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh, an Azeri region currently under occupation, with Armenian
territory. The minister said that prior to the escalation of tension
in the Caucasus region sparked by the outbreak of the Russian-Georgian
armed conflict, a very good chance had emerged for advancing Garabagh
conflict settlement by holding meetings between Azeri and Armenian
leaders with the mediation of the MG co-chairs. Then, a substantial
document essentially outlining all principles and mechanisms of a
settlement had been developed. Lavrov went on to say that each of
the parties involved in the process of resolving the Garabagh problem
has its own profound interests.

In particular, Armenia faces the task of overcoming a blockade in
order to further gain access to the rest of the world. According to
Lavrov, the problems that Armenia experienced during the Caucasus
crisis, notably, difficulties with uninterrupted transit of goods
through Georgia that are vitally important for Armenian citizens,
show an absolute necessity and urgency of reaching the speediest
solution to the Garabagh problem. The persistent situation, whereby
South Ossetia and Abkhazia [Georgias rebel regions] will be under a
constant threat of military attack, with the threat of interruption
of this transit vitally important for Armenia lingering on, meets
no ones interests, Lavrov said. He said the importance of preventing
this explains Yerevans aspiration to unlock the Garabagh conflict as
soon as possible, which would serve as a tool not only to normalize
its relations with Ankara, but also to open up Armenias link to the
outside world through the territory of neighboring Turkey. Georgia
launched large-scale military operations on August 8 in its rebel
region of South Ossetia to restore its territorial integrity. Moscow
responded by sending troops to the pro-Russian region which struck at
the Georgian armed forces using overwhelming force. A ceasefire was,
subsequently, reached on August 17.

SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE HOLDS MEDIA AVAILABILITY WITH ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN BEFORE THEIR MEETING

CQ Transcriptions
October 14, 2008 Tuesday

SPEAKER: SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, what are you doing to help with the
financial crisis

RICE: The President and Secretary Paulson are obviously leading this
very important effort, but there’s an international aspect, and I am
doing what I can to help out.

And the Forum for the Future is a very important event that will take
place. Deputy Secretary Negroponte is going to represent us at the
Forum. And I have just spoken with my colleague from the UAE and I
am looking forward to hearing back from Secretary Negroponte and I am
disappointed that I cannot go. It is always a great event, the Forum
for the Future, because it really looks to the non-governmental sector
in particular to push the efforts at reform throughout the Middle East.

Thank you.

MCCORMACK: Thanks, guys.

QUESTION: How would you estimate U.S.-Armenian relations developing?

RICE: Well, we are going to talk about that today. And the United
States and Armenia, of course, have good relations. We are working
on a number of issues. We were very pleased to see that the visit of
President Gul to Armenia went very well, and look forward to continuing
to work on issues of common interest.

Thank you.

QUESTION: Will you talk about Nagorno-Karabakh?

RICE: Certainly, we will. Thank you.