Author: Tambiyan Samvel

Turkish parliament debates revised penal code; concerns over press freedoms
remain
By SUZAN FRASER
.c The Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkish parliament on Thursday began debating a
revised version of the country’s delayed penal code reform, criticized
by journalists who say the amendments don’t go far enough toward
eliminating threats to press freedom.
The reforms are part of efforts by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s government to boost the predominantly Muslim country’s
chances of joining the European Union. But there are concerns that the
government’s failure to address shortfalls may jeopardize the
country’s chances.
Parliament had been expected in March to approve the new legislation,
which revamps Turkey’s 79-year old code by improving women’s rights
and eliminating all reference to the death penalty, which was
abolished in 2002. But the government delayed the vote until now to
address fears that the new code could threaten freedoms and result in
tough prison terms for journalists.
Critics, however, say the revised draft makes no significant
improvement, and one change – making it a crime to humiliate state
institutions – would even bring harsher punishment. Journalists say
the new code would need further improvements before it comes into
effect on June 1.
Erdogan’s government, who had made EU membership a top priority, is
also increasingly accused of flagging in the pace of reforms needed to
join the 25-nation bloc. EU leaders have agreed to start membership
negotiations with Turkey on Oct. 3.
Critics say the draft penal code legislation contains vague language
that could make it easier to crack down on journalists and make it
more difficult to cover legal proceedings.
“We know that the days when Turkey will again be remembered as ‘the
world’s largest journalists’ prison’ are ahead of us,” wrote Oktay
Eksi, a columnist for Hurriyet newspaper.
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek defended the code.
“It may have shortfalls and mistakes, but no one should say these
were deliberate,” Cicek said. “Important improvements were made
through goodwill and hard work.”
One article calls for prison sentences for those who disregard the
state’s “fundamental national interests.” A reasoning attached to
the draft of that article specifies that calling for the withdrawal of
Turkish soldiers from Cyprus or saying that Armenians were subjected
to genocide during World War I should be considered an offense
punishable by three to ten years in prison.
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said it shared the concerns
of Turkish journalists.
“Far from bringing Turkish law into line with European law on freedom
of expression, some articles of the code on the contrary, would
facilitate arbitrary legal action against journalists and entail a
climate of self-censorship damaging to press freedom,” the group
said.
Late Wednesday, parliament also introduced a controversial measure
that allows authorities to be present during meetings between some
convicts and their lawyers.
Human rights groups say the measure infringes on prisoners’ rights.
Observers say the measure appeared to target the lawyers of imprisoned
Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan’s by making it more difficult for
him to pass on messages to his rebel group.
Among other measures, police can, with court approval, take prisoners
away from jails for re-questioning. Human rights groups object to the
measure saying it may leave them vulnerable to abuse.
05/26/05 08:38 EDT

Berliner Morgenpost
jeudi 26 mai 2005
Türkei verschiebt Konferenz über Armenier-Mord
Istanbul – Die Universität von Istanbul hat dem Druck der türkischen
Regierung nachgegeben und eine geplante Historiker-Konferenz über die
Ermordung von rund 1,5 Millionen Armeniern im Ersten Weltkrieg
verschoben. Das nach einem EU-Beitritt strebende moslemische Land
bestreitet bis heute, daß es vor 90 Jahren einen Völkermord an den
christlichen Armeniern gegeben hat. Die Bosporus-Universität hatte
auch Kritiker der offiziellen türkischen Darstellung eingeladen.
Justizminister Cemil Cicek hatte die geplante Konferenz als
“Dolchstoß in den Rücken des türkischen Volkes” bezeichnet. rtr

Detroit Free Press, MI
May 25 2005
Turkish universities postpone Armenian conference under pressure
May 25, 2005, 8:06 AM
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Three Turkish universities announced that they
were postponing a conference to discuss last century’s mass killings
of Armenians by Ottoman Turks after a government minister accused
organizers of “treachery,” officials said Wednesday.
In the three-day conference, which would have opened Wednesday at
Istanbul’s Bosporus University, academics were to question Turkey’s
official position on the deaths that occurred as the Ottoman Empire
forced Armenians from eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923.
The postponement — a sign that Turkey may not be ready to tolerate
dissenting voices on sensitive subjects — could be a blow to
Turkey’s efforts to join the European Union, which is pressuring the
country to adopt greater freedoms. The country is scheduled to start
membership talks on Oct. 3.
In a speech in parliament Tuesday, Justice Minister Cemil Cicek
severely criticized the conference, saying it went against government
efforts to counter an Armenian campaign to have the killings
recognized as genocide.
Some “say there is no freedom, well there is the freedom of stabbing
the people in the back and of telling lies … We have to put an end
to this period of propaganda against the (nation), of treachery,”
Cicek said.
Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people were killed in a
deliberate campaign of genocide. Turkey says the death count is
inflated and insists that Armenians were killed or displaced in civil
unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
The issue, a dark chapter in Turkish history, is rarely discussed or
taught in schools, and it would have been the first time a conference
questioned the official line was held.
Organizers issued a statement hours after Cicek’s speech saying the
conference was postponed. Hundreds of people were scheduled to take
part in the conference, organized by Bosporus, Bilgi and Sabanci
universities.
Muge Gocek, a professor of sociology at University of Michigan who
traveled to Istanbul for the conference, said she was disillusioned.
“I am very sad and disappointed,” Gocek said Wednesday. “It would
have been a forum that showed that democracy worked in Turkey and
that different voices can be heard.”
“How can anyone judge me without hearing what I have to say?” she
asked.
Turkey is eager to counter Armenian diaspora groups that are pushing
European governments and the United States to declare the killings
genocide. The issue has gained new urgency as Turkey seeks EU
membership. French President Jacques Chirac has said Turkey must
acknowledge the killings before it can join.
Several countries, including Argentina, Canada, France and Russia,
have declared the killings a genocide.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPRESENTATIVES OF FRENCH EMBASSY AND PARTY REPUBLIC DO NOT NEGOTIATE
FOR CREATION OF NEW OPPOSITION BLOC
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
YEREVAN, MAY 24. ARMINFO. Republic party refutes information of Mass
Media that representatives of the French Embassy in Armenia allegedly
negotiated with representatives of the Republic party on establishment
of a new bloc jointly with one of the ruling parties Orinats Yerkir
and the former ruling party Armenian National Movement to make a state
coup in Armenia.
The Republic party informed ARMINFO that the issue on establishment of
such bloc has never been discussed officially with representatives of
the French Embassy in Armenia. The Embassy of France refused to
comment on the given publication in the Armenian press.

Today, Azerbaijan
May 24 2005
USA Colonel Sam Gardiner prepared plan on USA military bases’ role in
resolving Nagorno Karabakh conflict

23 May 2005 [13:13] – Today.Az

Information about the agreement signed between Baku and Washington
about the USA military bases’ dislocation in Azerbaijan had serious
repercussions in Armenia.

The Armenians analysts express their assurance that the “temporary
mobile forces” to be placed in Azerbaijan will play role in solving
the upper Garabagh conflict. “Some time ago the USA military experts
discussed the possibilities of drawing into regulating the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict of the mobile forces to be dislocated in
Azerbaijan. One of the numerous scenarios about using the mobile
forces only intends to draw the USA military forces into solving the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. This plan was prepared by the retired
colonel of the USA military air forces Sam Gardiner”.
This explanation was given by the military expert of the
“Pan-Armenian” agency Artyom Erkanyan. According to his words, the
colonel Sam Gardiner considers that Pentagon “can offer limited aid
to resolve the conflicts” in Nagorno Karabakh. It is not clear what
the American militant means when he says “limited aid”.
However, the “Atlantic Monthly” military journal valued the offer of
the Colonel Gardiner as the steps taken against the USA interests in
its December issue”. The Armenian analytic is guided by the viewpoint
of this journal that dislocation of the USA military mobile forces in
Azerbaijan will not affect solving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
directly.
/APA/
URL:

INTERNATIONAL TALISH STUDIES ASSOCIATION FOUNDED IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MAY 23. ARMINFO. The delegates of the first international
conference on Talish studies made a decision during the seminar in
Tsakhkadzor to found International Talish Studies Association, which
will be comprised of oriental scientists from different countries of
the region.
ARMINFO was informed in the organizing committee of the conference,
“We hope that the establishment of the association will help the
Talish people to keep the national identity, language and culture”,
said in the declaration adopted by the participants of the seminar.
The proposal of the Talishs from Azerbaijan to appeal to UN and OSCE
with a call “to put an end to the infringement of elementary rights
of Talishs in Azerbaijan” was not approved because of the opposition
of the representatives of the Talish communities of Iran and Georgia.

Pro-treaty campaign intensifies as “no” camp holds lead in French referendum
Agence France Presse — English
May 21, 2005 Saturday 4:44 PM GMT
PARIS May 21 — Proponents of the Yes vote in the French referendum
on the EU constitution were making a desperate final push to overhaul
a slender lead of the “no” vote as the campaign entered its last
week Saturday.
The tempo of the campaign was picking up with major rallies being
held across France and the political heavyweights of both sides taking
the microphone.
The EU’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana warned that a rejection
of the European constitutional treaty could damage the “capacity
for action” of the enlarged European Union, in an interview with the
German daily newspaper Welt am Sonntag.
Like a number of recent polls, the latest survey, conducted by Ifop,
indicated Saturday that 52 percent of decided voters would cast their
ballots to reject the treaty, a one percent drop from a week earlier,
while 48 percent supported the charter. But about one third of the 845
people surveyed said they could change their minds or were undecided.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin called on the French to not
turn their backs on Europe by rejecting the treaty, while a leading
advocate for the “no” camp and Socialist party number two, former
prime minister Laurent Fabius, claimed there was a hidden right-wing
agenda behind the “yes” vote.
“Let’s not close ourselves in egoism, in individualism,” Raffarin
said. “I can’t say to our neighbours, ‘we are interested in your
markets but we don’t want to share with you.’ We should not be afraid
of others (…) The future belongs to generous people and countries.
“Today a Frenchman proud to be French doesn’t close himself off with a
“no” and turn his back on his partners,” Raffarin said.
Fabius condemned condemned what he called a “hidden agenda of the
right” behind the pro-treaty campaign.
He said this included a series of national measures delayed by the
vote including a reduction in the number of public servants and a
rise in gas charges.
Nicolas Sarkozy, leader of the ruling UMP party, took a more inclusive
tone in his campaign in favour of the treaty, acknowledging that the
questions of the “no” camp will have to be answered even if the people
finally vote for the treaty.
These questions are going to have to be answered whatever the result.
They must be taken into account. I’m not somebody who thinks ‘you
don’t agree with me, your views don’t matter.’ Yes they do matter,
because if people doubt, it’s because we haven’t managed to reassure
them,” Sarkozy told a rally at Rennes in western France.
“Nobody should doubt that this debate has been useful for Europe and
for France,” he said, defending the risky choice to put the European
constitution to a popular vote rather than a parliamentary ratification
as did many other European countries such as Germany.
Sarkozy acknowledged that the French have a problem with Europe,
and that a “yes” vote should be a vote for a changed Europe.
“Europe was created to protect and to defend. We should draw the
conclusions that today Europe worries people,” he said.
Both representatives of the right, National Front boss Jean-Marie Le
Pen, and nationalist leader Philippe de Villiers opposed the treaty.
Le Pen said politicians supported it only so that they could shirk
their responsibilities and blame Brussels when things went wrong.
De Villiers said the survival of France was at stake, and he told a
delegation of Armenians, “we will never accept that Turkey becomes
a member of the EU.”
On Friday European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in a
London speech that it was “vital” to ratify the treaty as there was no
back-up plan, while Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero warned
of the dire consequences should the French throw out the measure, which
was overwhelmingly approved in a Spanish referendum earlier this year.

POLITICAL CHANGE IN POST-SOVIET REPUBLICS
21:09
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 20 2005
MOSCOW (Anatoly Beliayev, the head of analysis at the Center for
Current Politics in Russia, for RIA Novosti) –
A series of color revolutions in the former Soviet states, as well
as the fundamental change in the foreign policy of Moldova and the
latest events in Uzbekistan, raise the question of the reasons for and,
most importantly, the possible consequences of these developments.
The majority of experts who analyze the reasons for these events note
general poverty, acute social problems and corrupt regimes in these
countries. Indeed, any mass movement or unrest develops against the
backdrop of acute discontent of a considerable or larger part of the
population with their situation and their belief that there will be
no positive changes under the current regime.
However, if these were decisive factors, Ukraine, which has the second
or third best living standards in the CIS, would have been one of the
last to have its “orange revolution.” The revolutionary trailblazers
would have been Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The answer to this seeming discrepancy is simple: the latter
countries have harsh, authoritarian regimes, which suppresses public
discontent and, above all, the emergence and consolidation of political
organizations that could become the driving forces of revolutions.
But what is “authoritarianism”? The answer is also evident: It is
a form of government in societies that lag far behind the social
and economic standards of Western countries. It may seem strange,
but, owing to the logical nature of “traditional” authoritarianism,
the attempts to apply democratic Western standards in the most
underdeveloped countries (Africa and Afghanistan) resulted in the
establishment of authoritarian or totalitarian regimes that only
pretend to be Western-type democracies. These regimes are regularly
overthrown in coups, which are frequently complemented with public
unrest. Hence, the West should not have any illusions about the
democratic nature and, most importantly, the stability of such
“revolutionary” regimes, especially in the Transcaucasus and Central
Asia.
But the development of democracy, which the West understands as the
creation and formal operation of Western-type political institutions
that introduce market economies open to foreign expansion, is a
condition of the Western economic and political expansion.
The CIS countries can be divided into three geographic groups,
depending on the people’s readiness for Western values and real
incorporation into the Western civilization and economic and political
structures.
European CIS Countries
>>From the socio-economic and cultural-historical viewpoint,
this region is better prepared for accepting the Western type of
democracy. Besides, the crucial assistance to the implementation of
US plans in the region will be provided by the European Union, which
has adopted a policy of extensive development and eastward enlargement.
The joint operation of these two global players has brought the
expected results in Ukraine. It is one of the socially and economically
better developed republics of the former Soviet Union; after the
“orange revolution,” it will quickly reap the economic fruits of the
Western expansionist policies.
Re-nationalization in Ukraine will result in the redistribution of
property owned by the local oligarchs in favor of not so much the
local medium-sized business as the European and American companies,
depending on Ukraine’s incorporation into Western structures.
In this case, Ukraine will soon see, just as the other East European
countries did, a connection between the Western form of democracy,
the open market economy, and the advantages of big U.S. and European
economic entities over the local operators.
As for Moldova, its incorporation in the West may proceed by way of
special relations with Romania, which is a member of Greater Europe.
But first the Moldovan leaders will have to settle the problem of
Transdnestria.
Belarus, where President Lukashenko uses harshly authoritarian measures
and populist policies to control the political situation, presents
a serious obstacle to Western expansionism. A chance to overthrow
Lukashenko could appear only if problems become markedly worse in
relations with Moscow, when Minsk would not be able any longer to
use the economic advantages of Russia’s special ally.
Transcaucasus
Apart from fulfilling the challenging task of spreading Western
standards, this region is of particular interest to the West because of
the strategic gas and oil pipelines that run across it from the Caspian
shore and Central Asia. Besides, this region is located next to the
“soft underbelly” of Russia – the North Caucasus, where instability
can be always used as the trump card in the global foreign policy
game. But the Caucasus is not Europe. The social, economic, ethnic,
religious and political problems of that region are a major hindrance
to the development of Western values.
Proof of this is the pro-Western regime in Georgia: Over 90% of votes
cast for President Mikhail Saakashvili and the strange death of premier
Zurab Zhvania, a politician of the same magnitude, whose seat was
quickly filled by a figurehead suggested by the president, show that
the region is not ready to accept the pluralist values of the West.
This is also the main reason for the weakness of the Armenian
opposition, which is energetically supported by American and
European funds. For the second consecutive year, it has been trying to
materialize the Tbilisi scenario in Yerevan. Armenia has been retained
in the Russian orbit so far thanks to Moscow’s military-technical and
economic assistance in the confrontation with Azerbaijan over Karabakh.
As for Azerbaijan, though American state and non-governmental
structures criticize the Aliyev regime and the West (above all the
U.S.) supports the local opposition, the Baku authorities need not fear
a color revolution. There is a vast distance between the authoritarian
regime of Aliyev and the standards of democracy. But U.S. foreign
policy strategists maintain very cautious relations with the country,
keeping the democratic opposition on a short leash. The reason is their
fear of possible chaos provoked by revolutionary cataclysms in that
country, which the U.S. oil companies view as one of the world’s most
important sources of hydrocarbons and the key area for the potential
transit of these reserves from even richer Central Asian fields.
Central Asia
This region is prepared for Western economic and political values even
less than the Transcaucasus. The local regimes control the situation
in their countries with a different degree of authoritarianism (or
totalitarianism, as in Turkmenistan). Despite the temptation to try
to bring democracy to these countries, the top leaders of the West
seem to be aware of risks entailed in provoking an outbreak of social
activity in the underdeveloped Central Asian states.
The example of the “revolutionary-democratic” Kyrgyzstan, where the
Akayev regime had tried, without success, to follow the Western rules
of democracy and which had the largest number of Western funds and
societies in the CIS, shows that the territorial/clan contradictions
are decisive for that region.
The recent social explosion in the Ferghana Valley, which was certainly
provoked by the “secular” dissatisfaction of the people with their
leadership, can, with much greater degree of probability, be led by
Islamic fundamentalists and drug barons connected with them, rather
than pro-Western democracies.
The totalitarian regime of Saparmurat Niyazov in Turkmenistan can
only be overthrown with the country’s leader (which is both simple
and difficult). But such a coup would push the country into a dark
period of conflict in the struggle of the elite groups for raw
materials. The disintegration of the country, where clan connections
camouflaged as the modern “local” protectionism remain very strong,
does not seem probable.
The bloody civil war in Tajikistan in the first half of the 1990s,
which began under the banner of democracy, showed what mindless
copying of Western political institutions can do to a regional country.
Kazakhstan has a special place in this group of critically
explosion-prone countries. Rich in material resources, Kazakhstan could
become a strong candidate for integration into the Western economic
and military-strategic system. Besides, despite the domination of
traditional relations in the masses, the new Kazakh elite is rather
well educated and accepts Western values (but not the West), and a
part of it would like to take the leading posts of “senior comrades.”
But the regime of Nursultan Nazarbayev has vast raw material resources,
which allow socio-economic maneuvers, and learned to control the
political ambitions of the New Kazakhs by repeatedly reproducing
a tame opposition. Besides, revolutionary cataclysms may split the
country into “the Russian North” and “the Kazakh South.”
Therefore, any implementation of the “color revolutions” scenario in
Central Asia could have highly negative consequences.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and
may not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

US WELCOMES KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING
Pan Armenian News
19.05.2005 04:20
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The US welcomes the recurrent meeting of the Armenian
and Azeri Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev over settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict held in Warsaw May 15. US Ambassador
to Armenia John Evans stated it to journalists today. In his words,
“the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is indeed a complex
issue and it cannot be solved in one night.” At that the diplomat noted
that Steven Mann – the US Ambassador to the OSCE MG, under whose aegis
the Karabakh settlement proceeds, “is better informed in that issue,”
Regnum news agency reported.

FIFTH INT’L ROUND-TABLE OF OMBUDSMEN HELD
Azer Tag
[May 19, 2005, 15:54:22]
Bratislava Regional Center of the United Nations Development Program
(UNDP) has organized a round-table for the Ombudsmen of the European
and CIS countries in the city of Karlovi Vari of the Czech Republic.
Ombudswoman of the Azerbaijan Republic Elmira Suleymanova took part
at the arrangement.
The goal of the action was to exchange experience on human rights
protection and use of methods in restoration of the violated human
rights, organization and use of the recommendations prepared for
improvement of the Ombudsman activity in elimination of discrimination
on national level, and defining of the priorities for support of the
UNDP human rights protection initiatives in 2006-2010s.
At the action, ombudsmen of the Russian Federation, Moldova,
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Georgia,
Armenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina reported on the activity.
During the workshop, Ms. Elmira Suleymanova held significant meetings
with colleagues, and discussed cooperation activities in the human
rights protection field.
The UNDP Regional Office is supposed to render assistance in
compilation of the “National Plan of Activities in the field of Human
Rights Protection” in Azerbaijan.