Author: Taslakhchian Andranik

ANKARA PLAYS DIPLOMATIC ‘HARDBALL’ WITH US
Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington

The Guardian, UK
Oct 11 2007

A truck carries a tank toward Sirnak near the Turkey-Iraq border,
two days after Kurdish rebels killed 13 Turkish soldiers in the area.

Photograph: Burhan Ozbilici/AP

Turkey today recalled its ambassador to Washington and warned that
it would "play hardball" to persuade Congress to abandon a bill
recognising the historic persecution of Armenians.

The diplomatic rebuke to Washington came amid furious lobbying by
Bush administration officials to try to pull back the bill.

The measure, which was endorsed by the house foreign affairs
committee, yesterday in defiance of warnings from White House and
Turkish officials, would recognise the 1915 massacres and forced
deportations of Armenians as a genocide.

A house vote on the bill could come as early as tomorrow. With that
prospect looming, Turkish and US officials stepped up their pressure
on Congress today.

A Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said the ambassador, Nabi
Sensoy, would stay in Ankara for about a week or 10 days. "We are
not withdrawing our ambassador. We have asked him to come to Turkey
for some consultations," the spokesman, Levent Bilman, told reporters.

Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson, was summoned
to the foreign ministry in Ankara where officials expressed their
"unease".

In Washington, a visiting adviser to the Turkish prime minister,
Tayyip Erdogan, suggested there would be more such manoeuvres to come.

"I can assure you Turkey knows how to play hardball, the adviser,
Egeman Bagis, told reporters.

The Turkish parliament is expected to vote next week to authorise
a broader intervention into northern Iraq following yesterday’s air
strikes on suspected Kurdish rebel positions.

Such a move is opposed by the US and the European Union, who fear
disrupting the relative peace in northern Iraq.

However, widespread anger in Turkey that Congress was moving forward
on a bill to classify the first world war killings of Armenians as
a genocide, could push Turkish legislators into supporting military
strikes.

The foreign affairs committee in the House of Representatives
defied appeals from President George Bush and warnings from Turkey
on Wednesday to endorse a measure that would designate the massacre
and forced deportations of Armenians in 1915 as a genocide.

The response from Ankara today was predictably harsh. "The committee’s
approval of this resolution was an irresponsible move, which at a
greatly sensitive time will make relations with a friend and ally,
and a strategic partnership nurtured over generations, more difficult,"
the foreign ministry said.

"Our government regrets and condemns this decision. It is unacceptable
that the Turkish nation has been accused of something that never
happened in history."

White House officials were almost as harsh, and said again today that
they feared that Turkey would cut off vital supply lines to Iraq.

About 70% of US air cargo for Iraq is routed through Turkey.

The warnings from US officials punctuated expressions of outrage that
percolated down through the ranks of Turkish government and society.

Ankara’s ambassador to Washington, Nabi Sensoy, said the resolution
would damage the "psyche of the Turkish people", and lead to an
anti-American backlash.

Turkish newpspapers also condemned the move in Congress, with the
Hurriyet newspaper describing the measurer as a "bill of hatred".

The timing of the move in Congress could complicate efforts by America
and the European Union to dissuade Turkey from a cross-border military
incursion that could destabilise the relatively quiet situation in
northern Iraq.

"Any possibility of complicating even more the security situation
in Iraq is something that should not be welcome," the European Union
foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, told reporters in Brussels today.

Public anger at the PKK is also high following the killing of 13
Turkish soldiers on Sunday.

However, the prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, told CNN the measure
would not necessarily lead to an immediate intervention against PKK
Kurdish rebels believed to be based in the region.

"There have been 24 operations so far. Assessments have shown that
they haven’t yielded that much of a result. We are taking this into
account," Mr Erdogan told CNN’s Turkish language service.

The warnings from the Bush administration of the potential fallout on
US-Turkish relations persuaded some members of Congress to withdraw
their support for the measure today.

However, the house majority leader, Steny Hoyer, told Turkish officials
that he hopes to bring the resolution to a vote before the end of
the year. The resolution’s future in the Senate is far less certain.

U.S. AMBASSADOR REGRETS DECISION BY HOUSE COMMITTEE

Turkish Press
Oct 11 2007

ANKARA – U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson said he deeply regrets
the decision by the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign
Affairs to send the resolution (on Armenian allegations regarding
incidents of 1915) forward for a vote by the full House and pledged to
continue his efforts to convince members of Congress not to approve it.

Wilson said in a statement released on Thursday that the U.S. President
George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other
administration officials oppose the resolution.

"I sincerely hope the resolution will not be passed," Wilson said.

"Among the many tragedies of World War I and the 20th Century were
the large-scale deaths of Ottoman Armenians. This episode deserves
careful attention and historical study. Mutual understanding and
reconciliation among Turks and Armenians will remain the right course
for all to follow," he continued.

"The partnership between Turkey and the United States is strong and
will remain so. We are determined to pursue our common vital interests
and strengthen our shared values," he added.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version: nian.htm

Ms. Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
US Congress
Washington DC

Dear Ms. Pelosi,

I salute from the headquarters of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in
Antelias, Lebanon, the courageous step taken by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee in favor of the Armenian Genocide resolution. Indeed, this
decision of the Committee is a concrete and genuine manifestation of the
deep concern of the United States of America in respect to human rights
and all forms of crimes against humanity, including genocide.

The Armenian Genocide is a fact of history. Not only is itdeeply rooted
in the common memory of the Armenian people but also well substantiated by
historical documents and eye-witness accounts. The formal recognition of
such crimes against humanity is indispensable in order to avoid new
genocides. Hence, the resolution of the Committee is a right response to
this sad page of the history of the Turkish-Ottoman Empire.

The Cilician Catholicosate of the Armenian Church has been, with its
people and in­stitutions, a victim of this Genocide. The Martyrs’ Chapel,
the Museum and the thousands of archives existing within the confines of
the Catholicosate, are tangible proofs of the Armenian Genocide planned
and executed by the Ottoman-Turkish authorities in 1915.

I greatly appreciate the action taken by the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, and it is my firm expectation that the entire Congress will
soon adopt the said resolution.

I would like to seize this opportunity to express my high appreciation to
you for your many years of committed support towards the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide.

May God bless you and your colleagues.

Prayerfully,

ARAM I
CATHOLICOS OF CILICIA

m

Press Statement
Sean McCormack, Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 10, 2007

U.S. Administration Regrets House Foreign Affairs Committee Vote on
H.Res. 106

We regret that the House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved House
Resolution 106 and sent it on for consideration by the full House. The
Administration continues strongly to oppose this resolution, passage
of which may do grave harm to U.S.-Turkish relations and to
U.S. interests in Europe and the Middle East. Nor will it improve
Turkish-Armenian relations or advance reconciliation among Turks and
Armenians over the terrible events of 1915.

The United States recognizes the immense suffering of the Armenian
people due to mass killings and forced deportations at the end of the
Ottoman Empire. We support a full and fair accounting of the
atrocities that befell as many as 1.5 million Armenians during World
War I, which H.Res. 106 does not do.

2007/872

Released on October 10, 2007

MTS ALLOCATED FREQUENCIES TO OFFER 3G PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN ARMENIA

RIA Oreanda
Economic News
October 9, 2007 Tuesday

OREANDA-NEWS . October 9, 2007. Mobile TeleSystems OJSC ("MTS" NYSE:
MBT), the largest mobile phone operator in Russia and the CIS,
announces allocation of frequencies to offer 3G (UMTS) services
in Armenia.

The Public Services Regulatory Commission of the Republic of
Armenia has allocated the frequencies to K-Telecom, MTS? 80%-owned
subsidiary. These frequencies will allow MTS to offer high-speed
mobile voice and data services throughout the territory of Armenia.

The allocation is valid for a 10-year period.

K-Telecom is licensed to offer 3G (UMTS) services by virtue of its
overall license to offer mobile services.

Remarked Oleg Raspopov, Acting Vice-President, Head of Business
Unit MTS Foreign Subsidiaries, "The opportunity to bring exciting
3G products and services to our subscribers in Armenia will only
strengthen our leadership position in this market. Given our 3G efforts
in Russia and Uzbekistan, we aim to leverage the full scale of the
Group in our deployment of 3G throughout our markets of operation."

ARMENIA TO GO TO WINTER TIME ON OCT 28

ARKA News Agency
Oct 9 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, October 9. /ARKA/. On October 28, in conformity with the RA
time reckoning order, Armenia will go to the winter-time regime.

The RA Ministry of Trade and Trade and Economic Development, at
3:00 a.m. October 28 Armenia’s citizens are to set watch one hour
backward.

TURKEY OPPOSES U.S. GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
By Desmond Butler

The Associated Press
Oct 10 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) – Turkey is making a final direct appeal to
U.S. lawmakers to reject a resolution that would declare the World
War I-era killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians a genocide.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee was to vote Wednesday on the
measure that is opposed by the Bush administration and which Turkey
has insisted could severely damage U.S. relations with a NATO ally that
has been a major portal for U.S. military operations in the region.

Those threats were coming as Turkey’s government was seeking
parliamentary approval for a cross-border military operation to chase
separatist Kurdish rebels who operate from bases in northern Iraq.

The move, opposed by the United States, could open a new war front
in the most stable part of Iraq.

"I have been trying to warn the (U.S.) lawmakers not to make a historic
mistake," said Egemen Bagis, a close foreign policy adviser to Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A measure of the potential problem came in a warning the U.S. Embassy
in Ankara issued Tuesday to U.S. citizens in Turkey.

"If, despite the administration’s concerted efforts against this
resolution, it passes committee and makes its way to the floor of the
House for debate and a possible vote, there could be a reaction in the
form of demonstrations and other manifestations of anti-Americanism
throughout Turkey," the statement said.

The basic dispute involves the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians
by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey
denies that the deaths constituted genocide, says the toll has been
inflated, and insists that those killed were victims of civil war
and unrest.

Armenian-American interest groups also have been rallying supporters
in the large diaspora community to pressure lawmakers to make sure that
a successful committee vote leads to consideration by the full House.

The bill seemed to have enough support on the committee for passage,
but the majority was slight and some backers said they feared that
Turkish pressure would narrow it. Most Republicans, who are a minority
on the committee, were expected to vote against the resolution.

On Tuesday, Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly
of America, sought to shore up support in letters to the committee’s
chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., and its ranking Republican member,
Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

"We have a unique opportunity in this Congress, while there are still
survivors of the Armenian genocide living among us, to irrevocably
and unequivocally reaffirm this fact of history," he said.

The head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos Karekin II,
was to give the opening invocation to the House’s session ahead of
the vote Wednesday.

Erdogan adviser Bagis said the resolution would make it hard for
his government to continue close cooperation with the United States
and resist calls from the public to go after the Kurdish rebels after
deadly attacks on soldiers in recent weeks. Turkey previously has said
it would prefer that the United States and its Iraqi Kurd allies in
northern Iraq crack down on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.

"If the Armenian genocide resolution passes, then I think that the
possibility of a cross-border operation is very high," said Ihsan
Dagi, a professor of International Relations at Middle East Technical
University in Ankara, the Turkish capital.

The United States reiterated on Tuesday its warnings against an
incursion.

"If they have a problem, they need to work together to resolve it,
and I’m not sure that unilateral incursions are the way to go,"
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Many in the United States also fear that a public backlash in Turkey
could lead to restrictions on crucial supply routes through Turkey
to Iraq and Afghanistan, and the closure of Incirlik, a strategic
air base in Turkey used by the U.S. Air Force.

Bagis, a member of the Turkish Parliament, underscored that
possibility.

"Let us not forget that 75 percent of all supplies to your troops in
Iraq go through Turkey," he said.

EUROPEAN DIPLOMATS BECAME OVER-CAUTIOUS ABOUT VISITS TO KARABAKH

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.10.2007 19:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European diplomats became over-cautious about
visits to Nagorno Karabakh, head of the Armenian delegation to PACE,
Davit Harutyunyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

"Frequent cancellations of visits came as result of Azeri lobby’s
pressure and Europeans’ cautiousness.

But it doesn’t mean that the Armenian side is inactive. We have warned
that the route Azerbaijan proposes is not safe and the issue should
be discussed with Nagorno Karabakh," he noted.

Mr Harutyunyan also informed that the Armenian delegation to PACE
initiated discussion on violation of the European Cultural Convention
by Azerbaijan.

"The Convention bans from posing obstacles for visits to cultural and
historical sites. However, missions of international organizations meet
groundless rejections from Azerbaijan. We state that it’s violation
of the Convention. We addressed the CoE Committee of Ministers with
a request to take action," he said, IA Regnum reports.

Late August the Azeri authorities ruined the visit of a mission
expected to examine the state of historical monuments in the
republic. The visit of Edward O’Hara, rapporteur of the PACE
Subcommittee on Cultural Heritage, has been cancelled several times
already. It was scheduled for May 2006 but later postponed to the
autumn 2006 and then to spring and autumn 2007.

ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN TRADE TURNOVER POSSIBLE TO INCREASE

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2007

YEREVAN, October 4. /ARKA/. Armenian-Russian trade turnover can be
increased through cooperation in atomic energy, RF Ambassador to
Armenia Nikolay Pavlov stated in his interview to the Golos Armenii
newspaper, commenting on RA Premier Serge Sargsyan’s official visit
to Moscow.

The Ambassador explained that the matter concerns join exploration
of uranium deposits in Armenia.

On this context, Pavlov pointed out great importance of improving
the schedule of the Caucasus-Poti ferry service. "Of we resolve the
problem of excisable products at the customs station of the port of
Caucasus before the end of the year, the trade turnover will certainly
increase," Pavlov said.

Speaking of the investment volume, the RF Ambassador stated that
Russian investments in Armenia’s economy are not so large – about
$800mln.

"At their recent negotiations in Moscow, the Prime Ministers discussed
the issues of construction of an oil refinery in Armenia, development
of processing enterprises in the country with the involvement of
Russian business. Russian investors are ready to invest capital
in Armenia," Pavlov said. He added that such companies as Gasprom,
VTB, RAO EES Rossii, Vympelcom and RUSAL are and will go on working
with Armenia.

As regards the construction of an oil refinery in Armenia, a
feasibility report is being worked out. "We must specify the capacity
of the refinery and the consumers. This is a most interest project,"
he said.

Pavlov pointed out that the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental
Commission for Economic Cooperation held a meeting in Yerevan
recently. A number of documents were signed at the meeting, namely,
a contract with the Armenian "Armavia" airline for a purchase of
Sukhoi Super Jet 100 airplanes worth over $50mln in 2008, a corrected
schedule of measures for the implementation of a program of long-term
Armenian-Russian economic cooperation until 2010.

In January-July 2007, Armenian-Russian trade turnover increased by 57%
and totaled $330.1mln. Armenia’s exports to Russia totaled $111.8mln
(17.7% of Armenia’s total exports) – a 2.05-fold increase compared
to January-July 2006.

U.S. EMBASSY DONATES CLASSROOM AND COMPUTER EQUIPMENT TO THE RA POLICE ACADEMY IN YEREVAN

ARMENPRESS
Oct 03 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS: On October 3, 2007, Transnational
Crime Affairs Officer William Douglass signed a letter at the Republic
of Armenia Police Academy donating almost $33,000 of computer and
classroom equipment. Signing the donation letter on behalf of the
Government of Armenia was Colonel Eduard Chibukhchyan, Head of the
Training Department at the Academy.

The U.S. Embassy in Armenia said the new equipment was bought by
the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Office of
the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. Total donations to the Police Academy
by the U.S. government now amount to more than $190,000, and include
physical techniques training equipment, audiovisual equipment, and a
laser shooting simulation system. Agents of the U.S. Federal Bureau
of Investigation conducted a Cyber Crime Prevention course at the
Academy last May.

This project is only part of the U.S. Government’s comprehensive
law enforcement assistance program in the Republic of Armenia. The
U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, through its International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Section, has funded the renovation of such facilities
as the National Bureau of Expertises, the Police Induction Center
in Kanaker, the Border Guards Training Facility in Yerevan and the
Customs House in Vanadzor.

Moreover, the Embassy has donated computer equipment to all these
facilities. The Embassy is also working with the Government of Armenia
to establish a nationwide, computerized border management information
system and a nationwide computer network for the RA Police. The
U.S. Government provides about $3 million a year in law enforcement
assistance to Armenia.