Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

A CHALLENGE TO TURKEY’S IDEOLOGUES
By Andrew Duff MEP

FT
June 6 2007 14:31

Atilla Yayla is not a terrorist. He is not a Kurd. He is not an
Armenian. He is not a Marxist. He is not a conscientious objector. He
is not a gay activist. He is not a Christian. He is not a Muslim
fundamentalist. He is not famous, like Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel Prize
winning author. Dr Yayla is a quietly spoken Turk, a liberal, a
professor of politics at Gazi University in Ankara.

On July 2 Dr Yayla will be on trial in Turkey, facing a maximum of
four and a half years in prison, for breaching Article 53 of the
Turkish penal code.

According to the ultra-Kemalists who have brought the case, his crime
was to "publicly insult the moral legacy" of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,
the founder of the Turkish Republic. Dr Yayla is supposed to have
committed the offence during a seminar given in Izmir, a city on
Turkey’s Aegean coast, last November to a group of 30 or so members
of the ruling Law and Justice Party (AKP).

The theme of the seminar was how Kemalism, the official ideology of
the Turkish state, had adapted over the years – or failed to adapt –
and how, today, Turkey’s bid to join the European Union posed new
challenges to the ideologues.

Dr Yayla was not uncritical of the EU, making the point that it should
not be equated with civilisation and that its creed of tolerance is
not always observed in practice. But the most controversial part of
the speech criticised the cult around the personality of Ataturk. Dr
Yayla called for a rational debate. Turkey in the EU would be a liberal
democracy where the hero worship would be modified. Turkey outside
the EU, with Kemalism unreformed, would be "like Jordan or Syria".

In addition to the criminal charge, the professor was suspended from
his teaching post. Although now re-instated, the university is under
pressure from the military to sack him. Ignoring the fact that a
criminal prosecution is under way, General Yasar Buyukanit, chief of
the general staff, has publicly attacked Dr Yayla, inviting the court
to convict him. This is the same Gen Buyukanit who, in April, issued
the "e-coup" which warned the government not to nominate Abdullah
Gul, foreign minister, as president. And the same Gen Buyukanit who
is massing Turkish troops on the Iraqi border in apparent preparation
for an invasion aimed at smashing the separatist Kurdish Workers Party
(PKK).

Students of modern Turkey will not be surprised by the belligerence
of Gen Buyukanit. The Turkish politico-military establishment shows
precious few signs of embracing European liberal democracy. Instead,
it prefers to cling to the structure and ideology of a Republic crafted
on western lines at possibly the worst time in western history. It
was not Ataturk’s fault, of course, that he lived through Europe’s
fascist period, but it is astonishing that many of his followers today
can hardly bring themselves to ditch the authoritarian elements that
still survive in the Turkish constitution: the tough penal code,
the primacy accorded to the armed forces, the intense nationalism,
the aggressive laicism, the lack of freedom of expression, the
heavy centralisation, the penalising of minorities, the contaminated
judiciary, the exaggerated legalism – and the personality cult.

It does injustice to the memory of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk that his
ultra-loyal supporters still regard the Turkish citizen as a servant
of the state – the antithesis, indeed, of post-War west European
democracy.

What is newsworthy, however, is that Turkish liberals are suddenly
strong enough to fight back. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister,
has intensified the battle to get Gul elected to succeed the present
Kemalist incumbent of the presidency, Ahmet Nedet Sezer. Hayrunisa Gul,
the putative First Lady, is giving interviews to the press about her
wearing of the headscarf. More than 200 academics have petitioned the
government in support of Dr Yayla, and human rights lawyers have come
to his defence. Turkey’s flourishing business community is outspoken
against Ankara’s failure to press on with radical constitutional
reform, as well as being strongly opposed to military interventionism.

In the campaign for next month’s parliamentary elections, the gloves
have come off. The AKP’s main rival, the CHP, abhors the headscarf. But
its devotion to modern western clothes is not accompanied by a liking
of western values. The AKP seems wholly sincere in its efforts to
join the EU, thereby quelling suspicions that it has a secret agenda
to introduce Sharia law. If the opponents of Erdogan and Gul succeed
in turning Turkish opinion against the EU and if Gen Buyukanit gets
to invade Iraq, it will be time to be gloomy about Turkey.

So think of the modest professor of politics, now protected by
bodyguards, as he steps into the dock on July 2.

Andrew Duff MEP is vice-president of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary
Committee

THE MEANING OF SARKOZY
View by Sahin Alpay (TZ)

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
June 4 2007

Last month Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of France. France
is not a country that is familiar to me. I have neither lived in
France, nor have the ability to read or write French. I follow
what is happening there mostly by reading books and newspapers in
the languages available to me. I am aware that Sarkozy has promised
France more authority, more uniculturalism, less immigration, more
work, less bureaucracy, more market, closer relations with America,
among other things. He does not, however, give me the impression
that he is to achieve more "power and grandeur" for France. If I were
French I would undoubtedly have voted for his rival Segolene Royal,
but the choice of the leader is surely up to the French people.

The election of Sarkozy concerns me only with respect to what he
promises for the future of the EU and of Turkey. The question I have
in mind is this: What is the meaning of Sarkozy from the perspective
of the EU and of Turkey in the EU? Let me begin with Turkey. Turkey
was perhaps the country where the "soft power" of the EU, that is
its ability to attract and persuade countries to adopt its norms and
goals, proved most effective. The promise of EU membership encouraged,
especially in the period between 1999 and 2005, Turkey to adopt under
various governments — particularly under the Justice and Development
Party government (dubbed "Islamist" by its opponents) — remarkable
reforms to broaden its democracy and to modernize its economy. The
recognition of Turkey’s European identity by the EEC in 1963, and
its confirmation by the EC in 1989 and by the EU in 1999 has surely
been the greatest incentive for the Turkish reform program which has
rightly been called a "Quiet Revolution."

Sarkozy’s shift from his party’s traditional position of supporting
Turkey’s EU bid and adoption of Giscard d’Estaing’s ("Turkey’s
membership would be the end of the EU") position, his pronouncements
that "Turkey should recognize the Armenian Genocide", that "Turkey
cannot become a member of the EU even if it recognizes the Armenian
Genocide," and his offer to Turkey of membership in the "Mediterranean
Union" instead of the EU has definitely helped the soft power of the
EU over Turkey to approach the point of extinction.

Will Sarkozy in power, as is argued by some, behave differently towards
Turkey than Sarkozy during the election campaign? I am in no position
to tell. I do know, however, that the growing role of the military
in Turkey’s politics as witnessed by the e-memorandum of April 27,
and the increased risk in Turkey of the reversal of the gains of the
"Quiet Revolution" is closely related with the opposition to Turkey’s
EU membership that began with Angela Merkel in Germany and continued
with Nicolas Sarkozy in France. I disagree with those who claim
that the military in Turkey has from the outset opposed Turkey’s EU
accession process. I believe that the military in Turkey is once again
immersed in politics as a consequence of European leaders trying to
derail that process.

It is in a strange twist of history that France under the leadership
of Sarkozy has assumed the leading role in pushing Turkey out of
Europe. France is the country which has historically made perhaps the
greatest impact on Turkey’s Europeanization. Had Turkey’s Unionist and
Kemalist leaders been attracted more by British than French ideas,
the course of history in Turkey would certainly have followed a
different path. The role of ideas that originate from France in
the shaping the secular fundamentalist, nationalist and centralist
ideology of state elites of Turkey cannot be underestimated.

Merkel, under the pressure of her social democratic partners, at least
abides by the "pacta sund servanda" principle. Sarkozy and his likes,
on the other hand, seem to have no respect for that principle, and
no concern at all for the EU’s credibility and respectability.

Their attitude boils down to the abandonment of the ideal of Europe
united on the universal values of human rights, rule of law, democracy,
and respect for cultural diversity, and the embrace instead of the
ideal of Europe as a cultural union, as a "Christian Club."

By trying to push Turkey out of Europe, Sarkozy and others not
only send the signal to millions of Muslims in Europe that they
are second-class citizens and are to remain so, but by refusing
to lend support to the consolidation of democracy and the rule
of law in Turkey, they are also likely to alienate the social and
political forces in the Muslim world who are struggling for freedom
and democracy.

IS THE "RACE" INEVITABLE?

A1+
[02:49 pm] 01 June, 2007

Will the ARF Dashnaktsutyun members prefer minister portfolios to
party tickets after the negotiations with the Republican Party?

"No matter what decision is made, I shall stay with the party. I
have been an ARF Dashnaktsutyun member since 1991," Levon Lazarian,
the Minister of Science and Education, told A1+.

To the question whether the ARFD members will quit the party in case
the party turns from a pro-governmental force into an oppositional
one, the minister answered, "I rule out any race inside the party. We
have tasted hard times. Our proponents will always remain loyal to
the party. The negotiation is ongoing. The party will make a decision
by June 4."

To remind the National Assembly convenes its first session on June 7.

LEVON ARONYAN LEADING

ArmRadio.am
01.06.2007 17:28

May 31 fourth round matches of the championship of challengers for
the World Champion’s title were held in Elista, the capital of the
Republic of Kalmikia of the Russian Federation. Armenian Grand Master
Levon Aronyan defeated Magnus Karlsen of Norway.

Levon Aronyan is leading with the score 2.5:1.5.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF RUSSIANS: POLL

Vladivostok News, Russia
May 31 2007

Kazakhstan and Belarus topped the list of the countries perceived
to be the friendliest to Russia while Estonia was named the iciest
country by an overwhelming number of Russian respondents, a recent
poll held by the Levada agency in mid May revealed.

The poll, which sampled 1,600 Russian citizens in 128 towns in 48
regions of Russia, showed that 39 percent of the respondents consider
Kazakhstan to be the country friendliest to Russia. The number of
positive answers slightly increased compared to 33 percent last year.

Belarus took second place with 38 percent of those interviewed naming
it an amicable country. However, last year the number of people
calling it Russia’s best friend was 47 percent. Germany came third
with a stable 24 percent of all polled naming it a friendly country.

China received 19 percent of Russian’s trust showing a drop from 24
percent last year. Armenia and India were confidently named by 15
and 14 percent of the interviewed people accordingly.

France inspired 9 percent of the respondents’ belief in its friendly
attitude toward Russia while the United States came with only
6 percent.

18 percent of those polled found it difficult to name the friendliest
countries.

Estonia topped the list of the most unfriendly countries harvesting
60 percent of the respondents’ negative emotions. The increase in
dissatisfaction with Estonia is noticeable if compared to 28 percent
last year.

Georgia was named a country inhospitable to Russia by 46 percent of the
polled people and Latvia received 36 percent of the dissatisfaction
of the people, however showing a drop in ill will from 46 percent
last year.

The United States was steadfastly named unfriendly by 35 percent of
the interviewed people. Lithuania collected 32 percent showing a drop
of antagonism from 42 percent last year.

The Ukraine received 23 percent, indicating a slight drop from a
dissatisfaction of 28 percent last year, while Poland received a
negative assessment from 20 percent of the interviewed people showing
a dramatic increase from 7 percent last year. Australia, Egypt, Italy,
Canada Sweden and Finland received no votes of dissatisfaction.

‘ANELIK BANK’ PLANS TO JOIN KFW HYPOTHEC PROGRAMME IN JUNE, 2007

ArmInfo
2007-05-31 19:18:00

"Anelik Bank" plans to sign an agreement with the German KfW Bank
in June, 2007, for participation in the programme on development of
a stable housing financing market, deputy Chairman of the Board of
"Anelik Bank" Vladimir Badalyan told ArmInfo.

He said that the parties have already reached a preliminary agreement
on cooperation. He also said that with joining the KfW Programme, the
"Anelik Bank" intends to change the conditions of giving the hypothec
credits in line with the German Bank’s requirements. V. Badalyan
noted that the "Anelik Bank" has been giving the hypothec credits
since 2005 at the expense of its own resources, and the current
hypothec portfolio of the Bank makes up $1 mln. He added that the
maximum size of the Bank’s hypothec credit does not exceed 55 mln
drams, the maximum repayment term – 10 years, prepayment – 20% of
the acquired housing’s cost, the interest rate – to 16% of annual.

To note, the list of participants of the programme on development
of a stable housing financing market was approved by KfW on Sep
26, 2006. These were 6 commercial banks and two universal redit
organizations – Armeconombank, ARARATBANK, Cascade Bank, Areximbank,
ITB, INECOBANK, the "First Hypothec Company" UCC and the "Washington
Capital" UCC. Within the frames of this programme, the KfW will render
credit of 12 mln Euro to Armenia within 3 years by two transfers.

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont-Quebec H2V 3H2
Contact: Deacon Hagop Arslanian,
Tel: 514-276-9479
Fax: 514-276-9960
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Thu, May 31 2007

Historic Donation to the Laval Holy Cross Armenian Church Construction
Fund

The Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, His Eminence
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, today announced a significant and generous
pledge towards the building of the planned construction of the Holy Cross
Armenian Church in Laval. It is with great gratification and admiration
that the Diocese acknowledges the promise of this most generous pledge for
the Laval Holy Cross Church, from Mr. and Mrs. Mardig Jorjezian, of
Vancouver Canada.

Primate Galstanian visited Vancouver in mid February to preside over a
number of meetings and lead discussions relating to the mission of the
Armenian Church in Vancouver. During his stay, His Eminence accompanied by
Fr. Geghard Garabedian, parish priest of St. Vartan Church met with Mr.
Mardig Jorjezian and put forward the details of the project of the
construction of Holy Cross Armenian Church of Laval. By the conclusion of
their meeting, Mr. Jorjezian presented an exceptional pledge of a very
large magnitude to match all raised funds of up to the equivalent of
one-half of the complete project cost of construction. The total project
is expected to be completed at an estimated current cost of $6.5-7
million.

On April 21, 2007, at the request of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat
Galstanian, Mr. Mardig Jorjezian and his daughter Taline Jorjezian visited
the Diocesan Center of the Armenian Church in Montreal and met with the
Pastor, Parish Council, Architect, Steering/Building Committee, and the
representative of the Diocesan Council. During this meeting, Mr. Jorjezian
reaffirmed his commitment to complete the realization of the Community
Center and Church building project in Laval.

On behalf of the Primate, Diocesan Council and Clergy we thank the
Jorjezian Family for this supreme generosity and for their many years of
unwavering support and fellowship. In honor of this magnanimous and
historic gesture, the Primate and the Diocesan Council of the Armenian
Church of Canada unanimously announced that the Community Center of Holy
Cross Church Parish would be named "Jorjezian Complex"=2E

The Jorjezian Family has had an ongoing history of sustained support for
the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada, which has also included
particular attention to the needs of Saint Vartan Armenian Church, in
Vancouver. Most recently, the Jorjezian Family sponsored the celebratory
banquet for the 15th Anniversary of the Republic of Armenia, at the
Windsor Hotel, in Montreal.

While donations of this scale are the backbone of large initiatives,
reaching our goal requires generosity from our community at large. We
encourage all our faithful to continue their contributions towards the
realization of this project=2E

©2004 Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada. All rights reserved=2E
powered by: Technologies Lunasoft

US CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION COMPLETES CONTACTS IN ANKARA AND MOVES TO ISTANBUL

New Anatolian, Turkey
May 30 2007

An American congressional delegation completed its contacts in the
Turkish capital and moved to Istanbul Tuesday to meet the business
and financial community.

In Ankara the delegation met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
and Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc.

After their talks held at Erdogan’s office at the parliament,
co-chairman of the working group Edward Whitfield and U.S. Senator
from Nebraska Benjamin Nelson held a press conference.

Whitfield stated that they discussed the Turkish public disappointment
regarding PKK terrorism exported from Iraq, the general situation
in Iraq, the bill introduced to the U.S. Congress regarding the
allegations on so-called Armenian genocide and the prospective effects
of such a bill in case of its adoption.

Moreover, Turkey’s EU membership process, France and Germany’s
opposition to full Turkish membership and unification of Cyprus were
also on the agenda of the meeting, Whitfield said.

Asked to comment on a possible Turkish military incursion into Iraq,
Whitfield said that they thought the U.S. should take some concrete
steps on the issue, however, they did not encourage Turkey to carry
out a military operation as well.

Earlier Speaker Bulent Arinc on Monday received
U.S. delegation. Whitfield, referring to the general elections that are
due July 22, saying the visit takes place at a very historical time.

Turkey-U.S. Interparliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Egemen Bagis
also hosted a dinner in honor of members of the visiting delegation.

Speaking at the dinner, Bagis recalled that Ed Whitfield led the first
U.S. delegation that visited the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
(TRNC) by using Ercan Airport. He said, "following this initiative,
other foreign delegations paid such visits."

"Also the fact that the U.S. delegation attended the first formal
luncheon in Turkey together with the Turkish Cypriot ambassador shows
their support for the lifting of the isolations (on TRNC)," noted
Bagis. He also expressed pleasure over the efforts of U.S. delegation
against the draft on so-called Armenian genocide.

Noting that Iraq and PKK terrorist organization were discussed in
all meetings of U.S. delegation, Bagis said that terrorism in Iraq
is preventing many things.

PACE CALLS ON AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA TO COOPERATION IN ISSUE OF MISSING PEOPLE

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 29 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend A.Gasimova, E.Huseynova / Leo Platvoed,
a co-rapporteur of the Parlamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) on POWs and missing people in the South Caucasus, calls on
Azerbaijan and Armenia to cooperation so that to define fate of people
missed during the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

As a result of armed conflicts in the territory of the South Caucasus,
which broke out after the collapse of the former USSR, the place of
7,538 people is still unknown. Some 4,604 people are considered to
be missing in Azerbaijan, 947 in Armenia, 1,763 in Georgia, 197 in
Abkhazia. The data were publicized by the co-rapporteur in a meeting
of a PACE permanent commission in Belgrade on 24 May.

In an interview through telephone Platvoed stressed the importance
of close cooperation of the Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities,
both with the international organizations and local institutions
established in that countries. "There is a commission on search of
missing people in Nagorno-Karabakh, but it cooperated with Armenia,
not with Azerbaijan," he added.

The Azerbaijani State Commission on POWs, Missing People and Hostages
announced in April that there are 4,499 missing people in Azerbaijan.

Over the past 6 months the fate of 70 people have been defined,
of them 36 died as a result of armed actions and were identified by
their parents.

In March Bernhard Clazen, the chairman of the international group on
Missing People, POWs and Captives, said in an interview with Trend that
the international community is prepared to assist the conflict sides in
the resolution of humanitarian problems. The conflict sides will define
which assistance they need from the international community. He also
reminded that the last meeting of the State Commissions on missing
people of Azerbaijan and Armenia was organized in Tbilisi 2005,
wile later no appeal was submitted by any side on the organization
of the meeting.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus appeared in
1988 due to the territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

Armenia has occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani lands including
Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven Districts of the country surrounding
it. Since 1992 to the present time, these territories have been
under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In 1994, Azerbaijan
and Armenia signed a cease-fire agreement at which time the active
hostilities ended. The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia,
France and USA) hold peaceful negotiations.

IRAQ’S ASSYRIANS NEED THEIR OWN REGION

EasternStar News Agency
Assyrian International News Agency AINA
May 29 2007

If a majority of the population in a country, where people with red
hair are a minority, votes for a law that forces all people with
red h! air to l et themselves be enslaved or be beheaded, is that
democracy? This is a good allegory for what Iraqi democracy today
means for the Assyrians.

The sectarian violence and the general chaos in Iraq affects all
Iraqis, regardless of their ethnicity. But the Christian Assyrians
suffer the most, because they are Assyrians and Christians. They are
Christians in Iraq where Islamic extremism, both Sunni and Shiite,
is increasing every day. Besides the sectarian persecution which
the Assyrians are subjected to, the KDP (Kurdish Democratic Party)
led KRG (Kurdish Regional Government) is systematically persecuting
and oppressing the Assyrians, which are the indigenous people of Iraq.

The purpose of the actions of the KRG is the Kurdish nationalist
ambition to take over all historically Assyrian territory in northern
Iraq. The Assyrians lack protection in today’s Iraq and suffer
non-proportionally, something that is affirmed by the fact that 40%
of all Iraqi refugees are Christians, although their numbers only
constitute 5% of the Iraqi population.

The Assyrians will never be able to live in peace, liberty and
security as equal citizens in Iraq, not among Arabs nor Kurds. The
oppression will continue until the last Assyrians have fled the
country. The only way to prevent Iraq from being entirely drained
of its indigenous people is to give the Assyrians the possibility to
create an own autonomous region on the Nineveh plains, the historically
Assyrian heartland, where the majority of the population is still
Assyrian. Self-government in an autonomy within the boundaries of
the Iraqi state is the only way for the Assyrians in Iraq to escape
the enormous pressure from the increasingly radical Muslim majority.

In an autonomous Assyrian region also Assyrians from other parts of
Iraq would find a refuge, instead of being forced to migrate through
the neighboring countries of Syria and Jordan to Europe and America.

Also other Christian Iraqis, like the Armenians, could settle there
to live in security. This would be in line with the ambition of
many European countries to make efforts on site to prevent refugee
disasters, instead of receiving the refugee streams in the camps
on home ground, with all the strains that an overused asylum process
brings with it. Many Assyrian refugees currently in Europe and America,
illegally or waiting for their asylum applications to be processed,
would move back to Iraq if they had an Assyrian region where they
could feel safe and where they could build up a life. Not to mention
the several hundred thousands of Assyrian refugees in Jordan and Syria,
waiting for a chance to get to Europe.

If a safe haven is not created for the Assyrians in Iraq within a near
future, Europe and America should be prepared for an enormous refugee
stream the coming decade, to be compared to a full scale evacuation
of the Assyrian population of Iraq. The Assyrians should be prepared
for a definite and final extinction from their historical lands. The
world should be prepared for the termination of one of the worlds
oldest civilizations after a continuous presence of five thousand
years in Mesopotamia.