Author: Toganian Liana

DOES THE CIA DIRECTOR EXPECT BAKU’S SUPPORT IN THE IRANIAN ISSUE?

PanARMENIAN.Net
09.10.2007 GMT+04:00

The relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have lately become
colder. Baku tends to reach out more for Ankara, and the USA encourages
this tendency.

At the end of September "unexpectedly" the US CIA Director General
Michael Hayden visited Baku. Usually such visits are either widely
advertised or kept top secret. This is what happened this time;
nothing was ever mentioned about the General Hayden’s one-day-visit
beforehand, and after the visit not many details of it were made
public. The visit took place on September 28 and included a meeting
with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Minister of National
Security Eldar Mahmudov.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to some sources, the CIA Director arrived
in Baku late in the evening on September 27. During his stay in Baku
Hayden stayed in the private hotel in the city center, where special
security measures were taken. He left Baku early in the evening on
September 28. Most probably, Hayden arrived in Baku to find out Baku’s
final position in the Iranian issue. The USA made it quite clear to
the World Community that the issue of attacking Iran is only a matter
of time. And to realize this all that they need is the support of
the neighboring countries and first of all of Azerbaijan.

The Azeri Mass Media and political analysts have long been assuring
that the USA may use Azerbaijan as a base for the probable military
actions against Iran.

The truth is though that the US government has more than once denied
such a probability and the authorities of Azerbaijan also emphasized,
that they are not interested in taking part in the military campaign
against Iran, the country whose population is mostly Shiite like
in Azerbaijan and which is in very tight cultural and religious
relationship with the population of Iran.

In this issue the USA doesn’t count on Armenia at all, and this is
very right. Moreover the USA understands that in case of war Armenia
may completely fall out of the American influence, something which
they definitely do not want to happen. For Georgia the USA is the main
"fright" in its confrontations with Russia. There is only Azerbaijan
left which needs to be "cut" away from Russia and should be made the
"outpost" in the Islamic world. At present America has two more or
less reliable allies, they are Turkey and Saudi Arabia. But Turkey
may aside because of the Armenian Genocide. As for Azerbaijan, needs
being coaxed and the visit of the CIA Director in this regard is a
very profitable step.

In addition to all this, Hayden’s visit was very timely. The relations
between Iran and Azerbaijan have lately become colder. Baku tends to
reach out more for Ankara, and the USA encourages this tendency. This
is more than strange, if taking into consideration the fact that 80-85%
of the Azerbaijani are Shiite, like in Iran. However, the matter
of religion is of secondary importance in the given situation. The
territorial claims of Azerbaijan to its neighbors, except for Turkey,
are of much more importance.

The National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Chairman of Mejlis
of Iran Aladdin Borujerdi expressed his dissatisfaction with the new
geographic map made in Azerbaijan and announced that the territories
of Iran and several neighboring countries shown as the territories
belonging to Azerbaijan speaks for the US and Israeli policy carried
out in the region.

Borujerdi also added, that Iran respects the territorial integrity
of the neighboring countries, says the Iranian Agency ISNA. "If the
issue of the territorial claims is put forward, first of all the
territories of Azerbaijan, seized from Iran, should be returned,"
announced Borujerdi. The Agency ISNA assures that the new map printed
by the Institute of History of National Academy of Azerbaijan displays
the territories of Iran and of several neighboring countries as
belonging to.

Serious people do not pay any attention to the fact of appropriation
of land, culture and even origins. The only questions are how long
Azerbaijan will do whatever comes to its mind coming to believe in
US support and how long the USA will protect "the most democratic
President" of the Caucasus after Saakashvili of course.

FORMER REPRESENTATIVE OF CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF ARF ARTSAKH WAS ARRESTED

Karabakh Open
Oct 10 2007

Grisha Hairapetyan, former manager of the bread factory and mill
of Stepanakert and the Central Committee of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun
Artsakh was arrested a few days ago. We have learned that these two
companies are facing financial problems.

The reporter of Karabakh-Open.com asked the secretary of the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun’s Central Committee Jirair Shahijanyan to comment on
Hairapetyan’s arrest who said without going into detail that Grisha
Hairapetyan’s arrest is related to his personal activities. Jirair
Shahijanyan said the ARF Dashnaktsutyun will advocate a fair
investigation.

PROCESSING ENTERPRISES TO OPEN IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 9 2007

October 8 Nagorno-Karabakh PM Ara Harutyunian received the founder
of Bio Milk Yerevan Company Garik Sarukhanian.

The guest informed the state’s head of the programs to be realized
in Nagorno-Karabakh, IA REGNUM reports. Sarukhanian stated the works
targeted at founding an enterprise for processing vegetable crops
had already started. The enterprise fit out with modern equipment is
planned to be put into operation by next fall.

The next program refers to milk processing. Bio Milk will make
considerable investments in this sphere in the hope that the production
will not only be realized in NKR, but also exported.

According to Sarukhanian, the profit secured for the first 3-5 years
will be invested in NKR economy.

NKR PM stated the NKR government would promote the company’s
programs. NKR vice Premier, Minister of Agriculture Armo Tsaturian
also participated in the meeting.

RA DEFENSE MINISTER RECEIVED COE COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

ArmRadio – Public Radio
Oct 8 2007
Armenia

October 8 RA Defense Minister Michael Harutyunyan received the
delegation headed by Mr. Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe
Commissioner for Human Rights.

During the meeting the parties turned to the improvement of democratic
oversight mechanisms in the Armed Forces of eth Republic of Armenia
in the framework of the defense reforms.

A number of issues connected with alternative military service
were discussed. Reference was made to the questions of human rights
protection in the Armed Forces reflected in the Armenia-NATO Individual
Partnership Action Plan.

The interlocutors also discussed questions connected with prisoners
of war and missing persons.

At the end of the meeting Minister Harutyunyan expressed hope that
the observation of the human rights defense in the Armed Forces and
the possible suggestion will help to direct our efforts in the right
direction.

NUMBER OF SMOKING WOMEN INCREASES YEAR AFTER YEAR IN ARMENIA
Author: Arev Hakobian

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 8 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The number of smoking women is
increasing year after year in Armenia: at present women make 35%
of smokers. This statement was made by Hranush Hakobian, an MP of
the RA National Assembly, at the press conference held on October 5
under the title "Armenian woman without cigarette." According to him,
Armenian women, the young, in particular, very often smoke in order
to look modern, whereas, it is considered to be a phenomenon far from
civilization in many countries. "The Armenian woman is the pillar of
the family, therefore, she should be healthy and set a good example
for her children and husband," Hranush Hakobian said.

It was also mentioned that with the index of death rate recorded as a
result of smoking, which makes 22%, Armenia occupies the third place
in the world after Moldova and Hungary. Smoking may cause high blood
pressure, cancer, ischaemic heart diseases, as well as diseases of
cerebrum vessels.

In the words of Hranush Hakobian, the application of the corresponding
law prohibiting to smoke in transport and public places of the
republic mainly depends on the level of the self-consciousness of
society. According to her, every person should realize that by smoking
in such places he/she damages not only his/her, but also the health
of the surrounding people.

KIRO MANOYAN: KARABAKH ISSUE SHOULD BE RESOLVED BY ENTIRE ARMENIAN NATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.10.2007 14:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The ARF Dashnatsutyun’s stand on the Karabakh
issue is unchangeable: Artsakh is not a part of Azerbaijan’s
territory. Therefore violation of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
is out of the question, ARF Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs
Office Director, Kiro Manoyan told a news conference in Yerevan.

"Saying Artsakh we mean not only Nagorno Karabakh but also its
low-lying territories, including a part of Mardakert region and the
whole Shahumian region occupied by Azerbaijan. So, it’s a question
who violates the territorial integrity," he underscored.

The Nagorno Karabakh issue should be resolved via a universal
referendum, according to him.

"The Karabakh issue should be resolved by the entire Armenian
nation. Anyway, surrender of territories is impossible," he said

Turkey warns U.S. not to pass Armenian genocide bill

The Associated Press
Sunday, October 7, 2007

ISTANBUL: The head of Parliament has warned the United States Congress
not to pass an Armenian genocide bill, saying in a letter to the House
speaker that the move would harm bilateral ties, his office said
Sunday.

The speaker of Parliament, Koksal Toptan, said in his letter to the
speaker, Nancy Pelosi, that "it might take decades to heal negative
effects" of the bill if it passed, Toptan’s office said in a
statement.

The bill would declare the killings of Armenians from 1915 to 1917 a
genocide, although it would have no binding effect on U.S. foreign
policy. The House Foreign Affairs Committee is expected to consider
the legislation this week.

Toptan’s letter said the passing of the bill would be declared by
Armenians as a confirmation of their view of the historical dispute.

"Then it will be difficult to control the dynamics triggered by
Turkish public reaction," it said.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told President George W. Bush on
Friday that the measure would "harm the strategic partnership" between
the two countries.

Toptan said Armenia did not respond positively to the Turkish proposal
to establish a commission of historians to examine archives and to
share their findings with the public.

Armenians say more than 1.5 million of their people were killed in a
systematic genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire during World
War I, before the birth of modern Turkey, in 1923.

Turkey says that the death toll is inflated and that the deaths
occurred at a time of civil unrest.

After France voted last year to make the denial of the Armenian
genocide a crime, the Turkish government ended military ties. A
similar move with the United States could have repercussions on
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, which rely heavily on Turkish
support.

Source: .php

TURKEY, U.S. TRY TO BLOCK ARMENIAN DEATHS MEASURE
By Desmond Butler

Associated Press
Oct 7 2007

Some fear that resolution in Congress branding the WWI killings
genocide would damage Americans’ ties with Turkish government

WASHINGTON – Turkish and American officials have been pressing
lawmakers to reject a measure this week that would declare the World
War I-era killings of Armenians a genocide.

On Friday, the issue reached the highest levels as President Bush
and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan talked by telephone
about their opposition to the legislation, which is to go before the
House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

The dispute involves the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians
during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire.

Armenian advocates, backed by many historians, contend the Armenians
died in an organized genocide. The Turks say the Armenians were victims
of widespread chaos and governmental breakdown as the 600-year-old
empire collapsed in the years before Turkey was born in 1923.

Armenian supporters of the congressional measure, which seems to
have enough votes to get approval by both the committee and the full
House, have also been mustering a grass-roots campaign among the
large diaspora community in the United States to make sure that a
successful committee vote leads to consideration by the full House.

Similar measures have been debated in Congress for decades. But
well-organized Armenian groups have repeatedly been thwarted by
concerns about damaging relations with Turkey, an important NATO ally
that has made its opposition clear.

Lawmakers say that this time, the belief that the resolution has a
chance to pass a vote by the full House has both Turkey and Armenian
groups pulling out all stops to influence committee members.

"The lobbying has been the most intense that I have ever seen it,"
said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

Though the largely symbolic measure would have no binding effect on
U.S. foreign policy, it could nonetheless damage an already strained
relationship with Turkey.

After France voted last year to make denial of Armenian genocide a
crime, the Turkish government ended military ties.

Many in the U.S. 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 United States. Lawmakers have been hearing arguments from
both sides about those concerns.

The Turkish government has been holding back from public threats
while making clear that there will be consequences if the resolution
is passed.

"There will be a backlash and no government can be indifferent to
that," the Turkish ambassador in Washington, Nabi Sensoy, said.

But Armenian groups charge that behind the scenes, Turkey has been
much more clear.

"Turkey has been threatening every sort of doomsday scenario,"
said Aram Hamparian, executive director of the interest group the
Armenian National Committee of America, which has engaged about
100,000 supporters to call lawmakers about the issue.

"We have been saying that Turkey would harm itself more than the
United States if it carries through with these threats."

Turkey argues that the House is the wrong institution to arbitrate a
sensitive historical dispute. It has proposed that an international
commission of experts examine Armenian and Turkish archives.

In the meantime, the Turkish Embassy has been in close contact with
lawmakers and is using prominent U.S. lobbyists.

Turkish lawmakers have also been manning the phones to congressional
offices.

One congressional aide said Turkey’s military chief, Gen. Yasar
Buyukanit, has been calling lawmakers to argue that a vote will boost
support for Islamists in Turkey.

The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity
of the issue.

The Bush administration has been telling lawmakers that the resolution,
if passed, would harm U.S. security interests.

White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Friday that Bush believes
the Armenian episode ranks among the greatest tragedies of the 20th
century, but the determination on whether "the events constitute a
genocide should be a matter for historical inquiry, not legislation."

White House staff have also spoken with aides to House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi, D-Calif., in the hope that she will stop the measure from
coming to a vote.

GEORGE BUSH HELPS YEZDIS

Panorama.am
17:33 04/10/2007

The International Union of Yezdis has applied several times to
President George Bush to put an end to Kurdish crimes against their
people in northern Iraq.

Union president Aziz Tamoyan informed of this at a press conference
today. He said that Bush gave specific recommendations on the subject,
concerning military protection for Yezdi villages. The Yezdis have
also asked for an independent region of their own, covering an area
of some 10,000 kilometers. It was also stated that a political party
of Iraqi Yezdis has been started.

GUL TO DEAL WITH FAMILIAR FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES IN STRASBOURG
EmÝne Kart Strasbourg

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Oct 3 2007

During his first international public appearance in Strasbourg,
President Abdullah Gul is expected to deal today with key issues
of Turkish foreign policy such as the Cyprus issue and Armenian
allegations of a so-called genocide — issues on which he worked
during his term as foreign minister.

Gul, who arrived in Strasbourg on Tuesday, is accompanied by his
spouse, Hayrunnisa Gul, Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek and
Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Þahin. On the first day of his visit,
the president took some time to meet with the Turkish community in
France, speaking with their representatives in Strasbourg, home to
approximately 35,000 Turks.

Today, after delivering a speech in which he is expected to underline
Turkey’s commitment to reform and reaching European standards,
Gul will respond to questions from Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly (PACE) members. Both the Armenian and the Greek Cypriot
members of the assembly have planned to address questions to
Turkey’s president concerning Ankara’s policies on the Cyprus issue
and Armenian allegations of genocide. Turkish Cypriot deputies who
have been attending PACE sessions as "representatives of the Turkish
Cypriot community" since early 2005 will also direct questions to
Gul, who last month paid his first visit abroad to the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) in a show of support for the
Turkish Cypriots. The controversy over the ecumenical title of the
Ýstanbul based-Greek Orthodox patriarch, not recognized by Ankara,
is also likely to be another subject to be brought to the agenda by
PACE members. Gul and PACE President Rene van der Linden, who on
Monday expressed confidence in Gul’s representative ability, will
hold a joint press conference by noon before moving on to a luncheon
hosted by PACE in honor of Turkey’s president.

Later in the day Gul will have talks with Thomas Hammarberg, PACE
commissioner for human rights, and Yavuz Mildon, a Turkish citizen
heading the Chamber of Regions of the Congress at PACE since 2004.

While in Strasbourg, Gul will bring to mind promises made by PACE
over three years ago for putting an end to the Turkish Cypriots’
international isolation. His visit to the office of the Turkish
Cypriot deputies at PACE will also offer him a chance to urge the
international community once more to keep their promises to ease
the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. Meanwhile,
Terry Davis, secretary-general of the Council of Europe, on Tuesday
described certain remarks by Gul concerning the divided island of
Cyprus as "unfortunate."

During his visit to the KKTC, Gul said that acceptance of the realities
on the island — namely the existence of two states, two peoples and
two religions — should be the basis of efforts to find a solution on
the island. "I think the reference to two religions was unfortunate,"
Davis briefly said, when reminded by a Greek Cypriot journalist at
a press conference of Gul’s statement.

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