Author: Toganian Liana

OFFICERS WERE SILENCED BY COLONEL IN DINK MURDER CASE

Zaman Online
July 26 2008
Turkey

The testimony of an ex-gendarmerie officer has indicated that former
Trabzon Gendarmerie Commander Col. Ali Oz disregarded information
related to the murder of Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink
prior to the assassination.

Retired Lt. Col. Ali Oguz Caglar, former Trabzon gendarmerie public
security branch director, yesterday confirmed the testimonies of two
gendarmes who said they had informed their superior officer, Col. Oz,
but had given false statements during the course of the investigation
under pressure from Oz. Caglar said they could not understand why Oz
was disinterested in the information. "His orders were definite. We did
not dare challenge him," Caglar said in his deposition at the Ankara
Second Criminal Court of Peace after a court in Trabzon ordered him
to testify.

Facing an investigation over suspicions of "hiding information and
failing to act" on reports Dink was in danger, Oz gave his testimony
on July 21 and responded by stating either "I don’t remember" or
"I don’t know them" when asked about the intelligence information
related to Dink’s murder and the two gendarmes who said they had
informed him about the murder.

Gendarmes Okan Å~^imÅ~_ek and Veysel Å~^ahin testified that they
knew about the plot to kill Dink six months before the murder took
place and recounted that they had informed Gendarmerie Intelligence
Director Capt. Metin Yıldız, who, in turn, informed Col. Oz. The two
officers testified that Oz did nothing upon receiving the information.

Confident about his statement, Caglar stated at court: "Two of our
intelligence officers worked hard to obtain for me highly credible
information that the murder was likely to happen, and they passed the
information to the troop commander, Col. Ali Oz, but the commander,
either knowingly or unknowingly, did not proceed with the procedures
he had to go through after obtaining such information. Gendarme
Sgt. Å~^ahin and Sgt. Å~^imÅ~_ek were sincere in their most recent
testimony."

Caglar said that upon receiving the intelligence, Col. Oz had said,
"Let’s talk about this later," and the matter was not discussed
again. People who attended the briefing where the intelligence
was discussed later debated about "how such information can be
disregarded."

Caglar also said, as the news of Dink’s murder was revealed on
television on Jan. 19 of last year, that Col. Oz had told them in
the next briefing that informant CoÅ~_kun Ä°gci should be contacted
and silenced.

Ä°gci, who testified for the first time on July 7, is the uncle of
murder suspect Yasin Hayal. Ä°gci said he tried to prevent Hayal from
murdering Dink but could not, so he informed officials and gendarmerie
officials, who told him that they had already been monitoring Hayal.

Caglar said he told provincial intelligence chief Metin Yıldız that
he would tell the truth if he was asked and that he was not invited
into the briefings from then on. Caglar named another gendarmerie
officer, Husamettin Polat, who had said he would tell the truth,
whereupon he was also excluded from the briefings.

Dink was gunned down by a teenager outside his newspaper’s Ä°stanbul
office in January 2007, but the ensuing investigation has been highly
controversial. The investigation made it obvious that the young man
hadn’t acted alone but was in fact driven by a group of people whom
he called older brothers who had plotted for more than a year.

In addition to shady links between the suspects and security
institutions, lawyers representing the Dink family at various times
have accused the police of destroying vital evidence and concealing
crucial information from the court and the prosecution.

–Boundary_(ID_QkqDJfB/nP1pgTDpWyCTU A)–

GUL ANNOUNCED NO DECISION ON HIS ARRIVAL

Panorama.am
21:31 23/07/2008

The President of Turkey Abdullah Gul announced in KArs that official
Ankara has not yet decided whether to receive Serzh Sargsyan’s
invitation to visit Armenia or not.

"First I have thanked the President of Armenia for the invitation,
but we have not made any decision. Our policy is distinct; we are
looking forward to form friendly relationship and cooperation with
all the regional countries. The problems should be solved out and we
wish to see a stable region," said Abdullah Gul.

CTS 2008 INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR WILL BE HELD IN YEREVAN

Travel Daily News International
July 24 2008
Greece

"Country of Talking Stones" – CTS’2008 8th annual International
Tourism Fair will be held on November 7-8, 2008 in Yerevan, Armenia.

CTS’2008 is a prominent event being held this year again under the
patronage of RA Ministry of Economy and organized by ASTA Armenian
Chapter and Armenian Association of Travel Agents (AATA).

The fair will host travel agents, tour operators, airline companies,
hotels and resorts, transportation organizations, restaurants,
insurance companies, public organizations, travel publishers,
information agencies and tourism educators.

The fair gives possibility for useful information and experience
exchange, networking, discussing different issues related to the
tourism development, as well as an opportunity to become acquainted
to incoming tourism and planning vacations or holidays to Armenia.

CTS’2008 is an important event in tourism sphere in Armenia, which
continuously fosters tourism, especially incoming and regional tourism
development in country.

WORLD’S CHURCHES ‘MUST WORK TOGETHER’OF CYPRUS CHRYSOSTOMOS II

Famagusta Gazette
23.JUL.08

Catholicos of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church Aram I has
said that the world’s Churches must work together to tackle the huge
problems and the challenges society is facing today.

In statements after a meeting here with Archbishop of Cyprus
Chrysostomos II, Aram I said that his presence "in this spiritual
centre is concrete manifestation that we are committed to working
together and deepening our fellowship as Churches that belong to the
broader Orthodox tradition."

Chrysostomos said the excellent relations between the two Churches
and said that Armenians who live in Cyprus "are our brothers".

He said that Aram I will visit Cyprus in September for the Conference
of Middle East Churches and in November for the Inter-religious
Conference.

"The message we want to send to the world is that we want peace and
we want the entire world to experience it," he added.

GEORGI PETROSSIAN: NKR ASSERTED ITS RIGHT TO EXIST

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.07.2008 15:02 GMT+04:00

During the years of its existence, the Foreign Ministry of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic became an important link in statehood
building and democratic society consolidation, says a statement
issued by NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrossian on occasion of 15th
anniversary of the NKR MFA.

The statement says in part,

"The main goal of NKR foreign policy is international recognition
of its independence. The people of Nagorno Karabakh have realized
their right to self-determination. Many states gained independence
after decline of powers. Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of
independent Azerbaijan. Its annexation to Azerbaijani Soviet Republic
was Stalin’s arbitrary decision

Karabakh’s independence was proclaimed in compliance of the
international law. On September 2 Declaration "On State Independence
of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic" was adopted.

Building its state system, NKR asserted its right to exist. The
republic holds presidential and parliamentary elections which meet
international democratic standards… No nation has ever renounced
independence it enjoyed in the course of 20 years."

ELIMINATE THE MIDDLEMAN
William Shepherd

American Thinker
July 23 2008
WA

Once again villainous speculators have emerged as a scapegoat. There’s
a lot of history to this practice.

Those who are familiar with the work of economist and social
commentator Thomas Sowell, if asked, could easily find the common link
between groups as diverse as Jews, the overseas Chinese, Armenians,
and the Ibos. They are all middleman minorities. Such groups have
served as segregated components of a larger society who also provide
essential economic services, typically somewhere between production
and consumption, that benefit the areas they live in.

For example, Jews, the most prominent historical example in the
Western world, engaged in usury during the Middle Ages. They were
exempt from canon law that proscribed lending money at interest by
members of the Roman Catholic Church [1]. The Lebanese, in several
nations, grew to prominence in the clothing trade by starting as
bottom level peddlers, and from there working to form enduring brands
such as Haggar and Farah. While peddling was not prohibited to the
native populations in the same way as usury in the earlier example,
it was a harsh enough trade to be left to immigrants.

Middleman minorities, as a result of their hard earned success and
segregation, have also been a victim of horrendous violence. Pogroms,
The Holocaust, and other forms of Anti-Semitism are well known to
anyone with even a modicum of historical awareness. Lesser known
examples are legion. The genocide of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during
WWI, the massacre of Chinese migrants in Saigon in 1782, and the mass
slaughter of Ibos during the Nigerian civil war are just a few of the
examples of how political demagoguery and economic ignorance can be
positively catastrophic. Cowardly leaders, such as Sultan Abdul Hamid
II during the Hamidian Massacres, have used their peoples’ prejudices
and lack of economic literacy — primarily originating in the physical
fallacy [2] — to displace ire that they should rightfully bear.

Now, let’s look at another group and see if we can discover their
common link: Brazilian President Silva, the airline industry and Bill
O’Reilly [3]. Guessed it yet? That’s right, they blame the current
surge of oil prices on speculators.

And while the history of middleman minorities may seem unrelated to the
current witch hunt for oil speculators we are currently experiencing,
their overlap is substantial. More to the point, looking at the
latter in the light of the former goes a long way towards proving
George Santanya’s classic admonition that "Those who cannot remember
the past are condemned to repeat it."

The follies we are repeating are twofold. First, those in power are
using a vital economic group, in this case speculators, as a scapegoat
for their own ineptitude and cowardice. CNN reports that bills are
floating around Congress that would regulate oil speculators.

Meanwhile, the repeal of drilling bans, which are in accord with one
of the basic principles of microeconomics — as supply increases and
demand remains constant prices drop — has been stifled by Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid, who fears losing a floor vote. But
hey, maybe we should allow China to tap all the oil in the Gulf of
Mexico. They were there first after all.

The second point, which dovetails with the first, is the exploitation
of economic ignorance. Claptrap about the evils of speculation
only gains traction because the American people as a group simply
lack knowledge of basic economics. The fact that the American Left,
either by design or misinformation, promulgates debunked economic
theory is sad. The fact that the average American has a better chance
of naming all of the Seven Dwarfs than defining the word "arbitrage"
is tragic. As such, the stability that speculators add to the crude
market is never brought to the attention of the public. Likewise the
economic benefit of stockpiling certain commodities while supplies
are heavy to ward off shortages in less plentiful periods.

Here is the point in the punditry where I’m supposed to
really seethe and lambaste certain politicians by name. But I
won’t. Because I can’t. Truth is, we are to blame for this, us and
no one else. Politicians could not exploit our fears if we knew the
rudiments of free enterprise.

Granted, I don’t fear for the safety of speculators. They are far
better off than even the luckiest of middleman minorities. On the
other hand, they should be protected by hate crime laws jut to be on
the safe side.

There is one final point we need to be cognizant of in this detour
through history. Middleman minorities are not the only group who
suffer as a result of persecution. The persecutors often hurt
themselves. After all, if you suppress a group that performs a
valuable economic activity, you lose the benefit of that activity. If
we actually allow Congress to further meddle in the economy, we will
loose the benefit of the free market. And in the end, the free market
alone will solve the energy crisis.

While this piece is heavily indebted to, and indeed, would be
impossible without, the work of the good Dr. Sowell, the opinions
herein should in no way be viewed as enjoying his endorsement or as
being representative of his views.

1. "The Church, basing itself upon a mistranslation of the text Luke
vi. 35 interpreted by the Vulgate "Mutuum date, nihil inde sperantes,"
but really meaning "lend, never despairing" (see T. Reinach in
"R. E. J." xx. 147), declared any extra return upon a loan as against
the divine law, and this prevented any mercantile use of capital by
pious Christians. "

2. "Not only Marxism or socialism in general, but a wide variety of
other revolutionary or reform movements incorporate a belief that
those who directly handle physical objects are ‘really’ the producers
of economic benefits." Knowledge and Decisions, pg. 69, Thomas Sowell.

HULIQ (press release), NC
July 21 2008

Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective

The first comprehensive retrospective to be devoted to Gorky in nearly
three decades, the exhibition will present around 180 paintings,
drawings, sculptures and prints reflecting the full scope of the
artist’s prolific career. The exhibition will be on view from October
2009 to December 2009.

Drawn from public and private collections throughout the United States
and Europe, the retrospective will reveal the evolution of Gorky’s
unique visual vocabulary and mature painting style. Organized by the
Philadelphia Museum of Art and will be accompanied by a major
publication, it will travel to London and Los Angeles following its
debut in Philadelphia.

Catalogue: A fully illustrated catalogue, published by the
Philadelphia Museum of Art in conjunction with Yale University Press,
will accompany the exhibition.

Essays by scholars including Harry Cooper, Robert Storr, Michael
R. Taylor, and Kim Theriault will build upon new biographical details
about the artist’s Armenian background and heritage that have emerged
in recent years, while also exploring Gorky’s creative thinking, his
unique experimentation, and his extraordinary command of themes and
techniques.

The publication will also contain a comprehensive chronology of the
artist’s life, as well as a complete bibliography. —

ARMENIA TO LAUNCH TENDER FOR THIRD MOBILE OPERATOR

TeleGeography
July 17 2008
DC

Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) yesterday
approved a detailed timetable for an international tender to auction a
third mobile licence in the country. The selection process, including
pre-qualification of bidders, is expected to take more than four
months. Local news portal Armenialiberty writes that the head of
the PSRC’s telecoms division, Gevorg Gevorgian, said prospective
wireless operators would have to offer to pay at least EUR10 million
(USD16 million) for the GSM-900/1800 licence and invest a minimum
EUR200 million in their network to launch the service. PSRC chairman
Robert Nazarian says the entry of a third operator would significantly
improve sector competition. ‘We expect to have an improved quality
of services and a reduction in tariffs,’ he said.

OSCE MISSION HELD OFF-SCHEDULE MONITORING OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND AZERBAIJANI ARMED FORCES’ CONTACT LINE

DeFacto Agency
July 16 2008
Armenia

Today, in accordance with the earlier achieved agreement with the NKR
authorities, the OSCE mission conducted an off-schedule monitoring
of the contact-line of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forces
near the settlement of Yusifjanlu, the NKR Aghdam region.

According to the information DE FACTO received at the NKR MFA Press
Office, from the positions of the NKR Defense Army the monitoring
was conducted by Field Assistants of the Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Peter Kee (Great Britain), Antal Herdich
(Hungary) and Irzhi Aberle (Czech Republic).

Despite the preliminary agreement, Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzey Kasprzyk did not participate in the
monitoring from the Azerbaijani side.

No violation of cease-fire regime was registered. At that, the
NKR MFA representative, accompanying the OSCE mission, directed
the monitoring group members’ attention to the discrepancy of the
Azerbaijani side’s reports on the fire allegedly set by the Armenian
side to the territory, where the monitoring was conducted. This fact
was fixed by the monitoring mission. The NKR Ministry for Foreign
Affairs considers the Azerbaijani side’s misinformation as an attempt
to frustrate the OSCE monitoring, what repeatedly took place through
official Baku’s fault.

The monitoring mission from the Karabakh side was accompanied by
representatives of the NKR Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs.

TURKEY SHOCKED BY ALLEGATIONS IN ERGENEKON INDICTMENT

Southeast European Times
July 16 2008
MD

A group of retired Turkish soldiers and hard-liner nationalists face
charges of belonging to an alleged "terrorist network" that aimed to
oust the Islamist-rooted government.

By Ayhan Simsek for Southeast European Times — 16/07/08

The indictment against the shadowy Ergenekon group went to court Monday
(July 14th), following a 13-month-long investigation. The indictment
covers charges against 84 suspects. An additional indictment to follow
will include charges against 20 other suspects detained early this
month. Retired four-star generals Hursit Tolon and Sener Eruygur,
the latter of whom chairs the Ataturkist Thought Association, are
the alleged leaders of the group.

Turkey’s secular opposition claims the government-backed case is
"revenge" for the ongoing closure case against the Islamist-rooted
ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at the Constitutional
Court. Both cases deepened Turkey’s worst political crisis in decades.

The 2,455-page Ergenekon indictment remains confidential, but
information leaked to the press includes sensational claims about
recent events in Turkey.

Istanbul Chief Prosecutor Aykut Cengiz Engin said on Monday that
alleged Ergenekon members face charges of "inciting others" to commit
several assaults, including last year’s Council of State shooting
and a hand grenade attack at the secular daily Cumhuriyet’s Istanbul
headquarters.

Observers initially attributed those incidents to radical Islamist
militants, portraying them as symptoms of a greater threat of Islamism
in the majority-Muslim but secular country. Earlier press reports
on Ergenekon alleged it had links to the murder of Turkish-Armenian
journalist Hrant Dink, though this did not appear in the indictment.

Engin said the suspects belonged to an "armed terrorist group"
that reporters identified as Ergenekon. "The terrorist organisation
mentioned in the indictment is not a separatist or ideological
organisation in the classic sense," Engin said. But still, it is
defined as a "terrorist group" under Turkish law.

The investigation started last year, when police discovered a house
full of ammunition and guns in Istanbul’s Umraniye district. Police
first detained a group of low-ranking veterans and members of a
criminal organisation, but the operation expanded to include hard-line
nationalist and secular politicians, journalists and other suspects,
after Turkey’s chief prosecutor asked the Constitutional Court to shut
down the ruling AKP, on the grounds that it was undermining Turkey’s
secular system.

The AKP denies influencing the judiciary on the case but makes no
secret of backing the probe.

The indictment claims that Ergenekon, allegedly under the control of
some retired generals and with links to active troops, aims at becoming
the real power in Turkey. Prosecutors say Ergenekon has far-flung
cells, including media personalities and assassins, but that those
cells have no contact with each other and receive instructions from
the top. The indictment claims Ergenekon has tried to develop chemical
and biological warfare and was behind drug trafficking in Turkey.

Despite these sensational claims, prosecutors have yet to advance
evidence of connections between known criminals under arrest
and the other suspects, namely, the ex-generals, politicians and
journalists known for strong opposition to the Islamist-rooted
government. Prosecutors say they have around 20 witnesses who will
testify while having their identities protected.

Eruygur is accused of preparing several failed attempts at a military
coup during and after his term as the commander of the gendarmerie
forces between 2002 and 2004. The general also faces charges of
plotting violent attacks and assassinations this year to provoke a
military overthrow of the AKP government.

The detained ex-generals insist they have done nothing illegal or
against the interests of Turkey, and the Turkish armed forces deny
any link to Ergenekon.

Despite the crisis, for some liberal thinkers, the process is an
important step in strengthening Turkish democracy. "This is the start
of a new period in Turkey," argued Ali Bayramoglu, a writer for the
pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper. "In a country where we had two
direct and two indirect military interventions, now for the first time
retired generals are brought into court for preparing coups," he said.

But not all pundits share Bayramoglu’s view. A leftist writer and
Ankara University scholar, Turker Alkan, believes that the probe
reflects a power struggle between secularists and Islamists rather
than a move towards higher democratic standards.

"In history, there is no example of a coup by retired generals," Alkan
wrote for his column in the Radikal daily. "And neither domestic nor
international conditions … could justify a coup in today’s Turkey."