Author: Tumanian Talar

Armenpress

COMMISSION DECLINES ARMENTEL’S REQUEST

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Public
Services Regulatory Commission has declined today a
request by ArmenTel telephone company seeking to raise
tariffs for its exclusive and non-exclusive services.
The commission said the current prices will remain in
force until March, 2007 as ‘transitional prices."
On September 1 ArmenTel asked the Commission to
allow it to raise the monthly payment for one
fixed-line telephone from current 1,100 drams to
3,3000. It also asked for a permission to cut the
360-minute limit of free telephone conversations from
digitized telephones to 280 minute and raise the price
of conversations above that limit from 4 drams per one
minute to six drams.
It also suggested that 9 drams be charged for every
minute of conversations above 1000 minute. ArmenTel
also wanted to double the price for providing a new
telephone number to 24,000 drams. As a compensation it
suggested it could reduce prices of international
telephone calls up to 70 percent. However, the
Commission declined the proposal.
The company repeated the request 45 days later, as
allowed by the law, but it was again denied by the
Commission.
Commission chairman Robert Nazarian said they hope
that the new owner of ArmenTel (it was sold to Russian
Vimpelcom at 342 million euros) will be able to use
this short period of time to assess the situation
inside the company and reach through open debates with
the Commission a result that would satisfy all sides.
ArmenTel has about 600,000 fixed-line and 400,000
mobile service subscribers, and uses the GSM 900 and
CDMA standards.

POPE BENEDICT XVI TO MAKE "TOURISTIC" VISIT TO HAGIA SOPHIA

Hurriyet, Turkey
Nov 21 2006

With Pope Benedict XVI scheduled to visit Turkey between November
28-December 1, the Vatican has confirmed that the leader of the
Catholic church will in fact be touring Istanbul’s historical Hagia
Sophia museum.

The news, published on the Vatican’s official web site, appeared to put
an end to speculation about whether Pope Benedict XVI would pray at the
Hagia Sophia, and event which many have noted could cause controversy
throughout Turkey. The Pope’s strictly touristic visit to the Hagia
Sophia will take part in between two masses the Catholic leader is
planning on attending with Christian communities in Istanbul, one
at the Greek Orthodox Saint Andreas church, and one at the Armenian
Church of the Apostles. During his visit, Pope Benedict XVI will be
meeting with Greek Patriarch Bartholomeus, as well as with Mesrob II,
the leader of the Armenian religious community in Turkey.

EUROPEAN ARMENIANS COLLECTED 1.1 MLN EUR FOR ARTSAKH

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 20 2006

According to the preliminary results of the European phonoton held on
November 16-19, 1.1 mln EUR were collected for restoring the Hadrut
region of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic under the "Revival of Artsakh"
program, the press-service of the "Hayastan" All-Armenian Fund told
an ArmInfo correspondent.

According to the source, as a result of the phonoton held in Armenia
on November 15-17, the employees of the Fund called about 1.3 thousand
large and small companies. Armenian entrepreneurs made about a 35 mln
AMD ($93 thousand) donation, 29 mln AMD of which have already been
transferred as against 27 mln AMD in 2005. At the moment, about 20
mln AMD are collected also in Karabakh. To remind, the "Telethon-2006"
will be held in Los Angeles on November 23, it will be broadcast all
over the world. To note, Armenians of Belgium participated in the
phonoton for the first time.

ARMENIAN DOCUMENTS ALSO DENY GENOCIDE CLAIMS
By Fatih Atik

Zaman, Turkey
Nov 19 2006

Armenians themselves have disagreed with genocide claims currently
made by the international Armenian Diaspora.

Grateful letters written to Ottoman sultans by Armenians living
in Anatolia in those times will be important trump cards in favor
of Turkey.

A letter of thanks sent to the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamit II by
Armenians has drawn attraction. This letter refutes genocide claims
and has been displayed in an exhibition since Nov. 14 in the Turkish
Parliament.

The works in the exhibition drew attention to the freedoms Ottoman
sultans provided for different religious groups.

The letter, written on behalf of the Armenian community sent to
Abdulhamit II, stated that Ottoman sultans respected Armenians as
well as other groups, adding they would never stop working for the
Ottoman Empire despite some insurgents and their lies.

Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Bulent Arinc felt that the exhibition
proved Ottoman tolerance with concrete examples and was crucial
material for the Alliance of Civilizations project.

Dossiers to be Forwarded Abroad

The Turkish parliament commission in charge of European Union
adaptation is determined to forward the dossiers in the exhibition
to EU politicians.

Meanwhile, at the request of the EU Adaptation Commission, the
Turkish State Archives head office has gathered a collection of
peace agreements that the Ottoman Empire made with Western countries,
as well as edicts announced for non-Muslims.

PARLIAMENTARY FORCES CONDEMN ARMENIANS’ MURDERS IN RUSSIA

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 17 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian state officials should
undertake serious steps in connection with murders of Armenians in
Russia. RPA faction head Galust Sahakian said this at the November 17
NA briefing. In his words, by now the Armenian side has only limited
itself to statements, whereas recurrence of such incidents "should
give rise to great interest." "Sometimes it is difficult to say how to
overcome the incidents happening in Russia," he said at the same time.

In the words of Azgayin Miabanutiun (National Unity) faction head
Artashes Geghamian, we should call the Russian authorities for
disclosing and punishing the forces existing in Russia that do
everything for damaging the Armenian-Russian strategic alliance. In
his words, if parallel with the Georgian events similar events develop
in Armenia, too, the South Caucasus will burst from inside: this does
not proceed from interests of either Armenia or Russia.

Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) faction Secretary Heghine Bisharian
considers these incidents as a result of Armenia’s bad policy. In
her words, if there is some progress in the country, the Armenian
families will return and no incidents of the kind will happen.

Bisharian declared tat OYP condemns these phenomena. She also mentioned
the necessity to hold serious discussions among political forces.

A FUSION OF EAST AND WEST
By Rania Habib, Staff Reporter

Gulf News, United Arab Emirates
Nov 18 2006

Abu Dhabi: I took a walk through the opulence of ancient Turkey,
the mysticism of the orientalists, and the lavishness of Istanbul’s
Dolmabahce Palace … all in the comfort of the Cultural Foundation’s
halls, temporarily converted into a testament to the fusion of Eastern
and Western civilisations.

‘From the Ottoman Court Collection’, a historical exhibition running
until November 24 and comprising more than 200 unique items of work
from the collections of the Dolmabahce Palace, is a sneak peek at
19th century Turkey, a country that symbolises the East’s gateway to
the West, and the West’s answer to the search for exoticism.

Wandering through the intricate carpets, the colours and vivid
portrayals of orientalist artists, and the designs of Turkish Sultans,
I stepped into a reverie guided by the exhibition’s curator, Hoda
Kanoo, founder of the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (ADMAF).

"The orientalist period was at its peak during the 19th century,"
said Kanoo. "European artists came to Turkey, and while some
orientalists are known to paint from their imagination, others relate
to reality. Most of what is here is rooted in the reality of what
Turkey was like back then."

A painting of the Dolm-abahce Palace bears witness to the structure’s
East-meets-West design.

Located at the edge of the Bosphorus, the palace was designed by
Armenian architect Nikogos Balyan, and built upon the order of the
31st Sultan Abdul Mecid between 1843 and 1856. It became the most
important symbol of Ottoman modernisation, during a time of artistic,
economic and social reform.

"The style of the Dolmabahce Palace is more baroque and rococo,
more like a European Palace," says Hoda.

"The style is Westernised even in the landscaping of the gardens.

"In Islamic designs, there would be a fountain in the middle and
gardens around, but at this palace, there are several separated
gardens, like at the Palais de Versailles in France."

Sutlans moved into the Dolmabahce Palace and never went back to Topkapi
Palace, which housed all the Ottoman sultans for nearly four centuries.

The samples of furniture from the Dolmabahce Palace on display at the
Cultural Foundation are embellished with trademark mother of pearl,
blended with baroque, rococo and sometimes neogothic art.

The cutlery of the time is luxurious – gold-plated plates, spoons
and forks replaced the more humble ceramics. Silk fabrics (damas)
remain colourful and threaded with silver, but are used to make
European-style clothing.

"Islamic art was still flourishing at the time," says Hoda. "But both
movements, European and Islamic, were moving at the same time."

The sultans themselves delved into the arts, and the arts subsequently
became a must. It was taught at home, members of the army were
encouraged to get creative, and artists were given titles like
‘efendi’.

The exhibition includes an ornate chair designed by Sultan Abdul Hamid,
who was a skilled carpenter and a mother of pearl master, as well as
a stunning work of gold calligraphy on black wood made by him.

The 19th century is also exemplified by a telephone specially designed
for the sultan that stands on four legs in the form of a lion’s paw
and bears the ruler’s signature engraved on metal plates attached to
both sides of the wooden case.

Artists such as Fausto Zonaro, Abdul Mecid Efendi, Jean Baptiste
Leprince, Osman Hamdi and Peter von Hess bring to life the time of
the great merge between East and West.

Profile: Dolmabahce Palace

– Six sultans (Sultan Abdul Mecid, Sultan Abdul Aziz, Sultan Abdul
Hamid II, Sultan Mehmed Resad V, Sultan Mehmed Vahiddein VI) and the
last Caliph, Abdul Mecid Efendi, lived in the Dolmabahce Palace from
1856 until 1924.

– During the time of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern
Turkish Republic, the palace was used as the Presidential Office in
Istanbul. Ataturk spent his last days here.

– When Ataturk died on the morning of November 10, 1933, every clock
in the palace was stopped at exactly 9:05, the moment of his death.

To this day, not a clock in the palace shows any time but 9:05.

– The palace has 285 rooms, 43 large halls and six Turkish baths.

d_Culture/10083484.html

FRANCE DOWNPLAYS DISPUTE WITH TURKEY
By Jenny Barchfield Associated Press Writer

CBS News, NY
Nov 16 2006

France downplays Turkish suspension of military ties in riff over
mass killing of Armenians

(AP) France’s Defense Ministry said Thursday there was no immediate
impact from Turkey’s announced suspension of military ties in a
dispute over the mass killing of Armenians in the early 20th century.

Turkey’s land forces commander, Gen. Ilker Basbug, announced the
cut Wednesday amid a debate over whether 1915 killings of Armenians
constitutes genocide. France’s lower house of parliament has passed
a bill outlawing denials that genocide occurred, angering Turkey.

Defense Ministry spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau noted that the
suspension came from a military commander, not from Turkey’s civilian
government, and that French authorities had not received official word
from Turkey on delays or cancelations in joint military operations.

France believes that existing cooperation with Turkey will continue.

Specifically, Bureau mentioned operations in the Balkans and in
Afghanistan.

"There is a relationship of work and cooperation in these operational
commitments with Turkey that are extremely important and which,
in our eyes, will continue," he said.

Bureau said Turkey could retract permission for French military
ships to dock in its waters and make it more difficult for France to
obtain permission to fly through Turkish airspace, but that had not
yet happened.

"Until now, the announcement has not had any practical and concrete
effects," he said, although he added that they could come in the
future.

He described military cooperation between both countries, which include
joint exercises and training as well as peacekeeping operations, as
"constant" and "continuous."

Turkey is scheduled to take over command of a NATO peacekeeping
operation in Kabul, Afghanistan, from France in April 2007, Bureau
said. He added that any Turkish decision to pull out of its engagements
in Afghanistan would hurt NATO more than France.

Turkey vehemently denies it committed genocide against Armenians,
although many nations have classified the killings as such and say
some 1.5 million Armenians were killed.

Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died in mass
expulsions and fighting, but says the number is exaggerated and
that most were killed in interethnic battles as the Ottoman Empire
collapsed.

In France, which has a large Armenian community, the lower house
of parliament infuriated Turkey in October by approving a bill that
would make it a crime to deny that Turks committed genocide against
Armenians. But the bill is not expected to become law because President
Jacques Chirac does not approve of it.

The Armenian issue is one of the most divisive and emotional in
Turkey. Those who classify the killings as genocide are often accused
of treason.

The European Union has criticized the French bill, saying it does
not respect the principle of free expression and does not promote
dialogue with Turkey, a hopeful EU candidate.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei highlighted
the extent of cooperation between the two counties, saying their
armed forces work together "very closely in several theaters."

"In Afghanistan, our troops, like those from Turkey and Italy, are
stationed at the same base in Kabul," said Mattei.

"Our troops are also engaged side by side in Lebanon, Bosnia, Kosovo
and in Congo," he said, "so there is close cooperation and great
mutual respect between the French and Turkish armed forces."

/11/16/ap/world/mainD8LEA3F80.shtml

Idea of Appealing to International Courts Not New

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.11.2006 18:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The idea of appealing to the international courts
belongs to retired Turkish diplomat Gunduz Aktan, who had served
Turkish Ambassador to many European structures, Director of the
Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences Ruben
Safrastian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words, there were
two variants of policy on the Armenian Genocide issue. "They were going
to proceed with the denial policy or appeal to the international court
motivating that Armenians will not be able to prove that the killings
of 1915 were Genocide. The decision was taken by the General Staff,"
he said. Safrastian reminded that Aktan is one of the rigid Turkish
politicians and when a member of the Armenian-Turkish Reconciliation
Committee always stood against the Armenian Genocide recognition.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER GETS FIRST HAND VIEW OF OPERATIVE SITUATION IN IRAQ

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 14 2006

Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan held a number of meetings
with high-ranking officials in Iraq on November 14, Armenian Defense
Ministry press-service told ArmInfo.

During a meeting with his Iraqi colleague, Major General Abdul
Qader al-Obeidi, Serge Sargsyan discussed the domestic political
situation in Iraq, the national and regional security tasks, as
well as the problems of the local Armenian community. In addition,
Armenian minister discussed the operative situation in Iraq and the
plans of the coalition forces with Commander of U.S. troops in Iraq,
General George Casey. Serge Sargsyan met also with Commander of
Multi- national Division Center-South, Polish Major General Boleslav
Kwiatowsky and got first hand information on the situation in the zone
under responsibility of the division. After the official meetings,
Minister Sargsyan visited Armenian peacemakers.

Armenia has been participating in the peacemaking mission in Iraq since
January 25 2005. At present, the fourth group of Armenian peacemakers
is in Iraq. The group comprises 46 servicemen: three staff officers,
two physicians, 10 sappers and 31 drivers.

AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA TO SHED LIGHT ON DESTINY OF CAPTURED, MISSING, OR KIDNAPPED
Author: E. Javvadova

TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 14 2006

A meeting of corresponding State organizations of Azerbaijan and
Armenian on resolving the whereabouts of those persons who have been
captured, missing and kidnapped, is expected to be held in the near
future, Shahin Sayilov, Secretary of the State Commission for Affairs
of Captured, Missing and Kidnapped Citizens said, Trend reports.

"Previously relations with the Baku Representative Office of the
International Red Cross Committee had not been good. However recently,
these relations have gained a positive impetus.

Establishing close co-operation with the corresponding Armenian
commission is expected take place within the Red Cross Committee in
the near future. Representatives of the Red Cross Committee have hold
meetings with the Azerbaijani and Armenian organizations for affairs
with regard to the captured, missing and kidnapped citizens. During
the meeting, both parties will present lists of the missing, captured
and kidnapped persons with the aim of determining their whereabouts.

Areas where the victims were buried will also be identified.", said
Mr. Sayilov.