Author: Vardanian Garo

‘Insulting Turkishness’ case reopens against bestselling author

Guardian Unlimited; Jul 07, 2006

A decision in Istanbul’s seventh high criminal court this week has
reopened the prosecution of bestselling Turkish novelist Elif Shafak
on charges of "insulting Turkishness". She faces a maximum jail term
of three years if convicted.

The charges were brought under Article 301 the Turkish criminal code,
which was also used in the prosecution of Orhan Pamuk earlier this
year. The charges were reportedly based on remarks made by a character
of Armenian ancestry in her novel, The Bastard of Istanbul – the
character describes the death of Armenians during the first world
war as a genocide. The case was thrown out last month after Shafak
argued that the book was a work of literature and that comments made
by fictional characters could not be used to press charges against
an author.

But following a complaint filed by Kemal Kerincsiz, a member of a group
of rightwing lawyers known as the Unity of Jurists, the seventh high
criminal court has overruled the decision not to proceed, reigniting a
process that could end with jail sentences for Shafak, her publisher,
Semi Sokmen, and her translator, Asli Bican.

"The situation in Turkey has changed since the introduction of
Article 301 last year," Sara Whyatt, director of the Writers in
Prison Committee at International PEN, told the Guardian today. "One
has seen mainstream writers such as Orhan Pamuk, Perihan Magden and
Elif Shafak being prosecuted.

"It seems to me that these prosecutions are being driven by a rightwing
element within the Turkish judiciary, which is concerned about the
Turkish application to join the EU," she added.

Whyatt did not expect Shafak’s case to be resolved quickly. "So far
nobody has been convicted under Article 301," she said, "but I think
the trials are intended to harass and intimidate these writers and
journalists. They often take many months and many hearings, often
accompanied by violence inside and outside the courts. Elif Shafak
is at the beginning of what could be a long and painful process."

She expressed dismay at recent events in Turkey – more than 60
writers and journalists have faced trial in the past year, many under
Article 301: "International PEN is calling for this prosecution to be
halted, and for the laws that allow for writers and journalists to be
prosecuted, simply for their writing, to be removed once and for all."

Writer and translator Maureen Freely, who attended the trial of
Orhan Pamuk earlier this year, described a campaign of choreographed
intimidation against writers and their supporters. "These prosecutions
are all being targeted by bands of disciplined fascists.

Although the police who are there have now undertaken to protect the
defendants, they first and foremost protect the fascist agitators and
give them an opportunity to harass and intimidate all those who have
gone to support fellow writers or observe the trial, both inside and
outside the court house."

She compared the atmosphere in Istanbul to Germany in 1935. "People
are getting a lot of intimidation," she said. "This is very sinister
and you have to ask, in a country which is ably governed, why this
is being allowed to happen."

Freely pointed to a resurgence in academia and the arts, and a
willingness to examine a wide range of subjects that have been
taboo: "There is a dynamic group of writers, academics, feminists
and publishers, some of whom have mixed ethnic backgrounds, who are
exercising their democratic rights to explore these issues."

These efforts were under-reported in the western media, which chose
to focus on the forces reacting to it, she said. "It’s a bit scary,"
she added, "but I’m impressed by what people are writing, singing and
publishing, and I just want to ensure that they are able to continue
to do so."

A date has not yet been set for Shafak’s trial.

KOCHARYAN: COOPERATION WITH AAA EFFECTIVE

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 6 2006

YEREVAN, July 4. /ARKA/. At his meeting with Executive Director of
the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) Bryan Arduni and AAA Regional
Director Arpi Vardanyan, RA President Robert Kocharyan stated that
Armenia’s cooperation with the AAA is effective.

During the meeting, Arduni presented the main lines of the AAA’s
activities in the interests of pro-Armenian initiatives. The sides
also exchanges views on issues on the agenda of Armenian-American
relations and regional tasks.

The AAA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. It has offices in
Los Angeles, Yerevan, Gyumri and Stepanakert.

RUSSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER TO MEET WITH FRENCH COUNTERPART
by Dmitri Gorokhov

ITAR-TASS News Agency
July 5, 2006 Wednesday

Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin and his French counterpart
Dominique Perben will meet in Paris on Thursday to discuss new steps
in development of bilateral cooperation in the economy sector, one
of the key ones.

The Russian minister began his working trip on Wednesday with visiting
Toulouse, Western Europe’s aviation and space industrial centre. He
met there with chief managers of the Airbus aircraft building company,
which supplied more than 4,300 planes to consumers over the 35 years
of its existence. It is a leading company on the civil aviation market.

Aside from the talks in the Transport Ministry, Levitin will meet
with the Paris airport administration and open a seminar of the
Russian-French Dialogue Association.

Among the themes of the Paris talks will be the French experience of
automatic control over speed on roads. Russia with interest studies
France’s experience in the area, the minister’s press secretary
Svetlana Kryshtanovskaya told Itar-Tass.

On the concluding day of the visit, next Friday, Levitin will present
awards in the Russian ambassador’s residence to French participants
of the search operation in Sochi, where an Armenian airline A-320
crashed last May.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE FIRST SECTOR OF IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE TO BE COMPLETED BY OCTOBER, 2006

ArmRadio.am
06.07.2006 12:37

It is envisaged to complete the construction of the first section of
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline by October of the current year, a source
close to diplomatic circles told "Arminfo."

He noted that due to intensive work it has become possible
to considerably reduce the term of exploitation of the first
segment. Earlier it was envisaged to complete the construction by
January 1, 2007.

As for the second sector, Armenia anticipates that Iran and Russia will
reach mutual concessions on the issue. The major touchstone between
the parties is the opportunity of construction of a transit gas route.

KARABAKH: OSCE CATCHES REGION OFF GUARD
Robert Parsons
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL

EurasiaNet, NY
July 1 2006

In an interview with RFE/RL on June 22, the US official tasked with
mediating peace talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave indicated he
and fellow diplomats had done as much as they could to foster a peace
agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Matthew Bryza, who serves
together with French and Russian co-chairs to the OSCE Minsk Group,
disclosed details about the framework agreement on the table and said
it was time for the countries’ leadership to summon the "political
will" necessary to achieve a resolution. Bryza may have hoped his
comments would push both sides toward breaking the deadlock. But the
two sides seem no closer to an agreement.

It wasn’t what Matthew Bryza said that caught Yerevan and Baku off
balance.

The surprise was that the OSCE had gone public.

Principles at Stake

Bryza’s comments revealed the outline of the core principles under
discussion. They also revealed the Minsk Group’s deepening frustration
at the failure of the two sides to make concessions more than a decade
after negotiations began.

There may have been hope Bryza’s statement and a Minsk Group statement
issued the same day would provoke a more open debate in Armenia and
Azerbaijan on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh.

If so, the OSCE mediators may have been disappointed by the initial
flurry of mutual recrimination and blame between the two sides —
including a bellicose statement from Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev, who said international efforts on the talks were "hopeless"
and raised the possibility of a military solution.

In a follow-up interview on June 28, RFE/RL asked Bryza if he was
surprised by Aliyev’s statement.

"Those statements have been more commonplace than they ought to be,
and I’d stand by what I said last Thursday, on June 22, that talk about
recapturing Karabakh by force, or any use of force by any party, is
simply not helpful," Bryza said. "It’s not necessary, because there
is a viable framework on the table that just requires a little bit
more political courage on both sides to forge a compromise. Though
I stand by what I said — it’s not helpful."

Not helpful — and surely not even a viable option for Azerbaijan,
whose oil-based economic recovery is dependent on stability in
the region.

Meek Group No More

The Minsk Group, which in the past has played a quietly supportive
background role, has a blunt new message: It’s time for all parties
to the dispute to take responsibility for finding a solution.

As mediators, Bryza says, the co-chairs feel they have done all that
they can do.

"What we’re saying in the statement is that there is no more room
for diplomatic creativity to make this piece of metal shine a little
bit more brightly," Bryza said. "It’s honed and you have to decide
whether you want it or not. The trade-offs that would have to be made
are so significant politically that it requires the head of state to
make the trade-off. So we’re saying OK, it’s yours now."

But is anyone listening? The ball may be in Baku and Yerevan’s court,
but neither side appears interested in concession.

One of the main points of dispute is over the terms of a referendum
to determine the final status of the enclave.

Azerbaijan says the form of the referendum has yet to be decided.

But Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian stirred controversy this
week when he claimed Bryza said the status of the enclave would be
determined by its current population — which overwhelmingly comprises
ethnic Armenians.

This is not a conclusion supported by the Minsk Group statement.

Tom de Waal, an English expert on the region, says many crucial
questions remain about a potential referendum.

"Is this going to be a referendum just of the current population
of Karabakh, which is 99 percent Armenian? Is it going to be a
referendum of the prewar population of Karabakh, which was 25
percent Azerbaijani? Or is this going to be a referendum for the
whole population of Azerbaijan?" De Waal asked. "So I think this idea
of a referendum was possibly good to begin with, but people are now
beginning to ask much more difficult questions about the details."

Road to Peace

The Minsk Group says its has adopted a slow-but-steady approach aimed
and building trust on the way to a lasting peace.

But none of this will be possible, they say, while the two sides
continue to present the issues in mutually exclusive black-and-white
terms rather than preparing their publics for the concessions inherent
in a peaceful settlement.

For now, however, de Waal says he sees very little robust discussion
of the issue.

"I don’t really see much discussion at all when I travel to the
region," De Waal said. "I don’t see anyone in public in Azerbaijan
saying the most important thing is to solve this thing peacefully even
if this means very painful compromise. And I don’t see that on the
Armenian side, either. When they say they want agreement, what they
are really saying is that they want victory. And of course you don’t
get complete victory in a peace process — you get half a victory,
you get a compromise."

Official Ambition

The issue is also complicated by the fact that Karabakh officials
themselves are eager to play a greater role in the negotiations.

Speaking this week in Washington, the speaker of the Nagorno-Karabakh
parliament, Ashot Ghulian, said including enclave officials as a party
in the peace process would "restore the correct format of negotiations
and neutralize accusations of Armenia as an aggressor and [diminish]
the tendency in regional policy to isolate Armenia."

For all parties involved, time for a quick breakthrough is running
out. The window of opportunity in 2006 brought by the current pause
in electoral activity in Armenia and Azerbaijan is rapidly closing.

The next election-free year would come only in 2009.

OSKANIAN COMMENTS ON THE STATEMENT OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP IN AN INTERVIEW TO ARMENPRESS

Yerevan, June 29. ArmInfo. The actual negotiating document on the
principles that is on the table today is all-encompassing. It covers
all the principles affecting the resolution of the conflict. It
includes the core issue of status of Nagorno Karabakh, territories,
refugees, security issues, peacekeeping and every other conceivable
issue that is necessary in order to arrive at a lasting resolution
of the conflict, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian says in
a interview to ArmenPress while commenting on the June 22 statement
of the OSCE MG co-chairs.

Only after full agreement on all these basic principles would the
parties, as the actual negotiating text says, "in cooperation with the
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group to begin work on the elaboration of
an agreement on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict." In
other words, the agreement on principles will be comprehensive. The
final agreement may envision implementation over time.

Asked to comment on the passage "the principles include the phased
redeployment of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories around
Nagorno Karabakh, with special modalities for Kelbajar and Lachin
districts," Oskanian says that this formulation is indeed very broad,
and for a reason. This issue has two layers. One is the issue of
Lachin, where the actual negotiating text on principles provides
clear language stating that there will be "a corridor linking Nagorno
Karabakh to Armenia." For Armenia, it’s very clear that this corridor
must have the same status as Nagorno Karabakh.

The second layer is the issue of Kelbajar. For Armenia, this also
is clear: based on security concerns, Kelbajar can be returned
only after the referendum is conducted and the final status of NK is
determined. Azerbaijan’s position is different on Kelbajar. That’s the
disagreement that the co-chairs are addressing in their statement. The
co-chairs’ language in the actual negotiating text, with regard to
this issue, is generally in line with our approach.

The actual negotiating text on principles clearly specifies that
"the final legal status will be determined through a referendum /
population vote by the population of Nagorno Karabakh."

Concerning the sentence "certain interim arrangements for Nagorno
Karabakh would allow for interaction with providers of international
assistance," Oskanian says that this is only one element of a much more
detailed section in the actual negotiating text which addresses interim
status for Nagorno Karabakh. We think the co-chairs have emphasized
international engagement, because that’s a major problem for the people
of Nagorno Karabakh. Their current, unrecognized, de-facto status,
has not allowed them to benefit from the generosity of international
organizations. In the actual negotiating text, the provisions address
such rights as control over their political and economic viability
and security, upholding their personal privileges and freedoms, the
right to democratically elect officials to govern Nagorno Karabakh,
the authority to effectively legislate and administer the internal
affairs of Nagorno Karabakh.

Asked what is Armenia’s overall assessment of the content of the
document as it stands today, Oskanian says that this not a perfect
document. For anyone. However, there are enough solid and balanced
provisions, with the right trade-offs on the main issues – status,
territories and security – that we are prepared to continue to
negotiate on the basis of these principles. In today’s context,
Azerbaijan’s rhetoric about autonomy and desperate calls for
militarization surprise us. We have at hand a real opportunity to
resolve all issues, including the much- maligned issue of refugees.

But Azerbaijan must revert to real situations and real opportunities,
rather than illusory maximalist hopes. Today, we hope that Azerbaijan
will realize that we have a chance to resolve the conflict and achieve
a lasting peace.

UN CHARME ORIENTAL
Marie-Noëlle Tranchant

Le Figaro, France
28 juin 2006

CINEMA. Un homme disparaît. Barsam, Marseillais d’origine armenienne
(Marcel Bluwal), après s’etre dispute avec sa fille Anna (Ariane
Ascaride), cardiologue, qui lui a appris sans menagements qu’il devait
se faire operer, ferme sa maison et s’en va. Inquiète, Anna part a sa
recherche, ce qui va la conduire en Armenie, berceau de sa famille,
où Barsam a choisi de retourner finir ses jours.

Elle, femme moderne, active, cartesienne, n’y est jamais allee,
n’a jamais appris la langue armenienne, ne s’est jamais soucie de
ce passe lointain. Accompagnee par Sarkis Arabian (Simon Abkarian),
qui se rend regulièrement de Marseille a Erevan, et qui met a sa
disposition sa voiture et son chauffeur, Anna plonge dans ce pays
inconnu. Avec elle on fait un voyage plein de charme. Son point de
vue d’etrangère ignorante, un peu peremptoire mais contrainte de
s’abandonner aux rencontres, aux impressions, aux saveurs, selon
un itineraire qu’elle ne maîtrise pas, permet a Robert Guediguian
de deployer toute la richesse de sa palette. Son sens chaleureux du
pittoresque, son trait naïf et narquois, sa fraîcheur de perception,
son goût de l’utopie et d’une sociologie lyrique, servent très
justement sa peinture de l’Armenie. Croisement d’une civilisation
orientale chretienne millenaire et d’un pays naissant, tout juste
sorti du "sovietisme", dans l’effervescence d’un liberalisme mafieux.

Guediguian evite le simplisme ideologique en immergeant Anna dans
la vie quotidienne. Et meme si les peripeties vers la fin sont un
peu chargees, meme si la fiction devient une sorte de repertoire des
figures sociales obligees, les personnages, affectueusement campes,
sont la pour donner de la chair et du sang a ce film qui celèbre
heureusement les noces de la tradition et de la modernite trouble
et bouillonnante, au pied du mythique Ararat. Le vieux chauffeur
delicatement ceremonieux, la jeune beaute brune, si fine au naturel,
qui se transforme par necessite en blonde trafiquee, les vieilles
grands-mères, les brigands d’occasion, forment un paysage humain
complexe, attachant et vivant. Sans nostalgie, mais plein de
generosite.

–Boundary_(ID_SIUzjhgc1mNaA3pyK+k Tzg)–

"OTTOMAN EMPIRE: THE WAR MACHINE" DOCUMENTARY CANCELLED IN U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.06.2006 17:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ History Channel, which broadcasts in a number of
countries worldwide abruptly cancelled the scheduled showing of a
documentary on the Ottoman State. The documentary titled "Ottoman
Empire: The War Machine" scheduled to be shown on June 22-23-24 was
cancelled without a prior notice or explanation.

Turkish viewers, who tuned in the program’s scheduled hour were
astonished. Those who complained to the network about the sudden
cancellation were told: "The montage wasn’t ready yet." Immediately
following this statement, it was announced the documentary would
be shown on July 24. The DVD of the documentary was on sale on the
channel’s web site when the statement was made. Internet sales of the
DVD were later discontinued. After the scheduled broadcast date of July
24 was announced online, it was replaced by the notice: "We apologize,
but the program scheduled for this hour will not be shown" The film
documents the stages of the Ottoman State from its rise to decline,
reported Zaman.

"DOCUMENT OF THE SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT WITH 5.5 TERRITORIES"

A1+
[06:10 pm] 28 June, 2006

"We know the current situation in the negotiations about the settlement
of the Karabakh issue and what document has been represented. The
announcement of Matthew Bryza is not complete. The document mentions
the 5 territories which Armenia is going to give to Azerbaijan. The map
also says where the peace-keeping forces will be allocated", announced
Aram G. Sargsyan, the leader of the Democratic Party of Armenia.

According to Mr. Sargsyan, he would not make these revelations if
it weren’t for the announcement of the OSCE Minsk group US co-chair
Matthew Bryza. The leader of the Democratic Party is concerned by
the announcement of the RA Foreign Ministry, "The Foreign Ministry
confirmed that they are ready to accept these conditions but Azerbaijan
does not agree. According to the document, there will be a referendum
in Karabakh in 10-15 years. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan claims there
can be a referendum in Karabakh only in accordance with the demands
of the Azeri Constitution".

That is to say, according to them, the referendum about the status
of Karabakh can take place in the whole territory of Azerbaijan
only. Mr. Sargsyan announced with all responsibility, "When it comes to
the Karabakh issue, the RA authorities adopt a policy of treachery. We
demand Robert Kocharyan to reveal the document about the settlement
of the issue and to put it to open discussion".

If the RA authorities are really ready to give 5 territories to
Azerbaijan, why does Azerbaijan refuse to sign the document? "They have
realized that Armenia agrees to all their demands. Appetite comes with
eating. Now they want not five but seven territories plus Karabakh".

Aram G. Sargsyan assured that the document is not acceptable for the
NKR authorities either. According to him, Robert Kocharyan must either
resign or resort to repression. As for the announcement of Bryza, Mr.

Sargsyan said, "In connection with Iran it is very important for the
USA to have NATO armed forces in the region. It means we will become
enemy N1 for Iran".

COASTAL AREAS OF RIVER DEBED ARE BEING RESTORED

A1+
[01:02 pm] 29 June, 2006

The restoring work of the breast-wall of the river Debed on the way
to Engels district in the city of Alaverdi has initiated since June
11 in the framework of the 2006 environmental programs.

6 million AMD was assigned in this connection in the framework of
the 2006 environment protection and population health recovery of
Alaverdi. The restoration is carried out by "The Mikayelyans and
Their Friends" LTD. 8 workers are employed on the site to implement
the restoration and they will get piece-rate payment. The brigade
will get 16 000 AMD per 1 square breast-wall.

TV Company "Ankyun+3," Alaverdi.