Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

ARMENIAN YOUTH IS UNITED
Norair Hovsepian

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Sept 25 2006

On September 16 and 17, on the eve of the third Armenia-Diaspora
forum the founding meeting of the Association of Youth Organizations
of the World Armenian Congress took place in Yerevan. The chair of
the World Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamian, other persons in charge,
the president of the Academy Radik Martirossian were also present
in the meeting, which was held at the Armenian National Academy
of Sciences. The representatives of 11 organizations forming the
association, 59 out of the invited 63 delegates were present. These
are youth NGOs of Yerevan and the regions of Armenia, Artsakh and the
Armenian community of Georgia. There were two NGOs from Artsakh, Haik’s
Generation and Unity. The president of the World Armenian Congress
Ara Abrahamian pointed out the importance of this initiative and
assured that today’s challenges are equally important. The president
of the WAC believes that the idea of uniting the youth is highly
important. He also called for considering pros and cons before taking
a step. The second part of the meeting was full of heated debates
and discussions. The array of challenges the new association faces
requires flexibility of organizing the work of the association.

Every structural problem was discussed separately. A board of 11
members was elected, one from each NGO. The board elected Atom
Mkhitarian president of the association. It was decided that the
president with his two assistants and the secretary will carry
out the leadership of the association for the time being, later
structural changes are possible. The draft bylaws of the Association
were presented to the members of the association to come up with
proposals within 10 days. The association is open to everyone and
calls the Armenian young people all over the world for cooperation.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]

Web:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 21, 2006

CONTACT: Christine Kojoian

E-mail: [email protected]

SENATE AFFIRMS POLICY OF REGIONAL COOPERATION IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

Adopts Amendment to Prevent Armenia’s Isolation

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly today praised a key Senate
committee for affirming U.S policy in the South Caucasus by prohibiting
funding for a bypass rail link sponsored by the Turkish and Azerbaijani
governments and aimed at excluding Armenia from economic and regional
transportation opportunities.

Lawmakers approved the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2006,
which included an amendment ensuring that no Export-Import funding
is used for a costly and unnecessary rail line connecting Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan while bypassing Armenia. Committee Chair
Richard C. Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
included an amendment offered by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in the
manager’s amendment. The provision was modeled after the South Caucasus
Integration and Open Railroads Act (S. 2461), which was introduced by
Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), together with Menedez, earlier this year.

"Armenia is a valued friend of the United States and our government
ought not to be supporting programs or initiatives in the South
Caucasus that exclude that country from participation," said
Santorum. "The manager’s amendment adopted today by the Committee on
Banking will make sure such a scenario does not happen."

"We cannot continue to stoke the embers of regional conflict by
supporting projects that deliberately exclude one of the region’s most
important members," said Menendez. "Fundamentally, this amendment
is about fairness and about inclusion, rather than exclusion. With
this amendment, we are sending a simple message — that we believe
that the United States should support an integrated and inclusive
approach to economic and regional development in the Caucasus region."

The amendment, adopted by the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban
Affairs Committee, states that "The [Export-Import] Bank shall
not guarantee, insure, or extend (or participate in the extension
of) credit in connection with the export of any good or service
relating to the development or promotion of any railway connection
or railway-related connection that does not traverse or connect with
Armenia and does not traverse or connect Baku, Azerbaijan, Tbilisi,
Georgia, and Kars, Turkey."

"Attempts to isolate Armenia are counterproductive to stated U.S.

policy goals of regional cooperation and economic integration in the
South Caucasus," said Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
"We commend the leadership of Senators Santorum and Menendez for
introducing legislation that would prevent Armenia’s neighbors from
isolating her, as well as the efforts of Senators Shelby and Sarbanes
in supporting the passage of today’s legislation."

Ardouny also noted that today’s action reinforces a vote by the
House of Representatives and sends a strong message to Baku and
Ankara that such attempts only serve as a destabilizing factor in the
region. On July 25, the House approved a similar amendment sponsored
by Representatives Joseph Crowley (D-NY), together with Congressmen
Edward Royce (R-CA) and Brad Sherman (D-CA).

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried and Ambassador to
Azerbaijan Anne Derse have both noted that the rail plan does not
foster regional cooperation.

"Removing trade barriers would improve regional integration and
enhance economic cooperation and development," said Fried. "The
proposed railway would bypass Armenia and thus not be beneficial to
regional integration."

The proposed railway is estimated to cost upwards of $800 million
and is expected to take years to construct. An existing line, which
crosses Armenia, is in working condition and could be operational in
a matter of weeks at very little cost. Armenian government officials
have repeatedly said that a new costly railway is unnecessary given
that a railroad linking Armenia, Georgia and Turkey already exists.

The Senate bill (S. 2461), which also has a counterpart in the House
of Representatives, would prohibit assistance for the promotion or
development of a railroad that would connect the three countries
and exclude Armenia. The House bill, introduced by Armenian Caucus
Co-Chair Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), along with Co-Chair Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ) and Caucus Member George Radanovich (R-CA), is supported
by nearly 100 lawmakers to date.

The Export-Import Bank is a federal government agency which provides
loans, loan guarantees and insurance to support exports of U.S. goods
and services to international markets.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

###

NR#2006-085

Editor ‘s Note: Photograph available on the Assembly Web site at the
following links:

5/2006-085-1.JPG

Caption: Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), left, and Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny discussed the Senate rail bill (S.2461) on Capitol Hill
last week.

Senator Menedez issued the following statement:

Export-Import Bank Reauthorization

Armenia Railroad Amendment

September 21, 2006

First, I would like to thank both the Ranking Member and the
Chairman for your leadership today in marking up the Export-Import
Reauthorization Bill. This important piece of legislation makes sure
that the United States continues as an economic leader in the world
and supports U.S. companies as they work to export their goods and
services.

I would also like to thank both Ranking Member Sarbanes and Chairman
Shelby for accepting my amendment today, with minor changes, as part
of the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization. I would also like to thank
the many Members of this Committee on both sides of the aisle who
supported this amendment. As many of you know, this amendment is based
on free-standing legislation which Senator Santorum and I introduced
and which was cosponsored by both Senator Allard and Senator Sarbanes.

Fundamentally, this amendment is about fairness and about inclusion,
rather than exclusion. With this amendment, we are sending a simple
message — that we believe that the United States should support an
integrated and inclusive approach to economic and regional development
in the Caucuses region.

The amendment today would prohibit the Export-Import Bank from
supporting a railroad in the Caucuses region which deliberately
excludes Armenia. Instead, we would like to support a railroad which
includes all of the relevant countries in the Caucuses.

This amendment is consistent with current Administration policy and
supports regional stability and integration in the Caucuses region.

As many of you know, Armenia is a landlocked country between Turkey,
Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran and can only get goods in and out of
the country by going through one of these countries.

So, Armenia is economically dependent on links such as railroads
through these countries. Unfortunately, Turkey and Azerbaijan won’t
allow Armenia to use these links and have carried out an economic
blockade against Armenia.

The latest example is the proposed Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku
railroad, a project that not only ignores an existing rail link which
traverses Armenia, but creates a new one that deliberately bypasses it.

Similar to the proposed Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, this rail link would
specifically go around Armenia, despite the fact that a straight link
that passes through Armenia would be far more cost-efficient.

Now, geographically, we all know that a pipeline or rail line that
seeks to connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan would logically,
geographically have to pass through Armenia. One would have to
make a special effort to bypass Armenia, making any such project
unnecessarily more expensive.

Azeri President Aliyev has stated publicly that the aim of the rail
project is to isolate Armenia by enhancing the ongoing Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades and to keep an existing Kars-Gymri rail link that
connects Turkey, Armenia, and Georgia shut down. This ill-conceived
project runs counter to U.S. policy, is politically and economically
flawed, and serves to destabilize the region.

Let me quote our Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Anne Derse, during her
confirmation hearing this May. In response to questions submitted
to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by Senator Sarbanes,
Ambassador Derse said, "because the proposed railway would bypass
Armenia, and thus not be beneficial to regional integration, we have
no plans to support such a railway financially."[1] As I’m sure you
are all aware, Ambassador Derse was confirmed by the Senate thereafter
and is now our representative in Baku.

It would seem to me that, as the U.S. representative to Azerbaijan,
it is incumbent upon her to remain consistent with existing U.S.

policy. Not supporting the rail link that would exclude Armenia would
be in line with that policy, a policy that seeks to foster regional
cooperation and economic integration and supports open borders and
transport and communication corridors.

We cannot continue to stoke the embers of regional conflict by
supporting projects that deliberately exclude one of the region’s
most important members.

As I stated previously, there is already a railway which connects
these countries and passes through Armenia which could be used to
build a trans-Caucuses railroad. Why would we spend additional funds
to build a new railroad link that goes around Armenia?

The amendment prevents the U.S. from supporting a costlier and
longer route.

I would also like to note that an almost identical amendment was
passed on a bipartisan and non-controversial basis as part of the
House Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization bill (H.R. 5068) and I look forward
to working with both the Ranking Member and Chairman to make sure
these sections are included in conference.

In conclusion, I would again like to thank the Ranking Member,
the Chairman, and their staffs, for all of their hard work on
this amendment. As I said in the beginning, with this amendment we
are supporting fairness in the Caucuses region, we are supporting
economic integration and regional stability, and we are affirming
current Administration policy.

I urge all of the Members of the Committee to join me in supporting
the adoption of this amendment.

####

PRESS RELEASE
The Heritage Party
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.00.03, 27.16.00 (temporary)
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46 (temporary)
Email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Website:

September 21, 2006

THE HERITAGE PARTY’S INDEPENDENCE DAY GREETING: ON THE ROAD TO TRUTH
AND RIGHT

The fifteen-year anniversary of Armenia’s independence is a fitting
occasion to reassess the watershed significance of sovereign
statehood. This opens before our nation vast horizons to live and
create in freedom and without shackles, to make the Republic prosper,
and to build a bright future for the generations next in line.

Armenia’s independence has other implications and lessons as well. This
liberty was achieved after a long-lasting intermission in statehood,
and the sacrifice of thousands of patriots, thus further underscoring
its historic mission and modern meaning. Real sovereignty and
democracy, respect for human rights, and other universally accepted
values–which we certainly shall attain through our united and devoted
work–will turn Armenia into a cradle of civil freedoms and equal
protection, rule of law and due process, and a country liberated
from the parochial arbitrariness of ruling cliques and extralegal
permissiveness for the privileged.

The duty of building a new and strong Armenia has fallen to our
generation.

We must place its cornerstone with a firmness of will, a trueness
of conscience, and a nobility of commitment so that the preeminence
of right, the letter and spirit of legal and ethical benchmarks,
and the expectation and conduct of a dignified life may long endure.

Let us once again become the masters of our rich history and
civilizational heritage, adding our contemporary share to them and
faithfully passing them on to those yet to come. This is the paramount
order of the day.

On the occasion of this glorious anniversary for Armenia and the
entire Armenian nation, we extend our hearty best wishes to all
members and supporters of the Heritage Party and, more importantly,
to the children of Armenia the world over, whose might and mind, in
our deep conviction, will continue to open ever-new avenues toward
the Homeland of our dreams.

Raffi K. Hovannisian Founder

Vardan Khachatrian Chairman

September 21, 2006 Yerevan

SECOND ARMENIA-DIASPORA ECONOMIC FORUM STARTING IN YEREVAN

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 19 2006

The second Armenia-Diaspora Economic Forum will start in Yerevan
today. The official opening of the event, featuring Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan and Trade and Economic Development Minister Karen
Chshmarityan, will take place in Karen Demirchyan complex.

PanaArmenian EXPO universal exhibition will be held in the framework
of the forum.

A roundtable discussion on small and medium entrepreneurship situation
in Armenia will be held in the Ministry of Trade and Economic
Development. During the roundtable, Mr. Bernard Snoy, Coordinator of
OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (from Vienna) will present
the Armenian version of the Best Practice Guide for a Positive Business
and Investment Climate and SME Statistical Reference Book 2004-2005.

ULTRA THIN MODELS ABOUND AS LONDON FASHION WEEK OPENS

International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Published: September 18, 2006

LONDON Ultra-thin models swaggered down the catwalk at London’s Fashion
Week on Monday, opening the glitzy event with a clear rejection
of arguments that waiflike young women should not be permitted to
showcase designs.

Despite a ban on super skinny models imposed by Spanish organizers
at their fashion week in Madrid, slinky women in London were ready
to flaunt the spring and summer collections of designers like Julien
Macdonald, John Rocha and Zandra Rhodes.

A-list stars including Beyonce and Alicia Keys are expected to attend
the Emporio Armani catwalk show on Thursday. U2’s Bono will be on hand
to help launch Armani’s Red collection, which will give a portion of
its profits to help fight AIDS in Africa.

The event, which runs through Friday, has long been known as a venue
for seeing cutting-edge work from creative, young British designers,
while the big fashion houses tend to showcase their wares in New York,
Paris or Milan.

This year, though, there is an air of excitement around the
spring/summer collections from designers including Jasper Conran,
Paul Smith and Betty Jackson, and new talents such as 23-year-old
Christopher Kane.

"We are not a traditional capital for fashion, but we are a very
creative crucible," said Stuart Rose, chairman of the British Fashion
Council, which organizes London’s twice-yearly Fashion Week.

At one of the opening shows on Monday, Paris-based Garen Demerdjian,
a Lebanese-Armenian designer, presented a layered look with shorts
and skirts over long leggings, high cinched belts and leather jackets.

His models, stone-faced with tangled hair, walked slowly down the
catwalk sporting hues of brown, green, apricot, black and silky white
amid flashing lights and trance-like music.

Later, John Rocha presented a collection of cropped cargo pants,
silk shirts and parkas in shades of black, ivory, stone and khaki.

On Tuesday, designer Bella Freud is relaunching iconic 1960s label
Biba, pioneer of kaftans and flamboyant scarves.

A debate over whether models are too thin has raised the profile of
Fashion Week in the headlines, with a government minister’s calls to
follow Madrid’s lead and ban extremely thin models from the catwalk.

"The fashion industry’s promotion of beauty as meaning stick thin
is damaging to young girls’ self image and to their health," Culture
Secretary Tessa Jowell said Saturday.

Rose dismissed calls for a ban as "a knee-jerk reaction," but said
the debate was a legitimate one and he would discuss the issue with
colleagues.

Fashion Week canceled its opening photo shoot to avoid giving the
issue more publicity.

Madrid’s Fashion Week, the Pasarela Cibeles, announced last week it
was banning models with a Body Mass Index, or height to weight ratio,
below 18.

A 5-foot-9 (175-centimeter) model weighing 125 pounds (57 kilograms)
would have a BMI of 18.

"I think that it’s a debate that will happen all in good time, and
all opinions are welcome," supermodel Erin O’Connor said at the show
in west London.

Top model Kate Moss added star power by sitting front row at a
pre-event fashion show for British retailer Topshop on Sunday,
alongside its billionaire owner Philip Green.

___

On the Net:

___

Associate d Press Writer Jessica Gearhart in London contributed to
this report.

LONDON Ultra-thin models swaggered down the catwalk at London’s Fashion
Week on Monday, opening the glitzy event with a clear rejection
of arguments that waiflike young women should not be permitted to
showcase designs.

Despite a ban on super skinny models imposed by Spanish organizers
at their fashion week in Madrid, slinky women in London were ready
to flaunt the spring and summer collections of designers like Julien
Macdonald, John Rocha and Zandra Rhodes.

A-list stars including Beyonce and Alicia Keys are expected to attend
the Emporio Armani catwalk show on Thursday. U2’s Bono will be on hand
to help launch Armani’s Red collection, which will give a portion of
its profits to help fight AIDS in Africa.

The event, which runs through Friday, has long been known as a venue
for seeing cutting-edge work from creative, young British designers,
while the big fashion houses tend to showcase their wares in New York,
Paris or Milan.

This year, though, there is an air of excitement around the
spring/summer collections from designers including Jasper Conran,
Paul Smith and Betty Jackson, and new talents such as 23-year-old
Christopher Kane.

"We are not a traditional capital for fashion, but we are a very
creative crucible," said Stuart Rose, chairman of the British Fashion
Council, which organizes London’s twice-yearly Fashion Week.

At one of the opening shows on Monday, Paris-based Garen Demerdjian,
a Lebanese-Armenian designer, presented a layered look with shorts
and skirts over long leggings, high cinched belts and leather jackets.

His models, stone-faced with tangled hair, walked slowly down the
catwalk sporting hues of brown, green, apricot, black and silky white
amid flashing lights and trance-like music.

Later, John Rocha presented a collection of cropped cargo pants,
silk shirts and parkas in shades of black, ivory, stone and khaki.

On Tuesday, designer Bella Freud is relaunching iconic 1960s label
Biba, pioneer of kaftans and flamboyant scarves.

A debate over whether models are too thin has raised the profile of
Fashion Week in the headlines, with a government minister’s calls to
follow Madrid’s lead and ban extremely thin models from the catwalk.

"The fashion industry’s promotion of beauty as meaning stick thin
is damaging to young girls’ self image and to their health," Culture
Secretary Tessa Jowell said Saturday.

Rose dismissed calls for a ban as "a knee-jerk reaction," but said
the debate was a legitimate one and he would discuss the issue with
colleagues.

Fashion Week canceled its opening photo shoot to avoid giving the
issue more publicity.

Madrid’s Fashion Week, the Pasarela Cibeles, announced last week it
was banning models with a Body Mass Index, or height to weight ratio,
below 18.

A 5-foot-9 (175-centimeter) model weighing 125 pounds (57 kilograms)
would have a BMI of 18.

"I think that it’s a debate that will happen all in good time, and
all opinions are welcome," supermodel Erin O’Connor said at the show
in west London.

Top model Kate Moss added star power by sitting front row at a
pre-event fashion show for British retailer Topshop on Sunday,
alongside its billionaire owner Philip Green.

DEPLOYMENT DEBATE CONJURES UP OTTOMAN GHOSTS
Aljazeera By Jonathan Gorvett in Istanbul

Netpano.com, Turkey
Kaynak:NETPANO.COM OZEL
14 Sept 2006

The Turkish parliament’s decision to send troops to Lebanon comes at
the end of a sometimes furious debate, countrywide.

Drawing in politicians, academics, media stars and ordinary citizens,
the discussion has not only focused on the current Lebanon-Israel
tension, but has also homed in on the distant past.

In this argument, both the heroes and the ghosts of Turkey’s
forerunner, the Ottoman Empire, have become the battleground.

Recip Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister, said in a national
TV broadcast a few days before the vote: "It would be treason to our
history, our future and the high interests or our people to stay away
[from Lebanon]."

He was urging his people and his own party to commit Turkish troops
to the UN force now being deployed in the battle-scarred eastern
Mediterranean country.

Until its final collapse following the first world war, the Ottoman
Empire, run largely from Istanbul by ethnic Turks, ruled over Lebanon,
Syria, Iraq, Palestine and much of the rest of the Middle East.

Sedat Laciner, director of the Ankara-based think-tank, the
International Strategic Research Organisation (USAK), said:
"Historically, Turkey has had a great role in the region.

"Turks governed the region for centuries, so it’s very natural for
us to be involved."

Armenian factor

However, this historical role also has its ghosts – and Lebanon is
home to some of the most persistent.

About 120,000 Armenians live in Lebanon, with many of them the
descendants of those who fled Ottoman territory back in 1915. That was
when they claim the Turks launched a genocidal campaign against them.

Lebanon’s parliament also recognises these claims, which are denied
by Turkey.

The Armenian Catholic primate of Lebanon thus dubbed Turkish troop
deployment as "morally unacceptable" last week and Lebanese Armenians
have been protesting against Turkish involvement outside UN buildings
in Beirut and New York for the past few days.

Armenians oppose presence of Turkish troops on Lebanese soil

Yet many others are very much in favour of the Turks’ involvement,
as Turkey has had long-standing ties with both sides in the current
conflict.

Laciner said: "The Israelis, the Lebanese government, the Syrians –
even Hezbollah – have all welcomed the idea of Turkish troops.

"Everyone in fact wants Turkish troops there except the Armenians."

Others are clearly worried, though.

Onur Oymen, deputy head of the main opposition party, the Republican
People’s Party (CHP), told Aljazeera.net: "Apart from Qatar, no Muslim
country has committed troops. Why? Why hasn’t Egypt, for example,
or Saudi Arabia? Both big countries with big armed forces?"

Growing change

Meanwhile, many analysts see the prime minister’s enthusiasm for the
deployment as part of a growing change in Turkish foreign policy since
his Justice and Development Party (AKP) – which has Islamist roots –
came to power in 2002.

Mensur Akgun, of the liberal Istanbul-based think-tank TESEV, said:
"This government has quite a different attitude towards the Arab
world from its predecessors.

"The AKP is quite realistic and hard headed. Talking about
neo-Ottomanism flatters the pride, but in the end doesn’t really
amount to much"

Mensur Akgun, TESEV, a liberal Turkish think-tank

"They are not burdened with the myopic view of some here that the
Arabs stabbed us in the back during the first world war."

The Arab revolt against Ottoman rule during that war was a major blow
against Ottoman hopes of victory. The revolt was famously backed by
Britain and France, Turkey’s first world war enemies.

Laciner agrees: "This willingness by the AKP to become involved in
the Middle East is a departure from traditional policy.

"The first governments of Turkey after the end of the Ottoman Empire
deliberately turned away from the Middle East, as they saw it as a
place that was backward and tradition-bound.

"They wanted to be Europeans and thus saw contact with the Middle East
as basically dangerous for this project. Since the AKP came to power,
however, Turkey has mended many of its fences with the Arabs and has
realised it cannot turn its back on its history and its geography."

Neo-Ottomanism

Relations with Syria have improved considerably in recent years, as
have links with Iran, which supplies Turkey with a lot of its natural
gas. Turkish companies have also been highly active in neighbouring
Iraq. This policy has been widely dubbed "neo-Ottomanism" by the
Turkish press.

Yet others see this shift as a natural result of the region’s
geopolitics and Turkey’s wider goals.

The respected commentator and analyst Cengiz Candar said: "The Middle
East is the number one region these days in global politics.

Some see deployment as crucial to Turkey’s efforts to join the EU

"At the same time, Turkey has been trying to say to the European Union,
‘look, we are the vital bridge between the West and Islam, between
Europe and the Middle East, so make us a member’. Turkey can’t very
well say that and then refuse to get involved in efforts such as this,
in which the EU has a leading role."

Indeed, Turkey’s efforts to join the EU are seen by many as a major
reason for the deployment – along with a desire to please the UN. Here
the key connection is Cyprus, with the divided island a long-standing
sticking point for Turkish EU membership.

Candar said: "There’s no direct link of course, but Turkey wants the
UN to revive its ideas for reunification of the island and can hardly
ask them to do that after turning down the UN’s request for Turkey
to become involved in Lebanon."

Yet the strategy has considerable risks.

Oymen said: "We have to keep our distance from what I believe is an
attempt to create a buffer zone to the north of Israel.

"The UN resolution says we will have to disarm Hezbollah. This raises
the possibility of us having to fight fellow Muslims."

No disarmament

The government insists, however, that Turkish forces will not have
to disarm anyone and its commitment will be largely maritime-based.

Erdogan told his parliamentary group last week: "We will pull our
troops out if asked to disarm Hezbollah."

"Turks governed the region for centuries, so it’s very natural for
us to be involved"

Sedat Laciner, Director, International Strategic Research Organisation

Meanwhile, on neo-Ottomanism, the jury is still out.

andar said: "Turkey’s historic links are now largely an emotional
thing.

"People think the Middle East was always our territory. But the public
and the politicians are actually quite ignorant of Turkey’s Middle
Eastern history, in fact. And when this emotional link is translated
into practical politics, it’s a different matter altogether."

‘Not imperialism’

Akgun agrees: "This is not the imperialism of previous centuries.

"The AKP is quite realistic and hard headed. Talking about
neo-Ottomanism flatters the pride, but in the end doesn’t really
amount to much."

In the street, however, it amounts to quite a lot more.

Akif Beykoz, a student at Istanbul University’s languages and
literature faculty, said: "Since the end of Ottoman times, the Middle
East has been a mess.

"Now the Americans are there, the Israelis are doing what they
want. It’s time we had a say."

UKRAINE: YANUKOVICH TAKES NATO OFF THE TABLE

Strategic Forecasting Inc (Stratfor)
September 15, 2006 Friday

Summary

Ukraine is not ready to join NATO, new Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor
Yanukovich said Sept. 14. The statement from Yanukovich is clear,
direct and correct: The U.S. geopolitical offensive against Russia
through Ukraine is over for now, and the issue of Ukrainian membership
in NATO will not be back on the table while Yanukovich is in office.

Analysis

New pro-Russian Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich said
Sept. 14 that Ukraine is not ready to join NATO. Though it was already
clear Ukraine was not going to make an overture to NATO any time soon,
the fact that Yanukovich went out of his way to make this statement
indicates that the U.S. offensive against Russia through Ukraine has
stalled for the time being.

When it supported the Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004, the United
States essentially indicated that it wanted to enfeeble Russia and set
the stage for Moscow’s elimination as a strategic competitor. Russia
reacted as one might expect, using a mix of political and economic
levers to reverse its fortunes in Ukraine. Two years later, the
pro-Russian Yanukovich is Ukraine’s prime minister.

Though Yanukovich leans toward Moscow, he is in the process of
forming a coalition government that features the pro-Western Viktor
Yushchenko, an Orange Revolution leader, as president. The alliance
between them remains somewhat nebulous, but one thing is clear:
Yushchenko controls foreign policy. Yanukovich, therefore, could not
have made this statement without reaching at least a tacit agreement
with Yushchenko — and the Kremlin — first.

The issue of national political maneuvering aside, Ukraine really is
not ready to join NATO any time soon. Yanukovich told Russian media
that public support for Ukraine’s joining NATO is between 14 percent
and 25 percent. Though the level of support is likely higher than that,
it is certainly not high enough — particularly in the pro-Russian
eastern and southern regions — to allow for a smooth accession effort.

And Ukraine is not the only place where the Russians are pulling
some strings.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Sept. 13 that it considered
Transdniestria’s independence referendum, planned for Sept. 17,
legitimate.

Transdniestria is a separatist enclave on the former Soviet republic
of Moldova’s eastern edge populated mostly by Russians. Russian
military forces, officially acting as peacekeepers after a brief
war in 1993, unofficially help Transdniestria maintain its de facto
independence. Until now the official Russian government position has
been that Transdniestria is still part of Moldova, and that Russia
respects Moldova’s territorial integrity. Today’s change marks the
first time the Kremlin has shifted that position since the end of
the Cold War.

The rationale for the change is simple. In May the West allowed
Montenegro to hold its own independence referendum and break away
from Serbia. In the Russian (and Transdniestrian) mind, the same
right should be available to the Transdniestrians. Keeping Moldova
off-balance is also the most effective way to block any additional
eastward expansion of NATO or the European Union; most organizations
have problems granting defense guarantees or trade privileges to
states that do not even pretend to control their entire territories.

And this is just the start. Three other regions in former Soviet
republics — Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, and South Ossetia and
Abkhazia in Georgia — could follow through with their own referendums
soon, seeking to capitalize on the same precedent. At this time,
however, only South Ossetia has scheduled a referendum. Abkhazia
has explicitly said that reunification with Russia is off the table,
and Nagorno-Karabakh is on the fence between independence and joining
Armenia.

ARMENIA REFUSES TO TAKE PART IN AZERBAIJAN’S TRICKS

Panorama.am
15:39 14/09/06

Vartan Oskanyan, Armenian foreign minister, said today we must "focus
on Minsk Group process if we want to yield results" in Karabakh
conflict settlement. He thinks shifting the conflict to U.N. General
Assembly is "loss of efforts."

Oskanyan reported that the General Assembly has included the issue
in its session with "one difference in vote." Oskanyan reiterated
that the peace deal on the table of talks makes "serious proposals
and opens up serious opportunities" and that Armenia is not going to
take part in the tricks of Azerbaijan.

"ARMAN SAHAKYAN’S CANDIDACY IS NOT A POLITICAL FACTOR"

A1+
[08:27 pm] 13 September, 2006

"The last decision of the Republican Party cannot become reason for
tension inside the party", leader of the Republican faction Galoust
Sahakyan informed "A1+". "I would not like to make the factor of Arman
an inner political problem. Of course the political powers try to do
so, but the party itself decides its own policy".

Galoust Sahakyan informed that "all the members of the Republican
party are ready to obey the decisions made by the Party". He said
that he does not consider putting forward Arman Sahakyan’s candidacy
for the post of the community head of Ajapnyak a political factor and
"is not going to organize political actions". "He is an independent
individual and I don’t think he must depend on my words. He knows that
he has to fight for reaching his aims and that I will support him".

Asked the question if Arman Sahakyan could not put forward his
candidacy in another community and enjoy the support of the party
without colliding with the Artsrun Khachatryan factor, Galoust Sahakyan
noted, "Arman Sahakyan’s candidacy is not against anyone. The fifth
generation of Sahakyan’s is living in Ajapnyak".

A FALSE ALARM

A1+
[02:14 pm] 12 September, 2006

On September 11 the regional police station of Shirak marz got a
signal informing them of the existence of a bomb located at school
37 in Gyumri.

On arriving at the scene the workers of the Shirak rescuers’ board
and Gyumri police station immediately evacuated the school and its
surrounding. They chained the whole territory so that nobody but the
experts could step into the area. The experts of the Russian base 100
were invited for mine clearing but no bomb was found in the territory.

The alarm was aroused via a mobile phone.

TV Company "Tsayg", Gyumri.