Author: Vardapetian Ophelia

Non-official summit of CIS leaders to be held in Moscow 21-22 July

ArmRadio.am
17.07.2006 17:22

July 21-22 the non-official summit of CIS leaders will be held in
Moscow, RF President’s Assistant Sergey Prikhodko informed, ITAR-TASS
reports. He did not give a precise answer about the participants of
the conflict. "Not everyone will come, no response has been received
from some of the leaders," the Kremlin representative said.

Prikhodko noted that the agenda of the summit includes two major
questions: the assessment of the situation in the region and CIS
improvement.

Armenia Condemns Israeli Attack On Lebanon

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
July 14 2006

By Emil Danielyan

Armenia joined Arab nations and the European Union in condemning Israel
for its military action against Lebanon that continued for a third
consecutive day on Friday, heightening tensions in the Middle East.

While denouncing the abduction of two Israeli soldiers and the killing
of eight others by the Hezbollah militia, the Armenian Foreign
Ministry said Israel should stop its air strikes against civilian
targets in Lebanon.

"Armenia condemns any violence whether it be abduction or use of
force," the ministry said in a statement. "We particularly denounce
the use of such disproportionate force intended solely to collectively
punish civilians and damage infrastructure. This kind of reaction
by Israel is particularly difficult to understand given the fact
that the Lebanese government has clearly distanced itself from the
abduction incident."

"We hope that there will be restraint in the region and also hope there
will be an immediate ceasefire so that the issues can be addressed
by peaceful means," added the statement.

Israel launched a widespread bombing campaign in Lebanon and tightened
an air, sea and land blockade of its northern neighbor in response to
Hezbollah’s deadly cross-border attack on its troops. More than 60
civilians in Lebanon and two in Israel have been killed in the worst
bout of fighting since Israel ended its occupation of south Lebanon
six years ago

Israeli air raids on Beirut international airport have disrupted
Lebanon’s air communication with the rest of the world, leaving
thousands of travelers to and from the country stranded in the
region. Among them was Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, who
was returning from a visit to Armenia and – like many – was forced
to make his way home through Syria.

Salloukh’s official visit to Yerevan highlighted warm relations
existing between Armenia and Lebanon and other Arab states that have
large and affluent Armenian communities. Armenians have for decades
been represented in the Lebanese government and parliament. The
country’s President Emile Lahoud is half Armenian.

Israel’s "disproportionate use of force" was criticized on Friday
by Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja of Finland, which now holds
the European Union’s rotating presidency. French President Jacques
Chirac likewise said the Israeli military campaign is "completely
disproportionate," while blasting Hezbollah for its "irresponsible"
stance.

Israel’s actions, however, were effectively justified by U.S.
President George W. Bush who said the Jewish state "has the right to
defend herself."

(AP-Photolur photo: A Lebanese family cross the river to reach their
village, after Israeli warplanes attacked and damaged the Khardaleh
bridge near Marjayoun village in south Lebanon on Thursday.)

Defamation Cases May Harm Turkey EU Bid
By Amberin Zaman, Special to The Times
July 14, 2006

Los Angeles Times
July 14 2006

ANKARA, Turkey – Six months after internationally acclaimed author
Orhan Pamuk was cleared on charges of insulting the Turkish identity,
another best-selling novelist is facing similar charges.

Elif Shafak could serve up to three years in jail if convicted over
remarks made by a fictional character in her latest book, "The Bastard
of Istanbul." The novel touches on one of the most sensitive subjects
in Turkey, the Armenian genocide.

Shafak’s case is likely to further tarnish the image of Turkey, which
is engaged in membership talks with the 25-member European Union. EU
politicians and diplomats are expressing concern over the number of
cases brought against Turkish writers and journalists under Article
301 of the penal code, which outlines penalties for defaming the
Turkish Republic or "Turkishness."

Olli Rehn, the European official supervising membership talks, said
Wednesday that Turkish courts were failing to comply with EU standards.

Rehn’s statement came after a court Tuesday confirmed the conviction of
Hrant Dink, an ethnic Armenian journalist, who was given a six-month
jail sentence for writing an article in which he exhorted Armenians
to overcome their hatred of Turks. The article was construed as an
insult to Turks.

The court postponed Dink’s sentence and asked a local court to review
the case. Rehn said the ruling served as an example that could be
followed in similar cases.

According to the Turkish Publishers’ Assn., 47 writers are being
prosecuted on charges that include insulting Kemal Ataturk, the
founder of modern Turkey, and "inciting racial hatred."

The cases fly in the face of broad reforms introduced in 2002 that
helped persuade the EU to open long-delayed membership talks with
Turkey. The EU repeatedly has warned that it could suspend the talks
if Turkey continues to breach accession requirements.

Shafak’s book is the story of an Armenian family in San Francisco and
a Turkish family in Istanbul whose lives intersect over nine decades.

Its references to the slaughter of some 1.5 million Armenians by
the Ottoman Turks during and after World War I are by Shafak’s own
admission "difficult to digest" because the overwhelming majority of
Turks deny that the genocide took place.

However, the book has topped best-seller lists, selling more than
50,000 copies since its publication in March. "The feedback I received
has been very, very positive," Shafak, 35, said in a recent interview.

Ragip Zarakolu, president of the publishers’ association, said such
works are gaining a wider audience because more Turks are seeking to
explore their country’s past.

But the books also face a nationalist backlash.

Zarakolu is facing three court cases over books he has published. Two
of them deal with the Armenian genocide.

Kemal Kerincsiz, a right-wing lawyer, filed charges against Shafak
last month. In one of the passages, presented by Kerincsiz as evidence
against the author, an Armenian character says, "I am the grandchild
of genocide survivors who lost all their relatives in the hands of
Turkish butchers in 1915."

Shafak argued that comments made by fictional characters could not be
used to press charges, and the case was throw out. An appeals court,
however, overruled that decision last week.

Kerincsiz and his ultra-nationalist lawyers group known as the Turkish
Jurists’ Union also filed the complaint against Pamuk for asserting
in an interview with a Swiss newspaper that "1 million Armenians
and 30,000 Kurds died in these lands, but no one but I dares talk
about it."

Shafak says she believes the wave of prosecutions is part of a broader
campaign by those who oppose EU membership.

"In my country there is a clash of opinions between those who want
Turkey to join the EU and to become a more open society and those
who want to keep Turkey as an insular, xenophobic, nationalist and
closed society," she said.

Support for EU membership among Turks plunged over the last year to 43%
from 74%, according to one survey. And a 13-nation Pew Global Attitudes
report that was released in June said only 16% of Turks surveyed had
a favorable opinion of Christians and 15% had a favorable opinion
of Jews.

Zhirayr Sefilian: "There is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict: the issue
has been settled long ago"

Regnum, Russia
July 12 2006

"There is no Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as the question was settled
long ago," Defense of Liberated Territories public initiative
coordinator, former Commander of Shushi special battalion Zhirayr
Sefilian is quoted as saying at a news conference at the Armenian
National Press Club on July 12.

According to him, "there is no threat of losing these territories
either." It has been said about surrender of the "liberated
territories" to Azerbaijan for 15 years, and ten years ago there was
a danger to lose them too, but all the processes have been shallow.
"Opinion of the Armenian authorities does not coincide with attitudes
of the people. If the government tires to cede these territories
to Azerbaijan, our people will react to it and will not allow it,"
Zhirayr Sefilian said adding that he would the first to initiate such
public protest.

According to him, the Nagorno Karabakh has already been settled:
"There is only a question of Azerbaijan." "Why should we take into
account borders of a state that was established 90 years ago," the
former commander announced adding that "existence of such artificial
state causes damage to the whole region." The Defense of Liberated
Territories public initiative coordinator also noted that the US has
no interest in settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. "The USA
wishes to strengthen its positions in South Caucasus and by its policy
it is withdrawing Armenia from Russia’s influence, and the conflict
is of no concern to it," noted Sefilian. He also believes that no
peacekeeping contingent will be deployed until there is a Russian
military base in Armenia’s territory. "Presence of two forces in the
region will aggravate the situation in the region and can provoke a
conflict situation," he thinks.

Igor Levitin Briefed to Robert Kocharian on Outcomes of A-320 Flight Modeling

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.07.2006 16:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with the
Co-chair of the Russian-Armenian intergovernmental committee on
economic cooperation, Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin
and chairperson of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) Tatyana
Anodina, who furnished the outcomes of the investigation of the A-320
jet crash on May 3, 2006. The results of the flight modeling carried
out by French, Russian and Armenian specialists were presented to
Robert Kocharian. Presently the investigation is underway and the
IAC is expected to accomplish it within shortest terms.

Igor Levitin and Robert Kocharian also touched upon urgent issues
referring to bilateral relations, specifically the closing of Verkhny
Lars checkpoint at the Russian-Georgian border. They also discussed
transport development. For his part Levitin informed that Russia is
going to speed up the decision on Mars enterprise, reported the RA
leader’s press office.

KAREKIN II OF ALL ARMENIANS MEETS WITH FAWZI SALLOUKH, FOREIGN MINISTER OF LEBANON

AZG Armenian Daily #131, 14/07/2006

Meeting

Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, received Fawzi Salloukh,
Foreign Minister of Lebanon, today. The Press Service of Holy See
of Echmiadzin informed that in the course of the meeting, Karekin II
thanked the minister for warm attitude of the Lebanese authorities to
the Armenian community of Lebanon. In his turn, Mr. Salloukh highly
estimated the contribution of the Armenian Diaspora in the development
of Lebanon.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN AND AMBASSADOR OF EGYPT ATTACH IMPORTANCE TO
DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN-EGYPTIAN INTERPARLIAMENTARY CONTACTS

YEREVAN, JULY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Development Of Armenian-Egyptian
Interparliamentary Relations Was Considered As Important At The
July 12 Meeting Of RA NA Speaker Tigran Torosian With Ambassador
Of Egypt To Armenia Abal Abdel Rahman. NA Speaker Mentioned That The
Interparliamentary Relations At Least Should Not Be Inferior To The
Interstate Relations, As There Are Common Interests And Contacts
Of Thousand Years Between The Two Peoples. T.Torosian Emphasized
That The Possibilities Of Extension Of Relations Are Numerous And
They Include Mutual Visits, Exchange Of Legislative Experience,
As Well As Cooperation Between Delegations Of The Two Countries At
International Structures. The Importance Of The Relations’ Being
Practical And Being Aimed At Solving Some Problems Was Stressed.

Congratulating NA Speaker On The Occasion Of Being Elected The
Ambassador Of Egypt Abla Abdel Rahman Conveyed Him The Good Wishes
And The Willingness To develop cooperation of Chairman of Egyptian
National Assembly Fathi Surur, expressing readiness to contribute to
development of interparliamentary contacts as far as possible for the
sake of friendship between the two peoples, attaching importance
to the fact that there are all preconditions for deepening the
cooperation and the two countries have no political problems with
each other.

According to NA Public Relations Department, it was also mentioned
that deputy friendship groups work at both parliaments, but no
practical contacts have been established between them.

Matthew Bryza: "Peace talks not deadlocked despite exhausted mediating effort"

Today, Azerbaijan
July 10 2006

10 July 2006 [17:16] – Today.Az

The US mediator brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno
Karabakh conflict says the "creative potential" of the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs has run out, but this does not mean an impasse in
the peace process.

"The latest statement of the mediators made at the OSCE Permanent
Council meeting that they cannot achieve any more progress in
determining the principles for peaceful settlement does not imply
a deadlock. It means that the co-chairmen’s efforts have been
exhausted and there is a need for initiatives from the two countries’
presidents," the US co-chair Matthew Bryza said in an interview with
the BBC’s Azeri service.

"The statement means that we have reached a point where the co-chairs
are saying the two leaders should make a decision on what they want,"
Bryza said.

According to AssA-Irada, he said the heads of state have political
will and are willing to cooperate.

"But we are not sure if they are ready to take the final and
challenging step – finalize the framework agreement. This is time when
the two leaders should explain the benefit of the peace plan to their
people and show them the way to advance through concessions. This is
a road of diplomacy, not war."

Bryza said there are fair and promising principles on the negotiating
table.

"These are the best proposals made so far. I would say that we are
closer to peace than ever before. But I can’t guarantee that the
presidents would use their sovereign right to accept these proposals
or make changes that would suit both sides."

The intermediary stressed that the US government’s statements on
supporting Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the issue of Nagorno
Karabakh’s self-determination are not contradictory.

"If you are paying attention to the co-chairs’ statements, there
is reference to both principles. The main thing is to find a common
ground in these principles at the negotiating table," Bryza said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Taghizade said the US co-chair’s
statement suggesting that the mediators have exhausted their creativity
raises different questions.

"I am not sure how it should be assessed. It appears that the co-chairs
want to step aside from the peace process and lay responsibility on
the parties to the conflict.

"This is wrong. But if this [the statement] aims to give an incentive
[to the sides], that’s different," Taghizade said.

With regard to compromises, Taghizade said it is not clear what the
US diplomat means.

"He probably remembers that although Azerbaijan has been subjected
to aggression and occupation, it remains committed to diplomatic
contacts. This is our biggest compromise. It is wrong to equate an
aggressor with a victim of aggression."

Taghizade declined detailed comment on the assumptions that the
OSCE mediators’ latest statements are aimed to put pressure on the
conflicting sides, but said there is no need to pressure Azerbaijan.

"We understand very well how serious the unresolved status of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict is for the region and the international
community. This is one of the priorities in Azerbaijan’s foreign
policy," he added.

/AzerNEWS/

URL:

US diplomat: Peace talks not deadlocked despite exhausted mediating effort

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted July 10 2006

Baku, July 7, AssA-Irada — The US mediator brokering settlement to
the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict says the
"creative potential" of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs has run out,
but this does not mean an impasse in the peace process.

"The latest statement of the mediators made at the OSCE Permanent
Council meeting that they cannot achieve any more progress in
determining the principles for peaceful settlement does not imply
a deadlock. It means that the co-chairmen’s efforts have been
exhausted and there is a need for initiatives from the two countries’
presidents," the US co-chair Matthew Bryza said in an interview with
the BBC’s Azeri service.

"The statement means that we have reached a point where the co-chairs
are saying the two leaders should make a decision on what they want,"
Bryza said.

He said the heads of state have political will and are willing to
cooperate.

"But we are not sure if they are ready to take the final and
challenging step – finalize the framework agreement. This is time when
the two leaders should explain the benefit of the peace plan to their
people and show them the way to advance through concessions. This is
a road of diplomacy, not war."

Bryza said there are fair and promising principles on the negotiating
table.

"These are the best proposals made so far. I would say that we are
closer to peace than ever before. But I can’t guarantee that the
presidents would use their sovereign right to accept these proposals
or make changes that would suit both sides."

The intermediary stressed that the US government’s statements on
supporting Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the issue of Upper
Garabagh’s self-determination are not contradictory.

"If you are paying attention to the co-chairs’ statements, there
is reference to both principles. The main thing is to find a common
ground in these principles at the negotiating table," Bryza said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Taghizada said the US co-chair’s
statement suggesting that the mediators have exhausted their creativity
raises different questions.

"I am not sure how it should be assessed. It appears that the co-chairs
want to step aside from the peace process and lay responsibility on
the parties to the conflict.

"This is wrong. But if this [the statement] aims to give an incentive
[to the sides], that’s different," Taghizada said.

With regard to compromises, Taghizada said it is not clear what the
US diplomat means.

"He probably remembers that although Azerbaijan has been subjected
to aggression and occupation, it remains committed to diplomatic
contacts. This is our biggest compromise. It is wrong to equate an
aggressor with a victim of aggression."

Taghizada declined detailed comment on the assumptions that the
OSCE mediators’ latest statements are aimed to put pressure on the
conflicting sides, but said there is no need to pressure Azerbaijan.

"We understand very well how serious the unresolved status of
the Garabagh conflict is for the region and the international
community. This is one of the priorities in Azerbaijan’s foreign
policy," he added.*

KARABAKH RECEIVED CHESS HEROES

Azat Artsakh, Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
07 July 2006

On the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin Armenia re-established itself as
a chess power. The men’s team got 36 out of 42 points: 10 victories,
3 draws, 0 defeats. President Arkady Ghukassian invited the Olympic
champions to NKR. On July 4 there was a meeting with the men’s team of
Armenia at the Home of Officers. The NKR government led by President
Ghukassian and the defense minister of Armenia, the president of
the Chess Federation of Armenia Serge Sargissian were present. The
hall applauded to the world chess champions Smbat Lputian, Vladimir
Hakobian, Karen Asrian, Gabriel Sargissian, Artashes Minassian and
coach Tigran Nalbandian. Levon Aronian and Arshak Petrossian could
not come to this meeting. The minister of education Kamo Atayan
opened the ceremony. "The victory of our chess players is not a sport
victory. It is the great victory of intellect and will, immense belief
and potential of our nation," he said. NKR President Ghukassian, who
had congratulated the president of the Chess Federation immediately
after the tournament, now awarded the Medal of Gratitude and personally
congratulated the members of the chess team of Armenia. NKR Minister of
Defense Seyran Ohanian also congratulated the men’s team and awarded
the special medal of the Defense Army to the team and the minister
of defense of Armenia Serge Sargissian.

LAURA GRIGORIAN. 07-07-2006