DAVID HAROUTIUNIAN TO RUN FOR PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS BY RPA’S
PROPORTIONAL LIST
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Minister of Justice
David Haroutiunian made a decision to run for the forthcoming
parliamentary elections by the proportional list of Republican Party of
Armenia. Noyan Tapan was informed about it from RA Justice Ministry’s
Public Relations Department.
GEORGIA STANDS FOR COOPERATION WITH ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE REGION
ArmRadio.am
08.02.2007 14:48
Georgia stands for development of mutually beneficial cooperation
with all the countries of the region, including Armenia, Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili declared in Tbilisi Wednesday. "I want
to stress that we do not want any country to stay apart from this
cooperation. We are interested in the development of friendly and
transparent relations with all our neighbors. It is very important
for us that no country of the region is isolated. We want no state
to stay out of the game," said the Georgian President.
"Certainly, we want close and friendly relations with Armenia. We
wish to develop these relations. The South Caucasian countries have
no other alternative aside from friendship and joint development,"
noted Mikhail Saakashvili and added that "all the participants of
the Tbilisi meeting clearly understand it."
Speaking about the countries of the South Caucasus, the Georgian
President said: "We have had a hard past, since we all are parts of a
great empire. We have a very interesting present. A great and bright
future is awaiting us. I’m absolutely sure of it." "The basis of this
future is laid today with the signing of an agreement on cooperation
between Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey," said the Georgian leader.
Brussels Journal, Belgium
Jan 3 2007
Genocide Denial Comedy
>From the desk of Elaib Harvey on Fri, 2007-02-02 22:57
I have it on good authority that the distinguished British historian
Norman Stone is minded to see what happens when you flout the
illiberal genocide denial laws being touted by the EU [pdf].
My own idea is to get a large crowd of liberty lovers gather in the
European Parliament in front of the media on the day that this piece
of monstrous thought crime legislation is passed by the statists that
represent you in the palace of vanities that is the EP.
Simultaneously they will proclaim that they don’t believe that the
Gulag ever happened. After all the mass murder of the Kulaks,
Cossacks, oh just about anybody by the Communists is not on the list
of the forbidden.
But back to Professor Stone. In today’s Telegraph piece he is quoted,
Norman Stone, the professor of history at Turkey’s Koç University,
argues that any attempt to legislate against genocide denial is
`quite absurd’.
`I am dead against this kind of thing,’ he said. `We can not have EU
or international legal bodies blundering in and telling us what we
can and can not say.’
What was missed from the article was how he is proposing to do
something about it. He is after all involved in the great Armenian
genocide massacre argument. The French Government is legislating at
present to make Armenian Genocide denial a criminal offence, a law
that I believe will be enacted sometime in the late spring. According
to my source, the British historian is ready to risk prison to
confront Socialist backed French moves to outlaw Armenian genocide
denial.
`This is a ridiculous and contemptible business – bad history and
worse politics, ` he said.
`I would volunteer, myself, to provoke some trouble in France.’
What this seems to entail is giving a lecture in France after the
legislation has been passed bringing into question the facts
surrounding the Armenian massacres. Then going hot foot to the UK.
>From there he will be liable to extradition under the European Arrest
Warrant. The French authorities will apply for one, get it, send it
to the UK authorities, who because they have signed up to the bloody
thing, send the plod round to his door.
As is the tradition at 6 am, some size twelve boot will be applied to
his door.
`Professor Stone?’
`Yes’
`Under the authority of the European Union I am arresting you.’ Here
our enterprising young plod (no doubt with armed back up) will wave a
pair of handcuffs under the professor’s nose, for an offence that is
not on British statute book and for which their is no Common Law
criminal precedent. `I have to advise you that any statement you make
will be translated into the 22 official languages of the European
Union and you will be kept in a French prison until they can be
bothered to hear your case.’
Or in the words of one EU Commission official asked about the case:
`Individuals who could be surrendered for denial offences that took
place in another member state since racism and xenophobia is included
in the list of offences mentioned by the European arrest warrant.’
There is one slightly interesting side to this though. If Turkey
joins the EU then we will have the comedy situation that denial of
the Armenian Holocaust is a criminal offence in France, whilst
mentioning it is a criminal offence in Turkey. The happy result of
this could be that the entire population of France could be lifted
and placed, Midnight Express like in Turkish prisons. Of course the
entire population of Turkey could then find itself extradited to
France and imprisoned there.
Kosovo set on path to independence as envoy sketches out final chapter in
Balkan conflict
· Serbia rejects blueprint as violation of sovereignty
· Russia opposes UN vote to create EU protectorate
Ian Traynor, Europe editor
Saturday February 3, 2007
The Guardian
The majority Albanian province of Kosovo was put on the path to
independent statehood yesterday by an international blueprint that
redraws the map of the Balkans and effectively strips Serbia of
sovereignty over a region it regards as its Jerusalem.
The plan was presented to and rejected by Serbian leaders in Belgrade
and also given to the ethnic Albanian Kosovo leadership in Pristina by
Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president who has spent the past
year as a special UN envoy crafting the settlement. "It’s a compromise
proposal," Mr Ahtisaari said, pointing out the plan had to be endorsed
by the UN security council before it could be implemented. The aim was
"a future Kosovo that is viable, sustainable and stable".
The 60-page document does not use the word independence with regard to
Kosovo, insists on a continuing strong international presence, makes
Kosovo a ward of the EU, and leaves a large Nato peacekeeping force in
place. But it launches Kosovo on the road to independence by proposing
many attributes of sovereignty such as a flag, national anthem, seal,
constitution and fledgling army.
Kosovo is also empowered to strike international agreements and apply
to join institutions such as the UN and International Monetary Fund.
"Ahtisaari’s document made the future of Kosovo very clear and opens
the way to Kosovo’s independence," said the Kosovo prime minister,
Agim Ceku. An EU official said: "This is happening," adding: "The
Serbs have got to stop living in the past."
The Serbian leadership reacted with predictable hostility. The prime
minister, Vojislav Kostunica, boycotted the meetings with Mr
Ahtisaari, while President Boris Tadic, a pro-western liberal, vowed
no surrender of the province, which amounts to 15% of Serbian
territory. "Serbia will never accept the independence of Kosovo," said
Mr Tadic. "An imposed independence would represent a dangerous
political and legal precedent."
Serbia, supported by Russia, argues that the establishment of a
Kosovar state by an act of the international community represents an
unparalleled breach of international law and violation of Serbian
sovereignty. The Kosovars, backed by the US and most of the EU,
dismiss this argument, contending it is the last act in the
disintegration of Yugoslavia that started 15 years ago with seven new
countries arising from the old communist state.
The west rebuffs Russian complaints that recognising Kosovo
independence will embolden secessionist movements worldwide, insisting
Kosovo is a one-off.
Mr Kostunica is trying to form a new coalition government and is
demanding that it cut diplomatic relations with all countries that
recognise an independent Kosovo. This could sever ties with the US and
EU, bringing Serbia the kind of international isolation it suffered
under the Milosevic regime in the 1990s.
Serbia essentially lost control of Kosovo eight years ago when an
11-week Nato bombing campaign drove the Serbs out and replaced
Belgrade’s authority with a UN administration that has struggled to
run the province. "Kosovo has been in the fridge for eight years. Now
it’s time to take it out," said an EU official.
Under the Ahtisaari plan, the EU will take over from the UN. A large
Nato force will remain, with their priority to protect the more than
100,000 Serbs living in Kosovo among nearly 2 million Albanians.
The proposals make no reference to independence and Kosovo’s progress
towards statehood will depend greatly on how the Albanians treat the
Serbian minority. The plan calls for six new Serbian municipalities in
Kosovo with powers over the courts, policing, health service and
education as well as links, incl uding financial ties, with Serbia
proper.
Russia is threatening to veto the security council resolution needed
to authorise the EU mission in Kosovo and other details. A security
council consensus would lead Kosovo to declare independence, which the
US and EU would then recognise. But there are rifts within the EU and
senior officials in Brussels say it would not recognise independence
without a green light from the security council.
FAQ: where next for Kosovo?
How did we get here?
When Yugoslavia descended into the bloodbath of the late 80s, Kosovo
was the original source of the secessionist violence. It is now the
last bit of former Yugoslavia to have its status settled. The former
president Slobodan Milosevic abolished autonomy in Kosovo in 1989 and
established a repressive police state there. Tensions exploded into
war and ethnic cleansing in 1999. In June 1999, after a Nato air
campaign, the province was put under UN dominion, patrolled by Nato
troops. Its status has been unclear ever since, until now.
Why is Kosovo so contested?
Kosovo’s 90% Albanian population demands independence, just as the
Slovenes, Croats, Bosnians, Macedonians and Montenegrins got
independence from the old Yugoslavia. Kosovo, however, was a province
of Serbia within Yugo. The region includes the seat of the Serbian
Orthodox church. Kosovo was the cradle of Serbia’s medieval
empire. The Serbs lost an epic battle there in 1389 to the Ottoman
Turks, ushering in 500 years of Ottoman rule in the Balkans.
Do ordinary Serbs care?
Nationalists and political elites are keen to keep the Kosovo flame
alight. Nationalist prime minister Vojislav Kostunica’s new Serbian
constitution last year declared Kosovo forever Serbian. But ordinary
Serbs, battered by war and sanctions, are more interested in jobs and
getting a decent living.
What is the Serbian solution?
The Serbian government refuses to consider the international
settlement, which will need to be imposed. It is offering Kosovo
wide-ranging home rule without any change in Serbian sovereignty. This
is a non-starter for the Albanians.
What happens next?
The UN mediator, Martti Ahtisaari, is talking to both sides and
offering a few weeks of final negotiations. This will bring no
breakthrough. He then takes his plan to the UN security council for a
resolution imposing its terms. This could take months and get
acrimonious. The Russians are professing solidarity with the Serbs and
threatening to veto Kosovan independence. If there is no agreement,
Kosovo could lose patience and declare independence, triggering a
messy row in the west over whether to recognise it.
So where will it all end?
The rosy scenario supported in Washington and Brussels, sees Mr
Ahtisaari winding up the talks and taking his settlement to New York
where the Russians huff and puff but back down after a couple of
months. In June, the EU and G8 would agree on and implement the
machinery for running Kosovo until full independence is reached. Nato
troops would remain, mainly to protect Serbs from attack by Albanian
militants.
The alternative?
The Russians refuse to budge, meaning there is no UN authority for
implementing the above plan. Europe gets a crisis. Tensions flare.
Things get messy, possibly violent. Kosovo becomes a "frozen
conflict".
PanARMENIAN.Net
Resolution condemning Dink assassination introduced in U.S. Senate
02.02.2007 13:56 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph
R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) introduced legislation condemning the
assassination of Hrant Dink and honoring his legacy of tolerance and
peaceful change, reports the Armenian Assembly of America. "Hrant
Dink was a leading voice in Turkey’s Armenian community and an
eloquent advocate for human rights, press freedom, and democracy,"
said Senator Biden. "His assassination was an outrage and a tragedy.
Hrant’s legacy deserves the Senate’s respect. His murder demands our
action."
The Senate bill is similar to H. Res. 102, which was introduced by
Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) on January 29 with the support of
the Armenian Assembly. The Biden resolution condemns Dink’s
assassination and supports Turkey’s pledge to conduct an exhaustive
investigation into his killing. Furthermore, the legislation urges
Turkey to take appropriate action to protect freedom of speech in
Turkey by repealing Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which
criminalizes public discussion on the Armenian Genocide. The
resolution also calls on Turkey to reestablish full diplomatic,
political and economic relations with Armenia.
Congressman Gus Bilirakis Joins The Armenian Caucus
ArmRadio.am
01.02.2007 13:57
Armenian activists in the Ninth Congressional District of Florida, and
around the nation, welcomed today a new addition to the Armenian
Caucus, Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL). Bilirakis, who was elected
this past November, took over his father’s seat, retiring Congressman
Michael Bilirakis, who was a strong supporter on Armenian related
issues, and also served on the Armenian Caucus.
"It is an honor to become a Member of the Congressional Armenia
Caucus. Hellenic and Armenian culture share many cultural
commonalities and similar concerns. I look forward to working with
Members of this caucus, along with the Members of the Hellenic Caucus,
to address issues, both here and abroad, that impact our communities
and advance our shared interests," commented Bilirakis following his
announcement.
Of Greek decent, Bilirakis, a probate lawyer and state representative,
was born in Gainesville, Fla., and lives in Palm Harbor. He earned an
undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and a law degree
from Stetson University. Gus, currently the co-chair of the Hellenic
Caucus his father co-founded with Congressman Maloney (NY-14) in 1996.
`We are honored that Congressman Bilirakis has joined the Armenian
Caucus. We are hoping that he will follow in footsteps of his father,
Michael Bilirakis, who for over two decades was a huge supporter on
Armenian issues,’ commented Bedros Der Bedrossian, former chairman of
the Armenian National Committee of Florida.
PROPOSAL OF PARLIAMENTARY INTERROGATION TO BE INTRODUCED AGAINST
TURKISH PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS FOR
"NEGLIGENCE" IN ISSUE OF HRANT DINK’S MURDER
ANKARA, FEBRUARY 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The
Republican-People’s Turkish opposition party is going to make a
proposal of parliamentary interrogation against Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of Internal Affairs Abdulkadir Aksu for
"negligence" manifested in the issue of Hrant Dink’s murder.
According to the Milliyet Turkish newspaper, Republican-People’s Party
Chairman Deniz Baykal declared after party’s meeting that not only
security service employees are responsible for negligence in the issue
of Dink’s murder. "Political responsible figures standing behind this
should be also mentioned," Baykal said.
The Motherland opposition party had also come up with such a proposal
against Aksu.
EurasiaNet, NY
Feb 1 2007
YEREVAN’S PERSPECTIVE: NO SIGNS OF IMPROVED TURKISH-ARMENIAN
RELATIONS
Emil Danielyan 2/01/07
Ankara appears to be sticking to long-standing preconditions for
normalizing Turkey’s historically strained relationship with Armenia,
despite domestic appeals that followed the assassination of a
renowned Turkish-Armenian journalist.
Senior Turkish and Armenian diplomats held rare talks in Istanbul in
late January amid hopes for a rapprochement between the two
neighboring states. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakossian’s talks with
Turkish officials reportedly failed to make any progress, though.
"Differences in the parties’ positions on the discussed issues
remain," Vladimir Karapetian, a spokesman for the Armenian Foreign
Ministry, said in a January 26 statement about the meeting. He
indicated that Turkey continues to oppose an unconditional
establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of its border
with Armenia.
Prior to the bilateral meeting, Kirakossian attended the high-profile
funeral of Hrant Dink, the ethnic Armenian editor of the bilingual
Agos weekly whose January 19 killing sparked outrage both inside
Turkey and far beyond its borders. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].
Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 as a gesture of support
for Azerbaijan, its closest Turkic ally, which remains locked in a
bitter dispute with Armenia over the breakaway region of
Nagorno-Karabakh. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Successive Turkish governments have conditioned the lifting of the
economic blockade on the withdrawal of Armenian forces from
Azerbaijani districts bordering Karabakh, and an end to the Armenian
campaign for international recognition of the events of 1915 as
genocide. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Turkish leaders haven’t changed their position despite pressure from
the United States and the European Union. Many officials in
Washington and Brussels believe that a Turkish-Armenian rapprochement
would significantly boost stability in the volatile South Caucasus.
In late January, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul effectively
ruled out any policy shift, saying that Armenia should first "review
its negative feelings against us, and should not make unjust
demands."
The Armenian drive for genocide recognition, meanwhile, appears to be
gaining momentum. Influential Armenian lobby groups in the United
States are pressing for the US House of Representatives to adopt a
genocide recognition resolution. One of them, the Armenian National
Committee of America, characterized Dink’s January 19 shooting as a
"wake-up call to the United States and the entire international
community to unite together in ending forever the Turkish
government’s denial of the Armenian Genocide." A group of US
lawmakers introduced a new recognition bill on January 30.
On the grassroots level, Turkish-Armenian dialogue may be easier to
foster in the aftermath of Dink’s fatal shooting. The universal
condemnation of the crime provided a rare moment of emotional unity
between many Turks and Armenians. The latter were astounded by
television pictures of thousands of ordinary Turks marching in the
funeral procession for the slain editor and carrying banners that
read, "We are all Armenians!" The images defied the negative Armenian
stereotypes about Turks, prompting hopes to rise among many
Armenians, in Armenia proper and living abroad, that the images
reflected Turkey’s greater willingness to confront contentious
questions of the past.
Yektan Turkyilmaz, a US-based Turkish scholar, said Turkish society
will now be "at least slightly more sympathetic" to the Armenians,
but cautioned against excessive expectations. Some Turkey-watchers in
Armenia, meanwhile, remain skeptical, saying that the vast majority
of Turks continue to trust their leaders’ assertion that Ottoman
Armenians died in much smaller numbers and as a result of internal
strife, rather than from a premeditated government effort. "I don’t
think Turkish public opinion has changed since that murder," said
Ruben Safrastian, director of the Yerevan-based Institute of Oriental
Studies.
The final years of the Ottoman Empire, until recently a taboo
subject, are being increasingly discussed in Turkey, with a growing
number of local scholars and intellectuals openly questioning the
official version of events. Some of them, including Dink and Nobel
laureate Orhan Pamuk, have been prosecuted under a controversial
article of the Turkish criminal code that makes it a crime to "insult
Turkishness." [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
According to Turkyilmaz, other dissenters are increasingly worried
about becoming the next target of ultranationalist militants. "The
anxiety and horror that the killing of Mr. Dink has caused among
Turkish intellectuals is very deep," he said. "But the struggle will
continue as we want to see our country become freer, more democratic
and more peaceful. Turkey has a very deeply-rooted tradition of
opposition, and I believe that it will eventually prevail."
Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.
International Herald Tribune, France
Feb 1 2007
Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk heads to U.S.
The Associated Press
Published: February 1, 2007
ANKARA, Turkey: Nobel Prize-winning Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk
boarded a plane for New York on Thursday to give a series of talks in
the United States, a day after he called off a visit to Germany.
"I will give talks at Columbia University and other universities,"
Pamuk told reporters at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, but refused to
answer questions on news reports that he had canceled his trip to
Germany over security concerns.
The German daily Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger had reported, without
specifying sources, that security concerns were behind the decision
not to go to Germany after a suspect in the killing in Turkey of
prominent journalist Hrant Dink last week shouted what appeared to be
a threat against Pamuk.
Germany has a population of at least 2.6 million people of Turkish
origin.
Pamuk, like Dink, spoke about the mass killings of Armenians in the
early 20th century – and like him has been accused of the crime of
"insulting Turkishness."
Prosecutors on Thursday arrested an eighth suspect in Dink’s
assassination, while police sent two inspectors to Istanbul to
determine if there had been flaws in the police investigation, the
state-owned Anatolia news agency reported.
NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Jan 31 2007
Armenian resolution tabled at US House of Reps
The US government does not support the private members resolution.
Güncelleme: 11:57 TSİ 31 Ocak 2007 ÇarşambaWASHINGTON –
Members of both the Democratic and Republican parties have tabled a
resolution at the US House of Representatives calling on the US
government to formally recognise the alleged genocide of Armenians at
the hands of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.
The motion was submitted by a bipartisan group of politicians, and
says that the US government declare that 1.5 million Armenian
citizens of the Ottoman Empire were killed during the war in an act
of genocide.
Turkey has always denied there was any act of genocide, though it
acknowledges that as many as 300,000 Armenians died during the chaos
of war in the country’s east. According to Turkish official figures,
more than half a million Turkish civilians died in the region at the
hands of Armenian military units and guerrilla groups.
The Bush administration has already indicated that it does not
support Congress adopting any such resolution.