Author: Vasilian Manouk

ARMENIAN LOBBY FALSIFIES EUROPEAN ARCHIVES: TURKISH PROF.

TREND News Agency
Jan 30 2008
Azerbaijan

Great Britain, London, 30 January /corr. Trend G.Ahmadova / The
Armenian lobby placed false documents regarding the 1915-1917 events
in Turkish-Armenian relations, in the archives of Europe, said the
Turkish researcher, Salahi Sanel.

"I was in the archives of many countries and saw that the Armenians
replaced ‘Order of Talat Pasha’, replacing key words in the documents
with regards to the Armenians. Indeed, the copies of the original
documents were brought to Great Britain by the British. I found
and published them as book," Prof. Sanel said at the conference
‘Turkish-Armenian relations and terrorism’ in London.

The Armenian historians state that on 25 April 1915 the Interior
Minister of Turkey, Talat-pasha issued an order for the mass
destruction of the Armenians. However, up to now, the Armenian side
has not been able to present any original documents confirming this
fact. The European inspectors discovered in the archives of Turkey
that the Ottoman Government took measures to ensure security of the
displaced Armenian population.

According to the Professor, during the hard times of Turkey, the
imperialist forces used the fact of displacing Armenians against
Turkey. "These displaced Armenians fought against Ottomans in many
parts of the country," Sanel said.

Organized by the Federation of Turkish Associations in Great Britain,
the conference took place in one of the well-known universities of
London – in Oliver Thompson Theatre at City University.

The Prof. Belma Basket said during the conference which was dedicated
to the memory of 42 Turkish diplomats killed in various periods
of history by the Armenian terrorist groups, that she was familiar
with many of the Turkish diplomats killed by the Armenians. "These
assassinations took place in the most civil European countries,"
she said.

In his speech, the Turkish Professor, Kemal Chichek, highlighted the
facts from his lastest book ‘Forced Migration of Armenians in 1915-
1917’. "The Armenians could confirm only one displacement from one
part of the Ottoman Empire to other part," Chichek said. According to
the Turkish historian, during that period, Syria was Part of Ottoman
Empire and therefore, displacing the Armenians was not deportation.

"The temporary law on displacement of the Armenians in 1915-1917 was
a security measure," Chichek said.

Armenia supports the position that in 1915-1918, the Armenians incurred
‘genocide’ by Ottoman Empire and 1.5million people were killed. Turkey
refutes such accusations. The claims of the Armenians are being used
to present obstacles to Turkey’s entrance to the European Union.

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TERRITORIES CANNOT BE SURRENDERED
[02:57 pm] 28 January, 2008

`The liberated territories of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic cannot be surrendered. The question is beyond
doubt,’ presidential candidate Arman Melikian said on
January 28.

`If Armenia and Karabakh are considered united, the
territories must be recognised as indissoluble part of
the country. If we fail to do it, the territories will
lie deserted Nobody will go to live there or make
investments. The soil will remain untilled. We cannot
even dream of Western Armenia unless the issue of the
territories is solved,’ he says.

Azerbaijan to open new military enterprises

26 January 2008 [15:20] – Today.Az

Azerbaijan will launch a number of new military enterprises this year,
a source in the government said.

The producing enterprises, based in regions of the country, will
assemble military weapons and vehicles by agreements with Pakistan and
Belarus.

Negotiations are also ongoing with Turkey.

Under the agreements, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting
vehicles and small-caliber weapons will come off the assembly line in
Azerbaijan in the nearest future.

The source said negotiations are under way with several companies to
produce military electronic and communications devices.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry refused to comment on the issue.

MINISTER TALKED TO PARENTS OF SENIOR STUDENTS

KarabakhOpen
25-01-2008 11:25:56

The minister of education Vladik Khachatryan met with the teachers
and parents of senior students of secondary schools. The minister
explained the new rules of final exams at school and entrance exams
at the universities.

This year the 11th form students will take an integrated exam in
Armenian grammar and literature, math and a foreign language (English,
German, French, Russian). An integrated exam is that the final exams
at school are at the same time entrance exams for universities. All
the students will take the A exam and will get a GCSE. The students
who want to go to university, must take the B exam in the subject
required for admittance to university.

Last year the new exam was taken in Armenian grammar and literature
only.

According to the minister, in future all the exams will be taken
at school.

In other words, entrance exams at universities will be eliminated. Each
university will set the minimum score required for entrance.

The minister told about serious reforms in secondary education. The
school will have three levels. The first two levels will be
compulsory. The students who wish to get a higher education will
study at high school. The minister said the program of reforms is
currently being worked out, and the details will be made known by
the new academic year.

Vladik Khachatryan answered the questions of parents. He underlined
that the exams will be highly strict. "The tests will be printed
in the U.K. at an authoritative publishing house. The tests will
be accompanied by security guards to Yerevan and Stepanakert. The
tests will be kept in a bank. The tests will be taken to the exam by
policemen," the minister said, as if it was a military secret.

The minister underlined that the exams will be highly
objective. Answering the question about the difficulty of the test of
English, the minister said it is based on the school program. However,
he advised to take additional classes in the upcoming 4 months.

CRACKDOWN RAISES HOPES FOR MORE CLEANING UP IN DEEP STATE

Today’s Zaman
Jan 25 2008
Turkey

The detention of dozens of members of a crime gang that was reportedly
plotting to kill Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk has caused
expectations among observers that the government is committed to
combating shadowy networks within the state even though similar
incidents, "Susurluk" being a case in point, have not resulted in
rooting out such gangs.

"I don’t agree with the conviction that Susurluk didn’t produce any
results. With Susurluk, Turkish society saw that some public figures
who had previously seemed untouchable were arrested, and there were
many arrests related to Susurluk," said Sedat Laciner, chairman of
the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (USAK).

The term "deep state," representing renegade powers inside the state,
became popular after a car accident in 1996 — widely known as the
Susurluk incident — in which a deputy and a senior police official
were traveling together with a most-wanted criminal. The incident
at Susurluk was the first to bring out into the open the fact that
national intelligence units employ some people to do their dirty work.

Laciner said that if the government consistently goes after the
criminals and finds support from the public and the media, the cleaning
up in the state will start.

Recalling Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s vow to combat such
gangs, Laciner added that there is not much space left for such
shadowy powers to maneuver.

"These forces have been trying to weaken the government by exaggerating
its frictions with the military. But the government combined efforts
with the military to fight terrorism," Laciner said.

"They have also tried to use the Islamic features of the government
to pit it against the European Union. For example, they started to
organize the killings of some Christian priests in Turkey as if the
government has problems with the Christian world."

With an operation called "Ergenekon" police have so far detained 35
people, including former army officers and lawyers known for their
far-right views, following the seizure of explosives and weapons at
a house in Ýstanbul last year.

The group, known as Ergenekon, or the Kýzýlelma Coalition, and led
by a retired major general, was reportedly planning a series of bomb
attacks and assassinations aimed at fomenting chaos before mounting
a coup against the Turkish government in 2009.

The Ergenekon network was reportedly behind the 2007 slaying of
Turkish Armenian editor Hrant Dink, the murder of an Italian Catholic
priest in 2006, the killing of a judge in an attack on Turkey’s top
administrative court in 2006 and several bomb attacks on Cumhuriyet
daily.

Ufuk Uras, a deputy and leader of the Freedom and Solidarity Party
(ODP), said the Ergenekon operation is a litmus test of democracy
and the supremacy of law in Turkey.

"Inactivating such gangs which are understood to be a part of the
deep state is a test for democracy and the rule of law," Uras said
in a written statement. "As our history shows, if such steps to root
out rogue elements are delayed, problems grow larger. Revealing the
Susurluk gang was the first step, but only a few hit men have been
punished."

Uras noted that politicians and legal practitioners who take steps
to eliminate these gangs would be historical figures whose names will
be recited with honor.

Bulent Orakoðlu, former intelligence chief of the national police
and the author of a book trying to decipher the links between the
state and renegade elements, said he was expecting such an operation
because of recent detention of people involved in gangs.

"But this is not a simple organization. It has connections both inside
and outside of Turkey. They have money. … They have staged deadly
attacks, be it against Christians or others, when the government was
trying to take positive steps in line with democracy," he said.

He added that these people use nationalism and sometimes even religion
to legitimize their attacks and receive sympathy from the people who
are not connected to the organization.

"When the public starts to see that these are dirty people who use
the name of the country, the flag and nationalistic pride for their
own benefit, they will not support feeling sympathetic toward them.

And they will be finished when we start to see arrests of more and
more people who have infiltrated the military, the bureaucracy,
the security forces and even the media."

Ultranationalists claim Turkey’s honor has been sullied especially
if a prominent figure catches international attention while opposing
the state version of events on issues like terrorism and Armenian
genocide claims.

Novelist Pamuk fell out of favor with nationalists after saying Turkey
was responsible for the deaths of ethnic Armenians during World War
I and Kurds in recent decades.

Journalist Avni Ozgurel, a journalist who studied shadowy networks,
said he awaits action from prosecutors before raising his hopes of a
clean-up in the deep state: "I’d like to see what they’ve been accused
of and if they will be punished for these accusations before making a
comment. We saw such detentions in the past, but those captured were
released after a few days."

–Boundary_(ID_mNn5MxUBPuHA7nZ2+mP+jA )–

HEAD OF JOINT STAFF OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES: "WE MUST STUDY THE LANGUAGE OF OUR ENEMY"

Today
cs/42615.html
Jan 24 2008
Azerbaijan

Armenia’s first deputy Minister of Defense, colonel-general Seyran
Oganyan supports teaching Azerbaijani language at the faculty of
oriental studies.

He assessed positively the intention of the Yerevan State University
to teach Azerbaijani language on the faculty of oriental studies:
"I am surprised that this subject has not been taught earlier, as we
must study the language of our enemy".

He said the Joint Staff as a body, ruling in the wartime, is
responsible for all issues of moral and psychological provision.

"We have what to do in this direction. I have empowered a number
of structures to work out the due program", Oganyan noted during
the meeting with the teaching staff of the Yerevan State University
answering the questions about measures necessary to achieve success
in the propaganda war with Azerbaijan.

REPS. PALLONE AND ROYCE CALL ON TURKEY TO ABOLISH ARTICLE 301

armradio.am
24.01.2008 10:51

Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and
Caucus Member Representative Ed Royce (R-CA) called on Turkey to
honor the memory of journalist and human rights activist Hrant Dink
by repealing Article 301 of the Turkish penal code, the Armenian
Assembly of America reports.

In separate remarks on the House floor, both lawmakers commemorated
the first anniversary of Dink’s assassination on an Istanbul street
in broad daylight on January 19, 2007. Before his murder, Dink was
awaiting trial for allegedly violating Article 301 which outlaws
"insulting Turkishness," for his writings on the Armenian Genocide.

Pallone noted that Turkey continues to persecute and incarcerate
people for exercising their universal right of freedom of speech.

"Turkey uses intimidation to deny its citizens their right to freedom
of expression," Pallone stated. "It lobbies for its so-called rightful
role in the international community and a place in the European
Union. Yet it does not live up to democratic principles and standards."

"It is my sincere hope that the Turkish government will use this
occasion to reflect upon this restrictive article and rescind it
before it does more harm," said Royce.

Congressman Royce signed on yesterday as a cosponsor of the resolution
condemning the assassination of Hrant Dink, H. Res. 102.

"We appreciate the efforts of Congressmen Pallone and Royce in
bringing this important issue to the forefront of Congress," said
Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "It is vital that America
demonstrates its commitment to human rights, and fundamental freedoms
to the rest of the world."

VAHAN HOVHANNESIAN MEETS WITH RESIDENTS OF SHIRAK REGION

Yerkir
23.01.2008 15:49

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Presidential candidate Vahan Hovhannesian, a
member of the ARF Bureu and deputy speaker of the National Assembly,
met on January 23 with the residents of the villages of Sarnaghbiur
and Pemzashen in Shirak Region.

In Sarnaghbiur, speaking about the tax policies, Hovhannesian said
that people often get fake information about taxes. Small businesses
pay taxes more promptly than the big ones. He also spoke about vote
buying, saying that if elected president, there will be no people
who would buy votes for him by intimidating people and then demand
privileges for doing so.

"Money is invested to set up saunas, restaurants, casinos and to
build elite buildings because businessmen are afraid to invest
in other sectors to avoid pressuring tax and customs policies,"
Hovhannesian said.

He also spoke of poverty reduction, saying that along with increased
family aids, prices grow also, resulting in no changes. Furthermore,
when people get welfare benefits, they continue to consider themselves
poor and that’s why they are ready to sell their votes. He said the
welfare benefit system should be changed.

In the end, Hovhannesian answered the questions raised by the residents
of those villages.

The next meeting was in Artik where deputy Science and Education
Minister Bagrat Yesayan explained people the reasons why the ARF has
chosen Vahan Hovhannesian to run for president. Artashes Shahbazian,
the secretary of the ARF faction in parliament, in turn, said that the
decision to have its own candidate was stemming from the ARF belief
that "not only a group of people but everybody should live well."

Hovhannesian said that if elected, his first task will be to make
sure that elections in Armenia are conducted in a free and fair
manner. He also spoke about monopolies, tax issues. He also said that
it is important to have tolerance in the country. Hovhannesian also
said that the regions of the country should be developed as well,
not only the capital, Yerevan.

Speaking of migration issues, he said that "we should find ways to
bring people back into Armenia."

When in Akhurian, a Karabakh war veteran asked Hovhannesian a question
regarding Karabakh. "Armenia’s policy on the Karabakh issue is a little
too soft while Azerbaijan is not ready for concessions. Azerbaijan
too should go for concessions," Hovhannesian answered.

OSCE/ODIHR FIRST INTERIM REPORT TO BE PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 30

Noyan Tapan
Jan 23, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Garegin Azarian, the Chairman of the
RA Central Electoral Commission, on January 30, received Ambassador
Geert-Hinrich Ahrens, the head of the observation mission of OSCE’s
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

As NT was informed by CEC, during the meeting, the Ambassador briefly
presented the work already done by their mission. He said that he is
going to visit a number of electoral districts personally.

According to the Ambassador, the mission’s first interim report will
be published on January 30.

The CEC Chairman clarified a number of issues interesting the
Ambassador. In particular, issues regarding the training program
of commissions’ members were touched upon: the CEC Chairman said
that a teaching film has been shot with the assistance of the OSCE
Yerevan Office, which will give a possibility to more efficiently
organize preparation and holding of the elections. Speaking about
the importance of electors’ being informed about the order of voting,
Garegin Azarian said that the video clip explaining the voting order
shot with the assistance of the Council of Europe is already ready
and will be broadcast by several TV channels.

DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF NUP: EACH PROPOSAL OF ARTASHES GEGHAMIAN’S PRE-ELECTION PROGRAM IS SUBSTANTIATED

Noyan Tapan
Jan 21, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The pre-election program of the
leader of the National Unity party (NUP), a candidate for presidency
of the RA Artashes Geghamian differs from the programs of the other
candidates by its deepeness, simplicity of presentation of material and
the availability of realizable promises, the NUP deputy chairman Gagik
Tadevosian stated at the January 21 presentation of the program. In
his words, the program is free of solgan-type expressions, and each
proposal is substantiated by arguments to make it reality.

The deputy chairman of the NUP Alexan Karapetian said that the program
pays much attention to the fight against corruption. "A. Geghamian
considers the fight against corruption and bribery as an important
condition of ensuring national security," he stated. Besides, according
to him, the NUP attaches importance to the society’s control of the
authorities, and the appropriate legislative basis is proposed to be
created in the country with this aim.

Yet another deputy chairman of the NUP Koryun Arakelian said that
A. Geghamian’s program speaks about the ways of developing culture and
science in greater detail than the programs of the other presidential
candidates.