Turkish Politician To Stand Trial In Switzerland For Denying Armenia

TURKISH POLITICIAN TO STAND TRIAL IN SWITZERLAND FOR DENYING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

AP Worldstream
Mar 05, 2007

A Turkish politician due to stand trial for allegedly breaking
Switzerland’s anti-racism laws said he will produce documents proving
that the mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century were
"regrettable reciprocal massacres," but not genocide, according to
an interview published Monday.

Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Workers’ Party, said he had
obtained Russian documents proving the killings by Turks between 1915
and 1918 were the result of ethnic fighting that also claimed Turkish
victims, according to the interview in daily Le Matin.

The case will test whether it is a violation of Switzerland’s
anti-racism law to deny that the Turks committed genocide in the 1915
killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians.

The Swiss parliament’s lower house voted in 2003 to recognize the
slayings as genocide, but the resolution was nonbinding. Members of
the governing Cabinet have expressed concerns about the resolution’s
impact on relations with Turkey.

Perincek was charged with breaking the law after repeatedly denying
the genocide during a visit to Switzerland in 2005, and is due to
appear in a Lausanne court Tuesday.

He could face up to three years in prison and an unspecified fine
if convicted.

The law was "the result of deeply rooted anti-Turkish prejudice,"
Perincek said, according to Le Matin, adding that he hoped to end the
"witch hunt" against him. The law has also been applied to Holocaust
denial.

"Here (in Switzerland) stating your opinion is a punishable act,"
Perincek was quoted as saying.

Descendants of Armenians who survived and fled abroad have been
lobbying Western countries to label the killings genocide.

In January, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill
to this effect in Congress. The bill is opposed by the White House
out of concern it could damage relations with Turkey, a vital Muslim
ally and NATO member.

Last October, the French parliament passed a bill making it a crime
to deny the killings were genocide. The bill, which still requires
approval from the French Senate and President Jacques Chirac, stands
in direct contrast with a Turkish law that punishes those who use
the term genocide to describe the deaths.

Turkish groups in Switzerland are planning demonstrations in support
of Perincek, whose hearing in a police court is scheduled to last
two days. Any decision can appealed to the country’s supreme court.

Interview Charles Aznavour S’Engage Comme Jamais Dans Son Dernier Al

INTERVIEW CHARLES AZNAVOUR S’ENGAGE COMME JAMAIS DANS SON DERNIER ALBUM "COLORE MA VIE"
Karine Vouillamoz

Le Matin, France
04 mars 2007 dimanche
Edition Demanche

"J’ai honte de la misère des autres";

La banlieue, l’etat de la planète, l’Armenie: Charles Aznavour ne
laisse rien passer dans "Colore ma vie", son dernier album, le plus
engage de sa carrière. Il nous recoit dans les bureaux de sa maison
d’edition musicale, a Paris. A notre arrivee, on nous avertit que
Monsieur Aznavour aura quelques minutes de retard: "Il doit donner
une interview telephonique sur les routiers". Soit. Un quart d’heure
plus tard, le chanteur lance: "Je dois verifier encore toutes ces
lettres. Quand on recoit du courrier, on y repond! Vous voyez,
je n’ai pas une minute a moi", poursuit-il avant de se reveler en
entretien. Pendant plus de quarante minutes.

"Les oceans sont des poubelles" chantez-vous sur "La terre se meurt",
c’est un coup de gueule que vous poussez?

Non, c’est un besoin de dire aux gens qu’il est temps de prendre
conscience que ca ne va pas et ca ne s’ameliorera pas si on ne fait
rien. Il faut le faire pour soi, pour ses enfants, ses petits-enfants,
pour la planète, pour les gens des pays pauvres parce que c’est pire
la-bas. Je suis arrive a un âge où l’on m’ecoute. Si je peux arriver
a faire bouger les consciences de 1,001%, alors j’aurais fait quelque
chose d’interessant.

Dans "J’abdiquerais", on vous decouvre un sens de l’autoderision. On
vous imaginait plutôt serieux

Je suis serieux dans ce que je fais dans la vie! Mais je ne suis pas
un homme serieux dans mon comportement. Je deviendrais ennuyeux si,
en plus d’etre serieux dans mon metier, j’etais serieux 100% dans
ma vie. Et si je devenais ennuyeux, le premier qui serait ennuye,
c’est moi!

Vous avez des côtes clownesques?

Humoriste dirons-nous.

Vous traitez la mort de pute immonde, vous la craignez?

Je ne peux pas dire que je la crains, mais je prefererais qu’elle
n’existe pas. Je l’appelle pute immonde parce qu’elle va de l’un a
l’autre, elle salit puis elle tue. Maintenant, ne sachant pas ce qu’il
y a après, peut-etre que je me trompe. Je m’en tiens aux apparences.

"On juge sur la gueule, pas sur les capacites" chantez-vous dans
"Moi, je vis en banlieue", c’est ce que vous avez vecu?

Je connais le mode de vie des enfants de l’immigration, mes parents ont
emigre eux aussi et que ce soit 80ans avant ou après, c’est pareil. Que
ce quartier soit aux portes de Paris ce qui etait le cas puisque les
banlieues n’existaient pas et que ce soit devenu la banlieue, ca ne
change rien. La seule chose qui change, c’est qu’a l’epoque on pouvait
avoir un contrat de travail plus facilement, dans n’importe quoi.

Aujourd’hui, meme avec un bac + 5, il y a des difficultes a trouver
du travail. Le gouvernement devrait faire un effort et se pencher sur
ces cas. Sinon, quand il y a des mouvements de jeunes, il ne faut pas
qu’ils s’en etonnent. Pourquoi y a-t-il des mouvements? Parce qu’ils
ont faim. Ils voient des gens qui ont tout, comme moi. Si je veux
un poste de radio, je me l’achète. Eux, il faut qu’ils le volent,
mais croyez-moi, ils prefereraient le payer.

Le gouvernement doit se pencher sur les pauvres et pas sur les
riches. Je n’ai pas besoin qu’on se penche sur moi, je me penche
moi-meme sur mon cas. Je me sens responsable de l’humanite qui
m’entoure. J’ai honte de la misère des autres et pourtant je n’ai
aucune raison d’avoir honte. J’ai honte parce que j’ai plus qu’eux.

Remarquez, je n’ai pas vole, je n’ai exploite personne puisque je
l’ai gagne. Mais ca donne une certaine honte. C’est une raison pour
laquelle je m’active pour des cas particuliers.

On dit que vous faites une tournee d’adieux, c’est vrai?

Je n’ai jamais dit tournee d’adieux, l’affiche etait marquee "dernière
tournee". Les journalistes ont prefere le terme de tournee d’adieux
parce que c’est plus porteur. On m’a presque oblige a faire mes adieux
parce que je ne voulais pas faire mentir ce qui etait ecrit. La, je
me suis repris, pourquoi je vais ecouter les autres? Je fais ce que
je veux finalement. Quand on me demande combien de temps ma tournee va
durer, je reponds entre quatre et dix ans. Comme ca, on est tranquille.

Quelles sont les limites de la scène?

Il va arriver un moment où j’aurai un visage un peu ruine, une voix
qui ne tient pas le coup, je serai fatigue en scène, et mes textes
n’auront pas la force qu’ils ont maintenant. Alors je saurai exactement
quand il faudra dire adieu. Je le dirai en 24heures, comme quand j’ai
arrete de fumer, en un jour. Je suis un garcon definitif dans ce que
je dis et fais.

Vous dites que lorsque vous etes sur scène, vous avez l’impression
de vous dedoubler

Je me vois chanter, je me contourne, je vais vers la salle en chantant
et je vois ce

que je fais. Ce qui me permet d’etre sobre en scène. Je suis le
chanteur de la

verite, je dis des choses qui ont existe ou qui existent. Je n’invente
pas d’histoire, je n’ai jamais invente un sujet. Il y a des sujets
qui me frappent dans la vie et je les traduis en chanson.

Sur scène, vous etes toujours en noir, pourquoi?

Pour passer inapercu. Je n’ai pas de bijou, j’enlève ma montre, je
n’ai rien de clinquant, rien ne doit se voir. Je dois entrer pauvre en
scène et en sortir avec du succès. Si je mets des choses clinquantes,
on ne va plus ecouter mon texte. Plus je serai anodin sur scène,
plus le texte sera aide.

Vous avez rachete les editions Raoul Breton comprenant Piaf, Trenet,
Lama, Lemay, Grand Corps Malade, pourquoi?

De nombreux catalogues, comme celui de Gilbert Becaud, ont ete
achetes par des societes etrangères qui ne pensent qu’a faire
de l’argent. Nous, on connaît parfaitement notre catalogue, on
"travaille" les artistes: les chansons sont reprises partout. Je
n’ai pas rachete ces editions pour ce que ca me rapporte. En un an,
ici, je gagne moins que dans un seul gala. Cet argent, d’ailleurs,
je le mets dans le pot pour acheter d’autres catalogues.

Quelle est votre position sur le piratage sur internet?

Tant que des ministres ou des deputes acceptent qu’on puisse
telecharger des chansons gratuitement, on apprend a une jeunesse a
voler. Je suis categorique. Si je vais chez le boulanger prendre un
petit pain en disant "On m’a dit sur Internet que je peux prendre",
on me met en prison. Pourquoi volerait-on l’oeuvre d’un auteur,
d’un ecrivain, d’un chanteur?

– Votre dernière biographie s’intitule "Destin apprivoise", le terme
est bien choisi, vous avez mene votre vie, vous ne vous etes jamais
laisse guider par la vie, non?

J’ai ete guide par mon instinct, parce que j’ai appris par mes
parents, ma manière de vivre et surtout par mon besoin de m’instruire
et mon bonheur de la perfection. Et j’ai ete très fidèle au public,
on ne m’a jamais vu en mauvaise condition. Je ne suis jamais entre
debraille en scène, ayant bu un verre de trop. J’entre en scène pour
etre parfait sur mon travail.

Mais vous avez bien des defauts?

Bien sûr que j’ai des defauts, j’en ai plein. Un homme qui n’a pas de
defaut n’est pas un homme. J’espère que j’ai suffisamment de defauts
pour m’en faire une personnalite.

– Qu’est-ce qu’il vous reste encore a faire?

Rien. C’est bien ca qui est triste. Aussi, je cherche a ecrire
mieux, des sujets plus engages, plus risques. Parce que c’est risque
d’ecrire sur les banlieues aujourd’hui. Ce qu’il me reste a faire,
c’est prendre des risques, jusqu’au bout.

Vous n’en avez pas suffisamment pris?

Oui, j’ai reussi avec ces risques mais je dis souvent une chose.

Quand l’eau reste dans une mare, elle devient stagnante. Je pense que
celui qui se repose sur ses succès, comme l’eau, il devient stagnant.

–Boundary_(ID_Bzg8fSgjPZFj8Wf2RnNhiQ)- –

Armenia’s resilient religious heritage celebrated in Louvre exhibit

Armenia’s resilient religious heritage celebrated in major Louvre exhibition

JENNY BARCHFIELD

AP Worldstream
Published: Mar 02, 2007

Mongolian dragons, Persian peacocks and Arabic stars are just some of
the motifs that embellish Armenia’s sacred Christian relics _ showing
how the oft-invaded nation has drawn on outside influences to
strengthen its own identity.

A new exhibition at the Louvre Museum showcases the resilience of
Armenian culture. "Armenia Sacra," which runs through May 21, brings
together more than 200 of the country’s most spectacular religious
objects, many of which survived _ and fed off of _ centuries of
foreign domination.

Armenia was long tucked between the rival Roman and Persian empires,
and later dominated by Russian and Soviet ones.

"They’re stuck right in the middle of things," said Ioanna Rapti, one
of the exhibit’s curators. "They borrowed foreign tastes, motifs and
symbols, adapting them to fit their own culture."

Objects in the exhibition _ which include dozens of manuscripts, a
national specialty _ come from museums throughout Armenia and
beyond. Relatively small and portable, manuscripts were often taken
abroad by Armenians fleeing the recurring invasions.

Other times, they were removed from the country for more sinister
reasons.

"When hostile powers pillaged Armenia, they often took manuscripts
hostage," Rapti said. "Armenians had to pay large ransoms to get them
back."

Thank goodness they did. The exhibit’s manuscripts, with their
intricate texts and hand-painted miniatures, are stunning. They are
also a remarkable record of Armenian thought, culture and history.

Widely considered to be the world’s oldest Christian state, Armenia
adopted Christianity as its national faith in 301 A.D. A thick, 1569
volume tells the fable of the country’s conversion: In a
color-drenched miniature, a monk appears to cast a spell over boar
draped in the purple cloak of royalty. The monk is Saint Gregory, who
would become Armenia’s patron; the wild pig represents the country’s
4th century king, Tiridate IV, who legend has became a boar after he
persecuted early Christians. He supposedly recovered his human form
upon embracing Christianity, which he made the state religion.

A miniature from a 1776 manuscript depicts a 5th century monk,
national hero Mesrop Mashtots, hunched over a desk, developing the
Armenian alphabet. Mashtots looks hard at work, though legend has it
all he did was copy down the letters God revealed to him.

The alphabet is at the heart of Armenian identity. The rounded,
horseshoe-shaped letters emblazon not only the manuscripts, but also
more unlikely objects like reliquaries, pulpits and carved doors.

Other objects testify to the imprint left by Mongolian, Ottoman and
Arab invaders.

Chinese dragons grimace from the yellowing page of a 13th century
manuscript. The dragon is thought to have entered Armenia on the backs
of Mongolian invaders, delicately embroidered on their silk gowns.

Arab-influenced stars radiate across a 12th century monastery door,
while exotic animals like elephants, peacocks and unicorns march
around its walnut frame.

The exhibit also features some 30 "khatchkars" _ massive stone slabs
carved with lace-fine crosses _ that dotted the Armenian plateau as
early as the 4th century. Some were tombstones.

One, the Djulfe Khatchkar, comes from a cemetery in Nakhichevan, an
enclave of neighboring Azerbaijan separated from the rest of the
country by Armenian territory. Armenia claims Azerbaijani soldiers
have systematically destroyed Armenian crosses there over the past few
years. The issue is sensitive, and last year, Azerbaijani officials
denied a report that the cemetery had vanished.

Rapti said the Djulfe Khatchkar is one of the cemetery’s few
survivors.

"It’s not politically correct to say this, but what makes it doubly
tragic is that the destruction is so recent," she said.

The exhibition is part of the so-called year of Armenia in France, an
initiative promoting Armenian culture. French President Jacques Chirac
and his Armenian counterpart President Robert Kocharian inaugurated
the exhibit, which Chirac called "sublime."

It "shows the singularity of Armenian civilization, which throughout
its tumultuous history gave the world masterpieces," the French leader
said.

For curator Rapti, the show is helping to boost Armenian moral.

"It shows they are not alone, although they are a little country with
very little power," she said.

52 Small Hydropower Plants To Be Constructed in Armenia in 2007-2010

52 SMALL HYDROPOWER PLANTS TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN ARMENIA IN 2007-2010

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, NOYAN TAPAN. It is envisaged to construct and put
into operation 52 small hydropower plants, including 36 ones on
natural water flow, in Armenia in 2007-2010. 47 bln 453 mln drams
(about 135 mln USD) will be spent on their construction. According to
the RA Public Services Regulatory Commission, this year 20 small
hydropower plants with the total capacity of 21,888 kilowatts will be
put into operation. At present 52 small hydropower plants with the
total capacity of 64,377 kilowatts operate in the country. According
to the same source, it is envisaged to put into operation 102 small
hydropower plants with the total capacity of 183,903 kilowatts or
annual prodcutivity of 662.2 mln kwh in 2010. Most of them will be
constructed in Lori, Syunik, Vayots Dzor and Tavush marzes. To recap,
in 2006 the amount of electricity generated by small hydropower plants
did not exeed 3%. In 2010, this index will increase fourfold and make
12%.

Amsterdam: Albayrak In Tricky Position As Immigration State Sec.

NIS News Bulletin, Netherlands
March 2 2007

Albayrak In Tricky Position As Immigration State Secretary

THE HAGUE, 03/03/07 – Nebahat Albayrak knows no better than that she
has always lived in the Netherlands. She speaks with a Rotterdam
accent, but is also proud of her Turkish passport. She rejects doubts
about her loyalty to the Netherlands as nonsense, but still, Labour
(PvdA) took a risk in putting her forward as Justice State Secretary.

Albayrak was born on 10 April 1968 in Sivas, Turkey. As a two year
old, she landed up in Rotterdam, where her father had already gone
before she was born to work in construction. She has always lived in
the port city and speaks with a slight Rotterdam accent, but she
still always maintained links with the Turkish community.

Before becoming an MP, Albayrak was on the board of the National
Islamic Women’s Organisation (LIV), from 1996 to 1998. During her
parliamentary membership, she chaired TRAFIK, a foundation to
encourage cultural exchange between the Netherlands and Turkey. She
also advised the Anne Fund, which encourages Turkish girls in poor
districts to go into secondary vocational education.

After secondary school, Albayrak joined the staff of the National
Bureau for Combating Racism (LBR), in 1990. She simultaneously
studied international and European law at the University of Leiden
and the Turkish capital of Ankara, to 1991. In the two subsequent
years, she studied at l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris, which
she combined with a one-year course at l’Institut d’Etudes
Francaises, again in Ankara. There she also had a traineeship at the
economic department of the European Commission office.

In 1993, Albayrak began her administrative career as policy staff
member for International and European Affairs at the bureau of the
Secretary-General of the foreign ministry. In August 1995, she moved
to the Integration Policy for Minorities Coordination directorate at
the same ministry. From this post, she landed up in the Lower House
for PvdA in May 1998.

In 2002, Albayrak was elected by the PvdA MPs to chair their foreign
policy cluster. In March 2003, she became chairman of the Lower House
standing committee for defence. In 2005, she could have left the
House to become PvdA front-runner in Rotterdam in the local
elections, but she rejected this offer.

In 2006, Albayrak was put second on the PvdA list of candidates in
the general election. It looked as though she might have to withdraw
because she did not speak out unequivocally on the Armenian genocide
by Turkey around 1915. Two PvdA candidate MPs did have to withdraw,
but the press let the matter rest after Albayrak said in Trouw
newspaper that "it is for lawyers and historians to decide" whether
the event "meets precisely the definition of genocide in
international law."

Albayrak cannot easily recognise the genocide, if she would wish to,
because this is forbidden in Turkey. She has both a Dutch and Turkish
passport. For these reasons, she could wind up with a conflict of
loyalties, declares the Party for Freedom (PVV). Lower House Speaker
Gerdi Verbeet, a fellow-party member of Albayrak’s, found this view
unconstitutional. But although a House majority criticised the
Speaker about this, nobody agreed with the PVV.

Nonetheless, it is not unthinkable that Albayrak’s loyalty will be
questioned again in the coming years. As Justice State Secretary, she
is after all responsible for aliens policy. Within this, marriage
immigration of Turks is a not unimportant component. Albayrak herself
is unmarried and childless.

http://www.nisnews.nl/public/030307_1.htm

The United States Develops A Strategic Plan For The Black Sea

THE UNITED STATES DEVELOPS A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE BLACK SEA
Joshua Kucera

EurasiaNet, NY
March 1 2007

The US Department of Defense has drafted a new strategy for the Black
Sea region, focusing on getting the individual countries around the
Black Sea to develop a regional approach to security issues.

Some of the strategy’s finer points are still being developed, and
the implementation may be slowed by the US preoccupation with Iraq
and Afghanistan. But it nevertheless represents a concerted effort
by Washington to get involved in a region traditionally dominated by
Turkey and Russia.

To that end, the United States is throwing its weight behind Turkey’s
leadership in Black Sea regional efforts. That’s in part because Ankara
and Washington share the same goals in the area, and, in part, because
Washington wants to allay Turkish concerns about American intentions.

The strategy’s main concept was completed late last year and it remains
classified. But its general outline was described to EurasiaNet by a
Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity. US officials are
still in the process of relaying the strategy’s contents to regional
governments, including Turkey, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Romania,
Bulgaria, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Greece. First to be briefed
was Turkey, in acknowledgement of Ankara’s leadership role in the
region. "Without Turkey, we can’t get this to work," the official said.

The other key Black Sea player is Russia, and the Pentagon has
low expectations on Moscow’s willingness to go along with US
plans. "We don’t expect the Russians to be cooperative; they see
this as interference in their sphere of influence. However, we’re
committed to seeking Russian cooperation wherever we can get it –
we don’t want them as an adversary," the official said. "However,
we won’t allow ourselves to be held hostage to Russian objections."

The US is actively encouraging countries around the Black Sea to take
part in the Turkey-led Black Sea Harmony maritime security program,
through which intelligence on sea traffic is shared among all the
coastal states. In December, Russia became the first country to
formally join the program. Ukraine and Romania are also reportedly
close to joining. Georgia’s navy is not large enough to provide any
significant intelligence, although it does participate in information
exchanges.

The cooperation between Turkey and Russia is seen in some quarters as
a combined effort to keep NATO out of the Black Sea. NATO operates a
similar maritime security operation in the Mediterranean Sea, called
Active Endeavor, and NATO has tried to expand that program into the
Black Sea. Turkey, however, is worried that NATO’s incursion into
the Black Sea would diminish Ankara’s influence there. Some Turkish
officials also fear that an expanded NATO regional role could erode the
1936 Montreux Convention, by which Turkey maintains control over the
Bosporus Straits. Russia, meanwhile, remains opposed to US influence
in its former satellite countries.

"I don’t think we can help that the Russians see this as a zero-sum
game, but I do think we can help that with the Turks," the official
added. "The Turkish approach is similar to ours [in dealing with
Russia]: pragmatic, but they won’t do anything detrimental to their
national security."

The United States doesn’t see a specific threat in the Black Sea region
at present, but that is reason enough to expand the surveillance and
monitoring of the area, the official said. Potential threats include
the transport of weapons of mass destruction, drugs or terrorists. "One
would presume some of that goes on, but we don’t know," the official
said. It’s possible the threat is not great, "but right now we don’t
have the detection and surveillance capabilities to know if that’s
the case."

In addition to maritime surveillance, United States would like to see
countries in the Black Sea region improve crisis response capabilities
and border security.

But the program may be slowed or scaled back, given the Pentagon’s
preoccupation these days with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the
official said. "The United States has given a lot of thought to the
Black Sea, but I don’t believe we have a clear implementation strategy"
because of the two major wars, the official said.

Editor’s Note: Joshua Kucera is a Washington, DC,-based freelance
writer who specializes in security issues in Central Asia, the Caucasus
and the Middle East.

Hunan Avetisian Memorial Tournament To Start On March 6

HUNAN AVETISIAN MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT TO START ON MARCH 6

Noyan Tapan
Mar 01 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Soviet Union hero Hunan Avetisian’s
traditional football memorial tournament will start on March 6
at Armavir jubilee playing field. Shirak, Kilikia, Ulis, Pyunik-2,
Banants-2, Ararat-2, Dinamo and Yerevan United have put in applications
for participating in the competitions.

The teams will divide into two subgroups and the winners will compete
for the challenge cup at the March 13 final match.

Azerbaijan Says Contradincting Things, Vice Speaker Says

AZERBAIJAN SAYS CONTRADICTING THINGS, VICE SPEAKER SAYS

Panorama.am
18:51 28/02/2007

Vahan Hovannisyan, member of Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnakcutiun) Bureau and vice speaker of the Armenian parliament,
said Azeri propaganda is shaped in three directions. "It is addressed
to international community, Armenian nation and Azeri people,"
Hovannisyan told a round table today. In his words, Azerbaijan says
quite contradicting things in these three layers which is a wonderful
tool in the hands of Armenia.

"In an address to Armenian nation, they want to frighten us that
their country is a strong oil state and that they will win in case
war resumes," Hovannisyan said. However, he said this does not create
defeat attitudes among the Armenian nation.

In an address to Azeri people, the propaganda tries to deliver the same
message and makes people understand that they will settle Karabakh
problem with the use of weaponry. Hovannisyan said the Azeri nation
does not share this view, saying the Azeries who live abroad do not
want their children to serve in the Azeri army on the fear that the
government may take "imprudent" steps.

Speaking about the messages to international community, Hovannisyan
pinpointed that Azerbaijan takes the image of poor, economically
isolated country where there are many hungry refugees. We must do
everything to focus the attention of the international community and
Azeri people to the reality, Hovannisyan said.

NA Sitting Failed

NA SITTING FAILED

A1+
[04:54 pm] 28 February, 2007

Today the NA sitting failed because of the absence of the necessary
quorum. Out of 131 deputies only 23 were registered.

To remind, the agenda covered several draft laws awaiting second and
third hearing.

In case the necessary quorum is not provided tomorrow, the NA will
likely convene plenary session which will coincide with the election
campaign and therefore will arouse doubt among the public.

In this respect, Tigran Torosyan’s concern over organizing hasty
discussion of the draft law on insurance sphere during the four-day
session seems to be justified.

To remind, when Gurgen Arsenyan, leader of the United Labour Party,
highlighted the importance of the main law and urged not to consider
the packet in haste, Tigran Torosyan announced that unless the
packet was passed, the insurance field would remain out of control
by September-October which would greatly harm the sphere.

Thus, none of the bills of the agenda has been discussed today and
it is difficult to predict whether they will be considered lest the
necessary quorum (66 deputies) is provided in the Parliament.

Turkish Deputy Sends Letter To U.S. Congressmen Calling For Not Adop

TURKISH DEPUTY SENDS LETTER TO U.S. CONGRESSMEN CALLING FOR NOT ADOPTING RESOLUTION ON RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Feb 27 2007

ANKARA, FEBRUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Vahit Erdem,
deputy of Justice and Development ruling Turkish party, Chairman of
Turkish delegation at NATO Parliamentary Assembly, sent a letter
to members of U.S. Congress House of Representatives, in which he
calls for counteracting to the resolution on recognition of Armenian
Genocide introduced in January. "If the Congress adopts the Armenian
resolution, the relations between the two allied countries will be
seriously damaged. The Congress will make a big mistake if instead
of giving a historical estimation it makes political reasoning as a
number of European parliaments have done."

Erdem gave the copies of the letter to participants of NATO PA sitting
convened last week in Belgium.

According to the New Anatolian Turkish newspaper, the Turkish deputy
said that the letter proposes that Congressmen "rather concentrate
on not giving political estimations, but on the necessity to conduct
historic studies."

Erdem declared that the number of Armenians killed during the Genocide
"is exaggerated." "According to reliable Ottoman sources, the total
number of Armenians in Turkey amounted to 1 mln 300 thousand people,"
the Turkish parliamentarian asserted.