Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

DEEP STATE GANG PLANNED TO KILL PAMUK

Today’s Zaman
Jan 25 2008
Turkey

Since the detainment earlier this week of dozens of members of a
crime gang, part of a shadowy network that masterminded many attacks
in Turkey whose perpetrators have not been found, an investigation
into the gang has revealed more of the group’s plans, newspapers
reported on Thursday.

The gang was plotting to kill Nobel Literature Prize-winning author
Orhan Pamuk and had already hired the hit man to do the job, the
investigation found. Thirty-three suspects accused of being part of
the gang, which calls itself Ergenekon, were detained by the Ýstanbul
Police Department’s counterterrorism unit in Ýstanbul and other
parts of the country in dawn raids on Tuesday, the culmination of an
eight-month operation. The police have been observing the actions of
the suspects for three-quarters of a year as part of an investigation
into a house full of explosives and ammunition found in a shantytown
in Ýstanbul’s Umraniye district in the June of 2007.

The investigation has found that the gang is linked to a clandestine
phenomenon referred to as the "deep state" in Turkey that stages
attacks using "behind-the-scene" paramilitary organizations such
as Ergenekon to foment public opinion according its own political
agenda. Ergenekon is the title of a legend that describes how Turks
came into existence.

This particular gang is suspected of involvement in a number of
political attacks on individuals and institutions, including the
murder of ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink. At least eight of
the suspects are retired from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

The suspects, who include retired military generals, journalists and
underground bosses, have not yet been charged and are still under
interrogation, but the police found a list of people the gang had
planned to assassinate, including pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party
(DTP) deputies Ahmet Turk, Leyla Zana and Sebahat Tuncel; Diyarbakýr
Mayor Osman Baydemir; Nobel Prize-winning author Pamuk; and journalist
Fehmi Koru, who is also a regular columnist for Today’s Zaman.

Pamuk was their next target

Charges of denigrating Turkishness had once been brought against
Pamuk over remarks he made to a Swiss newspaper about the number of
Kurds and Armenians killed in Turkey. Pamuk was apparently the next
planned assassination on the gang’s list. According to daily Posta,
Ret. Maj. Gen. Veli Kucuk, who was detained in Tuesday’s raid, had
contacted through Muhammed Yuce — a former army sergeant — Ret.

Col. Fikri Karadað, requesting he find them a hit man to do the job.

Karadað is the leader of the ultranationalist Association for the
Union of Patriotic Forces (VKGB), whose leaders are already under
detainment facing several charges for crimes from theft and felony
to blackmail and extortion. Also, at least two VKGB members were
detained in relation to the Ergenekon investigation in Diyarbakýr
on Wednesday. The hit man they found was identified by the police as
Selim A. The Ergenekon crowd found YTL 2 million — the pay promised
to Selim A. — and a Glock revolver for the assassination. Selim A.

was captured after the police found out about the plan by monitoring
phone conversations. In addition to Selim A. and Kucuk, Karadað and
Yuce were also detained in Tuesday’s operation.

An unresolved murder resolved?

Police have found evidence linking the Ergenekon gang to the
assassination of Necip Hablemitoðlu, shot to death in 2002 after
concluding that residents of the Bergama region campaigning against
gold prospecting in their area were manipulated by Germans protecting
their economic interests, in a comprehensive study he conducted on
the subject. An Ýzmir businessman questioned over the Hablemitoðlu
murder as a key suspect was later killed by a hand-grenade thrown
into his Alsancak office, which was allegedly the work of the gang
to keep him silent. The businessman reportedly threatened the gang,
saying he would confess if they failed to pay him the money they
promised for the academic’s assassination.

The man to lead the investigation

Various reports that appeared in Turkish newspapers on Thursday
praised prosecutor Zekeriya Oz, who is leading the Umraniye arms depot
investigation, for his bravery. Daily Taraf said the main reason
the Ergenekon suspects were able to be found was that the fearless
prosecutor did not give up on following through on the investigation
until the end, despite threats he received from retired TSK members
Oktay Yýldýrým and Muzaffer Tekin, who were detained in the initial
stage of the Umraniye investigation.

Taraf quoted a senior police officer as saying he is like a
"kamikaze." The same source told the daily: "He would not have been
able to take the investigation so far without solid evidence.

Ýstanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah even stopped when he saw the
names the investigation was leading to, but Oz did not stop. Mr. Oz
is a fighter, and he believes in the supremacy of law. The prosecutor
conducted a very lengthy investigation process. He spent days and
nights at the police department."

Meet the gang members

The suspects detained in Tuesday’s operation included Kucuk, a
retired major general who is also the alleged founder of an illegal
intelligence unit in the gendarmerie, the existence of which is
denied by officials; the controversial ultranationalist lawyer
Kemal Kerincsiz, who filed countless suits against Turkish writers
and intellectuals who were at odds with Turkey’s official policies;
Fikret Karadað, a retired army colonel; Sevgi Erenerol, the press
spokesperson for a group called the Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate;
Guler Komurcu, a columnist for the Ak?am daily; and Sami Ho?tan, a
key figure in an investigation launched after a car accident in 1996
near the small town of Susurluk that uncovered links between a police
chief, a convicted fugitive who was an ultranationalist and a deputy.

Ali Yasak, a well-known gangster linked to the figures in the Susurluk
incident, was also detained in the operation.

Special Bureau chief also detained

Yet another suspect was taken into custody on Thursday as part of
the Ergenekon operation. A man named Erkut Ersoy, who founded an
organization called the Special Bureau Intelligence Group — which
according to Ersoy himself has submitted intelligence to certain state
agencies since 1998 — was detained. Ersoy is known to be a good friend
of Karadað. This unique organization is a private intelligence unit
whose employees collect information as regular intelligence officers.

In an earlier interview with the press, Ersoy said that 756 people from
a variety of fields, from students, doctors and housewives to lawyers,
worked with the Special Bureau. Ersoy said that his organization was
similar to the "White Forces," a special unit made up of civilian
staff under the TSK’s Special War Department. Ersoy also claimed the
group had people from the Turkish General Staff and the National
Intelligence Organization (MÝT) as well as police officers among
its staff. He stated that they reported individuals or vehicles that
seemed suspicious to the relevant authorities.

According to Ersoy’s own description of this rather strange company,
he set up the Special Bureau to solve problems his acquaintances
from various official intelligence units would frequently talk
about. "We said if there is such a demand, we should have it [this
organization]. This is how we set up the group in Ýstanbul." Special
Bureau agents say they fight every terrorist organization, particularly
the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and against Armenian genocide
allegations.

This unique structure is according to Ersoy not an alternative to
the state’s own sources of intelligence. "We are not rivals to them,
nor do we desire to take on their duties. We are only supporting the
state’s security institutions. We help them to complete certain things
faster and get results. Some people are afraid to apply directly to
the police for their own reasons. We act as intermediaries. Soon we
will set up a [hot] line to report crimes.

All our work is done with the knowledge of the state’s own intelligence
agencies. They protect us. We wouldn’t have been able to do this
otherwise."

Ersoy also said their bureau was open to everyone who wanted to
be recruited, as long as they were patriotic or sympathetic to
nationalists. "We are a nationalist group, at the end of the day,"
he had said. Ýstanbul Today’s Zaman

–Boundary_(ID_ttIFE6DmQBXMI+Od5shj7g)–

CHINGIZ ASGAROV: REJECTION OF THE LIST OF CANDIDATES TO EUROPEAN COURT IS PRESSURE AGAINST AZERBAIJAN

Azeri Press Agency
Jan 25 2008
Azerbaijan

"Some forces want to harm Azerbaijan by rejecting the list of the
candidates for the post of judge of the European Court of Human
Rights," Azerbaijani representative to the European Court of Human
Rights Chingiz Asgarov told APA exclusively.

Commenting on the decision of PACE Sub-Committee on the Election of
Judges to the European Court of Human Rights Chingiz Asgarov said
that rejection of the list is pressure against Azerbaijan.

"Probably, these are games of pro-Armenian forces in PACE, who are
against Azerbaijan," he said.

The representative did not agree to the statements of a number
of Azerbaijani NGOs and lawyers that the procedure of election of
candidates was not transparent.

"We showed Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe (CE) procedure
on electing candidates as an example. Then the list was presented
to Parliamentary Assembly. But after the list was submitted to PA
opposite forces started game against Azerbaijan and involved forces
from Azerbaijan to this game," he said.

Chingiz Asgarov said that appeals on the rejection of the list
submitted by Azerbaijan were mode for the forces in Europe which are
against Azerbaijan.

"They used forces inside our country as a means for achieving their
purpose," he said.

The representative said that it is not yet known when procedure on
electing Azerbaijani candidate for judgeship in ECHR will start.

"Council of Europe should send invitation to Azerbaijan for it. The
procedure will possibly be repeated, as Committee of the Ministers
of Council of Europe estimated procedure held in Azerbaijan," he said.

Mr. Asgarov said that Azerbaijani judge Khanlar Hajiyev will function
as judge of European Courts of Human Right until new judge is elected.

Mr. Asgarov saying that there is no official document of PACE on the
rejection of the list said nothing about causes of it.

TEHRAN-YEREVAN-MOSCOW AXIS FORMATION VITAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.01.2008 17:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Formation of Ankara-Baku-Tbilisi geopolitical
axis has already become obvious," RA National Assembly Vice Speaker,
presidential hopeful Vahan Hovhannisian said in an interview with
Military Diplomat magazine.

"In this aspect, formation of Tehran-Yerevan-Moscow axis will be not
only a counterbalance but a vital necessity for Armenia," he said.

"Turkey, Azerbaijan and Baku are aspired for the role of regional
hegemon. In absence of retaliatory measures, their activity can
transform into a cynical "blocking of oxygen" against those who don’t
support them. I think that frequent meetings of the Russian, Armenian
and Iranian leaders will produce effect and promote implementation
of joint projects," Mr Hovhannisian said.

WORLD PEACE EVENT MARCH 21, 2008

AZG Armenian Daily
25/01/2008

Social

Irys Manoukian that lives in Los Angeles sent a letter that says,
in November 2007, she heard there was a project being prepared and
Prince Ali was in charge of the Middle East countries. She wanted
Armenia to be part of that huge event, she asked why Armenia was
not present, then she has convinced Prince Ali to welcome Armenia,
and he has appointed her as the Director of the Advisory Board in
World Peace Events for Armenia.

Being a charity event, charity concerts will take place in the future,
in different places, and Irys Manoukian will do everything for the
next concert to take place in Yerevan. Her goal is to allocate all
the benefits which will be made to finance orphanages and hospitals
for children in Armenia.

She has personally invited Rouben Hakhverdyan to come and sing on a
benevolent basis on March 21, 2008 at the Convention Center of Los
Angeles. Rouben will perform in front of billions of people, and he
will show that Armenia is also struggling for peace in world.

PACE REGRETS ABSENCE OF MUTUALLY-ACCEPTED SOLUTION TO KOSOVO

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.01.2008 18:15 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe considers the solution of the Kosovo status process as a
fundamental element for ensuring peace and long-term stability in
Europe. Determining the future status of Kosovo is a highly sensitive
political issue with serious regional and wider international
implications and is a challenge for the international community,"
reads a PACE resolution on Kosovo’s future status.

"The Assembly deeply regrets that, at this stage, no mutually-accepted
solution has been found. The dialogue engaged over this period
has been precious in clarifying to what extent there is room for
an agreement, amongst others, on issues such as the protection of
national minorities, the protection of cultural and religious heritage
and decentralisation.

However, the position of the two sides as regards status remains
unchanged.

"The failure to reach a compromise under the period of engagement of
the Troika opens a period of great uncertainty: amongst the possible
scenarios, it is not to be excluded that the Kosovo Assembly decides
to resort to a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, should the UNSC
be incapable of achieving a unanimous position and imposing a solution.

"The Assembly urges the parties concerned to continue to act in a
responsible manner, keep their pledge to preserve peace and dialogue
in all circumstances and refrain from any incitement to violence.

"The Assembly reiterates its aspiration for Kosovo to be, irrespective
of its status, a multi-ethnic area which is safe for all those who
live in it, where Council of Europe standards of democracy, rule of
law, protection of human rights and rights of national minorities,
and good governance are fully enforced, where the recourse offered
by the European Convention on Human Rights is available to everyone
and where the values of democracy, tolerance and multiculturalism
are shared by its people and institutions," the resolution says.

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN BUSINESSMAN BORIS PETROSIAN INTENDS TO SET UP VENTURE FUND IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Jan 22, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. Boris Petrosian, a Russian-Armenian
businessman, chairman of Sapphire company (Armenia) and co-founder of
Mshak company intends to set up a venture fund in Armenia. Informing
NT correspondent about it, he added that he has assisted with
development of science and science-intensive technologies in Armenia
for 15 years. In Russia he engaged in science-related business,
construction and lease of commercial facilities. So far B. Petrosian
has invested more than 10 million dollars in Armenia. Besides,
the businessman provides assistance to two departments of Armenian
technical universities by financing training of students abroad.

In his words, development of Sapphire plant’s production is equivalent
to Armenia’s having large oil resources as the market of this plant
is increasing by 40% with every passing year. "I strive so that
Sapphire’s output will make up 10-20% of the world market. 30 units
for artificial growth of sapphires operate at the plant".

"There are plans to synthesize new artificial sapphire-based substances
to be used in energy saving and alternative energy technologies,"
he said.

(Substances obtained on the basis of artificial sapphire are also
used in mechanisms and optical electronics). He envisages launching
production of 5th generation incandescent lamps with the use of new
artificial sapphire-based substances. Such lamps use 20 times less
energy than similar ones with the same capacity, which are currently
in use.

Speaking about the policy conducted by the state, B. Petrosian
said: "Unfortunately, after the incorrect privatization process,
all wealth that our fathers left for us has been scattered. A state
is rich when it has production and exports. Whereas, 90% of the RA
National Assembly’s busienssmen deputies are importers who work for
their own profit and against the Armenian economy". In his opinion,
a holding to unite non-food industrial plants should be founded in
Armenia in order to solve problems related to the use of local raw
materials, reduction of production’s power intensity, introduction of
science-intensive technologies, promotion of exports and ensuring a
higher degree of production transportability. "At present, instead
of domestically produced molybdenum being bought for 27 dollars a
kilogram, it is bought abroad for 250 dollars a kilogram and then
brought back to Armenia," he said.

B. Petrosian expressed an opinion that in order to develop
science-intensive technologies in the country, the state should apply
some assistance mechanisms, particularly, in the form of privileges
used in many countries.

"In making some investments, I am aware that their result may be seen
in a hundred years when I will be no longer alive. However, I do so in
the name of the future, and the state should realize that investments
in science are made for the future," he underlined. Besides, the
businessman pointed out the necessity to create legislative mechanisms
banning brain drain and unlicenced transfer and export of intellectual
property, particularly, technologies.

ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO PACE TO MAKE STATEMENTS ON SEVERAL REPORTS OF WINTER SESSION AGENDA IN STRASBOURG

arminfo
2008-01-22 13:50:00

ArmInfo. Armenian delegation to PACE is going to make statements
on several reports of winter session agenda in Strasbourg, chief
specialist of the foreign relations department of the Armenian National
Assembly, Armenia’s representative in PACE permanent secretariat
Estera Mkrtumyan.

She said, in particular, that speeches of members of the Armenian
delegation to PACE are scheduled today – that of the head of the
permanent commission on European integration Avet Adonts and the
leader of the Heritage faction Raffi Hovannisian. Moreover, members
of the Armenian delegation are going to ask questions to Slovakia’s
Foreign Minister Jan Kubis and Secretary General of the Council of
Europe Terry Davis regarding preserving of the cultural heritage in
the South Caucasus and Nagornyy Karabakh. Over the PACE session, which
will last till 25 January, representatives of the Armenian delegation
will also make speeches on the reports "Rights and obligations of
opposition in democratic parliament", "Necessity of preserving of
the European sports model", "UN Security Council and ‘black lists"
of the European Union", "Georgia’s obligations", etc.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FROM ARF DASHNAKTSUTYUN VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN IS THE FIRST AMONG PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO ANSWER ‘HERITAGE’ PARTY’S QUESTIONS IN WRITTEN

arminfo
2008-01-21 18:47:00

ArmInfo. Armenian presidential candidate from ARF Dashnaktsutyun Vahan
Hovhannisian was the first among the presidential candidates to answer
"Heritage" party’s questions in written.

A reliable source told ArmInfo, V. Hovannisyan’s written answers to
"Heritage" party’s questionnaire reached the office of the opposition
"Heritage" party in the morning, January 21. ARFD’s contender to
the presidential post answered all the 22 questions posed to all the
candidates by the "Heritage party’s Board on December 18, 2007.

To note, this took place two days after ARFD’s Board made a decision,
according to which the party, which hasn’t the right to participate in
the presidential election with its own candidate still doesn’t intend
to support any of the candidates. It was stated in the decision adopted
by the managing body of "Heritage" party, in the night of January 19,
that none of the presidential candidates has officially responded to
the questionnaire of public information. Concern was also expressed
in the document in connection with that the opposition never learnt
a lesson from the latest parliamentary election and didn’t take the
path of consolidation. "Heritage" party’s board appealed presidential
candidates Vazgen Manukyan, Vahan Hovhannisyan, Artur Baghdasaryan
and Levon Ter-Petrosyan to reconsider their election strategy.

"If the need, that at least two of the above mentioned join, is not
met, the party will make its final decision later", the decision of
"Heritage" party’s Board says. It is obvious that ARFD’s presidential
candidate Vahan Hovhannisian, who was the first to answer Heritage’s
questions after this decision, hopes to get its support in the
presidential election.

NINE CANDIDATES REGISTERED FOR ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL RACE
by Natalia Leshchenko

Global Insight
Jan 21 2008

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has closed the registration of
candidates for the 19 February presidential election. Nine people
who met the signature collection and financial deposit ($26US,000)
requirements were put on the list: Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan,
deputy parliament speaker Vahan Hovannisian, former President
Lev Ter-Petrossian, former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian
and two other opposition leaders, Artashes Geghamian and Vazgen
Manukian. The businessman and TV commentator Tigran Karapetian,
university lecturer Aram Harutiunian, and Nagorno-Karabakh’s former
permanent representative to Armenia Arman Melikian, are also on the
list, Radio Liberty reports.

Significance:The presidential race officially kicks off today. While
the ruling elite has put forward one candidate, Serzh Sargsyan,
the opposition did not agree on one figure–with at least four
opposition candidates running, that is highly likely to split any
anti-establishment vote. The opposition would not be helped by
independent polls either, which are used to offset and verify the
official results, as they saw the polls as biased in favour of the
government and asked the United States, which funded the survey,
to stop polling. The responsibility of estimating the quality of the
election will thus rest primarily with the international observers
who will be attending the presidential election.

Lragir, Armenia
Jan 16 2008

NKR SECURITY IS NOT LIABLE TO MANIPULATION

`In today’s meeting we reasserted our loyalty to the peace settlement
of the issue,’ NKR President Bako Sahakyan stated after the meeting
with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

According to the NKR president, the statements of the Azerbaijani
government cannot foster the peace settlement of the issue.

`Our stance is the same: the security of Karabakh with all its
components is not liable to manipulations,’ Bako Sahakyan emphasized.

At the same time, he said the co-chairs presented general views
uttered by the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments. `Judging by
those views, there are points which, at least for us, do not satisfy
the interests of the NKR people.’

With regard to the effectiveness of the negotiations and meetings the
president said they will be satisfactory `if a lasting solution is
reached.’ `It is the independence of our country which will be
recognized by the international community,’ he added.

Bako Sahakyan says a breakthrough would be possible this year if NKR
participated in the talks as a full-right party. `At the same time,
we emphasized that we are interested in the continuation of
participation of Armenia in the talks, and we think that the
participation of Armenia fosters maintenance of peace,’ the NKR
president mentioned.