Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

FRENCH AMBASSADOR: FRANCE`S PARLIAMENT`S ADOPTING AN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAW NOT TO HAVE AN INFLUENCE ON OSCE`S ACTIVITY
Author: A. Ismayilova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 11 2006
France will not gain from the adoption of the law that will envisage
a criminal responsibility for a denial of the “Armenian Genocide”,
Bernard du Chaffaut, France`s Ambassador to Azerbaijan told during
the press-conference held today.
He pointed out that France`s National Assembly is expected to put
forward this draft which was initiated by France`s Socialist Party
for the Parliament`s discussion.
The French Ambassador underlined that if even the national Assembly
adopts this draft, it will not speak that it will certainly put into
force. The Senate`s adoption is also needed for this aim. And even
if the Senate adopts the draft, that will not be an official position
of the French Government.
The French diplomat also pointed out that the adoption of the law
cannot have an influence on France`s relations with Turkey and
many countries, including Azerbaijan. This position will not have
any influence on Turkey`s joining EU, and it should be mentioned
that President Jack Shirak voted “pro” Turkey`s affiliating to
the organization. He also added that according to French laws, the
President has no right to veto any bill adopted by the legislative body
of the country. France has the analogical law concerning Holocaust.
Commenting expressions concerning the demands to expel France from the
team of the Co-Chairs of OSCE Minsk Group on the Azerbaijani-Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Mr.
Chaffaut said that French Co-Chairman Bernard Fasier represents
France`s Government, not its Parliament. Therefore, in his opinion,
France`s expelling from the organization is out of the question.
“Moreover, neither Azerbaijan`s President nor its Foreign Office have
not made any announcement in this connection”, he told.

CHAIRMAN OF GREEK UNION OF FRIENDS OF ARMENIA, ARTSAKH AWARDED “MARSHAL BAGHRAMYAN” MEDAL
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006
YEREVAN, October 6. /ARKA/. The Chairman of the Greek Union of Friends
of Armenia and Artsakh, philanthropist Hrant Basmajan was awarded a
“Marshal Baghramyan” medal.
The medal was conferred on Basmajan for his patriotic activities by
RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan, who was on a visit to Greece.
The ceremony was held at the Armenian Embassy in Greece, during
Minister Sargsyan’s meeting with representatives of the Armenian
community, including members of the organ of trustees “Yerevan”
and Union of Friends of Armenia and Artsakh.
The meeting participants discussed the issues of improving the
professional level of Armenian students studying at Greek military
schools. P.T. -0–

IL FAUT RECONCILIER ARMENIENS ET TURCS
La Chronique D’Alexandre Adler
Le Figaro, France
05 octobre 2006
La visite officielle du president de la Republique en Armenie
represente un geste profond, emouvant et empreint d’une veritable
solennite. Il faut en effet remonter a l’epoque des croisades pour
voir des ancetres de la France actuelle entretenir d’intenses relations
diplomatiques avec le brillant royaume armenien de Cilicie.
Si la France porta avec son alliee russe le nouvel Etat armenien sur
les fonts baptismaux a la fin de la Première Guerre mondiale, on sait
que l’entente de la Turquie kemaliste et de la Russie leniniste empecha
tout simplement cette Republique de vivre, sinon dans le coeur de
tous les Armeniens de la diaspora, qui ont represente une immigration
exemplaire. Tout cela suffirait a donner a cette visite d’Etat une
signification symbolique considerable. Le risque, malgre tout, que
cette initiative revet aujourd’hui, c’est de ranimer les flammes de
la grande querelle armeno-turque a un moment particulièrement delicat
de la negociation entre la Turquie et l’Europe.
Et, de tout cela, comme dans un abcès tumefie et infecte, il faut
parler franchement pour debonder, nettoyer et desinfecter. Tout
d’abord, le problème du genocide. Certes, le terme fut forge de toutes
pièces, au procès de Nuremberg, par le grand avocat juif polonais
Raphaël Lemkin, pour tenter de qualifier un meurtre de masse qui
n’avait pas eu de precedent par son ampleur et sa premeditation.
Meme s’il est possible de montrer que les Turcs et les Kurdes n’ont
procede, en 1915, ni avec la premeditation ni avec la continuite du
dessein exterminateur que l’on voit a l’oeuvre chez les Allemands
nazis et leurs complices divers, il n’est tout simplement pas
humain de refuser au peuple armenien, avec l’emploi de ce terme, un
apaisement moral et un redressement symbolique auquel il a parfaitement
droit. Mais a la condition, puisque l’on veut sortir du solipsisme
moral qui avait conduit naïvement les juifs a se reserver une sorte de
monopole terminologique a la fin de la guerre, d’examiner la tragedie
armenienne dans son ensemble. Rien, bien sûr, n’excuse les crimes
commis par l’armee turque et ses irreguliers kurdes qui massacrèrent,
en quelques mois, la quasi-totalite de la population armenienne des
provinces orientales de l’empire. Mais ce crime s’insère tout de meme
dans une tragedie plus longue qui commence dès le congrès de Berlin
de 1878, lorsque la Russie voisine, qui a annexe sur la Turquie et
la Perse un bon tiers du territoire armenien, dès le debut du XIX e
siècle, s’arroge le droit de representer et de defendre les Armeniens
de Turquie auprès de la Porte. A partir de la, les Armeniens perdent
peu a peu aux yeux de leurs compatriotes ottomans le statut eleve
qui avait ete le leur.
Desormais, les elites armeniennes quittent, contraintes et forcees,
massivement le service de l’Etat turc, et notamment de ses finances,
tandis qu’une minorite substantielle se convertit par patriotisme
a l’islam. Mais dans le vieux pays armenien, où Turcs, Kurdes et
Armeniens vivent alors aussi melanges que chretiens et musulmans en
Bosnie ou en Macedoine, la communaute armenienne paraît de plus en plus
tournee vers la Russie chretienne, au moment pourtant où les grandes
reformes dues au mouvement Jeunes Turcs commencent a affirmer un debut
de laïcite qui permet d’ailleurs a des deputes armeniens de sieger au
Parlement d’Istanbul, après 1908. La catastrophe generalisee commence
en 1911. En Macedoine, en Bulgarie, des Turcs et des musulmans des
Balkans sont massacres en grand nombre après la defaite de l’armee,
creant chez certains militaires une evidente soif de vengeance. La
jeunesse armenienne ne cache pas son desir de s’emanciper d’un empire
moribond et attend l’armee russe en liberatrice. Celle-ci echouera,
livrant les populations civiles armeniennes sans defense a une loi
du talion atroce, acceleree par le desir des tribus kurdes nomades
de s’emparer des terres sedentaires des agriculteurs armeniens. Tel
est le recit terrible de ce drame, auquel chacune des deux nations
en presence devrait pouvoir apporter son temoignage, et d’abord
sous la forme d’un debat historique ouvert. C’est en effet a cette
condition non humiliante que l’opinion turque pourra etre arrachee a
une amnesie qui n’est pas le seul fruit de la propagande mais aussi
d’un traumatisme non cicatrise. C’est ce qui commence a se faire
avec des reunions d’historiens auxquelles le gouvernement d’Ankara
consent a present, de meme que les tribunaux turcs acquittent l’un
après l’autre les ecrivains qui, avec grand courage, soulèvent le
problème armenien. Ne nous faisons aucune illusion : il n’y aura pas
de continuation de ce processus si la Turquie a le sentiment qu’on
l’instrumentalise contre son adhesion a l’Europe, si l’histoire
reelle de cette periode continue d’etre occultee dans sa complexite
et si, enfin, l’Etat armenien independant, reparation enfin survenue
de la longue eclipse de la première nation chretienne de l’Europe,
ne se soumet pas a son tour, en Azerbaïdjan par exemple, a un droit
international qui ne saurait fonctionner dans un seul sens. N’oublions
pas surtout, en France, que le peuple armenien et le peuple turc ont
ete, l’un et l’autre, nos plus proches amis depuis fort longtemps. La
tâche de la France est donc parfaitement simple : il nous faut les
reconcilier. N’oublions pas, en France, que le peuple armenien et le
peuple turc ont ete, l’un et l’autre, nos plus proches amis.
–Boundary_(ID_I+Gh9KW56foGeicXcsMT2w)–

OYP AGAINST ARMENTEL
A1+
[03:19 pm] 05 October, 2006
Today a group of members of Orinats Yerkir Party organised a rally
opposite the government premises against the increase of telephone
tariffs by “ArmenTel”.
They condemn “AmenTel” for violating human rights and qualify their
decision as groundless. The participants of the rally claim that the
Greece operator “which provides low-quality connection” hasn’t got the
right to increase the telephone tariffs for a number of reasons. First
of all, they breech the provisions of License 60 and don’t provide
many remote dwelling places with telephone. Besides, the quality of
the connection doesn’t meet the lowest criteria existing all over
the world.
The quality of the Internet connection “seriously hinders the
development of informative technologies” whereas the Internet tariff
in Armenia are the highest in the region. The strikers call on the
government to prevent “ArmenTel” from implementing its subsequent
whim and turn down their decision to increase the tariffs. Otherwise,
they claim to involve large masses into the rally of protest.

ARMENIA TO SET CRIMINAL PUNISHMENT FOR GENOCIDE DENIAL
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.10.2006 18:39 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A bill on introducing amendments into the RA Penal
Code was passed during the Armenian parliament sitting today. The
bill provides for criminal punishment for denial, justification or
support of genocide or any other crimes against humanity. A fine
from hundred up to three hundreds of minimal salary or deprivation
of liberty up to 4 years is expected to be fixed, reports Yerkir.

KRETSCHMER REPLIES TO BUYUKANIT’S CRITICISMS
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 3 2006
The European Commission Turkey Representative, Hansjorg Kretschmer,
said the relationship between the army and civilian authorities in
Turkey is important, and that his previous criticism that “army and
civilian administration should be detached” was a friendly one.
Kretschmer stated that Turkey, in the EU membership process, should
solve this problem and said he believes Turkey will fully fulfill
criteria and become an EU member.
Kretschmer also emphasized there is no criteria for Turkey to recognize
the so-called Armenian genocide.
Live on Turkey’s NTV, Kretschmer answered questions on Turkey’s
membership in the EU.
Stating Turkey should settle the issues of human rights, freedoms,
democracy and independent judiciary, Kretschmer said they believe
Turkey will fulfill the determined criteria and become an EU member
if it maintains stability.
When asked a question on whether the army’s attitude will affect
Turkey’s membership or not, Kretschmer said the relationship between
the army and civilian administration is important and this problem
should be solved in the process of accession talks with the EU.
Another question touched on whether allegations of the Armenian
genocide will affect Turkey’s membership or not, to which Kretschmer
replied this issue is not an EU accession criteria. Stating the
negotiation process is a political process, not a technical one,
Kretschmer said the accession agreement will be signed when criteria
are fulfilled, and other EU member countries will discuss this issue.
Kretschmer added that some EU member countries may oppose Turkey’s
membership.
Upon being reminded that some nationalists in Turkey criticize the EU
for trying to divide the country, Kretschmer said these allegations
are totally untrue. Kretschmer stated the EU’s aim is to support a
peaceful Turkey, and added the basis is always the principles serving
the benefits of member countries.
Concerning the adequacy of the reform packages prepared, Kretschmer
said the government is making stable efforts to proceed with reforms,
and added reforms are extremely important for a positive image
for Turkey.
When asked whether negotiations will halt unless Turkey opens its
ports and airports to the Greek Cypriot part, Kretschmer replied
this question should be addressed to the EU Enlargement Commissioner,
Olli Rehn. Stating there is no threat against Turkey on this issue,
Kretschmer said the25 member countries will make the final decision.

ARMENIANS MAY ARTIFICIALLY HAVE FEW REPRESENTATIVES IN SAKREBULOS OF JAVAKHK
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 3 2006
AKHALKALAK, OCTOBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Elections of
local self-government bodies will take place in Georgia on October 5.
According to the acting legislation, 10 deputies in each of regional
sakrebulos must be elected by the proportional electoral system and
one representative at each of the lowest local self-government bodies
(rural and town sakrebulos) must be elected. 32 (10+22) deputies
will be elected in the Akhalkalak region, 20 (10+10) ones in the
Ninotsminda region, 25 (10+15) in the Akhaltskha region, 22 (10+12)
in the Aspindza region, 20 (10+10) ones in the Borzhom region, 37
(10+27) deputies will be elected in the Tsalka region. The A-Info
agency states about it.
It is expected that more than 20% of deputies at the sakrebulo in
the region of Akhalkalak will be not Armenians by origin, in spite of
the circumstance that 90% of the population of the region is Armenians.
The problem is that some Armenian villages were artificially united
into one administrative unit, in a rural sakrebulo, and villages
having not numerous Georgian population are represented by separate
sakrebulos.
By the same reasoning, Armenians will make a comparatively small number
in sakrebulo of the region of Tsalka, though they make majority of
the population, A-Info states.
Owing to 98% of Armenian population in the region of Ninotsminda and
presence of sakrebulos populated only by Armenians, only Armenians
will be voted here.
In the regions of Akhaltskha, Aspindza and Borzhom as well,
though Armenians do not make majority in sakrebulos, however their
representation is again artificially limited.

ANKARA SUR LA DEFENSIVE
by Laure Marchand
Le Figaro, France
03 octobre 2006
C’EST REPARTI pour un nouveau bras de fer diplomatique entre Paris et
Ankara. Vu de Turquie, le president francais a declenche le premier les
hostilites. “Chirac s’obstine : “reconnaissez le genocide armenien”,
titrait dimanche le quotidien populaire a grand tirage Sabah,
commentant ses propos tenus au cours de la visite d’Etat qu’il a
effectuee en Armenie. Au cours de sa conference de presse a Erevan
samedi, Jacques Chirac a etabli pour la première fois un lien entre la
reconnaissance par la Turquie du caractère genocidaire des massacres
contre les Armeniens et l’adhesion d’Istanbul a l’Union europeenne.
La Turquie qualifie toujours les tueries perpetrees sous l’Empire
ottoman de 1915 a 1917 de “pretendu genocide” et concède tout au
plus 500 000 morts de part et d’autre. Les declarations de Jacques
Chirac sur ce sujet très sensible n’ont pour l’instant pas provoque
de tolle generalise. Le premier ministre, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, en
deplacement a Washington où il doit rencontrer George W. Bush lundi,
n’a pas encore reagi. Mais le discours d’Erevan risque de conforter
la Turquie dans la conviction qu’elle a d’etre prise en otage par la
politique interieure francaise. “Il s’agit d’un beau compliment pour
conquerir le coeur des Armeniens de France, considère placidement
Mehmet Dulger, president de la commission des Affaires etrangères
du Parlement turc. Nous en avons un peu marre d’etre sans arret
au milieu des enjeux electoraux.” Lobbying La prochaine echeance
arrive d’ailleurs le 12 octobre : les deputes francais se pencheront
a nouveau sur une proposition de loi socialiste visant a penaliser
la negation du genocide armenien. Les peines prevues vont jusqu’a un
an d’emprisonnement et 45 000 euros d’amende. Mehmet Dulger devait
arriver ce matin a Paris, a la tete d’une delegation parlementaire
chargee de contre-attaquer et “de tenter de convaincre les elus de
renoncer a cette loi”. Le groupe turc reprend son bâton de pèlerin
pour la deuxième fois cette annee : un voyage de lobbying avait deja
eu lieu en mai dernier lors du premier examen du texte, non soumis au
vote faute de temps. En exigeant d’Ankara la reconnaissance du genocide
armenien, le president francais pose un obstacle supplementaire a
l’entree de la Turquie dans l’Union europeenne.
Bruxelles n’a pas fait de cette demarche historique un critère
d’adhesion. Mais le sujet s’immisce de plus en plus frequemment dans
les negociations. Le Parlement europeen a adopte le 27 septembre un
rapport non contraignant sur la candidature turque et a retire in
extremis un paragraphe qui contenait une demande similaire. Recep
Tayyip Erdogan avait declare a cette occasion, “le match a commence,
il n’est pas question d’en changer les règles”.
–Boundary_(ID_gi3XmK02yx8N0h2 v0qaD/w)–

IDEA ITSELF IS NONSENSE
By Gegham Qyurumian
AZG Armenian Daily
28/09/2006
The 3d Armenia-Diaspora-2006 forum set a main purpose of improving
rural infrastructures and stopping population flow from villages. The
idea to settle problems of the villages by reconstructing schools
and clinics is just a simple example of manifestation of the best
wishes. To prove the point I’ll remind of a number of slaughterhouses
in villages built on tens of thousand US dollars. When they were built
on Diaspora’s money and were officially opened officials trumpeted
that they were designed to bring relief to villagers. Absurdly enough,
agriculture representatives today ask each other if anyone has ever
seen a single calf in these slaughterhouses.
Those buildings doomed to idleness give a hint that a similar
fate awaits other rural infrastructures as it is not due to their
absence that rural residents leave the villages but due to absence
of necessary means to buy clothes and stationery for their children
to go to school. But there was no such item on the forum’s agenda. It
is the extremely low productivity of Armenian farmers’ work that puts
them on the edge of immigration.
The forum did not touch upon this situation but instead set a goal
of increasing the rural population by one in each village. Authors
of the project should be informed that in 15 rural communities out
of 24 selected growth of population has been recorded, according
to population census of 2001. According to the forum’s glamorous
“Eliminating Rural Poverty” magazine, Getik village of Gugharkunik
region, for one, has 530 residents whereas the census of 2001 has
counted 471 people. Jrap village of Shirak region in 2001 had a
population of 784 people, but according to the magazine this number
is 1051. This situation can be explained by the return of municipal
population to their roots to try to somehow keep body and soul together
in the village. It was necessary that the forum of powerful people
raised the issue of overcoming this situation.
Anyone acquainted with the very day life of Armenia will testify that
2/3 of goods that we consume is an import that reaches to 1 billion
USD. The interest of some of high-ranking officials to see a market
full of imports can be understood. But one cannot understand why the
officials neglect the possibility to solve country’s problems by the
work of Armenian farmers.

“JOURNALISTIC ORGANISATIONS ARE CONCERNED”
A1+
[12:16 pm] 26 September, 2006
The remarks and suggestions of Journalists’ Union, Yerevan Press
Club and “Internews” NGO on the draft amendments to the RA law on
“Television and Radio”
Taking into consideration the freedom of expression, media diversity
and their significant role in the society as well as the necessity
of establishing democratic, legal system, we present the following
observations; 1. Certain amendments to the bill, with the exception
of Article 21 referring to the appointment of the members to the
Nation Commission, are not in line with the motives of the draft
admission. Article 83.2 of the Constitution, according to which an
independent regulating body is formed by law to provide freedom of
mass media and diversity, cannot serve a convincing basis to endorse
such amendments.
On the other hand, the contents of Article 21 with its current
formulation doesn’t comply with the demands of Article 83.2 lest the
change of National Commission members according to the constitutional
demands are made clear. In fact, this is an attempt of avoiding
adjustment of the legislation to the constitutional amendments in
close future. Taking into account the fact that the current members
are appointed by the RA President, we suggest involving 8 members
elected by the National Assembly in the Commission. As a result of
this members will be elected equally by the RA President and by
the National Assembly. Besides, the demands of Article 11 of the
Constitution according to which “current members must hold their
posts by the time their term of office stipulated by the RA law on
“Television and Radio” has expired” will not be breeched. 2. We assume
that the attempt of the government to put the draft amendments on the
agenda of the national Assembly without holding public debates and
consultation with market representatives will have its side-effect
on the quality of the Law.
Besides, in comparison with the adopted democratic principles,
it merely ignores the opinion of civil society. We also think
that the annulation of the advertisement restrictions is a
real threat as it offers unequal conditions at the market of
advertisement. It is obvious that such amendments must be taken
into serious consideration. The interests of private TV Companies
and audience must be taken into consideration as well. 3. Reminder:
the bill doesn’t reflect the opinion of international organisations
and NGOs, a number of suggestions made on the legislation as well as
the provisions of consultations 96 (10) and 2000 (23) of the Council
of Europe. Finally, in regard of the absence of Commission’s freedom,
the draft amendments may strengthen the negative phenomena connected
with the sphere regulation and worsen the current situation.
We voice hope that the RA Government and National Assembly will take
into account our observations and suggestions and will hold mass
discussions on the bill.