Author: Zakarian Garnik

ROYAL HAS ONE CONDITION: "RECOGNIZE THE GENOCIDE"

Sabah, Turkey
April 4 2007

The most powerful candidate in the presidential election in France,
Royal: "Turkey can access the EU if it recognizes the Armenian
genocide."

Segolene Royal, the candidate from the Socialist Party spoke before
the elections to be held this month: "Turkey should make progress
about recognizing its crimes in the past. If I win the election,
my official opinion for foreign affairs will be making the denial of
the genocide a crime."

"Penalty for denying genocide" should become a law

France’s powerful presidential candidate, Segolene Royal, mentioned the
Armenian genocide in an interview with an Armenian magazine: "Turkey
should recognize its crimes in the past to become a member of the EU."

The candidate from the Socialist party, Segolene Royal states:
"we know that Turkey should make progress in regards to recognizing
its crimes in the past. If I win the election, my official opinion
on foreign affairs will be making the denial of a genocide a crime."

Royal, the strongest supporter of the Armenian genocide bill, made
a commitment that the bill passed from in the parliament will be
enforced as a law.

TURKISH HISTORIAN CLEARED OF CHARGES FOR DECLARING ‘GENOCIDE’

The New Anatolian, Turkey
April 2 2007

An Istanbul court decided late in January not to pursue charges against
a Turkish historian for declaring a "genocide" of Armenians had been
committed during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, daily Radikal
revealed over the weekend.

In an article in Agos, a Turkish-Armenian weekly, historian Taner
Akcam had written, "The 1915-1917 deportations and massacres of
Armenians constituted a genocide."

The complaint against Akcam was filed by Recep Akkus at the
prosecutor’s office of Istanbul’s Eyup district. The charges against
Akcam were under controversial Turkish Penal Code (TCK) Article 301
for insulting Turkishness, as well as various other articles for
instigating a crime, praising a crime and criminals, and instigating
public animosity and hatred.

The prosecutor’s office said that such writing about an alleged
genocide is covered by freedom of speech and thus it is not "insulting
Turkishness." The Jan. 30 decision came just 12 days the assassination
of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, Agos’ editor in chief. Dink,
too, had been facing charges for insulting Turkishness when he was
murdered.

Radikal noted that the prosecutor of Istanbul’s Sisli district filed
a case against Dink after remarks in which he said, "Of course I say
this is a genocide."

In another article titled "Hrant Dink, 301 and a criminal complaint,"
Akcam wrote, "I believe the 1915-1917 deportations and massacres
of Armenians constituted a genocide. I reiterate this at every
opportunity. I have written books, articles and even columns on this
issue. If describing this as genocide is a crime, I commit this crime
nearly every week."

Akcam’s lawyer Erdal Dogan also underlined that the decision is late
but important within the framework of freedom of speech.

Speaking to bianet, Dogan said "I wish our prosecutors had made
similar decisions before Dink was murdered. It’s sad that justice
was remembered after the assassination of Dink."

Article 301 is a controversial article of the penal code which took
taking effect in June 2005, introduced as part of a package of penal
law reform in the process preceding the opening of negotiations for
Turkey’s European Union membership, in order to bring Turkey up to
EU standards. It makes it a crime to insult "Turkishness." Since this
article became law, charges have been brought in more than 60 cases,
some of which are high profile.

DEATH OF ARMENIA’S PRIME MINISTER MAY INTENSIFY THE STRUGGLE FOR POWER.

Eurasian Home Analytical Resource, Russia
March 29 2007

The sudden death of Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan came
quite as a shock to the country. On May 12, 2007 the parliamentary
elections will be held in Armenia. These elections will have a pivotal
role in formation of a new political system because the country is
one year from the presidential elections. Andranik Margaryan, head
of the biggest ruling Republican Party, was one of the key figures.

Having managed to hold the Premier’s post for 7 years, he could soften
the political confrontation before the presidential elections.

After his death the political struggle in Armenia is quite likely to
become more severe, this will tell on the country’s moral atmosphere.

However, Margaryan’s death will not lead to serious political
conflicts.

President Robert Kocharian and the ruling coalition have decided that
it is the Republican Party’s member who will become Prime Minister.

Minister of Defense Serge Sarkisian has been appointed acting Prime
Minister. However, it is unclear whom the President will submit to
the Parliament for approval to the Premier’s post. It may be once
again Serge Sarkisian. In this case, Sarkisian will have very good
chances of driving the Republican Party into the National Assembly.

Now Sarkisian seems to be the most likely candidate for the premiership
in 2008. At the same time, it is questionable if Robert Kocharian will
accept such a powerful figure as Sarkisian. If Kocharian is going to
prevent Sarkisian from strengthening his position excessively, then
a weaker person, for example, Minister of Territorial Administration
Hovik Abrahamyan will be appointed Premier. Abrahamyan also belongs
to the Republican Party, but he is more inclined to be subordinate
to the President.

One cannot say that the Prime Minister’s death will change the
relations between the authorities and the opposition. Today the
Armenian opposition is extremely weak and is not able to compete
with the parties in power. So, the opposition cannot take advantage
of the situation to destabilize the political status quo. However,
the government configuration may be changed in some way. Now the
most active struggle has started between the Republican Party headed
by Serge Sarkisian and the Prosperous Armenia Party backed by the
President. Here the new lay of the land can change the correlation
of political forces in a sense, but the changes are unlikely to be
dramatic. On the whole, only the political atmosphere can take a turn
for the worse because the struggle for power is becoming fierce.

ANDRANIK MARGARIAN LAID TO REST

ARMENPRESS
Mar 28 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS: Armenians said today their last
farewell to Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, who died last Sunday
of an apparent heart failure. President Kocharian declared March 28 a
day of mourning and all flags in Armenia and its embassies abroad were
lowered and all cultural and entertainment programs were cancelled.

The coffin with Margarian’s body was taken today from his apartment
to the central office of his Republican party and then to the lobby of
the Opera and Ballet Theatre, where it was laid in state for thousands
of Armenians and representatives from many countries to pay the last
tribute to Margarian who was 56. Then the mourning procession headed
towards Komitas Pantheon where Andranik Margarian was laid to rest.

"It is a big sorrow and a big loss for Armenian people, and also for
the Greek people.. Andranik Margarian was a big friend of Greece,"
deputy foreign minister of Greece, Teodor Kasimis told Armenian
journalists after paying the last respect to Andranik Margarian at
Opera and Ballet Theater.

Mathew Bryza, the U.S. cochairman in the OSCE Minsk Group and
U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state, said it was a very sad day
today. "I had honor to known prime minister Andranik Margarian who
was a strong partner of the USA," he said.

Lithuanian nature protection minister Arunos Kunorotos said the
untimely death of Andranik Margarian is a big loss to Armenia and its
people. "We appreciate all important things we implemented together
with Armenian government headed by Andranik Margarian and hope to
continue our effective cooperation," he said.

Robert Simmons, NATO special representative for Central Asia and the
South Caucasus, said he was mourning with Armenian people the untimely
death of prime minister Margarian.

"Armenia lost its great son and I lost a good friend,’ Georgia’s
prime minister Zurab Nogaideli said.

Vladimir Rushailo, executive secretary of the CIS, representatives
from France, Canada, Turkish ambassador to Georgia and many other
foreign dignitaries visited the theater’s lobby to pay their last
respect to Andranik Margarian.

In a related news, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov visited
today the embassy of Armenia in Moscow to convey his condolences over
Andranik Margarian’s death and made a note in the book of condolences.

Armenian ambassador Armen Smbatian said visited the embassy also
Nikolay Bordyuzha, secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), members of the Russian parliament and about 50
foreign ambassadors stationed in Moscow.

Smbatian said diplomats from Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow said
they would like to also visit the Armenian embassy and express their
sympathies over the death of Armenian prime minister.

Andranik Margarian was appointed Prime Minister in 2000 to bring
a degree of stability to the country after a terrorist raid on its
parliament on October 27, 1999 in which its prime minister Vazgen
Sarkisian, parliament speaker Karen Demirchian and several other top
government members were killed.

In the aftermath of the gunmen’s surrender president Robert
Kocharian appointed Vazgen’s brother, Aram, prime minister. But
Kocharian replaced him with Margarian several months later. Since
then Margarian had been the head of the government, being the longest
serving Armenian prime minister and leader of the Republican Party,
the largest grouping in the Armenian Parliament.

He was born in 1951 in Yerevan to a family of refugees from Western
Armenia, and educated at the Yerevan Polytechnic Institute, where
he qualified as a computer engineer. In 1968 he joined the illegal
National United Party, which agitated against Soviet domination
of Armenia.

In 1974 he was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for
disseminating anti-Soviet ideas. When Armenia declared its independence
from the Soviet Union in 1991 he became a member of the new Republican
Party, and became a deputy of the national assembly in 1995.

PRIME MINISTER ANDRANIK MARGARYAN BURIED IN KOMITAS PANTHEON

Yerkir
28.03.2007 14:49

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Today, Armenia bid farewell to Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan. Yesterday, President Robert Kocharian, NA Speaker
Tigran Torosian, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan and other officials
attended the civil rites.

The official farewell ceremony took place at the State Academic
Opera & Ballet Theater of Armenia named after Al. Spendiaryan. At 3
p.m. Andranik Margaryan was buried in the Pantheon named after Komitas.

Delegations from a number of states as well as NATO Envoy for South
Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons and Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, OSCE MG Co-chair Matthew
J. Bryza arrived in Yerevan to participate in the funeral.

Andranik Margaryan died on March 25 afternoon from a cardiac arrest
caused by loss of circulation of the blood in coronary vessels.

F-16.net
March 26 2007

Turkey suspends F-16 purchase from US over Cyprus ban

Turkey has reportedly suspended negotiations with the US over the
purchase of an additional 30 F-16 fighters after Washington set the
condition that they not be flown over the divided Mediterranean
island of Cyprus.

Military sources close to the Turkish Air Force Command (THK) told
Today’s Zaman that US technology restrictions, including a ban on
their usage by Turkey over Cyprus, irked Ankara. "The US condition
that fighters should not be used over Cyprus made us mad," said a
source at the THK.

The US has not imposed any such restriction on the around 300 F-16s
already in Turkey’s inventory, said the same sources, adding that the
possible adoption of an alleged Armenian genocide bill by the US
Congress sometime in April has no direct links with Turkey’s
suspension of talks over the F-16 purchase.

Turkey and the US have also been in dispute over the price of the
F-16s, estimated at around $2.9 billion. The US Congress approved
earlier this year the sale of an additional 30 advanced F-16 Block 50
aircraft as well as associated equipment and services under Foreign
Military Sale (FMS) credit to Turkey.

US’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), when it notified the
US Congress in late September last year of the Turkish decision to
buy additional F-16s, said, "This proposed sale will not adversely
affect either the military balance in the region or US efforts to
encourage a negotiated settlement of the Cyprus questions." The
island of Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish north and Greek
south since 1974.

According to well-informed military sources, the Turkish Armed Forces
(TSK) have been attaching great importance on the attitude of the US
over Turkey’s outlawed terrorist organization the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK), reported to have been preparing for attacks inside
Turkey in their bases in neighboring northern Iraq.`Rather than
Armenian genocide bill, the PKK issue has the potential to turn
upside down Turkish-US strategic relations on the part of Ankara. If
the US does not take action against the PKK in northern Iraq or allow
the Turkish military to stage a cross-border operation, the THK may
even consider to abandon the idea of buying around 100 JSF fighters
from the US,’ stated one air force source.

During the American-Turkish Council (ATC) meeting due to start in
Washington early next week, both the PKK and the Armenian genocide
bill are expected to top the agenda, in addition to the F-16 and JSF
purchases.

html

The visit of Robert Simmons postponed

ArmRadio.am
26.03.2007 12:20

The visit of the Special Representative of the NAO Secretary General for the
South Caucasus Robert Simmons to Yerevan has been postponed because of the
untimely death of the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, Mediamax
reports.

New terms of the visit have not been fixed yet.

277 GUESTS INVITED TO OPENING CEREMONY OF SURB KHACH CHURCH ON
AGHTAMAR ISLAND

ISTANBUL, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Turkish
government sent invitations to participate in the opening ceremony of
Surb Khach Church on Aghtamar Island of Van to 277 organizations and
persons from 13 countries. According to the Turksih newspaper
"Zaman", among those invited are representatives of the mistries of
culture of Georgia, Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, clergymen
representing various countries, Armenian Diasporan figures,
ambassadors accredited in Ankara, etc. 25 French reporters were
invited. The newspaper "Marmara" calls attention to this fact
reminding that denial of the Armenian Genocide is forbidden by law in
France. 80 invitees have already confirmed their intention to
participate in the opening ceremony. It is expected that Armenia and
Georgia will be represented by deputy ministers of culture at the
ceremony. No response has been received from Azerbaijan so far.
Turkey has not yet made a decision on opening the Turkish-Armenian
border for two days.

Ni direct Yerevan-Van flights will be organized. It was decided that
guests will be transported by private planes from Istanbul and Ankara
to Van.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Round table around coming election in Armenia organized in Moscow
24.03.2007 14:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On the initiative of `Unity for the Sake of Peace’
Fund and `Russia’s Strategy’ magazine a round table was organized in
Moscow titled `Parliamentarian and Presidential Elections in Armenia
and Russia’s Interests’. The press office of `Russia-Armenia’
International Press Club informed the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist that
outstanding Russian social and political figures, leading political
scientists, scholars, experts on foreign policy and journalists
participated in the works of the round table. At the meeting
participants discussed, as some experts think, one of the most
decisive stages of political development in Armenia, Russia’s
strategic partner-the May 12 parliamentarian elections and March 2008
presidential election.

Some critical opinions were expressed concerning certain shortcomings
in intergovernmental relations with sister nation Armenia, which also
appeared in the rise of gas prices for the sake of representatives of
monopoly business. Others expressed their worries concerning
unjustified downtime in Armenian factories, which were given to the
Russian side in return for Armenian debt. Some concrete offers were
made in order to increase efficiency of Russian foreign policy in
South Caucasus.

Participants of the round table underlined that Armenia is one of
Russia’s frank and the most reliable allies, where anti-Russian moods
have never found serious reaction and Armenia herself is capable of
ensuring lawfulness and transparency in organizing elections.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr.Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

THE LEBANESE COORDINATING COMMITTEE FOR THE
COMMEMORATION OF APRIL 24 VISITS HIS HOLINESS ARAM I

His Holiness Aram I received on March 20 the joint committee for the
commemoration of April 24, the memorial day of the Armenian Genocide. The
committee includes representatives from the three Armenian communities, the
three political parties and charity organizations.

The Pontiff praised the cooperative initiative and made a number of
proposals for the upcoming commemoration of the 92nd anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide. He stressed the importance of going beyond traditional
practices and emphasizing the role of national struggle for the attainment
of the Armenian nation’s demands.

The committee members then briefed His Holiness on their plans for this
year, including student pilgrimages to Deir Zor and Margade, public
gatherings, publications and a number of other initiatives which will be
announced in the media in due time.