Author: Zaminian Bedik

TWIN BOMB ATTACK KILLS 16, INJURES 154 IN ISTANBUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.07.2008 12:25 GMT+04:00

Two bombs exploded in a crowded Istanbul street killing at least 16
people and wounding more than 150 just hours ahead of a key court
hearing which could see the country’s ruling party outlawed.

Media reports said the attack late Sunday bore all the hallmarks of
Kurdish rebels. Authorities did not say who the attackers were but
the prime minister condemned the terrorist "savagery".

Health Minister Recep Akdag put the death toll at 16 after one of the
wounded died in hospital overnight. The toll could rise as seven people
remain in serious condition, Akdag said, adding that the fatalities
included children.

The attack raised tensions in the country ahead of the start Monday
of a crucial meeting of the Constitutional Court on whether to ban
the ruling party for undermining Turkey’s secular system.

Both bombs were planted in rubbish containers on a crowded street
lined with shops and cafes, in the Gungoren neighborhood on Istanbul’s
European side, officials said. The first relatively small bomb around
10:00pm (1900 GMT) Sunday hit passers-by and residents. A second
powerful explosion about 10 minutes later, some 50 meters away,
accounted for most of the dead and wounded, officials said.

Television footage showed scenes of panic, people covered in blood
running from the area, littered with debris and shattered glass.

Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler said it was too early to say who
carried out the blast. He said police were examining the explosive
used in the attack and images from a security camera located near
the site of the first blast.

"There is no doubt that this was a terrorist attack," he said at
the scene.

Newspapers pointed an accusing finger at the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK), which has carried out bomb attacks in the past
as part of its 24-year separatist campaign.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the attack as an act
of terrorism and pledged that the perpetrators would be caught and
punished.

The police arrested 3 teenager suspects, the AFP reports.

Zaman Online, Turkey
July 28 2008

Obama and Ankara

Ã-MER TAÅ?PINAR [email protected] Columnists

Last week, as I was watching Barack Obama on TV, giving his Berlin
speech in front of 200,000 people, a disturbing question came to
mind. What would happen if Obama gave a speech in Turkey? Would the
crowds be as large and enthusiastic? One side of me says, "Yes, we
can!" I can’t help but think that the Turkish people must be really
excited about the prospect of radical change in the United States.
After all, the Bush presidency will not be remembered with nostalgia
among Turks. There is plenty of evidence illustrating this. For
starters, according to global opinion polls, Turkey is consistently
the number-one country in terms of dislike for the Bush
administration’s policies. Logically, in a country like Turkey, there
must be a lot of sympathy for a new American president who represents
by the sheer facts of his name, race, ideas and overall demeanor a
mind-blowing contrast to everything that George W. Bush has come to
symbolize. Add to this the fact that Turkey itself is a country where
the power struggle is often defined as one between the "white elite"
and the "black masses" of Anatolia. Wouldn’t black Turks embrace their
American brother? Think twice before getting carried away. Yes, under
normal circumstances such parallels between Turkey and America would
strike a chord and yes, under normal circumstances Obama would be the
favorite of the Turkish people, mainly because he would be seen as the
underdog defying the American system.

Yet one needs to emphasize the term "under normal circumstances." An
Obama visit to Turkey may not draw hundreds of thousands of cheering
crowds to the street. The reason is simple and painful. Whenever
Obama’s presidency is discussed in Turkey, there is a big Turkish
elephant in the room: the Armenian "genocide" issue. Obama’s position
is well known: He is committed to the Armenian cause and has promised
the Armenian-American community that he will support recognition of
the "genocide." Now that’s a show-stopper for Turkey. The Turkish
press picked up the story from day one and began to ring alarm
bells. It did not take very long for Obama’s name to become synonymous
with the Armenian lobby in the eyes of Turks. Similarly, the
Turkish-American community in the United States has become very
uncomfortable with the prospect of an Obama presidency. A senior
Democratic member from the US Congress who happens to be a major Obama
supporter told me last week that his staffers are already getting an
earful from the Turkish community in his district. No wonder most
Turkish-American organizations lined up to support Hillary Clinton
during the Democratic primaries.

It is also no wonder that both the government in Ankara and the
Turkish state apparatus (Note for dummies: government and state can
mean different things in Turkish politics, especially these days¦)
appear to be on the same page about Obama: They prefer his opponent
Republican candidate Senator John McCain. There is no major surprise
here. The Turkish establishment has always had a deeply rooted love
affair with Republicans. The roots of this martial romance — which
appears to have survived the Bush years — go back to the good old
days of the Cold War era, when there was no daylight between the
Turkish military and the Pentagon. Iraq was of course a major bump in
the road. But there are still ongoing financial reasons for this
marriage of convenience to continue. For some mysterious reason
(!)Turkey’s best friends in Washington are always the defense
companies; and the best friends of the defense companies are the
Republicans. You get the picture, right? (Note for dummies No. 2:
Republicans never cut America’s defense budget.) Anyways, I
digress. The crux of the matter for Turkey is the following: Obama is
a Democrat who supports the Armenian cause whereas McCain is a
Republican who values Turkey’s strategic importance much more than the
votes of Armenian-Americans. This is how Ankara perceives the
situation.

As a result, Turkey is once again out of tune with the rest of the
world. The whole world is going nuts about Obama while Ankara is stuck
in history. Is there a way to remind Turkey that there are more
important things in Turkish-American relations than the Armenian
issue? This may be an uphill battle. But one way to do so is to focus
on Obama’s popularity in Europe. Imagine both McCain and Obama
lobbying on Turkey’s behalf with EU leaders. To whom do you think
Europeans would prefer to listen? Take a second look at the crowd
listening to Obama in Berlin.

28.07.2008

EXCHANGE PROPOSED
NAIRA KHACHATRYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on July 26, 2008
Armenia

Northern Avenue for the Theatrical Square

Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s Spokesman Arman Musinyan was the guest of
`Tesaket’ club yesterday.

The summer heat doesn’t hamper the activity of the radicals. The
activists of Armenian Pan National Movement are not planning to go on
holidays; instead they will continue to clarify and elaborate the
strategy of the struggle and to consolidate the structures of the
movement.

August 1 demonstration is in the agenda of the revolutionary struggle:
`August 1 is a very important stage. The demonstration will settle a
very important issue; in the sense that we are going to show over again
that society is not going to retreat from its positions of active
political struggle and will continue to intensify its pressure on the
authorities and make them initiate political settlements.’

By saying `political settlements’ the `pan national’ movement means
extra-ordinary elections: `Because there is no other way out from the
created political crises.’

As regards the dialogue, this version is still refused. And the blame,
of course, is on the President: `He closed the ways of finding
political settlements and overcoming the crises. His problem! We will
remain on our standpoint. Unless our friends are detained there=2
0can be
no dialogue.’

`During the whole July month the actions took place in the Northern
Avenue, what did the sit in give to the revolutionary struggle?’

`The sit in solved a very important issue. Firstly it showed that the
members of the movement are strongly determined and it also fixed
attention. The results were visible. The conversation is also about the
international community. Sit in is a serious pressure on the
authorities and I assure you, that during the coming days the political
prisoners will be released because the authorities are under the
permanent pressure of the pan-national movement,’ A. Musinyan said
representing the sit in as the most tactical tool for pressure.

But the movement is disappointed of the Northern Avenue, they are eager
to return to `Azatutyun Square: `Azatutyun Square is the place of the
opposition. The authorities must give us this square that they have
conquered for 5-6 months. The moment they give us the possibility to
return to Azatutyun Square only in that case can the authorities demand
from the opposition to free the Northern Avenue. There is no other
option.’

August 1 demonstration will be held near Matenadaran.’

RUBEN SAFRASTYAN: HALACOGLU’S DISMISSAL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.07.2008 14:02 GMT+04:00

Head of the Turkish Historical Society (TTK) Prof. Yusuf Halacoglu
was removed from the office on July 22.

According to Hurryiet daily, this removal is conditioned by the Turkish
leadership’s intention to open a new page in relations with Armenia.

However, Dr. Ruben Safrastyan, Director of the Institute of Oriental
Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences, told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter
that Halaconglu’s dismissal has nothing to do with the Armenian-Turkish
relations. "There is an opinion that Halacoglu was removed from the
post he had occupied for 15 years because the ruling AKP wants to
have a reliable person as the Association head. His name is already
known. It’s professor and poet Ali Birinci," he said.

Earlier, Aram Hambarian, Executive Director of the Armenian National
Committee of America, said that Yusuf Halacoglu issues a public
statement every few weeks, every one of which proves, after the minimum
of research, to be untrue. "Halacoglu is a combination publicity-hound
and serial liar," he said.

ARMENIAN SERVICEMAN "DEFECTS" TO AZERBAIJAN

ANS TV
July 24 2008
Azerbaijan

An Armenian serviceman has defected to Azerbaijan to escape "torture"
in his army.

The serviceman, identified as Paruyur Stepanyan, met representatives
of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Baku.

"I told the Red Cross representatives that I am renouncing Armenian
citizenship," the soldier told ANS. "I said that I do not want to
return to Armenia. I asked them to help the Azerbaijani government
transfer me to a third country."

Rovsan Maharramov, head of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry’s military
police, said that Stepanyan is an Armenian citizen and therefore he
did not want to serve in Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagornyy
Karabakh. Stepanyan also fled to escape beatings and harassment in
his army, Maharramov told ANS.

Editor’s note: Reports of defection of servicemen are viewed as part of
a propaganda war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which are technically
at war. In December 2006, Armenia said an Azerbaijani soldier, Samir
Mammadov, had defected to the Armenian side to escape harassment in
his army. Mammadov allegedly asked for asylum in a third country. He
has not yet returned home.

ARMENIAN COALITION PARTY AGAINST TURKISH LEADER’S VISIT TO YEREVAN

Mediamax
July 22 2008
Armenia

Armenian-Turkish relations are of unannounced confrontation nature,
caused by the ultimatum preconditions by the Turkish side, Chairman
of the Supreme Body of Dashnaktsutiun Party Armen Rustamyan stated
in Yerevan today.

Mediamax reports that Armen Rustamyan said that such state of bilateral
affairs is pregnant with serious consequences, and a bare necessity
has ripened to elaborate a conception for their settlement.

Representative of Dashnaktsutiun reproached the Turkish authorities
of creating the vision that they strive to normalize relations with
Armenia.

"The neighbouring countries should not talk using ultimatum language,
and the existing problems should be discussed at intergovernmental
level and not by means of commissions of historians," he noted.

Armen Rustamyan stated that in case Turkish President Abdullah Gul
arrived in Yerevan, Dashnaktsutiun will carry out protest actions,
by means of which it will present its stance as to the normalization
of bilateral relations.

PRESIDENT SARGSYAN RECEIVED THE DELEGATION OF THE ARMENIAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

armradio.am
22.07.2008 16:43

RA President Serzh Sargsyan received the delegation of the Armenian
Missionary Association of America headed by Executive Director Andrew
Torikian.

The President congratulated the Armenian Missionary Association on the
occasion of the 90th anniversary and noted that it is a good occasion
to assess the way passed. Serzh Sargsyan stressed the importance of
the activity of all Armenian organizations in maintaining the Armenian
national identity and their involvement in the life of Armenia.

The President said one of the main tasks of the newly formed Ministry
of Diaspora is the maintenance of the Armenian national identity,
repatriation, full utilization of the potential of the Armenian nation.

The participants of the meeting concisely presented the history of
creation of the Armenian Missionary Association of America. They turned
to the programs implemented by the Association in Armenia and NKR and
presented the new initiatives. It was noted that parallel to charity,
the organization is trying to gradually pass to development programs.

BERNARD FASSIER: MEETING BETWEEN FOREIGN MINISTERS – BEGINNING OF NEW WORK

armradio.am
22.07.2008 17:02

Work to settle Nagorno-Karabakh conflict suggested by Azerbaijani and
Armenian Presidents in St. Petersburg in June will be the ground for
negotiations between two countries’ foreign ministers in Moscow at
the beginning of August.

"Upcoming negotiations between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers in Moscow are the beginning of new work which was suggested
by two countries’ Presidents at the St. Petersburg meeting," French
Co-Chair of OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier said to Trend News.

"Negotiations on peace settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will
be based on Madrid proposals," said Fassier.

Fassier said the meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers
will be the continuation of the negotiations between Azerbaijani and
Armenian Presidents.

PRESIDENT: LAZY OFFICIALS WILL BE FIRED

Panorama.am
19:46 21/07/2008

Today the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with
the journalists to make some comments on the 100 days of his
appointment. The journalists were mainly interested in the inter
affairs of the country, the reforms and the initiatives and position
of the president regarding the international affairs.

Talking about the human resources affairs, the President said that
although most appointments are made, it does not mean that they are
for life. "Those who will correspond to the demands of the reforms
will remain in their positions otherwise they will be fired," said
the President.

To the question whether the President himself feels some changes
after his appointment for himself, he answered that possibly there
are some changes. "Even if regarding the fact that in the mornings
I am coming to another working place," he said.

PRESIDENT OF "BAMO" HOLDING RESPONSES TO THE ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT SARGSIAN MADE AT "BAZE" YOUTH GATHERING

ARMENPRESS
JULY 21

The president of the Russian well-known "Bamo" holding Murad Muradian
also responded to the address of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsian
made at "Baze" youth gathering in Jermuk.

Press service of the holding told Armenpress that Murad Muradian too,
on his part addressed Diaspora Armenians calling on them to be more
enthusiastic in building the homeland. The letter of M. Muradian
says the following, "Dear Mr. President, Though we are far from our
homeland but our thoughts are always with our country, and we are
attentively following all the news coming from Armenia, and listen to
all calls. Your last address to Diaspora inspired me. I accept it as a
speech directed personally to me. Let me state about my decision. I am
ready to invest 120 million USD in Armenia for the implementation of
town-construction programs. I am sure that by investments and business
initiatives we can promote the facilitation of the social burden of
the country, creation of new jobs, Armenia’s economic progress and
increase of the country’s competitiveness.

I would like to use this opportunity and call on all our Diaspora
compatriots to be more enthusiastic towards everything that is
connected with Armenia. No matter how much money we have, without
Homeland we cannot be complete. I know it for sure and with this
principle we must be guided."