Category: News

Kurdmedia.com
Kurdish rebels rearm, infiltrate Turkey from Iraq: report
04/07/2004 AFP
ANKARA, July 4 (AFP) – 15h15 – Turkish Kurd rebels hiding in northern Iraq
are rearming and 1,500 of them have crossed into Turkey to engage in
violence, CNN-Turk television said Sunday, citing an intelligence report.
According to the report, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), known
also as KONGRA-GEL, had purchased weapons worth 1.7 million dollars from
unknown sources in Iraq, Iran and Armenia in the past year and had
intensified military training for members in camps in northern Iraq,
CNN-Turk said on its web site.
The increased activity was thought to be a prepartion for a possibile
military operation against the group by Turkey or the United States, both of
whom view the PKK as a “terrorist” organization.
Ankara has repeatedly urged Washington to take action against PKK rebels in
neighboring northern Iraq since last October, when the two countries agreed
on an action plan, including military measures, against the PKK.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated the call during talks
with US President George W. Bush in Ankara last week.
The Turkish authorities estimate that about 5,000 PKK militants have taken
refuge in northern Iraq since 1999, when the group announced a unilateral
truce with the government following a call for peace by its jailed leader,
Abdullah Ocalan.
The rebels ended the ceasefire on June 1 this year.
CNN-Turk quoted the intelligence report as saying that 1,500 armed militants
had infiltrated Turkey in the past six months.
The PKK has been blamed for a recent series of deadly attacks on Turkish
security forces in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey, bordering northern Iraq,
including the mining of roads.
On July 2, oficials accused the group of carrying out a car bomb attack on a
convoy carrying the governor of Van province, which killed three people and
wounded 25 others.
The PKK waged a bloody 15-year campaign for self-rule in Turkey’s
predominantly Kurdish southeast between 1984 and 1999. The conflict has
claimed some 37,000 lives.
The southeast enjoyed relative calm during the ceasefire period and Ankara
improved the cultural rights of the Kurdish minority in a bid to boost
Turkey’s chances of being allowed to join the European Union.

A1 Plus | 21:38:05 | 30-06-2004 | Politics |
EDGAR ARAKELYAN SENTENCE REMAINS UNCHANGED
The Court of Appeal made a decision on Wednesday to leave unchanged
compliant filed by Edgar Arakelyan, 24, who had been sentenced by the
first instance court to a year and six months in jail for hitting a
policeman with an empty plastic bottle in self-defense while attacked
by the police at one of the opposition-staged rallies.
Many times during the court session the accused stressed he had been
reluctant to resort to self-defense after having been severely beaten
by the police.
Edgar tried to tell how he had been beaten in Prosecutor Office in an
attempt to extract false testimony from him.
The judge Suren Ghazaryan interrupted him saying his story was
irrelevant to the case and has no connection with his appeal.
Sahak Martirossyan, the policeman hit with the bottle, said he hadn’t
been hurt and urged the court to display clemency toward Edgar. But it
was in vain.
Prosecution side voiced alarm at the incident saying it can set a
precedent for future cases and putting special emphasis upon the fact
that not ordinary man but law enforcement officer was hit.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, CA 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Friday, July 02, 2004
Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian
818.500.1918
CITY OF PASADENA AND ANC DELEGATION TO BEGIN OFFICIAL ARMENIA VISIT
YEREVAN, ARMENIA – An official California delegation led by membersof
the Pasadena Armenian National Committee (ANC), Pasadena Mayor Bill
Bogaard, Pasadena Police Chief Bernard Melikian began their official
visit to the Republic of Armenia. This is the first Pasadena City
delegation to visit the Republic of Armenia and will include a special
visit to Pasadena’s sister city of Vanadzor, Armenia. The Pasadena
delegation began their tour of Armenia onJuly 1st and will return on
July 5th.
Accompanying the Mayor and Police Chief are ANCA Pasadena ANC members
Suzanne Berberian, Sona Harytenian, Ara Sahakian. Mayor Bogaard is
servingout his second 4-year term as Pasadena’s first City-wide
elected mayor, after winning re-election with a vote of 85%. In 2003,
the Mayor was honored withthe Pasadena Armenian National Committee
Civic Leadership Award given to a public official who has worked
closely with the Armenian community and help build bridges between the
city’s diverse communities. Police Chief Melekian has been heading
the Pasadena police department since 1996. Prior to joining the City
of Pasadena, Chief Melekian served with the Santa Monica Police
Departmentfor 23 years. He was awarded the Medal of Valor in 1978 and
the Medal of Courage in 1980. He is of Armenian ancestry and this is
his first visit to the Republic of Armenia.
`We are very excited about this historic visit to Armenia and
particularly to Vanatzor,’ stated Pasadena ANC Chairman, Shahan
Stepanian. `This visit will serve to strengthen the ties between
Vanatzor and Pasadena and give our public officials a better
understanding of the rich Armenian culture and history.’ During the
four day visit, Mayor Bogaard and Chief Melikian are scheduled to meet
with the Mayor of Yerevan – Armenia’s capital, `Dzidzernagapert’ – the
Armenian Genocide Monument, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia, and
`Ecthmiadzin’ the Holy See of the Armenian Church – one of the oldest
Christian Churches in the world.
The focus of the delegation’s visit will be a visit to Pasadena’s
sister city, Vanadzor. Vanadzor was established as Pasadena’s fourth
sister cityin 1991. Previously known as Kirovakan, it is located in
the northwestern region of Armenia, about 80 miles north of Yerevan.
With a population of about 175,000, it is the third largest city in
Armenia. Known for its rich natural beauty and mineral springs,
Vanadzor is undergoing a rebirth and revitalization after it was
nearly destroyed in the 1988 earthquake that rocked Armenia.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughoutthe United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

Armenian premier favours ties with Turkey without pre-conditions
Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
3 Jul 04 p 1

Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkharh on 3
July headlined “Without pre-conditions”
“The Republican Party of Armenia has expressed its position saying
that Armenia and Turkey should regulate their relations without
pre-conditions and establish diplomatic relations,” Prime Minister
Andranik Markaryan said yesterday asked about his assessment of a
statement by Armen Rustamyan [a member of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun] that the Dashnaks have certain reservations
about [Armenian President] Robert Kocharyan’s speech in the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE] concerning
Turkey.
According to Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan, unfortunately Turkey
has not yet replied to the suggestion to improve relations with
Armenia without such pre-conditions as the Armenian genocide and the
Karabakh issue. He pointed out: “We have adopted our position on the
Karabakh issue together with the president since 1998 and continue to
stick to that. Naturally, what he said in his address to PACE is
acceptable to us.”

Armenian pro-government MP urges opposition to return to parliament
Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
3 Jul 04

Text of Naira Zograbyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Haykakan
Zhamanak on 3 July headlined “The opposition is outlawed”
An interview with the leader of the National Assembly faction of the
Republican Party of Armenia, Galust Saakyan.
[Haykakan Zhamanak correspondent] Mr Saakyan, there are rumours that
the high echelons of the authorities have already adopted a decision
to regard the absence of the deputies of the Justice and National
Unity blocs as inappropriate and deprive them of deputy mandates.
[Galust Saakyan] No such decision has been adopted. Simply there is a
situation where the opposition has found itself outlawed, and there
are no legal grounds to consider their absence from the National
Assembly to be appropriate. Their return to the parliament will be
difficult, as a legal solution to the problem demands that they be
deprived of their deputy mandates. The opposition can return to the
parliament only as a result of a political agreement. I think it would
be right for the opposition not to miss the chance to return to the
parliament by means of a political agreement.
[Correspondent] Why is the coalition interested in returning the
opposition to the National Assembly?
[Saakyan] The opposition is obliged to return to the parliament, as
there are quite serious problems in the world, as well as within the
country, which are above party and personal interests. First of all,
it is the Karabakh issue, as it is no secret that certain problems
connected with the Karabakh issue may arise in foreign relations. This
is an issue that demands the unification of the opposition and
pro-government forces. But if the opposition sticks to its tough
position and does not return to the parliament, this opposition will
be finally regarded as incomplete and will be seen as a power-hungry
opposition force.
[Correspondent] But the leaders of the opposition say that their
position on the matter of returning to the parliament has not changed.
[Saakyan] In the future, we shall end up facing much more serious
challenges whose culmination is the Karabakh issue. For this reason,
it is necessary for political forces to unite their position on this
matter as was the case in 2001 when all the political forces signed
the known document on the Karabakh issue. And today when processes
around the Karabakh issue are intensifying, the fact that the
opposition is not returning to the parliament will be negatively
accepted by the world community as well. The opposition’s rating has
fallen and will come to nought if they dissociate themselves from the
Karabakh issue. For four months now, the opposition has been staging
rallies and no analytical material concerning the Karabakh issue has
been submitted to society. So, we cannot but think that the actions of
the opposition are directed by different external forces. For this
reason, I think the expected developments around the Karabakh issue
may prompt the opposition to return to the parliament and start its
natural work there.
[Correspondent] Mr Saakyan, if there are problems whose settlement
requires the unification of the whole political field, why do you not
regard their political boycott as appropriate?
[Saakyan] Political boycott is not regulated by the law. In the legal
field, they have no choice but to return to the parliament. In summer,
representatives of the Republican Party of Armenia will try to explain
to them the need to return to the parliament. If we agree, it will be
only a political agreement. There is no other option. But if the
opposition rejects a political agreement, then I shall be the first to
deprive them of their deputy mandates.
[Correspondent] If you do not reach agreement and the opposition does
not come to the parliament in September, is there any way that this
will create a political situation that can be settled only by means of
extraordinary parliamentary elections?
[Saakyan] If the opposition boycotts the autumn session as well and if
there is a new political situation whose final settlement are
extraordinary parliamentary elections, then for me, as a member of the
Republican Party, it may be a very appropriate moment. I am sure that
in the elections, the Republican Party will gain more votes than it
has today. But we should not think only about our own narrow party
interests. The Republican Party will try to persuade the opposition to
return to the parliament, at least we have put forward our
suggestion. The opposition should reply to this. If there is no
political agreement, then the law will step in.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri pressure group vows not to let Armenians attend NATO exercises
Ekho, Baku
3 Jul 04

Text of E. Alakbarov report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho on 3 July
headlined “‘No special attention is to be paid to the Armenians'” and
subheaded “The Karabakh Liberation Organization is to spare no efforts
to prevent the Armenian flag from being hoisted and the anthem from
being played in Azerbaijan in September”
As we have already reported, Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan
has said that seven Armenian officers will take part in the
Cooperative Best Effort-2004 exercises due in Baku in September 2004
within NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme. Meanwhile, talking
about the September exercises, the head of the Armenian delegation
which attended NATO’s planning conference in Baku, Col Murad
Isakhanyan, said that Armenia will take part in it as part of a
military element. The NATO leadership, he said, made an exception for
Armenia and did not impose restrictions on the number of its
representatives or on their ranks.
“In turn, Azerbaijan guarantees the security of our servicemen. The
Azerbaijani side assures us that even if only one representative comes
from Armenia, the Armenian flag will be hoisted and the anthem
played,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) has no intention
of giving up the struggle. KLO deputy chairman Samil Mehdi commented
on the Armenian officer’s utterances. “We have information that the
Armenians seriously intend to take part in NATO’s September
exercises,” he said. The Armenian side manages to derive benefit from
any situation, he said. “Yerevan manages to push forward its officers
who have the blood of Azerbaijani officers on their hands. The
Armenians also easily manage to provoke Azerbaijani society to
confrontation and as a result, Azerbaijan is being discredited in the
international arena,” he stressed.
“We always stick to our position. The KLO will take concrete steps if
the Armenian officers arrive in Baku in September,” he said.
Talking about the Armenian officer’s words that the Armenian flag will
be raised and the anthem played in Baku in September, he said that the
members of the organization will spare no efforts to prevent this from
happening.
“This is nasty, mendacious and vile Armenian swank,” the head of the
Azerbaijani Defence Ministry press service, Ramiz Malikov, said,
commenting on the Armenian officer’s words. “No special attention will
be paid to the Armenian officers,” he stressed.
He said that the Armenian officers are coming to Baku to “muddy the
waters”. He complained about the local media which exaggerates
reports about the Armenian officers’ arrival.

Armenia’s presence in Baku-hosted NATO exercises normal – Azeri official
ANS TV, Baku
2 Jul 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov has a calm
attitude to the news that another group of Armenian officers will
arrive in Baku.
[Correspondent over video of flags of different countries] Official
Baku regards as normal the participation of Armenian officers in the
NATO exercises in Baku within the framework of the Partnership for
Peace programme this September.
[Azimov speaking to microphone] The NATO exercises due in Azerbaijan
in September are very important and large-scale. All NATO and
Partnership for Peace programme member countries have the right to
attend the event.
[Correspondent] Official Yerevan intends to send seven officers to
Azerbaijan in September. Azimov thinks that the number of officers is
defined at the NATO headquarters.
[Azimov] First, the number of officers depends on the format of the
exercises to be held in September. Second, it depends on the scenario
of the exercises. It will also depend on the role given to countries
within the framework of this scenario. Thus, I assume that two or
three people from Armenia might join the exercises in September.
[Passage omitted: reported details]
Parvana Sabirqizi and Azad Ibrahimov, ANS.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Main goal is Armenia’s ties with neighbours – European envoy
Arminfo
3 Jul 04
YEREVAN
“I am here not to comment on the Karabakh issue or Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan’s speech but to boost interparliamentary cooperation
between Armenia and other member states of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe [PACE], PACE Secretary-General Bruno Haller
said, asked by an Arminfo correspondent to comment on the Armenian
president’s speech at the fifth summer session of PACE in Strasbourg.
“My intention is to focus on international cooperation between Armenia
and its neighbours – Georgia, Azerbaijan and why not Turkey. This is
the main goal of my visit, he said. It is the PACE political committee
that is currently dealing with the Nagornyy Karabakh issue, and
European MPs will be able to familiarize themselves with the essence
of this problem after the submission of a special report.
Speaking about the process of fulfilling Armenia’s commitments to the
Council of Europe, Haller expressed his hope that the final version of
the monitoring report will be drafted and submitted for consideration
by October this year. Armenia will have time to do its best to ensure
that the report is positive.
[Passage omitted: Minor details]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Red Cross reps visit Azeri POW in Karabakh
Space TV, Baku
3 Jul 04

According to a report we have received from the Azerbaijani Defence
Ministry, work is under way to release Aydin Salman oglu Huseynov, a
soldier of the Azerbaijani army, who was taken prisoner three days
ago. Negotiations are under way through the International Committee of
the Red Cross [ICRC].
ICRC representatives have been allowed to visit Aydin Huseynov.
According to the report, representatives of the ICRC office in
Xankandi [Stepanakert] have already met Huseynov. The OSCE has been
informed of this. The circumstances and reasons that caused the
Azerbaijani soldier to cross the [Armenian-Azerbaijani] front line are
being investigated.

Armenia, Russia to confront Karabakh conflict in Moscow talks – spokesman
ITAR-TASS news agency
3 Jul 04
MOSCOW
The Nagorgyy Karabakh problem will be one of the main subjects of the
talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, Aleksandr Yakovenko, official
spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said today in connection
with Oskanyan’s visit to Moscow on 5-7 July.
Yakovenko said that “Russia is ready to further the process of
settlement of the conflict and to guarantee an agreement acceptable to
both sides [Armenia and Azerbaijan]”. “The sides involved in the
conflict must find a compromise to resolve the problem themselves,” he
said.
During the talks the sides will focus “on issues of cooperation
between the countries within the framework of the CIS [Commonwealth of
Independent States], including the sphere of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization and the Eurasian Economic Community, and
coordination of efforts by the two countries’ foreign ministries to
improve the situation in the Caucasus”. The issues of trade, economic,
cultural and humanitarian cooperation will be given priority.
“Moscow and Yerevan are resolute to take deliberate and necessary
steps to fight terrorism in all its manifestations on the bilateral
and multilateral basis,” Yakovenko said. “Effective practical
cooperation of law-enforcement agencies and security forces is making
political collaboration in the antiterrorism area stronger”.
Oskanyan’s visit “will give a fresh impetus to the Russian-Armenian
relationship, which has a firm legal basis,” Yakovenko said.
The programme for Oskanyan’s visit includes a meeting with Andrey
Kokoshin , chairman of the State Duma Committee on the Commonwealth of
Independent States and Relations with Compatriots.