Category: News

Turkish, French presidents discuss EU, Cyprus, “so-called” Armenian genocide
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
28 Jun 04

Istanbul, 28 June: Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer met on Monday
[28 June] with French President Jacques Chirac, who is currently in
Istanbul for the NATO summit.
Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul and
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier also attended the
meeting. Following the meeting, President Sezer’s Foreign Policy Chief
Adviser Sermet Atacanli told reporters that Sezer focused on Turkey’s
European Union (EU) membership in his meeting with Chirac.
Atacanli said that Sezer explained once again that Turkey expected
France, which was one of leading countries in the EU, to support
Turkey’s EU membership. Atacanli quoted Sezer as saying that Turkey
fulfilled all political criteria of EU, noting that Turkey expected to
be treated as other countries which fulfilled those criteria. Stating
that Sezer said in the meeting that he expected the report on Turkey
that would be announced by EU Commission in October to be positive,
Atacanli quoted President Sezer as saying that EU should set a date
for Turkey in December to start its membership negotiations with the
union.
Noting that Sezer also focused on Cyprus issue in his meeting with
Chirac, Atacanli quoted Sezer as saying that new developments took
place after referenda held in Cyprus on 24 April and Turkish Cypriot
side showed its determination for solution in referendum. Atacanli
said that Sezer noted in the meeting that Greek Cypriot side did not
put forth good will on that issue.
Atacanli stated that Sezer stressed that embargoes imposed on the
[self-declared] Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) should be
lifted immediately.
When asked what were the views of Chirac about Cyprus issue, Atacanli
said: “Both Chirac and French Foreign Minister, who also attended the
meeting, said that they are aware of developments in Cyprus and
welcomed the attitude of Turkish side and they noted this. Mr Chirac
said regarding the EU issue, ‘you know my stance about EU issue. And
you also know that my stance is positive.’ Mr Chirac said that Turkey
has started its EU trip 40 years ago and the EU has a 40 year of
commitment and this commitment concerns a vision related with the
future of Europe.” Atacanli said that Chirac also noted that the
commission report which would be presented in October was important.
When asked whether Armenian problem was brought onto agenda during the
meeting, Atacanli said that President Sezer stressed Turkey’s
sensitivity over the so-called Armenian genocide which is occasionally
brought onto agenda of the French Parliament.
Atacanli said that Sezer earlier invited Chirac to Turkey and he
repeated this invitation during the meeting. Atacanli added that this
invitation was accepted and the date would be cleared later.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri opposition party denounces arrest of Karabakh movement activists
Turan news agency
28 Jun 04
BAKU
The Azarbaycan Milli Istiqlal Party [AMIP] has issued a statement over
the arrest of activists of the Karabakh Liberation Organization [KLO].
The party assesses the dispersal of protesters as a “crude mistake” of
the authorities, and the arrest of the KLO chairman, Akif Nagi, as an
“insult” to the Azerbaijani statehood.
The AMIP demands that the six arrested members of the KLO be
immediately released and those who took such an “irresponsible”
decision against the protesters be punished.
[The six were sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for protest
against the Armenian presence at a NATO meeting in Baku.]

Committee set up to defend rights of jailed Azeri Karabakh activists
Turan news agency
28 Jun 04

Baku, 28 June: A committee was set up today to protect the rights of
six arrested members of the Karabakh Liberation Organization
[KLO]. Isaxan Asurov, a prominent lawyer, was elected the chairman of
the committee.
Representatives of political parties, human rights organizations, NGOs
and MPs have joined the committee. Asurov said that charges brought
against the arrested members of the KLO were groundless. They are
being charged under Articles 221.3 (hooliganism), 223 (violating
public order) and 315 (putting up resistance to the police) [of the
Criminal Code].
Asurov blamed the authorities for the incident. He believes that the
police could have prevented the protest march towards the hotel,
however, this was not done deliberately. He said that they would
continue their struggle for the release of the arrested men by legal
means.
Members of the KLO protested outside Hotel Europe on 21 June against
the arrival of Armenian servicemen to Baku [to attend a NATO
meeting]. Among the arrested people are KLO activists and KLO Chairman
Akif Nagi.

Turkey not model for Islamic states, president tells Bush – paper
Cumhuriyet, Istanbul
28 Jun 04
published by Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet (Ankara edition) on 28 June
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer has told US President George W Bush that
their idea to “present secular Turkey as a model to be followed by
Islamic countries was extremely wrong-headed”.
In his meeting with the visiting US President, Sezer criticized
Turkey’s description as a model country under the Greater Middle East
Project, noting: “Turkey is a country with a predominantly Muslim
population, but it is not an Islamic country. Turkish citizens
individually practice their faith freely. But, religion is separated
from the state’s affairs. I do not consider the portrayal of Turkey as
a model acceptable.”
Sezer gave important messages about Turkey’s secular system in his
“cordial” meeting with Bush in Cankaya Presidential Palace. The
meeting focused on Iraq’s future; the ongoing fight against the PKK
[Kurdistan Workers’ Party], which is a terrorist organization; Cyprus;
the Middle East as well as other regional issues and bilateral
relations.
Sources said that Sezer clearly expressed his anxieties arising from
the view that Turkey should serve as a model for the Islamic world,
which was frequently voiced recently. Noting that he found the view
“totally unacceptable”, Sezer made the following remarks in his
meeting with Bush: “Turkey is a country with a predominantly Muslim
population, but it is not an Islamic country. Turkish citizens
individually practice their faith freely. But, religion is separated
from the state’s affairs. It was extremely inappropriate that you
portrayed Turkey as a model for Islamic countries in that regard.” The
same sources noted that Bush ended the discussion by saying: “We
understand that.”
Sezer reminded the action plan aimed at eliminating the PKK’s presence
in northern Iraq, which the two sides had agreed upon, as well as the
United States’ obligations under the plan, adding that the Turkish
public was extremely concerned about that matter and expecting quick
action. Emphasizing importance of preserving Iraq’s territorial
integrity, Sezer suggested that the Turkomans should have more
representatives in the new Iraqi government proportionate to their
share in Iraq’s population.
Sezer also said that the anti-Turkish Armenian and Greek lobbies
should not be allowed to affect Turkish-US relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

US president in Turkey, meets leaders of religious faiths
NTV television, Istanbul
28 Jun 04

[Announcer] US President George Bush received six religious leaders at
the Istanbul Hilton Hotel yesterday [27 June]. In a statement after
the meeting, the president said: Turkey is a secular country in its
politics and a strong country in its faiths.
After he arrived in Istanbul from Ankara, President Bush went to the
Hilton Hotel. He held a meeting of about 45 minutes with six religious
leaders, including Religious Affairs Director Ali Bardakoglu, Syriac
Orthodox Bishop Yusuf Cetin, and Chief Rabbi Ishak Haleva.
The media members were allowed in after the meeting. The president
said that he was honoured to be meeting with important personalities
from different religions. He said: Welcome. These people are the very
important leaders of the interreligious dialogue among different
faiths. Turkey is a secular country in its politics and a strong
country in its faiths, so they represent Turkey in the best way. We
had a very good meeting. I am grateful to them for giving me some of
their time and for remaining loyal to Almighty God. I thank
them. Thank you for coming.
In a statement after he left the meeting, Chief Rabbi Haleva said that
President Bush said: It is my greatest wish to see interreligious
peace and tranquillity.
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew said, in turn, that they all
spoke one by one. He said that the opening of the Greek Orthodox
seminary in Heybeliada was also mentioned.
[Bartholomew] When we got up to leave, the honourable president told
me that he discussed this matter in Ankara, and that he was satisfied
with what was said. That is all.
[Announcer] Armenian Patriarch Mutafyan pointed out that they
discussed their unrest in connection with the violence in the Middle
East.
At his meeting with the religious leaders, President Bush was
accompanied by Condoleeza Rice, his national security adviser, and by
Secretary of State Colin Powell.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri daily blames government for change in Turkey’s stance on Armenia
Yeni Musavat, Baku
28 Jun 04

Turkey no longer puts forward the liberation of Azerbaijani lands as a
precondition for establishing ties with Armenia, the Azerbaijani
opposition daily Yeni Musavat has said. The Azerbaijani authorities
are to blame for this since they have failed to support Turkey in the
Cyprus issue, the daily reported. The following is an excerpt from
Konul Samilqizi’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 28
June headlined “Turkey responds to Ilham Aliyev’s betrayal”;
subheadings inserted editorially:
Ankara intends to establish ties with Armenia and no longer puts
forward the Karabakh issue as a precondition for that. Remarks of
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan give grounds to say so.
Responding to questions at the international conference “NATO at a new
turning point”, financed by the German Marshall Fund of the USA,
Erdogan said: “We do not want to sever ties with Armenia. We want to
preserve them. We have always wanted to remove obstacles and achieve
peace. We are trying to quickly resolve the grievances and conflicts
we have with our neighbours. However, if Armenia runs away we will go
after it only up to a certain point. We advise the following to
Armenia: should they continue with this ‘genocide’, then they will not
get a result. Leave this issue for historians. We are building the
future world. Otherwise, the future generations will not have a good
opinion of us.”
Erdogan said that what matters now is how the Armenian people live and
this should be taken into consideration. He even criticized Turkey’s
stance by saying that “Turkey did not have positive and good relations
with its neighbours for years”. He said that Turkey had suffered
economic losses as a result. Relations are improving now and trade is
on the increase, Erdogan said.
Karabakh no longer on agenda
It can be seen from Erdogan’s answer that the only main precondition
set for establishing ties with Armenia is that the Armenians drop
their fake “genocide” claims. This amounts to a step back in the
Turkish leadership’s position because until now Ankara cited
liberation of Azerbaijan’s lands occupied by Armenia among the main
preconditions. In effect, Turkey has now rejected the Karabakh
condition.
In the view of Qabil Huseynli, deputy chairman of the Musavat Party
and a political analyst, Azerbaijan never used to be on top of
conditions put forward by Turkey in exchange for improving relations
with Armenia. “This was only one of the demands. It is clear to
everyone that Turkey is first of all interested in resolving its own
problems and therefore demands that the fake ‘genocide’ claim be
dropped. Because this issue threatens Turkey’s foreign policy
interests. I personally have never believed that Turkey does not
establish relations with Armenia only because of the Karabakh
problem. This condition could have been a diplomatic move or maybe it
pursued propaganda objectives. Now it has been dropped completely.”
Huseynli said that this was caused by global processes and Turkey’s
role in them.
[Passage omitted: Turkey’s relations with the USA and the European
Union]
Cyprus vote
Obviously, Azerbaijan’s clan-based regime has played an important and
perhaps a crucial role in Turkey’s decision to drop the Karabakh
condition. Regardless of their propaganda and diplomatic objectives,
Turkish officials have been defending Azerbaijan’s interests over the
past several years.
The regime established in October 2004 in Azerbaijan – with assistance
from the Erdogan government – has taken many steps damaging the
strategic partnership with Turkey. It is enough to recall the
Azerbaijani government’s stance on the Cyprus issue to understand the
position of Turkey. Our attentive readers probably remember that the
clan’s MPs did not attend the PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe] vote on Cyprus. Commenting on this, the head of the
delegation, MP Samad Seyidov, openly said that this was a deliberate
political move – the deputies with ill-gotten mandates did not vote on
Cyprus because they thought about Karabakh.
[Passage omitted: Azerbaijan criticized by the Turkish press]
Greek president’s visit
Incidentally, we must note that during a press conference held jointly
with Greek President [Konstandinos Stefanopoulos], [Azerbaijani
President] Ilham Aliyev did not respond when a Greek journalist
described Turkey as an “invader”. What is more, Aliyev promised not
to recognize [the Turkish Republic of Northern] Cyprus. When one takes
into consideration this pledge to the Greeks and the non-participation
in the Cyprus vote, Erdogan’s remarks do not look surprising. Our
newspaper said in the wake of that press conference that Turkey will
not leave this betrayal unanswered. The response came faster than
expected and in an unforeseen form.

NATO Partners Agree to Train Iraqi Troops
washingtonpost.com
Jun 28, 2004
Mike Allen

ISTANBUL, June 27 — NATO countries will set aside their objections
and agree Monday to provide emergency military training for the
interim government of Iraq, White House officials said Sunday.
Two weeks ago, President Jacques Chirac of France warned against “any
meddling by NATO in this region.” But responding to a request from
Ayad Allawi, the prime minister of the interim Iraqi government that
will assume political authority Wednesday, negotiators for the 26 NATO
countries have agreed to give the alliance a direct role in providing
military training and said they would call on members to increase
their support for the new government.
Details of the agreement, including who will be trained, where and
when, still must be worked out by the governments, officials said. But
the White House described the move as giving President Bush the
international imprimatur he had long sought for post-invasion
operations.
Bush and the other leaders of NATO countries are scheduled to finalize
the tentative training agreement Monday at the start of a two-day
summit in the largest city in Turkey, which borders Iraq. Faced with a
wave of bombings and more than 40,000 anti-Bush demonstrators, Turkish
officials deployed warships outside waterfront hotels and 23,000
police and soldiers to protect the 3,000 government officials and more
than 20,000 journalists attending the summit.
The White House views the agreement on training for Iraq, which
follows NATO’s decision to take over an international security force
in Afghanistan, as a crucial step in its effort to guide the alliance
away from its historic emphasis on the defense of its own territory
and instead toward taking the offensive against terrorism around the
world.
Bush, appearing with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,
said the United States was “hoping to change the mission of NATO so it
meets the threats of the 21st century, and we’re going to work
together to help make sure NATO is configured militarily to meet the
threats of the 21st century, as well.”
Bush plans to use the centerpiece address of his five-day overseas
trip to hold up the secular democracy in Turkey, NATO’s only
majority-Muslim member, as a model for Iraq and the greater Middle
East. Bush tried to make the same point by holding a meeting today
with Turkish religious leaders that included a rabbi, an Islamic
cleric and an Armenian Orthodox patriarch.
Before Allawi sent the letter, the White House received private
assurances from NATO members that his request would be granted,
according to aides traveling with Bush. The administration has had to
dramatically lower its sights, however. Earlier this month, Bush
sought foreign troops, NATO involvement and debt relief for Iraq at a
meeting of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations in Sea
Island, Ga., but was rebuffed at various times by France, Germany and
Turkey.
Diplomats said that to win the endorsement of Germany and France, the
agreement allows for the possibility that some of the training will
take place outside Iraq. At the insistence of the Bush administration,
the operation will be a formal NATO mission rather than a project of
individual countries.
James Appathurai, the NATO spokesman, said in a telephone interview
that alliance ambassadors reached the initial agreement “without any
sort of dramatic debate” because they “share a common view that we
should assist Iraq as much and as quickly as possible so that it can
provide for its own security and so that coalition forces will not be
required.”
Bush’s national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said from the
Turkish capital Ankara on “Fox News Sunday” that “NATO will urge that
this all happen on a very urgent basis, that this isn’t a long
planning exercise, that really they’re in a phase of looking to quick
implementation of these plans.”
Bush said Saturday during a news conference in Ireland that a
functioning Iraqi police force and military was his most important
criterion for determining that the U.S. mission in Iraq was complete,
and he suggested that robust NATO support would mean U.S. troops could
come home sooner.
Bush, who had to change his deployment plans before the war when the
Turkish parliament voted against allowing the use of its bases for a
northern front, appeared Sunday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and said he appreciated “so very much the example your country
has set on how to be a Muslim country and, at the same time, a country
which embraces democracy and rule of law and freedom.”
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, also in Istanbul, met Sunday
with the foreign and defense ministers of Iraq’s interim government.
Bush shook his head and replied “no” when asked whether the capture of
three Turkish hostages by militants in Iraq had cast a pall over the
summit. Bush did not speak at length about the hostage-taking, because
of what aides called a desire to avoid encouraging the kidnappers. But
a senior administration official who briefed reporters said Bush
expressed sympathy to Turkish officials and “made clear that this
episode demonstrates the kind of an enemy we are fighting, a
totalitarian enemy which terrorizes and seeks to export chaos to the
world, as well as chaos in Iraq.”
Rumsfeld compared the recent attacks in Iraq to the Tet offensive of
1968, a turning point in American public opinion about the Vietnam
War, when the Vietnamese communists seized cities throughout South
Vietnam. He told ABC that the insurgents had clearly studied “the idea
that if you go out and kill a lot of innocent people, even though
militarily you achieve nothing, the psychological effect through the
television, through newspapers is that they’re there, that they’re
noisy, that they’re achieving something big — which is what the
effect of Tet was.”
Washington Post Staff Writer

Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia plan to hold tripartite meeting in September
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
28 Jun 04
Istanbul, 28 June: Foreign ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia
who had a trilateral meeting under NATO summit decided to continue the
process, diplomatic sources said on Monday [28 June]. Sources stated
that a following trilateral meeting was planned to be held in New York
in September.
Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul held a
trilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Elmar Memmedyarov of
Azerbaijan and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan of Armenia. The
ministers were in Istanbul to attend the 17th NATO summit. Sources
noted that Memmedyarov and Oskanyan thanked Gul for taking such an
initiative.
Oskanyan and Memmedyarov recalled that NATO and the European Union
(EU) were going through a process of enlargement, stating that Turkey,
which was a member of NATO and which would probably be a member of the
EU, could undertake a role of bridge in integration of South Caucasus
to Europe.
Foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan discussed to
include Georgia in the process in their meeting on Monday. Ministers
decided to hold another trilateral meeting as soon as possible.

Gul: A New Strategic Vision Must Be Developed For Caucasian
CihanNews:
6/28/2004
ISTANBUL (CIHAN) – Turkish Foreign Minister, Abdullah Gül met with the
foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia on Monday and he said that
the region countries must develop a new strategic vision for the
Caucasians.
Gül met with the Azerbaijan Foreign Minister, Elmar Mamadyarov and the
Armenian Foreign Minister, Vardan Oskaryan within the framework of
NATO Summit in Istanbul. Gül made a statement after 45-minute talk and
he said that the peace and stability issue in Caucasians drawed
attention of the international community. “EU and NATO is creating a
new strategy for the Southern Caucasian and also a new strategic
vision must be developed.”
Gül stated that, “The sides have met second times and discussed the
collaboration opportunities. We took decision to continue the talks.”
Oskaryan also made a statement and he said that they met with Gül and
discussed the border gate between Turkey and Armenia and the Nagorno
Karabag issue. He said that he was satisfied from this negotiation
but the meaning of thatis not that the border gate will open.

Learning from History
28 June 2004
“Aravot” reports that the Council of Europe’s newly elected secretary
general, Terry Davis, has publicly disagreed with Kocharian’s statement that
Nagorno-Karabakh has never been part of an independent Azerbaijani state.
Davis, the paper says, told the PACE’s Political Committee after Kocharian’s
Strasbourg speech that the international community and the United Nations in
particular do recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
Council of Europe: Terry Davis elected Secretary General
CPME publication date: Thursday, June 24, 2004
On 22 June 2004, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elected
Terry Davis, from the United Kingdom, as the new Secretary General. Mr Davis
will enter into office for five years starting in September, 2004. He will
replace Mr Walter Schwimmer, from Austria.
Mr Davis has been a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe for 12 years and President of the Assembly’s socialist group since
2002.
Quoting from Richard Hovannisian’s “The Republic of Armenia” The first year
1918-1919 copyright 1971 page 157:
“There were, of course, factors other than the legitimacy of Azerbaijan’s
arguments which affected the formulation of British policy. As rulers of an
extensive colonial empire that included millions of Muslim subjects, the
British stood to gain widespread goodwill for supporting the first Muslim
republic in modern history. Moreover, the British strategists maintained
that a politically and economically viable structure would render Azerbaijan
less susceptible to Pan-Islamic or Pan-Turanic agitation and to the
pervasive influences of the Ottoman Empire. At the end of 1918, they also
believed that Armenia would be awarded the Ottoman eastern vilayets. It
seemed reasonable, therefore, to regard Karabagh and Zangezur as
compensation to Azerbaijan, whose aspirations to lands further west would be
disallowed. Several critics have singled out economic exploitation as the
prime determinant in British policy. The reserve of oil at Baku was
apparently inexhaustible, and access to this wealth would naturally be
facilitated through the cooperation of an appreciative, indebted local
government. While officials in London demonstrated that the occupation of
Transcaucasia was imposing great financial strains, Great Britain
nonetheless succeeded in tapping thousands of tons of petroleum products
valued in the millions of pounds sterling. Whether or not “oil imperialism”
dictated British policy in the Caucasus, economic factors could not have
been ignored.”
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline
The BTC partners
The BTC pipeline is being developed by an international consortium of 11
partners, known as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Company (BTC Co).
Those partners are: SOCAR (the state oil company of Azerbaijan); BP (UK);
TPAO (Turkey); Statoil (Norway); Unocal (USA); Itochu (Japan); Amerada Hess
(USA); Eni (Italy); TotalFinaElf (France); INPEX (Japan) and ConocoPhillips
(USA).
BP is the largest stakeholder in the project, and is leading the design and
construction phases.