TURKEY GIVES IN ON FREE SPEECH BUT CUTS ARMY TIES WITH PARIS
By Mark Beunderman
EUobserver.com, Belgium
Nov 16 2006
In a move to curry favour with the EU, Turkey has said it will quickly
change a notorious article of its penal code curbing free speech – but
at the same time, Ankara has put its ties with France under further
strain by suspending military cooperation following a dispute over
the Armenian genocide.
Turkish officials on Wednesday (15 November) announced they will work
towards amending the notorious article 301 of the penal code which
penalises insulting “Turkishness” before EU leaders meet for a 14-15
December summit meeting, which is set to be dominated by a debate on
the fate of Ankara’s embattled EU accession process.
Newswires cite Turkish officials as saying the country’s ruling AKP
party hopes to have a parliamentary vote on the issue “in the first
week of December,” just ahead of the EU leaders’ meeting.
Revision of article 301 is seen as a symbolically important move,
with a critical European Commission report on Turkey’s accession
process earlier this month highlighting the article as contributing
to a “climate of self-censorship in the country.”
The article has been used to bring charges against various
intellectuals or journalists including Nobel Prize winner Orham Pamuk,
with important parts of Turkish civil society also eager to get rid
of it.
But while the announced concession on free speech could take some of
the criticism on Turkey away at the December summit, one important
EU player – France – on Wednesday saw its tense relations with Ankara
further deteriorate as a Turkish general announced that military ties
with Paris will be suspended.
“Relations with France in the military field have been suspended,”
general Ilker Basbug said according to press reports, adding the move
is a protest against pending French legislation which would penalise
the denial of the 1915 Armenian genocide.
The new French bill, adopted by the French National Assembly but
still waiting for approval from the Senate, makes it a crime to deny
that Armenians suffered genocide by the Ottoman Turks, with Ankara
describing the bill immediately after adoption in October as a
“severe blow” to French-Turkish relations.
Ankara denies that the mass killings of Armenians during World War
I constituted a genocide.
The row is escalating just as Paris is defining its position on whether
or not to suspend Turkey’s EU accession talks over the Cyprus issue,
with Brussels and EU capitals pressing Ankara to open its ports and
airports to traffic from Cyprus before the December summit.
Ankara’s continuing failure to open up to shipping from Cyprus –
and EU member which Ankara does not recognise – could jeopardise the
accession negotiations, with member states currently debating whether
the talks should be fully or partially frozen.
Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday that his
country is not ready to compromise over the issue, stating “We won’t
bow to blackmail, in the same way that we did not bow to blackmail
in the past.”
The Finnish EU presidency is currently engaged in intense diplomatic
efforts to save the Turkey talks, proposing in a trade-off plan that
the EU lift the isolation of Turkish Cypriots in the North of the
island in return for Turkey allowing trade from Cyprus.

GENERAL BASBUG: TURKISH-FRENCH MILITARY RELATIONS ARE SHELVED FOR NOW
Hurriyet, Turkey
Nov 16 2006
The top commanding officer of the Turkish Land Forces, General Ilker
Basbug, has said that following the French Parliament’s decision to
approve a bill calling for jail time and monetary fines for people
publicly denying Armenian genocide allegations, that high level visits
between his officers and French land forces officers are no longer
on the docket.
Basbug commented yesterday that relations between Turkish and
French military officials are currently “shelved” in the wake of the
controversial French parliamentary decision. Basbug’s comments came
during a reception in honor of the founding of the Northern Cypriot
republic.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE IS IDEAL FORUM TO CONTINUE SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN
AND ARMENIA ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT: U.S. MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIR URGES
Author: A.Mammadova, E.Huseynov
TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 16 2006
U.S. Ambassador Matthew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, stated
in an exclusive interview for Trend that the OSCE is the ideal forum
from which to continue the settlement negotiations between Azerbaijan
and Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He was commenting on
the possible involvement of other international organizations, such
as the Council of Europe, United Nations and other organizations in
the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh.
The diplomat stressed that statements by other international groups and
bodies that reinforce the OSCE Minsk Group process and the Co-Chairs’
Basic Principles may certainly be helpful. The leaders of the G8
countries issued such a statement in St Petersburg in July, he added.
Bryza recalled that more recently, the UN and OSCE worked together to
bring about an OSCE-led assessment mission of the wild fires in and
around Nagorno-Karabakh with joint participation of Azerbaijani and
Karabakh-Armenian experts. “I consider that kind of co-operation to be
a positive sign, and I hope we’ll see the two sides agree to more of
these kinds of confidence-building measures in the future,” he stated.
‘We were encouraged by the positive mood and open-minded spirit of
the two Foreign Ministers in their recent discussions, as well as
their commitment to continue discussions based on the Co-Chairs’
Basic Principles,” he said.
The diplomat voiced his belief that the basic principles represent a
fair, balanced, workable solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
and hoped that the two sides will embrace those principles – perhaps
with some minor modifications and improvements based on their own
input – as the basis for enduring peace in the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MEETING OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS WOULD BE A STEP TOWARDS SETTLING NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT – ARMENIAN PRIMER
TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 16 2006
The meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia would be a
step towards settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenian
Prime Minister, Andranik Markaryan briefed the media on 15 November.
“The possibility of conducting the meeting would be a step forward
and would mean that the Foreign Ministers of the two countries have
agreed on certain topics,” the Head of the Government stressed.
“Naturally more detailed discussions will take place at the time of
the meeting of the Presidents,” Markaryan said, adding that “I would
welcome such a meeting”.
During the recent meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan,
Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenia, Vardan Oskanyan in Brussels, the
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group offered to discuss the expediency
of the meeting of the Presidents of the two countries, Trend reports
with reference to News-Armenia.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry considered the negotiations which took
place between the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as constructive.

EU-ARMENIA ACTION PLAN WILL LEAD THE REPUBLIC TO QUALITATIVELY NEW LEVEL
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.11.2006 17:43 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian, Azeri and Georgian FMs held a news
conference in Brussels yesterday. During the event, led by EU External
Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the Armenian and Azeri
FMs were predisposed well towards each other. In any case, their
comments differed strongly from those made public during previous
similar meetings. In their prior comments both Ministers appreciated
the Action Plans within the ENP. Answering a question, whether their
comments seeming friendly mean anything in the light of the talks over
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict starting today, Vartan Oskanian said,
“We do not know what may happen tomorrow. There is a logical proposal
on the bargaining table, there are interesting ideas, talks should be
held and the necessary will should be displayed. This is what today’s
statement expressed.”
In the opinion of Azeri FM Mammadyarov, “the issue should be considered
within the context that time pushed us forward, mutual understanding
has enhanced, it is necessary to move away from a stalemate point.”
“In this case I believe we have good opportunities,” Mammadyarov said.
Speaking of the Action Plan within the ENP, Oskanian remarked,
“New quality is attributed to our relations.
It is a rather large document, which comprises new opportunities. It
is necessary to concentrate and implement it in the best manner.” “We
want to fully use it, as it will really lead Armenia to a qualitatively
new level both in political and economic respects,” reports RFE/RL.

15-YEAR-OLD ARMENIAN BRUTALLY KILLED IN PODMOSKOVYE
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.11.2006 12:58 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ November 11 a 15-year-old Armenian Narek Kocharian
was killed on a railway platform of the settlement of Ivanteyevka
(Moscow oblast). As reported by the police, the boy was brought to
hospital with knife wounds and died some time later.
According to the source, operative and search measures are being
carried out.
The Union of Armenians of Russia (UAR) says that Narek Kocharian,
an attendee of a hairdressing course, went out for a walk with his
Russian friends that evening.
At about 6 or 7 p.m. aggressive young men assaulted Narek. His friends
escaped while he was brutally beaten and knifed. The assassins also
tried to smother or hand their victim. A scarf with an image of a skull
and bones was found next to the killed boy thus clearly pointing to
the affiliation of the assassins to a fascist grouping.
According to the source Narek Kocharian (1991 year of birth) resided
in the town of Ivanteyevka and was going to receive the passport of
a Russian citizen in the near future. The body of the killed boy will
be conveyed to Armenia. The UAR says a criminal case in compliance of
Article 111.4 of the Russian Criminal Code (causation of grave physical
injuries that resulted in death over carelessness) was initiated.
The UAR staff adds, “Our guards of order consider that the boy
was killed ‘over carelessness’. But he was beaten, smothers and
knifed. Moreover these deeds were dictated by national hatred. Isn’t
this a reason for threatening frequency of such crimes?” reports
IA Regnum.

AUSTRIA ASKS FOR PAUSE IN TURKEY’S EU NEGOTIATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.11.2006 13:02 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Austria, whose public is largely against Turkey’s
possible membership to the European Union, has asked for a pause in
Turkey’s EU entry talks. Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik
spoke to press on Monday prior to the EU Foreign Ministers meeting in
Brussels. “If there is no important move between now and December,
it might be wise to agree on a time-out to reduce tensions,” she
said. Plassnik was largely alone in this opinion as other EU Foreign
Ministers did not support such a move. The French and German ministers
admitted that it would of no use to give a time-out in Turkey’s
EU negotiations and even Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Yiorgos
Lillikas said that even they did not want a pause in negotiations with
Turkey. Maltese Foreign Minister Michael Frendo said there would be a
“major crisis” if Turkey did not fulfill its commitments on giving
access to Cypriot shipping but also added that he was against a full
suspension of negotiations, reports Zaman.

EU TO CLOSELY WATCH UPCOMING ELECTION IN ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.11.2006 13:04 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Commissioner for External Relations Benita
Ferrero-Waldner described the singing of the EU Action Plans with
the South Caucasian states as ‘a new stage’. “We are launching a new
stage. We want to convey our values – human rights, democracy and rule
of law – to these states. We also consider their wishes. It’s important
for us to encourage regional cooperation,” she told RFE/RL. For his
part, EU Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby also commented on
the Armenia-EU Action Plan. “The European Neighborhood Policy will
allocate finances and these funds should be used for reformation of
Armenia and Azerbaijani in order to bring them closer to European
standards,” he said. The EU will also closely watch the forthcoming
parliamentary and presidential election in Armenia and Azerbaijan
which will become an important exam for the republics.

EU NOT PASSIVE IN CONFLICT SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.11.2006 13:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “I cannot say that the EU is passive in the conflict
settlement in the South Caucasus. The EU has done a great deal of
work,” EU High Commissioner Javier Solana stated. In his words,
the conflicts are rooted in the problems the whole region faces. “I
would like to stress the importance of talks between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. The EU supports the mediating endeavors of the OSCE Minsk
Group and I hope that the meeting of the Foreign Ministers in November
14 will promote the process,” he said.
When touching upon Georgia’s internal conflicts Solana said the EU
considers the resolution of the conflicts to be vitally important
for the region. “EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus
Peter Semneby helps Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to reconsider the
economic and political reforms and press for the further development
of the region making contribution to the peaceful settlement of
conflicts and encouraging cooperation between the countries,” he said,
reported Trend.

ANKARA AIMS TO AMEND ARTICLE 301 BEFORE SUMMIT
Gulf Times, Qatar
Nov 16 2006
ANKARA: Turkey plans to amend a controversial law condemned by the
European Union for curbing freedom of expression in time for an EU
summit in mid-December, officials said yesterday.
Article 301 makes it a crime to insult “Turkishness” or state
institutions. Nationalist lawyers have used it to prosecute writers
and intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, although
most cases have ended in acquittal.
In its annual report on Turkey’s reforms last week, the European
Commission repeated its criticism of the article and urged the
government to amend or repeal it.
“This amendment has to be made and benefit is seen in making it as
soon as possible. We aim to pass the amendment through parliament
in the first week of December,” an official from the ruling AK Party
told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
EU leaders will discuss the fate of Turkey’s EU candidacy at a December
14-15 summit after concern over a slowdown in reforms and a row over
Cyprus, whose government Ankara does not recognise. Turkey began EU
entry talks a year ago.
Political analysts say Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces
elections next year, hopes that by amending article 301 he can gain
credit in Brussels and make the EU less willing to punish Turkey over
its Cyprus policy.
AK Party sources said they and the Justice Ministry were exploring
new forms of wording that would make it more difficult for politically
motivated lawyers to bring cases to court.
The aim of the amendment will be to protect people’s legitimate right
to criticise while discouraging insults that upset Turkish public
opinion, AK Party officials said.
Non-governmental organisations, including business groups and trade
unions, are also drawing up joint proposals for changes they plan to
submit to the government by tomorrow.
The head of the Turkish Doctors’ Union, one of the NGOs involved, said
his group favoured complete abolition of the article but added: “The
government is not planning change of that magnitude at this point.”
Speaking in Stockholm yesterday, Turkey’s EU chief negotiator Ali
Babacan noted the strength of opposition to change inside parliament,
despite the AK Party’s big majority, and said the support of the NGOs
would be crucial.
“If a serious, concrete demand comes from civil society it will be
easier for us to look into this situation,” he said.
Pamuk was charged under article 301 over comments he made about the
alleged genocide of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I.
Pamuk’s case collapsed on a technicality.
Turkey strongly denies the genocide claims. It says large numbers
of Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks died in a partisan conflict
accompanying the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress