RUSSIA INTERESTED IN KARABAKH CONFLICT SOONEST SETTLEMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 14:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A joint press conference of Council of Europe
Secretary General Terry Davis and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov took place in Strasbourg yesterday. The top officials referred
to the settlement of conflicts available in the CIS space. Sergey
Lavrov stated he sees no sense in UN’s engagement in the resolution
of CIS conflicts, since the conflicting sides have already agreed
on the settlement principles. In his words, the agreements and
settlement formats remain in case of any conflict emerging on the CIS
territory and this is the only way to resolve the so-called “frozen
conflicts”. When commenting on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Sergey
Lavrov said, “Russia is interested in the soonest settlement of the
Karabakh conflict. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs spare no effort
for it.” According to the Russian FM, the mediators have the exact
wording for each unsettled issue however “the final decision is up
to the conflicting sides,” reports RFE/RL.

WEATHER UPSET OSCE MG VISIT TO STEPANAKERT
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 14:39 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter came to know from the
NKR representative office in Yerevan, the visit of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-chairs to Stepanakert scheduled for October 4 was upset
by bad weather conditions. October 5 the mediators left Yerevan for
Moscow to participate in the meeting of the Armenian and Azeri FMs
to be held October 6.

HRANT DINK AWARDED BJORNSON PRIZE FOR PUBLICATIONS ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
05.10.2006 14:48 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Hrant Dink, the Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Akos’
Istanbul-based Armenian newspaper, was awarded with Bjornson Prize
for the publications on the Armenian Genocide of 1915. The DPA report
says that Hrant Dink has many times referred to the issue that is
considered disputable in Turkey. The report reminds that in summer
2006 the Turkish Court of Cassations upheld the decision of the First
Instance Court on the journalist’s suspended sentence. Hrant Dink
will receive the $15200 prize in the city of Molde on November 24,
says RFE/RL.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER ENDS VISIT TO GREECE
Armenpress
Oct 05 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS: Armenian defense ministry said
minister Serzh Sarkisian and other senior army officers who were
visiting Greece, attended on October 3 the official opening ceremony
of the 14-th Defender International exhibition.
A spokesman for Armenian defense ministry, Seyran Shahsuvarian, said
Sarkisian visited the pavilion of the joint Armenian-Greek company
LT Pirakla, which is a subsidiary of Greek EBO-Pirakla company and
spoke to its chief executives.
On the same the Armenian delegation visited the Hellenic Land Force
Academy and met with Armenian cadets studying there. The delegation
also visited Greece’s National Military Museum. An arrangement was
reached to hold in it in 2007 an exhibition devoted to Armenian
armed forces.
On October 4 Serzh Sarkisian was received by his Greek counterpart
Evangelos Meimarakis. Both men discussed a wide scope of bilateral
relations and reached arrangements on expansion of bilateral
cooperation in military education and peace-keeping operations areas.
The Armenian minister was also welcomed by the Armenian embassy in
Athens and met with members of the Greek Armenian community. The
Armenian minister awarded Hrant Basmajian, chairman of the Union of
Friends of Armenia and Karabakh the Armenian military medal. At the
end of the visit Sarkisian met with local journalists for a news
conference.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JAVAKHQ FACES A DILEMMA
A1+
[12:38 pm] 05 October, 2006
“Armenia must do its utmost to facilitate the tension existing between
the Russian-Georgian relations. All Armenians must unite and announce
that they are adherents of stability and their support neither side.
This is driven from our natural interests and is necessary for
Javakhq and Armenia”, claims Shirak Torosyan, head of “Javakhq”
Patriotic Union.
The tension between the Russian-Georgian relations has its negative
outcome on the Armenian residents of Javakhq. After the cessation
of transportation and postal relations between Russia and Georgia,
a lot of Javakhq residents who left for Russia in search of proper
work conditions, are unable to return to their homes. It is already a
few days Sedrak Berikyan and his father (residents of Bavra village,
Akhalqalaq region) have been unable to send money to their people at
home. “It is impossible”, say the bank clerks each time they turn to
them with the same request.
The Moscow-Tbilisi flights have been stopped. The terms Berikyans’
visas will soon expire and they might be “deported” lest they leave
Moscow in time. They can seize their last opportunity to get home
via Armenia.
Another problem Javakhq faces today is connecting with Armenians living
in the territory. The point is that Armenians of Javakhq abandon the
territory. “If this situation lasts for a long time all the Javakhq
residents will strive to get Armenian or Russian citizenship even at
the cost of their last property.
In this case Javakkq will gradually become deprived of Armenians and
the Armenian lands will be given to the local self-government bodies,”
urges Shirak Torosyan.
The main reason Armeni³ns abandon Javakhq is conditioned by
social-economic problems. The main source of the residents’ income
is the oversea work.
In this respect, Shirak Torosyan, claims that Armenians face a dilemma
as in case they support this or that conflicting side, they will
appear in economic and geopolitical blockade.
–Boundary_(ID_v4obh6X6SxiAaMiek53rIQ)- –

ENCROACHMENT ON MAJOR GENERAL IN THE CENTRE OF YEREVAN
A1+
[02:34 pm] 05 October, 2006
On October 4 the Central department of the police forces was informed
that an unknown person shot at Aram Zaqaryan, police major general and
head of the State Security Board of the RA police forces. Mr. Zaqaryan
was parking his car in the garage the moment he was shot. He was
wounded in the chest.
Aram Zaqaryan was immediately taken to hospital and examined by
doctors. After receiving the corresponding medical assistance he was
taken home.
Two bullets were found on the scene. The investigation is under way.

AZERIS ARE DESTROYING ARMENIAN FORESTS
A1+
[02:36 pm] 05 October, 2006
On October 5, OSCE monitoring group, started the environmental
assessment of the territories adjacent to the Azerbaijan-Karabakh
borderline.
“We regret that the OSCE did not create the necessary conditions
for the inclusion of the NKR representatives in the group of the
OSCE Mission on the assessment of the ecological situation on the
territories suffered from the fires. However, it does not exclude
the possibility of the participation of Karabakh experts in the
realization of the monitoring, especially when in connection with
the necessity of joining of NKR representatives to the Mission its
conducting is postponed for a day”. NKR Minister of Foreign Affairs
Georgy Petrossian stated answering the question of journalists on the
actions of the official Stepanakert in connection with the departure
of the OSCE expert group from Baku to the fire zone.
Georgy Petrossian also informed that the NKR MFA had sent a note to
the OSCE in which the position of the republic’s leadership on the
issue of the participation of experts from the NKR in the monitoring
was expressed. “One part of the territories on which the assessment
is to be conducted, is under the jurisdiction of the NKR and it is
a serious argument for our participation in the monitoring realized
by the Mission on the opposite side”, the Minister stressed.
According to the information of the NKR authorities, an alarming
ecological situation is formed on the territories occupied by
Azerbaijan: a mass cutting down of wood in the Shahoumian region
is carried out, the ecological balance is seriously affected in the
eastern part of the Martouni region where the structure of soil and
micro flora are injured.

OYP AGAINST ARMENTEL
A1+
[03:19 pm] 05 October, 2006
Today a group of members of Orinats Yerkir Party organised a rally
opposite the government premises against the increase of telephone
tariffs by “ArmenTel”.
They condemn “AmenTel” for violating human rights and qualify their
decision as groundless. The participants of the rally claim that the
Greece operator “which provides low-quality connection” hasn’t got the
right to increase the telephone tariffs for a number of reasons. First
of all, they breech the provisions of License 60 and don’t provide
many remote dwelling places with telephone. Besides, the quality of
the connection doesn’t meet the lowest criteria existing all over
the world.
The quality of the Internet connection “seriously hinders the
development of informative technologies” whereas the Internet tariff
in Armenia are the highest in the region. The strikers call on the
government to prevent “ArmenTel” from implementing its subsequent
whim and turn down their decision to increase the tariffs. Otherwise,
they claim to involve large masses into the rally of protest.

SWISS JUSTICE MINISTER’S COMMENTS DURING VISIT TO TURKEY CAUSE OUTCRY AT HOME
International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Oct 5 2006
GENEVA The Swiss justice minister’s comments during an official trip
to Turkey have caused an outcry at home after he appeared to criticize
the Alpine country’s anti-racism laws.
According to Turkey’s state-owned Anatolia news agency, Christoph
Blocher told his counterpart, Cemil Cicek, on Wednesday that a law
under which a Turkish historian is being prosecuted in Switzerland
for saying “the Armenian genocide did not take place” was “a headache.”
Blocher then went on to say that he had invited Cicek to visit
Switzerland. When Cicek asked whether he would get into trouble if
he repeated the historian’s comments, Blocher replied: “Nothing will
happen. But if it does, I’ll go to prison with him.”
A billionaire industrialist, Blocher has regularly rocked the boat
of unity in the coalition government with his outspoken positions
since he joined the seven-member Cabinet in 2003 after years on the
outside. As a leader of the nationalist Swiss People’s Party, he
has taken strong positions against asylum seekers and Switzerland’s
membership in the U.N. and other international bodies.
President Moritz Leuenberger, a Social Democrat, expressed surprised at
Blocher’s remarks Thursday, while Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin, a
center-right Radical Democrat, said it was wrong for a justice minister
to complain about his own country’s laws while on a foreign visit.
Blocher, who was in Ankara to mark the 80th anniversary of Turkey
adopting Swiss laws as a basis for its own penal code, said he would
hold a news conference on his arrival at Zurich airport Friday morning.
Anatolia reported that Blocher had expressed support for a Turkish
proposal to draw up a commission made up of historians to research
the Armenian issue.
“In countries like Switzerland … freedom of expression is necessary
for democracy to exist. No matter how much we say that freedom of
expression is important, the legislation which was adopted in 1994,
unfortunately, is an obstacle to this,” Anatolia quoted the minister
as saying.
“This law was in fact one that was passed with the punishment of
those who deny the World War II genocide against Jews in mind. No one
thought at the time that it would be used against a professor from
Turkey for remarks he made during a speech to Turks in Switzerland.”
“But this law does exist and it is a headache for us.”
“My ministry will examine what can be done independently of the case
against Halacoglu and Perincek.”
Turkish historian Yusuf Halacoglu is being investigated by Swiss
prosecutors for comments he made during a speech in Winterthur, near
Zurich, in 2004. Prosecutors said this week that they have not been
able to interview Halacoglu in person. Another case, brought against
the Turkish left-wing politician Dogu Perincek, will be decided in
March 2007.
Perincek had made similar comments about Armenians during a speaking
tour of Switzerland in 2005.
Under Switzerland’s 1994 anti-racism law, which was originally
intended to prevent Holocaust denial, it is to illegal to “deny,
minimize or justify genocide or other crimes against humanity.” At
the time, Blocher voted for the legislation.
Armenians say that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign and have pushed for
recognition around the world of the killings as genocide. Turkey
rejects the claim that a mass evacuation and related deaths of
Armenians was genocide and says the death toll is inflated.
GENEVA The Swiss justice minister’s comments during an official trip
to Turkey have caused an outcry at home after he appeared to criticize
the Alpine country’s anti-racism laws.
According to Turkey’s state-owned Anatolia news agency, Christoph
Blocher told his counterpart, Cemil Cicek, on Wednesday that a law
under which a Turkish historian is being prosecuted in Switzerland
for saying “the Armenian genocide did not take place” was “a headache.”
Blocher then went on to say that he had invited Cicek to visit
Switzerland. When Cicek asked whether he would get into trouble if
he repeated the historian’s comments, Blocher replied: “Nothing will
happen. But if it does, I’ll go to prison with him.”
A billionaire industrialist, Blocher has regularly rocked the boat
of unity in the coalition government with his outspoken positions
since he joined the seven-member Cabinet in 2003 after years on the
outside. As a leader of the nationalist Swiss People’s Party, he
has taken strong positions against asylum seekers and Switzerland’s
membership in the U.N. and other international bodies.
President Moritz Leuenberger, a Social Democrat, expressed surprised at
Blocher’s remarks Thursday, while Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin, a
center-right Radical Democrat, said it was wrong for a justice minister
to complain about his own country’s laws while on a foreign visit.
Blocher, who was in Ankara to mark the 80th anniversary of Turkey
adopting Swiss laws as a basis for its own penal code, said he would
hold a news conference on his arrival at Zurich airport Friday morning.
Anatolia reported that Blocher had expressed support for a Turkish
proposal to draw up a commission made up of historians to research
the Armenian issue.
“In countries like Switzerland … freedom of expression is necessary
for democracy to exist. No matter how much we say that freedom of
expression is important, the legislation which was adopted in 1994,
unfortunately, is an obstacle to this,” Anatolia quoted the minister
as saying.
“This law was in fact one that was passed with the punishment of
those who deny the World War II genocide against Jews in mind. No one
thought at the time that it would be used against a professor from
Turkey for remarks he made during a speech to Turks in Switzerland.”
“But this law does exist and it is a headache for us.”
“My ministry will examine what can be done independently of the case
against Halacoglu and Perincek.”
Turkish historian Yusuf Halacoglu is being investigated by Swiss
prosecutors for comments he made during a speech in Winterthur, near
Zurich, in 2004. Prosecutors said this week that they have not been
able to interview Halacoglu in person. Another case, brought against
the Turkish left-wing politician Dogu Perincek, will be decided in
March 2007.
Perincek had made similar comments about Armenians during a speaking
tour of Switzerland in 2005.
Under Switzerland’s 1994 anti-racism law, which was originally
intended to prevent Holocaust denial, it is to illegal to “deny,
minimize or justify genocide or other crimes against humanity.” At
the time, Blocher voted for the legislation.
Armenians say that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed in 1915-1923 in an organized campaign and have pushed for
recognition around the world of the killings as genocide. Turkey
rejects the claim that a mass evacuation and related deaths of
Armenians was genocide and says the death toll is inflated.

ANOTHER TURKISH AUTHOR TRIED FOR INSULTING NATIONAL IDENTITY
Katerina Ossenova
JURIST, Univ. of Pittsburgh, School of Law
Oct 5 2006
[JURIST] Another Turkish author went on trial Thursday on charges
[AP report] that he “insulted the Turkish identity” in violation of
Article 301 [Amnesty backgrounder] of the country’s penal code. Ipek
Calislar wrote that the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk, once left his palace disguised as a woman to evade an
assassination attempt. Calislar faces 4.5 years in prison if convicted.
Turkey [JURIST news archive; CIA backgrounder] is seeking membership
to the European Union (EU) [official website], which has urged that
Article 301 be abolished [JURIST report] because it infringes upon the
freedom of expression. Despite revising portions of the penal code
[JURIST report] last year, Turkish leaders have no immediate plans
to make further changes to the law. Turkish novelists Elif Shafak
[personal website], Hrant Dink and Orhan Pamuk [JURIST news archive]
have all been charged under Article 301 for discussing the alleged
Armenian genocide. Shafak was acquitted and Pamuk’s charges were
dismissed [JURIST reports], while Dink faces a retrial [JURIST report].