TURKEY IN LAST-DITCH APPEAL FOR FRANCE TO DROP ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL
Agence France Presse — English
October 11, 2006 Wednesday 4:31 PM GMT
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul Wednesday launched a last-ditch
appeal to France to drop a bill on the World War I massacres of
Armenians which has threatened to poison bilateral ties.
“I hope France, the homeland of freedom where everyone is able to
express their opinions freely, will not turn into a country where
people are jailed for expressing their opinions and publishing
documents,” Gul told reporters here.
“If the bill is adopted, Turkey will not lose anything, but France
will lose not only Turkey, but something of itself as well.”
The French national assembly is scheduled to vote Thurday on the bill,
which provides for a year in prison and a 45,000-euro (57,000-dollar)
fine for denying that Armenians were the victims of genocide between
1915 and 1917 under the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s predecessor.
If the bill passes through the assembly, it will have to be approved
by the Senate and the president before it becomes law in what is
expected to be a lenghty process.
Ankara has warned that bilateral ties will suffer a serious blow and
French companies will be barred from economic projects if the bill
is adopted.
Turkish officials largely see the draft law as a gesture to France’s
large Armenian community before legislative elections next year.
The French government has described the bill as unnecessary, while
the ruling UMP party bloc has distanced itself from the draft, which
was tabled by the Socialist opposition.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917.
Turkey rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300,000 Armenians
and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading
Russian troops as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH MPS DROP PROPOSAL TO HIT BACK AT FRANCE WITH ALGERIA LAW
Agence France Presse — English
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
Turkish legislators Wednesday dropped proposals to brand as genocide
the killings of Algerians under French colonial rule.
The drafts had been submitted in retaliation to a French bill that,
if accepted, would provide jail terms for those who deny that Turks
committed genocide against Armenians during World War I.
“We should not fall in France’s position. We should avoid the same
mistake of writing history with parliamentary decisions,” Mehmet
Dulger, a senior lawmaker from the ruling Justice and Development
Party, said during the debate at the parliament’s justice commission.
Ibrahim Ozdogan from the opposition center-right Motherland Party,
and the author of one of the three drafts the commission examined,
argued that European countries should rethink the massacres of their
own colonial past.
“The murderer has come to take the judge’s seat,” he said.
After a three-hour debate, commission members voted to refer the
proposals to a sub-committee for further discussion, a move that
effectively freezes the proposals.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had urged legislators Tuesday to
refrain from any retaliatory action, saying, “we do not clean filth
with filth.”
The French draft, to be debated and voted at the National Assembly
in Paris on Thursday, foresees one year in prison and a 45,000-euro
(57,000-dollar) fine for denying that Armenians were victims of
genocide during World War I.
Infuriated by the move, Ankara has warned that if the bill is adopted,
bilateral ties will suffer and French companies will be barred from
major economic projects in Turkey.
Two of the drafts examined Wednesday call for the recognition of
the killings of Algerians under French colonial rule as genocide and
provide jail terms for those who deny it.
The third draft called for the imprisonment of those who assert
Armenians were victims of genocide under the Ottoman Empire.
The justice commission is the first instance where bills are debated
before being sent to a vote at the general assembly.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917.
Turkey rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300,000 Armenians
and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading
Russian troops as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart.

FRENCH ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL THREATENS TO SCUPPER TRADE WITH TURKEY
by Hande Culpan
Agence France Presse — English
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
France risks losing an important economic partner in Turkey and being
left out of major projects ranging from the defense sector to energy
if it adopts a controversial bill on the World War I-era massacres
of Armenians.
The French national assembly is scheduled to vote Thurday on the bill,
which provides one year in prison and a 45,000-euro (57,000-dollar)
fine for denying that Armenians were the victims of genocide between
1915 and 1917 under the Ottoman Empire, Turkey’s predecessor.
If the bill passes through the assembly, it will have to be approved
by the Senate and the President before it becomes law in what is
largely expected to be a lenghty process.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has already warned that French
companies should expect to be barred from major tenders and several
civic groups have threatend to boycott French goods if the bill
is approved.
This would be a repetition of what happened in 2001, when France
officialy recognised the Armenian massacress as genocide, but French
businessmen here feel the repercussions of the new bill could be
more severe.
“In 2001, Turkey went though a huge economic crisis and the boycott
of French goods was forgotten. But I do not think it will be the same
this time round,” Raphael Esposito, director of the French-Turkish
Chamber of Commerce, told AFP. “The wound will be deeper and will
not heal as quickly.”
Analysts say Turkey cannot cancel projects already awarded to French
companies, but could easily bar them from future tenders.
One project France is interested in is the planned construction of
the country’s first nuclear power plant, which calls for an initial
investment of four billion dollars (about 3.1 billion euros).
The government plans to build three nuclear power plants with a total
capacity of about 5,000 megawatts, to be operational in 2012, in hopes
of preventing a possible energy shortage and reducing dependence on
foreign supplies, mainly from Russia and Iran.
Nuclear Power International (NPI), a subsidiary of Germany’s Siemens
and France’s Framatome, had previously bid in a now-defunct tender
to build a nuclear plant on Turkey’s southern Mediterranean coast.
Another area that could be adversely affected by the French bill is
the defence industry.
Eurocopter, the fruit of a Franco-German merger, is among four foreign
companies to submit bids for the purchase of 52 general-purpose
search-and-rescue helicopters for military and civilian use, a project
said to be worth several million dollars.
French companies are also keen to participate in several transport
and infrastructure projects in major Turkish cities, such as the
extension of Istanbul’s underground railway system.
Analysts, however, say Turkey could keep planned economic sanctions on
a strict bilateral level and not move against multinational companies
that may include France.
The French bill, if approved, is also likely to hit some 250 French
firms already present in Turkey and active in sectors ranging from food
and the automobile industry to banking and insurance, and providing
employment for about 65,000 people.
“All this is very tiring,” Esref Hamacioglu, the director in Turkey
of Sodexho, a French food voucher company.
He said his firm lost about one million euros (1.25 million dollars)
in 2001, during a two-week boycott triggered by France’s recognition
of the Armenian massacres as genocide.
Bilateral trade between the two countries totalled 8.2 billion euros
(10 billion dolars) in 2005.
France also plays a leading role in foreign direct investment in
Turkey with 2.1 billion dollars (1.6 billion euros) last year and 328
million dollars (260 million euros) in the first seven months of 2006.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FRENCH MPS TO DEBATE ARMENIA ‘GENOCIDE’ BILL, ANGERING TURKEY
by Marc Burleigh
Agence France Presse — English
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
French MPs are set to debate Thursday a bill on the 1915-1917 massacres
of Armenians by the Ottomans which, if passed into law, could gravely
threaten France’s economic relations with Turkey.
Tabled by the left-wing opposition, the draft law would make it a
crime in France to deny that the massacres constituted genocide,
hitting violators with a prison term of up to one year and a fine of
up to 45,000 euros (57,000 dollars).
Turkey, the modern state which emerged from a sprawling Ottoman Empire
that included Armenia, contests the term “genocide” for the killings
and strongly opposes the bill’s provisions.
It says 300,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died in civil
strife when Armenians took up arms for independence and sided with
invading Russian troops as the Ottoman Empire fell apart during World
War I.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their ancestors were slaughtered
in orchestrated killings.
Around 400,000 people of Armenian origin are estimated to live in
France, the most famous being the singer Charles Aznavour, born
Chahnour Varinag Aznavourian to immigrant parents.
In 2001 France adopted a law calling the massacres a genocide,
but the new bill would, in addition, make it illegal to deny that
genocide took place, much in the way denial of the Holocaust during
World War II is a crime.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday warned that
passage of the bill would be a mistake bearing serious consequences
for French investors in Turkey.
“We expect Paris to avoid this blunder, this political accident that
will harm Turkish-French relations,” he told members of his party.
Erdogan claimed the criminalisation of those who challenged the
use of “genocide” for the Armenian killings ran counter to freedom
of expression in the European Union, which Turkey itself is under
pressure to respect as it seeks membership.
Ankara has warned France that its companies will be barred from
potentially lucrative economic projects in Turkey, including a planned
nuclear power plant, if the bill is adopted.
The Ankara Chamber of Commerce, which groups some 3,200 businesses,
has also threatened to boycott French goods.
At stake is bilateral trade that totalled 8.2 billion euros (10
billion dollars) in 2005.
But observers warned that any economic retaliation could prove worse
for Turkey than for France.
France plays a leading role in foreign direct investment in Turkey,
with 2.1 billion dollars (1.7 billion euros) last year and 328 million
dollars in the first seven months of this year. About 250 French firms
are active in Turkey, providing employment for about 65,000 people.
Nevertheless, Chirac’s ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party
has been unsettled by the intensity of the Turkish backlash over the
proposed law, which was entered by the opposition Socialist Party.
On Tuesday, French foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei
told reporters that the bill “does not implicate the government” and
“in our view, it is not necessary”.
The head of the UMP majority in parliament, Bernard Accoyer, said
a “large number” of the party’s MPs would abstain from voting on
the bill.
“The law is not the best tool to write history,” he said.
The furore also plays out against the context of Turkey’s EU membership
bid, and France’s key role in deciding its fate.
Chirac has championed Turkey’s ambition to join the European Union,
but domestic opposition — including within the UMP — has since
prompted him to add conditions and qualifications.
On a recent trip to Armenia, he said Turkey should recognise the
Armenian killings as a genocide before being allowed to join the EU.
But he also called the opposition bill “deliberately controversial”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SIXTEEN FILMS TO COMPETE IN ROME’S FIRST ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL
Agence France Presse — English
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
Sixteen films are in competition in Rome’s first annual film festival
opening Friday and running through October 21, and RomeFilmFest will
host the world premieres of several films:
– “A Casa Nostra” by Francesca Comencini (Italy)
– “Nightmare Detective” by Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
– “Salt Air” by Alessandro Angelini (Italy)
– “Times and Winds” by Reha Erdem (Turkey)
– “Cages” by Olivier Masset-Depasse (Belgium-France)
– “A Few Days Later” by Niki Karimi (Iran)
– “After This Our Exile” by Patrick Tam (Hong Kong)
– “The Legacy” by Temur and Gela Babluani (France-Georgia)
– “Playing the Victim” by Kirill Serebrennikov (Russia)
– “Gardens in Autumn” by Otar Iosseliani (France-Italy-Russia)
– “The Colonel” by Laurent Herbiet (France-Belgium)
– “Born and Raised” by Pablo Trapero (Argentina-Italy-Britain)
– “Primo Levi’s Journey” by Davide Ferrario (Italy)
– “This Is England” by Shane Meadows (Britain)
– “Armenia” by Robert Guediguian (France-Armenia)
– “The Go Master” by Tian Zhuangzhuang (China)
The main world premieres:
– “Fur, An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus” by US director Steven
Shainberg, with Nicole Kidman
– “Napoleon and Me” by Italy’s Paolo Virzi, with Daniel Auteuil and
Monica Bellucci
– “The Namesake” by India’s Mira Nair, with Tabu and Irfan Khan
– “The Stone Council” by Guillaume Nicloux of France, with Monica
Bellucci and Catherine Deneuve
– “The Hoax” by Sweden’s Lasse Hallstrom, with Richard Gere

RA FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVED DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE LEGAL AFFAIRS OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 10 2006
October 11 RA Minister of Foreign Affairs received the delegation
headed by Guy de Vel, Director General of the Legal Affairs of the
Council of Europe.
Te Director General arrived in Armenia to participate in the 27th
conference of Council of Europe Justice Ministers.
The interlocutors discussed RA legal field, the process of
accomplishment of Armenia’s obligations in the legal sphere, and
issues related to Armenia’s participation in forthcoming events in
the framework of the Council of Europe.
At the reguest of the guest, the Minister presented the current stage
of setlement of the Karabakh conflict.

ROME INAUGURATES STAR-STUDDED FILM FESTIVAL FRIDAY
by Katia Dolmadjian
Agence France Presse — English
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
Rome kicks off the first edition of its film festival on Friday with
16 movies in competition, several high-profile world premieres and a
galaxy of stars including Nicole Kidman, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo
di Caprio.
Despite demure denials by the organizers, the event is seen as a
potentially serious rival to the venerable Mostra of Venice.
Kidman will be on hand to unveil “Fur, An Imaginary Portrait of
Diane Arbus,” a film expected to make waves with its departure
from biographical fact and the sheer originality of director Steven
Shainberg’s approach to the life of the controversial photographer
of freaks.
To run from Friday until October 21, the RomeFilmFest will also
feature appearances by Monica Bellucci, George Clooney, Robert De Niro,
Harvey Keitel, Sean Connery and Luc Besson.
Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, the festival’s mastermind, said he wants it
to be “a great popular fete entirely dedicated to the cinematic art.”
The ardent cinephile has rejected any talk of a rivalry between the
RomeFilmFest and the decades-old Mostra, saying the two cities and
their respective festivals “help each other with reciprocal love
and respect.”
The Rome program is in fact less flamboyant than the Mostra, but it
enjoys a much larger budget — by several million euros (dollars) —
thanks to private donations.
Many big stars jumped at the invitation to attend.
The feature-length films in competition include French director Robert
Guediguian’s “Armenia”, “Primo Levi’s Journey” by Italy’s Davide
Ferrario, “A Casa Nostra” (At Our House) by Francesca Comencini, also
Italian, and Georgian filmmaker Otar Iosseliani’s “Gardens in Autumn”.
Three Asian films are in the running: “Nightmare Detective” by Shinya
Tsukamoto of Japan, “After This Our Exile” by Patrick Tam of Hong Kong,
and “The Go Master” by Tian Zhuangzhuang of China.
Another point of pride for the organizers is the amount of space
offered to the public: some 40,000 seats with affordable tickets
ranging from five to 10 euros (6.20 to 12.50 dollars) on sale at
kiosks.
This “democratization” will also see screenings both in the city
center and on Rome’s periphery.
What is more, the organizers have put together a unique jury made up
of 50 ordinary moviegoers, headed by Italian filmmaker Ettore Scola.
On October 21 they will bestow three awards: best picture (for 200,000
euros), best actress and best actor.
On Saturday Bellucci will offer “Napoleon and Me” alongside Frenchman
Daniel Auteuil, retracing Bonaparte’s life in exile on Elba.
Scorsese, the US director with Sicilian roots, will on Sunday present
“The Departed,” a drama from the Boston underworld teaming Di Caprio
with Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon.
The weekend will see Rome’s Via Veneto — setting of Rome’s iconic
“La Dolce Vita” — turned into “Business Street”, where films and
screenplays will be showcased for industry clients.

DISPUTES OVER ‘ARMENIAN’ BILL IN FRANCE
AZG Armenian Daily
12/10/2006
The French National Assembly will vote today on a bill that stipulates
that a denial of the Armenian Genocide can carry up to one year in
jail and an additional fine up to 45,000 euros. The bill is coming
to supplement the French law of 2001 recognizing the Genocide.
On the eve of the vote there was no unanimity even among the Socialist
Party members who had submitted the bill.
Le Figaro writes that Patrick Devejian, MP of the ruling Union for
a Popular Movement party (UMP), submitted an amendment proposal to
“exempt the studies of historians and scientists on this issue from
the scope of the bill.”
The bill has infuriated Turkey. On Tuesday prime minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan called on France to recall its own colonial past. Ankara
threatens to impose on France trade and political sanctions.

KARS-AKHALKALAKI RAILROAD PROJECT IS WASTE OF TIME, MONEY AND ENERGY: ARMENIAN FM
ARMINFO News Agency
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
The project to build Kars-Akhalkalaki railroad is waste of time,
money and energy, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan says in
an interview to Hayastani Hanrapetoutyun daily.
US Congress has already expressed its opinion on the project.
However, they also said that the authors of the project may find
money for the project and then it will be just a parallel road. This
project will not contribute to confidence building in the region.
Armenia will not suffer from it, the country has already proved
that blockade and other obstacles can not prevent its economic
development. However, this project will have negative political
consequences for Turkey and Azerbaijan, says Oskanyan.

ARMENIA HAS SUFFICIENT RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPMENT: ARMENIAN FM
ARMINFO News Agency
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
Having no Azeri oil and Georgian transit corridor, Armenia still
has a number of resources that allow it to successfully develop,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan says in an interview to
Hayastani Hanarapetoutyun daily.
He says that Armenia has internal resources, which it does not yet
use in full. The first resource is developing democracy, conducting
political reforms, fighting corruption, restoring mutual confidence
between the state and the people, creating equal economic opportunities
for all. The second resource is Diaspora. Here too Armenia has much to
do yet, first of all, it must adopt a law on dual citizenship. Oskanyan
hopes that this problem will be resolved very soon. The third resource
is the international resource – investments.
The stabler Armenia the bigger foreign investing, says Oskanyan.