The New Anatolian, Turkey
May 13 2006
French President pledges ‘sensitivity’ to Turkish concerns on
Armenian bill
French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday reportedly told Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that France will show sensitivity
to Turkish concerns over a bill threatening prison terms and fines to
people who question the Armenian genocide claims.
Chirac made the remarks during a meeting with Erdogan on the
sidelines of a dinner hosted by Austrian Prime Minister Wolfgang
Schuessel in honor of the participants of the European Union-Latin
American summit held in Vienna.
Although Chirac assured Erdogan that France will take into
consideration Turkish concerns during the debate of the Armenian bill
in the French Parliament set for next week, French socialists
Thursday expressed their insistence on bringing the bill to the
Parliament’s floor despite Parliament’s Law Commission rejecting the
controversial bill.
During Wednesday’s debates at the Law Commission, ruling Union for
Popular Movement (UMP) deputies sharply criticized the bill, drawn up
by a group of socialist deputies. Alain Marsaud and Michel Piron from
the UMP are opposed to the bill, and Piron stressed that trying to
write history with laws would result in a discredited “official
history.” After the debates, the commission made no changes to the
bill and rejected it by a majority.
However, under the French Parliament’s bylaws, the bill is still
going to be debated by the General Assembly next Thursday. The
majority of ruling UMP deputies are opposed to the bill, but if they
don’t participate in next week’s meeting, it’s expected to be
approved by the National Assembly. The UMP has announced that there
will be no group decision on the issue.
Gul warns France on dangers of bill
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned France on Friday about danger of
possible approval of the Armenian bill, saying, “Sometimes issues of
domestic politics may hurt the greater interests of the country.”
“I think a country like France will give priority to its interests,”
Gul said.
Telling of the initiatives made by Turkish officials to block
approval of Armenian bill by the French Parliament, Gul said that the
aim of these initiatives is to warn France on time about the dangers
of such a move.
Underlining that recalling Turkish ambassadors from Ottawa and Paris
for consultations doesn’t aim at provoking the public, Gul said,
“This is not an issue of governments, but one of society. Both
non-governmental organization (NGOs) and businessmen warned their
French counterparts that approval of such a bill would harm
relations.”
Erdogan seeks German support for EU bid
Erdogan met on Friday with his German counterpart Angela Merkel on
the sidelines of the summit where he reportedly sought German support
to Turkish bid to join the EU.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Erdogan told reporters that
they also discussed the details and agenda of his upcoming visit to
Germany. “I told Merkel what Turkey can do in the EU accession
process and stated Turkish expectations from Germany in the process,”
Erdogan added.
Turkey’s chief EU negotiator and State Minister Ali Babacan and
Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin also joined Erdogan during
talks with Merkel.
Erdogan during his bilateral talks with United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan discussed the Middle East peace process,
the latest developments in Iraq and possible Turkish contribution to
the democratization of the region.
The Turkish prime minister participated in the opening session of the
summit and posed in a group photo with his European and Latin
American counterparts on Friday before proceeding to Bali, Indonesia
to participate in the Developing-8 Summit.

esctoday.com, Netherlands
May 13 2006
Second rehearsal
Andre for Armenia
The second rehearsal for the Semi finalists started at 11:00 local
time today in the OAKA hall, with Andre for Armenia. Whereas in the
first rehearsal there is 40 minutes allocated to each performer, in
the second rehearsal there is 30 minutes, as there is less
preparations required, and everything should just be that bit more
efficient. Andre still though had a few sound problems to start with,
and there were several restarts required before this was sorted out
satisfactorily. The actual performance was a lot slicker this time
around, and the choreography with all the ropes seemed to be more
skilful. The costumes are in red, black and white for the most part.
Andre wears an interesting head dress to start the song, but this is
quickly removed early on in the performance. As there were a lot more
journalists and photographers present than there was on Thursday
morning, the song received a lot more applause at this rehearsal.
Just as there is less time allotted to the second rehearsal, the same
applies to the second press conference. A lot of questions tend to
get repeated, so we will only try to be reporting on any additional
information obtained from the second conferences.
Have you had time to listen to all the other songs and which do you
see as your biggest danger? “I have listened to them all, and I like
the songs from FYR Macedonia and Greece…but I don’t see them as a
dangerous as Armenia is very good”.
What are the ideas behind the choreography? “Its about a man who has
issues about love, and everyday problems and fights to escape, and
wants to trade places”.
What was the last CD you bought? “It was one with Jewish spiritual
songs”.
Which artist have influenced you musically? “Internationally, Whitney
Houston. We also have our own State Music Theatre, which is one of
the best and has produced good artists”.
You were born in Azerbaijan, so how does it feel to represent
Armenia, and what are you memories of the Eurovision song contest?
“Well actually when I was born it was all part of the Soviet Union. I
think its great that the Eurovision song contest unites all
countries, in terms of friendship, and there are no conflicts. I am a
huge fan, but never had the opportunity to vote, but I think the best
songs have won the contest”.
Are you aware that you are no the only Armenian in the contest, that
there is also an Armenian who is a dancer as part of the Turkish
entry? “I think that’s cool. In the same way we have Russian dancers
who are part of our entry, this is what I think is good about the
contest, its perfect”.
Which countries have you been to promote your entry? “Ukraine,
Moldova, Andorra, Russia, Poland, Cyprus and Greece”.
The press conference ended with the photo opportunity. The next time
Andre will rehearse will be at the first dress rehearsal of the Semi
final on 17th May from 14:00.

New Anatolian, Turkey
May 13 2006
Copter tender rests on Armenian card
Evren Deger – The New Anatolian / Ankara

Turkey’s drawn-out decision to purchase combat helicopters will be
shaped by the play of the Armenian card in the French Parliament,
which recently proposed a bill threatening prison terms for people
who question the controversial Armenian genocide claims.
The fate of the estimated $2 billion Attack and Tactical
Reconnaissance Helicopter (ATAK) tender, which began last year and is
expected to be finalized by June, will be affected by the vote set to
take place in the French Parliament on Thursday.
Four companies have submitted proposals for the tender that seeks 91
helicopters (30 firm, 20 additional and 41 optional).
The firms that submitted their request for proposal documents to the
Defense Industry Undersecretariat were Italian Agusta, French
Eurocopter, Russian Rosoboronexport and South African Denel Aviation.
The models proposed are Eurocopter’s Tiger, Agusta’s A129 Mangusta,
Rosoboronexport’s MI-28 Havoc and Denel Aviation’s CSH-2 Rooivalk.
>From among these four models, interest has only been shown in the
French and South African options.
According to defense industry observers, the final decision, which
will be made in June, will be shaped by the French Parliament’s
decision on the Armenian bill.
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer sent a message to his French
counterpart Jacques Chirac this week warning passage of the bill
could have serious consequences.
Should the French Parliament pass the bill in question, the likely
winner of the tender will be South Africa’s Denel Aviation. The same
defense circles said that the South African model has a phenomenal
success rate after passing many technical tests.
ARABASLIK: History of ATAK tender
It has been 10 years since the ATAK project was initiated in 1996. In
the first tender opened that year, there were no results to come out
of contract meetings to discuss U.S. firm Bell Textron’s King Kobra
model and Russian firm Kamov’s Erdogan model. The Defense Industry
Executive Committee canceled the tender in May 2004 and it has since
entered another phase.
Two companies from both the U.S. and Europe, as well as one company
each from Russia and South Africa, were invited to take part in the
tender. The American firms, however, withdrew last summer over a
clause in the tender granting the approval of the administrative
specifications from the beginning of the tender.
Following the withdrawal and delays in proposals from other firms,
especially the South African offer, the deadline for submissions was
extended from last June last year to Sept. 13.
The deadline was later again pushed back to Nov. 8 in order to give
other companies, including those in the current four, the opportunity
to to make an offer.

Hürriyet, Turkey
May 13 2006
Chirac: Pro-Genocide Bill could still be rejected
At a dinner with Latin American Leaders held in Vienna this week,
French President Jacques Chirac gave Turkish Prime Minister, Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan an important message regarding the `Bill on Criminal
Punishment for Denial of the supposed Armenian Genocide’.
Chirac told Erdoðan, `the National Assembly is very busy. The bill
may still be rejected at a vote which will determine whether or not
it will be part of the agenda. It may not be discussed at that
session.’ Chirac stated that the French Government would treat the
case with utmost respect to Turkey’s sensitivity about the issue.
Diplomatic sources evaluate this new attitude of the French
Government as `the result of suggestions from French firms, investing
in Turkey. The volume of trade between the two countries currently
stands at 10 billion euro, of which 6.3 billion euro belongs to
France, and 3.7 billion euro to Turkey. Chirac’s Government, the UMP,
could prevent the bill from getting to the parliamentary agenda, in a
pre-voting session to take place before the bill appears on the
Parliamentary agenda on May 18.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected]
Website; _www.armenianchurch.ca_ ()
May 12, 2006
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Prime Minister Harper thanks Bishop Galstanian
Last Thursday, His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian received a letter
of appreciation from the Right Honorable Stephen Harper, Prime
Minister of Canada. This was in response to the Primate’s
congratulation and acknowledgment letters of February 7 and March
28. In his letter Prime Minister Harper says `I am pleased to have
this opportunity to extend my personal thanks for your kind words’.
Referring to the March 21, 2006 meeting with the Primate and the
Diocesan Council members Mr. Harper continues `I enjoyed our meeting
and look forward to your continued input as we work to fulfill the
mandate given to us by Canadians. Once again, thank you for your
encouragement and support’ concludes the Prime Minister.
The Diocesan office of the Armenian Church in Canada maintains
contacts within the Harper government and the Prime Minister’s Office
(PMO).

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected]
Website; _www.armenianchurch.ca_ ()
May 11, 2006
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Primate Pays Tribute to Senator Romeo Dallaire
Retired Lt.-Gen. Romeo Dallaire, who gained an international
reputation for condemning the lack of global action in preventing the
Rwandan genocide, has been named to a new United Nations committee
charged with advising the world body on genocidal conflicts.
Dallaire, also a Senator in Canada, was one of eight people named to
the Genocide Prevention Advisory Committee this week. Dallaire
commanded the UN Forces in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. Archbishop
Desmond Tutu of South Africa is also serving on the committee, whose
mandate involves advising the UN on preventing genocide as well as
what action to take if a conflict erupts.
On Wednesday, May 10, 2006 His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian sent
a letter of acknowledgement and appreciation to Senator
Dallaire. Following is the letter of Serpazan.
No 2006.115
May 10, 2006
Honourable Romeo Dallaire
Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A4
Honourable Senator,
We are gratified to learn that you have been named to the Genocide
Prevention Advisory Committee of the United Nations, a consultative
committee to the world body on genocide conflicts. It is imperative
that the issue of genocide be recognized and prevented. Undeniably,
those efforts depend on individuals who possess high levels of moral
principles, dedication and conviction. Your devoted and conscious
service with the UN forces in Rwanda demonstrates a clear vision and
understanding of the definition of Genocide. This issue should draw
the attention and abhorrence of the world.
Regretfully, in 2006, the world is witnessing yet again, occurrences
of genocide. Although many individuals are working to raise awareness
and to promote some political action, not all acknowledge the depth of
the dilemma or are willing to take the necessary action. There can be
no confusion on the question; many hundreds of thousands have
perished, and millions have been displaced. It is our moral
responsibility to call attention to the anguish in Darfur. We,
Armenians have suffered the pain of the first genocide of the
twentieth century and are very apprehensive that the world is once
again hesitant to act.
As quoted from Baroness Caroline Cox, of the British House of Lords in
April 1999, “If nations are allowed to commit genocide with impunity,
to hide their guilt in a camouflage of lies and denials, there is a
real danger that other brutal regimes will be encouraged to attempt
genocides. Unless we speak today of the Armenian genocide and unless
the Government recognizes this historical fact, we shall leave this
century of unprecedented genocides with this blot on our consciences.”
Once again, we are called to act and act now. History will judge us
all, for our awareness and willingness to take a stand. With prayers,
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate
Diocese of the Armenian Church in Canada

Boxing.de
05.03.06
Abraham dominant in IBF middleweight title defense
OLDENBURG, Germany (Ticker) – In his first defense of the IBF middleweight
title, rising star Arthur Abraham had little problem scoring a unanimous
decision over Australian veteran Shannan Taylor on Saturday at EWE Arena.
The 26-year-old Abraham (20-0, 17 KOs), who claimed the then-vacant title
with a fifth-round knockout of Kingsley Ikeke in December, was in control
throughout.
A native of Armenia who now calls Berlin home, Abraham won on all three
cards, 120-107, 120-107 and 120-106.
The fight featured no knockdowns but Abraham had his opponent under pressure
early, most notably in the fourth round. The 33-year-old Taylor (42-5-2) had
a point deducted in the sixth for a low blow.
Taylor fell to 0-2 in title fights

NEW PARTS OF CRASH AIRBUS A320 FOUND
Yerevan, May 13. ArmInfo. Deep-water apparatus “Kalmar” has recorded
the probable parts of the crashed Airbus A320, RIA Novosti reports.
A rescuer of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry says the parts
were revealed in the same area wherefrom the call signs of “black
boxes” were received. On May 11, one of the heads of search operations
reported that the location of A320 airborne recorders in the Black Sea
bottom were determined to 5 meters due to “Kalmar” and French
direction finding system.
Armenian airline Airbus A320 crashed in the Black Sea on May 3 night
killing all on board.

PARTY “ORINATS YERKIR”: “AMIRYAN” PEDAGOGICAL ORGANIZATION BEARS NO
RELATION TO THE PARTY “ORINATS YERKIR”
Yerevan, May 13. ArmInfo. “Amiryan” pedagogical organization bears no
relation to the party “Orinats Yerkir,” says “OY” party statement
received by ArmInfo, Saturday.
The party informs that a press conference scheduled for May 13 at
Hotel Yerevan wherein “Amiryan” organization’s withdrawal from “OY”
will be announced is application of dirty technologies. Certain
impostors keep on announcing about their withdrawal from the
party. “Any similar attempts in future will be considered as
provocation,” the party says.

Speaker’s departure signals redistribution of political forces –
Armenian paper
Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
13 May 06

Text of report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkharh on 13 May
headlined “Breaking the rules of the game has never been forgiven”
The departure of the Law-Governed Country Party [LGCP] from the ruling
coalition and the expected resignation of its leader, Armenian
parliament speaker Artur Bagdasaryan, are the first serious signals of
the redistribution of the country’s political forces in the run-up to
elections.
In order to understand what has actually happened in the LGCP, we
should, first of all, point out that this party has failed to break
the existing unwritten rules of the country’s political field. It is
not that somebody has punished the LGCP – the party itself dug the pit
in which it is now.
One cannot be a key executive and legislator and at the same time,
take opposite positions in the government and parliament: the LGCP
ministers conscientiously did what the government told them, while in
the parliament LGCP MPs conscientiously voted against the same
government’s “anti-national” activities.
Sometimes, they came up with radical opposition views, while the
LGCP’s inefficient appointees strongly damaged the government’s
reputation.
We can only say that “the drayman creaked instead of the dray” and now
this “drayman” is alleging that it was he who returned Soviet-era
savings to the people, he who supports the media and finally he who
objects to the privatization programme of 2001-2004, a programme
adopted with the active participation of the LGCP ministers.
True, as an advocate of European integration, the LGCP and its leader
ensured the coalition’s “complimentary image.” But here, too, they
broke the rules. In fact, they persistently undermined the coalition
from both inside and outside by their socialist populism on the one
hand, and by their statements about “a new foreign policy doctrine” in
the German press on the other.
Politics is cruel and never forgives those who break its rules.
p 2