VALCAV HAVEL: ARMENIANS ALSO SUFFERED HOLOCAUST
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY
April 26 2006
Former Czech President Vaclav Havel equated the Turkish killing of
Armenians during World War I to the slaughter of Jews in World War II.
Havel made his comments yesterday during a speech in Prague at a
Council of Europe conference on Holocaust education, saying that
civilization’s moral failings were responsible for genocides, “be it
the holocaust of Armenians or Jews.”
“These big catastrophes in fact are monstrous but in a way
understandable products of this civilization.”
Up to 1 million Armenians died in ethnic strife under the Ottoman
Empire from 1915-1917.
Twenty-four countries officially recognize the Armenian deaths as a
genocide, but Turkey is adamant that no genocide occurred.

TURKEY CANNOT SHARE SOME EXPRESSIONS OF BUSH, TAN
Anatolian Times, Turkey
April 26 2006
ANKARA – “It is not possible for Turkey to share some expressions of
U.S. President George Bush in his statement released on April 24th.
On the other hand, the reference to creation of joint commissions
is positive,” said Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan
on Tuesday.
Replying a question about President Bush’s statement on so-called
Armenian genocide anniversary, Tan said, “President Bush displayed
his regular attitude of releasing a written statement on ‘Armenian
remembrance day’ on April 24th this year as well. It is not possible
for Turkey to share some assessments in the statement.”
“History can only be written and assessed on the basis of official
documents. The resource is the archives,” he noted.
“Controversial part of Turkish-Armenian joint history can only be
researched on scientific aspect, and the assessments can be made
under the results of these researches,” he added.
Tan said, “Thus, Turkey’s proposal (to Armenia) to investigate
incidents before and after 1915 by a joint history commission (and to
share results with people) can enlighten this period of history and
normalize the relations between the two countries, and this initiative
should be supported.”
U.S. President George Bush said in his statement (released on April
24th), “today, we remember one of the horrible tragedies of the
20th century — the mass killings and forced exile of as many as 1.5
million Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
This was a tragedy for all humanity and one that we and the world must
never forget. We mourn this terrible chapter of history and recognize
that it remains a source of pain for people in Armenia and for all
those who believe in freedom, tolerance, and the dignity and value
of every human life. We encourage dialogues, including through joint
commissions, that strive for a shared understanding of these tragic
events and move Armenia and Turkey towards normalized relations.”

SO STRIKES AGAIN IN DUBAI CHESS
By Arman Armero
Manila Standard Today, Philippines
April 27 2006
FIDE master Wesley So, a 12-year-old kid among chess giants,
secured his second win in three matches to bring himself closer to
an international master norm after three rounds in the eighth Dubai
Open Chess Championship late Tuesday at the Dubai Chess and Culture
Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
So, the country’s youngest chess whiz from Bacoor, Cavite, demolished
IM Sale Srdjan of Croatia after 42 pushes of a Benko Opening to be
in the company of 10 other players in the event, historically the
strongest open tournament in Asia.
Also in So’s company in a tie from 11th to 21st places are grandmasters
Ashot Anastasian of Armenia, Levan Pantsulaia of Georgiz, Tigran
Petrosian of Armenia, Moussa Taleb of the UAE and IMs Oleg Kulicov
of Russia, Farid Abbasov of Azerbaijan, SA Sarsam of Iraq, Abhijeet
Gupta of India, Fouad El Taher of Egypt and fellow FM Eltaj Safari
of Azerbaijan.
So’s fourth-round opponent is Taher, formerly a Board 1 player for
Egypt in various world team championships.
Standings after three rounds: Izoria, Sadvakasov, Sargissian,
Miroshnichenko, Kacheishvili, Maghami, Fedorchuk, Gelashvili, Kotsur,
Gagunashvili 3.0 points; So, Pantsulaia, Petrosia, Taleb, Kulicov,
Abbasov, Taher, Sarsam, Gupta. Safari.

VALDAS ADAMKUS: “WHAT BELONGS TO YOU SHOULD BE YOURS”
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 26 2006
“Any person, any country has got the right to be free and the right of
territorial integrity – this is a basic principle”, stated President
of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus, who is in Yerevan on an official visit,
at a meeting with the students and professorial staff of the Yerevan
State University April 26.
While commenting on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process
President of Lithuania noted: “What belongs to you should be yours”,
REGNUM correspondent reports. At the same time he said military
solution of the conflict was inadmissible. “A dialogue is necessary
for the conflict’s peaceful settlement. I call on you to speak to
each other. One can find the ways for the problem solution only via
mutual understanding and a dialogue,” the Lithuanian President stated.

MILITARY SOLUTION OF IRANIAN PROBLEM WILL HARM BAKU AND YEREVAN
RIA Novosti, Russia
April 26 2006
Moscow, (Alexei Makarkin for RIA Novosti) – Escalation of the
U.S. conflict with Iran directly affects the interests of its
neighbors.
A military solution may generate serious problems for Iraq, where it
took the political forces several months to agree on the distribution
of government positions. Moreover, a Shiite has again become Prime
Minister, and the Iraqi Shiites have historical ties with their
brethren in Iran. Understandably, political risks in Afghanistan
and Pakistan will markedly grow. The states of the South Caucasus,
also Iran’s neighbors, will face problems too.
The media report that the United States is hoping for Azeri cooperation
– its territory could be used as a potential bridgehead for military
action against Iran (this may or may not happen, but nevertheless
is on the agenda). Ilham Aliyev may discuss this issue during his
U.S. visit this week. The agenda may include the use of Azeri air space
and airfields, and the deployment of U.S. troops on Azeri territory.
Obviously, Baku is not very enthusiastic about this prospect. To begin
with, Azerbaijan maintains close relations with Iran. They signed a
non-aggression and cooperation treaty in 2002. Last December their
representatives attended the inauguration of the gas pipeline –
under a 25 year-long bilateral agreement, Iran will supply 80.5
million cubic m of natural gas a year.
During his recent trip to Baku, Iranian Defence Minister Mostafa
Mohammad-Najjar said: “The security of Azerbaijan is the security of
Iran. Our defence capability is your defence capability.” He seemed
keen to find out the Azeri position on the eve of Aliyev’s visit to
the U.S. It is clear, however, that if Azerbaijan becomes an American
ally in the war against Iran, it will itself become a target for
Iranian missiles.”
Moreover, Iran is the home for at least 35 million Azeris ( their
number being bigger than the population of Azerbaijan itself), many of
them with relatives in Azerbaijan. It is rumoured that the Americans
may try and use the ethnic factor – contradictions between the Azeri
diaspora and the Tehran regime (as Stalin tried to do in 1946). If so,
the U.S. will find it hard to do without Baku. But let’s not forget
that Stalin did not succeed, although the Iranian central government
was much weaker than it is now. In addition, if hostilities break
out, refugees may flood Azeri territory and create serious problems
for the Baku authorities. Finally, the Islamic fundamentalists in
Azerbaijan may use military action to enhance their positions by
espousing anti-American rhetoric.
While Baku is thinking about its position in the Iranian crisis,
Armenia is worried that it may have a negative effect on the
Karabakh problem, in which the U.S. is increasingly trying to act as
a go-between. So far, the point at issue is whether Baku will grant
Karabakh the right to self-determination, and sanction a referendum,
the results of which are already clear. Only in this case will
Armenia agree to concessions, and return to Baku control over the
areas of the country (outside Karabakh), which are now occupied by
its armed formations. For the time being, Aliyev rejects the idea of
a referendum as a matter of principle – if he agrees to it, he will
weaken his position inside the country and give the opposition an
excuse to lash out at him.
Today, the Americans are emphasizing their role of an “honest broker”
at the Karabakh negotiations, and are trying to exert equal influence
on either side. But the question is if they are so interested in Azeri
territory as a bridgehead for military action against Iran, how can
they “compensate” Baku for the tremendous political risks involved?
At the very least, the U.S. could support the Azeri option of the
Karabakh settlement, which Armenia finds unacceptable. At most,
Washington may look the other way if Baku possible attempts to resolve
the issue with military force. The leader of the Armenian opposition
Stepan Demirchyan said with good reason: “The consequences of a war
in Iran will be destructive for the whole region.” He added that a
war in Iran would spell disaster both for Nagorny Karabakh and Armenia.
Although unlikely, even the possibility of such a war causes concern
in Armenia and other CIS nations, which have a vested interest in
peaceful settlement of conflicts on their territory.
Thus potential U.S. military intervention in Iran may not only
result in huge casualties (part of which will be caused by Tehran’s
retaliation), but also exacerbate old seats of tension, which have
been almost extinguished. In short, it could trigger a chain reaction
with unpredictable consequences.
Alexei Makarkin is Deputy General Director of the Center for Political
Technologies.

RUSSIA SAYS AKHALKALAKI BASE PULLOUT HINDERED, AS LOCALS PROTEST
Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 26 2006
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikheil Kaminin said that the
process of launching the withdrawal on military hardware from the
Akhalkalaki military base, scheduled for April 26, has been dragged out
after local residents of this predominantly ethnic Armenian populated
town blocked the road on April 25 to protest against the base pullout.
“The command of the base requested the local military police to
ensure safe movement of military hardware. However, the Georgian
authorities refused to take any measures, citing that this does not
their responsibility,” Kaminin said.
He said that the locals protest against the military base
withdrawal, as they fear the process might trigger “deterioration of
social-economic conditions in the region.”
Kaminin also said that under the agreement signed by Tbilisi and Moscow
on March 31, the Georgian side undertook a commitment to ensure safe
pullout of bases, as well as safe transportation of military hardware
and personnel.
“We expect that the Georgian authorities will take relevant measures
in Akhalkalaki,” he added.

ALIYEV BEGINS CRUCIAL US VISIT
By Enes Cansever, Baku
Zaman Online, Turkey
April 26 2006
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev set off to the United States
yesterday for a critical official visit taking place at a time when
the Iranian crisis has deepened. Aliyev will meet US President George
W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,
and Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.
The issues in the nuclear crisis with Azerbaijan’s neighbor, Iran,
and the Upper Karabag (Karabagh) under the Armenian occupation,
are expected to mark Aliyev’s three-day visit.
Aliyev’s foreign policy adviser, Novruz Mammadov, told Zaman that four
main subjects such as dual relations, energy, regional security and
international terrorism will be handled, but the Iran and Karabagh
issues will be the main focus of the Aliyev-Bush talks.
Mammadov announced Baku wants the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program
to be overcome by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the
United Nations. “There are enough problems in the region already. As
the nation of Azerbaijan, we have never had and we will never have
any intention of interfering in Iran’s domestic affairs. We are
ready to offer the necessary support for this issue to be solved by
peaceful means.”
The Azeri official also criticized Tehran for following a policy
favoring Yerevan over the Karabagh issue despite Baku’s policy of
mutual respect and good neighborly relations.
Mammadov, also criticizing the US on this issue, highlighted that
Washington remains silent regarding Armenia that continues to occupy
one fifth of Azerbaijan’s territory.
“The United States may instantly take action for disagreements in
other countries. We think it should show the same sensitivity for
Azerbaijan, too,” the Azeri official added.
Mammadov said the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe) Minsk Group co-chairs have not been able to make any concrete
progress in the Karabagh case for years. “We believe the problem will
be solved if the US shows necessary sensitivity.”
Strategist Rasim Musabaev said Aliyev’s visit, taken at a time when
the Tehran-Washington conflict is at its peak, is no coincidence.
One of the most important ways for Baku to emerge from the Iranian
crisis with least damage is to follow a policy parallel to Turkey,
Musabaev added.
The Azeri official maintained Turkey and Azerbaijan are facing
US pressure over the Iranian issue. “It is difficult for these two
countries to say ‘yes’ to the United States because Iran is neighbors
both countries; therefore, we should focus on ways of solving the
problem peacefully.”
The Azeris also indicate the importance of the visit Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay to Baku on May 5.
Turkey’s Ambassador to Baku Turan Morali said Turkey and Azerbaijan
carefully follow Iran’s nuclear crisis and said the two brother
countries want the problem to be solved through peaceful means.

‘GENOCIDE’ SEVERS TIES WITH CANADA
By Foreign News Desk, Istanbul
Zaman Online, Turkey
April 26 2006
Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper was harshly criticized by the
Turkish administration over his assessment of the Armenian arguments is
“genocide.”
A written statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the
statements made by the Canadian administration have had a negative
impact on relations between the two countries, since the statements
were not based on objective opinions.
A decision issued by the Canadian parliament two years ago in support
of the Armenian Dispora resulted in a period of weakened bilateral
ties between the two governments, an obvious sign of the impact of
such a statement, said a release from the Turkish government. The
Canadian ambassador to Ankara was summoned to the Foreign Ministry
and issued the warning by the Turkish government.
“Although the objective studies by eminent historians have proved
the arguments over ‘genocide’ to be unquestionably groundless, it is
only prejudice that would lead Harper to present such arguments as
historical facts,” the statement read.
The statement also said that a Turkish military attache in Canada
had been killed, and that a commercial attache and the ambassador
had been injured in an assassination attempt carried out by a group
of Armenians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE REPORTER ARRIVES ON MAY 5- BAHAR MURADOVA
Author: S. Ilhamgizi
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
The OSCE parliamentary assembly reporter on Nagorno-Karabakh, Goran
Lenmarker will arrive to Azerbaijan on May 5, Milli Mejlis vice
speaker, Bahar Muradova told Trend.
“We have already received a letter from Lenmarker, he will arrive
in the first decade of May. Here, he will prepare for the report on
Nagorno-Karabakh and have a number of meetings. During the previous
meeting we requested him to visit areas of residence of forcibly
displaced persons,” she said.
“Karabakh was discussed at every OSCE meeting, as the Minsk group is
a mediator of the peaceful resolution of the conflict. Introducing
this question to the OSCE agenda will depend on development of the
negotiating process. Meetings of Azerbaijani and Armenian heads of
state and foreign ministers hint that the regulation process is keep
on moving forward. However, only in case if some positive results
will be achieved, OSCE will start talking about Nagorno-Karabakh.
Otherwise, discussions will be fruitless as we have already raised
this question previously,” she said.
The given question has to be reviewed in the similar order in
Azerbaijani parliament too. “Talks are held behind the closed doors
and their details are not disclosed. If there are no exact results,
we have nothing to discuss. Parliament can only discuss the exact
results,” she concluded.

AZERBAIJANI AND TURKISH COMMUNITIES IN THE USA TO HOLD RESPONSE ACTION AGAINST ARMENIANS
Democratic Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
April 24, from 16:00 PM to 19:00 PM, traffic on Massachusetts Avenue,
known in Washington as “street of Embassies”, was hardened. Gathered
members of Armenian diaspora occupied one side of the road, the
other one was occupied by representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkish
communities. Armenians came to celebrate made-up “genocide” of 1915
at the premises of the Turkish Embassy, and Azerbaijanis and Turks
came there to lay bare their lie, to remind about crimes committed
by Armenians in the course of recent history.
One of the participants of action, Najmiya told us during conversation:
“There was no the so-called “genocide of Armenians”.
And we are not responsible for events took place in Ottoman Empire
in 1915. But Armenians just recently committed more terrible crimes.
Many people know about their crimes in Garabakh”.
To prevent violence, police and diplomatic security forces controlled
situation.
Armenians, presenting the events of 1915 in Turkey as genocide,
cried out slogans with terrorist claims. The calls “Garabakh belongs
to Armenians”, “Van belongs to Armenians” were heard.
In response to it representatives of Azerbaijani and Turkish
communities showed photos of victims of Khojali, transparency
condemning ethnic cleaning and occupation policy of Armenia.
Representative of Azerbaijani community in America from Washington,
Badir Mamadli, said: “In such a way we want to bring to the notice
of Armenians that Turkish and Azerbaijani communities in the USA
have changed. Today we are stronger than yesterday. Only gathered
together we can say them “no”. Their made-up claims against Turkey
and Azerbaijan will have no results”.
Member of Assembly of Turkish Associations of America, Fateh Julha,
having stressed that Armenians living in the USA know nothing about
history, said: “The same protest action we held in New York two days
ago. I talked with two representatives of Armenian youth. Though
they shouted that 1,5 million of Armenians were killed, they had no
idea of historical events they protest. We must to inform not only
Armenian society about truth, but also Armenians living in America”.
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