BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT REJECTS ARMENIA GENOCIDE BILL
Agence France Presse — English
May 10, 2006 Wednesday 6:57 PM GMT
Bulgaria’s parliament rejected Wednesday a resolution from an
ultra-nationalist party calling on it to recognise as genocide
massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.
Of the 170 deputies present in the 240-seat parliament, 81 voted
against, 56 supported it and there were 33 abstentions.
The nationalist Ataka (Attack) party had called for parliament to
declare May 24 “a day of remembrance for the victims of Armenian
genocide under the Ottoman Empire”.
But the ruling Socialist-led coalition rejected the proposal, with
left-wing deputies saying it was only aimed at straining ties with
Turkey and relations within the three-party government, which includes
a Turkish minority party.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered between
1915 and 1917, as the Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey’s predecessor,
was falling apart but Turkey categorically rejects the claims.

TURKEY BOYCOTTS JOINT MILITARY TRAINING IN CANADA
Agence France Presse — English
May 10, 2006 Wednesday
Turkey has withdrawn from an upcoming military training exercise in
Canada, according Canadian officials, as a diplomatic row brews over
Canada’s characterization of massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire, as genocide.
“Turkey has advised the organizers of exercise Maple Flag on Friday
that they would not be participating in this year’s exercise,”
a spokeswoman for Canada’s defence department told AFP.
“Turkey is an important NATO ally and we hope they will participate
in future exercises,” she said.
The Globe and Mail newspaper reported Wednesday the boycott was in
protest of Canada’s view. Turkish officials in Ottawa could not be
reached for comment.
Earlier, Turkey said it temporarily recalled its ambassador in Canada
for consultations over the disagreement.
Turkey was angered when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
referred to the “Armenian genocide” as fact in a statement praising
commemorations of the 91st anniversary of the killings on April 24.
The foreign ministry said at the time that Harper’s words were
“appalling” and would “negatively affect” bilateral ties.
In 2002, the Canadian Senate recognised the massacres as the first
genocide of the 20th century and the House of Commons followed suit
two years later.
Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their kin were
slaughtered in orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917, as the
Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey’s predecessor, was falling apart.
Turkey categorically rejects the claims, saying 300,000 Armenians and
at least as many Turks died in civil strife when the Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian
troops invading Ottoman soil.
Operation Maple Flag involves some 40 fighter aircraft flown by pilots
from nine countries, including France, Britain, the United States,
New Zealand and Singapore.

TURKEY URGES FRANCE TO BLOCK ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
Agence France Presse — English
May 10, 2006 Wednesday
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called
on France to block a French parliamentary bill that would make it a
punishable offence to deny that the World War I massacres of Armenians
were genocide, and warned that such a move would hurt bilateral ties.
“Ties between Turkey and France are not ordinary relations. They go
back to the 19th century and French firms currently rank first among
companies investing in Turkey,” Erdogan told reporters here.
“I believe the French parliament will probably not insert the so-called
Armenian genocide like a virus between two countries that have such
important ties. I believe common sense will prevail,” he added.
Erdogan was speaking before his departure to Vienna to attend the
EU-Latin American (EU-LAC) summit on Thursday, where he said he
expected to meet French leaders to discuss the issue.
Turkey, which categorically denies the Armenians were the victims of a
genocide, is warily watching the developments in the French National
Assembly and announced Monday that it had called back its ambassador
to Paris for consultations.
If approved, the bill would provide for one year in prison and a
45,000-euro (57,000-dollar) fine for any person who denies that the
1915-1917 massacres of Armenians were genocide.
The bill, which follows a 2001 French law officially recognising the
massacres as genocide, was proposed by members of the opposition
Socialist Party (PS) and will have its first reading before the
Assembly on May 18.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917, as the Ottoman Empire,
modern Turkey’s predecessor, was falling apart.
Turkey rejects the claims, saying 300,000 Armenians and at least
as many Turks died in civil strife when the Armenians took up arms
for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian troops
invading Ottoman soil.

RELATIVES BURY URNS IN MEMORY OF MISSING ARMENIAN CRASH VICTIMS
Agence France Presse — English
May 10, 2006 Wednesday
Relatives have begun symbolically burying urns with Black Sea water
and sand in memory of missing victims of an Armenian plane crash last
week whose bodies have not been recovered.
“It is very important for Armenians to have a burial place after
death,” said a relative of Armenia’s former interior minister Khusik
Arutiunian, one of the victims when the passenger aircraft plunged
into the Black Sea on May 3.
“We bury an urn with sand and thus have we have a place to reflect,
sorrow and light candles.”
Further funeral masses were celebrated Wednesday in memory of all
113 passengers and crew who died when an Airbus A320 operated by the
Armenian airline Armavia plunged into the sea as it tried to land at
Sochi in bad weather on a flight from Yerevan.
Some 1,500 mourners lit candles at the Church of Saint Gregory at
Yerevan, capital of the Caucasian republic.
Of the 51 victims recovered, 47 had been identified, said the Russian
emergencies ministry.
French specialists were helping Armenian and Russian authorities in
their search for plane fragments and the flight recorder, known as
the black box.

‘ASSASSIN’ SAYS GREEN TOO MEAN FOR MUNDINE
By Grantlee Kieza
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
May 10, 2006 Wednesday
State Edition
VIC Darchinyan and Danny Green shared a house just after the Sydney
Olympics, iron sharpening iron as the two out-of-towners eyed pro
careers.
Each day the Armenian assassin and the Perth puncher would run an 8km
circuit near their bachelor pad in Bankstown and the way Darchinyan
tells it, even in the last kilometre Green would chase down other
joggers the way he ran over his first 16 pro opponents by KO.
“Danny never gives up,” said Darchinyan, who leaves for Las Vegas
today to defend his world flyweight title against an undefeated
Mexican before 20,000 fans in Las Vegas on June 4.
“This is why he will beat Anthony Mundine. Anthony is a good fighter,
strong, very fast, good movement, but Danny is mentally stronger
and tougher. He is a real fighter who will do anything to win. [If]
you hit him, it only makes him fight harder.”
The Man faces The Machine next Wednesday at Aussie Stadium in a
WBA super-middleweight title eliminator and Darchinyan and trainer
Jeff Fenech will be keeping tabs on the fight from their training
bases in Phoenix and Los Angeles, where Darchinyan will spar world
super-bantamweight champ Israel Vasquez.
Fenech says he has no ill feelings toward Green despite their
bitter split last year and believes his former protege’s tenacity
and toughness will keep Mundine on the back foot and out of the
victory equation.
Darchinyan, a 30-year-old southpaw slugger, defends his IBF flyweight
title against undefeated 28-year-old Mexican Luis Maldonado, who has
33 wins and a draw, 25 wins by knockout.
* NEVADA boxing regulators yesterday revoked Zab Judah’s licence and
fined him $326,000, the harshest penalty yet for a melee which broke
out at last month’s welterweight title fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Judah was punished for landing a punch to the back of Mayweather’s
head in the April 8 IBF title bout and for joining the fracas that
ensued when Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, Roger Mayweather, burst
into the ring.
The Nevada Athletic Commission also revoked the licence of Judah’s
father and trainer, Yoel Judah, and fined him $130,000 for being the
second person to rush into the ring and for punching Roger Mayweather.

GOVERNOR RULES OUT SOCHI AIRPORT’S GUILT IN AIRBUS-320 CRASH
by Natalia Slavina
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 10, 2006 Wednesday 11:46 AM EST
Russia’s southern Krasnodar Territory Governor Alexander Tkachev
ruled out the guilt of airport personnel in the crash of the Armenian
Airbus-320 passenger plane off Sochi on May 3.
“The runways are long enough for a safe landing,” he said on Wednesday.
At the same time, he said an additional runway is under construction
and the others will be lengthened shortly.
Of 113 people who were abroad the plane, 51 bodies have been found
so far.
The Airbus A-320 of the Armenian airline Armavia plunged into the
Black Sea as it was making a landing manoeuvre in the early hours of
May 3. The accident claimed the lives of 113 people.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KHALIFA CONFERS HIGHEST ORDER ON OUTGOING KUWAITI, ARMENIAN ENVOYS
Abu Dhabi, May 9th, 2006 (WAM) – President H.H.
Emirates News Agency
May 9, 2006 Tuesday 5:47 PM EST
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has conferred Independence Order
on the outgoing Ambassadors Abdul Razzaq Abdul Qadir Al Kandari, of
Kuwait and Dr. Arshak Poladian of Armenia in recognition of their
contribution in strengthening bilateral relations between the UAE
and their respective countries.
Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan decorated the
two Ambassadors with the first-class order here today, wishing them
success in their new assignments.
Al Kandari and Dr. Poladian thanked Sheikh Khalifa for the honour
and praised his wise policies.
The decoration ceremony was attended by Obeid Salem Al Zaabi, Director
of Protocol at the Foreign Ministry.

ARMENIAN ECONOMY GROWS 8% IN Q1
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
May 10, 2006 Wednesday 10:36 AM MSK
Armenian GDP grew 8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2006
to 266.1455 billion dram (446.91 dram/$1 on May 6), the National
Statistics Service told Interfax.
Industrial output fell 4.7% to 137.928 billion dram, but agricultural
output rose 3.5% to 40.2027 billion dram.
The budget calls for GDP growth of 7.5% in 2006 as a whole. The
economy grew 13.9% in 2005.

PERSPECTIVES. ANKARA ACCENTUE LA PRESSION SUR LA FRANCE
Laure Marchand (a Istamboul)
La Croix
10 mai 2006
Les faits
Deux propositions de loi visant a penaliser la negation du genocide
armenien en France declenchent la colère de la Turquie. Ankara a
annonce lundi le rappel pour “consultations” de l’ambassadeur de
Turquie a Paris, Osman Koruturk, a cause “des informations infondees
sur un pretendu genocide armenien”, selon les termes du ministère des
affaires etrangères turc. Deposees, l’une par le groupe socialiste,
l’autre par le groupe UMP, deux propositions de loi qui devraient
etre examinees le 18 mai prevoient des peines allant jusqu’a cinq ans
d’emprisonnement et 45 000 Euro d’amende en cas de negation. Ce volet
repressif, inspire de la loi Gayssot sur la Shoah, vise a completer
la loi sur la reconnaissance du genocide armenien adoptee en France
en 2001.
L’analyse
L’initiative a declenche la colère de la Turquie, extremement
susceptible sur cette question et qui nie categoriquement l’existence
d’un genocide a l’epoque de l’Empire ottoman. Pour les medias et la
classe politique turcs, ces deux propositions de loi visent a recuperer
les voix de la communaute armenienne lors de l’election presidentielle
francaise de 2007. Du coup, le porte-parole du ministre des affaires
etrangères, Abdullah Gul, a evoque des “dommages irreparables” dans les
relations entre les deux pays si la loi passait. Le president de la
commission des affaires etrangères du Parlement a evoque un boycott
des importations francaises et la mise a l’ecart des entreprises
francaises lors d’appels d’offres. Areva, sur les rangs pour la
construction de la première centrale nucleaire turque, pourrait
etre parmi les premières cibles. Danone, Renault, Peugeot, L’Oreal,
Axa et d’autres sont deja vises: une liste de produits francais,
accompagnee de caricatures de Jacques Chirac, a fait son apparition
sur Internet et circule dans les ministères.
L’avenir
Ces mesures de retorsion viennent d’etre employees contre les Canadiens
en reponse aux declarations de leur premier ministre en faveur des
commemorations du genocide armenien. L’ambassadeur de Turquie au Canada
a ete rappele en meme temps que son homologue a Paris. La Turquie
est coutumière de ces repliques sur le terrain economique. En 2001,
lorsque la France avait vote la reconnaissance du genocide armenien,
des entreprises francaises avaient ete penalisees. Parallèlement, une
delegation de deputes turcs est arrivee hier a Paris pour convaincre
les parlementaires francais de faire marche arrière.
–Boundary_(ID_5SF0ZR3OXAe4w/xqjXrUAQ)–

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: UNE PROPOSITION DE LOI PS IRRITE LES HISTORIENS ET ANKARA
Le Figaro
10 mai 2006
La proposition de loi du groupe PS instituant des sanctions penales
contre la negation du genocide armenien, qui devrait etre examinee
demain par l’Assemblee, suscite la colère d’Ankara et de vives
protestations de la part de l’association Liberte pour l’Histoire,
presidee par Rene Remond. Le gouvernement turc a, lundi, annonce
le rappel “pour consultations” de son ambassadeur a Paris, Osman
Koruturk, après avoir averti Paris que les relations bilaterales
pourraient etre gravement affectees par cette loi. Selon le ministère
des Affaires etrangères, le diplomate devrait regagner Paris “très
prochainement”. Le porte-parole de l’association d’historiens,
Jean-Pierre Azema, s’est dit “profondement choque” par l’initiative
des deputes PS, “qui constitue une nouvelle intervention politique
dans l’appreciation des evenements du passe, et place les enseignants
sous surveillance”. L’association a ete creee en decembre dernier pour
assurer la defense d’Olivier Petre-Grenouilleau, professeur d’histoire
specialiste de l’esclavage et vise par une plainte pour “apologie de
crime contre l’humanite” après avoir estime que l’esclavage ne pouvait
etre qualifie de “genocide”. Regroupant plus de 600 historiens tels
Alain Decaux, Alain Besancon, Jean-Claude Casanova, Stephane Courtois,
Max Gallo, Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, Pierre Nora et Michel Winock, cette
association avait alors demande l’abrogation de toutes les dispositions
“qui ont restreint la liberte de l’historien, lui ont dit, sous peine
de sanctions, ce qu’il doit chercher et ce qu’il doit trouver”. La
majorite dans l’embarras Or le texte elabore par le groupe socialiste
vise a instituer des sanctions penales contre la negation du genocide
armenien, a l’exemple des dispositions en vigueur pour reprimer la
negation du genocide des Juifs pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.
“Adoptee a l’unanimite, la loi du 29 juillet 2001 a reconnu l’existence
du genocide armenien, mais n’a pas prevu de sanction penale pour
les negationnistes, argumente Didier Migaud, (PS, Isère), auteur de
la proposition de loi. Notre initiative met fin a cette lacune, et
prevoit des peines allant jusqu’a cinq ans de prison et 45 000 euros
d’amende. C’est une forte demande de la communaute armenienne.” Le
texte place la majorite dans l’embarras. Soucieux de se montrer
coherent avec la position adoptee pendant la polemique sur le
“rôle positif” de la colonisation, le president du groupe UMP,
Bernard Accoyer, estime que “ce n’est pas au Parlement d’ecrire
l’Histoire”. Conscient neanmoins que les deputes UMP sont invites
a soutenir ce texte par les associations representant la communaute
armenienne, Bernard Accoyer envisage d’accorder la liberte de vote
a ses collègues dans ce debat. Quatre-vingts deputes UMP avaient
d’ailleurs cosigne au debut de l’annee une proposition de loi de
Roland Blum (UMP, Bouches-du-Rhône) analogue a celle debattue demain
dans l’Hemicycle. G. P. n Lire aussi page 25.
–Boundary_(ID_1Bq607KjrCBIxprjBLjfAg)–