GUL SURE COURT WILL JUSTIFY PAMUK

Pan Armenian
10.10.2005 19:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish FM Abdullah Gul has stated he is sure
that the court will pass a sentence justifying the most famous
writer in contemporary Turkey – Orhan Pamuk for his statements on
the Armenian Genocide. “Trials of this kind were held in the past,
too – for the same statements, for the same words and courts passed
sentences, according to which everyone has a right to express his or
her opinion. I am sure the court will pronounce a similar decision in
Pamuk’s case,” A. Gul stated. It should be reminded that Orhan Pamuk’s
February interview with the Tages-Anzeiger Swiss newspaper resulted in
instituting proceedings against him. In the interview Pamuk stated,
“One million Armenians were killed in these lands and no one except
me dares speak about it.” Turkish court considered this part of the
statement as “public abasement of Turkish identity.” According to
Turkish laws, Pamuk may face imprisonment from 6 months to 3 years. The
trial scheduled for December 16 has already been criticized by the
European society and EU officials.

They consider this as “a step backward in human rights and Turkey’s
reforms.” The other day EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn
met with Orhan Pamuk. He expressed his support to the writer and
urged Ankara “to respect freedom of speech.” On Friday Istanbul court
condemned the Agos Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink to 6 months’
suspended sentence “for insulting Turkish national identity.” This
means “the ethnic Armenian journalist will not be imprisoned unless
he repeats his actions,” reported RFE/RL.

NOR HAJN GOVERNED BY DEPUTY MAYOR

Armenpress
Oct 11 2005

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 11, ARMENPRESS: A small town of Nor Hajn, some 15 km
northeast of Yerevan will be governed by the deputy mayor until the
end of the trial of its mayor, Armen Keshishian, who was re-elected to
his post in Sunday election while being in custody on murder charges.

Armen Keshishian, the mayor of Nor Hajn, has been charged in the
Sept. 24 shooting death of Ashot Mkhitarian, the head of a local
electric utility.

The pistol that allegedly killed the utility chief had been presented
to Keshishian by prime minister Andranik Margarian. A spokesman
for Armenian Central Election Commission, Tsovinar Khachatrian,
said Keshishian will have to ask for resignation if the court finds
him guilty.

According to official results of Sunday’s election, Armen Keshishian
won nearly 50 percent of the vote, against 41.5 percent polled by his
sole challenger for the post of Nor Hajn mayor. Nor Hajn municipality
said the town is now being governed by the jailed mayor’s deputy Edik
Keshishian, a mayor’s relative.

A MAN TRIED TO BURN HIMSELF

Panorama
11:35 11/10/05

As the Department for Emergencies informed, on October 10 near
the Police Academy (Zovakal Isakov 29) was found 45 years old
man with number of burns on his body. He immediately was sent to
hospital. Doctors said that the man has the third-forth degree total
burns, health situation is very bad.

According to preliminary information, the man tried to burn himself
with help of petrol. If it so, anyhow it’s very strange the place
that he chose.

EP REPRESENTATIVES URGE TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Pan Armenian
11.10.2005 20:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Members of the European Parliament Human Rights
Subcommittee led by Helene Flautre last week paid a visit to the
Turkish Parliament. During the meeting, delegation members urged
Ankara to recognize the Armenian Genocide and consider the issue of
education in Kurdish. Polish members of the delegation noted that
Poland had to acknowledge its part in the Jewish holocaust and asked
when Turkey would face up to its own history.

Afterwards, Ozlem Cercioglu said, “There were losses on both sides
during the war.” “Although Turkey has opened up all of its archives,
Armenia still refuses to open theirs,” Cercioglu added, reported
the Yerkir.

ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS PROMOTION OF RELATIONS WITH SOUTH-EASTERN ASIA

Pan Armenian
11.10.2005 13:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today newly appointed Malaysia Ambassador to Armenia
Dato Mohamad Khalis (residence in Moscow) presented credentials to
Armenian President Robert Kocharian, reported the Press Service of the
Armenian leader. Having congratulated the diplomat on his appointment,
R. Kocharian noted Armenia highlighted promotion of relations with
countries of South-Eastern Asia, among which Malaysia occupied a
special place. The interlocutors noted the large cooperation potential
of the two countries.

They said to use the potential the necessary legal framework should be
formed. As of activation of business relations, the parties emphasized
the exchange of information and active contacts between business
circles of Armenia and Malaysia.

YEREVAN AND ROSTOV-ON-DON BECAME TWIN CITIES

Pan Armenian
11.10.2005 13:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Yesterday an agreement on the Armenian capital
and Rostov-on-Don becoming Twin Cities was signed in Yerevan
Administration.

Besides, the Don delegation headed by Governor Vladimir Chub took part
in festivities in Yerevan marking the opening of the memorial complex
to Hero Cossacks killed during Russian-Persian and Russian-Turkish Wars
in 19th century. It should be reminded that the memorial is erected at
the place where once Cossack regiments were stationed. The seven-meter
stele is embraced with plates that have names of Cossack regiments on
them. The proverb on the monument reads: “To Cossacks of Russia from
Grateful Armenian People.” The raising of the monument was initiated
by Cossack circles of Rostov region and Nakhichevan Armenian community.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN POLICEMEN TOOK PART IN TACTICAL-PRACTICAL EXERCISES OF RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS IN KUBAN

Pan Armenian
11.10.2005 13:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A delegation of the Police of the Republic of
Armenia took part in the tactical and practical exercises of special
elements of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs held in Kuban
October 10. The exercises were titled Actions of Forces and Means
of Internal Affairs Bodies to Suppress Mass Disorders in Settlements
and Avert and Suppress Seizure of Objects of Government Bodies. The
exercises aimed at working out and fixing actions for fighting terror,
reported the Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia. Armenian
policemen arrived in Kuban September 24 exchange work experience with
their colleagues from Krasnodar Territory State Department of Internal
Affairs (SDIA). September 26-27 Kuban Militia and Armenian Police
officers studied methods of forming special destination elements, their
material and technical equipment, types of technical means these are
armed with, as well as rules of use of fire-arms. Besides in the SDIA
riffle range they practiced shooting with elements of psychological
and physical load. September 28 delegation representatives perfected
their close fight skills, defense modes against threat of use of cold
steel and fire-arms. They also worked out personnel actions on alarms
and alerts. The Armenian Police delegation will stay in Kuban till
October 12.

RUSSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA OCTOBER 12

Pan Armenian
11.10.2005 20:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin will
arrive in Armenia on a working visit October 12, reported the Press
Service of the Russian Ministry of Transport. Wednesday Levitin
will take part in a meeting between Russian and Armenian businessmen,
while the seventh session of Inter-Governmental Commission for Economic
Cooperation between Russia and Armenia will be held in Yerevan October
13. Igor Levitin and Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan are the
Commission Co-Chairs. During the Commission meeting the parties will
discuss the legal framework for cooperation, prospects of development
of trade and economic, financial and property relations, cooperation
in fuel and energy complex, transport and communications, humanitarian
sector. A Protocol will be signed upon completion of the session.

ARMENIAN MOD HEAD: BAKU MILITANT STATEMENTS DISPLAY OF ELECTORAL HYSTERIA

Pan Armenian
11.10.2005 20:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ I. Aliyev’s party will most likely win the
parliamentary election in Azerbaijan. Armenian Defense Minister
Serge Sargsyan stated during a conversation with journalists
October 11. When asked whether the authority leaning party may win
by means of gerrymander, S. Sargsyan answered, “It is not possible
to win election by gerrymander. However, there are international
organizations for assessing phenomena of this kind and they will
voice their opinion. Besides, there will be so many assessments on
these days that our voice is inappropriate.”

Touching upon possible escalation of tension in the Karabakh conflict
zone within the period of parliamentary election in Azerbaijan,
the Armenian MOD head stated the situation in the conflict zone is
rather quiet. “I rule out the possibility of tension appearing in
the conflict zone. For example, seven months ago the situation was
totally different from that now,” S.

Sargsyan stated. At that the Minister noted that the militant
statements of the Azeri party are nothing but election
hysteria. “Election is a peculiar element, however I cannot fancy
the size of that element. Azerbaijan’s stand over NK issue will clear
out in two months,” Sargsyan said, reported IA Regnum.

ACADEMY MAN QUITS OVER NOBEL WINNER

The Local, Sweden
Oct 11 2005

A member of the organisation that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature
has resigned – in protest against last year’s winner.

Swedish Academy member Knut Ahnlund, an author and literature
professor, says that the award to Elfriede Jelinek has stripped the
prize of value.

Two members of the eighteen member academy have refused to take part in
the organisation’s work since 1989. Kerstin Ekman and Lars Gyllensten
suspended their involvement after fellow academy members refused to
issue a statement condemning the fatwa against Salman Rushdie.

Ahnlund writes in Svenska Dagbladet that after a detailed examination
of Jelinek’s work, he considered that her writing was one dimensional –
a mass of text shovelled together without traces of artistic structure,
empty of ideas but full of cliches and violent pornography.

He asks how Jelinek could have been awarded the prize, and which
faction was behind the decision. He says he believes that certain
academy members allowed themselves to be impressed by her attacks
on the Austrian middle-class, but also suspects that most members of
the committee have not read Jelinek’s entire canon of 20-30 books.

“I speak from experience when I say that you can’t do this over a
week or a month,” writes Ahnlund.

“It is sheer slave-like work.”

Ahnlund argues that last year’s literature prize has damaged
progressive forces and has confused the public’s view of literature.

Ahnlund has been a member of the Swedish Academy since 1983.

The winner of the Literature Prize will be announced on Thursday –
a week after the recipients of the medicine, physics, chemistry and
peace prizes were named.

The delay in awarding the prize has caused rumours of a split over
Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, who is facing trial in his homeland
for saying in a newspaper interview that Turkey was responsible of
genocide against Armenians and Kurds. The trial comes at a sensitive
time for Turkey, as it starts negotiations to join the European Union.

Knut Ahnlund argues that last year’s controversial choice could force
the Academy to choose a winner who will restore the prize’s standing.

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