RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN NOT INVOLVED IN GEORGIAN RALLIES – COMMANDER
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
March 15, 2006 Wednesday 1:08 PM MSK
Georgian claims that Russian servicemen participated in Akhalkalaki
rallies demanding a more effective probe into the March 8 murder
of a village resident of Armenian origin are groundless, Colonel
Igor Luzhnikov, deputy commander of the Russian 62nd base, told
Interfax-Military News Agency by phone on Wednesday.
“Servicemen of the 62nd base stationed in Akhalkalaki do not take
part in any rallies. All accusations made by Georgian officials are
unfounded,” he said.
The entire personnel of the base are engaged in planned training and
preparation of hardware and materiel for the upcoming withdrawal from
Georgia, Luzhnikov said.
“Taking into account the deterioration of the political situation
in the region, I was instructed to personally make sure that our
servicemen stay out of politics. Let me say with full responsibility
that there were no cases of their participation in rallies,”
he stressed.
Gigorgi Khachidze, Georgian presidential envoy to the Samtskhe-
Javakheti region, said earlier this week that local residents serving
at the 62nd Russian base have taken part in protest rallies.
Locals have been rallying in Akhalkalaki daily since March 11. They
demand a more efficient investigation into the March 8 murder of a
village resident of Armenian origin.

STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING RE: AMB. EVANS
Congressional Quarterly
March 14, 2006 Tuesday
Speaker: J. Adam Ereli, State Department Deputy Spokesman
[parts omitted]
QUESTION: Mr. Ereli, on the DOS Web site, regarding yesterday’s
taken question about U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans’ status,
you have put quote, “genocide,” unquote, in quotes.
I’m wondering why, if you can say so.
ERELI: I think because it was referring to remarks that somebody made.
QUESTION: Do you know whether John Evans was recalled or whether he’s
been recalled due to his speech on Armenian genocide?
ERELI: I think the question was answered in the — that was answered
in the question posted.
QUESTION: Should DOS employees have been advised not to use the term,
quote, “genocide,” unquote, when discussing the extermination of the
(inaudible)?
ERELI: No, I think our guidance on that is the same. And we posted
that guidance last week.
QUESTION: Is it not true that Mr. Evans’ 35-year diplomatic career will
be shortened because of the remarks he made, saying that Armenians
were the victims of genocide, since the U.S. government or the State
Department doesn’t believe what happened was genocide? It doesn’t
fit the definition of genocide?
ERELI: I really don’t have anything more to add to what we posted.
QUESTION: Well, what you posted yesterday was a bit of a dodge.
ERELI: No. I think it’s the situation as it is.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: There is very strong reason to believe, in Congress and
elsewhere, that this man is going to lose out; he’s going to be
brought home early because of what he said.
ERELI: Look, I’d like to be able to — Ambassador Evans is our
ambassador and he continues to exercise that honor and privilege. And
he takes it seriously; we take it seriously. And I really don’t have
any more to add to that.

L’ECOLE DES SABLONS SE MOBILISE POUR ARTEN ET LEVON
par Emilie Rive
L’Humanite, France
15 mars 2006
Expulsion . Refusant d’examiner une demande d’asile, les autorites
retiennent en retention depuis sept jours une famille avec deux
enfants.
“Bonjour, vous nous manquez beaucoup. C’est difficile pour vous et
nous de ne plus vous voir. On est triste. On vous a soutenus toute
la semaine, pour que vous restiez en France, que vous reveniez a
l’ecole. Pour les droits de l’enfant, des peuples… ” La voix d’Axel
tremble en lisant ce message, hier midi, pour Arten (9 ans) et Levon
(7 ans), les deux enfants en retention depuis sept jours et qui en
etaient, hier matin, avec leurs parents, a deux refus d’embarquement.
Mohammed, avec son echarpe tricolore pour marquer sa qualite de
delegue des enfants, Romuald, Damien, Lena, Steven, Antony, Sandy,
Romain et Cathy, la plus petite, qui me tire par la manche, sont très
sombres. Samedi, ils ont dessine pour Arten et Levon. Lundi soir,
pendant une heure, dans le froid, ils ont hurle sans interruption
devant la prefecture du Rhône : ” Pas d’enfants en prison ! ” ” Quand
les parents sont sortis de la prefecture, ils etaient tout tristes,
racontent-ils. Et nous aussi. Il faut qu’Arten et Levon finissent
leur annee scolaire avec nous. En Russie, ils ne peuvent pas aller
a l’ecole. ” Les deux enfants ont une dizaine d’annees et sont
elèves de l’ecole des Sablons, a Decines. Cependant la prefecture
du Rhône ne partage pas leur emoi. Leur mère est Russe. Leur père,
qui est Armenien, n’a jamais obtenu de papiers en Russie. Ils ont ete
persecutes. Levon n’a pas pu terminer une annee scolaire, et il en
porte les stigmates : une cicatrice sur le front due a une bousculade
dans la cour, par racisme. Ils sont arrives en Europe par la Suède,
où ils ont fait une demande d’asile – qui leur a ete refusee.
” On nous dit que les lois sont les memes partout, explique Cecile
Dubois, de l’association des parents d’elèves. C’est faux. La Suède
a refuse leur dossier sans jamais les entendre. Ils ne sont jamais
passes devant un juge. C’est pour cela qu’ils sont venus ici. Ils ne
peuvent faire une demande d’asile en France qu’au bout d’un certain
temps. Et la prefecture joue la montre, elle veut les expulser avant
qu’ils puissent le faire, avant la fin de l’annee scolaire. Donc
elle ne respecte pas la circulaire qui doit proteger les enfants
scolarises. ” Une nouvelle expulsion etait programmee hier soir, vers
Goteborg, a 20 h 45. Les enfants s’organisaient dans l’après-midi
pour faire de nouveaux messages de sympathie, tandis que parents,
enseignants et elus se tenaient de nouveau prets a convaincre les
passagers de l’inhumanite de ce renvoi.
–Boundary_(ID_hXGh1O6Rqcdhjf55HVYd1A)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISCHE NATIONALISTEN DURFEN DOCH IN BERLIN MARSCHIEREN
Agence France Presse — German
Mittwoch, 15. Marz 2006
Turkische Nationalisten durfen in Berlin doch gegen den Vorwurf
des Volkermordes an den Armeniern demonstrieren. Das Berliner
Verwaltungsgericht gab dem Eilantrag der Organisatoren gegen
das von der Polizei verhangte Demonstrationsverbot statt, wie ein
Gerichtssprecher am Mittwoch mitteilte. Die Berliner Polizei kundigte
an, Rechtsmittel gegen die Entscheidung des Verwaltungsgerichts
einzulegen, um die Kundgebungen doch noch zu verhindern. Sie hatte
die fur Mittwoch und Samstag geplanten Demonstrationen mit der
Begrundung verboten, dass es dabei zur Verunglimpfung des Gedenkens
von Verstorbenen kommen konnte. Dass dieser Tatbestand erfullt ist,
daran hatte das Verwaltungsgericht erhebliche Zweifel, weshalb es
dem Eilantrag statt gab.
1915/1916 wurden im untergehenden osmanischen Reich tausende Armenier
massakriert. Armenien wirft den Turken vor, 1,5 Millionen Armenier bei
Vertreibungen gezielt ermordet zu haben und fordert die Anerkennung
als Volkermord. Die Turkei hat bisher lediglich eingeraumt, dass
damals mindestens 300.000 Armenier ermordet wurden.
Den Vorwurf des Volkermords weisen die Turken aber strikt zuruck. Die
Veranstalter vom “Verband der Vereine zur Forderung der Ideen Ataturks”
erwarteten zu der Kundgebung am Mittwoch etwa hundert Teilnehmer,
fur Samstag etwa 2000.

ERSTE DEMONSTRATION TURKISCHER NATIONALISTEN VERLAUFT FRIEDLICH
Agence France Presse — German
Mittwoch, 15. Marz 2006
Turkische Nationalisten haben am Mittwoch in Berlin die erste ihrer
umstrittenen Demonstrationen gegen den Vorwurf des Volkermordes
an den Armeniern abgehalten. Etwa 30 bis 40 Demonstranten hatten
sich versammelt, teilte ein Polizeisprecher mit. Zugleich hatten
etwa 30 Menschen dagegen protestiert. “Alles verlief friedlich”,
sagte der Sprecher weiter. Die großere Demonstration mit etwa 2000
Teilnehmern soll am Samstag in Berlin sein. Die Polizei wollte die
Aufmarsche verbieten, doch gab das Berliner Verwaltungsgericht dem
Eilantrag der Organisatoren gegen das Verbot statt. Ein Beschluss
des Oberverwaltungsgericht uber den Widerspruch stand noch aus.
Die Polizei hatte beide Demonstrationen mit der Begrundung verboten,
dass es dabei zur Verunglimpfung des Gedenkens von Verstorbenen
kommen konnte. Dass dieser Tatbestand erfullt ist, daran hatte das
Verwaltungsgericht erhebliche Zweifel, weshalb es dem Eilantrag der
Organisatoren statt gab.
Die Veranstalter vom “Verband der Vereine zur Forderung der
Ideen Ataturks” nehmen das Attentat auf den einstigen osmanischen
Innenminister Talaat Pascha zum Anlass fur die Demonstrationen, der
am 15. Marz 1921 in Berlin von einem Armenier erschossen worden war.
Grunen-Chefin Claudia Roth erklarte dazu: “Die in der Turkei aus dem
Boden gestampfte ‘Talaat-Pascha-Bewegung’ ruft in einer inakzeptablen
martialischen Sprache zu Protestaktionen in verschiedenen Stadten
Europas darunter auch in Berlin auf.” Sie sprach von einem
“Sammelsurium von ultranationalistischen, antieuropaischen und
rechtsextremistischen Kraften”, die eine EU-Annaherung der Turkei
verhindern wollten. Ziel sei auch die Revision der Beschlusse in
einigen europaischen Parlamenten.
Der Bundestag hatte am 16. Juni 2005 mit den Stimmen aller Fraktionen
eine Entschließung zum Gedenken an die turkischen Massaker an den
Armeniern verabschiedet. In der Resolution selbst ist nicht von
“Volkermord” die Rede, wohl aber in der Antragsbegrundung. Die
turkische Regierung hatte den Beschluss scharf kritisiert.
1915/1916 wurden im untergehenden osmanischen Reich tausende Armenier
massakriert. Armenien wirft den Turken vor, 1,5 Millionen Armenier bei
Vertreibungen gezielt ermordet zu haben und fordert die Anerkennung
als Volkermord. Die Turkei hat bisher lediglich eingeraumt, dass
damals mindestens 300.000 Armenier ermordet wurden.
Den Vorwurf des Volkermords weisen die Turken aber strikt zuruck.
–Boundary_(ID_sHuE/uKIKfkqiaX7IRnc+w)–

ARMENIAN HISTORIANS REJECT DIOLAGUE OPPORTUNITY AGAIN
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 15 2006
ISTANBUL – A scientific conference devoted to the Armenian Issue
started in Istanbul on 15 April 2006. The Istanbul University initiated
the conference. However all Armenian historians refused to participate
the conference.
According to the Turkish scientists, the conference should “throw
light on some problems referring to the Armenian issue”, Freedom
Radio Station reports.
Historians and experts from Armenia also were invited to the
conference; however, they refused to participate in the action.
“We received an invitation and turned down the proposal. The Armenian
scientists’ stand is the following: any scientific measure that casts
doubt on the fact of the Genocide is far from science, while a number
of the participants of the scientific conference at the Istanbul
University distort the historic realities”, stated Chief of Turkish
Department of the Institute of History of National Academy of Science
Ruben Safrastyan.
Dr. Davut Sahiner told the TW that the Armenian historians were not
historians but believers: “They reject to join any scientific gathering
questining their obsessions. If you accept their claims, so you are
scientific, if you question what they argue, so you are the evil,
you are the deniers. This is not the way we need in the issue”.
Many Turkish and foreign historians and international relations experts
including Dr. Sedat Laciner, head of the ISRO, will make presentation
on Armenians and Armenian issue.

70 ACADEMICS DEBATE ARMENIAN AND TURKISH MASSACRES
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 15 2006
ISTANBUL – Some 70 Turkish and foreign academics gathered in Istanbul
on Wednesday for a three-day conference to discuss whether the
controversial massacres of Turks and Armenians during World War I
amounted to genocide or not. More than 520.000 Muslims were massacred
by the armed Armenians and more than 1,5 million Muslims were forced
to immigrated by the Armenians and Russians during the World War I.
In a rare move, the gathering, organized by the state university
Istanbul University (IU), offered the floor to academics of all
convictions.
Turkey has refused the Armenian allegations regarding the 1915
events. Ankara acknowledges that 100.000-200.000 Armenians and more
than 520.000 Turks died in civil strife during the last years of the
Ottoman Empire.
Most of hte Ottoman Armenians had joined the occupying Russian armies
in 1917 and the Istanbul Government took a relocation decision for the
Armenian population near the war theatre. However more than 600.000
Armenians returned to the Anatolian towns after the war.
Armenians claim that up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered
in orchestrated killings. However they provide no written document
or any proof but the memories and propaganda materials.
Books detailing the Armenian claims were also available at the entrance
to the conference hall. Almost all pro-Armenian books are frelly sold
in Turkish bookshops in the recent years. However no pro-Turkish book
or material is legal in Armenia.
In September last year a private Istanbul university hosted a landmark
conference organized by intellectuals disputing Turkish official line
on the issue.

ARMENIANS REJECT TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL ARMENIAN CONFERENCE IN ISTANBUL
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 15 2006
ISTANBUL – Despite of the invitation to the international
conference on Armenians and Armenian allegations regarding the
Ottoman past which will be conducted in Istanbul on the initiative of
scientists-historians of Turkey, the Armenian historians have refused
participation in the action.
Turkish and international media found the Armenian rejection not
constructive. Turkish prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had invited the
Armenian President to Turkey twice earlier and the Armenian President
Kocharian had strongly rejected the Turkish invitation.
According to director of Institute of History of the Academy of Science
of Armenia Ashot Melkonian, any scientific discussions with Turkish
scientists would be disrespect for the decision of some European
countries, which have recognized “the Armenian genocide claims”. He
has regarded carrying out of the said action as one more off-putting
step undertaken by Ankara for admission to the European Union.
Knowing that scientists of majority of the European states will
take part in work of conference and America, the Armenians assert,
that from these countries the scientists of Latvia, Poland, Slovakia
have no link to the mentioned question, saying they have small number
Diaspora in the these states.
The Armenian scientists also have declared, that work of the
Armenian-Turkish Committee worked in 2001-2003 on reconciliation also
has not brought any results and that the said structure contradicts
interests of the Armenians.
More than 520.000 Turkish people were massacred by the Armenian
separatists during the First World War.

NKR PRESIDENT PRESENTS CURRENT STAGE OF KARABAKH SETTLEMENT TO ARTSAKH PARLIAMENTARIANS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 15 2006
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. NKR President
Arkadi Ghukasian touched upon the current stage of Nagorno Karabakh
settlement process at his March 15 meeting with representatives
of the Artsakh Democratic Party and Azat Hayrenik (Free Homeland)
party parliamentary factions. The head of the state also answered
the questions of MPs.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by NKR President’s Acting Spokesperson,
the interlocutors also touched upon the country’s socio-economic
development processes, as well as a number of issues included in NKR
NA coming sitting’s agenda.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT PROPOSES INTRODUCING ADDITIONAL MECHANISMS OF CONTROL OVER ECONOMIC ENTITIES WITH BIG LIABILITIES
Noyan Tapan
Mar 15 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 15, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues related to the activities of the
service ensuring the mandatory execution of court acts were discussed
at the March 15 working consultation conducted by the RA President
Robert Kocharian. According to the RA President’s press service,
the RA Justice Minister, the RA Minister of Finance and Economy,
heads of the tax and customs bodies, the RA Prosecutor General and the
Chairman of the RA Cassation Court participated in the consultation.
The consultation participants spoke about the shortcomings and abuses
committed by economic entities in fulfilling their tax and customs
liabilities. It was noted that these shortcomings and abuses result
in improper fulfilement of liabilties towards the state.
R. Kocharian instructed the heads of the appropriate structures to
find solutions for making amendments to the current legislation and
using additional mechanisms of control over economic entities with
big liabilities. He said that the steps to be taken should first of
all be aimed at the fight against shadow economy and prevention of
illegal economic activity.