THE MOST TOUCHY APPARATUS: THE STATE
Erol ONDEROGLU
14/02/2006
BIA, Turkey
March 8 2006
In 2005 157 cases were opened against for expressions of ideas, 29
people stood trial on grounds of article 301, 17 for “influencing the
court decision,” 15 on grounds of article 216; the media was fined 1,
491, 594 new Turkish liras in damages.
The seven months that passed after the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK)
went into effect, have proved that the human rights activists who fight
for freedom of expression in Turkey were right in criticizing this law.
In the second half of the year, the government’s and state’s
intolerance became obvious in the events of criticism against the
Turkish identity, state institutions such as the Security Forces or
Armed Forces, or discussions of human rights issues such as torture
or extra-judicial killings or historic issues.
157 people before courts in freedom of expression cases
“The Network for Monitoring and Covering Media Freedom and Independent
Journalism” – BIA² Media Monitoring Desk released three separate
Three-Monthly Media Monitoring Reports in 2005 and drew attention to
the cases brought against journalists, intellectuals, publishers and
human rights activists. According to these reports, all of the 157
journalists, publishers, and human rights activists called attention
to the juridical practices in cases opened against them and said
everyone who states and opinion or makes a criticism, may face a
prison sentence.
The 39-page report covers 200 cases and the situations of 319
journalists, writers and human rights activists under the titles of,
“attacks and threats,” “detentions and arrests,” “cases and attempts,”
“European Court of Human Rights,” “RTUK practices,” “regulations and
seeking rights,” and “Reactions to censorship.”
29 people charged under article 301
A total of 29 journalists, writers and publishers have been taken to
court on grounds of article 301 of the TCK on “insulting the Turkish
identity, Republic, and the institutions of the State.” Some trials
are still continuing. Local courts have convicted eight people in
these cases.
Journalist Rahmi Yildirim, who was acquitted by a local court has
appealed the decision of acquittal and thus has not yet been absolved.
Within the year 2005, local courts have handed out a total fine of
12,900 new Turkish liras (USD 9,700), 900 new Turkish liras (USD 677)
of which was deferred, and a total prison term of 4 years, 1.5 years
of which was deferred to radio employee Sabri Ejder Ozic, writer Emin
Karaca, journalist Hrant Dink, writer Zulkuf Kisanak, publisher Fatih
Tas, Cagri magazine owner Aziz Ozer and magazine reader Erkan Akay.
New charges against 17 journalists: Interfering with the court
decisions
17 journalists, who discussed current human rights issues, such as the
Kiziltepe case, the cancellation of the Ottoman Armenians Conference,
and Torture case, through their reports or articles, are being charged
with “Influencing the court decision,” and “Attempting to Influence
Fair Trial,” based on the Press Law and the Penal Code.
Ender Can Cevahir, Fehmi Koru, Mehmet Sucu, Ilhan Selcuk, Ibrahim
Yildiz, Ilhan Tasci, Alper Turgut, Hrant Dink, Aydin Engin, Serkis
Seropyan, Arat Dink, Hasan Cemal, Murat Belge, Haluk Sahin, Erol
Katircioglu and Ismet Berkan face fines or prison sentences if found
guilty in these trials.
15 people taken to court based on article 216
15 journalists and/or human rights activists have been taken to court
in 2005 based on article 312 of the old TCK on “hidden incitement of
crime,” or article 216 of the new TCK on “inciting hatred and enmity
or humiliation.” Some of these cases will continue through 2006.
Professor Doctor Ibrahim Kabaoglu, the former head of the Prime
Ministry Human Rights Advisory Board, and Board member Professor
Doctor Baskin Oran face five years in prison for the Minority Rights
and Cultural Rights Working Group Report released in October 2004.
Kabaoglu and Oran are charged based on both article 216/1 and 301/2.
A Bagcilar court has rejected the Supreme Court of Appeals’ decision
to overturn a penalty handed to writer Cemil Tokpinar of the ‘Yeni
Asya’ (New Asia) newspaper for writing “Earthquake is a Godly
Warning.” Writer Tokpinar, who had been charged based on article
312, was found guilty based on article 216 too. The one-year prison
sentence handed out to the writer has been commuted to a fine of
7,300 new Turkish liras (USD 5,490).
12 journalists stand ‘terrorism’ trials, four stand ‘Ataturk’ trials
and five stand ‘Mafia’ trials
12 journalist-writers are being charged with ‘disseminating terrorist
propaganda’ based on TCK or the anti-Terrorism Law. Among these
journalists are Radikal reporter Nese Duzel, Hurriyet reporter Sebati
Karakurt, journalist Ertugrul Mavioglu and ATV producer Ali Kirca.
Four people are being charged with violating the Law On Crimes
Committed Against Ataturk No: 5816, while five people are standing
trial for reports on the Mafia.
Journalists sued for a total of 1,491,592 new Turkish liras in
compensation
Journalists are facing a total of 1,491,594 new Turkish liras (USD
1,120,000) in more than 30 compensation cases, generally brought by
individuals working in public posts and by politicians.
The 40,000 new Turkish lira (USD 30,080) compensation case opened by
Prime Minister Erdogan against the “Penguen” magazine for violating
his personal rights is still continuing. The 20,000 new Turkish lira
(USD 15,000) compensation case brought against the magazine by Culture
and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc is also continuing in an Ankara court.
The Supreme Court of Appeals has overturned the decision of an Ankara
court, which had ruled Sefer Selvi, the caricaturist for the “Gunluk
Evrensel” (Daily Evrensel) newspaper has to pay 10,000 new Turkish
liras (USD 7,500) in compensation for a caricature which went along
with an article titled, “AKP’s deep head.”
Prime Minister Erdogan had sued “Cumhuriyet” (Republic) newspaper
caricaturist Musa Kart for a drawing, and Gaziantep “Zaman” (Time)
newspaper columnist Halil Eyupoglu for an article on Cyprus, saying his
personal rights had been violated and asking for damages. The prime
minister had won those cases. In a separate damages suit Erdogan
brought against the “Sakarya” newspaper for the same Musa Kart
caricature, an Eskisehir court ruled: “the said caricature, which
makes irony through humor and photomontage, is within the limits of
criticism and thus is found to be in line with law. Mr.
President, who has served in prison for a long time because of a poem,
should be more tolerant towards such criticism.” The court refused
the suit.
A local court is hearing the witnesses in the damages case the MOPAK
Company brought against the “Guney Ege” (Southern Aegean) newspaper
in Mugla. The company has asked for 300,000 new Turkish liras (USD
226,000) in damages. The newspaper had claimed that the company
pollutes the environment and disregards the rights of its employees.
Memik Horuz still in prison
Less number of journalists were arrested in 2005, compared to the
previous year: A total of six media employees were imprisoned. Among
them was DIHA reporter Birol Duru, who was released after spending
4.5 months in prison. The rest were released along with three other
media employees who had been arrested the previous year. In 2004,
15 journalists had been sent to prison, and a total of eight had
been released. Three of the eight had been arrested during the
previous years.
According to the report, only Memik Horuz, the general manager of the
“Isci-Koylu” (Laborer-Villager) magazine is in prison at the moment
for journalistic activities. Cengiz Dogan, the head of the “Mavi”
(Blue) and “Kent” (Town) newspapers published in Nusaybin, is at the
Mardin E-type prison for “disseminating terrorist propaganda” and
“praising the crime and the criminal” by publishing PKK statements.
Suleyman Tekin, the general manager of the same magazine, had been
arrested on August 31, for attending a demonstration staged when
the body of a killed Syrian PKK militant was being sent back to his
country. Tekin was released in the beginning of November.
Less detentions, more violence against journalists
Only seven reporters were detained in 2005, compared with a total
of 53 in 2004. DIHA reporter Kadir Ozbek, and Tunceli reporter Rustu
Demirkaya were detained while covering the return of private Coskun
Kirandi, who had been kidnapped by PKK. DHA reporter Ferit Demir,
and Anatolia Agency reporter Haydar Toprakci were detained on August 4.
The journalists were also sued for “disseminating terrorist
propaganda.”
However, the decrease in the number of detentions was not followed
by a decrease in violence against journalists and media organizations:
In 2004, a total of 20 journalists, covering demonstrations and two
media companies were attacked. In 2005, a total of 22 journalists
and 16 media companies were attacked.
A group of Karsiyaka Sport Club fans raided the “Ege TV” (Aegean
TV) studios in Izmir. The group, chanting slogans, injured four
people and caused damage. Also, guns were fired at the offices of
the “Cagdas Kars Haber” (Contemporary Kars News) newspaper on the
night of December 1. The printing office of the local “Odak” (Focus)
newspaper in Afyonkarahisar was bombed.
At least five Internet sites were also attacked: internethaber.com,
the Web sites of the “Soz” (Word) newspaper in Diyarbakir, the
“Ulkede Ozgur Gundem” (Free Agenda in the Country) newspaper, the
monthly online magazine “Iktidarsiz” (Impotent) and the weekly “Agos”
newspaper were hacked.
Another thing revealed by the report was the fact that the cases
brought by journalists who were attacked, detained or threatened,
against the police, paramilitary police or other security forces,
do not lead to a positive result.
ECHR fined Turkey 757, 955 new Turkish liras in damages in 2005
The fines the European Court of Human Rights handed Turkey in 2004 in
cases about journalist murder, freedom of expression and free trial,
increased when compared with the fines handed in 2004: while in 2004,
Turkey paid 224,000 new Turkish liras (USD 168,000) in damages,
in 2005, it was fined to pay 757,955 new Turkish liras (570,000)
in cases opened by 46 individuals, 12 of whom were journalists.
The ECHR, through its rulings, penalized implementations of the former
State of Emergency Law, the State Security Courts, the Assembly and
Demonstration Law No: 2911, and the Anti-Terrorism Law.
The three Conditional Amnesty Laws passed up until the year 2000 was
regarded as placing ipotek on the freedom of expression.
RTUK delays Kurdish broadcasts; Kurdish remembered only during EU
negotiations
Zahid Akman, the head of the Radio and Television Higher Board (RTUK),
had stated during the year-end meeting that local and regional media
companies, that have been waiting for permissions to broadcast
Kurdish programs, would be able to initiate those broadcasts in
January 2006. However, 12 media organizations have still not received
the go-ahead.
Cemal Dogan, the general manager of the Gun TV in Diyarbakir, who has
been waiting for permission for the Kurdish broadcasts since January
25, 2004, when the related regulation went into effect, believes they
are being put off.
Less censorship by RTUK
RTUK had ordered Adana Radyo Dunya (Radio World) off the air for 30
days for “disseminating separatist propaganda” and “inciting hatred
and enmity” by promoting a book. RTUK reevaluated on November 23,
2005 the broadcast monitoring reports of August 2004, and ordered
Ankara Radyo Imaj (Radio Image) off the air for the same reason.
RTUK, has suspended a total of 25 programs for violating broadcasting
principles outlined in article 4 of Law No: 3984. 17 programs were
suspended once, two programs twice and six programs for three times.
RTUK, which suspended programs for 44 times, handed out 242 warnings
to local and national media and asked for defense 69 times, applied
less censorship in 2005: According to the RTUK Web site, except the
program penalties, defense was required in 67 cases, and 186 warnings
were handed out. Four television channels were fined.
RTUK, which handed out most penalties for programs that “negatively
affect children,” in 2004, did not change its attitude in 2005: 20
national television channels gave defense statements, 33 received
warnings, programs in nine television channels were suspended, and
four were fined.
In 2004, a total of 27 television channels had given defense
statements, 15 had their programs suspended, and a total of 48 media
companies, five of which were local, received warnings for the same
reason.
–Boundary_(ID_hXH8sZHFsi/ATH7/dkPqi A)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA PRAISED FOR CLOSER SECURITY TIES WITH U.S.
Baku Today,
March 8 2006
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza praised
Armenia’s efforts to forge closer defense links with the United States
and discussed ways of boosting its “energy security” during a visit
to Yerevan on Tuesday.
“The reason I am here is that I want to do everything I possibly can to
strengthen the already strong collaboration between the United States
and Armenia,” Bryza told reporters after holding “very constructive”
talks with President Robert Kocharian and other Armenian leaders.
“We are working hard together to help Armenia to realize its desire to
have stronger relations with the Euro-Atlantic family. We are pleased
with the considerable progress made in this regard over past year,”
he said, singling out the signing of Yerevan’s “individual partnership
action plan” with NATO.
Bryza added that it is up to the Armenian leadership, which continues
to regard the military alliance with Russia as the bedrock of its
national security doctrine, to decide how far it wants to go in
deepening military cooperation with the West. “I don’t think that the
government of Armenia can move at a pace that for us is too quick,”
he said. “But we are very happy with the level of cooperation. This
has been a significant year for U.S.-Armenian security cooperation.”
The issue was high on the agenda of his separate meetings with
Kocharian, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian and Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian. The U.S. official also had what he described as a
“very detailed and interesting discussion on energy security” with
Energy Minister Armen Movsisian and Armenian energy sector experts.
“The key to energy security for Armenia, as for any country, is
diversity. Armenia has a long and positive experience working with
Russian gas suppliers and that needs to continue,” he said.
Bryza went on to indicate that Washington is ready to help the
landlocked country reduce its heavy dependence on Russian energy
resources. But he stopped short of endorsing the Armenian government’s
decision to build a gas pipeline from Iran, the U.S.
arch-rival in the region. “The United States, like the entire
international community, is not in favor of any steps that will lead
to significant expansion of Iran’s ability to project economic or
any other type of power,” he said.
Bryza argued in that regard that diversification of Armenia’s energy
resource supplies relates to “not just natural gas but other types
of energy as well, which is hydro power …, geothermal power as well
as potentially a new generation of nuclear power.”
The remark suggests that the U.S. does not object to the Armenian
government’s extremely ambitious plans to build a new nuclear
power station in place of the Metsamor plant, which is due to be
decommissioned by 2016. Movsisian and other Armenian energy officials
admitted last week that they will need at least $1 billion in foreign
investments to put the project into practice.
Also, Bryza pointedly avoided any criticism of the Kocharian
administration’s democracy and human rights record, speaking instead
of the need for ordinary Armenians to develop a “culture of democracy”
and urging the Armenian opposition to operate “constructively.”
“We hope over the next few months and years to use all of our
assistance levers to build democracy not only from the top down but
most importantly from the bottom up,” Bryza said, adding that the
U.S. considers Armenia to be a “democratizing country.”
The Bush administration approved recently $235.6 million in additional
economic assistance to Armenian under its Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA) program, saying that the Armenian authorities have
addressed U.S. concerns about their commitment to democracy and good
governance. That commitment was most recently called into question by
their handling of last November’s disputed constitutional referendum.
Bryza further declined to confirm or refute reports that the U.S.
ambassador in Yerevan, John Evans, will be recalled soon over his
public recognition last year of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians
in Ottoman Turkey as a genocide. The Bush administration and the
State Department distanced themselves from Evans’s remarks at the
time, insisting that they did not signal any change in U.S. policy
on the issue.
“He, like all of us, serves at the pleasure of the president of the
United States,” Bryza said, sitting next to Evans. “It’s up to the
president to make his own decisions, including on personnel.”
“The fact of the matter is that I do not know when I will be leaving
Armenia and I have not submitted by retirement papers,” Evans said
for his part.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SERGEY LAVROV AND CONDOLEEZZA RICE DISCUSSED FROZEN CONFLICTS
Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 8 2006
Tbilisi, March 08 (Prime-News) – Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign
Minister, and Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, have
discussed frozen conflicts including Nagorno Karabakh and Abkhazia
during their meeting on March 07, Russian mass media informs.
Speaking about the USA’s and Russia’s position towards different local
conflicts, Russian Foreign Minister stated that their points of view
on methods that should be used are not congruous but the final aim
in cooperation on the international cases is identical.

RUSSIA, EX-SOVIET REPUBLICS CELEBRATE WOMEN’S DAY
RIA Novosti, Russia
March 8 2006
MOSCOW, March 8 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and other former Soviet
republics along with several other countries around the world are
currently celebrating March 8, International Women’s Day, on which
men show their appreciation to women by giving them flowers and gifts.
March 8 became an official celebration in Russia soon after the
Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and remains popular in former Soviet
republics and Eastern bloc countries.
After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the breakup of the
USSR, several governments ceased to officially observe the holiday,
but Women’s Day retains wide popularity in many of these countries.
Estonia, a former Soviet republic which joined the European Union
in 2004, ceased to officially observe the holiday after gaining
its independence in 1991, due to its negative associations with
communism. However, many Estonian men continue to indulge women on
March 8.
Armenia cancelled International Women’s Day for similar reasons after
gaining independence, creating a new public holiday on April 7, Day of
Motherhood and Beauty. However, March 8 is still unofficially marked.
March 8 is still a public holiday in Azerbaijan. After the country
gained independence, the authorities had considered scrapping the
holiday, but President Heydar Aliyev, father of current President
Ilham Aliyev, opted to retain it when he came to power in 1993. There
has been recent pressure from clerics in the predominantly Muslim
state to celebrate women on a religious day instead, for example,
the birthday of Prophet Mohammed’s daughter Fatima. However, these
proposals have not met with wide popular support.
In the Central Asian republic of Turkmenistan, all women receive gifts
purportedly from their authoritarian President Saparmurat Niyazov,
known as Turkmenbashi, on March 8.
International Women’s Day, based on National Women’s Day in the U.S.,
was first proposed in 1910 by Clara Zetkin, an influential socialist
German politician and a fighter for women’s rights. Zetkin intended
it as a call to women around the world to battle for equal rights.
International Women’s Day in the USSR was initially intended to
celebrate the achievements of women workers, and would include state
ceremonies declaring the government’s achievements in improving the
status of women.
The celebrations have largely lost their feminist and political
overtones, and in present-day Russia and its neighbors, the focus is
on traditional chivalrous acts, including taking ladies out to dinner
or doing the housework.
On Moscow’s subway system, congratulatory messages to women will be
broadcast throughout the day on the Metro’s public address system. In
the Urals city of Perm, thousands of couples will gather in an attempt
to break the world kissing record.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT CONGRATULATED WOMEN WITH 8TH OF MARCH
Regnum, Russia
March 8 2006
President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan congratulated women of Armenia
with International Women Say of March 8. As a REGNUM correspondent has
been informed in press office of the Armenian president, statement of
Kocharyan says that women played serious part in Armenian prosperity,
because they understand importance of peaceful and stability. He
especially congratulated all mothers, because they keep all traditions,
and form new generations.
Speaker of the Parliament Artur Bagdasaryan and Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan also congratulated women with the holiday. They
wished health women, happiness, love and family warmth.
Head of Armenian Apostolic Church, Catholicos of All Armenian,
Garegin II blessed and congratulated all women.

AMBASSADOR OF AZERBAIJAN MEETS MEMBER OF BRITISH PARLIAMENT
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 8 2006
As is informed from the press center of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the ambassador of Azerbaijan in London Rafael Ibrahimov has
met the member of the House of Commons of Parliament of the Great
Britain Robert Walter.
Being the member of delegation of the Great Britain in Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe of R. Walter during the elections
conducted on November 6, 2005 in Milli Majlis was in Azerbaijan in
structure of the OSCE observation mission. R. Walter who has supported
the position of Azerbaijan concerning approval of the mandate of the
Azerbaijan delegation in PACE, again will arrive to the Republic as
a member of PACE observation mission for control of the course of
by-elections forthcoming on May 13 in Milli Majlis.
Ambassador R. Ibrahimov has expressed to R. Walter gratitude
for support of our the Azeri delegation in PACE, has informed on
the present political and economic situation in the country, the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and also about the
measures which are carried out in the Republic within transparency
initiative put forward by the Prime minister Toni Blair.
The Diplomat also has noted bias of the resolution of the
Euro-Parliament on allegedly destruction of the Armenian monuments
in Julfa district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

WASHINGTON RECALLED ITS AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA
Prime News Agency, Georgia
March 8 2006
Tbilisi. March 08 (Prime-News) – John Evans, ambassador extraordinary
and plenipotentiary of the US to Armenia, was recalled to Washington
The recall was caused by Ambassador’s statement on Genocide of
Armenians in Osman Empire in 1915.
During the meeting with representatives of Armenian diaspora in San
Francisco on February 19, 2005 John Evans stated about importance of
acknowledgment of genocide of Armenians.
“I would call it genocide of Armenians,” Evans stated.
This evaluation caused dissatisfaction of the US because the
representatives of American administration and officials refrained
to mentioning ‘genocide’ regarding the tragedy in Turkey.

YOU CAN STOP THE GENOCIDE
Trudy Rubin
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Charlotte Observer, NC
March 8 2006
Individuals must pressure governments to stop the slaughter.
Can an individual do anything to stop a genocide?
Let’s hope so, because governments aren’t doing much. Two years after
Sudan began a genocidal slaughter in Darfur province, the killing of
black African Muslims by black Arab Muslims continues. No government
seems willing or able to force Sudan to stop.
The Bush administration calls this killing by its rightful name —
genocide — but has yet to use the kind of political muscle that
might stop it.
So it is left to ordinary individuals to act. Think you can’t do
anything? Then listen to the words of former Marine Capt. Brian
Steidle, who thinks you must. He photographed Darfur’s horrors, and the
images are driving him crazy. He wants a million Americans to write
to President Bush and urge him to ensure that a strong multinational
force is sent to Darfur.
Toothless observers Steidle, 29, was one of three U.S. military
observers assigned to the African Union (AU), which has a toothless
force of 7,000 monitors in Darfur. The monitors are permitted only
to observe a nonexistent cease-fire. Steidle went to this killing
field in September 2004 armed only with a pen, pad and camera; he
took more than 1,000 photos.”We saw villages leveled, burned bodies,
babies that had been shot, and all we could do was write reports and
take pictures,” he recalls.
The ex-Marine had no doubt who was to blame for the carnage, which
has killed about 180,000 in the last three years and driven 2 million
Darfurians from their homes. The Sudanese government, in an effort
to crush Darfur rebels, sent in its army along with an Arab militia
known as the janjaweed. Their goal: “cleanse” Darfur of its ethnic
African population.
Steidle’s reports to the AU disappeared down a black hole. So he quit
in February 2005, went home, met the media, and found sympathetic
legislators who displayed his photos. He even met senior Bush
officials. “But I couldn’t get the administration to listen,” he says.
Screaming in a dream Bush officials talk tough and give lots of aid,
but their words have had little impact. The scale of mayhem has gone
down — though Steidle says 75 percent of south Darfur’s villages
have already been destroyed. Yet the janjaweed still kill, attack
refugee camps, rape women and spread terror into neighboring Chad.
“For the last year, I’ve been banging my head against the wall,”
Steidle says. “It’s like screaming in a dream, and no sound comes
out.” So he decided to approach the public directly. He wants you to
lobby for a U.N. force that would protect civilians in Darfur.
He is touring 22 cities, in a campaign backed by Jewish, Armenian,
mainstream Protestant, evangelical and other groups that will culminate
in an anti-genocide demonstration April 30 in Washington.
The goal: get 1 million Americans to send this message to the White
House: “Dear President Bush: During your first year in the White
House, you wrote in the margins of a report on the Rwandan genocide,
`Not on my watch.’ I urge you to live up to those words by using the
power of your office to support a stronger multinational force to
protect the civilians of Darfur.”
Cynical opposition To set up a robust force would require approval
from the U.N.
Security Council. The council would also have to authorize immediate
help — perhaps from NATO — during the months it would take to set
up a U.N. force.But Sudan is lobbying the Security Council to block
a U.N. force. China, which buys Sudanese oil, is opposed, as are
Russia and Qatar, the current Arab representative on the council. Arab
solidarity apparently trumps the protection of African Muslims.
Khartoum has also persuaded the AU to back off its earlier willingness
to hand over command to the U.N.; African solidarity apparently trumps
saving African lives.
Sudan claims that a U.N. force will mean a Western takeover of the
country, which should be resisted by Muslims, and might inspire attacks
from al-Qaida. Muslims who demonstrated violently over cartoons have
yet to show the same passion about the murder of Darfurian Muslims.
Those who oppose genocide can’t accept such cynicism. Nor can global
hostility to Bush be used as an excuse to let thousands more die.
What’s needed now is grassroots pressure on the White House. Such
pressure would demonstrate that there are people who refuse to
tolerate genocide. Brian Steidle wants to show that one person can
make a difference. But he can succeed only if, one by one, other
Americans join in.
How To Help Darfur Get information or send a message to the White
House online at Contact the Save Darfur Coalition
at 2120 L St. NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20037 or by phone at
(202) 478-6132.

TROOPS TRADE GUNFIRE WITH ARMENIAN FORCES
>From Times Wire Reports
Los Angeles Times
March 8 2006
Azerbaijani and Armenian forces exchanged heavy gunfire and mortar
shells at several points along their border in the most serious
fighting in months.
Azerbaijan said one of its soldiers was killed and one seriously
wounded. Armenian forces said several of their troops were wounded.
The two countries remain at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic
Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. A cease-fire agreement was reached
in 1994 after six years of fighting, and the enclave is now under
the control of ethnic Armenians.

U.S. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: “YEREVAN, BAKU SHOULD SET NK SETTLEMENT TIME”
Today, Azerbaijan
March 8 2006
The leaders of parties to the conflict should set the Karabakh
settlement time, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew
Bryza for European and Eurasian Affairs said in Yerevan on Tuesday.
He said the United States was ready to do its best for the soonest
Karabakh settlement, Itar-Tass reports.
He disagreed with the opinion that the recent meeting between the
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in the Paris suburb of Rambouillet
was a failure. The sides were close to an intermediate agreement in
Rambouillet, and their inability to do that does not mean that the
process is in a deadlock, the diplomat said. He said that final steps
are always very difficult and require determination of the leaders.
Normalization between Armenia and Turkey will become a necessary
and natural consequence of the Karabakh settlement agreement, the
official said. He said that normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations was discussed at every meeting of American administration
members in Yerevan and Ankara.
Bryza said that his Tuesday meeting with Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan was very constructive.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress