HOW TO TALK TO TURKEY
by Pelin Turgut, Leo Cendrowicz
Time International
September 26, 2005
Orhan Pamuk is Turkey’s most widely read living author. His fame and
his liberal views have made him a symbol of Turkish aspirations to join
the European Union. But the decision of a Turkish state prosecutor
to try him for “publicly denigrating” the nation reinforced European
ambivalence–in some cases, outright hostility–toward admitting the
mainly Muslim country.
Pamuk is due to face trial in December for comments made to the Swiss
newspaper Tages-Anzeiger in February in which he criticized Turkey’s
refusal to discuss the mass killings of Armenians at the start of the
last century, as well as the country’s more recent Kurdish conflict.
“Thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in
these lands and nobody but me dares to talk about it,” he said. If
convicted, he faces up to three years in jail, though few expect such
an outcome. Instead, the penalty may be paid by all Turks who support
the move to join the E.U. The European Commission is due to begin
accession talks with Turkey on Oct. 3, but Dutch Christian Democrat
M.E.P. Camiel Eurlings wants negotiations suspended if the trial goes
ahead. Pamuk hopes his case will not count against Turkey’s bid.
“This is without doubt an example of utmost intolerance,” he told
TIME. “But I don’t want that intolerance to be an obstacle in Turkey’s
road toward the E.U.”
Since coming to power in 2002, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has introduced reforms–such as Kurdish cultural rights and curbs on
the military’s political clout–in a bid to meet E.U. standards. But
the country’s old guard still sets its face against change. “There
has been a huge amount of legal reform, but it takes time for the
mental transformation to sink in,” says one senior Turkish official.
Cengiz Aktar, a professor at Galatasaray University, says Pamuk’s case
“is a sign of how this accession process is going to go. It’s going
to be a roller coaster of a ride.”

ROSE QUEEN ANNOUNCED TO REIGN OVER ROSE PARADE
NBC4.TV, CA
Oct 17 2005
PASADENA, Calif. — A 17-year-old La Salle High School senior was
chosen Monday to reign over the 2006 Rose Parade.
Images: Rose Bowl Royal Court
The new Rose Queen, selected from among the seven members of the Royal
Court, which was announced last Monday, is Camille Clark of Pasadena.
At La Salle, Clark is a member of the school cheer squad, National
Honor Society and Junior Classical League. A tutor at inner-city
public schools and volunteer at Union Station and the Covenant House,
she hopes to attend the University of Virginia and major in finance.
The queen and her court will take part in more than 150 community
and media functions leading up to the 117th Rose Parade on Jan. 2
and the National Championship Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 4.
More than 1,000 young women from the Pasadena area tried out to be part
of the Royal Court. Selections were based on a range of qualities,
including public speaking ability, poise, academic achievement,
community involvement and personality.
Clark’s court includes:
— Lorri Bowman, 17, attends John Marshall Fundamental High School,
where the Altadena resident is the student body president and a
member of the varsity tennis team. She hopes to work with children
as a speech therapist.
— Michelle Corral, 18, of San Marino, is a member of the varsity
cheerleading squad at Flintridge Preparatory School, as well as the
National Charity League, Key Club and Minority Student Union. She
hopes to attend New York University to study nursing.
— Rachel Geragos, 17, of Altadena, attends Flintridge Preparatory
School, where she is a member of the National Charity League and the
Minority Student Union. She is also a peer counselor, school tutor
and Armenian church camp counselor and has her own handbag company,
which she hopes to expand nationally.
— Alyssa Jones, an 18-year-old Arcadia resident, is a freshman
at Pasadena City College, majoring in child development. She is
organizing a volunteer group that teaches horseback riding to
handicapped children.
— Carolyn Loo, 17, of San Marino, is a senior at San Marino High
School, where she is president of the Art Club and active in student
government and the yearbook. She hopes to study speech and physical
therapy in college.
— Eliza Walper, 17, of San Marino, attends Polytechnic School, where
she captains the varsity soccer team, participates in varsity tennis
and track and acts as sports editor for the school newspaper. She hopes
to study history and business while playing collegiate-level soccer.

2006 DRAFT BUDGET SETS 54.1 BILLION DRAMS FOR SOCIAL PROGRAMS
Armenpress
Oct 17 2005
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s 2006 draft budget earmarks
54.1 billion drams for the labor and social affairs ministry, an
8.1 billion drams rise against the 2005. Labor and social affairs
minister Aghvan Vardanian told parliamentary debates on the draft
budget today that a set of new programs would be implemented next year,
one of which is to establish a single system of children’s protection,
which would require 113 million drams.
He said around 26 billion were set aside to pay social benefits to
insecure families. This is almost 5 billion more than was earmarked
for 2005. The average amount of a monthly benefit to these families
will grow from current 12,000 drams to 15,300 drams. He said
another one billion drams would be released for 24-hour care of
935 institutionalized children. Also some 1.4 billion drams will be
released for taking care of graduates of children’s houses and senior
lonely citizens in specialized institutions.
And eventually some 90 millions are set for construction of the first
ever shelter for homeless people.

ARMENIAN PICTURE GALLERY TO HOST A UNIQUE FRENCH EXHIBITION
Armenpress
Oct 17 2005
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS: The French Embassy in Yerevan said
Ambassador Henry Cuny will open the exhibition of photographs by Yann
Arthus-Bertrand, one of the most well known aerial photographers,
at Armenian National Picture Gallery on October 21 at 6 pm.
The exhibition, called Earth from Air is the result of a five-year
airborne odyssey across five continents and more than a hundred of
countries, presenting the most revealing and spectacular portrait of
our world ever created. From a heart-shaped mangrove forest in New
Caledonia to a flock of red ibises in Venezuela, from a caravan of
camels in Mauritania to Mt. Everest and Mammoth Hot Springs, Yann
Arthus-Bertrand presents tens of striking color images that put our
home planet in a whole new perspective and are a unique documentary
record of its fragile ecosystems at the dawn of the new millennium.
He undertook this project in 1995 that had long been close to his
heart -to produce, on the eve of the 21st century, a real photographic
inventory of the planet -from an altitude of between 5 and 2,000
meters. His photographs were published in many books and were printed
in 24 languages.
The earth from Air was shown in 30 countries and 50 million people
have already enjoyed his art.
Wishing to share his photographic views with blind people Yann
Arthus-Bertrand asked Alain Miklin, a French Armenian and the founder
of an eye-glass factory, to prepare dactyloscopic prints of the
photographs to give a chance to people with eyesight problems to
communicate with his stunning pictures.

BAKU OFFERS EU TO SUPPORT BAKU- AKHALKALAKI-KARS RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 21:39 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the near future Baku will submit its action
plan within the EU New Neighbors Program, head of the Azeri MFA
department of economic affairs and development Ashraf Shikhaliyev
informed. “Within next 10 days we will send our action plan, which
represents the priorities of our cooperation with the European Union,
to Brussels,” he stated. In his words, Azerbaijan offers EU to support
Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway construction $400 million project.

RA FM DEPARTED FOR LITHUANIA ON FORMAL VISIT
Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 21:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
departed for Lithuania on a formal call, RA MFA press center
reported. During the visit Vartan Oskanian is scheduled to meet with
President Valdas Adamkus and Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis. October
19 the RA FM will leave Vilnius for Brussels to join delegation headed
by RA President Robert Kocharian in a visit to the European structures.

PACE WORKING GROUP ON KARABAKH FORMED
Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 19:41 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Nagorno Karabakh of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided on formation
of a working group to deal with the conflict settlement. According
to Asim Mollazade, member of the Azeri delegation to PACE, the new
group was formed on the initiative of the Subcommittee chairman
Lord Russell Johnston and consists of representatives of Azerbaijan
and Armenia. “This will be a joint group to elaborate a number of
questions referring the fulfillment of the PACE resolution. Thus,
the issues submitted to the discussion of the Subcommittee will be
first considered by the group,” he said. Mollazade reminded that
the Subcommittee is charged with the task to implement the PACE
resolution on Nagorno Karabakh. “This is the principal task of the
Subcommittee. The structure will submit its report and action plan
during the PACE January session. The Council of Europe wants to
participate in the settlement process,” he noted.
The Azeri parliamentarian said that the replacement of the OSCE MG by
the newly formed group is out of the question. He stressed that the
Minsk Group is the main format of mediation. “The Council of Europe
is trying to settle the conflict within the values it protects. The
council of Europe cannot connive at a tragedy within Europe. Using
its authority the CoE will render wide support to the conflict
settlement. We will certainly act within the organization. I believe it
will have a positive impact upon the conflict settlement,” he stated.

PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATION PROTOCOL DEPARTMENT HEAD DIED IN ACCIDENT
Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 19:29 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 32-year-old Head of the Protocol Department of
President’s Administration Mamikon Tonoyan died in a car accident
October 15 at the northern-eastern entry to Yerevan. As the President’s
press center reported, the car Tonoyan was driving at a high speed
hit a border and turned over.
Tonoyan’s wife was taken to the hospital with fractures. The funeral
of Mamikon Tonoyan will take place today.

CONGRESSMAN BOB BEAUPREZ JOINED CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS ON ARMENIAN ISSUES
Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 19:01 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At the urging of the Armenian Assembly, Congressman
Bob Beauprez (R-CO) on October 6 officially joined the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, bringing the total Caucus membership to
147. Beauprez is the first lawmaker from the state to be part of this
all-important body.
“I’m proud to have joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues,”
said Beauprez. “I look forward to working with the Armenian-Americans
in the 7th District of Colorado and across the entire country to ensure
Armenian-American issues are articulated in Washington.” The Assembly’s
Western Office organized and led a meeting with the Congressman’s
district staff in August to discuss the community’s concerns and
encourage the lawmaker’s membership to the Caucus. Armenians of
Colorado, a coalition of local Armenian-American activists, also
participated in the meeting. “We’re pleased Congressman Beauprez
decided to join the Caucus as a result of direct meetings with the
Assembly and Armenians of Colorado,” said Western Office Director
Lena Kaimian. “The Congressman has been highly receptive to our
issues. We look forward to working with him and his colleagues
in securing continued robust assistance to Armenia and Karabakh,
combating Armenia’s isolationism and strengthening democracy and the
rule of law.”

TURKISH AND AZERI FMS DISCUSSED KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 19:25 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Abdullah
Gul and Elmar Mammadyarov met in Istanbul to discuss the Azeri-Turkish
relations.
Abdullah Gul informed his Azeri counterpart of the EU-Turkey talks. In
his turn Elmar Mammadyarov presented the pre-election situation
in Azerbaijan.
Besides, the parties discussed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement and a number of economic issues including the schedule of
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline construction.