TURKEY AND THE EUROPEAN TENT – PART I
Yale Global Online, CT
Oct 11 2005
Opening the door to Ankara is a win-win for both the European Union
and Turkey
Welcome to the club, at last: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
(right), welcomes Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in Luxembourg
while meeting with the European Union foreign ministers. (Photo:
Reuters)
BRUSSELS: Years from now, historians looking back at the evolution of
the European continent might consider October 3 a landmark. On that
day, the start of negotiations on Turkey’s membership in the European
Union marked a triumph for reformists who have battled long and hard
to whip the country into shape for EU entry. The talks signal the
opening of EU doors for the first time to a predominantly Muslim
country – albeit one with a secular constitution – and represent
a new political maturity, ever since Spain’s Catholic monarchy
stamped out the last Islamic rule from the European continent in
the 15th century. It marked a victory for European policymakers who
reject the notion of the EU as a Christian club and of religion as a
dividing force between people. But it was not an unalloyed victory,
as significant obstacles remain in the path of transforming the dream
of a truly secular multi-religious Europe into a reality.
It is not just a historic move. Both sides stand to reap immediate
rewards. Turkey wins kudos for surmounting an endless series of hurdles
to qualify for EU membership, thereby proving its credentials as a
modern and dynamic society ready to pursue the challenge of further
reform. The EU, meanwhile, has boosted its flagging international
reputation by showing it can take hard decisions despite months of
moroseness following the French and Dutch rejections of a new EU
constitution this summer.
Even more significantly, Europe’s embrace of Turkey provides vivid
proof of the success of the bloc’s “soft power” approach to ensuring
political change and encouraging the emergence of moderate Islam in
its neighborhood. The EU’s use of gentle pressure to promote change
in Turkey has won admiration from the many Muslim governments weary
of hard-line US policies and unimpressed by Washington’s heavy-handed
public relations. By reaching out to Ankara, the EU has also sent
a message of reassurance to its own 20 million Muslims, who are
increasingly uneasy about their future in Europe – particularly with
the rise in anti-Islamic sentiment following the September 11 attacks,
the Madrid train bombings, and the London underground explosions.
The start of the talks has not been easy. Last-minute Austrian
demands that Turkey be offered a watered-down privileged partnership
almost scuppered the negotiations before they started. As EU foreign
ministers, meeting for crisis talks in Luxembourg, squabbled and
bickered over the final membership terms, British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw engaged in a complicated juggling act including talks with
Austria, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice.
Despite the unseemly quarrels, however, Straw and Gul did indeed make
history. The launch of negotiations was a strong signal that a clash
of civilizations is not inevitable, said Straw, adding: “This is proof
we can live, progress, and work together.” In Ankara, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoðan said, “This is a victory for common sense.”
Europe’s challenge to doomsayers, who foresee conflict and
confrontation between the West and Islam, marks the coming-of-age of
an increasingly diverse and multi-religious continent, agrees Vural
Oeger, a German social democrat of Turkish descent and a member of
the European Parliament. By keeping its word to Turkey, the EU has
boosted its standing in the Islamic world and rejected extremists’
vision of a divide between the West and Islam, says Oeger, adding:
“I am sure that al-Qaida is very angry.”
Sajjad Karim, a British liberal democrat member of the European
Parliament, agrees that the EU-Turkey talks will help heal some of
the wounds wreaked by continuing anti-Islamic discrimination. As a
moderate and secular Islamic nation, Turkey can also contribute to
the ongoing debate in Europe on modernizing Islam, he says. “Turkey is
democratic, secular, and Muslim, a perfect model for many,” adds Karim.
However, Brussels and Ankara face an array of daunting day-after
challenges, including continuing public hostility to Turkish accession
in Europe and rising anti-EU sentiment in Turkey. In addition, many
leading European politicians, including the next German chancellor
Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s would-be candidate in
2007 presidential elections, remain deeply skeptical about allowing
Ankara into the Union.
While some see Turkey as proof that Islam and democracy can co-exist,
opinion polls in Europe show continuing public fear of the Muslim
nation. European fears of increasingly militant Muslims in their
own backyard have grown in the wake of recent terror attacks. Also
fueling the unease is the murder last year of Dutch film maker Theo
Van Gogh by a young Moroccan, as well as the recent French controversy
over the ban on Muslim headscarves in schools. Echoing such concerns,
French President Jacques Chirac has warned that Turkey will need to
undergo a “major cultural revolution” to gain entry into the EU.
Many in Europe also worry at the economic cost of integrating a vast
and still largely underdeveloped country of over 70 million people.
Proponents of Turkish membership insist, however, that Turkey is
wealthier than the eastern European countries seeking EU entry and
that the process of development will speed up even further during the
accession negotiations. Many contend that the large Turkish workforce
will be essential in helping the EU compete with the likes of China
and India.
Negotiations are expected to take between 10 to 15 years and could
be suspended at any time if even one EU country raises objections.
Ankara will have to press ahead with political and human rights reforms
– and ensure their implementation in several areas. “Turkey will be
under ever closer scrutiny by the EU, by European public opinion,
and by member states,” warned EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn. There
will be pressure on Turkey to help find a political solution in Cyprus
and to accept responsibility for the alleged genocide of Armenians
by the Ottomans in 1915.
Also, EU policymakers admit that although more and more countries
are knocking on EU doors, there is a certain “enlargement fatigue”
following last year’s big-bang expansion to 25 states. Significantly,
the EU membership conditions for Ankara spell out, for the first time,
that Turkish accession will depend on the EU’s ability to absorb the
country as a full member.
As negotiations start in earnest, EU and Turkish leaders will have
to undertake the mammoth task of preparing their citizens to live
together. EU politicians have too often taken the easy road by
pandering to the anti-Islamic prejudices of the far-right parties,
thereby increasing popular fears about Islam and Muslims.
They will now have to encourage more cultural exchanges and contacts
between students, non-governmental organizations, and business
leaders. For the first time, the European leadership must start giving
an honest, public account of the many advantages of embracing Turkey
as an EU member. Whether history was indeed made on October 3 will be
determined by how the European and Turkish leaders and public carry
their new mandate to fruition.
Shada Islam is a Brussels-based journalist specializing in EU policy
and Europe’s relations with Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
–Boundary_(ID_F/sVkI+eDH+psA9F3s2D0g)–

ARMENIA SHOWS INTEREST IN MILITARY COOPERATION WITH BELARUS
National Legal Internet Portal, Belarus
Oct 11 2005
Armenia shows great interest in development of the military and
military-technical cooperation with Belarus, first deputy defense
minister – head of the main staff of the Armenian army Colonel-General
Mikhail Arutiunian stated in Minsk October 10.
Analyzing the talks with head of the general staff of the Armed Forces
of Belarus Lieutenant-General Sergei Gurulev, Mikhail Arutiunian noted
that “the two sides discussed a wide range of issues, especially on
the CSTO military constituent”. “We showed mutual understanding in
many issues”, he underlined.
The Armenian party is interested in training of its military in
Belarus, the record of military reforming, modernization of the
military equipment, in particular, new automated control systems. “As
yet the issue of Karabakh has been unsolved and we cannot curtail the
army and should hone the military skills. As for the acquisition of the
new equipment, it should satisfy us in price, technical characteristics
and ability to operate in mountains”, Mikhail Arutiunian said.
The program of the visit of the Armenian delegation includes trip to
the 120th mechanized brigade and the military academy of Belarus.
According to Mikhail Arutiunian the present day meeting is a
preparation to the visit of the defense minister of Belarus Leonid
Maltsev to Armenia, with is due in the end of 2005.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WESTERN GROUP CALLS FOR ‘SELF-DETERMINATION REFERENDUM’ IN KARABAKH
By Emil Danielyan
Armenia Liberty
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
Oct 11 2005
An international think-tank led by retired Western politicians called
on Tuesday for a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that
would allow the disputed region’s population to determine its status
at an internationally supervised referendum.
The International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based institution
specializing in conflict resolution around the world, also warned of
“ominous signs that time for a peace agreement is running out.”
“Nagorno-Karabakh’s status should ultimately be determined by an
internationally sanctioned referendum with the exclusive participation
of Karabakh Armenians and Azeris,” the ICG said in a report on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The group stressed that such a vote
should take place after the liberation of all Armenian-occupied
Azerbaijani territories around Karabakh and the restoration of
cross-border commerce and transport communication between the
conflicting parties.
The report’s recommendations are mostly in line with a peace formula
that has reportedly been discussed by Armenia and Azerbaijan for the
past year. The two sides appear to have made considerable progress
toward a compromise agreement which international mediators say might
be sealed at the end of this year or the beginning of next.
“There has been tentative discussion of a possible plebiscite to
determine the entity’s final status, but with none of the necessary
detail agreed as to who would vote on what, when and how, nor any
agreement as to what other settlement conditions would create the
context for such a vote,” reads the report.
The report says the “self-determination referendum” should be held only
after the return of Karabakh’s Azerbaijani minority displaced by the
conflict and only if Karabakh is deemed to have met “international
preconditions for statehood, including the protection of minority
rights.”
Another ICG condition for the referendum is “incremental withdrawal of
Nagorno-Karabakh forces backed by Armenia from all occupied territories
around Nagorno-Karabakh.” That, according to the group, should include
the Lachin district that serves as the shortest overland link between
the disputed territory and Armenia proper. Its report says the vital
corridor would be controlled by international peacekeepers after
Armenian withdrawal.
The leaderships of Armenia and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic have repeatedly stated that Lachin’s return to Azerbaijan
or international supervision is non-negotiable. Armenian officials
told RFE/RL earlier that the peace accord discussed by the parties
envisages continued Armenian control over the area.
The ICG also called on Azerbaijan to renounce use of force in the
conflict and “resume direct contact with the de facto Nagorno-Karabakh
authorities.” Azerbaijani leaders regularly threaten to win back
Karabakh by force. President Ilham Aliev has pledged to embark on
a massive military build-up which he hopes will force the Armenian
into making serious concessions.
Azerbaijan’s continuing bellicose rhetoric was denounced on Tuesday
by Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian. “Oil dollars seem to
have gotten some Azerbaijani leaders carried away and dizzy, and
they have started signing old songs,” Sarkisian said in a speech at
a military base in Yerevan. “The existing situation can be compared
to the situation of the early 1990s when Azerbaijan’s leaders were
promising to quickly resolve the Karabakh conflict by force.”
The ICG similarly warned of the persisting danger of renewed
fighting in Karabakh. “So far, despite progress in the negotiations,
the resumption of war remains as likely as peace,” the group’s
vice-president for Europe, Alain Deletroz, said in a separate
statement.

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER RE-ELECTED MAYOR
The Associated Press
10/10/05 21:14 EDT
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – The mayor of a small Armenian town jailed
on murder charges was re-elected to his post, election officials
said Monday.
Armen Keshishian, the mayor of Nor-Achin about six miles east of the
capital, Yerevan, 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 Markarian, according to the prime minister’s
spokeswoman, Mary Arutunian.
Firearms are considered a treasured gift in the Caucasus. Although
their sale is forbidden in Armenia, the president and prime minister
are empowered to present people with weapons.
Since becoming prime minister in 2000, Markarian has presented
589 people with guns, which police officials say have been used in
three murders and a number of attempted murders. Arutunian said law
enforcement bodies were now checking a number of people whom Markarian
plans to present with guns, to make sure they would not use them for
criminal purposes.
With the election victory, Keshishian will govern his town from behind
bars pending trial. If he is convicted, he will lose his post.

EurasiaNet, NY
Oct 5 2005
TURKEY: FORMER DIPLOMAT DISCUSSES EU CHALLENGES WITH RFE/RL
Jeffrey Donovan 10/05/05
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL
Turkey has begun its membership talks with the European Union. The
start of talks early today in Luxembourg came after difficult
negotiations among EU foreign ministers and objections by Austria
that had threatened to kill Turkey’s hopes for membership. Despite
the successful outcome, Ankara now faces a decade or more of tough
reforms that in the end still do not guarantee membership. Turkey
must adopt EU laws in 35 areas or “chapters,” including justice,
social, foreign, and security policy. RFE/RL correspondent Jeffrey
Donovan discussed the challenges ahead with Resat Arim, a former
Turkish ambassador to Berlin, Beijing, and Amman, and now with the
Foreign Policy Institute at Ankara’s Bilkent University.
RFE/RL: How are people and the media in Turkey reacting to Monday’s
developments?
Resat Arim: We have been working very hard on this. This is a major
project for Turkey. As you know, since the time of [Mustafa Kemal]
Ataturk, the new republic of Turkey has turned west. We have, for
instance, adopted the Swiss civil code. So, the matters relating to
the person, to the family — many things, civil matters — have been
dealt with using the law dating from 1926. So there are many laws,
institutions, geared to European models.
RFE/RL: The road ahead is long, and fraught with pitfalls. What do
you see as the main hurdles for Turkey in its quest to join the EU?
Arim: We adopted the [EU] customs union in 1996. Among the candidate
countries, no one had assumed the responsibilities of the customs
union before becoming a member. Therefore, I presume that during the
accession talks with the European Union, the economic questions will
be solved rather easily, because we already have a customs union.
RFE/RL: What about some of the more problematic chapters?
Arim: For instance, agriculture. I read, and we all read, that
agriculture will be one of the difficult chapters. Already, we have a
large agriculture sector. Whether it is very profitable [is a
question].
RFE/RL: What about the chapters on security and justice?
Arim: There won’t be many problems, really, because during the last
three or four years, we have made many changes in our law to conform
to the Copenhagen criteria [on democracy and rule of law].
RFE/RL: Even with regard to, say, the Kurdish issue? I know this was
part of the Copenhagen criteria, but some say there are still
problems with the way Turkey is implementing the reforms with regards
to its Kurdish minority.
Arim: Not much, really. We have people of Kurdish origin. But they
are not a minority; they are first-class citizens. The question was
only about their ability to use their own language and to have their
own press and broadcasting. Already in the last couple of years, we
adopted laws, changed many things. So the people of Kurdish origin
can use their language; there can be broadcasting in Kurdish, and
there can be classes in Kurdish.
RFE/RL: But, obviously, with regard to European public opinion,
people are still very skeptical about the extent to which some of
these reforms have been implemented, and also about things such as
the recent indictment of Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk following an
interview in which he spoke about the Ottoman massacre of Armenians.
Arim: There’s a case against him, which we very much hope will be
dropped. A few mishaps, really, one of the few mishaps. This is not
the rule in Turkey. People are not indicted, or have cases brought
against them, because of their views. The press and the broadcasters
and the government have criticized [this case] very harshly.
RFE/RL: As part of the negotiations, Turkey will have to recognize
Greek Cyprus. How difficult is that going to be, and when can we
expect it to happen?
Arim: Very far off. [Laughs.] Very far off. Turkey cannot really
recognize Greek Cypriots as the government of Cyprus. So Turkey
cannot say that Turkey recognizes the Republic of Cyprus, as it is.
But, in the meantime, if the Cyprus problem is resolved — and we
very much hope the United Nations secretary-general makes another
effort to bring the parties together — and if there is a settlement,
then of course, the Turkish government already said it would
recognize the ultimate negotiated [settlement].
RFE/RL: One of the possible pitfalls for Turkey is the role that
European public opinion may end up playing in the accession process.
Austria and France have already said that they will put the question
of Turkey’s entry to a referendum. What is the thinking in Turkey
about how to overcome the negative public opinion in some places?
Arim: Of course, European public opinion has not really been worked
upon by their governments so far. There will be a referendum at the
end of the negotiations. By that time, probably, public opinion in
many European countries will be very informed about the advantages of
having Turkey in the European Union. Mostly, this is the job of
governments there. But also, we will try to help.

The Emirates
October 3, 2005
U.A.E.: KHALIFA RECEIVES ARMENIAN LEADER’S LETTER
President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has received a
letter from President Robert Kocharian of Armenia, dealing with
bilateral relations and issues of common concern. The letter was
received by Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs during his meeting in Abu
Dhabi yesterday with the visiting Armenian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian. The meeting discussed
bilateral relations and ways to further enhance them.
(The Emirates News Agency, WAM)

FTC Allows Kerkorian to Up GM Stake
By – 10/11/2005 – Los Angeles Business Journal Staff
The Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday it would not oppose a plan by
billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian to increase his stake in General Motors
Corp. and possibly seek a seat on GM’s board, Reuters reported.
U.S. antitrust authorities have completed their investigation of the
proposal without taking any further action, the Federal Trade Commission
said in a notice.
On Sept. 21, Kerkorian’s Tracinda Corp. said it might ask for representation
on General Motors’ board and that it intends to raise its stake in the
automaker.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tracinda, which now
holds a 9.53-percent GM stake – or 53.9 million shares – said it plans to
increase its ownership interest to as much as 9.9 percent of outstanding
shares. Tracinda had sought approval from antitrust officials as well.
On May 4, Tracinda, the majority owner of casino and hotel chain MGM Mirage,
announced a tender offer to pay $870 million to buy up to 28 million shares,
or nearly 5 percent of total General Motors stock.
Tracinda ended up purchasing 18.9 million shares, leaving it 9.1 million
shares short of the stated goal. However, in a Sept. 1 filing, the Beverly
Hills-based company said it had increased its GM stake to 9.53 percent in
three separate private transactions, starting in late August.

RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Czech Republic
Oct 10 2005
Azerbaijan: Soldier Killed In Ethnic Armenian Attack

(RFE/RL)
10 October 2005 — Azerbaijan’s military said today that an
Azerbaijani soldier was killed during a firefight with ethnic
Armenian forces near the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Defense Ministry spokesman Ilgar Verdiev said the 19-year-old
conscript was killed on 9 October in the gunfire exchange on the
cease-fire line that separates Azerbaijani and Armenian-backed
troops.
Verdiev said the Armenian forces started the shooting, and
Azerbaijani forces responded. Armenian officials could not be
immediately be reached for comment.
Nagorno-Karabakh and swaths of surrounding territory inside
Azerbaijan have been under control of ethnic Armenians since a
six-year war against Azerbaijan ended with a 1994 cease-fire.
The enclave’s status remains unresolved, and tensions remain high
along the cease-fire line with both sides regularly exchanging fire.

Pan Armenian
Erdogan Letter to Kocharian Attempts to Mislead International Community
11.10.2005 21:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A letter by Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Armenian
President Robert Kocharian is an attempt to mislead the international
community. Armenian Vice-Speaker Vahan Hovhannisyan qualified this way
Turkish party’s proposal to form a joint Armenian-Turkish historical
commission to examine the Armenian issue. Mr. Hovhannisyan made his
statement at the NATO PA Rose-Roth seminar held in Yerevan. In his words,
besides the Genocide in 1915 Turkey has committed another crime – this one
against independent Armenia – in 1919 Armenia’s territory was equal to 70
thousand square meters. However, resulting from Turkey’s aggression Armenia
lost Kars, Ardahan, Surmalu, as well as most of the population in these
regions. In his opinion, the crime was an aggression against another state
and resulted in most problems that cause destabilization in the South
Caucasus today. These problems include issues in the Armenian-Azeri and
Armenian-Turkish relations. Exactly owing to that Armenian President’s
return proposal to form an intergovernmental joint commission instead of a
historical one may have more actual outcomes, Vahan Hovhannisyan stated. «I
think that just owing to that the proposal of the Turkish party was not
reciprocated,» he stated. Besides, Mr. Hovhannisyan remarked that the
ideology of repentance and remorse underlying the European values is not
accepted by the Turkish society. «Today Turkey tries to become an EU member
and it should be ready to that from the inside, the Turkish society should
change,» he emphasized.

Armenian Youth Federation-YOARF Eastern US
80 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
Tel. (617) 923-1933
Fax (617) 924-1933

PRESS RELEASE ~ October 11, 2005
Contact: Sossi Essajanian
(617) 923-1933
[email protected]
AYF Eastern Region Members Gather in New Jersey for Annual Seminar
WATERTOWN, Mass.?On October 8, members of the Armenian Youth
Federation (AYF) Eastern Region gathered in Paramus, N.J., for the
organization’s annual Senior Seminar.
Participants from Providence, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, New
Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C., attended the seminar, which
included lectures on the current status of the organization; an
overview of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF); and a
discussion on what it means to be Armenian.
Lead by AYF regional advisor Zorab Khaligian from Racine, Wisc., the
group talked about the dimensions of what it means to be Armenian and
what types of activities are included in its definition. Khaligian
asked the group to put the discussion into perspective. “We have all
of this commitment, socialization, but what are we doing with it?
Going with the flow and being at events is great, but what about
taking the next step? If you remain stagnant, then there will be no
AYF,” said Khaligian.
During their on the ARF by ANC of New Jersey chairperson Ani
Tchaghlasian, the group reviewed the goals of the organization, the
goals of the AYF, and talked about the life of members who are in both
organizations.
“We have our monthly meetings to discuss chapter dynamics and the
successes or failures that occur within our own cities. It is
important for us, however, to take time out to meet with the leaders
and active members of other chapters to discuss our organization as a
whole,” said Philadelphia AYF chapter president Anglela Deese, who
attended the seminar. “This year’s event was a chance for us to
discuss those issues, such as the ways in which we can run the AYF
most efficiently and successfully. I believe that a weekend like this
helps us take ownership of the AYF; this is easy to do within our own
communities back home. But we must remember that we are part of a
group of youth striving for the same goal, and as a part of ARF youth,
we strive for this goal not only in our own cities, but with the rest
of our ungers all over the world,” she said.
Later that evening, the group gathered at the Aladdin Restaurant in
Hackensack, N.J., to enjoy food and dancing.
“I believe that this meeting was a successful event for two
reasons. First, it addressed important issues that our organization
faces and presented solutions. And secondly, the lectures and
discussions were different than the usual take on the subjects,” said
New Jersey AYF attendee Razmig Tchaghlasian.
Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) serves as the
youth organization of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(YOARF). The AYF stands on five pillars that guide its activities:
education, political awareness, fellowship, athletics and
culture. Moreover, the AYF promotes a fraternal attitude of respect
for the diversity of ideas and individuals amongst its
membership. Unity and cooperation are essential traits that allow
members of the organization to work together and realize its
objectives.