Agence France Presse — English
September 25, 2005 Sunday 1:33 AM GMT
Tensions high as Turkey’s EU membership talks approach
by Lorne Cook
BRUSSELS
Just a week before it is due to start long-awaited EU membership
talks, Turkey’s relations with the bloc are under new strain and
there is still no guarantee they will even go ahead.
Despite weeks of wrangling, European Union ambassadors cannot agree
on a negotiating framework for the aim and scope of the talks and
they only have one meeting before the whole process is slated to
begin on October 3.
With time fast running out, relations between Ankara and Brussels
have been characterised by increasingly hostile rhetoric and more is
likely to come this week at the European Parliament.
Britain, the current EU president, maintains that progress has been
made but diplomats say Austria refuses to cede ground until the
framework refers to a “privileged partnership” with Turkey, rather
than full membership.
“I would find it grotesque that membership negotiations are being
started with Turkey and at the same time Croatia is left waiting
outside,” Austria’s conservative Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel said
earlier this month.
Croatia’s own drive to join the EU, which hinges on its cooperation
with the UN war crimes tribunal, is gaining momentum and one EU
diplomat has said that “some sort of signal would not be a surprise”
on October 3.
Turkey’s place in Europe was again questioned three months ago after
French and Dutch voters rejected a planned EU constitution, in part
over concerns about absorbing the relatively poor mainly-Muslim,
though secular, state.
Ankara aggravated its case on July 29 when, while signing an
extension to a customs accord to include the 10 newest EU members, it
issued a declaration that its signature did not amount to recognising
member state Cyprus.
Turkey has steadfastly refused to endorse the internationally
recognised Greek-Cypriot government since its troops occupied the
island in 1974 in response to a Greek-engineered coup.
The declaration sent the EU into a diplomatic spin.
The presidency struggled to draft a counter-declaration, but the
members, including Cyprus, finally agreed that Turkey must recognise
the Nicosia government before it joins; some time after 2015,
perhaps.
As the Union debated what position to take, Ankara grew impatient and
vented its frustration in terms not found in the EU’s diplomatic
dictionary.
“After everything we have done, they are still asking whether
accession talks should begin or not,” said Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. “To raise certain questions that have no pertinence
is not worthy of international diplomatic ethics. It is rude.”
But a Turkish court decision to ban a conference last Friday on the
massacre of the Armenians under the Ottoman Empire was met with some
of the firmest language heard at the European Commission in months.
“We strongly deplore this new attempt to prevent the Turkish society
from discussing its history,” a spokeswoman said. “We consider also
that the timing of this decision … looks like yet another
provocation.”
With October 3 closing in, the negotiating framework is the major
hurdle.
But European parliamentarians are also set to debate Ankara’s case on
Wednesday, with the EU ambassadors meeting on Thursday, before
officially adopting the customs accord.
At issue is whether the declaration means Turkey’s real intention is
not to fully implement the accord, given also that it has a standing
ban on Cypriot ships and aircraft using its ports and airports.
The power of the assembly to block Ankara is negligible but the
debate will focus wider attention in the mainly Christian bloc at a
very important time.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan, in Armenian
24 Sep 05 p 3
Armenian opposition leader urges unity to reject constitutional
reform
Headlined “The authorities are in deadlock”
An interview with the leader of the Anrapetutyun [Republic] Party,
Aram Sarkisyan.
[Haykakan Zhamanak correspondent] Mr Sarkisyan, if the opposition
cannot unite in the local government elections, where are the
guarantees that the opposition will be able to unite during the
constitutional referendum and the processes taking place before and
after it?
[Aram Sarkisyan] As far as the local government elections are
concerned, I can confidently say that there is no election system in
Armenia. Moreover, local government elections are less politicized
than the parliamentary or presidential election, and only after
changing the president, radical changes are possible in this country.
For this reason, the public becomes active mainly during a
presidential election. As for the constitutional referendum, I am
sure that irrespective of everything, the whole opposition will unite
as a team. All forces that will say “no” to these constitutional
changes will unite and there is no alternative to this unification.
For this reason, it is not by chance that panic is clearly seen in
the government camp, which is expressed by the Dashnaks’ hints to
postpone the referendum. That is to say if they see that the positive
result of the referendum is not guaranteed, they will postpone it.
The authorities understand very well that a serious wave of the
people’s movement will start in November.
[Correspondent] Can we say that any result of the constitutional
referendum, as well as its postponement, is a deadlock for the
authorities?
[Sarkisyan] Yes, we can. These authorities have no way out of the
November deadlock. A pan-national movement is unavoidable with any
result of the constitutional referendum, as well as if there is an
attempt to postpone the referendum.
[Correspondent] Mr Sarkisyan, as is known, you are going to meet
Yerevan State University students.
[Sarkisyan] My contacts with the people have shown that I need such a
meeting with young people. I am sure nobody will get in the way of my
meeting with the students.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITV, Baku, in Azeri
23 Sep 05
AZERI ELECTION: PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES TRADE ACCUSATIONS OF
CORRUPTION
Aydin Quliyev, a parliamentary candidate from the opposition Azadliq
(Freedom) bloc, has accused the authorities of denying the opposition
access to TV channels.
In his election broadcast on Public TV on 23 September, Quliyev
blamed the Azerbaijani authorities for the lack of progress on the
Karabakh talks.
At the same time, Quliyev said Azerbaijan needs a “normal” parliament
to fight rampant corruption in the country. He urged people to
participate in the opposition rally scheduled for 25 September.
In turn, Sahlar Asgarov from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP)
said that Azerbaijan has become one of the world’s most powerful
states under President Ilham Aliyev. The Azerbaijani people should
say “no” to domestic and foreign enemies when they cast their votes
on 6 November, he said in his election broadcast on Public TV.
Asgarov stressed that Azerbaijan’s economy has grown significantly
under the NAP, pointing to projects worth billions of dollars like
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil export pipeline.
Meanwhile, Qaribbala Novruzov, a candidate from the opposition
Liberal Party of Azerbaijan, said in his election broadcast that
people are leaving the country’s southern districts to avoid poverty,
human rights violations, unemployment and the poor infrastructure.
The local authorities are indifferent to their problems, he said.
Touching on the problem of unemployment, Novruzov said that tourism
could help resolve it in the southern districts.
Yaqub Mammadov, former parliamentary speaker who is running for
parliament from the Yeni Siyasat (New Policy) election bloc, said
although Azerbaijan has seen some progress during its independence,
the country is still facing serious problems like poverty,
unemployment and corruption.
Mammadov said the most serious problem currently facing Azerbaijan is
that the Azerbaijani people is divided into several groups. The
country can cope with its manifold problems only when it is united,
he said.
In turn, non-partisan candidate Mikail Rahimov pointed to Nagornyy
Karabakh as Azerbaijan’s most serious problem. Azerbaijan should
develop a professional army to liberate its territories from Armenian
occupation, he said during his television appearance.
Another non-partisan candidate, Azar Amiraslanov, said he will push
for new and better laws required for Azerbaijan’s growing economy if
he is elected to the parliament.
At the same time, in his election broadcast, a candidate from the
ruling New Azerbaijan Party, Musa Musayev, accused opposition leaders
Isa Qambar and Ali Karimli of selling oil to Armenia in 1992-93. The
Azerbaijani people experienced hard times under their rule, he said.

Anatolia news agency, Ankara, in English
24 Sep 05
TURKISH MINISTER HOPES ARMENIAN CONFERENCE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF
COMMON PAST
Istanbul, 24 September: “The Turkish people are at peace with
themselves and with their history,” said Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul.
Sending a message to the opening session of the conference entitled
“The Armenians during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire”, Gul said:
“The approaches of our government and our people towards our past,
including Turkish-Armenian relations, constitute an indication of our
confidence in ourselves and our future.”
In his message, Gul said: “The last era of the Ottoman Empire is
subject to discussion and research in academic circles, with
increased interest. Nearly every day new documents from the era
emerge and new books, articles and research papers are published.
Yet, it is not possible to say that all data and documents related to
those times have been properly analysed. With an aim to help redress
this shortcoming, our government is in the process of taking
important steps to enable the Ottoman Archives to serve researchers,
in modern conditions. Our archives have begun to serve scientists
through documents converted to a digital medium since 2003. Within
this context, many researchers, coming from 75 different countries
have completed their research on the Ottoman Archives. These
activities are ongoing.”
“We want not only our own archives but at the same time all other
archives that will shed light on the history of the day to be opened
in an organized fashion, that will serve all researchers. We believe
that deeper research into that era will bring new historical facts to
light and serve an improvement in relations between countries and
peoples. Thus, we have proposed to the government of Armenia to
establish a historical commission between our two countries, which
will research the joint Turkish-American history and which will make
its findings public. We hope to reach a conclusion on this subject,”
Gul indicated.
Gul also said: “The history of Turkish-Armenian relations is one of
coexistence and common life of almost 1,000 years. During the course
of this period, the Turkish and Armenian peoples have contributed to
each other’s culture, prosperity and security. We should not ignore
this reality when we examine the tragic period when the Ottoman
Empire was crumbling and the Turks and Armenians were deeply
suffering, like all other peoples of the empire.”
“It is a fact that in some chapters of history, or even today, some
societies cannot tolerate one other’s language, religion, identity or
even very existence. It is an unfortunate reality that such
intolerance can turn into a deep-rooted and destructive ideology,
which gets ingrained in the social subconscious. Some serious and
very dangerous trends, from xenophobia to racism and from
anti-Semitism to attitudes against Muslims are present and are on the
rise today, even in societies which represent the highest level of
contemporary civilization,” underlined Gul.
Gul stressed: “It is a source of pleasure that such a psychology does
not exist between the Turks and Armenians. This also constitutes a
major advantage for the future of relations between the two peoples.”
“Another issue I want to draw your attention to is that, many studies
so far held on the theme of the conference, particularly outside
Turkey, have been conducted with political motivations, in a manner
inconsistent with scientific ethics and objectivity. Regretfully,
humanitarian issues have been sacrificed to political designs, and
double standards have been applied in determining and presenting
human suffering. There were attempts to impose subjective, non-legal
and artificial claims upon Turkey and the Turkish people, with
political motivations. Furthermore, there have been situations in
which some foreign circles could not even tolerate scientific
scepticism,” said Gul.
Gul concluded: “Young generations from all nations must know and draw
lessons from the facts that during the last era of the Ottoman Empire
the imperialist-colonial powers ruthlessly exploited peoples’
ethno-religious sensitivities for their own gains and that some
elements, knowingly or unknowingly, became instruments to these
provocations. I hope that your conference will be a contribution to
raise awareness on this issue. The Turkish people are at peace with
themselves and with their history. The approaches of our government
and our people towards our past, including Turkish-Armenian
relations, constitute an indication of our confidence in ourselves
and our future. I convey my best wishes to all participants and hope
that the conference will be a success.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Hurriyet website, Istanbul, in Turkish
23 Sep 05
ARMENIAN TURK DENIES EXISTENCE OF “ARMENIAN PROBLEM”
Entitled “Armenian author: I am more of a Turk than many others” by
Turkish daily Hurriyet website on 23 September
Speaking at a panel discussion, Armenian author Levon Panos Dabagyan
has said, “All of us are Turks in this country. I am more of a Turk
than many of the others. God willing, I will fight against them if a
war breaks out with Armenia.” Dabagyan received a standing ovation
for what he said.
A seminar entitled “All aspects of the Armenian problem and
historical facts” has been held at the central headquarters of the
Turkish Metal Workers’ Trade Union. Panelist Dabagyan, who is a
Turkish citizen of Armenian origin, said that no Armenian problem
exists and noted that the problem had been fabricated. Describing
themselves as Christian Turks, Dabagyan asserted, “All of us are
Turks. If there are foreigners amongst us, then they should see the
pain I suffer from. It is the pain of a Turk.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TRT 2 television, Ankara, in Turkish
24 Sep 05
TURKEY: PROTESTERS AGAINST ARMENIAN CONFERENCE THROW TOMATOES
The controversial conference has started. The venue of the conference
on Armenians, which was going to be Bogazici University, has now
changed to Bilgi University, after the Istanbul Administrative Court
decided yesterday to suspend it. However, the debates are still going
on.
Tight security measures have been taken since early morning at the
Istanbul Bilgi University’s Dolapdere campus because of the
conference on “Ottoman Armenians during the demise of the Empire:
Issues of democracy and scientific responsibility”.
Nobody was allowed to enter the area except participants in the
conference and members of the press. Only members of the press with
special permits could take photographs during the conference.
Protest demonstrations were staged outside the campus as soon as the
conference started. In addition, arguments between speakers and
participants occurred during the conference.
Lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz, member of the Executive Board of the Lawyers’
Association, said that it was unlawful to continue the conference at
a different venue in spite of a court order. Kerincsiz said that
demonstrations protesting against the violation of the court order
were being staged because they did not find anybody to address
themselves to at the Istanbul Governor’s Office or the Istanbul
Security Directorate.
During a briefing for members of the press, eggs and tomatoes were
thrown at journalist Cengiz Candar, one of the participants in the
conference, as a sign of protest.

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
24 Sep 05
ARMENIA BUYS 10 WAR PLANES – DEPUTY MINISTER
Yerevan, 24 September: The Armenian air force recently received 10
war planes, Armenian Deputy Defence Minister Lt-Gen Artur Agabekyan
told reporters today. However, he refused to say where the planes
were bought from.
He said that all the country’s military hardware, both existing and
purchased, is quite efficient and additional money is being spent to
improve it. He went on to say that munitions need to constantly
updated. “This is an everyday task of the armed forces,” he said.
The Armenian armed forces are equipped mainly with Russia-made
hardware.

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
24 Sep 05
USA CONCERNED ABOUT MEDIA SITUATION IN ARMENIA
Yerevan, 24 September: US Helsinki Commission Deputy Chief of Staff
Dorothy Douglas Taft has said that “in Armenia, media critical of the
government continue to experience considerable pressure”.
Mediamax reports that Dorothy Douglas Taft said this at the OSCE
Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw.
“In Armenia, media critical of the government continue to experience
considerable pressure. Specifically, A1+ TV is still barred from the
airwaves, despite intervention from the OSCE’s Representative on the
Media, the Council of Europe and foreign capitals,” Dorothy Douglas
Taft said.
The US Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki
Commission) is an independent federal agency of the US Congress.

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian
24 Sep 05
FINNISH LEADER FAVOURS ARMENIA’S EUROPEAN INTEGRATION
Yerevan, 24 September: “Following the path of democracy and rapid
economic development, Armenia could ensure a more integrated European
future,” Finnish President Tarja Halonen has told Mediamax in an
exclusive interview.
Tarja Halonen, who will visit Armenia on September 26-28, gave an
exclusive interview to Mediamax news agency and Armenian Public TV
yesterday.
“Both Finland and the European Union are interested in the entire
region, and Armenia has many possibilities for developing relations
with Finland and the EU. In many terms, you have a European history,
and following the path of democracy and rapid economic development,
Armenia could ensure a more integrated European future,” Halonen
said.
“The possibilities offered by the European Neighborhood Policy could
really become a step forward. Every country in the region is of
interest to the EU and it depends on you how this interest will
materialize,” she said.
“Armenia has a rich history and you had difficulties as well, but you
could have a better future if you actively develop democracy, human
rights, the supremacy of the law and efficient management. So, I
strongly encourage you to study and explore the possibilities offered
by the European Neighborhood Policy,” Halonen said.
Asked about the prospects of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
settlement, she said: “I consider it is very important that a
presidential election was held in Armenia in 2003 and the next
presidential election will be in 2008. I hope you will use the time
left to the next election to solve the problem. You should encourage
yourselves to make decisions and move forward.”

Associated Press Worldstream
September 25, 2005 Sunday
Turkish scholars find support in Turkey for open look at massacres of
Armenians
BENJAMIN HARVEY; Associated Press Writer
ISTANBUL, Turkey
Scholars attending a conference that addresses the mass killings of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks said Sunday that, after decades of
opposition, public opinion in Turkey was moving in favor of an open
discussion.
The Turkish media and top government officials expressed support for
the two-day conference, which started Saturday. But for a second day
nationalist protesters hurled eggs and rotten tomatoes at arriving
speakers they accused of treason, showing deep resistance to
addressing claims that Turks committed genocide.
Turkey aspires to join the European Union, and the EU said it would
view the conference as a test of freedom of expression.
A headline in Turkey’s largest newspaper, Hurriyet, on Sunday
welcomed an open discussion, saying: “Not for Europe but for
ourselves.”
Another headline in Radikal newspaper read: “The world is still
spinning and Turkey remains in its place.”
“I suppose more and more people are getting to realize that the old
positions are untenable,” said Murat Belge, a member of the committee
that organized the conference. “I mean the smoke over the question,
the policy of denial.”
The conference faced heavy opposition from the outset and was
canceled twice – including on Thursday by an Istanbul court that
demanded to know the academic qualifications of the speakers – before
beginning Saturday at Istanbul Bilgi University.
“Especially after that absurd court decision three days ago …
looking at the press the next day, at the magnitude of the public
reaction, I knew this was going to be a success,” said Halil Berktay,
a historian and member of the organizing committee. “The old clich’s
of official, conventional, denialist ideology are dead.”
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed support for the
conference and criticized the court order, which organizers skirted
by changing the venue.
Participants at the conference – including Turks and ethnic Armenians
– were mostly careful to avoid emotional language. On Saturday,
historians discussed the events leading up to and following the
massacres in 1915-1923, going through them year by year. On Sunday,
they dealt with broader issues, including “The Armenian problem and
Turkish democracy” and “Press Freedom and the Armenian problem.”
Delegates to the conference had no plans to issue a declaration on
whether genocide occurred, Berktay said, but were using the gathering
as a forum to openly examine the historical experience of Armenians
around the time of the Ottoman collapse. Many of the panelists have
previously said the killings constituted genocide. A number of them
have received death threats in Turkey for doing so.
Turkey vehemently denies that a genocide was carried out on Armenians
as the Ottoman Empire collapsed around the time of World War I,
saying that Armenians who rose in rebellion and sided with Russian
invaders were killed along with Turks in intercommunal fighting.
Armenians say that 1.5 million of their ancestors were killed by
Ottoman Turks in a vicious policy of extermination.
Turkey had never permitted the issue to be discussed in public until
this conference.
“A lot of people now understand that, if a certain society says only
one thing about a question, that is not a sign of strength, but the
opposite,” Belge said. “The atmosphere in the media has changed
overnight, and that’s going to influence public opinion.”
Turkey is under intense pressure to improve its performance on issues
of freedom of expression and human rights as it moves toward
negotiations beginning Oct. 3 for EU membership.