EurActiv.com, Belgium
Sept 14 2005
Rehn: Is Turkey provoking the EU?
In Short:
The EU’s enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that Turkey’s
decision to prosecute the country’s best-known writer breaches the
European Convention on Human Rights.
Brief News:
Turkey has decided to begin a trial against the novelist Orhan Pamuk
on 16 December 2005 – the date of an official EU summit. Olli Rehn
said that this “may not be just a coincidence” but a “provocation”
from Turkey just a few weeks before the official negotiations on
Turkey’s possible entry in to the EU are set to start. Rehn also said
that this court case raised serious questions over the implementation
of Turkey’s new penal code.
In an interview with a Swiss newspaper, Orhan Pamuk is accused of
insulting the Turkish state with comments on killings of Armenians
and Kurds. Turkey’s new penal code, adopted in 2005 at the insistence
of the EU, classifies denigrating Turkey’s national identity as a
crime punishable by prison. Freedom of speech advocates had already
warned that the clause on national identity in the new penal code was
not clear enough and could result in the imprisonment of artists and
journalists.
The Commission continues to monitor human rights issues in Turkey
closely, and expects the accession negotiations to start as
scheduled, on 3 October. However, “the accession process will take
from 10 to 15 years”, said Rehn.
;type=News

FOLLOWING TURKEY AZERBAIJAN CONTINUES REFUSING TO COOPERATE
WITH ARMENIA WITHIN WTO
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14. ARMINFO. Until final peace Azerbaijan will not
cooperate with Armenia within World Trade Organization, Azeri Deputy
Foreign Minister Mahmud Mamedkuliev says in an interview to Trend.
This does not contradict the WTO position especially as Armenia has
undertaken an obligation not to prevent Azerbaijan from joining the
organization. At the very beginning of the talks Azerbaijan got the
WTO administration to set such an obligation to Armenia and the
Armenian FM officially confirmed its compliance with it.
To remind, it is not the first time Mamedkuliev is speaking about
provisos for joining WTO. At a briefing July 7 he also spoke of
Baku’s official position. Azerbaijan is planning to join WTO in
coming 2-3 years. Armenia joined the organization in Dec 2002. Then
Turkey agreed to Armenia’s admission on condition that it will not
cooperate it the country within WTO.

“ELECTION CODE IS A NOT SUIT FOR ELECTORS TO WEAR IT
CHANGING THE FASHION WITH TIME:” OPPOSITIONIST MEMBER OF ARMENIAN CEC
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMINFO. “Election Code is a not suit for
electors to wear it changing the fashion with time,” said indignantly
Representative of the Justice opposition bloc at the Armenian CEC
Felix Khachatryan, Wednesday.
He proposes the CEC to approve an application to the Armenian
Government at its next sitting to amend the Election Code. In
particular, Khachatryan thinks the point allowing a member of the
Election Committee to enter the booth together with a voter if the
latter has some difficulties with voting (poor sight etc..) nothing
but a direct direction to falsifications. Khachatryan thinks there
are 16 points in the new EC which need amendment till the local
self-government elections in September-October 2005.
However, only a CEC member representing the National Unity party
Zaven Pluzyan supported Khachatryan. The Armenian CEC did not approve
the agenda of the extraordinary sitting consisting of Felix
Khachatryan’s proposals.
It was the second failure of the Justice bloc representative to amend
the Election Code. In response to ARMINF’s question, Khachatryan said
he will fight till the very end to make the necessary amendments to
the EC.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Sept 14 2005
Armenian bills could damage US-Turkish relations
Brent Scowcroft warns: Armenian genocide bills could damage
US-Turkish relations
source: Hurriyet, 14 September 2005
Brent Scowcroft, president of the American-Turkish Council (ATC), has
written a letter to US Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert warning of
possible damage to US-Turkish relations resulting from two seperate
bills containing Armenian genocide allegations coming up on the US
Congress agenda.
It is expected that the US Congress Foreign Relations Committee will
be looking at the two bills in question either today or tomorrow. It
is also anticipated that the bills will pass through the Committee
successfully. Scowcroft warned in his letter that the passage of
these bills might well endanger the trade interests of some ATC
members.
Scowcroft also called on Armenian President Robert Kocharian to
accept the peace offering of Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also
used his letter to call on the US to be supportive of Turkey in this
period preceding the October 3 EU accession talks, recalling that
Turkey’s strategic placement would be important to the US for a long
period of time.

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 15 2005
Next sitting of PACE sub-committee on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to
take place on 14 December

14 September 2005 [10:53] – Today.Az

The next sitting of the sub-committee of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is
scheduled for 14 December 2005.
The head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samed Seyidov said on
the results of the II sitting of the sub-committee in Paris recently,
Trend reports.
According to him, the discussions may be characterized as unbiased
and their distinction was that the speakers this time resorted mostly
not to historical facts but to the search of the ways for the
conflict settlement based on the international laws. One of the
important achievements of the sitting was the solution on the active
discussion of the adopted decisions at the PACE January session and
consideration of the issue at each sessions on the whole.
As the result of it, the decision on meetings of the Azerbaijani and
Armenian delegations at the PACE autumn session in October 2005 was
taken. The sub-committee, will most likely inform the PACE bureau on
the work done in January, Seyidov added.
URL:

contemporarylit.about.com
Sept 14 2005
Orhan Pamuk Imprisoned in Turkey
Turkish author, Orhan Pamuk, is currently being charged with
insulting the Turkish Republic with statements published in a Swiss
newspaper on February 6, 2005. Referring to the killings of thousands
of Armenians between 1915-1917 and Kurdish Separatists since 1984,
Pamuk is quoted as saying, “thirty thousand Kurds and a million
Armenians were killed in these lands and nobody but me dares to talk
about it.”
International PEN, the worldwide association of writers promoting
cooperation and freedom of expression, is urging that readers write
Turkish leaders to protest Orhan Pamuk’s upcoming trial on December
16.

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 15 2005
Eldar Mahmudov met with deputy executive director of UNO Office on
Drugs and Crime

14 September 2005 [10:44] – Today.Az

Minister for National Security, lieutenant-General Eldar Mahmudov
today met with deputy executive director of UNO Office on Drugs and
Crime Ms. Sumru Noyan.
APA was informed from the center of public affairs of the National
Security Ministry (MNS). E.Mahmudov informed the visitor about the
measures taken by the MNS for guaranteeing security of our country,
preserving stability, in the field of fighting against criminality,
its dangerous forms and appearances in detail, he said that,
structural reforms are held in the Ministry successfully.
Stating that as the result of the measures taken by the MNS during 8
months of the current year, more than 100 kg narcotic drugs were
found and this was four times more in comparison with the
corresponding period of last year, the Minister emphasized that the
Ministry possesses acts and evidences on the occupation of one part
of Azerbaijan by the Armed Forces of Armenia and narcotic drugs are
grown in Nagorno Karabakh and there is network of illicit trafficking
of narcotic drugs and these territories turned out to be one of the
main routes of illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs.
The Minister also noted that, borderline of our country with Iran
remained out of defense in 132 km part due to the same reason and
stressed the importance of interference on the UNO level.
He said that our republic rapidly develops from the economic view
point, realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and Southern
Caucasus Gas pipelines and TRACECA project also made Azerbaijan the
focus of attention of transnational criminals and creates condition
for increasing of illegal migration and noted importance of
cooperation with international organizations and regional states in
the struggle against such cases.
Lady S.Noyan, in her turn, informed that UNO attaches much
significance to the struggle conducted against transnational
criminality in the whole world and positively valued strengthening of
the struggle against drug addiction, illegal turnover of drugs and
realization of measures in this field in Azerbaijan recently.
She noted that holding of the 40th session of the UNO auxiliary
commission on questions concerned with illegal turnover of drugs in
Near and Middle East in Baku is an obvious proof of it and stressed
her assurance that cooperation between UNO and law-enforcement organs
of Azerbaijan will strengthen after this as well. Other questions of
mutual interest were also discussed in the meeting.
URL:

The Messenger, Georgia
Sept 15 2005
Government studies Kars-Akhalkalaki railway
The government of Georgia is studying the technical and economic
issues surrounding the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railway.
Prime Minister of Georgia Zurab Nogaideli told journalists at the
State Chancellery on Tuesday that consultations on attraction of
investments would start soon.
According to the information of the State Railway Department of
Azerbaijan, a meeting of the Transport Ministers of Georgia, Turkey
and Azerbaijan on the issue of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railway project,
originally scheduled for August 24, will now be held in September.
The length of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Baku railway is 98 kilometers; 68
kilometers of the railway will cover territory of Turkey while 30
kilometers will run through Georgia.
Preliminary estimates place the cost of the project at USD 400.
Opposed to the project is Armenia, whose Minister of Transport,
Andranik Manuklyan, states that as the railway circumvents that
country, it will be used by Turkey to put pressure on Armenia.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – Czech republic
Sept 15 2005
Breakaway Regions Seek Closer Ties With Russia

14 September 2005 — Representatives of four regions that have broken
away from ex-Soviet republics reiterated their intention in Moscow
today to seek international recognition and closer ties with Russia.
A Russian lawmaker said it was about time the breakaway regions were
recognized as states.
Representatives of Georgia’s breakaway republics of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia, the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh disputed by Azerbaijan
and Armenia, and Moldova’s Transdniester region met in Moscow and
pledged to pursue independence.
Konstantin Zatulin, a lawmaker from the Kremlin-directed United
Russia party, called the sovereignty of these entities a reality that
should be accepted.

Providence Journal, RI
Sept 15 2005
Pianist hopes to pick up the tempo for recitals

BY CHANNING GRAY
Journal Arts Writer

There was a time when the great pianists of the day came through this
area to play solo recitals, artists such as Arthur Rubinstein, Rudolf
Serkin, Sviatoslav Richter and Claudio Arrau.
But that has all changed. Outside of major cultural hubs, the piano
recital is all but dead. Presenters can no longer make money on them,
and classical audiences with limited entertainment dollars tend to
seek out showier fare, such as symphony orchestra concerts.
That at least is the opinion of Jon Nakamatsu, who hopes to change
all that. The Van Cliburn Competition laureate will appear Sunday
afternoon at Rhode Island College as part of a new series designed to
revive the piano recital.
The concert is sponsored by the Adams Foundation, a family-owned
foundation in Santa Barbara, Calif., that hopes to bring live music
at affordable prices to smaller venues.
The foundation is trying to rebuild audiences in out-of-the-way
places such as Bozeman, Montana, and yes, Providence, Rhode Island.
Rhode Island College has signed on for two concerts this season. If
those go well, the plan is to add more concerts in the future.
Besides Nakamatsu, twin brothers Richard and John Contiguglia will
visit the RIC campus in January. Their program contains, among other
offerings, Liszt’s arrangement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Dwindling bookings
Piano recitals have become such a rarity that Nakamatsu has watched
his bookings dwindle even since joining the Adams recital program.
Five years ago, he said, the bulk of his dates were for solo
concerts. Now he plays more with orchestras. Chamber music is a close
third.
But Nakumatsu said he loves a challenge.
“My manager knew it would suit me. I love trying to bring people into
the hall.”
Nakamatsu pretty much plays his recitals straight, without telling
stories, explaining the music or otherwise trying to make the
atmosphere more informal. He does plan to say a few words Sunday
about Armenian composer Loris Tjeknavorian, just because he is
unusual and unknown.
But the rest of his program he’ll play without comment.
“This is not theater,” he said. “It’s a concert where you’re
communicating through the music. Talking kind of defeats what I’m
trying to do.”
Nakamatsu said he tries to design his recitals to have an emotional
thread to them, a musical ebb and flow that takes listeners on a
journey. Ideally, programs provide a mix of new and familiar music,
or sometimes unknown works by familiar composers.
Sunday he will end his concert with a Liszt group that includes the
almost-never-played Impromptu for Princess Gortschakoff. The rest of
the program contains a set of Scarlatti Sonatas, the seldom-heard
Corelli Variations of Rachmaninoff, and two works by Chopin,
including the Third Scherzo. Then there are the Tjeknavorian pieces
and the Liszt, which ends with a final blockbuster, the composer’s
Mephisto Waltz.
Who shows up at his recitals sort of depends on the venue. At
colleges, he tends to get a lot of young people. But that doesn’t
hold true in other sites.
Something different
Nakamatsu, who just turned 37, won the Van Cliburn Competition in
1997, becoming only the third American to do so. He said his life
changed overnight. He was able to give up a teaching job and head out
on the road to perform.
Nakamatsu, who is based in San Francisco, has several CDs out on the
Harmonia Mundi label, with two in the works — a Liszt album and a
recording of the two Brahms clarinet sonatas.
These days, he spends about 75 to 80 percent of his time on the road.
That, he said, is one reason he is not married.
“The career is going well. It’s one I’m happy about.”
Jon Nakamatsu performs Sunday at 2:30 in Sapinsley Hall in the
Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts on the Rhode Island College
campus, 600 Mount Pleasant Ave., Providence. Call (401) 456-8144.