Schweizerische Depeschenagentur AG (SDA)
SDA – Servizio di base in Italiano
August 23, 2005
Svizzera-Turchia: Commissione estera Stati sdrammatizza
SCIAFFUSA, 23 ago
La Commissione della politica estera (CPE) del Consiglio degli Stati
getta acqua sul fuoco riguardo alle tensioni fra Svizzera e Turchia.
Secondo il suo presidente Peter Briner (PLR/SH), i rapporti fra i due
paesi non si sono particolarmente deteriorati nel corso degli ultimi
mesi.
La commissione, riunita ieri e oggi a Sciaffusa, ha discusso della
decisione di Ankara di procrastinare “sine die” la visita del
consigliere federale Joseph Deiss, prevista in settembre. Tale rinvio
– afferma Briner – e’ chiaramente dovuto all’apertura in Svizzera di
inchieste contro il politico turco Dogu Perincek per negazionismo del
genocidio armeno.
In una conferenza stampa odierna, il “senatore” sciaffusano ha
precisato che il viaggio del ministro dell’economia elvetico non e’
stato annullato. La visita e’ stata differita per motivi di
calendario, ha indicato, aggiungendo che Deiss si rechera’ in Turchia
quando gli animi si saranno calmati.
Briner, interrogato dall’ats all’inizio di agosto, aveva affermato
che le tensioni fra Berna e Ankara in seguito alla vicenda Perincek
erano state provocate in particolare dai media. La stampa turca ha
evidentemente “mobilitato l’opinione contro la Svizzera”, aveva detto
il politico. Un secondo procedimento e’ stato aperto dalla giustizia
elvetica anche contro lo storico turco Yusuf Halacoglu, sempre per
negazionismo del genocidio armeno.
Il consigliere agli Stati ha ribadito oggi che la Camera dei cantoni,
contrariamente al Nazionale, non affrontera’ il tema del genocidio
armeno. Non si puo puntare il dito contro la Turchia a 90 anni dai
fatti, ritiene il presidente della commissione.

Turkish Press
Aug 24 2005
Conference On Ottoman Armenians During Decline Of Empire

ISTANBUL – The Conference on Ottoman Armenians during the Decline of
the Empire will be organized in Istanbul between September 23-25,
Bogazici University (BU) Rector Prof. Dr. Ayse Soysal and Sabanci
University Rector Prof. Dr. Tosun Terzioglu said on Tuesday.
Releasing a written statement, Soysal and Terzioglu said that the
conference was scheduled to be held last May, but was delayed.
The conference would be held at the Bogazici University, they added.

The Daily Star, Lebanon
Aug 25 2005
Conference examining massacre of Armenians to go ahead in Turkey
ISTANBUL: A conference questioning the official line on massacres of
Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, aborted after Turkey’s justice
minister branded it an act of treason, will go ahead in September,
organizers said. The event dubbed “Ottoman Armenians of an Empire in
Decline” has been scheduled for September 23-25 at Istanbul’s
Bogazici university.
Gathering academics and intellectuals who dispute Ankara’s version of
the 1915-17 killings, the conference was postponed in May after
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek condemned it as “treason” and a “stab in
the back of the Turkish nation,” and said the organizers deserved
prosecution.
The outburst raised eyebrows in European diplomatic circles about
Ankara’s commitment to democratic reforms, a requirement for October
3 negotiations over its accession to the EU.
But diplomats said the incident could also prove to be a watershed if
the Turkish government acted to correct Cicek’s remarks.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul has now agreed to take part in
the conference’s opening session, the Hurriyet newspaper reported
yesterday.

“There was no reason to adjourn the conference. We can easily discuss
this question,” the newspaper quoted the minister as saying.
Ankara’s quest for EU membership struck another hurdle last month
when it insisted it would not recognize the Greek Cypriot government
of Cyprus.
Several countries have recognized the Armenian massacres as genocide
and Brussels has called on Turkey to confront its past and to allow
greater freedom of speech.
Ankara recognizes that the massacres took place, but strongly rejects
that they amounted to genocide.
Armenians claim up to 1.5 million of their people were slaughtered in
mass killings under the Ottoman Empire, forerunner to the Turkish
republic.
Ankara claims that 300,000 Armenians, who sided with Russian forces
against the Turks, were killed in the uprising and in deportations to
Syria. A similar number of Turks were also killed in the conflict,
according to the official version. AFP

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/24/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Hopeful Signs on Karabagh Emerge after Moscow Meeting 2) New Twist to Bogazici Armenian Genocide Conference 3) US And Turkey Set to Discuss Bilateral Ties and Rebels 4) EU Commission Sees Turkey Accession Talks on Target for October 3 5) Armenian Catholicos Set to Visit Javakhk 1) Hopeful Signs on Karabagh Emerge after Moscow Meeting MOSCOW (AP/Itar-Tass)--The foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan said on Wednesday that they saw hopeful signs recently in the drive to find a settlement to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian stressed that the self-determination of Mountainous Karabagh is a priority in settling the conflict, which should focus on the rights of its population to take care of their fate. "Other problems are to cope with the consequences of the conflict, settle territorial claims, and return refugees," and added that there is hope the sides would find common denominators. `It would bring peace and stability to southern Caucasus." "The settlement requires active work," Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said, adding that it is premature to talk about any headway in resolving the conflict. The three ministers met in Moscow on Wednesday, along with representatives of the United States, France, and Russia, who are mediating negotiations on settling the conflict. They also discussed arrangements for a meeting Saturday between Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Russia's Volga River city of Kazan. Russia's mediator Yuri Merzlyakov said that Russia "holds a clear position on this issue." "We believe that one should not impose his solution of the problem on the parties to the conflict; they should arrive at it independently, without outside interference," Merzlyakov said. "If a mutually acceptable accord is reached, we'll be able to guarantee it. The settlement should make all the parties involved feel safer, the balance of forces that historically developed in the region should not be upset, while the region itself should not become an arena of rivalry," he added. 2) New Twist to Bogazici Armenian Genocide Conference Abdullah Gul decides to open previously censured gathering of academics ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)--Bogazici University rector Ayse Soysal and the President of Sabanci University, Tosun Terzioglu, told the press on Tuesday that Turkish foreign minister Abdullah Gul would be opening a conference titled "Ottoman Armenians during the Decline of the Empire: Issues of Scientific Responsibility and Democracy." The conference was initially scheduled for May, but postponed after Turkish justice minister Cemil Cicek branded it "a dagger in the back of the Turkish people." It has been rescheduled to take place at Istanbul's Bogazici University on September 23-25. Soysal and Terzioglu both stressed that such conferences must be viewed from an academic standpoint, without forgetting that the universities do not necessarily share the views of lecturers. They defended their right to criticize politically motivated opposition or support of such discussions prior to their onset, saying that such tactics directly harm the fundamental freedoms of science and education. They suggested that viewpoints could more appropriately be addressed-fully reviewed and criticized in academic circlesafter presentations are allowed to be made. Though they did not elaborate on Gul's appearance, Hurriyet newspaper reported that in a phone conversation with Soysal, Gul responded to the invitation, saying that he would have to check his schedule for conflicts. However, Gul confirmed that he would be launching the conference. "The rector requested that I speak, and I accepted. We have no reservations or concerns about this matter. Why should we bury our head in the sand? That is what I said about the first planned conference that was postponed unnecessarily. Our society can undoubtedly debate this issue." But the Turkish Justice Minister had condemned the original initiative as a blow to government efforts to counter a mounting Armenian campaign to have the Genocide recognized internationally. "We must put an end to this cycle of treason and insult, of spreading propaganda against the [Turkish] nation by people who belong to it," he had told parliament. According to the AKI news agency, the conference will feature 12 sessions and lectures by 38 academics; panel discussion topics will include "Deportation and Massacre," "Disaster and Rescue Stories," "Memories and Witnesses," and "Things the World Knew that Turkey did not know." 3) US And Turkey Set to Discuss Bilateral Ties and Rebels ANKARA (AFP)--A ranking US official is expected in Turkey on Thursday for talks on bilateral ties and possibly measures to combat armed Turkish Kurd rebels holed up in the mountains of northern Iraq, a US spokesman said. Matt Bryza, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, "will be visiting Ankara for two days to discuss general matters.... the PKK (the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party) issue could also be brought up," the spokesman, who requested anonymity, said Tuesday. Bryza is also expected to meet officials in charge of the economy and "possibly" military officials, he added. US Joint Chief of Staff General Richard Myers, and General John Abizaid, head of US Central Command, are also expected in Ankara in September, but the exact date of the visit has not been set, the spokesman said. Turkey has long pressured the United States to act against thousands of PKK militants who have found refuge in northern Iraq since 1999 and stepped up their attacks on Turkish targets over the past several months. Last month, the Turkish army's number two, General Ilker Basbug, said that Washington had ordered the capture of PKK commanders in northern Iraq and warned of a Turkish military incursion into the region if Baghdad fails to curb the rebels. Last week, the PKK, listed by the US and the European Union as a terrorist group, announced a unilateral one-month cease-fire until September 20 to give Turkey time to take steps to resolve the conflict. Ankara did not respond to the truce offer. Some 37,000 people have died since 1984, when the PKK first took up arms for self-rule in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast. 4) EU Commission Sees Turkey Accession Talks on Target for October 3 BRUSSELS (AFX)--The European Union's executive commission said on Wednesday it still expects accession negotiations with Turkey to open as scheduled on Oct 3, amid French pressure for a delay. "As far as the views of the commission are concerned, the commission presented the negotiation framework for Turkey before the summer break... and of course it hopes and expects this will be adopted by the member states," said Krisztina Nagy, spokeswoman for EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn. At the beginning of the month, French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin poured cold water on the prospect of the talks starting on time as long as Ankara does not recognize EU member Cyprus. Nagy said that, for the commission, Turkey had met the conditions set for opening the talks, namely carrying out a package of legal reforms and adopting a customs agreement with the EU. "There were two preconditions set for the opening of the start of the negotiations....these two things have happened." EU foreign ministers will have their chance to address the question of accession talks with Turkey at an informal meeting in the Welsh city of Newport on Sept 1-2. Ahead of that meeting, EU ambassadors are to discuss the issue on Aug 31. Turkey only recognizes the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed in 1983, nine years after Turkish troops occupied the northern third of Cyprus in response to an Athens-engineered Greek Cypriot coup in Nicosia aimed at uniting the Mediterranean island with Greece. Turkey says its position towards the Greek Cypriot administration will remain unchanged until the conflict is resolved and the Turkish and Greek communities of the island are reunified. 5) Armenian Catholicos Set to Visit Javakhk AKHALKALAKThe Catholicos of all Armenians, Karekin II is set to visit southern Georgia's predominately Armenian region of Javakhk to consecrate the newly constructed Armenian Diocese building on October 1. Karekin II also plans to meet with the local population, which has not had a visit from an Armenian Catholicos since Khrimian Hayrig in 1896. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

PRESS RELEASE
The National Citizens’ Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
August 24, 2005
National Citizens’ Initiative Starts Examining Violation of Property Rights
in Armenia
Yerevan–The National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI) today convened the first of
its roundtable series on “Human Rights, State and Communal Necessities.” The
meeting brought together policy makers, lawyers, jurists, analysts, experts,
media representatives, and some former residents of Yerevan’s Kentron
district whose ownership rights have been breached while implementing
Yerevan’s construction investment plan.
NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian welcomed the audience with opening
remarks and wished the participants fruitful work, while stressing this
matter’s importance for the Armenian society and the state. “The institution
of a market economy in Armenia is unimaginable without property rights. It
is impossible to build democracy without human rights, including the
recognition, respect, and defense of ownership privileges. Consequently,
when the possessions of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia is being
alienated, that must occur exclusively within the frameworks of honoring
human rights, the laws of the Republic of Armenia, and international
approaches and norms. Our task today is to examine the legality and grounds
for the property alienation of hundreds of families previously living in
downtown Yerevan. From that vantage point, by taking into account the
fortune threatening Kond, the area near the wine factory and other
neighborhoods, and the similar procedures that have gotten underway in
different communities of Yerevan, in the city of Vanadzor and elsewhere, the
alienation of the estates of former dwellers of Lalayants, Pushkin, Buzand,
Aram, and other streets, therefore, is not the final serious test for us
all,” Khurshudian said.
The opening remarks were followed by NCI’s 10-minute “no comment” video
clip, which aims to apprise the public roundtable participants of the
essence of the problem, from the infringements upon ownership rights to
protests and public operations for the protection of personal rights, all of
which have been met with either the authorities’ silence and apathy, or
insufficient answers.
And in order to obtain explanations for the unanswered questions,
representatives from the corresponding authoritative bodies were also
invited to the event. The first roundtable on alienation of property started
with a policy intervention by Armen Tadevosian, a specialist from the staff
of Armenia’s ombudswoman. According to him, the human rights defender’s
office is dealing with this matter for a long time now. In the department’s
2004 report, there is an expansive reference made to the violation of the
rights of former residents of those areas in the Kentron community that have
been declared construction zones. In the words of Tadevosian, Armenia’s
ombudswoman has made attempts to get explanations from related structures.
In the face of the authorities’ harsh resistance, however, these efforts
were sometimes unproductive. Armen Tadevosian even recalled the time when
the president of Armenia had appealed to the Constitutional Court, whereupon
the defender of human rights was accused of intervening in the rule of law
and meddling in the affairs of jurisprudence. Despite all these, the
evaluation by the ombudswoman’s office is that what has taken place and that
which is occurring now is “a blatant violation of our citizens’ ownership
and other economic rights” and that “the City Hall is not taking into
consideration the rights of the land user or the proprietor.” Tadevosian
noted that “in the case when there is no adopted law on real estate that is
included in the alienation belt of Yerevan’s construction projects, when the
owners do not agree with alienation, then the government of the Republic of
Armenia is not empowered to adopt such resolutions.” He also declared that
the ombudswoman’s office has exhausted all measures toward the protection of
human rights, and that it would come out with an extraordinary report that
would call on the people to petition the MPs in their constituencies, and
encourage them to join the National Assembly’s signature campaign. Perhaps
in this way, it might be possible to make the Constitutional Court take up
the matter.
Vice-chair of the “Bureau for the Carrying out of Yerevan’s Construction
Investment Plans” state organization Samvel Papikian and the specialist from
the same office, Gagik Martirosian, pointed out that the alienation of
people’s property in the name of state needs is taking place legitimately,
and that it is based on the government’s resolution #950, adopted on October
5, 2001, which relates to “the confirmation of the order for the purchase,
offering a purchase price, and usage of land and real estate located in
Yerevan’s Northern Avenue and other alienation belts of the city of
Yerevan,” and decision #909, reached on June 17, 2004, which relates to
“allocating unauctioned land for the purpose of implementing construction
investment plans in the areas acquired for state necessities, in order to
engage in urban development projects in the main avenue of the city of
Yerevan.” According to Papikian and Martirosian, “the government itself has
defined state needs and the zones for usage, and the agency is bringing
those decisions to life.”
As mentioned by the lawyers, jurists, and legal advocates participating in
the roundtable, the purchase and acquisition of land and real estate in this
territory were accompanied by severe violations. First, Article 8 of the
Republic of Armenia’s Constitution stipulates that “the right to property is
recognized and protected in the Republic of Armenia,” and then, in
accordance with Article 28, “the owner may be deprived of private property
only by a court in cases prescribed by law. Private property may be
alienated for the needs of society and the state only under exceptional
circumstances, with due process of law, and with prior equivalent
compensation.” The state has not verified in any way as to how allowing
private companies the opportunity to make investment proposals and to gain
profits from newly-built structures is linked with state necessity. What are
“state needs?” How exceptional are the property alienation cases? Why is the
person being compelled to “vacate his own home?” Why is he being obliged to
“conform” to the contract’s content and sum of the compensation, etc.? None
of these is defined. Both the lawyers and residents agree that the
compensation amount does not correspond to the value of the property.
Accordingly, it cannot satisfy the proprietor, especially when the allocated
compensation cannot cover the cost of an apartment in similar or even worse
condition in the same area. This procedure also conflicts with Section 1 of
the 1st Protocol of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and
Basic Freedoms, which requires consideration of the right of property.
The next two policy interventions referred to the legal defense of ownership
rights. Member of Armenia’s Barristers’ Union Arthur Grigorian talked about
“the upholding of the standards for fair trial ‘in the cases of alienating
the property of citizens for state needs.'” The lawyer who has taken part in
numerous hearings in that respect maintained that the legal breaches were
blatant and many.
In his turn, director of the legal firm “Right,” Vahe Grigorian, pointed out
many violations of the right for legal protection, which he and his clients
had confronted during the court defense of property rights. “The affixation
of property alienation under exceptional cases in the Constitution perhaps
is not enough to dispossess the person from that right. The citizen’s
consent is very important,” Grigorian noted.
The two men also underscored that when it comes to protecting transgressed
rights, the courts’ dependency on Armenia’s executive authority has become a
very serious issue. Numerous residents have already exhausted the internal
avenues of court defense, and a number of cases now have been forwarded to
the European Court of Human Rights. They further added that at the court,
the representatives of the authorities are not able to point to a state need
that validates the people’s deprivation of their belongings en masse. And
from the very beginning, there was not even a construction plan or any
architectural document prior to this procedure. Vice-chair of the “Bureau
for the Carrying out of Yerevan’s Construction Investment Plans” state
organization Samvel Papikian and the specialist from the same office Gagik
Martirosian mentioned that there was a blueprint.
During the debates, it became apparent that one of the painful issues in
this process was tied to the understanding of the precept of “with due
process of law” that the society and legal advocates retain on the one hand,
and the state maintains on the other. Since they are deprived of the
opportunity to appeal to the Constitutional Court for the violation of their
constitutional rights, Armenia’s citizens are also dispossessed of the
chance to dispute the government’s resolutions in court. Consequently, the
resolution of this matter meets an impasse, and remains hanging on either
the National Assembly, the President, or the political will and wishes of
the government itself. For now, however, this is lacking.
NCI coordinator Hovsep Khurshudian stated that extensive infringement upon
property rights have made the preparation of the summary report an urgent
matter. “In the upcoming months, the NCI will come up with a tri-lingual
review, which will be presented for public attention and discussion during
one of the following roundtables,” Khurshudian furthermore informed.
The remainder of the session was devoted to exchanges of views and policy
recommendations among the public figures and policy specialists in
attendance. Noteworthy were interventions by MP Vardan Mkrtchian; Armenian
Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS) research coordinator
Stiopa Safarian; Ruzan Khachatrian of the People’s Party; Edgar Hakobian of
the “Heritage” Party; NCI legal advisor Lusine Shahmuradian; “Institute of
Culture and National Values” NGO chairwoman Armine Gasparian; a number of
specialists from the Armenian ombudswoman’s staff; head of the “Victims of
State Needs” civil initiative Vachakan Hakobian and a group of former
residents of the Buzand, Lalayants, Aram, and Pushkin streets who are
members; and many others.
The National Citizens’ Initiative is a public non-profit association founded
in December 2001 by Raffi K. Hovannisian, his colleagues, and fellow
citizens with the purpose of realizing the rule of law and overall
improvements in the state of the state, society, and public institutions.
The National Citizens’ Initiative is guided by a Coordinating Council, which
includes individual citizens and representatives of various public,
scientific, and educational establishments. Five commissions on Law and
State Administration, Socioeconomic Issues, Foreign Policy, Spiritual and
Cultural Challenges, and the Youth constitute the vehicles for the
Initiative’s work and outreach.
For further information, please call (37410) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03; fax
(37410) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected]; or visit

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
HIS HOLINESS MEETS WITH THE DIRECTOR OF THE
WCC DIAKONIA AND SOLIDARITY MIDDLE EAST DESK
His Holiness Aram I met with the director of the WCC Diakonia and Solidarity
Middle East Desk, Dr. Michel Nseir, in Bikfayya on August 24. Dr. Nseir had
come to consult with His Holiness on the problems the WCC faces in the
Middle East.
The two talked about issues related to cooperation between the churches in
Jerusalem and the World Council of Churches. They also discussed problems
related to the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
His Holiness and Dr. Nseir also discussed about the activities and work of
the Middle East Council of Churches and the agendas of the two upcoming
ecumenical meetings in Damascus and Beirut.
The first meeting will look into preparing the delegates form the Middle
East to participate in WCC’s 9th congress in Brazil in 2006. The agenda of
the second meeting will include discussions about the possibility of
cooperation between ecclesiastical organizations and churches.
The Catholicosate of Cilicia will send delegates to both of these
conferences. The primate of the Diocese of Tehran, Archbishop Sebouh
Sarkissian and the Ecumenical Officer of the Catholicosate, Bishop Nareg
Alemezian, will participate in the meeting to be held in Damascus.
The chairwoman of the Catholicosate’s ecumenical committee, Dr. Nora
Bairakdarian-Kabakian will participate in the meeting to be held in Beirut.
His Holiness made certain recommendations to Dr. Nseir on how to render WCC’
s Middle Eastern department more active and effective.
##
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UNDERGROUND SHOP ON PRODUCTION OF ARARAT BRANDY IN MOSCOW LIQUIDATED
MOSCOW, AUGUST 24. ARMINFO. An underground shop engaged in production
of Ararat brandy in Moscow has been liquidated.
According to the Department for Information and Public Relations of
Moscow Department for the Interior, operative and investigation
operations exposed the shop in Balashikh in the territory of the
parking and construction cooperative “Parkovaya-2,” RBC
reports. Certain 22 and 16 year-old residents of Balashikh were
engaged in the production and bottling of the false brandy under
trademark Ararat. 452 bottles were confiscated for 350,000 RUR. A
criminal cases was initiated on the given fact on Article 180 of the
Criminal Code of RF (il legal use of trademark).

settlement
ANS TV, Baku
23 Aug 05
The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
Rene van der Linden, has called on the Azerbaijani media to convince
the public to support a peaceful solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict.
In an interview with the “Point of View” programme on private ANS TV
on 23 August, Van der Linden said: “The media must support a peaceful
approach and not to give the impression that a military solution is
possible. The latter should be ruled out.”
The official said that ahead of the November parliamentary election,
Azerbaijan should guarantee freedom of assembly, stop putting pressure
on the opposition in regions and address the problem of voting lists.
No further processing of the interview planned.

La Croix , France
24 août 2005
SOCIAL.
Semaine noire à Romans. Avec la fin de Kélian et de Charles Jourdan,
la capitale de la chaussure de luxe perd deux de ses fleurons. ROMANS
(Drôme), reportage de notre envoyée spéciale.
par DAMGE Mathilde
A l’entrée de la ville, un panneau annonce: “Capitale de la chaussure
de luxe”. Sur un autre, on peut lire: “Destockage”. “Cela va devenir
notre spécialité locale”, affirme, sans rire, Sylvie, vendeuse dans
un magasin du centre-ville. Comme la plupart des habitants, elle se
déclare solidaire des 143 employés de Kélian, mis en liquidation
judiciaire, lundi, et des 432 salariés de Charles Jourdan, qui a
officiellement déposé son bilan hier. “On connaît tous des gens qui
travaillaient là-bas. Mais c’était inéluctable, depuis le temps que
les rumeurs couraient… Cela n’empêchera pas les magasins de vendre.
Au contraire, ce sera certainement encore moins cher.” Un avis
partagé par Gérard Kélian, le frère du fondateur de l’entreprise,
Stéphane Kélian, revendue en décembre 2002 à l’homme d’affaires Alain
Duménil, propriétaires des marques Francesco Smalto et Jean-Louis
Scherrer. “Les vitrines de Romans seront remplies de chaussures
réalisées en Chine ou en Espagne. Tout ce qui restera d’authentique
ici, ce sera le musée”, dit-il. Tout un symbole. Depuis le XIXe
siècle, Romans était le fleuron de ce qui se fait de mieux en matière
de chaussures.
À l’origine, Kélian s’appelait Keloglanian, le nom de trois fils
d’une famille arménienne immigrée, que le benjamin Stéphane fera
connaître bien au-delà des frontières de la Drôme. Gérard, qui les a
créés avec Georges (aujourd’hui décédé), se souvient: “C’était une
des plus belles réussites françaises. On fabriquait les meilleures
chaussures pour le monde entier et notamment les fameux modèles
tressés qui ont fait notre renommée. Après, il y a eu des difficultés
financières, mais la mondialisation n’explique pas tout.” Plus
directement, il accuse: “Il y a deux ans, quand nous avons déposé le
bilan pour la première fois, nous avions proposé de racheter la
société avec d’anciens cadres de l’usine. Mais le tribunal n’a pas
voulu et a préféré la laisser à un groupe de rapaces, qui l’a dépecée
en séparant l’entité commerciale et la marque de l’unité de
production. C’est le nom qui les intéressait, pas les chaussures, ni
le savoir-faire des ouvriers.” Et il soupire: “On vit dans un monde
de voyous.”
Voyou, un terme qu’utiliserait volontiers Martine Fruchet, déléguée
CGT et secrétaire du CE de Charles Jourdan. “Avec 48 ans de moyenne
d’ge et une tendinite au bras, est-ce que vous croyez encore qu’on
peut postuler pour des boulots de vendeuse ou de commercial? C’est
tout ce qui reste.” Mobilisée, elle avoue cependant ne plus trop y
croire: “Quand on voyait repartir les camions de fournisseurs parce
qu’ils n’étaient pas payés, on se disait bien qu’il y avait un
problème.”
Chez Jourdan, la direction avait relocalisé toute la production à
Romans, il y a plus d’un an, à la suite du rachat par des
investisseurs luxembourgeois. Peine perdue, l’entreprise a vu ses
ventes stagner alors que les prix de production baissent à
l’étranger. Jourdan, Kélian, une fin inéluctable? “Pas du tout,
s’insurge Henri Bertholet, maire socialiste de Romans. Il y a eu une
vraie stratégie pour se débarrasser du site de production. Aux
fondateurs ont succédé des financiers dont la logique ne prend pas en
compte la situation locale. Aujourd’hui, nous avons 17% de chômage et
ces deux événements coup sur coup sont une catastrophe pour la
région.” Choqués par “la brutalité de la situation et la désinvolture
des patrons”, Henri Bertholet et les élus locaux comptent sonner à
toutes les portes pour demander de l’aide. Mais il prévient: “S’il y
a des repreneurs pour Charles Jourdan, il faut que l’État conditionne
ses aides à des engagements fermes de la part des entrepreneurs.”
Sans s’avouer vaincu, le maire reconnaît que la réputation de la
ville en prendra un coup: “Même Clergerie, le dernier à faire encore
des chaussures à Romans, n’est pas à l’abri…”
Les élus ne s’avouent cependant pas vaincus. Ils comptent sur le
nucléaire, fortement implanté dans le bassin, et l’agroalimentaire en
développement constant.
MATHILDE DAMGÉ
Chaussures françaises contre chaussures chinoises
Depuis 1994, la production française de chaussures a été divisée par
trois. La France, qui produisait 155 millions de paires en 1994, n’en
fabriquait plus que 53,3 millions dix ans plus tard, selon des
statistiques de la fédération française. La France est aujourd’hui le
quatrième producteur européen derrière l’Italie, l’Espagne et le
Portugal. Dans le même temps, les effectifs du secteur ont fondu: 13
380 employés (-13% par rapport à 2003) réparties dans 141
entreprises, contre 30 800 en 1994. Parallèlement, 127 millions de
paires de chaussures chinoises ont été importées en France l’an
dernier contre 83 millions en 1994. Et ce n’est pas fini. Les
arrivées chinoises ont progressé de 40% depuis le 1er janvier, avec
des prix en recul de 35%. Difficile de résister dans ses conditions,
en dépit de la délocalisation d’une partie de la production. La
fédération invoque ainsi les écarts de salaires qui serait de 1 à 13
entre la France et la Lituanie et de 1 à 33 entre la France et la
Chine. La France n’est d’ailleurs pas le seul pays touché. L’ensemble
de l’Union européenne est inondé de chaussures chinoises. Au total,
l’ensemble de la production européenne annuelle correspond ainsi à…
six semaines de production chinoise.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 24, 2005, Wednesday
VISA CUL-DE-SAC
SOURCE: Krasnaya Zvezda, No 151, August 20, 2005, p. 3
by Oleg Gorupai
TBILISI DENIES RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN VISAS
Visas become more and more of a problem for servicemen of the Russian
Army Group in the Caucasus with each passing day. Military bases (the
12th in Batumi and 62nd in Akhalkalaki) are more than 50% under
complement. Unless urgent measures are taken, a critical situation
will arise with availability of low-rank officers of the platoon,
company, and battalion (battery) levels. Officers drafted into the
Armed Forces for two years after military departments in civilian
colleges and universities have served their army stint. Almost 350
officers like that are to be retired from the Army (from the Russian
Army Group in the Caucasus, that is) by the end of the year. They are
supposed to be replaced with new graduates from civilian colleges and
universities. Russian Embassy in Georgia submitted appropriate
documents for 96 replacements well in advance.
The Georgian authorities, however, deny servicemen of the Russian
Army Group in the Caucasus both one-time and multiple entry and exit
visas. Their motives are impeccable: there will be no visas for the
Russian military before the official signing of the accord on
withdrawal of the Russian bases from Georgia. Exceptions are made
only for the servicemen directly involved in withdrawal of the
military hardware and not all of them at that.
Almost 197 graduates from civilian colleges and universities have
already come to the 102nd Military Base of the Russian Army Group in
the Caucasus quartered in Armenia. All of them were put up in
barracks, all of them are eager to serve in the Russian army. Some of
them will undergo a three-week refresher course, others two-month
courses. And what then?
The visa situation being what it is, command of the Russian Army
Group in the Caucasus is left to its own devices. After two months of
kicking their heels in Armenia, the unemployed officers are offered
vacancies in Armenia. The rest will be assigned to the 12th and 62nd
bases in Georgia but remain in Armenia pending solution to the
problem of visas.
There can be no doubts that the command of the Russian Army Group in
the Caucasus and 102nd Base will find something to do for the
officers but that is hardly a solution as far as bases in Georgia are
concerned. They need officers – at least in order to withdraw from Georgia.