Baku Today, Azerbaijan
April 21 2005

Ceasefire violated in Goranboy and Terter districts

Baku Today 21/04/2005 11:06

Armenia violated ceasefire several times in the Goranboy and Terter
districts from Tuesday night until early morning hours on Wednesday,
according to Assa Irada.

Armenian military units, from their positions 2 km southeast of the
occupied Tapgaragoyunlu village of the Goranboy District, fired at
the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani troops in the eastern part
of the village from 8 p.m. until 8.30 p.m. Tuesday. From their
positions 1 km south-east of Tapgaragoyunlu, Armenians fired at Azeri
troops in the Borsunlu village of Goranboy.

>>From 1.50 a.m. till 2 a.m. on Wednesday, Armenian troops, from their
positions in the occupied Seysulan village of Terter District, fired
at the Azerbaijani positions located in the same village. From 5.30
a.m. till 6.30 a.m. on the same day, Armenian troops, from their
positions in the Chayli village of Terter, fired at the opposite
positions of Azeri troops in the village with machine and submachine
guns.

The shooting stopped after retaliation. No casualties are reported,
the Defense Ministry said.

Azerbaijani society should accept Karabakh Armenians as citizens, official says
by 525ci 21/04/2005 10:12

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
April 21 2005

The talks held on April 15 in London on the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict became continuation of the “Prague process”, a member of the
Azeri delegation in the talks Huseyn Huseynov told a press-conference
dedicated to the results of the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Responding the question why the cochairmen of the Misnk group of
OSCE met separately with the ministers, he said “because of unknown
reasons V.Oskanian does not want to meet with E. Mamedyarov.”

Concerning the call of MG cochairmen to prepare the peoples of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to compromise Huseynov explained that Azerbaijan
is ready to admit the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh as full-right
citizens.

“Nagorno Karabakh is constituent part of Azerbaijan. Therefor, the
Azeri society must accept the Armenian population of the region as
its citizens,” Huseynov said.

He noted that for reintegration of the Armenian community into the
Azeri society it is necessary to work with it, to provide her safety
and to obtain economic progress of the region.

At the same time Huseynov noted that territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan couldn’t be a subject of discussing and compromises.
“Therefor, speaking about compromise we should understand preparation
of the society to co-existence with the Armenia population after
signing of peaceful agreement”.

Huseynov told that next round of the talks within the frameworks of
the “Prague process” will take place on April 27 in Frankfurt. But
he did not answer the question on the format of the meeting.

As well he did not answer the question if the presidents of the two
countries will meet in mid May. He said that the question will be
settled by the president themselves.

A Message from Washington to Ankara
By ALI H. ASLAN

Zaman Online, Turkey
April 21 2005

The three things that American diplomats who deal with Turkey most
object to hearing: Number one, citing cooperation in the Korean War
and back in the Ottoman period as evidence that Turkish-American
relations are healthy; Number two, the claim that there is no
anti-Americanism in Turkey; Number three, the claim that there are no
problems in Turkish-Israeli relations.

Despite all our warnings, almost all Turks who visit Washington still
repeat the same clichéd messages. The latest in line was
Undersecretary Ali Tuygan of the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Sick and
tired of trying to explain the situation through diplomatic language,
the Americans this time chose to speak directly.

Washington has expressed its concerns repeatedly, but Ankara insists
on closing its eyes and ears to the message. I think Tuygan and his
delegation must have understood the seriousness of the situation
after receiving the same message from each and every U.S. official.

I feel sorry that we were unable to receive the message through
polite and indirect ways. Why is Ankara unable to take the hints; why
does it live in its own world and how can it fail to determine
appropriate messages for its addressees? And how could one of our
top-level bureaucrats find himself in such a difficult situation in
front of his foreign counterparts?

On the other hand, I am happy that Americans have finally done it.
Ankara would have no chance of coming up with the right formulas for
the Turkish-American relations unless they accept the size and
intensity of the discontent in Washington. If the Speaker of the
Turkish Parliament Bulent Arinc, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated these messages that
Americans are tired of hearing in their anticipated visits, relations
could get even more stuck. Furthermore, I hope that now us
journalists, researchers and members of the Embassy who have been
reporting the ill-ease in Washington might be cleared of the charge
of exaggerating or even lying.

I am sure that Mr. Tuygan will report back to the top of the State in
Ankara the scale of Washington’s displeasure, especially over the
rising waves of anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism in Turkey and the
Turkey-Syria-Iran rapprochement. He will also explain that Americans
officials had pretended that they were not already aware of the
request from Erdogan and Gul to meet with Bush and Rice. Tuygan must
convey that the US expects a strong public campaign on the level of
the Prime Minister Erdogan to reach the masses to emphasize the
significance of Turkish-American relations and to condemn
anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism. Without this clear public
initiative, he will say, Turkey should not expect US encouragement
for a high-level political meeting, for the opening of a second
border gate to Iraq and for action against the Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) in Northern Iraq.

I do not know how Ankara will receive this message. To me, if the
recovering the bilateral relations is “necessary” for the US, it is
even more important for Turkey so Turkey should take the first steps.
If the government has received the message and believes that Turkey’s
interests require the avoidance of a confrontation with the US, they
should begin with the good-will gestures promptly without waiting for
a move from the other side. For instance, the official announcement
of the decision already taken on US use of the Incirlik airbase for
humanitarian operations should not be held back until Washington
gives its verdict on the alleged “Armenian genocide”.

I see no possibility for the President George W. Bush to acknowledge
the so-called genocide on his message on April 24. For the executive
wing to put pressure on to prevent adoption of a resolution by
Congress on the allegations, however, will depend on Ankara’s
cooperation with the Bush administration on areas of conflict.

It is obvious that Iraq is the area which has most disrupted the
nature of Turkish-American relations and requires the highest
cooperation. I agree with the evaluations of Michael Rubin in his
latest article published in the Turkish Policy Quarterly about
reciprocal errors and things to do: “Continued Turkish
anti-Americanism might be popular and even politically expedient as
Turkish politicians again approach elections, but with issues like
the status of Kirkuk unresolved and key Iraqi constitutional debates
yet to come, the U.S.-Turkish partnership is simply too important to
lose. If Turkish and American politicians and diplomats do not
acknowledge and put aside their past mistakes, bilateral relations
will continue to sour, impacting not only the once special
relationship, but also Turkey’s security and the future shape of
Iraq.”

Let’s see whether Ankara will get the message this time…

–Boundary_(ID_6/jFHOyHTLtpQfpeveqoyQ)–

Armenia still withholds captives

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 21 2005

The fate of three Azerbaijani soldiers withheld by Armenia in Khankandi
for about two months remains uncertain.

“Although an agreement was reached to return them at a meeting
of the relevant joint commission, Armenia is not addressing the
problem”, says coordinator of the international working group on
prisoners, hostages and missing people on Azerbaijan Avaz Hasanov.
Hasanov told journalists that Armenia continues ignoring appeals from
international organizations. The working group has already appealed
to the newly-appointed head of the International Committee of the
Red Cross on Upper Garabagh to step up efforts at releasing the Azeri
soldiers soon, said Hasanov.

In compliance with the ceasefire signed in 1994 and international
conventions, both sides are required to return prisoners and hostages
immediately.

Armenians not to attend TRACECA conference

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
April 21 2005

The Armenian delegation has refused to attend the fourth conference
of the TRACECA International Commission due in Baku on April 21-22.

Armenia has forwarded a note informing the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry and the TRACECA member states that it will not participate
in the event, the national coordinator of TRACECA in Azerbaijan Akif
Mustafayev told local ATV on Tuesday.

The Garabagh Liberation Organization issued a statement on Tuesday
urging the government to take the necessary steps to prevent Armenians’
visit.

Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov said earlier that the Azerbaijani
government provided its consent to inviting Armenian representatives,
as its refusal to do so would cause discontent of the European
Commission funding the project.

Turkey extends permit to use bases for Iraq humanitarian purposes

NTV television, Istanbul
20 Apr 05

There will be a one-year extension of the decree that permits the
use of Incirlik base [southern Turkey] and naval bases in Turkey
for humanitarian purposes by countries participating in the Iraqi
operation.

It has been learned that the new decree would be opened to signature
at the council of ministers.

The [existing] decree is due to expire on 23 June. The government is
now extending it for another year in the context of UN decision.

It has been learned that the relevant decree will be opened to
signature at the council of ministers in the coming days.

Prime Ministry sources say that the [new] decree is identical to last
year’s decree. The [new] decree will be published in the Official
Gazette, but its content is expected to be made public. [preceding
sentence as heard]

It is not yet clear what Turkey’s reply will be to United States’
request for the use of Incirlik as a logistics centre, however.

Zaman, Turkey
April 21 2005

Turkey Approves US Demand for Incirlik Base
By Suleyman Kurt
Published: Thursday 21, 2005
zaman.com

Turkey has approved a US demand to use the Incirlik Air Base as a
“logistic hub” for humanitarian operations.

A decree responding to the US demand will signed by the Turkish
Cabinet Council to extend the period of a “secret” decree dated 23
June 2003 for one more year for the second time. It will not be
published in the Official Gazette like the former decision. Opponents
of the secret decree claimed that it was illegal. If the Cabinet
approves it, the US will use the Incirlik Base as the logistic hub
for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, in a speech at Esenboga
Airport before his departure for Lithuania yesterday (April 20) said
that the process is underway: “In fact there is nothing new. What we
have done is to make things more regular. It will be adopted as the
extension of former decrees as there are no new dimensions to be
considered. I think that the process will be completed soon.”
Although both Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Gul have
explicitly expressed that there was no link between the Armenian
genocide allegations and the Incirlik Base decision, it has drawn
attention that the decree has been approved before April 24. The US
asked Turkey to use the Incirlik Base comprehensively in May 2004
with demands beyond those in the recently approved framework. The
previous demands were to use the base for other regional countries
beside Iraq and Afghanistan and for military purposes. The agreement
reached today was gained after months of negotiations between the two
countries.

Turkish minister “profoundly disappointed” by Polish decision

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
21 Apr 05

Vilnius, 21 April: Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
Abdullah Gul met on Thursday [21 April] Foreign Minister Adam Daniel
Rotfeld of Poland, and conveyed Turkey’s regret over approval of a
resolution recognizing the so-called Armenian genocide by the Polish
parliament.

Gul, who is currently in Lithuania to attend the informal meeting of
NATO foreign ministers, said that Turkey was profoundly disappointed
with the decision of the Polish lawmakers.

In response, Rotfeld informed Gul on process of the making [of] that
decision by the Polish parliament, adding that they would never forget
Turkey’s assistance to the Polish people for centuries.

Yesterday, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the
decision of the Polish parliament, stressing that national parliaments
should avoid initiatives that could provoke vengeance and hatred
between peoples.

Armenians push Bush over ‘G’ word

The New Anatolian, Turkey
April 21 2005

Armenian pressure on U.S. President George Bush to use the “G” word
in his speech for April 24, the 90th anniversary of the so-called
Armenian genocide, is growing. Some 32 senators from the U.S Congress
on Monday wrote a letter to Bush asking him to use the word “genocide”
in his speech.

The 32 signatures out of the 100-member Senate are reportedly a record.

The U.S. presidents’ speeches every April 24, to commemorate the
controversial events of the early 1900s between Armenians and the
Ottoman Empire, are a tradition. But despite Armenian pressure, no
U.S. president have ever used the word “genocide.” Due to sensitivity
on the issue from both the Turkish public and government on the usage
of the word, U.S presidents have instead referred to the events using
either “tragic events” or “massacre.”

There are some very weighty signatures on the U.S senators’ letter to
President Bush, including that of current New York Senator and former
first lady Hillary Clinton. Others are former Democratic presidential
candidate Sen. John Kerry, Senate Democrat Minority leader Harry Reid,
and 2000 Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman.

Last year senators sent a similar letter to the U.S. president but
only 22 senators signed it.

Recently, there was another letter sent from members of the U.S.
House of Representatives to Bush in an attempt to put pressure on
him to recognize the so-called genocide. It was signed by 175 out of
a potential 435 members, according to U.S. congressional sources.

The New Anatolian / Ankara 21 April 2005

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
April 21 2005

Latvia Supports Turkey’s EU Membership

* Latvian Supports Turkey’s EU Membership
Latvia, which became a member of the European Union in the last
enlargement wave in May of 2004, is ready to share its accession
experiences with Turkey.

* Latvian President argues that Turkey’s EU membership will show that
countries with different religions can co-exist.

ANKARA – The President of Latvia, Vaire Vike-Freiberga, and her
husband, Imants Freibergs, were hosted at a dinner in their honor at
Cankaya Palace in Ankara last night. At the dinner, President of the
Turkish Republic, Ahmet Sezer, thanked President Vike-Freiberga for
the support she had expressed for Turkey’s accession to EU
membership.
Preceding the start of the dinner, to which Turkish PM Erdogan came a
bit later, glasses were raised to the friendship between Turkey and
Latvia.

Earlier in the day, President Sezer and his wife Semra Sezer had
greeted the Latvian President and her husband when they first arrived
at Cankaya with an official ceremony. In clear Turkish, President
Vike-Freiberga saluted the military detachment present, saying
“Merhaba asker,” or “Hello, soldiers.” Protocols binding the two
Turkey and Latvia to cooperation in education, science, cultural
events, and sporting events were signed.

An agreement on educational, scientific, cultural and sportive
cooperation was signed between Turkey and Latvia yesterday. After
signing of the agreement, Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer said
that they discussed bilateral relations, regional and international
matters and expressed their willingness to enhance cooperation
between Turkey and Latvia. Sezer said, ”the fact that Vike-Freiberga
will open Latvia’s Embassy in Ankara and that Turkey’s Embassy in
Riga is planned to be opened in fall are the signs of our
determination to further improve our bilateral relations.”
Sezer welcomed Latvia’s support for Turkey’s EU membership bid and
stressed that the countries should step up efforts to boost bilateral
trade and economic cooperation.

DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN TURKEY AND LATVIA BEGIN
Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga also visited Turkish
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc in Ankara. Arinc congratulated
Vike-Freiberga as he was elected President for the second time. Arinc
said, “there is no problem in relations between our two countries.
Our relations will be better through the activities of Turkish and
Latvian parliamentary friendship groups.“
Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Ainars Slesers of Latvia said that
they would start direct flights between Riga and Istanbul to
consolidate the bilateral relations.

LATVIA BACKS TURKISH CALL TO ARMENIA

Vike-Freiberga also gave a clear support to Turkish PM Erdogan’s call
to establish a joint commission to discuss the historical disputes
with the Armenians. Vike-Freiberga defended that the past should be
discussed by the Turks and Armenians.

JTW, 21 April 2005

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress