Agence France Presse
19 avril 2005 mardi 7:42 AM GMT

The Armenian Genocide

Le génocide arménien (DOSSIER – ENCADRE)

EREVAN 19 avril 2005

Il y a 90 ans débutait dans l’empire ottoman le génocide arménien,
qui allait se poursuivre jusqu’en 1917, au cours duquel plus d’1,5
million de personnes allaient trouver la mort selon les Arméniens,
entre 250.000 et 500.000 selon les Turcs.

Des affrontements extrêmement meurtriers entre Turcs et Arméniens
avaient déjà commencé à la fin du XIXe siècle: las de subir le joug
ottoman depuis le XVIe siècle, des comités révolutionnaires arméniens
s’étaient en effet constitués, provoquant une répression sanglante
entre 1894 et 1909 (200.000 morts, selon des sources arméniennes).

La défaite de la guerre des Balkans (1912-1913) devait ensuite
affaiblir considérablement l’empire ottoman, incitant les pays
occidentaux à faire pression sur lui pour qu’il applique des réformes
destinées à favoriser l’indépendance de ses minorités ethniques et
religieuses (accord du 8 février 1914). Mais, en octobre 1914,
l’empire ottoman entre dans la Première guerre mondiale, au côté de
l’Allemagne et de l’Autriche-Hongrie.

Le 24 avril 1915, des milliers de dirigeants arméniens suspects de
sentiments nationaux hostiles au gouvernement central sont arrêtés.

Le 26 mai, une loi spéciale autorise les déportations “pour des
raisons de sécurité intérieure” de tous les groupes suspects.

La population arménienne d’Anatolie et de Cilicie (région intégrée à
la Turquie en 1921), appelée “l’ennemi intérieur”, est exilée de
force vers les déserts de Mésopotamie. Tués en chemin ou dans des
camps, un grand nombre d’Arméniens ne reviendront pas.

L’objectif est double: d’une part s’emparer des territoires
qu’occupent les Arméniens, situés entre la Turquie et le Caucase,
d’autre part, balayer d’un coup la question des réformes par
l’éparpillement du peuple arménien.

En septembre 1915, le ministre turc de l’Intérieur Talaat écrit aux
gouverneurs des provinces: “Le droit des Arméniens de vivre et de
travailler sur le territoire de la Turquie est complètement aboli”.

L’Empire ottoman sera démantelé en 1920, deux ans après la création
d’un Etat indépendant arménien en mai 1918.

La Turquie reconnaît aujourd’hui que des massacres ont été perpétrés
et que de nombreux Arméniens sont morts lors de leur déportation.
Mais elle fait valoir qu’il s’agissait d’une répression contre une
population coupable de collaboration avec l’ennemi russe pendant la
première guerre mondiale, et que des dizaines de milliers de Turcs
ont été tués par les Arméniens.

Le génocide arménien a été reconnu le 29 août 1985 par la
sous-commission des droits de l’homme de l’ONU, puis le 18 juin 1987
par le Parlement européen. Quatre millions et demi d’Arméniens vivent
dans le monde aujourd’hui.

–Boundary_(ID_3OW2pEh9j2kqzuCE3qnerw)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse
19 avril 2005 mardi 8:35 AM GMT

Armenians of Jerusalem indignant at Israel’s position over the
Genocide

Les Arméniens à Jérusalem indignés par la position d’Israël sur
“leur” génocide (DOSSIER – REPORTAGE)

JERUSALEM 19 avril

Elle a connu les conquêtes islamiques, les croisades, l’empire
ottoman, le mandat britannique, la tutelle jordanienne et enfin
l’occupation israélienne mais la petite communauté arménienne de
Jérusalem a su préserver son identité.

Présente en Terre sainte depuis le Vème siècle, cette communauté,
composée en grande partie de descendants des rescapés des massacres
des Arméniens aux mains des Turcs de 1915, est indignée par le refus
d’Israël, un Etat dont l’identité tient en grande partie à la Shoah,
de reconnaître son “génocide”.

Quelque 2.000 Arméniens vivent dans le quartier arménien et son
célèbre monastère qui occupent un sixième de la vielle ville de
Jérusalem, un millier en Cisjordanie et 2.000 autres en Israël,
indique à l’AFP l’historien arménien George Hintlian.

“Vis-à-vis d’Israël et sa bureaucratie nous sommes comme les
Palestiniens. Nous nous considérons comme des Jérusalémites nés en
Palestine”, explique M. Hintlian, en déambulant dans la rue du
Patriarcat arménien orthodoxe qui longe le quartier arménien.

Il fait nuit. La très courue Taverne arménienne sert des lahmajoun,
une pâte fine avec de la viande hachée, à ses derniers clients. Des
voitures israéliennes roulent lentement dans l’étroite rue en se
dirigeant vers le quartier juif voisin ou vers le Mur des
Lamentations.

A l’entrée du monastère, un groupe de jeunes devisent en arménien.
Cet ancien hospice devenu couvent puis résidence pour des centaines
d’Arméniens n’est accessible qu’aux habitants, aux visiteurs invités
et aux groupes de touristes organisés.

Les Arméniens à Jérusalem, comme ailleurs dans le monde, estiment que
leur quête d’obenir une reconnaissance mondiale de leur génocide à
pâti de l’alliance stratégique nouée entre Israël et la Turquie en
1996.

“La plus grave conséquence de l’alliance entre Israël et la Turquie
est le fait que l’ambassade israélienne à Washington et le lobby juif
sont ouvertement intervenus à deux reprises en 1999 et 2001 pour
empêcher une reconnaissance du génocide arménien par le Congrès”, dit
M. Hintlian, qui affirme qu’une vingtaine de membres de sa famille,
dont son grand-père et un oncle, avaient péri dans les massacres.

“Il est difficile de comprendre la position officielle israélienne
sur le génocide arménien, venant d’une nation qui a été victime d’un
génocide au même siècle”, ajoute-il.

Selon lui, la présence du ministre turc de la Justice Cemil Cicek à
la cérémonie d’inauguration d’un nouveau musée de la Shoah à
Jérusalem en mars alors qu’aucun représentant de l’Arménie n’y a été
convié a “choqué” la communauté.

Amer, il montre ce qui reste d’affiches du génocide arménien
placardées dans la rue et déchirées, selon lui, par des passants
juifs. “Parfois, ils écrivent même +gros mensonge+ dessus”, se
plaint-il.

Elise Aghazarian, 26 ans, se dit “arménienne de sang et palestinienne
d’âme”. “Nous sommes attachés au mont Ararat mais aussi à Jérusalem”.

“Je suis pour un Etat bi-national palestinien et israélien mais si
une division est imposée je voudrais être côté palestinien”, dit
cette chercheuse diplômée en sociologie.

Si elle considère le pacte israélo-turc comme “une alliance
d’intérêts”, elle n’en fustige pas moins le refus d’Israël de
reconnaître le génocide arménien. “Cela revient à dire que le sang
juif est plus sacré que celui d’autres peuples”.

Selon M. Hintlian, plus de 30% des Arméniens ont émigré de Terre
sainte depuis 1967. Les restrictions imposées par les autorités
israéliennes à la population palestinienne de Jérusalem-est, occupée
depuis 1967, font partie du quotidien des Arméniens.

“S’il n’y a pas de solution, dans 20 ou 30 ans, notre nombre pourrait
baisser de moitié” dit-il.

Elise, elle, n’envisage pas de partir.”Je ne voudrais pas quitter
même si les conditions de vie difficiles nous mettent sous pression
permanente”, dit-elle.

__________________________________________________
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–Boundary_(ID_CZKtgJ9ZXWJc6dy6y9iz4g)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia cooperates with NATO and Collective Security Treaty
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
April 19, 2005 Tuesday

YEREVAN, April 19 — Cooperation with NATO and with the Collective
Security Treaty Organization are parts of Armenia’s national security,”
Serzh Sarkisyan, the Armenian defence minister and secretary of the
National Security Council, said at the national press club on Tuesday.

The minister believes, “There are no contradictions in this, the
more so as many member countries of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization cooperate with NATO.” The aims and programmes envisaged
by the plan of Armenia’s individual partnership with NATO “do not
contradict the republic’s cooperation with member countries of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization”.

The plan of Armenia’s individual partnership with NATO has not yet
been endorsed, Sarkisyan said, and the document presenting it will,
most probably, be referred to NATO headquarters in late April.

Armenia, the defence minister said, “has partnerly relations with
Russia.” Relations with the United States are developing normally.
“Military cooperation with the United States is deepening, ” the
minister said. At the same time, he found it difficult to name new
trends in military cooperation with the US side, which are now limited
to “training and refresher training of specialists and perfecting
participation in peacekeeping operations.”

Means of communications manufactured by Harris firm supplied to the
Armenian army in the framework of the United States military aid have
already been adopted for service, Sarkisyan said.

CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE HELD IN KRASNODAR

A1plus

| 15:27:31 | 19-04-2005 | Politics |

The Chair of the History of Ancient World and Middle Ages of the Kuban
State University will hold a conference entitled «Armenian Genocide:
humanitarian comprehension of the tragedy of the 20-th century». As
reported by Yerkramas newspaper, the event is dated to the 90-th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Representatives of national,
cultural and religious societies, teaching staff and students of
the Krasnodar scientific and educational institutions as well as all
those who wish will take part in the conference to be held April 23.

The conference will start with joint pray of Christian, Muslim and
Judaic Dioceses. Reports titled «First World War and the Armenian
Genocide in Turkey: cultural aspect», «Armenians of Western Armenia
in 1915», «Anthology» by Valery Bryusov, «Armenian Architectural
Monuments in Krasnodar and Adygea», «National Issue in the Ideology
of Armenian Political Parties at the beginning of 20-th century»
and others are to be given.

A documentary «I accuse» shot by Yerkir Media TV Company will be
shown. The conference will end with a round table, upon completion
of which a Resolution will be adopted.

–Boundary_(ID_DzIMWSMnSdIiTVOuE05RDg)–

E. GUINEA PRESIDENCY DENIES AI ALLEGATIONS

Panafrican News Agency (PANA) Daily Newswire
April 18, 2005

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea (PANA) – Equatorial Guinea has described
Amnesty International as a “faceless organisation” following the human
rights body’s recent allegations that inmates were nearly starving
at Black Beach, the Malabo central jail.

“The information given by Amnesty International which, for us, is
a faceless organisation of individuals with unknown intentions are
false and ungrounded,” a special presidential adviser charged with
missions and the press, Miguel Oyono Ndong Mifumu, said.

According to him, “all the prisoners receive their daily food
supplies,” while mercenaries, who have their food habits different
from Equato-Guineans, “have an adequate diet and a special budget to
that effect.”

“Amnesty is seeking to exert pressure on the government to free
the mercenaries. It is serving the interest of the mercenaries’
families. But we think that what it must do is to verify in situ,
as does the International Red Cross, to bolster its affirmations,”
Mifumu contended.

AI on Thursday said in London that at least 70 prisoners were
threatened with imminent starvation in the Black Beach prison in
Malabo after the country’s authorities ceased to give them food.

According to the rights body, the inmates, among them 11 foreigners
(six Armenians and five South Africans) sentenced last November for
their involvement in an attempted putsch against President Teodoro
Obiang Nguema, and Equatorial Guinea opposition leaders jailed without
a trial since last year, were “in a lamentable state.”

A number of them “are already extremely weak due to torture or poorly
treated chronic diseases,” the organisation charged.

CHURCH CALLS TO REPENTANCE

A1plus

| 13:31:18 | 19-04-2005 | Politics |

Secretary General of the World Church Council Samuel Cobia sent a
letter to Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II with a promise to
mention the Armenian Genocide during the services in all the Churches
of the Council on April 24.

April 6- 10 the Board of Chairs of the Conference of the Churches
of Europe (CCE) summoned a sitting in the Swedish town of Wasteras
to state that the murderous deeds against Armenians must not be
forgotten and that re-consideration of history will open the path to
forgiveness, deliverance of bitter recollections and for the creation
of joint future.

The CCE Chairs support the proposal of the World Church Council to mark
the 24-th of April as the Day of Genocide and take essential steps on
the occasion of the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. All the
Churched in Europe and beyond its borders can play an important role in
contributing to the reconciliation of nations. Press service of Holy
Echmiadzin reported that the CCE Chairs call the Turkish government
to start a process of reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian
people with acknowledging the blame and declaration of the truth. In
this view the CCE welcomed the proposal of Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on opening the Turkish archives. The Armenian
and independent experts should have free access to these documents.

The message says in part, “We call the Turkish government to create
conditions for holding free and just public discussions of the carnages
and exiles of the Armenian people.”

Let us remind that Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan rejected
Turkish Premier’s proposal. «The Genocide is a proved fact while
personally I am a descendant of one of those, who survived it»,
A. Margaryan said

–Boundary_(ID_Ru8QtdFd82zxifz3k5NcPw)–

ONLY 5-7 PANTHERS IN ARMENIA

AZG Armenian Daily #070, 20/04/2005

Ecology

The World Wildlife Fund is the only major organization of the kind
in the world. It performs a mission of saving the endangered species
in 200 countries of the world. The Fund began its cooperation with
Armenia in 2002. The cooperation was put on jural gears at the
Ministry of Ecology yesterday. The Ministry and Fund signed an
agreement of cooperation. The document means that international
organizations will join Armenia in protecting and caring for the
country’s flora and fauna.

The Fund, being involved in Caucasian region, will possibly help
solving such regional problems that cannot be solved by a separate
state. We have serious problems with both Georgia and Azerbaijan
as regards protection of forests and resorts and pollution of lakes
and rivers.

The Fund has already opened its office in Yerevan and is going to
assign 100 euros to 10 Armenian NGOs in the sphere of ecology.

Armenia’s nature needs not trainings and seminars but compassion. If
we had compassion, there would be no young whitefish in markets fro
sale. Dr. Magnus Sylvan, director of programs for Europe and Middle
East, told daily Azg that they will take up that issue in future
projects. But the office had time to study the Caucasian panther.

Dr. Sylvan says that there are only 5-7 panthers in the southern
regions of Armenia today. They managed to ban the panther hunt,
moreover they cooperate with the locals to prevent hunt. They even
think of ways to supply the panthers with food to prevent their attack
on livestock and thus minimize the chances to be killed.

The Fund plans to spend $1 million on forthcoming projects in Armenia.

By Karine Danielian

Russia protection of Armenia’s borders perfected
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
April 19, 2005 Tuesday

YEREVAN, April 19 — Robert Kocharyan, the president of Armenia, and
Colonel-General Vladimir Pronichev, the first deputy-director of the
Federal Security Service (FSB) of the Russian Federation – head of
the Border Service of the FSB of the Russian Federation, discussed
on Tuesday perfecting the protection of Armenia’s state border.

The Armenian president expressed satisfaction with the present state
and tendencies of the development of Russo-Armenian cooperation as
regards border protection.

Pronichev, in his turn, noted that, just as in the past, Armenian
people have friendly attitude to Russian border guards. This is an
important factor that gives an impetus to effective service, he said.

The Armenian authorities regard the presence of Russian border
guards in Armenia, alongside a Russian military base, as an important
component of the republic’s national security.

The system of the protection of Armenia’s state border with Turkey
stretching for 345 kilometres and of the 45- kilometre stretch of
Armenia’s border with Iran has been fully preserved from the times
of the USSR.

Russian border guards stay in Armenia on the basis of the Interstate
Agreement on the status of Russian border troops in the Armenian
territory concluded in Yerevan on September 30, 1992.

The FSB border agency of the Russian Federation in Armenia consists
of four border guards units stationed in Gyumri, Armavir, Artashat and
Megri, and the separate checkpoint at Yerevan’s Zvartnots international
airport. The governments of the two countries share the upkeep of
the Russian border guards in Armenia half-and-half.

As distinct from the Russian base that is manned entirely by Russian
servicemen, Armenian citizens have a right to serve in Russian border
troops in Armenia, and this service is regarded as highly prestigious.

Armenian minister confirms peace settlement in Karabakh
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
April 19, 2005 Tuesday

YEREVAN, April 19 — Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan does
not think that “a war with Azerbaijan may resume in the near future.”

“Tension on the border between the two republics has slightly eased,
but the general situation is unstable,” Sarkisyan said in the National
Press Club on Tuesday.

The minister said he had always called for settling the Karabakh
problem on the basis of compromises.

Armenia extradites US citizen of Armenian descent on US warrant
By Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency
April 19, 2005 Tuesday

YEREVAN, April 19 — Armenia has extradited a US citizen of Armenian
descent to the United States.

Armen Barsegyan, former Soviet citizen, is a suspect on charges
of weapons smuggling from Armenia to the United States, the press
service of the US embassy in Yerevan said on Monday. Bersegyan will
be put on trial in the United States this week.

The US side claims that a group of criminals, including Barsegyan,
smuggled small arms and mobile air defence systems to the United
States. David Kelly, US federal prosecutor based in New York, said
that the dealers had acquired the weapons on the territory of Georgia,
Armenia and some other countries of Eastern Europe.

Criminal charges for illegal weapons deals have been brought against
eighteen suspects, including seventeen citizens from different
countries, who have been placed under arrest.

General Grachia Arutyunyan, First Deputy Director of the Armenia
National Security Service under the Armenian government, earlier
declared that the Armenian secret services had no evidence to prove
that the weapons under investigation were first either bought or
stolen in Armenia and then smuggled to the United States.