Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Dec 13 2004

PACE BUREAU MEETING HELD IN PARIS
[December 13, 2004, 23:19:12]

Regular meeting of the Bureau of Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe was held in on December 13 in Paris.

The head of delegation of Milli Majlis in Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe, member of the PACE Bureau Samad Seyidov has
told that the important and significant moment for the country was
approval of the agenda of winter session of PACE and inclusion in it
of the report connected to the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh
conflict. Members of the Bureau have unanimously voted for inclusion
of the report in the agenda.

S. Seyidov has noted that, undoubtedly, the Armenian side also will
try to make certain amendments and additions to the report for its
use. Azerbaijan deputy group should be ready to this. Reporter David
Atkinson has told that the report would be objective, Mr. Seyidov
stressed.

The Azerbaijan delegation carries out necessary work in this
connection and I do not doubt, that at January session discussion
will have great value for Azerbaijan.

The presidential elections in Ukraine have caused wider discussions
in the meeting. Members of the Bureau highly have estimated the
achieved arrangement on carrying out of the second round of
elections, have made a decision with a view of supervision over the
course of elections to direct from the Council of Europe of observers
in a big staff.

At the meeting, the question of cooperation of the Council of Europe
with the countries of Southern Caucasus also has been discussed. PACE
Secretary General Bruno Haller, with feeling of great satisfaction
highly estimated cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Council of
Europe and noted special value of carrying out in the future joint
seminars.

President warns ministers over infighting; says no opposition in Azerbaijan

Azarbaycan, Baku
13 Dec 04

The Azeri president has urged the government to stop infighting and
bad-mouthing. In a speech at an expanded government session on 7
December, Ilham Aliyev said that the ministers should do their job
“with a clear conscience, properly and professionally” and not engage
in politics as this will pay no “dividends”. He also said that there
is no opposition in the country as such. “The opposition has only
itself to blame,” he told the meeting. The following is an excerpt
from the report by the Azerbaijani newspaper Azarbaycan on 13 December
headlined “The conclusive speech by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
at an expanded session of the Cabinet of Ministers on 7 December 2004
summing the results of 2004”; subheadings have been inserted
editorially:

Well, we should sum up our meeting. I believe that a very important
discussion was held as we examined the work done this year. We have
witnessed once more that economic success is obvious.

[Passage omitted: Aliyev says he is satisfied with the work of the
government and repeats similar ideas from his opening speech]

No bad-mouthing

As I said, I positively assess the activities of the government and I
highly value its work. But in some cases, the government interferes in
the affairs outside its remit. Everyone should do his job and be
responsible for his sphere of competence. It is only natural for
people to have proposals or make claims. There is every opportunity
to make claims or proposals and the Cabinet of Ministers, the prime
minister, the presidential executive office and the president are
there for this purpose. But it is wrong to make [claims] in public and
in a very bad-mannered fashion at that. I do not appreciate this and I
do not like this. This contradicts our working principles. Each member
of the government, minister and official should do his job with a
clear conscience, properly and professionally. And that’s it.

A member of the government is an official, not a politician. If
somebody wants to be a politician, it is his own business. But the
task of an official is to do his job. That is to say, I do not reckon
that offices or forums other than that are [appropriate] places for
assessing each other’s activities. No, it is not. It could be
appropriate for a politician, a deputy or a public figure. But there
are limits when it comes to officials.

I want to reiterate that all issues can be resolved at meetings of the
Cabinet of Ministers, through written or verbal reports containing
claims or proposals to the president and the prime minister. I am in
favour of such principles and anything else is unacceptable.

You know, these cases happen rarely. But they are usually seen in
society as messages with the wrong meaning. We, the Azerbaijani
authorities, are carrying out our activities as one team both before
and after the elections. I have been observing these principles since
my appointment as prime minister and election as president. I have
stated these principles clearly and been faithful to them. I am
keeping all my promises. Along with other factors, our strength is in
our unity. If there are any contradictions within our ranks, I will do
my best to eliminate them.

Therefore, I am not satisfied with the fact that such cases are taking
place. It is only natural that they cause a certain reaction. Some
people, openly or secretly, and sometimes with the involvement of the
mass media, are fighting against each other. If you want to fight, you
can do so through very good legal channels which involve the departure
from your post and involvement in politics. There will be no big
tragedy here. Anyone who wants this is free to do so. Everyone who
wants to engage in politics is free to do so and we will see how good
he is at politics. I do not want to protest against those who want to
become public figures.

Opposition

Now there is a gap in this field in Azerbaijan. Since the presidential
elections, especially since the opposition has dealt a blow to itself,
it has been unable to recover. In fact, one cannot say that there is
any opposition in Azerbaijan now. The opposition has only itself to
blame. Everyone knows that the authorities had no plans to take steps
or measures against the opposition. In general, we do not think about
it at all. Because it’s existence in the Azerbaijani social and
political life is hardly visible. That’s to say, there is a gap here.

Now the opposition leaders confine themselves to foreign visits,
meetings with minor officials of international organizations and
wearing bow ties at rallies abroad. Let them come and hold a rally
here. If they have power, let them hold at least one rally here and
make speeches wearing bow ties or something else. No, they cannot. And
this is the reality. The Azerbaijani people will never allow any
actions to be held on squares against Azerbaijan and its national
interests. This is impossible. The Azerbaijani people are fed up with
such opposition and the presidential elections clearly proved
that. Over a year has elapsed since the presidential elections: they
have been absent over that period of time and there is not room for
them [in future]. Because this is the people’s order and demand.

Infighting will pay no dividends

Azerbaijan is developing in quite a different direction. Our
activities assume creativity and build-up. We are strengthening our
country and its international image and increasing the economic
potential. Our strict positions on international issues are
praiseworthy. Azerbaijan’s strict position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is being understood. Even if it is not
understood, we will not retreat from our position because it is in the
interests of the Azerbaijani people.

I would like to note that the absence of the opposition, does not mean
that somebody can fight against somebody else within our ranks. This
is impossible and will never be possible. My advice is that one should
not resort to such actions. That will pay no political dividends. In
general, a minister must not think about engaging in political
activities. On the contrary, he should think about how to justify the
president’s trust. We all should justify his trust in our activities,
our work and our service to the people and the motherland. I – to the
Azerbaijani people as the Azerbaijani people believed in me and
elected me. You – to the president who believes in you and the
people. That is it and there is no other way.

I don’t want to go into any details now. I believe that what I said is
enough. I hope that, as always, there will be a working partnership
among members of the government which will allow us to carry out all
our economic plans. Thank you.

Azarbaycan newspaper note: Prime Minister Artur Rasizada, the head of
the presidential administration, Ramiz Mehdiyev and other officials
attended the session.

Azerbaijan seeks global help in Karabakh dispute

LONDON, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan’s president called on the
European Union and United Nations to do more to resolve a long-running
territorial dispute with neighbouring Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region on Monday.

Ilham Aliyev, who has vowed never to give up the breakaway territory
populated by ethnic Armenians but which has been legally part of
Azerbaijan since the Soviet era, said his oil-rich country was
committed to a peaceful resolution.

But he stressed years of talks had yielded no results and said the
global community should get involved.

“Other international organisations should play a more active role —
the EU, the Council of Europe and the United Nations,” Aliyev told an
audience at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs.

“I think that broad international attention and keeping this issue on
the agenda of international organisations will help bring peace,” he
added, giving no further details.

Western companies, including Britain’s BP have invested heavily in
Azerbaijan, most notably in the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline which will
deliver oil from the Caspian to the Mediterranean.

The dispute over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region began 16
years ago but it erupted into one of the bloodiest ethnic wars in the
dying days of the Soviet Union, when an estimated 35,000 people were
killed.

About 1 million refugees fled to Azerbaijan and thousands of ethnic
Armenian refugees also fled to Armenia.

A truce was agreed in 1994 but there has been little movement to end
the dispute.

Last month Azerbaijan urged the U.N. General Assembly to intervene but
France, Russia and the United States asked the body not to interfere
with efforts they were making on behalf of the Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe.

“Azerbaijan will never agree to occupation and we will do what we can
and make sure our land will be free,” said Aliyev.

The president has signalled some impatience and does not rule out
military action if Armenia does not pull out.

Experts also note that Azerbaijan is actively working on defence
projects and increasing its defence budget.

12/13/04 13:16 ET

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri leader to visit Iran to annoy US, opposition paper says

Azadliq, Baku
11 Dec 04

An Azerbaijani opposition paper sees President Ilham Aliyev’s planned
visit to Iran is “an expression of anger at the USA”. Azadliq said
that President Aliyev decided to go to Iran as a balancing act in view
of the US Presiden George Bush’s failure to invite him to his
inauguration. Azadliq also said that the Azerbaijani authorities
maintain “unofficial” economic ties with Armenia. The following is the
text of the report by the political section of the Azerbaijani
newspaper Azadliq on 11 December headlined “Why is Ilham Aliyev going
to Iran?” and subheaded “There is no significant reason for this
visit”; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev is planning to visit Iran. If one
asks government bodies – the presidential administration, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs – about the planned visit, they will all respond in
the same way: documents are being drafted. You cannot find answers to
questions such as what are those documents all about, have any new
spheres for intergovernment cooperation have been defined? “Documents
are being prepared for the time being.” This is the only answer you
can get. The only thing we know in very general terms is that the
sides will discuss the simplification of the visa regime between the
two countries. (About this a bit later)

Aliyev offended by Bush

But one can make assumptions as to the kind of questions that will be
addressed during Aliyev’s visit to Iran or what this official
rapprochement with Iran is for.

The main reason for the rapprochement with Iran is probably the fact
that Ilham Aliyev’s desperate attempts to visit the USA have
failed. There have been numerous commentaries on this. The country’s
most famous political scientists have openly said that because Ilham
Aliyev has not been invited to the USA, he is trying to remind people
of himself by making special gestures towards Russia and Iran.

Interestingly, there have been no reports yet as to whether Aliyev has
been invited to the US President-elect [George Bush’s] inauguration or
not. Perhaps, Aliyev has a 50-50 chance. Bush was re-elected for the
second term. So, he cannot be elected for another term, which is why
this kind of invitation will not be considered as a risk for him.

Tehran smoothes ethnic ire

Iran has its own interests. Iran wants to demonstrate to the
international community that it maintains special relations with
countries of the Caucasus and that it plays a serious and constructive
role in this system of relations. It is true that Iran maintains
normal economic and political relations with some European
countries. But its relations with the USA, which has the final say on
geopolitical issues, are getting worse and worse.

Iran pretends that it has close relations with Azerbaijan. By doing
so, it aims to smooth the smouldering ethnic discord within its
boundaries. The opening of Azerbaijan’s consulate in Tabriz was also
aimed at preventing ethnic tensions from growing. Azerbaijan could not
open this consulate in Tabiz under [Former President] Heydar
Aliyev. The Iranian authorities did not even allow Heydar Aliyev to
see Tabriz when he visited this country.

But Ilham Aliyev will most probably visit the newly-opened consulate
in Tabriz (He will also have some “patriotic” films and footage of
himself shot there). Iran knows pretty well that Ilham Aliyev’s
government has no geostrategic plans or policy in line with those
plans. So, no-one is worried [in Iran].

Iran’s blackmail

Now, the fact of Naxcivan’s blockade is Iran’s trump card in its
relations with Azerbaijan. The Iranian government is openly
blackmailing Azerbaijan by exaggerating its role in Naxcivan’s power
supplies. Although there is every reason to worry about this
blackmail, Azerbaijan has encountered this neither under Heydar Aliyev
nor under his successor. What are these reasons?

Both Iran and Azerbaijan are members of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference [OIC]. The OIC cannot do anything but declare
Armenia as an aggressor again and again in its meetings (similar to
wishy-washy resolutions on Palestine). Iran has also openly supported
these resolutions. But the fact that Iran is maintaining military,
strategic, economic and political ties with Armenia, whom Iran itself
regards as an aggressor, is directly aimed against Azerbaijan. But
the Azerbaijani government neither officially protested against Iran’s
double standards nor raised the issue with the OIC. Ilham Aliyev will
not do so either for several reasons.

First, the corrupt Azerbaijani government maintains secretly economic
ties with Iran’s corrupt clerical leadership. Second, there are no
doubts that the Iranian secret services can prove any time that the
Azerbaijani government itself profits from unofficial economic ties
with Armenia by providing information collected both in Azerbaijan and
Armenia. There may be other reasons as well.

Simple visa regime not reason for visit

Ilham Aliyev’s planned visit to Iran presents interest also from
another point of view: The simplification of the visa regime.

The visa regime between Azerbaijan and Iran is not that complicated
today. Even the Iranians and Azerbaijanis living within the perimeter
of 40 km from the border can visit one another without visas. In order
to simplify the visa regime, one should simply cut the number of the
necessary documents, reduce fees and resolve some other issues
connected with the border security.

The scale of the mentioned problems shows that they can be solved by
signing some necessary documents and there is no need for visiting the
neighbouring country for this. Now that Aliyev has decided to visit
Iran, this is nothing but his and Iran’s expression of anger at the
USA.

And finally, why should not Aliyev along with [Eduard] Shevardnadze in
Georgia, [Alyaksandr] Lukashenka in Belarus, [Leonid] Kuchma and
[Viktor] Yanukovych in Ukraine and [Vladimir] Putin in Russia be
together with the clerical regime?

Germany opposes “watered down” EU Turkey talks

By Carsten Lietz

BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Germany insisted on Monday any accession
talks between the European Union and Turkey should be with the goal of
Ankara becoming a member, rejecting calls for more limited partnership
options.

Three days before EU leaders are seen giving the green light to entry
talks, new controversy emerged as France said it would seek Turkish
recognition of a 1915-23 killing of Armenians as genocide once those
talks begun, drawing an immediate denial from Ankara.

The main Istanbul share index, the ISE National-100 <.XU100>, climbed
three percent to close at a record high of 23,634.75 points on Monday
on expectations that Ankara will win a date to start talks.

“This is about negotiations with the goal of entry,” German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder told reporters in Berlin, rejecting calls for the
25-member bloc to offer Ankara a privileged but limited partnership
status.

“Any watering down of this goal … would sound the death knell for
the successful modernisation process in Turkey,” echoed his Foreign
Minister Joschka Fischer as he arrived for talks on Turkey with
counterparts in Brussels.

EU foreign ministers were making final preparations for the landmark
decision ahead of the summit.

Ankara reaffirmed it could not accept anything less than negotiations
towards membership for the poor, largely Muslim country of some 70
million.

“Membership is not automatic,” Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
told the Spanish daily El Pais.

“But we will never be ‘privileged partners’ because that term doesn’t
exist,” he said, rejecting a formula proposed by Austria and Germany’s
opposition Christian Democrats.

YOUNG TURKS

Few doubt that EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday
will give the go-ahead for negotiations to start. But questions remain
as to the timing of the start of talks — seen lasting over a decade
— and any conditions attached.

France said it would seek Turkish recognition of the Armenian killings
as genocide, but only once talks began.

“France will pose this question,” Foreign Minister Michel Barnier told
a news conference in Brussels. “I think that a big country like Turkey
has a duty to remember.” France has the largest Armenian community in
the EU with some 300,000 members.

Armenia says 1.5 million of its people died between 1915 and 1923 in a
systematic genocide. It says the decision to carry it out was made by
the political party then in power in the Ottoman Empire, popularly
known as the Young Turks.

Turkey reiterated denials of genocide. “Our position is well-known. We
do not recognise any so-called genocide and we will never recognise
it,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“DEATH BY ENLARGEMENT”

The prospect of Turkish membership is hugely controversial in Europe,
with a new poll in the French daily Le Figaro showing 67 percent of
French voters and 55 percent of Germans oppose Turkey joining the EU.

The Ifop institute poll found the main arguments of Turkey’s opponents
were poor respect for human rights, including women’s rights, and “too
many religious and cultural differences.”

Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, a leading sceptic on Turkey’s
entry, told Austrian magazine Trend that Turkey’s human rights record
remained a concern, as did the cost of bringing in the poor, largely
agrarian country.

Other sceptics weighed in, with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh
Rasmussen quoted as saying he backed Austrian proposals for a “plan B”
offering a limited partnership if entry talks failed.

“It underlines there is no automaticity that in starting negotiations
they lead to membership,” he told Danish news agency Ritzau.

The leader of the conservative European People’s Party, the largest
group in the European Parliament, said he was concerned Turkish
membership would mean “enlarging ourselves to death.”

“We are afraid. That is not a good basis for solidarity in European
Union and we will destroy it,” Hans-Gert Poettering told a parliament
debate.

One potential threat to an agreement to open talks in 2005 receded
when Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iakovou made clear Nicosia was
not thinking of using its new EU membership to veto the decision,
which requires unanimity.

“We’ve never started from that position,” he told reporters on arrival
in Brussels when asked if Cyprus would use its veto.

Iakovou also appeared to soften past demands that Turkey, which has
35,000 troops on the island and is the only country to recognise the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, should grant Cyprus full
diplomatic recognition before negotiations start.

(additional reporting by Sebastian Alison and Carsten Lietz in
Brussels, Timothy Heritage in Paris and Adrian Croft in Madrid)

12/13/04 15:05 ET

BBC News

Monday, 13 December, 2004, 17:45 GMT

Turkey ‘must admit WWI genocide’

France has said it will ask Turkey to acknowledge the mass killing of
Armenians from 1915 as genocide when it begins EU accession talks.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Turkey had “a duty to remember”.

Armenians say 1.5 million of their people died or were deported from
their homelands under Turkish Ottoman rule.

France is among a group of nations that class the killings as genocide.
Turkey denies any organised genocide, claiming they were quelling a
civil uprising.

Mr Barnier said France did not consider Turkish acknowledgement a
condition of EU entry, but insisted his country would raise the issue
once talks opened.

Where Turkey’s bid stands

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss
plans to invite Turkey for accession talks, Mr Barnier said Turkey “must
carry out this task as a memorial”.

In addition, France believes that accession talks should not begin
before the second half of 2005, Mr Barnier said. Turkey has pushed for
immediate negotiations.

“I believe that when the time comes, Turkey should come to terms with
its past, be reconciled with its own history and recognise this
tragedy,” Mr Barnier said.

‘So-called genocide’

His comments drew no immediate official response from Turkey, which has
consistently denied orchestrating genocide and the Armenian figures.

A foreign ministry spokesman in the Turkish capital, Ankara, told
Reuters that Turkey has never and will never recognise “any so-called
genocide”.

Armenia alleges that the Young Turks, in 1915 the dominant party in the
Ottoman Empire, systematically arranged the deportation and killing of
1.5 million Armenians.

Turkish relations with independent Armenia, which borders Turkey to the
north, have long been coloured by the issue.

Around 300,000 Armenians live in France, more than in any other European
country, and community leaders have pledged to pressure French President
Jacques Chirac on the genocide issue during Turkish accession negotiations.

France passed a law officially recognising the Armenian genocide in
2001, cooling relations with Turkey and scuppering a major arms deal.

Another 14 nations, including Switzerland, Russia and Argentina, also
classify the killings as genocide.

World Peace Herald, DC
Dec 13 2004

Commentary: Why EU should say yes to Turks
By Gareth Harding
Chief European Correspondent

BRUSSELS — European leaders are set to decide whether to open
European Union membership talks with Turkey Friday, 41 years after
the largely Muslim state first applied to join the Brussels-based
bloc. For political, economic and geo-strategic reasons they should
say “yes” to Ankara, because a EU with Turkey inside its borders
would be a bigger, stronger, safer and ultimately more prosperous
union than without it.

Critics of Turkey’s entry, who include the leaders of Austria and
Luxembourg, France’s governing party, the German opposition and large
swathes of French, German and Austrian public opinion, argue the
country is too big, too poor and too Muslim to join the EU. They also
claim Turkish membership would dilute the union’s values, flood the
club’s 25 member states with migrants, import Middle East instability
to Europe and act as a brake on economic growth.

Most of these arguments are bogus — based on knee-jerk
prejudices rather than rational analysis and steeped in a deeply
reactionary view of Europe as a cozy club of Christian peoples
battling against Muslim hordes from the east.

Take geography first. It is true that the large bulk of Turkey’s
landmass lies on the Asian continent. But a sizeable chunk —
including the country’s biggest city Istanbul — lies on the European
mainland. If geography really were a key factor, Cyprus — a
Mediterranean island lying off the Lebanese coast — would never have
been welcomed into the club in May.

Historically too, Turkey has always been seen as a European
power. Until late in the 19th century, the Ottoman Empire ruled
Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina and large chunks
of modern-day Greece, Rumania and Serbia-Montenegro. “Remember: the
Ottomans were called the sick man of Europe, not the sick man of
Asia,” Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a rally in Brussels
Friday.

Even after the Ottoman Empire collapsed after World War II,
Turkey was always considered a European player. It is a member of the
Council of Europe, the Organization for Cooperation and Development
in Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
and takes part in most European sporting competitions.

Size matters in the EU — as in other organizations. Voting power
in the Council of Ministers is based largely on population and by the
time Turkey joins the EU — in 2015 at the earliest — it would be
the largest country in the club, with some 80 million people. Yet
there is nothing in the union’s treaty that disqualifies a country
for being too big or too populous. On the contrary, Turkey’s size and
geographic position could be major pluses for a bloc that is largely
made up of small states with plummeting populations.

Turkey, a NATO member for more than half a century, has the
largest armed forces in Europe and spends more of its budget on
defense than any other EU state — both great assets for a union with
global peacekeeping ambitions but pitiful military resources. It also
a major power in the Black Sea and Middle East regions, sharing
borders with Iran, Iraq, Syria, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The
EU would be safer with a strong, confident Turkey guarding the bloc’s
frontiers against these unstable states than with a weakened and
rejected Turkey sulking on its southeastern fringes.

Opponents of Turkish entry argue the predominantly Muslim state
of 72 million people is too poor to join and that membership would
lead to millions of Turks emigrating east in search of work. The same
fears were raised when Spain, Portugal and Greece joined the EU in
the 1980s and when eight former communist states entered in May. They
have proved unfounded in both cases.

Turkey is comparatively hard up, with a per capita gross domestic
product of $8,300. But it has one of the fastest growing economies in
Europe and both trade and foreign investment are likely to soar as
membership approaches. “When Turkey joins the EU, people will not
migrate to the EU; Turks will come back to Turkey,” said Erdogan
Friday. The idea may seem far-fetched now, but the examples of
Ireland, Spain and Greece show that when prosperity rises, outward
migration goes into reverse gear.

Of all the arguments against Turkish accession, the Muslim card
is the least convincing and the most unsettling. The EU already has
15 million Muslims living within its borders and when Albania,
Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina join next decade, it will take in
states with predominantly Muslim populations.

European right-wing populists and U.S. neo-conservatives claim
Islam and democracy are incompatible and that a “clash of
civilizations” is looming between a Christian “west” and a Muslim
“east.” The very existence of Turkey, a modern, secular, democratic
state for most of the last century, surely debunks this myth. Turkey
has been a democracy for longer than most of the eight former Soviet
bloc states that joined the EU in May, it introduced women’s voting
rights before France and Germany and has a clearer separation of
powers between church and state than almost any country in the world.

The prospect of EU entry has speeded up the reform process. Under
pressure from Brussels, the death penalty has been abolished, women’s
rights have been strengthened, the army’s grip over the judiciary has
been loosened and the country’s sizeable Kurdish minority has won the
right to speak its language in public. Some of these reforms are
cosmetic and have yet to take root — torture and graft are still
widespread and many women’s rights remain on paper only — but it is
difficult to argue that saying “no” to Turkey would advance the cause
of progress in this key geo-strategic country.

Mustafa Kemal, the revered founder of modern Turkey, once said:
“The West has always been prejudiced against the Turks, but we Turks
have always consistently moved toward the West.” On Friday, EU
leaders should shake off centuries of European bias and bigotry
toward Ankara and say “yes” to Turkey in Europe and “yes” to Europe
in Turkey.

KataWeb, Italia
lunedì 13 dicembre 2004

Ue-Turchia, Francia: Ankara riconosca genocidio armeni

Il ministro degli esteri francese, Michel Barnier, ha chiesto che la
questione del genocidio degli armeni avvenuto tra il 1915 e il 1923
sia discussa nei negoziati di adesione della Turchia all’Unione
europea. Il progetto di adesione alla Ue, ha detto Barnier
incontrando la stampa nel pomeriggio, ”si fonda sull’idea della
riconciliazione” fra i paesi europei e per tale ragione, ha
aggiunto, il governo di Ankara ”dovrà fare quest’opera di memoria e
di riconciliazione con la sua stessa storia riconoscendo questa
tragedia”.

L’apertura dei negoziati con la Turchia sarà al centro del prossimo
Consiglio europeo in programma giovedì e venerdì prossimo a
Bruxelles. La questione armena, sempre negata dalla Turchia, riguarda
il genocidio di circa un milione e 500mila persone all’inizio del
‘900, perpetrato su ordine del partito dei ‘Giovani turchi’ allora al
potere nell’Impero ottomano.

Turkey ‘must admit WWI genocide’

France has said Turkey must improve its human rights record

BBC News
Monday, 13 December, 2004

France has said it will ask Turkey to acknowledge the mass killing of
Armenians from 1915 as genocide when it begins EU accession talks.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Turkey had “a duty to
remember”.

Armenians say 1.5 million of their people died or were deported from
their homelands under Turkish Ottoman rule. France is among a group of
nations that class the killings as genocide. Turkey denies any organised
genocide, claiming they were quelling a civil uprising.

Mr Barnier said France did not consider Turkish acknowledgement a
condition of EU entry, but insisted his country would raise the issue
once talks opened.

Where Turkey’s bid stands

Speaking to reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss
plans to invite Turkey for accession talks, Mr Barnier said Turkey “must
carry out this task as a memorial”.

In addition, France believes that accession talks should not begin
before the second half of 2005, Mr Barnier said. Turkey has pushed for
immediate negotiations.

“I believe that when the time comes, Turkey should come to terms with
its past, be reconciled with its own history and recognise this
tragedy,” Mr Barnier said.

‘So-called genocide’

His comments drew no immediate official response from Turkey, which has
consistently denied orchestrating genocide and the Armenian figures. A
foreign ministry spokesman in the Turkish capital, Ankara, told Reuters
that Turkey has never and will never recognise “any so-called genocide”.

Armenia alleges that the Young Turks, in 1915 the dominant party in the
Ottoman Empire, systematically arranged the deportation and killing of
1.5 million Armenians. Turkish relations with independent Armenia, which
borders Turkey to the north, have long been coloured by the issue.

Around 300,000 Armenians live in France, more than in any other European
country, and community leaders have pledged to pressure French President
Jacques Chirac on the genocide issue during Turkish accession negotiations.

France passed a law officially recognising the Armenian genocide in
2001, cooling relations with Turkey and scuppering a major arms deal.

Another 14 nations, including Switzerland, Russia and Argentina, also
classify the killings as genocide.

PHOTO CAPTION: “France will pose this question. I think that a big
country like Turkey has a duty to remember” — Michel Barnier, French
foreign minister

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of Glendale
721 S. Glendale Ave
Glendalve, CA 91205
Contact: George Garikian
Tel: 818.243.3444
Fax: 818.243.3009
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Glendale, CA – Over 90 community leaders and elected officials gathered at
The Cove Thursday evening for a mixer hosted by the Armenian National
Committee, Glendale Chapter. The event provided guests an opportunity to
meet the new Executive Director, Alina Azizian, as well as the 2004-2005
board members. Guests included State Senator Jack Scott, representatives
from Congressman Adam Schiff’s office and Assemblyman Dario Frommer’s
office, Mayor Bob Yousefian and Councilmembers Rafi Manoukian, Frank
Quintero, and Dave Weaver. Other guests included: Glendale Unified School
District Superintendent Dr. Michael Escalante, GUSD Assistant Superintendent
Alice Petrossian, Glendale Fire Chief Christopher Gray, Assistant Fire Chief
Donald Biggs, Assistant Police Chief Ronald DePompa, City Attorney Scott
Howard, City Manager James Starbird, Glendale Teachers Association President
Sandra Fink, Armenian National Committee of America Western Region
Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian, Glendale Unified School District
Board chairman Greg Krikorian and board members Chakib Sambar and Pam Ellis,
Glendale Community College Board of Trustees members Ara Najarian and Anita
Quinonez Gabrielian, and numerous commissioners from the various city
commissions.

`During the holiday season it’s difficult to get so many busy people in the
same room,’ commented Azizian, `but we had a fantastic turnout. It was
great to meet the people that help make this city so wonderful. We have a
great coalition of community leaders working together to make this city even
better, and I look forward to working with them.’

Board members also spent the evening informing the community about the five
sub-committees within the ANC Glendale Chapter. Board Chairman Pierre
Chraghchian noted, `This year we have established five separate committees
to handle fundraising, media relations, community relations, elections, and
Genocide commemoration.’ With the busy election season around the corner
and a new director to run the operations, the five subcommittees will play a
key role in the organization.

Alina Azizian was appointed in November as the organization’s first
Executive Director. The Armenian National Committee, Glendale Chapter, is
located at 721 South Glendale Ave. in Glendale. You can reach ANC Glendale
at 818.243.3444. To find out more about the subcommittees (or to join),
please email [email protected].

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress