The Australian
December 16, 2004 Thursday All-round Country Edition
No half measures, Turkey tells EU
TURKISH Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned up the heat on the
European Union yesterday, insisting his nation deserved full
membership and warning that anything less would be a “historic
mistake”.
In a speech to his party that was frequently interrupted by ovations,
Mr Erdogan put the onus squarely on the 25-nation EU ahead of
tomorrow’s summit in Brussels.
He said Turkey, Europe’s biggest Muslim nation, had met all criteria
required to start membership talks, particularly in the areas of
human rights and political reform. “We, as a country, have done what
we had to do to start membership talks,” he told members of his
Justice and Development Party. “The rest is the responsibility of the
EU.”
Tomorrow’s meeting is expected to give the green light to accession
talks with Turkey, but several EU states are pressing for tight
restrictions on the agreement.
These include an understanding that Turkey will not join the EU for
at least a decade and that the talks can be broken off at any time if
Ankara reverses reforms.
The agreement is also expected to include conditions designed to
prevent a flood of Turkish immigrants into richer EU nations.
However, Mr Erdogan said, Turkey had its own, non-negotiable demands.
“What needs to be done is clear: unconditional full membership, a
clear negotiating process without the need for a second decision and
no new political conditions apart from the Copenhagen criteria,” he
said.
The Copenhagen criteria are standards that candidate countries must
fulfil to be eligible for membership talks.
“We have said on several occasions that we will not accept a decision
that is not based on full membership and which offers special
status,” Mr Erdogan said.
“I believe the EU will not approve a historic mistake which will
weaken its own foundations, and will make a decision in line with
Turkey’s expectations.”
While the EU is expected to approve membership talks with Turkey,
member states are divided over the detail. There is no agreement on
when talks should start and some countries support a “special
partnership” with Ankara should negotiations fail.
Turkey has categorically rejected such a partnership and insists it
wants membership talks to start next year.
Draft summit conclusions leaked to the media warn that talks will be
suspended if Turkey violates EU principles and they do not guarantee
that the talks will end in membership.
“The open-ended nature of negotiations carries a dangerous
uncertainty not only about the outcome of the negotiations but also
their objective,” Mr Erdogan said.
“We can keep up our enthusiasm for progress only if all question
marks over the ultimate target of negotiations are cleared from our
minds.”
The draft also says the EU reserves the right to impose permanent
restrictions on freedom of movement in a bid to prevent a massive
influx of immigrants from Turkey, and adds that Ankara must recognise
EU member Cyprus.
In a speech to parliament, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
slammed the proposal for permanent safeguards as illegitimate and
vowed that Ankara would make no “direct or indirect move” to
recognise Cyprus unless there was a lasting settlement on the divided
island.
Turkey recognises only the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus and not the internationally recognised Greek Cypriot
government in the south.
France, although nominally on Turkey’s side, has also fuelled Turkish
frustration by using the word genocide for the first time to describe
the 1915-17 Ottoman Empire massacre of Armenians.
French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier told parliament yesterday that
Paris would ask many questions, notably about “the Armenian
genocide”, in eventual membership talks.
It is French pressure above all that is likely to result in the EU
failing to abide by a promise to launch accession talks “without
delay” once the leaders give their approval.
Fearful of the Turkey question overshadowing a referendum on the EU’s
first constitution, Paris wants the launch of the negotiations put
back to the second half of next year.
Such fears are not without foundation given that in France, as in
Germany, public opinion is largely hostile to Turkey’s EU bid.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
December 15, 2004 Wednesday 5:47 AM Eastern Time
Armenia hails interparliamentary coop with Russia – Speaker
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
Armenia attaches great attention to interparliamentary cooperation
with Russia and to the entire set of interstate relations in
different spheres, Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Artur
Bagdasaryan said during his meeting with Russian State Duma Speaker
Boris Gryzlov on Wednesday.
Taking part in the meeting were the heads of the standing
commissions, factions and groups of deputies of the Armenian National
Assembly, including opposition members. “It shows that all the
political forces of Armenia pay special attention to cooperation with
Russia,” Bagdasaryan said.
“Russian-Armenian inter-parliamentary relations are actively
developing,” Bagdasaryan said. He recalled, “The joint Commission on
inter-parliamentary cooperation of the Armenian National Assembly and
Russian Federal Assembly is also working dynamically.” Certain
agreements are being successfully fulfilled, he said.
“Armenia together with other CIS countries makes efforts to intensify
the activity of the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly,” the Armenian
speaker said. “We will participate actively in drafting model laws”
within the framework of the Assembly, he added.

Institute for War and Peace reporting
Dec 15 2004
Azeris Angry Over Georgia Killing
A local land dispute has escalated following the death of an elderly
Azerbaijani woman in southern Georgia.
By Sofo Bukia in Kvemo Kulari (CRS No. 266, 15-Dec-04)
The newly appointed governor of Georgia’s southern Kvemo Kartli
region, which has an Azerbaijani majority, has vowed to catch the
killers of a 65-year-old woman who died during a protest rally.
However, the killing and the long-running dispute behind it have
already taken on an inter-ethnic dimension, which is now attracting
the attention of officials in Baku.
Hilal Idrisova was killed on December 3 when a land dispute between
local villagers and a stud farm boiled over. Several dozen people
from the Marneuli district settlements Kvemo Kulari and Kirikhlo had
protested at a nearby horse stud farm, which they claim is using land
that is the villagers’ by right.
`They told us, `You have no rights to this land, so shut up and go
home’,’ said Elsevar Mamedov from Kvemo Kulari.
In the ensuing clash between the villagers and the farm’s owners,
security guards and staff, the elderly Idrisova was shot in the chest
and killed, while another local resident, Ramiz Sadygov, was shot in
the leg. Doctors treating him at the district hospital fear the limb
may yet have to be amputated.
`I begged my mum to stay home that night,’ Idrisova’s distraught
daughter Fatima told IWPR. `What’s the use of that land now that she
is gone?’
The farm’s managing director, Vakhtang Rukhadze of the Georgian Horse
Rearing Association, has rejected all accusations of involvement in
the death and wounding, and claims in turn that the villagers had
provoked his men.
`They threw rocks at us. I have three injured and concussed men to
show for it. I have no weapons, and no one at the farm has any, so
where did the shots come from?’ he asked.
`A few of our cars and items of field machinery were broken, and this
happens almost every day. We have complained everywhere, including to
the president, but no one wants to tackle this.’
The death has increased tensions in the Azerbaijani community, which
has a population estimated at between 350,000 and half a million.
Following last year’s peaceful `Rose Revolution,’ the new Georgian
president Mikheil Saakashvili declared Georgia’s Azerbaijanis to be a
`national treasure’ and promised to help them solve their problems.
However, in Marneuli, serious issues over land ownership remain.
The problem dates back to the beginning of Georgia’s land reforms in
1996, when rural collective farms were disbanded and the state gave
generous amounts of land away to peasant farmers.
But the residents of Kvemo Kulari and Kirikhlo claim they lost out in
this deal, as every household in these villages ended up with just a
quarter of a hectare of land – far less than the one hectare they
were legally entitled to.
The Kulari stud farm owns 1,155 hectares of land, 500 of which is
claimed by the local villagers for their farming needs. `There is no
other arable land in the district. The horse farm has it all,’ one
villager complained to IWPR.
The Kulari farm was formerly owned by the Tbilisi hippodrome and is
now owned by the city-based Jockey Club.
The club says it legally acquired the land at Kulari on lease for 49
years, and has all the appropriate documentation. It then leased the
farm to the Georgian Horse Rearing Association for a ten-year period.
`These are no ordinary horses,’ said Viktor Goglidze, who takes care
of the animals. `These are purebred English racehorses with all the
papers and everything. We have around a hundred and they need lots of
land.’
The owners of the stud farm are proud of their fine horses and the
distinguished history of the farm, which was founded in 1902, and
point out that the majority of its 100 grooms are Azerbaijani. They
also say that they are confident of investment from the United States
following a recent successful visit by horse specialists from
Kentucky.
However, many local villagers said that they thought the farm’s main
business was actually selling wheat to neighbouring Armenia – not
that they objected to this in and of itself.
`We don’t care who they sell their wheat to,’ said Gasham Garaev.
`It’s the land we want.’
But following the violent death of Hilal Idrisova, they are demanding
that her killers be brought to justice.
The Kvemo Kulari and Kirikhlo residents had expressed their anger
repeatedly before the shooting incident, disrupting horse farmers’
sowing work and blocking the local highway.
According to one local, Levan Mamaladze – the former governor of
Kvemo Kartli under ex-president Eduard Shevardnadze – promised the
Azerbaijanis the disputed land used by the stud farm in exchange for
their votes during the 2000 presidential campaign. Mamaladze is now
in hiding after being charged with the embezzlement of millions of
dollars.
His successor Soso Mazmishvili refused to be held responsible for any
deal or promise made before his time in office. `I told them I would
look into it,’ he told IWPR. `I’m not a feudal lord to promise any
land to anyone.’
But one week ago Mazmishvili himself was dismissed and replaced as
governor by Zurab Melikishvili, the minister for regional policy and
a former close ally of President Saakishvili.
`I hope we can work this out,’ Melikishvili told IWPR his on first
day in office. `In any case, we will have to try to [persuade] the
stud farm cede some land to the people.’
Meanwhile, the dispute in Kvemo Kartli has provoked anger in
Azerbaijan, where parliamentary speaker Murtuz Aleskerov told the
national media, `Saakashvili had promised the Azerbaijanis would be
represented in executive and legislative government and law
enforcement agencies.
`He also promised to resolve the land issue. But none of this has
materialised.’
Azerbaijani analyst Rasim Musabekov believes that the quarrel is a
symptom of both nations’ change in administration. `There was a time
when the authoritarian ruler of Azerbaijan could resolve issues with
his Georgian counterpart, but not anymore,’ he said. `Now a lot will
depend on Georgia’s Azerbaijanis themselves and how active and
persistent they are.’
Sofo Bukiya is a reporter for the newspaper 24 Hours in Tbilisi. Rauf
Orujev, a reporter for the Ekho newspaper, contributed to this report
from Baku.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
December 15, 2004 Wednesday 11:17 AM Eastern Time
No change in ties with Armenia over dispatch of military to Iraq
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
The speaker of the Russian State Duma lower house of parliament said
on Wednesday that a possible decision by Armenia to send military
specialists to Iraq will not change relations between the two former
Soviet republics.
“Armenia is a sovereign state, and the decisions it makes are
decisions of a sovereign state,” Boris Gryzlov told a press
conference in reply to a query concerning Armenian authorities’
intentions to send military specialists to Iraq.
According to Gryzlov, Russia’s believes that “a decision on the
carrying out of any operations in other states can be taken only by
the U.N. Security Council”. “It is only with the mandate of that
organization that international peacekeeping operations or any other
operations can be carried out,” the Duma speaker emphasized.
Armenia has voiced its readiness to send drivers, field engineers and
medics to Iraq for a post-war restoration in that country.

European Report
December 15, 2004
EU/TURKEY: CONSENSUS COMING TOGETHER ON ACCESSION NEGOTIATIONS IN
THE SECOND HALF OF 2005
EU Foreign Ministers remained divided on a date for launching
accession talks with Turkey at the conclusion of their meeting in
Brussels on December 13. The issue will have to be settled by Heads
of State and Government at European Summit on December 16 and 17. A
date in October 2005 is mentioned most often by diplomats and appears
to be supported by a significant majority of Member States. However,
persistent differences on other items point to furious bargaining
behind the scenes in the run-up to the European Council. Firm
supporters of Turkey’s accession such as Germany and the United
Kingdom, lukewarm supporter France and detractors such as Austria
continue to lock horns. Austria in particular wants open-ended
negotiations with no guarantee of Turkish membership at the end of
the line.
Date for negotiations.
A significant majority of Member States, including Germany and the
United Kingdom, support the opening of negotiations in “autumn 2005
and most probably October 2005”. France in particular is keen to
avoid the Turkish issue interfering with the referendum on the
European Constitution, scheduled for spring 2005, concerned lest it
lend weight to the arguments of those campaigning for its rejection.
Whereas the Dutch Presidency of the EU and Turkey are pressing for
negotiations to begin in the first half of 2005, France is keen that
talks should not begin before July 2005.
Objective of the negotiations.
In order to reassure the general public and political circles, France
has called for the conclusions of the European Summit on December 17
to state that this is an “open and transparent process”. This formula
would leave the door open to an alternative “structure for
co-operation between the EU and Turkey” instead of EU membership
should the negotiations break down. The French Minister Michel
Barnier nevertheless declined to suggest what form this option might
take, choosing not to mention the “privileged partnership” defended
notably by Germany’s CDU Conservatives. President Jacques Chirac has
indeed already promised the French people that they will be consulted
at the appropriate juncture through a referendum on Turkish
accession. Besides public opinion which, according to a poll
published on December 13 by the daily Le Figaro, is 67% against
Turkish accession, France’s politicians are also opposed, notably
within the ruling right, which is divided on the issue up to the very
highest level.
Dutch Foreign Minister and acting Council President Bernard Bot
insisted there can never be a “Plan B” for Turkey whilst
acknowledging that the negotiating process remains open.
Other Member States like Austria and Denmark would prefer to offer
Ankara a “privileged partnership or special status” instead of full
accession. However, this option does not appear to be shared by the
other Member States. Berlin which firmly supports Turkey’s candidacy,
believes the opening of negotiations is in the interest of both
Turkey and the Union. “We are not deciding today on Turkey’s entry
into the EU, which might take at least 15 years”, said Joschka
Fischer. He believes negotiations should have but one goal: full
membership in the EU. He warns that “weakening this objective in
whatever way might strike a fatal blow to the process of
modernisation and reforms that has been so beneficial to Turkey”.
Cypriot question.
During the debate, Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iacovou called for
a gesture from Turkey before the March 2005 European Summit on the
“normalisation” of relations with the Republic of Cyprus, which
Ankara still doesn’t recognise. Mr Iacovou suggested this
normalisation might stem from the extension by the Turkish Government
of the EU/Turkey customs union agreement of 1996 to the 10 new Member
States. Such a measure would de facto represent a first step towards
recognition of the Cypriot Republic by Ankara. Mr Bot, echoed by Mr
Barnier, suggested the normalisation of relations between Turkey and
Cyprus is not “a legal pre-requisite for the launch of negotiations
with Ankara”. However, he added that it is “necessary and logical” if
Turkey wishes to join the Union. “I am negotiating with Ankara and
Nicosia and I remain optimistic as to the outcome of these
discussions”, said Mr Bot. Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan meanwhile repeated during a visit to Brussels on December 10,
that Turkey’s recognition of Cyprus is not one of the so-called
Copenhagen criteria.
Armenian genocide.
At France’s behest, the issue of the Armenian genocide was once again
raised. Mr Barnier indicated that France will request in the course
of accession negotiations with Ankara that the issue of “recognition
of the Armenian tragedy” be raised. He suggested that since the
European project is built on the notion of reconciliation with others
and with one’s own past “Turkey must make this gesture”. This demand,
which Mr Bot claims is not covered by the Copenhagen criteria, has
thus far been given short shrift by Turkey which rejects the claim
that the death toll among Armenians in 1915 amounts to a “genocide”.
Parliamentary debates.
The European Parliament is meanwhile expected to vote by a clear
majority at its plenary session on December 15 to adopt the report by
Camiel Eurlings (EPP, Netherlands) on Turkey’s accession, even though
a debate on December 13 confirmed the national differences reflected
in European public opinion. Subject to some 80 amendments, the
European Parliament should adopt a non-binding opinion, the final
decision resting with the December 17 European Council. Echoing the
Commission’s recommendations of October 6, the Eurlings report
proposes opening negotiations without undue delay, whilst listing a
series of conditions that must be met by Turkey, notably recognition
of the Republic of Cyprus and zero tolerance of torture. Whilst
referring to an “open process”, the report does not go so far as to
envisage an alternative to accession. Mr Eurlings is supported within
the EPP by Spanish, Italian and British members, but has been
criticised by the Germans (CDU) and French (UMP). This is not however
likely to sway the outcome since he also enjoys the support of the
Socialists and the Greens.

Financial Times (London, England)
December 15, 2004 Wednesday
London Edition 1
Chirac to defend his backing for Turkey’s talks with EU
By JOHN THORNHILL
PARIS
Jacques Chirac will tonight give a rare television interview to
explain why he favours opening accession talks with Turkey while the
majority of his compatriots oppose the idea.
The French president will have to be at his persuasive best, just two
days before European Union leaders are expected to approve a European
Commission recommendation to start entry talks with Turkey.
An opinion poll published by Le Figaro newspaper this week showed 67
per cent of French voters opposed Turkey’s entry, making France the
most sceptical of the EU’s big countries. Resistance runs even higher
among Mr Chirac’s own party, with 71 per cent of UMP supporters
against Turkish membership.
There are several reasons why Turkey’s admission inflames such debate
in France, ranging from esoteric arguments about the dilution of the
EU’s essence to scarcely veiled Islamophobia on the extreme right.
Many MPs are also angry that Mr Chirac has not allowed them more of a
say on such an important issue. The government allowed a
parliamentary debate in October on Turkey but did not subject itself
to a binding vote.
Sylvie Goulard, a political science professor, says that if Turkey
were admitted to the EU – becoming its biggest and poorest member
state – it would kill the dream of Europe’s founders of an ever
deeper and closer union. The French government’s failure to initiate
a proper debate on this issue has created a public backlash.
“If you want to change the whole European project then you have to
take into account the views of the people,” she says. “But they have
refused until now to talk to the public and that is why they are in a
mess.”
France’s Armenian population, estimated at about 300,000, has also
been influential, highlighting Turkey’s refusal to accept
responsibility for the Armenian genocide of 1915 and Ankara’s poor
human rights record.
The French government has scrambled to mollify public opinion by
insisting that the future is not pre-ordained, that Turkey’s possible
admission is more than a decade away, and that voters will be given
their say on Turkey’s membership in a referendum. French diplomats
have also been exploring the possibility of offering Ankara a
“privileged partnership” with the EU.
Moreover, Michel Barnier, the French foreign minister, has this week
attempted to parry criticisms from the Armenian community by urging
Ankara to face up to its past.
Opinion polls show that many French voters could be persuaded to
change their minds on Turkey’s membership if Ankara fulfilled its
promises to reform over the next decade.
Even Harout Mardirossian, president of the Committee for the Defence
of the Armenian Cause, says it is possible to imagine a thoroughly
reformed Turkey being admitted into the EU. “A Turkey that recognises
the Armenian genocide, a Turkey that accepts the Kurds, a Turkey that
respects human rights and evacuates Cyprus would no longer be the
Turkey we see today. In this sense, we do not want to shut the door
to Turkey.”
But Mr Chirac is staking an enormous amount on Turkey’s ability to
deliver on reform. In the meantime, he risks isolation within his own
party and among the public. His great fear is that the intensity of
the Turkey debate could yet infect next year’s referendum on the EU
constitutional treaty. Turkey’s elite, Page 21

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
December 15, 2004 Wednesday 11:43 AM Eastern Time
Armenia – Russia’s outpost in South Caucasus – Duma speaker
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
Armenia is Russia’s outpost in the South Caucasus, State Duma Speaker
Boris Gryzlov currently on an official visit in the Armenian capital
said on Wednesday.
The speaker of the lower house of Russian parliament discussed with
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan the prospects of Russian-Armenian
relations in view of bilateral political, economic cooperation,
harmonization of the legislation and cooperation on the international
arena, the presidential press service told Itar-Tass.
The Armenian president stressed with satisfaction the considerable
improvement of the trade structure with Russia this year. “The high
level of Russian-Armenian relations allows to achieve more results,”
Gryzlov emphasized.
The interlocutors discussed an upcoming meeting of the
intergovernmental committee on economic cooperation of the countries
in Moscow late in December.terprises that Armenia handed over to
Russia as the repayment of the state debt to Russia.

Tehran Times
Dec 16 2004
Armenia, a good market for Iran gas
TEHRAN (IRIB News) — Chairman of the Expediency Council Akbar
Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Tuesday called for further expansion of
Tehran-Yerevan relations in all fields.
In a meeting with Armenian Ambassador to Tehran Gegham Garibjanian he
called for implementation of the agreements reached between the two
sides.
Stressing the importance of the project to transfer the Iranian gas
to Armenia, Rafsanjani said that by putting into operation the
project Iran will gain access to an appropriate market.
Calling for settlement of the existing dispute between Azerbaijan and
Armenia, he expressed the hope that peace and durable stability will
be established in the entire region through all-out cooperation among
all regional states.
Iran and Armenia share various historical and cultural common points,
the EC chairman said urging the two states to make use of the
existing potentials in both countries.
Appreciating Iran’s efforts in settlement of the regional crises, he
said a powerful and developed Iran is to benefit the entire region.
He further lauded Iran’s economic achievements after the victory of
the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Armenian ambassador to Tehran further called for promotion of
Tehran-Yerevan bilateral relations.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 15, 2004, Wednesday
BUILDING THE ARMY OF THE XXI CENTURY
SOURCE: Krasnaya Zvezda, December 11, 2004, p.1, 4
by Aleksei Ventslovsky
On December 10, Russia(tm)s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met with
defense officials and diplomats accredited to Moscow. The meeting was
held in the Academy of the General Staff. The minister outlined the
major lines and priorities for defense construction in view of the
current international situation.
The priority tasks the minister named for the armed forces include
maintaining a nuclear potential enough to deter aggression and
improve the capacities of permanent combat readiness units. Mr.
Ivanov stressed that Russia makes a point of observing all previously
signed and confirmed international agreements.
In the minister’s words, the five-year defense schedule will be
completed in 2005 though there is ongoing work around drafting
conceptual documents related to this topical issue. The minister paid
particular attention to the concept of defense construction for the
period until 2021, the Scheme of the Russian Army’s construction and
development for the period until 2016, the national armaments program
for the period until 2015, the federal program of establishing
defense facilities across the country for the period until 2025.
The minister also pointed out that the Russian armed forces are
prepared to carry out preventive strikes on terrorist bases in any
place of the world and they will not use nuclear weapons at that.
According to the minister, currently there are up to 200 foreign
mercenaries in Chechnya, but there is no need for the all-out
presence of the armed forces in the republic as the law-enforcement
agencies and the special services backed by the forces deployed on
the permanent basis in the region are capable of counteracting
terrorists by themselves.
In the minister’s words, the strategic missile forces are being
re-equipped with the silo-based Topol-M missile system according to
schedule. The testing of the mobile version of the system and marine
missile system of the new generation “Bulava” is equally successful.
Besides, in the following year the Navy will adopt a nuclear
submarine of the fourth generation “Yury Dolgoruky and the air forces
will adopt two Tu-160 bombers. “A great amount of new and upgraded
defense hardware will also be supplied to the general forces,” Sergei
Ivanov reported. “It is mostly meant for permanent combat readiness
troops. On the whole, meeting the main priorities will make it
possible to establish armed forces that would be able to cope with
the challenges of the XXI century.
Sergei Ivanov made a point of international issues. As he put it,
“whether we want it or not, the armed forces remain the common tool
for achieving political goals and are a very effective means of
combating global security threats, primarily terror and weapons of
mass destruction. The minister emphasized that Russia prefers to use
political, diplomatic and other non-military ways to observe and
protect its interests though it admits it has to possess enough arms
in order to make this protection effective.
The minister observed that participation of Russian battleships in
the NATO Mediterranean Operation Active Endeavor is supposed to
promote the integration of Russia into Europe. We plan to regularly
spare one or two battleships for the operation and a support vessel
from the Black Sea Navy,” he observed. In 2005, this period will
cover three months and in the years to come it may change depending
on the situation and conditions for the operation.”
Regarding the relations between the CIS states Sergei Ivanov remarked
that in 2006 the Russian border troops will pass the authority over
the Tajik-Afghan section of the border to the Tajik forces. However,
the republic(tm)s defense forces can always count on support of the
Russian military base in Tajikistan and a special border defense task
force of Russia’s Federal Security Service that is being established
there at the moment,” he said. It should be mentioned that apart from
Tajikistan, the Russian troops maintain a presence in Georgia,
Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. These troops are equally important for
security of Russia as well as Collective Security Treaty
member-states and the CIS on the whole.
Sergei Ivanov also spoke for establishing a joint Russia-Georgian
body for collaboration in counteracting terrorism. “We might propose
to the Georgian side to set up a counter-terror analytical center on
the basis of the Group of Russia Forces headquarters in Transcaucasia
which is situated in Tbilisi, he said. In Batumi, we can set up a
training center for counter-terror operations on sea and transport
communications. In Akhalkalaki, it is possible to set up a training
center for frontier troops and the emergency ministry staff on the
basis of the 62nd Russian military base.
At the close of the meeting the defense minister answered the
questions of foreign military diplomats.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
December 15, 2004, Wednesday
13:49:44 Central European Time
ROUNDUP: E.U. Parliament votes for Turkish entry, nixes plan ‘B’Eds:
epa photos including 00330317 available
Brussels
The European Parliament on Wednesday voted with a big majority for
Turkey’s entry into the European Union and firmly rejected demands
that Ankara should instead be offered a special relationship. The
vote is not legally binding on European Union (E.U.) leaders who are
meet in Brussels on Thursday and Friday to decide whether and when to
open entry talks with Turkey. But the opinion of the bloc’s only
democratically elected body sends a strong signal of support for
Ankara ahead of the E.U. summit. A total of 407 E.U. lawmakers voted
in favour of Turkey’s membership of the Union, with 262 voting
against accession. The E.U. assembly counts 732 members but not all
deputies participated in the ballot. Reflecting the political
sensitivity of an issue which continues to divide Europeans, some
parts of the resolution on Turkey were voted in by “secret ballot”.
Those asking for such an option said they wanted to “vote freely
according to their conscience,” said Parliament president Josep
Borrell. Members of the parliament’s conservative European People’s
Party were split on how to vote, with the party’s group leader
Hans-Gert Poettering saying he favoured negotiations on a privileged
partnership with Turkey but others backing full accession.
Poettering’s stance reflects the hardline stance taken by the
conservative opposition in Germany which mainly rejects allowing
Turkey to join the E.U. Turks, numbering about 2.4 million in
Germany, comprise the country’s biggest minority. However, socialist
deputies, representing the second largest group in the assembly,
voted in favour of opening talks with Turkey as did most members of
the Liberal Democrat and green groups. “The European Parliament has
given its full support for opening negotiations without undue delay
… we have fully rejected plan ‘B’,” Borrell told reporters. Plan
“B” is generally taken to be an E.U. offer of second class membership
to Ankara, something the Turkish government rejects. Borrell
cautioned, however, that the E.U. assembly had set key conditions
that Turkey would have to meet during the accession talks. These
include more efforts to upgrade the rights of the Kurdish minority
and recognition of the killing of Christian Armenians between 1915
and 1923 as genocide. But the Armenian issue was “not a new
prerequisite” for starting negotiations with Turkey, just a
recognition of historic events, he said. The assembly chief said
Turkey and the E.U. would have to work harder to get to know each
other, adding: “We are all victims of stereotyping and historical
prejudices.” Borrell will be giving E.U. leaders the Parliament’s
message on Dec. 17, the second day of the bloc’s summit. Camiel
Eurlings, a conservative Dutch member of the Parliament who drew up
the report on Turkish accession approved by the assembly, lauded
Ankara’s efforts at reform. But he warned that the Parliament would
continue to exert pressure on Ankara on human rights issues, the
emancipation of women and religious freedoms. “There must be no
torture,” he underlined. European Commission president Jose Manuel
Durao Barroso, is also pressing for the start of negotiations with
Ankara. “This is the time to say yes to opening negotiations with
Turkey, which has made an enormous effort” to meet E.U. criteria,
Barroso said. Barroso said he opposed offering Ankara a watered-down
version of membership, adding: “That would not be fair to the Turks.”
E.U. leaders on Thursday face tough discussions on Turkey, with
France, Austria and Denmark still insisting that the final summit
statement must refer to the fall-back option of a “special
relationship” if membership talks fail. This is strongly opposed by
the leaders of Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy, however. Turkey
will also be asked to recognise (Greek) Cyprus but this will may be
done through Ankara’s extension of its current customs union
arrangement with the E.U. to all ten new members which joined the
bloc in May this year. Turkey has so far refused to do this. If E.U.
leaders do agree to start talks, negotiations are expected to open in
October 2005, once France and other E.U. states have held their
national referendums on the bloc’s new constitution. The process is
expected to be difficult and last 10 to 15 years. The Commission
which will be conducting the talks has said it will keep a vigilant
eye on Turkish reform efforts during this period to ensure there is
no slippage. The two-day summit will be chaired by Dutch Prime
Minister Jan Peter Balkenende whose country holds the current E.U.
presidency. dpa si lm sc