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12/14/2004
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1) Cypriot President, ARF Meet on Turkey’s EU Entry
2) An Appeal to the Armenian-American Community of the Western US
3) Armenian Youth Protest Scheduled at Consul General of Netherlands
4) ACTION ALERT
5) Armenia Hails French Push for Turkish Recognition of Genocide
6) BRIEFS
7) Correction
1) Cypriot President, ARF Meet on Turkey’s EU Entry
NICOSIA (Yerkir)–Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau
representative
Hrant Margarian and the President of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos met on Tuesday
to discuss Turkey’s aspirations to join the European Union (EU).
Cyprus warned its European Union partners last week that it may veto the
start
of accession talks with Turkey if the latter continues to resist calls to
recognize Cyprus.
Margarian briefed President Papadopoulos on the ARF’s position concerning
Turkey’s bid to join the EU, and called on Cyprus to maintain a steadfast
position regarding the possibility of Turkey commencing EU accession
negotiations. He also said he expected Cyprus to raise, within the EU, the
issue of Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian genocide.
The ARF delegation was composed of ARF Western Europe Central Committee (CC)
representative Murad Papazian, ARF Greece CC representative Krikor Erchanian,
European Armenian Federation Chairwoman Hilda Tchoboian, ARF Cyprus
organization representative Vahan Aynedjian, and Armenian National
Committee of
Cyprus Chairman Antranig Ashjian.
The delegation later met with the president of the Cyprus Socialist Party
(EDEK) and other officials.
The Cypriot government has demanded full recognition before Turkey’s
accession
talks commence. Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 in reaction to a Greek-inspired
coup in Nicosia and has kept 35,000 troops on the divided island ever since.
The warning that Nicosia may “have no other option” but to use its veto at a
December 16-17 summit of EU heads of state was issued at a meeting of the EU
ambassadors of the bloc’s 25 member countries in Brussels last Wednesday.
Turkey recognizes only the Turkish Cypriot enclave in north Cyprus, while the
rest of the world views the Greek Cypriot government in the south, which
joined
the EU in May, as the sole legitimate representative of the whole island.
2) An Appeal to the Armenian-American Community of the Western US
On Thursday December 16, the European Union (EU) will convene a two day summit
in the Belgium capital of Brussels, during which time Turkey’s accession to
the
body will be discussed. The European Armenian Federation for Justice and
Democracy (EAFJD) has organized a demonstration in an attempt to voice the
Armenian community’s position on the matter.
Turkey’s EU bid is not merely a concern to the European-Armenian community.
Rather, it affects Armenians throughout the world. For this reason, we ask
Armenian-Americans to contact any relatives or friends they may have in
Europe,
and specifically in the city of Brussels, and urge them to attend the planned
demonstration. The Armenian community must make sure that its concerns are
clearly heard in Brussels.
For detailed information about the demonstration, please visit
<;, or contact the organization’s
representatives directly at contact@eafjd.org, or (32) 02-732-70-26.
3) Armenian Youth Protest Scheduled at Consul General of Netherlands
LOS ANGELES–European Union leaders will meet in Brussels on Thursday and
Friday to decide on whether to set a date for Turkey’s membership negotiations
into the Union.
The Armenian National Committee of Europe has undertaken efforts to
organize a
massive demonstration in Brussels on December 17 to oppose Turkey’s
membership.
Armenians from throughout Europe are expected to join that protest to present
the demands of the Armenian people.
In joining those efforts, as well as other protests that are scheduled to
take
place throughout the diaspora, the Armenian Youth Federation will stage a
peaceful protest at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Los Angeles at
3 p.m. on Thursday, December 16.
Armenian youth are expected to present a letter to the Consul General of the
Netherlands to convey their opposition to Turkish EU membership based on
specific Armenian and human rights concerns. The Dutch currently head the
European Union presidency.
The Consul General of the Netherlands is located at 11766 Wilshire Boulevard
(Wilshire and Granville) in Los Angeles.
4) ACTION ALERT
Send ANCA WebFax to key EU Members today
Urge EU to Reject Turkey’s Membership Bid
On December 17th, the European Council will vote on whether to begin
discussions on Turkey’s accession to the European Union.
Take one minute to send a free ANCA WebFax to key European leaders urging
them
to reject Turkey’s bid because of its denial of the Armenian Genocide;
occupation of Cyprus; blockade of Armenia; and human rights abuses.
–Log onto ANCA.org
–Click on first Action Alert item urging “EU to Reject Turkey’s Membership
Bid”
–Simply in your name, address and information, and click on “Send Message.”
Your ready fax will automatically be forwarded to the following:
Colin L. Powell, US Secretary of State
John Bruton, EU Commission’s Ambassador to US
Javier Solana, Secretary General of the Council of the EU
Arlette Conzemius, Luxembourg Ambassador to US (Luxembourg will take over the
EU presidency in January 2005)
Boudewijn Johannes van Eenennaam, Dutch Ambassador to US (Dutch hold current
EU presidency)
Jean-David Levitte, French Ambassador to US
Euripides Euriviades, Cypriot Ambassador to US
5) Armenia Hails French Push for Turkish Recognition of Genocide
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–Armenia praised France on Tuesday for pledging to seek
Turkish recognition of the 1915 genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
during anticipated negotiations on Turkey’s membership of the European Union.
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said he believes Ankara’s refusal to open the
Turkish-Armenian border will also be on the agenda of the accession talks.
“In the course of the accession negotiations, France will ask for recognition
of the tragedy at the outset of the 20th century,” French Foreign Minister
Michel Barnier said late Monday. Barnier referred to the 1915-1923 mass
killings and deportations of some 1.5 million Ottoman Armenians which France’s
parliament recognized as genocide in 2001.
“Armenia certainly welcomes the statement,” Oskanian told reporters in
Yerevan. “It once again shows that the issue of the Armenian Genocide is now a
truly global issue.”
Barnier made the comments in Brussels after attending a meeting of the
foreign
ministers of EU member states. They discussed preparations for this week’s EU
summit, which is expected to give the green light for the start of formal
negotiations on Turkish entry into the bloc.
Turkey was quick to reject the French calls which could complicate its
decades-long efforts to join the EU. “Our position is well-known. We do not
recognize any so-called genocide and we will never recognize it,” a Foreign
Ministry spokesman in Ankara told Reuters.
Barnier clarified on Tuesday that France does not regard Turkish recognition
of the genocide as a precondition for EU membership. “But when the time comes,
Turkey should face up to the requirement of remembrance over this tragedy at
the beginning of the century, which affected hundreds of thousands of
Armenians,” he told French television, according to the Associated Press. “The
European project itself is founded on the idea of reconciliation.
“We have 10 years to ask it; the Turks have 10 years to think about their
response,” he added.
France is home to Europe’s largest and most influential ethnic Armenian
community, which has been lobbying Paris hard to link Turkey’s EU entry to
genocide recognition. Western commentators suggest that Barnier’s statements
are also meant to reassure the broader French public overwhelmingly opposed to
Turkish membership.
Armenia’s government has also voiced strong objections, citing Ankara’s
continuing denial of the genocide and, more importantly, its refusal to open
the border and establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan without any
preconditions. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan listed Armenian
efforts at genocide recognition among those preconditions in a newspaper
interview last October.
Oskanian raised the issue in meetings last week with senior EU officials,
among them External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn. “Our efforts in recent months seem to be
yielding positive results,” he said.
“Both the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border and the Armenian Genocide
have really become issues of interest to the European Union…I have reason to
be confident that those issues will be on the agenda of the accession talks.”
6) BRIEFS
Germany Opposes “Watered Down” EU Turkey Talks
BRUSSELS (Reuters)–Germany insisted that 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.
“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.
German Firm Takes over Armenian Mining Giant
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–The government clarified on Tuesday terms of the sale of
Armenia’s largest metallurgical complex to a German-led consortium of private
investors, saying that they will pay $132 million, not $40 million as was
initially understood. The latter figure was mentioned in a government
statement
last week announcing the country’s biggest privatization deal since 1998.
Officials said it only reflected the face value of the Zangezur Copper and
Molybdenum Combine’s stock.
The industrial giant, located near the south-eastern town of Kajaran,
comprises mines and an ore-enrichment plant. The clarification was made during
the signing of the takeover agreement by Trade and Economic Development
Minister Karen Chshmaritian and the chairman of Germany’s Chronimet firm,
Guenter Pilarski. Chronimet will directly own 60 percent of the Kajaran
complex
and control another 15 percent through the Yerevan-based smelter Makur Yerkat
where it holds a controlling share.
OSCE to Sponsor New Armenian Police Unit
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) plans to sponsor a new Western-style police force in Armenia that will
embody higher standards of efficiency and moral integrity, the head of its
Yerevan office announced on Tuesday.
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin said the “municipal public police” will be
modeled on Swedish police and will operate in Yerevan as part of a $2 million
project designed by the OSCE. He said the unit will be staffed with new
officers to be taught Western standards of policing at Armenia’s main police
academy. European instructors will teach them, among other things, that “it is
inadmissible to get bribes when you are on duty and regulate traffic,” he
added.
Speaker of Russia’s State Duma Visits Armenia
YEREVAN (Arminfo)–Speaker of Russia’s State Duma Boris Gryzlov arrived in
Yerevan on December 14 for a three day visit. During his stay, he is scheduled
to meet with his Armenian counterpart Artur Bagdasarian, President Robert
Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, His Holiness Armenians Karekin
II.
IMF Agrees Fresh Turkey Funding
ANKARA (BBC)–Turkey has agreed a draft proposal with the International
Monetary Fund to borrow $10 billion, extending its ongoing financial support
until 2007. Turkey’s current $18.6 billion loan agreement with the IMF expires
in February and the new follow-on deal would see it get fresh support between
2005 and 2007.
In return for the funding, Turkey would be expected to keep inflation under
control and introduce market reforms. Turkey’s economy has steadily recovered
from a severe crisis in 2001. Rodrigo de Rato, the IMF’s managing director,
said the loan agreement would help to improve Turkish economic prospects by
cutting its debt and stimulating growth.
France Shows off Tallest Bridge
PARIS (BBC)–The world’s highest road bridge has been inaugurated in southern
France by President Jacques Chirac. When the bridge opens in 2005, cars
traveling from Paris to Barcelona will sail over the Tarn valley in southern
France at a height of nearly 250 meters, cutting journey times on one of
Europe’s busiest roads. The Millau bridge is more than 300m (984ft)
high–taller even than the country’s Eiffel Tower.
“The bridge is just on the clouds,” said Millau Mayor Jacques Godfrain. The
French construction group Eiffage, which built the Eiffel Tower, financed the
project in return for the right to collect receipts from a bridge toll for 75
years.
Azeri President Urges International Effort in Karabagh Resolution
YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev called on the
Council of Europe, the European Union, and the United Nations to do more to
help settle the Karabagh conflict.
Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs December 13 during a
visit to London, Aliyev said he remains committed to seek a peaceful solution
to the Karabagh conflict with the help of the OSCE. He stressed, however, that
other international organizations should play a more active role in the
negotiation process. He also added that Azerbaijan would never agree to
“annexation” of its territories and would do everything to “liberate” its
lands.
7) Correction:
In the article “ANCC Speaks out on Escalating Violence against Armenians in
Iraq,” which appeared in the December 14 issue of Asbarez, we erroneously
referred to the “December 7 bombings of Kabul’s Armenian and Chaldean
churches,” instead of Mosul’s churches.
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