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02/07/2005
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1) French Parliament Head Raises Genocide, Cyprus Issue During Turkey Visit
2) Rice Holds Talks in Turkey, Gives Assurances over Iraq
3) Azeri Officer’s Trial to Begin on February 8
4) Three Men Arrested After Deadly Shootout in Yerevan
5) CBC Radio Provides Platform to Armenian Genocide Deniers, Say Canadian
Armenian Leaders

1) French Parliament Head Raises Genocide, Cyprus Issue During Turkey Visit

ANKARA (Combined Sources)–Heading a French delegation to Turkey last week,
French Parliament Speaker Jean-Louis Debre addressed the Armenian genocide and
Cyprus issues during his meetings with Turkish officials.
With France’s ruling UMP party at odds with its most prominent
member–President Jacques Chirac–on the prospect of Turkey’s full EU
membership, Debre raised the contentious issue of the Armenian genocide during
a meeting with Chairman of the EU Commission in the Turkish Parliament Yasar
Yakis and other parliamentarians.
Debre proposed that an independent international institution conduct
research on the Armenian Genocide, stating it would be the only fair way to
affirm the facts.
An article in Paris’s Le Monde addressed the issue, quoting Debre as
telling
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that “Turkey’s attitude to the Armenian
genocide” of 1915 “poses a real problem for France.”
According to Le Monde, Erdogan’s response was that he was “disappointed” with
“Paris’s position” and “did not know that 400,000 (dead) Armenians could
decide
the referendum” Paris intends to hold on Ankara’s membership bid.
Turkish authorities, the newspaper reported, expressed willingness to
“consider” a proposal which would give an international commission of
historians access to its archives.
Addressing the Cyprus issue, Debre said although it is impossible to stay
indifferent to the request of a country with a population of 71 million to
join
the EU, questions such as Cyprus and Turkey’s human rights record must be
solved.
During a joint news conference with Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc,
Debre assured that both the Armenian genocide and the Cyprus problem were
discussed with Erdogan.
“Everything works more comfortably as long as people are in peace with their
own history,” Debre said.
During his visit, Debre also met with Armenian Patriarch of Turkey Archbishop
Mesrob Mutafyan.
Archbishop Mutafyan expressed, “Together with all the other non-Muslim
minorities in Turkey, our Patriarchal See and the Turkish Armenian community
support the accession of Turkey into the European Union.” He added that
Armenians also support the process in hopes that it might bring the
long-awaited peace not only between Turkey and Armenia, but also among all
countries in the region.

2) Rice Holds Talks in Turkey, Gives Assurances over Iraq

ANKARA (AFP)–US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who held talks with
Turkish leaders in Ankara, was quick to assure wary ally Ankara that its
concerns over the future of neighboring Iraq are not being ignored.
Rice, on a whirlwind tour of eight European capitals, Israel, and the West
Bank, met with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, and was also to hold
talks
with her counterpart Abdullah Gul.
Rice’s visit follows harsh warnings from Ankara that Washington is turning a
blind eye to Kurdish moves in northern Iraq aimed at paving the way for future
Kurdish independence in the region.
The accusations come at a time when the two NATO allies are already
struggling
to repair their ties in the wake of a severe diplomatic crisis prior to Iraq’s
invasion in March 2003, when Ankara stunned Washington by denying US troops
access to Turkish territory to attack Iraq from the north.
“The United States favors a unified Iraq in which the rights of all Iraqis
are
represented and respected,” Rice told NTV television Sunday, with voice-over
translation into Turkish.
While shaping their post-war nation, the Iraqis have the responsibility to
create a country that will live in peace with its neighbors, she said.
The prospect of major Kurdish political gains in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk
following the January 30 elections has irked Ankara, which suspects that the
Kurds want the ethnically mixed city to become the capital of an independent
Kurdish state.
Such a state, Ankara fears, would fuel moves towards independence among the
restive Kurds of adjoining southeast Turkey, sparking regional turmoil.
Rice told NTV that it was up to the Iraqis to decide on the future status of
Kirkuk, but stressed that the ethnically volatile city, which is also home to
Turkish-speaking Turkmens, should be a place where “all Iraqis will live
together without fears.”
She also sought to assure Ankara that Washington was “very determined” to
ensure that Turkish Kurd rebels holed up in the mountains of northern Iraq are
prevented from using the region as a springboard for violence against Turkey.
Ankara has long been frustrated with US reluctance to take military action
against the guerrillas, who found refuge in the enclave prior to the US-led
invasion of Iraq and who last summer ended a five-year unilateral ceasefire
with Turkey.
She said trilateral security meetings between Turkey, Iraq, and the United
States should continue and that the parties should also seek to use
non-military measures, such as cutting off sources of finance for the rebels.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), to which the rebels belong, is considered
a terrorist organization by Washington.
Rice stopped short of pledging military action against the PKK, highlighting
the difficult security situation in other parts of Iraq.
Bilateral differences over Iraq are believed to have increased anti-US
sentiment in Turkey, a strictly secular Muslim nation which Washington has
often praised as a model for co-habitation between democracy and Islam.
However, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has often led the
criticism towards Washington, insisted that Turkish-US ties remained strong.
“Our ties continue with the same maturity and in a positive spirit…at the
level of strategic partnership. We have confirmed this between ourselves,” he
told reporters after talks with Rice late Saturday.
The toughening US policy towards Iran, another troubled neighbor of Turkey,
and efforts to revive the Middle East peace process were also expected to be
high on Rice’s agenda here.
Rice was to hold a news conference with Gul later on Sunday before flying out
to Israel, her next point of call.

3) Azeri Officer’s Trial to Begin on February 8

BAKU (Combined Sources)–The murder trial of Azeri senior lieutenant Ramil
Safarov will begin on February 8 in Budapest, Hungary. Safarov is being tried
for the February 19, 2004 slaying of Armenian serviceman Gurgen Margarian.
Safarov’s attorney, Adil Ismayilov, said that a Hungarian lawyer will join
the
case during the next two days in order to help fend the charges. Margarian’s
family will be represented by Nazeli Vardanyan and Gabriela Kaspar. The
Armenian serviceman’s lawyers will also represent Hayk Makuchyan–a member of
the Armenian military who Safarov attempted to murder. The Azeri officer is
being charged with Article No. 166.2 of the Hungarian Criminal
Court–first-degree murder and attempted murder–for which he could face 10
years to life imprisonment.
In an attempt to partially curb Safarov’s responsibility, Bilal Mirzalioghli
Asadov, Chief Psychologist of Azerbaijan, has asked that the defendant undergo
a psychological examination. Safarov told the count during his previous trial
that he was in an “unconscious” state during the murder. Medical examinations,
however, indicate that he was fully aware of his acts.

4) Three Men Arrested After Deadly Shootout in Yerevan

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenian prosecutors announced on Monday the arrest of three
unidentified men suspected of taking part in a late-night gunfight in Yerevan
that left one person dead and two others seriously wounded.
The spokesman for the Prosecutor-General’s Office, Gurgen Ambarian,
refused to
identify the suspects and comment on possible reasons for the shootout.
The deadly incident occurred late on Friday in the city’s southern outskirts
mainly occupied by Soviet-era idle factories. Television pictures from the
scene showed a bullet-holed car and spent cartridges strewn on the ground.
More
than a dozen cars were reportedly parked in the deserted area when the gunfire
erupted.
Police said three young men were rushed to a nearby hospital as a result. One
of them, aged 30, died shortly afterward, while the two others were
reported to
remain in a critical condition on Monday.
A spokesman for the national Police Service, Zarzand Gabrielian said that two
people who participated in the shootout turned themselves in over the weekend.
He said one of the men surrendered a Kalashnikov rifle and a pistol. It was
unclear whether they were among the detainees mentioned by the prosecutors’
spokesman.
Gabrielian revealed that investigators searched the apartment of the murdered
man and found an arsenal of firearms and ammunition, including eight
Kalashnikovs. He added that law-enforcement authorities have already
“established the identity of a number of suspects” and have already begun to
“interrogate their relatives.” But he declined to give further details of the
case.

5) CBC Radio Provides Platform to Armenian Genocide Deniers, Say Canadian
Armenian Leaders

MONTREAL–The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) demonstrated a lack of
judgment when it failed to invite representatives of the Canadian-Armenian
community to its Feb. 6, Sunday Edition radio program during which, following
discussions of a book on the Armenian genocide, only the Turkish Embassy was
allowed to present its side.
“It’s regrettable that deniers of the Armenian Genocide [Turkish Government]
have been provided with a platform while the representatives of the
Canadian-Armenian community have not been offered the opportunity to
respond to
the Turkish Government’s propaganda,” commented Armenian National Committee of
Canada (ANCC) president, Dr. Girair Basmadjian.
In a 25-minute segment, host Michael Enright interviewed Prof. Taner Akçam,
the author of “From Empire to Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian
Genocide.” Following the interview, Enright read a lengthy statement by the
Turkish Embassy in Ottawa. No such statement, however, was requested from the
Armenian Embassy of Ottawa.
Akçam is one of many Turkish historians to recognize publicly the mass
killings and deportation, in 1915, of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide. His
book represents a scholarly attempt to document the Armenian genocide from the
perpetrator’s, rather than victim’s, perspective. In the interview, Akçam
stated that he has been refused posts in Turkish universities because of his
recognition of the Armenian genocide.
“We commend the CBC and thank Michael Enright for their decision to shed
light
on the Forgotten Genocide of the 20th century, and Prof. Akçam’s scholarly
research. At the same time we were surprised and disappointed to hear Enright
read the Turkish Embassy’s statement that was, as usual, full of historical
fabrications and misinformation–the usual official stance of successive
Turkish governments. To us, it is a sheer error of judgment to confront an
honest academician with a baseless political onslaught, without even giving a
chance for the author to respond,” said Dr. Basmadjian.
The Canadian-Armenian community leader said that it was unfortunate the CBC
provided an opportunity for such a statement from the Turkish Embassy while
not
affording Canadian-Armenians the same opportunity. “Moreover, the statement
was an outright insult to the author, Dr. Akçam, who did not lack courage to
express the historical truth. The Canadians of Armenian origin representing
survivors of the said Genocide are commemorating the 90th anniversary this
year, are insulted by such statements on a respectable broadcasting
corporation
such as the CBC,” added Dr. Basmadjian.
The program also omitted the fact that the Armenian genocide has officially
been recognized by the Senate and House of Commons of Canada in 2002 and 2004
respectively, and by the provincial legislatures of Ontario and Quebec dating
back to 1980.
“Genocide denial out of ignorance or a false sense of “balanced
journalism” or
“political correctness” is irresponsible and only serves to promote
revisionist
policies…Do we provide Holocaust deniers with such courtesies or platforms?”
asked Dr. Basmadjian.
The ANCC is seeking an apology from the CBC to its Armenian listeners and a
promise to afford equal time to the Armenian Embassy in Canada.

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