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10/06/2005
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1) French Insurance Company Agrees to Pay $17 Million to Genocide Heirs
2) Kurd Rebels End Ceasefire against Turkey
3) His Holiness Meets with Canadian Prime Minister
4) Turkey’s Erdogan to Chirac: keep it to yourself
5) His Holiness Aram I arrives in Los Angeles

1) French Insurance Company Agrees to Pay $17 Million to Genocide Heirs

LOS ANGELES–The French Insurance Company Axa has agreed to pay $17 million to
descendants of life insurance policyholders who perished during the Armenian
genocide.
The unofficial announcement came on October 2 by prominent Los Angeles
attorney Mark Geragos, one of the attorneys, along with Vartkes Yeghiayan and
Brian Kabateck who filed a class action lawsuit in a California federal court
against Axa.
Though the judge in the case has not signed the deal, he has agreed to the
$17
million settlement.
Geragos made the announcement during a USC Institute of Armenian Studies
banquet honoring Federal Judge Dickran Tevrizian who mediated the settlement.
Of the $17 million, up to $11 million will go to the heirs of close to 11,000
life insurance policyholders; $3 million to various Armenian non-profits; and
$3 million for attorneys fees. A French-Armenian non-profit will process and
pay the claims, and will receive funds leftover after claimants are paid.
The Axa settlement follows a similar agreement with New York Life Insurance
Company in early 2004. New York Life agreed to pay $20 million which was to be
disbursed as follows: Up to $11 million for the heirs of 2,400 life insurance
policyholders who perished during the Armenian genocide; $3 million for nine
Armenian-American charitable and religious organizations; $2 million for
administrative expenses; and $4 million for attorneys fees.

2) Kurd Rebels End Ceasefire against Turkey

DIYARBAKIR(Reuters)–Kurdish rebels said on Thursday they had ended a
unilateral ceasefire against Turkey and said that now the European Union had
opened entry talks with Ankara this was a problem not for Turkey but for the
whole EU.
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels declared a one-month ceasefire in
their fight against Turkish security forces in August and extended it till
Oct.
3, the day Ankara won EU approval to start accession negotiations.
But Turkey’s government and armed forces ignored the call, just as they have
ignored all previous ceasefires, and military operations against the rebels in
the mainly Kurdish southeast continued unabated, the PKK said.
“It is certain that the Kurdish people will use their legitimate right of
active defense and democratic resistance to protect themselves and their
national honor against the increasing operations of destruction by the Turkish
state,” said a PKK statement.
The PKK’s ceasefire appeared to be an effort to get their case onto the
political agenda during sensitive negotiations leading up to Turkey’s Oct. 3
date for the start of entry talks. But the move was met with little success.
“The lack of any mention in the EU’s negotiation framework agreement of a
solution to the Kurdish problem, or even a single word about the continuing
low-intensity war, is an endorsement of the Turkish state’s policy of denial,”
said the statement quoted by the Germany-based Mesopotamia news agency
which is
close to the rebels.
“With the start of the negotiations the Kurdish problem is no longer just
Turkey’s problem, it is now a basic problem of the EU,” the PKK statement
said.

But it made no mention of attacking European targets. More than 30,000
people,
most of them Kurds, have been killed since the PKK took up arms in 1984 to
fight for self-rule in Turkey’s southeast.

3) His Holiness Meets with Canadian Prime Minister

OTTAWA–During a lengthy meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, His
Holiness Aram I, thanked the Canadian government and people on behalf of the
Armenian community of Canada for their consistent support. He emphasized that
the Armenian community of Canada fully participates in advancing the
country in
various fields.
Topics discussed included Lebanon’s Armenian Community, and relations between
the Republic of Armenia and Canada. The Pontiff also spoke about Canadian
Parliament’s recognition of the Armenian genocide last year, calling it a
“tangible expression of Canada’s stance on defending justice and human
rights.”
Prime Minister Martin praised the Armenian community of Canada, highlighting
their contribution to various sectors of Canadian society.
He also said that he hoped relations and cooperation between Armenia and
Canada would develop with time.
The Prime Minister asked His Holiness about his views on the political
situation of the Middle East, particularly Lebanon. The latter detailed
Lebanon’s current political climate, along with that of the region, saying he
hoped Canada would take a more active role there.
His Holiness presented the Canadian PM a book about the treasures of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia, rescued from the Armenian Genocide.
The delegation at the October 4 meeting with Prime Minister Martin included
Archbishop Khajag Hagopian (Prelate of Canada), Hagop Der Khatchadourian
(Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) Bureau member), Dr. Vahram
Ehramdjian (ARF Central Committee of Canada), Apkar Mirakian (ANC of Canada)
and Krikor Koyoumdjian (Canadian Armenian National Assembly).

4) Turkey’s Erdogan to Chirac: keep it to yourself

ANKARA(AFP)–Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan chided French
president Jacques Chirac Wednesday for having said that Turkey needed a
“cultural revolution” before it could join the European Union.
“Mr. Chirac should keep his opinions on this issue to himself,” Erdogan said.
“Turkey undertakes its cultural revolutions by itself when it needs to… There
is nothing for Mr. Chirac to worry about, he should calm down.”
The French president, a cautious supporter of Turkey’s EU bid, expressed
doubts Tuesday on whether this mainly Muslim country would ever be able to
join
the bloc, saying membership would require “a considerable effort… a major
cultural revolution”.
In an interview with NTV television, Erdogan, said tongue-in-cheek: “I should
first speak to him (Chirac) and learn what cultural revolution (is required),
then we will make the necessary changes.”
He then got serious: “We have very substantial cultural dynamics, a very rich
culture. We will take forward our friendship with them (the EU), preserving
these cultural riches.
“Our friends should keep in mind that we will say OK if this cultural
revolution means integration, but if it means assimilation, they should not
expect that from us,” Erdogan said.
Turkey began official membership talks with the EU on Tuesday after fierce
wrangling on its accession terms, which underscored the increasing
hostility in
European public opinion to the admission of this relatively poor country of
some 72 million.

5) His Holiness Aram I arrives in Los Angeles

His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia arrived in Los
Angeles on Wednesday, kicking off a 15-day Pontifical Visit to region.
Hundreds
gathered to officially welcome his Holiness, who performed ‘Hrashapar’ service
at Hollywood’s St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church. Among the many events
planned in the Los Angeles Area, His Holiness will also be visiting the Fresno
and San Francisco Armenian communities.

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