EU BODY CHIEF CRITICIZED FOR PARTIALITY IN ARMENIA-TURKEY ISSUE

Hurriyet Daily News
May 14 2010
Turkey

The president of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, PACE,
was criticized by Armenian authorities for partiality in carrying
out his official duties in regard to the Armenia-Turkey rapprochement
during his visit to Yerevan on Thursday.

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s opposition party, Armenian
National Congress, HAK, and other major Armenian political forces
expressed "serious concern" about CavuÅ~_oglu’s intention to revive
and lead the work of a PACE subcommittee tasked with facilitating
a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

They claimed that the ad hoc body could not be impartial because
CavuÅ~_oglu’s native country, Turkey, continues to lend strong
and unconditional support to Azerbaijan in the conflict, and cited
pro-Azerbaijani statements made by CavuÅ~_oglu before he was elected
PACE president in January.

The issue apparently also sparked tense exchanges between CavuÅ~_oglu
and representatives of the Prosperous Armenia Party, BHK, a junior
partner in Sarkisian’s governing coalition, and the opposition
Zharangutyun, or Heritage, party. Naira Zohrabian, a senior BHK
lawmaker, called his Karabakh-related intentions "unacceptable."

"I said that since he represents Turkey’s ruling Justice
and Development Party, which has been extremely biased on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during all these years, we are not confident,
with all due respect for Mr. CavuÅ~_oglu, that [the subcommittee]
will not be biased," Zohrabian told RFE/RL. She said the Turkish
parliamentarian was "very offended" by her arguments.

The HAK representatives also voiced strong opposition to any PACE
involvement in the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks mediated by the
United States, Russia and France under the OSCE aegis.

Speaking at the news conference, CavuÅ~_oglu insisted that the decision
to resume discussions on the conflict was made by the PACE leaders
months before he was elected to run the assembly. He also argued that
the subcommittee in question was formed in 2005 in accordance with
a PACE resolution on Karabakh.

"All the member countries of the Assembly have to abide by the Assembly
resolutions," CavuÅ~_oglu said. "But we are also pragmatic.

Especially when there are different opinions on an issue." He added
that he will take the Armenian concerns into account even if he does
not agree with them.

CavuÅ~_oglu also commented on his decision not to visit an Armenian
memorial of the events of 1915 in Yerevan, which led the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, Dashnaktsutyun, to cancel a planned meeting
with him. "I respect your opinions, but everybody has to respect my
decision," he said.

On his visit he also met with President Serge Sarkisian, leaders of
Armenia’s leading political forces as well as local civil society
representatives during his two-day visit.

Speaking at a concluding news conference in Yerevan, CavuÅ~_oglu
singled out the need to end electoral fraud in Armenia.

"It is very important that the next elections that will be held in
Armenia in 2012 meet the highest European standards," he said. "This
will show your citizens and us that Armenia has turned a dark page of
its recent past and is determined to move forward in its democratic
transformation."

CavuÅ~_oglu said this as well as a reform of Armenia’s judicial and
law-enforcement systems would address the political fallout from the
2008 post-election strife in Yerevan and prevent a repeat of such
dramatic events.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress