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08/22/2005
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1) Sense of Justice Has No Equal
2) Truth First, Then Reconciliation Says Visiting Howard Dean
3) Lake Sevan Sets Stage for Kocharian, Saakashvili Informal Talks
4) Kurdish Rebel Ceasefire Meets with Chilly Reaction in Turkey
5) ECHR Fines Turkey for ‘Freedom of Expression’
1) Sense of Justice Has No Equal
Azeri Oil Money Does Not Intimidate Armenia Says Oskanian
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–In a strongly worded statement released over the weekend,
Armenia said that Azerbaijan’s planned military buildup would not force
Armenia
into making increased concessions in negotiating the Mountainous Karabagh
conflict.
The statement came in response to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s pledge to
boost his country’s military budget by 70 percent through multimillion-dollar
proceeds from its soaring oil exports. Aliyev said in a speech last Tuesday
that increases in Azeri military spending will eventually force Armenians to
make more compromises on Karabagh
But in his written statement, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
point-blank stated: “They can neither seduce nor, worse, scare us with their
oil. Armenia always has the ability to militarily counter any Azerbaijani
military budget. In fact, the advantage that Armenians have over Azerbaijan is
not in military expenditures or arms, but in the justness of the cause.”
Oskanian also said that Azeris will always lack the motivation to win back
Mountainous Karabagh, and that the international community has come to terms
with Armenian control over Karabagh.
“Armenians believe that the Mountainous Karabagh cause is just, and in
case of
war, they will be fighting for their own homes and land. This is not what the
Azerbaijanis did or would do,” he said.
“It would be better for Azerbaijan to compete not militarily, but engage in
healthy economic and political competition,” said Oskanian. “And in those
realms, today, Azerbaijan is far from challenging Armenia or even Mountainous
Karabagh.”
The chief of the Armenian army staff, Colonel-General Mikael Harutiunian,
also
brushed aside Aliyev’s threats on Monday. “I think they ought to invest that
money in the socio-economic development of their country and people who are
poor and starving,” he said.
Harutiunian also warned that the Armenian side “will not stay idle” either.
“We are also preparing and although we are not going to invest big money, we
will invest enough,” he said without elaborating.
The latest round of war of words between Armenia-Azerbaijan comes on the eve
of Aliyev’s talks in Russia with President Robert Kocharian, which
international mediators say could mark a turning point in the long-running
efforts to broker a solution to the Karabagh dispute. Oskanian and Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will meet in Moscow on Wednesday to prepare
for those talks.
Speaking to journalists in Baku on Friday, Aliyev said although the
conflicting parties have made serious progress towards a peaceful settlement
there are still “serious differences.” He claimed that they have been
discussing a “step-by-step” peace accord that would indefinitely delay
agreement on Karabakh’s status.
But Oskanian denied this, saying that the Armenia is only ready to accept a
“package” deal that “may be implemented in stages.” He also said the
international community is “assessing the situation more realistically” than
Azerbaijan. “The international trend regarding conflicts–East Timor,
developments around Kosovo, the Sudan Agreement–all these developments
demonstrate that the international community today is leaning towards greater
respect for the right of peoples to self-determination,” he said.
2) Truth First, Then Reconciliation Says Visiting Howard Dean
YEREVAN (ANCA/RFE-RL)–Former US presidential candidate Howard Dean ended a
two-day visit to Armenia this weekend with a pledge to drum up greater support
among fellow Democrats in US Congress to pass legislation recognizing the
Armenian genocide.
Dean, who now heads the Democratic National Committee, criticized the Bush
administration for its failure to publicly refer to the 1915-1918 mass
killings
and deportations of Armenians as a genocide. He said Washington should not
fear
antagonizing the government of Turkey, a key US ally, which strongly denies
the
Genocide occurred.
“The truth is that the Armenian genocide took place 90 years ago,” the former
governor of Vermont told reporters after laying a wreath at Yerevan’s hilltop
memorial to some 1.5 million victims of the genocide. “Over a million people
were killed. There is no question that the United States should recognize
this.”
“Sometimes facts are inconvenient,” he said, commenting on the Bush
administration’s stance on the issue. “It is true that the Turks are great
friends and allies of ours, but every country does things wrong once in a
while. Our country enslaved millions of Africans for a long time. So we
have to
look back at the past. If you want to have reconciliation, you first have to
have the truth.”
Dean pledged to recognize the Armenian genocide during his unsuccessful
campaign to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination in the last elections.
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, who unexpectedly defeated Dean in the
Democratic primaries, gave similar promises.
Dean grinned when asked whether he thinks the US would have already
recognized
the genocide if Bush had failed to win reelection. “There is no way of knowing
that,” he said. “I believe that the Democratic Party has to deal with what the
facts are. And the facts are that a genocide occurred. You can’t pretend that
it didn’t happen.”
Dean went on to express his support for a draft congressional resolution that
calls on Bush to “accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate
annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide” in his annual messages to the
US-Armenian community. “The Democrats do not control the House [of
Representatives] or the Senate or, unfortunately, the White House,” he said.
“But when I get home I will be speaking with the Democratic leadership of the
House and ask them to support this resolution. And if we get a few Republicans
we can pass it.”
The Armenian Genocide Resolution, which was formally introduced on June 14 by
Representatives George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and
Congressional
Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI),
calls on the President Bush to ensure US foreign policy reflects appropriate
understanding of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution includes thirty
detailed
findings from past US hearings, resolutions, and Presidential statements, as
well as references to statements by international bodies and organizations.
Dean, who many Democrats hope will help to revive their party’s fortunes,
said
that the existence of the influential Armenian-American community was a key
reason for his decision to visit Armenia. His meetings on Friday with
President
Robert Kocharian and other senior officials in Yerevan were organized by the
Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The meetings focused on US-Armenian
relations and the situation in the region.
“It is very important for us in the United States to have a strong Armenia,”
said Dean. “We want Armenia to succeed as a democratic state and I think
Armenia has done well in the last ten years. There is more that needs to be
done, but I’m very pleased by the progress and I hope the progress will
continue.”
3) Lake Sevan Sets Stage for Kocharian, Saakashvili Informal Talks
LAKE SEVAN–President Robert Kocharian met with his Georgian counterpart
Mikhail Saakashvili at a popular Armenian resort on Monday for informal talks,
according to a presidential source.
Sources in the Armenian presidential administration said that Saakashvili
arrived in Yerevan on Sunday and joined Kocharian at his summer retreat on the
shore of Lake Sevan. His Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili later joined
them.
The last meeting between the two leaders took place at a Georgian ski resort
last April, when they discussed tensions in Georgia’s impoverished Javakhk
region, which is mostly Armenian-populated. According to a Russian news
agency,
the situation in Javakhk was again on their agenda.
The Armenian and Georgian prime ministers paid a joint visit to the restive
region late last month, promising joint efforts to alleviate socioeconomic
problems. The Georgian premier Zurab Noghaideli announced his government will
use additional U.S. assistance that will be provided to Georgia to rebuild the
local roads and other infrastructure.
Speaking to a group of Armenian journalists last week, Saakashvili called for
the establishment of closer economic ties between the two neighboring
countries. “Developing without each other would not be rational, natural or
right,” he said.
4) Kurdish Rebel Ceasefire Meets with Chilly Reaction in Turkey
ANKARA (AFP)–Turkish officials snubbed a decision by the rebel Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) for a one-month ceasefire, as analysts predicted no
breakthroughs in the conflict that continues to burden Ankara as it prepares
for accession talks with the European Union.
The PKK’s decision to stop armed action until September 20 followed a
landmark
pledge by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week to resolve the Kurdish
problem with “more democracy” and mounting calls by civic groups on the PKK to
lay down arms.
Government officials refused to comment on the cancellation of a news
conference by the PKK’s political wing KONGRA-GEL, which was scheduled to take
place in Belgium. Kurdish sources, however, described the move as Turkish
pressure on Belgium.
The PKK has fought Ankara since 1984, and is blacklisted as a terrorist group
by Turkey as well as the EU and the United States.
“It is out of the question for us to comment on this issue,” said Akif Beki,
Erdogan’s spokesman.
A senior foreign ministry official, who requested anonymity, stated that
“those people are terrorists and it is not possible for us to qualify their
actions either as positive or negative.”
Ankara has meticulously avoided any move that could imply recognition of the
PKK.
“We will closely watch the developments in this one-month period. We will
give
time to Prime Minister Erdogan’s well-intended efforts,” KONGRA-GEL head
Zubeyir Aydar told the pro-Kurdish MHA news agency.
The PKK has markedly intensified attacks on the army in the past several
months since calling off a five-year unilateral truce in June 2004 on the
grounds that Ankara did not respond in kind.
Turkish officials have also blamed the PKK for several deadly bomb blasts in
Istanbul and tourist resorts, but the rebels have denied responsibility,
putting the blame on a radical splinter group.
In Diyarbakir, the central city of the mainly Kurdish southeast, Kurdish
activists who had urged an unconditional truce expressed disappointment with
the one-month ceasefire but kept their hopes alive that it could help build
confidence between Ankara and the rebels.
“The announcement falls short of our expectations, but a partial ceasefire
will end the fighting and should be seen as a beginning, an opening for a
resolution of the conflict,” Mesut Bestas, a senior local politician, told
AFP.
Analysts were less optimistic.
Political scientist Dogu Ergil said the PKK move was “political blackmail”
aimed at extracting concessions from Ankara as it gears up for accession talks
with the EU on October 3.
“The PKK has no genuine political agenda,” he said. “Its real concern is to
secure an amnesty for its militants and get [jailed PKK leader Abdullah]
Ocalan
out of prison.”
Ismet Berkan, editor-in-chief of the Radikal daily, said the army was
unlikely
to stop cracking down on the PKK, which would give the rebels an easy pretext
to renew armed action.
“It is inconceivable for the army to stop operations against militants up in
the mountains who possess hundreds of kilograms of explosives and mines,” he
wrote in anticipation of the ceasefire announcement.
The conflict has claimed some 37,000 lives since 1984, when the PKK took up
arms for Kurdish self-rule in the southeast.
The brutal state response led to gross human rights breaches on both sides
and
opened a wide confidence gap between Ankara and the Kurds, who make up about a
fifth of Turkey’s 70-million population.
Anxious to boost its EU membership bid, Ankara has ended 15 years of
emergency
rule in the southeast and allowed the Kurdish language to be taught at private
courses and used in public broadcasts over the past several years.
Even though the reforms are believed to have diminished popular support for
the PKK, Kurdish activists say Ankara should further expand the minority’s
freedoms.
5) ECHR Fines Turkey for ‘Freedom of Expression’
STRASBOURG (BIA)– The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) handed Turkey a
fine of 400,000 dollars in damages so far this year in legal cases about
freedom of expression and fair trial. The court fined Turkey 166,000
dollars in
similar cases last year.
The ECHR ruled that Turkey should pay 20,500 dollars in damages to Socialist
Part (SP) leader Dogu Perincek; a total of 36,100 dollars to Gunluk Emek
newspaper’s chief editor Ahmet Ergin and owner Halit Keskin, and 116,200
dollars to Ilkay Adali, the wife of journalist Kutlu Adali who was killed in
northern Cyprus, among other people.
Since 2004, Turkey has been fined 557,554 dollars in damages for violating
article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which oversees freedom
of expression, article 6/1, which calls for a fair trial, and article 2, which
concerns not “investigating enough” journalist deaths.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress