Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Regnum, Russia
Feb 9 2007

Ankara expects US Congress to recognize the Armenian Genocide,
Armenia is increasing lobbying

Possibility of a breakthrough in improving the Armenian-Turkish
relations that appeared after murder of Hrant Dink was taken by the
Turkish side to the background, after Resolution 106 was introduced
to the US House of Commons, Armenia’s deputy defense minister Arman
Kirakosyan announced at a news conference on February 9, saying that
up to the present moment, Turkey directed all its effort at blocking
the resolution.

Meanwhile, as Kirakosyan said, Armenia was not going to be twiddling
its thumbs and it would use all resources to increase lobbying. To
pass the resolution, at present moment favorable conditions are
established by Armenia, in particular, a democratic majority at the
Congress. And while Turkey is doing it best to prevent from passing
the resolution, the presidential administration, in its turn, will
try to do its best not to worsen the Turkey-USA relations," he said.

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul arrived on an official
visit to Washington after the draft resolution on recognizing the
Armenian Genocide with the aim to persuade US authorities not to pass
the resolution. However, US Congress Chair Nancy Pelosi refused to
have a meeting with him citing time constraints. While meeting US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Turkish minister said that
passing the resolution was not `a political issue,’ but could `pose
threat’ the Turkish-American relations. `We cooperate in very
complicated fields, fight side by side against common problems. But
if the Congress passes the resolution, it would be a shock,’ the
Turkish minister said, assuring, however, that they in Turkey are
disclosing archives and examine the problem on their own. At the
same, commenting on the statement, US State Department Spokesman Sean
McCormack announced that the US Congress is an independent
institution, but the US authorities can inform congressmen on the
Turkish position on the issue.

TARIFFS FOR PAID BROADCAST OF PREELECTION CAMPAIGN ARE RATHER HIGH,
WHICH GENERATES COMPETITION, OYP VICE-CHAIRMAN DECLARES

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The price for one minute of paid
broadcast on Public Television, 80 thousand drams (nearly 222 USD)
within the framework of preelection campaign is rather high. Mher
Shahgeldian, RA National Assembly Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law)
faction member, OYP Vice-Chairman expressed such opinion at the
February 9 press briefing. He said that high tariffs generate
competition, "as here we deal with not political approaches, not
ideas, not program principles, but financial problem." The MP assured
that OYP will use all legal possibilities for agitation campaign, but
found it difficult to say in advance how much it will use paid
broadcast. In M. Shahgeldian’s words, OYP "is a political force
financed with participation of its members" and it does not receive
any financing from outside.

DINK MURDER PROBE WIDENS TO INCLUDE CHIEF OF POLICE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 8 2007

The chief police official of Ýstanbul may face an investigation
over an alleged failure to follow up a tip-off about a plot to kill
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, news reports said Wednesday.

On Monday, the Interior Ministry sacked Ýstanbul Police Intelligence
Chief Ahmet Ýlhan Guler as part of an ongoing probe over allegations
that the security organizations failed to take measures that could
have saved Dink’s life.

The dismissal of Guler was received with suspicion in the media,
which said he apparently "sacrificed" himself to save Istanbul Police
Chief Celalettin Cerrah. Guler reportedly told inspectors that he had
received the tip-off from a police informant about plans to kill Dink
some 11 months before the murder but had never reported it to Cerrah
because he thought the information was not reliable.

Inspectors investigating the allegations have asked for permission to
launch a preliminary investigation into Cerrah and Interior Minister
Abdulkadir Aksu swiftly gave the authorization, daily Sabah said.

Cerrah may face a full investigation if the preliminary investigation
results show this is necessary.

Dink, editor of the bilingual Agos daily, was gunned down in broad
daylight on Jan. Dink was tried and sentenced to a six-month suspended
imprisonment for an article he wrote about an alleged genocide of
Armenians and the Armenian diaspora’s attitude toward it.

Some five policemen and five members of the gendarmerie have been
dismissed in a separate investigation launched after a leak to the
media of scandalous footage showing members of both the police and
gendarmerie posing for souvenir photos with Samast at a police station
in Samsun, where Samast had been arrested after a nationwide manhunt.

Newspapers reported that the gendarmerie had also been given the
same tip-off about the plot to kill Dink, but it also ignored the
warning. News reports said yesterday that one of the suspects in the
case, 24-year-old Yasin Hayal who has earlier confessed to inciting
the murder, has changed his initial testimony and said Erhan Tuncel,
the police informant who reportedly gave the tip-off to the police
and gendarmerie, had incited the killing. Tuncel is one of the chief
suspects in the case and is currently in jail.

–Boundary_(ID_JLv77Jiu6XK74cFDvM4ARA)–

V. AYVAZYAN IS NOT A COMPETITOR FOR ‘POWERFUL MOTHERLAND’

Panorama.am
18:59 06/02/2007

"The position of our party regarding the coming elections will become
clear only during our forthcoming congress. We cannot say anything
concrete today", asked by a correspondent of Panorama.am whether the
information that two leading persons of "Powerful Motherland" party
will be included in the proportional list of "Prosperous Armenia"
party is true, Deputy Chairman of "Powerful Motherland" party,
Chairman of "Javakhk" union, Shirak Torosyan answered.

He is sure that "Union of Vir-Armenians" headed by RA Minister of
Nature Protection, Member of RPA board, Vardan Ayvazyan, is not a
competitor for them at all.

He is sure that during the parliamentary elections the "Union of
Vir-Armenians", which supports the RPA, will not seize the electorate
of "Powerful Motherland".

ARF YOUTH PARTICIPATES IN SOCIALIST YOUTH WORLD COUNCIL

ASBAREZ
2/6/2007

CORK, Ireland–Representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Youth from Thursday to Saturday participated in the general meeting
of the World Council of the International Union of Socialist Youth,
an affiliate of the Socialist International.

Ovsanna Atanessian of England and Hovnatan Spankenberg of Germany
represented the ARF Youth at the gathering, where they presented a
report on the treatment of Armenian minority community in Turkey and
the recent murder of Agos newspaper editor Hrant Dink.

"We as ARF Youth ask that, as socialist youth, we discuss the real
picture of Turkey and by adopting a resolution condemning Hrant Dink’s
murder, we send a clear message to the Turkish government about the
fascist forces working in Turkey,"said Spankenberg.

The presidency of the meeting presented the resolution, which was
adopted unanimously by the general meeting.

In 2004, at the IUSY World Council’s general assembly in Santiago,
Chile, a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide was approved.

The ARF Youth delegation also participated in the European Committee
meeting. During a presentation on Armenia’s current situation,
highlighting the upcoming parliamentary election, the ARF Youth
representative said "Our party’s main objective is to see the
people vote for values and political programs and not for short-term
interests."

The IUSY has representatives from 143 socialist, social-democratic
and labor unions from 100 countries.

Below is the complete text of the resolution on Hrant Dink’s murder:

The World Council of the International Union of Socialist Youth
condemns the cold-blooded murder of Hrant Dink, an Armenian journalist
and editor of "Agos" a bi-lingual Weekly in Istanbul on the 19th
January 2007. This abhorrent crime brings new threats to the rights
and existence of the diminishing Armenian community in Turkey.

The Turkish State should ultimately be held responsible for the murder
of Hrant Dink, a citizen of Turkey due to its,

* Failure to provide Dink with protection, even though he had
explicitly asked for it after receiving death threats for allegedly
"insulting Turkishness"

* Systematic denial of the Armenian Genocide

* Prosecuting of intellectuals like Dink and Pamuk for openly
acknowledging the historic truth of the Armenian Genocide

The continuing policy of Genocide denial has encouraged racism,
fascism and discrimination in Turkish society

Dink’s murder proves that there is no tolerance in Turkey for differing
views, freedom of speech and minority rights.

Therefore, and mindful of its 2004 World Council Resolution, the IUSY
calls on Turkey:

* To recognize the Armenian genocide and take full responsibility
for this crime against humanity

* To repeal paragraph 301 of the penal code, which is frequently used
to prosecute anyone who "insults Turkishness."

* To respect the rights of minorities and freedom of speech.

EU-ARMENIA PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COUNCIL DENOUNCES DINK ASSASSINATION

ArmRadio.am
05.02.2007 17:58

During the sitting in Brussels on 29-30 January the Armenia-EU
Parliamentary Cooperation Commission respected the memory of the
editor-n-chief of the Agos daily Hrant Dink with a minute of silence,
Co-Chair of the Commission, Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on
Foreign Relations Armen Rustamyan said at a press conference today.

According to him, the resolution adopted by the Commission as a
result of two-day activity also includes reference to Hrant Dink’s
assassination. It is noted, in particular, that "the Commission
severely denounces the assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist,
public figure Hrant Dink, who was the forerunner of human rights
defense in Turkey. He always promoted the establishment of full
democracy in Turkey through the process of accession to the European
Union. He was the supporter of opening of the Armenian-Turkish border
and recognition of the Armenian Genocide." The Commission called
on Turkish authorities to undertake urgent measures to disclose the
reasons and those who ordered the murder to prevent the reoccurrence
of similar crimes.

ARMENIA’S CREDITING MARKET IS POORLY DEVELOPED: EX CB PRESIDENT

Yerevan, January 31. ArmInfo. Specialized credit organizations in
Armenia are just beginning to develop – they issue 5% of total
credits in the country, says the executive director of Garni Invest
Universal Credit Organization, Ex President of Central bank of
Armenia Bagrat Asatryan.

He says that this is due to slow financial market development rates
and imperfect legislation, particularly, in housing construction and
consumer crediting. In Armenia the demand for these credits is much
higher than the offer. At the same time, in the last three years
crediting has been growing quicker than economy. Asatryan notes that
Armenia needs a law allowing to restructure credit organization into
commercial bank.

Garni Invest was set up in Oct 2006 with an authorized capital of
196mln AMD.

Last year it worked at a loss due to primary expenses – this year it
is planning a profit equivalent to 6%-7% of its total
capital. Presently, Garni Invest’s credit portfolio totals 150mln AMD
– in Jan-June 2007 it will be raised by 60mln AMD a month. By the end
of this year the assets of Garni Invest will amount to 500mln AMD,
while the liabilities will exceed 300mln AMD. The money will be
attracted from the shareholders. Presently, Garni Invest has 10
shareholders, of whom 7 are non-residents (from the US, Germany and
Iran).

Asatryan says that Garni Invest issues consumer and business
credits. The share of business credits in the total portfolio exceeds
50%. The maximum credit per borrower is 50mln AMD, the interest –
21%-26%, the maximum repayment period – 7 years.

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
February 1, 2007 Thursday 11:01 AM EST

Moscow court sanctions arrest of former senator from Kalmykia

Moscow’s Basmanny Court on Thursday sanctioned a two-month arrest of
former Federation Council member, senator from Kalmykia Levon
Chakhmakhchian.

The court thereby met the petition of the prosecutors who said that
“Chakhmakhchian, if at large, may hide or put pressure on
investigators.”

Prosecutors said Chakhmakhchian has stepped down from his post, he is
no longer eligible for deputy’s immunity.

In passing the decision, the court agreed with prosecutor Anton
Tronin’s arguments, saying they were justified.

“Staying at large, Chakhmakhchian may negatively influence witnesses
and induce them into testifying in his favor,” the judge ruled.

The ex senator is suspected of being involved in a grand fraud
committed by an organized group, which is punishable by five to ten
years in jail.

The ex senator’s lawyer, Boris Kuznetsov, intends to appeal the
decision on Chakhmakhchian’s arrest at a higher court.

Chakhmakhchian still enjoys deputy’s immunity, meanwhile, the Supreme
Court ruling that corpus delicti exists in his actions, did not take
effect.

But the court found the arguments unsound, citing that “lodging an
appeal cannot suspend investigative actions against the suspect.”

Chakhmakhchian stated in court that “does not intend to run away and
that he had not been hiding from anybody.”

He also stated he had been brought to the court and the prosecutor’s
office illegally.

The former senator was detained in hospital on Thursday morning.

Kuznetsov protested the detention as “the Supreme Court ruling that
corpus delicti exists in his actions, did not take effect as we
lodged an appeal on time. The Supreme Court will consider it on March
6.”

Chakhmakhchian refused to testify at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Chief accountant of the Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation
Association Igor Arushanov and assistant auditor of the Audit Chamber
Armen Oganesian were detained on suspicions of bribe taking in Moscow
on June 2, 2006.

According to the investigators, they tried to extort from a
businessman 1.5 million dollars, promising to take out negative
information from an audit act of the Audit Chamber. Police agents
confiscated 300,000 marked dollars during the detention operation in
the office, where Chakhmakhchian happened to be at that time.

As a member of the Federation Council, Chakhmakhchian enjoyed
immunity, and no measures of restraint were taken against him.

Kalmykia’s Parliament terminated Chakhmakhchian’s powers ahead of
time at the request of Federation Council Speaker Sergei Mironov on
June 23, 2006.

A1+

HRANT KHACHATRYAN THINKS HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF CRU
[08:44 pm] 31 January, 2007

After the decision of the Court of Appeal Hrant Khachatryan told a
news conference today that their next step will be the solution of
moral problems. Nevertheless, he mentioned that «there will be no
witch hunt and we will not fight against the mutineers by their own
way. Those who were my supporters followed the legal way without
trying to intimidate anyone: that is not our method».

Let us remind you that Hrant Khachatryan’s supporters turned to the
Court of the First Instance asking to cancel the decisions taken on
September 16, 2006, during the 17th conference of the Constitutional
Right Union.

Although Hrant Khachatryan does not really trust the work of court
bodies; he thinks that the decision of the Court of Appeal proceeded
from the idea of justice. «The fact that the four months when the case
was being heard there were a number of press issues and public
discussions about it also testifies to our righteousness», he
mentions.

According to Hrant Khachatryan, the problems would be solved without
any fuss if the members of the party hadn’t been subjected to
provocation. He announced that also he does not engage in active
politics, he will participate in the process of `healing’ the party as
`the political swamp is swallowing the party: that process must be
stopped’.

With this aim Hrant Khachatryan is going to organize a new committee
and make the final decision whether he or Hayk Baboukhanyan will be
President of CRU.

By the way, although Hrant Khachatryan had resigned from the post, he
thinks that he is still legally the president of the party, but he
assures that he has no ambitions.

Hrant Khachatryan is not going to participate in the upcoming
elections. As for Hayk Baboukhanyan’s announcement that his supporters
are carrying out the orders of the authorities, Khachatryan is not
going to prove anything. He claims that time will show who is who.

Associated Press
Jan 31 2007

House Gets Armenian Genocide Resolution
By DESMOND BUTLER, Associated Press Writer

Tuesday, January 30, 2007
(01-30) 17:14 PST WASHINGTON, (AP) —

Democratic and Republican lawmakers have introduced a resolution
urging the government to recognize as genocide the deaths of 1.5
million Armenians at the end of World War I.

The measure is likely to touch raw nerves in Turkey, which rejects
the charge that genocide was at the root of the deaths. The Bush
administration has warned that even congressional debate on the
matter could damage relations with Turkey, a vital Muslim ally and
member of NATO.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a co-sponsor, acknowledged that the
resolution might harm U.S.-Turkish relations in the short term.
Nevertheless, he said, "I’m optimistic that the relationship will go
on. We will move beyond this."

Sponsors of the measure, who held a news conference Tuesday attended
by two Armenian survivors of the episode, say that the move to
Democratic control in Congress increases chances that it will reach
the House floor for a vote. Similar resolutions have been introduced
in the past but were kept from a vote by congressional leaders.

"We feel very strongly that this year is the year we’re going to get
this passed," said another co-sponsor, Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone
Jr., whose state, New Jersey, has a large Armenian-American
community.

The resolution’s supporters say that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif., who has expressed her support, is likely to come under
pressure from the Bush administration to keep the House from voting.

"Make no mistake, the speaker will get a call from the president
asking for no vote on the grounds of national security," said Rep.
George Radanovich, R-Calif., a co-sponsor.

Bush issues a statement every year to commemorate the event. He has
used such words as "tragedy,""forced exile" and "terrible events" but
not "genocide." In Turkey, it is a crime to use the word to describe
the deaths.

Turkey has adamantly denied claims by scholars that its predecessor
state, the Ottoman government, caused the Armenian deaths in a
genocide. The Turkish government has said the toll is wildly
inflated, and Armenians were killed or displaced in civil unrest
during the disarray surrounding the empire’s collapse.

After French lawmakers voted in October to make it a crime to deny
that the killings were a genocide, Turkey said it would suspend
military relations with France. Turkey provides vital support to U.S.
military operations. Incirlik Air Force Base, a major base in
southern Turkey, has been used by the U.S. to launch operations into
Iraq and Afghanistan and was a center for U.S. fighters that enforced
the "no-fly zones" that kept the Iraqi air force bottled up after the
1991 Gulf War.