Author: Boshkezenian Garik

PanARMENIAN.Net

Istanbul court decreed on arrest of 7th suspect in Dink’s murder
31.01.2007 19:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Istanbul court today decreed on
the arrest of another suspect in Hrant Dink’s
assassination, Salih Hajisalihogly, a 30-year-old
resident of Trabzon. Thus the number of suspects
reached 7. They all live in Trabzon. The investigation
has not established any connection between the
suspects and any organization, however all 7 are under
the influence of radical national ideas and in their
words `struggled against the threat to Turkish unity,’
reports RFE/RL.

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Jan 30 2007

Turkey and the European Union

by
Prof. Dr. NORMAN BARRY

There seem to be further difficulties in Turkey’s application to join
the European Union.

Some relate to cultural and political aspects of the application, and
I will deal with these last. But first the economic questions. The
union is a market economy and new member states must meet certain
vague standards. But all the evidence suggests that Turkey has met
them better than the two newest member states, Bulgaria and Romania.
Unemployment is down to 10 percent, clearly lower than Bulgaria’s,
and agriculture has been reduced to 33 percent of the economy, less
than Romania at 42 percent. The government of Recep Erdogan has
pursued an orthodox conservative economic policy and has succeeded
where other, more overtly free, market governments have conspicuously
failed. Inflation, which raged for 25 years, is now a thing of the
past. Economic growth is at a spectacular 7.5 percent per annum and
has been for the past five years. But per capita income is at $8,400;
this still some way behind the EU average of $28100. This is partly
because the country has been a little slow to expand in the higher
valued areas of production and services. Although employment in
agriculture is now down to 28 percent, the average in Europe is 5
percent. But this is changing rapidly. Turkey now produces 53 percent
of all European TVs and is moving into automobiles and high-tech
electronic goods. But improvement here will require massive
investment in education to produce a workforce equipped to cope with
the demands of globalization.
Compared to the EU there are far too few women in full-time
employment and too few of the jobs here are what Europeans would call
regular, salaried full-time employment. Indeed there is a large
informal economy in Turkey. The regional variations in income between
the relatively impoverished rural east and the prosperous west will
not please the egalitarians in Brussels. But there are similar income
discrepancies in other European countries and surely the bureaucrats
in Brussels will not expect a Scandinavian utopia overnight from an
economy that has experienced some turmoil in the past 30 years?
Perhaps the European skeptics are concerned about Turkey’s free trade
credentials and have the country’s prohibition of Cyprus vessels
docking in its ports in mind. But that relates to the political
objections to Turkey’s entry into the EU rather than the strictly
economic. And it must not be forgotten that Turkish Cyprus has been
almost completely isolated by the rest of the world. And it is the
Greek Cypriots who have resisted reunification of the island.
When it comes to economics Turkey has a good case: it is certainly
better than Bulgaria’s or Romania’s and is as good as Spain and
Portugal’s when they applied. Of course, there is still much to do,
not least absorbing the acquis communitaire, the myriad and ever
expanding set of rules and regulations of business that each new
member must accept as a condition of entry. But Turkey’s economy is
thriving at the moment, and the wise and prudent economic stewardship
of Erdogan’s government has made it capable of coping with the new
conditions of the European Union. Furthermore, it has a young
population, average age 28, which puts it in a better long-term
position than those of France, Germany and Italy, whose ageing
populations will impose a tremendous burden on their workers in the
near future for the payment of state pensions.
At the end of the day one feels that it won’t be economics that bars
Turkey’s entry into Europe: there is a genuine fear that Europe’s
Christian culture will not be able to absorb over 70 million Muslims.
There is definite hostility to Turkey in France, and the government
has promised a referendum before it will agree to the acceptance of
the country. And Germany and Italy have populations with similar
predispositions. All this seems rather strange from a continent that
loudly displays its secularism. Most countries of old Europe have
abandoned their Christian heritage. And it also shows a complete lack
of knowledge of Turkey, whose secularism, in unpropitious
circumstances, is as rigorous as theirs.
And then there is the question of civil liberties, which seems to
interest European politicians more than economics these days, and
they are anxious to put Turkey in the dock on three issues. First
there is the alleged `Armenian genocide,’ then the problem of Kurdish
separatism and the abiding complaint that in Turkey the military has
too great a say in politics.
I deliberately say `alleged’ Armenian genocide since there is genuine
disagreement among reputable historians about what exactly took place
in World War I. Undoubtedly there was harsh treatment of the Armenian
minority, but was it a genocide? Probably not, and we must remember
that it also took place in extraordinary times: Turkey was fearful of
Russia and a potentially subversive minority posed a serious problem.
But France is convinced of Turkey’s guilt and has passed a law making
`Armenian genocide denial’ a criminal offence.
Well, the French are very fond of moralizing, but not about their own
behavior in Algeria, for example. Most European hostility to Turkey
is much governed by ignorance, and this is undoubtedly true of the
Kurdish question. There was some denial for the Kurds of the use of
their own language and they were deprived of their broadcasting
rights. But their freedoms have been increased in recent years, and
let us not forget: the Kurdish terrorist group, the PKK, was the most
brutal in Europe, if not the world. They were responsible for at
least 30,000 deaths. Britain has had serious problems with the IRA
and Spain with ETA but these groups do not compare in ferocity with
the PKK. There have also been occasions in Turkey when the military
has taken power, but only for brief periods, and civilian rule has
been quickly restored. And, anyway, the military in Turkey has been a
force for secularism and compared to most military rulers has been
relatively benign.
On the whole Turkey is as well-qualified as most regimes for
membership in the European Union. But the ultimate question needs to
be asked by the Turks themselves: Do they really want or need to
join? Economically the country is doing quite well, and it is not at
all clear that it would benefit from membership of the EU. It already
does 53 percent of its trade with Europe, and that will continue
whatever the outcome of their application. And do they wish to join
what is now a laggard economy, with constricting regulations and a
declining share of world trade? It is not like some rapidly
expanding, young Far Eastern economy. Turkey, with its vigor, is more
like these economies rather than the sleeping giant of the European
Union.
The only reason for Turkey joining Europe was political: it is
perhaps the final destination of Ataturk’s dream of transforming a
near-medieval theocratic state into an advanced country,
industrialized and characterized by civility and the rule of law. It
can have all these things without the French 35-hour maximum working
week.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenian NSC has not cooperated with Halilov convicted in Baku for espionage
30.01.2007 14:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The National Security Council of Armenia denies the
accusations on cooperating with Georgian citizen Ariz Halilov, who
just the other days was convicted for espionage in favor of Armenia
and planning terror acts, the NSC Press Office reports. According to
the report, Sadakhlo resident Halilov’s activity, who was trading in
border market, is artificially exaggerated by Baku, which ascribes to
him `exclusive abilities’ and intentions to organize blasts in oil and
gas infrastructure and other large objects in Baku.

`Most probably the Azeri authorities are seriously concerned about the
information, which was spread on last December 20, on detaining and
sentencing one more agent,’ the Armenian NSC reports.

The other days a legal procedure finished in Baku on Azeri Ariz
Halilov case, who is Georgian citizen and `was cooperating with
Armenian Secret Services against Azerbaijan.’ On the heavy crimes
court decision Ariz Halilov was sentenced to 14-year imprisonment.

International Herald Tribune, France
Jan 29 2007

Report: Azerbaijan president does not rule out use of force to seize
Nagorno-Karabakh

PARIS (AP) – Azerbaijan’s president said he prefers a peaceful
solution to a dispute with Armenia over the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh, but is not ruling out military means, a French
newspaper reported Monday.

President Ilham Aliev, in an interview in Le Monde daily before
arriving in France for a three-day visit, was quoted as saying the
disputed enclave is "issue No. 1" for his oil-rich Caucasus Mountains
country, which is growing bolder as its economic strength grows.

"It’s clear that our political weight will give us one day the means
to liberate our lands," he was quoted as saying. "We’d prefer to do
it peacefully, without going to war. But if there are no other means
… we’ll see."

Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous territory inside Azerbaijan but
populated by Armenians, has been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces
since the end of a six-year war in 1994. Tensions remain high between
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Diplomats from Russia, France and the United States have headed more
than a decade of efforts by the so-called Minsk Group – part of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe – to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

In a statement Monday, the group said it was encouraged by what it
called the "constructive" approach of the leaders of Armenia and
Azerbaijan as they work toward resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

Azerbaijan has been building up its military with an influx of
revenues from oil. It controls portions of the Caspian Sea, on its
eastern fringe, which has some of the largest oil and gas fields in
the former Soviet Union.

Aliev, who was to meet Monday with French President Jacques Chirac,
was quoted as telling Le Monde that he was looking to deepen
bilateral economic ties between Azerbaijan and France.

RIA Novosti, Russia
Jan 29 2007

Iran-Armenia gas pipeline to go on stream in spring – official
14:14 | 29/ 01/ 2007

YEREVAN, January 29 (RIA Novosti) – A natural gas pipeline linking
Iran and Armenia will be put into operation this coming spring, a
spokesman for the Armenian president said Monday.

The construction of the 141-kilometer (90-mile) pipeline from Iran
began in 2004. It has a price tag of about $210-220 million,
including $120 million for the Armenian section.

"The gas pipeline will be commissioned this spring. Only then will it
be possible to say whether it will be a transit system. In any case,
Yerevan has always been guided by considerations of economic
expediency. Economic projects that had a political subtext have
always been rejected by the Armenian authorities," Viktor Sogomonyan
said.

Under the current agreement, Iran is to deliver 36 billion cubic
meters of natural gas to Armenia over the next 20 years, subject to a
possible five-year extension and an increase in deliveries to 47
billion cubic meters.

Armenia plans to use all of the gas to produce electricity for
subsequent export to Iran, as well as for domestic consumption.

Inspire Magazine, UK
Jan 27 2007

Book on Ethiopia inspired by dream

A Buckinghamshire author whose first non-fiction book was inspired by
a dream, is using it to help raise funds for clean water and
sanitation projects in Ethiopia.

In her dream Annette Allen was back in the foothills of Addis Ababa
where she went to school and had bent down to feel the dry topsoil.
As she did so she knew she was there to help provide water for
Ethiopia’s poor. Two years later, Annette was made redundant from her
job as a corporate communications manager and vowed to make her dream
come true.

The result is An Ethiopian Odysssey about her journey to find nine
classmates from Nazareth School for Girls in Addis Ababa and to
discover what had happened to them since she last saw them in July
1964. The book includes interviews with four school friends,
including the granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie. It also
recounts stories about the Queen, Princess Anne, the Armenian
genocide, Ethiopia’s first big famine in 1973, wars and more recent
events such as the 9/11 World Trade Centre attacks in New York and
the Commission for Africa.

Half of the royalties from each book will go to three charities:
WaterAid, who have worked in Ethiopia since 1983, AGOHELD, a charity
run by Abebech Gobena, the `Mother Theresa of Africa and Christian
Aid’s Middle East crisis appeal.

`This has been a truly wonderful journey, with amazing connections
and synchronicity,’ says Annette, a committed Christian. `I’ve
experienced the kindness and hospitality of many strangers in
different countries who wanted to help me make my dream come true.

`In Ethiopia, I saw for myself how permanent clean water has a major
impact on the quality of people’s lives: especially for women and
girls, along with the family’s health, income and self-esteem. Having
clean water on tap means an end to water-borne diseases, and the
long, daily walks to bring water to their family. Water is, indeed,
life.’

on=view&id=780

Are We All Armenians?
by M. Nedim Hazar
Today’s Zaman
Jan. 27, 2007

.do?haberno=3D101236

Let’s put aside all the questions, conspiracy theories (whether
reasonable or not), the alarming social point reached in recent
days. And let’s leave aside the sad and heartbreaking nature of the
murder for a moment. Let’s also temporarily shelve all the debates and
cross-talk and the fanatical racismbeing incited in youth under the
mask of "nationalism" prior to Hrant Dink’s murder?

Let’s have some mental exercises on the scene that appeared at Dink’s
funeral.

As the murderer admitted himself, nobody could have known this murder
would give rise to such great indignation. I think nobody would have
guessed that such a wide and strong social reaction would occur.

It is beyond argument that what happened on Tuesday was an
impressive. The Turkish people’s desire to say "no more" to some
dangers that have been accumulating was effective, as well as who Dink
was as a person and as a symbol.

Maybe the large funeral procession was a delayed show of support from
the masses for the victims who had eggs thrown at them outside court a
few months ago I think we the Turks are a lot more emotional and
hotheaded than other nations. Both our anger and compassion might be
volatile much of the time.

And especially when our passions rise, we might lose our balance.

You understand now: I’m going to talk about the placards reading "We
are all Armenians. We are all Hrant Dink."

Surely nobody understands these messages literally, as meaning an
expression of identity. Please keep in mind that I personally did not
miss the message it contains — the funeral procession was certainly a
meaningful response to that attack, which was sneaky, vile, stupid or
whatever you call it.

However all this does not justify perverting the facts.

"We are emotional," I said, but the Turkish media is a more emotional
than the Turkish people.

I want to say that I found the attitude of the Turkish media after the
assassination to be "exaggerated." Up until now, they have been
quicker than anyone to drown many liberal ideas and have outdone the
state in terms of limiting rights and freedoms. It is certainly
admirable that the media condemned and put a spotlight on such a
traitorous murder, without stooping to cheap and tabloid tactics —
however, it is still excessive.

The placards reading "We are all Armenians" make the issue more
complicated rather than providing a solution to it.

I am sure Hrant Dink would be disturbed as well. "Inappropriate," he
would say. "You do not need to become Armenians, it is better if you
just live together with Armenians as brethren." Someone like him who
had devoted hislife to ending the mutual hostility between Turks and
Armenians would, I believe, be opposed to a psychological mood
resulting from an emotional trauma becoming continuous and permanent.

The problem is not Armenians being Turkish — or not — so that the
solution would be making Turks Armenians! The cause Dink fought for
was to make it possible to accept others with their own identities and
understand one another.

The Armenian problem can’t be resolved by us becoming Hrant. Everyone
should know that we won’t have gotten rid of the "Armenian genocide"
problem even if we announce to the whole world that we are
Armenians. We are wrong if we believe that problems can be solved by
shouting slogans or holding placards at a funeral. Moreover, I am
becoming disturbed with the exaggerations of the media.

Yes, I am not Armenian, and I don’t think Hrant Dink would want anyone
to "become Armenian." Wisdom is not wishing to become "the other" but
managing to prevent creation of "the other."This style is not the cure
to the racist mentality that throws eggs and tomatoes at intellectuals
in front of houses of justice. But it might be an exaggeration
amounting to a similar conclusion.

I would expect all those who made and held those placards, first of
all in the media, to take the side of all those who were unjustly
treated. I don’t know, maybe like "All of us are Elif Safak" or "All
of us wear headscarves" — that sort of protest.

And wisdom is doing it before people die.

Or we’ll just keep talking and commenting in vain, and it will not
change anything.

[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected])

People’s Daily Online, China
Jan 26 2007

Trabzon governor, police chief removed from office due to
journalist’s killing

Governor Huseyin Yavuzdemir and police chief Resat Altay of the
Trabzon province in northern Turkey were removed from office due to
recent incidents in the region, the semi-official Anatolia news
agency reported on Friday.

Ministry of Interior Affairs charged two chief inspectors to
investigate whether there was any failure or negligence of the local
administration and the provincial security department, according to
the report.

Last year, Andrea Santaro, Italian Roman-Catholic priest of the Santa
Maria Church, was shot dead by a teenager in Trabzon where he was the
parish priest for a small Christian community.

The key suspects of the killing of journalist Hrant Dink were also
from the province.

Hrant Dink, a 53-year-old outspoken Turkish journalist of Armenian
descent, was shot dead in front of his office building in Istanbul
last Friday. The killing has ignited a national public outcry since
then.

Last Saturday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced
that Ogun Samast, the suspected killer, was arrested in the northern
province of Samsun earlier in the day.

Before his killing, Dink had been convicted by the Article 301 of the
Penal Code of insulting Turkey’s identity over his comments on the
alleged Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turks during World War I and
received a six-month suspended sentence.

He had also received threat from nationalists who considered him as a
traitor, local media reported.

Turkey has denied that up to 1.5 million Armenians died as a result
of systematic genocide during the Turkish Ottoman period between 1915
and 1923.

Source: Xinhua

UNKNOWN MAN SHOOTS AND KILLS HEAD OF NOTARY OFFICE IN VANADZOR

Armenpress

VANADZOR, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: Police in Armenia’s third-largest
town of Vanadzor are looking for a man who shot and killed today
morning the chief of a notary office.

Sona Veranian, 53, was killed in her office at 11 am before the eyes
of other office employees.. She died after receiving two shots in
her neck, police said.

Eye-witnesses said the man took out a shortened hunting rifle from
a bag and shot twice on the woman without saying a word. He escaped
the scene promptly.

Democracy Now, NY
Jan 23 2007

Over 50,000 March in Istanbul in Funeral Procession for Slain
Turkish-Armenian Editor Hrant Dink

Listen to Segment |

Dink was assassinated on Friday outside his office shortly after
receiving death threats by Turkish nationalists for his writings
about the Armenian genocide of 1915. We speak to Zanku Armenian of
the Armenian National Committee of America. [includes rush
transcript]

Today is the funeral of prominent Turkish newspaper editor Hrant Dink
who was shot dead outside of his office last Friday. Dink had
recently received death threats by Turkish nationalists for his
writings about the Armenian genocide of 1915. Hrant Dink was a
Turkish citizen of Armenian descent who was at the forefront of
efforts challenging the official Turkish denial that the mass
killings of Armenians by Turks during World War I was genocide.
Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with Dink"s murder
including a 17 year old who has confessed to the crime. Police
officials have said a well- known nationalist militant has admitted
he provided a gun and money to the teenager. Over 50,000 people have
taken to the streets to follow Dink’s coffin. The only banner in the
procession will read, "We are all Hrant Dink, We are all Armenian."

Dink was also a staunch defender of free speech. This is him last
October speaking about a French law which makes it a crime to deny
the Armenian genocide.

Hrant Dink, speaking in October, 2006.
Zanku Armenian joins us now from Los Angeles. He is with the Armenian
National Committee of America.
Zanku Armenian, member of the Armenian National Committee of America

—————————————– —————————————
RUSH TRANSCRIPT
This transcript is available free of charge. However, donations help
us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our
TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution.
Donate – $25, $50, $100, more…

AMY GOODMAN: This is Hrant Dink last October speaking about a French
law which makes it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide. We’ll play
that in a moment, but first we’re going to go to Los Angeles to speak
with Zanku Armenian. He is with the Armenian National Committee of
America. Welcome to Democracy Now!

ZANKU ARMENIAN: Thank you for having me, Amy.

AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about the significance of Hrant Dink, who
he was, what he stood for, how he died?

ZANKU ARMENIAN: Well, Hrant Dink was not only a leader in the
Armenian context, but also in terms of Turkish society. He was one of
those brave and courageous people who decided to stick his neck out
and speak about the truth, the truth about the Armenian genocide, and
in his attempt to educate Turkish citizenry about the Armenian
genocide and start a dialogue, and for that, he paid with his life,
unfortunately. And the significance is that he was prepared to put
his life on the line. He had an opportunity to leave the country
several times, but he said he wanted to stick with the country where
he had decided to make a difference in society.

And the interesting thing here, Amy, is that, you know, there is a
very large segment in Turkish society that clearly seems ready and
willing to deal with its past, come to terms with it, analyze it,
discuss it. However, the Turkish government, in its more aggressive
and extremist point of view, with its continual denials, seems to be
creating this environment where intolerance and hatred and these
sorts of extremist acts are actually emboldened and encouraged.

AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to play this clip that we have of Hrant Dink.
And again, he is speaking last October about a French law which makes
it a crime to deny the Armenian genocide.

HRANT DINK: [translated] We should not be a pawn for the irrational
attitude between the two states. I am being sued in Turkey, because I
said that there was genocide, which is my own belief. But I will go
to France to protest against this madness and violate the new French
law, if I see it necessary, and I will commit the crime to be
prosecuted there.

AMY GOODMAN: That was Hrant Dink. Zanku Armenian, your response to
what he had to say last October?

ZANKU ARMENIAN: Well, you know, Hrant Dink was a man who had his very
independent thinking on these sorts of issues. You know, in France,
there’s also a law on the books where you cannot deny the Holocaust.
And the reason those laws are on the books and the reason the
Armenian law is being proposed is because, you know, you do have
extremist viewpoints that sometimes, you know, on these sorts of
matters that are of great tragic periods in our history, you know,
there are those elements that want to deny it.

However, Amy, he was also very passionate about freedom of speech,
and there’s no denying the fact that that was kind of the point he
was making for his own society, that he wanted to fight against
Article 301 of Turkish criminal code, which makes it illegal for
anyone to insult Turkishness, which, of course, can be very broadly
defined. And the current Turkish government, you know, and successive
Turkish governments had prosecuted Hrant Dink five times in the last
five years, so it’s kind of the height of hypocrisy, when the current
government comes out and expresses condolences and condemns the
murder, when it was they who were prosecuting the guy for expressing
freedom of thought, you know, expressing his free thoughts about the
Armenian genocide and trying to start a dialogue between the Turkish
people —

AMY GOODMAN: Zanku Armenian, for people who don’t understand, can you
explain very briefly the Armenian genocide, what it was, what the
Turkish government is denying?

ZANKU ARMENIAN: Yeah, the Armenian genocide occurred in 1915. 1.5
million Armenians who used to live in Turkey as Turkish citizens were
driven from their homes. The men were summarily executed throughout
the country. The population mostly lived in eastern Turkey with a
very important pocket of the population also in current-day Istanbul.
And the government at that time, under the guise of World War I,
decided that this would be a good time to eliminate what they called
the Armenian problem. And so, they drove the Armenian population
south through the desert, and along the way, you know, shot, killed,
raped men, women and children. And in terms of the communities they
lived in in eastern Turkey, they burned down villages, their houses,
churches. There are thousands of Armenian churches, centuries-old
churches that still exist in eastern Turkey, that are used for target
practice by the Turkish military today, because they want to get rid
of all evidence of the former Armenian population. So, in today’s
Turkey, there’s only about 30,000 or 40,000 Armenians left in a
community in Istanbul, and Hrant Dink was one of the leaders of that
community.

AMY GOODMAN: Have you heard about what happened today? Reuters is
reporting some 50,000 people marched in the funeral of Hrant Dink.

ZANKU ARMENIAN: Yes, I have heard of it. I heard the news. And, you
know, Amy, that is really the example of what I mentioned earlier,
where there is a very important part of the Turkish population that
is ready and willing to deal with the issue of the Armenian genocide,
their own history. But it is the Turkish government who has created
this environment of fear and intimidation, where people are afraid to
discuss openly their own history. Their own school —

AMY GOODMAN: And the US — since you’re talking to a world audience,
but also a US audience — the US government, what about its
relationship with Turkey?

ZANKU ARMENIAN: The US government is complicit in this issue, as
well, unfortunately, Amy. I’m very ashamed, as an American citizen,
to say that, because the State Department helps Turkey and emboldens
Turkey in their very aggressive Armenian genocide denial campaign.
They are part and parcel of that denial campaign. For example, they
did not raise the issue with Hrant Dink, you know, several times —
raise the issue of threats against him and his persecution and
prosecution under the law. The State Department never did anything
about it. On the Armenian genocide resolution, which has been
introduced in successive congresses and is about to be introduced
again in this congress, you know, the State Department is getting
ready to mount very aggressive opposition with the government of
Turkey against our own government here in the United States from
acknowledging the facts of the Armenian genocide.

AMY GOODMAN: Zanku Armenian, we’re going to have to leave it there. I
want to thank you for being with us, with the Armenian National
Committee of America.

To purchase an audio or video copy of this entire program, click here
for our new online ordering or call 1 (888) 999-3877.

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