Author: Chakrian Hovsep

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12/20/2004
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1) Mixed Reaction to Turkey Decision
2) EU Fears Turkey Clash May Mask Cyprus Friction
3) Armenian Genocide and Territorial Losses on Russian State TV
4) No Karabagh in Settlement Negotiations, Stresses Baku
5) US Takes ‘Terrible Tragedy’ Route

1) Mixed Reaction to Turkey Decision

BRUSSELS (Combined Sources)–While Turkish leader Tayyip Recep Erdogan
returned
home to a hero’s welcome after agreeing to accession terms with the EU, there
has been a less enthusiastic reaction in some European capitals.
Erdogan arrived back in Turkey on Saturday, December 18 to a rapturous
reception and was hailed as the “conqueror of Europe.”
He said, “We did not receive 100 percent of what we wanted, but we can say
that we succeeded,” according to Le Monde.
Reflecting the momentous nature of the decision, Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul
said, “Turkey is a very different country than it was two days ago.”

STREET PROTESTS

But elsewhere in Europe, the reaction has been less positive. Supporters of
the populist Northern League Party in Italy took to the streets to protest at
the decision. According to media reports, they unfurled banners saying,
“Yes to
Christian roots.”
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel announced that his country would join
France in holding a referendum on Turkey’s accession, adding another potential
obstacle in Ankara’s path.
This decision was criticized by Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot who said,
“We have never said to the Turks, neither in 1999 nor in 2002, that a
referendum would lie at the end of the process. We have to be fair.”
And Nicolas Sarkozy, former Finance Minister and rising star of French
politics, renewed his call for a “privileged partnership” with Turkey, rather
than full membership.
Sarkozy, who hopes to take over from Jacques Chirac as French President in
2007, said, “If Turkey were European, we would know it…I’m for a privileged
partnership but I’m reserved about membership, like a large number of notable
voices”.
“Europe already has difficulty functioning with 25 members. The more members
Europe has, the less we will be integrated, the less we will share common
values and the more fragile we will be.”
France will put all issues to Turkey during negotiations over it joining the
European Union, “including that of the Armenian genocide,” French Foreign
Minister Michel Barnier said Monday.
“What has to be done now is start membership negotiations which are going to
be very long, very difficult, during which we will put all issues on the
table,
including that of the Armenian genocide, with the hope of obtaining a response
from Turkey before membership,” he told French radio station RTL.
To add the Armenian issue to a list of others–most notably Ankara’s
recognition of the Greek Cypriot government–is seen as a bargaining chip in
the membership negotiations that are to begin in October next year, and a way
of showing the French public that Turkey is being made to heed Paris’s voice.
Barnier said that Chirac, in supporting Turkey, “is expressing a vision,
expressing where the interest of our country, our continent, lies for him.”
The
French president has promised that the final decision on whether Turkey
gets to
join the European Union or not, as far as French voters are concerned, will
come in a referendum at the end of the negotiations.

VETO THREATS

Cyprus warned over the weekend that it could still block Turkey’s membership
bid. Speaking on Cypriot television, President Tassos Papadopoulos said, “The
Republic of Cyprus has the right not to consent to the start of entry talks.”
Controversy over Cyprus nearly put an end to the deal during last Friday’s
negotiations, with Turkey refusing to recognize the republic and the EU
insisting that Turkey expand its customs agreement to the new Member States–
including Cyprus.
And Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter reports that the Kurdish minority in Turkey
are disappointed because their hopes to have their language recognized were
not
raised as an issue. Of the 70 million people in Turkey, 20 million are Kurds.

MUCH WORK TO DO

Even Erdogan stressed the amount of difficult work to do. Turkey must now
open
and close 31 “chapters” during negotiations, covering such areas such as
Justice and Home Affairs and Competition.
Any EU member can veto the closing of a chapter leaving much scope for
blocking Turkish progress.
And even if the laborious process of agreeing accession is achieved,
referendums in France or Austria could still see Turkey falling at the last
hurdle.

2) EU Fears Turkey Clash May Mask Cyprus Friction

BRUSSELS (Reuters)–European Union diplomats voiced concern on Friday that the
Turkish president’s refusal to let the leader of the ruling party become prime
minister might reflect friction with the powerful military establishment over
an early peace deal on Cyprus.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, a staunch secularist, vetoed constitutional
amendments on Thursday to lift a parliamentary ban on Tayyip Erdogan, head of
the Justice and Development Party (AKP), preventing him from leading the
government.
Erdogan, who has spearheaded Turkey’s drive to win a date for starting EU
accession talks and favors an early peace deal on Cyprus, was barred from
standing for office because he received a jail sentence in 1999 for Islamist
sedition.
He denies his AKP has Islamist views. The AKP vowed on Friday to use its
parliamentary majority to over-ride the veto.
“This standoff could reflect serious differences between the military and the
president, on the one hand, and Erdogan and his party on the other, over
Cyprus,” a senior EU diplomat said.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for an accord by February 28 to
reunite Cyprus after the two sides failed to agree at last week’s
Copenhagen EU
summit. Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash is widely seen as a key obstacle
to a deal.
“Erdogan and his advisers are very eager to move on Cyprus as soon as
possible
and eager to put quite lot of pressure on Denktash. The fact that this is not
the line that some hardliners might subscribe to at this point could be
reflected by this decision by the president,” the EU diplomat said.

NOT NECESSARILY SETBACK

However, other EU officials played down the dispute, saying it was neither a
major crisis nor necessarily a setback for Turkey’s drive to meet EU standards
of democracy and human rights.
“This is not a major political crisis in Turkey and we would not draw
conclusions on whether the move is in contradiction with the Copenhagen
criteria,” said one EU diplomat.
Those criteria set standards on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law
which every EU candidate must meet before it can open accession talks. EU
leaders agreed last week to review in December 2004 whether Turkey has met the
standards.
Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, said
the EU had taken a strategic decision on rapprochement with Turkey and hoped
the constitutional issue would not affect that process.
“We expect developments regarding Cyprus very soon, as the secretary-general
of the United Nations has said, therefore we hope and expect this (political)
situation will not affect the resolution of this major issue very soon,” she
told Reuters.
EU officials said Sezer had acted entirely constitutionally by refusing to
approve amendments which appeared to be tailored to the political ambitions of
one man.
“This proves that the system works. Sezer is a strong defender of democracy
and the constitutional order. We trust him,” one EU government official told
Reuters.
The amendments have the full backing of Turkey’s secularist opposition
Republican People’s Party, which has said it would vote in favor of the
changes
again when they go through parliament a second time.
Another senior EU source said it was strange to have the respected leader
of a
party democratically elected to rule a country not allowed to take office. The
EU has treated Erdogan as de facto leader of Turkey since the election.
“It is not good to have somebody as a real leader not able to exercise
power…And Erdogan is a real leader, a strong man. This is not good news,”
the
source said.
The amendments that Sezer vetoed would have let Erdogan stand in a
by-election
early next year. Erdogan’s right-hand man, Abdullah Gul, is now prime minister
but is expected to step down if his boss enters parliament.

3) Armenian Genocide and Territorial Losses on Russian State TV

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–The Russian Cultural Fund and the “Rossia” TV company, in
association with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) Moscow office,
have produced a documentary that seeks to unveil the truth about the 1917
Russian Revolution.
“Who Paid Lenin?” uses rich archival footage and rare documents to affirm
that
the success of the revolution, and subsequent Russian concessions were the
result of an agreement between Germany and Lenin.
It tells of a plan offered to Lenin by Alexander Israel Helphand (Parvus),
who
was the connection to Jacob Furstenberg–Germany’s immediate link to Lenin,
whereby the Bolsheviks seized power.
In the film, ARF Bureau member and Armenian National Assembly vice speaker
Vahan Hovhannisian speaks of the devastating consequences the Bolshevik
Revolution had for the Armenians.
With the Bolsheviks signing the Brest-Litovsk Treaty with Germany, they
pulled
out of the war by making vast concessions to Germany and its allies. Namely,
the Russians surrendered Ukraine, Finland, the Baltic provinces, the Caucasus,
and Poland.
Under the treaty, Russian troops–though at the edge of victory–withdrew
from
Western Armenia. The Kars and Ardahan regions of Eastern Armenia were
surrendered to Turkey, leaving Armenians open to yet another massacre by
Turkey.
The 1921 Moscow and Kars treaties upheld those concessions by the Bolshevik
government to Turkey.
The film also contains historic footage from the Armenian genocide.
“Who Paid Lenin?” will debut on Rossia TV on December 22 at 11:35 p.m. Moscow
time.

4) No Karabagh in Settlement Negotiations, Stresses Baku

BAKU (Armenpress)–Azeri Foreign Affairs Ministry Press Secretary Meti Mirza
told “Interfax” news agency that Azerbaijan categorically rejects Mountainous
Karabagh Republic’s participation in negotiating a peace settlement to the
conflict.
“It’s a mistake for the Armenian side to give direction on with whom Baku
should negotiate,” said Mirza responding to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry’s Press
Secretary Hamlet Gasparian, who said last week that if Azerbaijan does not
deem
Armenia capable of implementing independent policy, then they may speak with
Mountainous Karabagh directly.
Gasparian was responding to Azeri President Aliyev, who said that Armenia is
“Russia’s advanced post in the South Caucasus.”
“If the Azerbaijani side…is confused and doesn’t know with whom to hold the
negotiations [on Karabagh], we will again have to point to Stepanakert. We
hope
they know where Mountainous Karabagh is situated,” Gasparian warned.
Calling for negotiations only between Armenia and Azerbaijan for seeking
peace
in Karabagh, Mirza also stressed: “The Armenian community in Mountainous
Karabagh cannot participate in the negotiations with Baku because, as the
Azerbaijani community, it sees only a one-sided resolution to the conflict.”

5) US Takes ‘Terrible Tragedy’ Route

WASHINGTON, DC (Washington File)–The United States said last week that it
acknowledges the “terrible tragedy” the Armenian community in Anatolia faced
during World War I, but declined to comment on whether the European Union
should make it a precondition for the start of accession talks with Turkey.
“Our position on the Armenia question is, I think, pretty well known…We’ve
acknowledged the terrible tragedy that befell the Armenian community in
Anatolia in the last years of the Ottoman Empire,” State Department Spokesman
Richard Boucher told a press briefing last week.
He said Washington had been encouraging civil society and diplomatic
discussions about the tragedy, as well as political dialogue between Armenia
and Turkey on the issue.
Boucher indicated the US position on the issue had remained unchanged since
the president issued a traditional message on April 24, 2003.
Asked whether the question of the Armenian genocide should or should not be a
precondition for Turkey’s entry to the EU, he said that it was up to the
Europeans to decide.
“We believe that Turkey has gone a long way in meeting the requirements of
membership and the requests that were asked of Turkey, and it will be for the
Europeans to make that judgment themselves.”
The European Parliament adopted a resolution last Wednesday calling on EU
leaders to open entry talks with Turkey. It also urged Ankara to acknowledge
the genocide but made it clear it would not be a condition for the start of
accession talks.

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Deutsche Presse-Agentur
December 17, 2004, Friday
17:47:07 Central European Time

Turkey agrees to E.U. entry talks after Cyprus deal

Brussels (dpa) – Turkey and the European Union on Friday clinched a
long-sought deal allowing Ankara to begin membership talks with the
bloc next year – but only after a diplomatic fudge resolved the
fraught issue of Turkish recognition for Cyprus.

“The European Union (E.U.) has opened its door to Turkey,” said
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in a move ending 40
years of Turkish efforts to get a road map to join the Union.

E.U. leaders agreed to open accession negotiations on October 3, 2005
aimed at full Turkish membership.

“We have been writing history today,” said Dutch Prime Minister Jan
Peter Balkenende who holds the rotating E.U. presidency, adding:
“Turkey has accepted the hand we offered to them.”

British Prime Minister Tony Blair was also upbeat: “It’s a good day
for Europe, for Turkey and for the wide world,” said Blair who
strongly backs Turkish E.U. membership.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a more cautious
view, saying: “We have done it … the process will be difficult and
full of obstacles.”

He admitted Turkey was not “100 per cent satisfied.”

The sense of achievement over the landmark deal was soured by discord
over Cyprus which came to a head earlier Friday.

A further major damper on the mood was a surprise announcement by
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel – who was never enthusiastic
about Turkey – that his country would hold a referendum on Turkish
E.U. membership.

“It is important that the Austrian people have their say,” said
Schuessel. Polls in many E.U. countries, including Austria, Germany
and France currently show a majority opposing Turkish admission.

French President Jacques Chirac, who also intends to hold a national
referendum on the issue, struck a note of caution by insisting that
“negotiations do not mean accession”.

“We cannot foresee the results…,” Chirac said, adding that E.U.
states could at any time suspend talks if there was slippage in
Turkey’s reform efforts.

The disagreement over Cyprus was settled by a finely-tuned diplomatic
fudge under which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan only
agreed verbally to recognise the Greek Cypriot part of the island
before accession talks begin next year. Erdogan refused to sign any
document on this question.

European Union (E.U.) leaders welcomed Erdogan’s commitment to do so,
and – in a move to make things official – they promptly added his
words as an annex to the summit’s final communique.

Under the hard-won agreement, Erdogan promised that before Turkey
begins E.U. accession negotiations, he will sign an extension of
Ankara’s customs union agreement to include Cyprus, which joined the
E.U. as part of a group of 10 new members last May.

Balkenende admitted this was “not formal legal recognition” of Cyprus
by Turkey. But E.U. diplomats say this would amount to de facto
recognition.

This was denied by Erdogan who said: “It in no way means the
recognition of Cyprus.”

Most Turks already feel their country has made massive efforts to
meet Cyprus reunification demands. Both Turkey and the self-styled
state of Turkish northern Cyprus backed a U.N. blueprint for
unification last April. But the deal was torpedoed by a referendum
held in Greek Cyprus.

Turkey presently only recognises northern Cyprus and not the
internationally-recognised Greek Cypriot southern part of the island.

The deal to open talks with Moslem Turkey is a major turning point
for the E.U. which until now has been a mainly Christian club.

Turkey faces a huge task in meeting E.U. standards and European
Commission chief Barroso said his message to Turks was simple: “This
is not the end of the process, this is the beginning.”

Erdogan’s much-praised reforms are seen by the E.U. as just a start
and Ankara’s lengthy “to do” list includes major improvements in
political and economic structures.

E.U. leaders say Turkey must make additional effort to meet the
bloc’s “Copenhagen Criteria” which include strict standards for human
rights, minority protection and rule of law.

More challenging for Erodgan are Europe’s calls for what many in
Turkey will see as a social revolution.

Women’s rights, religious freedom and difficult historic questions
from Turkey’s past, including the fate of Armenians during World War
I, still need to be addressed.

Countries such as France have officially declared the killing of up
to 1.5 million Christian Armenians in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire
to have been a genocide. This is strongly denied by Turkey which says
far fewer Armenians died and that this was part of the normal course
of war.

“The process of E.U. construction is based on dialogue and
recognition of past errors,” said France’s Chirac, adding that the
Armenian issue would undoubtedly figure in the French referendum. dpa
lm si

Chirac rejects ‘third way’ for Turkey
by Lara Marlowe in Paris and Derek Scally in Berlin

The Irish Times
December 16, 2004

FRANCE: President Jacques Chirac last night excluded the possibility
of offering Turkey an alternative to full EU membership. At the same
time, he sought to reassure the French public that regardless of the
outcome of negotiations, they “will have the last word”.

The French right proposes a “privileged partnership” between the EU
and Turkey instead of full membership, and Mr Chirac’s entourage had
alluded to the possibility of a “strong tie” between Turkey and the
EU in the event that Turkey does not fulfil criteria for membership.

But speaking on television last night, Mr Chirac categorically rejected
a ‘third way’ of dealing with Turkey’s application. “To ask a great
country enriched by a long history to make such considerable efforts to
arrive at uncertain or partial results is obviously not reasonable,”
the Mr Chirac said. “We would bear a very heavy responsibility
vis-a-vis history if we said ‘no’ to a people who say, ‘We adopt all
your values, all your rules’. They would never accept it. They are
a proud people who are conscious of making tremendous efforts.”

The French foreign minister, Michel Barnier, attracted attention in the
National Assembly on Tuesday by referring to the Turkish “genocide”
against the Armenians, noting that a French law passed in January
2001 recognised the genocide, which happened in 1915. Mr Barnier
previously used the word “tragedy”, which is preferred by Ankara.

The French government has long feared that next year’s referendum on
the European constitutional treaty could be muddled by the question
of Turkish accession, and by domestic opposition to Mr Chirac.
“France has always been an engine of European integration,” he said.
“To continue, she must say ‘yes’ to the EU constitution . It is an
important question that must not be hijacked by considerations that
have nothing to do with it.”

Meanwhile, Germany’s former Chancellor, Dr Helmut Kohl, said
yesterday he didn’t think Turkey would ever meet the accession
criteria. Dr Kohl attacked what he called European leaders’ “unfair
and dishonest” courting of Turkey to win votes in the short term and
said the political union could not survive beyond accepting Romania
and Bulgaria.

“Mr Schroder wants, above all, to win elections and hopes to win
sympathy among Turks who are eligible to vote in Germany,” said
Dr Kohl.

Chancellor Schroder’s spokesman, Mr Bela Anda, said the government was
bewildered by the former chancellor’s opposition to Turkey’s EU hopes.

Mr Anda said Mr Schroder’s position was consistent with the position
of all German chancellors since 1963, when the issue of Turkey’s
possible EU accession was first mooted.

Government advisers said they were confident of a deal being reached
to open accession talks with Turkey at the summit which begins today
in Brussels.

Darchinyan may be too confident in title tilt: Fenech
By Stathi Paxinos
December 17, 2004

The Age, Australia
Dec 17 2004

Australian-based flyweight Vic Darchinyan’s tilt at the International
Boxing Federation title against world champion Irene Pacheco today
could be derailed by the challenger’s overconfidence, trainer Jeff
Fenech said yesterday.

Fenech said Darchinyan, who settled in Australia after competing
for Armenia at the Sydney Olympics, was in great physical shape,
but the former triple world champion feared his charge had ignored
the fact that the IBF world champion has stopped more than two thirds
of his opponents within the distance, including in four of his six
title defences.

“Vic thinks it’s going to be a walk in the park. I hope it is for
his sake, but I don’t believe it will be. It will be a very difficult
fight,” Fenech said.

“Vic’s a very confident guy, he thinks he will knock him out without
any problem at all. My biggest fear with Vic is his overconfidence.
I’m trying to control him mentally… it’s been my hardest job.

“I’ve been working very, very hard at trying to convince this kid that
the guy we are fighting is dangerous. He hasn’t been world champion
for over five years for nothing.”

The world title bout will be held in Hollywood, Florida, this
afternoon, Melbourne time. The two undefeated fighters, Pacheco
(30-0) and mandatory challenger Darchinyan (21-0), were scheduled
to meet in September but the bout was postponed because of Hurricane
Frances. Fenech said Darchinyan’s desire had only intensified since
the postponement.

Fenech said the fight, with both boxers known as power hitters, would
not go the distance but he was confident Darchinyan, who has recorded
16 knockouts, could successfully combine his usual head-hunting style
with more effective body punching.

“I’m trying to make sure that Vic’s unpredictable. I want the guy to be
guessing rather than just knowing where the punches are going to come
from. If we just head hunt, the guy will be ready for it,” Fenech said.

“When he feels Vic’s power I’m very sure that this guy will try and
outbox Vic, but if Vic does the right thing and cuts the ring off,
I’m very confident he will win by knockout.”

Darchinyan yesterday insisted his time had come and he had nothing
to fear from Pacheco. “He’s a good southpaw but he’s not dangerous,”
Darchinyan said.

“Who says he is dangerous? Maybe for some other boxers but not for me.”

In other news, Mike Tyson has closed the book on one of his many
run-ins with the law: his brawl last year with two men outside a
Brooklyn hotel.

The former heavyweight champion had completed the 100 hours of
community service imposed when he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct
under an agreement with prosecutors, lawyer Mel Sachs told the judge.

Tyson, 38, did more than 100 hours of work with children at gyms
in Brooklyn and Phoenix, Arizona, where he has been training, Sachs
said. “He’s had a remarkable effect on the children of the community,”
Sachs said.

Tyson has also completed six months of counselling.

With prosecutors’ consent, the judge dismissed the charge against
Tyson and ordered the record sealed. Sachs called the decision “a
victory for Mike Tyson”.

Tyson told police the brawl began after the men asked him for an
autograph. He said that when he declined they warned him they were
armed, with one saying: “You’ve got fists, we’ve got guns.”

A security videotape showed Tyson pushing one of the men and punching
the other.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
Dec 15 2004

Council race gets infusion of youth
Hovik Gabikian, 35, says he would represent a younger generation of
voters on the City Council.

By Josh Kleinbaum, News-Press and Leader

GLENDALE CITY HALL – By the time Glendale voters choose their next
slate of City Council members in April, the youngest incumbent, Rafi
Manoukian, will be 44 years old. The average age of the council
members will be 54.

Hovik Gabikian sees an aging council, and he wants to inject some
youth into it. The 35-year-old social worker announced Tuesday that
he will run for a seat on the council.

“I try to assist the younger generation, especially the immigrant
families that are somehow underrepresented, to give them a political
education, participation and empowerment,” Gabikian said. “My goal is
to help them to register, to vote, to be an active participant in
this process. If that could lead my election, that would be great.”

Gabikian moved to Glendale from Armenia in 1989. He attended Glendale
Community College and UCLA. He has been active in the Homenetmen
Ararat chapter for more than a decade, and has been a member of the
United Young Armenians for the past four years.

“He’s very popular among the young university kids who attend several
different universities,” Mayor Bob Yousefian said. “He’s got a lot of
devoted fans willing to put the time and effort to volunteer. He may
have a good chance.”

Gabikian said he will make traffic management, affordable housing and
health care and employment opportunities his top priorities.

“He always first thinks and then talks,” said Hoosik Ghookasian,
athletic director for the Homenetmen Ararat chapter. “He does
everything perfect. He cares about everything and everybody, and he
cares about his job and what he has to do.”

But Gabikian will have much competition. With more than six weeks
remaining until the filing deadline, 10 people have already announced
their candidacy. Yousefian, Frank Quintero and Dave Weaver are
running for reelection. John Drayman, Pauline Field, Glynda Gomez,
Steve Hedrick, Ara Najarian, Garry Sinanian and Gabikian will
challenge them. Candidates have until Jan. 27 to file the necessary
paperwork to run.

The fourth-highest vote-getter will replace Gus Gomez on the council,
and will serve the remaining two years of his term. Gus Gomez,
husband of challenger Glynda Gomez, must give up his council seat
before taking a judicial post on Jan. 3.

ANSA Notiziario Generale in Italiano
13 Dicembre 2004

UE: TURCHIA, LA QUESTIONE ARMENA / ANSA ;
– SCHEDA –

ROMA

(ANSA) – ROMA, 13 DIC – Avvenuto prima e durante la Grande
guerra, eterna pietra dello scandalo nei rapporti tra occidente
cristiano ed ex impero ottomano (la laica ed islamica Turchia di
oggi) il massacro degli armeni suscita da un secolo passioni
storiche e politiche.

Secondo l’associazione Gariwo (Gardens of Righteous
Worldwide), nella memoria del popolo armeno, ma anche nella
stima degli storici, perirono nel massacro (1915-1923) i due
terzi degli armeni dell’Impero ottomano, all’incirca un milione
e mezzo di persone. Molti furono poi i bambini islamizzati e le
donne inviate negli harem.

La deportazione e lo sterminio del 1915 furono preceduti dai
violenti pogrom contro gli armeni, che sono di religione
cristiana, del 1894-96 voluti dal Sultano Abdulhamid II e da
quelli del 1909 attuati dal governo dei Giovani Turchi.

Sempre secondo l’associazione citata, la pianificazione del
genocidio, che aveva l’obiettivo dell’eliminazione dell’etnia
armena, avvenne tra il dicembre del 1914 e il febbraio del 1915
con l’aiuto di consiglieri tedeschi, alleati della Turchia
durante la prima guerra mondiale.

L’eliminazione fisica degli armeni fu affidata in buona parte
ai giannizzeri curdi, secondo quanto ricordano altri storici. In
quanto cristiani, gli armeni vennero in molti casi crocifissi.

Cinquemila armeni rifiutarono di farsi massacrare
passivamente e salirono sulla Montagna di Mose, il Mussa Dagh,
(vicino ad Antiochia), resistendo per 40 incredibili giorni alle
truppe turche.

La Francia, terra d’esilio dei senza patria e rifugio per
migliaia di armeni (tra loro il piu’ noto al grande pubblico e
senz’altro il cantante Charles Aznavour) e’ stato il primo stato
europeo ad aver pubblicamente riconosciuto “il genocidio degli
armeni” compiuto dai turchi, nel 1998.

Il genocidio di quelli che furono definiti dall’impero
ottomano “il pericolo interno”, era gia’ stato riconosciuto
dalla Commissione Onu per i diritti dell’Uomo a Ginevra nel 1985
e dal Parlamento europeo nel 1987. (ANSA).

Le Monde, France
mardi 14 décembre 2004

L’Europe est prête à ouvrir ses portes à la Turquie

Plus aucun obstacle ne s’oppose à l’ouverture des négociations
d’adhésion avec Ankara que devront décider, lors d’un sommet à
Bruxelles, jeudi et vendredi, les dirigeants des 25 pays membres de
l’Union. La France, qui a prévu un référendum, réclame toutefois que
l’issue ne soit pas garantie.

Bruxelles de notre bureau européen

Sauf coup de thétre, les chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement européens,
réunis jeudi et vendredi 17 décembre à Bruxelles, décideront d’ouvrir
des négociations d’adhésion avec la Turquie.

A deux jours de leur conseil, le dossier est largement décanté. La
bataille ne devrait porter que sur des détails, certes importants ou
affectifs, mais mineurs au regard de l’enjeu.

“Les Turcs nous ennuient en prétendant qu’ils n’auront pas ce qu’ils
demandent. Ils auront l’ouverture des négociations et une date”,
rappelle un ambassadeur. En dépit des réticences de certaines
populations européennes, en particulier des Français, tous les
dirigeants veulent aller de l’avant. Le plus réticent, le chancelier
autrichien Wolfgang Schüssel, défenseur du “partenariat privilégié”
plutôt que d’une adhésion pleine et entière, ne brandit aucune menace
de veto.

Suivant les recommandations de la Commission, qui a considéré fin
octobre que la Turquie respectait “suffisamment” les critères
démocratiques dits de Copenhague, les “25” vont fixer jeudi soir au
cours d’un dîner la date d’ouverture des négociations. L’idée d’avoir
un nouveau rendez-vous courant 2005, pour vérifier une dernière fois
que la Turquie reste sur la voie des réformes, a été abandonnée. Elle
aurait contribué à éterniser le débat sur une adhésion peu populaire
et créé une crise avec Ankara.

Les Européens avaient précisé en 2002 à Copenhague que les
négociations s’ouvriraient “sans délai” après le sommet du 17
décembre. Mais Jacques Chirac veut gagner du temps, pour que ce début
de négociations intervienne le plus tard possible après le référendum
français sur la Constitution, histoire d’éviter que les deux débats
ne se télescopent. Le contretemps devrait être bref. Après avoir
réclamé une ouverture fin 2005-début 2006, Michel Barnier ne parlait
plus, lundi à Bruxelles, où avait lieu une réunion préparatoire des
ministres des affaires étrangères, que d’une ouverture “au plus tôt
au deuxième semestre 2005”. Les pourparlers s’ouvriraient donc sous
la présidence du Royaume-Uni, grand partisan de l’adhésion turque, ce
qui est aussi le v`u du chancelier allemand Gerhard Schröder.

Le deuxième sujet litigieux porte sur le caractère des négociations,
dont il est précisé que leur issue est “ouverte”. Il s’agit là de
sauver la face des Turcs, qui ne veulent rien envisager d’autre que
l’adhésion, mais aussi des Français et des Autrichiens, favorables à
l’évocation d’une troisième voie en cas d’échec des négociations. Les
diplomates sont à la recherche d’une formule de compromis,
volontairement vague, stipulant que la Turquie restera quoi qu’il
arrive ancrée à l’Europe. Mais il n’est pas question d’expliciter un
quelconque statut spécial, partenariat privilégié ou scénario
alternatif. Ce serait humilier le gouvernement turc, qui a averti
qu’il le refuserait ; et c’est inacceptable pour le chancelier
Schröder, parce que cela ferait le jeu de son opposition
chrétienne-démocrate.

Malgré une mobilisation intense de la diaspora arménienne, la
dernière réticence française, le génocide arménien, ne devrait pas
non plus être une pierre d’achoppement. Certes, Michel Barnier a
demandé sa reconnaissance par Ankara : “Je pense qu’un grand pays
comme la Turquie doit faire son devoir de mémoire”, a déclaré à
Bruxelles le ministre français qui, en invoquant la réconciliation
franco-allemande, a estimé que la Turquie, qui nie le génocide
arménien, devait également faire la paix avec ses voisins. Mais
Michel Barnier n’en a nullement fait une condition préalable à
l’ouverture des négociations d’adhésion.

Reste Chypre, dont le Nord est occupé par les Turcs et dont le
gouvernement chypriote grec n’est pas reconnu par Ankara. Mais nul ne
croit à un veto des Chypriotes grecs. A Bruxelles, leur ministre des
affaires étrangères, George Iacovou, a déclaré souhaiter que la
Turquie manifeste sa volonté de normaliser ses relations avec Nicosie
avant le sommet européen de mars 2005, ce qui équivaut, selon les
exégètes, à renoncer à en faire un préalable à l’ouverture des
négociations le 17 décembre.

Les Chypriotes grecs sont isolés en Europe, depuis que, contrairement
aux Chypriotes turcs, ils ont rejeté par référendum au printemps le
plan de réunification de l’île sous l’égide des Nations unies et
qu’ils bloquent un projet visant à aider économiquement le nord de
l’île. Le soutien de la Grèce va faiblissant, ce pays ayant obtenu
dans le projet de conclusions finales les garanties nécessaires pour
le règlement de ses conflits frontaliers avec la Turquie et ayant
fait de son rapprochement avec Ankara un axe stratégique de sa
politique.

D’autres réticences ont, elles aussi, été levées. Les Danois, qui
craignent une arrivée massive d’immigrés turcs en vertu de la libre
circulation des personnes, ont obtenu que l’on évoque de possibles
clauses de sauvegarde permanentes. Les Britanniques, qui tentaient de
s’opposer à ces clauses, disant qu’elles empêchaient une pleine
adhésion turque, ont eu droit aux sourires narquois de leurs
collègues continentaux, qui leur ont rappelé le nombre de clauses
d’exemption dont bénéficie l’Albion. Dans ce contexte, les diplomates
tablent sur un accord au Conseil européen de Bruxelles.

Arnaud Leparmentier

Agence France Presse
Dec 11 2004

German coup suspect in Equatorial Guinea died of torture: co-prisoner

BERLIN, Dec 11 (AFP) – A German who died in March in Equatorial
Guinea’s notorious Black Beach prison whwere he was held on suspicion
of involvement in a coup plot, was tortured to death, a South African
who was in jail with him said in an interview published Saturday in
the Frankfurter Rundschau daily.

Officials in Equatorial Guinea said on March 18 that Gerhard Eugen
Merz, a logistics expert who worked for a German air freight company
in the Equatorial Guinea capital Malabo, had died of cerebral malaria
just over a week after being arrested along with 14 other suspected
putsch plotters.

But one of Merz’s co-accused, 56-year-old South African Mark Schmidt,
told the Frankfurter Rundschau that the German was “beaten and burned
on the soles of his feet” in the few days he was in jail.

According to the paper, Merz’s body was repatriated in June and the
prosecutor’s office in Frankfurt had ordered a post-mortem to be
carried out to determine the cause of death.

But the prosecutor’s office has refused to say if the post-mortem
showed that Merz had been tortured, and even months after the
autopsy, has said its investigations are still ongoing, said the
paper.

“Incredible,” was Schmidt’s reaction in the paper.

“Didn’t they see the burn marks on Gerhard’s feet? The scrapes on the
tibia and the large scar on his chest?” he asked.

Schmidt dismissed reports that Merz had died of malaria.

“I’ve had malaria four times. The symptoms are completely different.”

Schmidt was released from prison last week after spending nine months
behind bars.

German-born Schmidt was one of three South Africans who were
acquitted late last month of plotting to oust Equato-Guinean
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. Five South Africans and six
Armenians were given stiff jail sentences, as were an Equato-Guinean
opposition leader and his government-in-exile.

During his time in jail, Schmidt said that he and his co-detainees
“all became religious and prayed four times a day.

“Otherwise, we would not have been able to stand the beatings, the
disease.”

PROJECT TO RESTORE ABOVYAN UNDERGROUND GAS DEPOSITORY IS AS IMPORTANT
AS IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11. ARMINFO. The project to restore the Abovyan
underground gas depository is as important as the construction of a
gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia, says the director general of the
ArmRosgazprom company Karen Karapetyan.

Armenia’s energy and strategic security is based on this depository.
“I hope that necessary money will be found for the project next year
which is a serious problem though considering the present volume of
gas market in Armenia,” says Karapetyan noting that some $30 mln is
needed to restore the depository. But the project can well be carried
out in stages – some $7 mln for the beginning. It is also necessary to
solve the problem of brine. “Unless the Nairit chemical plant is
restarted we will have to build a special reservoir for brine
production,” says Karapetyan.

The project is to increase the amount of stored gas from 100 mln c m
to 200 mln c m. The Russian Gazprom may take part in it. “We hope that
Gazprom will invest money in Armenia including in the Iran-Armenian
gas pipeline project but Armenia should take certain obligations.” The
same is for the cooperation with the EU who has provided 3 mln EUR for
drafting the project feasibility report, says Karapetyan noting that
experts of the Podzemgazstroy (Underground Gas Construction) company
from Russia are also examining the project.

NKR PRESIDENT AWARDED WITH GOLD MEMORABLE MEDAL “LERNAHAYASTANI ARTSIV” OF
“SYUNIATS ARTSIVNER” YOUTH ORGANIZATION

STEPANAKERT, December 6 (Noyan Tapan). NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian
was awarded with the gold memorable medal “Lernahayastani Artsiv”
(“Eagle of Mountainous Armenia”) on December 6. Khachik Asrian,
Chairman of the “Syuniats Artsivner” (“Syunik Eagles”) youth public
organization, handed the award during a meeting with the head of
Nagorno Karabakh in Stepanakert. The NKR President was awarded with
this medal for his exclusive merits in the establishment of the
statehood of Nagorno Karabakh, the strengthening of its security,
the realization of the natianal idea and military-political education
of the youth. Arkady Ghoukassian expressed gratitude for such an
honorable assessment of his work. At the same time, he mentioned
the importance of the role of the youth in the resolution of the
problems put before the Armenian people, as well as the necessity
of the further strengthening and deepening of relations between the
youth organizations of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. According to
the Head Information Department attached to the NKR President, NKR
Minister of Defense Seiran Ohanian participated in the meeting.