Author: Chilingarian Babken

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
January 26, 2005, Wednesday

PARTNERSHIP NOT FOR PEACE

SOURCE: Novye Izvestia, January 24, 2005, p. 4

by Mekhman Gafarly

BAKU FEARS THAT AZERBAIJAN WILL BE DRAWN INTO THE WAR THE UNITED
STATES MAY DECLARE ON IRAN

The words of the US President on the possibility of hostilities as a
solution to the problem of Iraq caused panic, and not only in the
United States, Baku fears that Azerbaijan will be drawn into the
American war on Iran.

Aina newspaper (Baku) reported in November 2004, that over 50
servicemen of the US Army were quartered on the military base near
the settlement of Chukhanly, Saljan district. Ilgar Verdiyev of the
Defense Ministry PR Department confirmed the information but pointed
out that the servicemen in question had come to Azerbaijan within the
framework of NATO’s Partnership for Peace Program. Azerbaijani
military experts do not think so. Former officers of the Defense
Ministry say that co-operation between Baku and NATO has already
exceeded the boundaries of Partnership for Peace Program. The
statement made by NATO General Secretary Jaap de Hoof Scheffer was
revealing in itself. He said in Baku the other day that Azerbaijan
had already been given its homework and had to do it now.

NATO’s Training and Equip Program is under way in Azerbaijan now. It
is under way on the testing site in Garaeibat near Baku and in the
environs of Chukhanly near the border with Iran. Both settlements are
located near military airfields. Recently upgraded to NATO standards,
the airfields may be used for air strikes at Iran.

Zerkalo Internet edition reports that there are reasons to believe
that the Americans intend to deploy TRML-3D mobile radars in
Azerbaijan. This is how Baku explains it: should they decide to
strike at Iran, the Americans can hardly expect any information from
the Russian radar in the Gabala district of Azerbaijan.

The rumors on the forthcoming are only intensified when the
Azerbaijan media reported with references to the Canadian Cmag that
the United States is preparing to attack Iran and that Washington
already began consultations with its allies, Azerbaijan included. The
United States is compelled to make Azerbaijan one of the key
countries in the war on Iran. It understands that in the war on Iran
the United States cannot count on as many allies as it had in the war
on Iraq. The European Union categorically objects to the military
operation. Its countries have too many interests in Iran,
particularly in the energy sphere.

Turkey, Washington’s ally in the region, is against the hostilities
too. Ankara depends on fuel from Iran as much as Europe does. Along
with everything else, it does not want another source of armed
Kurdish separatism near its borders.

In theory, Washington may use the territories of Armenia, Syria,
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Azerbaijan for the invasion. Armenia and Syria
are automatically out, as former Russia’s ally, the latter as
Washington’s enemy. Iraq and Afghanistan, where guerrilla fighters
are active, are not exactly safe and reliable. Besides, pro-Iranian
Shiah parties led by as-Sistani may win the forthcoming parliamentary
election in Iraq. All these considerations make the territory of
Azerbaijan the only reliable bridgehead for America.

It goes without saying that Iran is doing what it can to safeguard
itself from an attack from the Azerbaijani territory. In the hope to
improve its relations with Baku, official Tehran even permitted it to
open a consulate general in Tebriz (denied Azerbaijan for a decade).
When President of Azerbaijan visits Iran soon, he will be permitted
to visit Tebriz, mostly populated by ethnic Azerbaijanis. The series
of visits to Baku is quite revealing too. In the last few months, the
capital of Azerbaijan received special envoy of the president of Iran
for the Caspian region, minister of health care, security minister,
and defense minister. The latter, Ali Shamkhani, was particularly
eloquent. “Security of Azerbaijan is our security,” he said. “Our
defense capacity is your defense capacity.”

Iran is trying to tackle all moot points in the relations with
Azerbaijan as soon as possible. Baku still remembers how Iranian
ships and aircraft crossed the Azerbaijani borders in August 2001.
These days, Tehran is prepared to offer guarantees to Azerbaijan that
Iran will never resort to sheer strength in addressing moot points.
Iran is even prepared to sign the Caspian agreement on the terms
suggested by Ilham Aliyev (divide the sea into national sectors and
work the deposits whose ownership is disputed together). In return,
Tehran wants guarantees that the Americans for the attack on Iran
will not use the territory of Azerbaijan. That is why representatives
of Tehran already hinted that should the Americans attack their
country from the territory of Azerbaijan; a retaliation strike at the
Azerbaijani territory would be inevitable.

Translated by A. Ignatkin

FUNERAL LITURGIES IN MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF 1990 BAKU EVENTS TO BE SERVED IN
ALL DIOCESES AND IN MOTHER SEE OF HOLY ETCHMIADZIN ON JANUARY 23

ETCHMIADZIN, January 21 (Noyan Tapan). According to the Information
System of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, special funeral
liturgies will be served in memory of the Armenian victims of the
tragic events in Baku in January 1990 under the chairmanship of
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on January 23.

The civilized world’s cause

Yerkir/arm
January 14, 2005

This poster will be spread in many countries of the world in different
languages because our cause is no more only ours. To maintain its
civilization standards and values, the civilized world keeps the issue
of recognizing the Armenian Genocide on its agenda.

Not only we need this recognition and compensation, the world needs
this recognition too to become more humane, and the perpetrator needs
such recognition to become more civilized.

State Dept.’s Anti-Semitism Report a Good First Step, But Softpeddles Some
Arab Gov’t-Sponsored Anti-Semitism

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ — The State Department’s first
annual report on global anti-Semitism deserves praise for its strong
definition of anti-Semitism, but the report fails to give adequate
attention to anti-Semitism sponsored by some Arab governments, an
analysis by The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies has
concluded.

“It is encouraging that the report includes Israel-Nazi analogies in
its definition of anti-Semitism, but it is disappointing that the
report says so little about some Arab governments which promote such
analogies and other types of anti- Semitism,” said Wyman Institute
director Dr. Rafael Medoff.

The State Department’s report, issued Friday, is mandated by the
recently-passed Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, sponsored last summer
by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and signed into law by President Bush in
October. The Lantos bill came in response to the rising tide of
global anti-Semitism, especially in Europe and the Middle East.

During Congressional consideration of the measure, the Wyman Institute
organized a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell,
signed by 108 prominent American political and cultural leaders, which
helped Lantos over come the State Department’s opposition to the bill.

The report provides the first official U.S. government definition of
anti-Semitism, and this is one of the report’s strongest aspects. It
states that in addition to direct attacks on Jews or Judaism, “The
demonization of Israel or vilification of Israeli leaders, sometimes
through comparisons with Nazi leaders, and through the use of Nazi
symbols to caricature them, indicates an anti-Semitic bias rather than
a valid criticism of policy concerning a controversial issue.”

The 37-page report, covering the period from July 1, 2003 through
December 15, 2004, offers summaries of anti-Semitic incidents in
various countries and of what actions in response have been taken by
government authorities. Surprisingly, more space is given to some
European and South American countries where there has been relatively
little anti-Semitism, and noticeably less space to some Arab countries
where government-sponsored anti- Semitism is widespread.

For example, the section about Iceland is 387 words long, even though
the report notes only one instance of anti-Semitic harassment and one
hostile cartoon there. By contrast, Saudi Arabia is given just 182
words, including the apparently contradictory statements that
“Anti-Semitic sentiments…were present in the print and electronic
media. The local press rarely printed articles or commentaries
disparaging other religions.”

Only 86 words are devoted to the Palestinian Authority, more than half
of which discussed a sermon on PA Television by a Muslim preacher
urging tolerance (but not mentioning Jews). That sermon unfortunately
was not typical of sermons that are broadcast on PA tv and radio,
which often contain anti-Semitic themes, including denial of the
Holocaust. Additionally, the State Department report does not mention
instances of anti-Semitism in the PA- controlled press. Surprisingly,
Armenia (194 words), Brazil (149), and Azerbaijan (142), where there
is little reported anti- Semitism and no evidence of
government-sponsored anti-Semitism, are given more space in the report
than the Palestinian Authority.

——

ABOUT THE WYMAN INSTITUTE: The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust
Studies, located on the campus of Gratz College (near Philadelphia),
is a research and education institute focusing on America’s response
to the Holocaust. It is named in honor of the eminent historian and
author of the 1984 best-seller The Abandonment of the Jews, the most
important and influential book concerning the U.S. response to the
Nazi genocide.

The Institute’s Advisory Committee includes Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Elie Wiesel, Members of Congress, and other luminaries.

The Institute’s Academic Council includes 48 leading professors of the
Holocaust, American history, and Jewish history.

The Institute’s Arts & Letters Council, chaired by Cynthia Ozick,
includes prominent artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers.

(A complete list is available upon request.)

Contact: Rafael Medoff of David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust
Studies, 215-635-5622 or rafaelmedoff(At)aol.com

01/10 11:53

Azeri Jews welcome US report on anti-Semitism

Ekho, Baku
7 Jan 05

The leaders of Azerbaijan’s Jewish communities have welcomed a US
State Department report on anti-Semitism. In their interview with the
Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho, they said there were no ethnic problems or
anti-Semitism in the country. In turn, Ekho said the US State
Department report proves once again that there is a tolerant attitude
to other religions and ethnic groups in the country. The daily
compared the situation in Azerbaijan with anti-Semitic sentiments in
Armenia. The following is the text of R. Orucov report by Azerbaijani
newspaper Ekho on 7 January headlined “There are no instances of
anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan” and subheaded “This is what the US State
Department report said. The situation is the opposite in
Armenia”. Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The US State Department has unveiled a report on cases of
anti-Semitism in the countries which have Jewish communities. The
following is an excerpt from the document which is relevant to
Azerbaijan.

The community of mountain Jews has resided in the country for 2,700
years, while the Ashkenazi Jews (the community of European Jews) have
been present in Azerbaijan for more than 100 years.

Cases of prejudice and discrimination against Jews in the country have
been very limited, and in the few instances of anti-Semitic activity,
the government has been quick to respond. There was only one reported
incident during the period covered by this report. In April, the
Lubavitch community received an anonymous letter containing threats
during the observance of Passover. The police and military responded
by blocking and securing Jewish places of worship to ensure the
peaceful observance of Passover. The subsequent investigation revealed
that the letter had been written by a member of a small radical
Islamic group, which resulted in his conviction and imprisonment.

The government does not condone or tolerate the persecution of Jews by
any party. No laws in Azerbaijan specifically address anti-Semitism.

Comparison with Armenia

As we can see, Azerbaijan has proved once again its tolerant attitude
to other religions and ethnic groups. It is noteworthy that this
assessment does not come from the local bureaucracy – the report has
been prepared by US government officials on the basis of monitoring
conducted by Jewish unions in the countries where they live. Then it
is even more interesting to take a look at the assessment which our
neighbouring country-aggressor has received. It is known that as a
result of the nationalist policy conducted by Armenia’s ruling
circles, over the years of its independence the country has in effect
turned into a mono-ethnic state. Yet there is still a small Jewish
community consisting mainly of women who once married Armenians.

Armenia:

The Jewish community reported several incidents of verbal harassment
during this period. The director of ALM TV frequently made
anti-Semitic remarks on the air, and the Union of Armenian Aryans, a
small ultranationalist group, called for the country to be “cleansed”
of Jews and Yezidis.

On 17 September, offices of the Jewish community in Yerevan received a
message that vandals had damaged the local memorial to the victims of
the Holocaust. Several photographs of the memorial were taken and the
vandalism was immediately reported to the local police, the Ministry
of Religious Affairs [presumably referring to the State Council on
Religious Affairs] and the government-owned television channel. A
television crew arrived at the site together with an official from the
Jewish community in Yerevan and to their surprise discovered that the
memorial had been wiped clean, apparently by the park guard.

In May, Jewish groups complained to several government authorities
about the distribution and importation of hate literature. Each
government agency they contacted responded that the literature was in
apparent violation of the law “On distributing literature inflaming
national hatred” and suggested they try to redress the situation
through pressing formal charges with the Prosecutor-General’s
Office. Jewish leaders have not yet decided whether to press charges.

Jewish leader agrees with US report

On the whole, the head of the community of mountain Jews, Semen
Ikhiilov, agreed with the American report on Azerbaijan: “Throughout
the independence period, there have been only few instances of
anti-Semitism. They were all cases of vandalism. Jewish gravestones
were damaged. When I learnt about that, I immediately reported this to
Heydar Aliyev who was the president then. He took measures straight
away, the state found some of the criminals and the gravestones were
restored. Over the past few years, I cannot remember a single case of
anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan. As for the increased protection of the
places of worship, I would not say that this is being done
purposefully. It is always done on religious holidays. The Interior
Ministry has special dates when they reinforce the guard outside the
synagogues and places of worship, and patrol cars are on watch at
nights.”

Information about the duration of the residence of the mountain Jews
in Azerbaijan is also accurate. “Incidentally, around 95 per cent of
all Jews in Azerbaijan are mountain Jews,” Ikhiilov said.

Anti-Semitism in Armenia

As for the situation with anti-Semitism in Armenia, he accepts that
everything in the report may be true. “I even know the chairman of
their community, Rimma Vardzhapetyan. And there is one rabbi in
Armenia. There is always some bickering going on between them and they
always seem unable to divide something. Various anti-Semitic attacks
may take place in Armenia. Everything is possible there because the
Armenians are unable to stay calm. Had they been able to live calmly
and in peace, they would still be living in peace with their
neighbour, Azerbaijan, which had provided them with shelter for many
years on the land of Karabakh. And they lived here better than anyone
else. We must remember that most of the Armenians who lived in
Azerbaijan occupied high posts – in the city committees [of the
Communist Party], in the Council of Ministers and in the central
committee. They had the best apartments in Baku. What else did they
want? Judging from this experience, I can accept that what the
Americans report may be true.

“On the contrary, there is no anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan, and nothing
like that is expected here. According to my information, there are
currently about 60 Jews in Armenia. They are all women who married
Armenians. Vardzhapetyan’s husband works in the Armenian presidential
administration. Therefore, she always protects Armenian interests at
international forums. I once told her: ‘You are a Jew. How can you
protect the interests of an aggressor? She replied ‘Why do you call us
aggressors?'”

In turn, Gennadiy Zelmanovich, head of the community of the Ashkenazi
Jews, confirmed to Ekho newspaper that “the Lubavitch community
received an anonymous letter in early April, on the eve of Passover,
which said that ‘you will be punished for killing our sheikh’. The
police and the National Security Ministry examined the letter and took
all the necessary measures. I do not think that this incident was
worth mentioning in the State Department report.”

The number of Jews in Armenia

Touching on Armenia, Zelmanovich said that some 100 Jews are living
there. “According to the World Jewish Congress, there were officially
120 Jews in Armenia in 2001. On the other hand, the worldwide Jewish
agency Sokhnut reports that each year 100 Jews from Armenia go to
Israel for permanent residency. Those are people whose mother, father
or grandfather were Jews. This concerns only Israel. I do not have any
information about how many Jews go to Germany or the USA. At various
Jewish congresses and meetings, I have met Vardzhapetyan and she
always states that there are 800 real Jews in Armenia. I have
repeatedly asked her how the figure can remain the same when at least
100 Jews leave the country every year. She says ‘we will always have
800 Jews’.

“We are both members of the General Council of the Eurasian Jewish
Congress. And all Jews can see every year at the sessions that there
is no anti-Semitism in Azerbaijan with its 30,000-strong Jewish
community, whereas anti-Semitism is continuing in Armenia where some
100 Jews remain.

“Vardzhapetyan herself explains the problems of Armenian Jews by
Israel’s unwillingness to recognize the ‘Armenian genocide’. When I
speak, I always state that Jews in Azerbaijan have no ethnic problems
and, as fully-fledged citizens, our only problem is the continuing
occupation of part of our territory by Armenia. Our children also
serve in the army and this means we can never rule out that we may
lose them since Armenia and Azerbaijan are at war.”

BEST RESULTS OF THE YEAR

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
07 Jan 05

The year 2004 is behind. What did it mean for sportsmen from Artsakh?
What success did they have outside the republic? Summing up the
success of our sportsmen we may conclude that the year was outstanding
for our achievements. Below are presented the achievements of our
sportsmen in competitions held both in Armenia and abroad.

JANUARY.

On January 3-12 the international chess tournament `Caucasian Winter’
was held in Tbilisi, Georgia. Pupil of the republic chess school Hovik
Hayrapetian won 7 points of 9 and took the first prize.

FEBRUARY.

In the third round of the world championship of extreme fights
organized by the international organization `Octagon’ in Odessa
unarmed self-defence sportsman, member of the sports society `Dynamo’,
champion of NKR and RA Ashot Danielian won the first place in the 74
kg weight category.

MARCH.

International chess tournament dedicated to the ninth chess champion
of the world Tigran Petrossian was held in Stepanakert, in which took
part 10 grand masters from Poland, Switzerland, Russia, Latvia, Iran
and Armenia. The winner was grandmaster Karen Asrian, from Artsakh by
origin. The second place was taken by the representative of Poland,
grand master Bartlome Macheya, and the third prize was won by grand
master Gabriel Sarghissian, again from Artsakh by origin. On March
24-29 junior table tennis championship of Armenia was held in Yerevan
and the pupil of the Stepanakert Junior Sports School Anna Adamian
took the first place.

APRIL.

In the sambo wrestling championship of Armenia held in Gyumri Ashot
Danielian, Narek Grigorian and Artur Mirzoyan won in their weight
categories. In the taeqvando championship of Armenia held in Yerevan
on April 4-6 Davit Saghian won the first prize.

MAY.

In the tournament of the premier league of chess of Armenia
international master Artur Chibukchian won 7 points from 9and shared
the first and second places with Benik Galstian from Yerevan. The
free-style wrestling open championship for sportsmen born in 1989-1990
dedicated to Albert Dadayan was held in Yerevan on May 7-10. Davit
Babayan took the first place. Davit Lalayan won in the Armenian
national fudokan karate-do open tournament.

JUNE.

Championship of Europe in sambo wrestling in Latvia Ashot Danielian
won bronze in the 74 kg weight category. In the international sambo
wrestling championship held in Yerevan, on June 11-13 dedicated to
Garnik Hovhannissian Ashot Danielian, Narek Grigorian and Mavrik
Nasibian became winners.

JULY.

Armenian Wushu Sanda Open Championship was held in Yerevan where Davit
Grigorian won the first place. On July 1-5 in Tsaghkadzor track and
field athletics championship of Armenia was held and in 100 and 200 m
footrace Ninelle Mnatsakanian won the first prize.

AUGUST.

On August 1 the NKR football open championship began with the
participation of 8 teams of the republic and one team from the town of
Goris, Armenia. The Stepanakert team `Lernayin Artsakh – 2′ won with
45 points, the team `Avo’ of Martouni took the second place (39
points) and the team `Zangezour’ from Goris took the third place with
37 points. Best goalkeeper of the championship was Vitali Petrossian
(`Zangezour’), best defender Youri Asrian (`Lernayin Artsakh – 2′),
best midfield Edik Avanessian (`Avo’ ) and best forward Marat
Aghabekian (`Berd’). `Lernayin Artsakh’ of Stepanakert was successful
in the first league of Armenia winning the second place and in 2005
the team will participate in the premier league championship of
Armenia.

SEPTEMBER.

In the 37th Panarmenian Games in Teheran the sportsmen from Artsakh
performed successfully in track and field athletics. Marine Musayelian
won in the 400 and 800 m footrace. In table tennis Arayik Firian took
the second place. The NKR women’s basketball team won the bronze. In
the championship of Armenia the women’s volleyball team of Stepanakert
won the thirdprize. In the October 26-27 free-style wrestling
traditional tournament devoted to killed azatamartiks Vahram and
Albert Danielian, Artur Aharonian, Georgy Danielian, Davit Hayrapetian,
Martin Mirzoyan, Armen Adamian, Arsen Barseghian, Mavrik Nasibian,
John Israelian, Davit Barseghian, Nerses Muradian and Levon
Harutiunian won first prizes in different weight categories. In the
eighth international judo championship of the cup of Zeitun held in
the capital of Armenia Yerevan Ashot Danielian and Armen Adamian
became winners. In Armenia Georgy Danielian, 34 kg, took the first
place in the traditional tournament of sambo wrestling dedicated to
King Varazdat. Kim Abrahamian, Grisha Sarghissian and Gor Azizbekian
won first prizes in the judo tournament of Armenia in Ghyumri. Table
tennis tournament of Armenia under 18 was held in Yerevan and Varoujan
Baghdassarian became the champion. In the traditional republic open
championship of athletics of the Yerevan Sports School of Center
Marine Musayelian took thefirst place.

NOVEMBER.

In the table tennis competition dedicated to Rafael Harutiunian held
in Yerevan on November 11-19 Anna Harutiunian took the first place and
Rafik Hovhannissian won the first place in pair games. Martin
Mirzoyan, Kim Abrahamian and Armen Adamian won in the sambo wrestling
competition held in Yerevan on November 13-17 in the memory of Viktor
Alikhanian.

DECEMBER.

Martin Mirzoyan and Armen Adamian won in the junior open championship
of the judo sports schools in Armenia.

ANAHIT DANIELIAN.
07-01-2005

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED WOMEN INCREASES BY 1.6% IN ARMENIA COMPARED WITH
8 MONTHS OF 2003

YEREVAN, October 5 (Noyan Tapan). In January-August 2004 the average
number of economically active population of Armenia made 1233.4
thousand people, 90.5% or 1116.3 thousand out of them were engaged in
economy and 9.5% or 117.1 thousand were unemployed. The latters were
registered in RA Employment Service agency of RA Ministry of Labor and
Social Issues and received the status of unemployed. According to the
data of RA National Statistical Service, as of late August 97.6% or
144.1 thousand out of the people looking for a job and registered in
the agency were unemployed and 78.6% or 113.3 thousand out of them
were given the status of unemployed. From the beginning of the year
5.4 thousand people got a job and 52.8% of them were women. 79
thousand or 69.8% of the unemployed officially registered in 2004
August were women. This index increased by 1.6% compared with the same
period of 2003.

Press-Enterprise , CA
Jan 6 2005

For some, Christmas is today

Armenian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas today, 12 days after
the churches that follow the Gregorian calendar celebrated the birth
of Jesus Christ.

Members of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Riverside will observe
the Holy Feast of Nativity during the monthly service on Sunday at
All Saints Episcopal Church, 3847 Terracina Drive, Riverside.

Bible study and hymn-singing will begin at 2 p.m., with the Holy
Badarak, Divine Liturgy at 3 p.m. The traditional Blessing of the
Water will follow the service.

The Blessing of the Water celebrates the baptism of Christ and the
revelation of his divinity.

Early Christian churches celebrated Christ’s birth and baptism
together on Jan. 6 until the 4th century, when the church in Rome
separated the two events to establish a Christian replacement for a
pagan holiday, said the Rev. Dr. Stepanos Dingilian, visiting pastor.

PolitInfo, Germany
Jan 5 2005

Azerbaijan President: Talks with Armenia Headed into New, Positive
Phase

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has expressed some optimism about
the direction peace talks with Armenia have taken.

He says efforts to resolve the conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan are moving into what he calls “a new, positive phase.”

Though some international entities are currently involved in
discussions, Mr. Aliyev is inviting other international organizations
to help resolve the dispute.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are longtime adversaries with differences in
ethnic, linguistic and land issues fueling their disputes. The latest
conflict began in 1988 when the Armenian majority in Nagorno-Karabakh
first asked Moscow to allow the region to join Armenia. Then in 1991,
Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence.

Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia drove Azerbaijani troops
from the enclave during a six-year war. A cease-fire began in 1994,
but the enclave’s final status has not been determined.

Le Figaro, France
05 janvier 2005

Le Turc des Lumières

TRAIT POUR TRAIT Ahmet Altan, grand écrivain populaire, évoque
librement la Turquie d’aujourd’hui

par Guillaume PERRIER, Laure MARCHAND

Derrière de fines lunettes dorées, son regard domine la brume du
détroit et les minarets qui scintillent dans la nuit. Au dernier
étage d’un immeuble de la rive asiatique d’Istanbul, depuis son
appartement chaleureux et moderne, Ahmet Altan a une vue plongeante
sur l’Europe, juste de l’autre côté du Bosphore. Cette Europe qui n’a
jamais semblé aussi proche. Confortablement calé dans son fauteuil à
bascule, cet écrivain élégant qui mène une lutte farouche pour la
démocratie en Turquie s’arrête, contemplatif, sur la « révolution
silencieuse » qui traverse son pays depuis deux ans.

Digne héritier d’une lignée de grands intellectuels, Ahmet Altan, à
l’image de la Turquie tout entière, aborde un tournant décisif de son
histoire. Aux murs du salon sont encadrés les diplômes de droit de
son grand-père, rédigés en ottoman ancien. A l’époque où l’empire, ce
« vieil homme malade de l’Europe », déclinait inexorablement. Sur la
commode lustrée, le Manifeste du Parti communiste, de Marx et Engels,
rappelle que son père était l’un des caciques du Parti ouvrier turc
dans les années 60. Dans la dynastie Altan, on trouve également le
petit frère, Mehmet, économiste de renom et père de l’idée d’une IIe
République turque.

Fort de cet héritage, le petit-fils de pacha décrit, avec un flegme
d’aristocrate stambouliote, les profonds bouleversements que connaît
son pays, dans la perspective d’une entrée dans l’Union européenne. «
La torture diminue, le climat politique change radicalement, des
débats fleurissent à la télé. A ce rythme, même le dernier tabou
turc, le problème arménien pourrait être réglé dans un futur proche.
» Pour lui, l’Europe est le seul espoir de voir enfin l’armée se
retirer de la sphère politique. Ce pouvoir militaire omnipotent en
Turquie, qui depuis vingt ans n’a jamais lché Ahmet Altan d’une
semelle.

Déjà, en 1985, son deuxième roman (Sudaki Iz, La Trace sur l’eau, non
traduit), qui mettait en scène des terroristes d’extrême gauche, lui
valut d’être condamné pour « obscénité ». Le tribunal ordonna que
tous les exemplaires du livre soient brûlés. Comparaison flatteuse,
seul Nexus, d’Henry Miller, avait eu droit au même sort avant lui. «
Finalement, ça m’a fait un bon coup de pub », sourit-il. Ce procès de
jeunesse fut pour Ahmet Altan le premier d’une longue série. Au
total, il a une trentaine de poursuites judiciaires à son actif. Loin
des trois cents de son père.

Et en ce moment ? « J’ai été convoqué il y a deux mois. Je ne sais
pas s’il y aura des suites », dit-il de sa voix douce, en caressant
sa chevelure poivre et sel, un peu blasé par cette éternelle
répétition de l’histoire. « C’est toujours la même chose. J’ai
critiqué le pouvoir de l’armée sur Gazetem (NDLR : site Internet
indépendant d’information). » En 1995, sa verve lui a coûté son poste
de rédacteur en chef du grand quotidien Milliyet. Dans un pamphlet
intitulé Atakürd jeu de mot avec Atatürk, le père de la nation turque
, l’éditorialiste renverse les rôles : la minorité turque est
persécutée par l’Etat kurde, l’armée kurde brûle des villages et les
Turcs n’ont pas le droit de parler leur langue… Le brûlot fait
scandale et Altan est renvoyé le jour même puis condamné à vingt mois
d’emprisonnement avec sursis.

Une décennie plus tard, cet esprit libre, « ni porte-voix ni martyr
», pense que son « Atakürd ferait grincer des dents mais passerait
mieux ». L’armée commence à rentrer dans le rang et relche sa
pression. L’intellectuel sarcastique s’arrondit avec le temps. «
Aujourd’hui, écrire des tribunes politiques m’ennuie. C’est à la
portée de tout le monde. Je me consacre entièrement à la littérature.
» Agé de 54 ans, le gentleman romancier nourri à l’oeuvre de Balzac,
de Proust et de Tolstoï, mais aussi à la légende de
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, préfère savourer l’immense succès populaire
de son dernier ouvrage (Içimizde Bir Yer, A Place Inside Us, non
traduit en français) paru au printemps dernier. Des nouvelles où il
aborde par petites touches des sentiments universels : l’amour, la
jalousie, la trahison… Ses ouvrages précédents qui emportaient ses
personnages dans les affres de l’histoire étaient déjà tous des
best-sellers, à l’instar de Comme une blessure de sabre (Ed. Actes
Sud).

Mais, cette fois, c’est un véritable phénomène d’édition. Un million
d’exemplaires se sont vendus à travers le pays. Pour 2 euros, on le
trouve dans les épiceries de villages au fin fond de l’Anatolie,
comme dans les librairies chics de Beyoglu, le quartier européen
d’Istanbul. Petites gens et intellectuels se l’arrachent. « Un
livreur de pizzas m’a demandé une dédicace, raconte-t-il,
mi-incrédule, mi-fanfaron. La Turquie n’est pas réputée pour avoir
une culture accessible au plus grand nombre. » Fier comme un Turc, il
veut maintenant se lancer à la conquête des lecteurs du Vieux
Continent, être un pont entre les peuples. Caustique, il brocarde «
la vieille Europe » : « Vous avez la richesse et la sécurité mais
vous avez perdu votre énergie créatrice. Le dynamisme de la Turquie
peut vous aider à regagner votre suprématie. » Sa contribution au
rapprochement de la Turquie et de l’Union européenne sera littéraire.