Turkish Press
April 12 2005
Press Review
YASAR YAKIS BLASTS FALSEHOODS IN GERMAN GREENS’ `GENOCIDE’ BILL
Speaking at a press conference following his meeting with Fritz Kuhn,
the foreign policy spokesperson of the Greens in Germany, Parliament
European Union Harmonization Commission head Yasar Yakis said that a
draft bill prepared by the Greens on the so-called Armenian genocide
was rife with falsehoods, adding that the measure could harm
relations between Germany and Turkey. /Turkiye/
Agence France Presse
4 avril 2005 lundi 5:47 PM GMT
“Colloque sur les génocides du XXe siècle” sur le campus de Jussieu
PARIS 4 avr 2005
L’association”Forum étudiant” de l’université Pierre et Marie-Curie
(Paris VI), a annoncé lundi la tenue cette semaine sur le campus de
Jussieu d’un “colloque sur les génocides du XXe siècle”, assorti
d’expositions.
Ces expositions, visibles à partir de mardi concernent les génocides
des Arméniens, la Shoah, celui perpétré par les Khmers rouges au
Cambodge et le génocide rwandais.
Réalisés par le Mémorial de la Shoah, l’association Terre et Culture
et l’association Art et Urgence, ces expositions présentent des
photos d’archives, des textes et des documents audiovisuels, avec
trente heures de projection de films et de documentaires.
Deux conférences ont déjà eu lieu en mars, l’une portant sur les
génocides en général et le travail de mémoire, l’autre sur le
génocide arménien. Deux autres sont prévues, le 12 avril traitant de
l’Arménie et le 14 avril de la Shoah.
“Nous entendons lutter contre le négationnisme, remplir le devoir de
mémoire qui nous incombe et donner aux étudiants des clefs pour être
capables de réagir car malgré les +plus jamais ça+ dits après les
guerres, l’histoire du XXe siècle montre que de tels crimes, que les
génocides peuvent toujours resurgir”, estiment les responsables de
“Forum étudiant”.
Agence France Presse
9 avril 2005 samedi 1:54 PM GMT
Le parlement turc débattra la semaine prochaine des massacres d’Arméniens
ANKARA
Le parlement turc discutera la semaine prochaine d’éventuelles
contre-mesures face à la campagne de l’Arménie en faveur de la
reconnaissance par Ankara en tant que génocide des massacres
d’Arméniens en 1915-1917, a déclaré samedi le ministre turc des
Affaires étrangères Abdullah Gul cité par des médias.
M. Gul a annoncé à des journalistes l’accompagnant dans le cadre
d’une visite en Algérie qu’il s’exprimerait à ce sujet lors d’une
session spéciale du Parlement, prévue pour mercredi, selon l’agence
d’information Anatolie.
“La Turquie aurait dû être plus active et aurait dû aborder ce
problème avec plus de courage pour mieux éclairer la communauté
internationale”, a-t-il ajouté.
La Turquie rejette les pressions de l’Union européenne visant à lui
faire reconnaître le caractère génocidaire des massacres d’Arméniens
pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, avait affirmé jeudi le président
turc Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
Ankara refuse catégoriquement l’emploi du terme de “génocide” pour
qualifier ces tueries commises sous l’Empire ottoman.
Certains hommes politiques de l’UE ont affirmé que le sujet serait
une des questions que la Turquie devrait régler avant le début de
négociations d’adhésion, programmé pour le 3 octobre.
Les massacres et les déportations d’Arméniens ont fait entre 1,2 et
1,3 million de morts, selon les Arméniens (entre 250.000 et 300.000,
selon les Turcs).
La Turquie reconnaît que des massacres ont été perpétrés et que de
nombreux Arméniens sont morts lors de leur déportation. Mais elle
affirme qu’il s’agissait d’une répression contre une population
coupable de collaboration avec l’ennemi russe dans un contexte de
guerre et que des dizaines de milliers de Turcs ont été tués au même
moment par les Arméniens.
Glendale elections come to climactic end
Yerkir/arm
8 April 05
Of the nineteen candidates vying for open seats on the Glendale City
Council, only four went home victorious as the final numbers were
released six hours after the polls closed.
As reported by Asbarez daily, with 8,362 votes (10.4%), Attorney Ara
Najarian will join incumbent council members Bob Yousefian (7230
votes–9%), Frank Quintero (7119 votes–8.8%), and Dave Weaver
(6574–8.2%) on the city’s new council as it convenes later on this
month.
Voters demonstrated their confidence in current Glendale School Board
President Greg Krikorian by reelecting him by a sizable margin with
11649 votes.
In the treasurer’s race, incumbent Ronald T. Borucki defeated his only
opponent, former Glendale Community College Board of Trustees Phillip
Kazanjian, with 64% of the vote. A banker of 34 years, Borucki had
received the support of numerous community groups including the
Glendale Chapter of the Armenian National Committee.
All three of the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees
incumbents–Armine G. Hacopian, Victor King, and Anita Quinonez
Gabrielian–were reelected by comfortable margins, with King leading
the pack with 14,070 votes (30.2%). Hacopian came in second with
13,203 votes (28.3%).
Not one to accept a political hand-me-down position, Ardashes “Ardy”
Kassakhian became the first clerk since 1929, to reach the office by
election, on Tuesday, not appointment.
Kassakhian received 27.3% of the vote, beating out Paulette Mardikian,
who had 13.7% of the votes, and George McCullough, who received 16.6%.
KRASNODAR TERRITORY GOVERNOR CONDEMNED COSSACKS, WHO ARRANGED POGROM
OF ARMENIANS IN NOVOROSSIYSK
07.04.2005 04:24
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Krasnodar Territory Governor Alexander Tkachev has
condemned the actions of the Cossacks, who lately arranged a pogrom in
suburbs of Novorossiysk, during which Armenians living there suffered,
the Novye Izvestia newspaper reported. For the first time the Territory
authorities gave an evaluation to inter-ethnic clashes in Kuban, in
which Cossacks actively participate. «As the Governor I am responsible
for all peoples, who live in the Territory. I am convinced that no
emotions should turn a common crime into an inter-ethnic conflict,»
Alexander Tkachev stated. «Those guilty should be punished in the most
severe way to teach them not to do it again,» the Governor said. It
should be reminded that Novorossiysk ataman Vladimir Petrusha got heavy
knife injure in a scuffle between Cossacks and Armenians in the end of
March. In a day groups of Cossacks of 100-200 persons arrived in the
city and arranged disorders in Tsemdolina city district. As evidenced
by witnesses, the crowd broke glass cases, cars, beat people of not
Slavonic appearance. Then the Cossacks moved to Kuban house of culture
and demanded that the local Armenian community give up the young man,
guilty in their opinion in wounding the ataman, to the militia. At
the time the Novorossiysk Internal Affairs Department refrained from
comments, however right after the pogrom the suspect surrendered to
the police. The pogrom took place at the time of Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s visit to Armenia. Governor Tkachev and ataman of
the Kuban Cossack Troops Vladimir Gromov were not in Kuban at the
time either â~@” they were on visit in the US. Noting that suspect
is arrested, Territory Prosecutor Sergey Yeremin pledged to prefer
charges against both Cossacks and Armenians. Kuban Cossacks ataman
Vladimir Gromov promised to establish order and be strict with the
subordinates on the matters of illegal actions. In the opinion of
Novorossiysk Human Rights Committee head Vadim Karastelev, «all
promises of Cossack leader that hooligan actions of Cossacks will
be cut short are nothing but words. The Cossack leaders are not in
control of actions of many of their detachments.»
–Boundary_(ID_LobpgT5gW0o/PJwPljRUDQ)–
Armenian Apostolic Church praises Pope’s efforts for peace
Arminfo
4 Apr 05
Yerevan, 4 April: Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II has sent a
telegram of condolence on the death of Pope John Paul II. The message
of the supreme patriarch says that the whole world saw that the Pope
bravely bore the physical ailments over the past years, the press
service of the Holy See of Echmiadzin told Arminfo news agency today.
During his 26-year papacy, Pope John Paul II showed himself as a
leading fighter for justice. His peaching was aimed at strengthening
peace and stability all over the world.
Thanks to his work, relations between the Armenian Apostolic and
Roman Catholic Churches were improved and became fraternal.
The Vatican recognized and condemned the 1915 Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey during his papacy, the message of the head of the
Armenian Apostolic Church said.
Memorial service for Pope John Paul II was held yesterday at the Holy
See of Echmiadzin.
Karabakh settlement options
Yerkir/arm
01 April 05
Below is the speech made by Armen Rustamian, Chairman of National
Assembly’s Standing Committee on International Relations, in the
parliamentary hearings on Karabakh conflict settlement.
The doctrine must generalize the approaches of the Armenian side on
the ways for solving the Karabakh issue. It can be divided into three
elements: principles, upon which main positions are based; goal,
which must be the result of the whole process; and strategy, which
must be fully complied with adopted principles and the developments
of the conflict.
Principle or basis
Full and not limited implementation of self-determination right
in terms of solution of the Karabagh issue and settlement of the
conflict. The needed and sufficient arguments for the principle
are: – Affirmation of realizing not on the lands of metropolis but
on own lands, since Karabakh has never been a part of independent
Azerbaijan, – Legal realization of the self-determination process in
compliance with international standards and USSR actual legislation,
РImpossibility to realize Azerbaijan̢~@~Ys territorial integrity
with inclusion of Karabakh , since, first, Karabakh has never been a
part of independent Azerbaijan, – Unrejectable right of the people of
Karabakh for both self-determination, and forming and possessing their
own authorities, – Azerbaijan has lost its right for Karabakh gained by
the illegal decision of the Caucasian bureau in 1921 and conditioned
solely by the existence of USSR. This is mainly due to inability and
unwillingness to respect human rights, secure inter-ethnic peace,
democratic governance and regional stability.
In addition, as a result of decades long ethnic cleansing policy,
the Armenian populated autonomous republic of Nakhichevan has been
depopulated of Armenians.
Under the Soviet dictatorship, the original territories of the
autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh shrank and were reduced. In
response to peaceful and legal demands of the Karabakh Armenians,
Azerbaijani authorities organized the Sumgait massacres, dissolved
the autonomy (which was already independent), and, as a continuation,
launched a massive war on the people of Karabakh . – Eventually,
Azerbaijan, first in its declaration of independence (30.08.91),
and later in constitutional act on independence declared its state
to be in frames of 1918 borders, thus factually renouncing the USSR
inclusion of Karabakh into its territory.
Goals or results expected from the doctrine
Implementation of the self-determination right. This can take place
on two level: international recognition of Karabakh â~@~Ys right for
self-determination or adoption of a proper peace agreement, which must
include at least the following aspects: Status of Karabakh , due and
sufficient security guarantees, issues of refugees and territories,
as mutually needed aspects, and prescription of Armeniaâ~@~Ys role
as a guarantor.
An important statement is that implementation of the self-determination
right may have two logical results: establishment of state independence
or reunion with Armenia, but can by no means be stipulation of
highest extent of autonomy within Azerbaijan, since it is based on
implementation of the national minority right inside a metropolis.
–Boundary_(ID_pur/OMyDIELd9hgrtngvxg)–
EDITOR OF “SYUNYATS YERKIR” NEWSPAPER ACCUSES SYUNIK GOVERNOR OF
BURNING HIS CAR
GORIS, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Early in the morning of April 1, at 3:30,
the “Niva” car belonging to Samvel Alexanian, editor-in-chief of the
“Syunyats Yerkir” (“The Country of Syunik”) newspaper, was burnt. The
car was parked in the yard of his house. According to S.Alexanian,
this is a regular manifestation of terrorist actions by the Syunik
Governor. The editor is sure that the incident was caused by his March
12 interview to the “Novoye Vremya” (“New Time”) newspaper, after
which he received “numerous mediated warnings by the Governor.”
CDAF, France
jeudi 14 octobre 2004
Russian-Armenian organized crime ‘like the 1930s New York mob’
By Jason Kandel
GLENDALE — It wasn’t the price of cucumbers but murder that Eddy
Gyulnazaryan and his pals were talking about that day back in March 2001 in
the backroom of his Atlas Pick pickle factory.
Rival Russian-Armenian gangs were at war and Gyulnazaryan, a beefy
40-year-old family man with the gift of gab, wanted some people killed.
As he fired off several rounds into a stack of phone books, Gyulnazaryan
made an offer that couldn’t be refused — a $5,000 contract to “eliminate” a
man who had gotten under his skin.
What Gyulnazaryan didn’t know was that one of the pals was wired. He had
turned and become a confidential informant working with an organized crime
task force that was able to use this information to win convictions of the
ringleader and five others on charges of solicitation of murder.
At least 14 murders, 100 attempted killings and seven kidnappings have been
blamed on Russian-Armenian gangsters operating across the San Fernando
Valley region since 2000. The groups are fueled by lucrative white collar
frauds — including credit card, immigration, auto insurance, cigarette tax
evasion, identity theft, welfare and health care.
“They’re very much organized criminals. They’re very violent. They’re
dangerous,” said Glendale police Sgt. Steve Davey, who heads the Eurasian
Organized Crime Task Force, comprising federal, state and local authorities.
“They’re not afraid of using violence to solve their disputes. They shoot up
homes and cars. It’s like the 1930s New York mob.”
According to court documents and interviews, Gyulnazaryan wanted to hire hit
men to kill four unidentified men, two from Long Beach. There also was a
plan to hire jailed Latino gang members to kill two of his rivals, Emil
Airapetian 25, and Armen Sharopetrosian, 26, who were also in jail.
Authorities said “there have been many documented shootings” between the
rival Russian-Armenian gangs in recent years.
Police said in court documents that they believed Gyulnazaryan’s group was
“heavily involved in credit card fraud, MediCal and Medicare fraud, check
fraud, drug trafficking, extortion and numerous shootings, assaults and
other violent crimes … and have access to large sums of money obtained
through their various criminal enterprises.”
A break in the case
The FBI got their break when Gyulnazaryan asked one of his closest
allies, with whom he had previously worked on auto insurance fraud
scams, if he would carry out a hit.
That man, who was not identified, had been an informant for the FBI
before. From then on, he agreed to wear a wire and secretly record
conversations among the group.
Offers of up to $20,000 were made to “eliminate” members of rival criminal
organizations. But the jailhouse killings proved too complicated to carry
out.
In March 2003, police raided the homes of Gyulnazaryan and his associates
Gayk Tadevosyan, 40 ; Gagik Galoyan, 55 ; Anthony Armenta, 25 ; Andranik
Safaryan, 24 ; and Edgar Hatamian, 23. Gyulnazaryan pleaded no contest
Thursday to solicitation of murder charges and was sentenced to 15 years in
prison. The others pleaded no contest to solicitation of murder charges and
were sentenced to prison terms ranging from three to nine years. Galoyan
received a nine-year suspended prison sentence and five years’ probation.
Galoyan had grown up with Gyulnazaryan in Armenia and went into business
with him at the pickle factory, which closed down two years ago.
“These guys have come from Armenia. They have known each other for years.
They have grown up with each other,” said Galoyan’s attorney, Fred
Minassian. “My client is known in the Armenian community as an elder
statesman. In no way is he a mobster.”
Gyulnazaryan’s attorney, Michael Levin, said his client is not violent and
did not head up an organized crime ring.
“My client has got a big mouth. He likes to talk. But what the (police) got
on tape makes him sound like Tony Soprano,” he said. “He’s a hard-working
family man.”
Russian mob history
Authorities said Russian mobs became more and more prevalent in the
United States in the 1990s as people from former Soviet bloc countries
began emigrating here. They settled in New York, Brighton Beach, Fla.,
and Los Angeles. Up to 6,000 people are connected with 15 loosely
organized crime groups in the United States that include Ukrainians,
Lithuanians and, locally, Armenians.
In Glendale, where about a third of the 204,000 residents are Armenian,
police estimate that there are about 500 Armenian criminals connected to
organized crime.
Police have been challenged in trying to crack the rings because of a lack
of resources, a lack of familiarity with the culture and victims too afraid
to report the crimes.
Sukharenko Alexander, a senior fellow of the Organized Crime Study Center of
the Far East State University, said Russian-Armenian syndicates are part of
large international crime networks. They have seemingly infinite resources
and escape routes to countries with no extradition treaties.
“This allows them to launder huge amounts of money, smuggle drugs and stolen
vehicles, and import criminals to carry out contract murders and fraud,”
Alexander said.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s Detective Alex Gilinets, who works the Major
Crimes Bureau, said the groups are not always bound by strict rules or
regulations like the old-time mobs and can be more violent.
“It’s, who can I make my next big buck with ?” Gilinets said.
Sara Vinson, a criminal intelligence analyst with the state Justice
Department’s Eurasian Organized Crime unit, said victims are too scared to
come forward.
“Their fear of organized crime groups is bigger than their fear of our
criminal justice system,” Vinson said. “A lot of them have family back home
that they can’t protect, and they have that hanging over their head.”
LAPD Detective Martin Pinner is having a hard time getting witnesses to come
forward from a murder in North Hollywood. Karapet Ksadzhikyan, 50, was
ambushed by two men in a suspected mob hit as he walked to his bread
delivery truck outside his home in the 13000 block of Archwood Street on
Nov. 24.
“No one cooperates,” he said. “No one’s saying anything. No one knows
anything.”
Glendale police and city officials, including Mayor Bob Yousefian, himself
an Iranian-Armenian-American, has been pushing for more cops, especially
Armenian-speaking officers, to fight the scourge.
But they face an uphill battle. Many deny there is an organized crime
problem.
“We don’t have the manpower to dedicate officers to task forces,” Yousefian
said.
“We’re getting to the point that we have this huge elephant standing in the
middle of the room, and we all have closed our eyes. Everybody is saying
there is no elephant there. We have an issue. We need to deal with it.”
BELGIAN CHAMBER OF REPRESENTATIVES SPEAKER HERMAN DE CROO TO ARRIVE IN
ARMENIA APRIL 4
01.04.2005 02:39
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Speaker of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives
Herman De Croo will pay a 2-day formal call to Armenia on the
invitation of Armenian National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian,
RA parliamentary press service reports. During the visit the Belgian
delegation is scheduled to meet with Artur Baghdasarian, members of
parliamentary political forces and deputy friendship groups, Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian and Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin
II. Besides, Herman De Croo will hold meetings with representatives of
the Armenian public organizations, students of the European Regional
Academy and the French University. The delegation members are also
expected to lay a wreath to the memorial to the Armenian Genocide
victims.