Author: Karabekian Emil

Texte genocide armenien: pas "acte d’inimitie" envers la Turquie (Ayrault)

Agence France Presse
6 octobre 2006 vendredi 4:19 PM GMT

Le president du groupe socialiste a l’Assemblee nationale, Jean-Marc
Ayrault, a declare vendredi que la proposition de loi PS reprimant
la negation du genocide armenien de 1915 n’etait "nullement un acte
d’inimitie ou de defiance" envers la Turquie.

La Turquie a averti vendredi la France que les relations bilaterales
allaient souffrir si la proposition de loi PS devait etre adoptee.

Ce texte doit etre examine jeudi matin a l’Assemblee, dans le cadre
d’une seance reservee au groupe socialiste.

"Chaque nation est libre d’etudier son histoire en conscience. Cela ne
peut interdire au Parlement francais de porter appreciation sur des
tragedies du passe qui font partie de la memoire de toute l’humanite
et qui concernent aussi ses propres citoyens", souligne M.

Ayrault dans un communique, en reaction a la mise en garde d’Ankara.

"C’est dans cet esprit que la France a reconnu l’existence du genocide
armenien. C’est dans cet esprit que nous souhaitons qu’Armeniens et
Turcs trouvent les voies d’une memoire partagee sur cette douloureuse
page de l’histoire", ajoute le responsable socialiste.

TURKISH DELEGATION FAILS TO MEET WITH SUPPORTERS OF BILL ON PUNISHMENT FOR DENYING GENOCIDE IN PARIS

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 5 2006

ANKARA, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA President
Robert Kocharian is not for ratification in France of the bill on
punishment for denying the Armenian Genocide. This was reported by
the Zaman Turkish newspaper, according to which the members of the
Turkish parliament’s delegation having left for Paris for establishing
contacts for preventing ratification of the above mentioned bill were,
allegedly, informed from French political scientists that President
Kocharian told French President Chirac in Yerevan that he is not
for ratification of this bill, as at the moment this will do harm
relations between Armenia and Turkey.

But, against this, according to Marmara’s report, the parliamentary
delegation returned from Paris without any expected results. The
delegation members failed to meet in Paris with the deputies of the
Socialist Party who support the bill.

It is also reported that Nicola Sarkozy, French Minister of Internal
Affairs, has started a movement against the bill after his talk with
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan. In the coming days Sarkozy should
answer Prime Minister Erdogan with a letter. And the official Paris
informed the Turkish Ambassador in France with a letter that no change
has been made in the policy of France.

OSCE ECOLOGICAL MONITORING POSTPONED AT REQUEST OF NKR

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2006

STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. "We regret that the OSCE has
not created the necessary conditions for the participation of NKR
representatives in the preparation of OSCE mission for assessment of
the ecological situation in the areas afflicted by fires. But it does
not prevent Karabakh experts from participating in this monitoring,
especially as the implementation of the mission has been postponed
for a day based on the necessity of NKR representatives’ joining the
mission." The NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrossian stated this in
response to a question of the Regnum news agency about actions of
official Stepanakert in connection with the visit of a OSCE expert
group from Baku to the sites of fire.

G. Petrosian said that the NKR MFA sent a note to the OSCE, in which
the position of the NKR leadership on the issue of NKR experts’
participation in the monitoring is epressed clearly. "Part of
territories where assessment is to be made is under the jurisdiction
of the NKR, which is already a serious ground for our participation in
the mission implemented on the opposite side," the minister underlined.

According to the NKR MFA, the NKR authorities were informed that an
alarming ecological situation has formed in the Karabakh territories
occupied by Azerbaijan: a large-scale deforestation is going on in
the Shaumian region, and the ecological balance of the western part
of the Martuni region has been upset, with serious damage being done
to the soil and microflora.

By late October 4, it was only known that the OSCE expert group "went
to the territories where fires occured," which the Trend news agency
reported citing the Azerbaijani MFA.

ARMENIAN LEADER, EU OFFICIALS DISCUSS TIES, KARABAKH

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan,
2 Oct 06

President Robert Kocharyan today received the delegation of the EU
Troika headed by Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. The president
noted that Armenia-EU institutional relations were established in 1999,
when Finland was the EU chair.

Stressing the importance of the successful completion of consultations
on the EU-Armenia New Neighbourhood Action Plan, Robert Kocharyan
noted that Armenia is seriously committed to carrying out consistent
and coordinated reforms.

The Armenian president hopes that the EU’s aspiration to include
the whole region in the programme [EU’s Neighbourhood Policy] will
not prevent the sides from officially adopting the programme in
November 2006.

The Finnish foreign minister said that the EU attaches great importance
to progress and democratic development in South Caucasus.

The sides stressed the importance of conducting free and fair elections
in Armenia.

They also exchanged opinions on Armenian-Turkish relations in the
context of Turkey-EU membership talks. The Armenian president and the
EU Troika also discussed developments in the Karabakh peace process.

Robert Kocharyan said that conflicts like the Karabakh one can be
resolved exclusively by talks and discussions and never by resolutions
and voting.

[Video showed the meeting]

AT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE SITTING

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
Oct 3 2006

On October 2 a sitting of the Standing Committee on State and Legal
Affairs of the National Assembly took place. The Chairman of the
Committee Mr. Rafik Petrosyan informed, that as the Government
considers the draft laws on Alienation of Property for Public and
State Needs, on making amendments to the Land Code of the Republic
of Armenia, on making amendments to the Civil Code of the Republic
of Armenia urgent, it has suggested to the President of the National
Assembly that they should be put on the agenda of NA big session
and four-day sittings, their adoption in a period of one month being
required.

The draft law was presented with a first reading by the Minister
of Justice Mr. Davit Harutyunyan, who said that the constitutional
basis of alienating property for public and state needs is exclusively
the public interest that has priority over the interest of the owner
of alienated property. Mr. Davit Harutyunyan also touched upon the
decision of the Government on alienating the property, the process
of executing the alienation by court, the rights of the owner,
transitional provisions etc.

The MPs made a suggestion of organizing parliamentary hearings
regarding the draft law between the first and the second readings,
which was approved by the Committee. With a positive conclusion the
NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs suggested having
the draft laws on Alienation of Property for Public and State Needs,
on making amendments to the Land and Civil Codes of the Republic of
Armenia on the agenda of the big session and four-day sittings with
of the National Assembly.

TURKISH PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION IN PARIS

Turkish Press
Oct 3 2006

PARIS – A Turkish Parliamentary delegation arrived in Paris to lobby
against the draft resolution which considers denial of so-called
Armenian genocide claims a crime.

The Turkish Parliamentary delegation, led by Turkish MP Mehmet Dulger,
who is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Parliament,
is comprised of Justice & Development Party (AKP) and Republican
People’s Party (CHP) parliamentarians.

The delegation would ask for the resolution, submitted by the French
Socialist Party, to be rejected.

The Turkish parliamentarians are expected to point out that approval
of the resolution would harm Turkish-French relations.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: LA POSITION DE CHIRAC EST CELLE DU PS (STRAUSS-KAHN)

Agence France Presse
1 octobre 2006 dimanche

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, candidat a l’investiture du PS pour
l’election presidentielle, a releve dimanche "une convergence"
entre les positions du president Jacques Chirac et du PS demandant
que la Turquie reconnaisse le genocide armenien pour pouvoir adherer
a l’Union europeenne.

"C’est la position du Parti socialiste. Nous avons considere qu’en
effet, la reconnaissance, faite d’ailleurs par le Parlement europeen,
du genocide armenien devait etre une condition de l’entree de la
Turquie dans l’Union", a affirme M. Strauss-Kahn au Grand jury RTL-Le
Figaro-LCI.

Selon le depute du Val d’Oise, "il y en a bien d’autres (conditions)
que celle-la" mais "celle-la est symbolique". "Sur ce plan-la, il
y a une convergence entre les socialistes et moi-meme d’une part,
et Jacques Chirac d’autre part", a-t-il dit.

Cette position du PS est ancienne. Le premier secretaire Francois
Hollande avait meme, au printemps 2004, fait de la reconnaissance du
genocide un prealable a l’ouverture des negociations entre l’UE et
la Turquie sur l’adhesion de celle-ci.

IRAN NAMES CHESS PLAYERS FOR WORLD YOUTH MEET

Tehran Times, Iran
Sept 30 2006

TEHRAN – Iran’s Chess Federation here Saturday named four players
for the world youth tournament in the Armenian capital Yerevan.

Atussa Purkashian and Mina Hemmati will represent the country in
women’s event and Seyyed Javad Alavi-Moqaddam and Homayun Tofiqi in
men’s competitions.

According to the schedule, the team will depart for Armenia on Oct. 2
to compete at the Swiss-style 13-round event.

‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’ HINDERS TURKISH-DUTCH CANDIDATES
By Emre Demir, Basri Doðan, Strasbourg, Amsterdam

Zaman Online, Turkey
Sept 28 2006

As the European Union presses Ankara for a revision of Article 301
of the Turkish Penal Code that limits free speech, Turks are facing
their own difficulties in the Netherlands.

Three Turkish-origin candidates were removed from their party lists in
the Netherlands for the Nov. 22 early parliamentary elections on the
pretext that they did not acknowledge the purported Armenian genocide.

Removing the Turkish-origin candidates from party lists was a result of
efforts of the Armenian lobby in the Netherlands, and the move provoked
angry responses from Turkish-origin citizens and Turks in the country.

The Christian Democrat Party received a letter last week from the
Armenian lobby that said there was a strong connection between the
ideas of the Turkish candidates and the policies of Turkish officials
in Ankara.

The three Turkish candidates were expected to win seats in the
parliament, but they were removed from their party lists because
they did not want to acknowledge that there was an Armenian genocide,
reporters said.

Leaders of the Turkish society in the Netherlands categorized the
decision to remove the three Turkish candidates from the election as
"’a shame" and "racist."

"Some of the young Turks wanting to be involved in politics here
faced a choice between politics and acknowledgment of the Armenian
genocide. This means that the notions of democracy and freedom
of thought are applicable only to the kind of people who are born
European; in other words, this is without doubt a double standard
and discrimination. What’s more, this is racism," said Kasim Akdemir,
chairman of the Turkish Islamic Cultural Association Federation.

Officials from the parties that removed the Turkish candidates from
their candidate lists argue that the Dutch government officially
acknowledges the purported Armenian genocide, an argument based on
a recommendation that the Christian Union Party offered on Dec 21,
2004 for parliamentary discussions, and which also received complete
approval from other political parties.

Removal of the three Turkish candidates drew attention to other
Turkish-origin candidates.

The Social Democrat Labor Party has Nebahat Albayrak placed second
on its list, along with three more candidates on the list.

These three other candidates are Keklik Yucel, placed 48th, Ali Sarac,
placed 61st, and Huri Sahin, placed 76th.

Coskun Coruz is another Turkish candidate that the Christian Democrat
Party put on its list, placed 19th.

Derya Bulduk, a Belgian politician of Turkish origin, had to bow to
pressure from her own party when she "denied" the existence of the
Armenian genocide.

"This Incident Violates Freedom of Speech"

Some members from the European Parliament (EP) characterized the
removal of the three Turkish candidates as a violation of the freedom
of expression.

Vural Oger, a Turkish member of the EP, sharply condemned the decision
to stop the three Turks from running for elections. Joost Lagendijk,
chair of the Joint Parliamentary Committee with Turkey, expressed
unease with the kind of things happening in the Netherlands and further
said that denial of the right to run for elections because of different
ideas was a clear infringement of the freedom of expression.

Cem Ozdemir, another EP member, found neither the Turkish nor the
European approaches correct to the matter at hand and defied the
argument that prohibitions would not work.

News of the three Turkish candidates excluded from their party lists
came when the EP voted on a report regarding Turkey.

The EP has a report on Turkey that sharply criticizes the Turkish
government for allowing the freedom of expression to be violated by
keeping Article 301 in its Penal Code.

"Did the Netherlands account for what it did in Indonesia, Italy
in Libya, France in Algeria, and Spain in South America? Why is
it only Turkey that is pressed to account for what it did in the
past?" asked Oger.

Shocked, Lagendijk said that he had his own system of thinking about
this issue that neither went with Turkey nor Armenia, and backed up
Erdogan’s recommendation to set up a joint commission.

–Boundary_(ID_zEewRk5ySu9qEBQ97T9uLg )–

Tab to fix Manoogian near $188K

The Detroit News
September 28, 2006

By David Josar

DETROIT — Planned outdoor repairs at Manoogian Mansion include $25,000
for landscaping, $10,000 for exterior lighting and $50,000 to repair the
front porch, walkway and railing, according to detailed estimates
released by the mayor’s office.

Temporary fixes to tile surrounding the in-ground pool are expected to
cost about $1,000, but a price tag for permanent repairs is still being
determined.

Last June, the Detroit Building Authority approved $200,000 for the
fixes, but Kilpatrick’s staff believes the total bill will be closer to
$188,000, based on bids received from several companies.

The city is also paying the firm Hamilton Anderson Associates $6,500 in
architectural fees to oversee the work.

The remainder of the estimated $188,000 will be used to fix the rear
patio and walkways behind the mansion, which abuts the Detroit River.

The money is coming from a 2004 bond issue earmarked for capital
improvements to the city’s recreation, zoo or cultural facilities.

The historic 5,000-square-foot Manoogian Mansion has become an expensive
proposition for the city.

Mayoral spokesman Matt Allen said the repairs are necessary to ensure
official visitors to the mansion don’t injure themselves on city
property and then sue Detroit for negligence. "We want to avoid
liability," Allen said.

Allen said that once the consulting firm makes a recommendation on how
to repair the pool, the mayor’s staff will need to request more money.

"We’ll have to ask again to make permanent repairs," Allen said, of the
need for the City Council and Detroit Building Authority to tap more
bond funds.

Dating to the administration of Dennis Archer, faulty tile work has
caused the pool to leak water into the ground.

Since fiscal 1994, Detroit has spent $1.3 million in tax dollars on
repairs and upkeep for the mansion, which was donated to the city in
1966 by Masco Corp. founder Alex Manoogian and his wife.

You can reach David Josar at (313) 222-2073 or [email protected].

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