Author: Tambiyan Samvel

ChristianIraq.com, IL
March 21 2005

ChaldoAssyrians need Congress Too
Filed under: Christians Editorials- Gordon Lake @ 8:09 am

Observation by Gordon Lake

When Congress rushed back into session and the President flew back
to Washington for the sole purpose of keeping one person alive I was
impressed. And when they assured the media that this was not about
politics and this was not because Terri Schiavo was in the headlines,
the American inside of me wanted to believe.

I thought, if Congress cared this much about one life, then surely
they would care about millions of lives at risk in the minority and
Christian communities in Iraq.

Iraq’s ChaldoAssyrian Christians, Turkmen, Yazidi, Shabak and Armenians
are not headline names like Shiite, Sunni or Kurds, but as Congress
has pointed out, it’s not about headlines, it’s about life. And the
lives of Iraq’s minority communities are at risk.

Those communities are seeking a safe haven in Iraq where they can
determine the future of their children and stem the ethnic cleansing
that has already begun, causing ten of thousands to flee Iraq since
the fall of Saddam Hussein.

I want to believe that Congress cares as much about the lives of
millions on the back pages as it cares about the life of the one on
the front page.

I want to believe that this is not about adding an extra line to a
re-election campaign commercial, or using Terri Schiavo as a talking
point in a political debate. I hope this is not about turning this
woman’s situation and her family’s agony into a campaign button or
bumper sticker.

If this is real, if Congress and the White House really does have a
heart for human life even if it’s not in the headlines, then there is
a possibility that Congress will take a look at the struggles of Iraq’s
ChaldoAssyrian Christians, Turkmen, Yazidi, Shabak and Armenians.

If this is not real, it means we have all lived to see the day when
Congress and White House no longer governs this nation, the media does.

Jamestown Foundation
March 18 2005

SECESSIONIST LEADERS PARADE IN MOSCOW

By Vladimir Socor

Sergei Bagapsh, Eduard Kokoiti, and Arkady Gukasian, leaders
respectively of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Karabakh, spent most of
this week meeting with Russian officials in Moscow. They also held a
publicly reported meeting there among themselves on March 16.
Transnistria leader Igor Smirnov was expected in Moscow for the March
16 meeting, but was advised at the last moment to delay his arrival.
His public appearance in that meeting would have provided Moldovan
President Vladimir Voronin with political ammunition against Russia’s
“centrist” and leftist allies in Chisinau, who intend to unseat
Voronin and force repeat elections when the new parliament convenes
next week.

The three participating leaders made public a decision to convene a
“summit” of the leaders of Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and
Karabakh in April in Sukhumi. They cited “the tense situation around
Transnistria and South Ossetia” as a justification for holding such
meetings at this time. Bagapsh, Kokoiti, and Gukasian also met
separately with the Russian presidential administration, government,
military, and Duma officials without publicity.

Bagapsh, on his first visit to Moscow as leader of Abkhazia,
reiterated the previous Abkhaz leadership’s position that economic
cooperation issues must be resolved between Tbilisi and Sukhumi as a
precondition to discussing any political issues; and that “Abkhazia’s
political status can not and will not be a topic of discussion with
Georgia,” because Abkhazia has already defined its status for itself,
as Bagapsh told a news conference. (Interfax, March 16). Responding
to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s offer to meet with
Bagapsh in Tbilisi or in Sukhumi, Bagapsh insisted that economic
agreements would have to be prepared in advance for signing at such a
meeting. Such emphasis on concluding economic agreements is a
shortcut toward de facto equality of status between Tbilisi and
Sukhumi while avoiding political negotiations.

Calling for reconstruction of the Abkhazia stretch of the railroad
that runs from Russia via Georgia to Armenia, as envisaged by the
2003 Sochi agreements, Bagapsh ignored the Abkhaz authorities’
commitments under those agreements, which stipulated “synchronizing”
railroad reconstruction with the organized and safe return of
Georgian refugees. Furthermore, he announced that the process of
handing over Russian citizenship to Abkhazia’s population would
continue; and that returning Georgians would have to accept Abkhaz
internal passports, with “dual Georgian-Abkhaz citizenship,” a
possibility to be discussed. Bagapsh himself has “Russian citizenship
and Abkhaz citizenship,” he said.

Abkhazia would “not allow any peacekeeping troops other than Russian
to be deployed;” and, should Georgia exercise its legal right to ask
the Russian “peacekeepers” to leave, an Abkhaz force would instantly
be forward-deployed in their place,” Bagapsh warned. He also invited
Russia to use the Gudauta military base permanently as an
“anti-terrorist center.” (Russia has unilaterally re-designated
Gudauta a base for “peacekeepers.”) During Bagapsh’s Moscow visit,
the Abkhaz authorities announced that their coastal guard vessels had
chased a Georgian cutter out of “Abkhazia’s territorial waters” and
escorted a Turkish cargo ship safely to Sukhumi.

Bagapsh’s hard line is not necessarily his last word. He may have
felt under pressure to please Moscow on his first visit there as
Abkhaz leader — a position he owes to one faction of Russian
intelligence services. While in Moscow he was flanked by his more
hardline deputy and rival, Raul Khajimba, who is the favorite of
another faction in Russia’s intelligence services. Moreover, Bagapsh
was speaking in the wake of the assassination attempt on his ally,
Alexander Ankvab, who is a moderate among Abkhaz leaders.

The Kremlin timed the secessionist leaders’ visit deliberately to
overlap with Georgian-South Ossetian talks, held on March 16-17 in
Moscow in the framework of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) under
Russia’s “mediation.” The timing appeared designed to demonstrate
that Russia can now overtly pursue a duplicitous policy — “mediator”
in conflicts, as well as protector of secessionists — with impunity.

Georgia’s State Minister and representative to the JCC, Giorgi
Khaindrava, was reduced to commenting plaintively about the
secessionist leaders’ meeting, “What can I say about the creation of
a separatist movement? I feel sad that this policy is being persisted
with, and I don’t think that it would be to Russia’s benefit.” He
went on to express concern that the holding of the secessionists’
summit in Sukhumi “could bring the negotiating processes close to
collapse.” Nevertheless, Khaindrava promised not to bring up this
issue in the JCC meeting. Although failure to bring up this issue in
the JCC rewards the Russian “mediators’ ” duplicity, South Ossetian
representative Boris Chochiev repaid Khaindrava’s restraint by
accusing him of “interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign
republics.”

Throughout the week, Russian government officials from Prime Minister
Mikhail Fradkov on down (with German Gref dissenting) warned that the
government is considering imposing economic sanctions on Moldova, in
response to the Duma’s two recent resolutions accusing Moldova of
hostile actions against Transnistria.

Source: Jamestown Foundation, 18 March 2005

TRIUMPH OF ARMENIAN BEAUTY IN MOTHERLAND OF FASHION

Azg/arm
16 March 05

It is for the first time that the Armenian beauty Lousine Tovmasian
was awarded the First Prize at Miss Europe competition, yielding to
the 22 years old beauty from Germany who won the title of Miss Europe
2005. On March 12, Miss Europe 2005 competition took place at the
sports palace in Paris. The competition was broadcast by RA Public TV.

The representatives from 36 countries participated in the 58th beauty
contest. Before leaving for Paris, Lousine Tovmasian stated that being
accepted among the best five would be the best result for her. “The
most exciting moment was when they were announcing the names of the
best 12 beauties. After they announced the name of the girl from
Turkey, they announced my name. I was very excited but also very
proud,” Lousine Tovmasian said.

Karen Aristakesian, head of Miss Armenia agency, wasn’t less excited
when watching the competition. “When Lousine was included in the best
five, thatwas already a big victory for us. We didn’t expect that she
would win the first prize,” Karen Aristakesian told.

Charles Aznavour, great singer, was included in the jury. Lousine said
that she learnt about that from the advertisements. The beauty said
that the audience applauded for ten minutes, honoring the great
singer.

“Charles Aznavour played definite role in Lousine’s victory. He stated
from the beginning that he came to support the Armenian beauty. But I
should say that Lousine prepared for the competition rather well,”
Karen Aristakesian said.

Lousine was preparing for the contest with other 36 beauties for
almost a month. She made friends with all the participants during this
period. “I made friends with the girl from Germany, in particular. We
lived in one room anddidn’ t expect that we would compete with each
other in the final stage”, Lousine said. The Armenian beauty stated
that all the participants deserved the victory, but she thought the
representative of England was her main opponent. Lousine received a
dress from one of famous designers as a prize.

Lousine received many suggestions and invitations already in the
preparation stage. She said she is going to stay in her homeland for
the coming week.

The Armenian beauties participated in Miss Europe competition for 7
times and only twice they managed to be included among the best 15.

By Arevik Badalian

Zaman, Turkey
March 15 2005

Muslims Converting Christianity of Other Religious Origins
By Istanbul
Published: Tuesday 15, 2005
zaman.com

It was determined that approximately 2,000 people who converted from
Islam to Christianity in the past 88 years were of Armenian, Syrian,
Greek or Jewish origin.

The weekly news magazine Aksiyon in its latest issue drew attention
to a subject that to date has not come to the agenda, “Converted
Christian Turks”. According to the article, thousands of “house
churches” have opened across Anatolia and tens of thousands of
Turkish youths have converted to Christianity.

However, Aksiyon’s article indicated that the reality is very
different. The article indicates that hundreds of Turkish Citizens
who have Turkish names and therefore for many years have been assumed
to be Muslims have recently returned to their former religions and
names. It was noted in the report prepared by Hakan Guven that about
100 people converted to Christianity through marriage.

Among the converted who provided statements for the article are the
relatives of soldiers, politicians and academics.

Some of the political arguments relating to and the actual number of
“Converted Christian Turks” can only be answered by looking at the
official population statistics, and what nationality individual come
from can only be established by researching the population records
through a few generations.

Today, the grandparents of an individual who bears a Turkish-Muslim
name can be from different nationalities. A report that has been in
the media recently is an example of this. The Hurriyet newspaper
reported on February 22 that Ergun Caner who was elected as the
theology dean at Liberty University, known as the castle of
Evangelist Christians, was the son of an imam who immigrated to the
US to spread Islam.

According to the article by Aksiyon, although Caner’s mother Inez
Manica has been considered as Muslim, in reality she is a Swedish
Christian. According to research conducted into those who converted
to Christianity, the conversions mostly take place in Istanbul,
Diyarbakir, Adiyaman, Batman, Sivas, Tunceli, and Malatya.

Une exposition sur l’Arménie

La Nouvelle République du Centre Ouest
11 mars 2005

Les 12 et 13 mars aura lieu, salle du conseil de la mairie de
Saint-Genouph, une exposition sur l’Arménie. En raison de cette
exposition, le 12 mars, la bibliothèque municipale sera fermée et le
secrétariat de mairie fermera à 11 heures.

–Boundary_(ID_zsLuafnMO0y8oIkwh4saTQ)–

Armenia, Switzerland sign accord on reacting to emergencies

Arminfo
11 Mar 05

Yerevan, 11 March: The Armenian and Swiss governments have signed an
agreement on assistance to Armenia’s system of reacting to
emergencies. The document was signed by the head of the Armenian
government’s department for emergencies, Maj-Gen Edik Barsegyan, and
the Swiss ambassador to Armenia, Stephan Spek.

Barsegyan said that as part of the signed agreement, a programme of
assistance to Armenia’s system of reacting to emergencies will be
implemented. The purpose of the programme is to strengthen Armenia’s
decentralized rescue system. The programme envisages courses for
rescuers and firefighters and provides them with special equipment.

The programme is valued at 420,000 Swiss franks, of which 300,000
will be channelled into the acquisition of technical equipment and
120,000 into training. The money has been provided in the form of a
grant. The programme will be implemented in Armenia’s Lori and Syunik
Districts.

The first stage of the programme effectively started on 28 February.
Prior to that, research had been carried out in the aforesaid areas.
The first stage will take 12 months to complete, while the next stage
of the programme will cover other parts of the republic as well.

A total of 11 technical and humanitarian programmes totalling 6.4m
Swiss franks are currently implemented in Armenia with financial
support from Switzerland.

Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Edina N. Bobelian
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 11, 2005
____________________

FAR SUPPORTS GROUND-BREAKING SCIENTIFIC AND SCHOLARLY RESEARCH IN
ARMENIA THROUGH ANSEF

People seem surprised when they hear about Armenia’s cutting-edge
research and tremendous young talent. After all, Armenia is a country
known to have an economy in transition, a GDP per capita well below the
world average, and a population mostly struggling to meet basic needs.
Could world class research even be conducted there?

The answer is a resounding YES! This fact is confirmed by Dr. Yervant
Terzian and his work through ANSEF, the Armenian National Science and
Education Fund, operating under the auspices of the Fund for Armenian
Relief (FAR), that provides annual grants for ground-breaking research
in Armenia.

Dr. Terzian, the David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences in
the Department of Astronomy and Space Sciences at Cornell University,
was appointed the Director of the NASA New York State Space Grant in
1996. He is also a Research Professor with the National Astronomy and
Ionosphere Center. With a career spanning 40 years, speckled with
multiple accolades and awards, including the Clark Distinguished Award
for Excellence in Teaching, Dr. Terzian’s fields of expertise include
the physics of the Interstellar Medium, Galaxies, and Radio Astronomy.

In addition to authoring or co-authoring more than 200 scientific
publications and being the editor of six books, including “Carl Sagan’s
Universe,” Dr. Terzian is a founding member of ANSEF.

A group of prominent academic and community leaders, including Vartan
Gregorian, Tavit Najarian, Edgar Housepian, Harut Barsamian, Anahid
Kazanjian Longobardo, Tamar Hajian, Mihran Agbabian, Aram Chobanian, and
Terzian, gathered in 1999 to discuss what could be done to encourage the
scientific and scholarly talent in Armenia. “I remember making a
passionate speech that first day in support of ANSEF’s creation. I had
just returned from a visit to Armenia where I met with university
students and researchers; I knew the needs,” remembers Dr. Terzian.

>>From the moment Dr. Terzian became Chairman of ANSEF’s Research Council,
each fall, he and his committee coordinate the peer-review of the
proposals submitted by Armenian scientists and scholars to ANSEF
annually. “I treat every proposal like my own; each is handled with
tender care, exactness and objectivity,” said Dr. Terzian, who has
received 1,086 proposals in ANSEF’s five years. “Each one is
peer-reviewed by at least two, sometimes three, experts at major
research universities and institutes throughout the U.S., for example
Harvard, Stanford, Cal. Tech., U.C. Berkeley, and the N.I.H. (National
Institute of Health).” These experts are leaders in their respective
fields and include Nobel Prize laureates.

To be eligible for an ANSEF grant, Dr. Terzian insists that the
proposals from Armenia follow a strict format and meet international
standards: they are written in English, describe the proposed work and
anticipated results, and include the curriculum vita and bibliography of
each researcher, as well as, most importantly, a detailed budget.

While ANSEF awards 25-27 grants per year, 200-300 research proposals are
submitted annually. “Our peer review efforts have shown that a large
fraction of the work being proposed is cutting-edge science in Armenia,”
said Dr. Terzian, “we should feel proud and continue supporting this
world class research, to encourage the young talent in the country.”

The attraction to ANSEF within the scientific and scholarly community in
Armenia is two-fold: first, its recognized confidential, fair
peer-review process to identify grant winners, and second, the prestige
accompanying an ANSEF grant award serves as international validation and
confirmation of cutting-edge work from among the best in the world.

When asked about his attachment to ANSEF, Dr. Terzian replied, “My
motivation is to encourage Armenian talent, including the youth, and to
spark their vision of a strong scientific and scholarly Armenia. I feel
happy that, through ANSEF, we have done some good work in Armenia.” Dr.
Terzian also showed enthusiasm for creating two additional ANSEF/FAR
programs, one to establish a fund to provide travel expenses for
scientists from Armenia to attend international meetings and present
their research work, and another fund to support stipends for graduate
students in Armenia.

In the past five years, ANSEF has supported 129 projects. The seemingly
small amount of an ANSEF grant ($5,000) allows a team of investigators,
on average three to five researchers, to continue its creative efforts
and to produce outstanding research for an entire year. At least 500
senior and junior researchers have been able to continue their work in
Armenia thanks to ANSEF.

Dr. Terzian said, “I receive e-mails from researchers in Armenia
expressing appreciation and gratefulness to ANSEF, the support from
abroad, and for the recognition they receive through the fair,
peer-review system.”

“Thank you very much for awarding our research team an ANSEF grant for
the year 2005. This is very important for our laboratory that involves
four students in our scientific research. This ANSEF grant will help us
support young scientists in Armenia,” wrote Dr. David Sarksyan of the
Laser Spectroscopy Laboratory at the Institute of Physical Research
within the National Academy of Sciences to Dr. Terzian. Dr. Sarksyan is
a 2005 ANSEF grant winner for his research on “Atomic Ensemble of Free
Rubidium Atoms Confined in an Optical Nano-cell.”

The mission of ANSEF is to maintain and strengthen the Armenian
intellectual community by providing peer-reviewed research awards to
support scientific, technological and scholarly research.

“Historically, Armenians have made significant contributions to the
sciences. Each of us is proud of their accomplishments,” said Kevork
Hovnanian, Chairman of the FAR Board of Directors. “We need to support
this strong scientific tradition in Armenia. I encourage the
Armenian-American community to help foster a dynamic research
environment in Armenia.”

To support the country’s leading scientists and scholars, send your
tax-deductible contributions to FAR/ANSEF at 630 Second Avenue, New
York, NY 10016. To learn more about ANSEF’s activities, visit
; telephone (212) 889-5150, e-mail [email protected].

— 3/11/05

E-mail photo available upon request.

CAPTION: Professor Yervant Terzian promotes scientific and scholarly
research in Armenia through ANSEF.

The Messenger, Georgia
March 10 2005

Speaker shuns, Parliament discusses
Senior officials distance themselves from resolution on Russian
bases, which is attacked by Russia and by Georgian citizens dependent
on bases for employment
By Anna Arzanova

Parliament on Wednesday discussed a resolution declaring that Russian
military bases must be withdrawn from Georgian territory by January
1, 2006, despite the efforts of the speaker of parliament to postpone
the debate, and comments by senior government figures distancing
themselves from the resolution.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome Zourabichvili stressed on
Wednesday that the resolution is not the responsibility of either her
or the ministry she heads.

“I cannot be either an opponent or supporter of this resolution. I am
just a minister and do not think I should be asked about this issue,”
she said.

Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli also stressed that the executive
branch of government had not been consulted regarding the drafting of
the resolution. According to Black Sea Press, he refused to comment
on the resolution, saying that the government remained in
negotiations with Russia, and hoped to resolve the issue through
reaching an agreement with Moscow.

Burjanadze tries to postpone discussion of resolution

Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze on Tuesday sought to postpone
discussion of the resolution declaring the Russian bases illegal,
saying now was not the right time to discuss it, and furthermore,
that neither she nor President Saakashvili had been notified of the
plan to discuss the resolution.

The decision to discuss the resolution was made during Monday’s
parliamentary bureau meeting, which Burjanadze did not attend because
she was in Germany.

“This issue was not agreed with everybody and as far as I know even
Saakashvili asked whether or not this issue had been agreed with the
leadership. Including this issue on the agenda was unexpected for
me,” she said, adding that she thinks this issue should be discussed
at committee level and not by Parliament.

“We have agreed on a two-month negotiation period and these two
months should first expire, after which Parliament as well as the
executive government will take very radical measures and decisions,”
she stressed, explaining that she believes adopting such a resolution
now would impede Georgian-Russian negotiations on the issue.

Burjanadze was overruled by MPs, however, and discussion of the
resolution went ahead as planned. One of the authors of the
resolution MP Giga Bokeria stated that, “This issue is included on
the agenda. I think that this process should take place as soon as
possible.”

The opposition agreed that the resolution, which they support, should
be discussed. They expressed surprise at Burjanadze’s intervention,
Conservative Party leader Zviad Dzidziguri saying, “the bureau put
this issue on the agenda and decided to discuss it on March 9. If
this issue was put on the agenda by the bureau it means it should be
discussed. I think that this issue needs to be voted on.”

Chair of the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs Kote
Gabashvili agreed that Parliament should discuss the resolution,
saying that if the executive government wishes to stop Parliament
from discussing the resolution it should present opposing arguments.

“I categorically demand this issue to be left in the agenda, because
this is necessary for Georgia. Our slavery must come to an end,” he
said at the parliament session.

Resolution irritates Russia

Gabashvili summed up the opinion of the majority of MPs by saying
that he supported the resolution, but admitted it would probably
aggravate Georgian-Russian relations.

“Russia will react harshly to the resolution,” he said. “But I think
that this issue will be settled step by step. These bases should be
withdrawn all the same.”

Expressing support for the resolution, MP Davit Tkeshelashvili stated
that a concrete moment comes in the history of all countries when
certain measures should be taken. “Georgia should express its sole
will regarding Georgia to be released from Russian bases,” he said.

MPs were right to say that Russia would react harshly to the
resolution. Russian news agency Interfax reports Russian Ministry of
Defense spokesman Colonel Viacheslav Sedov as saying that the
language of ultimatums, blackmail and pressure is unacceptable
regarding the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia.

“The bilateral commission, which regularly holds sessions in Tbilisi
and Moscow, was set up to solve the issue of the bases’ withdrawal,”
Sedov said, adding that Russia cannot withdraw their bases to an
empty field, as once happened in Russian when bases were withdrawn
from Germany. He thinks that it is necessary to first create the
infrastructure in Russia for the withdrawal of these bases.

Locals worry of impact on economy

The resolution was also criticized by ethnic Armenians living near to
the Russian base in Akhalkalaki, who rely on the base for employment.

“It is impossible to live here without this base. We will not allow
this at any price. We earn money to live on through the help of this
base. We will starve without it,” one protesting resident told
television crews.

The opposition also commented on the impact the closure of the bases
would have on Georgian ethnic minorities living near the bases.

“We should be ready for the complication of this issue. Russia likes
to aggravate ethnic conflicts and I am afraid that the most serious
aggravation of this issue is expected in Javakheti,” said MP Levan
Berdzenishvili, adding that Georgians could prevent this by spending
money and investing in the regions.

“We should make these people interested in other jobs, money, bases,
armies and so on. We should show them our Georgia money and make them
love it,” he said.

According to the resolution prepared by MPs, which Parliament is yet
to vote on, the government must prepare to take certain measures to
unilaterally ensure that Russia withdraw its bases, unless bilateral
agreement can be reached between the two countries regarding the
terms of the withdrawal by May 1, 2005.

These measures include no longer issuing entry visas to Russian
military servicemen, assessment of the total debt accumulated during
the working of the bases and preparation of a “special regime of
movement” for Russian servicemen, military hardware and cargo owned
by the Russian military bases on Georgian territory.

__________________________________
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South Caucasus syndrome

The Messenger, Georgia
March 11 2005

The Armenian newspaper Aravot (Morning) reports on the murder of one
of Azerbaijan’s most well-known journalists, Editor-in-Chief of the
magazine Monitor, 27-year Elmar Guseinov who was violently killed in
his apartment building on March 2.

The paper writes that Elmar support the views of the opposition and
his colleagues state he had “just declared war on the current regime.
The only weapon he used against the open impudence of the authorities
was freedom of speech.”

Meanwhile, as the Azeri newspaper Zerkalo writes, the adversaries
of Guseinov perceived this war literally, as a result of which the
journalists was shot seven times in the heart. According to Zerkalo,
this murder was carried out by a hired assassin.

According to Aravot, a journalist from Monitor, Einul Fatulaev, had
visited Karabakh recently and as a result of this visit published
a rather reserved article that had caused indescribable anger in
local so-called patriots. “He was under the cross-fire of indignant
statements of the nationalist forces, which called him a betrayer
of the nation,” Aravot writes, “Of course, we do not think that the
Editor in Chief of Monitor was killed particularly because of this
article, however, it could have been the last straw for the Azeri
(and not only Azeri) authorities’ elite, who are the carriers of the
South Caucasus detestable mentality,” the paper writes.

The paper notes that the victim’s family categorically rejects trusting
the investigation to the law-enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan and
have already appealed to European ambassadors for help in finding
the true killers.

Aravot says the murder of Ukrainian Journalists Giorgi Gongodze helped
fuel the ‘Orange Revolution.’ “Armenian journalists were also brutally
beaten on April 5 and 12, 2004 in Yerevan, which can testify to only
one thing: the Armenian regime also is also responsible for treating
freedom of speech with rough force,” the paper writes.

Turkish Press Scan

Published: 3/11/2005
 
[0.gif] ANKARA – These are some of the major headlines and their
summaries in Turkish press on March 10th, 2005. The Anadolu Agency
does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
INSTRUCTION TO PULL THE PLUG

HURRIYET- Hamza Keles, the acting chief prosecutor responsible for
the Broadened Criminal Courts, instructed officials to stop tapping
telephone lines till March 31st. Keles told intelligence officials of
the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), Directorate General of
Security and Gendarme General Command in a secret summit to stop
tapping telephone lines before the new Turkish Penal Code (TCK) was
put into force. Keles said, “the law is obvious. I will punish those
who tap telephones irregularly.”

FIVE MORE DIE DUE TO COUNTERFEIT RAKI

HURRIYET- Five more people, who were poisoned by the bootleg raki,
died in Istanbul. Sezai Palavan, Ekrem Atici, Bayram Sirma and Orhan
Canur died at hospitals, while 41-year-old civil servant Atilla
Ozturk died at his house, increasing the death toll to 22 according
to the figures of the Istanbul Health Directorate.

SEZER’S REACTION

MILLIYET- President Ahmet Necdet Sezer was scheduled to pay a state
visit to Finland between March 14th and 16th. However, President
Tarja Halonen of Finland invited the Greek Cypriot Ambassador in
Helsinki to the banquet to be hosted on March 15th in honor of
President Sezer and his wife. Turkey harshly reacted it, and informed
Finland that Turkish delegation would not partake in the dinner. It
was the first crisis. Later, the EU criticized police intervention in
a demonstration in Istanbul on Sunday. Upon all these developments,
President Sezer decided to cancel his visit to Finland.

ARMENIA REJECTS ERDOGAN’S PROPOSAL

MILLIYET- Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan rejected the
proposal of Prime Minister Erdogan. Earlier, Prime Minister Erdogan
called for an impartial study to be carried out by historians about
Armenian allegations that their people were exposed to genocide
during the World War I, saying, “we have opened our archives to
those people who claim there was genocide. If they are sincere they
should also open their archives. Teams of historians from both sides
should conduct studies in these archives.”

CYPRUS VETO

SABAH- The reason why Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer postponed
his visit to Finland has become obvious. As the Finnish President
invited the Greek Cypriot ambassador to the dinner he will host in
honor of Sezer, Sezer did not accept it.

DEATH TOLL RISES TO 30

SABAH- The death toll rose to 30 due to bootleg raki as five more
people who drank counterfeit raki died yesterday (Wednesday).

MUMCU SAYS “CONDITIONAL” YES TO ANAP

SABAH- Erkan Mumcu, who resigned from the ruling Justice &
Development Party (AKP), met a group of members of the Motherland
Party (ANAP of which he had been a member of). Mumcu told ANAP group,
“I will declare my candidacy for ANAP leadership if you openly
declare that you have adopted restructuring principles I have been
defending for 10 years.” And, the group promised to do so.

“TURKS FELT SLIGHTED BY FACT THAT WASHINGTON LAUNCHED IRAQ WAR”

CUMHURIYET- The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, one of the
prominent think-tank organizations in the United States, said in a
report “many Turks believe that the United States is not treating
them with respect”. The report said that most Turks felt slighted by
the fact that Washington launched the Iraq war despite the vote in
parliament against such a campaign. “Their resentment increased when
U.S. troops arrested Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq on July 4th,
2003. The lack of U.S. action against the PKK, present in northern
Iraq, has only exacerbated such feelings. If Washington does not take
a step, U.S.-Turkish ties may remain strained,” the report added.

EP WANTS A DETAILED REPORT

CUMHURIYET- The European Parliament (EP) wants Turkey to prepare a
detailed report about police intervention in Sunday’s demonstration
in Istanbul. The draft resolution, which will be put to vote at the
EP today, will condemn acts of police during the demonstration.

USD CAN’T BE STOPPED BY BRAKES

RADIKAL- Despite the intervention of the Central Bank of Turkey,
which reduced short-term interest rates by one percent, the USD
closed the day at 1.2740 New Turkish Lira (YTL), with only 0.7 New
Kurus (YKr) increase. USD did not increase despite the intervention
because of great deal of sale by foreigners.

OUR LESSON IS MARILYN MONROE

RADIKAL- The first daily history book prepared for the high schools
is telling about Marilyn Monroe and Lenin. After the National
Education Ministry increased high school education to four years and
decided to include “history of world and Turkey in the 20th
century” in the curriculum of high schools, the first “daily
history” book was published. The aim of the book, prepared by the
History Foundation with the support of the European Union (EU), is to
teach the concepts that can be used in daily life and increase
interest of students in history. The book will narrate topics like
dictators after 1929, EU and Iraq War, and Turkish and foreign famous
dignities like Orhan Gencebay (Turkish singer), Nazim Hikmet (Turkish
author and poet), Aziz Nesin (Turkish author), Marilyn Monroe, Lenin
and Che Guevara.

MIGRATION INCREASED CRIMES

TURKIYE- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan answered
questions of Fuat Bol, Mehmet Soysal and Ismail Kapan in a program
live broadcast on TGRT Haber TV. PM Erdogan said that migration of
desperate people of Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions to
metropolises caused many problems, and added, “particularly children
below 18 years old are used by some circles. They are forced to
commit crimes.”

TALAT’S EYE ON THE TOP

TURKIYE- Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat of Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) claimed that he would most probably win the
presidential elections due on April 17th. Talat said that in case he
was elected as the new TRNC president, he would be the negotiator in
Cyprus talks, and he would carry out these negotiations in
cooperation and coordination with the government.

BAYKAL INVITES MCCARTHY TO TURKEY

ZAMAN- Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said that
they had invited Prof. Justin McCarthy from the University of
Louisville to Turkey. Prof. McCarthy is expected to come to Turkey in
the coming days to hold a series of meetings on allegations of
so-called Armenian genocide. He will also attend conferences at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Strategic Studies Center, the Bilkent
University and the Marmara University.

U.S. SOLDIER CAPTURED WITH A WEAPON IN DIYARBAKIR

ZAMAN- U.S. soldier Cristopher Franz Pipes was captured with a weapon
in his luggage. Together with his Australian brother in arm Ross
Milosevic, Pipes came to Turkey from Iraq. They arrived in Diyarbakir
Airport to go to Istanbul. During the routine check, security forces
found a hand-gun hidden in the luggage of Pipes. Pipes and Milosevic
were transferred to the court with the accusation of carrying fire
arms without a license. However, they were released by the judge, and
they will be tried without detention.

“WE WILL NOT OPEN OUR AIR SPACE TO GREEK CYPRIOTS”

YENI SAFAK- Turkish Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim reacted
to the European Union (EU) which called on Turkey to open its air
space unilaterally by allowing the Greek Cypriot side to use it.
Yildirim said that such a thing was not possible.

DEATH TOLL FROM BOOTLEG RAKI RISES TO 21

YENI SAFAK- Three more people died in Istanbul after drinking bootleg
raki, bringing the death toll to 21. Meanwhile, several others
remained hospitalized after drinking fake raki, which was apparently
made using methyl alcohol. Police have raided underground
distilleries in Istanbul and other cities, confiscating thousands of
bottles of illegally produced raki last week.   Turkish Press

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