Author: Tigranian Ani

GEORGIA CUTS TSKHINVALI FROM RUSSIA
By Aghavni Harutyunian

AZG Armenian Daily
12/10/2006

Yesterday, the Georgian side has blocked Tskhinvali-Gory transportation
road near Ergneti settlement. Regnum agency informed that this step
completes the isolation of the South Ossetia from the South to the
North. The South Ossetia is connected with Russia only through Zarsi
road. At the same time, the Georgian authorities have arrested some
of the South Ossetian officials in Ergneti and released them after
a while. But, as the road was already blocked yesterday, one can’t
say how the South Ossetian officials returned home.

GENOCIDE BILL THREATENS TURKISH-FRENCH TIES
By Hande Culpan

Independent Online, South Africa
Oct 10 2006

Turkish-French ties appeared headed for trouble on Tuesday over
a controversial bill on the World War I massacres of Armenians as
Ankara threatened to bar French companies from lucrative projects
and boycott French goods if the draft is adopted.

The bill, scheduled for debate before the French National Assembly
on Thursday, calls for one year in prison and a 45 000 euro (57 000
dollar) fine for anyone who denies that Armenians were the victims of
a genocide under the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of modern Turkey.

Drawn up by the Socialist opposition, the draft was first submitted
in May, but the debate ran out of time after filibustering from the
ruling UMP party bloc.

Turkish officials believe the bill stands a good chance of being voted
on Thursday – as a gesture to France’s large Armenian community ahead
of legislative elections in 2007 – as many lawmakers opposed to the
bill will be away in their constituencies.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned at the weekend that French firms
would be barred from major tenders, including one for the planned
construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant, if the bill
is accepted.

"We will be absolutely unable to (co-operate) in big tenders," Gul
told the popular daily Hurriyet.

"The French will lose Turkey," Gul also said in remarks to the Yeni
Safak newspaper.

The Ankara Chamber of Commerce, which groups some 3 200 businesses,
threatened to boycott French goods and the Consumers’ Union, a
non-governmental consumer rights group, joined the chorus on Monday.

Turkey sidelined French companies from public tenders "If the bill
is adopted, we will call for the boycott of one French product every
week starting from October 12. We will increase the number of French
goods and services to be boycotted until the law is annulled," the
group’s leader Bulent Deniz said in a written statement.

In 2001, Turkey sidelined French companies from public tenders and
cancelled projects awarded to French firms when the parliament adopted
a resolution recognising the Armenian massacres as genocide.

At stake now is a flourishing trade between the two countries that
totalled 8,2-billion euros (10-billion dollars) in 2005.

About 250 French firms are active in Turkey, providing employment
for about 65 000 people.

France also plays a leading role in foreign direct investment in
Turkey, with 2,1-billion dollars (1,6-billion euors) in 2005 and
328-million dollars (260-million euros) in the first seven months
of 2006.

Many commentators warned on Monday that ending economic ties with
France would also have a bruising affect on Turkey, which sees foreign
investment as vital to its recovery from two severe financial crises.

"The ‘punishment’ to be imposed on France in case the bill is passed
will be a double-edged sword and inflict as much damage on us as on
France," one columnist wrote in the mass-circulation Hurriyet.

Turkey could also opt for political measures against France, such as
keeping bilateral contacts at a minimum and at the lowest diplomatic
level, and even cancelling bilateral visits.

A senior lawmaker has already warned that the Turkish parliament may
retaliate with a law branding the killings of Algerians under French
colonial rule as genocide and introducing prison terms for those who
deny it.

The Armenian massacres are one of most controversial episodes in
Turkish history and open debate on the issue has only recently begun
in Turkey, often sending nationalist sentiment into frenzy.

Armenians claim up to 1,5-million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917.

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label, arguing that 300
000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when
Armenians rose for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with
invading Russian troops as the Ottoman Empire fell apart.

SIMMONS TO DISCUSS ARMENIA-NATO COOPERATION IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.10.2006 15:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today NATO Special Representative for the South
Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons is arriving in Armenia
within a regional visit, reports the Press Office of the Armenian
MFA. During the visit Simmons is scheduled to meet with Armenian
President Kocharian, Defense Minister Sargsyan and FM Oskanian. The
current NATO-Armenia cooperation, implementation of the IPAP will
be discussed with Armenian leaders. Besides, Simmons will visit the
NATO Information Center. The NATO Special Representative will also
meet with accredited ambassadors of NATO member states in Yerevan.

IN INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS’ WORDS, RIGHTS OF NATIONAL MINORITIES NOT COMPLETELY RESPECTED AT ELECTIONS OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT BODIES OF GEORGIA IN ISSUE OF LANGUAGE

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 9 2006

AKHALKALAK, OCTOBER 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Observers of the
Congress of Regional and Local Authorities of the Council of Europe
made public on October 6 in Tbilisi their preliminary conclusion
concerning the elections of local self-government bodies of Georgia.

The OSCE and Council of Europe observers particularly fixed in their
report the following:

– The main freedoms were in majority respected at the 2006 elections
of local self-government bodies in Georgia;

– Not clear difference between the authorities and the leading party
functioned in favour of the authorities;

– 30% of independent candidates was not able to be registered, mainly
because of organizers of the elections;

– The ethnic minorities’ right to get information about the elections
in the language preferable for them was not completely respected in
the territory of the country;

– In some places, mainly, in minorities’ regions, observers noticed
important procedural problems while counting the votes.

The OSCE and Council of Europe observers fixed in their preliminary
report also the fact of fostering the law on elections of local
self-government bodies without satisfactory public discussion.

The OSCE and Council of Europe observers’ group will make public its
final report on the law on the electoral code of local self-government
bodies and the law on elections of local self-government bodies of
Georgia in two months.

According to the "A-Info" agency, representatives of the OSCE
observation mission visited Javakhk as well.

ANKARA WARNS: "FRANCE WILL LOSE TURKEY" UPON ADOPTION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAW

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.10.2006 12:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey warned France that relations between the two
countries will be heavily damaged if the French Parliament adopts
a law on penalty for denial of the Armenian Genocide. Turkish MFA
Spokesperson Namik Tan stated that the adoption of the law on the
Armenian Genocide "will imperil the outcome of the work for many
years – the investments, and if this wording is appropriate, France
will lose Turkey."

"The Armenian issue has poisoned bilateral relations in the past,
however the law will inflict an irreversible damage upon our
relations," Tan states, RFE/RL reports.

October 12 the French Parliament will discuss a bill, providing for
criminal penalty for denial of the Armenian Genocide in the form of
a fine of $57 thousand or imprisonment up to 5 years.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone: 212.319.6383, x118
Fax: 212.319.6507
Email: [email protected]
Website:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, October 2, 2006

AGBU Participates in Dialogue at Third Armenia-Diaspora Conference in Yerevan

On September 18, 2006, the third Armenia-Diaspora Conference opened at
Karen Demirjian Sport and Concert Complex in Yerevan, Armenia, with
the participation of leading Armenian organizations from around the
world, including AGBU. Republic of Armenia President Robert Kocharian
spoke at the opening event, stating: "The past four years, after the
second conference, have been filled with developments both for Armenia
and countries with large Armenian communities. I believe that this
conference gives everyone a chance to discuss the new realities and
outline our future actions for the next several years."

In his speech, President Kocharian underscored the contribution of
the Diaspora Armenians to Armenia’s developing economy, pointing out
the steady growth of GDP in the past five years. He also stressed the
importance of the Armenian Apostolic Church. "Only the state can secure
strong and lasting preconditions for preservation of identity. That
is why Armenians must spare no efforts for strengthening the state
of Armenia. Our identity is inseparably connected with Christianity,
and our church remains a strong factor in unifying Armenians around
the world," said Kocharian.

RA President’s speech was followed by speeches by the His Holiness,
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians; Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
(NKR) President Arkady Ghoukassian; the Catholicos of the Great House
of Cilicia, Aram I; and by the representatives of the Armenian Catholic
and Evangelical Churches. Other presenters included members of the
following local and diasporan organizations: AGBU, Armenia 2020,
Armenian Assembly of America, Armenian Democratic-Liberal Party,
Armenian National Committee of America, Armenian Relief Society,
Armenian Revolutionary Federation, Birthright Foundation, European
Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, "Hayastan" All-Armenian
Fund, Social-Democrat Hunchakian Party, Tekeyan Cultural Association,
United Armenian Fund, World Armenian Congress, and Zoryan Institute.

NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian expressed his gratitude to diasporan
investors and organizations, including AGBU, whose contributions have
championed the development of Karabakh.

"By the will of fate we are among those countries which are able
to develop effectively, first of all, thanks to the investments of
compatriots around the world. I am sure that the harmonious activities
of Armenia, Karabakh and the diaspora are capable of strengthening
the influence of the Armenian factor on the international arena, as
well as create new opportunities for our people’s secure future,"
President Ghoukassian said in his speech. "The realization of
investment projects in Karabakh, with the help of the still unused
potential of the diaspora, will allow us raise the social-economic
development to a new level, which in its turn will secure stable
growth of dynamically developing economy," he added.

His Holiness Karekin II spoke about the current imperatives faced
by Armenians. He remarked, "Today, is an important page in our
history. It is time for our opportunities that have grown with the
free and independent life of homeland and uninhibited relations with
the diaspora, to serve the well-being and unification of our people,
and the rebirth of spiritual and national life."

AGBU Central Board member Carol Aslanian spoke during the
conference. She highlighted the fact that the 15th anniversary of
Armenia’s independence coincided with the 100th anniversary of AGBU. In
her speech, she commended the initiative of the Armenian Government in
Rural Poverty Eradication and expressed hope that it would lead to an
overhaul and development of Armenian’s rural communities. She stressed
the importance of the government’s cooperation with nongovernmental
organizations for the ultimate success of the project. When speaking of
AGBU’s goals, Aslanian said, "Today, our projects in Armenia, spanning
educational, cultural, humanitarian and religious programs for all
age and income groups, have become a priority for AGBU-stimulated by
increasing support among our donors and major benefactors." She added
that with a $34 million annual budget, AGBU representatives in 35
countries fulfill educational, cultural and humanitarian programs. She
also spoke about the major projects
carried out in Karabakh with AGBU’s support, particularly the
repopulation of border villages. She also spoke briefly about the
planned AGBU Center for Young diasporans in Yerevan and AGBU Virtual
College, an online, multimedia course of study on Armenian language,
culture and history.

AGBU Central Board member, Levon Kebabdjian, and AGBU members from
France, Argentina, USA, Egypt, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Syria and
Brazil also attended the conference.

During the last day of the conference, the participants touched upon
the issues on national values, historical communities, and language
and culture in large communities. On the agenda of were also questions
of the diaspora’s future makeup, the upbringing of a new generation
of Armenian leaders, and future projects and policy issues.

The challenges and questions are many, but the ongoing dialogue and
the commitment of AGBU and other diasporan organizations to the
future of the homeland promise a brighter tomorrow for Armenians
around the world.

Established in 1906, AGBU () is the world’s largest
non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City
with an annual budget of $34 million, AGBU preserves and promotes
the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and
humanitarian programs, annually serving some 400,000 Armenians in
35 countries.

LA TURQUIE MODERNE AUX PRISES AVEC SES DEMONS

Le Monde, France
6 octobre 2006 vendredi

Le pays peine a se defaire de son ultranationalisme et de ses pratiques
policières brutales. Il y a urgence

Un père affectionne nous offre la main de sa fille malade en mariage.

La belle est eblouissante. Et, comble de bonheur, ce père nous assure
que la promise, soignee, est en voie de guerison. " Je ne minimise
pas le travail qui nous reste a accomplir ", ajoute-t-il, comme s’il
s’agissait d’un detail secondaire. C’est ce qu’ecrit M. Abdullah Gul,
vice-premier ministre, et ministre des affaires etrangères de Turquie
(le Monde du 26 septembre). Il nous accorde que les obstacles ne
manquent pas sur le chemin de l’adhesion de son pays a l’Union
europeenne.

Mais M. Gul nous passe sous silence la disgrâce qui consume la
fiancee, envahie d’horribles demons a exorciser. Lorsqu’une personne
se trouve etre la proie de deux personnalites contradictoires, on dit
qu’elle est atteinte de schizophrenie. Il faut la traiter d’urgence,
car elle souffre d’une terrifiante crise d’identite. Beaucoup, en
Turquie, cherchent a democratiser ce pays et, c’est le cas, bien sûr,
de M. Abdullah Gul et de son ami le premier ministre Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. Mais leurs opposants règnent dans tout l’appareil d’Etat turc,
les partis, le Parlement, l’armee et l’administration publique.

Le 21 septembre, j’assistais au procès de la romancière Elif Safak,
a la cour d’assises de Beyoglu, a Istanbul. Elle etait accusee
par l’avocat ultranationaliste Kemal Kerincsiz d’avoir " insulte
l’identite turque " dans son dernier roman où elle raconte l’histoire
d’orphelins armeniens dont les parents ont ete massacres par les Turcs
en 1915. Devant le palais de justice, une trentaine de nationalistes
hurlaient leur haine de l’Union europeenne. Ils agitaient des drapeaux
bleus de l’UE agrementes de la croix gammee, proclamant ainsi que
l’Union, remplie de nazis, ne cherchaient qu’a detruire la Turquie.

Proteges par 200 policiers, arrivaient le president du groupe
parlementaire de l’UE, Joost Lagendijk, les observateurs d’Amnesty
International et du Pen International, ainsi que des dizaines de
journalistes du monde entier. Etait-ce cette pression internationale
? Comme l’ecrivain Orhan Pamuk l’an passe, Elif Safak a ete
acquittee. Pour les observateurs presents, cette sentence mediatisee
n’avait guère de sens, au regard des 120 procès intentes cette annee
contre des journalistes, des ecrivains, des editeurs moins connus.

Dix-huit ont ete acquittes, mais beaucoup retournent en assises.

D’autres subissent une peine d’amende, des journaux sont suspendus.

Le journaliste Hrant Dink, qui parle librement du massacre des
Armeniens, retourne pour la troisième fois devant les tribunaux,
mais il risque cette fois la prison, car il a deja ete condamne avec
sursis. Il reste 45 procès de ce genre avant la fin de l’annee.

D’un côte, le premier ministre Erdogan telephone a la romancière Elif
Safak, acquittee, pour lui declarer sa satisfaction. De l’autre, il
laisse les partis nationalistes faire exclure des prochaines reformes
le fameux article 301 du code penal, celui qui envoie en prison toute
personne " denigrant l’identite turque ". Les termes de cette loi
sont si vagues qu’ils permettent aux nationalistes de fouler aux pieds
les engagements de la Turquie envers l’UE sur la liberte d’expression.

D’un côte, Erdogan proclame une politique de " torture, tolerance zero
". De l’autre, les cas de tortures allegues se poursuivent, confortes
par les nouvelles techniques d’interrogatoire des Americains. Dans
le sud-est de la Turquie, se multiplient executions sommaires,
enlèvements, attentats et tortures perpetres par les services de
securite, qui alimentent ainsi en nouveaux sympathisants les troupes
de la guerilla (le PKK). Dans cette region, près de 15 millions de
Kurdes sont pris en otage entre la guerilla et l’armee.

Pour les experts de l’UE, et pour le gouvernement turc, le problème
de la minorite kurde n’est qu’une question de niveau de vie…

D’un côte, M. Abdullah Gul assure a Bruxelles que des reformes sont
en cours, de l’autre, les legislateurs turcs ignorent les règles
de precision et d’exactitude en vigueur dans toute legislation
democratique. Ainsi, la nouvelle loi antiterroriste, votee en juin,
est si mal redigee qu’elle peut faire inculper comme terroriste
n’importe quel Kurde pacifique, n’importe quel journaliste exercant
son metier. La Turquie, prochaine fiancee de l’Europe selon les voeux
de M. Abdullah Gul, est en pleine crise d’identite. Elle est certes
malade. Mais ne la rejetons pas : aidons-la plutôt a guerir.

Claude Edelmann

Cineaste,membre du Collectif pour les droits de l’homme en Turquie

–Boundary_(ID_RegUsEdm50zKekbRajp6Cg)–

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS NON-NEGOTIABLE, EU COMMISSIONER TELLS TURKEY

Agence France Presse — English
October 4, 2006 Wednesday 2:31 PM GMT

Turkey must take steps to ensure freedom of expression if it wants
to join the European Union, European Enlargement Commissioner Ollie
Rehn said Wednesday, adding the issue was non-negotiable.

"This is not a bargaining issue. Freedom of expression is one of
the fundamental values of the EU," Rehn told the NTV television
news channel. "It will be in Turkey’s interest to guarantee freedom
of expression."

Brussels has recently raised concerns over free speech in Turkey after
a string of intellectuals were brought to trial under a much-criticized
article of the penal code.

The code’s Article 301 foresees up to three years imprisonment
for "denigrating Turkish national identity" and "insulting state
institutions."

No one has been jailed yet under the provision. But in July the
appeals court confirmed a suspended six-month sentence handed down
to Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, setting a precedent for
dozens of other pending cases.

"We need to see some steps being taken to amend the notorious Article
301 so that freedom of expression can be fully guaranteed in Turkey,"
Rehn told NTV.

"There is no charge in European penal codes about insulting Finnishness
or Britishness," he said. "And when we look at the implementation in
Turkey, we see that Article 301 is interpreted by prosecutors, courts
and lawyers in a way that very much limits freedom of expression."

The Turkish government has said it is committed to pursue democratic
reforms to ease its entry into the EU and said it is open to proposals
to amend Article 301.

Rehn’s remarks came ahead of a crucial annual report that the EU’s
executive arm — the European Commission — will issue on November
8 on Turkey’s progress in its membership talks with the EU, which
began in October 2005.

Apart from human rights concerns, the talks have also been clouded by
Turkey’s refusal to open its air and sea ports to Cyprus, an EU-member
state Ankara does not recognize.

The EU has warned Turkey that the talks could be suspended if it
refuses to grant trade privileges to Cyprus under a customs union
agreement with the 25-nation bloc.

Ankara insists that Cypriot ships and planes will remain barred from
Turkish ports unless the EU unless delivers on its promise to ease
trade restrictions on the island’s breakaway Turkish Cypriot state,
recognized only by Turkey.

The Finnish presidency of the bloc has proposed a formula to help
resolve the stalemate.

Rehn is scheduled to leave Turkey Thursday after talks with Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.

TURKEY BELONGS IN THE EUROPEAN UNION
By John K. Cooley

Christian Science Monitor, MA
Oct 2 2006

Full Turkish membeship would do much to stabilize its turbulent Middle
East neighborhood.

ATHENS – It’s time for policymakers of the 25 European Union (EU)
nations, as well as leaders of 70 million Turks, to take a deep breath,
step back, and carefully consider whether it’s wise to halt or impede
Turkey’s effort to join the EU.

Turkey’s pro-Western government, along with a majority of its business
leaders and its secular-minded, Westernized military, is committed to
accession. But some Turkish politicians who have favored membership
for decades have recently expressed doubts because of widespread
European rejection.

Strategic and human considerations favor Turkey’s bid, if it has
fulfilled all the preconditions – a big "if" at this juncture. Now
that EU ministers have postponed a membership progress report from
Oct. 24 to Nov. 8, decisionmakers happily have more time to review
the pros and cons of this crucial question.

Membership advocates insist that EU rules would stabilize Turkey’s
economy and political structure.

But objections are growing louder in European capitals. It wasn’t
always this way. Back in 1959, France invited a wary Turkish government
to join the EU’s predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC),
as an associate member, which it did in 1963. Today, Nicholas Sarkozy
and Segolene Royal, the two front-running candidates in France’s 2007
presidential election, and senior politicians in Austria, also facing
elections, urge some kind of "privileged relationship" for Turkey,
short of full-fledged membership.

Turkey began knocking at Europe’s door when it applied to fully
join the former European Community in 1987. For more than a decade,
it met with refusals, based partly on the Ankara government’s poor
relations with Greece, especially conflict related to Turkey’s 1974
invasion and occupation of northern Cyprus.

In the 1990s, Turkey agreed to a customs union with the EU, abolishing
many trade tariffs with its members. Its candidacy got a further
boost in 2002, when Turkey’s Islamist but pro-European Justice and
Development Party (AKP) came to power and began making the reforms
necessary for EU accession. Turkish Prime Minister Recip Tayyip
Erdogan, a consistent proponent of EU membership, has pushed through
abolition of the death penalty, cracked down on torture, and secured
more rights for Turkey’s substantial Kurdish minority.

Today, support for accession has plummeted among both Turks and
Western Europeans, with levels of approval well below 50 percent.

Austria, mindful of its 17th-century role as a bulwark against Turkish
invasion of Western Europe, and commentators elsewhere object to having
Turkey’s 99.8-percent Muslim population join the EU. They call it a
"Christian club," an epithet also used by Turkish and other Muslim
opponents of EU membership. Fear of massive Turkish immigration,
which could deprive Western Europeans of jobs, is widespread.

Another objection is that only 3 percent of Turkey’s vast territory is
within geographical Europe, leading to a European debate about where
Europe’s real borders should be. European critics condemn Turkey’s
acts of closing newspapers opposed to government policy.

They also criticize its prosecution of intellectuals and authors –
such as prizewinning novelist Orhan Pamuk – for "insulting Turkishness"
or discussing the 1915-17 massacres of Armenians.

Kurdish terrorist bombings at Turkish tourist resorts and guerrilla
warfare by the Marxist Kurdish Workers’ Party are further prickly
issues.

But Cyprus remains the key. The EU requires Turkey to recognize the
Greek Cypriot-governed Cyprus Republic by opening Turkish harbors and
airports to Greek Cypriot ships and planes. Ankara and the so-called
Turkish state in northern Cyprus (recognized only by Turkey) refuse.

They demand that the EU first lift "embargoes" against the north by
unfreezing promised economic aid. But the EU and the international
community refuse, arguing that this would be de facto recognition of
the Turkish Cypriot regime. The Greek government, despite hostility
from the Greek public, strongly backs Turkish EU membership in order
to strengthen relations with its neighbor and old rival, Turkey.

Former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer eloquently argues
Turkey’s case for membership. In a Sept. 27 article in the German
newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, Mr. Fischer reminds us that Turkey,
as a modernizing Muslim EU member, would be a bridge between Islam
and Europe; would extend benefits of the economic eurozone; and would
help to curb the spread of Islamist extremism and violence.

The EU ministers should reassure Turkey in November that it belongs
in an expanded EU. The protracted accession negotiations – possibly
as long as 10 to 15 years – with the desirable goal of full Turkish
membership could do much to stabilize Turkey’s turbulent Middle East
neighborhood. The United States should continue to encourage all
concerned to keep moving in that direction.

~U John K. Cooley, a former Monitor correspondent, has covered the
Middle East and eastern Mediterranean region for more than 40 years.

coop.html

CHIRAC ADVISES TURKEY TO FOLLOW GERMANY’S EXAMPLE AND RECOGNIZE THE GENOCIDE

Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 29 2006

French President Jacques Chirac declared in Yerevan today that Turkey
will turn into "a more mature country" if it accepts the mistakes of
its past, particularly the Armenian Genocide.

"After acknowledging the Holocaust, Germany did not lose its grandeur,"
Jacques Chirac noted, saying that the capacity to accept the dark
pages and mistakes of the past is a sign of the state’s maturity.

RA president Robert Kocharyan declared that Turkey’s entry talks with
the EU comprise no danger for Yerevan.

"We wish our neighbors to believe in democratic values and be
predictable. In this regard, Turkey’s desire to join the European
Union does not comprise danger for us. Att he same time we would like
the questions of concern for Armenia to find their solution during
these talks," Robert Kocharyan said.

Commenting on the draft envisaging penalty for Armenian Genocide
deniers presented by French Socialists, Jacques Chirac reminded that
"in 2001 France fully recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide,
and this law has equal force for everyone.