Author: Topchian Jane

REP. SCHIFF: TURKEY ARGUES IT SUCCEEDED IN GENOCIDE DENIAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
26.10.2007 18:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I think the Turkish lobby has regrettably earned
their money. They were successful in a campaign that was persuasion
and coercion.

Unfortunately it was aided and abetted by our own State Department,"
said Rep. Adam Schiff, the leading author of the Armenian Genocide
resolution.

Schiff said it is hard to say when he will try again.

"We want to make sure that when the measure is brought to the floor
we’re confident the votes are there," he said. "I think the worse thing
would be that you take it up and you’re not successful, and Turkey
argues that it’s a denial of the genocide," he said, The Associated
Press reports.

The four leading Democratic sponsors of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (H.Res.106) have called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to
adopt a revised schedule for the consideration of this human rights
legislation by the House of Representatives, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a letter sent to Speaker Pelosi, lead author Adam Schiff (D-CA),
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and
Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Anna Eshoo (D-CA) stressed
that, in asking for this delay, "we believe that a large majority of
our colleagues want to support a resolution recognizing the genocide on
the House floor and that they will do so, provided the timing is more
favorable." The letter goes on to note that they will continue to work
with Speaker Pelosi’s staff and the House Foreign Affairs Committee
staff to bring up the resolution "sometime later this year or in 2008."

October 10, with a vote 27 to 21 the U.S. House Committee on Foreign
Affairs adopted the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.106, which
was introduced by Representative Adam Schiff January 30, 2007.

THE US UNDERSTANDS ARMENIA’S NECESSITY TO HAVE RELATIONS WITH IRAN

armradio.am
25.10.2007 12:00

The US knows and understands Armenia’s reasons for the necessity of
having relations with neighboring Iran,"outgoing US Charge d’Affaires
Rudolf Perina told ArmInfo correspondent.

"Nevertheless, we are hopeful that the Armenian Governments tells
its Iranian colleagues about the whole concern of the international
community over the latter’s nuclear programs. And I would like to
underline that it’s not the concern of the Unites States only, the
UN is also worried about the issue," the American diplomat noted.

NIKOL PASHINIAN, SHOGHER MATEVOSIAN AND ANOTHER 7 OPPOSITION FIGURES SET FREE AFTER 8-HOUR ARREST

Noyan Tapan
Oct 24, 2007

The editor-in-chief of the newspaper "4th Power" Shogher Matevosian,
the editor-in-chief of the daily "Armenian Time" Nikol Pashinian,
the chairman of the Conservative Party Mikael Hayrapetian, the
representative of the "Armenian National Movement" party David
Matevosian, the chairman of the "Democratic Homeland" party Petros
Makeyan and several other arrested people were set free at 3:20
a.m. after being arrested in the local police office for 8 hours.

The reason for the arrest of the above-mentioned people was the
procession that they and several dozen supporters organized, during
which they, by using a loud-speaker, were calling to the residents
of Yerevan for participating in the opposition rally scheduled for
October 26 in the Freedom Square. In addition to this, the procession
participants distributed leaflets of the same contents.

RA MILITARY DOCTRINE TO BE SUBMITTED FOR PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL IN DECEMBER

armradio.am
24.10.2007 17:13

The draft Military Doctrine of Armenia has passed an intensive stage of
shaping, RA Defense Minister Michael Harutyunyan said during today’s
discussion. In his words, it’s a doctrine about neutralization of
the military threats to our country and other military issues. It
consists of four main sections: "Military-Political Provisions,"
"Defense Doctrine," "Military Security System," and "Reforms of the
Military Security System."

According to the Minister, the National Security Strategy adopted
on February 7, 2007 served as a basis for the creation of the
doctrine. Over the past months a special interagency commission was
working on the document. Over 700 suggestions were submitted. "We have
not had the purpose to take the military doctrine of some country
and adjust it to Armenia: the document has been worked out deriving
from the Armenian reality," Michael Harutyunyan noted. The Minister
said it will soon be discussed in the National Assembly and will be
submitted for the President’s ratification in December.

The scientists and experts present at the discussion highly appreciated
the draft doctrine, noting that "it is a balanced, succeeded and
reasonable document."

TAGESZEITUNG: KURDS FED UP WITH ROLE OF ANKARA’S BEGGARS

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.10.2007 13:42 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Kurds are right to complain about Turkey’s inhuman
treatment. Two dozens of ethnic Kurds have experienced it when spending
their young years in jails, surviving tortures and persecution,"
Tageszeitung German newspaper reports.

"The conflict between Ankara and PKK units has left a mark on their
fate. Certainly, today Kurds may be proud to have their deputies in
the Turkish parliament. Kurdish editions are sold in news-stalls.

There is a possibility of teaching Kurdish language in schools. But
one should not be surprised at absence of love towards the Turkish
homeland. Kurds are fed up with the role of Ankara’s beggars. Not
to mention thousands of armed rebels who reject any compromise,"
the article says.

"However, separatist aspirations are not characteristic for all Turkish
Kurds. It’s the aim of their political leaders. Official status of
Turkish minority doesn’t satisfy them, since a Kurdish state has
actually appeared in the north of Iraq. Kurds, who feel as a whole,
are aspired to a political unity.

Ankara’s aim is to prevent it by use of force. The Erdogan government
seems to have no other concept of resolution of the problem." The
article says, Deutsche Welle reports.

THE MISGUIDED POLICY OF CENSURING ALLIES
By Tom Ordeman, Jr.

Family Security Matters, NJ
php?id=1385079
Oct 23 2007

A major development in American foreign policy during recent weeks
has been the decision of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign
Affairs Committee to declare the actions by the Ottoman Empire in
1915 to have been genocide. On the surface, this effort appears to
be little more than a symbolic effort to acknowledge a past injustice.

However, the situation is far more complex, with far-reaching
consequences for national security.

In 1915, the present-day nation of Armenia was a possession of the
Ottoman Empire. As World War I escalated, the forces of the Ottoman
Empire forcibly deported and, in some cases, killed the Armenian
people. This led to the deaths of an estimated one million Armenians.

While the Ottomans ostensibly claimed that this effort was part of
a wider war strategy, accusations of genocide have resounded ever
since. The Ottoman Empire, the last remnant of the Islamic Caliphate,
dissolved after the defeat of the Central Powers in 1918. Its
largest remnant, Turkey, was reorganized by the legendary Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk into a secular democracy. Turkey is a NATO member, and
although the Turks expressed concerns regarding the invasion of Iraq,
Turkey remains a crucial logistical hub for American forces operating
in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Armenia, despite sporadic episodes of independence, was a possession
of Ottoman Turkey until the Ottoman Empire dissolved. Despite a
brief stint as a sovereign nation, Armenia was conquered by the
Red Army in 1920 and held as a Soviet possession until the fall of
the Iron Curtain in 1991. Armenia has had a continuing territorial
dispute with neighboring Azerbaijan, another former Soviet holding,
since 1988. The Armenians claim the distinction of being the first
Christian nation in history. Armenia’s neighbors include Christian
Georgia, and Muslim Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Armenia committed
a contingent of troops to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Bush Administration has opposed the move by the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, and President Bush has consulted with Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the matter. In the wake of
the resolution’s approval by the committee (which will likely result
in movement to the House of Representatives for a full vote), the
Turkish ambassador to Washington has been recalled, and the Turkish
government has threatened to restrict its airspace or cut off access
to a Turkish air base used by U.S. forces if the resolution is pushed
through. Turkey has increased in importance following the closure of
several facilities in Central Asia during the past several years.

Of perhaps greater import is the looming incursion of Turkish forces
into northern Iraq in an effort to disrupt outposts in Iraqi territory
that are used by PKK terrorists. Despite recent diplomatic efforts
between Ankara and Baghdad, continued attacks on Turkish forces
by the PKK have resulted in a buildup along the border in recent
months. Turkish lawmakers have authorized the Turkish government to
enter Iraqi territory. Although the Turks have stated that an incursion
is neither imminent nor inevitable, continued attacks by the PKK
continue to raise tensions between Turkey, Iraq, and the United States.

One of Turkey’s major reasons for concern over the invasion of Iraq
was the issue of the Kurds. The most stable region of Iraq, Kurdistan
enjoyed a degree of independence even under Saddam Hussein; as a
result, it has become a sort of de facto safe haven for the Kurdish
PKK terrorists, who attack Turkish forces and then retreat into
sovereign Iraqi territory. A major component of the worldwide Kurdish
population resides in Turkey, and Kurdish separatism is a continuing
concern to the Turkish government. The Turkish build-up on the border
has led to growing concern among both American and Iraqi officials,
as an incursion and major disruption in Iraqi Kurdistan would run the
risk of introducing instability into one of only a handful of stable
regions in Iraq.

The severity of the treatment of the Armenians at the hands of Ottoman
troops should not be trivialized. However, why the House Foreign
Relations Committee decided that October of 2007 was the right time to
bring government attention to an event that happened more than ninety
years ago, and that was perpetrated by a country that no longer exists,
is less than apparent. Further, the motivation for knowingly offending
the only secular, Western-style democracy in the Islamic world (and a
NATO ally, no less) is, in this case, a total mystery. This resolution
has already had a far-reaching negative impact on national security,
and it follows similar congressional proceedings in February aimed
at censuring Japan for sex slavery in World War II.

While both the private and public sectors in the United States should
remain committed to a steadfast accountability for human rights,
cases such as these are yet another reminder that diplomacy and
responsibility are directly tied to our national security. Given that
many claim (though erroneously) that Americans are universally loathed
abroad, surely we as a nation can find better ways than this to show
our solidarity with formerly-oppressed friends without provoking our
closest allies. What’s more – don’t our distinguished elected leaders
in the United States Congress have more important contemporary issues
to address, rather than dredging up symbolic issues from nearly a
century ago?

# #

FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Tom Ordeman, Jr. is a
technical writer for a major defense contractor. He holds a B.S. in
History and Naval Science from Oregon State University. He specializes
in military affairs and international terrorism.

GRAND PRIX INTERNATIONAL JUDO TOURNAMENT TO BE HELD ON NOVEMBER 10 IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Oct 22, 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. A Grand Prix International Judo
Tournament will be held on November 10 in Yerevan with participation
of leading masters from 11 countries. 8 judoists from each of 60 kg,
66 kg, and 81 kg weight categories will perform. Armenia, the event’s
organizer, will present two judoists in each weight category. Marius
Vizer (Austria), the Chairman of the International Judo Federation,
and Sergei Soloveychik (Russia), the Chairman of the European Judo
Union, will arrive in Armenia on the occasion of the tournament.

IRAQ: KURDISH REBELS TO DECLARE TRUCE

CNN
Oct 22 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party,
or PKK, will announce Monday a unilateral cease-fire following a
deadly attack on Turkish forces, a spokesman for Iraqi President
Jalal Talabani told CNN.

Talabani has been meeting with leaders in Iraq’s Kurdistan region
to quell tensions with Turkey after PKK rebels ambushed a Turkish
infantry unit early Sunday and killed at least 12 soldiers.

Eight soldiers are still missing. The Firat News Agency reported rebel
commander Bahoz Erdal as saying that "right now, these soldiers are
hostages in the hands of our forces… We have not harmed them and
we will not."

The attack happened in southeastern Turkey, but Turkey’s military
said the rebels were based in northern Iraq.

Sunday’s attack has raised the prospect of a major Turkish military
incursion into northern Iraq targeting the Kurdish separatists.

Last week Turkey’s parliament voted overwhelmingly to authorize
possible military strikes inside Iraqi territory against PKK fighters
accused of operating from bases there.

Amid U.S. and Iraqi calls for restraint, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan,
currently touring the Middle East, vowed that Turkey would continue
to pursue diplomatic efforts.

"But in the end, if we do not reach any results, there are other
means we might have to use," he said.

Responding to Sunday’s ambush, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan urged the U.S. to take "speedy steps" toward cracking down
on the PKK in Iraq, according to The Associated Press.

Erdogan said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had expressed
sympathy and asked "for a few days" in a telephone conversation
late Sunday.

In an interview conducted prior to the attack, Erdogan told the
UK’s Times newspaper that Turkey would do "whatever is necessary"
to defend itself.

"If a neighboring country is providing a safe haven for terrorism …

we have rights under international law and we will use those rights
and we don’t have to get permission from anybody," said Erdogan,
who was due to meet UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday in London.

Erdogan also said the U.S. risked "losing an important friend" if
lawmakers passed a bill declaring as "genocide" the mass killings of
Armenians by Turks during World War I.

In addition to those killed and missing, up to 16 soldiers were
reported wounded in Sunday’s ambush. The Belgian-based pro-Kurdish
Firat news agency released the names of seven Turkish troops it claimed
had been captured by separatists. It said an eighth soldier had also
been captured, AP reported.

Turkish forces retaliated to Sunday’s attack by killing 34 PKK
fighters, according to a statement on an official government Web site.

Cross-border shelling continued on Monday as AP reported sightings
of convoys containing dozens of military vehicles headed from the
southeast town of Sirnak toward the Iraqi border.

Meanwhile around 3,000 protesters gathered in Istanbul on Monday for
a second day in a row to call for an immediate military strike, CNN’s
Paula Hancocks reported. Small protests also took place in Ankara,
the Turkish capital, and elsewhere in the country.

After an emergency meeting Sunday of Turkey’s military and political
leaders, President Abdullah Gul issued a statement saying: "We will
continue on our path of determination in fighting the terrorist
organization. We respect Iraq’s national borders. But [we] will not
tolerate those who help and harbor terrorists."

Iraqi officials deny that militants are operating from territory under
their jurisdiction, claiming instead that PKK leaders are hiding
out in rugged mountain areas along the Turkish border that are not
controlled by Iraq.

Iraq’s Talabani, who is Kurdish, addressed the rising tensions with
Turkey during a meeting with Kurdish regional leader Massoud Barzani
in Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Talabani reiterated Iraq’s demand that PKK rebels lay down their arms,
and re-stated calls for a diplomatic solution.

He also said Sunday that Iraqi forces were unable to find the rebel
leaders because of the difficult landscape.

"The Turkish military, with its mightiness, could not annihilate them
or arrest them, so how could we arrest them and hand them to Turkey?"

Talabani said at a news conference following his meeting with Barzani.

When asked how Iraq’s government would respond to the possibility
of Turkish ground forces in northern Iraq, Barzani urged dialogue
with Turkey but said: "If we are targeted directly we will defend
ourselves."

On Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said a major
cross-border operation would be "contrary to Turkey’s interests as
well as to our own and that of Iraq" following talks with Turkish
Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul in Kiev, Ukraine.

The U.S. fears a large-scale military operation by Turkey in northern
Iraq would undermine the stability of the U.S.-backed government in
Baghdad and jeopardize supply lines that support U.S. troops in Iraq.

AHMADINEJAD VIEWS TEHRAN-YEREVAN TIES AS DEVELOPING

Fars News Agency
Oct 22 2007
Iran

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad voiced
pleasure with the developing ties between his country and Armenia,
and called for the further bolstering of all-out cooperation between
the two states.

Speaking to reporters prior to his departure for Yerevan, Ahmadinejad
noted the two countries’ common views and shared understanding about
mutual and regional issues and potentials.

He said Iran-Armenia relations are developing in such different
areas as energy, culture, communications, trade, joint investment,
electricity and gas.

The president further expressed the hope that the visit would lead
to the deepening of the two countries’ amicable ties and pave the
way for the facilitated expansion of mutual relations and cooperation.

Reminding that his visit would take place at the official invitation
of his counterpart and in response to Kocharian’s earlier visit to
Tehran, Ahmadinejad said that he had endorsement of several letters
of understanding on the agenda of his tour of Armenia.

Ahmadinejad, heading a high ranking delegation, left Tehran for
Yerevan on Monday.

During the two-day visit which will take place at the invitation of
Armenian President Robert Kocharian, the Iranian president will be
accompanied by his first vice-president, foreign minister, defense
minister, vice-president for executive affairs and oil ministry
caretaker.

Ahmadinejad is scheduled to meet senior Armenian officials and sign
several agreements on mutual cooperation with that country.

Addressing university students in Yerevan and also a meeting with
Iranian expatriates are included in Ahmadinejad’s itinerary as well.

The president is due to receive an honorary PhD and a medal after
delivering the speech at Yerevan University.

Over 3,000 Iranian students are studying at different Armenian
universities while 120,000 Armenians are living in Iran.

The two countries’ trade exchanges amount to over USD20 mln.

BETWEEN CONFIDENCE OF SYSTEM AND SUPPORT OF PUBLIC
James Hakobyan

Lragir
Oct 22 2007
Armenia

The recent meeting of the commission for fair economic competition
actually displayed clearly the mess inside the Armenian government
as the presidential election is drawing nearer. The commission which
discussed the rise in prices concluded that the soaring prices on
the market are not proportionate to the growth of prices on the
international market. Moreover, several companies were fined which
had boosted prices by an unfair competition arrangement. Certainly,
an ordinary consumer does not benefit anyway because the fined
companies make billions while the fine is not more than 300 million
drams. Besides, after paying the fine the prices not only remain high
but also continue to soar.

However, the problem is different. The point is that the prime minister
had earlier explained the rise of prices on the consumer market by
the rise of prices on the international market. Meanwhile, the fair
economic competition commission gave the contrary conclusion. It seems
incredible that the fair economic competition commission may have
exposed the mistake of the prime minister who seems to feel to be all
but president. After all, it is hardly possible that the commission
members do not track the news and are unaware of the prime minister’s
explanation. If they do not track the news and do not learn about the
prime minister’s patriotic activities, they will be punished twice:
once for exposing his mistake, twice for taking no interest in his
activities.

Generally, it is perhaps worthwhile to introduce a new routine
in the government. The staff of the ministries, commissions and
agencies should be asked to retell the content of media reports on
the previous day’s visits of Serge Sargsyan to their supervisor and
recite the thoughts of the prime minister to prevent such moral and
psychological cases during the day when the decisions and conclusions
of one link of the government contradict to the opinion and evaluations
of the prime minister, and to eliminate such likelihood early in the
morning before it becomes known to the public.

Otherwise, it turns out that there is a clear mess in the government,
and one is not aware of the other. In the meantime, it crashes the
whole advertising campaign of Serge Sargsyan on television. The
point is that even if the society starts having a positive attitude
toward the prime minister in parts, the administrative resource will
start to doubt whether he controls the state of things. If he does,
then how does some agency dare to refute the prime minister? It
means something is wrong, and in his efforts to earn the support of
the society Serge Sargsyan forgot about curbing the administrative
resource. In other words, he no longer controls the state of things,
and if he does not, the administrative resource no longer needs to
try to make him a president.

Meanwhile, it may have a dramatic turn because the government in
Armenia is shaped through the administrative resource rather than the
support of the society. Consequently, as soon as the society decided
to vote for him, no doubt he will not become a president for the
simple reason that Serge Sargsyan together with Robert Kocharyan and
their supporters have established an election system where the vote of
the public means nothing. Consequently, it is amazing that by moving
toward the public Serge Sargsyan dares to oppose to the system. The
system seems to have felt this by its instinct of self-preservation,
and perhaps the decision of the fair economic competition commission
is a warning, a yellow card that he cannot quit the system and walk
toward the public.

Serge Sargsyan who is now visiting the United States needs to come back
and assure the system that everything is OK, and he is not plotting
against the system. But in order to show that he keeps the things
under control the prime minister must make the commission responsible
for making him appear as unaware, or deceitful because if the rising
prices in Armenia have nothing to do with the rising prices on the
international market, it means either the commission made a wrong
conclusion, or the prime minister intentionally or unintentionally
misled the public that the soaring prices have nothing to do with
the prices on the international market.