Author: Topchian Jane

Associated Press Worldstream
October 26, 2006 Thursday 4:03 PM GMT

Kuneva accepted as Bulgaria’s first EU commissioner; Romania
nominates liberal senator

By PAUL AMES, Associated Press Writer

The European Commission welcomed Bulgaria’s Meglena Kuneva as her
country’s first member of the EU’s executive body Thursday, clearing
her to assume the post in charge of consumer affairs on Jan. 1 if she
is approved by the European Parliament.

Bulgaria and Romania are due to join the European Union on New Year’s
Day, bringing EU membership to 27 nations.

The European Commission said in a statement that Kuneva, Bulgaria’s
European affairs minister, was accepted for the post, but
consultations were continuing on Romania’s nomination, Liberal party
Sen. Varujan Vosganian.

All EU members have the right to send an official to serve on the
European Commission, the bloc’s executive body. The European
Parliament is to vote on the appointments in December.

Kuneva is expected to assume the new post of consumer affairs
commissioner, taking responsibility for an area that previously fell
within the portfolio of EU Public Health Commissioner Markos
Kyprianou.

"I believe Mrs. Kuneva has all the political, personal and technical
competencies for this very important job," said European Commission
President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Kuneva, 49, a lawyer and a former university teacher and journalist,
has led Bulgaria’s entry talks with the European Commission since
2001.

"Meglena Kuneva will be a worthy and efficient representative of
Bulgaria," Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev told reporters
in Sofia.

However, Vosganian’s nomination has raised doubts from the Socialist
faction in the European Parliament.

"The Bulgarian candidate is well known for her European attitudes and
political involvement, whereas the Romanian is unknown," said a
statement from Hannes Swoboda and Jan Marinus Wiersma, vice
presidents of the Socialist group.

"What is known is that he has been very much on the right wing of
politics and on the payroll of big economic tycoons," they added. "It
is clear that we will have to explore his European profile but also
his acceptance of European standards and European values."

Vosganian, 48, chair of the Senate’s budget and finance committee, is
known for supporting free-market policies. He also is a fervent
backer of his country’s flat tax of 16 percent, which Romania
introduced in 2005 to replace a progressive taxation scheme ranging
from 18 to 40 percent.

A mathematician and economist, Vosganian also is a writer and poet.
An ethnic Armenian, he heads the National Union of (Ethnic) Armenians
in Romania.

The European Parliament will grill both candidates at hearings next
month and is due to vote on their appointments in December.

Although the vote by the EU assembly is not legally binding, the
commission has made clear that a negative vote would likely result in
Barroso asking them to resign.

NEW GRADUATE PROGRAM AIMS TO PRODUCE QUALITY JOURNALISTS

International Journalist’s Network
Oct 26 2006

Aspiring journalists in Armenia now have another option for advanced
study, after the recent launch of a journalism master’s program at
Brusov University in Yerevan.

Brusov is also known as the Yerevan State Linguistic University. The
Dutch NGO Press Now helped the new program along with advice and
financial support.

According to a news release from Press Now, this is the university’s
first master’s program. The goal of the program is to produce quality
journalists who can make independent, fair news coverage more common
in the country.

This is Armenia’s second master’s program in journalism. Yerevan
State University also offers a program supported by the International
Center for Journalists (ICFJ) and the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID).

For more information about the program at Brusov, contact the school’s
Center of Journalism at [email protected], or Albana Shala of
Press Now at [email protected] or telephone +31 20 5682015.

Press Now:

Bruso v:

ARMENIAN MINISTER ASSESSES PARIS MEETING AS NORMAL

Armenian Public TV
Oct 25 2006

[Presenter] The meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign
ministers, Vardan Oskanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov, ended in Paris
yesterday. It was attended by the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group
[for the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict].

The meeting was held in a positive atmosphere and was a continuation
of the discussions on the new principles of settling the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen during
the Moscow meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers.

In order to clarify their positions even more, the ministers reached
an agreement to continue the discussions at the level of the foreign
ministers. Another meeting is planned to be held in Brussels on 14
November on the sidelines of the Armenia-EU cooperation council.

[Passage omitted: France believes that it is important that the OSCE
Minsk Group deals with the Karabakh settlement]

[Oskanyan] In general, it was a normal meeting. This meeting was a
continuation of the Moscow meeting because during the Moscow meeting
the co-chairmen proposed a number of new ideas regarding which no
agreement has been reached between the foreign ministers so far. The
goal of the negotiations has not changed, and the document that is
on the negotiating table has been discussed by the ministers several
times. But there are major problems on which no agreement has been
reached by the ministers.

We discussed in Yerevan and Stepanakert [Xankandi] the ideas proposed
by the co-chairmen during the Moscow meeting. Today we displayed our
specific positions in Paris. Azerbaijan did the same. The atmosphere
of the negotiations was positive and constructive. I cannot say that
our positions on these problems coincide, but I believe that there
are opportunities to bring our positions closer. With this aim,
we decided to continue the discussions.

TURKISH WOMEN MPS SEND LETTER TO DUTCH MP

Turkish Press
Oct 25 2006

ANKARA – Women parliamentarians from ruling Justice & Development
Party (AKP) sent a letter to Dutch MP Tineke Huizinga Heringa, who
submitted a resolution to the Dutch House of Representatives asking
for imprisonment and fine for those who deny the allegations about
the so-called Armenian genocide.

AKP MPs Zeynep Karahan Uslu, Nuket Hotar Goksel, Semiha Oyus, Fatma
Sahin, Ayhan Zeynep Boru, Gulseren Topuz, Halide Incekara, Remziye
Oztoprak also sent a book by Turkish History Society Chairman Prof.

Dr. Yusuf Hallacoglu named "Facts on the Relocation of Armenians".

In their letter, Turkish women parliamentarians said, "no genocide
was carried out during our history," and recalled that Turkey has
opened its archives to all historians and researchers.

Turkish MPs stated that this resolution will serve the intentions of
the Armenian diaspora to harm Turkey’s EU membership bid, noting that
this was a campaign based on defamation, slander and lies.

"We hope that you will withdraw this resolution," they added.

-JOINT STATEMENT OF MPS-

On the other hand, the same parliamentarians released a joint statement
in which they reacted to the French parliamentarians who will debate
a similar resolution tomorrow.

The joint statement said that these are wrong and one-sided
allegations, and pointed out that this issue should be debated by
historians.

Noting that Turkish nation has never committed a crime against humanity
like genocide, the joint statement said, "we condemn France for its
unjust and unfounded initiatives aiming to hurt Turkish people deeply."

ARMENIANS MUST SHOW BALANCED APPROACH IN ISSUE OF RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN RELATIONS, POLITICIAN LEVON MELIK-SHAHNAZARIAN BELIEVES

Noyan Tapan
Oct 25 2006

YEREVAN, OCTYOBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian press presents
the Russian-Georgian relations only with two colours: black and
white: the published articles are of either strictly pro-Russian
and anti-Georgian or strictly pro-Georgian and anti-Russian
character. Politician Levon Melik-Shahnazarian expressed such an
opinion at the October 25 meeting with journalists. In his words,
it is necessary to show in this issue a more balanced approach as
"Georgians will always remain our neighbours and Russia will always
be our strategic ally." In the politician’s opinion, Armenia’s moral
interference in the Russian-Georgian relations must be aimed to calm
them down as much as it is possible, and direct interference must
be limited only by protection of interests of Armenians living in
those two countries. Reminding that the Russian military refuge will
soon be moved from Javakh, L.Melik-Shahnazarian mentioned: "If NATO
member Turkey’s military units are suddenly placed there, then the
Armenian army must be in Javakhk earlier." Otherwise, in his words,
if Armenia does not strive for protecting Armenians living there,
the meaning of its being an independent, sovereign country will be
lost. L.Melik-Shahnazarian emphasized that he does not call on war,
but is sure that as soon as the Turkish army appeares in Javakhk,
danger of war and, consequently, of displacing Armenians from Javakhk,
will arise.

EVOLVING INTO A SOCIETY TOLERANT OF DISSENTING VIEWS WILL TAKE TIME IN TURKEY
by Harry Sterling, Freelance

Edmonton Journal (Alberta)
October 24, 2006 Tuesday
Final Edition

Novel for dissident writer may focus world attention, and help this
process along

OTTAWA — His own government was determined to imprison him for
denigrating his country.

Paradoxically, this month he found himself the recipient of the much
coveted Nobel Prize for Literature.

It’s an honour which some in Turkey clearly would rather ignore,
regarding Turkey’s internationally respected author, Orhan Pamuk, as
almost a traitor for daring to publicly refer to claims 1.5 million
Armenians living in Ottomon Turkey were victims of genocide carried out
by the Turks during the First World War, and for also criticizing the
denial of fundamental human rights to Turkey’s large Kurdish minority.

While many would agree that Orhan Pamuk richly deserved the Nobel
Prize for his many memorable novels and works of non-fiction,
as exemplified by My Name is Red, Istanbul, and Snow, his selection
this year may have been based as much on his determination to express
his right to freedom of speech as on his writings, notwithstanding
their obvious merits. However, that commitment to speak the truth
was not appreciated by everyone in his homeland, particularly not
Islamists and ultra-nationalists who regard his references to the
massive deaths of Armenians nine decades ago and the oppression of
Kurdish human rights as deliberate slandering of Turkey.

His critics, including successive Turkish governments, have always
insisted the large-scale deaths of Armenians during the First World
War occurred when the then-Ottoman government was trying to put down
Armenian nationalists aligned with invading Russian forces and was
not an act of premeditated genocide.

They also insist the figure of 1.5 million deaths is inflated.

Feelings against Orhan Pamuk reached a fever pitch after he was
quoted in a Swiss interview saying few in Turkey were prepared to
look honestly at what befell the Armenians and Kurds.

His outspokenness led to his being charged with "insulting
Turkishness," a crime carrying a sentence of three years in prison.

Pamuk was subjected to widespread criticism and physical threats.

It was only after an international outcry and pressure, particularly
from the European Union — which Turkey wants to join — did the
Turkish authorities drop the charges.

But Orhan Pamuk’s experience was far from unique. It’s symptomatic of
a never-ending struggle by Turkish writers, intellectuals, human rights
activists, and others, to ensure that freedom of speech and respect for
other fundamental human rights are fully honoured in Turkey, a goal
frequently blocked by those who believe western concepts of freedom
of speech without controls can undermine the sanctity of the state.

(Under Turkish law, it is forbidden to criticize the nation, the
president and prime minister, as well as the military.)

Scores of Turkish writers and journalists are regularly harassed
or imprisoned for allegedly denigrating the nation. One authoress
was recently charged with insulting Turkishness because one of her
characters in a work of fiction was critical of Turkey. As Elif Shafak
explained when charged with insulting Turkishness in her recent novel,
"If there’s a thief in a novel, it doesn’t make the novelist a thief."

But, as the controversy surrounding Orhan Pamuk made clear, the issue
of freedom of speech in Turkey is very much about a nation’s ability
to look objectively at its own history and practices.

Until very recently, the Armenian genocide issue was a taboo subject in
Turkey. Anyone daring to suggest that Turkey’s Armenian subjects were
victims of possible genocide would find themselves prosecuted in court.

Similarly, anyone reporting on violence inflicted on Turkey’s Kurdish
population could expect to feel the authorities’ wrath. In one bizarre
case, a Turkish journalist was charged with violating the law because
he filmed a military tank dragging the body of a dead Kurd.

Despite the unwillingness of some in Turkey to accept that questioning
aspects of Turkish life and past history should be tolerated in a
democratic society, such views are no longer as prevalent or deeply
felt as previously.

There are two reasons for this. First, Turkey has been steadily
evolving into a modern industrial state in recent years. Although the
Turkish economy has experienced its ups and downs, living standards
have improved for many Turks, resulting in a better educated population
no longer as prepared to accept uncritically restrictions on freedom
of speech and basic human rights.

Second, the European Union has made it unequivocally clear that
if Turkey is to stand any realistic chance of joining the EU, they
must end legal and other restrictions on fundamental human rights,
including the rights of minorities, such as the Kurds.

To its credit, the current government of Prime Minister Erdogan has
implemented several changes improving human rights legislation. It’s
also permitted the use of the Kurdish language in certain schools for
the first time, along with broadcasts in Kurdish, previously banned.

These are welcome developments. However, as the recent experience of
Orhan Pamuk and other Turkish writers and journalists has demonstrated,
Turkey’s evolution into a society tolerant of dissenting views remains
a work in progress. Hopefully, the honour of having a Turkish Nobel
laureate could assist that process.

Harry Sterling, a former diplomat, is an Ottawa-based commentator.

He served in Turkey.

ARIANE ASCARIDE, SACREE A ROME, VOULAIT "SE CONFRONTER AU THèME DES RACINES"

Agence France Presse
21 octobre 2006 samedi

L’actrice francaise Ariane Ascaride, qui ete sacree samedi meilleure
interprète au Festival de cinema de Rome pour son rôle dans "Le Voyage
en Armenie", a confie a l’AFP qu’elle avait eu envie "de se confronter
aux thèmes des racines que l’on est pas encore allees chercher".

"C’est un rôle et un personnage que j’ai invente personnellement,
puisque c’est moi qui ai ecrit le scenario avec l’ecrivain Marie
Desplechin", a resume l’actrice après avoir recu son prix.

"Le Voyage en Armenie", production franco-armenienne, relate le voyage
initiatique d’Anna, une Marseillaise partie dans les montagnes du
Caucase sur les traces de son vieux père, malade, qui souhaitait
revoir son Armenie natale avant de mourir.

"J’avais une envie très forte de parler de ce pays, l’Armenie,
et j’avais aussi envie de me confronter avec ce thème des racines,
de ces racines qu’on n’est pas encore allees chercher", a souligne
Ariane Ascaride, qui a des origines italiennes.

"Je voulais aussi faire un cadeau au realisateur Robert Guediguian (son
compagnon, qui a des origines armeniennes). Cela faisait longtemps
qu’il avait envie de travailler sur l’Armenie, mais c’etait plus
facile pour moi de parler de ce pays", a-t-elle raconte.

"Si on est trop implique sentimentalement, c’est difficile de faire
un tel travail. D’ailleurs je ne pense pas que je serais arrivee
a faire le meme travail sur l’Italie et le retour aux sources !",
a resume Ariane Ascaride.

–Boundary_(ID_k9SKHaxSyfabQrcZlo9K5w)- –

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 20 2006

L’Oreal next Target of Turkish Boycott
By Cihan News Agency
Friday, October 20, 2006
zaman.com

Having called for a boycott against French oil company Total last week,
the Turkish Consumers Union has declared that next target is L’Oreal,
the world’s largest cosmetics group, in protest at the adoption of
the Armenian "genocide" bill in the French parliament.

Bulent Deniz, chairman of the Turkish Consumers Union, announced
on Thursday that they would put all the products of French cosmetic
giant L’Oreal on the boycott list next week.

L’Oreal products, including Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio
Armani, Inneov, Kerastase, Lancôme, Matrix, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren,
and Vichy will be on the boycott list, Deniz said.

Turkey’s main consumer group last week decided to publicize one French
company or brand every week and encourage Turks to boycott it.

L’Oreal has been in the Turkish market since 1989 and has increased
its sales throughout the country 45 percent in the last five years.

Last a boycott began for Total, a French gas station, with a reported
30 percent drop in sales.

Apart from French oil group Total, which has 500 gas stations across
Turkey, other French companies such as Carrefour, Renault, Axa and
Lafarge could also be facing consumer boycotts in the coming weeks.

–Boundary_(ID_G2X1KYB02NLWpeG8mUmINw)–

Article 301 will Prevent a Train Wreck

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 19 2006

ABDULHAMIT BILICI
10.19.2006 Thursday – ISTANBUL 20:57

On the evening of the Troika meeting in Luxembourg, I was watching
television in Le Royal Hotel where the Turkish delegation was
staying. France’s latest undertaking was being discussed in a program
joined by four journalists.

The point that caught my attention was the effort of the Le Monde
writer, who was defending the French parliament’s decision to
criminalize the denial of the alleged Armenian genocide, to mention
Turkey’s Article 301 whenever he was trapped. The words of the
journalist, whose views on this subject were contrary to those of his
own newspaper, were summed up as follows: We may be limiting thought,
but we want those who reject a crime against humanity to be punished.

Turkey, who is trying to teach us about freedom, punishes those who
talk about the genocide. There’s no difference between us in regards
to putting limits on thought. Moreover, we are doing this as a moral
obligation.

The fact that the journalists, who previously thought Turkey was
right, could not find anything to say after this attack seemed very
meaningful to me. In the discussion an Arab and Muslim journalist,
whom in some circles in Turkey can’t tolerate, defended Turkey,
but that’s another story.

The program was very educational in respect to showing how important
it is to take Article 301 away from the hands of Turkey’s opponents
in Europe. Today our strongest argument against France is the
prohibition of thought in a country that is identified with freedom of
thought. However, the existence of Article 301, with its sensational
applications, unfortunately weakens the argument.

Moreover, no matter how much we say that anything can be discussed
in Turkey and conferences on the genocide claim are even being held,
from the outside Turkey is seen as a country with prisons full of
journalists and intellectuals, as Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
has said.

Another interesting point was a claim made the next day by diplomats I
spoke with in the context of the Troyka meeting that it was necessary
for similar reasons to resolve the Article 301 issue as soon as
possible. According to them, changes to be made in Article 301 are
very significant in order to avoid a train wreck with the European
Union. The scenario in the minds of these people who are constantly
struggling on this issue with their peers is as follows: The contents
of the progress report to be announced by the Commission on Nov. 8
are vital. Under current conditions there are three alternatives,
ranging from good to bad:

The first improbable alternative is that the parties involved in the
Cyprus dispute agree within the framework of Finland’s proposal and
the Commission recommends continuation of negotiations in its report.

The second alternative is that due to Turkey’s refusal to open its
ports to the Greeks, the report will recommend the suspension of some
negotiation topics related to the free circulation of goods until
Turkey fulfills its responsibilities.

The third alternative is a recommendation by the Commission for
full suspension of negotiations in the case that Turkish ports
aren’t opened.

The first alternative is ideal. The second doesn’t look too bad with
a postponement of a solution to the Cyprus issue and a continuation
of negotiations for some time. The worst alternative, which can be
termed a train wreck, is the third. Consequently, the third alternative
must somehow be prevented. It is believed that this can be done only
if Turkey has done its part on the subject of political reforms,
with Article 301 in particular. Actually, even if the Commission
doesn’t make such a recommendation, members have the right to curtail
negotiations. However, for this to happen, at least nine countries
must say yes, and no one sees it as probable that the Greeks can
muster this number.

According to diplomatic calculations, completion of political reforms
will be beneficial in two ways: It will both increase Turkey’s
strength to resist pressure on the Cyprus issue and strengthen the
hands of countries supporting Turkey. Of course, the only barrier in
front of these results is pressure from the calendar. In other words,
if amendments are going to be made to Article 301, it is important
to do it before Nov. 8.

The problems arising from Article 301 itself, which has become a
symbol, or its implementation don’t only make the European Union
uncomfortable. Gul said, "This doesn’t become Turkey and it shows our
country as more backward than it is." For this reason, when he said
in Luxembourg that Turkey wouldn’t make the same mistake as France,
which is being perceived as a promise, it makes his audience more
comfortable. In this case, what’s left is to explain this equation
to Turkey. What do you say, is it an easy matter?

FOREIGN MINISTER OF RA AT THE UN CONFERENCE IN TORONTO, CANADA

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
October 20, 2006 Friday

Vardan Oskanyan, Foreign Minister of RA, took part in Toronto
conference on Diaspora’s role in building peace and development
organized by UN and University for Peace.

MFA Press Service told ArmInfo that Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa,
Head of the 61st Session of UN General Assembly, came out with
speech. Vardan Oskanyan in his speech told participants of the
conference about experience of Armenian Diaspora, activities of its
structures in different parts of the world. He made a historic excurse
of the Diaspora’s formation and spoke of its originality. They spoke
about Armenia-Diaspora relations. It was pointed out that Diaspora
supports Armenia in economical and political aspects by investments,
benevolence and money transfers.

As for political support, it is carried out in the main directions:
solution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, recognition of Armenian Genocide
in Ottoman Empire in 1915 and the problem of relations between Armenia
and Turkey. In the end Vardan Oskanyan met with representatives of
Armenian Diaspora in Canada. They discussed details of participation
of Armenian Diaspora and its representatives in the Agricultural
Regions Development Programs and other projects.