Author: Tumanian Talar

A1 Plus | 17:00:03 | 01-10-2004 | Social |

LARISSA ALAVERDYAN SEES NO PROGRESS IN ISSUE OF COURTS INDEPENDENCE

Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan reported on her work done for seven months in
office.

She said from 1,162 complaints received, 184 have been considered and the
problems mentioned in them solved.

Alaverdyan pointed out imperfectness of Armenia’s legal system saying
overwhelming majority of the complaints received are related to that very
system and the department responsible for carrying out legal compulsory
acts.

She sees no progress in the issue of courts independence.

The ombudsman said red tape in state institutions “is one of our biggest
worries”.

In her words, people have to wait for answer to their motions for months.

Larissa Alaverdyan thinks human rights protection can become more effective
if poverty is reduced in the republic. She said she noticed that rights of
those in need are being violated more often.

Infant mortality in Azerbaijan remains high, paper says

Zerkalo, Baku
29 Sep 04

According to the forecast of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA),
Azerbaijan’s population will reach some 11m people by 2050. Our South
Caucasus neighbours are lagging behind in this aspect (2.3m in Armenia
and 3.5m in Georgia). At present, the official statistics puts the
population of the three countries at 8.4m, 3.1m and 5.1m respectively.

The average annual increase in population is 0.9 per cent in
Azerbaijan. The figure is negative for Georgia and Armenia: -0.9 and
-0.5 per cent respectively. These and other interesting figures were
unveiled at the presentation of “The state of the world population”
report, which is dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Cairo
Consensus on population, reproductive health and the global effort
to end poverty.

[Passage omitted: Forecast for the entire world]

Cingiz Ismayilov, head of the centre for development of Azerbaijan’s
regions, has said that due to insufficient funds, much remains to be
done in the sphere of decreasing the infant mortality rate, preventing
the spread of AIDS, and satisfying the needs of young families.

The UNFPA put the number of Azerbaijan’s economically active
population at 3.85m in 2003, although not all of those people
were employed. The figure is on the rise. Between 1995 and 2003, it
increased by 300,000. The natural growth of the population, meanwhile,
is in decline: it was 94,000 in 1995; 70,000 in 2000 and around 60,000
in 2003.

This fact is bound to cause concern. It is also sad that the rate of
infant mortality in Azerbaijan remains high. The number of deaths
per 1,000 births in the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States]
countries is as follows: 17 in Armenia, 29 in Azerbaijan, 11 in
Belarus, 18 in Georgia, 52 in Kazakhstan, 37 in Kyrgyzstan, 18 in
Moldova, 16 in Russia, 50 in Tajikistan, 49 in Turkmenistan, 14 in
Ukraine and 37 in Uzbekistan.

Four causes of abortion among the women aged 15 to 49 in
countries such as Moldova, Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia attract
attention. Artificial limits on the number of children in a family
accounts for 28 per cent of abortions in Moldova, whereas social and
economic factors account for 57 per cent, opinion of the partner for 7
per cent, and health concerns for 8 per cent of the abortions. Similar
figures for Russia were, accordingly, 53 per cent, 30 per cent, 11 per
cent and 7 per cent; for Georgia they were 66 per cent, 29 per cent,
2 per cent and 4 per cent; and in Azerbaijan they were 63 per cent,
32 per cent, 1 per cent and 4 four per cent.

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B – 1000 BRUSSELS
Tel. +32 (0)2 732 70 26
Tel. /Fax. +32 (0)2 732 70 27
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Contact: Talline Tachdjian
Tel. +32 (0)2 732 70 26
September 28th, 2004

THE NEW TURKISH PENAL CODE WOULD CRIMINALIZE
RECOGNITION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

— The European Armenian Federation calls on the European Commission
to end its silence in the face Turkey’s campaign of denial

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – Following its recent attempts to criminalize
adultery, the Turkish government is now trying to place several
articles in the provisional penal code that threaten freedom of speech,
including, notably, criminal sanctions against those who recognize
or otherwise affirm the facts of the Armenian Genocide.

The European Armenian Federation condemns article 306 of the new
Turkish penal code. This provision threatens authors with jail
sentences over statements, that are construed by government officials
to undermine Turkish “national interests”. Examples of so-called
offensive statements listed in the provisional law include, “The
Turkish Army must withdraw from Cyprus” and “Armenians endured a
genocide during the Ottoman era.” Some parliamentarians introduced
an amendment, which would mandate sanctions against authors and
individuals, if it is determined that their statements are motivated by
“material interests.”

The provision gives no legal justification for the law, which
remains fundamentally incompatible with the European values of free
expression. The European Commission scarcely reacted when the Turkish
Ministry of Education brought genocide denial into the classroom, by
institutionalizing it in the curriculum. A coalition of European NGOs
expressed its concern about the denialist curriculum and called for
the suspension of EC grants to the Turkish educational system. The
European Parliament also expressed its concern in the Oostlander
report on the Turkish application for EU membership.

“Today, far from repenting for the Genocide, Turkey now wants
to include denial of this crime in its penal code. Clearly, the
indifference of the European Commission is partially responsible
for the hardening of the Turkish position on this issue”, said Hilda
Tchoboian, Chairperson of the European Armenian Federation. “Prime
Minister Erdogan’s about-face on the adultery issue will simply be a
media ploy if Europe does not demand that Ankara grant full freedom
of speech to its citizens. We call on political parties, governments,
and human rights organizations to urge the European Commission to
call for justice for the Armenian Genocide. It is unthinkable that
the Commission would not consider Turkey’s denialist position a key
obstacle to the initiation of preliminary talks,” added Tchoboian.

“Whether they are in favor of a European Turkey, or whether they are
against its accession, the Union’s democrats cannot tolerate these
attacks on the freedom of press and thought that have free reign
in Turkey. It is time for the European Union to call on Turkey to
recognize the Armenian Genocide,” concluded Federation’s chairperson.

#####

N.B. In the French version of the Press Release we mentioned
the former article number which was the article 127. An English
version of this article is available to the following web link:
;id_article=60&lang=en

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/27/2004
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1) Senate Reverses Administration Effort to Break Military Parity Agreement
2) French Deal Blow to Turkey EU Hopes
3) Chinese-Armenian Relations to Enter New Stage, Says Chinese President
4) ARF Lebanon Meets with President Emile Lahoud
5) Armenian Caucus Rallies Congressional Opposition to Increasingly Violent
Anti-Armenian Rhetoric by Azerbaijan

1) Senate Reverses Administration Effort to Break Military Parity Agreement

Joins House in Restoring Parity in Military Aid Allocations to Armenia and
Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)Armenian Americans welcomed the adoption by the Senate,
last Friday evening, of a $19.6 billion fiscal year 2005 foreign aid bill that
earmarks at least $75 million in economic aid for Armenia, provides another
$8.75 million in military aid, a $2.5 million appropriation for Mountainous
Karabagh, and reverses the Administration’s efforts to tip the balance of US
military aid toward Azerbaijan.
“We appreciate the leadership of Senator McConnell and the support of all of
our friends on the Foreign Operations Subcommittee in constructively
addressing
the many provisions of the foreign aid bill that hold special meaning for the
Armenian American community,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “In
particular, we welcome the Senate’s reversal of the ill-advised effort to
break
the military aid parity agreement, as well as its decision to increase the aid
level for Armenia beyond the figure in both the Administration’s and the
House’s version of the bill. At the same time, we regret that the Senate, in
failing to include language similar to the Schiff Amendment, missed an
opportunity to send a clear message to Turkey that the US government will not
tolerate its shameful denial of the Armenian Genocide.”
The restoration of military aid parity by the Senate follows similar action
taken by the House earlier this year. In February of 2005, the
Administration’s
budget proposal recommended breaking the agreement struck between the White
House and Congress in late 2001 during discussions over Section 907, to keep
military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan at equal levels. The White House
proposal would have allocated roughly four times more Foreign Military
Financing (FMF) assistance to Azerbaijan ($8 million) than Armenia ($2
million). The House version of the foreign aid bill set the FMF figures at $5
million for each country. The Senate bill adopted last night sets the FMF
level
for both countries at $8 million, with an additional $750,000 to each country
for International Military Education and Training (IMET).
The Senate version of the foreign aid bill did not include Schiff Amendment
language. This provision, adopted unanimously by voice vote in the US House
this July, restricts the government of Turkey from using any of the aid it
receives from this appropriation to lobby against the adoption of the
Congressional Genocide Resolution.
The FY 2005 Foreign Operations bill, which was adopted by voice vote, was $210
million above the House version, and $1.7 billion below the Administration
request. The bill includes $150 million in emergency funds for Global HIV AIDS
and $75 million in emergency funds for peacekeeping in Sudan. The $75 million
hard earmark for Armenia is $10 million more than the figure approved by the
House and $13 million over the Administration’s $62 million budget request. By
contrast, foreign aid levels to neighboring Caucus countries include $38
million to Azerbaijan and $100 million for Georgia.

2) French Deal Blow to Turkey EU Hopes

PARIS (Reuters)Turkey will not join the European Union for at least 15 years
and could only do so once France had held a referendum on the issue, French
Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said on Sunday.
“The membership of Turkey, in the best of cases, will not happen for 15
years,”
he told LCI television. “A decision as important as the membership of
Turkey in
Europe could only be taken after there had been a referendum in France.”
Sarkozy, who plans to quit the Finance Ministry in November to lead France’s
ruling conservative party, said he had reservations about Turkey joining the
25-member bloc.
He was skeptical about the idea “not because it is a Muslim country but
because
Turkey alone represents the membership of the 10 countries [mainly] from
eastern Europe,” he said, referring to the countries that joined the bloc this
year.
Sarkozy made his comments after French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin
voiced misgivings on Thursday about Turkey joining the bloc, asking if Europe
really wanted “the river of Islam to enter the riverbed of secularism.”
Raffarin said Turkey had made progress in adjusting its laws and institutions
to EU standards under Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, but queried the
overwhelmingly Muslim but secular state’s ability to stay the course.
Turkey cleared a hurdle on its path towards EU membership on Sunday when its
parliament approved a new penal code which will boost women’s rights and
punish
police more severely for torture.
The European Commission is due to present an assessment on October 6 of
whether
Turkey has met the political and economic criteria which would enable it to
start negotiations.

3) Chinese-Armenian Relations to Enter New Stage, Says Chinese President

BEIJING (Xinhuanet)China is ready to make joint efforts with Armenia to raise
bilateral relations to a new level, said Chinese President Hu Jintao on
Monday.
Hu made the remark in talks with visiting Armenian President Robert Kocharian,
who is on his first state visit to China as president.
Hu vowed to increase political trust, saying China and Armenia should carry
out
multi-channel and multi-layer exchanges, maintain political and diplomatic
consultations and strengthen communication in such international organizations
as the United Nations.
The two countries should find new ways to expand trade by taking advantage of
their trade cooperation committee, said Hu, adding that China encourages
Chinese companies to step up cooperation with Armenia and to increase their
investment in Armenia’s infrastructural construction.
Hu also advocated further exchanges and cooperation between the two countries
in the fields of culture, education, science and technology, health and
tourism.
Agreeing with the Chinese president, Kocharian said Armenia expects deepening
bilateral relations with China, since the growing relationship is of great
significance to Armenia.
China has accumulated much experience in the process of developing its market
economy and practicing opening-up policy, which provides a vital opportunity
for trade cooperation, said Kocharian.
Armenia recognizes China’s full market economy status, hoping the two sides
strengthen cooperation in such fields as energy, chemical industry,
agriculture
and technology, said Kocharian. The two sides could take proper measures to
help the entrepreneurs enhance exchange and understanding to expand
cooperation.
Hu said China and Armenia have treated each other with mutual respect and
equality since they forged diplomatic ties 12 years ago.
Hu said he appreciates Armenia’s diplomatic policy that puts priority on
relations with China, which was one of the first countries to recognize
Armenia
as an independent nation, and expressed thanks for Armenia’s firm support in
controversial areas such as Taiwan and Tibet.
Kocharian said the two countries have seen sound economic development and have
taken similar stances on international issues with no political problems.
Kocharian also stated that Armenia would continue to adhere to the “One-China
Policy” and support China’s reunification.
After the talks, the two heads of states signed a joint statement and attended
a signing ceremony for three cooperative agreements, including an agreement on
economic and technical cooperation.

4) ARF Lebanon Meets with President Emile Lahoud

BEIRUT (aztagdaily.com)A delegation representing the Central Committee of
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Lebanon met with Lebanese President
Emile Lahoud late last week at the presidential palace in Baabda.
The delegation officially congratulated President Lahoud on the extension of
his office, and conveyed hope that the coming three years would serve to
strengthen internal unity as well as overcome national difficulties.
They reviewed latest developments in Lebanon, the formation of the upcoming
government and Central Committee’s conception of that government.
They also disused the full-fledged participation of the Armenian community in
that cabinet, so as to receive proper representation.
Lahoud conveyed complete understanding of the situation.
ARF Lebanon CC representative Hovig Megerdichian, Lebanon’s Youth and Sports
Minister Sebouh Hovnanian, and Central Committee members Hagop Pakradouni,
Mardig Boghosian and Hovhannes Taslakian participated in the meeting.

5) Armenian Caucus Rallies Congressional Opposition to Increasingly Violent
Anti-Armenian Rhetoric by Azerbaijan

— Co-Chairmen Urge 141 Members of Caucus to Voice their Concerns in a letter
to President Bush

WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)–Congressmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone
(D-NJ) this week called on their colleagues in the Armenian Caucus to ask
President Bush to publicly condemn Azerbaijan’s war rhetoric and other
increasingly bellicose remarks against the Republic of Armenia and Mountainous
Karabagh.
In a “Dear Colleague” letter circulated this week, the Caucus Co-chairs
documented a series of violent threats on the part of senior Azerbaijan
leaders. Citing the dangers of remaining silent in the face of such angry
rhetoric, they urged their House colleagues to “join us in signing the
attached
letter to the President urging him and the Administration to condemn these
remarks and call upon the government of Azerbaijan to desist in making any
further threats against Armenia and Karabagh.” The letter to President Bush
stresses that, “efforts to reinforce stability and reduce the risk of conflict
are in the best interests of the United States and the region.”
The full texts of the Armenian Caucus “Dear Colleague” letter and the actual
letter to be sent to President Bush are provided below.

September 22, 2004

Azerbaijan’s War Rhetoric against Armenia Threatens Stability and
Undermines US Interests

Sign Letter to President Bush

Dear Colleague:

As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, we are writing to
urge you to sign the attached letter to President Bush imploring him to
publicly condemn the ongoing Azerbaijani war rhetoric and other increasingly
bellicose remarks made against the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
Left unchecked these dangerous comments threaten stability in the region.
In July, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Azerbaijani
Defense Ministry spokesman called for Azerbaijan’s takeover of Armenia and
removal of its entire population.  He said, “In the next 25-30 years there
will
be no Armenian state in the South Caucasus. This nation has been a nuisance
for
its neighbors and has no right to live in this region. Present-day Armenia was
built on historical Azerbaijani lands. I believe that in 25 to 30 years these
territories will once again come under Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction.”
President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has repeatedly declared that Azerbaijan
could launch a new war in Karabagh. Just two months ago, he stated, “At any
moment we must be able to liberate our territories by military means. To
achieve this we have everything.” Aliyev has directly linked Azerbaijan’s
economic progress to its military “superiority.” “Under these circumstances we
cannot react positively to those calling us to compromise.”
Given the challenges facing the United States following the seminal events of
September 11th and the war in Iraq, these irresponsible statements undermine
our short- and long-term policy goals of security, conflict resolution,
ensuring open borders and commercial corridors and regional cooperation for
the
South Caucasus. Furthermore, the Karabagh peace process will achieve
nothing if
Azerbaijan is allowed to risk war and predict ethnic cleansing with impunity.
To this end, we urge you to join us in signing the attached letter to the
President urging him and the Administration to condemn these remarks and call
upon the government of Azerbaijan to desist in making any further threats
against Armenia and Karabagh. For more information or to co-sign the letter,
please contact Craig Albright (5-5802) with Congressman Knollenberg.

Sincerely,

Joe Knollenberg
Member of Congress

Frank Pallone, Jr.
Member of Congress

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Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 26 2004

Azeri President Gave Speech at Columbia University During His Visit
to New York

26/09/2004 09:36

On September 24, 2004 Columbia University in the City of New York
hosted the president Azerbaijan Mr. Ilham Aliyev within the framework
of Second World Leaders Forum.
Each fall during the United Nations General Assembly, Columbia
University in the City of New York serves as a center for public
debate, welcoming world leaders to its campus for a series of public
lectures, roundtables and special events.
The annual World Leaders Forum, attended by students, faculty and
invited guests, encourages open discussion and greater understanding
of the most pressing economic, political and social challenges of the
present.

This year presidents and prime ministers from India, Bolivia,
Romania, Latvia, Mozambique and Azerbaijan, and foreign ministers
from Poland, Colombia and Thailand, and former US Secretary of State
Ms. Madeleine Albright were invited to the forum.

During his speech Mr. Aliyev talked about the current socio-economic
situation in Azerbaijan and the policies put forward to foster the
rapid development of the country, especially in rural regions of
Azerbaijan. He mentioned the eradication of unemployment and poverty
as the top priority for the current government. He devoted the
significant portion of his speech to the issues related to the
settlement of the Karabakh conflict between the Republic of Armenia
and Azerbaijan. He described the miserable situation of Internally
Displaced Persons (IDP) and refugees in Azerbaijan and stressed non
constrictive position of Republic of Armenia in the peace negotiation
process.

Among 360 participants of the event many professors and students were
trying to ask questions to Mr. Aliyev. Most questions were related to
Karabakh conflict, the way of settling it and socio-economic,
political situation in Azerbaijan. Mr. President stressed the
negative impact of illegal policies of establishing new settlements
by Armenia in occupied Azeri territories on the resolution of
Karabakh conflict. Furthermore, he acknowledged the great
contribution of Jewish community in Azerbaijan to the development of
the country answering the question by a member of Azeri Jewish
community in New York City.

After the president’s speech was over, he had brief meeting with the
members of Columbia Azerbaijani Student Association (CASA). Mr.
President was informed about the activities of CASA and its
contribution to the dissemination of the realities about the
Azerbaijan among Columbia University students and faculty. The
members of the CASA gave a special present to the president. Mr.
Aliyev highly appreciated the activities of CASA, according to CASA
press release.

ROMANO PRODI: “OIL MAY MAKE YOU RICH BUT MAY ALSO DESTROY”

Azg/am
25 Sept 04

During Romano Prodi’s, president of the European Commission, visit in
Baku Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, threatened the latter
saying: “We need your support only in Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement process, in other issues we can do without you. We are
going to produce 1.5 milliard tones ofoil”, French Le Figaro informs.

Prodi replied, “The oil may make you reach but may also destroy”. In
its September 23 issue Le Figaro published an article titled
“Caucasus: Europe Reaches out to New Neighbors” where it touched upon
European Commission president’s September 16-19 visit to South
Caucasus, Mediamax informs.

“Europeans are afraid that Baku will use the oil profit to get armed
and begin a new war against Armenia. That will end up in disaster for
the region in the present situation when the Baku-Jeyhan oil pipeline
construction, passing Russia by, is coming to an end”, Le Figaro
writes.

The newspaper also touches upon Armenian-Turkish relations and
Turkey’s membership in the EU in this context. “The Armenian-Turkish
confrontation may be included in the report on Turkey as one of the
points”, it writes.

Prodi’s statement made in Armenia during the press conference that
“the closed Armenian-Turkish border makes me worry. I will do
everything to change that” was also touched by Le Figaro.

By Tatoul Hakobian

Zaman, Turkey
Sept 25 2004

Now Commission Defends Turkey

Selcuk Gultasli
Brussels

The European Union (EU) said that the purported systematic killing of
Armenians by the Turkish Army would not be a criterion when
considering Turkey for membership. The EU Commission defended
Ankara’s attempts at curbing human rights abuses and said that the
country has passed a crucial threshold.

Jean-Christophe Filori, a Spokesman for the EU Enlargement
Commissioner Gunter Verheugen, said that Turkey’s efforts to include
Kurdish culture in its daily life is an example of Turkey’s
continuing success at human rights reform. He pointed out that
Kurdish people are now able to make TV and radio broadcasts in their
language. He added, “There are some things that still need to be
done; but the improvements are positive.”

Filori acknowledged the delicacy of the Armenia issue but firmly
stated that it would not influence the EU’s decision, nor would its
resolution be a condition for negotiations with Turkey.

When a journalist said that the future Commission President, Jose
Manuel Barroso, thought Turkey was not ready for the membership, but
the commission showed an inclination to release a positive progress
report, the Spokesman became angry and told the reporter that he was
confusing the two issues. Filori said that presently, Turkey is being
considered for negotiations, not membership.

PanArmenian News
Sept 24 2004

WB POSITIVELY EVALUATES REFORMS HELD IN ARMENIA

24.09.2004 19:36

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian today received
Director of the World Bank Yerevan Office Roger Robinson. Questions
referring to the current stage and prospects of Armenia-WB
cooperation were discussed at the meeting. In the course of the
conversation the parties also touched upon reforms being implemented
in Armenia, specifically in tax and customs fields. It should be
noted that R. Robinson stated that the WB central office lately
discussed the reforms in Armenia and they were positively evaluated.

A1 Plus | 21:54:48 | 24-09-2004 | Politics |

DASHNAKTSUTYUN PARTY STILL REMAINS A MEMBER OF RULING COALITION

Vahan Hovhannisyan, member of one of ruling coalition party Dashnaktsutyun,
answering journalists’ questions Friday in National Press Club, made it
clear that the party now has no intention to quit the coalition. “We can
quit the coalition if it stops to correspond to our ideas”, he said.

“Do the ruling coalition ideas correspond to Dashnaks’ ones now?”

“Not completely”, he answered and added that “our opinions differ on some
points of constitutional amendments and electoral code”.

“Does it mean Hovhannisyan is opposed to the idea of giving Robert Kocharyan
a chance to be elected for the third term?”

“Yes. In my opinion, a president will remain in office for two terms.
However, there were some exceptions in democratic world”, he said and as an
example of that singled out Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency.

PanArmenian News
Sept 23 2004

ILHAM ALIYEV TO RAISE KARABAKH ISSUE AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION

23.09.2004 13:22

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the annual session of the UN General
Assembly Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will deliver a speech
dedicated to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. To note, the
Azeri leader is also expected to hold a number of meetings in New
York, including the one with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Bulgarian
Foreign Minister Solomon Passy.