PM, President of Republic of Komi Discuss Prospects of Economic Coop

RA PRIME MINISTER AND PRESIDENT OF REPUBLIC OF KOMI DISCUSS PROSPECTS
OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION

YEREVAN, August 2 (Noyan Tapan). The visit of the President of the
Republic of Komi of Russia and a delegation headed by him will
establish a basis for the development of mutually beneficial and
prospective cooperation with Komi.

This was mentioned during the August 2 meeting of RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian with President of the Republic of Komi Vladimir
Torlopov. The interlocutors mentioned that there are already examples
of successful cooperation with the separate regions of Russia, and the
Association of Armenian-Russian Cooperation (“ARADES”, which was
recently established) will contribute to it greatly.

Representatives of the Republic of Komi also participate in the
Association. According to the RA presidential press service, Andranik
Margarian expressed readiness to discuss the proposals directed at the
increase of the volumes of investments made by the economic entities
of the Republic of Komi to the economy of Armenia. The importance of
the organization of an exhibition of Armenian goods in Komi, the
immediate contacts of businessmen of the two countries, the
establishment of joint ventures, as well as boosting cooperation
between the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the two countries was
also mentioned during the meeting. Vladimir Torlopov mentioned that
the spheres of stone cutting and jewelry’s art may also be prospective
in terms of the development of cooperation. To recap, about a month
ago, on July 7, after an unofficial meeting of the heads of the CIS
countries held in Moscow RA President Robert Kocharian paid a private
visit to this region of Russia at the invitation of President of the
Republic of Komi Vladimir Torlopov.

Int’l Financial Co. Extends $2mln Loan to Armsavingsbank

INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CORPORATION EXTENDS $2MLN LOAN TO
ARMSAVINGSBANK

YEREVAN, July 28 (Noyan Tapan). The International Finanical
Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank will allocate a loan of $2mln. to
Armsavingsbank for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprizes (SME) and
mortgage crediting. The agreement was signed by Ashot Osipian,
Executive Director of Armsavingsbank and Edward Nassim, Director of
the IFC Central and Eastern European Department in Yerevan July
28. A. Osipian told reporters the loan will be allocated in two
tranches to be repaid within five years. $1.5mln. will be used to
extend credits to the SMEs operating in the spheres of industry,
construction, services and trade. The largest size of those loans will
be $150,000 with a due date of payment five years and with annual
interest rates of 14%-20%. The bank will extend mortgage loans both
for the purchase and repair of dwellings. The largest size of the
loans in the first case will be $30,000, in the second case
$15,000. The loans will be extended with a repayment date of up to
five years, and with an annual interest rate of 14%. A. Osipian also
said the Armsavingsbank is currently extending mortgage loans with a
repayment date of four years and with an interest rate of 16%. He gave
assurances that the bank now has a package of 100% healthy mortgage
loans of $900,000. he said the main obstacle to the sphere’s
development is the procedure of working credit technologies which is
being gradually processes. According to Nassim, this deal is the first
investment of IFC in the Armenian banking system. Before that the
corporation invested $5mln. in the Marriott Armenia hotel and another
$2mln. in the ACBA Leasing company. He also said the corporation is
planning to establish a foundation in Armenia with its own funds
though no relevant final decision has yet been made. Edward Nassim
stated IFC studied the Armenian banking system four years ago and
decided it was too early to make investments in it. This deal
testifies that the Armenian banking system has developed and is
trustworthy now. He said mortgage loaning is of great interest for IFC
since it develops both the middle layer of the population and the
construction sphere of the country. Chairman of the RA Central Bank
Tigran Sargssian said the Central Bank welcomes this cooperation.

It will enable the Armsavingsbank to provide new services in large
volumes which will intensify competition in the banking sphere as a
result of which the system will get sronger. Armsavingsbank is the
fourth among the Armenian banks with the volume of its assets
($33.4mln.). The capital of the bank totaled $5.3mln. as of January
1. It has 24 branches and 450 workers. IFC, founded in 1956, is a
member of the World Bank. It aims to fund investments in the private
sector, attract free means in circulation on the international market,
as well as to assist the developing and transition countries. So far,
the corporation has extended loans of over $37bln. from its iwn funds
and over $22bln. from the attracted funds.

Foreign words and names of our … breasts

Azg, Armenia
July 28

FOREIGN WORDS AND NAMES OF OUR… BREASTS

Today most of the clothes that are sold in Armenia are bearing some
words and names in foreign languages. We don’t have our own fashion
industry and this phenomenon is caused by this factor only. Or maybe
Armenian is not fashionable.

The dresses bear the names of the famous fashion designers as Gucci,
Versace and others, on the other hand, they are decorated with such
phases like “Love me”, or “Kiss me”, “Follow me”, etc. Can you
imagine what could happen if we all followed these instructions. We
could appear in a situation when some one could do undesirable things
with us. We could become victims of these phrases and words that are
decorated on our breast.

I think that’s a good reason for having a good and contemporary
Armenian fashion industry. We will not have to buy clothes bearing
phases the meanings of which we don’t understand and put our fates at
stake.

I would like to touch upon various blouses that resemble some letters
in their shape, but this is already another story.

By Gohar Gevorgian

Karabakh denies printing currency

Noyan Tapan
July 27 2004

KARABAKH DENIES PRINTING CURRENCY – ARMENIAN AGENCY

STEPANAKERT, 27.07.04. No Karabakh currency has ever been printed,
the central bank of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic has told Noyan
Tapan news agency.

Noyan Tapan contacted the bank in connection with the report carried
by the Baku-based Ekho newspaper which claimed that a `journalistic
investigation` had revealed that the Austrian state printing works
had printed `Karabakh currency`.

Nerses ‘Nick’ Serkaian, Northville: Armenian radio show’s producer

The Detroit News
Sunday, July 25, 2004
Obituaries

Nerses ‘Nick’ Serkaian, Northville: Armenian radio show’s producer

For nearly 40 years, Nerses `Nick’ Serkaian spent Sunday mornings talking to
thousands of people in Metro Detroit’s Armenian community.

Mr. Serkaian, of Northville, was the longtime host and producer of the
`Armenian Radio Hour,’ which was broadcast at 10 a.m. Sundays on WNZK-AM.

`The program was a celebration of the Armenian community in Detroit,’ said
his son, Stephen. `It truly was a labor of love.’

Mr. Serkaian died of cancer on Monday, July 19, 2004, in Providence Hospital
in Southfield. He was 72.

He was born in Detroit and graduated from the Henry Ford Trade School. He
served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, and later attended the
University of Detroit.

Before getting into radio, Mr. Serkaian owned his own construction business,
Serkaian Construction, based in Northville.

Mr. Serkaian began working on the `Armenian Radio Hour’ in 1967. The show
was popular among Metro Detroit’s 40,000 Armenians, his son said.

`Every week he announced Armenian community news, like marriages, births and
deaths, and church announcements,’ his son said. `He also would read
advertisements for Armenian-owned businesses. In between, he played Armenian
music.’

Survivors include two sons, Stephen and John; a daughter, Roxanne
McLaughlin; and eight grandchildren.

New Kids on the Block

New York Times, NY
July 24 2004

New Kids on the Block
By MARK KAMINE

THERE are first novels writers can’t seem to match — Ralph Ellison’s
”Invisible Man” is the archetype here. There’s the posthumous first
novel — John Kennedy Toole’s ”Confederacy of Dunces,” for example
— that makes you wonder what might have been. There are fireplace
firsts, books that young writers, sometimes wisely, push into the
flames instead of into print. Harry Crews had four novels rejected
before publishing ”The Gospel Singer.” (”Burn it, son,” one of
Crews’s writing teachers told him about an early manuscript. ”Fire’s
a great refiner.”) Contemporary first novels are tougher calls. You
weigh the chance of discovering a terrific new voice against the fear
of plunking down $24 for an apprentice work. It’s safer to wait a few
novels, for a reputation to grow. But there’s nothing like getting in
early.

No need to wait on Lucia Nevai. Her novel, SERIOUSLY (Little, Brown,
$23.95), is full of elements that might be found in any first novel:
a yearning young narrator who’s a bit at sea; a tragic family
history; a brush with romance; a discovery of vocation. Its
protagonist, Tamara Johanssen, has landed in Dustin, a small town in
upstate New York. She’s on the rebound from a life lived recklessly
and demolished early by her crazy mother, who burned down the
family’s house, killing herself and Tamara’s father and younger
sister. Tamara’s story unfolds episodically. Each chapter focuses on
one or two people she has known: the cranky couple who run the local
insurance agency; her older sister, Nora, who is a TV producer; her
gentlemanly lover, Boz; her trashy but proud neighbor, Glorine. The
novel skips back and forth in time, building cumulatively and almost
effortlessly, until we arrive at a moment that upends Fellini’s ”8
1/2,” placing Tamara at the center of a group of ex-lovers and
admirers. Along the way, Nevai delivers pleasures both large and
small in sly, lively prose. She has a neat ability to make her
descriptive sentences do double duty as jokes: ”There was Henry in
his hat out in back of both our stores, looking for something to take
apart and never put back together.” She has a sure sense of
metaphor. (Girls press themselves against a wall until they are
”flat as stickers”; an economy car sounds ”as if the same motor
were used in blenders.”) ”There was something sprightly in the
technique,” Tamara says of a drawing she admires. This assured novel
— the author has also published two previous story collections — is
sprightly and then some. Nevai’s voice has wisdom and charm, and with
”Seriously” she announces a large talent. It will be interesting to
see where it takes her.

Judith Claire Mitchell’s first novel, THE LAST DAY OF THE WAR
(Pantheon, $24.95), is set at the end of World War I and just after.
Yael Weiss is 18 and looking for adventure. She finds it when she
meets Dub Hagopian, an American soldier with an unlikely name who
secretly works for an underground group of Armenian exiles intent on
avenging the Turkish massacres of 1915. Yael falls instantly in love
with Dub, and in quick succession she falsifies her age, changes her
name to Yale White, denies her Jewish heritage and heads overseas,
ostensibly as an aid worker but actually in pursuit of Dub.
Mitchell’s novel tracks Yale, Dub and their associates from St. Louis
and Providence to Paris and Berlin, convincingly modulating among
characters as various as the dying leader of the Armenian
underground, a 13-year-old victim of Turkish abuse and a young German
soldier in the formative days of the Nazi Party, all the while
keeping her focus on Yale and Dub and the intermingling of their
romance with history.

The blistering conclusion feels both satisfying and inevitable,
thanks to the skill with which Mitchell assembles the pieces of her
story and the light touch with which she incorporates thorny issues
of prejudice and national identity into what is essentially a
historical spy novel. It’s a bravura performance, Alan Furst with a
dash of Tintin, and Mitchell may have pulled off in her first try
that greatest of oxymorons, the intelligent beach book.

Adam Langer lacks Nevai’s consummate craft and Mitchell’s pleasing
dramatic flair. Yet his ambitious first novel, CROSSING CALIFORNIA
(Riverhead, $24.95), hits high points of comic empathy. The
geographic and symbolic center of Langer’s novel is Chicago’s
California Avenue, which neatly divides the wealthy Jewish
professionals on its west side from the struggling Jews and blacks
across the way. The action is bracketed by the Iranian hostage crisis
of 1979-81, though only Jill Wasserstrom, an eighth grader, is
actively political (she wears a ”Better Red Than Dead” button to
her bat mitzvah). Langer’s other characters are enmeshed in personal
struggles. Jill’s classmate Muley Wills, brilliant and resourceful,
spends his time working on animated movies made to impress Jill, with
whom he’s in love. Jill’s sister, Michelle, wants to dominate her
high school drama program, and her sometime boyfriend, Larry Rovner,
is trying to land a recording contract for his Jewish rock band,
Rovner! (One song title: ”It’s Not the Meat, It’s the Moshe.”)
These characters cross paths regularly as they cross and recross
California Avenue. More often than not, however, they fail to
connect. Langer connects sometimes. His depiction of the ubiquitous
and casual racism of the era feels on the money. His portrayal of the
Jewish loser Charlie Wasserstrom, no match for his brilliant
daughters, is funny and complex. Yet the novel often feels forced and
slack — Langer has an unsteady hand on the rudder. He thoroughly and
elaborately exposes the narrow goals and narcissistic motivations of
his middle-class Midwestern characters. He now needs to find a more
fluent method of bringing them to life.

When he does, he might ship his recipe south to Mindy Friddle, whose
novel, THE GARDEN ANGEL (St. Martin’s, $23.95), will please only
those who like their soap operas typed out instead of broadcast.
Friddle’s story of Southern sisters squabbling over a family legacy
is sunk both by cliched moments (a desk-clearing sex scene) and
cliched writing: ”For once, I imagined a different kind of place in
life, from which I could look around and enjoy the view.” Things are
not quite as dire in Mary Helen Stefaniak’s novel, THE TURK AND MY
MOTHER (Norton, $24.95). This multigenerational story tracks the
paths of a handful of Croatians forced by war and other hardships
from their Balkan village to Siberia and Milwaukee. Early on,
Stefaniak invokes the movie ”Doctor Zhivago,” and her novel is a
folksier, jokier, more down-to-earth version of that
historical/literary bodice-ripper. Stefaniak’s novel reads, at times,
like a not-quite-confident translation: ”It was as if she had
dissolved into the air, as if a cloud of her filled the room.”

Seth Kantner’s first novel, ORDINARY WOLVES (Milkweed, $22), is a
magnificently realized story about a boy’s coming-of-age in a
difficult, distant place. Cutuk Hawcly, along with his brother and
his sister, has been dragged to Alaska by his dropout dad, Abe, an
artistic Luddite; he mixes Eskimo ethos and ecology as he raises his
children in a bunkerlike house miles from civilization. Mail-order
textbooks are small hurdles for kids schooled in surviving subzero
winters on a diet of caribou pelvis and other local meats eaten
”dried, cooked, raw or frozen” in the midst of mice, moose, shrews,
hungry wolves and rabid foxes. During periodic visits (by dogsled) to
the Inupiaq village of Takunak, Cutuk learns what it’s like to be an
outsider as Eskimo children taunt and fight with him for being
”dumb” and ”white,” lessons he’ll learn all over again when he
grows up and moves for a time to Anchorage. There, backwoods smarts
can’t help him with malls and town girls. There are some hilarious
moments. A cute Eskimo girl named Dawna asks Cutuk, ”You ever try
Pralines ‘n’ Cream?” Cutuk doesn’t reply, ”in case it was a common
narcotic or some kind of bent-over sex everyone else had had.”
”Ordinary Wolves” has scope and a style to match its subjects, the
wide-open spaces of Alaska and youth, and Kantner, who was born and
raised in the Alaska wilderness, manages along the way to touch on
the dissolution and devastation visited upon the state’s native
population, the youthful yearning for experience and guidance and the
abiding love of an odd, isolated frontier family. His novel comes
across as smart and authentic. It’s hard to imagine a better start.

Mark Kamine is a critic whose reviews have appeared in The Times
Literary Supplement in London, among other publications. He is the
assistant production manager for the television series ”The
Sopranos.”

CB’s Intervention Prevents Influence of AMD Stabilization on Prices

CB’s INTERVENTION PREVENTS INFLUENCE OF AMD STABILIZATION ON PRICES

YEREVAN, JULY 23. ARMINFO. The intervention of the RA Central Bank
prevented possible influence of a slump in the USD exchange rate on
prices, RA Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatryan told a
press conference. He pointed out that the tactics of the RA Central
Bank, which is responsible for inflation and price stability,
prevented considerable losses that could have influenced the execution
of the 2004 state budget.

He added that the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy intended to
purchase 10mln. USD, but, such operations being within the CB’s
competence, the CB prohibited this transaction considering the slump
in the USD exchange rate. Otherwise, influence on prices would have
been inevitable. The Ministry took this measure with understanding,
but it still intends to purchase foreign exchange in the future, which
will compensate for the expected loss due to profits.

According to Khachatryan, the AMD stabilization rates that have been
observed during the last few days can be accounted for by a number of
factors. These are a 7.2% increase in exports in July and a 12%
increase in the first half of 2004. Gems, precious metals and articles
exclusive, the increase amounted to 34.8%. Specifically, exports of
goods increased by 72mln. USD. Private transfers increased by
20mln. USD, and direct investments by 27mln. USD. Considerable
activity on the real estate market was observed as well. All these
factors could well increase the AMD stabilization rates.

However, Khachatryan pointed out that all this have been taking place
for six months and was supposed to be proportional, but a nearly 7%
slump in the USD exchange rate has been observed during the last two
weeks. “Yes, considerable sums have come to Armenia during the last
six months and it could have its influence, but the developments of
the last few days suggests the existence of other, more influential
factors. On the other hand, we must not forget about the volume of
shadow turnover, which, according to the Ministry, constitutes 30-35
per cent of the GDP, and the lack of information on it might well
cause that fluctuation of the exchange rate,” Khachatryan said. He
does not rule out that this slump in the USD exchange rate was caused
by speculation, as AMD seasonal stabilization was observed, but not at
such high rates.

He reminded the journalists that yesterday the RA President called a
meeting to discuss the recent situation on Armenia’s financial market
and plan stabilization measures. The meeting participants tried to
understand which particular factors caused the situation. The meeting
considered various versions, according to which, all the
aforementioned factors could be prerequisites and influence the USD
exchange rate. To ascertain the causes, the President ordered the
transactions effected by commercial banks during this period to be
examined. Khachatryan substantiated the instruction by the fact that
transactions worth up to 5mln. USD effected on the market within one
day and the launching of such a sum on the market could well cause the
slump in the USD exchange rate. The President ordered the main cause
of the slump to be ascertained on the basis of examination results and
information.

In its turn, on July 14-20, the CB was trying to stabilize the
situation through the establishment of an open corridor, offering
commercial banks Armenian drams in exchange for foreign currency by
means of SWAP-countries worth a total of 900,000 USD, the rate having
been reduced from 4.62% to 3.58%.

Of course, the latest developments will have their influence on the
state budget, Khachatryan said, He expressed a hope that the situation
will get somewhat stabilize before December, and if the indices
envisaged by the state budget fail to be received, deviations will at
least be minimized to prevent considerable losses.

He reported that the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy is already
taking measures to neutralize the influence of fluctuations of the
foreign exchange rate on the budget. Fist of all, in question are the
sums most of which are expected to be received in the fourth quarter,
in particular under international programs and from foreign
countries. Also, payments to external sources of financing are
expected in that quarter. To minimize the influence of expected flows
on the execution of the 2004 state budget, the CB discussed three
scenarios of its monetary policy. Another factor, collection of duties
from imported goods in terms of US dollars by the Customs Service, can
influence the execution of the budget as well.

“Nevertheless, with this behavior of the foreign exchange rate in
conditions of expected 10.2bln. AMD deficit, the budget was closed
with a 6bln. AMD proficit in the first half of 2004. In other words,
we have no problems with budget execution, and whatever losses may be,
the budget will be executed fully and in time,” Khachatryan said.

AGBU Internship Program a Success

AGBU PRESS OFFICE
55 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone (212) 319-6383
Fax (212) 319-6507
Email [email protected]
Webpage

PRESS RELEASE
Thursday, July 22, 2004

AGBU INTERNSHIP PROGRAM A SUCCESS

NEW YORK, NY- From a large and highly competitive candidate pool, 34
aspiring professionals were selected to participate in AGBU’s 17th
Annual New York Summer Intern Program (NYSIP). The Program selection
process while difficult, focuses on individuals who have not only
demonstrated an ability to excel in their respective academic
environments, but have also balanced such scholastic success with
diverse and impressive extracurricular interests. The 2004 intern
class, hailing from Austria, Brazil, Canada, England, France,
Switzerland and the United States is no exception, and each has been
provided with a unique and invaluable opportunity to gain the
vocational experience necessary to complement their various fields of
study. The United Nations, the Mayor’s Office, ESPN Radio and Wachovia
Securities are among the organizations participating in the Program.
All this within an exciting backdrop that is New York City.

“Interning at David Scheinfeld and Associates has been an amazing
experience. I was able to gain insight as to how the legal system
operates and thus enabled me to decide if I want to pursue this as a
career in Austria.” (Bagin Hartunian-Tahmasians, Austria)

In addition to providing each intern with a ‘day job,’ the eight-week
Program itinerary includes a number of educational and cultural events
for its participants. Thus far, the interns have attended a lecture
exploring the psychological effects of genocide and trauma, presented
by Dr. Anie Kalayjian, and have been introduced to the literature of
Arthur Nersesian and Nancy Kricorian through a series of book readings
by the authors. At a Young Professionals of Greater New York (YPGNY)
sponsored event Mr. Nersessian discussed his “Chinese Takeout, ” while
a later seminar would highlight Ms. Kricorian’s “Dreams of Bread and
Fire.”

“Growing up, I wasn’t very involved in the Armenian Community. I am
grateful to the AGBU New York Summer Internship Program for organizing
such thought provoking lectures that have enabled me to rediscover my
own identity.” (Kristina Kazarian, USA )

With a further three weeks remaining, each intern is seeking to
maximize their time in the Big Apple. While they have wholeheartedly
embraced the professional opportunities afforded to them, they have
equally made themselves available for various community service
projects. Of particular note, the Program participants volunteered
their services for the Target Children’s Day at the South Street
Seaport, sponsored by Target Stores, as part of the Downtown NYC River
to River Festival 2004, and in association with Thirteen/WNET New
York, as well as for the Sunshine for Seniors Program in conjunction
with YPGNY. Along the way, all have started on a road that will see
them maintain lasting friendships with like-minded young cosmopolitan
Armenians.

“I’ll be leaving New York… knowing that I have a wealth of
friends… who have shared my experience and culture. Best of all
though: I’ll be leaving New York as an Armenian.” (Emily Ohanjanians,
Toronto, Canada)

The AGBU New York Summer Intern Program would not be possible without
the guidance, dedication and generous support of Vartkess and Rita
Balian, founders of the Program and co-chairs of the President’s Club
since 1987, whose invaluable leadership has inspired interns from
around the world. The President’s Club, as sponsors of the Program,
have sustained and expanded the Program in order to offer Armenian
students opportunities to gain professional work experience that will
aid them in their future careers.

www.agbu.org

Le PM turc =?UNKNOWN?Q?pr=E9sente_=E0?= Paris le nouveau visage de s

Le Monde, France
21 juillet 2004

Le premier ministre turc présente à Paris le nouveau visage de son
pays
LE MONDE

M. Chirac confirme le soutien de la France à la candidature de la
Turquie à l’Union européenne.
Venu à Paris pour plaider en faveur de l’intégration de son pays à
l’Union européenne, le premier ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
savait qu’il n’aurait pas à prêcher un convaincu en la personne de
Jacques Chirac. Le président français, qui l’a reçu à déjeuner mardi
20 juillet à l’Elysée, lui a confirmé son soutien. L’intégration de
la Turquie à l’Union est “souhaitable dès qu’elle sera possible”, a
dit M. Chirac.

C’est surtout à l’opinion française que voulait s’adresser le premier
ministre turc. M. Erdogan avait à son programme des rencontres avec
les dirigeants de l’UMP, de l’UDF et du PS, ainsi qu’avec le
président de l’Assemblée nationale, Jean-Louis Debré, pour tenter de
désarmer les objections exprimées ces derniers mois par les partis
français, qui mettent en porte-à-faux la position officielle arrêtée
par le président.

Avant les élections européennes de juin, l’UMP a pris position contre
l’entrée de la Turquie dans l’Union, Alain Juppé ayant fait droit aux
craintes qui s’exprimaient dans le mouvement contre les thèses qu’il
avait autrefois défendues. L’UDF exprime une hostilité plus
constante, ce que François Bayrou a réaffirmé mardi, tout comme
Philippe de Villiers. “Si l’on considère que l’Europe doit s’étendre
perpétuellement et englober des pays qui appartiennent à d’autres
continents et à d’autres cultures, alors on aura au bout du compte
une Europe faible”, a déclaré M. Bayrou, mardi, à RTL. La communauté
arménienne se fait également entendre. Le premier secrétaire du Parti
socialiste, François Hollande devait relayer auprès de M. Erdogan sa
revendication d’une reconnaissance par Ankara du génocide de 1915.

M. Erdogan s’était donc donné pour mission de faire mieux connaître
le nouveau visage de la Turquie, ouvert, pacifique, rassurant. Il s’y
est employé dans ses rencontres ainsi que dans la longue conférence
de presse qu’il a donnée mardi.

Le premier ministre turc tenait à dissiper un malentendu : il n’est
pas question que la Turquie intègre l’Union dès demain. La décision
que prendront les 25 pays de l’Union, le 17 décembre, porte sur
l’ouverture de négociations d’adhésion, si la Turquie remplit les
critères exigés (les “critères de Copenhague”) ; la Commission de
Bruxelles doit donner son avis sur ce dernier point en octobre. Les
négociations peuvent ensuite être longues, a convenu M. Erdogan, en
parlant de “cinq ou dix ans”.

Ne pas engager les négociations dès lors qu’Ankara répondrait aux
critères fixés serait de la part de l’Union trahir ses
engagements,”manquer son examen de sincérité”, a souligné M. Erdogan.
Il n’est plus temps, dit-il, de contester la vocation européenne de
la Turquie dès lors que le statut de pays candidat lui a été
officiellement reconnu par l’Union depuis plusieurs années.

Le premier ministre turc a insisté sur le fait que les réformes ne
seraient pas remises en cause en cas de rejet par l’Union.”Les
critères de Copenhague deviendraient les critères d’Ankara”, a-t-il
dit, car c’est la voie qu’a choisie la Turquie pour elle-même. Quant
à la reconnaissance du génocide arménien, tout en faisant remarquer
qu’elle ne figure pas parmi les critères imposés, il a laissé
entendre qu’elle fait partie d’un ensemble de questions avec
l’Arménie (“qui ne reconnaît pas les frontières actuelles”) dont il a
souhaité le règlement. Il a appelé confier la question du génocide
aux historiens, à ne pas la laisser hypothéquer l’avenir.

M. Erdogan s’est fait le défenseur d’une Europe “lieu de rencontre
entre les cultures et les civilisations” ; il espère qu’elle se verra
comme telle et qu’en intégrant un grand pays musulman elle ne
manquera pas l’occasion d’agir “comme exemple à l’échelle mondiale”.

Autre aspect de la visite de M. Erdogan qui ne peut pas nuire à sa
cause : les rencontres qu’il a eues avec les milieux d’affaires
français, premiers investisseurs étrangers en Turquie, et l’annonce,
mercredi matin, de l’achat de 36 Airbus par Turkish Airlines.

Claire Tréan

Erdogan remercie Chirac pour soutien a la candidature turque a l’UE

Xinhua News Agency – French
July 20, 2004 Tuesday

Erdogan remercie Chirac pour son soutien a la candidature turque a
l’UE

PARIS

Le Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a remercie mardi le
president francais Jacques Chirac pour “l’approche constructive” et
“l’attitude tout a fait positive de la France” en ce qui concerne la
candidature turque a l’Union Europeenne.

A l’issue de son entretien a l’Elysee avec le chef de l’Etat
francais, le premier ministre turc a indique a la presse que le
conseil europeen du 17 decembre ne ferait qu'”approuver le debut d’un
processus de negociation”. “Nous ne savons pas combien va durer ce
processus, c’est une periode qui nous permettra de combler toutes nos
lacunes”, a-t-il insiste.

Pour M. Erdogan, la reconnaissance par la Turquie d’un
genocidearmenien ne figurait pas pami les criteres d’adhesion a l’UE
et ila renvoye cette question “aux historiens”.

Les criteres de Copenhague d’adhesion a l’Union Europeenne
“n’impliquent pas de reconnaissance d’un genocide armenien”, a
declare M. Erdogan au cours d’une conference de presse tenue a Paris
ou il effectue une visite officielle.

“Un tel evenement qui s’est passe dans le passe, savoir quelle partie
a fait telle chose, laissons cela aux mains des historiens”,a-t-il
ajoute.

La Commission europeenne doit en octobre recommander ou non
l’ouverture de negociations d’adhesion sur laquelle les
dirigeantseuropeens se prononceront lors de leur sommet du 17
decembre a Bruxelles.

Le president Chirac, qui a recu M. Erdogan mardi au deuxieme jour de
la visite de ce dernier, a confirme son soutien a la candidature
turque. M. Chirac s’est declare a de nombreuses reprises en faveur
d’une adhesion mais son propre parti, l’UMP, y est oppose ainsi
qu’une grande partie de l’opinion francaise.

M. Erdogan, qui a rencontre le president sortant de l’UMP AlainJuppe,
a indique que son parti, issu de la mouvance islamiste, l’AKP,
pourrait “demain devenir membre du PPE” (Parti populaire europeen
dont fait partie l’UMP) et qu’en “etant dans la meme maison ce sera
plus facile”.

De nombreux hommes politiques reclament en France, ou vit une
communaute d’origine armenienne nombreuse (450 000 personnes), quela
Turquie reconnaisse le genocide armenien de 1915 du temps de l’empire
otteman.