Author: Varosian Antranik

My Notebook: Turkey’s still hanging on in the departure lounge
Hardev Kaur
20 Oct 2006

New Straits Times, Malaysia
Oct 19 2006

WHILE the Western world rightly recognised the works of Turkish
novelist Orhan Pamuk and awarded him this year’s Nobel Prize in
Literature, it does not appear as willing to accept his country as
a member of the European Union.

Just as Pamuk was named the winner of the award, another hurdle was
placed in the path of Ankara’s EU membership, raising suspicions that
it is no longer wanted as a member of the European "club".

The French Parliament voted last Thursday, by a wide margin, to make
it a criminal act to deny an Armenian genocide at the hands of Ottoman
Turks, enraging Turkey and further deepening its suspicion of the EU.

Meanwhile, Turkish lawmakers proposed a counter-bill that would
recognise an "Algerian genocide" carried out by colonial French forces
in 1945.

A British Member of Parliament, Denis Macshane, points out that
"it was the decaying elements of the Ottoman Empire that killed the
Armenians, not the modern Turkish republic. If the EU is to demand
apologies for historic misdeeds from its existing members, let alone
potential members, then it may as well dissolve itself".

Today, Turkey is a full and important member of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organisation (Nato) and has deployed its troops in a number
of areas, the latest being in Lebanon.

"We want your troops. You can die for our cause. But we do not want
you at the table as an EU member." That seems to be the message for
Turkey which has met the Copenhagen Criteria in 2002 for entry.

Even so, it is still in the "departure lounge" and every month a new
hurdle is put in its way, delaying its departure for the EU. There is
increasing belief that Turkey’s entry is not only a technical process
but also a political one in which other "non-Copenhagen Criteria"
play a role.

"Turkey is …too poor … too Muslim, too harsh, too culturally
different, to everything," Samuel Huntington wrote in The Clash of
Civilisations and the Remaking of World Order.

Even the pope seems to be weighing against Turkey’s membership. Jim
Bencivenga writing in the Christian Science Monitor in April last year
quotes Pope Benedict XVI as saying: "The roots that have formed Europe
are those of Christianity. Turkey has always represented a different
continent, in permanent contrast to Europe… It would be an error
to equate the two continents… Turkey is founded on Islam… Thus
the entry of Turkey into the EU would be anti-historical."

But a walk through the streets of Istanbul reveals the dynamism of
"Islam and Christendom, East and West, Asia and Europe". These may be
cliches but they come alive in this ancient city with a modern outlook.

Ali Babajan, Minister of State and EU chief negotiator, told a group
of Eisenhower Fellows in Istanbul recently that "Islam and secularism
operate in Turkey better and better".

He said Ankara’s reforms, undertaken in conformity with the Copenhagen
Criteria, were important not only for Turkey and Europe but also for
the region.

But the debate that it is different, with its large Muslim population,
continues to take centre stage. Turkey is different. "It is one of
the few countries that can do business with Israel and the Arab world
with the same level of acceptance," Babajan explains.

Even so, the doubts about Turkey persist. And if Europe pushes Ankara
away, the world would have lost an opportunity to prove that there
can be co-operation and collaboration between the Muslim and Western
worlds. There are common values in both regions that can and should
be exploited to bring the two worlds closer together especially in
the current environment and the need to fight the common enemy.

Unfortunately, "Europe is doing its level best to tell Turkey it is no
longer wanted as part of the European Union", Macshane, the Labour MP
for Rotherman who was Britain’s Europe Minister between 2002 and 2005,
wrote in the Financial Times.

It also sends a very strong albeit wrong message to the Muslim world,
under siege from numerous quarters, that it is not welcome to sit
at the same table as other Europeans not because it does not qualify
but merely because of the faith of its citizens.

Former Turkish president Turgut Ozal put it more bluntly when he said
that Turkey would not become a member of the European Community,
and the real reason "is that we are Muslim and they are Christian
and they don’t say that".

Pamuk told the Washington Post that "Turkey’s future lies in the
European Union", and that its inclusion would be "a wonderful thing
for Turkey, for Europe and for the world". Will the Western world
listen to the Nobel Laureate and accept his country as a member of
the EU just as they have accepted and honoured him?

Gallic TV faces threat of boycott in Turkey

Variety
Oct 19 2006

Law on murder of Armenians prompts attack on French biz
By ALISON JAMESPARIS

The Turkish broadcasting authority called for a boycott of French
TV programs Thursday as a heated political row between the countries
over the mass killing of Armenians nearly a century ago spilled over
into the TV biz.

The authority "recommended" that Gallic shows stay off the air in
Turkey until France drops draft legislation that would make it a crime
to deny that the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915-17 amounted
to genocide.

Turkey has accused France and its sizable Armenian-origin population
of trying to scupper Turkey’s bid to join the European Union and
attacking free speech.

If the new law takes effect — it has passed the lower house but must
be voted on by the senate — someone denying the Armenian genocide
would face a one-year prison term and a fine of up to $56,000.

France already has a similar law regarding the Holocaust.

Turkey is not one of French TV exporters’ biggest clients in monetary
terms — the market was worth around E1.8 million ($2.25 million) in
2005 — but Turkish TV channels do air a lot of Gallic programming,
especially cartoons.

Michele Massonat, head of international sales and marketing at
youth programming specialist Dargaud Distribution, said Thursday,
"The prices aren’t very high, but almost everything we produce
or distribute sells to Turkey, which makes it a not insignificant
territory for us. Hopefully this will all settle down soon."

STARTING NOVEMBER 1 PASSENGERS OF ZVARTNOTS AIRPORT TO BE CHARGED SAFETY PAYMENTS

Noyan Tapan, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting November 1, a new safety
payment of 2 euros will be charged from leaving, arriving and transit
passengers at Zvartnots Airport. Gayane Davtian, spokeswoman for the
RA Civil Aviation Main Department, told NT correspondent that this
decision was made based on ICAO rules.

According to the same source, ICAO and other aviation organizations
proposed that airports use new passenger and plane safety technologies
in connection with the fight against terrorism.

Particularly, fingerprint identifying devices will be used at Zvartnots
Airport from November 1.

It was noted that the airport manager took an obligation that
from January 1, 2007, Zvartnots Airport will have a rescue and a
firefighting detachments on duty with all necessary modern equipment.

OSCE Highlights the Importance of the Observation Mission

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

On October 19 Mr. Vahan Hovnannisyan, Head of the Armenian delegation
to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Vice President of the National
Assembly and Mr. Samvel Nikoyan, member of the delegation, met Mrs.

Julie Finley, United States Ambassador to the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Mrs. Finley highlighted the conduct of the forthcoming elections
in accordance with the democratic standards, considering necessary
the long-term, 90-days presence of the OSCE Observation Mission in
Armenia. As Mrs. Finley assured that the observers’ presence is as
important in pre-election process as during the elections.

Mr. Vahan Hovnannisyan and Mr. Samvel Nikoyan also highlighted the
conduct of free and fair elections, noting that soon the amendments
to the RA Electoral Code will be adopted, which passed the expert
assessment of the OSCE/ODIHR (Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights) and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and
were agreed with the political forces, represented in Parliament.

During the meeting the activity of the Central Electoral Commission
was touched upon, the importance of the complete and accurate list
of voters was mutually highlighted.

Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

EDITORIAL: FRENCH FAUX PAS

Sacramento Bee, CA
Oct 19 2006

Law could strain Europe-Turkey ties
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B8

Relations between Turkey and Europe were testy enough even before
the French National Assembly voted last week to make it a crime
to deny that the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish troops
during World War I was genocide. Aside from whether French lawmakers
are qualified to make that judgment, such a law could fuel tensions
between Europe and Islam and further weaken Turkey’s flagging bid to
join the European Union.

The vote in Paris took place just as Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk
was named winner of the Nobel Prize for literature. Pamuk had been
charged with "insulting Turkishness" for saying Turks had killed a
million Armenians during World War I. The prosecution was dropped, but
similar charges have been brought against others despite the Turkish
government’s objections and despite the risk to Turkey’s EU bid because
they violate free speech rights. So would the proposed French law.

Both EU officials and the Turkish author oppose the French law,
which could reinforce European second thoughts about making a Muslim
country of 70 million part of the EU. Those feelings have been fueled
by the murders by Muslim immigrants of two Dutch public figures who
had criticized Islam, and by other incidents that provoked fury among
many Muslims.

The Armenian controversy will not be resolved with gratuitous laws.

Turkish officials say they are willing to allow historians with
diverse views to search the archives and reach their own conclusion.

That hasn’t happened, and growing Turkish-European tensions don’t
help. Many Turks now feel their future does not lie with a Europe
they see as hostile to them.

Speech can be truly odious, especially denial of the Holocaust, which
is a crime in France and other European countries. But criminalizing
speech that offends undermines the principles of a free society. And
a new French law on the Armenian issue invites retaliation: Some
Turkish lawmakers have called for a law to brand as genocide French
atrocities in colonial Algeria.

Turkey’s location, its democracy and its status as a Muslim society
living under secular law make it an optimum bridge between Europe and
the Middle East. Enacting gratuitous laws meant to compel people to
take sides is wrongheaded. An EU spokeswoman criticized the proposed
law by saying it "would prevent the dialogue and debate that are
necessary for reconciliation." Exactly.

RECEPTION IN RA PRIME MINISTER’S HONOR ORGANIZED IN THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 18 2006

Late in the evening yesterday RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
and members of the Armenian delegation participated in the reception
organized in honor of the Prime Minister organized by the Chairman
of the National Assembly of France Jean-Louis Debre. Turning to the
Armenian Genocide issue, Mr. Debre stressed the importance of adoption
of the bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, noting
that one should look into future without forgetting the past.

RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan said it is a great honor for
members of the Armenian delegation and personally him to be welcomed
in the French parliament having a rich history and firm traditions.

The Prime Minister noted that the Armenian delegation arrived in
Paris to partake in the launch of the Year of Armenia in France,
one of the key events of which – the decentralized forum of Armenian
and French sister cities – was already held in the Senate.

"Today our peoples are writing one of the bright pages of our
friendship. A few weeks ago French President Jacques Chirac paid a
state visit to Armenia. We conceive this visit as the appreciation
of the efforts of the Republic of Armenia during the last 15 years,
targeted at having a legal state, developed democracy and free economic
system," the Prime Minister said.

Andranik Margaryan noted that on this way Armenia has always felt
the assistance of France. According to him, today France continues
supporting our country’s integration into European structures and
as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country actively participates in the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. With their investments
French Companies contribute to the economic development of Armenia.

"Certainly, the National Assembly of France has an important role in
the development of these close relations. I would like to say that
French parliamentarians are our best friends, no matter whether they
comprise the ruling majority or the opposition.

Tonight RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan is due to deliver a
speech at the festive event dedicated to the 15th anniversary of
Armenia’s independence.

17826 CARS IMPORTED IN ARMENIA IN 2006

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 17 2006

YEREVAN, October 17. /ARKA/. Armenian State Customs Committee Chairman
Armen Avetisyan told journalists on Monday that 17826 cars had been
imported in Armenia for nine months of 2006.

The import grew 4 thousand, compared with previous year.

In his words, 10042 imported cars cost $5 thousand each.

"Mostly cheap cars have been imported in Armenia", Avetisyan said. He
said they had been sold to middle class representatives.

CHIRAC APOLOGIZES TO ERDOGAN FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
By Anadolu News Agency (aa), Ankara

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 15 2006

Reactions against the French parliament’s vote on Thursday to pass
a bill making it a crime to deny an Armenian genocide continue to
reverberate.

French President Jacques Chirac telephoned Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan to say that he felt sorry that the bill was approved
and added he would try his best to prevent it from becoming law.

In the early Saturday morning talk, Chirac said that the events in
France were related to the upcoming general presidential elections.

Erdogan, reporting the outrage of Turkish public opinion, told Chirac
that they should never sacrifice their relationship for politics.

Demanding that the draft not be legalized, Erdogan also condemned
statements Chirac previously released during his visit to Armenia.

The French president sought to link Turkey’s EU membership process
with a call for the recognition of a genocide claim.

The statements were harshly condemned by Turkish public opinion.

Erdogan told him that it was impossible for Turkey to tolerate such
an attitude.

The French president pointed out that votes of Armenians in the
country had far reaching influence on the event, and he added that
there was no change on the relationship between both countries.

Chirac also ensured that the bill approved by the French parliament
would not influence Turkey’s EU negotiations in any way.

Reportedly, Erdogan commented that the draft proposal in France went
against freedom of expression principles enshrined in the French
constitution.

He added that it was impossible to explain the proposal to the Turkish
people in a sensible and reasonable way.

"The matter concerns only Turkey and Armenia. We feel sorry that in
research, the domain of historians, is being used politically."

Chirac promised he would continue to support Turkey’s EU process,
adding he really understood Turkey’s reactions on the issue.

Los Angeles Times
Oct 14 2006

Pamuk’s Politicized Prize
The Nobel Committee may honor lefty politics as much as it honors
literature, but it’s France, Turkey and the U.S. that really play
politics with language.
October 14, 2006

‘THERE IS NO SUCH THING," George Orwell once said, "as a genuinely
nonpolitical literature." That probably comes as news to millions of
Danielle Steel fans. Still, if Orwell had only tacked on the word
"award" to his aphorism, that 1946 statement would have been as
eerily prescient as his novel "1984."

Take Thursday’s awarding of the Nobel Prize for Literature to Turkish
writer Orhan Pamuk. Though the secular storyteller has been a rumored
Nobel candidate since his lyrical 2002 novel, "Snow," he is perhaps
best known for being charged in his native country last year for
"denigrating" the Turkish identity. His crime consisted of pointing
out, in an interview with a journalist, that the Ottoman Empire
killed 1.2 million Armenians nine decades ago and that its successor
has killed 30,000 Kurds over the last two.

Although charges against him were eventually dropped,
Pamuk becomes the third consecutive literature laureate with heavy
political baggage. Last year’s winner, British playwright Harold
Pinter, is equally well known for his strident leftist politics. The
2004 honoree, Elfriede Jelinek, is a fierce critic of Austria’s
conservative establishment.

As tempting as it is to poke fun at political moralizing from the
Nobel committee, the ones truly deserving of criticism are the
governments – not just of Turkey but also of France and the United
States – that twist language into politics by criminalizing speech
and denying the truth.

Turkey continues to demonstrate its unreadiness to join the ranks of
mature democracies with its many attacks on free expression, most of
them springing from laws against insulting the state or its
institutions. And the list of jokes that insecure Ankarites can’t
take is long: suggesting that troops be withdrawn from Cyprus;
criticizing Kemal Ataturk, the long-dead father of modern Turkey;
even having a fictional character in a novel speak of the Armenian
genocide. The country is consistently ranked about 100th in the world
by global nonprofit groups that measure press freedom, and the
European Union has insisted on easing these restrictions as a
precondition to Turkey’s membership.

During that process, France has taken the lead in pushing Turkey to
join the 21st century instead of squabbling over the 20th. But as is
too often the case in Europe, the state’s zeal to promote the truth
has manifested itself in a prohibition against the individual’s right
to state falsehoods. On Thursday, as Pamuk was winning his prize, the
French National Assembly passed a bill making it an imprisonable
offense to deny that the Armenian genocide took place. This matches
similar laws across the EU criminalizing Holocaust denial. Both
notions exhibit an unseemly lack of confidence in the free
competition of ideas and leave European governments open to charges
of hypocrisy.

France has a partly questionable motivation – anti-Turkish animus –
for coming down on the side of truth. The U.S., which is motivated by
a desire to please its most important Muslim ally, has come out on
the other side – refusing to call the Armenian genocide by its proper
name. Proving again that nothing corrupts language more than
politics. "Political speech and writing," to quote Orwell again, "are
largely the defense of the indefensible."

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Oct 14 2006

Armenians are Against Turkish Troops While Arabs Support
Saturday , 14 October 2006

About 5,000 Armenians protested the arrival of Turkish troops in
southern Lebanon to join the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The Lebanon Government invited Turkish troops to lebanon and all Arab
groups give support to Turkish troops in Lebanon.

Waving Armenian and ultra-nationalist Tashnak flags, the crowd
chanted anti-Turkish slogans, carried placards protesting Turkey’s
cooperation with Israel and accused and shouted accusations of the
purported Armenian genocide