Author: Zaminian Bedik

AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
April 1 2010

Reports on separatist PM’s UN meetings dismissed

01-04-2010 06:50:50

Azerbaijan has dismissed as concocted the media reports about the
official meetings allegedly held at the United Nations by the `prime
minister’ of the separatist regime operated by ethnic Armenians in the
country’s Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh region.
The Azerbaijani representation at the UN has scrutinized the recent
Armenian reports claiming that Ara Arutunyan, who presents himself as
the `premier’ of the `Upper Garabagh Republic’, entered the UN
building on November 18, 2009 and held official meetings there.
According to official replies from respective UN agencies, a person
named Ara Arutunyan had not been granted a pass to enter the building
and he did not take part in any meetings. However, due to a part of
the building’s being open for tourists, it is not ruled out that
Arutunyan entered the premises as an ordinary tourist or student with
a document of an Armenian citizen.*

Police seek possible link to Armenian gangsters in shooting death of 4

>From wire services

Updated: 04/04/2010

Armenian gangsters may have been responsible for the assassination-style
gunfire brought against six people at a cafe in North Hollywood, killing
four men and wounding two others, police said today.

The suspect was believed to be a man of Armenian descent, about 30 years
old, according to eyewitnesses who spoke with police.

Community leaders in the Valley Village area, which borders the section of
North Hollywood and Studio City where the blood was shed, worked today to
get out their contention that the area “remains one of the safest in Los
Angeles,” in the words of the president of the neighborhood council.

The group said it has been told that Los Angeles police are working with
officers in predominately-Armenian Glendale “to apprehend the suspects.”

But police were not saying if the bloodshed Saturday was linked to the gang-
style killing of a woman in the Little Armenia section of Hollywood eight
days earlier.
Saturday’s mass shooting, with at least 17 bullets fired, occurred about
4:30 p.m. in the Hot Spot Cafe, 11651 Riverside Drive, a restaurant with
dark, tinted windows that neighbors told the Daily News was often empty.

Police said the victims appeared to have been targeted and that the shooting
may be related to Armenian gangs.

It was unclear how many people saw what happened at the Hot Spot Cafe, but
the Los Angeles Times reported that the gunfire sent witnesses fleeing.

Three men died at the cafe, and a fourth died at a hospital. Two other
victims were hospitalized, one of them reported in critical condition early
today, police said.
The dead men were identified by Los Angeles police as Harut Baburyan, 28,
Sarkis Karadjian, 26, Vardan Tofalyan, 31, and Hayk Yegnanyan, 25.

Police set up a mobile command post near the scene and closed a stretch of
Riverside Drive overnight. About 3:30 a.m., a tow truck took away a late
model Toyota sedan that had blood splattered across the rear, passenger-side
quarter-panel.

The bodies of three men remained inside the restaurant overnight as
detectives and coroner’s investigators documented what they had.

Detectives at the scene declined to go on record about the investigation.
One told a City News Service reporter that the scene inside the restaurant
was “a bloody massacre.”

One nearby resident who heard the gunfire told the Daily News he often saw
men in suits smoking in front of the restaurant.

“The place is shady,” Matt Edwards told the newspaper. “It opened five
years ago and it’s always closed and empty.”

Speaking at a news conference Saturday, LAPD Deputy Chief Kirk Albanese, who
heads the Valley Bureau, said “a gunman or gunmen came in and we had a
shooting with multiple victims dead.”

The case was handled by detectives from the Robbery-Homicide Division, which
handles major crime scenes. Robbery-Homicide was also handling the
investigation into last weekend’s murder of Karyn Safaryan at her modest
apartment in the Little Armenia section of Hollywood.

Karyn Safaryan was found shot to death, her throat slashed, in an apartment
parking area about five miles across Cahuenga Pass from this weekend’s
apparent gang attack. Her slaying that may have been a followup to the
murder of Safaryan’s husband and daughter in Hollywood in 2008.

Police have not said that the Safrayan murders are related to this weekend’s
shootings at the Hot Spot Cafe, but police have said both investigations are
in their early stages.

Police asked anyone with more information to call the LAPD’s North Hollywood
station at 818-623-4016.

EU ENLARGEMENT COMMISSIONER TO PAY A VISIT TO ARMENIA

Aysor
April 2 2010
Armenia

EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy
Stefan Fule will pay a visit to Armenia on April 6, a spokesperson
for Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said.

Within the framework of the visit Stefan Fule will meet with Armenia’s
President Serzh Sarkisian, Prime Minister Tigran Sarkisian, and
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

HERITAGE PARTY CALLS FOR CREATION OF NEW INFORMAL POLITICAL CENTER IN ROUND-TABLE FORMAT

Noyan Tapan
Apr 2, 2010

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Heritage party along with the Armenian
people is extremely concerned about the dangerous developments and the
current threats related to the Armenian-Turkish normalization and the
Artsakh problem, and it evaluates the existing situation as the most
dangerous challenge to the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh since 1993.

Under such conditions, in response to the increasing foreign pressure
regarding the Artsakh and Armenian-Turkish problems, Heritage party
issued a statement on March 30, in which it called on the opposition
parties – the Armenian National Congress and the ARF and the coalition
parties – the Republican Party of Armenia, Prosperous Armenia party,
and Country of Law party to create a new informal political center
in the round-table format – prior to special or regular elections to
the National Assembly, in conditions of the low political efficiency
of the current parliament. The new center will include 3 opposition
parties and 3 coalition ones, thanks to which both the opposition
and the authorities will be represented proportionally.

Heritage proposes forming the Round Table without any preliminary
agenda and then putting all main problems worrying the opposition
and pro-government forces on the table and reaching an agreement on a
number of issues without preconditions. As is noted in the statement,
this may create the necessary prerequisites to ensure the unity within
society and among the political forces and to jointly confront the
adversary in case of resumption of military operations, as well as
to promote democratic reforms.

According to the statement, the Round Table should become the fist
step towards creating a broad political, civil and spiritual format of
national unity, which eventually will include the Republics of Armenia
and Artsakh, the political forces and the key civil players in the
Diaspora, as well as representatives of the Mother Church. Heritage
party is going to officially present this proposal to all the above
mentioned national units.

RUSSIAN EXPERT EXPLAINED WHY NO PROGRESS ON THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH ISSUE CAN BE REACHED

Today
April 2 2010
Azerbaijan

Alexander Krylov, senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of
Sciences Institute of World Economy and International Relations said
he believes that the Turkish-Armenian relations are not likely to
reach any progress.

According to him, "The Armenian-Turkish relations are less likely
to see progress in the context of "Armenian genocide". This problem
continues to be the main obstacle to the normalization of bilateral
relations. Along with Karabakh problem, it has also blocked the peace
process. The progress is seen not in the Turkey-Armenia-Azerbaijan
triangle, but in relations of these countries with other countries.

There has been an unprecedented deterioration in relations between
Turkey and Israel and between Turkey and the United States as of late.

In the latter case, the reason for this was the resolution recognizing
the Armenian genocide by the U.S. Congress committee".

"In the meatime, Azerbaijan is developing gas cooperation with Russia
and Iran at a fast pace. Azerbaijan could diversify gas supplies
quickly, efficiently and with great benefit although gas negotiations
between Azerbaijan and Turkey did not reach the desired result so far.

This is unlikely to delight the EU and U.S., who still cherish hopes
for the Nabucco project. All this indicates that the situation in
the Caucasus and around it is rapidly changing forcing states in the
the region to seek response to fundamentally new challenges. More
surprises should be expected," the expert said.

Krylov believes the resolution of the Karabakh conflict is less likely
to see major changes any time soon. The past events hinder development
of relations between states in the region.

"Obviously, Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora will do everything
to signify 95th anniversary of the 1915 events as much as they can,
and not only to mark it as a sad date, but also get weighty political
and diplomatic benefits. But I dont think this approach will lead to
progress in settlement of the Karabakh problem or in the normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations. Not politicians or public members,
but professional historians should have played a major role here. The
events of the past should not prevent the neighboring nations from
building normal and successful future," he said.

"Dramatic changes in the situation can occur not as a result of April
24th, but as a result of changes in Iraq, who neighbors with Caucasus
and Turkey. As we know, the withdrawal of the U.S. Army is not far
off. It is not yet clear how it will be implemented and what it will
be followed by. Forecasts are rather negative and even apocalyptic."

"Obviously, radical change in this situation will inevitably affect
the Caucasus and Turkey. It is possible that, given the fundamentally
new security challenges, the current differences between Azerbaijan,
Armenia and Turkey will become less acute. This gives hopes that
the dialogue between them will become much more constructive,"
Krylov noted.

T. Teymur Today.Az

URL:

LA POLICE PROBE ROMANTIC LINKS IN FAMILY’S DEATHS

San Jose Mercury News
4801062
April 1 2010
CA

LOS ANGELES (AP) –Police are investigating whether the slayings of
a couple and their child in Hollywood were prompted by a romantic
triangle involving one of the parents.

Los Angeles police say they are also offering protective custody to
the family’s remaining child but she has chosen to stay with relatives
for now.

Detectives say the slaying last week of Karine Hakobyan and the
killings of her husband and daughter in 2008 are likely connected.

Detective Dan Myers said Thursday that police are investigating
whether Hakobyan and her husband, Khachik Safaryan, were somehow
involved with an unidentified third party.

Police have stepped up patrols at the Hollywood neighborhood where a
surviving daughter lives. The family is trying to establish a trust
fund for the teenage girl, who discovered all three bodies.

AZERBAIJANI FM MEETS UN SECRETARY GENERAL

Trend
April 1 2010
Azerbaijan

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during his trip to Central Asia held
a meeting with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in
Baku, Foreign Ministry’s press service told Trend News.

The main theme of the meeting was the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Minister Mammadyarov updated UN Secretary
General on latest situation in the negotiations on conflict resolution
and in detail informed him of the Azerbaijan’s position in this
matter. Mamedyarov said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be
resolved only within the norms and principles of international law
and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

Ban Ki-moon expressed hope for a speedy solution to the conflict and
the confidence that its resolution would have a positive impact on
the entire region.

UN Secretary-General touched upon the positive results of the New
York conference of donor countries, dedicated to earthquake relief
in Haiti. Ban Ki-moon underlined the support of Azerbaijan, rendered
in this matter.

During the meeting, sides also exchanged views on developments in
the region.

Assyrian International News Agency

Turkish Lawyer Demands Recognition of Assyrian, Armenian Genocide

4-1-2010

(AINA) — The recognition of the genocide in 1915 from the Swedish
parliament and the U.S. Foreign Affairs Committee gives courage to civilian
forces in Turkey. At the same time Carl Bildt and Fredrik Reinfeldt gave a
shameless apology of the Swedish Parliamentary decision. While Carl Bildt
and Fredrik Reinfeldt take same side as the deniers of the genocide, the
lawyer Celil Ezman does the contrary.

Today, one of Turkey’s largest daily newspapers, Milliyet, wrote that the
lawyer Celil Ezman, who is a member of the Bar Council of Ankara, has
submitted an application to a court asking for a recognition of the 1915
genocide and removing all streets called after the genocide’s architect,
Talat Pasha.
Celil Ezman believes that Turkey must come to terms with its history,
recognize the genocide and apologize for it.

"In 1915 Turks planned and carried out genocide on Armenians," says Ezman.
"The actions of the members in the Talat Pasha Committee are according to
Turkish law a crime against humanity. In 1915 they systematically committed
genocide against Armenians. Bogazliyans ruler (kaymakam) Kemal Bey, who was
executed for mass murders on Armenian civilians, was sentenced to death by a
Turkish court 1919."

Kemal Ataturk, later in 1923, declared Kemal Bey to a martyr. His statue has
to be demolished, said Celil Ezman to the newspaper.

The case is the first of its kind in Turkey and is expected to draw much
attention. When questioned about reprisals, Celil Ezman responded that "it
cannot be helped, if something happens, it is God’s will."

By Dikran Ego

IF TILL 24 APRIL TURKEY DOES NOT RATIFY PROTOCOLS, NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND ARMENIA WILL BE DELAYED AT LEAST FOR 5-6 YEARS

ArmInfo
2010-03-31 16:27:00

ArmInfo. If Turkey does not make steps towards ratification of the
Protocols till 24 April, normalization of relations between Turkey and
Armenia will be delayed at least for 5-6 years, Armenian turkologist
Artak Shakaryan told journalists today.

‘At the same time, Armenia’s leaving the negotiating process is not
beneficial to Turkey. For this reason, Turkey will do everything
possible to leave the process frozen. I think one can speak about
further prospects of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations
only after the meeting of the Armenian and American presidents,
scheduled within the frames of nuclear security summit, on 12-13
April in Washington’, – he said.

Shakaryan added that after the talks with Obama Sargsyan may say
that Armenia is leaving the negotiating process with Turkey or delays
the process for an indefinite time. At the same time, he said, that
if Erdogan visits Washington, it is very much possible that Serzh
Sargsyan will not say about Armenia’s leaving the process.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently directed an
invitation to President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan to visit Washington
to participate in the nuclear safety global summit.

ARTAK SHAKARYAN: THE KEY TO THE SOLUTION IS IN THE HANDS OF THE SOCIETIES OF ARMENIA AND TURKEY
Lusine Vasilyan

"Radiolur"
31.03.2010 14:46

"The key to the solution of the Armenian-Turkish relations is in the
hands of the societies of Armenia and Turkey, not official Yerevan
and Baku," Turkologis Artak Shakaryan told a press conference today.

"Even if the Armenian-Turkish protocols are ratified, Turkey may
later use any opportunity to make a step back," he said.

According to Shakaryan, Turkey’s main task is to prepare the society
for the establishment of sincere relations with Armenia, something
that demands years.

As for the perspectives of the Armenian-Turkish relations, Shakaryan
considers that ifTurkey fails to make any step before April 24,
the process will drag out for another 5-6 years.

However, the political scientist considers that Turkey will try to
take any step to keep the process going.

"Turkey doesn’t need a positive outcome of the process. It neither
needs a negative outcome. It will not benefit if Armenia withdraws
from the process. Therefore, Turkey will do its best to keep the
process at least half-dead," Shakaryan said.