Author: Zargarian Hambik

FORMER INTELLIGENCE OFFICER ADMITS NEGLECT OF POLICE IN DINK MURDER

BIAnet.org
April 16 2010
Turkey

In yesterday’s hearing of the case against journalist Å~^ener based on
his book about the murder of Turkish-Armenian jounalist Dink, former
Head of Intelligence Uzun admitted negligence of the police prior to
the assassination. He said the murder could have been prevented.

Berivan TAPAN [email protected] Istanbul – BÄ°A News Center16 April
2010, Friday Former Head of the Intelligence Department Sabri Uzun gave
his statement in yesterday’s (15 April) hearing of the case against
journalist Nedim Å~^ener. Facing prison sentence of up to 32.5 years
in total, Å~^ener stands trial in three different cases launched on
the grounds of his book "The Dink Murder and the Intelligence Lies".

In the book, he writes about the negligence and attempts to cover up
this negligence of gendarmerie, police and the Turkish secret service
prior to the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.

In the hearing held at the 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance,
Uzun stated that he had no information about the planned killing
of Hrant Dink, then editor-in-chief of the Armenian Agos newspaper,
since he did not have access to the reports collected from the agents
before they had been archived. Without mentioning his name directly,
Uzun claimed that C Branch Manager Ali Fuat Yılmazer kept the report
from him intentionally.

Uzun: Incriminating information was archived before I could get access
"Related to the period of time Å~^ener is describing in his book,
I said that ‘if the state holds responsibility for the murder of
Hrant Dink, this is my responsibility’, and that is true. There was
the written report notifying about a ‘crucial action to be done’
which referred to the planned murder of Dink. If this report had
reached me before it was archived, this would not have happened".

Å~^ener faces imprisonment of up to 28 under charges of "identifying
officials on anti-terrorist duties as targets". The criminal complaint
against the journalist was filed by Ramazan Akyurek, then Chief of
Police in Trabzon (Black Sea coast), Ali Fuat Yılmazer, C Branch
Manager of the Police Intelligence, intelligence police officer
Muhittin Zenit and Intelligence Branch Manager of the Trabzon Police
Directorate Faruk Sarı.

"They should have informed me by all means" The lawyers of complainant
Zenit asked Uzun whether he decided for protection after every new
report coming in. Uzun replied, "We do not request protection with
every report coming in, but we are talking about killing here. This
is serious. Reports related to planned assassinations come in once
a year or even more rarely. Such a report might only come in once
in ten years. If it comes in, the police and the intelligence are
obliged to meet to discuss the matter and take a decision".

Nedim Å~^ener criticized the question of the lawyers, putting forward
that the murder of Dink was a "project worked out by the police".

"Dink was on trial at the time, he was in the public eye the whole
time", Sener said.

Uzun stated: "I called inspector Mustafa Uckuyu regarding the News
Report (F4) dd. 17 February 2006 which mentioned Hrant Dink and asked
if there was any further information. Uckuyu answered that the report
had a note saying ‘transfer of assignment to the C2 office’. I made
a written statement about this on 4 November 2009 and wrote that the
Police Intelligence performed the duty. The full report reached me
only later on though".

"The inspectors had told me that the report included the information
that a ‘startling action’ was planned related to Hrant Dink. I
was astonished when I had read the full report because it did not
only mention a startling action but comprised information on Dink
to be killed and on weapons and money provided for this. I wrote a
supplementary statement on 4 December 2009. I wrote that ‘I had not
seen the report on 17 February 2006 when I was Head of Department. It
had been kept from me by the C Branch Manager’".

"The information of my book got confirmed" Journalist Å~^ener talked
to bianet after the hearing:

"Sabri Uzun made statement that confirmed what I have written in
my book and went even further. This is why I consider his statement
as very important. In my book I wrote that Head of the Intelligence
Department Ramazan Akyurek and C Branch Manager Ali Fuat Yılmazer
neglected their duties. Uzun spoke as a former head of department at
the time when the murder of Dink was being planned. He said, ‘yes,
the department neglected this duty, because these reports were kept
from me’. I hope that this information will bring light into the Dink
murder case". (BT/VK)

THE ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS "ARE NOT A SPRINT BUT A MARATHON"

Aysor
April 16 2010
Armenia

"Every year on the eve of April 24 all these conversations which are
held with a strong energy end with the same energy after the 24th of
April," Aram Safaryan said on the meeting with the journalists today.

He also spoke about the developments which can occur on the eve of
the memorial day of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

A. Safaryan compared the Armenian – Turkish relations with a marathon.

"The Armenian – Turkish dialogue is not a sprint, a100 meter race,
which should be passed with one breathing but a marathon as there is
a tangle of disagreements, conflicts and hostility of 100 of years
and we should try to pass that marathon with dignity, without having
defeats in any of its stages one by one," A. Safaryan underlined.

However, according to the deputy the process of the establishment of
the Armenian – Turkish relations will go on. At the same time Aram
Safaryam mentioned that, "this depends not on us but rather on Turkey."

AZERBAIJAN TRIES TO ORGANIZE A PROVOCATIVE ACT DURING MEDIA FREEDOM CONFERENCE IN TBILISI

ArmInfo
2010-04-15 16:30:00

ArmInfo. On April 15 the Azerbaijani delegation tried to use the
international conference on media problems organized in Tbilisi by
the Council of Europe to carry out a new provocative act by means of
disseminating misleading anti-Armenian propagandist literature among
the conference participants.

ArmInfo correspondent reported from Tbilisi that the Azeris made an
attempt to disseminate the books of their pseudo-historians, experts
and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Georgia Namik Aliyev, concerning the
Baku version of not only the Karabakh events, but also the events
that took place in the Caucasus in 1918.

The Armenian delegation expressed its strong protest against such kind
of agitation and stressed that the given conference is not dedicated
to the topic of Karabakh and this is not a place for propaganda on
that problem. As a result, the CoE representatives pointed out the
inadmissibility of discussion of such "sensitive and complicated
issues" as the Karabakh problem at a conference, which is dedicated
to ensuring of media freedom.

In addition, anti-Armenian literature by Georgian historians was also
being disseminated among the conference participants, particularly,
a book about the Armenian-Georgian war of 1918, as well as collected
materials of the conference held in Tbilisi in November 2009. Even
if one looks through these "works" superficially, one can see the
bias, detachment from the real historical facts, one-sidedness,
and the anti- Armenian trend of the publications of Georgian
"scientists", which touch on not only issues of bilateral relations,
for instance, the problem of the Armenian churches in Georgia, but
also the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, in which Armenia is presented
as an aggressor. These collected materials also state that Karabakh
has never been a part of Armenia, and deny the fact of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915.

Thanks to the Armenian delegation’s efforts, one managed to suppress
this provocative attempt of the Azerbaijani party, which was trying to
tell the "truth about Karabakh" to the European, Ukrainian, Georgian
and Moldavian participants in the conference.

AZERBAIJANI SIDE FIRES AT KARABAKH POSITIONS

NOYAN TAPAN
APRIL 15, 2010
STEAPANAKERT

On the morning of April 14 and throughout the day the Azerbaijani
side violated the cease-fire in several places along the Nagorno
Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line. According to the NKR Ministry of
Defence, Azerbaijani snipers were firing at Karabakh positions in
the direction of Nuzger, Horadiz, Jraberd and other settlements.

BERMAN SLAMS EFFORT TO BLOCK U.S. HOUSE VOTED ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

Yerkir
14.04.2010 15:04
Yerevan

Yerevan (Yerkir) – Howard Berman, Chairman of the powerful House
Foreign Affairs Committee, today denounced efforts by his Colleagues in
the Turkish Caucus to question the historical truth of the Armenian
Genocide, rejecting the flawed national security and economic
arguments put forth by these legislators to block the adoption of the
Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.252) by the full U.S. House of
Representatives, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).

"Chairman Berman expertly takes apart each Turkish Caucus excuse
to delay, derail, and ultimately defeat the Armenian Genocide
Resolution," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We look
to the House leadership, first and foremost Speaker Pelosi and Majority
Leader Hoyer, to follow Chairman Berman’s lead in both scheduling this
genocide-prevention measure for a vote and in working energetically
with their colleagues to secure its adoption."

In a strongly worded response to a Congressional Turkish Caucus letter
urging Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to block floor consideration
of the measure, Chairman Berman took "strong exception" to their
references to the "so-called Armenian Genocide Resolution," stating
that the assertion, "flies in the face of the overwhelming weight of
unimpeachable historical evidence and the virtually unanimous opinion
of genocide scholars."

Chairman Berman also rejected the flawed national security arguments
against the Armenian Genocide Resolution, stating, "I believe that
U.S.-Turkish security relations are founded on mutual interests and
that Turkey is not about to discard the immense benefits it derives
from bilateral security relations for the sake of ‘punishing’
the US for a non-binding resolution, however much it may resent
that resolution." He went on to argue that the Turkish response to
the passage of previous genocide legislation has been "limited and
short-lived, at most."

The Chairman also disputed the effect of Congressional Genocide
affirmation on Turkey-Armenia relations, arguing that the
Turkey-Armenia Protocols "have been gathering dust in the Turkish
parliament" due to Turkish preconditions on the process.

The Chairman’s letter coincides with bilateral meetings held between
President Barack Obama and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, and
also between the Armenian President and Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. Both foreign leaders are in Washington DC as part
of a major multilateral Nuclear Summit. At a presentation at George
Mason University’s Center for Global Islamic Studies, Prime Minister
Erdogan once again denied the Armenian Genocide and encouraged the
U.S. Congress not to adopt Armenian Genocide legislation. Meanwhile,
across town, at a ceremony honoring President Woodrow Wilson,
celebrated for his commitment to ensuring that the core territorial
and security elements of Armenia’s historic viability be restored,
Armenian President Serzh Sargisyan made reference to "Wilsonian
Armenia" and stressed that the Turkey-Armenia protocols could not
be used to question the historical truth of the Armenian Genocide.

KHYRHYZ SCENARIO WILL REPEAT IN ARMENIA: LEADER OF MARKSIST PARTY OF ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2010-04-15 16:32:00

ArmInfo. Khyrhyz scenario will repeat in Armenia, Leader of Marksist
Party of Armenia David Hakobyan said in a press conference at Pastark
Club on Thursday.

He believes that there are all the preconditions for the people to
riot in the country. "The authorities fully depend on the capital of
oligarchs stuck in the parliament. In fact, fighting them would mean
for the government to cut own throat," the Marksist said. He believes
that intentional focusing on the Genocide and Karabakh conflict by
the authorities aggravates the situation. Hakobyan is sure that the
social and economic situation in the country is too heavy and ignoring
it is extremely dangerous. "All the talks on diplomatic ways to settle
the Karabakh conflict are nothing but a farce and desire to complete
the presidential term." He once again highlighted that the country
needs a new "architect" of economic policy. "Over 20 years people
unable to govern have been in power in Armenia. We can see this on
the example of all the three presidents of Armenia," he said.

ARMENIA NEEDS NEW ELITE: EXPERT

Tert.am
14:22 14.04.10

There are no leaders in Armenia who would have a clear idea of the
path the country will go by, Gerard Shalyan, an armed conflict and
strategic relations expert said at an interview with Armenian local
daily newspaper Capital, while speaking about Armenia’s most important
domestic problems.

"Are new elites being raised [in Armenia]? Is there anyone who would
put the state’s interest above his? These are the questions that do
not inspire great hope," said Shalyan.

In his words Armenia can offer the world nothing else but a
democratically developing country as it does not have oil or other
serious resources. In that sense, Shalyan believes, Armenia’s only
potential wealth would be its democratization, simultaneous development
of its economy and the raising of new elite

CRITICAL TIME FOR ARMENIA AND TURKEY, SAYS STATE DEPARTMENT

Asbarez
Apr 13th, 2010

WASHINTON (Combined Sources)-This is a critical time for Armenia
and Turkey to implement the protocols that were signed last year,
said State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley, following Tuesday’s
meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton, reported Armen Hareyan of HULIQ.com.

"The discussion was about how to take specific steps on progress on
both sides," Crowley said.

When asked what the Turkish foreign minister about the prospects for a
breakthrough between the two historically estranged neighbors, Crowley
said, "Anyone who knows Davutoglu knows that he is always optimistic."

Characterizing the 45-minute meeting as "positive," Crowley said there
wasn’t enough time to discuss the Iran nuclear issue in the meeting,
but noted that Clinton and Davotoglu will meet again before he leaves
for Ankara Thursday.

At a luncheon, hosted by Clinton Tuesday for the foreign ministers
attending the nuclear summit, Nalbandian and Davutoglu continued the
discussion initiated Monday during a meeting between President Serzh
Sarkisian and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

While neither leader issued a statement following Monday’s meeting,
the Turkish media reported that the two had decided that their foreign
ministers would discuss the ratification process of the protocols.

RA PRIME MINISTER TIGRAN SARGSYAN’S CONDOLENCE MESSAGE TO POLISH PRIME MINISTER DONALD TUSK

Saturda y, 10 April 2010

Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan addressed a message of condolence to
his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk, which reads as follows: "Dear Mr.

Prime Minister, On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia
and myself, I express deep condolences on the tragic death of President
of Poland Lech Kaczynski and his spouse, as well as the members of
his delegation. We are deeply shocked by what has happened and share
in your grief. At this time of hardship, we convey words of comfort
and fortitude to the families and close relatives of the victims, as
well as to the friendly people of Poland. We wish you moral strength
and fortitude in the face of this disastrous crash."

ARMENIA’S AMBASSADOR TO ROMANIA PRESENTS HIS CREDENTIALS

Aysor
April 13 2010
Armenia

Armenia’s Ambassador to Romania Hamlet Gasparian has presented his
Credentials to Romania’s President Traian Basescu, the Foreign Ministry
spokesperson said.

Parties talked about Armenia-Romania relations and cooperation,
and discussed items of further strengthening of ties between the
two nations.