Turkey’s priority is so-called genocide: Gul

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
June 16 2005

Combating allegations that the Ottoman Empire committed acts of
genocide against its Armenian citizens during the First World War
was one of Ankara’s main priorities, Gul said Thursday.

Guncelleme: 10:19 ET 16 Haziran 2005 PerºembeBRUSSELS – The Foreign
Minister said that Ankara had strongly warned countries against
putting the so-called Armenian genocide issue onto their agendas.

In an interview that appeared in the Brussels based magazine Anadolu,
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the Justice and Development
government had managed to refute the Armenian claims using a well
prepared, coherent and active strategy.

The proposal by Ankara to set up joint committee with Armenia to
study the claims had been internationally welcomed, Gul said.

He added that the reason that diplomatic relations with Armenia had
not been formalised was due to problems posed by Yerivan. Armenia’s
efforts to make use of Ankara’s EU bid had had a negative impact on
the EU process, the Foreign Minister said.

–Boundary_(ID_cXdqSLKaW1swZNU0zolFeQ)–

German parliament passes the bill recognising Armenian massacre

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
June 16 2005

The Federal German Parliament on Thursday a motion declaring that the
Christian Armenian residents of the Ottoman Empire were subjected to
massacre under 90 years ago.

Güncelleme: 10:38 ET 16 Haziran 2005 PerºembeBERLIN – The draft
avoided referring to the 1915 incidents alleged by Armenians to be
a ~Sgenocide~T but described them as ~Smassacre~T.

The bill, tabled by the opposition was passed with unanimous vote
without any debate.

The parliamentary motion said that many independent historians,
parliaments and international organisations had defined the forced
migration and destruction as a massacre.

Although the bill did not directly describe the events of 1915, where
up to one million Armenians were claimed to be involved, as genocide
it did refer to same sources that do see the case as genocide.

The bill also said that Germany was saddened by the role it played
in the incidents in 1915. Imperial Germany was allied to the Ottoman
Empire during the First World War.

In the motion the federal parliament called on the German government to
contribute to efforts to have Turkey and its parliament face up to its
history promoting the setting up of a joint committee of Turkish and
Armenian historians, the opening of Turkish archives and normalising
of relations between Ankara and Yerivan.

German Chancellor Gerard Schroeder in his speech to parliament said
it would be irresponsible to make a u-turn from the decision to start
negotiation talks with Turkey on its entry to the European Union.

However, he warned that the negotiation process would be halted if
Turkey was not to meet the membership conditions.

–Boundary_(ID_GS7XC4YugzWDQhFKTw/+9g)–

SwissInfo
June 16 2005

German parlt condemns 1915 killings of Armenians

16.06.2005 – 17:15
By Nick Antonovics

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s parliament condemned on Thursday the
mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 90 years ago, sparking an
angry protest from Ankara.

Voting shortly after the government and opposition clashed over
whether Turkey should join the European Union, all main parties in
the Bundestag joined in deploring what many historians say amounted
to genocide.

The resolution stopped short of calling the killings genocide, a term
Turkey rejects, but it will test relations between Ankara and Berlin,
a staunch supporter of Turkish EU aspirations.

“This resolution is regrettable and we strongly condemn it,” said the
Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement.

It described the resolution as one-sided and “provocative” and said
it would hurt Turks’ feelings. It said German lawmakers had been
motivated by domestic politics and had ignored repeated warnings of
the harm the resolution would do to bilateral ties.

Turkey denies the claims that 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide between 1915 and 1923 as the multi-ethnic Ottoman
Empire collapsed.

It accepts hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed but says
even more Turks died in a partisan conflict in which many Armenians
backed invading Russian troops.

TURKEY SAYS “HUGE INJUSTICE”

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told German reporters this week
that the resolution amounted to “a huge injustice toward Turkey and
Turks living in Germany,” the German newspaper Rheinische Post
reported on Thursday.

Teaching in German schools about the “destruction” of Armenians as
proposed by the resolution would create hostility against Turks among
German youth, the Turkish foreign ministry statement said.

Around 2 million Turks live in Germany. A Berlin police spokesman
said a demonstration was planned in front of the Armenian embassy in
Berlin on Saturday.

The resolution urged Turkey to set up an independent committee of
Turkish, Armenian and international historians to document what
happened and to hold a conference in Istanbul — postponed last month
— to examine the issue.

The Turkish foreign ministry said Turkey had opened its archives to
historians and proposed establishment of a joint commission between
Turkey and Armenia to investigate Turkish-Armenian relations during
the Ottoman Empire.

The resolution also condemned the German government of the time for
failing to try to stop the killings despite having “information about
the organized expulsion and extermination of Armenians.”

Germany was an ally of the Ottoman Empire during World War One, when
the massacres took place.

“The German parliament is well aware from its own experience how hard
it is for all peoples to deal with the dark side of their past,” the
resolution said in a reference to Germany’s own Nazi regime and its
murder of millions of Jews.

(Additional reporting by Gareth Jones in Ankara)

German parlt condemns 1915 killings of Armenians
By Nick Antonovics

Reuters, UK
June 16 2005

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s parliament condemned on Thursday the
mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 90 years ago, sparking an
angry protest from Ankara.

Voting shortly after the government and opposition clashed over
whether Turkey should join the European Union, all main parties in
the Bundestag joined in deploring what many historians say amounted
to genocide.

The resolution stopped short of calling the killings genocide, a term
Turkey rejects, but it will test relations between Ankara and Berlin,
a staunch supporter of Turkish EU aspirations.

“This resolution is regrettable and we strongly condemn it,” said
the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a statement.

It described the resolution as one-sided and “provocative” and said
it would hurt Turks’ feelings. It said German lawmakers had been
motivated by domestic politics and had ignored repeated warnings of
the harm the resolution would do to bilateral ties.

Turkey denies the claims that 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide between 1915 and 1923 as the multi-ethnic Ottoman
Empire collapsed.

It accepts hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed but says
even more Turks died in a partisan conflict in which many Armenians
backed invading Russian troops.

TURKEY SAYS “HUGE INJUSTICE”

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told German reporters this
week that the resolution amounted to “a huge injustice toward Turkey
and Turks living in Germany,” the German newspaper Rheinische Post
reported on Thursday.

Teaching in German schools about the “destruction” of Armenians as
proposed by the resolution would create hostility against Turks among
German youth, the Turkish foreign ministry statement said.

Around 2 million Turks live in Germany. A Berlin police spokesman
said a demonstration was planned in front of the Armenian embassy in
Berlin on Saturday.

The resolution urged Turkey to set up an independent committee
of Turkish, Armenian and international historians to document what
happened and to hold a conference in Istanbul — postponed last month
— to examine the issue. The Turkish foreign ministry said Turkey
had opened its archives to historians and proposed establishment
of a joint commission between Turkey and Armenia to investigate
Turkish-Armenian relations during the Ottoman Empire.

The resolution also condemned the German government of the time for
failing to try to stop the killings despite having “information about
the organized expulsion and extermination of Armenians.”

Germany was an ally of the Ottoman Empire during World War One,
when the massacres took place.

“The German parliament is well aware from its own experience how
hard it is for all peoples to deal with the dark side of their past,”
the resolution said in a reference to Germany’s own Nazi regime and
its murder of millions of Jews.

Turkish, Lebanon premiers hold joint news conference in Beirut

Anatolia news agency, Ankara
16 Jun 05

Beirut, 16 June: Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently
in Lebanon, held a joint news conference with Lebanese Prime Minister
Najib Miqati on Thursday [16 June].

Miqati said that they discussed Middle East peace process,
Israeli-Palestinian dispute and recent developments in Iraq. He said:
“We also took up economic cooperation between Turkey and Lebanon
and agreed to increase mutual investments and collaboration in
international areas.”

On the other hand, Erdogan said: “Lebanon supports Turkey’s point
of view in Cyprus issue. We also share the same views as regards
Iraq. I conveyed that Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative
is a democratization and freedom process as well as an initiative
to establish a joint programme to fight terrorism and to increase
prosperity in the region.”

Replying to a question on the Armenian allegations, Erdogan said:
“Turkey urged Armenian authorities to open their archives because
Turkey has already done so. Other countries can open their archives
too. It is impossible to accept a genocide claim which is not based
on documents and sound information. We have a positive approach, but
Armenia is still busy with the past. Future cannot be established on
hatred,” noted Erdogan.

Yesterday, nearly 1,500 Armenians who are living in Lebanon held a
demonstration to protest the visit of Erdogan to Lebanon.

Azeri foreign minister, Council of Europe officials discusses Karabakh

Trend news agency
16 Jun 05

Baku, 16 June: Different aspects of a negotiated settlement to the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict were discussed by Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Council of Europe Secretary-General
Terry Davis in Strasbourg today, the Foreign Ministry press service
has told Trend.

The sides also discussed the situation in Azerbaijan in the run-up to
the November parliamentary elections, the establishment and activity
of the working group set up by the Azerbaijani authorities and NGOs
to deal with the problem of political prisoners, and the latest steps
taken in Azerbaijan in the area of democratization.

The meeting was held as part of the Azerbaijani minister’s visit to
Strasbourg on 15-16 June.

Mammadyarov also held negotiations with the secretary-general of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe [PACE], Bruno Haller,
and the director-general of the PACE secretariat, Mateo Sorinas.

The sides discussed the issues that have been included in the agenda
of the forthcoming summer session of PACE: reports on the work of
democratic institutions in Azerbaijan, the problem of political
prisoners and the work being done towards conducting the forthcoming
parliamentary elections in line with international standards.

The Azerbaijani minister also met members of the Ago group for Armenia
and Azerbaijan established under the Council of Europe Committee
of Ministers. Issues of a negotiated settlement to the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict, preparations for the parliamentary elections and
Azerbaijan’s progress in fulfilling its commitments to the Council
of Europe were discussed.

Russia to Pay $7.13 Billion to Win Control of Gazprom (Update4)

Bloomberg
June 16 2005

June 16 (Bloomberg) — OAO Gazprom, the world’s largest natural-gas
producer, said Russia will pay 203.5 billion rubles ($7.13 billion)
to gain direct control of the company, as President Vladimir Putin
seeks greater state involvement in the nation’s energy industry.

The board of the Moscow-based company approved the government-
recommended price at a meeting today, Gazprom said in an e-mailed
statement. The 10.7 percent stake in the company will add to the
government’s current direct holding of 39.4 percent.

Gaining majority control of the company is a precondition for Putin
to deliver on a 2003 pledge to end limits on foreign ownership of
Gazprom’s domestic shares. Putin wants to lure back some of the $9.5
billion pulled from Russia last year after the dismantlement of OAO
Yukos Oil Co.

“It’s marginally on the wrong side of the line,” said Chris Weafer,
chief strategist at Moscow-based Alfa bank, in a telephone interview.
“This may compound existing concerns that many of Gazprom’s strategies
have more of a political angle than a business angle.” Alfa Bank
estimated the stake to be worth $10 billion, he said.

Russian economic growth is cooling for a second year after business
confidence suffered in 2003 and 2004 from the probe into Yukos and
its former chief executive, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was sentenced
to nine years in prison last month. The central bank expects net
capital outflows of $7 billion this year and next amid concern about
property rights.

$2.80 a Share

The government will pay 80.04 rubles a share, or $2.80, according to
the price and number of shares listed in Gazprom’s statement. The
average price of the company’s domestic stock was 79.52 rubles in
April and May, according to Bloomberg data.

A 10.7 percent stake is worth $7.4 billion in Moscow at today’s
close, or $8.9 billion based on the company’s depositary receipts,
which account for about 10 percent of the company’s capital and are
the only way foreigners can directly trade Gazprom shares.

The local shares rose 0.6 percent today to 83.44 rubles in Moscow.
Gazprom depositary receipts, equal to 10 domestic shares, declined
0.1 percent to $35.10.

Gazprom didn’t say how or when OAO Rosneftegaz, a company set up
by the government last year, will pay for the stake. Spokesman Igor
Volobuyev referred questions pertaining to payment to the government.

Boris Fyodorov, a Gazprom director, said today the company would
receive cash for the shares by the end of this year, Interfax reported.

Loans, Then IPO

Rosneftegaz will take out loans to acquire the stake, and Russia
will later sell shares in state oil company OAO Rosneft in an initial
public offering to pay back the money, the Economy Ministry said in
a statement on May 17. Following the transactions, the Russian state
will own the majority of both Gazprom and Rosneft, all of whose shares
were transferred to Rosneftegaz.

Rosneftegaz’s board today approved the purchase and will take
possession of the shares on schedule, by June 24, the Federal Property
Agency said. Gazprom’s annual meeting is that day.

Gazprom intends to use the cash raised from the stake sale to buy
assets in Russia and abroad, focusing on the oil, gas and power
industries, Chief Executive Alexei Miller said yesterday in St.
Petersburg. He declined to comment on what assets or regions the
company is interested in.

“If there are reserves there, we are interested,” Miller said.

Sakhalin Bids

Gazprom may bid for a stake in Rosneft’s Sakhalin-1 gas field and
the Sakhalin-3 gas project, Gazprom Deputy Chief Executive Alexander
Medvedev said June 10.

Deutsche Bank AG, Europe’s third-biggest bank, in November
recommended Gazprom buy Yuganskneftegaz, OAO Surgutneftegaz, Russia’s
fourth-largest oil company, and OAO Sibneft, which is controlled by
Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire now living in London.

Chief Financial Officer Andrei Kruglov said Gazprom may also scale
down its plan to borrow 110 billion rubles ($3.8 billion) this year,
depending on how fast it gets cash from the sale and European gas
prices, Vedomosti reported.

Gazprom, which has borrowed 40 billion rubles so far this year,
plans to sell domestic bonds in July and won’t sell Eurobonds before
September, Kruglov told the newspaper. Asian investors, such as
Singapore’s state investment agency, are showing strong interest in
Gazprom, he said.

The company, Russia’s largest by market value, pumps enough natural
gas a year to supply 80 percent of U.S. consumption. The board,
which was scheduled to approve the stake sale yesterday, postponed
the decision until today because the government’s instructions to
its board representatives had not been signed.

Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller was not present at today’s
board meeting because he travelled to Yerevan to meet with Armenian
president Robert Kocharian. He voted in writing and the board decision
was legitimate, Volobuyev said.

Morgan Stanley valued Gazprom at $78.1 billion to $92.3 billion,
Russia’s Federal Property Agency said May 30. Dresdner Kleinwort
Wasserstein put Gazprom’s worth at between $93.3 billion and $107.0
billion.

Deal finalized for Russian government to acquire control of Gazprom

Interfax
June 16 2005

The Russian gas giant Gazprom’s board of directors has approved a
price for the sale of a further stake in the company to the state,
the Russian news agency Interfax reported from Moscow on 16 June. The
acquisition of more shares will give the Russian government control of
Gazprom with a view to “liberalization” of trading in the company’s
shares, another Russian news agency, ITAR-TASS, added in its report
on the development.

Gazprom agreed to sell an additional 10.74-per-cent stake in the
company to the state-owned Rosneftegaz oil and gas firm for 203.5bn
roubles, or 7.11bn dollars, Interfax and TASS said in their reports.

“The board of directors agreed that 2,542,500,000 shares in the
Gazprom open joint-stock company, which represents 10.7399 per cent
of its charter capital, will be transferred to the Rosneftegaz open
joint-stock company by Gazprom’s subsidiaries,” said Gazprom’s press
release as quoted by Interfax. Gazprombank, Gazprominvestholding,
Gazfond and Gazpromfinans were the subsidiaries listed. The price is
R203,501,700,000, the press release said.

“All members of the board voted in favour, including its independent
members such as chairman of the E.ON Ruhrgas AG board Burckhard
Bergmann and UFG honorary chairman Boris Fedorov,” Interfax’s source
on the board said. Pressed about Gazprom chairman Aleksey Miller’s
absence from the meeting, the source said there was nothing unusual
about it and that Miller had “given his view in writing”. Miller
himself was on a visit to the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

“The state will thus increase its stake in the gas monopoly to control
it as part of plans to liberalize the market in Gazprom shares,”
ITAR-TASS said in its report.

“The way has thus been opened for the liberalization of the market
for Gazprom shares,” Fedorov told Interfax.

A meeting of Rosneftegaz’s shareholders – in the words of Interfax’s
source a “formality” – approved the deal the same day, the agency
added.

AsiaNews.it, Italy
June 16 2005

Armenians protest Erdogan’s visit to Beirut
by Youssef Hourany

Hariri’s warm welcome to Turkish Premier is criticised as the
campaign gets hotter. Hizbollah says no to forcing President Lahoud
to resign.

Beirut (AsiaNews) – Four days from the last and decisive round of
Lebanon’s elections, the visit by Turkish Prime Minister has provoked
protests by the country’s Armenian community. It is also generating
anti-Saad Hariri feelings in this community. For its part, today
Hizbollah rejected Hariri’s call for President Lahoud’s resignation.

Protests by the Armenian community in its Bourj Hammouyd stronghold
against the visit by the Turkish Prime Minister are a new factor in
the ongoing political crisis that is shaking Lebanon.

Residents of the populous neighbourhood-reputed for its banks,
shopping centres and jewellery shops throughout the Middle East-have
blocked streets and shut down stores.

Armenians blame Turkey for committing genocide against them in the
early part of the 20th century and demand that the international
community condemn this act so that it may never happen again
elsewhere.

Lebanese-Armenians have also protested against the attitude shown by
newly-elected MNA for Beirut Saad Hariri, who gave the Turkish
Premier a very warm welcome.

Upon arrival, Mr Erdogan went to Rafik Hariri’s mausoleum in downtown
Beirut to pay his respect to the slain former Lebanese Prime
Minister.

Saad Hariri is working on his election campaign in northern Lebanon
where two main slates of candidates are running-one that sees
Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh allied with General Michel Aoun;
the other made of Hariri, Kornet Chehwane, and the Lebanese Forces.

The round in northern Lebanon will complete the staggered process to
elect Lebanon’s 128-member National Assembly, evenly divided between
Christians and Muslims in accordance with the 1989Taif agreement.

Results next Sunday will determine the new political map of the
country. Surveys indicate that the 28 seat up for grabs might split
down the middle with 14 going to each of the two main groupings.

Should this happen current President Emile Lahoud is likely to
continue his mandate until 2007.

After the elections though, lawmakers will have to elect a new
Speaker of the National Assembly and choose a new Prime Minister.

Since yesterday, Saad Hariri has been on the campaign trail in
Tripoli helping his allies.

According to Gebran Bassil, who is running on General Aoun’s ticket,
Hariri’s help includes handing out petrodollars.

Mr Bassil said the Frangieh-Aoun alliance trusted the people,
reaffirming its conviction that it was not for sale; voters, he said,
have done everything to preserve Lebanon’s true character.

The northern region, he added, is the Land of Saints, the Land God
blessed with shrines, that of Saint Rebecca, Saint Neemtallah and
Saint Charbel.

In the meantime, Hizbollah deputy secretary general, Sheikh Nahim
Kassem, said that it was necessary to preserve the presidency. His
party, which now has 14 members in the National Assembly, is against
the demand by Jumblatt, Hariri and the Kornet Chehwane group to
remove Lahoud from office before the end of his mandate in 2007.

The head of the Presidency’s Economic, Social and Educational Affairs
Directorate Faten Nader told AsiaNews that President Lahoud wants to
see Lebanon reborn.

She insisted that the President is attached to the country’s
political institutions which, in his view, remain the only way to
help it maintain its mission. As Pope John Paul II said: “Lebanon is
more a message than a country”. And for Ms Nader the Lebanese must
follow reason and overcome sentimentality.

Today also marks the return to Lebanon of former Deputy Prime
Minister Issam Fares, who after Rafik Hariri’s assassination, said he
would retire from politics.

Contacted by phone by this news agency, he said that northerners will
speak their mind on Election Day. “This people will never be bought,
as some might want,” he said.

Fares confirmed that he was against removing President Lahoud from
office and reiterated his support for the Frangieh-Aoun alliance.
(YH)

Land around Karabakh not to be given back to Azerbaijan – Armenian party member

Mediamax news agency
16 Jun 05

Yerevan, 16 June: The Armenian Revolutionary Federation –
Dashnaktsutyun [ARFD] and the Armenian public have no intention of
giving back to Azerbaijan the territory around Nagornyy Karabakh taken
at the cost of numerous losses, a representative of the ARFD board,
Grant Markaryan, said at the National Press Club today.

He said that international mediators are putting pressure both
on Azerbaijan and Armenia. “They demand that Azerbaijan surrender
Nagornyy Karabakh and Lacin [District] to Armenia and Armenia return
the occupied territory to Azerbaijan,” Markaryan said.

He pointed out that compromises can only be made at the negotiating
table, stressing that it is unacceptable for Armenian society to have
a complex of a losing side.

The fact that the negotiations are held between Armenia and Azerbaijan
on settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict can be explained as Baku’s
recognition of Nagornyy Karabakh as part of Armenia, he said.