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TOP STORIES
06/17/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
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1) European Commission Says Turkey's Done Well, But Must Do Better
2) Karabagh President Says Aliyev Not Ready for Conflict Resolution
3) NATO Official on Karabagh Settlement
4) Sen. Allen Calls for "Strict Parity" in US Military Aid to Armenia And
Azerbaijan
1) European Commission Says Turkey's Done Well, But Must Do Better
(Eupolitix.com/Zaman)--The European Commission welcomed recent reforms in
Turkey, but warned that Ankara still has to do more before negotiations on EU
entry can begin.
Speaking at a conference in Brussels on Thursday, EU enlargement chief Gunter
Verheugen praised recent developments including improvements in civil
liberties
and human rights.
"Issues whose mention could previously trigger criminal proceedings, such as
the role of the military, the Kurdish language, or cases of torture and
ill-treatment, are now freely debated."
"The reform process has brought a new mood of openness and freedom in public
debate in Turkey," said Vergheugen. But the Commissioner warned that Turkey
had
a lot of work to do in terms of reforming the judiciary and the penal code.
He also pointed to continuing human rights concerns that need to be
addressed--ranging from the torture of prisoners to the intimidation of people
involved in defending human rights.
The European Parliament highlighted the same point in April, citing a litany
of concerns ranging from the influence of the army on politics to continuing
torture practices.
Several leading center-right parliamentarians also spoke strongly against
granting Turkey full membership.
EU leaders decided at a Copenhagen summit in 2002 that formal talks could
begin if Turkey met a series of political, economic, and judicial reforms, and
made improvements in the country's human rights situation.
The European Commission will make a recommendation in October as to whether
Ankara has reached its goals.
Based on the Commission's findings, European leaders will then decide in
December whether or not to formally open accession negotiations with Turkey.
Verheugen warned the process would be lengthy.
"If the European Council decides to open negotiations with Turkey, accession
is not a formality, and not for tomorrow. The negotiations will take time,
reflecting the scale of the difficulties in many sectors faced by such a large
and complex country. There should be no doubts that the report will be fair
and
objective."
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday praised recent reforms in
Turkey, but indicated that its government still needs to address problems of
freedom of expression, torture, and freedom of assembly.
HRW particularly emphasized problems in granting freedom of expression,
singling out the recent 15 month prison sentence of journalist Hakan Albayrak.
2) Karabagh President Says Aliyev Not Ready for Conflict Resolution
YEREVAN (Armenpress/Yerkir)--Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) president
Arkady Ghukasian, said in France last week that Azerbaijan is simply not ready
to negotiate a settlement of the Karabagh conflict. "It is odd when the Azeri
president says that Azerbaijan will not go for any concessions," Ghukasian
said, referring to Ilham Aliyev's demands for the return of "occupied
territories," before sitting at the negotiating table with MKR. "President
Aliyev is not ready for any discussion, let alone settlement of the conflict,"
he told reporters.
Ghukasian was in France for ceremonies marking the tenth anniversary of the
establishment of a cease-fire in Karabagh, and met with the French co-chairman
of the OSCE Minsk Group tasked with finding a resolution to the conflict.
Ghukasian spoke of MKR's clear grasp on the limits of compromise. "We are
realistic about what we want, and because everything is interrelated, the
bounds of our compromise will depend on the level of compromise from
Azerbaijan."
Asked about Azerbaijan's tough stance, Ghukasian indicated Aliyev is
unprepared to take any risk. "Presidents have to be more flexible; he [Aliyev]
clearly understands that it is not possible to give back Karabagh, but
continues to resist... in this respect Heydar Aliyev [former president] was
more controlling of the situation," stressed Ghukasian.
Ghukasian said the Minsk Group co-chairmen would be visiting Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh later this month, possibly to introduce
new
proposals. He stressed, however, that Azerbaijan does not want to sit at the
negotiation table with MKR. "This is of course an unacceptable position. Minsk
Group French Co-chair Mr. Jacolin is very optimistic, and thinks that there
are
possibilities that must be employed," Ghukasian said.
Meanwhile Azeri president Ilham Aliyev confirmed Azerbaijan's no compromise
policy this week, during an address at a military base in Gianja (formerly
Kirovabad). He stressed that Azerbaijan's goal during negotiations on
Mountainous Karabagh, is to regain "occupied territories," and not to concede
on the issue of territorial integrity. "Azerbaijan is in favor of peace talks,
but if they do not yield results, Azerbaijan will not tolerate the occupation
of its lands."
3) NATO Official on Karabagh Settlement
BAKU (Noyan Tapan)--During his visit to Baku on the occasion of "NATO Week" at
the IT Institute of the National Academy of Sciences, NATO Deputy Secretary
General Jean Furne commented on the Karabagh conflict in response to an
inquiry
posed by a news reporter interested in determining NATO's plans for the
region.
"I would like to put that issue aside altogether," commented Furne. "The
resolution of such conflicts is tedious and time consuming. The conflicting
parties determine the fate of the settlement, and [NATO] cannot interfere with
the process at this point. We have to put our faith in the willingness of both
sides to foster productive dialogue. It is for this reason that you should not
expect NATO to do much for the resolution of the conflict in Karabagh. NATO
may, however, play a role during decisive periods."
4) Sen. Allen Calls for "Strict Parity" in US Military Aid to Armenia And
Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON, DC--Senator George Allen (R-VA), chairman of the Senate panel
holding a confirmation hearing for the next US Ambassador to Armenia, stressed
on Wednesday that in order "to ensure that the United States remains an honest
peace broker. . . it is essential that we maintain strict parity with
regard to
foreign military financing or FMF funding" to Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The statement comes in response to President Bush's Fiscal Year 2005 budget
proposal that would break the agreement to maintain military aid parity
between
Armenia and Azerbaijan. The budget, released on February 2, proposes $2
million
in Foreign Military Financing for Armenia and $8 million for
Azerbaijan--contradicting the 2001 agreement between the White House and
Congress to maintain parity in US military aid levels to Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
This understanding, shared with representatives of the Armenian American
community during a February 21, 2002 meeting with National Security Council
officials, resulted in equal levels of military aid appropriations to these
two
nations in Fiscal Years 2002, 2003, and 2004, and contributed to maintaining
stability in the Caucasus.
Since the release of the President's budget, the Armenian American community
has participated in the ANCA WebFax, letter writing, and phone campaigns,
urging the House and Senate Appropriations panels to ensure continued military
aid parity to Armenia and Azerbaijan. In a recent memo to key Senate and House
members, ANCA Government Affairs Director Abraham Niziblian argued that, "a
tilt in military spending toward Azerbaijan would destabilize the region,
emboldening the new Azerbaijani leadership to continue their threats to impose
a military solution of the Karabagh conflict. More broadly, breaching the
parity agreement would reward the leadership of Azerbaijan for walking away
from the OSCE Key West peace talks in 2001, the most promising opportunity to
resolve the Karabagh conflict in nearly a decade."
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.
TOP STORIES
06/17/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ.COM
1) European Commission Says Turkey's Done Well, But Must Do Better
2) Karabagh President Says Aliyev Not Ready for Conflict Resolution
3) NATO Official on Karabagh Settlement
4) Sen. Allen Calls for "Strict Parity" in US Military Aid to Armenia And
Azerbaijan
1) European Commission Says Turkey's Done Well, But Must Do Better
(Eupolitix.com/Zaman)--The European Commission welcomed recent reforms in
Turkey, but warned that Ankara still has to do more before negotiations on EU
entry can begin.
Speaking at a conference in Brussels on Thursday, EU enlargement chief Gunter
Verheugen praised recent developments including improvements in civil
liberties
and human rights.
"Issues whose mention could previously trigger criminal proceedings, such as
the role of the military, the Kurdish language, or cases of torture and
ill-treatment, are now freely debated."
"The reform process has brought a new mood of openness and freedom in public
debate in Turkey," said Vergheugen. But the Commissioner warned that Turkey
had
a lot of work to do in terms of reforming the judiciary and the penal code.
He also pointed to continuing human rights concerns that need to be
addressed--ranging from the torture of prisoners to the intimidation of people
involved in defending human rights.
The European Parliament highlighted the same point in April, citing a litany
of concerns ranging from the influence of the army on politics to continuing
torture practices.
Several leading center-right parliamentarians also spoke strongly against
granting Turkey full membership.
EU leaders decided at a Copenhagen summit in 2002 that formal talks could
begin if Turkey met a series of political, economic, and judicial reforms, and
made improvements in the country's human rights situation.
The European Commission will make a recommendation in October as to whether
Ankara has reached its goals.
Based on the Commission's findings, European leaders will then decide in
December whether or not to formally open accession negotiations with Turkey.
Verheugen warned the process would be lengthy.
"If the European Council decides to open negotiations with Turkey, accession
is not a formality, and not for tomorrow. The negotiations will take time,
reflecting the scale of the difficulties in many sectors faced by such a large
and complex country. There should be no doubts that the report will be fair
and
objective."
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday praised recent reforms in
Turkey, but indicated that its government still needs to address problems of
freedom of expression, torture, and freedom of assembly.
HRW particularly emphasized problems in granting freedom of expression,
singling out the recent 15 month prison sentence of journalist Hakan Albayrak.
2) Karabagh President Says Aliyev Not Ready for Conflict Resolution
YEREVAN (Armenpress/Yerkir)--Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) president
Arkady Ghukasian, said in France last week that Azerbaijan is simply not ready
to negotiate a settlement of the Karabagh conflict. "It is odd when the Azeri
president says that Azerbaijan will not go for any concessions," Ghukasian
said, referring to Ilham Aliyev's demands for the return of "occupied
territories," before sitting at the negotiating table with MKR. "President
Aliyev is not ready for any discussion, let alone settlement of the conflict,"
he told reporters.
Ghukasian was in France for ceremonies marking the tenth anniversary of the
establishment of a cease-fire in Karabagh, and met with the French co-chairman
of the OSCE Minsk Group tasked with finding a resolution to the conflict.
Ghukasian spoke of MKR's clear grasp on the limits of compromise. "We are
realistic about what we want, and because everything is interrelated, the
bounds of our compromise will depend on the level of compromise from
Azerbaijan."
Asked about Azerbaijan's tough stance, Ghukasian indicated Aliyev is
unprepared to take any risk. "Presidents have to be more flexible; he [Aliyev]
clearly understands that it is not possible to give back Karabagh, but
continues to resist... in this respect Heydar Aliyev [former president] was
more controlling of the situation," stressed Ghukasian.
Ghukasian said the Minsk Group co-chairmen would be visiting Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh later this month, possibly to introduce
new
proposals. He stressed, however, that Azerbaijan does not want to sit at the
negotiation table with MKR. "This is of course an unacceptable position. Minsk
Group French Co-chair Mr. Jacolin is very optimistic, and thinks that there
are
possibilities that must be employed," Ghukasian said.
Meanwhile Azeri president Ilham Aliyev confirmed Azerbaijan's no compromise
policy this week, during an address at a military base in Gianja (formerly
Kirovabad). He stressed that Azerbaijan's goal during negotiations on
Mountainous Karabagh, is to regain "occupied territories," and not to concede
on the issue of territorial integrity. "Azerbaijan is in favor of peace talks,
but if they do not yield results, Azerbaijan will not tolerate the occupation
of its lands."
3) NATO Official on Karabagh Settlement
BAKU (Noyan Tapan)--During his visit to Baku on the occasion of "NATO Week" at
the IT Institute of the National Academy of Sciences, NATO Deputy Secretary
General Jean Furne commented on the Karabagh conflict in response to an
inquiry
posed by a news reporter interested in determining NATO's plans for the
region.
"I would like to put that issue aside altogether," commented Furne. "The
resolution of such conflicts is tedious and time consuming. The conflicting
parties determine the fate of the settlement, and [NATO] cannot interfere with
the process at this point. We have to put our faith in the willingness of both
sides to foster productive dialogue. It is for this reason that you should not
expect NATO to do much for the resolution of the conflict in Karabagh. NATO
may, however, play a role during decisive periods."
4) Sen. Allen Calls for "Strict Parity" in US Military Aid to Armenia And
Azerbaijan
WASHINGTON, DC--Senator George Allen (R-VA), chairman of the Senate panel
holding a confirmation hearing for the next US Ambassador to Armenia, stressed
on Wednesday that in order "to ensure that the United States remains an honest
peace broker. . . it is essential that we maintain strict parity with
regard to
foreign military financing or FMF funding" to Armenia and Azerbaijan, reported
the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The statement comes in response to President Bush's Fiscal Year 2005 budget
proposal that would break the agreement to maintain military aid parity
between
Armenia and Azerbaijan. The budget, released on February 2, proposes $2
million
in Foreign Military Financing for Armenia and $8 million for
Azerbaijan--contradicting the 2001 agreement between the White House and
Congress to maintain parity in US military aid levels to Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
This understanding, shared with representatives of the Armenian American
community during a February 21, 2002 meeting with National Security Council
officials, resulted in equal levels of military aid appropriations to these
two
nations in Fiscal Years 2002, 2003, and 2004, and contributed to maintaining
stability in the Caucasus.
Since the release of the President's budget, the Armenian American community
has participated in the ANCA WebFax, letter writing, and phone campaigns,
urging the House and Senate Appropriations panels to ensure continued military
aid parity to Armenia and Azerbaijan. In a recent memo to key Senate and House
members, ANCA Government Affairs Director Abraham Niziblian argued that, "a
tilt in military spending toward Azerbaijan would destabilize the region,
emboldening the new Azerbaijani leadership to continue their threats to impose
a military solution of the Karabagh conflict. More broadly, breaching the
parity agreement would reward the leadership of Azerbaijan for walking away
from the OSCE Key West peace talks in 2001, the most promising opportunity to
resolve the Karabagh conflict in nearly a decade."
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.