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  • ASBAREZ Online [05-16-2006]

    ASBAREZ ONLINE
    TOP STORIES
    05/16/2006
    TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
    WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM

    1) Turkey Must Recognize Genocide to Become Member of EU
    2) Bill Grants Legal Rights to Genocide Survivors and Heirs to Recover Bank
    Deposits
    3) Canadian Prime Minister Reaffirms Recognition of Armenian Genocide
    4) Microsoft Opens Office in Armenia
    5) Talabani Slams Interference in Iraq by Iran And Turkey

    1) Turkey Must Recognize Genocide to Become Member of EU

    YEREVAN (Yerkir/Armenpress)--Secretary General of the International European
    Movement Henrik H. Kroner visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial
    (Dzidzernagapert) on Tuesday to honor the victims of the Armenian genocide.
    Kroner was accompanied by Victor Yengibarian, head of the organization's
    mission to Armenia, and Giro Manoyan, director of the ARF Bureau's Hai Tad and
    Political Affairs Office.
    While visiting the Genocide Museum, Kroner wrote in the visitor's book:
    "Let's
    hope no such genocide will take place again in Europe and world. And the
    European values are the guarantees of our unification."
    Speaking to journalists, Kroner said it is a shame that this crime against
    humanity has not been recognized thus far.
    He said until Turkey recognizes the Armenian genocide and opens border with
    Armenia it cannot become member of the European Union.
    "The European Union has been established to avoid such tragedies in the
    future. I think Turkey will never become an EU member unless it admits its
    past," Kroner said. "The process has just begun and will take long years.
    Ankara will have to admit it in the end."
    Earlier in the day, Kroner met with ARF Supreme Body of Armenia
    representative
    Armen Rustamian at the Simon Vratsian Center in Yerevan. The parties discussed
    the International European Movement's programs regarding Armenia's integration
    in Europe.

    2) Bill Grants Legal Rights to Genocide Survivors and Heirs to Recover Bank
    Deposits

    --California Senate Judiciary Committee Unanimously Passes SB 1524, but
    Partners Bill with Controversial Legislation

    SACRAMENTO--Legislation that would grant Armenian genocide victims and their
    heirs access to California courts to recover bank deposits wrongfully withheld
    since the Armenian genocide, unanimously passed the California State Senate
    Judiciary Committee on May 9.
    The same committee, however, chaired by Senator Joe Dunn of Garden Grove,
    also
    voted to accept a hostile amendment that attaches a highly controversial and
    unrelated bill to the bi-partisan supported Armenian Genocide Bill, which
    endangers its ability to be signed by the Governor and become law.
    The "Armenian Genocide Bank and Looted Assets Recovery Act" SB 1524, authored
    by State Senators Jackie Kanchelian-Speier and Charles "Chuck" Poochigian, and
    sponsored by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), was presented
    for consideration in the Senate Judiciary Committee, on May 9. The bill would
    allow victims and heirs recoverythrough California Courtsof assets looted from
    commercial entities operating in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey during the
    Armenian genocide, which have been wrongfully withheld since the Genocide.
    Speaking in support of the bill, Katia Kermoyan-Khodanian spoke of the dire
    need for this legislation and recounted the harrowing experience of her
    relative Markar Kermoyan who had lost his bank deposits and assets during the
    Armenian genocide without any recourse.
    Armenian National Committee of America - Western Region (ANCA - WR) Chairman
    Steven Dadaian, spoke in support of the Bill, informing the committee that
    California has a public policy interest in protecting the rights of its almost
    1,000,000 strong Armenian American community by granting California courts
    jurisdiction over banks operating in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian
    genocide.
    Dadaian also reminded the Committee that only five years ago the State
    enacted
    the "Armenian Genocide Era Insurance Act" based on the same public policy.
    Lending the Greek community's support was Steven Miles, Executive Director of
    the American Hellenic Council, who spoke strongly of the deep bond between
    Greeks and Armenians forged in the common persecution and Genocide their
    communities faced in Turkey from 1915-1923.
    Don Engstrom, from the Consumer Attorneys Association of California, also
    expressed support for the legislation.
    The hostile amendment, binds SB 1765 to SB 1524 that entitles lawsuits to be
    filed for wrongfully repatriated Mexican Americans during the 1930s.
    Speaking strongly in opposition to the binding of these two separate and
    distinct Bills, the ANCA's Steven Dadaian informed the Committee that while
    his
    organization supports the correcting of all historic wrongs, he nevertheless
    views the effort as an attempt to "hijack the Armenian Bill with legislation
    that has thrice been vetoed by consecutive administrations. We encourage each
    bill to be weighed on their own merits separately. It is illogical and unfair
    to do otherwise."
    Senator Senator Bill Morrow (Vice-Chair) voted against the hostile amendment,
    while Senators Joseph Dunn (Chair), Dick Ackerman, Martha Escutia, and Sheila
    Kuehl supported the move.

    3) Canadian Prime Minister Reaffirms Recognition of Armenian Genocide

    In a meeting with Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Canada representatives
    during a special reception, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper reaffirmed
    his country's recognition of the Armenian genocide.
    ANC Ottawa member Aris Babikian expressed the Canadian Armenian community's
    gratitude for the Prime Minister's principled stance on the stance on the
    issue. He also committed to working closely with the Prime Minister's
    office on
    behalf of the ANC of Canada.
    During the meeting, Harper reaffirmed his government's and his party's policy
    regarding the Genocide. He said that this policy is based on principles and
    not
    political or economic considerations.

    4) Microsoft Opens Office in Armenia

    The world's leading computer software manufacturer, Microsoft, opened an
    official representation to Armenia on Tuesday, demonstrating its interest in
    the country's growing information technology (IT) sector.
    Vahe Torossian, Microsoft's vice-president for Central and Eastern Europe,
    said the company is keen on capitalizing on the "amazing" level of education
    and skills of local computer specialists.
    "One thing which amazed me when I started my role here is the amazing quality
    of high technical, engineering, mathematics, physics, and other skills that we
    have in the region and especially in Armenia," Torossian told a news
    conference
    in Yerevan. "We are here to demonstrate and try to develop a very wealthy and
    healthy IT system," he said.
    Microsoft's decision to open an office in Yerevan was welcomed by Prime
    Minister Andranik Markarian who met Torossian and other top company executives
    earlier in the day. Markarian, according to his press service, proposed that
    the Armenian government and Microsoft form a "joint working group" that would
    deal with concrete ways in which the US giant could contribute to further
    growth of Armenia's IT industry.
    Speaking to reporters, the French executive of Armenian descent said
    Microsoft
    will boost the sector by commissioning computer programs from local software
    developers. He said it has already placed orders with five Armenian firms.
    "It's thoroughly clear that from every dollar that Microsoft will invest in
    Armenia, every single partner will generate around seven or eight dollars,"
    Torossian said, adding that the company intends to create a "very strong"
    network of such partners.
    Armenia's IT industry employs thousands of well-paid specialists and is seen
    as the most advanced in the region, having expanded substantially over the
    past
    decade. The mainly American foreign companies involved in software development
    and other IT-related activities have been the main driving force behind the
    growth.
    IT experts warn, however, that the sector's further expansion could stall
    unless the Armenian government embarks on a sweeping overhaul of its system of
    higher education. They say the number and especially the professional level of
    young people graduating from the IT programs of local universities still
    leaves
    much to be desired.
    Armenian officials hope that Microsoft's plans to release Armenian-language
    versions of its world-famous products will spur greater computer use in the
    country. According to Torossian, the company will complete the ongoing
    translation of its Windows XP operating system into Armenian "before the
    end of
    the summer." The Armenian versions of other, more advanced systems will be
    available next year, he added.
    Torossian admitted that Microsoft sales in Armenia and virtually all other
    parts of the former Soviet Union are seriously hampered by poor protection of
    copyrights. He estimated that as much as 90 percent of software sold in
    Armenia
    is pirated.
    "We have very good laws," said Grigor Barseghian, the newly appointed head of
    Microsoft's Yerevan office. "They simply need to be enforced. That is the main
    obstacle to our activities at the moment."
    A government statement said the problem was also on the agenda of Markarian's
    meeting with the visiting Microsoft executives, but gave no details.

    5) Talabani Slams Interference in Iraq by Iran And Turkey

    BEIRUT (UPI)--Iraqi President Jalal Talabani lashed out at neighbors Iran and
    Turkey for interfering in Iraq's domestic affairs, warning that Baghdad could
    reciprocate.
    Talabani was quoted as saying Tuesday in the Saudi daily Al-Sharq al-Awsat
    that "Iraq is not a weak country. [Our] neighbors can create problems for us
    and we also are capable of causing problems for them."
    He said, "If Iran allows itself to interfere in Karbala because it is a
    Shiite
    city and Turkey feels it can interfere in Kirkuk, that will open the way for
    very dangerous consequences."
    "In that case," he added, "Iraq will also have the right to interfere in
    Khozestan in Iran on the grounds that it has an Arab population and the same
    applies to Alexandrite in Turkey which has an Arab population."
    Talabani stressed, however, that Iraq and Iran have had historic relations
    which were both positive and negative "but there is always room for agreement
    and also between Iraq and Turkey agreement is possible."
    He acknowledged that the two countries have plausible reasons to interfere in
    Iraq since the Kurdistan Labor Party attacks Turkey from Iraq's Kurdish north;
    a Kurdish group in Iran has done the same, taking refuge in northern Iraq.
    "Nevertheless, we need to find a solution in order to eliminate all the
    pretexts used by Iran and Turkey to hit Iraqi territories," he added.

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