The discussions about the Armenian genocide and the new bill passed in the French Parliament about the criminalization of its denial remain an important topic in the world press. The Washington Post writes about the ongoing discussions on this issue in Israel, where on Monday Israeli lawmakers, over the prime minister’s objections, began debating a proposal to recognize the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Otniel Schneller, a legislator from the Israeli opposition Kadima Party, spoke against the commemoration, saying the region was growing more hostile towards Israel in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings and that Israel had to be pragmatic. “This is a time when we must rehabilitate our relations with Turkey, because this is a matter of existence for us. Sometimes our desire to be right and moral overcomes our desire to exist, which is in the interest of the entire country,” the New York Times quotes Schneller.
The Guardian tells a story of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 44-year-old mother of two, who was convicted of conducting an "illicit relationship outside marriage" in 2006 and has since been kept in Tabriz prison in the west of Iran. Her sentence to death by stoning for adultery provoked an international outcry. At the current moment the authorities are considering replacing it with hanging.
The BBC writes about the arrival of the Arab League peace monitors to Syria, where thousands of demonstrators continue to protest. “The observers' mission is to assess an Arab League initiative agreed with the Syrian government requiring all armed forces to withdraw from areas of conflict," the agency says.
The Turkish daily Hurriyet analyzes the new deal between Azerbaijan and Turkey on the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline. Sector professionals believe that the deal may kill the long-lingering Nabbuco project. “Nabucco has become of secondary importance to this project. Both pipelines [Trans-Anatolian and Nabucco] are not viable for at least the next five years. You have to solve the resource problem in the first place. Azerbaijan cannot feed the Trans-Anatolian pipeline alone, as it does not have enough gas,” the website quotes Tuğrul Ekin, energy professional and head of the Turkish-Eurasian Business Councils. However, Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız claims that the Trans-Anatolian pipeline does not mean abandoning other projects.
