Makers Of A Forged $1mln Bill Red-Handed In Uzbekistan

MAKERS OF A FORGED $1MLN BILL RED-HANDED IN UZBEKISTAN

Akipress (subscription), Kyrgyzstan
April 17 2006

– A Russian and an Armenian have been detained in Uzbekistan while
trying to sell a $1 million banknote at half price, Uzbek prosecutors
said Friday.

“The counterfeit banknote was seized as it was being traded off to an
Uzbek national for $500,000,” said Zuraf Yuldashev, senior inspector
at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The would-be buyer said the men had offered him the bill at a discount,
citing an urgent need for small change.

“A forensic examination has shown that the $1mln banknote is a
skillfully made fake,” Yuldashev said.

According to finance specialists, dollar bills with a face value of
1 million are issued for interbank operations.

BAKU: Protest Rally In Ramil Safarov’s Sake To Be Held By ForcedMigr

PROTEST RALLY IN RAMIL SAFAROV’S SAKE TO BE HELD BY FORCED MIGRANTS IN DARNAGUL
Author: S. Ilhamgyzy

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 17 2006

On April 15 students have arranged a protest rally in Baku, a rally
that started from the State Language University. Trend reports that by
this rally the youth protested the unjust sentence issued on Azeri
military officer Ramil Safarov by Budapest municipal court. The
students advanced along Rashid Beybutov street. However, the rally
was stopped by police, several students were apprehended.

Today, April 15, another protest action will be held in town of
Darnagul, where forced migrants live. The action is organized by
Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO).

Life sentence has caused a wave of protests in all towns and villages
of Azerbaijan. Rallies and meetings are held across the republic.

Today in Ganja dwellers alongside the refugees and forced migrants
came to streets to take part in the protest rally, but police chased
them away. The protest rallies are expected to arrange in refugees
camps today as well.

BAKU: Dates Of Meetings Between Ministers And Presidents Of Armenian

DATES OF MEETINGS BETWEEN MINISTERS AND PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJAN NOT COORDINATED – NOVRUZ MAMEDOV, PRESIDENT’S ADMINISTRATION
Author: S.Agayeva

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 17 2006

The dates of the following meetings between presidents and minister
of Armenia and Azerbaijan have not been coordinated to date, Trend
reports with reference to Novruz Mamedov, head of foreign relations
with Executive Administration of Azerbaijan’s President.

He said individual suggestions on conversation process by cochairmen
of OSCE’s Minsk Group (MG) are ‘not fully agreed’ and for this reason
dates of consultations are not identified yet. Concerning the messages
stating that MG’s American and French cochairmen are putting forward
some specific suggestions on peaceful resolution of the conflict,
Mr Mamedov said a time is required to compile the suggestions of both
cochairmen into something that would make more sense. He added that
Azeri side would speak on these suggestions after Armenians.

Mr Mamedov said boosting the conversation process gives much hope
to official Baku. “We suggest that in case Armenian side takes some
steps based on good sense, some certain advancements will take place
during this year. This is desirable by all the sides”, – he concluded.
From: Baghdasarian

Calcutta: On A Shifting Stage

ON A SHIFTING STAGE
Zeeshan Jawed

Calcutta Telegraph, India
April 17 2006

>From being a beloved on the local stage, Shayne Hyrapiet is fast
becoming a favourite for corporate shows in India and abroad. And he
sure is not complaining.

Last year saw Shayne going on a four-month-long whirlwind tour of
Switzerland, playing for tourists from all over the world. This year
too, SOTC (the company that signed him on last) is taking him on a
five-month tour of Switzerland. “I am quite excited about the upcoming
tour. I represented my country last year and my work was appreciated
by the people. I travelled to different cities and sang for people who
had only a faint idea about India and its culture. I hope this time
too I live up to my reputation of being a popular Indi-pop singer,”
says Shayne.

The singer from Chandni Chowk is also being kept busy by a string of
corporate and private shows. “The major shows that I did in the past
one year were for Hope Foundation and Jet Airways. In December I did
more than 20 shows in 30 days. I was travelling almost every day. It
was hectic but very satisfying,” smiles Shayne.

The young Armenian is also planning to produce a Christmas carol album
at the end of the year, to be circulated among schools, colleges,
churches and members of the Christian community.

photo:
060417/asp/calcutta/story_6085768.asp

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1

Armenia Diamond Production -60.4% In 1Q06

ARMENIA DIAMOND PRODUCTION -60.4% IN 1Q06
By Jeanette Goldman

Diamonds.net, NY
April 16 2006

(Rapaport…April 16, 2006) Armenia’s cut diamond production dropped
60.4 percent in the first quarter of 2006 to $38.8 million, according
to the Armenian Trade and Economic Development Ministry.

Sales of diamonds fell 66.7 percent to $41.9 million, and exports
dropped 63 percent to $39.5 million, reported Interfax on April 13.

The ministry blamed disruptions at Shogakn, Armenia’s largest
diamond cutting plant, for the drop in production. Shogakn produces
approximately 40 percent of Armenia’s cut diamonds. Armenia’s minister
of gemstones and jewelry, Gagik Mkrtchian, anticipates the plant
will resolve its ‘internal problems’ shortly and return to full
production. In 2005, Armenia produced $248.5 million in cut diamonds.

Damascus: Christian Communities In Syria Celebrate Easter

CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES IN SYRIA CELEBRATE EASTER

SANA – Syrian Arab News Agency, Syria
April 16 2006

DAMASCUS, (SANA)
Christian sects in Syria who follow the Western calendar on Sunday
celebrated Easter through performing prayers, masses and preaches.

Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Roman Catholics Gregorius
III Laham chaired a large mass in Roman Catholic Patriarchate in
which he spoke about the sublime values of Easter and the divine
message conveyed by Christ for salvation of humanity as a whole.

In similar sermons the spiritual leader of the Anglican church in
Damascus, Botrous Zaour and archbishop of the Armenian Orthodox in
Damascus Armache Balandian spoke in their separate sermons about the
humanitarian message of the Christ to free human beings from their
sins and suffering.

All sermons spoke about the national meanings of Evacuation Day,
which coincides with celebrations of Easter, commending strife and
sacrifices of our people to free the home from the foreign occupation.

They called for strengthening the national unity and unifying our
ranks to back the ongoing process of development and modernization
in Syria under the leadership of president Bashar al-Assad, preserve
our country’s independence and progress and to face all possible
pressures and schemes.

In this respect and on directive from president Bashar al-Assad, the
Minister of the Presidential Affairs Dr. Ghassan Laham conveyed the
President’s heartfelt congratulation to the spiritual leaders of the
Christian sects on the occasion of the Easter, wishing them success
in their work.

Dr. Laham visited His Eminence Patriarch Gregorius III Laham of
the Roman Catholics with the attendance of the Vicar Patriarchal
Archbishop Isidor Battikha, Archbishop Elias Tibbi at the Patriarchate
of the Assyrian Catholics, leader of the Anglican church in Damascus,
Botrous Zaour and archbishop of the Armenian Orthodox in Damascus
Armache Balandian and others.

The spiritual leaders of the Christian sects expressed gratitude to
President Assad for his kind congratulations, wishing His Excellency
success in leading the country .

Awkaf Minister, Ziyad Eddin al-Ayyoubi also visited the spiritual
leaders of the Christian sects and offered them his congratulations
on the occasion of Easter.

Governors of all Syrian governorates and Secretaries of the Baath Arab
Socialist Party visited the spiritual leaders in their governorates
and congratulated them.

During the meetings the spiritual leaders hailed the national unity
and coexistence which Syria enjoys.

Genocide In Sudan Begs For Attention

GENOCIDE IN SUDAN BEGS FOR ATTENTION
Tim Nonn

San Francisco Chronicle
April 16 2006

Darfur death toll will be spotlighted by Sunday of vigils.

I used to be a dedicated bystander. Whenever I caught a glimpse in
the media of the genocide in Sudan, I turned away.

One night, I stopped — and heard the story of a young Sudanese
mother who had walked for days through the desert with her children
until they reached the safety of a refugee camp. Her village had been
destroyed and her husband killed by government-sponsored militia. She
saved her children, and changed my life.

I asked my church to contribute funds for the refugees in Darfur. A few
months later, my tranquil existence as a husband, father and editor of
technical journals was turned upside-down when I was asked by national
church leaders to form a grassroots interfaith campaign called Dear
Sudan. Our goal, as part of a larger movement, is to stop the genocide.

How do we persuade others not to turn away?

A bystander rarely allows himself or herself to confront genocide.

The risk of making a moral choice is too great. A bystander refuses
to think about genocide. It’s just another issue, the refrain goes,
and it doesn’t involve me. Thinking about genocide is dangerous
because one must make a conscious moral decision about being a
bystander. Could we live with ourselves knowing we made the choice
to ignore mass murder? It’s better to convince oneself that it is
not happening or cannot be prevented. What could one person do?

Today, the official U.S. position is supportive of international
intervention to protect innocent civilians in Darfur. President Bush
said recently, “The genocide needs to be stopped.” But some foreign
governments argue intervention is premature or inconvenient. “Wait,”
they say, as 500 Darfurians die each day. In years to come, they also
may say, “We never knew,” or, “We apologize.” We apologize to the
Armenians. We apologize for Nanking. We apologize for the Holocaust.

We apologize for Cambodia. We apologize for Bosnia. We apologize for
Rwanda. We apologize for Darfur.

Since early 2003, more than 400,000 people have died in Darfur and
2.5 million have been uprooted. Jan Egeland, head of U.N.

humanitarian operations in Sudan, said security has collapsed, and
today, humanitarian operations and the lives of more than 300,000
people are immediately endangered.

In an age of genocide, the moral choice to be a bystander damages the
human bonds that make society possible. Martin Luther King Jr. called
these bonds an “inescapable network of mutuality.” A bystander may
refuse to make a choice about genocide in Darfur because he or she
claims the truth is unclear. Maybe it is time to start thinking with
our hearts. Our hearts might not be entirely clear about all of the
facts, but somehow they connect us to the suffering people of Darfur.

There is a certain truth in compassion. Maybe it is this truth —
the recognition of mutuality — that will help us get through the
violence tearing apart our world.

The voices of many Americans are being raised in a national movement
to end the genocide in Darfur. From high school and college campuses
to places of worship to the steps of government buildings, people
are making hope visible by refusing to be bystanders.

On Sunday, April 30, in vigils from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco,
we will stand together against the genocide in Darfur.

Please join our vigil on the Golden Gate Bridge. Don’t turn away.

Yehuda Bauer, a prominent scholar on the Holocaust, said: “You shall
never be a perpetrator. You shall never be a victim. You shall never
be a bystander.”

Tim Nonn lives in Petaluma and is national coordinator of Dear Sudan.

(Vigil registration is at ). Contact us at
[email protected].

www.ourpledge.org

Eye Of The Storm: Reading Putin’s Mind

EYE OF THE STORM: READING PUTIN’S MIND
By Amir Taheri

Jerusalem Post
April 16 2006

Talkbacks for this article: 16

President George W. Bush has described his Russian counterpart Vladimir
Putin as “a strategic ally” and “a friend we can trust.” But as the
diplomatic maneuvers to pressure Iran continue, can Washington count
on Moscow?

Of all the powers involved in the current showdown with the Islamic
Republic, only Russia is in a position to tip the balance between a
peaceful resolution and war.

To start with, Russia, which is building an Iranian power plant
near Bushehr, could slow down, or even suspend the project pending
a diplomatic resolution of the crisis.

Russia has another card to play in the shape of its proposal to set
up a special uranium enrichment project for Iran to cover the needs
of the Bushehr plant during its entire life-span of 37 years. (At
present there is an agreement for Russia to provide the plant with
fuel for the first 10 years.) To make it easier for the Teheran
leadership to save face, the Russian proposal could be modified to
have part of the enrichment process done in Iranian facilities and
with the participation of Iranian technicians.

All that, however, may lead nowhere because President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad may actually want a military conflict with the US as the
opening shot in his promised “clash of civilizations.”

Ahmadinejad seems convinced that the US, plagued by bitter internal
dissensions, does not have the stomach for a fight with the Islamic
Republic and its radical allies. Thus he may want a clash over the
nuclear issue, which, thanks to the Goebbelsian presentation of it,
is seen by many Iranians as a matter of nationalistic pride.

The Russian position at the Security Council is crucial because China,
which also has a veto, would not be prepared to isolate itself by
siding with Iran if Russia sided with the United States. If Russia
vetoes, so will China. If Russia does not veto, the most China might
do is abstain.

THE BUSH administration knows all that. This is why it is beginning
to build up pressure on Russia ahead of the next G-8 summit, scheduled
to be hosted by Putin in July.

The American calculation is that Putin, having won the presidency
of the G-8 for the first time, is unlikely to start his tenure by
splitting the group to please the mullahs.

Nevertheless, it will not be easy for Putin to make an unambiguous
choice between Teheran and Washington. Russia needs the Islamic
Republic as part of Moscow’s effort to curtail US influence in Central
Asia, the Caspian Basin and the Middle East.

As regional allies, Teheran and Moscow have already succeeded
in curtailing American influence in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and
Turkmenistan. In Tajikistan, Teheran – which sided with the US
against Russia a decade ago – is now switching back to Moscow. In
Trans-Caucasia, Teheran and Moscow have sided with Armenia against
Azerbaijan and Georgia, both of which are in the American camp.

In Afghanistan, Teheran and Moscow have been working closely for more
than a decade and are currently engaged in developing a joint strategy
in anticipation of an American withdrawal once Bush leaves office.

Moscow also needs Teheran to prevent the US from imposing its proposed
model for the exploitation of the Caspian Sea. The US, backed by
Britain, proposes a division of the Caspian among its littoral states
so each can conclude separate contracts with foreign nations. Of
the five littoral states of the Caspian only two, Azerbaijan and
Kazakhstan, are favorable to the US proposed model.

Russia and Iran are against. They propose that the Caspian be treated
as a single unit in which all activity, including exploitation of
energy resources and navigation, require the consent of all littoral
states. (The fifth littoral state, Turkmenistan, has tried not to
take sides but is closer to Iran and Russia.)

Having lost all of its Arab clients of the Soviet era, Moscow also
needs Teheran as a bridgehead to the Middle East, the Persian Gulf
and the Indian Ocean. The current analysis in Moscow is that once Bush
is gone, Iran will emerge as the dominant power in Iraq and will need
Russia as a strategic partner in developing such major oil fields as
Majnun, which sits astride the Irano-Iraqi frontier.

It is also in conjunction with the Islamic Republic that Russia
envisages making a comeback in such places as Syria and Lebanon,
where Iranian influence is already well-established.

THE US is not the only strategic rival that Russia has identified.

Also looming on the horizon is China, which many Moscow analysts see
as a potential threat to Russian interests in Asia and the Middle East.

In that context a Sino-Iranian axis could isolate Russia in Western
Asia and the Middle East and even shut it out of chunks of Central
Asia.

Another reason why Moscow needs the Islamic Republic is related to
the so-called Islamic time-bomb that is ticking in the heart of the
Russian federation. With birthrates among ethnic Russians in free
fall, the federation’s Muslims, now a fifth of the population, are
slated to double by the middle of the century.

The Islamic Republic, although a Shi’ite power, could nevertheless
play a role in discouraging secessionist tendencies among Russia’s
Muslims. Conversely, a hostile Iran could use its immense experience
in exporting terrorism to make life difficult for Russia.

Add to all that the fact that Iran is the biggest market for Russian
arms, including aircraft and submarines. The loss of the Iranian orders
could force entire lines of Russian weapons industries to close down.

The two neighbors have also signed trade contracts worth $80 billion
over the next decade. And Russia hopes to build most of the seven
nuclear power plants the Islamic Republic wants to set up in the next
10 years. The fact that more than 30,000 Russian technicians work in
Iran adds an important human dimension to the relationship.

Big power games, oil, Islam, trade, arms and terrorism are some of
the factors that make it hard for Putin to side with the Bush in the
coming confrontation with the Islamic Republic.

But there is another, perhaps more important, factor: Putin can never
be sure that when the crunch comes, Washington will not strike a deal
with Teheran, leaving Moscow in the lurch.

The writer, an Iranian author and journalist, is editor of the
Paris-based Politique Internationale.

Sofia: Leader Of NMSII Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha Visited Armenians In

LEADER OF NMSII SIMEON SAXE-COBURG GOTHA VISITED ARMENIANS IN PLOVDIV

Focus News, Bulgaria
April 16 2006

Plovdiv. The Leader of the National Movement Simeon II (NMSII)
Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha and his wife Margarita visited the city
of Plovdiv today on invitation of the Armenian Community that is
celebrating Easter Holidays, FOCUS Agency reporter announced. The
guests were met by the Archpriest Kevork Hacherian and leaders of
the Armenian Community. Children from the Armenian school dressed in
national costumes congratulated Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha and his wife
Margarita and offered them traditional Armenian bread “Lavash”.

Later Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha and his wife Margarita were present
at the liturgy in the Armenian Church in the city of Plovdiv.

Armenian Polished Diamond Production Down By Over 60% In Q1

ARMENIAN POLISHED DIAMOND PRODUCTION DOWN BY OVER 60% IN Q1

Tacy, Israel
April 16 2006

Armenia’s polished diamond production during the first quarter of
2006 fell by over 60 percent as compared to the first three months
of 2005, according to Gagik Mkrtchian, Head of gemstones and jewelry
at the Armenian Trade and Economic Development Ministry.

Mkrtchian says polished sales fell 66.7 percent to nearly US$42
million, while exports were down 63 percent to nearly US$40
million. Mkrtchian attributes disruptions at Shogakn, Armenia’s
largest diamond cutting plant, for the drop. Mkrtchian expects that
Shogakn, which produces 40 percent of Armenia’s polished diamonds,
will resolve its ‘internal organizational problems’ soon.