BAKU: Azeri officials comment on BBC reporter’s visit to Karabakh
ANS TV, Baku
15 May 04
[Presenter] Baku is seriously concerned about BBC World Service
employee Steve Eke visiting Nagornyy Karabakh without notifying
Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani Speaker has commented on this unpleasant
incident.
[Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov speaking to an ANS microphone] I have
spoken to the foreign minister. He said that he would deal with the
issue. Thank you.
[Presenter] The head of the presidential administration, Ramiz
Mehdiyev, also criticized the actions of BBC journalists who do not
respect Azerbaijan. However, he was more careful in his comments.
[Mehdiyev] In any case, we would like those who go to Nagornyy Karabakh
to know that they should go to Karabakh through Azerbaijani territory
because Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan. It is a positive
thing that they go to Karabakh and make impartial reports. We would
like all those who go to Karabakh to know that Nagornyy Karabakh is
a constituent part of Azerbaijan.

Championnats d’Europe de judo: résultats
Edicom
14 Mai 2004
BUCAREST (AP) – Résultats des épreuves disputées vendredi dans le
cadre de la première journée des championnats d’Europe de judo:
Hommes
60 kilos
Or:
Ludwig Paischer, Autriche, bat Zidiridis Revazi, Grèce
Bronze:
Armen Nazaryan, Arménie, et Evgeni Stanev, Russie
66 kilos
Or:
Bektas Demirel, Turquie, bat Ismaylov Elchin, Azerbaïdjan
Bronze:
Oscar Penas, Espagne et Benjamin Darbelet, France
Femmes
48 kilos
Or:
Alexandra Alina Dumitru, Roumanie, bat Tatiana Moskvina, Belarus
Bronze:
Klopstra Nynke, Pays-Bas, et Frédérique Jossinet, France
52 kilos
Or:
Aluas Dinea Ioana Maria, Roumanie bat Heylen Ilse, Belgique
Bronze:
Petra Nareks, Slovénie, et Telma Monteiro, Portugal
57 kilos
Or:
Isabel Fernandez, Espagne, bat Sophie Cox, GB
Bronze:
Natalia Yukhareva, Russie, et Cinzia Cavazzuti, Italie.
AP
petr/v0

A slice of heaven
>From wafer-thin Sardinian carasau to hearty French fougasse, Mark Hix reveals
why flatbreads mean more than just pizza
The Independent/UK
15 May 2004
It’s been reinvented countless times – from thin and crispy to deep
pan, and even, I fear, deep-fried. It’s many children’s favourite
tea-time treat and one of the most popular foods in the world. How
long since you had a slice? That’s right, I’m talking pizza.
Underneath the toppings, inauthentic and unrecognisable to Italians,
pizza’s just one of many types of flatbread. There’s even competition
from other flatbreads on many a restaurant strip, from the Indian
versions – naan, chapattis, rotis and poppadoms – that are used to
mop up the curry late on a Friday night.
Flatbreads are quick to cook in tandoor ovens, on slabs of stone and
open-air griddles. Even over here we have centuries-old breads like
boxty and bannock cooked on skillets.
Even if you’ve never had boxty or bannock you’ve probably eaten plenty
of flatbread over the years. If I remind you of that late-night
kebab – assuming the chilli sauce stain down your jacket isn’t
enough of a reminder – it’s merely to show how much flatbread there
is around. Trouble is few kebab shops actually roll the damn things
up properly. They use slightly stale pitta and by the time you’ve
got the meat, salad and chilli sauce in, it falls straight through
and you have to get back in the queue for another one. The best,
like the Lebanese Ranoush Juice in London’s Edgware Road, use proper,
delicious fresh flatbread to wrap up the chicken in garlicky yogurt,
protected by greaseproof paper for easy bite-sized munching.
Flatbreads are the world’s oldest breads. From Mesopotamia and Persia
to southern India and Armenia, from Ancient Rome via pre-conquest
Mexico to modern-day China and Italy, wherever there’s a good supply
of grain – be it wheat, rye, corn, oats or buckwheat – they’ve been
a staple food.
Leavening and fermentation agents, not just baking powder and yeast,
but also those made from natural substances like fruits and vegetables
left to ferment and produce gases and alcohol, are used to give the
dough all sorts of textures and flavours. Some breads are thick enough
to slice, some so thin they’re almost transparent, and some perfect
for rolling up round a filling and eating on the move – not just at
a bus stop after midnight.
Carasau
Makes 6
This Sardinian poppadom-like bread has lots of nick names including
carta di musica (music bread), parchment bread and Sardinian shepherd’s
bread. It’s a great addition to a bread basket or with Italian
cheeses. The making and rolling is a little tricky to begin with
but once you get the hang of it it can be quite therapeutic. Various
flavourings, such as grated Parmesan, dried chilli flakes, crushed
fennel seeds and thinly sliced dried onions, can be rolled into the
dough. The essential ingredient is semolina which few of us have to
hand as semolina and sago puddings are no longer cool. Who knows,
though, maybe they’ll become the next jelly.
This bread would traditionally be cooked in a stone-based pizza oven,
but either a pizza stone or a large unglazed quarry tile placed on
your oven rack works well. Otherwise bake on a pre-heated baking tray.
100g semolina or polenta
80g strong white flour
100ml warm water
1tsp fine sea salt
1tbsp sea salt flakes like Maldon
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF/gas mark 6. Mix the semolina,
flour, water and fine salt together to a smooth dough, but do not knead
it. Divide into 6 balls and shape them between your thumb and fingers
into rounds. Keep them covered with a tea towel to stop them drying
out while you roll each out on a floured table as thin as you can into
rough 25cm circles. If you are flavouring them, roll in the flavouring
when they are about half the size you need them. Don’t worry if you
can’t get them perfectly round – rustic, natural shapes look good.
Bake a couple at a time on the pre-heated baking trays or stones for
about 3-4 minutes, turning them over after 2 minutes. They shouldn’t
be coloured too much and tend to have an uneven mottled effect when
done. Once they are all cooked, put them somewhere warm for a few
hours to dry out more, then store them in a sealed tin or container.
Fougasse
Makes 2 loaves
Is fougasse, the famous hearth bread of Provence, poised to be the
new focaccia? Sainsbury’s do one baked with caramelised onions and
cheese and I’m always tempted to grab a loaf when I see them in stock,
as they tend not to hang around on the shelves too long.
It’s a simple rustic bread, flat enough to be topped with olives,
herbs or, as I’ve done here, some gently cooked sliced onions and
cheese. You can add a percentage of wholegrain flour if you wish,
or just use strong bread flour.
300g strong white bread flour
100g whole wheat flour
1tsp salt
1 x 7g sachet easybake or dried yeast
75ml olive oil
225ml warm water
for the onion and cheese version
2 onions, sliced
Knob of butter
50g Gruyère or Emmental, grated
If you’re doing the onion and cheese version, gently cook the onions
in the butter for 10 minutes in a pan with the lid on, stirring every
so often, until the onions are soft and almost caramelised. Put to
one side.
Put all the bread ingredients into a food mixer with the dough hook
attachment. Mix to a soft dough and knead for 5 minutes on a f low
speed. You may need to stop the machine occasionally and scrape the
sides of the bowl so that everything gets mixed. Or mix by hand until
the mixture forms a smooth dough and knead for 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into two rough oval shapes and make 3 slits across the
bread with a knife, cutting right through the dough. Stretch it with
your hands and a rolling pin to about 30cm long. Put the loaves on
to greased baking sheets, cover with cling film or a clean tea towel
and leave in a warm place to prove until doubled in volume. Allow up
to an hour for this.
Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5. Then bake for 30
minutes. If you’re adding the cheese and onion or another topping,
take the bread out of the oven just before it’s done, sprinkle the
flavourings evenly over the bread, and return to the oven for 5
minutes. Eat the bread as soon as you can.
As an alternative to caramelised onions and cheese, try adding olives,
rosemary, baked cloves of garlic (bake in their skins but remove these
before adding to the dough), cooked pieces of bacon and onions. Press
them into the almost cooked loaf and finish off as before.
Turkish pizza (lahmacun)
Makes about 12 small or 6 large
Just up the road from where I live in east London is the Turkish
community, where you will find flower shops, hairdressers and
takeaways open all night. Every so often you will come across a shop
specialising in lahmacun, the delicious Turkish equivalent of pizza –
thin bread, topped with spicy minced lamb. They’re served straight
from the oven until they run out, and that’s your lot. You can’t get
anything simpler and better to eat.
100g plain flour
100g wholewheat flour
1tsp honey
100ml warm water
1tsp salt
1tsp (3g) dried yeast
1tbsp olive oil
for the topping
2tbsp olive oil
250g minced lamb
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
13 tsp ground cinnamon
13 tsp ground allspice
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2tbsp pine nuts
1tbsp chopped mint
Dissolve the honey and yeast in the warm water. Put the 2 flours, olive
oil and salt into a mixing machine with the dough hook attachment and
add the water and yeast mixture. Mix for 2-3 minutes, you may need to
stop the machine if it’s a large bowl and scrape the sides to make sure
all the ingredients are mixed. By hand mix the ingredients together
to a smooth dough, and knead for 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean bowl,
cover with cling film and leave the dough somewhere warm to rise for
about an hour until the mixture has doubled in volume.
While the dough is rising prepare the topping. Season and fry the lamb
and onion in the olive oil, on a high heat, with the garlic, cinnamon
and allspice for 3-4 minutes until lightly coloured, stirring every so
often. Add the tomatoes, turn down the heat and continue cooking for
3-4 minutes stirring every so often. The mix should be fairly dry,
if not leave it on the heat for another minute or so. Add the pine
nuts and mint and leave to cool.
Transfer the dough on to a lightly floured surface and with the heel
of your hands knock the air out of the dough so it returns to its
original size. Divide the mixture into 12 pieces and shape them with
your thumb and fingers into little rounds.
Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF/gas mark 6. Roll out the pieces
to circles about 8-10 cm and put them on to lightly oiled baking
trays. Spoon the mixture on thinly in the centre, leaving about 1cm
boarder around the edge. Cook for 6-7 minutes and eat immediately.
Boxty bread
This is not actually a bread, but more of a pan-fried potato cake or
pancake from Ireland. Eat as a tea-time snack with preserves or cheese,
or put mushrooms or even sautéed lambs kidneys on top for supper.
You will need floury potatoes – King Edwards or Cara – for the mash.
450g potato, peeled and grated
450g dry mashed potato (just boiled potatoes, without milk or butter)
220g self-raising flour, sifted
150-200ml milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil for cooking
Squeeze the grated potato in a dry cloth to remove all the starch. Mix
with the dry mash and the sifted flour. Gradually add the milk (you
may not need all of it) to form a thick batter. Season.
Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and add a
couple of large tablespoons of the batter. Fry the mix on a low heat
for around 4 minutes on either side, until golden brown. Repeat with
the rest of the mix and re-heat them in a medium oven to serve.

PRESS RELEASE
May 14, 2004
American University of Armenia Corporation
300 Lakeside Drive, 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Telephone: (510) 987-9452
Fax: (510) 208-3576
Contact: Gohar Momjian
E-mail: [email protected]
AUA AT HELM OF SOLAR TECHNOLOGY IN ARMENIA
Yerevan – On May 4, 2004, the American University of Armenia (AUA) conducted
opening ceremonies to present its Solar Photovoltaic Power Station, which
was built in collaboration with Armenia’s State Engineering University
(SEUA) Heliotechnics Laboratory and Transistor Plus of Viasphere Technopark.
The success of AUA’s solar photovoltaic project demonstrates the feasibility
of using solar energy as an alternative power source in Armenia.
AUA’s Engineering Research Center began design and installation of the
photovoltaic power system in Spring 2003, with generous funding by the
Turpanjian Family Foundation. This project builds upon the solar heating
and cooling system located on AUA’s rooftop, developed two years ago with
scientists in Portugal, Germany, Russia and Armenia, funded by Mr. Sarkis
Acopian and INCO Copernicus of the European Union. This innovative solar
station has the highest capacity among similar systems functioning in
Armenia and the only one that is integrated into a solar driven heating and
cooling system.
The new solar electric power station can operate independent of an external
power supply. The system is comprised of solar photovoltaic panels field, a
solar battery bank, and a three-phase DC/AC inverter. The 72 solar
photovoltaic panels are installed on a special seismic isolated structure on
the roof of the University. Each panel has approximately 0.7 square meters
of surface and was produced at Heliotechnics Laboratory of the SEUA. The
photovoltaic converter cells used in the solar panels were made by Krasnoye
Znamye, Russia. The three phase DC/AC inverter was designed and
manufactured specifically for this project by Transistor Plus which is a
part of ViaSphere Technopark.
The Engineering Research Center is administered by AUA’s College of
Engineering. Its aim is to conduct basic and applied research on economic
and technological problems that are relevant to the industrial development
of Armenia and its region. It brings together AUA visiting faculty, local
scientists and engineers, and AUA students to collaborate on innovative
research projects.
—————————————-
The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit or
Pictures From left to right:
Solar-1: Artak Hambarian, Associate Director of AUA College of Engineering
and Research Center, Project Manager; Anahit Ordian, Director of AUA
Administration; Aram Vardanyan, General Director of the Viasphere
Technopark; William Akounyan, Project Researcher; Hrant Vardanyan, Manager
of the Engineering and Production Service of the Viasphere Technopark;
Joseph Panossyan, Head of the Heliotechnics Laboratory, State Engineering
University of Armenia; Gagik Ayvazyan, Director of Transistor Plus;
Khachatour Khachikyan, Operations and Finance Manager of the Viasphere
Technopark
Solar-2: Artak Hambarian, Associate Director of AUA College of Engineering
and Research Center
Solar-3: Wilhelm Akunyan, AUA Engineering Research Center researcher; Joseph
Panossyan, Head of the State Engineering University of Armenia,
Heliotechnics Lab.

Armenian President In Moscow For Talks With Putin
Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
May 14 2004
14 May 2004 — Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian is due to meet
with Russian President Vladimir Putin today at the start of a three-day
visit to Moscow.
Kocharian, who arrived late yesterday, is also scheduled to meet
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov. Talks are expected to focus on
security issues in the Caucasus region, as well as economic cooperation
between Russia and Armenia.
Kocharian is also due to meet in Moscow with top officials of companies
supplying gas to Armenia, as well as other businessmen.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Opposition Boycotts Further Talks With Coalition
By Karine Kalantarian
Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
May 14 2004
Dialogue between Armenia’s main political groups foundered before
starting in earnest on Thursday as the opposition cancelled planned
crisis talks with the governing coalition, saying that President Robert
Kocharian’s has not stopped the month-long crackdown on his opponents.
The leaders of the Artarutyun bloc and the National Unity Party
(AMK) accused the authorities of failing to comply with a Council of
Europe resolution that called for the release of arrested opposition
activists, an end to “administrative detentions” of participants
of anti-government protests and punishment of government officials
guilty of “human rights abuses.” The two groups declared on May 4 a
ten-day moratorium on unsactioned demonstrations in Yerevan to give
the authorities time to meet the demands.
Opposition representatives were scheduled to meet on Thursday with
leaders of the three pro-Kocharian parties that hold the majority of
seats in parliament and are represented in Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian’s cabinet. The meeting was supposed to be the first official
“negotiation” between the two sides that have held a series of
unofficial consultations over the past week.
According to Artarutyun’s Victor Dallakian, the opposition will
resume the contacts only after the authorities take “practical steps”
stemming from the resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE). “We have nothing to discuss with
the coalition now,” he said.
“They were obliged to immediately comply with the resolution of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,” AMK leader Artashes
Geghamian told a separate news conference. “Namely, to immediately
release the political prisoners, to ensure people’s freedom of
movement, to put an end to the continuing repressions.”
“They are now trying to hold us as hostages so that we adopt what they
are obliged to unconditionally do as our main cause,” Geghamian added.
Parliament majority leaders said the decision to pull out of the talks
was not immediately communicated to them as they waited for opposition
representatives inside the parliament building in the evening. “It will
be unfortunate but it won’t have serious consequences for the country,”
Galust Sahakian of Markarian’s Republican Party told reporters.
“That the opposition is not prepared for a dialogue is a fact,”
Sahakian said, adding that the PACE issued “recommendations,” rather
than demands.
The boycott followed Artarutyun’s and the AMK’s decision to resume
their joint rallies in Yerevan on Friday. The opposition says it
is only prepared to discuss with the authorities ways of ensuring
Kocharian’s resignation “without upheavals,” suggesting in particular
a referendum of confidence in the Armenian leader.
However, the coalition parties remain united in their support of
Kocharian and strongly oppose regime change in the country. They say
that they can instead give the opposition more of a say in government
affairs.
The international community has strongly encouraged both sides to
try to bridge their differences through negotiations, with the PACE
resolution calling for a “dialogue without preconditions.” The head
of the Yerevan office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, Vladimir Pryakhin, echoed the calls on Wednesday.
“I encourage both sides to engage in a meaningful and genuine
dialogue in order to resolve, within the constitutional framework,
the continuing difficulties,” Pryakhin said in a statement.
Pryakhin also urged the Armenian authorities to “review the cases”
of all those detained during recent opposition demonstrations and end
the controversial “administrative detentions” repeatedly condemned
by the Council of Europe and other human rights organizations. “This
practice is incompatible with European human rights standards,”
the Russian diplomat said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russo-Armenian cooperation can be more effective – Putin
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 14 2004
NOVO-OGARYOVO, May 14 (Itar-Tass) – President Vladimir Putin said he
was satisfied with the economic interaction with Armenia, but that
he believed that the two countries could work more effectively.
“It’s not just hard work, it’s also effective, being reflected in
growing economic interaction, with bilateral trade increasing 34
percent last year,” Putin said at a meeting with Armenian leader
Robert Kocharyan on Friday.
In his view however, Moscow and Yerevan “have many opportunities to
work better and more effectively.”

Armenia opposition turns down dialogue with ruling majority
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 14 2004
YEREVAN, May 14 (Itar-Tass) — The Armenian opposition has refused
to hold the dialogue with the ruling parliamentary majority.
The propresidential coalition in turn did not want to use the word
crisis to describe the situation in the country after the last year’s
presidential elections.
The coalition also has proposed to the opposition joining the lawmaking
process, in particular taking part in debate of changes to the election
code and the constitution.
“The coalition is thus is trying to create an imitation of the return
of the opposition to the parliament,” a member of the oppositionist
parliamentary faction Justice, Shavarsh Kocharyan, said.
The opposition warned that it would not resume the dialogue until
all of its activists are freed from detention prisons.

Russia PM meets Armenia president
ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 14 2004
MOSCOW, May 13 (Itar-Tass) – – Russia is ready to discuss all the
topics on the agenda of Russia-Armenian relations, Russian Prime
Minister Mikhail Fradkov said, opening a meeting with Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan. “Our relations are developing in all
directions,” he said.
The Armenian president arrived in Moscow for a three-day working
visit. “A discussion of issues of bilateral relations from the
point of view of the implementation of the agreements reached
at Russian-Armenian summit meetings and determination of new
possibilities of deepening cooperation will be in the focus of
attention of Russian-Armenian talks,” a highly placed source in the
Kremlin administration told Itar-Tass.
According to the source, in particular, the sides are to “consider
ways of strengthening economic relations, issues of interaction in the
field of energy, transport, investments, and real sector of economy
where Russian interests are weightily represented in the fiscal sphere
and key industries.”

PICKET WILL CONTINUE NEAR OFFICE OF PROSECUTOR
A1 Plus | 21:17:48 | 14-05-2004 | Social |
The members of “Civil Will For and Against” social organizations
informed during a press conference as a result of the forum of 80
social organizations on May 11 working groups were set, which will work
in legislative sphere, civil society, and information and distribution.
Forum participants have decided to hold pickets every morning near
the building of General Office of Prosecutor protesting against the
unfair justice system.
Isabella Sargssyan, member of Armenian Committee of “Helsinki Citizens
Assembly”, says they will keep protesting as long as there political
prisoners in Armenia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress