PRESS RELEASE
April 27, 2004
ANCA-SD
Contact: Garo Artinian (ANC SD Chair)
Telephone: 619-596-4332
ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF SAN DIEGO AND UC SAN DIEGO ARMENIAN STUDENTS
HOST INAUGURAL GENOCIDE CONFERENCE
San Diego, CA : The Armenian National Committee of San Diego announced
that it will be hosting an academic conference on Genocide and Denial on
Saturday, May 8, 2004 at the University of California, San Diego campus.
The event is the first of its kind to be held at UC San Diego and is
cosponsored by the UC San Diego Armenian Students Association.
The conference, entitled “Western Response to Genocide”, will cover various
topics including the Armenian Genocide, the Jewish Holocaust, the Rwandan
Genocide and others. The intended emphasis of the conference will be how
the Western Culture has dealt with genocide. The conference will address a
number of genocide-related issues, including definition, history, politics,
literature, acknowledgment, prevention, associated trauma (both individual
and collective) and reconciliation and reparations. The conference will
address the many genocides of the 20th century and draw similarities and
identify differences between these crimes against humanity.
A number of panelists will participate in the conference, including:
Laurence Baron, Ph.D., Director of the Lipinsky Institute for Judaice
Studies; Rubina Peroomian, Ph.D., lecturer at the University of California,
Los Angeles; Levon Marashlian, Ph.D., Professor of History and Political
Science at Glendale Community College, Dan Alba, Regional Director of the
Los Angeles Offices of Facing History and Ourselves, and Ardashes
Kassakhian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of
America – Western Region.
The conference will take place at the University of California, San Diego,
Peterson Building and will begin at 10 A.M. Parking for the conference is
free and Armenian style barbecue will be served during the break for $7.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters
throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world,
the Armenian National Committee San Diego actively advances the concerns of
the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

KDKA-TV
Europe’s new outsiders between bitterness and hope as EU enlarges
Friday April 30, 2004
By DAVID McHUGH
Associated Press Writer
While new European Union members celebrated Friday, their left-out neighbors
stood outside the rope and watched the party, wondering when or if they will
join Europe’s exclusive club of the stable and prosperous.
An entire swathe of countries, from Belarus and Russia in the north to
Albania in southern Europe, are seeing their relative poverty and outsider
status reinforced with the eastward push of the union’s borders at the
stroke of midnight.
Some, like Croatia and Romania, have a chance to get in over the next
several years. Others, burdened by shriveled economies and international
concern about human rights, can only dream of meeting the tough requirements
for economic reform and democracy.
Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, leader of one of the biggest outsider
nations, testily accused the EU of erecting a new wall to replace the ones
torn down at the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“We regard it as historically unjust that we are outside this system,” he
told a Warsaw conference this week. “We are not asking for charity, we are
simply announcing to Europe that there is such a country as Ukraine.”
Kuchma’s emotional reproach was greeted with a bland thank you from EU
enlargement commissioner Guenter Verheugen, sitting on stage a few feet away
at the privately organized European Economic Summit.
He left no doubt, however, where Kuchma stands.
“For the time being, accession of the Eastern European countries Russia,
Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine is not on our agenda,” Verheugen told reporters.
“It makes no sense to make promises which are not realistic.”
The newcomers are Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania,
Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta, and Cyprus. And there’s a clear pecking
order for outsiders.
The former Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Macedonia and former Soviet
satellites Romania and Bulgaria have applied for EU membership and could
start getting in as early as 2007.
Turkey, eager to become the EU’s first Muslim-majority member, saw a setback
Thursday when French President Jacques Chirac said Ankara likely will not
meet the bloc’s conditions for another 10-15 years.
In the Balkans, Serbia and Montenegro and even impoverished Albania have a
theoretical chance to get in years down the road.
Others have no real chance for now. Russia has dismissed the prospect of
getting in, and its view of Caucasus nations such as Georgia and Armenia as
belonging in its sphere of influence may place a long-term lid on any faint
hopes there.
Then, there’s isolated, authoritarian Belarus, which refused permission for
an EU enlargement ceremony in the capital Minsk and canceled a visit to the
Warsaw economic summit by Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has struggled economically since becoming independent
with the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. European officials have
expressed concern about the pace of democratic progress, most recently
criticizing local elections won by a pro-presidential party this month amid
accusations of widespread vote fraud.
Killings of independent journalists have alarmed human rights observers, and
corruption, bureaucracy and a weak legal system weigh on Ukraine’s economy.
Still, Ukraine and Belarus may be able to get more aid and sympathy at the
urging of Poland, which shares a border with both.
Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski was the only figure to publicly
console Kuchma, promising to try to “change views of Ukraine” and vowing
that “the message from Warsaw is: The door remains open.”
Other distant outsiders at the economic summit, such as Georgia’s new
President Mikhail Saakashvili, choose to look on the bright side.
“We are working on it every day,” said Saakashvili, whose country
struggles to keep the electricity on in its cities and has lost control of
the Black Sea province of Abkhazia to separatist rebels.
“We are going to go for it, whatever it takes I think we can make it, so
you should welcome us and wait for us.”
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
Armenian version:
THE PASSING OF ARCHBISHOP ZAREH AZNAVORIAN
Antelias, Lebanon – His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, members of
the Brotherhood of Cilicia, announce with deepest sadness the passing of His
Eminence Archbishop Zareh Aznavorian, on Friday, April 30, 2004, in
Antelias. His Eminence was 57 years old.
Archbishop Zareh faithfully served the Armenian Apostolic Church as an
ordained celibate priest for 38 years, most of which was spent at the
Catholicosate of the Holy See of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, except for
two years in Rome where he pursued higher education and three years as the
Prelate of Cyprus.
Archbishop Aznavorian served as professor of biblical studies in the
Theological Seminary and the Hamazkaine Institute of Armenology. He has been
the editor of “Klatsor” (yearbook of the Seminary), and “HASK” (official
periodical of the Catholicosate), and conductor of “Shenorhali” choir of the
Catholicosate.
Archbishop Zareh was the Director of Christian Education Department of the
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia. He was the chairman of the Religious
Council of the Catholicosate of Cilicia. He was a noted composer of both
religious and secular music, a gifted scholar, a Biblical translator, and an
author of textbooks and commentaries. He was considered to be one of the
most noted Biblical scholars within the Armenian Church.
The Extreme Unction will take place during the Divine Liturgy service at the
Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator in Antelias, on Monday, May 3.
Interment will follow in the Mausoleum of the Holy See of Cilicia.
##
View printable pictures here:
*************
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Russia’s economic diplomacy
Vladimir Radyuhin
5/1/2004

RUSSIA’S UAZ Automotive Factory has set up a joint venture
with an Indian company to assemble famous Ural off-road trucks and
buses in West Bengal; two Russian power firms tied up with India’s
Soma to build a hydropower station in Arunachal Pradesh; Silovye
Mashiny corporation signed a contract to supply Russian electric
turbines to NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation).
These are but a few recent examples of growing interest Russian
business takes in Indian and other foreign markets.
Encouraged by Russia’s re-emergence as a global political player and
boosted by five straight years of economic growth after a decade of
decline, captains of Russian business have entered the path of
international expansion.
The Norilsk Nickel giant last month laid out $1.16 billion to buy a 20
per cent stake in South African gold miner, Gold Fields, which has 4.3
million ounces of annual gold production and 84 million ounces of
mineral reserves. A month earlier, Tatarstan’s Tatneft oil major
snapped up Turkey’s Tupras, which controls 87 per cent of the
country’s refining capacity, for $1.3 billion.
More investment projects are in the pipeline. Russia’s natural gas
monopoly, Gazprom, has teamed up with GAIL India Ltd. to develop
offshore gas fields in the Bengal basin, the Russian premium telecom
corporation, Sistema-Telecom, is ready to sink $1 billion in Indian
mobile telephone industry, while the aluminium giant, RusAl, is
waiting to pounce on the National Aluminium Company (NALCO) when its
disinvestment plan is reactivated.
The President, Vladimir Putin, told the nation that Russia was still
facing a win-or-die battle it had fought in the Cold War, even if the
rules of the game had changed.
“There is a tough, competitive battle going on in the world,”
Mr. Putin told the country in his annual teleconference in
December. “As different from the past, this battle has moved from the
realm of military conflict to economic competition.” Accordingly,
Mr. Putin has recast Russia’s foreign policy priorities, charging the
Foreign Ministry with the overriding task of helping Russian business
abroad. The move has won the praise of Russian businessmen.
“I think there is a gradual revolution taking place in foreign
economic relations,” said Mr. Kakha Bendukidze, co-owner of Silovye
Mashiny, which won the electric turbine tender in India earlier this
year. “There is a growing recognition in the Foreign Ministry and in
the Economic Development and Trade Ministry that they need to support
Russian businesses abroad, including attempts to make investments
outside Russia.”
For the first time in more than a decade the Russian Government has
set aside a modest $500 million in state guarantees in this year’s
budget to support exports. In a more significant move, a new law will
come into force this summer that simplifies rules for transferring
cash out of the country for investment purposes.
The first stage in Mr. Putin’s global expansion plan is to win back
the former Soviet states. As the U.S.-led NATO moves troops to
Russia’s borders, Moscow is pushing to reassert its domination in
neighbouring markets. It wields the most powerful weapon at its
disposal, energy, being either the sole supplier of oil and gas to
ex-Soviet republics or providing the only route for their energy
exports to outside markets.
The state-controlled electricity monopoly, United Energy Systems
(UES), has brought under control four-fifths of Armenia’s
hydroelectric power capacities and bought up most of Georgia’s energy
facilities. The UES has acquired stakes in electricity assets in
Kazakhstan, is about to buy major stakes in 10 of the 27 Ukrainian
energy companies, and plans to participate in the disinvestment of
power assets in Moldova. In Kyrgyzstan, UES has set up a joint venture
with two local companies to build a cascade of two hydropower stations
on the Naryn River in the mountains that will meet the electricity
needs of Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian states.
“We have very aggressive plans that cover most countries of the CIS
(Commonwealth of Independent States),” the UES chief , Anatoly
Chubais, said in a recent interview.
Russia’s Gazprom controls practically all natural gas flows to and
from former Soviet republics. Even energy-rich Azerbaijan imports from
Russia over half of its gas needs to the tune of 4.5 billion cubic
metres. Earlier this month, Gazprom signed a deal with Uzbekistan to
develop a major gas field in that Central Asian republic that could
entail an investment of $1.4 billion in Uzbekistan’s energy sector. In
January, Russia’s oil major, Lukoil, signed an accord for the
investment of $3 billion into joint development of Kazakhstan’s oil
and gas fields in northern Caspian.
Russia’s aggressive economic expansion is reflected in growing mutual
trade with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which unites
12 out of 15 former Soviet states. Russian trade with CIS registered a
30 per cent hike last year, increasing at a higher pace than with
other countries. This helps Russia resist Western attempts to weaken
its positions in the former Soviet Union.
Earlier this month, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Russia said his country
planned to increase oil exports to and across Russia from the current
20 million tons a year to 250 million tons by 2020. In other words,
Kazakhstan will pump all its oil exports through Russian pipes, making
the U.S.-pushed $3.6-billion Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline a
profit-losing project, as Azerbaijan admittedly does not have nearly
enough oil to fill the pipe.
Russia’s Minister for Industry and Energy, Viktor Khristenko,
described the Russia-driven integration of energy systems in the
former Soviet states as “an instrument of solving political issues in
the CIS.”
Ukraine’s political elites may have declared a strategic choice in
favour of Europe, but the country’s economic interests push it towards
Russia. According to some information, Russian investors control about
80 per cent of Ukraine’s oil refineries, practically all non-ferrous
industry, a quarter of privatised electricity companies, half of cell
phone operators and 30 per cent of dairies. By the time Ukraine is
ready to join NATO and the European Union, most of its industry will
belong to Russian business.
Russian expansion into neighbouring economies has been a major factor
behind Moscow’s successful efforts to push reintegration plans in the
former Soviet Union. Even Ukraine, which had long rejected these
plans, signed last September a common market pact with Russia,
Kazakhstan and Belarus which envisions a customs union, free movement
of goods, capital and labour, and unification of tax, monetary and
foreign trade policies.
Winning commanding heights in former Soviet economies gives Russia a
stepping-stone to expansion beyond the former Soviet borders.
“We are not going to confine our expansion to the CIS,” Mr. Chubais
said last week. Having restored unified electricity grids with the
former Soviet republics, the company now plans to buy assets and
export electricity to a total of 12 countries from Norway in the north
to Slovakia in the west, Iran in the south, and China in the east.
Energy is the driving motor of Russian expansion. LUKoil, Russia’s
second biggest oil producer, won the rights in January to develop a
potentially huge gas field in Saudi Arabia in a tie-up with Saudi
Aramco. The deal strengthened newly emerging links between the world’s
two biggest oil producers that could give Russia greater leverage in
global energy markets. Gazprom, which is the major supplier of natural
gas to Europe, is in talks with Ukraine, Germany, France and Italy to
set up a gas transportation consortium that will help consolidate
Europe’s dependence on Russian energy. The energy tool has helped
Russia win important trade concessions from the E.U. ahead of its
expansion into Eastern Europe next week.
As one analyst put it, “In the old days of the former Soviet Union,
Russia’s political clout was measured by the 14,000 nuclear missiles
it had pointing west; now it’s measured by the pipelines it has
pointing west.”
Russian business has even made first inroads in the
U.S. market. LUKoil has bought 2,100 gas filling stations in the East
Coast and plans to bring up the number to 3,000 stations, while the
steel giant, Severstal, has purchased the Michigan-based Rouge
Industries for $286 million.
A World Bank report released earlier this month concluded that
Russia’s 23 largest business groups control more than a third of its
industry. This is an upshot of Boris Yeltsin’s corruption-ridden
privatisation deals of the 1990s.
However, rather than reverse privatisation or break up monopoly
groups, Mr.
Putin has instead used them as locomotives of Russia’s expansion to
global markets under government control. Oversees acquisitions may
eventually transform Gazprom, LUKoil, Norilsk Nickel and other Russian
industry tycoons into multinational corporations. This fits into
Mr. Putin’s strategy of building up Russia’s economic clout globally
and in the former Soviet Union, and convert it to political clout.
………………
The Hindu
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azerbaijan’s FM lifts veil on Nagorno-Karabakh talks
Date:01 May 2004 0136 hrs (SST)
URL:
BAKU : Azerbaijan and Armenia, which are locked in conflict over the
disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, are discussing a deal under
which Armenian forces would cede territory in exchange for the
re-opening of a rail link between their two countries, the Azeri
foreign minister said.
“We are discussing various ideas, including the option of opening the
railway with Armenia in exchange for it pulling back from the seven
districts of Azerbaijan it has occupied,” Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedyarov told reporters.
He added: “The subject of our negotiations right now is how ready the
sides are to make compromises.”
The railway-for-land swap was initially proposed by the European Union
as a way of resolving the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, which has
poisoned relations between the two former Soviet republics for more
than a decade.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over the mountainous enclave in
the early 1990s which left some 35,000 people dead and forced a
million others on both sides to flee their homes.
A ceasefire was signed in 1994, leaving Armenian forces in de facto
control of the enclave. But the war has never been formally declared
over. Peace talks to find a lasting solution have faltered, despite
mediation by the international community.
The remarks by the Azeri foreign minister partly lifted the veil on
peace talks which are being held in strict secrecy. Details of what
the two sides are discussing are very rarely revealed to the public.
Western governments are keen to see a lasting solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. They say it is a source of instability in a
region which is taking on strategic importance for the West as an
export route for oil from the Caspian Sea.
Mamedyarov said the next round of talks would be in the French city of
Strasbourg on May 12, when he is to meet Armenian counterpart Vardan
Oskanian on the sidelines of a Council of Europe meeting.
He said they would pick up the discussions started by Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev and his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian,
who met for talks this week while attending a conference in the Polish
capital, Warsaw.
“In Warsaw there was a useful exchange of views between the presidents
and our aim is to continue that dialogue,” said Mamedyarov.
The railway line under discussion has been closed ever since the
conflict first flared up, some 15 years ago. It remained shut after
the fighting ceased as part of an economic blockade imposed by
Azerbaijan.
It links Armenia to Azerbaijan and also to Russia, a key Armenian ally
and trading partner. The re-opening of the route would ease the impact
of the economic blockade on Armenia.
The seven districts which figure in the proposed deal are not part of
Nagorno-Karabakh. They were seized by Armenian forces during the war
to provide a buffer zone against a possible attack by Azeri troops.
– AFP

Civil.ge
May 1, 2004
Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili participated in the
summit of the Foreign Ministers of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
(BSEC) member countries in Azerbaijani capital Baku on April 30.
11-member organization (Albania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bulgaria,
Romania, Georgia, Greece, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey)
discussed regional cooperation.
According to the Georgian Foreign Ministry, Salome Zurabishvili will
hold talks during the visit with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev and
with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamediarov, as well as with
other officials.

Source: BBC
Wednesday, 21 April, 2004, 15:34 GMT 16:34 UK
Country profile: Armenia
A landlocked republic with Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north,
Armenia has seen great changes since the break-up of the Soviet Union in
1991.
Once dubbed the Soviet ‘silicon valley’, Armenia’s economy collapsed when
its old markets disappeared.
OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | MEDIA
It has since recovered significantly, but job creation and poverty reduction
have not kept pace with growth. Armenia also suffers from a trade blockade,
imposed by neighbouring Turkey and Azerbaijan since the dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh.
The conflict over the predominantly Armenian-populated region in Azerbaijan
overshadowed Armenia’s return to independence in 1991. Full-scale war broke
out the same year as ethnic Armenians in Karabakh fought for independence,
supported by troops and resources from Armenia proper. A ceasefire in place
since 1994 has failed to deliver any lasting solution.
Armenia has always experienced waves of emigration, but the present exodus
is causing much alarm. It is estimated that Armenia has lost 20% of its
population in recent years, as young families leave for what they hope will
be a better life abroad. The negative consequences for the economy have been
widespread.
Around 50% of Armenians live below the poverty line. Corruption and
political killings add to the sense of a society under threat.
Gunmen who stormed the Yerevan parliament in 1999, killing the prime
minister and other politicians, said the plight of the Armenian people was
the reason for the bloodshed. Analysts believe that there were more complex
political factors involved as well.
The government is trying to promote tourism and technology parks. But
foreign investors are reported to be extremely wary.
FACTS
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | MEDIA
Population: 3.1 million (UN, 2003)
Capital: Yerevan
Major languages: Armenian, Russian
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 75 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 dram = 100 lumas
Main exports: Processed and unprocessed diamonds, machinery, metal products,
foodstuffs
GNI per capita: US $790 (World Bank, 2002)
Internet domain: .am
International dialling code: +374
LEADERS
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | MEDIA
President: Robert Kocharyan
President Kocharyan
President Kocharyan is a former president of the self-proclaimed
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. He became Armenian prime minister in 1997 and was
elected president the following year on a platform of ensuring the existence
of Karabakh and boosting the Armenian economy.
Mr Kocharyan’s reelection as president in 2003 was followed by widespread
allegations of ballot-rigging.
He went on to propose controversial constitutional amendments on the role of
parliament. These were rejected in a referendum the following May at the
same time as parliamentary elections which left Mr Kocharyan’s party in a
very powerful position in parliament.
There were mounting calls for Mr Kocharyan’s resignation in early 2004 with
thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets in support of demands for a
referendum of confidence in him.
A Communist Party official in Soviet times, Mr Kocharyan is no longer a
member of any political party.
The Armenian president has said he wants to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh
question and has held meetings with his Azerbaijani counterpart. But while
he acknowledges the importance to peace of compromise on both sides, he
insists that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh must be guaranteed the right to
exist within safe borders and that a link with Armenia must be maintained.
Mr Kocharyan was born in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1954 and trained as an
electrical engineer in Yerevan.
Prime minister: Andranik Markaryan
Foreign minister: Vardan Oskanyan
Defence minister: Serzh Sarkisyan
MEDIA
OVERVIEW | FACTS | LEADERS | MEDIA
Armenia’s government oversees national TV and radio. The national public TV
service can also be seen in many districts of neighbouring Azerbaijan. The
main Russian TV channels are widely available.
Libel and defamation are punishable by prison terms and journalists have
been sentenced under these laws. All print and broadcast media must register
with the Justice Ministry.
In 2003 the US-based NGO Freedom House downgraded its assessment of the
media climate in Armenia from “partly free” to “not free”, citing the use of
security and libel laws to silence criticism and the closure of a private TV
station in 2002.
The press
Aravot – private
Ayots Ashkar – private
Ayastani Anrapetutyun – founded by Armenian parliament
Aykakan Zhanamak – founded by opposition Democratic Homeland Party
Azg – founded by Liberal Democratic Party
Golos Armenii – private
Iravunk – founded by Union of Constitutional Law party
Respublika Armenia – founded by Armenian Presidential Executive Staff,
parliament and government
Yerkir – founded by Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun
Television
Public TV of Armenia – national, state-run
Armenia TV – national, commercial
Prometheus TV – national, commercial
Radio
Public Radio of Armenia – national, state-run
Hai FM – first private radio station
Hit FM – private, Yerevan FM station
Radio Alfa – private, Yerevan FM station
Radio Van – private, Yerevan FM station
News agencies
Arka – private
Armenpress – state-run
Noyan Tapan – private
Mediamax – private
Arminfo – private
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CENN – APRIL 30, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. NGOs Remains Final Opposition to Water Take-over
2. First case of human anthrax reported in Armenia
3. Design and Installation of Solar Photovoltaic Power Station
4. World Bank to Decide on Oil Investing by July
1. NGOS REMAINS FINAL OPPOSITION TO WATER TAKE-OVER
Source: The Messenger, April 29, 2004
After reassuring detractors by inviting a delegation from Tbilisi to its
headquarters in France, the French Compagnie Generale des Eaux (CGE) is
all but finally at the helm of the Tbilisi Water Supply Company
(Tbiltskal- kanali). Only a few non-governmental organizations and
analysts are fighting the company’s takeover of Tbilisi water’s
management. As they maintain, Tbiltskalkanali’s problems will remain
unsolved and the people of Tbilisi will be deceived.
The Tbilisi water supply system has long been in need of extensive
repairs. For this purpose, the World Bank allotted a EURO 25 million
credit, though it stipulated that the right to manage this sum be
granted to a company with experience in serving a city with over one
million residents and with assets worth over USD 50 million. The
tender’s results became known shortly after the Fall 2002 tender- the
French CGE prevailed.
The events that developed in Georgia at the end of last year stalled the
French company’s entrance into Tbiltskalkanali as did objections
launched by the Labor Party who claimed the company would jack up water
prices. But a recent visit of Tbilisi Sakrebulo (City Hall)
representatives to the company’s head office in Paris in April put an
end to the reservations of the city’s government.
According to Sakrebulo Head Zaza Begashvili, who was a member of the
delegation, the “French company does not plan to raise the tariff on
water consumption.” He also claims that if the French company receives
the management rights, the Tbilisi budget has the potential to save the
GEL 15 million annually that it spends on Tbiltskalkanali.
Begashvili said the government demands that the French company meet a
number of conditions after assuming management. Specifically it should
supply the capital’s population with 24-hour water and maintain the
minimal tariff on water consumption. If the Sakrebulo approves the
tender awarded to CGE in Georgia, the company will be obligated to
repair the capital’s water infrastructure, including, first of all,
changing the water pipes.
Now, the only voice protesting CGE’s takeover of Tbilisi water is the
NGO “Mental Development of Vake District” which claims that the
conditions of the tender will prove damaging to the Tbilisi population.
They recall when the American company AES came to town and managed the
local electricity distribution company Telasi. Such a comparison causes
concern among the population, as under AES electricity rates increased
quickly and electricity supply problems remained unresolved.
Opponents of CGE claim that the company’s plan will not improve the
quality of water, will not ensure 24-hour water supply and will not
repair the city’s water pipe network. Supporters of the French company,
however, disagree and point out that the total rehabilitation of the
Tbilisi water supply system will require a total of USD 300 million. The
company, meanwhile, will do the best it can with the funds allotted to
it by the World Bank.
In accordance with the terms of the tender, CGE will manage
Tbiltskalkanali for ten years. Of the WB’s EURO 25 million, 22 million
is foreseen for the rehabilitation of, the city’s water system. CGE
itself has said it will invest another USD 8 million of its own money in
the system. During the fIrst three years, the water rate will not change
and water consumption meters will be installed throughout the city,
though in apartment buildings a single common consumption meter will be
installed. Later on the rate will be gradually increased and reach GEL 2
per person per month (approximately 20 tetri per cubic meter of water
consumed) by the tenth year of CGE’s contract.
CGE management explains that they have proposed an operator tariff to
the Tbilisi government to compensate the water company for the new
operation, the investments, and improvements forecasted The Tbilisi
government should decide on the consumer’s tariff and then pay m receive
the difference As of now, the rate on water consumption is 90 tetri and
12 lari per person per month Furthermore, collection is less than 40
percent Not only individuals, but also businesses and organizations fail
to pay for their water. Total debts to the Tbilisi Water Supply Company
exceed GEL 40 million When the French company Generale des Eaux assumes
the management contract for the company, it will be responsible for
registration and fee collection This no easy task.
The issue of signing a contract with CGE is practically settled A draft
of the contract has been prepared and will be discussed by the NGO
sector, society at large and Sakrebulo commissions If their verdict is
positive, the contract will be signed by the city government,
Tbiltskalkanali and Generale des Eaux representatives.
2. DESIGN AND INSTALLATION OF SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER STATION
The American University of Armenia commenced implementation of the
project entitled Design and Installation of the Solar Photovoltaic Power
Station in Spring 2003. This project was brought into being due to close
cooperation of two leading entities in this field, namely the
Heliotechnics Laboratory of the State Engineering University of Armenia
(SEUA) and Viasphere Technopark -Transistor Plus.
The project was realized through generous funding by Mr. James
Turpanjian, Armenian benefactor living in USA. He is known in Armenia
for a number of financed projects.
This 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. Since Spring 2002 the American University of
Armenia has been using solar water-heating panels for heating,
ventilation and cooling purposes of one of its large auditoriums through
the operation of special equipment. However, the electric portion of the
power supply of this equipment was taken from the electric grid. The new
solar electric power station will allow extracting the necessary power
for the above mentioned equipment also from solar radiation, thus making
the whole system independent of the 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 has been produced at
Heliotechnics Laboratory of SEUA. Total surface of the panels is around
50 square meters with total peak power of 5 kilowatt. The photovoltaic
converter cells used in the solar panels were made by Krasnoye Znamye,
Russia.
The three phases DC/AC inverter has been designed and manufactured
specifically for this project by Transistor Plus thata is a part of
ViaSphere Technopark.
This project aims at demonstrating the feasibility of using the solar
energy as an alternative power source in Armenia.
Dr. Artak Hambarian,
Associate Director
Engineering Research Center
College of Engineering
American University of Armenia (AUA)
40 Marshall Bagramian Av., Yerevan, 375019, Armenia
fax: +(3741) 512 512
phone: +(3741) 512 631, 512 638 (AUA), 395 477 (home)
Internet:
3. FIRST CASE OF HUMAN ANTHRAX REPORTED IN ARMENIA
Source: Moscow Time, Apr 29, 2004
The first case of human anthrax has been registered in a village in the
Shirakskaya region of Armenia. As reported to a Rosbalt correspondent by
the Armenian Health Ministry, the infection originated in cattle, and
health workers do not exclude the possibility that the case will not be
the only one.
As of April 17, tens of cases of anthrax in cattle have been reported in
the region. The cause of the epidemic has been attributed to substandard
vaccine. The area has been quarantined, and health workers have reported
that the epicenter of the contamination has been localized.
4. WORLD BANK TO DECIDE ON OIL INVESTING BY JULY
Source: planetar, April 29, 2004
The World Bank will decide by July whether to keep investing in oil, gas
and mining projects, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said this
week, a subject of concern to environmental groups.
Wolfensohn commissioned an independent report in July 2001 to review the
bank’s role in so-called extractive industries.
Questions have been raised by environmental and global nongovernmental
groups whether the bank’s backing of such projects contributes to
development and lowering poverty in poor countries.
The Extractive Industries Review, led by former Indonesian environment
minister Emil Salim, recommended the bank cease funding oil and coal
projects because of environmental concerns.
In a draft response to the report in February, the bank said its absence
from these projects could result in lower quality projects and weaker
governance.
The bank’s most controversial oil projects, the Chad-Cameroon and
Caspian oil pipelines, were approved by the lender’s shareholders amid
fierce opposition by development groups, which said the projects would
do more harm than good.
But Wolfensohn said this week the bank first wanted to complete
consultations with industry and governments on the matter before it made
a final decision.
“I would guess you’re looking at a June or July date for something
definitive,” Wolfensohn told a Washington conference on energy sponsored
by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“In the meantime, dialogue is going along constructively,” he added.
Wolfensohn also said the oil and gas industry should pay attention to
the needs of the developing world, where demand for energy is set to
increase as populations grow.
In China energy demand is expected to triple in the next 20 years,
Wolfensohn said, adding: “And my guess is that’s a conservative
estimate.”
Magda Stoczkiewicz
Policy coordinator
CEE Bankwatch Network
c/o Friends of the Earth International
PO Box 19199
1000 GD Amsterdam, Netherlands
phone: +31 20 622 13 69, fax: +31 20 639 21 81
email: [email protected]
—
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

The Globe and Mail
Saturday, May 1, 2004 – Page A6
Of cabinet solidarity
and genocide
Behind the closed doors of the cabinet room last week, Prime Minister Martin
singled out Revenue Minister Stan Keyes as a shining example of cabinet
solidarity after he voted against a private member’s motion to recognizes as
genocide the mass killing of Armenians during the First World War.
There were reports after the controversial vote that Mr. Keyes was cursing
the fact that some of his colleagues had missed the vote while he was forced
to vote against the motion, a gesture that was not without political cost
for him. This was acknowledged by Mr. Martin, who was angry with some of his
cabinet ministers for abstaining or for ducking the vote by leaving the
House without permission. The Liberal back bench voted with the opposition,
and the motion passed.
Meanwhile, the rule, according to a senior Liberal, is that cabinet
ministers must seek permission in advance to miss the vote. Mr. Keyes, who
had sought that permission, was already in the chamber when the vote began
and decided not to leave because, as he told someone, “[I’d] feel like a
heel walking out.”

Armenian bishop dies of cancer
AP Online
May 01, 2004

Archbishop Zareh Aznavorian of the Armenian Orthodox Church has died
of lung cancer, a church statement said Saturday. He was 57.
Aznavorian, chairman of the religious council and director of the
Christian Education Department of the Armenian Orthodox Church of
Cilicia, died Friday at the church’s seat in Antelias, north of the
Lebanese capital, Beirut, the statement said.
The bishop, whose condition deteriorated in the past few days, had
received treatment in New York before returning to Beirut last month.
Born in Beirut in 1947, Aznavorian studied priesthood in the Antelias’
seminary and later in the Rome Theological University.
In the early 1980s, he was the Armenian Orthodox Vicar of Cyprus based
in Nicosia.
In the past few years, Aznavorian had been engaged in translating the
Old and New Testament from archaic Greek and Hebrew originals into
modern Armenian.
He will be burned in Antelias on Monday.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress