ASBAREZ ONLINE [06-16-2004]

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06/16/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) MCA Proposal Sets Sights on Reconstruction of Rural Infrastructure 2) Armenia Remains on Tier 2 Human Trafficking Watch List 3) Georgia Demands Russian Pull out of Peacekeepers from South Ossetia 4) Armenia Takes on World, Losing by a Point 5) Armenian Opposition Halts Protest Campaign 1) MCA Proposal Sets Sights on Reconstruction of Rural Infrastructure YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Prime Minister Andranik Markarian said on Wednesday the Armenian government will finalize by the end of next month its program proposal for funding under Washington's Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) program. Markarian spoke after chairing the first meeting of an ad hoc commission of senior government officials tasked with assessing the country's urgent needs, discussing possible ways of meeting them with MCA funding, and submitting a relevant plan to the US. Under the terms of the MCA, Armenia and 15 other developing nations selected by the US government last spring, must specify the amount of funding they require for proposed programs. Top executives from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which runs the program, visited Yerevan late last month for the first discussions on the subject with Armenian officials. They made it clear that the aid allocation to Armenia is not a forgone conclusion, but will depend on the quality of the proposals. Speaking to journalists, Markarian said that the government would like to primarily spend the MCA funds on the reconstruction of the battered infrastructure of the country's impoverished rural regions that have hardly benefited from recent years' economic growth--specifying the rebuilding of schools, countryside roads, and irrigation networks. "All of these programs must be in line with our [12-year] poverty reduction strategy," he said. Asked how much the Armenian side expects to get from the MCC, he said: "It is too early to talk about sums. According to our preliminary estimates, however, [the government will ask for] between $500 million and $600 million in the next five years." Finance and Economy Minister Vartan Khachatrian came up last week with an even more ambitious aid target: $700 million, of which $100 million should be made available as early as this year. But he was more cautious and vague in his comments on Wednesday. "Even [the MCC] doesn't know what will happen," he said. Khachatrian reiterated that request for proposals from Armenian non-governmental organizations are being sought, but that only two have been received. 2) Armenia Remains on Tier 2 Human Trafficking Watch List YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Armenia was once again included in this year's US State Department report on human trafficking. In the department's fourth annual Trafficking of Persons Report, released Monday, Armenia was among 42 nations listed on the Tier 2 Watch List. Countries are classified into three categories, of which Tier 3 is the least favorable. Armenia moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 last year after it made a number of reforms. US officials have indicated that Armenia may be placed in the Tier 1 category if a sweeping crackdown is initiated. The State Department report notes that Armenia serves as both a source and a transit country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation to the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Russia, Greece and other European countries. The report also adds that the trafficking of persons to be used as labor has become an increasingly significant problem. The government of Armenia does not currently comply with the minimum standards set for the elimination of trafficking. It is, however, making a significant effort to do so. Cooperation between police and NGOs have increased the number of investigations, and provided police with a greater understanding of international and domestic sources of trafficking. The report also touched upon the improved efforts of law enforcement agents in assisting trafficking victims by referring them to care-providing NGOs. Prevention activities increased during the reporting period, and were highlighted through the use of media. The National Police were featured in several training films and TV shows on trafficking, and the Ministry of Education approved anti-trafficking educational lectures for secondary and university students. In January of 2004, the government approved an anti-trafficking national action plan for 2004-2006. The government contributed the equivalent of $11,000 of its own funds to support the work of the National Anti- Trafficking Commission, with foreign donors providing the remaining funds. The government's Department for Migration and Refugees conducted extensive outreach on migration issues, which prevented a significant number of individuals from succumbing to trafficking, according to an independent survey. 3) Georgia Demands Russian Pull out of Peacekeepers from South Ossetia MOSCOW (Combined Sources)--Russia denied sending troops or military hardware to Georgia's restive South Ossetia province, after Tbilisi sent a letter of protest to Moscow on Sunday about a column of trucks and military vehicles that drove from Russia into the separatist Georgian region that seeks to be a part of Russia. Georgia's State Minister for conflict resolution Goga Khaindrava, urged Russia on Tuesday, to withdraw its peacekeeping forces from the South Ossetian conflict zone. "We [Georgia] can freely control the situation in breakaway South Ossetia. The Russian peacekeepers were deployed in the conflict zone 12 years ago, but they are no longer necessary, since they choose not to perform their functions," Goga Khaindrava said at a June 15 news briefing. According to Georgian officials, the convoy of more than 15 trucks crossed from Russia's North Ossetia region on Friday into Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia. Some of the trucks were carrying troops, missile launchers, automatic rifles, and other weapons. Russia's Defense Ministry and South Ossetian officials have denied any cross-border military movements, but the president of the breakaway region, Eduard Kokoity, said a "humanitarian column" had entered South Ossetia, Russia's Interfax news agency reported. A Russian military official in North Ossetia said food, fuel, spare parts, and other supplies had been sent to Russian peacekeepers serving in the region. Following Khaindrava's allegations, the OSCE Mission in Georgia monitored the situation in the South Ossetian conflict zone on June 12 and "found no evidence" of any military vehicles in the Tskhinvali area. Asked whether Tbilisi is considering the possibility of military force in Abkhazia or South Ossetia, Georgia's recently appointed defense Minister Georgy Baramidze said it would be the most undesirable option. "We will be doing everything to avoid the military solution. There are many mechanisms available--political, economic, and social. At the same time, we must be ready for all kinds of "surprises," he said. As for the withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Batumi and Akhalkalaki, Baramidze said though the issue is important, improved Russian-Georgian bilateral relations are not tied to the issue. 4) Armenia Takes on World, Losing by a Point A HEROIC COMEBACK BY THE PETROSIAN TEAM IN THE FINAL TWO ROUNDS FELL A POINT SHORT. ANAND-KASPAROV WAS ONE OF SEVERAL SHORT DRAWS IN THE FINAL ROUND. VAGANIAN HAD THE ONLY WIN OF THE ROUND, AN IMPRESSIVE BIND AGAINST ADAMS. GELFAND, ONCE PETROSIAN'S STAR PUPIL, BATTLED HARD FOR THE FULL POINT AGAINST BACROT TO NO AVAIL. MOSCOW (Combined Sources)--In what commemorated the 75th anniversary of the late Armenian world chess champion Tigran Petrosian, a dynamic tournament--Armenia vs. the Rest of the World team, began on June 10 in Moscow and ended on June 15, with the World Team defeating the Petrosian Team 18.5 to 17.5. The tournament matched the best of Armenia against a team of international stars. Each of the six team members played everyone on the other team for a total of 36 games. The best of Armenia's powerful chess players made up the Armenian team--1999 World Championship runner-up Vladimir Akopian, feared Bundesliga warrior Rafael Vaganian, and experienced international Smbat Lputian. Tiny Armenia has the second-highest number of players participating in the 2004 FIDE world championship in Libya this month--seven. The rest of the Armenian team either had connections to Armenia or Petrosian himself. Garry Kasparov's mother is Armenian and he has always been claimed by that chess-mad nation. Peter Leko married an Armenian, named Petrosian (no relation). His wife Sofia is the daughter of Armenian chess Grand Master Arshak Petrosian, who is also his trainer and will be the coach of the Petrosian team in Moscow. The World all-star team was composed of Anand, Svidler, Adams, Bacrot, Vallejo, and van Wely. It was a valiant effort, but the Petrosian team fell short by the thinnest possible margin at the end. After looking overmatched in the first half, the "friends of Armenia" squad didn't lose a game in the final two rounds and almost climbed back from a four-point deficit. It was a great match, and it was fitting that the Petrosian Memorial was a team event. Tigran Petrosian consistently put up phenomenal scores in team events throughout his career. An incredible six times he got the best score in the Olympiads playing for the USSR over a 20-year span. 5) Armenian Opposition Halts Protest Campaign YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--The Armenian opposition officially ended, with a rally late Wednesday, its unsuccessful spring campaign for regime change. "The first stage of the opposition movement is over," a leader of the Artarutyun alliance Albert Bazeyan, said during a concluding speech. He said Artarutyun and its principal ally, the National Unity Party (AMK), need time to consider new methods of waging political struggle. Other opposition leaders cited external factors such as the ongoing peace talks on Mountainous Karabagh and the upcoming discussion of the situation in Armenia at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to justify their decision. Some opposition leaders admitted privately, however, that their two-month drive for President Robert Kocharian's resignation has lost momentum. They said further anti-government rallies are thus unlikely to be held in the summer months. The AMK and Artarutyun bloc had earlier repeatedly postponed a promise a repeat of similar "decisive" actions. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.