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07/08/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1. ARF, Lebanese Foreign Minister Discuss Turkey-Lebanon Relations 2. Work on Constitutional and Election Law Reforms Complete 3. Minsk Group Plans Regional Visit 4. EU Commissioner Discusses 'Neighborhood Policy' in Armenia 5. Armenia Works to Prevent Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing 6. Tensions Grow in Georgia, Russia Angry 7. UNDP Report Traces Rising HIV Rates in CIS Countries 8. NEWS BRIEFS 1. ARF, Lebanese Foreign Minister Discuss Turkey-Lebanon Relations BEIRUT (Aztag)--A delegation representing the ARF Central Committee (CC) of Lebanon met yesterday with Lebanon's Minister of Foreign and Emigrant Affairs, Jean Obeid, at the Foreign Ministry in Boutros Palace. The ARF delegation consisted of CC representative Hovig Mkhitarian and members Hagop Pakradouni and Barouyr Der Ghougassian. The discussions between Obeid and the ARF focused on Lebanon-Turkey relations, particularly in light of Turkish Foreign Minister Abdulla Gul's visit to Lebanon over the previous weekend and agreements that were signed between the two sides. Foreign Minister Obeid provided various clarifications regarding Gul's visit and Lebanese-Turkish relations. The ARF delegation presented its views on those topics and underscored that relations must be based on mutual respect, in an attempt to rectify the mistakes that have accumulated throughout the history of the two countries and which, to this day, influence the development of events in the region. The ARF delegation cast doubt on Turkish officials' recent statements regarding the establishment of close ties with the Arab people. The ARF representatives stressed the importance of keeping a close eye on Ankara's intent to gain political influence in the region while maintaining its strategic cooperation with Israel. Gul's visit to Lebanon was the first in 21 years for a Turkish foreign minister. The Lebanese Prime Minister and Foreign Minister visited Turkey in April and May, respectively. 2. Work on Constitutional and Election Law Reforms Complete YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Armenia on Thursday completed work on developing two packages of constitutional and election law reforms in an effort to meet its obligations before the Council of Europe (CE). The draft law on changes to election code must pass by the end of 2004, and incorporates most of the recommendations and proposals offered by the Central Election Commission (CEC), Venice Commission, and the OSCE. Amendments to Armenia's constitution will be put to a national referendum in the first half of 2005, according to the timetable set by the CE. The drafts will be translated and sent to the CE's Venice Commission to ensure the amendments conform to European standards. They will also be available to non-governmental organizations, political parties, and all interested individuals, for review later this month, and will be open to public debate. 3. Minsk Group Plans Regional Visit YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Minsk Group co-chairs will be visiting Armenia on their tour of the region that includes Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh Republic. Co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov of Russia, Stephen Mann of the United States and Henry Jackolin of France are due in Armenia's capital on July 10. The Minsk Group spearheads the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's efforts to find a political solution to the Karabagh conflict. 4. EU Commissioner Discusses 'Neighborhood Policy' in Armenia YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Janez Potocnik, the European Union's junior commissioner on enlargement affairs, discussed with Armenian leaders on Thursday practical consequences of Armenia's inclusion in the list of countries entitled to privileged ties with the EU. After talks in Yerevan with President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, and other senior officials, Potocnik reiterated the EU's position that Armenia itself should decide the extent of its cooperation with the bloc under the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). He said the EU's Executive Commission would only support and encourage Yerevan's efforts to meet European standards on free elections, human rights, and freedom of speech. The decision to extend the ENP, also known as "Wider Europe," to Armenia as well as neighboring Azerbaijan and Georgia was formally made by the EU foreign ministers on June 14. Each South Caucasus country is responsible for submitting action plans on economic and political reforms in order to receive assistance some time in 2007. Potocnik said that he will submit to the European Commission a report on Armenia by the spring of 2005, after which the two sides will begin discussing joint programs on a broad range of issues. He also reiterated the EU's insistence on the quick closure of the Medzamor nuclear plant "for safety reasons." "Our mutual agreement will allow for the decommissioning of the Medzamor nuclear plant some time in the future.," the Slovenian official said, reaffirming the EU's offer of a 100 million-euro compensation for the shutdown. EU officials in Brussels said earlier this week that during his regional tour, Potocnik will stress the bloc's willingness to take a more active approach to the regional conflicts. They said although the EU bloc will not act as a mediator it will use incentives inherent in closer ties to foster compromise. 5. Armenia Works to Prevent Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing YEREVAN (Armenpress)--A meeting on preventing money laundering and financing terrorism brought together leading Armenian decision-makers on Thursday in Yerevan. Armenia's General Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepian joined about 30 parliamentarians and a number of government representatives at the National Workshop on Combating Money Laundering and Suppressing Financing of Terrorism to discuss international conventions related to these crimes, implementation mechanisms, and national initiatives. The workshop is part of a large-scale program launched last year by the Yerevan office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Two national workshops were organized in 2003 together with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which resulted in a number of recommendations that are currently in the process of implementation. In opening the event, head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan Vladimir Pryakhin stressed that the actual fight can not take place within the limits of national borders. "Only close international collaboration and direct contacts between law enforcement agencies and financial institutions can provide effective means to fight this evil," he said. Pryakhin also said that the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism should be in line with fighting corruption. Armenian authorities have already ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime. Armenian President Robert Kocharian last year endorsed the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, which incorporates a number of measures to prevent money laundering. The OSCE Office, which has been assisting the Armenian Government in the development of the strategy since 2000, is now assisting with implementation. 6. Tensions Grow in Georgia, Russia Angry TBILISI (Reuters)--Tensions grew in Georgia on Thursday after some of its soldiers were seized in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, while Russia accused Georgia's leadership of goading its wayward province into retaliation. Georgian officials also said an armed group opened fire on a Georgian peacekeeping checkpoint, wounding two soldiers and kidnapping one of them. The clashes in South Ossetia were the latest flare-up since President Mikhail Saakashvili moved to restore central control over separatist regions that seek closer ties with Russia. A police official near the region, that lies north-west of Tbilisi on the border with Russia, said about 50 Georgian Interior Ministry troops had been held. In Moscow, the Russian foreign ministry sided with the South Ossetians, blaming the Saakashvili leadership for "unlawful and provocative actions in the Georgian-Ossetia zone of conflict." "Tbilisi is ignoring the fact that a sharpening of the crisis puts the people of South Ossetia, most of whom are Russian citizens, under a serious security threat," a ministry statement said. Tensions began to flare in South Ossetia after Georgia sent troops to the internal border with the region in early June, to protect anti-smuggling checkpoints. Then, in an incident that prompted a sharp reaction from Moscow Wednesday, Georgian troops seized an arms convoy which it said was carrying rocket launchers intended for separatists. Russia said the weapons were intended for the members of its peacekeeping force. Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who announced the armed attack and kidnapping at a checkpoint between the villages of Tamarasheni and Kurta, accused the South Ossetian leadership of stirring up armed conflict. "We will never allow a repetition of the tragedy that we witnessed in 1991," said Zhvania. The region broke from Georgia after a war at the end of Soviet rule in 1991. Uneasy peace has reigned since, supervised by a peacekeeping force from Georgia, South Ossetia and Russia. Saakashvili, who says he is striving to end awkward relations with Russia, has secured the removal of a local strongman in another wayward region, Ajaria, which had considerable autonomy but never declared independence. Since his election early this year, Saakashvili has set his sights on restoring central control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, a breakaway region on the Black Sea. Moscow aligns itself with the international view that both these regions are part of Georgian territory and it has never offered to take them into the Russian Federation. At the same time, it has often backed them in disputes with the Tbilisi leadership and has allowed many of their people Russian citizenship. 7. UNDP Report Traces Rising HIV Rates in CIS Countries YEREVAN (ARMENPRESS)On Wednesday, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) released the 2004 HIV/AIDS report for Eastern European and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries, titled "Reversing the Epidemic: Facts and Policy Options." Vladimir Davidyants, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Armenia, Lise Grande, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Samvel Grigoryan, Head of the Republican AIDS Prevention Center and representatives of international and local organizations participated in the event, which was held at the United Nations House in Yerevan. The report presents the first comprehensive outline of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 28 countries of East and South-Eastern Europe, the Baltics and the CIS. The UN estimates that 1.8 million people in the region have HIV and that 280,000 people contracted the virus last year. Despite a comparatively low prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the region, growth rates in Estonia, Russia and Ukraine are among the world's highest. The report stresses that the HIV/AIDS crisis poses a threat to the region's economic growth, resulting in an estimated loss of at least one percent GDP growth per year. According to the report, once the number of those infected with HIV/AIDS surpasses 1% of a country's total population, it becomes extremely difficult for experts to reverse the trend. Any delays, the reports notes, in addressing the problem can be catastrophic: only twelve years ago, South Africa was facing an infection rate among the adult population that was less than one percent; now the rate is twenty times higher. According to Grande, "UNDP's report reveals that there is already an HIV crisis in the CIS. Although the situation in Armenia is not as disastrous as in some other major CIS countries, steps need to be taken now to avoid the kind of catastrophe that is affecting other countries. By working together, the government, civil society, the mass media and donors can make a difference. Through reports like the one we are releasing today, we can help raise awareness among the general public and promote responsible behavior among all people living in Armenia." Between 1988 and 2004, 279 individuals infected with HIV registered with the Armenian government. Of those affected, a vast majority are men (206 cases-77.7%). 79.2% are between the ages of 20-39. 8. NEWS BRIEFS Common Agreement with Armenia Difficult, Azeri Speaker Says BAKU (ARMENPRESS)--The Mountainous-Karabagh conflict was the focus of a Wednesday meeting between Azerbaijani parliament speaker Murtuz Alasgarov and European Union (EU) commissioner on expansion Janez Potocnik, who spent two days in Azerbaijan before coming to Armenia. Alasgarov said that he backed the resolution of the conflict based on the principles of territorial integrity. Speaking about the suggestions of international organizations that called for the Azeri side to reach common agreement with Armenia, the speaker stated, "How can Azerbaijan reach common agreement with Armenia, which is an aggressor and doesn't intend to withdraw from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan?" Alasgarov moved on to condemn the visits by some international diplomats to Mountainous-Karabagh from Armenia without the prior consent of Baku. Potocnik, in turn, noted that the successful integration of the South Caucasus region into the European Union was possible only after the peaceful solution of the Karabagh conflict. He underlined that the EU was ready to carry out rehabilitation operations in Mountainous-Karabagh after the resolution of the conflict. The EU commissioner also stressed that the EU special envoy on South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie was ready to assist the OSCE Minsk Group in settling the conflict. Iran Appoints New Ambassador to Armenia TEHRAN (ARMENPRESS)--President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami appointed Ali Reza Haqiqian as the new Iranian ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, the Information and Press Department of the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday. The appointment was made upon a proposal by Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi. Haqiqian had previously served as a Foreign Ministry director-general as well as Iranian charge d'affaires to Baghdad. Ali Reza Haqiqian was born in Isfahan in 1958. He received a university education and has been working in Iran's Foreign Ministry since 1981, holding various positions in embassies in Canada, Germany and Iraq. The new ambassador is married and is father to three children. He speaks fluent English. World Armenian Congress Concerned with Armenian Church Destruction in Turkey MOSCOW (ARMENPRESS)--The World Armenian Congress has expressed concern over the condition of the Akhtamar Saint Cross Church--a unique monument of medieval Armenian architecture, which is situated in Turkey, on an island in Lake Van. The church was built in 915-921, says a statement of the World Armenian Congress, issued on July 7. It is currently in such a dilapidated state that "soon only ruins will be left of it." The World Armenian Congress urged the Turkish and Armenian governments to take steps without delay for restoring the Akhtamar Saint Cross Church. It also asked the two countries to work with UNESCO experts in the restoration of Armenian architectural monuments on Turkish territory. Azeri Transport Minister Accused of Cooperating with Armenians BAKU (ARMENPRESS)--On Thursday, a group of senior officials of Azerbaijan's railway department accused the country's transport minister Zia Mamedov of secretly cooperating with Armenians. Speaking at a specially convened news conference, the officials claimed that the minister "has built a mob network," which has embezzled $2.5 billion worth of public funds since 1995. As proof, they noted the decrease in the number of government-owned locomotives--from 632 to 183--since the collapse of the USSR. In one instance, a 132-car train bearing wine was sent to Russia, never to return. Locomotive parts, the group stated, were removed and sold as scrap metal. The officials also stated that, in leasing 300 cars to Russia, Azerbaijan did not receive anything in return. They went on to allege that the railway department is the sole government agency that cooperates with Armenia. The officials claimed that 300 cisterns were sold to Armenia. "Reports about these abuses were regularly sent to prosecutors and the presidential staff, but nothing was done to investigate into them," they said. They said they will ask the president to order an investigation into their allegations, which were described by Mamedov as "provocations." US Envoy in Baku Calls for Democratic Institutions in Nakhichevan BAKU (ARMENPRESS)--The US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish, who was recently on a visit to Nakhichevan, said "it was high time" to establish democratic institutions in the region. Harnish had discussed the issue with chairman of the local supreme council, Vasif Talibov. Harnish confirmed that he had told the Guardian newspaper that Azerbaijani law-enforcement bodies obtain 80 per cent of confessions through torture. Journalists asked the ambassador about the recent US Congressional decision to allocate $5 million to Mountainous Karabagh. Harnish stated that the aid will be used to assist refugees. He added that Azerbaijan will receive $13 dollars in assistance for refugees currently living in camps. Armenian-Spanish Relations Discussed YEREVAN (ARMENPRESS)--On July 5, the newly appointed foreign minister of Spain, M. Moratinos, received Armenian Ambassador to Spain, E. Khojanian. The sides discussed Armenian-Spanish relations and prospects for their development. They noted that recent developments, such as the new European Union policy towards the South Caucasus, create an opportune moment for the development of relations. Moratinos expressed interest in Armenia's economic and political situation and revealed his readiness to support Armenian-Spanish relations in all their forms. The Spanish minister also reconfirmed his government's readiness to receive the Armenian president on an official visit. CSTO Secretary General Calls on Georgia, Ossetia to Use no Force MOSCOW (ARMENPRESS)--Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CTSO), composed of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, has called on both sides of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict to refrain from the use of force. "The situation on the Georgian-South Ossetian administrative border is threatening to snowball out of control and lead to an armed conflict, to unpredictable developments in the region," runs Bordyuzha's statement circulated in Moscow. He emphasized that all issues pertaining to Georgia's relations with South Ossetia should be solved peacefully. "Ultimatums, threats or, moreover, the use of force, including against peacekeeping divisions deployed there, can have the most negative consequences for the situation in the Caucasus," the statement says. "We are calling on the conflicting sides to refrain from the use of force and to find, through a political dialogue, a constructive decision meeting the interests of security and stability in the region," the document runs. Meanwhile, Georgian State Security Minister Vano Merabishvili said that Georgia has averted a new armed conflict in South Ossetia. "We had the information that Eduard Kokoity--president of the self-proclaimed republic--planned to organize provocations on July 7 and 8, but what happened was more than we had expected. However, despite the repeated armed clashes, we have managed to avoid bloodshed and new confrontation between the Georgians and the Ossetians," Merabishvili said at a live briefing in Georgia. "Kokoity is ready for war, he has weapons and medicines but Georgia is not going to fight against the Ossetians," he continued. In his words, "the Russian Federation's official position on the Tskhinvali district does not coincide with Kokoity's plans, therefore he has nothing to do but organize provocations." The Georgian minister told reporters that all Georgian military subdivisions had been ordered not to use weapons. "This is why Ossetian armed formations managed to take up to 50 of our servicemen hostage," Merabishvili noted. Kocharian Condoles the Death of Austrian President YEREVAN (ARMENPRESS)--Armenian President Robert Kocharian sent a condolence message to Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, after the death of president Thomas Klestil. The Austrian president suffered a heart attack earlier this week and died shortly after. "I recall my meetings with president Klestil with warmth. His contributions to development of Austrian-Armenian relations are esteemed highly in Armenia. I extend by deepest condolences to the people of Austria and ask to extend them also to members of his family at this sad moment," Kocharian's message reads. Klestil's heart stopped on Monday as he was being flown by helicopter to Vienna's General Hospital after being found unconscious. Klestil, who had in 1996 suffered from a severe case of pneumonia, was recently having serious lung problems. The presidency will be transferred to Heinz Fischer, who won elections earlier this year. While the post is mostly ceremonial, Austria's president serves as the country's commander in chief, and is bestowed with the power to reject cabinet nominations. Klestil, a career diplomat who earlier served as Austria's ambassador to the US and to the UN, is widely credited with restoring Austria's credibility following the controversial administration of Kurt Waldheim, who had served in the military during WWII. On a trip to Israel during his first term, Klestil expressed sympathy with victims of the Holocaust in a speech to the Knesset, while referencing Austria's role in the atrocities.. It was one of the numerous times he spoke out against Nazi horrors and his country's role in them. Indian Singer Performs for Vanadzor Residents VANADZOR (ARMENPRESS)--Indian pop singer Ila Aruni performed at the Vanadzor culture palace named after Charles Aznavour. The singer was introduced on stage by Indian Ambassador to Armenia Deepak Vohra. In addition to renditions of Indian songs, Aruni, who is also an actress, dancer and playwright, delighted the audience by briefly singing in Armenian. 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