ASBAREZ ONLINE [09-15-2004]

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09/15/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia Meet to Discuss Karabagh 2) New US Ambassador Speaks to Press on Variety of Issues 3) ARS Sponsors HIV/AIDS Education Seminar at UN Conference 4) Turkey Rejects Adultery Ban after EU, Women Protest 5) Georgia Seeks EU Assistance in Conflict Settlement 6) Glendale Voters Approve Americana at Brand Project 7) Strong Ties Bind Russia, Armenia at Karabagh Talks 1) Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia Meet to Discuss Karabagh ASTANA (Combined Sources)--During a tripartite meeting on Wednesday, held on the sidelines of the CIS heads of state summit in Astana, Russia's President Vladimir Putin met with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan, stressing the necessity for continued dialogue on Mountainous Karabagh. "Whatever you may agree on today, leaders' personal meetings always come as a stride forward," he pointed out. Highlighting President Robert Kocharian's and Ilham Aliyev's determination for resolution, Putin said reassuringly, "I know this conference will not be fruitless, and will promote conflict settlement." Itar-Tass news agency quoted a source in the Kremlin as saying that it was Moscow's initiative to organize the meeting and that both presidents responded positively to the proposal. "In Moscow's view, the three-way format has justified itself," the source said, adding that Moscow has always believed that the Armenian and Azeri sides should themselves seek for a solution, while Moscow is ready to help them achieve a mutually acceptable peace formula. No further details are yet available from the Wednesday meeting, also attended by the three co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group tasked with finding a resolution to the Karabagh conflict. 2) New US Ambassador Speaks to Press on Variety of Issues YEREVAN (Interfax/RFE-RL)--John Evans, the new US ambassador to Armenia, said stability and security, economic growth, and development of democratic institutions are the main focus of US activity in South Caucasus, and Armenia has attained certain success in these areas. Evans told a press conference in the Armenian capital on Wednesday, that certain stability and security concerns exist because the Mountainous Karabagh conflict remains unresolved. Evans stressed the conflicting parties must formulate a final solution--along with the mediating efforts of the US, Russia, and France as the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group. He said the focus of US attention is to work on opening the Armenian-Turkish border, so as to benefit both Yerevan and Ankara. The envoy also reaffirmed US approval of the last-minute cancellation of NATO-led military exercises which were scheduled to begin in Azerbaijan on Monday. The NATO leadership pointed to Baku's refusal to Armenia's participation in the maneuvers. "We do believe that the NATO authorities made the right decision to cancel this exercise," Evans said. But he was quick to indicate that the move should not be seen as a diplomatic victory for Armenia, saying that it hurt both parties to the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. He commended plans for Armenia to join the US "coalition of the willing" in Iraq with a small unit of non-combat troops. "We salute Armenia for its announced intention to send a transportation unit along with de-miners and some medical personnel to Iraq." The planned deployment, which requires parliament approval, is stirring up debate in Armenia. Evans said Washington welcomes a public debate on the issue in Armenia. Evans, who arrived in Armenia a month ago, is a 56-year-old career diplomat. He previously headed the Office of Russian Affairs in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the US State Department. 3) ARS Sponsors HIV/AIDS Education Seminar at UN Conference ARS representatives take front row at September 9 session on Strategies to Overcome MDG Obstacles NEW YORK (ARS)--More than 27 members of the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) from throughout the United States, Canada, and Lebanon, participated in the 57th Annual United Nations DPI/NGO (Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organizations) Conference held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, September 8 -10. The three-day conference, Millenium Development Goals: Civil Society Takes Action, attracted more than 2,700 representatives from 90 countries to discuss issues relating to millennium development goals. Secretary-General Kofi Annan opened the conference in the General Assembly Hall. In addition to five plenary panels and 30 mid-day NGO Interactive Workshops, the Conference featured speakers including Executive Coordinator of UN Millennium Development Goals Campaign Eveline Herfkins, Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on the Millennium Development Goals, and Mark Malloch Brown, Administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP), among others. At the Millennium Summit in 2000, 189 member states adopted a Declaration that synthesized the priorities of the international agenda and reflected those commitments painstakingly negotiated during the previous decade of world conferences. The Millennium Declaration, and the eight goals it identified, have become a road map for tackling poverty, instability, HIV/AIDS, gender inequality, and violence in virtually all parts of the world. The ARS, Inc., along with two other NGOs--Committee on Child's Rights and the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS, sponsored the workshop--"Interactive Workshop on HIV/AIDS Education, Prevention and Care; an Emphasis on Engaging Boys and Men as Full Partners of Women and Children." More than 160 participants discussed HIV/AIDS education models and means to address obstacles such as denial, stigmatization, and the undue burden women and children face in most societies. Carol Bova, Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Nursing, University of Massachusetts, spoke of the AIDS crisis in Armenia and her work educating the population about the disease. ARS, Inc. sponsors and assists Dr. Bova in her endeavors. For more information, visit <; 4) Turkey Rejects Adultery Ban after EU, Women Protest ANKARA (AP)--Turkey's government backed off its plan to outlaw adultery after criticism within the European Union (EU) and a march on parliament Tuesday by hundreds of outraged Turkish women. Government leaders had proposed an adultery ban as part of a major overhaul of the mostly Muslim country's 78-year-old penal code, which comes as the 25 EU states prepare to decide whether to begin talks on Turkey's appeal for membership. Turkey's leader has argued an adultery law would protect the family and women who have been wronged. But women's groups counter that such a law would be used against women--who they say could be imprisoned and lose custody of their children. They say the measure would encourage "honor killings." 5) Georgia Seeks EU Assistance in Conflict Settlement BRUSSELS (Itar-Tass/Civil Georgia)--Georgia has appealed to the European Union to help resolve conflicts in its defiant provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgian state minister for conflict settlement Georgy Khaindrava, told Itar-Tass on Wednesday. Khaindrava is part of a delegation, led by Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili, attending a session of the EU-Georgian Cooperation Council in Brussels. According to Khaindrava, the current session of the Council has concentrated on conflicts with the self-proclaimed entities on Georgian territory. At a meeting with the Head of European Union Foreign Affairs Javier Solana, the Georgian delegation brought up the issue of the "internationalization" of these conflicts. "The meeting was very encouraging because it noted our point of view on how the conflicts could be solved," the minister said. "The presence of European observers and a wide presence of the European community on the whole would be of help," the minister added. He added that the problems of Abkhazia and South Ossetia should be solved within the existing frameworks of the OSCE; however, he believes its role should be more active. "They must not remain outside observers, but should directly influence the situation," the Georgian state minister said. Meanwhile, South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity said in a live interview to the Moscow-based radio station Echo Moskvy on September 15 that the will of the people living in South Ossetia should become a decisive factor in the discussion of a future political status of the republic, emphasizing that "reintegration into Georgia is out of question." According to him, "mechanisms of security and guarantees of implementing future agreements should be primarily discussed in order to resolve the issue of a future status of the republic." "We are ready to use any methods of the negotiating process to stabilize the situation in the region," the South Ossetian leader added. Kokoity also noted that he considers Georgia "a brotherly people and South Ossetia is ready to have good neighborly relations with it." Kokoity said that South Ossetia should join Russia's North Ossetia. "It is high time to stop dividing Ossetia into North and South. There is one big, unified Ossetia and Alexander Dzasokhov [the President of Russia's North Ossetian Republic] should be elected as President of Ossetia. I do not aspire for leadership. Simply, I want to live in the united Ossetia," he said. The South Ossetian de facto President has applied several times to merge South Ossetia into the Russian Federation. Russia's Supreme Court ruled that such a merger is illegal without Georgia's consent. 6) Glendale Voters Approve Americana at Brand Project GLENDALE--Glendale voters on Tuesday approved three measures associated with developer Rick Curuso's proposed Americana at Brand project. The three measures, A, B, and C, were approved during a special election held on Tuesday, November 14. The $264 million project would be bounded by Colorado Street, Brand Boulevard, Central Avenue, and the Glendale Galleria. "The people have spoken, " says Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian. "However, there are still a number of lawsuits associated with the project that must be resolved before the project can move forward." Lawsuits challenging the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and related issues will be heard in January of 2005. The election was in response to three referendum petitions that were filed this past summer challenging three ordinances. The ordinances would adopt the Glendale Town Center Specific Plan; rezone property associated with the specific plan; and approve a Development Agreement between the City and Caruso Affiliated Holdings. Over 29,500 residents cast ballots Tuesday. 51.8% (15,304 votes) were in favor of Measure A; 51.3% (15,140 votes) voted for Measure B; and Measure C passed with 50.9% (15,016 votes). 7) Strong Ties Bind Russia, Armenia at Karabagh Talks   Azerbaijan appears to view Russia, the region's heavyweight, as an influential counterweight to the OSCE, whose peacekeeping efforts in the Mountainous Karabagh conflict have been the subject of much criticism in Baku. By Sergei Blagov for EurasiaNet As Armenia and Azerbaijan began Wednesday's presidential summit on Mountainous Karabagh, Russia has emphasized its own ties with Yerevan, prompting Baku to question the Kremlin's role as an objective mediator for the conflict. Chances for a genuine breakthrough during the September 15 talks at the Confederation of Independent States (CIS) conference in Astana, Kazakhstan are doubtful, but both Azerbaijan and Armenia are already touting their respective inclinations for peace. On September 2, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev told reporters in the province of Nakhichevan, near the Armenian border, that "[t]he fact that I have not yet abandoned negotiations on Mountainous Karabagh means that I believe in their productivity," Interfax reported. In turn, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian announced at an August 30 meeting in Prague with Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov that the two sides had made progress in laying "the foundation" for the September talks, according to Interfax. But that foundation is one that Baku believes should include Russia. In August, Azerbaijan called on the Kremlin to step up its own contributions to a Karabagh peace deal. Russia, long the region's heavyweight, appears to be seen by Baku as a potentially influential counterweight to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), whose own peacemaking efforts via the tripartite Minsk Group have been the subject of much criticism from Azeri parliamentarians and government officials. Russia as mediator and guarantor? When Moscow's response to Baku's demand came, however, it took place at a meeting with Armenia's President Robert Kocharian--the sixth such in the past year. At an August 20 summit in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that "Russia is ready to play a role of mediator and guarantor" in the Karabagh conflict, but noted that "[t]here have been no breakthrough decisions." A show of Russian support could stand Armenia in good stead at the CIS talks. Speculation has recently mounted that Kocharian is prepared to return the seven Azeri territories it occupies in exchange for a peace deal on Armenian-controlled Karabagh. According to one recent opinion poll, that would place Kocharian at variance with nearly half of Armenia's population--a delicate situation for a leader who withstood weeks of opposition protests earlier this spring. In a June 25 poll by the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, 45.5 per cent of Armenians stated that they believe that territories seized during the 1991-1994 war with Azerbaijan should remain under Armenian control. Russia ready to use its influence Meanwhile, Moscow appears ready to assist. Russia's longtime influence in the Caucasus is already under political pressure from the US in Georgia and Azerbaijan and also under increasing economic pressure in both Georgia and Armenia from outside energy players like Iran. Even while expressing no official concern at reported US plans to establish a base in Azerbaijan, Moscow has been busy reinforcing its traditionally strong ties with Armenia. Recent military exercises between the two longtime allies appear to have sparked the sharpest concern in Baku. At a training base not far from Yerevan on August 24-28, 1,900 Armenian and Russian troops fought back an imaginary invasion and assault on Russia's 102nd military base at Gyumri. Despite assurances from Armenia's army that the maneuvers are not directed against a third country, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has taken a different view. Voicing concern that Russia had held war games with "an aggressor state," Defense Ministry spokesman Ramiz Melikov has stated that the operations contradicted Russia's role as a mediator in the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. In November 2003, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov described Armenia as Russia's "only ally in the South." The Russian military presence in Armenia has deep roots. A 1995 treaty gives Russia's military base a 25-year-long presence in Armenia, while a 1997 friendship treaty provides for mutual assistance in the event of a military threat to either country. Currently, there are 2,500 Russian military personnel stationed in the country. Recent military materiel shipped to Armenia includes MiG-29 jetfighters and S300 PMU1 air defense batteries, an advanced version of the SA-10C Grumble air defense missile. Russia's Federal Border Guard Service is also deployed to guard Armenia's borders with Turkey and Iran. Economic ties fuel Azeri fears Economic ties could also fuel Azeri fears of favoritism toward its longtime rival. Armenia is heavily dependent on Russia for its natural gas and nuclear fuel supplies. In 2002, Russia wrote off 100 million US dollars of Armenia's external debt in return for control of five state-run Armenian enterprises, including the Razdan thermal power plant. Russia's state-run Unified Energy Systems power monopoly also controls Armenia's Metsamor nuclear power station and hydropower plants under a similar debt repayment arrangement--a deal that has placed 90 percent of Armenia's energy system in Russian hands. At the same time, however, divergent interests have begun to emerge, most notably with Armenia's aspiration to limit its dependence on Russian energy supplies by building a $120 million, 141-kilometer gas pipeline from Iran to Europe. Iran reportedly has agreed to supply 36 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Armenia from 2007-2027, a plan that could undercut Russian energy companies' own position in the Caucasus. The plan has yet to be finalized. Such a situation would appear likely to push Russia to forge even closer links with Armenia to protect its own energy interests. If so, the bid to promote Moscow as an objective mediator could be fraught with additional difficulties. In the meantime, the Kremlin is playing its own cards carefully. Azeri Foreign Minister Mammedyarov had little to show after an August 19 trip to Moscow to discuss Mountainous-Karabagh other than an official statement that the Kremlin recognizes Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Kocharian was treated to similarly circumspect language at his Sochi summit with Putin. Wedged between foes Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Russian leader said, is in "a very difficult geopolitical situation". Sergei Blagov is a Moscow-based specialist in CIS political affairs. 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.