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11/02/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Karabagh, Russia, Minsk Group Say UN Discussion of Conflict Bad Idea 2) South Caucasus Parliament Speakers Meeting in Paris 3) Burjanadze Holds Talks with Top Russians 4) Abkhazia Presidential Candidates in Moscow 5) Second Social Services Complex Opens in Armenia 6) Source Reveals Russian Minister Discussed Railway Link via Abkhazia 7) Turkish Conference on Minority Rights' Ends in Chaos 8) New Community Center Opens in Gyumri 1) Karabagh, Russia, Minsk Group Say UN Discussion of Conflict Bad Idea STEPANAKERT (Interfax/Itar-Tass)--The foreign ministries of both Mountainous Karabagh Republic and Russia, as well as the OSCE Minsk Group (the group spearheads the OSCE effort to find a political solution to this conflict), all spoke out against including the Karabagh conflict on the UN General Assembly's agenda. The move, initiated by Azerbaijan, was backed by the UN General Committee which voted to recommend the inclusion of the issue on the agenda of the assembly's ongoing session. "The Azeri-initiated UN discussions on the territories controlled by Mountainous Karabagh has yet again shown Azerbaijan's disinclination to settle the entire range of problems between Azerbaijan and Mountainous Karabagh," MKR Deputy Foreign Minister Masis Mailian told Interfax. Azerbaijan alleges that the territory is used for drug manufacturing and terrorist training. "This step by Baku is purely propagandistic in its nature, which in no way facilitates the creation of a favorable atmosphere--essential for reaching a comprehensive solution to the Karabagh problem," Mailian said. Karabagh has repeatedly invited Azeri authorities to start implementing confidence building measures between the conflicting parties so as to resume full-scale negotiations, which are "the most efficient method for settling the conflict," Mailian said. The Russian cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Yury Merzlyakov said the action could harm efforts to bring about a just and lasting settlement Interviewed by Azerbaijan's ATV television, Merzlyakov said the UN General Assembly's session is not the proper forum to discuss the matter. Merzlyakov iterated the Minsk Group's statement on the move, that says, "Today, when we are all waiting for the sides to resume talks, there was no necessity to raise the issue." In its statement released on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the suggestion to debate a Karabagh settlement at the UN General Assembly, parallel with OSCE efforts, "can hardly have a beneficial effect on the negotiating process." Russia, along with France and the US who represent the countries that make-up OCSE Minsk Group, abstained from the UN vote. "The group's format permits it to deal with any problems related to the conflict and to ensuring peace," the statement continued. 2) South Caucasus Parliament Speakers Meeting in Paris PARIS (Armenpress)--At the initiation of French Senate Chairman Christian Poncelet, a meeting of Armenian, Azeri, and Georgian parliamentary leaders will take place in Paris on November 4. Armenian National Assembly chairman Arthur Baghdasarian arrived in Paris on Monday for a four-day visit, while his Georgian and Azeri counterparts, Nino Burjanadze and Murtuz Aleskerov, are scheduled to arrive on November 3. According to the Armenian embassy in France, the meeting's agenda includes talks on developing tourism and preservation of cultural heritage. No reports were made about whether the Karabagh conflict will be discussed. The three parliament speakers and Poncelet will also meet with UNESCO's Director General. 3) Burjanadze Holds Talks with Top Russians MOSCOW (RBC/Civil Georgia)--The Chair of Georgian Parliament Nino Burjanadze, held separate meetings in Moscow on Monday with Secretary of the Russian Security Council Igor Ivanov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Along with the bilateral ties, resolution of the South Ossetian and Abkhazian conflicts were discussed during talks between Burjanadze and Lavrov. In her talks with Ivanov, Burjanadze expressed readiness to develop "constructive dialogue" between the two countries, reported the Russian Foreign Ministry. "There are particular agreements; however, the difficulties in our relations still exist. I hope that further relations between our countries will proceed normally," Burjanadze told reporters, but stressed that double standards are applied to Georgia, in pointing to Russia's struggle with separatists in Chechnya and its backing of Abkhaz and South Ossetian authorities. 4) Abkhazia Presidential Candidates in Moscow MOSCOW (Itar-Tass)--Abkhazian presidential candidates Sergei Bagapsh and Raul Khadzhimba are in Moscow, a source in the Moscow representative office of Abkhazia told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. The source did not announce, however, which Russian leaders the two men are scheduled to meet. Khadzhimba, who was contacted by phone, denied any comment, saying he was too busy. The standoff between Khadzhimba and Bagapsh has sparked a political crisis in the self-proclaimed republic. The current situation erupted after the unresolved October 3 presidential elections. The atmosphere was further clouded after the Supreme Court passed down two conflicting decisions about the election results. The first validated the Central Election Commission's results, which named Bagapsh the winner, while the second--released several hours later--invalidated the entire election and called for new elections. A decree of incumbent President Vladislav Ardzinba followed, ordering new elections on the grounds that the "Supreme Court of the Republic of Abkhazia has not passed a decision at a time stipulated by the Constitution on complaints addressed to it and on defense of constitutional rights of citizens and prevention of threats to the constitutional order of Abkhazia." Bagapsh stated that he did not intend to obey Ardzinba's order. "At present, the sole legal document is the decision of the Supreme Court rendering the elections in Abkhazia to be valid, and I have been elected president of the republic," he said in an interview with Itar-Tass. Supporters of Khadzhimba blocked the entrance to Abkhazian parliament building on Monday, when he and Bagapsh arrived in Moscow. Khadzhimba's chief campaigner Vasily Avidzba said the protesters prevented parliamentarians from entering the building because they "were going to pass a resolution on annulment of the order of President Vladislav Ardzinba on the repeated elections of the head of the republic and declare a vote of no-confidence in the president." 5) Second Social Services Complex Opens in Armenia YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)--A new social service center opened in the Armenian city of Masis on November 2, to launch an experimental USAID program. The center, "One Stop Social Services," will house several local NGOs including, the Territorial Agency of Social Services, Territorial Center of Employment, Territorial Office of State Fund of Social Insurance, and the Commission of Medical-Social Expert Examination. Each NGO will take advantage of a networked computer system that will allow them to access larger databases. The technologically advanced system will centralize information and eliminate the need for multiple document submissions by those applying for services. Minister of Labor and Social Issues Aghvan Vardanian, announced that the specific database technology is being studied by Romanian, Albanian, and Georgian specialists, who are interested in introducing similar systems in their respective countries. At the opening of the center, US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans expressed hope that the new center would help alleviate the social and economic problems residents of Masis and its neighboring towns currently face. The town of Masis is currently home to 4,000 needy families, 1,500 unemployed, and 3,000 pensioners and disabled persons. "One Stop Social Services" is the second center of its kind in the republic. The first was established in the city of Vanadzor. 6) Source Reveals Russian Minister Discussed Railway Link via Abkhazia (RIA Novosti)--An unnamed source in the Georgian President's administration said that Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin, who visited Tbilisi on November 1, agreed with Georgian officials over setting up joint government groups to work on "technical aspects" of restoring the railway link between Russia and Armenia via Georgia, which lies through breakaway Abkhazia. On September 10, the railway link between Moscow and the capital of Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia was re-opened, triggering protests from Tbilisi, which insists that the process should be accompanied by the return of Georgia's internally displaced persons to Abkhazia. Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania told reporters after his talks with Levitin that the issue of railway connection was discussed during the meeting, but added that "until the normalization of the situation in Abkhazia occurs, talks over railway restoration make no sense." Georgian Economy Minister Kakha Bendukidze, however, downplayed Russia's unilateral decision to reopen its rail link with Abkhazia. Minister Levitin said at a news briefing after his talks with Zhvania and Bendukidze on November 1 that the Georgian officials showed an "understanding" towards Russia's decision to reopen its railway link with Abkhazia. He added that reopening of the route "should not lead to a worsening of relations" between the two countries. Armenia also insists on the reopening of the railway link via Abkhazia, which will enable it to restore its railway connection with Russia. President Robert Kocharian pressed this issue during recent talks with the Georgian leadership during his visit to Tbilisi in late October. On March 7, 2003, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Georgia's ex-President Eduard Shevardnadze signed an agreement in Sochi that envisioned "synchronization" of the two processes--the return of the internally displaced persons to Abkhazia's westernmost Gali region and the resumption of the railway connection. The two presidents also agreed to set up two separate bilateral government commissions to work out these issues; however, the commissions failed to complete the task. 7) Turkish Conference on Minority Rights' Ends in Chaos ANKARA (AFX.COM)A debate over a report criticizing breaches of minority rights in aspiring European Union member Turkey collapsed when members of a government-sponsored human rights group, which authored the document, clashed in public. The incident is the latest in a series of rows within the Human Rights Advisory Boarda body attached to the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoganwhich highlighted widespread hostility in Turkey to advanced cultural freedoms for the country's Kurdish and non-Muslim communities. Nationalist members of the board, which is comprised of government officials, academics, and civic groups, sabotaged a news conference called to formally release the report, which makes some controversial recommendations to the government and excerpts of which were last week leaked to the media. Shortly after the head of the board, Ibrahim Kaboglu, began speaking, a nationalist unionist grabbed the papers from his hands and tore them to pieces, yelling: "This report is a fabrication and should be torn apart." Kaboglu was forced to leave the hall, stating: "We cannot even hold a news conference. This is the state of freedom of thought in Turkey." The EU, which Turkey is seeking to join, has long pressed Ankara to grant equal cultural freedoms to its sizable Kurdish minority as well as smaller, non-Muslim communities such as Greeks, Armenians, and Jews. 8) New Community Center Opens in Gyumri GYUMRI (Armenpress)--On November 2, a new three-building community center complex opened in Gyumri, financed by the Norwegian Refugee Council. Mission Armenia and Douleurs Sans Frontieres (DSF, Pain Without Borders) will be providing social services to the local population which include refugees, earthquake victims, and local residents. These services include various facilities for youth and elderly persons, including a soup kitchen, a clinic and trauma center, laundry services, library, conference room, counseling services, as well as a Kindergarten for around 20 children. The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization that has worked actively for more than 50 years to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), regardless of their race, religion, nationality, or political convictions. The NRC's mission is to work for the rights of refugees and IDPs, assisting with food, shelter, and education, and offering counseling on repatriation. In Armenia, NRC has invested more that $10 million in refugee-targeted projects since 1995, including not only housing construction, but also building schools, and drinking and irrigation water pipelines. So far, NRC has provided new homes for over 600 refugee families in Armenia. Mission Armenia was registered in 1993, though its founding members started their activities since 1988, assisting those who suffered from the devastating earthquake. The organization's mission is to increase the quality of life for the elderly, refugees, and other vulnerable groups through its model of community-based assistance. Currently about 6,500 single older persons and 10,000 refugees residing at 250 temporary shelters benefit from Mission Armenia's community-based socio-healthcare and community development programs. Douleurs Sans Frontieres has advanced the mission of helping those in pain since 1995. Based in Europe, DSF is a non-governmental organization that has brought educational and clinical pain treatment programs to developing countries. Since November 2001, DSF has provided medico-psychological assistance for mothers and children from Gyumri and some from Yerevan. 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. 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