ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
05/23/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) His Holiness Karekin II's Pontifical Visit to the West Coast 2) Margarian Says Armenia Should Resist Turkish Demands 3) Kassarji, Pakradouni ARF Candidates for Metn and Bakaa Districts 4) Violence Clouds Launch of Major US-Backed Caspian Oil Pipeline 1) His Holiness Karekin II's Pontifical Visit to the West Coast LOS ANGELES--The second Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, to the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, will take place from June 1-20. This particular visit is of historical significance as the foundations of the new Mother Cathedral of the 107-year-old Diocese will be laid during a groundbreaking ceremony. The Pontiff's visit marks a milestone in the life of the Armenian community in North America. During his time in California, the Catholicos will celebrate Divine Liturgy, visit Diocese churches, conduct religious services, meet with organizations and youth, as well as visit hospitals in the area. The Blessing of the Foundation Stones of the Mother Cathedral of the Western Diocese will take place on Saturday, June 4, at 10:00 AM, presided by His Holiness and assisted by Western Diocese Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. The Pontifical banquet welcoming His Holiness will take place later that evening at the Century Plaza Hotel. For reservations or more information, visit the Armenian Church website at or contact the Diocesan office at (818) 558-7474. The Pontifical Divine Liturgy will be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 5 at 3:30 PM. His Holiness will travel up the coast of California visiting the parishes of Central and Northern California from June 11-20. 2) Margarian Says Armenia Should Resist Turkish Demands YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Responding to a question about the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's (ARF) readiness to establish normal relations with Turkey, ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margarian said the ARF believes that Armenia should not give in to the Turkish preconditions to establish relations. "It is not the ARF, but Armenia that is to have normal relations with Turkey. It is the hostile position of the Turkish government toward Armenia that obstructs the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations; since Armenia's independence, Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia. Moreover, it has imposed a blockade since 1993," said Margarian. In the interview posted on Yerkir's website, Margarian added, "The process of establishing 'normal relations' between the two countries would not succeed unless Turkey recognizes its responsibility for the Armenian Genocide." For full interview, visit Speaking on the issue of government corruption, Margarian said, `The struggle against corruption is a continuous process and requires a hard work...we are relentless in this issue, though we should admit we are not satisfied with the results.' When asked about recent statements made by some government officials on the Karabagh issue, the ARF Bureau representative stated, `Until the Karabagh issue has been settled, our people have the right and should sensitively follow the statements and positions of any politician, but we should know that if you agree to engage in talks you should be ready for concessions. What is important here is what you concede. We began to concede when we accepted the cease-fire and when we put off the declaration on reuniting Karabagh with the Republic of Armenia. But if some wish to agree to give up a part of the homeland or independence, they are going to fail.' 3) Kassarji, Pakradouni ARF Candidates for Metn and Bakaa Districts BEIRUT (Aztagdaily.com)--A week after calling on local Armenians to withhold from voting in Beirut district parliamentary elections, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) of Lebanon announced its candidates for the Metn and Bekaa districts--Hagop Pakradouni and current parliament deputy George Kassarji, respectively. According to the ARF, when Armenians get out their vote in Metn and Bekaa, the absence of votes in heavily Armenian populated electoral districts it has decided to boycott will be even more effective in revealing the actual force of Armenians in the country. "With one area [Beirut] boycotting elections and another voting full-force, Lebanese Armenians will, in any event, prove that their will must be considered by the various forces in the Lebanon's political arena, when shaping the future of Lebanon," the ARF Central Committee announced. The party's decision to not participate in the Beirut elections came after its two candidates were excluded from Saad Hariri, son of the slain former premier Rafik Hariri's electoral list for Beirut's constituencies. The party later pulled its two candidates Stepan Der Bedrossian and Jacques Chookhadarian from the race, calling it a "logical subsequent step" to boycotting the elections--since the ARF's candidates would have garnered victories, considering the party's influence in the area, and the four Armenian seats up for grabs. 4) Violence Clouds Launch of Major US-Backed Caspian Oil Pipeline BAKU (AFX)--The planned launch this Wednesday of the $4 billion Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, a major US-backed global energy initiative, has been clouded by a recent violent crackdown on the opposition in Azerbaijan. British oil giant BP holds a 30 percent stake in the consortium running the pipeline. Other consortium members include Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR, Amerada Hess, ConocoPhillips, Eni, Inpex, Itochu, Statoil, TPAO, and Unocal. A huge 11-year-long undertaking, the pipeline will transform the Caucasus and Turkey into an energy bridge between the Caspian and the rest of the world when it is fully operational six months from now. But much of the gleam of that accomplishment was worn away over the past week by Azerbaijan when police badly beat and arrested scores of people attending a peaceful rally on Saturday as part of a wider crackdown linked to the pipeline's opening. Authorities refused to allow the rally, saying that it fell too close to the opening ceremony on Wednesday, which US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a host of other foreign dignitaries were due to attend. Police rounded up some 30 opposition members ahead of the protest in what the opposition alleged was an attempt to derail the rally and arrested another 45 during the rally itself as they doled out severe beatings to dozens of pro-democracy protestors. David Woodward, chief executive of BP's Azerbaijan division, criticized the violence and voiced skepticism on the government's stated rationale for the crackdown. "It's very unfortunate," Woodward said, referring to the weekend violence. "I find it rather surprising that they should feel the need to ban a small gathering like that essentially well before any of the VIPs arrive." The crackdown was widely criticized by the West, with Norway's ambassador to Baku, Steinar Gil, saying some guests expected at the opening ceremony may find it embarrassing to take part while opposition activists remain in detention. The 1,770 km-long pipeline, which will ship up to a million barrels of Caspian oil to the Mediterranean daily, was built with financial support from the US. It was initiated in 1994 as part of Azerbaijan's so-called "deal of the century"--a massive oil contract signed in the early 1990s to develop Caspian Sea oil. The US hopes transporting oil from this region will reduce its dependence on fuel from the volatile Middle East. At the same time, the project has loosened Moscow's grip here and bolstered US influence in the region. For Azerbaijan, wracked by corruption and poverty, the project has been a useful political tool with officials lauding it as the answer to all of the country's financial problems. But the crackdown on the opposition has highlighted concerns that the awaited benefits, an estimated $40-60 billion in oil revenues in the next 30 years, will not trickle down to the general population in an atmosphere of general unaccountability. SOCAR, which holds a 25 pct stake in the BP-led pipeline consortium, refused to comment on concerns that a high level of opacity in the company could hamper public accountability to the project. "There is little transparency in the oil industry and a lot of corruption in society, and that's a very bad combination," said Ingilab Ahmedov of Baku's Public Finance Monitoring Center. According to BP's Woodward, the government is trying to deal with the issue. But he said "the old guard," or officials who have remained in power since the death in 2003 of the president, Heydar Aliyev, "don't want to see reforms progress...and wish to pursue their own personal interests." Internationally, too, critics have said that the West and especially the US have been too soft on Azerbaijan in their quest to secure oil supplies. "There is a huge reluctance to make a stink of what's inexcusable and most of that is to do with wanting to maintain the security of supply," said Simon Taylor, a director at Global Witness, the London-based watchdog focused on corruption in resource-rich states. 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) 2005 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. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress