Month: June 2005

Post-Soviet separatist leaders plan meet
Agence France Presse — English
June 1, 2005 Wednesday 4:22 PM GMT
MOSCOW June 1 — Leaders of separatist regions tacitly backed by Russia
in several former Soviet republics plan to meet later this month to
“coordinate” their campaigns for independence, the top official from
the breakaway South Ossetia region in Georgia said here Wednesday.
“This is not just to see each other but to reinforce the foundations
of our states and to coordinate our actions,” Eduard Kokoity, the
“president” of South Ossetia, was quoted by ITAR-TASS news agency
as saying.
He said the meeting would group the leaders of South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, another separatist part of Georgia, as well as those of
Nagorny Karabakh, a territory occupied by Armenia but located inside
Azerbaijan, and Transdniestr, a Russian-speaking breakaway region
in Moldova.
Kokoity did not specify a time or place for the meeting.
“There are forces trying to disrupt our relations,” he said. “I think
they will not succeed.”
His comments came a week after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
called on leaders in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to drop their drive
for independence and return to Georgia.

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part A (Russia)
June 1, 2005, Wednesday
WE’VE LEFT THE BASE
SOURCE: Izvestia, June 1, 2005, p. 1 EV
by Petr Inozemtsev, Dmitry Litovkin
The outcome of unscheduled negotiations held by the Russian and
Georgian foreign ministers in Moscow on May 30 was very unexpected –
Russia no longer has active military bases in Georgia. In other
words, Russia has gotten rid of one of its imperial myths. In
reality, the military bases in Georgia had no military or political
significance.
The meaning of the statement made by the military is simple: the
bases located in Georgia will stop combat training. They will turn
into storage facilities for Russian military property until the final
withdrawal. This is an unexpected decision because in accordance with
the Russian-Georgian agreement Russia must accomplish the withdrawal
of the bases until the end of 2008. The status of Russian servicemen
will be absolutely uncertain until this moment. There were no such
precedents despite Moscow’s rich experience in withdrawing its troops
during the post-Soviet period.
The foreign ministers made optimistic statements after the end of
negotiations. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the joint
statement contains provisions, which must make the withdrawal
organized. Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili didn’t even
try to hide her satisfaction: “We have achieved our goal.”
By the way, the “progress” achieved in Moscow concerns some other
aspects of Russian-Georgian relations.
Sergei Lavrov said that Russia and Georgia seek to accomplish
delimitation of the border and cooperate in settling the conflicts
with Abkhazia and Ossetia.
It’s a surprise that Russia will start withdrawing its bases as
urgently. Russia will pass over the 142nd tank repair plant (Tbilisi)
to Georgia in two weeks (!) until June 15. A range of other military
objects will be passed over to Georgia until September 1 (a
communication center in Kodzhori, the Gonio firing range and more).
In addition, around 40 armored combat vehicles, including 20 tanks,
will be withdrawn from Georgia until autumn. All heavy military
vehicles will leave Akhalkalaki at the end of 2006.
In principle, Russia assumed the obligation to withdraw it bases from
Georgia after the OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999, which decided to
adapt so-called conventional arms agreement signed by NATO and
members of the Warsaw Pact. Russia agreed to sign the agreement to
withdraw the 50th base in Gudaut and the 137th base in Vaziani within
two years. Moscow met its obligations earlier – both bases were shut
down before July 1, 2001.
As far as the 12th base in Batumi and the 62nd base in Akhalkalaki
are concerned, Russia and Georgia had to hold additional negotiations
over the timing of the withdrawal of these bases. Georgia repeatedly
reproached Russia for hindering this issue.
Originally, the Defense Ministry planned to create two special
brigades of mountaineers. It is intended to relocate them to the
Botlikh village (Dagestan) and the Zelenchukskaya village in
Karachayevo-Cherkessia. However, First Deputy Defense Minister
Alexander Belousov stated that Russia intended to start building the
infrastructure for these units only after 2006. This means that the
units withdrawn from Georgia may be relocated to tent camps.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov repeatedly stated: “If Georgia
wants us to leave it must pay for military settlements and bases,
which we will have to build in Russia.”
Sergei Ivanov noted that this would cost $500 million. For instance,
Germany paid 8.5 billion marks for the withdrawal of Soviet troops.
In addition, Germany built several scores of settlements for Russian
servicemen. Russia should not expect this from Georgia. Moscow’s
claims decreased to $200-$300 million under pressure from Georgia,
which promised to recover money from Russia for damaging the
environment. At present Moscow does not discuss this issue at all.
The Russian Defense Ministry has already stated that the major part
of military hardware will be relocated to the Russian military base
in Gyumri, Armenia. Russia has no other solution despite the fact
that Moscow’s intention has already aggravated relations with Baku.
The point is that the only railway from Georgia to Russia crosses
Abkhazia. Tbilisi cannot ensure security of Russian military hardware
in this region.
Translated by Alexander Dubovoi

AZERBAIJAN OPPOSES THE PRESENCE OF FOREIGN MINISTRY BASES IN THE SOUTHERN CAUCASUS
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 1, 2005, Wednesday
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, of Azerbaijan, stated at a press
conference on May 30, that Azerbaijan supports Georgia’s position to
make Russia withdraw its military bases. He noted that Azerbaijan is
concerned about Moscow’s intention to relocate part of the weapons
from these bases to Armenia. He said, “Azerbaijan has already sent a
note to Russia, and expects to receive an answer.” The deputy foreign
minister said, “We think that the presence of foreign military bases
contravenes the interests of nations living in this region.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russia starts withdrawal of its military equipment from Georgia
RosBusinessConsulting Database
June 1, 2005 Wednesday 8:24 am, EST
Russia has started withdrawal of its military equipment from the
republic of Adzhariya. Representatives of Georgian state institutions
observed the process, according to information released by headquarters
of the Group of Russian troops in the Caucasus region. The equipment
is transported to Armenia. The withdrawal is to be carried out before
the end of 2008.

Armenia doesn’t plan to join NATO
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 1, 2005 Wednesday 2:25 PM Eastern Time
YEREVAN, June 1 — Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan, who is
also the Secretary of the National Security Council, said on Wednesday
that the question of NATO membership was not in Armenia’s foreign
policy agenda.
“Nevertheless, we consider cooperation with NATO and the United States
to be an aspect of the country’s national security,” the minister
told Senator Norm Coleman at a meeting on Wednesday.
Sarkisyan described Armenia’s relations with the United States as good
and dynamic. “Military cooperation with the United States started three
years ago, the agreements, which we have signed, create favourable soil
for effective growth of reciprocal ties,” Sarkisyan went on to say.
The Armenian defence minister recalled that Yerevan was simultaneously
developing relations with European countries, including both NATO and
non-NATO members. Armenia cooperates with Russia and other members of
the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the military sphere,
Sarkisyan said. The most important thing is that these relations are
void of contradictions, the Armenian defence minister added.

Armenian Society of Los Angeles will meet to discuss a building project denied by the city.
By Fred Ortega, News-Press and Leader
Glendale News Press
Published June 1, 2005
GLENDALE — The Armenian Society of Los Angeles will meet Friday to discuss
its options following a denial by the Glendale Redevelopment Agency of a
proposed 53,000-square-foot center on South Louise Street.
In response to the Glendale Redevelopment Agency’s denial of a plan to build
a 53,000-square-foot center on South Louise Street, the Armenian Society of
Los Angeles plans to meet to discuss its options.
Under a 2003 agreement, the Redevelopment Agency agreed to a $5-million land
swap with the society, giving it city-owned land on Louise Street in
exchange for its current 11,000-square-foot building on South Brand
Boulevard. The city needed the Brand property to make way for the Americana
at Brand project. The city also agreed to give the group $250,000 to pay for
temporary office space at 320 Wilson Ave. while the new center is built.
The Redevelopment Agency, comprised of City Council members, voted 3-2 last
week to deny the society’s proposal, which would have included a theater, a
banquet hall and a library within a modern, glass and steel structure. The
proposed building received preliminary approval from the city’s Design
Review Board and Redevelopment Agency staff members.
Councilmen Bob Yousefian and Dave Weaver, as well as Mayor Rafi Manoukian,
felt the building would be out of place in the neighborhood and wanted the
size reduced substantially.
“I spent a long time going through the project floor by floor, trying to
understand what they were trying to accomplish,” Yousefian said. “We
envisioned them having a building that was similar size or a little bigger,
or even twice as big, so it could provide the same kind of services it had
provided in the past. Our responsibility is to make them whole, not five
times larger.”
The society’s proposal also lacked the necessary parking for a building of
that scale, Yousefian said.
“The building they are proposing will require 5,000 parking spaces. They
have provided zero,” he said.
But Vrej Agajanian, chairman of the society’s board of trustees, countered
that an initial memorandum of understanding between the society and the city
did not require more than 300 parking spaces.
“In addition, this was stage one of the process, dealing with the concept of
the building,” said Agajanian, who made an unsuccessful bid for the council
in April. “In stages two and three, you do an environmental report and
parking assessment, but we are not there yet, so I do not know why they were
talking about parking.”
The society has already hired Linscott, Law and Greenspan, the
Pasadena-based traffic-engineering firm used for the Town Center, as its
parking consultant, Agajanian said.
Yousefian also questioned the size of the proposed center, saying that the
50-year-old society only has about 300 members.
The group has 1,000 members in its database, Armenian Society of Los Angeles
President Tomik Alexanian said, and he estimates that there as many as 2,000
members that are not registered but that are involved in everyday
activities, such as Sunday school and dance classes.
“We are not trying to inflate or overestimate what we have,” said Alexanian.
“We need this space.”
The group also worked with a city architect for seven months and
incorporated its suggested changes, including dropping the proposed
square-footage to 53,000 from over 60,000, he said.
Glendale staff members and the city architect went as far as they could in
helping the society adapt its project to the city’s design guidelines, said
Philip Lanzafame, the city’s interim director of development services.
“But the agency felt the project was not headed in the right direction, that
it was too big,” said Lanzafame. “So next time, we will have the benefit of
the agency’s comments to help them redesign.”
The society’s next meeting will be held Friday at 7 p.m. at its current
location, 221 S. Brand Blvd.
* FRED ORTEGA covers City Hall. He may be reached at (818) 637-3235 or by
e-mail at [email protected].

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
June 1, 2005, Wednesday
10:03:10 Central European Time
New penal code comes into force in Turkey
Ankara
A new penal code designed to update Turkey’s justice system in line
with European Union norms came into force on Wednesday but still
attracted criticism from journalist groups concerned about
restrictions to freedom of conscience.
The first complete revision of the penal code since the establishment
of the republic in 1923 was passed last year and brings in a number
of human rights reforms especially in the field of women’s rights.
Forcing girls to undergo virginity tests, a practice that was fairly
common until recently, is now specifically against the law and
provisions that allowed lesser sentences for those convicted of
“honour killings” have been removed.
The new code also increases sentences to between three and 12 years
for officials found guilty of inflicting torture.
New crimes in the code include human smuggling, committing genocide
and denying another persons human rights.
While the code has been praised by human rights groups and the
European Union – it was a precondition for the beginning of
membership talks in October – it has been severely criticised by
journalist groups.
Under the code journalists could be disciplined if they call on
military conscription to be axed or insult a minister of state. It
has also been suggested that stating in print that Turkey committed
genocide on Armenians during and after the First World War – a charge
that Turkey denies – could result in heavy prison terms.
It is the vagueness of the law which upsets journalists groups who
are worried that conservative judges could interpret an “insult” to
be almost anything critical of the state or government.
Some fears were allayed when parliament passed amendments to the code
last week but media groups say they did not go far enough.
Oktay Eksi, head of the Turkish Press Council said in an open letter
to the prime minister that he would go as far as the European Court
of Human Rights to have the offending articles removed.
The government also stirred up controversy last week when it removed
the threat of imprisonment for those who set up illegal Koran
courses.
The move was severely criticised by secular groups concerned that it
may lead to a rise in Islamic extremism. That particular provision
must still be signed by the president before it comes into force. dpa
cw sr

Armenia: Unity Dance (1918-2005)
Azad-Hye, Dubai
June 1 2005
AZAD-HYE (Dubai, 1st June 2005): May 28, is a great day for Armenians,
the day of the independence declaration of the first republic (1918),
established after miraculous victories in Sartarabad, Pash Abaran
and Gharakilise.
Commemorating this historical event Armenians decided to have a great
national festivity this year with an aim of displaying unity. The
result was the performance of the first circle dance of its kind
in the world, with the participation of about 150 thousand dancers,
encircling Armenian~Rs highest mountain Arakadz and creating a human
dancing chain of 163 kilometres.
The chain passed through several regions and involved more than 100
communities in the Arakadzodn and Shirag regions, in addition to
thousands of participants who poured in from the capital Yerevan,
driving on some 60 kilometres.
The dance started under the rhythm of traditional music at 3 p.m. and
lasted for 15 minutes. The participants were standing at about
one meter distance from each other, wearing apricot coloured caps,
symbolizing one of the colours of the Armenian flag. Each group was
assigned to a particular section of the area.
President Robert Kocharian and his guest famous French-Armenian
singer Charles Aznavour took also part in the spectacular dancing
session. Foreign tourists were seen in several points of the cheerful
chain.
Along the highway of this round dance a tree planting program (called
tree of love to the fatherland) was carried on since April. The
evening just before the dancing, great fireworks were lighted up,
symbolizing Saint Krikor the Illuminator~Rs lamp, traditionally
believed to brighten the sky dome over Mount Arakadz, professed to
be seen by the believers only.
Television news had several great shots of the dance. Four helicopters
were covering the event from different locations.
Vanoush Khanamiryan, President of the Dance Union, took part in the
dance together with 6000 professional dancers, representing some 50
dancing groups, all wearing national dresses. Famous musician Ara
Gevorgyan composed a song dedicated to the event.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, spent the night before the dance along
the dance route, singing and dancing around fires, while the day
of the dance had such huge numbers of people that the line at times
became five or six rows deep. In one case, the dancer was one of the
Armenian soldiers who danced the Kochari in Berlin, celebrating the
Soviet takeover of the city in World War II.
The enthusiasm was so obvious that people started expressing the wish
to organize next dance around biblical Mount Ararat.
A parallel unity dance was organized in Artsakh.
Some saw in these festivities a trace of an old Armenian worship of
stone and nature elements.
Videotapes will be sent to the Guinness headquarters for evaluation
and probably there would be reference to this dance in the Guinness
Record Book.
Let us hope that this dancing ceremony will turn into a tradition
connected to 28th May and will symbolize the Armenian unity and joy
of communication and solidarity under the free sky of the motherland.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 1, 2005, Wednesday
CIS: ARMY BROTHERHOOD IS DRAWING ITS LAST BREATH
SOURCE: Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye, No 19, May 27 – June 2,
2005, p. 2
by Igor Plugatarev
CIS Headquarters for Coordination of Military Cooperation
(Headquarters) is drawing its last breath. CIS leaders (Russia,
Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia,
Georgia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan) will meet in
Moscow on June 22-23 and make the final decision, according to
Nikolai Bordyuzha, General Secretary of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan).
Established in 1992, the headquarters never lived up to expectations.
Military cooperation within the framework of the Commonwealth
deteriorated with each passing year, meetings of defense ministers
became a pure formality. It is clear after all that CIS countries set
military relations with others in accordance with their interests and
not with some structure with vague functions and duties established
in the 1990’s. Moreover, military policy of many of these countries
clearly aims at a confrontation with Moscow. Ukraine regularly
generates tension of the Russian Black Sea Fleet which prevents its
speedy integration into NATO. Georgia and Moldova insist on
withdrawal of Russian military contingents from their territories.
Turkmenistan does not even participate in the work of the
Headquarters or CIS Council of Defense Ministers. Uzbekistan prefers
to deal with Russia within the framework of the Shanghai Organization
of Cooperation… The situation being what it is, the work of the
Headquarters was a fiction.
“Bona fide military cooperation and effective interaction between law
enforcement agencies is restricted to the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization alone,” Bordyuzha said on May 24.
Asked if the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization was to
become even more active when cooperation between defense ministries
of CIS countries was finally over, Bordyuzha replied that it was.
According to Bordyuzha, the next meeting of defense ministers of
countries of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization in June,
will contemplate over 50 issues. They include problems of
peacekeeping, discussion of a mechanism of compilation of the list of
terrorist organizations. Improvement of the personnel training
system. “A great deal of issues have to do with the force element. We
will discuss within its framework plans of coalitionist military
development until 2010,” Bordyuzha said.
No new members are to be admitted into the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization this time. Observers say that it will be logical
for Uzbekistan to apply for membership but Bordyuzha says that
Tashkent has not submitted its request yet.
As for expansion of the force element of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization, “we are talking about establishment of a major
army group in the Central Asian region. We will discuss it at the CIS
Council of Defense Ministers,” to quote Bordyuzha. (There are already
Russian-Belarussian, Western, Russian-Armenian, and Caucasus army
groups within the framework of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization.)
Six defense ministers may also discuss establishment of a new
military base of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization. At
the very least, work with public opinion on that score is already
under way. The base may be established in the town of Osh,
Kyrgyzstan.
Bordyuzha ducked the direct question if a base in Osh was to be
established. “Some representatives of former security structures of
Kyrgyzstan suggested the idea, but official Bishkek has not submitted
an application,” Bordyuzha said. “We will discuss it if and when it
is submitted.”
In fact, the plans to establish a base in Osh were first revealed by
Andrei Kokoshin, Chairman of the Committee for CIS Affairs of the
Duma and ex-secretary of the Security Council. It happened on May 22,
in Osh itself, when the delegation of the Russian parliament was
visiting Kyrgyzstan. According to Modest Kolerov (chief of the
directorate of presidential administration for contacts with foreign
countries who was also in Osh then), establishment of military bases
in Kyrgyzstan was indeed discussed at the Russian lawmakers’ meeting
with acting president of the Central Asian republic. Moreover, the
discussion was initiated by acting President Kurmanbek Bakiyev
himself. Sources in Bishkek confirm Bakiyev’s words, that he does not
object to establishment of a counter-terrorism center in Kyrgyzstan
on the basis of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization or
any other structure.
Russian military experts view Bakiyev’s offer as quite logical.
Colonel Anatoly Tsyganok, Director of the Center of Military
Forecasts, says that because of the lack of stability on the
territory between Kokand, Ferghana, Namangan, and Andizhan, the
Russian-Kyrgyz counter-terrorism center could closely cooperate with
the army group of the Uzbek East District that controls the situation
in the Ferghana Valley but that cannot hope to come with a rebellion
or another color revolution. At first, however, the experts suggests
the use of the Russian peacekeeper brigade of the Volga-Urals
Military District. “It will be great from the point of view of public
relations,” Tsyganok said. “On the request from Bishkek and Tashkent,
capitals of the countries that are members of the Shanghai
Organization of Cooperation, Russian peacekeepers are deployed to
assist Kyrgyz and Uzbek border guards, to maintain order, and divide
the warring sides… It will be even possible to involve the CIS
Collective Security Treaty Organization at a later date.”
As for the Kyrgyz population’s attitude towards the possibility of
return of the Russian military, Russian Consul Yuri Ivanov says that
the locals do not object. “The officials and men in the streets I
talked to cannot wait to see the Russian military back,” the diplomat
said. “The widespread opinion is that it will only benefit the
republic.” There was a transit base in Osh not long ago used to ship
consignments to the Russian group of border guards and 201st
Motorized Infantry Division in Tajikistan.
Sources in the secretariat and bodies of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization say that “as they say, there is something to
establish the base in Osh on. There is good military infrastructure
there, a military airfield near the civilian one capable of receiving
small transport planes…”
According to what information Nezavisimoye Voyennoye Obozreniye has
compiled, Kyrgyz army has a substantial group in Osh at this point.
The matter concerns the 1st Separate Brigade of Mountaineers (1,400
men, 108 fighting vehicles, 36 artillery pieces and mortars) and the
3rd Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade (almost 300 men, 30 S-60 57 mm
artillery pieces, 30 100 mm antiaircraft pieces, and 4 antiaircraft
mobile Shilkas). Command of the 1st Border Detachment is quartered in
Osh too. A subdivision of the CIS Counter-Terrorism Center is located
in Bishkek itself.

The forbidden word and common denominators
By: Adil Al-Baghdadi
Kurdistan Observer, MI
June 1 2005
June 1, 2005
What do a Turkish immigration officer at Istanbul airport, a Turkish
tour guide in Diyarbakir and a Turkish student at a college in Istanbul
have in common?
Apart from the obvious fact that they are all Turks, the answer is
that they all can resort to violence if they hear the word Kurdistan.
Sadly, intolerance and willingness to use violence seem to be common
denominators in many strands of Turkish society which have been
deliberately, and for far too long, misinformed about the history of
nations and regions within their midst.
Many Kurds who travel to South Kurdistan through North Kurdistan can
recite many stories about the way they were harshly dealt with by
Turkish passport control officials at Istanbul airport.
One story is that of an Ezidi Kurd who holds a British EU passport
with the word Kurdistan written as the place of birth.
Handing over his passport for inspection, the transit passenger,
who had planned to visit his family in South Kurdistan after decades
of exile, was unaware that his long-awaited journey would turn into
a nightmare.
Seeing the forbidden word, the Turkish passport officer unexpectedly
rose up from his chair and slapped the unsuspecting passenger across
the face, who then was taken to custody, kept overnight and deported
back to Britain.
There was also the case a British Kurdish family including two
children who were roughly handled and treated by Turkish airport
officials upon seeing the banned word on their passports. Their case
was widely reported in British dailies and was investigated by the
British Foreign Office.
Another story of how emotions run deep and are highly charged in a
society which has been made to feel unnerved and unsettled upon hearing
or seeing the forbidden word, is that of many Turkish tour guides.
On a sunny day in Diyarbakir a tourist group from the Far East were
being told about the history of the region by their South Korean
tour guide who let it be known to them that they had arrived in the
Kurdistan region.
Next, all the tourists saw was a Turkish man, who as it turned out was
a guide for another group, pouncing on their guide and then landing
many punches and kicks on the hapless South Korean.
The assailant was later taken to the police station but immediately
released once he told arresting officers that because he understood
the Japanese language he had over heard his colleague uttering the
forbidden word to the tourists.
Another example of intolerance and potential violence within the
Turkish state that may have caused alarm within the EU concerned an
Austrian lecturer at Saint-Georges College in Istanbul.
Gerhard Pils, a professor of biology, was describing to his Turkish
students a trip he made with his family to the North Kurdistan region
of Turkey.
At this point two students rose up and shouted that they would kill
anyone who said the word Kurdistan.
The 50-year-old lecturer was then reported to the authorities by the
parents of the students and subsequently had his work permit and visa
cancelled. He was ordered to leave Turkey at once, on the pretext of
being a threat to national security.
That such incidents are still frequent in Turkey is an indication of
Turkey’s unwillingness to embark on a campaign to truly implement EU
adaptation packages.
It is also evidence of how much work needs to be done by human rights
groups and liberal elements within Turkey in order to undo and break
taboos of more than eight decades.
The fact that Turkey has been forced to look into its not-so-glamorous
past, vis-a-vis the genocide of the Armenians, is perhaps a sure sign
that the country will also be forced into removing all sorts of bans
on North Kurdistan.
Freedom and tolerance towards others is the cornerstone of modern
European entities, which have also long forgone racial prejudices
and discrimination.
It is high time for Turkey to adhere to EU club’s rules and
regulations.