Month: June 2005

Azeri President Rules out Possibility of Popular Uprisings
The New Anatolian
June 29 2005
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev on Tuesday ruled out the
possibility of popular uprisings in his country similar to those that
toppled unpopular regimes in other former Soviet nations.
Opposition activists have held three rallies in as many weeks in
Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, demanding free and fair elections in
November. The mounting pressure on authorities has led some observers
to predict the Caspian Sea nation could see a massive uprising
similar to those in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.
Asked in a live interview with Turkey’s CNN-Turk television if the
same could happen in Azerbaijan, Aliev replied: “Absolutely not.”
“Some parallels havebeen drawn, but every country has its own
history, its own process,” Aliev said in the interview in Baku. “I
don’t see the fundamentals for it to happen.”
“In those countries there was no faith between the government and the
people. … The people did not accept their actions… They wanted
change,” Aliev said.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan travels to Azerbaijan on
Wednesday for a two-day visit in which he is expected to urge greater
democracy in the country. Turkey and Azerbaijan share close cultural
and linguistic ties and are close allies. Turkey closed its border
with Armenia in 1993 in a show of support for Azerbaijan’s six-year
war with Armenia.
The November election is key for Azerbaijan, the starting point of a
pipeline that Washington says will reduce world dependence on Middle
Eastern oil.
The opposition has accused authorities of rigging the October 2003
presidential election, which allowed Aliev to succeed his late
father, Geidar Aliev.
That vote triggered clashes between police and opposition
demonstrators who alleged the vote had been rigged. One person died
in the violence, and nearly 200 were injured.
Aliev’s government denied the allegations of vote-rigging and ignored
the opposition demands to change electoral law.
“There will be no problem,” Aliev told CNN-Turk in reference to the
November election. “The necessary decrees have been issued. It will
be bright, democratic and transparent.”
Source: The New Anatolian, 29 June 2005
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Zaman, Turkey
June 29 2005
Gul: Reforms for the Muslim World Should not be Imposed from Outside
By Suleyman Kurt
Published: Wednesday June 29, 2005
zaman.com
The Organization of Islamic Conferences (OIC) convened Tuesday in
the Yemen capital, Sana’a with a reform agenda.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul called on his counterparts
to undertake reforms during the opening of the three-day meeting in
which 57 Islamic countries are participating.
Gul emphasized Turkey’s full support for the restructuring works of
the OIC and demanded support from Muslim countries for its temporary
membership into the United Nations (UN) Security Council for the
2009-2010 terms and for a lifting of the isolations on the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister
Serdar Denktas who represented the TRNC participated in the meeting
for the first time under the name “Cyprus Turkish State”.
Turkey also presented a draft to the OIC including suggestions for
sound developments in the reform process for Muslim countries. The
draft sums up how to conduct the reform efforts following main six
topics and will expectedly form the basis of the reform process. The
Turkish Foreign Minister focusing on the issue in his speech yesterday
drew attention to the significance of civil society as well: “Non
governmental organizations in Muslim countries may contribute the
reform process by aiming at good governing and the rational use
of resources.”
Gul listed the principles of reform: “Reforms should come from within
and not be imposed from without. They should be ‘genuine’. They
should be laid on legal foundations to ensure sustainable execution,
especially in the field of economics. They should be founded upon
such universal and common values as gender equality, transparency,
accountability, and the supremacy of the law. The reform process
should be flexible enough to enable progress. Reforms should be
shaped with an eye on nature and the needs of society. Their execution
should be gradual.” Gul highlighted the importance of the efforts on
political and cultural dialogue in the struggle to prevent hostility
against Islam. Announcing Turkey’s support for the Organization’s
restructuring, the Turkish Minister said, “This should be realized
in absolute transparency and with the complete agreement of all the
member states”. In his speech Gul also touched upon the problems of
Western Thrace, Palestine-Israel, Iraq and Karabag (Karabakh).
OIC Secretary-General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in his speech
said, “Development and reforms constitute the unique real guarantee
for the ‘salvation’ of Islamic society and for a reduction in the gap
between us and the developed world before it reaches catastrophic
dimensions.” Indicating the most valuable service the OIC could
provide to Islamic Society would be to help it endure the hardships
of today and to restore its ancient impassioned days, Ihsanoglu said,
this requires a genuine reform process in the OIC.
In the meantime, Gul met his Iranian counterpart Kemal Kharazzi
at Sana’a. The two did not touch upon Tehran’s nuclear activities,
as the Turkish Minister reiterated Turkey’s support for the use of
nuclear energy for peaceful ends. Good relations with Iran would
continue in the post presidential Iranian election period as well.
Arab reporters protested the meeting for being poorly organized.

President says Armenia has ‘no choice but to withdraw’ from occupied land
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 29 2005
The ongoing talks on settling the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno Karabakh are reassuring, President Ilham Aliyev said.
In an interview with CNN Turkey TV channel on Tuesday, Aliyev said
Azerbaijan will not put up with the occupation of Nagorno Karabakh.
“Armenia has no other choice but to pull out from the occupied land”,
he said.
Touching upon statements on the possibility of a ‘velvet revolution’
in Azerbaijan, the President said he sees no grounds for this.
“I am fulfilling my duties with courage and confidence and relying
on people’s support.”
From: Baghdasarian

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Jamestown Foundation
June 29 2005
CIS MILITARY STRUCTURES SEEN SHRINKING AT DEFENSE MINISTERS’ MEETING
By Vladimir Socor
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Russian Defense Minister Ivanov is chairing the CIS Council of
Defense Ministers meeting. The Council of Defense Ministers of CIS
member countries met in a depleted format on June 24 in Dushanbe,
with Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov in the chair. The host,
Tajikistan’s President Imomali Rakhmonov, noted the “negative impact
of disintegration processes” — a reversal of the ubiquitous Russian
cliche “integratsionnyie protsessy.” Georgia, Moldova, and (as usual)
Turkmenistan were absent; Ukraine had announced in advance that it
would downgrade its attendance to that of an observer; and there was
no clear word regarding Uzbekistan’s attendance.
Rakhmonov aired an unprecedented proposal for creation of
rapid-deployment forces of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) for Central Asia, in parallel with the existing
rapid-deployment structure of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO). As the SCO includes China and Uzbekistan, which
are not CSTO members, Rakhmonov’s proposal may be read either as a
veiled attempt at balancing the CSTO, or as an implicit
acknowledgment of the CSTO’s ineffectiveness. The Dushanbe meeting
also discussed inconclusively the issue of drug trafficking from
Afghanistan, which Ivanov and Rakhmonov termed the main security
challenge to neighboring countries. All these issues are, in any
case, beyond the competence of the CIS as such and its Defense
Ministers’ Council.
The meeting was only able to review the operation of the CIS Joint
Air Defense System in 2004 and a framework plan for 2006-10. In fact,
the Dushanbe session — like the CSTO’s summit in Moscow on June 24
— highlighted Russia’s shift of emphasis from the CIS nonintegrated
air defense system to an integrated one to be developed within the
CSTO (see below).
The meeting approved a six-month extension of the powers of Russia’s
Maj.-General Sergei Chaban as commander of the “CIS peacekeeping
force in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone.” Such extension is
granted routinely to Russian-appointed holders of that post at
six-month intervals by the CIS Defense Ministers’ forum. In this
case, the decision demonstrated even more starkly than usual the
disregard for international law and internal due process in CIS
bodies. The meeting confirmed Chaban in Georgia’s absence. With
Chaban first appointed in March, the extension was not due for
routine consideration until September; but, apparently, Moscow is not
certain whether another CIS defense ministers’ meeting can be held
(or held smoothly) by that time. The fictitious CIS label covers a
purely Russian force. The CIS has no legal authority to grant
peacekeeping mandates; even Moscow no longer claims such authority on
behalf of the CIS, but rather for the CSTO.
In the meeting’s aftermath, Russia’s Air Force Commander in Chief,
General Vladimir Mikhailov, threatened to “smash terrorist bands
beyond Russia’s territory.” Specifically, Mikhailov accused Georgia
of harboring “bandits in that [Pankisi] valley, who can move as they
please.” He dismissed Georgian concerns about violations of its
airspace by Russian planes with a guffaw: “Fear has big eyes, and
Georgians think that we are flying over Tbilisi.” This latter remark
seemed to gloat over Georgia’s unrequited wish to procure modern
airspace surveillance equipment (Itar-Tass, June 27). Earlier this
month, Russia’s Federal Security Service anti-terrorism directorate
chief, Yuri Sapunov, similarly accused Georgia and also Azerbaijan of
allowing their territories to be used by “international terrorism.”
Mikhailov supervises an ongoing CIS air defense exercise, Combat
Commonwealth 2005, the first phase of which began on June 24 and is
scheduled to culminate on July 10. The exercise includes detection
and firing practice at the Telemba range in Russia’s Chita oblast, as
well as rehearsing coordinated actions of air defense units of
Kaliningrad-based Russian forces with those of Belarus. The second
stage and third stages, from July through September, will take place
in Kazakhstan and at Russia’s Ashuluk training range in Astrakhan
region. Although billed in keeping with tradition as a CIS exercise,
Combat Commonwealth 2005 in fact involves only CSTO member countries.
This reflects Russia’s just-announced decision to fall back on the
“core” group CSTO while bypassing or discarding CIS military
structures, due to the political fragmentation of the CIS.
Russia hopes to persuade NATO to deal with individual CSTO member
countries via Moscow, rather than directly. However, most CSTO member
countries will not willingly accept such a limitation. Armenia does
not. And, on June 24, Kazakhstan submitted the presentation document
of its Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) to a meeting of the
North Atlantic Council in the NATO + Kazakhstan format in Brussels.
(Itar-Tass, Interfax, June 24-27; Avesta, Kazinform, June 24; see
EDM, June 24, 28)

Presidential medal for His Holiness Karekin II
Fresno State News, CA
June 29 2005
Dr. John D. Welty, right, president of California State University,
Fresno, presented the President’s Medal of Distinction to His
Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, during a campus
visit on June 14. Assisting Dr. Welty was Barlow Der Mugrdechian,
Fresno State lecturer in Armenian Studies. The President’s Medal is
the highest non-degree award presented by Fresno State.
His Holiness Karekin II, considered to be pope of the Armenian
faithful, visited Fresno and the Central Valley from June 11-15 to
lead a “Renaissance of Faith.” He presented Dr. Welty with an engraved
silver tray.
The meeting was the second in a year for the two men. Last summer,
Dr. Welty visited His Holiness Karekin II while traveling in Armenia.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrew Souvall/Jennifer Cannata
June 29. 2005
(202) 225-4671
PALLONE LAUDS HOUSE APPROVAL OF $73.25 MILLION IN AID FOR ARMENIA, $5
MILLION FOR NAGORNO KARABAKH
Washington, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives last night
approved $67.5 million in economic and $5.75 million in military
assistance to Armenia and up to $5 million in aid for Nagorno
Karabakh said U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chairman of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
During a speech on the House floor, Pallone lauded the President and
his House colleagues for maintaining military assistance parity
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, approving $5.75 million for each
country.
“By allocating equal levels of military and security assistance to
both nations, the U.S. government will preserve its credibility as an
impartial and leading mediator in the continuing sensitive peace
negotiations for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” Pallone said.
“Given the ongoing Azerbaijani blockades and threats to renew
military aggression against Armenia and Karabakh, it is critically
important that the Administration continue to promote balanced short-
and long-term policies that elevate regional cooperation and reduce
the risk of conflict in the South Caucasus region.”
The funding for Armenia approved by the House was $12.5
million more than what was requested in the President’s Fiscal Year
2006 (FY06) budget earlier this year. Pallone said the funding
reaffirms the United States’ commitment to Armenia and ensures that
the relationship between our two countries grows stronger
economically and militarily.
“I’m pleased the House bill provides significantly more money to
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh than what President Bush requested in
his budget,” Pallone said. “These funds are crucial as Armenia
continues to implement economic and democratic reforms in the
continued shadow of dual blockades.”
Pallone also emphasized the need for Congress to maintain the
full $5 million in funding for Nagorno Karabakh, $2 million more than
what Congress appropriated last year. Pallone said funding provides
critical humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabakh, helping to fund
the rebuilding of homes, improving water supplies and healthcare and
providing income-generating opportunities for the most vulnerable
groups.
Pallone and U.S. Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) spearheaded a
letter with 43 of their House colleagues calling on the members of
the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee to support the pro-Armenian
provisions in the funding bill.
-30-
Jennifer Karch Cannata
Press Secretary
Office of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.
420 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4671 office
(202) 225-9665 fax

IRAN’S AGRICULTURAL EXPORTS FROM NORTHERN PORT UP 670% IN Q1
Asia Pulse; Jun 29, 2005
BANDAR ANZALI, June 29 Asia Pulse – Agricultural exports from the
Caspian Sea port city of Bandar Anzali grew 670 per cent in terms of
value during the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year
(started March 21, 2005) compared to its corresponding period last
year, a local official said here Tuesday.
Deputy head of Agricultural Jihad Office of Bandar Anzali, Changiz
Shabrang, told IRNA that during the said period 5.824 million tons of
various agricultural products, worth 37 billion rials, were exported
to Asia and Africa through Bandar Anzali, about 40 km north of the
provincial capital Rasht.
Raisins, dates, pistachio, tea, potato, tobacco and henna were among
major items exported to Russia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and
Kenya, the official said.
Shabrang noted that 56,279 square meters of wood had also been
imported via Bandar Anzali over the said period, indicating a 14 per
cent decrease compared to the previous year.

Gul: There Is No Disagreement With E.U.
Turkish Press
June 29 2005
SANAA – Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul
said on Tuesday that there was no disagreement with the European Union
(EU).
Gul is currently in Yemeni capital Sanaa to attend the Organization
of Islamic Conference (OIC) Foreign Ministers’ Conference.
When reminded of different comments on negotiation frame document
that was planned to be made public on Wednesday, Gul noted that a
meeting was held with the experts the previous day, adding that it
was a very good one.
“The Copenhagen political criteria have been fulfilled. Political
criteria were the conditions for beginning of membership
negotiations. A decision was made (by EU) to start entry talks with
Turkey, since we fulfilled them,” he stressed.
Gul noted, “it is obvious that negotiations will continue on some
other issues. These matters are not easy, because they are about a
transformation of a country. We know that it will take a long time.”
“Our task is to deepen and develop our democracy. That’s why we
should not expect another political thing from now on,” he stressed.
Stating that there was no need for EU to tell Turkey that it should
have good relations with its neighbors, Gul noted, “we have
already thought about these matters. We extend great efforts on
these matters.”
Gul stressed that Turkey wanted to undertake important roles for an
agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Asked if he was planning to go on a tour of EU countries to explain
the issues he has mentioned, Gul said, “any disagreement is out of
question. We have already spoken about them. We have talked about these
with the EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and others. You know,
I was in Brussels last week. There is no hesitation.”
Gul said, “of course various articles can be written, and politicians
may express their different views. We will not be influenced by
them. We know what we will do. We will continue to progress on
our path.”
“I HAVE TALKED TO KHARRAZI”
Replying to another question, Gul said he had the opportunity to talk
to Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi today.
Asked about the expectations about the new period following the
elections in Iran, Gul said it was obvious that a new period would
start in Iran after the elections.
Gul said, “Iran is our neighbor and a friendly country. We want to
enhance our friendship and cooperation,” and noted that this would
be beneficial to the region.
Gul said issue of nuclear weapons was not discussed during his talk
with Kharrazi, and noted that, “our thesis on this issue is clear.
>>From the very beginning, I have been saying that nuclear energy
should only be used through peaceful means. We do not want to see
weapons of mass destruction in our region.”

Zaman Online, Turkey
June 29 2005
Opening Armenian Border Adds to Caucasus Tension
By Enes Cansever, Ramil Ýsmailov
Published: Wednesday June 29, 2005
zaman.com
On June 28, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to make
his first official visit to Azerbaijan after coming to office.
Within the framework of the two-day visit, Erdogan will meet with
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and other authorities. The visit
will mainly emphasize economic matters. Prime Minister will also
lay the foundations for the new Turkish Embassy building. As well as
confirming Turkey’s full support to Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister is
expected to deliver messages about the Armenian occupation in Karabakh
and the alleged Armenian genocide. Azerbaijan Presidential Foreign
Policy Adviser Nevruz Mehmedov said, “Erdogan’s visit can once again
launch a new turn in the relations between the two countries.” Advising
that the foreign policies of Ankara and Baku were being executed upon
a ‘common’ ground, Mehmedov noted that there was no other two such
states like it in the world.
Mehmedov said Azerbaijan is in favor of Turkey’s current Armenia
policy; the reopening of the Armenian border gate would raise tensions
in the region and worsen the current situation in the Caucasus,
he claimed, asking “What positive steps came from the Armenian party
after the opening of Turkish air space?” Armenia receiving the support
of its Diaspora presses Turkey to reopen of the border gate, he said:
“On the one hand Armenia is willing to get closer with Turkey, on the
other hand it increases its military built up in the vicinity of its
border. What is this built up for?”
On the so-called Armenian Genocide that until recently Turkey has
remained indifferent, Mehmedov suggested, “Turkey could have brought
about a solution before entering the 21st century.” He also pointed
out that the greatest support to Ankara in this regard came from Baku.
Turkey’s Azerbaijan Ambassador Turan Morali said Baku “had to make
encouraging steps” so that Turkey could become more efficient in
the region, during a June 27 news conference. Morali denied any link
between Erdogan’s visit and the domestic politics of Azarbaijan during
the pre-electoral period.
–Boundary_(ID_vYq2aKTKdxY8xfKH7knUbg)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Reuters, UK
June 29 2005
EU Commission seeks membership for Turkey
Wed Jun 29, 2005 3:24 PM BST
By Sebastian Alison
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The EU’s executive Commission reaffirmed on
Wednesday that it aims to bring Turkey into the 25-nation bloc,
but not before 2014, adopting a draft mandate to start negotiations
despite fierce internal and public debate.
“The negotiations will be based on Turkey’s own merits and the pace
will depend on Turkey’s progress in meeting the requirements for
membership,” said a draft negotiating mandate adopted on Wednesday
as the basis for accession talks.
“The shared objective of the negotiations is accession.”
The negotiations are scheduled to start on October 3, as agreed last
December by EU leaders, provided the bloc’s 25 foreign ministers
unanimously approve the mandate by then.
The document states that negotiations for Turkish European Union
membership can only be concluded from 2014, after the bloc’s next
long-term budget which runs from 2007 to 2013.
Growing public scepticism about Turkey’s bid, especially in western
Europe, was reflected in a tough political debate inside the 25-member
EU executive on the terms and timing of the “negotiating framework”.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn was more than two hours late
for a news conference to announce that the Commission had adopted the
mandate and told reporters: “We had a lengthy, argumentative and also
very political debate.
Some Commissioners had argued the mandate should contain wording
allowing for Turkey to be granted only a “privileged partnership”
with the EU rather then membership, he said, although in the end no
such language was included.
“STICK TO OUR WORD”
Commission sources said Luxembourg’s commissioner, Viviane Reding, had
led a small group arguing against full membership and had questioned
the need to adopt a mandate now.
She was backed to a lesser extent by Charlie McCreevy of Ireland,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner of Austria and Jan Figel of Slovakia, the
sources said.
But Rehn prevailed, noting that EU leaders had reaffirmed unanimously
their commitment to accession talks at a summit just two weeks ago,
after the French and Dutch referendums rejecting the EU constitution,
in which hostility to Turkish membership was a factor.
“The European Union has made commitments to Turkey … We stick to
our word,” he said. “Europe needs a stable democratic and prosperous
Turkey. It is in our own strategic interests.”
However, he said he fully expected an impassioned public debate
about Turkey in which the issue of full membership versus “privileged
partnership” would be aired for years to come.
The Commission called on EU governments to launch a debate on Turkey’s
relationship with Europe.
A growing number of centre-right leaders in western Europe,
including the likely next German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and a
top presidential contender in France, Nicolas Sarkozy, oppose Turkish
entry and favour the “privileged partnership” option.
But Britain, which takes over the EU’s rotating presidency on Friday
for six months and will chair the start of accession talks, is a
staunch advocate of Turkish membership.
Commissioner Peter Mandelson led the pro-Turkey camp in the Commission
debate, the sources said.
Rehn called the negotiating framework “rigorous,” and highlighted its
demands that Turkey develops better relations with its neighbours —
notably Cyprus, divided since 1974 into Greek and Turkish Cypriot
communities, and Armenia, with which it has no diplomatic relations
and a sealed border.
He said Turkey had been working constructively to improve ties with
Cyprus, although more needed to be done with the eventual aim of
reunifying the island.
“So far we have not succeeded. I don’t take any sides on this issue,
I work for a solution,” he said, adding that he would emphasise
Cyprus in the Commission’s next regular report on Turkey’s progress
to membership, due on November 9.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress