Month: October 2006

ARMENIAN MPS BACK PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006

Yerevan, 6 October: The political forces of the Armenian parliament
believe that the continuation of the talks is the only possible way
to solve the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.

The leader of the United Labour Party, Gurgen Arsenyan, said today that
"a solution that is mutually acceptable to both peoples can only be
achieved as a result of talks and through clear arguments presented
by the sides," Mediamax reports.

The deputy chairman of the Orinats Yerkir (Law-Governed Country) Party,
Mger Shakhgeldyan, said that delays in the Karabakh conflict settlement
do not meet Armenia’s interests. He said that only constructive talks
can lead to the settlement of the problem.

The member of the Dashnaktsutyun faction, Spartak Seyranyan, said that
the effectiveness of the talks depends on the Azerbaijani authorities,
while the secretary of the opposition Justice bloc, Grigor Arutyunyan,
expressed confidence that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
are more interested in delaying the negotiating process "because this
allows them to retain power".

AZERI FOREIGN MINISTER WITH TALKS WITH ARMENIAN COUNTERPART

Turan news agency, Baku,
6 Oct 2006

Moscow, 6 October: Today’s meeting and negotiations with the Armenian
foreign minister took place in a constructive atmosphere, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said after the meeting.

He expressed his satisfaction with the contents of the meeting and
pointed out that certain agreements were reached. "The two basic
principles", on which the sides have been unable to reach agreement,
were discussed as well. These issues are the status of Karabakh and
the withdrawal of Armenian troops, Mammadyarov said.

The sides continued searching for ways of agreeing these issues
and took a break until 24 October to discuss the results of today’s
meeting, Mammadyarov said.

Touching on details of the negotiations, the minister pointed out
that the co-chairmen’s proposals are based on well-known principles
of the conflict settlement and it is necessary to "find a balance" now.

The ministers first had meetings with the co-chairmen and the Russian
foreign minister and then a meeting attended by the co-chairmen and
finally, a private meeting.

In conclusion, Mammadyarov pointed out that Russia plays an active
role in the conflict settlement.

SEPARATIST KARABAKH PARLIAMENT APPROVES DRAFT CONSTITUTION

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006

Yerevan, 6 October: The parliament of the Nagornyy Karabakh republic
[NKR] approved the draft constitution of the NKR in its first reading
today.

The draft project that was approved in its first reading will be put
up for debate by the public. Specifically, it will be published in
Armenian and Russian in Azat Artsakh newspaper with a print run of
more than 7,000 copies, Mediamax reports.

The remarks and proposals made during the discussions will be
summarized and submitted to the National Assembly for consideration.

French politician regrets new vote on Armenian "genocide"

Agence France Presse — English
October 6, 2006 Friday 3:55 PM GMT

The head of the ruling UMP party bloc in France’s National Assembly,
Bernard Accoyer, said Friday he regretted a new attempt by the
opposition socialists to vote through a bill making it a punishable
offence to deny the Armenian "genocide".

Debate on the bill — which was originally tabled in May — is due
to take place on Thursday, despite protests from Ankara that it will
have a damaging effect on Franco-Turkish relations.

"The president of the Republic already reminded everyone when he was
in Armenia that France recognises officially the Armenian genocide and
is working for a better understanding between states in the region,"
Accoyer told AFP.

"As president of the UMP group, I regret that the Socialist party
(PS) bloc thought it useful to try once again to get parliament to
legislate on history," he said.

The Socialist bill would make it punishable by up to five years in
prison and a fine of 45,000 euros (57,000 dollars) to deny that Turkish
troops committed genocide against the Armenians between 1915 and 1917.

A 2001 French law officially recognises the massacres of Armenians
as genocide.

Armenians claim up to 1.5 million were slaughtered in orchestrated
killings between 1915 and 1917 by Turks, as the Ottoman Empire was
falling apart.

Turkey rejects the claims, saying 300,000 Armenians and at least as
many Turks died in civil strife when the Armenians took up arms for
independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading Russian
troops.

The Socialist party controls fewer than a third of seats in the
National Assembly. However the ruling Union for a Popular Movement has
promised a free vote, and some if its members also support the bill.

Last week in Yerevan, President Jacques Chirac said Turkey should
recognise the Armenian genocide as a condition for joining the EU.

However, he also said the opposition bill was "deliberately
controversial."

May’s debate on the bill followed stern warnings from Ankara on the
repercussions for bilateral relations, and broke up in uproar when
it ran out of parliamentary time.

On Friday Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Namik Tan warned again
that a positive vote could jeopardise "investments, the fruit of
years of work, and France will — so to speak — lose Turkey."

Turkey warns France Armenian bill will hit trade, bilateral ties

Agence France Presse — English
October 6, 2006 Friday

Turkey warned France on Friday that bilateral political and economic
ties will suffer if the French parliament approves a law making it
a punishable offence to deny the Armenian "genocide."

"The Armenian issue has poisoned bilateral ties in the past, but the
bill will inflict irreparable damage on our relationship," foreign
ministry spokesman Namik Tan told a press conference here.

He warned the move could jeopardise "investments, the fruit of years
of work, and France will — so to speak — lose Turkey."

France is one of Turkey’s main trade partners, with a volume of 8.2
billion euros (10 billion dolars) in 2005.

Tan appealed to the French parliament to block the bill.

"Our expectation is that France will to avoid taking the wrong step,"
he said, arguing that adoption of the bill would mean the elimination
of freedom of expression in France.

The French National Assembly is expected to convene on October 12 to
discuss the bill that would make denying Armenians were the victims
of a genocide during World War I punishable by up to five years in
prison and a fine of 45,000 euros (57,000 dollars).

The bill follows on a 2001 French law officially recognizing the
massacres as genocide.

In French law, the same punishment is applicable to those deny that
the Jewish Holocaust took place.

"If the bill is adopted on October 12, the Turkish people will see
it as a hostile act by France … It will not be possible to contain
public reaction," Tan said, referring to a possible boycott of French
goods in Turkey.

The Armenian bill, drawn up by the Socialist opposition, was first
brought to the French assembly in May, but the vote was postponed to
October after filibustering by the ruling party.

Turkey had at the time threatened trade sanctions against France and
briefly summoned its ambassador in Paris back for consultations.

Tan said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan would meet the
French business community in Turkey in Istanbul on Saturday to discuss
the bill.

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was expected to call his French
counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy, an opponent of the bill, later
Friday, he added.

The Armenian massacres constitute one of the most controversial
episodes in Turkish history, often sending nationalist feelings
into frenzy.

Armenians allege up to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in
orchestrated killings between 1915 and 1917 when the Ottoman Empire,
the predecessor of modern Turkey, was falling apart.

Turkey denies the claim, saying 300,000 Armenians and at least as
many Turks died in civil strife when the Armenians took up arms for
independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with invading Russian
troops; it categorically rejects the genocide label.

Neither Putin nor Saakashvili looks likely to step back from stand-off
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Worldstream
October 6, 2006 Friday

Who will blink first? The leaders of Russia and Georgia are locked
in a contest of political wills that appears to be fueled as much by
their styles as by the grievances piled up between the neighboring
nations since the Soviet collapse.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili whom some pro-Kremlin protesters
have caricatured as Hitler minces no words when describing his quest
to restore Georgia’s territorial integrity and full independence,
and that means resisting what he calls Russia’s bullying.

He came out swinging at the U.N. General Assembly last month, accusing
Russia of the "gangster occupation" of parts of his country and of
condoning ethnic cleansing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has condescendingly referred
to Saakashvili as a hot-tempered native of the Caucasus, a region
Russians associated with warring tribes, wily traders and banditry.

When Saakashvili tried to arrange a meeting with Putin last summer to
reduce escalating tensions, the Kremlin said Putin was too busy. And
Putin, a former KGB agent who has stuffed Russia’s ruling elite with
one-time secret service colleagues, has ironically likened the actions
of the Georgian leadership to the policies of Lavrenty Beria Josef
Stalin’s henchman who ran the precursor to the KGB.

Georgians respond to Putin’s barbs with a touch of bravado, joking
that the tall Saakashvili is "the big dictator of a small country,
and Putin the small dictator of a large one."

By now, Putin and Saakashvili have dug themselves so deeply into
their political trenches that it’s hard to imagine who will be the
first to cave in.

Behind each leader stands an army of politicians and aides eager to
outdo each other in devotion to the national interest.

After years of mutual verbal sparring, Georgia last week arrested four
Russian military officers alleged to be spies. Russia responded by
suspending the issuance of visas to Georgian citizens and slapping
a transport and postal blockade on Georgia. Police in Moscow have
closed down several casinos suddenly discovered allegedly to be run
by the Georgian mafia and have combed marketplaces and restaurants
to detain and deport Georgians without work permits.

"The Kremlin has driven itself into a dead end: it can end sanctions
without losing face only if it forces Saakashvili to his knees,"
Moscow-based political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told The Associated
Press. "The Georgian elite also can’t conduct any rational talks with
Russia without losing face. Bilateral ties have been spoiled for good."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the sanctions will stay
in place until Georgia changes its anti-Russian course.

"That’s only the beginning of our sanctions, we could exert such a
pressure on them that even a mouse wouldn’t sneak through," boasted
Andrei Kokoshin, the head of Russian parliament’s committee for ties
with ex-Soviet nations.

But Georgia looks unlikely to bend. Beyond Saakashvili’s natural
inclination for dramatic steps, defiance appears to be Georgia’s
strategy for attracting Western support and pressing its case to
join NATO.

Putin’s strategy in applying such unprecedented pressure against a
former Soviet republic is less clear.

"The hawks in the Kremlin don’t have any positive program," Oreshkin
said. "They aren’t pursuing any long-term strategic goals; all they
want is to punish Georgia and hit it hard."

Several Russian politicians have already raised the prospect of cutting
natural gas to Georgia, but such a move would also block supplies to
Russia’s closest ally in the Caucasus, Armenia.

Some Russian commentators said the Kremlin apparently hoped that
the burden of sanctions would encourage Georgians to unite against
Saakashvili. But such hopes appear illusory: the blockade and Russian
police crackdown on the Georgian diaspora would badly hurt ordinary
people but Saakashvili would likely not be blamed. In fact, the
perception of Russian interference could very well shore up support
for the president, whose popularity has been falling amid persistent
poverty and high unemployment.

"It looks like Russia needs to reach the limits of absurdity to
realize that such pressure only makes Georgia more pro-Western,"
Georgy Nodia, the head of the Tbilisi-based Institue for Peace and
Democracy and Development, told the AP.

Some pro-Kremlin lawmakers and political analysts have suggested that
Russia could go so far as to recognize the independence of Abkhazia
and South Ossetia and even move to incorporate them. South Ossetia
has already scheduled an independence referendum next month.

However, an attempt to annex the separatist regions would effectively
shatter Russia’s already freezing ties with the United States and put
it on a collision course with other Western nations an outcome clearly
not in the interests of the Kremlin striving for closer integration
into the global economy.

"Under no circumstances will the Russian leaders wage a war against
Georgia, recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia or
provide them with official military assistance," analyst Stanislav
Belkovsky wrote in a recent commentary, adding that the Kremlin
wouldn’t risk its economic interests in the West.

Associated Press Writer Vladimir Isachenkov has been reporting on
political affairs in Russia and the former Soviet Union since 1991.

Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili contributed to this report from Tbilisi.

THE HOW BOYS SHOWED ‘EM HOW
by John Reid

KRTBN Knight-Ridder Tribune Business News – Palo Alto Daily News
October 6, 2006 Friday

The representative from the Pacific Coast Conference in the 1952 Rose
Bowl was an unlikely one. The 1951 Stanford football team had no
great expectations before the season started. Even its head coach,
Chuck Taylor, thought the then Indians were a middle-of-the pack
group and didn’t make any pretenses about it. But the "How Boys"
showed ’em how, winning nine games in a row before losing the Big
Game to Cal 20-7 in front of 96,000. The loss was moot, for the Rose
Bowl berth had been already locked up by Stanford with an exciting
27-20 defeat of USC and its star, Frank Gifford, in a battle of two
unbeaten teams at the Coliseum.

Stanford led Illinois 7-6 after one half in the Rose Bowl, but was
snowed under in the second half, losing 40-7.

Seven of the members of the ’51 squad gathered at the Palo Alto home
of Dick Horn on Wednesday to talk about that magical season some 55
years ago. The fact the team ended the year 9-2 with an appearance
in the Rose Bowl was startling, mainly because Taylor was upfront
with his players about the team’s chances.

"Chuck said we had about the fifth best team in the conference,"
defensive tackle Al Kirkland said.

Taylor, an All-American guard on the Stanford team that beat Nebraska
in the ’41 Rose Bowl, wasn’t a fiery, Knute Rockne-type orator.

"Chuck Taylor wasn’t the fight-talk type," Kirkland said. "During the
practices or the games, neither he or any of the coaches yelled at us."

"What I liked about Chuck is that before every game, he said he
thought we could win," defensive end Jack Rye said. "Even though the
other team might be favored."

Taylor had a low-key, lighthearted way of relaxing his players
before the game. Kirkland related a story of when Stanford played in
Washington’s homecoming game.

"Washington invited us to their homecoming and got dates for us for
after the game," Kirkland said. "After we warmed up we went back into
the dressing room."

That’s when Taylor turned to assistant coach Pete Kmetovic.

"Pete, do all the guys have dates for the party tonight?" Taylor asked.

"I think they do," Kmetovic replied.

"Let’s go out and play," Taylor said.

Stanford beat a Hugh McElhenny-led Washington team 14-7. At the end
of the season, Taylor was named national Coach of the Year.

The players back then were much lighter than today’s standards.
Defensive guard Jesse Cone, perhaps the strongest player on the team,
was 175 pounds. Defensive guard Cappy Cook, at 185 pounds, was regarded
as one of the toughest players on the team. Offensive center Rod
Garner, at 190 pounds, was a top-flight heavyweight boxer. Garner
broke an inmate’s arm while fighting in an exhibition bout at San
Quentin Prison.

The team had star power with All-American receiver Bill McColl, fourth
in the Heisman Trophy voting that season. Running back Bob Mathias
was an Olympic decathlon champ in ’48 and ’52. It was Mathias’ 96-yard
kickoff return for a TD that tied the game at USC 20-20. Quarterback
Gary Kerkorian was an All-American that season, his injury in the
third quarter of the Rose Bowl playing a part in that second-half
collapse. Horn, a safety, was named to the 100-year all-time Stanford
team along with McColl. Reserve quarterback Bobby Garrett, who replaced
the injured Kerkorian, and receiver Sam Morley, became All-Americans
in 1953. Garrett and Morley were a pass combination at South Pasadena
High. Linebacker Chuck Essegian made his mark as a baseball slugger,
but was also a hard-nosed LB.

It was a team in every sense of the word, with players giving up their
body for the good of the cause. Defensive end Ron Eadie described a
play Rye made in the USC game.

"Rye was a powerful guy," Eadie said. "Two guards pulled out and
tried to knock him down. A fullback came in and tried to knock him
down. Rye then tackled the halfback with the ball."

Reserve safety Frank "Skip" Crist was one of the heroes in the USC
game with a long interception return to set up the winning touchdown.

"Skip was sent in and told to look out for a little pass," Kirkland
said. "He intercepted it and was going in for a touchdown. Rye and
I knocked out the last guy on the outside. But Skip cut back inside
and they darn near killed him in there."

After Crist’s interception, Stanford was inside the 20-yard line.
Kerkorian called three plays with Harry Hugasian running the ball
between powerful guard Norm Manoogian and tackle Jim Vick.

Manoogian was one of four Armenians starting on the team. Kerkorian,
Essegian and Hugasian were the other three. Manoogian related a
story about Kerkorian’s search for extra tickets for the USC game.
Kerkorian, from Southern California, had a lot of relatives living
in the area.

"Gary went up to athletic director Al Masters and asked for extra
tickets," said Manoogian, who went on to coach football at Foothill
College for 20 years. "Al asked, ‘How many do you need?’ Gary said,
‘I only need 180.’"

"We went to an Armenian party at the Biltmore Hotel after the game,"
Manoogian said. "I wanted to have Cone meet my parents. We introduced
him as ‘Jesse Coninian.’"

Players on the Stanford team were affectionately given Armenian names,
such as "Mathiasian" or "Kirklandian."

Mathias died recently at the age of 75. Other starters have gone on
to greater glory, including defensive tackle Bob Lathem, Kerkorian
and Garner.

"We had no cliques," Manoogian said. "But we all had one common goal.
The coaches made us believe in them."

There was the Stanford "Vow Boys" of 1933-35, the "Wow Boys" of 1940
and Taylor’s "How Boys" of ’51.

"We played over our heads throughout the season," Morley said.
"That’s why they called us the ‘How Boys.’ Some sportswriter wrote,
‘I don’t know how they’re doing it.’"

"We overachieved," linebacker Ted Tanner said.

And how, boys.

Armenian, Azerbaijani foreign ministers to discuss Karabakh Fri

ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 5, 2006 Thursday

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov and his Armenian
counterpart Vartan Oskanian will meet in Moscow on Friday to discuss
the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

A diplomatic source in Moscow has said the meeting will take place
at the Russian Foreign Ministry, with the chief Russian diplomat,
Sergei Lavrov taking part.

"Moscow was chosen as the venue of the trilateral meeting for a good
reason. Russia has historically played a major role in Transcaucasia
and in efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem," the source
said.

The co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk group for Nagorno-Karabakh, Yuri
Merzlyakov, earlier said the agreement on Armenian-Azerbaijani talks
in Moscow at the foreign minister level was achieved at negotiations
the Minsk group co-chairmen (Russia, France and the United States)
had held in Baku and Yerevan.

Nagorno-Karabakh settlement to be discussed

ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 5, 2006 Thursday

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Elmar Mamedyarov and
Vartan Oskanyan, on Thursday arrived in Moscow to discuss matters of
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

The meeting will be held on Friday, October 6, at the Russian Foreign
Ministry with the participation of Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei
Lavrov, a Russian diplomat told Itar-Tass.

"It is not accidental that Moscow has been chosen as the venue of the
trilateral meeting, as Moscow historically played an important role
in the Transcaucasia, specifically, in the solution of the problem
of Nagorno-Karabakh," said the source. He said the quest for new ways
of settling the Karabakh conflict would be central to the trilateral
meeting.

"The parties are striving to find acceptable, mutually advantageous
ways in the matter and pin much hope on the Moscow meeting," the
diplomat said.

The arrangement to hold the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers in Moscow was reached as a result of the meetings
the co-chairmen of the Minsk group of the OSCE for Nagorno-Karabakh
(representatives of Russia, France and United States) held in Baku and
Yerevan, Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chairman of the Minsk group,
said earlier.

Iran: Supplies to Armenia on time

UPI Energy
October 5, 2006 Thursday 9:22 AM EST

Iran’s gas pipeline to Armenia is expected to come onstream in 2007,
a top Iranian official said.

Reza Kasaizadeh, the managing director of the National Iranian Gas
Co., told the Mehr news agency Wednesday that Iran will initially
export 3 million cubic meters of gas per day to Armenia. This will
eventually be raised to 10 million cu. m. of gas per day.

The Oil and Gas Journal says Iran, the world’s No. 2 in reserves, has
an estimated 970 trillion cubic feet in proven natural gas reserves.

Under a May 2004 deal, Iran will supply 1.3 Tcf of natural gas to
Armenia over 20 years starting in 2007. In return, Armenia will
provide Iran with 3 kilowatts of electricity per cubic meter of gas.
The $200 million pipeline runs 85 miles.