Month: November 2006

VALERI CHECHELASHVILI: TBILISI’S POSITION ON KARABAKH’S REFERENDUM NOT TO DIFFER FROM SOUTH OSSETIA’S

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 29 2006

Georgia is determining its position on the referendum to be held
on December 10 in the so-called Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Valeri
Chechelashvili Georgian Foreign minister told the APA Georgian bureau.

The official said that their position on this referendum will not
differ from South Ossetia’s. The future status of Nagorno Karabakh
is being determined in the talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I
do not think these referendums will produce any results," he said.

BREADLINE BUDGETS BITE IN ARMENIA
by Khachik Chakhoyan

UEFA, Switzerland
Nov 29 2006

Lack of funding and a limited commitment to local talent is conspiring
to make matters difficult for Armenian footballers.

Survival issues The 2006 season ended in Armenia with FC Pyunik
topping the table and FC Banants striker Aram Hakobyan declared top
scorer on 25 goals.

However, there is no hiding the fact that even the strongest sides
in Armenia cannot compete at international level, while the weaker
ones can barely survive a domestic season. Behind Pyunik, Banants, FC
MIKA and outsiders FC Ararat occupied the top four places. Pyunik’s
commitment to local players paid off while Banants and MIKA were
particularly disappointed as their commitment to foreign talent failed
to pay off.

Youth disappointed In the end, MIKA’s Brazilian star Alex was the
only foreign import to truly make an impression, and the focus on
overseas talent saw more local youngsters left in the reserves at the
big clubs – something that may have been a factor in poor showings
for the national Under-17 and U19 teams this year. While the Football
Federation of Armenia is eager to limit clubs’ reliance upon foreign
players, the biggest problem for most of the teams in the league
is surviving from week to week on very limited finances. Only FC
Gandzasar Kapan out of this season’s bottom four did not experience
financial problems.

Makeweight side This season’s campaign was due to start with ten
teams but three pulled out at the last minute, forcing the league
authorities to found FC Ulis Yerevan at short notice in order to make
up the numbers. Ulis survived a relegation play-off at the end of the
season and have promised to be more competitive in 2007, looking to
sign experienced players who are not getting first-team football at
the bigger clubs. On an equally encouraging note, FC Kilikia, another
struggling side, also look likely to bring in Armenian youngsters to
make a fight of it.

Funding issues The promotion of FC Lernayin Artsakh has given the hope
that nine teams might start the new season, but already things are
looking grim for FC Shirak, who finished second-from-bottom. Whether
they will have the funding to start the 2007 campaign has to be
seen. It also remains a fundamental issue for most Armenian clubs. The
seemingly endless search for sponsors has kept club directors’
attention away from the pitch.

NEWS ALERT: "MASS GRAVE DISCOVERY" IN TURKEY AS POPE CONTINUES TENSE TRIP
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife

BosNewsLife, Hungary
Nov 29 2006

ISTANBUL, TURKEY (BosNewsLife)– Pope Benedict XVI continued his
tense trip to Turkey Wednesday, November 29, amid reports of the
discovery of a mass grave allegedly containing remains of mainly
Christian Assyrians and Armenians.

The mass grave in south eastern Turkey was believed to date from the
1915-1917 genocide of an estimated 1.5 million Assyrians, Armenians
and Hellenic Christians, said the Assyrian International News Agency
(AINA) to BosNewsLife.

Turkey has both denied these figures or involvement by Turkish Ottoman
in mass murder. However at least a dozen countries have recognized
the genocide.

AINA, which also operates website said last month,
October 17, villagers from Xirabebaba, also known as Kuru, in south
eastern Turkey "came across a mass grave when digging a grave for
one of their deceased."

SWEDISH EXPERTS

It was not immediately clear how many bodies were believed to have
been buried there. AINA said Sweden is considering to send special
experts to the region.

The news agency, which has become a voice of the Assyrian churches,
quoted local Christians as saying that the Turkish military have
sealed off the area, forbidding villagers and journalists to report
more details.

News of the mass grave came as the leader of the world’s estimated
1.1 billion Catholics already struggled to overcome tensions over
his recent remarks regarding Islam and to call for more respect for
the rights of Christians.

On Wednesday, November 29, Pope Benedict XVI held a Mass on at one
of the most famous Christian places in Turkey as part of his efforts
to reach out to the Roman Catholic minority in a mostly Muslim country.

OPEN-AIR MASS

The pontiff conducted the open-air Mass in the area of Ephesus near a
house of Mary, who the Bible says gave birth to Jesus while still being
a virgin. Ephesus is also an important town for early Christianity
as Apostle Paul is believed to have used it as a base.

Underscoring the sensitivity of the pope’s trip, security forces had
sealed off the area and only about 250 people reportedly attended
the event, making it one of the smallest crowds to attend a papal Mass.

The pontiff was then to travel to Istanbul where he will spend
the remainder of his four-day visit as the guest of the Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew, seen as the spiritual head of the world’s 250
million Orthodox Christians.

Benedict XVI’s trip was originally meant just as a visit to Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul to try to bring the Roman Catholic
and Orthodox churches closer as there are some 100,000 Christians
in Turkey.

EASING TENSIONS

But the pope’s journey is now aimed at easing tensions, following his
recent comments over Islam which added to concern among Christians
in Turkey and neighboring Iraq of more militant attacks against them.

In a September 12 lecture at Regensburg University in Germany, the
Pope quoted 14th-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who
wrote that Prophet Mohammad had brought things "only evil and inhuman,
such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

The pope said faith had to be joined with reason, a link he implied
that Islam lacked. Two days later, Turkey’s top religious official
Ali Bardakoglu said Benedict XVI should apologize for comments and
reconsider his plans to visit Turkey.

On September 16, the pope said he was deeply sorry Muslims had been
offended by his use of a mediaeval quotation but also made clear he
was saddened for the reactions in some countries to his few remarks.

NUN KILLED

But the next day, gunmen killed an Italian nun in Somalia, an attack
many assumed was linked to protests against the pope. Rosa Sgorbati
worked in a pediatrics hospital in Somalia under her religious name
Sister Leonella was killed in Mogadishu by suspected Islamic militants.

Some other deadly attacks in Iraq have also been linked to the
comments. Speaking on Tuesday, November 28, the pope, who is making
his first papal trip to a predominantly Muslim nation, said dialogue
is needed so that different religions come to know each other better
and respect one another.

"We are in great need of authentic dialogue between religions and
between cultures, capable of assisting us, in a spirit of fruitful
cooperation, to overcome all the tensions together," he said, after
meeting Muslim and other officials.

He also stressed the need for all citizens to be guaranteed the right
to freedom of worship and freedom of conscience. Some commentators
have already said they doubt whether it will be ever possible for a
the pope to reconcile Islam with Christianity.

EFFORTS QUESTIONED

The pope’s efforts were questioned in a comment on the website of the
Washington Post newspaper written by R. Albert Mohler Jr. president
of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship school of
the Southern Baptist Convention, one of the world’s largest seminaries.

"Simply, the Pope’s visit to Turkey–along with the media attention
and hype–is further evidence that the mixing of temporal and spiritual
authority will not work," he wrote.

"A minister of Christ should speak clearly about the Gospel and about
the reality of Islam."

Mohler Jr. said that the "central Christian concern about Islam
should not be the undeniable threat of Islamic violence but the
fact that Islam is incompatible with the Gospel of Christ." He said,
"Islam explicitly denies what Christians centrally affirm–that Jesus
Christ is the incarnate Son of God who came to save his people from
their sins."

Mohler Jr. stressed that the ,"most significant challenge posed by
Islam is not geopolitical…but spiritual. I do not expect Benedict
XVI to say this in Turkey." (For the other story behind the world
headlines, stay with BosNewsLife.)

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ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER CONFIRMED ADHERENCE OF REGULATING NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT ON BASIS OF MUTUAL COMPROMISE

TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 29 2006

The Secretary of the National Security Council, Defense Minister
of Armenia, Serj Sarkisyan once again confirmed the adherence of
regulating the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of mutual
compromise to achieve peace, the Minister briefed the media on 29
November, Trend reports.

Answering the question "is it possible that Armenia agrees to give up
Kalbajar district?" the Minister replied that he has never spoke about
any specific territories, Trend reports with reference to ArmInfo. "And
I do not wish to speak about this. I have always spoken about mutual
compromise and peace. But I did speak about giving up 15-20 meters
or 500 km. It does not exist for me. I repeat, I mentioned mutual
compromise and peace," Sarksyan underlined.

The Defense Minister stressed that he has no information regarding
an agreement on returning 7 territories. "I .do not have such
information. If I had, I would say," the Minister stated, adding that
he considers the possibility of such an agreement as unlikely.

In addition, Sarkisyan refused to comment on the recent Minsk meeting
of the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents. "I cannot say anything. I
do not have any information," he said.

ILHAM ALIYEV: WE ARE APPROACHING THE LAST STAGE OF TALKS ON SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 29 2006

"The talks on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict have been
held for three years within Prague process and there have been enough
meetings on presidential and ministerial levels. The ways of solution
are discussed at these meetings.

We have passed several stages during this period. We are approaching
the last stage of talks on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told AzTV, APA reports.

Ilham Aliyev said that all problems were discussed and the parties’
positions were formed within these three years.

"Now the future of the talks depends on our steps. From this point of
view I normally estimate the results of the last meeting. Debatable
questions were discussed at the meeting. We have managed to solve
a number of problems. But there still are debatable problems and
the two presidents talked over them. Azerbaijan’s position remains
unchanged. Our position is to solve the problem within Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity. The UN resolutions have to be executed.

Azerbaijani territories should be released and over 1 million refugees
should return to their motherland. We are satisfied with the activity
of international organizations recently. They have already expressed
their opinion of the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh within Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity. This strengthens our position," the President
said.

COMSTAR-UTS HAS ACQUIRED 71.5% OF ALLNET INTERPRISES.

Analytical Information Agency, Russia
Nov 29 2006

Comstar-UTS OJSC has closed the acquisition of 75.1% shares of Callnet,
an Armenian telecommunication company, with a possible exercise of
an option to buy out the remaining share, Comstar says.

"It is the formal completion of the transaction, with consideration
of changes in financing terms," Comstar’s press service said.

"This is the first deal of the planned and declared in October 2006
acquisitions that will enable us to use the funds raised during the
IPO to realize our investment program in regions," Comstar’s General
Director Erik Franke said.

Comstar-UTS holds fixed-line telephony assets of Sistema JSFC. They
are 53.04% shares of MGTS, 100% shares of MTU-Inform CJSC , 100%
shares of Telmos CJSC, 100% shares of MTU-Intel CJSC (including its
100% subsidiary Golden Line).

In 2005, Comstar’s net income under US GAAP grew by 39.% to $106 mln.

Proceeds rose by 30.6% to $907.6 mln.

Callnet is one of the four Armenian operators holding a traffic
transit license. Its 100% subsidiary – Cornet – is the only Wi-Max
supplier in Armenia.

In 2005, Callnet’s proceeds doubled y-o-y to $4.3 mln.

CRIMINAL GANG HARMING RUSSIA’S DEFENSE CAPACITY NEUTRALIZED

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 29 2006

Russian law enforcement bodies managed to neutralize criminal gang
harming defense capacity of the country, APA reports.

Armenian citizens headed the gang, trying to sell rocket fuel with
platinum content by 1m rubles. The gang was engaged in stealing
strategic materials used in the production of rockets in defense
industry enterprises. The gang was especially engaged in taking
platinum out of rocket fuel and selling a gram of it by $26 in black
market. Volgograd resident Eduard Kobelyan and Armenian resident
Karen Akopyan headed the gang. The gang activists Alik Melikyan and
Alisan Azatyan were also arrested. 32 bottles of acid with 4.5 kg
platinum in content were confiscated from the arrested. They had
planned to sell them by 1.5m rubles in black market.50kg of jewelry
and 1m rubles were confiscated during the search in the Armenians’
house. Criminal case was launched against Armenian criminals on the
article illegal turnover of valuable metals.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE ARMY IN ARMENIA FOCUS OF DISCUSSION ORGANIZED BY OSCE OFFICE

OSCE.org
Nov 29 2006

YEREVAN, 28 November, 2006 – Conscientious objectors, alternative
military service and civil society oversight of the armed forces were
the key topics of a discussion organized today by the OSCE Office in
Yerevan and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation Armenia.

"Democratization of the armed forces is important to protect human
rights," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office
in Yerevan. "We welcome the steps already taken by the Armenian
Government in this respect. However, there is still some need for
improvement and today’s meeting aims to contribute to this process."

About 30 participants from the Ministries of Defence, Justice, Foreign
Affairs, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ombudsman Office, the Department
for National Minorities, civil society and the international community
assessed the implementation of the Armenian Law on Alternative Service.

Participants suggested several ways to bring Armenian legislation in
line with European standards. Civil society representatives presented
a concept of co-operation with the Defence Ministry for monitoring
the Armed Forces.

The OSCE Office will continue to support the Armenian Government
and civil society in this regard by following the conclusions of
the meeting.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY MISTREATS MINORITIES; DOES NOT MERIT EU MEMBERSHIP
by Kyle Szarzynski

UW Badger Herald, WI
Nov 29 2006

The pope’s recent visit to Turkey and his call for the nation’s
acceptance into the European Union has added an interesting element
to the debate about Turkey’s inclusion into the EU. It is now more
difficult to pitch the issue as one between the West and the Middle
East, or Christianity and Islam, because the most Christian and
Western of institutions – the Roman Catholic Church – has embraced
the notion of Turkish membership in the ever-more powerful EU.

And yet this approach, as good intentioned as it may be, misses a
crucial component of the issue: Turkey’s non-Christian and non-Western
essence equates to fundamentally non-European values and is thus
not suitable for EU membership. This differing system of values has
concrete political and cultural implications, making it inapt for
Turkey and European states to exist under the umbrella of the same
supranational political and economic organization.

The Europe of 2006 is by no means a perfect society, as it is plagued
by, among other things, unemployment, racism and the steady erosion
of the welfare state. Still, the European ideals of community-based
politics, a social safety net, universal education and cooperation
have made the continent the world leader of progress. The relative
equality and justice of European society are the envy of countries
all over the world, including the United States (the 35-hour work
week, for example, is something that American workers can only dream
about). The state of Europe today goes hand-in-hand with its seemingly
paradoxical Christian foundation (including the emphasis on human
solidarity and equality) and a strong commitment to secular humanism.

This makes quite a contrast to Turkey. Despite the country’s reputation
as a liberal, Muslim state, its acceptance into the EU would still
stand out like an ink blot on the organization’s map. One notable
difference between Turkey and the rest of Europe is the power of the
military, which has staged four coups since 1960. In recent years,
the armed forces has succumbed to EU pressure and limited its meddling
in political affairs. However, this has been only a mixed blessing,
as the secular military serves as the only bulwark against the growing
power of the Islamic fundamentalists, whose representation in the
country’s legislature has, alarmingly, been steadily increasing. The
reality is that many secular progressives in Turkey actually see the
military as a lesser evil to the threat of Islamic extremists. This
pessimistic political dynamic amounts to a lose-lose situation for
those who believe that Turkish political practices can be reconciled
with those of Europe’s.

Turkey’s suppression of human rights is yet another problem. Its abuse
of the Kurdish minority has caused worldwide condemnation. In the
struggle against separatist rebels, like the Kurdistan Workers Party,
it is estimated that more than 30,000 people have been killed since
the 1980s. The brutality of the military’s treatment of the Kurds
has manifested itself in the use of poison gas and mass bombings
of villages.

Free speech is also lacking. While Europe has arguably gone to one
extreme in criminalizing the act of denying the Holocaust, Turkey
has made it a crime to even acknowledge its own history of genocide
against the Armenians. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Orhan Pamuk,
was brought up on charges of "insulting Turkishness" after he remarked
that, "Thirty thousand Kurds and a million Armenians were killed in
these lands, and nobody dares to talk about it."

International outrage ensued, and the charges were later dropped.

The relative backwardness of Turkish political institutions is only
one deterrent to EU membership. The cultural attitudes of the people,
which are at least partially responsible for the existence of such
institutions, are another. The anti-European attitudes of the Turkish
people were recently exemplified in a poll conducted by the Milliyet
newspaper Oct. 24, which showed that two-thirds of the Turkish people
don’t even want to join the EU. Government prosecution of Christian
converts and recent plans to construct female-only parks have,
similarly, been greeted with support by most Turks.

Such sentiment is the product of a country that has lived under
military rule for decades and continues to be held back by reactionary
religious ideas. It is all too clear that Turkish institutions and
Turkish ideas are clearly not European ones. Once this is realized,
the foolishness of admitting a non-European nation into the European
Union becomes all too obvious.

Kyle Szarzynski ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in
Spanish and history.

turkey_mistreats_min.php

FISH & FEATHERS: WITH GUNS WE ARE CITIZENS, WITHOUT THEM WE ARE SUBJECTS
By Capt. RON MALAST

Chinook Observer , WA
Nov 29 2006

The age-old controversy of "gun control" has been argued for many
years, but never with a satisfactory conclusion. Advocates of
gun control believe that by taking weapons away from the general
population, they put themselves in a safer position, In my opinion,
nothing could be further from the truth.

When the public submits themselves to the restriction of having their
guns taken away, in the interest of public safety, they are under a
false assumption. To believe that criminals are going to abide by
these rules and the government is going to protect the public is
pure fantasy.

The government has its own reasons for not wanting armed citizens.

Whether you agree or not, it’s an interesting lesson in history.

In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953
about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded
up and exterminated.

In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5
million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up
an exterminated.

Germany established gun control in 1938. From 1939 to 1945, a total
of 13 million Jews and others were exterminated.

China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million
political dissents were massacred.

Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000
Christians, unable to protect themselves were slaughtered.

Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000
Mayan Indians were killed.

Notice a pattern here? At least, 56 million defenseless people have
been exterminated, in the 20th Century.

Twelve months after gun owners in Australia were forced to surrender
their personal weapons (640,381 of them) by their own government,
at a cost of 500 million to taxpayers, the results are in.

Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent.

Australia-wide assaults are up 8.6 percent.

Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent.

Seems like the "bad guys" forgot to turn in their guns.

This seems to be a trend in countries where gun control has taken
weapons out of civilian hands. Why should criminals worry about
recrimination, if they know there will be no armed resistance from
their targeted victims.

Law biding citizens will turn in their guns so that they do not break
the law and become criminals. Criminals do not give a damn and will
break the law to reach any means. If the courts of this country would
support the police and enforce existing gun laws the criminal element
would be reduced considerably.

~U As of 1992, for every 14 violent crimes (rape, murder etc.)
committed in the U.S., one person went to prison.

As of 1992, average length of imprisonment for:

~UMurder 10 years. Rape 7.6 years, aggravated assault 3.4 years

~UIn mid-1990’s, criminals on parole or early release from prison
committed about 5,000 murders, 17,000 rapes and 200,000 robberies
a year.

~UAmericans use firearms to defend themselves from criminals at least
764,000 a year, according to surveys conducted by Galiup and the Los
Angles Times.

~UWashington, D.C. Enacted a virtual ban on handguns in 1976. Between
1976 and 1991, Washington, D.C.’s homicide rate rose 200 percent,
while in the rest of the country it rose 12 percent.

~UFlorida adopted a right-to-carry law in 1987. Between 1987 and
1996 these changes occurred – in Florida the homicide rate dropped 36
percent; in the rest of the United States it dropped only 0.4 percent.

The figures speak for themselves.

– "Gun Control," by James Rucnco ( control.htm)

Ron Malast is operator of the charter boat Big Dipper working out
of Sea Sport Fishing Charters in Ilwaco 866-211-6611. You may e-mail
him at [email protected]

http://www.chinookobserver.i nfo/main.asp?SectionID=12&SubSectionID=30& ArticleID=16525&TM=11855.46

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress