Month: November 2006

HEALTH OF ARMENIAN PEACEMAKER INJURED IN IRAQ IN NORMAL STATE
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
The Armenian peacemaker who was injured in Iraq feels himself better,
Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan told journalists on his
departure to Iraq, Monday.
As it was reported earlier Senior Lieutenant Georgy Nalbanyan (1981)
was injured on November 11. His leg was ablated in an American
military hospital.
The minister said G. Nalbandyan has already been transported to
Germany for further treatment. His life is no longer in danger.
At the same time, the minister said that the Defense Ministry has
applied to the National Assembly for prolongation of the term of
Armenian peacemaking mission in Iraq. “Armenia cannot only ‘consume’
security. Armenia must make its contribution into the process of
world security,” the minister said.
ARMENIAN PEACEMAKERS IN IRAQ TO BE ROTATED ON NOVEMBER 14
The 6th group of Armenian peacemakers will leave for Kosovo on
November 14, Press Secretary of Armenian Defense Minister, Colonel
Syeran Shahsouvryan, told ArmInfo. The farewell ceremony will take
place at the regiment in Yerevan.

OSCE MG U.S. CO-CHAIRMAN SURE THAT GEORGE BUSH ADMINISTRATION WILL STRONGLY OPPOSE ANY DRAFT LAW ON RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
Matt Bryza, a top-level official from the U.S. State Department,
U.S. Co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group for settlement of Karabakh
conflict, asserted that the George Bush Administration would strongly
oppose any draft law on the recognition of Armenian genocide.
However, he added that given the complexity of the new political
environment since the midterm elections, it was hard for them to
precisely foresee any outcome.
Zaman reports that Matt Bryza was speaking at the annual convention of
the Assembly of Turkish- American Associations (ATAA) and commented
on the possibility of an Armenian genocide bill introduced to the
House of Representatives, where the Democrats have recently gained
control. He described the new situation as a change in the political
reality and said that it was impossible for the administration to
predict how the new mechanism would operate with regards to the fate
of any proposal for recognition of the Armenian genocide.
Newly ensconced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, promised the
Armenian lobby to support any bill regarding the genocide.
Meanwhile, in his address at the meeting, Bryza, drew attention to
Russian attempts at being the sole energy supplier to the region and
underlined the importance of Turkish-American strategic cooperation.

ISTANBUL OFFICE OF TURKISH HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION APPEALED TO TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTRY TO EXAMINE MASS GRAVES UNCOVERED IN VILLAGE OF XIRABEBABA
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
The Istanbul office of the Turkish human rights organization appealed
to the Turkish Interior Ministry with an open letter to examine the
mass graves of the 20th century, which have been discovered in the
village of Xirabeba of Mardin region, and to find out whether the
killed were Armenians or Assyrians.
According to Turkish mass media, the letter says that no statements
about uncovering the burial place on October 17 have been made so
far. It was said that the peasants who had found remains in a stone
quarry informed the police about that. Then the military men blocked
the entrance of the quarry but said nothing of the remains. Yet,
they said that they would start investigation on this. According to
the source, Turkish soldiers didn’t allow the journalists to enter
the quarry, and forbade the natives to show the way to the quarry.
Therefore, the human rights advocates of Istanbul insist on
investigation of the graves by an independent group of historians and
experts in forensic medicine. The authors of the letter emphasize
that the society which fails to display courage to look directly
at the sad historical events of the past is unable to successfully
finish the process of democratization.
To remind, while unearthing the grave of one of their relatives,
the dwellers of Xirabebaba discovered mass burial in the stone quarry
full of bones and skulls. The peasants supposed that they found the
remains of over 300 Armenian inhabitants killed in 1915. Professor
David Gaunt, a Swedish historian, believes that the remains discovered
in the stone quarry belong to 270 Armenians and Assyrians killed by
the order of Young Turk commander Halil Edip.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LEADER OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITION GLAD TO KNOW THAT UNLIKE 2003 TODAY ROBERT KOCHARYAN SUPPORTS KARABAKH’S INVOLVEMENT IN KARABAKH PEACE TALKS
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
“I am glad to know that unlike 2003 today Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan supports Karabakh’s involvement in the Karabakh peace talks,”
the leader of the People’s Party of Armenia Stepan Demirtchyan and
the key rival of Kocharyan during the presidential race 2003 said
during today’s press-conference in the Friday press club.
Asked by an ArmInfo correspondent to comment on the Karabakh peace
process in the context of the Nov 14 meeting of the Armenian and Azeri
FMs, Demirtchyan said that it is hard for him to comment on the process
as he is not aware of the details. In any case, Demirtchyan believes
that real progress in the process is possible only if Karabakh is
involved in it.

SOME DETAILS OF MILITARY SERVICE EVASION IN ARMENIA
Translated by Pavel Pushkin
Source: Novoe Vremya (Yerevan), October 31, 2006, p. EV
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 13, 2006 Monday
In the Soviet times evasion of the military service was an ordinary
matter in Armenia. As a rule, parents, especially top-ranking ones,
did their best to protect their sons. These were mostly residents
of cities. If they failed to protect their sons from the service
they tried to arrange for their sons to serve as close to home as
possible. The luckiest ones remained to serve in Armenia. Some of
the conscripts were exempted from service for bribes or for good
relations. At any rate, one thing did not stand in the way of the
other. All thinkable false documents about bad health, incomplete
status of families and other documents of this kind were obtained by
hook or by crook. Military commissars and doctors made very much money
on this. Practically the same is happening nowadays. Probably flight
of conscripts to Russia or to other CIS countries was added to the
well-tested methods. Very often conscripts flee without any documents,
sit and wait for the time when they turn 27. Alleged religious belief
has become a popular method to. Another less prestigious method is
post-graduate study. There are post-graduates in the country sufficient
for an entire division.
Deserting from the army acquired local specific traits to. Soldiers
desert seldom but they are often allowed to go home for a while for
bribes. This phenomenon has not acquired a mass nature yet but is at
least very popular.
Nothing will evidently change in the future and no supreme national
interests can serve as an obstacle.

CHECHEN BOY FATALLY STABBED
The Moscow Times, Russia
November 13, 2006 Monday
Police are searching for the killers of Kazbek Dadakhanov, 17,
a Chechen who was fatally stabbed outside the Rechnoi Vokzal metro
station.
Dadakhanov, a student at the Plekhanov Institute, was on his way
home from judo training with his cousin when he was involved in an
altercation with two men on the escalator as they were leaving the
northern Moscow metro station, Kommersant reported.
Dadakhanov, a relative of former Grozny Mayor Bislan Gantamirov,
was stabbed in the heart and died on the spot.
“I’m in shock,” said Kazbek’s father, Murat Dadakhanov. “I can’t
even imagine why my son was killed. He only cared about sports and
studying.”
Police have issued composite sketches of the suspects.
“There was no ethnic motive in this murder,” a source involved in the
investigation said, Interfax reported. “The murder was committed in
a drunken fight.”
In May, Artur Sadaryan, 19, an ethnic Armenian, was stabbed to death
on a suburban Moscow train.
The month before, Vigen Abramyan, 17, also an ethnic Armenian, was
fatally stabbed at the Pushkinskaya metro station.
No one has been convicted of either crimes.

PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV OF AZERBAIJAN VISITS MOSCOW
Source: RBC Daily, November 9, 2006
Agency WPS
The Russian Business Monitor (Russia)
November 13, 2006 Monday
President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan started a working visit to Moscow
on Noember 8, arriving there from Brussels.
In contrast to Aliyev’s Brussels visit, his Moscow visit has been
downplayed in Azerbaijan – to avoid stirring up the pro-Western
opposition. Announcements in Russia have also been very brief. But
everyone knows the issues of concern to both sides: Baku is trying
to win Moscow’s support on Nagorno-Karabakh, while Moscow is trying
to prevent Azerbaijan from joining NATO.
Moscow does not have much economic leverage with Azerbaijan. All
Azeri oil is exported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline,
bypassing Russia; gas deliveries account for the lion’s share
of trade turnover, but even this source of dependence will be
eliminated once the Shah-Deniz field starts production. However,
given its influence on Armenia, Russia is still an important mediator
in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This mediation is also vital for
Azerbaijan’s biggest investor – the United States. Shareholders in
the BTC pipeline and the new Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline require
transit security. Moscow cannot side with Azerbaijan, at the risk
of losing Armenia – a member of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization and Russia’s sole ally in the Trans-Caucasus.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said on November 7 that
Russia is prepared to act as a conflict regulation guarantor if Baku
and Yerevan can reach a compromise themselves. But this is unlikely:
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian has already made it clear
that his meeting with his Azeri counterpart on November 14 in Brussels
will not be successful. Oskanian also said recently that if “Russia
recognizes one or more of the unrecognized republics, the Armenian
Foreign Ministry will make an appropriate statement.” It is a sticky
situation.
In the meantime, Western countries are trying to draw Azerbaijan
further into their orbit. Citing diplomatic sources, the “Zerkalo”
newspaper (Baku) reports that “Azerbaijan is expected to make an
official application for NATO membership within days.” However,
judging by Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamediarov’s statement about
Russia’s “important role” in the region, Baku is not prepared to take
that step as yet. Sergei Markedonov from the Political and Military
Analysis Institute says: “Azerbaijan understands that joining NATO
would exacerbate tension in relations with Russia, and draw Azerbaijan
into the Iran campaign. So Aliyev has to keep maneuvering.”
All the same, according to Azeri political analyst Zafar Guliyev,
Baku’s policies could tilt towards the West in the near future. And the
invitation for Aliyev to visit Moscow after Brussels may be regarded
as the Kremlin’s attempt to prevent such developments.

AZERBAIJAN CANNOT BE AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SUPPLIER FOR EUROPE – ILHAM ALIYEV
Source: Kommersant, 10/11/06
Agency WPS
The Russian Oil and Gas Report (Russia)
November 13, 2006 Monday
On November 9, 2006, Russian President Putin met with his Azeri
counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Before coming to Moscow, President Ilham
Aliyev of Azerbaijan visited Brussels, the den of Eurobureaucrats,
and stirred it up.
Sources in the Azeri delegation say that Aliyev was told in Brussels
that perhaps he should start thinking in terms of his own energy
policy with regard to the EU. According to Kommersant’s sources,
Aliyev told the Europeans that Azerbaijan couldn’t be an alternative
to Russia in any case. In fact, Aliyev said as much to Putin himself.
“You and I, we are working together, and that’s what I told them,”
a senior Kremlin official quoted Aliyev as saying to Putin.
According to Aliyev himself, he was greatly surprised to discover that
“Brussels has no inkling whatsoever of how our countries depend on
each other!”
Putin and Aliyev would have discussed construction of an aluminum
plant worth $1 billion in Gyandja, Azerbaijan. What information is
available at this point, however, indicates that the issue was never
even mentioned despite Putin’s intention to bring it up.
Aliyev denied speculations that he had given EU leaders any guarantees
concerning transportation of fuel from the Caspian region or that
Azeri oil transportation by Odessa-Brody pipeline to Eastern Europe
had been discussed.
The situation with the same pipeline but a different project is more
complicated, it seems. President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus is
actively looking for alternative suppliers of gas and oil – as long
as their tariffs are not so high as the ones Russia established are.
Russia upped oil and gas tariffs for Belarus once it became clear that
Minsk was not in a hurry to deliver the promised assets (controlling
interest in Beltrasgaz). From this standpoint, Lukashenko has taken
a keen interest in Azerbaijan.
Well, Aliyev told Putin that the president of Belarus is free to look
for alternative suppliers anywhere but in Azerbaijan. Putin is bound
to inform Lukashenko of that at their talks in the Kremlin later today.
According to what information is available at this point, both
presidents made numerous references to the late president of Azerbaijan
Heydar Aliyev who is practically a model hero for both.
However, Putin failed to secure Aliyev’s support in the
Russian-Georgian confrontation. Aliyev only said that Azerbaijan is
experiencing some effects from the Russian-Georgian crisis, and that
he does not want that.
In other words, Aliyev is prepared to play the role of mediator in
the Russian-Georgian confrontation.
He will probably be as successful as Putin is in the Azeri-Armenian
conflict.

ALGERIAN PREMIER URGES FRANCE TO ADMIT ITS COLONIAL “CRIMES”
Algerian Radio, Algiers,
12 Nov 2006
Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem was yesterday the guest of the
TV Forum during which he dealt with political, security and economic
issues in addition to Algerian relations with France and Morocco.
More details by [TV correspondent] Nacera Menane:
[Menane – recording] Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem said the
implementation of the charter on peace and national reconciliation had
achieved positive results due to the return of security and stability
to every corner of the country. He denied that there were obstacles
in implementing the procedures of the charter on peace and national
reconciliation. Belkhadem said the security forces had eliminated some
17,000 terrorists since the beginning of terrorism in Algeria [1992].
Regarding responsibility towards the destitute families of the
terrorists, the prime minister said that social investigations had
numbered 10,346 and that the study 6,052 files was completed, of
which 3,769 were accepted.
With regard to the issue of the missing persons, the prime minister
said the unveiled cases of the missing persons had reached 6.601.
Regarding the situation of the [state-sponsored militia] self-defence
groups, Abdelaziz Belkhadem said Algeria would not abandon its sons,
particularly those who had confronted terrorism, whose sacrifices
need to be acknowledged.
On the possibility of some officials of the banned party [Islamic
Salvation Front, FIS] resuming political activities, the prime
minister reminded of the fact that the texts of the charter on peace
and national reconciliation were clear on the issue. Such texts do
not allow anyone who was behind the national tragedy to return to
the political scene.
With regard to the economy, Belkhadem said Algeria had recorded
positive economic and financial results between 2000 and 2006, through
a yearly-average growth rate estimated at five per cent and inflation
rate of less than two per cent.
On rural development, the prime minister said the government was
busy preparing a plan for establishing 950 rural municipalities in
coordination with the Ministries of Interior and Local Authorities
and Agriculture and Rural Development. He pointed out to two huge
projects to supply the entire country with electricity and gas.
On the Algerian-Moroccan relations, the prime minister reiterated
Algeria’s willingness to work with Morocco in a way to serve the
interests of our two countries. He also reiterated Algeria’s attachment
to the Arab Maghreb Union [AMU].
The prime minister also touched on relations between Algeria and France
as well as other issues relating to the constitution, corruption, the
phenomenon of kidnapping, racketeering and attacks on properties. [End
of recording].
Responding to journalists’ questions on the issue of national
reconciliation, Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem said national
reconciliation cannot be restricted to figures but it is a moral
issue which aims to lead the country towards security and the end of
the spiral of violence in a way to settle the issue radically.
Belkhadem provided full details on the outcome of the policy of
national reconciliation and he revealed the latest figure of the
missing persons. He also spoke about issues which had been settled
and other issues which continue to wait for a solution.
Terrorism and missing persons
[Belkhadem – recording] The law which was issued following the charter
on peace and national reconciliation had set deadlines. At the end
of these deadlines, cases of missing persons numbered 6.601.
By the end of August, the number of persons who had received a
court verdict, on this issue, was 3,610 cases. The number of minutes
surveyed and presented by the concerned authorities on the missing
persons is as follows: By the National Gendarmerie 3,630 and by the
national security [police] 1,336. The number of verdicts received by
the legal authorities was 3,041 cases and the number of cases settled
after all the conditions of the files were completed was 965 cases.
Still with regard to the missing persons, 297 cases were turned down.
[End of recording].
The prime minister also provided figures on the number of terrorists
eliminated during the Dark Decade [1990s], which resulted in
destitute families; an issue dealt with by the charter for peace
and national reconciliation and confirmed by Gendarmerie and police
investigations. The prime minister, once again:
[Belkhadem] With regard to terrorists, 16,903 had been killed. The
number of death certificates presented by the National Gendarmeries
was about 4,800 and by the police 4,460. The decree, however, refers
to destitute families of killed terrorists. This means that not all
families [of terrorists] will benefit, but only the destitute families
as was stated by the charter on peace and national reconciliation and
as was stated by the law. There are 10,346 social investigations to
find out whether these families are destitute or not. The outcome
of the final investigations at the end of August was 8,196. The
provincial committees dealt with 6,052 of these files and 3,769
were accepted. The investigation of 314 files was delayed in order
to complete fact-gathering process; while 1,900 files were turned
down. [End of recording].
Kidnapping and other crimes
On the spread of crimes, racketeering and kidnapping, the prime
minister said the security services are currently working in every
corner of the country – according to preventive directives – to
confront this phenomenon and to use the force of the law against those
who try to racketeer citizens and illegally seize their properties.
[Belkhadem] Kidnapping is followed by a demand for a ransom. This
is a new phenomenon as far as the Algerian society is concerned. In
recent months we have seen this phenomenon exacerbating in one of the
country’s regions. Now, the security services have taken measures to
confront this phenomenon, as is the case with other phenomena which
have been exacerbated such as physical attacks, theft, theft of mobile
phones and attacks on properties. At times there are even attacks on
banks both at night and in broad daylight. Our security services are
being trained to confront these diseases. [End of recording].
Relations with France
The recent tension in relations between Algeria and France, due to
the law glorifying French colonialism, was dealt with by the prime
minister in his interview. He said Algeria wanted equal and strong
relations with France; relations between two sovereign states.
Belkhadem urged French politicians to admit and not to overlook the
history of a colonialist period during which crimes were committed.
[Belkhadem] We want equal relations between two sovereign states
in the service of their common interests. Algeria and France share
common interests. Now, how are we going to deal with each other? Yes,
we do business with one another but without forgetting the past.
Nobody can forget his past. We tell our French partners that we are
fully ready to improve relations in the interests of the two peoples,
with conditions that you admit the crimes you had committed during
the colonial period. For instance, I have heard HE president of the
French Republic when he visited Turkey. He spoke to the Turks on the
Armenians. He told the Turks that a state becomes great when it admits
its actions. It is appropriate for the president of the French Republic
that France admits the crimes it had perpetrated. [End of recording].
Referendum
Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the National Liberation Front’s
[FLN] Executive Committee Abdelaziz Belkhadem revealed yesterday,
during a meeting of the leaders of the residential Coalition [FLN,
Democratic National Rally, RND, and Movement of Society for Peace,
MSP], that the referendum on constitutional amendment will be held
during the period when the RND chairs the Presidential Coalition,
which started yesterday and will end on 14 February of next year.
The three political parties have referred the decision on this issue
to the president of the republic in his capacity as the first judge
of the country.

POLE AND SLOVAK KILLED IN IRAQ EXPLOSION
Polish News Agency
11 Nov 2006
Warsaw, 11 November: Two soldiers, a Pole and a Slovak, have been
killed in the explosion of a mine booby-trap in Iraq. A Pole and
an Armenian were wounded. As PAP has discovered, it was a sergeant
from the 16th Mechanized Division from Elblag [northern Poland]
who was killed.
The lives of those wounded are not in danger and they have been taken
by helicopter to hospital in Baghdad. The Pole, who is wounded in
the leg, is a junior warrant officer from the airbase in Malbork
[northern Poland].
The accident took place on the road between Al-Kut and a location
where a company of Slovak sappers was clearing mines from an old
ammunition dump.
Up until today, 21 Poles had been killed in Iraq, 17 of them soldiers.