Month: June 2009

MATTHEW BRYZA: I DO NOT EXPECT A PIECE OF PAPER TO BE SIGNED DURING THE ST. PETERSBURG MEETING OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS

APA
June 3 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Viktoria Dementieva – APA. American co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group
Matthew Bryza said it is very positive that Azerbaijani and Armenian
ambassadors to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu and Armen Smbatyan will meet
in Nagorno Karabakh.

Mathew Bryza told APA exclusively it is great that the parties have
more contacts. Bryza said he has no information about the date of
the meeting and other details and added the organization does not
have to organize the meeting of the ambassadors. American co-chair
said he does not expect a piece of paper to be signed during the
St. Petersburg meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents.

"I do hope that they will agree to work through some differences of
the concept on specific basic principles. If the presidents agree,
we will discuss the other issues. This is a work in progress. We are
working through the last few concepts of Madrid document that still
have to be agreed," he said.

Matthew Bryza said it depends on the results of the presidents’ meeting
whether the co-chairs will visit the region after June 4 or not.

"First we have to see what will happen on Thursday. But OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs will visit the region again to continue their work,"
he said.

ARMENIA TO SUPPLY ENERGY TO TURKEY

HULIQ
June 3 2009
SC

Armenia, who is always being underestimated by it’s oil rich neighbor
Azerbaijan is slowly growing it’s market share in supplying electricity
to Iran, Georgia and now Turkey, with which a rapprochement policy
has been in process.

Corresponding works are underway in Armenia towards exporting
energy to Turkey, Armenian Minister of Economy and Natural Resources
Armen Movsisyan told reporters today. He noted, however, that the
organization of the process of sale with Turkey was not that easy.

"We have rather rich experience. We have worked with Georgia and Iran,
but we have no experience of working with the corresponding system
of Turkey. It requires juxtaposition of technical parameters," the
Minister noted.

Armen Movsisyan reminded that we have signed a contract with a Turkish
commercial company, and any political preconditions are excluded.

According to the Minister of Energy of Armenia, the global
financial-economic crisis has not had an essential negative influence
on Armenia’s energy sector. "All the programs continue, there is
no intention to suspend those. On the contrary, we have started
implementing new projects," the Minister said.

THE LAW’S TORTURED EFFORTS AT DEFINING RACE IN AMERICA
By Kurt Greenbaum

St. Louis Post-Dispatch
onversation-about-race/general-news/2009/06/the-la ws-tortured-efforts-at-defining-race-in-america/
J une 3 2009

In an earlier post, I mentioned "A Story of Rhythm and Grace," a
book by former rock musician and current pastor Jimi Calhoun about
how the church can learn from rock and roll about healing the racial
divide. I’ve read a couple more chapters since. I was most taken,
so far, by a chapter that delves into the definition of race.

In one section, he cites Professor Ian F. Haney Lopez, who examined
legal cases in the United States involving race identity. Calhoun
quotes Lopez: "In its first words on the subject of citizenship,
Congress in 1790 restricted naturalization (process of immigrants
becoming U.S. citizens) to White persons." Calhoun goes on:

The cases that flowed out this law by Congress, known as the
prerequisite law, were rife with contradictions: "Judges qualified
Syrians as White in 1909, 1910 and 1915, but not in 1913 or
1914." Asian Indians were "White in 1910, 1913, 1919 and 1920, but
not in 1909, 1917, or after 1923…. Asians were not considered White
during this period and yet a court in 1909 ruled that Armenians were
White, even though their geographic origins made them at least Asian."

One more quote from Calhoun’s book:

It strikes me as sad that so much energy has been expended to
keep the idea of race alive when we cannot even define it with any
consistency. Professor Lopez’s book brings attention to the fact that
we are not sure what white is, and so it follows that if we can’t be
sure who is white, then we can’t be sure who is not.

Calhoun also mentions Homer Plessy, who lost his appeal to the
U.S. Supreme Court over his right to sit in the "whites only" section
of a railroad car in 1892. His case ushered in the period of "separate
but equal" until 1954. Plessy was seven-eighths "white American"
(whatever that means) and one-eighth African. He was light-skinned,
with straight hair. As Calhoun notes, "no one would have ever
known that he was ‘black’ had he not told anyone." That’s Plessy
on the left. I threw in a picture of Ulysses Grant, president from
1869-1877, just for the sake of comparing black-and-white portraits
from relatively the same period.

Calhoun’s chapter on our inability to really identify race was further
brought home to me by an item on the Poynter Institute journalism
web site by Sally Lehrman. She writes on the "Diversity at Work"
blog an item entitled, "Scholars Share Ideas about How Journalists
Can Better Cover Race." A pitfall, she points out, is "Thinking we
all mean the same thing when we use the word ‘race.’"

In "Racial Formation in the United States," the influential 1986 book
that conferees had come to celebrate, authors Michael Omi and Howard
Winant showed that race is not a fixed, stable or objective idea.

Race is a set of categories that the American people continuously
police, challenge and change. That means journalists must always
ask what people mean by "race." We should probe and highlight the
structures that shape the experience of race.

Calhoun’s chapter gives me some comfort when I read comments and talk
to people who declare with absolute certainty what "black" people do,
think and feel. It gives me comfort because it reminds me, yet again:
They can’t know.

A HUMANITARIAN NEEDS OUR HELP
By W. Robert Pearson

Washington Times
anitarian-needs-our-help/?feat=home_commentary
Jun e 3 2009

The world is in need of a little healing right now, a time of change
and challenges among nations and cultures. Humanitarians around the
planet work in countless communities to help make things better —
as aid workers, teachers, journalists and spiritual leaders.

Yet every so often, a humanitarian’s relationship with the world gets
turned upside down, so instead of helping the world, that good-hearted
person needs our support.

Right now, my colleague Silva Harotonian sits in Iran’s notorious
Evin Prison, innocent of any wrongdoing yet sentenced to three years
in jail on political charges. We ask the world to come to her aid by
calling for her release. Silva’s story will sound familiar. Journalist
Roxana Saberi suffered through a similar ordeal during her detainment
on political charges, and Ms. Saberi’s release on May 11 gives hope
to those of us asking for mercy for Silva.

When the same legal basis for Ms. Saberi’s discharge is applied
to Silva’s case, it indicates Silva also should be granted
freedom. Additionally, Iran’s judiciary chief, Ayatollah Mahmoud
Hashemi Shahroudi, commented on Ms. Saberi’s appeal that "all the
aspects of this case, such as its moral and worldly elements, should
be considered in a careful, quick and fair way." As she approaches
her second and final appeal, Silva deserves the same.

Silva, an Iranian citizen of Armenian descent, has always been a
natural humanitarian. A compassionate soul, she actively served her
Armenian Christian church and cared for ailing family members. We
at the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX) hired
then 33-year-old Silva in late 2007 to work on one of our many
international, peer-to-peer exchange programs.

As a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization with a 40-year
history of international academic and people-to-people exchange
initiatives, IREX employs more than 500 people around the world and
has touched many thousands without ever being accused of nefarious
intentions.

Silva provided administrative support for our Maternal and Child Health
Education and Exchange Program, which allowed health care professionals
in the United States and Iran to share information on best practices.

Despite her modest role, serving the women and children in her home
country of Iran struck a chord with Silva. She worked from our office
in Yerevan, Armenia, translating documents, answering phone inquiries
and occasionally traveling to Iran to explain program logistics to
the health care exchange’s participants.

At the end of Silva’s fourth trip to Iran, in June 2008, Iranian
authorities arrested her. Months later, they formally charged her with
conspiring to overthrow the government through a "soft revolution"
and then sentenced her to three years in prison. Her first appeal
was denied a few weeks ago.

Silva is no revolutionary. In fact, our colleague never took much
interest in politics or following the news. She preferred to write
poetry and go to the theater when she wasn’t working or caring for
her family.

Neither Silva nor we at IREX have secret agendas. We are nonpartisan
humanitarians and closely cooperate with the governments in the
countries where we have been granted permission to operate. Our work
around the world speaks for itself, as IREX has achieved successes
in Egypt, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Morocco and countless other places.

With the experience of 40 years serving in more than 100 countries,
we know misunderstandings can lead to severe consequences. After
almost one year in jail, Silva continues to pay dearly. With limited
prior life experience, she has served time that will forever impact
her life. Day by day, her spirits and health deteriorate. Now is the
time to send her home.

By releasing Silva to her family now, Iranian authorities can
demonstrate the need for law-abiding behavior and show the value of
forgiveness and mercy, as in Ms. Saberi’s situation. Such an act would
also reinforce the special, important role of humanitarians in the
world. Those who give so much to others deserve special consideration.

Like all of us at IREX, Silva conducted her work with pure intentions
of spreading good will, by helping mothers and children while promoting
Iran’s health care advancement.

As Silva appeals her conviction, we will keep pursuing all avenues
for her release. In addition, her family is working desperately to
bring her home. It has set up a Web site, , where
visitors can sign a petition of support. Together, our voices are
becoming louder and our pleas for freedom more meaningful.

On behalf of humanitarians doing good work around the world, please
join us in helping to bring Silva home.

W. Robert Pearson, president of the International Research & Exchanges
Board, is a former director general of the U.S. Foreign Service and
a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey.

MEETING IN THE RA NA STANDING COMMITTEE

National Assembly
June 4 2009
Armenia

On June 2 Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on Foreign
Relations Mr. Armen Rustamyan met the Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Finland to Armenia H.E. Mr. Petri
Salo.

At the guest’s request Mr. Rustamyan presented his assessments on
the regional developments. Touching upon the problem of the Karabakh
conflict regulation, Mr. Rustamyan noted that Armenia was for the
peaceful solution of the issue through negotiations without using
force. In Mr. Rustamyan’s conviction, the Minsk Group process should
be continued as the change of the format can result in tension.

The Committee Chairman believes that the opening of the
Armenian-Turkish border and the establishment of diplomatic relations
with Turkey shall be without any preconditions.

Mr. Salo also noted that the Karabakh problem and the regional
conflicts should be solved through peaceful means, and Finland,
being a member country of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement, would support the peaceful regulation of the
Karabakh issue.

During the meeting other issues regarding the Armenian-Finnish
relations and regional problems were discussed too.

RSF QUESTIONS RELATIONS BETWEEN ERGENEKON AND HRANT DINK MURDER

BIA Magazine
June 3 2009
Turkey

Reporters without Borders is supporting the call of Hrant Dink’s
family and lawyers for a serious investigation into relations between
the murder of the journalist and the ultranationalist Ergenekon
organisation.

Paris – Rsf03 Nisan 2009, Cuma Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
supports a request which the family and lawyers of slain Turkish-
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink have addressed to an Istanbul court
asking it to seriously consider the possibility that the clandestine
ultranationalist group Ergenekon was involved in Dink’s January 2007
murder. The court is trying a group of men accused of the murder and
is due to hold its next hearing on 20 April.

"The court must examine the links that may have existed between
certain Ergenekon members and Dink’s murderers," Reporters Without
Borders said. "If the court takes account of this evidence, the trial
could enter a new phase that could lead to an impartial verdict in
the weeks ahead."

Connections between murder suspects and nationalists

The Dink family was told about the possible links by a friend of
Dink’s, Ali Bayramoglu, a reporter with Yeni Safak, a daily newspaper
that supports Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and
Development Party (AKP). Bayramoglu first began suspecting Ergenekon’s
involvement a few days after Dink’s murder.

Ogun Samast, the youth who allegedly fired the shots that killed Dink,
Yasin Hayal, the accused mastermind, and Erbil Susaman, another of
the defendants, were all allegedly in physical and telephone contract
with the Ergenekon network. They are believed to have been in contact
with Mustafa Ozturk, who at the time was the head of the far-right
group the Alperen Hearths, and with Veli Kucuk, one of those who have
been charged and detained for alleged participation in the Ergenekon
conspiracy.

The Dink family’s lawyers have given this information to the Istanbul
court handling the Dink murder trial and to the Istanbul court handling
the Ergenekon case.

The editor of the newspaper Agos, Dink was gunned down outside the
newspaper’s headquarters in Istanbul on 19 January 2007. The trial
of his alleged killers began in July 2007.

An alleged clandestine network with links to the military and
security forces and inspired by the secular convictions of the
Turkish republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Ergenekon is
accused of plotting against the AKP government. The trial of 86
alleged participants – 41 of whom are being held in Silivri prison,
west of Istanbul – began last October.

Turkey was ranked 103rd out of 173 countries in the latest Reporters
Without Borders press freedom index. (RSF/AG)

*This article was taken from Subheadings were added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IRAN IS NOT NAZI GERMANY, AND "SIR WINSTON PERES" IS A DISASTER
By Uri Avnery

Coastal Post

June 4 2009
CA

May 2009: First of all, I want to apologize to all the good women
who are engaged in the world’s oldest profession.

I recently described Shimon Peres as a political prostitute. One of
my female readers has protested vigorously. Prostitutes, she pointed
out, earn their money honestly. They deliver what they promise.

Our president, on the other hand, only tells the truth by
accident. He is a political impostor and a political sham. To him,
too, apply Winston Churchill’s words about a former Prime Minister:
"The Right Honorable gentleman sometimes stumbles upon the truth,
but he always hurries on as if nothing has happened." Or the words
of former minister Amnon Rubinstein about Ariel Sharon: "He blushes
when he tells the truth."

Like a traveling salesman offering a counterfeit product, Peres is now
peddling the merchandise called Binyamin Netanyahu. He presents to the
world a Netanyahu we have never known: a peacemaker, the epitome of
truthfulness, a man with no other ambition than to go down in history
as the founder of the State of Palestine. A Righteous Jew to outshine
all Righteous Gentiles.

HOWEVER, ALL these lies are nothing compared to trivializing the
Holocaust.

In some countries, that is a criminal offense, punishable by
prison. The trivializing has many guises. For example: the assertion
that the gas chambers never existed. Or: that not six million Jews
were killed, but only six hundred thousand. But the most dangerous
form of minimizing is the comparison of the Holocaust to passing
events, thus turning it into "a detail of history", as Jean-Marie
Le-Pen infamously put it.

This week, Shimon Peres committed exactly this crime.

Like a lackey walking in front of the king, strewing flowers on the
road, Peres flew to the US to prepare the ground for Netanyahu’s
coming visit. He imposed himself on a reluctant Barack Obama, who
had no choice but to receive him.

Posing as a new Winston Churchill, the man who warned the world against
the rise of Nazi Germany, he informed Obama with solemn bombast:
"As Jews we cannot but compare Iran to Nazi Germany."

About this sentence at least three things must be said: (a) it is
untrue, (b) it trivializes the Holocaust, and (c) it reflects a
catastrophic policy.

DOES IRAN really resemble Nazi Germany?

I don’t like the regime there. As a committed atheist who insists
on total separation between state and religion, I oppose any regime
based on religion – in Iran, in Israel or in any other country.

Also, I don’t like politicians like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I am allergic
to leaders who stand on balconies and declaim to the masses below. I
detest demagogues who appeal to the base instincts of hatred and fear.

Alas, Ahmadinejad is not the only leader of this type. Indeed, the
world is full of them, some are among the staunchest supporters of
the Israeli government. In Israel, too, we do not lack this sort.

But Iran is not a fascist state. According to the evidence,
there is quite a lot of freedom there, including freedom of
expression. Ahmadinejad is not the only candidate for president in
the present election campaign. There are a number of others, some
more radical, some less.

Nor is Iran an anti-Semitic state. A Jewish community, whose members
are refusing to emigrate, is living there comfortably enough. It enjoys
religious freedom and has a representative in parliament. Even if we
take such reports with a grain of salt, it is clear that the Jews in
Iran are not being persecuted like the Jews in Nazi Germany.

And, most important: Iran is not an aggressive country. It has not
attacked its neighbors for centuries. The long and bloody Iraq-Iran war
was started by Saddam Hussein. It may be remembered that at the time
Israel (contrary to the US) supported the Iranian side and supplied
it with arms. (One such transaction was accidentally disclosed in
the Irangate affair.) Before the Khomeini revolution, Iran was our
most important ally in the region.

Ahmadinejad hates Israel. But it has been denied that he has threatened
to annihilate Israel. It appears that the crucial sentence in his
famous speech was mistranslated: he did not declare his determination
to wipe Israel off the map, but expressed the opinion that Israel
will disappear from the map.

Frankly, I don’t think that there is such a great difference between
the two versions. When the leader of a big country predicts that my
state will disappear, that makes me worry. When that country appears
to do everything possible to produce a nuclear bomb that worries me
even more. I draw conclusions, but about that later.

Moreover, Ahmadinejad – unlike Hitler – is not the supreme leader
of his country. He is subject to the real leadership, composed
of clerics. All the signs indicate that this is not a group of
adventurers. On the contrary, they are very balanced, sophisticated and
prudent. Now they are cautiously feeling their way towards dialogue
with the US, trying to reach an accord without sacrificing their
regional ambitions, which are quite normal.

In brief, the speeches of one demagogic leader do not turn a country
into Nazi Germany. Iran is not a mad country. It has no real interests
in Israel/Palestine. Its interests are focused on the Persian Gulf
area, and it wants to increase its influence throughout the Arab
and Muslim world. Its relations with Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas
mostly serve this purpose, and so does the anti-Israeli incitement
of Ahmadinejad.

In brief, the comparison of Iran to Nazi Germany lacks a factual basis.

FROM THE Jewish point of view, the comparison is even more
objectionable.

The Holocaust was a unique crime. True, the 20th century has seen other
terrible acts of genocide, but they did not resemble the Shoa. In
the Ottoman Empire, a horrifying massacre of the Armenian citizens
took place, which amounted to genocide. Hitler himself mentioned
it, saying that the annihilation of the Jews would similarly be
forgotten. Stalin killed millions of Soviet citizens in the name of a
monstrous ideology, which had started as a humanist creed. So did Pot
Pol, who killed millions in order to change society for the better. In
Rwanda, members of one tribe slaughtered the members of another. And,
alas, the list goes on.

But Nazi Germany was unique in employing the instruments of a modern
industrial society in order to eliminate helpless minorities (let’s
not forget the Roma, those with disabilities and the homosexuals)
in a prolonged, planned and highly organized process, with the
participation of all the organs of the state. If the Nazi regime
had not been overthrown by war, Hitler would have continued with the
annihilation of many more millions of Poles, Ukrainians and Russians.

Nothing like that can reasonably be expected to happen in Iran. Neither
the ideology, nor the composition of the regime nor any other
indication leads in that direction. As far as its growing nuclear
capabilities are concerned – the Israeli deterrent power will prevent
any such thought from arising. (Let’s not forget that the only country
ever to use nuclear bombs in war was our friend, the USA.)

Nothing that is happening in the world today resembles the Shoa,
in which six million Jews were wiped out. The Palestinians did
not kill six million Israelis, and we did not kill six million
Palestinians. Comparing the Arabs to the Nazis is no less odious than
comparing the Israelis to the Nazis. Many terrible things have been
and are being committed in our name – but they are as far from the
deeds of the Nazis as the earth is from distant galaxies.

Any such comparison for the sake of some fleeting propaganda advantage
is trivializing the Holocaust and its perpetrators. If the Nazis were
not worse than the Ayatollahs, then the Shoa was not so terrible,
after all.

In all my contacts with Palestinian leaders, including Yasser Arafat,
I have always advised them to avoid this upsetting comparison. This
would also be good advice for our own leaders.

DOES THE comparison of Iran to Nazi Germany serve Israeli interests?

Iran is there. It was our ally in the past, and may be our ally again
in the future. Leaders come and go, but geopolitical interests are
more or less constant. Ahmadinejad may be replaced by a leader who
will see Iranian interests in a different light.

The nuclear threat to Israel will not disappear – not after a (bad)
speech by Peres nor after a (good) speech by Netanyahu. All over
the region, nuclear installations will pop up. This process cannot
be stopped. We all need nuclear energy to desalinate water and to
produce electricity without destroying the environment. As an Israeli
professor, a former employee in the nuclear center at Dimona, said
this week: we must reconsider our nuclear policy. It may well be to our
advantage to accept the demand of the American spokeswoman that Israel
(as well as India and Pakistan) join the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty and a regime of strict supervision.

President Barack Obama is now saying to Israel: Put an end to
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That is a precondition for the
elimination of the threat to Israel. When the Palestinians, and the
entire Arab world, make peace with Israel – Iran will not be able
to exploit the conflict for the furthering of its interests. We were
saying this, by the way, many years ago.

The refusal of Netanyahu-Lieberman-Barak to accept this demand
shows the insincerity of their arguments about Iran. If they really
believed that Iran posed an existential menace, they would hurry to
dismantle the settlements, demolish the outposts and make peace. That
would, after all, be a small price to pay for the elimination of an
existential danger. Their refusal proves that the entire existential
story is a bluff.

And concerning the comparison of Iran to Nazi Germany – it is as
convincing as the comparison of Shimon Peres to Sir Winston.

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HOVIK ABRAHAMYAN: "GOODWILL AND ASSISTANCE OF THE NETHERLANDS HAD ALWAYS BEEN FELT IN ARMENIA"

National Assembly
June 3 2009
Armenia

On June 3 President of the National Assembly Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan
received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the
Netherlands to Armenia Mr. Onno Elderenbosch (residence in Tbilisi)
on the occasion of the completion of his mission.

During the talk the Head of the Armenian Parliament expressed his
gratitude to Ambassador Elderenbosch for the close cooperation of the
past years. Mr. H. Abrahamyan highly assessed the Ambassador’s work
and stressed that the goodwill and assistance of the Netherlands had
always been felt in Armenia both directly and within the format of
cooperation with the European Union. He expressed hope that later
the Armenian-Dutch cooperation would be continued to develop in the
political, trade-economic, cultural and other spheres, despite the
influence of the world financial-economic crisis. In that context
Mr. H. Abrahamyan expressed hope that in near future it would be
possible to activate the contacts between the legislators of the
two countries.

The interlocutors highly assessed the parliamentary and expert exchange
programmes existing already between the parliaments of Armenia and
the Netherlands. They highlighted the cooperation between the Control
Chambers of the two countries, as well as the exchange of experience
in the tax and customs spheres.

During the meeting the sides also discussed issues regarding the
inner political situation of Armenia and stability of the South
Caucasus region.

Summing up the talk Mr. H. Abrahamyan wished successes to Ambassador
Elderenbosch in his endeavours and expressed hope he would continue
his friendly relations with our country after completing his diplomatic
mission, too.

REPEATED FORMATION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH AZERBAIJANI COMMUNITY TO RELY ON INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE: CO-FOUNDER

Trend
June 3 2009
Azerbaijan

The repeated formation of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh
will base on international experience.

"The repeated formation of the community will enable to show the world
that the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh does not refuse to
live together with the Armenians. We advocate the two communities to
live together in the Karabakh. Simply, the Armenians have to abandon
the occupation of claims," Parliamentarian and Co-founder of the
Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh public association Elman
Mammadov told Trend News on June 3.

The Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh public association will
hold a congress on June 5. The meeting will focus on organizational
issues, as well as issues of the repeated formation of the
organization.

The head of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh
public association was Nizami Bahmanov, who died on Sept. 13
in 2008. Bahmanov as the head of the Shusha City Administration
represented the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh in the
peace negotiations under the OSCE Minsk Group.

"Our aim is to publicize the realities about the Nagorno-Karabakh
history and Armenia’s aggressive policy to the world community. We
must hold such a propaganda which will clarify that there are not any
Azerbaijani terrorist organizations in the world, while the Armenian
terrorist organizations operate in all over the world," Mammadov said.

Mammadov said the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh’s
congress aims to establish the organization at the highest level and
improve the organization’s authority in the international community.

"The organization should have such a structure which will enable
to agitate at the international organizations. We must have the
organizations to act more efficient than the Armenian community,"
Mammadov said.

It should be admitted that the Armenian Community of the
Nagorno-Karabakh was organized at higher level rather than the
Azerbaijani, he said.

"We must draw conclusions from that. Armenians have been able to
achieve the desired due to such an organization. The Azerbaijani
community should not hold a defensive position. We must turn to the
tactics of attack in the fields of information, ideological propaganda
and agitation and must show the world the true face of Armenians,"
the co-founder said.

WALID AL-MOALEM: SYRIA SUPPORTS SOVEREIGNTY AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF COUNTRIES

APA
June 3 2009
Azerbaijan

Baku. Lachin Sultanova – APA. "The trade turnover between Azerbaijan
and Syria will increase after Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is put into
operation," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at the
briefing after meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid Al-Moalem,
APA reports. Elmar Mammadyarov said that ongoing processes in the
Near East, Syria’s position on it, settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and Azerbaijan’s position on it, expansion of political,
economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries were
discussed at the meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister.

"Great Azerbaijani poet Imadeddin Nasimi was buried in Syria. We
asked Syria to offer opportunities for Azerbaijani tourists to visit
the poet’s grave in Syria," he said.

Walid Al-Moalem said he was in Azerbaijan three years ago and expressed
his satisfaction with the changes in Baku. He said they discussed
with his Azerbaijani counterpart the visit of Syrian President Bashar
Al-Assad and his wife to Baku. The Minister considers that this visit
will pave the way for the development of the relations between the two
countries. Touching on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
Syrian Minister said his country supports and respects international
norms, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries.

"During my meetings here and in Armenia I said if Nagorno Karabakh
conflict remains unsolved, it will harm the region and Syria," he said.

Walid Al-Moalem mentioned that since 1968 Syria and Israel had
territorial dispute over Golan Heights, Syria is trying to solve the
problem in a political way, but lack of political will of Israeli
leadership impedes the solution to the conflict.

"I hope the political will of Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership
concerning the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will produce results
tomorrow," he said.