Author: Ani Kharatian

AGREEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT STATUTES NOT IN LINE WITH RA
CONSTITUTION
YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). At the August 13 sitting the RA
Constitutional Court made a decision that the obligations stipulated
in the agreement on the Statutes of the International Criminal Court
signed in July 1998 in Rome are not in line with the RA
Constitution. Felix Tokhian, a member of the Constitutional Court,
noted that the International Criminal Court was established with the
purpose of replacing the intra-state criminal authorized bodies.
However, according to him, these and many other provisions of the
agreement contradict the RA Constitution and other Armenian
laws. According to Kim Balayan, another member of the CC, the document
was not in line with the Constitutions of the post-Soviet and some
other European countries either. The agreement will be ratified only
after the appropriate constitutional amendments in some countries. The
agreement was approved to exclude the impunity of those who committed
the gravest crimes against humanity, including genocide, hostilities
and aggression. However, RA Justice Minister David Harutiunian noted
that the International Criminal Court cannot examine the issue of the
1915 Armenian Genocide since the agreement is not retroactive. The
Minister also mentioned that the International Criminal Court did not
recognize Armenia as the aggressor against Azerbaijan since the
Armenian people exercised its right to self-determination.
139 countries signed the Agreement on the Statutes of the
International Criminal Court. At present it is in force in 96 of these
countries.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Iranian, Azeri foreign ministers discuss ties, Caspian Sea, Karabakh
IRNA web site
31 Jul 04
Tehran, 31 July: Iran and Azerbaijan discussed here Saturday 31 July
possible avenues for bolstering of bilateral ties in various fields.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, in a meeting with his
Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi, expressed his country’s
determination and interest in further expanding ties with Iran.
He stressed the importance of the upcoming visit by President Mohammad
Khatami to Azerbaijan and said the visit would be a major stride
towards expansion of mutual relations.
The Azeri minister expressed satisfaction with growing economic
relations between the two sides and hoped new economic agreements
would be signed during President Khatami’s visit to Baku.
Mammadyarov assessed talks on legal regime of the Caspian Sea as
positive, adding: The Caspian Sea should be the sea of friendship and
cooperation among the littoral states.
He hoped littoral states would reach a consensus on the legal regime
of the sea.
He voiced Azerbaijan’s interest in joining the North-South Corridor
and stressed the role Baku plays in materializing the projects to this
effect.
Kharrazi, for his part, said Iran attaches special importance to
expansion of ties with neighbouring states, adding: President
Khatami’s future visit to Azerbaijan would be an indication of high
level of ties between the two countries.
“Tehran regards as important its ties with Azerbaijan Republic
particularly both from economic and geopolitical points of view and
considers the common borders as borders of friendship and peace,” he
said.
He outlined the background of relations between Tehran and Baku since
the independence of Azerbaijan, saying: “Iran attaches great
importance to a powerful Azerbaijan which safeguards national and
regional interests in this sensitive and strategic region.”
He urged the two sides to further try to achieve high level of
cooperation.
Kharrazi termed trade and economic cooperation between the two
countries as “progressive” and added: “Iran and Azerbaijan have
launched good cooperation in various fields including transfer of
electricity, development affairs, road-building, construction of power
plants and energy. “Such cooperation can further expand.”
He said Iran regards strengthening of popular bonds as very important
and underlined the importance of continued supportive policies and
easing travels of Iranian and Azeri nationals within framework of
policy to further expand mutual transactions.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional issues, including
Karabakh.
Kharrazi stressed that, as a friendly country, the Islamic Republic of
Iran is ready to contribute to settlement of Karabakh dispute.
He said: Tehran pursues settlement of Karabakh dispute within
framework of the charters of the UN and of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC).
The Azeri foreign minister arrived here early Saturday on a two-day
official visit to discuss bilateral ties.
Azerbaijan’s special envoy for Caspian Sea affairs accompanies
Mammadyarov in the current visit.
Mammadyarov is also to visit the northeastern city of Tabriz. He is to
return to Baku through the autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Associated Press Worldstream
July 30, 2004 Friday 5:53 AM Eastern Time
Armenia’s only nuclear plant to begin capital repairs, refueling
YEREVAN, Armenia
Authorities said Friday they would begin capital repairs to and
refueling of Armenia’s only nuclear power station, the source of
nearly 40 percent of the country’s power and repeated international
concerns over safety.
Gagik Markosian, general director of the Medzamor plant, 30
kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Yerevan, said the plant
will shut down early Saturday morning for at least two months for
repairs on the reactor core.
“We also plan to remove all nuclear fuel from the reactor and conduct
full inspection of the condition of the reactor’s metal container
shell,” Markosian said.
Last week, the plant took delivery of a new supply of nuclear fuel at
a cost of US$12 million, he said.
The former Soviet republic has been under pressure to shut the plant
down due to safety concerns; it was taken out of operation after a
devastating 1988 earthquake.
In 1995, it returned to service amid a severe energy shortage.
Armenia has since resisted shutting down the plant, which has one
working Soviet-made reactor supplying 40 percent of the country’s
electricity, fearing that alternative sources may be hard to come by.
Armenian officials say the European Union is ready to provide up to
100 million euro (US$120 million) for Yerevan to close the plant.
However, developing other sources of electricity could cost up to
US$1 billion (1.2 billion euro), Armenian officials say.
Russia’s electricity monopoly assumed financial control of the
nuclear plant last year in a deal that Armenia sought to get out from
under massive energy debts to Russian fuel suppliers.
The plant, however, remains the property of the Armenian government.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE DAY THE MELKONIAN WAS BOMBED
Azg/am
29 July 2004
A man who lived through the bombing of the Melkonian Educational
Institute as a recently graduated pupil was in Nicosia this week to
battle for the school’ s survival.
One of Nicosia’s best-known landmarks for over 77 years and the pride
of the region’s Armenian community faces closure.
The 1926 stone building and its surrounding land of 125,000 square
meters is estimated to be worth at least CYP 40 million.
The government has placed a preservation order on the school since May
this year, ruling that “no alteration or construction be executed on
the buildings… considered to be on special architectural/
historical/ social importance.” While this may have temporarily
scuppered plans to sell off the school, its future beyond June 2005
remains uncertain.
Raffi Zinzalian had just graduated from the Melkonian and had a
university place waiting for him in Lebanon when the 1974 troubles
began. He had spentthe day before the invasion on the beaches of
Famagusta and was in the school building when the Turkish planes flew
overhead on July 20, 1974.
“We were happy because the cease-fire would begin at 3pm and then at
2.45pm we saw the Turkish jets overhead. We thought they were headed
for the radio station (Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation-CyBC) but they
circled round and we heard a deafening noise, we had been bombed,” he
said.
Zinzalian said that even his years in war-torn Lebanon could not
compare to the fear he felt on that day. Thirty years later, and now a
married father of three, he still has nightmares of the bombing.
“The roof in the dormitories was about to cave in and we couldn’t
breath. We knew we had to escape, the roof was on fire and so we ran
outside to the principal’s residence. The fire brigade was called, but
the roof had collapsed,” Zinzalian said.
The students and teachers left at the Melkonian made for the
mountains. Turkish troops had surrounded Nicosia and the only way out
was on the road to Larnaca. For 6-7 weeks communication and travel was
almost impossible and Zinzalian was able to leave the island on a
Soviet cargo ship to take up his place in Lebanon. “Two years later,
the war started there,” he said.
Following his studies, Zinzalian was employed at the Press Information
Office (PIO) as a Turkish-English translator. “I saw Makarios
(then-President, Archbishop) everyday,” he said.
Zinzalian then left for the USA to study photojournalism and media and
is now a publisher at the University of LaVerne Press and on the board
of Armenia International Magazine (AIM). He is also the president of
the Melkonian Alumni and Friends in California.
“We are all very sad that the school may be closed. All the alumni I
have spoken to, in LA, in Ontario, in Cyprus, in Greece, in Lebanon,
in Turkey, all feel the same,” he said.
Zinzalian has spent the last few weeks on self-financed travels to
lobby members of the alumni. “There are 1300 members of the alumni all
around the world,” he said.
Having had meetings with the Cyprus alumni of the school and
representatives of the Armenian community on the island, Zinzalian
said that the passion for keeping the Melkonian up and running will be
hard to beat.
“We are also looking into the archives of the school because the
Melkonian brothers who founded the school made provisions before they
died for it never to close. Before they died, they put the school in
the care of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU),” he said.
The Melkonian Institute was built as an orphanage by Krikor and
Garabed Melkonian soon after the massacres of the Armenians in Turkey.
Zinzalian said that the closing of the school was “totally
unacceptable” not only because of the Melkonian’s important cultural
role and lengthyhistory, but also for the potential practical problems
faced by the 170 students continuing their studies at the school
following the graduation of a further 30 this past year.
“There are students at the school from all over the world who may not
be able to continue their studies as they have up until now,” he said.
“It seems ironic that the Melkonian school survived bombing and a war
and now is in peril from the people supposed to be protecting it,”
Zinzalian said.
He said that the alumni were prepared to keep up their peaceful fight
for as long as necessary, fund-raising – the California Alumni has
raised over $370,000 for the school over the past five years – and
meeting with people able to help the situation. “The Cypriot
government has been very supportive,” he said: “and the Cyprus alumni
is the best we have.”
Zinzalian also said that he believed the AGBU did not expect to have
as large scale a fight on their hands. “I think they expected to sell
off the school and take the money back to the USA without much
reaction.”
He also criticized the AGBU for sending a non-Armenian to manage the
planned closure of the school. US national Gordon Anderson has been
sent to take the place of the school’s headmaster and oversee the
school’s future.
“Feeling the way we do about the school, I feel that closing it will
be impossible,” Zinzalian said.
By Athena Karsera

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 21 2004
ELMAR MAMMADYAROV: `UNTIL RETURN OF IDPS TO THEIR HOMELANDS, IT IS
NOT REAL TO SPEAK OF SETTLEMENT OF THE ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN, NAGORNY
KARABAKH CONFLICT’
[July 21, 2004, 15:53:37]
As was informed, foreign minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov is
on his visit to Washington on the invitation of Secretary of State
Mr. Colin Powell. This is his first visit as foreign minister.
On 20 July, Minister Mammadyarov has met Secretary of State Colin
Powell, minister of energy Spenser Abraham, chairmen of working
groups of Congress-Milli Majlis, congressmen Curt Weldon and Solomon
Ortiz, as well as representatives of the Jewish community, AzerTAj
correspondent reported.
At the meeting with the minister of energy Spenser Abraham, the
foreign minister informed on the achievements in the oil-gas fields
in the Republic. The parties stressed the importance of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines for
the region. Currently Azerbaijan negotiates with Greece on gas
transportation, Minister Mammadyarov said. There are good
opportunities for transportation of Azerbaijan gas to world markets.
He stressed necessity of US assistance in this question.
The Ministers also focused the question of signing the project
`US-Azerbaijan energy dialogue’ that covers bilateral cooperation in
the energy sector. It was noted that there is an interest to the
restored energy sources in the world. Mr. S. Abraham expressed hope
that the two countries would reach high-level cooperation in this
sphere. Also were touched issues of establishment of links between
scientific-research centers, made suggestions on joint research with
the participation of Azerbaijan scholars in the labs in America with
their American colleagues.
The same day, Mr. Mammadyarov made a report on the topic `Foreign
policy priorities of Azerbaijan at the Center of Strategic and
International Researches in Washington. The Minister highlighted on
the relations of the Republic with US, Iran, Russia, Turkey and NATO,
on the projects being realized in the Caspian basin, on ensuring
safety of the oil-gas pipelines, on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
Noting that the democratic and economic reforms are going at full
scale, Mr. Mammadyarov said that investing the oil profits to the
non-oil sectors of Country is one of the major tasks of Azerbaijan
government. Deposits of the transparently acting Oil Fund of Republic
will be directed to agriculture, tourism, transport, communications
and other spheres.
Impeding regional development in the South Caucasus, the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict was in the focus of the
meeting at the Center of Strategic and International Researches in
Washington. In reply to numerous questions of the participants,
Minister Mammadyarov stated that despite 20 percents of the Country’s
territories have been occupied and there are over million refugees
and IDPs, Azerbaijan still adheres peaceful settlement of the
conflict in the frame of international laws. He reminded that
Presidents of both countries have met two times and foreign ministers
– three times in this year. Touching the recent visit of Minsk Group
co-chairs to the region, foreign minister of Azerbaijan said he is
hopeful for their mediation in the conflict settlement. At his words,
international support for Azerbaijan’s position gives reason to say
that. He reminded that the Council of Europe has reaffirmed in its
recent document the territorial intensity of Azerbaijan.
One of the items focused in the meeting was allocation by the
Congress Committee of equal military assistance for Azerbaijan and
Armenia. Mr. Mammadyarov gave high assessment to the links between
Azerbaijan and Pentagon, recalled the earlier successfully realized
military programs. He, at the same time, underlined that he is
surprised at equal assistance to Azerbaijan who is in the anti-terror
coalition with the United States in the hot spots, and Armenia, who
simply expresses its support for the Alley’s military operations. If
the United States wants to continue cooperation with Azerbaijan it
should appropriately regard and military assistance to Azerbaijan.
***
On 20 July, Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov has met at the Department of State
with Secretary of State Mr. Colin Powell. In the course of talks, Mr.
Powell expressed gratitude for Azerbaijan’s participation at the
anti-terror campaign and in particular, for service in staff of the
peacemaking forces in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. The United States
attentively watches the democratic and economic reforms in
Azerbaijan, Secretary of State said. Noting that since George Bush
Administration assumed power, the US pays constant attention to
settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh conflict, Mr. Colin Powell said
that as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair the United States would closely
watch the developments in the region and continue to effectively take
part at the process of negotiations. He noted that it should be taken
into account how the society is ready to discuss the settlement of
conflict.
Minister E. Mammadyarov stated: `Until return of IDPs to their
homelands, the society will remain sensitive to settlement of
conflict and in this case, it is not real to speak of settlement of
the Armenia Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict’. He called on the
United States as a super state and OSCE Minsk Group co-chair to
increase its efforts for just settlement of the conflict in the frame
of international laws.
During the talk, the parties also focused the energy projects being
realized in the Caspian basin. Also were discussed other questions of
mutual interest.
Ms. Elizabeth Jones, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and
Eurasian Affairs, American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Steven
Mann, ambassador of Azerbaijan in Washington Hafiz Pashayev,
Azerbaijan’s permanent representative in UN Yashar Aliyev took part
in the meeting.
Mr. E. Mammadyarov is expected to have a number of meetings and
discussions till 24 July.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

How many Chinese speakers in Box Butte County, Nebraska? The American
language tapestry, revealed
AP Online
Jun 16, 2004
TED ANTHONY
News flash: There is not a single Chinese speaker residing in Box
Butte County, Nebraska. Which may not sound like a particularly useful
sliver of information _ unless you’re a Box Butte-bound speaker of
Chinese looking for someone to converse with out on northwestern
Nebraska’s lonely prairie.
Now consider that Allison Park, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh,
has 49 speakers of Arabic and six of Armenian. Yiddish, meanwhile,
is spoken by people in every state _ including two each in Montana
and South Dakota, suggesting that Billings and Rapid City aren’t the
prime places to pick up some killer smoked whitefish.
Why are we telling you all this? Because thanks to the Modern Language
Association, one of academia’s most venerable organizations, now
we can.
The MLA’s new interactive Language Map Data Center, which goes public
Wednesday, is a truly fascinating (“hen you yisi” in Chinese, “muy
interesante” in Spanish) glimpse into the tapestry of tongues spoken by
American citizens and residents. It’s a story told by 2000 U.S. Census
data, crunched and leveraged to linguistic and geographic ends.
“So often, when we think of languages and cultures that are not
Anglophone America, we think of the world out there _ foreign,” says
Rosemary G. Feal, the MLA’s executive director. “We don’t necessarily
realize how, in our own American globalized society, we’ve got all
these linguistic resources woven into the fabric.”
For anyone interested in language and culture, the site _ with its
interactive maps in bright purples and blues, easily navigable by
mouse _ is as addictive as a catnip-filled mouse for a kitten. It’s
hardly just a parlor game, though. In an era when study of all foreign
languages is rising in America, the possibilities are myriad.
Academics tracking languages can hone in on particular
areas and find out how immigrants from abroad are integrating
linguistically. Marketers who want to target speakers of Thai, Persian
or Navajo can find the postal codes where mass mailings would be the
most lucrative. Social service agencies can calibrate their work to
the ethnic breakdowns in their own communities.
“We incorporate the world in the United States,” Feal says. “We
always have.”
And on a planet of terrorism and wars where intercultural communication
grows more crucial by the year _ some in the U.S. government bemoaned
the lack of Pashtu translators, for example, during the first months
of the war in Afghanistan _ knowing the language resources in one’s
own community or state can be a boon to national security as well.
“There’s not enough accurate information about how language works
and how language is present in our society,” says Donna Christian,
president of the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington. “There
must be a thousand ways that civic leaders could use this information.”
MLA developers initially conceived the language map idea as “a really
big poster” before the idea ran away with them and evolved into the
interactive operation. So far, they have mapped the top 30 languages
in the country.
They are working on an even more detailed second tier that will
be made available for crunching _ suggesting that before too long,
we will presumably be able to determine how many speakers of Uighur
have taken up residence in Walla Walla, Washington.
“For people in this country, to appreciate the range of languages
spoken here is so important,” Christian says. “There’s such a strong
feeling that English is the only language around. To get an idea of
how many languages are spoken here, that can give us all a better
sense of understanding of each other.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress