Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

KARABAKH WAR VETERANS ADVOCATE ARMENIA’S PARTICIPATION IN
PEACEKEEPING OPERATION IN LEBANON
ARMINFO News Agency
September 20, 2006 Wednesday
While Turkey is deploying almost a thousand soldiers in the Armenian
regions of Lebanon and Azerbaijan a is also planning to send its
contingent to the Middle East, Armenia has no right to sit by, says
the commander of the Artsakh regiment, one of the leaders of the
rising Movement of Commanders of Armenian Volunteers Mikayel Apressyan.
He says that it is the duty of the Armenian state to protect its
Diaspora in any country. That’s why Armenia must take part in the
peacekeeping operation in Lebanon.
From: Baghdasarian

THE WORLD TAKES NOTE AT LAST
Messenger.ge, Georgia
Monday, September 18, 2006, #176 (1196)
After a “contentious procedural debate” GUAM member states (Georgia,
Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) have succeeded in having the
protracted conflicts on their territories discussed at the 61st
session of the UN general assembly.
The significance of this event is underlined by the hostility with
which it was greeted by Russia, who’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
released a pre-emptive strike of a statement, and vowed to keep its
peacekeepers in Georgia’s breakaway regions regardless of any demand to
remove them. Russia was one of the fifteen countries that voted against
discussing the issue, which passed by just one vote on September 13.
The previous day Russia had successfully managed to stop the issued
from being included among those recommended for discussion to the
General Assembly at a sitting of the General Committee, which is
the steering body that sets the agenda for the GA sessions. In
a complacently victorious statement Russian MFA spokesman Mikhail
Kamynin said “We have from the outset been against politicizing this
issue and involving the General Assembly”, though, as the Georgian
MFA pointed out, these conflicts are by their very nature political.
President Saakashvili is expected to address the assembly later this
week, and will probably demand that Russian peacekeepers are replaced
with an international police force in South Ossetia. Russia is furious,
as even though there is little chance of any international organisation
offering to step in and police the conflict zone in the near future,
the very fact that the issue is being discussed at the UN at all
indicates that Russia’s ‘monopoly’ on the conflicts is slipping away.
This is a significant victory for both GUAM, which has now certified
itself as a proper international organisation, and not a petty anti-CIS
with no clout, as many in Russia had hoped, and also for the Georgian
government’s policy of pushing for the internationalisation of the
conflicts-even if they are only internationalised at the discussion
level.
This is not the only indication that the tide of opinion may
be changing with regard to the conflicts, however. In May US
Vice-President Dick Cheney gave a damning speech, lambasting Russian
“bullying” of its neigbours and use of energy as a political weapon,
the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline have underscored
the importance of the region globally.
All year the Minsk group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have
intensified their efforts to kick start the peace process, and the
appointment of the young and energetic Matt Bryza, deputy assistant
secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, as the US
co-chair has at least injected some new blood in the system, even if
no concrete achievements have been observed.
Moldova and Ukraine, with the explicit support of the EU, have adopted
a much more robust policy towards Transnistria also. Moscow calls it
a blockade, but it seems that, with the likely accession of Romania to
the EU in January, the EU are keen to clear up this ‘frozen conflict’
which will sit uncomfortably close to its eastern border.
But it is in Georgia where wind is changing most perceptibly
perhaps. The very public support for Georgia’s territorial integrity
and its government that has been forthcoming from the Whitehouse has
been accompanied by an increased assertiveness in Tbilisi.
Parliament’s resolution to ask the government to withdraw Russian
peacekeepers has been backed by two of the most senior lawmakers
in the US, Senator Richard Lugar and, as Saakashvili remarked,
possible-future-president Senator John McCain. These two both
unequivocally stated that Russian peacekeepers should be replaced in
the conflict zones.
Perhaps as significant, but less headline grabbing, is the recent
statements from Europe regarding the conflicts, where it seems patience
may finally be running out. Since the September 3 ‘helicopter incident’
in which South Ossetian paramilitaries fired on a helicopter carrying
Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili reminded everybody how delicate
the situation is, and underlined the lawlessness of the South Ossetian
regime. The incident was strongly condemned by OSCE chair Karel De
Gucht, who described it as “criminal”.
Plans by the South Ossetian leadership to hold an ‘independence’
referendum have led to strong criticism from Europe also, with Council
of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis calling it “a waste of time”.
Even if we shouldn’t expect the blue helmets in the conflict zones
to suddenly have NATO or EU logos, these developments do indicate
an increasing engagement of the international community in Georgia’s
conflicts, and the UN decision is just the latest indication of the
trend towards ‘internationalisation’, which is exactly what Georgia
needs.
From: Baghdasarian

Turkish Daily News
September 14, 2006 Thursday
US SENATOR BLOCKS VOTE ON ‘GENOCIDE DENIER’ ENVOY NOMINEE TO ARMENIA
A pro-Armenian senator on Tuesday put a hold on the nomination of
U.S. President George W. Bush’s pick for ambassador to Yerevan, who
has refused to recognize the “Armenian genocide,” in protest of what
he called the administration’s policy to deny the genocide
Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey said the United
States must recognize that last century’s Armenian killings in the
Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide
His move came after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week
voted 13-5 to send ambassador nominee Richard Hoagland’s case to the
full Senate for a floor vote
Although U.S. Armenian groups were disappointed by the committee’s
Sept. 7 vote to confirm the “genocide denying” Hoagland, they still
vowed to continue with efforts to block him, urging senators to put a
hold on his nomination
“Mr. Hoagland has declined to acknowledge the mass killings of the
Armenians as genocide, and has said that if confirmed, he would work
to represent the president’s policy,” Menendez said, explaining his
hold. “Considering Mr. Hoagland’s refusal to acknowledge the Armenian
genocide as anything more than horrifying events, I do not feel that
his nomination is in the best interest of Armenia and her (its)
diaspora.” Menendez’ move came at a time when politicians are vying
for minority votes two months before critical congressional
elections.
Under U.S. law, all senior government officials, including
ambassadors, must win the Senate’s approval, and any senator can
indefinitely block nominations. But such moves are rare, because they
put such dissenting senators under intense pressure
Until Menendez lifts his hold, the Senate cannot vote on Hoagland’s
nomination
But under U.S. law, the president can also appoint senior officials
for two years by bypassing the Senate when Congress is in recess, and
analysts said Bush may use this power for Hoagland. Congress is
expected to go for recess in October to prepare for the November
elections
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Bush opts for a recess appointment of
Hoagland shortly after the elections,” said a Washington analyst.
“The administration doesn’t want to leave the embassy in Yerevan
without an ambassador for a long time.” Bush in May fired the
previous envoy to Armenia, John Evans, after the latter classified
the Armenian killings as genocide. Armenian groups have strongly
protested against the decision and have pledged to block Hoagland’s
confirmation process
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), a key U.S.
Armenian group, welcomed the hold placed by Menendez
“We join with Armenians from New Jersey and throughout the United
States in thanking Senator Menendez for his principled stand in
blocking the Hoagland nomination,” said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.
“The senator’s hold represents a victory for our nation’s standing on
human rights and genocide-prevention.” Addressing an Armenian
audience in the United States last year, Evans said that the World
War I killing of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire amounted to
genocide. Warned by his superiors at the State Department, he then
issued a “clarification” where he said his remarks reflected his own
views. Still pressed by the State Department, Evans later issued a
further “correction,” admitting that his statement misrepresented the
U.S. policy.
But Bush fired Evans after the latter continued to deviate from the
official U.S. policy, according to administration sources. Bush then
nominated Hoagland, a former ambassador to Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to
replace Evans.
During his confirmation hearing at the committee in June, Hoagland
declined to use the word “genocide” despite pressure by pro-Armenian
senators. He tried to eschew insistent questions over how he would
qualify the Armenian killings during his planned tenure in Yerevan.
Recalling that in the latest April 24 statement Bush referred to the
Armenian killings as “a tragedy the world must not forget,” Hoagland
said, “I represent the president.”
He also said that “instead of getting stuck in the past and
vocabulary, I would like to move forward,” angering the Armenian
groups.
From: Baghdasarian

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 13, 2006 Wednesday
BORDER OF REPELLING AN AGGRESSION
by: Igor Plugatarev
CIS COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION INDICATES ITS MILITARY
PROWESS IN THE EXERCISE IN BELARUS, KAZAKHSTAN, AND ARMENIA; An
update on military activeness of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization.
The ink on the protocol President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov,
signed and returned his country into the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization was barely dry (it happened on August 21), the
Uzbek leader already suggests a joint Uzbek-Kazakh military exercise.
Karimov proposed the exercise while on a visit to the capital of
Kazakhstan on September 4.
The suggestion was made right in the wake of Border’2006, an
international exercise on a fairly large scope (by Central Asian
standards) official Astana staged in the Caspian Sea under the aegis
of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization. The Uzbek
military also invited to the exercise was present in the capacity of
observers. The impression is that it was truly sorry the Uzbek
national army was not involved. Had Tashkent truly participated, it
would have signified its bona fide membership in the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization as an international structure whose
weight, political and economic, is growing by the year.
The Caspian Warsaw Treaty
Exercise Border’2006 took place at the specially built training
facility 30 kilometers east from Aktau (a major port, former
Shevchenko) between August 23 and 26. This was the first such
exercise in Central Asia. Exercises of the Border series in
Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in the past had been but “rehearsals”.
Almost 2,500 servicemen, more than 60 armored vehicles, nearly 50
artillery pieces and mortars, almost 40 aircraft and helicopters, and
14 ships and tenders (including surface combatants of the Russian
Caspian Flotilla) were involved in Border’2006. The assets drilled
operations of the Collective Rapid Response Forces in the Kazakh
direction. It was the first joint maneuver within the framework of
the future Southern Group of Armies of the Seven States (Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan).
The exercise near Aktau was tactical and ran for purposes of
research, according to Russian Ground Forces Second-in-Command
Colonel General Vladimir Bulgakov. As a matter of fact, Bulgakov even
ran a parallel with the exercises the Warsaw Pact had once run. “The
scale is different of course, but the quantity of troops does not
really matter. What matters is teaching commanders to view whatever
tasks they are facing from the standpoint of the Collective Rapid
Response Forces and to act accordingly,” Bulgakov said. “It is
particularly important now because the experience gained in the
Warsaw Pact exercises is lot for us now. Senior officers involved in
Border’2006 share common training (in the Soviet Army – Nezavisimoe
Voennoe Obozrenie), but low-ranking officers and noncoms do not.”
The exercise on the Caspian coast was an attempt to remedy that.
Exercise Commander General of the Army Muhtar Altynbayev (Defense
Minister of Kazakhstan) praised “the prowess of units of the
Collective Rapid Response Forces demonstrated in the course of the
exercise of the collective defense forces.”
Still, Altynbayev also pointed out that “We know now that the CIS
Collective Security Treaty will work if necessary, that its
signatories will make their regular armies available if need be, in
accordance with their commitments.”
This was an extraordinary statement indeed. “Military aid” to one
another has been so far a purely hypothetical issue, just a clause of
Article 4 of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization
(aggression against any member of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization or signatory of the CIS Collective Security Treaty is
taken as an aggression against all). The clause, however, does not
specify exactly what is to be done about it. This ambivalence
generated doubts that whenever one country of the Organization is
attacked, all others will rush to its side and prevent it from being
left to face the danger all alone. Say, there is a distinct
possibility of a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, two
countries aspiring to claim Nagorno-Karabakh for their own. Neither
would hesitate to rattle sabers and each does so every now and then.
Nikolai Bordyuzha became general secretary of the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization in 2002. He has never spared time or
effort to make Article 4 of the Charter more than just an empty
declaration. CIS councils of the heads of states and defense
ministers passed the necessary decisions.
Exercises
The Russian-Belarusian exercise Allied Security’2006 as the largest
in the post-Soviet zone became the first practical measure. Involving
almost 9,000 servicemen and even strategic aviation, it took place at
the testing site right near the westernmost border of the future
Union in June. In other words, it took place near Poland, a NATO
country. Allied Security’2006 became the first exercise to involve
units of the West Group of Armies of the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization, the largest of all (200,000 men). Border’2006
became the second exercise of the series, another indication of the
readiness of members of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization to strike back together.
It is reasonable now to expect the third analogous exercise to be
organized for the Group of Armies in the Caucasus, the one comprised
of units of Russian and Armenian armies (the Russian 102nd Military
Base near Yerevan 5,000 men strong). No official reports have been
made on it so far which is hardly surprising. It will mean an
immediate political scandal. Official Baku will immediately claim
that Moscow, a political negotiator between Azerbaijan and Armenia,
connives with “occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia.”
It is known, however, that Atom-Antiterror’2006 exercise of the CIS
Counter-Terrorism Center will take place in Armenia in late
September. According to what information is available, one of the
clauses of the document reads, “Drill interaction between the
tactical group of the United Headquarters of the CIS Collective
Security Treaty with command structures of the Armed Forces of the
Republic of Armenia in accomplishment of combat missions with the
purpose of containment and elimination of terrorist gangs against the
background of destabilization in the Caucasus.” Meaning that this is
not a petty conflict” (territorially petty, of course) over a nuclear
power plant seized by terrorists. The CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization makes it plain to potential aggressors that they’d
better keep their distance if they know what is good for them.
In other words, in less than a year the CIS Collective Security
Treaty Organization will formulate its military prowess in all
regional alliances of the countries comprising it. This move is
fairly important. A series of these major exercises is like a
ceremony of presentation of the Organization for the countries that
may be contemplating membership in it. Why not indeed? Bordyuzha once
told Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie that “since our problems are
nearly identical, it will be nice to have Ukraine cooperating with
the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization.” Since Kyiv is
finally revising its views on the necessity of membership in NATO and
the Alliance has already been given a kick in the rear in the Crimea,
the Organization is quite correct to be as active as it is. Bordyuzha
also mentioned Georgia (as one of the founders of the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization) and Azerbaijan…
“Make War” Sans Ministers…
Border’2006 organizers were only disheartened by absence of deputy
defense ministers. Official reports were absent of course, but
insiders told Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie that Kyrgyz Defense
Minister Lieutenant General Ismail Isakov was Altynbayev’s only
foreign counterpart to turn up for the exercise. Even Tajikistan was
represented by Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Ramil
Nadyrov.
Belarus didn’t even bother to send observers. As spokesmen for Minsk
reasonably asked, “Where is the Caspian Sea and where are we?”
Moreover, Belarusian Defense Minister Colonel General Leonid
Maltsev’s position is known: learn only from whoever has something to
teach you; and Minsk has been running exercises involving 3-4 times
servicemen more than 2,500 men for years now. Moreover, Russian
Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov preferred
Border’2006 to a tour of Far East military-industrial complex and a
meeting with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld after that.
No need to say here that defense ministers’ very presence ups the
status of military exercises.
What Units Participated In Border’2006
Russia: tactical team of the Collective Rapid Response Forces;
company of the 77th Marine Brigade of the Caspian Flotilla, wing of
aircraft; 5 surface combatants of the Caspian Flotilla; more than 500
servicemen (mostly conscripts) of the Volga-Urals Military District;
tactical group. Almost 1,000 officers and soldiers in all.
Kazakhstan: Marine battalion; group of ships of the Coast Guards; Air
Mobile Forces units; army aviation; auxiliary units; tactical group.
One thousand and four hundred servicemen in all.
Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: one platoon of motorized infantry each;
tactical groups. One hundred officers and soldiers in all.
Uzbekistan: military observers.
CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization: command structures,
headquarters, units of the Collective Rapid Response Forces; United
Headquarters and Secretariat of the CIS Collective Security Treaty
Organization.
Source: Nezavisimoe Voennoe Obozrenie, No 32, September 8 – 14, 2006,
p. 2
Translated by A. Ignatkin
From: Baghdasarian

IRANIAN NATION WINNER IN N-CASE: HADDAD-ADEL
Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Sept 11 2006
The Iranian nation will emerge winner in the nuclear standoff,
visiting Iranian Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said in Yerevan
on Monday.
Haddad-Adel, who arrived in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, Monday on
the first leg of a two-nation visit, met with staff of Iran’s embassy
in Armenia and their families. Following his visit to Armenia, he
will next pay a visit to Kyrgyzstan.
“If the bullying powers impose sanctions against Iran, our nation
will not yield to them and give up its rights,” he said.
He added that joy and hope have been created in Iran for the country’s
development in all fields, saying “Iran will achieve success in
economic areas day by day.”
The speaker said Iran took steps for its development and growth,
stressing the nation has an optimistic view of the future.
He noted that Iran had become self-sufficient in the production of
wheat and said the country is currently self-sufficient by 90 percent
in the production of agricultural goods.
The speaker stressed the importance of making use of the two countries’
potentials to further promote bilateral relations.
From: Baghdasarian

OSCE ‘DEEPLY CONCERNED’ ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST ARMENIAN JOURNALISTS
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 12 2006
The Yerevan office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe added its voice on Tuesday to serious concerns expressed by
Armenian media and human rights groups about recent reported attacks
on local journalists.
“The OSCE Office in Yerevan is deeply concerned over recent incidents
of violence and intimidation against local journalists which have
obstructed their professional duties and infringed upon the freedom
of expression,” it said in a statement.
“The Office considers it extremely important for these cases to be
properly investigated and calls for the perpetrators to be punished
in full accordance with the law. Law-enforcement bodies are urged to
undertake prompt measures to ensure the safety of media professionals
in order to promote freedom of expression in the country,” added
the statement.
The statement seems to have been prompted by the reported September 6
beating of Hovannes Galajian, editor of the opposition-linked “Iravunk”
newspaper, by two unknown men. The Armenian police have launched a
criminal investigation into the incident but have not charged anyone
yet. Galajian and his staff have attributed the violence to their
hard-hitting coverage of the Armenian government and its loyalists.
The OSCE office, which monitors the state of press freedom in Armenia,
also cited the saga of Gagik Shamshian, a freelance journalist who
claims to have been harassed by a local government chief allegedly
angered by his news reporting. The police controversially launched
criminal proceedings against Shamshian last month after he accused
the official’s brother of attacking him with a large group of other
men in June.
Armenian media associations have also denounced as politically
motivated the prosecution of Arman Babajanian, the editor of the
independent “Zhamanak Yerevan” newspaper who was convicted of
illegally avoiding military service and sentenced to four years
in prison by a Yerevan court last Friday. While admitting to draft
dodging, Babajanian claimed that he was jailed because of his strong
opposition to Armenia’s leadership.
The prison sentence is quite harsh by Armenian standards. Young
Armenian men found guilty of draft evasion have usually been jailed
for between two and three years.
“Given the history of politicized prosecution of journalists in
Armenia, we are skeptical about the appropriateness of this sentence,”
the executive director of the New York-based Committee to Protect
Journalists (CPJ), Joel Simon, said in a Monday statement that cited
RFE/RL’s coverage of Babajanian’s arrest and trial.
“Physical assaults against journalists [in Armenia] also continue,
and CPJ research shows that officials do little to apprehend and
prosecute the perpetrators,” the statement said.
From: Baghdasarian

U.N. ADOPTS GLOBAL COUNTER-TERRORISM STRATEGY
PanARMENIAN.Net
11.09.2006 13:33 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the
adoption of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy by the General
Assembly. “I commend Member States for developing and agreeing to a
comprehensive strategic framework to counter terrorism. In doing so,
they have resolved to take concrete actions to address the conditions
conducive to the spread of terrorism, prevent and combat terrorism in
all its forms, and strengthen the individual and collective capacity
of States and the United Nations to do so — all while ensuring
the protection of human rights. I congratulate the President of the
General Assembly and his two co-chairs — Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon
of Singapore and Ambassador Juan AntonioYañez-Barnuevo of Spain —
for leading the membership to this historic achievement.
The upcoming fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11
September 2001, serves as one of many solemn reminders of the
gruesome and unjustifiable consequences of terrorism all over the
world. I urge all Member States to honor the victims of terrorism
everywhere, by taking swift action to implement all aspects of
the strategy. May today’s agreement demonstrate the international
community’s unwavering determination to defeat terrorism,” he said,
reported U.N. communication unit.
–Boundary_(ID_Bfuy6sTCpaYYchPDXAAh7A)–
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS SHOULD TAKE PART IN PEACEKEEPING MISSION IN LEBANON, FORMER RA DEFENCE MINISTER IS CONVINCED
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Sept 08 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenian
peacekeepers should take part in the peacekeeping mission in
Lebanon. Former RA Defence Minister Vagharshak Haroutiunian gave such
assurance at the September 8 seminar-discussion at the Armenian Center
for National and International Studies. In Haroutiunian’s words,
Armenian forces can implement two, fighting and rear functions in
Lebanon. In his opinion, Armenia should take part in the rear and
restore the infrastructures with the help of sappers. In the opinion
of arabologist, YSU lecturer, former RA Ambassador to Syria Davit
Hovhannisian, Armenia “has a great act” to do in Lebanon in several
respects. In particular, Lebanon has an important role in the region,
there is a large Armenian community there, the Catholicosate of the
Great Cilician House is there. Davit Hovhannisian gave assurance that
“the Armenian community will feel itself safer with the presence of
the Armenian soldier.”
From: Baghdasarian

ISSUE OF PUTTING ON AGENDA DRAFT DECISION ON SETTING UP NA AD HOC COMMISSION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REMAINS UNSETTLED
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Sept 08 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The draft decision
on setting up a National Assembly ad hoc commission to examine issues
of the Armenian Genocide – the initiative of Tatul Manaserian, who
recently left the NA Justice faction to become an independent deputy,
has been in circulation in the RA National Assembly since May 3. It
is proposed setting up such a commission “in order to clarify the
chronology of the Armenian Genocide, prevent diverse comments, condemn
the genocide and adopt a common position on recognition of the Armenian
Genocide.” Among the commission’s tasks will be expressing opinions
about various cases of genocide organized and committed by Turkey or
committed with the assistance of Turkey in order to underline their
lasting character and the clear tendency to exterminate the Armenians,
as well as to formulate demands for condemnation and recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, including material, financial and moral
compensation. It was envisaged to discuss the draft at the September
8 sitting of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Issues
with the aim of making a conclusion about putting the draft on the
agenda of the autumn session that starts from September 11. However,
as NT correspondent was informed from the committee chairman Rafik
Petrosian, the discussion of the issue did not take place due to
Tatul Manaserian’s absence from the sitting.
From: Baghdasarian

SECOND ITALIAN CLIMBER DIES ON MOUNT ARARAT
Anatolian Times, Turkey
Sept 8 2006
ANKARA – Rescue workers on Friday found the body of a second Italian
mountainer at the summit of Mount Ararat, eastern Turkey, his travel
agent said.
The second climber to die was named as Franco Pacifico, 65, a member of
an 11-member Italian team that reached the 5,136-metre (16,850-foot)
summit on Tuesday but got caught in a heavy blizzard, Mustafa Kaya
told AFP.
Officials said on Thursday that another member of the group, Caterina
Fruttero, had also lost her life.
Both are believed to have died of hypothermia.
Kaya said the remaining nine mountaineers had descended safely.
Mount Ararat (Agri in Turkish) is located in easternmost Turkey, where
the borders of Iran, Armenia and the Azeri enclave of Nakhchivan meet.
Most of it is a closed military zone and mountaineers need special
permission from the Turkish authorities for expeditions on the
mountain.
From: Baghdasarian