Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
September 17 2004
Trends emerging in election results
Two days after residential and retail project is approved, voting
patterns start to develop.
By Robert Chacon, News-Press
GLENDALE — Both sides in the campaign to bring the $264.2-million
Americana at Brand project to Glendale are still analyzing the
numbers, but at least one councilman thinks it came down to
homeowners versus renters.
What is certain is that during Tuesday’s election for measures A, B
and C, about 29,500 city residents showed up at the polls, which,
according to Councilman Dave Weaver, is roughly 36% of the city’s
registered voters. That’s the highest turnout Weaver can remember.
A vast majority of people in southern Glendale, below Colorado Street
— an area with the densest population of renters — voted against the
project. When you start to look at single-family homes and the north
area of the city you’ll see that a majority of them supported the
Americana at Brand, Weaver said.
“I think that after the numbers are counted, it will become obvious
that the campaign was renters versus homeowners,” Weaver said.
Voters in precincts closest to the project’s location across from the
Glendale Galleria opposed it. Concerns about parking and traffic
around the outdoor mall once it is built were raised throughout the
intense campaign waged by developer Rick Caruso and General Growth,
owners of the Glendale Galleria.
A majority of voters in 22 precincts favored the project, and a
majority of voters in 18 precincts opposed it. Most precincts showed
close races, but some had lopsided margins. In those precincts where
voters overwhelmingly supported the project, those margins were much
higher than the ones in precincts where a high majority of voters
opposed the Americana.
Overall, the three measures that reinforced the project won approval
from the residents with an rate hovering near 51%.
Linda Berman, vice president of corporate communications and brand
strategy for Caruso, said that she would not comment on the results
of the election until a more detailed analysis is completed, which
could come in the next two weeks.
“We will want to know where we were strong and where we weren’t. We
know that we had a majority of the support but we want to know where
it came from and who got out and voted,” she said.
General Growth officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Poll numbers also revealed that the city’s Armenian-American
population voted in favor of the project, Mayor Bob Yousefian said.
“Based on the numbers we have so far, on election day about 60% of
the Armenian population voted for the project,” he said.
From: Baghdasarian

Protest action due in Moscow
Azer News, Azerbaijan
Sept 16 2004
The Movement for Azerbaijan will hold a sanctioned action in Moscow
on September 25 in protest against Armenia’s unfair policy toward
Azerbaijan.
Along with Azeris living in Russia, the rally, aimed at conveying
Armenia’s policy of occupation to the international community, will
be joined by intellectuals of Russian and other nationalities.
A resolution to be adopted by the protesters will be forwarded to
diplomatic representations of the UN Security Council permanent
members and the Armenian embassy in Moscow.
From: Baghdasarian

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/16/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) His Holiness Aram I Meets with Lebanese President 2) Aliyev, Kocharian Vow to Keep up Karabagh Talks 3) NATO Delegation Visits Genocide Memorial 4) Armenian-Americans Join San Francisco's 'Sudan: Day of Conscience' 5) Two New ARS Soseh Kindergartens in Artsakh 1) His Holiness Aram I Meets with Lebanese President BAABDAAccompanied by the chairman of Central Executive Council Andre Tabourian, His Holiness Aram I Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia met with Lebanese President Emil Lahoud on September 15, at the presidential palace in the city of Baabda. His Holiness congratulated Lahoud on the recent extension of his presidential term and added that it is his desire to see the government continue its work for peace, regional stability, and economic development. Catholicos Aram I moved on to state that the president must take the lead in unifying the various ethnic and religious communities of Lebanon, and strengthening the bond between the government and the country's citizenry. In response to the controversy surrounding the proportional decline of ethnic Armenian deputies in parliament, His Holiness noted, "It is our demand to see the injustice committed against the Armenian community reversed and corrected." In addition, the Catholicos spoke about his recent trip to South Korea, where he met with President Roh Moo Hyun. After commending the Catholicos for his contributions not only to Lebanon, but also the international community in general, President Lahoud stressed that cooperation amongst the communities of Lebanon is of the utmost importance to his government and assured His Holiness that the Armenian community will receive proper representation in the country's legislature. 2) Aliyev, Kocharian Vow to Keep up Karabagh Talks ASTANA (AFP)--The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Thursday promised to continue dialogue on the bitter stand-off between their countries over Mountainous Karabagh. Presidents Robert Kocharian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan held more than three hours of late-night talks in the Kazakh capital, mediated by Russia's President Vladimir Putin, but gave few clues as to what had passed between them. "We need time--the president of Azerbaijan knows our position more concretely--the process is continuing constructively," Kocharian said at a joint news conference with Aliyev. "Further development can resolve this question; we discussed various questions on the path to a resolution," Aliyev said. Aliyev had earlier stressed the importance of Thursday's talks over the Mountainous Karabagh conflict, which saw the two neighbors fight a war in the early 1990s and remains unresolved. Aliyev has faced calls at home to take a bolder stand on Karabagh and the thousands of Azeris who have fled the disputed area. International mediators have urged face-to-face meetings between the two sides, but with the transition of power in Azerbaijan from Aliyev's father Heydar to Ilham, talks have faltered. The two leaders on Wednesday held two-way talks before joining Putin for more discussions. "I am happy to see that you have not lost your optimism. . . and are continuing dialogue at the highest level," Putin said as the talks began in Astana, on the sidelines of a meeting of leaders of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member countries. "Hopes are very high, despite the complexity of the problem," Putin said, adding that "whatever the result, a meeting of three leaders is always a step forwards." Aliyev thanked Russia for taking part in the summit talks. "Our neighbor Russia, co-president of the Minsk Group, plays a key part in the settlement," he said. The Minsk Group, comprising France, Russia, and the United States, has been mediating between the two states for the past decade. 3) NATO Delegation Visits Genocide Memorial YEREVAN (Yerkir)--A NATO delegation visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on Wednesday to pay tribute to the victims of the genocide of 1915. Though the visit was not on their official agenda, National Assembly National Security and Internal Affairs Committee chairman Mher Shahgeldian indicated that the delegation members requested it. "We spoke about the 1915 Genocide during our meetings in Yerevan, and the delegation came up with the idea to visit the Memorial," he said. 4) Armenian-Americans Join San Francisco's 'Sudan: Day of Conscience' SAN FRANCISCO--Armenian-American community members joined other concerned citizens at the San Francisco Civic Center to raise public awareness about continuing massacres in Sudan. The event, "Sudan: Day of Conscience," was organized by the Save Darfur Coalition in tandem with several other organizations, including the Bay Area Armenian National Committee, the Interfaith Council, Human Rights Watch, the Jewish Community Relations, and the United Muslims of America. Reverend Father Avedis Torossian, pastor of St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, and Reverend Father Sarkis Petoyan, pastor of St. John Armenian Apostolic Church, were also present to express their solidarity. In light of the escalating violence and the looming threat of genocide in Sudan, representatives spoke about the desperate need to unite and take action on regional, state, nation, and global levels. Referring to the recent past, they illustrated the deadly consequences of international indifference to gross human rights violations. It was only ten years ago that the genocide in Rwanda took the lives of 800,000 victims as the world stood by idly, despite the many warning signs of the atrocities. In Sudan, government-backed Arab militias, the Janjaweed, have been engaging in a campaign to displace and wipe out entire communities of African tribal farmers. Witnesses report that entire villages have been razed, women and girls systematically raped and branded, men and boys murdered, and food and water supplies specifically targeted and destroyed. There are also accounts of government aerial bombardments of explosives, along with barrels of nails, car chassis, and old appliances which are hurled from planes in order to crush people and property. Over fifty thousand have died and over a million have been driven from their homes. Only in the past few weeks have humanitarian agencies had limited access to a portion of the affected region. Representing the ANC, Haig Baghdassarian addressed the several hundred people gathered; he traced the bloody history of the 20th century, beginning with the Armenian genocide and the genocides that followed as a result of international reluctance to take action. "When will we learn that we cannot tolerate this to happen time and time again? Perhaps not until, we as Americans, can tell our Turkish allies, that although we may be friends, we will not allow them to deny history and escape with impunity for the murder of a nation--and perhaps, not until we as Americans can come to terms with our own bloody past--and the destruction of the indigenous peoples of America." "But these noble goals may take years or even decades to achieve, and we cannot stand by and watch yet another genocide occur, whether it's in central Europe or in the heart of Africa, or on the very periphery of human civilization," said Bagdassarian. The event demonstrated how a common, tragic event in the histories of the Armenian, Jewish, Cambodian, and Rwandan people can unite them in trying to prevent genocide from becoming a dark chapter in the lives and history of another people. 5) Two New ARS Soseh Kindergartens in Artsakh WATERTOWN--The ARS Central Executive announced the opening of two new "Soseh" Kindergartens in the Shoushi and Moushatagh village (district of Kashatagh), bringing the total number of the organization's Artsakh kindergartens to 11. With a staff of 10, the Shoushi Kindergarten will provide 50 children an elementary education and devoted care, while the school in Kashatagh, with a staff of six, will be attended by 25 youngsters. The ARS founded its first kindergarten in Stepanakert, in 1997, offering the children of Artsakh basic care and elementary education in Armenian culture. This worthy endeavor has continued for the last 7 years, providing not only to more than 520 Artsakh children, but also gainfully employing over 100 adults. The "Soseh" Kindergartens of the ARS gives war widows and young mothers the opportunity to seek employment outside the house and improve the family income while their children are being taken care of during the day. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Baghdasarian

Azeri leader off to Kazakhstan for CIS summit
MPA news agency, Baku
15 Sep 04
Baku, 15 September: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today left
for Astana to attend a meeting of CIS leaders, MPA has reported.
[Passage omitted: about issues to be discussed]
The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will hold talks during the
summit and discuss the situation of the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement
and the latest proposals by the OSCE Minsk Group. A trilateral meeting
of the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents is also scheduled.
From: Baghdasarian

Russian president praises Armenian, Azeri leaders’ optimism
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
15 Sep 04
Astana, 15 September: Russian President Vladimir Putin believes it is
important to maintain the dialogue on the Nagornyy Karabakh problem
between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“No matter what you agree on today, personal meetings between leaders
is always a step forward,” Vladimir Putin said opening a trilateral
meeting of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.
Vladimir Putin noted Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan’s enthusiasm
to continue the dialogue to resolve the Karabakh problem.
“I am pleased to note that despite the difficulty of the problem,
you are continuing the dialogue,” the Russian leader said. He stressed
that he considered “it is important that the dialogue and negotiations
at the highest level are being maintained”.
The Russian president expressed confidence that “the meeting will not
be worthless and will contribute to the settlement of the problem”. He
thanked the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan for their readiness
to hold today’s meeting. “We understand that expectations are high
and the problem is an extremely difficult one,” Putin said. “I am
pleased to note that you remain optimistic and have the desire to
resolve the problem.”
The Russian leader stressed that “today’s meeting was part of efforts
of the OSCE Minsk Group”. He stressed that today, before the trilateral
meeting, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan had held a one-to-one
meeting and before that a meeting with the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group. “All the people involved in this process (the Karabakh
settlement) sincerely sympathize with you,” Putin said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he wanted “peace to come
to our region soon”. Ilham Aliyev thanked Vladimir Putin for his
involvement in the settlement of the Karabakh problem. “Thank you
for the involvement in this issue. As our neighbour and a co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia plays a very important role in the
settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,” he said. “I am
grateful to you for your participation and involvement,” he added.
In turn, Robert Kocharyan said that he had “interesting talks with
the Azerbaijani president”. Kocharyan said that it was his third
meeting with Ilham Aliyev. “We had three meetings, one of them
was a familiarization one, the second one was more detailed,” he
said. Kocharyan believes that “the work was more effective at the
ministerial level” when preparations were made for the presidents’
meeting.
From: Baghdasarian

Azeri pressure group welcomes cancellation of NATO war games
Turan news agency
13 Sep 04
Baku, 13 September: The Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO)
has welcomed the cancellation of the Cooperative Best Effort 2004
military exercises in Baku.
A KLO statement adopted on this occasion says that the barring
of Armenian officers was the result of the Azerbaijani public’s
uncompromising position.
The KLO welcomes the position of the Azerbaijani authorities and
blames NATO for the situation that has emerged. The organization
believes that the disruption of Armenians’ visit to Baku is “a small
step towards the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

‘Cinema days’ festival celebrates Middle East filmmaking
Event provides overview of Arab film production in last 2 years
By Jim Quilty
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
BEIRUT: It is autumn. This is when cinephiles hereabouts – fatted on
a summer of Hollywood blockbusters and wretched Egyptian comedies –
ask themselves: “What is the state of Middle Eastern cinema?” And they
receive a sort of answer in the panoply of film festivals that adorn
Beirut at this time of year – August’s Ne a Beirut, October’s Middle
East Film Festival and, wedged between the two, Ayam Beirut Cinemaiyya.
This is Beirut’s third “Cinema Days,” a bi-yearly event assembled
by the squad of 20-somethings who are Beirut Development and Cinema
(Beirut DC) – the five-year-old cultural co-operative whose politics
tend to be as progressive and independent-minded as the films they
promote.
The organizers conceive of Ayam Beirut Cinemaiyya as a noncompetitive
festival whose mission is to provide an overview of the Arab film
produced over the past two years and a meeting place for the region’s
filmmakers, local and expatriate. Over 10 days, the festival will
screen over 100 films – 13 features, 40 documentaries, 45 shorts,
and a smattering of experimental and student films.
The opening film will be “Bab al-Shams” (Door of the Sun), Egyptian
director Yousri Nasrallah’s much-anticipated adaptation of the novel
of the same title. Written by Lebanon’s Elias Khoury, the book is
a poetic tour de force focusing upon the experiences of a circle
of refugees fleeing from Palestine to Lebanon. The evening of the
festival premier, a special open-air screening of “Bab al-Shams”
is planned for Sabra-Shatilla.
“Bab al-Shams” comes to Beirut on the heels of its world premier at
Cannes. Cannes was also host to “Our Music,” by French auteur Jean-Luc
Godard. Set in Sarajevo and addressing the Israeli-Palestine crisis,
Godard’s film represents a sort of return to the region after 30
years – when his “Here and Elsewhere” was first released.
As in years past, Palestine is a central leitmotif of this festival,
with over 20 films on the subject, directed by Palestinian, Arab and
foreign filmmakers. These include “Soraida – A Woman From Palestine,”
by Tahani Rashed; “Writers on the Borders” by Samir Abdullah; “Ijtiah”
by Nizar Hassan; “Like Twenty Impossibilities” by Anne-Marie Jacir;
“In the Ninth Month” by Ali Nassar and “Private Investigation” by
Oula Tabari.
The 2004 edition of the Ayam Cinemaiyya also has a number of films
that are neither new nor Arab. There is a special section of foreign
films on the Arab World. In addition to the Godard piece, there is
Frederic Laffont’s “1001 Nights,” a personal diary shot in Palestine,
and “2000 Terrorists,” a documentary about four of the plaintiffs in
the Belgian court case against Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon, by Peter
Speetjens and Hanro Smitsman. There are also a pair of “guest films”
– “Abouna,” by Chad’s Mohammed Saleh Haroun, and “Vodka Lemon,” a
film set in Armenia by Iraqi Kurd Hinner Selim. The film selection
is rounded out by a retrospective from Arab documentarians.
Beyond the films themselves, there will be a pair of roundtable
discussions. One will be a debate about cinema representations of
Palestine called “Palestine: Champ ou Contre-Champ?” featuring Samir
Qassir, Elias Khoury, Omar Amiralay and a filmed contribution by
Jean-Luc Godard himself. The second debate, on “identity” in the Arab
cinema today, features the input of filmmakers from around the region.
The festival also will hold a workshop in animation, painting and
drawing, conducted by award-winning Serbian animator Vuk Jevremovic,
and a Beirut DC production called “5X5: Lebanese productions on
35mm.” A video installation called “Body,” by Catherine Cattaruzza and
Vatche Boulghourjian, will be on display in the Cinema Estral in Hamra.
Beirut DC’s Elaine Raheb says she and her colleagues viewed over
300 films before settling on the festival’s 130 pieces: “We tried to
select quality films that were representative of what’s happening in
the region’s cinema.”
Presumably this puts them in a unique position to assess “the present
state of Arabic cinema.”
“The documentary is the genre that’s shaping the identity of the
Arabic cinema right now,” she says, “It’s freer.”
This is no surprise, really, given the fact that outside Egypt,
there is no Arab film industry to speak of. Without the financial and
technical infrastructure enjoyed by European and U.S. filmmakers,
it is much more difficult for Arab directors to participate in the
culture of high-quality independent feature film seen there.
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“When we say films we’ve chosen are ‘independent,'” says Beirut DC’s
Hania Mroue, “we mean films that have been made relatively free of
the constraints of distributors and producers.”
Some of these films were indeed produced largely or completely on
the director’s own steam, like “Klephty” by Egypt’s Mohammad Khan
and Mahmoud Hojeij’s “The Silent Majority,” a Lebanese experimental
film about a fellow who wakes up one day to find he’s turned into
a dog. Elie Khalife’s comic short feature “Van Express,” follows a
pair of young entrepreneurs who, frustrated that they are legally
barred from flogging coffee on Beirut’s Corniche, find more success
when they use their van in a different trade.
“Some of our films were made under the influence of producers, of
course,” adds Raheb, pointing out several that were either European
co-productions or else were commissioned by television networks in
the region.
“But even in these cases, you feel that the directors are making a
very personal statement with their work. They may address subjects
like ‘terrorism,’ ‘Islam’ or ‘the Palestine conflict’ but they have a
singular point of view that makes them different from most television
documentaries.”
Examples of such independently minded commissioned pieces include
“Children of the Cedars” by Dimitri Khodr, (commissioned by New
TV). Bassem Fayad’s “Road Beyond Sunset” and Jad Abi Khalil’s “His
Majesty, Mr. President,” both inspired by events in Iraq, were
commissioned by the Al-Arabiyya network.
“These films all reflect a changed attitude among television
programmers,” says Raheb, “especially at Al-Arabiyya. We hope it
continues.”
Other festival films represent a compromise between the creative and
commercial imperative. “Best Times,” by the young Egyptian director
Hala Khalil, is part of a new trend in Egyptian feature film –
begun by Hani Khalifa’s “Sahar al-Layali” – which has seen Egyptian
producers turn to young filmmakers to produce something besides
infantile comedies.
“Egyptian film producers realise now that there are younger
filmmakers who have scripts that speak to the younger generation,”
says Raheb. “They approached Khalil to make a film and she already
had her own script. She wanted to make a film from her own point of
view and it has been a commercial success without being commercial.”
Among the several European co-productions are a pair of uniquely
intimate documentaries – Malek Bensmail’s Franco-Algerian “Alienations”
is about the patients in an Algerian mental hospital, while Mohammed
Zran’s Franco-Tunisian-Moroccan “The Song of the Millennium” is about
people on the edge of Tunisian society when the world officially
entered the 21st century.
Among these co-productions, too, are a number of films about women,
“Women Beyond Borders,” by Lebanese documentary veteran Jean Chamoun,
“When Women Sing,” by Mustafa Hasnaoui, and Hala Galal’s “Women Chat.”
“It’s a film about two generations of women oppressing women,” says
Raheb. “Not the sort of thing you find on the market or on television.”
These films may reflect the European producers’ concerns with certain
issues – namely Palestine, Iraq, women, and Islam – but Raheb is
cautious about suggesting that Arab directors are simply playing to
European tastes to get funding. “Filmmakers in this region are in a
crisis now. They see the Western media representing the people of the
Middle East as heroes, victims or terrorists and it is impossible to
ignore. If they take up these topics themselves it’s because they’re
trying to position themselves relative to these issues. They’re in
crisis, but trying to find a solution.”
The Ayam Beirut al-Cinemaiyya Arab film festival runs from Sept. 15-26
at Cinema Sofil, Achrafieh. For more information contact: +961 1
293212 or +961 3 192587 or email [email protected]
From: Baghdasarian

Racist Assaults on the Rise After Terror Attacks
By Anatoly Medetsky
The Moscow Times
Monday, September 13, 2004. Page 1.
Staff Writer The recent terrorist attacks caused a spike in assaults
on dark-skinned people from the Caucasus region and elsewhere last
week, human rights activists said.
Decorated former test pilot Magomed Tolboyev said Friday that he was
assaulted by police officers during a document check near the Vykhino
metro station. The officers said he had a Chechen-sounding last name,
he said.
In Yekaterinburg, gangs of young people attacked three Armenian and
Azeri cafes, killing one person and injuring two, police said.
Authorities have blamed the downing of two planes, the explosion
near a Moscow metro station and the Beslan school siege on Chechen,
Ingush and Arab fighters and suicide bombers.
Dark-skinned people have in recent years increasingly been the targets
of racially motivated attacks — attacks that police usually write
off as hooliganism. But the increase over the past week can only be
attributed to the terror attacks, said Alexander Brod, director of
the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights.
“Anti-Caucasian sentiments always get stronger after terrorist
acts,” Brod said. “People blame everyone in the Caucasus. This is
the stereotype in people’s minds.
“Unfortunately, the authorities don’t do a good job explaining that
terrorism doesn’t have a nationality,” he said.
Tolboyev, an assistant to State Duma Deputy Viktor Semyonov and a
native of Dagestan, said two police sergeants stopped him to check
his papers Thursday near Vykhino in Moscow’s southern outskirts.
He showed them his Duma ID and told them that he had been decorated
with the title Hero of Russia, which he received for his participation
in the Soviet space shuttle program, Interfax reported.
The officers took the ID. When Tolboyev attempted to get it back,
one of the officers went behind him, put his arm around his neck and
began to strangle him, Tolboyev said.
“My throat still aches, and I haven’t been able to swallow for two
days,” he said, Interfax reported.
Asked by telephone Friday why the officers had confronted him, Tolboyev
said, “I don’t know. Maybe they didn’t like something about me.”
Moscow police chief Vladimir Pronin confirmed Sunday that police
had stopped Tolboyev to check his documents. But he said a police
investigation found that Tolboyev had been treated properly considering
his “disobedience, aggression and abuse.” He did not elaborate.
Tolboyev said he was stopped as he was returning from the North
Ossetian administration’s office in Moscow, where he had expressed
his condolences over the school siege.
He said he finally got back his ID.
In the Urals, a group of young people broke furniture in the Azeri
Kaspy cafe in Yekaterinburg on Thursday night and then hurled in
Molotov cocktails, according to news reports. A 52-year-old relative
of the cafe’s owner died in the fire, which gutted the building.
That same night, about 20 young people armed with sticks and chains
broke into an Armenian cafe, Oasis Plus, and beat the Armenian staff,
wounding four. Two were hospitalized with skull and brain injuries,
news reports said.
Attackers tossed Molotov cocktails in another Armenian cafe, the
Shartash, on Thursday night, but the staff was able to douse the
flames before anyone was injured.
In a fourth attack Thursday, unidentified men set fire to the U Davida,
an Armenian cafe in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, a village near Yekaterinburg,
police said. Cafe staff quickly put out the fire.
Yekaterinburg police said they have detained two suspects but dismissed
any possible racial motive in the attacks, calling them hooliganism.
“They are in no way related to Beslan or any ethnic issues,” said
Valery Gorelykh, spokesman for the Sverdlovsk regional police, which
includes the city of Yekaterinburg.
Mikhail Matevosyan, deputy chairman of the regional Armenian
association Ani-Armenia, said he has no doubt that the cafe attacks
were connected to the recent terrorist attacks.
Whenever Chechen rebels score a victory over federal troops in Chechnya
or commit terrorist attacks, groups of young people begin targeting
Caucasus natives, he said.
“They probably think, ‘You hit us there, and we’ll hit you here,'”
he said by telephone from Yekaterinburg.
He ruled out a Armenian-Azeri turf war as a possible reason for
the attacks.
Elsewhere, four young men with close-cropped hair beat to death a North
Korean citizen in Vladivostok the weekend after the school siege ended,
Noviye Izvestia reported. Unidentified assailants painted a swastika
on the gate of a Jewish cemetery in Irkutsk on the night of Sept. 6-7,
the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights said.
From: Baghdasarian

Aliyev against Armenian officers arriving in Baku for exercises
By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman
ITAR-TASS News Agency  
September 11, 2004 Saturday
BARDA, Azerbaijan — Ilham Aliyev opposes Armenian officers arriving
in Azerbaijan for participation in the planned NATO field exercises
to be held in accordance with the Partnership for Peace programme.
“I do not want Armenian servicemen to arrive in Baku, and Azerbaijan
will take necessary measures for it,” the president told reporters
on Saturday.
Aliyev noted the exercises in Baku, which will be held from September
14 to 26, were organised by NATO and Azerbaijan did not invite
servicemen from other countries, including Armenia, to the exercises.
According to reports from Yerevan, a delegation of five officers of
the Armenian Armed Forces will participate in the planned exercises in
Baku, and the defence minister’s press secretary Seiran Shakhsuvaryan
confirmed this.
The stand is unchanging. As planned, the delegation will come for
the exercises, the press secretary said, noting that there were no
refusal from the organiser – NATO – or changes in the programme.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian officers to take part in NATO drill in Baku
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 10, 2004 Friday
YEREVAN, September 10 — Five officers of the Armenian Armed Forces
will take part in the Cooperative Best Effort 2004 exercises in
Azerbaijan on September 14-26 under the NATO Partnership for Peace
program, press secretary of the Armenian defense minister Col. Seiran
Shakhsuvaryan told Itar-Tass on Friday.
“Our position is invariable. We will take part in the drill,” he
said. He noted that the exercises organizer – NATO – has not made any
changes in the program. “In addition, Yerevan does not have official
information about refusal of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tbilisi to
grant entry visas for the Armenian servicemen going to the drill in
Baku,” he said.
Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Khachaturov said that Baku
protests against the participation of Armenian servicemen in the
exercises are formal.
“If Armenian officers are given permission to visit Baku, Azerbaijan
will have to provide for their security,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said that
Armenia should abstain from participation in the Cooperative Best
Effort 2004 exercises.
“Baku is perplexed with the insistent wish of Armenia, which
occupied some of Azerbaijani lands, to take part in the exercises,”
Abiyev said. “Armenia does not recognize territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan. There are no diplomatic relations between our countries.
Is the participation of Armenian officers in the exercises in Baku
expedient?”
He said the Azerbaijani public objects to the visit of Armenian
servicemen.
“The insistence of Armenia may build up bilateral tension shortly
before the CIS summit in Astana,” where Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharyan are expected to meet
with the Russian mediation, he said.
The news of Armenian servicemen’s visit agitated the Azerbaijani
public. A number of opposition parties, public and non-governmental
organizations will hold protests the day before the drill and on
the drill’s opening day. The Baku City Hall has authorized some of
the protests.
From: Baghdasarian