Author: Boshkezenian Garik

REFORM PROCESS IN SOUTH-CAUCASUS NEEDS TO BE BOOSTED, SAYS PACE PRESIDENT
Council of Europe

Aug 25 2005
Strasbourg, 25.08.2005 – Constitutional reform in Armenia, the
forthcoming elections in Azerbaijan and reforms in Georgia were the
main issues discussed during high-level meetings held by the President
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Rene
van der Linden during his visit to the South Caucasus from 18 to 23
August. Overall, the President concluded that the reform process in
the South-Caucasus as a whole needs to be boosted.
In Armenia, the President urged dialogue between the government,
opposition and civil society. The constitutional reform was a
test case for further democratic development in Armenia and of its
willingness to fulfil its obligations and commitments to the Council
of Europe, he said. The success of the referendum would depend in
particular on the revision of voters’ lists, media independence and
the organisation of an effective public awareness raising campaign.
The President appealed to government and opposition parties to use
the coming days to reach an agreement on joint amendments, so as to
attract the broadest support for reform. He said that failure of the
reform process would have negative consequences for the country as
a whole. He also urged all political actors to enhance their efforts
to ensure good relations with Armenia’s neighbours.
President van der Linden welcomed the progress made since the Rose
Revolution in Georgia, while recognising that state and society can
not be transformed overnight. He urged the authorities to maintain
the momentum of reform so as to ensure that all obligations and
commitments were met within the previously extended deadlines. He
stressed that an effective system of checks and balances, including
a strong opposition, independent judiciary, active civil society
and free media were necessary to the process of democratic reform;
they should not be considered only as part of its eventual result.
Reform of local self government was a particularly important aspect
of Georgia’s democratisation process and the President encouraged the
authorities to persevere in the ambitious and far-reaching legislative
agenda on this issue. On foreign policy, the President encouraged
the authorities to pursue all avenues for the peaceful resolution
of conflicts, not only those in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but also
that concerning Nagorno-Karabakh.
In Azerbaijan, the President stressed that the November elections
would be a test case for the country and an important opportunity
for the international community to see that the government was doing
its utmost to ensure free and fair elections. With regard to the
electoral fraud committed during the 2003, Rene van der Linden was
reassured by President Aliyev’s promise that a full investigation
would be completed by November.
He noted the importance of election monitoring and reminded the
authorities that in January 2006 PACE would consider the report of
its own 40-strong election observation mission. The authorities
should reinforce and guarantee media independence and pluralism,
including by bringing the capital’s Public TV station into operation.
He urged all political parties to approach the elections in a positive
and constructive spirit of democracy. The President considered that
the issues of political prisoners and the murder of Elmar Huseynov
were also important for the elections. He called on the authorities to
take all the necessary action to ensure that neither the opposition
nor the media would continue to feel at risk as a result of their
lawful and democratic activities.
On the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, the President stated his intention
to enhance the possibility for parliamentary diplomacy available to
the countries’ PACE delegations as a complement to the primary means
of bilateral diplomacy and the Minsk Group process. He added that
democratic development in the two countries would create a better
climate for finding a solution.
In all three countries, the President had met religious leaders and
noted with great satisfaction the active and positive role they had
played together in the reconciliation process. He reminded all those
he met that there would be no sustainable development or prosperity
and no future for the region’s children without a peaceful settlement.
Press release announcing his visit to the South Caucasus
Contact: Communication Unit of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93 Fax +33 3 90 21 41 34; e-mail:
[email protected]

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
August 19, 2005, Friday
KOCHARIAN DOUBLECROSSES RUSSIA
SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, August 19, 2005, pp. 1, 4
by Anatoly Gordienko, Nelli Orlova
President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia is about to make a
brief visit to Armenia. Armenia is awaiting the president of its
neighbor-state. Presidential Press Secretary Viktor Sogomonjan says
that a meeting between the two heads of state is being planned,
but it will be “unofficial, a meeting of friends.”
There is nothing extraordinary in meetings between presidents of
neighboring countries – but official Moscow is somewhat wary about
Saakashvili’s potential friendship with Armenian President Robert
Kocharian. Russian experts widely comment on the “informal” nature of
presidents of Georgia and Armenia that became noticeably more frequent
after the Revolution of Roses in Tbilisi in 2003. There were at least
two or three such meetings in Tbilisi and one in Yerevan.
Sergei Markedonov, cirector of the Ethnic Relations Department at
the Political and Military Analysis Institute, doesn’t rule out
the possibility that Yerevan is seeking new bearing points in its
foreign policy, the bearing points that do not have anything to do
with Russia. “The danger exists that Armenia may turn to the West,”
Markedonov said. The political scientist even believes that Saakashvili
may be playing the role of an intermediary between the West and leaders
of Armenia. “Saakashvili himself said more than once that he wanted
more than just being president of Georgia,” Markedonov said. “That’s
why everything is possible… What concerns me is that Armenia has
been viewed until now as Russia’s mot reliable and actually only
strategic ally in the southern part of the Caucasus. A great deal
of Russian military hardware from the military bases in Georgia is
shipped to this country, upping its own defense potential, by the
way. Russia chalked off Armenia’s debts not long ago and set out
to reanimate Armenian energy sphere and other sectors of national
economy. Essentially, Yarevan’s rapprochement with the patently
hostile Georgia is a blow at Russian interests in the region.”
Alexei Makarkin, deputy director of the Political Techniques Center,
also mentioned the danger of Armenia’s potential turn to Georgia.
“Kocharian’s steps in this direction will seriously jeopardize
positions of Russia in the region,” Makarkin said. “Still, this is
not something we should really expect and fear. Kocharian is clearly
pro-Russian, and so is his government. It is the opposition in Armenia
that is pro-Western because official Moscow backed the president in the
past presidential election in Armenia.” Makarkin doesn’t deny at the
same time that Saakashvili’s frequent visits to Armenia aim to instill
and encourage pro-Western moods in this country. “The United States is
actively forcing its own ideology on the post-Soviet territory Russia
has always dominated. Saakashvili and President of Ukraine Viktor
Yushchenko are essentially conduits of this ideology. I suspect that
Saakashvili’s frequent meetings with Kocharian are an indication of
their mushrooming aspirations in the CIS. That their next meeting is
scheduled for before the CIS summit in Kazan is but a demonstration of
independence. That’s a way of showing that they are going to meet with
whoever they want and whenever they want regardless of the ineffective
Commonwealth whose potential is clearly exhausted,” Makarkin explained.
Official Yerevan did not take to these conclusions at all. “There are
no reasons to assume that the rapprochement with Tbilisi indicates
any changes in the attitude toward Russia,” Sogomonjan said. Press
secretary recalled traditions of the Georgian-Armenian friendship
and existence of a substantial Armenian diaspora in Georgia. “In
short, we have more in common than geography and geopolitics alone,”
Sogomonjan said.
Tbilisi is also discussing Saakashvili’s forthcoming visit to
Armenia. Any anti-Russian conspiracy between Georgia and Armenia
is vehemently denounced. “Rapprochement between Kocharian and
Saakashvili should not worry Russia at least for several reasons,”
says Ramaz Sakvarelidze, a prominent Georgian political scientist.
“First, there is no proof that Saakashvili will actually try to convert
Kocharian in Sevan, to tempt the president of Armenia into shifting
his and his foreign policy’s bearing points. A polar process cannot
be ruled out, right? So, we cannot rule out the possibility that
Russia’s interests in this part of the Caucasus will only benefit
from this meeting. After all, if countries of the Caucasus stop
playing chaotically and begin pursuing a coordinated policy, it
will ensure stability and protection of Russian interests on their
territories. Moreover, agendas of Georgian-Armenian summits do not
usually include any global matters. The president always concentrate
on the problems that worry Georgia and Armenia. Besides, meeting
like that may do something about the tangled Azerbaijani-Armenian
relations… I’m talking about Saakashvili’s services of a go-between.”
In the meantime, Yerevan is already taking steps that do conflict
with Russian interests. Not long ago, the Armenian Commission for
Public Services demanded from management of Armenian Power Lines
explanations with regard to the deal in which its shares had ended up
in the hands of RAO Unified Energy Systems. Shares of the Armenian
company were turned over to Interenergo B.V., a subsidiary of RAO
Unified Energy Systems, where RAO Unified Energy Systems itself had 60%
and Rosenergoatom 40%. It occurred to Yerevan all of a sudden that the
national legislation doesn’t permit any deals with shares of Armenian
Power Lines without the government’s dispensation. Moreover, Russia’s
ratio in the Armenian foreign trade (all of it passing through the
territory of Georgia) went down.
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Outlook , India
Aug 20 2005
Ganguly suffers shocking defeat from Gooshchapov
>>From our Chess Correspondent Abu Dhabi (UAE) Aug 20 (PTI)
Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly suffered a shocking defeat at
the hands of Grandmaster Alexander Gooshchapov of Ukraine in the
fifth round of the Master’s section of Abu Dhabi International Chess
Festival here.
Grandmaster Ashot Anastasian of Armenia shot into sole lead with an
emphatic victory over GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan of Iran. The Armenian
took his tally to an impressive 4.5 points and is now trailed by five
players including Goloshchapov on 4 points. Ganguly, after the loss,
remained on 3 points.
Candidate International Masters Parimarjan Negi and Abhijeet Gupta
raised visions of a good finish on a much better day for the other
Indians in the fray. Negi drew with much higher rated Azerbaijani
International Master Rasul Ibrahimov while Gupta efficiently brushed
aside the challenge of Amanov Mesgen of Turkmenistan to reach three
points each with just four rounds remaining in this US $ 16400 prize
money tournament.
Ganguly was a trifle unlucky as he mishandled a better position to go
down. Playing against the French defense by Goloshchapov, the current
National Champion got a slight advantage after the opening and went
for an interesting pawn sacrifice in the middle game to initiate an
attack against the King. Goloshchapov found some solace in the trading
of queens even though his pawn structure was decidedly fractured in
the process.
At one point in the middle game Ganguly had a choice to take a draw
by repetition of position but the Indian simply tried too hard to
force matters.

PACE, Europe
Provisional edition
Constitutional reform process in Armenia
Resolution 1458 (2005)[1]
1. The Parliamentary Assembly recalls that the revision of
the Constitution is a pre-condition for the fulfilment of some of the
most important commitments that Armenia undertook upon its accession
to the Council of Europe. These include the reform of the judicial
system, local self-government reform, the introduction of an
independent ombudsman, the establishment of independent regulatory
authorities for broadcasting and the modification of the powers of
and access to the Constitutional Court. The deadlines for the
completion of these commitments, stipulated in the Assembly’s Opinion
No. 221 (2000) on Armenia’s application for membership of the Council
of Europe, have now long expired.
2. The Assembly therefore is deeply concerned that the delay
in agreeing and adopting the constitutional amendments is holding
back Armenia’s progress towards European democratic norms and
standards in key areas of political life.
3. The present Constitution, adopted in 1995, has played an
essential role in the development of democracy and its
irreversibility and has allowed Armenia to become a member of the
Council of Europe. However, its practical day-to-day implementation
has increasingly revealed serious conceptual shortcomings which have
become an obstacle for the further democratic development of the
country. In the first place, the Constitution endows the President
with excessive prerogatives and does not provide for clear separation
and balance of powers within the state structures. Equally serious is
the lack of constitutional guarantees for basic human rights, of
independence of the judiciary and of local self-government in
conformity with European standards.
4. The Assembly recalls the failure of the first referendum
on constitutional amendments of 25 May 2003 and the fact that the
authorities at the time had not committed themselves to a campaign in
support of the reform as parliamentary elections were held in
parallel. The subsequent deadline fixed by the Assembly in
Resolutions 1361 and 1405 (2004) for the holding of a new
constitutional referendum ~V not later than June 2005 ~V has been
missed.
5. The Assembly recalls that in 2001, the Armenian
authorities and the European Commission for Democracy through Law
(Venice Commission) had arrived at a mutually acceptable draft
Constitution in line with European standards. This draft, however,
underwent significant changes during its examination and adoption by
Parliament and the text submitted to referendum in May 2003
represented an important step back. The Assembly therefore insists
that such a scenario must not be repeated with the new draft.
6. The Assembly notes with approval the renewed active and
intensive co-operation between the Armenian authorities and the
Venice Commission since 2004. It regrets, however, that after several
expertises of different subsequent drafts and after the first reading
in Parliament on 11 May 2005, the draft still needs substantial
revision, according to the Venice Commission. In its second interim
opinion of 13 June 2005, the Venice Commission expressed deep
disappointment with the lack of satisfactory results, deploring the
fact that the recommendations, notably concerning the balance of
powers between the President and the Parliament, the independence of
the judiciary and the election of the Mayor of Yerevan (instead of
his/her appointment by the President), had not been taken into
account.
7. The Assembly welcomes the memorandum on further
co-operation signed between the Venice Commission working group and
the Armenian authorities on 2 June 2005. It commends the Armenian
authorities on presenting an improved version of the text within the
deadlines agreed in the memorandum. However, the Assembly insists
that the final proposed amendments do comply with all the
recommendations of the Venice Commission and are finally voted as
such by the National Assembly.
8. The Assembly underlines that the new constitutional
referendum can only succeed on the basis of a very broad public
consensus. In addition to the political significance of such an act,
the consensus is also needed for technical reasons ~V the
constitutional amendments must be approved by more than 50% of the
votes but not less than one third of all registered voters. It is
therefore important that the voters’ lists are updated so that the
necessary quorum can be achieved.
9. The Assembly deplores the breakdown of dialogue between
the ruling coalition and the opposition. It regrets that the ruling
coalition has not yet been able to agree on the three key requests of
the opposition which coincide with the recommendations of the Venice
Commission: separation and balance of powers, independent judiciary
and a real local self-government. It equally regrets the fact that
the opposition resorted to a boycott of parliamentary sittings. The
Assembly therefore strongly hopes that an agreement on the three
points will lead to the opposition returning to Parliament.
10. The Assembly points out that a proper awareness-raising
campaign in favour of the constitutional reform can only start after
agreement has been reached on the remaining problematic areas. If the
latest deadline for holding the referendum ~V November 2005 ~V is
respected, any further delay in reaching a political consensus can
jeopardise the chances of the draft being accepted by the population.
11. The Assembly reiterates its previous concerns with regard
to media pluralism and balanced political coverage in the electronic
media. The media, and television in particular, should play a major
role in allowing the public to make a well-informed choice in the
referendum. One of the main reasons for the present unsatisfactory
situation resides in the shortcomings of the Constitution with regard
to the appointment of members of the broadcasting regulatory bodies.
12. The Assembly strongly believes that, for the sake of its
own people and for the sake of its further European integration,
Armenia cannot afford another failure of the constitutional
referendum. It supports the expert advice of the Venice Commission as
a clear indication of the direction to follow and believes that if it
is backed by political will and democratic maturity, the necessary
ingredients for a successful constitutional reform would be in place.
13. The Assembly therefore calls on the Armenian authorities
and the parliamentary majority to:
i. fully implement the recommendations of the Venice
Commission;
ii. undertake clear and meaningful steps in order to resume
an immediate dialogue with the opposition;
iii. adopt the text at second reading without altering the
agreement reached with the Venice Commission on the above~Vmentioned
points and no later than August 2005;
iv. provide live broadcasting of the parliamentary sittings
where the constitutional amendments will be discussed and voted;
v. start a well-prepared and professional awareness-raising
campaign immediately after the adoption of the text at the second
reading;
vi. implement without delay the Assembly recommendations with
regard to media pluralism in order to guarantee the broadest possible
public debate;
vii. urgently update voters’ lists;
viii. hold the referendum no later than November 2005;
ix. and to provide for the coming into force of the
constitutional reform as soon as reasonably possible.
14. The Assembly calls on the opposition to stop its
parliamentary boycott and do everything possible to promote the
recommendations of the Council of Europe with regard to the
constitutional reform.
15. The Assembly expresses its support for the adoption of a
draft Constitution fully complying with the Council of Europe
standards and calls on all political forces and civil society to
assure the success of the constitutional reform.
16. The Assembly resolves to observe the constitutional
referendum and, in the meantime, declares its readiness to provide
any assistance that might be needed for its preparation.
[1] Assembly debate on 23 June 2005 (22nd Sitting) (see Doc. 10601,
report of the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and
Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring
Committee), Co-Rapporteurs: Mr Colombier and Mr Jaskiernia). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 23 June 2005 (22nd Sitting).

SECOND OPINION: Myth of ‘Qadiani in the works’ -Khaled Ahmed’s Review of the Urdu press
Daily Times, Pakistan
Aug 19 2005
The Qadianis did it. The Jews did it. Why not add a few more categories
we don’t like? Why leave the Hindus out? The Urdu newspapers that
publish such statements contribute to the negative image Pakistan
has abroad. Don’t expect direct foreign investment to peak after this
piece of wisdom!
There are moments when a Pakistani Muslim plumbs the depths of his
negative side. One and all, we go cross-eyed when on the subject
of the Qadiani sect. All kinds of lies are in order. The Germans
had this kind of thing for the Jews, Iranians for Bahais, Turks for
Armenians… and one can enlist many other nations with a death-wish.
Quoted in daily Pakistan (22 July 2005) Jamiat Ulema Pakistan (JUP)
leader Qari Zawwar Bahadur said in Lahore that the London bombings
were done by the Qadianis and the Jews as a conspiracy against Islam.
He said the Qadianis and the Jews had finally come together as enemies
of Islam and their plan is to victimise the Muslims of the world. He
said the breakaway factions of his JUP would soon reunite to face
the government on local elections.
It was reported that after the death of the JUP founder Maulana
Shah Ahmad Noorani, the Lahore faction of the Noorani faction led
by Shah Faridul Haq and General (Retd) KM Azhar rebelled against the
family of Maulana Noorani now headed by son Anas Noorani and formed
a new faction.
This is killing two birds with one stone. Get the Muslims to believe
that two of their permanent enemies had done the London thing in
tandem. Sotto voce, fall on them and kill them! The Jews, alas, are
absent, but no matter. Why should the press publish such provocative
and patently mendacious material? If nothing else, think of the
trouble it can get Pakistan into.
As reported in Jang (15 July 2005) chief election commissioner Justice
Abdul Hameed announced that all candidates standing for local elections
would have to submit affidavits of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat so that no Qadiani
could avail the right of standing for elections under otherwise joint
electorates. Non-Muslims are allowed but not Qadianis. The affidavit
denounces the apostatised sect.
Let the MMA come to power, then we will have a few others on the banned
list. In actuality, the Shias and the Ismailis are next. No election
commission can be really proud of making announcements like the above.
Columnist Irfan Siddiqi wrote in Nawa-e-Waqt (21 July 2005) that
Saad Saud Jan who died in Lahore was born in Lahore and became
additional sessions judge in the city in 1961 as a CSP officer. He
was a judge who refused to be drawn out into the social circuit. He
helped significantly in the drafting of the 1973 Constitution. He
became judge of the Lahore High Court in due course of time and was
the senior-most judge in the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1994 when
chief justice of the Court Justice, Nasim Hassan Shah, retired.
Justice Jan was not a favourite of the PPP after he had refused to
‘cooperate’ a number of times at the request of the PPP’s senior
politicians including President Leghari. Law minister after 1993,
Iqbal Haider, already had chosen to elevate Justice Qadeer, a junior
judge. Prime minister Benazir Bhutto asked law secretary Justice
Sheikh Riaz Hussain to give her a list of the senior-most judges of
the Supreme Court, but when the list was given, the senior most judge
Saad Saud Jan was excluded. The list comprised Abdul Qadeer Chaudhry,
Ajmal Mian and Sajjad Ali Shah. The last named was made chief justice.
Justice Saad Saud Jan who was retired as acting chief justice received
the pension of a chief justice till his demise; Chief Justice Sajjad
Ali Shah, who was unseated in 1997, receives the pension of a mere
Supreme Court judge. Why was Justice Jan denied his rights? This
needs to be investigated.
The crux of the injustice meted out to Justice Jan was the rumour on
which the PPP relied: that he was a Qadiani. One unspoken rule of
this nazism is that if someone denies being one, then he really is
one! Justice Jan’s greatness stands whether he was one or not. Some
of our worst-reputed judges were not Qadianis. All the great judges
were either Christian or Parsi! On a lighter note, an honest ban on
Sunni judges would be in order.
Speaking to Nawa-e-Waqt, (20 July 2005) a group of great Islamic
scholars of Lahore, including Sarfraz Naeemi of Jamia Naimiyya,
Maulana Abdur Rehman Makki of Jamaat Dawa, Pir Saifullah, Maulana
Nusrat Ali Shahani, Maulana Abdul Malik and others, said that Tony
Blair’s popularity was failing therefore he arranged the 7/7 London
bombings to unite his voters. They said that 9/11 too was a plan to
grab the Muslim states; and Musharraf was committing a blunder by
supporting Bush.
If one is looking for the process that creates suicide-bombers in
Pakistan, here it is in full view. Many of us take it to be the froth
that sticks to the beards of our holy men, but unfortunately some
youths take them quite seriously.
According to Khabrain, (20 July 2005) head of the journalism department
in Punjab University, Dr Mughisuddin said that new terrorism was
being spread in the name of ending terrorism. He said it was never
found out as to who was responsible for the 9/11 act of terrorism in
the United States.
Much has been published about the boys who did 9/11. Their families
have been interviewed, their friends interrogated and their social
backgrounds minutely screened. Muhammad Atta’s father in Egypt accepts
that his son led the attack. He says what happened on 9/11 will happen
again. Before 9/11 Atta’s father was quite secular in life. After 9/11,
he changed into an America-hater.
Quoted in daily Pakistan (21 July 2005) MMA leaders said in a
meeting in Lahore that 7/7 bombings in London were organised by
the Jews just like the bombings of 9/11 in America. JUP leader Mufti
Hidayatullah said that Pakistan was being run by the slaves of America
and Britain. Jamaat’s Lahore leader Hafiz Salman Butt said that the
West had put the label of Islam on terrorism.
The Jews did it. Why not add a few more categories we don’t like? Why
leave the Hindus out? The Urdu newspapers that publish such statements
contribute to the negative image Pakistan has abroad.
Don’t expect direct foreign investment to peak after this piece of
wisdom! *

PACE President Tours South Caucasus
Civil Georgia, Georgia
Aug 19 2005
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE), René van der Linden, will arrive in Georgia on August 20 from
the Armenian capital of Yerevan as a part of his South Caucasian
tour. After visiting Georgia the PACE President will also travel
to Azerbaijan.
According to the PACE press release, Linden will hold talks with
Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli, Deputy Parliamentary Speaker Mikheil
Machavariani as well as representatives of the parliamentary opposition
and civil society.
The constitutional situation, the independence of the judiciary,
freedom of expression and association and the media will be discussed
during his visit.
–Boundary_(ID_NvJk/dKzaKpzDMGaxFGqeg)–

Crisis Group developing proposals on Garabagh conflict
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Aug 18 2005
Baku, August 17, AssA-Irada — An international organization working
to prevent conflicts worldwide is developing recommendations on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh.
Two reports of the International Crisis Group covering the situation
in the two countries will be published in September, the ICG project
director on South Caucasus Sabin Frasier told Radio Liberty.
“First, we want to provide other countries in the region with
information on the conflict and its consequences. On the other hand,
we will forward our proposals on ways of settling the conflict.”
Frasier said that the ICG vice-president Alain Deletroz will visit
Baku on September 8-9. “He will present the organization’s report
and up to 20 recommendations to the Azeri government”, she said.*

ARMENIA’S DEFENSE OFFICE REFUTES INFORMATION ON CAPTIVE AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER
ARKA News Agency
Aug 18 2005
YEREVAN, August 18. /ARKA/. The RA Ministry of Defense is refuting
the information on a captive Azerbaijani soldier. A number of mass
media spread the information that the Azerbaijani soldier Ralmil
Khudaverdiev was taken prisoner by the RA Armed Forces.
At his earlier meeting with journalists, Firudin Dadykhov, Head of the
Task Group, Azerbaijani State Commission for POWs, Hostages and Missing
Persons, reported that Ramil Khudaversiev had been taken prisoner by
Armenia’s armed forces. According to him, no detailed information was
available. Sadykhov also said that ICRC representative were mediating
in releasing Khudaverdiev. P.T. -0–

AZG Armenian Daily #144, 17/08/2005
Neighbors
AZERBAIJAN CARRIES ELECTIONS IN KARABAKH AND NEIGHBORING TERRITORIES
Armenians of Neighboring Territories ‘Deprived’ of Constitutional right
The Central Electoral Committee of Azerbaijan (CEC) took a decision a
couple of days ago to reopen the “122 electoral district of Khanqendi”
and to appoint CEC members there. The CEC has addressed a message
to the “electorate” of Khanqendi electoral district (along with
numerous Armenian towns and regions, Baku authorities changed the
name of Stepanakert into Khanqendi 15 years ago) informing that they
have created “all necessary conditions for free, just elections to
realize the rights of Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan”.
“As a result of creation of a secessionist regime in Azeri territories
that Armenia has occupied, the Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan have
turned into a plaything in the hands of the aggressor. Along with
their constitutional rights, they are deprived of their electoral
right. The CEC calls for the Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan to help
put an end to the secessionist regime to secure their constitutional
rights”, the message reads.
It is Mazahir Panahov, the head of the CEC, who has turned into
a plaything in Ilham Aliyev’s hands in this case. This populist
statement of Baku authorities targets the international community and
attempts to show that Azerbaijan is ready to guarantee the safety of
the Armenians. But only three days ago, President Aliyev held forth
in Sumgait, the site of first Armenian pogroms, threatening to settle
the Karabakh conflict by means of arms. Is the West ready to believe
Baku’s statements when only a few months ago Armenian servicemen were
refused entrance visas to Azerbaijan thus failing NATO exercises in
Baku? Or, is that possible to believe Baku’s assurances when the latter
makes a hero of a murderer who axed down his Armenian counterpart in
Budapest? US ambassador to Armenia John Evans gave the best description
to the anti-Armenian hysteria in Baku, “Everybody understands that
Karabakh cannot be returned to Azerbaijan as that would be a disaster”.
Azerbaijan seems to have settled the issue of organizing elections
in territories that are out of Baku’s control. Mediamx agency quoted
Mazahir Panahov as saying that the electorate of “Khanqendi electoral
district” can take part in the elections through the Internet. To make
the Azeri nonsense complete, it must be noted that Ilham Aliyev’s
Yeni Azerbaijan Party has put up no candidates in Stepanakert. In
the regions of Martuni, Shushi and Fizuli Yeni Azerbaijan represents
Elman Mamedov.
The CEC of Azerbaijan has formed electoral districts in
Karabakh-controlled territories, ad exemplum previous years. But
contrary to the residents of Stepanakert, Shushi and Martuni, the
population of, say, Zangelan, Qelbajar and Ghubatlu, mostly survivors
of Armenian pogroms, are not granted the privilege of realizing their
constitutional right in the “free and just” elections of November 6.
By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Woman who alleges man assaulted her says relationship has 23-year history
Canadian Press NewsWire
August 9, 2005
OTTAWA (CP) – A 39-year-old Ottawa woman who said she feared for her
life after ending a relationship with her lover told court Tuesday
the man had tried to pursue a romantic relationship with her 23 years
earlier when she was a teenager growing up in Armenia.
During her second day of testimony, Lillian Arakelyan said she was
16 when Gagik Artsrunyan began stalking and harassing her after she
rejected his advances.
Artsrunyan, who lives in Portland, Ore., is charged with assault,
two counts of criminal harassment, three counts of uttering threats
and forcible confinement.
Arakelyan disputed a suggestion by defence lawyer Rosalind Conway
that she initiated romantic involvement with the accused at any time.
But Arakelyan, who arrived in Canada in 1998 to study at the University
of Ottawa, admitted to Conway that she met with Artsrunyan for coffee
on at least one occasion when they lived in Armenia.
“He was obsessed with me and harassed me,” Arakelyan said. “He would
wait outside of home and work and wait for me.”
Arakelyan has told the court she was viciously beaten by the accused
in her building’s underground parking lot after being dragged from
her car and thrown in the back seat of Artsrunyan’s vehicle.
She said the assault came three months after she had ended their
relationship.
The trial continues in November.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress