Author: Chatinian Lara

TURKEY AND THE CAUCASUS: WAITING AND WATCHING

Economist
/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11986092
Aug 21 2008
UK

A large NATO country ponders a bigger role in the Caucasus

Erdogan plays the Georgian flagAT THE Hrazdan stadium in Yerevan,
workers are furiously preparing for a special visitor: Turkey’s
president, Abdullah Gul. Armenia’s president, Serzh Sarkisian, has
invited Mr Gul to a football World Cup qualifier between Turkey and
its traditional foe, Armenia, on September 6th.

If he comes, Mr Gul may pave the way for a new era in the
Caucasus. Turkey is the only NATO member in the area, and after the
war in Georgia it would like a bigger role. It is the main outlet
for westbound Azeri oil and gas and it controls the Bosporus and
Dardanelles, through which Russia and other Black Sea countries ship
most of their trade. And it has vocal if small minorities from all
over the region, including Abkhaz and Ossetians.

Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has just been to
Moscow and Tbilisi to promote a "Caucasus Stability and Co-operation
Platform", a scheme that calls for new methods of crisis management
and conflict resolution. The Russians and Georgians made a show of
embracing the idea, as have Armenia and Azerbaijan, but few believe
that it will go anywhere. That is chiefly because Turkey does not have
formal ties with Armenia. In 1993 Turkey sealed its border (though not
its air links) with its tiny neighbour after Armenia occupied a chunk
of Azerbaijan in a war over Nagorno-Karabakh. But the war in Georgia
raises new questions over the wisdom of maintaining a frozen border.

Landlocked and poor, Armenia looks highly vulnerable. Most of its
fuel and much of its grain comes through Georgia’s Black Sea ports,
which have been paralysed by the war. Russia blew up a key rail bridge
this week, wrecking Georgia’s main rail network that also runs to
Armenia and Azerbaijan. This disrupted Azerbaijan’s oil exports,
already hit by an explosion earlier this month in the Turkish part
of the pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan, in Turkey.

"All of this should point in one direction," says a Western diplomat
in Yerevan: "peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan." Reconciliation
with Armenia would give Azerbaijan an alternative export route for
its oil and Armenia the promise of a new lifeline via Turkey. Some
Armenians gloat that Russia’s invasion of Georgia kyboshes the chances
of Azerbaijan ever retaking Nagorno-Karabakh by force, though others
say the two cases are quite different. Russia is not contiguous with
Nagorno-Karabakh, nor does it have "peacekeepers" or nationals there.

Even before the Georgian war, Turkey seemed to understand that
isolating Armenia is not making it give up the parts of Azerbaijan that
it occupies outside Nagorno-Karabakh. But talking to it might. Indeed,
that is what Turkish and Armenian diplomats have secretly done for
some months, until news of the talks leaked (probably from an angry
Azerbaijan).

Turkey’s ethnic and religious ties with its Azeri cousins have long
weighed heavily in its Caucasus policy. But there is a new worry that a
resolution calling the mass slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks
in the 1915 genocide may be passed by America’s Congress after this
November’s American elections. This would wreck Turkey’s relations with
the United States. If Turkey and Armenia could only become friendlier
beforehand, the resolution might then be struck down for good.

In exchange for better relations, Turkey wants Armenia to stop backing
a campaign by its diaspora for genocide recognition and allow a
commission of historians to establish "the truth". Mr Sarkisian has
hinted that he is open to this idea, triggering howls of treason
from the opposition. The biggest obstacle remains Azerbaijan and
its allies in the Turkish army. Mr Erdogan was expected to try to
square Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliev, in a visit to Baku this
week. Should he fail, Mr Gul may not attend the football match–and
a chance for reconciliation may be lost.

WPS Agency, Russia
What the Papers Say (Russia)
August 15, 2008 Friday

HOW COME CIS COUNTRIES DISMISSED SAAKASHVILI’S CALLS?

by Sanobar Shermatova

CIS COUNTRIES ARE KEEPING A LOW PROFILE IN THE RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN
CONFLICT; CIS countries neither support Russia nor intend to follow
Saakashvili’s advice to quit the Commonwealth.

The situation is quixotic. No ally of Russia in the Commonwealth of
Independent States spoke up in its support. On the other hand, no
country heeded Mikhail Saakashvili’s recommendation to withdraw from
the Commonwealth. To a certain extent, CIS countries’ silence might be
ascribed to the lack of precedents. After all, this is the first time
the Russian regular army invades the territory of a CIS country.

Members of the Commonwealth, an organization proclaimed dead more than
once already, have established horizontal ties and maintain them
without much ado. Moreover, these ties do not necessarily involve
Moscow itself. Russia remains a powerful Eurasian center but that does
not make it the command post. In other words, Saakashvili’s wrathful
promise to quit an "organization run by Russia" have little to do with
the actual state of affairs. Also interesting, the Georgian president
himself appraised the Commonwealth in a different manner just a couple
of years ago. "Granted that it was humiliation (Georgia was forced
into the Commonwealth – Gazeta), we find membership in this
organization quite beneficial," he said. "We retained contacts with
post-Soviet republics. We signed bilateral treaties… set up
commercial ties, ensured free movement of the population… I’m happy
that so many Azerbaijanis, Armenians, Kazakhs, Belarussians,
Ukrainians, and others come to Georgia."

It is clear now that no other CIS member intends to follow in
Georgia’s steps and cede. Ukraine has already said that matters of
this magnitude are not to be decided at rallies. Official Kiev knows
that a mere suggestion to withdraw from the Commonwealth may split the
country for good. Moreover, there are other benefits of being a CIS
member neither Ukraine nor other countries will want to lose.

Source: Gazeta, August 15 – 17, 2008, p. 6

Translated by Aleksei Ignatkin

Haykakan Zhamanak , Armenia
Aug 12 2008

The conflict is defrozen

The dramatic developments in neighbouring Georgia in recent days and
the hostilities which claimed thousands of human lives are bound to
cause serious concern and analysis in other countries of the South
Caucasus.

In fact, we witnessed how one of the frozen conflicts in the region
exploded in a few hours and this will affect settlement of other
conflicts. As the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict was almost equated to the
South Ossetian, Abkhaz and Dniester conflicts from the point of view
of international perception and presentation during the last years,
the events that took place in South Ossetia are crucial for Nagornyy
Karabakh and Armenia in this regard. Analysts believe that the
practice of military settlement of the regional conflicts after a
ceasefire that lasted for years is causing concern.

Comments by Azerbaijani, Armenian analysts

Meanwhile, there are opinions that irrespective of the outcome of the
events in Georgia, they have already created a precedent, successful
or not, and can influence to some extent the further policies of the
states involved in the regional conflicts. We have already reported
that that during the first hours of the hostilities a certain
inspiration and activity could be seen in Azerbaijan, statements were
made from there that Azerbaijan should also follow Georgia’s example
– to restore its territorial integrity. Yesterday [11 August]
Azerbaijani political analysts and experts discussed this topic
again. In particular, an Azerbaijani political analyst Ilgar
Mammadov, called upon the Azerbaijani government to provide support
to Georgia, as "Georgia’s success is important for Azerbaijan". He
said that "Azerbaijan should provide full support to Georgia, and
military support, if necessary. Only in that case we will manage to
oust Russia from the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan can have an advantage
in the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and carry out hostilities – to
settle the conflict only after it ousts the Russian Federation."

An Azerbaijani military expert, Yasar Cafarli, said that Azerbaijan’s
economic strengthening irritates Russia, and while choosing its
actions, Azerbaijan should take into account that Russia can at any
moment attack Azerbaijan as well. "The Kremlin understands that if it
yields South Ossetia to Georgia, then a number of defeats will follow
this, separatists will be destroyed in Abkhazia, in Nagornyy Karabakh
and Dniester," Azerbaijani expert Akbar Hasanov wrote yesterday [11
August].

The reaction to what goes on is, naturally, much more reserved in
Armenia. A political expert, Aghasi Yenokyan, believes that it cannot
be ruled out that as a result of the events in Georgia we will see
some change in Azerbaijan’s policy; what is important is that the war
has brought about a few tendencies. The first one is the tendency of
military settlement of territorial disputes, the second one – creating
an updated and changed notion of sovereignty of the states in the
region. "Russia did not take into account any sovereignty, and we mean
not just that of South Ossetia, but the hostilities carried out beyond
its territory [in Georgia proper]," Yenokyan says, adding that
Azerbaijan might act like Georgia.

Official reaction

However, although opinions of political scientists and experts are
very important in such cases as they create a general understanding of
the sentiments in a specific country, official statements made by
governments are much more important. The Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministries made corresponding statements on Friday [8
August]. Azerbaijan backed Georgia’s territorial integrity and
announced that the South Ossetian issue should be settled based on the
principle of territorial integrity. The Azerbaijani government also
announced that they back the actions of the Georgian government in
South Ossetia and find those lawful and in compliance with
international law norms. The Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed
concern over what happened in Georgia and voiced hope that the issue
will be settled in a peaceful way.

[Passage omitted: The statement of the breakaway Nagornyy Karabakh
republic which calls to stop bloodshed and says that military
settlements of such issues has no future]

The head of the Nagornyy Karabakh’s parliamentary committee for
foreign relations, Vahram Atanesyan, said yesterday [11 August] at a
news conference that Georgia’s attempt to return South Ossetia has
failed. Atanesyan described Georgia’s steps as an adventure, and
Russia’s reaction as an equivalent. Atanesyan did not rule out that
the NKR government can provide humanitarian assistance to South
Ossetia, and also stressed that that the events showed that attempts
of military settlement of conflicts are doomed [to fail].

The most important one is the statement made yesterday [11 August ] by
the spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry [Xazar Ibrahim]
about continuing the negotiations on settling the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. Accordingly,
Azerbaijan is not going to review the issue of Russia’s chairmanship
in the OSCE Minsk Group due to the position of the Russian government
in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict. However, what complicates the
situation is that the positions of countries can change at any time.

Independent, UK

Ethnic tensions: War in the Caucasus is Stalin’s legacy

Arbitrary boundaries and forced repatriation are two of the causes
behind the constant conflicts in the former Soviet Union. Shaun Walker
reports

Sunday, 17 August 2008

The Georgians are bombing South Ossetia; the Russians have come
through the Roki tunnel to take Tskhinvali; a second front has been
launched in the Kodori Gorge; the Russians have occupied Gori, Poti
and Senaki. It’s been a week where names and places that previously
didn’t register a blip on the Western consciousness have suddenly
become headline news. Even most of the journalists covering the
conflict, shipped in from big bureaux across the world, had never
heard of Tskhinvali in the morning when they flew in. By evening they
were pontificating about the significance of its fall to the Russians
on live television.

The most intense stage of conflict is over now in South Ossetia, but
hopes for a negotiated settlement remain very slim indeed. The real
bad news, though, is that South Ossetia is not alone as a potential
hot spot in the former Soviet Union. There are many spots that you may
never have heard of, dotted all around the territory that was once
part of the Red Empire.

As well as South Ossetia, there is Georgia’s other breakaway state of
Abkhazia. Tiny South Ossetia is inconceivable as a "real country", and
could only be part of either Russia or Georgia, but Abkhazia might
have a better shot of making it. It has a coastline, which fuels the
tourist industry that is beginning to revive, and means that trade
with countries other than Russia is possible.

Hidden in the lush forest above the coast at Gagra in Abkhazia is a
lime-green mansion; one of several dachas built for Joseph Stalin, an
ethnic Georgian, along the Abkhaz coastline. He’d come for weeks in
the summer, relaxing on the balcony or playing a game of pool with
other leading Bolsheviks. It may have been here that Stalin made many
of the decisions that scattered and divided nations, and led to many
of the conflicts that have flared up since the Soviet Union
collapsed. National and ethnic identi

ties were shifted, encouraged or suppressed during different
periods. Whole nations were deported to Siberia or the Kazakh steppe,
scattered irrevocably like human dust. Borders between the different
entities of the union were changed at will, often with the express
intention of fomenting ethnic unrest.

In Abkhazia itself, huge numbers of Georgian settlers were moved in;
the Abkhaz language was suppressed and the Georgian language was
enforced in schools and universities. In fact, many ethnic Abkhaz talk
about the Georgian rule over their territory in the same terms that
the Georgians themselves talk about Soviet oppression.

While Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin undoubtedly ruthlessly exploit
the tensions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, it is a foolish mistake to
think they created them. Ossetians and Abkhaz remember all too well
the aggressive and unpleasant Georgian nationalism during the early
1990s, and have no desire to be part of a Georgian state. Meanwhile,
after the wars in both regions at that time, many ethnic Georgians
still live as refugees in grim conditions in Tbilisi and other
Georgian cities.

The Abkhaz say that all the West’s posturing over "territorial
integrity" is meaningless ` why on earth should arbitrary lines drawn
up by Stalin be the basis for statehood in the 21st century? Now that
Saakashvili has been humiliated over the South Ossetian conflict, the
Abkhaz are more buoyant than ever, and it’s hard to see the territory
ever becoming part of Georgia again. The threat of conflict will
always loom, though, and when the Georgians rebuild their army and
country, we can expect to see renewed conflict.

Over the other side of the Caucasus Mountains, things are just as
volatile. We all know about Chechnya, and the bloody wars that Russia
has fought to bring the region under its control. For now, under the
iron-fisted rule of former rebel Ramzan Kadyrov, the situation is
relatively quiet, and ironically the odious Kadyrov has achieved far
more independence from Moscow than his rebel predecessors could have
dreamed of. He has built a Chechnya that for all intents and purposes
is independent from Moscow, and he’s done it using Moscow’s money.

Not too far from Chechnya is Prigorodny District, a disputed bit of
land between Ingushetia and North Ossetia. Stalin had the entire
Ingush population, along with the Chechens, deported to Kazakhstan
during the Second World War. By the time they were allowed to return
in the 1950s, their houses had been taken over by ethnic
Ossetians. Another small, nasty war in the early 1990s failed to solve
the problem, and there are still disgruntled Ingush refugees who want
to return; some of them were involved in the Beslan school siege in
North Ossetia.

One of the Kremlin’s fears about Georgian actions in South Ossetia was
a renewed stream of Ossetian refugees crossing the Caucasus Mountains
and flooding into Prigorodny, setting off more tensions with the
Ingush and repercussions across the North Caucasus. That’s not to say
that Russia’s response was born purely from security concerns, but if
Britain can feel justified to intervene for strategic reasons in Iraq
and Afghanistan, it’s hardly surprising that the Russians feel they
can use force on their own doorstep to prevent instability across
their southern region.

As well as Abkhazia and South Ossetia, there are two other "breakaway
states" in the former Soviet Union. There’s Nagorno-Karabakh, where a
war in the early 1990s killed 30,000. The territory is ethnically
majority Armenian, was part of Azerbaijan in the Soviet period, but is
now controlled by Armenian separatists. A shaky status quo sees much
of the territory still in ruins, no diplomatic relations between the
two countries, and a large chunk of Azerbaijan "proper" occupied by
Armenia. Malnourished conscripts point rifles at each other from muddy
trenches along the last genuine front line in Europe.

Then there’s Transdniester, a sliver of land controlled by
Moscow-loyal separatists but officially part of Moldova. It’s run by
Igor Smirnov, who might make the Guinness World Records for having the
bushiest eyebrows in the world. His land is a potential conflict zone
right on the EU’s border.

The list goes on and on. In the Fergana Valley, a three-country zone
in Central Asia where impoverished Uzbeks, Kyrgyz and Tajiks live,
Islamic extremism is on the rise and the potential for ethnic conflict
growing all the time. All the way across the other side of the former
Soviet Union, the sizeable Russian minority in the Baltic states feels
oppressed and excluded from their countries’ drive towards the EU and
linguistic nationalism.

One of Vladimir Putin’s most-quoted phrases is that the "collapse of
the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 21st
century". This was widely interpreted as being part of the ex-KGB
agent’s hankering for the return of the Soviet past. But Putin spoke
the words while talking about the vicious wars that raged in its
aftermath and the wars that are likely to come in the future. The
week’s events in South Ossetia show how quickly simmering tensions can
erupt into vicious conflict. Look out for more violence in places
you’ve never heard of, coming soon

SINGLE-POLE WORLD ENDED FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE BATTLE ACTIONS AGAINST SOUTH OSSETIA, ARMENIAN POLITICAL EXPERT THINK

arminfo
2008-08-15 12:53:00

ArmInfo. Single-pole world ended from the beginning of the battle
actions against South Ossetia, Armenian political expert Levon
Melik-Shakhnazaryan told ArmInfo correspondent. ‘Thanks to interference
of Russia Tskhinvali has become the beginning of the second pole birth
in the world policy…The second pole, which is still being formed,
are – China, Russia, Iran, etc.

And Russia is still the leader of this pole’, – he said.

He thinks that in his aggressive actions Sahakashvili was supported
by the USA, since to start a war at the say of opening of the Olympic
Games is really an American but not Georgian way.

Anyway, Georgia had a hard humanitarian blow and international rating
of the republic fell, political expert said.

The National Citizens’ Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 0033, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected]
Website:

August 14, 2008

NCI Tackles the Sevan Issue

Yerevan–Today, the National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI) convened a public
hearing entitled "Restoration of the Ecosystem of Lake Sevan: A Temporary
Halt in the Restoration Process, or An Undesirable Finish Line?" The meeting
brought together government representatives, MPs, scholars, social and
political activists, NGO officials, analysts, and members of the press.

The roundtable was called to discuss the challenges facing Lake Sevan’s
bionetwork–and specifically with respect to the pumping out of the lake’s
water–and the National Assembly’s special session, to be held on August 19,
during which the members of the parliament will examine a law proposal on
making amendments to the law concerning the ecology of Lake Sevan. It is
worth to mention that in line with this draft proposal, the annual amount of
maximum water release, which previously was 240 million cubic meters, is
expected to increase and reach up to 360 million.

In his intervention, Mher Mkrtumian of the State Committee on Water Economy
reflected on the reasons behind the aforesaid governmental proposal.
According to the speaker, this decision was made in consideration of the
current drought and the deficit of irrigation water at the country’s
agricultural areas. He also pointed to the insufficient water level at Azat
and Aparan Reservoirs and of the Hrazdan River and all this, in Mkrtumian’s
view, calls for additional water release from Lake Sevan. He noted that 213
million cubic meters already have been pumped out from the lake so far and,
since the irrigation season is not over, additional water still is in need.
"And the release of up to 360 cubic meters of water in 2008 will not
jeopardize Lake Sevan and therefore the relevant concerns are baseless,"
Mkrtumian stated.

In her turn, Evelina Ghukasian of the Institute of Hydroecology and
Fishbreeding spoke about the key pressing issues of Lake Sevan that
challenge the lake’s entire ecosystem. Reflecting on the lack of atmospheric
precipitation and the climatic changes, which the government points to very
often, Ghukasian mentioned that these phenomena have an adverse affect both
on agriculture and Lake Sevan. She informed that the lake’s isolating layer,
which is situated at the bottom of the lake and enables the lake to clean
itself, is not restored until now and this is the basis for those scientific
calculations which show that the water level of Lake Sevan needs to be
increased by at least six meters. And in response to the government’s
approach that the irrigation needs must be met on the account of Lake Sevan,
Ghukasian remarked with regret that, "Lake Sevan has become a cheap water
resource which can be ‘spent,’ but without making other ‘payments.’ The lake
already is unstable and each new fluctuation, whether raising or reducing
its water level, can become crucial."

The next speaker, chairwoman Karine Danielian of the "Sustainable Human
Development" NGO and representative of the Armenian National Committee of
the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), examined the mysterious
aspects of the restoration process of Lake Sevan’s ecosystem. She noted that
according to their most recent observations the Azat and Aparan Reservoirs
truly are not to their full capacity but, still, this picture is quite
different than what the government portrays. Danielian also gave statistical
data on the amount of atmospheric precipitation in 2008 and, according to
the speaker, these facts and figures are not too unusual in comparison with
the other unfavorable years. And considering this and other circumstances,
Danielian did not hide her bewilderment as to why the amount of water
release in 2008 should no less than double the amount that was pumped out in
those adverse years. Also speaking about Lake Sevan’s actual environmental
challenges–some of which are the result of an increase in water level, and
a newly emerged underwater and nearshore vegetation and the resulting
marshes–the speaker expressed concern that the lake’s cleaning process is
not in full capacity and asked: "Is this likewise linked to this proposal by
the government to stop the increase of the water level?"

The roundtable discussants also examined other relevant matters and
expressed their shared view against the government’s draft law on augmenting
the amount of water being released from Lake Sevan. They also proposed that
a communique, which will include all the concerns and opposing reviews made
during this public hearing, be prepared prior to the special parliamentary
session and asked that the Heritage Party’s Parliamentary Group present that
communique to the special session of the National Assembly.

The discussion participants also agreed to reconvene after August 19, when
the National Assembly’s position with respect to this issue will become
clear. And this position will outline the civil society’s future steps to be
taken with the support of NCI and environmental NGOs.

For further information, please call (37410) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03; fax
(37410) 52-48-46; email [email protected]; or visit

SINCE TOMORROW AZERI BANKS RESUME BUSINESS CONTACTS WITH WESTERN UNION AND MONEYGRAM

Azerbaijan Business Center
13.08.2008 17:52
Azerbaijan

Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan and international payment systems
Western Union and Moneygram have achieved an agreement concerning
further co-operation.

The National Bank of Azerbaijan reports that after a ban introduced on
July 30 for domestic banks to run any operations with money transfer
systems Western Union and Moneygram for the reason of their activity
on Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenians, an executive of one
of the companies has arrived in Baku.

"Jonathan Knauz, Western Union’s vice president who came to Baku on
August 7, was received by the National Bank of Azerbaijan. During
the meeting the NB claimed of impossibility of any activity on the
country’s territory occupied by Armenians and demanded stoppage of
such cases. The Western Union representative agreed wit demands of
the Azerbaijani party and verified the NB about stoppage of business
relations with organizations operating on the occupied territory of
Azerbaijan," it was reported.

Western Union undertook commitment at the level of top management
not to repeat more similar cases. In its turn, company Moneygram
has also implemented all the Azerbaijan’s demands and received the
condition to operate on the country’s territory within legislation
and international principles and committed not to repeat such mistakes.

"Thus, the NB permitted the local banks to resume business relations
since August 14, 2008 with Western Union and Moneygram," it was
informed.

According to NB information, in the course of monitoring of money
transfer systems operating in Azerbaijan it was revealed that a range
of systems (Contact, Western Union, Zolotaya Korona, Moneygram, Migom,
Privat Money, Lider) are conducting operations on Azerbaijani territory
occupied by Armenians.

In this connection on July 29 deputy chairman of board Rifat Aslanli
sent out to domestic banks in which it prescribes to stop immediately
since July 30 co-operation with money transfer systems, in particular
Western Union and Moneygram.

He explained such prescription with the fact that the NB set a demand
to these systems and bodies controlling them on compulsory stoppage of
any money transfers to occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Otherwise,
it obliged to ban use of these systems to all commercial banks of
the country. All the domestic bans were informed of that on June 20,
2008, but despite all the Azerbaijan’s requirements, Western Union
and Moneygram continued money transfers to occupied territory of
Azerbaijan.

AFTERNOON OLYMPIC

WJBF-TV
Aug 13, 2008 – 02:17 PM
GA

The latest from the Beijing Olympic Games

MEN’S SWIMMING: Sullivan, Bernard trade world record in 100 free

BEIJING (AP) – Eamon Sullivan has taken back the world record in the
100-meter freestyle semifinals at the Beijing Olympics, about two
minutes after Frenchman Alain Bernard lowered it.

Sullivan won his heat Wednesday morning in 47.05 seconds, topping
Bernard’s time of 47.20 set in the first semifinal.

They both went under the mark of 47.24 set by Sullivan during the
leadoff leg of the 400 free relay on Monday.

It’s the fifth time this year that Sullivan and Bernard have traded
the record.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING: Pellegrini wins Olympic 200 free with world mark

BEIJING (AP) – Federica Pellegrini of Italy has won the 200-meter
freestyle at the Beijing Olympics, lowering her own world record set
a day earlier.

She won in 1 minute, 54.82 seconds, erasing her previous time of
1:55.45.

Sara Isakovic of Slovenia took the silver in 1:54.97. Pang Jiaying
of China earned the bronze in 1:55.05, giving the Chinese women their
first swimming medal of these games.

American Katie Hoff finished fourth in 1:55.78, the first time in
three events she failed to medal.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING: Rice wins another IM gold

BEIJING (AP) – Stephanie Rice of Australia has won the 200-meter
individual medley at the Beijing Olympics, lowering her own world
record and adding to her victory in the 400 IM.

She won in 2 minutes, 8.45 seconds, erasing her mark of 2:08.92 set
at the Australian trials in March.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe took the silver in 2:08.59, also below
the previous world record. Natalie Coughlin of the United States won
the bronze in 2:10.34, her third medal of the games.

American Katie Hoff picked up her second fourth-place of the morning,
finishing behind Coughlin in 2:10.68. She also was just out of the
medals in the 200 freestyle.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL: Georgia beats Russia in beach volleyball

BEIJING (AP) – Cristine Santanna and Andrezza Martins, native
Brazilians playing for Georgia at the Olympics, rallied to a three-set
victory over Russia, advancing to the medal round and sending a proud
message to their adopted and war-torn homeland.

The Georgian team rallied Wednesday from a sloppy 21-10 loss in the
first set to win the next two, 22-20 and 15-12, and beat Alexandra
Shiryaeva and Natalia Uryadova.

Although they made just a few short visits to the country to obtain
their new passports, Santanna and Martins took on the nicknames Saka
and Rtvelo, "Georgia," in Georgian, out of affection for the land
that allowed them to qualify for the Olympics.

BASEBALL: Taiwanese baseball Olympian fails drug test

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – A Taiwanese baseball player has been banned
from participating in the team’s first Olympic game after failing a
drug test.

Taiwan Baseball Association Secretary-General Lin Tsung-cheng said that
third baseman Chang Tai-shan did not suit up for Wednesday’s opener
against the Netherlands after the International Olympic Committee
informed the association of the test results.

Taiwan is one of eight baseball teams participating in the Beijing
Games. The sport is widely popular on the island and millions of fans
follow the team.

WOMEN’S CYCLING: Armstrong wins time trial gold for United States

BEIJING (AP) – Kristin Armstrong of the United States has won the gold
medal in the women’s time trial, making her just the second American
women’s cyclist ever to become an Olympic champion.

Armstrong finished the 14.6-mile course in 34 minutes, 51.72
seconds Wednesday, 24.29 seconds better than Emma Pooley of Great
Britain. Switzerland’s Karin Thuerig was third, almost a minute behind
the time set by Armstrong.

Armstrong was the only woman close to Pooley at the halfway mark, and
erased the gap before reaching the finish at the Great Wall. She joins
Connie Carpenter-Phinney as the only American women to win Olympic
cycling gold; Carpenter won the road race at Los Angeles 24 years ago.

WOMEN’S SOFTBALL: Osterman, Bustos power US past Australia

BEIJING (AP) – Cat Osterman pitched a no-hitter, Crystl Bustos hit a
two-run homer and the U.S. softball team extended its Olympic winning
streak to 16 games with a 3-0 win over Australia on Wednesday.

The Americans are seeking a fourth straight gold medal.

Osterman was locked in a pitcher’s duel for four innings with Tanya
Harding, who had handed the U.S. team two of its four losses in the
games since 1996. Osterman struck out 13 as the Americans posted
their 14th shutout during the winning streak.

Natasha Watley’s RBI single off Harding snapped a 0-0 tie in the fifth,
and Bustos connected for her 10th career Olympic homer in the sixth.

MEN’S DIVING: China makes it 4-for-4 at the diving pool

BEIJING (AP) – China kept up its dominance at the diving pool,
completing a sweep of the synchronized events with a runaway win in
men’s 3-meter springboard Wednesday.

Wang Feng and Qin Kai had the highest-scoring dive in each of the six
rounds, piling up a total of 469.08 points. The Chinese are halfway to
their goal of sweeping all eight diving golds in their home country,
where the sport is immensely popular.

Dmitry Sautin, 34 and competing in his fifth Olympics, added an eighth
medal to his collection, teaming with 18-year-old Yuriy Kunakov to
take silver with a mark of 421.98. Illya Kvasha and Oleksiy Prygorov
of the Ukraine claimed the bronze at 415.05.

The Americans, Chris Colwill and Jevon Tarantino, were third going
to the final round. But Tarantino botched his entry and they slipped
to fourth, 410.73.

MEN’S CYCLING: Cancellara wins men’s road time-trial

JUYONGGUAN, China (AP) – Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland has won
gold in the Olympic men’s road cycling time-trial, completing the
47.3-kilometer (29.4-mile) course in 1 hour, 2 minutes, 11.43 seconds.

The medal is the second for world champion Cancellara in Beijing. He
took the bronze in the men’s road race on Saturday.

Gustav Larsson of Sweden took the silver Wednesday and Levi Leipheimer
of the United States the bronze on the course in the shadow of the
Great Wall, northeast of Beijing.

Thirty-nine riders from 29 countries took part in Wednesday’s
competition.

WOMEN’S WEIGHTLIFTING: China’s Liu breaks 3 weightlifting records

BEIJING (AP) – Liu Chunhong broke three world records in the women’s
69-kilogram division, defending her Olympic title to win China’s
sixth gold medal in the weightlifting competition.

Liu set a new high score of 128 kg (282.2 pounds) in her third attempt
in the snatch Wednesday. She then lifted 158 kg (348.3 pounds) to
set a new top mark in the clean and jerk.

Her total of 286 kg (630.52 pounds) also was a world record, beating
the previous mark by an astounding 10 kg (22.1 pounds).

World champion Oxana Slivenko of Russia was a distant second, lifting
a total of 255 kg (562.17 pounds). Ukraine’s Natalya Davydova took
the bronze.

WRESTLING: Guenot wins 1st French wrestling gold in 84 years

BEIJING (AP) – Steeve Guenot, a railway worker with little government
athletic subsidy, has won France’s first Olympic wrestling gold medal
in 84 years by taking the Greco-Roman 66-kilogram weight class.

Guenot, whose brother Christophe wrestled for a bronze at 74 kg,
defeated Kanatbek Begaliev 3-0, 3-1. Begaliev was trying for
Kyrgyzstan’s first Olympic gold medal.

France hadn’t won a wrestling gold since Henri Deglane took the 82
kg class in the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Winning the bronzes were Ukraine’s Armen Vardanyan and Mikhail
Siamionau of Belarus.

The field became wide open when Farid Mansurov, the 2004 Olympic
champion from Azerbaijan, lost 3-0, 3-0 to Vardanyan in the first
round. Mansurov didn’t lose a period while winning last year’s world
championship.

MEN’S SOCCER: 10-man Cameroon holds Italy to 0-0 draw

TIANJIN, China (AP) – Cameroon held Italy to a 0-0 draw Wednesday
despite playing the final 58 minutes with 10 men, a result that
sent the Africans to the quarterfinals of the men’s Olympic football
tournament along with the Azzurrini.

Italy, which claimed a bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and
finished fifth at Sydney in 2000, already had clinched its place in
the final eight. As Group D winner, it will will face the runner-up
from Group C on Saturday in Beijing.

Cameroon finished second in the group and will face the Group C winner,
likely Brazil, on Saturday in Shenyang.

Both awaited the results of matches later Wednesday to confirm their
opponents.

MEN’S SOCCER: South Korea beats Honduras 1-0 but out of Olympics

SHANGHAI, China (AP) – Kim Dong-jin has fired South Korea to a 1-0
victory over Honduras, but it wasn’t enough to capture a place in
the quarterfinal of the Olympic soccer competition.

Kim’s 23rd-minute goal at the Shanghai Olympic Stadium meant the
South Koreans ended up with four points from their three Group D
games but stayed third behind Italy and Cameroon, who qualified for
the last eight.

The Koreans missed many more chances against the Hondurans, who
finished last in the group after three defeats and without a goal.

MEN’S WRESTLING: Kvirkelia wins Georgia’s 1st wrestling gold

BEIJING (AP) – Manuchar Kvirkelia has turned two strong moves into
a two-period victory over China’s Chang Yongxiang in the Greco-Roman
74-kilogram weight class, giving Georgia its first Olympic wrestling
gold medal.

Kvirkelia’s decisive 6-0, 3-0 victory Wednesday came in the same
week Russian troops stormed through Georgia. The gold also was the
country’s first in Beijing.

Kvirkelia used a 5-point throw to prematurely end the first period. Any
period ends when a wrestler takes a 6-0 lead.

He added a 2-point throw on a gut wrench in the second to clearly
frustrate Chang, who settled for silver.

The bronze medalists were Christophe Guenot, whose brother Steeve won
France’s first wrestling gold in 84 years at 66 kg minutes before,
and 2007 world champion Yavor Yanakiev of Bulgaria.

MEN’S SCOOER: US out after 2-1 Olympic soccer loss to Nigeria

BEIJING (AP) – Promise Isaac and Victor Obinna scored Wednesday to
lead Nigeria over 10-man United States 2-1, earning a place in the
quarterfinals of the Olympic soccer tournament and eliminating the
Americans.

Isaac scored in the 39th minute with an easy tap-in off Chinedu Ogbuke
Obasi’s centering pass, and Obinna curled a right-footed shot into
the top of goal in the 80th.

Sacha Kljestan converted an 88th-minute penalty for the Americans
and substitute Benny Feilhaber headed onto the post in the 90th, as
the United States was eliminated from Group B after the Netherlands
beat Japan.

The Americans played with 10 men from the third minute when defender
Michael Orozco was ejected.

WOMEN’S JUDO: Ueno wins Japan’s third judo gold at Olympics

BEIJING (AP) – Masae Ueno won Japan’s third gold on the judo mats
Wednesday, defending her 2004 Olympic gold with a match-ending throw
less than one minute into her final with Cuba’s Anaysi Hernandez in
the women’s 70-kilogram class.

Winning bronze were Ronda Rousey of the United States, who scored
early with a yuko and held on to defeat Germany’s Annett Boehm,
and Edith Bosch of the Netherlands with an ippon throw over Spain’s
Leire Iglasias.

Rousey’s bronze was the first Olympic medal in women’s judo for the
U.S. since the event was put on the official schedule in 1992.

Judo awards two bronze medals in each weight class.

MEN’S SWIMMING: Phelps qualifies 6th-fastest in Olympic 200 IM

BEIJING (AP) – Michael Phelps has qualified sixth-fastest in the
200-meter individual medley at the Beijing Olympics.

The American ended a golden day at the pool by winning his preliminary
heat in 1 minute, 58.65 seconds Wednesday night, good enough to move
on to the semifinals.

Phelps’ teammate Ryan Lochte led all qualifiers in 1:58.15. Laszlo
Cseh of Hungary, already a two-time silver medalist behind Phelps in
the 400 IM and 200 butterfly, was third in 1:58.79.

Earlier in the day, Phelps claimed two more gold medals, making him
5-for-5 at these games, with world records in each victory. Overall,
his 11 career gold medals make him the winningest Olympian in history.

MEN’S WEIGHTLIFTING: South Korea’s Sa Jae-hyouk wins weightlifting gold

BEIJING (AP) – Sa Jae-hyouk of South Korea stopped China’s gold rush
in weightlifting by edging out home crowd favorite Li Hongli to win
the men’s 77-kilogram division.

Sa and Li both lifted a total of 366 kg (806.9 pounds), but Sa got
the win because of a lower body weight. Armenia’s Gevorg Davtyan took
the bronze, totaling 360 kg (793.7 pounds) in the two events.

China had previously won all six of the weight categories in which
it had participated.

Sa was 3 kg (6.6 pounds) behind Li after lifting 163 kg (359.4 pounds)
in the snatch, but stunned the Chinese crowd by heaving 203 kg (447.5
pounds) in his second clean and jerk.

It was South Korea’s first gold in the weightlifting competition.

BASEBALL: South Korea spoils Americans’ Olympic opener

BEIJING (AP) – Lee Jong-wook hit a sacrifice fly with one out and
South Korea answered the Americans’ ninth-inning rally with one of its
own, beating the United States 8-7 on Wednesday night in a thrilling
Olympic baseball opener.

Lee Taek-keun’s slide home easily beat the throw for the winning run,
and he celebrated on his knees for a long while before getting up to
join his jubilant teammates. The South Koreans then tipped their caps
to all the enthusiastic fans from their homeland. The supporters were
on their feet in the bleachers all night.

The Americans had seemed poised for the comeback victory after Matt
Brown hit a go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the top of the
ninth, but South Korea rallied against closer Jeff Stevens

MEN’S SOCCER: Argentina beats Serbia 2-0 in Olympic soccer

BEIJING (AP) – Ezequiel Lavezzi and Diego Buonanotte each scored
Wednesday night to wrap up Argentina’s perfect group start to the
Olympic soccer tournament with a 2-0 victory over Serbia.

Ezequiel Lavezzi scored from the penalty spot in the 13th minute, and
Buonanotte curled in a free kick in the 81st as defending champion
Argentina, which had already qualified for the last eight, topped
Group A with nine points.

Argentina will next play Group B runner-up and European Under-21
champion Netherlands at Shanghai Stadium on Saturday.

Serbia finished tied with Australia on one point, while Ivory Coast
was runner-up in the group with six points.

MEN’S FENCING: Germany’s Kleibrink wins men’s foil fencing gold

BEIJING (AP) – Benjamin Kleibrink of Germany won the gold medal in
men’s foil fencing with a convincing victory over Japan’s Yuki Ota
on Wednesday night.

Kleibrink defeated Ota 15-9. After the win he dashed toward his
coach and jumped into his arms before returning to the strip. He then
returned to the coach and was again hoisted into the air.

The crowd was entertained when Ota got his sword tangled in the cord
to Kleibrink’s uniform near the end of the match.

Salvatore Sanzo of Italy got the bronze with a 15-14 win over China’s
Zhu Jun. After the last point, Zhu angrily tossed his helmet off and
it rolled off the strip. He quickly composed himself, retrieved it
and shook Sanzo’s hand.

Missing from the event was Italy’s foil star Andre Baldini, who lost
his spot in the Olympics after testing positive for a banned substance.

WOMEN’S FENCING: Germany’s Heidemann wins gold in women’s epee

BEIJING (AP) – Britta Heidemann has won the gold medal in women’s epee,
giving Germany its second first-place fencing finish in one night.

Heidemann defeated Romania’s Ana Maria Branza 15-11 on
Wednesday. Fellow German Benjamin Kleibrink got the gold in men’s
foil in an earlier match.

Heidemann was still holding her sword as several people hugged and
congratulated her. One person then draped a German flag over her
shoulders. Heidemann took gold in the 2007 world championships and
was part of the team that won the silver medal in Athens.

Hungary’s Ildiko Mincza-Nebald got the bronze with a 15-11 win over
Li Na of China.

Li lost 15-10 to Heidemann in the semifinals. Heidemann also beat Li
in the finals of the 2007 world championships.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Leslie perfect as US routs Mali in women’s hoops

BEIJING (AP) – Lisa Leslie sets U.S. Olympic record going 7-for-7
from the field as the women’s team continues its unblemished run
through the Beijing Games with a 97-41 victory against Mali.

Leslie finished with 16 points Wednesday night as the U.S. has now
won 28 straight Olympic contests. The last loss was to the Unified
Team in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games. The Americans
have run over their first three opponents winning by an average of
47 points. They routed the Czech Republic, China, and now Mali.

The Americans play Spain next on Friday.

STATE DEPARTMENT URGING AMERICAN CITIZENS TO LEAVE COUNTRY OF GEORGIA

WBKO
Aug 12, 2008
KY

State Department Urging American Citizens to Leave Country of Georgia

The state department is urging all American citizens to leave the
country of Georgia as soon as possible.

The call comes amid reports of ongoing Russian operations against
Georgian military and civilian sites.

Officials are organizing a third evacuation convoy for Americans that
want to leave the war-torn country and head to neighboring Armenia.

Nearly 200 Americans have fled Georgia since Sunday.

The U.S. Embassy remains open in Georgia’s capital.

DANGEREUSE INSTABILITE EN ARENIE
par Stéphane Barkarian

Collectif Des DéMocrates ArméNiens D’Euro
EYRAS/15820
mardi 12 aoÃ"t 200
France

La sanglante répression qui a endeuillé Erevan le 1er mars, a la
suite de manifestations contestant les résultats de l’élection
présidentielle, a créé une vive tension dans les relations entre
l’Arménie et les Etats-Unis, qui envisageraient de Â" suspendre Â"
une partie de leur aide économique. En revanche, M. Vladimir Poutine
a chaleureusement félicité le nouveau président Serge Sarkissian et
l’a recu a Moscou, le 24 mars, pour discuter de l’avenir des relations
entre les deux pays.

Par Jean GueyrasSelon les autorités arméniennes, sept civils et un
officier de police ont été tués dans la nuit du 1er mars, a Erevan,
et cent trente-trois personnes ont été blessées, dont près de
la moitié seraient des policiers. Les manifestants protestaient
contre les Â" fraudes Â" qui avaient accompagné l’élection
présidentielle. Il est difficile de vérifier ces chiffres du
fait de la censure qui a muselé la presse depuis l’instauration de
l’état d’urgence (1). L’organisation humanitaire Human Rights Watch
a relevé l’usage par la police d’armes meurtrières interdites par
la loi internationale. Plus d’une centaine d’opposants ont été
arrêtÃ&# xA9;s et risquent d’être jugés pour Â" usurpation du pouvoir
et incitation a l’émeute Â".

C’est donc dans un pays meurtri par la répression et bâillonné par
la brutalité de vingt jours d’état d’urgence que M. Serge Sarkissian
se retrouvera a la tête de l’Etat, le 9 avril. A peine élu (52,9 %
des voix), il voit sa crédibilité fortement entamée, au point que
sa consécration lors de l’élection présidentielle du 19 février
ressemble a une victoire a la Pyrrhus.

Directeur de l’influent quotidien d’Erevan Aravod, Aram Abrahamian
estime que le nouveau chef de l’Etat a finalement été la victime de
la duplicité de son prédécesseur, ami et néanmoins rival. Selon
lui, Â" le recours a la violence contre les manifestants a été
organisé par [M. Robert] Kotcharian et compromettra gravement la
légitimité de Sarkissian Â". Tous deux sont pourtant très liés.

M. Sarkissian est originaire du HautKarabakh, cette région autonome de
l’Azerbaïdjan a majorité arménienne qui a conquis, les armes a la
main, son Â" indépendance Â" au début des années 1990, complétant
celle-ci par l’occupation d’une portion de territoire azerbaïdjanais.

Arrivé en 1990 dans la Â" mère patrie Â", il a coiffé les
ministères-clés de l’intérieur, de la sécurité nationale et, en
2000, de la défense, avant d’accéder a la tête du gouvernement en
avril 2007. Il doit, en grande partie, cette avalanche de promotions au
président de la République Robert Kotcharian, également originaire
du Haut-Karabakh, et dont il partage la vision.

Les deux hommes furent d’ailleurs les principaux artisans de
l’éviction, en 1998, de celui qui avait pourtant favorisé
leur intégration dans l’élite dirigeante d’Erevan : le premier
président de la République Levon Ter-Petrossian. Ce dernier fut
en effet contraint a la démission pour avoir proposé une solution
de compromis au problème du Haut-Karabakh jugée trop favorable a
l’ennemi azeri (2).

Par la suite, les deux compères ont été soupconnés d’avoir
trempé dans le massacre du 27 octobre 1999. Ce jour-la, cinq
hommes armés de fusils automatiques pénétraient dans l’enceinte
de l’Assemblée nationale et tuaient huit personnes, dont les deux
hommes forts de l’époque : le premier ministre Vazken Sarkissian,
considéré comme un héros national du fait de son rôle dans la
guerre du Haut-Karabakh, et le charismatique et populaire président
du Parlement Karen Demirdjian (3).

Indéniablement, les principaux bénéficiaires de ces assassinats
furent le pr̩sident Kotcharian Рqui avait ̩t̩ rel̩gu̩ a un r̫le
purement honorifique par son premier ministre Vazken Sarkissian –
ainsi que son ami Serge Sarkissian, alors ministre de la sécurité
nationale. En toute logique, ce dernier aurait dÃ" être sanctionné
pour négligence ou incompétence. Il n’en fut rien : il a même
été promu a la défense.

Une révolution de palais Le massacre du 27 octobre ne fut donc pas
l’Å"uvre d’une bande de nationalistes extrémistes, comme on l’a
prétendu, mais le fruit d’une révolution de palais qui ramena
au pouvoir un président jusque-la réduit a l’inauguration des
chrysanthèmes. Le procureur général Gagik Jahangirian (4), qui a
essayé d’élargir l’enquête officielle pour savoir si les cinq tueurs
avaient été manipulés, fut rapidement dessaisi de l’affaire. Et
M. Aram Sarkissian, nommé premier ministre pour honorer la mémoire
de son frère Vazken, fut destitué sans autre forme de procès. La
voie était désormais grande ouverte pour la consolidation du régime
de M. Kotcharian, avec le soutien de l’ambitieux Serge Sarkissian.

Des signes de mésentente entre les deux alliés sont apparus, voici
environ deux ans, quand il fut question de la succession du président
Kotcharian. Selon la Constitution, ce dernier ne pouvait solliciter
un troisième mandat. Toutefois, il souhaitait faire élire un homme a
sa dévotion, dont il deviendrait le tout-puissant premier ministre –
en somme, un arrangement équivalent a celui trouvé en Russie par
M. Vladimir Poutine.

Ce projet n’était pas du goÃ"t de M. Sarkissian, qui rêvait depuis
fort longtemps de succéder a son complice a la présidence de la
République. Pour s’imposer, chacun des deux rivaux s’est donné
comme objectif de gagner la majorité a l’Assemblée nationale
lors de l’élection législative de mai 2007. Le ministre de la
défense Sarkissian, qui sera promu chef du gouvernement en mai
2007, a effectué une OPA sur le Parti républicain : il y est
entré comme simple membre avant d’en assumer la présidence et de
le transformer en un redoutable outil électoral. Pour sa part, le
président Kotcharian misait sur le soutien d’Arménie prospère,
un parti fondé a sa demande en 2006 par son ami Gagik Tsarukian,
un richissime et ubuesque oligarque, surnommé Â" Dodi Gago Â"
(crapaud débile). Propriétaire d’une immense fortune, estimée par
certains a 500 millions de dollars, et d’une quarantaine d’entreprises
commerciales florissantes, M. Tsarukian était confiant dans la
victoire de son poulain, estimant que tout pouvait s’acheter.

Malgré les prébendes généreusement distribuées par l’oligarque,
le Parti républicain remporta une écrasante victoire a l’élection
législative du 12 mai, laissant loin derrière lui Arménie prospère,
grâce a son nouveau président et au libre accès aux ressources
administratives du gouvernement. En fait, ces élections ont servi de
Â" primaires Â" a la présidentielle de février 2008, ne laissant
au chef de l’Etat d’autre choix que de se résigner, en apparence
du moins, au verdict des urnes. Du coup, les porte-parole officieux
de la présidence et du gouvernement s’empressaient d’affirmer que
M. Sarkissian était le Â" candidat favori Â" du président.

Le raz-de-marée électoral du Parti républicain, qui occupe plus de
la moitié des cent trente et un sièges de l’Assemblée nationale,
ne s’explique pas uniquement par la fraude, devenue une constante
des consultations électorales, mais également par la faillite
politique d’une opposition paralysée par les ambitions personnelles
de ses dirigeants, dont certains sont manipulés par les services
du premier ministre. Rien donc ne semblait devoir troubler la marche
soigneusement programmée de M. Sarkissian vers le sommet de l’Etat.

La déclaration inattendue par laquelle, en septembre 2007, le
premier président Levon Ter-Petrossian s’est porté candidat a pris
au dépourvu les dirigeants du pays, qui avaient pratiquement oublié
son existence. Au cours d’une traversée du désert de près de dix
ans, il s’était soigneusement abstenu de toute activité politique,
se consacrant entièrement a ses travaux universitaires.

Sollicité a de multiples reprises par ses proches amis et
collaborateurs, il indiquait qu’il prendrait une décision le moment
venu, après avoir examiné minutieusement tous les aspects de la
conjoncture. C’est a l’issue d’une tournée de plusieurs semaines
a travers tout le pays qu’il a affirmé avoir pris la mesure de
l’extrême impopularité du régime en place et de l’appui populaire a
son retour politique. Il a donc décidé de se lancer dans la bataille
de la présidentielle contre ceux qu’il qualifiera désormais de Â"
bande criminelle au pouvoir Â" et de Â" régime mafieux Â".

Boycotté par l’ensemble des médias totalement contrôlés par le
pouvoir, il a multiplié les réunions publiques pour critiquer le
régime et exposer ses idées. Pour lui, le plus grand crime commis
par l’équipe au gouvernement est de n’avoir rien fait depuis dix
ans pour résoudre le problème du Haut-Karabakh, un règlement sans
lequel l’Arménie ne peut se développer normalement. Rappelant ses
propos de naguère sur la nécessité d’une solution de compromis,
qui avaient provoqué sa disgrâce, il montre qu’un tel arrangement est
désormais plus difficile, voire impossible, Â" l’Azerbaïdjan étant
de moins en moins disposée a consentir des concessions, a cause de
ses réserves pétrolières actuellement en plein développement Â".

Surnommé par la presse gouvernementale Â" Levon effendi Â" pour avoir
adopté, selon elle, une orientation pro-turque, il a pris position sur
le problème, délicat entre tous, du génocide arménien, perpétré
en 1915 sous l’Empire ottoman. Â" Contrairement a Robert Kotcharian,
a-t-il soutenu, je pense qu’il est inopportun de faire de ce problème
la pierre angulaire de la politique étrangère de l’Arménie. Â"
Et d’ajouter que Â" la Turquie devra reconnaître tôt ou tard le
génocide arménien, mais ceci ne sera possible que dans un climat
de relations normales et de bon voisinage Â". Il est allé encore
plus loin, déclarant que les Arméniens devraient se débarrasser de
leurs vieux complexes consistant a se considérer comme des victimes
constantes. Sinon, l’Arménie ne pourra pas devenir une nation moderne.

Ses interventions publiques, répandues dans l’opinion grâce aux
milliers de DVD distribués dans tout le pays et aux nombreuses vidéos
diffusées sur YouTube, ont pris l’allure d’une véritable déclaration
de guerre contre le tandem Kotcharian-Sarkissian. Evoquant le massacre
du 27 octobre 1999, il a affirmé que Â" la pyramide monolithique du
régime corrompu et criminel d’Arménie n’aurait pu exister sans la
tragique disparition de Karen Demirdjian et de Vazken Sarkissian Â",
et que l’une des tâches essentielles du nouveau président sera de
rechercher les commanditaires de cette tragédie.

L’Â" impitoyable pillage Â" des ressources Monsieur Ter-Petrossian,
qui proclame tout haut ce que le peuple murmure tout bas, s’acharne
surtout a dénoncer Â" la corruption qui gangrène la société a
tous les échelons Â" et l’Â" impitoyable pillage Â" des richesses
du pays par l’équipe au pouvoir et les oligarques, qui se sont
réparti les secteurs les plus rentables de l’économie. Par la
seule force de son discours, l’ancien président a réussi a créer,
en l’espace de quelques mois, un courant d’opposition populaire,
notamment au sein de la jeunesse. C’est ce qu’ont démontré les
onze journées de manifestations massives de protestation pacifique
contre le résultat de l’élection présidentielle qui ont précédé
la répression sanglante du 1er mars.

Le très influent procureur général Aghvan Hovsepian a d’ailleurs
rendu un hommage involontaire au charisme de M. Ter-Petrossian,
accusant ce dernier d’avoir Â" hypnotisé Â", au sens propre du
terme, les foules, allant même jusqu’a le menacer d’un procès en
sorcellerie…

Face a la montée de la contestation populaire, il devenait
impératif pour le pouvoir de remporter la victoire au premier tour de
l’élection présidentielle pour éviter les aléas d’un second tour
(5). Tout donc a été mis en Å"uvre pour multiplier les fraudes et
les mesures d’intimidation. Contre toute attente, les observateurs de
l’Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (OSCE)
n’ont pas pu, ou pas voulu, constater l’étendue des irrégularités et
ont estimé que les Â" quelques violations Â" observées ne pouvaient
en aucun cas modifier le résultat de la consultation. Une formule
ambiguÃ", utilisée inlassablement par l’OSCE après chaque élection
des dix dernières années ; curieusement, cela ne l’empêche pas
de prétendre qu’il ne faut rien faire qui puisse décourager les
quelques progrès réalisés par l’Arménie dans la voie d’une
démocratie électorale.

Avec son nouveau président mal élu, l’Arménie risque de connaître
une ère de troubles et d’instabilité. La Â" société civile qui
ignore désormais la peur Â" que M. Ter-Petrossian s’est targué
d’avoir créée dans le pays ne baissera pas facilement les bras. Reste
a savoir si M. Sarkissian aura l’habileté et la sagesse d’établir
un dialogue fructueux avec une nouvelle opposition qui s’annonce
redoutable.

–Boundary_(ID_XjMuYxkNbpdW I4b1/lLmpQ)–