Author: Emil Lazarian

Karabakh issue main obstacle to Armenia’s development – French envoy

Noyan Tapan news agency
29 Mar 05

YEREVAN

Speaking at the [Armenian] parliamentary hearings on the settlement of
the Nagornyy Karabakh problem on 29 March, the French ambassador to
Armenia, Henry Cuny, outlined the importance of the discussions “since
peace is an important factor and war is a tragedy”.

The ambassador stressed that with this speech, he did not mean to
interfere in the resolution of the Karabakh problem because this issue
should be resolved between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“I have been in Armenia for three years and I can state that Karabakh
has become a Gordian knot for Armenia. Despite the double-digit
economic growth, Armenia’s trade and economic potential is not being
exploited in full,” Henry Cuny said.

The closure of the borders is becoming an obstacle to small businesses
and investors. Transport expenses, a small market, limited purchasing
capacity and small population are also barriers. At the same time, the
high level of education and hard work can be a unique trump card for
Armenia in the region.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/28/2005
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1) Congressional Letter to Bush on Armenian Genocide Gaining Momentum
2) Lebanese President, Catholicos Aram I Meet Amid Growing Tensions
3) Arab Tribal Leaders Arrive in Yerevan
4) Novorossiisk Armenians Fear Continued Persecution
5) Poll Shows Distrust Between Armenians, Turks
6) Armenia Garners First-ever World Cup Win

1) Congressional Letter to Bush on Armenian Genocide Gaining Momentum

WASHINGTON, DC–Bipartisan efforts to urge President Bush to keep his 2000
campaign pledge to properly characterize the Armenian Genocide as “genocide”
continued to grow this week, with over 90 US Representatives having cosigned a
Congressional letter to the White House, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
Initiated by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), the letter calls on President Bush to join House
members “in reaffirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide” in
his annual April 24th commemorative statement. “By properly recognizing the
terrible atrocities committed against the Armenian people as ‘genocide’ in
your
statement, you will honor the many Americans who helped launch the
unprecedented US diplomatic, political and humanitarian campaign to end the
carnage and protect the survivors.”
Members of Congress joining Representatives Pallone and Knollenberg as
co-signers of the letter, as of Friday, March 25th, include:
Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Tom Allen (D-ME), Robert
Andrews (D-NJ), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Charles Bass (R-NH), Melissa Bean
(D-IL),
Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Howard Berman (D-CA), Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), Sanford
Bishop (D-GA), Tim Bishop (D-NY), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Mary Bono (R-CA),
Jeb
Bradley (R-NH), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Lois Capps (D-CA), Michael Capuano (D-MA),
Benjamin Cardin (D-MD), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), John Conyers (D-MI), Jim Costa
(D-CA), Jerry Costello (D-IL), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Susan Davis (D-CA),
William Delahunt (D-MA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), David Dreier (R-CA), Eliot Engel
(D-NY), Bob Filner (D-CA), Mark Foley (R-FL), Barney Frank (D-MA), Rodney
Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice
Hinchey (D-NY), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Steve Israel (D-NY),
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Sue Kelly (R-NY), Dale
Kildee (D-MI), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), James Langevin
(D-RI), John Larson (D-CT), Sander Levin (D-MI), John Lewis (D-GA), Frank
LoBiondo (R-NJ), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Thaddeus McCotter
(R-MI), Jim McDermott (D-WA), James McGovern (D-MA), Michael McNulty (D-NY),
Martin Meehan (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Candice Miller (R-MI), George
Miller (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Devin
Nunes (R-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Collin Peterson (D-MN), George Radanovich
(R-CA), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Edward Royce
(R-CA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), H. James Saxton (R-NJ),
Adam Schiff (D-CA), Joe Schwarz (R-MI), E. Clay Shaw (R-FL), Christopher Shays
(R-CT), Brad Sherman (D-CA), John Shimkus (R-IL), Christopher Smith (R-NJ),
Mark Souder (R-IN), John Sweeney (R-NY), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Mark Udall
(D-CO), Christopher Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Visclosky (D-IN), Maxine Waters
(D-CA), Diane Watson (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Joe
Wilson (R-SC), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).
Over the past weeks, in statements on the House floor, a number of House
Members have already spoken out about the importance clear and unambiguous US
reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, including Armenian Caucus Co-Chair
Frank Pallone and Reps. Michael Bilirakis, Barney Frank, Patrick Kennedy,
James
Langevin, and George Radanovich.
Support for the letter is expected to grow considerably, as the Armenian
American community continues its grassroots campaign to urge legislators to
become signatories. The ANCA launched a WebFax campaign last week, which, in
addition to calling on House Members to cosign this letter, urges activists to
appeal directly to President Bush on this key issue.

2) Lebanese President, Catholicos Aram I Meet Amid Growing Tensions

ANTELIAS (Combined Sources)–On the evening of March 25, His Holiness Aram I
held a lengthy met with President Emile Lahoud to discuss a line of issues
concerning Lebanon’s volatile state.
During the past week, Holiness has also met with France’s Ambassador to
Lebanon Bernard Emie, representatives of the countries opposition, as well as
Prime Minister Omar Karame’s representative Sebouh Hovnanian.
In his meeting with Hovnanian, His Holiness stressed the importance of
stabilizing the political situation of the country and organizing the upcoming
parliamentary elections.
“Accordingly, if it would be difficult to form a national unity government
presently, our proposal is that a government comprised of people trusted by
the
Lebanese communities be quickly established, in order for the political
life in
the country to normalize,” he stressed.
A blast on Saturday ripped through an industrial property in the mainly
Christian northeastern suburb of Bouchrieh injuring five people and setting at
least six factories ablaze. The attack followed bombings on March 19 and March
23 that targeted two Christian strongholds, killing three people and wounding
at least 10.
There was swift reaction to the blast from the international community.
Following a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Tokyo,
French President Jacques Chirac said: “All those who try and create chaos in
Lebanon will be caught and severely punished.”
In a joint statement, Chirac and Koizumi insisted that “UN Security Council
Resolution 1559 be fully implemented.”
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, in his condemnation of the latest violence,
said that the people of the Lebanon must be allowed to decide their nation’s
future without intimidation.
The Secretary-General was “especially saddened that this latest attack, the
third in Lebanon in only a week, was carried out on the eve of Easter, just as
many of the nation’s Christians were preparing to attend mass,” a spokesman of
Annan said in a statement released on Sunday.
He called on the Government of Lebanon “to act rapidly to prevent the
security
situation from deteriorating” and urged all concerned parties “to do their
utmost to safeguard Lebanon’s stability and national unity.”
Meanwhile, US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern
Affairs Elizabeth Dibble reiterated US condemnation of the blast, saying
Lebanon is under the international “microscope.”
In an interview with Radio SAWA in Washington, Dibble said: “The
international
community is watching Lebanon very closely. The [Lebanese] population deserves
to live free of fear in a non-violent atmosphere. We hope no other attacks
will
take place.”
On Monday Lebanese opposition politicians continued to point the finger at
the
Lebanese security services controlled by the Syrian-backed government,
accusing
them of seeking to foment confessional unrest as Syria withdraws its troops
from the country.
About 2,000 Syrian troops have pulled out of eastern Lebanon over the past
week, a senior Lebanese security source said on Monday, bringing Syria a step
closer to ending its 29-year military domination of Lebanon.
The source said small units in the eastern Bekaa Valley were going home,
leaving behind a division of the Syrian army as well as scores of intelligence
agents.
A Syrian-Lebanese military committee is due to meet next week to set a
timeline for withdrawing the 8,000 remaining forces.
Facing immense international pressure and popular Lebanese protest, Syria has
promised to withdraw all military personnel, intelligence agents and equipment
it poured into Lebanon early in the country’s 1975-1990 civil war.
Damascus has completed the first stage of a two-phase withdrawal plan,
pulling
back to the Bekaa Valley and withdrawing more than a third of the 14,000
troops
it kept in its tiny neighbor.
It pulled troops out of about a dozen positions in the Bekaa last week. On
Sunday, it left its two largest and last anti-aircraft positions, the sources
said.
Witnesses said soldiers in Mashghara and nearby areas on the southwestern
edge
of the Bekaa were packing up equipment on Monday. Trucks were being brought in
to load the hardware.

3) Arab Tribal Leaders Arrive in Yerevan

YEREVAN (ARF Press Service)–A delegation of 12 Arab tribal leaders from
northeastern Syria, arrived in Yerevan on Monday, accompanied by
representatives of the Armenian Church’s Beria Prelacy.
Armenian National Assembly’s ARF faction secretary Hrair Karapetian and ARF
Bureau’s Political Affairs Office director Giro Manoyan greeted the guests at
Yerevan’s Zvartnotz airport.
The influential tribal leaders, some of whom reside in Saudi Arabia, Jordan,
Iraq, and Qatar, are in Armenia to take part in the events commemorating the
90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, to pay tribute to the Genocide
victims, and remind the world of the unpunished vicious crime.
Their hospitable ancestors gave refuge to the fragments of Armenians who
miraculously survived in the Genocide; today, many of those Armenians and
their
heirs still live side-to-side with the friendly Arab people and enjoy equal
rights.
The delegation will meet with Catholicos Karekin II, National Assembly’s
leadership, Armenia’s prime minister, government ministers, politicians, and
Yerevan State University professors. Their trip is organized by the Armenian
community of Aleppo.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received the guests on March 28,
after which they met with the mayor of Yerevan Yervant Zakharian. Their
itinerary includes a visit to the Dzidzernagapert Memorial to Armenian
genocide
victims and the Madenataran that houses Armenian manuscripts.
The delegation is composed of tribal leaders Udey al Ghasi of Al Shumar
tribe;
Fayez el Ghubein of Al Anaze tribe; Abdel Uahab Isa Suleiman of Bakard el
Jabal
tribe; Muhammad al Tai bin Abdel Razak of Al Tay tribe’s second branch; Hlu el
Hlu of Aduan tribe; Hasan Obeid el Khalil of Harp tribe; Abdel Karim Obeid of
Harp tribe’s second branch; Khalil Abud Zhdghan of Ogeidad tribe and a member
of the Syrian parliament; Muhammad Mslad of Chbur tribe and a member of the
Syrian parliament.

4) Novorossiisk Armenians Fear Continued Persecution

NOVOROSSIISK (Armenpress)–A representative of the Armenian cultural society
“Luys” in the Russian Black Sea city of Novorossiisk, said that following the
March 22 rampage against Armenians there, parents now fear sending their
children to school.
Describing those events as “a pogrom,” Alla Partsikian of “Luys” confirmed
previous reports that the clash was caused by a squabble at a local cafe when
Cossacks, led by their community leader Vladimir Petrushin, attacked a
group of
Armenians and Greeks during a birthday party. In a subsequent fight, Petrushin
was injured and was rushed to a hospital where doctors operated on him, and
local law-enforcement bodies launched a criminal investigation.
Later, Armenian-owned cars, cafes, and shops were destroyed in the town’s
quarter. Although the local mayor appealed to Armenians, Greeks, as well as
Cossacks to observe the law, around 200 Cossacks continued the attack against
Armenians and Greeks that evening.
According to the local Armenian daily Yerkramas, Armenian and Cossacks
representatives were due to meet with city authorities on Monday.

5) Poll Shows Distrust Between Armenians, Turks

(AFP)–The majority of Turks and Armenians distrust and dislike each other,
with both describing the World War I massacre of Armenians as a major obstacle
to normalizing ties, according to a poll published Monday.
The survey was carried out by an Istanbul-based think tank and an Armenian
research center, among 1,219 Turks and 1,000 Armenians.
More than 51 percent of Armenian respondents and 33 percent of Turks
interviewed said the two peoples “generally did not like each other.” Just
under one percent of Armenians and 14 percent of Turks expressed a wish to get
on well with one another.
Almost 69 percent of Armenians associated negative words with Turks–among
them “bloodthirsty,” “barbarian,” and “enemy”–while 34 percent of Turks had a
negative view of Armenians, some describing them as “enemy” and “prejudiced.”
Only nine percent of Armenians and 11 percent of Turks had a positive view of
each other.
Seventy-nine percent of Armenians described bilateral ties as “very bad” or
“bad” while 45 percent of Turks described them as “neither bad nor good.” Only
37 percent of Turks described bilateral relations as “very bad” or “bad”
An overwhelming 95.5 percent of Armenians saw huge obstacles to normalizing
ties and 82 percent listed genocide [Turkish denial of the Armenian Genocide]
as the biggest hurdle. Some 37 percent of Turks agreed that there were major
hurdles, but only 19 percent saw the genocide claims as the core of the
problem.
Almost 88 percent of Armenians and 65 percent of Turks said they were in
favor
of establishing diplomatic ties, while 63 percent of Armenians and 51 percent
of Turks supported the re-opening of border crossings.

6) Armenia Garners First-ever World Cup Win

YEREVAN (Reuters)–Armenia recorded their first victory in their 2006 World
Cup qualifying campaign, beating fellow outsiders Andorra 2-1 in a Group One
match on Saturday.
Midfielder Romik Khachatryan, who plays for Greek first division side OFI
Crete, scored the winner from close range seven minutes from time to send the
home crowd wild.
Ara Hakobyan put the Armenians 1-0 up with a cracking shot after 32 minutes
but Fernando Silva equalized for the visitors shortly after the break.
The win allowed bottom-of-the-table Armenia to draw level with Andorra on
four
points from six matches and one point behind fifth-placed Macedonia, who were
not playing on Saturday.
None of those teams have a chance of reaching the finals, but all want to
avoid finishing bottom of the group when it ends in October.

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PanArmenian News
March 28 2005

PRIESTS OF ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH ASSAULTED IN JERUSALEM

28.03.2005 04:47

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The priests of the Armenian Apostolic Church have
been assaulted in Jerusalem again. According to a report of the
Jerusalem Post, a police patrol detained an orthodox Jew, who
attacked two Armenian priests in the Old Town of Jerusalem. When
arrested he was drunk. To note, it is the third incident connected
with Armenian priests during the recent 6 months.

Armenian youths take action against Kirkorov

Yerkir/arm
25 March 05

About 30 youth and student organizations of Armenia sent a letter on
Thursday to the organizers of the concert featuring Russian singer
Philip Kirkorov with a demand to cancel it.

The action was initiated by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s
(ARF), Nikol Aghbalian Student and Youth Unions. The authors of the
letter point to Kirkorov’s anti-Armenian and pro-Turkish positions,
reminding also that Kirkorov has recently swore an ethnic-Armenian
reporter in public, stressing her Armenian origin.

The action organizers say that inviting a singer who promotes Turkish
music to Armenia on the eve of the Armenian Genocide’s 90th
anniversary is a disgrace and should not be permitted.

They also warned that in case the concerts are not cancelled the youth
organizations would resort to actions aimed at disrupting them.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

HIS HOLINNES ARAM I MEETS WITH THE REPRESENTATIVE
OF PRIME MINISTER OMAR KARAME

His Holiness Aram I met with minister Sebouh Hovnanian, the representative
of Prime Minister Omar Karame, on March 25. The PM wanted to know His
Holiness Aram I’s views concerning the current situation of Lebanon in
general and the formation of a new government in particular.

His Holiness praised the initiative of appointed PM Karame to form a
national unity government.

“Now more than ever national unity is a priority and it is essential for
brining the country out of its current political stalemate,” he said.

His Holiness also stressed the importance of sorting the political situation
of the country and organizing the upcoming parliamentary elections. He said
the elections should be free and democratic and held in the presence of
international observers.

The Catholicos said that the elections should be held on the basis of the
new electoral law, and added: “Accordingly, if it would be difficult to form
a national unity government presently, our proposal is that a government
comprised of people trusted by the Lebanese communities be quickly
established, in order for the political life in the country to normalize.”

Aram I said that Lebanese people’s calls for the truth concerning the
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri should be one of the
priorities of the new government.

The Catholicos added that as a constituent member of the Lebanese society,
the Armenian Community holds firm to Lebanon’s sovereignty, integrity and
independence and is ready to fulfill its national duties by actively
participating in the political life of the country.

##

View picture here:

*****

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Azeri daily links US general’s visit to oil pipeline security

Ekspress, Baku
24 Mar 05

Excerpt from Alakbar Raufoglu’s report in Azerbaijani newspaper
Ekspress on 24 March headlined “The Pentagon’s mobile forces are
coming”

The deputy commander of the US troops in Europe, Air Force Gen
Charles Wald, will visit Azerbaijan next week. Ekspress has learnt
from diplomatic sources that Wald will visit Azerbaijan as part of
his tour of the South Caucasus. The Pentagon general will leave Baku
for Tbilisi and then will go to Yerevan.

The source said that US ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish and
Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev had confidential
discussions of the preparations for Wald’s visit on 17 March. The US
embassy’s press service did not comment on the meeting.

Gen Wald is to meet the country’s top officials and ambassadors of
NATO countries in Azerbaijan during his visit to Baku. Even though
the Defence Ministry’s press service has verified reports on Wald’s
visit to Azerbaijan in an interview with Ekspress, it said that “it
is early to talk about specific issues to be discussed”.

[Passage omitted: reported details]

Wald’s visit this time is probably aimed at discussing the US
programmes being implemented in the South Caucasus and cooperation
between NATO and Azerbaijan. A general of NATO’s European command and
the director of the Force Planning Section [in the Defence Policy and
Planning Department], Frank Boland, also confirmed this in an
interview with Ekspress yesterday [23 March]. He said that Washington
is concerned about the plight of security programmes, specifically
about projects related to the security in the Caspian Sea and of oil
pipelines.

“The security of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [BTC] main export oil
pipeline after it is put into operation might be seriously discussed
during the visit,” he said.

[Passage omitted: quotes about the visit from foreign sources that US
mobile forces will be brought to the region to protect the oil
pipelines which will ensure security and develop cooperation ]

Azerbaijan’s official bodies have not yet reacted to reports that the
Pentagon’s mobile forces could be involved in ensuring the security
of the BTC.

“Irrespective of the reasons, US and NATO military bases could be
deployed in Azerbaijan in the near future and it seems reasonable
that in this way Washington will achieve stability in the region and
also help Azerbaijan in the Karabakh resolution,” former state
adviser Vafa Quluzada told Ekspress commenting on Wald’s upcoming
visit.

It is no secret that safe transportation of Azerbaijani oil to the
western markets is of great importance to NATO. The pipeline is to
start operating soon. Washington’s efforts to speed up events under
such circumstances are understandable. The Americans understand that
the forces that act against Washington’s interests in the region
might target the BTC. At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that
the Pentagon is coming to the region with other objectives under the
guise of ensuring security.

PUTIN: RUSSIA WILL PROMOTE SOLUTION OF KARABAKH CONFLICT IN EVERY WAY

PanArmenian News
March 25 2005

25.03.2005 07:44

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia will promote the solution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict in every way possible, Russian President Vladimir
Putin stated at a joint press conference with the Armenian leader in
Yerevan today. «We pin our hopes on the meeting of the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan,» he stated. Our countries are interested in
stabilization of the situation in the Caucasus, thus in the forming of
an atmosphere of confidence and such relations, which would dynamically
develop the social and economic sphere,» stated Vladimir Putin.

–Boundary_(ID_OM0NNl3WIsqM1x7rsmNVrA)–

Analysis: Bakiyev takes power in Kyrgyzstan
By Martin Sieff, UPI Senior News Analyst

Washington Times
March 25 2005

Washington, DC, Mar. 25 (UPI) — Moving with lightning speed, former
Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev proclaimed himself interim president
and prime minister of Kyrgyzstan Friday.

His move came only a day after protestors in the capital Bishkek
stormed the presidential compound and previous President Askar
Akayev fled the country. Akayev, who had ruled the country for 15
years — even before the disintegration of the Soviet Union — still
claimed to be president and tried to sound a defiant note Friday. “An
unconstitutional coup d’etat has been staged in Kyrgyzstan,” he said
in a statement. “My current stay outside the country is temporary.
Rumors of my resignation are deliberate, malicious lies.”

But Akayev’s claims appeared to be bravado. He appeared to have no
popular base left in the impoverished little landlocked former Soviet
republic of 5 million people in the heart of Central Asia and even
his own security forces melted away like snow on a summer’s day in
the Gobi Desert when they were supposed to defend his interests.
Akayev tried to explain that away in his statement by claiming,
“I firmly stated that I would not use force against my people,”
although I the past he had never hesitated to do so.

Akayev did not identify where he was. Russian and Kyrgyz opposition
leader said Friday that they were not sure yet of his location. An
Itar-Tass report Thursday said he had initially fled to neighboring
Kazakhstan.

Bakiyev is a former prime minister who served under Akayev and resigned
in 2002. He is credited with having a vastly superior grasp of economic
policy than Akayev, an important qualification as the popular protests
across southern Kyrgyzstan that led to the president’s ouster were
fanned by growing poverty and resentment.

And as leader of the People’s Movement of Kyrgyzstan, the 55-year-old
Bakiyev controls the largest and best organized opposition bloc,
though it is far from commanding the direct support of all opposition
factions, let alone the entire country. He already has a viable,
organized political movement at his command, and he was at the
forefront of the dramatic protests that toppled Akayev Thursday.

Bakiyev was quick to create at least the initial structure of a
functioning national government Thursday and Friday. He has already
appointed his own foreign minister, defense minister and finance
minister as well as governors for the Cho region in the north and
Jalal-Abad and Osh regions in the south.

Bakiyev told the Kyrgyz Parliament Friday he would present his new
interim government to the Kyrgyz Parliament for approval and it would
only rule for three months.

Interfax news agency reported him as saying, “Let me create an
executive body of power that will not last forever, but for about
three months.”

Born in 1949, Bakiyev served as a conscript in the Soviet Red Army
and was a professional engineer before rising in the state system of
independent Kyrgyzstan under Akayev. He was governor of the Cho region
from 1997 to 2000 and then served as Akayev’s prime minister for two
years. Ironically, he was forced to take responsibility and resign
after opposition protests were crushed by security forces with deadly
force in 2002 in southern cities, the very same locations where the
protests that toppled Akayev erupted this month.

Bakiyev then emerged as the most important opposition leader
challenging Akayev. He and his supporters claim that their Popular
Movement won the Feb. 27 and March 13 run-off parliamentary elections
but Akayev fixed the results. This scenario echoed the widespread anger
across Ukraine that drove the November-January Orange Revolution that
brought pro-Western President Viktor Yushchenko to power.

However, although Kyrgyzstan is vastly smaller than Ukraine with
only around one-tenth the population, its “Tulip Revolution” already
presents Bakiyev with challenges that Yushchenko never had to face.

Unlike the entirely peaceful Georgian “Revolution of Roses” and the
events in Ukraine, the Kyrgyz protests have already turned violent,
with the flight of Akayev triggering what Felix Kulov, whom Bakiyev has
already appointed head of all Kyrgyzstan’s law enforcement agencies,
called an “orgy” of looting in downtown Bishkek At least three people
were killed in the disturbances Thursday night around 100 were injured
according to early opposition estimates..

“We have arrested many people, we are trying to do something,” Kulov
said. But, he added, “We physically lack people.”

Not having an effective security infrastructure threatens to become
the biggest problem Bakiyev, Kulov and their colleagues face in
establishing a functioning government and getting the country on a
stable footing again.

Russia has taken a cautious role in viewing the Kyrgyz events.
President Vladimir Putin did not want to risk backing an ineffectual
loser as happened when he openly supported then-Ukrainian Prime
Minister Viktor Yanukovych in his ultimately futile campaign against
Yushchenko. Still, the Russian leader was hardly supportive of the
new leaders in Bishkek Friday.

“It is unfortunate that yet again in the post-Soviet area political
problems are resolved illegally and are accompanied by pogroms and
human victims,” he said during a visit to Armenia.

Putin also welcomed early statements by the new Kyrgyz leaders seeking
to rebuild their ties with Russia. However, they appear more likely
to seek Georgian and Ukrainian advice first.

What is clear is that given Kyrgyzstan’s well-documented problems of
poverty, Islamic extremism and drug-smuggling as well as its lack of
any experience of constitutional democracy whatsoever, its hopeful
new leaders will need all the help they can get.

Explosion hits downtown Yerevan

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 25 2005

Baku, March 24, AssA-Irada

A powerful explosion hit downtown Yerevan on Thursday morning. The
blast was caused by an explosive hidden in the tree near the State
Customs Committee building, according to Armenian sources.

The Committee chairman’s office car was damaged as a result of the
explosion but the chairman and his driver received no injuries.
The explosion came on the first day of Russian President Vladimir
Putin’s official visit to Yerevan.

Armenian law-enforcement bodies stated on the eve of the Russian
President’s visit that security was tightened in the country.*

DENIAL OF ARMENOCIDE POLICY AND MYTH OF REBELLION

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
25 March 05

Eighty-five years ago the town of Shushi was set to fire and ruined.
In several hours the values of world importance created throughout
centuries turned into piles of ash, and the people who had created them
fell victims to cruel manslaughter. This tragic event must be viewed
in the context of the Turkish policy of genocide of the Armenians in
East Armenia, Transcaucasia after the extermination of a major part
of the West Armenians and their displacement from their historical
cradle – West Armenia. The evaluation of the tragedy of Shushi given by
historians is not absolute and satisfactory. What is more, Shushi has
not become subject of a thorough study; no serious attempts were made
to discover the causes of the tragedy. There were only accusations
and swearing on both sides. In parallel with the tragic events the
Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (DRA) put forth the false version
of the riot of the Armenians trying to present the crime committed by
themselves as the consequence of the riot of the Armenians. Whereas,
we deal with a policy of genocide worked out by Turkey and implemented
by the government of the DRA, as well as with a recurrent attempt
of denying it. In the resolutions passed at the general meeting of
the political party Musavat on March 30, 1920 and the parliament
of Azerbaijan on April 1, 1920 the Armenians and the government of
Armenia were brazenly accused of the events in Shushi. Casting all
the blame on a group of “insurgents” Azerbaijan did not forget to
threaten that everything would be much worse if the Armenians of
Karabakh did not become sensible and obedient. Our compatriot Leo,
paying homage to the tendency of praising the new Bolshevist power,
as well as the false pivotal idea of equality it put forth that both
the Musavatists and Dashnaks were to blame for the tragedy in Shushi,
almost repeats the groundless accusations of Bolshevists inherited
from the Musavatists (see Leo, “From the Past”, Tiflis, 1925, p. 437
~@” 438). Listing the aggressive actions of the enemy and exposing the
inevitability of a crucial collision, A. Mikaelian tried to prove that
there had been enough potential for resistance and providing security
of the population, however, the chance was not used (Arsen Mikaelian,
“The Latest Events in Karabakh”, Hayrenik Journal, Boston, 1923,
p. 118, p. 121). In fact, it would take too much space to present
all the opinions but the above-mentioned two are quite typical and
vivid. It should be mentioned that the viewpoints, contradicting
information we come across in various documents cause confusion
and make it almost impossible to insist on a definite version. This
disorderly state persists in later studies. There is an impression
that often the archival documents had not been treated critically,
and the information in them had not been verified for truthfulness
and source. Studying a great many documents of this period the
majority of which was published in collections, scientific journals
and appendices of scientific works, it can be concluded that there is
a lot of information in them which disorient, do not meet scientific
requirements, and why not are untrustworthy. A careful and critical
approach is needed in order not to be caught in this web. We do not
want to play down the work of the previous investigators. However,
we can express our opinion on these works the general fault of which
is the lack of political thought and evaluation. This is especially
obvious against the impertinent trumpeting and exaggerating of
the “myth” of insurgency; we do not think that everything took
place exactly the way it is described, especially that it smells a
recurrent political provocation on the part of the opponent. Some
of the investigators (B. Ulubabian, H. Harutyunian, H. Abrahamian)
tried to manoeuver between two points of view (i.e. insurgency or
armed resistance against the Azerbaijani troops). There is a general
tendency to think that in the atmosphere of tension Sultanov and the
other executioners were waiting for an occasion to carry out the plan
of extermination of the Armenians. This also can be accepted. However,
the false version that this occasion was enabled by the Armenians is
not convincing and logical. The fact is that the Armenians defended
themselves from the gangs and regular army formed of Turk-Azerbaijanis
and Kurds, and the self-defence was presented by the Azerbaijani
propaganda as an insurgency to confuse the international community
by presenting the consequences instead of the cause and to justify
the destruction of the once prosperous town of Shushi and massacres
of the Armenian population. To get convinced of this it is enough
to recall the preceding and succeeding events and the image of the
Turk-Tatar (Azerbaijani) political thought and logic based on their
interpretation of these events, which is, by the way, typical of the
nomadic tribes at a rather law level of development which suddenly find
themselves in a civilized and prosperous country completely strange to
them. While developing this idea we based on the results of synthesis
and analysis of the cynical evaluations and “counterarguments” set
forth by the Turk-Azerbaijanis to the genocide of Armenians in 1915,
the tragic events in Baku in September 1918, the extermination of
the Armenian population of the adjacent areas of Shushi in 1919,
the ethnic cleansing in the former state of Elizavetpol in 1920,
the barbaric events in Sumgait in 1988, Baku in 1990 and Maragha on
April 10, 1992 and the NKR ~@” Azerbaijani conflict in general. The
March 1920 tragedy of Shushi is a link in this chain~@¦ The “myth”
of insurgency and the scenario of “extermination of Armenians in
reply” are used by Turks since old times. Even the genocide of
Armenians in 1915 when 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered,
is cynically presented by them as a reply to the insurgency of the
Armenians. Whereas, the riots if there were any, and generally the
national liberation movement of the Armenians was against the national,
religious, cultural and economic pressure of the Turks; for the people
living in extremely hard conditions there was nothing to do but to
make their last efforts to save from slow death. And this provoked,
and why not imposed riot was used by the Turks as an occasion to
perpetrate the extermination of the Armenians. Studying the evidence
of the past we come to believe that even if the Armenians had not
resisted, they would be condemned to slow death. In both cases the
Turks had nothing to lose; more exactly they were favoured while the
Armenians lost in any case. An example of such falsification is the
cunning expression of Nuri Pasha, “Armenians are also to be blamed
for the ruin of the Armenians of Turkey for they became toys in the
hands of these great powers (Great Britain and Russia ~@” M.H.),
started mutinies, gave rise to suppression against them and lost”
(see “Massacres of Armenians in the States of Baku and Elizavetpol
in 1918 – 1920”, ed. A. Virabian, compilers S. Mirzoyan, A. Ghaziyan,
Archive of History of RA, 2003, document 29, p. 45, 49). However, the
monstrous plan of extermination of the Armenians had been worked out
long before and strange though it may seem, without any guise, along
with an anti-Armenian hysteria and a campaign of instilling hatred. It
is a fact that already by the beginning of 1920 the Ittihat had emerged
in Azerbaijan and propagated aggressive moods among the government and
the entire Muslim population. At that time the representative of the
legacy of Armenia in Azerbaijan Tigran Bekzadian informed about this
in his report on his talk with Wardrope (see “Massacres of Armenians
in the States of Baku and Elizavetpol in 1918 ~@” 1920″, document 362,
p. 434) which confirms our viewpoint about the existence of a plan of
genocide which included the destruction of Shushi. In our opinion,
the events took place in the following order: Sultanov ordered the
troops to hit the center of Armenians Shushi. At the same time the
troops deployed in Aghdam and the armed mop, as it had been foreseen,
moved in the direction of Askeran ~@” Khojalu ~@” Khankendi ~@” Shushi
aiming to aid the criminals suppressing (but in reality slaughtering)
the Armenians of Shushi. Another fact proving that the DRA had openly
started war against the Armenians of Artsakh was that the Azerbaijani
troops attacked in the direction of Gandzak and Shamkor for the aim
of ethnic cleansing. The state policy of the DRA aiming to terrorize
and subdue the Armenians of Artsakh through horrible massacres was
first implemented in Shushi because since 1919 the population of the
capital of Artsakh had been in the state of hostages (see Leo) and,
according to the archive documents, it was viewed by the enemy as
an important factor in invading Artsakh. In his report addressed to
the chairman of the Azerbaijani council of ministers Sultanov wrote,
“I hope by officially subduing the Center and the Armenian movement in
the town of Shushi the question of subduing the Armenians of Karabakh
will be completed successfully.” According to the tactics worked out
beforehand the defence forces defeated the Azerbaijani invaders on
March 23, 1920 and liberated Askeran, which was a strategic point for
preventing further advance of the Azerbaijani forces from Aghdam and
protecting the rear of the defenders of Shushi and Khankendi. These
very events of self-defence were falsified by the Azerbaijanis and
defined as “insurgency” to “justify” their crimes, on the one hand,
denying and refuting the genocide, on the other hand.

MHER HARUTYUNIAN. 25-03-2005

–Boundary_(ID_8B3Oar2inprRBGPWfqrvfQ)–