Author: Emil Lazarian

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 31, 2004, Friday
THE ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT HAS APPROVED THE MEMORANDUM TO SEND A GROUP
OF MILITARY SPECIALISTS TO IRAQ FOR ONE YEAR
Armenian Defense Minister Serj Sargsyan stated that the republic
intends to send 46 military specialists to Iraq. He noted that the US
will cover the major part of expenses. Serj Sargsyan noted that the
military specialists will only participate in humanitarian
operations.
Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, December 28, 2004, p. 3

RIA OREANDA
Economic News
December 31, 2004 Friday
Armenia’s Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Combine Steps Up Output
Agarak. OREANDA/RUSMET.RU Beginning with January 1, 2005, Armenias
Agarak Copper and Molybdenum Combine will begin increasing its ore
production volumes to 3 million tons per year, enough to produce
700,000 tons of molybdenum concentrate and 6,000 tons of copper
concentrate.
The American company Comsup Industries Ltd, which owns a 100% stake
in the combine, has already invested $3 million in the combine under
its agreement with the Armenian government. It has yet to invest
$500,000 in the modernization project. According to combine director
Mais Khachatrian, all of this money has been directed to reequip the
production facilities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri foreign minister says UN may discuss breakaway region again
ANS TV, Baku
29 Dec 04
The Azerbaijani foreign minister has warned that the draft resolution
on the situation on the country’s occupied lands may again be tabled
at the UN General Assembly, depending on the outcome of a January
meeting with the Armenian foreign minister. In an interview with the
Azerbaijani private TV station ANS, Elmar Mammadyarov was quoted as
saying that Azerbaijan did never take any commitment not to discuss
the situation on its lands occupied by Armenia at the UN. The
following is the text of report by Azerbaijani TV station ANS on 29
December
[Presenter] The discussion of the draft resolution on the situation on
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly may
depend on the outcome of a meeting between the Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers on 10 January. The Azerbaijani foreign
minister says Baku will demand that the OSCE’s fact-finding mission
examine all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
[Correspondent, over video of scenes in Baku, UN building] Baku has
not taken any commitment or issued any guarantee not to table the
draft resolution on the situation on the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan at the UN General Assembly. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov says that everything depends on how the discussions
with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan proceed.
[Mammadyarov, captioned, speaking to ANS journalist] Point 163 is
still on the agenda of the UN General Assembly. So is the Azerbaijani
resolution I presented. As for the aforesaid issue, everything depends
on how we negotiate and whether we really have a breakthrough in
January. Of course, it is important to us. If we really have serious
negotiations and reach agreement with Armenia, the situation changes.
[Correspondent] It will be clear during the forthcoming discussions
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Prague on 10
January whether it is possible to look optimistically into the future
of the negotiations on the country’s number one [Karabakh] problem.
[Mammadyarov] I will be able to give an accurate answer to this
question after the January meeting because I and my Armenian
counterpart came to agreement at the last meeting that we will start
serious discussions in January.
[Correspondent] It is seen from Yerevan’s statements that it is not
possible to achieve any result that could satisfy Azerbaijan during
the negotiations. Saying that this is a sensitive issue and the
Armenian public is also sensitive about it, Mammadyarov did not
outline the negotiations. But he believes that the realities on the
negotiations table are different from statements.
[Mammadyarov] I cannot say exactly what issues are being discussed. Of
course, the occupied lands should be liberated and internally
displaced people should return. This is one of the main points.
[Correspondent] The OSCE’s fact-finding mission that will examine the
situation on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will be in Baku in
late January before visiting those territories. Evaluating this as a
result of Azerbaijan’s tabling the draft resolution at the UN General
Assembly, Mammadyarov said that information on the resettlement of the
Armenians on the occupied Azerbaijani lands as well as on the conflict
in general will be provided to the mission.
The OSCE [Minsk Group] Russian co-chairman, Yuriy Merzlyakov, has said
that the fact-finding mission will examine the districts around
Nagornyy Karabakh only. Mammadyarov did not agree with Merzlyakov and
said that Nagornyy Karabakh is also an occupied territory.
[Mammadyarov] The issue is put in the way that the mission will
examine all the occupied territories.
[Correspondent] Is it possible to expect an unbiased investigation
from the OSCE’s fact-finding mission? Stressing that the mission
includes representatives of some other countries along with the
co-chairmen [of the Minsk Group], the foreign minister is not
downbeat.
[Mammadyarov] Italy, Germany, Finland and Switzerland will be
represented there. Finland, for example, used to chair in the Minsk
Group, Switzerland presided too, Italy was the first chairman and
Germany has always been an active member of the Minsk Group. I think,
on the one hand, they have information, on the other hand, they will
gather more unbiased information if they go to the occupied lands.
[Correspondent] Saying that Azerbaijan is interested in having the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict discussed at various international
organizations, the foreign minister thinks that these discussions can
speed up a solution to the problem. The Nagornyy Karabakh problem will
be in focus at the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe. The opposition and pro-government MPs of the
Armenian parliament have said they will share a common position. How
is Azerbaijan braced for that? The [Azerbaijani] foreign minister said
that [Council of Europe] rapporteur David Atkinson’s report has
already been sent to the country’s ambassadors in Europe.
[Mammadyarov] Of course, the ambassadors have a list of members of the
European parliaments who are also members of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, and they have met them and
expressed Azerbaijan’s position.
[Correspondent] Saying that serious work lies ahead for the country’s
policy on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict in 2005, Mammadyarov said
that the main question was not when [to resolve] the problem, but how
to restore the territorial integrity.
Qanira Pasayeva, Emil Babaxanov for ANS.

THE BEST PRESENT FOR CHRISTMAS
Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
30 Dec 04
`This is the best New Year gift,’ exclaimed one of the spectators
during the concert of the Artsakh Chamber Orchestra on December 25
devoted to Christmas. As the conductor Gevorg Muradian had promised
during the previous concert, the Christmas concert was full of
surprises. Besides the already traditional repertoire the orchestra
performed works corresponding to the festive mood of the day: `Minuet’
and `Joke’ by Bach, waltzes by Strauss, Huno, Hungarian dance by
Brahms, `La Campanella’ by Paganini. Mary Karapetian andthe State
Choir of Artsakh performed `Lullaby’ by Kanachian, `News Went’ by
Satian and `Ave Maria’ by Schubert. `Silent Night’ by Bruber performed
by the orchestra and the choir imparted the concert with special
charm. The concert was closed with ` Jingle Bells’ by James Pierpoint
and `Radetski March’ by Strauss.
SUSANNA BALAYAN.
30-12-2004
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Assembly of America
50 N. La Cienega Blvd., Suite 202
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: 310-360-0091
Fax: 310-360-0094
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
December 30, 2004
CONTACT: Lena Kaimian
Email: [email protected]
ARMENIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY HOSTS “INTERNATIONAL RELIEF, REFUGE, AND
RECOGNITION” TRIBUTE
Los Angeles, CA – The Armenian Assembly, the Armenian General
Benevolent Union and the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church are
pleased to announce an event to honor and pay tribute to the numerous
nations that were instrumental in offering their support to the
Armenian people.
The program, entitled “International Relief, Refuge, and Recognition”,
will recognize those nations that have officially acknowledged the
Armenian Genocide, given refuge, and or provided relief to its
survivors. The luncheon will be held on Thursday, February 24th in Los
Angeles and will feature members of the diplomatic corps in
California, relief organizations, scholars, and the media.
This event will also serve as a prelude to a series of local,
national, and international events that will commemorate and raise
awareness of the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
This will expand upon the continued partnership between the three
organizations that began at the Assembly’s 2004 National Conference in
Washington. “This event is significant for our community in order to
recognize those nations that extended their hand to our people and
assisted with the survival of the Armenian nation,” said Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese. The luncheon
welcomes the Armenian-American community and the community at-large.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

NR#2004-111

ArmenPress
Dec 29 2004
RAILWAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND RUSSIA MAY RESUME LATE NEXT
YEAR
MOSCOW, DECEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS: An agreement signed Tuesday in
Moscow by Armenian defense minister Serzh Sarkisian and Russian
transport minister Igor Levitin, who are cochairmen of a joint
inter-governmental commission on economic cooperation is expected to
give a strong boost to further development of trade and economic ties
between these two countries. The agreement, signed during a regular
meeting of the commission in the Russian capital, envisages
cooperation in energy and transport sectors.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting Igor Levitin said a
ferryboat plying between Georgian port of Poti and Russian port of
Kavkaz will be operational beginning next January or February.
Levitin also said that Armenia’s rail communication with Russia via
Georgia, disrupted by the Abkhaz conflict more than a decade ago,
could resume by the end of next year, before the end of the conflict.
Most likely Georgian officials have revised their position on this
issue as until now they used to say they will allow trains from
Abkhazia to go through Georgia only after thousands of Georgian
refugees from Abkhazia are allowed to go back.
In Moscow Russian and Armenian officials also spoke about granting
Armenian citizens some privileges, particulalry, extending their stay
in Russia up to three months without temporary registration.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Jerusalem Post
December 29, 2004, Wednesday
Use people power against genocide
by: Shmuley Boteach
Leaders will always fail to act. We must force them to. The writer, a
rabbi and best-selling author, hosts a daily radio show syndicated on
the Talk America radio network.
Two things were on my mind as I watched Hotel Rwanda, the stunning
depiction of the 1994 Rwandan Tutsi extermination that was the
fastest genocide in the history of the world.
The first was Hollywood, and how I owed it an apology for the many
times I have railed against its degeneracy.
A film this powerful shames the world out of its indifference to the
slaughter of helpless humans and demonstrates the potential of movies
to reach the places photos and words cannot. The second was Bill
Clinton, the great 60’s liberal romantic, who dreamed of becoming
president in order to make the world a better place.
How would he deal with his shame? The movie is more damaging to his
reputation than if Monica Lewinsky had equipped herself with a
handycam.
Though Clinton is never mentioned explicitly in the movie, he is the
ghost that haunts the entire story, the most powerful man on earth,
who not only refused to intervene to save 800,000 people from being
hacked to death but declined to even convene his cabinet to discuss
the crisis.
How would the great liberal hope now face his Nobel- prize winning
friend Toni Morrison, who called him “America’s first black
President”?
Would he still be invited by Oprah Winfrey to talk about his $
12-million autobiography once she focused on the fact that Clinton
had even refused to provide jamming aircraft to block the Hutu Power
radio transmissions that orchestrated the massacres?
The $ 8,500-per-hour cost to the United States was determined by the
president’s administration be too exorbitant, even though, since
10,000 Rwandans were being killed each day, the cost came to $ 20 per
life.
And would Bill Clinton still be a hero to a new generation of
American youth once they found out that eight African nations, fed up
with American inaction to stop the butchery, agreed to send in their
own intervention force?
All they asked from the US was the use of 50 armored personnel
carriers, but the Clinton administration refused to loan them and
instead demanded $ 15 million, leaving the carriers on a runway in
Germany while the UN scrambled to find the money.
While all this happened, an average of 334 poor black Africans were
dying every hour.
THE RWANDAN genocide was unique in the annals of modern genocide
insofar as the world had absolutely no excuse not to intervene.
The Ottoman Turks’ slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians took place
during the fog of the First World War. The same was true of the
Holocaust of six million European Jews, which gave Franklin Roosevelt
the excuse that defeating the Germans was the best way to stop the
carnage.
The Khmer Rouge’s extermination of one third of Cambodia’s seven
million citizens was done in a country that was utterly sealed off
from the rest of the world, thus granting the Western powers
plausible deniability as to its occurrence.
But with the Rwandan genocide, UN commander General Romeo Dallaire of
Canada, one of the few true heroes of this otherwise cowardly tale,
informed the world of both the Hutu preparations for mass murder and
every development once the genocide was in full swing.
The Clinton administration’s response constitutes one of the greatest
abominations of American history.
Not only did the United States refuse to intervene, but, to quote The
New York Times, “it also used its considerable power to discourage
other Western powers from intervening.”
The Clinton administration robbed Dallaire of any ability to protect
the unarmed men, women, and children by demanding a total withdrawal
of all 2,500 UN peacekeepers, only later allowing a skeletal force of
270 because of the strong pressure of African nations.
The administration’s insistence that the UN be withdrawn was taken as
a clear signal by the Hutu Power militias that the West cared nothing
for poor African lives.
>From that time on the fate of the Tutsis was sealed, and the bodies
of hundreds of thousands of children, with their parents’, littered
Rwanda’s rivers and hills.
The Clinton administration’s repellant response only got worse, with
the State Department then prohibiting use of the word “genocide,”
because that would have obligated the US to intervene.
To be fair, I should add that Clinton did go to Rwanda in 1998 to
apologize – though only for three-and-a-half hours, his plane not
even shutting down its engines while he spoke.
True to form, he at least felt their pain.
DECEMBER 9, 2004 was the 56th anniversary of the approval of the
Genocide Convention by the United Nations General Assembly.
But with another genocide taking place in Sudan and the UN refusing
to even pass a resolution condemning it, it is clear the world is
still not ready to prevent entire groups being exterminated.
It is also clear that no country, not even the United States, can be
trusted to prevent genocide.
Even President Bush, the greatest champion of democracy since Winston
Churchill, has thus far done too little to help the wretched people
of Darfur, where about 100,000 have already died.
Which leaves just you and me.
I believe that rather than merely blame world leaders for being
indifferent to genocide, decent people everywhere must take it upon
themselves to coerce their governments into action whenever a
genocide occurs.
There should be a mass strike, along with other acts of civil
disobedience, for two days of every month until the great democracies
take action to stop whole groups being exterminated.
Surely if enough people began to act someone with global influence
will emerge to inspire and orchestrate the campaign. We could shut
down whole countries twice a month until those governments act.
Mass slaughter requires a mass response.
Let’s begin with the Sudan, whom the US and other responsible
governments have already labeled guilty of a genocide.
Let us strike until the Western democracies send troops into the
Sudan to stop the Janjaweed militias, or carry out air strikes
against the Sudanese government that is arming them.

TURKEY FACES INEVITABILITY “TO PUT AN END TO THE GENOCIDE ISSUE”
It has to Go into the Offensive
Azg/arm
29 Dec 04
The fact, that the EU summit of December 17 overlooked Turkey’s
obligations needed for the accession talks to launch, enabled Turkey
to avoid the recognition of the Cypriot Republic. While the Cyprus
issue is to be settled before the 3d of October, 2005, the Armenian
Genocide is likely to appear on the agenda only once the talks start.
The French foreign minister on December 14 and the prime minister on
December 20 stated that the issue of the Armenian Genocide has to top
the agenda of the talks, and the Dutch parliament took a decision of
demanding Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide before the talks.
Perhaps the response of the Turkish press, particularly Yeni Shafaq
newspaper, did not come as a surprise. An article signed by Resul
Tosun reads: “Though they (the Europeans) did not include the issue of
the Armenian genocide in the agenda on December 17 EU summit, this
issue is going to be a thorn in Turkey’ s side. That’s why we have to
find a solution to the Armenian causetogether with the Cyprus
issue. To put it shortly, if Turkey wants to put an end to the issue
of the so-called Armenian genocide, it should take a step and
officially declare of handing the issue over to the historians”.
President of the Turkish History Foundation, professor Yusuf
Halacoglu, joined the author of the previous article in his claims to
hand the issue over to historians and gave a scientific reasoning to
such a demand.
Zaman newspaper responded to the professor’s words on December 23
writing that Turkey has stayed on the defensive against genocide
allegations until now and then, following Halacoglu’s advice, put that
it’s high time “to take action instead of remaining silent”.
Prof. Halacoglu told Zaman that “Turkey should not avoid an open
discussion on Armenian claims of genocide” as many studies had been
conducted in the archives of several countries, and mostly in that of
the Ottoman Empire, “but they have not turned up a single document or
record mentioning genocide”. Meanwhile, Prof. Halacoglu asked Turkish
prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to found a commission, which
includes social scientists in order to conduct research regarding the
“so-called genocide claims”, adding that as soon as Turkey takes this
step “the opposition will retreat”.
Yusuf Halacoglu accepts that the Genocide issue will be repeatedly
raised in the EU membership negotiations that’s why Turkey should deal
with it now. “Our state should tell the EU that we should handle this
issue on a level on which our historians and social scientists can
discuss it. We should also establish a commission to report on what we
find”, Halacoglu said.
The professor signified that the claims that 1.2 million were killed
are inconsistent as according to official documents and records the
Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire was only 1.5
million. Halacoglu notes thatthe Western sources also show the same
number and says: “The US archives give the numbers for Armenian
migrants who fled to other countries after the Lausanne Treaty in 1923
as 1,299,000 for those who migrated to countries other than Turkey,
Greece and Armenia. According to Turkish population censuses, there
were 281,000 Armenians living in Turkey. If we add these we already
have 1,681,000 Armenians. If we include 60,000 in Greek camps and
25,000 who emigrated to the US, we have a total of 1,760,000. Taking
into account population increase this corresponds to the Ottoman
Empire’s figures. So how, then, can it be claimed that 1,200,000
Armenians were killed”.
This “argument” of Halacoglu gives clear understanding of the
direction that the Turkish scientists are going to lead the alleged
discussions over the Armenian Genocide. Besides outlining the
direction of future discussions, the Turks are going to take measures
of disclosing the “genocide” committed by the Armenians. “We will open
7 mass graves in 2005”, Halacoglu said. Not surprisingly all these
come on the threshold of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
in 2005.
Turning to the works of the Turkish History Foundation Halacoglu said
that they have identified about 100 mass graves in 20 different
places. “We have, for example, identified that Armenians committed
genocides in 21 villages in the Igdir region alone. There are also
regions of Adana, Erzurum, Ardahan, Kars, Bitlis, and Mush. We will
conduct excavation studies in 6 or 7 regions because Armenians will
make some important claims because of their so-called 90th
anniversary. That’s why we are trying to unearth what really
happened”, Halacoglu said.
It must be pointed out, as we round off, that Turkey’s strivings
toleave the Genocide issue up to the historians are not something
new. This simply means that Turkey has no other means of pushing
Genocide recognition initiatives back but the old panacea. Therefore,
Prof. Halacoglu’s suggestions to the Turkish government are also
doomed to failure. They will be as efficient as the previous ones
were.
By Hakob Chakrian

Azerbaijan abolishes Internet fee
Assa-Irada
29 Dec 04
BAKU
Internet subscribers will no longer have to pay 3,500 manats [70
cents] for using telephone lines, Minister of Communications and
Information Technology Ali Abbasov told reporters today.
Abbasov said that the ministry has already adopted a decision on this
matter. Under the decision, Internet providers will pay less money
for having their lines installed. This means that prices will no
longer depend on the speed of the Internet.
Abbasov said some providers are accusing the ministry of
monopolism. In this connection, the two state providers (Bakinternet
and Aztelekomnet) will be merged, he said.
The minister also said the reduced prices will apply to all providers,
which will enable them to compete freely.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
December 27, 2004, Monday
02:05:08 Central European Time
Cyprus still facing uncertain future
By Masis der Parthogh
Nicosia
When Cyprus joined the European Union on May 1, celebrations on the
island were muted, unlike the mood in the nine other new enlargement
states. The year had kicked off uneasily after United Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan had tried to secure a solution that
would have reunited the island after a 30 years of division. The U.N.
chief finalised a document initially conceived in November 2002 and
put it to separate referenda to the main Greek Cypriot and Turkish
Cypriot communities. The former rejected the plan outright as it
failed to guarantee the pullout of Turkey’s 35,000-strong garrison
stationed in the north since Ankara invaded and occupied the
territory in 1974. No other assurances were given about the reduction
of the 65,000 settlers from Anatolia either. On the other hand, the
majority of Turkish Cypriots embraced the “Annan Plan” in the April
24 poll, saying it brought them closer to autonomy within a federal
state of two equal partners. In theory, at least, Europe had expected
a reunited Cyprus to join the Union, with several phases of the U.N.
plan already implemented by summer, when a significant number of
Greek Cypriot refugees would have returned to the lands they lost
three decades earlier. However, the “No” vote of the Greek Cypriot
referendum left a bitter feeling among both communities, with the
Turkish Cypriots expressing greater mistrust and pushing them closer
to the patronage of Ankara. Incentives were supposed to come into
force throughout the year to encourage trade and movement along the
180-kilometre “Green Line” of division. Barbed wire still separates
the 700,000 Orthodox Greek Cypriots from the 200,000 Moslem Turkish
Cypriots, with only five checkpoints where people can make the
crossing to the other side. Cyprus President Tassos Papadopoulos was
widely expected to cast a veto at the December 17 summit in Brussels
and block Turkey from joining the E.U. unless it offered full
recognition to all ten new member states through an extension of the
Customs Union agreement. The Dutch Presidency intervened and reached
a compromise, partly satisfying the British and U.S. demands for
Turkey’s unconditional membership, while the Greek Cypriots may
exercise their veto prior to the October 3 start of accession talks
with Ankara. “I warned my (E.U.) counterparts that if Turkey does not
meet its commitments, we reserve the right to block the start of
accession negotiations, estimated to begin on October 3,”
Papadopoulos said in media interviews. But he ruled out any
re-engagement on the same U.N. plan he led Greek Cypriots to reject
in April. “As it stands, that plan is never going to be put before
the people again.” This is where Turkey’s abilities to reach a
compromise will come in, as it has to persuade the U.N. chief and
public opinion of its clear intentions to help resolve the Cyprus
dispute, while respecting human rights in its own country as regards
religious freedom, Kurdish rights and recognition of the Armenian
genocide in 1915. Failure to do so will put on hold all its hopes of
ever joining the European club within the next 15 years or so, during
which time the “Cyprus problem” would remain unresolved and the
Turkish Cypriots would still be over-dependent on handouts from
Ankara. dpa mdp ch