Author: Emil Lazarian

Pasadena Star-News, CA
April 29 2004
Racial tensions shadow school’s achievements
Marshall principal fighting accusations of insensitivity
By Gretchen Hoffman , Staff Writer
PASADENA — A year ago, Marshall Fundamental High School was one of
three schools in the nation to receive the College Board’s
Inspiration Award in recognition of its work in helping economically
disadvantaged students go to college. It is the Pasadena Unified
School District’s highest-scoring high school on state standardized
tests, and parents overwhelmingly choose Marshall when applying
through the district’s open-enrollment process.
But tensions have been building at the school, which serves sixth
through 12th-graders. Last month, a fight between African- American
and Armenian students spilled over, resulting in a lockdown and
several students being cited by PUSD police. Some parents say they
are afraid for students’ safety.
An Armenian administrator has been fired, and his lawyer is
threatening a lawsuit, saying Principal Steven Miller is the person
who should be removed.
And a group of community members is circulating a petition calling
for Miller’s removal, claiming that he is a bigot who is
systematically purging the school of African-Americans.
Some Armenian parents were upset when middle school dean Kevork
Halladjian was notified that he will not return to his position next
year. They say that he was the only school administrator who listened
to parents concerned about rumors of further violence before the
March 5 fights.
Miller has been criticized for his handling of the fights, with
detractors saying he is ill- equipped to handle racial tensions
because he is culturally insensitive at best.
However, many parents, students and school officials have repeatedly
denied that the fights were racially motivated but were merely fights
between individuals.
Halladjian’s lawyer, Dale Gronemeier, said he is laying the
groundwork for a lawsuit if Halladjian is not reinstated.
Gronemeier is married to Marshall’s high school dean, Temetra
Gronemeier, who had a lawsuit pending against the school district
alleging she was discriminated against because of her age. She was
seeking the principal position, which was instead given to Miller.
The lawsuit was rejected by a judge last week.
The lawyer said that in a deposition taken for that lawsuit, Miller
admitted asking district officials to remove Temetra Gronemeier from
her administrative position at Marshall, a request that was denied.
She and Halladjian are a symbol of African Americans and Armenian
Americans working together cooperatively at a time when Marshall is
undergoing a racial crisis, Dale Gronemeier said.
In an April 15 letter to Superintendent Percy Clark, Dale Gronemeier
warned of disastrous consequences for Miller and said he plays
hardball and is prepared for a public battle.
“There has been a systematic attempt by Miller to purge the African
Americans from the security force at Marshall,’ Gronemeier claimed
Wednesday. “Because Halladjian would not go along with illegal
practices, Miller wanted to fire him.
“At a minimum, Miller is racially insensitive and the alternative is
that he’s bigoted,’ Gronemeier added.
Miller said the allegation that Halladjian was given a pink slip
because he refused to fire a security guard does not make sense,
since district officials do all hiring and firing at the high school.
The opposition comes from people who would have targeted whoever took
the principalship two years ago, he said.
Teachers describe Miller as calm, fair, personable and a good
listener. He commands respect but becomes even more soft-spoken than
usual when talking about the allegations of bigotry.
“From the very first week that I arrived here, there were threats,
there were warnings,’ Miller said. “I’ve dealt with slander,
intimidation. I’ve been subjected to these twisted perversions of
lies. When I’m called a racist, I get emotional, because it’s
slander.
“On three different occasions, publicly I’ve been told that I’m going
to be driven out of Pasadena. It’s getting to a point where I’m
starting to worry about (my) safety. What’s going on here is an
agenda that has nothing to do with these kids.
“What I found was that every time Marshall demonstrates success, then
the intimidation, the aggression escalates,’ Miller said. “Right now
… the focus is on me but it’s really about destroying the school.’
District officials said Miller’s supporters far outnumber his
detractors.
“Steve has the unqualified support of the superintendent and his
staff,’ PUSD spokesman Erik Nasarenko said. ” Steve is an exemplary
school leader who we are fortunate to have in this district.’
Miller said he is committed to leading the school despite the threats
and lies but that he will leave if the conflict begins to affect
student achievement.
“I think it becomes too much when I start to see students being
negatively impacted, and I think (my detractors) know that about me,’
Miller said. “They know that’s ammunition.’
Altadena resident John Wright is one of the people who have been
handing out petitions calling for Miller’s removal. Miller lacks the
sensitivity to deal with a multi-ethnic student body and has
alienated members of the community with his biased attitude, the
petition states.
“He thinks that African Americans should have an appointment with him
as opposed to having an open-door policy with Caucasians,’ Wright
said, adding that he has not met personally with Miller. Wright has
no children or grandchildren at the school.
“I’m just a concerned citizen and feel there’s got to be someone who
will stand up and be a voice for the African-American community,’
Wright said. “I’m not boxing it in as an African- American principal,
but what we need is a person over there who has the children’s
welfare at heart and who has the sensitivity to deal with a
multi-ethnic campus.’
Roy Sunada, who has been teaching at Marshall for 12 years, said
Miller has had a calming effect at the school since he took over in
the midst of chaos caused by scheduling problems.
“I believe it’s turning into a personal attack,’ Sunada said. “He’s
absolutely not racist or a bigot. To say that really trivializes the
seriousness of racism. His detractors have no sense of shame and no
sense of decency.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Civil Georgia, UK
April 29 2004
Caucasian Leaders Met in Warsaw
/ Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2004-04-29 13:04:06

Robert Kocharyan, Mikheil Saakashvili and
Ilham Aliyev. AzerTAj Photo
Presidents of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Mikheil Saakashvili,
Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan respectively, met in Warsaw in the
frames of the European Economic Summit on April 28.

The regional issues and the prospects of further cooperation were
discussed at a business lunch arranged in honor of the South
Caucasian Presidents, AzerTAj state news agency of Azerbaijan
reported.

On April 29 President Saakashvili plans to make a speech at the
European Economic Summit in Warsaw and also will meet with his Polish
counterpart Aleksander Kwasniewski.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1 Plus | 14:23:48 | 29-04-2004 | Politics |
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CALLS ON ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT TO INVESTIGATE EXCESSIVE
USE OF POLICE FORCE
On Wednesday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) held an urgent debate on Armenia, calling on the government to
investigate abuses and to create “fair conditions for the media,” and
warned the government that if no progress on this by September, the
PACE may “reconsider the credentials of the Armenian delegation.”PACE
also called on the opposition to work within the country’s
constitutional framework.
In early April, Armenia’s political opposition united in mass peaceful
protests to force a “referendum of confidence” on President Robert
Kocharian and to call for his resignation. The government responded
with mass arrests, violent dispersals of demonstrations, and raids on
opposition party headquarters. Hundreds were detained, many for up to
15 days, and some were tortured or ill-treated in custody.
“The Armenian government is repeating the same sorts of abuses that
called into question the legitimacy of last year’s election and
sparked the protests in the first place,” said Rachel Denber, acting
executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia
division. “The cycle of repression must end.”
Excessive police force, particularly at a nonviolent opposition rally
on the night of April 12, caused dozens of injuries among
demonstrators. The Human Right Watch briefing paper, based on an
investigation in Armenia in mid-April, documents this violence and
other abuses. Human Rights Watch found that some of the worst injuries
at that rally were caused by stun grenades, which inflicted deep
wounds in many protesters. Police also beat journalists and
confiscated their cameras.
The opposition protests derived from the government’s failure to
redress the deeply flawed 2003 presidential election won by Kocharian,
the incumbent. At that time, the authorities detained about 250
opposition activists and supporters in an attempt to intimidate and
disable the opposition in advance of the vote. The Armenian
Constitutional Court subsequently recommended that the government hold
a referendum of confidence. The government rejected the
recommendation, while the opposition insisted that the referendum be
held.
In its report on the 2003 presidential election, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) found the vote to be “marred
by serious irregularities,” owing to “a lack of sufficient political
determination by the authorities to ensure a fair and honest process.”
“Armenia has to address the underlying causes of the opposition’s
demonstrations,” said Denber. “A first step would be to implement the
recommendations made by the OS?E following the 2003 elections.”
Human Rights Watch also called on the Armenian government to
investigate the excessive use of police force on the night of April
12, and to cease the use of stun grenades and electric-shock equipment
for the control of nonviolent public demonstrations.
Armenia’s international partners – including the European Union, the
United States government, the OSCE and the Council of Europe – should
closely monitor the situation and condemn any new abuses that occur,
Human Rights Watch said. In particular, the United States and the
European Union should closely monitor any security-related funding,
particularly for crowd-control equipment, to ensure that it does not
fuel human rights abuses.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Minister says no proposals discussed in Armenian-Azeri talks in Poland
ANS TV, Baku
28 Apr 04

[Presenter] We are going live to Strasbourg again. ANS TV’s special
correspondent Qanira Pasayeva is on the line. Good evening,
Qanira. Who met the [Azerbaijani] president at Strasbourg airport?
Could you also give us information about the trilateral meeting
between [Georgian President] Mikheil Saakashvili, [Armenian President]
Robert Kocharyan [and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev] in Warsaw
today?
[Qanira Pasayeva over the phone] Hello, Aytan. Our plane has just
landed. The reception will probably start in five or six minutes. I
mean the president’s plane has landed in Strasbourg as well.
An hour and 40 minutes ago, the president was in Warsaw, Poland. The
Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian presidents had a working lunch
there to discuss Caucasus issues. After the trilateral meeting, the
three presidents answered questions from delegations at the European
economic summit.
The most interesting questions were about regional
cooperation. President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan was
cooperating with Georgia at the highest level in all spheres. But
cooperation with Armenia is out of the question. Cooperation with
Armenia is possible only after the Nagornyy Karabakh problem is
resolved.
Robert Kocharyan said that cooperation could promote a solution to the
problem. But the Azerbaijani president said that this was ruled out.
The Georgian president said that regional cooperation with Azerbaijan
was at a very high level. But conflicts hinder full cooperation and
economic development in the region. President Ilham Aliyev backed up
this statement.
As for the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, the Azerbaijani president said
that Azerbaijan will not make any concessions that run counter to the
following: Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity should be ensured in
line with international legal norms. Robert Kocharyan answered in
general and did not say anything specific.
Another interesting question was about integration into the European
Union and membership of this union in the future. The Armenian
president did not give a concrete answer. But the Azerbaijani and
Georgian presidents said that Azerbaijan and Georgia were interested
in entering the EU. President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan was
integrating into European structures, which would secure the country’s
membership of the EU.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan gave an exclusive interview
to ANS concerning the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents’ meeting
today. He said that today the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents had
a general discussion on the Nagornyy Karabakh issue. No concrete
proposal was discussed. The [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairmen did not put
forward any new proposals or ideas. They simply attended the
meeting. Asked whether any discussions had been held on the package or
step-by-step settlement, Oskanyan said that no discussions had been
held on concrete proposals and that the discussions had a general
nature. His meeting with the Azerbaijani foreign minister in May will
decide whether a concrete proposal will be negotiated.
He said that there will be a NATO summit in Istanbul in late June. He
will raise the issue of opening the Turkish-Armenian border at a
meeting with Ankara officials at the summit. Commenting on a
trilateral meeting proposed by Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul,
Vardan Oskanyan said that if the meeting is to discuss the Karabakh
issue, Armenia will not agree to it. If the agenda includes issues
other than Karabakh, they will attend the meeting.
Bilateral issues were discussed at the bilateral meeting with Mikheil
Saakashvili.
[Presenter] Thank you, Qanira. This was ANS TV’s special correspondent
Qanira Pasayeva reporting from Strasbourg.

ArmenPress
April 29 2004
SOUTH CAUCASUS COUNTRIES EAGER TO BRING THEIR ECONOMICS UP TO EU
STANDARDS
WARSAW, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS: At the lunch attended by the
presidents of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia and moderated by
Christopher Hill, US ambassador to Poland on the sidelines of the
European Economic Forum in Poland, on April 28, all three republics
demonstrated an eagerness to bring their economies up to the
standards of the European Union. The main obstacle to regional
solidarity remains the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno Karabagh. Georgia’s president Mikhail Saakashvili
demonstrated more willingness to provide a common ground to work
around the limitations imposed by the dispute and to work towards a
negotiated settlement, while Robert Kocharian of Armenia noted that
it will be a long time before Georgia can think of actually joining
the European Union. “On the whole, whatever we do we do in terms of
harmonizing and conforming to European standards,” Kocharian said.
President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, noted that foreign
investment in Azerbaijan is now adding up to around $10 million a day
and is expected to reach $9 billion over the next few years. He said
that he is aware of the mistakes of other countries that have
squandered sudden oil wealth. “We look at the bad experiences, too,’
he said. Azerbaijan is at a crossroads,’ he added.
As for the dispute with Armenia over Nagorno Karabagh, Aliyev
remarked the Azeris believe that a settlement should be based on
international law. “We respect territorial integrity anywhere,”
Aliyev said, and :we expect that to be applied to us.”
Replying to Aliyev’s analysis, Kocharian pointed out that many
borders in Europe have been altered and some have disappeared with
changing circumstances. he added that in the former Soviet Union,
borders had occasionally been drafted intentionally to exacerbate
conflicts in order to enhance centralized authority.
“I understand the position of Azerbaijan,” Kocharian added. “What
we need is a peaceful, amicable divorce,” he said. Answering a
question from the law on regional economic integration, Aliyev
insisted that the war is too much of an obstacle. “You cannot imagine
two countries at war having economic cooperation,” he said.
Kocharian on the other hand, suggested that regional cooperation
might help create an environment for resolving other conflict.
Saakashvili stated that he does not believe a solution can be forced,
but that the way to proceed is to start negotiations at all levels.
“Both leaders are reasonable people,” he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Associated Press Worldstream
April 28, 2004 Wednesday
Armenia deports U.S. citizen accused of plotting seizure of power
YEREVAN, Armenia
A U.S. citizen was deported Wednesday after being arrested on charges
of working toward the forceful seizure of power in Armenia, the U.S.
Embassy said.
Artur Vardanian was arrested in the Armenian capital on April 22. He
had dual Armenian and U.S. citizenship, but Armenian President Robert
Kocharian revoked Vardanian’s Armenian passport the day after his
arrest.
His lawyer, Ashot Sarkisian, said Vardanian was taken under police
guard to the airport early Wednesday and deported to the United
States. No more details about his destination were available.
“The criminal case against the defendant was closed in connection
with changed circumstances,” Sarkisian said.
Vardanian was an active supporter of Stepan Demirchian, Kocharian’s
main opponent in last year’s election.
Kocharian won a second term, but the election sparked mass protests,
including nearly daily demonstrations between the first round and the
runoff. Opposition groups alleged widespread violations in both
rounds of the vote, which was followed by a parliamentary ballot in
which the pro-government party won the most votes.
In recent weeks, a new series of protest rallies have been held,
raising political tension in this ex-Soviet republic. Some 7,000
people participated in Tuesday’s protest, calling for Kocharian’s
ouster.
Vardanian, a former resident of Yerevan, received U.S. citizenship
after marrying an American citizen in the 1990s. Armenian authorities
accused him of failing to surrender his Armenian passport and
repeatedly entering Armenia illegally. They say he was involved in
political activities there.
Authorities said that this time, Vardanian arrived at the beginning
of April and participated in unsanctioned opposition meetings.

PRESS RELEASE
ANC San Diego
Contact: Garo Artinian (ANC SD Chair)
Telephone: 619-596-4332
April 27, 2004
ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF SAN DIEGO AND UC SAN DIEGO ARMENIAN
STUDENTS HOST INAUGURAL GENOCIDE CONFERENCE
San Diego, CA : The Armenian National Committee of San Diego announced
that it will be hosting an academic conference on Genocide and Denial
on Saturday, May 8, 2004 at the University of California, San Diego
campus. The event is the first of its kind to be held at UC San Diego
and is cosponsored by the UC San Diego Armenian Students Association.
The conference, entitled “Western Response to Genocide”, will cover
various topics including the Armenian Genocide, the Jewish Holocaust,
the Rwandan Genocide and others. The intended emphasis of the
conference will be how the Western Culture has dealt with
genocide. The conference will address a number of genocide-related
issues, including definition, history, politics, literature,
acknowledgment, prevention, associated trauma (both individual and
collective) and reconciliation and reparations. The conference will
address the many genocides of the 20th century and draw similarities
and identify differences between these crimes against humanity.
A number of panelists will participate in the conference, including:
Laurence Baron, Ph.D., Director of the Lipinsky Institute for Judaice
Studies; Rubina Peroomian, Ph.D., lecturer at the University of
California, Los Angeles; Levon Marashlian, Ph.D., Professor of History
and Political Science at Glendale Community College, Dan Alba,
Regional Director of the Los Angeles Offices of Facing History and
Ourselves, and Ardashes Kassakhian, Executive Director of the Armenian
National Committee of America – Western Region.
The conference will take place at the University of California, San
Diego, Peterson Building and will begin at 10 A.M. Parking for the
conference is free and Armenian style barbecue will be served during
the break for $7.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations
around the world, the Armenian National Committee San Diego actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS SECURITY CHIEF HOLDS TALKS WITH BELARUSIAN SECURITY OFFICIAL
Belapan news agency
29 Apr 04
MINSK
The secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO), Nikolay Bordyuzha, noted three main current areas of CSTO
activities during his meeting with the chairman of the committee for
international affairs and national security of the Council of the
Republic (Belarusian parliament’s upper house), Mikalay Charhinets, on
29 April in Minsk.
According to him, this includes coordination of foreign policy of
member states (Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
and Russia), formation of the organization’s military component and,
above all, counteracting modern threats and challenges. Bordyuzha said
that the ways of development of the CSTO military component will be
discussed at the next session of the Collective Security Treaty
Council scheduled for June in Astana (Kazakhstan). “The existence of
the military component is a factor of deterrence,” Bordyuzha said.
Speaking about CSTO activities aimed at counteracting modern threats
and challenges, the organization’s secretary-general noted the fight
against drugs and terrorism. According to him, the creation of a
single legal basis on these issues and informational support are
becoming quite topical in this respect. Bordyuzha recalled with
satisfaction that the Channel operation was carried out within the
CSTO framework in 2004. Law-enforcement agencies of the organization’s
member states, including Belarusian special services and the Interior
Ministry, were involved in the operation. The operation resulted in
the confiscation of about two tonnes of drugs, approximately the same
quantity of precursors and institution of 1,500 criminal cases in the
area of illegal turnover of drugs.
Nikolay Bordyuzha also said that the CSTO has been registered with the
UN and the issue of granting it observer status with the UN is
currently being discussed. The organization has established ties with
security bodies of the UN and OSCE.
The goal of Bordyuzha’s two-day visit to Minsk is to prepare the next
session of the Collective Security Treaty Council. He had meetings to
this effect with the head of the presidential administration, Ural
Latypaw, on 28 April and took part in a joint board session of the
defence ministries of Belarus and Russia. Bordyuzha had a meeting with
leaders of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry on 29 April.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

USA TO FAIL IN KARABAKH, AZERI DAILY SAYS
Ekho, Baku
29 Apr 04
The US business interests in the South Caucasus will eventually
require political backing, and Washington seems to have decided to
deal seriously with regional conflicts, and firsty the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh conflic t, Azerbaijani
newspaper Ekho has reported. In order to resolve the problem, the USA
has to dismiss its balanced policy and define favourites, Ekho said.
Washington might try to drive Armenia out of Russia’s influence, while
at the same time putting pressure on Azerbaijan and Turkey. But in
this case, the USA could alienate its two strategic partners and,
moreover, provoke an upsurge in Islamic influence in the region, the
paper said. The whole plan might have “catastrophic repercussions” for
Washington and make it forget about its major economic projects in the
region, Ekho concluded. The following is the text of Nurani report by
Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho on 29 April headlined “American
rollercoaster”; subheadings inserted editorially:
USA vs Russia in South Caucasus
This popular attraction is called “Russian rollercoaster” everywhere
in the world. It is believed to repeat the traditional Russian
amusement – sliding down an ice hill on a sleigh. However, in Russia
it is said to be “American” since this “round-the-year” attraction
came from America.
For some reason, this unserious comparison comes to my mind every time
I compare how the Russian and Western press comment on the situation
in the South Caucasus. The majority of Moscow (and pro-Moscow)
newspapers believe that the South Caucasus has long been “ruled” by
the USA that has turned this region, which is geographically and
environmentally destined to be none other than “Russia’s backyard”,
into “its 51st state”. On the other side of the former “cold war”
frontiers, the situation is conceived in a completely opposite way.
The composition, to be more precise, the style of the (OSCE) Minsk
Group was the best proof: while Russia was officially represented by
unimpressive (Nikolay) Gribkov, the former deputy director of the
Russian foreign intelligence service and the incumbent deputy foreign
minister, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, visited the region along with his
colleagues. Moreover, the “strategic concepts” of the two super
powers, as regional observers could witness more than once, do not
concur.
We should probably expect that the US business interests in the region
will sooner or later require political “backing”. Today, one can find
dozens of ongoing political developments which, if you have enough
desire and imagination, could pass for the manifestation of that US
strategy. For instance, the “rose revolution” in Georgia (even if the
USA’s real role in it is a topic where telling whisper and hints will
for a long time dominate clear-cut and unambiguous statements) was
unequivocally interpreted as the start of a “purge” of the political
field of the oil-rich region from corrupt undemocratic regimes,
despite their loyalty and the leader’s past merits.
USA has to dismiss balanced policy
Against this background, the appointment to the post of US co-chairman
of the Minsk Group of Steven Mann, who used to be in charge of the
“energy diplomacy” in the region which proved to be very successful,
is said to clearly show the USA’s decision to seriously deal with the
settlement of regional conflicts in the South Caucasus, and the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in the first place.
If we remember that the USA has been for quite a long time “pushing”
Armenia and Turkey towards a dialogue, Steven Mann’s appointment,
which reveals the USA’s aspiration to a speedy settlement to the
conflict which is simmering near pipelines, completes the “picture” of
the situation in the region.
However, the “conflict diplomacy” in general, and the brokering
mission in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in particular, might
prove to be a much more difficult task for the USA than an effective
economic breakthrough. The world has already witnessed the failure of
three mediation initiatives in Nagornyy Karabakh – the step-by-step
and package settlements and the territorial swap. Although today US
diplomats react quite painfully to criticism of the Minsk Group, one
has to draw not at all encouraging conclusions from 10-year-long
negotiations: the chances that the parties themselves can “reach a
compromise” are most likely to be very slim. To put it simply, if the
USA is serious in its intention to settle the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, it will sooner or later have to dismiss its hope to conduct
“balanced policy” and define its likes and dislikes.
A fairly extraordinary situation has been formed in the region. Both
regional political mega projects – the Karabakh settlement and the
Armenian-Turkish dialogue – impact Armenia. This country is the only
strategic ally of Russia in the region, while it is opposed in one
case by Turkey, for which, despite all the recent problems, the USA is
undoubtedly number one strategic partner, and in the other case by
Azerbaijan, for which Washington is again closer than Moscow.
“Catastrophic” repercussions for USA
Rumours have been going on in the South Caucasus for quite a while
that the USA will finally try to “buy out” Armenia from Russia and
take this country out of Moscow’s monopoly and thus gain control of
the whole of the region. Hence, there is a clear conclusion that now
Washington will try its best to “interest” Armenia and,
correspondingly, step up pressure on Azerbaijan and Turkey: it is
always easier to pressurize your ally than a country which you have
yet to improve relations with.
However, the situation is far from being simple. If in the early 1990s
analysts said that those who would succeed in mediating conflicts
would get carte blanche in the region, today’s forecasts are
completely different: in case of the mediators’ failure, all the other
US projects in the region, including economic projects, might be
threatened.
Indeed, relations with Armenia are a very sensitive issue both in
Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is hardly possible, even theoretically, to
“dose up pressure” in order, on the one hand, to force Azerbaijan and
Turkey to make a concession that would impress Armenia, and on the
other hand, not to damage its own positions in these countries. The
reason is simple: the “limit” of Armenia’s requirements is extremely
high. On the other hand, excessive pressure on Baku and Ankara might
prompt these countries not only to look for “alternative partners”,
from the European Union to Russia. An upsurge in Islamic influence in
these countries could prove to be much more dangerous. These will be
the same Islamists who found themselves in power in Iran unexpectedly
for the whole world, easily won the majority of seats in the Algerian
parliament elections, and proved to be the most influential political
force in today’s Iraq. They hardly have any particular influence in
Azerbaijan nowadays, and the ruling JDP (Justice and Development
Party) in Turkey can hardly be described as a radical group. However,
politicians know well about the possibility of “catastrophic” shifts
in the public opinion, particularly if sensitive and painful problems
such as Karabakh are at issue. This means that an attempt to buy out
Armenia from Russia at the expense of Turkey and Azerbaijan could have
catastrophic repercussions for Washington, and the USA will have to
forget about those regional mega projects for a long time to come.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SLAMS OPPOSITION
Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
29 Apr 04
Armenian Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan has commented on the
domestic political situation in the country and other
issues. Following is the text of a report by the Armenian newspaper
Hayots Ashkarh on 29 April headlined “They are justifying their own
inaction”:
(Hayots Ashkarh correspondent) How do you assess the failure of the
coalition-opposition dialogue?
(Serzh Sarkisyan) I think this is first of all a problem of the
parties which form the coalition. As the defence minister I refrain
from expressing any view, so that tomorrow you have no reason to say
that I am interfering in political problems. Though this problem is in
some way connected with national security as well. But I have not
studied the details of the political consultations initiated by the
president.
(Correspondent) The opposition has submitted political proposals that
consist of 10 points. They are demanding that political persecution be
stopped and free movement of citizens be ensured.
(Sarkisyan) Do you think that there is political persecution in our
country? I do not agree with this view of the opposition. The latest
provocation that they have disseminated is that armoured personnel
carriers closed the streets to block the way of rally-goers. This is a
simple means for the opposition to justify their own inaction. Why do
those journalists, who are so active and have become a microphone for
the opposition, not go and take a photo of at least one armoured
personnel carrier? Why do they not tell the truth? When the agressive
political forces publicly announce that they are going to change power
by violence, the police is simply obliged to make the relevant checks
to ensure public security.
(Correspondent) How possible do you think it is that, after studying
our country’s domestic political situation, they will raise the issue
of Armenia leaving the Council of Europe?
(Sarkisyan) I am sure this will not happen. Azerbaijan and Turkey do
not have enough force to do this.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress