Author: Hambardsumian Paul

IRANIAN ARMENIAN WRITER R.BEN PASSES AWAY
TEHRAN, December 3 (Noyan Tapan). Ruben Hovhannisian, Iranian Armenian
poet and prosaist, known to the literary world as R.Ben passed
away. NT was informed about this by the Marmara Istanbul daily
newspaper.
R.Ben was born in 1916 in Tehran where he attended the Haykazian
college, then Persian schools. Being an architect by speciality, he
held a position in the Iran National Oil Company for many years.
R.Ben was an active member of the “Nor Edge” (“New Page”) literary
society, which has been engaged in publishing starting from 1935. 26
issues of “Nor Edge” were released owing to Ruben Hovhannisian’s
efforts by 2003. The writer closely knew and worked with H.Falian,
Dev, Vostanik, G.Khanents, Z.Mirzoyan and a number of other writers
who gave new spirit to Iranian Armenian literature with their
publications in “Nor Edge.”
R.Ben died on November 14 in Tehran.

Federal Information and News Dispatch, Inc.
State Department
December 2, 2004
International Monetary Funds Approves $13.7 Million for Armenia; IMF
completes final review of economic performance under standby
arrangement
TEXT: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a $13.7
million disbursement to Armenia after completing the sixth and final
review of the country’s economic performance under a three-year
Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) arrangement.
IMF Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chairman Agusten Carstens
said, “[P]rudent monetary and fiscal policies, external financial
support, and progress with structural reforms have contributed to
double-digit economic growth, poverty reduction, low inflation, and a
sustainable debt burden.”
Carstens also suggested additional measures Armenia should take in
its economic reform program.
With the completion of the sixth review, the total allocation of
$105.3 million will be fully disbursed, according to the following
IMF press release:
(begin text)
International Monetary Fund

Washington, D.C. 20431 USA
December 1, 2004
IMF EXECUTIVE BOARD COMPLETES FINAL REVIEW UNDER PRGF ARRANGEMENT FOR
THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) today
completed the sixth and final review of the Republic of Armenia’s
economic performance under a three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRGF) arrangement. The completion of this review enables
Armenia to draw an amount equivalent to SDR 9.0 million (about
US$13.7 million).
In completing the final review, the Executive Board also approved
Armenia’s request for a waiver of two structural performance
criteria.
At the time of the fifth review on May 3, 2004, the period of the
arrangement was extended through December 31, 2004. Armenia’s PRGF
arrangement was initially approved with effect from May 23, 2001, for
an amount equivalent to SDR 69 million (about US$105.3 million). With
the completion of the sixth review, the arrangement will be fully
disbursed. The authorities have also stated their intention to begin
discussions with the IMF on a new three-year PRGF arrangement that
would support an economic program through 2008.
Following the Executive Board’s discussion of Armenia’s performance
under the current PRGF-supported program, Agusten Carstens, Deputy
Managing Director and Acting Chair, said:
“The Armenian authorities should be commended for Armenia’s strong
economic performance in recent years, in the context of satisfactory
implementation of the PRGF-supported program. Prudent monetary and
fiscal policies, external financial support, and progress with
structural reforms have contributed to double-digit economic growth,
poverty reduction, low inflation, and a sustainable debt burden.
“Looking ahead, the authorities should maintain a cautious fiscal
stance and ensure that the expenditure envelope is in line with PRSP
priorities on social and infrastructure spending. Monetary policy
should remain tight while maintaining a flexible exchange rate regime
in order to bring inflation down to the authorities’ objective of 3
percent. To facilitate further financial intermediation, reforms are
needed to enhance corporate governance in banks, streamline
collateral recovery procedures, and improve court processes.
“Notwithstanding the progress made in recent years, the authorities
need to tackle more forcefully the remaining deficiencies and reduce
discretion in tax and customs administration. This will contribute to
an improved business environment and yield higher tax revenues to
finance pro-poor spending. On the expenditure side, a balanced mix
between current and capital spending will be critical to sustain the
high trajectory of growth. This will require higher allocations to
capital expenditures in the transport, agriculture, and water
sectors. At the same time, the envisaged increases in social spending
highlight the importance of ensuring that they will be utilized
efficiently and transparently.
“The authorities should be commended for the improvement in the
energy sector in recent years. Looking ahead, the authorities need to
complete the reform agenda in this sector and step up the
implementation of reforms in the water and irrigation sectors,
including through an increase in tariffs to cost recovery levels.
“Armenia’s medium-term prospects are likely to remain favorable
provided the authorities move ahead with the implementation of the
reform agenda and redouble their efforts to improve governance,” Mr.
Castens stated.
The PRGF is the IMF’s concessional facility for low-income countries.
PRGF-supported programs are based on country-owned poverty reduction
strategies adopted in a participatory process involving civil society
and development partners, and articulated in a Poverty Reduction
Strategy Paper, or PRSP. This is intended to ensure that each
PRGF-supported program is consistent with a comprehensive framework
for macroeconomic, structural, and social policies, to foster growth
and reduction poverty. PRGF loans carry an annual interest rate of
0.5 percent, and are repayable over 10 years with a 5-year grace
period on principal payments.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs,
U.S. Department of State.)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 2 2004
Georgia benefits from Ukraine’s revolution
Over the last week the Georgian administration has declared its
position regarding the political turmoil in Ukraine, including
obvious statements in support of the opposition by Parliament, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Mayor’s Office and even an allusion
by President Mikheil Saakashvili that the country is proud to see
other countries in the region following Georgia’s example.
In a comment published by the International Herald Tribune on
Tuesday, Saakashvili signed off noting that Georgians “also see that
the message of our revolution – that democracy is universal and can
be successful in post-Soviet states – is widely spreading in the
region.”
His political opponents have begun speculating that the Georgian
revolutionary leader has been contaminated with ‘Trotsky’ and ‘Che
Guevara’ illness and wants to export revolution. Leaders of the Labor
Party say that it would have been better for Georgia not to openly
assert its sympathies so as not to irritate Russia.
But Russia’s increasingly obvious meddling in another country’s
presidential election have backfired not only in Kiev but have also
drawn greater attention to Moscow’s inclination to interfere into
neighboring countries’ affairs, including Georgia’s. Tbilisi’s
current support for the opposition, and for democratic norms like
fair elections, serves to increase this attention.
Russia under Putin has drifted farther from democracy and is
gradually backing away from democratic reforms. It continues to
export its own administrative model to neighboring countries so as to
exercise its influence in post-Soviet countries. But already there is
a tradition of notable failures. In Serbia Russia supported Milosevic
yet he lost. In the last two months Russia has supported Khadjimba in
the Abkhaz presidential elections, and Yanukovich in Ukraine’s; but
in both cases popular support has been expressed for another
candidate; and there is the suggestion that support for Baghapsh and
Yushchenko is partly due to Moscow’s interference.
Although in Georgia one year ago Russia did not openly support
Shevardnadze, it did demonstrate its staunch support for Aslan
Abashidze. Within months Saakashvili was hailed as a hero in Batumi
and Abashidze was on a plane retreating to Moscow. Here too,
undemocratic interests in Russia lost.
The Georgian political establishment is trying to foresee future
developments in Ukraine and its impact on Georgia. Some forecast that
2005 will be very difficult year for Georgia no matter what: if the
Orange Revolution in Ukraine fails to materialize, it will equate to
a victory of Russian neo-imperialism and Georgia may become the
target of Russia’s next attack. If Yushchenko wins, some Georgians
worry that Russian imperialist forces will try to take revenge on
Georgia to compensate for their failure in Ukraine.
While Russia meddles, Georgia has taken a remarkably prudent approach
to elections in Abkhazia. The Tbilisi administration has taken very
wise steps from the very beginning, ufficials refusing to comment and
withholding statements even when the situation began to boil over.
Such an approach deprived neo-imperialists in Russia of the ability
to speculate on Georgia’s threat to Abkhazia.
Until recently Russia has demonstrated ‘skilled’ experience in
supporting separatism in South Ossetia and Abkhazia (Georgia),
Transdnestr (Moldova) and Karabakh (Azerbaijan). Recent events
indicate that policy managers for these regimes are losing their
grip. The worry in Ukraine is that Russia is increasingly desperate
and determined to prove that it can still influence satellites as it
did two decades ago.
Of course the best development for Georgia is the victory of
Ukrainian democracy, which will open the way for this country into
European integration and accelerate Georgia’s movement toward Europe
as well. This will facilitate further close collaboration between two
countries keen on European integration.
It will have inevitable repercussions for other post-Soviet states
too; and even in Russia questions will be asked about how long a
country can stand against the desire for genuine democracy.

2ND IRAN-ARMENIA ELECTRICITY LINE TO BE LAUNCHED TODAY
Asia Pulse
Dec 01, 2004

TEHRAN, Dec 1 Asia Pulse – A second line of the Iran-Armenia electricity
network with a capacity of 230 kw is due to be inaugurated today.
Iranian Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf and his Armenian counterpart,
Armen Movsisian, will be attending the inaugural ceremony.
“Electricity exchanges between the two countries will reach a total of 450
megawatts through this project,” the managing director of the Iranian SANIR
Electricity Company said.
Alireza Kadkhodaei said that the project costs US$8.4 million.
He also announced that the two countries` energy ministers are scheduled to
sign an agreement for construction of a third line of the the two countries`
electricity network.
Meanwhile, Iran and Armenia on May 13 signed an agreement to construct a
42-km gas pipeline between the Armenian cities of Megri and Kajaran.
The project is to be inaugurated during an upcoming visit of Energy Minister
Bitaraf in Armenia.
The Iran-Armenia trade volume is expected to reach US$10 billion in the next
20 years with implementation of the above-stated project.

The Messenger, Georgia
Nov 29 2004
Azeri-Georgian rail border closed to cargo
Tbilisi waits for official explanation though some say cargo bound
for Armenia led to delay
By Anna Arzanova
Over 900 train cars carrying cargo, including 114 loaded with a
donation of wheat from Kazakhstan bound for Tbilisi, are currently
stalled at the Azerbaijan-Georgia border.
The reason for the stoppage is unclear although officials in Tbilisi
have speculated that the cargo has been detained, some for as long as
ten days now, because of a dispute between the Azeri and Georgian
governments regarding cargo being transported from Azerbaijan to
Armenia via Georgia.
Only Azeri products, including crude oil, petrol and diesel fuel, are
being allowed to cross into Georgia, and analysts are concerned not
only by the losses currently being made by Georgian importers, but
also that Georgia’s image as a reliable transit country is being
damaged.
Head of Georgian Railway Davit Onoprishvili told journalists on
Friday that the prevention of cargo from crossing the border was
having a negative impact on revenues.
He also said that the Azeri side had not officially said to either
Georgian Railways or any other Georgian state structure that they are
blocking the transit of cargo. “According to official information,
the Azeri side is just checking the cargo,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Economy Geno Muradian added that the Azeri side
was checking the cargo because of suspicions that much of it is bound
for Armenia.
“According to unofficial data the Azeri side suspects that 40 percent
of the cargo [currently waiting to cross into Georgia] is bound for
Armenia. The second reason given for the blocking of cargo is that
the Azeri side is allegedly fighting against corruption,” Muradian
said.
In June 2004, Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an agreement, which has
been ratified in Azerbaijan but not in Georgia, according to which no
cargo bound for any third country that could damage Azeri interests.
Although no country is named, the article was meant to prevent
transit of goods to Armenia.
However, Onoprishvili denies that any of the cargo is bound for
Armenia, saying that inscriptions on the train cars show they are
bound for Batumi and Poti.
Analyst Gia Khukhashvili, meanwhile, who was one of the authors of
the June agreement when he was a member of the railway’s supervisory
board, says that the dispute is actually due to the detention of
train cars belonging to the Azeri Bashlam company by Georgia because
of the non-payment of transportation costs.
“This concerns the payment of train car fees. The Azeri side has
certain arguments in connection with this matter. Some times ago the
Georgian side detained cargo belonging to the Bashlam company.
Azerbaijan is not an ordinary country and we have to understand that
all issues connected with Azerbaijan must be solved through
negotiations,” said Khukhashvili, adding that it is impossible to
maintain good relations with Azerbaijan when their cargo is being
detained.
However, Onoprishvili attacked Khukhashvili’s opinion as absurd,
saying that Georgian Railway has every right to detain cargo until
its transportation has been paid for. “His statement is absolutely
absurd. As for the company, if somebody has a debt to us, we stop the
train. The law gives us such a right and I think that otherwise it
would not be possible to make people pay their debts,” he said.
Onoprishvili thinks that if the money is not paid in advance no cargo
should be transported. According to him, there is no other way of
retrieving the debt. This way, he said, Bashlam know they must pay
their debts.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia is waiting to receive an
explanation from Azerbaijan. “We want to clarify now why cargo bound
for Georgia is being blocked,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs Mikheil Ukleba.
The Azeri Ambassador to Georgia has been summoned to the ministry on
Monday and according to reports the fate of the cargo will be decided
then.
Davit Onoprishvili has also left for Azerbaijan in order to settle
this problem.
When Presidents Eduard Shevardnadze and Heidar Aliev were in power, a
limited amount of cargo was transited to Armenia from Azerbaijan via
Georgia, and some too from Armenia to Azerbaijan. Heidar Aliev closed
his eyes to this and never questioned Georgia about it.
However, his son President Ilham Aliev has put the issue firmly on
the agenda: Alia reports that during the summer he threatened not to
visit Georgia unless the paragraph forbidding the transportation of
goods bound for any third country be included in the June agreement
between the two sides.
Clearly concerned, Armenian President Kocharian traveled to Tbilisi
almost immediately after the agreement was signed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Le Figaro
29 novembre 2004
Djorkaeff : un challenge difficile aux allures de CDD;
Pour sa troisième saison en Angleterre, l’ancien international vit
une période délicate avec Blackburn, soulagé par un succès à Fulham
Dominique PAGNOUD
Avec son bonnet de laine sur la tête et son blouson en toile sur la
poitrine, Youri Djorkaeff se fond facilement dans la population de
Manchester pressée de rentrer chez elle par les durs frimas
d’automne. Malgré ses apparences d’éternel teenager,
l’ex-international arrive théoriquement au terme de sa très honorable
carrière ponctuée par des titres de champion du monde en 1998,
d’Europe en 2000, et, avec les clubs, des trophées tels que la Coupe
de France (Monaco), la Coupe des Coupes (Paris-SG) et la Coupe de
l’UEFA (Inter Milan).
Les vêtements luxueux, les belles voitures, Youri les laisse aux
autres. En souvenir du génocide infligé par les Turcs aux Arméniens
et de la vie difficile de ses grands-parents, tailleurs, contraints
de faire les marchés du côté de Marseille puis de Lyon, il savoure
dans la simplicité, à 36 ans, le temps présent et ses ultimes matches
chez les professionnels de Blackburn Rovers, en Angleterre, un pays
qu’il considère « étonnamment serein pour être en guerre avec l’Irak.
A voir ces Anglais si flegmatiques, nul ne pourrait deviner qu’ils
ont des enfants en danger du côté de Bagdad ».
Ses propres préoccupations concernent des terrains qu’il espère moins
minés pour y tirer des cartouches beaucoup plus pacifiques. Les
toutes dernières ? Actuellement en retrait à cause d’une
microdéchirure au quadriceps droit, Youri Djorkaeff ne l’espère pas
car il a signé, challenge insolite, un contrat de trois mois
seulement, courant jusqu’à la fin de l’année mais en principe
prolongé de quinze jours à la suite de sa récente indisponibilité.
S’il continue à se comporter en leader d’attaque exemplaire, comme il
le fit avant sa blessure, il devrait permettre à son nouveau club,
sorti de la zone de relégation samedi grce à un succès à Fulham
(0-2), de reprendre de l’altitude. Youri pourrait retrouver le
championnat samedi prochain contre Tottenham ou dans quinze jours à
Londres contre Crystal Palace.
Avec enfin, un peu de chance, le fils de Jean, l’international des
années 60, pourra encore humer l’atmosphère mancunienne au printemps
et, pourquoi pas, poursuivre jusqu’à 37, 38, voire 40 ans, une
formidable carrière à l’égal des Baresi, Bergomi, Maldini ou
Virchwood. Après deux saisons à Bolton, succédant à Kaiserslautern,
l’Inter Milan, Paris-SG, Monaco, Strasbourg et Grenoble, soit vingt
années de bons et loyaux services lui ayant valu le surnom de « Snake
», un serpent se faufilant à travers les défenses les plus
hermétiques, il aurait pu tout aussi bien prendre le chemin du Qatar
et rejoindre ses amis champions du monde Leboeuf, Dugarry et Desailly
pour signer un juteux contrat.
La retraite dorée attendra, si elle doit arriver. Actuellement, il la
verrait plutôt du côté de Decines, où, avec son père et ses frères,
Denis et Misha, il bichonne le club arménien de l’UGA, actuellement
en division d’honneur, qu’il voudrait voir évoluer en Ligue 2 d’ici à
six ans. Le présent de ce pigiste se trouve naturellement à
Manchester, la ville où il est installé depuis deux ans et demi avec
femme (Sophie) et enfants (Sacha, 11 ans, Oan, 7 ans, et Angelica, 5
ans) sans oublier Blackburn, à trois quarts d’heure de voiture où
l’ex-sélectionneur du Pays de Galles, Mark Hugues, a insisté pour
l’engager après le départ du coach écossais Graham Souness.
Dans une équipe-multinationale réunissant un Américain (Friedel), un
Italien (Amuroso), un Espagnol (De Pedro), un Slovaque (Gresko), un
Suédois (Johansson), un Norvégien (Pedersen), un Irlandais (Reid),
deux Australiens (Neil et Emerton, un Turc (Tugay) et quand même…
une grosse poignée d’Anglais, le numéro 15 des Rovers a amorcé dans
la douleur son pari un peu fou puisque Blackburn a perdu six fois
pour sept nuls et deux victoires. L’homme dont la carrière approche
les 535 matches tous championnats confondus promet de se racheter
très vite à Ewood Park, le jardin des Rovers, ou à l’extérieur. Comme
d’habitude, il jettera toutes ses forces dans l’une de ces batailles
« made in England », sous la pluie et le froid, devant des tribunes
pleines et chantantes. Le championnat anglais est le plus complet en
Europe, explique-t-il, puisque « plus de la moitié des
présélectionnés tricolores y fourbissent leurs armes. Ici, on
retrouve une envie comparable à celle des gamins dans les cours des
écoles primaires ».
Pour assouvir cette passion, le généreux « neuf et demi » ne cache
pas qu’il faut être doté d’un tempérament bien trempé et faire
abstraction des conditions de jeu. Conscient de la fugacité des bons
moments, le cinquième réalisateur de l’histoire des Bleus avec 28
buts veut s’accrocher à son CDD, fidèle à un enthousiasme qui, à
l’image de son physique, ne s’est pas altéré. Depuis ses débuts, il a
également conservé sa décontraction et sa bonne humeur, conscient
d’exercer l’un des plus beaux métiers du monde. Après des galères il
est resté entre autres sans nouvelles des dirigeants de Bolton lui
ayant donné leur accord verbal pour une prolongation de contrat , il
se réjouit tous les matins d’être bien vivant au milieu de sa petite
famille. Et de pouvoir apprécier un cortège d’excellents souvenirs.
De Kaiserslautern notamment, où son entraîneur Otto Rehagghel l’a
profondément marqué.
« Notre entraîneur devenu champion d’Europe avec la Grèce entretenait
des rapports très humains avec les joueurs. De toute ma carrière
professionnelle, c’est même le seul entraîneur à m’avoir donné le
numéro de son portable. Lors de mon arrivée, il m’a dit : « Si tu as
le moindre problème, tu peux m’appeler de jour comme de nuit. » Tout
le monde l’appréciait dans l’équipe et je comprends qu’il ait été
récompensé cet été au Portugal. »
Naturellement, dans son musée de la mémoire, il accorde une place
particulière au triomphe français du Mondial 98 : « Nous avons formé
pendant un mois et demi un vrai club, soudés, unis dans la souffrance
et dans la réussite. Je crois qu’aujourd’hui l’équipe de France
possède de la qualité, mais elle doit surtout se débarrasser de tout
complexe d’infériorité dans un groupe qui est largement à sa portée.
»
Youri se rappelle aussi avec délectation la remise de sa Légion
d’honneur au palais de l’Elysée. « Nous avions droit à cinq invités
par joueur. Mes parents étaient là, bien sûr, mon oncle Rajak et M.
Moratti (le président de l’Inter Milan, mon club de l’époque) et son
épouse. Je l’ai présenté à M. Chirac : . « Président, voici mon
président », ai-je murmuré avant que M. Chirac se tourne vers lui et
lui dise à son tour : « Maintenant, il va peut-être falloir songer à
nous le rendre. »

Le Point
25 novembre 2004
Hitler le nazisme et les Allemands;
Traudl Junge: un destin peu ordinaire
par François-Guillaume Lorrain
Comment devient-on la secrétaire de Hitler à 22 ans? En 1942, Traudl
Humps est dactylo à Munich. Son père a participé au putsch de Hitler
en 1923. Une collègue de la soeur cadette de Traudl, danseuse à
Berlin, est apparentée au frère de Martin Bormann, Albert Bormann,
qui dirige la chancellerie de Hitler. Il recrute. Traudl bondit sur
la proposition de travailler à Berlin. Peu après, Hitler, qui emploie
les mêmes secrétaires personnelles depuis 1930, a besoin de sang
neuf. Deux arguments jouent en faveur de Traudl: elle est munichoise
et ressemble à Eva Braun. Elle épouse Hans Junge, ordonnance de
Hitler, et restera avec le Führer jusqu’au 1er mai 1945. Après une
tentative de fuite pour rejoindre la zone américaine, elle revient à
Berlin en juin 1945, où elle est appréhendée par les Soviétiques.
Grâce à un interprète arménien, elle s’échappe en zone anglaise puis
rallie Munich, où elle est arrêtée par les Américains. Lors d’un
interrogatoire, un officier lui demande de raconter sur trois pages
ses derniers jours dans le bunker et lui propose 5 000 dollars pour
les droits du texte. Elle refuse. Libérée en 1946, elle répond aux
131 questions du formulaire de dénazification. Elle n’est pas
inquiétée. Sur l’insistance de ses proches, elle rédige en 1947 des
souvenirs, qui n’intéressent aucun éditeur. Elle n’y cache pas sa
fascination pour un Hitler charmant, attentionné. En 1948, elle est
interviewée par un historien américain, Mussano, qui prépare
l’ouvrage «Ten Days to Die». Le livre est porté à l’écran en 1955 par
Pabst, elle est conseillère sur le tournage. En 2000, seule
survivante du proche entourage de Hitler, une journaliste la persuade
de publier son texte, qu’elle présente comme«une tentative [?]de
réconciliation avec [elle]-même» . S’y adjoint un film, «Im toten
Winkel», où elle parle face à la caméra. Elle est morte le lendemain
de sa projection au Festival de Berlin 2002
–Boundary_(ID_qGTnJYbtsobEUAfrs5Umow)–

Du Toit gets 34 years’ jail for Guinea coup plot
By Raymond Whitaker in Cape Town
The Independent – United Kingdom
Nov 27, 2004
A COURT in Equatorial Guinea found Nick du Toit, a South African
former special forces soldier, guilty of a plot to overthrow the
President of the oil-rich country and sentenced him to 34 years
in prison yesterday. Sir Mark Thatcher and several other prominent
Britons have been implicated in the failed coup attempt.
Prosecutors in Equatorial Guinea had sought the death penalty for du
Toit, who confessed to leading an advance guard for the abortive coup
before retracting his statement, saying he had been tortured. Four
other South Africans and six Armenian aircrew were jailed for long
terms.
The collapse in March of the plan to oust Equatorial Guinea’s
President, Teodoro Obiang, and replace him with an opposition
politician in return for lucrative oil contracts has led to criminal
trials in three countries.
Simon Mann, an Old Etonian former SAS officer has been jailed for
seven years in Zimbabwe for illegal arms buying, along with more
than 60 South Africans who were intercepted at Harare airport while
allegedly on their way to Equatorial Guinea.
South Africa’s elite Scorpions detective unit arrested Sir Mark in
August and charged him with helping to finance the plot, but this week
the case was postponed until April to give investigators more time.
Lawyers acting for President Obiang were due to question Sir Mark
yesterday on his alleged part in the affair, but a Cape Town magistrate
agreed to defer the issue while he seeks leave to appeal.

LA FRANCE CHERCHE UNE ALTERNATIVE A L’ADHESION PURE ET SIMPLE DE LA TURQUIE
LEMONDE.FR | 22.11.04 | 17h56
La formulation exacte de cette alternative n’est pas encore arrêtée et doit
être calibrée pour ne pas heurter la Turquie. Ce serait une solution si,
“pour une raison ou pour une autre”, l’adhésion à l’Union européenne était
impossible.
La France souhaite que les dirigeants européens évoquent dans les
conclusions de leur sommet de Bruxelles la possibilité d’une “alternative” à
l’adhésion pure et simple en cas d’échec des négociations avec la Turquie,
a-t-on appris, lundi 22 novembre, de source française.
La Commission européenne a recommandé en octobre dernier l’ouverture “sans
délai” de pourparlers d’adhésion avec la Turquie, mais la décision revient
aux chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement de l’UE, qui se réunissent les 16 et 17
décembre.
Jacques Chirac est l’un des plus fervents partisans de l’intégration de la
Turquie dans l’Union européenne, mais il doit tenir compte d’une opinion
publique réticente et de l’opposition de membres de son parti, l’UMP, qui y
sont tout à fait opposés.
LA TURQUIE REFUSE D’ÉVOQUER UN “PARTENARIAT PRIVILÉGIÉ”
L’UMP et son futur président, Nicolas Sarkozy, prônent la conclusion d’un
partenariat privilégié avec la Turquie, ce qu’Ankara rejette avec force
puisqu’il s’agirait d’un recul par rapport aux engagements pris. Certaines
capitales cherchent à concilier les deux.
“Jacques Chirac veut que les négociations soient ouvertes avec pour objectif
l’adhésion”, a-t-on déclaré de source française, ajoutant que la date
d’ouverture serait “fin 2005, début 2006”, afin de ne pas provoquer
d’interférence avec le référendum de 2005 sur la Constitution européenne.
“Mais si, pour une raison ou un autre, ce n’est pas possible, peut-être
peut-on envisager ce qu’on ferait au cas où les négociations n’aboutiraient
pas”, a-t-on ajouté, en soulignant que l’Autriche et les Pays-Bas
souhaitaient aussi qu’une alternative à l’adhésion puisse être évoquée dans
le texte.
La formulation exacte de cette alternative n’est pas encore arrêtée et doit
être calibrée pour ne pas heurter la Turquie.
“Je ne sais pas quels mots on utilisera”, a expliqué la source. “C’est une
discussion qui commence.” Le 14 novembre, Jacques Chirac avait déjà indiqué
la possibilité d’une “troisième hypothèse” entre l’adhésion pure et simple
et le maintien du statut actuel des relations UE-Turquie.
Le président de la République affirmait alors : “Il y a une troisième
hypothèse : c’est que dans trois ans, dans quatre ans, dans cinq ans, on
s’aperçoive que certes il y a des progrès, que certes on a fait des choses,
mais qu’il y a encore des obstacles qui sont tels que l’on ne les surmontera
pas. A ce moment-là, il faudra trouver une autre solution, c’est-à-dire la
création d’un lien suffisamment fort pour être conforme à nos ambitions de
paix et de coopération, sans être l’intégration dans l’Union européenne.”
Avec Reuters
,1-0@2-3214,36-388047,0.html
#####
–Boundary_(ID_7DWsw65476q9TBZEfSga1A)–

CHECHEN SEPARATIST SPOKESMAN DISMISSES REPORT OF TIES WITH BIN-LADIN
Kavkaz-Tsentr news agency web site
20 Nov 04
A leading Chechen separatist spokesman has refuted a US defence agency
report alleging links between Usamah Bin-Ladin and the Chechens
back in 1998. Movladi Udugov says that the report that Al-Qa’idah
training camps were being set up in Chechnya, Ingushetia and other
republics is “a tissue of lies and a crude provocation”, and that
the Americans are using such false reports to prepare for further
interference in the North Caucasus. The following is the text of the
report by Kavkaz-Tsentr news agency web site on 20 November headlined
“Report on ties between Bin-Ladin and Chechnya a tissue of lies”;
subheadings inserted editorially:
US report says Al-Qa’idah camps “being set up” in North Caucasus
Some Russian and American information sources reported yesterday
(19 November) that a certain non-governmental organization, Judicial
Watch, had apparently gained access to a report prepared in October
1998 by the US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). The DIA report
claims that Usamah Bin-Ladin had established close ties with the
Chechens back in 1998. He was allegedly operating in mediation with
(late rebel field commander in Chechnya) Khattab and the leader of
the Islamic Path party, Movladi Udugov. It is claimed that Khattab
and nine other of Bin-Ladin’s associates had been sent to the North
Caucasus to set up a new Al-Qa’idah training base. As a result
of their efforts, Bin-Ladin’s organization had apparently set up
training camps in Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabarda-Balkaria,
Karachay and Adygeya. Organizational and financial support was also
given to friendly groups operating in Crimea, Azerbaijan, Tatarstan,
Bashkortostan, Central Asia, as well as in Moscow and St Petersburg.
It is also claimed that Bin-Ladin had allegedly met Movladi Udugov
in Afghanistan on a number of occasions, and had focused particular
attention on the military training of ethnic Russians, Ukrainians and
Ossetians, who had converted to Islam, for the preparation of terrorist
acts. Al-Qa’idah’s main strike was expected to be directed against the
Americans and other representatives of the West, Israelis, Russians
(especially Cossacks), Serbs, Chinese, Armenians and disloyal Muslims.
Separatist spokesman rubbishes report
The head of the external sub-committee of the Information Committee of
the State Defence Council – Majlis ul-Shura of the Chechen Republic
of Ichkeria, Movladi Udugov described the story of the report about
ties between Bin-Ladin and Chechnya as a tissue of lies.
“This is a tissue of lies and a crude provocation. It is a simple
matter to expose this falsification. In the first place, Islamic Path
has never been a party, but was simply a pre-election association of
my supporters in 1997. It existed for a few weeks and was dissolved
immediately after the elections in accordance with the law. In 1998
this organization simply did not exist.
“Second, I did not travel outside Chechnya until December 1999 (not
counting trips to Moscow for talks, to the hajj in 1997, together
with (Chechen rebel) President (Aslan) Maskhadov, and to Poland, also
with Maskhadov). Therefore, there could not have been in principle
any meetings, especially with Bin-Ladin, either in Afghanistan or
anywhere else. Perhaps he himself went to Mecca, Moscow or Warsaw.
“Third, an elementary analysis of the text of the so-called ‘report’
shows that it had simply been copied from many ‘operational reports ‘
of the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service). The mention of Cossacks
is particularly touching.
“Fourth, this is not the first nonsense of this kind. One has only
to recall the false claims about Chechen detachments in Afghanistan,
Pakistan and Iraq. As is known, up to now neither the Russians, the
Americans nor the British have come up with a single fact to support
their claims in this regard. It is nothing but a lot of nonsense. There
has not been a single living or dead Chechen there.
“Fifth, there have never been any Al-Qa’idah training camps in Chechnya
or anywhere else. If there were, then perhaps someone would indicate
specific geographical addresses rather than throw away general
claims. The only training centre in Serzhen-Yurt, which was run by
amir Khattab, was an official unit of the CRI armed forces. Khattab
himself was appointed the head of the training centre immediately
after the first war by an order of the commander-in-chief of the CRI
armed forces, (Aslan) Maskhadov.
“Therefore, my estimation of this false report is that it is a tissue
of lies from beginning to end. And there is one other observation. I
get the impression that the emergence of such ‘reports,’ is not
very much to Moscow’s liking. The Americans, with the help of such
outbursts of disinformation, are creating preconditions for future
direct interference in the North Caucasus,” Movladi Udugov pointed
out in his comments.