Author: Harutyunian Christine

ANNUAL REPORT OF FREEDOM HOUSE PRESENTED TO RA NA SPEAKER

Noyan Tapan
May 02 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 2, RA National Assembly Speaker
Artur Baghdasarian received the delegation led by Deputy Director
of the Freedom House NGO Thomas Melia, Head of the European Office
Christie Evenson and editor of the Economist Intelligence Unit
Anna Walker. As Noyan Tapan was informed from NA Public Relations
Department, Th.Melia presented NA Speaker the 2006 annual report
of the Freedom House NGO mentioning that both the methodologies of
evaluation and the criteria are given in the report. The sides touched
upon the process of Armenian reforms attaching importance to deepening
of democracy, economic developments and free elections, freedom of
speech in the countries experiencing the transitional period for their
progress. Reliability of information was also considered important.

THERE SHOULDN’T BE DISCRIMINATION IN FOREIGN TERRITORY

A1+
[06:55 pm] 02 May, 2006

The bill referring the problems of the RA national minorities and the
legal mechanisms regulating them is already in effect. The author of
the bill is the RA Government Board representative dealing with the
issues of national minorities and religion.

The bill is an urgent need as in 2000 the RA signed the convention on
the rights of national minorities which prescribes certain privileges
and first of all the existence of an adequate law. The bill is still
being discussed by various ministries. Later it will be presented to
the Government.

A seminar was organized in the hotel “Congress” on this score. The
representatives of Assyrian and Ezdi communities as well as the
representatives of the Government corresponding boards and interested
persons participated in it.

Hranush Kharatyan, the Chief of the RA Government Board on national
minorities and religion, mentioned that there are many legal acts
in all the laws on national minorities, but “their rights aren’t
distinctly formulated in any law, and there is no mention about
the characteristics according to which this or that group may be
considered a national minority. Even the Convention doesn’t define
their status as each country is to decide it itself.”

According to the bill, national minorities must be protected and
financed by the RA State budget.

Only the ethnic communities providing certain number will be
financed. “We attempted to be democratic in connection with
Armenia. Only those communities will be financed where at least two
generations lived, which weren’t aggressive and had no problems with
the local inhabitants. According to the second condition, they will
form 15% of the urban or rural population.

Their number must be 200 000 people, both adults and juveniles, so
that they could have at least 3 – 4 pupils in each class and would
be able to educate them,” noted Hranush Kharatyan.

Vigen Kocharyan, the member of the European Convention on ethnic
minorities, stated that national minorities fall into 4 groups;
existence and identity preservation, discrimination protection and
provision of engagement into public and state affairs. He mainly
underlined the exclusion of discrimination the provision of which is
very vital in a foreign territory.

VIEWPOINT: US-IRAN CRISIS FALLOUT
Alexei Makarkin
UPI Senior News Analyst

Middle East Times, Egypt
May 1 2006

MOSCOW — Escalation of the US conflict with Iran directly affects
the interests of its neighbors.

A military solution may generate serious problems for Iraq, where it
took the political forces several months to agree on the distribution
of government positions. Moreover, a Shia has again become prime
minister, and the Iraqi Shias have historical ties with their brethren
in Iran. Understandably, political risks in Afghanistan and Pakistan
will markedly grow. The states of the South Caucasus, also Iran’s
neighbors, will face problems, too.

The media report that the United States is hoping for Azeri cooperation
– its territory could be used as a potential bridgehead for military
action against Iran. This may or may not happen, but nevertheless is
on the agenda. The agenda may include the use of Azeri airspace and
airfields, and the deployment of US troops on Azeri territory.

Obviously, Baku is not very enthusiastic about this prospect. To begin
with, Azerbaijan maintains close relations with Iran. They signed a
non-aggression and cooperation treaty in 2002. Last December their
representatives attended the inauguration of the gas pipeline –
under a 25-year-long bilateral agreement, Iran will supply 80.5
million cubic meters of natural gas a year.

During his recent trip to Baku, Iranian defense minister Mostafa
Mohammad-Najjar said: “The security of Azerbaijan is the security of
Iran. Our defense capability is your defense capability.” He seemed
keen to find out the Azeri position on the eve of Aliyev’s visit to
the US. It is clear, however, that if Azerbaijan becomes an American
ally in the war against Iran, it will itself become a target for
Iranian missiles.”

Moreover, Iran is the home for at least 35 million Azeris – their
number being bigger than the population of Azerbaijan itself – many of
them with relatives in Azerbaijan. It is rumored that the Americans
may try and use the ethnic factor – contradictions between the Azeri
Diaspora and the Tehran regime (as Stalin tried to do in 1946). If so,
the United States will find it hard to do without Baku.

But let’s not forget that Stalin did not succeed, although the Iranian
central government was much weaker than it is now. In addition, if
hostilities break out, refugees may flood Azeri territory and create
serious problems for the Baku authorities.

Finally, the Islamic fundamentalists in Azerbaijan may use military
action to enhance their positions by espousing anti-American rhetoric.

While Baku is thinking about its position in the Iranian crisis,
Armenia is worried that it may have a negative effect on the Karabakh
problem, in which the United States is increasingly trying to act as
a go-between. So far, the point at issue is whether Baku will grant
Karabakh the right to self-determination, and sanction a referendum,
the results of which are already clear. Only in this case will Armenia
agree to concessions, and return to Baku control over the areas of
the country, outside Karabakh, which are now occupied by its armed
formations.

For the time being, Aliyev rejects the idea of a referendum as a matter
of principle – if he agrees to it, he will weaken his position inside
the country and give the opposition an excuse to lash out at him.

Today, the Americans are emphasizing their role of an “honest broker”
at the Karabakh negotiations, and are trying to exert equal influence
on either side. But the question is if they are so interested in Azeri
territory as a bridgehead for military action against Iran, how can
they “compensate” Baku for the tremendous political risks involved?

At the very least, the United States could support the Azeri option
of the Karabakh settlement, which Armenia finds unacceptable. At most,
Washington may look the other way if Baku possibly attempts to resolve
the issue with military force. The leader of the Armenian opposition
Stepan Demirchyan said with good reason: “The consequences of a war
in Iran will be destructive for the whole region.” He added that a
war in Iran would spell disaster both for Nagorny Karabakh and Armenia.

Although unlikely, even the possibility of such a war causes concern
in Armenia and other Commonwealth of Independent States nations,
which have a vested interest in peaceful settlement of conflicts
on their territory. Thus potential US military intervention in Iran
may not only result in huge casualties, part of which will be caused
by Tehran’s retaliation, but also exacerbate old seats of tension,
which have been almost extinguished. In short, it could trigger a
chain reaction with unpredictable consequences.

Alexei Makarkin is deputy general director of the Center for Political
Technologies in Moscow and wrote this commentary for the RIA Novosti
news agency. This article is reprinted by permission of RIA Novosti.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Sergey Mironov Suggests Resuming Meetings of Armenian,
Azeri, Georgian and Russian Speakers

29.04.2006 21:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 28 Chair of the Council of
Federation of the Federal Assembly of Russia Sergey
Mironov sponsored resumption of regular meetings of
Armenian, Azeri, Georgian and Russian Speakers. `I
discussed this matter with my Azeri and Armenian
counterparts and they hailed this initiative. I hope
Georgian Parliament Chair Nino Burjanadze will not
object,’ Mironov told journalists. The latest meeting
of the four Speakers was held in Moscow in September
2005. According to reports, Russian State Duma Speaker
Boris Gryzlov refused from a meeting with Burjanadze
scheduled April 28 during the Georgian Speaker’s visit
to Russia to take part in events marking the 100th
anniversary of Russian State Duma.

Today, Azerbaijan
April 29 2006

Samed Seyidov: “Lord Russell-Johnston to visit South Caucasus”

29 April 2006 [20:56] – Today.Az

Position of the Council of Europe on Nagorno Karabakh conflict is
evident – full recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity as
it was mentioned in resolution 1416, adopted during the January 2005
session, said the head of the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation in
CE, MP Samed Seyidov.

“The resolution clearly states that Nagorno Karabakh is an
inseparable part of Azerbaijan. PACE position towards the problem is
clear and distinct,” he told Trend.

Speaking about PACE summer session, Seyidov told that special
attention will be paid to the Azerbaijani delegation mandate in that
organization.

“Results of May 13 2006 rerun parliamentary elections and November
2005 elections will be discussed i.e. results of both elections will
be discussed separately,” he said.

Another important moment of the PACE future session in Strasbourg
will be the next meeting of the PACE ad-hoc committee on Nagorno
Karabakh. “British diplomat, Lord Russell-Johnston is conducting a
serious work in that direction and he will soon visit the region,”
Seyidov assured, adding that Russell will visit Azerbaijan, Armenia
and occupied Azerbaijani lands.

Seyidov did not exclude possibility of meeting between Azerbaijani
and Armenian MPs in Strasbourg as it might be possible within the
frames of the PACE ad-hoc committee work.

“It is very important for us. We have to redefine our positions on
Nagorno Karabakh. Putting the special emphasis on the fact that
international organizations are supporting Baku in that matter,”
Seyidov concluded.

URL:

AZG Armenian Daily #078, 29/04/2006

Concern

UNION OF ARMENIANS OF RUSSIA SUGGESTS TO STRUGGLE
XENOPHOBIA WITH JOINT EFFORTS

The Union of Armenians of Russia suggests the Russian authorities and
the law enforcement bodies to jointly elaborate a mechanism for
aversion and resistance of nationalistic crimes. According to the
Russian mass media sources, Ara Abrahamian, chairman of the Union of
Armenians of Russia, made this statement in Moscow.

Abrahamian emphasized that the number of murder cases resultant of
nationalistic propaganda has grown. 5 citizens were killed, including
17 years old Vigen Abrahamiants, only in the course of the four months
of 2006. He stated that if the preliminary investigation proves that
the murder was committed by the skinheads, one shouldn’t hide the
facts and keep silent, as only open condemnation may avert
reoccurrence of such crimes in the future.

Ara Abrahamian believes that such developments may spoil the friendly
relations between the nations and this can’t be in the interests of
Russia. Thus, the crimes committed out of nationalistic or religious
motives should be strictly punished. “Indifference or qualifying such
crimes as hooliganism only encourage young fascist scoundrels and
their supporters,” he said. He added that “Russia for the Russians”
notorious slogan of the nationalists may turn quite disastrous for the
multinational Russia, as cases of fascist attacks and display of
xenophobia may destroy the state. “Russia is home for all of us. We
all are responsible for maintaining the atmosphere of peace and
prosperity in Russia,” he said.

Ara Abrahamian stated once again that the Union of Armenians of Russia
will follow the investigation of the April 22 murder of Vigen
Abrahamiants. He added that UAR suggests that various NGOs hold a
roundtable with the law enforcers to elaborate mechanisms for joint
struggle against xenophobia.

Abrahamian expressed an opinion that at present Russia faces a serious
problem. Sooner Russian society and the state structures realize the
danger of nationalistic and religious hatred, the sooner the country
will be healed of that disease.

By Aghavni Harutyunian

Washington File, DC
April 28 2006

Report Cites U.S., EU, Eurasian Counterterrorism Cooperation
Terrorist threat increasingly seen as internal, State Department says

By Jeffrey Thomas
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington – Europe and the United States continue to work in close
partnership to counter the terrorist threat, a threat that
increasingly is seen as internal, according to the State Department’s
annual terrorism report.

European Union (EU) member states remained `strong and reliable
partners’ and Russia continued to intensify its bilateral
counterterrorism cooperation with the United States and to play a
leadership role in multilateral fora, according to the Country
Reports on Terrorism 2005 released April 28 in Washington.

As for the Caucasus and Central Asia, the report says progress was
generally the rule with the exception of Uzbekistan.

A key concern, the report says, is the terrorist activity and the
presence of terrorist support networks in Europe. `Efforts to combat
the threat in Europe were sometimes hampered by legal protections
that made it difficult to take firm judicial action against suspected
terrorists, asylum laws that afforded loopholes, inadequate
legislation, or standards of evidence that limited the use of
classified information in holding terrorist suspects.’

The report also cites legal difficulties with the new EU arrest
warrant in some countries, the ability of terrorists to travel easily
between certain EU countries and EU reluctance to block the assets of
charities associated with Hamas (also known as the Islamic Resistance
Movement) and Hizballah, both of which the United States designates
as terrorist groups.

Several new bilateral agreements bolstered U.S.-Russian
counterterrorism cooperation in 2005, including an
information-sharing agreement on man portable air defense systems
(MANPADS, or shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles). (See related
article.)

Other positive developments included a counternarcotics memorandum of
understanding and an agreement between the FBI and the Russian
Federal Security Service that has created a `highly productive joint
counterterrorism operational capability,’ the report says.

The report also cites Russia’s role in proposing and securing the
enactment of the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts
of Nuclear Terrorism and Russia’s regional leadership in combating
money laundering.

Regarding the war in Chechnya, the report cites the addition of
terrorist Shamil Basayev to the Chechen separatist leadership
structure as bolstering Russia’s contention that the Chechen
insurgency is terrorist in nature.

CENTRAL ASIA

In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is deemed `a dependable and outspoken
ally,’ while Kazakhstan has improved its counterterrorist laws and
stepped up cooperation, according to the report. Tajikistan has
`offered its limited resources to assist the United States
unconditionally.’

Even though there is a lack of formal cooperation on counterterrorism
between Turkmenistan and the United States, the report states the
Central Asian country has granted blanket overflight rights for U.S.
aircraft supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Uzbekistan’s support for the global War on Terror, however, has
`eroded significantly due to the downturn in U.S.-Uzbek relations,’
according to the report.

One of the first nations to support U.S. efforts in the global War on
Terror, hosting U.S. military forces in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan beginning in 2001, Uzbekistan terminated its
agreement with the United States allowing use of the Karshi-Khanabad
base in July 2005. (See related article.)

Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried said after visiting
Uzbekistan in September 2005 that, while the United States and
Uzbekistan share common security concerns, the two countries “have
had a very difficult period in relations, complicated by grave
concerns regarding the human rights situation and events in [the
Uzbek city of] Andijan [in May 2005].” (See related story.)

The government of Uzbekistan, the report sums up, `increased security
forces to prevent terrorist attacks but failed to address the
conditions terrorists exploit to gain popular support and recruits
for their cause.’

In the Caucasus, Armenia `continues to strengthen its capacity’ to
counter terrorist threats and Azerbaijan has moved aggressively
against domestic terrorism while also actively supporting the
international efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the report says.

Georgia presents a more mixed picture. While Georgian security forces
continue to carry out operations to rid the Pankisi Gorge of
terrorists, Georgia’s borders remains porous because of corruption at
border checkpoints, according to the report.

This year’s congressionally mandated report uses a broader definition
of terrorism than previous reports, and its statistics showing a
sharply higher number of incidents are therefore incommensurable with
those of prior years. Only in future years will it be possible to
draw conclusions about trends with any certainty. (See related
article.)

Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 is available on the State
Department Web site, as is the regional overview (PDF, 43 pages) for
Europe and Eurasia.

The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) prepared the terrorist
incident statistics included in the report. The 2004 Intelligence
Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act created the NCTC and designated
it the primary authoritative organization for global terrorism
analysis, including regular reporting requirements.

For additional information, see Response to Terrorism.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
)

PATRIARCH OF GREAT HOUSE OF CILICIA, CATHOLICOS ARAM I INDIGNANT AT IDLENESS OF UN

Yerevan, April 26. ArmInfo. Patriarch of the Great House of Cilicia,
Catholicos Aram I is indignant at the idleness and silence of
international judicial instances operating under UN mandate regarding
the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. Cilicia Patriarchy Department
of Information and Press told ArmInfo.

According to the source, Aram I expresses his indignation at the
superficial attitude of UNESCO to the destruction and “cultural
Genocide” of Armenian historical monuments by the same barbarians
who committed the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915 and
in Azerbaijani Sumgait in 1988. “Why doesn’t UNESCO take measures to
stop the destruction of Armenian monuments in the historical Western
Armenia, Cilicia, the khachkars in Old Julfa and to restore Saint
Makar Monastery in Cyprus transformed into a public dining-room?”

asks Catholicos Aram I. He calls the international community for
recognition of Armenian Genocide like the other displays of Genocide –
Holocaust and the Genocide in Rwanda – were recognized.

SEX, LIES AND AN UNUSUAL TAKE: EGOYAN SUSPECTS THE FURORE OVER HIS FILM IS DUE TO THE WAY THE SEX SCENES WERE SHOT
Ong Sor Fern , Film Correspondent

The Straits Times (Singapore)
April 26, 2006 Wednesday

EVER since his new film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last May,
arthouse director Atom Egoyan has been talking about sex.

Over the telephone from his office in Toronto, the amiable 46-year-old
Canadian reveals a lively sense of mischief when he talks about
shooting explicit sex scenes.

‘It’s very liberating. I have fun and just enjoy it. Especially
knowing your characters are going to be punished for it and not you,’
the Egypt-born, Canada-raised Armenian chuckles uproariously.

Where The Truth Lies, which opened here last Thursday, is the most
mainstream offering from the director better known for boutique
arthouse fare like Exotica (1994) and the Oscar-nominated The Sweet
Hereafter (1997).

It tells of a journalist (Alison Lohman) who is determined to ferret
out the story behind the break-up of celebrated comedy act Vince
Collins (Colin Firth) and Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon).

The truth involves a lot of torrid sex, including a three-way between
Firth, Bacon and actress Rachel Blanchard and a steamy lesbian scene
for Lohman.

In the United States, the censors slapped the movie with an NC17
rating instead of the Restricted rating the distributor was hoping for.

NC17 bars those under 17 from entry and is often associated with
pornographic films while an R rating allows minors entry if accompanied
by adults.

In the end, the film was released unrated in its original edit in the
US. In Singapore, the film has been passed uncut with an R21 rating.

The director says he is still bemused over the furore.

‘I’ll never know exactly why we fell afoul of them. My suspicion is
that they are not used to seeing actors of this renown in scenes that
are so exposed and shot in a high Hollywood studio style.

‘We’ve come to expect sex scenes to be shot in a very gritty way.

That may be the shock of the scenes.’

For the director, the sex was only part of the story he was trying
to tell in this adaptation of Rupert Holmes’ novel of the same name.

What intrigued him about the book was its insider’s perspective on
the cult of celebrity. Holmes is also a pop star best known for his
1979 novelty hit Escape (The Pina Colada Song).

Egoyan, who is married to actress Arsinee Khanjian, says: ‘What’s
interesting to me is not that we need celebrities, but what is the
toll on these human beings that we put into this position?

‘Are they capable of withstanding these pressures, especially when
they are the subject of so much projection, the contrast between the
very, very public and the very, very private in their lives.’

In his script adaptation, he chose to expand on the character of the
young journalist in order to explore this theme.

The director, who has also written original scripts, has made two
other book adaptations, The Sweet Hereafter (1997) and Felicia’s
Journey (1999).

Asked whether he prefers creating stories or adapting someone else’s
work, there is a thoughtful pause before he launches into a lengthy,
reasoned response.

‘Writing your own script, you are faced with a lot of moments of
crises. You always have to justify why the story needs to be told.

When you are adapting, its right has already been ascertained by
another artist.’

He adds a heartfelt confession: ‘I feel much more vulnerable when
I’m writing my own scripts.’

Besides less worry over the story, this film offered him a chance to
make old-school Hollywood glamour.

The detail-oriented director confesses that he was obsessed with things
like diffusion and colour lenses in order to achieve the right look
for the film.

‘Much of this film is told from the point of view of Lanny. Certainly
if he was hiring a director, he wouldn’t hire Atom Egoyan. He would
hire Stanley Donen or Vincente Minnelli,’ he laughs self-deprecatingly,
naming two directors who shaped the legendary MGM musicals of the
1950s.

But with this sleek film, he proves Lanny wrong.

Where The Truth Lies is showing in cinemas.

[email protected]

‘My suspicion is that they are not used to seeing actors of this
renown in scenes that are so exposed and shot in a high Hollywood
studio style’.

ARMENIAN SIDE FIRES THREE TIMES ON GAZAKH REGION LAST NIGHT

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006

Yesterday at 11.00 p.m. Armenian troops fired on Azerbaijani army
positions in the Gazakh region. The gunfire came from Armenian
occupied Azerbaijani villages Ashagy Askipara and Boganis Ayrym in
the same region.

At 2.50 a.m. Armenian troops fired on Azerbaijani positions near
Gushchu Ayrym village and at 5.15 a.m. Armenian divisions opened fire
at Azerbaijani positions near Jafarli village in the Gazakh region.

The Azerbaijani side returned fire. Casualties are not reported by
Azerbaijan Defense Ministry’s press office.