Author: Hovhannisian John

Baku wants to stop illegal economic operations in Karabakh
Interfax
Sept 29 2004
Baku. (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – Azerbaijan intends to stop illegal
economic operations of international companies in Nagorno Karabakh.
“We have a special black list of international organizations engaged
in illegal economic operations in Nagorno Karabakh,” Azerbaijani
Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told reporters on Wednesday.
“A ban will be imposed with regard to these organizations, agencies
and other institutions and sanctions implied by international law
will be applied,” he said.
Azimov said that the Armenian side in Karabakh is taking such illegal
steps as organizing international economic operations, building
settlements and illegally using natural resources.
He said Azerbaijan closely follows the developments and intends to
use international instruments to stop unlawful economic operations
in Karabakh.
Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent
districts in an armed conflict with Armenia in 1990. Cochairmen of
the OSCE Minsk group representing the United States, Russia and France
are trying to help settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

OFFICIAL VISIT OF CHAIRMAN OF AZERBAIJAN PARLIAMENT TO UKRAINE ENDED
[September 28, 2004, 22:07:41]
Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Sept 28 2004
On September 27, in the House of the Government of Ukraine, the Prime
Minister of the country Victor Yanukovich has received parliamentary
delegation of Azerbaijan led by Chairman of Milli Majlis (Azerbaijan
Parliament) Murtuz Alaskarov, the Kiev-based correspondent of AzerTAj
reported.
Warmly having welcomed our delegation, Prime Minister V. Yanukovich has
informed on economic situation in Ukraine, the course of pre-election
struggle for the main state post in the country.
In turn, the head of the Azerbaijan parliament has told about the
stable political situation in our country, deep economic reforms,
and consecutive rate of President Ilham Aliyev on construction in
Azerbaijan a democratic, prospering society.
M. Alaskarov has touched also the main problem of Azerbaijan – the
Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, occupation by the Republic
of Armenia of the Azerbaijan territory – the Nagorny Karabakh and
7 adjoining regions, and also on the presence in Azerbaijan over
one million of refugees and internally displaced people. He has
expressed profound gratitude to the Ukrainian side for understanding
in this question and support of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
by official Kiev.
Speaker of Milli Majlis has noted the historical event – adoption
in Kiev on September 23 of the Declaration on creation of the
Parliamentary assembly of GUUAM opening prospects before this
international association.
The meeting has passed in warm, friendly atmosphere. Talat Aliyev,
ambassador of Azerbaijan Republic to Ukraine, Elbrus Abdullayev,
the deputy of the Rovno oblast Rada, Ogtay Efendiyev, chairman of
the Congress of Azerbaijanis of Ukraine have taken part in it.
In his interview to AzerTAj correspondent, the chairman of Milli Majlis
Murtuz Alaskarov has expressed deep satisfaction with the results of
official visit of the Azerbaijan parliamentary delegation to Ukraine.
The same day, the parliamentary delegation of Azerbaijan led by M.
Alaskarov has left from Kiev with official visit for Bulgaria.

Azeri TV takes dim view of British NGO’s reconciliation project
ANS TV, Baku
22 Sep 04

[Presenter] Those who want peace in the region have started a new
project.
[Correspondent, over video of news conference] ANS’s regular viewers
are perhaps aware of the project. We have talked about this project
aimed at bringing peace to Azerbaijan subjected to aggression and
aggressor Armenia which are in completely different positions. The
fact that Britain is especially active in achieving peace between the
sides attracts attention. The point is that a special web page on
Karabakh launched by the BBC, which caused mixed reaction among the
public, is Britain’s business.
This project was launched in Britain in the early 1990s. Three to five
minutes’ long diaries are short stories written by ordinary people
without the intervention of journalists. It was launched in Georgia
nearly a year and a half ago. Those who want to implement this project
in Baku said that it was aimed at enabling people who have not been
almost heard on the air to express their opinion in public. The best
pieces from every region will be chosen, translated into English and
some other languages and broadcast in Azerbaijan, Armenia and
Georgia. The only country where this project has not been carried out
yet is Armenia.
We asked the project managers wishing those people’s integration into
the world how well they were acquainted with the Karabakh problem and
how relevant the project was to our situation.
[Jonathan Cohen, Caucasus programme manager of the conflict mediation
NGO Conciliation Resources, speaking English with Azeri voice-over]
One cannot be fully informed about conflicts. Of course, we understand
it is important to collect information about the settlement of these
conflicts. For this reason, our project wants to study all the South
Caucasus countries.
[Correspondent] Then we drew their attention to the Armenian
occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan which has over 1m
refugees. Asked if the project, regarded as successful in the
Georgian-Abkhaz conflict, was relevant to our reality, they answered
that radio channels broadcasting these diaries were choosing them
independently. Programmes running counter to the state and national
interests might not be broadcast, end of quote.
However, the project’s representatives did not clarify what state and
nation they were talking about. Azerbaijan or Britain? Azerbaijan or
Azerbaijanis?
Leyla Hasanova, Ruslan Mammadov, ANS.

Zaman, Turkey
Sept 23 2004
Armenians Take ‘No’ Campaign to Brussels
Selcuk Gultasli
Brussels
The European Armenians Congress brought its “No to Turkey” campaign
to Brussels.
The European media showed great interest in a meeting held as part of
the group’s campaign just hours prior to Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan’s critical Brussels trip.
A Turkish citizen named Hulya Engin, as well as two members of the
European Parliament, spoke at yesterday’s meeting. The speakers
advocated that recognition of the (So-Called) Armenian Genocide
should be imposed as a condition to the start of Turkey’s membership
discussions. They also argued that Turkey is responsible for Greek
and Syriac genocides.
A declaration related to the discussion was released after the
meeting. The fact that Ergin, a representative of the Turkey
Democracy and Human Rights Solidarity Association, attached her
signature to the document drew quite a bit of attention.
Michalis Charalambidis, a Greek, claimed during the meeting that the
second genocide of last century was the Pontus-Greek massacre. He
even tried to equate Kemalism with Nazism. “Nazi Victims Day exits in
Europe. A day should be declared for the victims of Kemalism as
well.”
EP member Baroness Caroline Cox defended that Turkey should not only
recognize the Armenian, but also the Greek and Syriac genocides.

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Sept 22 2004
Armenia, Azerbaijan foreign ministers attend to Karabakh problem
YEREVAN, September 22 (Itar-Tass) – Foreign ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan have finished the first stage of consultations on
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanyan said.
He told a news conference on Wednesday that the goal of the recent
meeting of the foreign ministers in Prague was to set a stage for
talks of the two countries’ presidents.
Oskanyan did not comment on the content of the first talks of the
Armenian and Azeri presidents, Robert Kocharyan and Ilkham Aliyev, on
the sidelines of a recent CIS summit in Astana on September 15.
Contrary to expectations, the president did not give to foreign
ministries any orders `in order to begin the second stage that is far
more closer to settlement of the problem,’ Oskanyan said.
However, this does not mean that the presidents rejected the
groundwork made by the foreign ministers in Prague, he added.
Karabakh settlement `remains in sight of the two presidents’.
`Nagorno-Karabakh does not have a price: we cannot change it for
either a railroad or any pipelines,’ Oskanyan said.

Armenia leader talks about “formula” for success in independence speech
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
21 Sep 04

Today Armenian President Robert Kocharyan invited representatives of
the county’s political, diplomatic, economic and cultural corps to a
government reception on the occasion of Independence Day. In his
speech Robert Kocharyan talked about his formula for achieving
Armenia’s progress: legality, effective ruling, fair competition and
work.
[Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, captioned, shown speaking from
the rostrum of Karen Demirchyan’s concert and sport complex, anthem
played] Your Holiness, dear compatriots and dear guests,
I congratulate our people and all those present on the occasion of
Independence Day.
Today’s Armenia has established itself as a state which strives to
carry out market reforms and democratic transitions and to develop
international cooperation. Our people have made this choice which
brought us to a new domain.
As a result of the systemic reforms, our country has obviously made
progress. Armenia today has achieved sustainable growth and regularly
fulfils the state budget. A lot goes into the social sector and the
main task today is the elimination of poverty. The implementation of
this programme is our main task. Legality, effective ruling, fair
competition and work – all this will ensure the development of the
Armenian economy.
In the foreign political sphere, our country has a distinctive and
certain position. The country will continue to improve its
international rating by developing relations in all
directions. Armenia takes part in the struggle against international
terrorism.
To preserve peace in our complex region is a vital task. We believe
that this could be achieved through diversified cooperation with all
regional countries.
We adhere to the principle of solving the Nagornyy Karabakh problem by
peaceful means. The settlement should be based on the objective
realities which took shape after the USSR disintegration and the
undeniable fact of the existence of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic
especially.
The army is an integral part of our lives. It ensures the security of
the Armenian people and stability and peace in the region. The
establishment of the army and the present level of its combat
readiness is our people’s historical achievement. It is thanks to the
army and our heroes that our country is now an established state – the
motherland of all the Armenians.
I congratulate the Armenian Diaspora abroad on this holiday.
The younger generation dreams about a free, strong and flourishing
Armenia. It is their fortune to implement this at this decisive
stage. We shall implement this historical mission with honour for the
sake of Armenia’s future.
I congratulate all of you on this holiday.

Is Javakhq facing new problems?
By Sergey Minassian
Yerkir/am
September 17, 2004
In the context of recent tensions in Russian-Georgian relations the
problems of Armenians in Javakhq continues to attract public interest
because of the geopolitical significance of the region and existence
of a Russian militarybase there. The developments in South Ossetia
increase the possibility of the 62nd Russian military base becoming an
additional source of tension in Georgia.
Increased tensions can results in military actions in Javakheti which
can complicate the Armenian-Georgian relations. The analysis of
statements and actions of various geopolitical actors in the Caucasus
as well as the information presented in the media suggest two possible
scenarios of further developments. As a result of these developments
the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki can be involved in military
actions which can have serious implications for the Armenian
population in Javakheti and the entire region in general.
The first scenario suggests that Russia itself can use the 62nd
military base to create instability and clashes in Javakheti with
participation of the local Armenian population. Further, under the
cover of `protecting the local Armenian population’ the 62nd military
base will change its tacticsand will actively engage in military
actions.
The majority of the soldiers serving at the base are Armenian and they
will not be able to stay away from any kind of
developments. Alternatively, the Russian military base can be
transformed into some kind of peacekeeping force aimed at the
preservation of stability and security in the context of the absence
of any other forces to separate the Armenians and Georgians.
There have been similar incidents in the history of post-Soviet
Georgia. The 1992 Agreements signed in Dagomis granted the status of
peacekeeping force to the Russian military troops in South Ossetia
thus legalizing the status quo established in one of Georgia’s former
autonomous regions. In this way, Tbilisi lost control over those
territories for many years.
Besides, Russians can prolong the status of peacekeeping forces in
Javakheti as long as they wish. The withdrawal of the 62nd Russian
military base from the Georgian territory is thus being left out of
the agenda. Even though this scenario seems a little unrealistic it is
nor completely from the sphere of science fiction because certain
forces within the Russian military-political elite are interested in
it.
The author holds Candidate’s degree in History and is the head of the
Research Center on Regional Security and South Caucasus Integration,
Russian-Armenian (Slavic) University.

Daily Variety
September 20, 2004, Monday
THE BACK LOT
by PETER BART
Captain Kirk shows he’s still got game: At 87, Kerkorian closes
mega-deal. But could he come back yet again?
Whenever I hear the expression, “I’ll be back,” I think of Kirk
Kerkorian.
I realize many associate those words with the Great Gubernator, but
it’s Kirk who’s really put teeth into them — witness the many times
he has sold MGM only to buy it back again.
Now that Kirk has done the deal one more time — the sixth or
seventh by my count — is there a chance history may repeat itself?
I know some will laugh at the prospect, but consider the following:
If you were 87, sharp as a tack, in excellent health and with several
billion dollars to burn, wouldn’t you want one more reprise? It’s
sort of like Sinatra giving “New York, New York” a final encore.
There’s another factor, too. Kirk is probably the only remaining
studio CEO who actually likes movies. He doesn’t choose to walk the
red carpet or attend official events, but I’ve often seen him
standing in line waiting to buy a ticket. He’s that sort of
individual.
Given these propensities, why did he sell his studio? Probably
because no one thought he could do it. Industry insiders were
counting him out. They said he’d painted himself into a corner.
Kirk’s “corner” turns out to be worth about $ 5 billion. I know a lot
of corporate players who would covet a corner like that.
Under what scenario could Kirk buy it back one more time? Sony could
get into a quarrel with its financial partners; or Comcast could
exercise its right to pull out, or perhaps to make a bigger play with
Kirk as its deep-pockets partner.
The unique element to Kerkorian’s dealings is that he can move faster
than a Swift Boat. The decisions are his own; so is the money.
If all this suggests a certain admiration for Kirk, I plead guilty. I
don’t pretend to be a Kirk intimate (there are very few) but I’ve had
meals with him, had long talks with him, even worked for him (though
during my three years at MGM I almost never saw him).
Contrary to the usual descriptions in the press, he is not reclusive.
I always found him rather garrulous, if intensely private. He is
brilliant when discussing business, but it’s even more fun to get him
talking about more arcane topics — aviation in the ’40s, Las Vegas
in the ’50s or the really senior tennis circuit where geezers, rich
and poor, sit on the hard asphalt eagerly awaiting their chance to
pound away.
It was always a source of frustration to Kirk that, while he always
found ways to buy and sell his great studio, he never could figure
out how to run it.
His choice of corporate leaders was consistently disastrous, starting
with Jim Aubrey, through David Begelman and Frank Yablans. He was so
angry with some of his MGM hires that he even weighed the possibility
of bringing criminal charges against at least one.
In all his years, Danny Melnick was his only effective production
chief and Alex Yemenidjian and Chris McGurk, the outgoing chairman
and president, his only solidly effective business strategists.
Still, MGM in its newest iteration as a standalone entity could not
compete effectively with the giant multinationals — Kirk understood
that and knew he had to do something about it.
And he had long since memorized the scenario.
When MGM was in financial trouble in the early ’70s, he sold the back
lot, plus many of its old props and even used movie scripts. When he
bought United Artists in 1981, he dreamed of creating a powerful
studio (he’d earlier lost out in bids for Columbia and Twentieth
Century Fox).
But after a bad run of pictures, he tried to sell his stalled empire
to Ted Turner in 1986. Michael Milliken couldn’t sell enough junk
bonds to fuel the deal, so Kirk re-invented it several times,
yielding Turner ultimate control over about 3,000 film titles.
In subsequent years, Kirk wheeled and dealed with everyone from
Giancarlo Parretti, an Italian waiter, to Christopher Skase, a
shadowy Australian financier, to Peter Guber and Jon Peters. Some
deals flew and others simply flew away, but Kirk was always dealing.
To some who remembered the glory days of Louis B. Mayer, Kirk had
turned a great studio into a swap meet. Others simply marveled at the
financial machinations — how a one-time Armenian farm boy could
outplay Wall Street bankers at their own game.
And he may still be in the game. He’s got the money, he’s got the
energy and he still has that unique quality that sets him apart: He
loves movies.
He’ll be back.

Russia says combined efforts needed to meet “dirty atomic bomb” threat
RIA news agency, Moscow
20 Sep 04
Vienna, 20 September: The creation of “a dirty atomic bomb” may only
be prevented by the combined efforts of the global community, the head
of Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency, Aleksandr Rumyantsev, said
ahead of the 48th session of the general conference of the
International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] in Vienna.
“The Russian Federation, as a nuclear power, has always done and
always does everything needed to ensure that nuclear materials and
technologies are strictly controlled and accounted for,” he said.
Rumyantsev added that Russian and American specialists, along with
experts from the IAEA secretariat, are effectively carrying out expert
missions in the countries of the former USSR.
“Fifteen such expert missions have already been carried out – in
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova,
Tajikistan, Estonia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The missions have carried
out the identification of powerful sources of radiation in these
countries, and have provided expert and organizational support for
improving the physical protection of these sources,” Rumyantsev noted.
He went on to say that in connection with an initiative of the IAEA,
which made a proposal to countries to remove highly enriched uranium
from research reactors constructed with the assistance of the Soviet
Union, 13 out of 17 of the countries have confirmed a decision not to
use highly enriched uranium in their reactors.
“To date fresh nuclear fuel has been removed from research reactors in
Serbia and Montenegro, Rumania, Bulgaria, Libya and Uzbekistan,”
Rumyantsev added.

Iranian president assesses outcomes of his three-nation tour as positive
IRNA web site, Tehran
15 Sep 04
Tehran, 15 September: President Mohammad Khatami here Tuesday evening
[14 September] assessed the outcomes of his visit to Armenia, Belarus
and Tajikistan and his presence at the ECO summit as positive.
Talking to reporters at Mehrabad International Airport upon his
arrival, Khatami said the three countries are Iran’s friends which
have had good relations with Tehran since their independence.
“Attempts have been made that ties with the three states be directed
towards progress and development with more speed,” he said.
He added during his visit to Armenia, which took place at the
invitation of his Armenian counterpart, the two countries signed seven
documents for cooperation, adding the document on transfer of Iran’s
gas to Armenia was the most important one.
In the visit to Armenia, the sides discussed bilateral, regional and
international issues, the president noted.
Pointing to natural and industrial resources of Belarus, he said
Tehran and Minsk inked five documents.
Khatami said the commission of Iran’s potentials in Belarus will
be set up, adding a factory will also be established in Belarus for
joint production of paper.
He referred to the deep-rooted cultural ties with Tajikistan and said,
“Iran’s trade exchanges with Tajikistan have been increased during
recent years by three times but there still exist some potentials
for further promotion of ties.”
Khatami noted that Iran and Tajikistan signed six documents, including
construction of Anzab tunnel and Sangtudah power plant in participation
of Iran, Russia and Tajikistan.
Pointing to the ECO summit, held in Tajikistan on Tuesday,
the president stated that in today’s complicated world regional
organizations can play an effective role, adding regarding potentials
of the region and common history and culture of ECO nations, the
Economic Cooperation Organization can take many useful measures.
He stressed that Iran’s two proposals on reforming the trend of ECO
decision-making and establishing ECO free trade zone were approved
during the organization’s summit.
It is expected that the ECO would achieve its goal regarding the
setting up of the free trade zone by 2015, Khatami said.
He added that he held separate meetings with his Tajik, Afghan and
Kyrgyz counterparts as well as the prime ministers of Pakistan and
Turkey on the sidelines of the ECO summit.
President Mohammad Khatami arrived in Tehran on Tuesday evening,
ending his three-nation tour which took him to Armenia, Belarus
and Tajikistan.