Author: Jagharian Tania

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
May 26, 2005, Thursday
A FOND FAREWELL TO THE COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDENT STATES
SOURCE: Trud-7, May 26, 2005, p. 6
by Yuri Stroganov
Question: Perhaps the CIS has really outlived its usefulness as a
mode of cooperation. What if it is really just an instrument for
civilized divorce, as some political scientists and politicians
claim?
Alexei Pushkov: You know, such speculations cause surprise in some
other former Soviet countries. I was asked in Armenia if it meant
that we had been wrong to focus on unification values all these years
since the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Question: But why try to keep an organization afloat when is sinking?
Alexei Pushkov: Because any alliance is better than a final divorce.
I dare say the Russian leadership understands this. In his May 9
speech, President Vladimir Putin made an emphasis on combat unity and
brotherhood of all our peoples in the war on Nazism. He spoke of
everything that united us and was so valuable to all. The advantages
of the CIS are well understood in many republics of the former USSR.
It is wrong to discount strong pro-Russian trends in Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus. They should be appreciated and
valued.
Question: Isn’t the market supposed to unite us automatically? After
all, mutual benefits are apparent and undeniable. Why would official
Kiev question expediency of the United Economic Zone? Why would
Turkmenistan stand aside from the CIS? More and more complications
affect relations with Moldova. What’s the matter?
Alexei Pushkov: Their government believe that a new landmark, the
West, is much more beneficial economically and politically. I’d say
that there is something childish about this behavior as well. Young
countries strive to emphasize their sovereignty and independence, to
show that they no longer depend on the former Motherland. Such
details are psychologically important, of course, but peoples of
these countries are objectively interested in close contacts with
Russia and Russian economy. Infatuation with the West may fail to
live up to expectations, while contacts with Russia already exist and
have proved their worth many times over. I’d say that interests of
CIS countries will become well-balanced soon and this demonstrative
disinclination to cooperate within the framework of the CIS will
become history.
Question: What do you think of the opinion of the words of presidents
of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev
that should Ukraine decide not to join the United Economic Zone, it
will do as well without Ukraine?
Alexei Pushkov: I’d say that they are correct. We are not going to
drag anyone in with chains. One’s own willingness is needed. If you
ask me, I think that to whoever constantly emphasizes that he doesn’t
need us we should say plainly that we do not intend to make new and
new offers endlessly. In my view, the Kremlin says that we should be
wiser in relations of this kind. Taking trouble over partners again
and again is naivete. Our partners should be shown exactly what they
stand to lose. They should be made understand that if they went, they
are not going to be able to return any moment they decide to. On the
other hand, the states that will stand by us will benefit from it.
Everything has its own price. Our leaders should make Ukraine feel
negative consequences of its pointed turn from Russia to the West.
Let Ukraine get what it needs from the West then. I’m not talking
about sanctions or any harsh measures. It’s just that Russia needs a
policy that will show everyone that Russia is not going to swallow
absolutely everything.
Question: Some experts say that we have already become sterner. They
say that it is because of the political pressure applied by Russia
that Georgia did not slap sanctions on Russian military bases.
Alexei Pushkov: Yes, Duma’s sharply worded statement that promised
sanctions against Georgia in response to illegitimate activities on
the part of its authorities, had a sobering effect on Tbilisi. I’m
convinced, however, that we should have been even sterner than that.
I’d have suspended the talks altogether for the duration of the
ultimatum. What happened instead? The Duma responded sharply but the
executive branch of the government immediately came up with a
compromise variant of the accord. It’s wrong. It is these actions
that leave the impression that Russia may be talked to in the
language of ultimatums. I’m convinced that Georgia understands that
it is threading extremely thin ice, that a total row with us will
hurt it. Unfortunately, we ourselves permit them to use ultimatums in
the dialogue with us.
Question: There are rumors that America is dissatisfied with
Saakashvili’s recklessness and that Bush actually visited Tbilisi to
take a look at potential successors to Saakashvili.
Alexei Pushkov: I’d say it’s merely an ungrounded speculation.
Saakashvili owes his broad support in the West and first and foremost
in America precisely to his anti-Russian stand. The worse the
situation in Georgia becomes, the more actively he will play the
anti-Russian card. Precisely in order to prevent the West from
thinking that he should be replaced.
Question: So the rumors are groundless?
Alexei Pushkov: I admit that there may be some dissatisfaction with
Saakashvili in the US Administration. After all, it is not comprised
of our enemies alone. There are people in it who understand that
Georgia is not Russia’s match. The way I figure it, Bush’s
Administration fears that Saakashvili may drag it into his own
conflict with Moscow. America is treating us with kid gloves. It
doesn’t need an open conflict with Russia, particularly over
something insignificant like Georgia.
Question: How would you comment on Bush’s words about the “democratic
active response forces” that might land in CIS countries?
Alexei Pushkov: Bush isn’t abandoning efforts to promote America’s
strategic objectives, but he doesn’t want quarrels with Russia
either. He decided to support Putin by attending Victory Day
celebrations. It showed that he had respect for the president of
Russia and Russia itself. At the same time, he made trips to some
Baltic states and Tbilisi and spoke of the “democratic special
forces.” All cards are open. Lukashenko was warned that he would be
overthrown. Bush is quite straightforward here. On the other hand, it
may be a smokescreen. The United States regularly uses them.
Question: And what do we do with Belarus, our ally in the CIS?
Construction of the Union state has stalled.
Alexei Pushkov: Belarus is a sovereign state. It has its own elite,
which likes its positions of power and doesn’t want them jeopardized.
Belarus doesn’t want to become just a region of the Russian
Federation. That is understandable. A powerful campaign mounted by
the West and Belarusian opposition aimed at another orange revolution
is the only thing that may compel Belarus to unite with Russia. The
Belarussian elite will have no choice, you know. This is where the
danger is rooted. We may find ourselves saddled with a rebellious
republic at the moment when our own political situation may be
anything but tranquil. That is why unification in the near future
already is preferable to that in a moment of crisis.
Question: Is it possible to view the latest events in Uzbekistan in
the context of Western intrigues?
Alexei Pushkov: To a certain extent. I would not say that the United
States has been involved. In my view, Islamic centers certainly have
been involved. Different forces have a common interest. They want the
CIS split and Russia’s influence weakened.
Question: Some political scientists claim that the future of Russia
depends on the future of the CIS. Does it?
Alexei Pushkov: It does, to a considerable extent. The CIS is our
last line of defense. The forces that are conspiring now to weaken
Russian influence within the CIS will not stop there. They will
concentrate on Russia itself next. Russia is a multi-ethnic
formation, just like the Soviet Union. Think about which forces would
seek Russia’s disintegration. Anti-Russian circles in the United
States and Western Europe; China, which might be tempted to grab the
Russian Far East if we are week; Islamic centers that aspire to
spread their influence to some parts of Russia. The dangers are
great. Unless we put an end to the process of Russia’s influence
within the CIS being reduced, we will find these dangers knocking at
our doors.
Translated by A. Ignatkin

BPI Entertainment News Wire
May 26, 2005, Thursday 10:40 AM Eastern Time
‘Mezmerize’ leads rush of new blood on album chart
By CHRIS MORRIS, The Hollywood Reporter
System of a Down’s “Mezmerize” makes an entrancing No. 1 debut on the
Billboard 200 this week, leading five new albums into the top 10.
The Armenian-American hard-rock quartet’s American/Columbia album
bows with a loud 453,000 units sold in its first week, according to
figures from Nielsen SoundScan for the week ended May 22.
Country megastar Toby Keith’s “Honkytonk University” (DreamWorks
Nashville) arrives at No. 2, racking up a strong postgraduate tally
of 283,000 copies sold in its initial frame.
Mariah Carey’s “The Emancipation of Mimi” (Island) kept the pop diva
on the comeback trail; the album holds its No. 3 position with a
173,000-unit week. Last week’s No. 1 album, Dave Matthews Band’s
“Stand Up” (RCA), slips to No. 4, rolling up 158,000 units for the
week.
Motown singer-songwriter Kem makes a striking debut at No. 5 with his
aptly titled sophomore set “Album II.” The release tracked 140,000
copies in its first stanza — not too shabby considering that Kem’s
first collection, “Kemistry,” peaked at No. 90 in 2003.
With Wednesday night’s face-off between “American Idol” finalists
Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice looming, the hit Fox series’ latest
album spinoff, “Season 4: The Showstoppers,” debuted at No. 6. The
RCA set drew 83,000 “Idol” addicts in its first week.
“The Massacre” (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) still is drawing chart
blood for rapper 50 Cent. The long-running hit drops to No. 7 from
No. 4, ringing up sales of 81,000. “Hollaback Girl” Gwen Stefani’s
“Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” (Interscope) sees a dip to No. 8 from No.
7; the No Doubt thrush delivered sales of 80,000. Pop-rock outfit
Weezer’s “Make Believe” (Geffen) slides to No. 9 from No. 2 in its
second week, tallying 76,000 units.
Def Leppard’s retrospective “Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection”
(Bludgeon Riffola/Island/UMe) bangs heads with a No. 10 bow, with a
76,000-unit week.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Press gauges pipeline’s impact on region
BBC
Thursday, 26 May, 2005, 02:23 GMT 03:23 UK

Baku’s ever expanding oil skyline
There’s a clash of views in Azerbaijan’s newspapers over the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. But both pro-government and
opposition press agree it will make a huge impact on the post-Soviet
republic’s future.
Russian and Armenian papers see the pipeline as a bolster for US
influence in the region and a sign of Russia’s waning influence.
Turkish papers agree, but look forward to the financial rewards.
—————————————————————-
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which was once perceived as a myth,
is no longer just a project, but a reality and a milestone for
independent Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan’s pro-government Markaz
—————————————————————-
[Former Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev chose a successful oil
strategy by opting for the BTC [Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline]. The
pipeline was important not just because of its economic viability, but
also because of its priority in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. This was
an open message that the country will be integrated into Euro-Atlantic
entities and this course will remain unchanged.
Azerbaijan’s pro-government Olaylar
—————————————————————-
It is difficult to convince anyone that billions of oil dollars will
reach the people of Azerbaijan with the current ruling bureaucracy in
power and in conditions of corruption… The start of big oil exports
from Azerbaijan has raised the issue of change to the country’s
political regime.
Azerbaijan’s pro-opposition Mustaqil Qazet
—————————————————————-
The political games played by the authorities in the run-up to the
opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline may seriously worry the
biggest shareholder in the project, BP. The fact that the authorities
have declared that the pipeline will be guarded not by Nato, but by
weak, non-professional and corrupt domestic security agencies puts the
operation of the pipeline under threat.
Azerbaijan’s pro-opposition Yeni Musavat
—————————————————————-
Baku says “No” to Russia, but “Yes” to America… It seems any
strengthening of Russian military force in Armenia is as unacceptable
to Azerbaijan as it is to the West. But this year Baku intends to
accommodate US servicemen on its territory.
Russian pro-government Rossiyskaya Gazeta
—————————————————————-
The US is focusing on the Caspian in order to gain control of the oil
in the region. It intends to achieve this aim through
Azerbaijan… The very frequency of contacts between US administration
representatives and Azerbaijan’s leadership gives reason to believe
that the US has decided to gain access to the riches of the Caspian
through the “gates of Baku”.
However, it seems Baku has not yet taken a final decision as to
whether to open them to the Pentagon or not… And the US is clearly
implying that there will be a “coloured revolution” if Baku does not
meet American demands.
Russian Defence Ministry newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda
—————————————————————-
Even if the Americans manage to get the required volume of oil from
Kazakhstan in 2008 (there are simply no such volumes in Azerbaijan),
the oil that will go from Ceyhan to Europe will all the same be twice
as expensive as Arab or Russian oil. Thus, Azerbaijan instead of
becoming a trump card in the “economic war” will simply turn into an
“economic excuse” for the US to establish itself in the region.
This is a process which, under the pretext of “guarding the oil
pipeline”, may end in the deployment of Nato mobile forces in the
region… Once the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline starts to operate, the US will
have achieved its purpose: the withdrawal of Russia from the region,
i.e. it will settle an important geopolitical issue under the cover of
an economic project.
Armenian newspaper Ayots Ashkar
—————————————————————-
When the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline functions with full capacity it will
carry 1bn barrels. This pipeline is a part of the US administration’s
project to control Middle Eastern oil… Our part in this project is
having the pipeline on our territory. Our benefit is the annual
commission per barrel… an opportunity to receive 200m dollars on
average a year.
Turkey’s Milliyet, commentary by Gungor Uras
BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television,
press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than
70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaus
abroad.

Pan Armenian News
AMERICAN MILITARY BASES IN AZERBAIJAN?
The American military mission in Azerbaijan will not be connected with
Karabakh in any way.
The experts of American – Israeli “Statfor” center for strategic forecasts
have prepared a report about the agreement between Baku and Washington
concerning the issue of disposition of US military forces on the territory
of Azerbaijan. According to the experts of “Statfor” an adequate decision
was made on April 12 in the course of US Defense Minister Donald Ramsfield’s
visit to Azerbaijan. The authors of the report refer to Azeri governmental
sources.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There are no grounds to trust the information sources of
“Statfor” centre, because information about the agreement of Baku to dispose
American military bases has already been spread before. Thos who did not
want to believe that kept referring to the statement of former Secretary of
State Collin Powel who asserted that Bush administration had no intension to
dispose American military bases in Azerbaijan. Powel can bravely insist that
he was not lying because formally the American military subdivisions that
are going to be sent to Azerbaijan cannot be considered military bases. They
are called “temporarily disposed mobile forces”. But the essence remains the
same. Moreover, according to “Statfor” the mobile forces are going to stay
long. “Statfor” experts say that the first American planes will arrive
within the next few weeks.
The locations of the mobile forces are already fixed. The government of
Azerbaijan suggested the following formerly Soviet bases: “Galla” in
Absherone, “Bina” in Baku, “Nasosny” in Sumgait, “Salyan” in Garachala and
airdromes in Kyurdamir, Lenkoran, Evlakhe, Gyanja and Nakhichevan.
Researching the territories during a year, American experts have chosen
Kyurdamir, “Nasosny” and “Galla”. All the three objects are situated in
central Azerbaijan, far from Karabakh. The main base is going to be in
Kyurdamir.
“Statfor” experts mention three most important tasks of the American
military presence in Azerbaijan. The first one is the security of Baku –
Tbilisi – Jeyhan pipeline, the second task is the creation of conditions in
case there is a need to attack Iran and the third one – to force Russia out
from the region. According to analysts of the American – Israeli center, it
is not planned to use mobile forces for “peace keeping measures” in
Karabakh.
Meanwhile, it is well known that US military experts used to seriously
discuss the issue of possible disposition of military forces in Azerbaijan
for the settlement of Karabakh conflict. One of the many scenarios of
application of the mobile forces supposed such a perspective too. It was
worked out by a retired US air force colonel Sam Gardiner who thought that
Pentagon may “offer limited aid for the settlement of disputable questions
on Nagorno-Karabakh”. What did he mean by that is very unclear. But the
December issue of military “Atlantic Monthly” magazine has published an
article where it is said that Gardiner’s proposal concerning Karabakh was
denied because of being contradictory to the interests of USA. Thus, we can
hope that the disposition of US military mobile forces in Azerbaijan will
not have a direct impact on the process of Karabakh conflict settlement. At
the same time it can be supposed that the presence of American militaries in
Azerbaijan who are responsible for the security of oil pipeline will make
Azeri politics think less about the idea of resuming the war that will
threaten the plans of Washington.
20.05.2005, “PanARMENIAN Network” analytical department

German delegation regrets lack of information on Azerbaijan
MPA news agency
24 May 05
BAKU
A delegation of the German Bundestag comprised of the chairman of the
Bundestag commission on budget issues, Manfred Carstens, the chairman
of the Bundestag commission on issues of confidence, Walter Scholer,
the vice-president of the federal intelligence service, (?Brig Gen
Werner Schowe), and others visited the Martyrs’ Avenue today where
they met Azerbaijani National Security Minister Lt-Gen Eldar Mahmudov.
[Passage omitted: The delegation also visited the grave of former
Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev]
Then the delegation was received by Azerbaijani National Security
Minister Lt-Gen Eldar Mahmudov in his office. Mahmudov spoke about the
work being done to strengthen stability in Azerbaijan, which is the
focal point of reforms carried out by Azerbaijan’s political
administration in the area of constructing a law-governed and
democratic state, socioeconomic development, as well as in the area of
important international projects.
The visitors were provided with detailed information on the role the
National Security Ministry plays in safeguarding the country’s
security, fighting crime and its dangerous forms and manifestations,
and strengthening the ministry’s legal framework in line with
international norms and standards.
Then the minister spoke about the work being done to neutralize
organized transnational criminal gangs which are closely linked with
international terrorist organizations, about the crime situation in
the region and the factors affecting it.
The minister also briefed the German delegation on the public and
military situation in the republic, on the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict, on uncontrolled territories and on the measures being taken
in connection with illegal migration, drug trafficking and other
issues.
In their reciprocal remarks, the visitors thanked the minister for the
detailed information and expressed regret that the Western community
does not have sufficient information about Azerbaijan. At the same
time, they pointed to the importance of stepping up propaganda work.
Having expressed satisfaction with the level of German-Azerbaijani
relations, the members of the delegation said the visit would
strengthen bilateral relations and facilitate the development of
bilateral cooperation.
The meeting was also attended by German ambassador Detlef Lingemann.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Published by The JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
JAVAKHETI REGION COMPLICATES GEORGIAN RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
By Zaal Anjaparidze
In April Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his Armenian counterpart
Robert Kocharian held talks in Tbilisi following unrest in Georgia’s
predominately Armenian-populated southern region, Samtskhe-Javakheti. The
disturbances, which calmed down soon, coincided with a parliamentary
resolution about the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia,
including one installation in Akhalkalaki, Javakheti. Residents of Javakheti
argue that closing the Russian military base would leave about 10,000 locals
without any means of subsistence.
Javakheti also dominated talks between Armenian Parliamentary Chair Artur
Bagdasarian and his Georgian counterpart, Nino Burjanadze, during
Bagdasarian’s visit to Tbilisi on April 29-30. Burjanadze tried to assure
her Armenian visitor that Georgia is doing its utmost to improve the
socio-economic conditions of the region and to improve Armenian
participation in Georgia’s civic life (Civil Georgia, aravot.am, Aprili 30).
On May 2, Georgian Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili declared that the
Georgian government would not allow separatism in Samtskhe-Javakheti and
would neutralize the political groups that have been promoting anti-Georgian
policies and agitating the locals by organizing protest rallies against the
closure of the Russian base. Okruashvili — and later Saakashvili — vowed
that the government would ensure jobs for the local Armenians after the base
closes, but apparently few Javakheti Armenians trust these statements
(Caucasus Press, May 2).
As the situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti continues to simmer, the local
Armenian community is increasingly turning towards neighboring Armenia.
Javakheti has strong ties to Armenia. More than 100,000 Javakheti natives
live in Armenia. Some Armenian political parties, notably Dashnaktsutiun,
make the occasional radical statement about the rights of Armenians in
Javakheti in order to appeal to these voters. The party sharply reacted to
what it called “anti-Armenian statements” made by Professor Giorgi
Gachechiladze, a member of Saakashvili’s advisory board, in the Georgian
tabloid Rao-Rao on March 14. Dashnaktsutiun issued a press release on March
18, warning that any Georgian policies that discriminate against the
Javakheti Armenians would be fraught with negative consequences for Tbilisi.
Saakashvili’s offices responded by downplaying Gachechiladze’s comments and
underlining the importance of friendly relations with Armenia.
Javakheti natives now living in Armenia have established a political party,
“Zor Airenik” (Mighty Homeland). On March 16, together with the Armenian
Democratic-Liberal Union and the Ramkavar Azatakan Party, members called on
the Georgian and Armenian governments to take urgent measures to solve the
problems of the Armenian community in Javakheti. They argued that
Javakheti’s Armenian community is justified in its appeal for security
guarantees, including autonomy and self-governance (Info.ru, March 24; Prima
News, April 24).
The Georgian-Armenian union “Nor Serund” (New Generation) also called on the
Saakashvili regime to pay more attention to Javakheti, and it slammed the
Georgian media for distorting information about the region. This March an
estimated 6,000 Armenians rallied in Akhalkalaki demanding the Georgian
government to stop plans to close the Russian base, acknowledge the Armenian
genocide of 1915, remove a ban on teaching Armenian history in the
Armenian-language schools, adopt a law on protecting minority rights, and
develop self-governance and regional infrastructure (see EDM, March 23). The
protestors blamed Georgian authorities for deliberately stalling the
economic development of Javakheti in order to compel Armenians to leave the
region. The anticipated repatriation of Meskhetian Turks to Javakheti by
2012, one of Georgia obligations before the Council of Europe, is another
cause for concern within the Armenian community.
The Armenian press has criticized the recently publicized Georgian national
security concept, which states that “pragmatic cooperation” should determine
Georgian-Armenian relations. The fact that the concept did not name Armenia
among the list of Georgia’s “strategic partners,” as were Azerbaijan,
Ukraine, Turkey, and the United States, irritated some Armenian analysts.
Van Baiburt, an ethnic Armenian member of the Georgian parliament, said the
reaction of the Armenian press perhaps did not reflect the position of
official Yerevan and would not poison Georgian-Armenian relations
(Resonance, May 21).
According to some analysts, there is a growing desire among Javakheti’s
Armenian community for unification with neighboring Armenia. This
possibility is one of Tbilisi’s highest — if unspoken — concerns.
Two factors complicate a solution for Javakheti: the increasing dominance of
an ethnic-oriented mentality over civic awareness in the Georgian political
establishment and the fear of possible Russian support for separatism in
Javakheti. Some local Armenian opinion leaders argue that a separation of
powers between the “center” and “region” might provide a solution. Javakheti
Armenians were highly dissatisfied with the Georgian authorities’ decision
to prohibit the registration of the local political movement “Virk,” which
advocates political autonomy for Javakheti.
The socially vulnerable Georgian minority in Javakheti, meanwhile, is
seeking government support for increasing their standing in the region.
The Georgian government and international donors in Georgia hope that
ongoing reforms, combined with socio-economic and humanitarian programs,
will help turn the Javakheti Armenians back to the Georgian state. Whether
these measures will be effective remains to be seen.

Agence France Presse — English
May 23, 2005 Monday 2:53 PM GMT
Russian troops to leave Georgia, but foreign forces unwelcome: Putin
MOSCOW May 23
Russia must end its military presence in the ex-Soviet republic of
Georgia, but would consider the stationing of any other foreign
troops there a security threat, President Vladimir Putin said in
Moscow on Monday.
Putin told journalists that Georgia’s demands for a withdrawal must
be respected.
“Foreign bases of all countries in the world — if they are not
occupying troops — are there with the agreement of their partners.
If there is no such desire among our partners, then we have no
choice. We have to take this step. For better or worse, we are
leaving there.”
He added that “it would be good if after our departure that troops or
contingents of other, third countries did not appear. This would
affect our security.”
Putin reassured Russians that the two bases, one of which is in the
southwest Black Sea port of Batumi and the other at Akhalkalaki, near
the Georgian-Armenian border, have no military importance.
“The Russian bases in Georgia have no interest from the point of view
of protecting our security,” Putin told journalists. “This is not my
opinion, but that of the General Staff.”
However, Putin also underlined that Moscow would resist pressure from
Georgia for a speedy departure.
“There is nothing demanding a sudden or speeded up withdrawal of our
armed forces. Our partners’ use of pressure as a way of negotiating
is groundless.”
The two bases date from the Soviet era when they were part of the
Soviet Union’s south-western flank with NATO.
Georgia has applied for membership in NATO and hosts a small
contingent of US military trainers.
Negotiations between Georgia and Russia over a timetable for
withdrawal of the bases have often been acrimonious.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Analyst: Armenian-Modified Grenade thrown During Bush Address
Civil Georgia, Georgia
May 21 2005
Georgian Military Analyst Irakli Aladashvili wrote in May 16-22 issue
of Kviris Palitra weekly, that a hand-grenade thrown during George
W. Bush public address in Tbilisi was not a Soviet-made RGD-5, as
reported earlier, but its slightly bigger, modified version which
was produced during and after the Nagorno-Karabakh war in Armenia.
The newspaper publishes the pictures of the grenade, with bear a
timestamp of May 10, 2005, 16:58. The grenade itself has a marking:
D-100-403. According to the analyst, if the producers of the modified
piece used the soviet system of marking, the last two digits indicate
the year of production – 2003. The grenade thrown in Tbilisi weighs 310
grams without a fuse, the original RGD-5 weighs the same with the fuse.
The grenade, according to the author, failed to detonate because of
a faulty fuse. Fuse of the grenade contains a trigger with a spring,
which, when released, hits a capsule-detonator, which in turn explodes
a grenade.
Aladashvili says, initial investigation shows that the trigger has
worked, as there is a characteristic denture left at the centre of
the detonating capsule by the trigger. The detonating capsule of the
type KD-8M has a copper casing and contains quicksilver as a detonating
agent. This very capsule has failed to detonate, as author speculates,
either because it was faulty, or because the spring of the trigger
proved too light.

Final act is sweet revenge Cinema
by HANNAH McGILL Monster-in-Law reviewed by Miles Fielder
The Herald (Glasgow)
May 19, 2005
[parts omitted]
A COMMON THREAD (BRODEUSES) (12A) 3/5
Dir: Eleonore Faucher
With: Lola Naymark, Ariane Ascaride, Thomas Laroppe
Another one of those gentle, girly coming-of-age movies in which a
young woman wanders around stroking leaves and discovering things
about her identity – pleasant to watch, but a little cliched, and
not as stirring as Cate Shortland’s Somersault.
Claire (Lola Naymark) is a pregnant 17-year-old with a special talent
for embroidery.
When she takes a job with enigmatic Armenian seamstress Madam Melikian
(Ariane Ascaride), an odd bond is formed.
Look, it’s a film featuring an enigmatic Armenian seamstress; either
you go for that kind of thing or you don’t.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RETURN OF SEVEN REGIONS SHOULD BE DECIDED BY KARABAKH EXCLUSIVELY
Pan Armenian News
20.05.2005 07:10
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ All the issues referring to the territories under
Karabakh’s control should be regulated on the basis of decisions made
by the people of the NKR and its elected authorities”, NKR Foreign
Minister Arman Melikian stated when commenting on the statement by
Azeri FM Elmar Mamedyarov, who said that Armenia agreed to abandon
seven Azeri regions, IA Regnum reported. In Melikian’s words, “it is
not desirable for anyone to cherish illusions about this issue”. “The
statements by the Azeri FM can create false idea about the actual
frames of the negotiations”, he added.