Author: Jalatian Sonya

A1+
| 12:53:39 | 16-09-2005 | Official |
NEW-YORK MEETINGS
Today RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan will make a speech at the UN
Assembly General. RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will make a speech on
Sunday, September 18. And yesterday Vardan Oskanyan met in New York several
high-ranked officials.
On Thursday, the Foreign Minister met with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European
Union Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy.
They spoke about the ENP. The Minister briefed the Commissioner on the
current state of negotiations regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Minister Oskanian also met with George Lacovou, Minister of Foreign Affairs
of Cyprus. They discussed regional issues as well as cooperation in
international organizations. Later, Minister Oskanian met with Ahmed Aboul
Gheit, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. Minister Oskanian presented to
Minister Aboul Gheit President Kocharian¹s letter of congratulations to
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. The two discussed developments in the
Middle East, and in the Caucasus.
Minister Oskanian spoke with Pierre Chevalier, Belgium¹s special envoy to
the OSCE. The Minister explained Armenia¹s cooperation with the OSCE at
various levels, expressing Armenia¹s appreciation for OSCE support in
various areas, including democratic development, regional development. The
Minister briefed Ambassador Chevalier on the ongoing Karabakh talks and
prospects for a resolution.
In the margins of the UN General Assembly, the Francophonie Association held
a high level meeting. Minister Oskanian participated in the meeting which
focused on ways the developed world can help the developing world to
alleviate poverty.
The Minister also held a working meeting with OSCE Minsk Group US co-chair
Ambassador Steven Mann.

Times OnLine UK
September 16, 2005
Bet my genocide’s bigger than your genocide: the sad cult of suffering
Notebook by Mick Hume
HOW DID a discussion about combating Islamic extremism turn into
an infantile game of `my Holocaust is as big as your Holocaust’?
After July 7, the Government set up several committees to advise it on
tackling extremism in the Muslim community. Now these advisers
reportedly want Tony Blair to scrap the annual Holocaust Memorial Day
and replace it with a Genocide Day that would recognise the plight of
Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere. They say a special memorial to
Jewish victims `sounds too exclusive to many young Muslims’ who `feel
hurt’ that they are not included.
If anything in our hyperbolic culture still merits being seen as an
exclusive event, I would have thought it was the Nazi’s industrialised
campaign of genocide that killed six million Jews. Yet today it seems
that millions more – by no means all of them Muslims – want to be
recognised as having had a Holocaust of their own.
A quick internet search reveals an (almost) A to Z of groups whom it
is claimed have experienced genocide: Armenians, Bosnian Muslims,
Chechens/Cambodians, Darfur Christians, East Timorese, Falun Gong
followers, Gay men, HIV/Aids sufferers, Iraqis/Irish, Jews, Kosovans,
Laotians, Maoris, Native Americans, Palestinians, Roma, Slaves in
America, Tutsis/Tibetans, Unborn children, Victims of motor cars,
White South African farmers, Xhosa, Yugoslavs, Zulus.
(My apologies to any forgotten genocide victims with the initials O or
Q.)It might seem a wonder that there are any of us left behind to
commemorate the dead.
No doubt some have strong evidence of mass slaughter. But when almost
any experience of suffering, past or present, can be branded genocide,
so thata US news network carries the headline `New Orleans evacuee:
`It’s Genocide!’ ‘ , it inevitably demeans the word and belittles the
singular horrors of the Nazi Holocaust.
The UK Holocaust Memorial Day now threatens to blow up in the faces of
its well-meaning founders. Frankly, they were asking for it. New
Labour set itup in 2001 not only as a commemoration of the past but
also as an expressionof the modern cult of suffering, which puts
victims on a pedestal and invites us all to feel good about ourselves
by feeling their pain. That in turn acted as an invitation to some
Muslim worthies and other self-styled spokespersons for victims of
genocide to claim their piece of the grief pie.
Perhaps we would be better off scrapping these stage-managed,
victim-fests altogether. Far from `feeling hurt’ about being left out
of the experience, some of us are only too happy to have been
`excluded’ fromthe Holocaust – a terrible historical event that has
Never Happened Again.
I WAS INTERESTED to see `police sources’ reporting that all of two
fuel protesters approached the Shell refinery at Ellesmere Port this
week, but were ` frightened off by the size of the media pack’. We
often hear boasts about the media being `the new opposition’, but `the
newriot police’ is a new one on me. Still, perhaps it was fitting that
the media pack burst the protesters ‘ bubble. After all, it was the
media that so ludicrously inflatedtheir hopes of `causing chaos’ in
the first place.
ALTHOUGH cricket is not normally my game, I concede that beating the
great Shane Warne and his assistants was a significant sporting
achievement. Butthe cricketati couldn’t leave it at that. Even amid
the victory celebrations, the snobs had to find time to have a go at
football, boring on again abouthow cricket is altogether a more
skilful, sportsmanlike and civilised game than brutish
`soccer’. Apparently cricketers such as Andrew `Freddie’ Flintoff even
binge drink like gentlemen.
One could offer various impassioned replies to these petty-minded
allegations. But why bother? Let us just admit that football is simply
notcricket, old boy. Which is why the world (as opposed to the
Empire) loves it. With a bit of luck the Ashes hysteria will encourage
some of the sporting tarts (male and female) who have attached
themselves to football to dress up as Flintoff rather than Beckham,
and pretending that they understand the law of lbw rather than
offside. That would be something to celebrate. So come on, allyou
new-found Freddie fans. Can we have our ball back now, please?
[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected])
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Iranian authorities close down Azeri magazine “for promoting separatism”
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
15 Sep 05
[Presenter] Pressure on our compatriots in Iran is continuing. The
registration of the Araz magazine, which belongs to ethnic Azeris, has
been cancelled.
[Passage omitted: Armenians’ rights are not violated in Iran]
[Correspondent over video of people in the streets of Tabriz] The Araz
magazine was closed down for publishing the map of Azerbaijan on its
cover. The magazine was designated for Azeri students of the new
Azerbaijani language faculty at Tabriz University.
The Azerbaijani ambassador to Iran, Abbasali Hasanov, has also
confirmed this fact. However, the ambassador said that Baku cannot
interfere in Iran’s internal affairs even though it is an unpleasant
incident.
Huseyn Turkelli, head of the Baku bureau of the National Liberation
Movement of Southern Azerbaijan [NRMSA], does not think so.
[Turkelli by phone] Human rights are not an internal affair of any
country. We are fighting for the rights of 30m Azeri Turks. The
registration of the Araz magazine was cancelled at Tabriz University
several days ago. The registration of the Elci magazine was cancelled
as well. The magazines are accused of promoting separatism.
[Correspondent] Armenian separatists feel comfortable in Iran. Our
compatriots from the south [meaning northern Iran] say that Armenians
will hold sporting events in Iran in two days’ time. Along with
numerous countries, teams from the Nagornyy Karabakh republic will
also take part in the contest.
[Turkelli] The Ararat sports club will hold an Olympic contest of
world Armenians in Tehran. Iran’s official state news agency has
reported that teams from Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Nagornyy Karabakh
will take part in the contest. Millions of dollars have been allocated
for the games.
[Passage omitted: The Iranian embassy says that it has no information
about this]
[The chairman of the World Azerbaijani Congress, Cavad Deraxti, told a
news conference in Baku on 14 September that 25 ethnic Azeris have
been arrested in Iran for staging a march to Fort Bazz and added that
members of the organization demand that Iran release the detainees as
soon as possible.]

Matviekno calls for Armenian Genocide recognition
15.09.2005 12:31
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – A St. Petersburg delegation headed by Leningrad
Goevernor Valentina Matvienko paid a visit to the Armenian Genocide
Memorial on Wednesday. As reported by the news agency REGNUM,
Matvienko laid a wreath at the Memorial.
“We are deeply shocked by this grave crime against the humanity, the
Armenian Genocide. There is no excuse for the perpetrators. The whole
world should condemn this horrible crime,” Mativenko wrote in the
visitor’s book at the Genocide Museum.

A1+
| 13:51:00 | 15-09-2005 | Politics |
BOYCOTT SUSPENSION DIDN’T ENCOURAGE
There are extraparliamentary forces in Armenia, which do not welcome the
partial suspension of the boycott. Human Rights 96 party is among these
forces. It has already issued a statement consisting of 5 items.
The party rates the suspension of the boycott as `measure’ and `political
game’ called `The return of opposition’. Since any games ends in summing up
the results the party administration proposes the parliamentary opposition
to
Members of Human Rights 96 party are discontent with the stand the
parliamentary opposition has assumed.

Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 15 2005
Next sitting of PACE sub-committee on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to
take place on 14 December

14 September 2005 [10:53] – Today.Az

The next sitting of the sub-committee of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is
scheduled for 14 December 2005.
The head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Samed Seyidov said on
the results of the II sitting of the sub-committee in Paris recently,
Trend reports.
According to him, the discussions may be characterized as unbiased
and their distinction was that the speakers this time resorted mostly
not to historical facts but to the search of the ways for the
conflict settlement based on the international laws. One of the
important achievements of the sitting was the solution on the active
discussion of the adopted decisions at the PACE January session and
consideration of the issue at each sessions on the whole.
As the result of it, the decision on meetings of the Azerbaijani and
Armenian delegations at the PACE autumn session in October 2005 was
taken. The sub-committee, will most likely inform the PACE bureau on
the work done in January, Seyidov added.
URL:

P U B L I C A F F A I R S O F F I C E NEWS RELEASE
EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AMERICAN AVENUE 1
YEREVAN, ARMENIA
TELEPHONE (+374 10) 46 47 00; 46 47 01; 46 47 02
E-MAIL: [email protected]
September 15, 2005
USAID Statement on the Electricity Networks of Armenia
It has been reported that Midland Resources Holding (MRH) has recently
requested permission from the Government of Armenia and the Public Services
Regulatory Commission (PSRC), as required by Armenian laws and regulations,
to sell its shares of Electric Networks of Armenia (ENA).
The PSRC took aggressive steps to seek clarification of this issue in early
August. USAID notes that these steps fall squarely within the mandate of the
PSRC, as the regulating body tasked with implementing relevant Armenian
laws.
A transparent and robust decision-making process, managed by a strong
regulator, is key to protecting the interests of energy consumers. USAID is
happy to continue assistance to the PSRC and others to ensure the design and
implementation of such a process.
USAID will continue to observe, with interest, the process currently
underway to evaluate and respond to MRH’s request.

THE OSCE MG CO – CHAIRS ARE OPTIMISTIC
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Sept 14 2005
In the course of the session of the PACE temporary commission on
Karabakh issue the OSCE MG Co – Chairs Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard
Fassier stated an option that would enable to combine the principle
of territorial integrity with the right of the nations to self
determination was outlined in the Karabakh talks.
Head of RA delegation at the PACE, RA NA vice speaker Tigran Torosyan,
a member of the delegation, RA NA deputy Shavarsh Kocharyan and Head
of the RA MFA OSCE Department Varuzhan Nersisyan presented Armenia
at the session. Azeri Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov represented
Azeri party.
In the interview with Haykakan Jamanak newspaper correspondent
(13.09.05) Tigran Torosyan said the Armenian party had managed to
withstand the Azeri party’s attack.
By the way, the PACE former rapporteur on Nagorno Karabakh David
Atkinson said if Azerbaijan tried to unleash military operations
on Karabakh front it would be immediately expelled from the Council
of Europe.
Aravot newspaper (13.09.05) cites the comments made by a member of
the Armenian delegation at the PACE Shavarsh Kocharyan. In his words,
it was noted in the course of the session, “Karabakh conflict does not
find its solution, as each of the conflict sides insists on the one of
the settlement principles”. However, according to the parliamentarian,
the OSCE MG Co – Chairs were optimistic, as they considered an option
combining both principles. “Judging by their utterances, one could
think that speaking about the principle of territorial integrity they
mean the territories, which were not within the NK, but controlled
by Armenian forces. Speaking about another principle of settlement
and conduct of a referendum in NK they mention it should take place
after refugees have returned”, noted Shavarsh Kocharyan. In his words,
representatives of international structures noted the number of the
refugees that should return home would be verified very strictly.
“Armenian party was well prepared for the session”, said Shavarsh
Kocharyan.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, RUSSIAN GOVERNOR DISCUSS TIES
Mediamax news agency
14 Sep 05
Yerevan, 14 September: The deepening of cooperation between the
subjects of the Russian Federation is a good base for the development
of Armenian-Russian interstate relations, Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan said at a meeting with St Petersburg Governor Valentina
Matviyenko today.
Robert Kocharyan and Valentina Matviyenko noted the importance of
more active business contacts and of an exchange of information,
the Armenian presidential press service told Mediamax.
The St Petersburg governor said they did not only want to restore
previous relations with the Armenian capital and outlined new spheres
of cooperation.
Valentina Matviyenko said that the sides could successfully cooperate
in the sphere of culture as St Petersburg is a major scientific
and cultural centre and Armenia has always been known for its great
scientific and cultural potential.

‘CONFLICT CANNOT BE SETTLED IF BORDERS REMAIN CLOSED’
AZG Armenian Daily #164
14/09/2005
Interview
Kaan Soyak Assures
Daily Azg received these days a copy of an interview of Kaan
Soyak, chairman of Turkish-Armenian Business Development Council,
to Associated Press. The interview contains interesting views on
Armenian-Turkish relations and Nagorno Karabakh issue. Below we
present it abridged.
– How do you evaluate the current situation of Turkish-Armenian
economical relations?
– The economical relations are developing well despite of
all difficulties; a lot of businessmen are establishing mutual
relations. Armenian and Turkish businessmen are cooperating especially
in the market of Russia and Middle Asia. Armenian Diaspora and Turkish
businessmen have established serious relations recently. There are
a lot of representatives of Armenian Diaspora willing to meet and
cooperate with the businessmen from Anatolia.
– How much is the total volume of trade turnover between Armenian
and Turkish businessmen at the moment?
– This is not les than 100-120 million dollars. The nations of both
countries are interested in establishing economical relations. There
were large-scale trade relations between the Turks and Armenians
in the history of Ottoman too. Sale and purchase are mutually
at the moment. We have implemented some projects so far through
the organization I run. We are cooperating in a number of spheres,
especially energy, transportation, telecommunication, textile industry,
tourism.
– Have you achieved any positive results as the result of the
implementation of projects to normalize the relations between Armenia
and Turkey? Could you do any change to the public opinion in comparison
with the previous periods?
– Of course…Turkish community got to know Armenia, Armenians
again. They got to know that most of Armenians want to live in a
friendly atmosphere with Turkish people. Turkish community treats
the problems between Armenia and Azerbaijan more objectively;
wrong policies of both countries are given coverage by the press
obviously. It is accepted now that Russia’s obvious policy for the
benefit of Armenia in previous years did nothing good.
Besides, Turkish public opinion advocates objective resolution of the
conflict. The economical difficulties faced by Anatolia province are
due to the closing of Turkey-Armenia borderlines. Azerbaijan is also
responsible as Armenia for Turkey facing this problem.
– Is Turkey which is facing hardships in regard to access to European
Union expected to take any positive step in the direction of opening
its borderlines with Armenia?
– European Union is expecting Turkey-Armenia borderlines to open
obviously.
There is no reason to prevent this. Thus, Europeans do not think
like Azerbaijanis regarding this matter. I mean, the conflict between
Azerbaijan and Armenia cannot be resolved by closing the borderlines,
as you see it has not been solved so far. Azerbaijan puts pressure
on Turkey for leaving the borderlines closed. However, changing of
this policy would ease Turkey and provide opportunity for finding more
active variant supported by the international community with regard to
the resolution of the conflict. If Robert Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev
reach a consensus concerning the resolution of the conflict in Kazan
on 26 August the matter of opening the borderlines will come to the
agenda, of course.
– How does the international community assess the activity of TABDC?
– They think positively concerning our activity. We have relations
with a number of organizations. We have regular contacts with the
high-ranking officials of the important states. Even the UNO approves
the activity of the TABDC and supports it. Our functioning is indicated
as a model in other similar regions of the world.
– How do you evaluate the imprisonment of historical scientist Ektan
Turkyilmaz in Turkey?
– I regretted that Turkyilmaz was imprisoned, regrettably, Armenian
government made a great mistake here. The matter of releasing of
Turkyilmaz brought Turks and Armenians together. We all want him to
be set free.
Personally I do not believe that Turkyilmaz attempted to export
forbidden books from Armenia on purpose. Azerbaijanis, Turks and
Armenians can cooperate for releasing this scientist. The number of
those intending to investigate the events happened in 1915 began
to increase in the past few years. The number of those willing to
investigate these archives has increased. The step taken by Armenia
is not a right one.
– The official Ankara announced that it will not open its borderlines
with Armenia in the period when you are increasing your efforts. How
do such statements affect the activity of the TABDC?
– Of course, such statements are not approvable, Ankara stated that
its official position depends on the improvement in the resolution
of the Upper Garabagh conflict and waits for the step taken in this
direction. A consensus should be reached regarding this matter. The
step to be taken by Azerbaijan is also important as the step of
Armenia. Regrettably, it would not be right to announce the communities
of both countries about the steps to be taken. Do remember how the
radical nationalists criticized Turkey’s supporting Annan plan on the
resolution of the Cyprus conflict. The communities of Azerbaijan and
Armenia are very responsible for this matter.
They have to support the step to be taken by the government and should
know that these steps will be the most right steps for the future of
the peoples even if they are not the most ideal ones.
– We would like to know your opinion concerning the so-called “genocide
of Armenians”…
– We do not deal with this matter, however, we want the both
sides to discuss the matter together, exchange their information
and documents. I treat this matter a little bit morally. I am
impressed when seeing that Armenians from Anatolia still preserve
the traditions of Anatolia though they lived in foreign countries
for 2-3 generations. Though I want to tell them “come back and turn
to your homes” inside me I know they will not return. God willing,
if Turkey-Armenia borderlines are opened thousands of immigrant
Armenians from Anatolia will visit Turkey, Armenia, even Azerbaijan
as tourists. It is very important for us to understand each other
morally in regard with the solution of the events happened in 1915.
– Do you believe the reconciliation of Turkish and Armenian peoples
and opening of the borders?
– I believe that, peace will be restored in the South Caucasus in
a shortest time and the borderlines will be opened. Azerbaijan and
Armenia should reach a consensus and Turkey-Armenia borderline should
be opened in order to reconcile. The meeting due to in Kazan is very
important in this matter, I believe that peace will be achieved soon
if no one prevents it. The most important problem will be the status of
the Upper Garabagh, of course. There must a formula for both countries
to reach a consensus. Can Turkish businessmen cooperate with the
businessmen of Upper Garabagh if there is no peace? Why not? There can
never be any obstacle for trade. But, Upper Garabagh is not recognized
by the international community. Therefore, no credit can be given to
this region, the goods exported her can not be insured, international
banks cannot function, there is no international guarantee for the
capital invested here. There are some other problems, only free trade
can be realized with this region unless the status of Upper Garabagh
is defined, but, of course, no one wants such trade. The situation
is the same in North Cyprus that is why no capital is invested to
this region. I think, tourism must be the first sector which will be
given impulse to by Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia jointly,
if peace is achieved and the borders are opened. The South Caucasus
has the richest tourism potential in the world; this region can
attract thousands of tourisms.
– The TABDC demonstrated the initiative on crossing the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export pipeline through Armenia …Do you
still support your initiative?
-The TABDC called the pipeline to pass through Armenia as “Pipeline
of peace”, it means, this pipeline will link us for many years. All
the countries, including Azerbaijan admit that the pipeline to pass
through Armenia is more effective economically. The construction of
Armenia section of the pipeline means 20% reduction in the financial
expenditures. We cannot say that this matter was decided fully,
there are pipelines remained from the USSR period in Armenia and it
is possible to reconstruct these pipelines by the account of very
little investment. As the result, Turkey and Azerbaijan might gain
a lot of incomes from these pipelines.
– How much is Turkish community ready for the opinions, ideas you
mention?
– Turkish public fed up with the political difficulties, we have Cyprus
problem which has been lasted for more than 30 years and expected to
last, the problems with Iraq and Syria have not been solved and the
problem in regard with Armenians has not been solved either. Turkish
public opinion would not judge Azerbaijan 7-8 years ago, but now the
public opinion is that Azerbaijan is not making enough efforts for
achieving peace.
– What do think, your efforts will result in when Armenia makes
territorial claims against Turkey?
– The territorial claims have no ground and I have not met any
Armenian working seriously in this direction. Minor part of the
Armenian Diaspora claim this, but these claims are not accepted
seriously by the community.
The borderlines of the two countries are guaranteed by the
international commitments and these claims will be removed after
the diplomatic relations between Turkey and Armenia are restored. As
the matter of fact, Azerbaijani Turks, Armenians and Anatolia Turks
must chose a target as it is in Europe in which there is no borders
and it is possible to move freely. Who can tell that one state has
a territorial claim against the other in Europe today?
Regrettably, such matters are only disputed in our region.
– There are Russian military bases in Armenia; don’t you think that
this factor might endanger Turkish capital invested to the economy
of Armenia?
– Russia is not a threatening factor for Turkey; on the contrary,
Turkey can meet some needs of Russian military bases. The Turkish
are real professionals in meeting the needs of military objects. The
USA military bases have been in Turkey for a long time and the needs
of these bases have been met by Turkey. Russia intends to function
together with Turkey. Russia and Turkey can keep peace in the South
Caucasus jointly. The dividends gained by keeping peace in the South
Caucasus are many times better for Russia than the dividends gained
by the military bases.
– Have you been put any pressures by the government and NGOs of
Azerbaijan with regard to your efforts in the direction of normalizing
the relations with Armenia?
– We want to establish peace between Armenians and Turkish people
and we believe that our activity will be the foundation of peace
and tranquility in the whole South Caucasus. On the other hand,
we do not treat the problem like Armenia or Turkey. Therefore, we
have been pressured by the organizations that interpret the problem
meeting the interests of Azerbaijan. We always tell them to take into
consideration the interests of Turkey too.
– Does the Foreign Ministry of Turkey support your activity?
– We are not linked with the government; we are NGO that tries
to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations. We have nothing against
Turkey, Armenia or Azerbaijan. Turkish Foreign Ministry is aware of
our activity.
– Are you supported by any people or organization from Azerbaijan?
– No Azerbaijani or organization from Azerbaijan judged us when we
explained our action plan .On the contrary, there are many persons and
organizations that want us to include Azerbaijan into our activity
circle. We are going to expand our action circle by the account of
Azerbaijan and Georgia in a shortest time.