Author: Jalatian Sonya

The Messenger
Thursday, March 17, 2005, #048 (0822)
Caucasus plagued by too many – and too loose – arms
The withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgian territory, the
requirements of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, the attempts
to resolve frozen conflicts in the region, and Georgia’s attempt to build a
modern army all mean that the issues of armaments and their control in the
Caucasus are of great importance.
Armament norms are strictly defined in Caucasus. According to CFE, the three
countries of the Southern Caucasus – Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia – have
equal quotas. Each is permitted 220 tanks, 220 armored cars, 285 artillery
systems above 75 millimeters, 100 fighter aircraft and 50 military
helicopters. The number of military personnel was originally limited to
40,000, but Armenia and Azerbaijan were later able to increase this number.
Despite the official statements with their precise quotas, ever since they
were agreed it has been difficult to hold countries to the agreement.
Russia, in particular, is well in excess of its limitations for the region
and argues that the war in Chechnya and instability in the Southern Caucasus
makes this necessary. It continues to maintain military bases in Georgia and
Armenia and possesses quantities of armaments that exceed the quotas
permitted Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Furthermore, the separatist regimes of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and
Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, all of which possess their own arms that are
beyond the control and scrutiny of international organizations, make the
limitations entirely ineffectual.
According to data, for example, the unrecognized republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh has more armaments than Armenia. Equally, according to the
agreement, Karabakh army personnel must be included in the quota defined for
Azerbaijan, but clearly it would be ludicrous to do so. Azerbaijan has
recently threatened that if the ongoing conflict with Karabakh is not soon
resolved peacefully, it may have to resort to force, but its is clear from
the data that Karabakh is more than capable of defending itself, even
without Armenian help.
Georgia is also too weak militarily to seek to resolve its internal
conflicts through force, and this has caused several Georgian analysts to
call for a strong rearmament program. Given the huge increases in defense
spending since the Rose Revolution, it appears that the government is
hearing their calls for military build-up to back up the country’s peaceful
overtures to the Sukhumi and Tskhinvali regimes.
In the meantime, however, both regimes continue to receive arms from Russia.
It is difficult to imagine that the Georgian military would be strong enough
at any point in the near future to overcome resistance in the breakaway
republics, and perhaps this is a good thing – a guarantee of peaceful
dialogue.
The high number of arms in these regions should be of concern to everybody,
however, as there is no control over the weapons, which can easily pass into
the hands of terrorists. There are a high number of tanks and heavy
artillery, and many ordinary citizens possess automatic weapons. The arrest
of Armenian and Georgian nationals charged with attempts to smuggle arms is
one sign of amount of uncontrolled weapons in the area.
Back in Georgia, the increased defense spending is aimed not only at
providing extra weight to Georgian efforts to resolve the frozen conflicts,
but also to enable the country to integrate into NATO as soon as possible.
This remains a top priority for the government, and it is receiving support
from a number of western countries and institutions, led by the United
States. Membership of NATO is likely to be held up, however, by the
continuing existence of Russian bases on Georgian soil, and unresolved
frozen conflicts.

CENN – March 16, 2005 Daily Digest
Table of Contents:
1. Georgia, Armenia Discuss Energy Issues
2. European Parliament Votes Yes on Financing NATURA
2000
3. Youth to the Front – Two New WCPA Scholarships for
Young Professionals in Protected Area Management
4. Azerbaijan Discloses First Transparency Initiative
Reports
5. UNDP/GEF Project: “Georgia – Promoting the Use of
Renewable Energy Resources for Local Energy Supply”
6. Call for Proposals for the European Initiative for
Democracy and Human Rights Micro projects Program
1. GEORGIA, ARMENIA DISCUSS ENERGY ISSUES
Source: RFE/RL, March 14, 2005
During a two-day visit to Yerevan on 11-12 March, Georgian Prime
Minister Zurab Noghaideli met with his Armenian counterpart Andranik
Markarian to discuss bilateral trade and cooperation in the energy
sector, Georgian and Armenian agencies reported. Bilateral trade grew by
51 percent in 2004, reaching $78 million, Caucasus Press reported on 12
March. Noghaideli raised with Markarian the possibility of Georgia and
Ukraine importing Iranian gas exported to Armenia via the gas pipeline
currently under construction, ITAR-TASS reported. Initially that
pipeline was planned exclusively to supply Armenia with gas, but
Interfax on 4 March quoted Armenian Energy Minister Andranik Manukian as
saying a second leg could be built to transport gas to Europe. The
Russian-Armenian company Armrosgasart is to undertake construction,
which will begin next month, of the Armenian section of the pipeline.
2. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES YES ON FINANCING NATURA 2000
Source: IUCN March 14, 2005
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) welcomes the decision taken by the
European Parliament on Thursday 11th March in favour of a report on
financing Natura 2000. Natura 2000 is the European Union’s (EU) network
of protected areas, established to ensure the future survival of the
EU’s most important habitats and species by achieving favourable
conservation status. The successful implementation and management of
Natura 2000 sites is a key part of the EU’s work to meet its target of
halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010. This report from the European
Parliament is a critical step in the process as it requests the EU to
provide significant financing to manage the Natura 2000 network and
conserve biodiversity. The report argues that in the future, funding to
manage these protected areas should be made available from the EU funds
for agriculture, rural development and regional development
3. YOUTH TO THE FRONT – TWO NEW WCPA SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT
Source: IUCN March 15, 2005
Junior Ranger Tshegofatso Monama challenged 3,000 participants at the
Vth IUCN World Parks Congress when he said: “The problem I have about
parks is that they do not offer opportunities. They should offer
opportunities to the young because as I look out here I see only old
people who are going to die!” Responding to the need to involve more
young people in protected area management and conservation, IUCN’s
Programme on Protected Areas and the World Commission on Protected Areas
(WCPA) launched a youth training scholarship programme at the 3rd IUCN
World Conservation Congress (WCC, Bangkok, Thailand, November 2004). The
programme, developed and implemented in partnership with the Consortium
for International Protected Area Management (CIPAM), will offer two
scholarships for talented young professionals to attend a protected area
management seminar and to develop an action plan implementing the new
seminar skills and results. Graduates of the seminars will be offered
professional mentoring subsequent to the course. The initiative is the
first undertaking of a partnership focused on increasing protected area
professional capacity amongst young protected area practitioners.
4. AZERBAIJAN DISCLOSES FIRST TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE REPORTS
Source: State Telegraph of the Republic of Azerbiajn, Agency March 16,
2005
The Committee on Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (“EITI”)
established by the government of Azerbaijan to implement its obligations
taken at the conference on EITI held in June 2003 in London, today
announced the publication of the Governments EITI first reports audited
by Deloitte & Touche, the independent Aggregator. The published
documents also include the Aggregator’s opinion based on individual
submissions of independent extractive industry companies participating
in the EITI process.
This marks the first ever aggregated government transparency report in
the world and implementation of the Azerbaijan Government’s commitment
to EITI.
The publication of Azerbaijan’s EITI reports follows the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) on November 24, 2004 between the
Government of Azerbaijan, foreign and local extractive industry
companies and a coalition of some 32 local Non-Governmental
Organizations (“NGO’s”) for Increasing Transparency in Extractive
Industries to implement EITI in Azerbaijan. The MOU set out a clear and
independent process for the implementation of EITI in Azerbaijan and
since its signing has served as the framework for implementation efforts
by all parties.
The full report as well as the Aggregator’s opinion on the document has
already been disclosed on the State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) and the EITI
Secretariat of the UK Department for International Development (DFID)
and non-governmental organizations (NGO).
Samir Sharifov, chairman of the Committee on EITI, said: “Publication of
the first report on the Government revenues from the extractive sector
that was prepared by a reputable international firm on the basis of
examination of government’s assertion and extractive sector companies’
individual reports has become another clear demonstration of
Azerbaijan’s full support to EITI process not in words but in deeds. It
has evidenced continued commitment of the authorities of Azerbaijan to
transparent management of revenues accruing from extractive sector and
to encouraging active involvement of civil society in this process”.
Speaking on behalf of local extractive industry companies Natig Aliyev,
President of SOCAR, said “Thanks to successful realization of new oil
strategy, SOCAR has obtained the recognition as one of the leading oil
producing companies in the world and reliable business partner in joint
projects. Our next task is to prove ourselves as a company which
conducts its business in compliance with internationally accepted
standards of reporting and transparency of financial and commercial
operations.
I believe that in our country we have already taken very important steps
in this direction and in future in cooperation with the NGOs we will do
our best to achieve our goal”.
Speaking on behalf of foreign oil companies David Woodward, Associate
President of BP, said: ”We welcome the publication of the first reports
for Azerbaijan which is a world first for the broader implementation of
the UK Government’s EITI initiative. We are satisfied with the
independent process implemented by the Aggregator. As these are the
first reports of these kind in the world there will, I’m sure, be ways
in which we can improve the process further, but this should not detract
from the importance of what has been achieved by the Azerbaijan
Government working effectively and efficiently with oil companies and
civil society”.
Sevgim Rahmanov speaking on behalf of the NGO coalition stated “A
significant step forward has been made towards promoting transparency in
extractive industries in Azerbaijan by publication of the EITI first
report. We look forward to working with both the Government and
extractive sector companies for further improvements in the process”.
5. UNDP/GEF Project: “Georgia – Promoting the Use of Renewable
Energy Resources for Local Energy Supply”
GOVERNMENT OF GEORGIA
UNDP/GEF Project: “Georgia – Promoting the Use of Renewable Energy
Resources for Local Energy Supply”
Invitation for Pre-qualification (Request for Expressions of Interest)
Technical Advisor Services
The companies with required expertise are requested to send their
Expressions of Interests for the provision of technical advisory
services for a five-year joint UNDP/GEF and KfW financed initiative in
Georgia including a technical assistance component and an associated US$
7 million revolving Renewable Energy Fund to promote the use of local
renewable energy resources, with the focus on small hydro and geothermal
resources.
The selected consultant is expected to take the lead on finalizing the
documentation needed for the loan applications of the pilot small hydro
power and geothermal projects seeking to use the resources of the
Renewable Energy Fund. The work will be conducted in close co-operation
with the local experts (to be paid separately by the project budget)
with the purpose of simultaneously building up the local capacity to
follow up the results and to conduct similar studies independently in
the future.
In co-operation with the local experts, the Technical Advisor will be
responsible for finalizing the documentation needed for the loan
applications for small hydropower and geothermal projects seeking to use
the resources of the Renewable Energy Fund and, as applicable, support
the further implementation of the projects approved for financing.
The Technical Advisor will report to the project manager and to the UNDP
Resident Representative in Georgia.
Qualifications
a.. Good knowledge of and extensive working experience on developing
small hydro power, geothermal and municipal heat and hot water supply
projects, including:
b.. Adequate technical knowledge and experience on the different areas
of small hydro power projects, geothermal resources and municipal heat
and hot water supply systems
c.. Demonstrated success in structuring financing for the projects
d.. Strong interpersonal and training skills
e.. Knowledge of Georgian or Russian language is an asset
The duration of the assignment will be 4 years (2004-2008).
Required Information and Documentation for Pre-qualification
1.. Signed Expression of Interest Letter;
1.. Name and ownership of a company;
2.. Field of business or areas of interest or public responsibility;
3.. Annual turnover or budget;
4.. Background of a company;
5.. CVs of experts to be engaged in the assignment;
6.. Company’s References (implemented projects and/or provided
services):
1.. Deadline for Expression of Interest is 25 March 2005 12 A.M. of
local time.
Expression of Interest and related materials should be sent to the
Project manager Mr. Paata Janelidze via mail.
Address: 150a, Agmashenebeli Ave. Tbilisi, 0112, Georgia
E-mail: [email protected]
More information can be seen at
6. Call for Proposals for the European Initiative for Democracy
and Human Rights Micro projects Program
European Commission
Delegation to Georgia and Armenia
Call reference: EuropeAid/121-162/L/G/GE
The European Commission Delegation to Georgia is seeking proposals for
micro projects in Georgia with financial assistance from the European
Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) program of the
European Communities. The global indicative amount available for this
Call for Proposals is ? 327.000.
The general objective of the EIDHR micro projects program is to respond
rapidly to requests from NGOs that are designed to promote democracy and
human rights. Proposals for micro projects should be in the following
priority areas:
Priority A: Support to the rule of law and the fight against corruption
Priority B: Protection of religious and ethnic minorities
Grants may cover a maximum of 80% of project costs. Grants will finance
projects with activities lasting up to 18 months.
Grants range from a minimum of ? 10.000 to a maximum of ? 50.000
Applicants must be non-profit-marketing and be non governmental
organization. They must have their headquarters in Georgia, or be a
local independent division of an NGO with its headquarters in another
country. Activities must take place in Georgia, preferably in one or
more of the following regions of Georgia: Kvemo Kartli,
Samtskhe-Javakheti and Adjara. Applicantrs may apply singly or as part
of a consortium.
Detailed information on this Call for Proposals is contained in the
“Guidelines for Grant Applicants”, which are published together with
this notice on the Internet Web Site of the European Commission
Delegation to Georgia: the full Guidelines
for Applicants are also available for consultation at the European
Commission Delegation to Georgia:
38, Nino Chkheidze street, 0102, Tbilisi
Tel: +995 32 94 37 63
>From Monday to Friday from 9:00 till 17:00
The deadline for submission of proposals is June 6, 2005 at 16:00
Georgian time. Any application received by the European Commission
Delegation to Georgia after this time will not be considered.
Any questions regarding this Call for Proposals should be sent, clearly
indicating the reference number by fax to +995 32 94 37 68 or by email
to [email protected]
All applicants are encouraged to consult the Internet website above
regularly before the deadline for applications, where the EC Delegation
will publish the most frequently asked questions and the corresponding
replies.
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

Sun-Sentinel, FL
March 15 2005
The Shield now Close to perfect
Big-screen star brings her A-game to series.
Published March 15, 2005
What the world needs now is not a female Vic Mackey. But this is what
it will be getting on the fourth season of The Shield.
The nastiest cop show on TV has gotten even better. Michael Chiklis
is already an Emmy winner as renegade detective Vic Mackey. This
season Vic gets a new boss, Capt. Monica Rawlings, played by
five-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close.
The norm would have these two going at each other like Simon and
Paula. But The Shield disdains the safe and familiar, which is why
it’s one of TV’s sparkling gems. Rawlings, who worked her way up from
the street, shares Mackey’s philosophy that right is what works, so
they hit it off like Nick and Jessica.
Chiklis said he doesn’t mind having to share top billing with a star
of Close’s magnitude because it would bring out the best in him. He
was prophetic. Like the series, the very good has gotten better. A
second Emmy could be looming.
Clearly, Close hasn’t loaned her name to the series for a paycheck,
either. She’s brought her big screen A-game to her first episodic
starring role.
A seasoned pro, she knows how to work a scene without histrionics. A
glance here, a raised eyebrow there, perhaps an occasional dirty look
is generally all she needs to assert her authority. She can be more
forceful when necessary without losing self-control. Amazingly, the
normally insolent Vic accepts her without reservation.
It helps that at first encounter she accepts a wink-wink tale that
Vic had to kill an animal because it pulled a gun on him. Rawlings
further endears herself to Vic by exhibiting as little regard for the
outgoing Capt. David Aceveda, who has won a seat on the city council.
She also has a game plan to take advantage of forfeiture rules to let
her cops seize expensive toys for their use.
Still it’s hard to believe this partnership of strong, unbending
personalities will hold, so it should be an interesting season.
Vic needs new alliances. His old ones have crumbled in the wake of
the fiasco involving his band of rogue cops losing the fortune they
robbed from Armenian money-launderers. His former protégé, Det. Shane
Vendrell, has transferred away and their relationship has turned
frigid. Det. Curtis “Lemonhead” Lemansky is still at The Barn but he
has proven too incompetent to be trusted.
Meanwhile, Det. Claudette Wyms is seething that she was passed over
for the position she deserved more than Rawlings. Her partner,
goody-goody Det. Dutch Wagenbach, is also ticked at being treated
shabbily because of his association with Wyms.
The Shield has been able to keep its core cast intact, a reflection
of actors realizing they have been blessed to be part of something
special. CCH Pounder, as Wyms, merits equal billing with Chiklis and
Close. Benito Martinez is on his way out of The Barn but will remain
a commanding presence as the reptilian Aceveda. Walton Goggins
reprises his role as loose cannon Shane. Jay Karnes makes a
sympathetic character of Dutch. Kenneth Johnson returns as Lemonhead;
Catherine Dent is back as patrolman Danielle “Danny” Sofer; and
Michael Jace is her partner, Officer Julien Lowe, a black man
disgusted by the way his colleagues regard minorities as lesser
humans.
The Shield has been appointment viewing since its debut, although
gutter language and racy plotting make it suitable only for adults.
With Close added to the mix and NYPD Blue out of the time period,
it’s now don’t miss TV.
On TV
Program: The Shield
Stars: Michael Chiklis, Glenn Close, CCH Pounder, Walton Goggins,
Benito Martinez
Airs: 10 p.m. Tuesdays on FX.

Zaman Online
SAHIN ALPAY
03.14.2005 Monday – ISTANBUL 12:07
Is the JDP Power Being Shaken?
I believe the most penetrating analysis of the reasons for the Justice and
Development Party’s (AKP’s) success in the 2002 general and later in the
2004 local elections is the one provided by Professor Ziya Onis in his
article entitled “The Political Economy of Turkey’s Justice and Development
Party” dated November 2004.
()
The point underlined in this analysis is that AKP owes
its success mostly to its ability to bring together both the winners and
losers of the globalization of the Turkish economy, in a broad cross – class
electoral alliance. According to Onis, the AKP succeeded in raising among
broad segments of Turkish society the hope that in government it would be
able to utilize the positive aspects of globalization, consolidate freedoms
and alleviate social injustices.
Undoubtedly, external alliances also contributed a great deal to the ascent
of AKP until at least the end of year 2004. AKP government’s determination
to follow both the economic stability program and political reforms helped
relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union
(EU) to develop in a positive direction. Relations with the United States,
strained due to the rejection in March 2003 of American troop deployment in
Turkey, were stabilized through the offer of 10 thousand Turkish troops to
be deployed in Iraq and other means. Since the beginning of 2005, however,
both the internal and external alliances of the AKP seem to suffer certain
jolts. The most problematic part in the chain of external alliances is the
relations with the United States. Ankara as a whole is upset by the Bush
administration’s Iraq policy: It is concerned with the fact that Americans
are allowing for the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) in
Northern Iraq, and that an independent Kurdish state in Iraq under U.S.
occupation is in the making. The U.S., on the other hand, is not pleased
with Ankara’s distancing itself from Israel, its rapprochement with Syria
and Iran (which Washington keeps under the threat of “regime change”), and
its reluctance to meet the new American demands concerning the use of the
Incirlik air base.
Spokespersons for the neo-conservative clique have expressed Washington’s
dissatisfaction with Ankara through articles published in The Wall Street
Journal (“The Sick Man of Europe – Again”) and in the Middle East Quarterly
(“Green Money, Islamist Politics in Turkey”). In these articles, the AKP was
accused of “secret and insidious” Islamism and of being manipulated by Saudi
Arabia. An American friend of mine, who closely follows Turkish – US
relations, wrote the following comment in a letter he sent a few days ago:
“I wonder what the secret agenda of these articles is? My guess is that the
neo-cons are extremely disturbed by Turkey’s new independent – minded
foreign policy, and want to encourage the Bush administration to topple the
AKP government. Such an attempt by Bush would be extremely foolish, and yet
he might try it. If he does, he may find himself faced with a left Kemalist
and ethnic – nationalist government in Ankara.”
The other problematic part of AKP’s external alliances has to do with the
EU. A decision was made by the EU to start accession negotiations on October
3. The conditions set are, however, tough and discriminatory. Almost no
measures were taken towards lifting of the international isolation of the
Turkish Cypriots. France has decided to hold a referendum on Turkey’s
membership. [Nicholas] Sarkozy and [Angela] Merkel have been pressing for a
“privileged membership.” “Recognize the Armenian genocide!” pressures are
mounting. These developments, which threaten the pro-EU alliance in Turkey,
do not strengthen the AKP’s hand. With no incentives to move further, AKP’s
reform agenda has “laxed”.
The most important problem in AKP’s domestic alliances is the frustrations
experienced among the Islamic circles. Due to opposition by the
military-civilian bureaucracy, the AKP government has so far been unable to
take any measures to lift the headscarf ban in the universities or to
provide equal opportunities in the national university entrance examination
for vocational high school graduates, and among them the graduates of prayer
leader and preacher schools. Reports of the EU and verdicts of the European
Court of Human Rights augment disappointments. Surely the sheer luck factor
is no longer on AKP’s side, and it has become increasingly difficult to
manage the domestic and external political alliances. As long as AKP sticks
to the economic stability and political reform agenda, however, jolts in
alliances may not lead to serious consequences.
March 8, 2005
03.14.2005

Swiss Foreign Minister set for two-day visit to Turkey
Agence France Presse — English
March 8, 2005 Tuesday 11:20 AM GMT
ANKARA March 8 – Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey will travel
to Turkey for two days starting March 29, making up for a visit that
was cancelled nearly two years ago, a diplomatic official said.
The minister was scheduled to go to Turkey in September 2003 but the
visit was pushed back by Turkish officials after the Swiss canton of
Vaud qualified as genocide the 1915 massacre of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire.
Calmy-Rey is set to meet in Ankara with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.
She will also visit Istanbul and the medieval-walled city of Diyarbakir
in the southeast.

Undercover Music News, Australia –
8 Mar 2005
System of a Down Play for Charity
by Paul Cashmere
8 March 2005
System of a Down has announced a charity performance to benefit
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is an organization
that supports legislation in the U.S. Congress to recognize the
Armenian Genocide that was perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire during
World War 1.
S.O.A.D. will perform their third ‘Souls’ benefit for the cause on
April 24 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
The S.O.AD. members are of Armenian decent. “Because so much of my
family history was lost in the Armenian Genocide,” said Daron
Malakian, “my grandfather, who was very young at the time, doesn’t
know his true age. How many people can say they don’t know how old
they are?”
“It’s important for people to be aware of the Armenian Genocide,”
explained Serj Tankian, “and that those actions continue to be
covered up by the Turkish government, the U.S. State Department,
Turkey’s allies in the defense and oil industries, and by our present
U.S. Administration. Had the Armenian Genocide been acknowledged as a
Crime Against Humanity as it was, Hitler might not have thought he
could get away with the Jewish Holocaust. History does and will
repeat itself, unless we stop that cycle.”
Tickets for the benefit show go on sale this Saturday (March 12).

Armenia probe
Kathimerini
Wednesday March 9, 2005
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan called yesterday for an impartial
study of Armenian claims that their people suffered genocide at
the hands of Ottoman Turkish troops during and after WWI. Turkey has
always denied the genocide claims but has been irked by growing calls,
especially from within the EU, that it recognize a genocide occurred
as an historic fact. “We have opened our archives to those people who
claim there was genocide. If they are sincere, they should also open
their archives,” Erdogan said. (Reuters)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lebanon has a right to sovereignty, says Patriarch Sfeir
7 March, 2005
On the eve of his departure to Washington Patriarch Sfeir demands
respect for United Nations resolutions. Armenian bishops call for a
government of national unity to implement agreements.
Beirut (AsiaNews) â~@~S For Maronite Patriarch Card Nassrallah Sfeir
Syria has an obligation to implement the Taef Agreement and respect
United Nations Resolution 1559, which is based on it. At the same
time, the countryâ~@~Ys Armenian bishops call for the formation of a
government of national unity.
The Patriarch spoke to AsiaNews on the eve of his departure for
Washington. He refused to give an opinion on the speech delivered by
Syrian President Bachar al-Asad, in which a redeployment of Syrian
troops was announced, but reiterated the principle that Lebanon has
the right to â~@~independence, sovereignty and freedom so that its
people might live like other peoplesâ~@~].
Cardinal Sfeir denied having said that his country might reach a
bilateral agreement with Israel. Instead, â~@~Lebanon,â~@~] he said,
â~@~will be last Arab country to sign [a deal] with Israelâ~@~].
Speaking about his coming meeting with US President George W. Bush,
the Patriarch noted that it was at the Presidentâ~@~Ys invitation.
And as for Hezbollah disarming, he insisted that it was not up to him
but to those involved.
Yesterday, Patriarch Sfeir received a delegation from the OPDS
charitable organisation at the Bkerke shrine. The delegation was
headed by Fr Elie Madi, who was accompanied by its general director
Ms Faten Nseir.
They illustrated the results of their organisationâ~@~Ys campaign in
favour of tsunami victims in Asia and told the Patriarch that they
were devolving â~B¬ 20,000 (US$ 27,000) to the cause through the
United Nations.
Armenian bishops, but also Catholic and Orthodox bishops, appealed to
political leaders to form a government of national unity capable of
restarting economic development and respecting agreements, especially
the Taef Agreement.
At the end of their meeting on Saturday at the Orthodox eparchy
(diocese) in Zkak el-Blat (Beirut), the bishops released a statement
on the Lebanese situation. They reiterated that only peace, concord
and dialogue can lead the county out of the current crisis. They
urged all Lebanese and all people of good will to join together to
reach the much desired peace.
Former Foreign Minister Fares Boueiz, who is a member of the
opposition, told AsiaNews that Patriarch Nassrallah Sfeirâ~@~Ys visit
to the United States was an historic event, similar to that of
Patriarch Elias Houeik to France in 1920, which founded Lebanon. He
is convinced that the Patriarchâ~@~Ys visit to Washington will lead
to the birth of a new Lebanon, one that is sovereign, independent and
free from foreign interference. (Y.H)
–Boundary_(ID_5eqsoRVi4TP3WFnxlQxI8w)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU Criticizes Police, Says Turks Must Implement Laws
March 7 (Bloomberg) — The European Union condemned violence
yesterday by Turkish police against demonstrators in Istanbul and
urged the government to take steps to strengthen democracy and
respect for human rights as part of its bid to join the 25-member
bloc.
Police used pepper gas and batons against women and children and
arrested scores of people at a rally to mark International Women’s
Day. Turkey’s parliament last year passed laws strengthening rights
of peaceful assembly.
“We condemn all violence, and demonstrations have to be conducted in
a peaceful manner,” EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told a
news conference in Ankara. “I want to underline the need to properly
implement reforms. It’s very important to keep the reform process
going.”
Turkey is relying on membership talks with the EU, due to start on
Oct. 3, to help attract foreign investment and reduce the cost of
servicing its $250 billion debt. Hansjoerg Kretschmer, the head of
the European Commission in Turkey, last week said the government had
been slow to implement EU-backed laws since it won a date to start
membership talks three months ago.
Investigation
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul expressed his “sorrow” over
the violence and pledged a full investigation. Turkey must continue
to strengthen minority and women’s rights and bolster freedom of
expression, Rehn told reporters after meetings with Luxembourg
Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, U.K. Minister for Europe Denis
McShane and Turkish officials.
The U.S. and Britain say the EU must embrace a country that’s both
Muslim and democratic to help win the war on terror and encourage
democracy in the Middle East. Turkey, which became a candidate for EU
membership in 1999, borders countries including Iraq, Iran, Syria and
Armenia. It’s the only member of the North Atlantic treaty
Organization that’s 99 percent Muslim.
The EU will run a so-called “screening process” for Turkey’s
membership parallel with accession negotiations starting in October,
Rehn told reporters yesterday. Turkey should maintain zero tolerance
for torture and respect the rights of non-Muslims to help its case
for membership, he said.
Framework
The European Union will publish a framework for the negotiations with
Turkey by the end of June, Rehn said. The document outlines the
political and economic steps the nation must take before it can join
the 25-nation EU.
“The government perhaps has been too busy with other domestic and
political issues,” said Volkan Kurt, an economist at Finans Yatirim
Securities in Istanbul. “The problem of course has been on the
implementation side. The government needs more time for
implementation of the reforms.”
One area where the government needs to improve the enforcement of its
“zero-tolerance” of torture is in them mainly Kurdish southeast of
Turkey, Yusuf Alatas, head of the country’ Human Rights Association,
said in an interview on March 3.
The government must also tackle problems with freedom of expression
that have resulted in several court cases against the media in the
past year, the EU’s Kretschmer said last week.
French Opposition
Turkey shouldn’t be allowed to join the EU because its culture and
history aren’t sufficiently European, say some EU politicians,
including Nicolas Sarkozy, leader of French President Jacques
Chirac’s Union for a Popular Movement Party. Chirac last year said
the talks may take 15 years to complete.
By 2025, Turkey would swallow up EU farm and regional subsidies equal
to about 0.17 percent of annual European economic output, or about
$20 billion in today’s terms, the European Commission said in a
report published in October. France, the biggest beneficiary of the
EU’s $47 billion budget for agriculture, gets $9 billion in farm aid.
The EU’s political leaders agreed at a summit on Dec. 17 to start the
negotiations with Turkey after the government took steps to curb the
political influence of the military and improve the rights of the
nation’s 12 million Kurds.
Today’s meetings increased chances that Turkey would sign in the
coming weeks a protocol to extend its free trade agreement with the
EU to include Cyprus, Asselborn said. Such a step might pave the way
for EU aid to Turkish Cyprus and direct trade with the north of the
Island. Turkey must approve the accord before it can start the
accession process.
The Turkish government has said that widening the protocol won’t mean
recognition of the Greek Cypriot south, which joined the EU in May.
The Island has been divided since 1974, after Turkish forced invaded
in response to a brief coup by Greek Cypriots.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Mark Bentley in Ankara at [email protected].
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Catherine Hickley in Berlin at [email protected].

Porous borders, poor cooperation fuel smuggling
The Messenger, Georgia
March 7 2005
Conference examines issues of smuggling and officials reveal two
cases of smuggled radioactive goods in 2004
By Christina Tashkevich
Smuggling remains an acute problem for Georgia destroying internal
markets and healthy competition, analysts concluded at a recent
conference addressing how to address the issue.
The Georgia Enterprise Growth Initiative, a project funded by USAID
and implemented by BearingPoint, organized the conference on
contraband and organized corruption together with the Georgian
Federation of Businessmen and the Association of Petrol Products
Importers ‘Nia’ on Friday in the Tbilisi Marriott Hotel.
According to the Head of the Budgetary-Financial Committee of
Parliament, MP Roman Gotsiridze, the latest budget revenues show that
the scale of contraband reduced in Georgia. He warns, however, that
while a large decrease of smuggling was noticeable in first several
months after the Rose Revolution, it has rebounded in resent months.
“There are two sources of smuggling: uncontrolled territories and
corruption,” Gotsiridze said on Friday. A large source for smuggling
in recent years was the Ergneti market on the border of South Ossetia
which analysts state had an annual turnover of USD 120 million.
According to Gotsiridze, Ossetians, Russian peacekeepers as well as
Georgians participated in smuggling via that now closed market.
On Friday, Gotsiridze said that smuggled goods still come from South
Ossetia but following the closure of Ergneti, the level of smuggling
in the region fell by nearly 80 percent.
The deputy head of the Georgian Border Guard Department Korneli Salia
presented a list on Friday of what he said here the main sources of
smuggled goods. “Tobacco, scrap metals, oil products come to Georgia
from Abkhazia, radioactive products and timber go in both directions
from Armenia to Georgia and back… and drugs from Turkey,” he said.
He also named the major elements that facilitate smuggling, including
the existence of markets near border checkpoints at the Red Bridge
and Sadakhlo, the large amount of smuggling roads, a poor information
exchange between countries and services inside Georgia, and
underdevelopment of border structures. Salia lamented that money his
department receives from gets from the state budget is too little.
Discussing what can be changed, Salia said the government could
develop interstate cooperation plans, allot enough money to buy
proper equipment and transport, reinforce the border guards and make
business registration more accurate.
He also said that border checkpoints must be modernized to eliminate
weaknesses like vehicle scales that lack the capacity to weight large
multi-ton trucks.
“When there is no coordination between services, it’s very hard to
fight with contraband,” Salia said at the conference. He department
also claimed success in 2004, nothing that the amount of fines
collected on smuggled goods exceeded GEL 2 million in the past year.
The first deputy head of the Customs Department, Nugzar Kevlishvili,
pointed to some major improvements underway in 2005. In March the new
Red Bridge customs facility constructed with U.S. assistance will be
opened. In the Tbilisi airport and at the Sarpi checkpoint with
Turkey, the department has also activated red and green corridors to
ease Custom’s procedures.
According to the Georgian Border Guard Department, it recorded more
than 60 cases of smuggling in 2004, including 40 facts of diesel
smuggling and 2 facts of smuggling radioactive goods. The department
also recorded intercepting 14 foreign ships carrying contraband and
confiscated 150 tons of contraband fish.
The smuggling of oil products and tobacco prompted the most
discussion at Friday’s conference. The head of the Association of
Petrol Products Importers, Giorgi Kotrikadze, appealed to the
government to consider decreasing the excise tax on diesel.
“Petrol quality and standards are another issues of concern,” he
said. Georgia still adheres to former Soviet fuel standards and
Kotrikadze hoped that at the end of the summer the country could
transfer to EU standards.
The Founder of the Eliz tobacco company, Tamaz Elizbarashvili, also
expressed concern about smuggling in the tobacco industry. He stated
that if the government does not combat smuggling, tobacco companies
in Georgia will be threatened with closure.
“The government closed markets for cigarettes, but now how can you
fight contraband when the smugglers go underground,” he pleaded on
Friday.
Also participating in the conference, the presidential representative
to Shida Kartli Mikheil Kareli described problems that contribute to
a losing fight with smuggling in his region.
“In our region, 12 employees in the Financial Police are not enough
to control the border,” he said. Kareli also mentioned it is
difficult to monitor the border in South Ossetia because Ossetian
criminal groups are located in the area.
Loose borders were one explanation MP Roman Gotsiridze offered for
the increase of car-theft. “The presence of this business means that
there is no control at the borders,” he said during the conference.
The MP also stated that the recent increase in excise taxes on
tobacco, alcohol and oil products has decreased local production and
in turn increased the amount of smuggled goods. “I cannot say it was
the right decision or not, but at this stage the negative effects are
more than the positive ones,” he said.
–Boundary_(ID_GWcPZCUS2UxpK4f5h3cl5w)–