Author: Jilavian Emma

RUSSIAN AUTHORITIES DENY BRITISH JOURNALIST ENTRY VISA

CPJ Press Freedom Online, NY
Committee to protect journalists
July 6 2006

New York, July 5, 2006 –The Committee to Protect Journalists is
concerned that Russian authorities have refused an entry visa to
British journalist Thomas de Waal. The Moscow-based Union of Russia’s
Journalists (RUJ) had invited de Waal to present his book on the
conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, which was translated into Russian last
year. The Federal Migration Service in Moscow wrote the RUJ Monday
that de Waal’s application had been denied under a 1996 security law.

De Waal told CPJ that he had not experienced trouble over his work on
Nagorno-Karabakh–a turbulent province in western Azerbaijan under
Armenian occupation for a decade. "I believe the entry denial is
connected to my work on Chechnya and the North Caucasus," de Waal said.

In the past 12 years, de Waal has written extensively on the war in
Chechnya. From 1993 to 1997, he worked in Russia, covering the North
Caucasus for the English-language daily Moscow Times and The Times of
London. He wrote a book Chechnya: A Small Victorious War, and in 2003,
he testified as an expert witness for the defense at the extradition
trial in Britain of Chechen rebel leader Akhmed Zakayev.

"We are very concerned by Russian authorities’ decision to deny Thomas
de Waal an entry visa," CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. "This
appears to be part of a pattern by the authorities of controlling
coverage. We call on the Federal Migration Service to allow de Waal
to enter Russia, and to stop harassing journalists whose reporting
on the war in Chechnya contradicts the official line."

De Waal said he believed Russian authorities were now reacting to the
body of his work over the past decade. "I must have somehow gotten
on their black list," de Waal said. He last visited Russia in January
2005. He has been to the North Caucasus twice during President Vladimir
Putin’s tenure, both times visiting the republics of Ingushetia and
North Ossetia, but not Chechnya.

Oleg Panfilov, director of the Moscow-based media watchdog Center
for Journalism in Extreme Situations, said his organization keeps
a list of foreign journalists denied visas since 2000. The list now
contains over 30 names, Panfilov told the Russian service of Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

ARMENIAN CONSTITUTION READY TO COMBAT CORRUPTION
By Ruzan Poghosian

AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2006

In the course of the closed sitting, RA Constitutional Court decided
that the commitments fixed in the Anti-Corruption Convention signed
in New York on October 31,2003, keep in line with RA Constitution.

The Anti-Corruption Convention was adopted by means of international
collaboration. It is meant to combat corruption through technical
assistance. 140 countries participate in the Anti-Corruption Convention
adopted by the UN. 52 of these countries have already ratified the
convention. Armen Martirosian, representative of Armenia in the UN,
signed the Convention in New York on May 19, 2005. The convention
came into force on December 14, 2005.

Kim Balayan, member of RA Constitutional Court, held a speech on the
abovementioned issue during the sitting.

After, David Harutyunian, RA justice minister, representative of
RA president at RA Constitutional Court, answered the questions of
the judges.

BAKU BELIEVES REFERENDUM ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH MUST BE NATIONWIDE

ITAR-TASS, Russia
July 3 2006

BAKU, July 3 (Itar-Tass) – Baku believes that a referendum on the
status of Nagorno-Karabakh should be nationwide, Azerbaijani Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told journalists on Monday.

He pointed out that Azerbaijan’s stand was "clear." "The
Nagorno-Karabakh problem may be settled after effects of the armed
conflict are eliminated."

"Earlier, not only Armenians, but also Azerbaijanis resided in
Nagorno-Karabakh," Azimov said.

If to speak of democratic conflict settlement, the demographic
situation in Nagorno-Karabakh as it was before the conflict waged
should be re-established and the Azerbaijani Diaspora should be
returned back to their homes, he said.

As for future signing of the framework agreement on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement during the G8 summit due in St.

Petersburg, where the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents will take
part, Azimov said "such agreement should be drafted first as it does
not exist."

RUSSIAN EMBASSY: NATIONAL INTOLERANCE IN RUSSIA NOT TARGETED AT ARMENIANS ONLY

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.07.2006 17:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Employees of the Russian Embassy in Armenia met with
the members of the Armenian delegation who took part in the Forum of
Creative and Scientific Intelligentsia of the CIS member states held in
Moscow April 14-15, 2006. As reported by the Embassy’s press office,
the Russian officials are convinced that xenophobia is peculiar not
to Russian only. The Russian Embassy in Armenia expressed regret
over the cases of violence against the Russian citizens of Armenian
origin. "Unfortunately xenophobia is an evil that finds expression
in the public life of multi-national states with developed democratic
and social institutes. Thus, the statements on purposeful violation of
rights through national intolerance against Armenians are groundless,"
the statement of the Russian Embassy says in part.

NAGORNO KARABAKH TO JOIN THE ASSOCIATION "FOR DEMOCRACY AND NATIONS’ RIGHTS"

Regnum, Russia
July 2 2006

"The Nagorno Karabakh Republic intends to join the Association ‘For
democracy and nations’ rights’ established by presidents of Abkhazia,
South Ossetia, and Transdnestr." The decision was declared by the
president of South Ossetia Eduard Kokoity at a meeting with the Java
district administration, REGNUM informs.

On June 14, presidents of Abkhazia, Transdnestr, and South Ossetia
Sergey Bagapsh, Igor Smirnov, and Eduard Kokoity had an official
meeting in Sukhumi where they discussed, in particular, security issues
in the Black Sea and Caucasian region. The parties also discussed the
problem of joint cooperation in confronting external challenges, the
course and the prospects of political conflicts’ settlement. Following
the meeting, the presidents signed a joint declaration which proclaimed
the creation of the Association "For democracy and nations’ rights,"
as well as the joint resolution on peacekeeping activities.

Among the Association’s key objectives are: reaching common goals by
exclusively peaceful means and political methods, based on the mutually
profitable and equal cooperation, the supremacy of the people’s will at
taking nation-wide decisions, and the indispensability of principles of
sovereignty and independence at conducting negotiations on political
conflicts’ settlement. The parties also expressed conviction that
"the peaceful initiatives and the striving for peace will positively
influence the dynamics of today’s international and regional processes
and will receive widest support."

Eurasia Daily Monitor — The Jamestown Foundation
Monday, May 8, 2006 — Volume 3, Issue 89

IN THIS ISSUE:
*Trans-Caspian gas pipeline project receives boost from Western
officials
*Cheney speech in Vilnius shocks Kremlin
*Nazarbayev welcomes Cheney, Beijing reacts

CHENEY VISIT SPOTLIGHTS KAZAKHSTAN’S PIVOTAL ROLE

U.S. Vice President Richard Cheney’s May 5-6 visit to Astana — and an
overlapping visit by European Union Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs
there — achieved a long-overdue rebalancing of Western policy
priorities regarding Kazakhstan and, by implication, the region as a
whole. At the joint news conference with Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev, Cheney described Kazakhstan as a "key strategic partner of
the United States" in terms of energy supply projects and anti-terrorism
efforts.

Cheney’s visit increased the impetus toward the creation of a
trans-Caspian oil transport system that would enable Kazakhstan to
export its oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Discussions on
that project had marked time for several years, largely because of
Russia’s monopolization of oil transit from Kazakhstan. U.S. Energy
Secretary Samuel Bodman urged Nazarbayev in Astana in March to expedite
the signing of the relevant agreements on the trans-Caspian project (see
EDM, March 16). On the second day of Cheney’s Astana visit, Kazakh Prime
Minister Daniyal Akhmetov promptly announced in Baku that Kazakhstan is
ready to sign those agreements next month.

Moreover, Cheney’s visit jump-started discussions over a trans-Caspian
gas pipeline from Kazakhstan via Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey to
Europe. That pipeline would follow the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (Turkey),
where two options are available: either to Greece and Italy, or to
Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria. The Kazakh energy and mineral
resources minister, Baktykozha Izmukhambetov, announced at the
conclusion of Cheney’s visit that Kazakhstan intends to request the
European Commission (the EU’s executive arm) to undertake a technical
and feasibility study for the construction of a trans-Caspian gas
pipeline. Kazakhstan will discuss joining the gas project to Erzurum at
an expanded meeting with the participation of European customers. If,
however, Astana insists on Iran’s participation in that meeting, the
project might bog down in political complications.

Piebalgs also discussed the gas project on May 3-4 with Nazarbayev,
conveying the interest of certain large European companies in gas
supplies from Kazakhstan. The Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum pipeline, with a
projected capacity of up to 30 billion cubic meters, can combine gas
volumes from Azerbaijan’s Shah-Deniz offshore field (to which that
pipeline is dedicated) with volumes from Kazakhstan. In addition,
Piebalgs proposed that Kazakhstan speed up the signing of an agreement
with the EU’s Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) on deliveries of uranium
from Kazakhstan.

Any trans-Caspian project would, however, be commercially limited
without inputs from Turkmenistan. Politically, moreover, Kazakhstan
would be better placed to withstand Russia’s opposition to the project,
if the other eastern Caspian country participates as well. As the Hudson
Institute’s Zeyno Baran remarked on this occasion: If the United States
continues to balk at dealing with leaders of energy-producing countries
because of democracy concerns, then "Soon there won’t be any more
democracies in the region to participate with. You can say all you want
about how we will not take part in these great games, but Russia and
China are taking part in them, and the United States risks losing out"
(Western news agencies cited by Moscow Times, May 5).

On the anti-terrorism front, Cheney’s visit highlighted Kazakhstan’s
contribution to American-led efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the
latter country, Kazakh military engineers and sappers form one of the
exceedingly few units from predominantly Muslim countries (the other
such contributing country is Azerbaijan). From October 2001 through
April 2006, more that 3,000 flights of the United States and its NATO
allies passed through Kazakhstan’s air space on missions in Central Asia
and Afghanistan, and 360 planes made emergency or refueling stops at two
airfields made available by Kazakhstan for those purposes. In September
this year, Kazakhstan will host the Steppe Eagle 2006 international
military exercise with the participation of the United States, Britain,
and Turkey under NATO’s Partnership for Peace program.

In Astana, Cheney stated that the United States favors a diplomatic
solution to the Iran nuclear problem. He held up Kazakhstan as an
outstanding example for Iran to follow in this regard: Following the
Soviet Union’s breakup, Kazakhstan renounced the inventory of nuclear
weapons and infrastructure situated on its territory and fully
cooperated with international organizations, Russia, and the United
States in ridding the country of nuclear weapons components and
materials.

(Khabar news agency and Television, Interfax, May 5, 6)

–Vladimir Socor

AFTER VILNIUS, PUTIN HAS TO RECONSIDER HIS PROSPECTS

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney used his speech at last week’s
conference in Vilnius to address Russia in a blunt new tone. Prior to
the conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advisers had assumed
that the maximum extent of U.S. criticism had been set by the report,
"Russia’s Wrong Direction," presented by the Council on Foreign
Relations (see EDM, March 13). Warning signals from experts and NGO
activists who had gathered in Vilnius before the top-level conference
were dismissed as "boring preaching from the EU" (Moskovskie novosti,
May 5). But the broadside delivered by Cheney, regarded in the Kremlin
as a no-nonsense political heavyweight, was compared to Churchill’s
landmark "iron curtain" speech 60 years earlier (Kommersant, Ezhednevny
zhurnal, May 5).

The cautious response from the Russian Foreign Ministry, which
emphasized that the substance of relations had not changed, was
obviously an attempt to downplay the effect, also by questioning the
competence of VP’s aides (Newsru.com, May 6). There was, however, a rush
of defensive comments and rebuffs from outspoken Duma deputies and
experts with ties to the presidential administration. Vyacheslav Nikonov
and Andrei Kokoshin emphasized that Washington was irritated by Russia’s
growing power and decisiveness in asserting its "sovereignty," while
Gleb Pavlovsky called Cheney’s address a "considered nasty provocation"
(Strana.ru, May 4, 5). Only Putin, however, can deliver the real answer,
and he cannot postpone this answer any further than his annual address
to parliament, scheduled for Wednesday, May 10 (Gazeta.ru, May 5).

According to the carefully controlled leaks, Putin was not satisfied
with the drafts presented to him in early April and so postponed the
annual event in order to sharpen the focus of the speech, which
essentially would be his last address before election season begins in
2007 (Moskovskie novosti, April 21). Foreign policy was supposed to be
one of the key topics, but now the "balance sheet" in this department
has to be redrawn (Vedomosti, May 3). What had been an impressive record
of achievements — from strengthening the alliance with China to making
a crucial difference in the Middle East — has unexpectedly become
recast as a series of opportunistic improvisations that has put Russia
into a tight corner. The claim for restored "Great Power" status is
undermined by the simple fact that Russia does not command due respect
among its neighbors, and the expected triumph of the G-8 summit
in St. Petersburg is seriously downgraded even if Cheney confirmed U.S.
President George W. Bush’s intention to take part.

It has become impossible to deny that Moscow’s carefully prepared agenda
for the summit has been effectively cancelled and not only because Iran
demands top priority or the issues in Russia’s relations with Belarus,
Georgia, and Ukraine are creeping in. The main problem is the topic of
"energy security," which was supposed to be a trump card for Moscow but
has become — as Vilnius proved beyond doubt — a highly contentious
issue (Vedomosti, May 3; Kommersant, May 4). Putin’s courtiers were
absolutely certain that the stratospheric rise of oil prices
automatically granted their boss a position of strength and still cannot
comprehend the magnitude of their miscalculation. The plain fact of the
energy "supply-demand" matrix is that Russia is far more dependent upon
the export of its hydrocarbons to the European market than the West is
dependent upon importing them from Russia. Despite all
the talk about conquering the Asian markets and satisfying China’s
insatiable appetite, Moscow now and in the years to come is firmly
plugged into European distribution networks — and it desperately needs
the income from delivering the contracted volumes of natural gas. What
eliminates any possibility for building a position of strength is the
lack of spare production capacity in oil and gas. Gazprom’s "bad
behavior" is on balance a far smaller mistake than its underinvestment
in basic assets resulting in their degradation. In any emergency,
perhaps a cold spell next winter, Russia cannot be a "swing producer" —
and so, for all intents and purposes, is unable to provide any energy
security.

In mid-April, greeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Tomsk, Putin
showed a slight disappointment in the EU’s "unfriendly" attitude towards
Gazprom, but now he has to stop nursing grudges and draw some serious
conclusions. In his political plans, the G-8 summit has had a far
greater significance than just diplomatic history and a prize photo
opportunity. It should have sealed his fate as a statesman who
impeccably performed a hard mission and could safely retire, remaining
respected in the West, influential at home and decently rich as a member
of a few corporate boards (Ezhednevny zhurnal, May 5). Now, however, the
future looks far more troubled as the perfectly staged crowning moment
transforms into a highly unpleasant rendezvous where seven Western
counter-parts will enumerate their disappointment in his mismanagement
of the energy sector and disapproval of his methods of
leadership.

The internal logic of the "vertical" system of power created by Putin
rejects any transition of authority to a successor, however carefully
chosen. It is far easier for him to "organize" a third presidential term
than to implement an "exit strategy" that would forge a new compromise
among the greedy elites and guarantee a safe retirement (Polit.ru, May
3). Constitutional "technicalities" could be ironed out with massive
public support and the key allies — from China to Kazakhstan to Belarus
— would congratulate him with great relief. Western leaders would
criticize, but they already do, so there is little to worry about.
Cheney’s stern warning that Russia is not "fated to become an enemy" in
essence means that Putin’s Russia has to be dismantled; it may be a
choice too far for a lonely hostage of the Kremlin walls.

–Pavel K. Baev

CHENEY’S VISIT LEAVES ASTANA FACING NEW DILEMMA IN MULTI-VECTOR POLICY

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney praised Kazakhstan as "a good friend and
important strategic partner," particularly in fighting international
terrorism, as he wrapped up his two-day visit to Kazakhstan on May 6.
The trip culminated with the signing of documents to amend the agreement
to eliminate facilities for developing and testing weapons of mass
destruction, cooperation in preventing the illegal movement of nuclear
material, and a memorandum on mutual understanding on economic
development.

Although Cheney’s visit was highlighted as a new phase in U.S.-Kazakh
economic relations, and he pledged assistance to Kazakhstan in its
endeavors to join the most economically competitive states of the world,
the trip carried a strong political subtext. Fielding questions from
journalists in Astana, Cheney essentially reiterated his statement, made
earlier in Vilnius, that Russia is using its control over energy
resources to exert pressure on the Baltic and Black Sea states. He said
his views on that point coincided with those of other participants at
the Vilnius summit. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev adopted
Cheney’s conciliatory tone and said that there was no confrontation
between Russia and the United States. "Rather, it was a friendly
exchange of opinions. We all should be accustomed to thinking that every
independent state solves its problems and pursues a certain policy.
We all should learn to respect this policy" (Kazakhstanskaya pravda, May
6).

Cheney’s Vilnius speech also did not go unnoticed in China. Beijing
media speculated, "Cheney’s harsh criticism [of Russia] infected fresh
tension that is likely to be still felt when Russian President Vladimir
Putin hosts U.S. President George Bush at the summit of the G-8 club of
rich nations in St. Petersburg in July." The official Chinese view is
that Cheney’s criticism was provoked by "Russia’s new self-confidence"
(China Daily, May 6).

On the eve of Cheney’s arrival in Astana, some analysts noted that the
White House, no longer content with Kazakhstan’s role as an important
economic partner in Central Asia, was scheming to draw Astana into its
geopolitical orbit. Kyrgyzstan’s plans to revise the U.S. lease on the
Manas air base and deteriorating relations with Uzbekistan make a
long-term political alliance between Washington and Astana more
realistic.

Cheney’s visit coincided with Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov’s
trip to Baku, where he conducted talks with Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev
and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Akhmetov stressed Azerbaijan’s
need to ensure the security of the Caspian region and reaffirmed
Kazakhstan’s readiness to deliver oil to the Azeri Sangachal sea
terminal to be sent onward to Europe, bypassing Russia. Experts believe
Azeri oil and gas supplies alone are not enough to meet Europe’s
enormous demands for energy resources, and future deliveries from
Kazakhstan through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline could make up the
shortfall. But at the same time, analysts warn that Kazakhstan will have
to stick to its multi-vector foreign policy and keep the right balance
among China, the United States, Russia, and other players in the Caspian
region (Delovaya nedelya, April 28).

Like Aliyev, Nazarbayev is worried over the intensifying standoff
between Teheran and Washington, which poses a direct threat to the
Caspian region. Apparently, if Astana will not actively support the U.S.
campaign against Tehran, the White House wants Kazakhstan to at least
maintain a "friendly neutrality." Washington does not want Kazakhstan,
which possesses one-fourth of the world’s uranium reserves, to get too
close to Iran. Talking to journalists, Cheney said the United States
favors a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear problem. He said
Iran would be well advised to follow the example of Kazakhstan, which
surrendered its nuclear arsenal in the early 1990s (Liter, May 6). He
also lauded Kazakhstan for its peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan and
Iraq.

Yet Astana expects much more than just praise and friendly words from
Washington. American investment in the Kazakh economy has reached
<html>.5 billion. Now Kazakhstan wants U.S. assistance for its nuclear
energy program. Over the last two months the government has been
actively discussing projects to construct nuclear power stations.

Nazarbayev told journalists that his talks with Cheney were conducted in
an open and trustful atmosphere. But Kazakhstan cannot easily discard
Russian and Chinese interests in the Caspian region. Just before
Cheney’s visit Astana hosted the president of Russia’s Lukoil company,
Vagit Alekperov, who took part in the ceremony opening Lukoil’s new
branch office in Astana and announced plans to expand the company’s
activities in Kazakhstan’s Khvalynskoye and Tsentralnoye oil fields
(Kazakhstanskaya pravda, April 27).

Even taking into account Russian and Chinese strategic priorities in
Kazakhstan, Astana markets itself as Washington’s most reliable partner
in Central Asia. Thus, it is no wonder that the Bush administration
toned down its criticism of political developments in Kazakhstan, mildly
rebuking Astana for last year’s presidential elections that were "not
fully conforming to international norms." Cheney had only perfunctory
talks with leaders of local political parties, conspicuously avoiding
painful topics. He said Kazakhstan was on the right track with political
reforms, but Astana still must prove that it deserves that assessment.

–Marat Yermukanov

The Eurasia Daily Monitor, a publication of the Jamestown Foundation, is
edited by Ann E. Robertson. The opinions expressed in it are those of
the individual authors and do not necessarily represent those of the
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The Standard, Kenya
June 30 2006

Revealed: How NSIS cleared Armenians

By Biketi Kikechi and Patrick Mathangani

The National Security Intelligence Services (NSIS) gave a clean bill
of health to the alleged Artur brothers, whose real identities are
now a mystery.

Yet it wasn’t just the NSIS, Kenya’s own equivalent of the United
States Federal Investigations Bureau (FBI) and Britain’s MI6, which
slept on the job; three other Government agencies, which also play
the role of security watchdogs, merely opened their doors wide to the
duo, now believed to be international crooks on the run.

Principal Immigration Officer, Joseph Ndathi, displays the travelling
documents belonging to Artur Margaryan at the Kiruki Commission of
Inquiry at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre on Thursday.
Pic by Jacob Otieno

It has also emerged, at the commission of inquiry into the bogus
Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan, that even when their moment of
disgrace came and they had to be "kicked" out of the country, they
still enjoyed luxury of choice, a rare thing for deportees.

In the end, even as they boarded an Emirates plane to Dubai – a
destination they had the luxury to choose – they left no doubt as to
the extent to which they had compromised Kenya’s security apparatus.

To crown the scandal, the bogus Margaryan checked out as Arthur
Gevorkiyan with a Russian passport, also believed to be forged, and
the police and Immigration officials just let him be.

Emergency certificate of travel

On that day, Sargasyan, the sunglass bedecked one who always passed
for Margaryan’s sibling – claimed not to have a passport, even a
forged one.

But the Immigration Department was again at his beck-and-call,
processing for him an emergency certificate of travel that should
only have been valid for the day he flew out.

However, the document, which indicated he was on a business trip to
the United Arab Emirates, was valid for an entire month, contrary to
the law. The Immigration Department came under increasing scrutiny at
the Commission of Inquiry on Thursday when it emerged that foreigners
can, in fact, present forged documents and be issued with Kenyan
passports and other permits.

The commission heard that the NSIS, which should have ascertained
whether or not the mysterious foreigners had criminal records, simply
gave them a clean bill of health.

Another top Government organ – an inter-ministerial committee to boot
– sat at Nyayo House gave the foreigners a green light as investors.
And so did the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), which was
supposed to provide a certificate of good conduct before permits
could be issued.

It was, however, not clear from the evidence whether the security
lapse by the NSIS was deliberate. NSIS conducts investigations for
security clearance of persons who hold or may hold sensitive posts or
have access to sensitive information.

Brothers registered a company

On Thursday, Principal Immigration Officer Joseph Kathuri Ndathi took
to the floor as the Kiruki Commission of Inquiry entered its second
day and revealed that the Arturs got entry permits with the approval
of the NSIS, whose role was to conduct security vetting.

Ndathi told the commission he first got to learn about the presence
of the Armenians in the country on January 23, while processing their
entry permits.

It also emerged that the alleged brothers registered a company,
Brotherlink International Ltd, long before they got entry permits.

"We don’t undertake verification on documents forwarded to us by
applicants unless we suspect they are criminals," said Ndathi.

Among the details in their application forms were Personal
Identification Numbers (PIN) from the Kenya Revenue Authority, where
they had presented themselves as civil servants. They presented the
firm’s incorporation documents to justify their request for the
permits.

The evidence was adduced after documents were tabled to show the
alleged brothers travelled to Kenya and processed their business
documents using forged documents.

Said Ndathi: "We did not verify the authenticity of their passports
or bank statements produced to support their application because we
don’t do that".

He blamed the department’s ineptitude on a "serious shortage of staff
and the high number of applications" they receive everyday.

Interpol reported criminal dealings

The NSIS failed to notice that Artur Margaryan’s passport number
AB0322223 had been reported lost in Armenia. Interpol Armenia also
reported in March that Artur Sargasyan lost his passport number
AF0599780 that was replaced, and yet the same passport number had
been approved as valid by the NSIS, according to Ndathi’s evidence.

Ndathi’s mitigation was that he would have declared the permit void,
arrested, prosecuted and later deported the alleged brothers had the
fraud been exposed. He agreed with Assisting Counsel Warui Mungai
that the entry permits were never cancelled despite the publicity
surrounding their activities.

"They were only cancelled on June 9, 2006, the day they were deported
and that means they were valid until that date," said Ndathi.

Interpol Armenia first reported the criminal dealings of the two
foreigners to their Kenyan counterparts on March 18, 2006. Artur,
whose real identity remains a mystery, stole the passport from Artur
Margaryan who still works in Yerevan as a tax collector.

Ndathi admitted that the passport his officers received from
Margaryan was the one Armenian police had said was lost and
cancelled. He confirmed that the department solely depended on the
documents presented by the Armenians and NSIS’s approval.

Commission chairman Shedrach Kiruki was keen to know from the witness
why he never saw anything peculiar in the Armenians despite the
hullabaloo about them.

"My lords, I didn’t see anything peculiar and it is only now that we
are seeing that the documents given to us were fake," replied Ndathi.

Potential threats to local security

The NSIS is responsible for identifying potential threats to local
security and advising the President on action to be taken. It also
carries out investigations for security clearance of persons with
access to sensitive information.

NSIS is tasked with advising the Government of any security threats,
and taking steps towards protecting the country and its people.

NSIS, formerly known as the Special Branch, was created in 1952 and
operated under the Commissioner of Police. It acted as a secret
intelligence unit for the colonial government during the Mau Mau
uprising.

In 1963, the Special Branch was delinked from the police and it was
not until 1969 that a presidential charter defined its functions. It
was later transformed into the Directorate of Security Intelligence
through a presidential charter in 1986.

The institution became infamous at the peak of the one-party rule in
the 1980s. Its agents were used in holding and torturing individuals
who were perceived to be anti-government. After local and
international outcry, NSIS was created in January 1999, with the
enactment of the National Security Intelligence Service Act.

Brig (Rtd) Wilson Boinett was appointed NSIS Director-General in 1999
and it was during his tenure that the outfit transformed itself into
a professionally run intelligence service. The current head of NSIS
is a military officer, Michael Gichangi.

GAZPROM SETS EYES ON IRAN-ARMENIA PIPELINE

Armenpress
Jun 30 2006

MOSCOW, JUNE 30, ARMENPRESS: Russian Gazprom plans to buy an
Iran-Armenia pipeline currently under construction, RIA news agency
said quoting a deputy chairman of the Russian energy giant as saying
Friday.

"Indeed, we intend to acquire this gas pipeline," Alexander Ryazanov
told an annual shareholders’ meeting.

He said the pipeline, with a projected annual capacity of 1.2 billion
cubic meters, would be commissioned in 2007. Ryazanov said putting
the new facility on stream would help provide more reliable supplies
of natural gas to Armenia, which presently receives its gas through
Georgia. "There are problems with the transit of gas to Armenia via
Georgia, as Georgia taps some of the gas," he said.

Gazprom also said it would produce natural gas only under
contracts. "We will only meet the demand of partners who have signed
long-term deals. We will not produce gas until we have sold it,"
chief executive Alexei Miller told an annual shareholders meeting.

Miller said that demand was outstripping supply on the natural gas
market, which meant that the seller was free to choose partners and
the most favorable outlets, as well as cooperate exclusively under
long-term deals. He said Gazprom covered 25% of Europe’s natural-gas
needs, whereas its share was only 10% on Asian-Pacific markets.

REPORT OF RAPPORTEUR OF OSCE CONTAINS QUESTIONS DISSATISFYING AZERBAIJAN
Author: J.Shahverdiyev

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 29 2006

The report of the co-rapporteur of Parliamentary Assembly of OSCE on
Nagorno-Karabakh Goran Lenmarker contains several issues dissatisfying
Azerbaijan, Rabiyat Aslanova, the member of the Azeri delegation in
PA OSCE and also chairman of Azeri parliament’s permanent commission
on human rights, told Trend.

According to Aslanova, irrespective of the appeal of Azeri delegation
to the head of PA OSCE, the Nagorno-Karabakh issue wasn’t included in
the agenda of the summer session of PA. "But it doesn’t mean that we
will not raise this question at the session. In appearances of our
delegation it will be taken into consideration," told Aslanova.

She noted that the key topic of the discussion at the summer session
will be "Strengthening of human security in OSCE region". It is
directly related to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. "This time we should
try that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is included in the agenda,"
Aslanova stressed.

Besides, Aslanova ruled out that the report of the co-rapporteur of
PA OSCE on Nagorno-Karabakh Goran Lenmarker is ready which contains
several issues that are not satisfactory for Azerbaijan. "The
rapporteur tried to raise questions that are satisfactory for the
sides. But delivering to his attention that Azerbaijan is under
occupation, we require that he should prepare a fair report,"
Aslanova added.

Besides, Aslanova pointed out that evidently Lenmarker will have to
again work on the report.

The summer session of PA OSCE will be held in Brussels on 3-7 July.

400 L VODKA FOR GOLDEN APRICOT

Lragir.am
28 June 06

The guests of the International Film Festival Golden Apricot will be
treated to vodka, produced by one of the sponsors of the festival.

The organizers of the festival confess theirs is not Class A. For
Class A, their dream, they need a budget of 3-5 million dollars. The
organizers of the festival, which will take place on July 10-15,
have already given several news conferences but declined to tell how
much their budget is this year. It is only known that the government
allocated 50 million drams. Besides, several companies sponsor the
festival. Thanks to sponsors, the program of the festival includes
a show of international feature films, a show of international
documentary films and a show of films entitled "Armenian Panorama". On
the days of cinema in our country, renowned directors Artavazd
Peleshian, Robert Gedikian and others will give masterclasses. At
the end of the festival a press-cocktail is planned with the media
and guests.