Author: Kafian Jirair

Azerbaijan won’t have econ problems, president promises

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
January 2, 2007 Tuesday 03:52 AM EST

The year 2006 was marked by two historic events for Azerbaijan: the
commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the beginning
of gas production at the Shah Deniz offshore field, the republic’s
President Ilkham Aliyev said in his New Year greetings to the nation.

"These events will determine Azerbaijan’s development strategy for
a long-term perspective, boost its economic power and strengthen the
country’s positions in the world," Aliyev said in the address carried
by the local television channels.

He underlined that the "Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is not a mere
infrastructure project to supply Azerbaijani oil to world markets:
it has a tremendous geopolitical significance."

Thanks to the implementation of energy projects, the country’s foreign
exchange reserves have exceeded four billion dollars for the first
time, while its budget has increased from 1.5 billion dollars to 6.5
billion dollars in the past three years, the president went on to say.

Azerbaijan became an important country for Europe from the point of
view of its energy security, as gas production was launched at the
Shah Deniz field. "It strengthens the country’s political positions.
Azerbaijan henceforth will not face any economic problems," Aliyev
stated.

Commenting on the country’s main problem – the Karabakh conflict,
he noted that Baku will never agree to granting independence to
Nagorno Karabakh. "Nagorno Karabakh may be given opportunities of
high self-governance within Azerbaijan, on the condition of preserving
the country’s territorial integrity," the president said.

He noted that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity will never become
a subject for discussion.

The Azerbaijani leader underlined that the country’s defense spending
will be on par with Armenia’s this year. "We conduct talks, but
Armenia should know that Azerbaijan can liberate its lands anytime,
by any ways; and it will liberate them," he said.

Leading article: An execution that will do nothing to quell the violence on
Iraq’s streets
The trial was a travesty of justice. To hang Saddam now is also to leave his
second trial unfinished

The Independent/UK
30 December 2006

Saddam Hussein awaited his imminent end last night, sentenced to hang
for crimes against humanity. His last hours were punctuated by the
necessary rituals: the signature on the death warrant from Iraq’s
Prime Minister; the leave-taking from his closest relatives; the
handover of his last will and testament, the release of a valedictory
letter to Iraqis, and, at the last, his transfer from US into Iraqi
custody, so that his own people could do the deed.

That the US and British invasion of Iraq would entail the death of
Saddam Hussein had a grim inevitability. So far as Washington was
concerned, the purpose of their whole enterprise was "regime
change". The question was never whether Saddam would die, but when,
how and by whose hand. The toppling of his statue in central Baghdad –
transparently orchestrated by the American occupiers – was a grisly
precursor of what was to come. As indeed, we now see, was the
ambivalence with which Iraq hailed his downfall.

It was all of a piece of this headstrong autocrat that he resisted to
the last. As the planning for the US invasion reached its height, he
rejected all offers of exile, preferring to stay in Iraq. He was
captured alive in the most demeaning of circumstances, and further
humiliated by his US captors in clips that were beamed around the
world. He stood trial, by turns insisting belligerently on his right
to a proper defence and refusing to recognise the authority of the
court. Would that those who had suffered from his rule had been
dignified with a fraction of the respect that he was accorded by the
court.

>From the outset, though, there was no doubt about either the verdict
or the sentence. And in the end, he faced death as a disgraced leader
and common criminal. He lacked the courage to die as the warrior he
had set himself up to be.

Saddam Hussein does not deserve to be mourned. He had come to power in
violence. His rule was capricious and cruel. The roll of his victims
is long, from the Kurds in the north, to the Marsh Arabs in the south,
via Shia clerics and political opponents. He was ruthless in his
determination to cling to power, and he ordered the unprovoked
invasion of Kuwait. Yet the manner of his demise reflects poorly on
the Western powers that ousted him. Saddam was a creature of the
United States. He was armed and encouraged by Washington in earlier
times, in an effort to balance the regional power of Iran. What
balance there might have been is now shattered. Iran is in the
ascendant. Iraq itself is in chaos and no exercise in democracy has
been able to override its divisions. The country has an elected
president, prime minister and parliament, but these institutions lack
the authority to wield power effectively.

It is understandable that Iraqis preferred to try Saddam themselves
rather than deliver him to the International Criminal Court. This
would have been the preferable course. As it was, the trial was a
travesty of justice. To hang Saddam now is also to leave his second
trial, arguably the more important one, unfinished. The Kurds will not
now have the satisfaction of seeing the murderer of their kinsmen
judged for that heinous crime.

There was a time when the death of Saddam might have been a solution
of a kind. It might have been a clean break with the past, offering
Iraq a new beginning. An open trial might have embodied the start of
the rule of law. An execution might have united Iraqis. Regrettably –
and to the eternal disgrace of the occupying powers – it will resolve
nothing in the vortex that is today’s Iraq.

SERGIO MARKARIAN TO TRAIN "LIBERTY" FOOTBALL CLUB OF PARAGUAY

Noyan Tapan
Dec 27 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Sergio Markarian, a trainer from
Uruguay of the Armenian origin undertook the administration of the
"Liberty" club, the leader of the Paraguay football championship. Radio
Liberty states about it. S.Markarian formerly trained the Paraguay
national team, the "Panathinaikos" and "Ionikos" clubs of Greece. The
Chairman of the "Liberty" football club stated that owing to great
efforts he assured Markarian to undertake the team administration,
promising to create the atmosphere and all conditions necessary
for work.

"REPUBLICAN PARTY IS LABOR UNION OF OFFICIALS"

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 26 2006

The establishment of the Bargavach Hayastan Party before the
parliamentary election in 2007 is regular, like the establishment
of the Orinats Yerkir Party before 1998 and the United Labor Party
and other political parties before 2003 was regular. The political
scientist Alexander Iskandaryan expressed this point of view on
December 26 at the Friday Club, saying that in Armenia the political
parties are set up to pursue the interests of some elite rather than
for social reasons. The political scientist says this is typical of
all the world, simply party building is younger in Armenia compared
with other countries.

Alexander Iskandaryan thinks that the newly established political
parties are meant to solve the problem of guarantees of different
groups in different political stages. In this connection, 2007
is peculiar, the political scientist thinks, because it precedes
the presidential election in 2008. And since the president must
be replaced, different representatives of the elite want to have
guarantees in the economic and political spheres under the new
president choosing to establish a political party as a mechanism.

Alexander Iskandaryan agrees that disagreement inside the ruling elite,
namely between the Bargavach Hayastan Party and the Republican Party
is possible. The political scientist thinks it is logical but points
to a nuance. According to him, the disagreement is not between the
Bargavach Hayastan and the Republican Party but different groups inside
the government. The Republican Party is a "labor union of officials",
Alexander Iskandaryan says, where groups with different interests
are opposed to not only the Bargavach Hayastan Party but also to one
another. Alexander Iskandaryan also considers the controversy between
the president and the defense minister as logical, explaining it by
the variety of the same interests. In Armenia the president is not
one person but about 10-12 people who make up this institution and
have different interests, says the political scientist. The clash of
interests in this pyramid of power underlies the political process
in Armenia.

AZERBAIJANI AUTHORITIES DEPORT TURKISH CITIZEN OF ARMENIAN DESCENT

Armenpress
Dec 26 2006

BAKU, DECEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS: Azerbaijani authorities denied an
entrance visa to a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin who arrived
in Baku together with a famous Turkish musical group, led by Sertab
Ereneri.

The Armenian, Burak Petikian, a pianist of the group, was forced
aboard the same Turkish airplane that brought him to Azerbaijani
capital and flew back to Istanbul.

Petikian was quoted by the Turkish daily Hurriyet as saying that
the incident at Baku airport was ‘an overt display of racism, a move
that humiliated also Turkey ‘ Petikian sent a letter of complaint to
Turkish foreign ministry.

ILKHAM ALIEV THREATENS ARMENIANS
Translated by Pavel Pushkin

Source: Turan news agency (Baku), December 21, 2006
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 25, 2006 Monday

President of Azerbaijan Ilkham Aliev called on authorities of Armenia
to adopt a constructive stance at negotiations at the Nagorno-Karabakh
regulation. Speaking at a meeting in Nakhchyvan today, Aliev called
on Armenia "to finally accept" proposals of the Minsk group of the
OSCE and "not to seek excuses for drawing out."

According to Aliev, officials in Yerevan have been releasing
"ridiculous" statements lately. He added, "Azerbaijan will never
grand independence to Nagorno-Karabakh. Such statements of officials
are absolute lies."

Importance of Azerbaijan and Armenia for international community is
different. Economy of Azerbaijan is 500% bigger than economy of Armenia
and in the near future this difference will be tenfold. The overall
budget of Azerbaijan is 500% bigger than the budget of Armenia and the
military budget of Azerbaijan equals the overall budget of Armenia,
says Aliev.

Importance of Azerbaijan for the energy security of Europe has been
growing permanently, which has been strengthening the military
political position of the country, "So far, Azerbaijan has been
taking into account the interests of Armenia, namely the readiness
to grant autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh. However, this may not be in
the future." Aliev called on Yerevan to draw a "correct" conclusion
and to adopt a constructive stance.

Aliev concluded, "You should not refer to parliamentary elections
and place yourself in a stupid position. The OSCE, European Union,
Council of Europe, US, France etc definitely condemned conduction of
the illegal referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh. The purposeful policy of
Azerbaijan is bringing its frits and we will achieve a just solving
of the problem."

RA NA COMPLETES SPECIAL SESSION’S WORK

Noyan Tapan
Dec 25 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. RA NA adopted 15 bills and
legislative packages at the December 25 morning sitting of special
session. NA in first reading adopted draft packages on making amendment
and addition to the Judicial Code and proceeding from it, to the law
"On Compulsory Military Service."

Bill "On RA National Anthem, legislative packages "On Foreigners,"
"On Bankruptcy," "On Control Chamber," "On Trade Arbitration" were
adopted in third reading and completely. Amendments and additions
were made to a number of acting laws by another bills and legislative
packages adopted at the sitting.

Concluding the agenda, the parliament completed the work of the special
session that had started on December 20. In total, several dozens of
bills and legislative packages were adopted, with the exception of
legislative package "On Street Traffic Security" and bill on making
amendments and additions to the law "On Local Self-Government." Their
adoption failed due to absence of sufficient number (66) of MPs from
voting. Five international agreements submitted by RA President were
also ratified.

Armenian daily predicts fight for influence in Turkmenistan between Russia, West

Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan,
22 Dec 06 p 1

"Saparmyrat Nyyazow died"

Turkmen President Saparmyrat Nyyazow’s death is an event of
geopolitical significance though it seems strange. The reason is that
Turkmenistan has enormous gas reserves (forth in the world).

Energy security is a priority problem on the modern geopolitical
agenda as civilization is based on energy. Natural gas occupies a
special place here as it is impossible to transport gas in wagons,
tanks or cars, and pipelines are the only way for gas transportation.

It has turned out that the main pipelines that supply European
consumers with gas run via the territory of Russia or are owned by
Russia. Russia occupies the second place in the world because of its
natural gas reserves. They use this factor to reach a political goal:
to dictate their will to other states. Naturally, the West worries
about this policy very much, as they have already started seriously
thinking that one day Russia can simply stop gas supplies. For this
reason, the West is searching for ways to oppose [Russian President
Vladimir] Putin’s policy. Finding alternative routes for gas supplies
is the cleverest option of this opposition. The construction of a new
gas pipeline bypassing Russia, which will transport Kazakh, Turkmen,
Iranian and Azerbaijani gas to Europe, is the most real option. And
as Iran, which has the largest gas reserves in the world, has a
serious conflict with the West, Turkmenistan remains the only ground
for the fulfilment of this project.

At present, Turkmen gas is mainly exported via the territory of
Russia. Naturally, Russians used to persuade Turkmenbasy not to
support the West’s proposal to construct a new gas pipeline to the
West. And the West was trying to persuade Turkmenbasy to do so. The
latter, having no domestic political or financial problems, took a
neutral position trying to demonstrate his power to the West and
Russia. And the main hero died in such a confused situation. One may
suspect in the context of these global interests that he did not die
of natural causes.

Naturally, a fight for power will start in Turkmenistan. For their
part, the West and Russia will also start fighting to get
Turkmenistan under their sphere of influence. Iran will also take
part in this game. And this is an exclusive opportunity for China to
take part in this big game as well. In brief, in future we will
witness a geopolitical fight in Turkmenistan.

Incidentally, Turkmenistan is not very far from Armenia. Nyyazow’s
regime was an authoritarian one based on one person. That person died
and the future of the state is uncertain. This is the difference
between a democratic government and an authoritarian one.
Turkmenistan’s example will help us understand that democracy is not
a caprice but an issue of state security.

RA MINISTER OF ENERGY TO RUN FOR 2007 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ON
RPA LIST

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Minister of Energy Armen
Movsisian will run for the 2007 parliamentary elections on the list
of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). The Minister informed
journalists about it on December 22. A.Movsisian also said that being
a RPA member he will take part in all political processes as far as
"his party will permit this."

AZERBAIJANI HOSTAGE SOLDIER RELEASED
[December 23, 2006, 16:38:57]

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 23 2006

Azerbaijani hostage soldier Vusal Garajayev, 1988, was handed over
to Azerbaijani side in the Bash Gervend village of Agdam region,
under the auspices of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

On 23 December 2006, the serviceman, previously detained in the
occupied territories of Nagorno Karabakh, was handed over to the
Azerbaijani authorities under the auspices of the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The operation took place on the contact line of troops. The ICRC,
participating as an intermediary and in accordance with its mandate,
facilitated the transfer of the released serviceman at the request
and with the full cooperation of all sides.

The State Commission on work with POWs, hostages and missing persons
states that the Commission does everything related to destiny of the
missing 4561 citizens of Azerbaijan, while some mass media and the
so-called "experts" disseminate untruthful information misleading the
public on the happenings. The Commission re-states that the accurate
data in connection to the POWs, hostages and missing persons is
kept in archive of the Commission’s Working Group and is ready for
cooperation with media.

It is noteworthy that since the start of its activities in connection
with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the ICRC has helped in release
of 660 persons.