Author: Kalashian Nyrie

‘BESAME MUCHO’ AND ‘CRANES’ IN ONE CD
By Susanna Margarian
AZG Armenian Daily
06/09/2006
Singer Sarine Balian is first time in Armenia. Urged by Narek
Harutyunian, founder of Narekatsi Art Center, she arrived in to
see her fatherland about which she only heard. “I have been here
for a week and I learn new things and meet new faces every day. I
have never been to a place where everything is written in Armenian,
everyone speaks Armenian and all these is very exciting. Diasporans
Armenians here do and feel the same things and we have the same nature
and character but we seldom talk of that,” she says.
Sarine did not come empty-handed; she brought her first album titled
“Juxtaposed” that saw the light lately. Her live performance will
take place at Narekatsi Center on September 12.
Born in Lebanon, she lived in America and performs jazz. She was
captured by the freedom of jazz music when still a student at San
Francisco University.
“Jazz for me was a door of revelations that grants possibility of
advancement and reincarnation. For instance, jazz versions of Armenian
songs are very close to my heart,” Sarine says.
She also teaches and thinks that contact with her students helps to
even more crystallize her art.
“Children prefer joyous and rhythmic songs. Regardless a song’s or
a dance’s ethnic background people prefer the one that creates good
mood,” she says.
With regard to “Juxtaposed”, it must be noted that it’s a wonderful
collection of diverse ethnic songs by which Sarine once again confirms
that love, human sadness and emotions are the same for all people
despite ethnic, linguistic and cultural differences.

DAMNED IF THEY SAY NO, DAMNED IF THEY SAY YES!
by Huseyin Bagci
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Sept 4 2006
Opinions
Huseyin Bagci takes a look at Turkish history and finds the roots
of the Turkish dilemma over sending troops to Lebanon: New players
are introducing themselves to the Mideast should Turkey stay out,
he explores
There is reasonable certainty that the government motion on sending
Turkish troops to Lebanon will be approved by Parliament tomorrow.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s principal differences with the
government on the issue still remain, but the government now is
stronger in its position through many intellectuals’ direct support
from across the political spectrum.
Yet, there are still many opposed to sending troops to Lebanon under
UN mandate, but in all the debates last week one could see that
the government decision is now more and more widely accepted among
the public.
In his Address to the Nation, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
was not at all convincing.
His rhetoric was a bit aggressive against those who oppose the
government’s decision. However, the main idea that Turkey should be
present in the Middle East was the key message, and it reached its
goal. Opposition parties are against sending troops to Lebanon, but
their arguments do not convince the public. There’s an impression
now that actually they would act in the same way if they were in
the government.
Their criticism mainly aims to weaken the Justice and Development
(AK) Party government because they can’t criticize the government’s
economic policies. Indeed, the AKP government will get more points by
this decision in the long run and many wise men in Turkish politics
support the government now, in stark contrast to the situation before
the March 1, 2003 motion.
Erdogan knows that he can control his party and that sending troops
to Lebanon is not only the decision expected by the world but also
an imperative of his proactive Middle East policy from his four
years in power. One should neither exaggerate nor make too much of
this decision.
But more importantly, Erdogan knows exactly what he wants and no doubt
he shows an example of leadership par excellence for Turkish history.
Why is this so?
First, Turkey is a part of the region’s history by nature. Turkey
could only stay ignorant or indifferent to the region in the first two
decades of the republic during the interwar period (1923-45). Both
Kemal Ataturk and Ismet Inonu, first and second presidents of the
young republic, could stay away because they were the founders of
modern Turkey and were acutely aware that the European states like
France and Great Britain, in the form of colonization, dominated
the region. However, parliamentary records show the secret debates
of Parliament in the ’30s and how the Republican People’s Party
(CHP, the only party established and allowed by Ataturk) was more
enthusiastic to “get back” all the lost territories of the Ottoman
Empire. There were neo-Ottomans in the early years of the republic.
After World War II, Turkey was one of the founding members of the
UN. Turkey was the only Muslim country to recognize Israel in 1949
when Inonu was president. Throughout the ’50s Turkey wanted to play
a big brother role in the Middle East within the Cold War conditions:
it took the side of the Western bloc and even sent some 29,000 troops
to the Korean War in order to help the UN operation. Turks have always
supported UN resolutions, and up to today Turkey has lost over 700
soldiers in fighting in UN-led operations. Even today the Korean
syndrome is still there, but the result was that Turkey joined NATO
and the South Koreans still remember what the Turks contributed to
their freedom from communist North Korea.
The establishment of the Baghdad Pact in 1955 was the real involvement
of Turkey in the Middle East. Lebanon was the first country visited by
Prime Minister Adnan Menderes. Arab nationalism, which was supported
by the Soviet Union at that time, was the biggest problem for Turkey.
Turkey’s Middle East policy gained further momentum in the ’60s and
’70s when it started to participate in meetings of the Organization of
the Islamic Conference (OIC). The Cold War forced Turkey again to join
the side of the U.S., and the Lebanese civil war in the ’70s, which
was not only destructive for the Lebanese but also the Israeli-Arab
conflict, was also another dimension. Just a few years after the
beginning of the Lebanese civil war, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
signed the peace treaty with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin
in 1978 in Camp David with U.S. President Jimmy Carter. Sadat paid
for his political act with his life when he was assassinated in 1981.
Turkey also supported the Palestinians very strongly, and since
1979 there has been a PLO representative, presently at the rank of
ambassador, in Turkey.
It was actually Turgut Ozal who started Turkey’s involvement in the
Middle East through an economic dimension. In the ’80s and ’90s Turkey
discovered the Middle East as an economic area, and Turks met, for
the first time, with many Arabs as tourists in Turkey in the mid-’80s.
Turkey’s closeness to the Middle East also turned into a political
problem when the Kurdish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorism
emerged. The Bekaa Valley in Lebanon and the PKK camps in Syria created
a very negative image of Arab countries. However, today Syria is one
of Turkey’s best friends beside Iran and some other Arab countries.
Lebanon was also considered a source of evil by many Turks because
Turkish leftist terrorists were educated in Lebanon when Turkey
had almost a civil war situation in the ’70s. Later on, PKK founder
Ocalan was also living there and many Turkish leftist journalists
and politicians visited him there. The Lebanese image is also very
bad because the Lebanese Parliament recognizes the so-called Armenian
genocide, although in Lebanon the majority is Muslim.
But now the AKP government has continued this active involvement in
the Middle East, and Lebanon is also important as a key economic
country. It is a political reality that Israel destroyed a great
part of the country and UN troops have to be deployed there. Turkey,
for its part, cannot remain an outside player. There is also the new
fact that the European Union is getting heavily involved there. Thus,
our involvement will have impact on Turkish-EU relations. In the case
of the Middle East, the EU will replace the classical actors of the
Cold War, the U.S. and Russia, and the “political vacuum” will be
filled by the EU. Is this good for Turkey? The answer is yes. The
fact is that since the ’50s there are new players, but Turkey is
always present in political calculations.
Erdogan is just continuing the traditional Turkish presence in the
Middle East under the UN mandate.
The visit of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan this week is the
confirmation of Turkey’s presence in the Middle East. The debate over
whether there will be a permanent peace is an open one. But if Turkey
doesn’t follow this UN call, then this might have negative consequences
for the country. After weighing all the worst-case scenarios, in the
end Turkey should make a choice whether it is indeed part of this
political, cultural and religious world there or not. The future
of the Middle East may be not so shiny but without Turkey it would
more problematic.
Turkey as a founding nation of the UN is also obliged to rehabilitate
the reputation of the organization. If you’re not at the table,
than you have nothing to say in the post-conflict formula. Turkey
should stay at the table of the Middle East despite many risks. Prime
Minister Adnan Menderes formulated this in the early ’50s when he
made the decision to send troops to Korea. It’s a similar situation
to the one that confronts Erdogan. But it’s also a domestic political
decision for his party whether he is indeed a leader or not. The
members of the AKP have to prove tomorrow whether they will stay
with their leader or not. Any failure would have consequences both
for the party and the country.
A difficult choice for all. Damned if they decide to, and damned if
they decide not to!
This is the dilemma of the government and Parliament.

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARIAN ON THE OCCASION OF THE DAY OF KNOWLEDGE
Armenpress
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS: Dear teachers and parents, dear
students, I congratulate you on the occasion of the Day of Knowledge.
Good education has always been a priority for our people. The future of
Armenia is with a comprehensively developed, well educated generation.
Currently, the reformation of the educational system is in the
center of the authorities’ attention. It should be conducted through
a combination of our best traditions and modern trends. Educational
programs must be oriented towards training high class specialists in
fundamental sciences and high technology area.
Special attention should be given to the children with particular
educational needs, and they should not be left out of the educational
process.
I congratulate you once again and wish the students good progress in
their studies, and I wish the teachers success in their gratifying
work.

ARMENIA IS NOT YET GOING TO SEND ITS PEACEKEEPERS TO LEBANON
Yerevan, August 30. ArmInfo. Armenia is not yet going to send its
peacekeepers to Lebanon, says the spokesman of the Armenian President
Viktor Soghomonyan.
He says that it is not clear yet what mandate the peacekeepers
deployed in the Lebanese-Israeli conflict zone will have. Besides,
there is a big Armenian community in Lebanon and the appearance of
Armenian peacekeepers in the region may damage its interests, which
is inadmissible, says Soghomonyan.

5 WORKS PASSED TO SECOND STAGE OF COMPETITION FOR RA ANTHEM TO BE BROADCAST BY PUBLIC TELEVISION ON AUGUST 31
Noyan Tapan
Aug 30 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, NOYAN TAPAN. 5 works passed to the second stage of
the competition for the RA anthem will be performed by the symphonic
orchestra and academic choir at 19:00, August 31, on the Public
Television. The goal of the broadcast is public hearings. Noyan Tapan
was informed about it by the competition commission on choosing
the RA anthem text and music. At 20:00 of the same day, those
who want may listen to those 5 variants of the anthem at the “Aram
Khachatrian” concert hall as well, in concert performance. According
to the information got from the Public Relations Department of the RA
Ministry of Culture and Youth Issues, written observations concerning
variants of the anthem may be presented to the information reception
room of the Ministry at 10:00-17:00, every day.

PRESIDENT, SERGE, BARGAVACH HAYASTAN AND REPUBLICAN PARTY ACCORDING TO SPEAKER
Lragir.am
30 Aug 06
On August 30 Victor Soghomonyan, the speaker of the president of
Armenia met with news reporters. It should be noted that this is
an extraordinary event, considering that the speaker gives such
news conferences once in several months. If the speaker meets with
journalists once in several months, it is pointless to speak about
the president. It is hard to remember when Robert Kocharyan last met
with the media of Armenia freely, that is not selectively, and freely
answered their questions. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration
to say that the news conferences of the president or his speaker are
a certain present for the media. It is notable that the speaker of
the president offered this present on the eve of Robert Kocharyan’s
birthday. And the media used the opportunity to get an idea of the
president’s opinion on the home political developments, at least to
the degree that the speaker’s competence allows. They tried to ask
him if it is true that in Sochi Vladimir Putin told Robert Kocharyan
that Serge Sargsyan is not preferred as the successor of the president.
“You see, I have not discussed this kind of publications with the
president for a long time now, because very often the efforts to find
relations between the foreign, home policies of different countries
with the home policies of Armenia sound absurd, and I think it is
pointless to discuss,” says the speaker of Robert Kocharyan. The
speaker of the president disagrees to the word successor in general.
“At the moment I cannot say anything definite about the successor. In
other words, the word successor is not the right word to use in
this context, I think. Perhaps, it would be better to say the next
president of the Republic of Armenia. This is quite another point
of view,” says Victor Soghomonyan. Besides the characterization
of Serge Sargsyan’s succession there is another characterization
for the defense minister – “misunderstanding”. This is connected
with the statement of the minister he made before the extraordinary
assembly of the Repubican Party, saying that the head of state is not
against his membership to this political party and soon the president
or the speaker would express their opinion. It was perceived as an
instruction to Robert Kocharyan, especially after the statement of
the speaker of the president that Robert Kocharyan has a positive
attitude to the membership of Serge Sargsyan to the Republican Party.
Using the opportunity of the meeting with the speaker, the journalists
tried to find out how it happened that the “instruction” of the
defense minister was immediately carried out.
“There was a misunderstanding. When these publications appeared in
the media, there was a misunderstanding, because the defense minister
expressed his opinion that if the president wished to express his
attitude concerning his membership, he or his speaker would state,
which is quite natural. In other words, as far as I know, nobody else
expressed the opinion of the president. And I fulfilled my duty,
I expressed my opinion on the event, which was in the focus of the
political sphere and the Republic in general. If there is something
strange about it, please do explain it,” says Victor Soghomonyan.
There is nothing strange and there is no conflict, says the speaker
of the president. He means a conflict between the president and
the defense minister. The journalists enquired about it, and Victor
Soghomonyan answered this question. The question, however, referred
not only to the president and defense minister personally but Bargavach
Hayastan Party and the Republican Party.
“As to Bargavach Hayastan Party and the Republican Party, I must say
there is no conflict either. There are and there can be controversies,
as I can see from news reports, different speeches, which I think is
natural because if there are no controversies and disagreement, then we
are not speaking of two different forces,” says Victor Soghomonyan,
saying that otherwise the two political parties could join into
one. Victor Soghomonyan cannot see “anything dramatic” about the
controversies between Bargavach Hayastan and the Republican Party.
In fact, there is nothing dramatic, but there are a lot of illogical
things about it. It appeared that the speaker of the president would
answer questions concerning the president, and answering about the
controversies between Bargavach Hayastan and the Republican Party is
not his competence. Especially that formally Robert Kocharyan is not
related to any of these political parties. It would be logical if
the speaker of Robert Kocharyan declined to tell anything about the
controversy between these political parties saying that this question
concerns the parties only. However, for some reason the speaker
announced definitely that there is not a conflict and there are only
separate controversies. How does he know there is no controversy?
Maybe he really does know but formal awareness is concerned, for Victor
Soghomonyan states himself that he can express only the official
opinion of the president. Is the Bargavach-Republican relationship
the competence of Robert Kocharyan?

ARMENIAN, U.S. OFFICIALS DISCUSS KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
August 29, 2006 Tuesday 11:45 AM MSK
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian met with U.S. OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairman Matthew Bryza in Bled, Slovenia, on Monday to
discuss the ongoing stage of talks on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict and their prospects, an Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman
told Interfax.
The spokesman, however, declined to disclose the details of the
meeting.
Speaking at the Caspian Prospects 2008 international conference in
Slovenia, Oskanian said that “militaristic statements by the Azeri side
regarding the possibility of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh problem
in a military way are obstructing the settlement process today.”
“Today the Karabakh negotiations have reached their critical point.
And the international community should do everything possible to
persuade Azerbaijan to begin thinking realistically again and to
seriously discuss the principles that are presently on the negotiating
table,” the Armenian minister said.
The Armenian authorities insisted earlier that the international
brokers had drafted a document outlining the fundamental principles
of the peace process in the predominantly ethnic Armenian enclave in
Azerbaijan. They said that they had already approved the document,
calling on the Azeri authorities to do the same.
However, the Azeri government said that there was no major agreement
on the Karabakh settlement process.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO MEET IN MID-SEPTEMBER
ArmRadio.am
29.08.2006 17:10
The next round of negotiations between the Foreign Ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan over the settlement of the Karabakh conflict
will be held in mid-September, Head of the Information Agency of
the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tahit Tagizadeh said,
“Interfax” agency reports. Tagizadeh noted that the time and place
of the meeting has not been set so far.
The meeting will be held at the initiative of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs, who suggested several versions of terms and places for
the meeting.
It’s not ruled out that the Foreign Ministers will arrange to organize
talks on the level of Presidents.

POLICE WERE SLOPPY IN ARTUR BROTHERS PROBE
Story by Stephen Muiruri and Mugumo Munene
Daily Nation , Kenya
Aug. 28, 2006
Police chiefs have been accused of being indifferent and amateurish
in the way they handled the Artur brothers’ saga from the time they
learnt the two were international criminals to when they ordered
their deportation.
People who have read the findings of the Kiruki Commission, which
investigated the saga, said the force has been criticised for:
Failure to act on an Armenia Interpol report, which revealed Mr Artur
Margaryan and Mr Artur Sargsyan were travelling on stolen passports
and were part of an international gang syndicate.
Breaking the force chain of command in investigating the brothers.
The way they handled the breach of security at the Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport, which saw the foreigners deported instead of
being arrested and charged.
The way they carried out their investigations after the brothers had
been deported to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Lack of commitment Those who have seen the report say Chapter Six is
dedicated to how the police handled the entire saga.
They quote the commission as having found out that the “actions
(by police chiefs) showed they lacked commitment, coordination and
professionalism.”
In particular, sources say the report criticises police commissioner
Mohamed Hussein Ali for disregarding the force’s chain of command by
appointing Mr Isaiah Osugo, the then deputy Nairobi provincial CID
chief, to investigate claims by MPs Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka
that the brothers were mercenaries and that they had been hired by
the Government to assassinate them.
Maj-Gen Ali acted in a manner suggesting he had no faith in suspended
CID chief Joseph Kamau and then Nairobi provincial CID chief Sammy
Githui by overlooking them and dealing directly with Mr Osugo, their
junior, sources say.
The matter was taken up by the media as evidence of hostile relations
between the police boss and Mr Kamau. Mr Githui was transferred to
Embu in the same capacity and replaced by Mr Osugo.
The Kiruki commission is understood to have noted that the scope
of Mr Osugo’s investigations seemed to have been expanded later to
include all matters touching on the Armenian brothers.
Those who are familiar with the report say it notes that Mr Kamau,
through his advocate, Mrs Jane Ondieki, told the commission that he
had been deliberately sidelined by Maj-Gen Ali.
They say it recommends that the police department be subjected to
a management audit to establish if the current leadership structure
and functional set-up are relevant.
Redundant structures should be identified and disposed of and officers
assessed for competence.
The audit should be done urgently to avoid a repeat of an incident
such as the JKIA’s, which embarrassed the country locally and
internationally, they quote the commissioners saying.
If the police had taken correct and timely actions, the Arturs
would have been arrested before they could leave JKIA’s baggage hall
after a gun drama. This would have saved the country considerable
embarrassment, the document is reported to say.
The presence of the Arturs was first made known to the police by
public statements made by Mr Odinga and Mr Musyoka in March, when
they claimed that they knew of an assassination plot against them.
The brothers in turn addressed journalists at JKIA and denied the
claims, while alleging that Mr Odinga owed them money and that he
was merely attacking them to avoid repaying it.
On March 15, the Kenyan police wrote to Interpol Armenia seeking
information on Mr Margaryan and Mr Sargsyan concerning their
nationality, occupation and whereabouts, according to evidence before
the commission.
And on two occasions – March 18 and April 3 – Interpol Armenia informed
the police that an impostor was using the name of Artur Margaryan,
which had been reported stolen and replaced. The passport had been
stolen from a tax collector.
As for Mr Artur Sargsyan, the Interpol said that according to the
Armenia’s General Department of combat against organised crime, he
had left Armenia a long time ago for United Arab Emirates and was
wanted for evading military duty, according to the evidence.
Interpol Armenia then sent the photos of the two Arturs and requested
Interpol Kenya to cross-check with the two men, who were then in Kenya,
and notify Armenia on results of any investigations against them.
Interpol also informed the police that the two men had no relationship
with the Armenian Prime Minister and the President as they had claimed
at the JKIA news conference.
Those who have read the report say the commission notes that although
Interpol Armenia responded to all the requests from Interpol Kenya,
the former’s requests were not reciprocated.
They say that although Interpol Kenya was fully informed by their
Armenian counterparts about the Arturs’ criminal record, no attempts
were made to share the data with the immigration department.
Maj-Gen Ali only appointed Mr Osugo to investigate the brothers when
Mr Odinga made the assassination claims.
Amateurish search
The police are taken to task for the manner they carried out a
search at the Arturs’ Runda residence following the deportation,
the sources say.
Although the police knew they had guns, they carried out “an
amateurish” search that took them three days and the recovered items
were not properly accounted for.
The items included two Armenian passports No AB03222223, bearing the
name of Artur Margaryan and No AF0599780 in the name of Artur Sargsyan.
The documents were given to a Mr Gagan Depar to deliver to the Arturs
who had been allegedly stranded at Dubai Airport. Sources say the
Kiruki commission observes that the move was not in order.
They also quote the report as stating that the passports should have
been stamped Prohibited Immigrant (PI) to ensure the two did not
return to Kenya.
Questions were raised on why none of the two Armenians were questioned;
asked to record statements or had their fingerprints/palm and
photographs taken.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/24/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1. Georgian Prime Minister Visits Javakhk 2. ARF Lebanon Continues Meetings in Opposition of Turkish Troop Deployment 3. Azerbaijan, Turkey to Fund Georgia Leg of Railway 4. Azerbaijan Considers Sending Mideast Peacekeeping Troops 1. Georgian Prime Minister Visits Javakhk AKHALKALAK (Armenpress)--Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli Thursday visited the largely Armenian-populated region of Javakhk in southern Georgia. The A-INFO news agency reported that in Ninotsminda and Akhalkalak the prime minister got acquainted with the construction projects carried out by the funds released from the state budget. The prime minister said that the government is planning to construct new buildings for three local schools, one which is an Armenian school. Noghaideli also visited the Aspindza-Akhalkalak road construction site and expressed hope that in October the construction will be finished. 2. ARF Lebanon Continues Meetings in Opposition of Turkish Troop Deployment BEIRUT (Aztag)--The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee of Lebanon continued meeting with members of the Lebanese foreign diplomatic corps to express the vehement opposition of the Armenian community to the proposed deployment of Turkish troops as part of the United Nations mandated cease fire resolution. The delegation met with Patric Renault, representative of the European Union in Lebanon as well as ambassadors of Jordan, Spain, Argentina. The ARF appeal opposing the Turkish troop deployment has been sent to the ambassadors of Belgium, Switzerland, the Vatican, the Netherlands, United Aram Emirates and Congo. ARF representatives are expected to meet with other ambassadors in the coming days. The ARF appeal vehemently raises objections to the deployment of Turkish troops in southern Lebanon, arguing that the presence of Turkish forces would compromise the peace process since it would effectively impair the principle of impartiality of peacekeeping forces. The appeal being presented to foreign diplomat also points out that Turkey and Israel have signed several military agreements, which would contribute to jeopardize stability and the aims of the cease-fire resolution. In advancing the same issue, an ARF delegation Saturday met with Lebanese prime minister Fuad Siniora to express its opposition to a proposed deployment of Turkish troops as part of a United Nations mandated peacekeeping force to southern Lebanon. Hovig Mkhitarian and parliament member Hagop Pakradouni were part of the delegation, which initially applauded Siniora for his leadership and posturing during the crisis and praised his decision to dispatch the Lebanese Army units to the border with Israel. The delegation went on to express the Armenian community's collective opposition to deploying Turkish troops on Lebanese soil, explaining that when all Armenian religious leaders collectively are opposing this process, it should signal a community-wide consensus on the issue. It was emphasized that an agreement to deploy Turkish troops in Lebanon will create across the board dissatisfaction and outrage within the community, which has continuously and historically supported the government. Siniora informed the delegation that he was grappling with the reality that there were not sufficient international forces available to fulfill the needs of the international peacekeeping force, but stressed that he fully comprehended the expressed position of the delegation. The delegation emphasized that the deployment of forces to Lebanon, under any circumstances would endanger Lebanon's stability. "We have continually worked toward bolstering Lebanon's stability and security. This Turkish issue will undoubtedly create instability in Lebanon," explained Pakradouni The two ARF leaders met Tuesday with Lebanese defense minister Elias Mur, who hosted the meeting at his residence. The delegation praised the defense minister and the Lebanese army for their resolute posturing during the Israeli attacks and expressed their condolences for the soldiers who were killed as a result of the war. The two sides also assessed the current security and defense issues of the country, emphasizing the important role the Army will play in protecting the borders and ensuring the national security of Lebanon. The delegation also expressed its support for the United Nations cease-fire resolution and conveyed the ARF's vehement opposition to the proposed participation of Turkey as part of the mandated peacekeeping force to be deployed in southern Lebanon. Mur told the delegation that he was very familiar with the ARF position and the concerns that the Armenian community has regarding the deployment of Turkish forces in Lebanon. He emphasized the need for popular Lebanese consent for any troop deployment in the country. 3. Azerbaijan, Turkey to Fund Georgia Leg of Railway BAKU (Armenpress)-- Azerbaijan and Turkey will provide interest-free loans to Georgia to finance the construction of the Georgian leg of the proposed Kars-Akhalkalak-Baku railway, a high-level official at the Azeri transportation ministry Sadreddin Mamedov told Interfax-Azerbaijan news agency. "We made this decision last week during a meeting of the three transpiration ministers. Georgia asked for a long-term interest-free loan and Turkey and Azerbaijan agreed," said Mamedov, adding, however, that it was premature to discuss the exact amount of the loan. The official added that Georgia accepted plans drawn by a Turkish firm commissioned to design the railway. The US House of Representatives voted last month to block US taxpayer funding for an unnecessary and costly proposed railroad between Turkey and Georgia that would, if built, circumvent Armenia and, in the process, undermine the economic viability of the existing Caucasus railroad route through Armenia. The amendment, spearheaded by Representatives Joe Crowley (D-NY), Ed Royce (R-CA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA), and adopted as part of the Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2006, prohibits the Export-Import Bank from providing any assistance "to develop or promote any rail connections or railway-related connections that traverse or connect Baku, Azerbaijan; Tbilisi, Georgia; and Kars, Turkey, and that specifically exclude cities in Armenia." The measure was adopted unanimously by the House Financial Services Committee in June of this year. The Crowley Amendment is similar to the South Caucasus Integration and Open Railroads Act of 2006. This measure was introduced in both the House (H.R.3361), by Representative Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and in the Senate (S 2461) by Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA). The House version has 85 cosponsors; the Senate version has been cosponsored by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Paul Sarbanes (D-MD). Both measures stress that US policy should oppose the "The exclusion of Armenia from regional economic and commercial undertakings in the South Caucasus," noting that such actions "undermine the United States policy goal of promoting a stable and cooperative environment in the region." 4. Azerbaijan Considers Sending Mideast Peacekeeping Troops BAKU (Day.az)--Azerbaijan is considering contributing to the international peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Wednesday. Mammadyarov said a final decision on whether to send peacekeepers with the UN force to southern Lebanon would be made after the troops' status and mandate were firmly determined, the Associated Press reports. "We must know for sure what the situation is like, with which mandate as well as how and where Azeri peacekeepers will be deployed - only after that can a decision be made," Mammadyarov told reporters. European Union nations are trying to raise troops for the 15,000-strong force, but many nations have been reluctant to commit soldiers without safeguards to ensure they don't get sucked into new violence between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. The ex-Soviet, Caspian Sea nation has 150 troops serving in Iraq in support of the US-led coalition there. The troops mostly serve as sentries, on patrols and protecting a dam. Mammadyarov also said some Azeri citizens remain in Lebanon, and that Baku had sent humanitarian aid there. The statement came as President Ilham Aliyev hosted Jordan's King Abdullah II, on his first official visit to the oil-rich nation. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.