Author: Kalashian Nyrie

YOUNG REPUBLICANS RESOLUTE TO FIGHT BACK SECTS
ArmenPress
Nov 8 2004
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: The youth wing of the ruling
Republican party said Saturday it will shoot a series of video films
based on experiences and ordeals of destroyed families and ruined
people who were members of various totalitarian religious sects.
Armen Ashotian, who heads the youth wing of the party, told Armenpress
that part of materials was provided by Shoghakat Television, run by
the Armenian Apostolic Church.
He said the objective of this action is to force the people’s attention
to pressing problems stirred up by religious sects. “We shall work
to show the real face of the evil hidden behind the sects,” he said,
hoping for cooperation of local commercial televisions.
He also said the wing will work with students of secondary schools,
as the majority of teachers teaching the History of the Armenian
Church are incompetent.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL LOOKING FOR PARTNERS IN CAUCASUS
Azg
9 Nov 04
Serge Sargsian: No Issue of Becoming NATO Members Included in
RA Political Agenda. Relations between RA and NATO Canâ~@~Yt Have
Negative Impact on Russian-Armenian Relations
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, NATO Secretary General, who paid a short
visit to Armenia within the framework of his regional visit, stated
in the course of the press conference held after the meeting with RA
President Robert Kocharian that “Armeniaâ~@~Ys relations with NATO
are developing very well.”
President Kocharian told Scheffer that Armenia is ready to
deepen relations with NATO. According to the press release of RA
Presidentâ~@~Ys press office, Kocharian stated that recently Armenia
has enlarged the cooperation with NATO. “Armenia has already its
representative at NATO, we try to participate in a number of programs
more actively,” he said.
In late June it was fixed in the joint communiqué adopted at NATO
Istanbul summit that NATO is going to pay special attention to the
South Caucasus and the Central Asian regions. Already on September
15, Brussels appointed NATOâ~@~Ys special representative for these
regions. Robert Simons was accompanying Scheffer during his visits
to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
NATO Secretary General informed the journalists that NATO is not going
to compete with any country or organization in this region. During his
meeting with the students of the Yerevan State University, Scheffer
said that NATO needs partners in this region.
He said that the Organization is conducting peacemaking activities in
Kosovo and Afghanistan and, in particular, emphasized Armeniaâ~@~Ys
contribution to the peacemaking activities in Kosovo. NATOâ~@~Ys role
in the peacemaking activities will be enlarged. Scheffer said that the
Organization is deepening its relations with the countries that can
contribute to the settlement of such global issues as those related
to mass destruction arms and anti-terrorist struggle. Scheffer said
that one canâ~@~Yt fight against such enemies alone. That is why it
is necessary that the anti-terrorist struggle should be conducted by
joint efforts.
Scheffer noticed in the talk with the journalists that Armenia took a
principal step expressing its determination in signing an Individual
Partnership Action Plan with NATO. He emphasized that Armenia should
independently decide on its priorities and represent them to NATOâ~@~Ys
consideration.
Itâ~@~Ys worth mentioning that only Georgia is cooperating with
NATO on Individual Partnership Action Plan among the South Caucasus
countries. On November 5, during a short talk with journalists, Serge
Sargsian, RA Defense Minister, said that the government should approve
the program, it also concerns the reforms in the armed forces, while
the Individual Partnership Action Plan means deepening Armeniaâ~@~Ys
relations with NATO.
Answering question put by Azg Daily Sargsian said that there is no
issue of becoming a NATO member on the foreign political agenda of
Armenia, and the deepening of Armenia-NATO relations canâ~@~Yt have
any negative impact on the Armenian-Russian relations.
Scheffer noticed during the meeting with the journalists that the
three South Caucasus countries have different positions in the issue
of becoming NATO members. According to him, if President Mikheil
Saakashvili directly announces about his countryâ~@~Ys determination
to become a NATO member, he heard nothing similar in Armenia. In this
respect, Scheffer repeated that deepening of Armenia-NATO relations
does not mean that it is directed against a third country. “I
havenâ~@~Yt come here to compete with anyone,” he said.
During the meeting with the students, Scheffer stated that NATO
has no plan on establishing a military station in any of the South
Caucasus countries. He reminded that Georgia has unsolved issues in
the South Ossetia, Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh. He added that NATO
isnâ~@~Yt going to interfere in these conflicts. Earlier Scheffer
told the journalists: “NATO is for brief settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. The alliance has no determination to deal with the settlement
of the conflict. We believe that OSCE Minsk group should play the
main role in achieving the settlement.”
In Tbilisi, during a joint press conference with Mikheil Saakashvili,
Scheffer said that Russia and NATO have very good relations, but,
henceforth, the alliance will also demand from Russia to meet the
commitments undertaken in OSCE Istanbul assembly in 1999. Itâ~@~Ys
worth reminding that, according to the commitments of Istanbul
assembly, Russia should begin negotiations with Tbilisi around the
deadlines of dislocating Batumiâ~@~Ys 12th and Akhalkalakâ~@~Ys 62d
military bases.
According to Civil online newspaper, Saakashvili announced that Georgia
is getting closer and closer to NATO. The president said probably
till 2009 Georgia will become a NATO member-country. Scheffer said
in his turn that he is realistic and optimistic, but he added that
he will speak of no deadlines in the issue of Georgiaâ~@~Ys membership.
At Yerevan State University, Scheffer said the Organization considers
the South Caucasus as one region, but it applies individual principal
in relations with each republic. “Armenia can develop relations with
NATO without decreasing its relations with other countries. NATO is
Russiaâ~@~Y partner,” Scheffer said.
NATO Secretary general announced in Yerevan that the alliance is not
going to play an active part in the issue of securing the safety of
Baku-Tbilisi-Jeihan oil pipeline.
By Tatoul Hakobian
–Boundary_(ID_SgvIg2g5ipZyWkU/dImwkw)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
Nov. 5, 2004
PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN ENDS VISIT TO FRANCE
PARIS, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS: Before wrapping up a visit to France,
Armenian parliament chairman Arthur Baghdasarian, met November 4 with
Francois Rocheblois, the chairman of France-Armenia parliamentary
friendship group.
Rocheblois was quoted by Armenian parliament press service as saying
that Turkey cannot join the EU unless it lifts its blockade of Armenia
and recognizes the Armenian genocide. The two men also discussed
development of parliamentary relations and teaching French in Armenia.
Baghdasarian also met with several Senators. He then participated in
the opening of phonethon by the local chapter of Hayastan Fund in
Ici-le-Moulinau town.

ArmenPress
Nov. 4, 2004
COMMERCIAL BANKS REPORT 6 PERCENT STOCK GROWTH
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS: Nineteen Armenian commercial banks,
monitored by the Central Bank, reported a 6.1 percent growth in their
stock in the third quarter over the previous three months, which they
said amounted to 59.150 billion drams.
According to the Central Bank, 19 of 20 commercial banks increased
their overall liabilities by 10.3 percent in the third quarter, which
stood at 281.5 billion drams, while their aggregate assets rose by 9.6
percent making 340.7 billion drams. The share of cash in the 19 banks
assets was almost 28 billion drams, a 44.4 percent growth over the
second quarter.
As of September 30 the gross income of these 19 banks was 40.8
billion drams, expenditures -31.6 billion drams and net profits
amounted to 7.4 billion drams. The local commercial banks also reported
more loans, by 9 percent, released to resident clients, which made 132
billion drams. Some 35.5 billion of them were channeled into industry,
7.6 billion into agriculture, 6 billion into construction and 29
billion into trade.

Azeri paper says new “geopolitical master” emerges in region
Zerkalo, Baku
3 Nov 04
Text of A. Rasidoglu’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 3
November headlined “Merzlyakov diverts world attention” and subheaded
“By that the Minsk Group co-chairman gives way to resumption of
military operations in Karabakh”.
It was noted already that the situation with Azerbaijan’s occupied
territories will be discussed at a session of the UN General
Assembly. From the very beginning, Zerkalo predicted that the OSCE
Minsk Group would again take a dim view of the “Karabakh issue” being
included in the agenda of the session of this respectable
organization. And the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman from Russia, Yuriy
Merzlyakov, has recently said that the UN discussion of the situation
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan will seriously hurt the
peace process.
Merzlyakov told [Azerbaijani] ATV channel that Baku’s initiative to
put the issue on the agenda of the 59th session of the UN General
Assembly was in no way necessary. Touching upon the French
negotiator’s remarks that the issue should not have been put on the
agenda of the General Assembly, Merzlyakov said that the French
diplomat expressed the position not only of his own government, but
also of Moscow and Washington.
“There was no need for this initiative today when we are all waiting
for the peace process to resume. On the other hand, the UN is not an
organization to discuss the Karabakh issue because this problem is
being tackled by the OSCE. Therefore, the French negotiator spoke
against that after consultations with his counterparts from the USA
and Russia. The discussion of this issue at the UN will be not to the
peace negotiations’ benefit, but to the detriment.”
The Russian co-chairman said that Azerbaijan’s initiative is
ineffective in legal terms, too. “The resolutions by the UN General
Assembly should not be confused with the resolutions by the UN
Security Council. The [resolutions] by the former can only serve as
recommendation.”
“The initiative to consider the item about ‘the situation in
Azerbaijan’s occupied lands’ not only by the OSCE but also by the UN
General Assembly can hardly have a favourable effect on the
negotiations process,” said a commentary by the department for
information and press of the Russian Foreign Ministry on Moscow’s
position on the voting at the UN General Assembly on this issue
(Turan).
The commentary says that Russia abstained from voting like other OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairmen. “By the way, the outcome of the voting has
illustrated that most members of the world community are of the same
position,” the document says. “As to the negotiations on a Nagornyy
Karabakh settlement, Russia is known to be interested in the
resolution of this issue as soon as possible and fully facilitates it
either on a bilateral basis or as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group. We think that the format of the given group allows us to
resolve any problems related to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and
achieve peace. Besides, we believe that the recent meeting between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents has outlined prospects for
resuming negotiations in search of an acceptable solution,” the
commentary said.
In principle, Merzlyakov is right, because even if the “Karabakh
issue” becomes a topic for discussion by the UN General Assembly, any
decision passed will not be mandatory. But in any case if the
Azerbaijani side prepares better and puts emphasis not on the
settlement of the conflict, the task which the UN has assigned to the
OSCE, but on the consideration of the situation in the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan, the international community may demand that
Armenia reject its policy aimed at changing the course of history.
One may wonder at Baku’s recent upbeat statements. And putting the
“Karabakh issue” on the agenda of the UN General Assembly will only
make the confrontation stronger. Experts say that by this move Baku
may bury the aspirations of the super powers to compel our leadership
to sign a “peace treaty under unfavourable conditions”.
As was expected, the OSCE Minsk Group has been against discussing this
issue within the UN framework. However, quite a reasonable question
emerges: “Does the Minsk Group itself has any ideas?” Armenia often
refers to certain “Key West” principles. Was there any agreement under
them? There are no answers to these questions now, nor have there ever
been. Baku is most concerned about the continuing occupation of
Azerbaijani lands by Armenia.
There is an impression that the authorities are starting a new game in
the region and that a new geopolitical master, in the person of the
European Union [EU], is emerging in the region. It has its own
objectives which don’t always coincide with the interests of the
geopolitical old-timers of the South Caucasus – Russia and the
USA. Yet, it should be taken into account that the EU may side with
the USA on one issue and with Russia on the other. That means that the
countries in the South Caucasus would have more space for manoeuvring
if, of course, they manage to coordinate their foreign policies,
albeit partially.
Besides, trying to incorporate the South Caucasus into “Enlarged
Europe”, but without Russia in the end, the EU is interested in the
resolution of regional conflicts as soon as possible. Moreover, the EU
has powerful levers of influence in the shape of various political and
financial institutions. As to Armenia, it continues to speak the
language of threats, which will inevitably bring about the resumption
of military operations.

Moscow Times
Nov. 4, 2004
Railway Venture Aims to Link Up Caucasus
By Lyuba Pronina
Staff Writer

The transportation ministries of Russia, Georgia, Armenia and
Azerbaijan are entertaining ambitious plans to revive through traffic
on the Trans-Caucasus Railway, which was severed by the outbreak of
wars in Abkhazia and Nagorny Karabakh.
“The countries’ presidents, transportation authorities and business
representatives have expressed support for this project, which will
revitalize transport links between our countries,” Transportation
Minister Igor Levitin told reporters in Moscow on Wednesday after
visiting Georgia earlier this week.
Levitin said that a company would be set up to restore and operate the
Trans-Caucasus Railway, which crosses the territory of Georgia and
Armenia and has access to Turkey’s railway network.
Russian Railways, or RZD, will participate in the company from the
Russian side, Levitin said.
The railway, which stretched more than 2,300 kilometers in Soviet
times, connected Black Sea ports with central Russia, operated
passenger services to vacation resorts and handled more than 15 million
tons of transit cargo per year.
“Since 1992, there has been no through traffic from Sochi to Tbilisi
and to Yerevan and Baku. There are no bridges, many parts of the track
are mined. … All of this will have to be restored, about 200
kilometers,” Levitin said. He said that Georgia has promised to provide
information on the condition of the railway later this month.

“At present, transport systems handling Asia-Europe transit bypass the
transport infrastructure of Russia and the Trans-Caucasus. If we don’t
start dealing with this problem, we could lose huge transport flows,”
Levitin said.
Russia and Georgia on Monday signed a memorandum to restore rail
connections from Russia through Abkhazia to Georgia, severed in 1992.
The sides have agreed to set up a working group between Russia, Armenia
and Georgia on resuming rail traffic between Sochi and Tbilisi, the
Transportation Ministry said.
Separately, RZD president Gennady Fadeyev signed an agreement with his
Armenian counterpart, Ararat Khimryan, in Yerevan on Wednesday to set
up a cargo joint venture. The two sides agreed to set up a working
group by Nov. 20 that will produce a business plan for the new company.
The company will be open to outside investors and will help rebuild
infrastructure on the railway line between Veseloye on the
Russia-Abkhaz border, to Sukhumi and on to Yerevan.
Fadeyev and Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan also discussed a
ferry service between Russia’s port of Kavkaz on the Kerch Strait and
the Georgian port of Poti.
Fadeyev said that the Kavkaz-Poti route would reduce shipping times by
seven days and would offer more competitive prices. The cargo turnover
between the two ports could reach 500,000 tons per year, the
Transportation Ministry said.
RZD on Wednesday posted a net profit of 16.6 billion rubles ($577
million) over the first nine months of this year.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
11/01/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) French Armenians Challenge Turkey's EU Bid 2) ARF Armenia Convention Elects Body 3) Vatican Hesitant on Turkey's EU Bid 4) Puzant Granian Passes Away 5) TV Blacked Out in Abkhaz Crisis 6) Abkhazia Says Georgia Poised for Armed Invasion 1) French Armenians Challenge Turkey's EU Bid MARSEILLE (AFP)--France's Armenian community said on Friday it would appeal to President Jacques Chirac to prevent negotiations on Turkish membership to the European Union until Turkey acknowledged responsibility for the genocide of Armenians. The group's attorney Philippe Krikorian said it would lodge an appeal before the nation's highest administrative tribunal, the Council of State, requesting that Chirac oppose the start of such talks. The subject of the Armenian genocide has sparked Turkish and Armenian sensitivities for nine decades, with Turkey consistently refusing to acknowledge that genocide had occurred in 1915-1917 when up to 1.5 million Armenians died. Turkey says that between 250,000 and 500,000 Armenians and thousands of Turks were killed in civil strife during World War One, when the Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers. The French parliament passed legislation in 2001 stating that genocide had occurred, thereby causing hard feelings in relations with Turkey. Organizations, which represent some 450,000 French citizens of Armenian origin, wished to protest against Chirac's "willingness not to subordinate the opening of negotiations to the prior admission of the Armenian genocide," said Krikorian. Last month the European Commission recommended a start to membership negotiations with Turkey, which has been lobbying for many years to join the European Union. Jean-Pierre Berberian, spokesman of a Marseille-based Armenian group, noted that an EU summit would make the final decision in December on whether to start negotiations. Fifty days ahead of that date, it was time to "denounce the violation by the French government of the terms of the resolution passed on June 18, 1987 by the European Parliament and of French legislation of January 2001 recognizing the genocide of 1915," said Berberian, spokesman of the Euro-Armenia group, and a Marseille city councilor. Chirac has indicated his support for a start to talks, but many in his ruling party, in the opposition, and among the French public are against Turkey's EU membership. "Not only is Jacques Chirac acting in violation of the law, he is doing so against the will of a majority of French who are opposed to Turkey's membership," said Berberian. The text of the 2001 legislation passed by parliament here said France "publicly recognizes the Armenian genocide of 1915," but did not explicitly identify Turkey as responsible for the deed. 2) ARF Armenia Convention Elects Body YEREVAN (Yerkir)--The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) of Armenia elected its Supreme Body (SB) at its 8th Convention held October 29-31 in Jermuk, Armenia. The new body includes Armen Rustamian, Mikael Manukian, Levon Mkrtchian, Hrach Tedevosian, Spartak Seyranian, Hamlet Abrahamian, Bagrat Sargsian, Ashot Papazian, and Vlad Kochunts. Rustamian will serve as SB representative. 3) Vatican Hesitant on Turkey's EU Bid VATICAN (CWNews.com)--The Vatican has not yet offered any official statement on the prospect of Turkey's entry into the European Union, but believes that the union should cover Europe "from the Atlantic to the Urals," according to Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo. In a lengthy interview with the Italian daily La Stampa, the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States did observe that if Turkey enters the European Union, the government of that predominantly Muslim country will be obliged to fulfill the same political criteria as all other member-states, including the guarantee of religious freedom. And that guarantee, the archbishop added, should be "not only ensured in the constitution, legislation, and administration, but also protected concretely and effectively in the social realm." Archbishop Lajolo stressed that "the Holy See is not afraid of enlarging Europe." He pointed out that in the past the Vatican has supported the application of Eastern European countries for EU membership. In determining which states should enter the Union, he said, "The decisive point is that the new Europe should have a deep internal cohesion." The archbishop said that European leaders should "pay more attention" to other countries that have already indicated a desire to join the Union, such as Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia. These countries, he observed, are clearly aligned with Europe's cultural tradition. 4) Puzant Granian Passes Away Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, along with the Western Prelacy Religious and Executive Councils extended their sorrow at the loss of the intellectual, writer, literary critic, and national servant Puzant Granian who passed away on the morning of Saturday, October 30. Granian, who was born in Cilicia in 1912, lived in Alexandria, Egypt before moving to Los Angeles. His dedication to his nation and people spans his service to the Armenian community of Egypt to his commitment to the Western Prelacy. Puzant Granian, who assumed the chairmanship of the first Western Prelacy Executive Council, continued his selfless service for decades, not only to the Western Prelacy, but also affiliate groups, and partook in many General Assemblies of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia. He leaves behind a rich literary legacy. A national funeral will take place on Tuesday, November 9, 11AM, at the Rose Hills Cemetery's Memorial Chapel in Whittier. 5) TV Blacked Out in Abkhaz Crisis (BBC)--The government in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia has taken the sole television station off the air amid a mounting political crisis. Its prime minister said he was blacking out broadcasts while the authorities restored order at the station, where the opposition has mounted pickets. The opposition is outraged by Abkhaz President Vladislav Ardzinba's decision to call a repeat election. It insists that its candidate, Sergei Bagapsh, won the poll on October 2. But his main rival, Raul Khajimba, disputed the ruling, and the election was later declared invalid by the supreme court and a new vote ordered. Bagapsh's election team has refused to accept that decision, and he has been preparing for his inauguration. For months, Khajimba, a former prime minister, was groomed by Moscow to become the future president of Abkhazia. Electoral officials alleged pressure from Bagapsh supporters. But official results showed he had lost. He asked for the recount but the result was still the same and Bagapsh remained the winner. The army has been put on high alert as officials in Abkhazia allege Georgia is massing troops at the border and is preparing to invade. But locals say there are no troops there. In the beginning of the 1990s, Abkhazia fought a vicious war with Georgia and has since struggled to recover. It was once Georgia's most prosperous Black Sea province, a place known as the Riviera of the Soviet Union. The international community does not recognize its independence. For years, Russia has been Abkhazia's only lifeline and a major influence on local life and politics. Analysts say that electing a man Moscow did not support could result in serious civil unrest for the troubled province. 6) Abkhazia Says Georgia Poised for Armed Invasion SUKHUMI (Interfax)--The defense minister of the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia, Vyacheslav Eshba, on Saturday cited "accurate information" that "Georgian armed forces are being concentrated" near the Abkhaz border and said they were getting ready to invade Abkhazia. Eshba told Interfax he had alerted the Abkhaz armed forces. "The Abkhaz Defense Ministry is seriously concerned about the military and political situation that has been taking shape around Abkhazia over the past few days," he said. "The Georgian leadership is not abandoning its plans for revenge and is trying to take advantage of the internal disunity in Abkhazia, entertaining a plan for the solution of the so-called 'Abkhaz question,'" Eshba said. "We possess accurate information that Georgian armed forces are being concentrated in western regions of Georgia that border Abkhazia. Their purpose is to invade our republic and destroy Abkhaz statehood," he said. "The Abkhaz Defense Ministry asserts that all attempts to use the complicated political situation in Abkhazia in Georgia's interests will be cut short. The Abkhaz forces have been alerted on my orders," the minister said. "I am sure that the Abkhaz people will be united in this situation. The armed forces of the republic, together with the people, will give an appropriate rebuff to the aggressor," he said. "I am sure that, at this moment of a real threat, all disputes will be pushed far into the background, as has always been the case in our history," Eshba said. "This statement and the measures that are being taken by the Abkhaz Defense Ministry have nothing to do with the internal political situation in Abkhazia," the minister said. "The Abkhaz armed forces have never interfered in any internal political processes in Abkhazia nor will they do so," he said. Meanwhile, Georgian Minister for Separatist Conflicts Giorgi Khaindrava denied any plans for a military invasion of Abkhazia. He dismissed Eshba's words as "completely absurd." "We have not recognized, nor will we recognize, as legitimate any elections in Abkhazia that are carried through by the separatist authorities, but it has been important for us to find out the opinion of the Abkhaz people on their current leaders, and so the Georgian leadership has not been interfering in current events in Abkhazia," Khaindrava told reporters. He reiterated that Georgia was determined to seek negotiated settlements to its conflicts with Abkhazia and another breakaway province, South Ossetia. 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) 2004 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.

BAKU MARKS SUCCESS IN KARABAKH ISSUE
Azg/am
30 Oct 04
OSCE Minsk Group Does Not Welcome Azerbaijan’s Initiative
Azerbaijan constantly attempts to divert international community’s
attention from the key issue of Nagorno Karabakh conflict – the status
of Karabakh.
General Commission of the October 27 UN General Assembly gave down an
order of including the issue of “Azerbaijan’s conquered territories’
present status” in the agenda. Out of 28 countries 9 voted for the
offer, 14 abstained and none was against it. Turkey, Ukraine, Iran,
Pakistan, Malaysia were among those voting for the issue to be included
in the agenda.
A letter sent by Azerbaijan’s permanent representative in UN telling
that the OSCE Minsk group didn’t manage to achieve any result,
lay as a reason for discussing the issue of “Azerbaijan’s conquered
territories’ present status”. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s ambassador
to UN informed that Azeri territories alongside Karabakh are being
illegally inhabited, thus artificially shifting the demography.
Hamlet Gasparian, press secretary of Foreign Ministry of Armenia, said
before the Azeris’ initiative got approved that Azerbaijan always had
groundless accusations about inhabiting. “Armenian side always refuted
suchlike accusations and invited international observers to come and
see. Azerbaijan itself used to turn our offer down. We declare for
one more time that Armenia has no state policy of inhabiting these
territories”, he said.
Gasparian also noted that “there are only few refugees from Shahumian
and Getashen”. “We repeat that secondary issues derived from the
Nagorno Karabakh status that bother Azerbaijan the most, must be
discussed with Nagorno Karabakh authorities directly. From this
perspective, we think that Azerbaijan’s last initiative at the UN
has nothing to do with Armenia”, he said.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press release of October 28 after
it became clear that Azeris marked a success at the UN reads: “The
General Commission of the UN General Assembly ordered to include
the issue of “Azerbaijan’s conquered territories’ present status”
in the agenda of the 59th sitting. We view Azerbaijan’s step as the
next attempt to distract international community’s attention from
the issue of Nagorno Karabakh’s status, the key issue of the conflict”.
The Ministry quoted France’s representative who spoke on behalf of
the OSCE Minsk group and said that the General Assembly’s sitting is
not the appropriate forum for discussing the issue.
The French diplomat stated on behalf of Russia and the USA that the
issue’s discussion at the sitting may hinder the efforts for finding
a peaceful and permanent solution for Karabakh conflict.
Armen Martirosian, Armenian ambassador to the UN, reminded in his
speech that the former Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh always
was and is inhabited by Armenians. Martirosian noted that Armenia
conquered Karabakh’s contiguous Azeri territories in a war imposed
by Azerbaijan. He also said that Armenia implements no policy of
inhabiting any territory but Karabakh.
Regardless official Yerevan’s explanation, it’s a fact that
Azerbaijan succeeds in presenting to international organizations
aspects in Nagorno Karabakh issue of secondary importance. The UN
General Assembly’s formulae are not obligatory but are important from
political and propaganda angles.
The UN Security Council accepted 4 formulae concerning Karabakh issue
in 1993, and Ilham Aliyevâ~@~Ys administration spares no effort to
make them come true.
By Tatoul Hakobian
–Boundary_(ID_ojq3U4kKnPTbugAxN+kOnw)–

Classical Music Meets Jazz at Eagon
By Min Sejin, Staff Reporter
The Korean Times
27 Oct. 2004
The 15th Eagon Concert will be held in six different venues in Seoul,
Inchon, Taejon and Pusan beginning Nov. 6.
This concert will feature the Marcus Roberts Trio, an American jazz
band with pianist Marcus Roberts, contrabass player Roland Gueri and
Jason Marsalis playing the drums.
The trio will present American jazz music considered to be monumental
of the genre, including those by George Gershwin, Duke Ellington,
Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin and Thelonious Monk.
Subtitled “New Orleans Meets Harlem,¡¯¡¯ the program offers a
reinterpretation of New Orleans jazz music. The ensemble will perform
master works of improvised jazz with elements of Harlem-style music
added to them.
At two of the six concerts to be given at the Seoul Arts Center and
Incheon Multicultural and Arts Center, the ensemble will be joined by
the Euro-Asian Philharmonic Orchestra led by music director Gum Nanse.
In the second half of these concerts, the jazz musicians, together with
the classical ensemble, will play a ballet suite by Aram Khachaturian,
a 20th-century composer of Armenian origin, and “Rhapsody in Blue.¡¯¡¯
“Rhapsody in Blue¡¯¡¯ is a 1924 work by George Gershwin, a composer
known as a songwriter. Among his well-known songs is “I Got Rhythm¡¯¡¯
from the musical “Crazy for You.¡¯¡¯ The song will also be performed
in the arranged form for the jazz trio.
“Rhapsody in Blue,¡¯¡¯ originally a concerto for piano and orchestra,
displays jazz influence, particularly of Blues, and is characterized
for its colorful orchestration.
Pianist Marcus Roberts was blind from the age four and took up the
piano when he was eight. He also played the organ in church, and
since 12, he began taking formal lessons with great interests in jazz.
After graduating from Florida State University in 1985, he won the
Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition in 1987 and has since
established himself as an accredited jazz musician, actively giving
performances. He has also released about 30 recordings including
those with the Sony Classical.
He has received the Helen Keller award for personal achievements.
The Eagon Concert series began in 1990 presenting quality live
performances to concertgoers in Korea. It began with the concert of
Academia Wind Quintet of Prague, which was joined by the renowned
local pianist Shin Soo-jung.
It has invited less well-known but highly talented musicians from
overseas. Last year¡¯s concert, for example, was given by a group
of musicians highly accredited as an ensemble presenting early-
and mid-Baroque and the 17th century music.
The event is sponsored by the Korean Committee for UNICEF.
–Boundary_(ID_kldkxSacwwB/dkMWjmu4Pg)–

Lukashenka & Co.
Transitions Online, Czech Republic
25 Oct. 2004
Lukashenka is one of a kind. For years, that has perhaps been a
comforting thought for many. Comforting but also wrong, as the past
week has helped to make clear. Like a greyhound at a starter’s gun,
Pavel Borodin, a senior figure in a bilateral organization that seeks
to unify Russia and Belarus, said, “A third, a fourth, a fifth term
[for Russian President Vladimir Putin] is completely possible,” adding
for good measure, “The kind of power held by Putin and Lukashenka is
God-given.” And in Armenia, the governing parties felt the need to say
that President Robert Kocharian will not be doing a Lukashenka and
changing the constitution to serve a third term.
Of course, a few statements might change nothing, and Putin’s press
officer said that Borodin’s statement had “nothing in common with
reality.” But it would be foolish to dismiss this all as mere
speculative froth. Someone has thrown into play a ball that should
simply not be in play. If a constitution says a president can stand for
only two terms, there should not even be talk of a third term. But that
ball is now in play, and suddenly the rules of the game are in doubt.
And, increasingly, it seems that Putin and Kocharian do share the same
goal: a third term.
That highlights the main reason why such statements should not be
dismissed: they have all too much in common with reality. Borodin has
merely revived a topic that was the subject of much debate even before
Putin won a second term in April. In the Russian republics, the
occasional president, such as Bashkortostan’s Murtaza Rakhimov, has
sought an unconstitutional third term. Somehow, they found Russia’s
courts happy to oblige. Now, having stripped Russians of the right to
vote for governors and republican presidents, it seems perfectly
natural for the energetic 52-year-old Putin to take the next step and
extend his rule.
As for Kocharian, the writing is already on the wall. We have been
pointing at the wall for some time, warning last year, for example, of
the risk of Caesarism and, this year, of dictatorial tendencies.
Armenia finds itself torn between Russia and the West. On the
geopolitical front, that seems an unequal battle: Russia patrols
Armenia’s borders and owns much of its economy. Armenia’s battle
between Putin-style “managed democracy” and Western-style democracy
seems equally uneven.
A SCHOOL FOR AUTHORITARIANISM
Lukashenka was never really one of a kind. He always company.
Traditionally, Lukashenka has been bracketed with Central Asia’s
leaders. But seeing as a Central Asian who’d lost his compass
mistakenly helped make him seem comfortingly unusual and isolated.
There was even a time in the 1990s when, for all his obvious
dictatorial inclinations, Lukashenka could have been looked at as a
junior pupil in a school for would-be lifetime presidents. As well as
the Central Asians, there were Balkan leaders, men such as Albania’s
Sali Berisha, Bulgaria’s Zhelyu Zhelev, and Yugoslavia’s Slobodan
Milosevic, presidents who all contemplated changing the constitutions
to get themselves a third term in office. (Alija Izetbegovic, the late
Bosniak leader, could even be added to the list: he carried the title
“president of the presidency” throughout the war even though the
constitution said he could hold the title for at most two years.)
Indeed, the longevity of presidencies could be treated as a gauge of
how far a country has traveled on its road away from communism. Based
on this yardstick, a map in the late 1990s would have shown the Balkans
and Central Asia barely on the road yet and Belarus going backward
after Lukashenka’s emergence. Russia and Azerbaijan would have had
question marks over them, mainly because of the age and, increasingly,
the debility or senility (or both) of Russia’s Boris Yeltsin and
Azerbaijan’s Heidar Aliev. There would also have been question marks
over Georgia, though Eduard Shevardnadze could be given the benefit of
the doubt because Georgia’s political system was all too clearly deeply
fractious.
Now the same map would show that the Balkans have shot ahead but that
Belarus and Azerbaijan have joined Central Asia, with huge question
marks hanging over Armenia and Russia. Only Ukraine and Moldova seem to
be difficult pupils in the former Soviet Union’s school of
authoritarianism, another reason why Ukraine’s elections in a week’s
time and Moldova’s in four months’ time are so important.
In short, by this map, the transitions process is in retreat in the
former Soviet Union. A depressing thought after 12 years.
LIBERTY’S CALL
So what happened to the “transformational power of liberty,” as
President Bush would put it?
In Belarus in the 1990s, Lukashenka was perhaps a man for his time. He
achieved what neither Yeltsin nor Ukraine’s presidents achieved, which
was to lessen some of the pain of transition and to provide some
continuity. For years, then, he could claim to be a legitimate ruler,
if not a democratic ruler. Now, even his legitimacy is questionable
(independent opinion polls show his popularity is well below 50
percent), but it is too late: he already has power enough to do as he
wishes. The same process is perhaps underway in Russia: a strong leader
retains legitimacy for long enough to be able to assume overweening
powers.
Apologists for Central Asia’s leaders used to argue, and still do
sometimes, that they meet two of the basic requirements for democracy
laid out by political scientists–legitimacy and good governance. That
claim to intellectual legitimacy was always thin and in any case it
becomes thinner by the year. (Apologists for Armenia’s Kocharian can
surely produce no such arguments: he simply seems to like power too
much.)
But in one palpable and important way the Central Asians have enjoyed
legitimacy. Unfortunately, it is diplomatic legitimacy.
Just how dismal Western diplomacy can be was shown in the past two
weeks, when it emerged the British government had withdrawn its
outspoken ambassador in Tashkent, Craig Murray. The latest addition to
his list of diplomatically controversial statements was that “we [the
British government] are selling our souls for dross” when it uses
evidence extracted from suspected terrorists tortured by the Uzbek
authorities. His argument about “dross” seems barely contestable: faced
with Uzbek torturers (and, as some have experienced, the possibility of
being boiled alive), most of us would say whatever was asked of us.
Fear, it seems, puts principles to one side. But principles weren’t
much in evidence even before 9/11. That isn’t to say that they haven’t
been there. Perhaps those principles were articulated in quiet
diplomatic words out of public earshot. Sometimes there have been token
gestures and protests. But, after 12 years and with the situation
worsening, something new is needed.
There needs, for starters, to be the courage of conviction about the
virtues of democracy. Kyrgyzstan’s Askar Akaev recently accepted one
fundamental argument by giving Kyrgyz villagers unprecedented electoral
powers. Shame, of course, that Akaev still retains such huge powers in
other levels of government (and may, true to Central Asian type, extend
his reign), but the move is a powerful victory for the argument about
democracy’s economic virtues. Kyrgyzstan’s government has failed to
help the poor much; Akaev appears to have calculated that if he gives
the poor some power they can help themselves.
Clearly, then, in this past decade the “transformational power of
liberty” needed some better helping hands. What that helping hand
should do now is a tough call. But understanding the success of people
like Lukashenka would help. Challenging states on some long-standing
problems might help (just as we have argued that Russia needs to be
challenged about its role in the South Caucasus and Transdniester).
Saying a few blunt things while searching for some form of engagement,
as West Germany did in its Ostpolitik, would surely be better than
sacking ambassadors. Underpinning all of that has to be a basic
recognition of one thing: in many countries transition is going in the
wrong direction.
Perhaps one way we will know democracy has really left its hallmark on
the region’s political system is when half a dozen former leaders from
the region take to the lecture circuit, happily find a life outside
domestic politics, or simply enjoy some quiet twilight years. By this
measure, the Balkans and even Central Europe have some way to go.
Montenegro’s Milo Djukanovic, Slovenia’s Janez Drnovsek, and
Yugoslavia’s Slobodan Milosevic have all hopped from one top post to
another to remain in political life. Czech President Vaclav Klaus
extended his overextended political life last year thanks to a
controversial vote in parliament. Lithuania’s Rolandas Paksas jumped
from multiple premierships to the presidency, finally to be impeached
after allegations of over-coziness with the Russian underworld.
So is there a shining example in what we could perhaps dub the
Presidential Index of Transition? There is perhaps one. He appeared on
the front page of the **New York Times** on 24 October dedicating
himself to helping the environment and promoting a solution in
Chechnya. He has been doing the lecture circuit for years. He has shown
an admirable, almost incredible ability to transform himself. He has
even appeared in a McDonald’s advert.
His name is Mikhail Gorbachev. The father of transition, it seems,
still knows how to lead the way.