Author: Kanayan Tamar

‘Mein Kampf’ a Best Seller in Turkey
Associated Press
Thursday, March 24, 2005
BY JAMES C. HELICKE, Associated Press Writer
ISTANBUL, Turkey – Turkish bookshops have a best seller, but some of
them are hesitant about giving it too much display.
It’s “Mein Kampf.”
The popularity of Adolf Hitler’s book, filled with anti-Jewish
diatribes and dreams of world domination, is puzzling some Turks. Does
it reflect rising anti-Semitic or anti-Western sentiment in Muslim
Turkey? Or anger over Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and the
war in Iraq? Is it a backlash against the country’s moves to join
the European Union? Or does it simply offer a cheap thrill?
At least two new Turkish-language versions are out in paperback and
selling for as little as $4.50, but they could run into legal trouble.
They were printed without the permission of the Finance Ministry
of the German state of Bavaria, which was given control of Hitler’s
estate after World War II and is keen to suppress the book.
German diplomats in Turkey have been told to explore court action. “The
book ‘Mein Kampf’ should not be reprinted,” says Bavarian Finance
Minister Kurt Faltlhauser. “The state of Bavaria administers the
copyright very restrictively to prevent an increase of Nazi ideas.”
Last month the ministry said it was seeking legal action to stop the
book’s publication in Poland.
“Mein Kampf” ~W meaning “My Struggle,” was written in the 1920s and
has long been widely available in Arab countries, but no increase
in sales has been noted there lately. So Turkish analysts are hard
put to explain why tens of thousands of copies have been sold here
in recent months.
Lina Filiba, executive vice president of Turkey’s 25,000-member Jewish
community, called it “disturbing.”
She said price and media attention were major factors, but also
pointed to a “worrying trend” of anti-Semitic publications such as
“The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” being sold even in bustling
department stores.
“Metal Storm” by Orkun Ucar and Burak Turna, a novel imagining
a war between Turkey and the United States, is Turkey’s top
seller. Conspiracy theory books sell well and the press is extremely
critical of the United States and Israel.
Filiba tied the phenomenon to the European Union’s Dec. 17 decision
to open membership talks with Turkey, a move long sought by Turkish
governments but unpopular among those who fear it will expose their
country to permissive European influences.
“I think there’s an increase in anti-Semitic, anti-American, and
anti-foreigner feeling that has paralleled Dec. 17,” Filiba said.
Umit Ozdag, writing in the daily Aksam, worried that Turks feel
ill-treated by the West and are anxious as ethnic Kurds in Turkey and
neighboring Iraq are increasingly assertive. Some Turks, he wrote,
are finding comfort in Hitler’s claims that Germany lost the first
world war because of the Jews.
“Turks think they are being exploited. They are angry with the demands
of the European Union and United States. But those who anger them the
most are Kurdish nationalists,” he wrote. “Turks who think they’re are
being stabbed in the back read Hitler. That is a … very dangerous
development.”
At least two publishing houses, Emre and Manifesto, have released
cheap versions of “Mein Kampf.”
Oguz Tektas of Manifesto said it had sold at least 25,000 of its
print run of 30,000.
“It has nothing to do with anti-Semitism. Our only aim was commercial,”
Tektas said.
Esin Aka of the D and R bookshop chain said Thursday that the Emre
book, released five weeks ago, was No. 2 this week, after “Metal
Storm.” Senol Bilginan of the Bilgi store in Ankara said it was No. 3.
“The price is of course low. And the fact that it has been ordered
confiscated in some countries also helped,” he said. “Everyone is
buying it … Young people have an intense interest.”
Still, it’s not always easy to find. One D and R shop in Istanbul
buried it on a low shelf. The Dost bookshop in Ankara put it on a
high shelf, where the cover featuring a saluting Hitler couldn’t
be seen. The manager said he was selling about five books a day and
added he deliberately didn’t put it on the best-seller shelves.
“I saw the book on TV and got curious about Hitler’s life and decided
to buy it,” said Asli Ugur, 20, a university student.
She also bought a book about Che Guevara.
Associated Press writer Matt Surman in Berlin contributed to this
report.
;cid=487&ncid=487&e=4&u=/ap/20050324/ap_en_ot/turkey_hitler_s_book

esctoday.com, Netherlands
Dutch interest Eurovision Song Contest high
Thu 24 Mar 2005 13:40:29
Source: esctoday.com
Written by: Sietse Bakker
The Dutch interest in Glennis Grace and her Eurovision Song Contest
participation is almost unusually high. While contestants usually
have to fight for some attention, Glennis Grace her agenda is almost
completely full. Meanwhile, the amount of Dutch journalists will be
higher than recent years.
Charts and polls
My impossible dream is likely to enter the charts around the 10th
position, which is unusually high for a Dutch Eurovision Song
Contest entry. The single of My impossible dream contains the
song, the instrumental version and an uptempo remix. Meanwhile,
the Netherlands tops the esctoday.com BigPoll 2005 (semifinal vote)
with Iceland closely behind. The website ESC Statistics placed the
Netherlands second, with Greece as top favourite.
Busy agenda
The past weeks, Glennis Grace already appeared in several television
programmes. The popular lifestyle programme Life & Cooking
pays attention to Glennis and the Eurovision Song Contest every
week. Tonight she will record the Dutch edition of Top of the pops,
tomorrow she can be seen on the kids channel Nickelodeon. On the 4th
of April she will fly to Kiev for a sneak preview of the preparations,
on invitation of magazine Privé. 25th of April Glennis will perform
on the Rainbow Experience Amsterdam, a gay event for more than 20,000
visitors. During the football match Netherlands-Armenia she will sing
the Dutch national anthem acapella.
Draw
During Tuesday’s draw for the running order, the Netherlands came
out of the bowl as ninth. “I wouldn’t have mind a 22nd start position
(…) but the ninth spot was also my position in the Dutch final. At
the end, it’s just like a marathon”, Glennis wrote on her official
website. “No matter the position, to win, you have to run faster than
the others”. Glennis considers Greece to be the favourite for victory.
–Boundary_(ID_KXGnpjAthmu/xttcKj8tsQ)–

Russia concerned over situation in security partner Kyrgyzstan
Agence France Presse — English
March 23, 2005 Wednesday 2:03 PM GMT
MOSCOW March 23 — Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said
Wednesday that Moscow was concerned over the situation in Kyrgyzstan
and reminded the opposition that Bishkek was a member of a collective
security agreement with Moscow.
“Kyrgyzstan is our ally in the agreement on collective security,”
Ivanov said in televised comments.
“I think that the so-called opposition will have enough brains to
find the strength to calm down and turn the situation into a political
dialogue,” he said.
“In all, we are concerned about the development of the internal
situation in the country,” he said. “What is happening in the south
of the country has long been outside a lawful framework.”
Supporters of Kyrgyzstan’s disjointed opposition have been staging
demonstrations since the results of an election held on March 13
were announced, virtually shutting the opposition out of the nation’s
parliament.
The opposition charges that President Askar Akayev’s administration
had helped fix the vote in order to pack the 75-seat chamber with
supporters ahead of presidential elections in October.
Russia signed a collective cooperation security treaty with five
ex-Soviet republics in 1992 — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
and Tajikistan. The treaty calls for a united effort by its members
in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking and organized crime.
Kyrgyz authorities have on several occasions charged that the protests
that have roiled Kyrgyzstan’s south over the contested legislative
poll were linked to criminal and radical Islamic groups.

Brief Overview of Armenia’s Energy Sector; Key Contacts in Armenia’s
Health Care and Pharmaceutical Sectors
BISNIS Armenia Update
23 March 2005
Contents:
1. Now on the BISNIS web site
2. Press Release: New World Bank Project in Armenia
3. News Items on Armenia
4. Grant Announcement – Armenia-US Bilateral Science Grants
**************************************************************
New Reports on the BISNIS and State Dept web sites:
— Brief Overview of Armenia’s Energy Sector
— Armenia: Commercial News Summary
wsam.htm
— Key Contacts in Armenia’s Health Care and Pharmaceutical Sectors
— Armenia: Consular Information Sheet
/cis_1141.html
********************************** ****************************
World Bank Supports Improvement of Water and Wastewater Services in Yerevan
WASHINGTON, February 24, 2005.
The World Bank’s Board today approved an International Development
Association (IDA) credit of US$20 million for the Yerevan Water and
Wastewater Project (YWWP). The credit will assist the Armenian
Government in its efforts to improve Yerevan’s water and wastewater
system by continuing and expanding accomplishments achieved under a
previous IDA-financed Municipal Development Project (MDP).
The YWWP will help provide Yerevan with safe, continuous water supply
while reducing environmental pollution. This is the third IDA-financed
water and wastewater project in Armenia. The World Bank also financed
the initial Municipal Development Project to support Yerevan’s Water and
Sanitation Company (YWSC) and a more recent (FY04) Municipal Water and
Wastewater Project for Armenia’s medium and small-sized cities.
“Because of Government’s visionary leadership of the Armenian water
sector, and diligent efforts by all project participants, significant
improvements have been made in Yerevan’s water service since the first
project began in 1998,” said Brian Steven Smith, head of the World Bank
team designing the YWWP.”Much work still remains of course, and we look
forward to continued improvement during implementation of the new project.”
The Project benefits directly from Yerevan’s successful experience with
a management contractor recruited under the MDP. For the YWWP,
Government will increase private sector involvement and competitively
recruit an operator for YWSC under a lease contract. The Project will
finance investments in YWSC during the first five years of the lease.
The Project has two components: a YWWP Fund and Technical Assistance.
The YWWP Fund will finance investments undertaken by the water utility
operator during implementation, which will yield energy savings,
improved reliability of supply, and reduction of environmental
pollution. The Technical Assistance component will fund interim
operational management of YWSC, project financial and technical audits,
and incremental operating expenses.
The Credit will be made to Armenia on standard IDA terms, including 40
years maturity and a 10-year grace period.
Since joining the World Bank in 1992 and IDA in 1993, the commitments to
Armenia total approximately US$ 860 million for 38 operations.
For more information on the World Bank’s activities in Armenia, please
visit:
**************************************************************
News Items
NEW ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR TO WASHINGTON APPOINTED
Armenian President Robert Kocharian appointed Tatul Markarian on 19
March as Armenia’s new ambassador to the United States, Mediamax
reported. The 41-year-old Markarian previously served as a senior
Armenian diplomat in Washington for four years in the mid-1990s and has
been a deputy foreign minister since June 2000. He has significant
experience in mediation talks with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. RG
Source: RFE/RL Newsline, 21 March 2005,
**************************************************************
Armenia posts twofold increase in mobile subscribers
RBC, 15.03.2005, Erevan 15:59:08.
As of January 1, 2005, the number of subscribers to mobile services
reached 203,309 compared to 111,118 at the beginning of 2003, the press
department of ArmenTel reported. In 2004, ArmenTel’s revenue from
providing mobile communications services advanced 46 percent to
EUR27.483m. This increase is due to the company focusing on the
development of mobile communications services. In 2004 the company
allocated 41.6 percent more funds for investments in the development of
mobile communications, which rose to EUR17.364m.
Source:
**************************************************************
NATIONAL FOUNDATION OF SCIENCE AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES (NFSAT) AND
U.S. CIVILIAN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION (CRDF)
2005 ARMENIAN-U.S. BILATERAL GRANTS PROGRAM
The National Foundation of Science and Advanced Technologies (NFSAT) and
the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) announce
the fourth competition for the 2005 Armenian-U.S. Bilateral Grants
Program (BGP-IV).
The three primary goals of this program are to support high quality,
innovative research and development by establishing sustainable
U.S.-Armenian research collaborations, to provide an alternative to
emigration for Armenian scientists, and to fully employ former weapons
research scientists in civilian research.
This merit-based competition provides 18 to 24 months of support to
joint research teams of Armenian and U.S. scientists and engineers.
Joint proposals may be submitted for cooperation in civilian research
and development in all basic and applied sciences (see Appendix 1).
NFSAT and CRDF will give the highest priority to proposals that include
former weapons scientists and junior scientists, including undergraduate
and graduate students at Armenian universities, scientists who have
completed their Ph.D. or Kandidat degrees within the last six years, as
well as participants at institutes located outside Yerevan.
· All awards will be for collaboration between researchers of Armenia
and their counterparts in the United States.
· The Armenian Principal Investigator and all Armenian team members
must be citizens or permanent residents of the Republic of Armenia who
will reside in Armenia during the course of the grant period. The U.S.
Principal Investigator must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and
must reside in the U.S. during the course of the grant period.
· Applicants may request up to US$30,000 for an 18-24 month period.
At least 80% of total project costs must be designated for the Armenian
team and no more than 20% for the U.S. team.
· Applicants must submit original hardcopies of the proposal in
English and Armenian (or Russian) and electronic copies of the proposal
in English and Armenian (or Russian) to NFSAT and an electronic copy in
English to CRDF through the CRDF website.
· For explanatory purposes or for the sake of clarification, this
Program Announcement may be translated into one or more languages other
than English. In the event of the existence of such translations, the
English-language version shall serve as the definitive variant in
determining the interpretation of any provision of this Announcement.
The deadline for BGP proposals to be submitted to NFSAT and CRDF is 6:00
pm (local time in Armenia and the U.S. respectively) on May 16, 2005.
The competition results are expected to be announced on November 1,
2005. All decisions of NFSAT and CRDF are final.
For more information, go to
********** Forwarded by: ***************************
Ellen S. House, BISNIS Trade Specialist for Armenia
U.S. Department of Commerce
Tel: 202/482-2284, Fax: 202/482-2293
NEED FINANCING FOR A PROPOSED SALE TO EURASIA?
BISNIS FinanceLink helps U.S. companies find financing for export
transactions where a Eurasian buyer has already been identified.
For more information:
–Boundary_(ID_+3V/Un4SO24POxQ8pAt2aQ)–

ARMENIA IN TOBOLSK EXHIBIT MARKS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90TH AND ARMENIAN
WRITTEN LANGUAGE CREATION 1600TH ANNIVERSARY
PanArmenian News
March 22 2005
22.03.2005 04:26
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia in Tobolsk exhibit, which marked the 90-th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and 1600-th anniversary of
creation of the Armenian written language, has opened in Tobolsk,
Russia. The exhibition, supported by Tobolsk reserve-museum, is
organized by Chairman of Tobolsk Youth Parliament Hakob Asloyan.
Books, Armenian souvenirs, national instruments and other materials
of the history and culture of the Armenian people are presented at
the exhibition. As City Mayor Yevgeny Vorobyov noted at the official
opening, it is important that living in far Siberia Armenians do not
forget their history and culture. Tobolsk reserve-museum Director
Yevgeny Akulich emphasized that the expo is significant to the museum
first of all for Armenians being first of the former USSR peoples to
acquaint Tobolsk residents with their culture. Yevgeny Akulich has
lived and worked in the Armenian city of Leninakan (now Gyumri) for
three years after the earthquake of 1988. He knows well this sunny
country. In Hakob Asloyan’s words, the absence of a juridical
registration of the Armenian community in Tobolsk does not hamper
Armenians organizing events and participating in the social life of
the city.

MONDAY, March 21, 2005
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UCLA Armenian Graduate Students Association
Graduate Students Association
c/o Armenian Graduate Students Association
Kerckhoff Hall Room 316
308 Westwood Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Contact: Haig Hovsepian
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
UCLA AGSA hosts UCLA School of Law alumni for panel discussion on careers in law
LOS ANGELES, CA – This month the UCLA AGSA will once again reach out
to its law student constituency. However, in doing so it will also be
reaching out to the alumni of the UCLA School of Law. On Thursday,
March 31st, the UCLA AGSA will host over a dozen UCLA alumni for a
panel discussion on careers in law. It will be hosted in the renown
UCLA Charles E. Young Grand Salon at 6:30pm.
The event is geared towards current law students and those who will
be matriculating this coming academic year. However, the event is
open to all students and alumni interested in learning more about
career paths and opportunities as related through the experiences of
the alumni panelists.
“This is a great opportunity for us at the UCLA AGSA to build stronger
ties with our law alumni, but more importantly it is a wonderful
opportunity for us to serve our constituency… the students and the
campus by holding such an event,” remarked Haig Hovsepian, a graduate
student at UCLA and project director for the organizing committee.
“The response from the alumni has been quite positive and supportive.
I cannot thank them enough for taking the time to share with their
counterparts and successors the knowledge they have gained though
working ‘in the real world’.”
Law students from the Los Angeles area are invited to join the
UCLA AGSA for this event. Panelists featured come from a variety
of backgrounds from large firm to small firm, private practice to
government positions. The event is free and open to the public.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Nagorno-Karabakh’s defense chief blames Azerbaijan for tensions
The Associated Press
03/21/05 15:39 EST
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – The military chief of the disputed enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday accused Azerbaijan of fomenting tension
along a volatile buffer zone.
Seiran Oganian said that Azerbaijani forces had tried repeatedly to
advance their positions, but were rebuffed. “Neither us nor Azerbaijani
people need these provocations,” Oganian said.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have blamed each other for the skirmishes that
have intensified recently along the buffer zone.
Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenians since
the early 1990s, following fighting that killed an estimated 30,000
people. A cease-fire was signed in 1994, but the enclave’s final
political status has not been determined, and shooting breaks out
frequently between the two sides, which face off across a demilitarized
buffer zone.
The Armenian forces also hold some territory adjacent to
Nagorno-Karabakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA CELEBRATES RUSSIA YEAR
RIA Novosti, Russia
March 21 2005
MOSCOW, March 21 (RIA Novosti) – Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan
have exchanged messages for the opening of the Year of the Russian
Federation in Armenia, the Kremlin press service reported Monday.
“Russia invariably attaches great importance to the consistent
strengthening of friendly relations with Armenia, its reliable ally
and strategic partner. I am convinced that the holding of the Year
of Russia will contribute to the further rapprochement of the two
countries, and to the development of friendship and direct dialogue
between our peoples,” Putin wrote in part.
“Events on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Great Victory
will occupy a special place in this significant festival. This is a
tribute of respect to the exploit and courage of all those who were
side by side fighting against fascism,” he wrote.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan’s message expressed similar
respect.
“The decision to announce 2005 as the Year of the Russian Federation
in the Republic of Armenia opens broad possibilities for the
further expansion of Armenian-Russian contacts. This initiative will
undoubtedly contribute to the full implementation of the political,
economic and cultural potential of cooperation between our fraternal
peoples. I would like to express confidence that the holding of the
Year of Russia in Armenia will make it possible to add new ideas and
projects to the agenda of Armenian-Russian cooperation,” Kocharyan
wrote.
“The Armenians love Russian art and are waiting impatiently for
meetings with representatives of Russian culture. Contacts between
representatives of science, education and business communities of
our countries, as well as contacts at the regional level could also
be of great practical importance.
“It is symbolic that the Year of Russia in Armenia has coincided with
the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Victory over fascism.
This heroic page of our common history has tied the fates of our
peoples and brought them closer together,” Kocharyan wrote.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
March 18, 2005, Friday
MARCH 9-10, ARMENIAN TROOPS FIRED AT AZERBAIJAN MILITARY POSITIONS
FOUR TIMES
The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense announced the fact that Armenian
forces opened fire from the direction of Seisulan town, Tetersky
region (220 km to the West of Baku) at the Azerbaijani troops located
in Gapanly town, Agdamsky region. Earlier, Seisulan town had been
under fire from the direction of Gapanly. Return fire neutralized the
enemy fire nests. Some people were wounded, according to the
Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense. On March 9, Azerbaijani forces in
Gyzyl (Gazakh region, 420 km from Baku) and in Gapanly were attacked
by submachine gun fire from the direction of Berkaber town (Idzhevan
region, Armenia). Azerbaijani troops returned fire. There are no
casualties.
Source: Voenno-Promyshlennyi Kurier, #9, March 16-22, 2005, p.3
Translated by Ann Gorpinyuk

AZERBAIJANI ORGANIZATION FOR KARABAKH LIBERATION AND COMMITTEE OF
SOLDIERS’ FAMILIES CALL FOR PREPARATION FOR WAR
YEREVAN, MARCH 18. ARMINFO. Azerbaijani organization of Karabakh
Liberation and the Committee of Soliders’ Families (CSF) have spread a
joint statement that “violation of cease-fire regime by Armenian Armed
Forces is another factor revealing the essence of the aggressive and
terrorist regime,” Day.az reports.
They statement says that Armenians “speculate in the three Azerbaijani
soldiers taken hostages last month.” “Unfortunately all these
developments are in the eyes of the international organizations and do
not arise their response. Personal Representative of OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk limits himself with his indefinite
position and does not want to notice violations of the cease0fire
regime by Armenia and the continuing losses of the Azerbaijani party.”
The authors say, “Armenia neglects the demands of the international
organizations, which testifies that it is not interested in peaceful
resolution of the conflict and intends to expand its aggression
against Azerbaijan.”
Being sure that the activity of international organizations will not
lead to any results in future as well, OKL and CSF state that “it will
create conditions for strengthening of Armenian aggressors in our
lands and fulfillment of more mercenary goals of Armenians.” For
conclusion they called the Azerbaijani public and each citizen to
prepare for war, as “there is no another way against
aggressor-Armenia.”