Author: Liana Toganian

PALLONE CALLS FOR PARITY IN MILITARY AID TO YEREVAN AND BAKU
PanARMENIAN.Net
09.03.2006 19:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Co-Chairman of
the Armenian Issues Caucus, took to the floor of the U.S. House of
Representatives yesterday to criticize the Administration’s “breach
of an agreement struck between the White House and Congress in 2001
to maintain parity in U.S. military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan,”
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The Bush
Administration recommended last month, in its Fiscal Year 2007 budget,
that Azerbaijan receive significantly more military training and
hardware than Armenia. The President also proposed cutting U.S.
economic aid to Armenia from last year’s appropriation of $74.4
million to $50 million, a nearly 33% reduction. The New Jersey
Congressman explained to his House colleagues that, “a lack of
military parity would weaken ongoing peace negotiations regarding
Nagorno Karabakh. Furthermore, I believe that any imbalance will
contribute to further instability in the region if military parity
is not achieved.” He added that, “failing to respect the parity
agreement undermines the role of the U.S. as an impartial mediator
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.” “We want to thank Congressman
Pallone for his longstanding leadership in educating his colleagues
about the important U.S. interests served by our assistance program to
Armenia, direct aid to Nagorno Karabakh, and the other Armenia-related
provisions in the Foreign Operations bill – most recently and notably –
the need for maintaining parity in U.S. military aid to Armenia and
Azerbaijan,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RAILA AND KALONZO RESPOND TO CLAIMS
By Biketi Kikechi
Standard, Kenya
March 14 2006
Langata MP Raila Odinga has denied ever meeting with Armenian
businessmen alleged to be hired mercenaries.
He also dismissed claims that they had loaned him US $1.5 million
(Sh112 million).
“The contents of the statement are most ridiculous and a phantom of
great imagination,” said Raila.
The MP claimed it was “another desperate attempt” by the Government
to save its face from myriad corruption scandals surrounding it and
abuse of power.
But his Orange Democratic Movement colleague, Kalonzo Musyoka, said
it was possible he had met the men at the Grand Regency Hotel during
or after the referendum.
Raila said he had never met Artur Sargsyan and Artur Margysyan or
their associates.”I find the claims completely unfounded, baseless,
nefarious and maliciously concocted to scandalise and malign my name,”
said Raila.
He said the figures mentioned to have exchanged hands were too large
and could not have been transacted in the manner they want Kenyans
to believe.
He claimed the two Armenians had confirmed they were the mercenaries
he was referring to because they did not deny that they were the
people he mentioned to the media.
Press conference at VIP lounge
The former Roads minister claimed they were closely linked to the
Government because they had allegedly been seen several times at
State House.
“Find out who called the media to go to the airport for their Press
conference and you will see that it is people associated with one Narc
activist from Othaya,” said Raila. The MP said it was strange that
“ordinary businessmen” were allowed to address the Press from the
VIP lounge at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. He also doubted
that one of the businessmen travelled from Dubai into the country on
Monday morning. Raila asked the two businessmen to explain with whom
they conducted business in Kenya.
The MP said if Sargysyan was a senior Armenian official as he claimed
to be, then he must be in the country as a guest of the Government.
On March 4, Raila claimed that mercenaries from Russia had been
brought into the country to assassinate some Orange Democratic Movement
(ODM) leaders.
Speaking at a rally in Kibera slums to drum up support for a
demonstration in support of media freedom, he claimed the mercenaries
had taken part in the Standard/KTN raid carried out by the police
two weeks ago.
Police later demanded that Raila record a statement to substantiate
his allegations, but the former Roads minister said the issue he had
raised was obvious.
“They know very well that a squad of Russian mercenaries is in the
country. Why should I record a statement about it?” he posed.
Russian embassy dismissed claims
Two days later on March 7, Raila claimed he had information the
mercenaries hired by the Government had been moved from a hotel in
the city centre to a secret location.
He further alleged the mercenaries were under protection of the General
Service Unit. He also insisted the mercenaries were from Russia.
“We all know there are no white people in our police force, where did
they come from during the attack (against the Standard Group)?” he
asked.
He claimed that efforts by the Russians to conceal their identity
using masks had failed as the colour of their skins could be spotted
from the opening around the eyes.
A day later, Raila recorded a statement with the police after meeting
Police Commissioner Hussein Ali. He gave details about the identities
of four men who were allegedly living in a house in the plush Runda
Estate, off Limuru Road. He insisted that he chose to record the
statement and was not forced to do so.
But the Russian Embassy in Nairobi dismissed the MP’s claims even as
police visited the house in Runda.
A spokesman of Russian Ambassador Alexander Ignatiev said the Russian
government was unaware of the existence of mercenaries in Kenya from
their country.
Police visited the Runda house using a map provided by Raila, but
only found watchmen at the gate who denied them entry.
Some neighbours indicated the house has been vacant since December,
but other sources said police using unmarked vehicles frequently
visited the house.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE FIRST CENSUS IN KARABAKH
A1+
| 13:44:34 | 14-10-2005 | Social |
October 18-27 2005 in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic a census of
population will be held. It will be the first in the history of the
independent Republic.
The first census was organized in Karabakh in 1926. According to its
results, there were 125.3 thousand people living in the autonomous
region, from which 111.7 thousand Armenians and 12.6 thousand
Azeris. Censuses have also been organized in 1939, 1959, 1970, and
1989 which was the last one.
Today, according to statistics, there are 144.6 thousand people living
in Karabakh. The Karabakh Government has allotted 120 million AMD to
the organization of the Census, karabakh-online.com informs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS MULLS OVER EUROPE’S TURKEY DEAL
EurActiv.com, Belgium
Oct 5 2005
In Short:
A “victory”, “half yes” and “bad job” are words that stick out in
editorials in the press across the continent after the EU’s decision
on 3 October to start accession talks with Turkey.
Background:
Following four decades of preparations and a few days of heated
disputes, the EU formally opened accession talks with Turkey on
3 October.
Issues:
Beyond Turkey’s acceptance as a negotiating candidate, the 3 October
decisions reached in Luxembourg also affect Croatia and may have a
bearing on the Union’s future enlargement. Austria’s stance is also
a major moot point.
Positions:
Britain
According to The Times, “Austria has made an ugly contribution,
calling for the defence of “Fortress Europe”. Its objections sound
xenophobic as well as utterly futile, given that Austrian jobs will
face fierce competition from countries other than Turkey[…] but it
has made two important points, which Britain, Turkey’s most passionate
advocate, must answer. The first is that Europe has made a bad job
in the past of insisting that accession countries actually carry out
the reforms that they have promised to make. The second is that the
Austrian Government is “listening to the people”. After the defeat
of the constitution in France and the Netherlands this summer, that
is not an argument that any European leader can dismiss.”
The Mail also lauded Britain’s victory, adding that “the 25-nation EU
made clear its capacity to embrace the NATO nation on the borders of
Europe and the Middle East would be a factor in the pace of entry,
as well as Ankara’s progress in meeting strict criteria on rights
and other issues.”
The Financial Times chose to highlight the risks and the drawbacks
associated with the start of Turkey’s accession talks. “The 25
governments have failed not merely to sell the idea of future
enlargement, but also to persuade their electorates the last was a
good idea”.
The Independent said that the 3 October “decision could be one of the
most far-reaching taken since France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands,
Belgium and Luxembourg, first embarked on their experiment in European
integration half a century ago. A project originally designed to heal
the divisions in Europe is now in the vanguard of efforts to build
bridges between the West and the Islamic world.”
France
According to Le Figaro, “Cette victoire a l’arrache, dans une
atmosphère surrealiste, a laisse des traces, notamment dans les
pays d’Europe centrale. Plusieurs delegations reprochent aux
Britanniques leur methode de negociation un peu brutales, pas
toujours très transparentes, privilegiant les contacts bilateraux
aux reunions de groupe. […] Cet accord secret ternit la victoire de
la Grande-Bretagne, qui a dû renoncer a sa position de principe sur
le Tribunal penal international et sur la Croatie pour obtenir gain
de cause sur la Turquie. Ce marchandage inavouable, qui a abouti a
l’ouverture inattendue des pourparlers d’adhesion avec Zagreb lundi
soir, decredibilise en meme temps le discours de Carla Del Ponte,
qui assure, sans convaincre, qu’elle n’a subi aucune pression pour
donner son feu vert sur la Croatie”.
“On aurait aime pouvoir applaudir la decision des Vingt-Cinq de tenir
parole en engageant des negociations avec la Turquie et la Croatie,
comme une preuve de la vision strategique […]”, writes French
daily Liberation. “Helas, ils l’ont fait de la pire manière. Moins par
conviction que pour eviter un nouvel echec, après le rejet du projet de
Constitution et le budget introuvable. Et en raison d’un marchandage
­” Croatie contre Turquie “­ qui prouve, dans le cas croate, que les
principes du droit international que l’UE pretend defendre bec et
ongles pèsent peu au regard de considerations politiques. Et, dans
le cas turc, qu’une fuite en avant dans le sens de l’elargissement
empeche le debat, pourtant indispensable, sur les implications de ce
processus […]
Germany
Germany’s Der Tagesspiegel likened the EU to a “woman who, just
before getting married, decides that Europe needs more time to mull
over whether they can end up as a couple or simply be good friends”.
Die Welt said Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel “spoke out loud
what numerous Europeans think, but are not allowed to say: full EU
membership for Turkey is nonsense until the fundamental questions of
the EU’s purpose, size and finances have been clarified.”
According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Europe risks being
destroyed by aiming to expand beyond its limits.
Deutsche Welle said that “The ultimate aim of the talks is, inevitably,
Turkish accession, but entry is by no means in the bag.
[…] For the time being, piling on the pressure [on Turkey] is
counter-productive – all it will do is fan the flames of anti-EU
sentiment within this mainly Muslim country”.
Austria
Der Standard pointed to the possible motives behind Austria’s
insistence on changing Turkey’s negotiating framework (the changes,
actually, were “hardly perceptible”, the author added). It said that a
key driving power was Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik’s “look what we
dare” approach which was aimed at diverting the public’s attention from
the government’s approaching fiasco in the Steiermark by-elections.
Die Presse said that Vienna “played a high-risk game and won”.
“Nobody can take away from [Chancellor Wolfgang Schussel] the merit
of having been the only head of government to have openly expressed
the deep unease of Europe’s citizens over the EU’s policy on Turkey”.
The Netherlands
The Dutch paper De Volkskrant calls the EU’s decision a “Pyrrhic
victory”. Only at the expense of loss of credibility could the EU
have left the road it had taken many years ago. But continuing on
this road might also have negative consequences as a majority of the
public opinion clearly opposes Turkey’s membership. Sometimes it is
better to turn halfway than to continue, even if the original journey
looked promising, argues the paper.
Turkey
Hurriyet said that after 3 October “we are entering Europe on the
way to peace and co-operation”.
Milliyet lauded the opening of the accession talks as a “crucially
important step” towards “a new Europe and a new Turkey”.
The daily Sabah’s headline said that “Turkey and the EU lock their
fates, the civilisations embrace”.
Spain
The Spanish daily El Mundo said that “Turkey received a half yes”.
The paper recalled that the main stumbling bloc in the way of Turkey
is its “huge population and the state of its economy” and that many
EU countries and citizens remain wary of Turkey’s eventual accession.
El Pais warned that “the end of this adventure is not in the bag. If
what began today goes wrong in the end, it will be bad news for
everyone”.
Hungary
The daily Magyar Hirlap quoted a spokesman of the Hungarian Foreign
Ministry as saying that the 3 October decision was a “brave and
historical one”. According to Budapest, membership of the EU is the
most efficient method for encouraging the democratic processes and
settling disputes in a peaceful manner. Hungary will do its best
to help Turkey as well as Croatia in their preparation for full
EU membership.
Slovakia
According to the daily SME, Bratislava has been a supporter of Turkey’s
EU bid since the beginning. At the same time, the Slovak parliament
adopted a resolution in which it considered the killing of Armenians
in the 1920s a genocide. The paper recalled that Slovak Prime Minister
Mikulas Dzurinda welcomed the opening of negotiations with both Ankara
and Zagreb. Meanwhile, the country’s governing conservative party
(the Christian Democrats – KDH) are opposed to Turkey’s EU accession.
Czech Republic
The Czech daily Hospodarske Noviny said that while the country’s Prime
Minister Jiri Paroubek welcomed the acceptance of Turkey and Croatia as
negotiating candidates, the Czech People’s Party continues to favour a
“privileged partnership” scenario for Turkey and would prefer to put
Turkey’s EU accession to referendum in the country.
Romania
The daily Evenimentul Zilei said that “Old member of NATO, Turkey,
participates in the Alliance with the second biggest army after the US
(who intervened in favour of the accession). [Turkey] has potential
due to the fast economic growth. And demographically, it would bring
youth to the aging population of Europe, where a pension crisis is
occurring. On the other hand, the EU is going to absorb a country
with a population of 70 million, with an income per capita lower
that Romania’s. The regional funds and the agricultural subsidies
for Turkey would seriously affect the community budget, the same
budget the East Europeans are stretching. Turkey would bring to the
EU traditions and mentalities different to the European ones, most of
them belonging to the Islamic religion. But Turkey is a secular state,
not an Islamic one”.
Denmark
The daily Politiken said that “The goodwill that has benefited
countries like Bulgaria and Romania, and which in the view of many
observers has paved the way for them into the EU in spite of them
not quite respecting the actual membership conditions, will not apply
to Turkey”.
Sweden
The daily Dagens Nyheter said that “One could claim the enlargement
is one of the EU’s big achievements. It has united a Europe that was
once separated by force. The EU has managed to spread democracy and
respect for human rights in a way the US has never done […] If the
EU lets go of this task, turns inward and stops its growth, one could
even ask what good the EU actually does”.
–Boundary_(ID_MM4AdnFmsVa0lj3wRTNlQQ)–

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Sept 20 2005
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
AZERBAIJAN LOST AGAIN
The member of the Armenian delegation to the PACE, Member of
Parliament Shavarsh Kocharian was deeply impressed by the meeting of
the PACE commission on the resolution of the Karabakh issue in Paris
on September 12. Returning from France, the member of the PACE
delegation was impatient to share his great impressions, as he
characterized them, with the journalists, informing that the list of
the participants was impressive. At the meeting the representatives
of the three Minsk Group co-chairs, Andrzej Kasprzyk who has long
been the special representative of the OSCE and has been occupied
with the monitoring of the cease-fire, Goran Lennmarker, who is
special reporter to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Heikki Talvitie,
representing the European Union, had been present. What was the
reason for the mood of Shavarsh Kocharian? `First of all, the
arguments of the Azerbaijani party were beaten down.’ He also pointed
out the fact that at the meeting all the participants mentioned that
the issue of Artsakh should be resolved only under the auspices of
the OSCE Minsk Group, and the role of other international
organizations, particularly the Council of Europe, is to support the
resolution of the conflict. In fact, the hopes of the Azerbaijani
party to settle the Karabakh issue outside the OSCE Minsk Group were
destroyed. The model of resolution is also there. `I think that there
is a tendency to involve wider circles around this model which is
being formed to be used for the aim of resolution,’ said Shavarsh
Kocharian. For years on the only obstacle on the way of resolution of
the issue of Artsakh was the contradicting principles of the sides;
Azerbaijan has always been guided by the principle of territorial
integrity, and Armenia pursued the principle of self-determination of
Karabakh. According to Shavarsh Kocharian, the positive thing today
is that the participants of the meeting managed to arrive at points
where this controversy between these principles can be overcome.
`Yes, territorial integrity but in reference to the territories which
are outside the borders of Nagorno Karabakh Republic; as to
self-determination, it refers to the territory of Nagorno Karabakh
Republic.’ Analysing the details of the meeting in Paris, Shavarsh
Kocharian literally stated that a package settlement of the issue
will be adopted, which will be fulfilled stage by stage. This model
referred to as a stage by stage model looks like the model of 1997
which supposed that the Armenian party should return to Azerbaijan
the liberated areas, and only after this would they go on to
negotiate the status; in other words, Karabakh would appear inside
Azerbaijan. This danger, however, according to Shavarsh Kocharian,
does not exist today. Although the mechanisms of resolution were not
discussed at the meeting, according to the spokesperson, everyone who
addressed the meeting mentioned by all means that they were not
supposed to consider details yet. Nevertheless, positive tendencies
were apparent. For example, the participants of the meeting stated
that Karabakh cannot be an enclave and should have land borders with
Armenia. Despite the objections of the Azerbaijani party why only the
corridor between Armenia and Karabakh was discussed and other
corridors were ignored, it was said that those were quite different,
and particularly Karabakh should not be an enclave.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 14 2005
Representatives of separatist republics meet in Moscow
Baku, September 13, AssA-Irada
Representatives of self-proclaimed republics of the Commonwealth of
Independent States are attending discussions in Russia. A four-day
conference, `CIS Abkhazia, Yugoslavia, Dnestr, South Ossetia and
Upper Garabagh as a reality in the post-Soviet areas’, started in
Moscow on Tuesday. Attending the event are experts and scholars from
socio-political organizations of the Garabagh separatist regime,
which occupied Azerbaijan’s territories with the aid of Russia.
Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister Khalaf Khalafov has said that
there is no legal basis for the documents to be signed by the
self-proclaimed republics.
`Since these are unrecognized entities, their discussions or any
document they sign will have no legal results.’
As for the fact the discussions took place in Russia, Khalafov said
official Moscow did not provide its permission for the meeting and it
was therefore informal.*
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NEW AGREEMEMT ON COOPERATION BETWEEN ARMENIA AND MOSCOW REGION TO BE
SIGNED SOON

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. A delegation headed by Boris
Gromov, the governor of the Moscow region (Russia), will soon arrive
in Armenia with the aim of signing an agreement on economic
cooperation between Armenia and the Moscow region. Ludmila Molchanova,
Deputy Chairwoman of the Committee for Small and Medium Business
Development of the Moscow region, said at the “Cooperation 2005”
Armenian-Russian business meeting that the agreement has already been
sent to the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is in the process of
adjustment. It was noted that the first agreement on cooperation
between the Armenian government and the Moscow region was signed as
far back as 1997.
According to L. Molchanova, the Moscow region has been a serious trade
and economic partner for Armenia. For instance, in 2004, the trade
turnover grew more than fourfold over 2000. The Moscow region is the
largest in Russia in terms of its population. In 2004, direct
investments of over 1 bln USD were made in the region, while its trade
turnover made 6.8 bln USD.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]:
PRESS RELEASE
08-09-2005
Vice Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand at Foreign Ministry
On September 8, Minister Oskanian received Virachai Virameteekul, Vice
Foreign Minister of Kingdom of Thailand, and his delegation, who were on a
3-day visit to Armenia.
During the meeting, the two noted with satisfaction that Thai-Armenian
relations develop dynamically. They reaffirmed that the high-level visits
which took place during the last year enhanced the economic as well as
educational, scientific and cultural ties between our countries.
The two exchanged views on matters of mutual interest including
international issues.
The Vice Foreign Minister of Thailand met also with Armenia’s Deputy Foreign
Minister Armen Baibourtian and signed the Joint Action Plan Between the
Republic of Armenia and the Kingdom of Thailand. Prior to the signing, they
discussed aspects of the Joint Action Plan which envisages the deepening of
bilateral co-operation in the fields of agriculture, commerce, economy,
science and technology, health care and education. Within this context, the
sides also pointed out the necessity shaping the legal framework between the
two countries.
At the end of the meeting, the two deputy ministers held a joint press
briefing.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

U.K. BACKS AZERBAIJAN LINE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH – MINISTRY
Interfax
Sept 1 2005
BAKU. Sept 1 (Interfax) – Britain backs Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev’s line on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry cited British Ambassador to Azerbaijan Laurie Bristow as
saying at a meeting on Thursday with Azerbaijani Defense Minister
Safar Abiyev.
Bristow also said at the meeting, held in Baku, that Azerbaijan was
working successfully to settle the conflict, according to a ministry
release.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Saudi King Fahd dies; half-brother takes over
BY JAMES RUPERT, STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Newsday (New York)
August 2, 2005
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd died yesterday and
was succeeded by his half-brother, Abdullah, ending a handover of
power that began a decade ago. Fahd was 82 and had been in decline
since a 1995 stroke. Abdullah is 81.
The formal succession will bring no quick changes to the country that
holds a quarter of the world’s known oil, but it will let Abdullah
accelerate his campaign for gradual reforms that are critical to the
country’s long-term stability, analysts said. During his 10 years as
the effective regent to Fahd, Abdullah has faced resistance in the
royal family to his efforts to reduce corruption, cut government
spending, streamline the economy and open policymaking to greater
public debate, Saudi watchers have said.
With the stability of the Saudi government one of the most worried-over
questions in the Middle East, Abdullah is seen by many as the best hope
for managing the evolution necessary to prevent violent upheaval. “He
is a godsend for the royal family” because “he has the highest level
of popular legitimacy” of any of its members, said Richard Dekmejian,
a political science professor and Middle East specialist at the
University of Southern California, who has written on the Saudi
political process.
Abdullah’s popularity is based on his image as the most austere, not
corrupt and just member of the royal family – a persona opposite that
of Fahd, who loved luxury. Abdullah is “a hard, tall, vigorous man
who represents the [Arabian] tribal values of surety and hard work,”
Dekmejian said.
News of Fahd’s death came in a statement read on state
television. “With all sorrow and sadness, the royal court … announces
the death of the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Fahd bin
Abdulaziz,” Information Minister Iyad Madani said. “He died after
suffering an illness. God now allows … King Fahd, with great mercy
and forgiveness, to reside in his wide heaven.”
Fahd, an overweight, long-time smoker, had diabetes, arthritis and
other ailments in addition to several reported strokes.
As a favored young son of the kingdom’s founder, King Abdulaziz bin
Saud, Fahd developed an affinity for the U.S. and for life in the West.
For decades, he spent months at a time in his villas and palaces in
Europe, Morocco and elsewhere.
As king he worked to reverse his playboy image and emphasized his
claim to religious authorities by adding to his title the phrase
“Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” the most sacred shrines of Islam,
in the cities of Mecca and Medina.
Fahd often was seen as a vacillating monarch, but he led his country
through a painful period of enormous change. Falling petroleum prices
slashed the country’s oil revenue from $110 billion in 1981, the year
before he took power, to $43 billion in 1990. That forced politically
difficult budget cuts, but Fahd remained a staunch U.S. ally who
could be counted on to pump more oil into the world market when prices
threatened Western economies.
He also made the dangerously controversial decision to invite U.S.
troops into the kingdom after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The U.S.
military presence became a rallying point for Muslim extremists,
notably Osama bin Laden, and Fahd struggled to manage the
irreconcilable conflict between the royal family’s two essential
allies: the U.S. and the puritanical religious leadership of Saudi
Arabia’s Wahhabi sect of Islam.
“King Fahd was a man of wisdom and a leader who commanded respect
throughout the entire world. He was a friend and strong ally of the
United States for decades,” said President George W. Bush. Bush has
built close personal ties with Abdullah, inviting him to his Texas
ranch and calling him yesterday to express condolences.
French President Jacques Chirac said Fahd “put the safety of his
people above all else. In perilous times he was the guarantor of his
country’s cohesion and the defender of regional stability.”
Oil prices jumped $1 a barrel to a new high yesterday on the news
of Fahd’s death and any uncertainty it might bring but they later
retreated based on the smooth Saudi transition.
Funeral prayers for Fahd will be held today. Tomorrow Saudi citizens,
beginning with members of the royal family, will formally pledge bayat,
or allegiance, to King Abdullah.
In an arrangement negotiated years ago, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz,
a brother of Fahd and the leading rival of Abdullah, has been named
crown prince. Sultan, 77, is seen as a major source of resistance
to Abdullah’s reforms, and analysts say a key signal for the speed
with which Abdullah will be able to enforce change will be whether a
“pro-reform” prince is named as the new third in line to the throne.
Where we buy oil
The United States relies on Saudi Arabia as its No. 3 foreign source
of crude oil. The top providers, as a percentage of U.S. crude imports:
Rank/country % of imports
1.Canada 16%
2. Mexico 16
3. Saudi Arabia 15
4. Venezuela 13
5. Nigeria 11
6. Iraq 6
7. Angola 3
8. Kuwait 2
SOURCE: Energy Information Administration
,0,57616.story?coll=ny-worldnews-print
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress