Author: Madatian Greg

KVBC.com
January 27th, 2005

Two local sisters are one step closer to being tossed out of the country.
Today, another loss in federal court for the Armenian-born teenagers
fighting to stay with their family in Las Vegas. 18-year-old Emma and
17-year-old Mariam Sarkisian have been in INS custody in Los Angeles for
almost two weeks. Today, News 3’s Denise Rosch spoke with a relative who
talked to the girls last night.
A judge says he has no choice but to keep them locked up. The judge says he
has no authority to release the sisters. This is a mandatory detention
because there’s already an order for deportation. Even so, the family asked
for emergency bail today. it, too, was denied.
“Every day they tell them, don’t even hope for anything, you will be
deported.” Rouben Sarkisian says his daughters are being terrorized in INS
custody. Someone, he says, is repeatedly telling the girls their case is a
lost cause. “This morning she was hysterical. How can somebody do that to
the kids?”
Thursday morning, Sarkisian and his three other, American-born daughters
went to federal court asking a judge to release his girls on bail. It didn’t
happen. Troy Baker is the Sarkisian attorney. “We’re still very hopeful we
can get one of our senators or congressmen to sign a private bill to let
these girls stay here.”
The Sarkisian sisters have lived in this country most of their lives and
fully believed they were here legally. In fact, it wasn’t until Emma wanted
to apply for a driver’s license that they learned the ugly truth. “These
girls were actually deported a dozen years ago, and for whatever reason, the
government never acted on it. It was only when they came forward to get
their citizenship in order the government suddenly acted upon it.”
Little sister Michelle says her phone calls from Emma and Mariam are
difficult. “We were just talking about how they were doing. I didn’t really
ask her any questions. I didn’t want to cry.” But the family is still
confused why the country they love is making it so difficult for two teenage
girls. “We never planned to break the law, so nothing bad would’ve happened
if the kids just stayed here.”
The family also wanted me to express their thanks to Senator Harry Reid.
He’s asked the Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, to look at the
case and help the girls. Meanwhile, another hearing on the girls status will
take place next month. Support for this family is coming from all over. One
of their neighbors says they are wonderful people who this shouldn’t be
happening to.
The Sarkisian sisters were born in Armenia, but only lived there a short
time. They have no family and no friends there.

Insurance Journal
Jan 27 2005

Calif. Commissioner Helps Issue $3 Million to Charity; Funds Initiate
$20 Million Claim Settlement
January 27, 2005

California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi on Wednesday helped
deliver the first checks from a $20 million settlement of a class
action lawsuit to resolve insurance claims stemming from the Armenian
Genocide nearly 90 years ago.

The Commissioner reportedly played an instrumental role during the
final negotiations leading to the agreement with New York Life
Insurance Company.

“Justice has been long overdue in this case,” Garamendi said. “I am
pleased that this settlement will help resolve the insurance claims
of the heirs and beneficiaries from the tragic genocide that began in
1915. The hard work of all parties involved will help bring some
measure of closure to the descendants of the victims. Today marks the
beginning of the distribution of monies from this agreement, and I am
very proud to have helped in this healing process.”

The five organizations receiving checks for $333,333 each are: the
Armenian Church of North America Eastern Diocese (New York), Prelacy
of the Armenian Apostolic Church Eastern U.S. and Canada (New York),
Armenian Apostolic Catholic Exarchate for Armenian Catholics in the
U.S. and Canada (New York), Armenian Missionary Association of
America, Inc. (Paramus, New Jersey) and the Armenian General
Benevolent Union (New York).

Four other Armenian organizations in California will also receive
$333,333 each, including: Armenian Church of North America Western
Diocese (Burbank), Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church
(Los Angeles), Armenian Educational Foundation (Glendale). The
Armenian Relief Society, United States Chapter of Watertown,
Massachusetts will also receive an equal portion of the proceeds.

In order to make a claim for a portion of the settlement, descendants
of policyholders killed during the Armenian Genocide must postmark
their claims no later than March 16, 2005. Details of the settlement
and the New York Life policies involved are available at

New York Times
Jan 26 2005

Today He Would Have His Own Show on Fox
By JOYCE WADLER

Generally speaking, we do not question the site of a theatrical party
to which we have been invited. As has been noted by many a Broadway
press agent, our manners here at Boldface are superb.

Still, we must say that the FireBird restaurant, with its Czarist
Russian theme and opulent red velvet walls, did seem a little
peculiar for the “Fiddler on the Roof” party last Thursday, which
celebrated HARVEY FIERSTEIN and ANDREA MARTIN, the new leads.

Sure, the show is set in Russia, but it wasn’t like there was an
Anatevka/Romanov softball league.

Oops, do excuse us, please; here’s an instant message from CZAR
NICHOLAS [email protected]: How little you know! We played every week
in the warm weather behind the palace in Tsarskoye Selo. We beat them
every time.

Gee, and here’s a message from [email protected]: It was always
fair and square.

Our reply: Well, Rasputin, your word is good enough for us!

MR. SEGUE MAN, get off that roof!

Among the party guests: PHOEBE SNOW; DALLAS ROBERTS, who will be
opening soon in “The Glass Menagerie”; ELI WALLACH and ANNE JACKSON;
JILL EIKENBERRY and MICHAEL TUCKER.

Andrea Martin, who plays GOLDE, to Mr. Fierstein’s TEVYE, looked as
if she had prepared for life in the shtetl with Pilates. She wore a
DKNY pink sweater over a black accordion-pleated skirt and pink suede
shoes with pink rhinestones.

A graduate of Toronto Second City, Ms. Martin said that she had not
been familiar with the show.

“But I am Armenian,” she said, “and I understand what it is to lose a
country and lose a family and have massacres and genocides and
everything against my people.”

Mr. Fierstein arrived close to midnight; his mother, JACKIE
FIERSTEIN, had been at the show and she came to the party, too.

Is it true that ‘Fiddler’ helped inspire his career in the theater?

“Yeah, I mean, it was definitely our identity,” Mr. Fierstein said.
“It was our Jewish identity on stage. Everything else was – there are
a lot of Jews in show business, but you know they all change their
names and put up Christmas trees. So to actually see this as a child,
and to see this Jewish identity was very, very strong. You know,
those songs – ‘Sunrise, Sunset,’ ‘Matchmaker,’ ‘If I Were a Rich Man’
– they were at every wedding, every bar mitzvah, every public affair.
My father would sing ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ at our graduations. ”

What’s it like for him to have his mother in the audience?

“I try to ignore that; otherwise I would be crying a lot,” he said.
“Really. My brother’s hard enough. My brother sort of has empty nest
syndrome at the moment; both his sons have gone to college. And so
he’s sort of in that depression that the boys are gone. And so as
each one of my daughters left, if I flashed on my brother at all, I
started crying again. I mean, Tevye’s miserable enough without
bringing other people into it.”

In Other Words, We’re Running Short

With CLINT EASTWOOD up for Academy Awards for best director and best
actor for “Million Dollar Baby,” and the film nominated in five other
categories, you’re no doubt thinking that his wife, DINA RUIZ, is all
atwitter about what to wear to the ceremony.

(No, of course we know you’re not. This is just a convoluted attempt
to render old material fresh by linking it to a news event, a
time-honored newspaper technique. YOUR NAME IN THIS SPACE to the
reader who finds the most examples of this in today’s paper. No, not
our paper. Look in The Los Angeles Times.)

Where were we?

Oh, yes, Ms. Ruiz, and her indifference to fancy togs, which we
picked up on when chatting with her at the National Board of Review
Awards earlier this month.

“I borrowed a dress from GIORGIO ARMANI,” Ms. Ruiz said. “Our
producer’s wife is the head of public relations for Armani.”

She pointed to her choker and pearl earrings. “This is my
great-aunt’s who died. Dime store earrings.”

Doesn’t she deserve a trip to Tiffany’s?

“No, I don’t like all that stuff. I like costume jewelry.”

How about the shoes?

“These? I’ll tell you what. My first ever and last pair of CHANEL
shoes. I got ’em about 90 percent off.”

With Melena Z. Ryzik and Paula Schwartz

US envoy says Azerbaijan, Armenia must resolve Karabakh themselves

MPA news agency
26 Jan 05

BAKU

“The OSCE Minsk Group did a lot last year,” US Ambassador to
Azerbaijan Reno Harnish has said.

The ambassador has told MPA that last year saw meetings of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers. He also pointed to
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement at a Security Council
meeting in early January that certain changes for the better had been
observed in the process of negotiations. An OSCE factfinding mission
is expected to arrive in Baku soon to investigate claims that Armenia
is settling the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

All this, Harnish said, attests to the OSCE’s and the Minsk Group’s
interest in securing a fair and lasting peace. As far as the USA is
concerned, the diplomat said, its position remains unchanged. The USA
does not recognize the so-called Nagornyy Karabakh republic and
respects Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. The diplomat said the US
policy serves peace and stability in the entire region.

The Karabakh conflict will be on the agenda of the February meeting
between US President George Bush and Russian President Vladimir
Putin. Harnish said Russia is playing an important role in regional
conflicts. In some cases this role is positive, while in others
negative. However, Harnish added that the solution to the problem
depends not only on Moscow and Washington. It is the leaders of
Azerbaijan and Armenia who must come to agreement first.

“Therefore, we are urging Russia to step up its positive role, and
Baku and Yerevan to display more constructive positions,” Harnish
said.

Asked by journalists about US-Iranian relations, the US diplomat said
Tehran had to meet three demands. First, the international community
is interested in Tehran giving up the development of weapons of mass
destruction. Second, Iran has to stop supporting international
terrorism; and third, Iran has to stop impeding the Middle East peace
process.

Iran fooling Azeri president over Caspian status – paper

Yeni Musavat, Baku
26 Jan 05

Excerpt from Elsad Pasasoy report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni
Musavat on 26 January headlined “Tehran has deceived the successor on
the Caspian issue” and subheaded “The mullahs present a car to Ilham
Aliyev”

[Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev held his first meeting during the
day [25 January] with Iranian parliament speaker Qolam-ali Hasan
Habili [as published, presumably Qolam-ali Hadad Adel, chairman of the
Mejlis or parliament], as the two decided to expand bilateral
relations. Then, he met the chairman of Iran’s Islamic Council,
(Haftad Adel?) [as published]. In talks with the chairman of the
Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Nagornyy Karabakh was in
focus. It was also noted that Rafsanjani did not give any serious
reaction to Ilham Aliyev’s remarks that “Azerbaijan wants Iran to
influence Armenia economically”. Nagornyy Karabakh was also the focus
of a meeting with Iran’s supreme spiritual leader, Ali Khamene’i.

[Passage omitted: other meetings and visits]

Tehran’s statement on the first day of Aliyev’s visit to Iran that it
will not make concessions to any country on the status of the Caspian
has dealt a serious blow to the efficacy of the visit. Official
Tehran, which made an earlier promise to discuss the Caspian issue as
well, “forgot” about this issue after having Aliyev visit and actually
deceived the Azerbaijani authorities. The head of the Azerbaijani
authorities wanted to mitigate Iran’s tough position on the Caspian
issue by visiting Iran at the cost of spoiling relations with the
West, but failed to achieve that.

Commenting on the successor’s Iran visit, political analyst Rasim
Musabayov said that Iran was expected to issue that statement.

“Some believed that if Aliyev visited Iran, there would be serious
progress on the division of the sea. But it has become clear with
Tehran’s statement that no serious progress is expected. It also means
that Tehran intends to dictate its position in the talks.”

The political analyst also commented on how the successor’s visit will
be viewed in the West. He noted that the response will depend on what
the basis and obligations for discussion during the visit were.

“Azerbaijan’s traditional position is not to let its territory be used
to threaten other countries. Naturally, all relations should be
maintained within the framework of international law. If Iran’s
nuclear weapons plans are discovered and the world, including relevant
UN entities, makes any decisions, it will be difficult to avoid
them. I do not think Azerbaijan will take a different position if
Europe and Turkey are against unilateral military operations [against
Iran].”

Musabayov said he does not believe that all issues will be resolved
during the visit. “There are big countries and their positions will
affect those of both Iran and Azerbaijan. On the one side, the USA is
threatening, but on the other side, the “trio” of Germany, France and
Britain are trying to get Iran onto the right path on the nuclear
weapons issue. I do not rule out that the USA is playing the ‘bad cop’
so that better proposals from the ‘good cop’ represented by the ‘trio’
can be carefully examined.”

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 25 2005

RF Embassy to Armenia plans to conduct wide range of activities
dedicated to 60th anniversary of victory in Great Patriotic War

Catholicos of All Armenian receives French Co-Chairman of OSCE MG

>From January 31 to February 14 RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
to be on vacation

RA President Robert Kocharian to pay official visit in Italy on Jan
27-30

In autumn, presentation of new collection of women’s clothing by
Vyacheslav Zaitcev to be held in Armenia for the first time

Leader of Armenian-Aryan Order arrested in accusation of provoking
ethnic hatred

*********************************************************************

RF EMBASSY TO ARMENIA PLANS TO CONDUCT WIDE RANGE OF ACTIVITIES
DEDICATED TO 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY IN GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR

YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. RF Embassy to Armenia plans to conduct
wide range of activities dedicated to 60th anniversary of victory in
Great Patriotic War, the Embassy told ARKA. It is planned that
delegation of GPW veterans will take part in celebrations.
On May 8 RF Embassy organizes mass festival in Kirov Park. It is
planned to conduct science-historic conference on the occasion of the
date and some other activities.
RF Embassy to Armenia is confident that celebrations will serve for
the future strengthening of friendship between Russian and Armenian
people. `Victory in Great Patriotic War is the largest historic
event, significantly important not only for Russia, but for CIS
states as well’, press release said. L.D. -0 –

*********************************************************************

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIAN RECEIVES FRENCH CO-CHAIRMAN OF OSCE MG

YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. Catholicos of All Armenian Garegin II
received French Co-Chairman of OSCE MG Bernard Fasie, St. Echmiadzin
press office told ARKA. The parties discussed possible way of
Karabakh settlement and the role and practical efforts of spiritual
leaders of the two people in settlement process.
According to press release, Garegin II expressed gratitude to French
authorities for support and assistance provided to young, independent
Armenia. L.D. -0–

*********************************************************************

FROM JANUARY 31 TO FEBRUARY 14 RA PRIME MINISTER ANDRNIK MARGARYAN TO
BE ON VACATION

YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. From January 31 to February 14 RA Prime
Minister Andrnik Margaryan will be on vacation. According to RA
Government’s Press Service Department, after the visit to Poland is
over, Margaryan will leave for France to undergo medical examination.
A.H. -0–

*********************************************************************

RA PRESIDENT ROBERT KOCHARIAN TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT IN ITALY ON JAN
27-30

YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. RA President Robert Kocharian will pay
official visit in Italy on Jan 27-30 on the invitation of the
President of Italy Karlo Adzelio Champi, President’s press office
told ARKA. Delegation includes RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian,
Minister of Trade and Economic Development Karen Chshmaritian,
Minister of Agriculture David Lokian and other officials.
Kocharian will meet with the President of Italy, Prime Minister and
the Heads of Senate and Lower Chamber of the Parliament and other
officials.
The Presidents will sign joint statement, agreements on cooperation
and mutual understanding in the sphere of small and medium and in the
field of customs cooperation.
It is the first official visit of Kocharian in Italy. L.D. -0 –

*********************************************************************

IN AUTUMN, PRESENTATION OF NEW COLLECTION OF WOMEN’S CLOTHING BY
VYACHESLAV ZAITCEV TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA FOR THE FIRST TIME

YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. In autumn, presentation of new
collection of women’s clothing by Vyacheslav Zaitcev will be held in
Armenia for the first time, as stated the famous designer, the
President of Russian Fashion House Zaitcev at today’s
press-conference in Yerevan. According to him, the goal of his visit
to Armenia is to show a new collection of light clothes for men. The
presentation will take pace in `Apollo’ shop in the capital of
Armenia. `Apollo’ is the representative of a trade mark `Slava
Zaitcev meanswear’ in Armenia. `Our cooperation lasts for already 2
years, and we hope that in the future the presentation of the new
collection of clothes for women will also be held in this shop’, he
added. According to Zaitcev, the House the president of which he is
works at the collection of clothes for stout men (wearing big size up
to 72).
Zaitcev works in a models business over 40 years. 2 years ago was
established `Rigles’ company engaged in promotion of the trademark
`Slava Zaitcev meanswear’ in the world. A.H.–0 –

*********************************************************************

LEADER OF ARMENIAN-ARYAN ORDER ARRESTED IN ACCUSATION OF PROVOKING
ETHNIC HATRED

YEREVAN, January 25. /ARKA/. Leader of Armenian-Aryan Order (AAO)
Armen Avetisyan was arrested in accusation of provoking ethnic
hatred, as Member of Supreme Council of AAO Mar Martirosyan said. In
his words, Avetisyan is incriminated points of 226 Clause of the
Armenian Criminal Code (actions targeted at provoking ethnic, racial
or religious hatred, propaganda of racial superiority or public
humiliation of national dignity or thru mass media). `He is accused
of insulting individuals of Jewish nation’, he mentioned. Martirosyan
also informed that the decision on his arrest was taken by Court of
Yerevan Center and Nork-Marash Communities behind the closed doors
and in absence of Avetisyan’s lawyer yesterday evening. He also said
that Avetisyan was transferred to Erebuni penitentiary establishment.
In his words, two lawyers agreed to defend Avetisyan whose names are
unknown yet. T.M. -0–

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
Jan 25 2005

UN: ‘Never Again’ Echoes At Auschwitz Remembrance, But Darfur Poses
Challenge

By Robert McMahon

Refugees from Darfur in Chad (file photo)

Reflecting on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz
death camp, leading UN member states have vowed to act to prevent the
recurrence of genocide. But they face an immediate challenge in
Sudan’s Darfur region, where UN experts have raised alarm about
atrocities and the mass abuse of human rights for more than a year.
An international commission is due to report today on whether or not
genocide is occurring in Darfur. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in
a speech about Auschwitz, called on the UN Security Council to be
ready to respond to the commission’s findings.

United Nations, 25 January 2005 (RFE/RL) — “Never again” was the
refrain at a high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly session
commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz.

But speakers at the session expressed dismay at the world’s failure
to stop the genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, and the Balkans during the
last quarter of the 20th century.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also used the assembly’s first-ever
commemoration of the Holocaust to remind countries of the current
humanitarian disaster in Sudan’s western Darfur region. Annan said an
international commission of inquiry, requested by the UN Security
Council, is due to report to him today on the extent of the abuses.
He urged the Security Council to be prepared to act.

“That report will determine whether or not acts of genocide have
occurred in Darfur. But also, and no less important, it will identify
the gross violations of international humanitarian law and human
rights which undoubtedly have occurred,” Annan said.

Darfur has been embroiled in violence for nearly two years, after two
rebel groups began an armed resistance against the government in a
clash over resources.

Since then, Arab militias known as Janjaweed have retaliated by
rampaging through the area. Tens of thousands of civilians have died
and nearly 2 million have been displaced since the fighting began.
The Sudanese government denies links to the Janjaweed, but there have
been numerous reports that the militia is equipped by Khartoum.

The UN Security Council is divided over a course of action to bring
an end to the abuses. There is a growing debate over whether it
should refer cases of major abusers to the new International Criminal
Court, which the United States strongly opposes.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier told reporters at UN
headquarters today that “terrible things” have been done to Darfur’s
civilians. But he stressed that any solution should involve
engagement with the Sudanese government. “It’s my conviction that we
won’t solve this dramatic situation without the Sudan or against the
Sudan but with the Sudan, and that is the aim of the mediating
efforts that have been carried out in the United Nations and
particularly by the African Union,” Barnier said.

Aside from the UN secretary-general, few speakers mentioned the
Darfur tragedy by name during the Auschwitz session.

But Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian made a strong appeal to
the international community to do more to track down the perpetrators
of atrocities in Darfur. “Recognizing the victims and acknowledging
them is also to recognize that there are perpetrators, but this is
absolutely not the same as to name them, shame them, to dissuade
them, to isolate them and to punish them,” he said.

Oskanian said that, based on its own experience, Armenia has a
special understanding of the trauma caused by genocide and
international indifference. Armenia says 1.5 million ethnic Armenians
were killed by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923 in a genocidal
campaign. Turkey denies genocide occurred.

IRNA, Iran
January 24, 2005 Monday 7:42 PM EST

Economic cooperation between Armenia and Mazandaran discussed

Tehran, January 24

Deputy Governor General of Mazandaran province Ali Akbar Mirlouhi met
in Yerevan on Monday with Head of Armenian Presidential Office and
also Armenian Head of Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Commission Artashes
Toumanian.

In the meeting, Toumanian expressed satisfaction over establishment of
ties and cooperation with the Iranian northern province and emphasized
the cooperation in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry,
fishery and tourism.

Elaborating on potentials and abilities of Mazandaran province,
Mirlouhi expressed the province readiness for expanding cooperation
with Armenia in different fields.

Mirlouhi also met with Head of Merchants and Industrialists Union
Arsen Ghazarian on Monday evening.

The two sides emphasized promoting and expanding private sectors` ties
for effective cooperation.

Mirlouhi is visiting Armenia at the head of an economic and commercial
delegation from Mazandaran.

GrandPrix, NY
Jan 24 2005

Midland – where does the money come from?

The Midland Group, the new owner of Jordan Grand Prix, seems to be
rolling in cash, at least that is how it looks when one examines the
impressive list of acquisitions it has made in the last three years.
The Midland empire is said to have revenues of $2bn a year but as it
is registered in Guernsey, where confidentiality laws are still
strict, there are no actual details of its financing.

Midland is run by chairman, 36-year-old Alexander Shnaider, a Russian
who grew up in Israel before emigrating to Canada, where he now has
citizenship. According to The Toronto Star, after graduating from
university in Canada Shnaider went to work for an international
trading company in the Ukraine. At the time when the old Soviet Union
was breaking up and when Ukraine emerged as an independent country
there were some extraordinary opportunities for entrepreneurs.
Shnaider told the Canadian newspaper that the steel mills in the
Ukraine were without customers at the time and so he and his partner
Eduard Shifrin did a deal with one of the steel companies to sell
steel and pay the companies back after the deals had been finalised.
This unusual arrangement was such a success that Shnaider and Shifrin
made sufficient money to buy control of Zaporozhstal, Ukraine’s top
steel company, when it became a joint stock company in January 1997.

Gaining control of Zaporozhstal helped the two men to become hugely
wealthy in the years that followed and funded Midland’s growth. The
company has also benefited in the last two years from surging steel
prices which have resulted from huge extra demand from China. Midland
diversified into steel-trading activities through Midland Resources
Holding Ltd and Midland Industries Ltd and then into the scrap metal
trade via a number of companies including Dan Recycling, the largest
scrap processing operation in Israel. The firm also went into steel
warehousing with businesses in Turkey, Britain, Serbia and Poland.
This was followed by the establishment of two shipping companies:
Midland River-Sea Shipping and Midland Shipping.

In addition Midland has added to its holdings ownership of the port
of Pancevo on the Danube and a copper and brass mill in Serbia. It
bought the national electricity distribution company of the Republic
of Armenia but is already to looking to sell that because of
opposition to the deal within Armenia.

Since the start of 2003 Midland has invested heavily buying the Red
October steel works at Volgograd in Russia, Montenegro’s Niksic metal
company, the Kremenchug steel casting company in the Ukraine, there
has also been the Dneprodzerzhinsk Railcar Foundry and the
Donetskprodtorg trucking company. It has also bought Gumaplast, a
producer of rubber and plastic weatherseals for the automotive
industry in Serbia.

The company enjoys close links with the Moscow municipal government
in Russia and has developed the Arbat Business Center in Moscow and
is also involved in a big project to build overpasses throughout the
city, each combining business, entertainment and shopping areas. In
addition the firm has a deal until 2019 to operate containers for
selective collection of municipal waste and will use these to
advertise as well as collect rubbish. It has also recently signed a
deal with Moscow to turn an old metal processing center in the
Shabolovka district of the city into a housing development with
condominium-style apartment blocks.

In addition to all of this Midland has bought a meat-processing
company and a bakery chain in Serbia not to mention a number of
hotels and restaurants in Belgrade including the Hotel Kasina, the
oldest hotel in the city. There is also an involvement with US tycoon
Donald Trump in the development of a Trump International Hotel and
Tower in Toronto and another Trump-badged project in Hong Kong.

Keen to have a high profile international image, Midland has now
decided to enter F1 and it would be a surprise if some of the
companies listed above where not tapped for sponsorship. The team has
hired Boris Yeltsin Jr to work in its marketing department but will
be represented at races by a rather more western management,
involving Colin Kolles as managing-director. Kolles is the driving
force behind Kolles Racing and TME Racing, two contenders in the
Formula 3 Euro Series. The marketing director will be Christian
Geistdoerfer, a former World Rally Championship co-driver, who won
World Championships with Walter Rohrl in 1980 and 1982 before
starting up an event management agency. In addition the company will
feature Gary Anderson as technical director.

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Jan 21 2005

Gazprom Eyes Georgian Pipelines

Visiting representative of the Russian energy giant Gazprom told
reporters in Tbilisi on January 21 that the company is interested in
privatizing Georgian gas pipeline system.

However, Georgian officials say that no final decision over
privatizing gas pipelines has been made so far.

`We are very cautious over this issue. Currently there are no plans
over selling gas pipelines,’ Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania
told reporters on January 21.

Georgian gas pipeline system includes pipes, which distributes gas in
the Georgian regions and pipelines, which are used for transit of gas
from Russia into Armenia. Observers say that state-run Gazprom is
mainly interested with taking over transit gas pipelines.

Georgian officials say Gazprom is also interested in purchasing
several power plants in Georgia.

On July 1, 2003 Georgian government and Gazprom signed a memorandum
on strategic cooperation for 25 years.

The agreement, which is still in force, envisages supply of natural
gas to the Georgian customers, rehabilitation of the gas pipelines,
including two trunk-line gas pipelines, one of which will be used for
transportation of gas to Armenia and the other – to Turkey, via
Adjara Autonomous Republic.