Author: Maghakian Mike

Iran supports UN debates on Karabakh, envoy tells Azeri TV
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
13 Dec 04
Presenter] Official Tehran is preparing for Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev’s visit [to Iran]. Saying that they are currently
finalizing the documents to be signed during the official visit, the
Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Afshar Soleymani, has again
expressed the Tehran government’s position on the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict.
[Correspondent over video of Iranian envoy in his office] Iran
recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and supports its fair
position on a settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, the
Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Afshar Soleymani, has said in an
interview with ATV. The diplomat added that his country supported the
Baku government’s initiative to discuss the Karabakh problem at the UN
General Assembly.
[Soleymani in his office, captioned, speaking in Azeri] Iran has
supported Azerbaijan’s proposal made at the UN General Assembly and
will always support Azerbaijan in international bodies. This has been
the case many times before. Iran has always supported Azerbaijan in
the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
[Correspondent over video] However, Mr Soleymani said that the fact
that Iran is not directly involved in the peace process prevents
Tehran from conducting a more effective policy on the issue.
[Soleymani] The Minsk Group has been instructed to tackle the
issue. The Minsk Group is expected to resolve the issue. In any case,
the two sides [Armenia and Azerbaijan] agreed that the Minsk Group
should tackle the problem. But Iran has not been invited to closely
participate in this process. [Sentence indistinct]
[Passage omitted: minor details about the Caspian status]
Namiq Aliyev, Hidayat Aliyev for “Son Xabar”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Germany opposes “watered down” EU Turkey talks
By Carsten Lietz
BRUSSELS, Dec 13 (Reuters) – Germany insisted on Monday any accession
talks between the European Union and Turkey should be with the goal of
Ankara becoming a member, rejecting calls for more limited partnership
options.
Three days before EU leaders are seen giving the green light to entry
talks, new controversy emerged as France said it would seek Turkish
recognition of a 1915-23 killing of Armenians as genocide once those
talks begun, drawing an immediate denial from Ankara.
The main Istanbul share index, the ISE National-100 <.XU100>, climbed
three percent to close at a record high of 23,634.75 points on Monday
on expectations that Ankara will win a date to start talks.
“This is about negotiations with the goal of entry,” German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder told reporters in Berlin, rejecting calls for the
25-member bloc to offer Ankara a privileged but limited partnership
status.
“Any watering down of this goal … would sound the death knell for
the successful modernisation process in Turkey,” echoed his Foreign
Minister Joschka Fischer as he arrived for talks on Turkey with
counterparts in Brussels.
EU foreign ministers were making final preparations for the landmark
decision ahead of the summit.
Ankara reaffirmed it could not accept anything less than negotiations
towards membership for the poor, largely Muslim country of some 70
million.
“Membership is not automatic,” Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
told the Spanish daily El Pais.
“But we will never be ‘privileged partners’ because that term doesn’t
exist,” he said, rejecting a formula proposed by Austria and Germany’s
opposition Christian Democrats.
YOUNG TURKS
Few doubt that EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday and Friday
will give the go-ahead for negotiations to start. But questions remain
as to the timing of the start of talks — seen lasting over a decade
— and any conditions attached.
France said it would seek Turkish recognition of the Armenian killings
as genocide, but only once talks began.
“France will pose this question,” Foreign Minister Michel Barnier told
a news conference in Brussels. “I think that a big country like Turkey
has a duty to remember.” France has the largest Armenian community in
the EU with some 300,000 members.
Armenia says 1.5 million of its people died between 1915 and 1923 in a
systematic genocide. It says the decision to carry it out was made by
the political party then in power in the Ottoman Empire, popularly
known as the Young Turks.
Turkey reiterated denials of genocide. “Our position is well-known. We
do not recognise any so-called genocide and we will never recognise
it,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
“DEATH BY ENLARGEMENT”
The prospect of Turkish membership is hugely controversial in Europe,
with a new poll in the French daily Le Figaro showing 67 percent of
French voters and 55 percent of Germans oppose Turkey joining the EU.
The Ifop institute poll found the main arguments of Turkey’s opponents
were poor respect for human rights, including women’s rights, and “too
many religious and cultural differences.”
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, a leading sceptic on Turkey’s
entry, told Austrian magazine Trend that Turkey’s human rights record
remained a concern, as did the cost of bringing in the poor, largely
agrarian country.
Other sceptics weighed in, with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh
Rasmussen quoted as saying he backed Austrian proposals for a “plan B”
offering a limited partnership if entry talks failed.
“It underlines there is no automaticity that in starting negotiations
they lead to membership,” he told Danish news agency Ritzau.
The leader of the conservative European People’s Party, the largest
group in the European Parliament, said he was concerned Turkish
membership would mean “enlarging ourselves to death.”
“We are afraid. That is not a good basis for solidarity in European
Union and we will destroy it,” Hans-Gert Poettering told a parliament
debate.
One potential threat to an agreement to open talks in 2005 receded
when Cypriot Foreign Minister George Iakovou made clear Nicosia was
not thinking of using its new EU membership to veto the decision,
which requires unanimity.
“We’ve never started from that position,” he told reporters on arrival
in Brussels when asked if Cyprus would use its veto.
Iakovou also appeared to soften past demands that Turkey, which has
35,000 troops on the island and is the only country to recognise the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, should grant Cyprus full
diplomatic recognition before negotiations start.
(additional reporting by Sebastian Alison and Carsten Lietz in
Brussels, Timothy Heritage in Paris and Adrian Croft in Madrid)
12/13/04 15:05 ET

KataWeb, Italia
lunedì 13 dicembre 2004
Ue-Turchia, Francia: Ankara riconosca genocidio armeni

Il ministro degli esteri francese, Michel Barnier, ha chiesto che la
questione del genocidio degli armeni avvenuto tra il 1915 e il 1923
sia discussa nei negoziati di adesione della Turchia all’Unione
europea. Il progetto di adesione alla Ue, ha detto Barnier
incontrando la stampa nel pomeriggio, ”si fonda sull’idea della
riconciliazione” fra i paesi europei e per tale ragione, ha
aggiunto, il governo di Ankara ”dovrà fare quest’opera di memoria e
di riconciliazione con la sua stessa storia riconoscendo questa
tragedia”.
L’apertura dei negoziati con la Turchia sarà al centro del prossimo
Consiglio europeo in programma giovedì e venerdì prossimo a
Bruxelles. La questione armena, sempre negata dalla Turchia, riguarda
il genocidio di circa un milione e 500mila persone all’inizio del
‘900, perpetrato su ordine del partito dei ‘Giovani turchi’ allora al
potere nell’Impero ottomano.

Le Figaro, France
10 décembre 2004
Ankara refuse toute nouvelle condition imposée par Bruxelles
UNION EUROPÉENNE Le premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan est
arrivé en Belgique hier, alors que l’UE étrenne sa nouvelle politique
de voisinage
Istanbul : Marie-Michèle Martinet
Le premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan est aujourd’hui à
Bruxelles pour d’ultimes discussions avant une décision des
dirigeants de l’Union européenne sur l’ouverture de négociations
d’adhésion avec Ankara. Erdogan a énuméré trois demandes, qu’il
entend présenter aux Vingt-Cinq avant le sommet européen des 16 et 17
décembre, au cours duquel sera évaluée la candidature turque. « La
première est notre demande définitive pour l’adhésion, car il ne
reste rien à accomplir » en ce qui concerne les critères politiques –
les critères dits de Copenhague – que la Turquie doit remplir pour
commencer les négociations d’adhésion, a-t-il déclaré. Il a ensuite
cité la volonté de la Turquie d’obtenir le 17 décembre une date ferme
pour le lancement des pourparlers, plaidant pour l’ouverture de
négociations d’adhésion « dans la première moitié de 2005 » .
Troisième point, Ankara ne se pliera à aucune nouvelle condition
politique imposée par l’UE avant le début des négociations, a-t-il
affirmé.
Déçus, mais pas abattus. Ainsi pourrait se résumer l’état d’esprit de
la Turquie, à huit jours du sommet des 16 et 17 décembre qui doit
sceller le sort de la candidature d’Ankara à l’adhésion européenne.
L’annonce par Bruxelles au début de cette semaine de nouvelles
conditions pour l’ouverture des négociations a été perçue à Ankara
comme une rebuffade. Mais la Turquie s’est vite ressaisie, se
raidissant à son tour pour formuler certains refus aux allures de
défi : non aux conditions supplémentaires imposées par Bruxelles, non
à toute formule alternative à l’adhésion complète, non à la
reconnaissance préalable de Chypre… Ankara veut reprendre la main
et fixer elle-même les limites d’un jeu, dont elle se dit prête à se
retirer plutôt que de perdre la face. La Turquie resserre les rangs,
mettant provisoirement de côté les rivalités de partis pour tirer à
boulets rouges sur le comportement jugé inadmissible de l’Europe.
Deniz Baykal, le chef du CHP, principal parti d’opposition, déclare
qu’il considérerait comme une «grave insulte» toute proposition
d’ouverture de négociations susceptibles d’être interrompues en cours
de route. Quant à Mehmet Agar, du parti DYP de la Juste Voie, il juge
«incroyable» que l’Europe se conduise avec la Turquie «comme avec un
pays qui viendrait s’asseoir à la table de négociation après avoir
perdu la guerre». La Turquie se sent donc rabaissée ; voire trahie.
Sur ce point, l’appel qui vient d’être lancé à l’opinion et
communiqué à la presse française par des intellectuels turcs en dit
long sur les liens très passionnels qui unissent la Turquie et
l’Europe, et tout particulièrement à la France : «Nous, les
signataires, avons deux choses en commun, précise le texte, écrit en
français.
La première c’est que nous nous sommes battus pour une démocratie de
plus en plus libérale et humaine en Turquie. Notre second
dénominateur commun est la connaissance de la langue et de la culture
française». Ces précisions étant données, les intellectuels
francophones expriment leur déception face à la «campagne de
dénigrement» menée, selon eux, en France. Ils sont universitaires,
journalistes, artistes, écrivains, anciens ministres, chefs
d’entreprise de renom… et s’inquiètent d’un «discours qui frise la
xénophobie». Ils expriment leur «incapacité totale à comprendre les
raisons de cette lame de fond antiturque, et à saisir les motivations
réelles de certaines voix de la France, qui prennent la tête d’un
mouvement visant à exiger de la Turquie plus qu’il n’exige de tout
autre candidat». Parmi les signataires, certaines personnalités de
renommée internationale, tels le romancier Yachar Kemal ou le
photographe Ara Güler se sont vu décerner par la France la Légion
d’honneur. Hervé Giraud porte également la rosette à sa boutonnière.
Il doit son nom français à l’histoire de sa famille, qui vit dans ce
pays depuis la fin du XVIII e siècle. Lui non plus ne comprend pas
que la candidature de la Turquie pose tant de problèmes : «L’Union
européenne ne peut trouver que des avantages à accueillir ce pays»,
assure ce grand patron de l’industrie textile. «Et puis,
comprenez-moi : avec la vie que j’ai vécue, moi qui suis né ici,
quand j’entends dire qu’Ankara n’est pas en Europe, je ne peux
m’empêcher de penser que c’est une blague !» L’éditorialiste Mehmet
Ali Birand a également inscrit son nom parmi les signataires de
l’appel. Dans son dernier billet, il tente d’analyser les motivations
de l’opinion publique française, dont l’attitude, «très nerveuse à
propos de la Turquie», est selon lui «sans commune mesure avec
n’importe quel autre pays». Le journaliste tente de faire
l’inventaire des griefs français à l’égard de son pays : l’Arménie,
Chypre, la torture… autant de raisons qui amèneraient les Français
à considérer que «la Turquie représente tout ce qui peut exister de
mal». Cette impression d’être mal compris par ses interlocuteurs, le
premier ministre lui-même a tenté de l’exprimer : selon Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, «le vrai problème est qu’une partie de l’opinion publique ne
connaît pas la Turquie».

PUBLIC LIVES
Details, Details, Down to the Tiniest Elf
By LYNDA RICHARDSON
Published: December 9, 2004
IT is left to Bob Rutan to make sure the elves in Macy’s Santaland do
not become bitter or resentful, standing on their feet all day and
ushering visitors through a maze of holiday displays, a permanent
smile plastered on their perky faces.
The task requires a certain tough-mindedness, as well as a measure of
bonhomie. This is a job for Mr. Rutan, the architect behind Santaland
and a onetime “straw boss” for Santa at Macy’s who was charged with
carrying the big guy’s water, tidying his magical workshop and
providing a clean suit whenever a baby spit up on him.
On a recent morning, Mr. Rutan, Macy’s director of event operations,
is leafing through “The Elfin Manual” in his cluttered 16th-floor
office at the flagship store on West 34th Street. The training guide
is handed out to 149 seasonal employees who don elf tunics, knickers
and pointed caps topped with pompoms. Mr. Rutan oversees their
training and assigns them to 18 positions in Santaland, from crowd
control and photos to directing the way to Santa.
Mr. Rutan flips through the pages, reciting a few dos and don’ts – how
elves must clock in and out, how to handle a frightened child and how
they must keep up their energy level.
He casts an eye at his visitor, ruminating on his daily patrols of
Santaland. “Sometimes I need to call out and say: ‘Let’s get Twinkles
off this position. She needs a break. She’s been here for four
hours. She’s starting to lose it.’ ” He says this with a straight
face, which must be what happens when one spends a lot of time around
elves and the North Pole’s most famous resident.Tall and lanky,
Mr. Rutan, 45, has shaggy, shoulder-length brown hair and wears a navy
suit and black cowboy boots. He is in charge of the daily operations
and logistics of Macy’s annual grand events – Santaland, the
Thanksgiving Day parade, the Fourth of July fireworks and its flower
show. He is also the department store’s archivist and historian. His
dramatic bass voice can be heard at the starting line of the
Thanksgiving Day parade, announcing floats, bands, balloons and Santa.
Mr. Rutan began at Macy’s in 1991 as a temporary employee, padding his
income as a struggling – well, starving – actor. He was promoted to
Santaland hiring manager in 1998 and was named to his current position
a year later.
On this day, he is animated as he talks about the appeal of Santaland,
which started in 1975 and has become an elaborate affair that attracts
a quarter-million visitors during the Christmas season. “The great
thing for me is that I will never get tired of a kid coming in and
seeing their face light up when they see Santa,” he says.
He is eager to take a trip to Santaland, on the eighth floor. Visitors
are lined up with strollers, sharp elbows and cameras at the
ready. Mr. Rutan makes his way through the garland-strung maze adorned
with candy canes, Nutcracker soldiers and snow crystals. He exudes a
John Wayne persona with his cowboy boots and swaggering strut. He left
his black Stetson in his office.
He began wearing western dress when he studied theater at Glassboro
State College in New Jersey, now Rowan University. But he has loved
western films since he was a boy in Lakewood, N.J., where his single
mother was the vice president of a company that made frames for doors
and windows. He has about 600 movies and television episodes of
old-time westerns like “High Noon,” “Have Gun Will Travel” and
“Maverick” in the apartment in Douglaston, Queens, that he shares with
his third wife, Elina Kazan, Macy’s director of publicity.
Mr. Rutan’s job at Macy’s is to promote an annual rite of good cheer,
something far removed from his acting roles. He played monsters,
murderers, even Dracula. In his office, there is a scowling photo of
him when he was cast as the treacherous Antonio in a production of
“The Tempest.” He looks like a cross between Charles Manson and
Rasputin. The photograph frightens his 10-year-old daughter, Sabrina,
who feels blessed that her father now works for Santa.
Back in Santaland, Mr. Rutan pauses near a three-level train set. He
calls a manager to report that the trains are not moving. He is not
pleased. He moves through bright holiday scenes that turn icy-blue and
white before opening into a cluster of Christmas trees at Santa’s
Village.
Mr. Rutan turns, with a boyish grin. “This area that has elves, snow
globes, the sleigh – it’s oversaturated with Christmas, and that gets
you ready for the next step, the man himself.”
ONE cannot resist asking about a famous essay, “The Santaland
Diaries,” by the humorist David Sedaris, who in the early 1990’s
toiled as an elf at Macy’s and wrote a thorny account about his
exercise in humiliation. Mr. Rutan says the essay was
accurate. Santaland was too commercial then, he says. Visitors were
hustled through, and some elves, and even Santa, were disgruntled
about their lot in life.
“We’ve had an amazing turnaround,” he says. “We really wanted to bring
back the true feeling of Christmas.”
In the Rutan era, he says, the emphasis is on team spirit. “I wanted
crews that enjoyed what they were doing,” he says. “There can be no
egos. The little elf is as important as I am in this operation.”
>From The New York Times
*Bob Rutan is of half Armenian, half Scottish descent. His wife Elina
Kazan is Armenian from both parents.

NUMBER OF TOURISTS VISITING KARABAKH INCREASED BY 31 PERCENT
Azg/arm
10 Dec 04
The number of tourists visiting Nagorno Karabakh increased by 31
percent compared with last year’s figures, Mediamax news agency quoted
YuriZakharian, official at the Foreign Ministry of Nagorno Karabakh,
as saying. Zakharian also added that this tendency was observed during
the last 4 years.
Nagorno Karabakh hosted representatives of 70 countries of the world,
mainly citizens of Russian, America, France, Canada, Germany,
Australia, Great Britain, Syria, Israel and Japan. 70 percent of the
visitors were tourists.
Yuri Zakharian noted that the number of business visits to the region
has also increased. He thinks that Karabakh’s attractiveness for
investments is the reason for this. Newly built roads and hotels also
explain the growth in tourists’ flow to the region. There are at
present 15 hotels in therepublic belonging not only to Armenians but
foreign citizens as well.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
12/09/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Dutch Ambassador, ANC Meet on Turkey EU Talks 2) Sargsian Outlines Conditions for Karabagh Conflict Resolution 3) Azerbaijan Cuts off Rail Traffic Fearing Goods Going to Armenia 4) EBRD Purchases 25 Percent Stock in Armenian Bank 5) Cyprus Warns Veto of Turkey's EU Talks 6) Javakhk Conference Pushes for Integration over Amalgamation 7) Armenian Theater Group Lands Iran Officials in Court 8) BRIEFS 1) Dutch Ambassador, ANC Meet on Turkey EU Talks LEBANON (Aztagdaily.com)--A delegation from Lebanon's Armenian National Committee (ANC) met with the Dutch ambassador to Lebanon G.J. van Epen on Wednesday to protest the December 17 summit that will decide whether to launch European Union entry talks with Ankara. The Dutch currently hold the six-month EU presidency. The delegation expressed concern about Turkey's entry into the Union, and presented a letter to the ambassador, intended for the foreign ministry of his country. In the letter, the ANC outlined issues that clearly reveal Turkey's inability to adhere to European norms and standards. The meeting took place at the Royal Netherlands Embassy of Lebanon. 2) Sargsian Outlines Conditions for Karabagh Conflict Resolution YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)--Armenian's Defense Minister Serge Sargsian, who also serves as the country's National Security Council Secretary, said that recently emerging fears that a Karabagh resolution would not favor the Armenia side are "completely unfounded." In an interview with the Aravot newspaper, he noted that a resolution to the conflict must guarantee not only the security of the population of Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR), but also ensure that MKR would not subordinate to Azerbaijan, and would no longer be qualified as an enclave. "There is a struggle, and the struggle continues. No one has declared that the conflict is over," Sargsian said in stressing that the international community is actively pursuing a resolution. Commenting on recent speculation that Armenia wants to convey its war-readiness, via photos of its president taken in the trenches of Karabagh, the defense minister said, "neither the republic's president nor I, to put it plainly, are new to trenches, and we do not visit these positions just once a year." He explained that President Kocharian wanted to personally witness the great progress that has taken place in Karabagh in 2004. 3) Azerbaijan Cuts off Rail Traffic Fearing Goods Going to Armenia (AFP)--Azerbaijan shut down its cargo rail traffic to other Caucasus republics Thursday because it feared that some of the goods were being delivered to Armenia, officials said. Azerbaijan's rail ministry said the traffic was cut off to neighboring Georgia, whose rail line leads to Armenia, because "we have received information that part of the cargo sent to Azerbaijan from Russia is meant for Armenia," Moscow's regional ally. The Azeri rail ministry told AFP that 1,500 rail cars holding oil and grain were intercepted at the Azeri-Georgian border. The rail ministry official said that Moscow and Baku had signed a 1998 agreement that goods from Russia headed for Armenia could not be transferred by Azerbaijan. "That is why we have every right to do this," rail ministry spokesman Nazyr Azmamedov said. 4) EBRD Purchases 25 Percent Stock in Armenian Bank Yerevan (Armenpress)--One of Armenia's leading commercial banks, Armeconombank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) sealed an agreement in Yerevan on December 8 whereby the European bank purchased 25 percent of the Armenian bank's stock. Speaking after the signing ceremony, a senior EBRD executive said they will pay Armeconombank $1 million and grant it $500,000 in "technical assistance." An EBRD finance director, Maria-Luisa Cicogniani, told a news conference that the agreement was in line with EBRD's plans to expand investments in the private sector of former Soviet republics. "This is our first investment in Armenia's banking sector, and if further opportunities arise we will certainly consider them," Cicogniani said. EBRD had made similar investments in one bank in Azerbaijan and two banks in Georgia which conform to Western-style management and transparency. "We are a long-term investor in the bank, and our investments are usually five-year-long and more," she said. Armeconombank, in which the majority of stock belongs to Khachatur Sukiasian, a business tycoon and parliament member, is one of few Armenian banks structured as a public joint-stock company, with 2,000 small shareholders receiving dividends. The head of EBRD Yerevan office, Nikolay Hajinsky said the EBRD will soon buy minority stakes in several Armenian manufacturing companies, but he did not name those firms. The overall EBRD investments in the Armenian economy since 1993 have covered 11 programs totaling $150. 5) Cyprus Warns Veto of Turkey's EU Talks NICOSIA (Combined Sources)--Cyprus has upped the ante in its demands for recognition from Turkey, warning its European Union partners it may otherwise veto the start of accession talks with Ankara, local newspapers reported. The warning that Nicosia may "have no other option" but to use its veto at a December 16-17 summit of EU heads of state was issued at a meeting of the EU ambassadors of the bloc's 25 member countries in Brussels on Wednesday. Cyprus's EU representative warned that Nicosia "may be pushed down a path it does not want to take" if Ankara refused to recognize it, the Cyprus Mail newspaper reported from Brussels. Other dailies carried similar reports. Turkey is resisting calls to recognize Cyprus before the summit, which will decide whether to launch EU entry talks with Ankara. Turkey recognizes only the Turkish Cypriot enclave in north Cyprus, while the rest of the world views the Greek Cypriot government in the south, which joined the EU in May, as the sole legitimate representative of the whole island. The Cypriot government has demanded full recognition before Turkey's talks start. Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 in reaction to an Greek-inspired coup in Nicosia and has kept 35,000 troops on the divided island ever since. Many in the EU are wary of admitting Turkey, a large, relatively poor, Muslim country of 70 million people because of concerns of social and labor upheaval. In Brussels yesterday, the Dutch presidency of the EU said it was sure it could resolve the question of Ankara's refusal to recognize Cyprus before this month's summit. "We are discussing this with both Cyprus and Turkey...I am absolutely sure the presidency...will find a formula that will satisfy everyone," Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told reporters. The Dutch presidency last week suggested a compromise under which Turkey would tacitly recognize the Greek Cypriot government by extending an existing association agreement it has with the EU. Ankara and Nicosia have so far rejected this idea 6) Javakhk Conference Pushes for Integration over Amalgamation AKHALKALAK (A-INFO)--Javakhk Armenians are due to hold their first public conference on December 11 to review the grave social and economic problems that are prevalent in the mostly Armenian-populated region of Georgia. The Council of Armenian Social Organizations, which has organized the event, revealed that additional conferences on language, culture, and local government will be held in the future. Organizers have chosen the theme "Integration But Not Amalgamation" to reflect that although they support integration, they categorically reject the policy of amalgamation advanced by Georgian authorities. 7) Armenian Theater Group Lands Iran Officials in Court (Reuters)--Iran's judiciary has arrested three cultural officials for organizing a festival containing a brief display of dancing by a male and female theater group from Armenia, the government-run Iran newspaper reported on Thursday. One hardline newspaper said the festival in the southern city of Ahvaz contained "obscene and repulsive scenes of lewdness and ethical violations in the guise of art." Physical contact between unrelated men and women in public is outlawed under Iran's strict Islamic moral code and female dancers and singers are banned from performing in front of men. Social and cultural restrictions have eased somewhat under the government of moderate cleric President Mohammad Khatami. But powerful conservatives deeply opposed to Western cultural influences have stepped up their efforts to stamp out any watering down of Islamic values in recent months. Festival organizer Alireza Ajang, head of the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry in southern Khuzestan province, and two of his colleagues were arrested on charges of "encouraging immorality." The three were later released on $19,500 bail. Deputy Culture Minister Mohammad Haqshenas said the incident had been blown out of proportion. "The whole festival should not be questioned due to three minutes out of an Armenian group's 70-minute performance," Iran newspaper quoted him as saying. But the hard-line Kayhan newspaper, in an editorial, called for the officials to be fired. "The dancing of women in revealing gowns under the light of strong projectors, the mixed dancing of men and women, and other ugly scenes...were just some of the scandalous incidents of that day," the paper said. 8) BRIEFS Pope Expresses Concern for Iraqi Christians VATICAN CITY (CNS)--Pope John Paul II expressed concern for Christians in Iraq after the December 7 terrorist attacks on an Armenian Catholic church and the Chaldean Catholic bishop's residence in Mosul. Conveying his "spiritual closeness to the faithful, " the pope prayed for the intercession of the Virgin Mary to help "the beloved Iraqi people" experience "a time of reconciliation and peace." Pope Visits Spanish Steps to Start Christmas ROME (AP)--Waving from his white popemobile, Pope John Paul blessed shoppers and tourists at the foot of the Spanish Steps on Wednesday as he began his busy Christmas schedule with a traditional visit to the popular square in the heart of historic Rome. Riding down narrow Via Condotti, a street lined with some of Rome's swankiest shops, John Paul read a prayer in honor of the Virgin Mary. Thousands of Romans and out-of-towners took a break from gift-buying on the first official day of the city's Christmas shopping season to catch a glimpse of the Pope in the square with its towering column topped by a statue of Mary. Earlier Wednesday, the Pope said he was praying for the Iraqi people after militants bombed two churches in Mosul, the latest anti-Christian violence in the country. Armenian Mining Giant Sold for $40M YEREVAN (RFE-RL)--The government announced on Thursday the sale of Armenia's largest metallurgical complex to several private investors, including a large German company, for just $40 million. A government statement said Germany's Chronimet will take over 60 percent of shares of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine, which was put up for privatization last March. Fifteen percent of its stock will go to a Yerevan-based metallurgical company, while two other firms--called Armenian Molybdenum Production and Zangezur Mining--will each get 12.5 percent. The Zangezur plant and adjacent mines are located near the town of Kajaran in the southeastern Syunik region. The mountainous area has the country's largest deposits of copper and molybdenum ores, with thousands of people working there. Azeri Nationalists Unhappy with Armenian-Iranian Relations YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Iran's financial and moral support for Armenia has raised concerns in Azerbaijan, reported Armenpress. The nationalist Yeni Musavat party is planning to picket the Iranian embassy in Baku on December 10, according to the party leader, Giuduz Jalilov. Turkish Envoy says Ankara Ready to Assist Azerbaijan in Karabagh conflict YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Turkey is ready to participate more actively in settling the Karabagh conflict, newly-appointed Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan Turan Morali said at his meeting with Azeri Parliament Speaker Murtuz Aleskerov on Wednesday. Morali stressed the importance of settling the conflict both for Azerbaijan and the region, including Turkey. Armenian Patriarch Blames Turkey for Poor Relations (NTV/MSNBC)--Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II on Wednesday said that Ankara was responsible for lack of formal diplomatic relations with Yerevan, because of Turkey's insistence on setting preliminary conditions for the normalizing of relations. The Catholicos, however, said that it was essential to resolve the question of the Karabagh conflict. He stressed that the issue of genocide was not an issue up for debate. 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.

STRENGTHENING OF COOPERATION BETWEEN SUNIK AND ARDABIL OF STRATEGIC
IMPORTANCE FOR ARMENIA
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8. ARMINFO. The strengthening of the cooperation
between the Armenian region of Sunik and the Iranian province
of Ardabil is of strategic importance for Armenia, Territorial
Administration Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan said during his
today’s meeting with Ardabil Governor Meied Javad Negarande.
He said that in its relations with Iran Armenia gives priority
to the exchange and testing of Armenian and Iranian crops, seeds
and seedlings, the introduction of the Iranian technology of potato
processing, the formation of a joint office of the Armenian and Iranian
commerce and industry chambers for coordinating agricultural and other
programs. Negarande said that his visit is an opportunity for Armenian
and Iranian businessmen to establish personal contacts. He says that
this cooperation will bring its fruits in the very near future.

Pope prays for Iraqi people after bomb attacks on churches
AP Worldstream
Dec 08, 2004
Pope John Paul II said Wednesday he was praying for the Iraqi people
after militants bombed two churches in Mosul, the latest anti-Christian
violence in the country.
“I express my spiritual closeness to the faithful, shocked by the
attacks,” John Paul said, speaking from his apartment window above
St. Peter’s Square on the Roman Catholic feast of the Immaculate
Conception.
He said he was praying that Iraqis “may finally know a time of
reconciliation and peace.”
In coordinated attacks Tuesday, militants bombed an Armenian Catholic
and a Chaldean church in Mosul, injuring three people. Islamic
militants have regularly targeted Iraq’s various ethnic communities,
including the minority Christians.

THE DIFFERENCES OF TERRORISM, SEPARATISM AND EXTREMISM
A1+
07-12-2004
In the beginning of December Parliament Vice Speaker Vahan Hovanisyan
partook in 2 grand measures â~@~S the sitting of Armenia-Russia
Inter-parliamentary Commission and the activity of CIS Commission on
Political and International Cooperation. Opposition MP Aram Gaspari
Sargssyan took part in the sitting, too.
During the sitting of Commission for Defence and Security Cooperation
of CIS Inter-parliamentary Assembly a few model laws, in particular
the Law on â~@~ Anti-Terrorismâ~@~] were discussed.
Taking into account his own experience, ARF representative has
explained CIS parliamentary colleagues the differences between
terrorism, separatism and extremism. Vahan Hovanisyan has explained
that terrorism is a crime while separatism can exist exceptionally
within law and extremism is a psychological state. â~@~These
conceptions must not be put on the same lineâ~@~], he said.
Aram Gaspari Sargssyan announced during the sitting of Armenia-Russia
Inter-parliamentary Commission that Russia must clarify its stance
over Karabakh. Vahan Hovanisyan didnâ~@~Yt join the statement since
he knows the position of Russia. â~@~If we want Russia to say that it
supports Armenia in Karabakhi issue, naturally, it wonâ~@~Yt be so. One
must not expect for anything from anyone. When people are forced to
speak, they have to avoid the concrete answersâ~@~], Hovanisyan says.
Vahan Hovanisyan also spoke about the relations with NATO. He thinks
the Russians feel somewhat of jealousy to the relations between
Armenia and NATO. But our delegation caused them to be informed that
the contacts with NATO are solely of consultative character.
–Boundary_(ID_MaS2zXAk2Grj1GNlRrHs7Q)–