Author: Nadirian Emma

AZERI, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS MAY MEET AFTER FMS’ BRUSSELS TALKS

Today, Azerbaijan
Oct 31 2006

New proposals of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs connected with Nagorno
Karabakh conflict will be discussed in Brussels meeting of Foreign
Ministers.

According to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov,
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents’ meeting will also depend on
the result of these negotiations. The sides will look through the
proposals of co-chairs. "We discuss the ideas at present. You know
that we must consider not only Azerbaijan’s position, but also the
other side’s position. If the sides come to any agreement in the
next negotiations then co-chairs will start to visit the region. Only
after that the presidents can meet."

As to the changing of format of OSCE, Mammadyarov says that of Minsk
Group’ mandate was defined according to the decision of OSCE adopted
on April 12, 1992. And the conflict sides were also considered there.

According to Elmar Mammadyarov, if there is any need to change, it
must be started from OSCE. But it needs a lot of time. Generally,
Mammadyarov think that co-chairs’ activity became more active lately.

"The co-chairs did a very good thing. A resolution connected with
Armenia and Azerbaijan was adopted for the first time in UN General
Assembly. Meanwhile, the issue on frozen conflicts within the frames
of GUAM will be discussed during the visit of Gela Bezhuashvili to
Azerbaijan."

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DJORKAEFF RETIRES AFTER NY DEFEAT

CNN International
Oct 30 2006

PARIS, France — Former France striker Youri Djorkaeff has retired
after his New York Red Bulls side were knocked out of the MLS playoffs
by D.C. United on Sunday.

A world champion on home turf in 1998 and a European champion two
years later, the 38-year-old was a hero in France for his spectacular
goals and never-say-die attitude.

Djorkaeff won his first medal in 1991 in the French Cup with Monaco
alongside future national team mate Emmanuel Petit.

Both have now called it a day, with Djorkaeff becoming the 17th of
the 1998 world champions to hang up his boots.

"Now we’re back to square one," said Djorkaeff . "I don’t feel
nostalgic. I’ve known everything and I had the feeling it was time
for me to go.

"Physically, I was still in good shape but mentally I was not there
anymore."

Djorkaeff, nicknamed the Snake, will live in New York City with his
wife and children until the end of the school year.

He said his best memory as a player was the 1998 World Cup, when
France beat Brazil 3-0 in the final at the Stade de France.

"There was something magical in that team," he said.

Djorkaeff, who has Armenian origins, scored 28 goals in 82
internationals, the most important being a superb volley from
outside the box that gave France a 2-1 win over Spain in the Euro
2000 quarterfinals.

Born in Lyon on March 9, 1968, Djorkaeff started his career in Grenoble
at the age of 16, before leaving for second-division Racing Strasbourg
in 1989.

He was then transferred to Monaco a year later, becoming the league’s
top scorer in 1994 with the principality team.

In 1996, he won the European Cup Winners’ Cup with Paris St Germain
before leaving for Inter Milan, where he spent three years, helping
the club win the UEFA Cup in 1998.

Before moving to the other side of the Atlantic, Djorkaeff played
for Kaiserslautern and spent over two years in the English Premier
League with Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers.

The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 26 2006

Iranian energy comes to the rescue again
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Tiko Giorgadze)

In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) at the
Prague Energy Forum Irakli Ghvaladze, deputy minister of
Environmental Protection and Natural Resources claimed, "Our
government is prepared. We have alternative energy sources; we’ve
installed new power-generating units in our electricity plants. So
we’re more or less ready for this winter."

Despite these confident words, the Georgian government is still
scrambling to prepare for a possible energy crisis this winter not
only because it has fresh memories of Russia’s actions last winter
against Georgia and the Ukraine, but even colder relations with
Russia this year demands that Georgia line up alternative energy.

Energy Minister Nika Gilauri and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gela
Bezhuashvili just returned from a visit to Iran where they conducted
negotiations about supplying Georgia with electricity and natural
gas. It was agreed that Iran would transfer 50 megawatts of
electricity via Armenia to Gerogia beginning in late November and
expressed hope that the capacity of energy exchange will increase to
300 megawatts soon after that.

An agreement over natural gas has not been reached-the price is still
under negotiation.

Some experts are concerned that cooperation with Iran could create
some tension in Georgia’s relations with some of its western
partners. The newspaper Akhali Versia reports economist Gia
Khukhashvili as saying that cooperation with Iran may only be
palatable to the West if Georgia receives natural gas only in cases
of force majeure from Russia.

Other analysts are looking at the issue fiscally. In 2006, the price
of the natural gas imported from Iran was twice as expensive as
Russian natural gas. Iran’s natural gas cost USD 230 per 1000 cm
compared to Russia’s cost of USD 110, however, Georgia’s contract
with Gazprom expires at the end of this year, and it remains to be
seen what price they will name for next year’s supplies.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN TO DISCUSS THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM IN PARIS ON OCTOBER 24

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
Source: Interfax, October 23, 2006
October 25, 2006 Wednesday

On October 24, foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vardan
Oskanyan and Emar Mamedyarov, will hold another meeting in Paris,
reports a source in the press service of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry. According to the press service, at their meeting the
ministers plan to discuss issues related to the current stage of
resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. No other details of the
meeting are reported yet. Earlier, it was announced that in accordance
with a preliminary agreement in case of successful meeting of the
foreign ministers of the two countries in Paris negotiations on
the Nagorno-Karabakh regulation might be organized at the level of
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Robert Kocharyan and Ilkham
Aliev. The next stage of negotiations at the level of presidents
of the two countries may be held in the framework of the CIS summit
in November.

NKR DEFENSE ARMY HOLDS PLANNED TACTICAL EXERCISES

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.10.2006 18:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The NKR Defense Army holds planned tactical exercises
at present, NKR Defense Ministry Spokesperson, lieutenant colonel Senor
Hasratyan stated in Stepanakert Tuesday. "The exercises are aimed at
enhancing the level of interaction of branches with body of troops
during counter-attacks and defensive actions, improvement of skills of
personnel and the command," Hasratyan noted, reports Novosti-Armenia.

POLITICAL SCIENTIST: THERE WILL BE NO WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.10.2006 17:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A ‘spy war’ is over by the Russian-Georgian
problems remained, said political scientist, rector of the
Caucasus Media Institute Alexander Iskandaryan in an interview with
PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, permanent crisis between the two states
tends to increase. "Russia has no methods of influence of the Georgian
side any more.

What other economic sanctions can be applied? Russia can block the gas
delivery. But gas in Georgia is mostly consumed by Russian companies
engaged in electricity processing. Russia can close some secondary
ports in the Black Sea. And nothing else will remain. Anyway, there
will be no war," the CMI Director said.

He also underscored that Georgian wine and mineral water is already
being supplied to the Russian market with other labels via third
states. "The same is happening with transfers. Suppose that a Georgian
gastarbeiter will lose some 0.5% transferring money from Russia but he
will transfer this money by any means even via Australia. Sanctions
like the Russian ones do not work in the modern world. There is no
Moscow-Tbilisi train but there are Moscow-Baku and Baku-Tbilisi
routes. Thus, Russia seems to have beaten itself," the Armenian
political scientist said.

AZERBAIJAN’S PRISONER STUDENTS
Idrak Abbasov, Baku

A1+
[08:17 pm] 23 October, 2006

A small group of Azerbaijani prisoners have taken college entrance
exams, but will others follow their example?

Eighteen-year-old Baku resident Akhmed Veliev was sentenced to three
years in prison a year ago for stealing from a building site. He now
hopes to become a qualified architect.

Veliev is one of eight young inmates who were admitted to college
after prisoners were allowed for the first time this year to take
exams behind bars.

The young prisoner will study in the architecture faculty of Baku’s
Engineering and Construction College. Before he went to jail, he had
not even thought of going to university.

"My father died in the battles for Nagorny Karabakh [in 1991-4],"
he told IWPR in prison. "There was no time to study. I earned money
washing cars to feed my mother and younger brother."

When asked about his crime, he said, "The money I earned wasn’t
enough. So when my mother fell ill I stole materials from the
building site."

Veliev is the beneficiary of a pilot project under which young
prisoners are being given the chance to receive an education for the
first time. The inmates were coached by five school-level teachers
inside prison.

Four other prisoners will join the environmental protection faculty
of the Azerbaijani Naval and Fishing Technical College. Others will
study insurance and English.

Nazim Alekperov, head of the justice ministry’s penitentiary service,
told IWPR, "I think that several young prisoners, serving sentences
of between three and ten years for grave and moderately grave crimes
have received a route back to normal life."

However, although there is now school-level teaching inside Azerbaijani
prisons, there are currently no ways of getting a university-level
education there and no facilities for correspondence courses.

"To solve this problem we are studying international practice," said
Alekperov, who recently received advice from a British delegation,
which included the former head of Penal Reform International, Baroness
Vivien Stern; the governor of Edinburgh prison, David Croft; and the
deputy head of the John Smith Memorial Trust, Joanna Lamb.

Malakhat Hasanova, a member of parliament and chair of the organisation
Women Leaders, one of the supporters of prison education, said that
there was currently neither the legislative basis nor the physical
conditions for prisoners to study while in detention.

Hasanova said that she was pressing for the law to be changed during
the current session of parliament – which has been welcomed by inmates
who see the value of education.

Eighteen-year-old Elshad Akhmedov was sentenced to ten years’
imprisonment two years ago for murder. "Shortly after I was arrested
I became completely disillusioned with life," he said. "But now I
have the hope to be released and begin a normal new life."

Rashid Mekhtiev, a 20-year-old born in Nagorny Karabakh, is serving a
sentence for rape about which he said, "I committed a serious crime
because I was a stupid boy. Every day I pray to Allah to forgive me
my sin." Now he wants to learn English and go into business.

Eldar Zeynalov, director of the Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan, is
full of praise for the new schemes but wants to see them extended. "It
is wonderful that young prisoners, who have not yet become hardened
criminals, are thinking about another non-criminal life and are
getting ready for their freedom," he said.

Zeinalov said that in a prison system that he estimated had a
population of 18-19,000, around three hundred prisoners who were keen
to study.

He said he was particularly concerned about the life prisoners in
the Gobustan prison, as they have been denied any form of education
or training.

"Recently, a young prisoner Namig Veliev, who was sentenced at the
age of 19 and is now 29 was refused the right to extra-mural higher
education," said Zeinalov. "He went straight from student life to a
death cell.

"All the courts without exception, not wishing to harm their relations
with the justice ministry, supported the prison administration. As
a result, the boy is now appealing to the European Court of Human
Rights."

Alekperov said there were still legislative hurdles to overcome
"but as soon as these are solved we will gladly give all prisoners
the right to receive an education".

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Caucasus Reporting Service
¹362 Idrak Abbasov is a journalist with Ayna newspaper in Baku

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DISCRIMINATION CASE RAISES FRENCH RELIGIOUS TENSION

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 22 2006

France, which recently struck a blow to the freedom of thought and
expression by adopting the Armenian genocide bill, is also undergoing
a difficult test on the human rights issue.

Dozens of Muslim workers working at the Charles de Gaulle Airport
outside Paris have been exposed to an interesting prohibition.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, terrorist paranoia has reached an
alarming level for the Muslims and Arabs all around the world. Muslim
workers in the Charles de Gaulle Airport lost their security clearance,
which allowed them to work in sensitive airport customs zones for
fear that they might support terrorists.

The Public Prosecutor office has launched an inquiry into the matter
following a complaint from the CFDT union on behalf of Muslim baggage
handlers at the airport.

Attorney Eric Moutet said Friday that the Muslim workers were exposed
to the prohibition due to their religious beliefs, physical appearances
and ethnic backgrounds.

Most of the Muslim workers had been working at the airport for
more than five years, explained Moutet, saying that the common
denominator of these workers was that they were Arabs and practiced
their religious rituals.

Jacques Lebrot, the airport’s security representative, said that
they had to make this decision due to the risk of terrorism and
they found out that some baggage workers had gone to Pakistan for
terrorism training.

Lebrot said that this decision had nothing to do with religion and
they could not make any concessions from the airport’s security.

The hardline right-wing politician Phillippe de Villiers published a
book published four months ago in which he claimed there were many
radical workers employed at the airport and these workers may be
planning a terrorist attack.

The local administrations supposedly took action based on Villiers’
allegations.

The police officers interrogated baggage workers in August and then
sent them letters saying their security clearance was taken away.

The syndicates will begin to strike on Monday to protest the event.

BELOW 19 NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM OF ARMENIA LEAVES FOR CYPRUS ON OCTOBER 21

Noyan Tapan
Oct 23 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The below 19 years old national
football team of Armenia headed by coach Armen Gyulbudaghian,
left for Cyprus on October 21 where the group tournament of the
qualification stage of the below 19 Europe Championship will take
place from October 27 to November 2. As Noyan Tapan was informed
by the Press Secretariate of the Football Federation of Armenia,
Joan (Ian) Porterfield, the coach of the national team of Armenia,
and Samvel Petrosian, the coach of the below 21 national team also
left for the Cyprus. The national teams of Hungary, Cyprus and
Azerbaijan are also involved in the seventh group, in which Armenia
is involved. The national team of Armenia will hold the first meeting
with the national team of Azerbaijan. It will take place on October 27,
in the Antonis Papadopoulos stadium of Larnaca. The Hungary-Cyprus
meeting will take place on the same day in the Ammochostos-Amberia
stadium of Larnaca. The national team of Armenia will hold the second
meeting on October 29. The Cyprus-Armenia meeting will take place in
the Tasos Marcou city stadium of Paralimni, and the teams of Hungary
and Azerbaijan will compete in the Dasaki Achnas stadium of the city
of Famagusta. The last meetings of the group tournament will take
place on November 1. Armenia will compete with Hungary in the Antonis
Papadopoulos stadium, and Azerbaijan will compete with Cyprus in the
G.S.Z. stadium. To recap, the below 19 national team of Armenia had
a control meeting on October 20 with the below 17 national team of
Armenia. The meeting finished with a big, 5:0, victory of the below
19 team.

BÝA, Turkey
Oct 21 2006

RTUK Recommends "French Media Boycott"

Supreme Radio and Television Board issues recommendation for Turkish
media to boycott ‘French media products’ in a retaliation to the
"Armenian Genocide Bill". Recommendation in force until bill is
completely off the agenda.

BIA News Center
21/10/2006 Erol ONDEROGLU

BÝA (Ankara) – The Supreme Radio and Television Board (RTUK) of
Turkey has issued a recommendation for all Turkish radio and
television stations to impose a boycott on French media products in
retaliation to the French Parliament’s passing of a controversial
bill criminalizing the denial of the existence of an "Armenian
Genocide".

The recommendation was adopted in an October 17 meeting of the
highest board regulating radio and television broadcasts in Turkey
and members of RTUK voted in favor of it unanimously.

A statement issued by the Board after the decision referred to the
French Parliament’s decision to pass the Armenian Genocide Bill as "a
great injustice done to the Turkish people" and continued:

"A decision has been taken to recommend radio and television
broadcasting corporations in Turkey not to air French-sourced media
products until the draft law proposal for the punishment of those
denying the so-called Armenian genocide is completely off the
agenda". (EO/II/YE)

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