Author: Nahapetian Samvel

Wine International, UK
Aug 15 2005

Ancient cellars found in Georgia
15 August 2005

By Richard Ross

Wine cellars containing a working grape press and numerous wine jars
dating from the late Middle Ages have been found in a village in
Southern Georgia.
The artefacts were discovered during work to lay a gas pipeline which
will cross from the Caspian Sea to Eastern Turkey.

The grape press is said to date from the 14th-16th century, and was
used to make Chacha, a local vodka made from grapes. Archaeologists
said the find helped to confirm their existing research into ancient
winemaking techniques.

While the finds are at least five hundred years old, they go nowhere
near the origins of winemaking in the country. Georgia is one of the
oldest winemaking nations in the world, along with neighbouring
Armenia, Turkey and Iran. The ancestors of modern wine grapes (Vitis
Vinifera) grew wild in the countryside, and the winemaking heritage
of the area may go as far back as 3000 BC.

Many of the techniques still used in domestic Georgian winemaking
have remained little changed for centuries. They include the practice
of burying jars full of wine up to their necks in the ground to
moderate temperatures, and to keep the wine relatively fresh.

Work on the pipeline has been halted until the archaeologists have
finished their investigations.

U.S. TROOPS IN AZERBAIJAN? MOSCOW SAYS NO, BUT BAKU SAYS MAYBE
By Taleh Ziyadov

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
The Jamestown Foundation
Aug 15 2005

Monday, August 15, 2005

Reports of potential U.S. military bases in Azerbaijan have intensified
in the wake of another expected visit to Baku by the U.S. Secretary
of Defense. Donald H. Rumsfeld is expected to arrive in Baku sometime
this month, but this information has not yet been confirmed. While in
Azerbaijan, Rumsfeld would likely meet with local military officials
and possibly President Ilham Aliev himself.

In recent months, a number of high-ranking U.S. political figures
have visited Azerbaijan, including former secretary of state
Madeline Albright, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs
Paula Dobriansky, as well as various diplomats and congressional
representatives. Dobriansky delivered a special invitation from U.S.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov. Last week Mammadyarov flew to Washington
and held talks with Secretary Rice.

The State Department’s increasing attention to Azerbaijan is not
surprising, as the U.S. government has been actively trying to ensure
that the November parliamentary elections will be free and fair. In
addition, the Pentagon stepped up its contacts with the Azerbaijani
Army after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

But the growing U.S. presence in Azerbaijan has alarmed some officials
in the Azerbaijani government. Their argument for caution is based on
U.S. support for the “color revolutions” that toppled the governments
of Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan. The Azerbaijani government
has been suspicious of the activities of some U.S.-based NGOs that
allegedly sponsor Azerbaijani opposition parties.

Another worry is the consequences of a potential deployment of U.S.
troops in Azerbaijan. Until now, President Aliev, like his predecessor
and late father, Heidar Aliev, has called for a balanced foreign
policy, in which the interests of several powers are played against
each other, but relations with all remain non-conflictual. However,
the possibility of having U.S. bases or troops in Azerbaijan runs
counter to the interests of two other regional powers: Russia and
Iran. Giving preference to one power over the other would change the
geopolitical balance in the region, a development that the Azerbaijani
government sees as destabilizing.

Finding itself in a very uncomfortable situation, Baku has been trying
to maneuver within the limited space available. The non-aggression
pact with Iran signed in May 2005 seeks to mitigate potential damage
to Azerbaijani-Iranian relations should there be a U.S. deployment in
Azerbaijan. The pact prohibits the use of either country’s military
bases by a third country in order to attack the other.

More importantly, while official Baku has slowly distanced itself from
Washington, it has started to move closer to Moscow. Relations between
Azerbaijan and Russia have improved in recent years and increased
since the beginning of this year. Several high-ranking officials
from Russia, including former president Boris Yeltsin, have visited
Baku. In addition, Azerbaijani officials have also promoted increased
Russian involvement in the upcoming parliamentary elections. There
will be Russian exit polls along American exit polls on election day.

Several opposition newspapers have argued that the warming relations
between Baku and Moscow are a result of holdovers from the Soviet
government who continue to hold important positions in the Azerbaijani
government. These officials are the ones who feel the most insecure
about the growing U.S. presence in the South Caucasus and want to
secure their interests, both national and personal, playing Russia
against the United States.

Even the recent scandal in which the leader of an opposition youth
organization, Ruslan Bashirli, was caught on videotape receiving
a $2,000 donation from representatives of supposedly Georgian
and Armenian democratic movements reflected the concern over U.S.
involvement (see EDM, August 8). In the videotape, Bashirli claimed
that it was the United States — specifically the National Democratic
Institute (NDI, which Albright chairs) — that is preparing a
revolution in Azerbaijan. Some in Azerbaijan believe that the Russian
security services helped their Azerbaijani counterparts secretly
film this meeting, which was later used to discredit the leader of
the main opposition party, Ali Kerimli.

There are also reports that if Washington secures its main demands or
gets a green light for the deployment of American troops, it will not
support a color revolution in Azerbaijan. However, the Azerbaijani
government is not willing to say “yes” to the Pentagon, unless the
United States offers substantial help in solving the territorial
conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Karabakh region.
Although the United States is one of the co-chairs in the OSCE’s Minsk
Group that mediates the conflict, many in Azerbaijan say that Russia
holds the keys to solving this long-standing conflict.

In any case, demands from the Pentagon and Rumsfeld have never
been easy to satisfy, nor easy to ignore. Azerbaijan’s involvement
in NATO’s Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) may help the
Azerbaijani government in reaching a compromise, at least for the
short-term. The parties could likely reach some sort of an agreement
that would allow for the short-term deployment of American troops in
Azerbaijan. However, the prospects for a permanent U.S. military base
in Azerbaijan remain questionable.

Whatever the outcome of Rumsfeld’s upcoming visit to Baku, the
geopolitical battle between the United States and Russia in the South
Caucasus and Azerbaijan’s struggle to accommodate both will continue
to intensify. The main question is whether or not the Azerbaijani
government will be able to balance the interests of both states
effectively or will simply favor one power over the other. The second
choice would involve some geopolitical risks and would have critical
consequences for the future of Azerbaijan.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

August 15, 2005

Professor Richard Hovannisian with Teachers and Deniers in Houston

Yerevan — Professor Richard Hovannisian, AEF Chair in Modern Armenian
History at UCLA, is continuing his worldwide activities on the occasion
of the ninetieth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In June he was
the keynote speaker at the biennial conference of the International
Association of Genocide Scholars in Boca Raton Florida, during which
he placed the Armenian Genocide in perspective and focused on the
current challenges facing scholars engaged in genocide studies and
human rights programs. He then traveled to Montpelier, France, to
participate in an international symposium organized by the “Centre
de Juifs, Armeniens et Chretiens d’Orient” (Gerard Dedeyan and Carol
Iancu) on the theme of typologies of mass killing in the twentieth
century. Hovannisian discussed recent revelations about the planning
and organization, as well as evolving interpretations, of the genocide.

Dr. Hovannisian’s summer activities included lectures to Yerevan and
Houston, Texas. In Yerevan he gave the opening lecture on July 22
to Armenian youth from several countries who had come together for
the annual Hamazkayin Forum. As a member of the organizing committee
of the forthcoming international congress on the 1600th anniversary
of the creation of the Armenian alphabet, to be held in Yerevan in
September, he also helped to finalize arrangements for the gathering.

At the invitation of the Holocaust Museum of Houston, Richard
Hovannisian traveled to Houston on July 25-26 to speak at a summer
institute for teachers and to give an evening public lecture. For the
first time, the Max Kaplan Summer Institute for Educators was given
a formal presentation on the Armenian Genocide, which emphasized the
importance of inclusion of the Armenian experience as a prototype
of mass killings in the modern age. On July 26 teachers from
five states as well as from Chile, Uruguay, and Romania learned
of the preconditions and warning signals of genocide, the role of
ideology, the use of technology, and the similarities and differences
between the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust. In the words of the
Museum’s Director of Education, Christina Vasquez, the teachers became
intensely engaged with the subject and “raved” about Dr. Hovannisian’s
presentation. She added: “The lecture about the Armenian genocide and
its relation to the Holocaust was framed in a very skillful way so that
our participants could use the information in their classrooms. What
was particularly striking was the twelve points in the patterns of
genocide, as well as how the situation in Turkey in regard to the
Armenian genocide sadly differs from Germany’s confrontation of
its past.”

A turn-away capacity audience was present for Richard Hovannisian’s
public lecture in the auditorium of the Holocaust Museum on the evening
of July 26. In his reflective discourse, Hovannisian considered
the historical, ethical, and humanitarian aspects of the genocide
which remain immediate and relevant in contemporary times. He began
by taking note of the presence of a significant number of members
of the American Turkish Association of Houston, who had come with
denial literature and materials to challenge the reality of the
Armenian Genocide. Apparently, officials from the very highest levels
of the Turkish government and supportive committees in the United
States had attempted to have the lecture cancelled, but the Holocaust
Museum stood firm in its decision to include the presentation in its
summer series. Hovannisian suggested that the ATA members and all
other doubters should become better acquainted with the facts and
the consensus of world scholarship and join the growing number of
Turkish scholars who now reject the state’s untenable narrative of
events. He noted that one of the sad consequences of denial is that it
has prevented proper acknowledgement and respect to the thousands of
good Turks and other Muslims who intervened to rescue Armenians during
the deportations and massacres. Hovannisian’s adept handling of the
situation was roundly applauded by the audience but apparently did not
satisfy all of those who had come to detract. During the discussion
period, many of the familiar denial arguments were repeated, but they
were met with calm, factually-based responses and a new appeal for
all sides to face their history honestly as a necessary precondition
to some form of eventual conciliation. He hoped that his reflections
on the legacy of the Armenian Genocide might further the on-going
quest for truth.

For further information on the Center call (37410) 52-87-80 or
27-48-18; fax (37410) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected] or [email protected];
or visit

Durham Herald Sun, NC
Aug 12 2005

Several plead for Turk’s release

BY PAUL BONNER : The Herald-Sun
[email protected]
Aug 12, 2005 : 10:08 pm ET

DURHAM — A growing chorus of academics and former Sen. Robert
Dole are calling for the release of Duke graduate student Yektan
Turkyilmaz from Armenia, where he has been jailed eight weeks for
trying to leave the country with second-hand books he bought there.

Turkyilmaz was arrested June 17 and detained by Armenia’s
National Security Service. On July 21, he was indicted under a law
dealing mostly with transporting missiles and other weapons of mass
destruction. But the law also prohibits taking “strategic raw materials
or cultural values” — in this case, several books more than 50 years
old — out of the country without permission.

Research led to jail

Turkyilmaz, a doctoral candidate in cultural anthropology at Duke
and a native of Turkey, was conducting research for his dissertation
on the region’s political history in Armenia’s national archive,
reportedly the first Turkish scholar allowed to do so.

Relations between Turkey and Armenia remain testy 90 years after
what Armenians call genocide against them by Turkey. They still lack
diplomatic relations. Fluent in the Armenian language, Turkyilmaz is
considered sympathetic to the Armenian viewpoint.

Sources including his adviser at Duke, professor Orin Starn, say
Turkyilmaz bought the books legally from second-hand bookshops and
street vendors. He had them in his luggage when he was pulled off
a departing plane by customs officials at the airport in Armenia’s
capital, Yerevan. The books were not especially valuable or rare,
although one was published in the 17th century, said Starn.

Family pleads case

Colleagues and Turkyilmaz’s family in Turkey — his mother was allowed
to visit him Monday — have said he didn’t know about the old-books
law, which carries a potential prison sentence of four to eight years.

Duke President Richard Brodhead underscored that point in a letter last
week to Armenian President Robert Kocharian. Another letter, signed
by 225 international scholars styling themselves as the Committee
for Solidarity with Yektan Turkyilmaz, also said the situation risks
damaging an already tenuous dialogue between the two nations and
raising “doubts as to whether Armenia encourages independent scholarly
research on its history.” They noted in connection with the latter
concern that authorities reportedly also confiscated Turkyilmaz’s
research materials, including digital copies he had left with friends.

Espionage rumored

Citing an unidentified source, a Radio Free Europe report Monday
said the National Security Service had considered charging Turkyilmaz
with espionage.

Other academic groups also have taken notice of the case with
letter-writing campaigns, including the American Association for the
Advancement of Science.

Dole, former Senate majority leader from Kansas and husband of N.C.
Sen. Elizabeth Dole, wrote Kocharian that “while Armenia has many
friends in the U.S., there is no way to defend the undefendable,”
and that the episode calls into question the former Soviet republic’s
commitment to democracy.

8 August 2005, Volume 8, Number 26

U.S.-AZERBAIJANI RELATIONS AT A TURNING POINT? The working visit to
Washington last week by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
came at a very significant time for both countries and could represent
something of a turning point in bilateral relations. Following a
sweeping reevaluation of U.S. policy, those relations have been
subject to a dynamic, yet subtle shift in recent months, driven by a
set of external developments ranging from the impact of the so-called
colored revolutions in several former Soviet states to a new emphasis
on democratization as the strategic priority of the second Bush
administration.

The shift in U.S.-Azerbaijani relations has also been dictated by
internal considerations, further exacerbated by Azerbaijan’s looming
parliamentary elections set for 6 November. Set against the wave of
democratic change in Georgia, Ukraine, and most recently, in
Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan faces new pressure to ensure a free and fair
election. And it is this need to meet heightened democratic standards
that is the new determinant in the U.S. approach to Azerbaijan.

The necessity for improved electoral credentials in Azerbaijan has
been repeatedly stressed in recent months by the Council of Europe,
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and
was reiterated during last month’s visits to Baku by former
U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright and current Deputy Secretary
of State Paula Dobriansky. But Washington’s insistence on
democratization in Azerbaijan is not merely an end in itself, but
stems from a broader American recognition of democratization as
essential to domestic stability and regional security. It also
reflects a new tool in the global war on terror, although it remains
to be seen if this “muscular Wilsonian” approach will yield better
results.

For Azerbaijan, this priority for democratic elections has sharply
raised the threshold for the regime of President Ilham Aliyev. But
preparations for the election have fallen far short of the shared
expectations of the international community and the Azerbaijani
opposition. Specifically, Azerbaijan’s electoral reforms remain
incomplete, with shortfalls in both the composition of electoral
commissions and the planned monitoring of the ballot. American
disappointment with election preparations to date was also a central
message in Mammadyarov’s talks with his American hosts.

This is also a lesson for others, however. For neighboring Armenia,
which will be facing its own elections within the next two years, and
even for Georgia, whose Rose Revolution was rewarded by an American
presidential visit and by U.S. help in pressuring Russia to withdraw
its troops from the country, but which has since created a Central
Election Commission wholly dominated by supporters of the ruling
party, there are significantly higher standards and greater
expectations.

In addition, Mammadyarov’s visit was largely overshadowed by
speculation about an imminent agreement for a new U.S. military base
in the country. This speculation has been largely fueled by the recent
demand by Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov to close the U.S. and
coalition air base at Karshi-Khanabad within six months. The loss of
the use of the base in Uzbekistan is viewed by some experts as an
immediate setback to the U.S. military’s operational capabilities in
nearby Afghanistan and, as the thinking holds, necessitates the
opening of a new air base in Azerbaijan. While this view is correct in
recognizing the importance of the South Caucasus air corridor as a
“lifeline” between coalition forces in Afghanistan and bases in
Europe, it is flawed by a superficial understanding of the nature of
the U.S. military mission and presence in Azerbaijan, as well as by
the practical limitation of aircraft needing to refuel en route from
Azerbaijan to Afghanistan.

Despite reports predicting a “new” U.S. military engagement in
Azerbaijan, in reality there has been a significant American military
mission there for at least three years, comprised of two
components. The first component was the creation of the “Caspian
Guard,” an initiative involving both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan
focusing on maritime and border security in the Caspian Sea. The
Caspian Guard initiative incorporates defensive mission areas,
including the surveillance of Caspian airspace, borders, and
shipping. It encourages greater coordination and cooperation in
counter-proliferation efforts by Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. This
effort was further bolstered by a $20 million program launched in July
2004 and implemented by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency to
train the Azerbaijan Maritime Border Guard. Additional training and
combined exercises were also provided by U.S. Navy SEALS to
Azerbaijan’s 41st Special Warfare Naval Unit in June 2004.

The second component was the establishment of several “Cooperative
Security Locations,” tactical facilities with pre-positioned stock
that provide contingency access but, unlike a traditional base, have
little or no permanent U.S. military presence. These locations are
designed to increase the mobility of U.S. military forces and, most
importantly, facilitate counter-proliferation missions along
Azerbaijan’s southern border with Iran and northern borders with
Georgia and Daghestan.

In line with the U.S. military need to project military power rapidly,
the U.S. presence in Azerbaijan may be further expanded from the
existing Cooperative Security Locations to Forward Operating Sites,
host-country “warm sites” endowed with a limited military presence and
capable of hosting rotational forces. These forward operating sites
can also serve as centers for bilateral and regional training.

Thus, while the utility of a permanent, traditional military base in
Azerbaijan is seriously limited, the expansion of the forward
stationing of forces is likely. (Azerbaijani presidential aide Novruz
Mamedov’s recent statement to Interfax that Azerbaijan will not host
“U.S. military bases” may draw a fine semantic line between “bases” in
the traditional sense and forward operating sites.) Yet even the
military relationship is in the final analysis contingent on
Azerbaijan’s ability to meet the new, more stringent U.S. standards of
democracy and free elections. The steadfast refusal by the Azerbaijani
authorities to amend the composition of election commissions and their
reluctance to permit the marking of voters to preclude multiple voting
cast doubt on President Aliyev’s repeated assertions that the ballot
will indeed be free, fair, and transparent. (Richard Giragosian)

DOES WAHHABISM POSE A THREAT TO AZERBAIJAN? Addressing a 3 August
conference in Baku on “Religion and National Security,” Rafik Aliyev,
chairman of the Azerbaijani government’s Committee for Work with
Religious Formations, warned that the increased activity of
“Wahhabis,” meaning members of radical and/or unregistered Islamic
groups, poses a threat to political stability in Azerbaijan in the
run-up to the 6 November parliamentary elections. Reports of at least
one, and possibly two, National Security Ministry operations against
Wahhabis in recent weeks would seem to substantiate Aliyev’s
apprehension.

The first such crackdown took place on the night of 12-13 July, when
National Security Ministry personnel raided the village of Novkhany
near Baku, killing two “armed Wahhabis” and arresting six others. Some
30 more suspected Wahhabi sympathizers were apprehended in the
district in the following days, day.az reported on 4 August, quoting
the father of Emil Novruzov, one of the young men in question.

Also on 4 July, the National Security Ministry refuted media reports
that its operatives arrested 11 Wahhabis during a raid on a Baku
mosque the previous day and were monitoring attendance at several
other mosques.

In the wake of the July arrests, Azerbaijani Deputy Interior Minister
Vilayat Eyubov was quoted by day.az as saying that he does not believe
the situation in Azerbaijan is conducive to the spread of
Wahhabism. “I do not believe that they will be able to put down roots
in Azerbaijan and attain their desired [objective],” he was quoted as
saying. At the same time, Eyubov admitted that there is a constant
flow of information about suspected Wahhabi sympathizers, and that
information is systematically evaluated.

In contrast, popular Imam Ilgar Ibrahimoglu believes that Wahhabism
does indeed pose a danger for Azerbaijan. Ibrahimoglu told zerkalo.az
that “it is no secret to anyone that radical Wahhabi groups have been
active in Azerbaijan for several years,” and that there is no
indication of a weakening of that trend. Ibrahimoglu attributed the
appeal of Wahhabism to the lack of democracy, frequent human rights
violations, and the authorities’ clumsy repression of less radical but
unregistered religious communities. (Ibrahimoglu’s own Djuma Mosque in
Baku has been subjected to repeated pressure and harassment over the
past two years.)

Parliament deputy Ramiz Akhmedov blamed the growing popularity of
radical Islam on the “primitive, 19th-century” approach of the
officially registered Muslim clergy that, he claimed, alienates
believers and impels them to seek “pure Islam,” zerkalo.az reported on
18 January. Some, Akhmedov continued, opt for Shi’a Islam, some for
Sunni Islam, and others for a third alternative that he did not
name. Adherents of radical Islam then seek to take advantage of young
believers’ interest in studying the fundamentals of their faith. And
supplying such knowledge has apparently become a major industry:
Akhmedov pointed out that religious literature is freely available
both in Baku and elsewhere, written in contemporary Azerbaijani and
printed in both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets.

According to zerkalo.az on 4 August, Wahhabism has taken root above
all in the northern and central districts of Azerbaijan, and in
Baku. That geographical pattern suggest that Wahhabism first
penetrated from Daghestan, which borders on Azerbaijan to the
north. So-called Wahhabis in several remote villages challenged the
Daghestani authorities in 1999, and the Russian media consistently
blame Islamic fundamentalists for the almost daily terrorist bombings
and killings in that republic.

The online daily echo-az.com similarly registered a strong Wahhabi
presence in northern Azerbaijan, but in an article on 18 January
entitled “The ‘Wahhabization’ of Azerbaijan is continuing,” it claimed
that there is also a Wahhabi presence in the south of the country. The
same article listed other ways in which young Azerbaijani believers
are exposed to radical Islam: when studying theology abroad, and while
on pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Former Deputy National Security Minister Sulhaddin Akper enumerated
various ways in which the Azerbaijani authorities could counter
Wahhabi propaganda: by raising the level of religious education,
screening more stringently applications from persons wishing to
perform the hajj, and lodging a formal protest with the government of
Saudi Arabia, which is perceived as an exporter of radical
Islam. Akper said it is up to both the Foreign Ministry and
Azerbaijan’s official religious bodies to take appropriate action.

But according to the government’s Committee for Work with Religious
Formations Chairman Aliyev, the Board of Muslims of the Caucasus
(UMK), instead of acting to avert the subversion of Islam in
Azerbaijan by radical tendencies, is actively encouraging them. Aliyev
claimed in mid-July that on two occasions within the previous three
months, state customs officials have intercepted and confiscated
consignments of radical Islamic literature addressed to the
UMK. Aliyev said the first consignment of books weighed 14 tons and
the second 10 tons.

But UMK officials claimed that the literature in question was in
Arabic, Uzbek, and Kazakh, and was intended for shipment to
Uzbekistan. They said the consignments were sent to Baku “by mistake.”
On 4 August, Caucasus Press quoted Aliyev as saying customs officials
intercepted a further consignment of radical literature two days
earlier, and that such shipments are sent to Azerbaijan via Turkey and
Georgia.

Speaking at the 3 August conference on “Religion and National
Security,” Aliyev said that he thinks the recent arrests of “Wahhabis”
were justified, according to zerkalo.az on 4 August. He called for
“serious” work to explain government policy to the leaders of
religious communities in the run-up to the 6 November election. (Liz
Fuller)

ARMENIA ‘IMMUNE TO TERRORIST ATTACKS.’ Armenia is immune to the kind
of deadly terrorist attacks that have rocked major Western cities in
recent years, military intelligence service chief Basentsi Azoyan
claimed on 3 August. “I am confident that no terrorist acts and
especially international terrorist acts will take place in Armenia,”
he told RFE/RL in a rare interview. “There are no grounds for that.”

Azoyan argued that bombings and other terrorist acts are usually
carried out by Islamist extremists and separatist groups fighting a
central government. No such elements operate in Armenia, he said. But
Azoyan warned at the same time that radical Islamic organizations “may
pose a threat to Armenia” in the event of a renewed war with Muslim
Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. “We must therefore help to expose
those groups all over the world,” he said.

Two other countries that border on Armenia, Iran and Turkey, also have
predominantly Muslim populations. But with the Turkish-Armenian border
closed and Armenian-Iranian relations warm, the risk of terrorist
infiltrations from those countries appears minimal.

The counterintelligence service is one of the most secretive divisions
of the Armenian military and is formally part of its General
Staff. According to Azoyan, the main focus of its unpublicized
activities is to stave off “periodical” attempts by Azerbaijan to send
sabotage and reconnaissance groups into Armenia.

“There have been numerous attempts by sabotage or intelligence groups
to enter Armenia,” he said. “There have even been cases where some
agents reached Yerevan. But they were all exposed and rendered
harmless.” Azoyan claimed that the most recent such incident took
place last year, but he refused to give any details. (Ruzanna
Stepanian)

QUOTATION OF THE WEEK. “We need a market economy, not an oriental
bazaar.” — Mardan Efendiev, a leading member of Asim Molla-zade’s
Party of Democratic Reforms, in a 5 August interview with day.az

Compiled by Liz Fuller

CENN – August 9, Daily Digest

Table of Contents:

1.. Processing of manufacturing water
2.. The World Conservation Union reports on progress of Natura 2000
3.. Waste site fined for breaking waste rules
4.. Environment Agency set to commence River Maintenance works in
Henley-In-Arden
5.. Water Dam Put into Usage in Zeitun
6.. Illegal waste operations targeted in South Gloucestershire
7.. American forests getting ‘loved to death’
8.. The ecological effects of the Chernobyl disaster

1. Processing of manufacturing water

On August 5, 2005 in the office of Bolnisi Public Informational Center
meeting was held between local NGOs and representatives of local
government. The main objective of the meeting was the processing of
manufacturing water. It was pointed out that in Bolnisi there is no
sewerage system and all the wastes directly spill in river Mashavera.
NGOs raised a question of creating the project on the sewerage system in
Bolnisi. The representative of the city government A. Khucishvili
mentioned that working on this issue was launched at the beginning of
90th. The city scheme was made but then everything was stopped. The
local NGOs proposed to find out the old project or demand from the
government to develop the new project, to make a general plan of the
city development and to include in this plan the construction of
sewerage system and cleaning constructions in Bolnisi.

2. The World Conservation Union reports on progress of Natura
2000

Source: The World Conservation Union (IUCN), 2 August 2005

The World Conservation Union’s Programme Office for Central Europe
released an assessment report entitled “Implementation of Natura 2000 in
New EU Member States of Central Europe”. The main goal of nature
conservation on a European Union level, is the successful implementation
of a European Ecological Network – Natura 2000. The report, produced by
the World Conservation Union, summarises the ecological efforts made in
the region. More than a year after EU Accession it is still early to
assess the implementation of the acquis communautaire in all areas, but
the environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are
collaborating in order to protect nature with their knowledge, expertise
and experience on the ground. The text of the report is based upon
questionnaires sent out to NGOs of eight of the new Central European
Member States of the EU. It assesses the procedure and methods of Natura
2000 sites designation, involvement of NGOs and local communities in the
process, as well as national and transboundary cohesion of the network.
It furthermore covers the sources of financing Natura 2000 sites and the
adaptation of national legislation for successful implementation of the
Birds and Habitats Directives. A number of areas of implementation
require improvement, whereas for other areas good examples of can be
identified. The readers of this report are encouraged to use the
information for further support and development of Natura 2000.

The report can be downloaded from:

For further information, please contact Dorota Metera on
[email protected]

3. Waste site fined for breaking waste rules

Source: Environment Agency, August 5, 2005

On August 4 Corbuild Limited were fined £5000 after pleading guilty at
Buxton Magistrates to a charge relating to failing to comply with the
conditions of its Waste Management Licence.

The charge was brought by the Environment Agency under Section 33 of the
Environmental Protection Act 1990. The company was ordered to pay
£1174.14p costs.

Speaking after the case, Geoff Craig, an Environment Agency Team Leader
involved in the investigation, said: ‘A Waste Management Licence
contains strict criteria which must be followed at all times in order to
protect the environment and reduce the impact operations may have on
those neighbouring the site. Any failure to meet these conditions is
irresponsible, anti-social and illegal and we will not hesitate to take
action when it takes place.’

For the Environment Agency, Patrick Howell told the court that the
company was granted a Waste Management Licence in 1991. It covered a
waste transfer station operating on land at Waterswallows, Fairfield,
Buxton.

On 29 September 2004, Environment Agency officers served the company
with a Notice requiring it to meet conditions of its licence by removing
all waste from the deposit bay, installing a suitable drainage system
and erect a litter net around the bay. This work was to be done by 30
November 2004.

On 3 December 2004 Environment Agency officers inspected the site and
found that waste was still in the deposit bay; that a suitable drainage
system had not been installed; and that a litter tent had not been
erected.

In mitigation, Neil Bolton for the company said that they needed to
remove the waste to rebuild a wall, but their normal tip was closed
down. They had since spent £30,000 in building works, that they were a
small company, and that a large fine might well put them out of
business.

4. Environment Agency set to commence River Maintenance works in
Henley-In-Arden

Source: Environment Agency, August 5, 2005

The Environment Agency will start river maintenance work during the week
commencing 15 August 2005 on the River Alne in Henley-in Arden. This
follows the success of the open day at the Guild Hall on the 21 July
2005 and the positive public response. Work will continue for a duration
of approximately three months.

Our Flood Risk Management team will be undertaking essential river
maintenance work to re-establish flood protection for at-risk
properties. The work is essential to maintain the level of flood
protection to the town. Residents are not likely to be affected by the
noise coming from machinery, as the majority of the construction work is
not taking place beside the houses.

We will be working at various locations between a point just upstream of
Beaudesert Lane Bridge and down past Blackford Bridge (A4189 Warwick
Road) where it joins the Ullenhall Brook. Work will start at Blackford
Bridge and make its way up stream.

In addition to the proposed maintenance work to improve flood
protection, several weirs will be modified to allow fish movement along
the River Alne. A fish pass will be made which involves altering a small
section of the weir.

We will also try to provide additional recreational facilities such as
seats and information boards beside the river so that people can enjoy
the environment. The maintenance work will improve wildlife habitats
such as those for the protected White Claw Crayfish species.

Information and advice on how to prepare for flooding is available form
Floodline on 0845 988 1188 (Quick Dial Reference Number for
Henley-In-Arden is 052442, then Press 2 for the River Alne) or on our
website:

5. WATER DAM PUT INTO USAGE IN ZEITUN

Source: ARMENPRESS, August 5, 2005

Within the frameworks of a joint “Community Development Credit Program”
implemented by the Armenian government and the World Bank water dam was
constructed in Yerevan

Nerkin Zeitun borough and put today into usage.

Head of the “Yerevan Water and Sewage” company Andranik Andreasian
expressed hope that the water dam constructed within the frameworks of
the first credit program with the World Bank will serve as a guarantor
for providing stabile water supply in this borough.

Director of the Kanaker-Zeitun branch Atom Simonian said the water dam
will give an opportunity to secure 24-hour water supply for 70 percent
of the consumers. For the construction of the dam 277 million drams were
invested.

6. Illegal waste operations targeted in South Gloucestershire

Source: Environment Agency, August 8, 2005

Illegal waste operations in South Gloucestershire are being targeted in
a new crackdown by the Environment Agency and South Gloucestershire
Council.

Environmental crime is proving to be an increasing headache in the area
for both organisations. The Agency and South Gloucestershire have both
recorded a sharp increase in the number of unregulated waste transfer
stations, landfills and dumps in recent years.

To try and tackle the problem, the Waste Awareness Partnership Project,
launched last month, will combine education about waste disposal with
tougher enforcement action against those caught operating illegal waste
facilities.

Illegal disposal of waste causes harm to the environment and blights the
appearance of the beautiful countryside in South Gloucestershire. It
also takes business from legitimate waste disposal firms.

Pete Hart for the Environment Agency said: “It is extraordinary how many
illegal dumps have sprung up in South Gloucestershire, probably due to
the area’s good transport links and the amount of building and
development going on. We are dedicated to fighting environmental crime
and this project is an excellent way to take this forward.

“We welcome the support of our partner organisation South
Gloucestershire Council, and will need the support of the wider public
to tackle this problem. We will do all that is necessary to ensure the
success of the project and target environmental crime in this area.”

Mark Davies, enforcement manager with South Gloucestershire Council,
said: “Unauthorised waste activities are responsible for some of the
most serious breaches of planning control in South Gloucestershire. It
causes harm to the local area and to residents. This council, through
its powers as Local Planning Authority, is committed to protecting and
enhancing the environment. This project represents an excellent
opportunity for waste planning and pollution control authorities to work
together to share expertise and information. Investigations can be
carried out and, where necessary, robust enforcement action can be taken
to remedy breaches urgently.”

The Environment Agency investigates around 5,000 incidents and takes
around 200 prosecutions for fly-tipping and illegal waste dumping around
England and Wales every year. The maximum fine in a magistrates court is
£50,000, although magistrates can refer the case up to the crown court
where the fine is unlimited.

People who manage waste are legally obliged to ensure that it is
disposed of properly. And people who produce waste such as builders,
landscape gardeners or office fitters are legally obliged to ensure that
those who take the waste away for them dispose of it in a proper and
safe way.

Even a householder having work done on their home has a responsibility
to ask how the contractor intends to dispose of it and if it’s going to
a regulated site. They should also ask if the person or company who is
taking it away is a registered carrier and if they can see a copy of
their registration certificate. If the offer to dispose of waste cheaply
appears too good to be true, then it probably is.

Details about local amenity sites and their opening times are available
from the Environment Agency’s helpline on 0845 9333111 or online at:

Members of the public can report illegal dumping of waste on a free
24-hour Environment Agency emergency hotline 0800 80 70 60.

Media inquiries to:

Environment Agency press office 01392 442008

South Gloucestershire Council 01454 864969 (Mark Davies)

7. American forests getting ‘loved to death’

Source: Eco-Portal, August 8, 2005

America’s national forests are becoming islands of green that are
increasingly trapped by an expanding sea of new houses, according to a
new study.

Suburban growth threatens to cut off natural corridors, or “wild
highways,” that allow plants and animals to move from one wild patch to
another.

Isolated forests “cannot function as well for biodiversity,” said Volker
Radeloff, a forestry professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Radeloff analyzed government census data on housing increases in and
near all U.S. national forests between 1950 and 2000. He’s presenting
the results today at the 90th annual Ecological Society of America (ESA)
meeting in Montreal, Canada.

The number of housing units within national forest boundaries increased
from 500,000 to 1.5 million, an increase Radeloff largely attributes to
inholdings, or parcels of forest land owned by private citizens.

In the Eastern U.S., most land was settled before national forests were
established in the late 1800s. As a result, private landowners hold up
to 46 percent of the land within forest administrative boundaries.
Nationwide, inholders own about 17 percent of all national forest lands,
Radeloff says.

As more people want to live near wilderness, Radeloff says, forests may
be getting “loved to death.”

8. The ecological effects of the Chernobyl disaster

Source: Ecological Society of America, August 9, 2005

Nearly 20 years ago Reactor number 4 at Chernobyl exploded, sending
radiation across a large region of what is now the Ukraine, Belarus, and
Russia. Some 40 radionucleotides were released into the environment,
including Strontium 90 (90Sr) and Cesium 137 (137Cs). Yet despite
radiation levels dangerous to humans, most natural areas in the region
have rebounded, and by ecological standards, are functioning normally.
The session, organized by James Morris and Timothy Mousseau (University
of South Carolina, US) will reveal how the environment has responded —
from genetic mutation rates, to plant and animal communities, to
nutrient cycling.

Sergey Gaschak (International Radioecology Laboratory, Ukraine) will
open the session with his presentation, “Determinants of levels of 90Sr
and 137Cs in birds in Chernobyl.” Studying 228 birds of 23 different
species captured in Chernobyl, Gaschak and colleagues from the
University of South Carolina (US) and University Pierre et Marie Curie
(France) measured the birds’ levels of radioactive strontium and
radioactive cesium, comparing migrating populations with those that
remain in the area, as well as examining age, sex, and nesting
preferences to determine the amounts and types of radiation accumulating
in the birds. In the presentation, Gaschak will discuss how quantities
of 90Sr and 137Cs vary with feeding, nesting and migration habits.

Timothy Mousseau will present “Consequences of radiation for
reproduction and survival of barn swallows Hirundo rustica from
Chernobyl.” Barn swallows are long-distance migratory birds, which nest
across Europe, providing researchers with numerous populations to
sample. Examining swallows from the Chernobyl region and Kanev,
southeast of Kiev, Mousseau and his colleague, Anders Moller
(Laboratorie de Parasitologie Evolutive, France), found reproductive
success was significantly reduced for the Chernobyl-nesting birds.
Survival rates, number of eggs laid, and overall body condition was
lower, despite similar nesting and laying dates.

The radio nucleotides in the area also filter into the soil, and from
there into plants. Animals that consume these plants, including
livestock, then take up the radionucleotides. Viktor Dolin (National
Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine) will discuss a newly described
process of environmental self-cleaning in the talk, “Biogeochemical
cycling of radionucleotide: Implications for the human food web.” Dolin
calculated the rate of 137Cs and 90Srs moving through the environment,
then used the data to determine an ecosystem’s ability to “clean” itself
of excess radiation.

Oleksander Orlov’s (Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute)
presentation, “The distribution and cycling of 137Cs in forests of the
Chernobyl exclusion zone,” will focus on 137Cs levels in three 50-year
old Scotch Pine forests. Forest litter, moss, lichens, understory,
macromycetes, and canopy 137Cs activity measurements will be described.
Also working in these pine forests, Vadim Skripkin and colleagues from
the Institute for Environmental Geochemistry, Ukraine and the University
of South Carolina will report their findings on the distribution of 14C
in, “The turnover of 14C carbon in forests of the Chernobyl exclusion
zone.”

The final presentation of the session, Ronald Chesser (Texas Tech
University, US) will describe the distribution and effects of radiation
doses that hit wildlife that were living in the area at the time of the
accident, as well as how the populations recovered in the talk,
“Temporal trends in radiation doses, survival, and recovery in wildlife
populations at Chernobyl.”

Organized Oral Session 7: “Ecological effects of the Chernobyl disaster:
Genes to ecosystems,” will take place Monday 8 August 2005, 1:30 – 5:00
PM in Meeting Room 510 A, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal.

For more information about this session and other ESA-INTECOL Meeting
activities, visit: The theme of the meeting
is “Ecology at multiple scales,” and some 4,000 scientists are expected
to attend.

CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

Baku Today
Aug 8 2005

No Talks Held on US military Bases in Washington – Azeri Official

Baku Today / Assa Irada 08/08/2005 17:10

No talks were held or agreements signed on the stationing of US
military bases in Azerbaijan during Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov’s meetings in Washington, he told a meeting arranged at
the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Thursday.

Mammadyarov, who has completed his four-day visit to the United
States, said in his report on Azerbaijan’s foreign policy that the
integration into European organizations is a part of the country’s
foreign political course.

The Minister noted that Azerbaijan, which is successfully
implementing projects on production and transportation of Caspian
natural resources, will spend its oil revenues to develop the non-oil
sector.

Mammadyarov said that during his meetings at the White House and
Pentagon, American officials welcomed President Ilham Aliyev’s policy
based on democratic and economic reforms. `The fruitful discussions
reaffirmed that US and Azeri governments have common positions on a
number of issues,’ he said.

The Minister elaborated on the course of peace talks on settling the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh. The negotiations are
held in very challenging conditions. Azerbaijan will always adhere to
the principle of territorial integrity, he said.

`Armenians residing in Upper Garabagh are full-fledged citizens of
Azerbaijan. As citizens of a democratic country, they will be able to
benefit from revenues acquired through energy projects after the
Upper Garabagh conflict is settled peacefully.’

Mammadyarov said US officials highly appreciate President Aliyev’s
decree on parliamentary elections. 3,000 observers, with half of them
being foreigners, will observe the poll in November.

`We do not back away from such transparency, as democracy is
Azerbaijan’s own choice.’
In reply to a question about Azerbaijan’s future relations with Iran,
Mammadyarov said Iran’s main political course is determined by
Ayatollah Khomeini. Azerbaijan therefore does not expect any changes
in this country’s foreign policy.

On the last day of his visit, the Minister held an informal meeting
with former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage.

Mammadyarov also met with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and
deputy national security adviser Jack Crouch. He also addressed a
roundtable attended by representatives of the National Democratic
Institute, International Republican Institute, International
Foundation for Election Systems, Department of State and National
Security Council as well as businessmen at the Washington-based U.S.
Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce.

Azeri party urges government to declare US envoy “persona non grata”

Turan news agency
7 Aug 05

Baku, 5 August: The People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party must be closed
and its leader Ali Karimli must be arrested, the pro-government Modern
Musavat Party demanded today. It justifies its demand by Karimli’s
cooperation with Armenians.

Moreover, the Modern Musavat Party is demanding an immediate “end to
the activities in Azerbaijan of the National Democratic Institute
[NDI], which is a spy network of the West”. At the same time, the
party is suggesting that the US ambassador [to Azerbaijan] be declared
“persona non grata”.

Otherwise, the Modern Musavat is threatening to stage “protests which
will be attended by tens of thousands of people outside the NDI office
and the US embassy”.

Azeri youth movement says leader’s arrest authorities’ provocation

MPA news agency
5 Aug 05

Baku, 5 August: The discrediting and arrest of the leader of the Yeni
Fikir [New Thought] youth movement, Ruslan Basirli, is another show
by the authorities, the deputy chairman of the organization, Fikrat
Faramazoglu, told a news conference today. The operation against
Basirli was organized jointly by Armenian intelligence agencies and
the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry and was aimed at disabling
the democratic youth movement, especially, Yeni Fikir, he said.
Faramazoglu ruled out that Basirli, who is struggling for democratic
values in Azerbaijan, could be hired by foreign intelligence services.

A committee to protect the rights of Basirli has been set up. A number
of youth movements are planning to join this committee.

Speaking at the news conference, lawyer Tofiq Quliyev stressed
that there are no elements of crime in Basirli’s case because as
the video [of Basirli’s meeting in Georgia] shows, he did not speak
about overthrowing the current authorities by force. This incident is
politically motivated, Quliyev said. As for money received by Basirli,
Quliyev said that this money had been received not from Armenians,
but from Georgian democrats.

Basirli’s lawyer, Elcin Qambarov, said that he was illegally denied
access to the detainee. A criminal case has been instituted against
Basirli under Article 278 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, which
envisages punishment for actions aimed at forcible seizure of power,
forcible keeping of power and forcible change of constitutional order.

RUSSIAN FORCES BEGIN WITHDRAWAL FROM GEORGIA, DIG HEELS IN MOLDOVA
by Vladimir Socor

Eurasia Daily Monitor — The Jamestown Foundation
Monday, August 1, 2005 — Volume 2, Issue 148

Presented with flowers and Georgian champagne by demonstrators
cheering the withdrawal, Russian soldiers set out from the Batumi base
at dawn on July 30 in a convoy bound for Russia. The move marks the
beginning of Russia’s implementation of the agreement, signed May 30 by
Ministers of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and Salome Zourabichvili,
on the closure of three Russian bases and the complete withdrawal of
their garrisons from Georgia by 2008.

The convoy of nine wheeled armored vehicles crossed Georgia’s entire
territory from west to east, proceeding via Mtskheta, Tskhinvali,
and the Roki Tunnel, en route to Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia. The
decrepit vehicles moved slowly and had to pause along the way for
emergency repairs before reaching Russian territory on August 1.

On July 28, a convoy of four armored vehicles and four
anti-chemical-biological-radiological defense vehicles left Russia’s
base at Akhalkalaki in Georgia, as part of a scheduled relocation of
some of the weaponry from Akhalkalaki to the Russian base at Gyumri
in Armenia. Georgian border guards near Ninotsminda briefly stopped
that convoy when they found five unlisted machine-guns and five signal
guns during inspection of the vehicles. The episode demonstrated the
Georgian border guards’ effectiveness in carrying out the mutually
agreed inspection procedure. The incident was quickly resolved and
the convoy allowed to proceed.

During the month of August, more Russian equipment is scheduled to
be moved from the Batumi and Akhalkalaki bases, partly to Russia and
partly to Armenia. Two amphibious ships will evacuate the largest
convoy, consisting of 40 armored vehicles and including 20 battle
tanks, from Batumi to Russia.

The Russian military has asked Georgia to repair or reinforce five
bridges on the road from the Akhalkalaki base to Akhaltsikhe, so as
to make possible the movement of a planned convoy of Russian heavy
vehicles. >>From Akhaltsikhe, the convoy would travel to Batumi by
rail, then to Russia by sea.

Headed by Lt.-General Valery Yevnevich, deputy commander in chief
of Russia’s Ground Forces, an ad-hoc staff of Russian officers has
arrived at the Tbilisi headquarters of the Group of Russian Forces
in the Transcaucasus to supervise the withdrawal of equipment
and troops. Some transit issues of political and technical nature
are yet to be resolved, however, between the Georgian and Russian
governments. Talks held on July 25-26 in Moscow did not conclusively
settle these issues.

In a specially convened briefing on July 29, Zourabichvili welcomed
Russia’s political decision on withdrawal of its forces from Georgia
and the beginning of the agreement’s implementation. By signing the
agreement, Zourabichvili noted, Russia has undertaken an obligation
before Georgia and the entire international community to carry out the
withdrawal fully and on schedule (Rustavi-2 TV, Imedi TV, Interfax,
NTV Mir, Arminfo, July 28-31; see EDM, May 24, June 3).

In Moldova, however, Russia seems to be signaling that it has
no intention to withdraw its forces, despite its 1999 Istanbul
commitments to withdraw the forces from both Georgia and Moldova
unconditionally. On July 29, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei
Ivanov declared that Russian troops would not leave Moldova until
Russian arsenals there are relocated to Russia. At the same time,
Russia takes the position that the arsenals cannot be removed until
Chisinau agrees with Tiraspol on a political settlement. Charging
that the Moldovan leadership’s calls for Russian troop withdrawal
“are aimed at damaging Russian-Moldovan relations,” Ivanov scoffed,
“They can wish whatever they like. There is nothing wrong with wishing
something.” (In the same news conference, Ivanov used an identical
phrase to dismiss NATO’s proposal to extend Operation Active Endeavor
with Russian participation into the Black Sea.) (Interfax, Russian
Television Channel One, July 29).

In a July 30 statement, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists
that implementation of the “so-called Istanbul accords” is conditional
on a political resolution between Chisinau and Tiraspol “with the
assistance of Russia, Ukraine, and OSCE.” Moscow’s statement goes on to
criticize the Moldovan parliament’s July 22 law on the basic principles
of a settlement (see EDM, July 26) for “hampering the efforts by
mediators from Russia, Ukraine, and OSCE.” (Interfax, July 30). On
July 31, Russia’s charge d’affaires in Chisinau, Yuri Mordvintsev,
portrayed Russia’s military presence in Moldova as “responsibility
for peacekeeping” by Russia as a “guarantor country and mediator
country … ready along with Ukraine and the OSCE to continue providing
assistance at the negotiating table for mutually acceptable solutions.”
(RIA-Novosti, July 31). For its part, Moldova quit the Russian-created
“mediating” and “guaranteeing” system one year ago, and the July 22
law is designed to preclude any restoration of that system.

–Vladimir Socor