Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

Sofia Echo, Bulgaria
Jan 11 2005
Restaurant Review-A few of our favourites
Clive Leviev-Sawyer
In addition to this week’s special 2004 in Review pages of this
newspaper, it is also an appropriate time to honour the tradition
established last January of asking The Sofia Echo restaurant
reviewers to say which restaurants they found most memorable during
the course of their visits last year.
Marlene Smits said of restaurant Bvlgaria (4 Tsar Osvoboditel Street,
Phone 988 53 07), “The food, service and atmosphere definitely stand
out for me. It’s calm and modern, the food is really up to standard
and the service is great. Its personnel know about etiquette, but are
absolutely not stiff. After having dinner there, I went back several
times just for some dessert or a meeting.”
Of The Thirsty Dragon (2, 13 Mart Street, 964 06 40), Marlene noted:
“This is one of my all time favourite restaurants in Sofia. I visit
it almost weekly. The food is great except for some exotic dishes
that they simply don’t know how to prepare properly. Apart from that
the atmosphere is cosy and nice and that makes it a great place for
informal dinners.”
Her view on Pod Lipite (1 Elin Pelin Street, 866 50 53 or 866 50 59):
“This restaurant is definitely a great way to have real traditional
Bulgarian food in an old fashioned, but quite classy, environment.
The food is great! And that’s why it’s a good start for foreigners to
acquaint themselves with Bulgarian cuisine.”
Of Hua Sing Sin Low (113 Vassil Levski, Telephone 943 34 83), she
said:
“Here I simply had the best Chinese experience in Bulgaria. It’s not
a place one chooses to dine in for its looks, but the food is great.”
Marlene’s view on Komara (on Edison Street and Trudolubie Street,
behind the parking of block nr. 9, 0887 265 021): “Komara is
certainly also not on my list in terms of beauty. The food however,
and in summer the tranquillity of the garden, is really a pleasure. I
went back many times after the review and every single time I had a
nice meal.”
Gersende Schubert gave Pizza Victoria (7 Tsar Osvoboditel Street)
four stars “for a terrific quality restaurant that is simply and
neatly decorated” and she liked Pizzeria Ugo (45 Vitosha Boulevard
and on William Gladstone Street), noting the careful thought that
went into the decor, a diverse selection of dishes and pizza sizes
that were “just right” as Goldilocks might have put it.
David McMullin gave Opera (113 Rakovski Street) five stars, as well
as describing it as trendy and tasteful, and giving it a “bravo!”
Julia Terlinchamp had her first experience of Russian food at Gara Za
Dvama (18 Benkovski Street) and said it had “eliminated any bad
thoughts I once had about Russian cuisine”.
Gus Worth awarded four stars to Amber (70 Burel Street in Ivan
Vazov): “We can definitely say go to Amber and prepare to stop,” and
four stars to Rio (1 Bulgaria Boulevard, near the National Palace of
Culture), which he thought to be good value for money, even with a
bill for two of 64.40 leva.
Danny Dresser gave Awadh (41 Cherkovna Street) three stars, an Indian
restaurant that he praised as a “highly welcome newcomer to the Sofia
scene…even those who don’t like very spicy food should give it a
try, as the chefs are very happy to hold back on the chillis”.
David Toal said of Bistro Boné, “the restaurant is basically a
quaint, simple place favoured by locals. Much of the menu features
the standard Bulgarian fare, but there are some interesting
variations on traditional recipes and a few unique offerings. I’ve
visited the restaurant three times, and each time found that the
kitchen took care in consistently producing attractive, well-prepared
meals.”
Christine Milner said: “The best one I reviewed this year was the At
the Fountain (17 Yanko Sakuzov Boulevard) where we had a really good
meal that stood out from so many mediocre places. They obviously have
an excellent chef and I hope it stays that way. The interior was just
right – fairly trendy and tasteful but still cosy and we had a very
good waiter who behaved naturally.
“The health food restaurant Kibea (2a Dr G Valkovich Street) is also
a good restaurant and I regret being a little down on them in my
review, they were the victim of circumstance and the fact that I
chose something to eat that I should have known I wouldn’t like. I
know lots of people who really like the place and the standard of
cooking has remained very high. Kibea also has a bookshop and a
health food store downstairs, which I use quite frequently”.
Looking back over the 15 restaurants he reviewed in 2004, Clive
Leviev-Sawyer named his favourites as Armenian restaurant Egur, Egur
(18 Sheinovo Street), Maharaja (65 Kiril and Metodii Street) for its
Indian cuisine, and Retro (2 Dobromir Hristov Street) for its
sophisticated atmosphere and decor, and excellent food and service.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Early morning duplex fire kills former U. professor
The Salt Lake Tribune
1/10/2005
By Jason Bergreen
A three-alarm fire ripped through a Salt Lake County duplex early
Sunday, killing one man and causing the evacuation of the neighboring
family.
Inside the home was Leonardo Alishan, 53, a poet and former University
of Utah professor. Friends of Alishan were at the charred home Sunday
and said Alishan lived there alone. His family is traveling to Utah to
make funeral arrangements, said Zorheh Aminian, whose husband was a
close friend of Alishan’s.
The fire started about 2:30 a.m. in the basement of the duplex and
caused about $200,000 in damage, Unified Fire Authority Capt. Greg
Reynolds said. Alishan’s remains were recovered about 10 a.m. The cause
of the fire is under investigation.
Fire crews arrived at 7274 S. Ponderosa Drive two minutes after
neighbors smelled smoke and called 911, Reynolds said. After forcing the
front door open, firefighters saw smoke and noticed the floor was
unstable – one firefighter’s foot went through the floor when he tried
to enter – but saw no flames.
A second attempt was made to enter through the back door, but it was
quickly abandoned when firefighters noticed thick, black smoke near the
floor and felt intense heat – an indication a “flash over” was about to
occur, Reynolds said.
`That’s when everything in the room hits its ignition temperature at
once,’ he said. `Everything catches fire.’
No firefighters were injured in what Reynolds described as a `slow
explosion.’
A few minutes later the first floor collapsed into the basement,
Reynolds said.
`The whole level’s gone,’ he said.
Crews were able to extinguish the fire by about 4 a.m. The blaze also
caused minor damage to a nearby unit.
Alishan was originally from Tehran, Iran. He came to the United States
for graduate studies in 1973 and taught at the University of Utah from
1978 to 1997, including courses on Persian literature and comparative
literature, according to the Lynx Magazine Web site. He received
distinctions as a professor twice, Aminian said. He received a faculty
fellow award from the University of Utah for the 1994-1995 school year.
Alishan published two books of poetry. The first of which, “Dancing
Barefoot on Broken Glass,” was published in 1991. “Through a Dewdrop”
was published in 2002.
Tribune reporter Michael Westley contributed to this report

The Jamestown Foundation
Wednesday, January 5, 2005 — Volume 2, Issue 3
EURASIA DAILY MONITOR
IN THIS ISSUE:
*Yerevan agrees to add troops to Polish force in Iraq
*New Islamic terrorist group emerges in Tajikistan
*As tensions increase with West, Russia must look to China for allies
*New documentary implicates Russia in second attempt to murder Yushchenko
————————————————————————

ARMENIA TO DEPLOY TOKEN CONTINGENT TO IRAQ

On December 24, the Armenian parliament approved a symbolic deployment
of Armenian military personnel as part of the U.S.-led coalition in
Iraq. The vote was 91-23, with one abstention, after a seven-hour
closed session late into the night. A last-hour switch by the
opposition National Unity Party of Artashes Geghamian ensured the wide
margin for passing a deeply unpopular decision, made palatable to the
public by the token size of the troop commitment. The Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutiun, a component of the governing
coalition, voted against the deployment, as did the opposition Justice
bloc.

Technically, the parliament was voting to ratify Armenia’s signature
on the Memorandum of Understanding with Poland — lead country of the
multinational force in south-central Iraq — on the deployment of
Armenian personnel with that force. Armenia is the nineteenth country
to become a party to that Memorandum.

The Defense Ministry has announced that the Armenian contingent is
ready for deployment as of January 5, but has not made public any
specific date for actual deployment. The ministry had adumbrated that
possibility with Washington as well as with the Armenian public since
late 2003, but it has taken more than a year to put it into
practice. The uncertainty and delays have inspired remarks that Poland
might withdraw from Iraq before the Armenians ever arrive, thus
rendering any Armenian deployment moot.

The parliament also approved the Defense Ministry’s concept of sending
46 personnel to Iraq for one year. The group consists of: two
officers, one signals specialist, 30 drivers, ten sappers, and three
medical doctors with civilian specialties. Armenian personnel are not
to participate in combat, but only in humanitarian activities. They
are also barred from any joint actions with Azerbaijani troops in
Iraq. The Armenian group will deploy without equipment, and Yerevan
will only pay the soldiers’ base salaries. Coalition forces in the
theater will provide the equipment, and the United States almost all
the funding for the Armenian group.

Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian is the prime mover behind this
mission, not only in the military but also in the internal political
arena. Sarkisian argues that Armenia cannot afford to stand aside and
risk forfeiting U.S. goodwill at a time when Azerbaijan and Georgia
are present with troops in Iraq (and elsewhere) to support the United
States. Sarkisian’s political statements obliquely suggest that the
Iraq deployment would raise Armenia’s standing in Washington, mitigate
what he terms “discriminatory” treatment there, and earn a title to
more favorable consideration of Armenian interests in the
region. Without publicly alluding to the Karabakh issue in this
context, Sarkisian has hinted that he expects Washington to lean on
Turkey to open the border with Armenia, as one of the possible
quid-pro-quos for the deployment to Iraq (Armenian Public Television,
December 25; Noian Tapan, December 27).

Somewhat more defensively, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian argues,
“Armenia’s presence [in Iraq] is primarily symbolic and for political
purposes” (Haiastani Hanrapetutiun, December 25). The government in
Yerevan rejects any characterization of the mission as a “military
presence,” terming it instead a “humanitarian presence.” This line
reflects concern for the group’s safety in the dangerous environment
of Iraq, as well as seeking to mitigate the domestic political fallout
from the deployment decision. Armenian public opinion surveys are
showing less than 10% approval of the mission and more than 50%
disapproval. Cutting across the political spectrum is the view that
Armenia’s presence alongside the United States would expose Iraq’s
Armenian diaspora community to reprisals from insurgents. That
community, currently estimated at nearly 30,000, is concentrated
almost entirely in the insurgency-plagued Sunni area.

(Mediamax, Armenpress, Noian Tapan, PanArmenian News, December 23-30).

–Vladimir Socor

TAJIKISTAN OFFICIALS FAIL TO APPREHEND KEY MEMBER OF BAYAT

On the night of December 25-26, 2004, law-enforcement officials in
Tajikistan attempted to apprehend a member of the Islamic terrorist
organization Bayat, Ali Aminov, in the village of Chorku, Isfara
district, Sogdy oblast (northern Tajikistan). Law-enforcement agents
had received a tip that Aminov was hiding in his sister’s house. At
approximately 1 am a police task force surrounded the house and
attempted to storm the compound to apprehend the terrorist. However,
the occupants responded with armed resistance and the standoff soon
deteriorated into full-blown armed confrontation. The police task
force retreated under heavy fire and called for backup. A special
forces regiment arrived by 4 am. Upon entering the house, the members
of the special forces team encountered resistance from Aminov’s
relatives. Aminov himself managed to escape through a secret passage
(Vecherny Bishkek, December 29).

The first indications of Bayat’s existence (“bayat” means “a vow” in
Arabic) appeared in the press in April 2004, when Tajikistan’s special
services apprehended 20 members of this organization in the Isfara
oblast of northern Tajikistan. The suspects were accused of carrying
out several aggravated criminal acts that were motivated by racial and
religious hatred. The group was charged with the January 2004
assassination of the head of the Baptist community in Isfara, Sergei
Bessarab, as well as torching several mosques that were headed by
imams, whom the terrorists believed had exhibited excessive loyalty to
the ruling regime. According to the Office of the Prosecutor-General
of Tajikistan, the suspects resisted arrest and searches of their
houses, carried out by law-enforcement officials, turned up hidden
arms caches.

Bayat is not affiliated with such outlawed organizations as
Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HUT) or the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU),
which are better known in the region. Nor does Bayat maintain any
links with the only legally functioning Islamic organization: the
Party of Islamic Revival of Tajikistan. According to some sources, the
Bayat activists are Tajik citizens who previously had fought on the
side of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, and some of them are now
imprisoned at the American military base in Guantanamo, Cuba. A
connection between Bayat and the IMU should not be ruled out, however,
because IMU militants have been known to operate in the Fergana
Valley, and they also fought along side the Afghan Taliban members
(see EDM, May 3, 2004). Currently Bayat is trying to spread its
influence to neighboring countries. Thus, a branch of the Bayat
movement was recently opened in Osh, Kyrgyzstan (Vecherny Bishkek,
December 29).

Isfara is a very special region in Tajikistan. The population there is
more religious than in other regions of the country. In July 2002 the
President of Tajikistan, Imomali Rakhmonov, visited the city of Isfara
and stated that three citizens, who were originally from the Isfara
region and who had fought on the side of Taliban, were being held at
Guantanamo. Furthermore, the Party of Islamic Revival of Tajikistan is
particularly strong in the Isfara region. In the 2000 parliamentary
elections, the majority of this region’s population voted for the
Party of Islamic Revival. Moreover, in the main Islamist enclave —
the village of Chorku — 93% of the votes cast were for the Party of
Islamic Revival (Forum18.org, May 27, 2004). In a sense, Chorku,
albeit to a lesser degree, resembles the Islamist enclave in the
village of Karamakhi in Dagestan, which was destroyed by Russian
troops in 1999. For example, both villages strictly prohibited alcohol
consumption and required women to wear veils while in public. The
centers of public life are mosques, and the imams adjudicate and
resolve all disputes in accordance with the Sharia law.

The Islamist enclave in Isfara region is dangerous also because of its
geographic location. Isfara is located in the Fergana Valley section
of Tajikistan, only a few kilometers from the Uzbek and Kyrgyz parts
of the Fergana Valley. The Valley is widely considered to be one of
the most potentially volatile areas in Central Asia. In 1989
anti-Jewish pogroms took place in Andizhan (Uzbekistan), which led to
the exodus of the Jewish population from that city. That same year,
inter-ethnic clashes between Uzbeks and Meskhetian Turks broke out in
the Uzbek city of Fergana, which resulted in 150 casualties and the
mass exodus of Meskhetian Turks from Uzbekistan. In 1990 inter-ethnic
clashes between local Uzbeks and Kyrgyz claimed 320 lives in Osh
oblast (Kyrgyzstan). Furthermore, all the leaders and the majority of
the militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are originally
from the Fergana Valley. The addition of another militant group will
hardly calm the region.

–Igor Rotar

RUSSIA AND CHINA: DO OIL AND WEAPONS MAKE A MARRIAGE?

Russo-Chinese relations in 2004 were not all sweetness and light.
Moscow’s destruction of Yukos and preference for a Japanese rather
than a Chinese pipeline in Siberia put severe pressure on Chinese oil
supplies, because Yukos was China’s main Russian oil supplier and
Chinese demand for energy is exploding. Thus shortages or supply
failures seriously injured China’s economy and led to public muttering
about Russia’s unreliability. However, as Russia’s ties to the West
worsened in late 2004, it had no choice but to turn back to China and
find a solution that entailed guaranteeing Beijing more access to
Russian energy supplies.

To overcome their bilateral tensions in energy, the two governments
have arrived at a four-part solution.

First, Russian firms will participate in joint construction of nuclear
power plants with China, and they will build a thermal power plant at
Yimin and Weijiamao (RIA-Novosti December 21).

Second, efforts are underway, apparently with Kazakhstan’s support, to
involve Russian companies in the current project of laying a pipeline
from Kazakhstan to China. There are also discussions about sharing
energy from the Kurmangazy oil field (RIA-Novosti, December 22). This
would create another avenue by which Russian energy supplies could go
to China.

Third, because no pipeline is currently available, Russian railroads
will transport up to 30 million tons of energy to China by 2007,
beginning with 10 million tons in 2005. While the railroads could
handle freight up to 50 million tons, that is their maximum, and a
pipeline would have to be built to carry annual amounts of 50 million
tons or more. This railway shipment program thus represents a
tripling of current oil shipments to China by 2007, from the existing
level of 10 million tons annually (Itar-Tass, December 24).

Finally, Russian President Vladimir Putin has indicated that the China
National Petroleum Company (CNPC) might be invited to take part in the
production of Yuganskneftgaz, which was the main production unit of
Yukos. Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko has indicated that
CNPC might gain as much as a 20% ownership of the new company that is
to be owned and managed by Gazprom. Beijing would thus be able to
recoup the energy that was going to China before Yukos was destroyed
(Kremlin.ru, December 21; Reuters, December 30).

While the Yukos affair has incurred much criticism abroad and will
reduce the efficiency of Russia’s energy companies, soliciting Chinese
participation represents an effort to mollify Beijing and give the
deal a patina of legitimacy. Ironically, it represents a major policy
reversal from 2002, when xenophobic protests derailed earlier Chinese
efforts to buy into Slavneft. Thus, this deal also signifies Russian
efforts to come to terms with the rise in Chinese economic power that
clearly fueled huge anxieties in the Kremlin.

But the rapprochement with Beijing goes beyond energy supplies to
encompass defense issues as well. Russia and China will hold
bilateral army exercises in China during 2005 that will apparently
test the new Russian weapons that are also going to China
(Nezavisimoye voyennoye obozreniye, December 17). These exercises
will be “quite large” and involve not only large numbers of ground
forces but also state-of-the-art weapons, navy, air, long-range
aviation, and submarine forces to provide interaction with Chinese
forces (Itar-Tass, December 27). These exercises, particularly on the
planned scale, are unprecedented and mark an expansion of both Russian
and Chinese military diplomacy to encompass greater interaction among
their militaries.

Russian arms sales to China faltered in 2004 because China demanded
only the most advanced weapons while Russia insisted on the extension
of existing contracts for the supply of weapons (RIA-Novosti, December
20). This dispute prompted China to press harder for the termination
of the EU embargo , but with only limited success. While the
possibility of renewed EU arms sales to China must alarm Russian arms
dealers who cannot survive without selling China weapons systems,
China still must rely on the Russian market for now because of the
strong American opposition and threats to the EU if it lifted
sanctions (Russian Business Monitor, December 22; Vedomosti, December
20; RIA-Novosti, December 20; NTV, November 8, 2004). Thus during
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov’s visit to China in December,
agreements were hammered out upgrading the scope of Russian arms sales
to China. These agreements include delivery of Su-30MK2 fighters and
licensing the assembly in China of Sukhoi-27SK aircraft for the
Chinese Navy (Itar-Tass, December 13). Thus in 2005 Russia will sell
24 more Su-30 planes to China (Itar-Tass, December 13; Russian
Business Monitor, December 22). Other big deals involving Ilyushin-76
Candid transport planes, Ilyushin-78 Midas aerial tankers, and engines
for China’s Super 7 and Super 8 planes are also being discussed
(Interfax-AVN Military News Agency, December 24).

Paradoxically, these deals reveal the existing tensions in
Sino-Russian relations as well as the efforts to overcome them. China
wants state-of-the-art weapons that Russia, for obvious reasons, is
not prepared to sell, but Beijing still cannot generate sufficient
leverage to push Moscow to sell those weapons. However, in the energy
sector Beijing can induce Russia to live up to existing contracts,
sell energy to China, and even invite it into some form of equity
ownership in Russian energy firms. This may not be the ideal solution
for China, but it shows that while Chinese economic power is clearly
growing, it still cannot compel Russia to comply with Chinese demands
in defense economics. Nor is it entirely clear that this energy deal
will eventually work out to China’s benefit, given the atavistic fears
of Chinese economic power in Moscow. While Russo-Chinese relations
may have reached “unprecedented heights,” according to Presidents
Putin and Hu Jintao, closer examination suggests that the mountain
that both sides are still climbing remains a rocky one.

–Lionel Martin

DETAILS EMERGE OF SECOND RUSSIAN PLOT TO ASSASSINATE YUSHCHENKO

As Viktor Yushchenko prepares for his inauguration as Ukraine’s third
president, he knows that Ukraine-Russia relations will be one of the
most difficult issues he faces. The Economist (December 29) advised
Yushchenko, “to kiss and make up with Russia and Vladimir Putin, who
backed Mr. Yanukovych and has thus been humiliated by his defeat.”
Such reconciliation will be far easier said than done. Russia is
reportedly behind two attempts on Yushchenko’s life, one through
poisoning and a second with a bomb. Yushchenko alluded to the latter
plot when he said, “Those who wanted to blow myself up did not
undertake it, because they came too close and could have blown
themselves up” (Ukrayinska pravda, December 16).

While details of the poisoning are better known, evidence of the bomb
threat has only just come to light in a documentary on Channel Five, a
Ukrainian television station sympathetic to Yushchenko. Details aired
in the weekly “Zakryta Zona” (Closed Zone) documentary, under the
suitable title “Terrorists” (5tv.com.ua/pr_archiv/136/0/265/).

During last year’s election campaign a still-unexplained bomb
detonated in Kyiv, killing one person and injuring dozens more. The
Kuchma government blamed the Ukrainian People’s Party (UNP), a member
of Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine bloc, for the attack. Explosives were also
planted during searches of the offices of opposition youth groups. The
Security Service (SBU) and Interior Ministry (MVS) have now admitted
that charges of “terrorism” against the UNP and youth groups were
false (Ukrayinska pravda, December 16; razom.org.ua, December 23).

According to Channel Five, the real terrorists were the authorities,
conspiring with the Russian security services (FSB). It would be naive
to believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin was unaware of the
plot. An illicitly transcribed telephone conversation, cited at length
in the “Zakryta Zona” documentary, between a Ukrainian informant and
an FSB officer showed how the Russian authorities were fully aware of
the dirty tricks being used by Russian political advisors working for
Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. The “advisors,” such as
Gleb Pavlovsky and Marat Gelman, worked with Yanukovych’s shadow
campaign headquarters, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Andriy
Kluyev. Presidential administration head and Social Democratic United
Party (SDPUo) leader Viktor Medvedchuk served as Gelman and
Pavlovsky’s principal contact. The taped conversation reveals that
Gelman and Pavlovsky considered assassination to be a legitimate
campaign strategy. The FSB officer on the tape specifically discusses
the poisoning of Yushchenko.

The bomb attempt may have been conceived after the poison failed to
kill Yushchenko before election day. Plans for the bomb attack were
discovered when a spetsnaz unit of the State Defense Service (DSO) was
sent to investigate a burglar alarm. The alarm went off near one of
the three offices used by the Yushchenko campaign. The DSO noticed a
car with Russian license plates and asked the two occupants for their
documents. After a check of their Russian and Ukrainian passports
revealed them to be false, a search of the car’s trunk found three
kilos of plastic explosives, enough to destroy everything within a
500-meter radius.

Both passengers were arrested and a subsequent investigation unmasked
them as Mikhail M. Shugay and Marat B. Moskvitin, Russian citizens
from the Moscow region. Their only contact in Moscow had been a
certain “Surguchov” who had hired them in September for the bombing
operation against Yushchenko and his ally, Yulia Tymoshenko. The
terrorists were to receive $50,000 after the bomb plot was
completed. After smuggling the explosives through the
Russian-Ukrainian border, both FSB operatives set up a safe house in
the village of Dudarkiv, 15 kilometers from Kyiv. A search of these
premises found pistols, radio equipment, and bomb-making instructions.

The plot thickens with additional taped telephone conversations played
in the “Zakryta Zona” documentary. These conversations were made by
the SBU during the elections and handed over to Yushchenko after round
two. Kluyev is heard discussing with unknown individuals the
whereabouts of Yushchenko’s office and where the leadership of the
Yushchenko camp meets. The documentary’s producers believe that
Kluyev sought this intelligence to pass on to the Russian
assassination team, so that bombs could be placed to murder not only
Yushchenko, but also other members of his team, such as Tymoshenko.

Increasing evidence points to Russian involvement in Yushchenko’s
poisoning. In December Yushchenko’s doctors in Vienna concluded that
he had, in fact, been poisoned by TCDD, the most toxic form of
dioxin. His dioxin level was 6,000 times higher than normal and the
second highest recorded in history. Alexander V. Litvinenko, who
served in the KGB and the FSB before defecting to the United Kingdom,
has revealed that the FSB has a secret laboratory in Moscow that
specializes in poisons. A former dissident scientist now living in the
United States, Vil S. Mirzayanov, reported that this institute studied
dioxins while developing defoliants for the military. (TCDD was a
component of Agent Orange.) SBU defector Valeriy Krawchenko also
pointed to this FSB laboratory as the likely source of the dioxin that
poisoned Yushchenko (New York Times, December 15).

Yushchenko has alleged that the poisoning took place during a
September 5, 2004, dinner at the home of then-deputy SBU chairman
Volodymyr Satsyuk, a member of the SDPUo. This again reveals the
involvement of Medvedchuk and Russian political advisors working for
Yanukovych. Not surprisingly, Satsyuk and Kluyev have hurriedly
abandoned their government positions to return to parliament, where
they enjoy immunity.

Russia’s involvement in two terrorist attacks in Ukraine, a poisoning
and bombing, make a mockery of Putin’s alleged commitment to work
alongside the United States in the international war on terrorism.

–Taras Kuzio
————————————————————————
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Associated Press
Jan 6 2005
Orthodox set to celebrate Christmas
MIKE ECKEL
MOSCOW – The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church offered blessings and
prayers on the eve of the Orthodox Christmas Thursday, noting in his
traditional holiday greetings that 2004 was a difficult year for
Russia
Patriarch Alexy II also addressed Christians worldwide and people of
other faiths, saying “Let us work together for the sake of peace and
the prosperity of our peoples.”
Christmas falls on Jan. 7 for Orthodox Christians in Russia and other
Eastern Orthodox churches that use the Julian calendar instead of the
16th-century Gregorian calendar adopted by Catholics and Protestants
and commonly used in secular life around the world.
The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, called upon
Serbs, who are largely Orthodox Christian, to use this period to
“make special efforts to reach out to all, regardless of their views
and backgrounds.”
Kosovo was placed under U.N. administration in 1999, following NATO’s
air war aimed at stopping the Serb forces crackdown on
independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.
In the former Soviet republic of Armenia, worshippers lit candles and
attended services to mark the holiday and President Robert Kocharian
and other top government officials attended services at the
Echmiadzin Cathedral outside the capital, Yerevan.
Pope John Paul II also offered his “cordial wish of peace and joy in
the Lord” to “the brothers and sisters of the Eastern Churches which
are celebrating in these days Holy Christmas.” Jan. 7 is celebrated
in the Catholic church as Epiphany.
The Russian patriarch referred in his greetings to the string of
terrorist attacks that struck Russia including the August crash of
two airliners, and the September hostage-taking at the school in
Beslan where some 340 people died, nearly half of them children.
“Flouting everything that is holy in their impious madness,
terrorists raised their hands against children. The deaths of
innocent victims has become our common grief and filled our hearts
with pain and sorrow,” he said.
“But at the same time, the horrible tragedy has shown that moral
ideals are alive in the people: facing death, many people manifested
high examples of sacrificial love for their neighbors, laying down
their lives for their friends, as the Holy Scripture says,” the
patriarch said.
The patriarch also met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the
Kremlin. Putin spoke at length about the humanitarian aid and the
rescue efforts Russia has provided to Asian countries devastated by
the Dec. 26 tsunami.
“I want to again wish you a Merry Christmas, happiness and health to
you and all the Orthodox Christians, to all the people who will be
observing this holy holiday,” Putin told the patriarch.

Colin L. Powell Holds A Media Availability En Route To Bangkok, Thailand
.c The Associated Press
Thailand
Colin L. Powell Holds A Media Availability En Route To Bangkok,
Thailand
xfdtr STATE-POWELL-BANGKOK 1stadd
XXX check the number.QUESTION: What’s his name?
POWELL: His name is Blackman. I’ll get the spelling for you.
QUESTION: And on the criticism?
POWELL: There is always, you know, commentary about how one of these
things unfolds. And why didn’t everybody know instantly what the
requirement was going to be. And, I accept that. It’s what
happens. But, I’m the one who is sitting there on a Sunday after
church, trying to make sense of what has happened, with reports coming
in from all over the region. When you think you are dealing with
something that has hit Phuket, and then suddenly you get reports about
the Maldives, which as a nation of islands and atolls, sits about an
average of three feet above sea level.
And you start to try to figure out what are the implications of that?
And when you think you’re starting to get a handle on it, and you see
your task forces being set up with AID hard at work, AID setting up
task forces, State Department, Defense Department, all getting alerted
within the first dozen hours or so.
And, immediately our ambassadors in the region declared disasters. And
once they do that, they are free to give money out of their
contingency funds to the countries concerned, up to roughly
$100,000. It’s just something to get started, to show our commitment,
but also to give these countries an immediate infusion of cash.
And then by Monday morning, we had responded to the appeal of the
International Federation of the Red Cross/Red Crescent. Our military
had started to Task Force organize themselves and start to dispatch
troops. And, we started to get a better assessment of what was going
on. And then, in late Sunday I discovered that the wave had gone all
the way across the ocean and hit Kenya and Somalia.
And so, from my perspective, having been through many of these, in a
period of four days, five days, I think a great deal was
accomplished. And the reason I emphasize this is I don’t think the
American people should be given the impression that their president
and their government was not hard at work on this from day one.
BUSH: One purpose of this trip that is important to recognize is that
the people that are on the ground right now are working 24 hours a
day, whether they’re AID workers or other folks from the State
Department, or the hundreds, maybe thousands of international relief
workers that are in these communities. And they need encouragement.
My experience is that if you don’t go say, thank you to the people
that are true heroes, that are acting on their sense of compassion and
doing it under extraordinary circumstances — this won’t be pretty —
that you’re not in the way when you come a long distance and say,
thanks.
So, I know that the Secretary is very sensitive about making sure we
don’t get in the way, but I also think we need to be mindful of the
fact that there’s a lot of work being done and someone needs to put an
arm around somebody and say, thank you for a job well done.
POWELL: And one other element, of course, is that it will draw a lot
of public attention, international attention to the need and hopefully
as a result of that, generate additional support, especially from the
private sector.
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, apart from the humanitarian, which obviously
takes priority, what do you see as the political stakes for the U.S.
involvement in this effort in countries like Indonesia, Muslim
countries, Sri Lanka and for the region as a whole?
POWELL: We have good relations with all of these countries, even
though there have been disagreements on specific policy issues such
as, of course, Iraq. So, I think the political implications of us
responding promptly and responding, frankly, to the satisfaction of
the governments concerned, despite all the commentary about our
response the governments that we are responding to and are helping
were pleased from the very first night, Sunday night, when they were
called. And then when the president called their heads of government
and heads of state about 24 hours after I talked to the foreign
ministers. They were very pleased that the United States was
responding in this manner. And I think that can translate into a
political effect.
Hopefully, this might give us a little bit of traction in resolving
the conflict in Aceh, if the two sides would realize that this is a
time to not be arguing and fighting with each other, but to help their
citizens. And the same thing in Sri Lanka. Both sides are suffering
as a result of this tragedy: LTTE, as well as the government. And to
the extent it sort of quiets things in these conflicts, then maybe
there is an opportunity for political momentum. The point I have been
making all week long is that we are not doing this because we are
seeking political advantage or just because we are trying to make
ourselves look better with the Muslims. We are doing this because
these are human beings in need, in desperate need and the United
States has always been a generous, compassionate country and a
generous, compassionate people and this is what we do.
We did it in the Caribbean earlier this year in almost the same way:
small increments of money, and then finally when we got the full scope
of it, went to the Congress and got $120 million. And that’s my
experience as to how these things unfold.
One more.
QUESTION: This one is for Governor Bush. Could you tell us in some
detail as to how it arose that you came on the trip, whose idea it was
and when it was presented and what you thought of it?
BUSH: Well, I got a call from Secretary Powell, and then I got a call
from the President and I said, yes. And I was honored to be asked.
POWELL: Follow up?
BUSH: It really was that simple. This was kind of I had to clear my
.today or tomorrow, I don’t know what day we’re in right now, Monday
is the start of life again not just in the real world, but in state
government world. And so, I had a bunch of things I had to change
around, but it wasn’t a problem at all. I was honored to be asked.
In 1988, right after the Presidential election, my dad asked me to go
to Yerevan with my son, in Armenia. An incredibly devastating
earthquake, nothing in terms of the magnitude of the death here. But I
think 75,000 people may have died, as I recall. And we went and it
made a big difference: the fact that a family member would go — this
was on Christmas Eve — go to a far of place. These hardened Soviet
Communists were crying as they saw my son hand out medicine and toys
to children that looked just like him in this hospital that was needed
a whole lot of help. And so, I think family matters in a lot of places
outside of the United States just as it does in the United States. And
the fact that whoever came up with the idea, whether it was the
President or I don’t know, Secretary, isn’t it always the President
that has the best ideas?
POWELL: Yeah.
QUESTION: 1/8When did you make the decision? 3/8
BUSH: I suggested he go.
(laughter)
POWELL: Thanks Jeb. Let’s see, I’ve got to keep my days straight, but
by Wednesday the scope of it was becoming so clear that we started to
think about a trip. Andrew and I were sitting in my office, I think
either Wednesday or Thursday morning, looking at each other saying
we’ve got to go. And then the President, in order to show his concern
and deep interest, asked if Jeb would go and I immediately called Jeb
when I got the President’s suggestion. And he, in typical fashion, he
was ready, willing and able. I am very pleased that he was able to
clear his calendar.
Let me ask Andrew Natsios if he would like to say a word.
NATSIOS: I would just add a couple of things we are beginning to see
on the ground that are a little disturbing to us because of the scale
of them. We are beginning to see real psychological problems among
many of the survivors. People are going into shock basically. They
are paralyzed, they can’t act, essentially because they have lost,
many of them, their entire families, their whole neighborhoods, their
houses, their businesses, everything is destroyed. You see this in
many emergencies but not on this scale. And so the two things that the
Secretary and the Governor just mentioned actually do contribute to
this. We’ve noticed when we see the people, large numbers of people in
shock, the visits of very visible high-level people will restore a
sense of hope that they are not being forgotten, they are not being
lost. I mean, we will get that when you visit one of these sites. You
see the change in people by the fact that you are there, it makes a
big difference.
The second thing, which the Secretary also mentioned, is getting
people to work again. One therapy that we use is simply getting people
to do something. It is a sort of form of occupational therapy. If
they are in shock and then they start getting a job to start cleaning
up the mess, it does have an effect psychologically that gets their
body functioning again and they have some sense of hope. So, the jobs
program that the Secretary mentioned that we just committed $10
million dollars to in Sri Lanka is not a lot of money, I mean 50 bucks
a month, something like that. Very small amounts of money in people’s
pockets will allow them to buy necessities on their own but also will
get them moving and it will show that progress is being made in
cleaning the mess up. Because just the physical evidence of the mess
is a reminder every hour of every day that everything is gone. And if
we can begin to get them moving, working as a community again, it has
an effect psychologically, economically and just physically on the
infrastructure.
POWELL: The other thing I might add, is when you were asking about
visits and the impact of visits, the Indonesians really wanted to have
this ASEAN summit for the purpose of bringing people to the scene, not
out to the actual scene of the disaster, but to Jakarta. And it
started out with ASEAN, and then it became ASEAN and others, and now
it has become a fairly large international conference. And these sorts
of things do have an impact in terms of generating support, bringing
public attention to the crisis but also giving a sense of optimism and
hope to the people who will see this and realize they are not alone,
folks are coming to help them.
OK?
END
01/03/05 14:55 EST
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 31 2004
Problems and prospects of the Georgian economy
By M. Alkhazashvili
In spite of certain positive changes in the Georgian economy, 2004
did not witness a major breakthrough in the economic fortunes of
Georgians. This year, hopefully, will emerge as a prelude to economic
progress. Only after a new tax code is adopted, financial amnesty is
put in place and large-scale privatization enacted can we judge the
new administration’s economic policy. But this will happen only in
2005.
The first achievement of 2004 is the better administration of
budgetary revenues and the fulfillment of budget parameters. The
state budget was not cut for the first time in years and extra
revenues were even brought in. This allowed the government to pay
pensions and salaries and even increase pensions by a few laris. In
addition, old salary and pension debts from past years were paid off.
There were also certain achievements in combating smuggling into the
country.
However, there were also negative aspects, including the fact that
budget fulfillment was not the result of new enterprises starting up
or the development of business and trade, but rather due to better
administration of revenues and the confiscation of money from former
high-ranking officials in the fight against corruption.
The Rose Revolution authorities unfortunately did not possess a well
thought out economic program upon coming to power. They did not know
what to do or how. The preparation and adoption of the new tax code
and law on financial amnesty took almost one year and this
uncertainty created a feeling of instability for business in the
country and led businessmen to act very conservatively. Shootings in
South Ossetia did not help to attract investors either.
However the tax code and amnesty law are now ready and both will come
into effect in the near future. Although both have their critics, it
is hoped that they will have a positive impact on the economy. The
Georgian authorities proudly declare that the new tax code will be
the best among former Soviet Union countries. It will be the most
liberal, and the lower tax rates should encourage local business to
become more active.
Expectations are high, then, that 2005 will bring the economic growth
and greater prosperity that largely failed to materialize in 2004, a
year in which the population’s socio-economical conditions actually
worsened due to the increase of consumer prices.
On top of price hikes, the strong showing of the Georgian lari
inhibited the purchasing capacity of many Georgians who receive
assistance from relatives abroad or save money in dollars. Prices
also went up on goods coming in from neighboring countries due to
stricter control at Georgian border points and shutting down of many
smuggling routes.
Unemployment also increased dramatically, as the state discharged
tens of thousands of people from government jobs. For instance, about
20,000 people were dismissed from law-enforcement structures (such as
the police, traffic police and so on) alone.
Altogether the number of unemployed persons in the country increased
by around one hundred thousand people. Among them were many who
welcomed and even supported the Rose Revolution. Today, these people
are not only skeptical, but actively oppose the current
administration.
Furthermore, the increased value of the lari made it more difficult
for Georgia to export its goods, while the tense situation with
Russia also had a negative impact on the nation’s export capacity, as
the former Soviet Union still remains the biggest export market for
Georgia.
In 2005, however, the first stage of the privatization process
declared by former minister of economy Kakha Bendukidze will go
forward and the money acquired will be spent to fill the budgetary
gaps. It is also envisaged that foreign investments should finally
start flowing into Georgia.
The biggest event of the year, though, will be the start of operation
of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, to be followed by the
beginning of construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum natural gas
pipeline. Direct economic results from these two pipelines will be
seen in the coming years, when the natural gas pipeline in particular
should secure Georgia’s energy security.
President Saakashvili has promised to pay more attention to the
development of transport infrastructure, which will undoubtedly
contribute to the significance of Georgia as a transit country as
well as the development of the economy more generally.
Specifically, a 90-kilometer road in the West Georgian region of
Samegrelo will be built, while the government intends to start in the
near future construction of a highway traversing the country from the
Red bridge (on the Georgia-Azerbaijani border) to Poti (on the Black
Sea coast). The first stage of this project will go from Tbilisi to
Khashuri.
Also being planned is the rehabilitation of the Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki
railway, which will make it easier for the Samtskhe-Javakheti region
to transport its goods into Tbilisi and further integrate this
primarily ethnic Armenian region into the Georgian state. A new
Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki highway is to be built as well.
2005 should be a decisive year from the standpoint of economic
development. This is the promise of the current administration and
Georgian society hopes that their dreams will be realized: on the
achievements of the next twelve months, or lack of them, hang the
success of the current administration and the future development of
the country.

President Saakashvili visits ethnic Armenians in southern Georgia
Imedi TV, Tbilisi
28 Dec 04
[Presenter] During his visit to Akhalkalaki [town in southern Georgia
with a large ethnic Armenian population] today, which lasted just
about 30 minutes, the president managed to find time to visit two
local families. Mikheil Saakashvili unexpectedly called on an ethnic
Georgian and an ethnic Armenian family and personally gave them New
Year presents. [Passage omitted]
[Saakashvili, interviewed] Unfortunately, as you know, my predecessor
[Eduard Shevardnadze] would only meet local activists in the function
room. He seemed to think that there was no need to visit people. As
for me, I am more interested in ordinary people than in activists. I
take interest in specific people and their problems.
Next year we are starting the implementation of a big project, the
construction of the Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki road. This, naturally, cannot
be completed within a year. We are thinking of starting it some time
in the autumn. We have already secured funding for that. It will be
one of the main projects of my presidency.
This region needs to be integrated and linked to the main transit
routes, to the capital of Georgia. People should be able to move about
more. They should be able to sell their produce somewhere else and be
integrated into Georgia both economically and politically. [Passage
omitted]

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
(CENN)
75 Electronic Bulletin:
Caucasus Environmental News
***************************************************************************
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) and the production of our
electronic bulletin – Caucasus Environmental News have been funded by
the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
We are happy to inform you that current number of CENN members
constitutes of 8577!
Thanks for your interest in CENN!
***************************************************************************
VISIT CENN WEB SITE:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Announcements
1.1. DIUC press release
1.2. EIA Report of the Project on “Silicomanganese Experimental
Producing Plant in Kutaisi” by `M&Comlany’ Ltd
1.3. EIA Reports Submitted to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia
2. News from Georgia
2.1. Exxon spurns BP’s pipeline in favour of trains
2.2. Bendukidze lashes out at forestry department head
2.3. BTC costs increase
2.4. RTRS-Italy’s Banca Intesa quits BTC oil pipeline project
2.5. BTC construction preserves
2.6. BTC backer looks to sell shares
2.7. BP and British council announce successful scholarship candidates
2.8. Additional funds for protection of oil pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
3. News from Azerbaijan
3.1. US company to ship oil from Azerbaijan via Georgian ports
3.2 Seminar on involvement of NGOS in state program on poverty reduction
3.3 Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources denies conjecture of
Russian expert
3.4 Shah-Deniz field rich in gas condensate resources
3.5 SOCAR spent $50 mln for `Shah-Deniz’ project
3.6 Detained poacher has wounded employee of Ministry of Ecology and
Natural Resources
3.7 SOCAR thinks Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline may be 11 % over budget
3.8 BP, TNK-BP discuss Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipe
4. News from Armenia
4.1. Premier hopes for “changes in region” as Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
launched
4.2. OSCE Office awards journalists for reporting on environmental
issues in Armenia
4.3. Climate change: A disappointing start for the clean development
machine
4.4. EU aids Armenian gas network In Metsamor closure hope
4.5. United press Int’l: Energy watch
4.6. SLZ company to invest about $1.5 mln in Vanadzor chemical plant in
Armenia
4.7. Human rights and environment
4.8. By the end of 2004 Sanir Company to announce tender for
subcontractor work on Armenian section of Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
5. NGO News
5.1. Major private backer pulls out of embattled BP oil pipeline
5.2. CENN launches Environmental trainings/workshops
5.3. Community center opens in Gyumri
6. International News
6.1. Environmental scandal threatens ABN AMRO’s Caucasus oil pipeline
6.2. Kazakhstan signs agreement to prevent spread of bioweapons
7. New Publications
7.1. New book: “Ecological Agriculture and Rural Development in CEE
Countries’
7.2. Follow the money
7.3. Culture of secrecy enforced by repression
8. Calendar (International)
8.1. II International seminar on Mountain Tourism
8.2. Regional Civil Society Meetings towards the 6th Global Civil
Society Forum (19-20 February 2005, Nairobi, Kenya)
8.3. Ecological Impact Assessments: Science and Best Practice
SUBSCRIBING INFORMATION
1. ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.1. DIUC PRESS RELEASE
Dear All,
DIUC Press Release covering the latest information on our BTC Monitoring
is available on the following address:
Sincerely yours,
Razi Nurullayev
Co-chair of Society for Democratic Reforms
Demokratik Islahatlar Ugrunda Cemiyyet (DIUC)
Deputy-chairman on Foreign Affairs of Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan
Mailing Address: AZ 1117, house 11/103, kvartal 5057-68,
Bilajari Settlement, Baku, Azerbaijan
Tel/fax: (+994 12) 449 88 00; 436 18 40
Mobile: (+994 50) 323 70 24
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
1.2. EIA REPORT OF THE PROJECT ON “SILICOMANGANESE EXPERIMENTAL
PRODUCING PLANT IN KUTAISI” BY `M&COMLANY’ LTD
Source: `Sakartvelos Respublica’ (`Republic of Georgia’), December 9,
2004
In accordance with the Georgian legislation, `M&Comlany’ Ltd. submitted
EIA report to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of first category –
Silicomanganese Experimental Producing Plant in Kutaisi.
EIA report is available at the press-center of the Ministry of
Environment (68, Kostava str., VI floor) and at the Department of
Environmental Permits and State Ecological Expertise (87, Paliashvili
Str., Tel: 25 02 19). Interested stakeholders can analyze the document
and present their comments and considerations until January 25, 2004.
Public hearing will be held on January 25, 2004 at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment.
1.3. EIA REPORTS SUBMITTED TO THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT OF GEORGIA
Source: `Sakartvelos Respublica’ (`Republic of Georgia’), December 23,
2004
In accordance with the Georgian legislation, `Simba’ Ltd. submitted EIA
reports to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of first category – Acid Starter
Accumulators Producing Enterprise in Tskaltubo, Maglaki Village.
In accordance with the Georgian legislation, `Procredit Bank’ submitted
EIA reports to the Ministry of Environment of Georgia to obtain an
environmental permit for the activity of second category -Planned
Functioning of the Heater and Diesel Generator on 154 David
Agmashenebeli str., Tbilisi.
EIA reports are available at the Service of Environmental Permits and
Licensing of the Ministry of Environment of Georgia at the following
address: 15 A Tamarashvili str., Tbilisi. Interested stakeholders can
analyze the document and present their comments and considerations until
February 8, 2005.
Public hearing will be held on February 8, 2005 at 12:00, at the
conference hall of the Ministry of Environment of Georgia 68 A Kostava
str., VI Floor, Tbilisi. Tel: 36 45 41.
Service of Environmental Permits and Licensing of the Ministry of
Environment of Georgia
2. NEWS FROM GEORGIA
2.1. EXXON SPURNS BP’S PIPELINE IN FAVOUR OF TRAINS
Source: The Times, November 25, 2004
After billions of dollars and billions of headaches, BP’s mammoth
project to pipe oil from the Caspian to the Mediterranean is almost
complete but ExxonMobil will not use it. It is too expensive, the
Americans say. ExxonMobil is ignoring BP’s new pipe and, instead, has
chosen to export its Caspian oil via rail tankers to a Black Sea port.
BP was quick to insist that Exxon’s decision would not hurt the
economics of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) link. Exxon speaks for 8% of
BP’s Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli offshore Caspian oilfield but the American
penny-pinching is as much a political embarrassment as a financial blow
to BP.
A decade ago Washington threw its diplomatic weight behind a project
that was once dismissed as foolish and dangerous: a 1,760-km steel pipe
linking oilfields offshore of Baku to a Turkish Mediterranean port.
Passing through the troubled Georgian republic and skirting Armenia, BTC
is a political statement as well as infrastructure: a route for Central
Asian oil to reach Western markets without touching Russian soil.
The American oil giant confirmed that it had signed a five-year contract
with Azpetrol to ship 10 million tonnes of oil by rail from Baku to
Batumi. “There was a cost issue and we signed with Azpetrol for
competitive reasons,” said an Exxon spokesman.
The complexity of Caucasian politics has dogged the BTC project, which
has also had to end off campaigning by environmental groups determined
to make an example of BP’s project. The pipeline rises from sea level to
2,800 metres and passes through national parks.
2.2. BENDUKIDZE LASHES OUT AT FORESTRY DEPARTMENT HEAD
Source: The Messenger, November 26, 2004
Minister describes plans for rehabilitating tourist infrastructure and
removing IDPs from hotels
Minister of Economic Development Kakha Bendukidze hit out at the Head of
the Forestry Department Bidzina Giorgobiani over disagreements between
the two regarding the privatization of Georgia’s forests.
Although Mr. Giorgobiani said in an interview with the media that
government members had been able to come to an agreed view regarding
forestry reform at lat week’s government session and that there were no
longer any questions on the issue, Bendukidze told the media on Monday
November 22, 2004 that `it seems Mr. Bidzina has forgotten that he is
working at the government.’
`The government has not yet made any decision with regard to forestry
reform. When Mr. Giorgobiani talks about the `government view’, he means
the view of him and his deputy,’ the minister said.
`The forestry department is a part of government and it is the
government which is responsible for making decisions on this issue,’ the
minister added.
Mr. Bendukidze says that the position of his ministry is to be maximally
careful in creating new state owned enterprise with new functions, such
as looking after the forests.
`As a rule, state owned enterprises are badly managed and a source of
corruption. If we want to create a joint stock or limited company
someone should write a special plan concerning its functions. Creating
some kind corporation does not mean that the problem is solved,’
Bendukidze said.
Also on Monday the minister addressed the issue of the possible transfer
of Trade Union property to the state, property that includes numerous
hotels throughout the country that are currently inhabited by IDPs.
Mr. Bendukidze said, ‘There is no talk of Trade Union property being
transferred to the state. We are saying that there are very many hotels
and sanitariums in the ownership of the Trade Union, where over 11, 000
refuges are living. That is why we agreed to create a special fund that
will be called the Fund for Developing Resorts.’
According to the minister, ‘the National Fund for Developing Resorts
will be charge of management the hotels and sanatoriums, developing the
tourist infrastructure and removing the refugees from these building,’
adding that some of assets under the ownership of the Trade Union will
also be included in the fund.
`The Trade Union expressed the desire to finish rehabilitating some of
these assets and the National Fund will provide funding for the
realizations of their aims,’ he said.
He said that Tkhaltubo and Borjomi regions would be the main
beneficiaries from this process.
`Tskhaltubo as a resort town is `dead’, as over 6000 refugees are living
in the sanatoriums located there. We should do something with regard to
these people. So we are moving to a new mechanism of managing the
property and we have also offered this to the Trade Union,’ said Mr.
Bendukidze.
2.3. BTC COSTS INCREASE
Source: The Messenger, December 1, 2004
Interfax, November 29, 2004
Major Oil Company choose rail transit via Batumi over pipeline
According to President of State Oil Corporation of Azerbaijan (SOCAR)
Natik Aliev, the 1760-km Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is 99% complete.
USD 3 billion has already been spent on its construction and Aliev says
that costs are set to exceed expectations by around 5-6%.
Speaking at a press conference on November 25, 2004 Aliev said that the
BTC pipeline will cost more than had been planed. The project cost was
initially estimated at USD 2.95 billion, but USD 3 billion has already
spent and the pipeline has not yet entered operation.
`Overall project costs are $3.6 billion, allowing for $200 million to
pay for oil and other expenses,’ Aliev said as quoted by Interfax, `Now
we think those expenses will rise by $300-350 million. But we want to
allow for other costs as well, and think overall project costs will rise
to $4 billion. However the actual cost will only be known once the work
has been finished.’
In Tbilisi, BTC said they had always expected price fluctuations in the
course of the construction.
As part of construction of the pipeline, BTC must purchase roughly 10
million barrels of oil to keep it filled during the operation.
As for the reason of the price increase, Aliev said there is a mix of
natural and outside causes. `The main one is that construction has
fallen behind schedule. Talks between government and banks are
protracted, and the noise created by NGOs has taken into toll,’ he said.
Construction delays could push the cost of the BTC pipeline up to $4
billion, said Aliev.
`Construction firms have been forced to idle, and the dollar has
weakened we made all our cost estimates in dollars and a lot of
equipment has been purchased in Europe. So their are natural causes for
the increase in costs,’ Aliev said, nothing optimistically that the
pipeline has almost been completed.
A more serious issue emerged last Wednesday when ExxonMoblile announced
that it had signed a five-year contract to export 10 million tons of oil
from the Caspian `s Batumi Oil Terminal.
`ExxonMobile and AzPetrol signed an agreement in November to pump its
first volumes of oil by rail from Baku to Batumi,’ ExxonMobil’s
spokeswomen in Azerbaijan, Leyla Rzakuliyeva, said as quoted by Agence
France Press.
AFP reported that the decision `is likely to irritate Azeri
authorities,’ who have already lost Lukoil from the BTC project because
of its high cost.
Although ExxonMobil signed the `deal of the century’ in 1994, the
company has for the time being pulled out of the pipeline because of a
conflict over fees.
Responding to ExxonMobil’s announcement, SOCAR’s Aliev explained, `There
has been friction.’
`This is a consequence of Exxon not having been able to come to a
consensus with BTC concerning the concerning the tariffs,’ Aliev said as
quoted by AFP.
Despite these unexpected problems, the 1760-km -445-km in Azerbaijan
245-km in Georgia and 1070-km in Turkey – is sill expected to begin
operating in May 2005.
2.4. RTRS-ITALY’S BANCA INTESA QUITS BTC OIL PIPELINE PROJECT
Source: Reuters, December 1, 2004
Italy’s Banca Intesa confirmed on Wednesday that it had pulled
out of an international syndicate financing the BP-led
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline project. “We confirm the sale of
part of our investment and we are in addition negotiating with several
parties for the complete sale of our position,” an Intesa spokeswoman
said.
She did not give a reason for the decision.
Earlier the Baku-Ceyhan Campaign, a group opposed to the BTC, said the
bank, a member of the syndicate that has signed off a $1 billion
financial package for the pipeline, had quit the project and had already
sold part of its $60 million share.
The BTC that is expected to become operational early next year, will
link Azerbaijan’s oilfields to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan,
providing a direct outlet for Caspian oil to European markets. But
several environmental and human rights groups comprising the Baku-Ceyhan
Campaign say the project will be disastrous for the fragile ecology of
the Caspian and will not benefit the region’s population.
“This extraordinary move shows just how widespread concerns about the
safety of BTC now are,” said Greg Muttitt of Platform, a member of the
Baku-Ceyhan Campaign.
The oil companies and lenders argue that the one million barrels per day
(bpd) BTC is key to unlocking the impoverished region’s economic
potential.
They say the pipeline conforms to the highest environmental standards.
2.5. BTC CONSTRUCTION PRESERVES
Source: The Messenger, December 8, 2004
The construction of the Georgian segment of the BTC pipeline is
scheduled to be finished by March 2005 and despite two recent business
setbacks for the overall pipeline construction in Georgia is
progressing.
After the completion of the Georgian section the pipeline in Turkey must
also be completed and then filled with oil. As soon as BTC begins
operating, construction will begin on the parallel Shah-Deniz natural
gas pipeline project. The implementation of the both projects is of
vital political and energy security spheres.
Although the pipeline is nearing completion – Natik Aliev, head of the
State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), told reports in
late November, `We expect the Azerbaijani section to be launched in
January and the Georgian section in March,’ problems have also surfaced
in the overall business plan.
At the same press conference, Aliev announced that construction costs
have increased over preliminary estimates. He noted, ‘Turkey assures us
that its section will be ready by the end of March, although BTC
shareholders are a little pessimistic.’ Also in November, a British
parliamentary committee held a hearing relating to the pipeline’s safety
standards, though little new revelations or accusations were made.
More serious business issues are that last week one of the largest
Italian banks – Banca Intesa announced it was selling its share in the
financing of the pipeline. The Financial Times reported that the bank
was selling hits stake at a loss from the original loan amount. Another
setback came when ExxonMobile announced it was signing contracts to ship
crude oil by rail over next five years. Thus skirting the BTC. UK’s
Sunday Times described the move as `American penny pinching’ that `is as
much a political embarrassment as a financial blow to BP.’
But despite these setbacks, they cannot hinder the successful completion
of the pipe. A solid core of investors – and governments – are keenly
interested in its operation and price increases can be easily defrayed
thanks to the high price of crude in the world market.
In Georgia, the president of GIOC (Georgian International Oil
Corporation) Nika Vashakidze tells the paper Rezonansi that BTC
construction has played an important role in developing the Georgian
economy. Most of the investments have already been made in connection to
the project he states; adding that new jobs were created and a variety
of Georgian companies were involved in its construction.
The operation of BTC will also deliver budgetary revenues and increased
global importance of Georgia. Once the sister pipeline Shah-Deniz starts
pumping natural gas to Turkey via Georgia, the country will
significantly strengthen the security of its natural gas supply system.
According to current calculation Azeri natural gas could reach Georgia
by the end of 2006, thus giving Georgia a viable alternative to Russian
Gazprom supplies.
2.6. BTC BACKER LOOKS TO SELL SHARES
Source: The Messenger, December 9, 2004
The Financial Times reported on Thursday, December 2, 2004 that the
Italian Bank Banca Intesa has sold part of its interests in financing
BTC pipeline, and is in talks to sell the remainder of its USD 60
million stake in the project.
`We can confirm to you the sale of part of our investment in the BTC
project,’ the bank said in a statement in response to questions from the
FT. `We are, in addition, negotiating with several parties the complete
sale of our position.’
The bank, Italy’s largest in terms of assets, declined to name the buyer
due to confidentiality reasons.
The Ft also wrote `Banca Intesa had expressed concerns about the
pipeline sealant. Executives from the bank sought a meeting with Derek
Mortimer, the whistleblower who highlighted potential problems with the
sealant in an independent report for BP.’
Once the BTC is put into operation, a group of banks, which would have
included Banca Intesa, was to take over financing of the project. The
remaining syndicate members are ABN Amro, BNP Paribas, Citibank, Credit
Agricole, HVB, ING, Royal Bank of Scotland, Societe Generale and WestLB.
2.7. BP AND BRITISH COUNCIL ANNOUNCE SUCCESSFUL SCHOLARSHIP CANDIDATES
Source: The Messenger, December 17, 2004
On December 16, 2004 BP Georgia and the British Council announced the
selection of their candidates for a new international scholarship
program, targeting leaders in a wide range of study fields from
businesses to media.
The Bp-funded program, launched in October, will send 10 students to
study Masters level courses in the UK for a period of 12 months. The
British Council will manage this program that received more than 250
applications alongside the UK government’s Chevening scholarships
program.
The announcement follows BP’s recent commitment to a new social
investment program for Georgia, through which – in consultation with the
Georgian government – it will invest US $10 million in arrange of
projects covering areas such as education and healthcare.
Head of BP Georgia, Wref Digings says: `This scholarship program is part
of our commitment to successful, long term relationship with Georgia. It
is the first step in our education program that is set to expand to
include other long distance learning opportunities for Georgians. It
also fits well with BP’s global emphasis on the role of education in the
development of enterprise and civil society.’
Jo Bakowski, Director of the British Council in Georgia, adds: `WE have
been managing scholarship programs for the more than 10 years and they
are one of our most important activities, clearly demonstrated by the
achievements of our alumni. The candidates selected fort the BP program
are of similarly high standard and have shown how their studies could
contribute to positive change in Georgia.’
The fields covered by the scholarship are: banking, finance and
economics (including insurance); business studies; management
(agriculture, education, energy, health and transport); human rights;
law; media; social and political studies; built environment (includes
architecture, urban planning and design); and international relations
and diplomatic studies.
For further information on program, please visit the British Council
website at:
2.8. ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR PROTECTION OF OIL PIPELINE BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN
Source: Sarke, December 20, 2004
The draft of the budget-2005 envisages disbursing of 30.9 million lari
to the special state protection service, what exceeds the financing
volume of the current year by 56%. The Finance Ministry explains the
volume has been increased due to the funds, directed to protection of
the oil pipeline Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, which launches in 2005.
2.9. BTC: NO NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FINANCING
Source: The Messenger, December 22, 2004
British Petroleum and its partners in the Baku- Tbilisi- Ceyhan (BTC)
pipeline project will not ask international financial institutions for
an extra loan to cover the 10% increase of the project cost, BP
Azerbaijan President David Woodward said at a press conference in Baku
on Tuesday, December 21, 2004. The shareholders borrowed USD 2.6 billion
from foreign credits this February. Mr. Woodward said they borrowed more
than needed, so an extra loan was unnecessary. He said the stakeholders
would bear any extra expenses.
Projects like BTC always imply a 10-15% change from the initial estimate
and the increase of the Baku- Tbilisi- Ceyhan pipeline project cost does
not go beyond that, Mr. Woodward said.
He said over 90% of work had been done in the Azerbaijani sector of the
pipeline, over 85% in the Georgian section of the pipeline and 85% in
the Turkish sector.
2.10. NEW YEAR’S TREES SOLD AT 4 AUTHORIZED LOCATIONS
Source: The Messenger, December 23, 2004
Akhali Taoba reports that the Head of the Forestry Department Bidzina
Giorgobiani together with the newly appointed Premier of Tbilisi Temur
Kurkhuli made a statement concerning the sale of the New Year’s trees
all over the city.
According to them, because of the coming New Year, the fir-trees are
being sold everywhere without any control. `We ask regional
administrations, president’s representatives and the policy service to
strengthen their control over this issue,’ the authorities.
`The sale of the New Year’s trees will be allowed only at four locations
– on the territory of the Sports Palace, near Vake Hospital No: 9, near
Akhmeteli theater and near Varketili metro,’ stated Mr. Giorgobiani at a
press conference on December 21, 2004.
As it was said at the press conference, the Patrol Police as well as
their employees will jointly control the situation there, in order to
prevent the theft of these threes and there ban the illegal cutting of
trees. The purchase of the New Year’s tress will be possible from
December 25 until December 31. Mr. Giorgobiani also said that for every
illegally cut tree, distributors will face a minimum fine of GEL 10.
3. NEWS FROM AZERBAIJAN
3.1. US COMPANY TO SHIP OIL FROM AZERBAIJAN VIA GEORGIAN PORTS
Source: RIA Novosti, November 29, 2004
The US ExxonMobil subsidiary, Exxon Azerbaijan Ltd., has made a deal
with the Azerbaijanian Azpetrol Holding on shipping part of its oil from
Azeri and Guneshli (Azerbaijan) deposits via Georgian seaports.
Novosti-Georgia reports with reference to a press release of the US
company that according to the agreement, oil is to be shipped along the
Baku-Batumi (Georgia) railway in the amount of ten million tons during
five years.
Despite being a participant in the project to develop sea oil deposits
Azeri-Chyrag-Guneshli, ExxonMobil at a time did not find it necessary to
become a shareholder in BTC Co. that builds the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline. For this reason, ExxonMobil is considering all possible
options for exporting oil from Azerbaijan, including the northern
(Russian) route of the Baku-Novorossiisk oil pipeline.
Oil pumping through the BTC pipeline will cost $3-odd per barrel on the
average. But these tariffs will only be applicable to the companies that
participated in constructing and financing the oil pipeline as
shareholders of the BTC company. Other companies wishing to transport
their oil through BTC will have to pay more.
Azpetrol Holding shipped over 15 million metric tons of oil and oil
products via the South-Caucasus transport corridor when it began
operating (2001). In 2003 alone, this company transported 4,045,656
metric tons of oil and oil products along the Baku-Batumi route.
3.2. SEMINAR ON INVOLVEMENT OF NGOS IN STATE PROGRAM ON POVERTY
REDUCTION
Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
December 2, 2004
Seminars under the project `Assistance in Intensification of Local NGOs
in the State Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development in
the Azerbaijan Republic in 2003-2005′.
During these seminars organized by representatives of local NGOs,
municipalities, the participants were updated on the work done among
youth and efforts towards directing the activities of local communities,
allocation of micro credits.
3.3. MINISTRY OF ECOLOGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES DENIES CONJECTURE OF
RUSSIAN EXPERT
Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
December 15, 2004
The press-service of the ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of
Azerbaijan has distributed a message containing refutation of
conjectures of the Russian expert I. Zonn, announced by him in the
report `Caspian Is One of Hot Points of the World’ with which he has
addressed the 10th Conference of the sides of the Frame Convention of
the United Nations on change of climate in Argentina. In the message, it
is stated that consequences of wreck of ferry “Mercury” with 16 tanks
onboard, sunk in October 2002 at coast of Azerbaijan, within the nearest
1-2 years will lead to ecological catastrophe, is nothing but cheap
propagation. Periodically conducted, including with participation of
foreign experts, monitoring has not revealed on present time of any
traces of outflow of oil.
Making comments on the far-fetched facts, I. Zonn has demonstrated the
slides fixing “absolute” records of Azerbaijan in pollution of the
Caspian at the Conference. On the data of the Ministry of Ecology and
Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, the basic sources of pollution of the
sea are the large rivers running into it from which fall on the share
only of the Volga River 70-80% from the total pollution. The pool of
Volga is a zone where the largest industrial enterprises of the Caspian
region are concentrated. From 200 big cities, 220 large enterprises
located in pool of the Caspian, only insignificant part is located in
the territory of Azerbaijan. From the above-stated, it becomes clear
that Azerbaijan cannot be considered as one of the basic polluters of
the sea.
3.4. SHAH-DENIZ FIELD RICH IN GAS-CONDENSATE RESOURCES
Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
December 16, 2004
The first batch of gas from Shah-Deniz field in the Azerbaijani sector
of the Caspian Sea is expected to be produced in mid-2006. The credit
agreement on Shah-Deniz field development was signed on December 14 this
year in London.
The first phase of the project implies extraction of 178 million cubic
meters of gas per year and 34 million tons of condensate. Further, it is
scheduled to increase this volume up to 8-16 billion cubic meters of gas
and 2 billion tons of condensate.
BP and Statoil hold 25% stake in the Shah-Deniz project, SOCAR, joint
Russia-Italy LUKAgip Company, OIES of Iran and French company Total –
10% each.
At present, exploratory drilling works are successfully going on. First
results confirm experts’ estimations on gas-condensate reserves.
3.5. SOCAR SPENT $50 MLN FOR `SHAH-DENIZ’ PROJECT
Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
December 19, 2004
State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) has spent $50
million for the Shah-Deniz gas-condensate development project. Besides,
SOCAR will direct $110 million of the $170 million credit it receives
from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to its
10-percent share in this Project.
3.6. DETAINED POACHER HAS WOUNDED EMPLOYEE OF MINISTRY OF ECOLOGY AND
NATURAL
Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Azertag,
December 22, 2004
During a raid aimed at revealing of the illegal facts of hunting, which
was held by the 2-nd Territorial Department of the Ministry of Ecology
and Natural Resources in territory of Duyarli village of Shamkir region
was detained by poaching the resident of region Samir Ismailov.
As informed correspondent AzerTAj from the press-service of the
Ministry, the poacher who has not obeyed requirements of ecologists, has
opened fire and wound the employee of department Elmar Aliyev. The case
investigated by the Office of Public Prosecutor Shamkir region
3.7. SOCAR THINKS BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN PIPELINE MAY BE 11 % OVER BUDGET
Source: EINnews, December 23, 2004
26-11-04 The cost of building the nearly completed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil export pipeline could hit $ 4 bn, SOCAR said, just days after
Azerbaijan’s state oil company downplayed the extend of cost overruns.
The pipeline was originally budgeted to cost $ 3.6 bn.
“Total expenses may increase by $ 350 mm-$ 450 mm,” SOCAR General
Director Natik Aliyev said. “We’ve reached the conclusion that costs may
reach $ 4 bn.”
Aliyev said the pipeline could exceed its budget by 5 % to 7 %. Costs of
$ 4 bn represent an 11 % increase.
One reason for the increase is the rising price of oil. After a pipeline
is built, the operator must fill it with the requisite minimum amount of
oil that’s to be in the pipeline at all times. BP, which leads the
consortium of companies that own the pipeline, originally estimated that
it would have to spend $ 40 a barrel on this so-called technical crude,
Aliyev said.
Pipeline shareholders plan to buy 10 mm barrel of oil from the nearby
Azer-Chirac-Guneshli project to fill the pipeline in the first stage.
“But now it’s impossible to tell what the price will be in January or
February of next year,” he added. “It could be $ 60 a barrel, or it
could fall.”
Rising global demand and political instability in the Middle East have
caused prices to rise to as high as $ 55 a barrel in the past several
months. Other reasons behind the cost overruns include responding to
protests by nongovernmental organizations, a temporary work stoppage in
Georgia, a rise in the costs of transporting pipes from Japan and an
increase in the price of those pipes.
The falling dollar also played a role, Aliyev said.
“Most of the equipment was procured in Europe, and its
dollar-denominated price rose” with the falling dollar, he said.
Apart from BP, SOCAR, ENI, Itochu, Unocal, Statoil, ConocoPhillips and
Total are shareholders in the project.
3.8. BP, TNK-BP DISCUSS BAKU-TBILISI-CEYHAN PIPE
Source: Interfax, December 21, 2004
British Petroleum and TNK-BP are discussing the possibility of
transporting TNK-BP oil through the Baku- Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, BP
Azerbaijan President David Woodward said.
He said that they have not yet reached the stage of discussing volumes
and transport schedules and that they are only discussing transport
options and possibilities.
He said that one potential option for transporting Russian oil through
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline may be to reverse the Baku-
Novorossiisk pipeline to Baku. Woodward also said that it is possible to
supply oil by sea from Astrakhan to Baku, for further transportation
through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.
4. NEWS FROM ARMENIA
4.1. PREMIER HOPES FOR “CHANGES IN REGION” AS IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE
LAUNCHED
Source: Mediamax News Agency, November 30, 2004
Armenian Minister of Energy Armen Movsisyan has described as “historic
event” the beginning of the construction of the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline, Mediamax’s special correspondent reports from Syunik Region.
Speaking at the ceremony of the beginning of the gas pipeline
construction, Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan said that this
project was possible due to “big political and economic efforts”. The
Armenian prime minister said that the construction of the gas pipeline
will give the opportunity to create new working places in Syunik Region
“which is Armenia’s and Nagornyy Karabakh’s rear”.
Andranik Markaryan also said that “the gas pipeline will not only have
economic importance for Armenia and Iran but will also become a base for
certain changes in the region”.
The Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Ali Reza Haqiqian, said that
theconstruction of the gas pipeline will allow improving the
economicsituation in Armenia and will contribute to the stabilization of
thesituation in the whole region, Mediamax’s special correspondent
reports from Syunik Region.
4.2. OSCE OFFICE AWARDS JOURNALISTS FOR REPORTING ON ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES IN ARMENIA
Yerevan, 10 December 2004 – Eleven journalists from different regions of
Armenia were today awarded prizes for their reporting on environmental
issues in a competition run by the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
The competition, for TV and print media, was co-organized with the
Public Environmental Information Centre (Aarhus Centre) and linked to
Human Rights Day.
“The main objective of the 2004 competition was to explain to the public
that living in a healthy environment is a universal human right,” said
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office, after handing out
the awards. “Being aware of environmental problems and understanding
ways of solving them is crucial for democratic development and securing
a prosperous future”.
A special prize was also awarded for explaining the issues of
environmental protection and human rights to citizens in remote regions
of Armenia.
The OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Aarhus Centre support and encourage
environmental journalism by organizing workshops, exchange of
information on the subject and facilitating international contacts.
For further information, please contact:
Public Affairs Unit
OSCE Office in Yerevan
89, Teryan Str., 375009, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: +374 1 54 58 45
Fax: +374 1 54 10 61
4.3. CLIMATE CHANGE: A DISAPPOINTING START FOR THE CLEAN DEVELOPMENT
MACHINE
Source: IPS, December 10, 2004
In 1997, when the developing South agreed to a market incentive for
industrialized nations that would allow them to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions through development projects in poor countries, the expected
result was investment in clean technologies. So far, however, the
results have fallen far short of expectations.
Raúl Estrada, director of environmental affairs in Argentina’s Foreign
Ministry and the head of the Argentine delegation at the 10th Conference
of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(COP-10), currently underway in Buenos Aires, admitted on Wednesday that
the projects being submitted to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) do
little to promote renewable sources of energy and involve minimal
technology transfer.
“This was not what we had in mind,” said Estrada, who presided over the
committee that drafted the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. He was addressing the
COP-10 plenary session devoted to discussion of the 2003-2004 report
from the CDM Executive Board, made up of 10 representatives from
different member countries. The results of the report are nothing less
than disappointing.
The protocol signed in Kyoto, Japan, and scheduled to enter into force
on February 16 with 129 member countries, was designed to establish
quantitative and measurable commitments on the part of the
industrialized nations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, methane
and other gases that trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere and lead to
global warming.
The CDM is one of the “flexible mechanisms” of the Kyoto Protocol, which
make it easier and less costly for industrialized nations to meet the
greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets that they have agreed to
under the protocol. The CDM is also meant to “assist developing
countries in achieving sustainable development.”
Through this mechanism, an industrialized country with a GHG reduction
target can invest in a project in a developing country without a target,
and claim credit for the emission reduction that the project achieves.
The 30 industrialized countries that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol
have accepted the commitment to reduce GHG emissions to levels 5.2%
lower than in 1990, by a deadline that ranges from 2008 to 2012.
To take advantage of the mechanism, a large number of private companies
in industrialized nations have submitted projects to the CDM Executive
Board, but few have been deemed satisfactory by the proposed receptor
countries.
Australia, a major GHG producer, has still not ratified the Kyoto
Protocol. As for the United States – which is responsible for 25 percent
of global GHG emissions – President George W. Bush actually withdrew
completely from the treaty in 2001, after it had been signed by his
predecessor, Bill Clinton (1993-2001).
Estrada noted that the CDM Executive Board has to negotiate with teams
from the applicant companies that work on these projects full time,
which means that the board members are at a distinct disadvantage.
For its part, the Chilean delegation recommended making more resources
available to the Executive Board, to allow its members to concentrate on
their task, and not find themselves rushed into approving projects of
doubtful environmental integrity.
As of now, the only project to be approved by the CDM board is a
Brazilian plan to capture methane gas from landfills and use it to fuel
a thermoelectric plant that will supply power to a poor suburb of Rio de
Janeiro. The initiative is expected to reduce emissions by 12 million
tons over the next 21 years.
But some environmentalists do not think the project is a model to be
emulated.
Juan Carlos Villalonga, an energy specialist from the Argentine chapter
of the environmental watchdog Greenpeace, told IPS that the Brazilian
project, and others being submitted for implementation in developing
countries, make an extremely limited contribution in terms of new
technology.
He explained the challenges facing the CDM using the same “market logic”
principles that served as its foundation.
Complicating matters further is the fact that Russia, which ratified the
Kyoto Protocol in November and suffered the collapse of its industrial
sector in the late 1990s, has a large supply of emission-reduction
credits that it could place on the “emissions trading” market, another
mechanism of the treaty.
Because of the decline of industry in Russia, its carbon dioxide
emissions are already far lower than they were in 1990, and thus lower
than the target it is committed to meet through the protocol. As a
result, other countries can purchase this “surplus reduction” to help
meet their own targets.
The CDM was established to create a form of profit incentive for
projects that would not be profitable in their own right. But
unfortunately, until now, that incentive has not been powerful enough to
spur investment in renewable energy sources, Villalonga concluded.
4.4. EU AIDS ARMENIAN GAS NETWORK IN METSAMOR CLOSURE HOPE
Source: RFE/RL Armenia Report, December 10, 2004
On Friday, December 10, 2004 gas operator has officially completed the
reconstruction of some of its key facilities that has been financed by
the European Union in the hope of speeding up the closure of the
Metsamor nuclear plant.
Top executives from the Armrosgazprom Company, joined by government
officials and European diplomats, inaugurated three underground gas
storage facilities just north of Yerevan. They were refurbished with 2
million euros ($2.7 million) provided by the EU’s executive Commission
in 2002. The purpose of the program was to help to render Armenia’s gas
network more modern and reliable.
Natural gas is used for generating more than a third of Armenia’s
electricity. EU officials hope that increased use of the fuel would
create an additional incentive for Yerevan to decommission Metsamor that
satisfies over 40% of the resource poor country’s energy needs.
`In essence, the European Union is helping us to create the
prerequisites for the closure of the nuclear plant,’ Deputy Energy
Minister Areg Galstian told RFE/RL. One of those prerequisites is
`reliable supplies of energy resources,’ he said.
The EU believes that Metsamor’s Soviet-built reactor fails to meet
modern safety standards and should be shut down as soon as possible. The
bloc had hoped that this would happen in 2004. However, Armenian
officials insist that the plant is secure enough to operate for at least
ten more years.
Mr. Galstian reiterated the government’s position that Metsamor will not
be closed without an alternative source of power created in its place.
`We must have a new facility of the same capacity,’ he said, adding that
it could be a new thermal power station.
`In my view this [EU project] has in no way affected the closure of the
nuclear plant,’ said the Armrosgazprom director, Karen Karapetian. `We
had to carry out this modernization anyway.’
Karapetian said the Russian-Armenian joint venture needs an additional
$27 million for the network’s modernization and has already approached
potential investors.
4.5. UNITED PRESS INT’L: ENERGY WATCH
Source: UPI, December 13, 2004
Armenia’s natural gas operator Armrosgazprom has officially completed
the European Union-financed reconstruction of a number of important
facilities. The EU underwrote the project in the hope of hastening the
closure of Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant, the country’s sole
atomic energy facility. Top Armrosgazprom officials joined by government
officials and EU diplomats inaugurated three underground gas storage
facilities north of the capital Yerevan refurbished with a $2.7 million
2002 EU Executive Commission grant, intended to upgrade Armenia’s
natural gas network. Natural gas currently generates more than a third
of Armenia’s electricity. EU officials’ hope that increased use of the
fuel would create more incentive for the Armenian government to
decommission Metsamor, which currently provides over 40 percent of the
energy impoverished country’s energy needs.
The head of technical development and foreign relations department of
the Armenian Energy Ministry Levon Vardanyan said that construction of
the Armenian sector of the Iran-Armenia natural gas pipeline would start
shortly. Construction of the 26-mile, 27.5-inch pipeline will begin in
Megri-Kadzharan. Iran will finance most of the pipeline construction.
Armenia and Iran agreed to build the pipeline in May 2004. Under the
agreement, Iran will send 47 billion cubic yards of natural will to
Armenia over the next two decades. Armenia will annually receive 1.43
billion cubic yards of Iranian gas and will pay with electric energy
exports. The construction of the 87.6-mile long pipeline will be
completed in late 2006. The gas pipeline will link Tehran and Yerevan
via the Megri border region. Turkmen gas will also be delivered to
Armenia via Iran on the pipeline.
4.6. SLZ COMPANY TO INVEST ABOUT $1.5 MLN IN VANADZOR CHEMICAL PLANT IN
ARMENIA
Source: Arminfo, December 14, 2004
Till the end of 2004 the Slovak company SLZ at the primary stage will
invest $1.480 mln for launching the Vanadzor chemical plant in Armenia.
Minister of Trade and Economic Development of Armenia Karen Chshmaritian
informed journalists on Tuesday, December 14, 2004.
According to him, the agreement for it was reached during the Yerevan
meeting of the representatives of the SLZ Company with the owner of the
Vanadzor chemical complex. The minister informed that $880 mln would be
invested for purchase of raw materials, and $600,000 – for current
expenses. He added that the plant is to be launched on Feb 15, 2005.
Karen Chshmaritian noted that the plant will be launched in experimental
order within 6-8 months, and then the Slovaks sign an agreement with the
owner for trust management or leasehold use by the chemical complex. At
this stage it is planned to resume the production of carbide, corundum
and acetate film.
4.7. HUMAN RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENT
Source: Yerevan Press Club Weekly Newsletter, December 10-16, 2004
On December 10, on the International Day of Human Rights in Yerevan the
ceremony of awarding monetary prizes to the winners of competition
“Human Rights and Environment” was held. The competition was
administrated by the OSCE Office in Yerevan jointly with the Public
(Airbus) Center of Environmental Information.
In the nomination “Print media” the first prize was awarded to Susanna
Shakhnazarian (“Ban ev Gorts”, Syunik region), the second – to Karineh
Danielian (“Azg”, Yerevan), the third – to Arthur Sakunts and Narineh
Bulghadarian (“Civil Initiative”, Vanadzor). Encouraging prizes in this
nomination were conferred on Anush Sargsian (“Loru Marz”, Lori region)
and Sarah Petrosian (“Investigative Journalists” public organization).
In the nomination “TV Journalism” the first prize was granted to Edik
Baghdasarian (“Versus” studio, Yerevan), the second – to Satenik
Kaghzvantsian (free-lance journalist, Shirak region), the third – to
Valery Gasparian (Armenian branch of “Mir” Interstate TV and Radio
Company).
Encouraging prizes were also conferred on Nelly Danielian
(“Yerkir-Media”, Yerevan) and Stella Martirosian (“Shoghakat”, Yerevan).
Special prize was awarded to the film of Hrachia Papinian (“Ankyun+3”,
Lori region).
4.8. BY THE END OF 2004 SANIR COMPANY TO ANNOUNCE TENDER FOR
SUBCONTRACTOR WORK ON ARMENIAN SECTION OF IRAN-ARMENIA GAS PIPELINE
Source: Arminfo, December 17, 2004
By the end of this year the Sanir company from Iran will give start to a
tender to enroll subcontractors or laying the Armenian section of the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, says the director general of ArmRosGazprom
company Karen Karapetyan.
He says that his company will certainly take part in the tender and has
quite good chances to win it. “Even if we lose the winners will be
forced to cooperate with us considering that we have domestic gas market
monopoly,” says Karapetyan. He notes that after the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline is built and the Abovyan underground gas depositary is restored
Armenia will have almost no energy security problems.
Sanir is the general contractor of the project. Iran will lend Armenia
$30 mln for laying the Armenian section of the pipeline – from Megri to
Kajaran. The loan will be given for 7.5 years at 5% a year. The project
will be finished in two years to be launched Jan 1 2007.
5. NGO NEWS
5.1. MAJOR PRIVATE BACKER PULLS OUT OF EMBATTLED BP OIL PIPELINE
PRESS RELEASE FROM:
Baku-Ceyhan Campaign
Friends of the Earth
PLATFORM
Corner House
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 1st 2004
Major Private Backer Pulls Out of Embattled BP Oil Pipeline
Italy’s Largest Bank Selling its $60 Million Stake in Baku-Ceyhan
Project
Italy’s largest bank, Banca Intesa, has decided to sell its $60 million
stake in BP’s hugely controversial Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil
pipeline, a new article reveals today. So concerned is Banca Intesa at
the reputational and other risks associated with the BTC project that it
has already sold one third of its share at a loss.
The decision by Banca Intesa to abandon the embattled BTC project is
disastrous for BP, as the long-term viability of the pipeline depends on
support from private finance. The move, reported in a detailed article
by journalist Michael Gillard on the Spinwatch website
(), follows Banca Intesa’s deepening concern over
evidence of safety failures and BP incompetence, first raised by former
BP consultant Derek Mortimore earlier this year.
Mortimore noted that BP’s choice of safety coating for the Georgian and
Azeri sectors of the BTC project would not work, leaving the pipeline
open to corrosion, leakage and possible explosions. This directly
contradicted repeated assurances from BP that pipeline leakage would be
`virtually impossible.’ BTC passes through several areas of outstanding
natural beauty on its way to delivering Caspian oil to Western markets.
The UK government has subsequently admitted to a parliamentary inquiry
that the coating system has no track record, contrary to its previous
assurances, and that the pipeline would be likely to fail some time
during its forty year operational life. Engineers’ reports further
suggest that the equivalent coating for the Turkish sector has suffered
`catastrophic failures’ on four other pipelines.
According to Gillard, the revelations `staggered’ Banca Intesa, which
agreed to participate in BTC only because of the involvement of the
World Bank, and was `very disturbed’ at the Bank’s lack of due
diligence.
Greg Muttitt of PLATFORM, one of a coalition of human rights and
environmental organisations that have been monitoring the BTC project
for the last three years, said, `This extraordinary move shows just how
widespread concerns about the safety of BTC now are. When a major
private backer pulls out of a project, it suggests that something is
seriously wrong: the private sector doesn’t take financial losses on its
investments without a very good reason.’
Nick Hildyard of the Corner House, another group involved in monitoring
BTC, said, `Banca Intesa’s withdrawal adds yet more credence to our
demand for an independent audit of the safety of the Baku-Ceyhan
project. BP guaranteed affected people that they would not suffer as a
result of this project. Why won’t they prove that by having the pipeline
audited?’
Gillard’s article, in addition to its revelations on Banca Intesa,
provides a detailed account of the safety issue and of allegations of
procurement fraud and incompetence that have dogged BP for the last two
years.
For more information, contact:
Michael Gillard 07949 964354
Anders Lustgarten 07973164363
Greg Muttitt 07970589611
Nick Hildyard 01258 817518
5.2 CENN LAUNCHES ENVIRONMENTAL TRAININGS/WORKSHOPS
Within the framework of the project `Raising level of public
environmental awareness and information in the transboundary region of
the South Caucasus Countries’ implemented by five partner organizations
CENN launched first cycle of environmental trainings / workshops within
the framework of the ENVSEC Initiative project `Raising level of public
environmental awareness and information in the transboundary region of
the South Caucasus Countries’ implemented by GTZ (GTZ Food Regional
Cooperation and Security (FRCS) project) and supported by the ENVSEC
Initiative (OSCE, UNEP, UNDP).
The trainings / workshops are focused to provide the participants with
the information on:
ž Natural resource and their use;
ž Sustainable development;
ž Environmental problems- result of non-sustainable use of natural
resources;
ž Environmental security as the cross-cutting aspect of human and
national security;
ž ENVSEC Initiative;
ž `Cause-Problem-Solution’ of the local environmental problems;
ž Elaboration of environmental action plans for solution of the
environmental problems.
The project includes two cycles of trainings / workshops and
implementation of environmental actions / campaigns to take place in
transboundary districts of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. After the
workshops in a later stage, the local community associations will
establish Public Environmental Information Points / Centers. The Public
Environmental Information Points / Centers will work in close
cooperation on solution of local and regional environmental problems and
implementation of the Aarhus Convention on the local and regional levels
together with other organizations in the neighboring districts (e.g.
CENN Public Environmental Information Centers in Bolnisi, Kazakh and
Akhtala supported by the Eurasia Foundation).
For further information on the project, please contact: GTZ FRCS office:
[email protected]
For information on the environmental trainings and workshops, please
contact the CENN office: [email protected]
5.3. COMMUNITY CENTER OPENS IN GYUMRI
Source: Armenian NGO News in Brief, December 12, 2004
On November 2, a new Community Center opened its doors in Gyumri. The
building was renovated by the Norwegian Refugee Council and houses
Community Social-Healthcare and Pedo-Psychological Assistance Centers as
well as a Kindergarten. Services of the Community Social-Healthcare
Center will be provided by Mission Armenia Charitable NGO and are
designed to meet the needs of vulnerable, single, older and disabled
people and refugees residing in temporary dwellings. This integrated
center includes a soup kitchen, social services center, health post,
bath and laundry, hairdressing room, training resource center,
conference room and other more.
The soup kitchen will be operational on weekdays and provide hot
nutritious meals to about 200 beneficiaries. The social services center
will provide health, psychological, legal trainings and individual
consultations. The in-home services for almost 600 single older
residents of Gyumri are one of the most significant activities to be
carried out through the center: provision of individual care, personal
hygiene, medical assistance, psychological, gerontological and legal
assistance, home renovation, heating of homes, and more. It will also
serve as a good place for arranging cultural events, meetings and
round-table discussions. The health post will provide primary health
care and necessary medications to beneficiaries free of charge. The bath
and laundry will meet primary hygienic needs of older beneficiaries. The
hairdressing room will provide relevant services to the vulnerable.
Through the training resource center, computer, hairdressing and
tailoring skills will be transferred to the vulnerable refugee and local
population of the town, providing them an opportunity to acquire new job
skills. Mission Armenia Charitable NGO implements these activities
through funding support received from USAID.
Contact: Hripsime Kirakosyan
Mission Armenia Charitable NGO
42 G. Nzdeh St.
Tel.: (374-1) 44-47-92; 44-47-93
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
6. INTERNATIONAL NEWS
6.1. ENVIRONMENTAL SCANDAL THREATENS ABN AMRO’S CAUCASUS OIL PIPELINE
PRESS RELEASE
Friends of the Earth Netherlands
Banking giant ABN Amro asked to freeze its pipeline loan
Amsterdam (The Netherlands), 25 November 2004 — Friends of the Earth
Netherlands (Milieudefensie) wants ABN AMRO to take urgent action to
prevent the environmental disaster that threatens British oil company
BP’s oil pipeline in the Caucasus.
Experts have concluded that the methods used during the construction of
the pipeline could lead to large oil spills and even heavy explosions.
ABN Amro is an important investor in the controversial oil pipeline that
runs from Baku (Azerbaijan) through Tbilisi (Georgia) and to Ceyhan
(Turkey).
Following irregularities during the construction of the pipeline,
experts were asked to testify before an Enquiry Committee of the British
Parliament last week. Civil servants of the British Export Credit Agency
(ECGD) admitted to the committee that there was a considerable risk that
the pipeline could leak. The experimental anti-corrosion treatment that
was applied to prevent the pipeline from rusting is not working and
apparently was not adequately tested. In the past, BP claimed that the
risk of the pipeline leaking was ‘practically impossible’.
Before even one drop of oil has been transported, the pipeline is
already showing hairline fractures. Research has made clear that over a
quarter of the welding seams in the Georgian part of the pipeline are
not in order. Derk Mortimore, a consultant hired by BP, who warned BP of
these risks in 2002, was fired afterwards. Mortimore concluded that the
pipeline meant BP would be burying ‘thousands of environmental time
bombs’. The effects of an accident could be disastrous to the
environment, especially where the pipeline goes through the ecologically
significant National Park Borjomi in Georgia.
In November 2003 and February 2004, Friends of the Earth Netherlands
warned ABN Amro of the risks of this project and urged the bank to
withdraw from the project until sufficient environmental measures had
been taken. The bank ignored these demands and played down the evidence
of BP’s negligence. ABN Amro is an important investor in the 3.6
billion-dollar project.
“ABN Amro must accept its responsibility and freeze BP’s loan until the
company takes adequate measures to guarantee the safe functioning of the
pipeline,” says Paul de Clerck, Friends of the Earth Netherland’s
campaign coordinator. If BP does not solve the problems sufficiently,
the bank should withdraw from the project.
Added De Clerck: “ABN Amro’s integrity is at stake. Investing in this
pipeline is contrary to its own policy on corporate responsibility and
the sustainability rules called the ‘Equator Principles’ that it also
has adopted.”
For more information:
Friends of the Earth Netherlands (Milieudefensie) Press Office,
+31 (0) 20 5507 333 or
6.2. KAZAKHSTAN SIGNS AGREEMENT TO PREVENT SPREAD OF BIOWEAPONS
Security expected to improve at Kazakh biological facilities
Source: , December 17, 2004
Washington — Kazakhstan and the United States have signed an agreement
designed to eliminate the threat of proliferating biological weapons
(BW) or the use of related technology or know-how by terrorists.
On December 8, 2004 the two nations signed an amendment to a 1995
bilateral agreement that is part of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat
Reduction program. The program is designed to prevent the proliferation
of biological weapons technology, pathogens and expertise.
Under the terms of agreement, the United States will provide $35 million
for study projects, including one designed to develop medical
countermeasures for diseases than could be spread in Central Asia by
biological agents such as the plague.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar pushed for
stronger cooperation between the two nations during a visit to Almaty in
2003. The latest development prompted he to praise the Bush
administration and the Defense Department: “This is a critical step
forward in addressing the threat posed by the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction,” Senator Lugar said.
Senator Lugar also praised Kazakhstan for partnering with the United
States “to work toward successfully eliminating the risk of biological
weapons and preventing bioterrorism.”
The U.S. assistance will be used to prevent the proliferation of BW
through cooperative research efforts, strengthen biosafety and
biosecurity at Kazakh facilities, consolidate dangerous biological
agents at secured central repositories, eliminate BW-related equipment
and infrastructure, and bolster Kazakhstan’s ability to detect
biological agents and to deter or respond to an attack.
Lugar spokesman Mark Hayes is quoted in the Global Security Newswire as
saying this is the first time the United States has had a comprehensive
biological weapons engagement with Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan has not signed the 1975 convention banning biological
weapons.
More information about the convention is available on the Internet at
7. NEW PUBLICATIONS
7.1. NEW BOOK: “ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN CEE
COUNTRIES’
IOS Press is pleased to announce the launching of the book “Ecological
Agriculture and Rural Development in CEE Countries” (edited by Walter
Leal Filho, TUTech, Hamburg, Germany), published as volume 44 of the
NATO Science Series (Science and Technology Policy). The book contains a
set of papers on matters related to sustainable agriculture from a
number of countries (e.g. Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland, Romania,
Turkey, UK), paying a particular attention to the situation in Central
and Eastern Europe. The publication considers how elements of science
and technology policy in agriculture, which are intertwined, may promote
sustainable practices that may reconcile agriculture and biodiversity.
“Ecological Agriculture and Rural Development in CEE Countries” (edited
by Walter Leal Filho), 2004, 228 pp., Hardcover, ISBN 1 58603 439 1,
published by IOS Press, Amsterdam (Further details at:
or [email protected])
7.2. FOLLOW THE MONEY
A new report on oil and gas revenues and budgets has found that
political repression is most extreme in countries that possess
substantial oil and gas wealth. `Follow the Money’, published by the
US-based policy program Revenue Watch, aims to help citizens of
resource-rich countries more effectively monitor government earnings and
expenditures, based on the experiences of some of the most successful
budget groups in the world. `Follow the Money’ is the first in a series
of guides promoting government transparency and accountability to be
released by Revenue Watch, an initiative of the pro-democracy Open
Society Institute, a private grant-making foundation founded by
billionaire investor George Soros.
The report is available online at:
<; 7.3. CULTURE OF SECRECY ENFORCED BY REPRESSION A submission by Thomas Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project (GAP), to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Roundtable on whistleblower protection policies of multilateral development banks A Washington, DC-based legal advocacy groups reports it has been 'overwhelmed' by whistleblowers from multilateral development banks (MDBs) who describe a 'nightmare of repression' when they trust MDB reporting channels and try to use them. Addressing a US Senate roundtable on MDB whistleblower protection policies, Thomas Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project (GAP), said nearly all the new whistleblowers GAP had seen were from the WB. The Bank's whistleblower policy in practice had been 'the primary weapon against them,' he said, adding that the Bank's Department of Institutional Integrity (INT) had been more active investigating whistleblowers than their evidence of institutional corruption. 'Instead of being trusted as a safe haven, many whistleblowers view INT as a legalized plumbers unit,' - originally, a White House creation to plug leaks and perform political espionage - Devine told the Senate. He said entrenched patterns at institutions like the World Bank will only be disrupted when the US Treasury begins aggressively enforcing the transparency mandate of the McConnell-Leahy amendment. This provision requires the Treasury to report to Congress on progress at the MDBs toward achieving a set of specific transparency and accountability goals, including effective whistleblower protection, by June 2005. So far, reports Devine, the Treasury's initial assessments have 'skipped' the word 'effective,' and have only disclosed whether banks had a program on paper. 'As a result,' he said, the 'Treasury's report was only marginally better than meaningless.' Most significant, said Devine, has been a 'disturbing pattern' of personal leadership by World Bank President James Wolfensohn in 'sustaining both harassment and an environment of fear.' Mr. Wolfensohn has repeatedly personally intervened with INT for investigations of whistleblowers. Unless he drastically reverses course Devine warned, 'his legacy for the Bank will be intensified secrecy enforced by repression.' Strong whistleblower protection is being viewed as an essential tool in the fight against corrupt uses of MDB funds which the Senate Committee has been told could amount to as much as $200 billion dollars over the past 60 years. <; 8. CALENDAR (INTERNATIONAL) 8.1. II INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON MOUNTAIN TOURISM MOUNTAIN HUTS - CHALLENGES FOR TOURISTS AND NATURE? Source: Mountain Forum, December 14, 2004 First Announcement and Call for Papers Organized by: International Friends of Nature, Institute of Tourism and Recreation of Cracow Academy of Physical Education Polish Tourist Country Lovers' Society (PTTK) - Cracow Academic Section to be held in Szklarska Poreba (Poland) 14 - 17 April 2005 Mountain huts play a pivotal role in access to the World's high places. They allow climbers to commence their ascents early in the morning, backpackers can create adventurous high-level treks, but they should not be viewed simply as facilities; properly managed mountain huts evoke a powerful atmosphere of fellowship, helpfulness and responsibility which has an educational impact, especially on younger tourists. Some mountain huts are very old, possessing rich historical and architectural values, and should be protected as cultural monuments in their own right. On the other hand mountain huts are a form of enterprise, which have to be economically viable. Finally, mountain huts are invariably sited within a very fragile natural environment, intruding upon the landscape and impacting upon local biodiversity. Technical and economic developments together with the growing and increasingly sophisticated demands of people are changing the nature and extent of mountain tourism. Mountain huts are not immune to these pressures. Larger, more accessible, and increasingly comfortable huts inevitably results in increased impacts on local resources. This is why the organizers have decided to invite people involved in the various aspects of this complex issue to jointly discuss the present and the future of mountain huts. The objectives of the Seminar are to exchange information, experience and ideas on topics which include: o mountain huts as historical monuments and witnesses to the past; o huts in the mountain landscape (disfigurement or additional value?); o environmental impact of mountain huts and how to limit it; o mountain huts as a place of interpretation and education; o creating the right social atmosphere in mountain huts; o nature - friendly mountain huts; o mountain huts and protected areas - conflict or cooperation? In addition the Seminar will provide participants with an opportunity to visit the Giant (Karkonosze) Mountains National Park - an area of exceptional bio-cultural diversity and with more than two hundred years history of mountain tourism. Visits to other national parks in the Sudety Mountains will be possible during the post-seminar excursions. Participants/Audience: The organizers invite participation from all people with an involvement or interest in mountain tourism - natural as well as cultural - including managers of mountain huts, mountain guides, tour leaders, interpreters, rangers, park managers responsible for environmental education, scientists, writers and journalists interested in mountain issues from all over the world. Call for papers: Participants are kindly invited to submit papers, posters or any other kind of presentation related to the theme of the Seminar. Papers, accepted by the Editorial Committee, will be published in the post-conference issue of Folia Turistica - the scientific journal edited by the Institute of Tourism and Recreation in Cracow. All colleagues wishing to participate or to be informed about further details are requested to send an e-mail or fax to: Michael Prochazka - [email protected] Fax: ++43 1 8129789 Or Piotr Dabrowski - [email protected] Fax: ++48 12 4231697 Indicating: name, surname, e-mail address and represented Institution/society/protected area/company/media organization. The organizers will forward full details and a registration form. We look forward to seeing you in Szklarska Poreba! Michael Prochazka - Secretary General IFN Piotr Dabrowski - Chairman of the Cracow Academic Section of PTTK 8.2. REGIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY MEETINGS TOWARDS THE 6TH GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM (19-20 FEBRUARY 2005, NAIROBI, KENYA) In November -December 2004, each regional office of UNEP hosted a civil society meeting (six in total) in preparation of the 6th Global Civil Society Forum (GCSF). Gathering around 40 civil society representatives, each forum had a special focus on international environment governance (IEG), the UNEP work programme 2006-07 and UNEP capacity building cooperation with civil society. On December 3, 2004, two civil society organizations from each region gathered in Nairobi to elaborate a global civil society statement based on the regional outcomes. I also attended civil society meeting in Geneva and actively participated in adoption of regional statement. I had informed attendants about activities in the sphere of information dissemination, activities of working groups on GMO, European Plan on Environment and Health and Ecostrategy. First of all I had driven attention of attendance to water, sanitation and human settlement issues and I am happy to say that everybody supported to include this important (mainly for the South Caucasus region) issue into the statement which describes the importance of UNEP participation in realization of EU Water Initiative(See page 5 of the attached statement of UNEP ROE) On February 19-20, 2004 more than 100 civil society representatives from all over the world are expected to attend the 6th GCSF. The event, organized back to back with the GC-23/GMEF, February 21-25, 2005 is the main venue for civil society to participate in UNEP decision-making process. The regional and the global statements will be distributed to governments in in view of the twenty-third session of UNEP Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-23/GMEF) and are also available online(). By decision of UNEP ROE I will be among those who will present mentioned statement to the 6th Global Civil Society Forum (February 2005, Nairobi, Kenya). Best regards Rafig Verdiyev, ECORES, UNEP NC, Azerbaijan 8.3. ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASSESSMENTS: SCIENCE AND BEST PRACTICE Special British Ecological Society Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management Conference Ecological Impact Assessments: Science and Best Practice The venue and date of this conference is to be changed (originally Bath Spa University College: 12-13th July 2005) Further announcements will be made on the venue and date as soon as possible. The call for papers has also been extended to 1st February 2005. Aims of the conference Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are an important tool for conserving ecosystems and biodiversity in the wider environment. Recent national and international legislation has increased mandatory requirements for EIAs, their scope and standards. However, standards of ecological assessment have often been deficient and current ecological principles and scientific methods overlooked or poorly applied. The BES (Conservation Ecology Group) and IEEM are therefore organising a joint symposium, the aim of which is to complement the Guidelines for Ecological Impact Assessment that are being prepared by IEEM by focussing on raising the standards of ecological science in EIAs. The specific objectives of the conference are to: - emphasize the need for ecological science in EIAs; - promote current best practices in the application of ecological science to EIAs; - identify opportunities for applying new ecological theories and knowledge in EIAs; and - identify further ecological research needs with respect to EIAs. The conference is primarily aimed at ecological scientists undertaking research applicable to impact assessments, EIA clients and practitioners, and others involved in the EIA process, including developers, consultants, planners, government development agencies, local authorities, conservation agencies, lecturers and trainers in EIA and non-governmental conservation organisations. Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 200. The meeting will consist of a 2-day symposium, with presentations reviewing key issues, and workshop sessions to produce agreed practical recommendations on best practice. This will be followed by a web-based discussion forum on the meeting's conclusions and recommendations. The symposium presentations and the workshop recommendations will be fully published as edited and peer reviewed proceedings. Call for papers Proposals are now invited for papers and presentations on the following topics: 1. Surveys and evaluation of ecological importance, e.g. 2. Design and analysis of ecological surveys (e.g. quantifying the probability of detecting species of conservation importance). 3. Identification of valued ecosystem components and sensitive receivers. 4. Evaluating and reporting on the importance of habitats and species. 5. Evaluating the importance of a species' population (e.g. approaches for taking into account biogeographical importance, the role of metapopulations and migration staging posts). 6. Defining, quantifying and assessing the significance of ecosystem functions and services. Predicting impacts and their significance, e.g. - The application of risk theory to ecological impact predictions. - Modeling and quantifying impacts from habitat loss and change. - Quantifying disturbance impacts. - Predicting cumulative impacts. - Reporting on the significance of impacts. Mitigation techniques, e.g. - The effectiveness of translocations and the factors that promote success. - Habitat restoration, enhancement and creation; predicting the likelihood of success and the value of habitats in the short and long-term. - Approaches for monitoring mitigation success. Presentation proposals should initially assume a 40 minute presentation and should focus on one or more of the topics listed above. Presentations should include a relatively broad review of the topic in question and then focus on a few case studies that illustrate best practice application of ecological science to EIAs. Presentations should conclude with key recommendations for application of ecological science to the particular issue in question, and where appropriate, requirements for further research that may assist with raising ecological standards in EIAs. All reasonable travel and conference subsistence costs will be reimbursed for speakers from the UK and elsewhere. Proposals for presentations should be made by submitting a detailed abstract together with a CV to the conference coordinator Graham Tucker [email protected] (Tel. 01480 498395). The abstract should clearly define the topics that will be covered in the paper, briefly describe the case studies that will be examined and outline the key recommendations that will be made. Any publications, or papers in press or preparation by the author(s) that relate to the presentation should be listed with full citation details. The deadline for submission of proposals is 1st February 2005. Poster papers may also be presented, and instructions for offering posters will be provided on this website in February. *************************************************************************** Subscribing Information This CENN lists are created to maintain e-mail discussions of Caucasus Environmental NGO Network members. By sending the letter on address [email protected], all subscribers will receive it. To subscribe or unsubscribe from CENN mailing list service, please send an email message to [email protected] and places the subscribe or unsubscribe command as the first line of the message body. For example, if a mailing list called CENN, one would subscribe or unsubscribe by placing the value: SUBSCRIBE CENN or UNSUBSCRIBE CENN as the first line of the message body. The message subject is irrelevant and can be left blank. For more information, please visit CENN web page at: CENN, on behalf of the Caucasus Environmental NGOs, would like to express gratitude to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for provision of financial support for regional environmental networking program. For more information about the program, please visit CENN web-page: *************************************************************************** Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) E-mail: [email protected] URL: ************************************************** ************************* Editorial policy: CENN both solicits and accepts submissions for environmental information to the Caucasus Environmental News Bulletin. Although, CENN retains the right to edit all materials both for content and length. The information provided for the Bulletin does not necessarily represent the opinion of CENN and SDC. -- ******************************************* CENN INFO Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46 Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47 E-mail: [email protected] URL: *********************************************************************** CENN is a moderated mailing list created by Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) to maintain and encorage e-mail discussions on environmental issues in the Caucasus region and abroad. By sending the letter on address [email protected] all subscribers will receive it. To unsubscribe, send the message to
[email protected] The message subject is irrelevant and can be left
blank.
For help, contact the list manager: [email protected]
Editorial policy: CENN both solicits and accepts submissions for
environmental information to the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network.
Although, CENN retains the right to edit all materials both for
content and length. The information provided through CENN does
not necessarily represent the opinion of SDC and CENN.
CENN, on behalf of the Caucasus Environmental NGOs, would like to
express gratitude to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
(SDC) for provision of financial support for regional environmental
networking program.
For more information about the program, please visit CENN web-page:

ArmenPress
Dec 27 2004
GAS LEAK RESULTS IN ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT
ASHTARAK, DECEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS: A 60 year-old man and his 56
year-old wife were asphyxiated by a natural gas leak in Ashtarak
town, the administrative center of Aragatsotn province Saturday,
emergency officials said today- the fourth such incident of gas
poisoning in Armenia this month.
Emergency officials said the accident was caused by the couple’s
failure to observe safety rules. They used a gas water heater while
their apartment does not have a waste-heat flue.
The return of widespread use of natural gas in Armenia has caused
a number of safety problems in recent years, officials say. The
country had almost no natural gas for about 11 years because of
supply problems. Last week, a family of five died in the town of
Etchmiadzin. Two days later, a gas leak killed two people in the town
of Gyumri, followed by another accident in the village of Brnakot, in
Syunik province, where a man, his wife and 7-year-old child were
asphyxiated by a natural gas leak.
Concerned with the growing number of fatal incidents caused by
natural gas leaks president Robert Kocharian instructed last week
relevant government agencies to combine efforts to prevent use of
poorly installed homemade gas heaters and illegal connection to
municipal gas pipes.

40 APPLICANTS CHOSEN FOR WORKING IN QATAR
ArmenPress
Dec 24 2004
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: The government-affiliated department
for refugees and migrants has shortlisted 23 hospital nurses and 27
programmers from a pool of hundreds of applicants who are likely to
travel to Qatar to get there high-paid jobs for at least one year.
The head of the department, Gagik Yeganian, told a news conference
today the final decision will be made by a Qatar official who is
going to visit Yerevan soon to conduct interviews with each of the
applicants.
The Qatar side will pay their travel expenses along with providing them
with housing. The recruiting was made in accordance with a bilateral
agreement. The applicants must be fluent in English and have at least
a three-year experience.