Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

Agence France Presse — English
October 23, 2004 Saturday
Prisoner amnesty in Turkmenistan on first day of legislative session
ASHGABAT
Turkmenistan’s autocratic leader Saparmurat Niyazov Saturday opened
the annual three-day session of the nation’s main legislative body by
announcing what has become a traditional mass prisoner release during
the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The annual assembly offers a glimpse into this isolated one-time land
of khans that matters on the world stage because of its gas and oil
reserves but where opposition is not tolerated, media tightly
controlled and official statistics distrusted.
Some 9,000 prisonners will be released this year a few days before
the end of Ramadan in the mostly Muslim country, Niyazov told the
2,507 delegates of the People’s Council, or Halk Maslahaty.
“Let our fellow citizens who have stumbled rejoin society,” Niyazov
told the deputies, who are expected, in following with tradition, to
pass laws introduced by Niyazov by the close of the session on
Monday.
The release is the fourth consecutive one in this former Soviet
republic and will include 150 foreign nationals, including those of
Armenia, Moldova, as well as neighboring Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, he said.
Seven thousand prisoners were released during the pardon last year.
Niyazov also announced a hike in pensions and salaries, said he would
introduce a water law, slash the number of taxes and decree new
quotas for grain and cotton production.
Beginning on January 1, 2005, salaries and pensions will be hiked by
50 percent, so that the average monthly salary will stand at 2,250
million manats (433 US dollars at the official exchange rate, 94
dollars at the black market rate), he said.
The number of possible taxes levied would be slashed from 17 to four,
and the government will introduce long-term land leasing.
“Land will always belong to the government, but any citzen will be
able to rent up to 10 hectares for 10 years,” he said.
Niyazov also said he would introduce a water law in the nation, which
is roughly the size of California and lies mostly in the desert sands
of Central Asia.
He said that farming consumed most of the water in the country every
year, 23 billion cubic meters or 88 percent, and that nearly half of
this, 10 billion cubic meters, was wasted.
“We cannot allow this any longer, this is our national riches, so we
need a law on water,” he said, promising to provide specifics later
in the session.
The Communist-era apparatchik, who has held power in Turkmenistan
since it became independent in 1991, also increased quotas for grain
and cotton production by 2010.
He said oil and gas production in for 2004 would stand at 10 million
tons and 61 billion cubic meters, respectively, and trade turnover at
seven billion US dollars.
Although it is not Turkmenistan’s sole legislative body, the asembly
passes the nation’s major laws.
Turkmenistan is a country of nearly five million people whose gas
reserves are believed to be among the world’s top five. It was also
once the world’s tenth-largest producer of cotton.
Niyazov was had himself anointed president for life in 1999 and
prefers to be addressed as Turkmenbashi (father-of-all-Turkmen) the
Great.
Huge statues of him can be found in most of the nation’s cities and
on Friday a vast mosque capable of holding 10,000 worshippers opened
in his home village, in part as a tribute to its famous native.
Rights groups have denounced his regime for stifling opposition and
human rights violations.

NKR PARLIAMENT ADOPTS A NUMBER OF LAWS
STEPANAKERT, October 22 (Noyan Tapan). On October 20, a regular
plenary sitting of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic National Assembly, at
which 13 issues were considered, took place. The Laws “On Mass
Information”, “On the Freedom of Information”, “On Minimal Basket of
Goods and Minimal Consumer Budget”, “On State Agrarian Inspections”,
“On Cash Activity”, “On Tourism and Traveling Activity” (in the first
reading), “On Legal and Social-Economic Guarantees for People Deported
in 1988-92 from Azerbaijan and Granted the NKR Citizenship”, “On
Citizens Evading Military Service with the Violation of the
Established Regime” were adopted without any disagreements. According
to the Information and Analytical Department of the RA NKR Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, after long discussions, the draft of the NKR Electing
Code was adopted in the first reading. The Electing Code will
virtually replace three acting laws, which regulate issues related to
the elections of the republic’s president, deputies of the National
Assembly and local self-governance bodies.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Daily News of Los Angeles
October 21, 2004 Thursday, Valley Edition
FOR THE RECORD
In a graphic accompanying an Oct. 11 story about a Russian-Armenian
crime ring, police said they believed Edvin Isagulyan was killed as a
result of a war between two organized-crime families. Police now say
the shooting was not connected to organized crime.

Armenianow.com
Oct 22, 2004
Faith Fight: Church goes on defensive against Jehovah’s Witnesses
By Marianna Grigoryan
ArmeniaNow Reporter
The Armenian Apostolic Church appears to be mobilizing to stop the spread of
Jehovah’s Witnesses and other “sects” in Armenia.
On Tuesday (October 19), the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese hosted a roundtable
discussion to address concerns raised since Jehovah’s Witnesses became an
officially registered religious body in Armenia, October 8. (See related
story).
“The problem is not only the sect’s registration that has extremely
embarrassed the youth and us,” said Father Zohrab Kostanyan. “It is rather
the danger of sectarianism for our country.”
(According to information from the Armenian Apostolic Church, there are some
6 million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. Many beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses
are similar to traditional Christian religions. But they part from the
traditional faith on matters such as the Trinity. For related information:
; )
Officially, there are some 20,000 registered Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia.
Unofficially, the number is put at about 80,000 by the Apostolic Church.
Members of Armenia’s main Church are concerned about the “sect”.
“The Armenian Apostolic Church has 160 clergymen in Armenia,” Father
Kostanyan says. “And notwithstanding such a small number of clergymen and
very little funds, our Church, it could be said, works miracles. However in
this context we should be alert and attentive.”
The participants are sure that the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia
was growing underground while the sect was still illegal in Armenia. But
now, as Council of Europe requirements have forced the government to accept
a variety of faiths, traditional religious groups worry that sects will
spread more quickly and thoroughly.
Elza Manukyan, head of the press office of the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese,
says that after the sect was given an official status, different layers of
the society have expressed their discontent.
“We were periodically receiving alarm calls about this problem from young
men, so we decided to make an arrangement and assemble everyone to find a
solution,” she says.
The roundtable was attended by representatives of more than a dozen
university student councils, various youth organizations and clergymen.
Jehovah’s Witnesses “do not accept the Church, think that man has no soul
and that the soul dies with the body and they put forward a number of such
arguments that totally refute the Armenian Apostolic Church and our creed,”
Manukyan says.
But the danger, according to Manukyan, from the activities of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses is their proselytizing. She says they go from one apartment to
another knocking at doors and alluring passers-by on streets and entice
these persons into their sect by ruining their families and life.
Theater Institute representative Emin Torosyan accused the Jehovah’s
Witnesses of espousing a belief that encourages suicide. “We should do our
best to protect especially the youth,” he said.
Hayk Akarmazian, representative of the Engineering University, says that
their student council has implemented certain programs aiming at directing
young people to be faithful to the traditional Armenian variant of
Christianity.
Karen Avagyan, representing the Medical University, says his council will
picket the Ministry of Justice to protest the registration of Jehovah’s
Witnesses.
The Armenian Apostolic Church plans to pay special attention to the
provinces, where it believes residents are more vulnerable to proselytizing.
“Several phone lines will be on for giving comprehensive answers and
protecting the rights of people,” Manukyan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN LEADER, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSS TIES
Mediamax news agency
19 Oct 04
YEREVAN
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan met Chinese Foreign Minister Li
Zhaoxing in Yerevan today.
The Chinese minister noted that Kocharyan’s recent official visit to
China had great significance for further strengthening and deepening
of bilateral relations, the Armenian presidential press service has
told Mediamax news agency.
Armenia and China have great potential for cooperation as there are no
political problems between the states and Yerevan and Beijing have
similar positions on a number of important international problems,
Kocharyan said.

Russian Minister Urges Armenia to Trade with Russia via Iran
Civil Georgia, Georgia
Oct 15 2004
Russian Minister of Transport and Communication Igor Levitin
advised the Armenian government to trade with Russia via the
Astrakhan-Enzeli (Iran) sea route. Levitin was responding to the
dissatisfaction expressed by the Armenian government over the closure
of the Larsi checkpoint on Russo-Georgian border, which hampers trade
between Russia and Armenia.
According to the Russian Minister it will take “30-40 days to finish
special operations at the Russian-Georgian Verkhniy Lars check post.”
According to Armenia’s Mediamax news agency Igor Levitin said that
“these operations are aimed at creating conditions which will make
penetration by persons and cars engaged in terrorist activity into
the territory of the Russian Federation impossible.”
As an alternative, Levitin suggested the opening of the railway
communication through Abkhazia. He said Armenia and Russia are ready
for this, while the Georgian position is unjustifiably “politicized.”
“If such a readiness [to open railway communication] is expressed by
the Georgian President as well, the issue will be solved sooner,”
Levitin said.

Lawyer for suspected mercenaries dies in Malabo
Mail & Guardian Online , South Africa
Oct 13 2004
Malabo — The lawyer for eight South Africans implicated in a coup plot
in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea died in Malabo on Tuesday of malaria,
his family said.
Fernando Mico Nsue, who also suffered from diabetes and high blood
pressure, died in Malabo at the age of 62, said his eldest son,
Alberto Nguema.
“He had not been feeling well over the past few days. He was suffering
from malaria and when he had a relapse this morning, we decided to
take him to the hospital. He died while he was being driven to the
hospital,” the son added.
Mico Nsue had also defended some of the 100 Equatorial Guinean
dissidents and former soldiers tried in 2002 for a threat to state
security.
Meanwhile there was no official word on whether the trial of the 19
accused of involvement in the coup plot last March to oust President
Teodoro Obiang Nguema would resume on October 18 as announced last
week by the Malabo court’s chief judge.
In addition to the South Africans, six Armenians and five
Equato-Guineans, including a former deputy minister, went on trial
in Malabo in August for allegedly trying to topple Obiang, who has
ruled the small central African country since 1979.
The case was adjourned on August 31 at the request of the country’s
attorney general, Jose Olo Obono, to get “further information”
following the arrest of Mark Thatcher in South Africa on August 25.
The son of the former British prime minister is suspected by Equatorial
Guinea and South Africa of bankrolling the alleged plot. – Sapa

La Croix
5 octobre 2004
Dossier. La Turquie aux portes de l’Union Européenne. De gros efforts
ont été faits, d’autres restent à faire. La Turquie a adopté huit
réformes pour se rapprocher des conditions d’ouverture des
négociations d’adhésion.
MASSON Marie-Françoise
Que doit exactement décider demain la Commission européenne à propos
de la Turquie ?
Les 30 commissaires (un par Etat membre à l’exception de cinq pays –
France, Allemagne, Grande-Bretagne, Italie et Espagne – qui en ont
actuellement deux) qui forment la Commission européenne doivent
collégialement entériner ou rejeter une recommandation sur
l’ouverture ou non de négociations d’adhésion avec la Turquie qui a,
depuis 1999, le statut officiel de candidat à l’Union. Cette
recommandation sera soumise par le commissaire chargé de
l’élargissement, l’Allemand Günter Verheugen. Elle a été demandée en
décembre 2002 par les chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement des Etats
membres et sera accompagnée d’un rapport sur les progrès réalisés par
la Turquie sur la voie de l’adhésion (lire ci-contre). Elle répondra
à cette seule question : la Turquie remplit-elle ou non les critères
de Copenhague ? Ces critères résument les conditions qu’un Etat se
doit de remplir avant que s’ouvrent les négociations d’adhésion. Ils
ont été déterminés en juin 1993 dans la capitale danoise, alors
qu’affluaient vers l’Union européenne les candidatures des anciens
pays du bloc soviétique. Se trouvent réunies des conditions
politiques (institutions stables, démocratie, primauté du droit,
respect des droits de l’homme, etc.) et économiques (capacité de
supporter la concurrence, économie de marché viable). Cependant, en
1999, au sommet européen d’Helsinki, il fut entendu à l’égard des
pays de l’Europe de l’Est – et par extension de tout autre candidat –
que seuls les critères politiques étaient une condition préalable à
l’ouverture de négociations d’adhésion.
Les critères économiques et l’alignement de la législation nationale
sur l’ensemble des mesures communautaires sont perçus comme devant
être appliqués ultérieurement, lors des négociations proprement
dites.
Qu’a déjà fait la Turquie ?
Depuis cinq ans, la Turquie a voté huit grands paquets de réformes
qui ont profondément transformé la législation du pays. Les trois
premiers, concernant l’abolition de la peine de mort et la
reconnaissance de certains droits culturels, notamment pour la
minorité kurde, ont été adoptés avant l’élection d’un nouveau
Parlement et l’arrivée au pouvoir du gouvernement conservateur de
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, en novembre 2002. Ce dernier, disposant d’une
majorité absolue avec son parti AKP, a fait adopter depuis cinq
autres paquets portant sur la liberté d’expression, la liberté de
manifester, le contrôle civil de l’armée (changement du statut du
Conseil de sécurité nationale aujourd’hui présidé par un civil et
ayant dorénavant un rôle consultatif), la réforme du code civil
(reconnaissant l’égalité entre hommes et femmes) et celle du code
pénal. En juin, le Conseil de l’Europe, organisation plus large que
l’Union européenne et focalisée sur les droits de l’homme, qui depuis
1996 avait mis la Turquie sous surveillance en raison des graves
violations des droits de l’homme, a reconnu ces changements et décidé
de lever ce dispositif.
Que doit encore faire la Turquie ?
Une réforme pénitentiaire mettant les règles de détention en
conformité avec les droits de l’homme n’est pas encore adoptée. Et,
dans la Constitution, il reste des amendements à apporter au code
électoral. La promesse de voter ces textes ne suffit pas : la
polémique née au moment de l’adoption du nouveau code pénal, ces
dernières semaines, le prouve.
C’est en effet grce aux menaces de l’Union européenne d’arrêter tout
début de négociation d’adhésion avec la Turquie que les manifestants
dans le pays – en majorité des femmes – ont pu obtenir qu’une mesure
prévoyant des peines de prison pour l’adultère soit retirée. Par
ailleurs, la Commission européenne le disait déjà l’an dernier dans
son précédent rapport : les réformes législatives ont eu une
application difficile (du fait des restrictions apportées dans les
textes eux-mêmes), lente – la tolérance zéro en matière de torture a
beau avoir été affirmée par le gouvernement turc, beaucoup reste à
faire pour mettre ce principe en application – et inégale.
La liberté d’expression, notamment pour les minorités, contient de
nombreuses mesures restrictives, et les organisations de défense des
droits de l’homme, Amnesty en tête, dénoncent régulièrement les
dérives sur le terrain. La liberté d’association a, certes, été
assouplie, mais elle demeure sous un contrôle strict de l’Etat.
Enfin, il ne faut pas oublier la reconnaissance du génocide arménien
qui, sans être une condition d’ouverture des négociations, est
réclamée par certains sans être jusqu’ici entendue dans le pays.
Peut-on encore dire non à l’entrée de la Turquie si on dit oui
aujourd’hui ?
Même si la Commission répond qu’il convient d’ouvrir les négociations
avec la Turquie, cela ne garantira pas la réponse positive des chefs
d’Etat et de gouvernement le 17 décembre. Or, ils sont les seuls à
pouvoir trancher. Certains dirigeants (les premiers ministres
luxembourgeois et autrichien notamment) ont ouvertement affiché leur
peu d’enthousiasme, et la nouvelle Commission qui prendra ses
fonctions le 1er novembre est en retrait sur ce dossier par rapport à
la précédente.
Si la Commission livre une recommandation favorable, deux procédures
devraient être explicitement instaurées pour la première fois : lors
des négociations qui porteront cette fois sur l’intégration par la
Turquie de toutes les règles communautaires du marché et de
l’ensemble de la législation commune, tout restera ouvert jusqu’à la
fin. De même, les négociations pourront-elles être arrêtées à tout
moment. Une manière de laisser entendre que l’entrée de la Turquie
n’est pas acquise. Une entrée qu’il restera ensuite à faire admettre
aux pays membres qui devront la ratifier. Et l’on sait que, pour la
France, ce pourrait être par voie de référendum.
MARIE-FRANEUROISE MASSON
Les critères de Copenhague , un condensé de ce qui fonde l’Union
européenne.
· Copenhague, en 1993, les chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement avaient
fixé des critères que devait respecter tout pays candidat à l’Union
avant que ne s’ouvrent les négociations d’adhésion. Voici les deux
paragraphes clés :
L’adhésion requiert de la part du pays candidat qu’il ait des
institutions stables garantissant la démocratie, la primauté du
droit, les droits de l’homme, le respect des minorités et leur
protection, l’existence d’une économie de marché viable ainsi que la
capacité à faire face à la pression concurrentielle et aux forces du
marché à l’intérieur de l’Union. L’adhésion présuppose la capacité du
pays candidat à en assumer les obligations et notamment à souscrire
aux objectifs de l’union politique, économique et monétaire.
La capacité de l’Union à assimiler de nouveaux membres tout en
maintenant l’élan de l’intégration constitue également un élément
important répondant à l’intérêt général aussi bien de l’Union que des
pays candidats.

PRESS RELEASE
October 6, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected]; Web:
U.S.-Armenia Task Force Holds Meeting in Washington, DC
The ninth session of the U.S.-Armenia intergovernmental task force on
economic cooperation (USATF) was held in Washington, DC on October 4, 2004.
USATF is the format allowing discussions between the governments of the
United States and Armenia on issues of bilateral economic and related
issues, and its sessions are held on bi-annual basis. The Armenian
delegation to the Ninth Session of USATF was headed by Finance and Economy
Minister Vardan Khachatryan, and included Chairman of State Committee on
Water Management Andranik Andreasyan, Chief Economic Adviser to the
President Vahram Nercissiantz, Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sargsian,
Armenian Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Arman Kirakossian, and officials from
the Ministries of Finance and Economy and Foreign Affairs.
The agenda for the USATF meeting included issues such as coordination and
directions of U.S. assistance programs in Armenia within the context of the
Government of Armenia’s strategy for poverty reduction and sustaining
economic growth, the current status of the Millenium Challenge Account
programs’ process in Armenia, banking sector development, business
environment, further reforms in energy sector, agriculture, and irrigation,
strengthening counterterrorism capabilities, and other issues of bilateral
concern.
Prior to the USATF session, the Armenian governmental delegation
participated in the annual Governor’s Meeting of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund on October 2-3, 2004.
On October 3, the Embassy of Armenia hosted a reception in honor of the
Armenian delegation, with participation of officials from U.S. Government
and the international financial organizations, including CEO of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation Paul Applegarth, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans, NSC Deputy Director for Europe and Eurasia Matthew Bryza, and
World Bank Country Director for Armenia and South Caucasus Donna
Dowset-Coirola, as well as representatives of the Armenian-American
organizations.

The Poetry of Dance: Roger Sinha’s `Apricot Trees Exist’
Maisonneuve Magazine
October 05, 2004
by Kena Herod
While we tend to think of poetry and dance as separate art forms,
throughout human history the two have been intimately linked. Even in
today’s highly specialized world, choreographers occasionally use
poetry (and other forms of the written word) as inspiration for
movement, or even within a performance as a complement to the
dance. Montreal choreographer Roger Sinha, however, intertwines poetry
and dance more than usual in `Apricot Trees Exist.’ Sinha’s newest
piece is based on Inger Christensen’s book-length poem, Alphabet.
Roger Sinha, born in England to Indian and Armenian parents, began his
dance studies at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. In 1986, he made
his professional debut in Quebec City; he continued his performing
career in Montreal, where in 1992 he choreographed his first work, the
acclaimed solo Burning Skin. Since then, Sinha has looked back to his
Indian roots for choreographic material. Drawing inspiration from
classical Indian dance and Asian music, Sinha has become renowned for
his East-meets-West contemporary choreography. With his latest work,
Sinha decided to challenge himself anew, feeling that he has explored
his personal history enough for the time being. `I wanted to get out
of myself, my preoccupations,’ he says of the autobiographical
material that infused his earlier choreography.
Interpreting the formal constraints of Christensen’s poem was Sinha’s
first challenge. The Danish poet used the alphabet (as the title
implies) in addition to Fibonacci’s number system as a basis for the
structure of the poem. Taking up this structure, Sinha substitutes
body parts that begin with eachletter of the alphabet and puts them in
motion for the amount of time it takes to read the corresponding lines
of the poem, creating an `anatomy of the alphabet’ that moves through
time.
Benoit Leduc and Magdalena Nowecka, above, performing in “Apricot
Trees Exist.” Sinha coreographed his dancers to create an “anatomy of
the alphabet.”
PHOTO BY ROLLINE LAPORTE
To facilitate the Montreal audience’s understanding of the poem, Sinha
is using a new French translation in voice-overs and projections on a
screen. But he is less concerned about the audience `getting’ the
poem=80=99s meaning (that’s just icing on the cake) than that they
appreciate the movement on stage. Non-dance elements are kept as
simple and economical as possible, he says, in order not to detract
attention from the choreography.
In the past, Sinha says, `I’ve always avoided anything hi-tech; it
puts me off. It’s so time and money consuming.’ And yet, in order to
push himself in a new direction and take full advantage of a
three-week residency at L=80=99Agora de la Danse, Sinha wanted to use
more theatrical bells and whistles in tandem with choreography for
`Apricot Trees Exist.’ `Even if it doesn’t work out,’ he says, at
least `I will have tried it.’
A first, too, for him was the high level of involvement of his dancers
in the creative process of the work. It was born partly out of
necessity-an ankle operation left Sinha temporarily immobile. He
appreciatively acknowledges not only the inventiveness of his dancers,
but also their ability to work within his guidelines and understand
his style. He notes that their efforts `took a lot of pressure off me
to always be the center’ of creation.
Coreographer and dancer Roger Sinha, pictured above in another
production, invited his dancers to play a part in the creative
process, in part becausean ankle operation left him temporarily
immobile.
In another bid to stretch himself as an artist, Sinha decided to
eschew the highly rhythmic Asian music he has favoured in previous
work and hired Bertrand Chénier, who composes mainly for film, to
write the score. Sinha callsChenier ‘s score `ambient’ (perhaps as a
consequence of thecomposer’s experience in film, the music seems to be
more in the background), allowing `other things to come out’ of the
dance. With a pulse-driven composition, Sinha notes, it is all too
easy to `become a slave’ to the rhythm.
The same week as the premiere of `Apricot Trees Exist,’ Sinha will
unveil another new work, a meditation on globalization commissioned by
the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation for its Public Policy
Conference. Regarding boththese pieces and his work in general, Sinha
says his motive for choreography is not just self-expression. He
admits, `There is always that ego-aspect of the artist that wants
=80=98my stuff’ to be shown.’ But, artists, he argues, should also
take the public `away from their familiarities,’ in ways that `will
allow them to grow.’ Like Christensen in Alphabet, Sinha hopes to
clarify our vision, helping us see the world and its wonders of nature
afresh. For him, choreography is `an opportunity you have as an
artist, part of our responsibility that we don ‘t see in commercial
art.’
`Apricot Trees Exist’ runs October 13-16 and 20=80`23 at Le Studio de
L’Agora de la Danse.
Kena Herod is the dance critic for Maisonneuve Magazine. The Dance
Scene appears every other Tuesday. Posted at 00:00:00 on 10/05/04
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress