Author: Nanijanian Alex

NATO office to monitor military reform in Georgia

Interfax-AVN military news agency web site, Moscow
4 Feb 05

Excerpt from report in English by Russian news agency Interfax-AVN web
site

Tbilisi, 4 February: Georgian Defence Minister Irakli Okruashvili held
a meeting today with Robert Simmons, the NATO secretary-general’s
special representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, and
Romualdas Razuks, NATO liaison officer in Transcaucasia.

“The meeting addressed Georgia-NATO integration in the light of the
Individual Partnership Action Plan approved in autumn last year,” a
source in the Georgian Defence Ministry told Interfax-Military News
Agency.

“It was decided that the Defence Ministry headquarters will host an
office of the NATO liaison officer for monitoring the reforms in
Georgia’s military sphere,” the source said. Razuks will also
supervise Azerbaijan and Armenia, he added. [Passage omitted]

Annan Disciplines Oil-For-Food Chief

Associated Press
February 3, 2005

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS – Secretary-General Kofi Annan ordered disciplinary
action against the head of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq on
Thursday, after a report sharply criticized Benon Sevan for
“undermining the integrity” of the United Nations through a “grave
conflict of interest.”

The investigation report said Sevan solicited oil allocations from
Saddam Hussein’s regime on behalf of a trading company between 1998
and 2001, and it raised concerns he may have received kickbacks for
the help.

Based on the report, Annan has decided to discipline Sevan and another
U.N. official, Joseph Stephanides, who was chief of the U.N. Sanctions
Branch, said Mark Malloch Brown, Annan’s new chief of staff. Malloch
Brown said the type of disciplinary action would be announced early
next week but gave no details.

In its report released Thursday, the investigation led by former
Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker accused Stephanides of
“tainting” bidding for a contract. Stephanides now heads the Security
Council Affairs Division in the U.N. Department of Political Affairs.

Allegations of corruption in the $60 billion oil-for-food program –
which allowed sanctions-bound Iraq to sell oil to buy humanitarian
supplies – have raised steady criticism from members of Congress.

“I am reluctant to conclude that the U.N. is damaged beyond repair,
but these revelations certainly point in this direction,” said
Illinois Republican Henry Hyde after Thursday’s report. His House
International Relations Committee is one of several U.S.
investigations.

Sen. Norm Coleman, who called for Annan’s resignation over the
scandal, said he was pleased with the report and urged Annan to lift
Sevan’s diplomatic immunity so U.S. prosecutors can review the case.

“There is more than enough probable cause to believe Benon Sevan’s
actions constitute criminal activity,” said Coleman, R-Minn.

Despite Sevan’s claims that he never recommended any oil companies,
Volcker’s Independent Inquiry Committee said it had evidence that
Sevan asked Iraq to give a small Swiss-based oil company, African
Middle East Petroleum Co. Ltd. Inc., known as AMEP, the opportunity to
buy oil. The company received the allocations and earned $1.5 million
from them.

Volcker’s panel said it is still investigating “the scope and extent
of benefits” that Sevan received for his requests.

The report did not say Sevan received kickbacks, but expressed concern
at $160,000 in cash that he said he received from his aunt in his
native Cyprus from 1999-2003. The report questioned this “unexplained
wealth,” noting that his aunt, who recently died, was a retired Cyprus
government photographer living on a modest pension.

“The most disturbing finding is the accumulation of evidence that the
executive director of the program Benon Sevan did in fact solicit oil
allocations for a small trading company,” Volcker said at a news
conference. “The Iraqis, who were assigning such allocations,
certainly thought they were buying influence.”

The report said Sevan’s solicitations on AMEP’s behalf “presented a
grave and continuing conflict of interest, were ethically improper,
and seriously undermined the integrity of the United Nations.”

Asked whether the committee found any criminal wrongdoing, Volcker
said, “We are not a criminal tribunal. Other people will have to draw
conclusions from the facts that we have presented.”

He said Sevan had not been entirely cooperative and had not responded
to interview requests in a timely way.

Malloch Brown said Annan “is shocked” and “terribly dismayed” at the
report’s findings about Sevan “and he very much doubts that there can
be any extenuating circumstances to explain the behavior which appears
proven in the report.”

But Sevan’s lawyer, Eric Lewis, accused Volcker’s committee of making
him a scapegoat and denied he ever received any money.

“The IIC has turned its back on the principles of due process,
impartiality and fairness … and it has caved in to the pressures of
those opposed to the mission of the U.N.,” Lewis said in a statement.

The oil-for-food program, launched in December 1996 to help ordinary
Iraqis cope with U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam’s 1990 invasion
of Kuwait, quickly became a lifeline for 90 percent of the 26 million
population.

Under the program, Saddam’s regime could sell oil, provided the
proceeds went to buy humanitarian goods or pay war
reparations. Saddam’s government decided on the goods it wanted, who
should provide them and who could buy Iraqi oil. But the Security
Council committee overseeing sanctions monitored the contracts.

In a bid to curry favor and end sanctions, Saddam allegedly gave
former government officials, activists, journalists and U.N. officials
vouchers for Iraqi oil that could then be resold at a profit.

Writing to U.N. staff late Thursday, Annan said, “however serious the
flaws revealed in this report, it does not support many of the wilder
allegations made against the program, such as that it was responsible
for the alleged $21 billion of illicit revenue allegedly gained by
Saddam Hussein through smuggling and other means between 1991 and
2003.”

Volcker said the major source of illicit funds to Iraq was from
smuggling, to Jordan, to Turkey, eventually to Syria, and then to
Egypt. What isn’t clear is how much those involved in the oil-for-food
program pocketed, he said.

But he confirmed an estimate in an October report by top U.S. arms
inspector Charles Duelfer that Saddam made $228 million in surcharges
on oil. However, he questioned Duelfer’s estimate that Saddam’s
kickbacks totaled $1.5 billion, saying they could have been as high as
$2.5 billion.

Volcker’s report also found “convincing and uncontested evidence” that
selection of the three U.N. contractors for the oil-for-food program
– Banque Nationale de Paris, Saybolt Eastern Hemisphere BV, and
Lloyd’s Register Inspection Limited – did not conform to established
financial and competitive bidding rules.

Paris-based BNP was chosen by former Secretary-General Boutros
Boutros-Ghali to be the program’s banker without meeting the
U.N. requirement to accept the “lowest acceptable bidder,” the report
said.

Volcker initially told reporters that Boutros-Ghali was under
investigation for that decision. But he retracted that statement
later, saying he misheard the question and thought it was about
Sevan. Volcker said Boutros-Ghali was questioned about BNP and has
told investigators he will continue to cooperate.

The competitive bidding process for a company to monitor Iraqi oil
exports was manipulated by Allan Robertson, who was in charge of the
U.N. procurement department, so Saybolt could lower its bid and win
the contract, the report said.

For the inspection of humanitarian goods, the report said, there was a
clear early preference for Lloyd’s and the competitive bidding process
was “tainted” by Stephanides. His contacts with an unnamed U.N.
mission, which a U.N. committee acquiesced to for political reasons,
led to Lloyd’s winning the contract even though there was a lower
bidder, it said.

Sevan has denied any wrongdoing. He has retired, but remains on the
U.N. payroll for a dollar a year to help with the investigation. It
was unclear what sorts of disciplinary action were possible against
him.

AMEP was run by Fakhry Abdelnour, described as an oil trader. The
report cited an Iraqi official as saying that Sevan asked Iraqi
officials in 1998 to allocate oil vouchers to AMEP to “help a friend,”
and said the friend’s name was “Abdelnour.”

The report pointed to several flaws in the auditing of the program and
called for greater transparency and accountability. It said
U.N. watchdog Dileep Nair had a report critical of program management
but never submitted.

Thursday’s report did not address questions about Annan or the
employment of his son, Kojo, by the Swiss company, Cotecna Inspection
SA, which had a U.N. contract to certify deals under the oil-for-food
program. It said that topic would be addressed in another report.

Volcker said he intends to issue a definitive report in midsummer on
the entire management and oversight of the program.

The program ended in November 2003, after the U.S.-led war that
toppled Saddam, but allegations of corruption first surfaced in late
2000, with accusations that the Iraqi leader was putting surcharges on
oil sales and pocketing the money.

Associated Press writers Nick Wadhams and Desmond
Butler contributed to this report in New York.

;cid=514&u=/ap/20050204/ap_on_re_mi_ea/oil_for_food_investigation_29

ARKA News Agency
Feb 4 2005

Arthur Baghdasaryan: the year 2005 must turn for Armenia a year of
parliamentary solidarity

Since the middle of February Armenia will start negotiations with IMF
and WB on middle-term programs in the frames of new cooperation

Presentation of new internet site of US Embassy to Armenia took place
in Yerevan

Regional Group of Basel Committee for banking control adopts
resolution in Yerevan

OSCE monitoring group to check facts visits Zangelan region under
control of NKR defense Army

The Commission of the jury of the District of Columbia (the USA)
brings an accusation of bribery and visas falsification against the
former consular officer of the US Embassy to RA

Armenian-Russian relations develop in normal course

*********************************************************************

ARTHUR BAGHDASARYAN: THE YEAR 2005 MUST TURN FOR ARMENIA A YEAR OF
PARLIAMENTARY SOLIDARITY

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. The year 2005 must turn for Armenia a
year of parliamentary solidarity, as Arthur Baghdasaryan, Speaker of
the Armenian Parliament stated today on press conference on the eve
of start of the spring session. He stressed that this year will b the
15th anniversary of foundation of the Parliament and 10 years of the
National Assembly. In this context he attached importance to solution
of the set tasks by the political streams presented in the
Parliament. In his words, the task number one is must be achieving of
constructive cooperation and tolerance when discussing important
issues. `Today’s serious problems are elements of intolerance, envy,
malice, self-admiration that prevent cooperation, therefore the
current year must be marked by parliamentary tolerance’, Baghdasaryan
said. T.M. -0–

*********************************************************************

SINCE THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY ARMENIA WILL START NEGOTIATIONS WITH IMF
AND WB ON MIDDLE-TERM PROGRAMS IN THE FRAMES OF NEW COOPERATION

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. Since the middle of February Armenia
will start negotiations with IMF and WB on middle-term programs in
the frames of new cooperation, CBA Chairman Tigran Sargsian stated
today. According to him, special attention will be paid to influence
of USD rate on CBA policy.
Talking about USD rate variations, Sargsian said that Armenian policy
in financial sphere will not be changed and it is more import how
changes the policy of basic players of the market – EU, Russia, China
and IMF and WB. He said that variations of USD rate depend on
numerous factors, including on US state budget deficit and
refinancing rate in America.
As RA Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan Khachatrian stated
earlier, RA Government will start negotiations on IMF program which
will start since autumn 2005. L.D. –0 –

*********************************************************************

PRESENTATION OF NEW INTERNET SITE OF US EMBASSY TO ARMENIA TOOK PLACE
IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. Presentation of new internet site of US
Embassy to Armenia () took place in Yerevan, US Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia John Evans stated today.
The new site testifies to democracy and transparency of American
embassy at the line of US politics and American assistance programs
in Armenia. Namely, it contains information in Armenia on assistance
program conducted in Armenia, the site has different parameters of
search, news of American politics, periodically renewed information
of Washington File edition and big data base with broad search
opportunities. According to Evans, today world is on the verge of
digital revolution, which is democratic step. According to the
Ambassador, `God gave law to Jews, alphabet to Armenians and Internet
to Americans’. `Today we managed to unite two of these events –
Internet and Armenian language’, Evans said.
New site of the embassy includes Latest News division placed on
homepage, which covers activities organized by the Embassy. L.D. –0 –

*********************************************************************

REGIONAL GROUP OF BASEL COMMITTEE FOR BANKING CONTROL ADOPTS
RESOLUTION IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. Regional Group of the Basel Committee
for banking control of South Caucasus, Central Asian states and
Russia adopted a resolution of its 15th conference in Yerevan, as
current Chairman of the Group, Deputy Chairman of National Bank of
Tajikistan Juma Eshov said. In his words, the resolution mentions the
necessity of ratifying international convention as well as adoption
and application of law against legalization (laundering) of illegal
incomes or money received through financing of terrorism. At that he
stressed that in regard of this issue, information and experience of
the Central Banks of Armenia, Georgia and Russia in creation of
system targeted against using of credit funds for laundering money
and financing of terrorism should be considered. In Eshov’s words,
the document also points out to the necessity of adequate control
over non-banking financial institutions activity, amending of the
banking legislation and implementation of demands of legal protection
of the banking control and corporate management employees. The
resolution similarly mentions the necessity of exchange of
information on undertaking measures aginst use of banking systems for
the purpose of legalization of illegal incomes on bilateral basis.
T.M. -0–

*********************************************************************

OSCE MONITORING GROUP TO CHECK FACTS VISITS ZANGELAN REGION UNDER
CONTROL OF NKR DEFENSE ARMY

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. OSCE motoring group to check facts
visited Zangelan region under control of Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Defense Army. As ARKA’s own correspondent reports from Stepanakert,
the mission joined by French and Russian Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group Bernard Facier and Yuri Merzlyakov headed for Araxes river
bank. In towns of Mijnavan (former Minjevan) and Kockasan (former
Zangelan) and nearby settlements the mission members undertook a
detailed study of the situation.
The monitoring group will leave NKR after few days and while back in
Europe will prepare a report for the OSCE Minsk Group. The NKR
authorities provided all necessary conditions for mission’s activity.

Today the monitoring group to check facts is monitoring in Kubatli
region. T.M. -0–

*********************************************************************

THE COMMISSION OF THE JURY OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (THE USA)
BRINGS AN ACCUSATION OF BRIBERY AND VISAS FALSIFICATION AGAINST THE
FORMER CONSULAR OFFICER OF THE US EMBASSY TO RA

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. The Commission of the jury of the
District of Columbia (the USA) brought an accusation of bribery and
visas falsification against the former consular officer of the US
Embassy to RA Peter Zdislo Parle, as stated the US Attorney for the
District of Columbia Kenneth Wainstein and Assistant Secretary of
Bureau of Diplomatic Security of US Department of State Frank Taylor,
according to the US Embassy to RA. Parle was arrested, and world
judge Alan Key will consider his case. In case Parle is found guilty,
he may be sentenced to imprisonment from 5 to 15 years and fined a
sum not exceeding $250 thsd for each case.
According to the press-release, Parle is accused of being involved in
bribery and visas falsification together with his accomplice in
Yerevan from April 2004 to January 13, 2005 and of impeding by means
of `contrivance, falsification, cheating and illegal methods’ the
legal activity of US Department of State in respect of emission of
visas to authorized foreign citizens and exertion of control over
emissions. The accusation brings 6 cases of accept bribe in the
amount of $10 thsd in cash by Parle for giving visas, irrespective of
competence of applicants. `Fair and due application of laws on
immigration is the right of the US people’, the attorney said.
Wainstein added that a consular officer violating laws for individual
purposes undermines objectivity in the issue of filing applications
for visas and their consideration and undermines trust in personnel
of American consular departments all over the world.
Wainstein and Taylor expressed their gratitude to special agents of
the bureau of diplomatic security service US Department of State, to
the personnel of the US Embassy to RA as well as to Armenian
law-enforcing authorities for support in investigation of the case.
The US Embassy to RA and US Department of State assure that
everything will be done to ensure objectivity in the process of visas
emission and to avoid falsifications. Armenian National Security
Service is acknowledged by the US Embassy for their support in that
issue. A.H. – 0 –

*********************************************************************

ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS DEVELOP IN NORMAL COURSE

YEREVAN, February 4. /ARKA/. Armenian-Russian relations develop in
normal course, as Arthur Baghdasaryan, Speaker of the Armenian
Parliament said. He reported that on occasion of festival of Russia’s
day to Armenia are envisaged numerous events representatives of
Russian legislative, as well as executive top officials will visit
Armenia. `These visits will attach a new stimuli to the Armenian
-Russian relations’, Armenian Parliament’s Speaker is confident. T.M.
-0–

RFE/RL Georgia: President Urges Team To Remain United After Prime
Minister’s Death

Thursday, 03 February 2005

By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Georgian authorities today announced that Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania
had been found dead in a friend’s apartment in Tbilisi. Officially,
the head of the Georgian government died of gas poisoning. Whatever
the exact circumstances of his death, his disappearance is likely to
seriously impact Georgia’s politics.

Prague, 3 February 2005 (RFE/RL) — Hours after the news of Zhvania’s
death was made public, cabinet ministers held an emergency meeting
under the chairmanship of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

Looking unusually pale, his voice trembling with emotion, Saakashvili
said the loss of Zurab Zhvania was a major blow to Georgia.

“This is a major blow to our country, and to me personally, both as
president and as a man, just as it is probably to all of you. With
Zurab Zhvania, Georgia lost a great patriot, who had tirelessly
dedicated his entire life to serving his country. I lost my closest
friend, my most trusted adviser, and my greatest ally,” Saakashvili
said.

The 41-year old Zhvania was a key element of the youthful team of
Georgian leaders that took over from president Eduard Shevardnadze 15
months ago.

Following Shevardnadze’s resignation in November 2003, Zhvania became
the number two figure in the triumvirate that took over the reins of
power.

In February 2004, Saakashvili offered him the newly created post of
prime minister with broad powers over the economy and the upcoming
privatization program.

Pushing For Peace

Zhvania was not only involved in domestic issues. He was also a key
element in Georgia’s attempts at restoring control over its two
separatist republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Following last summer’s armed clashes in South Ossetia, Zhvania
initiated direct peace talks with separatist leader Eduard Kokoity.

The South Ossetian government today expressed its regret over
Zhvania’s death.

Boris Chochiyev, South Ossetia’s chief negotiator with Georgia, told
Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency that “Zhvania represented that part
of the Georgian leadership which we can describe as ‘the party of
peace.'”

Chochiyev, in particular, credited the late Georgian prime minister
for putting an end to last summer’s tensions, saying: “We were
convinced that, unlike others, he was in favor of a peaceful
resolution of the [Georgian-South Ossetian] conflict.”

Hard To Replace

In Russia, too, some politicians expressed concern over the possible
consequences of Zhvania’s death.

For Konstantin Zatulin, a pro-government member of Russia’s lower
house of parliament, the State Duma, Zhvania was a “predictable”
politician. He said Zhvania’s death may affect Tbilisi’s relations
with both South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The South Ossetian leadership has blamed last summer’s armed clashes
on Saakashvili and then interior minister Irakli Okruashvili. It was
on Saakashvili’s orders and under Okruashvili’s supervision that
troops entered South Ossetia last June, officially to combat smuggling
gangs active in the region. The operation eventually triggered armed
clashes with South Ossetian forces, bringing both sides to the verge
of war.

Georgian media have in recent weeks speculated about growing
disagreements between Okruashvili — who was appointed defense
minister in December 2004 — and Zhvania’s allies in the cabinet.

As evidence to reports of infighting, the Tbilisi-based “Rezonansi”
daily last month cited Okruashvili’s recent accusations of corruption
launched against top army officials who had been appointed at the time
that Giorgi Baramidze, a close associate of Zhvania, was defense
minister.

As if he foresaw further problems among his team, Saakashvili today
urged government members to remain united and “support each other.”

“At this difficult time for both the country and for us — and for me
personally — I would like to urge you all to remain firm and
persevering. At this difficult time for the Georgian government, you
can render no greater service to the country than to remain loyal
servants to your country, to Georgia, to our people. That is what
Zurab Zhvania devoted his entire life to and that is your most sacred
duty. However difficult it may be, we must continue to serve our
country, Georgia, every minute of our life and up until the end,”
Saakashvili said.

Saakashvili’s press adviser Medea Akhalkatsi later said that,
according to the constitution, the president has seven days to
nominate a new prime minister and ask parliament to approve his
choice.

Meanwhile, Zhvania’s daily duties will be temporarily taken over by
Baramidze, who is now a deputy prime minister and a state minister in
charge of Georgia’s European integration.

QUOTE: “At this difficult time for the Georgian government, you can
render no greater service to the country than to remain loyal servants
to your country, to Georgia, to our people.” — Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili

RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
February 3, 2005 Thursday

“All the power is concentrated in the Kremlin”

by Andrey Terekhov

SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, No 20, p.1

Condoleezza Rice will soon meet with Sergey Lavrov

Nezavisimaya Gazeta writes that the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov will soon hold his first talks with the newly appointed U.S.
secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. The meeting will take place in
Ankara, Turkey, which Ms. Rice will visit in the course of her first
international tour in the new post.

Russia’s and America’s top diplomats are to prepare the meeting of
Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush, due to take place on February 24
in the capital of Slovakia Bratislava. Washington has already said it
will put on the talks’ agenda certain issues that are likely to make
Moscow feel uncomfortable, like the excessive centralization of
power, democratic reforms in Russia, situation in South Ossetia and
Abkhazia, Transdniestria and Nagorny Karabakh.

On the eve of the meeting with Lavrov Ms. Rice, whom analysts thought
will assume a tougher stance in relations with Moscow, refrained from
making any harsh statements on the situation in Russia. In a recent
interview with Reuters she said the Washington’s policy towards
Russia won’t be revised. “Russia’s movement towards democracy has
been uneven, but the United States understand that today’s Russia is
not USSR and there won’t be a return to the Soviet past,” the State
Secretary said. “Our aim is to deepen relations with Russia. However,
Russia should understand that this is possible only in the presence
of common values.” In her opinion, bilateral relations will improve
only in case Russia becomes a more democratic country. Rice believes
the key problem is that currently all the power in this country is
concentrated in the Kremlin. Still, she stressed that her words
should be regarded as just a recommendation.

According to Nezavisimaya Gazeta, such cautious tone indicates that
the U.S. doesn’t intend to spoil relations with Russia right now,
aiming to secure its support in realizing America’s international
plans. This mainly relates to fighting international terrorism and
nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

M2 Presswire
January 28, 2005

Kansas State University: K-State student Union features Smithsonian
photography exhibit

M2 PRESSWIRE-JANUARY 28, 2005-Kansas State University: K-State
Ttudent Union features Smithsonian photography exhibit ©1994-2005 M2
COMMUNICATIONS LTD

MANHATTAN – The William T. Kemper Art Gallery at Kansas State
University’s K-State Student Union is now featuring “Antoin Sevruguin
and the Persian Image,” a photography exhibition from the Smithsonian
Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

The exhibition will be on display in the gallery through Friday,
March 4.

The gallery, on the first floor, is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. and admission is free.

The exhibition includes 35 black-and-white photographs made from
original negatives and vintage prints housed in the archives of the
Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art. It
presents a glimpse into the history of Iran through the eyes of one
of the nation’s most creative photographers, Antoin Sevruguin.

Sevruguin, an Armenian Christian, lived most of his life in Tehran
traveling among the diverse worlds of Iranian society. His
photographs document Iran’s struggle at the turn of the 20th century
to balance an ancient past with the modern present. His work included
a great diversity of themes. Street scenes, images of common people,
ceremonies, palace officials, archaeological studies and mountain
landscapes fill the numerous plate-glass negatives he shot throughout
his career.

Sevruguin’s patronage was equally diverse. He served the royal court
of the shahs and he ran a portrait studio open to the public. He also
journeyed to sites of early Persian civilization to photograph the
ruins of the Iranian past.

Most of Sevruguin’s work was destroyed as a result of the Iranian
constitutional crisis of 1906 and the transition from the Qajar to
the Pahlavi dynasty. Today, the Myron Bement Smith Collection of the
Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art
archives houses one of the world’s largest collections of surviving
work by Sevruguin. The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and adjacent Freer
Gallery of Art together form the national museum of Asian art at the
Smithsonian. More information is available online at

Each year, the Smithsonian Institutions Traveling Exhibition Service
shares the Smithsonian’s collections and research programs with
millions of people outside Washington, D.C. One of the Smithsonian’s
four National Programs, the exhibition service makes available a wide
range of exhibitions about art, science and history. Exhibition
descriptions and tour schedules are available at

(M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information
provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties.
Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at
on the world wide web. Inquiries to
[email protected]).

Azeri president hails Council of Europe resolution on Karabakh

ANS TV, Baku
26 Jan 05

[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev regards as victory the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolution which was
adopted at its winter session on 25 January.

[Ilham Aliyev interviewed by journalists] Of course, I regard this as
a big victory for us. It was our wish that the Council of Europe
prepare this report and pass a resolution on the basis of the report
which would reflect the Armenian policy of invasion, criticize Armenia
as an aggressor state and use the term separatist forces. In a
nutshell, a document which would reflect all the Armenian aggression
against Azerbaijan, including the ethnic cleansing and other issues.

Armenia has always been against it, employed all means possible to
avert this discussion and sought to incorporate changes into the
resolution. This was a process. Of course, I cannot say that I am 100
per cent satisfied with the resolution. But I am satisfied by about 90
per cent. If you take a look at Armenia’s reaction, you will see that
they are very upset at the adoption of this resolution because this
explains to the world once again the crux of the conflict.

This signifies a political assessment of the conflict. We expected
nothing else from the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe does
not have other mechanisms. This is simply a very important forum which
can give a political assessment of the conflict.

Christian Post, CA
Jan 27 2005

Christian and Charitable Organizations Awarded $20 Million in
Armenian Genocide Settlement

Photo: Joseph Basralian, far left, representing the Armenian General
Benevolent Union, Andrew Torigian, second from left, representing the
Armenian Missionary Association of America, Sam Mikaelian, center,
representing the Armenian Church of America, Rev. Anoushavan
Tanielian, second from right, representing the Armenian Apostolic
Church, and Bishop Manuel Batakian, far right, representing the
Apostolic Exarchate for Amenian Catholics, each hold checks their
organizations received during a news conference in New York,
Wednesday Jan. 26, 2005. The five representatives each received
$333,333.33 as part of a $20 million settlement reached between New
York Life Insurance Co. and descendants killed 90 years ago in the
Ottoman Empire. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Nine Armenian Christian and charitable organizations began receiving
a part of the $20 million settlement between descendants of Armenians
who perished in the first genocide of the 20th century and the New
York Life Insurance Company.

The nine organizations, including New York’s Armenian General
Benevolent Union, the Burbank-based Western Diocese of the Armenian
Church of North America, and New Jersey’s Armenian Missionary
Association of America, Inc., were chosen for helping Armenians flee
from the Turkish Ottoman Empire to the United States during the
genocide of 1915, during which an estimated 1.5 million Armenians
were massacred.

According to Armen Hampar, a member of the Western Diocese, the fund
will be a great benefit to the diocese.

`It would be a great benefit to the diocese. All these
organizations are building and have the need for funds, and obviously
that kind of contribution to us is going to be very meaningful,” said
Hampar. “We’re looking forward to it and it will certainly enable the
diocese to pursue new programs and enhance the ones that are now in
effect.”

According to reports, many of the thousands of Armenians who
purchased insurance policies were massacred during the genocide, and
the rightful policy heirs were unable or uninformed of the
compensation.

The suit to claim those funds was settled after 5 years of
deliberations in January, 2004.

Potential heirs of the policyholders have until March 15 to file a
claim for the portion of the $20 million settlement, or their rights
will be waved.

Please box: For more information on the settlement or to obtain a
Notice of Claim form, call (866) 422-0124 or visit

$20.million.in.armenian.genocide.settlement/1.htm

PanArmenian News Analysis
Jan 21 2005

ARMENIA IS NO STRANGER IN THE ARABIC WORLD

This is proved by the fact of granting a status to Armenia, as a
country, specially invited to the League of Arab States.

Armenian foreign minister has returned from Cairo. His visit was not
only aimed at holding negotiations with the political leadership of
the friendly country. It was also aimed at creating a contractual
base for improving cooperation with the League of Arab States. Vardan
Oskanyan and the secretary general of the Arab League Amra Musa
signed a memorandum of understanding between Yerevan and the
influential regional organization.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian foreign minister also had meetings with
his Egyptian colleague and with the representative of
Armenian-Egyptian intergovernmental commission Faiza Abul Naga. The
partnership between Armenia and Egypt has old traditions, but the
same cannot be said about the League of Arab States which was
established only a few years ago. On January 19, Armenian-Arabic
relations gained a new quality. Thanks to the signed memorandum
Armenia obtains the status of a country, specially invited to the
League of Arab States. This will open extensive perspectives for
mutually beneficial economic and cultural cooperation.

The steady interest of Yerevan to the Arab League is very natural.
Armenia strives to stir up cooperation with all the influential
international organizations. The high level of influence of the Arab
League is proved by the fact that among its members there are more
than 20 countries with huge political, economic and military
potential. The population of the League’s member countries reaches 25
million. The ability of Arabic world to speak on important
international issues from a united front gives a lot of influence to
the League of Arab States.
It is the League of Arab States that determines the policy to which
22 capitals adhere.

For Armenia the opportunity of getting nearer to the Arabic world is
conditioned first of all by the presence of certain difficulties in
the relations with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
which often speaks out from openly anti-Armenian positions. Taking
the opportunity of the vote in OIC, official Baku sometimes manages
to persuade its partners in OIC to support UN initiatives against
Yerevan. Things were just like that during the last voting in UN
concerning putting on the agenda of General Assembly the question of
the situation in the security zone around Nagorno Karabakh. 95
percents of the countries supporting the Azerbaijanian project were
members of OIC. However, it is pleasant to realize that several Arab
countries having influence in the Islamic world nevertheless refused
to support Azerbaijan. This is the result of Armenia’s successful
diplomacy in Arabic direction.

Recently, an encouraging tendency is observed in OIC. Disagreements
concerning the purposefulness of absolute support to Azerbaijan in
international structures have emerged between OIC member countries.
This is the consequence of the struggle for the influence in the
Islamic world. As the largest and the most influential Muslim
countries, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Malaysia compete for the
influence in the Islamic world. This is not convenient for Arabs who
have enough grounds to make claims for a special role in the Islamic
world. Armenia can benefit from this contradiction, since the three
from the mentioned countries are marked for their pro-Azerbaijanian
policy and have hostility towards Armenia.

Strengthening relations with Arabic countries, Iran and the Muslim
countries of CIS, Yerevan can achieve prohibition of openly
anti-Armenian initiatives in OIC. Besides, the dialogue with the
League of Arab States will help the organization’s member countries
to form an objective idea about the nature of Karabakh conflict. It
will also help to work out a unified approach to our region, to
Armenian-Azerbaijanian confrontation and the problem of genocide. At
the same time Yerevan continues to develop cooperation with separate
Arabic countries. Successful lines of cooperation are already
established with Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait
and Qatar. There is a huge potential of developing ties with Iraq and
Palestine.

In Azerbaijan they are extremely worried about the development of
connections between Armenia and Arab states. In the beginning of
December President Ilham Aliev, being very sad to learn that not all
the Islamic countries supported Azerbaijan in UN, went on a tour to
the Arab states. Visiting the headquarters of OIC in Qatar, the Baku
leader appealed to the leadership of the organization to exert
influence on the countries that hadn’t supported Azerbaijan in UN.
The spiritual leader of Azerbaijan also visited the East with the
same aim.

Azerbaijan’s top Muslim cleric, sheikh-ul-islam Allakhshukur
Pashazade had official meetings with the Libyan dictator Moammar
Gadhafi, king of Jordan Abdullah II, the presidents of Maldivian
republic and Sierra Leone, vice president of Philippines, ministers
of Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Oman and Kuwait. All the meetings had
only one aim – to persuade them not to cooperate with Armenia.

Both the political and the spiritual leaders of Azerbaijan were well
aware that the League of Arab States is going to grant Armenia a
status of a specially invited country. It would be strange if they
didn’t try to intervene since in Baku they realize that the
involvement of Armenia in the structures of the League will allow
Yerevan to actively influence on the processes in the Islamic world.
The memorandum signed on Wednesday in Cairo indicated to the fact
that the efforts of Azerbaijan turned to be useless again.

COMBATIVITY AND ALERT OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES EVEN MORE STRENGTHENED
IN 2004: HEAD OF GENERAL STAFF OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES

YEREVAN, JANUARY 18. ARMINFO. In 2004, the combativity and
preparedness of the Armenian Armed forces was even more strengthened,
Head of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Deputy Defense
Minister of Armenia, Lieutenant General Michael Haroutiunyan told
ARMINFO’s correspondent commenting on the results of the Collegium of
the Armenian Defense Ministry convened last week.

He said that last year a special attention was paid to strengthening
of the alert and combativity and material and technical equipment of
the country’s Armed Forces. It brought them to a new level of
preparedness and readiness to fulfill the tasks set, Haroutiunyan
said. In his words, the Collegium determined the priorities of the
activity of the Defense Ministry and the General Staff. The deputy
minister also said that in 2005 Armenian Armed Forces will participate
in a number of military exercises of NATO, CSTO as well as regular
Armenian-Russian military exercises in Yerevan.