Author: Torgomian Varazdat

Rolling Stone
April 26 2004
System Honor Armenian Souls
Benefit seeks to raise awareness of genocide

Before System of a Down wrapped up their Souls 2004 benefit with the
song “P.L.U.C.K. (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers),”
frontman Serj Tankanian yelled from the stage, “I want to thank you
guys for making this one of the best fucking shows!”
The sold-out concert, held Saturday night at Los Angeles’ Greek
Theater, raised awareness of the World War I-era mass murders of
Armenians by Turkey’s Ottoman Empire, which Turkey and several other
nations, including the U.S., refuse to recognize as genocide.
System began with a five-song barrage that began with “Aerials” and
ended with “Chop Suey.” During a high-octane version of “War?,”
Tankian chanted “Bush is gonna let us all mother fuckers die” to
thunderous applause.
Guitarist Daron Malakian then addressed the crowd: “We ain’t fucking
around. We’re not gonna gyp you like all those fucking bands on MTV.”
Malakian surprised his bandmates by singing an Armenian love song and
concluding “P.L.U.C.K.” with a solo guitar version of the Armenian
national anthem that moved bassist Shavo Odadjian to tears.
It was one of two times on this night the bassist admitted to letting
his emotions go. “My grandpa walked backstage and when he was hugging
me he was crying,” he said backstage after the show. “And it made me
start bawling. He witnessed it. He had to eat grass for weeks. He
doesn’t know his age, we don’t know his birthday and we don’t know
our family trees. To be able to make our families and all these
people we don’t know feel this way is so important to us.”
If there was one downside for fans, it was that the band, which is in
the midst of writing a new album, due by the end of the year, didn’t
play any of the new songs. Odadjian said it wasn’t for lack of
material. “We have a lot of songs, but we’re not going to play them
and perform them until they’re really ready.”
System of a Down set list:
Aerials
Suite-Pee
Suggestions
Psycho
Chop Suey
Kitt
Soil
Forest
War?
Mind
Mr. Jack
Sugar
Chick ‘N’ Stu
Innervision
ATWA
Prison Song
Needles
Deer Dance
Toxicity
Science
Roulette
Unnamed Armenian Ballad
P.L.U.C.K.
STEVE BALTIN
(April 26, 2004)

A1 Plus | 14:07:54 | 24-04-2004 | Social |
GREAT BRITAIN AMBASSADOR IN TSITSERNAKABERD
Some Ambassadors in Armenia including United Kingdom Ambassador Thorda
Abbott-Watt who refuted the fact of the Armenian Genocide have today
visited Tsitsernakaberd.

A1 Plus | 13:13:31 | 24-04-2004 | Social |
YOUNG NATIONALISTS DEMANDING FOR HONOR
Armenian Nationalist Youth Bloc has today held a protest action near Great
Britain Embassy against Ambassador Thorda Abbott-Watt over her statement
denying the fact of the Armenian Genocide.
“We demand the Ambassador for honor to have insulted dignity of our people.
She must apologize to the Armenian people for her statement. Each Armenian
has the right to demand for explanation”, Bloc Vice-Chair Roman Gevorgyan
says.
The protestors conveyed a letter to the Embassy and are now expecting for
the answer of the Ambassador. “Being nationalists we will press for it”,
Bloc Vice-Chair added.

FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE
pour la Justice et la Démocratie
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B – 1000 BRUXELLES
Tel./Fax : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
E-mail : [email protected]
Web :
COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
22 avril 2004
Contact: Talline Tachdjian
Tel.: +32 (0)2 732 70 27
LA FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE SALUE LA RECONNAISSANCE PAR LE CANADA DU
GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS
— La chambre des communes du Canada a adopté une motion par laquelle elle
« reconnaît le génocide des Arméniens de 1915 et condamne cet acte en tant
que crime contre l’Humanité » —
Bruxelles, Belgique – La Fédération Euro-Arménienne annonce que le Canada a
reconnu ce mercredi 21 avril le génocide des Arméniens et qu’elle a condamné
cet acte en tant que crime contre l’Humanité.
La motion adoptée par 153 voix contre 58 avait été déposée par Mme Madeleine
Dalphond-Guiral (Bloc Québécois) en dépit de l’opposition affichée du
gouvernement libéral de Paul Martin. M. Graham, le ministre des Affaires
Etrangères chargé de défendre la position de son gouvernement, avait déclaré
que « le Canada voulait maintenir les meilleures relations possibles avec le
gouvernement d’Ankara ».
Cependant, les parlementaires libéraux qui avaient reçu une consigne de «
vote libre » ont massivement rejoint les députés bloquistes et les
conservateurs pour faire du Canada le quinzième Etat ayant reconnu au plus
haut niveau le génocide des Arméniens.
La Turquie avait préalablement proféré les menaces habituelles de rétorsions
économiques en citant l’exemple de firmes canadiennes à la recherche de
contrat en Turquie.
« Nous adressons nos plus chaleureuses félicitations aux représentants du
peuple canadien ainsi qu’aux organisations qui ont travaillé à cette
reconnaissance » a déclaré Laurent Leylekian, le directeur de la Fédération
Euro-Arménienne.
« En faisant `uvre de vérité, le Canada fait `uvre de justice et c’est le
seul chemin possible vers une réconciliation franche et sincère. C’est
pourquoi nous appelons l’Union européenne à exiger sans délai la
reconnaissance et la réparation par la Turquie du génocide des Arméniens
avant que d’examiner sa demande d’adhésion à l’Union. » a conclu Laurent
Leylekian.
#####

Russian energy minister reports to Duma on electricity reforms, strategy
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow,
21 Apr 04
Russian Energy and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko has told the
State Duma that the recently established free market in electricity is
performing well, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported on 21
April.
According to TASS, the minister told deputies during today’s
“Government Hour” that since it started operating in November 2003,
the market “has proved its effectiveness and has become one of the
most important steps of the first period of reform”. He noted that the
average daily volume of sales on the market had grown from 12m kWh in
November 2003 to 142m kWh in March 2004. Khristenko said this increase
had been accompanied by a rise in the number of participants on the
market from 14 to 75. A significant number of these are companies
independent of the national grid company, Unified Energy System of
Russia.
TASS also quoted Khristenko as saying that the “operation of the
market needs some adjustment”. In particular, he stressed the need for
a more balanced mechanism for setting prices.
Another TASS report quoted Khristenko as saying the average price on
the free segment of the market was lower than on the regulated
market. However, he also said prices on the regulated market were well
within the limits set by the government. “The price limits for
electricity in 2004 will be fully observed”. The report said that the
price limit per kWh is R0.846, and the current price is R0.822 per
kWh.
However, TASS reported Khristenko as saying that, unlike electricity
prices, gas prices would increase by more than the consumer price
index. He said serious measures needed to be taken to lower production
costs and increase the efficiency of the fuel’s use for the
electricity sector.
According to TASS, Khristenko said that among the government’s main
objectives in the reform of the electricity sector was the formation
of wholesale generating companies and territorial generating
companies, and the separation of 37 regional energy companies. He also
said that it is “vital to develop state regulation, and create a
system of antimonopoly control and ensure there was non-discriminatory
access to the market.”
“It is also necessary to create an integrated system of tariff
regulation during the transitional period,” TASS quoted Khristenko as
saying. He added that the question of Siberia joining the competitive
electricity market should be decided in 2004.
Khristenko also told MPs that energy integration could contribute to
the solution of political issues in the CIS, according to another TASS
report. “One of the key elements in this process is infrastructure
integration, which concerns not only the acquisition of assets of CIS
companies, but also the main planks of the distribution systems,”
Khristenko was quoted as saying.
The same report quoted the head of Unified Energy System of Russia,
Anatoliy Chubays, as saying that “the acquisition of assets in CIS
energy companies is a new strategy for us.” We have restored a single
energy system in 14 of the 15 former Soviet republics, and this means
that it is possible to take the next step – the acquisition of
companies,” Chubays was reported to have said. He added that, having
started this process in Georgia and Armenia, “we are now conducting
serious and complex negotiations with Ukraine, preparing for
negotiations in Kazakhstan, and planning vigorous activity in the
Baltic States”. Chubays also said that the company was not intending
to limit its activity to the CIS. “We are ready to participate in
tender processes in a number of countries in Eastern Europe,” Chubays
was quoted as saying.

Armenian foreign minister says next meeting with Azerbaijan over
disputed enclave will be in May
Associated Press
April 19, 2004
YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said
Monday that he planned to meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart in
May to continue discussions on resolving the countries’ dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh.
Oskanian said that the meeting he held last week in Prague with
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov was useful but did not
break new ground.
Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan.
Ethnic Armenian forces drove out Azerbaijan’s army from the region in
the 1990s and ethnic Azeris fled. Since a 1994 cease-fire,
Nagorno-Karabakh has been run by an internationally unrecognized
government.
Despite the cease-fire, shooting still breaks out sporadically across
the so-called “line of control,” a demilitarized strip separating
Azeri and Armenian forces.
The unresolved status of Nagorno-Karabakh keeps tensions high between
the countries and apparently discourages foreign investors fearful
of a new outbreak of fighting and instability.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani officials met under the auspices of the
“Minsk Group,” an arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe devoted to resolving the dispute. The Minsk Group is led
by a troika of diplomats from the United States, France and Russia.
The newly appointed top U.S. official for the group, Stephen Mann,
met on Monday with Armenian officials.
“What I will be doing in this position is representing the
U.S. national interests and it is in the American national interest
to work for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue,” Mann told reporters.

REGIONAL SECURITY, KARABAKH, ARMENIA’S FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES – MINISTER
Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
15 Apr 04
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has listed economic development,
regional security, European integration and a Karabakh settlement as
Armenia’s foreign policy priorities. He told a seminar in Yerevan that
there were “numerous uncertainties” in the Karabakh settlement
process. He said that if Azerbaijan insisted on starting the talks
from scratch, Armenia would not take part and would ask the OSCE
mediators to hold talks instead between Azerbaijan and Nagornyy
Karabakh. Oskanyan said that Armenia should not be in a hurry to join
NATO, but should strengthen cooperation with it in parallel with
cooperation with the CIS Collective Security Treaty and with
Russia. The following is the text of Vahan Vardanyan’s report in
Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkarh on 15 April headlined “There is no
need to play diplomacy”, subhead “There is only one solution on
Karabakh”; subheadings inserted editorially:
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan made a report on Armenia’s current
foreign policy at a seminar in the Congress Hotel yesterday. Oskanyan
noted four main areas of foreign policy: maintaining and increasing
the level of economic development; ensuring a positive regional
security atmosphere; speeding up Armenia’s integration into European
structures; and settlement of the Karabakh issue.
In connection with prospects for an NKR (Nagornyy Karabakh Republic)
settlement, Oskanyan said: “At present I should say that there are
numerous uncertainties, there is no certainty in what direction these
processes will go. Tomorrow in Prague my first meeting will take place
with the newly appointed foreign minister of Azerbaijan. The OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairmen invited us. The goal of the meeting is to hold
discussions with the co-chairmen and to try to specify the parties’
positions and approaches to the development of the process.”
Touching on Armenia’s position on the settlement issue at present, the
foreign minister said in particular: “There are two approaches,
depending on developments. It is good if Azerbaijan agrees to continue
along the way that (former Azerbaijani President) Heydar Aliyev and
(Armenian President) Robert Kocharyan were going and to reach any
level. If they are ready to continue on this basis, Armenia is ready
to be involved in the talks at the level of the presidents of the
republics and to try to lead the process forward. But if Azerbaijan
insists on starting from scratch, in that case Armenia will not take
part in these talks and will ask the co-chairmen to hold talks between
the authorities of Azerbaijan and Nagornyy Karabakh.”
The foreign minister thinks that this position is justified, as the
dialogue between the presidents was mainly about a future status of
Nagornyy Karabakh that was directly connected with Armenia. “For this
reason the participation of our president without the NKR president,
but with his agreement, is fully justified. But if this content
changes today, it means that the rules of the game should also be
changed. If Azerbaijan insists that the problem of status should be
delayed, and they continue with the stage-by-stage option for the
return of territories and refugees, in that case only the NKR
authorities have the right to be involved in the talks if they
want. As before, Armenia will ensure its participation in the
framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, but it will not be the main party
in the talks.”
Oskanyan said that a “fair” and a “pro-Armenian solution” were
different. He said that talking about a fair solution, in fact means
saying nothing. “The Karabakh process has passed so many stages and
today the situation is such that we do not need to play diplomacy in
this problem. Today a pro-Armenian solution, acceptable for us, is
that Karabakh fully defines its position on joining Armenia, and the
world community, including Azerbaijan, recognizes this. Today this is
a solution for us,” Oskanyan said.
Touching on regional security problems, in particular on NATO
enlargement and its possible consequences, the foreign minister said
that Armenia should cooperate with NATO in the framework of its
national interests, but it should not be in a hurry to join NATO. He
said that it was necessary to strengthen in parallel Armenia’s role in
the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) and Armenian-Russian
relations and this complementary policy would increase Armenia’s role
for the West, as well as for its strategic partner Russia.
Oskanyan thinks that dividing lines may be created in the region if
Georgia and Azerbaijan join NATO and Armenia does not. He said that
Georgia in particular is demonstrating a definite tendency in this
sense, but it is early to make radical predictions, as the diplomacy
of words and actions differ from each other. “During (former Georgian
President Eduard) Shevardnadze’s tenure there was the diplomacy of
words. Every other day Shevardnadze would say that Georgia was joining
NATO. In some sense (President Mikheil) Saakashvili is continuing this
diplomacy of words, but understands that action lags behind words.
Because the situation in his country and in the region is such that
NATO would not want to be involved in the country. Until the Abkhazia
problem is settled, until Georgia’s relations with Russia are
specified and Russian military bases are withdrawn, it is too early to
speak about Georgia’s joining NATO.”
So the foreign minister thinks that Armenia does not have a problem in
going ahead.

NATIONAL UNITY LEADER STATES OF OPPOSITION’S DETERMINATION TO PRESS FOR
CHANGE OF LEADERSHIP IN ARMENIA
14.04.2004 19:14
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The will of the opposition to change leadership in Armenia
was not subdued, moreover opposition intends to take more drastic measures
from now on, leader of National Unity opposition party Artashes Geghamian
stated today during the press conference in the parliament. In his words
“the struggle will not conflict with the Constitution and the tactics will
be worked out due to the development of the events”. At the same time
Geghamian did not specify what exactly opposition is going to undertake for
the achievement of the goal. According to him, the strategy of the further
struggle against the incumbent leadership will be defined during the
consultations between the representatives of the opposition. National Unity
leader stated that opposition is ready for the dialogue with the leadership
in the person of President Robert Kocharian and defense minister Serge
Sargsian, as, in his words, “the situation in Armenia depends on them but
not on the ruling political coalition”.

USING STATE MEANS EFFECTIVELY
Azat Artsakh–Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
14-04-2004
On March 22-29 at the NKR Writers Union, Artists Union and Journalists
Union the Audit Inspection Chamber conducted an audit to study the
effectiveness, legality and aim of the use of the means provided to
the mentioned organizations from the state budget. To sum up the
results of the audit in April the chairmen of the mentioned
organizations gathered at the regular meeting of the NA Audit
Inspection Chamber Council. The meeting was conducted by the chairman
of the AIC, NA member Arkady Soghomonian. After the meeting we talked
to A. Soghomonian. According to him, the audit inspection of the
mentioned organizations included the period 2002-2003. In 2002 17
million 47 thousand drams was provided to these public organizations,
and in 2003 14 million 410 thousand drams was provided. According to
the articles on expenses, during the audit inspection ungrounded
expenses were recorded, in certain cases even excessive
expenditure. In 2002 1 million 309 thousand drams was provided from
the state budget to the NKR Writers Union, and in 2003 2 million 77
thousand drams. Thus, in 2002 instead of the 18 thousand drams
provided for business trips 407 thousand drams were spent. The
excessive expenditure of the Writers Union totaled 390 thousand drams,
i.e. in average 34 thousand per month. In 2003 instead of the 28
thousand maintained by the articles about 94 thousand drams was spent
and excessive expenditure totaled 66 thousand drams. In 2002-2003
cases of breaking the law were reported at the NKR Writers Union. The
NKR law “On Minimum Salary” maintains the minimum salary in the
republic 10 thousand drams, whereas this organization paid 9
thousand. The articles of the law “On Accounting” the salary list
provided 31 thousand drams, after the payment of the withholding tax
the worker was paid 10 thousand drams. There were also problems with
the terms of the business trips. According to Arkady Soghomonian, the
official instruction of the Ministry of Finance and Economy maintains
that the business trips to Yerevan cannot last more than 7 days,
whereas at the Writers Union the duration of the business trip was
maintained even 10 days. In 2002 the total number of the business
trips totaled 140 days. According to the chairman of the Audit
Inspection Chamber, the NKR law “On Public Organizations” maintains
that the public organizations may have other sources of income. The
Audit Inspection Chamber is not authorized to conduct audit of the
extra-budgetary allotments. According to him, the audit inspection of
the Writers Union revealed also inefficient expenses of state
financial means. In 2002, instead of the provided 17 thousand drams
for electricity 50 thousand drams was transferred. In 2002 1 million
889 thousand drams was provided to the Artists Union, in 2003 the
budget remained unchanged. For the expenses on business trips 200
thousand drams were provided. In the mentioned year there was an
economical use of financial means on business trips – 168 thousand
drams was spent. According to the member of parliament, of the
mentioned three organizations only the Journalists Union did not break
the law. A. Soghomonian mentioned that the activity of the audit
inspection and checking commissions is on a low level. According to
the NKR law “On Public Organizations” part of the financial means of
the public organizations is acquired from membership fees, whereas in
some organizations the membership fees were not paid, which means that
the organization should be dissolved. The chairman of the Audit
Inspection Chamber proposes the government to work out a draft
decision for strengthening control over financial means of the public
organizations, and the checking commissions of the public
organizations will present a report to the Ministry of Finance and
Economy providing the transparency in the concerned questions. In
answer to the question whether the Audit Inspection Chamber has the
authority to suit an action in the mentioned cases of breaking the
law, Soghomonian mentioned that the sphere of activities of the Audit
Inspection Chamber is limited by the NKR law “On Audit Inspection
Chamber”. According to the acting legislation, the report and the
conclusion are confirmed at the meeting of the Audit Inspection
Chamber council, the findings are delivered to the NKR president, the
government and the NA speaker. The latter decides whether the
materials should be delivered to the public prosecution, or to discuss
at the annual report of the NA at the end of the year. “In my opinion,
the facts maintained in the result of the audit should be seriously
discussed at the consultations of the government as an agenda
point. During the discussion of the concerned question between the
Audit Inspection Chamber and the minister of finance and economy the
minister shared our anxiety and agrees to our suggestions. I am sure
that serious and responsible steps will be taken in this direction,”
said the chairman of the Audit Inspection Chamber.
NVARD OHANJANIAN.
14-04-2004

Armenian policemen break up rally, arrest opposition activists
Mediamax news agency
13 Apr 04
YEREVAN
The Armenian police broke up an opposition rally on Bagramyan Avenue
outside the buildings of the National Assembly and the US embassy in
the centre of Yerevan.
The police started a special operation to force the protesters out of
the avenue at about 0200 2100 gmt . The law-enforcement agencies
resorted to force immediately after the protesters refused to abandon
the road voluntarily. Water cannons and charges were used in
dispersing the rally. The operation to disperse the protesters took
about 10 to 15 minutes. The press service of the police has not yet
issued any reports on the dispersal of the rally.
According to the opposition newspaper Aykakan Zhamanak Armenian Times
, many protesters received bodily injures in clashes with the
police. The paper reported that after the dispersal of the rally, the
law-enforcement agencies carried out arrests at the headquarters of
the opposition Anrapetutyun Republic Party, the National Unity Party
and the People’s Party of Armenia.
Aykakan Zhamanak also reported that two of the paper’s correspondents
Ayk Gevorkyan and Avetis Babadzhyan, who were covering the night
events on Bagramyan Avenue, were badly beaten up by the police.
Passage omitted: reported details of the rally