Author: Zatikian Raffi

The Independent (London)
March 19, 2004, Friday

BOOKS: LOVE AND DEATH IN A TURKISH MELTING-POT;

YOUNG TURK BY MORIS FARHI SAQI BOOKS POUNDS 9.99 (391PP) POUNDS 9.99

by ALEV ADIL The waterfront of Salonika in the late 1930s

The anxieties and fixations of adolescence are universal. Like
teenagers today, the group of youngsters in mid-20th-century Turkey
whom Moris Farhi brings to life in his latest novel are preoccupied
by burgeoning sexual desires and the contradictory need to impress
parents and peers. The secret rituals of growing up, the first crush,
the bonds of friendship, the desire to understand and make one’s mark
on the world, take place against the darker canvas of Turkish and
European history between 1939 and 1959.

Like the Turkish national identity he describes, Farhi’s novel is a
mosaic of ethnicities: Jews, Armenians, Kurds, Gypsies, Greeks,
Levantines, Pomaks. The weave of voices and stories that emerges
speaks of the interconnectness of fates. While their parents
reconcile themselves to the betrayal of Ataturk’s idealistic vision
of Turkish identity, the children have their own battles.

Tubby Rifat, a convert from Judaism to Islam, is desperate to join
Naim’s neighbourhood gang and secretly in love with Naim’s sister Gul
de Taranto: a beautiful Jewish girl who has premonitions of the
genocide that will sweep across Europe. Bilal and his friends hatch
an ill-fated plot to save his relatives from the Nazis in Salonika.
Selma has to deal with the pain of first love, and the destitution
forced upon her family by the tax on Jews, Armenians and Greeks
imposed in 1943. The neighbourhood rally round: Sufi musicians,
wrestling champions, gypsies, all do their utmost to help their
Jewish neighbours.

Farhi evokes the idealism and erotic energy of male adolescence.
There are strong women here too, as driven by desire and ambition as
their male counterparts. Havva the orphan circus girl is quietly
relentless in her pursuit of Adem the trapeze artist. Handan is
determined to be a great musician. Madame Ruj the matchmaker is a
fiercely independent career woman.

Farhi’s novel emphasises the solidarity and warmth of Turkish culture
as well as its political shortcomings. The contradiction at its heart
is that “the Turks’ innate nobility tempered with the best of Islamic
teaching makes them the most tolerant people in the world, while the
plethora of complexes instilled by the worst of Islamic teaching
could – and sometimes did – turn them into ogres”. Death and desire
are the two forces that forge the characters’ destinies. The novel
begins and ends with the spectre of death, for, as a Turkmen circus
storyteller recounts, death demands courage from even the most
ordinary individual. Ethical and erotic energy are inextricably
intertwined; political resilience is nourished by sexual intimacy.

Poetry, especially Nazim Hikmet’s verse, is a vital presence in the
novel. Hikmet, perhaps Turkey’s greatest 20th-century poet, was
labelled a “romantic communist”. Farhi has inherited that
romanticism; Young Turk is infused with a passionate humanism.

Both a novel of ideas and an entertaining adventure story, this is a
prodigiously researched and lyrical celebration of the multicultural
heritage of Turkish history. Young Turk recounts Turkey’s past, but
also provides a vision of the present and future potential of Turkish
national identity.

Investment Opportunities in Armenia

BISNIS Armenia Report
March 18, 2004

You are receiving this update as a BISNIS client in order to share with
you the following trade leads and market information concerning Armenia.

1) Armenia Consular Information Sheet

2) TENDER FOR SUPPLY OF SERVICES VEHICLES
3) TENDER FOR SUPPLY OF VALVES, FITTINGS AND FLANGE ADAPTERS FOR POTABLE
WATER

***************************************************************
Armenia Consular Information Sheet
To read the full document, please go to:

Date: January 27, 2004
From: U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Armenia, located in the southern Caucasus Mountains,
is the smallest of the former Soviet republics. Armenia’s borders with
Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed due to the dispute over the status of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Long transportation routes and
economic difficulties limit the availability of imported goods. Tourist
facilities, especially outside Yerevan, the capital, are not highly
developed, and many of the goods and services taken for granted in other
countries may be difficult to obtain. Travelers frequently experience
problems with local officials seeking bribes to perform basic duties.

*********************************************************************************
IMI (ARMENIA): TENDER FOR SUPPLY OF SERVICES VEHICLES ANNOUNCED

15 MAR 04
SOURCE: US EMBASSY YEREVAN

INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT, U.S. AND FOREIGN COMMERCIAL
SERVICE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 2004. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.

1. THE MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT
INVITES ARMENIAN AND FOREIGN COMPANIES TO SUBMIT BIDS
FOR THE DELIVERY OF SERVICES VEHICLES. THE DELIVERY
PERIOD IS 60 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF ISSUING THE LETTER
OF CREDIT. BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 9, 2004, NO
LATER THAN 17:00 LOCAL TIME.

2. THE GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA HAS RECEIVED A CREDIT
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION TOWARDS
THE COST OF THE MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AND
INTENDS TO APPLY PART OF THIS CREDIT THE PROCUREMENT OF
SERVICES VEHICLES, CONTRACT NO.
IF5/JETTSUCT_BREAKVAN_CRANETRUCK/004:

LOT 1 SEWER SUCTION AND JETTING MACHINES
LOT 2 BREAKDOWN VAN
LOT 3 TRUCK WITH MANIPULATOR CRANE

3. BIDDING WILL BE CONDUCTED THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL
COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCEDURES SPECIFIED IN THE WORLD
BANK’S GUIDELINES: PROCUREMENT UNDER IBRD LOANS AND IDA
CREDITS, AND IS OPEN TO ALL BIDDERS FROM ELIGIBLE
SOURCE COUNTRIES AS DEFINED IN THE GUIDELINES.

4. THE BIDDING DOCUMENTS IN ENGLISH CAN BE OBTAINED
FROM THE MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT
UPON SUBMISSION OF A WRITTEN APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF
A NONREFUNDABLE FEE OF USD 100. FOREIGN CONTRACTORS
WILL BE CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL FEE OF USD 50 PER PACKAGE
TO COVER POSTAGE EXPENSES. THE PAYMENT CAN BE MADE
EITHER IN CASH OR VIA BANK TRANSFER. IN CASE OF
TRANSFER, FEES SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE FOLLOWING
ACCOUNT:

(SWIFT: MIDLAM22) OF HSBC ARMENIA BANK, YEREVAN,
ARMENIA
ACCOUNT NO. 001-155563-001

5. BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 9, 2004, NOT LATER
THAN 17:00 LOCAL TIME TO THE MUNICIPALITY DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT. ELIGIBLE BIDDERS CAN BID FOR
ONE LOT OR MORE/ALL LOTS AND THE EVALUATION OF BIDS
WILL BE ON A LOT-BY-LOT BASIS. ALL BIDS MUST BE
ACCOMPANIED BY BID SECURITIES PER THE FOLLOWING
SCHEDULE OR AN EQUIVALENT AMOUNT IN A FREELY
CONVERTIBLE CURRENCY:

LOT 1 SEWER SUCTION AND JETTING MACHINES – USD 3,300
LOT 2 BREAKDOWN VAN – USD 700
LOT 3 TRUCK WITH THE MANIPULATOR CRANE – USD 1,200

6. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT
8 VARDANANTS STREET
YEREVAN 375010, ARMENIA
TEL: (374 1) 522-795
FAX: (374 1) 547-072
E-MAIL: [email protected]

******************************************************************
IMI (ARMENIA): TENDER FOR SUPPLY OF VALVES, FITTINGS AND FLANGE ADAPTERS
FOR POTABLE WATER ANNOUNCED

15 MAR 04
SOURCE: US EMBASSY YEREVAN

INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT, U.S. AND FOREIGN COMMERCIAL
SERVICE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 2004. ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.

1. THE MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT
INVITES ARMENIAN AND FOREIGN COMPANIES TO SUBMIT BIDS
FOR THE DELIVERY OF VALVES, FITTINGS AND FLANGE
ADAPTERS FOR POTABLE WATER. THE DELIVERY PERIOD IS
WITHIN 120 DAYS AFTER THE DATE OF THE OPENING OF THE
LETTER OF CREDIT. BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 13,
2004, NOT LATER THAN 17:00 LOCAL TIME.

2. THE GOVERNMENT OF ARMENIA HAS RECEIVED A CREDIT FROM
THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION TOWARDS THE
COST OF THE MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT AND INTENDS
TO APPLY PART OF THIS CREDIT TO THE PROCUREMENT OF
VALVES, FITTINGS AND FLANGE ADAPTERS FOR POTABLE WATER,
CONTRACT NO IF5/VALVE/002.

3. BIDDING WILL BE CONDUCTED THROUGH THE INTERNATIONAL
COMPETITIVE BIDDING PROCEDURES SPECIFIED IN THE WORLD
BANK’S GUIDELINES: PROCUREMENT UNDER IBRD LOANS AND IDA
CREDITS, AND IS OPEN TO ALL BIDDERS FROM ELIGIBLE
SOURCE COUNTRIES AS DEFINED IN THE GUIDELINES.

4. THE BIDDING DOCUMENTS IN ENGLISH CAN BE OBTAINED
FROM THE MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT
UPON SUBMISSION OF A WRITTEN APPLICATION AND PAYMENT OF
A NONREFUNDABLE FEE OF USD 100. FOREIGN CONTRACTORS
WILL BE CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL FEE OF USD 50 PER PACKAGE
TO COVER POSTAGE EXPENSES. THE PAYMENT CAN BE MADE
EITHER IN CASH OR VIA BANK TRANSFER. IN CASE OF
TRANSFER, FEES SHOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO THE FOLLOWING
ACCOUNT:

(SWIFT: MIDLAM22) OF HSBC ARMENIA BANK, YEREVAN,
REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
ACCOUNT NO. 001-155563-001

5. BIDS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY APRIL 13, 2004, NOT LATER
THAN 17:00 LOCAL TIME TO THE MUNICIPALITY DEVELOPMENT
PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT AND MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A
BID SECURITY OF USD 6,500 OR AN EQUIVALENT AMOUNT IN A
FREELY CONVERTIBLE CURRENCY. LATE BIDS WILL BE
REJECTED.

6. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGEMENT UNIT
8 VARDANANTS STREET
YEREVAN 375010, ARMENIA
TEL: (374 1) 522-795
FAX: (374 1) 547-072
E-MAIL: [email protected]

Additional information on Armenia is available via
BISNIS Online, at

BISNIS Programs available to you FREE OF CHARGE:
BISNIS ExpoLink Eurasia
BISNIS Trades & Tenders
BISNIS Search for Partners
fm
BISNIS FinanceLink fm

********** Provided by: ***************************
Joan M. Morgan, BISNIS Trade Specialist for Armenia
U.S. Department of Commerce
Tel: 202/482-2709, Fax: 202/482-2293
e-mail: [email protected]

***********************************************************************************
Investment Opportunities in Georgia

BISNIS Georgia Report
March 16, 2004

Dear BISNIS Clients:

In today’s message you will find:

1) International Bidding for Poti Port Terminals in Georgia (Deadline
extended to May 3, 2004) (3/04)

2) Commercial News Update for Georgia (3/04)
229GGcomnews.htm
3) List of Governmental Institutions in the Republic of Georgia (3/04)

4) Opening an Office in Tbilisi, Georgia (2/04)
130GGopenoffice.htm

***************************** ***************************
1) INTERNATIONAL BIDDING FOR POTI PORT TERMINALS (GEORGIA) (deadline
extended to May 3, 2004)

March 5, 2004
Source: US Embassy, Tbilisi, Georgia

Announcement

“The Sea Port of Poti”- Legal Entity of Public Law, pursuant to the
decision of the Tender Commission, created in compliance with the
Presidential Decree No 104 from March 12, 2002 on transferring certain
terminals (berths) of the Poti Sea Port for long term lease or with
management right through International Tenders, ensuring to carry out
the Presidential Decree, No 424 from 27 September 2000 on Adoption and
Realization of Restructuring and Modernization Strategy of Poti Sea
Port, informs all interested persons, willing to participate in
international tender on transferring Terminals No.9, 10 for long term
lease announced on 04.11.2003 (newspaper “Sakartvelos Respublika”
No.297, 04.11.2003) that the tender terms have been changed as follows:

**********************************************************
2) COMMERCIAL NEWS UPDATE GEORGIA
February 18-29, 2004
9GGcomnews.htm

AUTHOR: HELEN SARADOVA, BISNIS REPRESENTATIVE FOR GEORGIA

This report contains the following information:
§ Tariff increase for transportation of oil;
§ USAID renews support for microfinance stabilization in Georgia;
§ EBRD keeps a full plate in Georgia;
§ Government to regulate price of bread;
§ National Bank increases rate of discount;
§ Russian-Georgian trade-economic co-operation;
§ Oil pipeline construction from Novorossiisk to Turkey via Georgia;
§ New launch services.

************************************************************
3) List of Governmental Institutions in the Republic of Georgia
GListMinistries.htm

March 2004
Source: BISNIS Representative in US Embassy, Tbilisi, Georgia

Mr. Mikheil Saakashvili, President
Mr. Irakli Chubinishvili, Head of President’s Administration

Chancellery
Mr. Zurab Zhvania, Prime Minister
Tel: (995 32) 922243; Fax: (995 32) 921069

**************************************
4) Opening an Office in Tbilisi, Georgia (2/04)

January 2004
Source: Helen Saradova, BISNIS Representative, Georgia

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Georgia is a mountainous country bordered by the Russian Federation in
the north, Turkey in the southeast, Armenia in the south, Azerbaijan in
the east and by the Black Sea in the west. Georgia’s main economic
activities include the cultivation of agricultural products such as
citrus fruits, tea, hazelnuts, and grapes; mining of manganese and
copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing alcoholic and
nonalcoholic beverages, metals, machinery, and chemicals. The country
imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil
products. Even though Georgia’s sizable internal energy resource is
hydropower, during the last years it simultaneously suffers from an
energy crisis.

********************************************************************
BISNIS Programs available to you FREE OF CHARGE:
BISNIS ExpoLink Eurasia
BISNIS Trades & Tenders
BISNIS Search for Partners
fm
BISNIS FinanceLink fm

For country-specific information, please go to the Georgia page at

You are receiving this broadcast because you have elected to receive the
Georgia updates from BISNIS. To modify your personal selections or to
unsubscribe, please go to MyBISNIS at

********** Provided by: ***************************
Joan M. Morgan, BISNIS Trade Specialist for Georgia
U.S. Department of Commerce
Tel: 202/482-2709, Fax: 202/482-2293
e-mail: [email protected]

Strong army guarantees peace in region – Armenian leader

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
16 Mar 04

[Presenter] The commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces,
President Robert Kocharyan, visited the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military
School today.

[Correspondent over video of meeting] The director of the institute,
Maj-Gen Stepan Mirzoyan, greeted Robert Kocharyan. Early in the
morning today, the cadets of the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military Institute
met the commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces, Robert
Kocharyan, and marched in front of the president. The institute, which
was formed 10 years ago, accepts 250 young men every year. The defence
minister noted that the role of the institute is inestimable as it
trains officers for the army.

[Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan] People who come and see the
institute say it is unbelievable that such an institute has existed
for 10 years. We also know that we have various tasks and problems –
starting from military personnel to technical facilities. There are
the best conditions in this institute.

[Correspondent] The commander-in-chief was shown around the
institute. Robert Kocharyan stated that he was visiting the institute
to see the results of work carried out in the last three
years. Armenia was the only country that did not have such a military
structure in the region before. This gap has been filled in today and
the commander-in-chief is pleased with the activities of the military
institute.

[President Robert Kocharyan] I am sure that it was very important to
establish this military institute. Such military institutes are not
formed in one or two years, this is a long and laborious process that
requires a technical base and traditions, and it is impossible to
establish it even in one generation. I think that we have filled in
this gap and now we have to work more actively every year to improve
its quality.

The recent meeting with the students of Yerevan State University
prompted me to visit the military institute. The students put forward
many proposals on the recent law on alternative military service, on
visiting a military unit once a week and spending several hours there
in order to receive the rank of officer. If I had suggested studying
law or economics, it would not have been taken so seriously. It is
impossible to prepare any specialist in this way, especially here, as
it requires a deep and comprehensive education.

If we think about our security and our role in this region, then our
army must have serious officers who are being educated in the military
institute.

[Correspondent] Robert Kocharyan noted that despite the law on
military service, his sons, who already have sufficient physical
training, will serve in the army too.

[Robert Kocharyan] My sons will not have physical problems. Yes, they
will serve.

[Correspondent] Then Robert Kocharyan visited the cadets’ canteen,
library, museum and familiarized himself with the living conditions of
the cadets. The commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces stated
once again today that an organized and competitive army is needed for
secure, stable and peaceful life in the region.

Lilit Setrakyan, Aylur.

[Presenter] The Armenian president also spoke about the situation in
Georgia during his visit to the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military
Institute. Robert Kocharyan expressed the hope that the Tbilisi-Batumi
conflict will be settled peacefully.

[Robert Kocharyan] I think that they will resolve this problem at a
negotiating table. This is our wish as Georgia at large and the Black
Sea ports of that country are of extremely special importance to
Armenia.

[Serzh Sarkisyan] Stability in Georgia is very important to us. We
want stability in Georgia. I do not want to share the thoughts that a
new war will start in the region. We hope that there will be stability
in Georgia.

MGM rises on talk of dividend
By Holly Yeager in New York

Financial Times
Mar 17, 2004

Shares of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer were up sharply yesterday on word that
the Hollywood studio was considering a one-off dividend for
shareholders.

MGM officials would not discuss the timing or size of the
dividend. But people familiar with the situation said a distribution
of $6-$9 was under consideration, and a decision could come as early
as next month.

In a statement late Monday, Alex Yemenidjian, MGM chairman and chief
executive, said the studio is “committed to sharing the company’s
wealth with our shareholders”. He noted MGM’s recent tender offer and
a share buyback programme, and said the company is exploring other
alternatives, including the dividend.

The dividend distribution would bring $1bn-$1.5bn to financier Kirk
Kerkorian, who, with his Tracinda Corp investment firm, owns 74 per
cent of MGM’s shares.

MGM is prized for its film library, which includes classics such as
The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind. Mr Yemenidjian has in the
past indicated that he would like to see the company become part of a
larger group, either through a merger or acquisitions. Last year, the
company bid $11.5bn to buy the US entertainment assets of Vivendi
Universal but NBC television ultimately struck a deal to merge with
the Vivendi assets.

But some analysts reacted cautiously to the possibility of a
dividend. MGM has no debt and was expected to borrow the $1.4bn-$2.1bn
to pay the dividend, should it decide to make it.

Jessica Reif Cohen, a Merrill Lynch analyst, questioned the company’s
“strategic direction”, saying the borrowing would mark “a potential
re-leveraging of the business”.

“The dividend does little, if anything, to enhance MGM’s strategic
position and we question if this dividend implies a lack of investment
opportunities for MGM,” she wrote.

MGM shares were up 8.46 per cent at $17.57 in midday trading
yesterday.

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
March 15, 2004, Monday

GEORGIA ON THE BRINK OF ANOTHER CIVIL WAR

SOURCE: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, No. 50, March 15, 2004, p. 3

by Yuri Simonian, Anatoly Gordienko

In Moscow yesterday, Adzharian leader Aslan Abashidze stated that
today could see an armed clash between Georgian special troops and
the Adzahrian autonomy’s resistance forces; he requested assistance
from the Russian military. Speaking at a news conference in Moscow,
Abashidze reported that he has called on the Russian president, the
Duma, and the Federation Council to take all available measures to
prevent the conflict between Tbilisi and Batumi from sliding into
bloodshed. The Adzharian leader said that one possible form of
intervention by Russia could involve airlifting Russian peacekeepers
stationed in Georgia to the territory of Adzharia, so they could
place themselves “between peaceful people and the armed forces of
invasion, to prevent blood being shed.”

In Adzharia itself, anxious expectation prevails: everyone is
expecting an armed incursion by Georgian government troops. On
Saturday, Abashidze said that around 100,000 people from various
districts of Georgia were set to march into Adzharia on Monday. Among
them are some with military training, but at the head of this vast
column would be some women – as a human shield, followed by regular
troops.

>From Moscow, Aslan Abashidze issued a public appeal to the
international community. He said: “I want our voice to be heard by
the highest international organizations, in Europe and worldwide,
including the Council of Europe and the UN Security Council, and our
neighbors – Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, and the
governments of the leading European nations, in order to stop a force
which will leave grave consequences behind it.”

Meanwhile, the situation in relations between Georgia and Adzharia
continues to escalate with every passing hour. Television broadcasts
in Batumi showed footage confirming that the administrative border of
Adzharia has been taken under the control of armed formations loyal
to Aslan Abashidze. This cordon, created overnight, is substantial –
as Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili himself discovered for
himself: on Sunday morning, he was simply denied permission to enter
Adzharia. The president’s motorcade was stopped by armed men at a
checkpoint on the Choloka River. Moreover, as sources at the Georgian
State Chancellory told us, there was even some gunfire involved. The
shots were fired into the air; but President Saakashvili decided not
to tempt fate, and his motorcade rapidly departed in the direction of
the port city of Poti, to the north of Batumi.

This report of the incident involving the president’s motorcade on
the Choloka River has been confirmed by the leadership of Adzharia.
Batumi Mayor Georgi Abashidze, son of Aslan Abashidze, told the media
yesterday that the president of Georgia may visit Adzharia at any
time – but he should not do so in the company of special troops.
Batumi claims that President Saakashvili was accompanied to the
Adzharian border by tanks and armored personnel carriers, as well as
buses carrying up to one thousand armed Georgian special troops.

After encountering such a welcome, President Saakashvili reached Poti
and called an urgent news conference, attended by Prime Minister
Zurab Zhvania and the leaders of Georgia’s security ministries and
agencies. Judging by reports coming in from Poti yesterday,
Saakashvili has no intention of “being liberal” with Batumi any
longer. This was indirectly confirmed in Tbilisi by Chief of the
General Staff Givi Iukiridze, who told the media that the Armed
Forces of Georgia have been placed on alert by order of the head of
state. Preparations for war are also under way in Adzharia: according
to the Georgian media, by midday Sunday there were tanks and armored
personnel carriers on the streets of Batumi, and weapons were being
distributed to civilians. The situation is also escalating directly
on the border of Adzharia. Large numbers of troops, tanks, and other
military hardware are concentrated along both sides of the border.

President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia has also appealed to Russia.
At his news conference yesterday, he stated that he has received
reports of the Russian military base in Batumi “offering military
hardware to the Adzharian authorities, but refusing to assign
troops.” In connection with this, the Georgian president requested
the Russian leadership to “take the situation in Adzharia under their
personal supervision, and not permit mistakes to be repeated.”
Addressing the governments of the world’s leading nations,
Saakashvili called on them to see that “not a single Russian tank
leaves the Batumi base.”

Translated by Gregory Malyutin

ARMENIAN DEPUTY SPEAKER URGES “FAIR” DECISIONS ON BANNED TV CHANNEL

A1+ web site
March 5, 2004

5 March: At today’s press conference (on 5 March), a correspondent of
Arminfo news agency asked Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly
Tigran Torosyan whether any measures are being taken to resume A+1 (TV
channel)’s broadcasting.

“Steps should be taken to ensure that the National Commission for
Radio and Television is not subject to pressure and its decisions are
fair. This problem cannot be tackled by making amendments to laws,
this is a broad problem,” Torosyan said.

ARMENIAN ACADEMICIANS URGE SPEAKER TO SACK EDUCATION MINISTER

A1+ web site
March 5, 2004

Armenian Speaker Artur Bagdasaryan, at the request of Armenian
academicians, received them and heard their demands and questions.

Speaking on behalf of members of the National Academy, the director of
the biochemistry scientific and research institute, Konstantin
Karagezyan, said: “A minister like (Science and Education Minister)
Sergo Yeritsyan does not befit our science.” The academicians were
outraged by Sergo Yeritsyan’s statement that science did not need the
funds provided by the government.

The academicians suggested that “Sergo Yeritsyan and (Minister of
Culture and Youth Affairs) Tamara Pogosyan’s responsibilities be
merged to set up a department for culture and education, and the funds
allocated to the ministry be channeled into the development of
science”.

Artur Bagdasaryan’s reaction to the proposal was rather anxious and he
said that there was no intention to relieve Yeritsyan of his post.

(Passage omitted: academicians want to set up ties with colleagues in
other countries)

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
March 9 2004

South Caucasus: Region Growing As Hub For International Drug
Trafficking
By Jean-Christophe Peuch

Central Asia is known as the preferred route for Afghan-produced
narcotics destined for West European markets. But drug-enforcement
officials say the South Caucasus — strategically located between
Asia and Europe — is also a major transit point for narcotics.
Corruption, instability, and separatist conflicts are all cited as
being behind the region’s rise in smuggling.

Prague, 9 March 2004 (RFE/RL) — On 1 March, the U.S. State
Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs (INL) released its annual review of progress in the global
fight against drug trafficking.

The INL’s “International Narcotics Control Strategy Report” praises
recent efforts made by the three South Caucasus republics of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia in curbing illicit drug trade. The three
nations are all signatories of the three existing United Nations
drug-control conventions. Since 2001 they have been engaged in the
UN-sponsored Southern Caucasus Anti-Drug program, also known as SCAD.
In addition, all three have taken steps to curb trafficking and
prevent domestic drug use.

Armenia last year implemented a law on narcotics and psychotropic
substances and is currently working on a draft bill to combat money
laundering. Also last year, then-Georgian President Eduard
Shevardnadze signed into law an anti-laundering bill that was
strengthened last month by the country’s new leadership. Azerbaijan
is currently working on a similar legal package that could be
approved by parliament by the end of this year.

“The money that is generated by drug smuggling is being used to
purchase weapons and ammunition. It also serves to finance these
separatist regimes.”Yet, the INL believes a lot more remains for
these countries to do in the fight against drug trafficking,
especially since they are located in an area that is an important
transit route for illicit trade to Western Europe. The U.S. agency
expresses particular concern regarding Azerbaijan, which it says has
emerged as a drug-trafficking hub after armed conflicts in former
Yugoslavia disrupted traditional routes linking Iran to Western
Europe via Turkey and the Balkans.

International experts believe heroin represents up to 80 percent of
the illicit drugs transited through the region. Opium and marijuana
are also smuggled.

Mezahir Efendiyev is Azerbaijan’s national coordinator for the SCAD
program. He told RFE/RL a number of factors are contributing to the
region’s emergence as a major drug-trafficking route. “If one takes
into account, on the one hand, the fact that the three South Caucasus
countries are geographically located between Asia and Europe and, on
the other hand, the fact that the CIS states represent a major market
for heroin, it is natural that this route should suit the drug
mafias,” he said. “This route, which originates in Afghanistan and
goes to Europe through the South Caucasus and the rest of the CIS, is
a very easy one. In addition, these countries acceded to independence
roughly 10 years ago and they lack the modern technology that would
enable them to prevent drug transit through the South Caucasus area.”

Pavel Pachta works with the International Narcotics Control Board
(INCB), a Vienna-based body that monitors implementation of UN drug
conventions worldwide. He says the industrial South Caucasus area —
which lies at the crossroads of the so-called Balkan Route and its
sister “Silk Road Route” linking Afghanistan to Europe through
Central Asia — is important not only as a transit point for drugs,
but also as a potential provider of chemicals for Afghan-based heroin
producers.

“The countries of the Caucasus are very close to these routes and,
undoubtedly, there have been and there are attempts to use [them] for
smuggling. On the one hand, drugs are coming from Afghanistan to the
markets where there is a demand for them. On the other hand,
chemicals are going in the [opposite] direction, because to
manufacture heroin you need chemicals — for example, acetic
anhydride — and these chemicals are smuggled into Afghanistan,”
Pachta said.

The INCB, which released its own annual report on 3 March, notes
Afghanistan’s production of opiates increased by 8 percent last year.
The report blames authorities in neighboring Turkmenistan — a major
transit point for Afghan-made narcotics — for failing to cooperate
with the international community in the fight against drug
trafficking.

International experts say Afghan-produced drugs reach Azerbaijan, the
easternmost of the Caucasus republics, through two main routes. One
goes directly through Turkmenistan and the Caspian Sea. Another
crosses the 611-kilometer-long land border between Azerbaijan and
Iran. A third suspected route is the flight path recently opened
between Kabul and Baku, although the INL says there is so far no
evidence to support that theory.

Widespread corruption and the various armed conflicts that have
plagued the South Caucasus since the late 1980s both contribute to
making the region a haven for illicit trafficking. Georgia and
Azerbaijan have each lost at least a quarter of their territory to
separatist conflicts. Drug-enforcement officials say the
self-proclaimed governments now leading these breakaway regions are
suspected of profiteering from illegal trade, including drug
trafficking. Authorities in Azerbaijan claim the breakaway enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh has become not only a favored transit route for
drugs smuggled from Iran, but also a major heroin production center.

Mezahir Efendiyev of the UN-sponsored SCAD program says international
drug experts have been barred from Karabakh by local rulers, and are
thus unable to verify these claims. He also says a significant
section of Azerbaijan’s southern border has been under the control of
ethnic Armenian troops for the past decade, making it even more
difficult for the Azerbaijani government to fight drug trafficking
from Iran.

Paata Nozadze is SCAD’s national coordinator for Georgia. He says
separatist conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia have created
similar problems for the central government in Tbilisi. “These
so-called hot spots, or uncontrolled areas, perfectly suit drug
traffickers,” he said. “The money that is generated by drug smuggling
is being used to purchase weapons and ammunition. It also serves to
finance these separatist regimes. This situation perfectly suits drug
traffickers because all they have to do is strike a deal with local
governments. Elsewhere they would have to make separate arrangements
with border guards, customs officers, policemen, or state security
officials. For them these conflict zones are much more advantageous.”

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on 11 February described
Abkhazia as a drug-trafficking corridor, prompting a swift protest
from the separatist leadership in Sukhum.

Also last month, the recently elected South Caucasus leader — who
based his campaign on pledges to fight crime and corruption —
launched a security sweep to disarm Georgian guerrillas based in the
western Samegrelo (Mingrelia) region, an area that borders Abkhazia.
The so-called Forest Brothers group is suspected of controlling
smuggling activities in the area in conjunction with Abkhaz groups
and Russian peacekeepers posted on the other side of the demarcation
line that separates the province from the rest of Georgia.

Narcotics reach Georgia from Azerbaijan, South Ossetia, Turkey, and,
to a lesser extent, from Armenia. A report prepared in 2002 for the
Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency says illicit
drugs are then transited either through Abkhazia, the Black Sea port
of Poti, or Batumi, the capital of the autonomous region of Adjaria.
>From there, they travel on to Ukraine and Romania.

Only a small percentage of illegal drugs transiting through the South
Caucasus region are seized by law enforcement agencies.

In Azerbaijan, which for two years has been receiving U.S.
counternarcotics assistance through the Freedom Support Act, the
Interior Ministry last year conducted a nationwide operation against
drug traffickers and local producers of poppy and cannabis plants.

SCAD program coordinator Efendiyev says that although Azerbaijan has
shown some progress in combating drug trafficking, it still has a
long way to go. “Only 10 to 15 percent of drugs that go through
Azerbaijan are seized by our law enforcement agencies,” he said. “In
2003, they seized over 211 kilograms of narcotic substances and
destroyed more than 290 [tons] of narcotic plants. By comparison, no
plantations were destroyed in Armenia and, in Georgia, only 34 tons
were destroyed.”

This month’s report by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs notes that although corruption permeates
Azerbaijan’s law enforcement sector, there is no evidence that local
police officers are participating in the illicit production or
distribution of narcotics. By contrast, in neighboring Georgia, a
number of police officers were recently arrested and charged with
involvement in the narcotics trade.

The amount of drugs seized in that country remains particularly low.
Georgia’s SCAD coordinator Paata Nozadze told RFE/RL: “The figures
for 2003 are very small. They include only 3 kilograms of heroin, 8.3
kilograms of opium, and 42.4 kilograms of marijuana. This is all that
has officially been seized. This is very little.” The Georgian expert
believes a lack of coordination among the agencies involved in the
antinarcotics fight could explain why the amount of illegal drugs
seized in the country is so small.

But there could be other reasons. A number of counternarcotics
officials and policemen suspected of involvement in illicit trade
activities were recently arrested in Georgia. This suggests that
large volumes of contraband drugs are being unofficially seized,
diverted and resold on the fast-expanding local black market.

Official statistics say there are just 18,000 drug users in Georgia,
a country of roughly 4 million. But independent experts believe the
actual number of drug consumers in that country is somewhere between
100,000 and 300,000.

Anadolu Agency
3/10/2004

Talat: Give-and-take Process Will Start On Friday

LEFKOSA – TRNC Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Talat said on Wednesday that
give-and-take process in Cyprus negotiations would start on Friday.

Talat said that they were at a different and important stage, and
there was the need to make an assessment prior to that stage, adding
that they would visit Ankara due to that reason.

Talat received the same day a crowded delegation composed of
Azerbaijani and Armenian journalists who came to the island to cover
the developments about Cyprus in the right place.

Speaking during the meeting, Talat said that they desired to reach an
agreement which could be accepted by the two sides, particularly by
the Turkish Cypriot people, and they worked to this end. ”We’ve
entered a road with no return,” he said.

Talat stated that people would say the final word and give the
decision. ”We are trying to bring out an agreement text which could
be accepted and which would give a positive result,” Talat said.

Talat stressed that they felt the need to make consultation at this
stage and they would go to Ankara this evening together with TRNC
Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktas. Talat said
they would have meetings in Ankara all day tomorrow and return back
to TRNC in the evening.

ArmenPress
March 12 2004

6-th SESSION OF EU-ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMISSION TO
BE HELD IN YEREVAN MARCH 15

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS: The sixth session of EU-Armenian
parliamentary cooperation commission will open in Yerevan on March
15, to be moderated by Armen Rustamian, the chairman of an Armenian
parliament committee on foreign relations and Ursula Schleikher
(People’s Party of Europe, Germany).
EU representatives will meet the same day with parliament speaker
Arthur Baghdasarian and heads of parliament factions and also with
the chairwoman of the pan-Armenian Hayastan Fund Naira Melkumian.
Germany’s ambassador to Yerevan, Hans Wulf Bartels, who represents
Ireland, the EU presiding country, the head of the European
Commission Delegation to Georgia and Armenia, Torben Holtz and other
EU ambassadors to Armenia will hold a news conference and meet later
with Vladimir Pryakhin, the head of the OSCE in Yerevan.
The session will continue March 16. EU representatives will also
meet with Karabagh parliament speaker Oleg Yesayan, US and Russian
ambassadors to Armenia, the protector of human rights Larisa
Alaverdian. On March 17 EU representatives will be received by
president Kocharian, foreign minister Oskanian and prime minister
Margarian.