Category: News

Washington Post, DC
Jan 13 2005
In These Parts, Republicans Have Company
With a Shared Set of Values and Faith, They Counter Political Tide
Around Them
By Elizabeth Williamson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Next Thursday, Earl Englehart and his 16-year-old son Chad will drive
in from Frederick to see President Bush take his second oath of
office in Washington, a proud moment for father and son,
self-described conservatives and proud of it.
“We’re a Republican county in a Democratic state,” Earl Englehart,
47, said. “But we’ve got a strong conservative agenda, a vast
difference of philosophical opinion from the rest of the state.”

The Somerville family of Derwood plans to celebrate and pray on
Inauguration Day. From left are Charity, 17, Mike, 22, Marjorie, 14,
David, 19, Christy, 21, Scott and Marcia. At right are Republicans
Bernie and William Albright of Adamstown. (Craig Herndon For The
Washington Post)
After Election Day, the region’s liberals wondered who were the
social conservatives who had turned out so heavily for Bush. In
Maryland, they can be found in Frederick and upper Montgomery
counties.
“We’re regular concerned parents with traditional values, like
marriage, going to church and not having the government meddling in
every little thing they can get their hands on,” Englehart said.
“We’re focused in a different direction.”
In the presidential election, 56 percent of Marylanders voted for
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), as did 66 percent of voters in
Montgomery County. But in Frederick County, and the slice of upper
Montgomery that belongs to the 6th Congressional District, 60 percent
of voters went for Bush.
Among them was Bernie Topakyan Albright, 65, of Adamstown, who voted
for Bush because, she said, “I can relate to his faith and religion
because I personally feel the same way.” As ancient peoples once
believed about their kings, she said, “I believe the Lord puts them
in and takes them out.”
Albright comes from a long line of Republicans. Her grandfather H.H.
Topakyan, an ethnic Armenian, served as Persia’s ambassador to the
United States in the early 1900s. Later, as an American citizen and
owner of a New York carpet dealer, he gave a rug to Republican
President William Howard Taft that hung for decades in the White
House.
Albright and her husband, William, 73, a retired mortgage banker,
moved from Silver Spring to Frederick County five years ago in search
of a mountain view. They also found a point of view.
“I’ve always loved Maryland,” she said. In Frederick, “I just don’t
pay any attention to politics; I just do my own thing.”
She said people who view Frederick conservatives as behind the times
are “totally wrong.”
“They’re very wise and intelligent people who don’t have the same
mentality as those who live in the city. They’re honest and homespun
. . . and when you have trouble, they rally to help you through it.”
Over the holidays, Albright’s basement, where her mother lives,
flooded. The day before Christmas, a contractor fixed the problem so
her mother wouldn’t be uprooted.
“It all goes back to one thing,” she said. “These people have
morals.”
Bernie and William Albright contacted the office of Rep. Roscoe G.
Bartlett (R-Md.) and requested tickets to Bush’s inauguration. “My
husband and I had the privilege of going to President Bush’s father’s
inauguration,” she said. “It’s very historical to have a father and a
son as president.”
Lisa Wright, Bartlett’s press secretary, said the office had gotten
more than 400 requests for the 60 tickets it had available to give
away. “We did a lottery,” she said, selecting names from a list of
applicants, then awarding the tickets to the first 60 constituents
who answered the phone.
“They were very popular,” she said. “Very, very popular.”
Scott Somerville wasn’t lucky enough to get inaugural tickets from
his congressman, so he planned an inaugural party for all the
Republicans on his block in Derwood. Turns out most of them are
members of his family. Somerville’s parents and his six children,
four of whom are grown, live on Teri Drive. They’re all coming to the
party, billed as a chance to celebrate and pray for the president.
Somerville signed the party up with the Republican National
Committee, which said on its Web site that more than 30,000 such
get-togethers are planned for Inauguration Day. People who type in
their Zip codes are given information on parties in their area.
Not many parties appear on the roster for Montgomery. No matter, said
Somerville, 46, a lawyer at the Home School Legal Defense
Association. “Thirty percent of the population can throw a lot of
good parties,” he said. Other than his family, Somerville counts
three Republicans on his street, “snowbirds,” he said, who winter in
Florida. During the 2000 presidential election, Somerville jokingly
credited them with Bush’s razor-thin lead in Florida’s Broward County
because they are registered there.
Somerville said he was raised a “dyed-in-the-wool, yellow-dog
Democrat,” but over the years the Republican platform, particularly
its emphasis on religious faith, attracted him. Partly because of the
influence of his Democratic brother, James Somerville, senior pastor
of the First Baptist Church of Washington, his views are more
moderate than those of many Frederick Republicans. About gay
marriage, a hot-button issue for other religious conservatives, Scott
Somerville wonders “why the government is as involved as it is with
this issue.”
Somerville’s liberal brother, who lives a few blocks from the White
House, will probably be the only family member at the inauguration.
“He and I are both convinced that if every Republican had a
thoughtful Democrat for a brother and vice versa, we’d be better
Americans because we’re listening to each other,” Scott Somerville
said.
Generally, Somerville doesn’t mind being outnumbered. “My little
neighborhood is a very pleasant street,” he said. “There are things
we don’t talk about because we try to be good neighbors.”
On Inauguration Day, Somerville said, “we’re all Americans together.
I loved Kerry’s concession speech, when he said in an American
election there are no losers. It doesn’t really matter if we’re in
the majority or minority for this event. Let’s celebrate.”
At the party, Somerville plans a round of electronic “Jeopardy!” with
election-themed questions. There’ll be plenty of food, and Somerville
will recite from a note from Bush, which reads in part, “There’s an
old saying, ‘Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, pray for
powers equal to your tasks.'” And then Somerville, an evangelical
Christian, will encourage guests “to thank God for the country we
have and pray for the president we have, whether we voted for or
against him.”
“Of course,” he added, “it’s more fun if you voted for him.”
Chad Englehart, 16, isn’t of voting age, but that hasn’t stopped the
second-generation conservative from having plenty of fun during the
election season. As a member of Thomas Johnson High School’s Young
Republicans Club, Englehart organized a debate, with representatives
from the Bush and Kerry campaigns, and a team of workers to get out
the vote. Nearly every day, he finds himself debating with members of
the Young Democrats and particularly the Young Socialists, one of
whom is a good friend.
“I don’t really agree with any liberal views,” Englehart said. “I’m
pro-life, anti-gay marriage. I’m a big supporter of the war, and I
don’t like gun control. I really like Bush. If I could have, I would
have voted for him” because in the election, “he portrayed an honest
person.”
Other than work at a local coffee shop, politics is the young
Englehart’s sole extracurricular activity. He created a political Web
site, , and contributes most of its columns. One
recent posting, titled “You’re Stupid, You Stupid Stupid Head!!!,”
read:
“For the past two weeks following the election all I’ve heard out of
the mouths of Democrats is the reason Kerry lost is because Americans
are stupid. How else do you explain ‘The United States of Canada’ vs.
‘Jesusland’? . . . How stupid can these people get!!? This, in my
opinion, has come down to the lowest level of human stupidity I’ve
ever witnessed since I first took an interest in politics. We’ve got
people running for psychotherapists, telling us [their] plans to flee
the country (which I highly doubt they will), and fearing a Hollywood
‘blacklist.’ We’ve even got depressed Kerry voters committing suicide
at Ground Zero. This is amazing!!! . . . The people have spoken!!
Deal with it!!!”
The inauguration will be Chad Englehart’s first real-world political
experience. His father is happy they’ll share it.
“When he’s my age, he’s going to remember standing there with his
father and watching the president get sworn in,” Earl Englehart said.
“I want to fuel this passion he has. Lord knows where it’s going to
take him.”

The Union Leader, NH
Jan 13 2005
Judge allows sale of Nashua church
By SCOTT BROOKS
Union Leader Correspondent

NASHUA – A superior court judge tossed out a lawsuit that threatened
to block the proposed sale of the St. Francis Xavier Church.
In a decision released yesterday, Judge William Groff said the First
Amendment barred him from considering the suit, which was filed by a
group of former parishioners who hoped to preserve the 120-year-old
building as a Roman Catholic church. Bishop John McCormack closed the
church in March 2003 and has signed a purchase and sale agreement
that stands to convert the building into an Armenian Orthodox church.
“In order to resolve this claim, the court would clearly be required
to become entangled in church doctrine or ecclesiastical law, over
which the secular law has no authority,” Groff wrote. “In such a
case, this court must give deference to the bishop’s determination.”
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH

The judge’s decision clears the way for the diocese to complete its
deal with Vatche Manoukian, a Hollis developer who plans to donate
the building to the Armenian Orthodox Church. The deal hinges on
whether the Armenian church leaders accept Manoukian’s gift.
“As far as we know, all indications are that the leadership of the
church will authorize the acceptance of the title, and we hope that
will be completed within the next few weeks,” said Ovide Lamontagne,
the diocese’s attorney.
Lamontagne said the decision should bring stability to the St.
Aloysius of Gonzaga parish, which absorbed the former St. Francis
Xavier parishioners when that church closed. The diocese has said it
will donate all money from the sale of St. Francis Xavier to the
consolidated parish, in accordance with deed restrictions.
Last month, a Hillsborough County Probate Court judge ruled that the
proposed sale was consistent with the conditions in the 1885 deed,
which requires that the building forever be used only for religious
purposes.
In his decision, Groff wrote that the former parishioners, known as
the St. Francis Xavier Foundation, failed to present a sufficient
claim for declaratory relief. There is no evidence, he wrote, that
the bishop “intends to use the proceeds of the sale for any purpose
other than for the benefit of the unified parish.”
Randy Wilbert, the attorney representing the former parishioners,
said Groff’s ruling was understandable, although certainly
disappointing. Mostly, though, he said he is disappointed in the
diocese for taking away their church.
“The diocese has made its faithful do something no one wanted to do,
basically take action to try and preserve a church, a community, that
the diocese should have been preserving in the first place,” Wilbert
said.
Wilbert said the foundation has not yet decided whether it will
contest the ruling. It is still possible for him to ask the court to
reconsider or to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.
“Emotionally, do you want to take people through this some more? It
takes its toll on the faithful,” he said. “Some may say, ‘Enough is
enough.’ Others may say, ‘Let’s take it on further.’ I don’t know
yet.”
Lamontagne said the ruling should make it clear that the bishop is
ultimately responsible for all decisions involving the creation or
closing of a Catholic church.
“What is important for the faithful to understand is that as painful
as it is to lose a parish through merger or unification, and
therefore to lose a building, the church’s mission does not involve
historic preservation or urban renewal,” Lamontagne said. “It’s about
supporting the spiritual life of the people and to meet their needs
as best as possible, and sometimes at the expense of buildings or
places that no longer serve the needs of the church at any particular
time.”

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Jan 13 2005
Military mood escalates in Azerbaijan

The fact that Armenia has not withdrawn its armed forces from the
occupied Azerbaijani lands and fails to take a constructive position
in peace talks has generated public opinions in Azerbaijan that
liberation of territories is possible only through military action.
Director of the Center for Political Innovations and Technologies
Mubariz Ahmadoglu says liberation of Upper Garabagh through military
action is possible.
Commenting on the course of peace talks and President Ilham Aliyev’s
recent statement calling 2005 “the year of Garabagh”, Ahmadoglu said:
“If no diplomatic success is achieved in 2005 at settling the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh, Azerbaijan will
choose the military action alternative”.
“Aliyev is a pragmatic politician and due to his efforts, very
important processes in the conflict settlement came to the forefront
last year. Thus, Azerbaijan considerably stepped up its diplomacy in
2004 and launched an offensive”.
Although early last year Armenia rejected the “from a scratch” and
“stage-by-stage” options of conflict resolution, as the year drew to
an end this country started to favor the latter alternative. It is
not by mere chance that Armenian expert on “stage-by-stage” conflict
settlement Baiburdyan, who earlier headed a department in this
country’s Foreign Ministry, was appointed deputy foreign minister
late in 2004. This proves that in light of pressure from the
international community and Azerbaijan’s active diplomacy, Armenia is
making changes to its position.
Ahmadoglu stated that the Azerbaijani President is considering not
only negotiations but also other ways of resolving the problem. In
2004, Azerbaijan had made major efforts to build its army and the
2005 state budget designates $250 million for the country’s armed
forces, he said.
The political analyst continued that by taking this step, “the
President aims to bring the army to such a level that Armenia will
have to reckon with it. Considering that Armenia’s economic situation
will not allow it to bring the level of its armed forces to that of
Azerbaijan, this country is likely to make concessions in peace
talks”.
If the negotiating process slows down, Azerbaijan is capable of
applying military technologies and, if this does not bring the
aggressor to reason, will choose the option of open military action.
Call for military action
The Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) has developed a Common
Platform on liberating Azerbaijan’s lands through military operations
and presented it to the authorities, political parties and public
organizations. Member of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party political
council Aydin Mirzazada says that the Azerbaijani government is
taking the necessary steps to free the occupied lands.
“The GLO calls on the authorities to abandon peace talks with
Armenia. This may lead to Azerbaijan’s isolation from the
international arena. Today, the world is built on other principles
and I believe the Azeri government is on the right path.”
Deputy chairman of opposition Musavat Party Gabil Huseynli says his
party backs a military-political alternative of the conflict
resolution. “Musavat believes that the potential for peace talks has
not been exhausted yet and hostilities should be resumed only if it
is impossible to achieve a peaceful settlement,” he said.
MP, deputy chairman of pro-government Ana Vatan Party Zahid Oruj said
that the GLO proposals to resolve the Garabagh conflict through war
should be appreciated from the viewpoint of consolidating
Azerbaijan’s positions.
“At this point the Azerbaijani government is keeping these processes
under control. But the protracted conflict compels the Azerbaijani
people to avail of all means. Therefore, some acquire weapons in
different ways and see a solution in launching a guerilla movement.
The fact that the GLO gives priority to military operations is
natural, as this organization is not a political party and its
activity is related to the Upper Garabagh conflict alone.”
Military men back war
Former defense minister, retired General Zaur Rzayev supported the
GLO’s proposal on military action and sees this as the only way to
resolve the Garabagh problem.
“Although Akif Naghi [GLO chairman] did not fight in Garabagh, the
organization he leads has good ideas on settling the conflict.”
Ex-deputy defense minister, retired Colonel Telman Mehdiyev also said
that Azerbaijan’s lands can be liberated only by means of military
action, as Azerbaijani citizens have grown tired of the peace talks
that have gone on for many years, he said.
“The GLO is a part of the Azerbaijani society and just like everyone,
its members are fed up with the negotiations that have been fruitless
so far. We must fight the enemy.”
Mehdiyev also said that Azerbaijani army is capable of liberating the
territories and will defeat the enemy if military action resumes.
“The Azerbaijani army showed its power to Armenia by liberating a
part of the occupied lands in 1994.”
Possible outcome
Azerbaijanis have always had a high spirit of fighting for their
native lands and liberating occupied territories. The Azerbaijani
people believe that the war has not come to an end yet and that for
certain reasons they have lost the battle, but not the war, which was
waged with Russia but not with Armenia…
Armenia, which is behind Azerbaijan in terms of its population,
fighting capability and financial resources, would not have won the
war without Russia’s military and technical assistance and direct
involvement of this country’s military forces. Military experts say
the Armenian army has 61,000 servicemen, 15,000 of whom used to live
in Azerbaijani lands currently under Armenian occupation. Presently,
the number of officers in the Azerbaijani army totals 155,000, which
is 2.5 times more than that in the Armenian army.
Being supplied with large quantities of Russian weapons, the Armenian
military was stronger than the Azerbaijan Army 7-8 years ago. But
today, Azerbaijan has created a balance of armament in the army, with
a strong aviation. Military experts claim that Azerbaijan possesses
100 warplanes and 50 helicopters.
Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian acknowledged earlier that
if a war is launched, Armenia will face considerable losses and the
country’s present-day economic situation will not allow it to wage
long-term battles.
According to experts’ estimates, besides human casualties, a day of
military action will result in financial loss worth $20-25 million
for each country. Thus, the figure will exceed $600 million within a
month.
When comparing the budgets of the two countries, it will clear that
Armenia can wage a war for a month and a half at the most using all
of its resources. Azerbaijan’s state budget in 2005 makes up over $2
billion, while the figure in Armenia is $800 million. Moreover, when
comparing the two countries’ human resources, which are a decisive
factor in a war, it becomes clear which side will be victorious (the
population of Azerbaijan is over 8 million, while that of Armenia
some 2 million). It should also be taken into consideration that
unlike Armenians, Azerbaijani soldiers would be fighting for their
native lands.

NTVMSNBC, Turkey
Jan 13 2005
Russia to back Turkish, UN efforts on Cyprus: Erdogan
The Prime Minister described his Russian visit as highly successful.
Turkey will push for a restart of efforts to resolve the dispute on
the island of Cyprus under the auspicis of the United Nations,
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
Speaking on his return from a three day visit to Russia, Erdogan said
that preliminary discussions to reopen UN sponsored efforts to
reunite the two states on Cyprus had been delayed due to the tsunami
disaster in Asia.
`After the December 17th process (when Turkey was given a date to
start European Union membership negotiations), UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan congratulated us and then we phoned him and said we could
talk about the Cyprus process,’ the Prime Minister said. `While we
were planning to hold this talk, Asian disaster happened. He is now
in the region. We want to talk with him as soon as possible.
Commenting on a statement by President Rauf Denktas of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) that he was uneasy over Russian
support for the plan put forward by Annan to reunify the island,
Erdogan said that it was the process and not the name of the plan
that was important.
`There will not be an Annan Plan to be presented,’ he said. `Also,
the name of the plan is not important. The important thing is its
content and this content should include a solution. I do not believe
that anybody will oppose a plan that will include a solution. If the
plan protects the interests of the Turkish Cypriots and brings a just
and permanent solution to the TRNC, I am sure that everybody will
exert efforts for such a plan.’
Erdogan said that what they wanted was a just plan that will bring
permanent peace and by which both sides will win.
`We have always said that we support such a plan and we will continue
to support it. We do not have any uneasiness about this issue.’
The Prime Minister described his trip to Russia as having been very
successful, with his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putting
being friendly, positive and sincere.
`It was a very beneficial meeting,’ he said. `We mainly discussed
Iraq, Middle East, Cyprus and the Armenia issue and we took up what
can be done jointly in the Middle East and the region,’ said Erdogan.
`We took up our bilateral relations in regional and international
aspects and we had some demands in the aspect of the UN Security
Council. He said the isolation of the TRNC was not just and they will
support any Annan Plan which will be prepared about the issue. He
clearly said they are ready to exert every type of effort on this
issue.’
From: Baghdasarian

The Messenger, Georgia
Jan 13 2005
Georgian, Azerbaijani customs officers sign agreement
An agreement was signed by the customs departments of Azerbaijan
Georgia in Tbilisi on Wednesday, Prime News reports. The agreement
refers to the prevention of cargoes being transported from Azerbaijan
to Armenia through the territory of Georgia.
At present the documents concerning delivery of cargoes from
Azerbaijan to Georgia are examined by a special working group; this
agreement allows for a simplification of the process.

Blabbermouth.net, NY
Jan 13 2005
“The Silent Force”
SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist and chief songwriter Daron Malakian has
told The Sydney Morning Herald that he is putting the finishing
touches on two new studio albums – “Mesmerize”, due this spring, and
“Hypnotize”, due this fall. He said he’s not a perfectionist: “I just
want it to be right, I don’t nitpick at shit. I get the production
credit on the record, and I get to be the [AC/DC guitarist] Malcolm
Young of SYSTEM OF A DOWN.
“I respect those people. You look at SLAYER and you see Kerry King. I
look at SLAYER and I see [songwriter-guitarist] Jeff Hanneman.”
By his own reckoning, Malakian writes about 95 per cent of SYSTEM’s
music, including the lyrics. He bristles slightly at the suggestion
that his band is a dictatorship.
“It’s a democracy, everyone respects the way the band works, I don’t
step over anybody,” he said. “I really don’t want to sound like I’m
discrediting my band members here because I’m not. It’s really how
SYSTEM works. Serj [Tankian] writes songs but not in bulk the way I
write songs … It works as a team.”
Although frontman Tankian co-founded the activist group Axis of
Justice with AUDIOSLAVE’s Tom Morello, Malakian is uncomfortable with
SYSTEM being tagged a “political” band.
“We just sing about what the world, about what’s around us,” he said.
“We have political songs and we have songs about, y’know,
psycho-groupie-cocaine crazy.
“Somebody asked me, ‘Are you guys about sex, drugs, rock’n’roll,
politics, having a good time?’ I said, ‘Yes!’ We’re not about a
history lesson, like, ‘You gotta learn all about the Armenian
genocide’ or all about politics. We’re not only about that and we’re
not only about sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, we’re like a f—ed-up
mutation of all that shit.”

WMUR Channel.com, NH
Jan 13 2005
Church Parishioners Lose Court Battle To Prevent Sale
Diocese Trying To Sell Church For $1 Million
NASHUA, N.H. — Former parishioners of St. Francis Xavier Church have
lost a second court battle to prevent its sale.
The Diocese of Manchester merged St. Francis Xavier with another
parish in 2003. Now the diocese is trying to sell the 100-year-old
church building for about $1 million to a man who plans to donate it
to the Armenian Orthodox Church.
A group of former parishioners and historic preservationists sued.
But a Hillsborough County Probate judge said in November the sale did
not violate the church’s deed, which says the land it’s on must
always have a place of religious observance.
The parishioners also filed a civil suit in Hillsborough County
Superior Court, claiming their rights were violated because of flaws
in the diocese’s procedure for choosing which churches to close.
But in an order released Wednesday, Judge William Groff said the
court should not become entangled in internal church decisions.
Diocesan officials say the proceeds of the sale will be used to
benefit the merged parish.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RIA Novosti. Russia
Jan 13 2005
DEVELOPMENT OF RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA IN 2004 WAS A PRIORITY IN
ARMENIAN FOREIGN POLICY
YEREVAN, January 13 (RIA Novosti, Gamlet Matevosyan) – Last year,
development and strengthening of relations with the Russian
Federation was a priority in Armenian foreign policy, says the 2004
final report of Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.
According to the department of information and press under the
Armenian foreign ministry the document noted that Russia and Armenia
continued to develop and expand bilateral cooperation in the
military-technical, economic and humanitarian spheres, and in the
framework of CIS and CSTO.
2004 was marked by three working visits of Armenian president Robert
Kocharyan to Russia, an official visit of Armenian prime minister
Andranik Markaryan to the Russian Federation, visits of the Russian
State Duma and Federation Council chairmen Sergei Mironov and Boris
Gryzlov to Armenia.
Armenian Foreign Minister Oskanyan was in Moscow in July 2004 on an
official visit. The sides discussed mutual cooperation on the global
arena and the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
During the sixth meeting of the Russian-Armenian intergovernmental
committee, the participants discussed issues of bilateral economic
cooperation. They reached an agreement on Armenia’s participation in
the construction of the international transportation corridor
North-South, which has strategic importance for Armenia as an
alternative route to the outside world through the territory of Iran.
A railroad ferry between the ports of Poti (Georgia) and Kavkaz
(Russia) will also play an important role in the increase of trade
turnover between Armenia and Russia. The implementation of this
project will decrease significantly the cost of transportation.
In order to expand economic cooperation between the two countries,
the Armenian-Russian Business Association was created. It has about
100 members at present.
Issues of military-technical cooperation between the two countries
were discussed during the visit of Russian defense minister Sergei
Ivanov to Armenia, and also during the first meeting of the
Russian-Armenian intergovernmental committee on military-technical
cooperation held in September 2004.
In April last year, Armenia hosted Culture Days of the Russian
Federation, and Moscow hosted the Week of Armenian cinema in March.
The two countries agreed to announce 2005 – the Year of Russia in
Armenia and 2006 – the Year of Armenia in Russia.
In 2004, Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov and Mayor of Yerevan Ervand
Zakharyan exchanged visits.
About 50 subjects of the Russian Federation actively cooperate with a
number of Armenian regions in the economic sphere.

RIA Novosti. Russia
Jan 13 2005
ARMENIA HOPES TO FREE ITS PILOTS FROM AFRICAN PRISON
YEREVAN, January 13 (RIA Novosti) – Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan intends to make an official visit to Equatorial Guinea in
mid-February. The main question to be discussed during the visit is
the fate of Armenian pilots who received a lengthy jail sentence for
trying to organize a coup in that country last November.
According to Oskanyan, the authorities of Equatorial Guinea have
already declared their readiness to receive him, and the date of the
visit is being coordinated.
>From January 2004, six Armenian pilots worked in Equatorial Guinea
onboard an AN-12 registered in Armenia. Late on March 7, the Armenian
pilots were arrested in Malabu, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, for
participating in a coup attempt and engaging in espionage activities.
The Armenian pilots bluntly denied all charges.
On November 26, 2004, the Malabu court sentenced the crew chief to 24
years in prison and the other crewmembers to 14 years.
A South African citizen accused of masterminding the coup attempt was
sentenced to 63 years in jail, while his three compatriots to 50-60
years. Local citizens facing the same charges received a one-year
sentence.
The lawyer of the Armenian pilots has appealed this sentence in the
Supreme Court of Equatorial Guinea.

USACC (United States Chamber of Commerce)
Jan 13 2005
RV Investment to Develop Azerbaijan’s Gold Deposits in 2005

The US RV Investment Company, which signed a contract with the
government of Azerbaijan on the development of gold deposits in 1997,
intends to implement the project in 2005. The company headed by Reza
Vaziri has passed a final decision on the issue and signed a contract
with British VAEN to launch operations in the fields, the company’s
Baku office reported.
This week UK specialists are scheduled to start development
operations in the areas covered by the project. In the initial stage,
RV Investment will start operations in Gadabay District, northwest
Azerbaijan, and further in Ordubad district of the Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic. An infrastructure will be set up in the fields
and preparations for drilling activities made in the first half of
this year.
The company plans to spend $50 million on the operations, with most
of the amount to be drawn in loans from foreign banks.
Three wells will be drilled in a gold deposit located in Gadabay
District alone. The company says that this will be considered
economically viable if it is possible to get over 2 grams of gold
from a ton of soil.
Vaziri, who is also a co-chair of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of
Commerce, said earlier that RV Investment will commence development
activities on Azerbaijan’s gold fields only in case gold sells at
over $320 per ounce in world markets. It has been a year since world
gold prices have exceeded this level and RV Investment has started
talks with contractor companies.
Along with Gadabay and Ordubad districts, the US company is also
authorized to carry out the development of gold deposits located in
Kalbajar, Azerbaijan’s region under Armenian occupation. The
company’s leadership believes that it will be possible to start
tapping deposits in Kalbajar after Azerbaijani lands are liberated
from occupation.
There were reports a few years ago saying that the gold fields
located in Kalbajar District are being operated by Canadian Global
Golden and Dynestry Golden companies. Then Vaziri sent letters to the
companies urging them to halt operation activities if they were
actually being carried out.
Under the contract signed by RV Investment and the Azerbaijani
government, the US company is required to invest $120 million in
development and $500 million in operation of 6 gold deposits in the
country.