Category: News

DURING FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR 3,497 MORTGAGE TRANSACTIONS
CARRIED OUT
YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). During the first six months of 2004
3,497 mortgage transactions were carried out in the RA, which makes
7.6% of the state registrations of rights as regards property.
According to the press service of the State Committee of Realty
Cadastre attached to the RA government, the number of state
registration of rights arising from mortgage transactions increased by
71.6% during the same period, and by 21.8% – during the second half of
2003. It should be noted that 38% of mortgage transactions was carried
out by legal entities. During the first half of the year most of the
mortgage transactions was done with respect to apartment buildings
(41.4%), lands (19.6%), facilities of public importance (19.3%) and
private houses (14.6%). In particular, 1,713 realty transactions were
carried out in Yerevan. A total of 486.27 hectares of lands, including
3.12 hectares in Yerevan were mortgaged in the republic. 475.88
hectares of the mortgaged lands were the land plots of agricultural
importance.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

158 ENTERPRISES WITH PARTICIPATION OF FOREIGN CAPITAL REGISTERED IN
ARMENIA AS OF JUNE 1
YEREVAN, August 12 (Noyan Tapan). 50,719 enterprises and 65,504
private entrepreneurs were registered at the State Register of the RA
Ministry of Justice as of June 1. The number of registered juridical
persons with participation of foreign capital made 158, and the total
amount of investments in them made 18 bln, 904 mln drams (about 34.4
mln dollars). According to the RA National Statistical Service, 1,392
enterprises and 3,409 private entrepreneurs were registered in the
first half of 2004. In the total number of the registered enterprises
the greatest share fell on LTDs – 29,645. 100% of shares of 907 out of
3,142 CJSCs belongs to the state, and 422 CJSCs – to communities. 551
juridical persons and 1,492 private entrepreneurs were liquidated in
2004. And as of June 1, a total of 4,671 juridical persons and 18,941
private entrepreneurs were dissolved in Armenia.

CENN – AUGUST 12, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. Construction of the BTC Pipeline Resumes
2. Information Technologies – International Youth Conference
3. 5th Annual `Greentech Environmental Excellence Award’ & Intl.
Conference:
1. CONSTRUCTION OF THE BTC PIPELINE RESUMES
Source: The Georgian Messenger, August 10, 2004
BP resumed construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline on August 6,
204, after the Georgian government issued its permission to do so while
Mikheil saakashvili was on three-day visit to the United Stats.
The Georgian president took the opportunity to call on BP to guarantee
the safety of the Borjomi Gorge region through which the BTC pipeline
currently being constructed.
`BP must take all measures to ensure the ecological safety of the
Borjomi Gorge. The company tried to complain to us in Washington but it
will not work,’ he said at a press conference in Washington.
Mr. Saakashvili added tat the Georgian government had demanded that BP
lay the pipes deeper in the gorge to protect the pipeline from natural
disasters and from possible terrorists acts as well as to buy the
special equipment needed to guarantee the ecology of the region.
`The BTC pipeline has very great value for us, because this project
underlines the strategic importance of Georgia. But the health of the
citizens is also important for me,’ said Saakashvili.
He claimed that BP had fulfilled all the governmental conditions for now
and as a result the construction had been resumed. `BP ha taken the
first steps to satisfy the demands of the Georgian sides,’ said
Saakashvili. `But the pipes will not be operated if all safety
conditions are not met.’
The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Tamar Lebanidze told
journalists this week that the government accepted the guarantees to BP.
But she added that some `additional security mechanisms’ would be
considered during construction.
The Georgian Ministry of Environment suspended the construction of the
pipeline in the Borjomi district for environmental reasons on July 23,
2004. The Ministry claimed the construction had violated several items
of the environmental contract and demanded that BP provide all necessary
documents on safety measures being taken in the region.
Meanwhile the United States is carefully monitoring the process of
construction of the BTC pipeline. During her last visit to Georgia last
month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Beth Jones visited various
sections of the pipeline. Talking at a press briefing in Tbilisi she
said, `I am convinced of the environmental integrity and sanctity of the
pipeline. The security issues involved with the pipeline are being taken
are of.’
Jones evaluated the importance of the pipeline for Georgia. `The
construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline which transit through Georgia allow
the country to find its independence in the energy sector,’ she said.
BP always denied neglecting environmental damage and ecological safety.
On the contrary, it claimed, safety and security are key priorities. `We
have to make sure everything is kept as safe as possible,’ GEO of the
BTC Company Michael Townshend commented on the issue recently in
Tbilisi.
But environmentalists claim that these are mere words, `BP has made all
kinds of promises about how the BTC project would boost Georgian
sovereignty, yet as soon as Georgian law no longer fits their schedule,
they violate it without hesitation,’ said James Leaton of WWF.
The environmental groups worry about the fate of the Borjomi district,
particularly its national park and mineral water springs. The Georgian
media even quoted the Minister of Environment Lebanidze saying she would
not have approved the route through Borjomi selected by BP in November
2002, because of the risk of environmental damage.
Be that as it may, the route cannot be changed says BP. `I can tell you
with absolute assurance that the route will not be changed,’ Townshend
said.
But environmental group Friends of the Earth question the quality of
construction `BP has repeatedly said that it will construct this
pipeline to the highest standards,’ said representative Friends of the
Earth Hannah Griffiths. `But whenever the standards get in the way of
the construction schedule, they get jettisoned.’
2. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES – INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONFERENCE
We invite you to participate in the activities of the International
Youth Conference that will take place on the October 11-14, 2004,
Yerevan.
The conference will be convened according to the following directions:
o Information technologies in the sociological science
o Information technologies in the field of the biological medicine
o Information technologies in the technical sciences
The conference working languages are Armenian, Russian, and English.
Students (bachelors, masters), post-graduate students, candidates, and
researchers up to the age of 35 can participate in the conference.
The Section of Biological Medicine of the conference will take place in
the Yerevan State Medical University after M. Heratsi.
The conference materials are accepted prior to September 1, 2004.
The conference materials must be submitted in Armenian, Russian, or
English, volume of 3-4 pages, with MS Word text format, according to the
following criterion: Working field is 11.5×17.5 cm (for example, for A4
(21.0×29.7) paper size Top-6cm, Bottom-6.5cm, Left-5cm, Right-4.5cm),
line spacing-1.2, font- Arial Armenian, Times New Roman, size-10.
Report materials can only be considered by e-mail delivery to the
following e-mail addresses:
o Information Technologies in the Sociological Science: [email protected]
o Information technologies in the field of the biological medicine:
[email protected]
o Information technologies in the technical sciences: [email protected]
Lana Hakobyan
Office manager
Bioecomed NGO
7 Hasratyan St., 375014, Yerevan RA
Tel/Fax: + 374 1 282061
3. 5TH ANNUAL `GREENTECH ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARD’ & INTL.
CONFERENCE:
4th-6th Nov. 2004 at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad.
Dear Friend,
I take immense pleasure in announcing 5th Annual Greentech Environment
Excellence Award. The renowned award in the corporate world, Greentech
Excellence Environment Award for the year 2003-2004, in its 5th year
will be presented during the International Conference on Environment
Management on 4th November 2004 in Hyderabad, India.
Every year Greentech Foundation recognizes Industrial and Service sector
organization’s outstanding achievement towards environment protection
and clean environment through Greentech Environment Excellence Awards
program. The awards are given to encourage implementation of strategies
for improvement in Environmental management standards, give recognition
to the Industrial & Services sector unit/organization for their
outstanding contribution. In the past we have presented Greentech
Environmental Excellence Awards to various Public sector and Private
sector organizations. The lists of Award Winning Organizations are
available in our website:
Recently we have organized 3rd Annual International Conference and
Exhibition on `Health Safety and Environment’ from 21st – 23rd June 2004
in GOA, India. 3rd Annual `Greentech Safety Awards’ were also presented
to various organizations for their outstanding achievements in the field
of safety at workplace. The conference had the participation of 378
delegates from all over India and overseas.
`Greentech 2004′ the 5th Annual Intl. Conference & Exhibition on
Environment Management will be held simultaneously with the award
program provides an international forum for researchers and
professionals from academia, industry and government to share experience
and knowledge; to offer opportunities for establishing new and
strengthening existing partnerships among professionals, institutions
and industries. It is indeed a pleasure to see the heated academic
atmosphere during the conference where various industrial organizations
vie with each other to save the world by communicating and cooperating.
Complete details are available in our website:
We invite your active participation in the Environment Excellence Award
Program by sending nomination of your all units/ factories/ projects &
for the Conference by nominating yourself and some Speakers and
Delegates from all units and projects of your organization and exhibit
your achievements through Exhibition Stall to derive full benefit from
this important event. Your participation can also be as Advertiser/
Sponsor for major presence & exposure of your organization in the
corporate world.
Thanking and awaiting your early participation,
Yours sincerely,
Kamaleshwar Sharan
President
—
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
August 11, 2004 Wednesday
Azerbaijani FM to visit Moscow on Aug 17-19
By Elnara Bakhshiyeva
MOSCOW
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov will pay an official
visit to Moscow on August 17-19, a source in the Russian Foreign
Ministry told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.
Elmar Mamedyarov will meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov
to discuss the fight with terrorism and Russian-Azerbaijani
cooperation in various fields.
Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation within the framework of the
Commonwealth of Independent States and on the international arena,
Karabakh settlement and Caspian problems will also be discussed.

GOVERNMENT ALLOCATES NINE MLN DRAMS FOR SCHOOL REPAIRS IN KARMIR
AGHEGHI AND KURTAN COMMUNITIES
YEREVAN, August 12 (Noyan Tapan). According to the decision made
during the August 12 session of the RA government, nine mln drams
(about $17.3 thousand) will be allocated to the Karmir Agheghi and
Kurtan communities of the Lori marz. Noyan Tapan was informed from the
RA government’s press service that these funds will be allocated for
the repairs of school buildings of these communities which suffered
from the July 26, 2004 heavy hail.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
“EDUCATION IS A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE ARMENIAN CHURCH”
Stated His Holiness Aram I
Antelias, Lebanon – In an interview with the press, His Holiness Aram I
reaffirmed his conviction that “The Armenian Christian education must
acquire a priority place and a major focus on the agenda of the Church,
particularly in the Diaspora”. Referring to the Pan-Diaspora Conference,
initiated by His Holiness himself, Catholicos Aram I considered it “a
significant and a concrete step forward in terms of developing a
pan-Armenian policy on education”. According to His Holiness, such a policy
must, “first, critically review the present educational methodologies,
strategies and programs; second, it must take into consideration the impact
of globalization and the actual realities and emerging concerns related to
specific environments; and third, it must aim to make education more
relevant and credible”. For His Holiness the globalized world constantly and
seriously challenges us to take seriously “our educational norms and values
by remaining faithful to the Gospel message”.
Ms. Armenoush Arakelian, the chairperson of Educational Committee in Iran,
stressed the unique importance of the Conference which will undoubtedly
bring education to the fore of our attention.
Mr. Levon Ananian, the president of the Writers’ Association in Armenia,
pointed out the vital importance of the Conference which provided the
possibility to look at the question of education in a broader perspective.
Mr. Berdj Terzian, the chairperson of the Armenian community’s Executive
Council in Egypt, stressed the need of implementing the findings of the
Conference to specialized committees.
Mr. Hagop Balian, an educator and journalist from France, challenged the
mono-culture of globalization, considering education an important instrument
to strengthen our identity.
Ms. Silva Kouyoumdjian, a young woman and a college director from Istanbul,
Turkey, considered the Conference as an important forum for sharing the
experiences and also for looking together ahead.
Mr. Samuel Sarkissian, an educator from Argentina, underscored the
centrality of education for the Armenian communities in Diaspora, reminding
the need for interaction with our environment.
Mr. Vazken Madenian, a young college director from USA, stressed the need to
give a particular attention to the local context in our educational work.
Mr. Arto Ayvazian, a community school director from Cyprus, made an appeal
to the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia to take the lead in reorganizing
education in the worldwide Diaspora.
Ms. Aznive Arabian, an educator from Aleppo, Syria, reminded to the
Conference the need of adapting our educational methodologies to the new
development, strengthening at the same time our Armenian-Christian values as
the basis of our educational policy.
Mr. Mihran Kurdoghlian, a college dean from Greece, welcomed the initiative
of His Holiness and urged to make it a continuous process.
Mr. Manoug Demirdjian, a young educator from Australia, called for a balance
between the Armenian-Christian dimension and global dimension in our
educational programs.
##
View printable picture here:
***************
The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Eurasianet organization
Aug 12 2004
RUMSFELD ADDRESSES SECURITY CONCERNS ON LIGHTNING TRIP TO
AFGHANISTAN, AZERBAIJAN
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard: 8/12/04
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, on a secretive and whirlwind
trip to Central Asia and the Caucasus, sought to keep the Afghan
election process on track and the Azerbaijani government in line.
Rumsfeld arrived with little prior notice in Afghanistan on August 11
to express US support for the Afghan election process. The country’s
presidential election is now scheduled for October 9. The vote,
originally scheduled for last June, has been pushed back twice
because of logistical difficulties. Officials have also voiced
concern that the country’s booming narcotics production could
adversely influence the electoral process. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive].
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has identified the narcotics issue as
among the biggest threats to Afghanistan’s stability. [For background
see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Bush administration officials have
long acknowledged the drug danger in Afghanistan, but the US
government’s efforts to date have been ineffective in helping to curb
burgeoning production. [For additional information see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. In Kabul, Rumsfeld indicated that Washington, after
witnessing two years of explosive growth in poppy production, was now
ready to make the anti-drug issue a priority.
Rumsfeld told reporters shortly before his arrival that Pentagon
planners were still working to develop a “master plan” for
counter-narcotics operations in Afghanistan. During a joint press
conference, though, he declined to elaborate on strategic and
tactical elements of the “plan.”
Earlier on August 11, Rumsfeld made a brief visit to the eastern city
of Jalalabad, located in one of the largest drug-producing regions of
the country. “It is increasingly clear to the international community
that to address the drug problem here is important,” Rumsfeld said in
Jalalabad.
During perhaps Rumsfeld’s most significant meeting of his lightning
visit, he discussed security issues with Afghanistan’s controversial
Defense Minister, Gen. Mohammad Fahim, who was recently dropped by
Karzai as his vice presidential running mate. [For additional
information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. A main topic during the
20-minute discussion was the slow pace of disarmament of Afghan
militias. The disarmament effort, known as DDR, was seen as a key to
reducing the influence of Afghan warlords who control many of
Afghanistan’s provinces. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. However, the program has lagged far behind expectations and
Fahim, the Afghan official responsible for implementation the
program, has faced criticism for obstructing efforts to disarm
militia forces under his direct control.
In recent weeks, US officials have pressed for a faster disarmament
pace. Some Afghan political observers consider the US stance to be
cynical, pointing out that since the opening of the anti-terrorism
campaign in Afghanistan, the United States has provided extensive
assistance to various warlords, playing a major role in sustaining
their private armies. These militia groups have been used effectively
as mercenaries in helping US forces hunt for Islamic militants.
A spokesman for Fahim, recounting the conversation with Rumsfeld,
said the Afghan defense minister blamed the United Nations for DDR’s
slow pace, claiming that it had not provided sufficient funds to
assist demobilized militia members. “The United Nations did not
remain faithful to its end of the bargain,” the spokesman, Mr.
Gulbuddin, quoted Fahim as telling Rumsfeld. “Without its (UN) help,
how can the [Afghan] Defense Ministry be expected to create jobs or
pay militia members to give up their weapons?” In addition, Fahim was
highly critical of the UN’s anti-drug strategy, Gulbuddin said.
Despite the concern hovering over the anti-drug and disarmament
initiatives, Rumsfeld proclaimed the Afghan electoral process to be
on sound footing. “I believe Afghanistan is on the path to having
successful, free and fair elections,” he said.
A sense of urgency also surrounded Rumsfeld’s brief stop in
Azerbaijan. Local political analysts characterized Rumsfeld’s trip to
Baku as “unscheduled.” The US defense secretary’s talks August 12
with top Azerbaijani officials, including President Ilham Aliyev,
were driven by “concern over the latest trends in Baku’s foreign
policy,” said a commentary published in the Zerkalo daily on August
11.
Of late, the commentary indicated, Azerbaijani officials have shown
signs of wavering in their pro-Western foreign policy orientation, an
impression underscored by the visit of Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami earlier in August. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. Azerbaijan in recent months has sought to improve relations
with a number of states – in particular Russia and Iran — that are
seen as competitors of the United States for influence in the
Caucasus. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
The diversification trend appears closely linked to mounting
frustration in Azerbaijan to the stalemate in the Nagorno-Karabakh
peace process. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Many
in Baku hold the United States responsible for the lack of progress
in the search for a Karabakh political settlement. Azerbaijan, the
thinking in Baku goes, has steadfastly backed the US-led
anti-terrorist campaign, including the military operations in Iraq,
but has not received a reciprocal level of support from the United
States on the Karabakh issue.
The Zerkalo commentary reflected the rising level of anger in
Azerbaijan towards the United States. “Washington’s main goal is not
to help the Azerbaijani nation to prosper, but to oust Russia from
the Caucasus and build a strategically important corridor between
Central Asia, the Caucasus and Europe,” it said.
Political analysts, including Vafa Guluzade, who served as an adviser
to former president Heidar Aliyev, suggest the Azerbaijani government
has felt compelled to reach out to Russia and Iran in an effort to
achieve a breakthrough on the Karabakh issue. “If the United States
continues to turn a blind eye to the situation, it can lose
Azerbaijan as a strategic partner,” Guluzade told Zerkalo.
Azerbaijani officials made a direct appeal to Rumsfeld for stronger
US support for Baku on the Karabakh question, according to local
reports. Rumsfeld was reportedly non-committal in his response.
Following their talks, Rumsfeld and Ilham Aliyev provided no public
hints that US-Azerbaijani relations were experiencing underlying
tension. Aliyev characterized bilateral strategic cooperation as
operating “at the highest level,” according to an August 12 report
broadcast by ANS television. “I am confident that in the future we
will further strengthen our ties to become a closer friend and ally,”
Aliyev added. Rumsfeld echoed the Azerbaijani leader’s comments,
praising Azerbaijan for its “major efforts in combating terror.”
Editor’s Note: Camelia Entekhabi-Fard has reported from Afghanistan
and Iran for EurasiaNet.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/12/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Azeris Seek US Involvement in Karabagh, Pledge Further Security Cooperation 2) Legendary Olympic Champion Azarian to Lead Armenia in Opening Ceremonies 3) Armenian Writers' Union Fund Established 4) Armenian-Russian War Games To Take Place in Yerevan 5) Georgia, South Ossetia Row Erupts Into Violence 1) Azeris Seek US Involvement in Karabagh, Pledge Further Security Cooperation BAKU (Reuters)--Azerbaijan asked the United States on Thursday to support its bid to regain control over Karabagh, an Armenian-populated enclave which broke away after the collapse of the Soviet Union. But visiting Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who pledged to build ties with the Caucasus ally, did not offer any help beyond supporting international mediation which has yet to reconcile Azerbaijan with its ex-Soviet neighbor Armenia. Thousands of people were killed in fighting in Karabagh before a truce was struck in 1994. Karabagh Armenians now control the enclave and a swathe of Azeri territory around it. Azerbaijan, upset by a lack of progress in mediation efforts by the Minsk Group of 11 states, led by France, the United States, and Russia, has urged the European Union and other Western powers to get involved directly. "What we want from the United States as our ally and partner is for it to support Azerbaijan in this conflict and demand that Armenia immediately withdraws its occupation forces," Defense Minister Safar Abiyev told a joint news conference with Rumsfeld. At the start of his visit, Rumsfeld said Washington was committed to developing ties with Azerbaijan--an oil-rich country which should start pumping oil to the West through a pipeline across Georgia and Turkey next year. "I agree completely that the security relationship between our two countries continues to grow and strengthen," Rumsfeld said during a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev. AVOIDS RESPONSE But he avoided responding to Abiyev's call. "As you know the United States supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," he told the news conference, adding that Washington was involved in the Minsk group. Ties between the United States and Azerbaijan, which is seeking to develop ties with NATO in contrast with its pro-Russian arch-foe Armenia, strengthened after Baku backed the US intervention in Afghanistan by sending 30 troops. "Our relations are growing, and I am sure that in the future we will continue to be mutual friends and allies," Azeri President Ilham Aliyev told reporters. Azerbaijan became the only predominantly Muslim state to send troops to support the US-led military engagement in Iraq. Around 150 Azeri troops are deployed in Iraq. Russian media reported last month that Azerbaijan was considering sending an extra 250 troops to Iraq. Azeri officials denied such plans and Rumsfeld said the issue was not raised during his visit. "We did not discuss the possibility of expansion of Azeri troops in Afghanistan or Iraq," he said. Rumsfeld told Aliyev his country was an important partner in the fight against terrorism. "We value that relationship and the cooperation that your country has demonstrated at the very outset of the global war on terrorism." US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked Aliyev on Thursday for his country's support in the war on terrorism. 2) Legendary Olympic Champion Azarian to Lead Armenia in Opening Ceremonies ATHENS--Olympic champion Albert Azarian, will carry the banner of the Armenian delegation at the August 13 opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Azarian, known as the "king of the rings," was the 1954 and 1958 World Champion, 1955 European Champion, and 1956 and 1960 Olympic Champion. According to the Chairman of the Armenian Olympic Committee Ishkhan Zakarian, Armenia will be represented by 18 athletes in 9 sports in the Olympic Games, including competitions in weight-lifting, wrestling, and boxing. President Robert Kocharian will also be with the delegation leaving for Athens to provide moral support to the Armenian team. The US boxing team includes Vanes Martirosyan from Glendale, CA. Born in Armenia, Martirosyan moved to the US when he was four and started boxing at age 7. Ranked 14th in his weight class in January 2004, Martirosyan persevered and succeeded in making the team. 3) Armenian Writers' Union Fund Established ANTELIAS--Initiated by His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, and through the efforts of the chairman of the Armenian Writers' Union Levon Ananian, a fund has been established in Antelias for the Writers' Union under the auspices of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia. His Holiness had made an appeal for such a fund during a conference of Armenian writers in the Middle East, held on March 26-28. The meeting, attended by 40 writers from Lebanon and Syria, provided the opportunity to raise the issue, as well as begin the initial fundraising. His Holiness also issued a circular requesting all the prelacies and executive councils of the Holy See of Cilicia to take part in the effort. The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia appeals to all Armenians to participate in the fund, and help Armenia's writers and intellectuals preserve our history and culture. Donations can be made to: FRANSBANK SAL, Antelias Branch, Lebanon ARMENIAN CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA 003 035 22 21 532027.87 FSABLBBX 4) Armenian-Russian War Games To Take Place in Yerevan YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The annual war games between Russia and Armenia are set to take place in Yerevan, August 24-27, announced Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Seyran Shahsuvarian. Russia's 102nd base will take part in the exercise. 5) Georgia, South Ossetia Row Erupts Into Violence TBILISI (Reuters/AFP)--An artillery bombardment has left three Georgian soldiers dead and other people hurt as villages in South Ossetia came under fire on Thursday in a violent escalation of Georgia's dispute with its breakaway province. "It's obvious that the South Ossetian leadership and some other forces are trying to involve us in a military conflict," Georgia's parliamentary speaker Nino Burdzhanadze said.  "Our soldiers were defending their positions and peaceful residents. We are going to do our best to keep the peace and to escape war," Burdzhanadze told journalists. Georgia says South Ossetia must submit to rule from Tbilisi, but after a separatist war in 1992, local leaders reject any overtures from the central government, preferring to look to Moscow for support for their de facto independence. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has already overthrown one local strongman since winning a landslide election victory in January, but he faces far stiffer resistance in South Ossetia and in Abkhazia, another separatist region. Russia, Georgia, and the self-proclaimed South Ossetian administration run a joint peacekeeping force in South Ossetia, but mounting rhetoric and easy access to guns had fuelled fears that violence might shatter the fragile peace. "All night Georgian villages and Georgian peacekeepers' positions have been under massive artillery fire, coming from various types of guns," Aleko Kiknadze, the Georgian peacekeepers' commander, told Reuters early on Thursday. "Three are dead from our side," Georgia's Deputy Security Minister Gigi Ugulava said. HOSPITAL BOMBARDED But a spokeswoman for the unrecognized South Ossetian government said the Georgians had opened fire first, bombarding a hospital in the capital Tskhinvali. "They've been shooting at us all night...It's the start of the war," Irina Gagloyeva told Reuters. A member of a local non-governmental organization told Reuters by telephone that some people at the hospital had been wounded, but there was no word on any deaths. Russian television showed the blackened tail-fin of a mortar bomb lying under a smashed apartment window and doctors comforting children in the dilapidated hospital. "We have new-born babies here. We all went down into the basement. I've never seen and heard anything so terrible in my life," Dr. Tinatin Zakharova told the state TV station Rossiya. South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity, dressed in camouflage fatigues, also appeared on Rossiya, calling for emergency talks--a suggestion immediately backed by Russia's Foreign Ministry. Col. Nikolai Baranov, spokesman for Russian peacekeepers in the disputed region, said the force had done all it could to stop the fighting. "Our headquarters held talks with the South Ossetian and Georgian leadership and managed to stop the shooting for a time during the night, but it soon restarted with even greater intensity," he told Russian state television. Russian peacekeepers said they had plotted the firing position of the guns which had bombarded South Ossetian villages, Interfax news agency reported. South Ossetia's defense chief Ibragim Gassiyev told Interfax that Georgian forces had destroyed the South Ossetian village of Andisi, wounding two people. He also said Georgian armor was moving to the border with South Ossetia. President Saakashvili is warning against "ethnic cleansing"  in the region. "We must not allow for ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population or a humanitarian catastrophe," he said. Saakashvili says his government faces three major challenges at present: to ensure the safety of the civilian population in South Ossetia, to halt smuggling and other economic crime, and to prevent the conflict in Ossetia from expanding. "We must not permit outside forces to create a scenario that would drag Georgia into a large-scale military conflict," he said. He did not specify which outside forces he meant. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshinin has also sounded an alarm over the latest developments in the region. "The situation is worsening by the hour and could spin out of control at any moment," he said. Russia has proposed an emergency meeting of a tripartite Georgian-Ossetian-Russian commission charged with resolving the dispute. Prime minister Zurab Zhvania said Europe and the US must help resolve the escalating military conflict between his former Soviet republic and pro-Russian forces in separatist South Ossetia. "We are asking the international community to use its influence to help launch high-level negotiations," Zhvania told reporters. He said Georgia still wants to engage in direct negotiations with the separatists in the presence of Russian representatives, as all sides work to figure out a way to end a flare of fighting in the volatile Caucasus. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azeri police thwart picket outside US embassy over Armenian officers’ visit
Turan news agency
12 Aug 04
BAKU
The United People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party today attempted to stage
a picket outside the US embassy in Azerbaijan. The party protested
against the Armenian military’s visit to Baku this September to attend
NATO exercises.
The police thwarted this attempt and pushed the pickets away from the
embassy. That is why the action was held far from the embassy. The
action lasted from 1200 to 1230 0700 to 0730 gmt . The pickets chanted
“Death to occupiers!” and then read out a resolution.

Turkish debt row more of politics – Azeri paper
Yeni Musavat, Baku
2 Aug 04

Text of Konul Samilqizi’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat
on 2 August headlined “Turkey’s response to Ilham Aliyev” and
subheaded “The issue of airplanes may be a response to the Cyprus
betrayal”
There has long been tension between the governments of Azerbaijan and
Turkey. The reason is that the Azerbaijani Ministry of Agriculture
has not repaid its debt of 3m dollars to the Turkish company Saka
Korkmaz. Under a Turkish court decision two airplanes and a vessel
owned by Azerbaijan are being held hostage against the debt. Moreover,
the Fikrat Amirov vessel has already been put on auction for 800
dollars – a price that is much lower than its actual cost.
The matter is that the debt owed by the Azerbaijani Ministry of
Agriculture to Saka Korkmaz dates several years back. Granted that
when the dispute first emerged, the Turkish government wanted to show
that it was not interested in this issue by releasing the grounded
airplanes several times and making statements at the level of the
Foreign Ministry. However, the further course of events, namely the
detention of the two airplanes and the vessel once and for all, the
escalation of the problem to the level of mutual lawsuits and Ankara’s
acting as an observer gives all grounds to say that the Turkish
government has at least decided not to react to the tension. The
reasons behind this are quite clear to the Azerbaijani public.
What is more, the clan regime that again usurped power in Azerbaijan
with the support of the Erdogan government has failed to justify the
hopes of Ankara, like those of other protectors. The fact is that the
regime in Azerbaijan has taken steps against Turkey’s interests under
Russia’s influence. A vivid example of it is the position [Azerbaijani
President] Ilham Aliyev and his regime have been taking on the Cyprus
issue. It is natural that the response to such shameful mistakes and
betrayals is not instant and explicit if relations between states,
especially allies, are concerned. Now let us have a look at the
chronology of steps taken in Turkey in relation to Azerbaijan
following the “great shame” that Aliyev and the squad of the clan’s
deputies admitted on 28 April:
On 12 May, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that problems
remained only with neighbouring Armenia and made a statement on the
necessity of improving relations;
On 13 May, the park named after [ex-President] Heydar Aliyev was
destroyed in Ankara. The official explanation as to why the
one-month-old park was destroyed was that part of its territory was
reportedly owned by another company. It is up to you to make a
conclusion how reasonable it was for this company to find out about
the construction of a park on its territory one month later;
On 14 May, the Turkish press circulated another report ranked as “a
diplomatic abomination”. The news was about a scandal around the
opening of an illegal bar in the premises of the Azerbaijani embassy
under the decision of the Turkish Ministry of Finance. We are again
leaving it to the readers to conclude how accidental the coincidence
of this scandal with the mistake Aliyev made with regards to Cyprus
was;
On 26 June, that is only a few days after Aliyev promised the Greek
president not to recognize [Turkish Republic of Northern] Cyprus,
another statement by Erdogan was made public. He said they intended to
forge relations with Armenia and the precondition was the waiver of
the idea of “Armenian genocide”. In other words, it was officially
announced that Ankara has given up on the Karabakh condition.
It is enough to mention these four instances to include here the
scandal around the debt to Saka Korkmaz. We will probably have to
enlarge this list if the debt is not paid off.