Category: News

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Aug 5 2004
NATO FIELD EXERCISES DUE IN BAKU IN SEPTEMBER
[August 05, 2004, 11:55:59]
On August 4, Minister of Defense of the Azerbaijan Republic,
colonel-general Safar Abiyev has met the assistant to the commander
of the Northeast Alliance staff of the NATO general – major Henry
Hans Mammon.
As was informed to AzerTAj from the press-service of the Ministry of
Defense, having welcomed the visitor, the minister has told:
`Azerbaijan closely cooperates with the NATO within the framework of
the Program `Partnership For Peace’. During visit to Brussels in May
of this year the President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev
has presented the Secretary General of the NATO the `Operating plan
of Individual Partnership’. In September, the field exercises
“Cooperative Society Best Effort-04” will be carried out in Baku.
Similar actions even more pull together Azerbaijan with the NATO.
Having thanked colonel-general S. Abiyev for reception, general –
major G.G. Mammon informed, that he has arrived in Baku in connection
with the `Seminar of military terminology for staff officers’. Then,
he has informed Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan on the measures
which have been carried out by the NATO in various regions of Europe.
Colonel-general S. Abiyev has exchanged with the visitor opinions on
present military-political situation in the region of Southern
Caucasus, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, its consequences,
participation of our country in large economic projects, about
development of our Armed Forces, participation of peace-making
divisions in hot points, system of military education, bases of
conscription, etc.
In conclusion, colonel-general S. Abiyev has thanked general – major
G.G. Mammon for the seminar carried out in Baku within the framework
of the PfP Program of the NATO and has wished him successes in
military service.

Akron Beacon Journal , OH
Aug 5 2004
Gymnast earns five gold medals
Falls resident Flohr, 13, leads USA team to title
Bianca Flohr, a 13-year-old gymnast from Cuyahoga Falls, won five
gold medals and was part of a USA team that won the team championship
for the entire event as well at the recent International Children’s
Games competition in Cleveland.
Flohr participated in the 12-15 age bracket in the event, which was
held at John Carroll University.
Besides the team award, she captured the all-around (score of 37.9),
vault (9.55), uneven bars (9.875) and balance beam (9.575), as well
as floor exercise (9.8).
Coach Terry Gray, owner of the Flytz Gymnastics Club in Cuyahoga
Falls and also the coach, said the USA team was made up of four girls
from around the country, including Flohr.
Armenia took the silver medal in the team competition, and Mexico won
the bronze. Gray said there were at least five country teams entered,
and more than 40 gymnasts competed.
Gray, who is the USA National team coach for juniors (ages 15 and
under), said Flohr holds the No. 6 ranking in the nation in her age
group.
He said Flohr, who has been home schooled, plans to attend Woodridge
Middle School this fall.

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected] Website;
Students of St Sahag-St Mesrob Saturday School Returned from Armenia
On July 29, 2004, graduating students of Toronto’s St. Sahag
St. Mesrob School arrived from Armenia in a very high spirit and with
great enthusiasm. On Sunday, August 1, the group attended the Divine
Liturgy at the Holy Trinity Armenian Church and received Holy
Communion.
Prior to his sermon, Rev. Fr. Zareh Zargarian, Pastor of the church,
invited the students to come forward to the presbytery (tas) and to
present their impressions of Armenia. One by one the students related
their memorable experiences and impressions of the
Motherland. Fr. Zargarian then spoke about the importance of
safekeeping and maintaining the Armenian cultural and national
heritage, as well as of constantly being aware of our sense of
belonging.
Following the Divine Liturgy, a reception was held in the Church’s
Magaros Artinan Hall in honor of Mrs. Sona Zeitlian from Los Angelos,
on the occasion of the publication of her most recent book titled “The
Input of Armenians in Egypt’s Early Middle Ages and Contemporary
History”. The book-launching was organized by the “Gamar” Cultural
Association of Holy Trinity Church. The book was presented by the well
known scholar from Montreal Miss Armine Keoshkerian, who offered a
comprehensive overview of this interesting dissertation. The author
then related pertinent information about the subject and what had
motivated her to write the book. The reception was concluded by
Rev. Fr. Zareh Zargarian’s praise for the book and by his blessings.
Camp Sevan Participants visited St Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral
On Tuesday, August 03, 2004 participants to the Sevan Summer Camp of
the Tekeyan Cultural Association visited St Gregory the Illuminator
Armenian Cathedral to ask for His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian’s
blessings and prayers.
Around 70 children aged between 4-13 gathered at St Gregory the
Illuminator Church and prayed that Almighty God grant the Motherland,
Armenia, family members and beloved ones good health and a prosperous
life. His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate, and Rev Fr
Vazgen Boyajyan greeted the teachers of for the camp and the
participating students.
Mrs. Ardemis Boyadjian is the principal and her assistants are Dzeron
Ohanian, Marie Mouradian, Mariana Tarkonian, Stephanie Boyadjian and
Patrick Kamel.
In his words of praise, Bishop Galstanian expressed his joy and
appreciated the organizers of the Sevan Summer Camp. His Eminence
encouraged the participants to be loyal to Armenian traditions and
values.
First Annual Armenian Youth Pilgrimage to St Catharine’s
The oldest and the first Armenian Apostolic Church in Canada,
St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of
St. Catharine’s, Ontario, will be hosting the first Annual Armenian
Youth Pilgrimage.
His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian will join the pilgrims from
Montreal, Laval, Toronto and Ottawa at this historic event that will
take place starting Saturday, August 14th. in the evening and continue
on Sunday, August 15th. with the 74th. Annual “Blessing of the
Grapes” Holy Badarak and traditional Picnic.
His Holiness Karekin II Extends Sympathies to Pope John Paul II
His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians, has sent a letter of sympathy and support to Pope John Paul
II, related to the terrorist events directed against Catholic churches
in Iraq on August 1, 2004.
The letter of His Holiness states in part, “We are saddened that some
extreme elements are attempting to endanger the centuries of
friendship and peaceful co-existence among the Christian and Muslim
peoples of the East, and offer our prayers to the Almighty that the
love of our Lord Jesus Christ will enter into the hearts of men,
reconcile them one to another, and that violence and war will be
eliminated from the region and all of humanity.”
The Catholicos of All Armenians has sent a similar letter to the
Patriarch of the Armenian Catholics, His Beatitude Nerses Bedros XIX.
Statement from Mother See on Church Bombings in Iraq
The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin learned with sorrow from the
Armenian Diocese of Iraq of the terrorist events of August 1, the
result of which caused loss of life and many to be injured. Five
churches were damaged, among them being an Armenian Catholic church.
The Armenian Apostolic churches and Diocesan headquarters of Iraq were
not attacked or damaged.
The Armenian Apostolic Holy Church expresses her sympathies to the
families of the victims and all Iraqi people, and wishes complete
recovery to the wounded and injured. We pray that the centuries of
friendship and peaceful co-existence among Christian and Muslim
peoples in the East will not be endangered by similar condemnable
violence; for peace to be re-established in the region; and that the
Iraqi people continue with the creation of their safe and progressing
lives.
Montreal Children’s Hospital
The Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese team gave a
helping hand to its community on the occasion of the 89th
commemorative anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. After a “Toy
Drive” that took place in the spring, the team came for a visit at The
Children’s on April 22, 2004, to distribute the toys the young
patients.
The Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada;
Prayers Needed For Maritsa Rina Laleyan-Yemenidjian
Maritsa Rina Laleyan-Yemenidjian, age 52, of Montreal, Canada, is
presently in deep coma at Sacre Coeur Hospital in Montreal. The
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Canada asks the faithful to pray for
the full recovery and well being of Maritsa Rina Laleyan-Yemenidjian.
Anyone wishing to send prayer notes and caring thoughts may do so by
writing to the attention of Deacon Hagop Arslanian at [email protected]
and they will be forwarded to the Yemenidjian Family.
The power of prayer will bring miracles to this family and they need
our support via this prayer request.

Armenian-proposed frontline meetings no security threat – Azeri expert
Ekho, Baku
30 Jul 04

Text of R. Orucov’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho on 30 July
headlined “Personal contacts on the frontline” and subheaded “The
Armenian military offers its Azerbaijani counterparts to meet under
the aegis of the OSCE”
In conformity with the mandate of the personal representative of the
OSCE chairman-in-office, the OSCE conducted routine monitoring of the
contact line between the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces this
week in the vicinity of the villages of Berkaber in Armenia’s Tavush
Region and Mizamlu in Azerbaijan’s Qazax District.
According to the Regnum news agency, visual contact was established
during the monitoring mission between the OSCE representatives and
representatives of the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs of
Armenia and Azerbaijan who accompanied them. The news is that the
“Armenian side again suggested changing from radio contacts to
meetings in person under the aegis of the OSCE. [OSCE
chairman-in-office’s personal] Envoy Andrzej Kasprzyk welcomed this
suggestion and expressed his hope that in the foreseeable future, the
OSCE will apply for permission to hold such a meeting.”
The greatest interest is caused by the question of why personal
meetings between the two hostile sides are needed. What does it mean
that precisely the Armenian side came up with this initiative? Could
this practice really serve the purpose of maintaining the cease-fire?
The fact that the third monitoring mission has been carried out in
this sector of the border is caused by the aggravation of the
situation here, Regnum was told at the Armenian Defence Ministry.
Yesterday it emerged that the Defence Ministry of the Republic of
Azerbaijan was unaware of this offer. The head of the Defence
Ministry’s press service, Ramiz Malikov, said in a conversation with
Ekho that he knew nothing about this and that “we should not ask for
things like this”.
Independent military expert Uzeyir Cafarov gave a positive assessment
to the prospect for contacts between the military in the frontline
area. “Any contact between the opposite sides which serves the purpose
of saving the lives of the military personnel should be
welcomed. Human lives should be saved. Agreeing to contacts with
Armenian officers out of any other considerations is inadmissible.”
The belligerents have been more or less observing the cease-fire for
10 years now, the expert noted. “But we have witnessed almost daily
shooting from the Armenian side along the frontline of late. This is
why personal contacts between the sides would not be bad for the
general atmosphere,” Cafarov said. He also said that a monitoring
mission by the OSCE representatives is one thing, and when officers
discuss the important issues in which they are interested without
mediators is another thing. “I think that the latter will be more
useful,” he added.
Cafarov reminded us that this system was practised in previous
years. “That is to say, during the OSCE monitoring missions, not only
did the sides see each other, they also communicated. Naturally, they
were standing, not sitting at a table. Officers discussed different
issues and expressed their displeasure or wishes.” The sides were
trying to use such contacts to the maximum benefit of their troops.
The expert noted that such meetings would pose no security
threats. “The point is that both our and Armenian side are very well
aware who is on the opposite side in every particular section of the
frontline – they possess almost 100-per-cent accurate information
about the commanders and types and numbers of weapons on the opposite
side.”

Assa-Irada
Aug 5 2004
PACE Rapporteurs Start Meetings In Baku
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
rapporteurs on Azerbaijan Andreas Gross (Switzerland) and Andreas
Herkel (Estonia) arrived in Baku on Tuesday night.
The goal of the visit is to clear up issues related to compliance
with the resolution passed by the PACE in its January session and
prepare a report on the results of the Baku visit.
On Wednesday, the PACE rapporteurs met with human rights activists
and leaders of political parties represented in the Milli Majlis
(parliament).
The commitments that Azerbaijan made to the Council of Europe (CE)
upon admission were discussed in a meeting with human rights
activists. However, the parties didn’t exchange views on the issue on
political prisoners but discussed court processes underway in the
country.
Later in a meeting with leaders of political parties represented in
the Milli Majlis (parliament), opposition MPs underlined that the
European Community was not willing to speak about the rights of
Azerbaijani refugees. They stressed that the political and economic
relations in Azerbaijan won’t be in compliance with CE requirements
until the Upper Karabakh conflict is settled.
Gross said that he has never come to Azerbaijan to give advice and
noted that they would exchange views on existing problems during the
visit. Touching upon the Upper Karabakh conflict, the PACE rapporteur
said that they try to eliminate the consequences of the conflict. `We
hoped that Azerbaijan and Armenia will reach common agreement on the
settlement of the conflict after they are admitted to the CE.
Unfortunately, we didn’t witness it,’ he underlined.
Gross said that it was wrong to explain Azerbaijan’s existing
problems with the consequences of the conflict.
The opposition MPs also underscored that the occupied lands of
Azerbaijan are being used for growing and trafficking narcotics.
On Thursday they are expected to meet with leaders of political
parties and members of the Human Rights Organizations Monitoring
Group.

UEFA to investigate Karabakh soccer championship following Azeri protest
Ekho, Baku
5 Aug 04
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) intends to clarify
the situation with the football championship in the so-called Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic which started on 1 August. This was said in a letter
sent by Giovanni Infantino, the director of the UEFA legal committee,
to the secretary-general of the Armenian football association, Armen
Minasyan. The copy of the letter was sent to Fuad Asadov, the
secretary-general of the Association of Football Federations of
Azerbaijan [AFFA].
“We draw your attention (addressing Armen Minasyan – author’s note) to
a fax message from AFFA which informed us about an illegal football
championship being held in the territory of the unrecognized Nagornyy
Karabakh Republic in which an Armenian club from the town of Goris is
also taking part. Prior to carrying out an investigation, we would
like you to familiarize yourself with a copy of the aforesaid fax
message from AFFA and give an official explanation of the issue on
behalf of the Armenian football association,” [the letter said].
Ekho has already reported that the first open football championship
started in Nagornyy Karabakh on 1 August.
[Passage omitted: reported details of the championship in Karabakh]
Azerbaijan produced an immediate response to the mentioned sporting
event. Both AFFA and the Ministry of Sports, Youth and Tourism
expressed their extreme indignation at the case. AFFA notified UEFA
and FIFA about the case while the Sports Ministry informed the Foreign
Ministry.
“In my letter to UEFA and FIFA, I said that in line with our charter,
football championships in the territory of our country can be held
only under the banner of AFFA and with its consent. The championship
held by separatists in Nagornyy Karabakh is illegal. What is more, a
team from another state, namely the team of the Armenian town of
Goris, is taking part in the championship. I asked them to look into
the situation and apply the necessary sanctions against the Armenian
football association,” Asadov said.
To begin with, UEFA officials want to learn what is at the bottom of
it, he said. When the situation is investigated, they will demand that
the championship be prohibited, Asadov said.
[Passage omitted: FIFA promised to announce its decision regarding the
championship on 6 August]

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected])
PRESS RELEASE
January 12, 2004
Contact: Ardashes Kassakhian 818.500.1918
REPRESENTATIVE SUSAN DAVIS JOINS CONGRESSIONAL CAUCUS ON ARMENIAN
ISSUES SAN DIEGO, CA – Representative Susan Davis (D-CA 53rd) today
became the newest member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues reported the Armenian National Committee of America Western
Region (ANCA WR). Representative Davis’s entrance into the Caucus
brings its membership to 132.
On July 23, 2004, representatives of the ANC of San Diego (ANC SD) and
the ANCA-Western Region, met with the Congresswoman’s staff to discuss
her joining the Caucus on Armenian Issues. ANCA-WR Executive Director
Ardashes Kassakhian, ANC SD Chair Garo Artinian and ANC SD board
member Robert Deranian met with Caridad Sanchez, Senior Community
Relations Representative for Rep. Davis.
The ANC delegation thanked Ms. Sanchez for the Congresswoman’s
support of Armenian-American issues. After a brief update of the
ANC’s local activities and an update of local San Diego initiatives,
Kassakhian presented the Congresswoman with an letter formally asking
Rep. Davis to join the over 34 Members of Congress from California
that are already a part of the Caucus.
“We welcome Representative Davis joining the Armenian Issues Caucus
and look forward to working with the Congresswoman on a number of
issues of special concern to his Armenian American constituents,”
stated Garo Artinian, Chairperson of the Armenian National Committee
of San Diego.
“I look forward to working with the Armenian American community here
in San Diego, the Armenian National Committee, my colleagues on the
Armenian Issues Caucus and others to help bring attention to the
Armenian Genocide,” stated Rep. Susan Davis. “By working together,
as one voice, we will help bring attention to such crimes against
humanity and stop the cycle of Genocide in our time.” `I look forward
to working with the Armenian American community here in San Diego, the
Armenian National Committee, my colleagues on the Armenian Issues
Caucus and others to help bring attention to the Armenian Genocide and
its denial,’ stated Rep. Susan Davis. `By working together, as one
voice, we will help bring attention to such crimes against humanity
and stop the cycle of Genocide in our time,’ added Rep. Davis.
Earlier this year, Rep. Susan Davis co-signed a letter to President
George W. Bush, along with 169 other members of Congress, urging the
President to honor his campaign pledge from four years ago to properly
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide as a genocide. Rep. Davis has
co-signed a similar letter to the President for the past three years.
The Founded in 1995, the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues is a
bipartisan forum for the discussion of policies to foster increased
cooperation between the United States and Armenian governments and to
strengthen the enduring bonds between the American and Armenian
peoples. It was founded by Congressmen Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and John
Porter (R-IL) in 1995.
Rep. Davis was elected to the House of Representatives in November of
2000 and has served two terms. In Congress, Rep. Davis serves on the
House Armed Services Committee, the Education and the Workforce
Committee, and the Veterans Affairs Committee. She focuses on the
issues of defense, education, environment, health care, and veterans
affairs. Prior to her election to Congress, Rep. Davis served on the
San Diego City School Board and served three terms in the California
State Assembly.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

Reality Macedonia, Macedonia
Aug 5 2004
Is Iraq Another Yugoslavia?
By Sasha Uzunov
Churches belonging to the Christian Assyrians, one of Iraq’s
indigenous peoples, have become the latest target of terrorism in the
strife-torn country. This conjures up disturbing parallels with the
decade long religious and ethnic conflict in the Balkans.
Iraq reminds me of the former Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, both
communist federations consisting of various competing ethnic groups.
Both of these nations lasted about 70 years before fragmenting
violently into a multitude of new nation states in the early 1990s.
Iraq is a hodge podge consisting of an ethnic Arab majority, many of
whom are Shiite or Sunni Muslim. A very small number are Arab
Christians. Add to this mixture, millions of Sunni Muslim Kurds and
Turkmans in the north of the country. Kurds are non-Arabs, whilst the
Turkmans are closely related to the Turks. Not forgetting the
Assyrian Christians, who were the original inhabitants of Iraq before
being swamped by an Islamic Arab invasion in 637 AD, more than 1300
years ago. There are also tiny numbers of ethnic Christian Armenians,
and two little known sects, the Sabia, who worship water, and the
Yazidi, mistakenly referred to as “devil worshipers.”
The irony is that Iraq is one of the cradles of Western and
Judeo-Christian civilisation. Anyone who has studied ancient history
at high school can recall the Sumerians, the Assyrians and the
Babylonians, and the mighty Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
Iraq has Yugoslavia written all over it. Can such a country survive
intact? Can the west, in particular the United States-lead coalition
of the willing, hold it all together?
The Kurds in the north have been fighting for their own homeland for
decades. Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein brutally suppressed
them by gassing and bombing them. He also brutally suppressed the
Shiite Arab majority, located in the south, which have religious ties
to neighbouring non-Arab state, Iran, the descendant of Ancient
Persia.
Saddam, as a way of dividing the rival groups, appointed an Arab
Christian, the bespectacled Tariq Aziz, as his Foreign Minister.
Aziz, being a Christian had no hope of building an anti-Saddam
conspiracy.
Northern neighbour Turkey is not comfortable with an independent
Kurdistan arising from northern Iraq, as there are millions of Kurds
within Turkish borders. Turkey has fought a 20-year Kurdish
insurgency and is concerned about the plight of its Turkman kin.
Christian Assyrians also live in Syria and Iran. The father of famous
American tennis player, Andre Agassi, is an Assyrian from Iran. These
people are a small and persecuted minority in their own homelands. So
it comes as no great surprise that a large ethnic Assyrian diaspora
exists. In the next couple of months or years, don’t be surprised if
more of them try to flee to the west.
Another of those persecuted indigenous peoples we hardly hear about
is the Christian Egyptian Copts, who have suffered at the hands of
Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. The former Egyptian Foreign
Minister and UN Secretary General, Boutros Boutros Ghali, is a Copt.
Like the Assyrians, many Copts have made the west home.
Then there are the Berbers of Algeria. These people are the original
nomads of North Africa, who were converted to Islam by invading Arab
armies eons ago. A deadly rivalry still exists been Arabs and
Berbers.
In Sudan, black African Christians in the Darfur region are being
attacked by the Islamic Arabic controlled government and militias.
Can there ever be a peaceful solution to the Middle-East and North
Africa?
Sasha Uzunov is a freelance journalist who has covered the Balkans
region for almost a decade.

Azerbaijan must take tough line on Karabakh exercises – expert
Zerkalo, Baku
4 Aug 04
Azerbaijan must react firmly to the Armenian-sponsored military
exercises that are now under way in Nagornyy Karabakh, military expert
Azad Isazada has stated in an article in the Azerbaijani newspaper
Zerkalo. Ultimately, he added, the conflict can only be resolved by
military means. The following is the text of C. Bayramova’s report by
Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 4 August headlined “Azerbaijan must
display firmness over the Karabakh issue” and subheaded “Otherwise our
country risks losing the seized territories forever, says a military
expert”:
The start of command staff exercises by the separatist military units
was announced yesterday in Nagornyy Karabakh.
For nine days, the armed formations of the Karabakh separatists will
demonstrate their so-called fighting capacity and ability to
coordinate military action in either offensive or defensive mode. It
should be recalled that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan announced
last month that military exercises by Armenian troops would be held
shortly in the eastern sector.
Naturally, the reaction from Azerbaijani experts to such a
high-profile event was not long in coming. Several of them think that
the Armenians’ demonstration of their military might is merely for
publicity purposes and is an attempt of sorts to test the
Azerbaijanis’ readiness to resolve the conflict by military means.
The military expert Azad Isazada has spoken on the subject to the
newspaper Zerkalo. He completely agrees that any exercises constitute
a show of force, adding that exhibiting their military capability
indicates yet another attempt by the separatists to display their will
to resist.
“Our country must certainly react in an extremely tough way.
Azerbaijan should present a demand to the other participants in the
exercises, stating that it is intolerable that they are being held on
the territory of Azerbaijan,” the expert thinks.
Nevertheless, he pointed out that Armenia is going to hold the
manoeuvres in the sector where shooting has broken out too frequently
over the past few months and the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline is being
laid. Thus, according to the expert, these actions can be seen as a
lever for Armenian military pressure on the whole South Caucasus.
There is, however, a universally accepted tactic for behaviour when a
hostile side is staging military exercises. The armed forces of
Azerbaijan that are deployed in the region must, therefore, be put on
full alert and the hardware, guns and manpower in their firing
positions must be activated. The expert did not omit to declare that
Azerbaijan should justify these measures by pointing to the fact that
the enemy’s military forces were concentrated right by the line of
confrontation in the seized lands.
In reply to the question of whether Robert Kocharyan was using the
military exercises to distract public attention in Armenia, where the
political situation was strained to the utmost, the expert said: “It
seems to me that the aim you describe is unlikely to be achieved
through these exercises. After all, it is external political pressure,
and it has no particular effect on the internal atmosphere within the
country. It may well be, though, that Kocharyan wants to show Armenia
that he has confidence in his forces. It’s as though he were saying
that he always has troops to hand to suppress any dissent. He is,
thus, putting psychological pressure on the opposition.”
Since he is also a military psychologist, Isazada sketched in a few
pointers as to the possible way in which Azerbaijani and world opinion
might perceive the separatists’ holding of exercises in Nagornyy
Karabakh. In his view, the world community would most likely do no
more than utter statements consisting of smooth phrases and well-worn
formulations to the effect that any escalation of the conflict was
unacceptable. As for Azerbaijani society, any show of force by Armenia
gives rise to perfectly justified aggression within it, particularly
among refugees. This, in turn, is accompanied by heightened tension,
which, in his view, could only be relieved by appropriate action by
Azerbaijan’s armed forces.
Incidentally, our interviewee is certain that the Karabakh conflict
can only be resolved by military means. In his view, sooner or later
there will be a resumption of hostilities, since any peaceful
resolution would inevitably involve Azerbaijani concessions that
would, in effect, entail the surrender of Karabakh.
“I am well informed about the mood of the generals and the higher
echelons of the Ministry of Defence. There too the view is held that
the conflict will never be resolved by peaceful means – not because
there could be no such solution, but because it simply does not
exist,” the expert commented.

Contract killings hit record high in Russia
Irish Times
Aug 05, 2004
Chris Stephen in Moscow

Russia: Contract killings in Russia have hit record levels, puncturing
the hope that the country has left the era of “gangster capitalism”
behind, according to a senior crime official here.
Between 500 and 700 Russians a year are killed by business rivals,
according to crime official Mr Leonid Kondratyuk, a top Interior
Ministry official.
The news comes a month after American journalist Paul Klebnikov,
editor of Forbes Russia, died in a hail of bullets fired by an
assassin in Moscow. Mr Kondratyuk told the Moscow Times that even his
estimate of 500 to 700 was conservative because it counted only those
murders definitely linked to organised crime, and that the true figure
could be “two to three times higher”.
His statement follows similar claims earlier this year by a former
prosecutor, Mr Valentin Stepankov, who said total crimes attributable
to mafia groups had passed the 25,000 mark in four years.
Russia attracted the nickname the “Wild East” in the 1990s, when
gangsters fought turf wars in the free-for-all that followed the end
of Communism.
The government hoped the arrival of tough central control from
President Vladimir Putin, coupled with rising prosperity, had put an
end to these murders, but this prosperity may actually be encouraging
a new wave of blood-letting.
Klebnikov was one of two journalists murdered in Moscow last month –
also killed was Paila Peloya, editor of an Armenian-language
newspaper, who, like Klebnikov, was shot dead in broad daylight. Since
Mr Putin took office in 2000, 15 journalists have been murdered, along
with six MPs and dozens of suspected gangster bosses.
Prominent killings include the shooting last summer of Igor Klimov,
chief of defence giant Almaz-Antei. The option of contract killing is
sometimes used as a last resort in business disputes. Typically, if a
firm refuses to honour its end of a contract, remedies such as going
to court may be useless, with judges sometimes bribed or the state law
simply unable to get back money owed.
The rise in contract killings comes despite a fall overall in recorded
crime. The number of murders in Russia fell 8 per cent last year,
though remained high at 16,240. Some doubt the official claims. Andrei
Konstantinov, a crime journalist with the Agency of Journalistic
Investigations in St Petersburg, said his interpretation of official
figures is that there are fewer contract killings, not more.
Konstantinov said police often know the identity of contract killers,
but lack evidence, and in particular witnesses, to bring the guilty to
court. He blames a collapse in moral values for the high level of gun
crime.
“It is wrong to blame the police or courts. You have to educate the
people that it is wrong, and the people in the state.”
But contract killings are not the sole preserve of the mafia. While
some killings are said to cost tens of thousands of dollars to
organise, at the other end of the spectrum a murder can be arranged
for as little as $300.
Russia’s media regularly report on husbands killing wives or
mothers-in-law by paying homeless people small amounts of money to
carry out the killings. These crimes are rarely solved because the
murderer has no connection to the victim.