Category: News

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Nov 19 2004
FOREIGN MINISTER OF AZERBAIJAN MET AMBASSADORS OF EU AND OIC MEMBER
COUNTRIES, CHINA AND USA
[November 19, 2004, 11:28:18]
On 18 November, foreign minister of the Azerbaijan Republic Elmar
Mammadyarov has met ambassadors of the European Union and OIC member
countries, as well as China and USA in Baku, AzerTAj said.
Expressing gratitude for accepting invitation to participate at the
meeting, Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said he highly assesses support
of the countries at the coming discussions in New York on inclusion
of item `Situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan’ in the
agenda of the 59th session of the UN General Assembly current year 29
October. Noting that resettling by Armenia of the population at the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan contradicts international legal
norms and the Section 949 of the Geneva Convention, stressed
necessity of principle position of the international community to
stop this illegal activity.
The Minister said that this does not mean replacement of the OSCE
Minsk Group, and the goal is attract attention of international
organizations to the problem.
Finally, minister Elmar Mammadyarov expressed hope for support of the
countries ambassadors of which took part at the meeting and that the
world community would show respect for international legal
principles.

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Nov 19 2004
WB to provide 20 million-dollar loan to Armenia to fight poverty

WASHINGTON, November 19 (Itar-Tass) – The World Bank has decided to
provide 20 million dollars in a loan to Armenia intended to back
Yerevan’s efforts to eradicate poverty.
The World Bank press service has reported that it will be the first
loan in the frame of a three-year program of assistance to Armenia in
this field.
The project aims to accomplish four main tasks, the first one being
the enhancement of macroeconomic discipline and improvement of
administrative and corporate governance, including the struggle
against corruption.
The other directions are ensuring the ownership rights and the
creation of conditions for stiffer competition in the economy;
forestalling and alleviation of social and environmental risk
factors; and modernization of agricultural modernization.
The World Bank loan is to be released on soft terms through the
Bank’s International Development Association. The government of the
Netherlands will provide 4.3 million euros to co-finance the project.

Watertown TAB & Press, MA
Nov 19 2004
St. Stephen’s preschool opens
Friday, November 19, 2004
The preschool addition of St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School
formally opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by about 150
parents, teachers, students and dignitaries last month.

Construction began on June 14 and was completed by August, ready
for the start of the school year in September.

“Since 1997, the student population of the school has increased
tremendously,” Principal Houry Boyamian said.

At first, she said, all students in preschool through fifth
grade were taught at the school’s main campus, housed at the Armenian
Educational and Cultural Center on Nichols Avenue. Because of the
increase in student population, the board decided to renovate the
church-owned building behind ACEC, previously rented by Project Save
Armenian Photographic Archives.

The preschool building currently has 75 students, and with the
addition of another large classroom, can accommodate more children
next year.

Ara Krafian, the parent of three students and an alumna, donated
his professional services to the addition, from planning through the
construction phase. Another parent volunteer, Karnig Ostayan, donated
services and materials and assisted with the management of the
construction phase. John and Alice Karnikyan and Nadia Karnik of
Stormtite donated all the siding for the addition in memory of their
parents.

Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of
the United States, presided over the ribbon-cutting following church
services at St. Stephen’s Armenian Church. Following the
ribbon-cutting, Choloyan and the Rev. Antranig Baljian of St.
Stephen’s blessed the Preschool Afeyan Building.

“It almost makes me wish I were a child again so I could go to
school here in this beautiful building,” said Choloyan.

St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School was founded in 1984
with a handful of students. Today it has 186 students. The school is
celebrating its 20th anniversary this year with a series of programs
and a special gala at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge on Jan.
29.

For more information about the school or to make donations visit
, or call 617-926-6979.

Submitted by St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School

New Zealand Herald, New Zealand
Nov 19 2004
Armenian president urges Turkey to open border
BERLIN – Armenian President Robert Kocharyan urged Turkey to abandon
its 11-year blockade of the southern Caucasus country, a German paper
reported on Thursday.
Turkey shut its border with the tiny ex-Soviet republic in 1993 to
show solidarity with oil-rich Azerbaijan, which is in a long and
bitter territorial dispute with Armenia.
“Turkey is blockading Armenia, one can only call that harassment,”
the Berlin-based daily Die Welt quoted Kocharyan as saying in an
interview to be published on Friday.
Relations between Armenia and Turkey have long been strained because
Armenia says some 1.5 million of their people were slaughtered by
Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923. Turkey denies accusations of
genocide.
Kocharyan told the paper Armenia would not insist Turkey admit to
genocide for talks on normalising relations to proceed.
“For us, the recognition of the genocide of Armenians in 1915 by
Turks is certainly very important, but it will never be a condition
for the development of bilateral relations,” Die Welt quoted him as
saying.
“If Ankara recognised this fact, it would be a significant step
forward in the direction of normalising relations,” he told the
paper.
Armenia does not recognise the 1921 Kars treaty which fixed its
border with Turkey and some Armenian nationalists refer to parts of
eastern Turkey as “western Armenia”.

Zenit News Agency, Italy
Nov 19 2004
No One May Use Religion as Tool of Violence, Says Pope
Meets Muslims, Orthodox and Jews From Azerbaijan
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 18, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II insists that
no one has the right to use religion as an instrument of intolerance
or violence.
The Pope delivered that message today as he greeted in audience a
delegation of Muslim, Orthodox and Jewish religious representatives
from Azerbaijan.
The delegation was in Rome to return the Holy Father’s visit in 2002
to their Caucasus country, which has only about 300 Catholics.
Among the guests today were Allahshyukyur Pashazade, leader of the
Caucasus Muslims; Orthodox Bishop Aleksandr of Baku and the Caspian
region, a member of the Russian Orthodox Church; and the head of the
Caucasus Jewish community.
“May your visit to the Pope of Rome be a symbol for the world,
namely, may it show that tolerance is possible, and is a value of
civilization, which posits the premises for a fuller and more
solidaristic human, civil and social development,” John Paul II said
in his welcome address.
“No one has the right to present or use religions as instrument of
intolerance, as a means of aggression, violence or death,” he
stressed in his address, which he delivered in Russian.
“On the contrary, their reciprocal friendship and esteem, if
supported also by the government leaders’ commitment to tolerance,
constitutes a rich resource of authentic progress and peace,” the
Pope said.
“Together — Muslims, Jews, Christians — we wish to address in the
name of God and of civilization an appeal to humanity to halt
murderous violence and undertake the path of love and justice for
all,” the Holy Father continued.
The Pontiff highlighted the fact that “this is the path of religions”
and expressed the hope “that God will help us to go forward on this
path with perseverance and patience.”
John Paul II also referred to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, an
Armenian enclave in Azerbaijani territory, which triggered a war
between both states in 1991 and ended with the cease-fire of 1994 and
Armenia’s annexation, not only of the disputed territory, but of
other Azerbaijani lands as well.
The Pope expressed his heartfelt hope that “Azerbaijan will return to
the fullness of peace.” He said that this conflict, “as all other
disputes, must be addressed with good will, in the mutual search for
reciprocal openings of understanding and in a spirit of genuine
reconciliation.”
In a statement published after the meeting, Vatican spokesman Joaquín
Navarro Valls revealed that “during the audience the religious
leaders confirmed to the Pope their constant commitment to
collaborate with peace and to promote peaceful coexistence among the
different religions.”
The republic of Azerbaijan, which became independent after the
collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has 7.8 million inhabitants,
mostly Muslims.
The Catholic community in Azerbaijan virtually disappeared during
Stalin’s persecutions, and the Catholic church in Baku was destroyed.
On the occasion of the Pope’s visit, then President Heider Aliev made
available a plot of land in the center of Baku to build a Catholic
church.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Nov 19 2004
PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVED CREDENTIALS OF
AMBASSADOR OF TURKEY
[November 19, 2004, 19:26:44]
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan has received credentials of
the newly appointed ambassador of Turkey to Azerbaijan, 19 November.
Ambassador Turan Moral presenting his credentials said that he was
pleased with appointing as an ambassador extraordinary and
plenipotentiary to the Republic of Azerbaijan. He expressed deep
gratitude to the Head of Azerbaijan State that has welcomed his
appointment. Then, he presented a letter of credential to the
President of Azerbaijan.
Addressing the Turkish ambassador, President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev congratulated him on the new appointment and wished success in
his future diplomatic activity. `The relations between Turkey and
Azerbaijan are high level and develop intensively. After re-gaining
state independence, Turkey was the first state to recognize
Azerbaijan and since the links between two countries have developed
enough and cover all spheres.
In settlement of the most painful problem for Azerbaijan – the
Armenian-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict, Turkey has always
been near to Azerbaijan. We always feel this support and Turkey
constantly backs fair position of Azerbaijan for peaceful settlement
of the problem in the frame of international law’, President Ilham
Aliyev emphasized.
Further, the Head of State said: `We are connected also by regional
projects. From the point of view of regional cooperation we have good
links and generally, our relations is good example for regional
cooperation. The world-scale project BTC and BTE bring closer our
countries.
And, as you know, national leader of Azerbaijan people Heydar Aliyev
has great contributions in realization of these projects. And it is
not casually that the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was named
after Heydar Aliyev. In a word, our relations are at high level in
all fields’. Reminding his last visit to Turkey, president Aliyev
said: `The negations we carried out during the visit and signed
documents will bring us closer. I cordially congratulate you with
this appointment’.
***
Head of Azerbaijan State and the Ambassador were taken their photos
in memory.
Then, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Ambassador Turan Moral
had warm conversation.
Head of the foreign relations department of President Administration
Novruz Mammadov attended the credential presentation ceremony.

PROFESSOR HOVHANNISIAN: I WAS IN NATIVE ENVIRONMENT IN IRAN
Azg/arm
18 Nov 04
Hovhannes Hovhannisian, head of Moscow Central Institute of
Traumatology and Orthopaedy, had a two-week visit to Iran on
invitation of the biggest Iranian hospital Milad, the Chair of
Traumatology and Orthopaedy of Tehran University and the Institute of
Scientific Development. He shared his impressions with Azg daily.
– I am in close relations with many Iranian colleagues whom I meet
mainly at international conferences. And now I had the chance of
visiting them in their country to perform demonstrative operations and
deliver lectures.
– Who was watching the operations? Students?
– No, professional doctors were. Milad hospital can compete with any
western hospital with its first-class personnel and technical
equipments. They asked me to use my methods and tools in operating the
patients I knew.
– What does make your methods unique?
– My scientific methods of fracture and joint treatment allow to
perform operation in field conditions, no expensive and stationary
equipment is needed.
– Especial considering Iran’s seismic location.
– That’s true but, besides, number of people who become victims of car
crashes is enormous in Iran too. There are more cars in Tehran than in
hugeMoscow. 5 of 9 patients I treated suffered a car crash.
– What was your language of communication there?
– There are many physicians in Tehran who are graduates of Russian
institutes, including the one I am coming from. They were voluntarily
helping me during operations, lecturing and also in my personal
conversations. As you can guess, I had no difficulty with local
Armenian doctors as regards communication. Iranians are kind,
hospitable people and show wonderful disposition towards Armenians. I
felt myself in a native environment. They offered me a contract for 10
years and I gladly signed it.
– Did you meet the local Armenian community?
– How could I miss the chance? Wherever I go, I always inquire about
the life of local Armenians. In Tehran’s Armenian church I had a warm
talk with the head of Iran diocese archbishop Sepuh Sargsian. Then I
was invited by the Union of Iran’s Armenian doctors. In the center of
Tehran Armenians have a cultural and health complex with a scientific
section, a swimming pool, a tennis-court, a football field and a
concert hall. It merely amazed me. Do you know what I said in my
interview to a Moscow newspaper? I said that Moscow Armenians, though
with greater possibilities, would only dream of such a national
center.
By Ruben Hayrapetian in Moscow

CANADA: LECTURES ON KARABAKH’S INDEPENDENCE
Azg/arm
18 Nov 04
The AGBU Toronto offshoot and Zorian Institute organized lectures
dedicated to the history of Nagorno Karabakh’s independence and its
current state in the aspect of the recent international political
developments. The lectures were held at the AGBU Aleck Manukian
Cultural Center (Canada). Professor George Burnutian (from Antona
Collage) touched upon the Armenian-Azeri conflict, emphasizing that
Nagorno Karabakh is an Armenian territory. While Vartan Barseghian
(NKR Permanent representative to the US) talked of Karabakh’s current
status within the framework of the international law. He explained
that NKR keeps in line with the international criteria for being
declared as an independent state for the effective control of its
territory, by its permanent population, regular armed forces, the
legislative, executive and judicial elected by the people, as well as
the effective foreign policy. “The main precondition of the
negotiations is the establishment of safety and stability in the
region, that can’t be achieved without maintaining stability in each
country,” he said emphasizing that the policy conducted by the Azeri
authorities is aimed to ethnic annihilation of Karabakh’s Armenian
population and distortion of history. This last issue was touched upon
by professor, emphasizing that Azerbaijan and Turkey give many grants
to the Western experts for the violation of the history. “Few
organizations reflect the attack of these phenomenon. The Zorian
Institute,the AGBU and the National Association of Armenian Studies
are among them,” he said.
By Hakob Tsulikian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DAVIS REPORT RETAINS ALL UNACCEPTABLE ARTICLES
Azg/arm
19 Nov 04
Armenian Deputies to PACE Grieving
On November 17 PACE new reporter on Nagorno Karabakh David Atkinson
represented his report at the session of PACE Commission on Political
Issues in Paris. The session was chaired by deputy from Russia
Mikhail Margelov who represented the issue. The session discussed the
changes suggested by the deputies.
Armenian deputy at PACE Tigran Torosian suggested 5 possible changes
only two of which were accepted. A formulation in the 7th article
saying that the International Court of Justice should examine whether
Armenia has violated Azerbaijan’s territorial wholeness was removed.
Terry Davis’ preliminary report’s 7th article read: “In case
negotiations within the Minsk group framework turn futile, thenâ=80¦
Armenia and Azerbaijan may turn to the International Court of Justice
as there is a legalistic argument whether Armenia violated
Azerbaijan’s territorial wholeness for defending the right of
self-identification of Karabakh people or not”.
It’s puzzling why the Armenian side considered this very article a
potentially dangerous one. During last few years Armenia has been
constantly repeating that Karabakh has never been within the
boundaries of independent Azerbaijan and that the League of Nations
did not recognize the Azeri state of 1918-20 because the latter tried
to join the League with Karabakh behind. Yerevan agreed on finding a
legal solution for the issue.
The second change of the Armenian side that was accepted has to do
with the 11th article which deals with spreading hatred by means of
mass media. They suggested to remove the equals sign between Armenian
and Azeri mass media as regards spreading hatred. Now this article
reads: “The Assembly condemns any call for violence by means of
Armenian and Azeri media”.
Three more suggestions of the Armenian side were turned down. “It was
obvious that some representatives’ choice to vote for Azeris was
dictated from above and as result our 3 changes were rejected”,
Torosian said. An “explanation” issued right after the session by the
Department of Contacts with Public ofthe National Assembly of Armenia
does not name the states voted for Azerbaijan.
There were several unacceptable formulations in Davis’ report (we do
not use the term “Atkinson’s report” as Mr. Atkinson has only edited
Davis’ report – T.H.) that still retain. In particular terms like
“ethnic exile” and “appearance of homogeneous ethnic territories”. But
the most unacceptable one was the last sentence in the first article
that the Armenian side could not force to remove. It reads: “A
considerable part of Azerbaijan’s territory isstill occupied by
Armenian armed forces and the separatist forces are still in control
over Nagorno Karabakh”.
The second article repeats that occupation of a CE state’s territory
by another CE state is a violation of CE regulations. In fact, Armenia
is charged with occupation of Azeri lands. Probably the UN General
Assembly will accept a formula about “the present state Azerbaijan’s
occupied territories”.
Neither Atkinson’s report nor UN’s formula have juridical power,
therefore are not forcible but are important from political and
propaganda aspects.
By Tatoul Hakobian

The New Zealand Herald
Saturday November 20, 2004
South African Nick du Toit arrives in court in Malabo. Picture / Reuters
Equatorial Guinea coup suspects claim they were tortured
19.11.2004
12.30pm
MALABO – A South African arms dealer who could face death for plotting to
overthrow the president of Equatorial Guinea told a court on Thursday he and
his comrades had been chained like animals and tortured into confessing.
Equatorial Guinea’s state prosecutor demanded the death penalty for Nick du
Toit and decades in jail for 13 other suspected foreign mercenaries.
However, in a dramatic final day of submissions in a trial that began in
August, the defendants stood up in ankle chains and hand-cuffs to plead
their innocence.
“No weapons, no arms, no explosives were found on us,” du Toit said.
“We have done nothing wrong. Since our arrest, we have been chained like
wild animals … We have been tortured by the police … There hasn’t been
any coup attempt.”
State Prosecutor Jose Olo Obono rejected any allegations of mistreatment,
saying all prisoners’ rights had been respected.
“Any statement to the contrary … is not admissible in this trial,” he told
the court.
He demanded jail terms ranging from 26 to 86 years for seven other South
Africans, six Armenians and two Equatorial Guineans. He dropped charges
against three other Equatorial Guineans.
Until this week, du Toit was the only one of the defendants who admitted
involvement in the plot to oust President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
However, he retracted his confession on Tuesday, saying it was extracted
through torture.
Obono said the men were working for an international web of financiers
aiming to install exiled politician Severo Moto in power in the country,
sub-Saharan Africa’s third-biggest oil producer. Moto, who lives in Spain,
denies involvement.
His name and those of eight members of his self-proclaimed government in
exile were added to the original charge sheet on Tuesday, and the prosecutor
asked for death for Moto and 102 years in jail for the others, to be
convicted in absentia.
Fourteen people, including Mark Thatcher, the son of former British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher, are also listed in court documents read out by
Obono as financiers of the plot.
Thatcher is accused of providing the alleged plotters with $275,000,
($394,000) while Lebanese oil tycoon Eli Calil is alleged to have
contributed US$750,000. Both deny any involvement.
Lawyers for Equatorial Guinea denied media reports that the country had
charged Thatcher. Equatorial Guinea has yet to say whether it will seek his
extradition from South Africa.
The verdict in the trial will be announced on November 26. Defence lawyers
on Thursday said all the suspects in the courtroom were innocent and should
be acquitted.
The lawyer for the eight South Africans, Fabian Nsue Nguema, said his
clients had suffered physical abuses including beating, trampling and a
torture session in a room with blood-stained walls, and mental torment
including death threats.
Several of the South Africans spoke of torture when given a chance to speak
at the court session’s end. They said their wrists and ankles had been
chained since their arrest in March.
“Please, please remove these handcuffs…We’ve been like this for eight
months 24 hours a day,” Joao Americo Pimentel Riveiro told the presiding
judge.
Equatorial Guinea says the plot was organised by Simon Mann, a former
British special forces officer jailed by Zimbabwe in August on weapons
charges related to the alleged coup.
A number of British businessmen are also named in the list of financiers
handed out in the court, including a J H Archer. He is alleged to have
provided US$240,000 to the coup plotters.
Disgraced British politician and best-selling novelist Jeffrey H Archer, who
spent time behind bars for perjury in a libel case, has denied links to any
coup plot.
“Lord Archer emphatically denies any involvement with the alleged coup in
Equatorial Guinea,” his lawyers said in London.
– REUTERS