ARMENIA’S FORESTS COULD DISAPEAR

United Press International
Nov 30 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia, Nov. 30 (UPI) — Armenia faces its worst
environmental crisis in its history. At current rates of deforestation,
World Bank estimates it will be a desert in about 20 years.

If nothing is done, the impact of severe deforestation on the country’s
forests and natural resources will be irreversible. Even worse, 40
percent of Armenians — primarily the rural poor — will be forced
from their villages and will face possible starvation and exposure
to freezing temperatures.

To solve today’s global environmental crises, the Armenia Tree
Project, based in Yerevan and Boston, delivers on-the-ground,
practical solutions to empower the rural poor. ATP’s work includes
restoring forests, planting trees in local communities, reducing
poverty and providing environmental education throughout Armenia. ATP
has successfully planted nearly 1.5 million trees and established
programs with the ability to produce two million new trees a year.

IN ISTANBUL’S BLUE MOSQUE THE POPE PRAYS FOR THE BROTHERHOOD OF HUMANKIND
by Franco Pisano

Asia News, Italy
Nov 30 2006

In a relaxed atmosphere following weeks of tensions and fears that
accompanied the Pope’s arrival, Benedict XVI also visits Saint Sophia
and the Armenian cathedral. Now it is time to wait for reactions in
the Muslim world. From our special correspondent.

Istanbul (AsiaNews) – Two minutes of silence, a prayer made
obvious only by the moving lips of Benedict XVI and the imam of
the Blue Mosque. Different prayers, of course, elicited by the Pope
who said-"Let us pray for brotherhood and the good of humanity!-in
response to the imam, who during the visit to Istanbul’s Blue Mosque,
showed the Pontiff the Muslim prayer book, saying that "each Muslim
prayer begins with the name of Allah; Allah is the name of God".

Having placed his hand on the book, the Pope invited those presents
to pray. At the moment he was in front of the mihrab, the niche in
direction of Makkah.

Fr Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Room, denied
there was a prayer. "The Pope," he said, "stood before the Mihrab in
meditation and he certainly turned his thoughts to God".

However one may want to characterise what Benedict XVI did, it has an
illustrious precedent in John Paul I’s prayer in the Damascus Mosque,
although there it took place before the spot that is traditionally
considered to be the burial place of John the Baptist.

The "meditation" occurred in the afternoon, which was set aside for
visits to three places each in its way linked to religion: Saint
Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Armenian Cathedral of Saint Mary.

In Turkey, each scheduled event is awaited expectantly for the fear
of what Islamo-nationalists might do if the Pope tried to repeat what
Pope Paul VI did and pray. Even the meeting with the Armenians raised
concerns over the possibility that he might make a reference to the
Armenian genocide, an event which the Turkish government denies.

The visit to the mosques was added to the original plan. It was meant
as a way to soothe relations between Catholics and Muslims by showing
respect towards the Islamic religion.

The Pope himself indirectly confirmed this inside the building. As he
and the mufti exchanged gifts-a blue tile with the stylised image of a
dove with an olive branch from the mufti and a mosaic with four doves
from the Pope-, he said that "this visit will help us find together
the means and ways of peace for the good of humanity".

"This is meant," the Pope said, "to be a message of brotherhood in
remembrance of a visit I shall certainly never forget," adding at the
end of the meeting, "thanks for this occasion of prayer". And now we
will have to wait for reactions in the Islamic world.

Arriving from nearby Saint Sophia, where he had been welcome by
Istanbul’s grand mufti, Mustafa Cagrici, Benedict XVI removed
his shoes, but not the cross on his chest, and entered the mosque
accompanied by the grand mufti and the mosque’s imam. Both showed
him the beautiful elements of the building, officially named after
Sultan Ahmet Camii, but better known as the Blue Mosque for the
blue tiles in its interior. It is certainly the best known Muslim
sacred building in Istanbul. Built in the early 1600s, it was once
the gathering point for Turkish pilgrims on their way to Makkah.

Saint Sophia-Hagia Sophia-, the Holy Wisdom of God, is much older.

Muslims say that it is the only church Mehmet II, the conqueror of
Constantinople, wanted to turn into a mosque.

First built under the Emperor Constantine, after being ravaged by fires
it was rebuilt under Justinian in 532 to make it "the most sumptuous
basilica since creation" and in effect it was rich in marbles, precious
materials, mosaics and much more. Until Saint Peter’s Basilica was
built in Rome, it had the biggest dome. Its many mosaics survived the
iconoclasts and Muslim conquest but in the 18th century were covered
with plaster.

In 1935 Ataturk turned the building into a museum which it still is,
but as early as 1847 craftsmen have been working on salvaging the
mosaics, a process that is still going on.

Turkish Islamo-nationalists groups would like to see the building
revert to its old status as a mosque. And some Muslim charitable
organisations have already set up shop around it.

Protected by an imposing security detail, Benedict XVI arrived at the
mosque 5 pm. Accompanied by the museum’s director, he looked closely
to the mosaic on top of the entrance; it depicts Constantine and
Justinian giving the two churches (the old and the new) to Mary and
Jesus. Inside the building the Pontiff also admired another mosaic,
one that showed the face of Virgin Mary, an image that he eventually
found again in the amphora that was given to him as a gift.

As he left Saint Sophia, the Pope stopped to meet a group of disabled
Muslims.

Benedict XVI’ last visit of the day, shrouded in suspicions, was to
the Armenian Cathedral of Saint Mary where he was to celebrate the
Word. Welcomed by Patriarch Mesrob II Mutafian

Was, upon entering he was offered bread, salt, rose water and a
thurible as tokens of welcome.

In his greeting, Benedict XVI made a reference to the Armenian
genocide. "I give thanks to God," he said in fact, "for the faith
and Christian witness of the Armenian people, passed on from one
generation to the next, often in truly tragic circumstances like
those endured in the last century".

Earlier, in Saint Sophia’s guest book, Benedict XVI wrote: "In our
diversity, we find ourselves before the faith in the One God. May
God enlighten us and make us find the path of love and peace."

ARMENIAN PARTY POSITIVELY ASSESSES KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV TALKS IN MINSK

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.11.2006 13:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian and Azeri Presidents Robert Kocharian
and Ilham Aliyev positively evaluate the talks in Minsk, Armenian
FM Vartan Oskanian told journalists Wednesday. In his words, upon
completion of the meeting the two leaders indicted the constructive
nature of the talks. "I cannot give a specific estimate now whether
progress is registered," Oskanian said.

The FM stated that the two Presidents focused on the provisions of the
circulating document on settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
on which agreement is not reached. "I believe the Presidents will
analyze everything in the coming days and then will give commissions
to FMs," Oskanian said. The Minister also noted positive trends in
the Karabakh talks in 2006.

In his words, though there was no serious progress in the settlement of
the conflict in 2006, "however there were no steps back." In Oskanian’s
words, during the OSCE Council of FMs to be held in Brussels December
3-4 there will be an opportunity to make an annual summary of the
talks. He also believes the elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan in
2007 and 2008 can tell on the talks from the point of view of time,
but not content. "I am convinced we will continue our meetings,"
he summed up, reports Novosti-Armenia.

GEORGIA’S SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY
By Inga Alavidze in Tbilisi

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
Nov 30 2006

Fears grow as secret surveillance material is increasingly aired
in public.

Following the local elections in Georgia in October, the Rustavi-2
television station broadcast a compromising video of opposition Koba
Davitashvili, leader of the opposition Conservative Party.

The video, which had been shot in a restaurant in Tbilisi, apparently
showed Davitashvili promising his interlocutor a place on his party’s
election list in exchange for 20,000 US dollars.

Soon afterwards, a scandal broke out when a secret video recording
exposed corruption in the United State Fund for Social Insurance,
as a result of which top officials found themselves behind bars.

In another expose, a secret video camera installed in parliament
deputy Gia Nutsubidze’s room showed footage of him seemingly handing
over bribe to a senior education ministry official.

In the summer, an allegedly secret audio recording of a phone
conversation between fugitive paramilitary leader Emzar Kvitsiani
and opposition politician Irakly Batiashvili was the pretext for
arresting Batiashvili on charges of high treason.

These are just four instances in a long list of cases in which the
secrets of prominent people have been exposed with the help of secret
recordings, broadcast to the public.

According to the Georgian constitution, "everyone’s private life,
place of personal activity, personal records, correspondence,
communication by phone or by other technical means, as well as messages
received through technical means are inviolable. Restriction of the
aforementioned rights is permissible by a court decision or also
without such a decision in the case of urgent necessity provided for
by law".

The second part of this apparently gives license to the law enforcement
agencies to use surveillance as a weapon.

Elene Tevdoradze, a member of parliament with the ruling party and
chairwoman of the Parliament Human Rights Committee, said she thought
surveillance was justified.

"As a human rights activist, I categorically oppose the interference
in people’s personal lives," she said. "However, given the current
situation in this country, we have to tolerate a lot of things if
we want to be protected against the threats to our country. I would
like to remind you that secret recordings have been legalised in the
United States and the United Kingdom to combat terrorism effectively."

However, Tevdoradze herself admitted that she feels psychologically
uncomfortable when she talks on the phone, as someone may be tapping
her too. And lawyers and human rights activists are concerned about
both the extent and the legality of the surveillance tactics being
used."

Lawyer Malkhaz Jangirashvili said that almost all the evidence in
the criminal cases that he is currently dealing with comes from
secret recordings.

"Ninety per cent of my cases and the cases of my colleagues are
deliberately provoked, by which I mean that a tapping device is
installed and a conversation is provoked," he told IWPR. "Even neutral
conversations that have nothing to do with a crime can be regarded as
evidence. On the whole all the cases that get solved are underpinned
by this method."

Jangirashvili said that tapes are also forged and, "due to the lack of
technical means and qualified specialists, no high-quality examination
of recordings is provided".

He argues that secret tapping is widely used because of a lack of
professionalism.

"The investigation and operational service are unable to collect any
other kind of proof, as this is quite a labour-intensive process and
needs a certain level of professionalism," he said. "This is why they
take the easy path of secret recordings, as otherwise they would be
unable to solve cases."

Legal experts are also concerned about the way the secret recordings
are made public via the media. The law enforcement agencies frequently
use them as part of their publicity campaigns, with the media seemingly
having no objection to broadcasting the material.

"The media are basically working for the law enforcement agencies,"
said Republican Party leader and lawyer Tinatin Khidasheli.

"Journalists have normal channels of information closed to them but
the media allows itself to be used by the security agencies.

"For example, by making public the absolutely illegal recording
involving Koba Davitashvili, the media promoted ethnic enmity – in
the recording, Davitashvili [allegedly] used the word ‘Armenian’
in an insulting manner. This is a classic example of the lack of
professionalism. The media would have been held responsible for this
in any civilised country."

Khidasheli cited examples of hidden cameras and phone tapping also
being used in internal political battles. For example, prisons boss
Bacho Akhalaia who has a difficult relationship with the human rights
ombudsman Sozar Subari, made public a recording of an apparent phone
conversation between a representative of the ombudsman and a former
prisoner who allegedly spoke about giving a bribe to a prison guard.

Opposition parliamentary deputy Kakha Kukava says he is not against
secret recordings if they are obtained legally. "But everything that
we see on television is recorded illegally, and it is even edited in
some cases," he said.

Kukava said his main worry was that it was instilling a "fear syndrome"
amongst the public. "Many citizens who come to me as a deputy for
help are afraid to speak about their problems on the telephone,"
he told IWPR.

Eight out of ten ordinary Georgians IWPR spoke to said that they
prefer not to discuss serious issues on the phone.

"I never speak about politics on the telephone, as a serious friend
of mine warned me that all telephones are being tapped," said Maia,
a 47-year-old dentist.

"I don’t even know what’s worse – not to be able to expose one more
corrupt official or to have a constant feeling that a video eye or
a listening device is somewhere close to you," said Giga, 34.

Human rights activists and lawyers say they are also concerned
about the practice of surveillance of prisons, in violation of the
confidentiality of meetings between lawyers and prisoners. Subari
has appealed to the prison department to take down video cameras from
jail meeting rooms on the grounds that this violates Georgian law. So
far, he has met with a refusal on the grounds that the practice is
permissible under UN basic principles on the treatment of prisoners.

Georgia’s Young Lawyers’ Association has also appealed to the country’s
constitutional court to protest that the kind of surveillance
which is currently practiced by the law enforcement agencies is
unconstitutional.

The court accepted the application and has said it will answer within
six months.

Inga Alavidze works for the crime section of the 24 Hours newspaper
in Tbilisi

BLASPHEMY ROW INFLAMES AZERBAIJAN
By Kenan Guluzade in Nardaran

Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK
Nov 30 2006

Islamists say journalist who allegedly impugned Islam deserves to die.

For the past three weeks, residents of the village of Nardaran,
close to Baku, have been demonstrating every Friday to demand severe
punishment of Azerbaijani journalist Rafik Taghi, who is accused of
having insulted the Prophet Mohammed in an article published by the
little-known Azerbaijani newspaper, Senet.

The case of the journalist, who is now serving a two-month prison
sentence, demonstrates that Islamic sentiment is strong in Azerbaijan
and has complicated relations with Azerbaijan’s southern neighbour,
the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Nardaran, a village with strong Islamic traditions, has been leading
the protests. On November 17, Haji Ali, one of the leaders of the
local religious community, summoned crowds by striking a stone against
a pillar in Imam Husein square in the centre of the village.

Teenagers, who had climbed on a wall, joined him, banging iron rods
against a gas pipe. This noisy call to action reverberated through
the village.

By three o’clock, the square was teeming with devout believers,
who form an overwhelming majority in the village. "Last week we, the
residents of Nardaran, condemned Rafik Taghi and the editor-in-chief
of the newspaper", said Haji Ali, beginning his speech. "Our religion
knows only one punishment for such people, which is execution. This
is not our decision, this is what our holy book prescribes. The
authorities sentenced the journalists to two weeks in custody. But
that is not enough!"

Nardaran became famous after bloody clashes between its residents and
police in 2002. (See Azerbaijan: Rebel Village Remains Defiant, CRS
133, June 13, 2002). Since then, the village has become a stronghold
for Shia Islamists opposed to the government. All walls on its narrow
streets are covered with religious inscriptions, and locals are keen
to vent their anger against the authorities in Baku.

The latest row began at the beginning of this month, when Senet
(Trade), a Baku-based bimonthly with a circulation of 2000 copies,
published an article by Taghi entitled "Europe and us". The author
criticised Azerbaijanis’ lifestyle and made some remarks about the
Prophet Mohammed, which many of the country’s Muslims interpreted as
insulting. Whether Nardaran’s residents had heard about Senet before,
the controversy around the article found its way into the village,
causing a storm of outrage that believers from surrounding villages
were quick to support.

Protesters carried banners with religious inscriptions and placards
saying "Death to Israel!" All speeches were met with a loud "Allahu
Akbar!" Guests from other villages spoke out to express their support
for Nardaran. American and Israel flags were brought to the square
just to be tramped on and burnt.

"We declare that if these people are not sentenced to life
imprisonment, we will take measures to punish them by ourselves,"
said Haji Ali. "It’s a pity that there’s no death penalty in our
country. We are told that their houses are being guarded, but let them
hear us vow – Muslims never take vengeance on women and children. No
one will touch their families. We’ve heard that Rafik Taghi’s family
members have asked Denmark for political asylum, but no matter how
things turn out nothing bad is going to happen to them.

Rafik Taghi is the only one we want to have punished."

As well as being a journalist and publicist, Taghi is also
a professional cardiologist. He is well known for voicing ideas
against the current of general public opinion. In other articles,
he has made scathing comments about Azerbaijan’s national poet Samed
Vurgun, chairman of the Writers Union Anar and other famous people.

Taghi and his editor Samir Sadagatoglu were arrested in mid-November
and sentenced to two months in jail for kindling religious intolerance.

However, the villagers of Nardaran rejected the verdict and are
continuing their protests, demanding that the two journalists be
punished with a life sentence at least, burning US and Israel flags
and calling for "an end to all supporters of world Zionism".

Hajiaga Nuriev, one of the village’s elders and chairman of
Azerbaijan’s Islamic Party, suggested Taghi was part of a wider
conspiracy. "Both domestic and foreign forces have an interest in
this," he said. "We think that people such as Rafik Taghi are acting on
behalf of international Zionism and Armenia, and they have deliberately
damaged Azerbaijan’s credibility with its brothers-in-faith.

"In this situation, the residents of Nardaran could not have acted
otherwise…to the enemies of Islam… who discredited Azerbaijan in
the eyes of the world. This blasphemy ought to be punished."

Hajiaga said through their rejection of the court’s sentence, the
people of Naradaran had rescued the country’s reputation as chairman
of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and showed to the world
that the Muslims of Azerbaijan were angered by the Senet article.

The affair has also triggered protests in Iran. APA news agency
reported that around 50 people demonstrated in front of the Azerbaijani
embassy in Tehran on November 19 to protest against the "humiliating"
article. The Iranian TV-channel Seher aired calls for the overthrow
of Azerbaijan’s "anti-Islamic" government.

Then news reports said that the Iranian ayatollah Morteza Bani Fazl
had offered his own home as a reward for the head of the Azerbaijani
journalist, who had "insulted" the founder of Islam. "I will give
my house as a reward to anyone, who kills this Azerbaijani author,
who insulted the Prophet Mohammed," said the mullah who lives in the
city of Tebriz in the northwest of Iran, which has a large Azerbaijani
population.

The row is likely to strain further Azerbaijani-Iranian relations.

Political analyst Boyukaga Agayev, who is director of the South
Caucasus research centre, said, "The relations between Azerbaijan and
Iran cannot be described as friendly." He noted that the two countries
already stand on opposite sides of many disputes, from the status of
the Caspian Sea to relations with the US and Israel.

Vugar Aliev, press secretary for the Azerbaijani prosecutor general’s
office, said, "We live in a constitutional state, and all issues should
be solved in accordance with the law. What happened in Nardaran is
a protest reaction to what these people did. But the law-enforcement
bodies have already taken appropriate actions, and these harsh calls
with regard to the two journalists are unacceptable. The police
responded in a timely fashion and there remains no danger of any
civilians undertaking any illegal actions against them."

Eldar Zeynalov, director of the Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan,
commented, "The situation is of the soviet-time kind – ‘I have not
read it, but I do condemn it!’"

Kenan Guluzade is editor of Zerkalo newspaper in Baku

TURKEY INTENDS TO WORK WITH AZERBAIJAN ON JOINT STRATEGY IN RELATION WITH ACTIONS OF ARMENIAN LOBBY – TURKISH AMBASSADOR
Author: A.Ismaylova

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 30 2006

Turkey intends to work out the joint strategy with Azerbaijan, in
relation with the actions of the Armenian lobby regarding so-called
"Armenian genocide", the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Turan
Morali, briefed the media in Baku, commenting on the decision of
the Parliament of Argentina dated on November 20, "On recognition of
Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey in 1915", Trend reports.

According to the diplomat, this decision of the Argentinean Parliament
was not a surprise for Turkey, since a strong Armenian lobby function
in Argentina. "Currently, it is important for us to see what position
Armenia will demonstrate in this process", the diplomat said. He
said that currently it is not possible to speak about sanctions in
reply to the decision of the Argentinean colleagues. He said that
presently Turkey is revising the strategic plan regarding the adequate
steps with regard to the decision on the recognition of the so-called
"Armenian genocide". "We hope that this strategy will be worked out
together with Azerbaijan", Morali said.

KARABAKH OFFICIAL DISMISSES ALIEV OPTIMISM
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 30 2006

A senior Nagorno-Karabakh official brushed aside on Thursday
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev’s claims that Armenia and Azerbaijan
moved closer to resolving their long-running territorial dispute
during their latest high-level negotiations.

"We are already approaching the final phase of negotiations," Aliev
told Azerbaijani state television following his talks in the Belarusian
capital Minsk on Tuesday with President Robert Kocharian.

He said they reached agreement on a number of contentious issues that
have precluded the signing of a framework peace accord so far.

The comments raised new hopes for a near-term solution to the Karabakh
conflict. But a senior aide to Arkady Ghukasian, president of the
self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, saw no cause for optimism.

"If President Aliev is saying that the process is moving in a positive
direction, that is quite dangerous in itself," Arman Melikian told
RFE/RL. "To my knowledge, his idea of positive direction is that
Nagorno-Karabakh can not be an independent and sovereign state."

It is not clear if this was also a thinly veiled rebuke addressed to
Armenia’s leadership that shared Aliev’s positive assessment of the
Minsk talks.

Aliev repeated on Wednesday that he will never recognize Karabakh’s
secession from Azerbaijan. Baku is only ready to give the disputed
territory a "maximum degree of self-rule," he said.

Armenian officials insist, however, that under the existing peace plan
proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group, Karabakh’s population will have a
chance to legitimize the secession in a referendum to be held years
after the start of an Armenian pullout from occupied territories in
Azerbaijan proper. Unlike official Yerevan, the NKR leadership has
voiced serious misgivings about this formula.

Ghukasian discussed the Karabakh peace process with the Minsk Group’s
U.S. co-chair, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza,
during a visit to the United States last week.

RUSSIAN CONTROL OF IRAN-ARMENIA PIPELINE ‘NOT A CERTAINTY’
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 30 2006

The widely anticipated handover to a Russian company of a pipeline
that will supply Armenia with Iranian natural gas is not a forgone
conclusion, Prime Minister Andranik Markarian claimed in a Russian
newspaper interview published on Friday. He also reiterated Yerevan’s
hopes that Russia will defuse its festering confrontation with Georgia.

"The construction of the pipeline is not yet complete, and it is still
too early to speak of its transfer or non-transfer to any operator,
including Gazprom," Markarian told the Moscow daily "Kommersant,"
referring to the Russian state gas monopoly. He said the pipeline’s
first Armenian section will come on stream "soon."

Gazprom makes no secret of its desire to control the pipeline which is
supposed to reduce Armenia’s strong dependence on Russia for energy
resources. Last April the company confirmed but then refuted reports
that it will get hold of the first 40-kilometer stretch of the facility
as part of an agreement that allowed Armenia to temporarily avoid a
hike in the price of Russian gas.

Armenian officials insist that the Russian giant will only get an
incomplete thermal power plant in Hrazdan and a controlling stake in
Armenia’s national gas distributor, ArmRosGazprom (ARG), as a result of
the deal. According to Energy Minister Armen Movsisian, the government
will choose the owner of the under-construction pipeline next spring.

Still, Markarian himself strongly hinted on October 31 that the
pipeline will be incorporated into ARG, 58 percent of which is now
owned by Gazprom. "It would be illogical to have two gas distribution
networks in Armenia," he said.

The pipeline from Iran is taking on a greater significance in the
light of the mounting Georgian-Russian tensions that increasingly
threaten continued Russian gas supplies to Georgia. Armenia, which
imports Russian gas through Georgian territory, might also be affected
as a result.

"We are interested in a quick resolution of the problematic aspects
of Russian-Georgian relations because cooperation between Russia and
Georgia is one of the most important components of stability in our
region," Markarian told "Kommersant."

The Armenian authorities signaled earlier their frustration with the
continuing Russian transport blockade of Georgia which is hurting
Armenian companies trading with Russia.

ARGENTINE PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Diego Karamanukian in Buenos Aires

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 30 2006

The lower house of Argentina’s parliament adopted late Wednesday a
resolution recognizing the 1915-1918 mass killings and deportations
of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide.

The bill overwhelmingly approved by the assembly declared April 24,
which sees annual commemorations of more than one million genocide
victims in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora, an official "day of
mutual tolerance and respect" among peoples around the world. It
gives Argentine citizens of Armenian descent the legal right to be
absent from work or university classes on that day.

There was no immediate reaction to the move from Turkey, which has
strongly condemned similar resolutions passed by about two dozen
other nations and insists that the mass killings did not constitute
a genocide.

The bill has to be approved by the Argentine Senate in order to become
a law. Officials in Buenos Aires say the upper house could discuss
it as early as next week.

Argentina is home to tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians, most of
them descendants of genocide survivors. They have long been lobbying
the authorities in Buenos Aires to officially recognize the genocide.

Neighboring Uruguay, which also has an influential Armenian community,
did so several years ago.

report/en/2006/11/E128E6CA-5419-4B90-A885-7B807728 C5A5.ASP

ACTION TO TAKE PLACE IN MOSCOW AGAINST CONCERT OF THE "VOICE OF ARTSAKH" GROUP
Author: R.Agayev

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 30 2006

Within the closing of the Armenian Year in Russia, the concert of the
"Voice of Artsakh" group will take place in Moscow International Music
Home. The Azerbaijani diplomats take all steps to prevent the next
Armenian provocation, Trend Special Correspondent in Moscow reports
with reference to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia. The Azerbaijani
Embassy has forwarded a protest note to the Russian Foreign Ministry,
after which the Russian diplomats have orally assured the Azerbaijani
side that the concert will not take place.

Although the posters of "Voice of Artsakh" still remain in Moscow,
the announcement has been deleted from several Armenian websites.

Irrespective of the oral assurance of the Russian diplomats and the
efforts of the Azerbaijani Embassy, the tickets for the concert of
"Voice of Artsakh" are sold in the box offices of the Music Home. The
personnel of the Music Home told Trend that they have been told
nothing about the cancellation of the concert and the tickets for
the concert are still on sale. For assurance, we purchased a ticked,
in which it was written that the concert of "Voice of Artsakh" will
take place in Moscow International Music Home on December 4, at 19:00.

In relation with this, the International Fund "Karabakh" and the
activists of the Coordination Center of the Azerbaijani Youths appealed
to the Prefecture of the Central Administrative District of Moscow
for conducting a picket in front of the building of the music Home. A
protest action against the Armenian provocation will take place in
front of the Moscow International Music Home on December 4.

The appeal says that "We consider the performance of this group
impossible, because they will represent unrecognized separatist
regime of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic"". The goal of the rally is to protest against and prevent
the next provocation of Armenia directed against not only Azerbaijan
and Azeri people, but also against Russia whose official position
includes supporting and recognizing the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan. The "Voice of Artsakh" group can not perform on behalf
of the unrecognized republic in the territory of Russian Federation.

Armenian occupied 20% of Azerbaijan. They have committed large
scale aggression acts, held ethnical cleansing against the Azeri
people and turned more than 1 million Azerbaijanis into refugees and
internally displaced persons. Exactly through the support of Armenia,
occupant regime of terrorists and extremists has been created in the
occupied Azerbaijani territories and they want to present themselves
as "independent republic" which has not received international
recognition. These facts have been repeatedly confirmed by the
Russian senior officials. However, certain forces within the country
try to break the centuries-old, good-neighborhood and fraternal
relations between Azerbaijan and Russia through provocations and
inadmissible actions. The protest action will take place under the
following slogans: "Russia and Azerbaijan are strategic partners!",
"Russian and Azerbaijani peoples are fraternal peoples!", "Russian
and Azerbaijani peoples are against all separatists, extremists,
bandits and terrorists!", "Armenian separatists do not differ
from others", "Karabakh is Azerbaijan territory!", "Armenia is an
occupant!".