MEETING OF PACE’S POLITICAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE COMMENCE IN BAKU

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2006

A meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s
Political Affairs Committee kicked off December 11 at the Park Inn
hotel in Baku.

Opening the event, chairman of the committee Abdulgadir Atesh
expressed gratitude for hospitality, saying that processes in
Azerbaijan, its economic development, integration into European and
Euroatlantic structures are in the center of attention. According
to him, Azerbaijan-CoE relations are strengthening with Azerbaijan
becoming a reliable partner for the organization. The fact that the
event is held in Baku is an evidence of it. PACE as well as Political
Affairs Committee is keen on developing democracy in Azerbaijan and
protecting human rights. He said Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh is a big impediment for the development of Azerbaijan,
and PACE supports peaceful resolution of the problem.

Chairman of the Committee expressed his opinion on the laws related
to the human rights and freedoms and other issues.

Then, Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov gave an insight
into the economic situation in Azerbaijan. Minister said economy of
Azerbaijan develops very rapidly; GDP grew by 36 per cent.

Commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and realization
of other large-scale projects boost the country’s economic potential.

Kazakhstan’s joining BTC project and interest of other countries is
very important for us, he said. Azerbaijan government pays a special
attention to the non-energy sector to achieve sustainable economic
development and avoid "Dutch syndrome". According to him, the share
of the non-energy sector is expected to drastically increase within
a couple of years.

On Azerbaijan’s relations with neighboring countries, the Head of
Foreign Office said that Azerbaijan maintains very good relations
with Russia. Trade turnover with Russia has doubled over a year.

Russian markets are very important for selling Azerbaijani agricultural
products.

E. Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan has 12-km border with Turkey. The
countries share the same language, religion and culture. Azerbaijan
and Turkey jointly work to implement large-scale projects.

Minister pointed out Azerbaijan maintains friendly relations with
Iran. Iran supplies Nakhchivan, which is blockaded by Armenia, with
gas and electricity.

Georgia is Azerbaijan’s strategic partner. We want this country to
develop and prosper as we do.

E. Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan as a peace-loving nation can
develop relations with Armenia. However, Armenia must first leave
occupied Azerbaijani lands, give up the policy of aggression.

E. Mammadyarov advanced his views on a number of issues concerning
Caspian Sea legal status, GUAM’s future activity, so-called referendum
in Nagorno-Karabakh, and situation in Kosovo.

He said the solution to the problems related to the Caspian Sea
status was found. There are no problems among Azerbaijan, Russia and
Kazakhstan as bilateral agreements were signed. However, Iran and
Turkmenistan continue to take non-constructive stand.

The GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development -has
already become an international organization. Member countries approved
the permanent secretariat and budget.

As to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan supports peaceful
resolution of the conflict, Minister said. He pointed out that
so-called referendum was not recognized by the international community.

The meeting was attended by Justice Minister Fikret Mammadov, Interior
Minister Ramil Usubov, Head of the Administration of the Milli Majlis
and other officials.

Then, the meeting was continued behind the closed doors.

The two-day meeting will focus on the human rights and democratic
situation in Europe, threat of using energy supplies as a method of
political pressure, situation in Kosovo and Cechnya and other issues.

The meeting will be continued on December 12.

WORKSHOP HELD ON MINORITY REPRESENTATION IN TEXTBOOKS

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 12 2006

CIMERA, a Swiss non-profit organization, held the workshop History
Teaching in Georgia & Representations of Minorities on December 12,
2006 at the Sheraton Metekhi Palace in Tbilisi.

Workshop participants included textbook authors, history teachers from
Armenian and Azeri schools in Georgia, representatives of the Ministry
of Education and Science of Georgia, foreign and local historians,
as well as international and local NGOs dealing with minority issues.

The aim of the workshop is to discuss the integration of the history
of minority groups into mainstream History teaching in Georgia.

During the first part of the workshop, CIMERA presented the findings
of a research project, conducted between September and November 2006,
focusing on the representations of minorities in current Georgian
history textbooks. In the afternoon, propositions were drafted and
discussed with the goal of improving the representation of minorities
in Georgian history textbooks, and forming a basis for teaching
history integrating all sectors and groups of the Georgian society.

FAREWELL VISIT OF THE CHARGE D’AFFAIRES, MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY OF THE SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
Dec 12 2006

On December 11 Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly
of the Republic of A, received Mr. Moukhless Pharaon, the Charge
d’Affaires, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Syrian Arab Republic to
Armenia on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission.

Mr. Pharaon, expressing regret for leaving Armenia, noted that he was
happy working in our country, where both the legislative and executive
authorities rendered great assistance, but it is the Ambassador’s
work to leave completing the mission. "I sincerely wish that my
successor will implement all those goals which I could not succeed,"
said Mr. Pharaon, expressing his gratitude to the President of the
National Assembly for the effective cooperation with the Parliament
and expressed hope to meet him in Syria with an the official visit.

Mr. Tigran Torosyan, President of the National Assembly, wishing
successes him in his further activity, noted, that the next
Ambassador’s work will be a bit heavier, as it is difficult to assume
what he should do better. Mr. Torosyan expressed satisfaction with
the development of inter-parliamentary relations and emphasized the
importance of human contacts which help people of both countries
for becoming nearer and more understandable for each other: in this
context the President of the National Assembly mentioned the meeting
with the spiritual leader of Syria, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Dr. Ahmad
Badr Al-Din Hassoun. It was noted that though the two states and
peoples belong to different nations and religions, they have common
interests and human values. He highlighted the quiet and balanced
position of Syria in the regional processes.

Other issues of mutual interest were also touched upon during the
meeting.

TWO SIDES TO THE STORY: NAGORNO-KARABAKH FEATURES BOTH A THRIVING REGIONAL CENTER AND GHOST TOWNS
By Shaun Walker

Russia Profile, Russia
Dec 12 2006

STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Karabakh. As we approached the Karabakh military
post, I felt a vibration in my pocket. "Azercell welcomes you to
Azerbaijan," said the message on my cell phone. Indeed, we were several
kilometers inside Azerbaijan proper, but standing on territory where no
Azeri has walked for over a decade. When the Nagorno-Karabakh region
– which was an autonomous territory inside the Soviet republic of
Azerbaijan – declared full independence from its parent state after
a bloody war in the early 1990s, a further 9 percent of Azerbaijan’s
territory was also occupied to act as a buffer zone of defense.

Our exact location remained unclear. "It’s secret information," said
the guide from the Karabakh foreign ministry. "Maybe the enemy will
read your material." We had come along the road from Karabakh’s capital
Stepanakert, past the deserted shells of Azeri villages strewn across
the arid, monochromic landscape. We were well outside the official
territory of the Karabakh republic, possibly somewhere near Aghdam,
formerly a thriving Azeri city with 50,000 inhabitants, but now a
sea of rubble; only the mosque remained standing.

The soldiers at the post did their best to look upbeat, but it was
clear that theirs was a miserable task. In the bitter cold, they
surreptitiously breathed warmth onto their gloveless hands when they
thought no one was looking. Mice scuttled across the floor in the
unheated barracks, and the trench dug into the muddy ground was more
reminiscent of First World War than 21st century.

The Azeri front line was just 600 feet away, visible from a command
post through binoculars. "We do have occasional exchanges of fire,"
said the officer in charge of the post, a tanned giant with a crude
heart tattoo on his hand and a face etched with years of conflict. "A
week ago one of our men was shot in the head by a sniper at the next
post down," he added.

A timid boy of 18 quietly mumbled answers to the questions of a young
Russian television reporter about the living conditions. "He doesn’t
see many beautiful women, so he’s shy," chirped the foreign ministry
official. "Maybe the American army is all about posing, but this army
is here to defend its motherland."

The motherland in question is the odd-one-out of the post-Soviet
breakaway zones. Over the years of its de facto independence,
Nagorno-Karabakh has developed many of the institutions of
a functioning state, and is more likely than the other three
(Transdniestr, South Ossetia and Abkhazia) to gain some kind of
official independent status in the medium-term future.

There are two key reasons for this: first of all, the fact that
Russia, while most certainly an interested party, is not a defining
player in this conflict, meaning that the West would not see Karabakh
independence as a strategic gain for Russia; and secondly, the presence
of an influential and vocal Armenian Diaspora to lobby for the state
on the international stage. Calls from Washington and Brussels to
preserve Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity are far more muted than
those demanding that Georgia’s remain intact.

While Russia is accused of "meddling" in the other three breakaway
zones – providing financial and military support to segments of land
that officially are part of another state – Armenia’s "meddling" in
Karabakh is of a different type altogether. While Karabakh claims to
be a separate country, there is no border post, and people come and
go freely. Armenia contributes around half of Karabakh’s budget and
trains the army, making it far more than just a friendly ally.

At the consulate in Yerevan, travelers can obtain a brightly colored
Karabakh visa, although no one will check it, and the officials
seem more intent on offering maps, hotel rooms, and taxi rides to
Stepanakert than investigating the purpose of the trip.

Karabakh does not directly border Armenia, but is connected by a small
area of occupied Azerbaijani territory known as the Lachin Corridor,
where the switchback road from Yerevan to Stepanakert reaches a height
of 2,600 meters. The road itself is symbolic of the support that
Karabakh has not only from Armenia, but from its Diaspora – despite
the isolation of Stepanakert, hundreds of kilometers from any airport,
the road to Yerevan was a multi-million dollar project completed just
a few years ago. It was financed by a Diaspora foundation, and halved
the journey time to Yerevan.

Another Referendum

But despite the fact that Karabakh feels like a province of Armenia,
local officials talk of nothing but full independence. On Dec. 10,
the republic held a referendum on a new constitution, affirming its
existence as an independent state, and repeating the independence
referendum held in 1991, when the war was raging. It was the final
act in a flurry of breakaway state referendums that year, giving the
people of Karabakh the same chance to assert their independence as
the residents of Transdniestr and South Ossetia had in the fall.

"The children of those who voted for independence in 1991 have
reaffirmed that desire," said Karabakh President Arkady Ghoukasian
after casting his vote. "We have managed to create a state and to
resurrect the hope we had at the beginning. Any other route except
independence is a route to war."

Negotiations to find a solution to the conflict, which are conducted
bilaterally between Armenia and Azerbaijan without representatives
from Karabakh itself, have so far come to nothing, including earlier
this year at Rambouillet, and again in Minsk, when the two presidents
met and many analysts predicted a major breakthrough. There is a fear
in Stepanakert, reinforced by frequent bellicose announcements by
Azeri officials, that Azerbaijan is biding its time before waiting
to launch a military offensive to recover the lost territory. "The
Azeris are becoming richer, buying weapons, and preparing for war,"
said Masis Mayilian, Karabakh’s deputy foreign minister. "But we are
ready for it."

There seems to be little appetite for further conflict, however,
and even the referendum itself was ignored not only by most of the
international press, but by the citizens themselves. Although there
was clearly some activity at the polling stations, the general apathy
encountered among a sample of people at Stepanakert’s central market
suggested that the official figure of an 87 percent turnout (with
98.5 percent voting in favor) might have been somewhat exaggerated.

Regeneration and Destruction

Stepanakert itself bears few scars of conflict, and is a pleasant –
if architecturally unappealing – provincial city. Although everyone
has war stories of lost friends, children taken away before their
time and careers interrupted, the locals are on the whole upbeat and
friendly, and there are far more shops, cafes and restaurants than
one would expect from such a backwater.

Despite the fact that the enclave is now almost exclusively populated
by ethnic Armenians, Russian is everywhere, and the locals speak it
more readily than in Yerevan – testament to the cosmopolitan past of
the region, when Russian was the lingua franca.

But Stepanakert is a new city. A few decades ago, it was a mere
village. Nowhere tells the story of Karabakh better than Shushi (in
Azeri, Shusha), a town just a few miles from Stepanakert that was
once the capital of Karabakh, and for many decades a regional center,
famed for its curative mountain air and sanatoria. The Armenian part
of town was razed by Azeris and Turks in 1920, and by the 1980s,
the vast majority of the town’s inhabitants were Azeri. During the
war, it was an Azeri stronghold, before the Armenians took it in June
1992. The Azeris were driven out, and Shusha now lies in ruins. In his
book Black Garden, Thomas de Waal writes that the Azeri residents now
live in a makeshift town on the coast north of Baku – Shusha in exile.

A bright sign on a ruined building in the central square proclaims
that: "This is historical Armenian territory; we will never give it
up to anyone." Some of the apartments have been inhabited by Armenian
refugees from Baku, making the best of what remains of the town. The
population now is estimated at around 3,000, a shadow of the 14,000
that lived there before the war. But the strategic importance of
Shushi (the Azeris shelled Stepanakert from the ridge above the town
during the war) means that the return of Azeri refugees any time soon
is unlikely.

A beautiful, rose-pink facade stands on one of the main streets, with
nothing behind it but rubble and a view over the mountains. Once,
it was a hospital; now it stands forlorn, looted for anything of
value, right down to the star in its Soviet crest. The slogan over
the main door, in Cyrillic Azeri, has been whitewashed out, an empty
head-shaped space above it, where the incumbent (Lenin, perhaps)
has been unceremoniously removed.

The expansive Persian marketplace still has four walls and some ornate
carvings, but no roof and empty holes where there were once windows
– in another city it might be an ultra-chic architectural project;
here it is a reminder of what has been lost. The 1883 mosque remains
intact from the exterior, its handsome minarets still standing, but the
inside is open to the elements and strewn with rubble. From the top
of the minaret, the view across the hills reveals Karabakh’s Grozny:
everywhere, the empty shells of apartment blocks and sanatoria. The
nineteenth century Ghazanchetzots Cathedral has been restored, but
for all intents and purposes Shushi is a ghost town, and looks set
to remain so for some time.

But Shushi is far from the most depressing reminder of the war.

Fizuli, halfway between Stepanakert and the border with Iran, was
captured by the Armenians in summer 1993, and completely razed. A
sizeable town that stretched over several square miles, it is now
simply a pile of stone and rubble, with only the occasional structure
rising above a few feet. Like an ancient ruin, it was a guessing game
to work out what had been where – the twisted shell of a bus stop;
a contorted teardrop that must have once been a Soviet monument;
a flight of stairs that led nowhere but the sky.

The only life visible in the city was a small, rusting truck with a
plume of steam coming from its rear. Its interior had been turned into
living quarters for two Armenians, who spent their days sifting through
the rubble for scrap metal. After more than a decade of looting, they
were searching out the last reminders of humanity in what looked like
a nuclear holocaust, to sell them in Yerevan.

While its hard to see the Azeris gaining any kind of meaningful
control over Nagorno-Karabakh, the first stage of a deal might well
involve the return of territories like Fizuli, and a chance for the
resettlement of some of more than half a million Azeris who lost
their homes. But looking at the ruins of Fizuli, it is unclear just
what they would be coming back to. It would take years for the piles
of stones to become once again a functioning community. They served
as yet another reminder that even if a solution is reached to the
conflict, its scars will remain for decades to come.

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 9, No. 46, 12 December 2006

A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL’s Newsline Team

******************************************** ****************
HEADLINES
* MIXED RECEPTION FOR IDEA OF SIMULTANEOUS PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
* UNITY ELUDES FUNDAMENTALISTS IN TEHRAN
* AMERICAN VISITORS TO BE FINGERPRINTED
* MEDIA, WATCHDOG SPOTLIGHT INTERNET CENSORSHIP IN IRAN
* STUDENT ACTIVISTS CALL FOR SUPPORT
* UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DOWN WITH FOOD POISONING
* TURKISH MEAT EXPORTS HEADED FOR IRAN
* IRAN WANTS TURKEY TO CONTROL FEMALE IRANIAN VISITORS
* SHRINE CITY TO GET IRAQI CONSULATE
* IRAN REACTS TO IRAQ SURVEY GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS
* IRAN WORKS ON INDEPENDENT NAVAL-ROCKETRY CAPABILITY
* CONCERNS IN LEVANT ABOUT IRAN’S INTENTIONS
* MOSCOW AND CAPITOL HILL UNHAPPY WITH AFGHAN NARCOTICS
* A DEFIANT TEHRAN WATCHES CONSENSUS ELUDE 5+1 GROUP
******************************************** ****************

MIXED RECEPTION FOR IDEA OF SIMULTANEOUS PARLIAMENTARY, PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS. Lawmakers voted on December 3 to hasten a decision on a
bill for holding Iran’s next presidential and legislative
elections simultaneously, Fars News Agency, the Iranian Labor News
Agency (ILNA), and Radio Farda reported. Out of 206 parliamentarians
who were present at the session, 156 of the 184 who voted expressed
backing for the bill. The stated reason for holding simultaneous
elections is reducing public expenditures and contributing to
political stability. "Iran" newspaper reported on November 20 that
legislators’ signatures were being collected for a bill requiring
the holding of simultaneous presidential and municipal council
elections, also as a way to reduce expenses.
Speaker of parliament Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said on December
6 that he opposes the proposal that presidential and parliamentary
elections be held simultaneously, Mehr News Agency reported.
Haddad-Adel said he favors holding simultaneous elections, but it
should be a major poll and a minor one, such as the presidential and
Assembly of Experts polls, or the parliamentary and municipal council
polls.
Haddad-Adel also encouraged voters to turn out for the
elections on December 15, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
reported. (Bill Samii)

UNITY ELUDES FUNDAMENTALISTS IN TEHRAN. Deputy parliament speaker
Mohammad Reza Bahonar said on December 3 that "fundamentalists"
(osulgarayan) — a term referring to the younger generation of
conservatives — have not achieved unity on which candidates to back
in the upcoming municipal-council election for Tehran, "Farhang-i
Ashti" reported on December 4. He added that there are two or even
three candidate lists, and there is the possibility of all three
being published in the coming days. Bahonar said that if several
lists appear, his Islamic Society of Engineers will not declare a
specific choice but will confine itself to encouraging members to
vote. (Bill Samii)

AMERICAN VISITORS TO BE FINGERPRINTED. The Guardians Council, which
must confirm all legislation’s compatibility with Islamic law and
with the constitution, approved a law on December 2 that requires the
fingerprinting of all U.S. nationals when they enter Iran or when
they apply for an Iranian visa, IRNA reported.
Seyyed Ahmad Musavi, the vice president for legal and
parliamentary affairs, said the executive branch opposes this
legislation, "Iran" reported on November 20. "The United States
government does not like the Iranian nation," Musavi was quoted as
saying, "but we do honor all those that are invited to Iran." (Bill
Samii)

MEDIA, WATCHDOG SPOTLIGHT INTERNET CENSORSHIP IN IRAN. Media watchdog
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted on December 5 that the Iranian
government is blocking access to the youtube.com video-sharing
website and "The New York Times" website. RSF added that access to
wikipedia.org, an online encyclopedia, was blocked for several days
in early December, and access to the Kurdish version of "Wikipedia"
was blocked for several months.
"The Guardian" reported the same day that amazon.com and the
Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) were blocked, too. Saying the
blockages are not "airtight," "The Guardian" reported that skilled
operators can get around the government-imposed obstacles. The
British daily added that the government now requires bloggers and
website operators to register officially. (Bill Samii)

STUDENT ACTIVISTS CALL FOR SUPPORT. The Iranian student organization
known as the Office for Strengthening Unity called on Iranians to
demonstrate against what it terms a second Cultural Revolution on
Students Day, December 6, Radio Farda reported on December 4.
Cultural Revolution is a reference to the purging of
professors from the universities in the early 1980s, and those events
are being compared to more recent dismissals of professors and
administrators from the universities. The latter events coincide with
the reported blocking of admissions for activist students who refuse
to renounce political advocacy.
The Office for Strengthening Unity statement referred to the
death of students when hard-line forces attacked the Tehran
University dormitory in July 1999, and it called for the release from
prison of political activists, Mansur Osanlu of the Tehran bus
drivers syndicate, and equal rights for men and women.
University students who were barred from continuing their
studies due to their political activism held a protest in front of
the parliament building in Tehran on December 5, Advar website
reported. The student activists reportedly are asked to sign a pledge
that they will abstain from involvement in politics, and, if they
refuse, a star is placed next to their names. Historically, top
scholars had stars placed next to their names.
While several reformist members of parliament met with the
demonstrators, conservative legislator Mehdi Kuchakzadeh denounced
them. "The university is no place for American mercenaries," he said.
"You are sabotaging the university."
Hundreds of students demonstrated in Tehran on December 6,
Students Day, in an event called "The University Is Alive" that was
organized by the Office for Strengthening Unity, Radio Farda
reported. Demonstrators demanded independence from government-run
student organizations and criticized restrictions on the
matriculation of student activists.
Mohammad Hashemi, a spokesman for the Office for
Strengthening Unity, told Radio Farda on December 6 that
representatives from many student groups participated in the
demonstration, including Kurds and Turks. Security forces cordoned
off the Tehran University campus and restricted access to it, but
Hashemi said there were no clashes or arrests. (Bill Samii)

UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DOWN WITH FOOD POISONING. Dozens of female
students at Yazd University have been hospitalized since November 27
with signs of poisoning, Radio Farda reported on December 3. The
symptoms include diarrhea, dizziness, fever, and vomiting. Student
activist Amir Eshaqi told Radio Farda that the women’s dining
hall at Yazd University is separate from the men’s dining hall,
and about 400 women got sick eating there. University authorities,
however, say that approximately 50 women have fallen ill. The
authorities also have questioned whether the illness is from eating
in the cafeteria, and they suggest dirty water could be the source of
the illness. (Bill Samii)

TURKISH MEAT EXPORTS HEADED FOR IRAN. Tehran and Yerevan signed a
memorandum of understanding on December 1 in which Armenia agreed to
export 6,000 tons of beef and 2,000 tons of lamb to Iran annually,
the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported. The memorandum was
signed during Agricultural Jihad Minister Mohammad-Reza
Eskandari’s visit to Armenia.
Almost two weeks earlier, 22 legislators asked the
agricultural jihad minister, as well as the commerce and economic
affairs ministers, to halt increases in the prices of foodstuffs,
"Iran" reported on November 20. Higher costs for red meat, chicken,
eggs, and fruit, are affecting vulnerable segments of society
adversely, the legislators said. (Bill Samii)

IRAN WANTS TURKEY TO CONTROL FEMALE IRANIAN VISITORS. Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan left Tehran on December 3, having
arrived the previous evening, international and local news agencies
reported. He met during his visit with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Expediency Council Chairman
Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, and other officials,
reportedly to discuss regional affairs and bilateral relations.
Iran’s presidential press office reported on December 3
that the two sides agreed that the value of bilateral trade should
surpass $10 billion, and President Ahmadinejad said Iran could supply
energy to Europe via Turkey. Erdogan said that bilateral trade is in
excess of $6 billion and that Turkey is eager to purchase natural gas
from Iran, according to Fars News Agency.
An aspect of Erdogan’s trip that received little
publicity related to tourism. The Iranian government called on Turkey
to enforce rules for Islamic clothing for women — the hijab — at
hotels in Anatolia that are frequented by Iranians, Turkish
newspapers reported on December 7, according to Radio Farda. Should
Turkey fail to comply with this demand, the newspapers continued,
then Iran will no longer permit direct flights to Anatolia. The
Iranian request came during Erdogan’s meeting with First Vice
President Parviz Davudi, Radio Farda reported. Davudi told his guest
that one million Iranians visit Turkey every year, and he went on to
express concern that images of scantily clad Iranian beachgoers have
appeared in the Turkish media. (Bill Samii)

SHRINE CITY TO GET IRAQI CONSULATE. The Iranian cabinet has granted
permission for the opening of an Iraqi consulate in the northwestern
city of Mashhad, Fars News Agency reported. Mashhad is an important
pilgrimage site for Shi’a, because the tomb of the Eighth Imam,
Imam Reza, is located there. The custodian of the shrine, the Astaneh
Qods Razavi, is a wealthy conglomerate that in addition to earning
revenues from the pilgrimage traffic, owns agricultural lands,
factories, and real estate. The cabinet also approved the temporary
transfer of an Iraqi consulate from the southwestern city of
Khorramshahr to Ahvaz. (Bill Samii)

IRAN REACTS TO IRAQ SURVEY GROUP RECOMMENDATIONS. A noteworthy aspect
of the long-awaited report from the Iraq Survey Group, a bipartisan
panel headed by former Secretary of State James Baker, which came out
on December 6 is the prominence it gives to Iran, which is mentioned
dozens of times
( port/report/1206/index.ht
ml). But the White House showed little interest in this advice, and
Tehran indicated publicly that it would not be receptive to an
American opening.
"Iran has the most leverage in Iraq" of any neighboring
state, the report notes. It urges Washington to launch a "new
diplomatic offensive" that includes all the countries that are
interested in Iraq’s stability, "including all of Iraq’s
neighbors." The report advises engaging Iran and Syria, adding that
Iran should stop the influx of arms into Iraq, respect Iraq’s
sovereignty, and influence Iraqi Shiites positively. The Iranian
nuclear issue, the report continues, should be dealt with by the 5+1
group (China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and the United States,
plus Germany).
White House spokesman Tony Snow said on December 6 that the
executive branch has "ruled out" direct bilateral talks with the
Iranian government about Iraqi affairs, Reuters reported. There is no
chance of such talks taking place, he said, "Unless Iran verifiably
suspends its enrichment and reprocessing activities."
Rather than engaging Iran and Syria on Iraq, the "Financial
Times" reported on November 29, Washington would like to empower
Iraq’s Sunni Arab minority. The White House has called on
pro-Western Sunni regimes to support Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki and to end their backing for Iraqi insurgents. Egypt.
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, meanwhile, are
encouraging the U.S. to weaken Iran and Syria by paying greater
attention to the Arab-Israeli peace process. The Arab states believe
Iran and Syria are exploiting this topic, as well as the Lebanese and
Iraqi affairs, to expand their influence.
Prior to the release of the Iraq Survey Group’s report,
Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said
in Dubai that a withdrawal of "occupation forces" from Iraq would be
seen favorably, "The Washington Post" reported on December 6.
Subsequently, a "triumphalist" Larijani said, "Iran would definitely
extend the hand of assistance and would use its influence to help
solve the problem." Larijani said the U.S. should recognize Iran as
the primary regional power.
Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said during a December 7
visit to the Netherlands that the United States does not need to
negotiate with Iran or any other country regarding Iraq, state
television reported. Mottaki said, "It appears that at least some
American officials have realized the errors in their policy in Iraq."
Mottaki described his solution: "The Iraqi issue will be resolved by
the withdrawal of the American military forces."
Iraqi Ambassador to the Netherlands Siamand Banaa took
exception to Mottaki’s comments, AP reported on December 6.
Mottaki reportedly said that "the U.S. administration so often refers
to Iran’s nuclear capability as a threat against regional and
international peace." It is the United States, however, that invaded
Iraq without the UN Security Council’s approval, Mottaki
continued, and "set off the most dangerous security challenge in the
Middle East." He also said the U.S. military presence in Iraq is
behind the violence there.
Banaa pointed out that Iran benefited greatly from the ouster
of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, and he encouraged Mottaki to
"avoid cynicism and hypocrisy." Banaa dismissed Mottaki’s
analysis and encouraged him to avoid joining "the ‘America is
always wrong’ brigade."
An anonymous Iranian government official and two anonymous
figures close to Iranian government policymakers believe
Mottaki’s comments reflect a real desire to engage with the U.S.,
Time.com reported on December 9. There is a consensus among Iranian
decision makers that it is in Iran’s interest to restore
relations with the U.S. and to discuss topics of mutual interest, as
long as the U.S. accepts the Islamic revolution and treats Iran
respectfully. Some of the officials, according to the American
publication’s anonymous sources, also believe Iran is in a strong
position because its regional influence is growing while the U.S. is
trapped in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Shahr-i Rey, near Tehran, on December 7, Expediency
Council chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani said that the
U.S. intended to encircle Iran by invading Afghanistan and Iraq, IRNA
reported. The unintended consequence of its actions,
Hashemi-Rafsanjani continued, is that the U.S. is besieged not only
in the Middle East but also in the White House. (Bill Samii)

IRAN WORKS ON INDEPENDENT NAVAL-ROCKETRY CAPABILITY. Seyyed Mohammad
Hussein Musavi, head of the Fajr industrial complex in Iran’s
southern city of Shiraz, announced on December 4 that his facility
builds three types of launchers for naval rockets, IRNA reported. He
described mass production of an 11-tube rocket launcher that can lock
onto a target in less than 10 seconds even in rough conditions. He
added that Iran produces RPG-7 rocket launchers and SPG9 rocket
launchers. Every stage of the process is domestic and supervised by
the Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Ministry, he added. (Bill
Samii)

CONCERNS IN LEVANT ABOUT IRAN’S INTENTIONS. "The Christian
Science Monitor" on December 4 cites the Lebanese newspaper
"Al-Mustaqbal" as reporting two days earlier that "the Syrian-Iranian
camp, led by Hizballah, has begun to implement a plot for a coup" in
Lebanon.
Some observers have suggested that Damascus is behind the
current political crisis in Lebanon in an effort to avert an
international tribunal’s investigation of the February 2005
assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.
Meanwhile, "The Jerusalem Post" reported on December 3 that
intelligence secured by the Israeli "defense establishment" asserts
that long-range missiles and advanced antitank missiles supplied by
Iran and Syria are being delivered to Hizballah. The missiles are
said to be replacing those used or destroyed during the summer
conflict between Hizballah and Israel. The information, combined with
concerns triggered by the possible collapse of the Lebanese
government, reportedly led Israel to raise its state of alert in the
northern region bordering Lebanon. The missiles and other supplies
are stored in parts of southern Lebanon that are designated as
off-limits to UNIFIL and the Lebanese armed forces, "The Jerusalem
Post" reported, adding that Hizballah personnel are continuing their
activities in the same area.
Lebanese parliamentarian Saad Hariri defined the political
crisis in his country as "a real coup against Lebanese legitimacy"
and a "Syrian scheme sponsored by Iran," "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported
on December 6. The Lebanese crisis is connected, in part, with UN
demands for the disarmament of the country’s militias. Hizballah
is the main organization that has yet to disarm, and the Hizballah
leadership has defended its actions on the grounds that it is
protecting Lebanon from Israel. Hariri said Hizballah’s weapons
were tolerated when the organization was resisting Israel, but he
warned against turning the weapons against internal opponents.
Hariri said the Syrian government seeks the downfall of
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. Several days of street
demonstrations organized by Hizballah and its allies are meant to
gain the party a greater say in the country’s politics; the
confessional system gives Shi’a, now believed to be the majority,
a disproportionately small share of political offices. Hizballah
seeks more cabinet seats. (Bill Samii)

MOSCOW AND CAPITOL HILL UNHAPPY WITH AFGHAN NARCOTICS. Viktor
Cherkesov, head of the Russian Federal Drug Control Service, and a
delegation arrived in Tehran on December 4, IRNA reported.
Amir-Hussein Motahar, deputy chief of Iran’s Drug Control
Headquarters, expressed the hope that their meeting might result in
closer cooperation between the two countries, while Cherkesov noted
that Russia and Iran have a common interest in controlling the flow
of drugs. The discussions will focus on the growing of opium in
Afghanistan and the resulting export of narcotics, as well as
cooperation in multilateral forums.
Motahar also told reporters of a counternarcotics facility in
Iran that directs the efforts of 60,000 people, and the country’s
construction of canals, fences, and walls along the eastern border.
The same day, Brigadier General Behnam Shariatifar, the chief
of Iran’s Border Guards, said in the northwestern city of Gorgan
that difficulties with the porous eastern border are mostly resolved,
IRNA reported. He attributed the change to "appropriate and
comprehensive investments," including the construction of static
defenses. Shariatifar described the installation of "advanced radar
systems" in the future, saying this will give Iran total control over
the border.
Cherkesov said on December 5 that coalition forces in
Afghanistan have not acted to rein in the drug trade, ITAR-TASS
reported. Not only are their measures inefficient, Cherkesov charged
on the second day of a visit to Tehran, but "on the contrary, we
witness a rise in production and smuggling of heroin." Cherkesov said
both Moscow and Tehran believe the coalition armed forces should be
more proactive in countering illegal drugs.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) would like to
see the Pentagon do more, too, the "Los Angeles Times" reported on
December 5. The military tends to ignore drug bazaars and takes
little action against trafficking syndicates, and it tends to reject
DEA requests for transportation, the daily reported. The military
reportedly considers drug control a law-enforcement problem and fears
alienating the locals who earn a living from the trade, the "Los
Angeles Times" reported.
In a letter written one day after "The Los Angeles Times"
article about a lack of cooperation appeared, Undersecretary of
Defense Eric Edelman promised in a letter to Rep. Henry Hyde
(R-Illinois) that the situation would improve, the newspaper reported
on December 8. Edelman wrote to the chairman of the House
International Relations Committee, "We have taken your concerns
seriously and will work more closely with DEA to make use of this
important capability." (Bill Samii)

A DEFIANT TEHRAN WATCHES CONSENSUS ELUDE 5+1 GROUP. Officials from
the so-called 5+1 Group (China, France, Great Britain, Russia, and
the United States, plus Germany) met in Paris on the evening of
December 5 to discuss the possible imposition of sanctions against
Iran over its nuclear program, which they suspect has military
objectives. By the end of the week, it became clear that the effort
to achieve consensus necessitated serious compromises, and according
to a British newspaper — the "Financial Times" on December 9 —
European diplomats believe a decision will be reached before
Christmas (December 25). The Iranian government, meanwhile, continues
to assert that the nuclear program will be used only for civilian
purposes, such as electrical power generation. Tehran maintains,
furthermore, that these international measures are illegal and they
will be ineffective.
Moscow appears to be the main obstacle to the adoption of a
wide-ranging sanctions regime. Indeed, Russia is building the $800
million nuclear reactor at Bushehr, in southern Iran, and Iran is an
important market for Russian armaments. Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov, possibly fearing the adverse impact of sanctions on his
country’s Iranian business interests, said in Brussels on
December 5 that "broad sanctions" would not be "proportionate" and
would "harm the situation," Radio Farda reported.
Washington is taking a more robust approach to the sanctions
issue. "I think the reason to pass a resolution in the Security
Council is to increase the cost to Iran of its illegitimate behavior
— the political and economic cost," Radio Farda quoted Under
Secretary of State Nicholas Burns as saying in Brussels, "and to take
away any possible technical, or scientific, or political, or
financial support that they might get from private companies, from
private research institutions for what they’re trying to do."
The French government appeared to be pushing for the
imposition of sanctions against Iran, Reuters reported on December 6.
The gathering failed to decide on the draft resolution, apparently
because of Russian foot-dragging. An anonymous European diplomat told
Reuters, "The gap between Russian and U.S. positions is still huge."
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy acknowledged
the difficult task facing the six countries, RFE/RL reported. He said
in Paris on December 6, "we have to propose sanctions that all the
international community agrees on but, at the same time, they have to
be proportionate and reversible." He added that the objective is to
tell Iran to "come back to its senses, come back to the international
community" rather than being isolated, and to offer the possibility
of developing its civilian nuclear program. Douste-Blazy also said,
according to Reuters, that there is an urgent need to decide on a
course of action because "the credibility of the United Nations
Security Council is at stake."
By the end of the week, it was being reported that a
compromise draft resolution was distributed among ambassadors from
the six powers, and it will be introduced formally on December 11.
The document’s new wording focuses on activities directly
connected with making nuclear weapons. As a sop to Russia,
restrictions relating to the Bushehr nuclear facility were removed.
Not surprisingly, the Iranian government is advising against
the imposition of sanctions, and top officials are maintaining a
defiant stance.
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad led the way. "If you continue
making efforts to halt the progress of the Iranian nuclear program
and if you take any step against the Iranian nation’s rights,
either in propaganda or international bodies," he said during a
December 5 speech in Mazandaran Province, which borders the Caspian
Sea, "the Iranian nation will consider this an act of hostility,"
Radio Farda reported.
Speaking to an audience of young people on December 9,
Ahmadinejad dismissed the pending sanctions. "They have backed down
from military sanctions to empty sanctions; they must know that the
nation of Iran will not withdraw from its inalienable right and is
persistent towards its nuclear rights," ISNA reported. He added, "we
have scored great successes and are only one step away from nuclear
climax," IRNA reported.
In Manama on December 8, Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki
said there is no legal basis for referring the Iranian case to the UN
Security Council, and the imposition of sanctions would not affect
Iran’s determination, Fars News Agency reported.
Conservative Iranian dailies adopted a similar tone. "5 + 1
0: The Seventh Collapse of the Group of Six" was the front page
headline of "Kayhan" on December 7. It said the five permanent
members of the Security Council, plus Germany, have failed to achieve
consensus on Iran’s "peaceful" nuclear program.
Columnist Ali Yusefpur wrote in the pro-government "Siyasat-i
Ruz" on December 9 that Iran is "the final winner in the nuclear
energy field." Yusefpur wrote that the Iranian officials have
countered American plots. (Bill Samii)

****************************************** ***************
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.

The "RFE/RL Iran Report" is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
Newsline, and other news services. It is distributed every Monday.

Direct comments to A. William Samii at [email protected].
For information on reprints, see:
p
Back issues are online at

Armenian Church Turkey
12/12/06

TURKISH PRESIDENT VETOES MINORITY FOUNDATIONS LAW
Key reform bill for non-Muslim religious rights put on hold.
by Barbara G. Baker

ISTANBUL, December 12 (Compass Direct News) – Turkish President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer has blocked a key piece of reform legislation passed last month to
broaden religious freedoms in Turkey.

A staunch secularist, Sezer sent the "foundations law" back to Parliament
for revision on November 29, the same day the European Commission
recommended suspension of eight chapters of Turkey’s negotiation talks to
enter the European Union (EU).

His presidential veto puts on hold rising EU demands that Turkey address the
long-standing grievances of its tiny Christian and Jewish minorities, less
than 1 percent of the population.

Designed to enable the country’s non-Muslim religious minorities to regain
their property rights, the controversial bill had been passed on November 9
after months of fierce debate in the Turkish Parliament.

In its final amended form, the bill would have permitted minority religious
foundations to reclaim dozens of valuable properties confiscated by the
Turkish state over the past 32 years.

Essentially, the law enabled minority foundations to reclaim their
confiscated properties from the state within a set 18-month period –
including even those registered under the names of saints during Ottoman
times, when they were established by imperial edict without a formal
charter.

But it failed to address the sticky issue of restitution, significant for a
number of properties that have been re-sold to a third party after
government expropriation. It also ignored certain properties such as
cemeteries and minority school assets that are not under any foundation.

In his partial veto, Sezer declared that nine provisions of the law were
incompatible with the Turkish constitution, the 1923 Lausanne Treaty or
existing Turkish laws.

‘Reciprocity’ Issues
Even before its passage, the final text of the law had seriously
disappointed Turkey’s minority communities, falling far short of EU
expectations.

As head of Turkey’s largest Christian community, Armenian Patriarch Mesrob
II had publicly criticized the bill in its draft form.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on October 18, the
patriarch declared that the bill’s non-compliance with the "constitutional
principle of equality" ensured that it would "bring no solution to this
long-standing problem."

"We have no demand other than that of ‘equal citizenship,’ Mesrob said. "We
therefore deeply regret the fact that we were treated as foreigners." Such
an attitude, the patriarch said, could cause Turkey to hold "hostage" its
own minority citizens.

The new law also tied religious minority rights to the "international
principles of ‘reciprocity,’" which refers to benefits one nation grants in
exchange for the same treatment from another nation. The Armenian prelate
said the misuse of this concept against Turkey’s own citizens violated both
human rights and Article 10 of the Turkish constitution.

Echoing the patriarch’s complaints, Star columnist Eser Karakas wrote on
November 5, "What they [drafters of the law] forget here is that the people
they want reciprocity for are our non-Muslim citizens," rather than foreign
nationals. "Their understanding of reciprocity is absurd," Karakas stated.
"Reciprocity for them is doing here whatever Greece has done to the Muslim
minority in western Thrace!"

Historic Mistrust
Turkey’s restrictions against minority religious properties were forged in
the early 1970s, during a climate of deep mistrust dominating relations with
its historic arch-rival, Greece. After a failed coup attempt to unite the
ethnically mixed island of Cyprus with Greece, a Turkish military operation
in 1974 left the island divided into a Turkish Cypriot north and Greek
Cypriot south, as it remains today.

That same year, Turkey’s Court of Cassation ruled that minority religious
foundations were "foreign" organizations and thus could no longer buy and
sell property.

The state then proceeded through lengthy court proceedings to confiscate
dozens of valuable Greek, Armenian and Jewish properties acquired since
1936, when the state had required a formal declaration of their immovable
assets.

"No matter how one looks at it, this was an unacceptable approach outside
all international law and an overt violation of the right to property and
inheritance," Turkish columnist Mehmet Ali Birand wrote on September 27,
while the parliamentary debate was raging.

"The proposal being discussed today is nothing but a correction of a
mistake – more correctly of an unjust deed – made 30 years ago," Birand
said. "In addition, if we fail to correct this mistake . . . the state will
have to pay billions of dollars to the European Court of Human Rights."

But political opposition parties in Parliament demanded amendments to the
bill, insisting that removing property restrictions on non-Muslim minority
foundations would boost the minorities’ power and influence and thereby
undermine national unity.

Leaders of the secularist Republican People’s Party (CHP) went so far as to
join the decades-old litany of Turkish ultranationalists, declaring that the
new law could lead to the creation of a "mini-Vatican" in Turkey under the
Greek Orthodox patriarch, Bartholomew.

Ironically, Pope Benedict XVI’s meetings with Bartholomew on his historic
visit to Turkey in late November further fanned rumors of a plot to set up a
mini-state at the Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul. President Sezer had
vetoed the foundations law the day after he formally welcomed the pope to
Ankara.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government can overturn Sezer’s
veto by approving the original bill a second time in Parliament, forcing the
head of state to sign it into law. But Sezer has one last trump card – he
can appeal to the Constitutional Court for a judicial review of the law.

Sezer has frequently vetoed AKP legislation, including some EU-inspired
reforms that he believes threaten the secular structure of the state.

"The president’s veto on parts of the bill will hardly be seen as a kind
gesture toward Europe, or to local Christians," the weekly Economist
observed on November 30. "If the avowedly Islamist Mr. Erdogan had blocked
the reform, it would have been interpreted as a sign of Muslim antipathy
toward Christians. Coming from the president, the gesture speaks of
lingering xenophobia among Turkey’s secular elite."

From: CRRC-Armenia <[email protected]>
Subject: CRRC-Armenia/AIPRG Round table discussion on`Armenian-Turkish Relns

PRESS RELEASE
CRRC Armenia
Contact: Heghine Manasyan, CRRC-Armenia Director
Email: [email protected]
Tel: (+374 10) 58-13-30

Vahram Ghushchyan, AIPRG Yerevan office Research Director;
[email protected] (+374 10) 52-87-23

December 9, 2006

CRRC-Armenia and AIPRG Round table discussion on`Armenian-Turkish
Relations: Challenges and Perspectives’

On Saturday, December 9, 2006, the Caucasus Research Resource Centers –
Armenia (CRRC-Armenia), in cooperation with the Yerevan office of the
Armenian International Policy Research Group (AIPRG), organized a roundtable
discussion on `Armenian-Turkish Relations: Challenges and Perspectives’,
which was moderated by political analyst Richard Giragosian. The round table
was initiated by an independent Turkish think-tank TESEV (Turkish Economic
and Social Studies Foundation) that is implementing a project entitled, `The
Normalization of Turkish-Armenian Relations’. This TESEV project seeks to
address the problems between the two countries and to come up with policy
proposals for decision makers on both sides, with an overall objective of
proving that the normalization of relations constitutes a win-win situation.

The event was held at CRRC-Armenia premises and attended by a number of
participants (27), including representatives from leading Armenian academic,
scientific and public institutions, NGOs, and some journalists. Opening the
meeting, Heghine Manasyan, CRRC-Armenia director and AIPRG fellow, presented
a brief overview of the CRRC and AIPRG, explaining their activities and
upcoming events. In particular, she cited the CRRC Data Initiative and
Training programs and the AIPRG’s ongoing research on the possible
consequences of the Armenian-Turkish border opening, including a subsequent
AIPRG conference on the issue to be held in Yerevan in January 2007.

Following the opening of the meeting, Mr. Mensur Akgun, TESEV Foreign Policy
Program Director, and Mr. Richard Giragosian, international analyst and
AIPRG Fellow, introduced the framework of issues of Armenian-Turkish
relations that were to be discussed during the meeting. The meeting focused
on three specific areas of Armenian-Turkish relations, beginning with the
key question of what should be understood from `the normalization of
relations’?

Second, the meeting then addressed several `problem areas’ in
Turkish-Armenian relations, including the border, and its recognition, the
economic consequences of its closure, and the possible outcomes of reopening
the border for both sides; the effects of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on
bilateral and multilateral relations; the current situation in the region;
the latest developments in negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict;
and the effects of the Armenian genocide issue on Armenian-Turkish
relations, looking at both mutual perceptions and the Diaspora factor.

The third issue addressed in the meeting was an analysis of Armenia’s
Euro-Atlantic integration process and its possible effects on bilateral
relations and regional stability (Armenian policy regarding NATO, Armenia’s
place in ENP). Much of the focus on these broader issues also included an
interesting look at the scale of change within Turkey as well.

The discussion was held in a friendly and professional atmosphere and raised
substantial interest among the participants and sparked a number of
questions, observations and suggestions, including the fact that Turkish
policy toward Armenia had largely become `hostage’ to Azerbaijan, with
Turkish foreign policy options for its possible `normalized’ relationship
with Armenia having become subject to considerations of Turkey’s relations
with Azerbaijan in general, and over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue in
particular. The discussion also emphasized the importance of dialogue and
exchange between independent experts from both Armenia and Turkey and the
need for future collaboration, and studies on possible scenarios for the
future course of Armenia-Turkey relations within a broader perspective of
the next 15-20 years.

The Turkish participants noted that the economic and commercial
opportunities may present the most feasible start to a `normalization’ of
relations, with the economic incentives serving as dynamic catalysts for
beginning a fresh approach to the complexities of Armenian-Turkish
relations.

While the meeting was an important step forward in terms of a deepening of
dialogue and exchange, the participants agreed that it was merely a first
step toward an effort to break down misperceptions and misunderstandings on
both sides of the issue. And perhaps most notably, while the Turkish
participants never questioned the historical legitimacy of the Armenian
genocide issue, there was a stress on the need to focus on educating and
engaging Turkish society on the issue, rather than continuing with an
international diplomatic recognition effort alone.

The meeting, one of several scheduled during the Turkish group’s visit to
Yerevan, offers a sense of hopeful enthusiasm that the level of engagement
can continue, to both overcome the intransigence of some Turkish officials
and to exploit the Armenian government’s positive offer of establishing
relations with no preconditions.

———————————- —————————————–

CRRC are a network of resource and training centers established in 2003, in
the capital cities of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia with the goal of
strengthening social science research and public policy analysis in the
South Caucasus. A partnership between the Carnegie Corporation of New York,
the Eurasia Foundation and local universities, the CRRC network offers
scholars and practitioners stable opportunities for integrated research,
training and collaboration in the region. For more information on CRRC
activities, and a complete list of our independent advisory committee
members, please contact:

CRRC Armenia: 52 Abovyan Street, 3rd Floor, Yerevan, Armenia 375025;
Tel/Fax: +374 (10) 58-13-30, 58-14-50; [email protected];
To find out more about our activities in Georgia and Azerbaijan, please go
to

The Armenian International Policy Research Group (AIPRG) is a nonpartisan,
nonpolitical association that researches and encourages the discussion of
public policy issues in Armenia and the Diaspora. AIPRG aims to consolidate
the existing Armenia-related expertise by bringing together accomplished
researchers and practitioners who specialize in economics, political
science, law, and government affairs.

AIPRG: 50 Nalbandyan Str, Suite 16, Yerevan 0010, Armenia, Phone/Fax: (+374
10) 528 723; [email protected]
To find out more about AIPRG, please go to

NKR PRESIDENT: CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM TESTIFIES TO IRREVERSIBILITY OF PROCESS OF INDEPENDENT NKR’S CONSTRUCTION

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Dec 12 2006

In the course of a press conference held in Stepanakert, the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Arkady Ghoukassian stated, "a
Constitutional referendum testifies to the irreversibility of the
process of the sovereign and independent NKR’s construction".

According to Arkady Ghoukassian, the Constitution’s adoption was
not an end in itself, but it has crowned what has been done during
the years of the NKR’s independence, DE FACTO own correspondent in
Stepanakert reports. "The basic law has determined the vector of the
Republic’s further development", the President stated. He underscored,
"a nation having a democratic and balanced Constitution has got more
chances for the recognition of its independence".

In Arkady Ghoukassian’s opinion, the NKR Constitution is one of the
most democratic on the post-Soviet territory. He voiced confidence that
"if Azerbaijan had such a democratic Constitution, it would be easier
for the Nagorno-Karabakh to accomplish tasks with it". In his words,
the Azerbaijan’s Constitution was adopted "to documentarily destroy
the Nagorno-Karabakh, and official Baku’s negative response to the
referendum held in the Nagorno-Karabakh has no ground to be perceived
by the international community".

Answering a question on the possible influence of the Constitution’s
adoption on the process of the NKR’s international recognition,
the President stressed, "the Constitution is not a panacea, the
Constitution is a chance for the country’s democratization".

Speaking of the Karabakh settlement process, Arkady Ghoukassian said,
"In Azerbaijan’s stand I do not see constructivism that could result
in the conflict settlement". He underscored the Karabakh party’s
participation in the talks was necessary not for the Nagorno-Karabakh,
but for the process, and, in his opinion, the international mediators
are also aware of the fact.

Commenting on the possibility of the conduct of a referendum on the
Nagorno-Karabakh’s political status, Arkady Ghoukassian remarked,
"if we are offered to hold a referendum under the international
community’s guarantees, and if Azerbaijan recognizes the referendum
irrespective of its outcome, we’ll consider the proposal".

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS TO MEET IN MADRID

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2006

The next meeting of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, mediating in the
process of the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be held
tomorrow in Madrid, OSCE Minsk Group Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov’s
assistant told the APA.

The co-chairs have already left for the Spanish capital. The co-chairs
are expected to meet with OSCE next chairman, Spanish Foreign Minister
Miguel Angel Moratinos. They will make a report to the OSCE chairman on
the details of the meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
held in Minsk.

Sunday, December 10, 2006
*****************************************
DIAGNOSE AND ADIOS
**********************************
Confronted with an incurable disease, some doctors offer no hope or consolation to the patient. This MO by MDs is known as “Diagnose and adios.” As a veteran of many verbal confrontations, I have learned the hard way that it never pays to contradict an argumentative person whose central concern is to prove his brain, or some other organ more closely connected with his manhood, is bigger than yours. Nothing disarms such a person more than telling him he is right, especially when he is dead wrong. Tell him he is wrong and he will come up with more reasons why you are a damn fool. If Freud were alive today, my guess is, he would diagnose Bush’s intransigence as an extension of his defective manhood. As for Armenian intransigence, he would diagnose it as a trauma sustained during centuries of subjection to brutal foreign tyrants, after which he would say “Auf viedersehen.” I look forward to the day when I too will see the light and say adios to our dupes.
#
Monday, December 11, 2006
********************************************
CANNIBALS AND CHRISTIANS
***************************************
To say that I attack or criticize Armenia and Armenians in my writings is a gross distortion of what I have been doing. I write in defense of all victims, underdogs, and men of goodwill (regardless of nationality). To write in defense of victims also means to expose their victimizers, and I don’t mean past victimizers (as our Turcocentric self-appointed pundits do), but present ones. We cannot change the past, but we may have a better chance changing the future. If I write more on wicked men and less on good ones, it’s because they (the wicked) have taken over our leadership. My writings are an expression of concern rather than hostility. To criticize is to expose contradictions. A critic is someone who tells you if you want to travel south, you should not board a northbound train because then you may end up in Alaska where you may freeze your butt. If you want to live to be a hundred, you should not mix yourself a cocktail of arsenic and rat poison. If you want to impress others with your high IQ, you may have a better chance of doing so if you keep your trap shut, because if you open it, you may run the risk of exposing yourself as an idiot. If you are in a hole, you should stop digging. If you worry about Armenians being few, you should not support or defend leaders who have no interest in checking the exodus from the Homeland and the assimilation rate in the Diaspora. On the contrary, you should do whatever you can to expose their corruption, incompetence, lies, and wickedness; and if you cannot do that, you should not obstruct the path of those who are trying. This much said, let me conclude by saying that none of us can claim to be beyond criticism, because being human also means being a bundle of contradictions. And speaking of contradictions let me confess one of my own many contradictions: If I want to lecture on the advantages of a vegetarian diet, why do I choose doing so to an audience of cannibals?
#
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
******************************************
IF THE BLIND…
*****************************
When it comes to what to write and how to write it, I find my guidelines not in the speeches and sermons of our bosses, bishops, benefactors and their assorted flunkies and hirelings, who will say and do anything for an empty title or a regular salary, but in our literature. Not everyone who speaks in the name of God acts with His wisdom; and some of the most dangerous fanatics in history have exceled in the art of speechifying in the name of patriotism.
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I remember during the Soviet era whenever I published a commentary critical of the regime, I would receive nasty and abusive phone calls and letters by our chic Bolsheviks who would remind me that we owe our present prosperity and existence to our big brothers to the North, and if they ever withdrew their support, the Turks would have us for breakfast. Whenever I cited violations of human rights, I would be informed that such violations exist everywhere, including Canada and the United States. They would explain and justify every Soviet crime against humanity the way denialist Turks explain the Genocide by saying even the most so-called civilized nations on earth have been guilty of similar crimes, and like rape and murder, genocide is an integral part of the human condition. It follows no one can afford to adopt a morally superior stance. Ramgavar editors would go further and accuse me of disseminating Tashnak propaganda. That’s the problem with liars and propagandists: they think everyone is either a liar or a propagandist.
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Let’s not have any illusions about our “betters” who are better only at creating problems rather than solving them. If you have not understood that much about our history and present situation, it may be because you are a product of an educational system whose aim is not to raise consciousness but to lower it by making you say “Yes sir!” when common sense and decency tells you to bellow “A plague on both your houses!” And if you were to ask why I blame Soviet purges and Ottoman massacres on our own leaders, I would reply by saying, for the same reason that sectarian violence in Iraq today is blamed on Bush. Political leadership is a demanding discipline; mediocrity and politics don’t mix; mediocrity in times of crisis may even spell disaster for the nation. Leadership is much more than popularity, charisma, and patriotic speeches. Leadership means the ability to see what’s on the other side of the hill. Our leaders have been better at speechifying than seeing the other side of the hill. The source of all our misfortunes is to be found in their blindness…and “if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
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Wednesday, December 13, 2006
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CROSS-EXAMINATION
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QUESTION: Would you agree with me when I say that our critics and dissidents have been consistently negative, perhaps even hostile and prejudiced towards our political leadership?
ANSWER: To say that is to completely ignore the fact that our political leaders – be they kings, princes, nakharars, and ideologues — have been much more negative and hostile towards one another.
Q: What would you say to those of your readers and critics who say you are consistently negative in your judgments?
A: I would say that our “betters” are even more negative in their judgments as well as policies against one another, hence our perennial divisions that have crippled the nation and reduced us to the status of perennial losers. If I am wrong, I can be corrected and contradicted. Can we say the same about them?
Q: If you are right and they wrong, why is it that they have many more supporters, followers, and hamagirs (sympathizers) than you have readers?
A: One reason, they control the media. Another reason, bad ideas make perfect sense to dupes who are easily satisfied with slogans and clichés that flatter their vanity. As for good ideas: history tells us even the best ideas can be manipulated and perverted by cunning operators to such a degree that they become their own contradictions. Hence, such phenomena as dissidents who are labeled as “enemies of the nation,” and contempt for ideas in the name of ideology.
Q: A final question: Why should the average reader trust your ideas more than the ideas of – to use your own expression — our “betters”?
A: Let’s have the honesty to admit that none of our ideas is original or new. We are all in the business of recycling old ideas. A 20th-century English philosopher has gone as far as saying that all philosophy is a footnote to Plato. Our choice is between the received ideas of politicians with an ax to grind on the one hand, and on the other, the received ideas of thinkers who have dedicated their lives to the selfless and thankless labor of enhancing our understanding. And now, allow me to ask you a question: Can you think of a single memorable sentence spoken by any one of our leaders during the last fifty years?