Justice minister: Article 301 may be changed
The New Anatolian
Oct 7 2006
The New Anatolian / Ankara
Justice Minister Cemil Cicek on Friday signaled that controversial
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) may be changed.
“We’re not saying that Article 301 can’t be changed, as it may be,”
said Cicek. “But we have yet to decide how.”
Article 301 of the TCK has been the legal basis for a number of court
cases filed against intellectuals, writers and journalists, on charges
of insulting the state organs, Parliament and Turkish identity. The
article is also one of the controversies between the European Union
and Turkey.
Cicek on Friday denied claims that the government has failed to reach
a consensus on the article, adding that the public’s views regarding
changing the article should also be taken into account. “What will we
say if the public asks us whether we’re ashamed to be Turks?” asked
the justice minister.
Cicek also criticized the European Commission for its pressure on
the government to remove the article. “They’ve asked us to change the
article and we replied that we may, but asked them what they will do
about the bill in French Parliament on the so-called Armenian genocide
claims,” Cicek explained.
The justice minister also asserted that the EU’s attitude regarding
terrorism in Turkey is causing a crisis of confidence among the public.

Astrakhan Region
// GENERAL INFORMATION
Today is Oct. 7, 2006 3:23 PM (GMT +0400) Moscow
Endless steppes and the green banks of the Volga; the ice of the
Northern Caspian and flowering lotus fields-Astrakhan Region located
in the Caspian Lowlands of southwestern Russia is all of these
things. Its rich historical past, the unique beauty of its natural
landscapes, and age-old traditions of hospitality have attracted
tourists for a long time. The region was formed as part of the
Russian Federation on December 27, 1943 by decree of the Supreme
Soviet Presidium of the USSR, although Astrakhan Province was
actually formed by Peter the Great in November 1717. It has an
exceptionally favorable geographical location as a link between the
Northern Caucasus and southern Russia and between Kazakhstan and
Central Asia. It also connects Russia with Iran via the Caspian Sea.
Astrakhan Region extends 120 km from west to east between Kalmykia
and Kazakhstan and 375 km from north to south along the Volga and
Akhtuba rivers to the Caspian Sea. It covers an area of 44 100 km2 or
0.3% of the area of the Russian Federation and borders on Kazakhstan
in the east, Volgograd Region in the north and northwest, and the
Republic of Kalmykia in the west.
Despite the region’s nearness to the sea, it has a severe dry
continental climate, with annual precipitation ranging from 180-200
mm in the south to 280-290 mm in the north; most of the precipitation
(70-75%) falls in the warm season. Winter precipitation is in the
form of snow, wet snow, and rain. In summer, torrential rains are
accompanied by thunderstorms and sometimes hail. The average yearly
temperature is from 8.5 to 10 °C with a maximum of +42 °C and a
minimum of -30 °C. About 70% of the region is desert or semidesert.
The topography is flat with salt dome uplifts.
Astrakhan Region has been Russia’s “fish plant” for the past 400
years. It is known for sterlet soup, sturgeon, and black caviar and
is the capital of the Caspian fisheries. Fish are not only caught
here, but are also processed into high-quality products. Astrakhan’s
processing plants dry and smoke Caspian roach (also called vobla) and
prepare balyk [cured steaks of sturgeon and other similar fish],
Caspian herring, and various canned fish.
The region is made up of 11 rural districts, 6 cities (the largest
are Astrakhan, Akhtubinsk, Kamyzyak, Znamensk, and Kharabali), and
442 villages and other small communities. The capital is the old
Russian city of Astrakhan situated on the scenic banks of the Volga
River. The city lies 1534 km southeast of Moscow on islands of the
Volga delta and is known for its large number of bridges over the
branches and channels of the Volga that pass through it.
The first written mentions of Astrakhan date from the 13th century
when the Astrakhan Khanate was formed in the Lower Volga after the
collapse of the Golden Horde. For several centuries, Astrakhan was
the crossroads of trade routes between Europe and Asia.
Today, Astrakhan (pop. about 484 000) is an important industrial and
cultural center and a major cargo transfer point from rail to sea and
river transport and vice versa. The city’s main industrial sectors
are shipbuilding, the light and food industries, and engineering and
metalworking. Znamensk is a city of missile specialists. It is a
relatively young city that grew up from mud huts and tents, and its
history is inseparably linked with the Kapustin Yar test range.
Through the efforts of its residents, the streets of Kapustin Yar
gradually became green. Thousands of trees were planted in parks and
around houses, barracks, and soldiers’ messes. Everyone from generals
to soldiers and pensioners to first-grade pupils had their own
“personal trees” to care for.
Akhtubinsk (pop. 50 800) is a regionally administered district center
292 km north of Astrakhan. Two railway stations (Vladimirovka and
Akhtuba) on the Volgograd-Astrakhan line and a river wharf are
located in the city, and the Moscow-Astrakhan and the
Volgograd-Astrakhan highways pass through it on the right and left
banks of the Volga, respectively.
The city of Akhtubinsk was formed in 1959 from the communities of
Vladmirovka, Petropavlovka, and Akhtuba and a military housing
complex. Its industries include a shipbuilding and repair yard, a
brickyard, a canning plant, a dairy, a meat-packing plant, and a
bakery. Akhtubinsk is also the transfer point from which the Bassol
Company ships salt extracted from Lake Baskunchak. The institutions
of higher education include a branch of the Moscow Aviation Institute
(MAI). The city’s main point of interest in the memorial complex
dedicated to aviation and the test pilots who perished.
Kamyzyak (pop. 15 800) is a district center 35 km south of Astrakhan.
The city was founded in 1973 on the Volga delta in the Caspian
Lowlands. It is close to the Astrakhan I railway station, and the
highway to Astrakhan passes through it. Present-day Kamyzyak is the
center of an agricultural district with food-industry companies. A
research institute for irrigated vegetable and melon cultivation is
also located here.
Narimanov (pop. 11 600) is a district center 48 km northwest of
Astrakhan in the Caspian Lowlands on the right bank of the Volga. It
is 40 km from the Trusovo railway station on the Astrakhan-Gudermes
line and is just off the Astrakhan-Volgograd highway. The city was
formed from the town of Nizhnevolzhsk in 1984 and named in honor of
the Soviet political and party figure N.N. Narimanov. Narimanov is
the site of the Lotus (Lotos) plant, which produces superstructure
modules of floating drilling units.
Kharabali (pop. 19 100) is a district center 142 k from Astrakhan in
the Caspian Lowlands on the left bank of the Akhtuba River (an arm of
the Volga). The Astrakhan-Saratov railway line runs through the city.
It has been a city since 1974, and during this time, a vegetable
canning plant and dairy have been built and are in operation here and
a local history museum has been established.
Archeological monuments include the 13th-century city of Sarai-Batu,
the former capital of the Golden Horde, discovered 40 km southeast of
Kharabali, and a Kalmyk Buddhist monastery (khurul) built after 1812,
discovered 70 km south of the city.
The first inhabitants of what is now Astrakhan Region were Sarmatian
tribes. Their descendents, the Ases, who received a charter (tarkhan)
from Batu Khan, gave their name to the city of Astrakhan. The
Astrakhan Khanate that formed was a typical feudal state with a
population of nomadic cattle herders. Astrakhan was considered a
major commercial center where trade was conducted or through which
merchants from Venice, Khorezem, Bukhara, Kazan, the Crimea, and
Russia transported goods to other countries. The territory’s
remoteness and the demand for labor attracted large numbers of
Russian migrants, who quickly populated Astrakhan and formed the
settlements of Sianova, Bezrodnaya, Terebilovka, Soldatskaya, and
Yamgurcheeva around it. Tatars and Armenians who had settled near the
city likewise formed their own Tatarskaya and Armyanskaya
settlements.
Today, the region’s ethnic mix includes nearly 130 nationalities.
Russians make up most of the population (72%) followed by Kazakhs
(13%), mainly in Volodarsky and Krasnoyarsky districts. Next come
Tatars (7.2%), mainly in Privolzhsky and Narimanovsky districts;
Ukrainians (2%); Chechens (1%); Kalmyks (0.8%); Azerbaijanis (0.5%);
Belarussians and Nogais (0.4% each); Armenians and Dargins (0.3%
each); Gypsies, Turkmen, and Jews (0.2% each); and others (1.5%).
After centuries of coexistence, the boundaries between nations and
their languages, customs, and cultures have disappeared. Astrakhan
Region is considered one of Russia’s most multinational regions,
mainly as a result of migration from former Soviet republics and many
other parts of the country. Most migrants come from Kazakhstan, which
shows in the large number of Kazakhs in the region’s total
population.
At the same time, however, the demographic situation in Astrakhan
Region is deteriorating just as it is in the rest of Russia. Figures
showing a decrease in the resident population for the past 20 years
are disturbing.
The number of births is less than the number of deaths in all of the
region’s population centers except Krasnoyarsky District and the city
of Znamensk; in other districts (Ikryaninsky, Volodarsky,
Kharabalinsky, Narimanovsky, and Akhtubinsky), the social demographic
situation is considered difficult. The number of deaths over the
number of births is increasing, and birthrates are falling even as
the number of women of childbearing age is increasing.
The average age of people living in the region is 35.7 years and the
population distribution by age group is as follows: children from 0
to 15 years, 24.2%; men and women from 16 up to pension age [60 for
men and 55 for women], 57%; and men and women of pension age, 18.8%.
The number of registered marriages among young people between 18 and
25 is decreasing, while the number of divorces is increasing. Over
the last several years, the number of pensioners has remained almost
unchanged at the same time as the proportion of the population of
working age and under has been decreasing, leading to gradual aging
of the region’s population. About 240 000 pensioners are registered
at social welfare agencies and receive monetary and food aid along
with pensions.
Out of the total population of Astrakhan Region, 67% live in urban
areas and only 33% in rural areas.
HISTORY
Astrakhan is an old, hospitable city under the dazzling southern sun,
the pearl of the Lower Volga long known as a major industrial center
not only in Russia, but also in Europe. Astrakhan has been called the
“Fishing Capital”, the “Gateway to the Caspian”; and the “Venice of
the Volga”. All of these names reflect the geographical and economic
position of this outpost and transit center at the mouth of a great
river where vital water and land routes intersect.
The region’s position at the meeting point of East and West has
determined its historical and cultural development. The Lower Volga
and Northern Caspian regions have a unique history as areas where the
tides of different civilizations mingled and new cities were born,
including the capitals of once powerful states like Itil, the center
of the Khazar Kingdom in the 9th century, and Sarai-Batu, the capital
of the Mongolian state known as the Golden Horde.
In 1242, Batu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, made the Lower
Volga the center of his great state. Sarai-Batu was a city of
splendid palaces and mosques and a center of skilled tradesmen that
stood at the historical crossroads of the Great Volga caravan route
and the Great Silk Road leading from China to Europe and Rome. The
history of Astrakhan itself goes back to the heyday of the Golden
Horde.
After the Astrakhan Khanate was annexed to Russia in 1556, the city
was moved from the right bank of the Volga to the left, where a
Russian fortress (Kremlin) was built in 1558. The Artilleriyskaya (or
Pytochnaya), Krymskaya, and Zhitnaya towers are the oldest ones in
the Kremlin. Altogether, seven of the Kremlin’s guard towers have
been preserved, two of which (Krasnaya and Artilleriyskaya) have been
turned into museums. The buildings of Uspensky Cathedral built in
1710 and the Troitsky Monastery with its late-17th century refectory
halls are splendid examples of old Russian architecture that add to
the beauty of the Kremlin complex, which has become an open-air
museum. The Kremlin’s 80-m-high bell tower ornamented on top with old
chiming tower clocks nearly 3 m in diameter will amaze you with its
grandeur and beauty.
With the annexation of Astrakhan Territory, Russia gained an outlet
to the Caspian Sea for trade with eastern countries. Beginning in the
17th century, Astrakhan won an international reputation as a supplier
of prized fish products, such as black caviar and various kinds of
sturgeon.
Astrakhan acquired the status of a provincial city in 1717; and Peter
the Great established a naval fleet, shipyards, and a port to expand
the Great Volga trade route when he visited Astrakhan in 1722. This
had considerable influence on the city’s subsequent development, and
it became one of the main seaports and shipbuilding centers of
southern Russia.
The names of the best Russian architects of the 18th and 19th
centuries are associated with the Venice of the Volga, and it is not
by chance that Astrakhan is numbered among Russia’s most historically
important cities. The Astrakhan Historical Museum founded in 1837 is
housed in a building constructed in 1911 right in the city center.
Its huge collection of 400 000 items includes unique archeological
and numismatic collections, a rare set of Russian porcelain and
glass, and the Gold Storeroom, where gold and silver jewelry and
weapons of the Scythian and Sarmatian periods (1st millennium B.C.)
are exhibited. Another rare exhibit is the skeleton of a mammoth
three m high with tusks more than five m long, which inhabited the
Lower Volga more than 100 000 years ago. The museum’s collection of
the flora and fauna of Astrakhan Territory is also of continuing
interest.
Despite its long and turbulent history, Astrakhan has retained its
distinctiveness. As in the past, the 16th century Kremlin in the city
center defines its appearance. It long ago became the symbol of
Astrakhan, from which the old streets and quarters of the city opened
out like a fan. The Volga River as a symbol of Russia and its
greatest transport corridor and cultural axis uniting different
peoples and cultures is also part of the Astrakhan lands.
RESOURCES
Astrakhan Region is rightly considered the pearl of the Caspian. Due
to its location in the delta of the Volga River, which flows for more
than 400 km through the region, the territory has an abundance of
water resources. The Caspian Sea and the great Volga are its greatest
assets. Water occupies about 10% of the region; there are nearly 900
rivers in the Volga delta, the deepest being the Bakhtemir, Staraya
Volga, Kizan, Bolda, and Kigach rivers. The region also has no equal
in the world in its abundance and variety of valuable fish species.
Fish are the region’s main resource base: more than 70 species of
fish are found in the Volga and Caspian Sea alone, including a unique
shoal of sturgeon varieties (Russian sturgeon, beluga, and stellate
sturgeon). Most of the black caviar and sturgeon supplied to the
world market comes from Astrakhan Region. Eight fish hatcheries in
the region breed sturgeon and salmon and more than 25 million young
bream and sazan [a member of the carp family] are raised annually.
Astrakhan is a territory of numerous islands, steppes, and a large
number of salt lakes. Sagebrush-saltwort deserts and dry
(desertified) steppes divided by a wide belt of meadows and shrubs
along the main channels of the Volga occupy about 70% of the region.
There are also more than 700 salt lakes and 1300 salt marshes, many
with huge salt reserves. The largest lake is Lake Baskunchak, which
has an area of 115 km2. The Baskunchakskoe deposit produces nearly
80% of all the salt in Russia, and production of bromine salts from
the deposit is currently being set up. The huge lake in the hot
desert and the solitary mountain has attracted people since ancient
times, and figured in many legends and tales of the early nomads.
Soils in the region vary from light chestnut soil in northern
districts, brown semidesert soils in more southerly districts, and
floodplain soils in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga delta.
Alkali and saline soils are found among all types.
Astrakhan Region is the only place in Russia where the vegetation
ranges from shoreline to desert plants. It includes fodder,
industrial, food, and medicinal plants. The combination of these
varieties has created unique plant communities in which 750-850
species of higher plants and more than 700 species of lower plants
such as algae have been identified. More than 400 species of vascular
plants are found in the Volga-Akhtuba floodplain and the Volga delta.
These mainly belong to six families, which make up half the flora of
the Volga delta. Certain rare species are also encountered, including
20 that are vanishing from the region like the dwarf iris, water
chestnut, and sacred lotus. Occurrences of rare ferns are of special
interest.
Forests cover only slightly more than 1% of Astrakhan Region. Typical
species include hardwoods (oak, ash, and elm), softwoods (willow,
poplar), and shrubs (rose willow, oleaster). The forests protect
water bodies in the region and are a favorite place for recreation.
The wildlife of this beautiful territory is rich and surprising.
Slow-moving camels and swift saigas [an Asian antelope] graze on the
boundless steppes, and whole rookeries of Caspian seals can be seen
on the icefields of the Northern Caspian. Wild boars, raccoon dogs,
and ermines inhabit the forests of the Lower Volga; and beavers,
muskrats, and otters live along the numerous rivers and canals.
Nearly 2000 species of insects have been counted. The Lower Volga and
its delta are among the world’s richest bird habitats and nesting
sites. More than 200 bird species have been recorded here, of which
60 are permanent residents and 23 are listed in the Red Book.
Waterfowl hunting is popular in the region. The region’s wildlife, as
a valuable asset, is under government protection.
Astrakhan Region is distinguished by its rich natural resources,
which include a large number of important economic minerals such as
oil, gas, sulfur, salt, bromine, and iodine. The region’s oil fields
are the second largest in European Russia in terms of reserves; and
the Astrakhan gas condensate field, with its deep gas reservoirs and
high hydrogen sulfide content, is considered to be the largest in
Europe. The region also has the necessary raw material base for
producing building materials. For example, cement materials such as
argillaceous chalk, marl, and limestone are found on the
Baskunchak-Kharabali Plain. Deposits of building sand and sandstone
have also been found in the region, and deposits of brick earth and
glass sand are being worked. Large deposits of gypsum, clay-gypsum,
mineral pigments, and gaize [a fine-grained sandstone] are being
explored and developed.
Conditions in Astrakhan Region are favorable for the development of
recreation and health centers for the population. Mineral waters and
the therapeutic sulfurous silty muds of Astrakhan Region’s mineral
lakes form the basis of the region’s recreational resources. One of
the best known lakes is Lake Tinaki located 30 km from Astrakhan. Its
brines have sulfide-chloride and sodium-magnesium contents of 127 to
310 g/l. The lake has an area of 90 km2 and has 23 000 tons of usable
mud reserves. Tinakskaya mineral water is also produced here.
The region has many historical monuments and unique nature preserves
with organized tours.
ECONOMY
Astrakhan Region is part of the Volga economic district. The region’s
favorable geographical location has had a strong influence on its
economic development. The Volga River is a major artery for water
routes from countries on the Caspian Sea to the Black, Mediterranean,
Baltic, and North seas. Astrakhan is a natural through trade center
and important transportation hub at the meeting place of Europe and
Asia with their profitable transportation routes. An international
airport has been opened and airplanes now fly to almost everywhere in
the world. An international seaport that will be Russia’s
second-largest port in terms of size and traffic is under
construction. Despite the political and economic crises that followed
the collapse of the Soviet Union, Astrakhan Region made a successful
recovery and is now one of Russia’s most upcoming regions.
A diversified structure and high potential characterize the region’s
industry. The region has abundant natural resources that include
fish, minerals, land, oil, gas, and gas condensate. There are five
oil and gas fields and one high-sulfur gas condensate field. Experts
estimate that the gas condensate field alone has enough reserves for
many centuries; there are currently 80 producing wells and a stock of
130 operating wells. In addition, five gas pretreatment units have
been put into operation. According to existing data, Astrakhan’s oil
fields are approximately the fifth largest in the world.
Production of economic minerals is the basis of the regional economy.
Other sectors such as the fish processing, food, light, chemical, and
engineering industries and water transport are actively developing.
Production of stable gas condensate ensures fuel self-sufficiency.
Furthermore, over the past ten years the share of the fuel and energy
sector in the regional economy has been increasing, and considering
the prospects for development, this trend is expected to continue.
The fishing industry is one of the oldest industries in Astrakhan
Region. Fish canning plants and fish processing factory ships process
the catch.
The engineering industry mainly specializes in ship building and
repair for the fishing industry, metal-cutting machinery,
compressors, and a variety of other devices and equipment.
Economic development is impossible if the region cannot attract
investments; therefore, the government of Astrakhan Region is
implementing measures aimed at creating the conditions for active
capital investment, as well as creating a legislative basis to
protect invested funds.
The efforts of the Astrakhan City Administration and City Council to
stabilize the city’s socioeconomic development are producing results.
For example, an upward trend has been noted in the fuel and energy
complex and operation of the food and construction industries has
stabilized. Moreover, in the last few years, Astrakhan Region has led
the country in housing construction growth rates. Foreign investors
from Bulgaria have participated in solving this problem.
The banking sector and financial institutions are expanding, and
currency and share markets have started operating. Twenty-six banks
and branches of other Russian banks operate in Astrakhan, and
favorable conditions for investors are being created.
The region’s first financial and industrial group, Astrakhan
Shipbuilder (FPG Astrakhansky korabel), has been set up and includes
large shipbuilding companies, the Volga-Caspian Joint Stock Bank
(Volgo-Kaspiysky AB), and investment and finance companies.
The Astrakhan Chamber of Commerce and Industry represents the
interests of the business community and its associations. It takes an
active part in ensuring effective cooperation between businessmen and
government agencies, defends the interests of the region’s
businesses, and participates in business development programs. The
Chamber unites more than 100 companies, organizations, firms, banks,
unions, and associations in the region and acts in accordance with
the Law of the Russian Federation “On Chambers of Commerce and
Industry in the Russian Federation.”
The companies and organizations of Astrakhan and Astrakhan Region
have noticeably expanded the scope of their export-import operations
in recent years. Once they have incorporated, enterprises actively
search for new sales markets for their products and find reliable
customers, including foreign customers.
The Astrakhan Paint Factory (Astrakhansky lakokrasochny zavod) was
one of the finalists in the All-Russian competition “The 100 Best
Goods in Russia.” This once again confirms the stability of a company
that even in 1995 had acquired the name of “Russian Economic Leader”
and become one of the country’s 5000 leading companies. Its products,
which include varnish, paint, household chemical goods, and packaging
paper, long ago found their market niche for goods produced by
domestic industry.
Salt has been produced at Lake Baskunchak for nearly 150 years. The
largest producer of salt for industry and agriculture today is AO
Bassol.
Astrakhan shipbuilders have been working with various European firms
for five years. Astrakhan’s AO 3rd International Shipyard (
Astrakhansky sudostroitelny zavod im. III Internatsionala) has
received a lucrative order from Holland for the construction of three
dry cargo ships. The Astrakhan Shipbuilder financial and industrial
group has concluded another contract for the construction of three
sea-going dry cargo ships for Hungary. The general contractor is AO
Marine Shipbuilding Yard (Morskoi sudostroitelny zavod).
The management of AO Astrakhan Glass Fiber (Astrakhanskoe
steklovolokno) worked successfully with a Czech firm to deliver its
products and has now concluded a profitable contract with the
Romanian firm Stizomat to supply fiberglass thread and glass fiber.
The city is pinning great hopes on partnerships. Two agreements have
been concluded with twin cities in America and the cities of
Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Ruse (Bulgaria). Astrakhan also has close
ties with neighboring Russian cities such as Rostov-on-Don, Saratov,
Stavropol, and Volgograd.
AUTHORITIES
The Administration of Astrakhan Region headed by the Governor is the
highest executive body. The Governor is Astrakhan Region’s highest
official.
The executive branch of the government develops and implements
* financial and investment policy in Astrakhan Region;
* government measures to develop the social sphere, improve the
well-being of the population, and protect the work and health of
the people.
It also adopts measures to
* uphold the law and protect the rights and freedoms of the
citizens of Astrakhan Region;
* develop entrepreneurship and restrict monopolistic activity.
District and city administrations and the regional Administration
exercise executive authority in the region.
The Astrakhan Regional Representative Assembly in the highest
legislative body.
The Astrakhan Regional Court, district (city) courts, and the
Arbitration Court of Astrakhan Region exercise judicial authority in
Astrakhan Region.
CULTURE AND ART
Astrakhan Region is considered the industrial center of the Lower
Volga, but it is also the home of many leading cultural and artistic
figures. Cultural points of interest include theaters, a
conservatory, a philharmonic, a combined historical and architectural
museum preserve, the Kustodiev Art Gallery, a large number of
museums, and of course the Kremlin.
The Kustodiev Gallery founded in 1918 is the pride of Astrakhan. Its
exhibits include paintings by Boris Kustodiev himself and other
masters of Russian painting. History lovers will be interested in
visiting the Kremlin, which houses exhibits of the Astrakhan Museum
of History and Architecture. Its collection includes more than 250
000 items that reflect the rich history of the Lower Volga from
Mesolithic times to the present. Numerous art schools, the Vlasov Art
College, and cultural institutions train professionals in eight
different cultural specialties. The teaching staff includes many
honored cultural workers and artists.
The Valeriya Barsova and Mariya Maksakova festivals that attract both
Russian and foreign performers are held in Astrakhan.
The Mussorgsky Music School (the oldest music school in the Volga
region), the Astrakhan Conservatory, the Astrakhan Regional
Philharmonic, and a new music theater preserve and advance
Astrakhan’s rich musical culture.
Astrakhan is also the home of many famous talented Russians,
including film producer Vladimir Menshov [best known for the film
Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears], actor Vladimir Steklov, pop singer
Igor Nadzhiev, and poet Velimir Khlebnikov.
The works of Khlebnikov, who loved the broad expanses of the Volga
River and the beauty of the Caspian Sea, are filled with love for the
people. He said, “One of the secrets of creative work is to visualize
the people you are writing for and find words in the center of life
of these people.”
Official site of the Administration of Astrakhan Region:
© 1991-2006 ZAO “Kommersant. Publishing House”.
–Boundary_(ID_WdC2muKjUbF6TNv+ckWi5 g)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Genocide armenien: Accoyer (UMP) “regrette” que le PS legifère sur l’histoire
Agence France Presse
6 octobre 2006 vendredi 2:23 PM GMT
Le president du groupe UMP a l’Assemblee nationale, Bernard Accoyer,
a declare vendredi a l’AFP “regretter” que le PS veuille “legiferer a
nouveau sur l’histoire”, a propos de la proposition de loi PS reprimant
la negation du genocide armenien.
“Le president de la Republique a rappele lors de sa visite en Armenie
que la France avait reconnu officiellement le genocide armenien et
oeuvrait pour une meilleure entente entre les Etats de la region”,
a declare M. Accoyer.
“En tant que president de groupe, je regrette que le groupe PS de
l’Assemblee ait juge utile de proposer au Parlement de legiferer a
nouveau sur l’histoire”, a-t-il ajoute.
En visite a Erevan, Jacques Chirac avait juge samedi dernier que la
Turquie devait reconnaître le genocide armenien avant de pouvoir
adherer a l’Union europeenne. Il avait en outre estime que la
proposition de loi socialiste faisant de la negation du genocide un
delit “relève de la polemique”.
La Turquie a averti vendredi la France que les relations bilaterales
allaient souffrir en cas de vote, jeudi prochain, de la proposition
de loi PS visant a penaliser la negation du genocide armenien de 1915.
–Boundary_(ID_x33v+12dCTuF45qA6lRAoA)–

SOAD Lead Singer Welcomes Blocking Hoagland Confirmation
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.10.2006 17:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Serj Tankian, lead singer for the Grammy
Award-winning band System of a Down, has welcomed the “hold” placed
by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on the confirmation of Richard
Hoagland as U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia until the Bush Administration ends its denial
of the Armenian Genocide, Armenian National Committee of America
reported. “His principled stand represents a powerful contribution
to the worldwide effort to end the denial of justice for this crime,
and break forever the worldwide cycle of genocide,” said Serj Tankian.
Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) placed a “hold” on the confirmation
of Richard E. Hoagland as the next U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia. In blocking the Hoagland nomination,
Sen. Menendez stressed that, “as a leader and defender of democracy,
it is our nation’s responsibility to speak out against injustice and
support equality and human rights. But if the Bush Administration
continues to refuse to acknowledge the atrocities of the Armenian
Genocide, then there is certainly cause for great alarm, which is
why I am placing a hold on this nominee.”

Kerkorian ditches GM share plans
Kirk Kerkorian has cancelled plans to buy more General Motors shares
due to his displeasure at the firm ending alliance talks with Renault
and Nissan.
The billionaire investor, who owns 9.9% of General Motors (GM), had
been known to be strongly in favour of the tie-up.
It was also announced that Mr Kerkorian’s representative at GM, Jerry
York, had quit the carmaker’s board.
GM said the decision to end talks with Renault and Nissan had the
backing of all board members, including Mr York.
The news of Mr York’s resignation and Mr Kerkorian’s decision not to
buy any more stock saw GM’s shares lose 7% of their value on Friday.
Analysts speculated whether Mr Kerkorian, widely seen as the catalyst
behind GM’s accelerated turnaround efforts, will now choose to sell
off some or all of the 56m shares he owns.
‘Too abrupt’
His investment firm Tracinda said in a statement that it was
cancelling plans to buy extra GM shares because it was unhappy that
the carmaker had “abruptly announced the termination” of talks with
Renault and Nissan.
Tracinda said GM should not have done so before the initial deadline
and without obtaining an independent review from the board.
Mr York, a former Chrysler executive, criticised GM in his
resignation letter.
“I have grave reservations concerning the ability of the company’s
current business model to successfully compete in the marketplace
with those of the Asian producers,” said Mr York.
He also attacked “an environment in the boardroom” that made it hard
to challenge GM’s management.
Back in July, GM announced that its second-quarter losses had widened
to $3.2bn (£1.7bn) from $987m in 2005.
Like fellow big US carmaker Ford, GM
is struggling from falling sales in its home market, where it is
handicapped by an over-reliance upon thirsty pickup trucks and SUVs.
Last Updated: Friday, 6 October 2006, 21:10 GMT 22:10 UK
m
–Boundary_(ID_2wmWqgWq768cqAkwwA6l3A)–

U.S.-Turkish Relations on the Brink?
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
Counterterrorism Blog, New Jersey
Oct 7 2006
For many years, Turkey — a secular democracy with a predominantly
Muslim population — has been a staunch U.S. ally. Since Turkey has
served as a bulwark of stability in the Middle East, it’s important
that the U.S. recognize the disturbing manner in which Turkish public
opinion has been turning against the country’s alliance with the
United States and ties with the West — and how recent events may
further widen the rift between the U.S. and Turkey.
The change in Turkish public opinion is reflected in the annual
survey of public opinion released by the German Marshall Fund in
early September. The New York Times noted this survey in a September
10 editorial:
The survey’s most striking finding is the degree to which Turks now
question their ties to the United States and Europe, and have warmed
to Iran, their neighbor to the east. The discontent appears anchored
in Turks’ overwhelming disapproval of President Bush’s handling of
international affairs and growing disapproval of European Union
leadership. Both are manifest in waning Turkish support for the
institutions that have bound Turkey to the West. Though Turkey has
been a staunch NATO member since 1952, only 44 percent of Turks in
this year’s survey agreed that NATO was essential for Turkey’s
security, versus 52 percent in 2005. Even though Turkey opened
official membership talks with the European Union last year — after
strenuous efforts to meet the union’s criteria — only 54 percent of
Turks now view membership as a good thing, versus 73 percent in 2004.
Beyond that, both Turkey and the U.S. have recently made moves that
damage the countries’ bilateral relationship. In late September, the
Senate Banking Committee blocked U.S. Export-Import Bank funding for
a proposed railway project that would connect Turkey with Azerbaijan
through Georgia, bypassing Armenian territory. This measure was
backed by the Armenian lobby, which argued that the railway amounted
to “an economic embargo against Armenia.” For its own part, the
Turkish government did itself no favors with respect to its relations
with the U.S. when it decided not to freeze the assets of Yasin
el-Kadi, who appears on the UN’s list of terrorism financiers.
Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan said of El-Kadi: “I believe in
him as I believe in myself.” One source opined that these actions by
the U.S. and Turkey are “a textbook example of the failure of
diplomacy and foreign policy: get nothing and pay a dear price for
it.”
All this is occurring against the backdrop of Turkey’s battle against
Kurdish separatist terrorism. As I have previously discussed on this
blog, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Kurdistan Freedom
Falcons (TAK) have both launched a series of attacks that serve to
undermine the Turkish economy, with the PKK targeting oil and gas
pipelines while the TAK targets the tourist industry. These attacks
have further damaged U.S.-Turkish relations, as Turkish popular
perception holds that the U.S. isn’t doing enough to help Turkey
combat Kurdish separatist terror. There are even allegations — fed
by a recent interview with the brother of jailed PKK leader Abdullah
Ocalan — that the U.S. has been funding and supporting the PKK.
Turkey is a significant ally in the war on terror for a number of
reasons. The direction of Turkish public opinion coupled with recent
events provides cause for concern about the state of U.S.-Turkish
relations. Ultimately, the New York Times was correct when it
editorialized: “The United States must not ever take Turkey for
granted.”
Kyle Dabruzzi contributed research for this analysis.

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
Oct 7 2006
Strict Measures Should be Taken against Armenia
07.10.2006
Rafael Huseinov, member of Milli Mejlis constant delegation to PACE
prepared new document. Issued on the third day of session work
document is called “Obstacles of dangerous precedent caused by
Armenia for future and integrity of Europe”.
R. Huseinov told about it in written letter addressed to Committee of
Ministers:
– Since 2001, when Azerbaijan became CE member, members of our
delegation prepared tens of documents exposing the essence of
Armenian aggressive policy against Azerbaijan. These documents not
only contain the facts of military occupation of Azerbaijani
territories by Armenia but also the facts of commitment of different
crimes on occupied territories, mass violation of human rights of our
compatriots.
Owing to basis provided by these documents, the report on
Nagorni-Garabagh problem was presented to PACE for discussion.
Resolution adopted in January 2005 stated that Armenia is
aggressor-country which committed ethnic cleaning against
Azerbaijanis, and Nagorni Garabagh regime is called separatist one.
However, unless conflict is not fairly regulated, our delegation will
continue its endeavors to expose lie of Armenians. Preliminary
document reflects activity of Armenia against Azerbaijan, which
contradicts to principles of Council of Europe. In near future
document will be discussed in Committee of Ministers which is result
itself. During all meetings of the Committee of Ministers we discuss
Armenia.
We succeeded in drawing attention to Armenia as the country violating
CE principles in the course of all meetings of Committee of
Ministers.
Documents presented to Committee of Ministers states:
– Armenia is the only CE state-member, officially recognized by this
structure as aggressor in its separate resolution. Having occupied
20% territories of neighbor member-state – Azerbaijan- resorting to
military intervention, it has been controlling it over 15 years.
Armenia is the only CE member-state which having evicted from its
territories different nations with the use of different pressures and
created mono-ethnic surrounding. CE officially confirmed the fact of
ethnic cleaning policy in its special resolution.
Armenia is the only CE member-state directly connected with terrorist
network pursuing terrorist policy at state level, supporting
terrorism, granting to criminals being world terrorist state awards,
harboring terrorists, allowing them free activity, making training
camps at occupied territories.
Armenia is the only EC member-state which committed and continues
committing genocide against humanity, purposefully making ecologic
provocations in order to destroy population of neighbor countries.
Armenia is the only CE member-state which uses thousands kilometers
of territories out of international control for drug planting and
trafficking, preservation, sale and delivery of illegal weapons to
other states, burring of nuclear wastes and making nuclear
researches.
Armenia is the only CE member-state which forcibly evicted 300000 of
its citizens from the country, and turned them into refugees, and
having occupied the territories of neighbor state Armenia turned
700000 citizens of neighbor country into internally displaced
persons. Armenia is the country which keeps over 3000-4000 hostages
and prisoners in its secret prisons and clinics. Extracting people’s
organs, Armenia is involved with active transplant trade within world
black market.
Armenia is the only CE state-member being involved with illegal
activity totally contradicting to CE, remains to be non-punishable.
Bearing in mind the mentioned above facts, Rafael Huseinov, asks
Committee of Ministers:
Doesn’t Armenian precedent of illegal activity contradicting to
standards of international law and CE charter, fundamental measures
of democracy and human rights, represent threat of chain reaction?
Doesn’t this non-punishable syndrome impede further development,
integrity of Europe, stability and progress in South Caucasus? Does
the Committee of Ministers intend to undertake steps to prevent
illegal acts of Armenia which should have forfeited its CE membership
long ago?
After discussion response to the above document will be made and
spread in English and French languages, complete text of the document
will be republished with the response of the Committee of Ministers.
Published text of the document will be sent to all CE members.
–Boundary_(ID_fRATN+Dv3HC8ksbi7fDolQ)–

Turkey, EU discuss common foreign and security policy
The New Anatolian
Oct 7 2006
Saturday , 07 October 2006
Turkish and European officials on Friday discussed Ankara’s progress
in aligning its foreign and security policy with that of the European
Union, as part of the country’s accession talks with the 25-member
bloc.
The meeting in Brussels was the 31st of 35 major meetings of the
detailed screening process, which is expected to continue with
the opening of substantive talks on this chapter. Turkey has to
successfully conclude substantive talks on 35 chapters to be eligible
for membership, a process expected to last least 10 years.
Diplomatic sources told The New Anatolian on Friday that Turkey,
as a candidate country, has done a great deal of harmonization for
the EU’s common foreign and security policy.
Recalling Turkey’s contribution to the largest peacekeeping mission
ever undertaken by the EU, in Bosnia-Herzegovina , the same sources
stressed that Turkey had contributed 370 personnel to the EU Force
in Bosnia-Herzegovina (operation EUFOR-ALTHEA).
“Turkey’s combat group with Romania and Italy will have been
established by the end of 2009 and they will be ready for inclusion
in the EU’s forces,” one source said.
Highlighting that Turkey has harmonized its foreign policy with the EU
on the Southern Caucasus, Middle East, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan,
diplomatic sources also underlined that Turkey, like EU countries,
decided to send forces to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
But despite parallel policies between Turkey and EU on major foreign
policy issues, there are also differences. Sources have highlighted
that the EU’s approach to a normalization of relations with Armenia,
allowing Greek Cypriot participation in EU-NATO strategic cooperation
and the Aegean problems with Greece are where the most differences are.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Newsweek
Oct 6 2006
A Quick Guide to Orhan Pamuk
(So when they announce that he’s won the Nobel Prize in Literature
next week, you’ll be totally up to speed).
WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Owen Matthews and Malcolm Jones
Newsweek
Updated: 4:53 p.m. ET Oct. 6, 2006
Oct. 6, 2006 – Once again, Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk is rumored to
be a leading candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature. The author
of “Snow” and “My Name Is Red” has been here before, along with
Philip Roth and Joyce Carol Oates, the writers most frequently
mentioned as his competition. But this looks like the 54-year-old
Pamuk’s year (a bad year for a writer can be good for his Nobel
chances-see below).
In the interest of dispelling any Orhan Who? confusion, we’re
providing a crib sheet. So by the time the Nobel committee makes its
announcement Oct. 12, you’ll be up to speed. Of course, the more we
say and the more you prepare, the worse his chances will probably
get. On the other hand, he’s someone you should know about whether he
ever wins the prize or not. He’s that good.
Who is Orhan Pamuk?
Pamuk is Turkey’s greatest novelist-and its most controversial. Last
year he sparked a furor when he told a Swiss newspaper that “a
million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in this country
[during World War I and between 1986 and 1999, respectively], and I’m
the only one who dares to talk about it.” In response,
ultranationalist Turkish lawyers brought charges against Pamuk,
accusing him of “insulting Turkishness.” The charges could have
landed him in jail if the case hadn’t been thrown out. Even so, Pamuk
received multiple death threats and was branded an “abject creature”
by Hurriyet, Turkey’s largest newspaper. In the process, though, he
became an international hero of free speech. The European Union’s
enlargement commissioner called Pamuk’s trial a “litmus test” of
Turkey’s commitment to the European values, and some of the world’s
top authors, including Gabriel García Marquez, Gunter Grass, Umberto
Eco and John Updike publicly backed his stand.
In the interest of dispelling any Orhan Who? confusion, we’re
providing a crib sheet. So by the time the Nobel committee makes its
announcement Oct. 12, you’ll be up to speed. Of course, the more we
say and the more you prepare, the worse his chances will probably
get. On the other hand, he’s someone you should know about whether he
ever wins the prize or not. He’s that good.
One of Pamuk’s most enduring themes is the tension between the values
of East and West. “Snow” (2002), his latest novel, is set in a
snowbound city on the edges of contemporary Turkey-and, symbolically,
on the margins of Western civilization. Its protagonist, a poet,
finds himself caught in a web of conflicting ideologies, from
religious extremism to totalitarianism-all the -isms that have
stalked the Turkish Republic since it first emerged as a secularized,
Westernized state out of the ruins of the Ottoman past a century ago.
“Snow” takes place in the 1990s in the actual Turkish city of Kars,
but while the story, packed with nationalists, socialists and
militant Islamists, has a superficial currency, its reality is
dreamlike. Snow falls for most of the novel, isolating the town,
where a poet, called Ka, has come to investigate a series of suicides
by teenage Muslim girls who refuse the secular government’s order to
remove their headscarves. Artistically blocked for years, Ka, a
Westernized sophisticate, suddenly begins to write poetry again. He
falls in love so deeply that he begins to betray everything-even his
own scruples-to preserve his happiness. Because he believes in
nothing beyond his own desire, he is marked for tragedy.
In “Istanbul” (2005), which is both an autobiography and a brilliant
portrait of modern Turkey, Pamuk uses his native city-which is
located literally on the geographical dividing line between the
Christian West and the Muslim East-as a metaphor for a culture that
wants to look forward but can’t help simultaneously looking
backward-with melancholy and a terrific sense of loss-at the glories
of its past civilization. It is also a very sensual, almost
street-by-street celebration of a very real place. Few writers mix
ideas with the grittiness of the real world better than Pamuk, who
has always identified with the outsider, the observer, the recording
angel: the “imaginative exploration of the other, the enemy who
resides in all our minds” is a novelist’s most important function, he
says.
What’s his writing like?
Here’s a sample, from “Istanbul”:
To see the city in black and white is to see it through the tarnish
of history: the patina of what is old and faded and no longer matters
to the rest of the world. Even the greatest Ottoman architecture has
a humble simplicity that suggests an end-of-empire gloom, a pained
submission to the diminishing European gaze and to an ancient poverty
that must be endured like an incurable disease. It is resignation
that nourishes Istanbul’s inward-looking soul. To see the city in
black and white, to see the haze that sits over it and breathe in the
melancholy its inhabitants have embraced as their common fate, you
need only to fly in from a rich western city and head straight to the
crowded streets; if it’s winter, every man on the Galata Bridge will
be wearing the same, pale, drab, shadowy clothes. The Istanbullus of
my era have shunned the vibrant reds, greens and oranges of their
rich, proud ancestors; to foreign visitors, it looks as if they have
done so deliberately, to make a moral point. They have not-but there
is in their dense gloom a suggestion of modesty. This is how you
dress in a black-and-white city, they seem to be saying; this is how
you grieve for a city that has been in decline for a hundred and
fifty years.
–Boundary_(ID_xIuiyQJgsxriZ0kes4L2wQ)–
From: Baghdasarian

El Vaquero, CA
Oct 7 2006
Club Rush Week Introduces Students to New Clubs
By VARTANOOSH KIOURKTZIAN
El Vaquero Staff Writer
October 06, 2006
Balloons, cookies, posters and Smoosh balls kicked off the beginning
of Club Rush Week, which started Oct. 2.
During Club Rush, many clubs on campus set up tables to get new
members. Many of them put up posters and gave out candy and muffins.
Some club members approached students and enticed them to sign up by
offering freebies. For instance, Game Club member Rodney Shaghoulian
promised free cupcakes to anyone who signed up. The Persian Club
played music and sold T-shirts as a way to raise funds and at the
same time attract new members.
For many clubs, it is important to recruit new members for reasons
such as funding. Robert Cannon, president of the Debate Club, said
that new members are important because the administration did not
award as much as they had requested because of low membership.
“We are very successful,” Cannon said. “We got third place at the
four-year nationals, but we need to boost our numbers so we can get
more funding. The more people we have, the more talent we have for
our team.”
Andrey Seas, Vice President of the Game Club, saw Club Rush as a way
to bring people that have similar interests together.
“Many students might not be aware of all the others on campus who
share common ground with them,” said Seas. “My job is to network and
bring people together, to provide a new venue for people to meet each
other through the games we play.”
The Korean Christian Club uses club rush as a way to bring Christian
students together. Vice President Jin Kim said “the club is open to
all and any student who wants to worship.”
Some clubs use the week to raise awareness for a cause. The Justice
Coalition hosted a film, “A Soldier’s Refusal to Wage War: The Case
of Conscientious Objector U.S. Army 1st Lt. Eheren Watada” on Oct. 3
followed by a discussion with Lt. Watada’s father, Bob Watada, to
raise awareness for the lieutenant’s case. He is currently being
prosecuted because of his refusal to go to war.
Armenian Student Association (ASA) member Sevada Simounian said that
Club Rush is important because it raises awareness for the club.
“GCC boasts the largest population of Armenians on a school campus,”
said Simounian. “If everyone joined and gave five dollars, we could
have enough money to send to Armenia to help students there. We’re a
nonprofit organization so whatever money we raise goes to help out
others.”
According to Simounian, ASA raised enough money a year ago to bring
His Holiness Aram I, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to
GCC.