POLITICAL FALSE START OF AZERBAIJAN AND AZERI NATIONALISTS OF IRAN
by Sergey Shakaryants
Regnum, Russia
June 1 2006
For over ten days already there has been serious destabilization in
the Azeri-populated areas of Northern Iran. The first thing that may
occur to one who tries to compare what is happening in Northern Iran
now with what happened in the world after the appearance of Mohammed
cartoons in a Danish newspaper is that the appearance of an insulting
cartoon about the “Azeri ethnicity” in one of the leading Iranian
dailies might have well been a provocation. It may as well occur to him
that both cartoons were “orchestrated” (as a political provocation) by
either one hand or two different hands moved by one and the same brain.
In this particular case, everything is seemingly harder. In order
to grasp the logic of the whole chain of events, one will have
just to remember what preceded the cartoon by the “Iran” daily and
the following mass protests by Iranian Azeri-Turks and to compare
this with the slogans they are pushing now – now, they are already
protesting against Iran’s foreign policy rather than against those
who mocked their sacred Azeri language – as they explained at first.
In fact, they have no more reason for protesting – it has already
been a week since the Iranian authorities arrested the author of the
cartoon and the chief editor of the daily and closed the daily itself
for an indefinite time.
To a certain extent, we can already see the true motives of the Iranian
Azeris. Both the Iranian authorities and the spiritual leader of Iran,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (Azeri by nationality) have openly and harshly
said what the protesters are actually after and who is behind them. Now
that American and British media have begun to actively speculate on
how the US might “shake the boat” of internal political stability in
Iran before its possible aggression against that country – and quite
unambiguously hinting that the Iranian Azeris might well be the key
“shaker” – and that the US parliamentarians have already decided
to allocate $75 mln for “the fight for democracy in Iran,” there is
hardly anybody in Tehran who still believes that the Azeris scanning
in the streets actually want their mother tongue to become the second
state language in Iran – in fact, everybody understands that pushing
them into the streets are US dollars.
We still remember the anti-Iranian calls and slogans made during
the 2nd World Azeri Congress and the following conflict between the
Azeri and Iranian authorities. Then, Tehran demanded apology and
account for the open “Southern Azerbaijan’s independence” calls by
some of the participant Azeris. We can also remember the April 25
press-conference by Jahandar Bayogly, the chairman of the Committee
for the Protection of the National Liberation Movement of “Southern
Azerbaijan,” presently residing in Baku, when he urged the US to start
a war against Iran and noted that “only Southern Azeris can curb
terrorism in Iran.” He, in fact, admitted that they in Washington
are planning to use the anti-Persian circles of the Iranian-Azeri
community for destabilizing the internal situation in Iran.
At the same time, Bayogly tried to mislead the journalists by saying
that “many European countries are beginning to despise Iran” i.e. he
made a primitive attempt to convince them that some “anti-Iranian
international force” is taking shape in the world, who is ready
to use “the Southern Azeris” in its war against Iran and that the
US is not alone in its desire to start a war against Iran. “The
West-Iran relations must be viewed as relations between the West and
Azerbaijan. Nobody, including the US, will succeed in the anti-Iranian
campaign if he ignores the role and importance of millions of Azeris
living in Iran. The only force that can curb terrorism in Iran is
Southern Azeris,” Bayogly said. He also pointed to the “fragments”
of Turkey’s interest in both the activities of his committee –
especially its relations with US official and “unofficial” circles –
and the start of the war against Iran: “The West should regard Turkey
and Azerbaijan as guarantors of stability in the region and if they
start to strike Iran without understanding the attitude of Turkey
and Azerbaijan towards the problem, they will face destabilization
in a fuel-rich region.” In order to make himself convincing, Bayogly
tried to blackmail his audience a bit: “If the West interferes in
Iran against the will of Azerbaijan and Turkey, it may face their
confrontation. The negligence of the interests of the Turkish and
Azeri peoples, including the Iranian Azeris, will lead to even more
deplorable results than in Iraq.”
Quite a strange coincidence – appearing in Baku, exactly before
“the second phase” of the Azeri protest wave in Iran, was Mahmudali
Chehraganly, one of “the key fighters for Southern Azerbaijan’s
independence,” the leader of the Movement of the National Awakening of
Southern Azerbaijan – a person who was long “removed” from Azerbaijan
by the Alievs clan and has lived for a long time in nowhere but London
and Washington. Today Bayogly and Chehraganly are the key mouthpieces
for those in the Azeri community of Iran and the Azeri Republic who are
constantly speaking about growing anti-Azeri repressions in Northern
Iran. Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Afshar Suleymani
(Azeri by origin) has officially said that nobody was killed during
the first protest action in Tabriz (an action that caused the present
instability in Northern Iran).
The world community is already saying that the Iranian authorities
shoot at “peaceful demonstrators fighting for their civil rights,”
that they recruit some “Kurdish armed groups” against Azeris and so
on. The Kurdish factor mentioned by Bayogly and Chehraganly is not
just a tribute to fashion. It is also an own political “serve” to
the US and Turkey for them to later ask what “Kurdish armed groups”
the Iranian authorities exactly use against the anti-Persian Iranian
Azeris. And we are almost sure that the US and Turkey may even accuse
Iran of playing up with PKK fighters – the selfsame fighters Ankara
recently attacked in Iraqi Kurdistan (with the US’ permission). It
should be noted that involved in that punitive action were special
purpose troops of two countries – Turkey and Iran – who moved
towards each other via the territory of Northern Iraq. And now this
“mysterious” Turkish-Iranian operation is followed by a “sudden”
conflict in Northern Iran – one more strange coincidence.
What is this the Iranian authorities and the international community
are actually dealing with? In the last 5-6 days the Azeri protest
actions in Iran have turned into thoroughly planned propaganda
against Iran’s policy in the world and in the South Caucasus, in
particular. Things are beginning to clear up. Even if some cartoon
against Iranian Armenians or Arabs might cause some outburst of
displeasure, we dare say that neither Armenians nor Arabs nor even
the more “disobedient” Turkmens or Belujis would risk doing the same
the Iranian Azeris are doing – as they would know that nobody outside
Iran would support them.
Meanwhile, those “protesting” in Tabriz went to loot government
offices with the flag of a foreign state – neighboring Azeri Republic
– and scanned not only “Long Live Azerbaijan!” but also “Down with
Armenia!”, “Karabakh Is Ours!” and so on. And what they in Tabriz
burned down on May 27 was not Iranian but Armenian flag. Let’s admit
that the anti-Armenian “fragments” of the Azeri protests are already a
direct sign that they on top in the US, Israel, Turkey and Azerbaijan
are getting increasingly annoyed not only with Iran’s international
policies but also with its political line in the South Caucasus –
with Azerbaijan and Turkey frequently appearing with open charges
that Iran “supports” Armenia in the Karabakh and other issues. The
decisions of the 2nd World Azeri Congress made just a month ago are
also part of this chain.
Now let’s add all this to the open efforts Washington has been making
in the last two-three months to get rid of “the Karabakh headache”
and to as much open displeasure of the Americans with Armenia’s
efforts to diversify its energy sources with the help of Iran and
its reluctance to “get connected” to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum pipes. And then we will find a clue to the hidden
motives of the allegedly purely anti-Persian actions in Northern Iran,
which are nothing but just new ways to keep tensions high there.
Meanwhile, the Azeri authorities are trying hard to pretend they
have nothing to do with what is going on. “The attitude of Azeri
Embassy towards the disorders in Tabriz and other Iranian cities
may be exaggerated,” Azeri Ambassador to Iran Abbasali Gasanov said
to Azeri-Press on May 25. “The statements of the Azeri ambassador
about the events may cause problems. That’s why, Azerbaijan prefers
to regard the events as Iran’s internal affair. Azerbaijan will not
comment on the clashes between Azeris and the police. Azerbaijan does
not interfere in Iran’s domestic affairs and there are no problems
between the two countries,” Gasanov said. The American friends and
lobbyists of Azerbaijan and anti-Persian Iranian Azeris are much more
sincere. On May 26 the American-Azeri Society urged the UN to take
measures against the murders and arrests committed by the Iranian
authorities in Southern Azerbaijan. The Society informed the UN that
Iranian special service agents opened fire at peaceful ralliers and
killed many people: “In Iran peaceful Azeri ralliers are attacked by
police, those trying to protect themselves are annihilated.” In Iran
Azeris have no rights and freedoms and can’t get education in their
native language: “Those who try to protect the rights of Azeris are
arrested on charge of Pan-Turkism and anti-national activity. The
present Iranian authorities are a devilish regime, who can kill its
citizens every minute. The UN Security Council must condemn these
actions and pass a severe verdict against the devilish regime in Iran.”
That is, in principle, those people still hope that international
forces will interfere in the internal affairs of Iran – at least,
like they did in Iraq. In other words, they still believe in “a united
anti-Iranian coalition.”
The problem is that the Iranian authorities have already suppressed
the protests in the northern provinces and have arrested everybody who
“at some American X hour” was supposed to be ready for mass actions
of active protest or civil disobedience – for something that could
actually blow up the internal political stability in Tehran or even
in the whole Iran. Meanwhile, 10 days have already passed but neither
the US nor Turkey have done anything to “help out” their fifth pillar
in Iran.
It turns out that the Iranian authorities may have been timely warned
that there might be some mass anti-national actions by specially
trained “pan-Turkic” activists and, well aware that they might have
no other chance to show them up, cold-bloodedly allowed the Iranian
Azeris to “show themselves off” from May 17 to May 28. In this light,
one can’t but agree with the view of the representatives of the
Movement of Southern Azerbaijan – Bayogly and Chehraganly – who say
that the Iranian authorities are far from panic or confusion. One
proof is the warning by the command of the Islamic Revolution Guards
that all of their 5 million guards are on high alert, which means that
the anti-Persian circles of the Iranian Azeris (and in fact the Azeri
Republic itself – if it is privy to the events in any slightest way)
have run across the powerful wall of Iran’s “internal defense.”
In fact, those who spurred the Iranian Azeris into a fight with the
present Iranian authorities have made a gross false start.
Sergey Shakaryants – expert of Caucasus analytical center

TURKEY-ARMENIA TALKS ON NORMALIZING RELATIONS
By Cihan News Agency
Zaman, Turkey
May 31 2006
The Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that it has been
holding talks with neighboring Armenia despite the latter’s inflexible
attitude to normalize their frosty relations.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan told a weekly press
conference in Ankara that Turkey wished to build the kind of relations
which should exist between two neighboring countries.
Tan announced that the Turkish and Armenian foreign ministries had
held three rounds of talks at the level of deputy under-secretary.
“The preparations for a fourth round are underway.”
The Foreign Ministry Spokesman underlined that the success of the
talks depended on Armenia which should adopt a more flexible and
constructive approach and should act in accord with international
law in order to overcome bilateral and regional problems.
For further information please visit

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS PEACEKEEPERS ROTATION GOES AHEAD IN SOUTH OSSETIA
NTV Mir, Moscow
31 May 06
[Presenter] Peacekeepers may be deployed in the zone of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagornyy Karabakh, Russian Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov said today. He is visiting Baku. “The uncertain
situation cannot last forever,” he said. The minister also detailed
the plans to rotate the Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia and
specified the reasons for their stay there.
[Ivanov] As far as our peacekeepers are concerned, they are acting on
the basis of agreements. Speaking of South Ossetia, it is within the
framework of the Joint Control Commission. The agreement to this effect
did not say anything about visas for peacekeepers, and we have no plans
to cancel the rotation. It will be carried out in the same way as it
has been carried out in recent years, through the Roki Pass [Tunnel]
[Presenter ] At least 500 Russian peacekeepers arrived in Tskhinvali
yesterday within the framework of rotation, and the Georgian Defence
Ministry has protested at the arrival. The ministry described the
peacekeepers as criminals because the servicemen crossed the Georgian
border without visas. Besides, the peacekeepers did no go past the
Verkhniy Lars checkpoint, but they used the Roki Tunnel, which,
according to the Georgian side, is a violation of rules.
The joint peacekeeping contingent has been stationed in South
Ossetia since 1992. It comprises Russian, Georgian and North
Ossetian battalions, with 500 men in each. In all the previous years
peacekeepers and hardware arrived in the conflict zone through the
Roki Tunnel.
[Interfax said at 0830 gmt that 500 servicemen of the 526th motor-rifle
Battalion of the 131st Maykopskaya Motor-Rifle Brigade is replacing
the 529th motor-rifle battalion of the same unit.]
From: Baghdasarian

AXIS INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS: “ISRAELI MP ASSISTED IRAN ON THE CAUCASUS”
By Sami Rozen
Today, Azerbaijan
May 31 2006
Deputy Head of the Israeli Government, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Tsipi Livni was going to visit Azerbaijan in the near future, but all
of a sudden this week the preparations for her visit were terminated.
This was announced by a well-informed diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv.
Same sources said that a few weeks earlier Mark Sofer, Deputy Director
General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at first orally, and
then in a written form, charged the Israeli ambassador to Baku Arthur
Lenk with the preparation of Livni’s visit. Lenk heads the embassy in
Azerbaijan for less than a year, and a successful putting into effect
of such an important event could noticeably raise his authority in the
opinion of local officials and his Israeli colleagues. Especially with
regard of the fact that since 1998, when the head of the government
of that time, Benjamin Netanyahu, paid a visit to Baku, none of the
Israeli prime-ministers or ministers did come any more to the capital
of Azerbaijan. However, by the end of the month an instruction to stop
preparations for Livni’s arrival unexpectedly came to the embassy
from the central apparatus of the foreign policy department. It was
marked in the received notice that the visit is put off indefinitely,
not specifying the reasons for such decision. Same diplomatic sources
claim that the change of plans of the Foreign Ministry Head was
dictated by ballyhoo caused by the trip to Azerbaijan of the member of
the Israeli Knesset, Yosef Shagal, representing the Yisrael Beytenu
(Israel Our Home) political party. Before his repatriation to Israel
in 1990, Shagal (Shchegolev by his real name), lived in Azerbaijan,
and that’s why, following his election this March as a member of
the Knesset he made his first visit abroad to this very country. He
paid a visit to Baku on May 15-16, together with another Israeli
member of parliament, and the representatives of Euro-Asian Jewish
Congress. Statements made by Shagal at his meetings with journalists,
have echoed not only in Azerbaijan, but have also drawn the attention
of Armenian and Iranian establishment. According to some Israeli
diplomats, this visit caused damage to the development of normal
relationship of the Jewish state with all countries of the South
Caucasus. Moreover, Shagal’s public statements are being used now by
the Iranian officials to strengthen the regional positions of Tehran
that contradict to the American interests.
At a press conference on May 15, the representative of the Israel Our
Home party declared: “Israel supports a fair position of Azerbaijan
in the Upper Karabakh conflict”. Next day, in the interview to the
online Day.Az edition he promised support of the Israeli parliament
to achieve cancellation of the 907-th amendment of the US Congress,
forbidding the American government to render aid to Azerbaijan,
adopted in 1992 in connection with the conflict in Karabakh.
Shagal spoke as though on behalf of all Israel and the Knesset
in particular, and his words were interpreted by many Azerbaijan
and Armenian journalists as the official position of the Jewish
state. It was promoted by the circumstance that the majority of the
South-Caucasian journalists do not particularly understand the twists
and turns of the Israeli domestic policy. They did not go deep in
such nuances as Shagal’s absence of any political experience (that
he himself recognizes) or his party’s opposition status. For them
it was only the essence of his statements that mattered. Actually,
official Israel traditionally takes an emphatically neutral position
in the issue of the Karabakh conflict. In parallel, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of this country pays a great value to the development
of normal relationships both with Azerbaijan, and with Armenia.
Therefore, according to the above mentioned sources, Shagal’s
statements have caused a perceptible damage to the development of
dialogue between Tel Aviv and Yerevan.
Moreover, their wide publicity promoted strengthening of the
pro-Iranian attitudes in Armenia, the growth of which has been recently
marked on the background of a price increase for the Russian gas (April
2006) and the rapproachement between Moscow and Ankara (2004-2005). Now
the Iranian officials got an opportunity to claim at meetings with the
Armenian representatives that the recent visits of the President of
Azerbaijan to the United States and of the head of the Israeli Foreign
Ministry to Turkey, as well as the performances of the Israeli member
of parliament in Baku and disturbances in Southern Azerbaijan are all
links of the same chain. According to Teheran’s allegation, all these
events have been testifying Washington’s attempts to realize its old
plans regarding the creation of a strategic alliance including the
United States, Israel, Turkey and Azerbaijan, and directed against
Iran and Armenia. Last months the leadership of the Islamic Republic
has been aiming at strengthening its relations with Armenia to exclude
the possibility of its cooperation with the United States in case of
an American-Iranian military conflict.
Not incidentally, the first foreign trip of the new Foreign Minister of
Iran Manucher Mottaki was to Yerevan (February 2006). And it was there,
when he had declared a real opportunity of participation of Armenia in
the project of transportation of the Iranian gas to Europe. In turn,
Washington has been making efforts to neutralize Tehran’s activity on
the Armenian direction. Against this background it becomes obvious,
that the declarations of the Israeli member of parliament in Baku
have served just to the interests of Iran.
While in Baku, in dialogue with the journalists Yosef Shagal
repeatedly raised a question of opening of the Azerbaijani embassy
in Tel Aviv. Israeli diplomats are engaged in the solution of this
problem from the very moment of establishment of mutual relations
in 1992. Till now their efforts have brought no result because of
Baku’s fears to aggravate its complicated relations with Tehran, and
also to lose political and economic support of the Arab countries,
in particular, of the Persian Gulf monarchies.
At last, during the April visit of the president Ilham Aliev to
Washington, with active assistance of the American administration,
it was possible to achieve progress in the given issue. The president
of Azerbaijan gave his basic consent to opening of the diplomatic
mission already in the near future. Now the Israeli diplomats are
afraid that Shagal’s attempt to show his own role in the solution of
this issue has drawn an excessive attention to this theme not only
in Azerbaijan, but also in the Muslim world as a whole.
In fact, it is one thing when those are the representatives of
the local Jewish community who express their opinion on the matter
(that was noted recently), and absolutely different thing when similar
statements are made by a member if the Israeli parliament, especially,
speaking on the behalf of the official leadership of the country. In
consequence, the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tel Aviv might
be now postponed indefinitely. Moreover, at the meetings with the
officials in Baku Yosef Shagal put forward various offers concerning
bilateral cooperation in the oil business.
According to the diplomatic sources, the statements of the member
of parliament on the issue have been based mostly on publications
in the Internet. He, naturally, had no authority to discuss such
matters with the officials of Azerbaijan. Particularly because the
party represented by Shagal, is in opposition and has no relation to
formation of the country’s official policy, energy policy included.
Diplomats say that Shagal has simply mislead his interlocutors, and
this could only harm the further development of mutual cooperation…
Our sources mark that, at the best, Yosef Shagal actually represents
his own party. Though its leader Avigdor Liberman, the former head of
the prime minister’s office and former Minister of Infrastructures and
Transports, has been known as a person tempted in the big politics. He
played one of the key roles in development of relations of Israel
practically with all the CIS countries, and never allowed himself to
make such unequivocal statements in favor of one of the concflicting
sides in the post-Soviet space. In this connection the representatives
of the Israeli Foreign Ministry believe that Liberman had only
general information on Shagal’s trip. The same sources consider that
in a much greater extent, declarations of the Israeli MP in Baku
were coordinated with the leadership of Euro-Asian Jewish Congress,
rather than with Israel Our Home party. The mentioned organization
pursues its own interests, quite often depending on realtionships of
its leaders-sponsors with the regional political elites, in Central
Asia and the South Caucasus in particular. And those interests not
always coincide with the interests of Israel.
That fact eloquently testifies to it, that for all years of rule
of Ariel Sharon (2001-2005), Alexander Mashkevich, the head of the
Congress, with great efforts managed to meet him only a few times,
and that, as a rule, for a few minutes, just for a joint photo
session. Wherewith he had to achieve in every possible way the
favor of the nominal chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger,
to demonstrante at least somehow his “close relationship” with the
Israeli establishment. Against this background, it is not surprising
that after the trip of Yosef Shagal, the Israeli Minister of Foreign
Affairs had to cancel her visit to Baku. Arrival of Tsipi Livni to
Azerbaijan would have legitimized the MP’s declarations. In this
case Yerevan would have received weighty acknowledgement of the fears
concerning the Israeli support of Baku in the Karabakh conflict. And
it would become even more complex for Americans to keep Armenians
from further rapproachement with Iran.
President of Azerbajan Ilham Aliev himself is hardly interested to
advertise so obviously the activization of contacts with the Israelis,
which would inevitably be reflected in the relations with the largest
Muslim states. In such simple a way the “Russian” member of the
parliament managed to sensibly affect the course of the big-time
politics. The only thing is that his “success” has hardly gone on
advantage both of Israel and of the countries of the South Caucasus.
URL:

AZERI MILITARY SPENDING TO GROW – DEFENCE MINISTER
Matanat Alverdiyeva, ANS.
ANS TV, Baku
31 May 06
[Presenter] Azerbaijan’s military budget has doubled in 2006 in
comparison with previous years and this tendency will continue. Our
people could have made more achievements, but the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict is the main obstacle to this. Armenia has piled up a huge
amount of military hardware and munitions on the territories under
occupation, Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev said at today’s
meeting of the Council of CIS Defence Ministers in Baku.
[Correspondent over video of the meeting] Azerbaijani Defence Minister
Safar Abiyev, who opened the meeting of the Council of CIS Defence
Ministers, welcomed the participants. He said that Azerbaijan’s
armed forces are developing in parallel with the country’s economic
indicators. The minister said that the military budget has doubled
in 2006 in comparison with previous years and this tendency will
continue. Our people could have made more achievements, but the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is one of the main obstacles to this.
A huge amount of uncontrolled military hardware and munitions
have been piled up on the Azerbaijani territories under Armenian
occupation. Terrorists are training there. Abiyev said that illegal
trade in components of weapons of mass destruction is carried out on
the uncontrolled territories. Drugs are being trafficked into other
areas of the world. This creates a risk of explosions in the South
Caucasus and this risk is growing, end quote.
The Azerbaijani defence minister also said that today’s meeting
coincided with the active search for safe ways for our countries.
Abiyev expressed his confidence that the meeting of the Council
of CIS Defence Ministers will serve to strengthen our countries’
security and bolster mutual understanding between Defence Ministries.
We should say that participants in the meeting will discuss
military and technical cooperation within the framework of the CIS,
the upgrading of weapons, the conduct of joint exercises, the fight
against terrorism and other issues. Moreover, the main subject of
discussion at the meeting will be the Nagornyy Karabakh and other
conflicts in CIS countries.
The Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik,
Ukrainian and Uzbek defence ministers and high-profile delegates are
attending the meeting. A joint communique is expected to be signed
at the end of the meeting. Since the organizer of the meeting is the
Council of CIS Defence Ministers, Baku has notified the council that
Armenian delegates are personae non grata in Azerbaijan. Therefore,
no invitation was sent to Yerevan to attend the meeting.
[Passage omitted: Armenian Defence Ministry spokesman’s reaction;
Georgia also refused to attend the meeting]

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS TALKS ONLY WAY TO RESOLVE KARABAKH
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
31 May 06
[Presenter] Baku is hosting the 50th meeting of the Council of CIS
Defence Ministers today. The Russian, Azerbaijani, Belarussian,
Kyrgyz, Tajik and Ukrainian defence ministers, as well as top
military delegations from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Moldova, are
taking part. The Azerbaijani side drew the attention of participants
in the meeting to the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
[Correspondent over video of the meeting] A peaceful solution to the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is the only way out of the situation,
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov said at the meeting of the
Council of CIS Defence Ministers in Baku. He said that it might be
not only inefficient, but also dangerous to look for other ways of
resolving the conflict.
[Sergey Ivanov shown speaking in Russian with Azeri voice-over]
Russia has touched on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict many times. As
a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, we support a peaceful solution to
the conflict. You probably know that representatives of Azerbaijan
and Armenia hold regular talks within the framework of the Minsk Group.
For the time being, I cannot say how much progress has been made in
these talks. But I can say that this is the only way to resolve the
conflict. I believe that any other scheme is not only inefficient,
but also dangerous for the settlement of the conflict.
[Correspondent] Ivanov added that the final version of the settlement
of the conflict should be drafted on the basis of a mutual agreement
between the parties. He said that the countries that give guarantees
are ready to help implement any agreement reached by the two sides.
Ivanov spoke out against the idea that the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs
should prepare a model of the settlement of the conflict.
[Passage omitted: The Azerbaijani defence minister commented on idea
of deploying peacekeepers in member states of GUAM, an alliance of
Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova]

THE MANY AND THE HAPPY FEW
William Dalrymple
New Statesman, UK
May 31 2006
Syria – Politically repressive, the minority Alawite rulers have
encouraged a surprising religious tolerance. By William Dalrymple
Across the length of what was once the Ottoman empire, in the 20th
century a savage polar isation replaced pluralism. In dribs and drabs,
and sometimes in great tragic exoduses, religious minorities have
fled to places where they can be majorities; and, when they are too
few in number to do that, have fled the region altogether, seeking
out places less heavy in history such as America and Australia. While
Europe became more multicultural in the 20th century, over the same
period country after country in the Middle East changed, in the
opposite direction, into a series of monolithic, mono-ethnic blocks.
That Syria offers a hopeful exception to this rule may seem
surprising. Strategically vital, it has been virtually ignored by
both the US and the UK since the end of the Iraq war – except when it
has been at the receiving end of a stream of bellicose threats. The
Syrian leadership is never consulted on matters concerning Iraq and
Israel, and the Bush administration’s only policy towards the country
seems to be to put it on notice that if it does not be-have itself it
could well be America’s next target. Donald Rumsfeld, among others,
has taken frequent pot-shots at Damascus, accusing it of aiding
the Iraqi resistance, sponsoring terrorism, assassinating Leb anese
leaders and sheltering refugees from Saddam Hussein’s regime. There
is no question of constructive engagement with Syria. Instead, it
is seen merely as unofficial adjunct to the “axis of evil”, ripe for
reform if not outright invasion.
Yet the Middle East is not a place where simplistic notions of good
guys and bad guys make much sense. Torture, repression of minorities,
the imposition of military law and the abuse of basic human rights
happen every bit as frequently and as unpleasantly within states ruled
by western allies, such as Egypt, Israel (and the occupied territories)
and Saudi Arabia, as they do in states such as Syria and Iran.
Few would deny that Syria has much to reform. It is a one-party
Ba’athist state where political activists are suppressed and an
extensive network of secret police fills the jails with political
prisoners, many of whom will never come before a judge. Violent
opposition to the regime is met with overwhelming force, most
dramatically in the case of the armed rising of the Muslim Brotherhood
in Hama in 1982: the city was sealed off and at least 10,000 people
were killed.
Yet the balance sheet is far from one-sided. With the Pentagon already
draw-ing up invasion plans, while Iraq slides ever closer to civil war
and anarchy, and with the Taliban resurgent in southern Afghanistan,
it is well to consider carefully what would be lost if President
Bashar al-Assad’s regime were to be deposed.
Syria may be a one-party police state, but it is a police state
that tends to leave its citizens alone as long as they keep out of
politics. And while political freedoms have always been severely and
often brutally restricted, both the current and the previous president,
Hafez al-Assad, have allowed the Syrian people widespread cultural and
religious freedoms. Today, these give Syria’s minorities a security
and stability far greater than those of their counterparts elsewhere
in the region.
This is particularly true of Syria’s ancient Christian communities.
On my last visit, the Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo, Mor
Gregorios Yohanna Ibra him, told me: “Christians are better off in
Syria than anywhere else in the Middle East. Other than Lebanon,
this is the only country in the region where a Christian can really
feel the equal of a Muslim – and Lebanon, of course, has many other
problems. If Syria were not here, we would be finished. It is a
place of sanctuary: for the Nestorians driven out of Iraq, the Syrian
Orthodox and the Armenians driven out of Turkey, even the Palestinian
Christians driven out by the Israelis.”
The confidence of the Christians in Syria is something you can’t help
noticing, particularly if you have arrived from eastern Turkey.
There, until recently, minority languages such as the Syrian
Christians’ Aramaic were banned from the airwaves and the classroom.
Christianity in eastern Tur key is a secretive affair and the
government has closed all the country’s seminaries. But cross into
Syria and you find a very different picture. Qamishli, the first
town on the Syrian side of the frontier, is 75 per cent Christian,
and icons of Christ and images of his mother fill almost every shop
and decorate every other car window – an extraordinary display after
the furtive paranoia of Christianity in Turkey.
The reason for this is not hard to find. The Assads are Alawite, a Shia
Muslim minority regarded by orthodox Sunni Muslims as heretical and
disparagingly referred to as Nusayri, or “little Christians”: indeed,
their liturgy seems to be partly Christian in origin. Bashar kept
himself in power by forming what was in effect a coalition of Syria’s
religious min orities through which he was able to coun terbalance
the weight of the Sunni majority. In the Assads’ Syria, Christians
have always done particularly well: in his final years as president,
five of Hafez al-Assad’s seven closest advisers were Christians.
This does not excuse the repressive policies of Assad’s regime. But
in a region where repression is the rule rather than the exception,
one must remember that political rights and wrongs are more complex
than neo-cons and Pentagon hawks are prepared to acknowledge – or
even realise.
William Dalrymple is the New Statesman’s south Asia correspondent.

AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE FOCUSES ON PLIGHT OF ASSYRIANS
Hermiz Shahen Secretary, Assyrian Universal Alliance-Australian Chapter
Assyrian International News Agency
May 31 2006
(AINA) — In a private members business session on Monday, 29 May 2006,
in the house of representative of the Australian Federal Parliament
and under the title of religious minorities Mr Allen Cadman MP.,
member for Mitchel raised a motion with reference to the Republic of
Turkey and its relations with the different Christian minorities in the
area. Mr Cadman commended the Australian of Greek and Turkish origin
for the peaceful and harmonious relationship they have established in
Australia which is an example to all communities coming from older
cultures, he requested the Turkish government as it moves towards
joining the European Union as a full member to return private property
to minority groups of all religious backgrounds, to permit r-opening
of the Greek Orthodox Theological College on the island of Halke and
to permit Christian denominations to operate seminaries of their own,
wether Greek, Armenian or Syriac.
Mr. Chris Bowen MP, member for prospect who raised the Assyrian
Universal Alliance petition in the Australian Federal Parliament
on May last year, calling on the Australian Government to urge the
Iraqi Government to create a ‘protected administrative region for the
Assyrians’, seconded the above motion and added his concerns about the
rights of Christians in Iraq which he have spoken about previously in
the house. Mr Bowen said, ” It is hard to conceive that the position of
Christians in Iraq has actually deteriorated since the fall of Saddam
Hussein. As a member of the coalition of the willing, this government
has an obligation to speak up for Christians in Iraq. I am sorry
to say that the government’s response has been less than adequate,
and I used the forum of this motion to again call on the Minister
for Foreign Affairs to make representations at the highest possible
level to insure the protection of Assyrians, Chaldeans and Mandians
in Iraq. The government also needs to be doing more in relation to
providing save heaven for Christians who have left Iraq. I again call
on the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs to review
the way her department handles applications for refugee status from
Christians and Mandeans who have fled Iraq”.
On the Turkish issue Mr Bowen added, ” It is also important for
the future that the wrongs of the past are acknowledged. I believe
the Assyrian people, among others, have a legitimate concern to
insure that the terrible event of 1915 are properly acknowledged and
commemorated. The Turkish people and the Assyrian people could then
join together in the acknowledgement that we must all work together to
insure that such event can never happen again-just as the Turkish and
Australian people joined together in friendship after Gallipoli,…”
To read the whole motion please click here. In the House of
Representatives Hansard page choose 29 May 2006-05-31, and then go
to page 23 “Private Members Business” Religious Minorities.
On behalf of the Assyrian Universal Alliance-Australia Chapter and
the Assyrian Australian community we would like to thank Mr. Chris
Bowen MP, member for prospect for raising the Assyrian issue with
the Australian Government, for his great determination, sincerity
and outstanding effort to support the indigenous Assyrian rights in
Iraq and for his dedication in serving the people of his electorate,
which give us as Assyrians the citizens of this country; despite
being citizen of many countries of the Middle East the pride to be
known as Australians.

MURDER OF ETHNIC ARMENIAN IN MOSCOW SAID TO BE RACIALLY MOTIVATED
Channel One TV, Moscow
30 May 06
[Presenter] Today the northern transport prosecutor’s office put out
a search warrant for the criminal suspected of killing 19-year-old
Artur Sardaryan. This young man was stabbed several times on a Moscow
Region train in front of dozens of people. A criminal investigation
has been opened under the article on murder motivated by racial
hatred. Aleksandr Konevich reports.
[Correspondent] Eduard Sardaryan has had only one question on his mind
for several day: Why? Why was his son killed? Nearly everyone from
his block of flats attended the funeral yesterday. The 18-year-old
[as received] was known and loved by everyone. The Sardaryan family
have been living in the Moscow Region town of Pushkina for 17 years.
[Eduard Sardaryan, father of Artur, holding a photograph of his son]
It’s impossible to keep quiet. I have no words to describe it. This
boy was due to go into the army, to serve Russia. He is a Russian. He
should have served Russia. I don’t understand why he was killed. Why?
I still can’t understand it. [Passage omitted]
[Correspondent] He studied at college and then, two months ago,
began working. He was returning home on the evening train. That
evening was like any other, but Artur never reached his destination.
Klyazma station. This is where the killers of Artur Sardaryan got on
the train. Several people came into the carriage and immediately upon
seeing the young man went towards him, shouting “Glory to Russia”.
Artur managed to run away but they caught up with him and he was
stabbed several times. The wounds were inflicted at random, but
targeted the places they would do most damage. It is clear that this
is not the first time the criminal had used such weapons. Artur died
at the scene.
According to the latest information, there were two criminals. One of
them pressed the emergency stop button, the second handled the knife.
There were about 20 people in the carriage. Currently some of them
are providing witness statements.
A terrible murder – even these words are not strong enough. Six knife
wounds, five of which were in and around the heart.
[Simon Tsaturyan, Eduard Sardaryan’s lawyer] Going into the carriage
he [the murderer] purposefully headed towards Artur Sardaryan –
purposefully. So, he had already chosen his victim, he didn’t need
to look for his victim. He must have spotted him from the platform.
[Correspondent] The prosecutor’s office doesn’t doubt that this is
a racially motivated killing. They are not even investigating other
scenarios. The criminal investigation has been launched under that
article [of the Criminal Code]. Thanks to the witnesses a photo fit
picture of the killer has been created.
[Yelena Rossokhina, senior aide to Moscow Region prosecutor] A photo
fit picture of the suspected killer has been created based on the
testimony of the witnesses. He is a young man, who looks about 20-25
years old. He is of medium height, well-built and is of Slav appearance
with light hair. And, according to the witnesses, he looks as though
he is from the provinces. [Passage omitted]
[At 1400 gmt Ekho Moskvy radio featured Tsaturyan who stressed that
there was no doubt this was a racially motivated crime. “The murderer,
as he landed the fatal blows, shouted ‘For Russia! Glory to Russia!’,”
he said.
The station added that, following Sardaryan’s murder, the Russian
Union of Armenians is planning more protests against xenophobia. Head
of the union Ara Abramyan said: “We must realize that the problem
of racism is intricate, extremely complex and the whole apparatus
of the state must be mobilized to solve it. Without this, it will be
impossible. We need to involve the media, the school system, higher
education institutes. The whole of civil society needs to raise
and address the problems, as I have said repeatedly. Our actions,
what we are doing and saying and will continue to do in the future,
is a way of supporting the authorities and the image of our state.”]

OLYMPIAD R9: RUSSIA LOSES TO FRANCE
Chessbase News, Germany
May 31 2006
30.05.2006 Another shock result: Russia lost 1.5:2.5 to France,
and are now on place four on the table. China, on the other hand,
demolished Georgia 4-0 and advanced to place two. Armenia beat Ukraine
to stay in the lead. In the women’s section Ukraine beat the US and
lead ahead of Russia, which drew China. Things are getting close.
Turin 2006: After round nine
The top pairings was Ukraine vs the leading Armenia. The top three
boards drew, but the deadly board four weapon that the Armenians have
launched struck yet again: Gabriel Sargissian scored his eighth win
in nine games to clinch the match. Sargissian has the best rating
perfomance (2852) so far in the Olympiad for a board five player,
and the third best over all. Only Vladimir Kramnik (board one, 2873)
and Sergey Karjakin (board 3, 2861) are above him.
The Russian produced Yet Another Shock result, by losing 1.5:2.5 to
France, with Fressinet scoring the decisive win on board four. Even
more shocking: China did a 4-0 whitewash over Georgia. The USA drew
with the Czech Republic, with Kamsky winning and Akobian losing.
Kamsky has now scored 4.5/6 on board one, with a 2829 performance,
the sixth best in these games.
Armenia is now one point ahead of China, which in turn is 1.5 points
ahead of France. Russia, USA and Ukraine share 4-6 half a point
behind France.
For score boards 6