Azeri pressure group urges war for Karabakh
Azerbaijani news agency APA
28 Apr 06
Baku, 28 April: The Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) issued a
statement today condemning Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan’s
visit to Xankandi [Stepanakert], the KLO press service has told APA.
In its statement, the KLO described Oskanyan’s visit to Karabakh as
Armenia’s position on the conflict. “The Armenian foreign minister’s
visit to Xankandi [Stepanakert] at the current stage of the talks
proves that they have no intention of giving up their aggressive
policy. And this negates the desire and hopes for the continuation of
the talks,” the statement said.
The KLO demanded that the authorities stop the talks [with
Armenia]. “Taking account of Armenia’s position, Azerbaijan should
halt the talks and start an anti-terrorist operation to liberate the
occupied territories by war. No state can deprive Azerbaijan of this
right.”

PRESS RELEASE
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate
6252 Honolulu Avenue
La Crescenta, CA 91214
Tel: (818) 248-7737
Fax: (818) 248-7745
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
AT THE CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY
PRELATE AND REPRESENTATIVES PRESENTED WITH PROCLAMATIONS AFFIRMING THE
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
As it has done in previous years, this year too, the California State
Assembly had on its agenda the issue of the Armenian Genocide at its
Thursday, April 27 session.
H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, departed for
Sacramento on Thursday to attend the opening of the State Assembly’s
session. Also present at the opening was the Honorable Gagik Giragossian,
Consul General of the Republic of Armenia, and Armenian National Committee
representatives Armen Carapetian, Aida Dimidjian, and others.
The Prelate conducted the opening prayer and delivered his
message to Senate and Assembly members.
On this occasion, the Assembly has issued a proclamation
affirming the Genocide of Armenians by the Turkish government, which they
officially presented to the Prelate, the Consul General, and ANC
representatives. Later on, during the general session, there was a moment
of silence for the 1.5 million victims of the Genocide.
The Prelate reminded the Assembly of the injustices committed by
the Turkish government, which to this day go unpunished, and expressed hope
that following the example of European governments, the government of this
great nation too will recognize the Genocide and demand justice.
During the session, it was touching to see the students of
Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School and their teachers, with whom
the Prelate and representatives had an intimate discussion.
Let us remember that Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger proclaimed
April 23-29 `Days of Remembrance’ of the Armenian Genocide.

Washington File, DC
April 28 2006
Report Cites U.S., EU, Eurasian Counterterrorism Cooperation
Terrorist threat increasingly seen as internal, State Department says
By Jeffrey Thomas
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – Europe and the United States continue to work in close
partnership to counter the terrorist threat, a threat that
increasingly is seen as internal, according to the State Department’s
annual terrorism report.
European Union (EU) member states remained `strong and reliable
partners’ and Russia continued to intensify its bilateral
counterterrorism cooperation with the United States and to play a
leadership role in multilateral fora, according to the Country
Reports on Terrorism 2005 released April 28 in Washington.
As for the Caucasus and Central Asia, the report says progress was
generally the rule with the exception of Uzbekistan.
A key concern, the report says, is the terrorist activity and the
presence of terrorist support networks in Europe. `Efforts to combat
the threat in Europe were sometimes hampered by legal protections
that made it difficult to take firm judicial action against suspected
terrorists, asylum laws that afforded loopholes, inadequate
legislation, or standards of evidence that limited the use of
classified information in holding terrorist suspects.’
The report also cites legal difficulties with the new EU arrest
warrant in some countries, the ability of terrorists to travel easily
between certain EU countries and EU reluctance to block the assets of
charities associated with Hamas (also known as the Islamic Resistance
Movement) and Hizballah, both of which the United States designates
as terrorist groups.
Several new bilateral agreements bolstered U.S.-Russian
counterterrorism cooperation in 2005, including an
information-sharing agreement on man portable air defense systems
(MANPADS, or shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles). (See related
article.)
Other positive developments included a counternarcotics memorandum of
understanding and an agreement between the FBI and the Russian
Federal Security Service that has created a `highly productive joint
counterterrorism operational capability,’ the report says.
The report also cites Russia’s role in proposing and securing the
enactment of the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts
of Nuclear Terrorism and Russia’s regional leadership in combating
money laundering.
Regarding the war in Chechnya, the report cites the addition of
terrorist Shamil Basayev to the Chechen separatist leadership
structure as bolstering Russia’s contention that the Chechen
insurgency is terrorist in nature.
CENTRAL ASIA
In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is deemed `a dependable and outspoken
ally,’ while Kazakhstan has improved its counterterrorist laws and
stepped up cooperation, according to the report. Tajikistan has
`offered its limited resources to assist the United States
unconditionally.’
Even though there is a lack of formal cooperation on counterterrorism
between Turkmenistan and the United States, the report states the
Central Asian country has granted blanket overflight rights for U.S.
aircraft supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Uzbekistan’s support for the global War on Terror, however, has
`eroded significantly due to the downturn in U.S.-Uzbek relations,’
according to the report.
One of the first nations to support U.S. efforts in the global War on
Terror, hosting U.S. military forces in support of Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan beginning in 2001, Uzbekistan terminated its
agreement with the United States allowing use of the Karshi-Khanabad
base in July 2005. (See related article.)
Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried said after visiting
Uzbekistan in September 2005 that, while the United States and
Uzbekistan share common security concerns, the two countries “have
had a very difficult period in relations, complicated by grave
concerns regarding the human rights situation and events in [the
Uzbek city of] Andijan [in May 2005].” (See related story.)
The government of Uzbekistan, the report sums up, `increased security
forces to prevent terrorist attacks but failed to address the
conditions terrorists exploit to gain popular support and recruits
for their cause.’
In the Caucasus, Armenia `continues to strengthen its capacity’ to
counter terrorist threats and Azerbaijan has moved aggressively
against domestic terrorism while also actively supporting the
international efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the report says.
Georgia presents a more mixed picture. While Georgian security forces
continue to carry out operations to rid the Pankisi Gorge of
terrorists, Georgia’s borders remains porous because of corruption at
border checkpoints, according to the report.
This year’s congressionally mandated report uses a broader definition
of terrorism than previous reports, and its statistics showing a
sharply higher number of incidents are therefore incommensurable with
those of prior years. Only in future years will it be possible to
draw conclusions about trends with any certainty. (See related
article.)
Country Reports on Terrorism 2005 is available on the State
Department Web site, as is the regional overview (PDF, 43 pages) for
Europe and Eurasia.
The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) prepared the terrorist
incident statistics included in the report. The 2004 Intelligence
Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act created the NCTC and designated
it the primary authoritative organization for global terrorism
analysis, including regular reporting requirements.
For additional information, see Response to Terrorism.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
)

Assyrian International News Agency
April 28 2006
European Parliament Meets Assyrian Politician on Assyrian Question
An official meeting of European Parliamentarians headed by Mr A.J.
Maat, representative of the European Human Rights Commission, and Ms
Attiya Gamri (Dutch Provincial Parliamentarian) and other members of
the European Parliament took place on 18-19 April 2006 in Europe’s
capital Brussels, Belgium. The meeting dealt particularly with the
situation of the Assyrian (also known as Chaldean and Syriac) people
in Iraq. After her visit at the beginning of April, Ms Gamri was able
to highlight in detail the obstacles and oppressive circumstances
that limit the freedom of the Iraqi Assyrians’ ethnic and political
rights. This is happening especially in northern Iraq, where there is
relative peace. However, the Kurdish political parties — by means of
Kurdish soldiers and militiamen — are manipulating the political
climate very aggressively, especially in regards to the Christian
Assyrians who have always been peaceful and have been seeking for
political and ethnic rights without the use of violence.
Mr A.J. Maat will present and discuss the fieldwork report made by
the Assyrian Delegation who visited the Assyrian regions of northern
Iraq this April at the upcoming European Parliament meeting. Mr A.J.
Maat asked about the percentage of money that has been donated to for
the reconstruction of Iraq by the European Community that’s has
directly reached the Assyrian minority. Ms Gamri promised to present
him the facts on this as soon as possible.
Besides the Iraqi issue also the worrying situation within Syria was
on the agenda of this two-day meeting. Of particular interest was the
issue of Mr Yacoub Hanna Shamoun, an Assyrian detainee in Syria for
more than 20 years without trial (in violation of all international
human rights conventions signed by Syria). On this case in the near
future an official request by the European Parliament will be sent to
the Syrian government. Ms Gamri discussed the situation of the
Assyrian people in Syria in general. She gave a brief report on the
past decades and the worrying future of the Assyrian presence in
Syria. The third main point that was on the agenda of this meeting
between the European Parliament and the Assyrian politician is the
Turkey File and the European Union. Mr C. Eurling has been requested
officially to include the recognition of the Assyrian Genocide next
to the Armenian Genocide whenever the debates mention this critical
point regarding the Human Rights Situation of Turkey and their
eventual succession to the European Union. This request was
immediately accepted by the European Parliament members.
Foundation Assyria Netherlands

U.S. Newswire (press release), DC
April 28 2006
Remarks by President Bush and President Aliyev of Azerbaijan in a
Photo Opportunity
4/28/2006 12:34:00 PM
To: National Desk
Contact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2580
WASHINGTON, April 28 /U.S. Newswire/ — Following is a transcript of
remarks by President Bush and President Aliyev of Azerbaijan in a
photo opportunity today:
The Oval Office
10:49 a.m. EDT
PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, welcome.
We’ve just had a really interesting visit. And we talked about the
need to — for the world to see a modern Muslim country that is able
to provide for its citizens, that understands that democracy is the
wave of the future. And I appreciate your leadership, Mr. President.
We, obviously, talked about Iran. I assured the President of my
desire to solve this problem diplomatically and peacefully. I
appreciate so very much the government’s contribution of support in
troops to the new democracy in Iraq. I spent time describing to the
President a meeting I had today via video conference with our
Ambassador and General Casey — very important for me to bring our
ally up to date on the progress that’s being made on the ground
there. I shared with him my hope that the national unity government
will help achieve the objective we all want, which is peace and
democracy.
And we, of course, talked about energy. And I appreciate the vision
of the government and the vision of the President in helping this
world achieve what we all want, which is energy security. Azerbaijan
has got a very important role to play. And we discussed internal
politics and we discussed politics of the neighborhood, as well,
particularly relations with Armenia.
I appreciate very much the candid discussion. I thank you for sharing
your thoughts with me, and thank you for our alliance. And welcome.
PRESIDENT ALIYEV: Thank you very much, Mr. President. I am very
grateful for the invitation. I’m very glad to be in Washington and
have an opportunity to discuss with you the issues of bilateral
relations. I’m sure that our relations of strategic partnership will
strengthen in the future.
We covered all the aspects of our bilateral relations. We are very
grateful for the leadership of the United States in promotion of the
energy security issues in the region, in assisting us to create a
solid transportation infrastructure which will allow to develop
full-scale Caspian oil and gas reserves and to deliver them to the
international markets.
We are allies in the war on terror. We’ve been from the very first
day shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States in the peacekeeping
operations in various parts of the world, and will continue to
contribute to the creation of peace and stability in the region.
Of course, the issues of resolution of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh also in the center of our discussions and we — I
informed Mr. President with the latest status of the negotiations and
expressed my hope that a peaceful settlement of the conflict will
happen and will serve to the peace and stability in the whole region.
In general, I’d like to say that I’m very satisfied with my visit and
I consider this as instrumental in the future development of
Azerbaijan as a modern, secular, democratic country. We share the
same values. We are grateful for the United States assistance in
promotion of political process, process of democratization of our
society, and very committed to continue this cooperation in the
future.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT BUSH: One final word. I forgot to mention, I do want to
congratulate the President and the First Lady on the marriage of
their daughter this weekend. It’s a major sacrifice for the President
to be here during the planning phases of the wedding. And we wish you
and the First Lady all the best, and more importantly, we wish your
daughter all the best.
PRESIDENT ALIYEV: Thank you, Mr. President.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you.
END
10:54 a.m. EDT

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 28 2006
ACTIVITIES IN MEMORY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS HELD IN GERMANY
YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. Activities in the memory of the Armenian
genocide victims were held in Germany. The press service of the RA
Foreign Ministry reported that a scientific-cultural activity,
organized by the Central Council of Armenians of Germany and the
Armenian embassy in Germany, was held in Berlin on 24 April.
Head of Berlin’s Armenian community Vardges Ailanak and Armenian
Ambassador to Germany Karine Kazinyan delivered a speech. Bundestag
MP, German Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs, secretary of state
Kristof Bergner also delivered a speech. He spoke about the Armenian
genocide’s statutes, fixed in the Bundestag resolution of 2005.
He also pointed out that the German government should be consistent
in developing and bringing this resolution’s statutes to a logical
completion. Professor of the Jehn University, Germany, a well-known
historian, Doctor Norbert Frei acquainted the audience with historic
facts of the genocide; in particular, he drew parallels between the
Holocaust and the Armenian genocide in 1915.
Young Armenian musicians delivered a performance in the cultural part
of the meeting. Participating in the activity in Berlin were 1200
guests, including MPs of Bundestag and the federal parliament of
lands, well-known German historians, workers of art, church figures,
representatives of the Armenian community and embassies, accredited
in Germany.
A liturgy in the memory of the Armenian genocide victims, attended by
the Armenian Ambassador to Germany and representatives of Armenian
communities, was served in one of Berlin’s churches on 23 April. R.O.
–0–

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 28 2006
IMF SATISFIED WITH ARMENIA’S BASIC MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS
YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. The IMF is satisfied with Armenia’s basic
macroeconomic indicators, the IMF permanent representative in Armenia
James McHugh stated during the presentation of the book “Growth and
Reduction of Poverty in Armenia. Achievements and Challenges”.
“Last time the IMF council discussed Armenia’s macroeconomic
indicators in December and gave positive evaluations, stating that
the country carries out a rather circumspect tax and budget policy
and system reforms,” he said. According to him, the IMF expects high
rates of economic growth in 2006 as well.
He pointed out that rather high economic indicators were recorded in
Armenia over the last two years. In particular, the economic growth
amounted to 13.9% in 2005 versus 6% in 2000, the inflation was left
below 3%, the budget was well-consolidated, and foreign debt factors,
testifying to foreign vulnerability considerably decreased.
McHugh said that the deficit of the account current, which is now 5%
of GDP, was considerably reduced. R.O. –0–

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 28 2006
ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO EARMARK 586.5THND SQUARE METERS OF
YEREVAN AREA FOR EXPANDING GREEN SPACES IN CAPITAL
YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA/. Armenian Government decided to earmark
586.5thnd square meters of Yerevan area for expanding green spaces in
the capital.
The Government says it was guided by Land Code in making this
decision.
In particular, 435thousand square meters were given to
Malatia-Sebastia district, 12thnd square meters to Erebuni, 19.5thnd
square meters to Arabkir and 120thnd square meters to Nor-Nork.
These areas are to receive special care and special protection. M.V.
-0—
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 28 2006
HEAD OF WB YEREVAN OFFICE: SALE OF HRAZDAN-5 TO RUSSIA IS VERY
PROFITABLE FOR ARMENIA
YEREVAN, April 28. /ARKA – Novosti-Armenia/. The Hrazdan-5 (5th
power-unit of Hrazdan heat and power plant) sale transaction is very
profitable for Armenia, as the Head of the WB Yerevan Office Roger
Robinson told journalists in Yerevan today.
`The only thing I can say, reasoning from the information provided by
authorities, is that this transaction is very profitable for
Armenia’, Robinson stated.
In his words, in many countries of the world public services are not
always rendered by resident companies.
`There is nothing wrong in such system’, Robinson finds.
Besides that in his words, Russia is the main provider of primary
energy resources in Armenia.
`It’s nowadays reality’, Robinson stated. He emphasized that Armenia
receives from Russia atomic fuel and natural gas and the only own
source of energy are hydro-resources.
`Each of us, who speaks about energy-generation and energy-supply in
Armenia, must realize this reality’, Robinson finds.
At the same time he emphasized the importance of existence of
powerful regulating body in Armenia, which sets and controls the
sphere of service rendering.
He informed that next week the RA Government intends to conduct
public hearings on this issue.
`It would be right if the Government discusses with citizens its
activities of recent months. Their responsibility sphere includes
this, since they act on behalf of the people of Armenia’, he stated.
On April 6, `Gasprom’ ojsc and the RA Government signed an agreement
on strategic cooperation for 25 years. The document envisages
purchase of Hrazdan-5 by the `ArmRusgasprom’ cjsc from Armenia for
$248,8 mln and it also sets price for Russian gas for Armenia
amounting to $110 for 1 thsd cubic meters till January 1, 2009.
S.P.–0–

United Press International
April 28 2006
Outside View: Armenia seeking a new place in the world
By Raffi K. Hovannisian
UPI Outside View Commentator
Published April 28, 2006
YEREVAN, Armenia — Yerevan-Armenia, the great regional power that
extended from sea to sea in the first century before Christ and for
ages played a central role in the history of Western Asia, has been
reduced to a land-locked rump in modern times.

Millennia of foreign conquest and domination, occupation and
genocide, have delivered to today’s world a nation that is long on
culture and civilization, but short in statecraft. The catastrophic
dispossession of the Armenian homeland by the rulers of the Ottoman
Empire; the subsequent Bolshevik-Turkish pact partitioning Armenia
and effectively tendering Karabagh, Nakhichevan and other integral
parts of the Armenian patrimony to Soviet Azerbaijan; and Armenia’s
inclusion in the Soviet empire may form the basis of an explanation,
but they do not excuse Armenia’s current smallness.

The nation’s historic losses and intermittent statelessness are
only prologue. The real story is in a failed leadership that seeks to
rationalize the steady decline of the Armenian factor in world
affairs by reference to external adversaries and geopolitical
limitations.

In fact, the major constraint is the insecure myopia of a
semi-feudal, soft-authoritarian regime with a parochial mindset that
makes a mockery of Armenia’s ancient values and, in the very name of
democracy, smothers human rights, civil liberties, free speech and
assembly, and the rule of law. Of course, Armenia is not alone in
this demeanor.

In the 15 years of the country’s newly rediscovered statehood,
authority has never been transferred from incumbent to challenger by
free and fair elections. They have always been forged —
unfortunately always by the administration. The sitting presidency is
no exception to this deplorable rule of illegitimate government.

For Armenia to reclaim its democratic advantage in the region, to
become a competitive contributor to peace, development and security,
and to realize its strategic credentials at an increasingly critical
crossing on the global map, it must transform itself both at home and
abroad.

Fresh Elections: In view of its series of falsified elections,
and most recently the constitutional referendum held last November,
Armenia requires an electoral transformation. Our American, European,
and other international partners have the capacity to make this
happen through the empowerment of Armenian citizen and society alike.
This is the expectation of the Armenian body public. An orchestrated
theft of votes and conscience is alien to the long-standing Armenian
quest for rights and redemption. Armenia must satisfy the highest
possible criteria for electoral legitimacy and accountable
governance.

Rule of Right: The supremacy of rights with due process and an
equal application of laws needs in short order to become the
foundation of the state. From corruption and conflicts of interest to
responsibility for grave crimes and other misconduct, all citizens
must face the same standard of justice — starting from the very top
and going all the way down the hierarchy. The self-confidence of an
independent judiciary, elusive as it may seem, is pivotal on this
score. Raise their salaries and strictly hold them to the law.

International Standing: Armenia’s democratic transformation, much
like Georgia’s attempt, will find its reflection in international
affairs. The republic’s sovereignty is a supreme value and the most
meaningful means for pursuit of vital national interests. Armenia
must become a bridge of balance and understanding in the wider
region, intersecting as it does Western civilization and Eastern
tradition, the CIS and the Middle East, and the future linkage
between its southern neighbors and the trans-Atlantic hemisphere.
Official Yerevan should take its rightful place in the regional
security system and, in dialogue with NATO, the European Union,
Russia, China, and other centers, strive within the next decade to
achieve security and energy independence — or at least
diversification.

Turkey: In all of history, no bilateral agreement, concord, or
treaty has ever been negotiated or entered into force between the
sovereign republics of Armenia and Turkey.

A brave new discourse and enlightened statesmanship must guide
the initiative to normalize the Turkish-Armenian relationship in a
multi-track process that takes into account, not escapes, the
historical record and hammers out solutions to a comprehensive agenda
of outstanding issues, including but not limited to establishment of
diplomatic ties without preconditions; political, economic, and
ultimately security-related cooperation; the restoration of rights of
the dispossessed; the guaranteed voluntary return of deportees or
their progeny to their places of origin; respect for and renovation
of the Armenian cultural heritage; and delimitation of boundaries
directly between the parties involved.

As it stands, however, Turkey continues to enforce a blockade
against Armenia, an act of war and a material breach of the pact
which Turkey’s Kemalist regime and Soviet Russia signed in 1921 and
on which Ankara relies for assertion of its eastern frontier. Without
resolution of this strategic connection — rather the absence thereof
— neither Turkey nor Armenia can ever join the EU, and no enduring
settlement will ever be found in the case of Mountainous Karabagh and
its struggle for liberty, democracy, and self-determination.

Karabagh and Azerbaijan: There can be no true movement on this
regional conflict as long as a) Armenia and Azerbaijan remain in
essentially undemocratic hands and thus without civic mandate;

b) the republican entity of mountainous Karabagh, which declared
its independence according to a plebiscite held in 1991 under the
Soviet Constitution and relevant norms of international law, is
excluded from the peace process;

c) Azerbaijan refuses to cease and desist from its xenophobic
rhetoric and its outrageous desecration of Armenian religious
treasures, including an entire cemetery of medieval “khachkars”
(cross-stones) finally and fully destroyed in broad daylight by
uniformed soldiers in Nakhichevan last December; and

d) the Turkish-Armenian divide stays intact and insurmounted.

Short of this, the consequences of the war unleashed by
Azerbaijan against Karabagh in 1988, resulting in thousands of
casualties, hundreds of thousands of refugees and scores of
reciprocal expulsions on both sides, must be approached on the
humanitarian level. A pilot program to demilitarize a local segment
of the conflict zone, allowing for the conditional return and
restitution of both Armenian and Azerbaijani refugees, might under
the circumstances be the only rational avenue for the initial
cultivation of mutual confidence and gradual reconciliation of
peoples. In all events, for the long-term development, prosperity,
and equity of the region, Azerbaijan, Karabagh, Armenia, and Turkey
must abide by the same supervisory regime and terms of engagement as
they relate to demilitarization, repatriation, opening of frontiers,
transportation and communication, and potential peacekeeping.

An old nation with a young state, Armenia does indeed face a
constellation of contemporary challenges, foreign and domestic, which
must be overcome creatively and fundamentally. Neither wishful
evolution nor artificial revolution will carry the day. Only a
peaceful, system-wide, citizen-driven transformation — anchored in a
correlation of the national will and international imperatives — can
shift the paradigm and provide the land of Ararat with one ultimate
opportunity to close the democratic deal, to turn swords into shared
interests, and to redefine its identity, place, and promise in the
new era.

Freedom and justice in the world begin at home.

—

(Raffi K. Hovannisian, Armenia’s first Minister of Foreign
Affairs, is chairman of the Heritage Party and founder of the
Armenian Center for National and International Studies in Yerevan.)