ADAMKUS: ARMENIA SHOULD JOIN EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Regnum, Russia
April 26 2006
“After Lithuania gained independence, the principle of proper attitude
became a leading one of our foreign policy regarding to all countries
of the world, including Russia,” Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus
stated during his official visit to Armenia, meeting with students
and lecturers of Yerevan State University on April 29.
“Of course, we may have some difficulties concerning certain questions,
but we should find ways to overcome them for the sake of today’s
generation, i.e. of our future,” Adamkus stated. The president
is quoted by a REGNUM correspondent as saying that “Lithuanian
foreign policy will not change, and will base on mutual trust and
respect.” “Since the time of gaining political independence by our
countries, relations between Lithuania and Armenia have been based
on friendship and mutual respect, and I do not see any reasons to
change the policy,” he stated.
“Armenia should join the European community, become a full family
member and assume appropriate obligations,” Adamkus stated. Answering
the question, how Lithuania can particularly help Armenia in the
way of Euro-integration, the president stated: “We already have
such cooperation; our specialists meet with Armenian colleagues,
widely exchanging experiences. Political will to effect reforms in
all spheres is important here; and the Armenian authorities have
such will. We are open and ready for cooperation. Of course, we made
mistakes, joining the EU, but we do not want you to repeat them.”

NAGORNO-GARABAGH AZERBAIJANIS’ MAJLIS TO SET UP
Democratic Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
Nagorno-Garabagh Azerbaijanis’ Majlis initiated by the International
Garabagh Foundation (IGF) and Garabagh’s intelligentsia, due to 14
anniversary of the occupation of Shusha will be set up. According to
Mehman Ismayilov, Chairman of IGF to Azerbaijan, IGF considers as
necessary setting up of this organization and has already launched
to its realization.
M. Ismayilov informed that Armenians desiring to occupy the highlands
of Garabagh are waging border information war. According to him,
to date information war is one of the crucial aspects of this
confrontation. The State waging regular systematic information
struggle in accordance with international conduct standards, provides
more successful future for itself: “To date there are such situation
that Nagorno-Garabagh is associated with Armenians living there. We
have to put an end to that. State is interested in involvement of
Azerbaijanis living in highlands of Nagorno-Garabagh in this process.
These people should participate in conflict settlement turning into
figures of public & political situation”.
According to M. Ismayilov, setting up of the Majlis composed
of Nagorno-Garabagh Azerbaijanis will complete in near future. He
informed that this Majlis will be a general Parliament and turn into
Working Group and one of the necessary instruments of the State.
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CREATING A HEALTHY SOCIETY
Shlomi Diskell, Realistic Religious Zionism
Ynetnews, Israel
,7340,L-3244074 ,00.html
April 26 2006
Not every enemy is an incarnation of Hitler,
The months of Nissan and Iyar on the Hebrew calendar are a pressure
cooker of Jewish – Zionist consiousness. It starts with Pesach and
ends on Yom Haatzmaut. The “extra meticulous” extend the period to
Iyar 28, the day the Western Wall and the old city of Jerusalem was
liberated from Jordan in 1967.
Can there be any more appropriate phrase than the one we read in the
Pessach haggadah – “In every generation, someone will rise up and
try to destroy us” – to describe the collective feeling of Israelis
during this period?
Seems to me that not even the most astute playwright could better
describe the terror attack in Dahab as Israel began marking Holocaust
Remembrance Day, and only the most petty amongst us pointed out that
no Israelis or Jews were killed in the blasts.
Over-sensitive
Sometimes it seems that we are so intimidated and over-sensitive about
the assimilate the idea that we are hated that we cannot understand
just how how damaging this is to us, or how much damage it does to
our collective memory.
We’ve had some glowing examples of this phenomenon over the past
year. Some Gaza Strip evictees chose to wear orange stars on their
clothes, to “relive” the dark days. But the move, carried out by
the twisted minds of people calling themselves Zionists and Jews,
shocked only a few of us.
But why point an accusing finger only at them? Just several days ago
we heard one of Israel’s most senior intelligence officers group Hamas
and al-Qaeda together with the Nazis. Many felt the comparison was
correct, and no one objected to the suggestion that Khaled Mashaal
and Ismail Haniya were the current incarnations of Josef Goebbels or
Hermann Goering, or that Sheikh Ahmed Yassin is really light-years
apart from Alfred Rosenberg, one of the Nazis ideological figureheads.
Through the years
This is not surprising. The Israel-Palestinian conflict and the fallout
from it on the Middle East sometimes drives us crazy. We pour elements
into the conflict that only nurture the development of our unhealthy,
separatist and closed society.
On one hand, we jealously protect to unique nature of our fate and
refuse all efforts to compare our past to the Turkish slaughter of
Armenians, or the genocides that happened in Bosnia or Rwanda. On
the other hand, we keep careful watch to identify early signs that
could lead to the next Holocaust, and every Arab, Muslim or other
leader who threatens to wipe out the State of Israel is immediately
compared to Adolf Hitler.
A quick look at the newspapers of yesteryear shows that during the
1970s, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was called “the new Hitler,”
in the 80s it was Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini and U.S. black leader Rev.
Jesse Jackson, who was marked as the most dangerous threat facing
U.S. Jewry. But does anyone remember him today?
Tough period
This time of year puts us in a tough spot: we search for explanations,
occasionally seek revenge, and look for a way to deal with Holocaust
Day and other memorial days, to infuse them with new, relevant
messages. But perhaps the time has come to understand we will never
be able to take revenge, to recognize the fact that there are not
always answers, to internalize that there won’t always be someone
trying to eliminate us, and that not every Islamic fundamentalist is
the current incarnation of the German madman.
Perhaps in this way we can create a healthier society, one that doesn’t
wake up each morning looking for the newest existential threat to
justify its existence and its country. One that recognizes the fact
that sometimes our country, too, doesn’t act exactly appropriately,
and not to hide behind the approach that the whole world is against
us and is just waiting for the right moment to rise up to destroy us.

HASANOV: “WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT OSCE MG CO-CHAIR STATES WILL INTENSIFY THE PRESSURE ON OFFICIAL YEREVAN”
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
“We think that the US and Azerbaijani presidents will discuss Nagorno
Garabagh conflict, Iran problem and other problems of regional
concern and will exchange views on these issues,” President’s Office
socio-political department chief Ali Hasanov told journalists (APA).
“We are hopeful that the US and OSCE MG co-chair countries will
intensify pressures on Yerevan in order to achieve its constructive
stance and will help intensify the negotiations within international
legal norms”.
Expressing his regret for the opposition’s spreading ambiguous
information about President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the USA, Mr.
Hasanov stated that being in opposition to statehood and national
interests is not honor to the opposition leaders.
“It is natural for every person, political party and government to
be in opposition to any idea or notion. But Being in opposition to
national interests can’t be honor to anybody. One of the main reasons
for such people’s being in opposition but not in authority is their
opposition-style stance on their own nation and country. Azerbaijani
president’s invitation to the US and creation of good relations
between Azerbaijan and a prestigious country like the US satisfy the
interests of every citizen as well as the opposition. Unfortunately,
the opposition doesn’t understand this”.

FREIZER: “THE US SHOULD BE CONCERNED IN NK CONFLICT SETTLEMENT”
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
“Energy and security issues are likely to dominate the 28 April meeting
between President Bush and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
It will be Aliyev’s first visit since becoming head of the oil-rich
state bordering both Russia and Iran, and Teheran’s nuclear ambitions
are undoubtedly one of the main reasons Aliyev has been invited to the
White House.” International Crises Group Caucasus project leader Sabina
Freizer has told APA while expressing her attitude to Azerbaijani
president Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the US. Sabina Freizer stated that
if the U.S. is keen to protect its energy and security interests,
the main issue on the table should be the unresolved conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh. For more than a decade, only a shaky cease-fire
has kept Armenia and Azerbaijan from resuming their full-scale
fighting over the small mountainous territory wedged between them and
Iran. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and soon to be completed
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, which Washington sees as critical
to the West’s energy security, pass within 30 miles of this flashpoint.
In the past months, President Aliyev has intensified his bellicose
rhetoric, threatening to withdraw from peace talks and to militarily
recapture all territories currently occupied by Armenian backed
forces. He doubled the 2005 military budget to $600 million in 2006,
over 16% of Azerbaijan’s total budget. He has also pledged to make
military spending equal to the entire state budget of Armenia, and,
propped up by oil revenues, the Azeri leader’s threat is very real.
In Washington President Aliyev should be told clearly that a military
resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unacceptable. Instead,
the U.S. Government should – while making clear that it will be
pressing Armenia equally strongly – push Azerbaijan to accept now
the principles of a comprehensive peace deal which would include
the renunciation of the use of force, the incremental withdrawal
of Armenian-backed forces from all occupied territories around
Nagorno-Karabakh, the safe and voluntary return of all displaced
persons, the reopening of all transport and trade routes closed
as a result to the conflict, and a guarantee that the people of
Nagorno-Karabakh will be given the right to self-determination based
on a referendum to be held after clear conditions are met.
This is close to what the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe proposed in February, but there was little international
pressure on Armenia and Azerbaijan to encourage them to sign the
deal. As a first step President Aliyev should allow people-to-people
contacts between the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides.
Until now, the Bush Administration has claimed to have a
three-dimensional approach to Azerbaijan, focusing on security,
energy, and freedom through reform. President Aliyev was not granted
an earlier visit to the White House because the 2003 presidential
elections were considered to be seriously flawed and were followed by a
violent crackdown on the opposition. The 2005 Azerbaijani Parliamentary
Elections were another disappointment, which should have precluded an
invitation to Aliyev less than six months after they were held. Some
of the three dimensions are clearly more important than others.
Even as democratic reform was lagging, Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld traveled to Baku three times in 2003-2005. Most observers
in Baku consider these visits to be cementing the relationships that
could ease the way for the possible deployment of American troops
in Azerbaijan to be used in actions against Iran. Today’s invitation
may be part of the Bush Administration’s attempts to ratchet up the
pressure on Tehran. Interestingly, however, Aliyev is preparing to
welcome Iranian President Ahmadinejad in Baku in May, the second such
meeting in Azerbaijan after the two countries signed a non aggression
pact last year.
According to Sabina Freizer, if the US wants to ensure Azerbaijan’s
long-term support of its policies towards Iran, and overall regional
security, its best bet is to first focus on securing a peaceful
resolution of the existing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. While the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unresolved, Azerbaijan can ill
afford to undermine its improving relations with Tehran. At the same
time, if Azerbaijan makes good on its threat to take military action
against Nagorno-Karabakh, close to Iran’s northern borders, it will
undermine U.S. energy and security interests and cause the flight
of foreign investment from Azerbaijan. The volatile South Caucasus
region, plagued also by unresolved conflicts in Georgia, risks being
completely destabilized, dragging into the fight neighboring Russia,
Turkey and Iran. This perilous scenario is worth talking to Aliyev
about as much as the threats of a nuclear Iran.

AZERBAIJAN HOPES IN US PRESSURES ON ARMENIAN IN NK ISSUE – SENIOR STATE OFFICIAL
Author: S.Ilhamgizi
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
April 26 2006
‘We [Azerbaijan] hope that the Unite states will increase pressures
on Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Ali Hassanov, the head
of the Public-Political Department of the President’s Apparat,
told journalists.
He noted that any event taken place in the South Caucasus region,
Caspian and Black sea basins is in the focus of Azerbaijan, as a
regional country and also the United States, as the world power.
Therefore, during the talks in Washington the Presidents of Azerbaijan
and the United States will state their standpoint on the issues of
energy, security in the South Caucasus region, as well as Iran.
“Azerbaijan hopes that the United States, as an OSCE Minsk Group
co-chair, will increase pressures on the Armenian government,
support intensive talks under the international rule of law and
take every effort to make Armenia to take a constructive position,”
Hassanov stressed.

GYUMRI TECHNOPARK TO SPECIALIZE IN MACHINE BUILDING AND INSTRUMENTATION
Noyan Tapan
Apr 26 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The technopark to be created at
Analitsark Plant under the RA government’s decision of March 2006
will mainly specialize in instrumentation and machine building. NT
correspondent was informed about it from Ashot Khandanian, Head of
the Science, Technologies and Innovation Policy Department of the
RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development. According to him,
the localization of small enterprises engaged in production and
scientific developments in the area of the technopark is important
in terms of job creation. It was noted that Analitsark has operating
machine-tools and some areas suitable for localization of small
enterprises. He noted that it is possible that starting 2007,
financial resources will be allocated by the state program on
innovation activity assistance for the purpose of creating some
infrastructures at the Gyumri technopark. Such annual programs are
envisaged by the draft law on state assistance of innovation activity,
which will be adopted by the RA National Assembly during the next
four-day session. Besides, the state is likely to provide additional
funds for the technopark’s development from the financial resources
to be used for small and medium business assistance. Some of these
resources have already been allocated to the operating technopark
“Andron” in Yerevan. A. Khandanian said that the New Investments
organization, which was founded by the RA Ministry of Trade and
Economic Development with the aim of assisting the process of
relaunching the enterprises currently standing idle, will promote
the technopark’s development. He expressed confidence that as soon
as the state starts the work on creation of the Gyumri technopark,
the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Armenia Office
and other donor organizations will offer their assistance.

CURRENT SITTINGS OF RA-NKR PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMISSION TO BE HELD IN STEPANAKERT
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
April 26 2006
April 26-27 current joint sittings of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic (NKR) and RA Parliamentary Cooperation Commission will
be held in Stepanakert. According to the information DE FACTO
Information-Analytics Agency got at the NKR National Assembly’s Press
Service, RA delegation is headed by the Parliament vice Speaker, RA –
NKR Cooperation Commission Chair Tigran Torosyan.
The issues referring to raising efficiency of the Parliamentary
activity from the viewpoint of improving the permanent commissions’
structures are to be considered. The sittings’ participants will
review the present stage of the Karabakh problem’s discussions at
the European structures and interparliamentary relations and in
this connection – possible incentive of the Nagorno Karabakh – RA
parliamentary cooperation.
The issues of cooperation of both Republics’ Parliaments within the
frames of the process of elaboration of the NKR Constitution will be
discussed as well.

PREMIER URGES SYRIANS TO PARTICIPATE IN CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT PALESTINIANS
SANA news agency website
26 Apr 06
Damascus, 26 April: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Itri called on
Wednesday [26 April] the Syrian citizens to effectively take part at
the campaign to boost the Palestinian people scheduled to be launched
next Sunday all over the country.
Heading the weekly meeting of the cabinet, Al-Itri said, “we call to
the wide-scaled and effective participation in the campaign activities
to achieve its goals and ends. This is to underline Syria’s commitment
to her national and pan-Arab stances and to embody her sons’ stances
as well as their standing by their Palestinian brethrens in facing up
[to] difficulties, pressures and challenges they are exposed to at
this time”.
On the outcome of the recent visit made to Tunisia to attend the
Syrian-Tunisian Joint Higher Committee meetings, Al-Itri emphasized
the need to follow up mechanism of activating the signed agreements
and memos by specified ministries.
The cabinet approved a law to avert double taxation between Syria
and Armenia as it approved another law to finance boosting the State
Planning Commission by the Islamic Bank for Development.

WITHOUT SAYING ‘GENOCIDE’, BUSH ADVISES COOP.
By Cihan News Agency, Washington
Zaman, Turkey
April 26 2006
Once again US President George W. Bush did not use the word “genocide”
in his message about the of events 1915 on the 91st anniversary of
the so-called Armenian genocide.
In his written statement from the White House, Bush asserted that
around 1, 5 million Armenians were exiled by force, resulting in the
killing of many during the last years of the Ottoman Empire, adding
that “It was a tragedy and should always be remembered.”
“We praise those in Turkey and Armenia who examine the historical
happenings of that time with honesty and sensitivity. We urge all
types of dialogue, including forming joint committees that strive
for a shared understanding of these tragic events and move Armenia
and Turkey towards normalized relations,” said Bush.
While Armenian Americans held a demonstration in front of the Turkish
Embassy in Washington D.C., Turks and Azerbaijanis staged a counter
demonstration in return.