NKR PRESIDENT MEETS WITH OSCE MG US CO-CHAIR
Stepanakert, July 31. ArmInfo. During a press-conference Saturday
Nagorno-Karabakh President Arkady Ghoukassyan said that the key
topic of his meeting with OSCE MG US co-chair Matthew Bryza was the
involvement of NK in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks.
Ghoukassyan said that all the mediators realize the necessity of
involving NK in the negotiating process. He said that he had informed
Bryza of NK’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh problem and Bryza did
not object. “Our position is logical. Of course, it somewhat differs
from what the co-chairs have proposed but Bryza has made no serious
objections to it,” Ghoukassyan said.
He said that without visiting NK the newly appointed US co-chair
would hardly get the full picture of the problem. He said that he did
not expect much from Bryza’s visit as he came more to listen than to
propose. Ghoukassyan said that the long pause in the co-chairs’ visits
to the region was mostly of technical nature. He said that he was
always invited to Yerevan whenever the co-chairs came but he believes
that it is more correct to hold such meetings in Stepanakert. “I
think there is already a clear understanding that the problem cannot
be solved without Karabakh,” Ghoukassyan said.
Concerning the proposals Ghoulassyan said that one should not consider
problems outside the general context: one should not consider the
problem of Azeri refugees without considering the problem of Armenian
ones, the problem of territories without the problem of NK’s status
and security.
Asked if the mediators are pressuring the sides, Ghoukassyan said
that he has been in the peace process since 1992 and has never seen
any pressure on the mediators’ part.

RUSSIA TO ADOPT NEW TACTICS IN THE NEXT PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION
Lragir.am
31 July 06
It is highly probable that Russia will adopt a quite new approach
towards the Armenian parliamentary election 2007 than the previous
elections. Our source standing close to the Kremlin states that the
Russian government is likely to accept every result of the Armenian
parliamentary election, not distinguishing between pro-Western and
pro-Russian forces.
Besides our source, some actions of the Russian government, which are
not reported widely in Armenia, also testify to this. In particular,
recently a number of officials known to have close relations with the
present regime in Armenia and to lobby certain representatives of the
Armenian elite among the Russian government have been dismissed.
Besides, our source informs that the top representatives of the
Russian government are dissatisfied with the the deal of property for
debt. In particular, some representatives of the Kremlin do not hide
that the deal was accompanied with machinations, and the assessment
of certain factories contains elements of financial misuse. In
particular, certain representatives of the Kremlin believe that MARS
Factory was assessed at 50 million dollars in the framework of
Property for Debt, whereas in reality it is hardly worth 2 million
dollars.

Armenian media situation improved, but more diversity needed
ArmRadio.am
31.07.2006 10:41
VIENNA, 2006 – Armenia has made significant progress in improving media
legislation, but media pluralism remains limited to the independent,
but financially weak, print media, OSCE Representative on Freedom of
the Media Miklos Haraszti said in a report released today.
Haraszti prepared the report following an assessment visit to
Yerevan between 19 and 21 July. “In order for Armenia to continue
the process of media democratization, the broadcasting sector needs
to reflect diversity of opinion, and the composition of all boards
should represent the political and social diversity of the country,”
Haraszti said. “Although Armenia has a good set of laws and has
adopted a progressive Freedom of Information Law, their proper
implementation should be ensured.”

Elif Shafak may be jailed for literary ‘taboo’
ArmRadio.am
31.07.2006 13:11
University of Arizona Professor Elif Shafak was indicted and
interrogated by Turkish officials because a character in her novel
refers to the Armenian genocide, United Press International reports.
The 35-year-old Turkish native had one of her characters in her novel
“The Bastard of Istanbul” refer to the 1915 Turkish genocidal war in
which 1.5 million Armenians were killed, and in doing so violated a
“taboo,” and possibly the laws of Turkey, the Arizona Republic said.
While the International Association of Genocide Scholars has ruled
the 1915 action by Turkey to be genocide, the concept is still not
accepted as fact in Turkey.
Turkish officials indicted Shafak based on a law which says if an
individual insults “Turkishness,” he or she could be punished by up
to three years in prison, the newspaper said. While numerous other
authors have been jailed for violating the law, Shafak’s indictment
and pending trial mark the first time someone has had to defend a
work of fiction, the newspaper said. Shafak has not been jailed,
and a trial date has not been set.

As Mideast fighting rages, Iran’s Jews steer clear
AP Worldstream; Jul 31, 2006
BRIAN MURPHY
Nothing in the office of Iran’s sole Jewish lawmaker calls attention
to his faith _ no Star of David, no menorah or other symbol of
Judaism. But like nearly every public building in Iran, it has a
portrait of the Islamic Revolution’s patriarch, Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini.
Moris Motamed’s political headquarters highlight the well-practiced
survival skills of Iran’s remaining 25,000 Jews _ caught again in
a political no man’s land by the fighting between Israel and the
Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Any public expression of sympathy for Israel would invite a sharp
crackdown from authorities and hard-line Islamic groups.
“We are Iranians. We work for what’s best for Iran. The fighting,
fortunately, does not affect the Jewish community in Iran,” said
Motamed, who holds the single parliament seat reserved for Jews. Other
seats are set aside for the Christian Armenian and Assyrian minorities
and followers of Iran’s pre-Islamic Zoroastrian faith.
But Iran’s Jews have undeniable bonds with Israel _ most notably
Israel’s Iranian-born president, Moshe Katsav. Thousands of Iranian
Jewish families have relatives in Israel. The historical links between
Persia and the Holy Land go
back to antiquity and are celebrated each year with the festival
of Purim.
In January, the leader of Iran’s Jewish community, Haroun Yashayaei,
issued a rare challenge to Islamic authorities after President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad called the Holocaust a “myth.” He said Ahmadinejad was
questioning “one of the most obvious and saddening incidents in
human history.”
Israel, however, presents a red line no one will cross. Iran’s Jews
have remain publicly silent as Iranian leaders have called for Israel’s
destruction, including Ahmadinejad’s call last year for Israel to be
“wiped off the map.”
Last week, Jews in the southern city of Shiraz held a pro-Hezbollah
rally that was covered by state-run television _ a sign that the march
was likely overseen by the Islamic regime to reinforce the idea of
national solidarity.
The Web site of the Tehran Jewish Community includes statements
opposing Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip and praising
uranium enrichment by Iranian scientists. The U.S. and many of its
allies, including Israel, believe Iran is using its nuclear reactor
project as a cover for a weapons program.
“For Iranians, there is a distinction in their mind between Zionism and
Judaism,” said Motamed. “This is a very important distinction for us.”
Iranian Jews face no restrictions on their religious practices,
but they must follow Islamic codes such as head scarves for women in
public. The same rules apply to the larger Christian and Zoroastrian
communities.
But the Jewish population in Iran continues to shrink from emigration
to Israel, the United States and elsewhere. Before the 1979 Islamic
Revolution, nearly 100,000 Jews lived in Iran, Motamed said.
Anti-Semitic acts are rare, but Jews often are the target of degrading
caricatures in the Iranian press. Tensions rose considerably in 2000
when 10 Iranian Jews were convicted of spying for Israel and sentenced
to from four to 13 years imprisonment. An appeals court later reduced
their sentences under international pressure and eventually freed them.
Iran’s Persian ancestors, meanwhile, figure prominently in Jewish
lore and tradition.
Hebrew canons and the Old Testament recount the story of Persia’s
King Cyrus allowing Jews to return to Jerusalem from Babylon and
rebuild the temple nearly 2,600 years ago.
Iran also is the site of one of Judaism’s most important sites:
the shrine of Esther and Mordechai in the western city of Hamedan.
The Book of Esther tells the story of how she was raised by her
relative, the royal adviser Mordechai, and became a Persian queen. She
saved her fellow Jews from slaughter by persuading King Xerxes to
call off a plan to attack the community on a date that was to be
decided by lot, or “pur.” The change of heart is marked each year by
the festival of Purim.
___
EDITOR’S NOTE: The AP’s Ali Akbar Dareini in Tehran contributed to
this report.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Robert Mardian: Watergate lawyer whose conviction was overturned on appeal
The Guardian – United Kingdom
Jul 31, 2006
Robert Mardian taking the oath before testifying to the Senate
Watergate Committee in Washington in July 1973
Of the “Watergate Seven” advisers and aides to US president Richard
Nixon indicted in March 1974, only government lawyer Robert Mardian,
who has died of lung cancer aged 82, had his conviction overturned on
appeal. Mardian always insisted on his innocence, and a 1995 book –
Watergate Victory: Mardian’s Appeal, by Arnold Rochvarg, who worked on
the appeal team – proclaimed that appeal decision a triumph of justice.
Others disagreed. In 1972 Mardian was “coordinator” of the Committee
to Re-Elect The President, whose acronym was the tellingly apposite
Creep. When the Watergate burglars were caught at the Democratic Party
headquarters, the White House needed to prevent them being traced
back to Creep. They did well enough that Watergate was a non-issue
in Nixon’s 1972 re-election, but its pursuit by the press, and the
discovery of the White House tapes, led to Nixon’s resignation in
August 1974, the Watergate hearings and criminal charges.
Although Mardian claimed to have been unaware of the activities of the
so-called “plumbers” and not to have been involved in any cover-up,
he was convicted in January 1975 of obstruction of justice. Convicted
on more serious charges were Nixon campaign chief and former attorney
general John Mitchell, White House aides HR Haldeman, John Ehrlichman,
and Gordon Strachan, and White House counsel Charles Colson, who
pleaded guilty to organising a separate break-in, at the offices
of the psychiatrist for Daniel Ellsberg, leaker of the Pentagon
Papers. Mardian’s defence hinged on his being at a fundraising
event in California on the night of the burglary. But Jeb Magruder,
who had been promoted over Mardian’s head as Mitchell’s number two,
testified that Mitchell had ordered Mardian to telephone G Gordon
Liddy and put the cover-up in motion.
Liddy then claimed he had been briefed by the turncoat
Magruder. However, Mardian admitted meeting Liddy three days later
to organise hush money for the burglars. He also shredded papers
linking Creep with them, but claimed he did not understand that the
White House budget for “dirty tricks and black advance” was aimed at
political opponents.
Mardian’s appeal made finer legal points. First, that as “coordinator”
for Creep, and counsel for the civil suit filed by the burgled
Democrats, his actions were covered by lawyer-client privilege, and
second, the details of his participation in the cover-up revealed in
Nixon’s infamous White House tapes were inadmissable as hearsay. But
when, in 1976, the appeal court quashed his conviction, they ruled
on far narrower grounds, that his case should have been severed from
the other defendants when his lead counsel fell ill during his trial.
Mardian’s proclaimed innocence flew in the face of his zeal, as an
assistant attorney general for internal security, for wiretapping
and prosecuting anyone, including journalists, opposed to the
Vietnam War, or indeed to Nixon. He headed the government’s team
prosecuting Ellsberg in the Pentagon Papers case in 1971, and led
other prosecutions of dissenters while colluding with the FBI to keep
details of their own agent provocateur secret.
Like many of Nixon’s inner circle, Mardian’s zeal was cultivated in
California politics. His parents had fled the Turkish massacres of
Armenians and settled in Pasadena. His three older brothers ran a
construction business, and were drawn to rightwing politics. Mardian
graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara and
served in the navy in the second world war. There he met his wife
Dorothy. After his discharge in 1946, he took a law degree from the
University of South California and went into private practice.
Apart from a brief spell on the Pasadena school board, Mardian
stayed out of active politics until the 1964 presidential campaign of
conservative Arizona senator Barry Goldwater. His eldest brother, who
was mayor of Phoenix, was a major Goldwater backer, and Mardian became
the campaign’s regional director. He was chairman of the advisory
committee when Ronald Reagan ran for governor of California in 1966,
and in 1968 was western co-chair of Nixon’s successful presidential
campaign. Appointed general counsel to the department of health
education and welfare, Mardian came up with a plan which would
secretly relax federal guidelines on Supreme Court-ordered school
desegregation. Although it was not implemented, Mardian was appointed
head of the cabinet education committee. In 1970 he was named assistant
attorney general, though he had expected to become Mitchell’s deputy.
He left government after the 1972 election, returning to the family
construction firm in Arizona. Apart from his trial, Mardian’s only
public appearance was at John Mitchell’s funeral. He retired in 2002,
and died at his summer home in San Clemente, California, not far from
Nixon’s Western White House. He is survived by his wife and three sons.
Michael Carlson
Robert Charles Mardian, lawyer, born October 23 1923; died July 17 2006

OSCE MG Believes Status Should Be Decided By People of Karabakh
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2006 13:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair Matthew Bryza
described the meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharian as
“encouraging”. “I think there is political will here definitely to
keep the process going. There have been public statements that the
framework and principles proposed by the Minsk Group are agreeable for
Armenia,” Mr Bryza said in an interview with RFE/RL. The U.S. mediator
said there still remain unsettled problems referring to the Kelbajar
and Lachin regions as well as the status of Nagorno Karabakh. Bryza
confirmed that the mediators believe the status should be decided
by the “people of Karabakh” “But the question is how do you define
the people of Karabakh? And there were residents there in 1988 who
wish to participate,” he added in a clear reference to the region’s
displaced Azerbaijani minority. “All these things have still to be
worked out as part of a broad package,” he said. In his words, the
principles that are on the table don’t constitute an agreement. “They
are principles, suggestions. So it’s not possible for anyone to
walk away from an agreement, if there isn’t an agreement,” said the
U.S. administration official.

Historical Reconciliation of Peoples in Region Will Ensure Karabakh Settlement
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2006 13:59 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ July 29 NKR President Arkady Ghukasian received
the delegation of human rights activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Georgia and some European states. Welcoming the guests Arkady Ghukasian
noted the importance of presence of the Azeri delegation what, in
his words, is a positive example for constructive dialogue between
the two publics divided by the war.
Coordinator of the Azerbaijani National Committee of the Helsinki
Citizens’ Assembly Azru Abdullayeba remarked that the Baku-based
Public Council on the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict Settlement stands
for immediate participation of the Karabakh side in the talks and
for establishment of constructive relations.
She said the Armenian, Azeri and NKR non-governmental organizations
enjoy warm relations and mutual understanding. “We would like this
atmosphere to transfer into the official circles,” she said.
When answering the guests’ questions the NKR President remarked that
achievement of historical reconciliation between the peoples of the
region will ensure the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
and establishment of peace. “Without reconciliation it will be hard
to implement any agreement, liquidate the consequences of the war
and open the way towards regional development,” Ghukasian said.

Armenian Diaspora Youth Can Contribute to NKR Development
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2006 14:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NKR President Arkady Ghukasian met
with the delegation of the Summer Internship Program
launched by the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA). As
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter came to know from the AAA
office, the American students of Armenian origin have
arrived in Karabakh with a familiarization visit.
During the meeting Arkady Ghukasian expressed
satisfaction with the increasing interest of the
Diasporan youth towards Karabakh. The interlocutors
discussed possible ways of solving the conflict with
Azerbaijan, the role of the Armenian Diaspora in
solving the conflict and in the economic development
of NKR, the main directions of economic development of
NKR and de-mining operations.
The NKR leader proposed to enlarge the Student
Internship Program to NKR and remarked that the new
generation of the Armenian Diaspora can make a
considerable contribution to the cosio-economic
development of Nagorno Karabakh.

Ankara: Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku Railway Project to Be Implemented By Any Means
PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2006 14:26 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway is
an economic project and with time economic projects can overcome
political obstacles, Turkey’s 9th President Suleyman Demirel said. In
his words, the project will be implemented by any means. Touching
upon the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline construction he said it
will yield good benefit.
“Turkey becomes an economic terminal and a part of the transported
natural gas will satisfy Turkey’s needs.
In future European states will also have the possibility to use
the Caspian energy resources. Thus, the Silk Road project will be
implemented,” Demirel said.