CHINA, ARMENIA TO BOOST EXCHANGES BETWEEN ARMED FORCES
People’s Daily Online, China
April 6 2006
Senior generals of Chinese and Armenian armed forces agreed on Thursday
to promote military exchanges.
“The Chinese armed forces value friendly ties with their Armenian
counterparts and there exists potential for cooperation in various
fields,” Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Caihou
said at a meeting with visiting Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Y.
Xachatulov.
Xu said China-Armenia relations have progressed smoothly since the
two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992.
“We would like to make concerted efforts with the Armenian side to
continuously promote the existing friendly relations and cooperation
between the armed forces on the basis of equality, mutual trust,
benefit and respect,” Xu said.
Y. Xachatulov, who arrived on Monday for a goodwill visit, said the
Armenian side holds a positive attitude on developing ties with Chinese
military and would like to boost the cooperation in various fields.

ARMENIA FM TO DISCUSS ENERGY SECURITY AND KARABAKH IN MOSCOW
ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 6 2006
MOSCOW, April 6 (Itar-Tass) – Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan
intends to discuss energy security and a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement
during his Moscow visit. He expressed this idea in an interview with
the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper, published on Thursday. The foreign
minister arrived in Moscow on Wednesday evening on a three-day visit
in the framework of Year of Armenia in Russia.
“During my Moscow visit, I plan a meeting with my Russian counterpart
Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of the Russian Security Council Igor
Ivanov. We shall discuss at the meeting questions on implementation
by the sides of earlier agreements, including issues on cooperation
within several regional and international organizations as well as
those pertaining to security and stability in the South Caucasus
region,” Oskanyan noted.
He emphasized that “special attention will be given to consultations
on a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement”. “Questions of energy security
will be discussed both in the bilateral and regional context,” the
minister added. “We shall also examine resumption of the operation
of the Abkhazian section of the Russian-Georgian Railway, which will
help all countries equally to use the transit potential of the region.”
Speaking of European integration, he noted that “our steps in this
direction are similar with the model of cooperation, implemented
by Russia with European institutes: full-fledged membership in the
Council of Europe, mutually advantageous cooperation with the European
Union and North Atlantic structures”.
As the Armenian minister put it, “we shall be able to pursue such a
policy, under which Armenia’s trade with countries of the European
Union will rise against the background of preserving for Russia the
status of our main partner”. According to the minister, Yerevan regards
deeper cooperation with European institutes “also as an important
impetus to continue democratic reforms and changes in Armenia”.

ARMENIA CHOSE STRATEGIC PARTNER IN RUSSIA’S GAZPROM
05.04.2006, 23.50
ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 6 2006
YEREVAN, April 5 (Itar-Tass) — Armenia’s President Robert Kocharyan
holds that Armenia has made the right choice selecting Russia’s Gazprom
as its strategic partner. He made this statement on Wednesday during
the visit to the joint Russian-Armenian company ArmRosgazprom that is
the exclusive supplier of Russian natural gas to Armenia. The Armenian
government and Rosgazprom each own 45 percent of ArmRosgazprom shares,
while Itera energy group owns ten percent of the shares.
The Armenian government is interested in ArmRosgazprom being
profitable and having an effective management, Kocharyan, specifically,
said. He believes life in Armenia will improve remarkably with the
implementation of the adopted programmes.
ArmRosgazprom intends to complete the restoration of gas service in
the republic by the beginning of next year, said Karen Karapetyan,
the company’s board chairman and director-general. He said 360,600
customers presently use gas in the republic, and this index will grow
by 80,000-100,000 by the end of the year.
Armenia imported 1.68 billion cubic metres of gas last year, an
increase by one quarter on 2004, Karapetyan said. Work to perfect the
Abovyan underground gas storage is underway, and the gas pipeline
to Armenia from Iran is being built alongside the installation of
gas service and the increase of gas consumption in the republic,
Karapetyan noted.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER VARTAN OSKANYAN ARRIVES IN RUSSIA ON VISIT
05.04.2006, 22.20
ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 6 2006
MOSCOW, April 5 (Itar-Tass) — Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanyan arrived in Moscow on a three-day visit on Wednesday.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said, “Relations
with Armenia have lately acquired the nature of strategic and allied
partnership and are characterised by positive dynamics.”
At the talks in Moscow the sides will discuss “the implementation
of top-level agreements on the enhancement of Russian-Armenian
cooperation, including in the transport, and fuel and energy sectors,
as well as direct economic ties between Russian regions and Armenia,”
Kamynin said.
The Year of Armenia in Russia will be one of the priority topics at
the talks, he added.
Special attention will be given to “the coordination of efforts to
step up political interaction against terrorism.”
“The sides will exchange views on the coordination of efforts in
international organisations and on important regional problems, as
well as interaction in the CIS, including the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation,” the diplomat said.
“The Nagorno-Karabakh settlement will dominate the agenda. … Russia
calls for continued Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue at different levels,
primarily between the presidents of the two countries. We believe
that the parties to the conflict should work out a mutually acceptable
solution themselves,” the spokesman said.
Russia “is ready to provide the most active assistance in this case
both on a bilateral level and as a co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group,
and become a guarantor of the reached agreements.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA, GAZPROM CO FIND ACCEPTABLE PRICE FOR RUSSIAN GAS
06.04.2006, 06.23
ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 6 2006
YEREVAN, April 6 (Itar-Tass) – Armenia and the Russian Gazprom
Company found an acceptable version of settling the problem of
raising a price for Russian gas, said on Wednesday the country’s
President Robert Kocharyan who visited the ArmRosgazprom Company,
the exclusive supplier of gas to the republic.
According to the president, the Armenian government will approve the
final version for settling this question within two or three days.
True, the president did not divulge particulars of the understanding.
The government will look for means (within the next three years)
to set off the gas price both for population and for the business
community, the president reported. The same time is provided for
completing construction of a power unit in Razdan.
“As a result, we shall have a heat and power station with a very high
economic coefficient. Gas consumption for production of one kW/hr
will be much lower than at the operating stations. As a result, the
tariff policy will be more flexible,” Kocharyan noted. He added that
the rise of domestic prices for gas would not top 10-15 percent.
Starting from this month, Gazprom sells gas to Armenia at 110 US
dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.

AZERBAIJAN ARMY OFFICER WILL BE SENTENCED ON 13 APRIL IN BUDAPEST
Today, Azerbaijan
April 6 2006
Trial of Azerbaijani Army officer Ramil Safarov, who is indicted for
murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, in Budapest brought
together Azerbaijani students, Turks living in Hungary as well as
many media representatives.
Head of the Azerbaijan-Belgium House Bulent Gurjami, who attended
the trial in Budapest, told APA that after reviewing the reports, the
judge presiding the court process at the beginning asked to consider
opinions of experts newly included into the materials of the criminal
case. The defendant’s petition was refused.
Public prosecutor said in his one-hour speech that all evidences were
against Ramil Safarov. The prosecutor concluded that Ramil Safarov
preplanned this crime and it was not accidental that it was committed
on the eve of the anniversary of the Armenia-Azerbaijan war. Taking
into account that this was the first crime committed by Safarov,
the prosecutor asked to sentence him for 30 years in jail.
The lawyer of Ramil Safarov addressing the court said that the
Azerbaijani officer did not commit the murder consciously and his
unconsciousness was proved by experts. The trial was appointed to
April 13. Ramil Safarov will address the process with final statement
and will be sentenced.
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SPEAKING OUT
Written by Raffi Sarkissian, Contributor
Wednesday, 05 April 2006
Excalibur Online, Canada
York University, Ontario
April 6 2006
The recent destruction of the ancient Armenian cemetery of Djulfa,
Nakhitchevan (Azerbaijan) by the Azerbaijani military, is now
complete, with 10,000 of the traditional hand-carved Armenian cross
stones destroyed and the remains removed. Pictures taken on Mar. 10
depict a newly constructed military shooting-range to serve the
needs of the Azerbaijani military; maybe a reward for their barbaric
destruction of culture which seems to be rewarded and praised in
Azerbaijan. Once again, the international community has failed to
intervene. International bodies such as United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) failed to become the
remedy for the very problems they were established for.
It is disturbing to see state-executed intentional violence and
vandalism caught on video and photographs go by unpunished as the
enforcers of international law turn a blind eye to the events. Is
this the world we have chosen to live in? Walls of oppression are
erected in Israel against the Palestinians as if they were animals in
a zoo . . . is this humane? Is the world we choose to live in one that
has no conscience, or eyes, or ears to know and feel the pain of the
millions of innocent peoples sentenced to death in Sudan? Are we blind
to see video clips and pictures of the total destruction of a cemetery
so dear to all of human kind? Have we become weak and powerless? Are
we willing to succumb to the violation of human rights by countries
such as Turkey who continue to imprison and sentence journalists,
authors and their citizens for speaking their mind on issues they
feel passionate about?
Is this the world we have chosen? Sadly, it is the one we live in,
where silence has become our favourite song and destruction has become
our favourite dance. If this is not the world you want, then it is
up to you to educate yourself, understand what is happening in your
backyard, and take action to promote change. Or else, it is only a
matter of time when the pain the Armenians, Palestinians, Sudanese
and many others are facing will hit home. Justice is always in need
for voices. Why not yours?
m_content&task=view&id=1722&Itemid=2

AMERICAN AND TURKISH JOURNALISM — A COMPARISON
NPR.org
April 6 2006
NPR.org, April 5, 2006 · Hundreds of foreign journalists visit the
United States each year at the invitation of the State Department.
They visit a variety of newsrooms, meet their American counterparts
and see for themselves how our journalism works in Washington, D.C.,
and in other parts of the country.
Last week, five American journalists and academics (including me),
were invited to return the favor by going to Turkey to meet with
journalists in Istanbul and Ankara. The Turkish journalists we met
came from all sides of the political and media spectrum – everything
from a pro-government Islamist daily called Yeni Safak to a very
familiar-looking all-news television channel known as CNN Turk.
Twenty-Eight National Newspapers!
The Turkish media scene is lively and crowded. There are 28 national
daily newspapers in Turkey, and more than a dozen national television
stations. There are also hundreds of local newspapers and radio
stations. Almost all are owned by a few conglomerates. There is also
a national public broadcaster in both radio and television known as
TRT, which is completely funded by the Turkish government.
The conversations with these often-scrappy journalists were
tremendously frank and wide-ranging. Discussions usually touched
on the complicated new relationship that Turkish journalists now
must have with the Turkish government — a government described as
“moderate Islamic.” Relations between journalists and the government
are often fraught with political tensions about government policies.
Article 301
That’s partly because of a recent amendment to the Turkish penal
code that was passed in December. It’s called Article 301, and it
now makes it a crime punishable by prison to offend “Turkishness,”
a euphemism for the icons of the Turkish state as well as the policies
of the government.
For example, any public discussion of the fate of Turkey’s Armenian
community during World War I could be considered an offense against
“Turkishness.” Many in Turkey consider the deaths of up to 1.5
million Armenians to be the first Holocaust in modern times. Some
Turkish journalists are raising the issue, saying that Turkey needs
to openly confront this issue in its history, but writing about this
in Turkish newspapers is not without some risk. Many Turks, especially
in government, consider that number to be highly exaggerated. They say
that whatever deaths occurred were the result of wartime inadvertence,
not a systematic policy of genocide.
Article 301 can also affect any vigorous satire (and there is a lot of
it around) about the government. No one is sure where the boundaries
are. As a result, state prosecutors have applied the new law in
different ways, much to the confusion of the media, which is still
assessing what constitutes “offending Turkishness.” Some important
Turkish writers have been charged under Article 301 including Orhan
Pamuk, whose works are widely known and respected abroad.
Free Speech and Free Press
Many of the journalists we met expressed hope that their American
counterparts would be more aware of the threats to free speech and
a free press in Turkey.
At the same time, the Turkish journalists were well aware of the
issues surrounding freedom of the press in the United States. We were
frequently asked whether the possible trial of Lewis Libby, Vice
President Dick Cheney’s advisor is – like Article 301 in Turkey –
an attempt to intimidate the American media into revealing its sources.
We were also asked how Americans view an event of enormous
significance to Turks but little known in the United States. In July
2003, Turkish Special Forces in Iraq were mistakenly identified as
insurgents. American and Iraqi forces placed hoods over the heads
of the captured Turks. That act caused (and still evokes) enormous
national upset. While no one was killed, many Turks felt humiliated
that their American ally could do this. The offense to Turkish national
pride still smarts. Worse yet from the Turkish point of view, this
story got little notice in the U.S. media at the time, and it is
likely that few people in the United States can recall it today.
The War in Iraq
Overriding all discussions about press freedoms and U.S.-Turkish
relations is, of course, the war in Iraq.
Most serious news organizations in Turkey have full-time reporters
based in Baghdad and especially in Kurdish Iraq, which borders on
an area of Turkey with a large Kurdish community. Within Turkey,
there are many cultural and political tensions between Turks and Kurds.
Many Turkish journalists expressed their concern that the U.S.-led war
will undoubtedly encourage Kurdish separatism in Iraq and possibly
in Turkey, as well. Even reporting about Kurdish aspirations for
independence could run the risk of incurring an Article 301 offense.
The Turkish press has a tradition of mixing fact-based news, opinion
and speculation. Some of that speculation can sound highly provocative
to American ears. It sounded that way to me when a senior journalist
from the Islamist newspaper Yeni Safak mentioned that 9/11 was so bold
and so complicated an event, it could only have been accomplished by
Americans! The American visitors in the room were shocked into silence
by that assertion. Later a U.S. diplomat said that similarly bizarre
conspiracy theories get into the newspapers in Turkey constantly,
in spite of all best efforts to debunk those stories.
But it is the war in Iraq that darkens all conversations. We were
asked repeatedly when the invasion of Iran would take place. Would
Turkey be next? Has the influence of the neo-cons finally abated
or will they re-emerge in a new guise? Is the rise in oil prices a
deliberate or an unintentional result of the war?
There were some tough and deeply felt questions (for which we
visitors had no answers), but the questions were always asked in a
spirit of warmth and admiration for American journalistic values,
even if rarely for the policies of the Bush administration.
An irony, noted by American and Turkish journalists alike, is that in
a country of strong secular influences (historically enforced by the
Turkish Army), the number of Turkish women who now wear the headscarf
as a sign of their religious commitment to Islam has dramatically
increased, as has the Turkish media’s reporting on the tensions between
Islam and politics in Turkey. We were told that the headscarf is,
in part, a reaction to the war in Iraq and to the dramatic upsurge
in public religious feelings.
More Turkish News Ombudsmen
At the same time, there is a growing interest in the role of news
ombudsmen in the Turkish media as a necessary element in maintaining
a free and independent news media.
Along with longtime ombudsmen at national and secular newspapers
such as Vatan, Hurriyet and Milliyet, two Islamist newspapers —
Zaman and Yeni Safak — have announced that they, too, will have
readers’ representatives. Other newspapers are rumored to be close
to selecting ombudsmen as well.
Appointing an ombudsman is a good move, in my opinion, because it
recognizes the need for a public voice inside the newspaper. But not
all Turkish newspapers seem completely willing, at this point, to give
their ombudsmen the independence necessary to operate with sufficient
credibility. Some still maintain other managerial or editorial duties
inside the paper and they acknowledge that needs to change.
That lack of a clear job definition is something that the Organization
of News Ombudsmen will need to address at its annual gathering next
month. In short, can one be considered an ombudsman if he or she
retains a foot in the editorial or management ranks?
I have enormous respect for our colleagues in the Turkish media. They
have a complicated and sometimes dangerous balancing act they must
perform daily, often under difficult legal, religious and cultural
circumstances. In the end, I am hopeful that they can do this but,
like all journalistic endeavors, the support and awareness of their
colleagues at home and abroad is essential to their success.
At one encounter with journalists in Ankara, we discussed the
challenges that both American and Turkish journalists share in our
common search of a media that understands its primary obligation is
to serve the public. I quoted Thomas Jefferson: “A people cannot be
both ignorant and free.” A Turkish colleague responded with a quote
from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of the modern Turkish republic:
“The problem of a free press,” said Ataturk, “can only be resolved
by having more free press.”
Perhaps the similarities between Turkish and American journalism
outweigh the differences after all.
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12 HOLY LAND CHRISTIAN, CATHOLIC LEADERS CALL ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN GOVERNMENTS TO PEACE
4/5/2006
Catholic Online, CA
April 5 2006
JERUSALEM (Catholic Online) – Twelve church leaders representing
Christian faith communities here have called on Israeli government
officials to resume to peace negotiations and on Palestinian leaders
to send a clear message of peace to Israeli citizens.
The leaders issued the March 29, 2006, statement after the Israeli
voters went to the polls to elect a new Knesset. “This election
does not end the concerns over a possible continuation of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict for long time to come,” they said.
“The vast majority of the Israelis and Palestinians are tired of the
conflict and eager to live in security, peace and justice.”
Among the 12 who issued the statement were Latin-rite Patriarch Michel
Sabbah and Franciscan Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who as “custos”
of the Holy Land is in charge of Christian sites there, as well as
Paul Nabil Sayyah of the Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate, Pierre Malki,
exarch for the Jerusalem Syrian Catholics, and Archimandrite Mtanious
Haddad of Greek Catholic patriarchal exarchate.
Other religious leaders represented Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox,
Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran churches in Jerusalem.
Calling Israeli government officials “the dominant decision-makers
for the time being in the Holy Land,” the religious leaders said they
were concerned about “Israeli intentions to proceed in implementing
unilateral measures in the West Bank, while seemingly ignoring the
Palestinians and their democratically-elected leadership” from Hamas.
“We urge the elected Israeli leadership to demonstrate courage and
wisdom by resuming the peace process with the Palestinians,” the
leaders said.
“Unilateral measures will probably bring some temporary solutions, but
such measures will not end the mutual mistrust and misunderstanding
between the two peoples living in this beloved and blessed land,”
they said.
Referring to Hamas’ refusal to drop its stated goal of working toward
the destruction of the state of Israel, the religious leaders urged
“the Palestinian leaders to send a clear message of peace to the
Israeli citizens.”
“Our prayers are with all peoples and leaders, especially those who
will work for peace and justice in the Holy Land based on international
law and resolutions and not on unilateral dictations or violence,”
they said. “As Christian leaders, we are determined to do all we can
to promote peace, mutual understanding and justice amongst all.”
They said that they hoped that there will be “a similar determination”
from Jewish and Muslim leaders here.

POWERLESS PROCLAMATIONS GET ATTENTION, TOO
By David Abrams, Staff Writer
Annapolis Capital, MD
April 5 2006
Macedonia might be independent, but it’s still Greek. The Lewis and
Clark Trail should be expanded. And Maryland should have a Coretta
Scott King Day.
Such are the proclamations sought by lawmakers in Annapolis. With
just five days remaining in this year’s legislative session, the
General Assembly is considering 26 joint resolutions that weigh in
on all kinds of national and international topics spanning thousands
of miles and several decades.
Del. David Boschert, R-Crownsville, who withdrew a proposed resolution
calling for docking the USS Forrestal CVA-59 World Super Aircraft
Carrier in Dundalk as a museum, said the measures are a show of
support – like writing a letter.
“It kind of says, ‘What we think you’re trying to do is right, and
we’re behind you,'” Mr. Boschert said. He withdrew his measure while
boosters of the carrier project look for a suitable site to keep the
1,000-foot-plus vessel.
Fully loaded, the carrier weighs about 80,000 tons, has a nearly
4-acre flight deck and has three 45-ton rudders. City Dock in Annapolis
would probably be a tight squeeze.
All of these resolutions are a way for lawmakers to show they are in
touch with things their constituents hold dear, said Dan
Nataf, director of Anne Arundel Community College’s Center for the
Study of Local Issues.
“They are kind of amusing,” he said when read some of the
resolutions. “Some things seem to be just pandering to a constituency,
but they seem innocuous.”
House Speaker Michael E. Busch, D-Annapolis, said some resolutions
are appropriate, but others are a bit questionable. For instance, he
supports a resolution pending this year calling for federal funding
of Chesapeake Bay cleanup, but remembers one in 2001 commemorating
Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide that got a little bit
out of control.
“It was almost hand-to-hand combat at a hearing over a matter we had
no bearing on,” he said.
“It was conducting foreign policy from the State House,” remembered
House Minority Whip Anthony J. O’Donnell, R-Calvert.
Of course, the General Assembly hasn’t cornered the market on issuing
such edicts. City and county councils have been known to weigh in on
matters of national security and war and peace.
But the legislature does have to deal with very serious issues like
Medicaid, taxes, electricity rates and abortion as well.
“The only question is, would they be doing themselves a favor by
concentrating on other things?” Mr. Nataf said.
Senate Republicans withdrew a resolution calling on Congress to
quickly confirm Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., because
he was confirmed before the resolution made it out of committee.
Lawmakers said the resolutions don’t take up much time.
Del. Ted Sophocleus, D-Linthicum, sponsored the resolution saying that
Macedonians are still Greek. The “Republic of Macedonia” declared
independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, and Greece protested its name
because a word intrinsically Greek shouldn’t be used for a foreign
country.
Unfortunately, the international dispute will have to remain
unresolved in Annapolis. The bill died in the House Rules Committee,
and Mr. Sophocleus, who is of Greek extraction, said he’ll be back
next year with the resolution.
The bill making April 27 Coretta Scott King Day passed the Senate
unanimously, and is in the House. It has to pass by Tuesday to go to
the governor’s desk. It honors the widow of the famous civil rights
leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“In her own right, she’s done a lot,” said Sen. John C. Astle,
D-Annapolis.
The resolution supporting expansion of the Lewis and Clark Trail all
the way to the East Coast has also passed the Senate.
The 3,700-mile trail extends from the West Coast through 11 states,
including Oregon, all the way to Hartford, Ill. There are only four
more states to go for the trail to reach the Atlantic.
There is a faint connection between Maryland and the trail. In 1803,
Lewis started out from Washington, D.C. Clark later joined him
in Indiana.
Mr. Nataf was a little baffled by that resolution.
“I don’t even know where to find it,” he said. “Maybe it’s out in
Oregon somewhere.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress