NATIONAL HARMONY? NOT IN THIS CONTEST
by Daniel Williams, Washington Post Foreign Service
The Washington Post
April 4, 2006 Tuesday
Final Edition
For Serbia and Montenegro, the Song This Year Will Be the Sound
of Silence.
No Name, a boy band from Montenegro, the western end of the bifurcated
country of Serbia and Montenegro, was just getting ready for an encore.
Then the bottles came flying from the audience.
It was the riotous finale of the competition to choose Serbia and
Montenegro’s entry in the annual Eurovision Song Contest, a popular
music festival. The contest pits pop groups from all over Europe
against one another, with the winner decided by popular vote from as
many as 600 million TV spectators across the continent. This year’s
finals are in Athens.
The championships almost always include some sort of nationalist
intrigue — Greeks vote for anyone but Turks, Slavs vote mainly for
each other and no one votes for the British because they invaded
Iraq. But rarely has a country fought with itself over its own
candidate.
Enter Serbia and Montenegro, which is still wrestling with the
aftermath of a decade of ethnic wars that tore Yugoslavia, to which
both entities once belonged separately, into uneasy pieces. Two regions
still attached to Serbia are itching to exit: Kosovo, a province
that was, practically speaking, freed by NATO bombs in 1999, but is
demanding formal independence in talks with Serbia; and Montenegro,
a republic that is voting on independence next month.
What does all that have to do with a competition that has featured
songs with names like “Diggy-Loo Diggy-Ley,” “Boom Bang-a-Bang” and
the unforgettable “La, La, La”? How can a contest once won by Abba
and Celine Dion have geopolitical significance?
Well, No Name was made up of three Montenegrin guys with good teeth who
sang a ballad, “My Love.” Their rival, Flamingos, was, in politically
correct fashion, made up of a Serb and a Montenegrin (wearing Blues
Brothers fedoras). Flamingos sang the bouncy “Crazy Summer Song.”
The jury in the contest last month was made up of four Montenegrins
and four Serbs, even though the population of Montenegro is about
650,000, compared with 10 million in Serbia. The Montenegrin judges
voted exclusively for the ethnically pure No Name. The Serbs threw
a few votes No Name’s way.
The result: No Name won, as it had the year before under exactly the
same circumstances, with a unanimous vote from the Montenegrin judges
and a few from the Serbs.
To the audience at Belgrade’s Sava Center auditorium, it looked too
much like politically ordained voting. Spectators rose, screamed
“thieves” and booed lustily. They tossed bottles at the stage and
drove No Name away. Flamingos rushed in and played the encore. “This
is the land of wonders,” the master of ceremonies said dryly. Rules
are rules and technically, No Name should be on its way to Athens.
But RTS, the Serbian state television station that co-sponsored the
event (with Montenegrin TV) refused to endorse the result. RTS called
for a replay, with the judges replaced by phone-in votes from the
television audience. Montenegrin television refused to go along. So
no singers from Serbia and Montenegro will go to Athens.
“It is better not to have a common representative at all than to
accept, for the second time, the manipulations, pressure, blackmailing
and tribal voting, and to eagerly obey the will of musical clans and
political mentors,” said Aleksandar Tijanic, director of RTS.
A poisonous atmosphere had enveloped the song contest here before any
singers took the stage. Serbs complained that No Name’s song included a
prelude resembling a Montenegrin nationalist anthem. There were also
suspicions that, at contest finals in Athens, No Name would change
their lyrics to urge Montenegrins to vote for independence.
The finals take place a day before the May 21 referendum.
Under European Union rules for the referendum, 55 percent of voters
have to approve independence for Montenegro to bolt from Serbia,
and at least 50 percent of eligible voters must participate. The E.U.
wanted to make the measure comparatively hard to pass, out of a
feeling there are already too many Balkan ministates. About half the
population is Serb.
The United States has said it would accept the results.
Like the song contest, the referendum is already the subject of fraud
allegations. Serbian television broadcast a videotape purporting to
show pro-independence Montenegrin activists trying to bribe a man
named Masan Buskovic to vote for independence in return for payment
of his $1,900 electric bill. The activists say they were victims of
a sting and a doctored video.
In Belgrade, the Flamingos remain sour over the whole contest.
“Unfortunately, political games ruined our chances,” Ognjen Amidzic,
the Serb Flamingo, said.
Marinko Madzgalj, the Flamingos’ Montenegrin, said the whole spirit
of the contest was subverted. “It was ugly. Unexpected. I am somewhat
bitter because the contest, usually filled with fun, turned into
something totally different, something that has nothing to do with
music,” he said.
The Eurovision Song Contest, which debuted in 1956, was beset with
controversy from the start. Swiss judges, replacing a pair from
Luxembourg, tilted the vote toward — guess who? — the Swiss winner.
In 1969, Austria refused to participate because Spain, then under the
rule of Gen. Francisco Franco, was the host country. Four years ago,
the manager of Germany’s entry was discovered buying up copies of the
performer’s records to persuade all of Europe that she was a popular
phenom. In the same year, a Slovenian politician panned the country’s
own entry as a symptom of a “crisis of values.” The group called
Sisters was composed entirely of male transvestites. Israel’s 1998
winner, Dana International (aka Sharon Cohen, and before that, Yaron
Cohen), was a transsexual labeled an abomination by rabbis back home.
Last year, Ukraine’s song was deemed too political — it extolled
the anti-Russian Orange Revolution — and had to be changed. There’s
controversy over this year’s Armenian entry, Andre. He has listed
himself as a native of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenia wrested from
neighboring Azerbaijan in the 1990s. Thousands of Azeris fled what
is now an Armenian-controlled enclave deep inside Azerbaijan; the
Azerbaijan government says that either Andre identify himself as from
Azerbaijan or drop Nagorno-Karabakh from his biography.
In any event, Eurovision in the Balkans seems to have had one uplifting
outcome spanning the region’s ethnic divides. This year’s Bosnian
entry, sung by Hari Mata Hari, a Muslim man born Hajrudin Varesanovic
(“The Nightingale of Sarajevo”), was composed by Zeljko Joksimovic,
Serbia’s Eurovision contestant in 2004.

BAKOU ACCUSE DE NOUVEAU EREVAN DE VIOLATION DU CESSEZ-LE-FEU
Agence France Presse
3 avril 2006 lundi 9:11 AM GMT
L’Azerbaïdjan a accuse lundi l’Armenie d’avoir viole plusieurs
fois le cessez-le-feu dimanche et d’avoir cause la mort d’un soldat
azerbaïdjanais a la frontière entre ces pays du Caucase du Sud.
Dimanche matin, “les forces armeniennes deployees près du village
d’Achaguy Abdoulrahmanly, dans la region de Fisouli (sud), ont ouvert
le feu contre les positions azerbaïdjanaises, faisant deux blesses
(…) dont un est decede des suites de ses blessures”, a annonce le
ministère azerbaïdjanais de la Defense.
Dimanche soir, les forces armeniennes ont une nouvelle fois viole
le cessez-le feu dans la meme region, ainsi que près du village
de Djafarli, dans la region de Gazakh (nord-ouest), sans faire de
victimes, selon le ministère.
Erevan et Bakou se reprochent mutuellement des ruptures du
cessez-le-feu. L’Armenie avait accuse l’armee azerbaïdjanaise d’avoir
tue un soldat armenien le 3 mars. Et le 7 mars, l’Azerbaïdjan a
affirme que l’Armenie avait cause a son tour la mort d’un soldat
azerbaïdjanais.
L’Armenie et l’Azerbaïdjan se disputent la region du Nagorny Karabakh,
une enclave habitee en majorite par des Armeniens et qui a fait
secession de l’Azerbaïdjan après un conflit meurtrier debute a la
fin des annees 1980.
–Boundary_(ID_HZ1n+n+V3hiL2R9K0q+x0A)–

LYON: LE MEMORIAL DU GENOCIDE ARMENIEN, UN MONUMENT QUI FAIT DU BRUIT
Agence France Presse
2 avril 2006 dimanche 9:34 AM GMT
L’edification d’un memorial du genocide armenien a Lyon, qui avait
deja donne lieu a une manifestation hostile, pro-turque, le 18 mars,
a ete a l’origine d’une nouvelle polemique en fin de semaine avec la
suspension de sa construction sur decision du Tribunal administratif
(TA).
Après les vives protestations liees a des slogans negationnistes dans
le cortège pro-turc du 18 mars et les incidents dus au telescopage
avec la fin d’une manifestation anti-CPE, la controverse a rejailli
sur la politique locale, a deux ans des municipales.
“Les opposants au memorial sont alles chercher un petit point
technique, en rapport avec les statuts de l’Association +Memorial
lyonnais pour le genocide des Armeniens+. Mais celle-ci devrait
rapidement revoir la question et les travaux vont reprendre”, a assure
a l’AFP le maire PS de Lyon, Gerard Collomb, suite a la decision du
TA, mercredi, d’interrompre les travaux.
“Etonnes” voire “scandalises” par ces polemiques autour d’un monument
qui, a priori, faisait “l’objet d’un consensus”, M. Collomb et son
entourage s’interrogent sur une eventuelle motivation politique chez
certains opposants.
“Nous sommes soumis a une veritable guerilla juridique”, fait valoir
la mairie centrale de Lyon, en reference aux quatre recours introduits
par l’Association de defense et de protection des places Bellecour
et Antonin Poncet (ADPBAPL).
Cette association compte parmi ses principaux porte-parole
Marie-Chantal Desbazeille, conseillère municipale UMP et ancien maire
du VIIe arrondissement.
“La decision a ete prise sans concertation. La mairie de Lyon n’a
pas a construire un tel monument sur une place classee par l’Unesco”,
proclame l’elue UMP pour qui Gerard Collomb agit “pour s’assurer les
suffrages de la communaute armenienne”.
“Notre demarche n’a rien de politique”, clame neanmoins la presidente
de l’ADPBAPL, Chantal Lefort.
Selon elle, le monument va “denaturer la place Antonin Poncet”, dans
le IIe arrondissement de la ville. “Pourquoi cette place? Quant a
l’histoire lyonnaise, elle n’a rien a voir avec l’histoire armenienne”,
ajoute-t-elle.
La polemique rejaillit sur le maire de l’arrondissement lui-meme,
Denis Broliquier, un fidèle de l’ancien ministre de la Defense et ex
president de la region Rhône-Alpes, Charles Millon, dont l’attitude est
critiquee par les deux camps. “Il tient un double langage”, juge-t-on
a la mairie centrale. “Il a minimise les choses”, estime Mme Lefort.
“Qu’on ne vienne pas nous dire que les +Millonistes+ sont contre un
monument armenien. Le lieu a ete mal choisi”, s’insurge-t-on a la
mairie du IIe qui critique la methode employee par Gerard Collomb.
En cas de redemarrage des travaux, ce memorial –qui a aussi pour
but “d’honorer les victimes de tous les genocides du XXe siècle”,
selon M. Collomb– devra encore franchir au moins deux recours sur
le fonds avant l’inauguration. Celle-ci reste fixee au 24 avril,
date de la commemoration du genocide armenien de 1915, reconnu par
la France en 2001.
Les massacres et deportations d’Armeniens sous l’empire Ottoman,
de 1915 a 1917, ont fait 1,5 million de morts, selon les Armeniens,
entre 300.000 et 500.000, selon Ankara qui rejette categoriquement
la qualification de genocide.
–Boundary_(ID_Mn6NH+L73a4xBPhGlNB2OA)- –

KARABAKH ANALYST: SUBJECTIVITY AND DOUBLE STANDARDS HINDER SETTLEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS
17:28 04/04/2006
“While solving all kinds of conflicts so-called ‘double standards’
always appear. There is an opinion; these standards are negative
phenomenon, which hampers final conflict settlement, especially
international ones. But it would be a serious mistake categorically to
maintain rightfulness of such approach,” expressed such opinion adviser
to Nagorno Karabakh president David Babayan, interviewed by REGNUM.
According to him, double standards are, first of all, clearly defined
state interests; and in such context, presence of double standards,
i.e. clear objective interests by different actors and interested
sides in conflict settlement, especially international ones, may give
additional impetus for the conflicts’ settlement, because in case
of clash of different interests, inhered in both conflict parties
and external powers, possibility of finding compromise appears. “In
such case, the double standards become necessary element of conflict
settlement. But they really begin to hamper conflict settlement, and
sometimes worsen situation, if they are based on subjective approaches,
because of which they often totally reverse.
Discrimination, as most dangerous result of subjectivism in double
standards, is most striking example of that,” said David Babayan.
At the same time, he stressed, at present there are clear double
standards — both objective and subjective ones — in conflict
settlement, especially in post-Soviet space. “Among all foreign
actors the USA and Turkey have most clearly defined interests. Iran
has its permanent interests too. Changes of interests of Russia
are obvious. Parties, which immediately conflict, have rather clear
position in Nagorno Karabakh settlement. Europe as whole has more or
less unclear interests, and it may be explained by fact, that Europe
is still forming, and continuing to look for compromise foreign policy
doctrine. The latter becomes rather apparent during visits of some
European politicians to the region too”, said the analyst.
As an example David Babayan named former Spain Foreign Minister Anna
Palacio, who visited Stepanakert as member of group of analysts and
former politicians two years ago. “I had occasion to speak with her
rather long on Nagorno Karabakh settlement. Of course, the matter
concerned territories. Palacio did not know details of the question,
and I explained her, among other things, territorial questions have
many ingredients, in particular, political, military, ecological
aspects. She especially interested in ecological aspects, and in
the context, I presented her importance of Kelbajar area, where 85%
of water resources of former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Republic
originated, including rivers Arpa and Vorotan. They play key role to
rescue Lake of Sevan which contains 80% of Armenian water reserves.
Vitally importance of the territory, especially taking into
consideration facts of hydro-terror from Azerbaijan, as well as
its threat to repeat them in future, if the area is controlled by
Azerbaijan again, was stressed. On the following day Palacio told me,
she had been thinking about our conversation the whole night, and had
concluded, Kelbajar area might not be returned to Azerbaijan because
of guaranteeing water security of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. But
in her article in Washington Post, published on April 11 of this year,
Palacio stated, Armenia had to return Azerbaijan ‘occupied territories,
around disputable territory, Karabakh must receive full autonomy
before definition of its final status’ etc. It is nothing else, but
a subjective approach, and may be to a certain extent a mercantile
one, fully corresponding with winged words ‘O tempora, o mores!’,”
resumed David Babayan.

HUNGARIAN COURT TO ISSUE VERDICT APRIL 13 ON AZERBAIJANI CHARGED WITH KILLING ARMENIAN
Palma Benczenleitner
AP Worldstream
Apr 04, 2006
A verdict will be issued April 13 in the case of an Azerbaijani officer
accused of murdering an Armenian classmate at a NATO training course
in Hungary, a court said Tuesday.
Lt. Ramil Safarov of Azerbaijan has confessed to using an ax in
February 2004 to hack Lt. Gurgen Markarian of Armenia to death,
authorities said, in a dormitory that was being used by participants
of a NATO Partnership for Peace English language course in Budapest.
At the time, police said the murder was committed with “unusual
cruelty” and that Safarov had tried, unsuccessfully, to enter the
room of another Armenian with the intention of killing him.
Police said that Safarov confessed to the killing, claiming that the
long-standing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia was at the root
of his act.
The two neighboring, former Soviet republics remain at odds over
the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within
Azerbaijan.
At Tuesday’s hearing, prosecutors asked that Safarov be sentenced to
life in prison, with a 30-year minimum before any parole hearings.
The Budapest City Court rejected a defense request for a new expert
opinion to determine Safarov’s mental health. Four earlier examinations
already declared him mentally stable and accountable for his actions.
“(Safarov’s) actions were not guided by hatred, but by the trauma
which remains,” said his lawyer Gyorgy Magyar, referring to the feud
between the two countries.
The court said Safarov would make his final statement on April 13,
the day of his sentencing.
Armenian-backed forces drove Azerbaijan’s army out of the ethnic
Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s.
A 1994 cease-fire ended the six-year war that killed 30,000 people
and left about 1 million homeless and the enclave is now under the
control of ethnic Armenians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UEFA PLEDGES AID TO SOLVE SOCCER DISPUTE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN
AP Worldstream
Apr 04, 2006
The head of Europe’s soccer federation UEFA on Tuesday offered to
help settle a dispute between the national teams of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, which have been unable to agree on where to play each
other in qualifiers for the 2008 European Championship.
Armenia, at odds with its neighbor over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,
an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, said it was ready to
host the game in its capital Yerevan and also play in Baku. Azerbaijan,
however, has refused to host Armenian players and called for a neutral
venue for the games.
“We understand that there are problems with security,” UEFA chief
executive Lars Olsson said on an official visit to Yerevan, adding
that the soccer dispute should not be politicized. He said UEFA was
ready to set up a special commission to investigate the situation.
The soccer federations in ex-Soviet Moldova and Georgia have offered
to be hosts.
A cease-fire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was reached in
1994 after six years of fighting, and the enclave is now under the
control of ethnic Armenians.

AZERI OFFICIALS, RED CROSS HEAD DISCUSS TIES, POWS
Sources:
MPA news agency, Baku 4 Apr 06
Azartac news agency, Baku 4 Apr 06
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will continue to
cooperate with the Azerbaijani authorities, Azerbaijani news agency
MPA quoted ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger as saying at a meeting
with Defence Minister Safar Abiyev on 4 April.
National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov, who is also the chairman
of the state commission for POWs, missing people and hostages, met
Kellenberger on the same day, state-run news agency Azartac said.
Mahmudov said that out of 4,617 missing Azerbaijanis, 783 were taken
captive and hostage and are being held in Armenia and Azerbaijan’s
occupied region of Nagornyy Karabakh. Eight Azerbaijanis and 10
Armenians have been freed from captivity through the ICRC in the past
two years, the minister added.
In a separate report, MPA said that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
and Jakob Kellenberger discussed the situation of refugees and IDPs
in the country.

TURKISH, AZERI PRESIDENTS VIEW POLITICAL-ECONOMIC TIES, CYPRUS
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
4 Apr 06
Baku, 4 April: Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer met his Azerbaijani
counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Tuesday [4 April].
Holding a joint news conference with Aliyev, Sezer said: “We have
discussed our political and economic relations. We assessed the steps
which we can take together to solve Upper Karabakh dispute and other
problems in southern Caucasia in peaceful ways. We support solution
of Upper Karabakh issue within the scope of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and in line with international legal principles. We are
ready to do our best to settle peace in southern Caucasia.”
Sezer expressed his pleasure over Azerbaijan’s support to lift
isolations over Turkish Cypriots. Sezer invited Aliyev to the ceremony
which will be held for Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline in
Ceyhan. “We also stressed our determination about implementation
of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) natural gas pipeline as well as
Baku-Tbilisi-Ahilkelek-Kars railway connection which will make our
countries closer in strategic aspect,” said Sezer.
Aliyev, in his part, said that construction of BTC and BTE
pipelines continue successfully and these projects will bring the
two countries closer. Aliyev expressed appreciation about Turkey’s
support to Azerbaijan regarding Upper Karabakh issue. Noting that
economic relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan are developing
rapidly, Aliyev said that businessmen contribute to this process,
but commercial and economic relations between the two country do not
reflect the real potential.
Following the news conference, Sezer had a meeting with Azerbaijani
Parliament Speaker Oktay Asadov.

“THERE IS A BAY IN THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE WHERE MONEY LAUNDERED”
A1+
[06:48 pm] 03 April, 2006
Director of the Main Scientific Library, academician Henry Nersisyan
rendered a press conference today for the first time in his life
to speak about the problems between him and the authorities of the
National Academy of Sciences, as well as the committee created in
this connection.
Henry Nersisyan had made a 13-point list of accusations against
the head of the Academy Fadey Sargsyan. “The accusations are not
personal. They are against the policy of the head of the Academy
because of which the Academy has appeared in a terrible situation”,
Henry Nersisyan underlined.
A committee had been created to investigate the accusations put forward
by Henry Nersisyan. It included the RA NAS financial affairs advisor
Hripsime Hovhannisyan, NAS lawyer Yuri Ghazaryan and others.
The Committee finished the work a fortnight ago and unanimously
announced all the accusations by Henry Nersisyan groundless.
On April 5 a session will take place where the accusations will not
be discussed. Scientific secretary Edward Ghazaryan mentioned that it
will be devoted to the resign of Fadey Sargsyan. The Prime Minister
of the country will also attend the session, and according to Henry
Nersisyan, instead of evaluating the 12-year activity of Fadey Sargsyan
and discussing the accusations, only meaningless speeches and thanks
will sound.
He considered the work of the committee illogical, “We ought to have
passed through all this in order to understand what happened in 1937
when the authorities said – this must be so, and a full stop”, Henry
Nersisyan added.
Henry Nersisyan’s accusations referred to legislative and financial
violations, issues about sale of realty and the 10-year illegal
“donation” of the NAS library area to a private shop. “There is a
bay where money is laundered”, he mentioned.
Henry Nersisyan demanded documents for the refutation or confirmation
of all this. He was not only denied, but also blackmailed accusing of
a number of violations in the library. The NAS scientific secretary
Edward Ghazaryan claimed in a press article that Henry Nersisyan
renounced his accusations, which, nevertheless, did not correspond
to reality.
Representing different documents Henry Nersisyan tried to bring ground
for the accusations. For example, he referred to the general meetings
of the NAS which according to the law were to be held twice a year
but are held once a year instead. The elections of the NAS members
are to be held once in three years. Although the last elections took
place in 2000, no elections were held after that. The NAS President
accounted it by the fact that the same happened in 1950a.
Henry Nersisyan also referred to the super-high financing
of the medical genetics center headed by the daughter of Fadey
Sargsyan. According to him, this is thanks to the sums which enter the
NAS and are used illegally. He added that this cannot go on this way,
and he is not for a revolution but for radical changes.
By the way, after the press conference the journalists tried to ask the
NAS President Fadey Sargsyan questions, but he refused to answer them.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AT CZECH SENATE TO ADDRESS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Yerkir
04.04.2006 15:39
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – A one-day international conference titled ‘The
Armenian Genocide’ will be held on April 4 at the Czech Senate,
Noyan Tapan reported, citing the Radio Liberty.
The conference has been initiated by the Armenian Club of Prague and
Senate member Jaromit Shtetina.
Professor Vahakn Dadrian of the Zorian Institute will make a report
on the documents kept in the Turkish archives. Prominent German human
rights advocate Tessa Hoffman will present the issue of the Armenian
Genocide recognition in the light of human rights. European Armenian
Federation Chairperson Hilda Choboian will speak of the European
Union’s role in the recognition process.
The Turkish views in the coference will be presented by Yelda Ozcan,
a Turkish scholar residing in Germany.
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirakosian will attend the
conference.