ROBOTIC DEVICE TO HELP RECOVER FLIGHT RECORDERS FROM BLACK SEA CRASH – REPORT
Airline Industry Information
May 15, 2006
Airline Industry Information-©1997-2006 M2 Communications LTD
A robotic device is to be used by authorities in Russia in an attempt
to locate the flight recorders from the Armenian aircraft that crashed
in the Black Sea on 3 May.
The aircraft, which was operated by Armavia, crashed in heavy rain
and poor visibility as it was approaching the airport in Adler. A
total of 113 people are thought to have died as a result of the crash.
According to the ITAR-Tass news agency the device, which includes
a video monitor and a hydraulic apparatus that will be used to try
to lift the recorders, was being loaded onto a ship in the port of
Novorossiisk, The Associated Press reported.
In addition the Russian news agency revealed that Transport Minister
Igor Levitin said an operation to recover the flight recorders would
begin on Tuesday (16 May).
–Boundary_(ID_Xw93mq3SNSXIJiiVWGn72A)–

PERNOD RICARD KEEPS RIGHTS FOR ARARAT COGNAC
EASTBUSINESS.ORG
May 15, 2006 Monday 4:09 PM (Central European Time)
Pernod Ricard, maker of Chivas Regal and Martell cognac, won a ruling
from the Russian government upholding its rights to the Ararat cognac
brand, a mark of quality since the Soviet era, Vedomosti reported.
The Federal Service for Intellectual Property, Patents and Trademarks
ordered the Ararat Cognac Factory in St. Petersburg to stop using the
brand after Paris-based Pernod filed a complaint, the newspaper said,
citing copy of the agency’s ruling.
Pernod bought the rights to the Ararat cognac brand in Russia and
Armenia from the Armenian government “shortly after” Armenia sold its
St. Petersburg factory to Russian investors in 2002, Vedomosti said.

LEAVING THE BASE: RUSSIAN TANKS ARE LEAVING AKHALKALAKI
by Vladimir Novikov
Translated by Elena Leonova
Source: Kommersant, May 15, 2006, p. 10
Agency WPS
What the Papers Say Part B (Russia)
May 15, 2006 Monday
A trainload of Russian military hardware will leave Georgia today; The
first echelon of armored vehicles being withdrawn from Russia’s 62nd
military base at Akhalkalaki will leave Georgia for Russia today. The
process of shutting down the Akhalkalaki base started late last week,
in accordance with Russian-Georgian agreements reached on March 31
in Sochi.
The first echelon of armored vehicles being withdrawn from Russia’s
62nd military base at Akhalkalaki will leave Georgia for Russia
today. The process of shutting down the Akhalkalaki base started late
last week, in accordance with Russian-Georgian agreements reached
on March 31 in Sochi. According to those agreements, the Akhalkalaki
base will be shut down by the end of 2007, but all military hardware
must be withdrawn a year earlier – by the end of 2006.
Colonel Igor Konashenkov, an aide to the Commander of the Russian
Ground Forces, said at a press conference in Akhalkalaki that the
first echelon withdrawn to Russia will include seven tanks, about
10 armored personnel carriers and armored patrol vehicles, and some
other military property. According to Konashenkov, Georgian Railroads
delivered an echelon of nine railway carriages and specially-reinforced
platforms to the Tsalka station on Friday, May 12, for the purpose
of transporting the Russian military hardware.
The echelon is scheduled to depart on the morning of May 15.
The echelon’s path from Georgia to Russia runs through Azerbaijan.
Colonel Konashenkov said: “Georgia will ensure security for the
Russian military cargo on Georgian territory, Azerbaijan will do so
on Azeri territory, and once it crosses the Russian state border,
security will be provided by a military patrol from the Russian Group
of Forces in the Trans-Caucasus.”
Loading of Russian armored vehicles to be withdrawn from Akhalkalaki
started on the morning of May 13 and continued through May 14.
Loading was supervised by General Alexander Popov, commander of
the Group of Russian Forces in Georgia, and his deputy, Colonel
Vladimir Kuparadze. According to statements made at a press conference
yesterday, no complications were involved in loading Russian hardware
and any difficulties were only technical. “We aren’t having any
particular problems. Just a shortage of personnel, so each person has
to do the work of three,” said Colonel Kuparadze. General Popov made
a similar statement, adding that after troop withdrawal is completed
in 2008, he’d like to visit Georgia as a tourist.
Despite reassuring statements from the Russian military, tension
in Akhalkalaki over the impending withdrawal of Russian hardware
persisted until the very last moment. Special forces from the Georgian
Interior Ministry were transferred to the town of Akhalkalaki in the
early morning hours of May 13; if necessary, they were to stop any
protests by local residents who oppose the decision to close the 62nd
base. The special forces officers, armed with batons and shields,
were took up their position at a district police station.
It’s worth noting that shortly before this, tension was exacerbated
by none other than Georgian Defense Minister Iraklii Okruashvili. In
an interview with Imedi television on May 1, Okruashvili alleged
that “Russia is organizing provocations in Akhalkalaki, with the
aim of halting troop withdrawal on the pretext that local residents
are obstructing it.” Given this war of nerves, a reinforced mobile
artillery battalion from the Russian Armed Forces was sent from
Akhalkalaki to the Tsalka railway station for loading and guarding
the cargo.
All the same, none of the apprehensions and suspicions of recent
days and weeks were borne out; contrary to expectations, there were
no unusual incidents during the withdrawal of Russian hardware.
In late April, a number of non-governmental organizations from the
Dzhavakheti region in southern Georgia, which has a predominantly
Armenian population, organized a picket outside the main gates of the
Russian military base at Akhalkalaki. Protesting against the closure
of the base, they said that thousands of local residents will lose
their jobs after the Russian military leaves. Moreover, the Armenian
protestors said that they fear aggression from neighboring Turkey
and don’t believe that the Georgian Armed Forces would protect them
from it.
Although the withdrawal of Russian hardware from Akhalkalaki has
already begun, the NGOs of Dzhavakheti say they won’t stop their
attempts to prevent the closure of the 62nd Russian military base in
southern Georgia.

TRAIN WITH MILITARY HARDWARE TO CROSS AZERBAIJAN WITHOUT STOPS
by Viktor Shulman
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 15, 2006 Monday 10:38 AM EST
Azerbaijan will give the green light to the first train with military
hardware and munitions from the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki,
southern Georgia, heading for Russia, Azerbaijani First Deputy
Transport Minister Musa Panakhov told Itar-Tass on Monday.
The train is expected to reach the Georgian-Azerbaijani border at
19:00 Moscow time and after the customs clearance procedures will
continue towards its destination.
“The train will run across Azerbaijan without stops. It will be
accompanied by special services to the Russian border,” he said.
“It will reach the Azerbaijani-Russian border at 16:30 Moscow time
on May 16, as expected.”
“The Russian Defence Ministry’s military are accompanying the
train en route,” a source at the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan told
Itar-Tass. “The trainload will be checked in compliance with the
protocol signed earlier. All containers are sealed.”
A group of Georgian military will escort the train to the Azerbaijani
border.
The train left Tsalka, 50 kilometers away from Akhalkalaki, southern
Georgia, earlier in the day. The Georgian Railways-owned 19-carriage
train will bring to Russia seven T-72 tanks, eight reconnaissance
vehicles, four infantry combat vehicles, four communication vans and
340 boxes with rockets for GRAD launchers.
Under the agreements reached between Russia and Georgia, the withdrawal
of Russian bases from Akhalkalaki should be completed in 2007.
This year, 19 trainloads are expected to bring back to Russia all
hardware. The departures of other trains are scheduled for May 23,
25 and 30.
Part of the hardware and munitions will be redeployed to the Russian
base of Gyumri, in Armenia. The first truck convoy will leave for
Gyumri on May 18.
When all personnel, munitions and material supplies have been pulled
out of Akhalkalaki by late 2007, the base will be closed.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: LA TURQUIE S’INSURGE
Radio Canada
8 Mai 2006
Le genocide armenien aurait fait jusqu’a 1,5 million de morts.
La Turquie a annonce, lundi, le rappel pour ” pour consultations ”
de son ambassadeur en France, Osman Koruturk, pour protester contre
une loi permettant des poursuites penales contre toute personne niant
le caractère genocidaire des massacres d’Armeniens.
Le projet de loi francais, qui sera soumis au vote le 18 mai, prevoit
un an d’emprisonnement et une amende de 64 000 $ pour les auteurs de
declarations niant que les massacres d’Armeniens soient un genocide.
La Turquie a egalement rappele son ambassadeur au Canada, Aydemir
Erman, pour protester contre une declaration faite le mois dernier
par le premier ministre Stephen Harper sur le genocide armenien. Le
21 avril, le chef du gouvernement canadien a salue tous ceux qui
commemoraient le genocide armenien.
Le ministère turc des Affaires etrangères s’est dit ” consterne par les
declarations du premier ministre qui soutiennent […] les allegations
armeniennes sans fondement “. Il a souligne que cette prise de position
allait ” affecter de manière negative les liens turco-canadiens “.
” Nous prevoyons que nos ambassadeurs soient de retour a leurs postes
a la fin de ces consultations “, precisait un communique du ministère
des Affaires etrangères.
La France a officiellement reconnu les massacres en tant que genocide
en 2001. Au Canada, la Chambre des communes avait reconnu les massacres
d’Armeniens comme ” premier genocide du 20e siècle ” en 2004, alors
que le Senat l’avait fait deux ans plus tôt.
Les Armeniens s’estiment victimes d’un genocide orchestre par l’empire
ottoman, ancetre de la Turquie, qui aurait fait jusqu’a 1,5 million
de morts entre 1915 et 1917.
De son côte, Ankara soutient que 300 000 Armeniens et au moins autant
de Turcs sont morts au cours de troubles suscites par des rebellions
d’Armeniens et par leur ralliement aux armees russes alors en guerre
contre l’empire ottoman, et lors des deportations qui ont suivi.
–Boundary_(ID_trzBnYiG9sPeRPvPinDniA)–

DU NEGATIONNISME CONSIDERE COMME UNE ATTEINTE A L’ORDRE PUBLIC
par Sevane Garibian
Le Monde, France
12 Mai 2006
La loi du 29 janvier 2001 sur la reconnaissance legislative
du genocide armenien de 1915 est, en l’etat, un texte de nature
simplement declarative. Geste politique fort, mais a charge juridique
nulle, face a un negationnisme actif et organise de la part d’une
Turquie candidate a l’integration europeenne dont la virulence s’est
publiquement exprimee, une fois de plus, recemment a Lyon. Depuis
l’annonce d’un debat a venir au Parlement sur un texte relatif a
la penalisation de la negation du genocide armenien, les pressions
d’Ankara sont vives, menacant la France de “consequences irreparables”
sur les relations bilaterales.
Le 10 mai, la commission des lois de l’Assemblee nationale a rejete de
fait la proposition de loi socialiste, mais le debat parlementaire peut
encore avoir lieu si les deputes le decident par un vote a main levee.
Pour des raisons evidentes, il n’y a pas lieu de repondre au discours
negationniste, mais un tel debat pourra etre l’occasion de revenir
sur les critiques dont font l’objet les textes de loi reprimant
la negation de genocide. Selon les detracteurs de ces lois – en
particulier le collectif Liberte pour l’histoire, qui se declare
“profondement choque” par la discussion prevue le 18 mai -, de
tels textes seraient contraires aux valeurs democratiques ; ils
entraveraient la liberte d’expression du fait de l’immixtion des
juges dans le travail des historiens.
Il est utile de rappeler que l’adoption de lois visant a prohiber
la negation de genocides attestes par les historiens et reconnus
comme tels n’equivaut pas permission aux tribunaux d’intervenir sur
la qualification d’un evenement historique. Ce qui importe au juge
dans les affaires de contestation de crimes contre l’humanite, ce
n’est pas la question de savoir si ce que dit l’historien est vrai,
mais celle de savoir si son travail et ses allegations revèlent une
intention de nuire ou repondent au devoir d’objectivite et aux règles
de la bonne foi.
En d’autres termes, le rôle du juge, en l’espèce, est identique a celui
du juge confronte a l’histoire dans le cadre d’un procès en diffamation
: si la pratique historienne est une remise en cause permanente des
evenements, elle ne permet pas pour autant a l’historien de confondre
jugement de valeur et jugement de realite.
La liberte du scientifique ne rime pas avec son irresponsabilite. Ce
que condamne le juge, le cas echeant, ce n’est pas d’avoir pense
differemment, c’est de profiter de la legitimite conferee par le debat
scientifique et le statut d’historien pour soutenir une ideologie
negationniste.
Surtout, l’element le plus determinant afin de comprendre la raison
d’etre de tels textes reste le caractère potentiellement dangereux
pour l’ordre public, dans une democratie, des propos reprimes par
la loi. Ce danger peut provenir de discours mensongers en tant
qu’expression d’une propagande antisemite, raciste ou haineuse,
en particulier lorsque l’on percoit la negation comme atteinte a la
sauvegarde de la dignite humaine.
Tout d’abord, si la dignite de la personne humaine est bafouee par
l’execution de crimes contre l’humanite, quels qu’ils soient, elle
l’est aussi par la contestation de ces memes crimes generalement
consideree comme l’etape ultime de tout processus genocidaire :
“Le negateur fait au temoin ce que le bourreau fait a la victime”
(Frederic Worms). Ensuite, et dans la continuite de l’observation
precedente, la sauvegarde de la dignite humaine est, en France, non
seulement un principe a valeur constitutionnelle depuis les decisions
du Conseil constitutionnel du 27 juillet 1994, mais aussi, selon le
Conseil d’Etat, une “composante de l’ordre public”. Le principe du
respect de la dignite apparaît aussi regulièrement, depuis 2000,
comme une limite a la liberte d’expression en matière de presse,
erigee en tant que telle par la Cour de cassation – sans compter
l’usage très large qui en est fait par les juridictions ordinaires.
Enfin, il est important de souligner que le principe du respect
ou de la sauvegarde de la dignite humaine a une portee a la fois
individuelle et collective. Droit de l’individu, certes, la dignite
est avant tout un droit propre a la personne en tant que membre de la
communaute humaine. Sa portee collective est d’autant plus evidente
et essentielle en matière de crime contre l’humanite et/ou de leur
negation. Le concept meme de crime contre l’humanite (et a fortiori
de negation de crime contre l’humanite) comprend en son sein cette
idee-force.
Ainsi, contrairement a ce que laisseraient penser certaines critiques,
ce n’est pas tant l’adoption d’un texte de loi visant a penaliser la
negation du genocide des Armeniens, sur le modèle de la loi Gayssot,
qui est difficilement conciliable avec les exigences d’une societe
democratique. C’est la negation en tant que telle. La negation
comme atteinte a l’ordre public et, plus fondamentalement encore,
au droit au respect de la dignite humaine dans sa portee collective ;
c’est-a-dire un droit qui exprime la solidarite entre les humains et
fonde le principe meme de leur egalite. Un droit dont la reconnaissance
merite protection.
Sevane Garibian est juriste, doctorante en droit public a l’universite
Paris-X-Nanterre.
–Boundary_(ID_bfM ypGbyEbV8OtzDH/UUXA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KIDNAPPING CUSTOM MAKES A COMEBACK IN GEORGIA
Anchors: Liane Hansen
Reporters: Lawrence Sheets
National Public Radio (NPR)
SHOW: Weekend Edition Sunday 1200-1300 PM
May 14, 2006 Sunday
LIANE HANSEN, host:
In some of the more remote parts of the former Soviet Union, there’s
been a resurgence of bride kidnapping. The ancient custom is being
practiced in Kyrgyzstan and in some parts of the Caucusus Mountains.
Women’s groups in former Soviet Georgia are trying to draw attention
to the kidnappings and to use new laws to curb the practice.
NPR’s Lawrence Sheets has this report from Georgia.
LAWRENCE SHEETS reporting:
In the remote mountain villages of the Javaheji(ph) region, the fall
of communism led to a revival of the old ways, even in courtship.
Lea(ph) Meidseradi(ph) had seen her husband-to-be Gia(ph) only once
or twice, when he and some of his friends grabbed her off a village
street, shoved her into a car and took her away to his relative’s
house.
Ms. LEA MEIDSERADI (Kidnapped Bride): (Through translator) I told
him I loved another boy, but he told me, even if you had five kids
I wouldn’t leave you alone.
SHEETS: That time, Gia relented and he let Lea go. But Gia was
persistent. He kidnapped Lea a total of four times, chasing her down a
ravine in one case. Finally, Lea says, most people in her home village
found out she’d been kidnapped and, thus, she had lost her honor.
Ms. MEIDSERADI: (Through translator) He kidnapped me so many times
and everyone knew. I started to be afraid that people might say I
wasn’t a virgin. So I just gave up, even though I wanted to run away.
My family told me, there’s nothing you can do now. You must marry him,
otherwise you’ll shame your brothers.
SHEETS: After village elders celebrated by slaughtering a pig, Lea
and Gia were married. She said she cried through the entire ceremony.
Most so-called bride kidnappings — called Motsatseva(ph) in Georgian
— are actually part of elaborate local courtship rights. Brides
often give their consents to the so-called kidnappings as a way around
parental opposition to the marriages. But locals estimate 20 percent or
so are real kidnappings, done against the wishes of the would-be bride.
Taquiv Aranan(ph) is a civic activist in the Javaheji region.
Ms. TAQUIV ARANAN (Civic Activist, Javaheji Region): (Through
translator) According to our mentality, after that kidnapping, even
if she doesn’t want the guy, she’s forced to marry him. And they live
without love. The woman becomes a slave and in these families there
are many fights and beatings.
SHEETS: Taquiv Aranan says that in Soviet times, bride kidnappings
were very rare. But over the past decade there’s been a big increase.
She attributes the rise to post-Soviet poverty and the lack of ways for
young people to interact in this highly conservative mountain region.
Ms. ARANAN: (Through translator) When I was growing up in the Soviet
period, there was a theater, places to meet, a youth club. Now there
is nothing. We have to create new places where young people can meet.
SHEETS: Until three years ago, kidnapping a woman for marriage was
considered only a relatively minor infraction under Georgian law. It
even fell under a separate statute. That law was scrapped and bride
snatchers now theoretically face 15 years in prison, as any kidnapper
would.
Fifty mile away lies the predominantly ethnic Armenian town of
Ahakalagi(ph), tucked under 10,000-foot high mountain peaks. Bride
kidnapping is rarely discussed here, but a group of women is meeting
to talk about the problem. Some of them are openly talking about it
for the first time.
Lawyer Anita Hoganisian(ph) encourages bride kidnapping victims
to press criminal charges. But she says almost no young women do
because of pressure from their families in this closely knit society
to keep quiet.
Ms. ONITA HOGANISIAN (Attorney): (Through translator) There are very
many cases where the authorities blame this on our traditions. Young
women have no social protection in our society and their families don’t
understand the problem. They see their daughters as having been shamed.
SHEETS: Hoganisian says only five legal cases were opened in this
region over the past year, though she believes the real numbers
of bride kidnappings to be many times higher. And four of those
five cases were dropped after the young women victims refused to
cooperate. Hoganisian represented the only young woman who took her
case all the way to a judge.
Ms. HOGANISIAN: (Through translator) This girl was kidnapped by a
distant relative, held for 48 hours and raped. But the guy was only
given a suspended sentence because the girl’s family evidently put
pressure on the girl not to demand that he be punished.
SHEETS: Hoganisian says the young girl now has been shamed into
isolation. She refuses to even come out of her parents’ house.
(Soundbite of chatter)
SHEETS: And although this women’s forum is discussing ways to raise
social awareness about bride kidnapping, not all in the room agree
that the custom can be stopped.
Ana Naktaktian(ph) is a 62-year-old former accountant.
Ms. ANA NAKTAKTIAN (Former Accountant): (Through translator) It’s a
bad thing that this happens, but this has been going on for hundreds
of years. There’s nothing anyone can do about it. These are our
traditions.
SHEETS: Lea Meidseradi agrees with that. She’s now been with her
husband Gia for 15 years, since she was bride kidnapped. Lea says she
hated her husband at first, but that things worked out fine in the end.
Ms. MEIDSERADI: (Through translator) I got used to it. He’s a very
good husband and I quickly came to love him. Gia fought for his love.
The main thing is for a boy to love you. The woman will love him later.
SHEETS: Lea and Gia now have three children. Lea says she hopes her
now 12-year-old daughter will get married by mutual consent one day.
But Lea, an Orthodox Christian who now teaches religion in a public
school here, says that if her daughter is bride kidnapped, so be it.
It will be the will of God, she says.
Lawrence Sheets, NPR News, Georgia.

MENACE TURQUE CONTRE L’EVENTUELLE LOI FRANCAISE SUR LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN
Charente Libre
15 mai 2006
Le Premier ministre turc a menace la France de sanctions economiques
si elle vote une loi criminalisant la negation du genocide armenien.
Pour la Turquie, il ne s’agit que de massacres.
Le premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a menace la France
de sanctions commerciales au cas où son Parlement adopterait une
proposition de loi visant a criminaliser la negation du genocide
armenien en 1915-17, dans des propos cites hier par le journal
Hurriyet.
La France est le premier investisseur en Turquie et pour cette raison
ils (les deputes francais) doivent etre particulièrement sensibles.
Il y aura eventuellement des problèmes a affirme M. Erdogan au journal.
En 2001 deja, le vote par les deputes francais d’une loi reconnaissant
le caractère genocidaire des massacres d’Armeniens commis en Anatolie
pendant l’Empire ottoman avait suscite l’ire d’Ankara, qui admet que
des massacres ont ete commis mais refute categoriquement le terme
de genocide.
Le Parlement francais doit cette fois discuter jeudi d’une proposition
de loi deposee par des deputes socialistes, qui prevoit cinq ans
d’emprisonnement et 45.000 euros (57.000 dollars) d’amende pour les
auteurs de declarations niant le genocide armenien.
Ankara boude des manoeuvres militaires au Canada
La Turquie se fâche pour les memes raisons contre le Canada dont le
Premier ministre Stephen Harper a salue le 21 avril la commemoration
du genocide armenien de 1915. Cette fois, ce sont des manoeuvres
militaires qui ont fait les frais de cette declarations canadienne
qui a consterne la Turquie.
L’Operation Maple Flag, un exercice de combat aerien d’une duree de
six semaines, devait reunir a partir d’hieren Alberta plus de 5.000
militaires et une quarantaine de chasseurs de neuf pays, dont la
France, les Etats-Unis, et le Royaume-Uni.
La Turquie est un important allie de l’Otan et nous esperons qu’elle
participera aux futurs exercices s’est bornee a declarer l’armee
canadienne.
–Boundary_(ID_uy3x693goEFBEw ATj0J0VA)–
From: Baghdasarian

OSKANIAN AND ABRAHAMYAN DISCUSSED ARMENIA-DIASPORA FORUM ORGANIZATION
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.05.2006 19:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with
President of the World Armenian Congress Ara Abrahamyan to discuss
the events to be held in Yerevan on the initiative of the WAC. Ara
Abrahamyan familiarized the Minister with the details of the forums
titled “Caucasus without conflicts: dialogue of civilizations in
the Caucasian crossroad” and “Sitting of group of experts engaged in
Armenian Genocide issue” as well as with the outcomes expected from
the conferences.
Noting the urgency of the problems raised Vartan Oskanian expressed
readiness to assist in organizing the events. Ara Abrahamyan also
briefed to the Foreign Minister on the WAC activities and new programs
launched by the organization. Besides, the interlocutors addressed
the issues referring to the conduction of the Armenia-Diaspora third
forum scheduled for this September and touched upon some international
and regional problems, reported RA MFA press office.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT WILL NOT TAKE PART IN NATO PA SESSION IN PARIS
PanARMENIAN.Net
15.05.2006 19:40 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian will no take
part in the NATO PA Session in Paris over heavy schedule. “These days
Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will be visiting the region. Besides,
the period coincides with holidays in Armenia,” RA President’s
Spokesman Victor Soghomonyan PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. To remind, NATO
PA President Pierre Lellouche invited the Armenian and Azerbaijani
President to participate in the NATO PA Session to be held in Paris
May 26-30.