PACE TEMPORARY COMMISSION FOR NK ISSUES TO VISIT REGION IN LATE OCTOBER 2006
Author: À.Mammadov
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 29 2006
PACE temporary commission for Nagorno-Karabakh issues is planned to
visit the region in late October 2006. The preliminary agreement on
this matter was achieved during the meeting between Samed Seyidov and
Tigran Torosyan, heads of Azeri and Armenian delegations in PACE,
with participation of Lord Russell Johnson, reporter of the CE
subcommission for Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Taking into account that PACE monitoring commission is assembling
in Yerevan in the second decade of October, an agreement was achieved
on arrangement of visit of PACE temporary commission during the last
week of October”,- the release says.
Alongside, upon Torosyan’s request, PACE Bureau approved the new
complement of the commission.
–Boundary_(ID_zT5Sqx1C3QRefZ82KsmtRA )–
From: Baghdasarian

COUNCIL WANTS MAILER INVESTIGATED
By Eugene Tong, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
June 29 2006
GLENDALE – City officials are asking state Attorney General Bill
Lockyer to investigate a negative campaign mailer in the 43rd Assembly
District race that offended members of the local Armenian community.
The City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday night
requesting a state investigation but stopped short of holding its
own inquiry.
“Unless something dramatically changes, we would be going on a fishing
expedition,” Councilman Ara Najarian said.
Councilman Frank Quintero, who lost to Burbank school board member Paul
Krekorian in the June 6 Democratic primary, has denied any connection
to the mailer, which was financed by an independent committee, the
Oakland-based California Latino Leadership Fund. A report in Capitol
Weekly, a political publication, traced the group’s financing to the
state Latino Caucus in Sacramento.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, Quintero pressed for an inquiry that
could clear his name.
“I will either make the motion or second that motion,” he said. “I’ve
condemned the mailer when it first came out, and I’ve followed up
with a letter to the attorney general and the secretary of state. …
We absolutely had no idea that was taking place.”
The mailer attempted to link Quintero’s Armenian-American opponent
to terrorism by way of the Armenian National Committee of America,
which endorsed Krekorian. A former ANC leader no longer tied to the
advocacy group was convicted in 2001 of possessing stolen explosives
and assault weapons.
“It’s easy to deplore these acts,” said Zanku Armenian, an
ANC Western Region representative. “But it’s important to have
accountability. … We the citizens of Glendale are waiting for real
answers, but we can’t wait forever.”
The flap damaged Quintero’s standing with the Armenian-American
community, in which he had cultivated political ties for decades.
Councilman Bob Yousefian, a member of the council’s Armenian-American
majority and a Krekorian supporter, still faults Quintero for the
mailer.
“It came out on a Friday night,” he said. “On Friday night and
Saturday, not once did Mr. Quintero come out and say he had nothing
to do with it. If it was me, I would’ve been on TV Friday. … Maybe
the attorney general can get to the bottom of this.”
Some speakers at the meeting, including several Armenian-Americans,
flocked to Quintero’s defense.
“I do not believe whatsoever the mailer would’ve come from his office,”
Glendale resident Aram Kazazian said. “This is a mailer that came
without his knowledge.”
Resident Larry Cole said Quintero has no reason to apologize. “Since
when does somebody who has no culpability take responsibility
anyway?” he said.
Laurie Collins, president of the Glendale Democratic Club, asked the
community to withhold judgment and not to pit the Armenian community
against local Latinos.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” she said. “This issue is very
important, and it’s a cloud on our election process.”

“ARMENIA AFRAID OF WAR”
Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
June 29 2006
Safar Abiyev: “Let Sarkisian says what he wants” “For the last
years we got specific achievements in the field of creation of
the Army. Beginning from 1997 the syllabus in military colleges of
Azerbaijan are set up in accordance with NATO standards, our country
launched for training of professional personnel in accordance with
modern requirements. Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s military budget grows
per annum, resulting in reinforcement of our military’s social
protection”. Minister of Defence of Azerbaijan, General-Colonel,
Safar Abiyev, said it at the ceremony devoted to 88th Anniversary
of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. According to S. Abiyev, the
above-mentioned factors resulted in strengthening of work aimed at
increasing of the military’s social protection. “Our armed forces
widen international relations. To date we signed the agreement on
military-technical cooperation with such countries as Iran, Turkey,
the U.S., Russia, Pakistan, Bulgaria, Germany, etc.
Azerbaijani military participate the hundreds of annual arrangements
conducted by the NATO within the framework of the Partnership for Peace
Programme. Our Army is strong and won’t concede Azerbaijani lands.”
S. Abiyev informed that Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces are ready to return
the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia by military way.
According to him, in order to wage a war, it takes just a time.
Furthermore, the Minister emphasized that this conflict infringes
on Armenian interests as well as many other countries. In spite
of that S. Abiyev did not call specific states, but he stated that
some of them were interested in direct influence upon Azerbaijan:
“Some major states uphold their views, but they will be forced to go
back before the power of Azerbaijan. We can show our power.”
S. Abiyev expressed his attitude towards statement of Armenian Defence
Minister Serge Sarkisian who informed that Azerbaijan did not intend
to wage a war. “Let Sarkisian says what he wants. With his words he
is trying to soothe Armenian community and appease a fear of opinions
due to forthcoming war.”
–Boundary_(ID_TvBZOYMHEQmrkMkCOKvM1g) —

EU STATES HAVE NOT FULL INFORMATION CONCERNING NAGORNO-GARABAGH
Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
June 29 2006
EU prefers not to interest with conflicts Recently the Public
Unity of Civilization & Research held the ’round table’ entitled
European security strategy and Azerbaijan. Chairman of the mentioned
organization, Surkhay Latifov informed that the East- the East Project
being realized within the framework of the Open Society Institute
Programme will last three months. Within the framework of the programme
the various arrangements and ’round tables’ were held in Baku, Guba,
etc. regions of Azerbaijan.
According to him, the Project I is due to particularly the European
neighborhood policy. It implies to inform about the European security
strategy.
Then the Director of the European Political Institute of Czech
Republic, Devid Kraal spoke and said that the European security
strategy under leadership of Havier Solona was set up in December
2003. D. Kraal said that this strategy has a great importance,
resulting in development of the common security strategy for Europe.
At the same time, the document made close the European Union
countries. The expert added that the Strategy protects the interests
of the Member States of the European Union as well as secure other
countries’ security. According to D. Kraal, the Strategy aims at fight
counterterrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The document also
recalls the regional conflicts subdivided into “cold” and “hot”.
For instance, the conflict between Israel and Palestine is called as
“hot”, but the conflicts existing in the Caucasus – “cold”, including
Abkhazia, Ossetia and Nagorno-Garabagh. As D. Kraal informed,
the Strategy implies the ways of solution of these problems: “Such
kind of conflicts can have a number of solutions. EU Member States
consider that all countries should make efforts for prevention of
such problems. Moreover, the conflicts are withdrawn very often in
the states with strong government.” As D. Kraal thinks, the majority
of EU Member States have not detailed information concerning the
Nagorno-Garabagh: “At the same time, EU prefers not to go into details
of such conflicts, as the more important issue is economic affairs.”
Regarding the opinion of the Director of the Institute concerning the
Nagorno-Garabagh conflict, he stated that he did not know this problem
in detailed, that’s why he was not ready to express his opinion on
this occasion.
–Boundary_(ID_Cj9nxIxJSTp7GQkbFHchvQ)- –
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“ECHO”: FIRE REACHED STRASBOURG
Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
June 29 2006
Our MPs told Members of PACE about deliberate cases of burning of
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia Yesterday the
plenary summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe continued in Strasbourg. In first day of session the report
on Azerbaijan prepared by the rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring
Committee, Andreas Gross and Anders Herkel was presented to the
members of PACE. After discussion, the majority MPs adopted regular
Resolution on Azerbaijan, considering a number of recommendations
aimed at improvement of democratic situation in our country. As
in yesterday’s interview member of Azerbaijani delegation to PACE,
Gultekin Hajiyeva told, a great part of recommendations submitted
to the PACE January session (Resolution 1480) remained into force
and included to June Resolution 1505. G. Hajiyeva notes that the
Resolution recommends to review the Election Code, the changes of the
composition of the election commissions, provision of the citizens’
rights to the freedom of assembly, etc. Furthermore, the Resolution
calls Azerbaijan’s authorities to find and bring to account the
murders of the editor-in-chief of Monitor independent magazine,
Elmar Huseynov, who was killed in spring 2005.
“Council of Europe plans to cooperate with Azerbaijan in all
these points,” stressed G. Hajiyeva. During discussion the head of
Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, Samed Seyidov and member of delegation
Aydin Mirzazadeh spoke at a meeting.
As G. Hajiyeva notes, yesterday the rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring
Committee for Azerbaijan proposed not to review the mandate of
Azerbaijani delegation to PACE. “This is already favorable version,”
emphasizes member of MM.
As G. Hajiyeva informs, already next year CE will address the matter
concerning commitments of our country before the CE and “we have to
do much to this moment”.
Yesterday pending discussion of the Resolution on Azerbaijan G.
Hajiyeva also told the PACE Members the burning of the occupied
territories of our country. The subject of occupied lands and ongoing
fires in these territories to date is the main focus of meetings and
negotiations conducted by Azerbaijani MPs in Strasbourg.
According to G. Hajiyeva, Monday morning the sessions of the political
groups also focused on this point. Today the meeting of the political
group of Conservative Party Members will focus on this point. The day
before the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe, Rene van der Linden received Azerbaijani delegation.
According to G. Hajiyeva, the PACE President was informed about the
facts of deliberate burning of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan
by the Armenian aggressors. “We are expecting a concrete reaction of
the PACE authorities to this point further,” notes G. Hajiyeva.
According to her, today they will meet with the authorities of the
PACE Committee for Environment & Natural Resources for discussing this
issue. Furthermore, currently the press-release devoted to burning
of our lands is being prepared. According to MP, the main purpose of
Azerbaijani delegation is to stop fires. “To date this issue remains
unsolved and fires are ongoing,” regrets MP.
G. Hajiyeva hopes that finally, PACE will exert some pressure upon
the official Yerevan, which allows the Ministry for Emergency to
enter the regions of inflammation in order to extinguish a fire
in occupied lands. “Azerbaijan made an appeal to appoint a special
rapporteur of the PACE for this point who could explore the cases
of deliberate burning of our lands by Armenians at places. CE should
soundly approach to this issue and assist to prevent a fire.”
MP notes that it is very important for us to bring this matter to
awareness of the European community, as Azerbaijan as well as Armenia
took commitments to solve the conflict by peaceful meanings, but the
fact of burning of occupied lands by Armenia says unwillingness of
the official Yerevan to use peaceful way.
PACE Sub-Committee for Nagorno-Garabagh conflict scheduled for this
Friday is expected to focus on the fires in occupied lands.
On Wednesday PACE Political Committee is expected to discuss the Pact
on Stability in the South Caucasus countries.
According to G. Hajiyeva, today Leo Platvoet, the rapporteur of the
PACE for missing people in the South Caucasus countries, a MP from
Netherlands will speak at the Committee for Migration, Refugees and
Population. He will tell about the results of his recent visit to
the region.
–Boundary_(ID_SQ0v3O1J7CafVpVcJq8Fyg)–

AZERI DELEGATION TO ATTEMPT PUTTING NK ISSUE TO THE AGENDA AT PACE SUMMER SESSION
Author: J.Shahverdiyev
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 29 2006
We will do our best to have Nagorno-Karabakh issue discussed at PACE
summer session that takes place July 3 to 7 in Brussels, reportedly
said MP Eldar Ibrahimov, deputy head of Azeri delegation to PACE
and chairman of permanent commission for agrarian policy with Milli
Medjlis.
Goran Lenmarker, PACE representative for Nagorno-Karabakh, is currently
drawing the report. “Regarding the report, Mr Lenmarker addressed the
parties to submit their proposals. Upon reviewing these proposals and
reaching agreement, the issue will be out to the day agenda. It is
still difficult to say whether this issue will be included or not”,
– Ibrahimov said.
The proposals conflict has arisen. “Armenians offer to establish
economic relations, open roads between Azerbaijan and Armenia and
only then discuss territorial integrity. We decisively said first
they shall leave occupied lands and only then we will talk of economic
relations”, – Ibrahimov added.
At the session, Azeri delegation is going to prepare a speech
“Ensuring security for people in OSCE region”. The theme will be
linked to Armenia’s occupation policy and Nagorno-Karabakh problem.
“We will say: if we cannot ensure security of citizens of states
within OSCE, Armenia goes on with its occupation policy on Azerbaijan
and over million of our compatriots left their homes, what security
can be talked of?”, – Ibrahimov said.

AMBASSADOR-TO-BE DODGES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE QUESTION
By Michael Doyle
McClatchy Newspapers
Scripps Howard News Service, DC
June 29 2006
WASHINGTON — America’s next ambassador to Armenia is a verbal
gymnast. He has to be, to keep his job.
On Wednesday, career Foreign Service officer Richard E. Hoagland
tread prudently through his confirmation hearing.
He picked his way around the word “genocide” in describing the
mass slaughter of Armenians between 1915 and 1923. The events were
“horrific” and “well-documented” and “historic,” Hoagland told the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but the genocide word did not
cross his lips.
“It’s a tragedy; everybody agrees with that,” Hoagland said, but
“instead of getting stuck in the past and vocabulary, I would like
to see what we can do to bring different sides together.”
While the highly decorated Hoagland appears a shoo-in for the Armenia
post, his reticence did not sit well with the three senators who
showed up for his confirmation hearing.
“It’s almost absurd to sit here, and you can’t utter the word
‘genocide,’ ” said Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota. “We
have ambassadors who can’t use a word, just a word.”
In regions like the California’s San Joaquin Valley, southern
California, New Jersey and Michigan, well-established Armenian-American
populations maintain both a tangible and symbolic stake in U.S.-Armenia
relations.
“The local community follows with great interest events in Armenia
and also U.S. government policy,” noted Barlow Der Mugrdechian,
lecturer in Armenian Studies at California State University at Fresno.
In particular, Der Mugrdechian said, activists have been tracking
the fate of Hoagland’s predecessor, Ambassador John Evans. The
Yale-educated Evans ran afoul of his State Department superiors when
he acknowledged the accuracy of the phrase “Armenian genocide.”
“I informed myself in depth about it,” Evans told an Armenian-American
audience in Berkeley, Calif., in February 2005. “I think we, the
U.S. government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank and honest
way of discussing this problem. I think it is unbecoming of us, as
Americans, to play word games here. I believe in calling things by
their name.”
That was contrary to the Bush administration’s policy of avoiding
the term, out of deference to Turkey’s sensibilities. Within a week,
the State Department issued a statement from Evans in which he called
his remarks “inappropriate” and said he “deeply” regretted them.
State Department officials have declined to characterize Evans as
having been fired, but his Armenian tenure was clearly cut short. He
became ambassador in September 2004, and Hoagland was announced as
his replacement in May 2006. By contrast, his predecessors served
three-year terms.
Hoagland previously served as U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan. He has
considerable experience with some dicey parts of the world, including
service as the lead Afghanistan analyst with the State Department’s
Bureau of Intelligence and Research. While in Pakistan in the late
1980s, he worked with the Afghan resistance.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE FORGOTTEN ASSYRIAN CHRISTIANS OF MESOPOTAMIA
By Alkan Chaglar
Assyrian International News Agency, CA
June 29 2006
Assyrians have lived in South-Eastern Anatolia, Northern Iraq,
Eastern Syria and Western Iran since times of antiquity. Living
beneath the shadow of poplar and mulberry trees, and amid crimson
poppies swaying in the wind they number no more than a million in
the entire region. Praying as their ancestors had done for over a
thousand years in small earth-coloured churches surmounted by a dome
and joined by a tower with plangent church bells, the community are
descendants of a once great empire.
The Assyrian empire once extended from the Zagros Mountains in the
East to the coast of Lebanon. The Assyrians who are also known more
generally under the umbrella terms for Nestorian Christians are not
‘Christian Arabs’ as some people believe, but speak a Semitic language,
called Syriac. Although semblable to both Arabic and Hebrew, the
language pre-dates both languages and is one of the oldest languages
in the region.
The community has always been entrepreneurial, leading an active
economic role in the jewellery trade in Turkey. Their presence is
quite strong in the rambunctious Grand Bazaar of Istanbul. Assigned
to the role of ‘good jewellers’ the community is often overlooked
by both the government and the media, which tend to focus on the
situation of the more numerous Kurdish population.
Living in five mostly Muslim states in the Middle-East has often
put the Assyrians in the line of fire. According to F.P.Isaac in the
early part of the 20th century the Ottomans, faced with the break-up
of their empire, expelled thousands of Assyrians, matters did not
improve much in the secular Republic of Turkey which followed. From
a presence of 130,000 Assyrians in the 1960s the number has dwindled
down to 5000 today, of which only 2000 of which reside in South
East of Anatolia. Faced with ‘greater problems’ the Turkish state
policy has done little to include the Assyrians in recent years to
feel apart of the secular state that Turkey purports to be. This has
fuelled the steady immigration of the community abroad.
Life is not much better for the Assyrians in neighbouring countries
either. The Iraqi Chaldean-Assyrian minority was one of the prime
targets of the Ba’athist party for their role in collaborating with
the British during their occupation of Iraq. Today in post-Ba’athist
Iraq Assyrians find themselves the target of Islamic fundamentalists
and insurgents who hold them to blame for the actions of the
‘Christian occupiers’, the Americans and the British. Faced with
growing Arabisation and Kurdification of northern Iraq, Assyrians
have been making a steady exit from Iraq to neighbouring Arab states
and from there to the West.
In Turkey, Assyrians are recognised as a religious minority and not
as an ethnic minority like the Armenians, this might seem as a simple
difference in terminology but in fact it is quite a crippling status
for the community. Unlike the Armenians, Assyrians still cannot teach
in their own language, so this indigenous community is left manacled by
the state. Being prevented from teaching one’s ancestral language to
future generations of that community has been one of the key factors
forcing this community to leave the country in recent decades.
Fortunately, the EU factor in Turkey coupled with the end of the
worst fighting between the PKK and Security Forces is beginning to
provide short term benefits to small minorities like the Assyrians,
as the government in Ankara seeks to harmonise many of her own policies
with those of the EU. Conditions are now improving for the community,
which was previously on the brink of extinction in the region. An
interest in Assyrian culture and its benefits for tourism is currently
been explored and even the Turkish governor now visits the community
to offer his support. Five years ago during the height of violence
between the PKK and the Turkish security forces this would have not
been possible.
With funds from the European Union, Istanbul Bilgi University opened
an Assyrian cultural centre in the town of Midyat on the 29th of
April 2006 for the first time and last year the city of Mardin hosted
the first international symposium of Mardin history. Some Assyrians
from the diaspora have repatriated to their ancestral region in
recent years.
However, many of the children of those returning diaspora can
only speak Syriac and have little knowledge of Turkish, but faced
with an absence of Syriac classes, they are prevented from a proper
education. The absence of schools that teach Syriac is preventing the
existing group from learning their community’s language while on the
other hand encouraging the new arrivals to forget theirs.
Without downplaying the positive reforms in Turkey, the state, which
strives to be secular and a “garden of different flowers” needs not
only to be cognizant of the diversity of their country but needs
to put this into educational policy. Policy makers can encourage
the teaching and use of minority or regional languages without being
detrimental to the use of official languages. It should be government
policy to promote, protect, and preserve the Indigenous languages of
the republic, this would be mutually beneficial to both the ethnic
group and the state in whose confines they reside.
While Assyrians are faced with uncertainty in Iraq and Iran, where
insurgents are keen to destroy multiculturalism, Turkey should
set a precedent by not just promoting multi-faith communities but
multi-lingualism as well. Language like religion is a fundamental
part of a community’s identity; it is used to transmit a community’s
history, poetry, music and literature that will be forever lost without
it. Like other minorities elsewhere without schooling in their own
language, the future generations of Assyrians will be bereft of a
future and unequal in their rights as Turkish citizens.
The Turkish state needs to extend full citizenship to all her citizens.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JUSTICE FACTION CONCERNED ABOUT LATEST STATEMENT OF OSCE MINSK GROUP CHAIRMEN
Noyan Tapan
Jun 29 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The latest statement of the Co-Chairmen
of the OSCE Minsk Group is extremely worrying. Grigor Harutyunian,
member of the NA Justice faction, member of the People’s Party of
Armenia, stated this at the June 29 meeting with reporters.
According to him, it is directly stated in the document about the
return of 5 liberated regions, a special approach regarding Kelbajar
and Lachin, and holding a referendum or a general voting on Karabakh
status without indication of a particular date. The deputy considered
it especially unacceptable that the document envisages the opportunity
to hold a referendum in the territory of Azerbaijan.
According to Harutyunian, the statement that the co-chairmen exhausted
their proposals makes one assume that either the format of negotiations
will change, or a military solution of the problem is possible.
According to the speaker, the moment of publishing the statement of
the Minsk Group co-chairmen was not chosen by accident and was directly
related to a meeting of G8 scheduled for July in Saint Petersburg.
G. Harutyunian said that the published document does not envisage
compromises, and in fact Armenia is obliged to make unilateral
concessions. The deputy reminded that in 1998 when Robert Kocharian was
the NKR President, the NKR authorities viewed the problem’s solution in
the context of establishing an independent state having a connection
to Armenia in the territory of 8 thousand sq.m. In today’s proposals
of the Minsk Group, which are mainly agreed on with the leaders of
the two countries, the matter does not concern any more 8 thousand
square meters.
Harutyunian said that today Armenia needs legitimate authorities more
than ever in order to cope with outside and domestic pressures. At
the same time, he noted that the people has lost its resistibility
and readiness to struggle as a result of the wrong policy of the
authorities. This explains the people’s indifference to the published
Karabakh settlement version.
As regards the response of political forces, in the words of
Harutyunian, the Justice faction presents its assessments: “But
if you think that we are going to hold demonstrations and protests
outside the embasies of the co-chair states, I should remind that it
is clearly said in the statement that this is a version mostly agreed
on with the presidents of the two countries.”
Harutyunian noted that a change of power according to the 1998 scenario
is not ruled out in Armenia in connection with further developments
in the Karabakh conflict settlement process, because the resignation
of the Armenian or Azerbaijani president may provide a basis for a
new stage in negotiations.

“DIRECT AGREEMENT” TO BE SIGNED BY ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT, ARMENIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS, EBRD AND DEG
Noyan Tapan
Jun 29 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. At the June 29 sitting, the
Armenian government approved the “Direct Agreement” to be signed
by the Armenian government, Armenia International Airports CJSC,
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and DEG
company (Germany). According to the RA Government Information and
PR Department, the government authorized Artyom Movsesian, Head of
the Main Department of Civil Aviation adjunct to the RA government
to sign the agreement on behalf of the Armenian government.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress