SUSPECT BOOKED IN CAB-PICKUP CRASH
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer

San Francisco Chronicle
Oct 11 2005

(10-11) 07:50 PDT SAN FRANCISCO — A suspected drunken driver was in
custody Monday after he ran a stop sign in San Francisco and crashed
into a taxi, killing the cab driver and a passenger.

The suspect, Kevin McGuinness, 43, of San Francisco was booked at
County Jail in the Sunday night crash that killed Yellow Cab driver
and cabbie activist Zareh Soghikian, 76, of San Francisco and Duke
University student Tyler Brown, 21, of Marion, Mass., authorities said.

Fellow cab drivers were stunned by Soghikian’s death. Soghikian
represented Yellow Cab drivers on the United Taxicab Workers’ executive
board and had been fighting to get health care benefits for cabbies,
friends said.

“Zareh was a fighter,” said Ruach Graffis, membership secretary for
the taxicab union.

The crash happened about 11:45 p.m. Sunday at Broadway and Webster
Street in Pacific Heights. Police say McGuinness, driving a Toyota
Tundra pickup, ran a stop sign moments after he had fled from a minor
accident about 10 blocks away at Polk and Washington streets.

The Toyota broadsided Soghikian’s Ford Crown Victoria cab, police
said. A witness in the earlier alleged hit-and-run saw the crash and
called police.

Soghikian, a San Francisco cab driver for 25 years, and Brown, who
was sitting in the front seat of the cab, were pronounced dead at
the scene.

Two other passengers, Brown’s half-brother and their friend, Michael
Giedgowd, were injured in the crash. Giedgowd suffered a broken
leg and a hip fracture and was in stable condition at San Francisco
General Hospital. Brown’s half-brother suffered cuts and bruises,
authorities said.

McGuinness was arrested on two counts of vehicular manslaughter and
one count of drunken driving causing great bodily injury.

Relatives of McGuinness declined to comment Monday. His sister, who
did not want her name used, said, “I’m just so emotionally distraught
right now, I can’t answer any questions.”

Brown had been a double major in biomedical and mechanical
engineering at Duke in Durham, N.C. He recently went to help rebuild
the tsunami-ravaged Indonesian island of Sumatra, according to
the university. In August, he traveled to Banda Aceh to rebuild
shrimp hatcheries for residents from the nearby village of Lamnga,
officials said.

Brown and other students used palm fronds and fishing nets to design an
aerator to increase shrimp yield and limit erosion of the hatcheries’
dirt walls.

Brown had been excited about the project, saying, “Seeing the
villagers using the aerator, it made me feel good to be physically
doing something to help. Up until that point, I hadn’t applied my
knowledge outside the classroom,” according to the university.

Brown’s family was unavailable to comment.

Soghikian, who was of Armenian descent and grew up in Egypt, ran his
own travel agency, Prestige Travel, from his home on Scott Street in
the Marina district, acquaintances said. While off-duty, he enjoyed
driving his Mercedes-Benz and tending to his cat, friends said.

Fellow cabbies said Soghikian’s death underscored the dangers of
driving in the city.

“I realized that this could be anybody,” said Thomas George-Williams,
40, a National Cab driver and chairman of the taxi union’s board. “We
all encounter situations like this every night. You can avoid it by
luck, but sometimes you don’t stand a chance.”

Another cab driver, Barry Taranto, agreed, saying, “You never
expect that somebody’s going to come barreling through a stop sign
on Broadway. There are so many drunk drivers out there, and you have
to always anticipate what the other driver is going to do.”

RUSSIA TO EU: ‘HANDS OFF MOLDOVA’
Written by Brussels journalist David Ferguson

Euro-reporters.com, Belgium
Oct 11 2005

“You may claim that Moldova is an immediate neighbor of the EU, but
so is Iraq in a certain manner after the opening of negotiations with
Turkey,” said Russia’s EU Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov. Speaking at a
conference examining EU-Russia relations following last week’s London
summit, Chizhov underlined the fundamental agreement between the EU
and Russia. “The main thing is how to move forward.”

The Russian ambassador, whilst welcoming EU and US involvement in
negotiations on a settlement to Moldova’s Transnistrian conflict,
stressed the limits to expanded territorial discussions, especially
with the Baltic states: “Border agreements are not a Russia-EU issue.
They are bilateral matters between Russia and its neighbors.”

So how long will Russian troops be in Moldova, five, ten or even
twenty years? “The troops will certainly leave earlier than those
stationed in Iraq,” joked Chizhov at the Brussels think-tank European
Policy Centre’s conference. “Nobody wants to see these troops back
home more than we do in Russia.”

“Legally borders are a bilateral affair. But the EU is also a community
and we cannot accept that some EU regions have less border security
than others,” said European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee
President Elmar Brok.

Speaking alongside Chizhov, Brok stressed the ‘relations of solidarity’
between EU countries. “The EU is interested in clear borders. This
is in our common interest. We shouldn’t be asking whether a border
problem is in our garden or in yours.” MEP colleague and former
Lithuanian President Vytautas Landsbergis accused Russia of following
a divide-and-rule policy.

“As to the EU’s common border with Russia, Moscow has succeeded in
splitting Europe and turning the issue not into an EU matter but that
of the separate Member States on their own,” said Landsbergis. “This
is a major challenge for the EU. But in London at the EU-Russia summit,
we failed.”

There is, however, a growing EU presence in conflict regions such as
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and Georgia. Last week, EU External
Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner signed a memorandum
of understanding with Moldova and Ukraine on a border assistance
mission. Starting on 1 December, with ~@7 million and 50 observers for
an initial 24 months, the mission aids border management, including
customs, on the whole Moldova-Ukraine border.

“This will help prevent trafficking in people, smuggling of goods,
the proliferation of weapons and customs fraud,” said Ferrero-Waldner,
speaking last week in Moldova. “We will deploy a number of mobile
teams, consisting of approximately 50 border guards and customs
officials from EU Member States, to the most relevant locations along
the entire border, including the Transnistrian segment.”

The break-away Transnistria regime in Tiraspol along Moldova’s frontier
with Ukraine has been led by Igor Smirnov. Backed by Moscow, Smirnov
has held out against central authorities in Moldova since the early
1990s. “Moldova will be a neighbour when Romania joins. That is why
Moldova is part of our neighbourhood policy. Obviously, it is in
the EU’s interest that our neighbors have safe and fixed borders,”
said EU External Relations Spokesperson Emma Udwin.

Russian EU Ambassador Chizhov plays down the significance of the
former Soviet 14th Army in Moldova. “The presence of Russian troops in
Moldova doesn’t play any global or regional role. There are less than
1,100 Russian troops. Their primary task is to guard arms stockplies
on Transnistria terrority,” said Chizhov. “But people in Transnistria
also count on them as part of their security. So without a settlement
it would be difficult to agree to a withdrawal.”

For Chizhov, Russian troops in Moldova are peacekeepers, not occupying
forces: “It would be so easy for the Russian troops to leave the arms
and go home. Besides, more than half of the arms, and most of the heavy
equipment, has been withdrawn since the end of the Soviet Union. When
the political dialogue [between Transnistria and Moldovan authorities]
was under way, the trains were leaving with arms once every five
days. When the whole negotiation collapsed, the trains almost halted.”

The Russian EU ambassador also made a plea for more EU coherency. “I
would only welcome a more coherent EU policy on Russia,” said
Chizhov. “That would only make my job easier. But there is one
condition: this policy should not deteriorate into the lowest common
denominator.”

REACHING ARMENIANS WITH THE GOSPEL

Banner of Truth, UK
Oct 11 2005

Recently a news item came to my attention. The Prime Minister of
Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for an impartial study by
historians into the claims that over a million Armenian people were
slaughtered by Turkish troops from 1915 until about 1923. April 24,
2005, marked the 90th anniversary of what the Armenians refer to as
the “Genocide,” namely, the systematic and planned destruction of a
particular ethnic or national group.

What makes this news item about the Turkish Prime Minister’s call for
a study remarkable is that Turkey has never officially acknowledged
that genocide on a massive scale against the Armenians ever occurred,
let alone that Turkish government officials in that earlier period
were involved in some way in this genocide. Time will tell whether
Turkish government officials will fully cooperate in this study of
the documents that may shed light on what actually happened.

Let’s be clear in our use of terms: Armenia is a country at the east
end of the Black Sea, while Jacob Arminius was a 16th-17th century
minister in the Reformed Church in Amsterdam, a minister who taught
serious error about God’s grace and man’s ability to claim that
grace. So, an “Armenian” refers to a person of Armenian nationality,
background, descent, or citizenship. An “Arminian” is a person who
believes such a serious theological heresy. One can be both Armenian
and Arminian, but a person can be both Armenian and Reformed as well!

For a number of years Rev. Aaron Kayayan was the French broadcast
minister for the Back to God Hour. Rev. Kayayan’s background, however,
is not French but Armenian. He grew up in Greece, the country to which
his family had fled when the genocide had begun in the Ottoman Empire
(Turkey’s earlier name). God in his providence opened the doors that
enabled Aaron Kayavan later to study in France for the gospel ministry
in the Reformed churches in France.

For over the past decade now Rev. Kayayan has been very busy in
bringing the Reformed faith to the Armenian people. This ministry,
known as “Christians for Armenia” (a branch of Reformed Faith and
Life), carries on an active broadcast ministry in a country that is
dominated by the Armenian Apostolic Church, with its ritualism and
superstition. There is an evangelical presence in Armenia, but it is
small and rather ineffective. Thus there is a very great need for the
ministry that “Christians for Armenia” conducts. Letters bring back
reports that many people of all ages listen to the Reformed broadcasts
of Rev. Kayayan. As we all know, radio can reach cities and towns,
homes and businesses where missionaries might not be able to go.

When “Christians for Armenia” began, its broadcasts were heard on
only one station in Armenia, once a week. Now Rev. Kayayan’s messages
are heard on ten stations, four times a week, fifteen minutes per
day. Listeners send in letters to tell us how much hope as well as
instruction they receive from the broadcasts. The Reformed Faith
and Life staff in Armenia handles the requests for cassettes of the
messages as well as requests for Bibles.

Another element in the ministry of “Christians for Armenia” is
literature distribution. Rev. Kayayan had written many studies of
a Biblical and doctrinal nature while he was the French broadcast
minister for the Back to God Hour. Many of these works have now been
translated into Armenian, published and distributed to seminaries
and other interested people in Armenia. Obviously literature is
a resource that “keeps on giving.” Approximately fifteen titles
have been published to date, addressing topics from evangelism to
theology, as well as social and scientific issues. More titles are
being planned. Rev. Kayayan also produces an Armenian quarterly with
about 3000 copies distributed per issue. This quarterly publication
has also grown from 28 pages in its first issue, to 96 pages in
recent issues. This periodical (Havadk Yev Guiank, Faith and Life)
is distributed free because most Armenians are too poor to buy books
and other literature.

The challenge is great. Many would remember the devastating
earthquake that struck Armenia in 1988. Much of the country has not
been rebuilt. Poverty is rather widespread, and Armenia has several
hostile Muslim countries as its neighbors. Into that situation comes
a message of genuine hope and good news. The Reformed faith gives not
only comfort and hope about salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
but this faith also addresses the issues of living, justice, family
relationships, businesses, and all the rest of life.

Rev. Kayayan visits Armenia from time to time to speak with interested
groups, to teach in the schools that invite him to lecture, to
encourage the Armenia ministry staff in the country, and to see what
other windows of opportunity the Lord may provide for this work. At
the end of July Rev. Kayayan and Rev. Peter Adams of the Grace United
Reformed Church of Alto, Michigan, went to Armenia.

A summer camp was held July 25-31 at which both pastors Kayayan and
Adams spoke on the authority of the Scriptures and the confessions
as well as the gospel in our contemporary world and culture. About a
hundred participants (professors, intellectuals, social workers, and
pastors) attend. May the Lord continue to give “Badveli (Reverend)
Kayayan” much strength and a large vision for this work that is so
necessary for rebuilding a great land and a great people who have
endured so much.

If you are interested in obtaining more information in supporting
this work you can contact it at Reformed Faith & Life, 2133 N. Cross
Creek Dr. S.E. Grand Rapids, MI 49508-8775, USA

MURDER ROOM

Lynn News, UK
Oct 11 2005

A man whose burning body sparked a country-wide murder hunt had been
killed in the medical room of a Lynn factory, a court has heard.

Hovhannes Amirian had been shot four times and stabbed several times
and traces of his blood were found in the medical room at Cooper
Roller Bearings factory in Wisbech Road, South Lynn, it was alleged
at Norwich Crown Court yesterday.

The killing was linked to Lynn through a semi-burnt piece of paper
found near the body.

It turned out to be a health check appointment addressed to a factory
employee which had been disposed of in the medical room at Coopers.

A forensic examination of the room uncovered blood splatterings
belonging to Mr Amirian, said David Farrell QC, prosecuting.

A former security officer at the factory, 27-year-old Nisham Bakunts,
and his father-in-law, Misha Chatsjatrjan (43) are on trial for
murdering Mr Amirian between December 19 and 20, 2002, at Lynn.

Mr Farrell said Mr Amirian’s body was found burning in a field in
Upton near Peterborough, on Saturday, December 21, 2002, by off-duty
firefighter Jake Ellard.

“It was the body of an Armenian man known as Sako, who had been shot
four times, once in the head, once in the neck and twice in the face,
and who had also been stabbed in his body several times and then
transported to an isolated field, doused in petrol and set alight,”
said Mr Farrell.

Pieces of paper found at the fire referred to a medical appointment
and contained the names Talbot and Armstrong.

A total of 2,099 letters were sent out between August and September
2003 to people with those surnames, and on September 5 a significant
lead developed in a phone call to police from a Vanessa Armstrong,
who was secretary at Coopers.

It was Ms Armstrong’s job to arrange health tests for staff and the
letter had belonged to a Paul Talbot, who had been in the room three
days before the body was found.

Police and scenes of crimes officers searched the medical room on
September 22 and October 1, when it was discovered the layout of the
room had been changed since the body was found.

A cupboard had been placed against a wall on which Mr Amirian’s blood
was found, as well as on the couch. Disposable gloves were also found
which were from the same batch as those found near the body.

Mr Farrell said: “This proved the deceased man was killed in that
room. A lot of the area in which he had been killed was hidden by
the cabinet which had been moved.”

Mr Farrell said the victim was an Armenian national living in Belgium
who had been staying with Mr Bakunts in Yarmouth with his partner,
Arpine Karpetian (23), and their two children, for several months.

Mr Amirian had attended the couple’s wedding in Belgium, which turned
out not to be a proper ceremony. Mr Bakunts was granted asylum to
live in this country.

Inquiries revealed Mr Bakunts was a security officer at Coopers and
was in charge of factory security from 6pm on December 20 until 6am
on December 21 2002.

Every two hours welfare checks of the factory were made and there
was no response to the 4am check.

Mr Bakunts was not present when the shift changed at 6am on the 21st.

He called in sick that day and on December 23 his partner called
saying he would be off for another two days. In fact he never went
back, said Mr Farrell.

Another employee, Wayne Coddington, told police that Mr Bakunts
sometimes turned up at work with another man who he claimed was his
brother but was in fact Mr Amirian, said Mr Farrell.

Mr Farrell said a post mortem by Home Office pathologist Dr Nat Cary
revealed four bullets were found in Mr Amirian’s head and face,
with multiple severe stab wounds to his trunk, which had all been
inflicted while he was still alive.

A blank firing pistol costing £92.95 had been bought by Mr Bakunts
from a gunshop on December 2, 2002, along with 50 blank cartridges.

The bullets used were home- made and lead used to convert the
cartridges into real bullets was available at Coopers, said Mr Farrell.

Mr Bakunts, of Litchfield Road, Yarmouth, and Mr Chatsjatrjan, of
The Straat, The Netherlands, deny murder.

The case continues.

–Boundary_(ID_fzX1HsSPV6Aea618CWKQ5A)–

NKR NATIONAL STATISTICS SERVICE

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Oct 10 2005

DEMOGRAPHIC INDICES. From January to September 2005 1525 children were
born in NKR against 1619 in the same period in 2004, death rate is
977 against 1004 in 2004. The rate of juvenile death under 1 year was
15 against 16 in 2004. The rate of natural increase of population was
548, dropping by 67 or 10.9 per cent since 2004. In the same period
by official data 677 people arrived in Karabakh and 627 people left
Karabakh. The rate of migration totaled 50. From January to September
2005 548 marriages were registered against 573 in the same period of
2004, and the divorce rate was 96 against 61 in 2004. From January to
September 2005 the ratio of marriages to divorces was 100 to 18 against
100 to 11 in 2004. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX. From January to September
in 2005 the CPI totaled 100.4 per cent against the same period in
2004, including food (as well as alcohol drinks and tobacco) 99.2 per
cent, consumer goods 104.8 per cent, services 101.4 per cent. In the
mentioned period a rise was reported in ready-made clothes and cloth,
petrol and education. In September 2005 the CPI totaled 95.6 per cent
against December 2004, and 109.4 per cent against 2002.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE CHIEF TO VISIT U.S.
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenia Liberty
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
Oct 11 2005

Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian will leave for the United States
on October 23 on a five-day official visit to which will underline
Armenia’s growing military ties with America.

Sarkisian is scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
and visit the U.S. military’s Central Command in Florida. His itinerary
also includes a visit to the U.S. state of Kansas. The Kansas National
Guard has established direct contacts with Armenia’s Armed Forces as
part of U.S.-Armenian military cooperation.

“We will discuss ways of deepening bilateral cooperation,” Sarkisian
said on Tuesday.

Sarkisian told reporters that the political situation in Armenia
will not be on the agenda of his talks in Washington. “I rule out
any discussion of internal political issues there,” he said. “I’m
not used to discussing our domestic political issues in any foreign
country. That would be kind of humiliating.”

The visit will come less than a month after the latest annual “defense
consultations” that were held in Yerevan by senior U.S. and Armenian
military officials. The Pentagon delegation was led by Scott Schless,
the Eurasia director at Rumsfeld’s office. The two sides reportedly
agreed on a plan of joint defense-related activities for next year.

They also discussed continuing U.S. military assistance to Armenia
which has totaled over $20 million since 2002. The assistance is being
mostly used for upgrading communication facilities of the Armenian
armed forces as well as training Armenian military personnel in the
U.S. Washington’s ambassador in Yerevan, John Evans, was reported
after the talks to hail the “broadening and deepening” of the bilateral
defense relationship.

Sarkisian’s trip will highlight Armenia’s efforts to “complement”
its military alliance with Russia with closer defense cooperation
with NATO and the U.S. in particular. In a speech last Friday,
Sarkisian said that cooperation is now among “the guarantees of
ensuring Armenia’s security.”

The Armenian defense chief, widely seen as President Robert Kocharian’s
most likely successor, was interviewed by journalists after decorating
some members of an Armenian army platoon that performed non-combat
tasks in Iraq for six months this year.

Addressing the unit, he thanked the servicemen for “keeping high the
prestige of the Armenian armed forces.” He also defended Armenia’s
continuing participation of the U.S.-led occupation force there.

Armenian-American lobbyists say Yerevan’s highly unpopular decision to
send the small contingent to Iraq last January helped to neutralize
senior Pentagon officials who question the wisdom of helping the
Armenian military. The U.S. military aid is expected to make up at
least $5.75 in the fiscal year 2006.

GOVERNMENT BLOCKS SURGE IN PHONE TARIFFS
By Shakeh Avoyan

Armenia Liberty
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
Oct 11 2005

The Armenian government will block a steep rise in fixed-line phone
charges planned by the ArmenTel national telecommunications operator,
Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukian said on
Tuesday.

ArmenTel’s requested the Transport and Communications Ministry’s
mandatory permission for the tariff hike in a letter last August. The
Greek-owned company wants to double the existing subscription fee of
950 drams ($2) per month and cut by half the length of time covered
by it.

Outgoing local phone calls extending beyond that monthly limit that
are charged on a per-minute basis. ArmenTel would like to drastically
raise its existing charge of 4 drams per minute as well.

Manukian said his ministry has studied the telecom operator’s request
and found it “unjustified.” But he indicated that the Armenian
government would agree to a more modest tariff rise.

“We will be proposing economically substantiated tariffs [to
ArmenTel]. We never make proposals that are not beneficial for the
population,” Manukian told a news conference. But he refused to
elaborate on those proposals.

The government and ArmenTel, which bitterly disagreed on the fixed-line
charges in the past, will now have to sort out their differences at
the negotiating table. “If we do not reach agreement in the next 45
days … the current tariffs will remain in force,” said Manukian. He
said the government is interested in striking a compromise deal with
ArmenTel because failure to do so would automatically prolong the
company’s legal monopoly on fixed-line telephony by three years.

ArmenTel, which is 90 percent owned by Greece’s OTE, agreed last
year to give up that monopoly in 2009 in an out-of-court settlement
of its long-running disputes with the government in Yerevan. The
deal paved the way for last July’s launch of Armenia’s second mobile
phone network which has already rendered wireless service far more
accessible and affordable for the population.

But the OTE subsidiary also clinched important concessions such as
a government pledge to maintain its highly controversial exclusive
rights to Armenia’s Internet connection with the outside world. The
ArmenTel monopoly is widely blamed by Armenian information technology
experts on the high cost and poor quality of the service.

The monopoly appears to be the main reason why ArmenTel has been one
of OTE’s best-performing divisions ever since its 1998 takeover by the
Greek telecom giant. Despite losing its grip on the lucrative mobile
telephony, ArmenTel posted a 66.7 percent surge in its earnings in the
first half of this year. They totaled $20.6 million during that period.

“IRAN SYMPHONY” TO BE PERFORMED BY HONAR ACADEMY OF CULTURE

Payvand, Iran
Oct 11 2005

Tehran, Oct 11, IRNA-The Iranian composer of “Iran Symphony”, Shahin
Farhat, said in Tehran on Tuesday that Honar Academy of Culture is
commissioned to perform the “Iran Symphony”. The symphony represents
the national glory, history and folk music, while old melodies have
been included in the piece in a modern way. He told IRNA that the
symphony has been written based on Iranian themes.

Not making any reference to the expected date the piece will be
played , he said, “Following the successful performance of Persian
Gulf and Damavand symphonies in Armenia, which was hailed warmly,
I decided to repeat the concert on the domestic scene due to its
purely Iranian themes.”

The musician referred to the performance of the symphony in Iran as
a privilege and expressed his constant interest in presenting his
works on the domestic scene.

Farhat also pointed out that one of his musical pieces will be
performed by Ali Rahbari in the near future.

Turning to the difficulties facing the performance of orchestral works
in Iran, he said, “Lack of proper musical instruments and equipment
as well as secondary facilities such as synchronous recording make
the conductor of the orchestra unable to arrange the rhythms.

“Nowhere in the world are classical musical pieces played in such an
order as to start with string instruments, proceed with recording
percussion instruments and eventually mix the resulting tunes,”
concluded Farhat.

OSCE GIVES MIXED GRADE FOR AZERBAIJANI ELECTION PREPARATIONS
Jahan Aliyeva 10/11/05

EurasiaNet, NY
Oct 11 2005

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s first report
on conditions in Azerbaijan in the run-up to the country’s November
6 parliamentary elections promises to further debate over whether
government bans on opposition rallies in downtown Baku violate voters’
right to freedom of assembly.

The nine-page report, published on September 30, focused on events
within Azerbaijan between September 5 and September 23, and did not
include assessments of three recent unsanctioned demonstrations in
the Azerbaijani capital which left scores wounded.

The report praised President Ilham Aliyev’s May 11 decree that called
for officials to provide conditions for a free and fair parliamentary
vote, and warned them against tolerating voting irregularities. The
decree ordered election officials to produce accurate and updated
voter lists and make them available for all candidates, and to ensure
all candidates have equal access to state media.

The report concluded that the decree has improved the overall campaign
atmosphere, but noted that considerable problems still remain.

Although opposition rallies have been permitted throughout
Azerbaijan, the report noted that they occur “under a heavy police
presence.” The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) observation mission reported that local authorities “assume
considerable discretion to restrict and prohibit rallies,” although
Azerbaijan’s Law on Freedom of Assembly states that rally bans or
restrictions “must be highly needed” or “a measure of last resort.”

To date, no court has overturned a decision to ban an opposition rally,
the report added.

The report went on to state that Azerbaijani authorities have ignored
OSCE recommendations for improving the legislative framework for the
November 6 elections, The Election Code has been amended six times
mostly due to “technical reasons,” the report argues, and does not
address recommendations from the OSCE and the Council of Europe’s
Venice Commission for an equal representation of pro-government and
opposition representatives on the Central Election Commission.

According to the report, the method for forming election commissions
“ensures the pro-government parties a dominant position at all
levels.” The 15-member commission is made up of six representatives
of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party, six from the opposition parties
(three from parties with parliamentary representation, three from
parties not represented in parliament), and three non-partisan members
of parliament. The non-partisan members, however, frequently vote
with the YAP representatives, leaving the opposition in a minority.

The report also took issue with the government’s rejection of
suggestions that voter’s fingers be inked to avoid multiple, or
“carousel,” voting, a problem in both the 2003 presidential elections
and last parliamentary elections in 2000. “The inking of voters’ finger
has not been considered as a mechanism for increasing public confidence
in the election process by diminishing the risk of multiple voting.”

The Azerbaijani government has dismissed the report’s conclusions as
misguided. Traveling in the Kurdamir region in the southwest of the
country on October 6, President Aliyev stated that the Election Code
and his May 11 decree provide sufficiently for free and fair elections.

Sayyad Aran, a member of the parliamentary Legal Policy and State
Development Commission for the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan party, echoed
that position, saying that he does not agree with the complaints on
restrictions of freedom of assembly.

“Both in the regions and in Baku, the opposition is always given
permission to conduct rallies. Simply, they do not agree with the
given place and insist on other places, which then become unsanctioned
rallies,” Aran said.

For its part, the Central Election Commission has rejected OSCE
criticism of the election commissions’ make-up, Natiq Mammadov,
a CEC representative, stated that ruling party members do not hold
the majority representation on election commissions. “Election
commissions were formed equally from government, opposition and
non-partisans,” Mammadov said. As for the inking of voter’s fingers,
Mammadov stressed that the Election Code contains sufficient provisions
to avoid multiple voting.

Criticism of the report was not limited to the government, however.

Isa Gambar, leader of the Musavat Party, one of the three parties that
makes up the largest opposition election alliance, Azadlig (Freedom),
said that although the report took note of overall problems, ranging
from authorities’ control over the election commissions to the issue
of voter identification cards, the report did not include information
on interference in the election campaign by police and violations of
the right to assembly.

“We just hope that the next reports would examine and include the
violence during opposition rallies and especially the violence during
the September 25 protest and October 1 rally,” Gambar said. “All those
facts indicate that the Azerbaijani government is not preparing to
conduct a transparent poll, but [,instead,] flawed elections,”

Democratic Party of Azerbaijan Deputy Chairman Sardar Calaloglu
shared the same point of view, saying that the report could have
been much tougher. According to Calaloglu, the report’s mention of
improvements in registering candidates and granting permission to
hold rallies were simply a poor attempt by the Aliyev government to
show that the election will be transparent.

But Calaoglu, speaking before the October 9 demonstration, said the
election commissions remain under the control of the ruling Yeni
Azerbaijan party, and that the violence during the October 1 rally
indicates that the November 6 elections will be falsified.

The OSCE mission report did not include the unsanctioned demonstrations
by the Azadlig bloc of three major opposition parties on Sept. 25
and Oct. 1, which resulted in clashes between police and protesters.

The report noted as an improvement the registration of more than
2000 candidates, including 48 political parties and blocs, saying
the elections offer the prospect of a broad choice to voters at the
polling stations. Overall, the OSCE considered the work of the CEC
satisfactory, pointing to regular meetings open to local media and
observers.

However, the report raised concern over the internally displaced
persons (IDPs), who make up some 12 percent of the electorate, noting
that 800,000 IDP, mostly refugees from the Karabakh conflict with
Armenia, are living far from their polling stations.

The CEC’s Mammadov put that situation down to simple logistics.

“Polling stations have been organized in the places where many
refugees live close together,” CEC member Mammadov said. “But it is
not possible to create the possibility to vote for each refugee who
is living far away from a polling station.”

The OSCE, however, has not been alone in expressing reservations
about the chances for a democratic vote this November. On October 4,
the New York City-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) organization issued a
statement that argued that abuse against the opposition cast serious
doubt on the Azerbaijani government’s commitment to ensuring a fair
nationwide poll. HRW urged the United States and the Council of
Europe to forcefully condemn the police violence against protestors
during the opposition’s unsanctioned demonstrations in central Baku
on September 25 and October 1.

One day after the HRW statement, the US Department of State expressed
strong concerns about the events of September 25 and October 1 and
urged both the authorities and opposition to “return to the negotiating
table in the four weeks before the election.”

Following the violence that marked the opposition’s October 9
demonstration, the US embassy in Baku issued a statement that called
on “all parliamentary candidates and political parties to work with
voters seriously to gain their trust and support.”

“The US embassy thinks that it is important for Azerbaijan’s future
to hold a successful election,” the statement concluded.

Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Jahan Aliyeva is a freelance reporter
currently based in Tbilisi.

TURKEY AND THE EUROPEAN TENT – PART I

Yale Global Online, CT
Oct 11 2005

Opening the door to Ankara is a win-win for both the European Union
and Turkey

Welcome to the club, at last: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
(right), welcomes Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul in Luxembourg
while meeting with the European Union foreign ministers. (Photo:
Reuters)

BRUSSELS: Years from now, historians looking back at the evolution of
the European continent might consider October 3 a landmark. On that
day, the start of negotiations on Turkey’s membership in the European
Union marked a triumph for reformists who have battled long and hard
to whip the country into shape for EU entry. The talks signal the
opening of EU doors for the first time to a predominantly Muslim
country – albeit one with a secular constitution – and represent
a new political maturity, ever since Spain’s Catholic monarchy
stamped out the last Islamic rule from the European continent in
the 15th century. It marked a victory for European policymakers who
reject the notion of the EU as a Christian club and of religion as a
dividing force between people. But it was not an unalloyed victory,
as significant obstacles remain in the path of transforming the dream
of a truly secular multi-religious Europe into a reality.

It is not just a historic move. Both sides stand to reap immediate
rewards. Turkey wins kudos for surmounting an endless series of hurdles
to qualify for EU membership, thereby proving its credentials as a
modern and dynamic society ready to pursue the challenge of further
reform. The EU, meanwhile, has boosted its flagging international
reputation by showing it can take hard decisions despite months of
moroseness following the French and Dutch rejections of a new EU
constitution this summer.

Even more significantly, Europe’s embrace of Turkey provides vivid
proof of the success of the bloc’s “soft power” approach to ensuring
political change and encouraging the emergence of moderate Islam in
its neighborhood. The EU’s use of gentle pressure to promote change
in Turkey has won admiration from the many Muslim governments weary
of hard-line US policies and unimpressed by Washington’s heavy-handed
public relations. By reaching out to Ankara, the EU has also sent
a message of reassurance to its own 20 million Muslims, who are
increasingly uneasy about their future in Europe – particularly with
the rise in anti-Islamic sentiment following the September 11 attacks,
the Madrid train bombings, and the London underground explosions.

The start of the talks has not been easy. Last-minute Austrian
demands that Turkey be offered a watered-down privileged partnership
almost scuppered the negotiations before they started. As EU foreign
ministers, meeting for crisis talks in Luxembourg, squabbled and
bickered over the final membership terms, British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw engaged in a complicated juggling act including talks with
Austria, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, and US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice.

Despite the unseemly quarrels, however, Straw and Gul did indeed make
history. The launch of negotiations was a strong signal that a clash
of civilizations is not inevitable, said Straw, adding: “This is proof
we can live, progress, and work together.” In Ankara, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoðan said, “This is a victory for common sense.”

Europe’s challenge to doomsayers, who foresee conflict and
confrontation between the West and Islam, marks the coming-of-age of
an increasingly diverse and multi-religious continent, agrees Vural
Oeger, a German social democrat of Turkish descent and a member of
the European Parliament. By keeping its word to Turkey, the EU has
boosted its standing in the Islamic world and rejected extremists’
vision of a divide between the West and Islam, says Oeger, adding:
“I am sure that al-Qaida is very angry.”

Sajjad Karim, a British liberal democrat member of the European
Parliament, agrees that the EU-Turkey talks will help heal some of
the wounds wreaked by continuing anti-Islamic discrimination. As a
moderate and secular Islamic nation, Turkey can also contribute to
the ongoing debate in Europe on modernizing Islam, he says. “Turkey is
democratic, secular, and Muslim, a perfect model for many,” adds Karim.

However, Brussels and Ankara face an array of daunting day-after
challenges, including continuing public hostility to Turkish accession
in Europe and rising anti-EU sentiment in Turkey. In addition, many
leading European politicians, including the next German chancellor
Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s would-be candidate in
2007 presidential elections, remain deeply skeptical about allowing
Ankara into the Union.

While some see Turkey as proof that Islam and democracy can co-exist,
opinion polls in Europe show continuing public fear of the Muslim
nation. European fears of increasingly militant Muslims in their
own backyard have grown in the wake of recent terror attacks. Also
fueling the unease is the murder last year of Dutch film maker Theo
Van Gogh by a young Moroccan, as well as the recent French controversy
over the ban on Muslim headscarves in schools. Echoing such concerns,
French President Jacques Chirac has warned that Turkey will need to
undergo a “major cultural revolution” to gain entry into the EU.

Many in Europe also worry at the economic cost of integrating a vast
and still largely underdeveloped country of over 70 million people.

Proponents of Turkish membership insist, however, that Turkey is
wealthier than the eastern European countries seeking EU entry and
that the process of development will speed up even further during the
accession negotiations. Many contend that the large Turkish workforce
will be essential in helping the EU compete with the likes of China
and India.

Negotiations are expected to take between 10 to 15 years and could
be suspended at any time if even one EU country raises objections.

Ankara will have to press ahead with political and human rights reforms
– and ensure their implementation in several areas. “Turkey will be
under ever closer scrutiny by the EU, by European public opinion,
and by member states,” warned EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn. There
will be pressure on Turkey to help find a political solution in Cyprus
and to accept responsibility for the alleged genocide of Armenians
by the Ottomans in 1915.

Also, EU policymakers admit that although more and more countries
are knocking on EU doors, there is a certain “enlargement fatigue”
following last year’s big-bang expansion to 25 states. Significantly,
the EU membership conditions for Ankara spell out, for the first time,
that Turkish accession will depend on the EU’s ability to absorb the
country as a full member.

As negotiations start in earnest, EU and Turkish leaders will have
to undertake the mammoth task of preparing their citizens to live
together. EU politicians have too often taken the easy road by
pandering to the anti-Islamic prejudices of the far-right parties,
thereby increasing popular fears about Islam and Muslims.

They will now have to encourage more cultural exchanges and contacts
between students, non-governmental organizations, and business
leaders. For the first time, the European leadership must start giving
an honest, public account of the many advantages of embracing Turkey
as an EU member. Whether history was indeed made on October 3 will be
determined by how the European and Turkish leaders and public carry
their new mandate to fruition.

Shada Islam is a Brussels-based journalist specializing in EU policy
and Europe’s relations with Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

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