US STATE DEPARTMENT CONSIDERS AZERBAIJAN SHOULD USE INCENTIVES TO DEVELOP NON-OIL SECTOR
Today, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006
The US State Department today issued the “Azerbaijan 2006 Investment
Climate Statement”.
The statement says that a long running and unresolved conflict with
Armenia over Nagorno Karabakh has left Azerbaijan with approximately
800,000 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the
problem of refugees and IDPs constitutes an enormous burden on
economic and democratic development. However, as a result of the
state policy aimed at poverty reduction and regional development
pursued in Azerbaijan in 2005, the country has achieved high
macroeconomic indicators. As a continuation of this process in 2006,
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is forecasted to be as high as 30%
this year. In addition, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline project,
which will significantly stimulate general development of the country,
is planned to be completed in 2006.
The statement notes that the government of Azerbaijan officially
welcomes foreign direct investment, realizing that it plays a vital
role in development of the countrys economy. The Law on Protection
of Foreign Investments permits foreign direct investment (FDI) in
any activity open to a national investor unless prohibited by law.
Prohibited areas include those relating to national security and
defense.
It is also said that under Azerbaijani law, foreign investors may
participate in the Azerbaijani market through joint ventures with
local companies, establishment of subsidiaries wholly owned by foreign
investors, and representative offices and branches of foreign legal
entities.
The section “Performance Requirements and Incentives” of the statement
says that Azerbaijan has not yet developed effective incentives to
attract foreign investment, other than the incentives provided by
Production Sharing Agreements in the oil and gas sector, APA informs.
Another section in the statement is about corruption. This section
states that corruption is a significant deterrent to investment in
Azerbaijan, especially in the non-energy sector. Laws and regulations
that exist to combat corruption have not been effectively enforced. A
new anti-corruption law came into force in January 2005. However,
Azerbaijan made little progress on implementation of this law in 2005.
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US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA RECALLED EARLIER FOR USING EXPRESSION “ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”
Today, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006
Pro-Armeninan “The California Courier” newspaper writes that the
cause is that American ambassador mentioned that genocide policy was
pursued against Armenians in the period of the Ottoman Empire.
John Evans has already informed the Armenian authorities that his
diplomatic mission is over earlier, APA informs.
The US Senate has defined a new ambassador to Armenia. He is the US
ambassador to Tajikistan Richard Hoagland.
A year earlier during the meeting with Armenian community in San
Francisco, John Evans referring to the so-called “Armenian genocide”
said that it can be recognized.
“I regard the event as an act of genocide. No American official has
ever denied this fact. I think it will not bring honor to Americans to
play with words concerning this issue. I know that everything should
be called by their names. However, the US policy has not changed. We
have military relations with Turkey in the framework of NATO. The
Armenian genocide was the first genocide that was committed in the
20th century. I assure you that we shall seriously deal with this
issue,” John Evans said.
Seeing that his statements caused serious dissatisfactions, John Evans
told a news conference in the US Embassy, Yerevan, that his statements
were unofficial, and did not represent official stance of his country.
“In my meeting with Armenian community, I said that US stance
concerning the Armenian tragedy remains unchanged. I used the
expression of “genocide” but this expression belongs to me -John Evans
only not a politician. However, I must admit that my statements were
not needed that time,” he said.
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EVEN IN THE WEST, FREE SPEECH IS NOT AN ABSOLUTE RIGHT
By Maura Jane Farrelly
06 March 2006
Voice of America
March 7 2006
New York
Freedom of speech has been a hot topic in the news lately. It is
one of the pillars of Western society, but, as newspaper editors in
Europe recently learned, free speech is a concept some people in the
world believe ought to be limited.
Riots in predominantly Muslim countries over the publication of
religiously offensive cartoons have caused some to assert that the
debate is one of “The West versus The Rest.” But even in Western
societies, the right to express oneself is not absolute.
Next month, for example, America’s Public Broadcasting system, or
“PBS,” will air a documentary called “The Armenian Genocide.” It will
explore the circumstances surrounding the deaths of an estimated 1.2
million Armenians who lived in the Ottoman Empire during and after
World War I.
The overwhelming consensus among Western scholars is that these deaths
constitute the first genocide of the 20th century. But the Turkish
government disputes that conclusion, saying the deaths were not
the result of state-sponsored extermination, and cannot, therefore,
be called “genocide.”
Following the documentary, PBS plans to air a 25-minute panel
discussion that includes two scholars who embrace the widely dismissed
view of the Turkish government.
“We’re certainly concerned about this, and we feel this program really
has no place on public television,” says Elizabeth Chouldjian of
the Armenian National Committee of America, which has called on PBS
not to broadcast the panel discussion. “Just as one would not give
equal time to Holocaust deniers to get up on PBS and talk about their
incorrect views,” Chouldjian says, “similarly one shouldn’t cloud the
issue and misguide viewers by bringing known genocide deniers to this
type of equation.”
British historian David Irving holds his book “Hitler’s War” when
arriving at a court in Vienna, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2006.
PBS did not respond to VOA’s requests for an interview. But Elizabeth
Chouldjian’s assertion that the network would never give airtime to
deniers of the Jewish Holocaust has captured some people’s attention,
particularly in light of the recent conviction of David Irving, the
British historian who was sentenced in Vienna to three years’ jail-time
for breaking an Austrian law that forbids denial of the Holocaust.
According to Robert Kahn, a professor at Brooklyn Law School who
has written extensively about laws governing Holocaust denial,
free speech in the West is not an absolute right. It is tempered,
Kahn says, by a complex system of legal and self-imposed censorship
that’s almost always derived from a society’s history.
Brooklyn law professor Robert Kahn specializes on legal restrictions
on holocaust denial “The countries that tend to have the laws that
specifically ban Holocaust denial — France, Germany, and Austria —
either participated in the Holocaust or had serious problems with
collaboration,” he says. “Even though the United States and Canada
have large Jewish communities, and have survivors and people who
experienced the Holocaust, it’s not the same type of thing.”
It is not illegal in the United States to deny the Holocaust, just
exceedingly undiplomatic, given the number of survivors who came to
this country after the war, and no one who wants to enjoy mainstream
credibility would ever do it. That does not mean, though, that speech
in America is without any legal restrictions. Robert Kahn says there
are a number of state and federal laws that limit expression.
“There are some types of speech, like cross burning, which, when
done to intimidate, are illegal,” Kahn says. “In a lot of states,
particularly in the U.S. South, you’re not allowed to demonstrate
while wearing a mask. These rules are basically connected up with the
role of the (Ku Klux) Klan in American history, and tend to show that
societies are very concerned about speech that talks about prior acts
of racism…they have committed.”
But it is not just negative, or “ugly” history that causes some
western societies to impose official and unofficial limits on free
speech. Professor Kahn points to the fact that no major American
newspapers chose to publish the cartoons of Mohammed that generated
controversy when they were distributed throughout Europe. “The United
States is a religious country and understands the idea of respecting
or disrespecting someone else’s religion,” he says. “Whereas you
could make an argument that Europe is much more secular, and that
therefore the idea that you would run something that profanes the
Prophet is not as big a deal.”
Meanwhile, PBS has not announced any plans to cancel its broadcast
of the panel discussion, which was taped in early February, and is
scheduled to air on April 17th.
/2006-03-06-voa48.cfm
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BUDAPEST COURT TO MAKE A SENTENCE IN REGARD TO AZERI OFFICER ON 13 APR
Author: E.Javadova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
March 7 2006
The Budapest court will make a sentence in regard to Azerbaijani
officer Ramil Safarov on 13 April, Trend reports quoting Adil
Ismayilov, the Azerbaijani lawyer of the defendant.
According to Ismayilov, the expert report was heard out at the sitting
held on 7 March. “Experts were invited to the sitting and their report
was heard out. Examination was set thrice in relation to psychological
state of Safarov and all three expert reports contradict to each
other. This time experts confirmed report of the first examination,
showing that Safarov was sane person during commitment of the
incident, as well as at present time. The expert, made the second
expert report, also participated in the sitting. In accordance with
this expert report, Safarov was regarded as medium-sane. Nevertheless,
the experts, made the third expert report, were not invited to the
sitting. In accordance with the third expert report, Safarov was
insane during the incident and at present time, but the judge did
not take it into consideration,” Ismayilov noted.
According to Ismayilov, during the last sitting the court investigated
contradictions between the reports and accepted the first one. The
judge addressed to sides with will to sum up the sitting.
“The lawyer of Safarov in Budapest informed the judge that she was
not ready for making speech and must to get some documents.
Therefore, the judge put the next sitting till 4 and 13 April. He
said that the sentence will be made on 13 April after delivery of
speeches,” Ismayilov noted.
It should be mentioned that Safarov is accused of murder of Armenian
officer Gurgen Markarian.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN EXCHANGE GUNFIRE NEAR KARABAKH
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Czech Republic
March 7 2006
The Nagorno-Karabakh army in training in 2005
(Photolur)
March 7, 2006 — Azerbaijani and Armenian forces exchanged gunfire
today in what correspondents say is the most serious outbreak of
violence in the region in recent months.
Azerbaijan said one of its soldiers was killed early on March 7 near
the ceasefire line that separates Azerbaijani and Armenian forces.
Armenian forces said one of their men had been killed in a separate
clash last week.
Both sides blamed the other for triggering the latest exchanges
of fire.
The two countries are in a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mostly
ethnic Armenian enclave which split from Azerbaijan in a war in the
early 1990s. A 1994 cease-fire ended the fighting but the status of
the enclave remains unresolved.
Tensions have been rising since talks in France between the Armenian
and Azerbaijani presidents last month in France failed to deliver
progress.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY MAY PROVIDE MILITARY AID TO AZERBAIJAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
07.03.2006 19:13 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “If there is an agreement on creation of
military alliance between Azerbaijan and Turkey, “the latter may
provide military assistance to Azerbaijan in case of resumption of
hostilities,” said Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Turan Morali. In
his words, at the moment there is no agreement on military alliance
between the states. The Ambassador underscored that Turkey does not
support settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through war.
“The sides should work for peace in all circumstances,” Mr. Morali
said.
The Ambassador also said Turkey is providing different types
of assistance to Azerbaijani Armed Forces under the treaty on
military cooperation. “Turkey is implementing various programs with
Azerbaijan. We shall continue these programs and assistance this
year, too. There will also be technical aid, trainings and etc.”,
said Mr. Morali, reported APA.

ISSUE OF CORRESPONDENCE TO RA CONSTITUTION OF GOVERNMENT’S DECISIONS ON CONSTRUCTION IN YEREVAN CENTER TO BE EXAMINED ON MARCH 21
Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 21, on the basis of RA
Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian’s application, RA Constitutional Court
will examine the issue of correspondence to RA Constitution of the
government’s decisions on construction in Yerevan center. As Noyan
Tapan correspondent was informed by RA CC Press Service, the decision
about this was made at the CC March 7 sitting.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMS PLANS TO BUILD NEW NUCLEAR PLANT
By Emil Danielyan
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
March 7 2006
Yerevan seeks investors to replace Metsamor nuclear plant The Armenian
government has pledged to press ahead with the realization of its
extremely ambitious plans to build a new nuclear power station in
place of the aging Metsamor plant, which is due to be shut down by
2016. Underlining the seriousness of its intentions, it has asked
parliament allow it to start looking for foreign and/or private
investors interested in participating in the project. Government
officials insist that continued use of atomic energy for peaceful
purposes is vital for the landlocked country’s energy security,
dismissing concerns expressed by environment protection groups.
The Metsamor plant was built in the late 1970s and closed for safety
reasons in the aftermath of the catastrophic 1988 earthquake that
devastated much of northwestern Armenia. The Soviet-era facility,
located about 30 kilometers west of Yerevan, was brought back into
service in 1995, ending severe power shortages suffered by the newly
independent state for several consecutive years. It currently accounts
for nearly 40% of Armenia’s electricity output.
The European Union and the United States tried in vain to prevent
the first-ever reactivation of a nuclear plant in the world, saying
that Metsamor’s sole operating reactor fails to meet modern safety
standards. The EU considers the VVER 440-V230 light-water-cooled
reactor to be one of the “oldest and least reliable” of 66 such
facilities built in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The
EU and the United States had essentially no choice but to acquiesce
Metsamor’s reactivation and help Armenia to significantly boost its
safety. They have each spent tens of millions of dollars for that
purpose over the past decade.
Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also
regularly inspect the Armenian nuclear plant. “I think the cooperation
[between Armenia and IAEA] has been good,” the head of the United
Nations nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, said during a visit to
Armenia in July 2005. “I think there has been a commitment to continue
to strengthen safety at Metsamor.” ElBaradei added that the Armenian
authorities intend to keep the reactor operational “for around ten
years,” a time frame that has since been repeatedly reaffirmed by
the Energy Ministry in Yerevan.
The administration of President Robert Kocharian successfully
withstood EU pressure to decommission the plant in 2004. Whether the
Europeans approve of its desire to have a new, more modern plan is
not yet known. “The European Union has only been informed about our
plans. We have had no discussions on it,” Deputy Energy Minister Areg
Galstian said in an interview with the Hayots Ashkhar daily published
on March 2.
Galstian and other government officials estimate that construction
of the new nuclear plant will cost at least $1 billion, a sum that
roughly equals Armenia’s state budget for this year. They admit that
the project cannot be implemented without foreign participation,
which they say is rendered impossible by the Armenian government’s
legal monopoly on nuclear energy.
The government asked parliament earlier this year to remove a clause
upholding that monopoly from an Armenian law on energy. However,
it was forced to temporarily withdraw the proposal on March 1
after facing unusually strong resistance from the National Assembly,
which is dominated by Kocharian supporters. Many lawmakers, including
speaker Artur Baghdasarian, whose Orinats Yerkir Party is a member of
the governing coalition, worry that the proposed amendment is a mere
prelude to Metsamor’s partial or full sale to Russia. Unified Energy
Systems, Russia’s state-run power monopoly, was already granted control
over Metsamor’s finances in 2003 in return for clearing its $40 million
debt to Russian suppliers of nuclear fuel. The concerns publicly
voiced by Baghdasarian and his colleagues reflect a growing public
sense that the Russian presence in Armenia’s energy sector is already
disproportionately strong and should not turn into a stranglehold.
Government officials were at pains last week to allay these fears,
ruling out Metsamor’s sale. “That amendment is meant for the new
nuclear plants to be built after its passage and has nothing to do
with Metsamor,” Energy Minister Armen Movsisian assured reporters. “I
believe that presenting the opposite to the people is populism.”
It is unclear which foreign country or firm might be interested in
making large-scale investments in the would-be Armenian plant.
Galstian, Movsisian’s deputy, acknowledged that no potential foreign
investor has so far expressed readiness to participate in the
project. He said the government would make public its nuclear energy
strategy in greater detail “in two or three months.”
It will hardly convince local environmentalists, who have long argued
that a country located in a seismically active zone must not have
any nuclear facilities in principle. They say the authorities should
instead increasingly rely on renewable sources of energy such as wind,
the sun, and especially water. According to Energy Ministry estimates,
those sources could potentially meet as much as 70% of Armenia’s
energy needs. Hydroelectric plants built on the country’s fast-flowing
mountain rivers already provide more than a quarter of Armenian
electricity. Building more such plants would clearly cost far less
than replacing Metsamor with another nuclear facility. The Kocharian
administration has yet to explain why it prefers the latter option.
(Hayots Ashkhar, March 2; Hayastani Hanrapetutyun, March 2; RFE/RL
Armenia Report, February 28; July 28, 2005)

PROTEST MARCH AGAINST ‘GENOCIDE’ MONUMENT IN LYON
Zaman, Turkey
March 7 2006
Having been a matter of political discussion for the last two years,
the construction of the so-called Armenian genocide monument has
started in Lyon, France.
Opposition associations in Lyon, claiming it would distort the
historical fabric, failed prevent the construction of the monument
in the historical center of the city, which is included in UNESCO’s
World Heritage List.
Associations resorted to the court to overturn the decision.
Turkish citizens protesting the Lyon Municipality and the construction
of the monument will march in Lyon after Paris.
The Council of Turkish Culture Associations in Rhone-Alpes returned
empty handed from the municipality in its efforts to stop the
construction.
Though they showed pictures proving that the monument was being
constructed solely for the so-called Armenian genocide, the association
voiced that the municipality parried their demand by saying that the
monument was being built for all genocides.
Turkish associations asked for a demonstration permit, notifying that
Turkish people in and around Lyon would march on March 18.
The French, who built Komitas genocide monument in a UNESCO protected
area in 2001, has not been able to find an appropriate place to build
the statue of Ataturk, despite Turkey’s efforts for years.

RA NA PRESIDENT ARTUR BAGHDASARYAN’S CONGRATULATORY ADDRESS ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
National Assembly of RA, Armenia
March 7 2006
Artur Baghdasaryan, President of the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia, sent a congratulatory message on the occasion of the
International Women’ Day where it reads:
“I warmly congratulate all the women of Armenia and Diaspora on the
occasion of the March 8, International Women’s Day. It is symbolic
that the Women’s Day coincides with spring, awakening of nature,
renaissance, and re-affirms the women’s specific role of giving joy
and happiness, confidence and continuation of life.
In the Armenian history there is thousands of evidence about the
Armenian women being side by side with men in hard conditions for
the nation and state defending their Motherland and home, at the same
time remaining affectionate and kind.
I am sure that the vital mission of protecting our nation and
Motherland is continuous for our women, and they are always the
guarantee of our longevity both in the Motherland and abroad.
Once again I congratulate all women on the occasion of their holiday,
wish them happiness, success and accomplishment of devout wishes.”