EurasiaNet, NY
March 10 2006
NEW ALTERNATIVE SERVICE FALLS FLAT IN ARMENIA
Emil Danielyan 3/10/06

Young men refusing to serve in the armed forces for religious reasons
are again being prosecuted in Armenia, despite the introduction
nearly two years ago of a legal alternative to compulsory military
service. Conscientious objectors, mainly Jehovah’s Witnesses, are
refusing to enlist for alternative civilian service on the grounds
that it is controlled by the Armenian military. About 50 of them are
currently in jail or are awaiting trial.
Local and international human rights organizations have long
criticized the authorities in Yerevan for jailing conscientious
objectors. In 2001, the Council of Europe made elimination of the
practice a key condition for admitting Armenia as a member. However,
an Armenian law on alternative service, which came into force in July
2004, has so far failed to address the problem. Council of Europe
officials say it does not fully meet European standards and should be
amended.
The law gave male citizens who refuse mandatory military service two
options: to perform non-combat duties inside army bases for three
years or to spend three and a half years at civilian institutions.
After the law came into force, 22 Jehovah’s Witnesses opted for the
latter option and were assigned to special civilian hospitals,
including Armenia’s largest psychiatric clinic. But they soon
discovered that these facilities are essentially under military
control – regularly checked on by military police officers, confined
to the medical institutions for 24 hours a day and even fed by the
army.
“For young Jehovah’s Witnesses, to be attached to the military in any
form is impossible because that means cooperating with the military,”
said Andre Carbonneau, a Canadian lawyer representing the Jehovah’s
Witnesses in Armenia. That, he added, would run counter to one of the
main tenets of the US-based Christian sect.
That also explains why all 22 men abandoned their places of service
before being arrested in August of last year. Thirteen of the
objectors were tried and controversially sentenced to between two and
three years’ imprisonment under articles of the Armenian Criminal
Code that deal with desertion from military units. The court
sentences occurred before the authorities enacted a legal clause in
January 2006 that declared abandonment of civilian service a crime
punishable by imprisonment.
According to Carbonneau, this constitutes a retroactive enforcement
of the law, illegal under Armenia’s constitution. Acting on the
attorney’s complaint, an Armenian appeals court recently overturned
virtually all of the Jehovah’s Witness convictions by lower courts.
However, it stopped short of ordering the release of the
conscientious objectors, only sending their cases back to
prosecutors. The latter are refusing to set the men free, pending
another trial.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses have responded by lodging an appeal to the
European Court of Human Rights which they hope will order the release
of the men, the only Armenians to date to perform alternative
service. But Carbonneau admitted that there is little they can do
about nearly 30 other Jehovah’s Witnesses, who refused outright to
perform military-controlled civilian duty after the alternative
service law came into force. They are now being kept in pre-trial
detention. “The law on alternative service is not an option for any
conscientious objector,” he said.
Council of Europe bodies monitoring Armenia’s compliance with the
country’s membership obligations appear to share this view. “The
Council of Europe and its monitoring mechanisms consider that the
commitments in this area have not fully been met with the current
legislation,” the head of the Strasbourg-based organization’s Yerevan
office, Bojana Urumova, told EurasiaNet. Urumova said it should be
amended “in a way which will meet European standards and resolve this
issue definitely.” Armenian authorities have to come up with a
“genuine civilian alternative to military service,” she added.
The Armenian government, meanwhile, has drafted amendments to the law
on alternative service that will be debated by parliament later this
year. With government officials refusing to disclose the amendments’
content for the moment, it is not clear whether they will satisfy the
Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Armenian military has always feared that
alternative service could serve as a legal loophole for mass draft
evasion; hence, its desire to strictly regulate the process. In a
December 2004 directive, the chief of the Armenian army staff,
Col.-Gen. Mikael Harutiunian, ordered military officials to regularly
report to him about civilian compliance with regulations that, among
other things, require them to stay in their place of service 24 hours
a day and take leaves of absence only with official permission.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have long been viewed with suspicion by the
authorities and a large part of Armenia’s population, primarily due
to their strong opposition to military service. Many Armenian
politicians and ordinary people alike consider their pacifist
doctrine a serious threat to the national security of a country
locked in a bitter territorial conflict with one of its neighbors,
Azerbaijan. The sect had for years been denied official registration
for that reason.
The government formally legalized it only in October 2004, in a move
that was condemned by the Armenian Apostolic Church. “The activities
of totalitarian religious organizations, including Jehovah’s
Witnesses, run counter to our national and state interests and
aspirations,” the church, to which over 90 percent of Armenians
around the world nominally belong, said in a statement issued at the
time.
In the words of Tigran Harutiunian, a Jehovah’s Witness spokesman in
Armenia, apart from the renewed prosecution of its young male
members, the religious group has faced no government restrictions
since then and currently boasts more than 20,000 Armenian adherents.
“We are happy to be able to freely talk about our faith,” he said.
Editor’s Note: Emil Danielyan is a Yerevan-based journalist and
political analyst.

Kenya Times, Kenya
March 10 2006
Raila names hitmen
By BENSON AMOLO
LANGATA MP Raila Odinga yesterday identified alleged mercenaries on
government hire holed up in an upmarket estate of Nairobi. The MP
said the alleged hitmen had now been moved from Runda Estate to a
house in Lavington.
Raila has accused the foreigners of leading the March 2, raids on the
Standard and KTN newsrooms.
Yesterday he said two of the foreigners were Armenian nationals who
were sneaked into the country as investors by a son of a prominent
real estate valuer in Nairobi early this year.
Initially Raila had identified the alleged mercenaries as Russians.
Yesterday he said that nationals from other countries had also been
hired to do unspecified work for the state..
He told pressmen attending an MPs’ workshop in Nairobi that the
alleged mercenaries were moved to a safe house frequented by
Tanzanians in Lavington estate on Thursday night.
According to Raila the Armenians were allegedly recruited by two
Kenyans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last October and later
introduced to a businessman named in the Goldenberg report when they
visited Kenya in January this year.
The businessman later introduced them to a Narc activist, with whom
they agreed to do business and other unspecified political work. They
later travelled with the activist to the UAE capital, Dubai, where
they were introduced to her seniors for future business deals. She
has also allegedly introduced them to senior officials in government
to discuss unknown business, according to a diplomatic source..
Copies of passports supplied to the Kenya Times indicate the two men
born on May 14, 1970 and January 15, 1973 respectively entered Kenya
for the first time on January 23, this year, and were issued
residence visas for two years. Their passports bear stamps indicating
they travelled to Dubai between 2005 and this year.
Their presence, however, has introduced a new scandal within the
police force following unconfirmed reports that the Armenians and
their Kenyan handlers attacked and wounded a CID officer attached to
them on Wednesday accusing him of leaking information on their
activities to journalists and diplomats.
Earlier Odinga had claimed the alleged mercenaries were moved from
Runda Estate to a protected house in the Lavington suburb of Nairobi
to camouflage their stay and mission.
He said neighbours were scared of divulging information on the said
mercenaries and added that media publicity had now occasioned their
frequent movement. Odinga claims the Runda house has been leased to a
company involved in export/import business from January 31, this
year. He says that a Swede employed by a packaging company lived
there until June last year.
Odinga first made the allegations early this month and claimed hired
killers initially thought to be from the Russian Federation led the
March 2 assault on The Standard and KTN that widened the split
between Police Commissioner Hussein Ali, who was abroad during the
raids, unaware of the plots on the media and CID Director Joseph
Kamau, believed to have sanctioned them.
The mystery escalated yesterday when Odinga linked a senior CID
officer with the mercenaries and accused the officer of visiting the
hitmen at their Runda abode. He accused the press of allowing Kamau
and the government to misinform the public on this matter and for
failing to follow up his first reports. A morning to evening vigil by
pressmen at the Runda property yielded nothing on Thursday but Odinga
was not finished yet.
`Had you cared to keep vigil at the Runda premises yesterday you
would have seen the mercenaries leave last night,’ he said and
claimed that the unspecified number of men were snatched away in the
dead of the night on Thursday. `A truck came at 9.30 pm yesterday and
took away the mercenaries and equipment. We know where they are now,’
he said and claimed the men are now hidden at Woodmere Apartments on
Nairobi’s Lenana Road. He claimed that the a KPLC electrician who
went to the Runda abode to read the electricity meter at the time of
the foreigners’ movement was denied entry to the property.
`We know where they slept last night and we know they will be moved
as soon as the government hears these reports.’
Odinga claimed the truck registered as KAU 967 W off-loaded a
container with unknown material at the Runda abode, owned by a real
estate investor who acquired it in 1999, before driving away with the
foreigners.
On Wednesday, Ali ordered investigations into Odinga’s allegations as
Kamau denounced them and accused the Lang’ata lawmaker of inflaming
the country with lies and propaganda. Odinga stuck to the story and
provided names of the said gunmen and the people he believes brought
them into the country and provided a map of the property in Runda
where they lived after being spirited from a hotel in the centre of
Nairobi.
And the Russian embassy in Nairobi on Thursday denied knowledge of
its nationals on a killing mission and demanded investigations as the
Shadow minister for Defence Joseph Nkaissery demanded an inquest.
Odinga asked reporters neither to trust the government’s explanations
on this matter nor accept Russia’s denial at face value saying: `The
government itself is a suspect in the matter. Its word cannot be
taken seriously.’
He argued that the Russian embassy should not be dragged into the
matter because no one has suggested Moscow brought the killers.
`The Russian embassy should not be involved in this. Mercenaries are
private people, on hire. They are not coming on the authority of
their governments.’
Nkaissery accused the Kibaki regime of trivialising the mercenary
allegations by issuing conflicting statements and deploying a
layman-government spokesman Alfred Mutua- to discuss complex security
issues. The retired general said the conflicting statements from Ali
and Kamau on the mercenaries’ issue is cause for concern.
`Raila’s statement should not be taken for granted. It is the duty of
the government to neutralise any threats to national security. It is
incumbent upon the government to investigate this matter. Everybody
wants to know who those hooded people were (those who raided the
Standard and KTN).’
He said the country expects the Internal Security minister or senior
officials of police, military and intelligence to reassure the
republic on this matter and not Mutua’s denials.
`Alfred Mutua is a layman in this matter.’ If the government proves
there are no mercenaries, Odinga should be brought to account for his
allegations.
Meanwhile the Langata MP and Leader of the Official Opposition Uhuru
Kenyatta denounced President Mwai Kibaki for standing with his
ministers accused of orchestrating the March 2 raids. On Thursday
Kibaki said Internal Security minister John Michuki and Information
counterpart Mutahi Kagwe will not be sacked which Kenyatta and Odinga
disagreed with yesterday. They talked on the sidelines of an MPs’
workshop in Nairobi. Kenyatta said Kanu demands accountability over
what he called an attack on democracy but Odinga was more pointed
declaring the president’s Thursday statement in Eldoret as
provocative and contemptuous.
`The president is trying to show contempt for the people. We expect
the president to realise the public is not happy with what took place
on the March 2 raids.’
Odinga said Kibaki was mistaken to stand by disgraced ministers and
insisting they will not be sacked.LANGATA MP Raila Odinga yesterday
identified alleged mercenaries on government hire holed up in an
upmarket estate of Nairobi. The MP said the alleged hitmen had now
been moved from Runda Estate to elsewhere in Lavington.
Raila has accused the foreigners of leading the March 2, raids on the
Standard and KTN newsrooms.
Yesterday he said two of the foreigners were Armenian nationals who
were sneaked into the country as investors by a son of a prominent
real estate valuer in Nairobi early this year.
Initially Raila had identified the alleged mercenaries as Russians.
Yesterday he said that nationals from other countries had also been
hired to do unspecified work for the state..
He told pressmen attending an MPs’ workshop in Nairobi that the
alleged mercenaries were moved to a safe house frequented by
Tanzanians in Lavington estate on Thursday night.
According to Raila the Armenians were allegedly recruited by two
Kenyans in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last October and later
introduced to a businessman named in the Goldenberg report when they
visited Kenya in January this year.
The businessman later introduced them to a Narc activist, with whom
they agreed to do business and other unspecified political work. They
later travelled with the activist to the UAE capital, Dubai, where
they were introduced to her seniors for future business deals. She
has also allegedly introduced them to senior officials in government
to discuss unknown business, according to a diplomatic source..
Copies of passports supplied to the Kenya Times indicate the two men
born on May 14, 1970 and January 15, 1973 respectively entered Kenya
for the first time on January 23, this year, and were issued
residence visas for two years. Their passports bear stamps indicating
they travelled to Dubai between 2005 and this year.
Their presence, however, has introduced a new scandal within the
police force following unconfirmed reports that the Armenians and
their Kenyan handlers attacked and wounded a CID officer attached to
them on Wednesday accusing him of leaking information on their
activities to journalists and diplomats.
Earlier Odinga had claimed the alleged mercenaries were moved from
Runda Estate to a protected house in the Lavington suburb of Nairobi
to camouflage their stay and mission.
He said neighbours were scared of divulging information on the said
mercenaries and added that media publicity had now occasioned their
frequent movement. Odinga claims the Runda house has been leased to a
company involved in export/import business from January 31, this
year. He says that a Swede employed by a packaging company lived
there until June last year.
Odinga first made the allegations early this month and claimed hired
killers initially thought to be from the Russian Federation led the
March 2 assault on The Standard and KTN that widened the split
between Police Commissioner Hussein Ali, who was abroad during the
raids, unaware of the plots on the media and CID Director Joseph
Kamau, believed to have sanctioned them.
The mystery escalated yesterday when Odinga linked a senior CID
officer with the mercenaries and accused the officer of visiting the
hitmen at their Runda abode. He accused the press of allowing Kamau
and the government to misinform the public on this matter and for
failing to follow up his first reports. A morning to evening vigil by
pressmen at the Runda property yielded nothing on Thursday but Odinga
was not finished yet.
`Had you cared to keep vigil at the Runda premises yesterday you
would have seen the mercenaries leave last night,’ he said and
claimed that the unspecified number of men were snatched away in the
dead of the night on Thursday. `A truck came at 9.30 pm yesterday and
took away the mercenaries and equipment. We know where they are now,’
he said and claimed the men are now hidden at Woodmere Apartments on
Nairobi’s Lenana Road. He claimed that the a KPLC electrician who
went to the Runda abode to read the electricity meter at the time of
the foreigners’ movement was denied entry to the property.
`We know where they slept last night and we know they will be moved
as soon as the government hears these reports.’
Odinga claimed the truck registered as KAU 967 W off-loaded a
container with unknown material at the Runda abode, owned by a real
estate investor who acquired it in 1999, before driving away with the
foreigners.
On Wednesday, Ali ordered investigations into Odinga’s allegations as
Kamau denounced them and accused the Lang’ata lawmaker of inflaming
the country with lies and propaganda. Odinga stuck to the story and
provided names of the said gunmen and the people he believes brought
them into the country and provided a map of the property in Runda
where they lived after being spirited from a hotel in the centre of
Nairobi.
And the Russian embassy in Nairobi on Thursday denied knowledge of
its nationals on a killing mission and demanded investigations as the
Shadow minister for Defence Joseph Nkaissery demanded an inquest.
Odinga asked reporters neither to trust the government’s explanations
on this matter nor accept Russia’s denial at face value saying: `The
government itself is a suspect in the matter. Its word cannot be
taken seriously.’
He argued that the Russian embassy should not be dragged into the
matter because no one has suggested Moscow brought the killers.
`The Russian embassy should not be involved in this. Mercenaries are
private people, on hire. They are not coming on the authority of
their governments.’
Nkaissery accused the Kibaki regime of trivialising the mercenary
allegations by issuing conflicting statements and deploying a
layman-government spokesman Alfred Mutua- to discuss complex security
issues. The retired general said the conflicting statements from Ali
and Kamau on the mercenaries’ issue is cause for concern.
`Raila’s statement should not be taken for granted. It is the duty of
the government to neutralise any threats to national security. It is
incumbent upon the government to investigate this matter. Everybody
wants to know who those hooded people were (those who raided the
Standard and KTN).’
He said the country expects the Internal Security minister or senior
officials of police, military and intelligence to reassure the
republic on this matter and not Mutua’s denials.
`Alfred Mutua is a layman in this matter.’ If the government proves
there are no mercenaries, Odinga should be brought to account for his
allegations.
Meanwhile the Langata MP and Leader of the Official Opposition Uhuru
Kenyatta denounced President Mwai Kibaki for standing with his
ministers accused of orchestrating the March 2 raids. On Thursday
Kibaki said Internal Security minister John Michuki and Information
counterpart Mutahi Kagwe will not be sacked which Kenyatta and Odinga
disagreed with yesterday. They talked on the sidelines of an MPs’
workshop in Nairobi. Kenyatta said Kanu demands accountability over
what he called an attack on democracy but Odinga was more pointed
declaring the president’s Thursday statement in Eldoret as
provocative and contemptuous.
`The president is trying to show contempt for the people. We expect
the president to realise the public is not happy with what took place
on the March 2 raids.’
Odinga said Kibaki was mistaken to stand by disgraced ministers and
insisting they will not be sacked.
try.html

Regnum, Russia
March 10 2006
Ethnic clashes in Tsalka (Georgia): police used force
As REGNUM already informed, on March 9, at about 06:00 p.m. local
time, in the city of Tsalka (regional center of Kvemo-Kartli Region,
Georgia) an armed attack was held against a group of young ethnic
Armenians. The attack was committed in the city’s center, when the
company departed from a restaurant. When they were getting into a
car, unidentified people suddenly attacked them, dragged out of the
car and started beating them. As witnesses and one of the victims
said, there were about 15 attackers, some of them armed with cold
steel. As a result of the attack, 23-year-old Gevorg Gevorkyan was
injured with a knife and died at the scene. V. Saakyan, 25, was
wounded in the leg, K. Baloyan, 25, seven hours later was delivered
to hospital in Tbilisi with a severe wound. After the attack the
criminals escaped.
As Javakh news agency `A-Info’ informs, police arrested three
suspects that are currently interrogated. About 300 Armenians
gathered near the police building, who demand fair punishment to the
murderers. The protesters have broke several windows in the police
building. As a response, the Georgian SWAT that arrived from Tbilisi
drove the protesters back, brutally beating them with machine guns
and batons. Currently, police building is surrounded by SWAT.
According to Armenian MP of Tsalka region Hayk Militinyan, 150 people
were hurt during the clash between police and the protesters.
The victims say, they do know the reasons of the attack. As they
think, a group of Adjarian or Svani settlers attacked them. All
victims are from the same village, Kushi (Tsalka region). According
to eye-witnesses, some time later, all the entrances to the city of
Tsalka from the side of Armenian villages were blocked by units of
special forces deployed in the region. Other ways, including the road
leading to the capital were open.
Conflicts in Tsalka region are often because of Armenian and Greek
communities that live there along with Georgians, who moved there
from Ajaria and Svanetia after ecological catastrophes, and occupied
empty houses of local citizens, who emigrated or were temporarily
abroad. Such illegal intrusion into private property along with
increase of crime level in the area because of immigration cause
indignation of local residents.
Similar conflict existed earlier. Largest confrontation took place on
May 9, 2005 when in conflict between Armenians and Georgians around
30 people were wounded. Such incident cause Georgian authorities to
deploy the national guard in the region, but positive effect of this
action is highly questioned by local population.

Regnum, Russia
March 10 2006
Armenian ex-Speaker: time works for Azerbaijan
Meeting with journalists at the National Press Club, ex-Speaker of
the Armenian parliament, Director of Armat Democracy and Civil
Society Development Center Babken Ararktsyan stated that process of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement reached a new stage, fraught
with irreversible consequences. Now, time works for Azerbaijan – this
country purposefully acts in different international structures,
introduces new terminology, which little by little goes into
vocabulary of the international community.
He is quoted by a REGNUM correspondent as saying, that last statement
of Armenian side means, that process of conflict settlement reached a
deadlock. `The winning party does not have a right to do such
statements, to use military rhetoric. What does Armenia need war for?
If we want to conquer Baku – it is another matter,’ stressed
Ararktsyan. `We had superiority, achieved by military efforts, it
should have been transformed into political formulations, and
however, it has not been done.’
Mentioning optimistic mood of co-Chairs of OSCE Minsk Group on
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Babken Ararktsyan stated:” What
have they to do – to say, that the process reached a deadlock and go
home? They travel around the world, live in good hotels. But the main
matter is here not negotiating format, but willingness of conflicting
parties itself to come to agreement.” At the same time, the
ex-Speaker mentioned, that status quo is favorable for Armenian
authorities – `corrupted country never can demonstrate political will
to solve conflict.’ Additionally, he pointed out necessity for
Nagorno Karabakh to participate in negotiating process – `Nagorno
Karabakh authorities are now more legitimate, then Armenian leaders.
Even Georgia negotiates with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.’

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 10 2006
OSCE monitors ceasefire in Nagorny Karabakh
14:42 | 10/ 03/ 2006

YEREVAN, March 10 (RIA Novosti, Gamlet Matevosyan) – Officials from
Europe’s largest security organization Friday conducted scheduled
ceasefire monitoring on a stretch of the border between the breakaway
region of Nagorny Karabakh and Azerbaijan.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) registered no violations of the ceasefire regime.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have been exchanging allegations of numerous
ceasefire violations on the border near the Nagorny-Karabakh conflict
zone for the past two weeks.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh, a
region in Azerbaijan with a largely ethnic Armenian population, first
erupted in 1988, when the region claimed independence from Azerbaijan
to join Armenia.
Over 30,000 people were reported dead on both sides between 1988 and
1994, and over 100 others died after a ceasefire was concluded in
1994, leaving Nagorny Karabakh in Armenian hands, but tensions
between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 10 2006
UN sanctions against Iran could affect S. Caucasus
14:23 | 10/ 03/ 2006

YEREVAN, March 10 (RIA Novosti) – International sanctions that could
be imposed against Iran over its controversial nuclear research
program would increase tensions in the neighboring South Caucasus
region, an Armenian expert said Friday.
“Possible sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council against Iran
will further aggravate tension in the South Caucasus region … which
is involved in ambitious economic projects with Iran,” said Stepan
Grigoryan, head of an Armenian think-tank on globalization and
regional cooperation.
The South Caucasus region includes the former Soviet republics of
Armenia and Azerbaijan, which border on Iran, and Georgia. As UN
member states, the three republics will be obliged to follow the
decisions of the UN Security Council, Grigoryan said.
If the UN Security Council does opt for sanctions, they will most
likely be economic and diplomatic, which will entail a ban on visas
for senior officials of the Islamic Republic and a resolution to
freeze their bank accounts, he said.
Iran risks coming under international sanctions after it resumed
uranium enrichment – a process that can be used to generate energy
and create weapons-grade material – after a two-year hiatus, arousing
particular concerns in the West and in neighboring Israel.
However, Grigoryan said, the worst possible scenario would be if the
United States and its supporters in the UN decide to form an
anti-Iranian coalition, similar to the one against Iraq, and start a
unilateral campaign, including a military operation.
“This will require political decisions from the leaderships of
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia on whether they will join the
U.S.-led coalition, and provide air space or their territories” for
the operation, Grigoryan said.
He said the leaders of the three republics would inevitably have
different answers to these questions, which “is highly likely to
result in harsher confrontation between the countries of the region.”

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
March 10 2006
OSCE monitoring held without causalities

Source: Trend
Author: E.Javadova

10.03.2006

No breach has been fixed in the OSCE monitoring held in the contact
lime of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in Borsunlu village
of Terter district on Friday in accordance with a mandate of the OSCE
chairman-in-office, the Defense Ministry announced.
Harry Eronen and Peter Key, field assistants to the special envoy of
the OSCE chairman-in-office, will hold monitoring in the Azerbaijani
side of the frontline.
Yuri Aberle and Imre Palatinus, special envoy’s field assistants, are
in charge of monitoring in the Armenian side of the contact line.

Orange County Register, CA
March 10 2006
Eateries slathering on the style
Zov’s Bistro in Tustin caps a $2 million makeover this Sunday, and
other established restaurants are also responding to trendy new
competitors.
By NANCY LUNA
The Orange County Register
As one of Orange County’s beloved chefs, Zov Karamardian has shared
saucepans with Emeril Lagasse and Julia Child. Her decadent pastries
are considered among the best in the nation.
And she’s currently penning a second book on breakfast and brunch
recipes.
Yet, despite her longtime success, the chef-proprietor of Zov’s
Bistro in Tustin continues to reinvent her brand as she and other
long-standing eateries face more swanky restaurants planting roots in
the county. Her latest counterattack involves a $2 million remodel of
her 19-year-old bistro, which is celebrating a grand reopening
Sunday.
Karamardian will also open a second Zov’s Bistro next year to
introduce her famous Middle Eastern- and European-influenced dishes
to a new batch of foodies.
“It’s very competitive now. And you have to be on top of your game,”
Karamardian said of the bistro’s expansion and makeover. “You have to
keep the buzz going.”
Other prominent eateries are feeling the pressure to spruce up as
well. Antonello Ristorante in Santa Ana and the White House in
Anaheim are adding wine lockers, private dining and banquet rooms,
sound systems and ornate furnishings to keep diners from straying.
“People like to have a place where the experience won’t disappoint.
The food is no longer enough,” said Karamardian, 61.
The bistro’s overhaul includes adding a “Z” (for Zov’s) cocktail bar,
a private banquet room wired for corporate presentations and a stone
outdoor fireplace.
A $400,000 patio improvement features a perma-nent, classier-looking
enclosure to replace the white party tent the bistro used for years.
The final touches: Sliding glass doors and windows were installed
last week in the patio, the bistro’s main seating area. Three months
ago, Karamardian started serving dinner on Monday nights, normally
her only night of rest.
“You can’t give guests an opportunity to find a new favorite,” she
said.
And, in a nod to newer establishments that offer nightly
entertainment such as piano bars, Karamardian also hired a guitarist
to serenade diners on Monday nights.
Rich Hollander, a restaurant consultant at Texas-based Buxton, said
mainstay establishments need to invest more money in makeovers
because trendier eateries are raising the stakes – from elegant local
steakhouses such as Mastro’s and Fleming’s to David Wilhelm’s flashy
French-inspired bistros.
“If I’m a high-end customer, I’m going to the new guy to impress
someone,” said Hollander. “But, then, I’m going to go back to my
local place, and if it is improved, I’ll continue to go back.”
But if older establishments fall behind the eight ball, proprietors
may face empty tables, he said.
At Zov’s, for example, diners began asking for cocktails, but the
bistro served only wine and beer.
“A lot of people weren’t coming here because we didn’t have hard
liquor,” Karamardian said.
She quickly took care of that by building a granite-topped bar last
year. With lunch martinis being some of the most popular orders, the
bar addition has already paid for itself and spawned other upgrades:
replacing wrought-iron chairs with European woven chairs at $200
apiece and adding ceiling fans with stylish blades that resemble palm
leaves.
Sunday’s party, which benefits two local charities, caps the bistro’s
makeover.
It’s all triggered Karamardian to set her sights on opening a second
restaurant in Orange County to introduce her signature dishes: lentil
soup, Moroccan salmon and fruit tarts made with Tahitian vanilla
cream.
The added exposure should sustain long-term growth for Zov’s, where
sales increase about 8 percent a year, said her son, Armen, the
bistro’s general manager.
“We don’t rest on our laurels,” Armen said. “There’s so many
restaurants in Orange County. We feel the time has come where you
can’t expect the guest to find you. We have to find them.”
Last year about 37 percent of fine-dining establishments were
expected to spend a larger proportion of their budgets on remodeling,
according the National Restaurant Association.
On average, table-service restaurants spend about $2.9million on
remodels, association spokeswoman Annika Stensson said.
In addition, fine-dining establishments often spend more money on
“atmospheric details” such as original art, unusual light fixtures,
and solid wood tables and chairs to get the right ambiance, the trade
group said.
That would be true for Antonello Ristorante and the White House.
A fixture at South Coast Plaza Village since it opened in 1979,
Antonello recently converted an upstairs storage room into a
European-themed private room called the Levendi Room.
The room, sponsored by a Napa Valley winery by the same name, seats
up to 14 and is flanked by climate-controlled mahogany wine lockers,
hardwood furnishings, antique light fixtures, Italian art and stone
walls.
Wine lockers, a luxurious “at home” touch where frequent diners stash
their personal wine collections, cost up to $1,500 to $6,000 to rent.
The fee is based on the minimum requirement to buy two cases from the
restaurant’s wine list, said general manager Thad Foret.
In the restaurant’s main dining room, antique-replica chandeliers,
costing $500 each, were recently installed. Foret is also having gray
walls painted over with a cozier, buttery yellow. New chairs are also
on the way.
The centerpiece of a $200,000 remodel at the White House in Anaheim
is the Caterina Ballroom, an enclosed outdoor gazebo that can support
private parties of up to 150 people.
Owner Bruno Serrato said the private ballroom, which opened in
November, has already boosted sales by 30 percent. The restaurant
also primped inside by replacing aging chairs and tables and
installing crystal chandeliers.
While eateries need to redecorate often, Foret said changes must be
subtle. He said he has no intention of turning his traditional
Italian bistro into a haven of marble and granite furnishings –
common decorative details found at newer competitors.
“They are real glitzy and beautiful, and I don’t want to knock that,”
he said. “What we try to have is old-world charm. We’re not straying
from what’s made us successful.”
Zov’s Bistro
Executive chef: Zov Karamardian
History: Karamardian emigrated to the U.S. at age 15 after living
with her Armenian family in various regions of the Middle East.
Karamardian started the bistro in 1987 as an outlet for her catering
business, which she ran out of her Irvine home. Without a “dime to
her name,” Karamardian gleaned $200,000 in seed money from relatives
to start Zov’s Bistro. Later she opened a bakery and cafe behind the
bistro as demand peaked for takeout of her tarts and pastries.
Now: Karamardian is considered one of the county’s top chefs, having
earned many culinary awards over the years. She plans to open a
second bistro next year in the county. On Sunday, Zov’s will
celebrate a $2 million makeover with a fundraiser benefiting the
Joyful Child Foundation and Hoag Women’s Health Services.
Event: The gala is from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $100. For more
information, call (714) 838-8855 or (562) 491-1000.
Location: 17440 E. 17 St., Tustin.
Web site:

Regnum, Russia
March 10 2006
Will Russian investors replace Turks and Dutchmen in Azerbaijan?
Azeri press digest
Politics. Government
Armenia’s non-constructive position in the Karabakh peace process is
pushing Azerbaijan into policy revision, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev
says Mar 1, while opening a village of refugees and displaced people
in Agdam region. He regrets that the long-term peace talks with
Armenia have given no fruits, to date. There are certain hopes but
they all are blasted by Armenia’s non-constructive position. Aliyev
notes that he has always been and will be an advocate of cease-fire.
Azerbaijan’s position is that the Karabakh conflict must be resolved
by peace, and there is a special format for that: the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairs are now consulting, and there are certain
opportunities for finalizing the key principles. But Armenia is again
non-constructive and disinterested in having the principles
finalized. `And so, Azerbaijan should think over what to do,’ says
Aliyev. (AzerTag)
Speaking of the possibility of new war between Azerbaijan and
Armenia, well-known Azeri political expert Zardusht Alizade says to
Echo daily that `the talks have been in stalemate for 14 years
already.’ `I am sure that the Azeri army is absolutely unprepared for
war. We can’t start a war given the present corrupt defeatist
generals. The potential of the peace process is absolutely intact,
and there is a vast reserve of unused peace opportunities. The
parties’ inaction means their reluctance to solve the problem and to
get worthy peace for both Armenians and Azeris. In fact, both Aliyev
and Kocharyan believe that the conflict must be dragged on and the
people regularly scared. Ilham Aliyev’s statement that Azerbaijan’s
12-year Karabakh talks are already a concession and that the country
must review its position does not mean that Azerbaijan will shortly
resume war,’ Azeri political expert Rasim Musabekov says to Echo.
`But this means that Azerbaijan will not talk in the format, tone and
framework insisted on by Armenia – which, in fact, means ceding not
only Karabakh but also Kalbajar and Lachin. Aliyev makes it clear
that one should not expect such a capitulation from Azerbaijan. But
this also means that Azerbaijan will not bear unlimited occupation of
its territories. To me, this means an unfolding arms race and
toughening propaganda. As regards the meeting of the co-chairs, they
will hardly find a way to thrust an unfavorable solution on
Azerbaijan – they better use the capacities they have. And the US,
Russia and Europe do have the capacities to bring Kocharyan round and
to force him to renounce his exorbitant demands. If they actually
want to use the levers, they will find a way out of the present
diplomatic deadlock, if not – they will face the prospect of a real
arms race. And if Azerbaijan will spend its own money, Armenia will
have to use the money it gets from the Americans, Russians and
Europeans.’
Political expert Eldar Ismaylov is sure that there will be no
military conflict. `The peace process must actually be in a stalemate
– for the sides appear to have no single ground in common and, I am
afraid, can no longer continue the talks. Today, they are showing the
same approaches they showed 10-15 years ago. I don’t like the way the
talks are going. This all is very much like a continued drag on.’
(Echo)
Mar 4 the Puls-R sociological service presented the results of its
monitoring `Azerbaijan in 2005.’ It is the third consecutive
monitoring by the service. The director of the project, political
expert Rasim Muzabekov says that despite prevailing optimism, Azeris
are getting increasingly critical of the present situation in their
country. Their key concerns are the Karabakh conflict, unemployment
and poverty. Most people don’t share the optimism of foreign
diplomats that there may be a breakthrough in the Karabakh peace
process in 2006. Despite improved assessment of unemployment and
poverty, they show growing discontent with corruption, tyranny, poor
education and health care. The president and the army are the only
authorities people have steadily trusted in the last three years.
They also trust media and, partly, religious institutions. More
people are beginning to advocate drastic government reforms. Many
(27.7%) are still for integrating with the EU, while NATO
sympathizers have grown scarce – from 12.4% in 2004 to 7% in 2005.
The biggest friend is Turkey, and also Russia and Iran, instead of
the US in 2004. But the selfsame Iran and Russia are also the 2nd and
the 3rd biggest enemies. The top enemy is steadily Armenia. It is
noteworthy that the number of those advocating Islamic values has
over redoubled – from 6.2% to 14.5%. (Echo)
Head of OSCE Office in Baku Maurizio Pavesi states the necessity of
electoral reforms in Azerbaijan. In a Mar 1 seminar `Towards
Transparency in Politics: a Review of Electoral System and Funding of
Political Parties in Azerbaijan’ Pavesi says: `The OSCE/ODIHR final
report on the November 2005 parliamentary elections showed that the
electoral system in Azerbaijan needs some changes in order to match
European standards.’ Pavesi says that his office has got nothing from
its post-electoral meetings with the Azeri government and opposition
and will not continue them. He says that from now on his office will
help the local authorities in technical problems only, but the
initiative should come from political parties themselves. (Zerkalo)
The US gives high attention to the protection of Azerbaijan’s sea
borders and systematically aids the country’s navy, US Ambassador to
Azerbaijan Reno Harnish says Mar 1. He says that the bigger part of
the aid is given to sea border guards, with the navy getting mostly
technical assistance: `we are presently helping them to repair
several worn-out ships.’ Harnish notes that the US will further
continue to help Azerbaijan to protect its sea borders. (Azeri Press)
Opposition
The Azeri opposition continues disintegrating as its key forces are
brawling harder – Musavat party, who has decided to work in the
parliament, and Democratic Party, whose leader is Rasul Guliyev, ex
parliamentary speaker and US resident since 1996.
In an interview to Azeri-Press Guliyev says that after the
parliamentary elections, he no longer regards Musavat as an
opposition party. Asked what he thinks about Musavat’s decision to
work in the parliament, Guliev says: `This is a painful stab in the
back for democracy hopes in Azerbaijan. I regret that the party whose
70%-80% are true democrats and intellectuals has failed to prevent an
incompetent decision by 2-3 ambitious and adventurous leaders. How
then can it fight the regime?’ They let people down during the
presidential race 2003 – they crushed their hopes and have not even
begged their pardon for being unable to protect their votes for Isa
Gambar (Musavat party leader – REGNUM). Now too, like in Apr 1920,
they prefer defeat. Then too Musavat sought cooperation with the
Bolsheviks, but the Bolsheviks refused. The same is now: Musavat
wants to cooperate with the authorities, but the authorities will
also refuse… Musavat is not longer an opposition to me. They are just
4-5 MPs that think they are a party. Once again I express my regret
that the party’s worthy members have allowed such a situation.”
Azerbaijan-Armenia. Karabakh problem
In a talk with Azeri journalists US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno
Harnish says that the resolution of the Karabakh conflict is not far
off. He hopes that the US will help the conflicting parties to solve
the problem. He quotes OSCE MG US co-chair Steven Mann as calling
2006 the year of the conflict’s resolution. Neither Armenia nor
Azerbaijan have elections this year, and their politicians will have
enough time to solve complex problems. Harnish notes that if the
conflict is not resolved in 2006, there are other scenarios – one of
them being war. But war will be a real tragedy for the Caucasus. And
so, Harnish urges all politicians, foreign ministers and presidents
to use the chance to find a way out. (Azeri Press)
The statement that Nagorno Karabakh may join Armenia is only adding
to the tensions in the region and is giving it nothing good, US
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish says Mar 3 in comment on the
last statement by Armenian President Robert Kocharyan. He says that
the US wants the negotiating process to continue and encourages the
presidents and the FMs to continue their peace dialogue. (Echo)
`Lately, a number of European countries have shown unawareness and,
sometimes, even bias concerning some issues,’ says the head of the
department of foreign relations of the Azeri president’s executive
staff Novruz Mamedov, commenting on the European Parliament’s
decision to acknowledge the fact of destruction of Armenian
cemeteries in Julfa region of Nakhchivan AR. He says that the
European MPs should have studied the region better. He notes that
almost totally destroyed are over 1,000 Azeri historical and cultural
monuments registered by UNESCO and located in the territories
`occupied’ by Armenians. Mamedov is displeased with Europe’s
partiality on some issues – from the Mohammed cartoons to the Julfa
cemeteries. He notes that the West’s wrong position in the world
processes may lead it to a tragedy. One should show one’s position
through fair decisions only. (New Time)
Iran
Aljazeera.Net gives an article by former UN inspector in Iraq Scott
Ritter. Ritter urges the world not to believe the Bush administration
when it speaks of `diplomacy’ and a desire for a `peaceful’
resolution to the Iranian question.
In his article `The US War with Iran has Already Begun’ Ritter says
that there are several actions ongoing against Iran.
To the north, in neighboring Azerbaijan, the US military is preparing
a base of operations for a massive military presence that will
foretell a major land-based campaign designed to capture Tehran.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s interest in Azerbaijan may
have escaped the blinkered Western media, but Russia and the Caucasus
nations understand only too well that the die has been cast regarding
Azerbaijan’s role in the upcoming war with Iran.
The ethnic links between the Azeri of northern Iran and Azerbaijan
were long exploited by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and this
vehicle for internal manipulation has been seized upon by CIA
paramilitary operatives and US Special Operations units who are
training with Azerbaijan forces to form special units capable of
operating inside Iran for the purpose of intelligence gathering,
direct action, and mobilizing indigenous opposition to the Mullahs in
Tehran.
But this is only one use the US has planned for Azerbaijan. American
military aircraft, operating from forward bases in Azerbaijan, will
have a much shorter distance to fly when striking targets in and
around Tehran.
A much shorter route to Tehran now exists – the coastal highway
running along the Caspian Sea from Azerbaijan to Tehran.
US military planners have already begun war games calling for the
deployment of multi-divisional forces into Azerbaijan.
Logistical planning is well advanced concerning the basing of US air
and ground power in Azerbaijan.
Commenting on the article to Echo, well-known Azeri political expert
Zardusht Alizade says: `I think that however bad at rule, the Azeri
leaders are still quite good at self-preservation. Those people will
never allow to use themselves in a game against Iran, because this
bodes big and simply unpredictable consequences.’
Business-scandal
The Azeri authorities have given start to expelling Turkish Barmek,
an LTD enjoying monopoly in electricity supply in Baku and some
regions. `If Barmek fails to clear its faults by our deadline, we may
stop our contract with them,’ Azeri Economic Development Minister
Haydar Babayev says Mar 2. He says that Barmek is defaulting on its
investment commitments: `Any foreign company operating in Azerbaijan
should respect the law and the contract.’ Azeri President Ilham
Aliyev has also criticized Barmek in a recent conference. (525th
Daily)
Mar 2 Barmek President Huseyn Arabul gave a press-conference to
express his attitude towards Aliyev’s criticism. In a conference
chaired by Aliyev President of AzerEnergy Etibar Pirverdiyev said
that Barmek was defaulting on its contractual commitments, was
under-investing in its network and so on. Aliyev instructed relevant
bodies to inquire into Barmek’s activities. Arabul says that he has
received many presidential instructions and has no objections. Arabul
says that the conference misinformed Aliyev of the Barmek’s
activities. Arabul is ready to regularly report to Aliyev on his
company’s activities. He has tried to meet with Aliyev, but failed as
he was very busy. At the same time, Arabul notes that, if need be, he
will leave Azerbaijan.
Mar 3 the Azeri Public Prosecutor’s Office brought a criminal action
against Barmek President Huseyn Arabul. The action followed an
inspection of the company’s activities by the anti-corruption
department, experts from the ministries of finances, taxes, economic
development, industry and energy and the audit chamber. Oct 13 2001
the Azeri Economic Development Ministry agreed with Turkish Barmek
Holding A.S. to give it the right to manage Bakuelectricshebeke for
25 years. The ministry undertook the obligations of the Azeri side.
Barmek pledged to invest a total of $51 mln in 5 years, but has spent
almost nothing, so far.
The company is also accused of non-compliance with several points of
its 25-year contract. It has under-invested, embezzled state
property, got involved in financial machinations. The Public
Prosecutor’s Office reports complicity by the former economic
development minister, now political detainee Farhad Aliyev and Barmek
Azerbaijan President Huseyn Arabul. Particularly, Aliyev is reported
to pay big ministerial money to some British company for something it
did not do. (AzerTag)
Meanwhile, Echo reports that the contract with Barmek will shortly be
annulled, and one of the most probable substitutes is RAO UES Russia.
Some sources say that this was discussed during recent visits by
Russians to Baku. One source is Arabul himself, who says that RAO UES
is showing interest in the Baku electric networks – something RAO
does not even try to hide in its interview to Echo.
Quite recently AzerEnergy President Etibar Pirverdiyev said that
Barmek was failing to meet its contractual obligations and President
Aliyev ordered an inspection in the company. As a result, the
contract may be annulled and the Azeri side will have to pay off all
Barmek’s investments in the country. Barmek may stop its activities
in Azerbaijan and leave vacant the grids in Baku, Sumqayit and some
other northern regions. The general rumor is that Barmek will be
replaced by a big energy company by some top official, while experts
say that coming instead will be some foreign – probably Russian –
company.
Echo reports President of the Association of Engineers and Energy
Experts of Azerbaijan Rasul Suleymanov to say that, in fact, it was
German Siemens who first won the right to manage the electric
networks in Baku, Sumqayit and other northern regions. `But for some
objective reasons, that company refused and gave its rights to the
second company in the tender – Barmek. But neither Bayva nor Barmek
have managed to ensure normal payment collection rate.’
It should be noted that almost all Farhad Aliyev-time contracts are
being criticized and annulled. Curtailing activities is Dutch Fondel
Metal, who has a 25-year contract to manage Azerbaijan’s aluminum
complex. The Dutch may be replaced by Russians – RUSAL – even though
the new economic development minister Haydar Babayev is sure that the
situation with Fondel has nothing to do with RUSAL’s wish to start up
in Azerbaijan, says Echo.

New Anatolian, Turkey
March 10 2006
Questions come to me on Akdamar Island
Nursun Erel
[email protected]

After the bombing, after being witness to all that tragedy, I decided
to go to Akdamar Island because for years I’ve been dreaming of
seeing the Armenian church built on its shores. I know what that
small island means to Armenians, I still have the cognac bottle
(Ahdamar cognac) which was given to me as a present in Yerevan by an
Armenian family.
Even though it was raining heavily, Ceren Bayar and I didn’t change
our plans to take the boat from Gevas Harbor and go to the island.
Lake Van was calm yesterday so it took us only 20 minutes to get to
there. When we got closer we had a better view of the church; it was
really breathtaking to see the ancient building that’s survived
almost 10 centuries.
The first thing I noticed in front of the magnificent church,
undergoing renovations, was a sign saying, “Between A.D. 915 and 921
this church was built by architect Kesis Manauel.”
Then I asked myself, after all these centuries, after dozens of
civilizations, why can we still not share the soil of Anatolia?
What are all these deaths for?
What’s the reason for the endless agony?
What’s the basis for such hatred?
I couldn’t answer these questions, and instead added another: After
the release of the prosecutor’s indictment, what do we have in our
hands now?
Everyone knows that Gen. Buyukanit is far from all these allegations.
But isn’t it stupid to add this kind of statement to the indictment:
“He [Buyukanit] threw an incredibly expensive wedding for his
daughter and invited a host of businessmen to the ceremony. We all
attended and brought her gold bracelets as presents” (testimony of
businessman Mehmet Ali Altindag, also the owner of daily Soz in
Diyarbakir).
In what way does this paragraph contribute to resolving the issue?
But what can we say about the General Staff’s approach, then? They
tried to curb the debates saying that the civil judiciary has nothing
to do with Buyukanit’s case. But I’m sure Buyukanit would rather be
acquitted than protected.
What are we supposed to think about Justice Minister Cemil Cicek’s
response? First he said he didn’t have jurisdiction over the legal
proceedings and then, the next day, he sent two inspectors to
investigate Van Chief Public Prosecutor Ferhat Sarikaya. After this,
can we ever believe that the Turkish judiciary is really independent?
And remember all the other shallow arguments too. Some say that the
parliamentary commission on the Semdinli case doesn’t have the right
to send any of its reports to the prosecutor in the Semdinli case
(Sarikaya). But I’d like to ask them why such commissions are
necessary if they keep their reports confidential.
I can’t answer these questions, but I’m still searching for a serious
government to deal with such issues.