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.
–Boundary_(ID_F/sVkI+eDH+psA9F3s2D0g)–

ARMENIA SHOWS INTEREST IN MILITARY COOPERATION WITH BELARUS
National Legal Internet Portal, Belarus
Oct 11 2005
Armenia shows great interest in development of the military and
military-technical cooperation with Belarus, first deputy defense
minister – head of the main staff of the Armenian army Colonel-General
Mikhail Arutiunian stated in Minsk October 10.
Analyzing the talks with head of the general staff of the Armed Forces
of Belarus Lieutenant-General Sergei Gurulev, Mikhail Arutiunian noted
that “the two sides discussed a wide range of issues, especially on
the CSTO military constituent”. “We showed mutual understanding in
many issues”, he underlined.
The Armenian party is interested in training of its military in
Belarus, the record of military reforming, modernization of the
military equipment, in particular, new automated control systems. “As
yet the issue of Karabakh has been unsolved and we cannot curtail the
army and should hone the military skills. As for the acquisition of the
new equipment, it should satisfy us in price, technical characteristics
and ability to operate in mountains”, Mikhail Arutiunian said.
The program of the visit of the Armenian delegation includes trip to
the 120th mechanized brigade and the military academy of Belarus.
According to Mikhail Arutiunian the present day meeting is a
preparation to the visit of the defense minister of Belarus Leonid
Maltsev to Armenia, with is due in the end of 2005.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WESTERN GROUP CALLS FOR ‘SELF-DETERMINATION REFERENDUM’ IN KARABAKH
By Emil Danielyan
Armenia Liberty
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
Oct 11 2005
An international think-tank led by retired Western politicians called
on Tuesday for a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that
would allow the disputed region’s population to determine its status
at an internationally supervised referendum.
The International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based institution
specializing in conflict resolution around the world, also warned of
“ominous signs that time for a peace agreement is running out.”
“Nagorno-Karabakh’s status should ultimately be determined by an
internationally sanctioned referendum with the exclusive participation
of Karabakh Armenians and Azeris,” the ICG said in a report on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The group stressed that such a vote
should take place after the liberation of all Armenian-occupied
Azerbaijani territories around Karabakh and the restoration of
cross-border commerce and transport communication between the
conflicting parties.
The report’s recommendations are mostly in line with a peace formula
that has reportedly been discussed by Armenia and Azerbaijan for the
past year. The two sides appear to have made considerable progress
toward a compromise agreement which international mediators say might
be sealed at the end of this year or the beginning of next.
“There has been tentative discussion of a possible plebiscite to
determine the entity’s final status, but with none of the necessary
detail agreed as to who would vote on what, when and how, nor any
agreement as to what other settlement conditions would create the
context for such a vote,” reads the report.
The report says the “self-determination referendum” should be held only
after the return of Karabakh’s Azerbaijani minority displaced by the
conflict and only if Karabakh is deemed to have met “international
preconditions for statehood, including the protection of minority
rights.”
Another ICG condition for the referendum is “incremental withdrawal of
Nagorno-Karabakh forces backed by Armenia from all occupied territories
around Nagorno-Karabakh.” That, according to the group, should include
the Lachin district that serves as the shortest overland link between
the disputed territory and Armenia proper. Its report says the vital
corridor would be controlled by international peacekeepers after
Armenian withdrawal.
The leaderships of Armenia and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic have repeatedly stated that Lachin’s return to Azerbaijan
or international supervision is non-negotiable. Armenian officials
told RFE/RL earlier that the peace accord discussed by the parties
envisages continued Armenian control over the area.
The ICG also called on Azerbaijan to renounce use of force in the
conflict and “resume direct contact with the de facto Nagorno-Karabakh
authorities.” Azerbaijani leaders regularly threaten to win back
Karabakh by force. President Ilham Aliev has pledged to embark on
a massive military build-up which he hopes will force the Armenian
into making serious concessions.
Azerbaijan’s continuing bellicose rhetoric was denounced on Tuesday
by Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian. “Oil dollars seem to
have gotten some Azerbaijani leaders carried away and dizzy, and
they have started signing old songs,” Sarkisian said in a speech at
a military base in Yerevan. “The existing situation can be compared
to the situation of the early 1990s when Azerbaijan’s leaders were
promising to quickly resolve the Karabakh conflict by force.”
The ICG similarly warned of the persisting danger of renewed
fighting in Karabakh. “So far, despite progress in the negotiations,
the resumption of war remains as likely as peace,” the group’s
vice-president for Europe, Alain Deletroz, said in a separate
statement.

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER RE-ELECTED MAYOR
The Associated Press
10/10/05 21:14 EDT
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – The mayor of a small Armenian town jailed
on murder charges was re-elected to his post, election officials
said Monday.
Armen Keshishian, the mayor of Nor-Achin about six miles east of the
capital, Yerevan, has been charged in the Sept. 24 shooting death of
Ashot Mkhitarian, the head of a local electric utility. The pistol that
allegedly killed the utility chief had been presented to Keshishian by
Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, according to the prime minister’s
spokeswoman, Mary Arutunian.
Firearms are considered a treasured gift in the Caucasus. Although
their sale is forbidden in Armenia, the president and prime minister
are empowered to present people with weapons.
Since becoming prime minister in 2000, Markarian has presented
589 people with guns, which police officials say have been used in
three murders and a number of attempted murders. Arutunian said law
enforcement bodies were now checking a number of people whom Markarian
plans to present with guns, to make sure they would not use them for
criminal purposes.
With the election victory, Keshishian will govern his town from behind
bars pending trial. If he is convicted, he will lose his post.

EurasiaNet, NY
Oct 5 2005
TURKEY: FORMER DIPLOMAT DISCUSSES EU CHALLENGES WITH RFE/RL
Jeffrey Donovan 10/05/05
A EurasiaNet Partner Post from RFE/RL
Turkey has begun its membership talks with the European Union. The
start of talks early today in Luxembourg came after difficult
negotiations among EU foreign ministers and objections by Austria
that had threatened to kill Turkey’s hopes for membership. Despite
the successful outcome, Ankara now faces a decade or more of tough
reforms that in the end still do not guarantee membership. Turkey
must adopt EU laws in 35 areas or “chapters,” including justice,
social, foreign, and security policy. RFE/RL correspondent Jeffrey
Donovan discussed the challenges ahead with Resat Arim, a former
Turkish ambassador to Berlin, Beijing, and Amman, and now with the
Foreign Policy Institute at Ankara’s Bilkent University.
RFE/RL: How are people and the media in Turkey reacting to Monday’s
developments?
Resat Arim: We have been working very hard on this. This is a major
project for Turkey. As you know, since the time of [Mustafa Kemal]
Ataturk, the new republic of Turkey has turned west. We have, for
instance, adopted the Swiss civil code. So, the matters relating to
the person, to the family — many things, civil matters — have been
dealt with using the law dating from 1926. So there are many laws,
institutions, geared to European models.
RFE/RL: The road ahead is long, and fraught with pitfalls. What do
you see as the main hurdles for Turkey in its quest to join the EU?
Arim: We adopted the [EU] customs union in 1996. Among the candidate
countries, no one had assumed the responsibilities of the customs
union before becoming a member. Therefore, I presume that during the
accession talks with the European Union, the economic questions will
be solved rather easily, because we already have a customs union.
RFE/RL: What about some of the more problematic chapters?
Arim: For instance, agriculture. I read, and we all read, that
agriculture will be one of the difficult chapters. Already, we have a
large agriculture sector. Whether it is very profitable [is a
question].
RFE/RL: What about the chapters on security and justice?
Arim: There won’t be many problems, really, because during the last
three or four years, we have made many changes in our law to conform
to the Copenhagen criteria [on democracy and rule of law].
RFE/RL: Even with regard to, say, the Kurdish issue? I know this was
part of the Copenhagen criteria, but some say there are still
problems with the way Turkey is implementing the reforms with regards
to its Kurdish minority.
Arim: Not much, really. We have people of Kurdish origin. But they
are not a minority; they are first-class citizens. The question was
only about their ability to use their own language and to have their
own press and broadcasting. Already in the last couple of years, we
adopted laws, changed many things. So the people of Kurdish origin
can use their language; there can be broadcasting in Kurdish, and
there can be classes in Kurdish.
RFE/RL: But, obviously, with regard to European public opinion,
people are still very skeptical about the extent to which some of
these reforms have been implemented, and also about things such as
the recent indictment of Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk following an
interview in which he spoke about the Ottoman massacre of Armenians.
Arim: There’s a case against him, which we very much hope will be
dropped. A few mishaps, really, one of the few mishaps. This is not
the rule in Turkey. People are not indicted, or have cases brought
against them, because of their views. The press and the broadcasters
and the government have criticized [this case] very harshly.
RFE/RL: As part of the negotiations, Turkey will have to recognize
Greek Cyprus. How difficult is that going to be, and when can we
expect it to happen?
Arim: Very far off. [Laughs.] Very far off. Turkey cannot really
recognize Greek Cypriots as the government of Cyprus. So Turkey
cannot say that Turkey recognizes the Republic of Cyprus, as it is.
But, in the meantime, if the Cyprus problem is resolved — and we
very much hope the United Nations secretary-general makes another
effort to bring the parties together — and if there is a settlement,
then of course, the Turkish government already said it would
recognize the ultimate negotiated [settlement].
RFE/RL: One of the possible pitfalls for Turkey is the role that
European public opinion may end up playing in the accession process.
Austria and France have already said that they will put the question
of Turkey’s entry to a referendum. What is the thinking in Turkey
about how to overcome the negative public opinion in some places?
Arim: Of course, European public opinion has not really been worked
upon by their governments so far. There will be a referendum at the
end of the negotiations. By that time, probably, public opinion in
many European countries will be very informed about the advantages of
having Turkey in the European Union. Mostly, this is the job of
governments there. But also, we will try to help.