Toxins Found in Georgia Suspect’s Cellar

.c The Associated Press

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) – Georgian police working with the FBI
discovered dangerous substances in the house of the suspect who
admitted throwing a live grenade toward President Bush at a rally in
Tbilisi in May, officials said Wednesday.

Sergo Dzagnidze, chief of the criminal police department at the
Interior Ministry, told The Associated Press that 5 gallons of
sulfuric acid, several boxes of mercury thermometers, a centrifuge, a
microscope and other devices and dangerous chemicals were found in the
cellar.

The suspect, Vladimir Arutyunian, was detained last week after a
police shootout.

He was charged Tuesday with terrorism over the grenade attack, in
addition to earlier charges of killing a police officer in the
shootout and illegal possession of weapons.

“The dangerous substances found in the cellar of Arutyunian show that
he posed a risk and had a big potential for carrying out terrorist
acts,” General-Prosecutor Zurab Adeishvili said.

Both Bush and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili were behind a
bulletproof barrier addressing a rally of thousands in Tbilisi in May
when the grenade landed about 100 feet away. It did not explode;
investigators said it apparently malfunctioned. No one was harmed.

Arutyunian was shown on local television last week admitting throwing
the grenade. The suspect said he hoped to kill Bush because he
believed the U.S. leader was “interfering in Georgia’s internal
affairs,” his lawyer said Tuesday.

07/27/05 23:58 EDT

SOME JOURNALISTIC AND PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS OF ARMENIA “SURPRISED” WITH
RESOLUTION OF THE EXPERTS OF CE VENICE COMMISSION

YEREVAN, JULY 27. ARMINFO. A number of journalistic and public
organizations of Armenia “are surprised” with resolution of the
experts of CE Venice Commission on the package of constitutional
reforms in Armenia. Representative of a public organization
“Democracy” Vardan Poghosyan said at a seminar “Freedom of Speech and
Constitutional Reforms.”

They are surprised with the circumstance that yet before July 7,
before the elaborated package was submitted to the CE Venice
Commission, public and journalistic organizations proposed to create
several bodies regulating e-Mass Media and not a single body it was
proposed in the package. They proposed the government to appoint these
bodies. However, the above experts proposed to leave unchanged the
point of creation of a singe body as well as that part of its
participants is appointed by the president and second part by the
parliament, on the example of the Constitutional Court of Armenia. The
resolution of the experts does not propose inclusion of a point
banning any censorship in the package of reforms. They expressed
confidence that the proposals of CE experts do not provide strong
guarantees of freedom of speech in the country and urge the Armenian
Parliament either to accept the proposals of Armenian organizations
interested or to elaborate proposals providing real freedom of speech,
Poghosyan says. He thinks the package of constitutional reforms to be
submitted for the second reading of the parliament an obvious but not
enough process, as it still need elaboration.

In her turn, Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Permanent Commission for
Science, Culture and Youth Affairs Hrahuysh Hakobyan opposed Poghosyan
stating that already adopted laws on freedom of speech and on the
activity of Mass Media were the major guarantees of freedom of speech
in Armenia. As regards the aforementioned point in the package of
constitutional reforms, she stated that just this body would secure
freedom of speech in the country. “The concern of Yerevan Press Club
and other organizations is clear, but one should make a broader sight
on things and not to compare what is proposed to what was earlier. At
last, the package of reforms has undergone 34 changes, and we shall
made as many ones as it is necessary to achieve a compromise,” she
said.

‘HAYFILM’ ON SALE

Azg/arm
29 July 05

In accordance with Armenian Government’s decision N 727-A of April 21,
2005, the tender commission invites to take part in an open contest to
alienate the property of “Hayfilm” Film-Studio State Non-Commercial
Organization named after Hamo Beknazaryan.

To learn the terms and conditions of participation please visit the
Department of State Property Management by the Government of the
Republic of Armenia on or call the tender
commission on +374 10 52 76 35.

Russian Media Hails Spammer’s Murder
By Anton Nossik

Created: 26.07.2005 12:43 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 13:13 MSK

MosNews.Com

Russia’s most (in)famous spammer, Vardan Kushnir, 35, was dead in his
apartment in downtown Moscow on Monday, July 25. Someone repeatedly
smashed his head with a heavy object, authorities say, and then
ransacked his entire apartment. The authorities have obviously got
no clue as to who that someone might have been.

And, as a matter of fact, they don’t seem to really care: every day
between 10 and 20 people meet a violent death in Russia’s capital,
and a significant part of those crimes remains unsolved (Russia’s
Interior Ministry reports 1,935 unsolved murders, 73,000 burglaries
and 11,400 robberies between January and May in this year alone). There
is no reason for Moscow’s law enforcement officials to give Kushnir’s
case any special treatment, so they most probably won’t. But the
Moscow-based media is awash with comments and speculations, expounding
one simple, albeit largely irrational, theory: someone (ranging from
God almighty to an irate IT office worker) finally punished Vardan
Kushnir for his seemingly unstoppable spamming activities.

Indeed, the deceased must have been the most hated person among
17.6 million Internet users in Russia, whom he continuously spammed
over the last few years, sending out tons of email ads for his
language courses. These feelings are shared by many among the 20
million Russian-speaking Internet users outside the country, whom he
also plagued with unsolicited ads, both text and graphical: despite
limiting its offers to Muscovites only, the American Language Center
did send mail to locations as remote as California, Canada or the
office network of the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, in Israel.

Russian-language media, both online and offline, has made little effort
to conceal one central thought when dealing with the spammer’s demise:
that somehow the late Mr. Kushnir got what he deserved. “The Spammer
Had it Coming”, one headline reads. “Spam is Deadly”, “Ignoble Death
Becomes Russia’s Top Spammer”, “An Ultimate Solution to the Spam
Problem” – 84 Russian-language news captions on Kushnir’s murder,
retrieved by the Yandex News search engine within a day of the event,
seem to share the general feeling.

This jubilation is largely due to the fact that spamming is as good
as legal in Russia. Not only because of local lawmakers’ general
ignorance in IT issues, but also due to the executive branches’
reluctance to act upon laws already in effect. Specific antispam
legislation hasn’t been enacted in Russia yet, but there are at least
three articles in Russia’s Criminal Code dealing with computer crime
” database tampering, unauthorized access to protected systems and
networks, creation and dissemination of harmful software ” which
could be used in specific cases to deal with particular spam attacks,
to track, charge and indict at least those who send out viruses,
hack corporate mailservers or use stolen proprietary email databases
for spamming purposes.

Likewise, there are laws in Russia, regulating the dissemination
and content of ads, and local spammers have never bothered to
comply. Unfortunately, none of these laws has ever been enforced
on spammers. Law enforcement officers happen to be the most typical
representatives of Russian bureaucracy: unless they’re economically
motivated by the plaintiff, or act on orders from the very top,
they will use any pretext imaginable to avoid doing their duty. And
in the case of spammers they are very successful in doing nothing.

In the particular case of Vardan Kushnir, the Internet community
spared no effort to discrupt his activities, engaging help from all
sorts of authorities. Kushnir’s personal data was posted webwide; the
deputy minister of communications (himself the target of unsolicited
language-learning ads) recorded a message, urging American Language
Center to stop spamming, and Rambler, one of Russia’s biggest Internet
holdings, set up a calling system in its office, that played the
message non-stop to the ALC call-center operators and answering
machines. Finally, a Moscow-based Internet lawyer Anton Sergo filed a
formal complaint against Vardan Kushnir with the Antitrust Authority
(in charge of the enforcement of ad laws). Kushnir failed to show up
at any hearings, and administrative proceedings were started against
him for non-compliance. Then the spammer promptly changed his mind and
came to an antitrust hearing, claiming he had absolutely no idea who
might be sending out all those innumerable ads for his business. The
case was closed.

Given all this sad experience, and the constant increase in the
number of unsolicited emails clogging Russia’s network traffic, one
can easily imagine the feelings of a typical Russian Internet user,
witnessing his very own and personal Inbox steadily reduced to another
edition of a Trash folder. Joining the spamming industry in Russia
is dirt cheap: any business can afford to mailbomb a million users
for $100, and any individual can buy a software bundle, complete
with mail address databases, starting from $20, to send out his CV,
advertise his flat for rent, or sell a used car. Little wonder,
that many spam-fighting tools, such as Spamcop, offer its users an
option to ban any mail from the RU domain altogether, and thousands
of Russian SMTP servers (including those of large ISP networks)
occasionally make it to major international relay-blocking lists,
due to spammers’ exploits. Which means that any mail originating
from the Russian users of those servers gets trashed automatically,
without notice to either the sender or the recipient.

It’s little wonder, then, that Vardan Kushnir became as popular a
character among Russian-speaking Internet users, as Lord Voldemort must
be among Hogwarts’ fans. And a tale of some anonymous ‘Harry Potter’
paying him a private visit on a warm July morning produces quite
a predictable sensation among the audience. Of course, everybody
understands, that spam will not stop with Kushnir’s demise ” it
will persist for years to come, exactly the way Lord Voldemort finds
his way back into the picture with every new installment of the Harry
Potter saga. But this time, the magic wand has for once dealt a deadly
blow to the arch-villain, and there seems to be no option left for
the spectators, than to hail the magic.

HARVEST OF CEREALS

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
27 July 05

Although the harvest of cereals is still going on, the existing data
already give an idea about the results. Unfortunately, this year the
total yield of grain is lower than in the previous year. In 2004 the
average crop yield per hectare was 15900 kg (by July 18) whereas this
year the average yield in the republic is 13700 kg per ha (86.1 per
cent). But this decrease is not the same for the entire territory of the
republic. For example, the crop yield has decreased in the regions of
Askeran, Martakert, Martuni and Shushi since 2004, whereas in Kashatagh
and Hadrut it surpassed the indices of the previous year. In Kashatagh
it almost doubled, totaling 12300 kg per hectare against 6400 kg per
hectare in 2004. In 2005 the area under crop increased from 56336.5 to
60670.5 ha. This tendency cannot be applied to all the regions. In fact,
in Martakert the area under crop almost doubled, whereas in Kashatagh it
was reduced from 16246 to 9150 ha. The increase of the area under crop
necessitates the effective organization of harvesting. By July 18
55282.6 tonnes of grain was collected from 40294.6 ha against the
53982.8 tonnes from 33873 ha in the previous year (the figures were
provided by the NKR Ministry of Agriculture). These numbers give some
idea about the harvest of grain this year. For more details we talked to
the chief of the department for development and planning of branches of
agriculture of the NKR Ministry of Agriculture Hayk Lalayan. AA: `Mr.
Lalayan, the yield of arable crops in 2005 has decreased since the
previous year. What is the reason for this?’ H.L.: `The crop yield is,
in fact, rather law this year. The main cause is the weather. Dry
weather in the season when the crops need water caused a lot of damage;
this is the main cause of low yield. We should not forget that the
majority of arable lands are not irrigated, and favourable weather is a
very important condition. Nevertheless, the collected amount will be
enough for the needs of the NKR population and, besides, a considerable
amount of wheat will be exported.’ AA: `Today both the producers and
buyers are especially interested in the problems related to the price
for grain.’ H.L.: `First of all it should be noted that the price is
determined by the market, by the well known correlation of supply and
demand. But we should also take into account another circumstance. Here
the prices usually correspond to the prices of the Armenian market. As
for grain, this year a considerable amount of wheat was bought at a low
price from Russia (let us leave aside the quality now). It follows that
Armenia satisfied its demand on the Russian market. This causes the
price for bread to drop. The same happened last year. Let’s look back.
In 2003 the price for 1 kg of wheat increased from 80 to 170 AM drams
then dropped to 120 AM drams. In 2004 it was around 70. Moreover, if the
price is 70 drams in Armenia, the middlemen in NKR may try to buy grain
at even a lower price.’ AA: `Mr. Lalayan, successful harvest greatly
depends on the agricultural machinery. Is there lack of machinery and
may this result in damages to the harvest?’ H.L.: `About 280 combines
work in the fields, which, I think, is enough. Especially that the
harvest of grain does not take place simultaneously in different regions
of NKR because of climate. Part of the combines was brought from Armenia
but this does not make any difference. As to the fee for the machinery,
it is not controlled specially. The owner of the combine decides the
price for himself taking into account the market.’ AA: `You mentioned
that the crop yield suffered from the lack of rain. What about the
damage of hails?’ H.L.: `Certainly, considerable damage was inflicted by
hails. But hails do not damage all the area at once but several hectares
in one place or another. This year, thanks God, it did not happen that
hails damage all the fields of one region. This year hails damaged about
2545 ha of grain.’ AA: `Every year arable crops are destroyed by fires.
What action is taken to prevent this?’ H.L.: `There are fire brigades in
each regions, which are provided with the necessary means by the
government. So far they have done their job well and prevented great
damage. However, fires also damage the crops partly. The exact
evaluation of the damages of fire will be made after the harvest.’ AA:
`But we should not forget that behind these dry figures there are
families whose one or two hectares were also in those `partly damaged’.
Are there any subsidies for them?’ H.L.: `We do not have a complete
picture of the damage yet. But after the harvest the data will be summed
up and extended to the government of NKR which will decide the order and
size of support.’

NORAYR HOVSEPIAN.
27-07-2005

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 28 2005

5 companies illegally cooperating with separatist regime named

Baku, July 27, AssA-Irada

The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan has named five companies illegally
cooperating with the separatist regime in Upper Garabagh. The
scrutiny continues, as there are more companies responsible for such
unlawful activity, a source from the Ministry told local ANS TV.
Uzbekistan’s Daewoo-Unitel, Ukraine’s Kievstar and two Italian
companies are collaborating with the separatist regime in cellular
communications. A French company is engaged in exporting grapes
jointly with a company operating in Upper Garabagh, the same source
said.
Azerbaijani embassies in Uzbekistan and Italy have urged these
companies to provide explanations.
Daewoo-Unitel has said that it will withdraw the information about
its cooperation with the `Garabagh-Telecom’ company as well as the
symbol and texts terming Upper Garabagh as an independent state from
its advertisements on August 2.
The Italian companies are still scrutinizing the matter.*

Edicom, Suisse
Jeudi 28 Juillet 2005

Le DFAE explique à l’ambassadeur turc que la négation d’un génocide
est punissable en Suisse

L’ambassadeur de Turquie reçu à Berne – Après les déclarations d’un
politicien turc –

Berne (AP) Un entretien a eu lieu jeudi au Département fédéral des
affaires étrangères (DFAE) avec l’ambassadeur de Turquie en relation
avec l’enquête ouverte en Suisse à l’encontre d’un politicien turc
pour négation du génocide arménien. Le DFAE est confiant que les
clarifications données sur l’ordre juridique suisse permettront de
rétablir une atmosphère de travail «plus sereine».
Ce nouveau refroidissement dans les relations helvético-turques fait
suite aux propos tenus ces derniers jours par le chef du Parti des
travailleurs à l’occasion de la commémoration du Traité de Lausanne,
qui a délimité les frontières de la Turquie moderne en 1923. Dogu
Perincek a notamment déclaré que le génocide arménien de 1915 était
un «mensonge des impérialistes».
L’ambassadeur de Turquie en Suisse a été reçu par le chef de la
Division politique I, l’ambassadeur Jean-Jacques de Dardel. Le DFAE a
réitéré sa surprise face aux protestations continues du gouvernement
turc au sujet de l’ouverture d’une enquête à l’encontre de Dogu
Perincek. Lors de l’entretien, il a rappelé que le Code pénal suisse
contenait une norme contre le racisme, qui punissait tout propos tenu
en public niant, minimisant ou tentant de justifier un génocide ou
autres crimes contre l’humanité. Il a par ailleurs renvoyé à
l’indépendance du pouvoir judiciaire en Suisse.
Le DFAE rappelle que le Conseil fédéral a toujours déploré et
condamné les tragiques déportations et les massacres qui ont eu lieu
en Arménie à la fin de l’Empire ottoman. Toutefois, il est d’avis
qu’il appartient aux historiens de faire la lumière sur ces
événements et de les analyser dans leur contexte historique. A cet
égard, le Conseil fédéral salue la proposition du gouvernement turc
d’instaurer une commission mixte composée d’historiens turcs et
arméniens pour procéder à une étude approfondie de la question.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
07/28/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
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Corrections:

In the article “Commemorating the Spirit of Lisbon Five,” which appeared in
our July 27 issue, in referring to the members of the Lisbon Five, we
inadvertently wrote: “The five members of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation. . . “. That should have read “The five members of the Armenian
Revolutionary Army.”

In the same article, the second to the last paragraph was incomplete, and
should have read: “Praising those Armenian establishments that instilled such
national spirit and faith in our youth in the past, the speaker stressed the
necessity of maintaining that pure outlook, unfettered nationalism, and noble
path.”

1) Looking for Commitment in All the Wrong Places
2) Turkey Can Never Be European, German Politician Says
3) US Intends to Help Azerbaijan in Democratic and Economic Reforms
4) Swiss-Turkey Relations Hit New Low
5) UN Nuclear Agency Chief Discusses Medzamor Safety in Armenia
6) Armenian Chess Player Wins Bronze Medal

1) Looking for Commitment in All the Wrong Places

European Turk parliamentarians set Prime Minister Erdogan straight

ANKARA (Aztagdaily)–During a meeting with Ethnic Turk European
parliamentarians, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked for their
cooperation in working against recognition of the Armenian genocide in their
respective parliaments.
Erdogan targeted parliamentarians from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden
during a meeting in Ankara, asking them to counter efforts by diaspora
Armenians to pass Genocide-related legislation.
The parliamentarians expressed apprehension, stating that given European
“predisposition” on the issue of the Armenian genocide, Turkish lobbying
efforts would not be
successful.

2) Turkey Can Never Be European, German Politician Says

(Reuters)–Turkey should never join the European Union because it lies mostly
outside Europe geographically, and accession talks should not begin on October
3 unless Ankara first recognizes the sovereignty of Cyprus, according to the
vice president of Germany’s CDU/CSU party, Wolfang Schauble.
Schauble made these remarks in the Polish daily, Rzeczpospolita, on July 25
following Germany’s decision last week to push for elections on September 18,
which are widely expected to sweep the center-right CDU/CSU group into power.
“The EU should not extend beyond the boundary that we call the European
continent. Otherwise people will stop identifying with it. And if so, Turkey,
the vast part of which lies outside Europe, cannot belong to the union,” he
proclaimed.
Schauble explained that the October 3 membership talks could proceed with
Ankara as planned “if by this time Turkey formally recognizes the sovereignty
of our European partner Cyprus.”
However, he added that Ankara should be made aware the negotiations are
open-ended and could possibly lead to a privileged partnership status rather
than full membership.
The vice president in charge of foreign affairs and justice brushed aside
worries that blocking Turkish entry might send a hostile message to the
Islamic
world and aggravate Washington, which has pressed for Turkish accession in
recent years.
Schauble indicated that Ankara’s NATO membership and the fact that 20 million
Muslims reside in the EU “is proof that we, Christians and Muslims, can live
together sharing the same fundamental values.”
The vice president also added that “the US will agree that it is us, the
Europeans, who know best which institutional form to give to our relations
with
Turkey.”

3) US Intends to Help Azerbaijan in Democratic and Economic Reforms

BAKU (Armenpress)–The United States is deeply committed to helping Azerbaijan
succeed in democratic and economic reforms, said Under Secretary for Global
Affairs of the United States Dr. Paula Dobriansky at a July 27 press
conference
in Baku.
Dobriansky spoke highly of the value of bilateral relations between the
United
States and Azerbaijan, specifically noting Azerbaijan’s contribution to
coalition efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the two countries’
efforts to make the East-West Energy Corridor a reality.
Commenting on Azerbaijan’s many challenges in advancing democracy, Dobriansky
said, “It is the sincere desire of the United States government that this
decree be implemented fully at all levels of government in all regions of
Azerbaijan,” adding that the US funded exit-poll, conducted by independent,
objective organizations, will help deter electoral fraud.
Meanwhile, Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov will discuss the
regulation of the Karabagh conflict during his upcoming visit to
Washington, DC
from August 1-5.
Mammedyarov, who is traveling to Washington at the invitation of Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice, will attend meetings at the White House, Pentagon, and
several think-tanks.

4) Swiss-Turkey Relations Hit New Low

BERN (Armenpress)–Swiss parliamentarian Erwin Jutzet was quoted on July 27 by
SwissInfo as saying that Turkey should recognize the Armenian genocide and
stop
blackmailing Switzerland. Meanwhile, the Swiss ambassador in Ankara has had to
defend himself against a barrage of criticism concerning the Swiss
investigation of a Turkish politician.
“Turkey has to stop reacting so sensitively to such events,” Jutzet, the
president of the House of Representatives’ foreign-policy commission, told the
Tages-Anzeiger newspaper on Wednesday.
“It would do better to recognize once and for all the genocide of the
Armenians.”
On July 26, Turkey presented a protest note concerning the investigation of a
Turkish politician on suspicion of violating Swiss anti-racism laws, to the
Swiss ambassador in Ankara and the Swiss foreign ministry in Bern.
Dogu Perincek, leader of Turkey’s Workers’ Party and the subject of two
criminal investigations, has twice denied that the killings of Armenians
around
the time of World War I amounted to genocide.
Jutzet stated that it was up to Turkey to make a move “instead of always
taking offense and resorting to blackmail.” He added that the constant denial
of genocide could have ramifications for Turkey’s much sought-after entry into
the European Union, and “if Switzerland were to turn its back on Turkey, it
would be a bad sign for EU entry.”

5) UN Nuclear Agency Chief Discusses Medzamor Safety in Armenia

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Mohamed El Baradei, the director general of the
International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), praised Armenian authorities for their “good”
cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog group as he ended a
two-day visit to Yerevan on Thursday.
El Baradei said the ongoing efforts to further improve the safety
standards at
the Medzamor nuclear power station were an “important focus” of his talks with
President Robert Kocharian and other Armenian officials. He also said the
Armenian leadership plans to keep the Soviet-built facility operational for
another decade despite lingering Western concerns about its security.
“We identified issues that need to be worked on, particularly in the area of
nuclear safety,” El Baradei said. “I reviewed with [Armenian officials] the
progress we are making in improving safety at Medzamor and the steps that need
to be taken to improve it further.”
“I think the cooperation [between Armenia and IAEA] has been good,” he added.
“I think there has been a commitment to continue to strengthen safety at
Medzamor. We will continue to work with Armenian authorities to improve safety
there.”
Kocharian was likewise quoted by his press office as telling El Baradei that
he is “satisfied” with his government’s cooperation with the Vienna-based
agency. Yerevan continues to pay “special attention” to enhancing the
operational safety of Medzamor’s sole reactor, he said.
IAEA has regularly inspected the reactor, which meets nearly 40 percent of
Armenia’s electricity needs, ever since its re-activation in 1995 and has so
far not reported serious violations of safety standards there. The head of its
European department noted “a great deal of understanding” with the Armenian
authorities during a visit to Yerevan in October 2002.
However, the European Union and the United States continue to press for
Medzamor’s closure, saying that its light-water reactor is one the most
dangerous facilities of its kind in the world. EU and US financial assistance
has been key to the nuclear safety measures taken there over the past decade.
El Baradei said he did not discuss with Kocharian possible dates for the
plant’s decommissioning. “I think the Armenian authorities would like to
continue to operate the reactor for around ten years,” he said. “It is for
Armenia to decide when to shut down the reactor. Of course, there is concern
about its safety and that is why we are working with them to make sure that
safety is improved to an acceptable international level.”
Deputy Energy Minister Areg Galstian announced late last month that
Yerevan is
already making preparations for the start of what promises to be a very costly
decommissioning process. He said it will be complete by 2016.
El Baradei’s itinerary in Armenia also included visits to Medzamor and an
oncology clinic in Yerevan that has just been supplied by IAEA with modern
radio-therapy equipment. The 62-year-old Egyptian, who looks set to run IAEA
for a third term despite US opposition, said he also discussed his agency’s
“active program to protect against illicit trafficking of nuclear material”
through Armenia. It was not clear if IAEA views the country as a potential
transit route for illegal supplies to neighboring Iran whose controversial
nuclear program is facing close international scrutiny.

6) Armenian Chess Player Wins Bronze Medal

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Winning the bronze medal in the World Chess Championship
on July 28 in the French city of Belford, Samvel Ter-Sahakian, age 12,
defeated
his competitor by gaining 8.5 points in the last round. Last year,
Ter-Sahakian
earned second place in the same category.

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ARKA News Agency
July 27 2005

LONGSTANDING ISOLATION CAUSES NEIGHBORING PEOPLES LOSE CENTURIES-OLD
TRADITIONS OF COOPERATION IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

YEREVAN, July 27. /ARKA/. Long-standing isolation causes gradual
degradation of values, loss of centuries-old traditions of
neighborhood and cooperation in the South Caucasus, says a resolution
adopted as a result of a working meeting of the civil initiative
“South Caucasian Integration: Alternative Start”, the Caucasus Center
of Peace-Making Initiatives (CCPMI) reports. According to the
document, manifestation of nationalism and intolerance marginalize
real public sentiments and the idea of peaceful settlement of all
disagreements and integration, the only idea capable of ensuring the
viability of all the peoples of the South Caucasus. Considering the
above, the CCPMI points out the necessity of uniting the public to
counterbalance political speculations on existing conflicts,
contributing to the formation of public need for peace and
restoration of good-neighborly relations in the South Caucasus,
discussion of ways of settling “frozen” conflicts on the basis of
human rights and freedoms. The first working meeting of the civil
initiative “South Caucasian Integration” Alternative Start” was held
in Yerevan on July 19. P.T. -0–

The Messenger, Georgia
July 28 2005

S. Ossetia and Abkhazia reaffirm friendship at talks
By Tiko Giorgadze

Sergey Bagapsh and Eduard Kokoiti, respective leaders of the
separatist republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, signed a joint
communique in the Abkhaz beach town of Gagra on Tuesday, July 26.

Kokoiti traveled to Abkhazia with his family for a summer vacation
and has met with his Abkhaz counterpart on several occasions
including Tuesday’s formal tete-a-tete.

According to news reports from Abkhazia, the meeting brought together
presidential advisors, local officials as well as church
representatives from both unrecognized republics.

It has also been reported that the de facto ministers of foreign
affairs of the two republics signed a protocol concerning
international cooperation between Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The Abkhaz news agency Apsnypress reported that on Tuesday the two de
facto presidents discussed issues of military, economic, cultural and
security cooperation. They also reportedly reiterated Russia’s
leading role in the peace process aimed at resolving the Abkhaz and
South Ossetian conflicts.

“This signed communique once again identifies the joint desire of the
republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to cooperate,” Bagapsh was
quoted as saying by yandex.ru, “We are going to support each other in
case of need. We are independent republics and nobody should think
that South Ossetia and Abkhazia are at odds. We have stuck together
during recent times and we will continue our positive relations into
the future.”

The two said that both republics support only peaceful resolution to
their conflicts but also rejected recent moves by Tbilisi as
“fascist.” From Tskhinvali, Kokokiti said, “Nowadays there is a
desire to involve us in an unfair political game. But we are only for
peaceful negotiations and normal relations. Therefore Georgia’s
fascist ideology should be condemned by the international community.”

He went on to denounce the international conference on Georgia’s
South Ossetian peace proposal that was held in Batumi on July10-11,
saying it was unfair to Ossetia.

“Such international organizations want to blame us, but neither
Abkhazia nor South Ossetia has committed any aggression against
Georgia. To tell the truth, Georgian aggression was carried out
against us and this fact should be condemned. This is a political
double standard. Nevertheless, we are ready to negotiate equally with
everyone and we deplore all forms of aggression,” he is quoted as
saying by yandex.ru.

On Tuesday, Sergey Bagapsh also indicated that additional agreements
between Abkhazia and South Ossetia would be signed in Tskhinvali. He
even hinted that the de facto state of Nagorno-Karabakh would be
included in the talks.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress