ANOTHER HEARING ON AZERI OFFICER’S CASE
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 28 2005
Another hearing on the case of Azerbaijani officer charged with
murdering an Armenian serviceman was held in Budapest on Tuesday.
Employees of the Azeri embassy and prosecutor’s office came to court,
along with witnesses who testified at the hearing.
Ramil Safarov is charged with killing Armenian officer Gurgen Markarian
after the latter insulted his dignity and Azerbaijan’s national flag.
The court considered coming to a compromise over the results of
the forensic expertise, which was conducted twice. According to the
second expertise, the Azerbaijani officer committed the crime in a
state of affect.
The trial will continue on December 15 due to the differences in the
testimonies of witnesses.
Hungarian lawyers earlier termed the expertise held to determine
Safarov’s psychological condition as unacceptable and demanded
to conduct another one. The second expertise was held with the
permission of the Hungarian Supreme Court and involved representatives
of Azerbaijan.
According to a reliable source, the first expertise determined that
the Azeri officer was in psychologically healthy condition. The
second one, however, indicated that he was relatively unstable, i.e.
under serious stress, when he committed the murder.

CYPRUS BLOCKS BAKU PARTICIPATION IN EU WIDER EUROPE: NEW NEIGHBORS PROGRAM
Pan Armenian News
27.09.2005 06:10
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Republic of Cyprus has vetoed Azerbaijan’s
candidacy and blocked participation of Baku in EUWider Europe: New
Neighbors program.
Thus, the Azerbaijan-EU talks are delayed for an indefinite period
of time.
As reported by Day.az Azeri agency, the suspension of the program is
due to the Cyprus attitude towards Azerbaijan over direct air flights
between Baku and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Greek Cyprus
has officially posed the question of suspension of EU assistance to
Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, as reported the Zerkalo Baku newspaper, head
of the Department of Information of the Azeri MFA Tahir Tagizade
stated the delays in question are due to technical causes. The
Azeri party has provided documents to Brussels and is waiting for
the EU response. In particular, the date of arrival of a special EU
delegation to Azerbaijan is to be determined. “There are no other
motives,” T. Tagizade stated. In his words, there is no ground for
attribution to the Cyprus issue, as “the policy of Azeri authorities
lies in lifting the international humanitarian isolation of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus. The latter is welcomed by international
organizations, specifically the UN and EU.” The flights to the Turkish
Cyprus are organized by private Azeri companies and are not part of
Azeri Government’s official policy, T. Tagizade stated.

ARMENIA AND GREECE UNANIMOUS ON TURKEY ISSUE
A1+
| 20:43:14 | 27-09-2005 | Official |
Today Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan received Greek
Ambassador to Armenia Antonionis Vlavianos, who is completing his
diplomatic mission in the republic.
Giving a high estimate to the level of the Armenian-Greek relations the
parties noted that Robert Kocharian’s formal visit to Greece scheduled
for this November will convey an impulse to the lasting political
dialogue between the two states and activation of economic relations.
Ambassador Vlavianos and the RA Premier expressed satisfaction
with the participation of Greece in the programs implemented in
the spheres of education, public health, agriculture, water supply,
sports and culture.
Military cooperation was also noted.
The interlocutors noted the necessity of expanding the bilateral
relations and judged the blockade imposed by Turkey on Armenia as
inadmissible.

RUSHAYLO ARRIVED IN ARMENIA
A1+
| 21:08:06 | 27-09-2005 | Official |
Today Robert Kocharian received CIS Executive Secretary Vladimir
Rushaylo.
The interlocutors discussed the process of fulfilling the resolutions
adopted during the Kazan summit. They also touched upon a number of
issues referring the CIS reformation and exchanged opinions on the
activities of the CIS Executive Committee.
To note, Vladimir Rushaylo arrived in Armenia to take part in the
sitting of the CIS Ministers of Interior planned for September 29.
During a short conversation with journalists in the airport V. Rushaylo
informed that he going to meet with a number of Armenian officials.

ANATOLIAN TOLERANCE EXAMPLE TO THE WORLD
By Abdullah Ozyurt, Osman Balci
Zaman, Turkey
Sept 27 2005
zaman.com
Calls of brotherhood marked the First Hatay Meeting of Civilizations
where the leading representatives from different religions
participated.
Ecclesiastics who spoke at the meeting emphasized that Anatolia has
hosted several civilizations and tolerance calls spreading from these
lands can embrace the whole world.
On the first day of the meeting organized by the Society for the
Protection of Universal Values in Hatay and opened by Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan the other evening, the dignitaries of
Islam, Christianity and Judaism expressed that dialogue and tolerance
was the only alternative in order to live in peace.
Professor Ali Bardakoglu, head of Religious Affairs Directorate,
said ways of living together in peace should be found.
Bardakoglu, during his speech, in which he pointed out that religions
are based on basic ethic virtues, said the following:
“The first man and Prophet Adam and the light of prophet hood that
started with him have always called the humanity to peace, friendship
and brotherhood. This call has always been refreshed. Therefore,
the meeting of civilizations means the human beings’ are returning
to their essence and recognizing themselves. What we have here is
not the meeting of the religions on a certain basis but it is people
of different religions, cultures and beliefs coming together on the
basis of peace. ”
Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew reminded that a different
tension is currently being experienced in the world, starting from
the last 10 years of the last century.
Bartholomew stressed a healthy dialogue cannot be built on distrust
and hearsay.
“Religions cannot be behind terrorist attacks. We tried to inform
in the correct manner on all platforms the public opinion that has
acted against Muslims at times. We never suspect the rightness of
things we do and continue our efforts in this field.”
Hatay has served as a model to the world
The Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, Mesrob II expressed the pleasure
he had for the Meeting of Civilizations being held in Hatay.
“The stones of Hatay are the silent witnesses of this history. Hatay
is implementing the model of peace and tolerance the world and humanity
strongly needs, thus serving a model to the world.”
Rabbi Izak Haleva, the chief rabbi of Jews in Turkey, said every
individual has the right of freedom.
“It is a fact that those who escaped from oppression to certain
regions cannot be forced to return to their former homes and that
they cannot be sent back there is determined by divine commands.”
In the session entitled “Contributions of Religions in Civilizations”
held in the frame of the first Hatay Meeting of Civilizations
activities, citizens belonging to all religions should be able to
live in peace and have well-intentioned manners, it was emphasized.
Pope Benedict XVI who sent a congratulatory message to the meeting
said important missions await the men of religion to find a solution
to the problems caused by globalization and for peace of all mankind.
The pontiff, who in his message underlined the organization of such
a meeting is important for the history of Christianity, said, people
of different religions have lived in Antakya together in peace for
centuries and that this situation should serve a model to the world.
Meanwhile, the tight security measures that were taken around the
hall where the meeting took place attracted much attention.

NO-SHOW ARMENIAN GROUP IRKS FLORIDA FARM OFFICIALS
By Susan Salisbury
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Palm Beach Post, FL
Sept 28 2005
Where in the world are the Armenians who were to spend 10 days touring
the farms of Florida?
University of Florida officials – who spent three months planning an
itinerary, reserving motel rooms, booking vans and making arrangements
for the 10-person group – want to know. They’ve contacted the federal
Department of Homeland Security after the group failed to show up
Sunday night at the Gainesville airport.
Gene McAvoy, a UF agricultural extension director, waited for several
hours at the airport for the Armenians, finally giving up close
to midnight. It was only Tuesday morning that he heard from them
via e-mail.
“What it said is they went to L.A. The tickets cost so much, they
could not afford to come to Florida,” McAvoy said.
The Armenians apologized, he said, but “it seems like a pretty lame
excuse.”
“This is America. There are cellphones,” said McAvoy, who spent the
morning Tuesday canceling the remaining hotel and other reservations
for the group.
Their stay, scheduled for Sept. 25 through Oct. 5, was to include
a statewide tour of farms and farmers’ markets, including stops in
West Palm Beach, Fort Pierce and Florida City.
Leah Yoon, a spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
said Tuesday she did not know whether an investigation is under way,
but said the details of the Armenians’ non-arrival in Florida sounded
“highly unusual.”
McAvoy said immigration officials at Los Angeles International Airport
would not tell him anything, and they didn’t return calls seeking
comment Tuesday.
McAvoy said he had someone call Armenia to talk to the Agro
Association, the sponsor of the group, which included Andreas Melikyan,
eight farmers and a translator.
“They said they didn’t know anything, but said they knew them and
wanted us to let them know if we found out where they were,” he said.
Melikyan, who could not be reached by phone and did not reply to an
e-mail message, visited Florida in 2001 on a similar agricultural tour.
Lisette Staal, assistant director at UF’s International Programs
office in Gainesville, did not want to discuss the episode in depth.
She did say she had heard from the group, however.
“They told me they had a flight problem, and they have canceled their
program here,” she said. “We are as puzzled as the next person.”
Southern California is home to an estimated 350,000 Armenians, the
largest Armenian community outside the Republic of Armenia itself,
according to the University of Southern California.
Varoujan Der Simonian, executive director of the Armenian Technology
Group Inc. in Fresno, Calif., which works to help Armenian farmers,
was not familiar with the Agro Association.
However, he said, travelers from Armenia to the United States must
state their destination and it must match their airline tickets.
“Something is wrong, either with the airline or the connection. Ten
people can’t just change planes,” Der Simonian said. “You can’t just
change your mind and decide to go to L.A. instead of Florida.”
Ken Gioeli, a St. Lucie County-based natural resources agent for UF,
also waited in vain at the Gainesville airport with McAvoy.
“They either ran out of money, or something happened,” Gioeli said.

ARMENIA HIGHLIGHTS EUROPEAN INTEGRATION EXPERIENCE OF FINLAND
Pan Armenian News
27.09.2005 06:57
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Chairman of the National Assembly of Armenia
Artur Baghdassaryan met with Finnish President Tarja Halonen being
in Yerevan on an official call, reported the Press Service of the
Armenian Parliament.
Matters of development of the Armenian-Finnish relations were
discussed during the meeting. The indicated remarked the importance
of strengthening political, economic, scientific and cultural ties
between the two countries.
Special attention was paid to promotion of interparliamentary
relations. It was also noted that an Armenian-Finnish friendship
group is formed in the Armenian Parliament. At the instance of
the guest A. Baghdassaryan presented the democratic reforms being
implemented in Armenia, as well as emphasized the importance of use
of Finland’s experience in the matter. The delegation headed by the
Finnish President also met with Vice-Speaker T. Torosyan, chairmen
of standing parliamentary commissions, heads of political factions.
A. Baghdassaryan said that he is sure that the visit of the delegation
will encourage development of bilateral relations. In his words,
pursuing a European integration policy, Armenia highlights study of
the Finnish experience. Appreciating the activities of the Armenian
Center founded in Finland, the Armenian Speaker expressed readiness to
assist the Center in acquiring new literature. The Finnish President
hoped that the Constitutional reforms in Armenia will be held in an
atmosphere of accord.
At the end of the meeting T. Halonen made a record in the book of
honorary guests.

ARMENIA BECOMES 64TH MEMBER OF ADB
Kazinform, Kazakhstan
Sept 28 2005
MANILA. September 28. KAZINFORM. Armenia has become the 64th member
of the Asian Development Bank. Armenia’s membership became effective
on 20 September 2005 upon completion of all formalities.
Armenia has subscribed to 10,557 shares of the capital stock. ADB’s
authorized capital stock is 3,509,728 shares equivalent to US$51.6
billion, Kazinform refers to the Bank’s press service.
The Asian Development Bank is dedicated to reducing poverty in the
Asia and Pacific region through pro-poor sustainable economic growth,
social development, and good governance. Established in 1966, it is
owned by 64 members, with 46 from the region. In 2004, it approved
loans and technical assistance totaling $5.3 billion and $196.6
million, respectively.

EYE ON EURASIA: MILITIAS THREATEN RUSSIA
By Paul Goble
United Press International
Sept 28 2005
Published September 27, 2005
VIENNA — Setting up local armed militias to support the work of the
authorities highlights the weakness of state power in the Russian
Federation and simultaneously threatens both the existing state system
and the territorial integrity of the country.
According to Sergei Markedonov, a specialist on ethnic affairs at the
Moscow Institute of Political and Military Analysis, local officials
who set up “druzhinniki” are dangerously mistaken in believing that
these groups of armed citizens will strengthen the state and its
institutions (prognosis.ru/news/secure/2005/9/22/sr.html).
Several ethnically Russian regions have taken this step in recent
months, but Markedonov’s comments came following an announcement two
weeks ago by Sergei Arenin, the interior minister of North Osetia,
that his republic has already set up “druzhinniki” in the capital
city and plans to create more.
According to RIA Novosti news agency on Sept. 12, Arenin said that the
creation of such groups will not only help the government protect key
institutions but also give citizens who possess weapons the opportunity
to register them with the authorities. And he added that he believes
that in his republic, “the more druzhinniki [we have], the better.”
In his discussion of Arenin’s plans, Markedonov suggests that the
“druzhinniki” Mozdok is establishing will not strengthen the position
of the authorities but rather instead highlight and exacerbate their
weaknesses. And as a result, this move will not calm ethnic tensions
there and in the region but rather make those conflicts more violent.
Officials in North Osetia should understand all this on the basis
of their own experience, Markedonov continues, because this is not
the first attempt by the authorities there to make use armed popular
groups in the name of promoting North Osetian interests.
The first of these came at late 1991 — early 1992. At that time,
officials and local activists worked to create what they called
“detachments of self-defense” in the Ingush villages of the Prigorodniy
rayon. The result? An armed conflict between Osetians and Ingush
in which 583 people died, 939 were wounded, and 40,000 were forced
to flee.
Given the dangers involved of arming the population during periods
of political and social instability, Markedonov says, it is striking
that no one in Moscow or in the apparatus of the force structures
subordinate to the Southern Federal District has denounced Arenin’s
plans or taken any steps to stop them.
Their inaction is all the more striking given that officials in
neighboring republics of the north Caucasus have reacted negatively.
Musa Aliyev, the deputy minister of internal affairs of Ingushetia,
for example, described Arsenin’s ideas as of “doubtful” value.
What Arsenin is doing may be especially dangerous given the tinderbox
quality of the north Caucasus. But unfortunately, Markedonov notes,
it is far from unique. Astrakhan Gov. Sergei Zhilkin has called for
the creation of similar “druzhinniki” in his area, as have government
leaders in Stavropol, Krasnodar, and the Kuban.
In the last of these places, armed “druzhinniki” are already playing
a role in the operation of the notorious filtration camps where
“undesirable” arrivals are detained. And Markedonov reports, there
are ever more “demands to arm the Cossacks and give them the right
to protect law and order — above all, against outsiders.”
The immediate consequences of such steps, Markedonov, will be more
clashes among the ethnic groups in this region, but over the longer
term, the impact of these “druzhinniki” could be more serious because
the existence of such groups will convince ever more people that
neither the local authorities nor Moscow can defend them.
And those who reach this conclusion will thus become ever more inclined
to “arm themselves, to defend ‘their own population and lands,’ thereby
undermining the unity of [the country’s] legal s pace and creating
the conditions for the flourishing of illegal armed formations.”
No one should be under any illusion that this dangerous trend can be
stopped without Moscow’s intervention, Markedonov argues — or that
it may not be fatal for the state, noting that “similar mass arming
of the population in Karabakh, Abkhazia and Transdniestria took place
at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.”
Law enforcement then and now, Markedonov points out, “cannot be a
subject of ‘the creativity of the masses'” because if that happens,
people “at first not believing in the militia, the Federal Security
Service (FSB) and the army will begin to defend themselves.” And after
that, they will begin to redefine the territory worth defending as
less than the country as a whole.
If armed patrols of the citizenry spread in Ingushetia, this process
is likely to jump over quickly to adjoining Russian regions where
Cossacks will be allowed to conduct “‘purges'” of non-Russian groups,
something that officials in Moscow ought to understand, given what
happened only 15 years ago.
But so far, Markedonov concludes, those in the central Russian
government do not appear to be aware of just how dangerous all this
is, and as a result, they are acting or rather not acting in ways
that may push the Russian Federation as a whole “along the path of
self-destruction.”

HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN TURKEY HIGHLIGHTED AS EU MEMBERSHIP TALKS APPROACH
Christian Post
Sept 27 2005
Ahead of the historical European Union accession talks with Turkey next
month, the human rights situation of the predominantly Muslim nation
has again been highlighted as a major obstacle. Most recently, the
President of Greece openly urged Turkey to respect religious freedom.
“If Turkey hopes to sincerely and substantially enter into the EU on
the basis of its principles and values, it should adopt the fundamental
principles of democracy,” the Greek President Carolos Papoulias said as
he greeted the visiting Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I on Thursday,
according to the Middle East Times.
Turkey’s membership in EU has provoked a vigorous debate. In the midst
of many different opinions, the most fundamental and common concern
regarding its entry to EU is the country’s poor human rights record.
In a statement issued by the EU last December, the bloc mentioned
that in Turkey, “religious freedom is subject to serious limitations
as compared with European standards.”
Religious freedom is often under threat in Turkey, the most populous
Muslim country in Europe with very small Christian communities.
According to the 2004 International Religious Freedom Report prepared
by the U.S. Department of State, 99 percent of the population in Turkey
consists of Muslims. The Turkish Government officially recognizes only
three communities of religious minorities – Greek Orthodox Christians,
Armenian Orthodox Christians, and Jews.
Under the law, religious services may take place only in designated
places of worship; only the Government can designate a place of
worship; and if a religion has no legal standing in the country,
it may not be eligible for a designated site. Police occasionally
raid unauthorized Christian gatherings meeting in private apartments.
Many churches in Europe had expressed vocal opposition to Turkey’s
bid for membership in the EU. The president of the Bishops’ Conference
of France Archbishop Jean-Pierre Ricard wrote a letter to the France
President Jacques Chirac last December, stressing his concern that
“some fundamental rights, in particular religious freedom, are not
totally respected in Turkey, despite the reforms undertaken.”
The archbishop also expressed his regret that “the opening of eventual
negotiations with Turkey was not subordinated to complete respect for
all fundamental rights, whether freedom of expression and association,
the status of women, or religious freedom, rights that constitute
the foundation of the European Union’s cohesion.”
CNN reported that before Pope Benedict XVI was elected as Pope,
he had made statement showing his dismay to Turkey’s EU membership.
“The roots that have formed Europe, that have permitted the
formation of this continent, are those of Christianity,” CNN quoted
the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as saying. “Turkey has always
represented another continent, in permanent contrast with Europe.”
“Turkey is founded upon Islam … Thus the entry of Turkey into the
EU would be anti-historical.”
According to a report from CNN, the foreign ministry of Turkey said
last Thursday it had invited Pope Benedict to make an official visit
to the country in 2006. It is believed to be an attempt to gain the
Pope’s support for the membership in EU.
On Sept. 23, an Istanbul court’s decision to block a conference on the
World War I massacre of Armenians embarrassed Turkey at a sensitive
moment and angered EU states less than two weeks before the planned
start of EU entry talks on Oct. 3, Reuters reported.
Turkey is alleged of carrying out a systematic genocide against
Armenians in 1915 in an attempt to eliminate them and create a
homogeneous Turkish state. Turkey has always denied the claim
of killing the Armenians and said they were victims of a partisan
conflict that also claimed thousands of Turkish lives.
The Armenian people had lived in the Turkey homeland for nearly 3000
years and were traditionally Christian.
“The absence of legal motivations and the (timing) of this decision
a day before the conference looks like yet another provocation,”
Krisztina Nagy, the EU executive’s spokeswoman for enlargement,
said to Reuters on Friday.
Meanwhile, those supporting Turkey’s EU membership believe that the
predominantly Muslim nation in the EU can become a bridge between
Europe and the Middle East, therefore spreading stability and security,
and promoting dialogue with the Islamic world.
Turkey has been waiting for the accession talk with the EU for 40 years
since Ankara first signed an association deal in 1963. Last December,
the 25-member bloc finally approved the talk, which is scheduled on
Oct. 3, 2005.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress