RUSSIA DOMINATES PIG OLYMPICS
By Natasha Rotstein
Special to The Moscow Times
Vladimir Filonov
The Moscow Times, Russia
April 18 2006
It wasn’t exactly the Turin Games, but there was plenty of
international rivalry at the third annual Pig Olympics.
Out of a field of 12 pigs in the roughly 4-meter sprint, the Russians
dominated, capturing first and second place, with the French taking
third. The Ukrainians, Chinese, Canadians and Latvians went home
without medals.
With 300 people in attendance, the Sunday spectacle was one of the
main draws at ZooRussia 2006 at Crocus Expo, which featured numerous
merchants hawking organic dog food, kitty litter and poodle vests.
Kostik Rystish Shvain, 2 1/2 years old, won the race.
“He’s the smartest, fastest, slyest and bravest of all,” Kostik’s
manager, Konstantin Petrunin, explained.
Petrunin is a deputy director for Euroweg Zerno, one of the companies
that sponsored pigs at the race. Euroweg Zerno, like the other
sponsors, specializes in agriculture-related products.
The 4-meter race was one of three events at the Olympics. The other
two were a race in which the pigs pushed a football across a field,
and a swimming event.
Kostik’s trainer, Vladimir Nishylov, said Kostik, a dark-haired pig
of Armenian extraction, had endured a rigorous daily regime of running
and “football practice.”
In the football-race event, Yelena Prikrastynaya, who lacks Kostik’s
speed but has great technical ability, led the Russians to a 16-3
victory.
Meanwhile, Deniska, also a Russian, captured first place in the
swimming competition, held in a small wading pool. Nelson, from South
Africa, and Yelena Prikrastnaya came in second and third, respectively.
Tatyana Kolchanova, one of the organizers of the Olympics, noted that
all the pigs in the competition, in fact, were Russian born and bred
and had been trained at Lyhavitza, outside of Moscow. But they have
sponsors from different countries.
Kostik’s owners said they had no plans to slaughter him. But Kolchanova
said on a more ominous note that the pigs would simply be sent to
their sponsors’ home countries.

SENTENCED AZERI OFFICER’S DEFENDERS POISED TO FIGHT TILL THE END
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted April 17 2006
Baku, April 14, AssA-Irada
The Hungarian court’s decision issued on Thursday to sentence an
Azeri officer to life in prison indicates Europe’s attitude toward the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, said MP Azay
Guliyev, member of the Coordination Council for Ramil Safarov’s Rights.
Ramil Safarov was convicted of killing an Armenian serviceman during
a NATO course in Budapest in a lengthy trial that many in Azerbaijan
labeled as unfair.
“I believe it was a ruling issued on Azerbaijan as a whole. It aims
to defeat the country in the Garabagh conflict,” Guliyev said.
Guliyev said the Council plans to renew the tactics in its activity.
It will also work to ensure a high-level representation of Safarov’s
rights in the court of appeals where the case will be filed.
The MP said the Committee suggests that Azeri judiciary bodies
immediately start talks with their Hungarian counterparts.
“The Budapest court’s ruling does not mean we have lost completely. I
believe that if Safarov’s rights are further properly protected,
it is possible to achieve a fair decision in the court of appeal.”
The Coordination Council on Friday forwarded an appeal to the Hungarian
higher legislative bodies, the Council of Europe, OSCE and other
influential international organizations. It voiced hope that the
court will take into account the Azeri officer’s condition at the
time of the incident, as well as Armenia’s occupation of 20% of Azeri
territories and the atrocities committed by Armenian troops against
innocent people, including the Khojaly massacre. “Unfortunately,
this has yet to happen,” the statement said.
The forensic expertise was conducted four times. Armenians insisted
on the accuracy of the first examination indicating that Safarov’s
actions were premeditated, while the defense says he was in emotional
distress when reacting to the Armenian officer Gurgen Markarian’s
insults, which is confirmed by the second and third one.

AZERIS CONDEMN HUNGARIAN COURT’S HARSH RULING
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted April 17 2006
Baku, April 14, AssA-Irada
The Azerbaijani public has strongly condemned the Hungarian court’s
harsh sentence issued on Thursday for the Azerbaijani officer charged
with murdering an Armenian serviceman during a NATO course in Budapest.
Ramil Safarov was sentenced to life in prison after a lengthy trial
that was deemed by many in Azerbaijan as biased. The defense plans
to appeal the case.
The Azeri Defense Ministry came out against the ruling. A spokesman
for the Ministry Ilgar Verdiyev termed the decision as “far from being
objective”. He said that just like during the trial, all the expenses
to be incurred in the higher court would be assumed by the Ministry.
The Foreign Ministry declined to issue a statement concerning Safarov’s
verdict. Its spokesman Tahir Taghizada said that since the proceedings
were a legal issue, the Ministry is not inclined to comment to avoid
escalating tension.
Taghizada said the Ministry will continue dealing with the issue and
further step up its efforts to appeal the case.
“We have been working closely with the Azeri embassy in Hungary with
regard to the trial,” he added.
The hard-line Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) has launched a
serious of public actions in Baku and the countryside in protest at
the harsh verdict. At a rally on Friday, its chairman Akif Naghi and
two more protesters were detained.
“The Hungarian court issued an unjust verdict to our citizen
Ramil Safarov. Armenians bribed the court, and the Azeri public and
authorities should come out against this. We demand that this unfair
decision be altered, otherwise, our protests will continue,” Naghi
said prior to the detention.
The chairwoman of the permanent parliamentary commission on human
rights Rabiyyat Aslanova condemned the verdict as well.
“It is very unfortunate that the court handed down such a ruling. But
this will not stop our activity. Certainly, we will take the case
to the court of appeal. I believe the public representatives should
express their attitude on the issue as well,” the MP said.
Another parliament member, Malahat Hasanova, blamed the Azeri
legislative body and public organizations of inaction.
“The parliament and NGOs have failed to do anything to defend
Safarov,” Hasanova told journalists. She said the Azeri-Hungarian
inter-parliamentary friendship group has taken no steps in this area
either. Women’s organizations operating in the country were left out
of these efforts as well, said Hasanova.
The MP condemned some statements suggesting that Azerbaijan break up
its relations with Hungary.
“On the contrary, ties should be forged between the public in the two
countries, while MPs and NGO representatives be invited to Azerbaijan
soon,” she said, suggesting that Hungarians be briefed on the Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict during such visits.
Safarov’s father has approached organizations dealing with his son’s
defense.
“The life imprisonment sentence is a punishment handed down to the
Azeri public as a whole. We should not give way to the mistakes we
have made so far, as Armenians always capitalize on them,” Sahib
Safarov said.

AZERI YOUNGSTERS BLAME ARMENIANS FOR HUNGARIAN COURT’S UNFAIR VERDICT
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted April 17 2006
Baku, April 14, AssA-Irada
Azeri youngsters have come out vehemently against the Hungarian
judge’s decision to sentence officer Ramil Safarov to life in prison
for killing an Armenian serviceman during a NATO course in Budapest.
A thousand students taking to the streets convened in front of the
Azizbayov monument downtown Baku chanting “Free Ramil” slogans.
The protesters said Armenians contributed a great deal to achieve
the unfair verdict and vowed to make them pay a bill for this.
The demonstrators concluded the action with a march to the Cemetery
of Martyrs.

BAKU URGES BUDAPEST TO HAND OVER SAFAROV
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted April 17 2006
Baku, April 14, AssA-Irada
The Justice Ministry will file a motion with the Hungarian
ministry over handing over the Azerbaijani officer convicted to life
imprisonment after killing an Armenian serviceman during a NATO course
in Budapest, an official has said.
“No matter how serious the punishment may be, Hungary, a signatory to
the international convention on extradition, must ensure that Ramil
Safarov is sent back to Azerbaijan,” the chief of the ministry’s
department for international legal cooperation, Zavar Gafarov,
told journalists.
“The 1983 convention of the Council of Europe provides that a
convicted person must be allowed to serve his term in his home
country. Both Azerbaijan and Hungary have signed the convention. We
will take advantage of this provision of the convention and file such
a petition,” he said.

KASPAROV’S STAR SLOWLY FADES
by Deen Hergott, Citizen Special
Ottawa Citizen, Canada
April 15, 2006 Saturday
Final Edition
It has been a full year since former world champion Grandmaster Gary
Kasparov announced his retirement at the annual Linares tournament in
2005, and he has finally dropped off the FIDE rating list as top-rated
in the world (FIDE 2812) through inactivity.
Current ranking leaders are Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov and Indian
GM Viswanathan Anand, at 2803 and 2802 respectively. Both have passed
the phenomenal 2800 mark, and are in striking distance of Kasparov’s
record. Third place belongs to rising star Armenian GM Levon Aronian,
with 2756, nearly 50 rating points behind the leaders. There are 17
players over 2700 on the April 2006 list.
Top Canadian is GM Kevin Spraggett, who has made his home in Portugal
for nearly two decades — he is at 2578.
Topalov played a match with top Romanian GM Dieter Nisipeanu
earlier this month in Bucharest. There were four games at standard
tournament time controls. Topalov won both games with the White pieces
convincingly to post a 3-1 match victory.
– – –
The 7th European Individual Chess Championships run to April 17 in
Kusadasi, Turkey. Leaders at the midway point (after seven rounds):
1-3. GMs Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Zdenko Kozul (Croatia), and
Predrag Nikolic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), all 5.5 points. There are
nine players in the chasing group on 5/7.
GM Thomas Luther (Germany) –Ivanchuk: Sicilian, Taimanov
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7
This particular move order is actually the Bastrikov variation
named after the Soviet player born in the 1910s, but Russian GM Mark
Taimanov, a 1970s world championship candidate, did much to popularize
it, so it is generally known after him. The Open Sicilians with 2…e6
are highly transpositional, and the Taimanov is closely linked to
the Paulsen and Kan variations as well.
6.f4 a6 7.a4 Nf6 8.e5 Nd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Nf5 d6!? 11.exd6 Bxd6 12.Nxd6+
While not crystal clear, Luther makes a practical decision as 12.Nxg7+
Kf8 13.Nh5 Bf5! leaves Black with many active pieces and an open
e-file to begin a King hunt.
12…Qxd6 13.Bd3 Qc5 14.Qe2+ Kd8!
Of the top players, Ivanchuk is one of the most creative. Sometimes
his profoundness lands him in trouble, but his ideas are nearly
always fascinating.
15.Qf2 Re8+ 16.Kf1 d4!
Whose King is more exposed? Ivanchuk intends to find out and spurns
the Queen trade.
17.Qh4+ f6 18.Qxh7 Nb4 19.Bd2 Nxd3 20.cxd3 Bf5 21.Qxg7 Bxd3+ 22.Kg1
Rc8 23.h4 Re2 24.Rh3 Be4!
Ever vigilant, Black carefully avoids 24…Rxd2? 25.Rxd3! Rxd3 26.Qh8+,
and 27.Qh7+ forking the rook on d3.
25.Qxf6+ Kc7 26.Rc1 Bc2
Only move, but White’s bishop is in mortal danger now.
27.b4 Qc4 28.Rg3 Rxd2 29.Qe5+ Kb6 30.Rg7 Ka7 31.b5 d3 32.Kh2 Re2!
33.Qd6 Re6 34.Qd7 Qxf4+ 35.g3 Qf2+ 36.Kh1 Qf3+ 37.Kg1 Re2
With mate on b7 covered, Black weaves his own net.
38.b6+ Kb8 White Resigns.
Write to international chess master Deen Hergott c/o The Citizen,
1101 Baxter Rd., Box 5020, Ottawa K2C 3M4. E-mail: [email protected] .

TRIPLE STANDARDS
by Boris Tumanov
Translated by Pavel Pushkin
Source: Novoe Vremya, No. 15, 2006, p. 22
Agency WPS
April 17, 2006 Monday
What the Papers Say Part A (Russia)
Russia’s current foreign policy is confined to one formula; Russia’s
contemporary foreign policy is confined to a single formula: “Why can’t
we do what they do?” For example, the West is going to recognize the
independence of Kosovo – so why can’t Russia recognize the independence
of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and the Trans-Dniester Republic?
Leaving aside Gazprom’s projects aimed at “energy security” on a
global scale, Russia’s contemporary foreign policy is confined to a
single formula: “Why can’t we do what they do?” Lately, we have started
speaking in the same terms about the problem of unrecognized states:
“They’re going to recognize the independence of Kosovo, so why can’t
we recognize the independence of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and the
Trans-Dniester Republic?”
Meanwhile, the solving of the Kosovo problem that has already
practically become a precedent is primarily resolving of the
fundamental contradiction embodied in the international law that has
declared territorial integrity of countries and the right of nations
for self-determination equally sacred. In other words, if Serbia
did not announce through its Foreign Minister Draskovic about its
agreement with separation of Kosovo, proceeding from international
practice it would be impossible to legitimize the striving of ethnic
Albanian people populating Kosovo for independence. Russia defended
its territorial integrity in Chechnya even in a more cruel way
that Milosevic in Kosovo but the international community condemned
it only for “excessive cruelty” without questioning of the right
of Moscow to retain Chechnya within Russian borders. That is why
belligerent joy of Russian politicians hoping to use the precedents
of Kosovo for official annexing of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and for
transformation of the Trans-Dniester Republic into a Russian military
base is untimely or is even ungrounded. All this may happen without
undesirable consequences for Russia only if Chisinau and Tbilisi give
up these territories voluntarily.
Of course, knowing the psychological condition of the Russian
establishment it is definitely difficult to believe that Moscow
will take this condition into account. In the worst case Russian
diplomacy will simply wave it off referring to the fact that the West
“has twisted hands” of the Serbian authorities. This circumstance
allegedly enables us not to take into account the soft-body stance
of Belgrade caused by terrible tortures because territorial integrity
of any state is sacred.
However, very soon we will definitely learn that not only Georgian
and Moldovan wines but also cheeses are polluted with pesticides or,
say, radioactive and hence their import to the Russian Federation
is prohibited. We will also definitely witness more hysterically
humanitarian raids of the Emergency Situations Ministry to the
Trans-Dniester Republic being as pointless as the notorious transfer
of airborne troops to Pristina.
In any case, let us temporarily get abstracted from the selfless
defending of independence of Abkhazia or Trans-Dniester Republic by
Russia under the flag of the right of nations for self-determination.
Let us forget about the Cossack volunteers and battalion of the
Confederation of Peoples of Caucasus commanded by Shamil Basaev,
about the Abkhaz attack aviation that has appeared suddenly and has
disappeared equally suddenly, as well as about Russian generals who
have crushed Georgian and Moldovan invaders. Let us forget about
Russian citizenship of Abkhaz and South Ossetian people. Let us
formulate the question in the following way: in a hypothetical case if
Tbilisi and, by the way, Baku generously agrees to give up Abkhazia,
South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh, would the obvious choice of Abkhaz,
Ossetian and Armenian people contradict the letter of international law
then? Definitely it would not. In this case the matter is right about
nations or ethnic groups that have the right for self-determination.
For God’s sake, explain to me what kind of nation lives in the
Trans-Dniester Republic whose population consists of three ethnic
groups of Moldavan, Russian and Ukrainian people being approximately
equal? What has this incidentally appeared mixture to do with the right
of nations for self-determination? What kind of ethnic notion it is,
Trans-Dniester people?
At any rate, it is true that Russian politicians who feel nostalgia
about the Soviet Union still are not abashed by this nonsense because
they know perfectly well that political expedience can create a nation
or abolish it. Can you recall such ethnic groups as Karabakh and
Nakhichevan people? Behind these exotic names were ordinary Armenians
and equally ordinary Azerbaijanis. However, Moscow decided that it
would not be expedient to call Nagorno-Karabakh in accordance with
ethnic belonging of its population (like it was common in all the
rest of the territory of the Soviet Union) the Armenian Autonomous
Region and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
the Azerbaijani Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In the first
case Moscow was afraid to wake up (but finally woke up) a natural
striving of Armenians of Karabakh for reunion with Armenia and in
the second case Moscow did not wish to explain why an autonomous
region in the territory of Armenia was subordinated not to Yerevan
but to Baku according to demand of Turkey specially included into
the Russian-Turkish agreement on “friendship” singed in 1921.
Now Moscow got it into its head that separatism of the Trans-Dniester
Republic deliberately provoked by Anatoly Lukyanov back in the times
of the agony of the Soviet Union could be used by it as a tool to
pressurize Moldova and Ukraine and as a military bridgehead against
NATO. That is why Russia will keep making believe that Trans-Dniester
people are a normal nation and their wish of “self-determination”
is protected by the same international law that Moscow interprets
in the aforementioned manner, “Why is this allowed to them and not
allowed to us?”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LENKERAN ALIYEV: “OUR ARMED FORCES ARE THE STRONGEST IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS”
Today, Azerbaijan
April 16 2006
“Our officers-leading force of the Azerbaijani Army is ready to
fight war. However, we are training more professional officers for
the Azerbaijani Armed Forces,” Chief of Defense Ministry Training
and Education Center (TEC), Major-General Lenkeran Aliyev stated.
Mr. Aliyev said that Azerbaijani Armed Forces were the most trained
and the strongest in the whole South Caucasus. He stressed that
hostile Armenian Army was many times weaker from moral-psychological
and professionalism aspects.
“Armenians depend on the Russian military bases in the country.
Therefore, their national Army is many times weaker than ours,”
the Ministry official underscored.
Aliyev also said youths have begun to show more interest in military
sphere recently. According to him, the young men conscripted into
the army are trained beforehand.
“We have normal base which provides an opportunity to meet NATO
standards in military training. Our military training is many times
professional than that of Armenians. Belarusian officers also confirm
it. But I think the military training is still not in satisfactory
level. Much needs to be done and more professional officers should
be trained,” Aliyev added.
Touching on housing of servicemen, the General said they have
raised this question at the Defense Ministry and the Supreme
Commander-in-Chief.
“Our proposals have been positively responded. The Supreme
Commander-in- Chief is interested in living conditions of out
military men. I made it urgent to provide military trainers in the
center with houses. Most of military trainers have no house to live,”
he underlined.
Lenkeran Aliyev considers it important to publicise truths on the
Army to remove negative stereotypes in the public regarding the Army.
Admitting that there are some shortfalls in the Army, Aliyev said
measures are being implemented to remove these deficiencies.
“You witness the processes in other structures. If to compare, the
Army looks stronger,” the General concluded.
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OIL DRIVES CORRUPTION BUT AZERIS LIVE IN HOPE OF FREEDOM
by Deaglan de Breadún
The Irish Times
April 17, 2006 Monday
LETTER FROM BAKU: Azerbaijan is a place most of us would have
difficulty finding on a map. Yet we have a good deal in common. Like
the Irish, the Azeris are experiencing a boom. The difference is that
their success is based on the country’s vast oil and gas reserves.
The Bush administration likes Azerbaijan and, when you arrive in the
capital, Baku, it is easy to see why. The smell of oil hangs heavily
in the air. It has to compete with an even stronger odour of gas
that’s almost overpowering when you turn on the tap in your hotel
room. Waking up in the middle of the night, you wonder if it’s all
over and whether you’ll ever breathe fresh air again.
There are massive oil rigs in the bay and the landscape is dotted with
those awkward-looking, angular drilling appliances that are shaped like
a horse’s head, busily drinking the black liqueur from the earth. The
surrounding countryside stretches for miles, with a mountain range in
the distance. “Just like Texas,” says Rizvan, my Azeri guide, laughing.
But there’s a lot to like about Baku. Pollution notwithstanding, there
is a raw energy and excitement about being in an oil town. This is what
it must have been like in the Gold Rush days in America during the
late 19th century. It takes five hours to get there from London and
everyone on the plane except me seemed to be a Scottish oil rigger,
reminiscing about the last time they went drinking in Finnegan’s or
O’Malley’s – two pubs with Irish names in Baku.
You feel safe walking the streets of the Azeri capital. Unlike other
cities, such as a certain place by the Liffey, nobody pesters you as
you pass along. But you quickly begin to notice that the prosperity,
as in Ireland, is somewhat unevenly distributed. Mercs and SUVs
jostle with clapped-out Ladas and Samaras on the roadway and many of
the people look as though they haven’t had a change of clothing or
certainly a change of fashion since Soviet times. Figures from 2002
showed 49 per cent of the population below the poverty line.
Azerbaijan crept out from under Moscow’s boot heel in 1991 and it
has many problems today. Neighbouring Armenia occupies 16 per cent
of the country’s landmass, as a result of an ethnic and territorial
dispute over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. This heightens the sense
of fragility about the place, as though it could be whittled away by
the exigencies of power politics.
There is also, by all accounts, corruption on a grand scale. Local
journalists readily testify that virtually everyone in a position to
do so is feathering his or her nest and that the political class is
lacking in patriotism and a sense of civic duty. There is corroborating
testimony from no less a source than the CIA World Factbook on the
internet which states: “Corruption is ubiquitous and the promise of
widespread wealth from Azerbaijan’s undeveloped petroleum resources
remains largely unfulfilled.”
Yet there is a sense of hope in the air. Despite the obvious cult
of personality surrounding President Ilham Aliyev, whose portrait is
everywhere, there is also a feeling of freedom about the place or, as
Michael Collins said in another context, “freedom to achieve freedom”.
Ukraine is free, Belarus is on the path to freedom; perhaps Azerbaijan
also is about to enter a new era.
Azerbaijan does not have the trappings of a police state and men in
uniform are relatively few in number. Visiting the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, I was impressed by the lack of elaborate security precautions
as well as the frankness of the press spokesman, Tahir Taghizadeh,
who freely acknowledged there were problems while insisting, as he
is employed to do, that the country is headed in the right direction.
For all its faults, including the decidedly dodgy aspects of last
November’s parliamentary elections and human rights concerns about
the current trial of three opposition youth leaders, there is one
feature of Azerbaijan that makes it a shining example today. Although
the people are overwhelmingly Muslim, they cherish their small but
significant proportion of Jewish citizens.
There are Jewish villages in the north of the country, I was told,
and relations between Muslims and Jews are excellent. If John F
Kennedy were alive today, he might well come to Azerbaijan instead of
Berlin and say to those who believe Islam and Judaism cannot co-exist:
“Lass’sie nach Baku kommen.” Let them come to Baku.
–Boundary_(ID_9bK0kTpmknGLUSHPllyr0Q)–

FM GUL, POLISH COUNTERPART REVIEW ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE
IPR Strategic Business Information Database
April 17, 2006
According to Turkiye, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul met with his Polish
counterpart Stefan Meller in Ankara. During their talks, the two
top diplomats discussed bilateral relations. At a press conference,
afterwards, citing the Polish Parliament’s decision last year on the
so-called Armenian genocide, Gul conveyed Turkey’s concern over the
matter. Stressing that the issue should be taken up by historians,
not politicians, Gul said the move could encourage Armenians. Turkey
has offered to Armenia to investigate the matter, but has so far gotten
no reply, added Gul. For his part, Meller stated that his government’s
support for Turkey’s European Union membership bid would continue.