THE CLICKABLE CHAMBER MUSIC NEWSLETTER FROM THE SOUTH BAY
Wednesday, September 21, 2005 – Wednesday, September 28, 2005 No.243
Next issue: Wednesday, September 28, 2005
INAUGURAL CONCERT – DILIJAN CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
N E W S L E T T E R B E G I N S
*********************************
GREETINGS, MUSIC AFICIONADOS,
[ stuff omitted ]
B. Inaugural Concert
DILIJAN CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES
MARTIN CHALIFOUR, VARTY MANOUELIAN, and MOVSES POGOSSIAN violins,
PAUL COLETTI and GINA WARNICK violas, PETER STUMPF cello
Sunday, September 25, 2005 – 3:00PM – Zipper Concert Hall
This is the inaugural concert of a major new chamber music series in
the superb Zipper Concert Hall. Aficionados will immediately recognize
this town’s finest artists in the ensemble — Los Angeles Philharmonic
concertmaster MARTIN CHALIFOUR, violinist VARTY MANOUELIAN, and
principal cellist PETER STUMPF, and Colburn and UCLA distinguished
faculty member PAUL COLETTI. Violinist and Dilijan Artistic Director
MOVSES POGOSSIAN is a prizewinner of the 1986 Tchaikovsky
International Competition and the youngest-ever first-prize winner of
the USSR National Violin Competition. He made his American debut
performing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Boston Pops in
1990. Read about the artists for this and upcoming concerts by clicking:
The Dilijan series’ six concerts of the 2005-06 season will encompass
both traditional pieces of the genre, along with fine examples of
Armenian classical chamber music. An important component of Dilijan is
its commitment to commission and premiere two to three compositions
each season. The inaugural concert, for example, will feature the
world premiere of “Serenade with a Dandelion” by Vache Sharafyan,
whose compositions have been championed by cellist YO-YO MA and his
Silk Road Ensemble.
Program
Edward Mirzoyan: String Quartet (1947)
Vache Sharafyan: Serenade with a Dandelion for two violins (World Premiere)
Zoltán Kodály: Serenade for two violins and viola, Op.12
Brahms: String Quintet No.2 in G Major, Op.111
For full concert information, see No.34 in the listings below, or click:
C. USC Thornton School of Music – Free
SZYMANOWSKI PROJECT – Songs of the Mad Muezzin
a theatrical multimedia fantasy
Saturday, September 24, 2005 – 7:00PM
Sunday, September 25, 2005 – 3:00PM
USC Schoenberg Institute Recital Hall
A dangerous and esoteric world of mystical-erotic desire found in the
song-cycle “Songs of the Mad Muezzin” by the Polish composer KAROL
SZYMANOWSKI (1882-1937) is explored in a collective project between
students of USC’s Schools of Music, Theatre and Cinema & Television,
and the Polish Music Center. Film installation, projected slides,
abstract paintings, and classical music are combined to create an
experimental alternative to the traditional recital presentation of
the classical voice cycle.
The SZYMANOWSKI PROJECT was conceived by Russian-born tenor TIMUR
BEKBOSUNOV, a graduate student at USC studying voice with GARY
GLAZE. Read about Timur and the other USC artists involved with the
Szymanowski Project by clicking:
Admission is free, but reservations are required. For full concert
information, see No.16 in the listings below, or click:
Newsletter Contact: Jim Eninger
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Sept 21 2005
ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER APPRECIATES UAE’S BALANCED FOREIGN POLICY
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The delegation
headed by Doctor Sultan ben Mohammad al-Kasimi, the emir sheikh of
Sharzha and a member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab
Emirates (UAE), was received on September 20 by the RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian.
Expressing satisfaction at Armenia’s current relations with many Arab
states, including the UAE, the sides pointed out such achievements
registered in recent years as the activization of high-level mutual
visits, the signing of several dozens of agreements on cooperation in
various spheres, the existing mutually beneficial cooperation within
the framework of international organizations, and the holding of
regular diplomatic consultations. They underlined that the friendship
and cultural and trade links between the Armenian and Arab peoples
that have deep historical roots are greatly conducive to the
development of bilateral relations and international contacts.
A. Margarian appreciated the balanced foreign policy conducted by the
UAE at both the regional and international levels.
The interlocuters indicated education, science, culture, tourism, and
the export of agricultural products as the most perspective spheres
regarding the relations between the two countries. The Prime Minister
expressed a confidence that the current visit of Sultan al-Kasimi, as
well as Sharzha Culture Days being held now in Armenia will become a
new stimulus for developing the cooperation and promoting the
cultural, scientific and educational contacts between the two
countries and allowing their peoples to better understand each other.
A. Margarian attached importance to the establishment of the Arab
Cultural Center in Armenia, expressing gratitude to Sultan al-Kasimi
for his willingness to participate in its financing. He also thanked
the emir of Sharzha for allocating a land area in Sharzha in 1995 for
the purpose of building an Armenian church, which has been the only
one in the UAE so far.
According to the RA Government Information and PR Department, the
sides also addressed the issue of opening the UAE’s embassy in
Armenia. Noting that Armenia opened its embassy in Abu Dhabi as far
back as 2000, A. Margarian expressed a hope that the UAE’s government
will also establish its embassy in Yerevan in the near futiure,
especially as a land plot has already been allocated for this purpose
by the Armenian side.

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Sept 21 2005
ARPI VARDANIAN: OUR DUTY AS AMERICAN CITIZENS IS TO MAKE OUR
GOVERNMENT RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The American
people’s perception and understanding of problems related to
genocides, including the Armenian Genocide, is continuously
increasing thanks to the activities carried out by the Armenian
organizations in the US. Arpi Vardanian, Regional Director for
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh of the Armenian Assembly of America
(AAA), told this to NT correspondent, while commenting on the
adoption on September 15 of a resolution on the Armenian Genocide by
the Commission of Internatinal Relations of the US House of
Representatives.
She underlined that progress has been registered in the adoption of
the resolution on the Armenian Genocide by the US Congress. The above
mentioned commission approved the resolution by 40 votes to 7 – such
a result has not been registered since 2000 when 24 commission
members voted in favor and 11 ones – against.
Arpi Vardanian found it difficult to say when the House of
Representatives will hold a discussion on the resolution, since the
process involves several stages. According to her, it is envisaged to
finish the discussions of all drafts by late 2005, and it is not
ruled out that the process will be completed in October, but taking
into consideration the experience of the previous years, it is quite
possible the terms will be extended.
Arpi Vardanian was appreciative of the American Greek community’s
position on the issue. She reminded that a few years ago, the AAA
initiated the creation of the Central and East European Coalition tha
involves 15 organizations representing national minorities and unites
20 mln Americans. “Today there exists an understanding on the
Armenian Genocide issue, the minorities should help each other.”
Arpi Vardanian pointed out that in the event the resolution is not
adopted, the AAA will continue its work until the Armenian Genocide
is recognized and approved by the US government. “It is our duty to
our ancestors, and as American citizens to make out government
recognize the truth, one should never be afraid of truth,” Arpi
Vardanian stressed.

Caucasus Environmental NGO Network
(CENN)

Weekly Digest
September 21, 2005

NEWS FROM GEORGIA

Action On Struggle Against Poverty
Source: PrimeNews Agency, September 10, 2005

Activists of the movement “Future without Poverty” will hold an action in
Tbilisi on Saturday within the frameworks of the international day “White
belt”. <; more US SIGNS $295.3M COMPACT WITH GEORGIA AS PART OF MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE Source: "Sarke", September 13, 2005 A compact on disbursing $295.3 million to Georgia as part of the Millennium Challenge program was signed yesterday as <; more GEORGIA HOPES TO RECEIVE $600M FROM INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Source: Information Agency "Sarke", September 14, 2005 Apart from $295.3 million, the US has disbursed to Georgia under the Millennium Challenge program the Georgian government hopes to receive up to $600 million in loan from international financial institutions. <; more Officials Laud Millennium Challenge Aid Agreement Source: The Messenger, September 14, 2005 The signing of the Millennium Challenge agreement for USD 295.3 million in aid to Georgia underlines the continuing and strengthening relationship between Georgia and the United States, officials from both countries said Monday. Speaking at the signing ceremony for the new aid agreement, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the agreement, the largest so far from the new U.S. aid program, "represents America's long-term commitment to Georgia's future success." "Our partnership will only continue to grow stronger <; more NEWS FROM Azerbaijan HEALTH MINISTRY OF AZERBAIJAN: "THERE WAS NEVER BACTERIOLOGICAL WEAPON IN AZERBAIJAN" Source: "Azertag", September 7, 2005 Health Ministry of the Azerbaijan Republic is rather surprised upon the information disseminated in mass media on allegedly presentation by Azerbaijan to the United States of the samples of bacteriological weapon, the Ministry's spokesman told AzerTAc. <; more AZERBAIJAN TO CELEBRATE WORLD TOURISM DAY Source: "Azertag", September 13, 2005 Within the frameworks of the World Tourism Day, an exhibition dealing with domestic tourism will be held in Baku October 1. Over 50 travel agencies and hotel owners will take part in the exhibition to be held at the Baku Business Center <; more news from Armenia SEVAN THREATENING THE TREES Source: A1plus, September 7, 2005 Today the session of the RA Forests Repair and Development Fund Trustee Council took place which was presided over by the President of the Council, RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. <; more GERMANY ALLOCATES 2.2 Million EUR TO ARMENIA FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT "BIO-DIVERSITY AND NATURE PROTECTION IN SOUTH CAUCASUS REGION" Source: ARMINFO, September 9, 2005 German Government has approved 2.2 million EUR to Armenia for implementation of a program "Bio-diversity in the South-West of Armenia" and "Protection of bio-diversity in Javakheti through transboundary cooperation." A relevant agreement was signed today by Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia Vardan Ayvazyan and Representative of German KfW bank in Armenia Karapet Gevorgyan. <; more ATTENTION TO AGRICULTURE Source: Armenian News Agency "A1plus", September 14, 2005 Today in New York UN General Assembly 60th session high-level meeting started. Heads of Governments of more than 170 countries participate in the summit, including the RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan. On September 13 Andranik Margaryan met the (MCC) heads temporary executive director
<; more International News UN agencies team up to promote eco-friendly, development-oriented tourism Source: UN Dispatch, September 7, 2005 With massive growth in tourism predicted in the coming years, two United Nations agencies have teamed up to produce a set of guidelines to help governments around the world to promote a sustainable tourism that spreads prosperity while avoiding harm to the environment and local communities. For the first time, the UN World Tourism Organization ( <; WTO) and the UN Environment Programme ( <; UNEP) have <; combined their efforts < ly_digest_21_9_05_en.html> more

The environment matters
Source: WWF News, By Claude Martin, September 9, 2005

Many of us in the conservation world are concerned that the natural
environment – as the fundamental provider of life on this planet – seems to
have dropped off the international community’s radar screen in the lead up
to the UN-hosted World Summit.

This is an alarming realization as natural resources and the environment are
being degraded and destroyed at record pace.
<; more Flood-Water Sampling Chemical Data Available Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 11, 2005 The Environmental Protection Agency in coordination with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality today posted data from New Orleans flood water chemical samples collected <; more Europe's environmental future demands more action in key sectors Source: European Environmental Agency, 11 September, 2005 Policy makers must better integrate environmental issues across EU policies Existing policies alone will not be enough to save Europe's environment from extensive environmental change in the long term, according to a new report released today by the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen. <; more EU bio-fuel target 'incompatible with biodiversity targets' Source: Eco-portal news, 12 September, 2005 Delegates at last week's European Conference on Climate Change and Biodiversity, organized in Oxford shire by English Nature, were told that the EU's target of 5.75% bio-fuels for transport <; more New funding to sustain rivers and wetlands Source: Environmental News Agency, September 12, 2005 The Environment Agency published (on September 9) proposals to increase the cost of licenses to abstract water from rivers and groundwater in England and Wales. The increase would create a fund to enable the Agency to revoke historical rights to water which need to be revoked or limited to prevent damage to the environment and compensate abstractors whose rights are revoked. It will also meet the costs of new responsibilities assumed by the Environment Agency under the Water Act 2003. <; more US Agency Approves Private Nuclear-Waste Facility Source: Planet Ark, September 12, 2005 Washington - US regulators Friday approved a private firm's plan to store tens of thousands of tons nuclear waste above the ground on an American Indian reservation in Utah. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the license to Private Fuel Storage to store the radioactive waste on the reservation of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians, about 50 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. <; more Canada Doesn't see Breakthrough at Post-Kyoto Meet Source: Planet Ark, September 13, 2005 Ottawa - A major Montreal meeting charged with starting to draft a successor to the Kyoto climate change accord is unlikely to produce a breakthrough, a senior Canadian official said on Monday. <; more Clean Air agreement with nation's largest hazardous waste operator Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, September 13, 2005 The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with Clean Harbors Environmental Services that is expected to enhance calculating and reporting on benzene emissions from North America's largest operator of hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities. This settlement involves ten facilities in eight states. It confirms the proper industry standard for compliance <; more Environment: Why Is the Ozone Hole Growing? Source: Inter Press Service News Agency, September 13, 2005 A huge ozone hole has developed over Antarctica for the second year running, exposing southern Argentina and Chile to high levels of damaging ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. <; more Black Sea turns cleaner Source: Bulgarians News Network, September 13, 2005 Sofia - The Black Sea has gradually become cleaner in the past few years, according to observations of the Oceanology Institute of the Bulgarian Science Academy, state TV informed Tuesday. <; more Environmental effect on diseases could be underestimated Source: European Environmental Agency, 13 September, 2005 The current way of analyzing connections between environment and health attributes only 2-5% of European mortality and morbidity to environmental factors. However, this so-called "burden of disease" approach is likely to be flawed, according to EEA executive director Professor Jacqueline McGlade who spoke today at the 2005 conference of the UK Health Protection Agency at Warwick University. <; more Two for the price of one: save water, serve people Source: WWF News, 13 September, 2005 Gland, Switzerland - As Heads of State meet in New York for the World Summit, a new report from WWF shows a strong link between environmental improvement and economic development that can no longer be ignored. The report - Freshwater and poverty reduction: Serving people, saving nature - analyses projects in Brazil, Colombia, China, and South Africa, demonstrating dramatic improvements in the livelihoods of poor local communities where WWF-supported conservation projects are in place. The projects show that <; more World's Largest Hippo Population Almost Gone - WWF Source: Planet Ark, September 13, 2005 Johannesburg - An aerial survey shows what was once the world's largest hippo population in the Democratic Republic of Congo is being poached to extinction, conservationist group WWF International said on Monday. <; more Two Decades of Protecting the Ozone Layer to be Marked Source: UNEP's press release, September 13, 2005 International Ozone Day to mark the signing of Montreal Protocol on 16 September Vienna Convention to Celebrate Two Decades of Protecting the Ozone Layer on 21 September "An extraordinary success story - but saving ozone layer an unfinished business," says UNEP. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and governments around the world are preparing to celebrate two key milestones <; more Oil Leasing Proposed for Remote Chukchi Sea Source: Planet Ark, September 15, 2005 Anchorage - New expressions of industry interest have prompted the US government to propose oil and gas leasing in the Chukchi Sea, a remote but potentially energy-rich area between northwestern Alaska and northeastern Siberia, officials said Tuesday. The Minerals Management Service, an agency of the Interior Department, said it will start planning for a Chukchi lease sale to be held in late 2007 or early 2008. It would be the first lease sale in the region since 1991. <; more REGIONAL FORUM ON COMBATING ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME FORMED Source: Planet Ark, September 15, 2005 Experts from a range of international agencies, meeting in Bangkok, have agreed to set up a Regional Forum to be facilitated by UNEP ROAP to help curb the trade of environmentally hazardous chemicals as well as natural resources and endangered species in the region. The Forum allows access to information <; more NGO News NGOS MARK GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST WASTE AND INCINERATION Source: IISD Reporting Services, September 9, 2005 A group of NGOs has organized a week of awareness-raising activities on waste issues. The network challenges governments to adopt and implement policies that will prevent waste <; more NGOs Oppose Veterinary Department Chief Source: The Georgian Times, September 19, 2005 Some Georgian environmentalists are concerned over the shutdown of state-run veterinary services across Georgia. They blame Jambul Maghlakelidze, Chairman of the Veterinary Department of Georgia, of withholding information about the process. Maghlakelidze, who signed the order to liquidate the services on July 1, 2005, dismisses these charges as `groundless'. According to a protest letter from the Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN), the order to shut down state-owned veterinary bodies <; more Legal News Environmental laws fall by the wayside Source: the Daily Star: By Raed El Rafei September 14, 2005 Many companies ignore the need for EIA studies or pay lip service to their implementation. One need only take a look at the over-urbanized slopes crunched by quarries or take a dip in the sea where water and waste co-exist to realize protecting the environment is not a priority in the land of the cedars. The continuous proliferation of projects that do not respect environmental standards makes one wonder why laws drafted for the protection of the environment in 2002 have not yet been implemented. <; more New Publication European Environment Outlook - EEA Report No 4/2005 Source: European Environmental Agency, 11 September, 2005 Protecting our environment is a key element in ensuring sustainable livelihoods for today's and future generations. Indeed, the most recent Euro barometer surveys show <; more Fundraising Opportunity The CEE Fundraising Achievement Award 2005 The Civil Society Development Foundation Hungary (CSDF Hungary) and Fundraising Competence Group GmbH introduce a new award for celebrating fundraising success stories of the recent years and promoting best practices of the emerging nonprofit sectors in Central and Eastern Europe. <; more Announcement TACIS FUNDED PROJECT intends to recruit 2 experts to assist the EU Source: "24 Saati" ("24 Hours"), September 15, 2005 "Legal Advice in Support of Reform of the Social Protection and Health Care Sectors" The recruited experts will be responsible for preparing analysis according to the defined project objectives and criteria. (in years) <; more Tender Announcement - Invitation for Bids Source: The Georgian Times, September 19, 2005 Specific Procurement Notice Georgia Municipal Development and Decentralization Project II Improvement of Gori Water Supply System Loan/Credit No. 3701-GE Contract/ Bid No. GOR/201 This invitation for bids follows the general procurement notice for this project that appeared in Development Business No. 657 of June 30, 2005. Georgia has received a credit from the International Development Association (IDA) toward the cost of the Municipal Development and Decentralization Project II, and it intends to apply part of the proceeds of this credit <; more ANNOUNCEMENT - Partner to finance a Project Source: The Georgian Times, September 19, 2005 LTD 'IKATO' seeks a partner to finance a project (G-689 Natural Biopreparation from Georgian Plants). The project has been subject to expertise at the ISTC. <; more ************************************************* *********************** Subscribing Information CENN lists are created to maintain e-mail discussions of Caucasus Environmental NGO Network members. CENN has been distributing information since 1998. All the published digests and bulletins issued in both English and Russian languages present incredibly rich environmental information base that give the reader the whole picture of the environmental process taking place during the recent 5 years in the South Caucasus region as well as abroad. To subscribe or unsubscribe from CENN mailing list service, please send an email to [email protected] and place the “subscribe” or
“unsubscribe” command as the first line of the message body.

If you would like the information about your organization and activities to
be distributed via the CENN mailing lists (the current number of CENN
mailing list members represents 11049), if you want your voice to be heard
around the world, please send your information at the following email:
[email protected]

For more information about the program, please visit CENN web-page:
<; CENN INFO Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN) Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04 Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05 E-mail: [email protected] URL:

Pan Armenian News
DAYS OF BELARUSIAN CULTURE TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA SEPTEMBER 29 – OCTOBER 3
21.09.2005 02:39
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Days of Belarusian Culture will be held in the Republic of
Armenia September 29 – October 3 and next year the Days of Armenia will be
held in Minsk, RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Belarus
Suren Harutyunian stated during a press conference on September 20. In
Harutyunian’s words, the opening ceremony will take place in the State
Theater of Opera and Ballet. Pesnyary company, a chamber orchestra, National
Dances group will present their art to the Armenian audience. An exhibition
will be as well organized. The Belarusian delegation will be headed by
Minister of Culture Leonid Gulyako, reported IA Regnum.

Kurdish Info, Germany
Sept 21 2005
Boycott to Swiss goods by Labor Party

ADANA (DIHA) – The province administration board of Labor Party in
Adana started a campaign calling for boycotting the Swiss goods as
the Parliament of Switzerland accepted the ‘Armenian Massacre’.
The province chairman of the party Sedat Memili gave a speech in
front of Bilka CO. which delivers the products of Nestle. He said
they will continue their boycott not to use the Swiss products until
the parliament declares off the decision and called the public to
support their boycott.

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
The Jamestown Foundation
Sept 21 2005
RUSSIAN ELECTRICITY GIANT CLOSE TO COMPLETING ARMENIAN POWER GRID
PURCHASE
By Emil Danielyan
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Russia’s state-run power monopoly, Unified Energy Systems (UES), is
close to formalizing its effective purchase of Armenia’s electricity
grid, giving Moscow near total control over the Armenian energy
sector. The government in Yerevan indicated on September 15 that it
would green light a deal that has generated serious concern among
Armenia’s leading Western donors. The latter have for years opposed
Russian attempts to take over the Electricity Networks of Armenia
(ENA) but now appear to have come to terms with the change of
ownership.
UES has already been the de facto owner of ENA since announcing last
June a $73 million “management contract” with Midland Resources
Holding, a British-registered company that controversially privatized
ENA three years ago. UES initially claimed to have purchased the
Armenian utility, but later clarified that it paid the lump sum only
for the right to run ENA and use its profits. The Russians argued
that the deal therefore falls short of a formal acquisition, which
has to be approved by the Armenian authorities.
But it was obvious that Midland Resources now owns ENA only on paper.
The Armenian government remained suspiciously silent on the issue
until facing strong criticism from the World Bank and the U.S.
government’s Agency for International Development (USAID). The two
institutions, which have invested heavily in the decade-long reform
of the Armenian energy sector, warned that the lack of transparency
could force them to reconsider their further assistance to the
country.
Armenia’s Public Service Regulatory Commission, a supposedly
independent body, claimed to have investigated the legality of the
deal and found no evidence of wrongdoing. It argued in late August
that Midland did not have to seek government approval because it
remains the legal owner of ENA. However, the authorities apparently
concluded that having the Russians follow all legal rules and
formally buy the network would spare them greater trouble. The
calculation seems to have proved correct.
On September 8, Midland Resources submitted letters to the government
and the Regulatory Commission asking for permission to sell ENA
shares to an obscure UES subsidiary called Interenergo BV. The
Armenian cabinet granted the request in principle at a meeting on
September 15, which was chaired by President Robert Kocharian. A
government statement said the Energy Ministry was given three days to
clarify all details of the Russian takeover, notably “some issues
relating to obligations” of the new owner. The deal’s clearance now
seems a forgone conclusion.
Western donor agencies and governments are evidently resigned to this
development. The head of the World Bank office in Yerevan, Roger
Robinson, welcomed on September 13 the fact that the process is now
proceeding “in compliance with the law of Armenia.” “I am personally
pleased to see what I think are the rules now being followed,”
Robinson told journalists. “That’s what we asked everybody to do
anyway and that is exactly what has happened,” he added.
Yet the result of all this will be the tightening of Russia’s grip on
the Armenian energy sector. UES alone controls several big power
plants that account for 80% of Armenia’s electricity output. Armenian
Energy Minister Armen Movsisian publicly spoke out against the
Russian giant’s ownership of ENA last March, arguing that it would
run counter to a key goal of the energy sector reform: separation of
units generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity. The
structural change helped Armenia to end its crippling power shortages
of the 1990s and start exporting electricity to neighboring Georgia
and Iran.
But Robinson believes that there is nothing wrong with a single
company producing and distributing energy, saying that this is a
normal practice in Western countries like France. The important
thing, said the World Bank official, is not so much who owns the
power distribution networks as the existence of an independent state
regulator. “We have great confidence in the regulator here in
Armenia,” he said.
The Public Service Regulatory Commission (PSRC) was also praised by
USAID. “A transparent and robust decision-making process, managed by
a strong regulator, is key to protecting the interests of energy
consumers,” USAID said in a statement. “USAID is happy to continue
assistance to the PSRC and others to ensure the design and
implementation of such a process.”
However, the head of PSRC, Yerevan’s former presidentially appointed
mayor, Robert Nazarian, is known for anything but independence and
respect of law. In his capacity as Yerevan mayor, Nazarian had
personally sanctioned (usually at the orders of top Kocharian aides)
massive land allocations in the city center to businesses owned by
senior government officials and their cronies. Local investigative
journalists say the process contained enough material for writing a
textbook on government corruption in Armenia.
The Western donor agencies should be aware of this, but are clearly
unwilling or unable to stop UES expanding its presence in Armenia.
The Armenian and Russian governments may have well decided that
expansion. Observers note the fact that Movsisian voiced his
objections shortly before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s last
visit to Yerevan. Russian-Armenian cooperation on energy was
reportedly high on the agenda of Putin’s talks with Kocharian.
(Haykakan Zhamanak, September 16; Armenian government statement,
September 15; USAID statement, September 15; RFE/RL Armenia Report,
September 13)

RTE Interactive, Ireland
Sept 21 2005
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Tehran’s ambassador to Ireland is arrested
21 September 2005 14:17
Tehran’s ambassador to Ireland has been arrested in Iran on charges
of financial mismanagement, according to Iranian judicial and foreign
ministry sources.
Judiciary Minister Jamal Karimirad told reporters on Monday an
Iranian envoy had been arrested and was in jail after failing to meet
bail.
Foreign Ministry sources today named the man as Hamid Reza Nikkar,
ambassador to Ireland. There was no indication of how Nikkar pleaded.
‘One of our ambassadors has been arrested for financial
mismanagement,’ Karimirad said on Monday. ‘Ten percent of a
16million deal has been mismanaged,’ he added.
It was unclear whether the charge, which one source said involved a
construction project, related to a crime committed in Iran or abroad.
Nikkar took up his posting in Dublin in June and foreign ministry
sources said the charges were likely to relate to an alleged offence
before his arrival in Ireland.
Press reports at the time of Nikkar’s appointment said he had served
as ambassador to Armenia and mayor of the central city of Isfahan
before taking up his Dublin post.
The Irish ambassador in Tehran declined to comment on the case.

Pan Armenian News
AZERI MOD DENIES INFORMATION ON SHOTS AND OSCE MONITORING
21.09.2005 02:55
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Monitoring was not held at the contact line of the
Karabakh and Azeri forces on September 20, Azeri MOD spokesman Ramiz Melikov
stated. In his words, the information saying that during the monitoring held
by OSCE Special Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk the Azeri side violated the
ceasefire `does not correspond to reality’. `If the monitoring were held an
observer would have taken part in it from the Azeri party. Spreading of such
information is a recurrent provocation by our enemy. The Azeri MOD does not
possess information regarding any monitoring of the contact line’, Ramiz
Melikov said, IA Regnum reports. At the same time Day.az Azeri news agency
with a reference to the Azeri MOD informed that a monitoring was scheduled
near the Karakhanbeily settlement of Fizuli region. As PanARMENIAN.Net came
to know form the NKR MOD press office, September 20 the OSCE mission
launched the planned monitoring. However at the very beginning the Azeri
party fired a shot, directed at the observation mission. This was registered
by the OSCE representatives. By instructions of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk,
the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office (CiO), who headed
the mission at the Azeri side, the monitoring was interrupted due to
security considerations.

Mehr NewsAgency, Iran
Sept 21 2005
`Tuti-Nameh’ published in Armenia
TEHRAN, Sept. 21 (MNA) — The Armenian translation of `Tuti-Nameh’
(Tales of a Parrot) written by 14th century Iranian poet Zia ad-din
Nakhshabi was recently published in Armenia.
`Tuti-Nameh’ contains didactic stories written in the Indian style.
`When I read the Russian translation of the book for the first time,
I was so impressed that I decided to make it available to my
countrymen,’ the book’s translator, Hrans Antunian, said.
In a recent meeting with Iranian cultural attaché in Armenia Alireza
Otufi, he thanked Otufi for his support and stated that it took him
13 years to translate the book.
Antunian went on to say that introducing the rich Iranian culture to
Armenians was his main goal in translating the work.
Such measures will enhance bilateral cultural relations, Otufi said.
`Tuti-Nameh’ was translated into English by a teacher of the Persic,
Arabic, Hebrew, Syriac, Chaldaic, Greek, Latin, Italian, French, and
English languages in 1792.
In 1801, a translation of the book by Francis Gladwin appeared in
London, which was reprinted in 1812 in Calcutta by Ramtonoo Congoley.
In 1822, a German translation by Carl Jakob Ludwig Iken was published
in Stuttgart as `Tuti-Nameh’.
There is a 1993 edition by Ghulam Ali Arya, which credits Zia ad-din
Nakhshabi as the author.
There are several versions in Indian languages, e.g., Bengali in 1805
and Hindustani in 1810.
In addition, other English and German editions (including one by
Georg Rosen from a Turkish version of the tales made in 1858), as
well as translations into Polish (1959), Russian (1979), and Spanish
(Palma de Mallorca, 1988) have been published.