BRITAIN APPOINTS NEW AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA, SAYS REPORT
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 8 2005
Baku, September 7, AssA-Irada — Great Britain has appointed its
new ambassador to Armenia. Anthony Cantor will take up the post,
replacing Thorda Abbott Watt, whose diplomatic mission will complete
next January, Armenian media quoted a source from the embassy of
United Kingdom in Armenia as saying.*

CYPRUS DISPUTE ‘SHOULD NOT DELAY TURKEY’S EU ACCESSION’
by Andrew Woodcock, PA Political Correspondent
Press Association
September 8, 2005, Thursday 11:00 AM Eastern Time
Negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the European Union should not
be delayed, even though Ankara refuses to recognise the Republic of
Cyprus, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said today.
He warned that turning a cold shoulder to Turkey would give ammunition
to Islamist extremists, while welcoming it into the EU would be
a powerful blow against the belief in a “clash of civilisations”
between the Muslim world and the West.
The long-awaited talks are due to begin on October 3, but there is
growing popular and political opposition to Turkey joining the EU in
several existing member states, including France and Germany.
Ankara’s announcement that its recent signature of an Association
Agreement Protocol with the EU – a necessary step on the road
to membership – did not imply recognition of the Greek Cypriot
administration in Nicosia was seized upon by opponents of accession
as a reason for delay.
But speaking in London today, Mr Straw said: “There is more at stake
here than Turkey’s future. This is about Europe’s future too. And
it is a question of paramount importance for the whole international
community.
“Turkey is a secular nation with a majority Muslim population. By
welcoming Turkey we will demonstrate that Western and Islamic cultures
can thrive together as partners in the modern world. The alternative
is too terrible to contemplate.”
And he added: “A stable, prosperous Turkey anchored in the European
Union would be a powerful symbol indeed that the true divide lies not
between civilisations but between the vast majority of civilised people
across the world and the uncivilised few who use violence and terror to
try to destroy the common values and beliefs which bind the rest of us.
“It will prove that a secular, democratic state which shows respect
for Islam can live comfortably within Europe. Conversely, what message
would we give out if we were perceived to turn away from Turkey?”
Mr Straw said that, due to its strategic position as a bridge between
East and West, Turkey would offer the EU vital new strengths in the
battle against terrorism, cross-border crime and drug-trafficking.
Contrary to fears that the entry of a populous, low-wage economy into
the EU would have damaging economic effects on existing members,
Mr Straw insisted that Turkish accession would boost not only its
own prosperity but that of the rest of the Union.
He hailed Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “wide-ranging and
courageous reform” to bring Turkey in line with European standards
on human rights and democracy.
But he was critical of the decision to bring charges of “denigration
of Turkish identity” against world-renowned novelist Orhan Pamuk for
comments he made about the Ottoman-era genocide of Armenians and more
recent killings of thousands of Kurds.
Mr Straw said that the Pamuk case showed there was “still some way to
go in the implementation” of measures to protect freedom of speech,
and cautioned that “continued and sustained commitment” to EU norms
would be required from the Turkish Government.
The Foreign Secretary pointed out that the possibility of Turkish entry
into the EU had first been held out in 1963, with the establishment
of a customs union, and said that “the destinies of Turkey and the
rest of Europe have long been intertwined”.
The dispute over Cyprus should not be a bar to Turkish accession,
said Mr Straw. Instead, European leaders should have faith that the
EU’s “healing power” will help dissipate tensions between the two
sides once they are fellow members of the Union.
“I would have preferred it if the Government of Turkey had not felt
it necessary to issue its declaration stating that its signature of
the Association Agreement Protocol did not amount to recognition of
the Republic of Cyprus,” he said.
“But acknowledging that Turkey’s declaration raises genuine concerns
– which we, as Presidency, are working hard to address – does not
mean that we should delay the start of Turkey’s historic accession
negotiations.
“We should have faith in the power of the Union to help resolve
problems.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FREE-SPEECH CASE CAN’T HIDE PROGRESS
by Soli Ozel
The International Herald Tribune
September 8, 2005 Thursday
In December, the internationally renowned Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk
is scheduled to appear in court here for having “blatantly belittled
Turkishness.” If convicted he faces six months to three years in
prison. His offense? Having said to a Swiss newspaper in February:
“Thirty thousand Kurds and one million Armenians were killed in
Turkey. Almost no one dares to speak out on this but me.”
Pamuk’s indictment last week by a district prosecutor here was
undoubtedly an affront to the principle of freedom of expression as
was the vicious campaign by ultranationalists that followed Pamuk’s
remarks, including death threats that led him to leave Turkey for a
couple of months. In December, the court should throw out the charges
against him.
But those, especially in the West, who would use the indictment against
Pamuk to denigrate Turkey’s progress toward greater civil rights and
toward European Union membership are ignoring the distance that the
country has covered in the past decade.
For one thing, public debate in Turkey has in fact become much more
open and varied, particularly on the Armenian issue. For another,
though some liberals took exception to Pamuk’s wording and the platform
he chose, in the end Turkey’s democratic voices unequivocally defended
his right to express his views.
In addition, the very justice system that brought down the indictment
against Pamuk is deeply divided between those who favor a more modern,
liberal judicial mentality and those who are uncomfortable with such
an opening: Only two months ago, the Istanbul prosecutor’s office
had decided that Pamuk’s words were indeed protected by free speech.
A month from now, Pamuk is scheduled to receive the prestigious
Peace Award of the German Publishers and Writers Association. For
evidence of how far Turkey has come, it might pay to go revisit the
moment eight years ago when the grand old man of Turkish literature,
Yasar Kemal, received the same award.
At the time, Kemal had just been sentenced to 20 months in prison,
with his sentence suspended on condition that he did not commit the
same “crime” within five years. His crime was an article entitled
“Dark Clouds Over Turkey,” in which he severely criticized the Turkish
government’s policies toward its Kurdish citizens.
Turkey was indeed under dark clouds in 1997. The military was fighting
against the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party, a vicious group that
specialized in murdering its civilian opponents. The military’s tactics
trampled upon the human rights and dignity of Kurds in the country’s
southeast, and the overall national climate served to suppress any
expression of Kurdish identity. The war cost Turkey more than 30,000
lives, and hundreds of thousands became refugees in their own land.
When Kemal won his award, human rights violations were rampant and
freedom of expression was severely restricted. The European Union’s
refusal in that year to extend candidate member status to Turkey
froze relations with Ankara. The Union had no influence on Turkey
and its pull was weak.
Since then, not only has the war ended, but the EU has also reversed
its course. Turkey has made huge strides to fulfill the economic
and political conditions necessary to join the Union because the
Turkish public overwhelmingly support this goal. The movement toward
democratic governance and liberal politics has certainly encountered
great resistance at every turn. Yet in the end, the democratizing
will of Turkish society has prevailed; despite stiff opposition from
some powerful entrenched interests, groundbreaking reforms have been
undertaken. Last December, the European Council decided to start
accession talks with Turkey on Oct. 3 of this year, a decision
that many in the Union and in Turkey still find hard to digest,
or outright unacceptable.
So the indictment against Pamuk, however offensive, ought to be seen as
part of the ongoing struggle within Turkey about the country’s future,
particularly within the justice system. Some judiciary members have
been slow to adjust to contemporary legal norms. But judicial opinion
increasingly reflects the sophistication and outlook of a new attitude
toward the law and citizens’ rights.
Detractors of Turkey’s European destiny must have rejoiced in Pamuk’s
indictment. Yet they themselves have been displaying a non-European
spirit toward Turkey, with their rejection of Turks on cultural
(read religious) grounds and their petty maneuvering over commitments
already made. As such they are the Turkish hard-liners’ best allies.
Turks not unlike Kemal and Pamuk have spent over two centuries in
their country’s European vocation, often fighting on two fronts. That
is why it took them so long to get to where they are. But at the end
of the day, they have always prevailed.
*
Soli Ozel is a professor of international relations at Istanbul Bilgi
University and a columnist for the Turkish daily newspaper Sabah.

OSCE PA RAPPORTEUR TO VISIT S CAUCASUS AFTER LEGISLATIVE POLL
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Aug 7 2005
The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Nagorno Karabakh conflict Goran Lennmarker will visit the South
Caucasus region after the November parliamentary elections in
Azerbaijan.
The visit is likely to take place in December or before the winter
session of the OSCE PA due next February, said member of the Azeri
delegation at the Assembly, MP Eldar Ibrahimov.
Lennmarker’s report on the Karabakh conflict, discussed at the
summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly, was not approved due
to certain differences.
Azerbaijan’s discontent over the report and Lennmarker’s new ideas
will be mulled during the rapporteur’s visit to Baku.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FM REAFFIRMS TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AS KEY CONDITION FOR CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 8 2005
Baku, September 7, AssA-Irada — Baku is ready for a speedy
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh
within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, foreign minister Elmar
Mammadyarov said at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in
Vienna. “Azerbaijan is ready for the conflict resolution based on
respect for its territorial integrity and sovereignty. The status of
the Upper Garabagh region of Azerbaijan Republic should guarantee
a peaceful co-existence of the Armenian and Azeri residents”, the
minister said in a statement published on Wednesday. The status should
be determined with the full-fledged involvement of both the Azeri
and Armenian communities of the region, as this is the most fair
alternative, Mammadyarov said. The minister positively assessed the
intensifying process of conflict resolution, saying that official Baku
hopes Armenia will adhere to a constructive position. Azerbaijan’s
chances for settling the conflict ‘have never been higher’, he
said. Mammadyarov mentioned that as a result of the ongoing political
and military aggression against Azerbaijan, a massive re-settlement
of Azerbaijanis took place amid indifference of the international
community. “The geo-political impact of this conflict tramples on
Azerbaijani borders and impedes the establishment of normal relations
in the entire South Caucasus region…Armenia will not be able to
seize a single patch of Azerbaijan’s land. Although they inflicted
considerable damage to Azerbaijan, the strongest blow was dealt upon
Armenia itself.”*

KATRINA – THE AFTERMATH BUSH’S MOTHER SPARKS ANGER WITH COMMENTS
Townsville Bulletin/Townsville Sun (Australia)
September 8, 2005 Thursday
FORMER first lady Barbara Bush has fueled anger by saying Hurricane
Katrina victims in Houston, Texas were ‘underprivileged anyway’.
Mrs Bush also said life in the Astrodome sports arena is ‘working
very well for them’.
The comments by the mother of President George W Bush have added
weight to claims the Bushes are out-of-touch patricians.
“Almost everyone I’ve talked to says ‘we’re going to move to Houston’,”
Mrs Bush said in a radio interview after visiting evacuees at the
Astrodome with her husband, former president George Bush.
“What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay
in Texas.
“Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.
“And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were
underprivileged anyway, so this — this is working very well for them.”
Her comments were aired late on Monday on Marketplace, an American
Public Radio show broadcast nationwide.
They triggered a flood of negative messages on the Huffington Post,
a popular left-leaning web page.
“Cold hearted witch,” read one of the more polite comments, signed
by IowaDem. “No wonder her son remained on vacation, playing guitar
and eating cake instead of seeing that aid and rescue operations
were well-managed.”
Another writer found the comments hard to believe. “Did she really
say that?” wrote ‘Stephen.’ “My God! What or who have we become?”
WHO GAVE WHAT… A list of international government aid offers
Afghanistan — $US100,000 ($A131,388)
Armenia — $US100,000 ($A131,388)
Australia — $US7.6 million ($A9.99 million)
Azerbaijan — $US500,000 ($A656,943)
Bahamas — $US50,000 ($A65,694)
Bahrain — $US5 million ($A6.57 million)
Bangladesh — $US1 ($A1.31 million)
Belgium — Medical/logistics teams to Red Cross
Britain — Military food rations
Canada — two helicopters, 32-person rescue team, Air Canada evacuation
flights, medical supplies
China — $US5.1 million ($A6.7 million) and relief supplies
Djibouti — $US50,000 ($A65,694.39)
Finland — three logistics experts to help Red Cross
France — tents, tarps, military food rations, water treatment supplies
Gabon — $US500,000 ($A656,943)
Georgia — $US50,000 ($A65,694)
Germany — military rations and high speed pumps
Greece — cruise ships to house survivors (private offer)
India — $US5 million ($A6.57 million)
Israel — tents, first aid kits, baby formula
Italy — generators, water pumps/purifiers, tents, medical supplies
Japan — $US1 million ($A1.31 million), generators, tents, blankets,
bottled
water
Kuwait — $US400 million ($A525.56 million) in oil, $US100 million
($A131.39 million) in cash
Maldives — $US25,000 ($A32,847.19)
Mexico — bedding, military rations, baby care items, personal
hygiene kits
Norway — $US1.54 million ($A2.02 million) in relief supplies
Qatar — $US100 million ($A131.39 million) cash
Saudi Arabia — $US5.25 million ($A6.9 million)
Singapore — three helicopters
South Korea — $US30 million ($A39.42 million) cash and donations
Sri Lanka — $US25,000 ($A32,847.19) cash
Taiwan — $US2 million ($A2.63 million) plus medical supplies
Thailand — Large amounts of food
United Arab Emirates — $US100 million ($A131.39 million)
Venezuela — Up to $US1.0 million ($A1.31 million) to Red Cross
Organisations:
International Committee of the Red Cross — web-based tracing system
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation — coordinating European assistance
offers Organisation of American States — $US25,000 ($A32,847)
UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs — disaster
assessment and coordination team/logisitics support
UN World Health Organisation — Public health officers and logistics
experts.

AZERBAIJAN: EXILES’ PARTICIPATION IN ELECTION CAMPAIGN UNCERTAIN DESPITE REGISTRATION
By Jean-Christophe Peuch
Radio Free Europe, Czech rep.
Aug 7 2005
(RFE/RL) The international community has long pressed the government
of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to improve its democratic
credentials and ensure that legislative polls due later this year are
free and fair. Now, in a move seen as a concession to foreign pressure,
election officials have authorized two prominent exiled opposition
leaders to seek parliamentary seats. But whether the two men will be
able to return to Azerbaijan to participate in the election campaign
remains uncertain.
Prague, 7 September 2005 (RFE/RL) — On 5 September, an election
commission in Baku registered former President Ayaz Mutallibov as a
candidate in the 6 November polls.
Mutallibov now co-chairs the Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan.
He has been living in exile in Russia since 1992.
Last month, another election commission in the Azerbaijani capital
registered former parliament speaker Rasul Quliyev as a candidate.
Quliyev chairs the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan and has been living
in self-exile in the United States since 1996.
Both men are wanted in Azerbaijan on charges they deny.
The Council of Europe, which Azerbaijan joined in 2001, has been
pressing the successive government of late President Heidar Aliyev
and his son Ilham to allow both political exiles to return home and
participate in the country’s political life.
Their recent registration is seen as a concession to European pressure
on the part of Azerbaijani authorities.
Speaking to our correspondent from Russia, Mutallibov welcomed the
decision that in theory allows him to campaign in Baku’s Yasamal
district.
“My reaction is very positive. I met the news with great
satisfaction. In this regard I would like to say that I agree
with those analysts and observers who say the first stage of the
electoral process is relatively transparent. [This being said,] the
vote itself must be perfectly transparent and I do hope it will be,”
Mutallibov said.
But whether the first president of post-Soviet Azerbaijan will be
allowed to return home safely remains under question.
Just hours after Mutallibov spoke to RFE/RL, the Prosecutor-General’s
Office in Baku ordered his immunity to be lifted. Mutallibov
subsequently declined to comment on the decision, which he said was
“predictable.”
The Prosecutor-General’s Office last month took a similar step with
regard to Quliyev, less than 24 hours after an election commission
in Baku’s Xatai district had registered the former parliament speaker
as a candidate.
Under Azerbaijani laws, candidates seeking parliamentary seats are
granted immunity from penal prosecution that can be lifted only if
they commit a crime during the election campaign.
Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor-General Zakir Qaralov last month said nothing
prevented Mutallibov and Quliyev from registering as candidates in
the upcoming polls. But he made it clear both men would be arrested
upon their arrival in Baku.
Quliyev tells RFE/RL he will challenge the prosecutor-general’s
decision to lift his immunity before an Azerbaijani tribunal and,
if necessary, before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
“I deeply regret that the Prosecutor-General’s Office made this hasty
decision. Were they afraid I would show up in Baku within the next
four or five hours [that followed my registration], or what? This
decision violates Azerbaijan’s constitution and other laws. By doing
this they cast an enormous doubt on the democratic character of the
upcoming polls,” Quliyev said.
Quliyev left Azerbaijan in the midst of growing disagreements with
Heidar Aliyev. He is wanted in Azerbaijan for allegedly embezzling
$100 million between 1990 and 1995, first as a state oil executive,
then as parliament speaker.
The charges facing Mutallibov are multiple.
He is reportedly wanted for his alleged responsibility in the bloody
army crackdown in Baku on 20 January 1990. Then-Prime Minister
Mutallibov took over as first secretary of Azerbaijan’s Communist
Party only after the Soviet military intervention, which claimed
nearly 170 lives.
Other reports say the former Azerbaijani president is wanted for his
failure to prevent the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenian forces
and for a 1996 failed assassination attempt against Heidar Aliyev.
Faced with increasing criticism over Karabakh, Mutallibov was forced
to resign in March 1992. He fled the country a few weeks later after
a failed attempt to retake power.
Mutallibov says he is not familiar with the legal proceedings initiated
against him.
“I’ve never seen them. During all [13] years [I’ve spent in exile],
I haven’t seen anything. Authorities [in Baku] could have sent
any document to the country I’m forced to live in, but that never
happened. They can’t even formulate the charges. At some point they
mentioned the events of 20 January 1990. But everyone knows they
were directly connected to a decision made by [then-Soviet President
Mikhail] Gorbachev. Then they invented something else. But they never
produced anything concrete,” Mutallibov said.
Quliyev says that whatever the risks, he will return to Azerbaijan
before the election.
“My plans haven’t changed. I am still a registered candidate. Under
Azerbaijani laws, no prosecutor, no official can lift my immunity.
Even if today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow a court rules that
the prosecutor-general’s decision is right, I will not change my
plans. I will return to Azerbaijan and take part in the elections,”
Quliyev said.
Fuad Alasgarov, a high-ranking official in Azerbaijan’s presidential
administration, on 5 September suggested that political exiles campaign
while staying out of the country.
But Quliyev says he will not even consider that option.
“No government official can settle this issue. This issue must be
settled in line with the law. And the law says [authorities] have
no right to take such decisions and impose such conditions on me,”
Quliyev said.
Mutallibov also says he plans to return to Baku soon despite the risk
of being detained.
But, unlike Quliyev, he hopes Ilham Aliyev’s calls for national
reconciliation will eventually materialize, thus allowing him to
escape criminal prosecution.
“When people ask me what I expect, I tell them I expect the head of
state to make a decision. I do hope he will make a decision.
Generally speaking, things are moving in the right direction,”
Mutallibov said.
Aliyev has repeatedly vowed to hold free and fair elections
in November. But he has not publicly commented on the issue of
Azerbaijan’s political exiles.
If Quliyev is allowed to take part in the November election, he will
run on the lists of Azadliq (Freedom), the opposition coalition that
comprises the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, the reformist wing of
the Popular Front of Azerbaijan, and the Musavat party.
Mutallibov is registered as a candidate for Yeni Siyaset (New
Politics), Azerbaijan’s other main opposition coalition.

GREECE BEGINS SALE OF 10 PERCENT OF OTE TELECOMS GIANT
Agence France Presse — English
September 7, 2005 Wednesday 10:49 AM GMT
The Greek state has begun selling an additional 10 percent share of
the Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation (OTE), Finance Minister
George Alogoskoufis said Wednesday.
“The process to sell a 10-percent share in OTE began last night,
following a decision by the inter-ministerial committee (on
privatisation),” Alogoskoufis told reporters.
The sale of OTE shares, which will reduce the Greek state’s holding in
the company to 27.7 percent, began on the New York Stock Exchange late
on Tuesday and continued on the London Stock Exchange on Wednesday,
Alogoskoufis said.
Partially controlled by the Greek state, the OTE group, which comprises
the profitable Cosmote Greek mobile telephony unit and subsidiaries in
Armenia, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, reported last week first-quarter
net profits of 212.5 million euros (265 million dollars).
The profits of OTE group had risen by 107.7 percent from the equivalent
figure in 2004, the company said at the time.
Eight banks, four of them international and the remainder Greek,
are involved in the sale, which will also available on the Athens
Stock Exchange, Alogoskoufis said on Wednesday.
About 49 million shares will be sold, translating into earnings of
800 million euros for the Greek state, Net state television reported.

ARMENIA PROVIDES HUMANITARIAN AID TO HURRICANE-HIT US AREAS
By Tigran Liloyan
ITAR-TASS News Agency
MOSCOW, September 6
September 8, 2005 Thursday 12:39 PM Eastern Time
Armenia has provided 200,000 U.S. dollar humanitarian aid to residents
of the U.S. areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, the government press
service told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
Armenian President Robert Kocheryan conveyed his condolences to his
U.S. counterpart George W. Bush on the tragedy.

ELECTION SYSTEM OF ARMENIA DELIBERATELY IMMERSED INTO CHAOS, THINKS REPRESENTATIVE OF OPPOSITION AT ARMENIAN CEC
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8. ARMINFO. The election system of Armenia was
deliberately immersed into chaos. Representative of the opposition
bloc Justice at the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia Felix
Khachatryan said at a press conference today.
He thinks that in the basis of the election process, in the voters’
list, something unimaginable is happening. In particular, on September
25 elections to the post of the prefect of Yerevan Center community
are expected, however, the voters’ lists of the polling station at
Gevorg Emin No. 182 school in Tigran Mets street lack families of
500 electors, the residents of the dwelling house N.31 in Tigran Mets
street, several flats of some houses in Yervand Kochar and Vardanants
streets were not included in the lists at all.
Moreover, middle names of two electors in voters’ lists were
“Azerbaijan.”
The number of voters at one polling stations differs from that of
another polling station by 10,000 and even 12,000 people, while in
conformity with the law, the difference must not exceed 5,000 people.
These inaccuracies are deliberate and from “above.” Before the
referendum, the number of electors accidentally decreases and than
increases before the elections. Such manipulations are possible only
from “above.”
Khachatryan did not answer the question “what to do” calling
journalists and representative to go to the polling stations and made
sure that he was rights, an than to hold a journalistic investigation.