OSCE CHAIRMEN REPORT KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING DETAILS TO OSCE CHAIRMAN
Armenpress
September 2, 2005
BAKU, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: Yury Merzlyakov, the Russian
cochairman of the OSCE Minsk group, told an Azeri ANS agency that
after Kocharian-Aliyev meeting in Russian Kazan he and two other
cochairmen from USA and France left for Ljubljana to report the
meeting’s details to the OSCE chairman-in-office, Slovenia’s foreign
minister Dmitry Ruupel.
Asked to describe Kocharian-Aliyev meeting Merzlyakov said it was
‘good and useful.” “It was held in a good climate and the discussions
were detailed. The cochairmen have all grounds to feel satisfied and
I believe all other parties are likewise satisfied,” he was quoted
as saying.
Citing the confidentiality of the talks, Merzlyakov refused to say
whether new proposals were discussed by Kocharian and Aliyev. He also
said the cochairmen will work to organize a new meeting of Azeri and
Armenian foreign ministers before the end of 2005 and ‘before that
the two sides will have to ponder over what was negotiated and convey
their opinions to the cochairmen.”
From: Baghdasarian

US EMERGENCY SPECIALISTS TRYING TO CONTACT ARMENIAN CITIZEN IN NEW ORLEANS
Armenpress
September 2, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS: US embassy in Yerevan has confirmed
today presence of at least one Armenian citizen in the hurricane
stricken New Orleans. It said a physician, Ruben Jamalain, 35, was
in New Orleans Superdome in the aftermath of Katrina hurricane and
was seen providing medical assistance to thousands of stranded people
who were not able to leave the town.
The embassy said specialists from US Department of State Crisis
Management Center were trying to get in contact with Jamalian to
evacuate him either to Houston or Atlanta. Also Armenian foreign
ministry has said it is in a constant contact with US embassy here,
with Crisis Management Center and other US emergency agencies in
order to get information about Jamalian and other Armenian citizens
who may be stranded in New Orleans.
Armenian foreign ministry said the Crisis Management Center convened
foreign ambassadors to USA on August 31 and provided them with e-mail
addresses and phone numbers they can use in order to get information
about their citizens who are likely to be in New Orleans. Meantime
U.S. troops made their way to New Orleans on Friday with shoot-to-kill
orders to scare off looting gangs so rescuers can help thousands of
people stranded by Hurricane Katrina, find the dead and clean up the
carnage. Around 14,000 Guard troops were on the ground and 30,000
more are expected in the coming days.

EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS
444
2.9.2005
Press release issued by the Registrar
European Court of Human Rights – September hearings
The European Court of Human Rights will be holding the following hearings in
September 2005.
Tuesday 20 September 2005
Chamber Hearing on the merits
9 a.m. Fener Rum Erkek Lisesi Vakfi v.Turkey (no. 34478/97) and
Yedikule Surp Pirgic Ermeni Hastanesi Vakfi v. Turkey (nos. 50147/99
and 51207/99)
Both applicants are foundations under Turkish law that were established
at the time of the Ottoman Empire. Fener Rum Erkek Lisesi Vakfi
was set up to provide educational facilities at the Greek Higher
Secondary School in Fener (Istanbul). Yedikule Surp Pirgic Ermeni
Hastanesi Vakfi is the foundation for the Armenian hospital Surp
Pirgic in Yedikule. The status of both foundations complies with the
provisions of the Lausanne Treaty of 1923 affording protection to
foundations that provide public services for religious minorities.
In accordance with Law no. 2762 of 13 June 1935, by virtue of which
they obtained legal personality, the applicant foundations filed a
declaration in 1936 of their aims and of their immovable property.
In 1952 the Fener Rum Erkek Lisesi Vakfi Foundation received a gift
of part of a building in Istanbul. It purchased another part of the
building in 1958. The Yedikule Surp Pirgic Ermeni Hastanesi Vakfi
Foundation received gifts of two properties in Istanbul in 1943 and
1967, one in Beyoglu, the other in Kadikoy.
In 1992 the Treasury applied to the Turkish courts for an order
setting aside the applicants’ title to the properties and deleting
their names from the land register. In three judgments (on 7 March
1996 in the case of Fener Rum Erkek Lisesi Vakfi and on 30 October
1997 and 24 February 1998 in the case of Yedikule Surp Pirgic Ermeni
Hastanesi Vakfi), the Istanbul High Court granted the Treasury’s
applications. Referring to a decision of the Court of Cassation of
8 May 1974, it held that the foundations, whose membership was made
up of religious minorities as defined by the Treaty of Lausanne
and whose constitutive documents did not contain a statement that
they had capacity to acquire immovable property, were precluded
from purchasing or accepting a gift of such property. Accordingly,
their immovable property was restricted to that set out in their
constitutive documents and finalised in the declaration made in 1936,
so that they were precluded from acquiring immovable property.
On appeals on points of law by the applicants, the Court of Cassation
upheld the judgments of the Istanbul High Court in decisions of 9
December 1996, 22 September 1998 and 20 October 1998.
In October 2000 Fener Rum Erkek Lisesi Vakfi applied to the Foundation
Commissioners for permission to amend its status to permit it to
acquire immovable property. However, its application was turned down.
In both cases, the applicants complain of the orders setting aside
their title to the properties. They argue that the Turkish legislation
as interpreted by the domestic courts deprives foundations established
by religious minorities within the meaning of the Lausanne Treaty of
all capacity to acquire immovable property. In their submission,
that incapacity amounts to discrimination when their position
is compared to that of other foundations. The applicants rely on
Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property), and Article
14 (prohibition of discrimination) taken together with Article 1 of
Protocol No. 1. Yedikule Surp Pirgic Ermeni Hastanesi Vakfi further
complains under Article 6 (right to a fair hearing) that it did not
receive a fair hearing in the Turkish courts.
***
Decisions, judgments and further information about the Court can be
found on its Internet site ().
Registry of the European Court of Human Rights
F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Press contacts: Roderick Liddell (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 24 92)
  Emma Hellyer (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 90 21 42 15)
  Stephanie Klein (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 21 54)
Fax: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 27 91
The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council
of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950
European Convention on Human Rights. Since 1 November 1998 it has sat as a
full-time Court composed of an equal number of judges to that of the States
party to the Convention. The Court examines the admissibility and merits of
applications submitted to it. It sits in Chambers of 7 judges or, in
exceptional cases, as a Grand Chamber of 17 judges. The Committee of
Ministers of the Council of Europe supervises the execution of the Court’s
judgments.
1 Under Article 43 of the European Convention on Human Rights, within three
months from the date of a Chamber judgment, any party to the case may, in
exceptional cases, request that the case be referred to the 17-member Grand
Chamber of the Court. In that event, a panel of five judges considers
whether the case raises a serious question affecting the interpretation or
application of the Convention or its protocols, or a serious issue of
general importance, in which case the Grand Chamber will deliver a final
judgment. If no such question or issue arises, the panel will reject the
request, at which point the judgment becomes final. Otherwise Chamber
judgments become final on the expiry of the three-month period or earlier if
the parties declare that they do not intend to make a request to refer.
Press Release
Council of Europe Spokesperson and Press Division
Ref: 444a05
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11
[email protected] 
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A political organisation set up in 1949, the Council of Europe works to
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–Boundary_(ID_VmR24I3GVDiMEbZIh0khpA)–

URL for this article:
,,SB112560 766090929456,00.html
Wall Street Journal
REVIEW & OUTLOOK
My Name Is Orhan
September 2, 2005
Supporters of Turkey’s efforts to get closer to Europe — count
us among them — cringed at the news that the country’s best-known
novelist faces prison time for speaking his mind.
By now, most Turks are familiar with Orhan Pamuk’s February interview
with the Swiss daily, Tages-Anzeiger. “Thirty thousand Kurds and
one million Armenians were killed in these lands and nobody but me
dares to talk about it,” said the 53-year-old author of “My Name Is
Red,” which made his name abroad. He was referring to the two-decade
struggle against Kurdish separatism and, more controversially, the
1915 slaughter of Armenians at Ottoman hands.
Mr. Pamuk’s fiction touches on sensitive issues; his most recent novel,
“Snow,” explores the clash between radical Islam and secularism. But
his controversial foray into nonfiction suggests that the other
tension in Turkish life today is between conservative nationalism and
Western-style democratization. The massacre of Armenians is a major
flashpoint. That history isn’t openly discussed in Turkey which,
perhaps not coincidentally, maintains that genocide didn’t take place.
Turgay Evsen, a prosecutor, on Wednesday charged that the novelist
broke a law against “public denigrating of Turkish identity.” Mr.
Pamuk faces three years in prison, if convicted.
Privately, diplomats point out that the indictment was a politically
motivated attempt to hurt Turkey’s chances at the EU. While most
Turks back the reforms required by the EU, a powerful minority —
from within the traditionalist military to the extremist Islamists —
would love to torpedo their country’s progress toward the Western
world. The government was furious at the timing of the indictment,
which came a day before EU foreign ministers met to discuss whether
accession talks can begin, as planned, October 3.
It would be bitterly ironic if the Pamuk case turned the EU more off
Turkey. The author has repeatedly argued that continued European
engagement is the best guarantor of Turkish democracy. “Just the
belief of membership has changed many things,” Mr. Pamuk said in
July. Of course, his current predicament also serves to remind that
Turkey has a way to go, which is no surprise.
Turkish officials are on shaky ground in defending section 301/1 of
the penal code — adopted in June at EU urging — that ensnared Mr.
Pamuk. The European Commission yesterday expressed “serious concerns”
that the law doesn’t sufficiently protect freedom of expression.
Well, as long as zealous prosecutors can use the laws to infringe
basic freedoms, Turkey can’t really call itself a proper democracy.

Press Advisory
September 1, 2005
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia,
2225 R Street NW,
Washington, DC, 20008
Contact: [email protected]
Tel. 202-319-1976
Fax: 202-319-2982
Armenia Offers Aid, Condolences to Hurricane Katrina’s Victims
Ambassador Tatoul Markarian sent a letter to the US State Department
expressing condolences and offering assistance on behalf of
the Armenian government to those suffered from the devastating
hurricane. In the letter he particularly says:
“The devastation caused by the Hurricane Katrina is heart-rending
for all friends of your country, and especially for Armenians who
have suffered horrors of the Spitak earthquake. Please accept my
condolences to the victims and their families.
The government of Armenia stands ready to provide all possible
assistance and to take a part in the rescue operations. The people
of Armenia sympathize with and offer their prayers and best wishes
to everyone touched by this tragedy.”

CIS finds time for introspection
The Messenger, Georgia
Sept 2 2005
The Kazan CIS summit has concluded, but speculation over the future
of the tenuous alliance continues. The summit showed that despite
negative forecasts, the CIS has not died, though it has become clear
to all that the practice of hiding from problems by postponing measures
to deal with them cannot go on for ever.
More importantly, this type of postponement no longer figures into the
interests of Russia. In the estimation of Russian politicians, Moscow
is fast losing its influence in CIS space and if certain measures
are not taken, the “symbolic union” will become a thing of the past.
Moscow’s concern over the current situation in the CIS was aroused
by the recent wave of “velvet revolutions” in the area. While it
was being founded under Yeltsin, the CIS was construed as a way for
Russia to declare its “sphere of influence,” where no outside force
would stick its nose – not the United States, the European Union, nor
any regional power. Within the alliance itself, integration processes
were to gradually take shape, on the basis of which a single military,
political and economic bloc and perhaps even a united state would
be created. The revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, the continuance
of revolutionary processes in Central Asia and the anticipation of
similar events in Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan have made it clear
to Moscow that no one recognizes its exclusive influence on the CIS
any more. These velvet developments are seen by many in Moscow not as
“people’s revolts,” but rather the U.S. achieving its geopolitical
goals in the region by means of “election technologies,” at the expense
of curtailing Russia’s influence and driving it out of regions where
just a few years ago, its dominance could not be disputed.
Prior to the Kazan summit, the Borjomi Declaration signed by Georgian
and Ukrainian Presidents Mikheil Saakashvili and Viktor Yushchenko on
creating a new alliance of democratically oriented countries in the
Black, Caspian and Baltic Sea basins caused a great amount of uproar.
This group is expected to consist of Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan,
and potentially Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Romania.
True, Saakashvili and Yushchenko say they are not considering
withdrawal from the CIS and that the alliance envisaged by the
Borjomi Declaration will be of an informal character, but Moscow
is still highly suspicious about the upcoming meeting to discuss
the creation of the Community for Democratic Choice” scheduled this
month in Ukraine. The Russian newspaper Moskovskie Novosti reports
that Russian President Vladimir Putin received an invitation to
participate in the conference, but refused, as that day he has a
scheduled meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan.
The Russian media characterizes Saakashvili’s and Yushchenko’s
presence at the Kazan summit as that of “strangers,” saying that the
remaining presidents “eyed them with suspicion.” Likewise regarded
as less than entirely trustworthy were the presidents of Moldova and
Kyrgyzstan. Indeed, many problems showed themselves at the summit
– the adoption of several documents required great effort and the
participants failed to elect a new CIS chair. The acting chair, Putin,
was to have been replaced by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev,
but Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov objected, as the former had
apparently said of him that “he’s originally from a village.” Putin
retained his chairmanship.
Interestingly, the next summit of CIS presidents will take place in
Belarus. Many wonder just how the “velvet presidents” will be greeted
in Minsk or how they will be received by Belarussian chief Aleksandr
Lukashenko, who has been labeled “the last dictator in Europe.” But
speculation now is useless, as much time remains before the Minsk
summit and the wave of revolutions has yet to subside.
Moscow, meanwhile, is busy thinking about implementing fundamental
reforms in the CIS. Russians consider that the best way to encourage
these countries to remain loyal to Moscow is to make cooperation
with that country more attractive. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
mentioned that Russia must become more competitive and speed up its
development. But time is necessary in order to achieve this. The
best illustration of the attractiveness of cooperation with Russia
is the low energy prices offered to CIS states. “Whoever is not in
the CIS will not be able to take advantage of the economic benefits”
– such is the essence of Russia’s policy. Being in the CIS, in turn,
will imply active participation in its reformation. It is time for
Georgia to pick a course and stay with it, for ultimately, integration
into NATO and European structures, together with remaining the CIS
will not prove possible.

Armenians to mark 14th anniversary of separatist regime
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 2 2005
Baku, September 1, AssA-Irada — Armenians will mark the 14th
anniversary of the separatist regime of Upper Garabagh, Azerbaijan’s
territory under Armenian occupation, on Friday. The event will be
attended by the Armenian President Robert Kocharian.
According to a program prepared by an Armenian government commission,
the event will start in Shusha. Armenian officials will then visit
the monument complex of the Garabagh war victims in Khankandi.
Armenians even invited Russian music stars to the ‘celebrations’
to add ‘glamour’ to the event. Sports competitions are a part of the
event that will conclude with fireworks.
Chairman of Yurddash Party, MP Mais Safarli has said that the
Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry should adopt a statement over Kocharian’s
visit to the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic and all
international organizations be informed of this.
“Visiting the self-proclaimed republic at a time the Azeri and Armenian
presidents are in talks on the conflict settlement is hypocrisy”,
he said in parliament on Thursday.
Safarli said that by taking this step, the Armenian president is
delivering a message that he is ‘not interested in achieving peace’.*

Greece’s biggest illegal cigarette ring smashed
Kathimerini, Greece
Sept 2 2005
A criminal ring using immigrants to produce millions of contraband
cigarettes in an underground factory near Thessaloniki has been broken,
police said yesterday after arresting a suspected gang member.
The 35-year-old ethnic Greek from Armenia is thought to be one of at
least 10 members of a ring employing Ukrainian and Moldovan immigrants,
in rotating groups of 20, over the past six months in exchange for
room and board.
He has been charged with forming a criminal organization, money
laundering, forgery and customs violations.
Raids on the illegal factory and on two nearby warehouses unearthed
more than 80 tons of tobacco and 2.3 million packs of contraband
cigarettes, most bearing the forged logo of a well-known Greek brand.
The factory comprised state-of-the-art manufacturing and packaging
machines, underground living quarters for staff and closed-circuit
television, police said.
Officers described the operation as unprecedented in Greece.

Quartet brings Down the house
Live Review: System Of A Down in T.O.
By LIISA LADOUCEUR – Special to the Sun
Canoe.ca, Canada
Toronto Sun
Sept 2 2005
TORONTO – Never underestimate the power of a good musical pummelling.
For who would have believed that System of a Down, four
Armenian-American underdogs playing complex, kooky, uncatchy hard
rock with a communist (or at least very socialist) manifesto could
be stadium superstars.
The California group emerged from the late-90s Ozzfest scene to become
a leading voice for pierced activists and aged headbangers alike;
their influence in the underground has been growing as steadily as
their goatees.
But as they proved last night at the Air Canada Centre in front of
15,000 stoked fans, System of a Down are not actually the kings of
nu metal — they are the new kings of metal.
Emerging onto a stark stage dressed all in black with fancy
aristocratic jackets, they took control of the crowd immediately with
their recent hit BYOB and for almost two hours, never let go.
It’s almost impossible to sing along to their tunes, but leader Serj
Tankian’s mix of rapid-fire speak and operatic singing was like a
tribal war cry and the crowd responded on cue.
Guitarist Daron Malakian was the team spazz, racing about. The rumbling
bass and rapid-fire kick drums had the power and fury of death metal,
but without the relentless pacing and ridiculous lyrics. Well,
“pull the tapeworm out of your a–” is pretty ridiculous and most
of the songs that aren’t political are equally goofy but how else to
turn everyone in the room into a fist-pumping 14-year-old boy?
Besides, the band’s musicianship is so stunning, so dynamic and
dramatic any juvenile geeking out was forgiven.
This was not Fred Durst-style goofing off. It was utterly intense
and refreshingly playful.
When Serj sat down with an acoustic guitar to play Questions, it was
the heaviest unplugged interlude ever.
The band didn’t say a word to the crowd, and didn’t have to.
Tunes that sound chaotic on radio flowed seamlessly from one to the
next, from Violent Pornography to Mr. Jack to War to Prison Song,
with ferocity and precision.
They even worked in some Neil Young and Dire Straight references.
By the time they got to bombastic hits like Ariel and Toxicity,
System of a Down were playing as good as Metallica in their heyday,
and perhaps better than any other metal bands on the road today.
Two devil saluting thumbs up.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MEPs put off key vote on Turkey protocol
EurActiv.com, Belgium
Sept 2 2005
In Short:
The political limbo enveloping Turkey’s EU bid continued on 1 September
when the European Parliament decided to postpone a key vote on Ankara’s
revised customs union with the EU.
In light of the MEPs’ decision to postpone the vote, originally
scheduled for next week, it is now up to the Commission and the
Council to find a solution to the Cyprus issue during the month of
September. The MEPs will now vote on the so-called Ankara protocol
during the EP’s session starting on 26 September. “Considering the
unilateral declaration by Turkey [on 29 July] that the extension of
the customs union to Cyprus would not amount to the recognition of
Cyprus under international law, this is the only logical consequence,”
commented German conservative MEP Elmar Brok, chairman of the EP’s
Foreign Affairs Committee. The EP’s vote is needed for the Ankara
protocol to take effect.
Meanwhile, the EU’s foreign ministers are working on a declaration on
the Cyprus issue at their meeting in Newport, Wales, and a compromise
formula is reportedly in the making there which could result in a
unanimous agreement among the EU-25 governments on the objectives
and principles of the pending talks with Turkey.
In a related development, a fresh row over freedom of speech is brewing
in Turkey as authorities are seeking to persecute the internationally
acclaimed writer Orhan Pamuk for controversial comments on his
country’s killing of 30,000 Kurds and a million Armenians. Turkey is
sensitive over the issue of the Kurds and Armenians. Pamuk could face
up to three years in prison.