settlement
ANS TV, Baku
23 Aug 05
The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,
Rene van der Linden, has called on the Azerbaijani media to convince
the public to support a peaceful solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict.
In an interview with the “Point of View” programme on private ANS TV
on 23 August, Van der Linden said: “The media must support a peaceful
approach and not to give the impression that a military solution is
possible. The latter should be ruled out.”
The official said that ahead of the November parliamentary election,
Azerbaijan should guarantee freedom of assembly, stop putting pressure
on the opposition in regions and address the problem of voting lists.
No further processing of the interview planned.

La Croix , France
24 août 2005
SOCIAL.
Semaine noire à Romans. Avec la fin de Kélian et de Charles Jourdan,
la capitale de la chaussure de luxe perd deux de ses fleurons. ROMANS
(Drôme), reportage de notre envoyée spéciale.
par DAMGE Mathilde
A l’entrée de la ville, un panneau annonce: “Capitale de la chaussure
de luxe”. Sur un autre, on peut lire: “Destockage”. “Cela va devenir
notre spécialité locale”, affirme, sans rire, Sylvie, vendeuse dans
un magasin du centre-ville. Comme la plupart des habitants, elle se
déclare solidaire des 143 employés de Kélian, mis en liquidation
judiciaire, lundi, et des 432 salariés de Charles Jourdan, qui a
officiellement déposé son bilan hier. “On connaît tous des gens qui
travaillaient là-bas. Mais c’était inéluctable, depuis le temps que
les rumeurs couraient… Cela n’empêchera pas les magasins de vendre.
Au contraire, ce sera certainement encore moins cher.” Un avis
partagé par Gérard Kélian, le frère du fondateur de l’entreprise,
Stéphane Kélian, revendue en décembre 2002 à l’homme d’affaires Alain
Duménil, propriétaires des marques Francesco Smalto et Jean-Louis
Scherrer. “Les vitrines de Romans seront remplies de chaussures
réalisées en Chine ou en Espagne. Tout ce qui restera d’authentique
ici, ce sera le musée”, dit-il. Tout un symbole. Depuis le XIXe
siècle, Romans était le fleuron de ce qui se fait de mieux en matière
de chaussures.
À l’origine, Kélian s’appelait Keloglanian, le nom de trois fils
d’une famille arménienne immigrée, que le benjamin Stéphane fera
connaître bien au-delà des frontières de la Drôme. Gérard, qui les a
créés avec Georges (aujourd’hui décédé), se souvient: “C’était une
des plus belles réussites françaises. On fabriquait les meilleures
chaussures pour le monde entier et notamment les fameux modèles
tressés qui ont fait notre renommée. Après, il y a eu des difficultés
financières, mais la mondialisation n’explique pas tout.” Plus
directement, il accuse: “Il y a deux ans, quand nous avons déposé le
bilan pour la première fois, nous avions proposé de racheter la
société avec d’anciens cadres de l’usine. Mais le tribunal n’a pas
voulu et a préféré la laisser à un groupe de rapaces, qui l’a dépecée
en séparant l’entité commerciale et la marque de l’unité de
production. C’est le nom qui les intéressait, pas les chaussures, ni
le savoir-faire des ouvriers.” Et il soupire: “On vit dans un monde
de voyous.”
Voyou, un terme qu’utiliserait volontiers Martine Fruchet, déléguée
CGT et secrétaire du CE de Charles Jourdan. “Avec 48 ans de moyenne
d’ge et une tendinite au bras, est-ce que vous croyez encore qu’on
peut postuler pour des boulots de vendeuse ou de commercial? C’est
tout ce qui reste.” Mobilisée, elle avoue cependant ne plus trop y
croire: “Quand on voyait repartir les camions de fournisseurs parce
qu’ils n’étaient pas payés, on se disait bien qu’il y avait un
problème.”
Chez Jourdan, la direction avait relocalisé toute la production à
Romans, il y a plus d’un an, à la suite du rachat par des
investisseurs luxembourgeois. Peine perdue, l’entreprise a vu ses
ventes stagner alors que les prix de production baissent à
l’étranger. Jourdan, Kélian, une fin inéluctable? “Pas du tout,
s’insurge Henri Bertholet, maire socialiste de Romans. Il y a eu une
vraie stratégie pour se débarrasser du site de production. Aux
fondateurs ont succédé des financiers dont la logique ne prend pas en
compte la situation locale. Aujourd’hui, nous avons 17% de chômage et
ces deux événements coup sur coup sont une catastrophe pour la
région.” Choqués par “la brutalité de la situation et la désinvolture
des patrons”, Henri Bertholet et les élus locaux comptent sonner à
toutes les portes pour demander de l’aide. Mais il prévient: “S’il y
a des repreneurs pour Charles Jourdan, il faut que l’État conditionne
ses aides à des engagements fermes de la part des entrepreneurs.”
Sans s’avouer vaincu, le maire reconnaît que la réputation de la
ville en prendra un coup: “Même Clergerie, le dernier à faire encore
des chaussures à Romans, n’est pas à l’abri…”
Les élus ne s’avouent cependant pas vaincus. Ils comptent sur le
nucléaire, fortement implanté dans le bassin, et l’agroalimentaire en
développement constant.
MATHILDE DAMGÉ
Chaussures françaises contre chaussures chinoises
Depuis 1994, la production française de chaussures a été divisée par
trois. La France, qui produisait 155 millions de paires en 1994, n’en
fabriquait plus que 53,3 millions dix ans plus tard, selon des
statistiques de la fédération française. La France est aujourd’hui le
quatrième producteur européen derrière l’Italie, l’Espagne et le
Portugal. Dans le même temps, les effectifs du secteur ont fondu: 13
380 employés (-13% par rapport à 2003) réparties dans 141
entreprises, contre 30 800 en 1994. Parallèlement, 127 millions de
paires de chaussures chinoises ont été importées en France l’an
dernier contre 83 millions en 1994. Et ce n’est pas fini. Les
arrivées chinoises ont progressé de 40% depuis le 1er janvier, avec
des prix en recul de 35%. Difficile de résister dans ses conditions,
en dépit de la délocalisation d’une partie de la production. La
fédération invoque ainsi les écarts de salaires qui serait de 1 à 13
entre la France et la Lituanie et de 1 à 33 entre la France et la
Chine. La France n’est d’ailleurs pas le seul pays touché. L’ensemble
de l’Union européenne est inondé de chaussures chinoises. Au total,
l’ensemble de la production européenne annuelle correspond ainsi à…
six semaines de production chinoise.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
August 24, 2005, Wednesday
VISA CUL-DE-SAC
SOURCE: Krasnaya Zvezda, No 151, August 20, 2005, p. 3
by Oleg Gorupai
TBILISI DENIES RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN VISAS
Visas become more and more of a problem for servicemen of the Russian
Army Group in the Caucasus with each passing day. Military bases (the
12th in Batumi and 62nd in Akhalkalaki) are more than 50% under
complement. Unless urgent measures are taken, a critical situation
will arise with availability of low-rank officers of the platoon,
company, and battalion (battery) levels. Officers drafted into the
Armed Forces for two years after military departments in civilian
colleges and universities have served their army stint. Almost 350
officers like that are to be retired from the Army (from the Russian
Army Group in the Caucasus, that is) by the end of the year. They are
supposed to be replaced with new graduates from civilian colleges and
universities. Russian Embassy in Georgia submitted appropriate
documents for 96 replacements well in advance.
The Georgian authorities, however, deny servicemen of the Russian
Army Group in the Caucasus both one-time and multiple entry and exit
visas. Their motives are impeccable: there will be no visas for the
Russian military before the official signing of the accord on
withdrawal of the Russian bases from Georgia. Exceptions are made
only for the servicemen directly involved in withdrawal of the
military hardware and not all of them at that.
Almost 197 graduates from civilian colleges and universities have
already come to the 102nd Military Base of the Russian Army Group in
the Caucasus quartered in Armenia. All of them were put up in
barracks, all of them are eager to serve in the Russian army. Some of
them will undergo a three-week refresher course, others two-month
courses. And what then?
The visa situation being what it is, command of the Russian Army
Group in the Caucasus is left to its own devices. After two months of
kicking their heels in Armenia, the unemployed officers are offered
vacancies in Armenia. The rest will be assigned to the 12th and 62nd
bases in Georgia but remain in Armenia pending solution to the
problem of visas.
There can be no doubts that the command of the Russian Army Group in
the Caucasus and 102nd Base will find something to do for the
officers but that is hardly a solution as far as bases in Georgia are
concerned. They need officers – at least in order to withdraw from Georgia.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan State Info Services
Aug 24 2005

TALKS ON PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT CONTINUED
IN MOSCOW
[August 24, 2005, 17:38:31]
On August 24, in a private residence of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Russia passed bilateral negotiations between the Minister
of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vardan Oskanyan with participation of
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group from Russia, the USA and France.
The meeting has taken place with assistance of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation with participation of
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov.
Upon completion of negotiations, the head of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Russia of S. Lavrov, the head of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Azerbaijan of E. Mammadyarov and the head of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs of Armenia of V. Oskanyan have briefed for press.
S. Lavrov informed that the meeting of heads of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Armenia with participation of
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group today has taken place. `It is
considered that at this meeting the further progress in negotiating
process on settlement of the conflict will be achieved. From our part
as organizers, we shall try to make everything that it was
comfortable to work for participants of negotiations in normal
conditions. At present, negotiations proceed with participation of
co-chairmen of OSCE MG which, undoubtedly, have some ideas, but about
them it is prematurely to speak’, has noted S. Lavrov.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov, in turn,
has thanked the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs for the
conditions created for negotiating, and also co-chairmen of OSCE,
which have arrived to Moscow for participation in negotiating
process. E. Mammadyarov has declared: `The basic theme of
negotiations was preparation of a meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia which will take place on August 27 this year in Kazan. We
have discussed, how this meeting will pass at the Summit, and in what
format’. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
said: `As a whole, negotiations go ahead, there is a hope that we
together with the Armenian side will find the general positions to
bring peace and stability to region’.
V. Oskanyan also has confirmed that all questions of the agenda are
discussed, and now it is early to speak about details of negotiating
process. `Negotiations are underway, the question of preparation of
the meeting of heads of our states in Kazan was discussed’, he noted.
In negotiations took part also the deputy foreign minister of
Azerbaijan Araz Azimov, the head of OSCE Monitoring Group Andrzei
Kaspshik and other officials of Russia and Armenia.

Santa Cruz Sentinel, CA
Aug 24 2005

Andy Griffin: Down on the Farm
Have you ever heard of a task being pursued “to the bitter end” and
wondered why the end has to be bitter?
I’m a farmer, not a linguist, but I suspect the end is bitter because
the person who minted that metaphor was chewing on a cucumber.
Cucumbers are mild nowadays, and serve as perfectly innocuous
dip-delivery vehicles, but this was not always the case. In fact, if
you grow an old-fashioned, heirloom cucumber variety in your garden
and allow it to become stressed by heat and drought you may still
taste “the bitter end”.
For the tender, juicy cucumber bitterness is a successful
evolutionary trait. The arid mountains of northern India are the
ancestral home of the domesticated cucumber and wild species still
grow there.
A cucumber is about 98 percent water. When a ripe cucumber fruit
decomposes on the ground, the moisture that’s released from the
rotting tissue can be enough to sprout the cucumber’s seeds and
maintain the infant seedlings until a rainstorm.
But in a hot, dry environment, a succulent cucumber would look pretty
inviting to a thirsty rodents and humans. So wild cucumbers protected
themselves from predation by evolving a spiny skin, and by suffusing
their moist flesh with bitter flavors.
Many modern varieties of cucumber still sport reduced, vestigial
spines, at least while their fruits are juvenile, but agronomists
have bred out almost all of the bitterness from the domesticated
cultivars.
I say “almost” because the growing tip at the end of the cucumber,
the bitter end, has been the last part of the cucumber to get tamed.
Soon, thanks to all the advances being made in crop science, a
cliched phrase may be all that’s left of the cucumber’s original wild
flavor.

For the well-grown domestic cucumber, at least, the end is always
crunchy, wet and mild.
It’s hot now, which means cucumbers are sweet and happy as long as
they’re not thirsty. When we’re out in the fields picking cukes, we
keep an eye out for snakes. I’m sure we’ll find a ton of snakes in
our fields this week because we’re harvesting snake melons.
The snake melon is long and slender like a snake. Some snake melons
even curl, as though they are about to strike. But don’t fear; they
will calmly allow themselves to be sliced into coins and slathered
with yogurt and dill for a snack which is as cool as a cucumber.
In fact, even though it’s a bit of a botanical lie, most growers
prefer to label snake melons as “Armenian cucumbers” when they sell
them.
It’s no lie that Armenian cucumbers came from Armenia; they were
introduced into Italy from Armenia in the 1400s, it’s just that
they’re not cucumbers.
Armenian cucumbers are melons, snake melons, or Cucumis melo, like
the cantaloupe, not Cucumis sativus, like a true cucumber.
If you plant a handsome Armenian cucumber next to a lovely Lebanese
cucumber in a soft fluffy bed at the corner of your garden, they
won’t promiscuously tickle each others’ stigmas and stamens to any
great consequence. No melumbers or cukelons can sprout out of wedlock
because the facts of botany decree against it.
None of these facts about botanical nomenclature will make any
difference to consumers once they taste the snake melons.
These vegetable serpents are as crunchy and versatile as regular
cucumbers even when their fruits get big. Mature Armenian cucumbers
may reach several feet in length, but their flesh remains as tender,
moist and edible.
Snake melons make great salads, and you can even slip them into the
next English cucumber sandwich you serve the Queen for tea. She’d
never notice. But can’t you see the bold type and scandalous
headlines in the British tabloids if the news leaked out that the
Queen ate an Armenian cucumber at your house?
They would scream: “Elizabeth Regina Ate A Snake And Smiled!”
At least it wouldn’t be a story with a bitter end.

Boston Globe, MA
Aug 24 2005
Watertown museum preserves the history and culture of Armenia
By Mark Pratt, Associated Press Writer | August 24, 2005
WATERTOWN, Mass. –Armenia has been conquered by the Romans, Greeks,
Persians, Ottoman Turks and Russians.
“It is a rough and bloody history,” said Gary Lind-Sinanian, curator
of the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown.
The largest Armenian museum in the U.S. preserves and promotes the
distinct and vibrant culture of the Armenian people, who have
survived and thrived despite their sad history.
It houses a collection of 20,000 artifacts, and continually changing
displays of ornate Bibles, Gospels and prayer books; colorful rugs,
clothing and textiles; antique musical instruments; ancient coins
from the time before Christ; dazzling jewelry and more.
“This museum is ethnic wealth and history accumulated in one place,”
executive director Berj Chekijian said.
Founded in 1971 in the basement of a church in Belmont, the museum
moved to its current location in busy Watertown Square in 1990. It
now draws about 7,000 visitors annually.
The Boston suburb has long been a center of Armenian immigration. Of
Watertown’s 34,000 residents, more than 20 percent can claim Armenian
descent, by Lind-Sinanian’s estimate.
In all, there are roughly 90,000 people of Armenian descent in
greater Boston, and about 1 million in the United States.
But it’s not necessary to have Armenian blood to appreciate the
museum. The sheer beauty of the jewelry, rugs and textiles have
universal appeal, and the museum also explains Armenians’
contributions to U.S. and world history.
In 301 A.D., Armenia became the first nation to adopt Christianity as
its official state religion.
Through Oct. 30, it features an exhibit called “Monks, Merchants and
Missionaries: The Bible in the Armenian Tradition.” There are ornate
and colorful hand-transcribed and decorated Gospels and prayer books,
including one that dates to 1207 and was in the same family for 39
generations before being donated to the museum.
“The book was said to have healing properties,” Lind-Sinanian said.
“People with sick relatives would travel miles to rub bread on the
cover, then bring the bread back for their sick relatives to eat.”
The museum’s one permanent exhibit explores the genocide of Armenians
by the Turks. By some estimates, more than 1 million Armenians were
killed between 1915 and 1922. To this day, the Turkish government
denies the genocide.
But to those who would deny it, Lind-Sinanian waves his hand at the
photographs of emaciated children, of Armenian men dangling from
gallows as Turkish troops stand at attention, and says “Go read some
of the firsthand accounts, listen to the oral histories. I’ve
actually had Turkish visitors to the museum look at this exhibit and
say ‘I’m sorry.'”
The museum also highlights prominent Armenian-Americans, including
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, best known for being an advocate of
doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. But Kevorkian,
currently serving a 10- to 25-year sentence in a Michigan prison for
giving a fatal injection to a terminally ill patient, is also a
writer, artist and composer, and the museum has samples of that work.
His paintings deal mainly with death — including an iris growing
through the eye socket of a human skull — which many visitors find
disturbing.
Moses Hadji Gulesian, a Boston coppersmith, is credited with saving
the USS Constitution. When the Navy wanted to haul the warship into
Boston Harbor to use for target practice, Gulesian recognized its
historical significance and offered to buy it. It’s now one of
Boston’s top tourist attractions.
“He essentially embarrassed the Navy into saving it,” Lind-Sinanian
said.
Doreen Adams of Duxbury grew up in Watertown and is three-quarters
Armenian, but she’d never been to the museum until earlier this
month.
“There is so much here, the beautiful jewelry, the art, but I was
particularly drawn to the exhibit about the Armenian genocide,
because my grandmother used to talk about that,” she said.
Adams also learned a possible explanation for her Armenian
grandmother’s marriage to a Turk. During the genocide, the young,
unmarried women of some Armenian villages would offer themselves to
the Turkish troops for marriage, and in exchange, the Turks would
spare the village.
“There is so much to learn here,” Adams said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Kazinform, Kazakhstan
Aug 24 2005
BTA to open its affiliates in Armenia and Georgia
ALMATY. August 24. KAZINFORM. /Zhan Buldekbayev/ Kazakhstan Bank
TuranAlem has opened its affiliates in Yerevan (Armenia) and Tbilisi
(Georgia) early this week, Kazinform refers to the bank’s press
service.
The aim of the official representations of Bank TuranAlem JSC (BTA)
in Armenia and Georgia is to provide qualitative banking services, to
contribute to development of business ties of the states, to monitor
advance of the national financial services market of the states and
search for ways of BTA business extension.
Opening of BTA affiliates in Armenia and Georgia is a part of
strategy `One bank, one account, the entire CIS’ envisaging
initiation of the bank network -strategic partners of BTA.

Sydney Morning Herald , Australia
Aug 25 2005
Darchinyan retains world title with powerhouse display
By Brad Walter
August 25, 2005

Vic Darchinyan made Jair Jiminez pay for the postponement of his
wedding by knocking out the Colombian challenger in last night’s
flyweight world-title bout at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
Cheered on by a vocal crowd that included Kostya Tszyu, Swans star
Barry Hall and NRL players from the Bulldogs, Wests Tigers and St
George Illawarra, Darchinyan stopped Jiminez in the fifth round to
retain his IBF and IBO belts.
His 26-year-old opponent, whose visa problems had caused the fight to
be postponed last month, put up a brave showing but was no match for
Darchinyan and always seemed certain to become his 24th victim in as
many bouts.
As he is due to have a mandatory defence of his IBF title against
Irishman Damaen Kelly within the next three months, Darchinyan said
he had been forced to put off his planned wedding to fiancee Olga
Stavborn. “I will now go home to Armenia by myself for a short
holiday and then come back and start preparing for my next fight,”
Darchinyan said after the bout. “We will talk about a new wedding
date after that.”
Having predicted at Tuesday’s weigh-in that he would deliver a
third-round knockout, Darchinyan seemed keen to end the fight earlier
and attacked from the outset.
Two of the judges had him ahead by five points and the third by six
when referee John Wright intervened two minutes and 23 seconds into
the fifth round.
“I was confident but he was a tough guy,” Darchinyan said. “He took a
lot of punches. He was unlucky tonight – unlucky he had to fight me.”
Having stung Jiminez with a brutal second-round body shot after
landing several punishing left hooks in the first round, Darchinyan’s
pre-fight prediction seemed likely to come true as the Colombian
staggered to his corner at the end of the third round.
Darchinyan knocked him down early in the fourth round and then
slipped, receiving the only decent blow from Jiminez on his way down.
The 29-year-old former Olympian then pummelled his smaller rival, who
buckled at the knees twice in the fifth round before the fight was
eventually stopped.
In the main preliminary bout, 19-year-old rising star Billy Dib
retained his IBO Asia Pacific super-featherweight title with a
second-round knockout of Uganda’s Michael Kizza. Dib, who has styled
himself on the colourful Prince Naseem Hamed, had earlier twice
knocked down Kizza, whose best form of defence was a series of rugby
league tackles that would have impressed Manly coach Des Hasler after
his team’s performance last weekend.
Earlier, another up-and-coming Sydneysider, Ahmed Elomar, won the
vacant IBO Asia Pacific featherweight title when referee Garry Dean
stopped his bout with Thailand’s Denchai Sor Tiabkoon in the second
round.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Aug 24 2005

Azerbaijani serviceman repatriated under ICRC auspices

Geneva (ICRC) – On Wednesday, 24 August 2005, one Azerbaijani
serviceman previously detained in Armenia was repatriated under the
auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The operation took place in the Tavush and Gazakh regions on the
border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The ICRC, participating as a neutral intermediary and in accordance
with its mandate, facilitated the repatriation of the released
prisoner at the request of the authorities of the Republic of Armenia
and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
ICRC delegates visited the serviceman before the operation to ensure
he was returning home of his own free will.
In accordance with its mandate, the ICRC has assisted in the
repatriation or transfer of 652 persons since the start of its
activities in relation to the Nagorny Karabakh conflict in 1992. The
ICRC stands ready to provide support for any similar operation in the
future, should the need arise.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Interfax Russia, Russia
Aug 24 2005

Experts predict fruitless summit on Nagorno-Karabakh
YEREVAN. Aug 24 (Interfax) – Two Armenian analysts believe the
Armenian-Azerbaijani summit this month will bring no progress toward
a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, while international
mediators have repeatedly said there is now a unique opportunity for
a settlement.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev will meet during the Commonwealth of Independent States summit
in Kazan.
“The Kocharian-Aliyev meeting in Kazan is rather a result of the CIS
meeting of heads of state, within whose framework negotiations
between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents have become a
tradition, and one can’t expect the planned negotiations on a
Karabakh settlement to bring any breakthrough results,” Alexander
Iskandarian, deputy director of the Caucasus Institute for Mass
Communication Media, told Interfax.