Azeri military prosecutor’s office resumes probe into 1992 Xocali massacre
Turan news agency
3 Aug 05
Baku 3 August: On 12 July this year, the Military Prosecutor’s Office
of Azerbaijan resumed the criminal case into the occupation of the town
of Xocali in Nagornyy Karabakh, which was suspended on 31 March 1994.
The press service of the Military Prosecutor’s Office says in a press
release forwarded to Turan news agency that on 25-26 February 1992,
the Armenian troops, the Karabakh separatist forces and the military
of the 366th regiment of the Soviet army committed a crime which can
be identified as genocide.
The Military Prosecutor’s Office resumed the criminal case into
the seizure of Xocali, having re-examined the materials of the
investigation under Article 103 (genocide), 115 (violation of laws
and traditions of war), 16 (violation of norms of international
humanitarian law during armed conflicts) and 118 (military assault)
of the current Criminal Code.
The seizure of Xocali was accompanied by unprecedented atrocities –
339 residents of the town were killed, including 43 children, 109
women and 16 men over 60, 115 people went missing, 30 were taken
hostage and 421 wounded.
Moreover, on 15 July this year, the Military Prosecutor’s Office
launched a criminal case under Article 103 (genocide) into the seizure
of the village of Qaradagli in Xocavand District [in Nagornyy Karabakh]
on the night of 16 February 1992. When the village was seized, 49
people were killed and another 57 local residents were held hostage
and tortured for a long time.
At present, measures are being taken to bring to book, track down
and prosecute people who committed crimes against humanity and war
crimes in both cases, the press release says.

Azeri official urges foreign companies to leave Karabakh
ANS TV, Baku
3 Aug 05
[Presenter] The activities of any country’s companies in Nagornyy
Karabakh are illegal because they are directed against Azerbaijan’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, the measures
the Azerbaijani authorities are and will be taking against such
companies are based on international legal norms, Deputy Foreign
Minister Xalaf Xalafov has said.
[Xalafov, shown speaking to camera] The activities of any country’s
companies in Nagornyy Karabakh are illegal because they violate
Azerbaijan’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and Azerbaijani laws.
Therefore, such companies have to understand that their activity is
illegal and that the measures the Azerbaijani side is and will be
taking are in full compliance with international legal norms.
This means that responsibility for any potential consequences of their
operations in Nagornyy Karabakh rests solely with these companies. And
these companies have to realize their responsibility and give a due
assessment to what they are doing. They have to end such activities.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/03/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) ANC Office Opens Doors to the Middle East 2) Azerbaijan Close to Agreement on Hosting US Forces 3) Greek PM Puts off Turkey Visit Ahead of EU Talks 4) Karabagh Accuses Azeri Media of Stirring Public Opinion, Points to International Law for Conflict Resolution 1) ANC Office Opens Doors to the Middle East BEIRUT (Aztagdaily)--A ceremony marking the opening of an Armenian National Committee (ANC) Middle East office was held on August 2 in Beirut, Lebanon. As the ANC offices of the United States and Europe, the Middle East office will promote Armenian genocide recognition efforts throughout the region. Among those present for the celebration were ARF Bureau representative Hrant Markarian, members of ARF Lebanon's leadership, Lebanese Parliament member Hagop Pakrodouni, Armenia's Ambassador to Lebanon Areg Hovhannisian, and Bourj Hammoud Mayor Antranig Messerlian. In her remarks, the Executive Director of the Middle East office Vera Yacoubian noted the successes of the ANC in the US and Europe and explained the necessity for establishing the office. "This undertaking by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation is based on the necessity to expand our reach and coordinate activities so as to counter Turkey's efforts to deny the Armenian genocide." She noted the difficulties of the imminent challenges, but stressed that every occasion must be exerted to overcome them by presenting the case of Armenians to Middle Eastern intellectuals and political forces. ARF Bureau representative Markarian said it is imperative to develop relations in the Middle East where Armenians found refuge after the genocide and have also lived for centuries. Pointing to political interests that promote anti-Islam sentiment, he said that we unintentionally end up on the opposition end. "Our cause is a political one, which should not be placed in the category of religion or faith. We must, therefore, not forcibly end up on the losing side while our opposition is victorious." 2) Azerbaijan Close to Agreement on Hosting US Forces MOSCOW (Combined Sources)--Azerbaijan and the US are close to reaching an agreement on establishing a US military presence in Azerbaijan, reported the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta. The move the paper said would follow the pull out of US forces from Uzbekistan. "This move that Washington is pushing for is almost completed," an unnamed source close to Azerbaijan's foreign ministry told the Russian paper. Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who met US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday, reportedly discussed the possible deployment. Washington announced last week that Uzbekistan had given the US 180 days to close an air base there, which is used to support operations in Afghanistan. Citing a source in the Azerbaijan's security forces, the paper said that a team of US military experts are already in Azerbaijan reviewing possible sites for hosting the US military. One site is reportedly near the capital of Baku, and the other close to the Iranian border. After his meeting with Rice, Mammadyarov referred to the Karabagh conflict, telling journalists that as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, the US will exert effort to make the regulation process more effective. He also said that the US position on the Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is unchanged. Mammadyarov also met with Minsk Group's US co-chair Steven Mann. While in Washington, Mammadyarov will hold meetings in the Pentagon and National Security Council, and will meet with representatives of the National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and non-governmental organizations. He will also address representatives of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce in the Washington based Azerbaijan Trade and Cultural Center on Wednesday. On Thursday, Mammadyarov will deliver a speech at the US Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 3) Greek PM Puts off Turkey Visit Ahead of EU Talks ATHENS (Reuters)--Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis postponed this month's trip to Turkey on August 3 as pressure grew for Ankara to recognize Cyprus before starting EU accession talks in October, an official at the prime minister's office said. Greek officials said that the trip, which would have been the first by a Greek premier to Turkey in more than 46 years, will take place at a later date but did not say why it was postponed. "The prime minister will visit Ankara later in the autumn," the official told Reuters. "The date has not yet been determined." Diplomats said the trip, announced during a meeting of the two leaders on a Greece-Turkey border post last month, was too close to October 3, when Turkey is expected to start European Union accession talks. "Let's just say a visit after October 3 would be more comfortable. After that date, the visit will be less complicated," a diplomatic source told Reuters. "The two sides could not agree now on the date and the agenda of the meeting." The diplomat added that the decision to postpone the trip was taken in late July before Turkey signed a key EU protocol with new member states of the bloc, including Cyprus, but which Ankara refused to recognize. While ties between the former arch-rivals have greatly improved in the past six years, they remain divided over the island of Cyprus, split along ethnic lines for over 30 years. Turkey signed a protocol on July 29 extending its customs union to new EU members including Cyprus, clearing the last official obstacle to the start of EU entry talks. However, the country also issued a declaration making clear the signing did not mean official recognition of Cyprus, whose Greek Cypriot government is viewed in Brussels as the sole legitimate authority. The government has no diplomatic ties to Turkey, which invaded the northern third of the island in 1974. "This move certainly did not facilitate the visit," the diplomatic source said. Athens, which is a strong supporter of Turkey's bid for EU membership, has called on Ankara to "lift this paradox" of not recognizing a member of a club it wishes to join, while other EU members including Austria and France want full recognition of Cyprus before the start of accession talks. "It doesn't seem conceivable to me that a negotiation process of whatever kind can start with a country that does not recognize every member state of the EU, in other words all 25 of them," French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin said yesterday. 4) Karabagh Accuses Azeri Media of Stirring Public Opinion, Points to International Law for Conflict Resolution STEPANAKERT (Armenpress)--Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) accused Azerbaijan's media yesterday of misrepresenting its positions and stirring public opinion as a result. "Without knowing the details and the pace of the peace talks on regulating the Karabagh conflict, inaccuracies about our position are published," the MKR Foreign Ministry said through a statement on Tuesday. The result, according to the statement, is that the Azeri public is not allowed to evaluate the continuing discussions, as well as alternative means to attaining peace. "It is beyond any doubt that a proper resolution to the conflict can only be found by establishing effective ties between Karabagh and Azerbaijan." The ministry stressed that the conflict must be regulated on the basis of international law, and Azerbaijan's leadership is responsible for any consequences resulting from unrestrained military actions. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Vanity Fair: Turks Boasted of Payments to Hastert
19 Corporate Crime Reporter 32(1), August 3, 2005
Corporate Crime Reporter, D.C.
Aug 3 2005
Turkish officials boasted of giving “tens of thousands of dollars in
surreptious payments” to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois)
in exchange for political favors.
That allegation is contained a profile of Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) whistleblower Sibel Edmonds in the current issue
of Vanity Fair magazine.
The article, “An Inconvenient Patriot,” by British writer David Rose,
reports that Edmonds was asked to listen to wiretaps as part of what
appeared to be an FBI public corruption probe into bribes paid to
members of Congress – both Democrat and Republican.
Rose, citing “some of the wiretaps,” reports that “the FBI’s targets
had arranged for tens of thousands of dollars to be paid to Hastert’s
campaign funds in small checks.”
The article notes that under Federal Election Commission rules,
“donations of less than $200 are not required to be itemized in
public filings.”
The article reports that Edmonds has given confidential testimony
on several occasions – to congressional staffers, to the Inspector
General, and to staff from the 9/11 commission.
“Edmonds reportedly added that the recordings also contained
repeated references to Hastert’s flip-flop, in the fall of 2000” to
“the continuing campaign to have Congress designate the killings of
Armenians in Turkey between 1915 and 1923 as genocide.”
According to the Vanity Fair article, the resolution never went
anywhere until August 2000 when Hastert announced he was supporting
it – in an effort to win over his district’s large Armenian community.
According to the article, the resolution passed the House International
Relations Committee by a large majority “thanks to Hastert.”
“Then, on October 19, minutes before the full House vote, Hastert
withdrew it,” the article reports.
Hastert said at the time that he withdrew it because of a letter he
received from President Bill Clinton that the bill would harm U.S.
interests.
And while the Vanity Fair article reports that “there is no evidence
that any payment was ever made to Hastert or to his campaigns,”
it also reports that “a senior official at the Turkish Consulate is
said to have claimed in one recording that the price for Hastert to
withdraw the resolution would have been at least $500,000.”
The article reports that Edmonds testified that she heard about the
payments when listening to “Turkish wiretap targets.”
In one wiretapped conversation, a Turkish official spoke to a State
Department staffer.
“They agreed that the State Department staffer would send a
representative at an appointed time to the American-Turkish Council
office, at 1111 14th Street, N.W. where he would be given $7,000 in
cash,” the article reports.
Another call Edmonds heard allegedly discussed a payment to a
Pentagon official “who seemed to be involved in weapons-procurement
negotiations,” according to the article.
Hastert’s spokesman could not be reached for comment.
But he told Vanity Fair that Hastert is “unaware of Turkish interests
making donations” and his staff has “not seen any pattern of donors
with foreign names.”

A System of speaking up
Band’s material sprinkled with political, social commentary
Larry Rodgers
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 4, 2005 12:00 AM
Although his band’s latest album comments on the Iraq war, the demise
of Western culture and the polarization of American society, singer
Serj Tankian doesn’t want System of a Down to be narrowly categorized
as a “political band.”
Asked about the commentary on Mezmerize, the first installment of a
two-disc project (the second, Hypnotize, is due in the fall), Tankian
says the CD and the band have “political and social ideas . . . along
with personal narratives and stories, theoretical evaluations and
humor.”
Like such bands as Green Day, Pearl Jam and Wilco, which take an
occasional swing at politics and social commentary while singing
about more traditional rock subjects at other times, System of a Down
doesn’t take itself too seriously.
But Tankian acknowledges that even when his band, a foursome with
Armenian backgrounds, is singing about a subject such as death (the
focus of its new single, Question!), it’s taking only a temporary
detour from social consciousness. The band performs in Phoenix
on Monday.
Tankian says that some groups who joined the wave of acts campaigning
against President Bush last fall have fallen silent since John Kerry
was defeated.
“They focused on the election, and then they lost touch with their
political or social ideas,” says Tankian, who met two of his three
bandmates, Daron Malakian (guitar, vocals) and Shavo Odadjian (bass),
while attending a private Armenian school in Hollywood.
“When people feel like they’re being listened to or heard, they
speak. When they feel like no one’s going to listen, they don’t.
Well, we talk all the time.”
Using a combination of wildly creative instrumentation and vocals
that range from Freddie Mercury-style swooning to solemn chanting
to operatic octave-jumping, System of a Down has an instantly
recognizable sound.
For instance, the new Violent Pornography, which criticizes American
television, bounces between Middle Eastern guitar riffs, thrashing
metal, rapid-fire vocals and pleasant harmonies.
“It’s a violent pornography . . . turn off your TV,” Tankian sings
before adding, “Can you say ‘brainwashing’?”
Mezmerize’s debut single, B.Y.O.B., moves among five rhythms played
by drummer John Dolmayan as Tankian rails against the destruction
in Iraq: “Everybody’s going to the party, have a real good time /
Dancing in the desert, blowing up the sunshine.”
Asked whether the band gets much feedback from fans about such
diatribes as B.Y.O.B., Tankian, 37, mentions a particularly troubling
e-mail from a Marine who had returned from Iraq:
“He told us that while they were attacking Fallujah, they(broadcast)
our song Jet Pilot. . . . Using the loudspeakers of the mosques (U.S.
forces) actually played that song. It literally left me speechless. I
shared it with the guys, and they were all concerned.”
Despite his band’s penchant for intellectually stimulating subject
matter, Tankian knows the messages that he and Malakian pen wouldn’t
be heard without music that moves the masses. (A million copies of
Mezmerize were shipped at its May launch, and it debuted at No. 1 on
Billboard’s Top 200 album chart.)
“I think the music is the most powerful vehicle,” he says. “Music
touches people’s hearts; speaking touches people’s minds. But the
heart can always overwhelm the mind.”

ADOPTION OF NEW CONSTITUTION TO OPEN WAY TO EURO-INTEGRATION, SAYS EC REPRESENTATIVE
ArmenPress
Aug 3 2005
YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS: The Council of Europe special
representative Boyana Urumova told today at a press conference
that “The adoption of new Constitution will open a way to
Euro-integration.” She said the success will witness about the maturity
of the Armenian political field. Noting that the opposition must
be able to display readiness for making concessions she added that
the Venice Commission underscored the discussion of constitutional
amendments with civilians and opposition for securing mutual agreement.
On behalf of the Council of Europe B. Urumova thanked the Armenian
authorities as well as all the experts for securing success in
the process and pointed out the support provided by international
organizations and embassies. Thorda Abbot Watt, Great Britain and
Northern Ireland’s ambassador to Armenia, welcomed the positive
assessment of the Venice Commission concerning the amendments and
said that “This is a step which will help Armenia in establishing
democratic values and will open the way to Europe,” said she.
According to her, Armenian people must chose what Constitution they
would like to have and in what country they want to live.
The OSCE Yerevan Office Director Vladimir Pryakhin said the process
of constitutional amendments is essential from the point of view of
securing development of democracy. He said the suggestions of the
Venice Commission which are included in the package of amendments
has made the document relevant to international standards.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PRESS RELEASE +++ PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: Friday, July 29, 2005
Contact: Armen Carapetian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
OVER $200,000 RAISED AT ANCA-WR PRE-BANQUET KICK-OFF EVENT
— Mrs. Ashkhen Pilavjian and Mr. & Mrs. Khatchig Mouradian Top
Donor List
GLENDALE, CA – Community leaders, organizational representatives,
activists and benefactors were among over 100 people in attendance
at the 2005 Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
(ANCA-WR) pre-Banquet kick-off event held at the home of Ara and Sandy
Bedrosian on Friday, July 22nd. The kick-off event nearly sold out
the banquet, with close to 500 tickets sold and over $200,000 raised
prior to the actual banquet to be held on September 18th.
Mr. and Mrs. Bedrosian, who graciously hosted the kick-off event,
began the evening’s program by welcoming guests to their home and
thanking those in attendance. They shared with the attendees many
of the ANCA-WR’s accomplishments and initiated the fundraising
event by pledging a $5,000 table on behalf of their family and an
additional $5,000 table on behalf of Sandy Bedrosian’s parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Antranik Kassabian.
Mr. and Mrs. Khatchig Mouradian made a dramatic announcement at the
kick-off event, sharing that they will underwrite the entire cost of
the banquet by pledging an amount of $40,000. This set a new precedent
by allowing for all the banquet proceeds to support the ANCA-WR’s
programs and activities. The generous offer led ANCA-WR Chairman
Steve Dadaian to remark, that “the Mouradians’ generosity is matched
only by their unparalleled patriotism and dedication to the Armenian
Cause. I salute their leadership and solidarity with the ANCA.”
Also among the top donors at the banquet kick-off event was
philanthropist and long-time ANCA-WR supporter Mrs. Ashkhen
Pilavjian. She made a generous pledge of $20,000, which is among the
largest donations ever received by the ANCA-WR. This was followed by
longtime ANCA-WR sponsor, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Melkonian who pledged
to donate $15,000, Mr. and Mrs. Sarkis Sepetjian who pledged $10,000
and Mr. Berdj Shahbazian who pledged $5,000.
“The ANCA-WR has for decades earned the trust of the community,”
commented ANCA-WR Chairman Steve Dadaian. “Our organization’s
track-record of achievements over the past year speaks for
itself. Whether we are educating Members of Congress in Washington,
legislators in Sacramento, or working with our 17 local ANC chapters
to expand awareness of the Armenian Genocide, the ANCA-WR is always
there for our community,” added Dadaian.
Banquet Committee Chairwoman Aida Dimejian updated the attendees at the
kick-off event on the details of the annual gala, which will be held at
the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood on September 18, 2005. The banquet,
Dimejian explained, has become a marquee event, drawing the attendance
of prominent national, state and local public officials and activists.
Over 600 people are expected to attend this year’s ANCA-WR Annual
Banquet. Unfortunately, due to limited space, the event is expected
to sell-out in a matter of days. Those interested in attending the
banquet may contact the ANCA-WR office at (818) 500-1918 to reserve a
table. A press release will be issued shortly announcing this year’s
honorees at the 2005 ANCA-WR banquet.
The ANCA is the largest and most influential Armenian American
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the United
States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively
advances the concerns of the Armenian-American community on a broad
range of issues.
Editor’s Note: Photos attached. Photo 1 caption: From left to right –
Sandy Bedrosian, Asdghik Bedrosian, Antranik Kassabian, John Bedrosian,
Houri Kassabian, and Mina Shirvanian. Photo 2 caption: From left to
right – ANCA-WR Chairman Steve Dadaian, Khatchig Mouradian, Board
Members Ara Bedrosian and Zanku Armenian. Photo 3 caption: From left
to right – Banquet Kick-off hosts Sandy Bedrosian and Ara Bedrosian
with Banquet Committee Chairwoman Aida Dimejian.
#####

Azeri experts downplay Cyprus threats
Ekho, Baku
3 Aug 05
Azerbaijani politicians have downplayed recent threats of Cyprus
against Azerbaijan after a direct flight from Baku carried a group of
Azerbaijani businessmen to Northern Cyprus. They said that the threats
and acts of the government of Cyprus will not impact Azerbaijan’s
relations with the rest of the world. The following is the excerpt
from report by N. Aliyev and R. Rzayev in Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho
on 3 August headlined “Cyprus threatens Azerbaijan with international
organizations” and subheaded “But they are convinced in Baku that the
threats of Greek Cypriots are unfounded and fully unfair”; Subheadings
have been inserted editorially:
The government of Cyprus is reconsidering a whole spectrum of
relations with Azerbaijan by involving many European and world
entities. Financial Mirror published in Cyprus says that Nicosia’s
efforts have already led to the deterioration of relations between
European entities and a wide range of countries on the one hand and
Baku on the other.
The authorities in Greek Cyprus aim to convince Baku to stop direct
flights to Northern Cyprus. A group of Azerbaijani businessmen made a
trip to the Turkish part of Cyprus last week on a direct flight from
Baku operated by Imair [private Azerbaijani company].
“The government of Cyprus hopes that Azerbaijan will respect
international laws and the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus,”
the permanent secretary of the foreign minister of Cyprus, Sotos
Zackheos, has told CNN. The president of Cyprus, Tasos Papadhopoulos,
Foreign Minister Yeoryios Iakovou and Minister of Communications and
Works Kharis Thrasou have sent official letters to their Azerbaijani
counterparts.
[Passage omitted: more about protests by Greek Cyprus]
“Unsubstantiated and unfair”
“The statements by Greek Cypriots are unsubstantiated and fully unfair
threats,” a member of the standing commission on international issues
of the Azerbaijani parliament and the chairman of the Democratic
Reforms Party, Asim Mollazada, told Ekho yesterday [2 August]. A
private Azerbaijani company’s decision to open the direct flight to
Northern Cyprus and the businessmen’s trip to the island are within the
international norms, he said. MP Mollazada recalled that the Turkish
community of the island voted for and the Greek community against
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s plan on the unification of Cyprus
(the Annan plan).
“Now, it implies that the international community does not keep its
promise to ease the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community,”
the parliamentarian stressed. He viewed the trip of the Azerbaijani
businessmen as a humane step.
“But this is unfair,” the MP exclaimed. He said that Northern Cyprus
has remained in full isolation and blockade until recently. It is all
after the Turkish Cypriots voted for the Annan plan, which was backed
by all the members of the US Security Council and the international
community, the MP said.
“Empty words”
The EU and the USA promised to lift the isolation of the Turkish part
of the island so that its population can develop and improve their
conditions, he said. “But the promises turned out to be ’empty words’
and only Azerbaijan took actual steps to this effect.”
“Here, the talk is not about recognizing Northern Cyprus as an
independent state,” the parliamentarian explained. Mollazada does
not think that there is any serious violation of international
laws. The Azerbaijani side acted within the framework of the
principles of international organizations and the promises of the
UN secretary-general. All the reproaches against our country now are
fully unfounded, he noted.
The international community will not show understanding to the acts of
Southern Cyprus even if the latter tries to implement their threats,
he said. Moreover, the EU and the USA will have to deliver on their
promises to end the isolation of the Turkish part of Cyprus.
“They promised to do that, if Turkish Cypriots voted for the Annan
plan in a referendum,” Mollazada said.
“Greek side to blame”
Renowned political analyst Zardust Alizada says that it is the Greek
side to blame when they said “no” to the referendum on the Annan plan.
“They put themselves into an awkward situation, while Turkish Cypriots
proved their readiness for compromises,” the political analyst said.
But on the other hand, he says that, as a small nation, Azerbaijan
should never take too many initiatives in issues concerning the
territorial integrity of unrecognized states.
“We have enough problems and the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict may be
used against us any time,” Alizada warned.
Anyhow, there is a special resolution of the EU to ease the air and sea
blockade of Northern Cyprus. “The Greeks are playing a double-game,
but forget that the attitude of the international community towards
Turkish Cypriots is changing for the better,” he noted.
Nevertheless, he said that “if this issue were down to me, I would
not be so active because Azerbaijan does not need it”. Alizada said
that recognizing the independence of Northern Cyprus is out of the
question, as this could be a “suicide” for Azerbaijan. Moreover,
he is convinced that Azerbaijan’s activity in this issue will not
be understood in Europe. As for the complaints of Greek Cypriots to
European entities against Azerbaijan, they “are not going to change
anything principally”. “The EU will not stop cooperation with our
country,” Alizada said.
[Passage omitted: the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry could not be
reached for comments]

RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
_________________________________________ ____________________
RFE/RL Iran Report
Vol. 8, No. 30, 2 August 2005
A Review of Developments in Iran Prepared by the Regional Specialists
of RFE/RL’s Newsline Team
************************************************************
HEADLINES:
* A CABINET POSITION IS NOT ENOUGH FOR SOME
* VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN KURDISH REGIONS
* PORTION OF EASTERN IRAN QUARANTINED
* TEHRAN DEFENDS ITS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD
* SKEPTICISM ABOUT SIGNIFICANCE OF REPORT ON IRANIAN PRISONS
* CLERICS CALL FOR JOURNALIST’S RELEASE
* IRANIANS ARRESTED FOR INTERNATIONAL DRUG ACTIVITIES
* IRAN THREATENED BY DRUGS AND AIDS
* TEHRAN AND BERLIN BEGIN WAR OF WORDS
* IRAN ALLEGEDLY PURCHASING NUCLEAR-WEAPON PARTS
* KHATAMI SAYS URANIUM CONVERSION TO BEGIN
* IRANIAN NUCLEAR PLANS WORRY FRANCE
* WASHINGTON SHARES IRANIAN MISSILE DATA WITH IAEA
* IRANIAN SATELLITE LAUNCH ANNOUNCED
* IRAN AND UKRAINE SIGN GAS-PIPELINE MEMORANDUM
* IRAN STRUGGLES TO PUSH AHEAD WITH INDIA PIPELINE
************************************************************
A CABINET POSITION IS NOT ENOUGH FOR SOME. Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei was expected officially to confirm Mahmud Ahmadinejad as
president on 3 August, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)
reported on 17 July, and Ahmadinejad will be sworn in on 6 August.
The new president will have 15 days to introduce his proposed cabinet
members to the parliament for approval, according to parliamentarian
Hamid Reza Haji-Babai.
Ahmadinejad’s future cabinet continues to be a topic of
discussion in the Tehran press (see “RFE/RL Iran Report,” 13 July
2005). Now, the discussion is not so much about the actual choices as
it is about the selection process. One aspect of this process focuses
on the permissibility of a cabinet member continuing to serve on a
municipal council. Another aspect of the process focuses on
intra-factional differences among the hard-liners who backed
Ahmadinejad’s presidential bid.
Splits Among The Victors
“Mardom Salari” reported on 21 July that the majority faction
in the legislature objects to the team selecting the cabinet, and
although it did not provide any details on this “team,” it put this
argument in the context of disagreements between members of the
Islamic Iran Developers Coalition in the legislature and in the
Tehran municipal council. Developers in the legislature mostly backed
the candidacies of Ali Larijani and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf in the
first round of the presidential election. The Developers in the
municipal council, however, backed Ahmadinejad consistently.
A reference to these splits appeared in the 7 July “Farhang-i
Ashti,” which reported that the 15 members of the municipal council
plan to form an independent group. The same day, “Mardom Salari”
reported that the Developers do not want to lose control of the
municipal council. At the same time, they believe they should have a
role in Ahmadinejad’s administration.
The 15 hard-line Developers also fear that if they leave the
council, they will be replaced by reformists. This is because,
according to the regulations, they would be replaced by the
council-election runners-up. No. 16 in the council race was a leading
reformist, Mustafa Tajzadeh. Tajzadeh, as well as national-religious
activist Gholam Abbas Tavasoli, are anticipating the hard-liners’
resignations, “Farhang-i Ashti” reported on 3 July.
Council member and Developer Mehdi Chamran, therefore, is
putting off the possibility of a position as cabinet member or
government spokesman, while the council is claiming that the law does
not prevent individuals from serving in the government and the
council.
On the possibility of serving in two positions, Chamran said,
“The only problem is in practice, in terms of time, and members are
concerned by that,” “Etemad” reported on 6 July. “The workload has
taken up so much time that members have little time left for other
matters.” Another council member, Amir-Reza Vaezi-Ashtiani, said the
legislature and the Guardians Council are to weigh in on the issue.
Government officials’ comments did not clarify the
situation. Interior Ministry spokesman Jahanbakhsh Khanjani said
Article 141 of the constitution and Article 28 of the law on
municipal councils forbid vice presidents, cabinet ministers, or
presidential advisers from being members of municipal councils,
“Etemad” reported on 6 July. Judiciary spokesman Jamal Karimi-Rad
cited a law ratified in 1994-96, “indicating that city council
members are not considered government employees, and stating that
someone in the city council can also be in the cabinet.”
Old School v. New School
“Farhang-i Ashti” on 21 July put the dispute in terms of the
rivalry between the young right wing and the traditionalist right
wing. An editorial in the 19 July issue of the same newspaper said
the traditional right, which has its roots in the Qom seminary and in
the country’s “economic centers” (presumably, the bazaar), fears
that it is being slowly eliminated.
Reflecting the old right is Islamic Coalition Party central
council member Habibullah Asgaroladi-Mosalman, who is deputy leader
of the Coordination Council of Islamic Revolution Forces that backed
Ali Larijani’s presidential bid. He advised the president-elect
to “draw a line of moderation between opting for the youth and
valuing those with experience,” “Shoma” reported on 16 July. “The
next government’s ministers, while they should be young,
specialists, and competent, they must at the same time have had some
on the job experience, even if it is brief.”
Everybody Has An Opinion
These are not the only aspects of the cabinet-selection
process that interest Iranian commentators.
Mohammad Reza Khatami, secretary-general of the reformist
Islamic Iran Participation Party, called for a politically united
cabinet that would take full responsibility for its actions, “Aftab-i
Yazd” reported on 23 July.
Legislator Fatemeh Ajarlu said the president-elect wants to
use new faces, “Farhang-i Ashti” reported on 21 July. “Aftab-i Yazd”
advised Ahmadinejad on 21 July to ignore calls for a bipartisan
cabinet and to instead choose officials who can work together. This
would eliminate ministers attributing their shortcomings to politics
or rivalries.
“Kayhan” on 19 July cited interviews with various legislators
and commentators who in the midst of advising Ahmadinejad on
selecting his cabinet, called for reforms in the Foreign Ministry,
Interior Ministry, Ministry of Islamic Culture and Guidance, and
Ministry of Intelligence and Security.
Perhaps the final word should go to Basij commander Mohammad
Hejazi, whose institution allegedly played such an important role in
Ahmadinejad’s victory. Hejazi said at a conference of the Basij
units at state organizations and trade guilds, “The person who has
been elected by the people as the next president is a Basiji
personality, and it is expected that he is going to appoint aides and
managers who espouse the Basiji mode of thought as well,” “Iran”
reported on 7 July. Hejazi predicted that Basij members in government
organizations will have an important role in the future. (Bill Samii)
VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN KURDISH REGIONS. Five Iranian security officers
were killed and four were wounded in a clash with PKK affiliates
(PJAK, Kurdistan Independent Life Party) from midnight to early
morning on 27 July in Siahkuh, a mountainous area between Oshnovieh
and Piranshahr, Baztab reported. The Kurds were armed with mortars,
heavy machine guns, and light machine guns.
The “Milliyet” newspaper from Turkey reported one day earlier
that Iran has launched a major operation along its border with Iraq
and Turkey. According to the Turkish daily, 16 Iranian soldiers and
four Kurds were killed in battles “in the Kelaresh and Milgever areas
along the Turkish border and in the Gaddare areas near the town of
Shino, near the border with Iraq.” Iranian personnel reportedly are
operating in the areas near Marivan and Baneh, Piranshahr and
Mahabad, and Sardasht.
The Sanandaj Revolutionary Court has summoned two Kurdistan
University student activists, Asu Saleh and Chia Hejazi, the
university’s Students Islamic Association head, Nusratullah
Shariati, said on 25 July, according to the Iranian Students News
Agency (ISNA). Shariati said the two are charged with disturbing
public opinion through their election-related activities. These
activities included inviting reformist speakers.
In another predominantly Kurdish town, Mahabad, West
Azerbaijan Province, Governor Said Maruf-Samadi said on 24 July that
shops have reopened after officials met with the local shopkeepers
guild, the municipal council, and community leaders, ISNA reported.
The closures took place amid disturbances that followed
authorities’ shooting and killing a local activist known as
Shavaneh (see “RFE/RL Iran Report,” 19 July 2005). Maruf-Samadi said
most of the 64 people who were arrested have been released, but 11
remain in detention. (Bill Samii)
PORTION OF EASTERN IRAN QUARANTINED. The authorities have closed the
Nishabur-Mashhad highway until further notice, Iranian state radio
reported on 28 July. “Police forces closed the main road between
Mashhad and Nishabur in order to maintain calm, following the protest
by a number of citizens in Kharveyn, Razavi Khorasan Province.” State
radio reported that the unrest follows the arrest of two people
involved with an earlier protest against the failure to make Kharveyn
a “local administrative center.” (Bill Samii)
TEHRAN DEFENDS ITS HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD. Reacting to a recent British
report on human rights in Iran, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said
in Tehran on 24 July that such reports are “irrelevant,” IRNA
reported. “Islam-bashing is on the rise in European states and
attacks on mosques are a token of human right violations in Europe
which should be paid attention to.” Kharrazi said Iran plans to
report on human rights in other countries. He did not speculate on
the reaction such a report would receive.
The “Annual Report on Human Rights 2005” from the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
(
owPage&c=Page&cid=1119526503628) was released on 21 July. “There has
been no significant progress in Iran since our last Annual Report;
human rights have deteriorated further in many areas.” The report
notes increased censorship, particularly of the Internet. It also
refers to arrests of human rights defenders, restrictions on workers,
abuses in prisons, and discrimination against women. The report notes
the lack of progress in the EU-Iran human rights dialogue. (Bill
Samii)
SKEPTICISM ABOUT SIGNIFICANCE OF REPORT ON IRANIAN PRISONS. Iranian
prisons hold 132,564 inmates, Iranian Judiciary spokesman Jamal
Karimirad said on 26 July, IRNA reported. Saying that this is the
figure for the period ending 21 June, Karimirad said this shows a
2.64 percent decrease compared to one year earlier. Six years ago,
Iranian prisons held 185,000 people, Karimirad said. Most of the
incoming convicts are imprisoned for drug offenses. There are 4,707
females inmates, he added, and 5,330 foreign ones.
In an unprecedented development, the Iranian judiciary
released a report on 24 July that details abusive human rights
practices in the country’s prisons. Tehran Justice Department
chief Abbas Alizadeh noted that Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud
Hashemi-Shahrudi has issued a directive on civil rights, but that
many of the practices run counter to this directive, “Aftab-i Yazd”
and other news sources reported. In one case, for example, a
13-year-old was jailed for stealing a chicken, and in another case a
women in her 80s was jailed for financial difficulties.
The report also notes the detention facilities where the most
serious problems occur. These include the Tehran criminal department
detention center (Agahi-yi Tehran); the army intelligence
organization detention center; the Public Establishments Office
(Edareh-yi Amaken-i Omumi) detention center; and the defense ministry
intelligence department center known as “64.” It also lists the
police intelligence department center; the jail in Rajaishahr; the
facility belonging to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps security
and intelligence department; the IRGC intelligence department
facility; and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security’s Section
209 at Evin prison. Still more are the criminal investigations
detention center in Shahr-i Rey; the Rey drug control headquarters;
police station 160 in Khazaneh; Unit 3 of the Qezel-Hesar prison in
Karaj, the Kharvin correctional facility at Veramin; the Veramin and
Shahriar criminal department detention centers; the Shahriar drug
control headquarters detention center; the Tehran revolutionary
court; and the District 7 revolutionary prosecutor’s office.
Some 1,400 people are held in Rajaishahr although they have
not been convicted. The Ministry of Intelligence and Security
facilities are supposed to be overseen by the Prisons Organization,
but in fact they operate according to the regulations of their home
organization. Torture and solitary confinement are rampant.
Some observers remain skeptical. Hassan Zarezadeh is in
charge of the Student Committee In Defense of Political Prisoners In
Iran. He says the hard-line judiciary is trying to portray itself in
a better light. “[The report] shows that the regime wants to
demonstrate that there have been real reforms in the judiciary and
that they are committed to human rights. But their comments about
torture being eradicated can be challenged because why are
[prisoners] still being held in solitary confinement for long periods
while facing complicated interrogations? Isn’t it torture? Last
week, Behruz Javid Tehrani, a member of the Democratic Party of Iran
who has been held in solitary confinement for the last three months,
managed to tell his relatives during a visit that he was severely
beaten in prison.”
Zarezadeh, who has been arrested several times in recent
years, says he has witnessed the ill treatment of prisoners. “It
includes long solitary confinements, hanging suspects [from the
ceiling], handcuffing behind the back, beating, hitting the head of
suspects to the wall and also psychological torture.”
Mohammad Ali Dadkhah is the spokesman of the Center of Human
Rights Defendants, founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi. He
says he, too, believes prisoners’ rights are still being
violated. “The bitter reality is that these incidents have existed in
our prisons. For example, when I was detained in Evin prison, I was
once stripped naked in the snow. I think illegal actions are still
widespread in the prisons. As I speak to you, Akbar Ganji [Iran’s
most prominent political prisoner] has not the right to meet his
lawyer.”
Iranian authorities have in the past denied the mistreatment
of prisoners and the use of torture. But human rights organizations
have repeatedly said that torture is prevalent in prisons.
Several political prisoners including student activists and
journalists have said that they were forced into false confessions
under duress. Many say they have been denied access to relatives and
lawyers.
The Iranian government has welcomed the judiciary report, but
Zarezadeh expresses doubt the report will have real consequences.
“If the Islamic republic has been forced into a retreat under
protests from inside the country and international pressure, it does
not mean that torture does not exist, that solitary confinement
[will] be eradicated, that all the political prisoners [will] be
freed and that other prisoners [will] be treated humanely.” (Bill
Samii, Golnaz Esfandiari)
CLERICS CALL FOR JOURNALIST’S RELEASE. A number of Iran’s
leading clerics are calling for the release of hunger-striking and
hospitalized journalist Akbar Ganji, or at least some sort of
solution to the case. Ganji, meanwhile, is continuing his criticism
of the ruling system from his hospital bed.
Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Ali-Akbar
Hashemi-Rafsanjani on 28 July expressed concern about Ganji, Radio
Farda, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), and IRNA reported.
Hashemi-Rafsanjani said he is sorry about the situation and has
discussed it with Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi.
Hashemi-Rafsanjani said he made several proposals on resolving the
issue.
Farhang Naderi, a political associate of Hashemi-Rafsanjani,
told Radio Farda that the Expediency Council chairman has the ability
to secure Ganji’s freedom, and he claimed Hashemi-Rafsanjani was
behind Ganji’s prison leave in June. Prague-based Radio Farda
correspondent Siavash Ardalan questioned these claims, noting that
even the judiciary chief has said he cannot reverse Tehran prosecutor
Said Mortazavi’s actions. Ganji was, Ardalan added, very critical
of Hashemi-Rafsanjani in a book he wrote about the serial murders of
dissident intellectuals.
Ayatollah Hashem Hashemzadeh-Harisi, a member of the
committee supervising implementation of the constitution, has
demanded some sort of solution to the problems presented by the Ganji
situation, “Etemad” reported on 26 July. The Qom Seminary Lecturers
Association has requested the release of Ganji, ISNA reported on 25
July. The association’s letter to Judiciary chief
Hashemi-Shahrudi noted the adverse impact this issue is having at
home and abroad, and it called for better treatment of people with
divergent political views.
Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri-Najafabadi spoke out against
Ganji’s imprisonment and called for an end to his hunger strike,
“Aftab-i Yazd” reported on 18 July.
Ganji’s wife, Masumeh Shafii, said in a 25 July interview
with Radio Farda that she has sent a letter to the head of the
judiciary asking that her husband’s case be transferred away from
prosecutor Said Mortazavi. Shafii said she asked Hashemi-Shahrudi to
handle the case himself. She claimed that Mortazavi told her husband
his death would benefit the system 100 percent, and he added that
death in the hospital is a normal thing. The official reason for
Ganji’s hospitalization is not his hunger strike, but because he
allegedly needs knee surgery. Given Mortazavi’s alleged
statements, Shafii said, Ganji does not want to have the knee
operation.
Having seen her husband on 24 July, Shafii says Ganji’s
physical condition is worsening, Radio Farda reported. After Tehran
Justice Department deputy chief Mohammad Salarkia’s denial that
Ganji is on hunger strike, Shafii challenged him to give access to
independent journalists who can photograph Ganji. She also expressed
amazement that Salarkia and Mortazavi, who are not physicians,
determined that Ganji’s knee needs surgery. (Bill Samii)
IRANIANS ARRESTED FOR INTERNATIONAL DRUG ACTIVITIES. Prosecutors in
South Korea have detained a 28-year-old Iranian male and his
40-year-old Korean girlfriend for smuggling 2.5 kilograms of opium
from Southwest Asia’s Golden Crescent (Afghanistan, Iran, and
Pakistan), “Chosun Ilbo” reported on 22 July. In connection with this
case, a 22-year-old Iranian male was booked but not detained and five
other Iranians are wanted.
In what appears to be a separate case, police in the German
city of Cologne have broken up a gang of international traffickers
responsible for smuggling 225 kilograms of opium worth 900,000 euros
($1.1 million), ddp news agency reported on 20 July. The Iranian head
of the gang imported the narcotics from Iran via Istanbul, Italy, and
Austria. The profits were transferred back to Iran. (Bill Samii)
IRAN THREATENED BY DRUGS AND AIDS. An international expert
participating in the 3rd International AIDS Society Conference on HIV
Pathogenesis and Treatment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has warned that
the AIDS epidemic is worsening due to the trafficking of opium and
heroin from Afghanistan, Radio Farda reported on 26 July. The rise is
particularly noticeable in countries along traditional smuggling
routes, such as Iran. Dr. Christopher Beyrer, an associate professor
of epidemiology and international health at the Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, said approximately 10 percent of
addicts in these countries have access to clean needles or drug
substitution programs. The four-day conference is scheduled to end on
27 July. Participants have called for a dynamic response to the AIDS
epidemic, and participants in the recent G8 summit in Scotland called
for universal access to anti-viral treatments by the end of the
decade. (Bill Samii)
TEHRAN AND BERLIN BEGIN WAR OF WORDS. Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said on 23 July in Tehran, “I need to
repeat my previous comments once again and suggest that the German
Foreign Ministry and the German Foreign Ministry spokesman respect
the democratic rules,” state television reported.
This was the latest in an exchange of accusations that began
when German Interior Minister Otto Schilly referred to Iran’s
involvement with international terrorism in an interview with “Der
Spiegel” magazine.
Assefi initially reacted on 19 July, saying, “I advise this
German official not to be influenced by Zionist circles” and “The
German Interior Minister should respect the principles of democracy
and think more before expressing his views,” ISNA reported.
Schilly’s unnamed spokesman described Assefi’s
admonishment as “incredible impudence,” “Frankfurter Allgemeine”
reported on 21 July. “The impudence of such a voice from a country
that continually violates human rights, where women are whipped on
the basis of dubious verdicts, where dissidents are kept in solitary
confinement for months without any possibility for legal support and
an objective review by the court, can hardly be surpassed.”
Iranian parliamentary representative Hamid Reza Haji-Babai
said on 25 July that Schilly should apologize publicly for insulting
Iran and its president-elect, Mehr News Agency reported. Haji-Babai
accused Schilly of interfering with Iranian internal affairs. (Bill
Samii)
IRAN ALLEGEDLY PURCHASING NUCLEAR-WEAPON PARTS. According to “secret
documents” — the source of which is not disclosed — Iran continues
to purchase nuclear weapons parts, “Der Spiegel” magazine alleged on
25 July. One such deal is between Iran’s Partoris company and
South Korea’s Kung-Do Enterprises and was concluded on 24
December 2004. $98,720 was paid for 300 units of nickel-63 (Ni-63),
which is reportedly used in the ignition of nuclear bombs and which
also can be used in smoke detectors. Partoris reportedly used the
cover name Parto Namje Tolua. In the second deal, the South Korean
firm ordered tritium targets from France’s EADS Sodern firm.
Tritium targets reportedly are used in neutron emitters, which can
trigger the chain reaction in a nuclear bomb, and $33,000 was paid
for them.
An unnamed spokesman from the South Korean Ministry of
Science and Technology said on 27 July that provision of radioactive
isotopes — nickel-63 and tritium — to Iran in 2004 was legal,
Yonhap news agency reported. “The company, engaging in intermediary
trade, adhered to the law and rules when it sold 300 Ni-63 isotopes,”
the spokesman said. “The company conducted the transfer after
receiving a pledge from the Iranian buyer that the substance would
only be used for nondestructive testing, such as checking pipes at
refineries for oil leaks.” The company in question also served as the
middleman in a deal between Iranian and Russian firms.
An unnamed official from Kung-Do Enterprises said, according
to “JoongAng Ilbo” () on 27 July, “We sold Ni-63
to an Iranian firm after it said it would use it in detecting gas. We
obtained a memorandum from the firm to this effect.” He denied the
sale of tritium and doing any deals with the French firm. Ministry of
Science and Technology official Yi Sun-chong said there could be a
problem if the Korean company has sold Ni-63 without a permit.
Another Ministry of Science and Technology official, An Sung-chun,
said a January investigation of the Korean firm found that tritium
exports did not occur.
An Iranian nuclear official said in Tehran on 26 July that
the original “Der Spiegel” report is the result of a “fantasy
fabricated by the Zionist circles,” Mehr News Agency reported. (Bill
Samii)
KHATAMI SAYS URANIUM CONVERSION TO BEGIN. President Hojatoleslam
Mohammad Khatami said during a 27 July news conference in Tehran that
activities at the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility could resume in
days, state television and state radio reported. He said this depends
on the European proposal at an upcoming Iran-EU meeting. If the
Europeans do not agree on when Iranian nuclear activities resume, he
said, “the system has already made its decision to resume
Isfahan’s activities.” Khatami continued, “The deadline will
depend on the Europeans and their proposal. That is the deadline.”
Raw uranium is processed into uranium hexafluoride at the Isfahan
facility. (Bill Samii)
IRANIAN NUCLEAR PLANS WORRY FRANCE. France’s President Jacques
Chirac told visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that Iran
should be referred to the UN Security Council if it does not provide
“objective guarantees” that it has stopped sensitive nuclear
activities, AFP reported. Chirac’s spokesman, Jerome Bonnafont,
added that France seeks “objective guarantees on Iran renouncing all
activities in the area of fissile matter production, under the
control of the IAEA.” French Foreign Ministry deputy spokeswoman
Cecile Pozzo di Borgo said in Paris earlier in the day, “Iran knows
the consequences of any resumption of activities currently suspended,
which can only be negative for Iran,” AFP reported. (Bill Samii)
WASHINGTON SHARES IRANIAN MISSILE DATA WITH IAEA. Iranian Minister of
Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Ali Shamkhani said on 28 July that
Iran has achieved self-sufficiency in producing solid fuel for
missiles, Radio Farda reported. This enables ballistic missiles, such
as the Shihab-3, to operate with greater accuracy. The missile can go
as far as 1,930 kilometers and it can be fitted with a nuclear
warhead, according to Radio Farda, and this brings Israel and
American military bases in the Middle East within range. Such
technological accomplishments, Shamkhani said, contribute to
Iran’s power of deterrence.
U.S. officials have shared intelligence with the
International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran’s effort to develop a
missile that can deliver a nuclear warhead, “The Wall Street Journal”
reported on 27 June. The briefing took place in Vienna in mid-July.
The intelligence was secured the previous year, and it appears to
reveal Iranian efforts from 2001 to 2003 to adapt the Shihab-3
missile to deliver a “black box.” U.S. experts are fairly certain
that this box is a nuclear warhead. “The Wall Street Journal” first
described this “compelling” but “circumstantial” data in March (see
“RFE/RL Iran Report, 30 March 2005). At that time, Washington had
shared the information with Berlin, London, and Paris, but it did not
know how to make it public and had rejected an IAEA request for a
briefing. (Bill Samii)
IRANIAN SATELLITE LAUNCH ANNOUNCED. Iran’s Mesbah and Sina-1
satellites will be launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in Russia in
October, an unnamed Russian defense industry spokesman announced on
25 July, Interfax-AVN reported. The launch of the Molniya-M rocket
was scheduled for August but all launches were postponed after a June
launch ended in failure. Accompanying the Iranian satellite will be
the China-DMC, TopSat from the United Kingdom., Norway’s Ncube-2,
Germany’s UWE-1, Japan’s XI-V, and the European Space
Agency’s SSET Express. The Mesbah satellite will carry out
meteorological and geological tasks. (Bill Samii)
IRAN AND UKRAINE SIGN GAS-PIPELINE MEMORANDUM. Iran and Ukraine have
signed a memorandum of understanding to study the possibility of
transporting Iranian natural gas via a pipeline to Europe, “The
Moscow Times” reported on 26 July. According to a statement from the
Ukrainian state-owned natural gas company, Naftogaz Ukrainy, the
agreement followed a 24 July meeting between Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy
Ivchenko and Iranian Deputy Petroleum Minister Hadi Nejad-Husseinian.
Naftogaz is reportedly seeking the participation of Gaz de France,
and the project would require a minimum $8 billion investment.
Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported on 25 July that Ivchenko
proposed two possible pipeline routes:
Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Ukraine-Europe or Iran-Armenia-Georgia-Black
Sea-Ukraine-Europe. Specific details of the project will be
considered at a meeting scheduled to take place by the end of
September. Ivchenko met with Petroleum Minister Bijan Namdar-Zanganeh
as well, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported. (Bill Samii)
IRAN STRUGGLES TO PUSH AHEAD WITH INDIA PIPELINE. Initial discussions
among the participating countries concerning a proposed 2,600
kilometer overland natural-gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan to
India began in the early 1990s, and Iran, which sits on the
world’s second-largest natural-gas reserves (an estimated 26.6
trillion cubic meters, according to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration), is eager for the project to get under way. Work on
the project has yet to commence, however, and mid-July statements
from Indian officials cast doubt on the deal, particularly after
Washington agreed to cooperate with the Indian nuclear program.
New Delhi Expresses Doubts
India is a huge and growing natural-gas market. Natural-gas
consumption in India was nearly 25 billion cubic meters in 2002 and
is projected to reach 34 billion cubic meters in 2010 and 45.3
billion cubic meters in 2015. With these increasing energy
requirements, India has entered discussions about pipeline
construction with Bangladesh, Iran, Myanmar (Burma), and Qatar.
Recent meetings of officials from India, Iran, and Pakistan suggested
that the pipeline connecting the three countries would get under way
in the near future despite pricing disagreements (see “RFE/RL Iran
Report,” 7 March and 23 March 2005).
Indian officials stressed their eagerness to go ahead with
the Iranian pipeline project earlier in the summer. Indian Petroleum
Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said in Lahore on 4 June that India would
not give in to U.S. pressure to abandon the project because of
concerns Iran might use the revenues to develop weapons of mass
destruction, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. The next day, Aiyar
was in Pakistan for talks with his counterpart, Amanullah Khan
Jadoon.
The two sides created a Joint Working Group to accelerate
work on the pipeline. Diplomats in the Indian capital noted that Iran
is absent from the Joint Working Group, the Hindi “Navbharat Times”
() reported on 8 June, and they
suggested that this was a conscious decision in order to allay U.S.
concerns.
In mid-June, India agreed to purchase $22 billion worth of
natural gas from Iran. Starting in 2009-10, an Indian consortium will
purchase 5 million tons of LNG annually over a 25-year period. This
was less than the initial agreement, reached in January, for the
purchase of 7.5 million tons.
The next month, Pakistani officials were in New Delhi to
discuss the pipeline. Indian Petroleum Minister Aiyar told reporters
that the discussions would address commercial, financial, legal, and
technical issues. According to AFP on 12 July, when asked about
Washington’s opposition to the project, Pakistani Oil Secretary
Ahmad Waqar said, “Our president and prime minister have stated on a
number of occasions that we will proceed with this project based on
our national interests.”
Given these developments, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh’s announcement on 21 July in Washington that he is not sure
the pipeline will get funding may have come as an unpleasant surprise
to observers in Tehran and Islamabad. “I am realistic enough to
realize that there are many risks, because considering all the
uncertainties of the situation there in Iran, I don’t know if any
international consortium of bankers would underwrite this,” he said
according to the PTI news agency.
Islamabad Is Eager
Talks between Pakistan and Iran in early July also suggested
that all was well.
Iranian Petroleum Minister Bijan Namdar-Zanganeh visited
Islamabad and met with Pakistani Petroleum Minister Jadoon in the
first week of July. The two sides signed a memorandum of
understanding that called for continued discussions, and
Namdar-Zanganeh hoped that a final agreement would be signed by April
2006. He noted that after 10 years of talks, this is the first
“written document.” Namdar-Zanganeh also met with Prime Minister
Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, according to media
reports.
Jadoon emphasized that his country will need natural gas for
consumer and industrial consumption by 2010. The country’s demand
for natural gas is expected to rise approximately 50 percent by 2006,
according to the EIA. Moreover, gas is expected to become the “fuel
of choice” for electricity-generation projects in the future.
In light of this requirement, and possibly because of the
approximately $600 million in transit fees Pakistan stands to earn,
Islamabad tried to allay concerns prompted by Singh’s late July
comments. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Naim Khan
announced on 25 July that even if India gives in to U.S. pressure,
Islamabad will build a natural gas pipeline from Iran, AFP reported.
“We would welcome Indian association with this project but if it is
not feasible with India, we are going to go ahead with the project in
any case,” Khan said in the Pakistani capital. He said Pakistan needs
the gas.
Pakistani Petroleum Minister Jadoon said in Islamabad on 23
July that his country can handle all the pipeline security
requirements, IRNA reported. “We, like India, are in need of gas and
we know how to take care of the interstate projects and we are
committed to its security,” he said.
“Business Recorder” (), a Pakistani
financial daily, reported on 28 July that Islamabad has begun a
search for investment banks that could serve as “financial
adviser/consultant” for the pipeline. Pakistan wants to hasten
completion of the paperwork for the project, and it is aiming for a
December 2005 deadline. Despite recent cautionary statements from
Indian officials, the Pakistanis believe India’s energy
requirements will force the issue. Pakistan is also willing to pursue
the issue bilaterally.
The Nuclear Alternative
The pipeline project directly involves Iran, Pakistan, and
India, and it has the potential to improve troubled Islamabad-New
Delhi relations. Washington would welcome such a development, but it
is reluctant to see the project go ahead. U.S. State Department
official Stephen Rademaker warned that Iran could fund terrorism and
weapons of mass destruction with the money it makes from natural-gas
sales, the international edition of “The Wall Street Journal”
reported on 24 June. U.S. officials have warned the Indians and
Pakistanis that their companies could be sanctioned if they go ahead
with the project.
If India forsakes natural gas from Iran, then it may have to
turn to nuclear power as an alternative. U.S. President George W.
Bush announced on 18 July that India is “a responsible state” that
“should acquire the same benefits and advantages as other such
states,” ft.com reported. Bush went on to say that he would encourage
Congress to make the legal adjustments necessary for such cooperation
with the Indian nuclear program to take place. In exchange for such
cooperation, India agreed to allow international agencies to oversee
its nuclear program.
The collapse of the Indian natural-gas deal would be a sharp
blow to Iran. Such a development could have an impact in three areas.
One possibility is that Iran will try to salvage the deal by offering
India a lower price for its gas. Pricing disagreements were one of
the main hang-ups in March.
Another possibility is that Iran’s efforts to diversify
beyond oil will collapse. That being said, Armenia and Turkey are
already customers for Iranian gas; Tehran has signed agreements with
Oman and Kuwait; and it has signed gas-related memorandums — or at
least discussed the topic — with Austria, Bulgaria, China, Greece,
Italy, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The third possibility, which is probably much more remote, is
that Iran will renounce activities that concern the international
community, including support for terrorism, interference in
neighboring states’ affairs, and the pursuit of weapons of mass
destruction.
Failing that, Iran will find it very difficult to compete
with the United States in terms of bargaining power. If the Indian
model — even without nuclear concessions — is applied successfully
in more cases where Iran is trying to do business with other
countries, then Iran will find its isolation is increasing. (Bill
Samii)
*********************************************************
Copyright (c) 2005. RFE/RL, Inc. All rights reserved.
The “RFE/RL Iran Report” is a weekly prepared by A. William Samii on
the basis of materials from RFE/RL broadcast services, RFE/RL
Newsline, and other news services. It is distributed every Monday.
Direct comments to A. William Samii at [email protected].
For information on reprints, see:
Back issues are online at

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE
NEWS RELEASE
EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AMERICAN AVENUE 1
YEREVAN, ARMENIA
TELEPHONE (+374 10) 46 47 00; 46 47 01; 46 47 02
E-MAIL: [email protected]
August 3, 2005
Council of Europe Press Conference and U.S. Embassy Statement on the
Constitutional Reform Process
On August 3, the Council of Europe held a press conference on the
constructional reform process in Armenia. Speaking at the conference
were Council of Europe Special Representative of the Secretary General
in Armenia Bojana Urumova, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan Vladimir
Pryakhin, British Ambassador Thorda Abbott-Watt, and U.S. Charge
D’Affaires Anthony Godfrey.
U.S. Embassy Statement on the Constitutional Reform Process The United
States welcomes the agreement by the Venice Commission of the Council
of Europe to the amendments to the constitution and looks forward to
their adoption at the November national referendum.
We continue to support the efforts of the Venice Commission and share
the view that the revised draft constitutional amendments represent a
step forward. We applaud the Government’s progress toward democratic
and constitutional reforms.
The process, however, is far from over.
We hope that the Government takes the appropriate steps to open the
discussion to the public and gain the consensus necessary to ultimately
pass a referendum.
When the National Assembly meets in August, we hope legislators
will take seriously the Council of Europe’s recommendations, and
that government and opposition parties will engage in constructive
debate to successfully bring meaningful constitutional reforms to a
referendum in November.
U.S. Charge D’Affaires Anthony Godfrey, U.K. Ambassador Thorda
Abbott-Watt, Council of Europe Special Representative of the Secretary
General in Armenia Bojana Urumova, and Head of the OSCE Office in
Yerevan Vladimir Pryakhin speak at a Council of Europe press conference
on the constitutional reform process.