Darchinyan Headlines “Sunday Bloody Sunday”

EastsideBoxing.com
March 11 2005

10.03.05 – This fight night will feature the World Title Unification
bout between Australia’s current IBF Flyweight World Champion Vic
‘The Raging Bull’ DARCHINYAN and South Africa’s IBO World Champion
Mzukisi SIKALI. It has been Thirty Years since the Flyweight Division
has been unified and only One Australian Boxer in history has ever
unified a Division (to hold two or more Titles in the One Division)
and that is the Great Kostya TSZYU..

Vic Darchinyan recently won the IBF Flyweight World Title. He has a
remarkable record of 22 Fights for 22 Wins (17 by knock-out). One
of the most powerful fighters seen in the lower weight classes in
many years, Vic Darchinyan impressed Jeff Fenech immensley at the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games whilst representing Armenia, accumulating
an amateur record of 152 wins from 170 bouts. The three-time world
champion saw something special in the hard hitting southpaw and he
has been proven correct. Darchinyan leaving a trail of destruction
and winning the IBF flyweight world title from long reigning and
previously undefeated Irene Pacheco. The “Raging Bull” is now looking
towards world domination in the flyweight division.

Other World Class Boxers that will feature on the Card include Nedal
‘Skinny’ Hussein, Lovermore NDOU as well as the captain of Australia’s
2004 Olympic Boxing Team to Athens, Jamie PITTMAN.

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All Premium Wines, Beers and Soft Drinks as well as full table
service. $220-00 per person ( $2,200-00 per Table ) includes GST.

Zaman, Turkey
March 11 2005

29th of May, The Cursed Day: France’s Referendum On The EU
Constitution
Selcuk Gultasli

By Selcuk Gultasli

The date for France’s referendum on the European Union (EU)
Constitution, which not only the Turkish public opinion had been
anxiously awaiting but also that of Europe, at last has been
announced, and the date is: May 29. As soon as I heard the date,
“Lord help us,” I said. “Now that those against [Jacques] Chirac have
got this date, they will make the best of it. For us, May 29 means
the date of the conquest of Istanbul, but at least for some European
conservatives, it still means the date of the fall of the Eastern
Roman Empire into the hands of “barbaric” Turks. According to this
ill reasoning, Europe will surrender to the Turks twice in history,
if the French say “yes” in the constitution referendum on May 29.

The opposition is working hard for a “no,” telling a lie that if
“yes” is said to the constitution, that would also mean “yes” to
Turkey. “While it was being thought that they had also seized an
important historical symbol, one of the leaders of the French right,
Philippe de Villers, who always has his voice heard, all of a sudden
announced that “Constantinople” was conquered by the Turks on May 29.

The EU is holding its breath and awaiting France’s referendum,
because a French “no” would derail the constitution project. We are
also closely watching what the referendum result is going to be,
because the most important station in Turkey’s EU journey will be
France. It is quite possible that extreme rightists like [Jean-Marie]
Le Pen and Villers will maintain the relations, or the no relations,
they have established between Turkey and the constitution reform,
that they have kept on the agenda for three months. These debates
will become unpleasant as May 29 approaches. We must be prepared,
because the so-called “Armenian genocide” allegation will mingle in
the process, those known files will be opened in order to put Turkey
on the spot. The anti-Turkey side will then try to turn May 29 into a
referendum to be held 10-15 years later, after the negotiations have
been completed.

Taking a close look at France’s referendum “test,” Turkey’s issue
becomes more fragile. Charles de Gaulle, the founder of the V.
Republic and was qualified as someone who reached the peak of French
politics after Napoleon III, resigned immediately after he could not
achieve what he wanted in the 1969 referendum. In that referendum, 47
percent, that is, 13 percent of the people, said ‘yes’ and 52.87
percent ‘no’ to de Gaulle’s reform calls. The Maastricht Treaty which
transformed the European
Economic Community (ECC) into the EU, won a “yes” vote by a very slim
(51 percent) margin, and Europe was relieved.

The latest surveys in France show that even though it is not very
rapid, support for the referendum is dwindling. A former prime
minister like Laurent Fabius, one of the important political actors,
can change sides and move from the “yes” camp to the “no” camp. Right
now, it is being observed that support for the referendum has fallen
to around 50 percent.

On condition that a “no” emerges on May 29, and the EU project
suffers a big blow, Turkey’s negotiation process would tumble into
turbulence. If the French say “no” or “yes” by the slightest of
margins, at least to a why did a “no” emerge question, the answer
obviously will be “Turkey.” While we will be celebrating the conquest
of Istanbul on May 29, we will at the same time be closely watching
the French referendum.

South Caucasus syndrome

The Messenger, Georgia
March 11 2005

The Armenian newspaper Aravot (Morning) reports on the murder of one
of Azerbaijan’s most well-known journalists, Editor-in-Chief of the
magazine Monitor, 27-year Elmar Guseinov who was violently killed in
his apartment building on March 2.

The paper writes that Elmar support the views of the opposition and
his colleagues state he had “just declared war on the current regime.
The only weapon he used against the open impudence of the authorities
was freedom of speech.”

Meanwhile, as the Azeri newspaper Zerkalo writes, the adversaries
of Guseinov perceived this war literally, as a result of which the
journalists was shot seven times in the heart. According to Zerkalo,
this murder was carried out by a hired assassin.

According to Aravot, a journalist from Monitor, Einul Fatulaev, had
visited Karabakh recently and as a result of this visit published
a rather reserved article that had caused indescribable anger in
local so-called patriots. “He was under the cross-fire of indignant
statements of the nationalist forces, which called him a betrayer
of the nation,” Aravot writes, “Of course, we do not think that the
Editor in Chief of Monitor was killed particularly because of this
article, however, it could have been the last straw for the Azeri
(and not only Azeri) authorities’ elite, who are the carriers of the
South Caucasus detestable mentality,” the paper writes.

The paper notes that the victim’s family categorically rejects trusting
the investigation to the law-enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan and
have already appealed to European ambassadors for help in finding
the true killers.

Aravot says the murder of Ukrainian Journalists Giorgi Gongodze helped
fuel the ‘Orange Revolution.’ “Armenian journalists were also brutally
beaten on April 5 and 12, 2004 in Yerevan, which can testify to only
one thing: the Armenian regime also is also responsible for treating
freedom of speech with rough force,” the paper writes.

The Messenger, Georgia
March 11 2005

Young opera stars test their skills in Tbilisi
By Nino Kopaleishvili

About 40 young Georgian opera singers participated in the preliminary
round of the Hans Gabor Belvedere International Singing Competition
2005 held on March 7-9 at the Tbilisi Conservatory.

This was the second time that such rounds for choosing singers for
the Belvedere competition were held in the Caucasus. Last year a Jury
from Vienna chose five Georgian participants along with other
participants from Baku, Azerbaijan and Yerevan, Armenia.

“Last year it was very interesting and I think very successful,” said
Musical Director of the Vienna Chamber Opera Daniel Hoyem-Cavazza,
who anticipates that only three participants will be chosen from
Tbilisi this year.

“From Tbilisi I think we had five candidates that came to the
competition. All were very good, but it is always also a question of
luck,” he said.

Singer Ketevan Kemoklidze from Georgia was selected from last year’s
competition and chosen to sing at the final gala concert as well. As
a result of her exposure, Kemoklidze received an offer from La Scala
Studio in Milan.

“She is a very talented singer,” said Hoyem-Cavazza.

“To me it is astonishing the voices [Georgian singers] have from
nature. It is a talent that we do not find in Vienna,” said
Hoyem-Cavazza, who also gave advice on nurturing young singers. “They
have strong voices but sometimes they need to cultivate their voices.
Some of the singers are very talented, they have beautiful voices but
they are giving too much,” he added.

Many Georgian novice opera singers who do not have many opportunities
to present their skills find the competition as a good chance for
them to appear before a professional panel of judges.

“For the first time I appeared before a Tbilisi audience, and this is
of great importance for me,” said one of the participants Nino
Gogichaishvili who arrived from Batumi to compete.

For Tamuna Svanidze, who participated in the preliminary round last
year, this is a second chance to try her luck.

“The competitions here in Georgia are not frequent. Only once in four
years is there the [Georgian] Republic Competition,” she said.

In her final year of studies at Tbilisi Conservatory, Svanidze plans
to sing at Tbilisi Opera House and later pursue an education abroad.
“First I want to sing for the opera house here and just to test
myself, and then I want to go abroad and to study there,” she said.

The preliminary rounds for the 24th International Hans Gabor
Belvedere Singing Competition 2005 were held in two Caucasus counties
(Georgia and Armenia). According to Hoyem-Cavazza, the lack of
financial resources prevented them from holding a round in Baku.

For the 2004 competition, participants were selected from 50 cities
and about 3,000 young singers participated, 152 of them qualifying
for the finals in Vienna.

Council of Europe: Does Italy have freedom of the press?
Opinion of the Venice Commission to be discussed on Saturday

Venice, 11 March 2005 – Does media pluralism exist in Italy? The
Venice Commission has been asked by the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe to give an opinion on this question in the light of
the Gasparri Law (consolidated legislation on television
broadcasting) and the Frattini Law (conflicts of interests). This
reveals the Parliamentary Assembly’s fear that Italy, an “old”
democracy, may be violating a freedom, the freedom of expression,
crucially important if a society is to call itself “democratic”. The
subject will be raised during the 62nd plenary session of the
Commission which will take place at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni
Evangelista from 11 to 12 March. The Commission – chaired by Antonio
La Pergola and composed of 50 distinguished independent legal experts
from different European countries who are totally impartial – is to
state whether the two laws lately passed by the Italian Parliament
meet Council of Europe standards and the criteria laid down by the
European Court of Human Rights.

In January a delegation of the Commission headed by its Secretary
Gianni Buquicchio spent two days in Roma consulting the categories
directly concerned and institutional and political figures, and
looking into the technical aspects of the two laws and their
implications for freedom of the press in Italy.

The Venice Commission’s delegates, MM Tuori (Finland), Helgesen
(Norway), Grabenwarter (Austria) and Paczolay (Hungary) met
Government and Parliament representatives, spokesmen for the majority
and the opposition, communication watchdogs and members of the
“Commissione di Vigilanza” (supervisory committee) for the Rai
broadcasting authority, the leadership of the journalist’s
association and representatives of the Press Federation.

During the 62nd plenary session, the Venice Commission will also
consider the possible need for constitutional reform in Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the proposed constitutional reform in Georgia, and the
provisions governing religious freedom in Serbia and Montenegro and

ED026a05

Georgia’s foreign debts show signs of growth
By M. Alkhazashvili

The Messenger, Georgia
March 11 2005

In 2005 Georgia will again receive credits from the World Bank, from
the government of Germany and from the Japanese Development Bank. As
a result of this Georgia’s foreign debt will increase by USD 487
million and by the end of the year it will total USD 2.335 billion.
Georgia currently has debts to large financing institutions as well
as 15 states, and debt repayment remains a serious outlay for the
country.

According to Finance Ministry data, as reported in the newspaper 24
Saati, Georgia’s foreign debt by the end of 2004 was USD 1.857
billion. Of this, USD 1.68 billion is owed to international
organizations such as the World Bank, European alliances, the
International Agricultural Development Fund and the International
Monetary Fund. The biggest creditor is the World Bank with USD 677.61
million. The total debt to foreign governments totals USD 693.22
million, of which more than USD 157 million is owed to Turkmenistan.

Servicing debts is a major problem for the Georgian budget, while
repaying them is even more so. In recent years despite the chronic
budget deficit, fulfilling debt obligations remained a top priority.
In 2004 Georgia allotted approximately GEL 199 million to cover
foreign debts, GEL 150.441 million of which was allotted for
repayment and GEL 48.502 million to pay off interest.

This year GEL 217.38 million has been allotted for servicing foreign
debts (GEL 119.053 million – principal and GEL 43.85 million –
interest). The Finance Ministry hopes that if the revenues planned
from privatization are doubled, an additional GEL 39 million will be
allotted for foreign debts servicing.

The biggest debt that Georgia had was to Turkmenistan – approximately
USD 400 million. Turkmenistan did not permit the re-organization of
this debt, but did allow Georgia to repay in the form of goods and
services. This process began in 1998 and the debt now stands at USD
157 million. It was recently announced that Georgia is holding
negotiations with Russia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan regarding debt
repayment in a similar manner.

The newspaper 24 Saati speaks to economist Niko Orvelashvili who says
much of the money credited to Georgia was actually spent outside the
country. “Foreign assistance morally ruined society and especially
the ruling elite,” he said. “80 percent of this so-called ‘aid’ did
not even get to Georgia and was spent in the form of salaries,
honoraria, etc. Why it was called ‘aid’ I do not understand,”
Orvelashvili continued.

Given this, questions must be asked regarding the nearly USD 500
million in credits to be received this year. The representatives of
the post-Rose Revolution government state that this money will be
spent well and will be used to finance new investment projects that
occur in the country. If this happens, and the economy develops as a
result, the credits will be in Georgia’s interest; although even if
this is the case, future budget expenditure on debt servicing will
necessarily increase as a result of the loans.

Civil Georgia, Georgia
March 11 2005

Georgian PM Visits Armenia

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli will leave for the Republic
of Armenia for a two-day official visit on March 11.

He will hold talks with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, Prime
Minister Andranik Margaryan and other officials.

Issues of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the economic sphere,
will be discussed during the talks. The Georgian Prime Minister will
also hold talks with representatives of various Armenian business
circles.

The Messenger, Georgia
March 11 2005

Economic Analysis
Withdrawal of Russian bases carries undeniable economic impact
By M. Alkhazashvili

Parliament on Wednesday and again on Thursday discussed a resolution
declaring Russia’s military bases on Georgian soil illegal. The
resolution calls on the government to introduce measures intended to
force Russia to withdraw its bases, should agreement on the terms of
withdrawal not be agreed as a result of bilateral negotiations within
the next two months.

Discussion of the resolution was met with strong criticism from
Moscow, two influential Duma MPs declaring that sanctions should be
imposed on Georgia in response. Possible measures that the Duma
members should be taken in response to Georgia’s efforts to speed up
the negotiation process, which has dragged on for almost six years
now without result, include either cutting off the country’s
electricity and gas supply or increasing the price of the energy
supplied, deporting Georgians working in Russia, and boycotting
Georgian products on the Russian market.

While the withdrawal of the bases is fundamentally a political issue,
the implication of these threats is that permitting the bases to
remain, or not, is also an economic issue.

Russian threats have led some Georgian analysts to call on the
government to take measures to reduce the country’s economic
dependence on its northern neighbor, saying that otherwise business
and the economy may be used to apply political pressure on the
country. This has provided new ammunition for those Georgians opposed
to the government’s policy, particularly in the privatization
process, to attract more Russian capital into the country.

“The attitude of the Georgian authorities towards Russia is
absolutely incomprehensible. How can we on the one hand say that
Russia is an aggressor and occupying force and on the other sell it
strategic state assets?” asks an incredulous Giorgi Kobakhidze of the
Forward Georgia opposition party, as quoted by Akhali Taoba.

“In return for withdrawing the military bases, we are giving Russia
crucial economic levers. Putting energy resources into Russian hands
is wholly sufficient to allow them have influence on the state,” he
declares.

Besides possible sanctions, social problems that may arise in areas
around the bases also demand consideration. Most of the inhabitants
around the base in Akhalkalaki are ethnic Armenians who are
economically dependent on the base and also view it as protection
from possible ethnic aggression.

Georgian analysts believe Russia will try to use this factor for its
own interests, some even warning that it may attempt to create a new
ethnic conflict. This could destabilize the whole South Caucasus and
cause old conflicts to flare up as well.

Batumi is less reliant thanks to a booming seaport and thru-traffic
from Turkey, but still the bases have preferred hiring locals for
services and trade thus contributing to the area’s economy.

It is therefore imperative that economic development options for the
country and especially for residents of Akhalkalaki be developed in
order to diffuse foreseeable negative reactions to the withdrawal of
the Russian base.

Armenian president dissatisfied with social insurance collection

Public Television of Armenia
10 Mar 05

[Presenter] The Armenian Tax Service collected 8.7bn drams [18.5m
dollars] in social payments in January and February, which is 2bn
more than last year.

President Kocharyan thinks that this is not the result that was
expected when the Tax Service was given the authority to collect
compulsory social payments.

During a working meeting today Robert Kocharyan, the prime minister,
the ministers of labour and social security, finance and economy,
the director of the State Social Insurance Fund and the head of the
State Tax Service discussed social insurance payments.

[Correspondent] During today’s working session, which discussed issues
connected with the social payments, President Kocharyan noted that,
after the function of collecting social payments was handed over to
the tax service, there needs to be a discussion on what improvements
can be seen in this process.

[Robert Kocharyan, captioned] It is obvious that there is positive
change, but this is not what we were expecting. We have reserves
and we must work more actively, taking into consideration that we
are planning to increase pensions and we must be confident that the
government is able to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities
before the pensioners.

[Correspondent] The president noted the importance of reform of the
minimum wage in increasing the collection of social payments and the
struggle against latent employment. Kocharyan also noted that it must
be explained to the public that those who receive shadow wages and do
not pay taxes today are depriving themselves of a pension in future
in accordance with payment for their work.

The president also noted that, as pensions are to be increased,
all the processes regarding this sphere should be settled to instil
confidence that the government is able to fulfil its obligations before
the pensioners. Ways to improve the system of family allowances were
considered as well.

At the end of the session President Kocharyan ordered the minister
of finance and economy to discuss issues regarding the completion of
the state budget planning process a month earlier and to view raising
the minimum salary from 2006.

The State Tax Service was instructed to examine international
experience and implement additional measures to reduce shadow
employment.

The president instructed the minister of labour and social affairs to
present efficient mechanisms for preventing delays in paying family
allowances, while the director of the State Social Insurance Fund will
have to clarify the lists of pensioners and exclude any possibility
of the illegal insertion of other names.

Zaman, Turkey
March 11 2005

Faithful Nation

Uncle Kevork was the only grocer selling alcoholic beverages in our
neighborhood. Hence, my late grandfather wouldn’t go his store for
shopping; however, Uncle Kevork never sold the beverages openly. You
could never see the beverages on the shelves. He used to sell them
under the counter, wrapping them with paper. I cannot recall his
spouse’s name well; but I can still remember that she used to prepare
the traditional dishes of Malatya [an Eastern Turkish city], like
“sour meatballs” and “analý kýzý” (translated literally as “with
mother and daughter”) very well.

She used to serve the soup with yogurt cold. Having that soup cold
was traditional, too. Since there were no refrigerators in those
days, yogurt used to turn sour and become the elusive joy of the
summer days with its soda-like taste. We had two Armenian friends in
my school: Lucie and Arusyak. I think they also experienced the most
beautiful days of their childhood and youth in Malatya.

Aysegul Sonmez of Milliyet [a Turkish daily], had written about an
incident on June 8, 2001 that our photography editor Selahattin Sevi
witnessed, while he was working for the same paper: 150 Americans of
Armenian origin, following the footsteps of Gregorian, arrived in
Kayseri [a city in Central Turkey], yesterday. The aim of the group,
which couldn’t have a good night sleep due to enthusiasm, was to find
where their families used to live and re-live in the past. Mariyen
Sanag is one of them. Mariyen, 42, becomes impatient on seeing her
birthplace. Walking, we try to find her house in Bahcebasi. While
walking in the narrowest streets of Kayseri, someone shouts,
“Mariyen.” This is Aunt Sabiha, who is the daughter of “Butcher” Ali.
She is elderly in her 70s. Mariyen’s mirrored eyeglasses do not
prevent us from seeing the tears she could not control after the
encounter. When Mariyen found her house, she was as devastated as her
house was. Her house she left 32 years ago is now in ruins. She
points at the house, saying: “I used to drink hand-made sour cherry
juice during the hot afternoons. Here is my bedroom.” Some frescos on
the walls still attract attention. Matiyen sighs and says, “Our house
was beautiful, very beautiful.”

In fact, the Ottomans called them the “faithful nation.” We lived on
the same lands for centuries. Nowhere in the world has people of two
different religions been so close to one another. Is there any place,
anywhere where members of two different religions feed from the same
culture, eat the same foods and sing the same songs? I don’t know.

It was towards the end of the Ottoman era. On, one side, a state
collapsing, a nation sending its sons to one front after another, and
on the other side, there was another a community taking part in the
Russian provocation. Russia had occupied our eastern provinces,
taking some nationalist Armenians to its side. Nationalism, Russia
and the Union and Progress Party split two communities, which had
been living together for hundreds of years. Mutual afflictions,
sorrows and troubles occurred after that… Looking at the issue from
the point of “Your losses are less than ours” is a complete mistake.
War and chaos bring equal grief to all.

Even 70 years after experiencing this grief, Uncle Kevork, Lucie, and
Arusyak were part of our lives in Malatya. We shared life in the same
high school and same neighborhood. We miss the humanitarian dimension
of the Armenian issue. The leading Diaspora Armenians bring the
political dimension of the issue to the agenda, not the humanitarian,
and try to make gains out of it. This is the mentality between us and
the Armenians.

All Armenians living in Anatolia did not emigrate from these lands.
Professor Salim Cohce, the head of the History Department at Inonu
University, said only in Malatya, there are 3,500 families of
Armenian origin and they have continued to live there by changing
their names.

Not only the Armenians experienced all the hardships on these lands.
At least the Turks also suffered as much as the Armenians did. I do
not know if there is greater grief than losing an anchient friend.

March 10, 2005

–Boundary_(ID_I937y+ju5GQLQCBgkBa4bg)–