Azeri community leader protests against “Armenian vandalism” in breakaway
area

ANS TV, Baku
21 Feb 05

[Presenter] The head of the Azerbaijani community in [Azerbaijan’s breakaway
region of] Nagornyy Karabakh, Nizami Bahmanov, has appealed to the co-chairmen
of the OSCE Minsk Group to protest against archaeological excavations on the
outskirts of [Azeri Nagornyy Karabakh town of] Susa, which has been occupied
by the Armenian armed forces and has become an uncontrolled area.

[Correspondent, over video of scenes in Susa] Baku appealed to several
international organizations over the illegal archaeological excavations by the
Armenians outside Susa. Culture Minister Polad Bulbuloglu has sent letters to
UNESCO, ICOMOS [the International Council on Monuments and Sites], ICROM [the
International Centre for Conservation of Cultural Property] and the culture
committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. He called for
repealing the decision by a public charity organization, called the Susa
foundation, to start the archaeological excavations in the area of a castle and of about
200 graves outside Susa dating back to the Bronze Age.

The Azerbaijani community of Nagornyy Karabakh has taken a similar step. The
head of the community, Nizami Bahmanov, appealed to UNESCO, the OSCE office in
Baku and the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group today against the
archaeological excavations in Susa in defiance of international conventions.

[Bahmanov, head of Azerbaijani community of Nagornyy Karabakh, captioned,
shown speaking to ANS] The Armenians can never armenize that town by digging
there. It is impossible. This is another act of vandalism by the Armenians.

[Correspondent] The Armenians are looking for Armenian traces in Susa in
vain, because it has been Azerbaijani land since time immemorial. It is enough to
look at a map of the Caucasus dating back to 1801 and the maps of the first
independent state of Azerbaijan published in France. These maps illustrate that
the Azerbaijani khanates, Goyca [Krasnoselsk District] and Nagornyy Karabakh,
were part of Azerbaijan. Therefore, it is illogical for the Armenians to look
for the Armenian traces in Azerbaijan 204 years later and to exert efforts to
tout Susa as an ancient Armenian land. Now, the Armenians have started digging
in the castles and graves in Susa, which they have destroyed under the
pretext of archaeological excavations.

[Passage omitted: pictures of Azeri artefacts in Susa and their current
plight, Azeri busts destroyed, Armenian monuments erected in Susa]

Afat Telmanqizi, Sehrac Azadoglu for ANS

Kurdistan Observer,UK
Feb 20 2005

Kirkuk, the capital of South Kurdistan
A crucial first step

By:Adil Al-Baghdadi

Brussels 19 February 2005

[email protected]

The elections in Kirkuk represent not only a great victory for
freedom loving democrats who fought for many decades to highlight the
threat posed by demographic changes to the city after it was emptied
from its Kurdish population, it is a victory for everyone who has an
interest in human rights.

The very fact that barring more than 100,000 Kurds – a figure which
is well below actual number of original Kurds driven out of Kirkuk –
from voting in the much reduced size of Kirkuk governorate would have
posed a great threat to the integrity and credibility of the new
Iraq.

As the Kurdish leadership involved in redressing the ills of the past
know, it would not be an easy task. There are a many powerful players
who do not see it in their interests to recognize, let alone accept
the rightful return of original inhabitants of Kirkuk.

The obstructive stance of Turkey and its ally, the Turkoman Front,
did not make one iota of difference to the task of reversing decades
of oppressive measures, which were aimed at ethnically cleansing this
historically Kurdistani province and characteristically Kurdish city
of Kirkuk.

Turkey and its ally that welcomed and applauded Arabization and the

de-Kurdification of Kirkuk city and its province, have tried to
undermine the inclusion of all of Kirkuk Kurds in the province’s
council election at every opportunity.

To this end they funded a campaign of disinformation and paid for
false reports intended to discredit the right of Kirkuk’s indigenous
population to reclaim their land and their history, and attempting to
create mistrust when confidence is required, fear when peace is
required and malicious lies when truth is required.

So today is a great victory. But it is only the first battle in the
campaign against falsehood and deception because there is much to do
to undo decades of inhuman and deliberate neglect and marginalization
of Kirkuki Kurds, which Turkey and its ally want to preserve.

The international community has made it clear during years leading to
the conflict in former Yugoslavia, that it finds ethnic cleansing as
an abhorrent and criminal act that should be reversed, and that such
practices destabilise the country which pursues such polices. This
word of warning should have also been extended to the biggest
enthusiast of such practices, Turkey.

The next candidate for EU membership makes no apology for its
relentless campaign to assimilate and Turkify every non-Turkic
element within Turkey, be it 20m-25m Kurds, Armenians, Arabs as well
as Greco-Byzantine history and many more historical and cultural
aspects of this once non-Turkic region of Anatolia.

Forcible assimilation and ethnic cleansing pose a threat to the very
essence of humanity and coexistence between nations, as we know it
and have witnessed in former Yugoslavia, as well as in countries
which Kurdistan is divided among them, namely Iraq, Turkey, Iran,
Syria.

A regional rise in these unlawful practices as a result of Kurdish
achievements will threaten millions of Kurds with increased
oppression and violations of basic human rights, including summarily
arrests, imprisonment, torture and death. Millions more will find
their properties and life at risk from state-sponsored terror aimed
at stifling dissent and moves emulating the gains made by their
brethrens in South Kurdistan.

To tackle this threat with confidence Kurds from all various parts of
Kurdistan and diaspora need to come together to build a strong
consultative body and to act collectively.

The UN has an essential role to play in leading a regional action to
stop physical and cultural crimes against Kurds in other parts of
Kurdistan, and if it is to carry out the role effectively it must do
it in a more vocal way not just as a bystander as in the past.

Turkey’s vociferous objection of election results in Kirkuk is on the
one hand part of the plot to maintain the legacies of the past and on
the other to feed the anti-Kurdish Turkish media and sadly the
ill-informed and indoctrinated sections of Turkish public opinion
against the Kurds’ lawful, legitimate and genuine results in Kirkuk,
the rightful capital of South Kurdistan. This policy also forms a
cornerstone of Turkey’s relentless effort against the right of
self-determination for the Kurds of North Kurdistan.

As the advantages of election results in Kirkuk become apparent, not
just for Kurds, but also for Turkomans, Arabs and
Chaldo-Assyrian-Syriac Christians, the Kurds will want the province
to be reincorporated back to its rightful place, the federalist
region of Kurdistan. Making Kirkuk the capital of South Kurdistan is
not just good for the democracy; it will also insure ever lasting
peace, stability and prosperity for all ethnic and religious groups
in South Kurdistan.

Indeed, elections results in Kirkuk have sent a powerful message to
governments of Turkey, Iran and Syria and the world that tackling and
reversing decades of ethnic cleansing against Kurds and some
Turkomans is a priority and that ignoring the problem will inevitably
bear grave consequences.

However, the other more worrying message for these countries, which
fought the Kurds and never sought their friendship, is that all of
Kirkuk constituents will have a role to play and all will enjoy
political, cultural and all the rights that are associated with a
healthy democratic society.

In the short term, Turkey and its ally in Kirkuk will embark on the
usual campaign of sewing seeds of hate, fear and provocation, but
their current dependence on Ba’thist and anti-Kurds elements can not
be sustained. There are many shifting paradigms and many unknown
variables, but what’s certain is that the tide of freedom is sweeping
across the region and it is already blasting the shores of bastions
of tyranny and oppression.

Iraq as a whole and in particular South Kurdistan, with its capital
Kirkuk, have already been blessed by this change, raising
international community’s understanding about Kurdish issue and the
absence of freedom in other neighbouring countries including the
other three parts of Kurdistan, North Kurdistan in Turkey, East
Kurdistan in Iran and West Kurdistan in Syria.

Reaching political agreement to protect the rights of Kurds from
continued oppressive measures and cultural assimilation and to
achieve political rights is no easy task in these countries, and
democratic means and peaceful campaigns by Kurds, particularly in
North Kurdistan, need international support in the shape of a UN
resolution.

Kurdish leadership in South Kurdistan, on the other hand, has already
indicated its intention to put the full implementation of Article 58
of the Interim Iraqi State Administration Law1 firmly on the agenda
of the new government of Iraq. More importantly both Kurdish leaders
must make use of their role within Iraq and South Kurdistan to insure
that the Kirkuk model of governance is far more inclusive than all of
Iraq’s hostile neighbours and envy of all multi-ethnic societies in
Middle East.

More efforts are needed to maintain the political momentum generated
by the alliance between the two main Kurdish parties and to find the
best way forward that works for incorporating others regions, such as
Khanaqin and parts of Diyala province, Sinjar and some parts of Mosul
back within the boundaries of South Kurdistan with its eternal
capital Kirkuk.

1. Article 58 stipulates that situation in Kirkuk should be
normalized and those brought in as part of Arabization campaign
should be repatriated and Kurds to reclaim their properties and
receive compensation.

PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-1) 52-35-31
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on official visit to Equatorial
Guinea

On February 20, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian arrived in Equatorial
Guinea for an official visit. The purpose of the visit was to
establish relations between Armenia and Equatorial Guinea in various
areas, as well as to discuss the fate of the six Armenian pilots, who
have been imprisoned there since March 8, 2004. The Armenian
delegation included Sergei Manaserian, Armenia’s Ambassador to
Bulgaria, formerly Ambassador of Armenia to Egypt. Ambassador
Manaserian has been engaged in the case of the Armenian pilots since
the beginning and has visited Equatorial Guinea several times.

Minister Oskanian held several meetings with high-level officials, in
the capital, Malabo. During his meeting with the Foreign Minister of
Equatorial Guinea, Minister Oskanian discussed prospects for the
future development of bilateral relations in several fields, including
cooperation in international organizations and in education. The sides
signed a Memorandum of Understanding on holding talks between the two
ministries. They also agreed to exchange ambassadors in the near
future.

Minister Oskanian met also with Miguel Abia Biteo Borico, Equatorial
Guinea’s Prime Minister and with State Prosecutor Jose Olo Obono.
They discussed several issues as well as the Armenian pilots. The
sides exchanged their views on signing a bilateral agreement on
extradition which would help to regulate processes surrounding this
difficult issue.

During his visit to Malabo, Armenia’s foreign minister was able to
meet with the pilots, as well.

Boston Globe, MA
Feb 20 2005

A fresh new TV face at 70
By Donna Goodison

Years ago, Lorraine Seymourian was at one of the Armenian picnics
frequented by her family on Sunday afternoons, and her parents
couldn’t find her.

“There I was in the middle of a whole crowd of people, with dollar
bills all over me, because if they liked you, they put dollar bills
on you,” said Seymourian, who was about 5 at the time. “I was dancing
around, having a wonderful time and just doing my own little thing.”

Seymourian still has that flair for the theatrical today, at age 70.

“I’m always on stage in public life, no matter what I do,” said
Seymourian, stylishly dressed last week in flowing black pants slit
to the knee, a long black coat with fur collar and cuffs, and a
matching fur hat. “People never forget me, never.”

With a radio program already to her credit, the Newton resident last
month introduced her latest project — a television show. Taped
before a live audience, “Lorraine Entertains” airs at 7:30 a.m.
Fridays on Boston’s WBPX-TV (Channel 68), part of the PAX network.

The show doesn’t adhere to the typical sit-down talk show format,
according to its host.

“I don’t want that, and it’s not me,” said Seymourian, who prefers an
action-filled half-hour.

Tomorrow, she’ll tape a show at the West Suburban YMCA in Newton.
Mystery writers Kate Flora of Concord, Hallie Ephron of Milton, and
Jan Brogan of Westwood will read an original story they just created.
The mystery has a basic premise, protagonist, and suspects, but the
audience will have input on the direction it takes and guess the
murderer.

Other upcoming shows will feature the Massachusetts Film Bureau’s
Academy Awards Gala, and Armenian dancing and music at the Armenian
Library and Museum of America in Watertown.

Seymourian works 12- to 15-hour days and handles all aspects of her
shows — from signing advertisers to finding guests, locations, and
audiences.

“If they see me in person, I get the sponsor,” Seymourian said.
“Meeting them in person gives them the confidence in me of who I am.”

Indeed, Seymourian comes off as a dynamo whose vigor belies her age.

“I don’t believe in this age business,” she said. “I may not look it,
but I feel like I’m 35 years old.”

She still likes to flirt and date, she says, and ends many of her
thoughts with bursts of giggles. She’s not afraid to be outlandish or
open, even about her recent facelift.

“The camera can be very cruel,” she said. “With radio, you can get
away with it, but not video. I said, ‘Lorraine, you can’t be on the
air. You look horrible.’ ”

Seymourian got her start with Channel 68 a little more than a year
ago, when she started taping humorous celebrity vignettes for
one-minute spots that aired 10 times a week.

Many of those celebrities also were guests on her “Rendezvous With
Lorraine” radio show, which is broadcast online at
from 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesdays. To make an
impression on the radio station’s owners, Seymourian arranged an
interview with Regis Philbin as her first guest three years ago.

“I called up, and I asked,” Seymourian said. “It was as simple as
that.”

Other celebrity guests have included Glenda Hatchett of the “Judge
Hatchett” television show, Mike Wallace, Harrison Ford, Sarah
Ferguson, and Cosmopolitan magazine founder Helen Gurley Brown, whom
she coaxed to perform an impromptu tap dance in her Gucci dress.

“I want to discover what nobody else knows about them,” Seymourian
said of her guests. “I want to know what makes them human. I’m not
out to get them.”

Hitting “below the belt” doesn’t fit the beliefs ingrained in
Seymourian since childhood, she says.

“I have my own rules: Be honest and never tell a lie,” she said.
“Honor my father and mother’s name. That’s very, very crucial to me.
That’s maybe why I didn’t become an actress. Professionally, I don’t
like to play the game.”

Seymourian grew up in Newton and headed to New York City to pursue an
acting career after studying drama at Emerson College.

“My father never liked the theater, and he didn’t want me to go to
New York, but he couldn’t stop me,” she said.

Seymourian studied in New York under renowned acting coach Stella
Adler, who recommended her for a spot in the midnight theater classes
taught by director Harold Clurman.

“People came from Broadway shows with their makeup on to take the
classes,” she said. “It was very exciting. I was the only novice
there.”

She appeared as the lead in an off-Broadway production of “Stage
Door” and made a national television appearance as a secretary in a
skit on the “The Bert Parks Show.”

Seymourian remained in New York only for a few years, though, before
returning home to work as a secretary for her father, founder of
Seymour’s Ice Cream company in Dorchester.

“I knew I wasn’t getting anywhere, and Daddy said, ‘Come and work for
me,’ ” Seymourian said. “I worked for him and wrote plays from 7 to 9
every night, because I couldn’t get theater out of my mind.”

Seymourian finally had a children’s play produced at the Charles
Playhouse in Boston, a musical adaptation of “The Wind in the
Willows,” for which she wrote the book and lyrics. In 1974, she
served as assistant choreographer and producer of the Boston Ballet’s
world premiere of “Tubby the Tuba” by choreographer Ron Cunningham.

She never married, although it’s something Seymourian says she might
consider in the next 10 years, noting that men like assertive women
with creative ideas who “go for it.” Meantime, she’ll do just that
and work on bringing her television and radio shows to the next
level.

“Someday, I’d like to be syndicated around the country with my
shows,” she said. “I love it and I’m good at it.”

To appear in the studio audience of Seymourian’s television show
tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. at the West Surburban YMCA, contact Caryn
Surkes at 617-244-6050, ext. 3014. The event is free and open to the
public.

Harold Doan and Associates, CA
Feb 22 2005

On Cooperation Between Belarus and Armenia in Economic Sphere

Feb. 22 2005

Press Release – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Belarusian embassy in Armenia has been developing projects on
setting up assembling manufacturers for Belarusian tractors and
agricultural equipment in that country. As councilor of the
Belarusian embassy in Armenia Alexander Soloviev informed, this will
help to increase competitiveness of the Belarusian commodities by
cutting down its prime cost.

In 2004 the trade-economic relations between Belarus and Armenia had
been developing quite dynamically. The mutual trade turnover reached
$10,8mln, an increase of 12,4% on 2003. The export jumped to $8,7mln,
a 19,3% increase.

The Belarusian commodities at the Armenian market face tough
competition on practically all positions. At the same time they are
still in demand. Thus, products of BelAZ continue to top the list of
the most important exports to that country. Last year 12 dump trucks
to the total amount of $1,5mln were bought by Armenia. Belarusian MAZ
trucks, tractors, road equipment are in high demand there as well.

In 2004 for the first time Belarusian foodstuffs and alcoholic
beverages came on the Armenian market as a shop selling the products
of the republican unitary enterprise Minsk-Kristall opened in
Yerevan. The products of the joint venture Santa Bremor as well as
dried milk and chocolate goods are in demand in Armenia. The
Belarusian embassy plans to increase the supply of the
above-mentioned goods and expand their assortment in the near future.

2004 saw opening of the affiliate of the republican unitary
enterprise Belmedpreparaty in Armenia. This step enabled to increase
by 46% the export of the Belarusian medicine to the country. By the
way, Belarusian medicine has always been a traditional item in the
Armenian import paradigm.

The main objective of the Belarusian embassy in Armenia in 2005 is to
provide stable functioning of the active trading network as well as
its expansion, Alexander Soloviov stressed.

Azeri opposition leader calls on Bush to tackle breakaway conflict

ANS TV, Baku
21 Feb 05

[Presenter] The Azerbaijani opposition wants power to be changed in a
peaceful and democratic way only, the chairman of the People’s Front
of Azerbaijan Party [PFAP], Ali Karimli, today told a news conference
dedicated to his visits to Europe and the USA. Since the international
community is now focusing its attention on Azerbaijan following the
developments in Georgia and Ukraine, the opposition badly needs the
support of international organizations, he said.

[Correspondent, over video of news conference] PFAP chairman Ali
Karimli said that he had appealed to US President George Bush to help
solve the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. He called on the USA, as
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, to step up its role in finding a
fair solution to the conflict. The party leader wants the USA to back
Azerbaijan, which is suffering as a result of the Armenian
occupation. Karimli said that he had made this appeal in the presence
of representatives of the State Department and of the presidential
administration at the Nixon Centre.

[Ali Karimli, PFAP chairman, captioned, shown speaking] Since
President Bush has given priority to the settlement of frozen
conflicts and has taken certain steps towards the settlement of the
Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it would be good if he could again give
his attention to the Nagornyy Karabakh problem.

[Correspondent] Karimli stressed that the Karabakh conflict was
discussed in meetings with the US co-chairman of the Minsk Group,
Steven Mann, French co-chairman Bernard Fassier and [the special
representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on Nagornyy
Karabakh, Goran] Lenmarker. He is convinced that the OSCE
Parliamentary Assembly’s report on Karabakh will be impartial.

Although Karabakh took centre stage in the meetings, the forthcoming
November parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan were also
discussed. Karimli said that he had not asked for any foreign
assistance either for himself or for his party in the run-up to the
polls. All I asked for was to support democracy, end of quote.

Then, Karimli said that they know abroad about the eavesdropping bug
found in his party’s headquarters. They did not hide their negative
attitude to this fact. One should not undermine the standing of the
Azerbaijani government in such a way, end of quote.

Afat Telmanqizi, Ramin Yaqubov for ANS

Zaman, Turkey
Feb 22 2005

Greek, Armenian Support Pollock’s Turkey Article
By Zaman

Armenians and Greeks living in the US have provided significant
support to Robert L. Pollock for his heavy criticism of Turkey in an
article published on February 16th in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ),
which has a circulation of two million.

The Greek American Society distributed the article to US Congress
members they are close to. Anti-Turkish comments flourished in
response to Pollock’s article. Many e-mails supporting Pollock’s
views were posted on the WSJ’s website. Armenians mostly
congratulated the author for his work but there was a weak response
from Turks. One reader named David Govett wrote: “Turkey cannot be
the sick man of

Europe because it has never been a part of Europe. Ataturk’s
initiatives to modernize Turkey were as successful as Crazy Peter’s
Westernization attempts on Russia.” Armenian readers interpreted that
Turkey’s was the sick man of Europe not just because of its hostility
towards the US, but also because of its rejection of the “Armenian
genocide.” According to another reader, Robert Roughsedge, Kurds are
much more significant for Armenians now.

Pollock described Turkey as “small-minded, paranoid, and marginal.”

Turkish Daily News
Feb 22 2005

Gündüz Aktan: The KKTC in the wake of the elections

In the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), the first victor
of the recent elections was the Republican Turks’ Party (CTP) and the
second victor the government; that is, the ruling CTP-Democratic
Party (DP) coalition. Therefore, it may be assumed that the
government is to stay on. The Turkish Cypriot people have shown that
they support the `peace approach’ of the Mehmet Ali Talat-Serdar
Denktas duo.

The statements they have made indicate that both Talat and Denktas
will give priority to the task of finding a solution to the Cyprus
problem by Oct. 3, focusing for this purpose on the issue of
negotiating the proposed changes the Greek Cypriots seek in the Annan
plan for reunification of Cyprus. To be able to analyze the potential
results of this approach one should first look at the Greek Cypriot
attitude.

The original Annan plan did not favor the Turkish Cypriots. In
fact, after the Greek Cypriots rejected his plan in the April 24
referendum, Kofi Annan issued a statement in which he explained
item-by-item exactly how the Annan plan favored the Greek Cypriots.
For Papadopoulos these had not been enough. He aimed to gain
advantages beyond what the Annan plan would provide – by exploiting
the fact that the Greek side would have the right to veto a European
Union decision to start accession talks with Turkey. In this context
he demanded that Turkey recognize the Greek Cypriot administration as
the `Republic of Cyprus’ and withdraw its troops from the island.
Obviously he hoped that this way the Turkish Cypriots could be
reduced to the level of a minority group and that the de-facto
situation created on the island as a fait accompli in the aftermath
of 1963 would be legitimized via Turkey’s `acceptance’ of it.

There is no reason to expect that, if the plan were now to be
presented anew for reconsideration, the concessions the Greek Cypriot
side would seek would be anything less than the concessions they had
expected to gain as a result of a potential Turkish recognition of
the Greek Cypriot administration as the ‘Republic of Cyprus.’

Furthermore, seeing Annan’s `good offices’ mission as a kind of
`arbitration’ and rejecting it, Papadopoulos insisted that there
should be no timetable for the negotiations.

Also, he insists on negotiating with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan
and not with KKTC Prime Minister Talat. His aim is to pave the way
for a Cyprus negotiating process that would run parallel to the
EU-Turkey accession talks. This would be an effort to shift the
Cyprus negotiations away from the United Nations and into the EU
framework. Meanwhile, he maintains his efforts to gain recognition
from Turkey via certain articles inserted into the text of the annex
protocol of the Ankara Agreement at his instigation.

Under the circumstances, it is not even clear whether the new KKTC
government would opt for a resumption of the `inter-communal
negotiations.’ In a situation where Rauf Denktas is withdrawing from
the position of KKTC president, Papadopoulos would continue imposing
his own conditions on the KKTC government, which he considers to be
eager to find an urgent solution to the Cyprus issue.

Assuming that the Cyprus negotiations would begin, the Turkish side
would have to fulfill Papadopoulos’s extreme demands to be able to
bring the negotiations to a conclusion by Oct. 3. Otherwise the Greek
Cypriots would postpone the `resolution of the Cyprus problem’ to a
date later than Oct. 3. Then, after the start of the EU-Turkey
accession talks, they could test the effectiveness of their veto.

Let us assume the Cyprus negotiations begin, and the Greek Cypriots
surprise everybody by seeking only modest changes in the Annan plan,
and the problem is resolved by Oct. 3. The Turkish Cypriots would,
via reunification with the Greek Cypriots, take their place in the
EU. However, that would happen at a time when Turkey’s EU membership
drive would be in a much more indefinite stage compared to the past
occasions when the initial five versions of the Annan plan had been
drafted. If Turkey cannot become a member of the EU, then not only
would a situation contrary to the (Cyprus) Guarantee Agreement be
created in Cyprus, but Turkey would also have lost virtually all its
guarantor rights and powers.

If the Cyprus case were to be lost in this way, a sharp
polarization would take place in the Turkish section, a polarization
that would carry the seeds of a potential clash. Also, such a
development would set a highly unfortunate precedent on other issues
such as the Aegean problems, the “Armenian genocide’ claims and
`ethnic minority’ issues.

This grave situation has come into being partly because of the fact
that the EU and the United States have failed to lift the embargo on
the KKTC despite the fact that the Turkish Cypriots voted `yes’ on
the Annan plan in the referendum.

Also, the fact that the National Unity Party (UBP) has failed to
renew itself further weakens the hand of a Turkish side that was
negotiating with the Greek Cypriots from a not-too-strong position in
the first place. The political parties in the KKTC suffer from the
same malaise as their counterparts in Turkey: they have a leadership
problem. Unless the required changes take place in that party by the
next presidential election, then the UBP will continue to go downhill
and will stop playing a meaningful role from the standpoint of
defending Turkish Cypriots.

That will leave Mr. Talat as the only source of hope. In
psychology, the defeat of an old leader by a young challenger is
referred to as the ritual of `slaying the father.’ The `son’ who once
held exactly the opposite of the `father’s’ views, reverts back to
the views of the `father’ once he gains power. We witnessed that
phenomenon in the Ismet Pasha-Bulent Ecevit race.

Let us wait and see whether Talat’s behavior will reaffirm this
rule.

IranMania, Iran
Feb 22 2005

“Iran plans to increase investments in Armenia”

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 – ©2005 IranMania.com

LONDON, Feb 22 (IranMania) – A private television channel in
Azerbaijan Republic BM-TI TV said on Monday that many Iranian
companies are planning to increase investments in Armenia.

Quoting Iranian embassy’s commercial attache in Yerevan Ali Najafi,
the Azeri TV network said that Iranian and Armenian investors are
planing to hold their first mutual trade session in 2005.

“Iranian and Armenian investors need to obtain more knowledge on ach
other’s capabilities and potentials which necessitate the holding of
such a meeting,” Najafi underlined.

Iran and Armenia intend to boost industrial and trade relations and
will provide suitable opportunities for both nations’ private firms,
he said.

Speaking in an interview with a Yerevan-based weekly in December
Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Alireza Haqiqian said, “Iran’s
relations with foreign countries, in particular its neighbors, is
based on mutual respect and non-interference in their domestic
affairs.” Expressing satisfaction over the current level of
Iran-Armenia relations and its growing trend, he said that the visits
of Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian to Tehran and President
Mohammad Khatami’s trip to Yerevan played a crucial role in further
strengthening mutual ties.

He referred to some of the projects on the agenda including the
meetings of the joint economic commission, active participation of
Iranian tradesmen in Armenia’s market, the activities of Iranian
economic institutions there and cooperation in the energy sector.

In response to a question whether Moscow-Baku-Tehran railway will
replace Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan route, he said that given Iran’s decisive
role in the regional transit system, the interest of the countries of
the region in cooperation with Iran is quite natural.

He added that according to a number of specialists, the Baku-Ceyhan
railway project is a political scheme, not economical.

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

===============================================Tuesday 22 February 2005
NAGORNO-KARABAKH: “INHUMAN” SENTENCE ON RELIGIOUS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR

Jehovah’s Witness Areg Hovhanesyan, has been jailed for four years by a
court in the unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh republic, for refusing to do
military service – even though he stated that he would do
alternative, non-military, service. Lieutenant-General Seyran Ohanyan, the
Defence Minister, insisted to Forum 18 News Service that “it doesn’t
depend on me – according to our law of Nagorno-Karabakh there is no
alternative service, so they are sentenced in line with the law.” But
General Ohanyan noted that, in individual cases, provision has been made
for religious conscientious objectors to do military service in non-combat
roles. He quoted the case of a Baptist, Gagik Mirzoyan, who refused to
fight in the army despite pressure from the Armenian Apostolic Church’s
military chaplain. “He is now serving (…) without arms and without
swearing the military oath. Otherwise he’s doing everything the other
conscripts do. He’s now content.” Baptist sources, who preferred not
to be identified, confirmed to Forum 18 that Mirzoyan was happy with his
terms of service.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH: “INHUMAN” SENTENCE ON RELIGIOUS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR

By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

Rustam Khachatryan, the lawyer for Jehovah’s Witness Areg Hovhanesyan, has
condemned as “inhuman” the four year sentence handed down on his
client on 16 February by a court in Stepanakert, the capital of the
unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh republic, for refusing military service on
grounds of his religious faith. “Areg’s family lives very modestly and
to lose their eldest surviving son to prison for such a long time is very
harsh,” Khachatryan told Forum 18 News Service from the Armenian
capital Yerevan on 21 February. “Areg was one of five children, but
one sister and brother were killed during the war over Nagorno-Karabakh in
1992 when a bomb landed on them as they played in the street.” He said
he and Hovhanesyan have not yet decided whether to lodge an appeal.

Hovhanesyan, who is 18 and from a Jehovah’s Witness family in Stepanakert,
told the court he was prepared to do an alternative, non-military service.
But, in the absence of such alternative service in Nagorno-Karabakh, he was
sentenced on 16 February under Article 327 Part 3 of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Criminal Code, which punishes evasion of military service “in
conditions of martial law, in war conditions or during military
actions” with a sentence of between four and eight years.
(Nagorno-Karabakh has adopted the criminal code introduced in Armenia in
2003.) Hovhanesyan was detained after the verdict was announced.

Khachatryan described Judge Stepanyan, who heard the case, as a “good
man”. “He said during the trial that he didn’t want to sentence
Hovhanesyan but had to because of the law.” He also praised the
prosecutor. But Khachatryan insists his client “should never have been
tried on the basis of his faith”. He blames the recent presidential
decree extending the military state in Karabakh until 1 January 2006 which
allowed the heavy sentence to be imposed. Although a ceasefire with
Azerbaijan has been in place since 1994, the conflict over the territory
remains unresolved.

Lieutenant-General Seyran Ohanyan, Defence Minister of the unrecognised
republic, insisted that those who cannot serve in the armed forces on
grounds of conscience have to be dealt with under the law. “It doesn’t
depend on me – according to our law of Nagorno-Karabakh there is no
alternative service, so they are sentenced in line with the law,” he
told Forum 18 from Stepanakert on 21 February. “Those who refuse to
serve in the defence of our homeland are putting our republic at
risk.”

Asked why – given that Nagorno-Karabakh claims to abide by
international human rights norms – Jehovah’s Witnesses and others who
cannot serve in the armed forces could not do alternative civilian service,
for example in hospitals, he responded: “According to international
norms, citizens should have this right, but we’re in a military situation
so we can’t afford to do this. Besides, hospitals here are also considered
military.”

General Ohanyan said that, were Nagorno-Karabakh to allow an alternative
non-military service, the numbers of those wanting to do it would rise. But
he promised to consider the possibility.

He noted that in individual cases, his armed forces have made provision for
believers who cannot fight on grounds of conscience to work within the
military in non-combat roles. He pointed to the case of the young Baptist
Gagik Mirzoyan, who refused to fight after conscription into the army
despite pressure from his commander and the Armenian Apostolic Church’s
military chaplain (see F18News 6 January 2005
). “He is now serving
in Hadrut region without arms and without swearing the military oath,”
Ohanyan told Forum 18. “Otherwise he’s doing everything the other
conscripts do. He’s now content.”

General Ohanyan’s assertion that Mirzoyan was happy with his terms of
service was confirmed by Baptist sources. “He’s serving without
weapons and without the oath – that’s how a Christian should
serve,” one Baptist who preferred not to be identified told Forum 18
on 21 February.

Ohanyan insisted that Mirzoyan – who was called up on 6 December 2004
– had never been beaten while in the hands of the army, despite Baptist
insistence that his unit commander and the chaplain, Fr Petros Yezegyan,
had beaten him on separate occasions in December. “We conducted an
investigation into these allegations and I want to assure you he was never
beaten,” Ohanyan told Forum 18.

Although in earlier years the terms of martial law – renewed annually
since 1992 – included the banning of the activity of “religious sects
and unregistered organisations”, Khachatryan told Forum 18 that the
current martial law decree contains no such ban. Although in recent years
activity by Protestant Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses has on occasion
been obstructed (see eg. F18News 27 September 2004
), both the Baptists and
the Jehovah’s Witnesses say they can currently meet for worship without
obstruction. “The authorities keep a watch on our activity, but that’s
OK – let them know what we’re up to,” Khachatryan told Forum
18.

A printer-friendly map of the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is
available at
;Rootmap=azerba
within the map titled ‘Azerbaijan’.
(END)

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