Azeri foreign minister arrives in Turkey

Anatolia news agency
10 Feb 05

Ankara, 10 February: Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan
arrived in Ankara on Thursday [10 February] on a two-day official
visit. Mammadyarov is scheduled to meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer, Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, Foreign Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.

Besides the bilateral relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan,
regional and international issues, the Nagornyy Karabakh dispute,
Turkish-Armenian relations, and the allegations of genocide will be
high on agenda of Mammadyarov’s meetings.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE

Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317

Antelias-Lebanon

THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH OF DENMARK

IN ANTELIAS

Antelias, Lebanon – The Head of the Church of Denmark, Bishop Erik Norman
Svendsen visited the Catholicosate of Cilicia on Tuesday, the 8th of
February and held a meeting with His Holiness Aram I. The two spiritual
leaders discussed issues related to Christian education and inter-church
relations.

His Holiness expressed his belief about the importance of renewing the
ecumenical movement and making it relevant to people’s lives. In this
context, the Catholicos and His Grace also discussed the Middle East, the
birthplace of Christianity. They emphasized the importance of speeding up
the peace process and bringing to a halt the emigration of Christians.

The two spiritual leaders continued their discussions over lunch and spoke
mainly about the social service activities of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.
Thanks to the support of the Danes, the “Birds’ Nest” orphanage, has in the
past provided shelter to thousands of Armenian orphans. The orphanage is
currently under the patronage of the Catholicosate of Cilicia, but the
Church of Denmark continues to aid the institution. Bishop Norman assured
His Holiness of his intentions to keep the orphanage the center of his
attention.

Bishop Norman had visited the Catholicosate of Cilicia four years ago and
His Holiness Aram I had last year been the official guest of the Church of
Denmark.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the Ecumenical
activities of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Georgian president delivers annual address to parliament

Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
10 Feb 05

President Mikheil Saakashvili has set out the challenges he sees
facing Georgia in his annual address to parliament and said that he
is ready to go to Russia to meet President Putin to improve relations
between the two countries.

Opening his speech, which was broadcast live by Rustavi-2 TV and
other major Georgian networks, Saakashvili described the state of
the country as his government found it when it came to power over
a year ago. It was, he said, “disintegrated” and “demoralized”, a
country where people had been lied to by the government, a country
where human rights were trampled on and where “not a single tank had
enough ammunition for one hour in battle”.

He went on to say that Georgia had now already become a “proper state”,
but added that the past year was just a beginning. He listed successes
such as the government clearing salary and pension arrears and raising
public sector wages.

Saakashvili paid tribute to the “real heroes” who had made this
possible. He picked out the Financial Police for their successes in
tackling smuggling despite tough opposition, protesters who stood
up to the government of deposed Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze,
the new police patrol force, which had “won the trust of the people”
and an officer who led an operation to break up a criminal gang in
the northwestern province of Svaneti.

He praised teachers who had been teaching Georgian to the country’s
ethnic minorities, the armed forces, Georgia’s first female military
instructor and reserve force volunteers, among them MPs. He also
referred to Georgia’s participation in “international antiterrorist
operations”.

Saakashvili then moved on to economic issues and said that
privatization would allow the state to make the best use of its
property. He said the revenue would be spent on capital investment
in the energy sector and education.

According to Saakashvili, “thousands” of Georgian emigres have begun
returning to the country.

Saakashvili said that a major priority for this year would be the
creation of jobs in tourism, service industries and agriculture. The
state would help this process by investing in infrastructure. Further
reforms will take place in education, the justice system and local
government. Although Georgia is not prepared to decentralize power
completely, Saakashvili said, local authority heads should be elected,
starting from next year.

The number of MPs in parliament would be reduced to 150, but the mixed
proportional and majoritarian system would be retained. Saakashvili
said he was pleased that for the first time in years MPs had not
punched each other in parliament.

Moving on to foreign policy, Saakashvili said that Georgia’s
relationships with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey were “idyllic”. As
for Russia, problems remain but they must be resolved. He said that
compromise was a “two-way street” and that he is prepared to go
to Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to resolve the
outstanding issues. Priorities would remain a European orientation
and the removal of foreign bases from Georgia.

He stressed the importance of creating an inclusive society for ethnic
minorities, guaranteeing them education and jobs.

He said that the international community should be “ashamed” that an
ethnic Ossetian man who used to organize holidays for South Ossetian
children on Georgia’s Black Sea coast remained imprisoned by the
separatist authorities.

He ended by praising the efforts of MPs and ministers, particularly
Zurab Noghaideli, who has been nominated as prime minister.

Among the honorary guests who were in parliament during Saakashvili’s
50-minute speech were late Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania’s wife,
mother and three children.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information
Department Contact: V. Rev. Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer

Tel: (04) 410001, 410003Fax: (04) 419724E- mail: [email protected]:
PO Box 70 317Antelias-Lebanon

HIS HOLINESS ARAM I ANNOUNCES 2005 THE YEAR OF THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY

OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Antelias, Lebanon – On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, an encyclical by His Holiness Aram I was read during the holy mass
held on Sunday the 6th of February in the St. Gregory the Illuminator
Cathedral. In the encyclical, read by Bishop Nareg Alemezian, the Catholicos
of Cilicia announced 2005 to be the year of the 90th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide.

Aram I points out in the encyclical that the Catholicosate of Cilicia has
itself witnessed and lived the massacres its people, the Armenians, were
subjected to. For 90 years, the Catholicosate “helped provide the physical
and psychological needs of the Armenians forced away from their land, played
a crucial role in the formation of the Armenian communities worldwide, built
churches and schools, spread spiritual, moral and cultural values, and
became a stanch defender of its people’s rights,” he says in the encyclical
.

His Holiness Aram I adds that with renewed faith and firmness the
Catholicosate today demands justice for the Armenians from the world.

The Pontiff also calls on the Armenian people to embrace the message of the
90th anniversary with a united spirit, to commemorate the anniversary
appropriately, based on the circumstances and situation of each community,
to regard it as a reason for strengthening the struggle for justice and,
finally, to organize pilgrimages to Der Zor, the constant reminder of the
Armenians’ struggle for survival.

On the same day, the encyclical was also read in all the Dioceses of the
Catholicosate of Cilicia.

##

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Chessbase News, Germany
Feb 10 2005

Women can compete

10.02.2005 At the recent US Championship a historic event went almost
unnoticed. Chouchanik Airapetian became the first woman ever to
receive a gender neutral invitation to the event. “Shoushan” predicts
that in five years a woman will win the overall US Championship!

Chouchanik Airapetian
By Jamie Duif Calvin

The US Championship has long had a tradition of inviting a few
amateurs, usually the winners of the US Junior Championship and the
US Open. This year with a historically large prize fund of $250,000,
the America’s Foundation for Chess also expanded the field to 64
players, many of whom could qualify by a strong performance at one of
several “national heritage” events.

Airapetian scored 5 out of 7 at the 2004 Chicago Open, qualifying her
for a US Championship invitation that was open to either a man or a
woman. (By the way, other players with 5 in the Chicago event
included soon to be US Champion GM Nakamura and the winner of the
Larsen Prize, GM Alex Fishbein.)

How did she do at the Championship itself? Just fine! She started out
ranked 60th out of 64, and finished in 54th place, ahead of two men
and eight women. Five of these players, including both of the men,
were rated higher than Airapetian at the start of the event.

In the last three years several women have achieved historic
milestones in America. In 2002, Laura Ross became the highest rated
13 year old, male or female, in the US. In 2003, GM Susan Polgar won
the US blitz Championship in a field that included five other
grandmasters (all male). And now in 2004 Airapetian has become the
first US woman to earn a gender-neutral invitation to the national
championship.

It perhaps says something about just how far we’ve come that these
accomplishments went largely unnoticed!

The making of a champion

Recently I had a very nice conversation with Chouchan (this nickname,
pronounced “Shoushan”, means “water lily,” which is what her husband
calls her). She told me that her father had died when she was only
six years old. When her mother was putting away the father’s things,
she found a wooden chess set in a box, which she left out. What her
mother did not know at first, though, is that Chouchan would sneak
the pieces out of the box and play with them like dolls!

Picture: Chouchan playing in a tournament at the age of ten

This went on for several weeks. Then one day the mother found some of
the pieces in the girl’s room, hidden under her pillow. She asked her
daughter if she would like to learn to play the game of chess.
Chouchan says she was amazed. She loved the little pieces, and she
said, “There’s a game that goes with them, too?” It is interesting to
note that Karpov has a similar story, except that he played toy
soldiers with the pieces from his parent’s set!

So Chouchan learned to play. Her mother thought her younger sister
Marina might like to play, too. But instead, she opened up the wooden
box and began to pretend that the chess set was a piano! And today
Marina is a professional musician. So the girls are very creative,
and their mother is very supportive of their talents. When Chouchan
was only 7 or 8, her mother would spend long hours waiting for her at
chess tournaments. She worked hard to make sure that Chouchan had the
right coaches and the best opportunities to continue to play chess.

Picture: In 1992, at the age of 18, Chouchan became the Yerevan
champion.
In the above picture she is in Tigran Petrosyan’s Chess House.

The family left Armenia in the early 90s, when things were very
difficult politically and economically. They moved to Germany, where
Sena and Marina still live. Chouchan speaks Armenian, German,
English, Russian, and a little Spanish. Later, Chouchan married a boy
she had known in Armenia, and she and her husband moved to the United
States. They now live in Seattle where Chouchan is a chess coach at
several elementary schools. They have one son, who is now two years
old.

Picture: Chouchan, her mother Sena and sister Marina portrayed in a
German newspaper

Chouchan says that she has actually become a much better player since
her son was born. She knows that many women give up chess when they
have children, but she has found that she has bits of quiet time
throughout the day, and she uses these to study. She also plays a lot
of Internet chess.

In the above newpaper clipping Chouchan is playing in the 2002 US
Championship in Seattle. “This picture is the funniest one since my
opponent’s reaction to my move,” she said. “It was a great
advertisement for the AF4C since it is the first championship where
women and men were competing together for the title. Among the
spectators are my friends and my husband in the middle, hiding his
smile by covering his mouth.

When she was a girl in Armenia, her mother took her to a children’s
chess club where there were many coaches, known as Khalikyan Hovik’s
Chess Club. The kids there could just play for fun, or they could get
lessons. So the coaches could find the really promising players, or
the ones who had a strong desire to learn more, but the kids who just
wanted to play for fun were also welcome. Chouchan hopes to start a
similar club in the United States. Her dream is use chess to build a
bridge between kids around the world by offering international open
tournaments for junior players.

Picture: Her collection of chess pins

She thinks that one of the things that has kept chess from becoming
more popular in the US is that there is this great divide between
professional and amateur players, almost like two different worlds.
The one place where it is different is on the Internet, but there the
teaching is more formal. So she thinks it would be good for both
amateurs and professionals if, at least at the kids’ level, there was
more mixing.

Chouchan said for example that even at the recent US Championship,
she really enjoyed the fact that on the rest days the players went to
a local school. She said she had a slow start at the event, which is
typical for her. But then when she saw the kids, they were all asking
“How are you doing? Are you winning a lot?” and she felt it really
inspired her! She felt she had to focus and play well in order to
meet the kids’ expectations!

Picture: Helping kids to become champions: Chouchan on the back right

She thinks that girls do need extra encouragement to play, at least
while they are such a small minority. But she doesn’t feel it has to
be a cash prize, if the boys feel that is unfair. Just something like
a medal for the best girl could be very effective, especially for
school age children. She says sometimes in a tournament you will have
200 boys and 10 girls. If a girl comes in 15th, Chouchan feels it can
help keep her playing if she gets a special mention.

Chouchan with her husband, Ararat Agaian (left) and GM Varuzhan
Akobian. This picture was taken after the last round of the Chicago
Open 2004 with Var’s cellphone. So it is brought to us thanks to
modern technology!

On the other hand, she believes absolutely that women can and will
play as well as men, especially as more enter the game. She predicts
that a woman will win the overall US Championship in five years!

for pictures:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Daily Star, Lebanon
Feb 10 2005

‘Aoun trial was delayed because secret talks failed’
Harb says court ruling in absentia would be legal

Batroun MP confirms that the opposition will vote in Parliament
against the division of Beirut into three electoral districts

By Nada Raad
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: Batroun MP Butros Harb said Wednesday that the trial of
exiled former army commander General Michel Aoun had been postponed
because secret mediations with the authorities failed.

“I think something happened with the negotiations that were ongoing
(between Aoun and the authorities), which obstructed Aoun’s return to
Lebanon before the parliamentary elections,” Harb said during a news
conference held in Batroun.

However, Harb added that the issue is not yet closed but remains open
for the future.

On Tuesday, the Beirut Criminal Court rescheduled Aoun’s trial until
May 5 as the judiciary did not accept to try the former general in
absentia for charges brought against him in 2003 following remarks he
made to the U.S. Congress supporting sanctions on Syria.

But according to Harb, a lawyer by trade, a political settlement of
Aoun’s case would have been perfectly legal.

“The court is capable of ruling that there is no criminal offense and
announcing his innocence even if he is absent,” he said.

Harb, who is also a member of the Christian opposition Qornet Shehwan
Gathering, said the opposition would remain united during the next
elections.

The opposition aims to hold parliamentary elections under the
umbrella of a neutral government and not the current regime, which
they say is tutored by Syria.

Harb said that the only way for Lebanon to regain its sovereignty and
independence is for its people to vote properly during the
parliamentary elections, apart from personal interests.

“We ( the opposition) call on all citizens to vote away from personal
interests and to support the opposition,” he said.

Harb said that the opposition still supports an electoral law based
on qadas as an electoral district.

“We will vote in Parliament against any draft electoral law which
considers an electoral district different than qadas,” he said.

The Cabinet already approved last month a draft electoral law based
on small electoral districts (qadas). However, the majority of
ministers who voted for the law proposal changed their direction when
the law was handed to Parliament by supporting an electoral law based
on mohafazats, or large electoral districts.

Harb also said that the opposition would vote in Parliament against
the division of Beirut into three districts along sectarian lines.

The draft electoral law stipulates that Beirut be divided into three
electoral districts with the first including a majority of Shiites
and Armenian voters, the second a majority of Sunni voters and the
third a majority of Christian voters. The division is widely believed
to be aimed at undermining the representation of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri in Parliament. However, Harb said that Hariri
is not yet considered as an opposition member.

“I think Hariri’s position is still between the opposition and the
government,” he said.

Regarding the Ain al-Tineh gathering at Speaker Nabih Berri’s
residence, held to show allegiance to Syria and considered a reaction
to the so-called “Bristol meetings,” Harb said: “It is now clear to
everyone that the loyalists are frightened, if not terrified, of the
popular gathering around the opposition.”

Nagornyy Karabakh Deputy Foreign Minister dismisses PACE resolution on Karabakh as “entirely negative”

Mediamax news agency
10 Feb 05

Yerevan, 10 February: The authorities of Nagornyy Karabakh think that
the PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe] resolution
adopted after David Atkinson’s [ PACE rapporteur on Nagornyy Karabakh]
report is “entirely negative”.

This was announced by Nagornyy Karabakh Deputy Foreign Minister Masis
Mailyan in reply to questions from MPs of the National Assembly of
the republic during the “parliamentary hour” at a plenary session of
parliament, Mediamax news agency reported.

Mailyan said that the emergence of the resolution became possible
because Karabakh deputies had not been invited to the PACE hearing
on the Nagornyy Karabakh problem in January.

Speaking about the Karabakh settlement process, Masis Mailyan stressed
that the current format of negotiations in which only Armenia and
Azerbaijan are taking part, does not fully reflect the real situation.

The NKR deputy foreign minister reconfirmed Stepanakert’s [Xankandi]
position, according to which it is impossible to resolve the problem
without the participation of Nagornyy Karabakh in the negotiations
and without taking into account the opinion of its people.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

This Crisis Should be Resolved Too
By EKREM DUMANLI

Zaman, Turkey
Feb 10 2005

One cannot deny the long-term crisis in Turkish-American relations.
The tension, which began with the objection to the March 1
deployment, deepens a bit at every opportunity.

Turkey has many concerns about the developments in Northern Iraq.
Turkey’s expectation of an operation against the Kurdistan Workers’
Party (PKK) has turned into disappointment. Kurdish leaders make
provocative statements on the Kerkuk (Kirkuk) issue and the US
usually foots the bill. The idea that Iran will benefit the most from
a new Iraqi state with a Shiite majority is cause for concern…

The problem is not just limited to Iraq. The US position and Turkey’s
official discourse conflict with one another on the ecumenical
debate. Turkey wants to play a role in the Middle Eastern peace
process, but it also explicitly accuses Israel of “state terrorism.”
This position brings Turkey head to head with US foreign policy.

The magic of the diplomatic profession becomes apparent during
difficult times like these.

Turkey should continue its relations with the US on good terms and
also maintain balance in the rest of the world. Although policies
based on continuous tension straighten out over time, scars usually
remain. Diplomatic foresight allows intervention before tension
peaks.

Last week, I had the opportunity to chat with people in many places,
in particular at The Washington Post. Being in Washington was a big
advantage for a journalist just days before US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice was scheduled to visit Turkey. Almost everyone was
busy making preparations; almost everyone had questions; almost
everyone had their own interpretation regarding the visit.

Apparently, the US wants to get rid of its negative image that was
created during the Iraqi war and is therefore looking for solutions.
It is also clear that they want to have a closer relationship with
other countries in the world (particularly with Europe) during Bush’s
new term in presidency. The worldwide spread of anti-Americanism is
cause for tremendous concern. Anti-Americanism in Turkey has reached
80 percent according to a British Broadcast Company’s (BBC) public
survey. This finding also concerns the US.

It is hard to believe that this public survey is correct. The Turkish
public is not an enemy to the US, but it is clear that there is
concern about US policies in the Middle East. The Turkish public has
not forgotten the cooperation of Muslims and Americans in Bosnia,
Kosovo, and Somalia, the US help in the seizure of PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan, the direct US support for European Union (EU)
membership, etc. The chain of incidents that began with the March 1
motion, however, keep tensions running high. Being on scathing terms
sometimes strengthens conspiracy theories as well. As in the famous
sack incident [when US soldiers put bags over the heads of Turkish
soldiers in Iraq], there are other incidents such as being unable to
do anything about the PKK in Northern Iraq that ferment
misunderstanding and anger.

To be honest, US-Turkey relations may face a more difficult period in
the upcoming months. For instance, the “Armenian genocide bill,”
which may ward off a final attack at any minute, might harm Turkey. A
Turkish deputy’s description of US activity in Iraq as “genocide” was
discussed and passed over by Turkish interest groups. That the US
feels unbelievable discomfort is clear enough. A deputy’s remarks are
not, in fact, binding to the Turkish government, but since relations
are built on tension, a new crisis could emerge from almost any
issue.

There are critical issues that both countries have put in the deep
freeze. These issues should be dealt with using clear minds and
diplomatic courtesy. Of course, various possibilities could bring
some opportunities to Turkey, but Turkey cannot give up its role as
America’s “strategic partner.” Turkish diplomacy has solved many
crises skillfully, and it should solve this, too. I hope Rice’s visit
to Turkey becomes a significant step toward normalized relations.

–Boundary_(ID_AtEjL18vvyiGA5r5nYt4gw)–

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Feb 10 2005

OCCUPIED AZERBAIJAN TERRITORIES USED FOR NARCOTIC TRAFFICKING
[February 10, 2005, 10:51:27]

The delegation of International Assistance Department of the Ministry
of Customs and excises of the Great Britain has arrived with visit to
Azerbaijan with a view of studying opportunities of rendering of the
technical aid in the field of customs and excise of Azerbaijan.

At the meeting of delegation taken place on February 9 with the first
vice-president of the State Customs Committee, the general-lieutenant
of customs service Aydin Aliyev, was presented information on the way
of development passed by the Azerbaijan customs service. It has been
marked that among the western countries the Azerbaijan Customs
Committee has signed the first document with the Great Britain.

Having noted that the Regional Educational Center of the World
Customs Organization locating in Baku and the Center of Cynology
function today on the basis of the principles of work fully complying
the world standards, Aydyn Aliyev spoke of the effective work
directed on combat against illegal circulation of drugs. He has
declared, that through occupied by the armed forces of Armenia the
uncontrollable Azerbaijan territories, which have stayed now away
from the international monitoring, drugs are taken across to Europe,
that the said territories are used for drag trafficking.

Highly having estimated the done work, the visitors – Andrew Argil,
Nagara Harginder and Ms. Kelly Veryard have taken interest also in
what the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan requires in the field
of the technical aid.

Speaking about the technical assistance received within the framework
of cooperation with authoritative international structures, Aydyn
Aliyev has noted that the boats given to Azerbaijan are suitable for
coast guard, besides, there is necessity for special devices and
equipment for more exact and operative detection of drugs.

Then, the British customs officers have familiarized with the
Regional Educational Center of WTO in Baku and the Center of
Cynology.

Saakashvili Addressed the Nation, Parliament
By Giorgi Sepashvili, Civil Georgia / 2005-02-10 13:32:59

Civil Georgia, Goergia
Feb 10 2005

In his first-ever state of the nation address to the Parliament on
February 10 Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said that the
country has made the step from being a failed state into becoming a
state since the 2003 Rose Revolution.

In his one-hour long annual report to the Parliament and nation,
the President spoke about Georgia’s domestic and foreign policy,
as well as the achievements made and those “numerous challenges”
Georgia faces ahead.

In the address, which has already been described by the opposition
New Rights parliamentary faction as “a stage-show,” the President was
mainly appealing to the ordinary citizens of Georgia. Representatives
from various professions, including “successful” teachers, soldiers
and patrol police officers, were invited to attend the parliamentary
session. Saakashvili thanked each of them separately for their
activities in an attempt to add a more emotional element to the
address.

Achievements

Mikheil Saakashvili started his speech by listing the successes which
the country’s new government achieved over the past year. He listed
the reintegration of Adjara, curbing of corruption and smuggling,
creation of a people-friendly Patrol Police and the creation of
the Financial Police, designed to fight smuggling, as the major
achievements of the government.

He emphasized the process of “building a new, not large, but
well-trained armed forces,” as well as the launch of training of the
reserve forces.

“To gain peace we need to be a strong nation and a strong army is
the major component in this process,” he said.

He also listed the privatization process launched last year among
those successful initiatives begun by the country’s leadership. “We
need privatization in order to attract investment and to create jobs,”
Saakashvili said.

The President stated that the energy sector, education, the healthcare
system and defense will be the sectors that the government intends
to allocate revenues received from this privatization process.

He said that the government “could cover all the pension and salary
backlogs,” as well as increase revenues. In this regard he stressed
the role of Finance Minister Zurab Nogaideli, whom the President
recently nominated for the position of Prime Minister.

“This was the major reason why I decided to nominate Zurab Nogaideli.
The person who could increase revenues and repay the entire pension
and salary backlog needed to be promoted,” Mikheil Saakashvili said.

Problems, Road Ahead

Saakashvili said that despite these achievements, the country faces
“numerous challenges ahead.” He listed unemployment, reform of the
judiciary and education systems and self-governance among them.

He said that “the government failed to create new jobs in the private
sector and establish a European-style economy.”

“Yes, we have fired many officials from the governmental structures
and it was an irreversible process but at the same time we could not
create new jobs in the private sector,” he said.

Saakashvili stated that development of services and tourism is one
of the major priorities for the government. “But development of
infrastructure is necessary first,” he added.

Saakashvili said that there should be no set backs in the process of
reforming the education and judiciary system.

“We should achieve a real independence for the judiciary branch,
which does not exist now. Kote Kemularia [Chairman of the Supreme
Court, who has been nominated as the new Justice Minister] will work
hard over this issue at his new post,” Saakashvili stated.

The President said he is not ready “to appoint all the officials in
the region from the center.”

“Mayors of all the cities should be elected starting next year,”
he said.

Saakashvili did not specify, though, whether these elections should
be direct or whether the mayors should be elected by members of
elected councils.

President Saakashvili also said that the number of parliamentarians
should be reduced from the current 235 to 150, as it was decided by
the national referendum carried in November, 2003.

“2,300,000 voters said that the number of MPs should be no more than
150 and if we fail to implement this, it will be humiliating for these
voters. There should be at least 50 MPs elected in the single-mandate
constituencies [instead of the current 75], and MPs elected through
party-list should also remain,” Mikheil Saakashvili said.

He said that a two-chamber Parliament should be established; however
he did not specify when this may occur.

Foreign Policy

President Mikeil Saakashvili said that Georgia “has turned into an
attractive country for the rest of the world.”

“And this has not happened because Georgia is just a corridor,” he
said, referring to the word frequently used to describe Georgia’s
role in the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
and the TRASECA transport corridor begun by Eduard Shevardnadze’s
administration.

He said that Georgia “has ideal relations with its neighbors,” listing
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. “And we should care for these ideal
relations,” Saakashvili added.

He stressed that “another state in the post-Soviet space has emerged
recently with aspirations similar to those of Georgia – Ukraine.”

But the President emphasized that there are still problems with
Russia. He called on Russia for mutual compromise.

Saakashvili said he is ready to travel to Moscow and again extend
a hand of friendship, “which has been hanging [in the air] for one
year,” to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Last February, when President Saakashvili traveled to Moscow and met
President Putin, the Georgian President said he visited Moscow in order
“to extend his hand of friendship” to Putin.

“We face particular problems in our relationship with Russia; however
this mistake should be corrected through mutual compromises. This
should occur on the basis of defending bilateral interests,” Mikheil
Saakashvili said.

He reiterated once again that Georgia will not host military bases
of third countries on its soil.

–Boundary_(ID_ZsaJrfnX38Q02i9O6SbfmQ)–