Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Feb 4 2005

Dr. Laciner: `Turkish-Armenian Alliance is not Impossible’

Jan SOYKOK, ANKARA – Dr. Sedat Laciner told JTW that Turkey-Armenia
alliance is possible. Laciner said Armenian state cannot survive in a
hostile region and has to solve its problems with Turkey, Georgia and
Azerbaijan.

Laciner further continued:

`As a matter of fact that neither the Western States nor the Armenian
Diaspora radicals see Armenia’s national interests as their priority.
Armenia’s and Diaspora’s interests are not the same. As Dr. Nilgun
Gulcan pointed out Armenia and Diaspora has contrary interests.
Diaspora needs more dispute between Turks and Armenians, because many
Diaspora Armenian enjoy from the `genocide industry’. If Turkey and
Armenia solve their problem they could not abuse the past for their
individual interests. Many diaspora institutions are dependent on
`genocide donations’. Many Armenian actors, businessmen, politician
etc. in Northern America and Europe see Turkish-Armenian problems as
source of power. When the both side put an end to the historical
misunderstandings many militants will lose their financial and
political power over the ordinary Armenians in diaspora. Similarly
some of the Diaspora institutions argue that the 1915 Legacy is the
most important thing uniting Armenians. According to this approach,
Diaspora Armenians need a uniting cause in order to resist
assimilation. Otherwise, they think, Armenian identity would be
diminished in front of the strong Western cultures.

However Armenian state needs Turkey and other Turkic peoples.

Armenia is surrounded by more than 100 million Turkish people
(Turkey, Azerbaijan and Iran Azerbaijan). Georgia is an ally of
Turkey and has good relations with the Western states though Armenia
stayed the only Russian ally in the region.

Armenia is a relatively small and poor country, it is land-locked. If
Armenia can solve its problems with Turkey the life would be easier
for the Armenians.

In my opinion Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan could establish
an economic regional integration in Caucasus. Turkey could be a
European door for the Armenian businessmen and people. Turkish
universities can open their doors to Armenian youth. Armenia cannot
survive in a hostile region. So-called Russian support or relations
with Iran cannot substitute relations with Turkey. A strong
Turkish-Armenian regional ally would change a lot in the region. If
Turkey and Armenia can establish a strong friendship, foreign direct
investment would boom, security problems down, and the region would
become a trade centre for the Central Asia, Black Sea and the Middle
East’.

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Feb 4 2005

Turkish Prime Minister and French Assembly Speaker Discuss Turkey’s
EU Membership

Jan SOYKOK, ANKARA (JTW and News Agencies) – President of the French
National Assembly Jean Louis Debre met Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip
Erdogan yesterday.

Louis Debre asked Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about
the
implementation of reforms which Turkey fulfilled in the EU process.
Debre also asked improvement in Cyprus issue and relations with
Armenia.

Turkish PM Erdogan told Debre that France and Turkey share common
values like democracy, freedom, human rights and supremacy of law.
Noting that Turkey tries to effectively implement the reforms it made
in the EU process, Erdogan said Turkey’s EU membership will further
improve the political and economic relations between Turkey and
France.

Tayyip Erdogan said Armenian allegations should be left to
historians. “If their historians have claims, our historians have
claims too. They shall study Ottoman archives” added Erdogan.

Erdogan further said Turkey does not have any problems with its
Armenian citizens’.

“We opened our archives and we provide any assistance to Armenian
historians and scientist who wish to study Ottoman documents.
Armenians should also open their archives,” he added.

Dr. Laciner: `France Should Not Sacrifice For Armenian Radicals’

There is a strong Armenian diaspora lobbying in France and the
Armenian allegations is a domestic issue in France. However Dr. Sedat
Laciner argues French politicians should not sacrifice Turkish-French
relations for their domestic political interests. Dr. Laciner further
continued:

`As a matter of fact that neither French politicians nor the Armenian
Diaspora radicals see Armenia’s national interests as their priority.
Armenia’s and Diaspora’s interests are not the same. As Dr. Nilgun
Gulcan pointed out Armenia and Diaspora has contrary interests.
Diaspora needs more dispute between Turks and Armenians, because many
Diaspora Armenian enjoy from the `genocide industry’. If Turkey and
Armenia solve their problem they could not abuse the past for their
individual interests. Many diaspora institutions are dependent on
`genocide donations’. Many Armenian actors, businessmen, politician
etc. in Northern America and Europe see Turkish-Armenian problems as
source of power. When the both side put an end to the historical
misunderstandings many militants will lose their financial and
political power over the ordinary Armenians in diaspora. Similarly
some of the Diaspora institutions argue that the 1915 Legacy is the
most important thing uniting Armenians. According to this approach,
Diaspora Armenians need a uniting cause in order to resist
assimilation. Otherwise, they think, Armenian identity would be
diminished in front of the strong Western cultures.

However Armenian state needs Turkey and other Turkic peoples. Armenia
is surrounded by more than 100 million Turkish people (Turkey,
Azerbaijan and Iran Azerbaijan). Georgia is an ally of Turkey and has
good relations with the Western states though Armenia stayed the only
Russian ally in the region. Armenia is a relatively small and poor
country, it is land-locked. If Armenia can solve its problems with
Turkey the life would be easier for the Armenians. In my opinion
Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan could establish an economic
regional integration in Caucasus. Turkey could be a European door for
the Armenian businessmen and people. Turkish universities can open
their doors to Armenian youth. Armenia cannot survive in a hostile
region. So-called Russian support or relations with Iran cannot
substitute relations with Turkey. A strong Turkish-Armenian regional
ally would change a lot in the region. If Turkey and Armenia can
establish a strong friendship foreign direct investment would jump,
security problems down, and the region would become a trade centre
for the Central Asia, Black Sea and the Middle East’.

The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 4 2005

Doctors call for release of former minister

Mirtskhulava’s condition requires medical attention impossible to
administer in prison hospital, they argue

By Mary Makharashvili

Doctors of Davit Mirtskhulava have said that the former chair of the
Energy Regulatory Commission needs permanent treatment that is
practically impossible to administer in the prison hospital.

The doctors gave evidence on behalf of Mirtskhulava at
Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi Regional Court on January 31, saying that his
current condition is very serious, and that he needs to be released
from prison so that he can receive the appropriate treatment. Doctor
Irakli Seria also declared that he would assist Mirtskhulava in
proving his innocence.

Despite his poor health, the former chair of the Energy Regulatory
Commission attended the court proceedings in the caged defendant’s
booth. Walking into the court room, he showed a serious limp, thought
to be a result of his ill health and a heart attack earlier this
year.

There he heard his lawyer Otar Gamkrelidze state that Mirtskhulava is
being detained illegally. “I think that he is an illegal prisoner as
the charge that Prosecutor’s Office has raised against him is not
proved based on the law and that is why there are so many violations
in this case,” said Gamkrelidze.

Another lawyer Eka Beselia commented on her colleague’s vast
experience, saying, “Gamkrelidze has directly said that he has never
heard of this kind of a thing during his years of legal practice,”
she said, adding that she has every confidence of proving her
client’s innocence.

However, while Prosecutor Kakha Machavariani said Mirtskhulava’s
lawyers were entitled to express their opinions, he also repeated the
charges facing Mirtskhulava: abuse of power and hiding secret
materials.

“He is accused of abuse of power while Georgian Minister of Fuel and
Energy, which the Prosecutor’s Office states seriously damaged the
country economically,” Eka Beselia explained to The Messenger.

In particular, the General Prosecutor’s Office named a contract
agreed with Armenergo during the period when Mirtskhulava was
minister, which the investigation claims is one-sided and
artificially increased Georgian Railway’s debt to Armenergo from USD
4 million to USD 6 million.

The investigation says that Mirtskhulava agreed to this in return for
certain benefits – namely, helping mediator company
Energomanqkorporatsia to embezzle 90 percent of the USD 6 million
transmitted from Georgian Railway. Georgia still had to pay the debt
as a result of the one-sided contract Mirtskhulava had signed.

As for the second charge against Mirtskhulava – that he took secret
materials relating to Georgia-Armenia criminal relationships from the
Energy Ministry and hid them in the office of the National Regulation
Commission – Beselia said that according to the legal documents could
only be considered as hidden if Mirtskhulava had kept them at his
private home or some other place besides the state structures.

Mirtskhulava is the first high ranking official from the Shevardnadze
administration whose case has come to court, as most others who have
been charged by the General Prosecutor’s Office have preferred to pay
money for their freedom.

The total sum that the Prosecutor’s Office requests Mirtskhulava pay
is over USD 2 million plus fines, but the former minister protests
his innocence, adding that he does not have enough money to buy his
way out of jail.

If the court finds Mirtskhulava guilty he faces twelve years
imprisonment, but as Beselia told The Messenger, they will not give
up and will fight to the end to prove the truth, even if the case
goes up to the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg.
From: Baghdasarian

The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 4 2005

Baku ready for dialogue with Armenia on Karabakh issue

According to the Azeri newspaper Zerkalo.Baku, Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov states that Baku is ready
to hold talks with Yerevan regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue only
after Armenian troops leave occupied areas of Azerbaijan.
The paper reports that evidence gathered by the Azerbaijani
government were presented at an official meeting of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. “We got acquainted with the materials and plan to
investigate them now, ” stated the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk group Yuri Merzliakov. According to an agreement between the
OSCE mission and Baku, experts will visit all 7 occupied regions
around Nagorno-Karabakh.
Merzliakov said that the mission would be accompanied by no one from
the Azerbaijani side. According to co-chairman of the MG of OSCE
Bernard Fassie, the mission will work on the occupied territories for
more than a week. “Then experts will prepare a technical report and
present it to the co-chairmen,” he said.
Establishing settlements in the occupied Azeri territories is being
implemented by the direct participation of Armenia, the paper writes.
The Azerbaijani side presented documents that proved the settlement
of the occupied territories. Azimov said that about 23,000 Armenians
are living illegally on the occupied territories.
The documents also provide information regarding the use of occupied
territories for illegal trade of drugs and organized criminal
activities. Azimov also expressed his attitude toward the PACE
resolution regarding Nagorno-Karabakh.
The president of Azerbaijan also hosted the co-chairmen of the Minsk
Group and the mission that is studying issues of possible illegal
settlements in occupied Azeri territories. He said that the illegal
settlement of these territories by the Armenian side is a serious
obstacle for the achievement of long-term peace.

The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 4 2005

“In their sights”

According to the Russian newspaper Gazeta SNG, an Azeri-Georgian
agreement regarding the prohibition of cargo delivery to Armenia is
directed not against the transportation of illegal foreign goods into
Armenia, but toward further isolating the nation from Russia.
The paper also refers to the “Carpathian Declaration” signed recently
between Ukraine and Georgia, which is directed at the expansion of
the GUUAM alliance (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and
Moldavia) with the aim to attract Poland and Turkey-NATO members-to
this bloc.
The paper writes that the situation is aggravated by the fact that
Russian military bases in Armenia are isolated from the Russian
Federation because there is no agreement regarding the transit of
soldiers and military materials between Russia and Georgia.
According to Gazeta SNG, such transport cannot take place through
either Azerbaijan or Turkey. “Though, everything can be implemented
though Iran, within the framework of a binding Soviet-Iranian
agreement regarding friendship and cooperation, but this way is more
hypothetical than practical given the long distance,” the paper
notes.
According to Gazeta SNG, it is possible that the aggravation of the
relations of the Russian Federation with Georgia and Azerbaijan
because of the mentioned agreement is part of a plan to lay the
groundwork for American-Israeli military actions against Iran.
Russia’s response to the agreement may be to increase its military
presence in Armenia and the Caspian Basin, while in Tbilisi and Baku
this certainly will be perceived as a threat to national security and
be followed by the United States and NATO increasing their military
presence in the Caucasus and Turkey.
This will complicate Moscow’s relations with Ukraine and South
Caucasian countries, the paper states. The Russian Federation has no
reliable military-political allies in this region aside from Armenia.
“In any case, the Russian leadership is not about to risk developing
the military sector of the relations with Iran and Turkmenistan at
the present time,” the paper writes.

The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 4 2005

Gas pipeline provokes disagreement
By M. Alkhazashvili

Georgia’s main gas pipeline has become a topic of much debate within
the government. The position of the late Prime-Minister Zurab Zhvania
and State Minister Kakha Bendukidze was that it is possible to sell
the gas pipeline to the Russian company Gazprom.

But some analysts think that this move would jeopardize the country’s
energy-security and amount to a betrayal of Georgia’s main ally, the
United States. Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze has also
expressed her strong opposition to the sale of the pipeline.

According to the Georgian Constitution, the main gas pipeline is a
strategic state asset and as such cannot be privatized. Upon becoming
Minister of Economic Development, however, Kakha Bendukidze stated
that economics does not recognize the idea of a ‘strategic object’
and therefore even the gas pipeline could be sold in return for
adequate compensation.

The only potential buyer of the main gas pipeline at the moment is
Gazprom. Buying the pipeline is a matter of strategic importance for
Russia. After the building of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, it will
be possible to export Iranian gas via Georgia to Europe. It is also
noteworthy that talks are underway about the possibility of importing
gas from Iran to Georgia. This Iranian gas would provide competition
with the Azerbaijani gas being exported through the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzrum pipeline.

When Prime-Minister Zhvania and other officials expressed their
support for selling the pipeline to Gazprom, Burjanadze immediately
came out against the move. “I am categorically against gas pipeline
privatization, especially selling it to Russia. I have already said
this to the government and I cannot understand why we have to sell it
to Russia. I am pretty sure that I will have the opportunity to
negotiate with the president over this issue and present my arguments
to him. I am convinced that the president will not permit that
Baku-Erzrum and Baku-Ceyhan to be endangered,” said Burjanadze, as
quoted by the newspaper Rezonansi.

Zhvania affirmed that the gas pipeline issue will not be resolved
without Parliament, though he expressed surprise that “this gas
pipeline is being discussed as a sacred object like Svetitskhoveli
[Georgian orthodox church in Mtskheta] and the Khakhuli icon.”

The statements by Zhvania and Burjanadze make it obvious that the gas
pipeline issue is a topic of heated discussion in the Georgian
administration. Some analysts think that the fate of this state asset
may reveal the country’s real foreign policy orientation.

The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 4 2005

Lavrov’s forthcoming Georgia visit

Many hope that Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov
scheduled visit to Tbilisi on February 18 will witness an improvement
in the much strained relations between Russia and Georgia, though
others are more skeptical and do not expect any breakthrough. Georgia
is the minister’s last stop on a South Caucasian tour and only after
he returns to Moscow will it be possible to speak about any possible
changes in Russia’s policy towards the Caucasus.

Lavrov’s tour in the Caucasus begins in Azerbaijan, where he will
discuss the prospects of bilateral relations, reformation of CIS
structures, the conflicts that exist in the Caucasus, particularly
Karabakh, and fighting against international terrorism and
transnational organized crime. In addition, a visit of Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliev to Moscow is being planned for the end of
February.

Having good relations with Azerbaijan is very important for Russia.
Likewise, Ilham Aliev also tries to improve relations with Moscow.
Analysts are particularly interested to see what comes of the two
sides discussion regarding the Karabakh conflict. Russian support for
its traditional ally Armenia in this conflict helped to ensure its
victory, but it is speculated that Russia may demonstrate greater
support for Baku’s cause, perhaps as a result of alleged cooler
relations with Armenia.

Perhaps Moscow is trying to regulate the issue of Karabakh so that
both Armenia and Azerbaijan will be satisfied. But if this does
happen, analysts question what Moscow might benefit from brokering a
deal which would leave Armenia less dependent on Russia and more
flexible in terms of foreign policy.

Karabakh will not be the only topic on the agenda when Lavrov moves
on to Yerevan. There, as in Tbilisi, discussion of reopening the rail
route between Russia and Armenia, particularly after Azerbaijan
recently strengthened its blockade of Armenia so that cargo from
Azerbaijan cannot enter Georgia if it is ultimately destined for
Armenia, will dominate the agenda. The new Kavkaz-Poti ferry route is
unlikely to ease Armenia’s transportation problems much, and so
reopening the route remains of great importance.

But although Georgia has expressed readiness to consider the
rehabilitation of the Tbilisi-Sokhumi leg of the railway, there seems
little likelihood of this happening in the near future. The most
serious stumbling block is the Georgian government’s continuing
demands that Georgian refugees be allowed to return to Abkhazia
before any repairs can take place on the railway.

Resolving Georgia’s conflicts with Abkhazia and South Ossetia will
top the agenda of discussions in Tbilisi. The Georgian government
continues to complain of Russian hypocrisy with regard to the
conflicts – recognizing the territorial integrity of Georgia in word
but doing all it can to annex parts of the country in deed – and it
will hope that it can persuade to act on its statements and show
active support for the restoration of its territorial integrity.

However, despite Saakashvili’s Strasbourg proposals regarding the
peaceful resolution of the South Ossetian conflict, little is
expected to change in the situation, although some experts continue
to hope that behind-the-scenes negotiations may lead Moscow to change
its attitude towards Georgia. Lately, a large amount of Russian
capital has entered Georgia and in Strasbourg, during discussions
about Georgia, Russian representative displayed a surprisingly
constructive position with regard to Georgia.

In addition to the unregulated conflicts, a number of other problems
have also accumulated in Georgian-Russian relations. The issue of
Russian military base withdrawal has yet to move forward after years
of negotiations. Moscow demands 13 years for the process, but the
Georgian side regards that it will need less time. Without the
support of the West, however, this issue is unlikely to be resolved.

Some experts regard that the visa regime in place between the two
countries is more important than the issue of base withdrawal. This
regime makes it difficult for Georgian citizens to enter Russia and
as of this year, the price of a Russian visa has increased. At the
same time the Russian market is extremely important for Georgia.

Caspian oil will be one of the main issues of Lavrov’s tour in the
Caucasus. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is set to begin
operation this year and the issue of transporting Azerbaijani gas to
Turkey and Iranian gas to Europe is also slated for discussion.
Georgia is vitally important in all of these issues.

The issue of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Tbilisi is
likely to be agreed upon during Lavrov’s visit. Putin was to visit
Georgia last year, but his trip was postponed. However, Putin may
visit Georgia in the near future to sign important documents; but
although the Russian-Georgian frame agreement is named among them, it
is difficult to imagine that such an agreement could be signed in the
current climate of hostility.

Pilot sent SOS minutes before crash

Region / Sudan

Gulfnews.com
04/02/2005

By Bassam Za’za’, Bassma Al Jandaly and Jay Hilotin,
Staff Reporters

SHARJAH: The captain of a Sudanese cargo plane that crashed near
Khartoum yesterday reported an emergency a few minutes before it went
off the radar screens, an official said.

“He (the pilot) said there was something wrong with the fuel system
… A few minutes later it disappeared from the screens,” Sudanese
Civil Aviation Authority director Abu Bakr Jaafar said.

“Of course, it is too early to tell what the cause is,” he said.

Nine people died when the cargo plane carrying goods from Sharjah
crashed.

The pilot appeared to have guided his aircraft away from a residential
district and crashed in an uninhabited area near the airport, Al Obaid
Ahmad Murawih, the media attaché at the Sudanese Consulate in Dubai,
told Gulf News.

“It crashed in a vacant lot where authorities are planning to build
the new Khartoum International Airport, east of the Nile River at
about 9am UAE time (8am in Sudan). The plane took off from Sharjah at
about 4.37am on Thursday.”

The aircraft, a Russian-made Ilyushin 76, was carrying a cargo
consignment from Sharjah to the Sudan-ese city of Nyala, near Darfur,
and was scheduled to land in Khartoum for refuelling, he said.

Murawih said a Sudanese businessman chartered the plane and that nine
people five Russians, three Sudanese and an Armenian, died in the
crash.

“There were seven crew members and we have no further information
about the other two,” he said.

Dr Ganem Al Hajiri, director general of Sharjah Civil Aviation
Authority, told Gulf News the aircraft was a chartered plane of Air
West (Al Ghareb), a private Sudanese company with offices in Sharjah.

“The plane is not registered in the UAE and neither are the crew
members,” he said.

Air West’s office in Sharjah declined to comment.

With inputs from agencies

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Feb 4 2005

We will sign Ankara Protocol: Erdogan

The Cyprus question topped the agenda of the meeting between the
Turkish Prime Minister and the speaker of the French parliament.

February 4 – Turkey will sign an official protocol that would signify
the recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration before October 3,
the date Ankara is due to open accession negotiations with the
European Union, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said
Thursday.

Signing of the expanded version of the Ankara Protocol between
Turkey and the EU is a step on Turkey’s path towards joining the
bloc. The document declares that Turkey recognises all EU members,
including those newly joined in May of last year. Among the new
members was the Greek Cypriot administration.
Speaking in a meeting with Jean Luis Debre, the speaker of the
French parliament, Erdogan said that Turkey would sign the protocol
before accession talks began.
Erdogan said that they are taking the views of legal experts
on the protocol, adding, `we are not in a rush. The signing of the
protocol bring not just political but commercial results.’
One of the issues that marked the meeting was the referendum
that France is to hold to vote on Turkey’s membership, which Debre
described was a tradition of France. Debre also asked Erdogan for his
views of secularism. The Turkish Prime Minister responded by saying
that Turkey had learned secularism from France but had made more
progress than France on the issue.
On the issue of the so-called Armenian genocide, Erdogan said
that Turkey had opened its archives but the Armenians had not.
`As new archives are opened you will see that the situation is
not like it is alleged,’ Erdogan said.
The Turkish premier asked for Debre’s help in Ankara’s efforts
to change the prejudices about Turkey in France.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that there was
still time for the signing of the Ankara protocol. However, Gul,
speaking on his second day of his official visit to China, stressed
that in the protocol would not signify the official recognition of
the Greek Cypriot administration.

Rocky Mountain News, CO
Feb 4 2005

2nd college yanks Churchill invitation

President of school in Massachusetts cites security fears

By Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News
February 4, 2005

A Massachusetts college withdrew a speaking invitation Thursday to
University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill.

Wheaton College, in Norton, Mass., had invited Churchill to
participate in a March 29 panel on genocide.

President Michael Crutcher withdrew the invitation amid concerns
about public safety, college spokesman Michael Graca said.

“Freedom of speech is an important principle both for the country,
but certainly as well for educational institutions,” Graca said. “And
it needs to take place in a secure and safe environment, and that’s
the fundamental issue.”

Eastern Washington University will decide today whether to rescind an
invitation to Churchill to speak April 5.

The ethnic-studies professor is under fire nationally for a 2001
essay in which he referred to victims in the World Trade Center on
9/11 as “little Eichmanns,” a reference to Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi
Gestapo officer who headed Adolf Hitler’s effort to wipe out Jews in
Europe.

On Tuesday, Hamilton College in upstate New York canceled an address
by Churchill because of security concerns. Churchill’s remarks on the
Sept. 11 attack were brought to light by a student journalist at
Hamilton.

Graca said Wheaton College has not received any threats, but acted in
light of the threats at Hamilton.

“Given the experience of Hamilton this past week, we felt it was
prudent to take some action to maintain a secure campus,” Graca said.

Churchill was to speak about the American Indian experience with an
expert on the Turkish genocide of Armenians in 1915, and survivors of
the Holocaust and mass killings in Rwanda. That discussion will take
place now without Churchill.

Wheaton College is a 1,500-student liberal-arts college in southeast
Massachusetts.

At Eastern Washington, Churchill is scheduled to take part in Native
American Awareness Week. The school in Cheney, Wash., is 6 percent
American Indian – considered a large proportion for a college, said
spokesman David Rey.

Rey said faculty members who invited Churchill knew his views about
Americans Indians were controversial. They didn’t know about his
essay on Sept. 11.

“I don’t think this is what they expected,” Rey said.

President Stephen Jordan spent Thursday discussing the matter with
trustees and faculty, Rey said. Jordan will issue a statement during
a trustees meeting this morning.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress