Soviet-era rule splits GOP

The Hill (Washington, DC)
January 12, 2005

By Peter Savodnik ([email protected], 202-628-8507)

Leading Republicans on Capitol Hill are at odds on whether Congress
should repeal a Cold War trade measure that barred the Soviet Union
from gaining most favored nation (MFN) status – and, critics say,
continues to stymie economic growth and strain relations between
Washington and Moscow.

The Jackson-Vanik amendment to the 1974 trade act targeted the Soviets
for sharply limiting Jewish emigration. Given that all countries
belonging to the World Trade Organization (WTO) must grant each other
MFN status, the trade measure also has made it difficult for Russia,
Ukraine and other ex-communist states to join the WTO.

Foreign-policy mavens such as Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of
the Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.),
chairman of the International Relations Committee, argue that
Jackson-Vanik has outlived its usefulness.

In their eyes, and those of the U.S.-Russia Business Council and
authorities in Russia and Ukraine, Jackson-Vanik is a snub to
ex-communist states that, most everyone agrees, have greatly improved
their human-rights records since the Soviet Union’s collapse in
1991. The United States has acknowledged as much, routinely giving the
formerly communist countries yearly waivers for Jackson-Vanik.

But some senators and House members are reluctant to move quickly on
Jackson-Vanik for fear of forfeiting a bargaining chip. That is
particularly true at the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means
committees, which have jurisdiction on Jackson-Vanik.

The `trade linkage’ camp, as one Republican source put it, views
Jackson-Vanik as a useful tool when it comes to ensuring that
U.S. corporations are treated favorably in Russia or for protecting
the rights of religious minorities.

`There’s definitely a split [on Capitol Hill], and I don’t think it’s
ideologically Republican or Democrat,’ a Senate aide
explained. `There’s a split between the people who view Jackson-Vanik
as an insulting relic of the Soviet era. … But on the other hand
there are folks who believe that if you don’t have that Jackson-Vanik
vote every year to get that MFN status you really are giving something
up. You give away some leverage.’

Officials from the affected countries – including the new, pro-Western
president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushenko – want the measure to be
expunged, or, at least, they want their countries to be `graduated’
from the restrictions, as has been the case for the ex-Soviet
republics of Georgia, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and the Baltic states:
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

One Republican source said that when Yushenko meets with President
Bush, which could happen next month in Europe, three issues will
likely top Yushenko’s list: gaining entry to the WTO, securing
market-economy status from the Commerce Department and eliminating
Jackson-Vanik.

`The age of Jackson-Vanik has long since ended, and the Jackson-Vanik
restrictions should be lifted on what was the Soviet Union,’ said
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who led a six-member delegation to
Kiev last month to oversee the presidential election in
Ukraine. `Nobody claims that we live in the Soviet era, where Jews are
no longer permitted to immigrate. … The fact that we haven’t taken
[Jackson-Vanik] off – it either reflects incompetence or malice.’

Rohrabacher, a member of the International Relations Committee, said
he would seek to force a debate in the 109th Congress on repealing
Jackson-Vanik. Andy Fisher, a spokesman for Lugar, said the senator
would back a bill similar to the one he sponsored in the last Congress
calling for Russia’s graduation; that bill was co-sponsored by GOP
Sens. Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Jon Kyl (Ariz.) and
Trent Lott (Miss.).

A Republican House aide said Hyde is `strongly in favor’ of repealing
Jackson-Vanik for Russia and Ukraine. And a Senate aide suggested that
Ukraine’s recent democratic `orange revolution’ had led to a
reassessment of U.S.-Ukrainian relations. `I expect that there will be
a hard look at the various ways the U.S. can help Ukraine consolidate
its democratic gains, and this will probably include looking at the
repeal of [Jackson-Vanik],’ the aide said.

Sen. Joe Biden’s (D-Del.) experience with Russian chicken bans
illustrates the benefits, some say, of holding onto Jackson-Vanik. The
ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, who had supported
repealing the trade measure for Russia, changed his mind after Russia
imposed a ban in 2002 on U.S. chicken imports. Chicken is big
business in Delaware. Soon after Biden and other senators complained,
Russia lifted the ban.

Mark Levin, executive director of the NCSJ (formerly known as the
National Conference of Soviet Jewry), an advocacy group for Jews in
the former Soviet Union, added that Ukraine has yet to return communal
property such as synagogues and schools to Jewish communities in Kiev,
Lviv, Dniprepetrovsk and other cities.

Referring to Ukraine’s speaker of the parliament, or Rada, Vladimir
Lytvyn, Levin said: `Lytvyn made a commitment to an NCSJ [delegation]
that he would introduce legislation on returning communal property,
and nothing has happened.’

Sergei Korsunsky, deputy chief of mission at the Ukrainian Embassy in
Washington, countered that a `Jewish renaissance’ is taking place
today in his country, encompassing 230 communities with 500 Jewish
organizations and 40 Jewish newspapers. He added that 50 synagogues
have been returned to Jews in Ukraine.

`Of course,’ Korsunsky said, `we have sometimes, somewhere, separate
cases of anti-Semitism, but this does not compare to what is going on
in Europe.’

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Jan 11 2005

SPEAKER MEETS WITH GREEK AMBASSADOR
[January 11, 2005, 23:08:09]

On January 11, Speaker of the Milli Majlis /Parliament/ of Azerbaijan
Murtuz Alasgarov received Ambassador of Greece Mercurios Karafotias
on completion of his tenure in Azerbaijan.

The Speaker expressed satisfaction with development of relationship
between the two countries. The reciprocal visits by our leaders and
the documents signed as a result, have brought the bilateral
relations up to a new level; our interparliamentary cooperation is
also developing, our deputies often express common stance in the
international organization, he said.

Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Murtuz Alasgarov said
that a number of reputable international organizations had confirmed
the fact of occupation of the Azerbaijani lands and urged Armenia to
release the territories, but the country is not going to abandon its
aggressive policy. He expressed hope the PACE 25 January session at
which the relevant report is to be delivered, will give an impetus to
the problem’s resolution.

The Speaker, finally, thanked the Greek Government for the support in
relation to the conflict, and wished the Ambassador success in his
future activities.

Mr. Karafotias expressed gratitude for the kind words and noted that
his country is very interested in development of cooperation with
Azerbaijan. He said that the question of forming interparliamentary
friendship group with Azerbaijan was discussed at the very first
meeting of the newly elected Greek Parliament, and described this
fact as a graphic indicator of Athens’ attitude towards Azerbaijan.
The Ambassador also touched upon the official visit by President
Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan to Greece scheduled for 2005. We hope this
will open a new stage of our developing relationship, he said. Mr.
Karafotias reaffirmed that his country supports fair position of
Azerbaijan with respects to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and stands for
its settlement on the base of the principles of the international law
and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

The parties also exchanged views on a number of other issues of
mutual interest.

State Dept.’s Anti-Semitism Report a Good First Step, But Softpeddles Some
Arab Gov’t-Sponsored Anti-Semitism

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 10 /U.S. Newswire/ — The State Department’s first
annual report on global anti-Semitism deserves praise for its strong
definition of anti-Semitism, but the report fails to give adequate
attention to anti-Semitism sponsored by some Arab governments, an
analysis by The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies has
concluded.

“It is encouraging that the report includes Israel-Nazi analogies in
its definition of anti-Semitism, but it is disappointing that the
report says so little about some Arab governments which promote such
analogies and other types of anti- Semitism,” said Wyman Institute
director Dr. Rafael Medoff.

The State Department’s report, issued Friday, is mandated by the
recently-passed Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, sponsored last summer
by Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and signed into law by President Bush in
October. The Lantos bill came in response to the rising tide of
global anti-Semitism, especially in Europe and the Middle East.

During Congressional consideration of the measure, the Wyman Institute
organized a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell,
signed by 108 prominent American political and cultural leaders, which
helped Lantos over come the State Department’s opposition to the bill.

The report provides the first official U.S. government definition of
anti-Semitism, and this is one of the report’s strongest aspects. It
states that in addition to direct attacks on Jews or Judaism, “The
demonization of Israel or vilification of Israeli leaders, sometimes
through comparisons with Nazi leaders, and through the use of Nazi
symbols to caricature them, indicates an anti-Semitic bias rather than
a valid criticism of policy concerning a controversial issue.”

The 37-page report, covering the period from July 1, 2003 through
December 15, 2004, offers summaries of anti-Semitic incidents in
various countries and of what actions in response have been taken by
government authorities. Surprisingly, more space is given to some
European and South American countries where there has been relatively
little anti-Semitism, and noticeably less space to some Arab countries
where government-sponsored anti- Semitism is widespread.

For example, the section about Iceland is 387 words long, even though
the report notes only one instance of anti-Semitic harassment and one
hostile cartoon there. By contrast, Saudi Arabia is given just 182
words, including the apparently contradictory statements that
“Anti-Semitic sentiments…were present in the print and electronic
media. The local press rarely printed articles or commentaries
disparaging other religions.”

Only 86 words are devoted to the Palestinian Authority, more than half
of which discussed a sermon on PA Television by a Muslim preacher
urging tolerance (but not mentioning Jews). That sermon unfortunately
was not typical of sermons that are broadcast on PA tv and radio,
which often contain anti-Semitic themes, including denial of the
Holocaust. Additionally, the State Department report does not mention
instances of anti-Semitism in the PA- controlled press. Surprisingly,
Armenia (194 words), Brazil (149), and Azerbaijan (142), where there
is little reported anti- Semitism and no evidence of
government-sponsored anti-Semitism, are given more space in the report
than the Palestinian Authority.

——

ABOUT THE WYMAN INSTITUTE: The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust
Studies, located on the campus of Gratz College (near Philadelphia),
is a research and education institute focusing on America’s response
to the Holocaust. It is named in honor of the eminent historian and
author of the 1984 best-seller The Abandonment of the Jews, the most
important and influential book concerning the U.S. response to the
Nazi genocide.

The Institute’s Advisory Committee includes Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Elie Wiesel, Members of Congress, and other luminaries.

The Institute’s Academic Council includes 48 leading professors of the
Holocaust, American history, and Jewish history.

The Institute’s Arts & Letters Council, chaired by Cynthia Ozick,
includes prominent artists, writers, musicians, and filmmakers.

(A complete list is available upon request.)

Contact: Rafael Medoff of David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust
Studies, 215-635-5622 or rafaelmedoff(At)aol.com

01/10 11:53

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
January 11, 2005

Nothing – no human creation or plan – is capable of renewing and
transfiguring the soul of man, other than the faith of God’s presence in the
life of mankind. –
His Holiness Karekin II

Christ is Born and Revealed! Blessed is the Revelation of Christ

On the morning of January 6, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church celebrated
the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ. His
Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians celebrated the Pontifical
Divine Liturgy in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin.

During the Liturgy, His Holiness delivered his Christmas message addressed
to all Armenians:

“…Today the star of Bethlehem is guiding us to the Savior’s manger, where
the eternal was born, the infinite was confined, and that which cannot be
comprehended was recognized as liberator. Let us not hesitate to know the
Truth, to do the good, to serve one another and to serve Christ. Let us put
aside all which will disrupt us from following His luminous and liberating
path. Freedom is the greatest grace in which our hopes and aspirations will
bear fruit, to construct a peaceful and prosperous life and a free society.
We will not only defend the freedom of our Homeland, but also make it become
freedom for each one of us.

Freedom is our choice of the good, which in itself is also a struggle
against evil. Poverty and the evil of lawlessness will be erased from our
soil with our Christ-loving and truth-loving endeavors; indifference and
intolerance will be forced out of our society and the benefits of true
philanthropy will be established. It is through our brotherhood, in our
justice and in our love that our plans and labors will succeed; aimed at the
building and strengthening of our Homeland, in the transformation of our
society, in the preservation and renaissance of national life in the
Diaspora, in the education of our children, in the development of our
culture, and in the realization of all objectives of our people”

In his message, His Holiness also spoke of the significance of the new year
of 2005, noting that the Armenian people will celebrate the 1,600th
anniversary of the creation of the Armenian Alphabet and solemnly
commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The Pontiff of All Armenians concluded his message by stating, “Let us kneel
down beside the cradle of the Infant Jesus and ask that through the presence
of God, the renewing spirit be ours as well, and the life being led towards
goodness and truth be our life as well, in our Homeland and in the Diaspora.
Let us all pray in unison that our compassionate Lord, through the
consolation of the Holy Spirit, grant comfort to the hearts of thousands
affected by the recent natural disaster in the countries of the Far East,
and with His unending mercy, grant rest to the souls of the victims. May
the peace sent from heaven be established throughout the world, and
especially today for all peoples living in the dangers of war, and may
divine paths lead the course of mankind towards the shores of
reconciliation, justice and brotherhood; towards an improving prosperous,
progressive and happy life; and towards salvation and eternity.”

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the Catholicos of All Armenians
offered the Service of the Blessing of the Waters, in commemoration of the
Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan. The Godfather of the Cross this year
was the dean of the Medical University of Yerevan, Dr. Vilen Hakobian.

In attendance for the Divine Liturgy were the President of the Republic of
Armenia, Robert Kocharian; high-ranking officials of the Armenian
government; members of the Supreme Spiritual Council; ambassadors and
representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations; and
thousands of faithful.

Following the Divine Liturgy, a reception was held in the Pontifical
Residence.

Azeri daily calls for more money to modernize army

Zerkalo, Baku
4 Jan 05

The daily Zerkalo has said that despite its increase by 80m dollars,
the Azerbaijani 2005 military budget is still not “militant”. In a
detailed front-paged analysis of the military budget, the daily said
that there are not enough funds to modernize the country’s military
hardware. In an interview with Zerkalo, a former Defence Ministry
official called for increased spending on R and D. The following is
the text of C. Sumarinli and M. Mammadov’s report by the Azerbaijani
newspaper Zerkalo on 4 January headlined “One should not go to war
with such a defence budget” and subheaded “Military expert reckons
that strategy of military spending has to be worked out”; subheadings
are as published:

Milli Maclis [Azerbaijan’s parliament] and the president have recently
endorsed the 2005 state budget which increases the military spending
by 80m dollars compared to 2004. According to the law on budget
published in the press, the total expenditure will add up to around
2bn dollars. Of this, the military spending will account for 12 per
cent, which means 240m dollars or 1,206bn manats. This is the third
biggest item of spending in the budget, after education (1,782bn
manats) and social security (1,5bn manats).

How will the 240m dollars earmarked for the military be allocated?
Before answering this question, let us first have a look at the common
practice of military spending. The state allocates the military
spending between salaries and pensions of the servicemen, spending on
food, uniform, arms and equipment, medical treatment, military
education and so on.

Salaries, pensions

This part of military spending is, by its nature, prone to change. A
number of experts reckon that there will be no increase in salaries of
the servicemen in 2005. However, it must be considered that it is in
2005 when the military expenditure has gone up in such an “anomalous”
way. Starting from 1999, the defence spending has been increasing by
10m dollars each year, but this time it surged by 80m dollars. So, a
sharp increase in funding will make it possible to raise the salaries
of the servicemen. Incidentally, there is talk of an increase in
salaries in the army, although the latest increase took place on 26
June 2004.

Today, a young lieutenant, graduate of a military school, will earn
between 450,000-500,000 manats [around 100 dollars] depending on where
he is serving (on the front line or in the army
rear). Correspondingly, a warrant officer earns between
300,000-500,000 manats [between 60 and 100 dollars]. A senior
lieutenant earns 500,000-800,000 manats [between 100 and 160
dollars]. It is clear that with such salaries young officers will be
unable to resolve many social and family issues.

Only the salaries of senior officers may be considered
satisfactory. Starting from the rank of captain and all the way up to
colonel-general, servicemen earn, including benefits for the rank,
between one and five million manats [between 250 and 1,000
dollars]. The defence minister has the highest-paid job in the armed
forces as he receives around 5,000,000 manats [over 1,000 dollars].

It will be interesting to see how much of the military spending is
“eaten up” by the salaries and pensions of the servicemen? A quarter
of the 80,000-strong Azerbaijani army is comprised of warrant officers
and officers, and the rest of privates and sergeants. If we assume
that warrant officers and officers receive on average nine million
manats or around 1,800 dollars per year, it is clear that the 2005
budget will have to spend 36m dollars on [their] salaries. Privates
and sergeants receive between 20,000 and 60,000 manats [between four
and 12 dollars] per month. Simple calculation shows that around five
million dollars or 24bn manats is needed each year to pay this
category of the servi cemen.

As for the servicemen’s pensions, it must be said that there are
12,000 such people in Azerbaijan and the average pension is some
500,000 manats. Hence, it takes 12m dollars a year to pay the
pensions. So, 53m dollars are spent each year on the salaries and
pensions.

Spending on food and uniform

Food supplies to the army have considerably improved over the past few
years. With the exception of some aspects, the National Army does not
face the problems it had five to six years ago. When compared with the
armed forces of the USA, UK and Russia, it is clear that the ration of
an Azerbaijani warrior is not inferior in any sense. The mainstay of
an Azerbaijani serviceman’s ration is bread (750 grammes), potatoes
and vegetables (900 grammes).

The Defence Ministry’s press service has shown us army ration pack No
1, which said that the servicemen receive daily food that consists of
29 items (one of them is Tseksavit which is a medicine). An American
soldier’s ration pack contains the same amount of items. The table of
components of ration pack No 1 shows that an Azerbaijani servicemen
consumes food worth 6,322 manats a day, or 189,661 manats a month,
which makes 2,276,000 manats a year (some 460 dollars). Thus, the
Azerbaijani army spends on food 27.6m dollars [per year].

Spending on uniform is one the main spending items in the military
budget. According to our preliminary calculations, uniforms costs the
Defence Ministry 8m dollars. This includes both the set of clothes for
the young conscripts and the regular renewal of the uniform of the
professional servicemen. We estimate that a uniform of each serviceman
is worth 600,000 manats.

Where else do money go?

Let us draw a preliminary conclusion from our research. We have learnt
that out of the military budget, 53m dollars is being spent on
salaries and pensions, 27m are being “eaten up” by food and 8m is
being spent on clothes. Overall, these three items costs the budget
88m dollars. To recap, the military budget is 240m dollars.

We should note that such spending accounts for 30 to 35 per cent of
the military budget, which is standard international practice. For the
first time in the past five to six years, Azerbaijan’s overall
spending on salaries, pensions, food and clothes matches the existing
practice of composition of the military budget.

We have touched on only several aspects of the military spending and
did not mention such important aspects as the modernization of
military hardware and weapons, the funding of the military schools,
operations of the military commissariats, health service, housing,
military exercises, foreign visits and postings to name a few.

In the opinion of independent military experts, the 2005 military
budget makes it possible to carry out “leapfrog” reforms of the
army. The weapons and military equipment, meaning transport and small
arms, will be partially renewed. The funds are insufficient for
modernizing the whole stock of military hardware.

As we have found out, the sharp increase in the defence spending has
to do with the rising expenditure on scientific research and
development (acquisition of computers, navigation and observation
devices, and communications hardware). Out of the 2005 budget, 10 to
15 per cent will be allocated to this end.

Hence, we can draw a conclusion that the nature of the defence
spending is peaceful, rather than “militant”. Taking into
consideration the occupation of part of the country, the experts
believe it is necessary to spend money on the defence in a
scientifically balanced way.

Strategy of military spending

Lt-Col (retd) Uzeyir Cafarov, formerly an employee of the Defence
Ministry’s military-research centre, said that the defence budget is
not enough to satisfy Azerbaijan’s military requirements. “If we want
our armed forces to be up to the world standards as soon as possible,
if we intend to set up powerful units capable of winning the future
war, then we must pay more attention to the defence.”

In the expert’s view, scientific research has to be done to form the
Azerbaijani army’s strategy for military spending. In the absence of
the strategy and in the existence of control over the allocation of
the funds, it is impossible to supply and equip the army and resolve
relevant issues.

Cafarov called for specific steps aimed at developing military science
and research, laying the scientific foundation for building the army
and recruiting competent specialists. “For instance, today’s agenda
includes the introduction of the alternative military service in
Azerbaijan. However, there has been no research as to whether this
kind of service would suit Azerbaijan. This fact alone means that more
attention has to be paid to the military research centres,” Cafarov
said.

The expert went on to say that by forming a national
military-industrial complex in Azerbaijan, it would be possible to
make some military budget savings. “Almost half of the weapons and
hardware in the army is obsolescent and has the service life of 20 to
30 years. A complete renewal of the hardware would require tremendous
spending. The way out of the situation is to create a
military-industrial complex as soon as possible,” Cafarov said.

In conclusion, let us report that Azerbaijan possesses the biggest
military budget in the South Caucasus. Armenia (the armed forces
comprise 40,000-50,000 servicemen) will spend 127m dollars on defence
in 2005, and Georgia (18,000-22,000 servicemen) will spend 70m
dollars.

Ethnic minorities in Tajikistan set up alliance

Asia-Plus news agency, Dushanbe
10 Jan 05

Dushanbe, 10 January: An alliance of ethnic minorities living in
Tajikistan has been set up in the country. The leaders of
[Tajikistan’s] Korean, German, Ossetian and Arab communities and
Tatar-Bashkir centre took the decision in Dushanbe on 8 January.

The head of the Korean diaspora in Tajikistan, Viktor Kim, who
attended the meeting, told Asia-Plus today that the interests of
representatives of 100 ethnic groups living in Tajikistan, 1 per cent
of the country’s population, were not protected. He added that state
bodies and political parties did not take into account their
interests.

“In this connection it was decided to set up an alliance. However, the
leaders of only five communities, with the exception of the Turkmen
and Uighur ones, supported the decision,” he said. “Now we intend to
get the consent of the leaders of the Armenian, Azeri and Georgian
communities to join the alliance,” Kim added.

He said that the main task of the alliance was to attract the
attention of the state agencies to resolving the issues of ethnic
minorities, specifically, the issues of preserving and developing
their traditions and language.

“The alliance will not register at the Justice Ministry since it was
set up temporarily, for the coming two years. We hope that we will
fulfil the main task of the alliance during this period of time,” Kim
said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THREE QUAKES SHAKE IRAN, GREECE AND TURKEY IN ONE DAY

YEREVAN, JANUARY 11. ARMINFO. Three earthquakes have taken place in
Iran and on the Turkish-Greek border in the last 24 hours.

The National Service of Seismic Protection of Armenia’s Emergency
Department reports that a 5.4 point earthquake took place 25 km north
of the Iranian town of Gorgan Jan 10 10:47 pm. In the epicenter the
magnitude was 7 points on the MSK-64 scale. The local phone network
has been damaged, the population is in panic. No casualties reported
yet.

Two 5.1 point quakes shook the areas 60 km and 55 km of Mugla, the
Turkish-Greek border, today 3:48 am and 3:50 am respectively. In the
epicenter the magnitude was 6 points. Again no reports of casualties
have been received to date.

AZERBAIJAN PROCLAIMS 2004 YEAR OF KARABAKH AND REITERATES ITS
READINESS TO SETTLE KARABAKH PROBLEM BY FORCE

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 11. ARMINFO. Azerbaijan has proclaimed 2004 “the
year of Karabakh” and has reiterated through its president Ilham Aliev
its readiness if need be to settle the Karabakh problem by force, says
Karabakh analyst David Babayan.

They in Azerbaijan have been actively alleging lately that Armenia has
agreed to the phased settlement scenario. Nagorny Karabakh could not
help reacting. The settlement process has been standing still for
over 10 years already mostly because the parties to it differ
drastically in their approaches to the settlement. Nagorny Karabakh
advocates package scenario – at once and on all the issues – while
Azerbaijan insists on phased one – return of the territories
controlled by Nagorny Karabakh and constituting security belt for
it. Only then will Baku agree to negotiate on Nagorny Karabakh’s
status.

In any case only complex approach should be applied here – package
scenario implemented in phases. This implies comprehensive settlement
with all the aspects agreed on these including the status, the
territories, refugees, security… to be implemented stage by stage on
mutually acceptable terms. This is the only way of conflict
settlement. That’s exactly how the Dayton Peace Accords on Bosnia were
reached or the UN project on Cyprus was drafted.

Meanwhile Baku keeps insisting exclusively on the return of
territories and refugees implying only Azeri territories and refugees
forgetting that the area of the Nagorny Karabakh territories
controlled by Azerbaijan and the number of Armenian refugees having
left their homes are much bigger than the Azeri territories
constituting the security belt of Nagorny Karabakh.

Baku’s position is in fact an attempt to eliminate negative
consequences without eliminating their causes. This is impossible
especially as this approach is changing the whole military-political
situation in the conflict zone which is tempting Azerbaijan to settle
the problem by force. This rather than the settlement scenarios
controversy is the key reason for Azerbaijan’s non constructive
position on the Karabakh conflict settlement, says Babayan.

RIA Novosti, Russia
Jan 11 2005

PUTIN: MOSCOW READY TO ACT AS INTERMEDIARY IN SOLUTION OF CONFLICTS
IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

MOSCOW, January 11 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will act in the settlement
of Karabakh conflict and relations between Turkey and Armenia only as
an intermediary, stated Vladimir Putin during a meeting with Turkish
businessmen in Moscow.

Answering a question posed by the Turkish media, the Russian
President announced that during the meeting the sides did not discuss
the Karabakh problem. “We touched upon general issues of relations
between countries in the region – Russia and Armenia, Armenia and
Turkey,” Mr. Putin said.

Both sides, he stated, expressed the desire to establish friendly
relations among neighbors.

“Russia will do everything possible to settle the conflicts remaining
on the post-Soviet space, including the long-lasting Karabakh
conflict,” Mr. Putin announced. “However, we will do it only as an
intermediary and guarantor of agreements which are going to be
reached by conflicting sides.”

The ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has
been lasting for more than ten years, and the involvement of
international intermediaries in the framework of the OSCE Minsk group
did not bring the sides any closer to the final solution of the
conflict. Baku insists on the primacy of territorial integrity, the
return of self-proclaimed Nagorny-Karabakh republic to the
jurisdiction of Azerbaijan and the withdrawal of Armenian
(occupation) forces.

The Turkish Prime Minister, in his turn, called for future
improvement of relations with Armenia.

He reminded that Turkey has already opened the Istanbul airport for
flights from Armenia. The land border is still closed and its opening
will depend on the progress of negotiations between the two
countries, the Turkish Prime Minister underlined.

He stressed that Turkey was interested in the development of
relations with Armenia. “We do not wish to have resentful neighbors,”
he stated.

The Armenian authorities demand that Ankara officially apologize for
the genocide of Armenianpeople (according to Yerevan) committed by
the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep
Jan 11 2005

Armenia, Azerbaijan Discussing Nagorno-Karabakh

11 January 2005 — The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
are meeting in the Czech capital Prague today to discuss the
Azerbaijani-Armenian dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The one-day meeting is being held behind closed doors and under the
auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. It has
had de facto independence since Armenian-backed forces won control
over the territory in 1994 following a six-year war.

Armenian-backed forces and Azerbaijani troops continue to face off
across a demilitarized zone in the region.