CLASSES OVER

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
23 Dec 04

This year winter holidays in secondary schools started earlier. Classes
were stopped because of influenza currently spread in the republic. The
head of the education department of the City Hall of Stepanakert Karlen
Margarian informed that the winter vacation will last till January
10. According to him, this is not because of the frost as the schools
of the capital are heated normally. The central heating of the schools
of the capital was stopped, and after the vacation the schools will
have central heating till March 15. According to the director of the
“Central Heating” (“Jermayin Tntesutyun”) State CJSC Armen Shabanian,
central heating at schools will be provided longer except for the
school of physics and mathematics where classes are not over yet.

LAURA GRIGORIAN.
23-12-2004

SURPRISES FOR THE CAPITAL

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
21 Dec 04

Several days are left till the year 2005. The New Year is the
holiday when everybody anticipates to celebrate in the best way. The
vice head of the department of education, culture and sport Karineh
Harutiunian said a special commission was set up to organize the New
Year celebrations. For the celebrations 1 million 250 thousand drams
was provided. The sum was reduced against the previous years but the
culture department will also involve sponsors. Part of festivities will
be organized together with the NKR Ministry of Education, Culture and
Sport. This year there will be two New Year trees, one in the Square
of Renaissance and the other in the Square of Victory. The decoration
works of the fir-trees and the streets began on December 20. December
31 will by all means differ from other days. From 3 to 7 oâ~@~Yclock PM
Santa Claus and his granddaughter, the symbol of Karabakh â~@~ayaâ~@~]
and the monkey and cock symbolizing the old and the new years will
ride in a decorated coach in the streets of Stepanakert and give
out presents to children. This year there will be two carriages with
Santa and his granddaughter. In the end they will come to the Square
of Renaissance where discos, music and other contests with prizes will
be held. The mayor of Stepanakert Edward Aghabekian will congratulate
the people of the town. Karineh Harutiunian said that there will be
other surprises but she preferred to let them be a surprise.

AA. 23-12-2004

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RUSSIA LACKS AIR DEFENCE, FORMER CHIEF TELLS PAPER

Argumenty i Fakty, Moscow
8 Dec 04

Only 30 per cent of all Russia’s strategic sites are protected
from the air and the remainder – including nuclear power stations,
military control points, ballistic missile silos and Moscow – are
undefended, the former commander-in-chief of the Russian Air Force,
Anatoliy Kornukov, has said in an interview with a Russian weekly. The
following is the text of report by Russian weekly Argumenty i Fakty
on 8 December; subheadings are as published:

Hardly anyone knows – even though this is not a military secret – that
an itinerant session of the State Duma defence committee took place
recently at the central command centre of the General Staff of the Air
Force in the village of Zarya of the Gorkovskaya Railway. Commander
-in-Chief of Russian Air Force Col-Gen Vladimir Mikhaylov addressed
the deputies. As the deputies are under a vow not to tell the press
anything about it, the former Air Force commander-in-chief, Anatoliy
Kornukov, has outlined the current situation to us.

Threat of terrorist acts

Only 30 per cent of the entire list of strategic facilities of the
Russian Federation approved by the president are protected from the
air. The remainder is undefended. These include nuclear power stations,
military control points, ballistic missile silos… (ellipsis as
published). Moscow protection is weak, too – and we are talking about
a city with millions of residents, with over 20 major facilities which
are dangerous because of radioactivity and chemical aspects. There are
many airfields around the capital. If terrorists kidnap an aircraft,
they will have no problems with choosing their target!

At present, when the threat of terrorist acts cannot be disregarded,
our defence can hit only 20 out of 100 targets if they begin to near
Moscow. Before 1991, maximum only about 10 out of 3000 attacking
aircraft could have made it through the defences of the air space of
the GDR, Poland and Belarus.

Interceptors were waiting for the enemy on the border, then air
defence troops were controlling the skies, for instance, in Leningrad
or Moscow regions. After that the zone of direct defence of Moscow
and Central region was in charge, in which four echelons of defence
were envisaged. S-300 air defence systems were ready at 250 km, then
at 100 km and finally 50 km distances. For the worst case scenario,
two air defence regiments were to be deployed in the centre of Moscow.

Foreigners will help us

It is obvious that 61,000-km-long state border of Russia cannot be
covered for the entire length. But to leave almost 80 per cent of
the border open?

Say, significant border sectors with Kazakhstan and Mongolia are
not monitored by radars. At present there is nothing in the Kurils,
Magadan, and Chukotka is fully exposed, too.

At least it is good that we are still going strong in the west. Many
thanks to Belarus. It has a highly trained air defence system and
its pilots are trained better than any other pilots anywhere else in
the CIS.

We must say that there is such a body as the CIS Air Defence. Out of
all the countries which are its members, apart from Belarus, only
Armenia and Kazakhstan can render real help to Russia. At least,
if there emerges a threat from Turkey, Armenia will honestly defend us.

There has been an open bleeding of the air defence system since 1991 –
I have no other words to describe this process. In the North, where we
could not withdraw our air defence battalions, including the famous
S-300, we simply welded the vehicle doors and modules hoping that
no-one will be able to break in.

We managed to evacuate quite a bit in 1998-1999, but some other things
were just left there to rot.

The 10th Army which was defending the north has virtually ceased
to exist. But the North is actually the shortest way to all vitally
important facilities in our country.

All these negative processes have taken their toll on supplying
new technology to troops. When I was still holding the post of
Commander -in-Chief of Russian Air Force, I assumed we would receive
the new Triumph complex (S-400) as early as 1999. Test results were
wonderful. A S-400 battalion could replace two regiments!

In perspective, after upgrading, the Triumph could have been used
on targets in the outer space to up to 200 km. This complex is much
cheaper than the US ballistic missile defence system.

The president has signed a document in accordance with which S-400 was
to become the common air defence missile system for the country’s
air defence in order not to waste the meagre resources of the
Defence Ministry. But the president’s decrees and the government’s
resolution are being ignored. So far, only one experimental sample
has been produced. This seems to be our usual practice – “a peasant
needs thunder to cross himself and wonder”… (Russian catch phrase;
ellipsis as published)

US RIGHTS WATCHDOG SAYS PRESS NOT FREE IN AZERBAIJAN

Turan news agency
21 Dec 04

Baku, 21 December: Although the constitution and legislation guarantee
freedom of speech and the press, in practice, the government restricts
these rights and self-censorship is common, the US human rights
organization Freedom House said in its annual report on the press
situation in Azerbaijan.

The report said that dozens of verdicts on libel and insult cases
were issued against independent journalists in 2003. The opposition
newspaper Yeni Musavat and the magazine Monitor were persecuted most
of all.

Before and after the 2003 presidential elections, journalists were
subjected to unprecedented pressure, persecution and arrests. In
particular, the editor of Yeni Musavat newspaper, Rauf Arifoglu,
was arrested.

The state TV channel and private TV stations of Azerbaijan are
controlled by the authorities. The access of the press to the state
printing house was restricted in 2003. The economic situation in
the country does not allow the press to survive and the authorities
are putting pressure on businessmen to discourage them from placing
advertisements in the opposition mass media. All this allows us to
say that the press in Azerbaijan is not free, Freedom House said in
its report.

FIRST TWO SECTIONS OF ROPEWAY OF TOURIST COMPLEX IN RESORT TOWN OF
TSAKHKADZOR PUT INTO EXPLOITATION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22. ARMINFO. First two sections of ropeway of
a tourist complex in the resort town of Tsakhkadzor were put into
exploitation on Wednesday.

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan attended the opening
ceremony. Talking to journalists, Construction Manager Laurent
Mikaelyan stated that the construction had been started in June, 2004
by a Swiss company “Leitner.” The length of the first two sections is
1,400 and 1,500 meters respectively. The sections have 21 piers. In
his words, the works on the third section will be restored in 2005. As
regards the date when the forth section will be put into exploitation
as well as the cost of the project, Mikaelyan stated that it was a
commercial secret.-

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA’S FM FORECASTS UNPRECEDENTED FOREIGN POLITICAL ACTIVITY IN 2005

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22. ARMINFO. 2005 will be the year of unprecedented
foreign political activity for Armenia, says Armenia’s FM Vardan
Oskanyan.

Armenia has to complete the development of its individual action plan
in the framework of the new European neighborhood policy. This is a
tremendous work that should be a guideline for our further relations
with EU.

In the framework of its cooperation with NATO Armenia is to present by
Mar-Apr 2005 an individual partnership action plan. The deadlines for
Armenia’s honoring its commitments to CE is getting more pressing. “We
are facing serious tasks especially as CE is holding a summit in
May or June so Armenia has to comply with the deadline to make its
position clear,” says Oskanyan.

He says that Armenia should not wait for the beginning of the
Turkey-EU talks but should pave the way for raising its interests
during the talks.

In connection with the 60th anniversary of UN Armenia should specify
its position on the package of reforms of this organization adding the
possibility of the conduct of an OSCE summit. There is also the issue
of Karabakh, the Prague Process. “I am convinced that the presidents
will also meet,” says Oskanyan noting that there will be many ups
and downs in these processes.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VARDAN OSKANIAN: ARMENIA’S PARTICIPATION IN IRAQ WILL BE OF ONLY HUMANITARIAN NATURE

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22. ARMINFO. Armenia’s participation in Iraq will be
of only humanitarian nature. Minister of foreign affairs of Armenia
Vardan Oskanian stated during the press conference at the National
Press Club.

According to him, it is laos not excepted that Armenian military
specialists will take with them humanitarian assistance to the people
of Iraq and the Armenian community of that country. “If the parliament
approves the dispatch of the contingent to Iraq, our presence will
be only within the framework of humanitarian assistance. We have not
and shall not have any military presence there. It’s our principal
approach”, the foreign minister stressed. “I think it will be better
that Armenia made its contribution to the restoration of Iraq and
formation of democracy. The stability of that country is important
for the whole region, which may have its positive influence on the
Caucasus as well”, Vardan Oskanian said, adding that the contribution
to the restoration of Iraq proceeds from the interests of Armenia. As
regards possible negative consequences of the dispatch of Armenian
contingent to Iraq for the Armenian community of Iraq, the minister
mentioned that it is difficult to foresee negative consequences,
but they should not be ruled out.

VARDAN OSKANIAN: IT IS POSSIBLE TODAY TO FIX RIGHT OF NKR PEOPLE FOR SELF-DETERMINATION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22. ARMINFO. There is a serious possibility
today to fix the right of the people of Nagorny Karabakh for
self-determination. Minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Vardan
Oskanian stated during the press conference at the National press club.

According to him, the possibility of that today is obvious during
the “Prague process”. Oskanian said, though in general the Karabakh
side is present at the process, which is also expressed in that the
cochairmen during the visits to the region visit Nagorny Karabakh and
meet with representatives of Karabakh authorities, but is’s a fact
that Karabakh does not take part in the Prague process and it does
not promote sooner solution to the problem or progress in the process.

“It would be better if Karabakh took part in the process”, the minister
mentioned. According to him, the only reason for Karabakh does not take
part in the negotiations, is the refusal of Azerbaijan. “Today Armenia
has to chose – to insist on the participation of Karabakh and renounce
continuation of the negotiation, or to conduct negotiations without
Karabakh in order the negotiations were not broken”, the foreign
minister of Armenia said. According to him, however hard Azerbaijan
tries to present it as a problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia, all,
including the cochairmen of the OSCE MInsk Group realize it’s the
problem of Karabakh and Azerbaijan. “Simply Armenia has undertaken the
negotiations only because refuses negotiations with Karabakh. Armenia
is conducting negotiations, but in a certain moment the participation
of Nagorny Karabakh will become inevitable”, the foreign minister said.

Answering the question on the reasons for the non-participation of
Karabakh in the negotiations, the minister reminded about the process
of the Minsk Group, stopped after March, 1997. “The only possibility of
Karabakh’s participation in the negotiations is within the framework of
the process of the Minsk Group. It was determined by a decision of the
minister meeting of OSCE in 1992. If there is not process, there is not
legal basis for Karabakh’s participation in this process.” According to
the minister, just after the Lisbon summit Azerbaijan began to speak
from other positions. Since them moment when the process of Minsk
Group is resumed Karabakh will legally take part in the negotiations.

VARDAN OSKANIAN: ANTI-SEMITISM AS PHENOMENON DOES NOT EXIST IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22. ARMINFO. Anti-semitism as a phenomenon does
not exist in Armenia. Minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Vardan
Oskanian had declared during the meeting with representative of the
Jewish community of Armenia a day before. ARMINFO was informed in the
press office of the Foreign Ministry, the head of the foreign political
office of Armenia had expressed readiness to be more consecutive
in connection with isolated manifestations of anti-Semitism. The
leaders of the Jewish community had informed Vardan Oskanian
that the community of the republic is actively working and gained
international contacts. During the last two years the representatives
of the community have taken part in the conference on the topic of
anti-Semitism organized by OSCE. They also mentioned that the Jews
have never felt foreigners in Armenia and considered themselves full
citizens of Armenia. The government of Armenia, different offices
and organizations have assisted the spiritual and cultural life of
the Jewish community. At the same time, they expressed regret that
several official persons and individuals venture to make anti-semite
statements. Vardan Oskanian mentioned that Armenians and Jews who
have analogous history and historical-cultural common traits, have
all the grounds to act with joint efforts. He highly assessed the
contribution of the Jewish community of Armenia and welcomed their
consecutive assistance to the development of Armenia.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

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LUNES 20 de Diciembre de 2004 – ENVIAR POR E-MAIL

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Los sueños imperiales de Putin

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Por Vytautas Landsbergis
Para LA NACION

ESTRASBURGO
Dividir a un pueblo para conquistarlo es una estrategia inmoral que ha
persistido a lo largo de la historia. Desde Alejandro Magno hasta Stalin
el Cruel, sus variantes han servido para someter las naciones a la
voluntad de un emperador.

Hoy asistimos a una nueva aplicación de esta estrategia. A la chita
callando, el presidente Vladimir Putin intenta restaurar la supremacía
del Kremlin sobre los territorios “perdidos” en 1991, cuando la Unión
Soviética hizo implosión. Pero en las elecciones de Ucrania se le fue la
mano y reveló abiertamente al mundo sus propósitos neoimperialistas.

Tras las protestas multitudinarias en Kiev, el presidente ruso ha dicho
que podrá colaborar con el gobierno que elija el pueblo ucraniano, sea
cual fuere. Son sólo palabras. En el pensamiento y en los hechos, Putin
no quiere para Ucrania un gobernante que no haya sido puesto por él.
Ningún precio le parece demasiado alto con tal de lograr ese objetivo.
Por eso ha recurrido a la amenaza tradicional: dividir Ucrania.

Lo digo por experiencia, ya que nosotros fuimos objeto de los designios
imperialistas rusos. Cuando Lituania y, luego, Estonia y Letonia
aprovecharon la oportunidad de liberarse, en 1990-1991 (Stalin había
ocupado los Estados Bálticos a comienzos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial)
el Kremlin no permaneció ocioso. Sabía que el resto de las colonias
rusas -las llamadas “repúblicas soviéticas”- querrían seguir a los
ingratos Estados bálticos hacia la libertad.

Si bien los gobernantes rusos de entonces sólo eran comunistas de
nombre, no vacilaron en echar mano de las viejas recetas leninistas.
Empezaron a instigar y fomentar divisiones y disputas. Atizaron
supuestos resentimientos entre diversas comunidades nacionales o étnicas
basándose en la idea de Lenin de que hasta pequeños grupos de aldeas
podían exigir la autonomía territorial.

Reparen en la palabra “territorial”. Nunca se habló de las exigencias
normales de autonomía cultural como un medio de conservar la identidad
y, supuestamente, protegerse. Al parecer, la única autonomía aceptable
era la territorial.

Así, las minorías se convirtieron en mayorías a las que sería fácil
manipular. Crea suficientes divisiones y alimenta suficientes
resentimientos en una nación, la reducirás a una mera sociedad arruinada
dentro de un territorio nacional. Arma a algunas de estas estructuras
minoritarias fabricadas, para que puedan exigir la autonomía a punta de
pistola, y provocarás el tipo de caos que el Kremlin puede usar para
reafirmar su control.

Por suerte, los lituanos, estonios y letones comprendieron el juego.
Rusia también fracasó en Crimea, en 1991, cuando intentó aplicar allí su
vieja estrategia. Pero estos reveses no indujeron al Kremlin a
abandonarla. Por el contrario, Rusia persistió en sus ambiciones
imperiales y esa constancia ha dado frutos.

Rusia ha creado una serie de pequeños estados artificiales alrededor del
Mar Negro. Georgia y Moldavia han sido divididas mediante la aparición
de republiquetas criminales, sustentadas y amparadas militarmente por el
Kremlin. En la misma semana en que se inmiscuyó en las elecciones
presidenciales de Ucrania, Putin amenazó con bloquear a una de esas
republiquetas (la región de Abjasia, en Georgia) por haber tenido la
osadía de votar a un presidente que no era del agrado del Kremlin.

Moldavia ha quedado particularmente indefensa frente a los designios
imperiales de Rusia. Esta mantiene en el Transdniéster un contingente
formidable que lo gobierna con la colaboración de las bandas locales. La
contigüidad a este territorio sin ley ha contribuido a que Moldavia sea
el país más pobre de Europa.

Al este, el Kremlin instigó una guerra étnica tan sangrienta entre
Armenia y Azerbaiján, que la única salida que les quedó fue pedir la
intervención de Rusia, igual que en el Transdniéster, para establecer
una especie de Pax Ruthena.

Ahora, el pueblo ucraniano podría afrontar una prueba similar. Los
partidarios de Viktor Yanukovich amenazaron con buscar la autonomía si
Viktor Yushchenko, legítimo ganador en las elecciones, asumía la
presidencia. ¿Quién puede dudar de que detrás de todo eso está la mano
de Rusia? El alcalde de Moscú, Yuri Luzhkov, una fiel criatura de Putin,
asistió al mitin en que se pidió la autonomía. ¿Se habría atrevido a
hacerlo sin la aprobación del monarca elegido por el Kremlin? Putin
reclama abiertamente esta parte de Ucrania como una “cuestión interna”
rusa.

Los ucranianos de habla rusa han visto la desesperación económica y, a
veces, los derramamientos de sangre causados por los movimientos
autonomistas que fabrica el Kremlin. Es de esperar que se percaten de
que Putin los está convirtiendo en peones suyos.

Yushchenko y su Revolución Naranja encaran la misma prueba que
afrontamos los demócratas lituanos en 1990-1991: demostrar que
democracia no es sinónimo de dominio, represión o eliminación de una
minoría, sea cual fuere, por la mayoría. Lituania la superó. Confío en
que Yushchenko y su equipo también lo harán.

Pero ocurre que Europa y el resto del mundo también están siendo puestos
a prueba. Rusia ha entrado en una transición de la Federación Rusa de
Boris Yeltsin al régimen unitario y autoritario de Putin y sus antiguos
camaradas de la KGB. Europa, Estados Unidos y el mundo en general deben
ver la “democracia dirigida” de Putin tal como verdaderamente es. Y
deben oponerse, todos juntos, a sus sueños neoimperialistas.

El primer paso es hacer que Rusia cumpla su promesa de retirar sus
tropas de Moldavia y Georgia. (La formuló, con carácter obligatorio,
ante el Consejo Europeo y la Organización para la Seguridad y la
Cooperación en Europa.) Además, es preciso rechazar cualquier plan de
“defender” militarmente a Yanukovich y la parte oriental de Ucrania.

El autor fue el primer presidente de Lituania, tras su independencia de
La Unión Soviética; actualmente es diputado del Parlamento Europeo.

© Project Syndicate y LA NACION

(Traducción de Zoraida J. Valcárcel)

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