IF ISSUE OF RETURN OF POPULATION’S DEPOSITS NOT SOLVED, ALREADY IN SPRING
PEOPLE WILL RAISE WAVE OF PROTEST: ARMENIAN MP

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17. ARMINFO. If the Armenian Government does
not solve the issue of return of population’s deposits with the
Savingsbank of the former USSR, in the spring of 2005 the people will
raise such a wave, that the country’s authorities will envy Eduard
Shevardnadze and Leonid Kuchma. Armenian MP Hmayak Hovhannissyan
says at a press-conference at the club “Pakagits,” Friday. It was
Hovhannissyan that initiated the extraordinary parliamentary session
on this issue.

In his words, if the issue is not solved, the population will show its
attitude to the ruling coalition already at the next elections. If
the authorities are unable to solve this problem, they must send
in their resignation, otherwise it will lead to establishment of a
fascist regime in Armenia, Hovhannissyan says. He states that his
initiative pursued a goal of exposing the ruling coalition, which
ignores the interests of the population in such important issues.
If the coalition represetnatives, in particular, Republicans and
Dashnaks, do not attend the extraordinary parliamentary session,
I will apply to the population from the tribune demanding that the
coalition MPs be brought to the parliament, Hovhannissyan states. The
problem with return of the population’s deposits could be solved even
several years ago. Then the authorities could distribute the shares
of the privatized enterprises to the depositors, hereby solving the
problem, he states.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Aliyev Comments on Georgia

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Dec 17 2004

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on December 17 that the
problems of blocked freight movement on the Georgian border will be
settled only after the Azerbaijani side is convinced that these goods
are not designated for Armenia.

“Azerbaijan will never permit the import of freight to Armenia via
its own territory,” RIA Novosti quotes the Azerbaijani President as
saying on December 17.

“The stoppage of train vans causes damage to both Georgia and
Azerbaijan. But we have no other way,” Aliyev added.

While commenting on the problems of ethnic Azeris living in Georgia,
Aliyev said that the Azerbaijani authorities always focus on this
issue, adding that “the Azerbaijanis in Georgia are citizens of
Georgia and they should respect the laws of their country.”

“There are particular forces which are trying to cause damage to the
relationship between Georgia and Azerbaijan. We know these forces;
unfortunately, they act inside our country as well. But basically
these forces operate outside Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said.

“We will never permit that the strategic relations between Georgia
and Azerbaijan to be endangered,” the Azerbaijani President added.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Anadolu Agency
Dec 17 2004

Patriarch Of Armenian Community In Turkey: I Advocate Turkey’s
Membership To The E.U.

ISTANBUL (AA) – Mesrob II, Patriarch of Armenian Community in Turkey,
said on Thursday that he always advocated Turkey’s membership to the
European Union (EU). He said he believed the EU would give a date to
Turkey on December 17th to start full membership negotiations.
Mesrob II told A.A correspondent that he shared the view that
the EU was not a Christian club, and noted that, ”religion and
religious culture have become a tool of politics both for the EU and
the Turkish politicians more than necessary. Parliaments of the EU
member countries do not make decisions according to the doctrines of
the Bible and the Turkish parliament does not make its decisions
according to Koran. Integration of the EU and Turkey would be for the
interest of the region, the world and the peace among the
civilizations.”
Replying to a question about the attitude of the Armenians
living in France, putting forward the allegations of ”so-called
Armenian genocide”, toward Turkey’s EU membership, Mesrob II said,
”the disaster in 1915 is an issue which can be abused. To this end,
the foreigners will bring this issue on the agenda when they have the
opportunity. The issue should be excluded from being an issue of
exploitation soon by starting official and unofficial dialogue
process.”
”Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an earlier
statement said this was the job of historians and should be left to
historians. His statements are extremely realistic. Meeting face to
face with history is important for building of future on solid basis.
People can not embrace each other before making peace. Dialogue
process should be initiated,” Mesrob II said.

France Discusses Chirac’s Surprise Turkey Support

Zaman, Turkey
Dec 17 2004

French President Jacques Chirac is being fiercely criticized for his
open support of Turkey prior to the historic European Union (EU)
summit in spite of French public opinion and opposition by Chirac’s
own party.

The leader of the coalition partner representing France’s
center-right, the Union for Public Movement (UDF) party, Francois
Bayrou, accused Chirac of ignoring the government’s position and
acting like a monarch in his support of Turkey’s EU membership bid.
Bayrou told RTL radio yesterday: “I listened to what the President
said with sadness and anger. This is a monarchy. And many French
people do not want to live under a monarchy, even if it is a
presidential one. In any other country, such an important decision
could not be made by a single person in such a unilateral way.” Alain
Madelin, a former government minister and deputy in the UMP also
reacted to Chirac’s speech describing the president’s decision as
unilateral that was not based on any democratic debate or vote. He
called the decision the “bankruptcy of democracy.” Nicolas Sarkozy,
UMP leader and potential rival for the French presidency in 2007,
said Chirac has created “incontestable difficulty” and said, “I have
to calm certain things.” UMP Parliamentary Group Chair Bernard
Accoyer, explained that a consensus had been reached within the party
regarding the beginning of negotiations with Turkey and that the
majority is against Turkey’s membership.

Armenians pleased with Chirac

The Armenian Diaspora living in France is pleased with Chirac’s
televised speech on Wednesday (December 15). In a historic statement,
Chirac used the word “drama” instead of the expression “Armenian
Genocide” and said Turkey would one day respect the Armenians’
“collective memory.” Harout Mardirossian, President of the Committee
for the Defense of the Armenian Cause, said Chirac described the
issue of “Armenian Genocide” as “a problem between Turkey and
Armenia” a few months ago and said they are pleased with Chirac’s
statement.

12.17.2004
Ali Ihsan Aydin
Paris

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
Dec 17 2004

SPEAKER MEETS WITH UZBEK AMBASSADOR
[December 17, 2004, 15:01:09]

Speaker of the Milli Majlis /Parliament/ of Azerbaijan Murtuz
Alasgarov received Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan Abdugafur
Abdurahmanov in connection with completion of his diplomatic mission
in Azerbaijan. The Speaker noted that after gaining independence,
relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan entered the new era, and
that reciprocal visits of the Heads of State had played an important
role in deepening of bilateral cooperation. He also mentioned the
successfully developing contacts of the two countries’ parliaments.
Mr. Alasgarov also touched upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh expressing gratitude to the government and people of
Uzbekistan for the support of the fair position of Azerbaijan in
relation to this issue.

The Speaker finally thanked the Ambassador for his contribution to
development of friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan
and wished him every success in his future activities.

Ambassador Abdugafur Abdurahmanov said for his part that his country
attaches importance to development of relations with Azerbaijan.
Noting he has felt at home in Azerbaijan, he stressed he would always
support the right cause of the country wherever he works. The
diplomat expressed hope that members of the Milli Majlis would
observe the upcoming parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan. He also
expressed confidence that the newly appointed ambassador who is
expected to arrive in Baku within a few next days would work hard to
promote strengthening and deepening of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan
relationship.

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

The vanishing lies

L’express.mu, Mauritius
Dec 17 2004

Two months ago, the glistening guillotine blade above the earthly
paradise that is Ferney forest dangled virtually unnoticed. Today, most
of the Mauritian population is aware of and able to berate the great
perils that the sanctuary faces as a result of administrative bungles,
greed, lack of political will and an insidious quest for expediency.

A bit later today, Cabinet will be presented with the Seebaluck report
that outlines the nefarious ecological toll that will be paid by the
country if government decides to go ahead with the Road Development
Authority’s (RDA) planned route through the Ferney valley. Next
Tuesday, the prime minister will be holding a meeting with all the
stakeholders to decide of the fate of the forest. A critical time
indeed.

Admissions of mistakes are, as you will see, all the rage nowadays.
Maybe our role models would care to indulge in an exercise of
humility. After all, error is only human.

On Monday, French Foreign minister, Michel Barnier, demanded of Turkey
that it acknowledges the massacre of over one million Armenians in
1915 during talks for its accession to the European Union. Although it
is undoubtedly a stalling device – the EU can’t remain an exclusively
Christian club infiniment because of Turkey’s human rights record – a
“mea culpa” from Istanbul would be cause for reflection on past crimes
against humanity.

If government chooses to go ahead with the RDA’s plan, who amongst
the decision-makers will volunteer to apologize to future generations
for having annihilated 76 000 m2 of endemic forest having known that
the country has less than 2% of such vegetation left?

Moreover, it would be more than fitting for a Small Island Developing
State (SIDS) to enquire, during the UN conference that will be held
here in January, on how Mauritius dares to host a conference on
sustainable development when it so lackadaisically threatens myriad
endangered species of flora and fauna with an administrative sword
of Damocles .

Or, at the very least, the delegate could ask that the document that
will come out of the conference be entitled the “Mauritius Plan of
Action That Will Have No Impact Whatsoever on National Policy”. I’m
sure that’s one treatise on sustainable development that even the
United States would ratify.

In a period of less than a month, a group of citizens concerned by
the environmental implications of the south-east highway project
called Nature Watch have come up with an alternate route that will
not only spare the forest, but will also be safer and a lot cheaper
than the RDA’s.

If there’s one thing that’s better than having to do a “mea culpa”,
it’s not making the mistake in the first place…

–Boundary_(ID_nx3PlH1F9JaDrHrKQWfw+g)–

Turkey Armenian’ Patriarch Mesrob II: “We Fully Support Turkey’s EU Membership”

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Dec 17 2004

ISTANBUL -Mesrob II, Patriarch of Turkey’s Armenians, says Turkey
Armenians fully support Turkey’s EU membership.

Mesrob II said “Turkey’s region, the EU, Turkey and the whole of
the world will benefit from Turkey’s EU membership… The EU is not a
Christian club”. Mesrob II further argued that the 1915 events is very
suitable to abuse and the foreigners use these events against Turkey.

“I support PM Tayyip Erdogan’s approach to the Armenian issue. A
dialogue process should be started between Turkish and Armenian
peoples” added Mesrob II.

–Boundary_(ID_sDZzMhRHiBorogYuChmIRQ)–

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 17 2004

A pivotal year for the South Caucasus

The South Caucasus will face major changes in 2005. As soon as the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline comes online, construction will begin on
the Baku-Erzrumi natural gas pipeline, providing the country with a
second artery in the region’s energy infrastructure, and an
international presence. At the same time, the region is increasing
efforts to resolve its territorial conflicts, a move that places
pressure on both political and economic stability.

While installing the country’s new minister of defense Irakli
Okruashvili on Wednesday evening, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili made it clear that Georgia’s territorial restoration is
high on the agenda. He underscored this saying Okruashvili would head
the armed forces “until the country’s territorial integrity is
restored.” This, Saakashvili said, “is the main purpose for Irakli
Okruashvili to head the Defense Ministry.”

Speaking Monday at the Royal Institute of International Affairs at
Chatham House in London, Azeri President Ilham Aliev also indicated
resolving territorial conflicts is moving from the back to the front
burner. In his speech, Aliev called on the West to become more active
in defusing the political and humanitarian crisis in the region.
According to him the conflicts in Abkhazia, Tskhinvali, Transdnestre
and Nagorno-Karabakh are identical and should be resolved through a
united approach. “We will never put up with the occupation of our
land, these territories must be liberated from occupation,” Aliyev
said as quoted by Interfax.

According to Ilham Aliev, if the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is not
settled soon, Azerbaijan will not reject the use of force. “Armenia
will not be able to go against us,” Aliev is quoted as saying. To
prevent forceful resolutions or the continued stalemate, the Azeri
leader called on western institutions such as the Council of Europe,
NATO, and the EU to use their ability to stimulate a peaceful
resolution.

Like Georgia, Azerbaijan appears to be actively resisting the status
quo that has kept the peace but allowed separatist regimes to become
further entrenched over the last decade. Both regions toe a careful
line placing blame, pointing north but not naming any names. As Aliev
said in London, “separatism in the post-Soviet territory received
support from certain outside forces.”

For its part, Russia habitually responds that any attempt to alter
the status quo in the region must be a well-thought political
decision. In response Georgia and Azerbaijan can reasonably argue
that the Russian attitude toward Abkhazia and Tskhinvali during the
last two years cannot be regarded as a “status-quo.” During this time
Russia has been actively trying to integrate these regions further
into its own federation, disbursing passports, pensions, and
supporting Russian political activity in the area.

Simultaneously, Russian officials recite tacit threats of bombing
runs and military operations directed against Georgia. Over the
weekend, an anti-terrorist official reported that Georgia’s Pankisi
Gorge is a prime spot for ‘preemptive strikes.’ The week before,
Moscow announced it was against the extension of the OSCE monitoring
groups on the Russian-Georgian border.

Now both Georgia and Azerbaijan are calling for increased
international intervention but there have been few indications that
the direct help they have in mind is forthcoming. The EU and NATO
both have more pressing concerns within their alliances – it is
unlikely for them to throw their weight behind conflict resolution in
the Caucasus when they see that even in a country like Cyprus, this
influence goes only so far.

In lieu of direct international support, Georgia and its Caucasian
neighbor must find more effective levers in their recourses at hand.
The increased revenues from the BTC pipeline are one such source.
Using this money to rebuild the military would be unlikely to lead to
greater trust with the separatist regions. But reintegration will
seem a more attractive prospect should economic growth in Georgia and
Azerbaijan take off.

Economic development should be the Georgian government’s top
priority, both as the most obvious way of addressing the country’s
social problems, and also as the most effective means of eventually
restoring its territorial integrity. But at the same time, the
possibility of lifting themselves out of poverty through
reintegration will not persuade Ossetians and Abkhaz to become part
of Georgia again if there is a fear that they will be second-class
citizens in an ethnic Georgian dominated country.

If Georgia is serious about restoring its territorial integrity,
rebuilding the economy and rebuilding trust with its separatist
regions must be central to its policy.

Corruption takes place everywhere

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 17 2004

The Armenian newspaper Aravot writes that corruption takes place in
all the countries of the world, but in the West it is a bit different,
a little more subtle, than the corruption in Armenia. The paper writes
that the corruption in Armenia is simple and unpretentious: “even
the Armenian authorities feel shy to call it corruption.” Minister
of Defense Serzh Sarkisyan in a recent interview stated that there
is no corruption in his ministry. “He stressed that there is no
corruption in the ministry and no bribery, because as he thinks,
many people mix these two words,” the paper notes.

The UN thinks that corruption is the abuse of state power for the
promotion of self-interested benefits. However, an interdisciplinary
group from the Council of Europe considers that corruption is bribery
and any other conduct of an official or private person that causes a
violation of their obligations and that aims to receive any illegal
benefits for themselves and others.

“So, proceeding from this, our state figures appease themselves in
vain with the idea that primitive bribery is not corruption,” the paper
ironically states, “Maybe some think that there is no need to conceal
themselves because their activity is not considered corruption. We
have no corruption in our country at all: this is just legal bribery.”

Georgia’s policymakers finish training course
Nine graduates focus on public sector reform
By Mary Makharashvili

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 17 2004

The graduation ceremony of the first nine trainees to pass the
one-year Public Policy Knowledge Network (PPKN) training program was
held on Thursday at the Tbilisi Marriott.

The program is part of a four-year project organized by the Georgian
Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (GFSIS) and the
Canadian Bureau for International Education, and financially
supported from the Canadian International Development Agency.

The training is focused on public sector reform and is specifically
concerned with public policy capacity building within the government
of Georgia

More specifically, the project trains officials to deliver practical
assistance, that is, policy analysis, on issues of importance to
government ministries. At the same time, it aims to build public
policy curricula within the major public administration schools of
Georgia.

The curriculum involves specific training in modern academic and
governmental practices of public policy, economics, and
transition-oriented training in public administration.

“This program is very important, because it increases analytical and
managerial abilities, which is very important for the state service.
An understanding of modern management styles in the state sector is
very necessary,” President of GFSIS Alexander Rondeli said in an
interview with The Messenger.

“State service is not paid proper attention. Very often people who
cannot find any other job are employed in the state service. But over
time this should change. Now the state service is becoming smaller
and that is why it should be more effective,” he said.

According to him, the continual changes in the state administration
is a clear sign that Georgia needs better staff.

The nine employees from five state structures, including the
ministries of foreign affairs and economic development began the
one-year training course conducted by foreign experts in October
2003.

“The year-long training held at GFSIS has been very profitable for
me. I learned a lot of interesting things that will be useful for my
future carrier,” said training participant Maia Kurdgelashvili from
the Ministry of Economic Development.

In the current 2004-2005 academic year, Rondeli says 34 officials are
participating in the course. They will be followed by two more years
of trainees before the project ends in spring 2007.

Rondeli says that trainees are chosen who have much to offer and are
considered by their ministries to be future planners and implementers
of strategic policy-making. “It is strategic thinking that is most
lacked by Georgian state employees,” Rondeli says.

Georgia is not the only country in which the Canadian International
Development Agency is implementing this project. It is also
successfully active in Armenia and Azerbaijan.