ITV, UK
Feb 18 2005
Djorkaeff set to join MLS giants
Breaking News, Friday February 18 2005
Former France international Youri Djorkaeff is joining Major League
Soccer outfit New York/New Jersey Metrostars.
The 36-year-old former Monaco, Paris St Germain, Internazionale,
Kaiserslautern, Bolton and Blackburn striker is eager to start his
new life in the United States after finally sealing the deal with the
MLS.
“This is a new life starting for me,” Djorkaeff, a member of France’s
1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning teams, told a Paris press
conference on Friday.
“I have been spoilt throughout my career and I had decided to retire
if the deal with New York fell though.
“I had no wish to join a club in Qatar. On the contrary it was a
sporting and life choice, as it’s always been a dream for me to live
in the United States.
“I am leaving France on Sunday with all my family who are also eager
to start this new adventure with me,” added the veteran forward,
whose family roots are in Armenia and who is an honorary citizen of
that country.
Djorkaeff wants to help soccer develop in the United States.
“I have been in touch with them since I was at Bolton,” added the
Frenchman, who said that his three-month spell at Ewood Park earlier
this season was mainly to keep him fit.
“I really wanted to move to the United States. The MLS is a very
interesting league. There are 12 clubs this season but there will be
14 next which shows there is a real desire to take it forward.
“I would like to sort of open a door. Soccer is not well known in
America and I want to contribute to making it more popular.”
The length of Djorkaeff’s contract has not been revealed.
He said: “I can’t tell for how long I will stay because when you sign
for an American club there is no definite time.”
Club president Nick Sakiewicz added: “It’s been two years of
discussions. Youri is a real gentleman and I will be very happy to
see him play every weekend for us.
“As long as Youri has fit legs, he will play with us.”
The American league will kick off on April 2 with the Metrostars
facing Real Salt Lake City.
Djorkaeff is to join his future team-mates in Ecuador where the team
are currently following a pre-season training programme.

The Iraqi Armenians in the post-war era
Azad-Hye, United Arab Emirates
Feb 17 2005
We received the following article written by Ara S. Ashjian of Baghdad,
Iraq and would like to share the information with our readers:
Due to the war on Iraq in March-April 2003, the Armenian community in
Iraq, fortunately, had little casualties. Few Armenians lost their
lives during military operations, and a number of houses belonging
to Armenians were damaged.
In the aftermath of the war, the Armenian Club and the priest residence
at the northern city of Kirkuk, and the Armenian Club at the southern
city of Basra had been looted by the mob.
Armenians worldwide took role in aiding their brothers and sisters in
Iraq. For instance, a relief committee was established in California,
USA, which donated monetary assistance to aid Armenian families who
were facing distressing circumstances due to the war and to rebuild
damaged residences.
The Catholicos of All Armenians H.H. Karekin II issued an appeal to all
Armenian dioceses worldwide to aid Iraqi Armenians. Consequently, the
Community received from the Holy See of Echmiadzin all the donations
of the Armenian churches worldwide. Donations were also made by the
Karaghozian and other Armenian Relief Foundations, and the Armenians
Aid Fund, USA; the Committee to relief the Iraqi Armenians in the UK;
and the Armenian community in Germany.
Efforts to uphold the educational and the religious rights:
The Primate of the diocese H.E. Archbishop Avak Asadourian and the
community officials exerted considerable effort in the post-war
era to uphold the educational and the religious rights of the Iraqi
Armenians, in order that the forthcoming constitution will take into
consideration the Armenians’ as well as other Iraqi minorities’ rights.
The establishment of the Armenian National School of Baghdad was one
of the priorities. The Diocese formed a committee to achieve the aim
of reopening the National School that was nationalized 30 years ago.
The Primate had many contacts with the officials of the former Iraqi
Governing Council and the Ministry of Education to achieve this goal.
As a result of these efforts, and for the first time in the history
of Iraq, the right to teach Armenian along with other languages in
Iraq was stated in the country’s transitional constitution.

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL’S SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS TO VISIT ARMENIA FEBRUARY 23-24
PanArmenian News
Feb 18 2005
18.02.2005 16:03
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ February 23-24 NATO Secretary General’s Special
Representative for South Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons will
pay a call to Armenia to introduce Officer-Coordinator Romualdas Razuks
to the Armenian leadership. Let us remind that early February Robert
Simmons and Romualdas Razuks visited Georgia and Azerbaijan. When in
Baku Robert Simmons stated that though NATO is examining the situation
around Karabakh “the Alliance is not going to mediate in the process”.

ARMENIA DEVELOPING FRIENDLY RELATIONS WITH ARAB STATES
PanArmenian News
Feb 18 2005
18.02.2005 13:29
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Presently Armenia is developing friendly relations
with the Arab states, Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vardan Oskanian stated at the meeting with the students of the
Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University. According to the Minister,
during his visit to Egypt he signed a memorandum on cooperation and
mutual understanding with the League of Arab States. V. Oskanian
also pointed out to the friendly relations between Armenia and the
Organization of Islamic Conference. However, he said, it would be
rather hard for Armenia to receive a status in the Organization of
Islamic Conference, as its members -Turkey and Azerbaijan – will
certainly put obstacles in the way. When touching upon Armenia’s
participation in the North-South transport corridor Vardan Oskanian
said that taking into account its geographical location and the lack
of the railway the RA is taking part in the project within the limits
of the possible.

KNOW-ALLS IN PACE TAKE KARABAKH ISSUE SUPERFICIALLY: VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17. ARMINFO. The most complicated problem of how
to peacefully settle the Karabakh conflict has been driven back by
propaganda “fencing,” says the former Russian co-chair of the OSCE
MG Vladimir Kazimirov.
Azerbaijan’s recent initiative to raise the “occupied territories”
issue at UN General Assembly has by no means contributed to the peace
process but it did so greatly for denouncing Armenia. In fact Baku
is trying to shift the international attention from the cause of the
conflict – the status of Nagorny Karabakh to one of its consequences –
occupied territories.
Few in Europe actually know how the Karabakh conflict has been
developing so far – so Baku decided that it would not be bad to
raise the issue to get the world’s sympathy. Kazimirov says that the
Armenians have underestimated this tactics but when Yerevan demanded
to have Nagorny Karabakh back at the negotiating table Baku recalled
its UN initiative and was just content with OSCE fact finding mission
to the controlled territories.
The PACE unbalanced resolutions on the reports of Terry Davis and
David Atkinson have very much pleased Baku. The know-alls in PACE did
not care as to go deep into the problem and just took it superficially.
They suddenly found some occupation and refugees but did not take the
pains of finding out where this all has come from and who is guilty
for it. They don’t even know who sabotaged 4 UN Security Council
resolutions, repeatedly wreaked or avoided cease-fires and continues
relying on military force in the issue. They are even unaware that some
of their current positions run counter to those of UN SC and OSCE. OSCE
has never denied that Nagorny Karabakh is a party to the conflict. Only
Azerbaijan did so and now it is backed by PACE. PACE has called on
Baku to start discussing status with Karabakh representatives but
with whom are they to discuss the withdrawal of the Karabakh troops
from the controlled districts and where will those troops go. Who
will resolve this issue?, asks Kazimirov.

Settlement Of …
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SITUATION AT LISBON SUMMIT IN 1996, WHEN A DEFEATIST DOCUMENT ON
SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT WAS FORCED UPON ARMENIA, MAY REPEAT
AT CE SUMMIT IN WARSAW: LEADER OF NDP
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17. ARMINFO. If the international community
further considers Karabakh conflict as a territorial dispute between
Armenia and Azerbaijan, the situation at Lisbon Summit in 1996,
when a defeatist document on settlement of Karabakh conflict was
forced upon Armenia, may repeat at CE Summit in Warsaw fixed for May
2005. Leader of the opposition National Democratic Party Shavarsh
Kocharyan made this statement at a press conference at the Armenian
Parliament, Thursday.
He says that the present authorities of Armenia, who ousted Karabakh
from negotiation process, are responsible for transformation of
the Karabakh conflict into a territorial dispute between Armenia and
Azerbaijan in the eyes of the international community. If in 1991 after
the referendum of independence in Nagorny Karabakh Armenia recognized
the independence of NKR and demanded the international community to
do the same, now a considerable progress would have been reached in
this issue and there would be countries recognizing the sovereignty
of Nagorny Karabakh. He says that in 1991 several Latin-American
countries were ready to recognize the independence of Nagony Karabakh,
however the former ruling regime in Armenia “in the person of” the
Armenian National Movement categorically refused from such policy.
Unfortunately, the present authorities of Armenia did not do it either,
Savarsh Kocharyan says. In this connection, Shavarsh Kocharyan states
that Armenia must recognize the independence of Nagorny Karabakh only
after democratic elections are held in the country and a legitimate
power is formed.
Meanwhile, he says that the positions of the Armenian party in the
Karabakh problem are invulnerable from the legal point of view, and
the Karabakh conflict differs from the remaining regional conflicts
just with this. He notes that yet in 1991 Nagorny Karabakh held a
referendum of independence in conformity with international legal norms
and the USSR Law on the order of withdrawal of the Soviet Republics
from the USSR. As a result, two sovereign states, Nagorny Karabakh
Republic and Azerbaijani Republic, were formed in the territory of
the former Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic. Shavarsh Kocharyan
says that if the Armenian party constantly attracted the attention
of international structures to the legal aspect of Karabakh conflict,
the Azerbaijani propaganda based on falsified facts, would fail. After
all when Azerbaijan says that allegedly armed groupings exists in
the territory of NKR, the Armenian party can bring real facts that
representatives of Taliban movement and other terrorist groupings
fought on the part Azerbaijan in the course of the liberation fight
for Nagorny Karabakh, Kocharyan says.

SERGEY LAVROV: SOON ARMENIA AS WELL WILL FEEL EFFICIENCY OF ACTION
OF RAILWAY FERRY CAUCASUS-POTI
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17. ARMINFO. Soon Armenia as well will feel the
efficiency of action of railway ferry Caucasus-Poti. Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov informed during the meeting
with Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik Margarian.
ARMINFO was informed in the press office of the Government, in
his turn, the Armenian premier stressed that Armenia highlights
the opening of the railway ferry Caucasus-Poti, which will given an
opportunity considerably to increase volumes of cargo transportation
between Armenia and Russia. Margarian also expressed satisfaction
in connection with Armenia’s joining to international transport
corridor “North-South”. During the meeting Lavrov mentioned that
Russia will consider the interests of Armenia in the sphere of
transport communication will not take steps which may cause a damage
to Armenia. Speaking about the regional problems Andranik Margarian
and Sergey Lavrov pointed out that the development of the economic
cooperation between the countries of the South Caucasian region
and settlement of ways of communication will promote strengthening
of confidence, as well as settlement of conflicts in the region,
including peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict.
It should be noted that according to the data of the National
Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, goods turnover between
Armenia and Russia for 2004 totaled almost $266.2 mln, increasing by
12.9% as against 2003.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND RUSSIA SATISFIED WITH RESULTS OF NEGOTIATIONS
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17. ARMINFO. All the issues of Armenian-Russian
relations were discussed in the course of Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov’s meetings with Armenian leadership. Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan made this statement at a joint press
conference with his Russian colleague in Yerevan, Thursday.
The Armenian Foreign Minister divided the circle of discussed issues
into 4 parts: bilateral relations, economic, military cooperation,
culture. The second circle included in it regional issues, which are
of extreme importance taking into account the developments in the
neighboring states; and it supposes deepening of Armenian-Russian
cooperation. The third circle includes in it global issues, and the
minister mentioned the cooperation at international organizations in
it. In this connection, the minister mentioned the problem of reforms
at the UN and the OSCE. Russia and Armenia are included into these
processes and have common interests, which demands specification of
positions and development of cooperation. “And, finally the issue
of Nagorny Karabakh. I mainly informed the minister of the process’s
development, our positions. I discussed the possible scenarios and how
to do to achieve positive progress in the negotiations, especially,
taking into account the regular meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers on 2 March. We are satisfied with the results of
the visit and sure that it will become an additional impetus for
further development of relations,” Oskanyan said.
In his turn, Russian foreign minister said that the year was expected
to be rich for partner and ally relations of Armenia and Russia. In
his words, agreements adopted by the Intergovernmental Commission
for Economic Cooperation in December 2004 are to be discussed, that
is, expansion of trade, economic cooperation, including investment
projects. “There are agreements on military and technical cooperation
and we have agreed to intensify the consideration of all the issues
agreed on by the parties in order that our presidents are able to see
their fulfillment during the events dedicated to opening of Russian
Year in Armenia. Besides, the two presidents are expected to meet
in Moscow in the course of festivities on the occasion of the 60th
Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism, contacts of foreign ministers
and other officials are planned,” the minister said.
As to regional problems, the Russian party is interested in settlement
of conflicts within the nearest future and in establishment of
economic, energy, transport cooperation between all the states of the
region, the Russian minister said. He added that specific issues were
discussed. He said that in the issue of reforms at the UN and OSCE,
approaches of the two states practically coincided, like their close
positions in the reforms of CIS. “Of course, enough attention was
paid to settlement of Karabakh conflict. We count upon the so-called
Prague process of regular meetings of Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministers will allow achieving progress, OSCE MG co-chairs are ready
to contribute to this. And we shall do everything for the process
develops successfully and prepares ground for regular talk between
Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents,” the minister said. The agenda
is not in the stage of stagnation. There are no problems in the
Armenian-Russian relations, but they develop constantly demanding
constant attention. We agreed that the two foreign ministries will
control over the fulfillment process of the fundamental agreements
of the presidents, the Russian minister said.

Karabakh special services interrogating three Azeri POWs – Armenian report
Arminfo
17 Feb 05
Yerevan, 17 February: Servicemen of the defence territory No 5 of
Nagornyy Karabakh discovered and captured three Azerbaijani troops at
about 1720 [1320 gmt] on 15 February. The latter crossed the border,
informed sources told an Arminfo correspondent.
The Nagornyy Karabakh special services are currently interrogating
the POWs. They try to find out how the Azerbaijani troops entered
the territory of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic, was this accidental
or on orders from the Azerbaijani side.
After these circumstances are clarified, the Azerbaijani POWs, to
all appearances, will be exchanged.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CARRIAGES ON BORDER WITH AZERBAIJAN STILL BLOCKED
TBILISI, FEBRUARY 18. ARMINFO-BLACK SEA PRESS. The Union of Producers,
Importers and Consumers of Oil Products of Georgia intends to make
an appeal to the State Chancellery addressed to President Mikheil
Saakashvili asking for a solution to the problem with blockade of
carriages on the Georgian-Azerbaijani boundary, Vano Mtvralashivili
says at a press conference.
He says that the problem originated in early November 2004 may be
solved only with support of the country’s president. He says that
316 carriages are blocked on the boundary at the station Meyuk-Kyasik
alone.
Mtvrashlashvili says that many companies applied to the Union for
assitance, including three Georgian companies, which yet in Oct-Nov
purchased in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait products of the plants
“Azerkhim,” “Gun OIl” LTD, “Nero” LTD, Favorite LTD. He says that
these companies have letters proving that their cargoes were not for
Armenia as well as relevant references of the Georgian Customs Office,
however the carriages are delayed on the border for unknown reasons.
In his turn, Commercial Director of “Sakartvelos Rkinigza” Ramaz
Giorgadze says that the problem is being solved due to negotiations
of Georgian and Azerbaijani parties, and of 700 carriages not only
316 remain on the border. He says that the company did not suffer any
direct damage from the delay of the carriages. It has not received
the incomes from reception and departure of the carriages, but as
soon as the problem is solved, the Georgian party will receive the
expected sums.
It should be noted that in early Nov 2004 the Azerbaijani party started
detaining the carriages from Azerbaijan to Georgia in order that they
do not occur in Armenia.