Armenia’s K-Telecom buys 100 mln euros of equipment
Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
February 11, 2005
YEREVAN, Feb 11 (Prime-Tass) — K-Telecom, Armenia’s second-largest
mobile operator, has bought equipment worth 100 million euros,
Andranik Manukyan, Armenia’s Transport and Telecommunications Minister,
said Friday.
The equipment is expected to be shipped to Armenia in the near future,
he said.
Currently, K-Telecom has been holding negotiations with Armenian
national telecom company ArmenTel regarding cooperation on Armenia’s
mobile market, he said, adding that ArmenTel uses the 25 MHz frequency,
which is expected to be divided between the operators.
Starting May, K-Telecom is expected to start providing services in
Yerevan, he said.
In November 2004, the Armenian government had awarded a license
to K-Telecom to become the country’s second mobile operator, after
removing ArmenTel’s exclusive right to provide GSM, mobile satellite
and mobile radio communication services by amending the company’s
license. End

IPR Strategic Business Information Database
February 10, 2005
KING, ARMENIAN DELEGATION REVIEW TIES
According to “Bahrain Tribune”, the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa,
received the visiting Armenian parliamentary delegation, led by
the Speaker, Artur Baghdassarian. Baghdassarian presented the
King with a letter from the Armenian President, Robert Kocharian,
on relations and cooperation between the two countries. The King
hailed the advanced relations at all levels, affirming the importance
of the exchange of visits and parliamentary experience. King Hamad
highlighted the status achieved by Bahrain as a democratic country.
The King expressed satisfaction with the signing of the agreement
of cooperation between the parliaments of Bahrain and Armenia which,
he said, would reinforce joint work. Baghdassarian lauded Bahrain’ds
achievements and democratic steps in its political experience,
wishing the Kingdom constant success under its leadership.

UNSETTLED KARABAKH CONFLICT IMPEDES OPENING OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH BORDER, TURKEY’S FM STATED
PanArmenian News
Feb 11 2005
11.02.2005 13:46
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijani and Turkish Foreign Ministers Elmar
Mamedyarov and Abdullah Gul hold the opinion that the settlement of
the Karabakh conflict is one of the conditions for the establishment
of peace in the Caucasus. According to Gul, the unsettled conflict
impedes the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border urged for the EU
membership. He expressed hope that the negotiations will be successful
and will lead to the normalization of relationships with Armenia.

Korean students 2nd in Calif. English proficiency
By Jin Hyun-joo
THE KOREA HERALD
February 12, 2005, Saturday
Korean students finished second behind Chinese counterparts in
an English proficiency test among 1.3 million foreign students in
California State, a report by U.S. education authorities said.
In the 2004 test known as CELDT, or California English Development
Test, Korean students had 63 percent in the top and second top brackets
among five levels of English proficiency. Chinese students had 64
percent. Armenian students ranked third and Russian and Vietnamese
fourth and fifth. The CELDT assesses listening and speaking skills
for kindergarten and first grade, and listening, speaking, reading and
writing skills for grades two through 12. The state requires English
learners to take an English proficiency test annually until they are
reclassified to being fluent English proficient.
California has the greatest number of students whose primary language
is not English, according to a report by the education department.
The average score of English learners has increased by 22 percent in
four years – from 25 percent in 2001 to 47 percent in 2004.
“These results are a clear indication that statewide efforts to
help all students learn English as quickly as possible are working,”
said Jack O’Connell, the state’s superintendent of public instruction.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SAAKASHVILI: GEORGIA NOW A “MODEL” COUNTRY
Eurasianet
February 11, 2005
Declaring Georgia “a proper state,” President Mikheil Saakashvili
delivered his annual state of the nation speech to parliament on
February 10. The upbeat speech was the Georgian leader’s first
detailed public statement on government policy since the death of
Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, a leading architect of the country’s
reform program.
Saakashvili asserted that the 2003 Rose Revolution that brought his
administration to power had begun to accomplish its goals. “Georgia
was a failed state, disintegrated, demoralized and humiliated. It was
a country that had lost all attributes of statehood,” Saakashvili
said in condemning the administration of his predecessor, Eduard
Shevardnadze. In contrast, Saakashvili continued, Georgia in 2005 “is
a model country where every program is working in a model way.”
The president cited improved tax revenue collection and a new tax
code, an enlarged state budget, regular payment of government
salaries and pensions, and a crackdown on corruption as among his
administration’s successes in 2004. Increased tax flow and the timely
payment of state salaries and pensions – “the one area in which we
can claim success” — prompted the president to nominate Finance
Minister Zurab Noghaideli for prime minister, he said. “When a person
works so well, he should be promoted,” commented Saakashvili. The
president officially presented Noghaideli as his candidate for prime
minister on February 11. A special session of parliament is expected
to convene on either February 17 or February 18 to vote on Noghaideli
and other proposed cabinet changes, according to Speaker Nino
Burjanadze. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The February 1 explosion in Gori and the February 3 death of Zhvania
have shown “that we can deal with any unexpected changes, tragedies
and terrorist acts and remain strong, so that we still stand firm on
our own two feet,” Saakashvili said. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. “We are a country that has to reclaim the most
attractive part of its territory and which faces the strongest and
most aggressive – perhaps not the strongest but certainly the most
aggressive – forces in the world.”
Those “forces” were not named, but political observers believe
Saakashvili was referring to Russia, which has had a prickly
relationship with Georgia since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet
Union. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In contrast
to Russia, Saakashvili characterized Georgia’s relations with
neighbors Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey as “idyllic.”
Saakashvili stated that he is ready to pay an official visit to
Moscow to “once again extend the hand of friendship to [Russian
President] Vladimir Putin, which . . . has been left hanging in the
air,” but added that Russia must be prepared to compromise on issues
that divide the two states.
Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze announced on February
10 that talks in Tbilisi on a framework agreement with Russia have
not been successful, with Russian insistence that Georgia promise to
ban foreign military bases from its territory proving a key stumbling
block. Separate talks are continuing in Tbilisi about the removal of
two Russian military bases from outside the Georgian towns of
Akhalkalaki and Batumi. [For background see the Eurasia Insight
archive].
On the domestic front, electoral changes could soon be in the offing.
Georgia’s next parliament, due for election in 2008, could be a
smaller, two-chamber body with 150 members. Deputies would still be
elected according to a combination of single-mandate constituencies
and party lists, but “first past the post” seats would be decreased
from 75 to 50. Failing to make this change, the president said, would
“be humiliating” for voters who voted for the legislative overhaul in
a 2003 referendum. At the same time, Georgia’s cities could also see
their mayors elected, rather than appointed by the president.
Candidate cities for such a changeover were not named, but the
president stated that he expects the reform to happen within the
year. No timeline was set for Parliament’s makeover.
Saakashvili also announced his intention to overhaul the country’s
corruption-ridden, poorly financed education system, but provided no
details. The president emphasized that the judicial system, another
area where change has come slowly, should acquire “independent
courts,” but cautioned that “a dry place cannot exist in the middle
of a swamp.” Saakashvili placed heavy emphasis on the need for
political unity. He named the country’s European orientation, its
willingness to cooperate with international organizations and its
refusal to allow foreign bases on Georgian soil or tolerate foreign
interference in its internal affairs as among the tenets that all
political parties should accept. “No political party or person should
overstep this mark,” the president said, adding that those parties
that fail to support these principles should “automatically be
declared outside the law.”
David Gamkrelidze, leader of the opposition New Rights-Industrialists
coalition, termed the president’s remarks “a well-performed show.”
Gamkrelidze charged that Saakashvili had overlooked such problems as
price increases, unemployment, human rights violations, illegal
arrests and the August 2004 “military campaign fiasco” in South
Ossetia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
The comments by Gamkrelidze, who also called on parliament to create
an independent commission to investigate Zhvania’s death, drew a
swift response from the president. “The only purpose of this
statement was to make people remember that it was Gamkrelidze who
made the most noise today,” Saakashvili said.
–Boundary_(ID_Cu10hdLhNRNAbW7b5Ny/ZQ)–

Send a valentine from the vine: Uncork these love potions
by Jerry Shriver
USA TODAY
February 11, 2005, Friday, FINAL EDITION
Heartening news for you unquenchable romantics who intend to use wine
as a seduction vehicle on Valentine’s Day: This year’s options might
be more wickedly efficient than usual.
For those who are normally tongue-tied by love, consider watching the
Oscar-contending flick Sideways by yourself this weekend and then
composing your own version of that soulful soliloquy Virginia Madsen
delivers about ” . . . the life of a wine, how it’s a living thing .
. . how every time I open a bottle it’s going to taste different than
if I had opened it any other day.” If purring those words over a
bottle of pinot noir doesn’t do the trick, it may be time to rethink
your relationship.
Another offbeat strategy is to sample something that is both trendy
and harks back to ancient aphrodisiacs. Pomegranates have re-emerged
as a sensual element in contemporary cuisine, and now Proshyan Wine
Factory of Armenia is making a wine from them and exporting it to
major markets in America. Their non-vintage version is semisweet,
enticingly aromatic and costs about $9 (armenianwines.com).
If over-the-top luxury is more your style, then invest in one of the
upper-tier rose champagnes, which have come back into vogue. Among
the best is the rich, decadent 1995 Dom Perignon Rose, which sells
for about $325 a bottle — and could be worth every penny.
Finally, for those who tend to fall for underdogs and/or wine geeks,
why not embrace an oddly named but potentially rewarding grape that
has been working its way back into the hearts of California
winemakers recently? Petite sirah fits the Valentine’s theme with its
heart-throbbing muscularity, provocative spiciness and supple texture
(when made carefully). Its under-the-radar coolness even comes with
its own advocacy group of growers and producers known as P.S. I Love
You (psiloveyou.org).
“It offers something to zinfandel lovers who are looking for a wine
with a little more guts, and it usually has less alcohol,” says
spokeswoman Jo Diaz. The flavors, which can include blackberries,
blueberries, coffee, chocolate, tobacco and pepper, and the firm
structure “offer an alternative to always having cabernet sauvignon
with beef.”
The grape has been grown in California since the 1880s and has been
used mainly to add color and heft to blended wines. But petite sirah
has always suffered from an identity crisis. Historically, several
grapes have carried the name, and their botanical relationship to the
better-known syrah grape and several obscure French grapes are
tangled. However, a handful of faithful vintners always have believed
that petite sirah can stand on its own as a varietal wine, and that
has enabled the grape not only to survive but also to thrive. P.S. I
Love You counted 65 petite sirah producers in 2001; today there are
more than 190.
“It has withstood the test of time, and people who like it are very
passionate about it,” Diaz says.
True Valentine’s virtues, in other words.
To get a sense of the wine’s potential, check out some of these
versions that stood out in a recent tasting of 24 bottles. Available
vintages will vary from market to market; in this case older is
usually better, because this high-tannin wine benefits from a few
years’ aging. Expect to pay $10 to $18 for entry-level versions and
$25-$40 for reserve wines.
* 2002 Bogle, Calif., $10.
* 2003 Concannon “Selected Vineyard,” Central Coast, $12.
* 2002 Pedroncelli, Dry Creek Valley, $14.
* 2002 Foppiano “Estate Bottled,” Russian River Valley, $18.
* 2000 Guenoc, North Coast, $18.
* 2001 Vina Robles, Jardine Vineyard, Paso Robles, $26.
* 2001 Stags’ Leap Winery, Napa Valley, $27.
* 2002 Trentadue, Alexander Valley, $28.
* 2002 Miro, Coyote Ridge Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, $30.
* 2001 Silkwood Wines “Silkwood,” Stanislaus County, $35.
* 2001 EOS “Cupa Grandis,” Paso Robles, $40.
Who’s drinking what?
“A grape that always gives me pleasure is nebbiolo from the Piedmont
region of Italy. I like the 2001 Hilberg Nebbiolo D’Alba, which has
an intense perfume along with an elegant style. We recommend it with
the guinea hen stuffed with fennel and anise, served with asparagus
wrapped in prosciutto. The richness of the wine holds firm with the
gamy flavor of the meat.”
— Piero Trotta, wine director, San Domenico, New York
Tasteful inquiries
Everyone I know seems to drink wine except me. I have been able to
drink Marco Negri “Marsilio” Moscato d’Asti. Can you suggest wines
that are similar in taste? Also, how long can I retain bottles of
Marco Negri before they are past their prime?
— Larry Howell, Albany, Ga.
No need to feel left out of the party, Larry. You are drinking wine
— your moscato is a peach-scented, fresh-tasting, slightly sweet and
fizzy version from Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy. It sells for
about $13 and is one of my favorites for summer picnics.
Moscato-based wines are best drunk young and are not built for long
aging. Your moscato is made from a grape in the broad muscat family,
and within that family there are drier and sweeter versions. Muscat
de Beaumes de Venise is a famous fortified sweet wine from the
southern Rhone Valley in France, while Muscat d’Alsace is a dry wine
with strong citrus notes from the Alsace region of France.
Do you have a wine question? Send it along with your name and the
place where you live to [email protected].

PanArmenian News
Feb 11 2005
HEIKKI TALVITIE: WE BELIEVE KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL BE SETTLED
11.02.2005 14:23
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The OSCE Minsk Group deals with the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement. As you know, the US, France and Russia
are the MG Co-Chairs and the activities of the group are efficient
enough”, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie
stated in Baku. In his words, the EU is assisting to the conflict
settlement and believes that this problem will be resolved. The EU
will go on forming peacekeeping forces to be sent to the region. He
also stated that the EU can contribute to the restoration and
reconstruction of the territories after the conflict is settled.

UPI Intelligence Watch
by JOHN C.K. DALY
United Press International
February 11, 2005 Friday 3:28 PM EST
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11
[parts omitted]
The United States might be trying to isolate Iran internationally,
but that hasn’t stopped Armenia from deepening its ties with its
neighbor to the south. During a visit to Armenia, President Mohammad
Khatami said that Tehran-Yerevan cooperation will promote mutual
interest, regional security and stability. Khatami met with the
secretary of the Armenian National Security Council, Serzh Sarkisian.
Khatami stressed that Iran supports Armenia, believing that mutual
cooperation can help development and security in the Caucasus.
Sarkisian voiced his hopes for further expansion of bilateral
relations, commenting that cooperation in the fields of culture,
education and economy is in the interest of regional security.
Linking the railways of the two neighboring countries would be
effective in establishing the north-south corridor, Sarkisian added.

ILLINOIS HOUSE COMMITTEE DECIDED ON TEACHING COURSE ON GENOCIDE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
PanArmenian News
Feb 11 2005
11.02.2005 16:54
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The bill states that all public elementary and high
schools should have a unit covering genocide throughout the world,
including the Armenian Genocide, the killings in Ukraine as well as
recent incidents in Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda and Sudan. Currently,
public schools are required to teach a course on the Holocaust only.

US AID TO AZERBAIJAN FOR 2006 TO MAKE $20 LESS THAN TO ARMENIA
PanArmenian News
Feb 11 2005
11.02.2005 13:25
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to the draft budget of the US foreign aid
for fiscal year 2006, Armenia will receive $55 million, Azerbaijan –
$35 million and Georgia – $67 million. Besides Armenia and Azerbaijan
are to be allocated $5 million as military aid and $750 thousand for
the realization of the program of military education and trainings.
Nagorno Karabakh will also receive $5 million as humanitarian aid.