Schroeder to meet leaders from SE Europe, central Asia

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
November 12, 2004, Friday

Berlin

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will have talks next week with
leaders of seven southeast European and central Asian states at trade
conference in Berlin, the government said Friday in a statement.

Schroeder will address the November 17 to 18 German Chamber of Industry
and Commerce (DIHT) meeting, said the statement, adding that the
Chancellor will have separate meetings with the following leaders:

-Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano

-Armenian President Robert Kocharian

-Chairman of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Council of Ministers Adnan Terzic

-Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader

-Kyrgyzstan President Askar Akayev

-Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic

-Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica dpa lm

New Arrangements for Import of Russian Diamonds to Armenia

RusData Dialine – BizEkon News
November 12, 2004 Friday

REGNUM

The government of Armenia approved a proposal with regard to
thesigning of a protocol on the supply of rough natural diamonds
toArmenia from Russia for a period from 2002 to 2006.

The government of Armenia approved a proposal with regard to the
signing of a protocol on the supply of rough natural diamonds to
Armenia from Russia for a period from 2002 to 2006.

Prices for the Russian diamonds became higher than those in the world
market following the liberalization of the Russian diamond industry.
As a result, Armenian companies were incapable of meeting the quota
on diamond imports. In 2003, Armenians imported only 130 thousand
carats of diamonds out of the total quota for 400 thousand carats of
diamonds set by the Russian party. Consequently, the Russian diamond
imports accounted for 35% of all diamond raw materials processed in
Armenia in the year 2003. A shortage of rough diamonds was corrected
by shipments from Israel and Belgium. In the meantime, in accordance
with the 2002 agreement, Armenia would import from Russia 2.1 million
carats of natural gem-quality diamonds and 3 million carats of
technical quality diamonds up to 2006.

The intergovernmental Armenian-Russian commission convened recently
in Moscow. The relations between Armenia and ALROSA were the focus of
negotiations. The Armenian party put forth a request for the right to
re- export a part of diamonds found unfit for further processing due
to technical specifications.

Russia’s Gazprom drops plans to bid for Iran gas field development

ITAR-TASS News Agency
November 12, 2004 Friday 2:49 AM Eastern Time

MOSCOW, November 12 — Russia’s company Gazprom has dropped plans to
take part in biddings for the construction of facilities at Iran’s
South Pars gas field.

A member of Gazprom’s law department, Sergei Kuznetsov, said “we
have held preliminary talks, have taken a look at the economy of the
project and have passed the decision not to send a binding bid for
the participation in the tender”.

He added that Gazrpom was interested in Armenia’s energy projects.

In particular Gazprom is considering a possibility of taking part
in the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia and in
privatisation of Georgia’s stretches of gas pipelines linking Russia
and Armenia.

If terms of denationalisation in Georgia suit Gazprom, the company
will find it promising to take part in privatisation of a mains gas
pipeline and gas distribution companies, Kuznets said.

This is “important for Gazprom, as these gas pipelines link Russia
with Armenia”, PRIME-TASS quoted him as saying.

Dutch police raid Kurdish training camp, arrest 38

Agence France Presse — English
November 12, 2004 Friday 3:44 PM GMT

LIEMPDE, The Netherlands Nov 12 — Dutch police on Friday raided a
suspected Kurdish separatist training camp in a small village in the
southern Netherlands, and several other locations arresting 38 people,
the state prosecutor’s office said.

Police raided a camp site in Liempde where an alleged training camp
of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party PKK was set up, according to
Dutch authorities.

According to the authorities investigations revealed that some 20
people received “training to prepare for the armed struggle of the
PKK in Turkey, by committing terrorist attacks”.

Police arrested 29 people in Liempde and nine suspects in other
locations in the Netherlands. Ten houses were searched and police
seized night-glasses, documents and a fire arm.

Because the PKK is on the European Union list of terrorist
organisations the Dutch said the people were arrested on suspicion
of belonging to a terrorist organisation.

“Participants in the training were taught courses on ‘special
warfare’,” according to the prosecutors.

“There are indications that participants in the course would have
been sent to Armenia at the end of the training to join PKK actions,”
they added.

The authorities here stressed that a Dutch investigation into the PKK
had been ongoing for more than a year and the raid was not linked to
the recent crackdown on suspected Muslim extremists after the murder
of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an alleged Islamic radical.

The camp site is located in a remote area near the picturesque farm
village of Liempde. Local residents said they had never seen anything
suspicious.

“They even arrested the owner of the camp site, who is such a nice
man,” hunter Toon Schuurmans said, adding that the only gunfire he
had ever heard came from his own rifle.

The PKK, now also known as KONGRA-GEL, waged a bloody 15-year war
for self-rule in the mainly Kurdish eastern and southeastern parts
of Turkey — claiming more than 36,000 lives — before announcing a
unilateral ceasefire in 1999.

The group called off the truce in June this year, threatening to
carry out attacks and warning tourists and investors to stay away
from the country.

Since then, there has been a sharp increase in clashes between the
rebels and Turkish government troops.

Two years ago Turkey heavily criticized the Netherlands for their
tolerant attitude towards the PKK.

The Netherlands has a large Kurdish community, but numbers are
difficult to pin down as official statistics group people according
to nationality, and Kurdistan, an area linking Turkey, Iran, Iraq
and Syria, is not a country.

In 1999 the NRC-Handelsblad newspaper said there were between 60,000
and 70,000 ethnic Kurds in the Netherlands. The largest part, some
45,000 people, come from Turkey.

Earlier this week, a Dutch judge ruled that Nuriye Kesbir, a senior
member of the PKK, could not be extradited to Turkey because there
were not enough guarantees that she would be treated fairly.

Turkey accuses Kesbir of being behind at least 25 attacks between
1993 and 1995 on military targets in eastern Turkey, where the PKK
party is fighting for Kurdish self-rule.

Kesbir has always denied being involved in the attacks and claims she
dealt only with women’s issues as a member of the group’s presidential
council before she was arrested at Amsterdam airport in September 2001.

Armenia’s squad for World Cup qualifier against Romania

Agence France Presse — English
November 12, 2004

YEREVAN Nov 12 — Armenia’s national coach Bernard Casoni on Friday
named the following 18-man squad for the 2006 World Cup qualifier
against Romania here on November 17:

Goalkeepers: Armen Ambartsumyan (Slavia Sofia/BUL), Edel Bete
(Pyunik Yerevan)

Defenders: Sarkis Ovsepyan, Alexander Tatevosyan (both Pyunik Yerevan),
Karen Dokhoyan (Samara/RUS), Arutyun Vardanyan (Arau/SWI), Artur
Mkrtchan (Darida Minsk/BLR)

Midfielders: Rafael Nazaryan (Darida Minsk/BLR), David Grigoryan
(Mika Astarak), Karen Aleskanyan, Agvan Mkrtchan (both Pyunik
Yerevan), Gamlet Mkhitaryan (MTZ Minsk/BLR), Artavazd Karamyan
(Rapid Bucharest/ROM)

Strikers: Armen Shakhgeldyan (Mika Ashtarak), Edgar Manucharyan
(Pyunik Yerevan), Andrei Mevsesyan (FC Moscow/RUS), Ara Akopyan
(Stahl Donetsk/UKR), Arman Karamyan (Rapid Bucharest/ROM)

Dutch authorities arrest alleged Kurdish rebels at training camp
by TOBY STERLING; Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Worldstream
November 12, 2004 Friday 3:06 PM Eastern Time

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Dutch authorities rounded up 38 suspected
members of a Kurdish rebel group in nationwide raids Friday, including
“trainees” allegedly being prepared at a rural campground for terrorist
attacks in Turkey, officials said Friday.

Authorities said the detainees are members of the former Kurdish
Workers’ Party, or PKK, which seeks to carve out an independent
Kurdish state in the mountains of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.

The group, which recently renamed itself KONGRA-GEL, has been branded
a terrorist organization by the European Union.

“In the investigation it emerged that at the campground more than 20
people received training for armed fighting for the PKK in Turkey,
among other means by committing terrorist attacks,” a statement by
prosecutors said. “Trainees were taught special war tactics.”

There were also indications that “a number of the trainees were
destined for Armenia,” it said.

More than 200 police were involved in the second major operation
in the Netherlands in a week, after special forces used tear gas
Wednesday to end a standoff with alleged Islamic radicals in The
Hague. Prosecutors said the two operations were not related.

Prosecution spokesman Wim de Bruin said the suspected Kurdish rebels
had been under observation for several months and that “the course
was nearly finished.”

“We wanted to prevent the group from leaving the country and putting
to use the knowledge they had gained,” he said.

In Friday’s raid of the alleged paramilitary training camp in the
far south of the Netherlands, police seized night vision goggles,
packages of clothing intended to be sent abroad, instruction materials,
fake passports and identity cards. Twenty-nine suspects were arrested.

“Apparently there’s been a training center there for a long time,
and that’s why it was decided to step in,” Jan van Homelen, mayor of
the nearby town of Boxtel said on national television.

Nine others were arrested in separate raids in The Hague, Rotterdam,
Eindhoven, Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, and the town of Capelle aan
den Ijssel.

The rebels ended a five-year unilateral cease-fire in June and
have carried out a number of attacks recently, most in Turkey’s
predominantly Kurdish southeast.

The group has been on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations since
April, and Dutch prosecutors said those arrested Friday will likely
be charged as members.

Other detainees allegedly arranged money transfers, passports to PKK
members in Turkey and Armenia, and aided communication between rebel
fighters, prosecutors said.

The suspects, whose names were not released, were 33 men and five
women.

Van Homelen said the suspects did not appear to have used weapons or
explosives in their training, which he described as “more theoretical.”

Prosecutors said the suspects said they were Kurdish but they were
all considered Turkish nationals by the Dutch state.

No names were released.

On Monday, The Hague’s district court blocked the extradition of
alleged PKK leader Nuriye Kesbir to Turkey for her suspected role
in a series of bombings in the 1990s. The Justice Ministry said it
would appeal the decision.

ARMENIA AGREES TO RESUME THE PRAGUE TALKS ON THE SETTLEMENT IN KARABAKH

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 12, 2004, Friday

Armenia is ready to resume the Prague talks on the settlement in
Karabakh and lead them until the complete settlement, Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told in an interview with radio
Liberty. In his words, considerable results were achieved at the
first round of talks in Prague. “We’ll be able to enhance the results
at the second round of the Prague Talks,” the minister said and added
that Armenia has already given its accord to launch the second round
of talks. Oskanyan thus denied statements by the official Baku that
Armenia asked that the talks be postponed so that it could think its
stance over. Commenting on the issue concerning the occupied
territories in the UN, Oskanyan called this “a serious mistake of
Azerbaijani diplomacy.” In his words, Azerbaijan doesn’t have to hope
that the Prague Talks could be conducted simultaneously with the
discussions in the UN. “We either work in the framework of the Minsk
OSCE Group or official Baku deals with the leaders of Nagorny
Karabakh,” Oskanyan said.

Xinhua News Agency.
November 12, 2004 Friday 7:00 AM EST

Ice dancing results of Cup of China figure skating

BEIJING

Following are the ice dancing results from Cup of China figure
skating competition, the fourth- leg of the ISU Grand Prix series in
Beijing on Friday:

Ice Dancing after original dance:

1. Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto, United States, 105.00

2. Galit Chait/Sergei Sakhnovski, Israel, 100.84

3. Marie-France Dubreuil/Patrice Lauzon, Canada, 100.36

4. Oksana Domnina/Maxim Shabalin, Russia, 86.92

5. Kristin Fraser/Igor Lukanin, Azerbaijan, 76.48

6. Nathalie Pechalat/Fabien Bourzat, France, 73.86

7. Nora Hoffmann/Attila Elek, Hungary, 73.63

8. Anastasia Grebenkina/Vazgen Azrojan, Armenia, 67.69

ARKA News Agency
Nov 12 2004

ISC-Star Company does not plan to stop its activity at
telecommunication market of Armenia

Today Armenian IP telephony companies hold protest action near
armenian Parliament building

Estonian President to arrive in Armenia with official visit on
November 13-16

The exhibition of Armenian goods and services to be held in Tbilisi
on March 16-18, 2005

Armenian Government allocates AMD 40 mln for providing accommodation
to 66 families in village of Lernadzor of Syunik marz

*********************************************************************

ISC-STAR COMPANY DOES NOT PLAN TO STOP ITS ACTIVITY AT
TELECOMMUNICATION MARKET OF ARMENIA

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. ISC-Star Company does not plan to stop
its activity at telecommunication market of Armenia, press service of
the company told ARKA. According to the statement of the company,
ISC-Star plans to realize its projects using high professional
potential of personnel and acting in the frames of RA Constitution
and international law. “We don’t participate in political games and
do not have any geopolitical or party orientation. We were dealing,
are dealing and will be dealing only with business”, press release
states.
Note ISC Star planned to submit application for participation in the
tender for provision of mobile communication services.
On Nov 4, 2004 RA Government recognized K-Telecom the winner in the
contest for provision of mobile communication.
Armenian-Russian JV ISC Star was registered in Armenia on September
24, 2001. The founders of the JV are both juridical entities and
individuals from some foreign countries, including Russia (Komin LLC
and LanRusinvest OJSC), as well as the residents of RA. The unified
system of Star (ISC Star) includes over 100 nets of IP communication
and paging all over the world. L.D. –0–

*********************************************************************

TODAY ARMENIAN IP TELEPHONY COMPANIES HOLD PROTEST ACTION NEAR
ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT BUILDING

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. Today Armenian IP telephony companies
held action protest near the building of RA Parliament.
Representatives of about 200 IP telephony companies demanded audience
by the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Arthur Baghdasaryan for
delivering him an open letter signed by circa 10 thou Armenian
citizens. As Armenak Khachatryan, Representative of organizational
committee of IP telephony companies, Director of Deltacom told ARKA,
the protesters demand that the Parliament reviewed license of
ArmenTel, which was granted IP telephony monopoly. The
representatives of the organizational committee were received by
Tigran Torosyan, the RA NA Vice-Speaker, who promised to pass the
letter over to the Speaker and to intercede for their meeting with RA
Prime-Minister. The IP telephony companies plan to hold a rally on
Liberty Square, if approved by the Municipality.
To remind, the Armenian IP telephony companies started a one-day
strike in protest against granting ArmenTel with IP telephony
monopoly. 95% of companies on IP market take part in the strike.
On November 3, RA Government made a decision on making amendments to
the licence of ArmenTel Telecommunications Company. According to the
amendments, ArmenTel is deprived of its monopoly right to provide
GSM-services and portable satellite communications services. Also,
the company is deprived of its monopoly right to Internet traffic in
Armenia. At the same time, the company is given monopoly right to
IP-telephony, which will bring to closing down 250 companies
operating in that sphere. L.V. –0–

*********************************************************************

ESTONIAN PRESIDENT TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA WITH OFFICIAL VISIT ON
NOVEMBER 13-16

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. On November 13-16 Estonian President
Arnold Ruutel and his spouse will arrive in Armenia with official
visit. As Armenian President Press Service told ARKA, the main
purpose of the visit is fostering of development of inter-state
relations, deepening of bilateral cooperation, defining of further
economic interrelations as well as discussion of a number of issues
of mutual interest. On November 15 the presidents will have
tete-a-tete conversation after which the bilateral negotiations will
be continued in enlarged format.
During his visit Arnold Ruutel will meet the Armenian Speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan, and PM Andranik Magarian. As it is mentioned in the
press release, the Estonian President will meet Catholicos of All
Armenians His Holiness Garegin II in Holy See of Echmiadzin as well
as will lay a wreath to the Memorial of the Armenian Genocide of
1915. During Ruutel’s official visit there will be held
Armenian-Estonian business forum. The Estonian President also will
meet lecturers and students of the Yerevan State University. He also
will visit historical sites of Armenia. On November 16, the
delegation headed by Estonian president will leave Armenia. T.M. –0–

*********************************************************************

THE EXHIBITION OF ARMENIAN GOODS AND SERVICES TO BE HELD IN TBILISI
ON MARCH 16-18, 2005

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. On March 16-18, 2005, the first
exhibition of Armenian goods and services “Armenia today EXPO 2005”
will be held in Tbilisi. According to LOGOS EXPO Center, products of
food, machine-tool, stone-working, chemical industries and products
of electrical technice and electronics industry, building materials,
paints and varnishes of Armenian production, services in the sphere
of cargo and passengers transportation will be exhibited. The main
goal of the exhibition is to advance export of Armenian products,
establish mutually advantageous business cooperation with Georgian
business circles and promoting the established relations.
According to the press-release, the area under the exposition will
make 450 square meters, and 38 companies already are willing to
participate in it as of November 10, 2004.
LOGOS EXPO Center is acknowledged for organizing the exhibition with
the general support of RA Ministry of Trade and Economic Development
and the official support of RA MFA and the Union of Manufacturers and
Businessmen (Employers) of Armenia. A.H.—0–

*********************************************************************

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT ALLOCATES AMD 40 MLN FOR PROVIDING ACCOMMODATION
TO 66 FAMILIES IN VILLAGE OF LERNADZOR OF SYUNIK MARZ

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. Armenian Government allocates AMD 40
mln for providing accommodation to 66 families in village of
Lernadzor of Syunik marz. As Armenian Government Public and Press
Relations Department told ARKA, the Armenian Finance and Economy
Ministry is instructed to allocate the envisaged by the budget lump
sums to deposit accounts of the agent banks of the mentioned
families. As the press release mentions that non-refundable financial
assistance will be directed at implementation of construction or
purchase of accommodation. (1 AMD – 503.47). T.M. –0–

*********************************************************************

–Boundary_(ID_F30XQCSxhZ6w+527tuRS6w)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ecumenical News International, Switzerland
Nov 12 2004

Christians mourn Arafat’s loss to Palestinians; see risk, opportunity

Michele Green
Ramallah, West Bank (ENI). Christian leaders in the Holy Land have
expressed sorrow at the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and
said they would be present at his funeral in Cairo and burial in
Ramallah.

In reactions from around the world, some church leaders noted that
Arafat’s death presented both opportunity and risk to the peace
process in the region.

Hailing Arafat as the man who put the Palestinian people on the world
map, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, the most senior Roman Catholic
cleric in the region, said his death due to an unknown illness at a
hospital in France on Thursday “was a great loss to the Palestinian
people”.

“He succeeded in the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian
people so today everyone, all the governments even Israel, is
convinced that one day a Palestinian state must be created for the
Palestinian people,” said Sabbah, the first Palestinian to head the
Catholic Church in the Holy Land.

He said Arafat had tried to help Palestinian Christians by attending
Christmas services at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and
also by taking political measures to assist the stature of the
dwindling number of Christians in the Holy Land.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state, said: “The
holy father [Pope John Paul II] prays to the prince of peace that the
star of harmony will soon shine on the Holy Land and that the two
peoples dwelling therein may live reconciled among themselves as two
independent and sovereign.”

Anglican Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal from St George’s Cathedral in East
Jerusalem, said, “The death of Yasser Arafat is a great loss
certainly to the Palestinian people but also to all who are after
peace with justice.” He noted, “We as members of the Christian
community feel the same loss if not more because of his real concern
for the Palestinian Christians, institutions and holy places.”

Bishop Arris from the office of the Armenian Patriarch in Jerusalem
said the Armenian community had always respected Arafat as the
elected leader of the Palestinian people. “He has always been a good
listener to the Christian requests and seemed to be the voice of
moderation in this regard,” he said.

Members of all the local churches said they would send high level
delegates to Arafat’s military-style funeral in Cairo and burial at
his battered compound in Ramallah on 13 November.

“Yasser Arafat was a man who will be remembered in radically
different and often contradictory ways,” said Lutheran World
Federation President Bishop Mark Hanson and General Secretary Rev.
Ishmael Noko in a joint statement.

“For many, he was the personification of the Palestinian struggle for
self-determination and independence, a freedom-fighter, an heroic
leader, a father figure,” they said. “For others he was an implacable
foe, an obstacle to peace. For Palestinian Christians, he was a
strong supporter of their religious rights and freedoms, and always
attentive to their place and their importance in the Holy Land.”

The Lutheran leaders said although the consequences of Arafat’s death
were unpredictable, it presented “opportunity as well as risk”. They
called on the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to grasp the
opportunity to renew active commitment to dialogue instead of
violence.

They also called on the US government and the other members of the
Quartet – the United Nations, European Union and Russia – involved in
shaping an international policy towards resolution of the
Israel-Palestine conflict, to re-engage in the search for peace.

Peter Weiderud, director of the World Council of Churches’ commission
on international affairs said: “In solidarity with the Palestinian
people, the World Council of Churches will continue to work for human
rights, sustainable livelihoods, medical care and basic freedoms, in
the days and years that lie ahead and until there is peace.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress