Azeri pundit says US president neither pro-Armenian, nor pro-Azeri

MPA news agency
8 Nov 04

Baku, 8 November: Eldar Namazov, chairman of the public forum
For Azerbaijan, held a press conference today (8 November) on the
results of his visit to the USA. The objective of the three-week
stay in America at the invitation of the US State Department was
to familiarize himself with the US election techniques and undergo
training, MPA news agency reports.

The election system of America is very complex. The majority of the
population does not seek to change it and, on the other hand, some
of the states are also unwilling to make changes on their own and,
by doing so, to limit their own powers, Namazov said. The chairman
of the forum has had meetings in the US State Department, Congress,
National Democratic Institute, and the [International] Republican
Institute. The meetings showed that the Americans are closely
monitoring the processes in Azerbaijan.

Namazov said that the Armenian diaspora of America has made a big
mistake by giving all its votes and financial support to [Democratic
contender] John Kerry. Until now, the Armenians used to divide their
vote equally between the two candidates but this time round they
decided to change their tactics.

Namazov explained the Armenian support for the Democratic candidate
by the fact that [American President] George Bush had paid no
attention to their opinion. However, this does not mean that Bush is
pro-Azerbaijani, Namazov said. During the first tenure of Bush no
progress has been made in the resolution of Azerbaijan’s problems.

A1 Plus | 18:45:48 | 08-11-2004 | Official |

NOMINATED THE HEAD OF NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE

President Robert Kocharyan has today signed a decree on nominating
Gorik Hakobyan as the Head of National Security Service of Government,
relieving him from the post of Vice-head of National Security Service
of the Government.

Armenia strengthens control over radioactive material export-import

Bellona, UK
Nov 8 2004

This decision followed the smuggling attempt of cesium-137 in
October.

The Armenian government approved the licensing order of the radioactive
materials, RIA-Novosti reported. The new order should prevent illegal
shipment of the materials and equipment containing radioactive
materials and protect the population from the hazardous irradiation.

In October Armenian authorities had arrested a man found with
radioactive cesium-137 in the trunk of his car. The highly toxic
material, which could contaminate large areas if used in a “dirty
bomb”, was found on Friday and “rendered harmless”, Ashot Martirosian,
chief of the State Atomic Oversight department, said to AP. Yerevan
resident Gagik Tovmasian was arrested on charges of illegal trade
in radioactive materials, Mr Martirosian said. It was unclear how
the man obtained the material but there were various sources in
Armenia, a small former Soviet republic in the Caucasus Mountains,
Mr Martirosian said. Various industries use cesium-137 in density
gauges and for machine calibration. Devices containing cesium-137 can
cause serious radiation exposure if broken and held. Depending on
the amount and form, experts say a dirty bomb made with cesium-137
could spread intense radioactivity over a section of a city, making
it uninhabitable.

In February, Mr Martirosian said a powerful source of radiation was
found on the Armenian-Iranian border among scrap metal headed for Iran,
AP reported.

Business Wire (press release), CA
Nov 8 2004

Xybernaut Selected By Vneshtorgbank — Russia’s ‘Bank for Foreign
Trade’ — for Information Technology Solutions and Systems to Enhance
Efficiency and Productivity

FAIRFAX, Va. & MOSCOW–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 8, 2004–

Vneshtorgbank Engages Xybernaut for Hardware, Software and Solution
Services to Streamline Business Operations and Customer Services

Xybernaut(R) Corporation (NASDAQ:XYBR), today announced that the
Vneshtorgbank (VTB), Russia’s second largest bank and officially
designated “Bank for Foreign Trade,” has selected Xybernaut as an
information technology (IT) provider for a variety of improvements
to business operations, customer services and bank efficiency.

The agreement, which outlines interest in Xybernaut expertise and
know-how calls assigns Xybernaut as a technical services provider and
contractor-integrator for hardware, software and solutions services.
The agreement outlines a series of phases of IT enhancements for the
bank’s computing architecture throughout 2005 and beyond.

In related news, VTB has already completed similar agreements with
IBM, HP, Cisco and Microsoft — American companies that will also be
part of the IT team for this initiative. VTB has also chosen Russian
IT companies who will lead the various integration efforts through
2006. These companies include: “Compulink”, a partner of Avaya and IBM,
“i-Teco”, a partner of HP and Microsoft, “Jet Infosystems”, a partner
of Sun Microsystems, and “Microtest”, a partner of Cisco Systems.

VTB estimates that the bank currently spends $30-40 million on
Information and Telecommunications Infrastructure (ITT) development
every year. According to VTB’s management, intends to become the
most technological bank in Russia in three years. In fact, the VTB
formally documented IT strategy indicates that the banks’ management
plans to spend more than $100 million on ITT enhancements to achieve
these objectives.

“This ITT enhancement initiative is a critical step for VTB and we
anticipate measurable benefits to our operational efficiency and
quality of customer service,” stated Andrey Korotkov, senior vice
president for VTB. “Xybernaut was chosen as a member of this technology
team because of their proven success in mobile/wearable computing with
large government customers and Fortune 500 enterprises. We are not
only interested in Xybernaut hardware and systems but in its know-how,
intellectual property and solutions services. This mix of capabilities
was an important differentiator in our selection process. We have
already identified several IT objective that Xybernaut has been
selected to accomplish.”

Xybernaut and VTB’s other ITT development partners, plan to employ
a staged approach to bank-wide implementation using pilot-programs,
testing/evaluations, reports and refinements related to areas such as
integration with existing VTB information technologies, performance
measurements, training factors and return on investment (ROI) studies.

“VTB is putting together a stellar team of IT providers and we look
forward to contributing with expertise, experience and technologies
that will truly make a difference for VTB,” stated Steven A. Newman,
president and COO of Xybernaut. “Successes in the banking and finance
sector, such as our Atigo deployments for NYMEX member-company MBF
Clearing Corp., are providing valuable perspective and metrics that
can be used for strategic planning and evaluation of efforts for VTB.”

VTB currently has 48 regional representative offices in 11 time zones
and over 1000 branches throughout Russia. Recently, VTB has acquired
several banks in the Top 30 rating among Russian banks. Integration
of these and additional merged banks is one area in which the enhanced
ITT strategy is expected to deliver considerable benefit.

Among Russian banks VTB has the broadest network of correspondents.
The international network of the Bank is represented by five
subsidiaries in Zurich (Switzerland), in Limassol (Cyprus), in Vienna
(Austria), in Luxembourg and in Erevan (Armenia), associated bank in
Frankfurt-on-Main (Germany), representative offices in Milan (Italy),
Beijing (China), Kiev (Ukraine) and Minsk (Belarus).

In addition to traditional banking services, VTB also actively develops
retail markets, small business crediting, commercial and residential
mortgages, while managing a full service insurance company and a
variety of leasing companies. Additional VTB information can be found
at

About Xybernaut:

Xybernaut Corporation is the leading provider of wearable/mobile
computing hardware, software and services, bringing communications and
full-function computing power in a hands-free design to people when
and where they need it. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, Xybernaut
has offices and subsidiaries in Europe (Germany) and Asia (Japan and
China). Visit Xybernaut on the Internet at

Xybernaut, the Xybernaut logo and Mobile Assistant(R) V (MA(R) V)
are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xybernaut Corporation in
the USA and other countries. All other brand and product names are or
may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services
of, their respective owners.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the
“Act”). In particular, when used in the preceding discussion, the
words “plan,” “confident that,” “believe,” “scheduled,” “expect,”
or “intend to,” and similar conditional expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and
are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Such statements are
subject to certain risks and uncertainties and actual results could
differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking
statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to, market conditions, the availability of components and successful
production of the Company’s products, general acceptance of the
Company’s products and technologies, competitive factors, timing,
and other risks described in the Company’s SEC reports and filings.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Southeast European Times, MD
Nov 9 2004

Group Holds Conference on Turkey’s Accession Reforms
08/11/2004

Representatives of the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament
held a three-day conference in Istanbul to show support for Turkey’s
EU bid and discuss problems related to the country’s accession.
By Vahit Bora for Southeast European Times in Istanbul – 08/11/04

The conference focused on problems Turkey may have during EU
accession negotiations. [Green/EFA]

Representatives of the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the
European Parliament met in Istanbul from 19 October to 22 October to
discuss Turkey’s EU accession. The conference, the first held by a
European party on Turkish soil, focused on the challenges facing the
country as it seeks to fulfil the Union’s criteria for membership.

“After … intense debate with Turkish politicians, representatives of
Turkish civil society, media representatives, artists and scientists,
we have gained a clearer picture of what is at stake from the
question of Turkey’s entry into the EU,” the group, which focuses on
environmental issues and democratic rights, said in a press
statement.

Describing Franco-German reconciliation and post-communist
integration — the “miracles of the Rhine and the Oder” — as the
cornerstones of Europe’s postwar development, Greens/EFA group
Co-president Daniel Cohn-Bendit suggested Turkish accession would be
an equally important landmark. “I hope that in 10 or 15 years we will
have witnessed a third miracle; the miracle of the Bosphorus,” he
said.

At the same time, Cohn-Bendit said, Turkish politicians should
acknowledge that the country requires special treatment by the EU.
“Turkey is a country of 70 million people and of great importance to
Europe. But its integration into the EU is not comparable to that of
Malta or Bulgaria or Bosnia and Herzegovina. It will be difficult
both for Turkey and for the EU and both sides should be honest,” he
said.

Conferences and roundtable talks addressed a broad range of issues
facing Turkey, including women’s rights, civil liberties, freedom of
the press, environmental concerns, torture and the treatment of the
Kurdish, Armenian and Christian communities. Nearly all agreed that
Turkey has made sweeping changes over the past two years, but many
argued that implementation of reforms remains a problem.

The chairman of the Joint Parliamentary delegation for the EU and
Turkey, Joost Lagendijk, said that reforms and trust are the keys to
Turkey’s accession. Although the conditions for opening of the
negotiations have been met, he said, that does not mean the criteria
have been completely fulfilled.

While affirming its support for Turkey’s accession bid, the
Greens/EFA group said it would continue to monitor Turkey’s progress,
with special attention to issues of human rights, democratisation and
the position of women in society.

–Boundary_(ID_7K0G+JraS0CFT1JNMhQ3LA)–

Philippine Star, Philippines
Nov 9 2004

Camacho stalks leaders by half point

The Philippine Star 11/09/2004

Unbeaten Cheradee Camacho continued to dish out awesome form as she
crushed Diana Baciu of Moldova Sunday to gain a share of third place
after five rounds of the World Youth Chess Championships at the Creta
Maris Hotel in Heraklio, Crete, Greece.

Ranked 20th in the girls’ 10-and-under category, Camacho marshaled
her white pieces to key squares, engaged her 12th seed rival to a
brief exchange in the middle game before essaying the big victory
that hiked her total to 4.5 points.

That was half-a-point behind third seed Mohana Priya of India and No.
4 Mary Arabidze of Georgia, who streaked to their fifth straight win
with victories over Melissa Greeff of South Africa and Nino Anakidze
of Georgia, respectively.

Chinese Xu Huahua, ranked 84th here, upended second seed Veronica
Foisor-Mihaela of Romania to share third place with Camacho.

Christy Bernales, meanwhile, disposed of Cubillos Ramirez of Colombia
to move to joint 20th with three points in the girls’ 12-and-under
division. She stood 1.5 points adrift of Irina Bulmaga of Moldova,
Zoi Iordanidou of Greece and Klaudia Kulon (ELO 1918) of Poland, who
tote identical 4.5 points.

Five other Filipino players drew their respective matches.

Jesus Alfonso Datu and Leo Daylo Jr. halved the point with Jure
Plaskan of Slovakia and Andrew Green of Scotland, respectively, in
the boys’ 14-and-under division but were too far behind the leaders
with only 1.5 points to show. IM Ildar Khairullin of Russia, Daniel
Ludwig of the USA and Lopez Ivan Salgado of Spain shared the lead
with identical 4.5 points.

Also settling for draws were Kimberly Jane Cunanan and Geneline De
Ramos in the 14-and-under and 18-and-under classes, respectively, and
Jayveelyn Fronda in the 18-and-under category.

Wesley So suffered his second straight setback, losing to FM Eltaj
Safarli of Azerbaijan in the boys’ 12-and-under class while Prince
Mark Aquino bowed to Davit Shahinyan of Armenia in the boys’
10-and-under category. Julius Joseph De Ramos also succumbed to FM
Tiberiu Manescu of Romania in the 18-and-under division.

Why We Lost 17 Cities of Caucasia to Russia?

Persian Journal, Iran
Nov 8 2004

As soon as Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar established the Qajar dynasty,
he reasserted Iranian sovereignty over the former Iranian territories
in Georgia and the Caucasus in 1774.

Agha Mohammad Khan was assassinated in 1797 and was succeeded by his
nephew, Fath Ali Shah (1797 – 1834). Under Fath Ali Shah, Iran went
to war against Russia, which was expanding from the north into the
Caucasus Mountains, an area of historic Iranian interest and influence.

Iran suffered major military defeats during the war. Under the terms
of the Treaty of Golestan in 1813, Iran recognized Russia’s annexation
of Georgia and ceded to Russia most of the north Caucasus region.

A second war with Russia in the 1820s ended even more disastrously
for Iran, which in 1828 was forced to sign the Treaty of Turkmanchai
acknowledging Russian sovereignty over the entire area north of the
Aras River (territory comprising present-day Armenia and Republic
of Azerbaijan).

Fath Ali Shah was possibly too busy with the ladies of his Haram-Sara
reading poetry and having good times. Here is a story how he was doing
dring those days. May be that is why we lost 17 cities of Caucasia
to Rusia!

Azeri foreign ministry says visas not to be issued to Armenian MPs

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
8 Nov 04

[Presenter in studio] The names of Armenian MPs who are expected to
attend the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Rose-Roth seminar due in
Baku on 26-28 November have been revealed. However, the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry said today that visas would not be issued to the
representatives of the aggressor-state.

[Correspondent over archive footage] Armenia will be represented
by three deputies at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Rose-Roth
seminar in Baku. The delegation will include the chairman of the
standing parliamentary commission on defence, national security and
internal affairs, Mger Shakhgeldyan, and deputies Aleksan Karapetyan
and Artur Petrosyan.

Mger Shakhgeldyan has said that the Armenian side had already informed
the organizers of its decision. As for the issue of receiving visas to
travel to Azerbaijan, the delegation will receive the visas in Baku,
end of quote.

While the Armenians are making preparations for the visit to Baku,
there seems to be no clarity on the issue in Baku. The Foreign
Ministry has stated that since there are no diplomatic contacts
between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Armenian deputies cannot receive
the visas in Baku. The Defence Ministry, in turn, has said that it has
nothing to do with the Armenian MPs’ possible visit to Baku. According
to the head of the ministry’s press service, Ramiz Malikov, since
this seminar is being organized by NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly,
all organizational issues are being dealt with by the Milli Maclis
[parliament], end of quote.

However, the Milli Maclis seems reluctant to comment on the issue. In
fact, the parliament’s press service does not even know the names of
the deputies expected to represent Armenia at the seminar.

Meanwhile, the Karabakh Liberation Organization has accused the Milli
Maclis administration of creating suitable conditions for the Armenian
deputies’ visit to Baku. The organization sees the recent signing
of a document in Paris by speaker Murtuz Alasgarov to form a joint
working group with Armenia as a betrayal of national interests. It
said it would prevent the Armenian MPs from visiting Baku.

Vusala Karimova, “Son Xabar”.
From: Baghdasarian

Opposition figure says security chief resigned due to no changes in Armenia

Noyan Tapan news agency
8 Nov 04

Yerevan, 8 November: The chairman of the New Times Party, Aram
Karapetyan, thinks that Karlos Petrosyan has voluntarily resigned from
the post of chief of the National Security Service of the Republic
of Armenian. This announcement was made by Karapetyan at a meeting
with journalists on 6 November.

Karapetyan noted that Petrosyan “had been trying for a long time to
introduce changes in Armenia, especially in the economic sphere” and
“finally, the man got tired of all this”.

“I regard his resignation as voluntary, he was tired of fighting and
of seeing no changes in action,” Karapetyan said.

Azeri president praises UN Food Program official for activities

Lider TV, Baku
8 Nov 04

[Presenter] President Ilham Aliyev has received the representative of
the UN World Food Programme in Azerbaijan, Cherif Amin Zaher. The head
of state spoke highly of the UN World Food Programme representative’s
activities in Azerbaijan and thanked him for his personal contribution
to improving the social conditions of those who were driven out of
their lands as a result of Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan.

Touching upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagornyy Karabakh,
the head of state said the government is taking a number of measures to
improve the social conditions of refugees and IDPs who are suffering
as a result of this [conflict]. He stressed that the main task for
the Azerbaijani leadership is to settle this conflict, which is a
painful problem for our nation, and to secure the return of over a
million refugees and IDPs to their lands.