Pipeline perks for Russia in Armenia-Iran Deal
IranMania, Iran
Dec 24 2004
LONDON, Dec 24 (IranMania) – Iran has moved closer to gaining a
strategic foothold in Caucasian energy markets with the start of
work on a gas pipeline to Armenia that has been heralded by Yerevan
as bringing “definite changes in the region.”
The project has the potential to undercut Russia’s control of Armenia’s
energy supply, yet two new gas projects could act as potential deal
sweeteners for this longtime Armenian ally. Plans were recently
announced for an increase in Armenian orders for Russian gas and
a possible role in the Iranian pipeline project for Russian energy
giant Gazprom.
According to Iran News, construction on Armenia’s section of the
142-kilometer gas pipeline began on November 30, with $30 mln in
costs for the 42-kilometer strip from the Armenian border town of
Agarak to Kajaran, south of Yerevan, picked up by the Iranian Export
and Development Bank.
Upon completion in late 2006, the pipeline will supply the tiny South
Caucasus state with 36 billion cubic meters of Iranian gas over the
next 20 years. Gas from Turkmenistan is also scheduled to be delivered
to Armenia via the pipeline.
At an official ceremony to mark the project’s debut, Armenian Deputy
Prime Minister Andranik Margarian stated that the pipeline, in the
works since 1992, would bring economic benefits to Armenia as well
as foster regional stability. “This project has been implemented
throughout Armenia’s political and economic sufferings,” Armenian
media reported Margarian as saying. “In Armenia’s years of hardship,
Iran has stretched out its hand to help us.”
Expanding Armenia’s energy sources is a critical goal for the
administration of President Robert Kocharian – for both economic and
political reasons. Chronic energy shortages contributed to much of
the country’s economic decline after the collapse of the Soviet Union,
and Armenia’s economic woes continue to attract the criticism of the
country’s opposition.
Speaking to reporters about Armenia’s energy deal with Iran,
Kocharian commented during a December 2 visit by Iranian Energy
Minister Habibollah Bitaraf that “[w]e are ready to do everything
possible to support the current level of cooperation,” according to
the Russian news agency Interfax.
In exchange for the gas, Armenia will eventually deliver up to
1,000 megawatts of electricity to Iran with the construction of two
high-voltage power lines between the countries.
Additional electricity projects are also in the works. In 2005 or
2006 Armenia hopes to start construction on two hydropower plants
on the banks of the Arax River between Armenia and Iran, according
to Margarian.
Oil could reinforce Tehran’s ties with Yerevan still further. At a
December 4 meeting between Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian
and Iran’s Armenian Ambassador Ali-Reza Haghighian, plans were
discussed for construction of a 60-kilometer oil pipeline from the
Iranian town of Julfa to the Armenian border town of Meghri.
Geopolitics, though, rather than the attractions of the Armenian
energy market, appears to drive much of Iran’s push for partnership.
With American troops stationed in neighboring Afghanistan and Iraq and
Iran’s nuclear energy program under intense international scrutiny,
the country’s ruling clerics have taken steps to assure the outside
world that the Islamic Republic is a force for stability in the region.
Iranian President Mohammad Khatami’s on September 2004 visit to
Armenia, a close US ally, reinforced that campaign with a “good
neighbor” message that “Iran is interested in peace and stability in
the South Caucasus”.
But in drawing closer to Iran, Yerevan has risked alienating another
longtime ally – Russia. Though Russian Deputy Prime Minister Boris
Alyoshin assured reporters in Yerevan earlier this year that the
pipeline deal with Iran would only provide additional business for
Russian-operated electricity stations in Armenia, the deal has been
scrutinized with some trepidation. The Russian company United Energy
Systems controls 40 percent of Armenia’s electricity generation
facilities, while heavy hitters Gazprom and Itera control 55 percent
of ArmRogazprom, currently Armenia’s sole natural gas supplier.
When the Iranian pipeline is complete, however, Armenia will no longer
need to depend solely on Russia for its natural gas needs. In Yerevan,
Kremlin concerns about the prospect of Armenia providing a conduit
for Iranian gas to Europe, a key Russian market, are widely believed
to have resulted in a reduction of the pipeline’s size to a width
too narrow for exports.
Yet Russian energy companies have not been idle in defending their
interests. The Russian news agency Interfax reported an unidentified
Armenian government source as saying on December 8 that Gazprom may
be invited to build and repair one part of the Armenian-Iranian gas
pipeline, between Kadjaran and Ararat, at a cost of $90 million. As
payment for its work, Gazprom would receive the No. 5 generating
unit at the Razdan power plant, Armenia’s largest heating and power
plant, which supplies 20 percent of the country’s electricity needs.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian had earlier dismissed reports of
such a deal.
Still other sweeteners are in the works. On December 11, ArmRogazprom
CEO and General Director Karen Karapetyan announced plans to increase
gas supplies to Armenia by roughly 31 percent during 2005 to some
1.6-1.7 billion cubic meters. A $27 million expansion of Armenia’s
gas pipeline from Russia is planned to handle the increased flow.
“I am convinced that the problem of Armenia’s energy security will be
solved soon,” the Russian news agency Novosti reported Karapetyan as
saying, “given the forthcoming opening of the alternative Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline.”
For now, the government line out of Yerevan is that what benefits
Iran benefits Russia.
At a May 13-15 summit in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir
Putin, Kocharian took pains to stress that the pipeline deal with
Iran would not damage Russia’s own energy interests in Armenia or
result in a fall-off in Armenian orders for Russian gas. Gazprom,
Itera and United Energy Systems will all collect “major dividends from
the deal,” Kocharian said, Novosti reported. “They will benefit, too.”
–Boundary_(ID_0TOjHE/t6Ti4lbNUn8UcJQ)–

No room at the inn
By NICKY BLACKBURN
Jerusalem Post
Dec 24 2004
The first Christmas Christelle Erlich spent in Israel, she and her
Jewish husband invited 10 couples for dinner. Erlich, a Catholic from
Versailles, who had met her Israeli husband on an archeological dig
in Beit Shemesh in 1990, decorated a Christmas tree, and spent the
day cooking all the traditional Christmas foods. In keeping with her
customs, she laid her table with three tablecloths, for the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost, ready to celebrate the holiday with her
Jewish friends.
It was a stormy winter day and as the evening drew near, couple after
couple began to cancel. It was too rainy, they complained. They were
too tired, they had to get up early the next day. When, finally,
the last couple phoned to say they couldn’t come, Erlich switched
off the oven, leaving a half-cooked turkey inside, and sat down on
the sofa and wept.
“I’ve never felt so lonely and alone,” says 36-year-old Erlich,
who now lives in Kadima. “No one understood the importance of this
feast for me. To them it was just dinner. But for me it was a really
significant occasion. If it had been Passover dinner, they would
never have dropped out like that. It was terrible.”
For Christians living in Israel, Christmas can be one of the loneliest
times of the year. Elsewhere around the world, the streets are filled
with decorations, shops are overflowing with traditional Christmas
fare, there are carols on street corners and dodgy Christmas grottos
attended by cheery red-faced Santas and over-sized elves. Here,
however, it is just an ordinary day. There are no decorations, no
special events, no special programming on television, and not even
a day off.
“It’s hard to imagine that Jesus was born in Israel,” says Rita
Boulus, an Anglican Protestant who lives in Neveh Shalom, a small
village dedicated to peaceful coexistence between Arabs and Jews,
which is tucked away in the hills leading up to Jerusalem. “You would
think he was born in England. There is no atmosphere in Israel. You
just don’t feel the holiday.”
Boulus, an Israeli Arab, was born and brought up in Lod and remembers
the Christmases of her childhood as joyful affairs. The family would
decorate the house and dress in their best clothes. Both Muslim and
Christian neighbors would visit their home to drink traditional liquors
and eat chocolates and special yeast cakes. Boulus, a sweet-faced
woman with black hair pulled back from her face, remembers her father
coming home with his pockets stuffed full of chocolates, which he
would hand out to the children. Often there were trips to Bethlehem
or Ramallah for Christmas services.
Today, Boulus still decorates her home for Christmas, with stockings,
wreaths and a Christmas tree, and there are presents for her four
children, but the holiday has become a low-key affair. The family
celebrates with just immediate relatives or friends. They have a
large dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by another on Christmas Day.
Sometimes they go to church on Christmas morning. Now that visits to
intifada-scarred Bethlehem are off the agenda, some Israeli Christians
go to Amman instead.
“Now I don’t really feel that I have a Christmas,” says Boulus,
with a shrug.
Lena Vahakian, an Armenian Christian, also celebrates Christmas
festivities in a more subdued style than she did as a child. Born
and brought up in the Old City of Jerusalem, she spent many of her
Christmases in Bethlehem. As a member of an Armenian marching band,
Vahakian would be invited to take part in celebrations with Palestinian
marching bands on both December 25 and January 19, the date of the
Armenian Christmas.
“We all played for each other’s celebrations, everyone respected each
other,” says 25-year-old Vahakian. “There were choirs, orchestras,
drums, and Scottish bagpipes playing all day long. We would visit
friends and family, and someone would dress up as Santa Claus and
give out dozens of presents. It was very festive.”
The marching bands stopped when the intifada broke out. In the last
two years, there have been no civic celebrations in Bethlehem either.
“It’s all changed,” says Vahakian. “I don’t feel safe going to
Bethlehem, and even when the intifada stops, I don’t know if it will
ever be the same again.”
The Armenian community in Jerusalem has also diminished drastically
in size. Today there are only about 3,000 Armenians left in the Old
City, and many of Vahakian’s friends have emigrated. Vahakian visits
her mother for Christmas. Her two sisters are abroad, so it is often
just the two of them.
“It’s nothing special,” she admits. “We have the Christmas tree and
give gifts, but it’s not the same. I would love to be able to walk
out on the street and see decorations or lights, but when I step out
of my house now, I may not see another Christmas tree. Last year I
saw a tiny Christmas tree in a shop and it made me smile. I feel sad
that we do not have a proper Christmas here.”
THE TRUTH is that it is never easy to belong to a minority anywhere
in the world, particularly such a small one. Today, Christians make
up just 2.1 percent of the Israeli population, compared to 79.2%
Jews, and 14.9% Muslims, according to government statistics, and this
figure is declining, as increasing numbers of Christians emigrate.
Christians are also divided into various faiths, such as Greek and
Russian Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Anglican. Many Christians
here liken their experiences at Christmas to what the Jews experience
in the Diaspora during Jewish holidays.
Vahakian admits that though she would love to see Christmas trees on
the streets, she does not expect the Jewish state to provide them.
“The Jews are scared to lose their identity because of what they have
gone through in the past, and what they are still going through now
with anti-Semitism. I think they fear that if they allowed a Christmas
tree here or there, it would be the beginning of the end.”
Though most Christians are the first to admit that minorities
everywhere feel isolated, what many find difficult here is the feeling
that they are an unwanted minority. For some, this translates into
something as simple as being unable to get time off from work on
Christmas Day, for others it is more invidious.
When Vahakian was young, her older sister, who now lives abroad,
told her that when she grew up she would never wear a cross outside
of her home. “Now I know what she means,” admits Vahakian. “I still
wear my cross sometimes, but people stare at me strangely.”
Vahakian was born in Jerusalem. So was her mother and her grandmother
before her. In fact, the family has been living in Jerusalem for five
generations. Despite this, she does not have Israeli citizenship,
nor does she have a passport. Instead, every time she or another
member of the family wants to leave Israel, they have to go to the
Ministry of the Interior to get special travel documents. These can
take months to arrange, and sometimes trips have been cancelled simply
because documents did not come in time.
“If you are Armenian and you live in Jerusalem, it’s virtually
impossible to get citizenship,” says Vahakian, who has now hired a
lawyer to fight for her right to a passport. “This is why so many
Armenians have left. Life is just too hard here.”
“Israelis are not at all open to Christians,” says Erlich. “They
don’t like to know there are Christians here. They don’t consider
them at the same level. For them, Judaism is the important thing.
Christianity is threatening.”
When Erlich first arrived in Israel, she decided to convert to
Judaism because she thought it would be the best way to become a
real Israeli. She approached a number of rabbis, but each time was
turned away because her partner, a kohen, would not be able to marry
a convert.
“The rabbis treated me very badly,” admits Erlich. “They told me to
go back home, that I don’t belong here, and that I shouldn’t steal
a nice Jewish boy away. I was very hurt.”
Unable to marry in Israel, Erlich and her partner got married in
Cyprus. A later attempt to convert her three children was also met
with resistance. Though Erlich is open about her religion, she admits
that she does not go out of her way to tell people she is Christian.
“I don’t need to advertise the fact that I am different. I’m afraid
they might treat me another way if they knew.”
She worries for her children.
“They feel Jewish, but they also feel different,” she admits.
“Children at my son’s school call him the French boy, it’s only a
matter of time before they call him the Christian boy. I’m waiting
for it. My children can serve in the military and pay taxes, but they
cannot be married here, nor buried in a Jewish cemetery.”
For Arab Christians, the difficulties are even more pronounced.
“We are a minority within a minority,” exclaims Daoud Boulus, Rita’s
54-year-old husband, as he sits drinking strong coffee on a sunlit
terrace outside his house.
“I don’t feel I can express myself as a Christian here. Arab
Christians are constantly under a magnifying glass and our loyalty
is questioned. The Jews think of us as Arabs and Palestinians, while
the Arabs regard Christianity as a Western religion, and wonder if
we are really their Arab brothers, or whether our faith and feelings
are somewhere else.”
“A minority is always suspected. As Arabs and Christians, we are
considered second or even third class,” says Rev. Samuel Fanous,
the Anglican priest in charge of the parishes of Ramle, Jaffa
and Lod. Fanous finds that the sentiment towards his congregation
varies from place to place, according to the strength and economic
prosperity of the community, and the support it receives from the local
authorities. In Ramle, for instance, there are some 4,000 Christians,
within a population of 70,000 Arabs and Jews. The Christian community
enjoys the support of the local Jewish mayor, and at Christmas,
the Ramle municipality even provides money for Christmas decorations
outside the city church.
In Lod, however, where there are just 800 Christians, the story is
very different. In past years, Fanous used to dress up as Santa Claus
and deliver presents to his parishioners there. He gave that up after
he suffered harassment from local Muslim children.
FOR ISRAEL’S large and strong Russian population, Christmas and New
Year celebrations are far more open affairs. Some 50,000 Russians are
registered as Christian, while 270,000 more are not Jewish according
to Halacha. After decades of communism, many Russians do not celebrate
either Christian or Jewish holidays. Instead, they have picked New
Year’s Eve on December 31 as their main festival, and they use all the
Christian symbols – including Christmas trees, presents and even Santa
Claus, who is reincarnated as the grandfather of ice – to celebrate.
Russian TV channels run broadcasts of the New Year’s festivities,
and restaurants and clubs hold special entertainments.
“It’s not at all difficult to celebrate this holiday,” says
Ukrainian-born Natasha Shchukina, 35, who runs an advertising agency
in Tel Aviv. “Now the local firms understand this holiday, they do
everything they can to increase sales during this period. It doesn’t
bother us that we are celebrating a holiday that most people here
do not, because there are so many of us. No one helps us, but no one
interferes with us either.”
For Christians from smaller minority groups, however, there is an
urgent need for more support. Erlich believes that a great deal more
could be done to foster understanding between the religions, and that
schools and kindergartens should not only teach the Jewish festivals,
but should teach the festivals of other religions too. With this in
mind, she approached her son’s school, and asked if she could give
a class on Christmas. Her son’s teacher was uncomfortable at first,
and referred her to the school’s head teacher. Erlich was finally
given the go-ahead, and on December 24 she will teach a class at her
son’s school about Christmas.
“There is enormous pressure to learn about the Jewish feasts, but
in every classroom across the country, you will probably find one or
two pupils who never once hear about their own holidays or feasts,”
she says. “It can be a very isolating experience.”
And what of Erlich’s Christmas this year?
“I still invite people to dinner every year, and every year some of
them don’t come, which hurts. But I don’t do it for them, I do it
for me. I will always celebrate Christmas. It’s part of me. Christmas
is about sharing and giving, and these are very important values. My
children look forward to Christmas. I read them stories about Jesus
and Mary, and I tell them it’s important for them to know this story,
because it happened here in Israel, and it is part of them.”
Some names have been changed.

CHINA’S NATIONAL TEAM WON FIRST INTERNATIONAL CHESS INTERNET-TOURNAMENT
RIA Novosti, Russia
Dec 24 2004
YEREVAN, December 24 (RIA Novosti) – The national team of China won
the world’s first international chess Internet-tournament devoted to
the 75th birthday anniversary of ninth world chess champion Tigran
Petrosian (1929-1984).
The national teams of Russia, Armenia and France participated in the
tournament along with the host team.
China’s squad took first place with 14 points and received $20,000
for the victory.
The team of France consisting of Joel Lautier, Laurent Fressinet,
Christian Bauer and Alexander Nataf scored 13 points and took second
place, receiving $15,000 of prize money.
The team of Russia which included Pyotr Svidler, Alexei Dreyev,
Alexander Khalifman and Vadim Zvyagintsev also scored 13 points
but ceded to the French according to the additional indicators. The
Russians’ prize money is $12,000.
Armenia’s squad, composed of Levon Aronian, Smbat Lputian, Gabriel
Sarkisian and Artashes Minasian, failed to achieve a success, scored
only 8 points, and took the last place. The Armenians received $8,000.
The tournament was held in two rounds – every entrant played with
one opponent with White and Black. Every participating country
was represented by one arbiter picked by the Armenian side as the
organizer.
On the tournament’s web site chess lovers all over the world could
watch the matches online. The contents of the web site are in five
languages – Armenian, Russian, French, Chinese and English. Around
$80,000 was spent on holding the tournament which was organized by
Armenia’s chess academy and the Chess Federation of Armenia.
Tigran Petrosian, having emerged victorious in the challengers’
tournament in 1962, won the right to play a match for the world
title against Mikhail Botvinnik, defeated him 12.5 – 9.5 in 1963,
and won the world title. “The practical benefit of Petrosian’s style,
based on the original and refined comprehension of the position,
lies in the fact that, as he gained experience, hebecame increasingly
dangerous to his partners, and his supremacy in understanding the
position – a permanently operating but not fortuitous factor – had to
manifest itself some day,” defeated Botvinnik commented on Petrosian’s
performance. In 1966 Petrosian defended his champion title winning
the championship match against Boris Spassky 12.5 – 11.5. Petrosian’s
play was distinguished not only by profound positional ideas but also
by high tactical skill.
In 1969 Petrosian lost the match for the world champion title to
Boris Spassky 10.5 – 12.5.

ARMENIAN, AZERI FOREIGN MINISTERS WERE ONE STEP AWAY FROM STRIKING PEACE DEAL
ArmenPress
Dec 24 2004
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS: In an interview with Russian Regnum
news agency Russian cochairman of the OSCE Minsk group, Yuri Merzlyakov
said foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were one step away
from striking a peace deal during their recent meeting in Prague that
would put an end to more than a decade-long Armenian-Azeri opposition
over Nagorno Karabagh.
Merzlyakov said provisions of a draft agreement, reached by the
ministers in Prague were to be considered by presidents Robert
Kocharian an Ilham Aliyev after their meeting on the sidelines of
a CIS summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, together with the Minsk group
cochairmen to make the final decision “to either accept it or not.”
The Russian diplomat said Azerbaijan’s decision to push for a debate
at the UN General Assembly on the “situation in Azerbaijan’s occupied
territories” has spoiled all plans.” Merzlyakov praised the UN for
suspending debates, adding that Azerbaijan’s motion has blocked the
conflict resolution for several months, but despite this the Russian
diplomat said he hoped that next year meetings of Armenian and Azeri
foreign ministers in Prague would produce positive results.
“I believe that the 2005 will become a decisive year to mark a
breakthrough in the conflict resolution,” he said.

U.N.: ‘Almost a million refugees face hunger’
Baku Sun: Azerbaijan
Dec 24 2004
GENEVA (AP) – Around a million refugees could face hunger and
malnutrition next year because of meager donations from governments
of more prosperous countries, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Several hundred thousand refugees are already struggling to survive
because aid agencies have had to drastically reduce rations to ensure
there is enough to go round, said Ron Redmond, spokesman for the U.N.
high commissioner for refugees.
“We are especially worried for refugees in Africa,” Redmond told
reporters.
In Zambia, handouts already have been halved in the past two months
and soon will be slashed again, putting 87,000 people at risk of
malnutrition.
“Already, we are hearing reports of refugee women resorting to
prostitution to support themselves and their children,” Redmond
added. “Field offices in Zambia also report there has been a marked
increase in children dropping out of school, presumably to help their
families find food.”
In Tanzania, rations were cut by a quarter in October. UNHCR and the
World Food Program found last month that malnutrition is rising among
some 400,000 refugees from Burundi and Congo who live in Tanzania’s
camps.
Malnutrition also threatens some 118,000 refugees in Ethiopia, and
another 224,000 in Kenya, Redmond said.
In conflict-ravaged Congo, WFP says that next month it will need to
make ration cuts of almost one third, Redmond noted.
“Africa is not the only continent facing a breakdown in the food
pipeline,” he said.
In January, 140,000 displaced a decade ago by conflict between Armenia
and Azerbaijan face a complete cut in rations — just two months after
handouts were halved.
Non-U.N. aid agencies also have sounded the alarm, but some have
chastised the United Nations for failing to respond fast enough
to crises.
On Monday, U.S.-based Refugees International said the world body was
moving too slowly to hand out food to people who fled the conflict
in Ivory Coast.
–Boundary_(ID_/r+1LxpfzhAgRvatPbnSVg)–

RUSSIA TO ASSIST ARMENIA IN 1988 EARTHQUAKE ZONE HEATING SYSTEM REVIVAL
RIA Novosti, Russia
Dec 24 2004
YEREVAN, December 24 (RIA Novosti) – The Armenian government has given
consent for the Armenian Urban Planning Ministry and the Russian
Federal Agency for Construction, Housing and Utilities to sign an
agreement on cooperation in reconstruction work in Armenia’s Shirak
region, the Armenian governmental PR service reported.
In 2005-2006 Russia will assign about $4 million for Armenia to
reconstruct the heating systems of a number of facilities of the
country’s second largest city, Gyumri (former Leninakan), the center
of the Shirak region, Minister of Urban Planning Aram Arutyunyan
stated earlier.
According to the official, Russia and Armenia have reached preliminary
agreement, and the issue has been placed on the agenda of the
Russian-Armenian interstate commission for economic cooperation.
Among the facilities included in the program the minister mentioned
the Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute, a hospital, a physical culture
school, four churches and blocks of flats.
Gyumri is one of the cities most damaged in the devastating earthquake
which happened in December 1988 in Armenia.

CCS okays revised cost estimate for Kaveri engine
Sify, India
Dec 24 2004
New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Saturday approved
the revised cost estimate of Rs 2,800 crore for the Kaveri Engine
Project for India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Tejas. This was
stated by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee after the CCS meeting
chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The CCS “approved the revised cost estimate of Kaveri engine” which
has been placed at Rs 2,800 crore, Mukherjee said adding that Rs
1,300 crore had already been spent earlier on the indigenous project.
Two prototypes of LCA , being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited (HAL), Bangalore, have been test flown including at supersonic
speeds.
LCA, a versatile, light weight and multi-role combat aircraft, is
expected to be ready for induction in the Indian Air Force in another
three years time.
Mukherjee said the CCS approved a defence cooperation agreement with
Armenia which had been reached by the previous NDA regime in May
last year.

Armenian parliament approves sending military specialists to Iraq
Itar-Tass, Russia
Dec 24 2004
YEREVAN, December 24 (Itar-Tass) – The Armenian parliament has ratified
a bill on sending military specialists to Iraq.
The decision was made after seven hours of closed-door debates.
Ninety-one deputy supported the bill, 23 voted against, and one
abstained. The Justice opposition bloc and the Dashnaktsutyun party,
which is a member of the ruling coalition and holder of ministerial
portfolios, objected to the bill.
Thus, Armenia joined the memorandum on mutual understanding in the
formation of the South-Center multinational division led by Poland
and stationed in Iraq. The document signed between Poland and another
19 countries last July regulates relations in the division.
Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisyan said they would send up to
50 military drivers, sappers and medics to Iraq. Their mission will
be purely humanitarian and voluntary. Contracts will be signed with
the Armenian servicemen, he said.
Armenia will make several reservations before sending its personnel to
Iraq, Sarkisyan said. Firstly, they must not take part in operations
together with Azerbaijani units. Secondly, they must be engaged only in
defensive and humanitarian actions. In case of demining handmade bombs,
America must supply Armenian sappers with robots, the minister said.

Times of India, India
Dec 24 2004
J&K enjoys more freedom than PoK: Survey
CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA
WASHINGTON: The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir has a greater
degree of freedom than Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the think-tank
Freedom House has said in a survey.
In a significant pronouncement in the Freedom of the World 2005
report, the think tank classifies PoK as “Not Free” compared to J&K’s
“Partly Free” status, thus diminishing military-ruled Pakistan’s
frequent charges of Indian oppression in J&K and calls for
“self-determination” for the state.
In fact, India, with a ranking of 2.5, is only country in South Asia
that is classified as “Free.” Pakistan at 5.5 is deemed “Not Free,”
which would suggest its status is worse than that India’s “Partly
Free” J&K.
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal all rate better than Pakistan with
their “Partly Free” status. The annual ranking is based on political
rights and civil liberties, and Freedom House is evidently not
impressed by Gen Musharraf’s claims of democracy.
In an assessment of what Freedom House considers “disputed
territories,” only northern Turkish Cyprus is rated “Free.” J&K,
along with Nagorno-Karabakh (disputed between Armenia and Azarbaijan)
is rated partly free. PoK, Tibet, Israeli-occupied territories,
Palestinian-occupied territories, Chechnya and Kosovo are considered
“Not Free.”
According to the survey, 89 countries are Free. Their 2.8 billion
inhabitants (44 percent of the world’s population) enjoy a broad
range of rights. Fifty-four countries representing 1.2 billion people
(19 percent) are considered Partly Free. Political rights and civil
liberties are more limited in these countries, in which corruption,
dominant ruling parties, or, in some cases, ethnic or religious
strife are often the norm.
The survey finds that 49 countries are Not Free. The 2.4 billion
inhabitants (37 percent) of these countries, nearly three-fifths of
whom live in China, are denied most basic political rights and civil
liberties. The worst rated countries include close US ally Saudi
Arabia, Turkmenistan, Libya, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan, Syria and
Burma.
Most of Western Europe and the United States topped the freedom chart
with a ranking of 1. India with its 2.5 ranking was in the company of
Brazil, Philippines and Thailand, and below Greece, Japan, South
Africa, Taiwan, South Korea and Israel among others.

The New Star of the European Union: Does It Shine in France?
Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Dec 24 2004
The anxiety, fear, curiosity.. These are still dominant feelings in
France after the big day, 17th December, in Brussels. The negative
voices are still very loud. The question marks did not find their
results. What will happen? Will Turkey be successful in its “Europe
journey”? What will be the stance of French government and Chirac?
It can be said that the Turkey issue separated not only the public
but also the politicians. Turkey is now a political apparatus in
France that controls and manipulates the domestic and foreign affairs.
The President Chirac continues to defend his pro-Turkey stance. As
he has hesitations because of the presidential election while the
majority of the public are against the membership of Turkey to the
European Union, he stated that Turkey will be successful in its journey
that will start on 3rd October 2005. He also added that this will be a
long and difficult way, as Le Monde reported. However, he highlighted
that he wishes a happy “marriage” between Turkey and European Union.
The other side of the coin, namely against Turkey side, is still
anxious. As Le Figaro reported, the politicians of UMP, the party of
Nicolas Sarkozy, declared their negative opinions on the expense of
challenging the President. They declared that a parliamentary debate
should take place as soon as possible. Another important actor of
the Assembly, the Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin, declared his
opinion about Turkey’s entry to the EU. In his speech made in the
National Assembly, he stated that the position of France has been
shaped by the President. The general opinion in his speech was clear:
he opposed Turkey’s entry. Even he stated that the membership of Turkey
will be beneficial for EU, he has lots of question marks about Turkey
and its development, or in other words, its success during the journey
to the EU.
Besides Raffarin, some figures are much braver (!) while they declare
their opinion about Turkey. The foreign Minister Barnier used the
Armenian card just before the 17th December summit. While the members
of the French government are cautious in using the term “genocide”,
Barnier was the first who used it in the parliament. As they do
not want to lost Armenian citizens’ votes they are very careful on
this issue.
As it is mentioned above Turkey has become one of the significant
state affairs’ tools. In every debate “this political tool” is used
by political and state elites. They can not “imagine” the Union with
Turkey. According to them this potential star of Europe can not be as
shiny as the other 25 stars. They can not get rid of the prejudices.
In my point of view, if Ankara and Brussels can not meet in a common
point, Turkey may find prospective star groups in the endless sky…The
crucial point is the success of this star during its journey and its
positive impacts on the sky that it belongs…
Selin Akyüz, ISRO
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