ArmenPress
Sept 22 2004

DEPUTY PARLIAMENT SPEAKER SAYS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS BASED ON
HUMAN RIGHTS RESPECT

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: Deputy parliament chairman
Tigran Torosian praised today the working Constitution, passed in
1995, saying it has contributed significantly to the democracy
development and establishment of government institutions, but added
that it has some shortcoming constraining the country’s progress,
which he said result from Armenia’s scanty experience in
constitutional right and practice back in 1995.
He said the expected constitutional amendments, proposed by the
ruling majority, are based on constitutional guarantees ensuring the
citizens’ right to exercise their freedoms. He also emphasized a
clause in the draft constitution that empowers the legislature with
the right to elect the human rights defender, vesting him or her with
the power to address to the Constitutional Court for protection of
citizens’ rights.
Another important clause, according to Torosian are a chain of
amendments aimed to reform the judicial system, under which the
Justice Council, headed now by the president of the country, will be
immune from the executive power’s influence. Under the clause the
Council will be headed by one of its members.
The deputy parliament chairman also said the package of amendments
seeks to create a balance among power branches. Some other changes
are expected also to introduce more clarity in respect to local
self-management bodies. Another draft amendment would allow the
parliament to endorse or reject a prime minister nominated by the
president, but the latter would be empowered to dissolve it if his
candidacies are rejected by lawmakers for three consecutive times.
Torosian said two other packages of alternative constitutional
reforms, proposed by Arshak Sadoyan and the United Labor Party will
be also discussed in the parliament. He said the conclusion of the
Council of Europe Venice Commission on the amendments, designed by
the majority, will arrive in early October.

ArmenPress
Sept 22 2004

RESPONSIBILITY FOR KARABAGH RESOLUTION LIES WITH ARMENIA AND
AZERBAIJAN, US MINSK GROUP CHAIRMAN SAYS

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: In a Monday interview with the
Russian Service of the BBC, Steven Mann, the US cochairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group, said both Armenia and Azerbaijan are experiencing
now a bigger domestic stability, giving the Minsk Group a good
opportunity to resume the conflict’s scrutiny.
According to Mann, after presidential elections in both countries
there are now all possibilities for resuming talks. In response to a
question about the existence of political will in both capitals, Mann
said the Group met with Robert Kocharian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev
of Azerbaijan on the sidelines of a CIS summit in Kazakhstan to try
to assess it.
“We are telling both sides that the time is not on their side and
the longer the resolution is protracted the worse,” he said,
explaining that Armenia it is being left out of virtually all
regional projects. “New pipelines, highways and railways are being
built detouring Armenia and depriving it of possible economic
benefits. The country is paying a big cost for maintaining its army,’
he said.
“As to Azerbaijan, a significant portion of its land is under
occupation and there is almost a million of refugees and displaced
persons and the longer the conflict drags on the more chances that it
will transform into a constant state of affairs that does not suit
this country,” Mann said.
According to him, there are two more negative aspects of the
conflict. The first is that a generation of young men and women is
growing in both countries looking at the opposite side as an enemy
and the second is that the stalemate situation promotes development
of radical feelings. “The longer the absence of progress the more are
chances for radicals to come to power in 5, 10 or 15 years,” he said.
Steven Mann then called on political leaders in both countries,
including also the opposition, to unite efforts for legitimizing the
idea of negotiations, the idea of a compromised solution and to
encourage dialogue, which he said is in the strategic interests of
all the sides.
In conclusion Mann said the Minsk Group is not mandated to impose
a resolution , neither to act a judge between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
but to create an environment in which both sides could conduct
serious peace talks and help them to arrive at a mutually acceptable
peace formula. “The responsibility for the conflict solution lies
with Armenia and Azerbaijan and this fundamental approach cannot be
dodged ,” he said, adding that the governments of Russia, France and
USA, the Minsk Group cochairmen countries, are genuinely interested
in the regulation of the conflict. “We shall do everything in our
power to support the final decision of the sides,” he said.

ArmenPress
Sept 22 2004

NO UNBIASED COVERAGE OF POLITICAL ISSUES IN MEDIA, YEREVAN PRESS CLUB
SAYS

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: The Yerevan Press Club and
Partnership for Open Society, a union of several non-governmental
organizations, decided not to give their annual award for unbiased
coverage of political issues in Armenia’s mass media, saying a
scrutinized study of related stories by the jury found none.
A website at was awarded the prize for the most
operative dissemination of information. Photo-journalists Hakob
Berberian was awarded the prize for elucidation of social problems of
Armenians.
A RFE/RL correspondent was awarded the prize for the best coverage
of economic issues and Hranush Hakobian, a chairwoman of a parliament
committee on science, education and youth issues was awarded the
prize for effective and transparent cooperation with reporters.

ArmenPress
Sept 22 2004

ARMENIAN COMPANY AWARDED QUALITY STAR

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: Lyudmila and Hamazasp
Harutunians, a couple from the town of Hrazdan, who established and
run Vordi Armen company, have been invited by Quality Stars
international convention to participate in its annual October 11
presentation in Paris.
Vordi Armen was one of 70 companies worldwide competing for the
Quality Star. Alfonso Kassale, the president of Quality Stars, said
in the invitation letter that awarding the Quality Star to the
Armenian company is a good opportunity for it to compete in the
international market and find new partners.
Vordi Armen produces dairy products and is able to process daily
around 5 tons of milk, which it buys from farmers who have 2-3 cows.
The company was founded with the help of the US Department of
Agriculture Armenia office.

ArmenPress
Sept 22 2004

ARMENIA HOSTS COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN REGISTERS SUMMIT

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: The summit of Council of
European Top-Level Domain Registers (CENTR) was held in Yerevan on
Sept 21-22. The Armenian Internet Union hosted top level managers of
33 Internet Domains from 55 countries. Some 95 percent of domains are
registered members of CENTR.
Speaking at a wrapping-up conference, the chairman of the
executive committee of CENTR mentioned that the 23-rd Yerevan summit
was devoted to reduction of risks in national domain management. The
German representative of the Council has suggested that national
domain reserve servers be located in Germany, saying Germany is ready
to serve them free of charge.
Speaking on internet management opportunities in Armenia, the
chairman of the Council, Giovanni Sepiani, noted that high-level
infrastructures are operating in Armenia. He said using the European
experience here will be very lucrative for Armenia. To improve the
domain, Armenia may be involved in European Union special grant
programs which are open to non-EU countries.
Armenian Internet Union has registered 4,500 domain thus far while
in newly EU member Lithuania has 22,000 and Germany – 8 mln domains.
According to Internet Union chairman Igor Mkrtumian, the low number
of domains in Armenia may be explained first of all by Armentel’s a
monopoly on information transmission.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Students’ Association
Email: [email protected]
NYC: Vartges Saroyan, <[email protected]>
Boston: Dzovinar Derderian <[email protected]>

NEW YORK, NY – The Armenian Students’ Association in cooperation with the
NYU Armenian Club and The Tufts University Armenian Club will host a series
of lecture/discussion events with Mr. Hilmar Kaiser.

The first event will take place on NYU campus in New York at the Kimmel
Center, Room 406 (on Washington Square Park). The discussion will be held
on Thursday, September 30, 2004. The event is to start at 7:00 PM sharp.
Admission is free for ALL.

The second event will be held on Tufts University Campus at Medford, MA
Eaton Hall, Room 206 on Thursday, October 7, 2004. The event is to start at
8:00 P.M. sharp. Admission is free for ALL

Mr. Kaiser, a well-known German researcher of Ottoman and German history
with special emphasis on the Armenian Genocide, as well as late Ottoman
social and economic history, will talk to the ASA guests on the topic of
`Armenian Children and Relief during the Genocide’.

The destruction of the Armenian community during the Genocide did not
necessarily imply the killing of all Armenians. Instead, under certain
circumstances, some, specifically, specific groups of Armenian children,
were spared. Help from abroad also played a crucial role for survival. U.S.
ambassadors Henry Morgenthau and Abram Elkus were instrumental in organizing
and sustaining popular support for the relief work carried out during that
time.

After the war, Morgenthau’s memoirs became a key source for historians. The
memoirs of Elkus, however, remained unknown. The lecture will introduce the
newly discovered and published memoirs of Elkus and place them within the
context of the Armenian Genocide. Moreover, on the basis of secret Ottoman
orders, missionary records, and other evidence, the lecture will show the
various dynamics that determined the survival or death of Armenian children.
Photographs taken by eyewitnesses provide further information on the
prevailing conditions during the genocide and the complexity of the
phenomenon.

Some of the past and current topics of Mr. Kaiser’s research include:
`Imperialism, Racism, and Development Theories. The Construction of a
Dominant Paradigm on Ottoman Armenians’ (published by Gomidas Institute);
`The Baghdad Railway and the Armenian Genocide, 1915-1916. A Case Study in
German Resistance and Complicity, in, Remembrance and Denial. The Case of
the Armenian Genocide’ (edited by Professor Richard Hovannisian) and many
more.
Mr. Kaiser is a founding member of the Committee for the Publication of
Italian Documents on Armenia; holds a position of consultant and researcher
at Armenian Film Foundation; and serves on the Board of the Center for
Contemporary Armenian History in Paris, France.

Both events are co-sponsored by the Armenian Students’ Association branches
in New York / New Jersey / Boston and above mentioned university clubs. The
Armenian Students’ Association is a voluntary organization presenting
lectures, cultural events and social gatherings. A portion of all proceeds
will be contributed to the ASA Scholarship Fund, which grants financial aid
to college students of Armenian descent in the United States.

For information about the event and ASA or information on how to join a
university Armenian club please visit our web page at

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 22 2004

Azerbaijan’s stance on settlement of Garabagh conflict remains
unchanged, President says

Baku, September 21, AssA-Irada
On Tuesday, President Ilham Aliyev received Philip Dimitrov, the OSCE
chairman’s special envoy on Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Upper
Garabagh was the topic of discussions.
Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh and
Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan, President Aliyev noted that
the conflict creates great obstacles for ensuring peace and stability
in the entire region.
Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan’s position towards the conflict
remains unchanged. The problem should be settled within international
legal norms and principles of the territorial integrity and
inviolability of borders, he said.
The Azerbaijani President noted that the conflict will never be
solved if there is another approach to the issue. Peace and security
will be ensured in the region and the country’s economy rapidly
developed if the Upper Garabagh conflict is solved, he stressed.
President Aliyev underscored that international organizations are
more interested in peaceful settlement of the conflict. Expressing
his disappointment with the failure of the OSCE Minsk Group to solve
the conflict so far, Aliyev voiced a hope that the Minsk Group will
step up its efforts in this respect.
Dimitrov, in his turn, underlined that the meetings of Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents play a great role in the peaceful resolution
of the Upper Garabagh conflict. He voiced a hope that the conflicting
sides will step up their efforts to settle the conflict.*

PanArmenian News
Sept 22 2004

KARABAKH SETTLEMENT SHOULD BE BASED ON IRREFUTABLE FACT OF EXISTENCE
OF NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC, ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONSIDERS

22.09.2004 13:23

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Preservation of peace in our complex region is a
vitally important task, Armenian President Robert Kocharian stated at
the sitting ceremony on the occasion the 13-th anniversary of
independence of Armenia last evening. In his words, comprehensive
cooperation between all countries of the region is an effective means
to that end. R. Kocharian noted that in the Nagorno Karabakh issue
Armenia keeps its adherence to the principle of peaceful settlement
of the problem, which should be based on the objective reality formed
in the course of the collapse of the USSR, namely “the irrefutable
fact of the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News
Sept 22 2004

QUESTION OF SENDING ARMENIAN MILITARY TO IRAQ IS EXCLUSIVELY WITHIN
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

22.09.2004 18:18

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The question of sending medical officers and
sappers to Iraq is exclusively within providing humanitarian
assistance, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian stated today.
In his words, Armenia has stated from the first day that it does not
intend to have military presence in Iraq, while it would like to
participate in rehabilitation of the country. At the same time the
Minister added that final decision thereupon is not made yet and it
has to be approved by the National Assembly of Armenia.

USA might lose Caspian oil if Russia gains supremacy in region – Azeri
analyst

Yeni Musavat, Baku
20 Sep 04

An Azerbaijani political expert has said that Russia’s mediation in
the Karabakh talks is fraught with danger. In an interview with Yeni
Musavat newspaper, Vafa Quluzada said that the Russian settlement
option envisaged sending Russian troops to Nagornyy Karabakh since
Moscow aimed to boost its political and military presence in the
region. If Russia succeeds in dominating the region, the USA might
lose Caspian oil, Quluzada said. The following is an excerpt from the
report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 20 September headlined
“The USA might lose Caspian oil and the Caucasus” and subheaded “If
the Kremlin’s mediation proves successful, Washington will have to
withdraw from the region”; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The latest CIS summit in Astana was different from the previous ones
for some parameters. First, it is noteworthy that Russia has never
shown its claims to the former Soviet Union [FSU] so obviously
before. [Russian] President Vladimir Putin is evidently displeased
with Russia’s position and influence on the abovementioned
geopolitical region. Therefore, an initiative to set up the Security
Council of the CIS, which was advanced at the summit, stems from this
concern.

Russia’s mediation in Karabakh talks promises Azerbaijan no good

Another direction which the Kremlin wants to follow in the FSU is to
take advantage of ethnic and territorial conflicts in the area
regarded as “near abroad” and strengthen its military and political
presence there. It seems to us that Moscow has started to take actual
steps towards this. The Astana discussions on Nagornyy Karabakh and
Putin’s active participation in them, and the circulated fresh news
about a new solution model that envisages bringing Russian
peacekeepers to the region promise Azerbaijan no good. Simply because
practice shows that the real welfare and territorial integrity of the
Azerbaijani people is linked not to Russia but to its integration into
the West.

>From this viewpoint, the former state adviser, Vafa Quluzada, sees as
very dangerous the Astana discussions and the Russian solution model.
The political analyst said that Russia mainly demanded that its troops
be sent to Azerbaijan and recalled that this was the main precondition
that the Kremlin set on 12 May 1994 during the signing of the
cease-fire agreement.

[Passage omitted: similar ideas]

Astana talks very dangerous

“I do not know the Azerbaijani leader’s attitude to the Astana meetings.
But those talks are in principle very important and dangerous,”
Quluzada said.

It is clear that the “Russian option” stipulates serious compromises
to Armenia. One of them is a referendum in Nagornyy Karabakh. In this
regard, the former state adviser said: “This will be even more terrible.
God forbid, if this happens, Armenians [in Karabakh] will immediately
say that Azerbaijan recognizes their independence since it allowed
them to hold a referendum. Actually, Armenians have occupied our house
and have been sitting there for many years. They just need an official
confirmation of this. They will reach this through a referendum.
Moreover, if we allow this to happen, then representatives from the
OSCE, the UN and the European Union will come to the region and the
illegal government will gain a completely legal status. This means
giving away Nagornyy Karabakh.”

[Passage omitted: Russia might take resolute steps]

Vafa Quluzada recalled another interesting detail about the subject.

“After my resignation, [the late Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev
and I were still in contact at his request. We would meet from time to
time and he would ask for my advice. Meeting me after the Key West
talks, he said that according to the agreement, no peacekeepers would
be sent to the occupied lands after they were vacated. [Armenian
President Robert] Kocharyan also agreed with this. It meant that there
would be no possibility of troops clashing. It appears that the
Key-West option was better than the Astana option.”

The fact that the issue has reached this point naturally has its own
reasons. One of them is Russia’s intention to strengthen its
political and military presence in the region. Moscow has started to
intensively draw up new plans and tactics in this sphere. As has
already been mentioned, the plan to take advantage of ethnic and
territorial conflicts in the CIS occupies a special place among them.

USA might lose Caspian oil

Quluzada, who shared our opinions, thinks that the USA might lose
Caspian oil and the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline if the Kremlin’s activity
bears fruit.

“Because the situation in Iraq is indefinite. If Russia wins in
Azerbaijan, the USA will have to give up Caspian oil and the
Baku-Ceyhan pipeline might be exploded. The USA will, in general, have
to give up the region if the Kremlin gets mediation in its hands.”

Apparently, the fact that Moscow has intensified its efforts in the
negotiations and its wish to take the initiative promise Azerbaijan,
other regional states and democratic processes no good. Therefore, the
West, as well as the USA, which have great geopolitical interests in
the region, should seriously review the case. Or it might be late.