PanArmenian News
Dec 13 2004
ARMENIAN STUDENTS, WHO GAVE INTERVIEW TO NEW YORK TIMES, SAY THEIR
WORDS WERE DISTORTED
13.12.2004 18:18
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The most interesting thing is that the topics we
have focused our discussions at were not covered in the article at
all”, student Zara Amatuni, who is mentioned in reporter Susan
Sachs’s article called “For Young Armenians, Promised Land without
Promise” and published in New York Times on December 9, says. The
reporter “has omitted all the good that was said and left only what
was interesting to her. I said, I will do my best to stay here
because it is my country however hard it would be to live in it;
moreover a lot of improvements had already taken place. But she did
not publish it stressing the words that were said incidentally. At
that she agreed with me on everything, what, I think, is the worst of
all”, Zara Amatuni continues debating on the article on
forum. “Mister Aghababov is mentioned in the article as a 21-year-old
programmer, who earns all in all $650 (in the US he would receive
several times more), who has Russian citizenship, relatives with
private flat in Moscow, Sisko certificates and some offers to work in
a Moscow IT company, decided to live in Armenia”, says another
participant of the debate. “It is a provocation”, says Aghababov,
“Why did not she write that we all think that Armenia is
developing?”. By the way, we did not hold discussions in English
chats, we just participated in forum, which was in the Russian
language”, he continues. The interviewees also state that they did
not know that their photos and names would be published. They
consider that their rights were violated and are going to address a
letter to New York Times editorial office.

PanArmenian News
Dec 13 2004
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SOCIALIST YOUTH RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
13.12.2004 16:36
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The IUSY and its organizations decide to pay their
respect to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, which is to have its
90th anniversary on April 24, 2005; IUSY recognizes and condemns the
described acts in order to obtain international recognition of the
genocide committed against the Armenian people; and IUSY calls the
European Union to recognize the Armenian Genocide, the world congress
of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) convened on
December 3-5 in the Chilean capital. Yerkir newspaper reports
according the Armenian Youth Federation of the Dashnaktsutyun party.
The IUSY is a Socialist International organization consisting of 143
socialist, social democratic, labor and student organizations of 100
countries. The AYF is a full member of the IUSY.

FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE
pour la Justice et la Démocratie
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B – 1000 BRUXELLES
Tel: +32 (0) 2 732 70 26
Tel./Fax : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
E-mail : [email protected]
Web :
COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
13 décembre 2004
Contact: Talline Tachdjian
Tel.: +32 (0)2 732 70 27
SOMMET EUROPEEN : LA FRANCE DEMANDERA LA RECONNAISSANCE DU GENOCIDE DES
ARMENIENS
Bruxelles, Belgique – Ce lundi 13 décembre, la France a annoncé par la voix
de son Ministre des Affaires, M. Michel Barnier, qu’elle « fera la demande,
dans le courant de la négociation [avec la Turquie], d’une reconnaissance de
la tragédie du début du [20ème] siècle qui a touché plusieurs centaines de
milliers d’Arméniens ».
M. Barnier a justifié cette demande par l’exemple historique de la
réconciliation franco-allemande en déclarant : « Si, comme je le crois, le
projet européen depuis plus de 50 ans est fondé sur la réconciliation,
réconciliation entre nous – et la France et l’Allemagne ont fondé ce projet
sur cette idée-là – et puis réconciliation avec soi-même, alors je pense que
la Turquie devra, le moment venu, faire le travail de mémoire, de
réconciliation avec sa propre histoire et reconnaître cette tragédie ».
La Fédération Euro-Arménienne se félicite de cette prise de position qui
renoue avec les valeurs fondatrices de l’Union européenne. « Nous
considérons que la reconnaissance du génocide devrait être un préalable à
toute négociation avec la Turquie. Nous saluons cependant dans cette
attitude nouvelle de la France, la réaffirmation des seuls principes sur
lesquels peut être fondé un projet politique viable, stable et qui assure la
sécurité de notre continent. » a déclaré Laurent Leylekian le directeur de
la Fédération Euro-Arménienne.
« Nous voulons voir dans l’allocution de M. Barnier, qui évite délibérément
le terme de génocide et qui minimise d’un ordre de grande le nombre de
victimes, la volonté de ne pas heurter de front la Turquie négationniste
mais de l’amener de manière progressive mais ferme à cette reconnaissance »
a-t-il ajouté.
M. Leylekian a estimé par ailleurs que cette prise de position française
devrait maintenant inciter les responsables politiques européens que « le
terrorisme intellectuel contraint à réprimer leur aversion de la Turquie
xénophobe, ultra-nationaliste et négationniste » à effectuer leur «
coming-out ».
« Nous resterons néanmoins vigilant jusqu’au 17 décembre et même après :
nous réagirions avec force si cette prise de position ne s’avérait être qu’
un argument à marchander lors du sommet européen ou si elle n’était destinée
qu’à lénifier l’opinion publique française dans l’optique du référendum sur
la Constitution » a conclu le directeur de la Fédération Euro-Arménienne.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
12/13/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) France Wants Turkey to Acknowledge Armenian Genocide 2) IUSY Resolution Commemorates 90th Anniversary of Genocide 3) Turkish Leader Warns of Terror Wave if EU Rejects Membership 4) Javakhk Armenians Discuss Region's Fate 5) ANCC Speaks out on Escalating Violence against Armenians in Iraq 6) President Lahoud Honors Dr. Haroutune Armenian 7) BRIEFS 1) France Wants Turkey to Acknowledge Armenian Genocide BRUSSELS (AFP/Reuters)--France wants Turkey to acknowledge the World War I massacre of Armenians during negotiations on its membership of the European Union, Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Monday. French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Turkey had "a duty to remember." Barnier said France did not consider Turkish acknowledgment a condition of EU entry, but insisted his country would raise the issue once talks opened. Speaking to reporters after a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss plans to invite Turkey for accession talks, Barnier said, "It is a request that France will make, to recognize the tragedy from the start of the century...Turkey must carry out this task as a memorial." In addition, France believes that accession talks should not begin before the second half of 2005, Barnier said. Turkey has pushed for immediate negotiations. "I believe that when the time comes, Turkey should come to terms with its past, be reconciled with its own history, and recognize this tragedy," Barnier said. His comments drew no immediate official response from Turkey, which has consistently denied orchestrating genocide and the Armenian figures. A foreign ministry spokesman in the Turkish capital, Ankara, told Reuters that Turkey has never and will never recognize "any so-called genocide." France's Armenian community of about 300,000--more than in any other European country--has vowed to press President Jacques Chirac to prevent negotiations on Turkish membership of the European Union until Turkey acknowledged responsibility for the genocide. EU leaders are expected to give Turkey a conditional green light at a summit this week to start membership talks with the bloc, while setting a series of strict conditions and warning the whole process could take at least a decade. The Armenian genocide has been a bone of contention for nearly nine decades, with Turkey consistently refusing to acknowledge that genocide in 1915-1917, when up to 1.5 million Armenians died. The French parliament passed legislation in 2001, officially recognizing the Armenian genocide; relations with Turkey subsequently cooled significantly. Another 14 nations, including Switzerland, Russia and Argentina, also classify the killings as genocide. 2) IUSY Resolution Commemorates 90th Anniversary of Genocide YEREVAN (Yerkir)Prompted by the efforts of the Armenian Youth Federation, the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) adopted a resolution recognizing the 1915 genocide of the Armenian people during its two-day world congress, which convened on December 3 in the Chilean capital of Santiago. The resolution states that the "IUSY and its [member] organizations decide to pay their respect to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, which is to have its 90th anniversary on April 24, 2005; IUSY recognizes and condemns the described acts in order to obtain international recognition of the genocide committed against the Armenian people; and IUSY calls the European Union to recognize the Armenian Genocide." The delegates also resolved to discuss the issue of genocide recognition during its next world congress, to be held in South Africa next year. The youth organization of the Socialist International, the IUSY consists of 143 member socialist, social democratic, labor, and student organizations, representing over 100 countries. The AYF is a full member of the IUSY and was represented at the congress by a delegate from Argentina. 3) Turkish Leader Warns of Terror Wave if EU Rejects Membership ANKARA (Times Online)--Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told European Union leaders that they will pay a heavy price in continued and escalating violence from Islamic extremists if the EU rejects Turkey as a member and confirms itself as a Christian club. "Accepting a country that has brought together Islam and democracy will bring about harmony between civilizations. If, on the other hand, it is not welcomed, the world will have to put up with the present situation," he said, referring to terrorism by such groups as al-Qaeda--whose local affiliates hit Turkey last year, bombing the British consulate and three other targets in Istanbul. "That is the very clear and present danger and it is all around us today. There is nothing we can do if the EU feels that it can live with being simply a Christian club...but if these countries burn their bridges with the rest of the world, history will not forgive them." Erdogan's powerful warning came just days before the EU summit that will decide whether to start formal accession talks with Turkey and against a furious European debate about the effects of incorporating Turkey's 70 million, mainly Muslim, population into the Union. He was speaking before opening Istanbul's first modern art museum--an event he had ordered to be brought forward from early next year to help to project a modern image of his country ahead of the summit. After knocking on the EU's doors for four decades, Turkey is painfully aware that it is viewed abroad as a poor and backward country and that, despite its secular constitution, much of the West is currently afraid of its Muslim tradition. Erdogan is a declared "conservative democrat," but his background as an Islamic firebrand has led to so many questions that his face broke into a "not again" smile at the mere mention of the problem. "We are Muslim, we are Turkish, we are democratic, and our country is secular," he said, emphasizing every phrase. "Nothing else need be said." Nevertheless, he believed that the EU, in trying to add safeguards and get-out clauses in the draft for the talks, was discriminating against Ankara. "I am of the opinion that Turkey is being faced with tougher criteria compared to other candidate countries," he said. "No other country had to wait for 41 years at Europe's door. We have fulfilled all the criteria, but despite this, Europeans are hesitating." Although loath to say so, he feels upset, maybe even betrayed, by suggestions from some, including France, that Turkey might be offered an alternative form of association with the EU if talks fail. "There are 400,000 Turks already living in France...what have we done to make them so afraid? We find it hard to understand what it is the French do not understand about us that makes them so wary. There is no such thing in the EU as privileged partnership. No other country has been offered this and there is no way that we will accept such an option for Turkey," he said. He also rejected suggestions that talks could be open-ended. "At the end of membership negotiations either there is full membership or there is nothing. Full membership is not automatic anyway--it may be that we don't manage to fulfill our side of the bargain and it all ends in failure. So why hobble the process from the start?" Conditions other than the existing political and economic criteria would be unacceptable, he said, especially any permanent brake on the freedom of movement of Turks, millions of whom were already economic migrants in Europe. Turkey's economy has been transformed after a crisis in 2001, while numerous reforms, including the abolition of the death penalty, have improved the human rights situation and reduced the power of the military--an institution that staged three coups between 1960 and 1980 and effectively wrote the present constitution. Erdogan acknowledged that the more difficult phase of implementing all these reforms lay ahead, but he was adamant that Turkey had done enough so far to begin negotiations. A former semi-professional football player, he resorted to sporting terms to describe the situation: "We are not bringing any conditions to this ourselves. But we are seeing here that new rules are being introduced while the game is being played. As this is unacceptable in a game of football, it is equally wrong in a process like this." Despite his criticism, he remains optimistic, saying that he expected to be offered a start date within the next year for talks with the goal of full membership. "In the last days of the Ottoman Empire, we were then called the sick man of Europe. Note, of Europe, never the sick man of Asia. You said so yourself," he said. 4) Javakhk Armenians Discuss Region's Fate AKHALKALAK (Armenpress)Ethnic Armenian non-government organizations in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe Javakheti held their first joint conference last Saturday to discuss the numerous social, economic, and cultural problems that plague the region's mostly Armenian population. Although interested in working with the Georgian government to help alleviate some of the community's problems, conference participants expressed concern over the central authorities' desire to forcefully integrate the region with the rest of the population, stripping it of its Armenian character. The conference outlined the nature of the crisis, its possible solutions, and moved to create a task force, which will seek to design development plans together with Georgian officials. Of those invitedGeorgian parliamentarians, foreign diplomats stationed in Georgia's capital city, Armenian government officials, and representatives of the UN, OSCE, and European Commissiononly the OSCE Tbilisi office representative joined conference participants. Ethnic Armenian parliamentarians who represent the region's population also failed to attend the meeting. 5) ANCC Speaks out on Escalating Violence against Armenians in Iraq MONTRÉALIn a statement released on Monday, the Armenian National Committee of Canada expressed outrage over the December 7 bombings of Kabul's Armenian and Chaldean churches. "The Armenian National Committee of Canada is deeply concerned over an increasing climate of anarchism in Iraqi cities. From the beginning of the contested occupation of Iraq, Christians in generalincluding Armenianshave been targeted by terrorist groups, and a considerable number have fallen victim. As reported by various news agencies, the spiritual sanctity of over six Armenian churches have been violated, and a number of parishioners have fallen victim to these aggressions," read the statement and concluded by calling on the country's authorities "to take measures for the security of the centuries old Armenian minority of Iraq." Echoing the language of the statement, ANC-Canada Chairman Dr. Girair Basmadjian, said, "Some of the oldest Christian monuments of the Middle-East have been attacked and damaged, if not destroyed. These acts remind us of a not so distant past, filled with unspeakable horrors that we most certainly would not like to see repeated. I call upon all concerned authorities to stop this disaster from escalating to outright religious conflict." 6) President Lahoud Honors Dr. Haroutune Armenian BEIRUT--On the decision of President Emile Lahoud, Dr. Haroutune Armenian was awarded Lebanon's Cedar Medal last week during a ceremony that marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the American University of Beirut (AUB). In speaking of Dr. Armenian's accomplishments, the Dean of AUB's Faculty of Health Sciences Huda Zurayk, said that his achievements and input in the medical field internationally, regionally, and locally have brought honor not only to the school, but to all of Lebanon. "For this reason, President Lahoud wanted to pay tribute to him." Dr. Armenian, a graduate of the Hamazkayin Nshan Palandjian Jemaran, studied medicine at AUB, specializing in internal medicine. He received his PhD in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, and went on to head the School of Public Health there, as well as at AUB. He is currently the President and Dean of the American University of Armenia and a Professor of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. In detailing Armenian's accomplishments, associate Dean Iman Nuwayhid said, "He is truly a bridge between the east and west," never missing an opportunity to academically link Armenia, Lebanon, and the United Sates. In bestowing the honor to Dr. Armenian on behalf of President Lahoud, Health Minister Karam Karam said, "Dr. Armenian embodies the highest level of cultural cooperation." After accepting the award, Dr. Armenian shared the honor with his colleagues at the AUB Faculty of Health Sciences. He thanked President Lahoud and Health Minister Karam for the privilege, adding that the public health sector requires collective efforts, and he has been fortunate to have worked with excellent coworkers, professors, and students. As the first independent school of public health in the region, AUB's Faculty of Health Sciences has educated over 1700 public health and health sciences professionals, many of whom have made important contributions to the promotion of public health in Lebanon, the Arab region, and the world. 7) BRIEFS Armenia Has Plans for Rail Link with Iran YEREVAN (AP)--Armenia's transport minister announced plans for a railroad linking Armenia with its southern neighbor Iran. The government has drafted two alternate plans for the railroad's route inside Armenia, both leading to the border town of Meghri, said Andranik Manukian, adding that one would cost $760 million, the other $900 million. Although he did not specify the source of the funds, a government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said some financing could come from Iran and Europe. Construction began last month on a pipeline that is to bring Iranian natural gas to Armenia, easing its reliance on supplies from Russia via Georgia. Georgia Not to Impose Economic Sanctions against Armenia YEREVAN (Armenpress)--In an interview with Agence France Press agency, Georgia's foreign minister Salome Zurabishvili said her government enjoys good relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia. On the recent decision by Azerbaijan to shut down its cargo rail traffic to other Caucasus republics because it feared that some of the goods were being delivered via Georgia to Armenia, Zurabishvili said Tbilisi had agreed to prevent transit through its territory of military goods, but added, "We refuse to take any economic sanctions against Armenia." Commenting on Georgia's role in the Karabagh conflict, she said that if Georgia was anything other than neutral in the dispute, "we would enter into a logic of escalation which would be not only damaging for us and for our neighbors, but for the whole region." US Citizen Wins Court Case against Armenian Prosecutors YEREVAN (RFE-RL)--A US citizen of Armenian descent won a court case against Armenian prosecutors whom he accuses of covering up an alleged wholesale embezzlement of his business assets in Yerevan, his lawyer said on Friday. George Najarian, who has engaged in extensive charitable work in Armenia and Karabagh for the last 15 years, sued the Office of Prosecutor-General for its refusal to press fraud charges against his former local business representative. The man, Grigor Igitian, is the legal owner of a photo shop and two buildings currently constructed in downtown Yerevan. According to Najarian's attorney, the court recognized his client as a "victim" and ordered the Prosecutor-General's Office to resume the fraud inquiry. Pope John Paul II Might Help Armenian Pilots in E. Guinea YEREVAN (RIA Novosti)--Armenian Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan appealed to Pope John Paul II to help the Armenian pilots convicted in Equatorial Guinea for involvement in an alleged attempted coup d'etat. The court in Malabo delivered its guilty verdict on November 26, sentencing the captain of the Armenian crew to 24 years in prison and the rest to 14 years each. According to Alaverdian, the president of Equatorial Guinea will meet with Pope John Paul II in the near future. Lights Down in Majority of Georgian Districts TBILISI (Itar-Tass)--Lights went down in the majority of Georgian districts on Sunday because of an emergency shutdown of several power lines and a unit of the Inguri hydropower plant. Electricity imports from Armenia stopped late Saturday night because of the emergency shutdown of the Alaverdi power line, which supplies 100 megawatts of electricity to Tbilisi and another 60 megawatts to Georgian areas bordering on Armenia. One of the two units of the Inguri hydropower plant stopped functioning for several hours Sunday night due to technical reasons. Armenian Parliament Tightens Laws on Smoking YEREVAN (AP)--Armenia's parliament voted to tighten restrictions on smoking Friday, approving legislation that will hike fines and outlaw lighting up in schools and in other public places. The legislation, passed by the National Assembly, calls for fines of up to 100,000 drams ($200) for violators and also bans smoking by teenagers under 16. The legislation, which goes into effect in January, will also prohibit smoking in cultural institutions and at sporting events. Packs of cigarettes and other tobacco products that do not have medical warnings on them about the dangers of smoking will be destroyed. The World Health Organization estimates that 63.7 percent of Armenian men are smokers--the highest rate in Europe. Classical European Film Festival Starts in Yerevan YEREVAN (Arminfo)--The European Film Festival kicked off on December 13 in Yerevan's Moscow theater with a showing of the German film "Good Bye Lenin." The festival is organized by EU Mission Offices in Armenia and Georgia, in cooperation with French, German, Italian, Greek, and Polish embassies, as well as British Council Office in Armenia. The proceeds from ticket sales will be used for charitable purposes. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY WANTS TO SEE AAM BACK
Azg/arm
14 Dec 04
The All Armenian Movement held its 14th sitting on December 9 to
support former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian’s reappearance
on thepolitical arena. The same day Hatem Jabbarlu, employee of the
Caucasian Department of Eurasian Military Research Center in Ankara,
posted an article inHaber Analizonline edition urging Turkish
government to boost the return of AAM to the political arena.
In other words, AAM has pinned its hope on Ter-Petrosian and Turkey –
on AAM. So they both supplement each other. But why and how is this
possible? Before answering the question we’ll mention that Jabbarlu’s
article was entitled “Rose in Georgia, Orange in Ukraine. May it be
Snowdrop in Armenia?”. Speaking of the “velvet” and “orange”
revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine, the author calls them
non-traditional ones, notes that only USA today has the power tocarry
out such a revolution and then informs that there are the signs of
“snowdrop” revolution in Armenia.
According to Jabbarlu, the signs of “snowdrop” revolution became
visible in Armenia in March of 2004 when the opposition united around
the Ardarutyun Union and rallied against President Robert Kocharian
demanding his resignation. He thinks that they gave way to Kocharian,
as they “didn’t have one ideology and joint strategy”.
Enumerating the reasons why the opposition failed, Jabbarlu says that
it failed because of wrong evaluation of Georgia’s “velvet”
revolutionas well as opposition’s improvident actions that wanted to
carry out Georgian scenario without considering inner and foreign
developments in Armenia and Kocharian administration’s power.
Apparently the author accuses the US National Democracy Institute and
the so-called Soros Foundation alongside with Armenian opposition of
improvidence. Referring to the head of the Yerevan office of
Democracy Institute, Chet Roger’s support to the opposition and the
critiques addressed to pro-Russian parties and NGOs, Jabbarlu says
that the Institute was not as much of help in Armenia as it was in
Georgia. Besides, neither the Armenian opposition was so strong nor
the authorities were that weak for the anti-government movement backed
by the American organizations to win.
Hatem Jabbarlu speaks of the failure with regret. But he is hopeful
that the “velvet” and “orange” revolutions will inspire Armenian
opposition. “Though the party of Ardarutyun is the initiator of the
upheaval, the All Armenian Movement gets ready for return into the
politics. The first president of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosian was not
active in politics since his resignation. But he has all the chances
and abilities to gain people’s support if serious propaganda program
is implemented. But unique political, economic and social approaches,
new strategies as well as cooperation with other oppositional parties
are needed to reach the goal. Otherwise, his past of freedom warrior
will not be enough to take over the reins”.
Thus, we may assume that Jabbarlu is ascribing the mission of not only
AAM but also the opposition as a whole to Ter-Petrosian reminding the
later to turn to the USA for help. Jabbarlu thinks: “Armenian
opposition is attracted by the â=80=98orange’ revolution. Therefore,
the power that will unite the nation by concentrating on socioeconomic
and political issues, will unite the political parties, will take into
consideration the interests of super powers, first of all the US, will
declare of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue and will lean on
the US support will be able to carry out the â=80=98snowdropâ=80=99
revolution”.
Along with handing the role of opposition spearhead to Ter-Petrosian,
Jabbarlu says that by heading the “snowdrop” revolution he will fill
his political biography with one more patriotic deed.
What’s the reason of Turkish author’s interest towards Ter-Petrosian?
There may be only one reason: Turkey’s political
calculations. Jabbarlu himself mentions them: “Turkey has to be
attentive as to what is going on in its neighboring countries and
elaborate scenarios on this developments. It mustespecially
concentrate on possible developments in Armenia and meet with Armenian
political parties to direct them and to have the right assessment of
situation and to draw closer to the possible candidate of
presidency”. All these measures are needed to weaken the Armenian
propaganda in the issue of the so-called genocide and to become a
regional super power”.
Jabbarlu’s care for Ter-Petrosian is explicable in the view of the
fact that the 14th sitting of the AAM laid the responsibility for the
Armenian Genocide not on the Ottoman Empire but the Armenian
national-socialist ideology.
The only thing Turkey can do now is to wait for Ter-Petrosian to come
back to the politics, unite all the oppositional parties around AAM
and to lead Armenia to a “snowdrop” revolution in order not to
disappoint Turkey.
By Hakob Chakrian

Expansion (Madrid)
Lunes,13 Diciembre 2004
EN PRIMER PLANO SOCIEDADES MULTIETNICAS Y COMPLEJIDAD POLITICA
El federalismo parece la formula mas razonable para ilustrar y
orientar las soluciones que cada caso merezca de cara a establecer
valores comunes entre intereses opuestos.
El sociologo frances Alain Touraine ha pronosticado que el siglo XXI
estara dominado por “la cuestion nacional”, como el siglo XX lo
estuvo por la cuestion social. “En todas las partes del mundo
-senala- es visible el desgarramiento entre el universalismo
arrogante y unos particularismos agresivos. El principal problema
politico es, y sera, limitar ese conflicto total, establecer unos
valores comunes entre intereses opuestos”.
La realidad le esta dando la razon. Basta echar una mirada a nuestro
alrededor para descubrir que la mayoria de los conflictos politicos y
de las guerras actuales responden a la complejidad multiidentitaria
de las naciones diversas o a los nacionalismos exacerbados en
territorios o en estados cuya integridad esta cuestionada.
Los Balcanes fueron el primer gran estallido y todavia no se ha
resuelto, porque la convivencia en Bosnia, cuando las fuerzas de EEUU
y Europa dejen de ejercer el orden, puede obligarnos a reconocer
otros dos estados, y porque Kosovo sigue siendo un problema
irresoluble: un territorio que pertenece, indudablemente, a Serbia,
con un 80% de poblacion albanesa que odia al 20% serbio y viceversa.
Pero miremos ahora al sur del Caucaso y veremos a los armenios que
odian Turquia por el genocidio de principios del siglo XX.
Georgianos divididos por sus intereses para con Rusia o EEUU.
El conflicto de Nagorno-Karabaj expresa bien esta complejidad.
Territorio de Azerbaian poblado totalmente por armenios. Un enclave
cristiano rodeado por musulmanes. Los ejercitos de ambos paises estan
en una escalada armamentista: los unos para defender su territorio y
los otros para defender a sus ciudadanos.
Mas arriba y al Este esta Chechenia, cuyo conflicto, mejor diremos
guerra, con Rusia no tiene ni facil ni rapida solucion. Incluso en el
actualisimo problema electoral surgido en Ucrania late un gravisimo
problema de convivencia multiidentitaria. Los ucranianos del Norte y
del Este son pro-rusos por origen, afinidad, cultura e intereses y el
resto es pro-occidental y europeo. Un grave cisma de orden politico y
social se cierne sobre ese importantisimo pais en el que ya se han
empezado a escuchar llamamientos separatistas de una comunidad
dividida.
Todo el Este europeo es un polvorin identitario que ha estallado con
la caida del comunismo y el fracaso de las fronteras creadas por
Stalin y los grandes movimientos poblacionales que organizo aquel
regimen politico. Pero ya mucho antes, desde la caida del imperio
austro-hungaro, las minorias etnicas, linguisticas o nacionales en
paises distintos presentan una complejidad no por conocida menos
importante: el enclave ruso de Kaliningrado en Polonia, hungaros en
Rumania, albaneses en Serbia y Montenegro, serbios en Croacia y
Bosnia, turcos en Bulgaria, armenios en Azerbayan, polacos en
Lituania, uzbekos en Tajakistan, etcetera
Tampoco nosotros escapamos a esta complejidad. El nacionalismo
catalan y el vasco, con la deriva violenta de este ultimo,
representan, objetivamente, una dificilisima problematica para la
construccion de la nacion espanola. Pero los franceses tienen
Corcega, y en menor medida la Bretana. Los ingleses, Escocia y Gales;
los italianos, la Padania del Norte, y no digamos los belgas, que no
son dos Estados porque les queda el Rey y el nombre, y la historia de
un solo pais, aunque walones y flamencos parecen dos.
?Que hacer?, que diria Lenin. Hay una falsa solucion: crear nuevos
estados alla donde una comunidad cultural o etnica lo reclama, bajo
el llamado principio de la autodeterminacion. En definitiva, alterar
el statu quo de los limites territoriales y las fronteras y guiarse
del principio nacionalista en la construccion de los estados, que
atribuye esa condicion a las naciones puras, basadas en una lengua,
cultura e historia comunes y en una voluntad ciudadana ampliamente
respaldada (como la escision de la Republica Checa y Eslovaquia, por
ejemplo).
Pero ese principio nos arrastra a una progresiva tribalizacion del
mundo. En plena globalizacion, cuando mas necesario es crear espacios
supranacionales e implementar politicas mundiales en las finanzas, en
la multilateralidad internacional o en el medio ambiente, resulta
paradojico y completamente contradictorio que el mundo se fragmente
en su organizacion politica aplicando el principio de que donde hay
una lengua o una etnia hay una nacion, y donde hay nacion debemos
construir un estado. Conviene recordar que, como nos dice el
historiador britanico E. Hobsbawn, en la actualidad hay no menos de
seiscientas lenguas vivas y mas de cuatro mil grupos etnicos
diferentes. ?Es esta la organizacion del poder politico que
propugnamos para la diversidad y la multietnicidad del mundo?
Tiene que haber otras soluciones. La mia es el federalismo en los
estados complejos por su diversidad identitaria y en los espacios
supranacionales que estamos creando sobre los estados actuales, es
decir, en la Union Europea, en nuestro caso.
El federalismo responde a un triple principio que inspira una triple
exigencia de las comunidades intraestatales. El primero es la
subsidiariedad, que garantiza una organizacion administrativa del
poder politico de abajo a arriba, es decir, de lo local a lo
supranacional con predominio de la gestion local. El segundo es la
identidad, que asegura el respeto y el fomento de los elementos
culturales y politicos distintivos de la comunidad de referencia.
Implica el autogobierno politico de la region-nacion o comunidad.
El tercero es la cohesion que garantiza la unidad y la solidaridad
del Estado y de este como garante de derechos, deberes, igualdad y
seguridad.
El federalismo como cultura politica, como modelo de articulacion del
poder al territorio, con todas sus variables y con todos los
adjetivos que se le quieran anadir, constituye la formula mas
ingeniosa y democratica para resolver las demandas de las
nacionalidades sin estado en el seno de estados plurinacionales.
Es, ademas, la mejor formula para orientar la construccion de los
espacios supranacionales y resolver los mecanismos de subsidiariedad
e identidad de los estados-nacion, con la necesaria cohesion y
coordinacion entre los estados.
El federalismo constituye la formula mas generosa y profunda de
descentralizacion politica, entendiendo por tal no la mera delegacion
o descentralizacion administrativa sino la disposicion de un Poder
Legislativo, Ejecutivo y Judicial, con competencia propia para
decidir, mediante organos elegidos en el ambito de la comunidad y con
reglas democraticas propias, sobre los problemas economico-culturales
y sociales de su interes.
En definitiva, y para establecer esos valores comunes entre intereses
opuestos a los que se referia Touraine, el federalismo parece la
formula mas razonable para ilustrar y orientar las soluciones que
cada caso merezca. Federalismo es union, lealtad y libertad; es
autonomia en cooperacion. Federalismo es soberanias compartidas
sometidas a un orden jerarquico y organizado de decidir en un marco
de cooperacion y no de competencia. Federalismo es hacer compatibles
espacios concentricos de organizacion territorial del poder politico
a traves de un orden constitucional basado en una cultura y unos
principios de respeto mutuo y de colaboracion desde la autonomia.
La mayoria de los conflictos politicos y de las guerras actuales
responden a la complejidad multinidentaria de las naciones
El federalismo es hacer compatibles espacios concentricos de
organizacion territorial del poder politico Portavoz del PSOE en la
Comision Constitucional del Congreso de los Diputados
Ramon Jauregui Atondo
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SALOME ZURABISHVILI: WE REFUSE TO APPLY ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST ARMENIA
Azg/arm
14 Dec 04
“Georgia is in good relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan”,
Freedom radio station quoted foreign minister of Georgia, Salome
Zurabishvili, as saying to France-Presse news agency on the occasion
of a jam-up on the Georgian-Azeri border.
Azerbaijan has reduced the number of goods exported to Georgia
suspecting that they are imported to Armenia via Georgia. Zurabishvili
stated that Tbilisi is willing to prevent arms’ transportation but
added: “We refuse toapply economic sanctions against Armenia”.
The Georgian minister said that if Georgia ever had another standpoint
but being neutral in the conflict “we would adopt the logic of
aggravating the tension which would lead to a disaster not only us but
the region as a whole”.
The Azeri side stopped around 900 goods wagons making their way to
Georgia from Middle East via Azerbaijan saying that half of the goods
are destined for Armenia. Trend news agency quoted first deputy prime
minister of Azerbaijan, Abbas Abbasov, as saying: “We demand the
Georgian authorities to ban goods transportation to Armenia via
Azerbaijan”.
Interestingly, the Armenians and Azeris traded even during the war
years. The market of Sadaghlo (Georgia) remains the only place in the
last 13-14 years where Armenians and Azeris could talk the same
language.
Both today and during the war one could find Azeri tea and sturgeon in
the Armenian market. There were times when the Azeri fuel was imported
to Armenia. Last summer when the cost of bred went up in Armenia, the
frontier villagesof the republic were selling the flour packed in
Azeri town of Gyanja. Azeris in their turn were always greedy for the
potatoes of Sevan Lake basin the white-fish of the Lake, Spitak’s
carrot and cabbage. According to non-official data, the goods
circulation between Armenia and Azerbaijan via the territories of
Georgia and Iran amounts to more than $40 million.
Why did Azerbaijan suddenly decided not to allow the goods from
Azerbaijan to enter Armenia? TheZerkalonewspaper of Baku notes that
Baku’s step is directed on putting pressure on Georgia for two
reasons. It says that the Georgian customs officers confiscated the
tear-gas and bludgeons sent from Azerbaijan to suppress the “velvet”
revolution. President Aliyev perhaps was informed about this and was
not too enthusiastic over Mikheil Saakashvili’s cominginto power.
Thirdly, Baku is willing to punish Tbilisi which voted down
Azerbaijanâ=80=99s initiative at the UN General Assembly (on condition
on the Azerbaijani occupied territories) thus talking a pro-Armenian
stance.
By Tatoul Hakobian

ARKA News Agency
Dec 13 2004
68% of Yerevan citizens do not approve general trends of Armenian
development
Two people died, seven wounded in result of traffic accident at
Charentsavan-Yerevan highway
Two convicted for life imprisonment escaped from Goris prison
Street trade in Yerevan to be allowed in connection with New Year’s
celebrations
Independent and impartial judicial power is one of the key tasks of
constitutional reforms in Armenia
Presentation of the book `From Economy of War to Economy of Peace in
South Caucasus’held in Stepanakert
*********************************************************************
68% OF YEREVAN CITIZENS DO NOT APPROVE GENERAL TRENDS OF ARMENIAN
DEVELOPMENT
YEREVAN, December 13. /ARKA/. 68% of Yerevan citizens do not approve
general trends of Armenian development. The data was announced by
Caucasus Research Resources Center in result of analysis conducted in
three South Caucasus republics. 1500 citizens of Yerevan, Tbilisi and
Baku were questioned in the frames of research. The research showed
that 23% of Tbilisi citizens are not satisfied with direction of
development of their country and 47% citizens of Baku.
CRRC is the program of Eurasia Foundation financed by Carnegie
Corporation of New York. L.D. -0–
*********************************************************************
TWO PEOPLE DIED, SEVEN WOUNDED IN RESULT OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AT
CHARENTSAVAN-YEREVAN HIGHWAY
YEREVAN, December 13. /ARKA/. Two people died, seven wounded in
result of traffic accident at Charentsavan-Yerevan highway, when
student bus `LAZ’ hit the truck `ZIL’, Emergency Department of RA
Government told ARKA. Among perished are the driver of the truck
Viktor Balasanian, who was repairing his car during the accident and
21-year old passenger of the bus, student Tigran Sargsian. The
details of the case are not announced yet. L.D. –0–
*********************************************************************
TWO CONVICTED FOR LIFE IMPRISONMENT ESCAPED FROM GORIS PRISON
YEREVAN, December 13. /ARKA/. Two convicted for life imprisonment
escaped from Goris prison, RA Police press service told ARKA.
Law-enforcement bodies conduct search of escaped criminals – Mher
Yenokian (born in 1975) and Sohomon Kocharian (born in 1966). All
republican roads are under control, all cars are stopped and
searched. If someone has any information on criminals,
law-enforcement bodies ask citizens to call on: 561-232, 564-821,
553-161, secrecy of information and money reward is guaranteed. L.D.
–0–
*********************************************************************
STREET TRADE IN YEREVAN TO BE ALLOWED IN CONNECTION WITH NEW YEAR’S
CELEBRATIONS
YEREVAN, December 13. /ARKA/. Street trade in Yerevan to be allowed
in connection with New Year’s celebrations, as stated Arman Sahakyan,
the deputy Mayor of Yerevan. According to Sahakyan, the Mayor of
Yerevan had already approved the list of streets where the trade
would be allowed. Sahakyan said that the trade of food would be under
special control. The street trade in Yerevan will be allowed till
January 14, 2005. L.V.-0–
*********************************************************************
INDEPENDENT AND IMPARTIAL JUDICIAL POWER IS ONE OF THE KEY TASKS OF
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, December 13. /ARKA/. Independent and impartial judicial
power is one of the key tasks of constitutional reforms in Armenia.
According to Vardan Poghosyan, the head of Democracy NGO during the
discussions organized by Partnership for Open Society organization,
this is stated in the intermediate assessments of the Venice
Commission concerning the submitted drafts of constitutional reforms
in Armenia. According to him, the Venice Commission welcomes the
constitutional amendment which states that 9 of 12 members of the
Council of Justice of the republic should be elected by the judges
themselves. At that, the rest should be elected by the Parliament,
not the President. Also, in accordance with the intermediate
conclusion of the Commission, the role of the President as the Head
of the Council of Justice should be purely formal. At that, the
Council of Justice should be the end instance in the professional
work of the judges, in particular, concerning the election,
appointment, career growth, training, resignation, etc. in this
connection, the appointment of all Chairmen of courts by the
President without the participation of Council of Justice may cause
certain difficulties. The assessment report also points out the need
for constitutional guarantee for independence of prosecutors from the
executive power. L.V. – 0 –
*********************************************************************
PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK `FROM ECONOMY OF WAR TO ECONOMY OF PEACE IN
SOUTH CAUCASUS’HELD IN STEPANAKERT
STEPANAKERT, December 13. /ARKA/. The presentation of the book `From
Economy of War to Economy of Peace in South Caucasus’ was held in
Stepanakert. According to the own reporter of ARKA agency in
Stepanakert, the book covers the articles of authors from all the
republics of the South Caucasus, both recognized and not judicially
recognized. The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is represented by the
article of Valery Badalyan, the Head of Tradition NGO entitled `The
role of international organizations in development of small and
middle-scale business in the peaceful settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict’. `We will try to shift to practical steps from research
actions and to establish joint business in the region. Unfortunately,
Azerbaijan categorically opposes any cooperation’, he said during the
presentation of the book. He also said that offices will be
functioning in all countries of South Caucasus in the framework of
Business and Conflict program. Their mission will be to assist the
establishment of joint business in the region and support the
peaceful settlement of conflicts.
The book `From Economy of War to Economy of Peace in South Caucasus’
was published in the framework of Business and Conflict program of
International Alert British organization. The objective of the
program is to seek for settlement of prolonged conflicts and their
prevention in crisis regions. L.V.–0–

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part A (Russia)
December 13, 2004, Monday
THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE MUST BE EXTINGUISHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
SOURCE: Expert, No. 46 (446), December 12, 2004, p. 36
by Oleg Khrabryi
Question: Over the past few years, the West has seen a great deal of
research and articles about Ukraine and Belarus. What led to this
flood? Might it have been a dress rehearsal for the events we are
witnessing now?
Robert Legvold: It would be a tragedy if people in Russia, or the
friends of Russia in Ukraine, interpreted these events as part of a
large-scale historical strategy by the West with the aim of
undermining Russian influence in the region or turning anyone against
Russia. Many people in Russia are probably already thinking that
someone in Brussels or Washington is organizing all these schemes and
“steering the process.” This is not the case. It s quite obvious that
organizations like George Soros’s Open Society Foundation have played
the key role in supporting the youth movements and other
non-governmental organizations in Georgia, leading to the collapse of
the Shevardnadze regime. With regard to Ukraine – and I can speak
about this with competence – the rallies there have not been a part
of preplanned efforts by any Western country, NATO or the European
Union.
After the “revolution of roses” in Georgia, many people in the West
including some governmental structures decided that it would inspire
other countries to move in a similar direction or at least will
encourage the governments of Central Asian and Caucasian countries
and probably Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus to think about the need for
greater openness and democracy. In reality the effect from the
“revolution of roses” was the opposite. It was taken as a negative
lesson. Askar Akaev, Emomali Rakhmonov and Islam Karimov took the
Georgian revolution as a threat to stability of their regimes and
started defending. Harsh measures against the opposition followed
immediately. Before Ukraine the only country that tried to follow the
example of Georgia was Armenia, where a part of opposition decided to
mobilize the people in the street for struggle against the
authorities in April 2004.
Question: Which conclusions did you make for yourself after the
Ukrainian events about relations between the West and Russia?
Robert Legvold: Interest of the West in Russia and Ukraine has a
deeper nature than the current disputes about legitimacy of victory
of this or that candidate at the elections. Unfortunately,
aggravation of interests occurred in the last few years. These are
interests of Europe and America on the one hand and Russia on the
other. This means that relations between the West and Russia started
having a nature of harsh confrontation and not cooperation. This
resulted in a situation when Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus turned into
the so-called “median lands.” I, as a researcher into these processes
at Ukrainian elections, was most of all astonished not because the
West indicated its candidate and Russia indicate a candidate of its
own but by the reasons why they did this. A real attitude of the
parties to each other was manifested in substantiation of this
choice. Russia backed Yanukovich because it considered Yushchenko a
puppet of the West, the European Union, NATO and America. The US and
Europe, permanently emphasizing their interest in openness of the
process and purity of elections, chose Yushchenko because Yanukovich
was not only considered a protege of Kuchma’s regime but was also
exposed to a strong influence of Moscow. Now everything stood on its
own place in relations between the West and Russia and this is a very
disheartening piece of news.
Along with this, destabilization of this region is not in the
interests of the West or Russia. Judging by my numerous conversations
with officials in Brussels, Kiev and Washington I can say that all my
interlocutors prefer taking into account the interests of Russia in
Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine. It is only necessary to create a
balance. What is happening now? Ukraine is rapidly moving to one side
and a dramatic conflict of interests has appeared. The theoretical
statements that are now extracted from Brzezinski’s books only
aggravate this dissent.
Question: What do you think Russia will lose in reality if the
revolution wins and Yushchenko becomes the president?
Robert Legvold: Many people in the West think that Yushchenko as the
president of Ukraine is not a bad guarantor for observance of
Russia’s interests in Ukraine. Being the prime minister he was
actively working on strengthening of economic ties with Russia. Yes,
he will not be very enthusiastic about the common economic space. It
is also true that he will start establishing closer relations with
the European Union and NATO but this is such a long process that it
does not pose an immediate threat to Russia’s interests. Moreover,
Ukraine will remain in technological dependence on Russia for a long
time.
Putin and his people make a big mistake believing that Yushchenko
will be too bad as a partner. After all, this false opinion made
Moscow interfere into the course of the election campaign. I talked
not only to Ukrainians but also to some Russian specialists. They
think that it was direct interference of Putin and his political
advisors that persuaded the people who had been neutral or skeptical
about both candidates that they had to vote for Yushchenko. Russia’s
role in this campaign was taken very negatively.
If the problem of legitimacy of Yushchenko is solved, I think that
his behavior will be similar to the behavior of Kuchma after he won
his first presidential elections in 1994, defeating Kravchuk.
Everyone was saying then that the new president would turn to the
West. But what was his first step? In October, right after the
elections, he went to Moscow and started establishing bilateral
relations. I believe that Yushchenko will do the same.
Question: Which consequences can this collision of interests in
Ukraine have for bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington?
Robert Legvold: Rivalry between the US and Russia in Eurasia arose in
the early 1990s during the presidency of Bill Clinton, when the
routes of pipelines from the Caspian region were only being
discussed. The rivalry grew worse during the presidency of Bush when
Ukraine started participating in the Partnership for Peace program.
This rivalry was permanently felt with regard to the Baltic republics
until they were not accepted to the European Union and NATO. After
September 11, Putin approved the American military operation in
Central Asia, accepted it, even despite the phobias dominating in the
Russian military establishment and also accepted deployment of
American special forces in Georgia. Russia is one of the few
countries that consider the struggle against terrorism a war. Europe
does not think so, Japan does not think so and many people do not
think so. In this sense Putin is probably one of the most reliable
partners.
He started projecting Russia’s influence primarily by economic tools
hinting to all regimes in the former CIS countries that Russia was a
better partner for them than America. In the US many members of the
Administration, at least at the level of experts, think that Central
Asia should be a place where we will cooperate with Russia. That is
why it is very important to extinguish the conflict in Ukraine as
soon as possible. This conflict could determine the future of our
relations in the most diverse regions. If Europe and US are drawn
into in harsher rivalry with Russia over Ukraine, we will feel a
negative impact from this everywhere, and primarily in Central Asia.
Translated by Pavel Pushkin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
December 13, 2004 Monday 5:29 AM Eastern Time
Gazprom to take part in Iran-Armenia pipeline construction tender
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
The Russian Gazprom company will take part in a tender for the
construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to Armenia, which the gas
giant expects to win, the executive director of the ArmRosgazprom
joint venture told Itar-Tass.
The executive director of the Russian-Armenian joint venture, Karen
Karapetyan, said the date of the tender will be announced shortly.
The Armenian government and Gazprom have 45 percent of ArmRosgazprom
shares each, while the remaining ten percent belong to the ITERA
company.
Karapetyan dismissed allegations that the gas pipeline from Iran to
Armenia is intended for the transit of Iranian gas to Europe. The
pipeline of a bigger diameter is needed for the transit, and that
would involve bigger investments, he said. Besides, a free sales
market in third countries is necessary for the transit of gas, and
there is no such market, he stressed.
Iran extends a credit of 30 million dollars for the construction of
the 40-kilometer-long Armenian section, the press service of the
Armenian government told Itar-Tass. An agreement on that was signed
when Iranian President Mohammad Khatami paid an official visit to
Yerevan last September.
The construction of the pipeline will be launched simultaneously on
both sides. A total of 100 kilometers of the pipeline will run across
Iran. The construction is expected to be finished in January 2007,
after which the gas systems of the two countries will be united.
Armenia expects to pay for the supplies of Iranian gas with
electricity.
The Armenian leadership is confident that the gas pipeline from Iran
will strengthen the republic’s energy security.