Azeri leader off to Kazakhstan for CIS summit

MPA news agency, Baku
15 Sep 04

Baku, 15 September: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today left
for Astana to attend a meeting of CIS leaders, MPA has reported.

[Passage omitted: about issues to be discussed]

The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will hold talks during the
summit and discuss the situation of the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement
and the latest proposals by the OSCE Minsk Group. A trilateral meeting
of the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents is also scheduled.
From: Baghdasarian

European body appoints new Karabakh rapporteur

Turan news agency
15 Sep 04

Baku, 15 September: A new rapporteur for Nagornyy Karabakh was
appointed by the PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]
Political Committee meeting in Paris yesterday.

The head of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, Samad Seyidov, has
told Turan that the new rapporteur is David Atkinson. He will replace
Terry Davis, who took the post of Council of Europe secretary-general
on 1 September 2004.

During the meeting, a report prepared by Terry Davis was also
discussed. Seyidov gave a generally positive assessment of the
report. He said the discussion was constructive despite the attempts
of the Armenian side to question some of its provisions. The committee
approved the report as a whole. A decision was made that Atkinson
would continue work on the document so that it could be submitted to
the January 2005 session of PACE.

Azerbaijan joins CIS agreement on antiterror fight at Astana summit

Bilik Dunyasi news agency
15 Sep 04

Baku, 15 September: Meetings of the councils of government heads
and foreign ministers have finished in Astana. Issues of fighting
international terrorism and illegal migration were high on the agenda
at the meeting of foreign ministers.

Azerbaijan has joined the agreement on fighting international terrorism
and the Address to the peoples of the Commonwealth [of Independent
States, CIS] and the international community on the occasion of the
60th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War [World War II].

At the same time, Baku has refused to sign the address by CIS
member states to the OSCE due the fact that it is not interested in
transferring cooperation within the OSCE framework into the plane of
cooperation within the CIS. Neither did Azerbaijan join the agreements
in the military sphere and on a coordinated borderline policy.

[Passage omitted: reported details of the meeting of the Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents]

Iranian president assesses outcomes of his three-nation tour as positive

IRNA web site, Tehran
15 Sep 04

Tehran, 15 September: President Mohammad Khatami here Tuesday evening
[14 September] assessed the outcomes of his visit to Armenia, Belarus
and Tajikistan and his presence at the ECO summit as positive.

Talking to reporters at Mehrabad International Airport upon his
arrival, Khatami said the three countries are Iran’s friends which
have had good relations with Tehran since their independence.

“Attempts have been made that ties with the three states be directed
towards progress and development with more speed,” he said.

He added during his visit to Armenia, which took place at the
invitation of his Armenian counterpart, the two countries signed seven
documents for cooperation, adding the document on transfer of Iran’s
gas to Armenia was the most important one.

In the visit to Armenia, the sides discussed bilateral, regional and
international issues, the president noted.

Pointing to natural and industrial resources of Belarus, he said
Tehran and Minsk inked five documents.

Khatami said the commission of Iran’s potentials in Belarus will
be set up, adding a factory will also be established in Belarus for
joint production of paper.

He referred to the deep-rooted cultural ties with Tajikistan and said,
“Iran’s trade exchanges with Tajikistan have been increased during
recent years by three times but there still exist some potentials
for further promotion of ties.”

Khatami noted that Iran and Tajikistan signed six documents, including
construction of Anzab tunnel and Sangtudah power plant in participation
of Iran, Russia and Tajikistan.

Pointing to the ECO summit, held in Tajikistan on Tuesday,
the president stated that in today’s complicated world regional
organizations can play an effective role, adding regarding potentials
of the region and common history and culture of ECO nations, the
Economic Cooperation Organization can take many useful measures.

He stressed that Iran’s two proposals on reforming the trend of ECO
decision-making and establishing ECO free trade zone were approved
during the organization’s summit.

It is expected that the ECO would achieve its goal regarding the
setting up of the free trade zone by 2015, Khatami said.

He added that he held separate meetings with his Tajik, Afghan and
Kyrgyz counterparts as well as the prime ministers of Pakistan and
Turkey on the sidelines of the ECO summit.

President Mohammad Khatami arrived in Tehran on Tuesday evening,
ending his three-nation tour which took him to Armenia, Belarus
and Tajikistan.

Putin mediates at meeting of Azeri and Armenian leaders on Karabakh

RTR Russia TV, Moscow
15 Sep 04

[Presenter] A summit of the CIS leaders opens in the Kazakh capital
tomorrow. A tripartite meeting of the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan
and Armenia, devoted to the problem of Nagornyy Karabakh, was held this
evening. Vladimir Putin said he highly appreciated the determination
of Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan to continue the dialogue on this
complex problem.

[Putin] Undoubtedly our meeting today is in line with the efforts
of the Minsk Group. It is very pleasant to note that today, before
gathering for this meeting with me, you had a dialogue with our
colleagues [the co-chairmen of the Minsk Group], jointly. I would
like to thank you for agreeing to meet in this format and to express
confidence that, no matter what we agree on today, no matter what
you agree on, I am profoundly convinced that a personal meeting of
the two leaders of the two countries is always a step forwards.

[Kocharyan] This is our third meeting. The first one was to make
acquaintances with each other. The second one got down to more specific
discussions. Between the second and third our ministers have been
working, I think, more effectively.

[Aliyev] Thank you, Vladimir Vladimirovich, for participating
in this question. Russia, as our neighbour, as co-chairman of
the Minsk Group, plays a very important role in settling the
Armenian-Azerbaijan-Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. Naturally, we are
very grateful to you for your participation, for your involvement.

Azeri, Armenian leaders discuss pull-out from seven occupied districts – TV

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
15 Sep 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan held their third meeting on the settlement of the
Nagornyy Karabakh conflict in the Kazakh capital Astana today.

Talks started at 1800 Baku time [1300 gmt] with the OSCE Minsk
Group’s three co-chairmen [from the USA, France and Russia] in
attendance. Following the talks that ended a short while ago,
the Russian co-chairman, Yuriy Merzlyakov, told “Son Xabar” [news
programme] that the meeting had discussed the liberation of seven
[Armenian-occupied] districts around Nagornyy Karabakh as well. Here
is more from Etibar Mammadov in Astana:

[Mammadov, on the telephone] Having started with the co-chairmen in
attendance, the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
later continued in the one-to-one format. Having cut the meeting short,
the co-chairmen exchanged views for 15-20 minutes.

Merzlyakov told ATV [Azad Azarbaycan TV] that during the meeting
the international mediators had proposed the issues discussed and
agreed in Prague [at a meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
foreign ministers on 30 August] to be submitted for the presidents’
consideration. He said that one of the proposed ideas was related to
liberating the occupied districts around Nagornyy Karabakh, returning
refugees to this area and guaranteeing their security.

Mr Merzlyakov said that the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides could
discuss their own ideas at these talks as well. He added that following
the Astana talks, Baku and Yerevan would submit their ideas and
proposals to the co-chairmen and the OSCE Minsk Group’s activity would
be based on them. Mr Merzlyakov also said that these talks and the
ideas proposed to the presidents were based on Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. But he added that many aspects emerged during the talks and
these aspects had to do with the conflict’s causes and consequences.

The presidents’ meeting lasted more than an hour. The Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents then met their Russian counterpart. The meeting
was held behind closed doors. The settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem, the situation in the South Caucasus and the latest events
in North Ossetia were discussed at the meeting.

Etibar Mammadov, for “Son Xabar” from Astana.

[Azerbaijani ANS TV reported in its 1600 gmt news bulletin that the
meeting with Putin was still continuing.]

NOR SHAHOUMIAN GOES ON

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
15 Sept 04

The government and philanthropists implement a number of programs
in Nor Shahoumian which is situated at the borderline. Presently
the region has 15 communities of which 2 have been established
recently. One of them Kkerkhapout already has its head of community,
and Knaravan will have one soon after settlement. We talked to the
head of the regional administration Vasil Nalbandian on the process,
problems and programs of settlement of the region. According to him,
the main focus in the region is on settlement. Here, as well as in
other regions, the new settlers are granted privileges, provided
with houses, land, pastures. They are exempt of tax on land and
water. The head of administration mentioned that last year the number
of new settlers increased by 350. This year about 12 families moved
to the community of Nor Manashid from the town Aparan, Republic of
Armenia. â^À^ÜOur aim is to increase the number of families in the
community and not the number of communities, thereby creating and
developing Nor Shahoumian,â^À^Ý stated V. Nalbandian. According
to him, it is desirable to admit growing families. Nor Shahoumian
faces the problem of communication. The communities of the region are
linked by cars mainly. There is no telephone but soon, according to
V. Nalbandian, there will be cellular telephone communication. Vasil
Nalbandian mentioned the urgency of solution of the problems of
drinking water, repair of roads, supply of electricity. At the same
time he mentioned that the electricity supply system is almost
completed. Presently only the village Tsar is not supplied with
electric power. For the solution of the latter problem a small
hydroelectric power station is being built in the village. This
year in Karvachar it is planned to finish the construction of the
palace of culture and sport, installation of the telephone station
and electric power supply system, as well as the construction of the
football stadium. Among the future plans is opening the branch of
â^À^ÜArtsakhbankâ^À^Ý and the local population will not have to go to
Stepanakert. V. Nalbandian also presented a number of agricultural
programs. He particularly mentioned that with the assistance of
the Ministry of Agriculture they plan to cultivate potatoes on 300
hectares of irrigated land, which will produce a large income. The
other unsolved problem is that of village roads. They can carry out
only minor repairs on the means that the government provides.

ANAHIT DANIELIAN.
15-09-2004

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GEOPOLITICAL CONSEQUENCES OF BESLAN

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
15 Sept 04

The terrorist attack on the school in Beslan shocked not only the
Russians but also everyone abroad. Hundreds of innocent people died,
among them children. Among the casualties there were Armenians as
well. Against the humanitarian aspect of the tragedy the geopolitical
consequences have been driven to the background but in the future the
events in Beslan may cause fundamental changes of the situation in the
Caucasus, and not only in the north but in the entire region. In the
given context it is appropriate to consider the possible developments
both in the Caucasus and outside it. Possible developments in the
region may be classified into several groups: aggravation of the
home situation in North Osetia, aggravation of the Oset-Ingush and
Oset-Chechen relationships, aggravation of the relationships between
North Osetia and the central power which is the same as aggravation
of the Oset-Russian relationships, as well as of the situation in
South Osetia. Currently the people of North Osetia protest against
the government of the republic demanding their resignation. We may
suppose that the settlement of this range of problems is not of
major difficulty. However, in this case it is not excluded that
radical forces may come to power in North Osetia. And this may
essentially complicate the situation also in neighbouring countries
of the North Caucasus. The possible complications in the Oset- Ingush
and Oset-Chechen relationships are especially dangerous. After the
events in Beslan about a thousand Osetians attempted to massacre the
Ingush people but were prevented by the law. If similar cases become
more dangerous and cause victims, the situation in the North Caucasus
will aggravate. One of the most dangerous developments for Moscow will
be tensions between North Osetia and the central government of the
Russian Federation. This will be a serious challenge for Russia. Many
people in Russia blame Kremlin for the tragedy in Beslan. Member of
State Duma Vladimir Rizhkov stated directly, â^À^Üif speaking about
the political responsibility, there cannot be two opinions. It is
the government and first of all the president, the leaders of the
Federal Service of Security, the Ministry of Home Affairs, that is to
say those federal agencies of the executive power which, according
to the Constitution and the laws, are to provide our security.â^À^Ý
According to Rizhkov, the president assumed the responsibility to
establish order in the country and provide the security of the people
but this responsibility was not carried out. In addition to this,
the Russian mass media write that in Beslan gunfire was started by
the people involved in the siege and not the terrorists. It is not
excluded that those might have been the local militiamen deployed
around the school since the first day. It is quite possible that one
of them broke down and shot. The terrorist groups are also interested
in accusing Kremlin of organizing the events in Beslan. In such a
situation there may appear feelings of hatred and distrust of the
central government among the population. Distrust may arise in other
regions of the Russian Federation as well. From the geopolitical aspect
one of the most dangerous developments is that distrust of the central
government may grow into distrust of the Russians in general, whereas
the Osetian factor is of exceptional importance for the position of
Moscow in the North Caucasus. Osetians are the only Christians of the
North Caucasian natives, by the way Orthodox Christians. Practically
they were the first to join Russia voluntarily, and in the 19th century
they did not take part in the struggle of the highlanders against the
Russian Empire. Now the Osetians are perhaps the most reliable defence
wall for Russia. The thing is that the Osetian-Russian relationships
have been supported by spiritual and cultural cooperation, which
reduces and sometimes even eliminates the influence of such a strong
factor as the geopolitical situation. But the spiritual and cultural
closeness can be broken up and in such cases the relationships between
peoples become derivatives of the geopolitical situation. The result
of this will be the change of political orientation of the people or
the country. Thus, the political future of the North Caucasus will
be directly related to the developments in North Osetia. Without the
support of the Osetians Moscowâ^À^Ùs position in the North Caucasus
may be shattered. Taking into account the fact that South Caucasus
is gradually getting integrated in the Euroatlantic structures, the
nations of North Caucasus may also change their political orientation
under the influence of the geopolitical situation finding themselves
devoid of any spiritual and cultural closeness. The events of Beslan
may also affect the situation in South Osetia. In an interview
president Putin declared that the borders of North Osetia will be
closed, including the North Osetian section of the state border. But
in this situation the border between South and North Osetia will
appear under lock. This may motivate Georgia to use force against
South Osetia. In this case Kremlin will become very vulnerable. On
the one hand, after such a statement if volunteers from North Osetia
appear in the Georgian-South Osetian conflict area, Moscow may be
accused of sending terrorists to Georgia. On the other hand, if the
situation in South Osetia becomes tense, and North Osetia is not able
to help their brothers, they will again blame Moscow. In this context
it is worthwhile to pay attention to the September 4, 2004 address
of Vladimir Putin. He made it clear that the terrorist actions are
directly related to foreign forces which are interested in weakening
Russia. By the way, he mentioned that the Russian Federation is not
protected either from the East or from the West. Here the Russian
president exactly meant the political and not the geographic notions
of â^À^ÜEastâ^À^Ý and â^À^ÜWestâ^À^Ý . The main suspicion falls
on either Europe or the USA but taking into account the fact that
the United States is currently the only superpower in the world,
and according to the American top officials, they have interests in
any region of the Earth, therefore the USA is meant. Is that Moscow
is challenging Washington? But in this case Moscow should have won
over the protection of some player on the arena. Europe, especially
Germany and France would hardly enter confrontation with the USA for
the sake of Russia. Maybe China will help him? Strange though it may
seem, Putin himself excluded this possibility in his address when he
mentioned the fact of Russiaâ^À^Ùs not being protected from the East as
well. If it is merely the Near East, the threat from there is usually
connected with terrorism and Islamic extremism. If it is the Far East,
the situation here is quite different. The insecurity of Russia in
this direction is caused by the fears of ethnic and economic intrusion
of the Chinese into the vast areas of the Far East and Siberia. Now
already China is the chief trade companion of most regions of the Far
East and Siberia, and it seems that China is not against having its
share either. Thus, it turns out that Kremlin transforms the struggle
against international terrorism into a geopolitical competition with
the leading centers of global politics thereby practically remaining
without a strong ally. Of course, a country such as Russia may be
able to solve many questions alone but only having order inside the
country. As Putin stated in his address, the most important task is
the mobilization of the nation against the common threat. However,
the national mobilization cannot be confined to showing patriotic
films and mass actions of unity, which may have a short-lasting
effect merely, especially among todayâ^À^Ùs Russian youth. First of
all it is necessary to restore the social unity as presently there
is an enormous gap between the rich and the poor. This first of all
requires an overall struggle against corruption. Putin mentioned
nothing on this in his address. However, not everything said becomes
a reality and not everything done is spoken about. Therefore, if
soon a war is declared against corruption in the Russian Federation,
it will mean that Beslan was a breakpoint in the Russian policy.

DAVIT BABAYAN.
15-09-2004

GEORGIAN PM SAYS RUSSIA WILL NOT IMPOSE RESTRICTIONS ON AIRLINES

Prime-News news agency
15 Sep 04

Tbilisi, 15 September: Air services between Russia and Georgia will not
be stopped and a previous agreement exists which precludes restrictions
on road traffic between the two countries, the prime minister’s office
said after a meeting between Zurab Zhvania and his Russian counterpart,
Mikhail Fradkov, in Astana (Kazakhstan).

During the meeting Zhvania expressed his surprise at the statement
sent to Georgia on 11 September informing them that Russia would be
imposing restrictions on air and bus services from 1 October.

Zhvania reminded Fradkov of an agreement reached several months
ago at a meeting in Moscow under which the two countries pledged
to improve the flow of traffic at the Larsi checkpoint in Qazbegi,
the only official border crossing between Georgia and Russia.

Instead, restrictions are being unilaterally imposed on traffic at
Larsi and unofficial checkpoints are operating on the borders with
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Zhvania said.

He said that the Russian Transport Ministry was imposing unwarranted
restrictions on aviation and road traffic.

The prime minister’s office told Prime-News that an agreement had been
reached with Russia that air services would not be suspended despite
this threat. However, they also said that another possible reason
for this, as independent experts claim, is that Georgia threatened
to close its airspace (to Russian aircraft), which would have had an
impact on Armenia.

According to Zhvania, Georgia is prepared to grant an operating
license to any Russian bus company that asks for one and to establish
new routes.

The prime minister’s office said that it had been necessary to make
this statement because Russia had been trying make out that Georgia
did not want Russian bus companies to compete in the transport market.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)
Sept 15 2004

ARMENIAN CONSTITUTIONAL BATTLE

Parliament fights over the powers of the president.

By Naira Melkumian in Yerevan

The autumn session of the Armenian parliament which began this week
will be dominated by reform of the constitution, with a battle already
raging between the ruling coalition and the opposition.

Two proposed sets of changes to the constitution have been put forward,
one formulated by the three-party pro-government coalition and the
other by opposition deputy Arshak Sadoyan, leader of the National
Democratic Alliance of Armenia.

The main bone of contention is the division of powers between different
branches of government, with the pro-government coalition signalling
its desire to strengthen presidential powers.

The leader of the pro-presidential nationalist Dashnaktsutiun group
in parliament Levon Mkrtchian argues that the present situation in
the Caucasus requires strong presidential authority and there is no
case for a change to a more parliamentary system.

“The coalition’s proposal is proof of the strong position of the
president,” commented political analyst Stepan Safarian from the
Armenian Centre for National and International Studies.

Especially controversial is a proposed change whereby the president
can recommend a new government programme to parliament three times and
choose to dissolve parliament if it is rejected on the third occasion.

Sadoyan is proposing that on the third occasion parliament itself
should be able to form the government. A compromise proposal is being

discussed according to which if there is deadlock on the third attempt
the president can nominate a new government but it has to be approved

by parliament.

Armenia is currently under strong pressure from the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe, which decided this week to debate
progress made on a series of obligations it put to the Yerevan
government (and also to Azerbaijan) at its October 4-8 session. The
government has agreed with the Council of Europe that it should make
amendments to its constitution before the end of 2004 and no later
than June 2005, by a national referendum.

A referendum held last year on a previous set of constitutional
amendments failed to receive sufficient support from voters. On coming
to power in 1998 Robert Kocharian pledged to reform Armenia’s 1995
constitution, but only drew up a package of proposals in 2003.

Tigran Torosian, deputy speaker of parliament and head of the working

group which is drafting the changes, told IWPR that the package
of amendments would be a significant step forward for Armenia,
guaranteeing “improvement of the constitutional mechanisms of the
realisation of rights and basic freedoms of an individual, the
introduction of a system of checks and balances in the government,
guarantees, the creation of an independent and unbiased judicial
system and local authorities”.

Leading human rights activist Avetik Ishkhanian, head of Armenia’s
Helsinki Committee, does not agree. “In the new drafts, human rights
are very declarative as there are no mechanisms to protect rights and

they only exist on paper,” he told IWPR.

Opposition deputy Shavarsh Kocharian of the Justice group in
parliament makes broader criticisms, saying that of 121 articles in
the constitution, only 20 are being substantially changed and only
four of these are changing in a positive direction.

Kocharian – who is no relation of the Armenian president – says he is

concerned that the pro-government coalition wants to increase the
number of presidential terms the head of state can serve from two to
three. Robert Kocharian is currently serving his second term as head
of state.

“The new amendments are definitely intended to increase the power of a
president, who has decided to keep himself permanently in power, like
the leaders of the Central Asian countries,” said Shavarsh Kocharian,
warning that this could turn Armenia into a “tyrannical state”.

Torosian rejected these charges, saying, “In 2003 when we were
working on the previous draft of constitutional changes, there was
a similarly absurd kind of talk but in actual fact nothing of this
kind was included in the draft. In the new draft there is no such
paragraph and there are no proposals to include it.

“This kind of talk comes from the sphere of parapsychology, not from
law-making and these people are obviously pursuing political goals.”

The differences on the constitution run not only between pro-government
parties and the opposition but within the two movements as well.

For example, the Dashnaktsutiun Party wants to see a completely
proportional electoral system in parliament, while its partner,
the Orinats Erkir Party, wants to preserve the existing balance of
80 per cent of seats elected via proportional representation and 20
per cent through constituencies.

Gurgen Arsenian, the leader of another small pro-government group
in parliament, the United Labour, surprised his coalition partners
by saying that his party withdrew its support for the constitutional
reforms in their current form and that they would come up with their
own proposals.

Meanwhile, some opposition members are saying that Sadoyan did not
agree his proposed constitutional amendments with his parliamentary
allies and that he is breaking an agreed opposition strategy of
boycotting legislative work in parliament.

Sadoyan told IWPR that his alternative proposals were in line with
party policy and that he would ignore the opposition boycott and
debate the issue in parliament.

Experts say there is very low confidence amongst the public in
Armenia’s constitution and how it can be enforced and almost no
public discussion of it. Even when it was first adopted in 1995,
Safarian said, “People doubted its legitimacy. They did not consider
it to be theirs

and did not take it seriously as they were not convinced that it had
an importance in their life. Certainly there is a need to revise the
constitution but people should understand it.”

Safarian said the parliamentary battles over the constitution were
“purely political competition” and politicians displayed little
evidence of caring about the public.

“I believe neither the government, nor politicians nor people
need a revision of the constitution,” Yerevan schoolteacher Stepan
Mnatsakanian told IWPR, speaking for many. “The problem is not the
laws we have but how they are enforced. Why spend time and money
improving the articles of the constitution when the most democratic
of them are broken.”

Naira Melkumian is a freelance journalist in Yerevan.