CENN – SEPTEMBER 14, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. EIR-NOW! Implementing EIR: Please Read
2. Chanturia Discharged from GIOC
3. Energy Regulation Commission Refrains from Commenting on Possible
Corruption in Energy Tariff
4. UEDC Fails to Ensure Round-The Clock Energy Supply in Winter
5. Madneuli Receives Georgia’s First Gold
6. Vitol wins SOCAR Urals Tender
7. Vacancy Announcement — Administrative Assistant

1. EIR-NOW! IMPLEMENTING EIR: PLEASE READ

Dear All,

The Bank/IFC has proposed a meeting with civil society organizations
during the annual meetings. The proposed date would be either September
30 or October 1st. The agenda for the meeting would focus on
implementation issues, including the multistakeholder advisory group,
their process for developing new governance indicators, poverty
indicators and the developing a new energy strategy.

Do groups want to have this meeting? I have proposed that the meeting be
scheduled at a time, which could accommodate others, that may not be in
Washington, but could join by phone.

It would also be useful to take advantage of those of you that do plan
to come to Washington DC for the annual meetings, to have a
debrief/lessons learned discussion and some time together to think about
the next steps for the EIR.

My proposal then is that we have the NGO only strategy session/debrief
on EIR on September 30, and meet with the WBG the next day on October
1st. Does this work for people? Please give some feedback as soon as
possible so that we can confirm these meetings and times on the NGO
calendar.

Finally, Wolfensohn will be having his traditional meeting with NGOs by
videoconference next Tuesday, September 21st. NGOs in the Netherlands,
Brazil, Georgia, Nigeria and Japan will participate.

IF YOU ARE IN ONE OF THOSE COUNTRIES AND CAN PARTICIPATE, PLEASE GET IN
TOUCH WITH YOUR COUNTRY OFFICE AND REQUEST AN INVITATION.

It would be extremely useful if groups could raise implementation
questions with Wolfensohn directly.

For example, since the Bank is notorious for not implementing its
commitments well, it would be important to ask Wolfensohn if the
responsibilities for implementing the different aspects of their EIR
commitments have been delegated and to tell us how the lead points of
contact will be for both the IFC, the Bank and the regions. Also, does
he plan to spell out the plan and commitments to the Regional Vice
Presidents and Country Directors and hold them to implementing it as
well?

Also, what is his timeline for reviewing and revising the energy
strategy so that their energy lending is in line with their stated
mission to deliver energy services to the poor?

Those are some possible questions. Please let me know if you are in one
of those countries and will be able to join the meeting. It would be
very helpful if you could provide a report back to this list- EIR-NOW!:
[email protected]

All for now – please respond about the proposed meetings

E-mail: [email protected]

2. CHANTURIA DISCHARGED FROM GIOC

Source: Messenger, September 13, 2004

The post of president of the Georgian International Oil Corporation is
vacant after President Mikheil Saakashvili fired Gia Chanturia while he
was in Baku discussing the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. There are
rumors in the media that the prosecutor’s office may become interested
in Chanturia’s affairs.

Two possible candidates for the presidency of GIOC have been nominated:
the former media tycoon Erosi Kitsmarishvili and the US-based Georgian
Ramaz Berianidze.

Before the Rose Revolution, GIOC president Chanturia was considered to
be not only as a highly successful administrator, but as a possible
candidate succeed then-president Shevardnadze in the 2005 presidential
elections. During the revolution, however, Chanturia remained in
Shevardnadze’s camp, although he did not actively participate against
the Saakashvili-Zvania alliance.

Unlike many Shevardnadze allies, Chanturia was not discharged
immediately after the Rose Revolution, although his office building was
taken from him. The Georgian media suggested that Chanturia’s was able
to remain in his post owing to his personal friendship with current
Azeri president Ilham Aliev.

It is said that they have been friends from their youth and that,
according to newspaper Alia; Chanturia was appointed GIOC president by
Shevardnadze under the recommendation and promotion of the Aliev family.

Nobody can say whether Aliev agreed to Gia Chanturia’s discharge or if
Saakashvili asked him.

According to Alia, Chanturia may be questioned by the general
Prosecutor’s office. But assuming that he manages to avoid any
complications with Georgia law-enforcement bodies, he might be granted a
high position in Azerbaijan by his friend Aliev.

3. ENERGY REGULATION COMMISSION REFRAINS FROM COMMENTING ON POSSIBLE
CORRECTION IN ENERGY TARIFF

Source: Sarke, September 13, 2004

The Right Opposition faction of Parliamentary has raised a question on
the reduction of consumer’s energy tariff following the recent
strengthening of the lari rate. However, the chairman of the National
Energy Regulation Commission Giorgi Tavadze says according to the law,
the gas tariff is liable to changes only if the change of the lari
exchange rate exceeds 5%, while this regulation does not concern the
energy tariff.

4. UEDC FAILS TO ENSURE ROUND-THE CLOCK ENERGY SUPPLY IN WINTER

Georgia United Energy Distributing Company (UEDC) fails to guarantee
round-the-clock electricity supply during the winter season.

The company spokesmen told INTER-PRESS big cities- Rustavi and Kutaisi,
where external installation of the electricity meters is almost
completed, power will be delivered from 06:00-08:00pm in winter, while
electricity supply in villages, where communal meters are installed will
be 8-hour.

“Communal meters will be installed on transformers of each village and
it will indicate the extend of the consumed electricity by the whole
village. Such processes are already completed in the entire zone of the
Imereti region. Communal meters are being installed in the
Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Samtskhe-Javaxeti regions”, the company spokesmen
said.

UEDC is anticipating receiving GEL 1 million grant from the central
budget that will enable the company to install communal meters in
villages.

As for the big cities, where a process of external installation of
meters are underway, the company reports that will try to ensure the
solvent consumers with the permanent electricity supply during the
winter season.

Meanwhile, American managers of the company state that electricity
supply during the winter season will be guaranteed for only solvent
consumers.

5. MADNEULI RECEIVES GEORGIA’S FIRST GOLD

Source: Messenger, September 13, 2004

The Georgian company Madneuli is the first in the history of Georgia to,
in laboratory conditions, pour out an 80gram gold ingot from
gold-containing allow produced by the Georgian-Australian joint venture
Quartzite (kvartsit), Madneuli’s General Director Vasily Tsotadze told
the press.

Alloy produced by Quartzite as a semi-finished has until now been
processed in Britain, Tsotadze said.

In order for Madneuli to begin producing pure gold without the help of
foreign partners, “the enterprise requires re-equipping and
modernization, which specialists say will cost $12 millions,” he said.

“If the government is ‘kind’ in this and an investor is found. The
Madneuli workforce will undertake to produce Georgian gold,” Tsotadze
told.

Economic Development Minister Kakha Bendukidze said in later comments
with the press on Tsotadze’s own statements that state-owned Madneuli
“should be sold and as quickly as possible,” adding “any state-run
enterprise is a wellspring of corruption”.

Madneuli was founded in December of 1994 at the Madneuli mining and
beneficiation combine. The government currently owns 97.3% of the
company’s stock.

6. VITOL WINS SOCAR URALS TENDER

Source: CBN, September 14, 2004

Azeri State Oil Firm SOCAR has awarded a tender for one million barrels
of Russian sour Urals crude for October 18-19 loading from Novorossiysk
to Swiss-based trading house Vitol, a SOCAR official said on September
10, 2004. The official said SOCAR would also tender a second
million-barrel Novorossiysk cargo next week to be loaded during the last
days of October. The previous SOCAR tender, for a million-barrel
end-September Urals cargo, was won last month by trading house Taurus.
SOCAR exports its crude from two Black Sea ports, Novorossiysk in Russia
and Supsa in Georgia. In Russia, SOCAR’s crude is mixed with Russia’s
main crude export blend Urals. From Supsa, SOCAR exports sweet Azeri
light grade as part of the Azeri state’s production sharing deal in a
BP-led Caspian offshore project.

7. VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT — ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

For the purposes of BP operations and under the BP management
supervision, IRA Ltd is seeking to recruit a suitable qualified
individual for the posotion of Administrative Assistant.

Administrative assistant will be a third-party contractor for BP WREP
Operations working under BP management supervision.

Job Description:
The Administrative Assistant will be responsible for:

Provision of administrative and secretarial assistance to the Pipeline
Superintendent and to the Operations Department
Undertaking and coordination of all activities associated with the
provision of translation/interpretation services

Roles&Responsibilities:
Specific responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

o Scheduling, arranging and coordination of meeting, other appointments
and activities for the Pipeline Superintendent and for the Operations
Department
o Interpreting for Pipeline Superintendent and for Operations department
and other visiting executives at meetings with Georgian Ministeries or
other Government Agencies, GIOC, etc.
o Translating all departmental level correspondence, and any BP
sensitive or confidential documents.
o Development and maintenance of an operations personnel tracking system
for day to day location and vacationn scheduling
o Provision of administrative support to the pipeline Superintendent and
operations
o Department, ensuring that all office activities including telephone
screening, preperation of correspondence and documentation, maintenance
of filing systems, etc. are efficiently handeled.
o Maintenance of data bases and tracking systems related to HSE
records,Process Upsets, Safety Inputs including preparing and issuing
associated weekly and monthly reports

Experience&Education:
o The incumbent will have:
o University degree in languages with advance studies in English,
Georgian and Russian
ž Flient English and russian skills
ž 5 years of experience at least in administration and
translation/interpretation at all levels of business and government
ž PC proficiency (Microsoft Word) essential
ž Exposure to government & Public activities is desirable
ž Knowledge of technical terminology used in the oil industry would be
preferable
ž Georgian citizenship is required.

How to Apply / Additional Information:
If you feel you have the required skills and experience to fulfill this
role please submit a copy of your CV and fill in the relevant
application form available at the adress below.

The closing date for receipt of application is Thursday, September 23,
2004

All applications received will be acknowledged but this is no way
implies that candidates will be interviewed and/or offered employment.

HR Department
BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) Ltd. Georgia
123A Agmashenebeli Avenue, Tbilisi Georgia

California Courier Online, September 16, 2004

1 – Commentary
Jewish Writers Blast Israel, US
And Turkey for Denying Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
**************************************************************************
2 – Cookbook Review
Simply Armenian: Naturally Healthy Ethnic Cooking Made Easy
3 – Ceremony for Donation of Karabian Papers
Held Sept. 18 at CSUF’s Madden Library
4 – Bal Family Sets Up $100,000 Ph.D
Scholarship Fund at Zoryan Institute
5 – L.A. County
Honors Terzian
6 – Armen Will Exhibit Photos
At Oakland Church Bazaar
7 – Armenian Court Awards $460.
To Owner of Electrocuted Pig
************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Jewish Writers Blast Israel, US
And Turkey for Denying Genocide

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

The Turkish government spends millions of dollars to deny the Armenian
Genocide. Yet, despite such intense Turkish efforts, and sometimes because
of them, the Genocide is becoming more widely known to the world. Scores of
countries and international organizations have officially acknowledged it
in recent years. The international media frequently refers to the Armenian
Genocide.
Despite the Israeli government’s shameful support for Turkish revisionism,
Jewish scholars and commentators have played a major role in reaffirming
the facts of the Armenian Genocide. In recent weeks, two more Jewish
writers have published very important articles on this issue.
Hillel Halkin, an Israel-based author, in an article published in the
August 17 issue of The New York Sun, castigated the “Republican
congressional leadership and the Department of State” for opposing
congressional resolutions “that do nothing more than express official
American acknowledgment of the pre-meditated murder, mostly in 1915, of an
estimated 1 to 1.5 million Armenians by the armies of the Ottoman Empire.”
He asserts: “this murder is a well-documented episode that only the rare
pro-Turkish historian bothers to challenge these days.”
Halkin points out that the Turkish government “for decades has conducted a
concerted campaign to deny that the Armenian Genocide took place. To this
day, what happened to the Armenians in World War I is a banned subject in
Turkey.” The writer describes as “utterly absurd” Turkey’s systematic
efforts “to censor its own history as if it were an article in a Stalinist
encyclopedia.” He suggests that “far from bringing shame on them, a frank
admission of what their armies did to a helpless population nearly a
century ago would only rebound to the Turks’ credit. Just think of the
esteem that the German Federal Republic, in the years after World War II,
earned in the world by its honest confronting of the Holocaust.”
The Turks, Halkin writes, have threatened other countries “with dire
consequences should they acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Although some
governments stood up to such intimidation (most notably France which
officially recognized the Armenian Genocide in 2001), others have caved
into it. One of the saddest cases in this respect, apart from America, has
been that of Israel, where programs on what happened to the Armenians have
even been barred from state television.”
Halkin describes as “pathetic” those countries that have “yielded to
Turkish pressure on this issue.” He wonders: “What exactly is the Bush
administration afraid of?” He correctly points out that should the US
Congress adopt a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the Turks
would just “splutter and get over it, which is exactly what they did three
years ago vis-à-vis France.”
Halkin blasts the Israeli foreign ministry for being “chock-full of fearful
bureaucrats needlessly anxious about jeopardizing their country’s good ties
with Turkey.” He accuses both the Israeli government and “some Jewish
lobbies in America,” for having “collaborated shamefully with the Turks on
the Armenian issue.”
Halkin concludes his powerful article by pointing out that since the
“Jewish State does not recognize” the Armenian Genocide “for reasons of
realpolitik,” the Jews should then stop blaming other countries that for
their own reasons of realpolitik did not lift a finger while the Nazis were
slaughtering the Jews!
A second important article, written by Israeli attorney Nir Eisikovits,
appeared in the September 1, 2004 issue of “In the National Interest,” an
online weekly published jointly by The National Interest magazine and The
Nixon Center.
The writer points out that Israel’s denial of the Armenian Genocide is
based on two considerations: the belief in the “uniqueness” of the
Holocaust, and Israel’s self-perceived strategic interests or
“realpolitik.”
Eisikovits considers the first argument “both morally warped and
empirically unfounded.” By asserting that “Jews do not have a monopoly on
pain,” he emphatically states: “Jews cannot, simultaneously, attack those
who deny the Holocaust and assist others who deny the Armenian Genocide.”
The writer also points out that the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides have
not in any way diminished the Nazi atrocities.
As for the considerations of “realpolitik,” Eisikovits sadly concludes that
Israel’s appeasement of Turkey “does not seem to be working.”
Recalling that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently accused Israel
of “state terrorism,” he concludes that Israel has apparently sold its
“moral integrity in vain.” He also argues: “Realism in international
affairs, with all its merits, must be subordinate to a nation’s most basic
principles rather than dictate them.” By refusing to recognize other cases
of genocide, “Israel would have undermined the main reason for its own
existence,” Halkin states.
The courageous positions taken by these righteous Jewish writers, combined
with all other efforts by Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide would
eventually force the governments of the United States and Israel to stop
parroting the lies and start telling the truth on the Armenian Genocide.

**************************************************************************
2 – Cookbook Review
Simply Armenian: Naturally Healthy Ethnic Cooking Made Easy
By Barbara Ghazarian, $17.95 Softcover, 296-page, illustrations ISBN:
1-931834-06-7 o Pub Date: August 2004
MONTEREY, CA -Armenian cooking is one of the world’s great culinary melting
pots. Veteran author, Barbara Ghazarian has created a masterful blend of
food and culture. Simply Armenian contains over 150 exiting and inspired
classic dishes (including favorites from family and friends) adapted for
North American home cooking. You will be delighted and amazed at the
authentic flavor of these easy-to-prepare recipes.
The context for Armenian cuisine in the United States is woven throughout
this collection with a light, almost invisible thread of historical,
geographic, cultural, linguistic, and religious elements. Her personal
reminiscences and anecdotes make it easy for the reader to join her on this
exceptional journey into this ancient yet ultra contemporary cuisine.
With justifiable ease, Ghazarian pairs foreign flavors like Syrian
“Mortadella” and Izmir Kufteh with Rice Pilaf made with College Inn chicken
broth and Uncle Ben’s rice. Remaining true to her own Armenian immigrant
family roots, which date back to the turn of the last century, Ghazarian
recommends lamb over beef and has included a generous and exotic array of
quince-based recipes (preserves, jelly, paste, stuffed with walnuts, and
cooked with lamb) because her aunt had three fruit-bearing trees in her
yard in Massachusetts and Armenians are frugal, thrift-driven cooks willing
to incorporate any accessible bounty.
Also in keeping with traditional Armenian cooking, there are a significant
number of vegetarian dishes-over 50, meeting Orthodox fasting requirements
(vegan), are clearly marked. Ghazarian promises that you will learn the
magic of creating a feast out of a basket of vegetables and a handful of
cracked wheat bulgur.
Admitting to wanting to please her 100%-Armenian, Syrian-born husband-who
like most husbands no matter what their nationality, prefers the tastes and
combination of foods traditional to his mother’s kitchen-she has included
“starter spreads” like Hummus and Baba Ghanoush that are not traditional to
the Armenian table but, rather, are additions assimilated from Arab
neighbors and brought to the United States by recent Armenian immigrants
from the Middle East.
What further sets this book apart from others is the generous sprinkling of
intriguing line drawings reprinted from Armenian manuscripts dating back to
antiquity. Living up to the promise of simplicity, Ghazarian has included a
good-sized glossary and gives mail-order sources for readers living outside
greater metropolitan areas who can’t find some of the more foreign
ingredients that are hard to substitute. Her well-written, readable text
gives detailed, step-by-step instructions ending with dish combination
suggestions for those new to the cuisine.
Ghazarian admits this collection is a labor of love, taking years to “get
it right,” and her effort shows on every page. No one has made the Armenian
table as accessible and user-friendly to home cooks as she has. This
cookbook ensures success for beginners while also making the cuisine
appealing to experienced home cooks.
About the Author
Barbara Ghazarian is an experienced cook and a natural teacher with a gift
for storytelling. This is her second cookbook (The Kindred Kitchen, 1996).
Barbara lectures from coast-to-coast on Armenian-related topics to both
Armenian and American audiences. She authored a long-running weekly
culinary column for a Los Angeles newspaper and has years of experience
teaching culinary writing to adults in greater Boston.
Simply Armenian, published by Mayreni Publishing (), can be
purchased from leading online bookstores or by sending $17.95 plus $4.00
shipping to P.O. Box 5881, Monterey, CA 93944-5881.
**************************************************************************
3 – Ceremony for Donation of Karabian Papers
Held Sept. 18 at CSUF’s Madden Library
FRESNO – A ceremony for the donation of former California Assemblyman
Walter Karabian’s papers to the Central Valley Political Archive of the
Henry Madden Library at California State University, Fresno was held Sept.
18, at Fresno State.
Karabian, who was born and raised in Fresno, donated papers from his
1966-74 state Legislative service.
In addition, panel discussions were held focusing on Karabian’s career with
an emphasis on his opening the doors of politics to young Latinos, his
commitment to his Armenian heritage and his various legislative
contributions such as the Species Preservation Act, the ratification of the
Equal Rights Amendment and the California Invasion of Privacy Act.
Art Torres, Democratic Party chairman, as well as other former staff
members to Karabian participated in the panel discussions.
The Karabian papers received at the CVPA measure approximately 30 linear
feet and include correspondence, press files, photographs, campaign
material, articles, speeches, memorabilia and other records documenting
Karabian’s legislative and civic activities.
After leaving the Legislature, Karabian has practiced law and is a partner
in the Los Angeles law firm Karns & Karabian.
**************************************************************************
4 – Bal Family Sets Up $100,000 Ph.D
Scholarship Fund at Zoryan Institute
TORONTO, CANADA – A new scholarship fund has been established at the Zoryan
Institute by the Bal family for PhD students preparing their thesis on the
Armenian Genocide or comparative genocide with a focus on the Armenian
Genocide.
The creation of this fund was the initiative of Dikran and Sonia Bal of
Montreal, who made it possible by their generous donation of $100,000 as a
seeding fund for this purpose.
The Bals have been regular supporters of the Zoryan Institute. In just the
last two years, in addition to this new scholarship fund, they have
contributed $200,000 for scholarly research and publication in general, and
the Genocide and Human Rights University Program in particular.
The scholarships will be awarded to a total of four candidates each year,
and are renewable, pending an annual review. Applicants must have completed
an MA in one of the social sciences, such as history, international law,
political science, psychology, or sociology and be enrolled full-time in an
accredited PhD program. Knowledge of the Armenian and Ottoman Turkish
languages will be considered an asset for applicants. The amount awarded
will vary according to the individual needs of each research project.
In explaining why they chose to create such a fund, Dikran Bal commented,
“It is important for people like us, who are not specialists but care about
this field of study, to support those who can make a scholarly
contribution. The fruits of their research go directly towards helping us
understand the Genocide and its impact on our history, the formation of
modern Armenian society, and on our identity.”
Sonia Bal stated: “I hope that this scholarship fund will be a catalyst for
drawing young scholars to pursue their academic dreams in this field. I
feel that the Zoryan Institute is the right organization to administer such
a fund, as it has a proven record of over twenty years of original
scholarship and a reputation for academic integrity, directed by board
members who are world-renowned scholars, such as Prof. Vahakn Dadrian, Dr.
Roger Smith, and Dr. Yair Auron, to name only a few.”
Professor Dadrian, Director of Genocide Research at the Zoryan Institute,
explained, “It is exciting to see people like the Bals get involved
actively and personally in the support of genocide studies. The
establishment of such a fund will definitely facilitate the recruitment of
interested and qualified candidates.”
For more information about the scholarship, contact the Zoryan Institute,
255 Duncan Mill Rd., Suite 310, Toronto, Canada M3B 3H9, E-mail
[email protected].
**************************************************************************
5- L.A. County
Honors Terzian
LOS ANGELES – Carl R. Terzian and his associates have been honored by the
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on the occasion of the public
relations firm’s 35th anniversary for “dedicated service to the affairs of
the community and for the civic pride demonstrated by numerous
contributions for the benefit of all the citizens of the county.”
The resolution was recently offered by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.
Following graduation magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa and student body
president from USC in 1957, Terzian was a State Department Goodwill
Ambassador for President Eisenhower; public relations director for the
Lutheran Hospital Society of Southern California; dean and professor of
government at Woodbury University; and public affairs director for
architect Charles Luckman. In 1969 he started his own successful firm of
consultants in corporate, product, institutional, executive and crisis
marketing to more than 4,500 clients.
Terzian has been recognized for civic, philanthropic and professional
leadership by Congress, Her Majesty the Queen of England, California
Assembly and Senate, City and County of Los Angeles, USC, Boy Scouts,
California Junior Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles Business Council,
Arthritis Foundation, Break the Cycle, Dubnoff Center, United Way,
California Lutheran University, Theta Chi Fraternity, The Jeffrey
Foundation, International Visitors Council, Woodbury University,
Exceptional Children’s Foundation, and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley
Forge.
**************************************************************************
6 – Armen Will Exhibit Photos
At Oakland Church Bazaar
OAKLAND, CA – Southern California photographer Karine Armen will exhibit
her photographs from Armenia during the St. Vartan Armenian Church’s
Armenian Bazaar, Oct. 1 and 2, at the church grounds, 650 Spruce Street,
Oakland.
Armen — always on the go, always in search of the new, and the different –
takes her camera around the world, from China to Spain, from North American
to the southern borders.
She earned a M.A. in Educational Administration and a B.A. with a double
major in Photography and Social Work. She has traveled extensively and has
had several photography exhibitions in the Los Angeles area. She
participated in photography treks in Portugal, and China. Her work has been
published in “Armenian International Magazine,” Ararat Quarterly, The
Glendale News Press, Nor Gyank, Marmara, and Eighties.
Karine’s first trip to Armenia was a mental health counselor. She worked
with the earthquake survivors of Gyumri in March of 1990. She was impressed
and touched by the people’s hope to continue their lives with dignity.
Karine Armen has been teaching at an elementary public school in Glendale
for the past 14 years. Prior to that she worked as an Information
Specialist for a hotline. She has also worked as manager of a homeless
shelter. Her diverse interests and multi-cultural approach is reflected in
her photographs.
Some of Karine’s photographs can be viewed at her web site photo27.com. For
more information, contact the artist at [email protected].
**************************************************************************
7 – Armenian Court Awards $460.
To Owner of Electrocuted Pig
ALAVERDI, Armenia – An Armenian court ordered a branch of the Armenian
Electricity Supply Network to pay about $460 to the owner of a pig which
was electrocuted while munching on an exposed underground electrical cable
earlier this year in the northern town of Alaverdi.
The pregnant sow was zapped after it had dug up a thin layer of dirt which
covered the electric cable in the backyard of a building.
The loss was especially heavy to the animal’s owner as the animal was
pregnant with 10 piglets and due in a week.
According to standards for power lines, underground cables must be laid at
a depth of at least 70 centimeters. A representative of the court who
visited the spot found out that the cable had been laid at a depth of 40
centimeters.
The court granted the owner partial damages, finding the plaintiff himself
at fault for having allowed his pig to wander into the yard of the
apartment building. Thus, the electric company was required to pay only 80
% of the damages – 240,000 drams (about $460).
The chief engineer of the Armenian Electricity Supply Network disagreed
with the ruling.
“The pig had no business in the yard; children would not have been able to
dig through that layer of soil,” said Misha Piruzyan. The company has taken
their case to the Court of Appeals, and hopes for a favorable ruling.
But, the animal’s owner, Samvel Tsatinyan, is determined to defend the
rights of his pig, her ten piglets, and the people who live in the
building, “even if I have to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.”
In the meantime, the electric company is working on its power lines.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Funeral or barbecue arrangements were not disclosed.
********************************************************
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The Messenger
Monday, September 13, 2004, #173 (0697)

Railway link connects Sokhumi-Moscow
In Abkhazia, tension high for pre-election campaign
By Warren Hedges and James Phillips

Tbilisi and Moscow are locking horns over Friday’s restoration of
Sokhumi’s rail link to Moscow while allegations that Tbilisi plans to
interfere in Abkhazia’s upcoming presidential elections have further
soured relations with the separatist region.

Friday afternoon, a four-car train departed Sokhumi for Russia marking
the first regular train route between Abkhazia and Russia in over
eleven years. According to the new schedule, two of the cars will
travel to the southern Russian city of Rostov on the Don, while the
other two will be reconnected to a Moscow bound train.

The restoration of rail service was foreseen by a March 2003 agreement
reached in Sochi between the Abkhazian prime minister, President Putin
and then-President Shevardnadze. But the same agreement included a
package of provisions like the return of Georgian IDPs to their homes,
a process that has seen little progress while the Russian government
and Abkhazia have eagerly pursued the rail link.

Georgia’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nick Tabatadze
told The Messenger on Sunday that the rail connection represents a
“grave violation of international agreements.”

“We are facing the violation of a number of international and
bi-lateral agreements,” he said, including the 1993 UN regulation
agreement, an agreement by the CIS heads of state and the Sochi
agreement.

“The Sochi agreement contemplates the railway construction in parallel
with the refugees return to the Gali region,” Tabatadze said, “They
should have started together – synchronized.”

Now the Tbilisi has sent a letter of protest to the Russian Ministry
of Foreign Affairs. In addition the ministry has written to the UN
and the Friends of Georgia and awaits a response.

Georgia’s State Minister for Conflict Resolution Goga Khaindrava
called the move open support for separatism.

“Unfortunately, we cannot take tough steps to prevent these illegal
activities, but we will use every civilized technique in the framework
of international law to put an end to this outrage,” he said according
to Itar-Tass.

“Russia’s activities encourage and support separatism in Abkhazia,”
Khaindrava added.

In a statement released on Friday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs said it wanted to “assess the situation in a correct manner.”

According to the ministry, the repair works began in July by the
Joint Stock Company Russian Railways. “There is nothing new in this:
it is necessary to maintain the state of the railway in a working
and secure manner.”

While stating “the main thing is that all this corresponds to the Sochi
agreement reached at the Russian-Georgian summit with the participation
of the Abkhaz side in March 2003,” the ministry said nothing about
the fate of the return of refugees that was also part of the agreement.

The ministry added that the restoration of the railway is in fact
in Georgia’s interests: “We would like to recall that the importance
of the Sochi agreement on bilateral movement of trains via Abkhazia
is in the fact that railway ties will be established between Georgia
and Russia. Thus, the countries of the given region including Georgia
and Armenia are interested in this issue.”

According to railway officials, travelers in Sokhumi will be able to
buy tickets to ‘anywhere in Russia.’

“In the future more cars may be added. It all depends on how many
tickets are sold,” a spokesperson for the Russian Railways told
Itar-Tass.

Rail service was first restored in December 2002 and immediately
raised a strong Georgian protest. Three months later in Sochi,
President Shevardnadze approved the rail link as long as Georgian
refugees were able to return. Meanwhile, On October 3, the voters in
Abkhazia are scheduled to elect a new president and ailing de facto
President Vladislav Ardzinba has already endorsed Prime Minister Raul
Khajimba. Late in August Khajimba had a short meeting and photo-op
with President Putin leaving many to believe that he is Moscow’s
favored candidate.

The election season has put an effective halt on Georgian-Abkhazian
negotiations. After Georgian Coast Guard vessels fired on a ship
illegally docking in Sokhumi on July 30, the Abkhaz representatives
have refused to participate in the weekly quadripartite meetings on
maintaining peace in the region. It is expected that the Abkhaz side
will not return to the negotiation table until after the elections.

Now Abkhaz security officials accuse Georgia of plotting to create
diversions in the weeks leading up to the elections.

“Georgian sabotage groups, who entered Abkhazia from Georgia, were
spotted [in Abkhaz villages]. According to our information, the
objective of these sabotage groups is to destabilize the situation
in Abkhazia in the run-up to the republic’s presidential elections,”
said Mikhail Tarba, chair of the de facto republic’s security services.

Speaking with Interfax, he added that special units from the security
service have begun a search for the alleged saboteurs. “Steps are
being taken to increase the security of candidates for president of
the republic,” he said adding that these people are in danger.

In response, Georgia’s Khaindrava called the statements “absurd”.
“If Georgia wanted to disrupt elections in Abkhazia, it would do this
without acts of sabotage,” Khaindrava told journalists on Friday.
“Despite the illegitimacy of the elections in Abkhazia, the Georgian
authorities understand that they would have to maintain relations
with the candidate who wins for several years,” he said as quoted
by Interfax.

PRESS RELEASE

Armenian Network of America, Washington Region
P. O. Box 10423
Arlington, VA 22210-9998
Email: [email protected]

Washington, DC. – The Armenian Network invites you to a presentation
on US support to science and technology development in Armenia hosted
by the US Civilian Research Development Foundation (CRDF).

This event is jointly sponsored with the Washington Section of the
Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America (GMWAS/AESA, contact
Dr. Jack Kooyoomjian, [email protected]). It features CRDF
speakers John Modzelewski, Director of Centers and Institution Building
Programs, and Ms. Siri B. Oswald, Senior Manager for Institution
Building Programs. They will introduce and update participants to
the many programs and research and development activities sponsored
by the US CRDF and other organizations which directly benefit the
scientists and engineers in Armenia.

Network seminars provide great opportunities for professional
networking. In particular, this seminar should appeal to all those
interested in (1) supporting research projects that offer scientists
and engineers alternatives to emigration and strengthen the scientific
and technological infrastructure of Armenia; (2) funding collaborative
research and development projects; (3) helping move applied research
to the marketplace; (4) strengthening research and education in
Armenian universities. On the eve of its independence anniversary,
let’s celebrate Armenia’s past scientific achievements and explore
ways of sustaining its future development.

The presentation is scheduled for 6:30pm, Tuesday, September 21,
2004, at 1530 Wilson Boulevard, 3rd Floor CRDF conference room,
Arlington, Virginia 22209. CRDF headquarters are located two
blocks from the Roslyn metro stop. For driving directions check

Advance registration is required for security purposes. Please RSVP
by noon Sept. 20th to [email protected]. Refreshments will be
served. Event is free and open to the public.

The Armenian Network of America, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
membership based organization dedicated to the advancement of the
Armenian American community.

Armenian police, Ukrainian Interior Ministry sign cooperation accord

Noyan Tapan news agency
13 Sep 04

Yerevan, 13 September: The chief of the Armenian Police, Ayk
Arutyunyan, and Ukrainian Interior Minister Mykola Bilokon signed a
protocol “On cooperation between the Armenian Police and the Ukrainian
Interior Ministry in 2005” on 13 September, the press service of the
Armenian Police has reported.

The document was signed on results of a working visit by the Ukrainian
interior minister to Yerevan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Speaker says refusal to allow Armenian servicemen entry to Baku “unacceptable”

Mediamax news agency
13 Sep 04

Yerevan, 13 September: The speaker of the Armenian parliament, Artur
Bagdasaryan, today described Azerbaijan’s policy of avoiding any
contacts with the Armenian side both on the bilateral and regional
levels as “unacceptable”.

The head of the Armenian parliament said this in Yerevan today,
commenting on the Azerbaijani authorities’ refusal to grant entry
visas to five Armenian officers to attend the Cooperative Best Effort
– 2004 exercises within the framework of NATO’s Partnership for Peace
programme that were to start in Baku today.

“Nevertheless, Armenia will continue active and constructive regional
cooperation within the framework of NATO and other international
organizations,” Artur Bagdasaryan said.

Armenian foreign minister leaves for Brussels

Armenian Radio First Programme, Yerevan
13 Sep 04

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan left for Brussels on a
working visit yesterday. Today the Armenian foreign minister will
head the Armenian delegation at the sixth meeting of the European
Union-Armenia cooperation council in Brussels. Vardan Oskanyan will
meet his counterparts and also the NATO leadership within the framework
of the visit to Brussels.

Tomorrow the foreign minister will leave Brussels for Astana, where
he will take part in a session of the CIS foreign ministers on 15-16
September and also the next CIS summit.

Azerbaijan confirms refusing entry to Armenian officers

Sources:

ANS TV, Baku
13 Sep 04

Armenian Radio First Programme, Yerevan
13 Sep 04

Azerbaijan has refused to allow Armenian officers to attend NATO
exercises in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry has said.

Azerbaijan’s ANS TV on 13 September quoted the State Border Service as
saying that the Armenian officers had not crossed Azerbaijan’s borders.

Armenian Radio reported on the 13th that five Armenian officers had
already returned home from Georgia, where the Azerbaijani embassy
had refused to issue visas for them.

A NATO delegation is due to visit Yerevan today and will discuss the
visa issue with the Armenian leadership, Armenian Radio said.

Three Armenian officers arrive in secret in Azerbaijan, daily says

Baki Xabar, Baku
13 Sep 04

September headlined “Are the Armenian officers already in Baku?”,
subheaded “They are reported to come on the night of 11 to 12
September, however this is being kept secret from the public”

It seems that the actions to protest against the visit by Armenian
officers to Baku have been fruitless. Before our newspaper was
published yesterday, we received a report that three Armenian officers
had already arrived in Baku.

The source saying this added that the Armenian officers came to
Azerbaijan on the night of 11-12 September. The fact that they came
to Azerbaijan two days ago and that the governing circles are keeping
it secret from the public enables us to say that the government is
interested in their visit to Baku and the protest actions held so far
have been just a show. We failed to get in touch with the relevant
bodies to clarify the report since we received it late and it was
Sunday yesterday [12 September].

By the World Forgot: Realpolitik and the Armenian Genocide
By Nir Eisikovits

Commentary

In The National Interest
September 1, 2004

Between 1915 and 1916, through a campaign of slaughter and deportation,
the nationalist ‘Young Turk’ government of the Ottoman Empire
killed over 1 Million Armenians. To this day, Turkey refuses to
accept responsibility for this genocide, claiming that the number of
casualties was far smaller and that most had been killed in fighting
between the parties rather than in one-sided massacres. It seems
that Turkish genocide-deniers are now receiving assistance from an
unexpected source. In a recent article, the Israeli daily Haaretz
reported that several Jewish groups in Washington have been involved
in blocking attempts to procure Congressional recognition of the
atrocities.

This involvement was much more proactive last year than it is now, but,
to quote the article, “a central activist in a Jewish organization
involved in this matter clarified that if necessary, he would not
hesitate to again exert pressure to ensure the resolution is not
passed and the Turks remain satisfied.” Surprising? Not really. Israel
has systematically refrained from recognizing the extermination
of Armenians. Senior officials, including former foreign minister
Shimon Peres, have spoken of a “tragedy,” which “cannot be compared to
genocide.” The position taken by Israel and some Jewish organizations
is animated by two considerations. One has to do with the uniqueness
of the Holocaust. The other is pure realpolitik. Let us examine these
in turn.

Recognizing the Armenian genocide, so the first argument goes, could
eclipse the singular magnitude of the crimes perpetrated against
the Jews during World War II.[1] This claim is both morally warped
and empirically unfounded. It is morally warped, because we Jews do
not have a monopoly on pain. Our catastrophes are not in a separate
category; we do not feel any more agony for the obliteration of our
families than others do. When Armenians are pricked, they bleed;
when they are poisoned they die.[2] If human suffering is essentially
democratic, Jews cannot, simultaneously, attack those who deny the
Holocaust and assist others who deny the Armenian genocide. The concern
for the legacy of the Holocaust is empirically unfounded, because
other cases of genocide have been recognized without the Holocaust
being forgotten or sidelined. The massacres by the Khmer Rouge in
Cambodia and the Tutsi by the Hutu in Rwanda are now universally
acknowledged. Such recognition has not eclipsed the discussion of
Nazi atrocities. It has, rather, served as a reminder that human
cruelty is as much a reality now as it was in 1915 and 1939.

As for realpolitik, Israel sees Turkey as an all-important
strategic ally in the Middle East – a moderate democratic Muslim
state in a region where both moderation and democracy are in
short supply. Thus, keeping the Turks happy is taken to be an
essential Israeli interest. Two observations are in order. First,
the appeasement of Turkey does not seem to be working. Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently accused Israel of “state terrorism”
and compared its policies towards Palestinians to the actions of the
Spanish Inquisition against Jews. Turkey is said to have rolled back
planned contracts to purchase military equipment from Israel and is
now reconsidering a planned deal to transport 15 Million cubes of
water annually to the water-poor Jewish State. Apparently we have
sold our moral integrity in vain. Second, realism in international
affairs, with all its merits, must be subordinate to a nation’s most
basic principles rather than dictate them. In the case of Israel, the
most deep-seated of those principles is that the state was founded as
a barrier against genocide, as a safe-haven for Jews the world over
to protect them from future persecution. The refusal to recognize
other cases of genocide undermines this fundamental tenet. It provides
invaluable ammunition to those who claim that history is written by the
victors. If that position takes hold, no group, including the Jews,
would ever be safe from hounding, and Israel would have undermined
the main reason for its own existence.

On August 22, 1939, days before the Nazis invaded Poland, Hitler
addressed his military chiefs in Obersalzburg. “The aim of war is not
to reach definite lines,” he told them “but to annihilate the enemy
physically. It is by this means that we shall obtain the vital living
space that we need.” He then went on to ask them a rhetorical question:
“Who today still speaks of the massacre of the Armenians?” The Israeli
government, for one, does not. History, it would seem, has a cruel
sense of humor.

Nir Eisikovits, an Israeli attorney, is completing his Ph.D. in legal
and political philosophy at Boston University.

NOTES

[1] In early 2002, after Israeli ambassador to Georgia and Armenia
Rivka Cohen rejected any comparison between the Holocaust and the
Armenian Genocide, Israel’s foreign ministry released a statement
including the following text: ” …Israel asserted that the Holocaust
was a singular event in human history and was a premeditated crime
against the Jewish people. Israel recognizes the tragedy of the
Armenians and the plight of the Armenian people. However, the events
cannot be compared to genocide. This does not in any way diminish
the magnitude of the tragedy.”

[2] W. Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, Act 3, Scene 1.