ArmenPress
Nov 16 2004
32 PERCENT OF STUDENTS SAYS FIGHTING AGAINST UNIVERSITY CORRUPTION
DOOMED TO FAILURE
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS: Nikol Aghbalian student
organization and the Armenian Youth Forum unveiled today the findings
of a survey they conducted between January and September this year
among students of 11 state-run universities to disclose the students’
perception of university corruption. Another goal pursued by the
survey organizers was to learn one of the main reasons behind
university corruption and what the students thought about fighting
against it.
Some 18 percent of respondents said the corruption resulted from
very low salaries of their professors, 17 percent said bribes are
paid by male students who want to dodge their compulsory military
service and 16 percent said corruption flourishes because corrupted
professors enjoy university managers protection.
Twenty-two percent of students believe the majority of bribes is
paid during entrance and post-graduate examinations. Yet another 20
percent believe that university corruption can be fought against
given the support of university managers, state officials and
students themselves.
Forty-three percent said they were ready to join any
anti-corruption initiative, while 32 percent believe that any such
initiative is doomed to failure.
Between 2000-2004 only five professors were dismissed on charges
of corruption.

Baltic News Service
November 15, 2004
ESTONIAN PRESIDENT MEETS WITH ARMENIAN COUNTERPART
TALLINN, Nov 15
Estonian President Arnold Ruutel who is on an official visit to
Armenia met on Monday with his opposite number, Robert Kocharyan.
The meeting between the heads of state and official delegations took
place after a formal reception ceremony in front of the presidential
palace in Yerevan, the press service of the Estonian president’s
office reports.
Under discussion were potential areas of bilateral cooperation, among
them sharing the Estonian experience of reforms and European
integration, and economic, cultural and educational experience,
including on the level of local government.
The rector of Tartu University, Jaak Aaviksoo, spoke about contacts
in the field of higher education which go back for more than two
centuries. The best-known example of this is that the founder of
modern Armenian literature, Khachatur Abovyan, was a student at Tartu
in 1830-1836.
State Secretary Heiki Loot spoke about the Estonian government’s
experience of using an electronic information system at its sessions.
Ruutel met also with the chairman of the Armenian National Assembly
Artur Bagdasaryan and other members of parliament. The Armenian
lawmakers showed great interest in tapping into Estonia’s experience
through parliamentary contacts.
The Estonian head of state laid a wreath at the genocide monument.
In the afternoon the presidents opened an Estonian-Armenian business
seminar. Ruutel observed in his opening remarks that bilateral trade
is so far limited to contats between single enterprises.
“But the business delegation accompanying us has come here with a
clear interest in cooperation and finding a niche for instance in the
areas of industrial electronics, telecommunications and information
systems,” the president added.
On Sunday Ruutel and his wife, Ingrid, visited the 1st-century Garni
temple, 13th-century Geghard monastery and Lake Sevan. In the evening
the Estonian president visited also the museum of the renowned film
maker Sergei Paradzhanov.
Estonian Culture Minister Urmas Paet and Armenia’s Minister of
Culture and Youth Affairs Khovik Khoveyan signed at the museum an
agreement on bilateral cultural cooperation.
Ruutel’s official visit to Armenia will continue on Tuesday. The
president is scheduled to return to Estonia Tuesday evening.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
November 16, 2004 Tuesday 9:57 AM Eastern Time
Railways of CIS states boost volumes of haulage
By Andrei Fomin
MINSK
The volume of rail freight turnover in CIS countries as well as in
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia increased by 8.3 percent over the past
nine months as against the corresponding period last year. This
figure was quoted at the 39th meeting of the Council on Railway
Transport of CIS countries, which opened in Minsk on Tuesday.
It was pointed out that the growth in haulage was achieved mostly
thanks to railways of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus as well as railways
with high rate of growth in freight traffic – Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and
Lithuania. The meeting also called attention to such an important
figure as turnover of rolling stock, which was speeded up by 10.6
hours. As a result, railways could operate without increasing the
rolling stock.
Speaking in an interview with reporters, chairman of the Council on
Railway Transport of Commonwealth states and president of the Russian
Railways Company Gennady Fadeyev noted that this year witnesses “a
very good dynamics in haulage all over CIS countries, a very
impressive increment”.
He specially singled out Belarus where an increase in shipping
cargoes climbed up by 38.7 percent as against the corresponding
period last year. “This is a very high increment,” he added.
Executives of railway administrations from former Soviet republics,
as well as representatives from Bulgaria, Finland and the
International Confederation of Railwaymen and Transport Builders
Trade Union. The meeting agenda includes around 15 items whose
solution will help to consolidate interaction and cooperation between
railways.

Czech News Agency
November 15, 2004
GROUP OF PEOPLE SMUGGLERS SENTENCED
PRAGUE, Nov 15 (CTK) – Fourteen people of a 16-member gang of people
smugglers were today convicted by the Prague 5 District Court and
received from suspended sentences to four years in prison.
According to the prosecutor, the group, led by Chechen man Ilyas
Muzayev, illegally transported over 1,000 refugees to Austria and the
Benelux countries between August 2002 and last October.
Ten men faced charges of criminal conspiracy and illegal border
crossing, while the rest only committed the latter crime, the court
ruled.
The sentences have not yet taken effect.
The highest, four-year penalty, was meted out for Muzayev and another
foreign organiser.
They also have to pay 400,000 crowns, or else they will have to serve
one more year in prison.
Three years in prison will have to be spent by three foreign members
of the gang, who also have to pay a fine of 250,000 to 300,000
crowns.
According to the police, the group, composed of Muzayev, a number of
Armenians, a Romanian, an Egyptian and Czech drivers and taxi
drivers, was linked with similar organisations in Austria and
Germany. At first, the people smugglers organised the transit of
displaced people from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Egypt, while in
recent months they focused on the people from the former Soviet
Union.
The police said that when the group had been shadowed, it had
smuggled at least 1,500 migrants, earning roughly one million euros.
Along with accomplices from Austria and Germany, it may have smuggled
a total of 4,000 people for 2.5 million euros.
According to the Austrian police, the gang demanded about 1,000 euros
per head for its services.
pv/dr/vv

Racing Post
November 16, 2004, Tuesday
TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE
by ALASTAIR DOWN
DAVID ASHFORTH was most kind in last Saturday’s column when reviewing
my recent obituary in The Times, and having now been dead for three
weeks – I hope Martin Clunes did okay when standing in for me on
Channel 4 at Cheltenham – it is only fair to clear up a few points.
You could call this a message from beyond the grave to an old friend,
whose greying locks and penchant for buying his clothes from the
Distressed Gentlefolk’s Association suggest that he may already have
one be-sandalled foot in his own.
David mentioned that I had never referred to the occasion that I lost
an eye fighting at Sidi Barrani and was subsequently awarded the
Military Cross. Well, all I can say was that it was a thoroughly bad
business. No quarter was asked or given in the desert and Rommel’s
Afrika Corps were no pushover, but I would just like to say that in
fact I lost my eye in a separate incident while staying at the famed
Gezira Sporting Club in Cairo.
As for the MC, I never spoke about it but used the thing for many
years as it looked uncannily like the old members’ badge at Ludlow
and over several decades it saved me a packet.
During the war, the Gezira Sporting Club was one of the best in the
world with polo, golf, tennis, squash, swimming pool, bowls, croquet,
cricket and football; although in those days we called it soccer, of
course.
Above all, the Gezira had a very fine racecourse and there was
nothing better after weeks on patrol near Mersa Matruh than to get
back to the club, have a cold beer, a shower and then head off to the
course for lunch and a punt.
Cairo was a ruinously expensive city in the war, but luckily a few of
us had befriended a very astute and rather civilised trainer called
Mustapha Plott, who knew the time of day.
Young Mustapha had an insatiable appetite for Wrens, though he was no
bird watcher, and after we introduced him to a particularly obliging
and well-upholstered one called Joy, who hailed from Leamington Spa –
and could have heated all the waters therein – life was a bowl of
cherries.
The sight of Joy unconfined must have been spectacular and Ahmed
certainly thought so. He marked our card most accurately and in May
’42 we had it off big time at Gezira when he trained the winners of
the six-furlong sprint and mile handicap on the same afternoon.
I backed both and had a greedy double with the result that we made an
absolute killing, and so it was off to The Golden Horn, a very
exclusive establishment run by an ancient and overweight Armenian
lady called Grizelda who, as luck would have it, always seemed to
have at least 20 stunning female cousins staying with her.
IT WAS as I came downstairs next morning that I slipped on an empty
Bollinger bottle, took a shocking tumble and put out my right eye on
a bronze statue of Aphrodite at the base of the stairs. Such is life,
I suppose.
For some years I affected a black eyepatch but eventually, in the
early Fifties, opted for a glass one as it was much more fun to whip
out at dinner parties, in much the same way as Fergie Sutherland used
to take his false leg off at dances. It never failed.
David referred to my chairmanship of BP and discovery of oil in
Alaska, both of which I am rather proud of.
I had gone to Alaska having fallen in love with an Inuit princess,
who I had met when she was serving behind the bar at the George Inn
at Stamford in Lincolnshire.
One day, when dynamiting out a new latrine outside her wooden hut
hundreds of miles north of Anchorage, I pressed the plunger and when
the ice and snow had settled, there was this huge puddle of black
stuff – and the rest is history, profit and Wild Bean Cafes.
You mentioned, in passing, my marriage to Bunny Mellon, who certainly
lived up to her surname and didn’t get her nickname as a result of
having long ears. A marvellous woman and I am proud to have served
under her.
You will be pleased to hear, David, that being up here is very
pleasant. There is no virtual racing or prunes, the two things I
could not abide down on Earth.
All the stewards’ inquiries go your way and nothing gets beaten in a
photo. I have never been happier and have even managed to track down
some of Grizelda’s cousins, who haven’t aged a bit.
Grizelda herself has, sadly, been relegated to the other place. Life
is great. Heavenly, in fact.

Associated Press Worldstream
November 16, 2004 Tuesday 7:50 AM Eastern Time
Minority demands for rights calls into question Turkish national
identity
by SELCAN HACAOGLU; Associated Press Writer
ANKARA, Turkey
As a child, Hrant Dink dreamed of becoming a detective, a hope that
was shattered by Turkey’s unwritten rule that Jews and Christians may
not join the police, the Foreign Ministry or become officers in the
military.
But Dink’s dream is now at the center of a growing debate in Turkey
over minority rights sparked after European Union officials
recommended that the bloc begin membership talks with Turkey but
insisted that the country must improve its treatment of minorities.
The debate, which is being carried out in newspapers, on television
and in the streets, calls into question the very definition of what
it is to be a Turk, a national identity that many regard as the glue
that holds the country together.
Is being Turkish a matter of ethnicity, religion, or simply
citizenship?
The controversy is so emotional that nationalists have been accusing
supporters of minority rights of “treason” and attempting to break
apart the country, while liberals are saying that nationalists are
“violating freedom of thought.”
At the heart of the conflict is whether all of the nation’s Muslims
must consider themselves Turks, regardless of their backgrounds, and
whether non-Muslim minorities can have equal rights.
For some eight decades, the Turkish state insisted that all of the
nation’s Muslims were Turks. Kurds, for example, were considered
Turks and speaking Kurdish was illegal until 1991. Non-Muslims like
Dink – an Armenian Christian journalist – have been blocked from key
offices, including the national intelligence agency, amid questions
of their loyalty.
The debate almost came to blows this month at a press conference
called by an official human rights body. A man grabbed a statement
out of the hand of a professor and tore it up after the academic
suggested equal treatment for minorities, including Muslim groups.
“We don’t recognize this report, it is aimed at dividing the
country,” Fahrettin Yokus shouted after he ripped the statement into
pieces. “We are also against demands by the EU that are threatening
our unity.”
Ibrahim Kaboglu, chairman of the rights body, which was created by
the Prime Ministry, was so shaken that he asked for police protection
saying that he could be targeted by extremists.
“What the EU is saying is that we should treat all subcultures
equally,” said Baskin Oran, who prepared the minority report for the
prime minister’s office. “Civilization is multicultural.”
Nationalists quickly petitioned the prosecutor’s office to file
treason charges against Kaboglu and several other academics and
activists who signed the statement that he read.
The European Union report said that Turkey, “has to comply with basic
EU standards, which include the protection of minorities.”
It also urged Turkey to grant more rights to ethnic Kurds and
recognize Alawites, a religious sect rooted in Islam, as an ethnic
minority, explosive suggestions in a nation where children open the
school day by saying “Happy is the man who says ‘I am a Turk.”‘
More than a quarter of Turkey’s 71 million people are either Kurds,
Alawites or share both identities.
“The nation is a whole. It cannot be seen as made up of pieces,” Gen.
Ilker Basbug, deputy chief of the military said, reading from a
statement about whether Muslim groups could be considered minorities.
“If it is seen so … this would open the way to the breakup of the
state.”
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer dismissed the debate over minority
rights as “destructive” and reminded people that the constitution
states that “everyone bound to the Turkish state through the bond of
citizenship is a Turk.”
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul ruled out any official recognition of
Muslim minorities.
“We shall never accept things such as this is minority, that is
majority which could bring political consequences,” Gul told the
Cumhuriyet newspaper in an interview.
Gul, however, said the government was trying to address “possible
snags” in granting rights to non-Muslims.
The issue goes back to the founding of the Turkish state in 1923 on
the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, a theocratic state that considered
all Muslims within its territory as subjects and Jews and Christians
as protected minorities.
The new Turkish state that was created was based on Turkish
nationalism and its founders considered all Muslims within its
territory – regardless of their backgrounds – as Turks. That avoided
tensions between Anatolian Turks and the hundreds of thousands of
Ottoman refugees from places like Greece, Bulgaria and Arab countries
who fled to Turkey as the empire disintegrated.
Many Turkish Muslims continued to regard Christians and Jews as
foreigners and guests in their new state and there was deep
suspicions toward Greeks and Armenians, the main Christian
communities, who rose up against the Ottoman Empire as it collapsed.
Those uprisings led to the forced expulsion of most of Anatolia’s
Greeks as part of a population exchange with Greece. They also were
the trigger for one of the darkest chapters of modern Turkish
history: The mass killings of Armenians, which Armenians say amounted
to genocide. Turkey denies the genocide allegation.
The new definition of “Turkishness” was strictly enforced and there
were repeated rebellions by Kurds, a group that dominates the
southeast and speaks a language related to Persian.
Since 1984 the Turkish army has been battling autonomy seeking
Kurdish rebels in the southeast, a fight that has left 37,000 dead.
Many Turks fear that recognizing Kurds or Alawites as minorities
could lead to the disintegration of the state into ethnic enclaves.
They also continue to suspect that Greeks and Armenians – who
together number about 65,000 – might not be loyal citizens. There are
a total of 130,000 non-Muslims in Turkey, making up less than 0.2
percent of Turkey’s population.
Sectarian clashes between Alawites and Sunnis – who form about 80
percent of the country – took place in the late 1970s and again in
the 1990s. Many Alawites say they are discriminated against by Sunnis
and that compulsory religion classes in schools have a Sunni
curriculum. Many Sunnis consider Alawites to be heretics.
For Dink, the issue was just about becoming a detective.
“In my childhood, I dreamed of becoming a homicide detective. I would
capture the murderers quickly,” Dink said on private NTV television.
“But I was barred from becoming a detective in this country because I
am seen as a security concern.”
Dink said he was sad to see that Turkey was only recognizing its
“multicultural identity and differences” due to foreign pressure.
“Why don’t we solve our internal problems on our own?” he asked.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARKA News Agency
Nov 15 2004
Armenian Foreign Ministry expressed condolences to Ashot Kochartan,
the Press Secretary of RA President in connection with the decease of
his mother
Members of Ago Group meet the Armenian delegation in PACE
*********************************************************************
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY EXPRESSED CONDOLENCES TO ASHOT KOCHARTAN,
THE PRESS SECRETARY OF RA PRESIDENT IN CONNECTION WITH THE DECEASE OF
HIS MOTHER
YEREVAN, November 15. /ARKA/. The RA Foreign Ministry expressed
condolences to Ashot Kocharyan, the Press Secretary of RA President
on the part of the managerial personnel of RA Foreign Ministry and
diplomatic representations of Armenia abroad in connection with the
decease of his mother, Lora Kocharyan, according to the Department of
Information and Press of RA Foreign Ministry. The press release
states that Lora Kocharyan died of a serious illness on the night of
November 15. L.V.-0 –
*********************************************************************
MEMBERS OF AGO GROUP MEET THE ARMENIAN DELEGATION IN PACE
YEREVAN, November 15. /ARKA/. The monitoring group of the European
Council Committee of Ministers, `Ago Group’ at the head of the German
Ambassador in the Council of Europe Roland Vegener met the Armenian
delegation to PACE in RA NA on November 13. According to RA NA Press
Service Department, the delegation included the Ambassadors of
Switzerland, Sweden and Turkey to the Council of Europe. The resident
representative of Armenia in the Council of Europe Christian
Ter-Stepanian participated in the meeting.
The Head of the Armenian delegation in PACE, Vice -Speaker of RA NA
Tigran Torosyan introduced the procedure of compliance with the
commitments in details, as well as the schedule of adoption of some
laws. It was noted that the Election Code was adopted in the first
reading, and joint conclusions of experts from Venetian commission
and those from OSCE were received. All of 30 suggestions, contained
in the conclusion, are admissible for Armenia, according to Torosyan.
At the beginning of December, discussions of draft laws with the
participation of experts from Venetian commission and OSCE are
planned to be held in Yerevan. After that, the draft laws will be
discussed in the Parliament in the second reading.
Speaking of the process of constitutional reforms, Torosyan noted
that three drafts of the Constitution are under consideration. All of
the drafts are sent to the Venetian Commission for expertise.
Irrespective of the package of constitutional amendments submitted to
the referendum in 2003, the present package of amendments will
undergo three readings in the Parliament. The new referendum on
constitutional amendments is supposed to be held in June 2005.
“Ago Group” noted the importance of cooperation between the
opposition and the coalition around two main documents. Expressing
his consent about it, Torosyan noted that the political majority
stated of their readiness to approve constitutional reforms and the
Election Code by consensus, which is rejected by the opposition.
Nevertheless, according to the participants of the meeting, it’s not
late to begin cooperation in the framework of two documents of
special importance for the country.
`Ago Group’ was founded in Jan 2001 simultaneously with Armenia’s
becoming a member of the Council of Europe. Ago Group is engaged in
monitoring of the procedure of Armenia’s complying with the
commitments to the Council of Europe and it operates in the framework
of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The group is
coordinated by the Ambassador of Italy to the Council of Europe
Pietro Ercole Ago. The last visit of Ago Group to Armenia was in
February 2004. A.H. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
November 15, 2004
Contact: Sarkis Kotanjian
818.243.6222
[email protected]

Telethon 2004 Domestic and International Broadcast Info

Glendale, CA (November 15) – Armenia Fund (AFI) announced today both
domestic and international broadcast viewing information for its
annual Thanksgiving Day fundraising event – Telethon 2004 Make It
Happen – scheduled for Thursday, November 25, 2004 from 8:00 a.m. to
8:00 p.m.
Telethon 2004, live from Glendale, California, is a 12-hour event
airing throughout the United States, Europe, South America, the Middle
East, the CIS and Armenia. Telethon 2004’s goal is to raise funds to
complete the remaining 56 miles of the North-South “Backbone” Highway
in Karabakh. Upon completion, the US$25 million, 105-mile highway will
link 150 towns and villages and provide crucial economic, trade and
development opportunities.Telethon 2004 will also provide continued
assistance in the areas of health care, education and infrastructure
development in the Republic of Armenia.
The following is a list of US/Canada broadcast information. All
broadcast information is listed in viewer local time. Refer to local
listings for detailed information, or call AFI at 800.888.8897.
Berkeley, CA
Comcast Ch. 8 12pm-6pm
Boston, MA
Game Show Ch. 8pm-11pm
Denver, CO
Comcast Ch. 15 12pm-6pm
Detroit, MI
WPXD Ch. 31 4pm-6pm
Chicago, IL
WJYS Ch. 34/62 7pm-10pm
Fresno, CA
KJEO Ch. 32 8am-8pm
Comcast Ch. 14 8am-8pm
Houston, TX
KTBU Ch. 55 12pm-6pm
Time Warner 55 12pm-6pm
Las Vegas, NV
Cox Cable Ch. 48 12pm-7pm
Los Angeles, CA
KSCI Ch. 18 8am-8pm
Oakland, CA
Comcast Ch. 8 12pm-6pm
Milwaukee, WI
Time Warner 95 7pm-10pm
Minneapolis, MN
Time Warner 99 10am-10pm
New York Tri State
WMBC Ch. 58 2pm-6pm
Philadelphia, PA
WPPX Ch. 61 4pm-6pm
Providence, RI
WPXQ Ch. 69 4pm-6pm
Salt Lake City, UT
KJZZ Ch. 14 9am-1pm
Comcast Ch 14 9am-1pm
San Diego, CA
KSCI Ch. 18 8am-8pm
San Francisco, CA
KTSF Ch. 26 12pm-6pm
San Jose, CA
Comcast Ch. 8 12pm-6pm
Seattle, WA
KBCB Ch. 24 12pm-8pm
Comcast Ch 14 12pm-8pm
St. Louis, MO
Charter Ch. 8 11am-6:30pm
Vancouver, BC
KBCB Ch. 24 12pm-8pm
West Palm Beach, FL
WHDT Ch. 59 8pm-11am

International viewers in Europe, the CIS, the Middle East and portions
of South America (Argentina) may watch and participate in Telethon
2004 via a live satellite feed from Armenia’s H1 TV Channel from 7:00
pm – 7:00a.m. (Armenia time – Greenwich Mean Time plus three).
Viewers may also watch Telethon 2004 on both MGN/Paradise and Horizon
Armenian TV via cable and/or satellite television. Telethon 2004 will
also be available in full-motion web-cast on
Internet users will be able to view and make
secure contributions online.
The broadcast will feature live entertainment, interviews with
numerous celebrities and political leaders, development and
construction footage from Armenia and Karabakh and stories of
individuals impacted by AFI projects.
For more information on Telethon 2004, call AFI at 800.888.8897 or
visit
Armenia Fund, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, is
the US West coast affiliate of the `Hayastan’ All-Armenia Fund
(HAAF). Established in 1994 to facilitate humanitarian assistance to
Armenia and Karabakh, HAAF has administered over $100 million in
humanitarian, rehabilitation and construction aid through the united
efforts of Armenian communities internationally.
###041110

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
11/16/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) ARF Reps Attend Socialist International Council, Women's Bureau 2) Paris Rally to Demand Vote on Turkey's EU Accession 3) Kocharian Inspects Armenian Frontline Troops 4) No Armenian Electricity to Nakhichevan 1) ARF Reps Attend Socialist International Council, Women's Bureau YEREVAN (ARF press office)--Representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) participated in Socialist International's (SI) Council meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, hosted by the African National Congress (ANC). On November 15 and 16, leaders and delegates from 100 member parties and organizations from 70 countries, gathered to discuss the Council's main theme, "The Progressive Agenda: priorities for our movement today." The gathering of the Council, SI's highest decision-making body during the inter-Congress period, underlined the commitment of SI to address the concerns of the African people and SI's strong presence in the continent. Representing the sole party from the South Caucasus, ARF Bureau member and the organization's representative in Socialist International Mario Nalbandian, and ARF Armenia member Maria Titizian, also participated in the three panel debates. Titizian partook in Socialist International Women's Bureau meeting: "Women Speak out on The UN Millennium Development Goals," which took place November 12 and 13. The Women's Bureau addressed UN development goals, its effects on the eradication of poverty and hunger, and examined means to developing global partnerships. At the heart of discussions was the dire need to promote gender equality and empower women to occupy center stage in the development of the human race. The meeting also reviewed increases in gender-based violence--from sexual abuse to systematic rape, forced pregnancies, and continuous violation of women's rights. Titizian had the opportunity to present ARF Armenia's political and social undertakings to empower the women of that country. On the eve of the Council, SI's leadership conducted a working meeting with the President of the Republic of South Africa and of the ANC, Thabo Mbeki, to discuss SI's Africa priorities, evaluate the outcome of US elections, and review current Mid East developments. The plenary session of the Council opened with SI President António Guterres's address that defined certain tasks and priorities for social democracy. On Monday, November 15, in the afternoon and on Tuesday, November 16, in the morning, the panel discussions took place with a broad representation of participants. On each subject addressed by the panels, the Council agreed on specific resolutions reflecting the outcome of the debates. The Council also addressed the urgent and critical developments in the Middle East and the serious situation in Côte d'Ivoire. The SI Secretary General gave a report on the activities of Socialist International and presented an outline of the organization's work for the forthcoming months. "Our task, as we adjourn here today, is to return to our towns and cities, to our countries, and to our regions--to pursue with ever greater vigor and confidence the program of progressive action we have deliberated on," stressed ANC Secretary General of the Kgalema Motlanthe in closing the meeting. On the sidelines of the Council, the ARF representatives were both able to hold numerous meetings with members of various organizations to review issues of concern to Armenia and Armenians. 2) Paris Rally to Demand Vote on Turkey's EU Accession PARIS--French-Armenians will hold a rally Wednesday at the Palais Bourbon, home to the French National Assembly, to demand that the country's Parliament vote on Turkey's accession to the European Union. The rally has the support of the French-Armenian Coordinating Council and is being organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Armenian Democratic League (Ramgavar party), and the Hai Tahd Committee of France. The National Assembly on October 14 had discussed the issue of Turkish accession--but did not hold a vote, despite the demand of a large number of political parties and parliamentarians to do so. The French government, particularly President Jacques Chirac, opposed such a vote, fearing that a majority of the Assembly, including Chirac's own party members, might reject Turkish accession. That result would have undermined Chirac's authority and likely isolated France within Europe. The French-Armenian rally on Wednesday is scheduled for exactly a month before the European Union's December 17 summit, which will set the date on when the EU would begin formal accession talks with Turkey. At the rally, scores of French parliamentarians are expected to cast symbolic votes as a sign of protest against the denial of their right to vote in the National Assembly regarding Turkish accession. They will also demand that in the next month a formal vote actually be held in the Assembly. The vast majority of French voters are opposed to Turkey's accession to the European Union, and rally organizers hope to put pressure on President Chirac to heed public opinion. They are also seeking to make Turkey's recognition of the Armenian genocide a precondition for Turkish entry into the EU. 3) Kocharian Inspects Armenian Frontline Troops YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--President Robert Kocharian conducted a four-day inspection of Armenian troops stationed along the volatile frontline with Azerbaijan, ordering their commanders to further boost their combat-readiness, his office revealed on Tuesday. A statement by the presidential press service said Kocharian, accompanied by Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, visited "a number of frontier army bases" from November 9-12. "The purpose of the visit was to take a close look at the combat and technical readiness of the units, the implementation of training programs and social conditions of the personnel," the statement said. It added that Kocharian inspected Armenian defense fortifications and inaugurated a new "army barracks complex." There was no word on the precise location of the Armenian army positions visited. The statement did say that while Kocharian was largely satisfied with what he saw, he urged top army commanders "not to content themselves with the achieved results" and to continue to strengthen their troops. 4) No Armenian Electricity to Nakhichevan BAKU (Combined Sources)Armenia's proposal to provide electricity to the Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan was skimmed over during a ministerial conference on energy cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the Caspian region, held in Baku on November 13. Energy and fuel ministers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine, joined representatives of the European Commission, international financial structures, and the TRACECA program to examine potential for cooperation. Pointing to the importance of expanding collaboration utilizing the Caspian's hydrocarbon resources, Hugues Mingarelli of the EU Directorate General for External Relations noted that with the addition of 10 new states to the union, the organization's borders have moved much closer to the countries of the Caspian and Black Sea regions. In presenting Armenia's energy potential, energy ministry official Levon Vartanian offered to supply electricity to the historically Armenian region of Nakhichevan, which was forcibly attached to Soviet Azerbaijan in 1921, and subsequently cleansed of its entire Armenian population. An exclave of Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan borders Iran and Turkey on the south and Armenia on the north. 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.

ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Monday, November 15, 2004
In this issue:
U.S.-Armenian security cooperation
Millennium Challenge program
Azeri propaganda and military build-up
Economist on Armenian Genocide and Turkey

ARMENIA CONFIRMS PLEDGE TO U.S. AMID FRESH ANTI-ARMENIAN TERRORISM IN IRAQ
Armenian leaders reaffirmed their commitment to contribute to the
U.S.-led forces in Iraq despite anti-Armenian terrorism in Iraq,
significant domestic opposition and delays associated with rotation of
the U.S.-allied forces out of Iraq. Last week, a car bomb went off
outside the Armenian school in Baghdad. While no casualties were
reported, the school which has 200 students has been closed
indefinitely. Iraqi Armenian community leaders have appealed to the
Armenian government against sending servicemen that would be seen as
helping U.S. forces, fearing new, more deadly attacks. While sharing
these concerns, Armenian officials argued that Armenia could not expect
to benefit from stability accorded by the U.S., without contributing to
it even in modest ways.
Peacekeeping and other cooperation issues were high on the agenda of
Armenia’s Chief of General Staff General Mikael Harutiunian who just
completed a week-long visit to the United States. Gen. Harutiunian held
talks with the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Richard
Myers and other Department of Defense officials. He also visited the
National Defense University in Washington, DC, the U.S. Joint Forces
Command and NATO Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia,
U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida and the state of Kansas whose
National Guard is cooperating with the Armenian military. During the
visit, the U.S. awarded Gen. Harutiunian with the Legion of Merit, a
prestigious U.S. medal given to foreign officials and officers who have
made a significant contribution to bilateral relations.
Earlier this year, the Armenian government made a decision to send a
military transportation company, engineers and medics to Iraq, a move
that must receive parliamentary endorsement. In an interview last week,
Prime Minister Andranik Margarian said that the government has not yet
requested parliamentary approval due to recently announced changes in
the Polish-led international division where the Armenian unit is due to
serve. Poland, which after the U.S. and Britain has the third largest
force in Iraq, is planning to scale back its deployment, while Hungarian
forces, which are part of the Polish-led division, are due to be fully
withdrawn. (Sources: Armenia This Week 8-2, 10-4; Armenian Embassy in
U.S. 11-9; R&I Report 11-4; Nezavisimaya Gazeta 11-11; RFE/RL Arm.
Report 11-11)

ARMENIA’S MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE AID ELIGIBILITY RENEWED
The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) last week renewed
Armenia’s eligibility to receive Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 funds under the
performance-based foreign assistance program. Armenia and Georgia remain
the only former Soviet countries eligible and their governments’ reform
efforts are considered sufficiently advanced to qualify under MCC rules.
None of the $1 billion slated for FY 2004 have been disbursed since
Armenia and fourteen other countries were first selected last May.
Armenia’s Finance Ministry submitted a draft of its proposal to the MCC
last month and is currently updating it with input from non-government
experts. MCC’s Stephen Groff, who was in Yerevan this Monday, said the
Corporation urges all eligible countries to take their time and prepare
quality proposals. (Sources: ; Armenia This Week 5-7,
9-20; Noyan Tapan 11-15)

NO PROGRESS ON NK, AS AZERBAIJAN DUE TO STEP UP “INFORMATION WAR”
Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian this week expressed pessimism over
the potential progress in talks with Azerbaijan on the future status of
Karabakh. He said that Azerbaijan’s refusal to negotiate directly with
Karabakh’s duly elected leadership or to work towards building mutual
confidence in the region might present insurmountable obstacles for the
peace process. Last week, Azerbaijan again declined Armenia’s offer to
sell electricity to Nakhichevan, the Azeri-controlled exclave
experiencing severe energy shortages. Instead, Azerbaijan is stepping up
what its officials have described as “information war” over Karabakh.
Benefiting from high oil prices, Azerbaijan is also increasing its
military spending, budgeting close to $250 million for defense next
year. Armenia’s defense budget for 2005 is projected at just under $100
million. Karabakh Army Commander General Seyran Ohanian said this week
that while the Azeri army was continuing to improve and was hiring
outside advisors, NKR had the necessary capability to monitor and
balance these efforts and, should it become necessary, undertake
operations across the Line of Contact.
Azeri officials last week dismissed U.S., French and Russian criticism
of its efforts to force a debate on the Karabakh conflict in the United
Nations’ General Assembly (UN GA) with support from Turkey, Pakistan and
other members of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). Meeting
last week with Ambassadors of OIC states accredited in Baku, Azeri
President Ilham Aliyev thanked them for their support against Armenia.
Aliyev is also reaching out to African countries to win their support.
According to an investigative report in an independent Azeri news
magazine, Aliyev, following unexpected rendezvous’ with Presidents of
Djibouti and Gambia, last month hosted the Ivory Coast’s embattled
President Laurent Gbagbo. According to the magazine’s sources, Gbagbo
flew into Baku to discuss arms purchases there in circumvention of UN
sanctions.
Aliyev’s Yeni Azerbaycan Party and Parliament member Samed Seyidov,
speaking in Washington last week, attempted to justify his government’s
tactics by claiming that Azeris displaced in the Karabakh war were
“pushing” his government to be more aggressive. He then repeated his
government’s propaganda figure of “1 million” displaced and presented a
fictitious map showing Azerbaijan’s entire territory covered in refugee
camps.
In fact, Azerbaijan’s own statistics show that the number of its
internally displaced (IDPs) is well below half a million. Tens of
thousands of them were long kept in squalid conditions to be showcased
to visiting foreign delegations. U.S. officials have urged the Azeri
government to “allow IDPs to leave squalid camps, integrate locally, and
begin building a new life.” Finally last month, the Azeri Deputy Prime
Minister Ali Hassanov announced that the five remaining IDP camps are
due to be closed next year. (Sources: Armenia This Week 6-17-03, 6-14,
7-19, 11-1; Azerbaijan Central Election Committee Oct. 03; Monitor
10-23; Regnum.ru 10-29; Day.az 10-30; U.S. Mission to OSCE 11-4; Arminfo
11-8, 9, 12, 13, 15; Azertag.com 11-10; R&I Report 11-5; RFE/RL Armenia
Report 11-15)
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<; ry.cfm?story_id=3379889 The Economist November 11, 2004 Human rights in Turkey Haunted by the past A human-rights commission embarrasses the government ANKARA - "HAPPY is he who calls himself a Turk!" That breezy slogan, emblazoned on mountainsides and offices from the Aegean to the Euphrates, was devised by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, as he set about forging a fresh identity for his people. The idea was that former subjects of the Ottoman empire - whose native language might be Arabic, Albanian or Kurdish-would find a new togetherness as citizens of a unitary republic. And in case people hesitated to embrace the joys of Turkishness, there were harsh penalties for those who asserted any other sort of identity. For most of the past 80 years, these principles have been sacrosanct. But if Turkey is to have any hope of joining the European Union, some taboo topics of history, identity and language must be discussed openly, without fear of prosecution. In a burst of zeal three years ago, the government-led by former Islamists-set up a panel to take a broad look at questions of human rights and identity, and to suggest how things could be improved. But Turkey's masters got more than they expected. The board's report, released this month, said things that were almost unsayable, triggering a sharp backlash. For example, the report implies that if the Lausanne treaty of 1923-the basis of the Turkish state and its foreign relations-had been fully implemented, bloodshed between Turks and Kurds might have been avoided. To justify this argument, which is explosive in Turkey, however mild it might seem elsewhere, the report cites article 39 of the treaty, which allows Turkish nationals to use "any language they wish in commerce, in public and private meetings and all types of press and publication." It also says that articles which supposedly protect non-Muslim minorities have been read too narrowly: as well as covering Jews, Armenians and Greeks, these articles should have been applied, for example, to Syrian Orthodox Christians. More controversially still, it suggests replacing the term "Turk" with a more inclusive word to cover all ethnicities and faiths, such as "Turkiyeli"-"of Turkey". It was more than some Turks could bear. Even as Ibrahim Kaboglu, the jurist who heads the board, was reading the report at a press conference, a fellow member snatched it and tore it into shreds. Both Mr Kaboglu and Baskin Oran, a political scientist who wrote the report, have been bombarded with threatening phone calls and mail. "Fraternal blood will be spilled," warned one. Another called for a military coup. Prosecutors in Ankara are investigating claims that both academics may have committed treason. Ilker Basbug, a top general, has joined the fray, saying Turkey's unity should not be tampered with. The government, frightened by the reaction, has washed its hands of the report and denied commissioning it. It is possible, though unlikely, says Husnu Ondul, a human-rights lawyer, that the two authors may be prosecuted under an article of the new penal code approved in September, which provides for up to ten years' jail for those who engage in unspecified "activities" against the "national interest". What might such activities be? In a footnote, the law deems "anti-national" anyone who advocates withdrawing Turkish troops from Cyprus, or terming "genocide" the killing of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in 1915. If the aim was to stifle discussion of this second issue, it failed: at a conference in Venice last month, historians from all countries involved took a broader, more cool-headed look at the 1915 tragedy than would be possible in Turkey-now or, it seems, any time soon. And what about the 100,000 Turkish-Cypriots who voted (vainly) in April for a UN plan that would have removed most Turkish troops from Cyprus: was that a crime?