Azeri pundit says Saudi report of anti-US plot targets Iran

Ekho, Baku
20 Aug 04

Excerpt from N. Aliyev and Z. Alakbarov report by Azerbaijani
newspaper Ekho on 20 August headlined “Iranian secret services uncover
conspiracy against US citizens in Azerbaijan?” and subheaded “This has
been reported by an influential Saudi newspaper published in London”

Al-Qa’idah terrorists and representatives of the Iranian radical
revolutionary guard were going to perpetrate a series of terrorist
attacks on American citizens in Azerbaijan. The plot has been thwarted
by the Iranian secret services controlled by the reformist forces in
the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This sensational report has been carried by the influential and
informed Saudi newspaper published in London Asharq Al-Awsat quoting
informed sources in the Iranian secret services.

Passage omitted: background information about the newspaper

The newspaper says, quoting sources close to the Iranian secret
services, that the conspiracy was discovered after the secret services
had laid their hands on the correspondence between Al-Qa’idah, the
Iranian revolutionary guard and the so-called Al-Quds brigade. After
that, the Iranian secret services started tapping telephone
conversations of a senior official from the office of Iran’s spiritual
leader Ayatollah Ali Khamene’i. It transpired that he was actively
communicating with a high-ranking Al-Qa’idah member in Iran.

The investigation uncovered a “sensational conspiracy”. Members of
Al-Quds, Al-Qa’idah and the revolutionary guard had planned to kill US
military and intelligence personnel working in several
countries. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the terrorist operation was
to take place first in Azerbaijan. Besides our country, Armenia and
Turkmenistan were mentioned as well.

The newspaper has also established the main purpose of the planned
killings. Terrorists were planning to involve Iran in a direct
standoff with the USA and the countries bordering on Iran in the
north.

It is noteworthy that the US and Iranian embassies in Azerbaijan have
refused to provide a comment on Asharq Al-Awsat’s report. The US
embassy, for example, said that the diplomatic mission does not
provide comments on issues connected with the security of US citizens
abroad. As for the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry, it has no
press office and one cannot obtain comments on any issue there.

According to the director of the Centre for study of terrorism and
asymmetric threats, Cahangir Aras, there is really a standoff between
the reformist and conservative blocks in the Iranian
administration. However, according to Aras, “their confrontation has
not yet reached a point where one power-wielding entity could be
openly opposed to the other”.

Aras believes that although Asharq Al-Awsat is indeed a well-known and
informed edition, the newspaper has frequently been accused of
deliberately spreading misinformation, the reasons of which can only
be guessed.

At the same time, the director of the centre said that suggestions of
possible contacts between the Iranian revolutionary guard and
Al-Qa’idah were quite interesting and that different sources had
speculated on this idea.

“However, reports like this one are not substantiated by facts, which
reminds us of similar accusations of the Saddam Husayn regime of links
with Al-Qa’idah. Therefore, the Asharq Al-Awsat report is just another
volley in the information war against Iran,” the expert said.

Putin discusses diamonds, aluminium with Armenian leader

RTR Russia TV, Moscow
20 Aug 04

Presenter We have just received footage of Vladimir Putin’s meeting
with Armenian President Robert Kocharyan. Referring to the main areas
of cooperation between the two countries, the Russian head of state
noted the good development of relations in the political sphere and in
a number of other sectors. At the same time, however, Vladimir Putin
proposed to his Armenian colleague that they discuss certain
problematic issues, notably the reduction in two-way trade.

Putin There are certain things which cannot fail to worry us. I have
in mind the reduction in the level of trade during the first half of
the year. I am sure you would like to discuss this topic as well. As
we know, there is a simple reason for this. It is the very low degree
of diversification in our relations. It took only one enterprise to
close for modernization, reducing the delivery of one type of
commodity, for overall trade to contract sharply and immediately.

Kocharyan The main trade item exported from Russia to Armenia is
diamonds, but the liberalization of the diamond market has led to some
bumpy patches in relations.

Putin It appears that the enterprise –

Kocharyan Armenal Armenian Aluminium .

Putin Yes.

Kocharyan Yes. The modernization programme for Armenal is such that,
after it is completed, the volume of production will simply double.

Putin Yes.

Kocharyan It will be at a completely different level.

Presenter Vladimir Putin also said Russia would fully meet the
Armenian Defence Ministry’s request for training of specialists at
Russian colleges. The Russian head of state specified that about 150
Armenian servicemen would be able to study in Russia this year.

PUTIN TO VISIT ARMENIA NEXT YEAR

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
20 Aug 04

Sochi, 20 August: Russian President Vladimir Putin is to visit Armenia
next year. “(President) Robert Kocharyan has invited me to Armenia at
the start of next year,” Putin told a joint news conference. “It will
be my pleasure,” he added.

The Russian president said the date of the visit would be coordinated
through Foreign Ministry channels at a later date.

ARMENIAN LEADER IMPRESSED BY PUTIN’S RAPID RESPONSE PHONE CALLS

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
20 Aug 04

Sochi, 20 August: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is pleased with
his talks with his Russian counterpart and particularly with the speed
and efficiency with which decisions were taken.

“During the talks, Vladimir Putin made operational telephone calls to
his ministers and issued instructions,” Kocharyan said. “I think this
prompt style is very effective,” the Armenian president said.

For his part, Vladimir Putin confirmed that he had telephoned Prime
Minister (Mikhail) Fradkov, Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin and
Transport Minister Igor Levitin during the talks. “It was possible to
do so,” Putin said with a smile. “Bearing in mind the opportunities
created here not just for the press but for presidents too,” he said
by way of clarification, casting his eye over the new press centre
opened at his Bocharov Ruchey residence this month.

ARMY TO LOSE ITS ROLE IN THE POLITICAL LIFE OF TURKEY

Azg/am
21 Aug 04

The importance of the Turkish army in the political life of the
country is out of doubt. Having assumed the role of a guarantee for
secular and republican order it also controls the legislative and
executive powers of the country. The National Security Council,
having more military than civil members, became the means of
supervision.

In other words, the president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
foreign and home ministers oppose the head of the supreme
headquarters, commanders of the land, marine and air forces. The first
deputy of the supreme headquarters is also the secretary general of
the National Security Council.

The National Security Council was the body that discussed and made
decisions on issues like Turkey and the EU, the Cyprus issue, the
Kurdish issue as well as the issues of Armenian-Turkish relations and
the Karabakh conflict.

Though the Turkish policy towards all these issues of national
importance remained unchanged with the Justice and Progress party
coming into power, the role of the National Security Council reduced
as another major power, the EU, with its demands emerged. The discord
between Erdogan’s government and the supreme headquarters grew worse.

Though the pressure from the EU didn’t result in the dissolving of the
Council, there were created preconditions for considering its
staff. As a result of this the number of civilians in the Council
multiplied, two more ministers were included and the military
secretary general was replaced by a diplomat.

The former Turkish ambassador to Greece Mehmed Yighit Alpogan became
the new secretary general. On its August 19 publication the Turkish
Vakit writes that the president Ahmed Naced Sezer confirmed his
appointment.

This refill of the National Security Council with civil members
supposes weakening of military forces in its structure. We can
conclude that the supervision over the legislative and executive
powers will reduce, as the National Security Council was the main body
of control for the army. Now Erdogan will have more freedom to act
apart from the army. The initiative in national issues will pass to
executive power now, which will not have the backing of the army any
more.

By Hakob Chakrian

FIRST WEB PROGRAMMING COMPETITION TO BE HELD IN SEPTEMBER IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). From September 13 the first web
programming competition will start in Armenia. 17-30-year-old
specialists mastering Windows or Linux operation systems and Java/JSP
or PHP programming languages may participate in the competition. The
competition is organized by the Union of Information Technologies’
Enterprises, the “Incubator of Enterprises” fund and “Lycos Armenia”
company. Bids for participation in the competition will be received
till September 9 through Internet, by address. Arman
Valesian, the Executive Director of the Union of Information
Technologies’ Enterprises, reported at the August 20 press conference
that the goal of the competition is to reveal high-quality young
specialists of the web programming sphere. According to him, besides
the organizers, some companies of the sphere, Unicomp, Migma, CIT and
others will also hand prizes to the best participants of the
competition. It was mentioned that the winners of the competition will
receive computer accessories, monetary prizes, as well as proposals of
job. Hovhannes Avoyan, the Chairman of UITE, the Director of the
“Lycos Armenia” company, expressed a hope that like the first
Pan-Armenian programming competition held in late June this
competition also will pass successfully. To recap, more than 400
programmers from Armenia and Syria participated in the Pan-Armenian
competition. The best 10-15 participants of the competition have
already received invitations of job from different organizations of
the sphere.

AMERICAN-ARMENIAN YOUTH CONSTRUCTION DETACHMENT CARRIES OUT
CONSTRUCTION WORK IN ARTSAKH

STEPANAKERT, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). A youth construction detachment
composed of the American-Armenians who participate in the construction
work in the various locations of the republic is now in Artsakh. Lilit
Balayan, executive of the Artsakh ARFD Office of the Youth Union, told
NT’s correspondent that besides participating in the construction
work, the detachment members also organized computer courses, as well
as the English language courses for the Artsakh youth, and the latter
organized the Armenian language courses for their compatriotes.

ABOUT 400 GEORGIAN CHILDREN MOVED FROM GEORGIAN_OSSETIC CONFLICT ZONE
TO SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHK

AKHALKALAKI, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). Due to the tenseness of the
Georgian-Ossetic conflict and the resumtion of hostilities, Georgian
children were moved from the conflict zone and lodged in safer
locations. According to the A-Info Agency, about 400 children were
moved from the gorges of Great and Small Liakhvi to Samtskhe
-Javakhk. They were lodged in the rest houses of Borzhomi.

At the commission of Nikolos Nikolozashvili, Georgian President’s
Plenipotentiary in Samtskhve-Javakhk, with the purpose of taking care
of the children, the leaders of the regions, including the regions
populated by the Armenians, organized fund-raising. The leaders of the
regions pledged to obtain finance for the children from the
philanthropists or to allocate financing from the reserve funds of the
local budgets.

IN AKHALKALAKI GREEK DOCTORS RENDER MEDICAL SERVICE NOT ONLY TO LOCAL
GREEKS, BUT ARMENIANS

AKHALKALAKI, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). Doctors of the Greek polyclinic
of Tbilisi left for Tbilisi with the support of the Greek government
and the Greek International Organization (CAE), as well as the
“Hypocrat” company of Tbilisi.

They were invited by the Greek Union of Javakhk, which was recently
establised. According to the “A-Info” Agency, during the visit of the
Greek doctors not only local Greeks, but the Armenian population of
Akhalkalaki underwent medical examination. Besides medical examination
Greek doctors gave patients free medicaments.

LIST OF POINTS OF DISPOSITION OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES TO BE SPECIFIED

YEREVAN, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). At the August 19 sitting the RA
government approved the proposal on the conclusion of the protocol “On
the Introduction of Amendments into the Agreement “On Order of
Assignation and Use of Lands for Disposition and Functioning of
Russian Military Bases in the RA Territory between the Governments of
Armenia and Russia of September 27, 1996”. The RA government’s press
service reported about it to Noyan Tapan. The purpose of the making of
the decision is to specify the list of the points of disposition of
the Russian military bases, as well as to provide the legal basis for
returning four military villages given back to the Armenian side in
accordance with the protocol. The order of expenditures and their
compensation to the organizations servicing the Russian military
subdivisions, including the Russian frontier troops stationed in the
RA territory, as well as the service of the intergovernmental military
transportations by the railroad on the basis of the agreements
concluded between the governments of Russia and Armenia on August 19
1994 and January 26 1996 was also approved at the sitting.