AGREEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT STATUTES NOT IN LINE WITH RA
CONSTITUTION

YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). At the August 13 sitting the RA
Constitutional Court made a decision that the obligations stipulated
in the agreement on the Statutes of the International Criminal Court
signed in July 1998 in Rome are not in line with the RA
Constitution. Felix Tokhian, a member of the Constitutional Court,
noted that the International Criminal Court was established with the
purpose of replacing the intra-state criminal authorized bodies.

However, according to him, these and many other provisions of the
agreement contradict the RA Constitution and other Armenian
laws. According to Kim Balayan, another member of the CC, the document
was not in line with the Constitutions of the post-Soviet and some
other European countries either. The agreement will be ratified only
after the appropriate constitutional amendments in some countries. The
agreement was approved to exclude the impunity of those who committed
the gravest crimes against humanity, including genocide, hostilities
and aggression. However, RA Justice Minister David Harutiunian noted
that the International Criminal Court cannot examine the issue of the
1915 Armenian Genocide since the agreement is not retroactive. The
Minister also mentioned that the International Criminal Court did not
recognize Armenia as the aggressor against Azerbaijan since the
Armenian people exercised its right to self-determination.

139 countries signed the Agreement on the Statutes of the
International Criminal Court. At present it is in force in 96 of these
countries.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF “MARMARA” PAYS VISIT TO ARMENIA TO BE PRESENT AT
“ONE NATION, ONE CULTURE” FESTIVAL

YEREVAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). Rober Hattechian, editor-in-chief of
the Armenian “Marmara” daily newspaper of Istanbul, paid a visit to
Armenia on August 13 morning with his wife reciter Makruhi
P. Hakobian, editor of the newspaper. The purpose of their visit to
Yerevan is to be present at “One Nation, One Culture” first
Pan-Armenian cultural festival. They were invited by the RA Ministry
of Culture. This information is provided by the “Marmara” daily
newspaper.

MEMBERS OF “CHHARMAHAL” UNION MEETS WITH HEAD OF ARMENIAN DIOCESE OF
TEHRAN

TEHRAN, August 13 (Noyan Tapan). A group of members of the Armenian
“Chharmahal” educational union of Tehran accompanied by Yesayi
Abrahamian, Chairman of the board of the union, and executives of
units, met with Archbishop Sepuh Sargsian, Head of the Armenian
Diocese of Tehran, on August 9. The purpose of the meeting was to
receive the blessing and advices of the holy father for their upcoming
performances to be held in Armenia within the framework of “One
Nation, One Culture” Pan-Armenian festival. These units are the youth
literary group of the union (16 members headed by art critic,
intellectual Misha Hairapetian), the “Kanach” dance group (16 members,
Arus Avagian is the dancing-master), the “Akunk” dance group (24
members, Karine Manucherian is the dancing-master). At the beginning
of the meeting Yesayi Abrahamian explained the cultural work carried
out at the union, speaking about the activities of the indicated
groups. The youth literary group of the union was established 20 years
ago, Misha Hairapetian is the founder and head of the union. The
literary group had and has vital literary and recitation activities
and educated many art amateurs during many years. Misha Hairapetian
said that during the festival the literary group will perform the
works of Sayat Nova, Charents, Hovhannes Grigorian, as well as the
works of several Iranian-Armenian writers. At the end of the meeting
the Archbishop Sepuh Sargsian spoke about the role of the Armenian
culture and emphasized the necessity of the succession of the national
and spiritual-cultural values of the Armenian youth.

CHILDREN’S-JUNIOR THEATRICAL FESTIVAL “NRAN HATIK” TO BE HELD IN
ARMENIA FOR FOURTH TIME

YEREVAN, August 12 (Noyan Tapan). The children’s-junior theatrical
festival “Nran Hatik” will be held in Yerevan on August 14-22 within
the framework of the first Pan-Armenian festival “One Nation, One
Culture”. Levon Ivanian, Chairman of the steering committee of the
festival, said about it during the August 12 press
conference. According to him, 19 children’s theatrical staffs from
Armenia, Artsakh and Javakhk will participate in the
festival. According to him, the festival organized upon the initiative
of the heads of the children’s-junior theaters in 2001 became
traditional and is held for the fourth time in succession. “The
children’s-junior festival gives our children an opportunity to show
their talent and love and value dramatic art,” mentioned Levon
Ivanian.

Garnik Seiranian, Chairman of the “Nakhabem” (“Proscenium”)
Educational-Cultural Union, the main organizer of the festival, said
that the Armenian authorities also paid attention to the festival that
united children of the Homeland and the Diaspora. By the decision of
RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian the state will render support to
the holding of the children’s-junior festival “Nran Hatik” till
2015. Garnik Seiranian also said that the festival has no competition
program. All the theatrical troupes participating in festival will
receive the bronze statuettes “Flight” and diplomas of gratitude. On
August 14, participants of the festival will visit Khor Virap, then
the theatrical troupe of school N5 of Masis will perform the play
entitled “Armenians, 1915” in Artashat. On August 15, children will
participate in the ceremony of the consecration of grapes in
Etchmiadzin. On August 16, they will visit Matenadaran and
Tsiternakaberd. The theatrical troupe “Pearllets” will perform the
“Loud-Voiced Silence” play at the State Theater of Gavar the same
evening. The day of the establishment of “Nor Hatik” will be marked on
August 19, and the hymn of this children’s-junior theatrical festival
will be sounded for the first time. On August 22, young actors will
visit the Pantheon after Komitas, and the solemn closing of the
festival will be held in the evening.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Investment Opportunities in Armenia

BISNIS Armenia Update
12 August 2004

Contents:
1. Now on the BISNIS web site – CCG FY05 and Customs Report
2. New BISNIS SFP lead from Armenia
3. News – Armenian Economy Continues to Top Growth Expectations
4. New EBRD project in Armenia

Now Available on the BISNIS web site!

Country Commercial Guide for Armenia FY05 –

Customs Clearance Process in Armenia, part of BISNIS Survey on Logistics
of Exporting to Eurasia –

BISNIS Search for Partners lead

Yerevan, Armenia
Industry: Construction Materials
Company: Comfort R&V
Comfort R&V was established in 1993 as a private company. The company is
the distributor of a number leading European and American producers of
building materials. The company plans to establish a large trade center
specializing in the wholesale and retail distribution of building
materials. The total project cost is $4 million. The company seeks a
U.S. partner that would co-invest in the project. Comfort R&V will
finance 50% of the total project cost.
Web site:
Source: BISNIS Representative in Armenia
LeadLink,

From ARMENIA THIS WEEK
Monday, August 2, 2004
Visit to read Armenia This Week
issues since 1997.

ARMENIAN ECONOMY CONTINUES TO TOP GROWTH EXPECTATIONS

Armenia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by more than nine percent in the
first half of 2004, the National Statistics Service reported this week.
While below the record-high 2002-2003 growth of 12 and 14 percent
respectively, the increase was well above the six to seven percent
anticipated by the government and international financial institutions
earlier this year.

Significantly, this year’s robust growth comes after completion of
infrastructure projects funded by the U.S.-based Lincy Foundation, as well
as an 11 percent decrease in diamond-processing and jewelry production,
which had been one of the fastest growing sectors in recent years.
Industrial output was up 4.5 percent, driven by growth in generation of
energy (up 17 percent) and mining and metallurgy (up 46 percent). Textiles
production was up 2.2 times, with garment / leather and rubber / plastics
up 1.4 times each. Investments in construction increased by 12 percent, with
agricultural production up 8.5 percent.

In January-June 2004, the volume of Armenian exports grew by over 7 percent
to $340 million and imports by 4 percent to $625 million. Dependence on
outside supplies of energy and fuel, and raw materials imported for
processing in Armenia, kept the trade deficit large. The list of main export
destinations for Armenian goods continued to be topped by Belgium (19
percent of all goods), Israel (12), Russia (11), the United States (10),
Germany (9) and Switzerland (6). Most imports arrived from Russia (18
percent), Belgium (11), the United States (8), Israel (7) and Great
Britain (6).

The Armenian government also reported to be on track with a projected
increase in revenue collection to reach $450 million this year. Combined tax
and customs revenue in the first half of 2004 reached $211 million, up 17
percent year-on-year. Nevertheless, the State Taxation Service chief
estimated that the so-called shadow sector continued to account for 30
percent of economic activity, with an equivalent portion of profits and
incomes remaining officially untaxed. At the end of June 2004 the average
private sector monthly salary was estimated at $100, up 28 percent
year-on-year, while average public sector wages stood at a meager $50,
despite a 46 percent increase. The unemployment rate remained largely
unchanged at 9.3 percent of the adult population. (Sources: Armenia This
Week 2-6, 4-30; Arminfo 7-31, 8-2; Golos Armenii 7-31)

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development ()

Project name: Armenian Economy Development Bank Equity Investment
Country: Armenia
Project Approval Date: 20.07.04
Funds Approved: 0.79 million Euro
Project Type: Purchase of 25% plus one share of capital and voting rights
Project number: 27309
Business sector: Financial Institutions: Bank equity/Bank lending
State/Private: Private sector

Project description and objectives: The proposed project envisages an
equity investment in Armeconombank. The project will strengthen
Armeconombank’s capital base to be used for anticipated growth in
lending and development of its infrastructure. Management guidance and
institution building is envisaged through technical assistance and
EBRD’s seat on the bank’s Supervisory Board.

Transition impact: This project will be the first equity participation
in an Armenian-owned financial institution. The combination of
additional capital and institution building through technical assistance
is expected to support strengthening of a key player in the Armenian
banking sector. By promoting competition and consolidation in the sector
the project will contribute significantly to the development of the
banking sector in Armenia. The project is also expected to provide a
demonstration to other market players of the benefits of having an
international institutional investor as a shareholder.

The client: Armeconombank is one of the largest banks in Armenia at 31
December 2003 with total assets of US$ 33.4 million. The bank is based
in Yerevan and has a network of 24 branches. The bank offers all major
services currently available on the market.

EBRD finance: Equity investment of AMD (Armenian Dram) 566,670,000 (EURO
equivalent of 789K at 1 June 2004).

Total project cost: AMD 566,670,000

Environmental impact: Armeconombank will carry out its operations in
accordance with the EBRD’s Environmental Procedures for Financial
Intermediaries, which provide for the integration of environmental due
diligence into Armeconombank’s credit appraisal processes and a
requirement that the bank complies, at a minimum, with national and
local health, safety and environmental regulations and standards and
public consultation requirements. Armeconombank will submit annual
environmental reports to the EBRD.

Technical cooperation: The bank has benefited from access to a
Japanese-funded credit advisor tied to a loan under the Multi-bank
facility for Armenian banks. This has assisted in all aspects of
screening, approving and monitoring of potential borrowers and sub-loans.

It is proposed that this equity investment be made together with
technical assistance for institutional development. Funding is expected
to be provided under the 2002 Action Program for the EU-EBRD Investment
Preparation Facility. EBRD approval will be sought in 3q2004.

For consultant opportunities for projects financed by technical
cooperation funds, visit procurement of consultants.

Company contact: Armeconombank OJSC
23/1 Amiryan Street
Yerevan 375002
Armenia

Contact: Edward Marutyan, Deputy CEO
Phone: (3741) 534 801
Fax: (3741) 538 904
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Web :

Business opportunities: For business opportunities or procurement,
contact the client company.

General enquiries: EBRD project enquiries not related to procurement:
Tel: +44 20 7338 7168; Fax: +44 20 7338 7380
Email: [email protected]

********** Forwarded by: ***************************
Ellen S. House, BISNIS Trade Specialist for Armenia
U.S. Department of Commerce
Tel: 202/482-2284, Fax: 202/482-2293

Additional information on Armenia is available via BISNIS Online at

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/13/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) Georgian PM Comes Under Fire in Ossetia
2) New Pastors Appointed to Western Prelacy Parishes
3) Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School Receives LAUSD
Grant
4) The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Another Four Years

1) Georgian PM Comes Under Fire in Ossetia

TBILISI (AFP/Civil Georgia)–Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said Friday
that he came under attack from South Ossetian troops while visiting the
separatist region on a peace mission.
He told Georgia’s private television that no one was hurt in the attack. The
station showed footage of gunfire as he passed through an area that saw three
Georgian soldiers killed Thursday.
“They were shooting directly at us,” he said. “I see this as Ossetia’s
response to our peace initiative.
“Both Ossetian and Russian peacekeepers knew that only my convoy was passing
through that region at the time,” he said.
Zhvania went to its northern separatist region, which is trying to join
Russia, late Thursday amid Georgian efforts to win back its control.
Those attempts have so far led to shootouts between Georgian, Ossetian, and
Russian troops, which are also acting in the region as peacekeepers.
The pro-Moscow region’s self-declared president denied his forces were
responsible for any attack.
The village of Eredvi, where the incident occurred, “is controlled by
Georgian
troops,” Eduard Kokoity told Russia’s Interfax news agency. “There was no
shooting from the Ossetian side, and we view this as a provocation.”
At least five villagers were reported injured at Eredvi in shooting that
started early Friday morning, according to Georgian television.
The station claimed the attack came from the Ossetians in yet another
exchange
of accusations in the escalating conflict.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili raised the prospect on Thursday of
“ethnic cleansing” in the separatist region after fighting there left four
soldiers dead and around 40 people injured.
A senior Russian official also sounded an alarm over the latest developments
in South Ossetia, a territory located along the Georgia-Russia border which
has
enjoyed a measure of de facto independence since fighting a war with
Tbilisi in
the early 1990s.
Russia has proposed an emergency meeting of a tripartite
Georgian-Ossetian-Russian commission charged with resolving the dispute and
appealed in the meantime for an immediate ceasefire.
The United States on Thursday urged Russia and Georgia to end rising tension
over the separatist Georgian region.
“We are urging Georgian officials to move quickly to avoid further conflict,”
deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.
“We’re also making the point with Russian officials that it’s important to
work with the South Ossetian authorities to end hostilities immediately.”
He said US diplomats had been in touch with Georgian authorities in Tbilisi
and that the message had been conveyed to Moscow in meetings with officials
from the Russian embassy in Washington.
Ereli also told reporters that the United States backed Russia’s call for an
emergency meeting of the so-called “Joint Control Commission,” a tripartite
Georgian-Ossetian-Russian commission charged with resolving the festering
dispute.
Georgia’s parliament has overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding that
Russian peacekeepers withdraw from its separatist region of South Ossetia and
instead be replaced by international troops. The non-binding resolution has
been passed in a 117-3 vote on the same day Zhvania came under fire from South
Ossetian troops while visiting the separatist region.
Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze was barred from entering
South Ossetia’s self-declared capital Tskhinvali region on August 13.
“The Ossetian side is categorically against my entering the Tskhinvali
region.
I simply want to pass via Tskhinvali [capital of breakaway South Ossetia] and
meet with Georgian population of the breakaway region,” Nino Burjanadze
said at
the Tkviavi administrative border between breakaway South Ossetia and the rest
of Georgia.
She reiterated that the Georgian Prime Minister is ready to hold talks with
South Ossetian de facto President Eduard Kokoity; however, the latter is
categorically against.
Saakashvili has vowed to reassert Tbilisi’s authority over the entirety of
his
Caucasian country, which splintered into several separatist regions in the
wake
of the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

2) New Pastors Appointed to Western Prelacy Parishes

LA CRESCENTA–On Thursday, the Prelate and the Joint Session of the Western
Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America announced new pastoral
appointments in three parishes of the Prelacy.
The appointments, which were based upon the considerations discussed during
the 32nd Representative Assembly held in May of this year, will help advance
the Prelacy’s mission.
Rev. Fr. Vrouyr Demirjian was appointed as assistant to the Prelate at the
Prelacy and will be in charge of the Christian Education department and Youth
Movement program.
Rev. Fr. Hrant Yeretsian was appointed as Pastor of Forty Martyrs Arm.
Apostolic Church in Orange County.
Rev. Fr. Nareg Pehlivanian and Rev. Fr. Ashod Kambourian were appointed as
pastors of Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello.
Rev. Fr. Khoren Baboushian was appointed as Pastor of St. Sarkis Arm.
Apostolic Church in Pasadena.

3) Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School Receives LAUSD
Grant

ENCINO–Holy Martyrs Armenian Elementary & Ferrahian High School was able to
obtain a $56,000 grant allocation from Los Angeles Unified School District for
use during the school year 2004-2005. The grant was allocated under the “No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001.” A large portion of these grants will be
applied
toward faculty development programs and approximately $10,000 will be devoted
toward attaining scientific resources.
In addition, a special grant allowed five elementary teachers to attend the
5-day Governor’s Reading Institute this past summer. Through the institute,
teachers acquire training in the use of the Open Court Reading series.

4) The Only Thing We Have To Fear Is Another Four Years

BY SKEPTIK SINIKIAN

So I think I’ve finally figured out how this internet thing works. For a
system of communication that’s supposed to simplify the way we do things, this
internet business is pretty confusing. Trying to understand how to work
with it
when you’re coming in at the middle is like starting to watch `Days of Our
Lives’ midway through the season and understand what the heck is going on. (I
still don’t know why Stefano is evil or why Marlena was possessed). I’ve
finally set up my web blog. After trying and trying and giving Asbarez readers
the runaround, the blog/website is finally up and can be visited at
This time it’s for real. Feel free to write back
and
exchange ideas. I don’t take things personally, so all types of comments and
letters are welcome. After all, everyone has an opinion, and it’s not a crime
yet in this country to share your opinions openly.
Take last week’s column for instance. I wrote about the flip-flopping of the
Democrats at their National Convention and stated my opinion. In response, I
received numerous letters from Republicans and Democrats alike. Republicans
praised me for finally seeing the light and Democrats thought I had been
sniffing glue. But my column wasn’t an endorsement of Republicans. I simply
stated my opinion about the Democratic Convention. I doubt anyone would
disagree with me when I say that it was probably the most boring week of
television up until the Republican Convention later this month.
One of the letters I received last week was a forward of a letter to the
Editor by an Armenian who is presumably a Republican and was obviously a
President Bush supporter. I’ve decided to share an excerpt from this letter
because it illustrates an opinion that I disagree with and is part of my
response this week to Armenian Bush supporters.
`[T]his Presidential election is not about the issues that both parties are
talking about, or who can make the most promises to whichever interest group
gives them the most money or votes–because all of these factors are
irrelevant. The issue is simply who Osama and his buddies would fear most as
President of the United States of America.’
I agree with the first part of this statement that says that this election is
not about the issues that the parties are talking about because the issues
that
the two parties are talking about non-issues such as Kerry’s war and post-war
record. Did Senator Kerry throw medals or ribbons over the fence of the White
House in protest of the Vietnam War? Did he throw his own ribbons or someone
else’s ribbons? Who cares? I don’t care if Kerry threw an orangutan in pajamas
over the fence because its irrelevant. The real issue in this election is the
question that Ronald Reagan asked Americans when he challenged Jimmy Carter
and
then when he was seeking reelection to the White House against Walter
Mondale–`Are you better off today than you were four years ago?’ My answer is
a resounding `no.’
And as for the question of whom Osama and his buddies would fear more? I
personally think they would fear someone who was able to restore America’s
glory and respected position in the world rather than gallivanting around the
globe like a vigilante gunslinger from an old Western.
I appreciate that there are folks out there that still believe this election
is about the War on Terror, but the War on Terror isn’t going to put books in
classrooms for our schoolchildren. Nor has it helped bring down the cost of
colleges and universities or created any stable, long term jobs.
The next time you call AOL or any other Internet Service Provider and you
wonder why your customer service call is being answered by some young kid
living in Punjabi, India, ask yourself why these jobs have left America and
why
places like West Virginia have an economy that parallels those in the third
world. Or the next time you hear about another kid that died in Iraq, ask
if he
was looking for Bin Laden. Ask where your retirement investments have
disappeared to and why the top executives of Enron (Bush’s top campaign
contributors) are still free and being driven around in limousines. And
finally, the next time Vice President Dick Cheney talks about national energy
policy and national security, ask how much money his former employer,
Halliburton Inc., has invested in Azerbaijan, a country which harbors Al Qaeda
cells and hires Taliban fighters to fight against Christian Armenians
defending
their land in Karabagh.
I’m not a fan of Michael Moore and this column isn’t my version of
`Fahrenheit
9/11.’ Nor is this an endorsement of one candidate over another. But, I’m
sorry to say that there are a lot more questions to ask in this election that
simply who will Osama Bin Laden and his buddies fear more. The real
question is
not who we will fear more but how long will we have to live being afraid of
ourselves, of the world around us, and those enemies out there who relish in
terrorizing us and our children. There are too many questions to be asked and
no one who is willing to answer them truthfully.
I don’t want to live in a country where my beliefs and political views are
defined by who a nefarious criminal genius fears more. We’ll just have to wait
until November to see if the rest of America shares my sentiments.

Skeptik Sinikian is an angry Armenian-American with lots of useless ideas and
opinions. He’d love to hear from you at [email protected] or visit
him at

All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.

ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

New Polish ambassador, Armenian leader hail dynamic ties

Noyan Tapan news agency
13 Aug 04

YEREVAN

Armenian-Polish relations are developing quite dynamically, Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan said on 13 August at a meeting with the new
Polish ambassador to Armenia, Tomasz Knothe, who presented his
credentials to the president.

Kocharyan noted the importance of developing bilateral relations with
Poland in the context of the European direction of Armenia’s foreign
policy.

[Passage omitted: The president said he would visit Poland on 5
September; no details]

Azeri police arrest Japanese student suspected of spying for Armenia

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
13 Aug 04

An act of sabotage by Armenia was foiled in Baku today. Employees of
[Baku’s] Sabayil district police department detained Japanese citizen
(?Ogawa Siniawa), 28, when he was taking photos of the Azarbaycan
Hotel and other facilities.

The preliminary investigation showed that the Japanese resident, who
is a first-year student of Yerevan State University’s social studies
department, arrived in Tbilisi from Yerevan on 1 August and went to
Saki [northern Azerbaijan] two days later. He stayed in Saki for three
days, arrived in Baku on 6 August and stayed at a hotel in Baku. He
came to Azerbaijan as a tourist. The investigation is continuing.

Tensions thaw Russia’s frozen border conflicts
By Andrew Jack

FT
August 13 2004

The death of three Georgian soldiers yesterday in clashes with
separatists in the breakaway region of South Ossetia highlighted how
the long-dormant conflicts around the borders of the former Soviet
Union are being reawakened.

An uneasy period of peace risks being replaced by one of the first
significant redrawings of the regional map since the collapse of
communism.

With intensified fighting and renewed diplomatic activity, Russia
yesterday called for a ceasefire in South Ossetia, and Georgia sent in
a top negotiator.

One reason for the tensions has been a more aggressive stance taken by
Mikheil Saakashvili, the youthful and populist pro-western leader
elected president of Georgia last year. He is keen to break the
deadlock since he came to power with increasing efforts to bring the
region back under Georgian control.

But the attitude of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, against a
backdrop of simmering conflict in the neighbouring republic of
Chechnya, and the expansion of the European Union eastwards have
introduced an international dimension.

South Ossetia is not alone. Along with Abkhazia, it is one of two
so-called “frozen conflicts” in Georgia. There are two others
elsewhere: the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan and
Transdnistra in Moldova. All were created by military action at the
time of the collapse of the USSR, replaced by an uneasy peace with
their “host” states.

Between them, they are home to more than 1m impoverished people,
living under regimes that are economically and diplomatically
isolated, accused of corruption and autocracy. Now the security risks
they present are putting them back on the agenda.

“Their residents feel like forgotten Europeans, within but outside
Europe,” says Walter Schwimmer, secretary-general of the Council of
Europe, the inter-governmental human rights organisation. and

The common denominator for all the conflicts is the Soviet Union. When
it collapsed, a series of “grey zones” emerged, resistant to the newly
independent states to which they were historically attached.

Hundreds of thousands of small arms remain, raising concerns over the
militarisation of the regions and the risk of weaponry falling into
the hands of criminal groups and terrorists.

Modern Russia continues to play a role in maintaining the
conflicts. They touch on its “near abroad”, the border zone of
traditional Soviet influence that has again become a foreign policy
priority under Mr Putin as the EU and Nato have expanded into
territory Moscow controlled for the second half of the last century.

Russia has offered easy transit and passports to residents in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia, overseen commercial transactions and maintained
leverage through peacekeeping troops in Georgia and Transdnistra that
operate outside the jurisdiction of the OSCE. “Fundamentally, Russia
keeps these places alive by passively supporting them,” says Dov Lynch
from the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris.

But he stresses that the frozen conflicts have their own internal
momentum, with the local regimes perpetuating their power and few
democratic institutions.

The international community also helps maintain the status quo,
traditionally through political neglect and the provision of
humanitarian assistance that supports the population and reduces the
chance of social explosion of popular revolt.

There are signs that the problem is starting to be taken more
seriously, however. In the past few months, the EU has become more
active, imposing travel bans on the leadership of Transdnistra in an
attempt to force negotiations for a political settlement with Moldova,
which may be an EU neighbour if Romania joins the EU in 2007.

Russia has also become more assertive, withdrawing troops and military
stockpiles from Moldova, and attempting to broker a settlement late
last year.

“Disintegration is the worst scenario,” says Konstantin Kosachev, head
of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee. “If Georgia
goes out of control, Russia will be the next to be destabilised.”

Without more power-sharing and prosperity from the “metropolitan”
countries from which they have broken away, the tensions in South
Ossetia and its counterparts may defrost in a far less elegant way.

London Free Press, Canada
Aug 13 2004

Schools join anti-hate campaign

HAILEY EISEN AND CLIFF VANDERLINDEN, Special to the Free Press

Local high school teachers are preparing to turn their students into
anti-hate activists. More than 40 teachers are taking part in a
week-long London conference, the first Gen. Romeo Dallaire Summer
Institute on Teaching Genocide and the Holocaust. The institute, one
of the first of its kind in Canada, provides educational tools to
promote tolerance and uphold human rights.

Sponsored by the Association for the Elimination of Hate, the
week-long seminar will arm teachers with ways to educate their
students in the lessons of the Holocaust and genocide.

“We don’t want the teachers to shock students, because shock wears
off,” program co-ordinator Rich Hitchens said. “What they really have
to do is provide their students with lasting moral lessons.”

Here, teachers get insight into how to teach some of the most
horrific genocides of the 20th century: from Armenia to the current
crisis in Sudan. They hope to convey to students a sense of moral
justice the youngsters can use in their neighbourhood schoolyards and
in global activism.

They will be shown how best to incorporate literature and film
resources into their lessons.

The sessions are led by university professors, community members and
military officials.

“To play Schindler’s List for 3 1/2 hours is going to take most of
the time teachers have dedicated to the unit, whereas they could show
a 28-minute documentary film that will generate three hours of
discussion,” said Amanda Grzyb.

Grzyb is a professor of genocide and Holocaust studies at the
University of Western Ontario and is giving a seminar on teaching the
Holocaust through film.

The institute’s namesake, retired Gen. Romeo Dallaire, was in London
this week to offer his support to teachers who volunteered to take
part in the program.

Dallaire led the UN coalition during the 1994 Rwanda operation, where
he defied direct orders to evacuate his troops from the troubled
region when violence escalated into full-scale genocide.

It’s estimated one million Tutsi and Hutu moderates were killed
within 100 days.

For the past three years Dallaire has been working with Canadian high
school and university students to promote awareness and action in
areas of international crises and genocide.

“My aim in this whole education process is to gel Canadian youth into
getting into an activist mentality,” Dallaire said.

“So far I’m getting a lot of positive vibes.”

The institute is the result of a co-operative effort between various
religious and ethnic communities, along with London’s Association for
the Elimination of Hate.

Organizers expect to run the conference every other year.