Memorandum to the PACE Monitoring Committee on the Situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti
Akhalkalak, A-INFO, 25 October 2004.- The members of the Council of
Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee on the honouring of obligations
and commitments by member states of the Council of Europe (Monitoring
Committee) is visiting Georgia on 25-26 October 2004.
During their meetings the monitoring committee members will exchange
views with the representatives of Georgian Government and Parliament,
international organizations present in Georgia, international and local
NGOs and media.
On this occasion, the Council of Armenian Non-Governmental Organizations
of the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region in Georgia, on 21 October 2004, have
sent the following memorandum to the Monitoring Committee.
M E M O R A N D U M
THE SITUATION IN THE SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI REGION IN GEORGIA
AND GEORGIA’S OBLIGATIONS AND COMMITMENTS BEFORE THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Submitted to the
Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments
by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee)
Submitted by the
Council of Armenian Non-Governmental Organizations
of the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region in Georgia
21 October 2004
As you prepare to hold your next meeting in Georgia, we, the leaders
of the Armenian nongovernmental organizations of the Samtskhe-Javakheti
territory in Georgia, attaching great importance to the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of our country, wish to bring to your attention
the critical situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti, which if left unresolved,
could have dire consequences for the population of the territory and
for Georgia as a whole.
When joining the Council of Europe in 1999, the following were among
the obligations and commitments Georgia undertook:
a) to sign and ratify, within a year after its accession, the Framework
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;
b) to sign and ratify, within three years after its accession, the
European Charter of Local Self-Government, […] and in the meantime
to apply the fundamental principles of [this] instrument;
c) to enact, within two years after its accession, a legal framework
determining the status of the autonomous territories and guaranteeing
them broad autonomy, the exact terms of which are to be negotiated
with the representatives of the territories concerned;
d) to amend, within three years after its accession, the law on
autonomy and local government to enable all the heads of councils to
be elected instead of being appointed;
e) to adopt, within two years after its accession, a law on minorities
based on the principles of Assembly Recommendation 1201 (1993).
Five years after accession, Georgia has yet to take steps towards
fulfilling the above-mentioned commitments and obligations. In fact,
the process of fulfilling these commitments before the Council of
Europe has failed, and, inter alia, has made the situation in the
Samtskhe-Javakheti region critical.
The 1995 Georgian constitution does not define the administrative
structure of the country and in practice the district-level
self-government does not match democratic standards. In the
Samtskhe-Javakheti region, discriminatory laws and practices have
left the Armenian population far less represented in the district
administration. There are no elective bodies on the regional level and
there is no legislative base for the institution of state commissioners
appointed by presidential decrees. The present administrative structure
and the method of governance do not take into account the specifics of
the region and do not correspond to the needs of the population. The
system has long demonstrated that it is bankrupt and unfruitful. The
Samtskhe-Javakheti region has actually been pushed out of the governing
processes of the country.
The administrative governance of the region has been frustrated. At
the local level, flagrant discrimination is practiced against the
local Armenian population; in contrast to the rest of the country,
in the Armenian populated areas of Samtskhe-Javakheti most sakrebulos
(locally elected bodies) incorporate several villages, whereas each
Georgian populated village has a separate sakrebulo, thus artificially
increasing the Georgian presence in the rayon (district) level.
These measures, policies and practices are in direct contradiction
to the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which Georgia had
undertaken to sign and ratify within three years after its accession
and in the meantime to apply the fundamental principles of this
instrument.
No short- or long-term socio-economic programs to serve the interests
of the population are implemented. The poverty and desperation have
reached threatening levels. Educational and cultural conditions are
unsatisfactory.
In the last ten months, we have conveyed our concerns and
recommendations to the highest authorities in Georgia and to the
(now former) Secretary General of the Council of Europe, but to no
avail. All of them have failed to even acknowledge receipt of our
written communications.
It is crucial to have the Samtskhe-Javakheti region fully integrated in
the state, political, socioeconomic and cultural lives of the country.
But integration is not synonymous to assimilation, neither is autonomy
to secession. In a democratic society, integration can only be achieved
through participation. Policies and practices pursuing assimilation
or artificial and forceful change of demographic realities can only
result in the opposite. Integration requires that both the majority
and the minority have the desire for it and the willingness to take
mutual steps towards each other.
Under the guise of integration, the Georgian authorities have
enacted laws which are contrary to the spirit and letter of the
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages,
which Georgia had undertaken to sign and ratify within a year
after its accession, but has failed to do so after over five years
following its accession. Furthermore, and in direct contradiction
of the above-mentioned Framework Convention and European Charter,
the Georgian authorities have recently introduced a draft law on
education, which, if enacted, would effectively prevent Georgia’s
national minorities, including the Armenians, from education at all
levels in their relevant regional or minority languages.
There is no broad social-political consensus in the country on
political issues connected with ethnic diversity of Georgia and
its internal political and administrative systems. The reported
Armenian ancestry of politicians and public figures is often
regarded to be derogatory. Whereas the existence of a large number
of Armenian cultural and religious monuments, as well as historical
records speak of the fact that in Southern Georgia, including in
the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, the Armenians are natives, Georgian
society regards the Armenians in those regions as newcomers. There is
recorded evidence of attempts to “Georgianize” these monuments. The
Georgian authorities are sending contradictory messages on how
national minorities can protect and promote their linguistic and
cultural rights: whereas, on the one hand, the Georgian authorities
are undermining the linguistic and cultural rights of the law-abiding
national minorities, on the other hand, in order to appease those who
have declared their independence from Georgia, the same authorities
promise them to protect and promote their language and culture in
return for restoring Georgian sovereignty on those territories.
We are convinced that if Georgia completely and sincerely honours
its accession obligations and commitments, especially those mentioned
at the beginning of this Memorandum, it would greatly help alleviate
the serious situation in Samtskhe-Javakheti.
Hence we appeal to you, the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations
and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe, to ensure
that Georgia honours its commitments entered into on its accession
to the Council of Europe. We are at the disposal of your Committee
for further elaboration and discussion.
Council of Armenian Non-Governmental Organizations
of the Samtskhe-Javakheti Region in Georgia
Akhalkalaki, 21 October 2004

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:
PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon
AN IRANIAN DELEGATION IN ANTELIAS
ANTELIAS, LEBANON – A high ranking Iranian delegation met His Holiness Aram
I in Antelias at the Church Headquarters. A number of matters pertaining to
the Armenian Community in Iran, and the Christian Muslim dialogue occupied
an important place on the agenda. The meeting was also attended by
Archbishop Sebouh Sarkissian the Primate of the Diocese of Tehran and Mr.
Kevork Vartanian, the Armenian Deputy in the parliament of Iran.
During the meeting, His Holiness Aram I emphasized the importance of
interfaith dialogue and particularly Christian-Muslim dialogue. He said: “We
are living in world where the dialogue is no more a question of choice.
Globalization, pluralistic societies and common threats and challenges of
new times call all religions, cultures and nations to engage themselves
seriously and actively in dialogue. Dialogue doesn’t mean to accept the view
of the other. It means to listen each other and respect each other the way
we are. Hence I consider the dialogue of religions and cultures of crucial
importance for the future of humanity”.
##
View printable pictures here:
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The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the history and
the mission of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer to the web page of
the Catholicosate, The Cilician Catholicosate, the
administrative center of the church is located in Antelias, Lebanon.

Foul play suspected in jumbo death
Deccan Herald, India
25 Oct. 2004
Mysore zoo authorities smell a larger racket in the death of animals,
including seven-year-old elephant Komala, which was to be airlifted
to the Yerewan zoo in Armenia, DHNS reports from Mysore.
The authorities suspect foul play in Komala’s death as preliminary
investigations indicate that the death could have been due to
poisoning. “More precisely, the death is similar to the death of
elephants Ganesha and Roopa and a male lion-tailed macaque,” according
to zoo Director Manoj Kumar. Soon after the death of two elephants and
the macaque, the zoo management took action to prevent such tragedies.
At the same time the police began inquiry into the killings and even
interrogated several employees. Six zoo employees had been suspended.
The deaths have surfaced within one month after the serial tragedies
struck. Who are killing the animals? What is their motive? These are
the questions that are still unanswered. Komala’s death has puzzled
the zoo authorities as she was kept under tight vigil to be flown to
Armenia as a “special gift” to the president of Armenia. The elephant
was all set to fly to the Yerewan zoo to pair with her partner,
a male elephant from Moscow.
Rumour has it that rivalry among the zoo employees regarding who
should accompany Komala could be the cause of poisoning of the animal.
Meanwhile, M N Shivakumar, Principal Secretary, Department of Forests,
Ecology and Environment held an emergency meeting with Zoo Authority
of Karnataka member-Secretary Suresh and zoo Director Manoj Kumar,
following instructions from Chief Minister N Dharam Singh.
Mr Suresh told Deccan Herald that the principal secretary collected
details about Komala’s death and previous deaths. He also collected
details about the preventive measures taken by the zoo in the aftermath
of the deaths.
“We feel that Komala could have been poisoned based on the symptoms. It
will be confirmed only after investigations of the viscera and blood
samples,” he said.

Elephants a drain on state exchequer
Ravik Bhattacharya in Kolkata
The Statesman, India
25 Oct. 2004
Oct. 24. — Tamed pachyderms have become Bengal’s white elephants.
There is a sudden glut in elephants bred in captivity in West Bengal,
and the state’s cash-strapped forest department is finding it difficult
to maintain them.
There are 76 of them now in the state’s reserve forests stretching the
state’s means, but the authorities have allegedly ignored opportunities
to “gift away” some of the animals to other states and countries.
The elephants are a drain on the resources till they reach the age
of 8-10 years or six ft in height when they can be put to use, local
elephant experts said. Trained elephants are usually used to patrol
forests, carry tourists on jungle safaris and capture wild animals,
particularly untamed elephants.
Jaldapara, Buxa and Gorumara in north Bengal are home to these animals
along with their trainers.
Forest officials said these trained elephants were breeding fast and
it was becoming difficult for them to maintain them.
The forest department has identified more than a dozen elephants
from the 76 now available that could be given away to others, but
the government reportedly hasn’t moved on the suggestion.
“It requires a lot of money to maintain elephants bred in captivity.
Besides, a large number of trained manpower is needed to train these
animals,” a forest official said.
One option is to give away the animals to others needing them. And
there are quite a few takers at home and abroad.
But the state government is unmoved. It recently let slip a chance
to send one of the 76 elephants to Armenia as a gift to its President
Robert Kocharian.
There is a male elephant in Armenia’s Yerevan Zoo, but it needs a
female companion. Bengal’s forest officials had chosen Shakuntala,
a six-year-old well-mannered young elephant. However, the government
sat on the proposal and now Shakuntala has missed the flight.
Instead, Komala, a seven-and-a-half year old female elephant from
Mysore zoo has been flown to Armenia on 15 October. Other states
have also asked West Bengal for elephants, but the state government
is not acting yet.
“After a point it will be difficult to maintain any more trained
elephants. There is a glut already. We need to take steps before
these become really and truly white elephants,” an official said.
“There are various reasons behind the elephants getting costly day
by day. Firstly, the population of elephants have multiplied, but not
their utility. Previously they were used in the log and timber industry
but now machines can do the job faster,” said Mr Pradip Kumar Vyas,
director Sunderban Tiger Reserve and a wildlife expert.
“More over the elephant rides in the state is highly subsidised. You
earn less than you spend on these animals. Female elephants are used
in tourist rides because of their good temperament, yet during and
after pregnancy they are unusable for months. Last but not least,
there were many takers for elephants in the past, including the
royalty and the rich . Now they hardly have any takers,” said Mr Vyas.

Guns Found at Concert Attended by Georgian, Armenian Presidents
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
25 Oct. 2004
25/10/2004 04:50
Georgia Security Ministry officials found guns one hour prior to
the concert.
Georgian Security Ministry officials found a sniper rifle and a
Kalashnikov assault rifle late on October 23 in the concert hall in
downtown Tbilisi, one hour prior to the show, which was later attended
by the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his visiting Armenian
counterpart Robert Kocharian.
Security Ministry officials say that the investigation in ongoing
and decline to comment who is the owner of the guns.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NDTV.com, India
25 Oct. 2004
Chess: India lose to Russia at Mallorca
India suffered a 1.5-2.5 defeat against top seeds and defending
champions Russia in the ninth round of the 36th Chess Olympiad here at
the Gran Casino.
Viswanathan Anand gave India an early lead but his effort went in vain.
Leading from the front, Anand crashed through the defences of
Grandmaster Alexander Morozevich.
Krishnan Sasikiran also did well on the second board in getting an easy
draw as black against Russian champion Peter Svidler.
Leading the downfall
But the remaining two boards saw the Indian downfall as Surya Shekhar
Ganguly was outdone from a complicated position by Vadim Zvjaginsev.
Harikrishna missed out on a simple winning manoeuvre against Alexey
Dreev before he was eventually tamed.
In hindsight, it could have been 3-1 in India’s favour but in the end
the six-time winners proved superior.
Top of the table
Leaders Ukraine, who settled for a 2-2 draw with fourth seeds Armenians
on the top table, maintained a 2.5 advantage over Russia (24.5).
With just five more rounds remaining, USA was the biggest gainer of the
day as they moved to sole third spot on 24 points after drubbing Spain
‘A’ 3.5-0.5.
Armenia and third seed Israel were in joint fourth spot on 23 points
while the Indians shared the sixth spot on 22.5 along with Switzerland,
Bulgaria, France, Slovenia, Azerbaijan and Cuba.
Poland and Moldova were next in line on 22 points each. More
For Ukraine, Andrei Volokitin delivered the goods against Smbat Lputian
on the third board while veteran Rafael Vaganian put it across former
World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov to level scores for Armenia.
As the other two boards were drawn, Ukraine maintained their no-loss
record and took their tally to 27 points out of a possible 36.
Victory in vain
Anand was brilliance personified as he outplayed Morozevich in an
extremely complicated game arising out of a Sicilian defence and
leading to a Hedgehog setup.
“I think I was winning after the opening itself, it looks to me like he
was two tempis (moves) down but then the nature of the position is such
that black can make some complications and Morozevich succeeded in
doing that,” said Anand about the opening after the match.
In the middle game, for quite sometime, Morozevich’s trademark
complications were quite visible as he had Anand looking out for best
manoeuvres to maintain the upper hand.
The Russian finally faltered when he fell way behind on the clock and
sacrificed an exchange, missing Anand’s bait that left him tottering on
move 37. Anand finally netted the full point in 45 moves.
Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran also came out with flying colours on
board two for India as he held Svidler to a creditable draw with black
pieces. (PTI)

Media Conference Opens in Tbilisi
Civil Georgia, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004
/ Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2004-10-25 10:29:54
More than fifty journalists from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will
discuss developments in the media field in their countries at the
first South Caucasus Media Conference, being held in Tbilisi from
October 25-26.
The two-day conference is organized by the OSCE Mission to Georgia
and hosted by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklos
Haraszti. Libel and Insult Laws and Freedom of Information will be
the main topics discussed at the conference.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Konstantine Kavtaradze, Head of
the OSCE Mission to Georgia Ambassador Roy Reeve and Miklos Haraszti
will open the event, according to a press release issued by the OSCE
Mission to Georgia.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenia president hails unsealing of Russia-Georgia border
Interfax
25 Oct. 2004
Tbilisi. (Interfax) – The president of Armenia on Friday hailed the
unsealing by Russia of its border with Georgia while his Georgian
counterpart said the border’s closure several weeks ago “has reminded
us once again that sales markets should be looked for not only
in Russia.”
The reopening of the Upper Lars checkpoint “is evidence that tension
in North Ossetia is subsiding after the Beslan events,” Armenian
President Robert Kocharian, currently on a visit to Georgia, told
a joint news conference with Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili in
reference to the school siege in September.
“It was exactly the tension that arose in North Ossetia that explained
that measure [the border closure],” Kocharian said.
Saakashvili said: “The sealing of the border has reminded us once
again that sales markets should be looked for not only in Russia but
also in other countries.”
“While we should keep the Russian market, we should also find other
markets,” he said.

Los Angeles Daily News
25 Oct. 2004
Scholarships awarded in memory of slain sheriff’s deputy
Kuredjian inspiration for students in law enforcement
By Susan Abram, Staff Writer
GLENDALE — Five students received scholarships Sunday in memory of
slain sheriff’s Deputy Hogop “Jake” Kuredjian, whose name will live on
as more Armenian youth pursue careers in law enforcement.
Sheriff Lee Baca, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams and several others
also were honored by the Armenian National Peace Officers Association
during the group’s first-ever scholarship ceremony.
The association formed last year with the intention of encouraging more
Armenian youths to consider careers in law enforcement.
Kuredjian “lived a life of pride, a life of wisdom,” Baca said. “His
name will always be at the forefront of what it is to be
Armenian-American.”
Some of the money used for the scholarships was raised by 14-year-old
Austin Losorelli, a Stevenson Ranch resident who collected donations in
memory of Kuredjian. Losorelli set up a table and a sign at the corner
of Stevenson Ranch Parkway a day after Kuredjian was killed in 2001.
“My dad is an LAPD officer. I just felt bad for (Kuredjian’s) family,”
Losorelli said.
With help from his brother Ian, he raised $8,000, and the association
also honored him on Sunday with a plaque presented by Kuredjian’s
brother, Garo, who told the boy, “This is long overdue.”
The slain deputy, a 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Country
Sheriff’s Department, was helping serve a search warrant Aug. 31, 2001,
in Stevenson Ranch when a man opened fire from an upstairs window,
hitting the deputy once in the head.
Last month, the deputy’s memory was honored with a dedication ceremony
at a new park, named Jake Kuredjian Park, next to Pico Canyon
Elementary School in Santa Clarita.
Steve Shenian, a California Highway Patrol officer and the co-founder
of the Armenian National Peace Officers Association, said the group has
about 90 members in seven states.
The association’s goal is to encourage young Armenian-Americans to
consider law enforcement as a professional career. Glendale’s Armenian
community, the largest outside of Armenia, has been slowly embracing
the profession, officials said, but more work needs to be done.
“We need to get in and break barriers,” Shenian said. “We need to go
into local schools and visit groups. When the children see an Armenian
officer in uniform, it’s powerful.”
The Glendale Police Department has tried with limited success to
attract more Armenian youths to its ranks.
“Law enforcement is extremely important to the Armenian community,”
said Glendale Mayor Bob Yousefian. “I’m not one to say our community
doesn’t have issues. We need help to deal with these issues.”
Seventeen Glendale Police Department officers are Armenian-American —
only two more than there were in 1995.
“A lot of Armenians think law enforcement is not an honorable career,
because from where they came from, law enforcement had a bad image, and
they are afraid,” said 20-year-old Diana Arzrounian, a California State
University, Northridge, student and winner of one of the Kuredjian
scholarships. “We need more programs, such as this one, to talk about
… what law enforcement really is. It’s not just about arresting
people.”
Ross Simonian, Sabina Simonian, Sara Vardapetyan, and Mourad Kabanjian
also received $500 each in memorial scholarships.

Los Angeles Daily News
25 Oct. 2004
Preventing banquet brawls
City considering ways to increase security
By Naush Boghossian
Staff Writer
GLENDALE — The City Council on Tuesday is expected to considerways to
regulate local banquet halls in an effort to stem an increasing number
of violent incidents that drain police resources, officials said.
City officials plan on creating new guidelines for the facilities —
that could include beefed-up security and better communication with
police — to reduce the number of complaints about security and noise,
especially since most of the halls are located near residential
neighborhoods.
The concern is that the combination of hundreds of people at the same
place and alcohol can become a formula for mayhem.
“I want to hear how city staff and banquet hall operators want to
resolve some of the issues we have to grapple with, and I am hoping
to come up with some new solutions to some of the recent events,”
said Mayor Bob Yousefian.
Representatives of 10 Glendale banquet halls met with city and police
officials Wednesday to discuss their concerns and ways to address
the problems.
Since July, police have responded to more than 11 brawls in which
unruly crowds of 150 to 500 people had to be brought under control. The
incidents have required more than 50 man-hours, more than 100 officers
and have resulted in more than a dozen arrests for disorderly conduct,
disturbing the peace, assault and assault on police officers.
Ideas tossed around at the meeting included training security guards
more thoroughly, having adequate security and establishing better
means of communication between hall operators and the Glendale Police
Department, said Jeff Lambert, a consultant hired by the city to help
address the issue of banquet halls.
The question was also raised about whether there are ways to recover
the costs of city resources expended for calls to banquet halls.
“We’re not going to solve the problem Tuesday, but we want to define
it and get direction from the council on where we want to go,”
Lambert said.
One problem that has caused confusion for hall owners and has made
it difficult to regulate banquet halls is the lack of rules designed
specifically for the facilities, officials said.
Under current city codes, banquet halls are generally treated
like restaurants, and city officials are hoping to create distinct
requirements for each.
“For us, it’s important to identify the distinctions between
restaurants and banquet halls,” said Hassan Haghani, assistant director
of planning. “We want to see if there are different impacts and if
there should be a different set of regulations from a restaurant. Now
they’re operating as the same, and the distinctions are blurry in
the code.”
The city scrambled to create some guidelines to prevent people from
opening restaurants with the intent of ultimately changing them into
banquet halls, but those have essentially failed, Yousefian said.
For example, banquet halls cannot be located within 200 feet of a
residence and restaurants may only use 30 percent of their space as
banquet halls.
“I think those zoning laws are definitely not working, they
are very difficult to enforce, and they sit on the edge of being
unconstitutional,” he said. “And the 200-feet rule is not realistic.
Let’s deal with the real issues — noise and traffic.”
Currently, there are 17 banquet halls in Glendale that accommodate
large gatherings, including wedding receptions and parties, generally
thrown by its Armenian, Latino and Asian communities.
Some of the problems could be caused by organizations with large
facilities but no expertise in managing the gatherings that have
been trying to capitalize on the high demand by renting out to large
parties.
Vrej Sarkissian, chief executive officer of the two Anoush Banquet
Hall facilities in Glendale, said the key is having experienced hall
operators who take their business seriously.
Operating since 1990, Anoush is one of the city’s busiest and most
successful facilities, hosting at least three events per week, but
calls to police have been rare.
They employ armed security guards, have closed-circuit televisions
and screen those to whom they rent the hall to ensure the safety of
customers and neighbors.
“Our place and other reputable facilities have a tight rein on
their operations, but when you have banquet halls where the owner
and managers are not there during the events, it’s places like that
that give everybody a bad name,” said the 30-year-old graduate of
the University of Southern California and Loyola Law School.
“Anytime you have liquor involved, there’s bound to be issues, but
there are ways to mitigate those situations and the more successful
banquet halls have found ways to do that. The key is not to close
banquet halls down, but to have a system in place to minimize those
responses.”
Naush Boghossian, (818) 546-3306 [email protected]
YOU GO
The joint study session of the Glendale City Council, the Planning
Commission and the Board of Zoning Adjustments will take place 10
a.m. Tuesday in Room 105 of the Municipal Services Building, 633
E. Broadway.