Turkey not worthy of EU integration: Armenian FM
EU Business
11 October 2004
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian on Monday said Turkey should
not be allowed at this time to open accession talks with the European
Union, a statement reflecting the lingering poisonous atmosphere
between the two countries over the issue of the 1915 genocide of
Armenians under the Ottoman Empire.
“At this time Turkey is not worthy of being authorised to begin
negotiations for entry into the European Union,” Oskanian said at a
press conference in the Armenian capital, citing Ankara’s refusal to
recognize the genocide of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during
World War I.
The massacres of Armenians during World War I is one of the most
controversial episodes in Turkish history.
Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen were killed in
massacres or deportations between 1915 and 1917.
Turkey categorically rejects claims of genocide and says that between
250,000 and 500,000 Armenians were killed in civil strife when the
Armenians rose up against their Ottoman rulers.
Armenia’s foreign minister also said he was worried that by accepting
Turkey as a member, the EU would close its eyes to the fact that
Ankara has kept its border with Armenia closed since 1993.
Turkey closed its border with Armenia to support Baku in its war
against Yerevan over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, a mainly
Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan.
A close ally of Azerbaijan, Turkey has declined to establish diplomatic
ties with Armenia and remains bitter at the country’s efforts to
secure international condemnation of the early 20th century killings
of Armenians as “genocide”.
The European Commission has given a conditional green light to launch
Turkey’s EU membership negotiations but will make a final decision
about a starting date at a summit on December 17.

California Courier Online, October 14, 2004
1 – Commentary
Turkey Shouldn’t be Admitted to EU
On the Centennial of the Genocide
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
**************************************************************************
2 – NorCal Armenian Home Receives $100,000
From Bay Area’s Davidian Charitable Trust
3 – ‘Armenian Jerusalem’ Conference
Draws International Scholars to UCLA
4 – Diocese Establishes
New La Canada Parish
5 – Kopple to Direct Film About Dr. Kevorkian
6 – 41 Human Rights Groups Urge EU
To Reject Turkey’s Denial of Genocide
7 – AUA’s Ceremonies Celebrate Founders, 133 Graduates
8 – Armenian Archbishop Questioned for
Slapping Yeshiva Student in Jerusalem
************************************************************************
1 – Commentary
Turkey Shouldn’t be Admitted to EU
On the Centennial of the Genocide
By Harut Sassounian
California Courier Publisher
Turkey took a major step forward last week when the European Commission
recommended that the country is sufficiently ready to start talks for
possible eventual membership in the European Union (EU). The leaders of the
25 EU member states will take up the Commission’s recommendation on
December 17.
The Commission gave Turkey a “qualified yes” or a green light with “strings
attached.” It warned that any reversal in Turkey’s progress towards
democracy, human rights and the rule of law would automatically bring to a
halt the negotiating process. The Commission also stipulated that the EU
might impose controls on the free movement of Turkish workers, should a
large number of them try to immigrate to Europe, if and when Turkey joins
the EU. It also said that the talks would last for a decade or more with no
guarantees that membership would be inevitable.
Turkey has a long and arduous road ahead. During the next 10 years, it has
to overhaul practically its entire political and economic system. To
conform to European standards, it needs to adopt around 80,000 pages of EU
laws. Furthermore, the EU has made it clear that the Turks should focus on
implementation, rather than mere passage of legislation.
Europeans are seriously concerned that Turkey’s membership would: flood
Europe with millions of more Turkish immigrants; cost the EU around $25
billion a year in various subsidies in order to bring it up to EU
standards; and give Turkey the largest number of votes in the European
Council and the largest number of deputies in the European Parliament, as
it would be the most populous member shortly after joining the EU.
Turkey’s biggest obstacle, however, is the fact that most Europeans object
to its membership, simply because they do not feel that it is a European
country. There are already calls in several countries to hold a referendum
on Turkish entry. A negative decision by just one of the 25 EU countries
would preclude Turkey’s membership, depriving it of the required unanimous
approval.
In addition to Turkey not fulfilling the various criteria for the start of
talks for membership, the report issued by the EU last week urged Turkey to
recognize the Armenian Genocide (without referring to it as genocide), lift
its blockade of Armenia, and remove the various restrictions placed on the
Armenian minority in Turkey. The euphemistically worded segment of the EU
Report on Armenian issues is found in the following three paragraphs:
“The accession of Turkey would extend the EU’s borders to Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia. Through Turkey the EU could have a stabilizing
influence in Southern Caucasus, provided that Turkey is willing to try to
solve conflicts with its neighbors already before its accession. In
particular, its relations with Armenia will need to be improved with the
establishment of diplomatic relations and the opening of the land border
which is currently closed. As regards the tragic events, in particular the
human suffering in the region in 1915/1916, the prospect of Turkey’s
accession must lead to an improvement in bilateral relations with Armenia
and to reconciliation as regards these events. It is also important that
Turkey should contribute to easing tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia
in the dispute concerning Nagorno Karabakh….
“The history books for the 2003-2004 school year still portray minorities
as untrustworthy, traitorous and harmful to the state. However, the
authorities have started to review discriminatory language in schoolbooks
and, in March 2004, a Regulation was issued in which it is stated that
school textbooks should not discriminate on the basis of race, religion,
gender, language, ethnicity, philosophical belief, or religion.
“The dialogue with the authorities on the issue of the dual presidency in
the Jewish, Greek and Armenian schools (the deputy head of these schools is
a Muslim representing the Ministry of Education and has more powers than
the head) is ongoing. In May 2004 the Ministry of Education stated that
children with mothers from the minority could also attend these schools
(previously only those with fathers from the minority could attend).
However, the declaration by parents of their minority status will be
subject to an assessment by the Ministry of Education. The Greek community
has encountered problems obtaining the approval of new teaching materials
and the recognition of teachers trained abroad. Moreover, in contravention
of the 2003 Labor Law and in contrast with the situation of their
colleagues of Turkish origin, Greek minority teachers are only permitted to
teach in one school. The Armenian community has expressed its concern
regarding the inadequacy of the teaching of the Armenian language.”
Under these circumstances, what should the Armenian strategy be regarding
the talks for Turkey’s membership in the EU? Some Armenian officials and
analysts have argued that after joining the EU Turkey would be more
amenable to recognizing the Armenian Genocide and granting more rights to
its Armenian minority.
In my opinion, this is wishful thinking. Turkey would not take such
positive steps on its own initiative. It would have no incentive whatsoever
to do so, once it acquires EU membership. A good indication of Turkey’s
negative intentions is the passage of a law by the Turkish Parliament on
the eve of the issuance of the EU report, making the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide a criminal act punishable by up to 10 years of
imprisonment.
Rather than throwing away the valuable trump card Armenians hold, they
should take a very hard line and make it clear to Ankara that unless their
demands are met, they will counter Turkey’s efforts every step of the way,
by joining forces with all Europeans who are opposed to Turkey’s
membership. Turkey cannot qualify to enter the EU as long as it does not
uphold European values, it occupies part of Cyprus (the territory of an EU
member), it blockades Armenia, it violates the rights of Kurds and all
other minorities (Armenians, Greeks, Jews, Assyrians, and Alevis), and it
not only refuses to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, but bans any mention
of that crime against humanity.
After initially refusing to comply with the Armenian demands, as the years
pass and their frustrations mount, the Turks would be forced to start
making deals with all those opposed to their EU membership, including the
Armenians.
Only by taking such a tough stand could Armenians make sure that Turkey
does not become a member of the EU on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, unless it first acknowledges and atones for the Genocide!
**************************************************************************
2 – NorCal Armenian Home Receives $100,000
From Bay Area’s Davidian Charitable Trust
BURLINGAME, CA – The Board of Directors of NorCal Armenian Home and Senior
Services announced this week that it has received a donation of $100,000
from the San Francisco-based Davidian Charitable Trust.
“We are very honored that the Davidian Charitable Trust has chosen to
support our organization. We especially would like to thank Louise and
Steven Noroian for recognizing the important community service provided by
Nor Cal with their very generous contribution,” commented NorCal Armenian
Home President Norma Yaglijian.
In a letter to NorCal, Davidian Trustee Louise Noroian, writes, “My
husband, Steven Noroian, and I are extremely pleased to make a donation to
NorCal Armenian Home. We believe the services you are providing to the
Armenian community are extremely worthwhile and vital to our seniors living
in the Bay Area.”
“It is our profound wish,” Noroian continues, “that your Board and the
Armenian community at-large will join us financially to make your goals a
reality.”
It is the goal of the NorCal Board of Directors to serve the elderly
Armenian population residing in the Bay Area and Northern California, as
well as to establish a full-service home.
NorCal is ready to assist Armenian seniors residing in the Bay Area and
Northern California and their families. Among the many valuable services
NorCal provides are: information and referrals; convalescent, hospital and
home visits; assistance with Social Security, Medicare and Medi-Cal
benefits; home-delivered meals; assistance with transportation; placement
in skilled nursing facilities; assistance in maintaining independent
living; psychological counseling; assistance to families seeking caregivers
and services; and monthly excursions for local seniors. The continuation of
these and other vital services is solely dependent on charitable
contributions.
Members of the Board of Directors are Norma Yaglijian, president; George
Rustigian, vice president; Vigen Khachooni, treasurer; Aida Mirigian,
secretary; and advisors Juan Arsenian, Eleonore Aslanian, Richard
Barberian, Dr. Jane Mahakian, and Vaghinag Zakian.
For more information and to make a tax-deductible donation to “NorCal
Armenian Home and Senior Services,” call (650) 697-7474 or e-mail:
[email protected].
**************************************************************************
3 – ‘Armenian Jerusalem’ Conference
Draws International Scholars to UCLA
LOS ANGELES – “Armenian Jerusalem and Armenians in the Holy Land” is the
theme of the 15th in the UCLA conference series on Historic Armenian Cities
and Provinces sponsored by the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in
Modern Armenian History. The international conference will be held on the
UCLA campus, in the Court of Sciences (CS 50), on Nov. 6, and Nov. 7.
Conference organizer, Professor Richard Hovannisian, noted: “The Armenian
presence in the Holy Land dates back to the early Christian centuries, and
it is certainly fitting that scholars from around the world should gather
at UCLA to discuss their findings on various aspects of that long and
continuous history.”
Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, is the
honorary chairman of the conference, which includes papers on art and
architecture, the manuscript collection and library of Saint James
Monastery, the history of the Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian
Quarter of Jerusalem, relations between the Patriarchate and the Cilician
Armenian kingdom, Greater Armenia, and other Christian churches. More
contemporary issues include the history of the Armenian community of
Jerusalem and the Holy Land during and after the Armenian Genocide,
literary themes, Jerusalem’s significance for Armenians worldwide, and new
directions for future research.
A Photographic Exhibit by Richard and Anne Elizabeth Elbrecht, Davis,
Calif., will be on view throughout the two-day program.
The conference is open to the public at no charge. Parking is available on
the UCLA campus in Parking Structure No. 2. Entrance from Hilgard Avenue at
Westholme.
For further information, see or contact Professor
Richard Hovannisian:
E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: 310-825-3375 (a.m. hours)
**************************************************************************
4 – Diocese Establishes
New La Canada Parish
BURBANK, CA – The first Divine Liturgy of the newly established La Canada
Parish of the Armenian Apostolic Church will take place Oct. 24, at 10:30
a.m. in the Frank Lanterman Auditorium, 4491 Cornishion Ave. The celebrant
will be Rev. Fr. Hovsep Hagopian. Very Rev. Fr. Dajad Yardemian will
deliver the sermon.
The Liturgy will be sun by the Khachadourian Choir of St. Sarkis Armenian
Church in East Los Angeles, directed by Deacon Stepan Gozumian.
For more information, call (818) 326-4725.
**************************************************************************
5 – Kopple to Direct Film About Dr. Kevorkian
By Gregg Kilday
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the advocate of
doctor-assisted suicide who is serving a 10- to 25-year prison term, will
be the subject of a feature film.
The project marks the first time that the doctor, who was convicted of
second-degree murder in 1999 and is serving his sentence in a
maximum-security prison in Michigan, has authorized any media-based project
surrounding his life and efforts in assisted suicide.
Barbara Kopple will direct the film for producer Steve Jones, whose Bee
Holder Prods. has acquired rights to an unpublished biography. Kevorkian is
cooperating with Neal Nicol, his assistant of 25 years, and Harry Wylie, a
longtime friend, on the book. The filmmakers are seeking a screenwriter for
the project.
Kevorkian assisted in more than 150 cases of suicide and had beaten the
state court system in Michigan numerous times, but he was convicted after
he willingly sent a videotape of himself euthanizing a terminally ill man
to “60 Minutes.”
Kopple is an Oscar winner for her documentaries “Harlan County, U.S.A.” and
“American Dream.”
**************************************************************************
6 – 41 Human Rights Groups Urge EU
To Reject Turkey’s Denial of Genocide
BRUSSELS, Belgium – In a Memorandum addressed to the European Union (EU)
last month, several dozen human rights organizations called to the
attention of the EU the continuing discrimination and prejudice towards
minorities, and particularly those of non-Islamic faith in Turkey. The
speakers argued that the policy of denial of the genocide committed in 1915
on Armenians, Pontic Greeks and Syriacs should be dealt with as part of
Turkey’s accession process to the EU.
This issue has so far been sidestepped by official EU circles, arguing that
the denial of the genocide is a “matter for historians,” with no relevance
to contemporary relations between Turks an the peoples concerned.
At a press conference held in Brussels on September 22, Dr. Tessa Hofmann,
a scholar, writer and human rights activist, introduced the initiative by
highlighting the concerns of the Memorandum’s 41 signatory organizations
“about very recent and severe violations, on a governmental level, of
minority rights in Turkey. [For example] the decrees, issued by the Turkish
minister of education, Dr. Hüseyin Çelik, during 2002 and 2003 against
Armenian, Syriac and Greek demands for the recognition of the genocide on
their ancestors have been described by the Teachers Trade Union of Turkey
as chauvinist and racist.” Dr. Hofmann said: “We do not ignore [recent
progress in respect for human rights], but we know that lasting progress
depends on profound reforms in Turkey’s values as represented in her
education system and on the approach towards ethnic and religious
minorities by the media and other opinion-leaders.” Dr Hofmann also
detailed evidence of the prevalence of anti-Semitism in Turkey today.
Prominent French historian Dr. Yves Ternon focused on Turkey’s policy of
genocide denial and stated that the European Community could not remain
neutral on the matter: “I am only a historian, and for thirty years I have
examined the crime of genocide in its complexity…. But, I am in a position
to warn states against complacency towards denialism. Denying a genocide,
refusing to qualify this breach of international law, and rejecting the
evidence is tantamount to taking part in its continuation.” Ternon added
that he refused to envisage that Turkey might be admitted into the EU
without first having recognized the Armenian genocide.
Hülya Engin, speaking for the Turkish Human Rights Group TÜDAY, denounced
her government’s position: “The main obstacle to Turkey joining the EU is
not that most of its citizens are Muslims”, she insisted. “If Europe is a
project based on democracy, equality and human rights, if it embodies the
hope to fight racism, discrimination and genocide, then it does not have
the right to admit the denial of this crime. If Turkey wants to join
Europe, its first task will be to discover for itself the usefulness of a
public debate on its past”.
Two other speakers stressed the destruction from 1915 onwards, of the
Pontic Greeks and the Aramean-speaking Christians. Michalis Charalambidis,
member of the Central Committee of the International League for the Rights
and Liberation of Peoples, addressed the little known topic of the genocide
of Pontic Greeks living in Turkey, while Johny Messo, chairman of the
Foundation Study Centre Aramea and UN representative of the Syriac
Universal Alliance explained the critical situation of Syriacs of Turkey.
The prejudice towards the remnants of these groups in Turkey is unabated
today.
Finally, Baroness Caroline Cox of Queensbury, Deputy Speaker of the House
of Lords, closed the press conference with a moving call for Turkey to face
its past, emphasizing in particular how denial of a past genocide feeds
insecurity today in the region, as relations between Armenia and Turkey
continue to remain hostile.
**************************************************************************
7 – AUA’s Ceremonies Celebrate Founders, 133 Graduates
YEREVAN – A New Beginning for a New Generation was the fitting theme as the
American University of Armenia (AUA) celebrated its 11th graduation and
commencement ceremonies during the first week of October. One hundred and
thirty three motivated men and women walked down the aisle to receive their
Master’s Degrees.
These new graduates join AUA’s 1,136 alumni who now occupy important
leadership positions, such as the Deputy Minister of Privatization, Deputy
Minister of Health, Directors, Program Officers, Chief Business Officers
and Country Directors in private and international organizations.
That same week, AUA honored founding members, the late Dr. Stepan
Karamardian and Dr. Mihran Agbabian, with ribbon cutting ceremonies for the
Stepan Karamardian Conference Hall in the AUA Business and Conference
Center and the newly furnished Mihran and Elizabeth Agbabian Hall in the
AUA Baghramian building.
The traditional annual alumni dinner was held on Oct. 1. AUA alumni and
faculty congratulated the Class of 2004. The Alumni Association bestowed
hoods and diplomas naming AUA President Haroutune Armenian, Edward
Avedisian, and Dr. Krikor Soghikian “Honorary Alumni.”
The following day, AUA held its Baccalaureate Service for the AUA
graduates, families, faculty, and staff to reflect upon their
accomplishments in a spiritual setting. Edward Avedisian, Trustee of the
AUAC Board, addressed those present.
On Oct, 3, AUA held its annual Commencement exercises. Parents and spouses
of the graduates, many distinguished guests from the government, foreign
embassies, local and international organizations and more then 350 guests
from the AGBU, who were in Armenia to attend the AGBU General Assembly,
were present.
After Bishop Navasard Kjoyan’s invocation, AUA President Armenian and Dr.
Marianne Celce-Murcia, Dean of AUA’s Department of English Programs,
welcomed the graduating class, followed by greetings from Sam Simonian,
AUAC Trustee and EPYGI Technologies Chairman, and Ruben Vardanian,
President and CEO of Troika Dialog.
In his address, Pres. Armenian noted the generosity of many AUA supporters
and the number of new named scholarships and contributions to AUA’s student
loan program. He announced two new awards established by Arthur
Baghdasaryan, Speaker of Armenia’s National Assembly.
The first carries a cash prize of $250 from the Speaker, and is granted to
two graduates in recognition of their academic excellence. The second
award granted two outstanding first-year students with stipends of 25,000
Armenian Drams per month during their second year of study. The graduates
concluded the exercises by throwing their caps in the air.
During graduation week, the AUA dedicated the Stepan Karamardian Conference
Hall and the Mihran and Elizabeth Agbabian Hall. The late Dr. Stepan
Karamardian, along with Dr. Mihran Agbabian and Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian
are AUA’s founding members.
At the Karamardian Hall dedication, AUA President and Dean of the College
of Health Sciences, Dr. Armenian, welcomed guests and noted, “Being a true
academic, Stepan Karamardian was the ultimate entrepreneur of knowledge – a
person who could plan, manage and deliver knowledge.”
President Emeritus, Dr. Agbabian, said, “Nothing comes such a long way,
unless it has a strong foundation. We gave our best to ensure that
together with Stepan.” Mrs. Seta Karamardian expressed her gratitude to
the faculty, staff and students, as well as to the administration of AUA
for naming a room after her husband. She announced that the Karamardian
family would establish an annual scholarship in Dr. Karamardian’s name to
assist a deserving student in AUA’s School of Business and Administration.
At the Agbabian Hall dedication, the AUA community expressed their
appreciation for Dr. and Mrs. Agbabian’s many contributions in addition to
the remodeled hall.
Dr. Yuri Sargisyan, former President of the Yerevan State Engineering
University, and member of the AUA Fund, noted, “Mihran and Elizabeth
Agbabian helped create AUA when Armenia was facing a period of
re-establishment in the early 1990s. Today we are witness that they both
will do their best to maintain and develop what they created a decade ago.
**************************************************************************
8 – Armenian Archbishop Questioned for
Slapping Yeshiva Student in Jerusalem
By Amiram Barkat
JERUSALEM (Ha’aretz”) – The Armenian archbishop in Israel, Nourhan
Manougian, was questioned under warning by police yesterday after he
slapped a yeshiva student during a procession marking the Exaltation of the
Holy Cross in Jerusalem’s Old City. The archbishop slapped the student
after the latter spat at the cross the Armenians were carrying and at
Manougian himself.
The incident developed into a brawl during which Manougian’s ceremonial
medallion, which has been used by Armenian archbishops since the 17th
century, broke.
The yeshiva student was also detained for questioning.
Police are now considering whether to initiate criminal proceedings against
the Armenian archbishop and to charge him with assault. Meanwhile, the
incident has sparked much anger among the clergy of the small Armenian
community in Jerusalem.
Religious Jews, among them yeshiva students, customarily spit on the ground
as a sign of disgust on seeing the cross. The Armenians, who live adjacent
to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, suffer from this
phenomenon more than any of the other Christian sects in the Old City.
Manougian says he and his colleagues have already learned to live with it.
“I no longer get worked up by people who turn around and spit when I pass
them by in the street; but to approach in the middle of a religious
procession and to spit on the cross in front of all the priests is
humiliation that we are not prepared to accept,” he notes.
A policeman is customarily posted to guard the Armenians’ religious
processions, but doesn’t generally do anything to prevent the spitting. The
Armenians took the matter up with Interior Minister Avraham Poraz some
seven months ago, but nothing has been done about till now.
“The Israeli government is anti-Christian,” Manougian charges. “It cries
out in the face of any harm done to Jews all over the world, but is simply
not interested at all when we are humiliated on an almost daily basis.”
Lawmaker Rabbi Michael Melchior (Labor Party) says the phenomenon should be
tackled through educational means. “I would expect prominent figures among
the religious and ultra-Orthodox sectors, such as the chief rabbis, to
denounce this phenomenon,” he says.
**************************************************************************
The California Courier On-Line is a service provided by the California
Courier. Subscriptions or changes of address should not be transmitted
through this service. Information in that regard should be telephoned
to (818) 409-0949; faxed to: (818) 409-9207, or e-mailed to:
[email protected]. Letters to the editor concerning issues
addressed in the Courier may be e-mailed, provided it is signed by
the author. Phone and/or E-mail address is also required to verify
authorship.

PRESS RELEASE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia & New Zealand
10 Macquarie Street
Chatswood NSW 2067
AUSTRALIA
Contact: Laura Artinian
Tel: (02) 9419-8056
Fax: (02) 9904-8446
Email: [email protected]
12 October 2004
YOUNG FAITHFUL ORDAINED AS SERVANTS OF THE CHURCH
Sydney, Australia – Sunday, 10 October, 2004 was a historically significant
day for the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand when
the Primate of the Diocese, His Eminence Archbishop Aghan Baliozian
accompanied by the Reverend Fathers, Father Norayr Patanian and Father
Bartev Karakashian and Deacons ordained four young faithful servants as
Acolytes (Tbir) and blessed the veil of a fifth servant of the church, Miss
Arda Lepedjian who faithfully takes on the role of church organist week
after week and is the official accompanist to the Lousavorich Choir. The
ceremony took place at the Armenian Apostolic Church of Holy Resurrection in
Sydney.
The ordained Acolytes – Arman Lepedjian, Chris Nazarian, brothers Neshan and
Vatche Ansourian, have served the Church as altar boys over the past five to
ten years. Standing before the Holy Altar as young men of faith they will
now bring their service to the Church of Holy Resurrection at Chatswood and
the monthly worship service in the Western Suburbs of Sydney in their new
role.
It is our hope and prayer that the servanthood of these five young faithful
will be example for other youth to follow. Their dedication and
faithfulness to their mother Church is to be commended.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

State acts as guarantor of industrial exports to 40 countries
11.10.2004
MOSCOW, October 11 (Itar-Tass) – The Russian state became in 2004
the guarantor of industrial exports to 40 countries. The value of the
deliveries ranges from 10 to 500 million dollars. The government has
approved the list of the countries, to which industrial exports are
guaranteed by the state, a representative of the government’s press
service told Itar-Tass on Monday.
The state grants the greatest guarantees (500 million dollars)
to the enterprises, which export their products to the People’s
Republic of China. 300-million-dollar guarantees are granted to the
enterprises doing business in Vietnam and India. Other countries,
to which industrial products are exported under the state guarantees,
include Brazil, Hungary, Egypt, Israel, Poland, the Czech Republic etc.
The list sets the “risk categories” for those countries. From the
point of view of government experts, export is the safest (with
a minimal risk) to Israel, China, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and
the Czech Republic. The greatest risk is connected with the exports
to Armenia, Venezuela, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Mongolia,
Pakistan and Turkey.
The state will grant guarantees up to 700 million dollars in 2005
for supporting the exports of Russian industrial products. The sums
are envisaged already in the draft budget for 2005.

Rusal to Spend $70m to Modernise Aluminium Foil Plant in Armenia
Azom.com
Oct 11 2004
Rusal, one of the world’s leading aluminium producers, today
announced an agreement with German firm Achenbach to execute a $70
mln modernization program at the RUSAL ARMENAL foil mill in Armenia.
More sizable than initially planned, the program will allow RUSAL
ARMENAL to improve the quality of its foil products and raise the
plant’s profitability.
The modernization program, which will provide a major upgrade to foil
rolling equipment and the establishment of a full production cycle,
will result in an increase of the plant’s capacity to 25,000 tonnes
of foil per year, including 18,000 tonnes of highly profitable thin
foil of 6-9 micron. Following the completion of the modernization
project, RUSAL ARMENAL’s share of thin foil production will rise to
2.5% by 2008.
Previously RUSAL had considered a smaller modernization program,
including an upgrade to foil rolling facilities, at a cost of $34
mln. After Achenbach completed a detailed feasibility study, RUSAL
decided to undertake a more sizeable $70 mln modernization program,
which had initially been considered as another possibility, but not a
basic variant on the proposed program. The new program, in addition
to full-scale modernization of rolling equipment, includes the
installation of new casting machines and an upgrade to the cold
rolling mill to create a full production cycle.
As part of the modernization program the leading foil rolling
equipment will be furnished with control systems and automatic
management systems. High and low-pressure hydraulics systems will
also receive upgrades.
The realization of the program will enhance the quality and
profitability of RUSAL ARMENAL’s products and will allow for the
manufacturing of new types of products, as well as securing a
non-stop supply of raw materials by switching from coil to foil
ingots and the recycling of foil scrap.
Of the $70 mln required to finance the project, $25 mln will
represent RUSAL’s own investments and another $45 mln, in the form of
a long-term export loan, will be provided by a group of German banks,
headed by Bayerische Landesbank.
Installation of new equipment will commence in late October 2004 and
will continue, according to the contract signed with Achenbach, for
18 months. It is expected that the first 150 tonnes of foil will be
manufactured by the end of 2005. RUSAL ARMENAL will employ 1,000
people.

German co. signs $70-mln deal to upgrade Rusal’s Yerevan foil mill
Interfax
Oct 11 2004
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Germany’s Achenbach will start upgrading Russian
aluminum giant Rusal’s Armenal foil mill in Yerevan, Armenia, in the
middle of October under a contract worth $70 million signed on Friday.
A spokesman for Armenal told Interfax that a consortium of German
banks led by Bayerische Landesbank, the project’s financial consultant,
would lend $45 million and that Rusal would provide $25 million. German
state insurer Hermes is insuring the credit.
The contract states that the upgrade must start in the middle of
October and will take 18 months to complete. Armenal will achieve
full capacity by the end of the period.
The upgrade will turn Armenal into a fully integrated foil mill with
enhanced product range and increase profit margins. Capacity will
rise to 25,000 tonnes of foil annually.
The first trial consignment of 150 tonnes of foil should be produced
by the end of 2005.
Armenal said it was aiming for a 2.5%-share of the world aluminum
foil market by 2008.
Siemens will partner Achenbach in the upgrade. Orders worth $10
million will be placed with local factories.

Russia-Georgia tensions worsen following Beslan siege
By Simon Wheelan
World Socialist
Oct 11 2004
The school siege at Beslan in the Russian republic of North Ossetia
has exacerbated tensions between Russia and Georgia, its neighbour
in the South Caucasus.
The Russian administration headed by President Vladimir Putin has
utilised the tragedy in a manner similar to that adopted by the
Republican administration in the US after the destruction of the
World Trade Centre on 9/11. The Kremlin has also threatened to
make pre-emptive military strikes outside its own borders against
its enemies. Yuri Baluyevsky, Russia’s top general, declared that
military forces “will carry out all measures to liquidate terrorist
bases in any region of the world.”
The shift towards pre-emptive strikes outside of Russia is not an
idle threat. It already carries out an assassination policy like that
employed by the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon and endorsed by
Washington. In February Russian agents assassinated the prominent
Chechen Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev whilst he was residing on the Arabian
Peninsula in Doha, Qatar. The murder was in response to a previous
bomb attack on the Moscow metro, which the Kremlin blames on Chechen
separatists.
Sentencing two Russian agents to 25 years in jail this week, a Qatari
judge stated, “The Russian leadership issued an order to assassinate
the former Chechen leader Yandarbiyev.”
The Russian government has denied any knowledge of the attack.
Putin and other leading government figures have identified Georgia’s
Pankisi Gorge as a possible target for pre-emptive attacks. Thousands
of Chechen refugees live in wretched conditions after having fled
Russian atrocities and are currently seek shelter in the difficult
to penetrate region.
Russian sources claim the refugee community provides the ideal cover
for Chechen rebels to enter Georgia from the Russian republic and to
re-enter other Russian provinces like North Ossetia through Georgia’s
porous and frequently lawless northern borders. Georgia shares its
borders with the impoverished and troubled republics of Ingushetia,
Dagestan, Chechnya and North Ossetia. Russia has since closed all
its borders with Georgia.
Attempting to deflect criticism and avoid a confrontation with superior
Russian military forces, the Georgian authorities have repeatedly
claimed that the Pankisi no longer harbours Chechen rebels. The
current government led by Mikhail Saakashvili blames the deposed
administration of Eduard Shevardnadze for previous incursions by
rebels into and out of Georgia.
The Bush administration in Washington has sent out conflicting
signals. The US State Department backed the claims of the Tbilisi
administration, stating that the Pankisi Gorge was free from rebel
activity. Spokesman Richard Boucher said the Pankisi Gorge “is no
longer a haven for terrorists.” But the US ambassador to Georgia,
Richard Miles, says some international terrorists are still present
in the Gorge.
Seeking to link Georgia to the Beslan tragedy, Russia’s Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that events in South Ossetia, where
the two countries have recently come to blows in a series of military
skirmishes, might well be connected to the school siege. The Russian
media has also sought to draw in the other breakaway Georgian republic
of Abkhazia by suggesting that one of the Beslan hostage takers
is hiding in an area on the border between the two warring parties
controlled by Georgian forces. The Kodori Gorge is held by the Georgian
military and Abkhazian ethnic Georgian forces loyal to Tbilisi.
Presently Russia is on the offensive, but the situation prior to the
Beslan siege was somewhat different. Saakashvili, fresh from wresting
back control of the coastal region of Adjaria from the regional warlord
Aslan Abashidze, decided to chance his luck on the weaker of the two
remaining breakaway republics—South Ossetia.
But just days after entering South Ossetian territory and mounting
repeated exchanges with Russian and South Ossetian troops, Georgian
forces withdrew. Saakashvili tried to rally nationalist sentiment
by warning of a possible war with Russia. But the rout of his South
Ossetian campaign is now derided in parliament as a “fiasco” by the
opposition. Newsweek magazine, which had previously sang Saakashvili’s
praises, predicted that the new president’s star may have already
waned and the opportunity to unify Georgia vanished.
Putin has framed the conflict over South Ossetia as a threat to Russian
sovereignty. But since Beslan, he has gone further and questioned the
very geographical viability of Georgia. Putin declared that Georgia was
“put together very artificially in a similar manner as other creations
in the former Soviet Union”, before blaming Tbilisi for “unfreezing”
the South Ossetian conflict. He added, “No one asked Ossetians and
the Abkhaz whether they want to stay in Georgia.”
In addition to the recent skirmishes over South Ossetia, Moscow has
further enraged the Saakashvili government by reopening train links
between the Russian capital and the Abkhazian capital Sukhumi for
the first time in 11 years. Russia has also stopped Georgian airlines
from using its airspace until some $3.6 million in debts is paid. The
essentially bankrupt state of Georgia was underlined by its recent
loss of voting rights at the United Nations because of unpaid bills.
Meanwhile, Tbilisi continues to strengthen ties with the western
powers and to push for eventual membership of NATO and the European
Union. Robert Simmons, the newly appointed Special Representative for
the Caucasus and Central Asia, recently announced that a NATO liaison
officer will be stationed in Tbilisi and will work closely with the
Defence Ministry “to assist with their defence reform.” European
Commission President Romano Prodi recently encouraged Georgia and
the other Trans-Caucasus nations Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue
their pursuit of EU membership.
Since the ignominious retreat from South Ossetia, Saakashvili has
sought to internationalise the conflict by drawing upon support from
his Western sponsors. In the immediate aftermath of the Beslan siege,
few wished to be seen openly supporting Russia’s enemies. Britain’s
Home Secretary Jack Straw, for example, described the Russian desire
for pre-emptive strikes as “understandable” in the circumstances.
But in contrast, the Bush administration has developed a bellicose
response both to Russia’s policy in Chechnya and in Georgia.
Washington has reiterated its calls for Russia to withdraw its troops
from Georgia, continues to train and equip Georgian forces and is
set to increase its financial assistance to Georgia threefold. In
return Georgian Defence Minister Giorgi Baramidze announced that more
Georgian troops would possibly be sent to bolster American forces
occupying Iraq.
Russia has a vital strategic interest in maintaining control over the
northern Caucasus region and extending its influence into the southern
Caucasus to break a possible US encirclement through its support for
Saakashvili’s Georgian administration and the ruling Aliyev dynasty
in Azerbaijan. Russia aims to thwart US attempts at monopolising the
vital Caspian Sea oil reserves and it should not be forgotten that
Chechnya also possesses significant oil reserves.
America has long sought control over oil supplies from the Caspian
Sea by installing or cultivating compliant regimes in the southern
Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, where the oil is extracted, and
Georgia, across which the $1.5 billion Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline
passes. Consequently the US government is committed to thwarting any
attempt by Russia to expand its influence in the Caucasus. Therefore
while the Bush administration has in the past made a show of supporting
Russian efforts to “curb terrorism”, its essential policy is hostility
to all attempts by Russia to dominate the region.
The State Department criticised the August 29 Chechen elections
as being “neither free nor fair” and it has granted asylum to
Ilyas Akhmadov, the foreign minister of Ivan Maskhadov’s opposition
government. Such support has allowed Akhmadov to pursue diplomatic
relations aimed at winning international support for a Republic
of Ichkeria.
Both the US and the EU have called for Russia to negotiate with what
they often describe as the “moderate” Chechen separatists. But France
and Germany are seeking to distance themselves from the US by endorsing
the validity of the August 29 election whilst simultaneously urging
negotiation. Their ambivalence is based on their desire for stronger
relations with Russia to counter American influence in Eastern Europe
and to build lucrative economic relations, particularly in the oil
sector. But they too must seek to free Caspian Sea oil from Russian
hegemony.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Oil Wars: U.S. military is being remolded into an oil-protection force
By Michael T. Klare
Oct 11, 2004, 09:34
Under the pressure of Bush administration energy geopolitics (and
under the guise of anti-terrorism), the U.S. military is being remolded
into an oil-protection force.
In the first U.S. combat operation of the war in Iraq, Navy commandos
stormed an offshore oil-loading platform. “Swooping silently out of
the Persian Gulf night,” an overexcited reporter for the New York Times
wrote on March 22, “Navy Seals seized two Iraqi oil terminals in bold
raids that ended early this morning, overwhelming lightly-armed Iraqi
guards and claiming a bloodless victory in the battle for Iraq’s vast
oil empire.”
A year and a half later, American soldiers are still struggling to
maintain control over these vital petroleum facilities â^À^Ó and the
fighting is no longer bloodless. On April 24, two American sailors and
a Coast Guardsman were killed when a boat they sought to intercept,
presumably carrying suicide bombers, exploded near the Khor al-Amaya
loading platform. Other Americans have come under fire while protecting
some of the many installations in Iraq’s “oil empire.”
Indeed, Iraq has developed into a two-front war: the battles for
control over Iraq’s cities and the constant struggle to protect its
far-flung petroleum infrastructure against sabotage and attack. The
first contest has been widely reported in the American press;
the second has received far less attention. Yet the fate of Iraq’s
oil infrastructure could prove no less significant than that of its
embattled cities. A failure to prevail in this contest would eliminate
the economic basis upon which a stable Iraqi government could someday
emerge. “In the grand scheme of things,” a senior officer told the
New York Times, “there may be no other place where our armed forces
are deployed that has a greater strategic importance.” In recognition
of this, significant numbers of U.S. soldiers have been assigned to
oil-security functions.
Top officials insist that these duties will eventually be taken
over by Iraqi forces, but day by day this glorious moment seems to
recede ever further into the distance. So long as American forces
remain in Iraq, a significant number of them will undoubtedly spend
their time guarding highly vulnerable pipelines, refineries, loading
facilities, and other petroleum installations. With thousands of
miles of pipeline and hundreds of major facilities at risk, this task
will prove endlessly demanding – and unrelievedly hazardous. At the
moment, the guerrillas seem capable of striking the country’s oil
lines at times and places of their choosing, their attacks often
sparking massive explosions and fires.
Guarding the Pipelines
It has been argued that our oil-protection role is a peculiar feature
of the war in Iraq, where petroleum installations are strewn about
and the national economy is largely dependent on oil revenues. But
Iraq is hardly the only country where American troops are risking
their lives on a daily basis to protect the flow of petroleum. In
Colombia, Saudi Arabia, and the Republic of Georgia, U.S. personnel
are also spending their days and nights protecting pipelines and
refineries, or supervising the local forces assigned to this mission.
American sailors are now on oil-protection patrol in the Persian
Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the South China Sea, and along other sea
routes that deliver oil to the United States and its allies. In fact,
the American military is increasingly being converted into a global
oil-protection service.
The situation in the Republic of Georgia is a perfect example of
this trend. Ever since the Soviet Union broke apart in 1992, American
oil companies and government officials have sought to gain access to
the huge oil and natural gas reserves of the Caspian Sea basin â^À^Ó
especially in Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. Some
experts believe that as many as 200 billion barrels of untapped oil
lie ready to be discovered in the Caspian area, about seven times the
amount left in the United States. But the Caspian itself is landlocked
and so the only way to transport its oil to market in the West is by
pipelines crossing the Caucasus region â^À^Ó the area encompassing
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the war-torn Russian republics of
Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, and North Ossetia.
American firms are now building a major pipeline through this volatile
area. Stretching a perilous 1,000 miles from Baku in Azerbaijan
through Tbilisi in Georgia to Ceyhan in Turkey, it is eventually
slated to carry one million barrels of oil a day to the West; but will
face the constant threat of sabotage by Islamic militants and ethnic
separatists along its entire length. The United States has already
assumed significant responsibility for its protection, providing
millions of dollars in arms and equipment to the Georgian military
and deploying military specialists in Tbilisi to train and advise the
Georgian troops assigned to protect this vital conduit. This American
presence is only likely to expand in 2005 or 2006 when the pipeline
begins to transport oil and fighting in the area intensifies.
Or take embattled Colombia, where U.S. forces are increasingly assuming
responsibility for the protection of that country’s vulnerable oil
pipelines. These vital conduits carry crude petroleum from fields in
the interior, where a guerrilla war boils, to ports on the Caribbean
coast from which it can be shipped to buyers in the United States
and elsewhere. For years, left-wing guerrillas have sabotaged the
pipelines â^À^Ó portraying them as concrete expressions of foreign
exploitation and elitist rule in Bogota, the capital â^À^Ó to deprive
the Colombian government of desperately needed income. Seeking to prop
up the government and enhance its capacity to fight the guerrillas,
Washington is already spending hundreds of millions of dollars to
enhance oil-infrastructure security, beginning with the Cano-Limon
pipeline, the sole conduit connecting Occidental Petroleum’s prolific
fields in Arauca province with the Caribbean coast. As part of this
effort, U.S. Army Special Forces personnel from Fort Bragg, North
Carolina are now helping to train, equip, and guide a new contingent
of Colombian forces whose sole mission will be to guard the pipeline
and fight the guerrillas along its 480-mile route.
Oil and Instability
The use of American military personnel to help protect vulnerable
oil installations in conflict-prone, chronically unstable countries
is certain to expand given three critical factors: America’s
ever-increasing dependence on imported petroleum, a global shift in
oil production from the developed to the developing world, and the
growing militarization of our foreign energy policy.
America’s dependence on imported petroleum has been growing steadily
since 1972, when domestic output reached its maximum (or “peak”) output
of 11.6 million barrels per day (mbd). Domestic production is now
running at about 9 mbd and is expected to continue to decline as older
fields are depleted. (Even if some oil is eventually extracted from the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, as the Bush administration
desires, this downward trend will not be reversed.) Yet our total oil
consumption remains on an upward course; now approximating 20 mbd,
it’s projected to reach 29 mbd by 2025. This means ever more of the
nation’s total petroleum supply will have to be imported â^À^Ó 11
mbd today (about 55% of total U.S. consumption) but 20 mbd in 2025
(69% of consumption).
More significant than this growing reliance on foreign oil,
an increasing share of that oil will come from hostile, war-torn
countries in the developing world, not from friendly, stable
countries like Canada or Norway. This is the case because the older
industrialized countries have already consumed a large share of their
oil inheritance, while many producers in the developing world still
possess vast reserves of untapped petroleum. As a result, we are seeing
a historic shift in the center of gravity for world oil production
â^À^Ó from the industrialized countries of the global North to the
developing nations of the global South, which are often politically
unstable, torn by ethnic and religious conflicts, home to extremist
organizations, or some combination of all three.
Whatever deeply-rooted historical antagonisms exist in these countries,
oil production itself usually acts as a further destabilizing
influence. Sudden infusions of petroleum wealth in otherwise poor
and underdeveloped countries tend to deepen divides between rich
and poor that often fall along ethnic or religious lines, leading to
persistent conflict over the distribution of petroleum revenues. To
prevent such turbulence, ruling elites like the royal family in
Saudi Arabia or the new oil potentates of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan
restrict or prohibit public expressions of dissent and rely on the
repressive machinery of state security forces to crush opposition
movements. With legal, peaceful expressions of dissent foreclosed in
this manner, opposition forces soon see no options but to engage in
armed rebellion or terrorism.
There is another aspect of this situation that bears examination. Many
of the emerging oil producers in the developing world were once
colonies of and harbor deep hostility toward the former imperial powers
of Europe. The United States is seen by many in these countries as
the modern inheritor of this imperial tradition. Growing resentment
over social and economic traumas induced by globalization is aimed
at the United States. Because oil is viewed as the primary motive
for American involvement in these areas, and because the giant U.S.
oil corporations are seen as the very embodiment of American power,
anything to do with oil â^À^Ó pipelines, wells, refineries, loading
platforms â^À^Ó is seen by insurgents as a legitimate and attractive
target for attack; hence the raids on pipelines in Iraq, on oil
company offices in Saudi Arabia, and on oil tankers in Yemen.
Militarizing Energy Policy
American leaders have responded to this systemic challenge to stability
in oil-producing areas in a consistent fashion: by employing military
means to guarantee the unhindered flow of petroleum. This approach
was first adopted by the Truman and Eisenhower administrations after
World War II, when Soviet adventurism in Iran and pan-Arab upheavals
in the Middle East seemed to threaten the safety of Persian Gulf
oil deliveries. It was given formal expression by President Carter in
January 1980, when, in response to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan
and the Islamic revolution in Iran, he announced that the secure flow
of Persian Gulf oil was in “the vital interests of the United States
of America,” and that in protecting this interest we would use “any
means necessary, including military force.” Carter’s principle of
using force to protect the flow of oil was later cited by President
Bush the elder to justify American intervention in the Persian Gulf
War of 1990-91, and it provided the underlying strategic rationale
for our recent invasion of Iraq.
Originally, this policy was largely confined to the world’s most
important oil-producing region, the Persian Gulf. But given America’s
ever-growing requirement for imported petroleum, U.S. officials
have begun to extend it to other major producing zones, including
the Caspian Sea basin, Africa, and Latin America. The initial step
in this direction was taken by President Clinton, who sought to
exploit the energy potential of the Caspian basin and, worrying
about instability in the area, established military ties with future
suppliers, including Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, and with the pivotal
transit state of Georgia. It was Clinton who first championed the
construction of a pipeline from Baku to Ceyhan and who initially took
steps to protect that conduit by boosting the military capabilities of
the countries involved. President Bush junior has built on this effort,
increasing military aid to these states and deploying American combat
advisers in Georgia; Bush is also considering the establishment of
permanent U.S. military bases in the Caspian region.
Typically, such moves are justified as being crucial to the “war
on terror.” A close reading of Pentagon and State Department
documents shows, however, that anti-terrorism and the protection of
oil supplies are closely related in administration thinking. When
requesting funds in 2004 to establish a “rapid-reaction brigade”
in Kazakhstan, for example, the State Department told Congress that
such a force is needed to “enhance Kazakhstan’s capability to respond
to major terrorist threats to oil platforms” in the Caspian Sea.
As noted, a very similar trajectory is now under way in Colombia. The
American military presence in oil-producing areas of Africa,
though less conspicuous, is growing rapidly. The Department of
Defense has stepped up its arms deliveries to military forces
in Angola and Nigeria, and is helping to train their officers and
enlisted personnel; meanwhile, Pentagon officials have begun to look
for permanent U.S. bases in the area, focusing on Senegal, Ghana,
Mali, Uganda, and Kenya. Although these officials tend to talk only
about terrorism when explaining the need for such facilities, one
officer told Greg Jaffe of the Wall Street Journal in June 2003 that
“a key mission for U.S. forces [in Africa] would be to ensure that
Nigeria’s oil fields, which in the future could account for as much
as 25 percent of all U.S. oil imports, are secure.”
An increasing share of our naval forces is also being committed to the
protection of foreign oil shipments. The Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based at
the island state of Bahrain, now spends much of its time patrolling
the vital tanker lanes of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz
â^À^Ó the narrow waterway connecting the Gulf to the Arabian Sea and
the larger oceans beyond. The Navy has also beefed up its ability
to protect vital sea lanes in the South China Sea â^À^Ó the site of
promising oil fields claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and
Malaysia â^À^Ó and in the Strait of Malacca, the critical sea-link
between the Persian Gulf and America’s allies in East Asia. Even
Africa has come in for increased attention from the Navy. In order to
increase the U.S. naval presence in waters adjoining Nigeria and other
key producers, carrier battle groups assigned to the European Command
(which controls the South Atlantic) will shorten their future visits
to the Mediterranean “and spend half the time going down the west
coast of Africa,” the command’s top officer, General James Jones,
announced in May 2003.
This, then, is the future of U.S. military involvement abroad. While
anti-terrorism and traditional national security rhetoric will be
employed to explain risky deployments abroad, a growing number of
American soldiers and sailors will be committed to the protection
of overseas oil fields, pipeline, refineries, and tanker routes. And
because these facilities are likely to come under increasing attack
from guerrillas and terrorists, the risk to American lives will grow
accordingly. Inevitably, we will pay a higher price in blood for
every additional gallon of oil we obtain from abroad.
Michael T. Klare is a professor of peace and world security studies
at Hampshire College. This article is based on his new book, ‘Blood
and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Petroleum
Dependency’ (Metropolitan / Henry Holt
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SPECIALISTS FROM 7 COUNTRIES PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS
OF SURGEON-CARDIOLOGISTS
YEREVAN, October 11 (Noyan Tapan). On October 11, a 3-day international
congress of surgeon-cadiologists began in Yerevan. The congress is
dedicated to the 1-year activity of the cardiac surgery department
of the Erebuni medical center. More than 100 surgeon-cardiologists
from the US, France, Singapour and other countries participate in the
congress. According to the participants, the congress gives them an
opportunity for exchanging experience, as well as establishing new
contacts. Vahe Gasparian, Head of the department, mentioned that at
present growth of cardiovascular illnesses is observed in Armenia,
as well as in the whole world. According to him, the main reason of
mortality caused by cardiovascular illnesses in Armenia is the fact
that patients apply for medical aid very late. It was also mentioned
that 31 heart operations were carried out during a year in the Erebuni
medical center.

Nominating Committee Announces Final Selections for Key Leadership Positions Within ICANN
MARINA DEL REY, Calif., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ — After an intense
period of outreach, consultation, recruitment, and evaluation,
the Nominating Committee (NomCom) of the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced today its final
selection of four ‘slates’ of Nominees for four of ICANN’s leadership
bodies: the Board of Directors, the Council of the Country Code Names
Supporting Organization (ccNSO), the Council of the Generic Names
Supporting Organization (GNSO) and the Interim At Large Advisory
Committee (ALAC). The Nominees will join the already seated members
of these bodies at the conclusion of the ICANN Meeting in Cape Town,
South Africa, December 1 – 5.
ICANN is a non-profit organization responsible for coordinating
the global Internet’s systems of unique identifiers, including the
systems of domain names and numeric addresses that are used to reach
all computers on the Internet.
ICANN’s mission is to ensure the stable and secure operation of
these unique identifier systems, which are vital to the Internet’s
operation. In addition, ICANN coordinates policy development related
to these technical functions.
“We are very pleased that so many excellent Candidates from all five
geographic regions participated in this second NomCom Process,”
said Nominating Committee Chair and spokesperson Jean-Jacques
Damlamian. “This global participation reflects the Internet community’s
impressive array of talent, experience, and willingness to undertake
these volunteer leadership roles essential to ICANN’s evolution and
performance goals.”
The Nominees:
ICANN Board
Vinton G. Cerf (U.S.A. – North America)
Joichi Ito (Japan – Asia/Australia/Pacific)
Vanda Scartezini (Brazil – Latin America/Caribbean Islands)
Terms: Conclusion of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2004 until conclusion
of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2007
ccNSO Council
Yassin Mshana (Tanzania – Africa)
Term: Conclusion of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2004 until conclusion
of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2005
Eva Frolich (Sweden – Europe)
Term: Conclusion of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2004 until conclusion
of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2006
Charles Shaban (Jordan – Asia/Australia/Pacific)
Term: Conclusion of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2004 until conclusion
of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2007
GNSO Council
Maureen Cubberley (Canada – North America)
Term: Conclusion of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2004 until conclusion
of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2006
Interim At Large Advisory Committee
Roberto Gaetano (Italy – Europe)
Jean Armour Polly (U.S.A. – North America)
Terms: Conclusion of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2004 until conclusion
of ICANN Annual Meeting for 2006
Biographical information on the Nominees will soon be posted on the
NomCom web page.
In response to its June 30th Formal Call, the NomCom received 102
recommendations of potential candidates from all over the world. Out
of 84 individuals who subsequently submitted a Statement of Interest,
NomCom selected 9 outstanding individuals for staggered terms in these
leadership roles in ICANN. The terms range from twelve to thirty-six
months in length. Three individuals were selected to serve on the Board
of Directors; two individuals were selected to fill seats designated
for individuals from the North American and European regions on the
Interim At-Large Advisory Committee (which coordinates participation
by individual Internet users in ICANN’s activities); three individuals
were selected for the Council of the new Country Code Names Supporting
Organisation (which administers and coordinates the affairs of the
ccNSO and manages the policy development process of the ccNSO); and one
individual was selected for the Council of the Generic Names Supporting
Organization (which develops policy concerning domain names in generic
top-level domains such as .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz).
The NomCom was asked to find high-caliber, experienced, open-minded
women and men with integrity, sound judgment, and objectivity. “Using
a holistic approach, the NomCom focused on the careful selection
of slates of Candidates with complementary skills and perspectives
who fulfilled the ICANN criteria and eligibility requirements for
each of the four roles to be filled, keeping all the Candidates in
consideration until the final slates were chosen,” Damlamian explained.
Through these strategies the NomCom pursued its dual charge: to
balance the other ICANN leadership selection processes which are based
on Supporting Organizations and Constituencies and to help ensure
that ICANN can benefit from the leadership of the women and men of
the highest integrity and capability who place the interest of the
global Internet community ahead of any particular interests. These
carefully selected slates will help ICANN ensure functional, cultural,
and geographic diversity in its policy development and decision-making
as the Internet itself evolves.
The Nominating Committee:
An independent Nominating Committee is a key element of the ICANN
structure. It is composed of a diverse set of individuals chosen by
the groups and entities that make up ICANN. The NomCom is charged to
act in the interests of the global Internet community rather than in
accord with specific interests. NomCom is presently responsible for
selecting 8 of fifteen Board Directors, 5 of fifteen Interim ALAC
Members, 3 of eighteen ccNSO Council Members and 3 of fifteen GNSO
Council Members. In the current process, nine of these positions
needed to be filled.
For more information about the Nominating Committee, its
Members, Formal Call and Procedures please visit its web page at
Further questions or
requests for information can be sent via e-mail to Kieran Baker
([email protected]).
NomCom Selection Statistics:
Total Number of Candidates: 84
Geographic Distribution Geographic Distribution of
of Candidates Selected Nominees
Africa 11% 13%
Asia/Australia/
Pacific 24% 24%
Europe 29% 13%
Latin America/Caribbean
Islands 10% 13%
North America 26% 37%
Total: 100% 100%
Citizenship of Candidates:
34 Countries:
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
China, Congo, France, Germany, Hong Kong S.A.R, India, Italy, Japan,
Jordan, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Spain,
Sudan, Sweden, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, USA.
Citizenship of Selected Nominees:
8 Countries:
Brazil, Canada, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Sweden, Tanzania, USA.
Gender Distribution of Gender Distribution of Selected
Candidates Nominees
Male: 74% 56%
Female: 26% 44%
Recommendations Received:
Total Number of Recommendations: 102
Total Number of Recommendees: 90
Total Number of Recommendees who submitted
a Statement of Interest 54
Percentage of Candidates who are Recommendees 60%
About ICANN
The mission of ICANN is to coordinate, at the overall level, the
global Internet’s systems of unique identifiers, and in particular
to ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet’s unique
identifier systems. In particular, ICANN:
1. Coordinates the allocation and assignment of the three sets of
unique identifiers for the Internet, which are
a. Domain names (forming a system referred to as “DNS”);
b. Internet protocol (“IP”) addresses and autonomous system (“AS”)
numbers; and
c. Protocol port and parameter numbers.
2. Coordinates the operation and evolution of the DNS root name
server system.
3. Coordinates policy development reasonably and appropriately related
to these technical functions.
SOURCE Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
CO: Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers; ICANN
ST: California
SU: PER NPT
Web site:
10/11/2004 18:10 EDT