EurasiaNet Organization
July 16 2004
NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S DEEP DIVIDE
A EurasiaNet Photo Essay by Daniel Gerstle: 7/16/04
Nagorno-Karabakh is arguably the most intractable of all the
conflicts that accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union. [For
background see the EurasiaNet Insight archive]. International efforts
to broker a lasting peace have focused mainly on pressing the
governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a political compromise.
But another serious obstacle, one that hasn’t received much
attention, is connected with public attitudes; the lack of contact
among Armenians and Azeris. Feelings of mutual hostility have reached
a point where many on both sides believe the chances are slim that a
future settlement leads to the reintegration. The images in this
photo essay attempt to explore the popular mood in Karabakh.
The Karabakh War, which lasted from 1988-1994, left over 25,000
people dead and caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of
Azeris and Armenians. Since the declaration of a ceasefire, there has
been virtually no inter-ethnic communication on the local level. Most
teenagers on both sides of the frontline cannot recall ever having a
conversation with a member of the opposite ethnic community. In the
words of journalist Thomas de Wall — author of Black Garden: Armenia
and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War, a history of the Karabakh
conflict – Armenians and Azeris have become “hermetically sealed off”
from each other.
Recent visits with families, veterans, and soldiers on both sides
confirmed the existence of a deep public divide. People in the region
have nearly identical views about the conflict, except that the
“bad-guy” role is played by those of the opposing ethnicity. [For
background see the EurasiaNet Insight archive].
Pensioners tend to comment most on existing economic hardships,
recalling that living standards were much better during the Soviet
era. Meanwhile, those who fought in the conflict often recount war
stories – some involving survival against overwhelming odds. The
strongest opinions are, not so surprisingly, expressed by young boys
and soldiers who have few memories from before the conflict. They are
the primary consumers of more extreme views shared in political media
and teahouse conversations – that their ethnic group narrowly survived
what is perceived as an attempted genocide. They also believe that
only enforced separation from the other group can protect their
families from an on-going threat.
It is clear that for any eventual peace deal to work, far-reaching
and enduring programs to restore mutual trust between Armenians and
Azeris will be needed.
Editor’s Note: Daniel J Gerstle is a Summer Research Fellow covering
the Caucasus and Central Asia for the Harriman Institute and the
Center for International Conflict Resolution at Columbia University.

Pacific News Service, CA
New California Media, CA
July 16 2004
Ethnic Media, Activists Decry Crisis in Sudan
News Report, Compiled by Peter Micek,
Asbarez Armenian Daily, Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater
Chicago, Jul 16, 2004
WASHINGTON — Armenian activists joined with Rep. Charles Rangel and
leading African American and human rights activists at a
demonstration July 13 outside the Sudanese Embassy calling for United
States and international pressure to end the genocide in the Darfur
region of Sudan.
The Washington protest, organized by the Sudan Campaign, featured the
arrest of rep. Charles, Rangel, a senior Democrat and New York
Congressman who serves as the Ranking Member on the influential
United States House Ways and Means Committee.
Staff and activists with the Armenian National Committee of America
also participated in the protest. Armenian and Black media gave ample
coverage to the protest.
“When human lives are in jeopardy, there should be outrage,’ Rangel
said.
Some 30,000 have already perished over the past 18 months in Darfur,
Sudan, with approximately one million forced to flee their homes. If
the Sudanese government does not allow for the distribution of
international humanitarian assistance, the death toll could rise to
350,000, according to conservative estimates.
In a July 15 press release, the Council of Islamic Organizations of
Greater Chicago, said `an apparent ethnic cleansing campaign’ against
non-Arab, ethnic Sudanese has led to refugee camps with little access
to food or medical care.
`It is a neglected humanitarian tragedy,’ said Jihad Shoshara of the
Council’s newly created Darfur Awareness and Relief Program.
Rangel was arrested for trespassing after stepping to the door of the
Embassy. He was released within hours from a Washington, D.C., jail
after paying bail of 50 dollars. Former member of Congress and
current president of the National Council of Churches Robert Edgar
was arrested at the Sudanese Embassy the next day.
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram
Hamparian, Government Affairs Director Abraham Niziblian and ANCA
interns, led by Director Arsineh Khachikian, joined the midday
protest which included some 150 activists and representatives from a
diverse coalition of Sudan Campaign partner organizations including
the Congressional Black Caucus, Center for Religious Freedom at
Freedom House, Institute on Religion and Democracy, American
Anti-slavery group, Wilberforce Project, and Christian Solidarity
International, among others.
“We marched today, in the name of all Armenians, to do our part to
help end the cycle of genocide,” said Hamparian. “As the descendants
of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, we bear a special burden to
fight intolerance and to demand moral leadership – and decisive
action – from our government to prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths
in Darfur.”
Niziblian, in an interview with the Associated Press (AP), was quoted
as saying that, “A lot more people should be protesting and taking to
the streets now.”
The Sudan Campaign is led by Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, co-founder of
the Congressional Black Caucus, and Joe Madison, a civil rights
activist and radio personality in the Greater Washington, DC area.
The group has been holding noon-time protests in front of the
Sudanese Embassy for the past month, during which several leading
human and civil rights activists have been arrested.
During his remarks, Madison announced that he is launching a hunger
strike until the Sudanese government takes action to end the
obstruction of humanitarian assistance from reaching hundreds of
thousands in need in Darfur.
Over the past month, the ANCA has called attention to the atrocities
in Sudan through a series of letters to Congressional offices, urging
them to take a stand to stop the cycle of genocide through support of
Congressional initiatives regarding Sudan as well as for the Genocide
Resolution (H.Res.193, S.Res.164), which reaffirms United States
commitment to the principles of the Genocide Convention.
On June 23, Niziblian participated in a press conference organized by
the Congressional Black Caucus and Africa Action. The ANCA has urged
Armenian Americans to add their names to the Africa Action petition
drive for Sudan, by visiting
The coming rainy season in Sudan will make roads impassable,
obstructing relief efforts to the camps, the Council of Islamic
Organizations of Greater Chicago said. The United Nations, it said,
has called the situation in Darfur `the world’s greatest humanitarian
crisis.’
It is a neglected humanitarian tragedy, said the Council’s Jihad
Shoshara.
`There are people who are dying and nobody knows about it.’
The Council opened a relief fund and asks, `Muslims and fellow
Americans of all faiths,’ to spread awareness of the situation and
contact elected representatives.

Tehran Times
July 16 2004
Iran May Increase Gas Supplies To Armenia
MOSCOW — The amount of gas being supplied to Armenia under a
bilateral agreement to build a pipeline between the two countries may
be increased by over 30% from 36 billion cubic meters to 47bcm during
the 20-year contract term, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisian
told journalists.
He said that initially the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline would pump 1.1
billion cubic meters of gas per year, which will increase to 2.3 bcm
at the end of the contract.
He also said that the contract might be extended by five years – from
20 to 25 years.
Iranian Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Farhad Koleini was quoted as
saying earlier that trade between Iran and Armenia arising from the
agreement to build and operate the pipeline will amount to $10
billion over the next 20-25 years.
Armenia and Iran signed an agreement on May 13 for the construction
of a pipeline between the two countries. The pipeline is 141 km long,
inducing 41 km in Armenia and 100 km in Iran. The total cost of the
project is estimated at $210-$220 million.
Gas should start to arrive in Armenia from January 2007 and will be
used at Armenian thermal power plants to produce electricity for
export to Iran.

American Progress
July 16 2004
There They Go Again
by Shira Saperstein
It’s that time of year again. Every spring the White House gives its
annual sop to the right-wing by withholding funds from the U.N.
Population Fund (UNFPA). When it comes to the UNFPA, a long-time
target of anti-family planning zealots, the administration for the
third year in a row has chosen ideology and politics over research
and public health.
Last January, Congress authorized and appropriated $34 million for
the UNFPA, a multilateral agency that works with governments and NGOs
in over 140 countries. The agency helps women avoid unwanted
pregnancies, give birth safely, and protect themselves from violence
and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
One of those countries is China, where UNFPA is implementing a pilot
project in 32 counties designed to shift the country away from its
reliance on abortion and state control to a policy of high quality
family planning and individual reproductive choice. Results have been
encouraging. In those counties, the ratio of abortions to live births
declined by 30 percent. Furthermore, according to the State
Department’s 2004 Human Rights Report, 800 other Chinese counties are
now trying to replicate the UNFPA model, discarding their targets and
quota systems in favor of quality of care and informed choice.
In 2002, the Bush administration withdrew all funding for the UNFPA,
claiming that its work in China violated the Kemp-Kasten amendment,
which prohibits foreign aid funding for any organization that
“supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive
abortion or involuntary sterilization.” In 2003, the administration
again refused to release any funds, and today, it did so again.
The interpretation flies in the face of four, separate investigations
of the UNFPA’s program in China:
In 2003 a team of nine religious and faith-based organization leaders
and ethicists, representing Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant
groups, conducted a mission to China. They concluded that the UNFPA
is not involved in any forced abortion or involuntary sterilization
and is a catalyst for positive change.
In 2002, the administration sent its own hand-picked Blue Ribbon
Panel to investigate allegations of UNFPA involvement in coercive
abortion in China. The team found “no evidence that UNFPA has
knowingly supported or participated in the management of a program of
coercive abortion” and recommended that the “$34 million which has
already been appropriated be released to UNFPA.”
Also in 2002, the United Kingdom sent an all-party group of three
Parliamentarians who determined that the UNFPA in China was a “force
for good.”
In 2001 the United Nations sent a high-level delegation to China that
came back with praise for the UNFPA and a recommendation for
continued support.
The UNFPA was founded in 1969, with strong leadership and support
from the United States. It is funded by voluntary contributions from
member states and depends on the global community to support its
wide-range of life-saving programs. Today, more than 130 countries
make contributions; leading donors include the Netherlands, Japan,
Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Even smaller countries like
Afghanistan, Armenia and Somalia value the role of UNFPA enough to
make modest contributions. But not the United States, which once
again has isolated itself from its closest allies and the rest of the
world.
The $34 million that the president refuses to release could prevent
two million unwanted pregnancies, 800,000 induced abortions, 4,700
maternal and 77,000 infant and child deaths. These funds would
strengthen current UNFPA programs like those to reduce maternal
mortality in Afghanistan, improve adolescent health in Vietnam, and
send desperately needed medical supplies to displaced Sudanese
refugees.
This week, Congress and the White House have been nattering on about
the dangers of gay marriage to children and families in America.
Meanwhile, as a result of its decision to withhold funding for the
UNFPA, the White House will leave millions of women around the world
without access to the services they need to protect their children
and families. The administration’s stubborn refusal to consider the
evidence, work with international institutions, and see beyond its
own political blinders will cost thousands of innocent lives. So much
for compassionate conservatism.
Shira Saperstein is a visiting fellow at the Center for American
Progress.

Kavkaz Center, Turkey
July 16 2004
175 Ossetians ready to fight for Georgia against Kokoity

Kavkaz Center’s sources in South Ossetia reported that several
hundred units of Russian armored vehicles, 80 self-propelled
artillery units and other ordnance were brought into Tskhinvali.
108 Armenians, 76 Abkhazians and 10 natives of Kabardino-Balkaria
have joined the Tskhinavli army. Hundreds of Russian criminals from
Russian prisons have been brought to Tskhinavli as well. First
payment to the mercenaries was $ 3,500 US dollars. Ossetians are now
moving to Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia on a mass scale. Entire families
are leaving the city.
Artificial obstacles are now being set up in South Ossetia. Military
positions are getting ready. At the same time Georgian central
government in Tbilisi is concealing the real picture of the events.
Over the past few days Ossetian and Russian gang formations have
totally expelled Georgians from three villages. Residents of the rest
four villages will be facing the same lot in the near future. But
Tbilisi has been quiet about it. Some reports say that Georgian
journalists have been banned from bringing up this subject.
At the same time the reports coming from Tskhinvali are showing that
local Ossetians are even more outraged with self-appointed
(pro-Russian) president of South Ossetia Kokoity. Moreover, 175
Ossetians declared they are willing to assist and join the Georgian
army in case war operations get started.

Agence France Presse
July 16 2004
Azerbaijan Investigates Officer’s Disappearance
AFP: 7/16/2004
BAKU, July 9 (AFP) – Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said on Friday it
was looking into the whereabouts of one of its senior officers, who
was reported to have applied for political asylum while studying on a
NATO course in Belgium.
Unconfirmed reports in the local media say that Lieutenant Colonel
Firuz Gassymov went absent without leave from his course in Brussels
and approached an unnamed foreign embassy to ask for asylum.
Defence ministry spokesman Ramiz Melikov declined to confirm the
reports but said: “Things are unclear at the moment. We are
conducting an investigation.”
If the reports are confirmed, it will be a serious embarassment for
Azerbaijan, an oil-rich former Soviet republic which prides itself on
the strength of its armed forces.
But it is not the first time that the military has created awkward
moments for the country’s leaders.
Last year, almost the entire student faculty at Azerbaijan’s most
prestigious military academy went absent without leave in protest at
their living conditions.
And earlier this year, an Azeri officer on a NATO course in Hungary
was charged with murder after an Armenian officer studying alongside
him was hacked to death with an axe as he slept.
The Azeri officer is now in jail in Budapest awaiting trial.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war in the early 1990s over the
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, a dispute which is still unresolved.

Albany Times Union, NY
July 16 2004
Ex-priest pleads guilty to tax fraud
Albany– Former pastor avoids prison time, again told to repay Troy
church

By BRENDAN LYONS, Staff writer
First published: Friday, July 16, 2004

A former priest who took more than $90,000 while he was pastor at an
Armenian church in Troy was sentenced on federal charges this week to
six months of home confinement and three years of probation.
Megerdich Megerdichian, 48, who now lives in Cranston, R.I., was a
priest at Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church for about 16 years
until January 1998. In the mid-1990s, Megerdichian opened a bank
account in which he deposited thousands of dollars in checks made out
to the congregation.

The deposits were made without the knowledge of a four-member church
finance board, and Megerdichian withdrew money from the account for
several years, beginning in 1995, to pay personal expenses.
In federal court Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn
heard from a church member who urged him to sentence Megerdichian to
life in prison, according to federal authorities. But Megerdichian
faced a maximum punishment of only about three years in prison and a
fine of up to $250,000. In addition to home confinement and
probation, Kahn fined him $20,000 and ordered him to repay the
embezzled money to the church.
Megerdichian was removed from ministry in 1998 and was required in
2000 to repay the parish. It’s not clear from court records if the
money has been repaid. It totaled more than $93,000, including
$82,000 in checks made out to the church.
Megerdichian pleaded guilty to a single count of filing a false and
fraudulent income tax return. The charge, which was part of a plea
agreement, was based on his not having declared the income or having
reported it to the Internal Revenue Service. Megerdichian paid
$10,293 in restitution to the IRS, authorities said.
Church finances were controlled by a four-member board during
Megerdichian’s tenure, officials said. They were signatories on all
church accounts and were required to approve church expenditures.
But from at least May 1995 until sometime in late 1997, those board
members had no idea that the priest had established a private account
at a Fleet Bank in Troy in which he deposited the thousands of
dollars.

Cihan News
July 14 2004
Mutafyan Visits Kadir Topbas
ISTANBUL (CIHAN) – Turkish Armenian Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan visited
the mayor of the metropolitan municipality of Istanbul, Kadir Topbas.
In the meeting which lasted for half an hour, Mutafyan presented
Topbas with a book about the cultural development of Istanbul.
The Patriarch declared that the largest minority in Turkey is the
Armenian community. Mutafyan stated: “The Armenian community has been
a part of Istanbul since the 4th century. It has contributed to the
culture, social life and art of Istanbul.” Topbas thanked the
patriarch by presenting him with a ceramic plate.

Cihan News
July 14 2004
Turkish Committee Members Meet With Welsh Party Leader To Discuss
‘so-called Armenian Genocide’ Resolution

LONDON (CÝHAN) – Representatives of the Committee for the Protection
of Turkish Rights met with Plaid Cymru Party Deputy and leader of the
Welsh House of Commons, Elfyn Llwyd in response to a local council
resolution which officially recognized an Armenian Genocide.
Representatives of The Committee for the Protection of Turkish Rights
including Haluk Savas, Günay Aydin and N.Fatih Sener visited House
deputies.
The committee first met with Plaid Cymru Party Deputy and leader of
the House of Commons, Elfyn Llwyd who stated that the attempts of the
district council of Gweynedd would injure the amity between Turkey
and Wales.
Dafydd Iwan the Chairman of a parliamentary group of Plaid Cymru had
presented a bill to the Welsh Gwynedd District Council, and the bill
was passed on March 4, 2004. The bill demands the recognition of an
Armenian genocide.
The bill claims that more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed in
Eastern Anatolia during World War I by the Ottoman Empire. The bill
also includes the statements, “If the Turkish government does not
officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s European Union
membership should not be supported by the English Parliament nor by
the regional Welsh Parliament.” The bill also called on other Welsh
district parliaments to recognize so-called genocide.
Llwyd claims he wasn’t informed of the proposal which was supported
by local representatives of his party at the city council of
Gweynedd. He declared that he understood Turkey’s concerns and added
that he would propose to officially include Turkey’s views against
“The Armenian Genocide Proposal”.
A similar motion which would recognize an Armenian genocide was
recently presented to the English House of Commons by Labour Party
member Jeremy Corbyn.

ArmenPress
July 16 2004
NEW GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA IN AUGUST
YEREVAN, JULY 16, ARMENPRESS: Deputy parliament chairman Vahan
Hovhanesian received today the outgoing German ambassador, Hans-Wulf
Bartels, to thank him for his contributions to the development of
Armenian-German relations. Hovhanesian was quoted by parliament press
office as saying that he hopes that the new ambassador will continue
to develop and strengthen bilateral relations.
The ambassador expressed hope that his country’s businessmen will
continue investing in Armenia’s economy adding also that the new
ambassador, Ms. Heike Renate Peitsch, will arrive in Yerevan in
mid-August.