CENN – June 30, 2004 Daily Digest
Table of Contents:
1. $2bn already invested in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
2. Will Caspian Sea become another Aral?
3. Contest for Journalists – “Environment and Health”
4. Invitation to comment on the Municipal and environmental
infrastructure policy
5. Armenia Tree Project Celebrating 10th Anniversary
6. Commission selects Two bids for Privatization of Zangezour Smelter
7. Armrosgazprom to Bid for Laying Iran-Armenia Gas Pipeline
8. Development Approaches: Convergence of Different Paths
1. $2bn already invested in Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline
Source: RBC, June 28, 2004
Some $2bn have been spent on the project of constructing the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Trend news agency reported citing
Nagit Aliyev, the President of the Azerbaijani State Oil Company (GNKAR). On
the whole, according to him, shareholders in the project will invest about
$3bn.
The current pace of construction is about 1 kilometer of a pipeline a day.
Aliyev noted that the oil pipeline would be ready for operation by the time
oil production started in the central part of the Azeri field.
The GNKAR head also declared that many European companies were interested in
the project of laying the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline. Moreover, he
mentioned that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development had
decided to allocate a $170m credit to GNKAR to finance its share in Phase-1
of the Shakh-Deniz project and $1m on reorganizing the state company.
The construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline is planned to be
finished by the end of 2004. The capacity of the 1,760-kilometer pipelineÕ
is 50m tons of oil per year. The cost of the construction is estimated at
$2.95bn. Among shareholders in the project are BP (30.1 percent), GNKAR (25
percent), Unocal (8.9 percent), Statoil (8.71 percent), TPAO (6.53 percent),
Eni (5 percent), Total (5 percent), Itochu (3.4 percent), In³ex (2.5
percent), ConocoPhilli³s (2.5 percent) and Amerada
2. Will Caspian Sea become another Aral?
Source: United Press International, June 28, 2004
The Caspian Sea, the largest inland body of water on Earth, is in danger of
turning into an environmental dead zone, a development whose impacts would
be felt throughout Central Asia and Eastern Europe, scientists told United
Press International.
Five countries — Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan —
surround the Caspian but wastes from Russia’s industrial facilities carried
down the Volga River provide the sea with the most pollution.
The region’s oil reserves are estimated at more than 200 billion barrels,
which puts it in second place after the Middle East. Exploration and
exploitation of oil fields account for another major component of the
pollution.
In terms of oil, and from an environmental standpoint, Azerbaijan’s oil
facilities are among the worst in the world, Bahman Aghai Diba, a consultant
on international law for the World Resources Company in McLean, Va., told
UPI. Azerbaijan has been using oil resources both within and close to the
Caspian for about 80 years.
A rise in the sea’s level also has been causing problems. For example,
between 1978 and 1995, between 700 and 1,200 oil wells have been flooded in
Kazakhstan, said Alexander Bolshov, a consultant for the Atyrau branch
office of the Kazakh agency for applied ecology.
“Nobody knows an exact number of flooded oil wells,” Bolshov told UPI. Oil
is leaking out of some wells, he added.
Oil pollution levels in different parts of the Caspian are between 1.5 times
and 11.8 times the maximum permissible concentration, Bolshov said.
Copper in the northern Caspian exceeds the maximum permissible level by 3.9
times. The zinc concentration, at a short distance away from the Cheleken
Peninsula in Turkmenistan, exceeds the MPC by 7.2 times, he said.
Although copper and zinc are used as nutritional supplements, they are heavy
metals that can damage living creatures at certain concentrations and tend
to accumulate in the food chain.
Along with seals, sturgeons — fish used for food and the eggs necessary for
the caviar industry — are dying in the Caspian in large quantities. The
reason, Bolshov said, is migration of toxic substances up the food chain —
a process that tends to concentrate those substances in creatures at the
top.
“Irreversible processes will start if water pollution reaches a critical
level,” he said.
The more money that has been invested in the oil industry in Kazakhstan’s
western Atyrau province — on the northern shore of the Caspian — the
higher sickness rates have become, said Muftach Diarov, director of the
Scientific Center for Regional Ecological Problems of the Atyrau Institute
of Oil And Gas.
“The main issue is the enforcement of the existing laws,” Aghai Diba said.
“The lack of agreement on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea is hampering
the legal and enforcement efforts.”
Illegal and unregulated fishing has reduced the sturgeon stocks by more than
80 percent in the Caspian, according to Aghai Diba. The U.S. government is
considering declaring some types of the caviar producing fish as endangered
species, he added.
“Convention for the Protection of the Caspian Sea was adopted recently by
all Caspian countries but adoption itself is far from implementation,”
Ljubomir Jeftic, an environmental management expert from Croatia, told UPI.
Jeftic has evaluated two projects of the Global Environment Facility on the
Caspian for the United Nations Environment Program and for the World Bank.
Jeftic cited a lack of planned coastal development and the ability of
governments surrounding the Caspian as contributing the most damage to the
ecosystem.
“Money is a big problem,” he added.
People will finally kill the Caspian if the present pollution trend
continues, said Hamid Amirebrahimi, director of the South Caspian
Institution for Environmental Services in Tonekabon, Iran, and public
participation adviser for the Caspian Environment Program, which is governed
by a committee of representatives from the five coastal Caspian states.
“In a polluted environment, human life is also under threat,” Amirebrahimi
told UPI.
“The pollution will affect the whole area,” Aghai Diba said. “The littoral
(coastal) states must be responsible for the extent of pollution that they
cause. The Caspian Sea must get out of the status of a free garbage dump.”
Amirebrahimi considers the activity of the Caspian Environment Program and
The Framework Convention on Environment of the Caspian Sea, signed by all
Caspian littoral states in November 2003, the only hope.
“Nothing should be done, but stop the Caspian pollution,” said Ramiz
Mamedov, head of the Center for the Problems of the Caspian Sea and deputy
head of the Institute of Geography in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The waters of the Caspian would not be able to self-purify for 40 years, he
told UPI.
3. Contest for Journalists – “Environment and Health”
Source: , June 28, 2004
On Sunday, June 27 the Award Ceremony of the first contest among
journalistic works dedicated to environmental problems was held in “Mini
Golf Club”.
The competition was held under Caucasian Environmental Regional Center’s
(GRC Caucasus) project – “Media and Public Participation”. Georgian national
team of environmental journalists selected the topic of the competition –
“Environment and Health”. The jury viewed the publications published from
May 8 till June 15, 2004 and evaluated them according to three criteria.
According to competition’s conditions, three journalistic works were
presented to GRC Caucasus:
– “Garbage – Real Danger”- Otar Kiria; Newspaper “24 Hours”, 14.06.2004;
– “Georgia Faces Bioterorism” – Keti Janelidze; Magazine “Akhali Zhurnali”
(New Magazine), 12-18.06.2004
– “Malaria and Dead Forest” – Keti Bezhiashvili; TV Project “Crossroads –
Map”, 12.05.2004;
After the jury’s marks were summed up it became evident that out of maximum
30 points the three works got 25,2 points each. That’s why the authors got
equal prize money, each of them got $100. Besides, Head of Information and
Public Participation of GRC Caucasus, Eka Zghuladze gave some presents to
the contestants, including t-shirts and different paraphernalia associated
with the project.
“At the June 27 meeting Georgian Journalists’ team selected the second
competition’s topic – “Environment and Safety” under this regional project,
which is taking place in the three countries of South Caucasus” – Giorgi
Gakheladze, Project Consultant in Georgia, said.
4. Invitation to comment on the Municipal and environmental
infrastructure policy
The EBRD has started work on the revision of its Municipal and environmental
infrastructure policy. In compliance with the Bank’s Public Information
Policy comments are invited to help the Bank in revising its policy.
The document sets out the general specific and operational role of the Bank
in this sector and establishes the overall framework for the Bank’s
activities over the strategy period from 2004 – 2008. It succeeds the
Operations Policy approved by the Board on 16/17 June 1998.
Comments should refer to the current draft policy available at:
Please send your comments to the Bank at [email protected] no
later than 12 August 2004 so that they can be taken into account.
Outreach and NGO Relations Team. European Bank of Reconstruction and
Development
5. Armenia Tree Project Celebrating 10th Anniversary
Armenia Tree Project office, Yerevan
Tel: 553069 or 569910
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
Armenia Tree Project Celebrates its 10th Anniversary with an Open Air Gala
Concert at Garni Temple
The Armenia Tree Project (ATP) and the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia
(NCOA) under the direction of Aram Gharabekian are pleased to announce an
Open Air Evening Gala Concert at the historic site of Garni Temple, one of
the oldest historical landmarks in Armenia, built in the 1st Century BC. The
upcoming concert is in celebration of ATP’s 10th Anniversary of regreening
Armenia. President Robert Kocharian, U.S. Ambassador John Ordway and other
high-ranking government officials, ambassadors and foreign officials have
been invited to the event. Representatives from dozens of local and
international organizations who partner with ATP will be present at the
concert.
The Armenia Tree Project was founded in 1994 during Armenia’s darkest and
coldest years with the vision of securing Armenia’s future by protecting
Armenia’s environment. Funded by contributions from Diasporan Armenians, ATP
has planted and rejuvenated 530,000 trees at approximately 500 sites ranging
from Gumri to Goris. Two state-of-the-art nurseries, founded in the refugee
villages of Karin (Ashtarak area) and Khachpar (Masis Area) not only provide
40,000 – 50,000 trees annually for community tree planting all over Armenia,
but are also a major source of eployment for these refugee villages. Another
vast nursery has been established this year for providing over one million
trees annually for reforestation of the devastated landscape in Vanadzor.
Although we have accomplished much since 1994, our work in protecting and
restoring Armenia’s forests has just begun.
In 2003 ATP launched a Sustainable Mountain Development Project in the
refugee village of Aygut in the Getik River Valley in Gegharkounik Marz.. In
this program of mountainous reforestation, ATP is creating a model of
partnering with the villagers and with other international and local
organizations to combat the linked problems of poverty and natural resource
degradation. Among the contributors to date are USDA/MAP, World Food
Program, Heifer International, Project Harmony, ORRAN, Boghosian Education
Center, the Peace Corps and Satsil. ATP is expanding to all 13 villages in
the Getik River Valley, this year including the second village in the
Valley, Dzoravanq. The sub-projects being implemented include the Backyard
Nursery Project, through which villagers generate income by growing
seedlings in their backyards for reforestation, the Milk Collector Project,
Backyard Orchard Rejuvenation and Ecological Education Programs in the
schools.
Never before in history have Armenia’s forests been so close to extinction.
With only 8 % of forest cover left, down from 12% in 1990 and 25% at the
beginning of the 20th century, the World Bank estimates that the last of our
trees will be gone in only 20 years at the current rate of cutting. 81.9% of
Armenia’s land faces the danger of desertification (National Report on the
State of the Environment 2002). The future of Armenia’s forests, climate and
biodiversity rest in our hands. The actions we take now for combating
deforestation will save Armenia from the path it is on toward
desertification. The Armenia Tree Project is energizing the nation’s youth,
educating the Armenian public and the Diaspora about the nature of the
problem and possible solutions and joining forces with like minded
organizations and individuals to meet the common goal of greening Armenia
and reversing the dangerous and destabilizing trend of environmental
degradation.
6. Commission selects two bids for privatization of Zangezour
smelter
Source: ArmenPress, June 29, 2004
An inter-agency commission, set up to handle the privatization of Zangezour
smelter, has examined today privatization bids, received from potential
buyers, Armenian trade and economic development ministry said, adding that
two of proposed bids met all requirements set by the government. The
ministry said it will consider both and has demanded additional information
from both companies to submitted within ten days. Both selected companies
say they are ready to pay $25 million in advance before starting takeover
talks.
Plans for privatization of the plant were announced by the government last
March and were officially presented to over 40 potential buyers at a special
conference held in London late March.
The government expects to net at least $450 million in cash and investment
commitments from the sale of Armenia’s largest copper and molybdenum mines.
A prospective buyer will be expected to pay $100 million for the Kajaran
plant’s shares and pledge to invest more than $350 million in modernizing
its obsolete technological lines.
7. Armrosgazprom to bid for laying Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
Source: RosBusinessConsulting, June 29, 2004
The company Armrosgazprom is planning to take part in a tender on
constructing and maintaining an Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, the press service
of the company reported. The customer of the gas pipeline is the Armenian
government. A basic agreement on laying the pipeline was signed in Yerevan
(Armenia) on May 13, 2004. According to the document, the gas pipeline will
be put into operation by January 1, 2007. Armenia will get some 1.1bn cubic
meters of gas annually through this pipeline. Each country is to finance the
laying of a pipeline on its territory. Armenia is expected to spend about
$90m to $100m and Iran some $120m on constructing the pipeline.
Armrosgazprom was created in 1997 in compliance with a Russian-Armenian
government agreement and it is the exclusive wholesale buyer and supplier of
gas in Armenia. The Armenian government and Gazprom have a 45-percent stake
each in the company; Itera has a 10-percent block of shares. Armrosgazprom
owns the whole gas distributing network in the republic.
8. Development Approaches: Convergence of Different Paths
Source: IUCN, June 29, 2004
The 4th Regional Session of the Global Biodiversity Forum in Asia was held
in Manila, Philippines 21-23 June, 2004. The key findings of the forum were
that development planning and sustainable development strategies do not have
much meaning for local communities. Communities strive for the betterment of
livelihoods irrespective of whether Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
(PRSPs) will help achieve their aims or whether Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) serve as frameworks. Only global organizations and national
governments use these approaches combined with national plans for
conservation. Since communities do not understand these terms and processes,
ownership of the communities in achieving these goals are often lacking.
With more than 60 people from 11 countries participating, the delegates
deliberated on the need to make conservation and development work together
for local people rather than to fulfill global obligations.
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)
Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Christian Science Monitor
July 1 2004
Beware Russia’s pocket empire
By Daniel C. Twining
WASHINGTON – Last weekend, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
visited Moldova, a country where the cold war never ended. His trip
highlighted the threat to Western values and interests posed by
Russia’s ambition to retain control over strategic European enclaves
it once ruled as part of the Soviet empire.
It is a reminder that despite the success of NATO’s Istanbul summit,
the West has not completed its grand geopolitical project of building
a Europe of secure democracies extending to the borders of Russia.
Russia’s nostalgia for its imperial past is evident in the pocket
empire it maintains among neighboring nations. These imperial
aspirations stifle democratic development on Europe’s borders and
repudiate the values necessary for lasting partnership between Moscow
and the West.
Moldova, where a slice of the Soviet Union survives in the
secessionist Transdniestria region, is just such a case. When the
USSR collapsed 13 years ago, Moldova became an independent nation.
But the 14th Soviet Army stayed on in the region, along the border
with Ukraine, to support Transdniestria’s secession from Moldova.
Former apparatchik Igor Smirnov turned his autocratic fiefdom into a
client state of Moscow. Today, Russian forces guard Transdniestria’s
borders, Russian officers command its Army, Russian troops guard an
enormous Soviet arms depot, and Russia provides free energy supplies.
President Smirnov answers to leaders in Moscow, many of whom
allegedly profit from the international criminal network that
operates in the area.
According to Western officials in the region, Transdniestria is a
leading exporter of kidnapped women to Europe, a lucrative transit
territory for illicit drugs, and a key link in the arms-smuggling
network that peddles the Soviet Union’s former military hardware on
the international market. If Al Qaeda has not gone shopping there
yet, it is only a matter of time.
Why does Russia support this illegitimate regime? In negotiations
last fall that nearly resulted in a settlement recognizing the
criminal regime’s claim to federal status within Moldova, Moscow
showed its hand by demanding that Moldova commit to a treaty
legalizing the presence of Russian military forces on its soil until
2020. Thanks to Western pressure and the resistance of Moldovans who
took to the streets in protest, the deal collapsed. Nonetheless,
political reform in Moldova has been frozen by the Transdniestria
crisis, which focuses the West’s attention on conflict resolution
rather than on democratic change.
Russia’s Transdniestria strategy mirrors its approach to the other
“frozen conflicts” sustained by Russian military forces and political
support – two secessionist provinces in Georgia and the disputed
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Moscow’s ambition is to make it seem normal for Russian troops to
guard European borders and serve as outposts of imperial control in
independent nations, without their consent.
In the absence of treaties legitimizing Russia’s illegal military
presence on its neighbors’ territory, Russia will keep these
conflicts “frozen” – ensuring that secessionist leaders who answer to
Moscow remain in control.
As Mr. Rumsfeld said clearly last weekend, Russia’s troop presence
violates the revised Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe and
post-Soviet guarantees Russia made to withdraw military forces from
the territories of its neighbors.
A Western campaign to resolve the frozen conflicts and democratize
Europe’s borderlands could be a new pillar of transatlantic
cooperation. NATO should deepen its Partnership for Peace programs in
this region and put the frozen conflicts on the agenda of the
NATO-Russia Council. The European Union should put meat on the bones
of its “New Neighborhood Policy” by tackling the conflicts and
committing substantial assistance for democratic change in its
backyard.
Together, the United States and Europe should condition deeper
Russian access to Western markets on Moscow’s willingness to
negotiate democratic political solutions to Europe’s frozen
conflicts. The transatlantic democracies should also condition
Russia’s privileged political relationship with Western institutions
like NATO, the EU, and the Group of Seven (the world’s richest
nations) on Moscow’s demonstrated willingness to act responsibly in
its near abroad – including the expeditious and verifiable withdrawal
of Russian military forces from the conflict zones.
As part of any political solution in these countries, the West should
insist on nationwide democratic elections, both because it is right
and to reassure Russia that populations in the secessionist regions
it claims to “protect” have a full voice in their reunified nation’s
future.
Russia must understand that its cold war rules of statecraft do not
apply in an age when it seeks partnership with the West – and when
states on the old Soviet borders aspire to membership in an imperium
centered on Brussels, not Moscow.
Despite Russian opposition to enlargement of NATO and the EU, the
progress of democracy, reform, and security across Central and
Eastern Europe during the past decade has made Russia more secure,
not less. Resolving Europe’s frozen conflicts and building stable
democracies throughout the geostrategic gray zone on Russia’s borders
would have a similar effect. Conversely, acceding to Russia’s desire
for a new sphere of influence in its old imperial stomping grounds
would not make Russia more secure. It would not make an increasingly
authoritarian Russia more susceptible to Western values. It would, in
fact, make the West complicit in their subversion.
– Daniel C. Twining, a former foreign policy adviser to Republican
Sen. John McCain, is a director at the German Marshall Fund of the
US. The views expressed here are his own and are informed by a
fact-finding trip he took to Moldova in May.

Worldwide Faith News (press release)
June 30 2004
Middle East Christians hang tough in tough circumstances
by Alexa Smith
RICHMOND, June 30 – It was a history lesson in four parts.
The first to speak was the Rev. Younan Shiba, a pastor from a
Presbyterian church in downtown Baghdad. Mary Zumot stood at his side,
translating, as he told about the Iraqi denomination that came into
being in the 1920s as a product of the work of Presbyterian
missionaries from Iran.
Then came the Rev. Amanuel Ghareeb, a Presbyterian from Kuwait, who
spoke of the approximately 300,000 Christians in his country.
Then the Rev. Hendrik Shanazarian, of the Armenian Evangelical Church
of Iran, who recounted 175 years of Presbyterian history there.
And finally the Rev. Mitri Raheb, a Lutheran pastor from Bethlehem,
the very birthplace of Christ.
Gathered in a corner of the General Assembly exhibit hall, the men
spoke one by one, surrounded by maps of Palestine, photos of
Palestinians and a gigantic Middle Eastern tapestry whose threads are
intertwined like the history of Christianity in that troubled part of
the world.
The Rev. Victor Makari, the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s liaison to the
Middle East, spoke of a “continuous 2,000-year history of
uninterrupted witness.”
Admittedly there are problems aplenty. Severe legal restraints. Testy
political climates. War. Poverty. Economic instability.
But each man gave thanks to the international church for speaking up
for them in times of trouble – while giving the U.S. government mixed
reviews, for its action and inaction in their homelands.
Said Raheb: “I wish I could say what Amanuel Ghareeb said: That
American troops came to liberate us from Saddam and the Iraqi
occupation. Unfortunately, I cannot say that about American
troops. And you know why? Kuwait is oily. Palestine is only holy.”
Raheb went on: “We continue to live under the longest ongoing
occupation in history,” referring to the 57-year-long Israeli
occupation – and now, the 27-foot security wall the Israeli army is
building across the West Bank, which is swallowing up Palestinian
orchards, farms and homes as it goes. Both subsidized by U.S. dollars.
In the same breath, Raheb told his audience not to stop speaking up,
but rather to raise its voice. “I wish you would challenge both Bush
and Kerry to be as courageous as Ronald Reagan,” he said, recalling
the former president’s speech at the Brandenburg Gate during the Cold
War.
“Tell them to tell Sharon to tear down this wall that is surrounding
the little town of Bethlehem,” he said
Shiba said he’s looking forward to deepening ties with the U.S.
church as Iraq begins to rebuild.
In a press conference later in the day, he said the church in Iraq –
like the churches that opposed the war elsewhere – hoped violence
would be averted. But while Iraqis are grateful for the troops who
toppled the Hussein regime, he said, it soon became clear that there
was no plan for stabilizing Iraq. Instead, he said, the U.S. presence
was “like blind bats banging against the walls.”
Now, Shiba said, the role of the international church is to work for
peace and help rebuild – and to remind the U.S. government of its
responsibility. He said U.S. Christians should not stop speaking,
even if the Bush administration still refuses to meet with mainline
leaders, as it did before the war.
“I believe this is a challenge for the church,” he said. “Even if you
are turned down by the administration … You must respond to the
calling of (your) Master to engage in the work of rebuilding. While
your voice may be smothered, your actions can be loud. And it is our
privilege to partner with your church.”
Shanazarian said church unity is critical for Christians who are
minorities in their home countries. He said the Fellowship of Middle
Eastern Evangelical Churches has helped relieve the isolation of
Iranian Christians, many of whom are leaving Iran in search of
economic security.
Shanazarian presented a small Persian rug bearing the image of Jesus
to the PC(USA)’s Worldwide Ministries Division, calling it “the image
that unites all of us.”
This story and many others may have photos, media, video clips that
can be found at
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please send an email to
[email protected] or
[email protected]
To contact the owner of the list, please send an email to
[email protected]

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
July 1 2004
Gul: Dialogue, Cooperation And Respect For Others’ Values Are Our
Basic Principles
ISTANBUL – Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday that dialogue, cooperation and respect
for others’ values were their basic principles.
Gul added that the idea of clash of civilizations was not valid for
Turkey and Turkey’s foreign policy.
Gul delivered a speech at the closure session of ”Istanbul
Pan-Atlantic Student Summit” at Koc University in Istanbul.
Stating that half of Turkey’s population consisted of youths under
the age of 25, Gul underlined the importance of NATO Youth Summit’s
convening in Turkey.
Stressing that Turkey was determined to educate youths in political,
economic and other fields, Gul noted that the government had a
reformist structure. He added that they attached great importance to
values of youths.
Gul noted that Turkey expected to start membership negotiations with
the European Union (EU) at the end of 2004, stating that they knew
contribution that Turkey would make to EU, hoping that EU would also
comprehend it.
Stating that NATO alliance was based on democratic ideals, he said
that NATO had responsibility to protect and defend common values.
Gul said that the alliance had fulfilled this task from the very
beginning, stressing that it would also continue to take steps on
protection of freedoms and fight against terrorism.
Foreign Minister Gul said that the alliance adopted exchanging
mutually views on every issue as a principle, stating that NATO was
going through an adaptation process continuously.
Stating that NATO also undertook significant tasks to improve
stability in the world, Gul underlined that Turkey attached great
importance to further improvement of its relations with NATO, EU and
also regional countries.
Gul asked students attending NATO Youth Summit to take Turkey’s
messages of peace and tolerance to their countries.
Replying to a question on their expectations after referenda held in
Cyprus on April 24, Gul said that Turkey and the United Nations
extended great efforts for solution of Cyprus issue.
Noting that Cyprus plan prepared by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
envisaged a two-sided but united Cyprus, Gul said that the Turkish
Cypriot side accepted the plan in the referendum, but a historic
opportunity was missed as the Greek Cypriot side rejected it.
”What Turkish Cypriots expect from now on is the lifting of economic
embargo and travel embargo,” he said.
Stating that Turkey preserved its perspective of a lasting
resolution, Gul called on western countries to keep their promises to
lift embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot side.
Asked what kind of things could be done to change relationship
between the Islam culture and western culture for the better, Gul
said the Republic of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire which had a 600
years of history attributed importance to tolerance and mutual
respect.
Stressing that nobody was messing in religion and language of others
and nobody was assimilated in Turkey, Gul said that it was proven
with existence of worship places of three religions in Ortakoy
district of Istanbul.
Gul said that Turkey would continue contributing to peace in the
world and stability in the region.
Asked what kind of steps that the NATO envisaged to take for
resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at Istanbul Summit,
Gul said that Palestinian-Israeli problem concerned not only those
two regions, but also whole region and the world.
Stressing that steps for resolution of this chronic problem would
relieve firstly the region and later the world, Gul said that a road
map was prepared and a broader platform beyond the NATO discussed the
issue.
Gul said Turkey supported such initiatives and would exert every
effort.
Asked about matters that had been discussed during his meeting with
the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Gul said it was a
very beneficial meeting and both sides were satisfied with the
meeting.
Noting that problems between Azerbaijan and Armenia could not remain
stagnant while partial progress was recorded in other problems in the
region, Gul said it was a great achievement as the sides were
satisfied with the meeting in Istanbul.
Stating that they would hold another meeting in New York in
September, Gul added that he believed they would record progress in
resolution of problems through dialogue.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
July 1 2004
PACE SECRETARY GENERAL MEETS HEADS OF STANDING COMMISSIONS OF MILLI
MAJLIS
[July 01, 2004, 11:21:38]
Secretary General of PACE Mr. Bruno Haller met the heads of standing
commissions of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijan Parliament) of Azerbaijan
Republic.
Opening the meeting, vice-speaker of Milli Majlis, head of the
standing commission on defense and security issues Ziyafet Askerov
noted that Azerbaijan is keen in integration to the European family,
European values, deepening of cooperation with the Council of Europe.
Our country, therefore, constantly fulfills the taken obligations,
Mr. Askerov emphasized.
He also noted the unsuccessful efforts of the OSCE MG, the major
mediator in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny
Karabakh conflict, the crucial problem for our people, on application
of double standards related to the sides-in-conflict, indifference of
the world community to the fact of ignorance by Armenia four UN SC
Resolutions, principles of international law, stressing that this
arouses concern in the Azerbaijan community. He noted that Azerbaijan
adheres peaceful settlement of the conflict. And it is high time to
make decisive steps. If the peaceful negotiations will not have any
success, Azerbaijan will try to release its occupied lands by any
means.
Speaking of the issues of cooperation, Mr. Bruno Haller noted:
`Structure of our parliaments are alike. And this opens opportunities
for further development of links. Cooperation of Azerbaijan
Parliament and PACE fives reason for satisfaction and we aspire to
development of the regional parliamentary ties. Parliamentary
dialogue plays a key role in inter-state relations’.
Mr. Bruno Haller stated that due to the election of Terry Davis as
Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in the region for
preparation of report on Nagorny Karabakh conflict is expected to
come a new reporter. He expressed confidence that this would be a
objective report reflecting the truth.
Also were attending the meeting the heads of the standing commissions
of Milli Majlis Asya Manafova, Eldar Ibrahimov, Sirus Tebrizli,
Shahlar Askerov. It was suggested to invite specialists of relevant
standing commissions to PACE, visit to the region of representatives
of PACE commission to exchange experience.

Azer News, Azerbaijan
July 1 2004
CE Secretary General confirms Garabagh part of Azerbaijan

The Council of Europe (CE) Political Committee held discussions on
Upper Garabagh on Thursday. Terry Davis, newly elected CE Secretary
General, presented a report on the issue. According to a member of
the CE Parliamentary Assembly representation in Azerbaijan Asim
Mollazada, who attended the meeting, Davis said in his statement that
Azerbaijani territories are under occupation and emphasized that
Azerbaijan is included into the United Nations (UN) together with
Upper Garabagh. In his speech at the Council of Europe on 23 June
Armenian President Kocharian maintained that “Garabagh has never been
part of independent Azerbaijan”.
He said that at the time of collapse of the Soviet Union two states
were allegedly formed: the Azerbaijani Republic on the territory of
the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and the Republic of Upper
Garabagh on the territory of the Upper Garabagh Autonomous Region.
Mollazada said that the report presented by Davis disclosed
Kocharian’s attempt to deceive the Council of Europe and the entire
international community. Davis said talks on settling the conflict
are underway. He went on to say that the last elections in Azerbaijan
and Armenia led to a delay in the talks. He also spoke of the
activity of the OSCE Minsk Group. Speaking at the meeting, Mollazada
stated that the biggest obstacle to settling the Garabagh conflict is
Kocharian himself, as he is not interested in a settlement meeting
international legal norms. “The policy pursued by Armenia and
Kocharian is based on an aspiration to acquire legal and political
support for occupation”, he concluded. Davis’s written report on
Upper Garabagh is expected to be discussed at the CE Political
Committee on September 14. Although Davis will prepare the report
himself, it will most likely be presented by the Committee chairman
Yakich. The report will be discussed at the PACE January session.
Court threat
At a Friday meeting of the Milli Majlis (parliament) Azerbaijani MPs
reacted to Kocharian’s words. MP Mais Safarli called upon the
parliament not to remain indifferent to the Armenian President’s
speech at the Council of Europe. He proposed that an appeal be sent
to the international court to arraign Kocharian. Supporting Safarli’s
proposal, MP Jahangir Huseynov noted that it was necessary to adopt
the appeal by the end of the parliamentary session. Other MPs
stressed that an appeal to bring the Armenian president to court
should be sent not only to the international court and organizations
but also to those countries that support Armenia’s policy of
aggression. Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov underlined that there were
enough grounds to arraign Kocharian and said that appropriate legal
documents would be compiled for the purpose.
OSCE PA to discuss Garabagh conflict
Upper Garabagh will be on the agenda of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly (PA) session to open on July 4, Speaker of the Milli Majlis
(parliament) Murtuz Alasgarov told a Friday meeting of the
parliament. Eldar Ibrahimov and Sattar Safarov, members of the
Azerbaijani delegation at the OSCE PA, will attend the session.
Underlining that the Council of Europe has already recognized Armenia
as an aggressor, Alasgarov said that the OSCE, which is directly
involved in the settlement of the Upper Garabagh conflict, had not
yet adopted a relevant decision on the matter. The Speaker stressed
that it was high time to demand the OSCE pass decisions and
resolutions recognizing Armenia as an aggressor.

Azer News, Azerbaijan
July 1 2004
Istanbul talks – breakthrough or not

President Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, who arrived
in Istanbul, Turkey to attend the June 28-29 NATO summit, held
discussions on the settlement of a number of interstate and regional
problems. President Aliyev also held closed-door meetings with
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer and Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan on Monday. No
statements were issued upon conclusion of the talks. “Along with
Upper Garabagh conflict, the parties discussed issues pertaining to
Turkish-Azerbaijani cooperation and the Cyprus conflict”, Turkish
President’s spokesman told journalists.
Armenia backs Turkish efforts
On Monday, the Azerbaijani, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers,
Elmar Mammadyarov, Abdullah Gul and Vardan Oskanian held a private
trilateral meeting in Istanbul, Turkey at the NATO summit. The three
foreign ministers held a news conference following the meeting.
According to Dursun Ozden, Azernews correspondent in Turkey, the
ministers stated that their countries were interested in maintaining
peace and stability in the region. They underlined that the peaceful
settlement of the conflict over Upper Garabagh as well as ways and
means of cooperation in achieving stability were discussed during the
meeting. It was stressed that Turkey, which is a member of NATO and
has great influence in the region, could play an active role in the
resolution of the conflict. The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign
ministers stressed that they supported Turkey’s increasing efforts to
solve the conflict. Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that
peace and stability in the Caucasus are attracting growing attention
internationally. “NATO is promoting a new strategic shift towards
South Caucasus states. The European Union in its newly introduced
“Neighborhood Policy” has decided to implement a new strategy for the
South Caucasus. Therefore, a new strategic vision should be shaped by
the countries of the region,” he stressed. Gul also noted that the
South Caucasus countries had not yet been able to overcome the
problems which are threatening stability and discouraging economic
prosperity in the region. Underlining the need to hold further
trilateral meetings, the three ministers stated that such meetings
would promote mutual understanding. Armenian Foreign Minister
Oskanian said that the parties also touched upon the issue of opening
the Turkish-Armenian border. He added that it will take “some time”
to resolve the problem. The Armenian side was offered a new formula
for the settlement similar to the one used in resolving the Cyprus
conflict, Turkish diplomatic sources said. Prior to the trilateral
meeting, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers Abdullah Gul and
Vardan Oskanian met in private. Along with the Garabagh conflict, the
two discussed the relations between Turkey and Armenia, Turkish media
reported. The friendly nature of the statements by both the Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers is amazing. Particularly surprising
is Mammadyarov’s statement that Armenia and Azerbaijan were
interested in Turkey’s stepping up its role in the settlement of the
conflict.
Baku ready to “soften” its position – Turkish sources
Yerevan has previously unequivocally opposed Ankara’s involvement in
the process, saying that Turkey could not be an impartial mediator.
Mammadyarov also said that the details of Turkey’s participation in
the conflict resolution would be outlined in the next 2-3 months.
Opposition sources in Ankara said a break through in the
Turkish-Armenian relations may take place soon. The parties have
allegedly agreed to open the Turkish-Armenian frontier, and it is
necessary to prepare the public in both Azerbaijan and Turkey for
this. Azerbaijan will play a special role in the public awareness
campaign. Turkey will try to convince Baku that in the changing
conditions such a step would not contradict Azerbaijan’s interests.
According to the same source, it is for this reason that Armenian
Foreign Minister Oskanian said it would take “some time” to resolve
the problem. His statement implies that in general, the problem can
be resolved, but it will take a while to work out some controversial
issues, including Baku’s disapproval of the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian frontier. It appears that Baku is ready to “soften”
its position in order to avoid damaging relations with Turkey.
However, such a step would most likely be interpreted by the
Azerbaijani public as another diplomatic defeat. Azerbaijan and
Armenia were close to a breakthrough in resolving the conflict in the
past. Former President Ter-Petrosian was close to resolving the
controversial issues between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia when he
was overthrown. In 1999, when the international community urged
Kocharian to attend the Istanbul talks, the Armenian parliament
speaker and the Prime Minister were shot to death in the country’s
parliament. Armenia is therefore an unpredictable country and hopes
for the settlement of the conflict remain uncertain.

Azer News, Azerbaijan
July 1 2004
Azeri, Armenian FMs may next meet in Prague

The next meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers is
expected to be held late in August or early in September.
Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, told
Regnum information agency that the meeting may take place in Prague.
Merzlyakov said that although the third meeting of the two foreign
ministers was constructive, no progress is in store at the current
stage of talks.
He noted that work on the agenda of the forthcoming gathering was
underway but declined to say if any concrete proposals would be
discussed during the meeting.

Tehran Times, Iran
July 1 2004
Armrosgazprom To Bid on Laying of Iran-Armenia Gas Pipeline
Moscow (PIN) – The company Armrosgazprom is planning to take part in
a tender on constructing and maintaining an Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline, the press service of the company reported.
The gas pipeline customer is the Armenian government. A basic
agreement on laying the pipeline was signed in Yerevan (Armenia) on
May 13, 2004. According to the document, the gas pipeline will be
operational by January 1, 2007.
Armenia will get some 1.1bn cubic meters of gas annually through this
pipeline. Each country is to finance the laying of a pipeline on its
territory. Armenia is expected to spend about $90m to $100m and Iran
some $120m. Armrosgazprom was created in 1997 in compliance with a
Russian-Armenian government agreement and it is the exclusive
wholesale buyer and supplier of gas in Armenia. The Armenian
government and Gazprom have a 45-percent stake each in the company;
Itera has a 10-percent block of shares. Armrosgazprom owns the whole
gas distributing network in the republic. MSK/DWN
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
JUNE 25 – JULY 1, 2004
HIGHLIGHTS:
POLITICS AND MEDIA
“YERRORD UJ” WEEKLY PUBLISHED
POLITICS AND MEDIA
On June 29 in Yerevan a seminar “Political Developments in Armenia and Their
Media Coverage” was held. The seminar was organized by Yerevan Press Club
with the assistance of Friedrich Naumann Foundation. Representatives of
media, public, also journalistic organizations of Armenia, international
structures took part in the event.
The subject matter of the seminar was pre-conditioned by the events that had
occurred over the past few months with regard to the activities of Armenian
media. These are in particular the opposition rallies, accompanied by
violence against journalists (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, April
2-8, 2004 and April 9-15, 2004), the change of the owner of “Kentron” TV
company, presently called “Aravot TV” (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, April
23-29, 2004), the amendments to the RA Criminal Code provisions on libel and
insult adopted by the parliament recently (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, June
4-10, 2004) and, finally, the speech that the President of Armenia Robert
Kocharian made at the PACE session in Strasbourg on June 23, where the
problems of Armenian media were touched upon too.
The seminar was opened by Asparuh Panov, the deputy head of programs of
Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Romania, Bulgaria and South Caucasus. The
presentation of the Chairman of “Asparez” Journalist’s Club of Gyumri Levon
Barseghian was devoted to the Armenian media reflection of the political
situation in 2004, and the Chairman of the Committee to Protect Freedom of
Expression Ashot Melikyan presented the cases of journalist and media rights
violations through the lens of the inner political developments.
At the seminar the joint statement of Yerevan Press Club, the Journalists
Union of Armenia, Internews Armenia public organization and the Committee to
Protect Freedom of Expression war released, adopted with regard to the June
trial of the case on the attack on journalists on April 5 (see YPC Weekly
Newsletter, June 4-10, 2004) and the lack of progress in the investigation
on other cases of violence against journalists.
“On June 10, 2004 the court of primary jurisdiction of Center and
Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan sentenced two people, who engaged in
violent actions against journalists during the rally of April 5, to a fine
of 100,000 drams each. The process became a comedy show. We cannot call it
otherwise, because both the preliminary investigation and the court
proceedings and the sentence cause doubt and frustration. The proceedings
were only instituted on Part 1 of Article 185 of the RA Criminal Code
(“Premeditated destruction or spoilage of property”), whereas the charges
should have also been introduced on Article 164 (“Obstruction of legitimate
professional activities of journalist”): the violent actions, committed on
April 5 with regard to journalists, contain the signs of crimes, stipulated
by these two Articles of the RA Criminal Code. Therefore, Article 20 of the
RA Criminal Code (“Cumulative offences”) should have been applied which was
not done by the structure implementing the preliminary investigation. The
court on its behalf did not correct the mistake of the preliminary
investigation and did not send the case to additional investigation.
Neither the bodies of preliminary investigation, nor the court displayed any
wish to protect the right of journalists to gather and disseminate
information, to say nothing of the fact that the punishment defined is not
adequate to the misdeed. Moreover, the supporters of those who committed the
crime obstructed the entry of journalists to the courtroom and exerted
pressure on the course of the trial.
We expected more disclosures and trials to come, however nothing was done to
find those guilty of other violent acts.
Up to day no measures have been taken to punish the policemen who were
impartially observing those who interfered with the work of media
representatives and broke their equipment on April 5.
The policemen who gave a beating to journalists on Baghramian Avenue in the
early morning of April 13 were not revealed and punished either. Not even a
condemnation of their actions was made. Instead from the highest power
levels statements were made that it had been impossible to tell journalists
from the demonstration participants.
We once more demand that the right of the public to receive and the right of
the journalists to impart information be respected that any attempt to
infringe these rights be prevented.
We call on all the media and journalists be more united and consistent when
it comes to professional solidarity, when the right to free gathering and
dissemination of information is violated”, the statement by four
journalistic organizations says.
The seminar participants noted the disputability of the answers that RA
President Robert Kocharian gave in Strasbourg to the questions of the PACE
deputies and journalists with regard to the media situation. In particular,
the statement of the President that the Law “On Television and Radio” was
proposed by the opposition was incorrect (apparently Kocharian meant to say
that the discontent about the work of the National Commission on Television
and Radio should be addressed by the opposition to itself). The appropriate
official draft law was developed by the present RA Minister of Education and
Science and at that time deputy Sergo Yeritsian, who has never had anything
to do with opposition. Since the draft law of Yeritsian was supported by the
specialized parliament committee, it was presented by Shavarsh Kocharian as
a disciplined Chairman of the committee. However, the circumstance that the
latter at the same time heads one of the opposition parties does not
constitute sufficient ground to ascribe the authorship of the law to the
opposition. The proposal of the President to hold a media monitoring in
Armenia and remove the problem of “A1+” TV company from the agenda, should
it reveal plurality on TV air and access of opposition to it, also has
little ground. Firstly, there are reasons to maintain that the failure to
provide a license to the TV channel has political motivation, that the
number of competitions seemingly lost by “A1+” were conducted with legal
violations and the appropriate suit is currently being considered by the
European Court of Human Rights, and it is hardly fair to link this problem
with the monitoring results. Secondly, during the presidential and
parliamentary elections of 2003 (i.e., after the loss of air by “A1+”) both
the OSCE observation mission and a number of local non-governmental
organizations held monitoring and recorded a generally inobjective coverage
of the elections by Armenian media. It is the elections and political
tensions that allow determining the existence of freedom of expression and
diversity of opinion in the country. During the periods when the political
developments are proceeding relatively calmly, the count of the air access
of certain parties cannot be illustrative enough. Monitoring can of course
be conducted – the media situation analysis and how adequate their coverage
of public and political life is, the degree of satisfaction of information
demands of the citizens are always useful. But regardless of its results,
the problem of “A1+” will remain.
As the only example of positive changes in the sphere of media recently the
seminar participants noted the mildened punishments for libel and insult in
the Criminal Code.
“YERRORD UJ” WEEKLY PUBLISHED
On June 26 the first issue of “Yerrord Uj” weekly was published. The
newspaper has 16/A3 pp. and a print run of 3,000 copies. The founder of
“Yerrord Uj” is “Mission L”, the Chief Editor is Vahram Aghajanian.
When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.
You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]
Subscription for the Newsletter is free. To subscribe or unsubscribe from
this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]
Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
375007, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 1) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 1) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site: