ArmenPress
June 29 2004
ARMENIAN CUSTOMS OFFICER PREVENT SMUGGLING OF 201,000 FAKE EXCISE
STAMPS
YEREVAN, JUNE 29, ARMENPRESS: In close cooperation with their
Georgian counterparts Armenian customs officials prevented an attempt
of smuggling around 201,000 fake excise stamps into the country.
Gevorg Safarian, head of a customs service department, said today
that the stamps were discovered on June 15 in a Turkish Mercedes bus
bound for Armenia at a border checkpoint on border with Georgia. The
stamps for strong alcoholic drinks were printed in Turkey.
The driver of the bus, a Turkish citizen Sayid Aygun, said a
friend in Turkish city of Trabzon asked him to hand over the stamps,
hidden in two boxes, to a Yerevan resident Arsen, saying that the
boxes contained shirt labels. The driver was given the telephone
number of Arsen to get in touch. Aygun claimed he learned what the
boxes had only when his bus was checked by Armenian customs officers.
Safarian said prosecutors have arrested Arsen and are making
investigation into the case. He said the damages that the government
could sustain if the faked stamps were not revealed could amount to
more than 1000 million Drams.

The Evening Standard (London)
June 28, 2004
A flightless turkey
by KATE CHISHOLM
Birds Without Wings
by Louis de Bernieres
(Secker, £17.99)
IT IS 10 years since Captain Corelli’s Mandolin crept its way into
the nation’s imagination.
Louis de Bernieres’s tale of love in a time of war on the Greek
island of Cephallonia has sold more than 2.5 million copies and in
2001 spawned the cheesy film starring Nicolas Cage and Penelope Cruz.
Now here comes another Mediterranean blockbuster, Birds Without
Wings. The setting this time is the small town of Eskibahce, on the
south-west coast of Turkey, at the end of the 19th century.
The Ottoman Empire, with Istanbul its exotic capital poised on the
Bosphorus between Europe and Asia Minor, is degenerating and the
great powers of Britain, France, Germany and Russia are lining up
like vultures to pick over the remains.
De Bernieres tells the story of the “heirs of Alexander and
Constantine, and Socrates” who are sent off to fight at Gallipoli,
and also of Mustafa Kemal, aka Ataturk, who in 1923 became first
president of the newly created state of Turkey.
Once again a rural idyll is punctured by the catastrophe of war. Once
again we find ourselves in the company of ingenious characters, such
as Rustem Bey, the “aga” or headman, a typical Turk with his red fez
and pomaded moustache; his oud-playing mistress, Leyla; Iskander the
potter and his son Karatavuk, who reports back from Gallipoli; the
heart-stopping Philothei and her childhood sweetheart Ibrahim.
Telltale signs that this is a De Bernieres novel are dotted
throughout: Mustafa Kemal is one of “Destiny’s men”; Philothei’s
beauty is so entrancing that those who succumb to it “receive a
lesson in fate”; in the midst of war it is possible to find something
to prove that “out of all the vileness, a small light still shines”.
In Captain Corelli such bouts of cod philosophy were offset by the
sharpness of observation; in Birds Without Wings there is not enough
fleshy reality to soak up the syrup.
We are introduced to so many characters in the first 100 pages or so
that it is difficult to remember who they all are or to care about
what happens to them.
In one dramatic chapter we hear about a Muslim family in which the
father orders one of his sons to kill his sister for consorting with
an ” infidel”.
It is an affecting scene, but we never hear of them again. The girl
and her plight are merely used as symbols to show the tyrannical hold
that honour has over such communities.
DE BERNIERES was inspired to write the story of Eskibahce after
visiting the town on which it is based, not far from Fethiye. It was
once a thriving community of Greeks and Turks, Christians and
Muslims, Armenians and Jews, living harmoniously together.
But the Armenians were massacred and after the First World War the
Greeks were sent back to their homeland.
The rest died in an earthquake-and only the ghostly outline of the
town survived.
In Birds Without Wings, De Bernieres is trying, he says, to write his
own version of War and Peace; to show how the people of Eskibahce
were affected by “shifts in history” over which they had no control.
It is an intriguing point of view: Gallipoli from the Turkish angle.
And there is nobility in his purpose.
But when Karatavuk (ie De Bernieres) finds himself in the trenches at
Gallipoli, writes, “My heart sinks at the thought of describing my
eight years of chaos and destruction in two separate wars”, you sort
of know what he means. How can such horror be described? But it also
provokes the response: why, then, should I go on reading?
Press on I did, to discover the fate of Ibrahim, bewitched by beauty
in the guise of Philothei; of Nilufer, the imam’s beloved horse; and
of Eskibahce, whose story is part of the forgotten tragedy of the
Greek and Turkish communities forcibly repatriated in the carve-up of
the old Ottoman Empire after 1918.
But it was a struggle. So much clotted history; so many characters to
care about, most of them classed among “the little people – bred to
docility and hierarchy”.
De Bernieres has said that he writes his books with “a built-in
mechanism for eliminating readers with poor concentration. I only
want determined readers”. I just wonder how many that will be this
time.
END
GRAPHIC: LOUIS DE BERNI RES: WE ARE INTRODUCED TO SO MANY CHARACTERS
IN THE FIRST 100 PAGES OR SO THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO REMEMBER WHO
THEY ALL ARE OR TO CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH(LONDON)
June 29, 2004, Tuesday
Adams advances
By Malcolm Pein
MICHAEL Adams will play Vladimir Akopian of Armenia in the
quarter-finals of the Fide Knockout Championships in Tripoli. Adams
drew easily with white against the 16-year-old American Hikaru
Nakamura, who did not try too hard to reverse his defeat in the first
game, and Adams went through 1.5-0.5.
Akopian eliminated Michal Krasenkow, who sacrificed a pawn unsoundly
for no apparent reason and lost a long endgame. Akopian was the
losing Fide finalist in 1999 after beating Adams in the semi-finals,
and since then the pair had played only two short draws until Adams
won nicely in Moscow earlier this month.
All the players leading 1-0 from the first game went through. Top
seed Veselin Topalov won 2-0 against Zdenko Kozul, and Rustam
Kazimdzhanov ended Hungarian interest in the competition by winning
2-0 over Zoltan Almasi.
Four matches went to play-offs. Former Soviet champion and WCC
candidate Alexander Belyavsky took Alexander Grischuk to the blitz
games, but lost with black and could not extract sufficient advantage
with white. The match between Liever Dieter Nisipeanu and Andrei
Kharlov went to blitz after the Rapid Chess ended a win apiece, but
after two more draws they needed the Armageddon game. Nisipeanu had
white plus six minutes to his opponent’s five, but needed to win and
could not quite manage it.
The match between Pavel Smirnov and Teimour Radjabov was another epic
encounter that saw the Russian save an utterly lost position in the
first blitz game, only to lose the match by walking into Radjabov’s
favourite line of the Sicilian, which he honed at Linares this year.
After 22 moves of theory, Smirnov made a couple of errors and had to
resign in an anti-climactic end to a fine contest.
The world number one Garry Kasparov, interviewed on the ChessBase
website, has declared his predictions for the semi-finals to be
Veselin Topalov v Alexander Grischuk, and Michael Adams v either
Alexey Dreev or Teimour Radjabov. Thus far his predictions have been
spot-on. Kasparov has to play the winner of the Tripoli tournament
for the Fide title.
BLACK’s attempts to complicate in a “must win” game appear to be
yielding results, but a crushing tactical blow 33.Qxf6+!! ends the
game.
R. Kasimdzhanov – Z. Almasi
FIDE KO Tripoli (4.2)
Sicilian Paulsen
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 a6 5 Bd3 g6 6 c4 Bg7 7 Ne2 Nc6 8
Nbc3 Nge7 9 0-0 0-0 10 Bg5 h6 11 Be3 d5 12 cxd5 exd5 13 Bc5 Re8 14
Qb3 d4 15 Nd5 Nxd5 16 exd5 Ne5 17 Bxd4 b5 18 Rad1 Bb7 19 Be4 Qd6 20
Ng3 Rad8 21 Bc3 h5 22 Rfe1 h4 23 Nf1 Nc4 24 Bxg7 Kxg7 25 Nd2 Nxd2 26
Qc3+ Qf6 27 Qxd2 Rxe4 28 Rxe4 Rxd5 29 Rd4 Rg5 30 Rf4 Rxg2+ 31 Kf1 Qg5
32 Qd4+ f6 33 Qxf6+!! Qxf6 34 Rd7+ Kh6 35 Rxf6 1-0

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
June 29, 2004 Tuesday 7:38 AM Eastern Time
RCC approves introduction of digital broadcasting format in CIS
CHOLPON
ATA (Kyrgyzstan), June 29 – The Council of communications
administration heads of the Regional Commonwealth in the field of
Communications (RCC) has approved the introduction of digital
broadcasting format in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
“The recognition of the stance of CIS countries on the development of
digital radio broadcasting is an important step on the way to
promoting various broadcasting technologies in the territory of the
Commonwealth member states,” Russian Minister of Communications and
Information Technologies Leonid Reiman said at a meeting of the
Council of RCC communications administration heads held at the city
of Cholpon-Ata (Kyrgyzstan) on Tuesday, Prime Tass reports.
According to Deputy Communications Minister Andrei Beskorovainy,
technical fundamentals for the introduction of digital broadcasting
in the entire CIS territory have been approved.
Thus the list of the countries that are transferring to digital radio
broadcasting will include Central Asian states, Azerbaijan and
Armenia.
“We shall begin to introduce the digital radio broadcasting format on
equal terms with European countries,” Beskorovainy pointed out.
Director of the radio communication bureau of the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) Valery Timofeyev said the plan of
frequency distribution adopted at the Tuesday meeting of RCC council
is an important stage of digitalisation of CIS television and radio
broadcasting.
According to Timofeyev, Russia has introduced three zones of digital
radio broadcasting – in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod.
The system’s putting into operation will make it possible in the
future to provide not only radio broadcasting services, but also
access to the Internet, data transmission and telephony.

ANSA Notiziario Generale in Italiano
June 29, 2004
ARMENIA-AZERBAIGIAN: SOLDATO AZERO UCCISO ALLA FRONTIERA
(ANSA-AFP) – BAKU, 29 GIU – Il ministero della Difesa azero
ha annunciato che un suo soldato e’ stato ucciso dalle forze
armene alla frontiera tra i due Paesi.
Elnur Quliev, 18 anni – ha dichiarato un portavoce del
ministero della Difesa – e’ stato ucciso ieri mattina in uno
scontro a fuoco con militari armeni nella regione di Agdam, nel
sud dell’Azerbaigian.

Vi e’ tensione tra le forze armene e azere dalla fine del
conflitto che le ha opposte negli anni ’90 per il Nagorni
Karabakh, ‘enclave armena in territorio azero, attualmente
sotto controllo armeno. Le parti osservano sostanzialmente un
cessate il fuoco, ma nelle ultime settimane vi sono state
isolate sparatorie. Sia l’Armenia sia l’Azerbaigian hanno
denunciato l’uccisione di un proprio militare.

PRESS RELEASE June 29, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected]; Web:
ARKA BALLET UNVEILS “JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY” IN PREP FOR ARMENIA PERFORMANCE
IN AUGUST
The voyage of ARKA ballet’s “Journey of Discovery” set sail on June 12, as
well wishers joined Ambassador Arman Kirakossian at the American Dance
Institute (ADI) in Rockville, MD, to see work that will be presented at the
National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Yerevan, Armenia, on August 6 and 7.
The benefit, which featured a program of dance by ARKA Ballet, an exhibit of
paintings by Roudolf Kharatian, and a reception, helped raise money for ARKA
Ballet’s Armenia tour, which will contribute to strengthening cultural
understanding and linkages between Armenia and America.
The evening kicked off with a cocktail reception featuring fine wines from
Armenia, provided courtesy of Ararat Import-Export Co. of Charlotte, NC.
The Pomegranate wine, which was especially popular among guests, spotlights
one of Kharatian’s paintings, ‘Temptation’, on its label. Following the
reception, guests were invited into ADI’s brand-new black box theatre where
master of ceremonies Todd Felts welcomed them and presented the evening’s
invited speakers and special guests.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Kirakossian greeted Ambassador Mikeladze
of Georgia and the cultural attaché of the Embassy of Russia Irina Popova,
noting that it was interesting that “Roudolf Kharatian trained in Russia,
danced in Armenia, Georgia and throughout the Soviet Union and world, and is
now teaching and creating in Washington, DC.” The ambassador went on to say
that “this event is very important because it is building a bridge between
the United States and Armenia, between the cultures, between the art worlds
of both countries.”
The next speaker, Michael Bjerknes, Executive Director of the American Dance
Institute, welcomed the audience to this inaugural performance in the new
space. He thanked ARKA Ballet and Roudolf Kharatian, “one of the few people
whose class I enjoyed taking, enjoy watching, and enjoy learning from.”
The evening’s final speaker was Claudia Rousseau, art historian and critic.
Ms. Rousseau stressed the worthiness of this effort to “build bridges
through art between our countries.” She reminded the audience that “the
history of a nation and its worth are not defined by war or conquest, but by
its artistic achievement.” Speaking of the difficult times in which we are
living, Ms. Rousseau stressed that “art does matter, now more than ever.
This is the time to come forward and support our artists. This is the time
to help make peace happen – in our hearts, in our minds, in our world.”
The program of dance presented by ARKA Ballet showcased the many talented
dancers and their ease in both the classics and more contemporary works.
The performance gave the audience a preview of the repertoire the company
will take to Armenia. At the conclusion of the program, ARKA Ballet’s
artistic director Roudolf Kharatian thanked guests for their support and
expressed his gratitude and appreciation to his wonderful dancers. He then
invited audience members to meet the dancers as the reception continued.
ARKA Ballet travels to Armenia on July 28, becoming the first professional
American ballet company invited to perform in Armenia. The troupe of 14
will perform works by American choreographers Balanchine and McIntyre, a
classical jewel by St. Leon, as well as recent works by Kharatian. Says
Kharatian: “I know that what we are doing now is very important for
tomorrow.”

–Boundary_(ID_Yu+g60TCROCy/7B58l3BHQ)
Content-typ e: message/rfc822
Content-return: allowed
From: Assembly
Subject: AAA: Board of Directors Chairman Meets With Kocharian, Ghoukasian
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT
Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
June 29, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]
ASSEMBLY BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN MEETS WITH PRESIDENTS KOCHARIAN,
GHOUKASIAN IN ARMENIA
Official 10-Day Visit Includes Stops to Karabakh and Georgia
Washington, DC – Armenian Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony
Barsamian concluded a series of high-level meetings in Armenia Saturday,
assessing first-hand the impact of U.S. policies and actions in the region
and exchanging perspectives on a wide range of regional and bilateral
issues. During the course of a 10-day, three-country visit, Barsamian and
Country Director for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh Arpi Vartanian conferred
with several government leaders, including Presidents Robert Kocharian and
Arkady Ghoukasian and Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania.
Beginning in Armenia on June 18, Barsamian and Vartanian met with Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Trade
Minister Karen Chshmaritian. Talks centered on economic development
initiatives – with emphasis on the Millennium Challenge Account, a new U.S.
financial assistance program which Armenia is eligible to apply for. The
Assembly delegation also raised issues pertaining to Armenia’s economic
growth during talks with President Robert Kocharian on June 25.
“Regional integration and economic development will be a vital component to
the growth and sustainability of the Armenian economy,” said Barsamian, who
was on his first visit to Armenia since assuming chairmanship of Board. “We
appreciate the willingness of government leaders to work with us in
promoting sustainable development programs and initiatives.”
While in Yerevan, Barsamian and Vartanian also met with NKR President Arkady
Ghoukasian – addressing ways in which to keep that country’s development
moving forward – before traveling to Karabakh for meetings with Prime
Minister Anoushavan Danielian and Foreign Minister Ashot Ghulian.
The Assembly delegation also visited Georgia for meetings with Prime
Minister Zurab Zhvania, as well as Armenian community leaders, including
Armenian Ambassador Georgi Khosroev, Georgian Parliamentarian Van
Baybourtian and Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanian, Primate of Georgia.
Barsamian, in those meetings, encouraged Georgia to build transportation
infrastructures between the Capital city of Tiblisi and Javak, a region in
southern Georgia populated largely by Armenians.
Barsamian and Vartanian also met with several U.S. officials including
Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles and outgoing Ambassador to Armenia John
Ordway, who spoke about his tenure in Armenia and hopes for the country’s
future.

Prior to returning to the U.S., Barsamian also met with His Holiness Karekin
II and visited historical sites in and around Armenia including the
Gandzasar Monastery, the Amenaprkich Church in Shushi and the Pantheon in
Tiblisi where famous Armenians such as writer Hovhannes Toumanian and
composer Magar Yegmalian are buried.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
NR#2004-062
Photographs available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following link:
Caption: Armenia President Robert Kocharian, far right, with Assembly Board
of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian and Country Director Arpi Vartanian
in Yerevan.
Caption: Nagorno Karabakh President Arkady Ghoukasian flanked by Assembly
Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian and Country Director Arpi
Vartanian.
Caption: L to R: Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian,
Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania and Country Director Arpi Vartanian.
Caption: Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian, seated,
listens as a HALO Trust official explains the importance of clearing deadly
landmines that threaten people and livestock in Nagorno Karabakh.
Caption: Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian and Country
Director Arpi Vartanian with Father Hovhanes at the Gandzasar Monastery in
Nagorno Karabakh.
Caption: Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian with NKR
Prime Minister Anushavan Danielian.
Caption: Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian with His
Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
–Boundary_(ID_Yu+g60TCROCy/7B58l3BHQ)–

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
June 29, 2004
CONTACT: David Zenian
E-mail: [email protected]
ASSEMBLY CALLS FOR ACTION TO STOP GENOCIDE IN SUDAN
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Assembly this week joined a nation-wide
petition signing campaign calling on Secretary of State Colin Powell to act
now to end genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.
In an action-alert e-mailed to thousands of Armenians around the United
States, the Assembly said:
“Just as with the Armenian Genocide, ten years ago, the international
community stood by as the Rwandan Genocide claimed 800,000 lives. Today, as
world leaders remember that human catastrophe with empty expressions of
‘Never Again,’ the people of Sudan face a similar fate. Add your name to
the petition calling on Colin Powell to immediately recognize the genocide
occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan and move aggressively to bring it to
an end –an action that could save more than 1,000,000 lives.”
Persistent eye-witness reports indicate that in Darfur, the Sudanese
government is destroying African Muslim communities who have challenged the
authoritarian rule of the government. Government forces and Arab militias
known as the Janjaweed have burned and pillaged thousands of villages,
poisoned water systems, and subjected the population to large-scale rape and
other atrocities.
In the e-mails, the Assembly said with 30,000 people already killed, Darfur
now faces the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Even if relief arrives
now, 350,000 people may still die. If relief does not arrive, the toll will
surely be many times higher.
“At present, Secretary of State Colin Powell is deciding whether the U.S.
should officially recognize the atrocities in Sudan as constituting
genocide. The 1948 Genocide Convention requires the 130 countries that are
parties to it, including the U.S., to prevent and punish these crimes
against humanity.

“Please help us generate 10,000 signatures before the end of this month to
send a strong message about the urgent action needed to save lives in
Darfur,” the Assembly appeal for action said.
To join the thousands who have already voiced their concern over events in
Darfur, visit the following Web site for details and action:
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NR#2004-062

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/29/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1. Bush Defies Chirac, Says Turkey Merits EU Place 2. Safarov Trial for Gourgen Margaryan Murder Set for Fall 3. Rights Court Condemns Turkey for Expulsion of Kurds 4. Armenia Again Ready to Normalize Turkish Relations without Preconditions 5. Monument Dedicated to Unknown Soldiers Unveiled in Stepanakert 6. 'Shen' Will Provide 400 Computers to Karabagh Schools 1. Bush Defies Chirac, Says Turkey Merits EU Place ISTANBUL (Reuters)George W. Bush said on Tuesday that Turkey belongs in the European Union and that Europe is "not the exclusive club of a single religion." in what amounted to a rejection of French President Jacques Chirac. In remarks prepared for delivery at an Istanbul university, Bush refused to back down in the face of Chirac's criticism on Monday that Bush had no business urging the EU to set a date for Turkey to start entry talks into the union. "America believes that as a European power, Turkey belongs in the European Union," Bush said. Bush is to use the speech to try to mend relations between Muslims and Americans left tattered relations by the war in Iraq. "We must strengthen the ties and trust and good will between ourselves and the peoples of the Middle East," he said. Bush held up Turkey as an example of a Muslim democracy and said its entry to the EU would be "a crucial advance in relations between the Muslim world and the West, because you are part of both." "Including Turkey in the EU would prove that Europe is not the exclusive club of a single religion, and it would expose the 'clash of civilizations' as a passing myth of history," Bush said. Chirac said on Monday that Bush should not comment on Turkey's EU entry hopes as EU affairs were none of his business. "If President Bush really said that the way I read it, well, not only did he go too far but he went into a domain which is not his own," Chirac told reporters at the summit. "It is like me trying to tell the United States how it should manage its relations with Mexico," he added. Turkey is keen to use the NATO Summit to showcase its credentials as a westward-looking democracy before December, when EU leaders decide if it has met the political criteria to be put on the formal road to EU membership. Countries such as Germany, Italy and Britain strongly back Ankara's bid, but Chirac's government has expressed wariness about kicking off a formal process to admit the relatively poor country of 70 million people. 2. Safarov Trial for Gourgen Margaryan Murder Set for Fall BUDAPEST (Combined Sources)--Criminal proceedings against Ramil Safarov for the brutal killing of Gourgen Margaryan is set to begin in Budapest sometime this fall. Senior Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, an Azeri officer is accused of hacking Margaryan to death, and of attempting to murder a second Armenian officer Hayk Makuchyan. All three soldiers were attending a NATO Partnership for Peace training program in Budapest. Margaryan, 26, was murdered with an ax as he slept in the early hours of February 19. Nazeli Vardanyan, the lawyer for the family of Margaryan, recently stated that a September trial is unlikely due to the fact that the months of July and August are set aside for vacationing in Hungary. Vardanyan is representing the interests of the legal successors of Margaryan as well as Makuchyan, who is also recognized as a victim in the case. Safarov is charged with premeditated murder which carries a 10 to 15 years or life imprisonment. The court has yet to decide whether the trial will be public. If he is convicted, Sarafov could be transferred to his homeland to serve his sentence. 3. Rights Court Condemns Turkey for Expulsion of Kurds STRASBOURG (AFP)--The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday condemned Turkey for expelling about 15 Kurdish villagers from their homes under a 1994 state of emergency and for preventing them from recovering their property. The decision is the first with a bearing on the inability of hundreds of Kurds to return home to their villages in southeastern Turkey until July 2003. Ankara "had the essential duty and responsibility of guaranteeing the conditions--and providing the means--to allow the plaintiffs to return home of their free will, in security and with dignity...or to voluntarily make a new home elsewhere in the country," the court ruled. Some 1,500 similar demands have been brought before the court, about one-fourth of the total cases it is hearing against Turkey, which hosted a two-day NATO summit in Istanbul that ended Tuesday. Ankara, bidding to join the European Union, has faced an uphill struggle over its human rights record. The European judges Tuesday ruled unanimously that Turkey infringed the right to the protection of property and failed to respect family rights. The plaintiffs were expelled from the village of Boydas, near Hozat, during clashes between security forces and Kurdish separatist sympathizers. The villagers "were deprived of all the resources essential to their livelihood," the court said, adding that the Turkish authorities failed to provide alternative housing. The court noted that draft legislation on compensation for damages resulting from the "fight against terrorism" was still under consideration and offered no remedy. For 15 years, Southeastern Turkey was the scene of heavy fighting between the Turkish army and rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, who sought self-rule in the mainly Kurdish region. The PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire in 1999 and withdrew from Turkey, but its successor, the Kongra-gel, announced last month that it was ending the truce as of June 1. Clashes have been on the rise in the region. 4. Armenia Again Ready to Normalize Turkish Relations, without Preconditions ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)--Armenia's Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian released details of his June 28 meeting with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, noting that during the frank discussion, Turkey expressed its interest in improving relations with Armenia, but added that the timing for such action is not politically conducive for Turkey. Oskanian, who met with Gul on the sidelines of the NATO summit, confirmed that Armenia is ready to normalize trade and diplomatic relations with Turkey without pre-conditions. The two ministers also discussed the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. Although no details regarding the situation in Karabagh were released, Oskanian did say that he briefed Gul about his meeting in Prague with Azeri foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov. Later in the day, the Armenian, Azeri, and Turkish foreign ministers met to discuss regional and international issues, including NATO priorities in the area. The NATO summit later adopted the document Euro-Atlantic Cooperation: Review and Reassessment that shifts the body's attention from the Balkans and countries of Central and Eastern Europe, to the South Caucasus and Central Asia. The three also discussed the future of the region in light of the European Union's (EU) outreach to the South Caucasus. Oskanian stressed that the realities in the region are sure to change considering Turkey's aspirations to join the European body, as well as the inclusion of Armenian, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in the EU Wider Europe: New Neighbors program. They addressed cooperation within the framework of that program. Though the Mountainous Karabagh conflict was not discussed in detail, the Turkish press reported on Tuesday that Turkey seeks to assume the role of mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan in an effort to resolve the dispute. The Azeri newspaper 525 Gazet quoted a Turkish diplomatic source as saying that a new formula to regulate the Karabagh conflict was put forth, similar to that used in regulating the Cyprus issue, that "maximally considers the rights and interests of Armenian and Azeri population of Karabagh." 5. Monument Dedicated to Unknown Soldiers Unveiled in Stepanakert STEPANAKERT (ARMENPRESS)A newly constructed monument dedicated to the unknown soldiers of the Mountainous Karabagh conflict was unveiled in Stepanakert on Monday. Family members of missing combatants and high ranking government and military officials attended the ceremonies, including Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) President Arkady Ghougassian, National Assembly President Oleg Yessayan and Prime Minister Anoushavan Daniyelian. MKR Education, Culture and Sports Minister Armen Sargssian presided over the ceremony and introduced a number of speakers, including mother of fallen soldier Rosa Stasian, MKR military deputy Vladik Khatchadrian, International Red Cross Stepanakert office representative Viacheslav Movsisian and Families of Unknown and Missing Soldiers Association president Vera Krikorian. Krikorian's organization has registered the names of over 700 soldiers whose whereabouts are unknown. The construction of the monument was a collaborative effort between designer Alexander Mamounsti, sculptor Tavit Mesrobian, and architect Nevair Mikaelian. 6. 'Shen' Will Provide 400 Computers to Karabagh Schools (Azat Artsakh)The charitable organization "Shen," which has been active in both Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh, has announced its plans to supply 400 computers to the schools of Karabagh. To date, the program has been implemented in the Askeran and Shoushi regions of the country. "Children living and studying in the villages must not be cut from the world," said Karen Aramian who serves as Shen's representative in Karabagh. The representative stated that schools within the Martouni region will receive twelve computers in the near future. Program administrators have decided to allocate at least two computers to each school. After the computers are distributed, the organization will launch the second stage of the program, which aims at equipping the schools with internet access. "Shen" was established in 1988 by a group of Yerevan Polytechnic College professors and students who were interested in addressing the myriad of problems that emerged after the devastating Spitak earthquake, the imposition of severe blockades of overland communications by Turkey and Azerbaijan and the start of the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. The word "Shen" in Armenian means a well-to-do, and reflects the mission of the organizations, which aims to rehabilitate disadvantaged Armenian villages. The organization has active chapters in the Armenia, Mountainous Karabagh, France and the United States. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. 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The Moscow Times
Armrosgazprom to bid for laying Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
RosBusinessConsulting. Tuesday, Jun. 29, 2004, 7:32 PM Moscow Time
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.