Calcutta Telegraph, India
June 24 2004
Indian challenge ends
Tripoli: Indian challenge ended at the world chess championship as GM
P. Harikrishna and IM Neelotpal Das bowed out in the second round.
Harikrishna went out after a valiant effort against European champion
and 2001 finalist Vassily Ivanchuk of the Ukraine in the second round
while Das lost in the first set of tie-beak rapid games against
Armenian Grandmaster Ashot Anastesian.
Das had earlier held his famous rival to a draw twice in the normal
time control in the two-game match, but failed to keep the momentum
ticking in the rapid chess.
India fielded five players in the championship but stalwarts Krishnan
Sasikiran, Dibyendu Barua and Surya Shekhar Ganguly crashed out in
the first round itself and with the ouster of Harikrishna and Das in
round two the team will return home early.
Top seed Grandmaster Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria proceeded to the
third round with back-to-back victories over compatriot Alexander
Delchev.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 24 2004
Azeri Official Calls for More Tolerance
Baku Today 24/06/2004 11:16
An official from the president’s administration on Wednesday said
while he understands the feelings of ordinary Azerbaijanis protesting
against the arrival of two Armenian officers in Baku to attend a NATO
conference, he underlined that all protest actions have to be within
norms of law.
“It is very normal to protest anything that you don’t like. But it
doesn’t mean that you may break windows of a hotel or attack a
conference hall,” said Ali Hasanov, head of the social and political
department at the presidential apparatus.
Hasanov was referring to Tuesday’s protest action by the Karabakh
Liberation Organization (KLO) in front of Baku’s Europe hotel where a
planning conference for NATO’s `Cooperative Best Effort-2004′
military training was taking place. Several dozen members of the KLO
attempted to rally in front of the hotel to protest the Armenian
participants of the conference, Colonel Murad Isakhanyan and Senior
Lieutenant Aram Hovhanesian.
Although police prevented the protestors from assembling in front of
the hotel, a group of 15-20 young KLO members managed to broke into
the hotel, after which the work of the conference was stopped for
about ten minutes. During a squabble with police and guard of the
hotel, the protestors broke several windows of the building.
Hasanov noted that the people of Azerbaijan will not stand the
occupation of their historical lands. But he added: `The Azeri people
are very cultural, so we have to be more tolerant.”

Azer News, Azerbaijan
June 24 2004
Armenian officers’ visit to Baku sparks public outcry

The final conference of the “Cooperative Best Effort-04” training
opened in Baku on Tuesday within NATO’s Partnership for Peace
program. Representatives from ten NATO member states, eleven
Partnership for Peace program-participant states, NATO’s
Southern Europe and European Allied Forces Command, as well as from
the International Committee of the Red Cross and the US embassy in
Baku are attending the conference to last till Thursday. The
“Cooperative Best Effort-04” training will be held in Baku this
September. The participation of Armenian officers – Colonel Murad
Isakhanian and Senior Lieutenant Aram Hovanesian – in the event
sparked nationwide protest in the country.
Akif Naghi, chairman of the Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO),
told a news conference last week that Armenian officers won’t be
allowed to attend a NATO conference even if they arrive in the Azeri
capital. According to Naghi, Armenia aims to cover up the occupation
of Azerbaijani lands by sending its officers to Baku. “Therefore, the
goal of the GLO is to prevent the realization of Armenia’s plans,”
said Naghi, underlining that a series of actions will be conducted in
this respect.
Public concern justified
Commenting on the differing attitudes of the public and the
organizers of the event towards the issue, Ali Hasanov, head of the
Socio-political Department of the President’s Palace, said that the
positions of both sides are understandable. Hasanov regarded the
negative attitude of the public towards the participation of the
officers of the occupying army in any event in Baku as normal. Noting
that the undertaking is organized not by Azerbaijan but NATO, Hasanov
stressed that such events may be organized not only in Azerbaijan but
also in other program participant states. However, the government
allowed the officers of aggressor Armenia to arrive in Baku on Monday
evening. On Tuesday morning, GLO members held a protest action to
condemn the Armenian officers’ participation in the NATO conference,
stating that “no business relations can be established with Armenia
unless the occupied lands of Azerbaijan are liberated”.
Protests
Members of the Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) picketed the
Europe Hotel on Tuesday protesting the participation of Armenian
officers at the conference being held in Baku within the NATO
‘Partnership for Peace’ program. The protesters tried to block
Tbilisi Avenue, disrupting traffic, and then clashed with police in
front of the hotel. Several GLO members succeeded in making their way
to the conference room. However, the conference continued
uninterrupted after police and hotel security officers disbursed the
picketers. Five demonstrators led by the GLO chairman Akif Naghi and
his deputy Barat Imani were detained and taken to the Nasimi District
police department. “The Armenian officers’ visit to Baku and the
Azerbaijani government’s position on the issue is unacceptable. The
authorities must primarily defend the interests of the state, prevent
officers of an aggressor country from coming to Baku and put forward
a firm position to international organizations on the issue”, the GLO
said in a statement. Also on Tuesday, members of another group, the
All-Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFPA), tried to hold a similar
action. In a Milli Majlis session on Tuesday, parliament members
expressed their indignation with the participation of Armenian
officers in the conference being held in Baku within NATO’s
Partnership for Peace program. MP Sabir Rustamkhanli regarded the
admittance of Armenian officers, guilty of shedding the blood of
innocent Azerbaijanis, to Baku as a disgrace. Rustamkhanli said NATO,
as an entity cooperating with Azerbaijan, should respect Azerbaijani
national moral values. Speaker Alasgarov said the Armenian officers
came to Baku secretly and will leave Azerbaijan after the first NATO
session.

Interfax
June 24 2004
Armenian soldier killed on Azerbaijani border – Armenia
Yerevan. (Interfax) – An Armenian soldier was killed on Armenia’s
border with Azerbaijan on Monday, the Armenian Defense Ministry said
on Wednesday.
Ministry spokesman Col. Seiran Shakhsuvarian told Interfax the
soldier had been killed by a sniper.
The incident occurred on a section of the border where there were
Armenian-Azerbaijani exchanges of fire early this month. Armenia says
Azerbaijani forces started the skirmishes.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been embroiled in a conflict since the
early 1990s over the Azerbaijani Armenian-speaking enclave of
Nagorno- Karabakh.
There was a war in early stages of the conflict in which Azerbaijan
lost Nagorno-Karabakh and nearby districts, forcing about 1 million
Azerbaijanis to leave their homes.
The UN Security Council demanded the withdrawal of Armenian forces
from the occupied territory.
The United States, Russia and France co-head the Minsk Group of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which
mediates efforts to settle the conflict.
OSCE officials have paid two visits to the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border this month.

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
June 24 2004
Iran recognizes Armenia as aggressor

Iranian Justice Minister Mahammad Ismayil Shushteri met with
Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov on Thursday.
Along with bilateral cooperation, the conflict over Upper Garabagh
was discussed. Alasgarov said Iran has always supported Azerbaijan’s
position within international entities, including the Islamic
Conference Organization. He noted that although Azerbaijan supports a
peaceful settlement, it will liberate its occupied territories at all
costs. Shushteri said Iran considers Armenia an aggressor country and
that his country will do its best to achieve the settlement of the
conflict.
He stressed that his country is interested in resolving the conflict
and assured the Azerbaijani side that Iran’s position on the issue
will remain concrete and clear. Touching upon legal cooperation
between Azerbaijan and Iran, Shushteri said the two countries have
signed and ratified three relevant documents so far and emphasized
the need for even closer collaboration in this area.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
June 24 2004
Bankrupt Armenian Carrier Unable To Clear Huge Debt
By Gevorg Stamboltsian 24/06/2004 16:19
The executive director of Armenian Airlines said on Wednesday that
the state-owned carrier which was declared bankrupted recently is
highly unlikely to fully repay its debts estimated to total $28
million.
In an interview with RFE/RL, Arsen Avetisian said the company would
be able to do so only if it was allowed to resume and operate a
single daily flight from Yerevan to Moscow for at least two
consecutive years.
`But given the existing agreement between [the private airline]
Armavia and the Armenian government, the likelihood of the
implementation of a financial adjustment plan drawn up by Armenian
Airlines is very small,’ he admitted.
Armavia, which is owned by Russia’s second-biggest Sibir airline, was
granted most of Armenian Airlines’ flight rights in the former Soviet
Union and Western Europe when it signed the agreement with the
government more one year ago. It has since replaced Armenian
Airlines, notorious for mismanagement and poor service, as the
country’s flagship carrier.
The Yerevan-Moscow flights reportedly generate 42 percent of
Armavia’s operating revenues. Sibir, which has already invested
heavily in its Armenian subsidiary’s fleet of mainly European-made
aircraft, is therefore unlikely to share the lucrative service with
anyone.
Meanwhile, Armenian Airlines creditors, most of them based outside
Armenia, are expected to gather in Yerevan next month to discuss its
future. According to Avetisian, they will likely decided to liquidate
the company. He said it can partly clear the debts with proceeds from
the planned sale of its property and equipment, including Soviet-era
commercial jets.
Armenian Airlines, profitable as recently as in 1997, began steadily
sliding into bankruptcy in 1998 and carried out its last flight in
December. Avetisian blamed the downfall on the Russian economic
crisis of 1998 and a series of subsequent restructurings which
deprived the company of some of its profit-making divisions. But some
independent aviation experts believe that the company fell victim to
government corruption, inefficiency and mismanagement.

Transitions Online, Czech Republic
June 24 2004
A Dictator in the Making

YEREVAN, Armenia – Handcuffed and defenseless, Grisha Virabian endured
hours of merciless blows to his crotch and sides. Only after a night
of agonizing pain was he reluctantly allowed to undergo surgery. As a
result of his torture, one of his testicles had to be removed. But
the person who may find himself in jail is Virabian, not one of his
sadistic interrogators. The charge: that he put up resistance.
Virabian’s cardinal sin, though, was to lead a group of a hundred
people from Artashat, a town 30 kilometers south of Yerevan, on a
march to the Armenian capital on 9 April. There, they joined up with
the country’s main opposition groups, which had begun a campaign of
street protests aimed at toppling President Robert Kocharian, a man
controversially reelected last year. Police officers visited his home
on an almost daily basis until he stopped hiding and showed up for
interrogation on 23 April. Virabian, 44, says he was first assaulted
by Hovannes Movsisian, head of the criminal investigations division
at the Artashat police, and hit the latter in the face in
self-defense with a mobile phone recharging device lying on a table.
This is what apparently made the officers go berserk.
Yet if one is to believe the Armenian authorities, Virabian himself
is the culprit because he attacked a `state official performing his
duties.’ Criminal charges, carrying up to three years’ imprisonment,
have already been brought by prosecutors in Yerevan. Virabian has
been cross-examined face to face with a dozen Artashat police
officers, all of them testifying that he went on a rampage at their
headquarters. `They avoided looking me in the eyes,’ says this
soft-spoken father of two.
`ON THE PATH TO DICTATORSHIP’
The case against Virabian has become a potent symbol of unprecedented
repression unleashed by Kocharian in response to the opposition drive
for regime change, repression that is turning Armenia into a vicious
police state where human rights are worth nothing when they threaten
the ruling regime’s grip on power. Hundreds of people around the
country have been rounded up, detained, mistreated, and imprisoned
over the past three months in blatant violation of the law. About two
dozen opposition activists have faced prosecution on trumped-up
criminal charges.
The crackdown demonstrates that an independent judiciary is as
nonexistent in contemporary Armenia as it was in the Soviet era. It
also shows that Armenia’s corrupt law enforcement bodies are growing
even more brutal in their treatment of ordinary citizens. In an
ominous sign for the country’s democratic future, they have been
given a new KGB-style function of keeping track of and suppressing
opposition activity. This is especially true of the areas outside
Yerevan, where just about everyone challenging the regime is on the
police watch list.
`Armenia has taken a big step backward in the past three months in
terms of human rights protection,’ says Vartan Harutiunian, a
prominent human rights campaigner who himself spent eight years in
Soviet labor camps as a political prisoner. `We are now firmly on a
path leading to dictatorship.’
The most common (and benign) form of political persecution has been
`administrative’ imprisonments for up to 15 days for participants in
opposition demonstrations. Hundreds are believed to have faced such
punishment under the Soviet-era Code of Administrative Offenses for
allegedly `disrupting order’ or defying police. In reality, they were
simply randomly detained by plainclothes police officers after
virtually every opposition rally this spring and were promptly
sentenced in closed overnight trials without being granted access to
lawyers. Judges hearing such cases usually act like notaries,
rubber-stamping police fabrications. The purpose of the
administrative arrests seems obvious: to discourage as many Armenians
from attending anti-Kocharian protests as possible.
The practice, equally widespread during last year’s disputed
presidential election, has been strongly and repeatedly condemned by
domestic and international human rights groups. The Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) again called for its
immediate end in a resolution on the political crisis in Armenia
adopted on 28 April.
The arrests pale in comparison with other human rights abuses. As the
campaign for Kocharian’s ouster gained momentum in late March scores
of opposition activists in various parts of the country were rounded
up for what the police described as `prophylactic conversations.’ The
oppositionists said they were bullied and warned against
participating in the upcoming rallies in Yerevan.
The first major show of government force came at an opposition rally
in Armenia’s second-largest city of Gyumri on 28 March. Authorities
there refused to sanction the protest, saying that they could not
guarantee its security because the local police were too busy solving
a serious crime. The rally went ahead but was nearly disrupted by
several men who threw eggs at organizers. They, as it turned out,
were police officers. Some opposition activists hardly knew this when
they clashed with the men and were arrested on the spot by dozens of
other plainclothes police. Four of the activists were eventually
sentenced to between nine and 15 months in prison for `hooliganism.’
Tension rose further when the opposition, buoyed by the success of
the November `rose revolution’ in neighboring Georgia, took its
campaign to Yerevan. The authorities effectively disrupted transport
between the capital and the rest of the country in a bid to reduce
attendance at the opposition rallies.
The confrontation culminated in a march on 12 April by thousands of
opposition supporters in the direction of Kocharian’s official
residence in the city center. Baton-wielding riot police stopped the
crowd from approaching the presidential palace and brutally dispersed
it in the early hours of 13 April, using water cannons, stun
grenades, and, according to some eyewitness accounts, electric-shock
equipment. The security forces left no escape routes for the fleeing
protesters, relentlessly beating and arresting scores of them.
This was immediately followed by the police ransacking and the
closure of the offices of the three largest opposition parties. Among
those arrested were more than a dozen women working for the most
radical opposition party, Hanrapetutiun (Republic). Some of them
later gave harrowing accounts of mistreatment and humiliation at the
hands of the police chief in Yerevan’s Erebuni district, Nver
Hovannisian. One young woman told a Human Rights Watch researcher,
`He came in and said, `Ah, it was you who was at the protest.’ I said
`No, it wasn’t me.’ He began to beat me with his fists and knees to
my stomach. I fell and he kicked me on my back. He said, `Now all our
men will come in and rape you.’ ‘
The crackdown also saw the worst-ever violence against Armenian
journalists. Four were severely beaten by the police while covering
how police broke up the 12-13 April demonstration. According to Hayk
Gevorgian of the Haykakan Zhamanak daily, the deputy chief of the
national police service, General Hovannes Varian, personally
confiscated his camera and then ordered subordinates to attack him.
Gevorgian had already lost a camera a week before that when he and
other photographers and cameramen pictured a group of burly men
attempting to disrupt another opposition rally in Yerevan. Almost all
of them had their cameras smashed by the thugs, who reportedly work
as `bodyguards’ for some government-connected tycoons. Police
officers led by Varian stood by and watched, refusing to intervene.
The authorities made an awkward attempt to dispel the widespread
belief that they orchestrated the ugly scene by having a Yerevan
court fine two of the thugs $180 each on 10 June. It was a travesty
of justice, with about 30 well-built men packing the courtroom and
refusing to let anyone in. They gave in only after a plea (not an
order) from the court chairman. `We were twice humiliated, first in
the street and then in the court,’ said Anna Israelian, a veteran
correspondent for the Aravot daily who was attacked by the one of the
defendants.
THE COUNCIL OF THE BLIND
Strangely enough, international reaction to the events in Armenia has
been rather muted. Only Human Rights Watch has made an explicit
condemnation of the `cycle of repression’ in a detailed report on 4
May. The PACE resolution also criticized the crackdown, threatening
Yerevan with political sanctions. However, the Strasbourg-based
assembly’s official in charge of assessing Armenia’s compliance with
the resolution, Jerzy Jaskiernia, is notorious for his leniency
toward Kocharian’s regime. The Polish parliamentarian’s fact-finding
trip to Yerevan on 11-14 June was marred by a scandal over the recent
publication of the Armenian version of his book about the PACE, which
was sponsored by the Kocharian-controlled parliament. Opposition
leaders have accused Jaskiernia of taking a `bribe.’
Seeking to placate the Council of Europe, the authorities have
already released all prominent members of the opposition arrested in
April. But they are showing no clemency for the jailed rank-and-file
oppositionists. It remains to be seen whether the PACE will care
about the likes of Edgar Arakelian, a 24-year-old man jailed who got
an 18-month jail term for hurling a plastic bottle at a police
officer on 13 April, or Lavrenti Kirakosian who, on 22 June, was sent
to prison for 18 months for allegedly keeping 59 grams of marijuana
at home.
For Grisha Virabian, meanwhile, Europe is the only place where he can
bring his tormentors to justice. His government has refused to
prosecute them, and he plans to file a lawsuit with the European
Court of Human Rights. `The Armenian government won’t punish any of
those individuals,’ he says, `because the whole system created by
them would crumble as a result.’

Radio Free Europe, Czech Republic
June 23 2004
Azerbaijan Says Soldier Killed In Border Clash
23 June 2004 — Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry today said one of its
soldiers has been killed by an Armenian sniper along the tense border
that separates the two neighbors.
The ministry said in a statement that 23-year-old Lieutenant Teimur
Panakhov was shot yesterday in the Qazakh region of northwest
Azerbaijan, near the border with Armenia.
There was no immediate reaction to the statement from the Armenian
side.
The area has recently been a hotspot for clashes between the two
sides, which are supposed to be observing a cease-fire after fighting
each other in a territorial war in the early 1990s.

ArmenPress
June 23 2004
KARABAGH TOURISM BOOSTING
STEPANAKERT, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS: According to Nagorno Karabagh
foreign ministry, tourism industry is booming with an annual 40
percent increase in the number of people wishing to visit it. Last
year 2,500 people traveled to Karabagh, the majority of them were
ethnic Armenians. On the rise is also the number of foreigners.
The foreign ministry said citizens of 70 countries visited
Karabagh in 2003. There is no information about people from Armenia
proper and CIS countries visiting Karabagh, as they are not
registered. The great majority of foreigners come to Karabagh as
tourists to see its places of interests, however Karabagh tourist
industry does not possess sufficient facilities. So far there are
only three destinations for tourists, while there are many other
areas that will be attractive for them.
Many of historical and cultural monuments are unavailable because
of poor roads, a major reconstruction of which is seen as number one
condition for bringing in more tourists. The absence of guidebooks,
maps is another obstacle, though some books and maps were already
published.
The government of Nagorno Karabagh ordered drafting of a tourism
industry development program, which still remains on paper. According
to unofficial figures, the annual income from tourism is around $1
million, but the biggest portion of this money does not enter
Karabagh as travel agencies from other countries are also engaged in
this business.
The government is also planning to reduce the cost of entrance
visa, that is $25 now, by around $2.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
June 23 2004
ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER ARRIVED IN BERLIN
BERLIN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS: Armenian prime minister Andranik
Margarian arrived June 22 in Berlin, the capital of the Federal
Republic of Germany on a three-day working visit. The prime minister
will participate in the Armenian-German Economic Cooperation
Conference that opened today at the Center of German Industrialists.
He will also hold a range of bilateral meetings with a number of
highly- ranked officials on the sidelines of the visit.
Yesterday the prime minister met with Germany’s minister for
economic cooperation and development Mrs. Vichorek-Zoil and Berlin
mayor Klaus Wowereith. During the meeting with Mrs. Vichorek-Zoil ,
Andranik Margarian underscored the importance of several
inter-regional projects implemented by the ministry within the
frameworks of the Caucasian Initiative and highlighted Turkey’s and
Azerbaijan’s non-constructive approaches, which tend to shift
economic relations into political level by putting forward political
preconditions. He also reflected on discussions with Georgian
authorities and bilateral interest in developing mutually beneficial
projects. Attaching importance to regional cooperation projects,
Germany’s minister emphasized that they should be sought for by all
the regional states. She said economic cooperation is a good
precondition for improving political relations.
At the request of the minister, Armenian prime minister presented
also the pace of Nagorno Karabagh conflict resolution , economic
indicators of Armenia and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which
Vichorek-Zoil described as “impressive”. The prime then referred to
Armenia’s fulfillments of its commitments on the path to closer
European integration. Importance was also attached to boosting
cooperation in nature protection, energy, infrastructures
development, small and medium- sized businesses and banking.
Andranik Margarian and Vichorek-Zoil noted with satisfaction the
effectiveness of the projects implemented in Armenia with the support
of the German government. Mrs. Vichorek-Zoil informed that her
country is going to provide additional 8 mln Euros for improvement of
water supplies in remote regions of Armenia. She also expressed
readiness to support implementation of new proposals on alternative
energy sources, noting that she had an opportunity to talk about it
with the Armenian energy minister during a conference on energy
issues in Germany.
At the end of the meeting, prime minister Andranik Margarian
thanked Mrs. Vichorek -Zoil for cooperation and understanding. The
minister has personally visited Armenia and know its problems well.
The two expressed hope that cooperation between the two countries
will continue encompassing new fields and will be as effective as
before.
After the meeting with the minister of economic cooperation and
development Armenian prime minister and the delegation accompanying
him visited the Armenian Church in Berlin after which they held
meeting with Klaus Wowereith , the Berlin mayor. During the meeting
with the mayor the sides discussed issues on prospective cooperation
between the two capitals, stating that the economic and political
relations between the two states are a good precondition for
developing ties among regional and local self-management bodies. The
two attached importance to holding cultural days in both countries
and exchange of expertise. The Berlin mayor expressed interest in
economic priorities of Armenia, business partners and prospects of
relations with Turkey. On the request of Klaus Wowereith Andranik
Margarian presented the economic conditions of our country and
strategic plans seeking the support of friendly countries, including
Germany in solving current problems. Armenia prime minister made a
note in the book of honorable guests at the Berlin municipality.
Yesterday evening Andranik Margarian held meetings with Rudolf
Koberlei, who is the deputy prime minister of Baden-Wurtemberg land
and a minister. The sides attached importance to developing ties
between the regions of the two countries. Andranik Margarian urged
Baden Wurtemberg government to invest in Armenia. He invited a
delegation composed of regional leaders and business community to
visit Armenia in order to discuss possible economic projects on the
spot.
Andranik Margarian and Rudolf Koberlei discussed also cooperation
between Gyumri and German regional capital Stuttgart and establishing
sister city relations between the two. The deputy prime minister said
it’s a high honor for Armenian prime minister to meet with Baden
Wurtemberg authorities, the third biggest among 16 lands of Germany.
He wished success to Armenian German economic cooperation conference,
which he said is an important event in developing economic
cooperation between the two states. Andranik Margarian said that it
is very important for Armenia to learn about decentralization
practice, traditions and expertise in Germany. The sides noted that
the friendship between the two countries should develop and encompass
also separate cities and regions. German deputy prime minister,
minister Rudolf Koberlei expressed also interest in economic
situation of Armenia and considered impressive the presented economic
indicators.
In the honor of Armenian prime minister and the delegation
accompanying him yesterday late evening an official reception was
organized in German Baden Wurtemberg Berlin representation.
Today Armenian prime minister Andranik Margarian attended the
opening of Armenian German economic cooperation forum. Slates is his
meeting with education and science minister of Baden Wurtemberg.