Pyunik pick up another trophy
UEFA.com
May 10 2004
Reigning champions FC Pyunik have lifted their first silverware of
the 2004 season by defeating FC Banants in the Armenian Cup final.
Bete the hero
After a goalless 120 minutes, including extra time, today’s match went
to penalties where Pyunik goalkeeper Edel Bete proved the hero, saving
two Banants spot-kicks. During the game, both teams missed plenty of
opportunities with Karen Aleksanyan and Mamadou Diawara profligate
for Pyunik and Albert Iskoyants and Artak Oseyan squandering chances
for Banants.
Birthday present
“I’m very happy,” said Pyunik coach Mihai Stoichita, who celebrates
his 50th birthday tomorrow. “My players have given me a great birthday
present. We have completed our first task this season, but there is
no time to rest with important matches looming.”
European consolation
Stoichita’s counterpart Hovannes Zanazyan was much more terse. “I’m
satisfied with our display, however some experienced players let me
down.” Banants will, however, still qualify for the 2004/05 UEFA Cup
as will FC Shirak, while Pyunik will play in the UEFA Champions League.

PRESS RELEASE
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research
395 Concord Avenue
Belmont, MA 02478
Phone: 617-489-1610
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web:
Contact: Marc Mamigonian
TURKISH SCHOLAR Taner Akçam TO GIVE LECTURE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY
Turkish scholar Dr. Taner Akçam will give a lecture entitled “From
Empire to Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide”
on Thursday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m., at the Starr Audito-rium of Harvard
University’s Kennedy School of Government, 79 John F. Kennedy Street,
Cambridge, MA.
The lecture, Akçam’s first in the Boston area, will examine
the relationship between Turkey’s transition from Ottoman Empire
to Turkish Republic in the opening decades of the 20th century,
the Armenian Genocide of 1915, and the process of democratization
in Turkey today. It will be co-sponsored by the Zoryan Institute
for Contemporary Armenian Research and Documentation, the National
Association for Armenian Studies and Research, the Mashtots Chair in
Armenian Studies at Harvard, and the Harvard Armenian Society.
Author of Groundbreaking Study
Akçam is the author of the recently published groundbreaking study From
Empire to Republic: Turkish Nationalism and the Armenian Genocide,
as well as Dialogue Across An International Divide: Essays Towards
a Turkish-Armenian Dialogue, and numerous other books and articles.
Through his research, writings, and lectures, he has worked tirelessly
to help the Turkish people come to terms with their history and to
bridge the gap between Turks and Armenians.
He has said of his approach to the issues covered in his new book,
“Any effort towards democ-ratization in the region today must begin
with a dialogue about history and, most importantly, the events that
transpired during the transition from Empire to Republic. Scholarly
activity has been locked into a cycle of verification or denial of
what happened in history, as opposed to analyzing the socio-political
and historical factors that allowed that history to unfold.”
Pioneer Among Turkish Scholars
“[Akçam] is one of the first Turkish academics to acknowledge and
discuss openly the genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish
government in 1915,” commented genocide scholar Vahakn Dadrian.
“This book represents the first scholarly attempt to both document the
Genocide and understand that genocide from a perpetrator, rather than
victim perspective, and to contextualize fully the events of 1915
within Turkey’s political history, and western political policies
towards the region more generally.”
Taner Akçam was born in northeastern Turkey and became interested in
politics at an early age. He was active in Turkish politics until
he fled to Germany as a political refugee. For many years, in the
face of great adversity, he has worked to create a dialogue between
Turks and Armenians. He received a Ph.D. from Hanover University
in Germany. Currently he is Visiting Associate Professor of History
at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Admission to the lecture is free (donations are appreciated).
A question-and-answer period will follow the lecture. Dr. Akçam’s book
>From Empire to Republic will be on sale and available for signing.
It is strongly recommended that audience members arrive early as
seating is limited.
Parking is available at the Harvard Square Parking Garage at the
corner of Eliot and JFK streets or at the Charles Hotel Parking Garage.
More information on Dr. Akçam’s lecture may be obtained from NAASR
by calling 617-489-1610, by fax at 617-484-1759, by e-mail at
[email protected], or by writing to NAASR, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA
02478; or by contacting the Zoryan Institute by phone at 617-497-6713
or e-mail at [email protected].

U.S. Newswire (press release), DC
May 10 2004
Transcript of Bush Remarks at Ceremony Celebrating Countries Selected
for the Millennium Challenge Account
To: National Desk
Contact: White House Press Office, 202-456-2580
WASHINGTON, May 10 /U.S. Newswire/ — Following is a transcript of
remarks by President Bush at a Ceremony Celebrating Countries
Selected for the Millennium Challenge Account:
The East Room
9:35 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Please be seated. Welcome.
Thanks for coming to the White House.
Two years ago, I announced a new and hopeful approach in America’s
aid to developing nations. Under this approach, America has pledged
to increase development assistance by 50 percent over three years. To
make sure that governments make the right choices for their people,
we link new aid to clear standards of economic, political, and social
reform. We invited governments in developing nations to meet those
standards so that they may truly serve their people.
America formed the Millennium Challenge Corporation to oversee this
new program. Last week, the first group of Millennium Challenge
Account nations was selected. I congratulate representatives with
us today from Armenia, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Ghana,
Honduras, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua,
Senegal, Sri Lanka, and Vanuatu. You have chosen the path of reform,
and your people and your nations are better off as a result of the
decisions your governments have made.
I want to thank the Secretary of State for leading this effort. He is
the chairman of the board of the new corporation. I appreciate other
board members who are with us — Secretary John Snow, the Secretary
of the Treasury; Ambassador Bob Zoellick, the United States Trade
Representative; Andrew Natsios, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency
for International Development; and Paul Applegarth, who is the CEO
of the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
Mr. Chairman, thank you for taking on this important assignment.
I want to welcome the ambassadors and representatives from the
16 Millennium Challenge Account nations. We are glad you’re here.
Congratulations.
I want to thank the members of Congress who are here. Two members have
come today, one from the Senate and one from the House, who have been
very instrumental in making sure the Millennium Challenge Account
passed through both bodies. First, Senator Dick Lugar, who is the
chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Mr. Chairman,
Senator Lugar is a clear visionary when it comes to U.S. aid. I
appreciate you being here, Senator. Thank you for coming. As well as
Congressman Tom Lantos, the ranking member. I see you brought Annette
with you. Thank you for doing so. We’re proud you both are here.
Congressman Lantos, do me a favor. When you see Jim Kolbe, who is not
with us today, thank him for working so hard to make sure that the
House appropriations process honored our request for the Millennium
Challenge Account. But at any rate, I’m glad you’re here. You guys
are great leaders for — to help America spread our vision of freedom
and peace and decency for every human being.
In many nations, poverty remains chronic and desperate. Half the
world’s people still live on less than $2 a day. This divide between
wealth and poverty, between opportunity and misery, is far more than
a challenge to our compassion. Persistent poverty and oppression can
spread despair across an entire nation, and they can turn nations
of great potential into the recruiting grounds of terrorists. The
powerful combination of trade and open markets and good government is
history’s proven method to defeat poverty on a large scale, to vastly
improve health and education, to build a modern infrastructure while
safeguarding the environment, and to spread the habits of liberty
and enterprise.
The Millennium Challenge Account encourages all nations to embrace
political and economic reform. The United States has pledged to
increase its core development assistance by half, adding $5 billion
annually by 2006. To be eligible for this new money, nations must
root out corruption, respect human rights, and adhere to the rule of
law. They must invest in their people by improving their health care
systems and their schools. They must unleash the energy and creativity
necessary for economic growth by opening up their markets, removing
barriers to entrepreneurship, and reducing excessive bureaucracy
and regulation.
The 16 nations represented here today have done all this and more.
Each has worked hard to be here today, and their efforts are
already yielding results. For example, Madagascar is aggressively
fighting corruption. The Ministry of Justice has suspended a dozen
magistrates on suspicion of corrupt activity. The government is also
implementing an ambitious program of judicial reform. Senegal, Africa’s
longest-standing democracy, has also enacted new anti-corruption
laws, and is implementing new measures to fight money-laundering.
Honduras has made the improvement of education and health services
a top priority. Its immunization rate of 96 percent is among the
highest of all eligible countries.
The new government of Georgia has doubled its investment in health
care and raised teacher salaries by two-thirds. Mozambique has curbed
government spending and lowered tariffs. These, and other reforms,
have resulted in double-digit growth rates over the last decade.
Since launching its program of economic reform in 2002, Sri Lanka
has reduced its budget deficit by a third, and cut inflation by half.
Other nations represented here can point with pride to similar examples
of progress.
Yet funding is not guaranteed for any selected country. To be awarded a
grant, nations must develop proposals explaining how they will further
address the needs of their people, and increase economic growth —
proposals that set clear goals and measurable benchmarks.
The countries selected today represent a small fraction of those
struggling to emerge from poverty and establish reform. I urge all
nations of the world to follow the progressive standards of governing
justly, investing in people and encouraging economic freedom.
Reform can bring more aid from America, and it will also bring more
investment and more trade, lessening the need for aid over time.
Reform will be repaid many times over in the relief of poverty,
and rising national wealth and stability for their countries.
The 16 chosen in this round are showing the way, are showing what is
possible, are serving as a bright light in the developing world. You
have taken the first courageous steps toward greater independence
and greater wealth, and greater hopes for the people you serve.
I want to thank you all for being here. I congratulate you on
your work. And may God bless your countries and the people in the
countries. Thank you for coming. (Applause.)

WHERE A CITIZEN IS UNPROTECTED, STATEHOOD IS ENDANGERED
A1 Plus | 19:13:02 | 10-05-2004 | Social |
“Civil Will For and Against” initiative group on forum of social
organizations has today made a statement, which particularly says
irrespective of results of a possible dialogue between Opposition and
Authorities violence and breaches of human rights and basic freedoms in
Armenia are beyond political bargaining: {BR}
“We, the representatives of Armenia’s civil society not being for political
struggle and not laying claims to power, demand the Authorities:
1. to promptly release all the political prisoners;
2. to punish the persons having applied violence to journalists;
3. to punish the state officials having broken the Constitutional rights and
to condemn the phenomenon;
4. not to use the state and social institutions as tools for home political
struggle;
5. to make changes to the Law on “Meetings, Rallies and Marches”, bringing
it in correspondence with spirit and letter of human basic freedoms;
6. to provide the basic right of a citizen to get free information,
particularly to grant frequency to “A1+” TV Company”, the statement says.

Russian Daily Examines Georgian Leader’s “Peace Offensive” Against Abashidze
Kommersant, Moscow
7 May 04
>From the very start of the clash between Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili and the now ex-Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze few people
doubted that ultimately victory would rest with the leader of the “Rose
Revolution”. A scion of the old Soviet elite and a proponent of the old
mentality, Aslan Abashidze was in every respect a man of the past, and
a politician of that kind even at the level of an autonomous republic,
not to mention state level, has no historical future. However, the
Abashidze ruling clan seemed to be a nut that could not be cracked
straightaway or a rhizome that would be extremely hard to uproot.
Many people, including the writer of this article, thought just a few
days ago that a protracted standoff that could develop into bloodshed
might be a quite realistic scenario for Ajaria. Because people like
Aslan Abashidze do not go voluntarily.
But a miracle has all but happened. The fact that the denouement came
quickly and, importantly, painlessly came as a complete surprise. When
Eduard Shevardnadze was swept away in the same manner in November
last year, it was not so surprising. By then it was clear that Mr
Shevardnadze held little control within the Georgian state and he
only had to be given a slight nudge for his regime to collapse. But
“strong Abashidze”, who has maintained a grip on his state within a
state for so many years, seemed in some respects the exact opposite
of the “weak Shevardnadze”. Yet now he has suffered the same end. Why?
“Abashidze’s strength” proved toothless in the face of the peace
offensive from Mikheil Saakashvili, who refused to use force. And
was reluctant to have a punch-up, relying on his loyal personnel and
his best devoted soldiers. Abashidze probably also had troops of
that kind, and plenty of them. But the whole trick is that they were
not allowed to show their worth. There was no military offensive,
which would have allowed Aslan Abashidze to don a flak jacket,
come out onto the square, and say for all to hear “Ajaria is in
danger!” rallying a people’s militia around him. The Ajarian leader
concluded simply that “Tbilisi had scheduled a meeting” for him and,
thus, made a fatal error.
Why did a seemingly experienced politician allow himself to be outdone
by a novice? Possibly because for the past decade rebellious regions
have been dealt with in this way, by force, not only in Georgia but
also in other republics of the former USSR. Let us recall Abkhazia,
South Ossetia, Nagornyy Karabakh, and the Dniester region. Lastly, let
us recall Chechnya. The “Ajarian lion” decided that his republic had
the same fate in store. He blew up the bridges and prepared for all-out
defence. However, all these actions turned against him. He lost
the battle for the Ajarian people. As a result we have witnessed
the first experience in the post-Soviet area of a peaceful solution
to the problem of separatism. The Ajarian “sovereignty bandwagon”
has turned out to be not a military parade but a peaceful May Day
demonstration, whose participants were marching not with submachine
guns but with balloons.

AZERBAIJAN’S MILITARY MANOEUVRE ADVERSELY AFFECTS CASPIAN ISSUE, IRANIAN DAILY SAYS
Shargh web site, Tehran,
2 May 04
The Republic of Azerbaijan is planning to perform a military manoeuvre
in the Caspian Sea in the coming days. Contrary to the remarks by
the commander of Azerbaijan’s Border Guards regarding the aims of
the manoeuvre in terms of evaluating the readiness of the border
forces of the Azerbaijan Republic in order to confront a possible
violation of its maritime borders, it seems that this military
action is commensurate with the deployment of NATO equipment in the
areas close to the northern borders of Iran and that the aims of the
manoeuvres are something else.
Holding military manoeuvres so soon after the recent Moscow conference,
during which the littoral states of the Caspian Sea declared their
verbal commitment to keep the Caspian Sea far from militarization
and help the establishment of a durable peace, is a matter that can
be studied from several points of view.
A long time ago, Aran and Shirvan were annexed forcefully by Tsarist
Russia and the name was changed to the Republic of Azerbaijan. The
policies of that republic in the later course of history were always
accompanied with the negation of the historical identities and always
affected the security of the northern borders of Iran. The leaders of
the Republic of Azerbaijan, which has fewer than 8 million population,
under the guidance of the late president of the Azerbaijan, Haydar
Aliyev, used the old doctrines of the former USSR to insist on the
common language of Azeris with Iranian Azerbaijan, as an element for
trying to separate this part of Iran from the rest of the country.
The Republic of Azerbaijan, since its independence from the 15
republics of the former USSR, has tried to regain old aims and has
tilted towards extraterritorial powers for financial and other
assistance. They have attracted 12.5m dollars from the White
House and Washington’s special budget to consolidate and equip
the Azeri Navy and bring it up to NATO standards, in line with the
militarization of the Caspian Sea. The military influence of the USA
on the regional countries around the Caspian Sea has been increasing
under many pretexts, like the training of military forces or holding
manoeuvres. For instance, every year we see the common manoeuvres by
the USA with regard to Kazakhstan. In order to increase the support
from the Republic of Azerbaijan, the USA has used its experience
of military and economic assistance programmes. The Americans
have presented warships and patrol boats to Azerbaijan. They are
consolidating their own presence in the region through a partner like
Azerbaijan to protect their oil interests. On the other side, the
Russian Federation, which had the reputation of a powerful military
presence in the Caspian Sea, has tried to enhance its military muscle
through holding naval manoeuvres. The great manoeuvre of the Russians
in the Port of Astrakhan, immediately after the summit of the littoral
states in Asgabat, was in the same line. The Russian Federation has
recently declared that it has to equip its forces in the Caspian Sea
with the latest military equipment.
Undoubtedly, Iran’s northern neighbours are taking advantage its
passive position. Relying on the great powers, they are trying to
enhance their military power in the Caspian Sea in order to gain more
advantages in there. They will be able to protect the security of
the pipelines under constructions, especially Baku-Ceyhan, which are
uneconomical routes designed to bypass Iran, as well as to pressure
Iran to go deeper into the passive mood and ignore its rights to
oil and gas in the Caspian Sea. This point gains importance when we
notice that four of the 14 main oil and gas fields in Azerbaijan are
within the 20 per cent limits that some Iranian politicians have set as
the acceptable share for Iran. Of course, Azerbaijan’s other allies,
like Turkey, which has 15 km of common border with Azerbaijan, and
Israel, are planning to expand the political, economic, and cultural
influence in the region, and they are supporting Azerbaijan from a
military point of view.
The reality is that, despite the failure of the repeated sessions and
conferences of the littoral states for devising a proper exploitation
plan in the Caspian Sea and the codification of joint military plans
in order to preserve the balance of naval power in the Caspian Sea,
can be followed by our authorities in order to protect the national
interests and facilitate the implementation of other plans. On the
other side, Iran’s power to affect the Karabakh and Talesh issues
are among Iran’s capacities that have not been used, and they can
be important in the preservation of stability along the maritime and
land borders and help Iran to play its natural and historical role.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
May 10 2004
Gonul: 135 Million Tons Of Oil Were Transported Through Turkish
Straits
BERLIN – Turkish National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul has said,
”135 million tons of oil were transported through Turkish Straits
last year. This amount is expected to increase by nearly 50 percent
in 2010.”
Speaking at a panel discussion on ”Security in Black Sea Region”
under the 21st International Workshop on Global Security Conference
in German capital Berlin, Gonul highlighted important of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project, saying that the project
would enable them to transport 50 million tons of oil annually.
Expressing Turkey’s satisfaction with co-operation in efforts to
provide peace and stability in the Black Sea region despite ongoing
crises in Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Gonul said that trade in
the region had accelerated, stability had been provided and relations
between regional nations had been improved since 1992.
Stressing that Turkey attributed great importance to regional and
international co-operation and solidarity, Gonul recalled that Turkey
had been actively supporting the Balkan Stability Pact, Southeast
European Defense Ministers’ Initiative and the Black Sea Economic
Co-operation (BSEC).
Noting that Turkey had further improved its bilateral relations with
the regional countries after the Cold War era ended, Gonul said that
23 separate conventions and protocols were signed with the Black Sea
littoral countries to this end.
Recalling that co-operation agreements were signed with Russia and
Ukraine, Gonul noted, ”Turkey’s bilateral relations with Bulgaria,
Romania and Georgia have further improved following the Cold War era.
Another significant security dimension of the Black Sea stems from
its strategic position as a transit corridor for energy resources.
Besides Russian oil, Caspian oil has also been transported through
the Black Sea. Meanwhile, Turkey is seriously concerned over
increasing vessel traffic in the Black Sea and in the Turkish
Straits.”
Referring to political problems in the Black Sea region, Gonul said,
”Southern Caucasus has begun gaining more importance due to
transportation of oil, natural gas and foodstuff. Any instability in
the region would have negative impacts not only on the region, but on
the whole Europe and Atlantic.”
Listing autonomous Republic of Adzharia and the Upper Karabakh
disputes as the most important sources of instability in the region,
Gonul called on the regional countries to exert more efforts to
resolve these crises.
Gonul added, ”the Black Sea countries should also take some further
steps in fight against international terrorism, organized crimes and
weapons of mass destruction. I believe that improvement of bilateral
relations in the region would make a valuable contribution to efforts
to provide peace and stability in the region.”
Later, Gonul left Germany for Turkey.

Go Asia
May 10 2004
Don’t Go There…
Where to find travel warnings on the Internet
Don’t go there! (Or, at least, I wouldn’t go there.) But how do you
know where there is?
Well, there are a few good travel advisory sites online to help you
know in advance that maybe your trip to Tajikistan or Mindanao or
Papua New Guinea isn’t a good idea right now.
Travel Warnings online at the U.S. State Department’s web site is a
good starting point. They are listed individually by country and
there are also links to more basic consular information on particular
countries.
The sorts of things you find include a warning issued on July 3rd,
stating that the U.S. Embassy in Nepal “has received credible
information that Maoist activists have targeted casinos in Nepal for
attack within the next few days… The Embassy advises American
citizens in Nepal to exercise caution and avoid visiting casinos for
the next seven days until the Embassy can better judge the extent and
scope of the threat.” The warning doesn’t actually expire until
August 1st. Personally, I suspect there are more fulfilling things to
do in Nepal than play blackjack, anyway. If you have to play
blackjack and you don’t want to get blown up, go to Atlantic City…
Country Advice at the British government’s Foreign & Commonwealth
Office page has a list of countries it advises British citizens not
to travel in. At the moment they advise against travel to
Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Iraq, and
Tajikistan under any circumstance. They also have warnings about
particular regions of other countries:
If you are going to Azerbaijan, stay away from the Nagorno-Karabakh
region.
Travelers in Indonesia should stay out of Aceh and Maluku provinces.
Stay out of the northern and eastern portions of Sri Lanka.
There are 21 such warnings at the moment on the British site. The
site also allows you to get more detailed information on specific
countries.
While it doesn’t list warnings on the site’s front door, the
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs has consular information by
country and includes warnings on hte individual country page.
One of the better sites available is the Canadian government’s Travel
Information and Advisory Reports page. Click on their “beware” link
and you receive a list of advisories currently in effect — 42 at the
moment. Among them:
Canadians should not travel to Papua New Guinea until further notice.
Large-scale civil unrest has occurred in Port Moresby. There have
been clashes between students and the government. Rioting and looting
has broken out in several parts of the city. Deaths have been
reported. Unrest is expected to continue. Transportation has been
disrupted and businesses are subject to closures.
That warning was issued on June 29th. The Canadian site is also
available in French.
While all of these sites are helpful in assessing the wisdom of
travel to a particular destination, they deal almost entirely with
political issues and problems of civil unrest. If you want to know
about the dengue fever outbreak in Chiang Mai, Thailand, or recent
problem in Bangladesh with acute neurological syndrome, you’ll have
to go somewhere else to find that information.
Disease Outbreak News from the World Health Organization is probably
the best place for finding out about serious epidemics. Among their
most recent warnings is one about meningococcal disease associated
with travel to Saudi Arabia. (Meningococcal disease is an acute
bacterial disease characterized by sudden onset with fever, intense
headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck, and, frequently, a
petechial rash with pink macules. Fatality rates often exceeded 50%.)
Over the last year they have reported on:
Cholera in South Africa and Madagascar
Yellow Fever in Brazil
Plague in Zambia
Ebola virus in Uganda
Measles in Korea
Leptospirosis in France and Canada
Legionnaires’ disease in Australia
Polio in China

Azeri government powerless to Karabakh, Uzbek mobile phone agreement
Yeni Musavat, Baku
9 May 04
Text of information section report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni
Musavat on 9 May entitled “Ilham Aliyev’s Uzbekistan ‘successes'”,
and subheaded “Azerbaijan so far cannot manage to stop communication
between this country’s mobile companies and Karabakh’s occupying
regime”
The government of Azerbaijani cannot stop roaming communication
[agreements which allow mobile telephone users to use partner networks
abroad] between Uzbekistan-based Daewoo Unitel mobile company and the
Karabakh Telecom company owned by the Nagornyy Karabakh separatists.
Let us recall that the South Korean Daewoo Unitel joint stock
company and Uzbekistan’s Coscom and SP Uzdunrobita mobile companies
have established roaming communication with Karabakh Telecom since
2003. The Azerbaijani government has only reacted to this issue
recently, and Ekho newspaper reports that official Baku is trying
to stop communication between the Uzbek companies and the Karabakh
separatists through diplomatic channels.
The Azerbaijani ambassador to Uzbekistan, Aydin Azimbayov, has already
met the Daewoo Unitel management and sent official protest notes to
the Uzbek and South Korean governments. However, his efforts have
not yielded results.
The intriguing point is that Baku’s endeavours to stop communication
between the Uzbek and Karabakh companies is occurring after Ilham
Aliyev’s state visit to Uzbekistan and yielded no results. Despite
the fact that an agreement b etween Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan rules
out the usage of their territories against each other.
Official propaganda spoke in depth of a “successful outcome” of
Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Uzbekistan. Obviously, Aliyev’s visit was so
“successful” that after it, Baku’s calls to the Uzbek government to
stop mobile companies’ contacts with the Karabakh separatists are
paid no heed.
This is also an indication of Aliyev’s influence as the president. If
Ilham Aliyev had concluded successful political negotiations in
Uzbekistan, the Uzbek government would have demonstrated efforts to
improve ties and overcome lukewarm relations between the countries.

A1 Plus | 19:26:47 | 10-05-2004 | Social |
INTERNET SITE ON NAGORNO KARABAKH
BBC is setting an Internet site in connection with the 10th
anniversary of truce in Nagorno Karabakh. Beginning from May 12 news
and standpoints on NKR conflict will be published in this site. The
visitors of bbcrussian.com Internet site can partake in daily forums
introducing points of view on the conflict settlement.
British Conciliation Resources NGO occupied with regulation of
conflicts finances the site. The project is the part of Consortium
Initiative funded by British Government, aiming to improve the
potentialities for Karabakhi conflict settlement.