Dover Sherborn Tab, MA
April 8 2004
Women bring world in music
By Chris Orchard/ Correspondent
SHERBORN – Music from around the world filled the
Unitarian-Universalist Church in Sherborn last Saturday.
Libana performed several international folk songs, many of which
dealt with longing for home.
The group brought rhythms, lyrics, instruments, and voices from
across the globe into the church. Their songs came from countries
such as South Africa, Republic of Georgia, Israel, Armenia, Russia,
Hawaii and 14th-century Persia.
“We’ve been exploring music from around the globe” for 25 years, they
said.
Libana performs “contemporary and traditional music of the world’s
women,” said artistic director and founder Susan Robbins.
“We play ancient folk songs,” and “also songs that give voice to a
more visionary sense of how women” are creating better lives for
themselves, she said.
The group, composed of seven women, was formed in 1979, when “world
music was hardly even a term yet,” said Robbins.
That year was a turning point, musically, in the life of Robbins.
“It was the times and my curiosity,” she said. “I wanted to see what
the women of the world had created.”
Other members of Libana are Lisa Bosley, Allison Coleman, Charlotte
Miller, Marytha Paffrath, Linda Ugelow and Cheryl Weber.
In folk cultures, where men and women work separately, there are
differences between men’s music and women’s music, said Robbins.
“Women were the carrier of a lot of oral tradition,” she said.
Gary Strichartz, chairman of the music committee at the
Unitarian-Universalist Church, said “I’m enraptured” by the music.
“Sue and Marytha have come to our Sunday services,” he said. Marytha,
who is Libana’s main percussionist, also leads a drum group at the
church.
Libana’s rhythms and songs brought listeners, momentarily, to another
place and time. Their music has a spiritual dimension, said
Strichartz.
“It’s one of the most wonderful things to drive around in, especially
in Boston traffic,” he said.
While the group hails from Harvard Square, its members travel and
perform around the world, learning as they go.
“We do a lot of listening to world music,” said Robbins.
There’s international flavor right here in Boston, too. In order to
get songs right, “we will go about finding someone from the greater
Boston area,” said Robbins.
They specifically mentioned local Armenian communities as great
sources of music and authenticity right here in Eastern
Massachusetts.
Some of their most profound songs that night came from Islamic
countries, such as Algeria and Egypt, where women still struggle for
a public voice in society. One song, from the Bedouin tradition, they
said, involved heavy drum beats. One rhythm melted into the next
rhythm, with dancing and high-pitched shrieking.
The music they played that night was also being recorded for a live
album.
“I love this church,” said Robbins.
“I don’t think you can have any idea how glad we are to be here
tonight,” said Paffrath.
Though in their minds they were probably somewhere else – in some
far-off country, the crowd seemed glad to be there, too.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
04/09/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Opposition and Coalition Representatives Meet 2) Intellectuals Push for Dialogue between Opposition, Authorities 3) Announcement 4) France Tries to Ease Turks' Fears on EU Accession 1) Opposition and Coalition Representatives Meet YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Representatives of the opposition and coalition government met on Thursday at The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS), according to accounts, on the initiative of the Intellectuals’ Forum organization. Coalition participants were Galust Sahakian and Tigran Torosyan of the Republican Party (HHK); Levon Mkrtchian and Armen Rustamian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), and Samvel Balasanyan and Mher Shahgeldyan of the Orinats Yerkir Party. Opposition representatives were Republican Party political caucus members Aram Sargsyan and Smbat Ayvazian, as well as Vazgen Manukyan and Aram Karapetyan. Also present were Raffi Hovannisian of the ACNIS, academicians Lenzer Aghalovyan, David Setrakian, Ohan Dourian, and Khoren Balyan. Both coalition and opposition representatives presented their views on political activities, and reportedly reached a fundamental understanding in not allowing for matters to develop outside the political framework. 2) Intellectuals Push for Dialogue between Opposition, Authorities YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--At a roundtable discussion on the political situation in Armenia, prominent intellectuals agreed that dialogue is the only means to resolve the existing conflict between the authorities and the opposition. In saying so, they were quick to note that the opposition, and some of the public, would misconstrue their appeal as siding with the president and the authorities. They even speculated that certain representatives of the Armenian press would, in fact, spin the story in that direction the next day. As a group, they conveyed that intellectuals refuse to surrender to any political force or decision; however, stressing the possible threat to the Armenian nation, and its already achieved successes--as small as they may be--they stood firm in calling for dialogue to avoid impending conflicts. Organized by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's (ARF) Supreme Body of Armenia, the Thursday roundtable attracted prominent intellectuals, including the chairman of the Armenian Writers Union Levon Ananian, who warned that the deepening standoff has placed Armenia “on the brink of an abyss,” and called for a compromise deal between Kocharian and the opposition. ARF Supreme Body representative Armen Rustamian noted that in the life of each nation, and peoples, similar conflicts exist. “We must avoid those developments that take conflict resolution outside of the political arena,” said Rustamyan, noting that the current political discord in Armenia has reached a stalemate, and both sides must moderate their views. 3) Announcement The present political tension in the Republic of Armenia greatly concerns Armenians worldwide, and especially the children of our nation living in the western United States. The rapidly developing crisis situation that began in the past weeks has deeply shaken all Armenians. Thus, in the name of the spiritual leaders and people of all Armenian denominations of the Western United States, we forward to the children of our nation in Armenia, calls of love, Christian love of peace, mutual respect, and harmony--so that the spirit of the Great Week prevails in our souls--and forward calls to always exempt our nation from harm and fraternal hate. It is our deep conviction and expectation of all the children of our nation both in Armenia and the Diaspora, to be guided by prayer, practical and active dialogue, and a sound spirit and path. Let us keep eternal Armenia distant from unjustifiable, fatal, and destructive actions, especially keeping in-mind our present geopolitical situation. Let the prayers of Armenians resound in all spirits, in order to keep our borders and households distant from apparent and invisible dangers and misfortunes. Prelate of Western Region, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian Dean Pastor Raphael Minassian, leader of the Catholic Armenian Community Reverend Joe Matossian, leader of Evangelical Armenian Community 4) France Tries to Ease Turks' Fears on EU Accession PARIS (Combined Sources)--France's new foreign minister sought on Thursday to ease growing concerns in Turkey that Paris wants to block its accession to the European Union. He said French policy on Turkey's membership had not changed even though he rattled Turkish financial markets Wednesday by telling parliament Ankara was not yet ready to join the EU and the ruling conservative party said it opposed rapid accession. "The French government pays attention to all that is said in the internal political debate, starting with the biggest party in parliament, but our line on this remains the same," said Michel Barnier, who was appointed only last week in a government reshuffle. He reiterated that the EU would take no decision on whether to open accession talks with Turkey until the executive European Commission releases a report later this year looking at whether Ankara has made sufficient progress on human rights. "It is the European Commission which will say objectively if and when accession talks can start because there are currently no accession talks with Turkey," he told reporters at the Foreign Ministry. The European Commission in November noted "significant progress" by the Turkish government in meeting EU conditions for membership. It cited, however, several areas where more needed to be done, including improving the country's judicial system and human rights record. The 15-member EU takes in 10 new members, mainly from eastern and central Europe, on May 1. Turkey hopes to be in a later wave of accession. Barnier made clear in parliament Wednesday that Turkey had not yet met the conditions for membership. "Turkey does not respect the conditions, even if it is preparing to do so," he said, adding that there was "no question" of Turkey's joining the EU "under current circumstances." Barnier's remarks triggered a furor in the Turkish press and helped drive Turkish financial markets lower on Thursday. "The cock has crowed too soon," said the headline in the Aksam daily. "When Turkey has fulfilled all the criteria for membership and opened the way to a solution in Cyprus, France drops its mask. The government has declared its true intentions," it said. However, a Turkish official downplayed Barnier's comments, saying they simply reflected the current state of affairs. "We know that we still have some shortcomings which must be dealt with, and we will deal with them before December," the official told Reuters in Ankara. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters, "Various exaggerated words can be said for reasons related to domestic politics." EU leaders will decide in December whether to open accession talks with Turkey, the only membership aspirant that has so far been denied a seat at the negotiating table. 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. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

ArmenPress
April 8 2004
STANDOFF BETWEEN AUTHORITIES AND OPPOSITION ESCALATES FURTHER
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS: In a move that is expected to raise
further the confrontation between Armenian authorities and the
opposition, leaders of the two major anti-government forces rejected
today proposals for starting a dialogue and diffuse the escalating
tension.
Stepan Demirchian, the leader of the Ardarutyun (Justice) alliance
argued that the only chance for a dialogue was the inclusion of a
motion on a national referendum on confidence in the incumbent
president on the parliament’s agenda, as was suggested by the
country’s Constitutional Court in the wake of last year’s contested
presidential election.
In a reference to parliament chairman, Arthur Baghdasarian’s
Wednesday offer to start a `dialogue’ with the opposition, Artashes
Geghamian, the leader of another major opposition party, National
Unity, said he had met with the parliament speaker “to say that we
are prepared for a dialogue on ways for transfer of power without
upheavals through a referendum.” He added that the proposal was
rejected by Baghdasarian.
Aram Sarkisian, the leader of the radical opposition Hanrapetutyun
(Republic) party, a component of the Ardarutyun bloc, welcomed the
readiness of the coalition forces for a dialogue. “This shows that
these parties are concerned with the future of the country and we
hail it,’ he said.

ArmenPress
April 8 2004
ARMENIA TO SEND OFFICERS FOR NATO EXERCISES IN AZERBAIJAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS: Armenian deputy defense minister,
Arthur Aghabekian, told today that Armenia will send its officers and
a platoon to NATO-supported exercises, Best Cooperative Efforts-2004
that will take place in Azerbaijan later this year.
During a meeting with students of Yerevan Engineering University,
the deputy minister said Armenian authorities will demand NATO
guarantees for Armenian officers and platoon to demonstrate their
skills in the exercises.
Aghabekian went on saying that regional stability can be preserved
only through cooperation, which he said “is the main line of Armenian
foreign military policy.”

ArmenPress
April 8 2004
“TOURISM AND REST ARMITT-2004” EXHIBITION HELD IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS: Armenian EXPO.com has initiated an
exhibition “Tourism and Rest ARMITT-2004” which is held at the Cinema
House in Yerevan on April 7-10. The exhibition aims to unveil the
potentials of Armenian tourism markets, emphasize the role of tourism
in the economic development of the country and contribute to a
growing interest to Armenia thus fostering investment and new
employment places.
Armenian deputy minister of trade and economic development Ara
Petrosian noted that these are the first steps and this exhibition is
going to become a tradition increasing in geography and supported by
the Armenian government. “Tourism is at an irreversible and dynamic
stage of its development in Armenia,” the deputy minister noted. The
statistics indicate that in the coming years it will keep on
developing as dynamically, he added. Some 30 per cent rise is
registered in this field as compared to the data of 2002. The deputy
minister expects similar growth in the coming year. Much should be
done in promotion activities and assistance programs while this event
serves particularly to those aims, the deputy minister said.
He also stressed the role of the private sector and stated that
“it is capable to record successes and attract tourists to Armenia in
the conditions of serious competition in the international market.”
A. Petrosian also expressed his gratitude to the diplomatic agencies
present at the meeting stressing that tourism has a great potential
in Armenia.
The deputy tourism minister of Lebanon Antoine Issa El Quirin
congratulated all the participants. He expressed his happiness for
this inaugural event and added that the historical backgrounds of
both Armenia and Lebanon allow to say that such events and tourism
will become a tradition.
Moscow office head of Armenian EXPO.com Hovhannes Khachatrian who
also supervises the current exhibition said that more than two dozens
Armenian and one Lebanese company participate in the event. For the
coming year, there are five applications received from Cyprus. An
international conference titled “Domestic Tourism: Problems and
Challenges,” another round table are also expected. At the end of the
event, the companies named as the best in 11 categories will receive
honor certificates.
The exhibition was officially supported by Armenian foreign
ministry, ministry of trade and economic development and
Interregional Internet-Commercial Net.

American Oil Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea
MODERN HISTORY AND POLITICS
The Middle East Journal (Washington)
Winter 2004
Vol. 58, Iss. 1
pg. 155
Book Review of “American Oil Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea”
by Gawdat Bahgat. Gainesville, FL: xiii + 173 pages.
Gloss, to p. 178. Notes to p. 192. Bibl. to p. 206. Index to p. 213
By Paul M Mecray III.
American Oil Diplomacy by Professor Gawdat Bahgat of Indiana University
of Pennsylvania is a thorough and sophisticated analysis of geopolitical
events encompassing Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan, and
Kazakhstan. This book is recommended reading for those desiring a
dispassionate history of the region’s oil industry without succumbing to
personal biases – quite an accomplishment for any writer familiar with
the ethnic, religious, and political rivalries in that part of the
world. Dr. Bahgat manages to fill 173 pages with vital statistics, but
still produces a readable, objective narrative. Diplomats, businessmen,
and analysts seeking an in-depth understanding of the
regional alliances and rivalries that will directly impact American
foreign policy, global oil production, and, as a result, both the future
of oil and inflation would do well to read this book.
Particularly helpful is Bahgat’s discussion of the long relationship
that France and Russia have had with Iraq, involved as both have been in
the oil sector and as arms suppliers over the years.
Any treatise on the Middle East becomes dated quickly, and this book is
no exception. Written shortly before the invasion of Iraq in April 2003,
the book discusses reasons for and against launching the war but not the
subsequent chaos. Yet, from a longer term viewpoint, Bahgat does a
superb job explaining regional tensions and rivalries – ranging from the
Arab-Israeli conflict to the continuing friction between Azerbaijan and
Armenia, from pre-war Iraq versus all of its neighbors, Iran’s
relationships with the United States and with Pakistan – and their
implications for the oil industry.
A particularly valuable element of Bahgat’s analysis is his use of
Energy Information Administration (EIA) projections of potential oil
reserves and productive capability for Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran.
These figures are seldom cited by authors, many of whom prefer to use
much lower “official” reserve estimates. Given the ever more
sophisticated oilfield technologies, even the EIA figures cited by
Bahgat may be low. In particular, his projections for Kazakhstan are
clearly too conservative, as new data on the Tengiz and Kashagan fields,
alone, suggest recoverable reserves should surpass 25 billion barrels,
three times the BP estimate cited in this book.
That Kazakhstan’s oil potential is indeed far greater than many experts
had estimated focuses one’s attention all the more on Bahgat’s excellent
discussion of pipeline diplomacy, where the politics of competing routes
from the Caspian via the Black Sea/Bosporus, Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan (BTC)
to the Mediterranean, and sales to Iran that free up oil for export
through the Persian Gulf, all illustrate the battle for control between
Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and the United States. He correctly notes that
Washington initially exaggerated the significance of Caspian oil
potential in order to promote the Baku-Tibilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and thus
greatly reduce Russia’s control of export routes. In this instance, the
United States has been fortunate, for subsequent massive oil discoveries
in Kazakhstan will consume all the Caspian Pipeline Consortium capacity
to Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossisk as well as that of the BTC
line to the Mediterranean. Both lines will now need to be expanded, and
pressures will grow to negotiate oil swaps with Iran, which heretofore
Washington has opposed.
In sum, Gawdat Bahgat has produced a superb account of the oil
-geopolitics nexus, and of the conduct of American diplomacy in
furthering US strategic interests in the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea
region.
[Author Affiliation]
Paul M. Mecray, III, Senior Vice President and Partner, Wellington
Management Company, LLP, has served as a global energy industry analyst
for 36 years.
Copyright Middle East Institute
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

South Wales Echo
April 7, 2004, Wednesday
REPRIEVE FOR MUM
by BY ANNA HAMMOND
A couple refused asylum in this country have been given a last-minute
reprieve.
Aygun and Rauf Musayeva moved to Cardiff from Azerbaijan 15 months
ago after suffering physical violence and torment.
The couple claim mother of two Aygun, 29, was persecuted by locals
and the police because of her mixed ethnic origin.
But both were refused asylum and Mrs Musayeva, whose mother was
Armenian, was told she must return to Azerbaijan THIS week after an
appeal hearing ruled she had been ill-treated but not severely enough
to gain asylum.
Since then neighbours have rallied together hoping that the
authorities will let them and their sons – Mirjamil, six, and Farid,
four, stay.
The couple’s solicitor Michael Barnett, an asylum case worker with
Cardiff-based company Rees Wood Terry, said he had discussed the case
with the Immigration Service and the couple had been given more time.
He said that Mrs Musayeva had been granted permission to stay in the
country until her husband’s appeal.
He added: ‘The file has been sent to the appeal office but we have no
idea when the hearing will be.’
Rauf, 35, of Moorland Road, Splott, said: ‘I am very pleased that my
wife and children can stay with me until a decision is made on me.’
Neighbour Debbie Robinson, 39, said the family still had the support
of many people in the street.
‘It is good that they are not going, this is what we have been
working on,’ she said. ‘The next stage is making their stay permanent
because they have so much to offer the community.’

Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press
April 7, 2004
SKINHEADS PROSECUTED ON RARELY USED CHARGES. — Incitement of Ethnic
Enmity With the Use of Violence. Kommersant, March 9, 2004, p. 5.
Condensed text:
Editors’ Note. — The St. Petersburg City Prosecutor’s Office has
completed its investigation of the case against Dmitry Bobrov, leader
of a skinhead group known as Schultz-88, and six of his accomplices,
and has forwarded the materials to a court. . . . Andrei Tsyganov has
the details.
* * *
Detectives from the St. Petersburg Administration for Combating
Organized Crime [ACOC] came across Dmitry Bobrov’s group while
investigating one of the city’s increasingly frequent attacks on
people from the Caucasus. In late March 2003, a group of teenagers
with shaved heads brutally beat a native of Armenia in the lobby of
the Pushkin subway station. Two months later, ACOC detectives
detained Aleksei Madyunin, a 21-year-old lathe operator, and a
17-year-old skinhead on suspicion of involvement in the incident. At
first they were both charged with hooliganism. . . . However, during
the investigation the detectives concluded that a more serious crime
had occurred. During searches of the apartments of the detainees and
their friends, the detectives confiscated skinhead paraphernalia and
large amounts of extremist literature. . . . In the opinion of the
ACOC detectives, the authors of the magazine articles did their
utmost to belittle the national dignity of Jews, blacks and people
from the Caucasus, and openly called for violence against them.
In late October of last year, ACOC detectives detained 24-year-old
Dmitry Bobrov (Schultz), who had written many of the aforementioned
articles and, as it turned out, was the unofficial leader of a group
of the same name, Schultz-88. According to the detectives’
information, the Schultz-88 group had existed for about two years,
during which time it had become one of the most well-organized young
people’s groups in Petersburg. The group (Schultz himself called it a
“gang”) numbered between 30 and 40 people (aged 16-20), had its own
store on Liteiny Prospect (where skinhead literature and clothing
were sold), had established ties with unofficial groups in the
capital, and engaged in both “ideological” work and attention-getting
actions: beatings of foreigners. Detectives say the Schultz group was
responsible for at least 10 to 15 such beatings. Only a few of them
could be proved, however; many victims of skinhead attacks do not
file police reports.
After studying the materials assembled by the detectives, the St.
Petersburg Prosecutor’s Office decided to reclassify the actions of
suspects Bobrov, Madyunin and four other arrested Schultz members
from “hooliganism” to the rarely used Art. 282 of the Russian
Federation Criminal Code (“Incitement of Ethnic, Racial or Religious
Enmity”). Part 2 of this article (under which all the detained
Schultz members are being charged) provides for punishment in the
form of three to five years’ incarceration. In addition, Dmitry
Bobrov is being charged under Criminal Code Art. 282 (a) (“Organizing
an Extremist Association”; this is the first time this article has
been used), as well as Art. 280 (“Calling for the Violent Overthrow
of Russia’s Constitutional System”) and Art. 150 (“Involving a Minor
in the Commission of a Crime”). . . .

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 8, 2004 Thursday
Russia, Armenia to hold several joint exercises in summer
MOSCOW
The Armed Forces of Russia and Armenia will hold several joint
exercises in summer this year, Colonel-General Mikhail Arutyunyan,
Armenia’s Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of
Defence, has announced in an interview published in the Krasnaya
Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper on Thursday.
Arutyunyan said, “Joint combat training activities are carried out
under the plan, signed by the defence ministers of our two countries,
for bilateral cooperation between the Defence Ministries in 2004 and
a plan for joint operational planning of the use of troops in the
interests of ensuring joint security.”
“A command-and-staff exercise in conjunction with the Combined Group
of Troops (CGT) and a joint tactical exercise with field firing are
planned for summer,” General Arutyunyan said. “Besides, it is planned
to hold a series of joint activities of air defence units and
aviation of the 102nd Russian military base and Armenia’s Armed
Forces that draw joint duty within the framework of the Joint Air
Defence System of CIS countries,” Arutyunyan emphasised.
“Joint command-and-staff training was conducted together with the CGT
early in February. At the end of that month, we held an operational
assembly of the Armed Forces’ commanding personnel with the
participation of the generals and officers of the Russian military
base located on Armenia’s territory,” Arutyunyan said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 8, 2004 Thursday
Attempt on RF commander’s life is provocation – Bordyuzha
By Tigran Liloyan
The attempt on Russian troops in Transcaucasia commander Alexander
Studenikin’s life in Tbilisi is a provocation, said Major-General
Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation (CSTO).
Bordyuzha arrived in Yerevan for talks with Armenian leaders on
Thursday evening.
“This is a pure provocation to destabilise the situation in Georgia
and strain relations between Tbilisi and Moscow,” Bordyuzha told
Itar-Tass.