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05/23/2005
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1) His Holiness Karekin II’s Pontifical Visit to the West Coast
2) Margarian Says Armenia Should Resist Turkish Demands
3) Kassarji, Pakradouni ARF Candidates for Metn and Bakaa Districts
4) Violence Clouds Launch of Major US-Backed Caspian Oil Pipeline

1) His Holiness Karekin II’s Pontifical Visit to the West Coast

LOS ANGELES–The second Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Karekin II,
Catholicos
of All Armenians, to the Western Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
will
take place from June 1-20. This particular visit is of historical significance
as the foundations of the new Mother Cathedral of the 107-year-old Diocese
will
be laid during a groundbreaking ceremony.
The Pontiff’s visit marks a milestone in the life of the Armenian
community in
North America. During his time in California, the Catholicos will celebrate
Divine Liturgy, visit Diocese churches, conduct religious services, meet with
organizations and youth, as well as visit hospitals in the area.
The Blessing of the Foundation Stones of the Mother Cathedral of the Western
Diocese will take place on Saturday, June 4, at 10:00 AM, presided by His
Holiness and assisted by Western Diocese Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. The
Pontifical banquet welcoming His Holiness will take place later that
evening at
the Century Plaza Hotel. For reservations or more information, visit the
Armenian Church website at or contact the Diocesan
office at (818) 558-7474.
The Pontifical Divine Liturgy will be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of
Angels in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 5 at 3:30 PM. His Holiness will
travel up
the coast of California visiting the parishes of Central and Northern
California from June 11-20.

2) Margarian Says Armenia Should Resist Turkish Demands

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–Responding to a question about the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation’s (ARF) readiness to establish normal relations with Turkey, ARF
Bureau representative Hrant Margarian said the ARF believes that Armenia
should
not give in to the Turkish preconditions to establish relations.
“It is not the ARF, but Armenia that is to have normal relations with
Turkey.
It is the hostile position of the Turkish government toward Armenia that
obstructs the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations; since Armenia’s
independence, Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic relations with
Armenia. Moreover, it has imposed a blockade since 1993,” said Margarian.
In the interview posted on Yerkir’s website, Margarian added, “The process of
establishing ‘normal relations’ between the two countries would not succeed
unless Turkey recognizes its responsibility for the Armenian Genocide.” For
full interview, visit
Speaking on the issue of government corruption, Margarian said, `The struggle
against corruption is a continuous process and requires a hard work…we are
relentless in this issue, though we should admit we are not satisfied with the
results.’
When asked about recent statements made by some government officials on the
Karabagh issue, the ARF Bureau representative stated, `Until the Karabagh
issue
has been settled, our people have the right and should sensitively follow the
statements and positions of any politician, but we should know that if you
agree to engage in talks you should be ready for concessions. What is
important
here is what you concede. We began to concede when we accepted the cease-fire
and when we put off the declaration on reuniting Karabagh with the Republic of
Armenia. But if some wish to agree to give up a part of the homeland or
independence, they are going to fail.’

3) Kassarji, Pakradouni ARF Candidates for Metn and Bakaa Districts

BEIRUT (Aztagdaily.com)–A week after calling on local Armenians to withhold
from voting in Beirut district parliamentary elections, the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) of Lebanon announced its candidates for the
Metn
and Bekaa districts–Hagop Pakradouni and current parliament deputy George
Kassarji, respectively.
According to the ARF, when Armenians get out their vote in Metn and Bekaa,
the
absence of votes in heavily Armenian populated electoral districts it has
decided to boycott will be even more effective in revealing the actual
force of
Armenians in the country.
“With one area [Beirut] boycotting elections and another voting full-force,
Lebanese Armenians will, in any event, prove that their will must be
considered
by the various forces in the Lebanon’s political arena, when shaping the
future
of Lebanon,” the ARF Central Committee announced.
The party’s decision to not participate in the Beirut elections came after
its
two candidates were excluded from Saad Hariri, son of the slain former premier
Rafik Hariri’s electoral list for Beirut’s constituencies.
The party later pulled its two candidates Stepan Der Bedrossian and Jacques
Chookhadarian from the race, calling it a “logical subsequent step” to
boycotting the elections–since the ARF’s candidates would have garnered
victories, considering the party’s influence in the area, and the four
Armenian
seats up for grabs.

4) Violence Clouds Launch of Major US-Backed Caspian Oil Pipeline

BAKU (AFX)–The planned launch this Wednesday of the $4 billion
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, a major US-backed global energy initiative, has
been clouded by a recent violent crackdown on the opposition in Azerbaijan.
British oil giant BP holds a 30 percent stake in the consortium running the
pipeline. Other consortium members include Azerbaijan’s state oil company
SOCAR, Amerada Hess, ConocoPhillips, Eni, Inpex, Itochu, Statoil, TPAO, and
Unocal.
A huge 11-year-long undertaking, the pipeline will transform the Caucasus and
Turkey into an energy bridge between the Caspian and the rest of the world
when
it is fully operational six months from now.
But much of the gleam of that accomplishment was worn away over the past week
by Azerbaijan when police badly beat and arrested scores of people attending a
peaceful rally on Saturday as part of a wider crackdown linked to the
pipeline’s opening.
Authorities refused to allow the rally, saying that it fell too close to the
opening ceremony on Wednesday, which US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and
a host of other foreign dignitaries were due to attend.
Police rounded up some 30 opposition members ahead of the protest in what the
opposition alleged was an attempt to derail the rally and arrested another 45
during the rally itself as they doled out severe beatings to dozens of
pro-democracy protestors.
David Woodward, chief executive of BP’s Azerbaijan division, criticized the
violence and voiced skepticism on the government’s stated rationale for the
crackdown.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Woodward said, referring to the weekend violence. “I
find it rather surprising that they should feel the need to ban a small
gathering like that essentially well before any of the VIPs arrive.”
The crackdown was widely criticized by the West, with Norway’s ambassador to
Baku, Steinar Gil, saying some guests expected at the opening ceremony may
find
it embarrassing to take part while opposition activists remain in detention.
The 1,770 km-long pipeline, which will ship up to a million barrels of
Caspian
oil to the Mediterranean daily, was built with financial support from the US.
It was initiated in 1994 as part of Azerbaijan’s so-called “deal of the
century”–a massive oil contract signed in the early 1990s to develop Caspian
Sea oil. The US hopes transporting oil from this region will reduce its
dependence on fuel from the volatile Middle East. At the same time, the
project
has loosened Moscow’s grip here and bolstered US influence in the region. For
Azerbaijan, wracked by corruption and poverty, the project has been a useful
political tool with officials lauding it as the answer to all of the country’s
financial problems.
But the crackdown on the opposition has highlighted concerns that the awaited
benefits, an estimated $40-60 billion in oil revenues in the next 30 years,
will not trickle down to the general population in an atmosphere of general
unaccountability.
SOCAR, which holds a 25 pct stake in the BP-led pipeline consortium, refused
to comment on concerns that a high level of opacity in the company could
hamper
public accountability to the project.
“There is little transparency in the oil industry and a lot of corruption in
society, and that’s a very bad combination,” said Ingilab Ahmedov of Baku’s
Public Finance Monitoring Center.
According to BP’s Woodward, the government is trying to deal with the issue.
But he said “the old guard,” or officials who have remained in power since the
death in 2003 of the president, Heydar Aliyev, “don’t want to see reforms
progress…and wish to pursue their own personal interests.”
Internationally, too, critics have said that the West and especially the US
have been too soft on Azerbaijan in their quest to secure oil supplies.
“There
is a huge reluctance to make a stink of what’s inexcusable and most of that is
to do with wanting to maintain the security of supply,” said Simon Taylor, a
director at Global Witness, the London-based watchdog focused on corruption in
resource-rich states.

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress