Author: Badalian Vardan

TURKS SEE THE PRESENCE OF US TROOPS IN IRAQ GREATER DANGER TO WORLD PEACE THAN IRAN

ABHaber, Belgium
EU-Turkey News network
June 15 2006

Turks see the presence of US troops in Iraq as a greater threat
to Mideast stability than govt in Iran and its nuke ambitions,
according to Pew Research Center’s poll of European and Muslim
countries Turkish support for war in Iraq dropped sharply from 33 pct
in 2002 to 12 percent this year, while 61 pct oppose Iran’s acquiring
nuclear weapons. At 3 pct, Turkey now registers the lowest level of
confidence in President Bush.

As divisions between West and Muslim nations in opinions of Hamas
victory are wider, 44 pct of Turks see Hamas victory as good for the
Palestinian people while 23 pct think the opposite.

Significant part of opinion poll shows that negative views of France
have risen over past year, especially in Muslim-populated countries.

In Turkey, 61 pct feel unfavorably toward France, up from 51 pct
last year

The majority of Turks see the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq as a
greater threat to stability in the Mideast than the controversial
government in Iran, according to a new poll of European and Muslim
countries.

The Pew Research Center’s opinion poll released this week found that
Turks are increasingly turning away from the U.S.-declared "war on
terror." More than three-quarters of Turks (77 percent) oppose the
U.S.-led war on terror, up from 56 percent in 2004, while 61 percent
of the participants oppose Iran’s acquiring nuclear weapons.

Turkish support for the war in Iraq dropped sharply from 33 percent
in 2002, the beginning of the war, to 12 percent as of 2006.

People in Britain, France, Germany, Spain and Russia also rated
America’s continuing involvement in Iraq a worse problem than Iran
and its nuclear ambitions. Views of U.S. troops in Iraq were even
more negative in countries like Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan.

But the war in Iraq trumps the Iranian situation as a perceived
danger to the world at a time when the image of the U.S. and its war
on terrorism continues to drop internationally.

Even in Britain, the U.S.’ closest ally in Iraq, 41 percent of those
surveyed said the U.S. military presence in Iraq was a danger to world
peace and only 34 percent described the Iranian government as a danger.

International opinion on the future of Iraq is generally gloomy.

Majorities in most countries surveyed believe that efforts to establish
a stable democratic government in Iraq will ultimately fail. Pessimism
is strongest in Spain, Turkey, Germany, Jordan, and Egypt — in all
five countries, more than six in 10 respondents believe efforts to
establish democracy will definitely or probably fail.

Iraq is one of many issues that pushes a negative view of the U.S.,
said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center.

"Last year we saw some good news in countries like Russia and India,"
Kohut said. "That good news being wiped away is a measure of how
difficult a problem this is for the U.S. "Western countries share
some points of view," Kohut said, noting mutual concerns about
Iran’s development of a nuclear program and the victory of Hamas in
Palestinian elections. "But Iraq continues to be divisive."

Opinion of Bush has continued to decline in European countries, while
Muslims-populated publics remain strongly opposed to the American
president. At 3 percent, Turkey now registers the lowest level of
confidence in President Bush.

Western European nations and predominantly Muslim nations have sharply
different views on Iran, which the U.S. claims is developing nuclear
weapons.

Concerning majority Muslim-populated countries’ position towards Iran’s
acquiring nuclear weapons, solid majorities in Turkey (61 percent)
and Indonesia (59 percent) oppose it, but people in Egypt and Jordan
are divided, and most Pakistanis (52 percent) favor Iran acquiring
nuclear weapons. In addition, more people in major industrialized
nations than in Muslim-populated countries believe that Iran wants
a nuclear program to develop weapons, not nuclear energy.

West-Muslim divide on Hamas victory

Divisions between the West and the Muslim world in opinions of the
Hamas Party’s victory in Palestine’s January elections are even wider.

Fully 71 percent of Germans and 69 percent of the French feel the
Hamas triumph will be bad for the Palestinian people, among those
who are aware of the issue. Somewhat fewer Americans (50 percent)
express this view, although just 20 percent think the Hamas triumph
will be a good thing for the Palestinians. Among major U.S. allies,
only the British are divided on Hamas’ election — 34 percent say it
will be bad, while 32 percent take a positive view.

By contrast, large majorities in Pakistan (87 percent), Egypt (76
percent), Jordan (68 percent), and Indonesia (61 percent) feel that
the Hamas Party victory will be good for the Palestinian people,
among those who had heard about the election. In addition, the
Muslim-populated publics surveyed generally feel the Hamas triumph
will increase chances of a fair settlement of the Middle East conflict,
a view opposed by the West.

Some 44 percent of Turks meanwhile think that Hamas’ victory is good
for the Palestinian people, while 23 percent think the opposite.

Another significant part of the opinion poll shows that negative views
of France have increased over the past year, especially in majority
Muslim-populated countries. In Turkey, 61 percent feel unfavorably
toward France, up from 51 percent last year.

Riots of disenfranchised Muslim French youth have likely fueled this
perception worldwide, whereas for Turks, French legislation proposing
that rejection of the Armenian "genocide" be outlawed may also have
played a role.

ANPP’S OPERATION TO BE DISCONTINUED FROM OCTOBER 1 TO DECEMBER 15 FOR REFUELING

Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The operation of the second power unit
of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) will be discontinued from
October 1 for 45 days for the purpose of regular refueling and repair,
the nuclear plant’s director Gagik Markosian told NT correspondent.

To recap, the RAO UES company, which has assumed the ANPP’s management
since 2003 for a 5-year period, imports nuclear fuel.

INQUIRY COMMISSION YET ANOTHER COVER-UP

Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com)
The Nation (Kenya)
Jun 14, 2006

The Commission of Inquiry established to investigate the events
surrounding the Armenian brothers is not just a case of too little,
too late, it is yet another outrageous attempt to impede proper
investigations into criminal activities.

The first step should have been to do what Parliament demanded
yesterday: The sacking of Internal Security minister John Michuki and
Immigration minister Gideon Konchella for failing in their duties,
and in order to facilitate proper investigations.

The first cover-up was in the Government’s decision to deport Artur
Margaryan, Artur Sargasyan and their accomplices even before they had
been investigated and, if necessary, prosecuted over the brazen actions
witnessed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last Thursday.

This commission is being established when the suspects have already
being given safe passage out of the country, and are obviously out
of reach of Kenyan law.

In any case, it is obvious that those who helped them get out of the
country will not want them back to answer questions, during which the
Arturs might just give evidence that will be terribly embarrassing
to people in authority.

Questions started being asked about the two brothers as early as
March when they were accused of being mercenaries at the service of
prominent people close to Government.

Even when the Artur brothers were strutting around as if they owned
the place, and presumably deeply embarrassing their protectors, the
Government had the temerity to publicly defend them, issuing more
than one statement claiming they were bona fide investors.

It is only after things started unravelling with the actions seen at
the JKIA and the subsequent police raid on their residence that the
Government started worrying.

It started worrying, not about some individuals in the country who were
a real security risk, but that the activities of these people would
be exposed and the identities of their sponsors in Government revealed.

In the first place, an extremely serious security breach was witnessed
at the JKIA when the Artur brothers brandished guns and drove away
with uninspected luggage.

Then when police raided their house, they came across a treasure
trove of items that were obvious candidates for very vigorous
inspection. These included assault rifles with serial numbers close
to those issued to the presidential guard.

Police also found Kenya passports, police appointment cards, and
high-level security clearance passes for all airports.

Free passage out of the country

In addition, there were bags full of motor vehicle registration plates,
some for diplomatic and Government cars, as well as more than a dozen
motor vehicles, some with Government registration, others with no
number plates at all.

Also, there were uniforms and other items resembling those used by
Kenya’s specialised police units.

And what does the Government do when confronted with matters requiring
serious investigations? It gives the prime suspects free passage out
of the country.

Then when it wants to pretend to be doing something, it suspends a host
of junior officials instead of going straight for the senior officials
and wheeler-dealers who might have used their proximity to the seat
of power to sponsor actions extremely prejudicial to national security.

Setting up a Commission of Inquiry now is really closing the stable
doors after the horse has bolted. More seriously, it is an attempt
to scuttle ongoing investigations by a branch of the Police Force
that appears not to have been compromised by an obviously dangerous
parallel security apparatus and criminal network operating with
official sanction.

The inquiry might also be designed to steal the thunder from an
independent investigation planned by Parliament.

The Government has handled this whole matter very suspiciously. This
reflects badly, not just on an amorphous entity called the "The
Government", but more directly on President Kibaki personally, whose
whole judgement and probity has been called into question.

No self-respecting individual should be proud to sit in a Commission
of Inquiry designed to be nothing more than a cover-up.

TURKEY TOOK FIRST STEP ON WAY TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.06.2006 14:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey signed an agreement on cooperation in
scientific investigations with the EU thus taking the first step on
the way towards the European integration. Yesterday the document
was signed in Luxembourg by 25 EU Foreign Ministers and Turkish
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Gul. The agreement is the
first out of 35 documents Turkey has to sign with the European Union
before the discussion of the terms of the state’s membership in the
European community. The signing of the agreement was nearly blocked
by Cyprus which urged Ankara to fulfill obligations on the terms of
its recognition. It should be noted that presently Turkey recognizes
only the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus located in the northern
part of the island, reported Golos Rossii.

RIA Novosti, Russia
June 10 2006

Second police officer detained in Tajik students assault case
12:56 | 10/ 06/ 2006

MOSCOW, June 10 (RIA Novosti) – A second police officer has been
detained in connection with the beating of six Tajik students at a
Moscow university dormitory, prosecutors said Saturday.

The students from the former Soviet republic in Central Asia were
beaten and robbed Wednesday evening in a dormitory of the State
University of Management by a group led by a police officer.

“A second suspect in the assault has been detained,” an official at
the Moscow City Prosecutor’s Office said without giving any more
details.

Prosecutors said earlier that the first police officer, 27, would be
charged with robbery and hooliganism, and that an investigation had
been launched to catch his accomplices. The case is being overseen
personally by Moscow’s chief prosecutor.

The attack took place at around 8 p.m. Moscow time (4 p.m. GMT)
Wednesday, when a man dressed in civilian clothes knocked on the door
of a student room at the dormitory in southeast Moscow saying he was
a police officer. When a student opened the door, six more men in
plainclothes burst in.

“They beat the students with an iron wrench and belts, and kicked
them,” prosecutors said. “One of the students dropped his mobile
phone, and the assailants grabbed it and left.”

The assault is the latest in a series of attacks on foreigners in
Moscow. In a murder that shocked the country, Vagan Abramyants, a
17-year-old Armenian student at the State University of Management,
was stabbed to death on the platform of Pushkinskaya metro station in
central Moscow at about 5 p.m. April 22.

Prosecutors said these crimes were not being considered as racially
motivated.

Armenia-Costa Rica – 4:0

ArmRadio.am
10.06.2006 12:55

Under 21 football team of Armenia scored 4:0 in teh match against
Costa Rica in the response match of the first qualification round of
the European Championship.

To remind, in the first match in San Marino the Armenian team won with
the score of 2:1. However, the UEFA registered a 0:3 technical defeat
for bringing to the field a disqualified player. Thus, our team had
to win with the vantage of four goals, which our footballers did with
a great success.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
June 9, 2006 Friday 04:15 AM EST

Kalmyk parliament terminates senator’s powers

by Fedor Zavyalov

ELISTA

Narodny Khural (parliament) of Kalmykia has passed a resolution on
Friday, terminating the powers of Kalmyk senator to the Federation
Council Levon Chakhmakhchian suspected of accepting a bribe. A
resolution on termination of the senator’s powers was backed by
eighteen deputies with one vote against.

After the Kalmyk parliament gave its consent to the senator’s
dismissal the Upper Chamber of the Russian parliament can raise the
question of early termination of powers of the Kalmyk senator at its
regular meeting due on June 23. Earlier, Chairman of the Federation
Council Sergei Mironov said that a senator’s personal statement for
early termination of powers as a member of the Federation Council was
unnecessary.

Sergei Mironov sent a document to the Kalmyk parliament on June 3,
notifying about a decision on early termination of powers of senator
from Kalmykia Levon Chakhmakhchian and consequently, stripping him of
immunity status. The Speaker was informed that FSB agents found
300,000 dollars in the Kalmyk deputy’s case during a secret
operation. The banknotes had earlier been marked by a fluorescent
reagent. The banknotes where found during checks made by security
agents into facts of bribery practiced by some senior officials for
withholding certain facts found out during inspections made by the
Russian Audit Chamber. The overall sum paid “in gratitude” totaled
approximately 1.5 million dollars.

Chief accountant of the Association of Russo-Armenian business
cooperation Igor Arushanov and assistant auditor of the Audit Chamber
Armen Oganesyan are under investigation on the same criminal case.
Both were detained in Moscow on charges of bribery on June 2.

Chakhmakhchian was elected senator of the Federation Council from
Kalmykia in 2004. He occupied the post of Deputy Chairman of the
Committee for problems of local governments.

OUR REPLY TO THE AMERICANS
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir.am
08 June 06

We have not given it but we will do soon, stated Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan June 8. It will be a response to the U.S. State
Department Trafficking in Persons Report 2005, where Armenia was given
a rather harsh and critical evaluation. Our country was referred to
as a source, and officials are accused of insufficient efforts to
combat trafficking and even assistance in trafficking.

“There will be a top-level consultation. We will be trying to give
an evaluation. I can state the fact, mentioned in this report, that
the government of Armenia is making significant efforts against this
problem,” says Vardan Oskanyan. According to him, significant efforts
are made for prevention, protection of victims and prosecution.

Perhaps the problem is so serious that Vardan Oskanyan does not refer
the harsh wording of the report to translation mistakes like with
the trafficking in drugs report. This time Oskanyan did not blame the
translation, but this he, in fact, assumes guilt and states things,
which are not found in the report, moreover, the report states the
contrary. The U.S. Department of State, particularly John Miller,
the head of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking accuse the
Armenian government of failure to comply with the minimum standards
for the elimination of trafficking, to show evidence of increasing
efforts to combat trafficking, insufficient protection of victims,
and investigation or prosecution, including government officials.

Hence, Americans said one thing, Oskanyan said another thing.

“In fact, the government is making significant efforts to tackle
this problem,” says Vardan Oskanyan. In fact, Vardan Oskanyan and
the Americans have different ideas of both English and significant
efforts to eliminate trafficking. However, there is a difference in
notions within our country too. For instance, Vardan Oskanyan says the
problem of trafficking exists in Armenia, and it is not a secret to
anybody. In the meantime, it is not a secret that Davit Harutiunyan,
the minister of justice, has a different notion of this issue. The
minister of justice announced that there are cases of trafficking
in Armenia but as a phenomenon trafficking is exaggerated. At the
same time, the government of Armenia, which points to the absence of
significant efforts and even such a phenomenon, takes the American
money with great pleasure to combat trafficking. For instance,
the Procuracy signed an agreement with the United States several
months ago, and received the recurrent amount of dollars to prevent
trafficking in persons. Evidently, however, the Americans do not
know everything or the whole truth. Before giving the money they
should have found out that the Procuracy might be more interested
in trade in seedling rather than persons for clear reasons. In that
case, the U.S. State Department would not complain that the money for
combating corruption is not spent efficiently. On the other hand, it is
interesting to know how Armenia is going to respond to the U.S. State
Department report. A harsh reaction means that we will not be getting
money in the future. A mild reaction means admitting the guilt. There
cannot be anything in between. The Armenian government has to solve
this complicated problem. However, our officials are experienced in
solving complicated problems, and this time too, they are sure to find
a way out. Although it is possible that the way out will find them.

IMPLEMENTATION OF KARS-AKHALKALAKY PROJECT IS STILL DOUBTFUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.06.2006 GMT+04:00

Official Tbilisi proposes to recalculate profitability of
Kars-Akhalkalaky project, which is fraught with the strengthening of
Armenia’s transport isolation.

Something has again come between the initiators of Kars-Akhalkalaky
railroad construction project. This can be judged by the recent
announcement of the general manager of “Georgian Railroad” company
Irakly Ezugbaya, through whom the Georgian party openly declared the
distrust towards Turkish experts who were committed to carry out the
feasibility study of the project. Georgians suppose that Turks and
Azeris are trying to economize on them.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ To all appearances the participants of the project
have quite essential contradictions. If things were that serious,
it would not be necessary to cancel the trilateral meeting of the
ministers of transport which was planned in the beginning of June
in Baku. It was expected that during the meeting in Baku parties
would give final approval to the feasibility study and would decide
on the funding and sign appropriate decisions. The newly aggravated
contradictions do not allow to believe in the optimistic forecasts of
Ilham Aliev who had promised to announce the start of works by the end
of this year. In Baku and Ankara they are doing everything in order
to smooth the situation. Azeri and Turkish press calls attention on
the fact that ministers are nevertheless ready to meet and continue
negotiations.

Preliminary agreement on holding a meeting has already been
reached. But now it is already clear that it will not be a final, but
a regular meeting and it is still very early to talk about the final
stage of works on the project. To all appearances during the second
round of ministers’ consultations the Georgian party will raise the
issue of the necessity to announce a new tender for the feasibility
study. “If the Turkish party is not able to carry out feasibility
study, it can be done by Georgia”, Irakly Ezugbaya recently said.

The Georgian party has notices contradictions in the calculations
presented by the tender-winner Turkish “Exel Domonic” company. Company
experts presented two versions of calculations – for 365 and 420
million dollars. The difference is connected with the expenses on the
development of Georgian railroad infrastructures. Turks and Azeris are
insisting on the point that funds necessary for the infrastructures
should not be included in the main budget of the project and should
be found already in the course of project implementation. It is
quite evident that Ankara and Baku are striving to begin railroad
construction as soon as possible in order to prevent the start of
the non-functioning Kars-Gyumri railroad, exploitation of which will
make Armenia a transit country. It is fairly obvious that if certain
progress is observed in the opening of Armenian-Turkish border, no
one will give money for the implementation of the project, which is
doubtful in all senses. Georgians, noticing political implications in
their partners’ activities, wish to have guarantees that the project
will not be stopped in case the situation in the region changes. This
is why, Tbilisi demands to begin construction works only when all
the expenses are approved and necessary funds are found.

Besides, Georgians have an impression (to all appearances objective)
that their partners are trying to economize exactly on those sections
of the project that touch with Georgia. For the construction of
the 68km long section of the road running through the territory of
Turkey it is planned to spend much more money than the 30km long
Georgian section.

Insufficient amount of money is also planned to spend for the
renovation works of the 160km long railroad from Akhalkalaky to
Tbilisi. What is more important is that the budget for the wheel-change
station, which will be built on the border between the two countries,
is too small. (As it is known, in Turkey, unlike Georgia and Azerbaijan
the railroad lane is of European standard, which is much narrower
than that in the countries of the former Russian empire.)

Georgians also doubt about the validity of forecasts.

Turkish experts suppose that the first year’s turnover of goods
will be 2-3 million and will reach 8 million in the course of
time. But this calculation has been done taking into consideration
the non-functioning of Kars-Gyumri railroad. Thus, initiators of the
project become interested in the blockade of Armenia.

Otherwise profitability of the project will become doubtful. But
Georgians, unlike Azeris and Turks want to have a concrete idea about
what will happen when there is alternative to the built railroad. As
for the too optimistic forecasts announced in Baku and Ankara, it
looks like Georgians have learned to distinguish propaganda from real
pragmatic forecasts.

ALIYEV IS SURE THAT AZERBAIJANI-ARMENIAN CONFLICT WILL BE RESOLVED ON BASE OF NORMS AND PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
Author: E.Huseynov

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 7 2006

“I am sure that Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict will be resolved on base
of norms and principles of international law,” told the Azerbaijani
president Ilham Aliyev in his interview to a American television NBC,
Trend reports.

Touching up on the period of the solution of the conflict, the
president noted that it was difficult to speak about a fast solution
of the problem because it doesn’t depend on

Azerbaijan only. “The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is
recognized by all countries around the world and interbnational
organizations. The United Nations Security Council has adopted four
resolutions on unconditional release of Azerbaijani territories
occupied by Armenian troops. The Council of Europe, the Organization
of Islamic Conference, GUAM and other international organizations have
accepted the resolutions requiring the restoration of the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and withdrawal of Armenian troops. All these
are base for the solution of the conflict,” told president.

“We will never agreed with the separation of Nagorno-Karabakh from
Azerbaijan or its independence,” added Aliyev. “We can provide
Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh with the autonomy status,
including security and certain elements of self-government. However,
this can happen only within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,”
told Aliyev.