Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

EU Commission welcomes Turkish penal code law

BRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) – The EU’s executive Commission said on
Tuesday it welcomed Turkey’s adoption of a new penal code seen as
crucial to its bid to start accession talks with the 25-member bloc.

“We can of course only welcome the step taken on Sunday by the Turkish
National Assembly,” a Commission spokesman said of the legislation,
describing it as “central element of the democratisation and
modernisation process in Turkey.”

The spokesman repeated EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen’s
comment last week that such a move would allow him to make a “clear
recommendation” to EU leaders on opening entry talks in a report due
to be adopted by the Commission on Oct. 6.

The new penal code will bolster women’s rights and punish torture
more severely.

It was approved at an extraordinary session of the Turkish parliament
on Sunday after the Commission made clear the reforms were a condition
for granting Ankara a green light to start the entry negotiations.

09/28/04 06:53 ET
From: Baghdasarian

Bulgarian, Azeri Speakers discuss boosting trade cooperation

BTA web site
28 Sep 04

Sofia, 28 September: A branch that would supply Bulgaria and other
European countries could be added to the currently constructed
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export oil pipeline, the Speaker of the Azerbaijan
National Assembly Murtuz Aleskerov told journalists after his meeting
with National Assembly Chairman Ognyan Gerdzhikov.

Alekserov, who is currently on a four-day visit to Bulgaria,
underscored that the matter whether the pipeline from Azerbaijan to
Western Europe will pass through Bulgaria should be resolved on the
level of ministers of the two countries. The Speaker of the Azerbaijan
parliament noted that the ministers who accompany President Georgi
Purvanov on his forthcoming October visit to Azerbaijan will discuss
the problem.

Gerdzhikov announced that a desire to step up bilateral relations
had been declared at the meeting. We found that trade and economic
relations are at a low level, he said. In Gerdzhikov’s words, this
is unusual since Azerbaijan is a major producer of oil and gas,
while Bulgaria imports these commodities. Gerdzhikov also noted that
Bulgaria is also interested in enhancing transport cooperation on
both a bilateral basis and within the multilateral agreement on the
Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRASECA) transport corridor. Both parties are
in favour of boosting relations in all fields, which is in the context
of our common European and Euro-Atlantic integration, he added.

Murtuz Aleskerov pointed out that an intergovernmental commission was
set up in 1995 with the aim of developing trade and economic relations
between the two countries but trade still hasn’t reached the necessary
level. He pointed out that political, cultural and technological
relations had also been discussed. “We came to the conclusion that
it is necessary to step up parliamentary exchange between the two
countries,” the Speaker of Azerbaijan National Assembly said. Alekserov
added that he had invited Ognyan Gerdzhikov to pay an official visit
to Azerbaijan. Alekserov also said the matter of Nagorny Karabakh had
been touched upon. We share the opinion that this problem should be
resolved on the basis of international law and taking into account
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Armenia, he added.

Later in the day the Azerbaijan National Assembly Speaker and
the delegation he heads were received by Prime Minister Simeon
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Talks centred on the development and deepening of
bilateral relations, with a stress on trade and economic cooperation,
the government press office said. The opinion that all aspects of
Bulgarian-Azeri relations should be boosted, as well as cooperation
on an international scale, was expressed during the meeting. Raising
parliamentary relations between the two countries up to the necessary
high level will contribute to this process, Alekserov pointed out.
From: Baghdasarian

Azeri defence minister, OSCE envoy discuss Karabakh settlement

Turan news agency
21 Sep 04

Baku, 21 September: The settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
was discussed today during a meeting between Azerbaijani Defence
Minister Safar Abiyev and the special representative of the OSCE for
Armenia and Azerbaijan, Filip Dimitrov.

The Defence Ministry press service reports that during the meeting,
Abiyev pointed out that the conflict should be resolved taking into
account Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. “Armenia should withdraw
its troops from the occupied territories, otherwise Azerbaijan will be
forced to liberate its lands on its own,” Abiyev said.
From: Baghdasarian

The last of the Armenians
MADHURIMA NANDY
The Times of India
TIMES NEWS NETWORK TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 03:15:04 AM

Eighty-three-year-old Charles Sarkies misses his friends who used to join
him for a quick game of bingo at the Armenian Club on Park Street. “There
are no births, weddings or engagements but only deaths of Armenians in the
city now.

The few left are just waiting to get six-feet under. Even the Armenian Club
is nearly non-functional,” reminisced Sarkies, who lives with 15 Armenians
at the Sir Catchick Paul Chater old-age home near Park Circus.

Sadly, even the much-popular Armenian rugby team in Kolkata has ceased to
exist now. Earlier, older students of the Armenian College who used to play
the game, along with professional players from abroad, are no more there.

“Unfortunately, the college had closed down for four years and that’s how
the team ceased to exist. I’ve managed to reopen the school in 1999 and
hopefully in the next two years we will get back our rugby team,” said Sonia
John, honourary manager of Armenian College and chair person of the Armenian
Church. The Church that was built in 1724 is possibly the oldest in the
city. Incidentally, there are about 100 Armenian students who now come from
Iran and Armenia to study here on scholarships.

It may be a forgotten history, but Armenians were the first hoteliers in the
city who set up landmark hotels like Grand, Kenilworth, Carlton and
Fairlawn, to name a few. They were known for their great communication
skills and fine sense of cuisine. John, who once owned Carlton Hotel in
Chowringhee, said, “Most of us sold our hotels off or just closed them down.
But like the Swiss, who were unparalled as the first confectioners in the
city, there is no match for Armenians in the hotel industry.”

Interestingly, of the 100-odd members of this community who remain here
still, only five are probably true blue Armenians who still speak in the
Armenian language. “Most Armenians have had inter-community marriages
because they couldn’t find partners from their community here. As a result,
the community is not very close-knit anymore,” said John. The Armenians, who
came here at the end of the 16th century, were as many as 20,000 in number
before Independence. However, post-Independence, moneyed Armenians started
migrating to USA, Europe and Australia.
From: Baghdasarian

RusData Dialine – Russian Press Digest
September 20, 2004 Monday

Skinheads went underground

by Yaroslav Zorin

SOURCE: Gazeta, No 173, p.6

Skinhead extremists severely beat three men in Moscow metro

A group of young people attacked three people from the Caucasus
region and Central Asia on a Moscow metro car, severely injuring
them.

The attack took place Saturday evening in a metro car, moving between
Aeroport and Dinamo stations in the northern radius of the green
line.

According to the witnesses of the pogrom, 25 to 50 young people with
their hair cut short or shaven off entered a metro car around 11.30
p.m. Saturday at the Aeroport station. The skinheads spotted several
people of non-Slavic origin and started brutally beating them. The
three victims, an 41-years-old Azeri man, an Armenian man, 29, and a
Tajik man, 27, were hospitalized with heavy injuries. Doctors say
their lives are out of danger.

Witnesses said most of the attackers were dressed in short ‘bomber’
jackets, black jeans and wore heavy army boots – typical outfit of
Russian skinheads. The young people reportedly shouted “This is for
the terrorist attacks!” when battering the southerners. Most of the
attackers managed to escape before the police arrived at the scene.
Three teenagers were detained at the exit from the Dinamo station,
although it is unclear, whether they actually participated in the
beating.
From: Baghdasarian

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
September 17 2004

Trends emerging in election results

Two days after residential and retail project is approved, voting
patterns start to develop.

By Robert Chacon, News-Press

GLENDALE — Both sides in the campaign to bring the $264.2-million
Americana at Brand project to Glendale are still analyzing the
numbers, but at least one councilman thinks it came down to
homeowners versus renters.

What is certain is that during Tuesday’s election for measures A, B
and C, about 29,500 city residents showed up at the polls, which,
according to Councilman Dave Weaver, is roughly 36% of the city’s
registered voters. That’s the highest turnout Weaver can remember.

A vast majority of people in southern Glendale, below Colorado Street
— an area with the densest population of renters — voted against the
project. When you start to look at single-family homes and the north
area of the city you’ll see that a majority of them supported the
Americana at Brand, Weaver said.

“I think that after the numbers are counted, it will become obvious
that the campaign was renters versus homeowners,” Weaver said.

Voters in precincts closest to the project’s location across from the
Glendale Galleria opposed it. Concerns about parking and traffic
around the outdoor mall once it is built were raised throughout the
intense campaign waged by developer Rick Caruso and General Growth,
owners of the Glendale Galleria.

A majority of voters in 22 precincts favored the project, and a
majority of voters in 18 precincts opposed it. Most precincts showed
close races, but some had lopsided margins. In those precincts where
voters overwhelmingly supported the project, those margins were much
higher than the ones in precincts where a high majority of voters
opposed the Americana.

Overall, the three measures that reinforced the project won approval
from the residents with an rate hovering near 51%.

Linda Berman, vice president of corporate communications and brand
strategy for Caruso, said that she would not comment on the results
of the election until a more detailed analysis is completed, which
could come in the next two weeks.

“We will want to know where we were strong and where we weren’t. We
know that we had a majority of the support but we want to know where
it came from and who got out and voted,” she said.

General Growth officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Poll numbers also revealed that the city’s Armenian-American
population voted in favor of the project, Mayor Bob Yousefian said.

“Based on the numbers we have so far, on election day about 60% of
the Armenian population voted for the project,” he said.
From: Baghdasarian

Protest action due in Moscow

Azer News, Azerbaijan
Sept 16 2004

The Movement for Azerbaijan will hold a sanctioned action in Moscow
on September 25 in protest against Armenia’s unfair policy toward
Azerbaijan.

Along with Azeris living in Russia, the rally, aimed at conveying
Armenia’s policy of occupation to the international community, will
be joined by intellectuals of Russian and other nationalities.

A resolution to be adopted by the protesters will be forwarded to
diplomatic representations of the UN Security Council permanent
members and the Armenian embassy in Moscow.
From: Baghdasarian

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/16/2004
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1) His Holiness Aram I Meets with Lebanese President
2) Aliyev, Kocharian Vow to Keep up Karabagh Talks
3) NATO Delegation Visits Genocide Memorial
4) Armenian-Americans Join San Francisco’s ‘Sudan: Day of Conscience’
5) Two New ARS Soseh Kindergartens in Artsakh

1) His Holiness Aram I Meets with Lebanese President

BAABDAAccompanied by the chairman of Central Executive Council Andre
Tabourian,
His Holiness Aram I Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia met with Lebanese
President Emil Lahoud on September 15, at the presidential palace in the city
of Baabda.
His Holiness congratulated Lahoud on the recent extension of his presidential
term and added that it is his desire to see the government continue its work
for peace, regional stability, and economic development.
Catholicos Aram I moved on to state that the president must take the lead in
unifying the various ethnic and religious communities of Lebanon, and
strengthening the bond between the government and the country’s citizenry. In
response to the controversy surrounding the proportional decline of ethnic
Armenian deputies in parliament, His Holiness noted, “It is our demand to see
the injustice committed against the Armenian community reversed and
corrected.”
In addition, the Catholicos spoke about his recent trip to South Korea, where
he met with President Roh Moo Hyun.
After commending the Catholicos for his contributions not only to Lebanon,
but
also the international community in general, President Lahoud stressed that
cooperation amongst the communities of Lebanon is of the utmost importance to
his government and assured His Holiness that the Armenian community will
receive proper representation in the country’s legislature.

2) Aliyev, Kocharian Vow to Keep up Karabagh Talks

ASTANA (AFP)–The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Thursday promised to
continue dialogue on the bitter stand-off between their countries over
Mountainous Karabagh. Presidents Robert Kocharian of Armenia and Ilham Aliyev
of Azerbaijan held more than three hours of late-night talks in the Kazakh
capital, mediated by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, but gave few clues as
to what had passed between them.
“We need time–the president of Azerbaijan knows our position more
concretely–the process is continuing constructively,” Kocharian said at a
joint news conference with Aliyev.
“Further development can resolve this question; we discussed various
questions
on the path to a resolution,” Aliyev said.
Aliyev had earlier stressed the importance of Thursday’s talks over the
Mountainous Karabagh conflict, which saw the two neighbors fight a war in the
early 1990s and remains unresolved. Aliyev has faced calls at home to take a
bolder stand on Karabagh and the thousands of Azeris who have fled the
disputed
area.
International mediators have urged face-to-face meetings between the two
sides, but with the transition of power in Azerbaijan from Aliyev’s father
Heydar to Ilham, talks have faltered.
The two leaders on Wednesday held two-way talks before joining Putin for more
discussions.
“I am happy to see that you have not lost your optimism. . . and are
continuing dialogue at the highest level,” Putin said as the talks began in
Astana, on the sidelines of a meeting of leaders of Commonwealth of
Independent
States (CIS) member countries.
“Hopes are very high, despite the complexity of the problem,” Putin said,
adding that “whatever the result, a meeting of three leaders is always a step
forwards.”
Aliyev thanked Russia for taking part in the summit talks. “Our neighbor
Russia, co-president of the Minsk Group, plays a key part in the settlement,”
he said.
The Minsk Group, comprising France, Russia, and the United States, has been
mediating between the two states for the past decade.

3) NATO Delegation Visits Genocide Memorial

YEREVAN (Yerkir)–A NATO delegation visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial on
Wednesday to pay tribute to the victims of the genocide of 1915.
Though the visit was not on their official agenda, National Assembly National
Security and Internal Affairs Committee chairman Mher Shahgeldian indicated
that the delegation members requested it. “We spoke about the 1915 Genocide
during our meetings in Yerevan, and the delegation came up with the idea to
visit the Memorial,” he said.

4) Armenian-Americans Join San Francisco’s ‘Sudan: Day of Conscience’

SAN FRANCISCO–Armenian-American community members joined other concerned
citizens at the San Francisco Civic Center to raise public awareness about
continuing massacres in Sudan. The event, “Sudan: Day of Conscience,” was
organized by the Save Darfur Coalition in tandem with several other
organizations, including the Bay Area Armenian National Committee, the
Interfaith Council, Human Rights Watch, the Jewish Community Relations, and
the
United Muslims of America. Reverend Father Avedis Torossian, pastor of St.
Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church, and Reverend Father Sarkis Petoyan, pastor
of St. John Armenian Apostolic Church, were also present to express their
solidarity.
In light of the escalating violence and the looming threat of genocide in
Sudan, representatives spoke about the desperate need to unite and take action
on regional, state, nation, and global levels. Referring to the recent past,
they illustrated the deadly consequences of international indifference to
gross
human rights violations. It was only ten years ago that the genocide in Rwanda
took the lives of 800,000 victims as the world stood by idly, despite the many
warning signs of the atrocities.
In Sudan, government-backed Arab militias, the Janjaweed, have been engaging
in a campaign to displace and wipe out entire communities of African tribal
farmers. Witnesses report that entire villages have been razed, women and
girls
systematically raped and branded, men and boys murdered, and food and water
supplies specifically targeted and destroyed.
There are also accounts of government aerial bombardments of explosives,
along
with barrels of nails, car chassis, and old appliances which are hurled from
planes in order to crush people and property. Over fifty thousand have died
and
over a million have been driven from their homes. Only in the past few weeks
have humanitarian agencies had limited access to a portion of the affected
region.
Representing the ANC, Haig Baghdassarian addressed the several hundred people
gathered; he traced the bloody history of the 20th century, beginning with the
Armenian genocide and the genocides that followed as a result of international
reluctance to take action.
“When will we learn that we cannot tolerate this to happen time and time
again? Perhaps not until, we as Americans, can tell our Turkish allies, that
although we may be friends, we will not allow them to deny history and escape
with impunity for the murder of a nation–and perhaps, not until we as
Americans can come to terms with our own bloody past–and the destruction of
the indigenous peoples of America.”
“But these noble goals may take years or even decades to achieve, and we
cannot stand by and watch yet another genocide occur, whether it’s in central
Europe or in the heart of Africa, or on the very periphery of human
civilization,” said Bagdassarian.
The event demonstrated how a common, tragic event in the histories of the
Armenian, Jewish, Cambodian, and Rwandan people can unite them in trying to
prevent genocide from becoming a dark chapter in the lives and history of
another people.

5) Two New ARS Soseh Kindergartens in Artsakh

WATERTOWN–The ARS Central Executive announced the opening of two new “Soseh”
Kindergartens in the Shoushi and Moushatagh village (district of Kashatagh),
bringing the total number of the organization’s Artsakh kindergartens to 11.
With a staff of 10, the Shoushi Kindergarten will provide 50 children an
elementary education and devoted care, while the school in Kashatagh, with a
staff of six, will be attended by 25 youngsters.
The ARS founded its first kindergarten in Stepanakert, in 1997, offering the
children of Artsakh basic care and elementary education in Armenian culture.
This worthy endeavor has continued for the last 7 years, providing not only to
more than 520 Artsakh children, but also gainfully employing over 100 adults.
The “Soseh” Kindergartens of the ARS gives war widows and young mothers the
opportunity to seek employment outside the house and improve the family income
while their children are being taken care of during the day.

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From: Baghdasarian

Azeri leader off to Kazakhstan for CIS summit

MPA news agency, Baku
15 Sep 04

Baku, 15 September: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev today left
for Astana to attend a meeting of CIS leaders, MPA has reported.

[Passage omitted: about issues to be discussed]

The Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents will hold talks during the
summit and discuss the situation of the Nagornyy Karabakh settlement
and the latest proposals by the OSCE Minsk Group. A trilateral meeting
of the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents is also scheduled.
From: Baghdasarian

Russian president praises Armenian, Azeri leaders’ optimism

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
15 Sep 04

Astana, 15 September: Russian President Vladimir Putin believes it is
important to maintain the dialogue on the Nagornyy Karabakh problem
between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“No matter what you agree on today, personal meetings between leaders
is always a step forward,” Vladimir Putin said opening a trilateral
meeting of the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.

Vladimir Putin noted Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharyan’s enthusiasm
to continue the dialogue to resolve the Karabakh problem.

“I am pleased to note that despite the difficulty of the problem,
you are continuing the dialogue,” the Russian leader said. He stressed
that he considered “it is important that the dialogue and negotiations
at the highest level are being maintained”.

The Russian president expressed confidence that “the meeting will not
be worthless and will contribute to the settlement of the problem”. He
thanked the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan for their readiness
to hold today’s meeting. “We understand that expectations are high
and the problem is an extremely difficult one,” Putin said. “I am
pleased to note that you remain optimistic and have the desire to
resolve the problem.”

The Russian leader stressed that “today’s meeting was part of efforts
of the OSCE Minsk Group”. He stressed that today, before the trilateral
meeting, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan had held a one-to-one
meeting and before that a meeting with the co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group. “All the people involved in this process (the Karabakh
settlement) sincerely sympathize with you,” Putin said.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he wanted “peace to come
to our region soon”. Ilham Aliyev thanked Vladimir Putin for his
involvement in the settlement of the Karabakh problem. “Thank you
for the involvement in this issue. As our neighbour and a co-chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia plays a very important role in the
settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,” he said. “I am
grateful to you for your participation and involvement,” he added.

In turn, Robert Kocharyan said that he had “interesting talks with
the Azerbaijani president”. Kocharyan said that it was his third
meeting with Ilham Aliyev. “We had three meetings, one of them
was a familiarization one, the second one was more detailed,” he
said. Kocharyan believes that “the work was more effective at the
ministerial level” when preparations were made for the presidents’
meeting.
From: Baghdasarian