Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
February 3, 2005, Thursday

THE UNITED STATES PERCEIVES TOO MUCH POWER IN THE KREMLIN

SOURCE: Vremya Novostei, February 3, 2005, p. 1

by Alexander Samokhotkin

Newly-appointed US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice outlined the
major principles of Washington’s policy with regard to Russia in an
extensive interview with AFP and Reuters. Rice will be meeting with
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Ankara on February 5. This will be
their first meeting since Rice’s promotion on January 27.

According to Rice, there will be no radical revision of bilateral
relations, because present-day Russia “is not the Soviet Union, and a
return to the past is out of the question and that is great.” She
adds that “Russia’s progress in the direction of democracy has not
been smooth.” That is why development of cooperation, “to which we
all aspire, is only possible on the basis of common values.” As far
as Rice is concerned, these values include a wish for “a greater
degree of democracy” and existence of civil institutions serving as a
counterweight to government structures. Rice said that “the problem
is rooted in concentration of power in the Kremlin” at the expense of
these institutions, and “the United States has told the Russians as
much.”

Rice promised “assistance” in establishing civil society,
deregulating the economy, and developing small and medium business.
Assistance with World Trade Organization membership was also promised
– but only when Russia meets all requirements. “Deregulating the
Russian economy in line with the rules of the World Trade
Organization” was described by Rice as “good for all of the
international community.”

Rice hopes for “productive cooperation” between our countries in
“numerous spheres” including the war on international terrorism. She
hopes that the United States and Russia will work side by side on
resolution of regional conflicts like in the Caucasus and
Nagorno-Karabakh. All this bonhomie ended with what was essentially a
warning to the Kremlin. “We are keeping an eye on the strategy of
Russia’s development – Vremya Novostei and decide what to do on the
basis of these evaluations,” Rice said.

“Generally speaking, America’s position remains unchanged. Russia is
not cast out for the time being,” said Viktor Kremenyuk, deputy
director of the USA and Canada Institute. “On the other hand, the
Americans are making their displeasure clear regarding the course of
events in Russia.” In the international arena, the matter concerns
Ukraine and Georgia. In domestic affairs, it concerns media freedom
and YUKOS. The United States are trying to convey a message that
Putin should not expect too much from the Bratislava summit on
February 24. A message that the period when Washington looked the
other way is over. The United States is prepared to maintain more or
less broad cooperation provided Moscow takes into account what the
Americans are saying.

Rice also announced that the United States does not plan to attack
North Korea and is determined to find a peaceful solution to the
problem with Iran’s nuclear program. Rice complimented London, Paris,
and Berlin on their efforts to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear
programs. Rice warned the EU that a decision to lift the embargo on
arms exports to China might send Beijing “the wrong signal” about the
human rights situation in China. The leading proponents of lifting
the embargo are Germany and France.

Translated by A. Ignatkin

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Feb 2 2005

ARMENIA CONSIDERS IT HAS SUFFERED DIPLOMATIC FAILURE ON KARABAKH
QUESTION
[February 02, 2005, 18:19:32]

Political forces of Armenia are concerned with the situation
developed around settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, and
consider that Armenia has suffered diplomatic failure. The question
is that actually all key forces interested in peace settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem, have declared necessity of solution of this
problem within the framework of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
In particular, it proves to be true also acceptance by PACE of the
resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh, and visiting by representatives of
OSCE of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, statements of the US Department
of State and the president of Iran Mohammad Khatami, and also
statements of the Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

So, in his interview, the head of Democratic Party of Armenia, Member
of Parliamentary fraction “Justice”, the former adviser of the
president of Armenia on external questions Aram Sarkisian has said to
the Russian news agency “REGNUM” that the reason of such diplomatic
failure of Armenia is that Kocharian and Oskanian have underestimated
the President of Azerbaijan. `However, actually, Ilham Aliyev in
short time has developed and has carried out precise program on
creation of the whole coalition of reliable partners’, A. Sarkisian
has told. In his opinion, all statements of President Ilham Aliyev
for one million refugees and 20 percent of the occupied territories
have found the form of political line, which have received approval
of the international community. Armenia, Sarkisyan has noted, has
lost partners in the Karabakh problem and is in isolation. `And here,
even Russia will not support us, stresses Sarkisian, as Russia is a
pragmatic state which is starting with its interests’.

In opinion of the oppositionist, a way out is carrying out of
extraordinary presidential elections in Armenia and giving the
authority to hands of people, `allocated trust of people’.

New Vegas TV Network Launched

PRNewswire
Monday, January 24, 2005

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 24 /PRNewswire/ — Television’s “rich and famous” Robin
Leach and attorney Nathan Drage lead an investment group that plans to
turn a local TV station into an international network showcasing the
gambling mecca and its global gaming power. The purchase of Ch. 35 was
announced as the National Assn of Television Programming Executives
began their convention here today. Its call letters will be changed to
KVTE (Vegas Television Entertainment) by February 15 to become the Vegas
flagship station of the new network. Next Spring (2006) it will move
from existing studios in Henderson, NV to a new multimillion dollar
production facility at the heart of the world- famous Las Vegas
Strip.(Photo: )

The new “All Vegas All The Time” outlet starts 24 hour broadcasting
March 1 at 5am following a 35-hour nonstop marathon of program specials
about Elvis Presley, Howard Hughes and the Rat Pack.

First week debuts include Vega$ Bu$ine$$ a Live At Five daily financial
show; Counter Intelligence for the booming Vegas Food and Beverage
industry — a coproduction with the Culinary Institute; plus several
specials as part of the year’s largest NASCAR event on Sunday, March 6
in Las Vegas. Outspoken media personality Jon David Wells will be main
anchor. Steph McKenzie hosts the new hour-long 24/7 Vegas Entertainment.

Leach who wrote “the bible” and produced the pilot segments for
Entertainment Tonight back in 1980 said: “We can now export Vegas, the
true entertainment capital of the world, right around the globe. David
Copperfield, Jennifer Garner, Joan Collins, Snoop Dog, Cris Judd, Pat
Sajak and Vanna White have already filmed interviews and station ID’s
for the relaunch.

“Vegas is the most exciting city on earth and our shows will reflect
that. More importantly with Vegas owned casino businesses going
worldwide we will seriously cover — for the first time anywhere on
television — a live gaming financial news show complete with daily Wall
Street closing prices.

Continued Leach, “Preproduction has begun on 24 episodes of a biography
type series focusing on everybody from Kirk Kerkorian, and Steve Wynn to
Frank Sinatra and Siegfried & Roy and how they reshaped the Vegas
landscape.”

Leach, who after a 14 year run of his Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
helped launch the Food Network has begun assembling an advisory board of
major television executives. He added: “For a long time now the Strip
has played host to reality and game shows plus celebrity gaming. The
time was right to produce it ourselves and export out rather than
importing in. Could there be any better city in the world to headquarter
a new entertainment and gaming television channel?”

Said Drage (Salt Lake City and Las Vegas): “This is a very significant
investment with a well-structured highly focused business plan. In
addition to being a regular TV station we are already in positive
discussions to be included in 30,000+ Vegas hotel rooms. Once the local
station’s new program lineup is in place mid-summer we’ll plan the
launch of the network which will include our own celebrity gaming
tournaments, boxing and race-car packages, with sports book and wagering
shows.”

Leach concluded: “Entertainment Tonight, on the air 25 years, the 14
year run of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and The Food Network
success have been three big winners. I thought achieving that hat-trick
would be sufficient but when this opportunity arose it was just too
irresistible.”

Source: Leach Entertainment Enterprises Inc.

OSCE MISSION WILL NOT VISIT OCCUPIED SHAHUMIAN, GETASHEN AND NORTHERN
MARTAKERT

Azg/arm
29 Jan 05

The OSCE co-chairs and the Minsk group monitoring mission arrived in
Baku yesterday. They will visit Yerevan on January 29 and Stepanakert
on 30.

Armenia gave consent to OSCE monitoring mission when Azerbaijan agreed
to take the formula on “situation in Azerbaijani occupied territories”
back from the UN General Assembly.

Official Yerevan, foreign and defense ministers in particular, even
expressed satisfaction on the coming mission in Nagorno Karabakh’s
contiguous territories. Oskanian said that it is Azerbaijan that
should fret as they carried out inhabitation of Shahumian and Getashen
regions on state level. “The monitoring group will arrive to assess
the situation with inhabiting. Azerbaijan will get puzzled when it
appears that most of the inhabitants are refugees from Shahumian,
Getashen and Northern Martakert” he said.

“Firstly, our state implements no policy of inhabitation, secondly,
the world knows that there is a safety zone. And, at least, that will
be a chance to see if, say, Shahumian or other regions are inhabited
with Azeris or not, if Azerbaijan is really inhabiting the territories
or not”, Serge Sargsian said.

The OSCE monitoring group is reportedly not going to visit the regions
of Shahumian, Getashen and Northern Martakert – territories under
Azerbaijan’s occupation.

Vahram Atanesian heading the Commission on Foreign Affairs of Nagorno
Karabakh said that Karabakh is open for any kind of monitoring but was
concerned that the mission will visit only territories under Karabakh
forces’ supervision passing by the territories occupied by Azerbaijan
and inhabited by Azeris, according to official Baku.

“We would like the monitoring mission to learn the situation in
Shahumian, Getashen and in the north of Martakert too. The
inhabitation there started in 1991. Ayaz Mutalibof, the Azeri
president of the time, participated at the inhabitation of Getashen
region with Meskhet-Turks”, Atanesian said.

Authorities in Karabakh expressed readiness to create favorable
conditions for the mission work. Seyran Ohanian, minister of defense
of Karabakh, noted at the new conference that “those territories are
under Karabakh’s total control” but “we cannot forbid our citizens to
farm in this regions”. “There is a long talk process ahead to decide
the fate of these territories and any decision concerning the
territories should be taken in the framework of this process”.

The Shahumian-Getashen Union turned to the European Court of Human
Rights to institute an action against Azerbaijan. “The court took
cases of 4 families but the proceeding is not under way yet”,
president of the Union, Edik Balayan, said. Balayan said that those
families’ property was taken away. The population of the 26 villages
under Azeris’ supervision left without property. “Our right of
property was violated, and the sate has to compensate for this”,
Balayan said.

Is not that likely that the Azeris will follow Armenia’s example and
demand compensation? Balayan said that most of the Azeris who left
Armenia managedto change their flats. He had no information whether
Azerbaijan turned to the European Court or not. But according to Trend
agency of Azerbaijan, 10 Azeri refugees appealed to the court in
Strasburg demanding compensation.

By Tatoul Hakobian

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Jan 26 2005

Report of David Atkinson will not have special influence on Karabakh
negotiations – RA MFA

RA and NKR presidents discuss Karabakh conflict settlement process

“NATO CMX-2005 exercises started today

Azerbaijan transfers the discussions around the Karabakh conflict
issue into the course of public parliamentary discussions

*********************************************************************

REPORT OF DAVID ATKINSON WILL NOT HAVE SPECIAL INFLUENCE ON KARABAKH
NEGOTIATIONS – RA MFA

YEREVAN, January 26. /ARKA/. Report of David Atkinson will not have
special influence on Karabakh negotiations, RA MFA Press Secretary
Hamlet Gasparian told ARKA. According to him, passed resolution does
not have obligatory legal character, it is declarative and of
recommendation. Gasparian noted that report of Atkinson along with
positive sides is in the whole imperfect because considers
consequences of Karabakh conflict and does not go deep in its
reasons. He also noted that the process of implementation of changes
to the report was not objective.
According to Gasparian, RA MFA welcomes the principles again
strengthened the report according to which namely `independence of
territory and its separation can be achieved only by peaceful process
based on support of the population of the territory» and `the issue
cannot have military settlement. Future of the population and its
status should be determined by the population itself’. The change
made by Armenian delegation which reminds Armenian commitment to CE
on use of influence on Karabakh Armenians for achievement of
conflict’s settlement is also important. `Thus it is accepted that
Karabakh conflict is the conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan’, Gasparian said.
Resolution on report of D.Atkinson was passed on Jan 26 by majority
of votes – 123 voted for and only 7 deputies against. The document
will be soon discussed in Ministers Committee. L.D. -0 –

*********************************************************************

RA AND NKR PRESIDENTS DISCUSS KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT PROCESS

YEREVAN, January 26. /ARKA/. RA and NKR presidents discussed Karabakh
conflict settlement process, RA President’s press office told ARKA.
The parties discussed socio-economic situation in Nagorno Karabakh
and realization of cooperation programs between Armenia and NKR for
2005. L.D. -0 –

*********************************************************************

NATO CMX-2005 EXERCISES STARTED TODAY

YEREVAN, January 26. /ARKA/. NATO CMX-2005 exercises started today,
RA Ministry of Defense Press Secretary Seiran Shakhsuvarian told
ARKA. The goal of the exercises is practical training of procedures
of crisis management, including cooperation of civil and military
bodies, for support and increase of readiness of NATO to work in
crisis conditions. The scenario of exercises will have hypothetical
character and include conduction of operation on settlement of crisis
between two fictitios states outside NATO region in the frames of UN
mandate. Servicemen and civilian representatives of 26
country-members and of 7 country-partners – Austria, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Croatia, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and
Macedonia – will take part in the exercises. Representatives of UN,
EU and OSCE invited as an observers.
Exercises will be coordinated from NATO base in Brussels, last 7 days
and end on Feb 1.
NATO group of experts on crisis management visited Yerevan for the
first time on Nov 23-25, 2004. L.D. -0

*********************************************************************

AZERBAIJAN TRANSFERS THE DISCUSSIONS AROUND THE KARABAKH CONFLICT
ISSUE INTO THE COURSE OF PUBLIC PARLIAMENTARY DISCUSSIONS

YEREVAN, January 26. /ARKA/. For the recently period Azerbaijan
transfers the discussions around the Karabakh conflict issue from the
specialized expert groups into the course of public parliamentary
discussions, as the Vice-Speaker of RA NA Vahan Hovhannisyan told
ARKA. According to him, it’s to the best advantage to Azerbaijan,
since expert groups like OSCE Minsk Group, probe into the issue and
the cause-effect relations deeply, and their conclusions often are
closer to the reality. As a result, according to Hovhannisyan, the
conclusions cause irritation and abrupt reaction on the part of
Azerbaijan, because the conclusions being close to the objective
reality mostly reflect the point of view of the Armenian side that is
close to human values. According to him, this explains the desire of
Azerbaijan to take the discussions to the spheres and organizations
possessing not enough information and being guided by political
conjuncture and by what moments and situations demand. `Mainly, those
are parliamentary organizations having even no technical possibility
to make use of the accumulated experience of the expert groups’, RA
NA Vice-Speaker noted. A.H. –0 –
******************************

PanArmenian News
Jan 25 2005

KARABAKH PARTY ARTIFICIALLY LEFT OUT OF CONFLICT SETTLEMENT TALKS,
NKR PRESIDENT CONSIDERS

25.01.2005 13:16

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Two Armenian parties are involved in the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict – Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. As the Karabakh
party is artificially left out of the talks over the conflict
settlement, giving an evaluation to its diplomatic activities is
incorrect,” stated President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Arkady
Ghukasian in an interview with Regnum.ru. In his words, permanent
meetings of heads of the Foreign Ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan
are undoubtedly useful, however these cannot substitute for the full
negotiation process with equal participation of Nagorno Karabakh.
Answering a question about why is not the OSCE Minsk Group format for
the conflict settlement not to the liking of Azerbaijan, A. Ghukasian
referred to the military and political status quo in the
confrontation region, which does not suit Azerbaijan. In his opinion,
just due to that reason the Azeri leadership works for getting rid of
the OSCE MG mediator, which come for the necessity of mutually
acceptable compromises in the peaceful settlement of the problem, are
respective towards the Karabakh party’s position and keep in touch
with the NKR authorities. Speaking of Stepanakert’s posture over the
future status of Nagorno Karabakh, A. Ghukasian noted that “the
matter can concern only equal relations of two subjects of the
international law: the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan –
least due to the NKR having demonstrated to the world that the level
of democratic changes in it is much higher than that in Azerbaijan.”
“Having imposed a brutal blockade and then a war upon us Azerbaijan
even has not concealed its intentions to annihilate or evict the
Armenian population from Karabakh. One is hardly entitled to accuse
us in defending our right to live in our historical Fatherland with
arms,” A. Ghukasian concluded.

Wales-Armenia Solidarity
Solidarite Pays de Galles- Armenie
Press Release

On the Eve of Holocaust Memorial Day,The Political, Cultural, and
Religious Elite of Wales once more gather in Solidarity with the
Armenian and Jewish victims of Turkish and Nazi Crimes against
Humanity

At The Temple of Peace, Cardiff, capital of Wales, a nation emerging
from 700 years of English misrule, on 26th january, representatives of
all Religious denominations, the President of the National Cultural
Festival and the leaders all political parties, including the First
Minister of the National Assembly Rhodri Morgan gather to commemmorate
the Armenian victims of genocide perpetrated by the Turkish State in
1894-96, 1909, and 1915-23 (and the Jewish victims of the1939-45
Holocaust). On this issue unanimity of opinion has been reached and
this establishes a moral challenge to the U.K. government’s position
of conniving to aid Turkey’s accesion into the European Union without
any pre-condition of Recognition of its past crimes against the
Armenian nation. The main speaker will be Mike Joseph, the authority
on the close connection between the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish
Holocaust. Welsh and Armenian choirs will participate at this
occassion.

It was the Welshman David Lloyd George, who was Prime minister of
Britain from 1916-22, who recognised Britain’s guilt in the matter. He
wrote in 1932 in “The Truth about Peace Treaties”: ” It was the
actions of the British government that led to the massacres of
1894-96, 1909 and worst of all, the the Holocaust of 1915″. True to
tradition today’s British government continue to turn a blind eye to
Turkey’s genocidal policies towards Armenia.

IRNA, Iran
January 24, 2005 Monday

Azeri president in Iran to discuss economic,

Tehran

President Ilkham Aliyev of Azerbaijan begins a three-day official
visit to Iran on Monday.

At least eight inter-governmental agreements, mainly of economic
character, will be signed during the visit.

According to diplomatic sources in Baku, the Azerbajani head of state
is to have meetings with President Mohammad Khatami of Iran and other
leaders of the country to discuss all problems of bilateral
relations, as well as issues of regional security, cooperation within
the framework of international organizations, settlement of the
Karabakh conflict and defining of the Caspian Sea legal status.

Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep
Jan 24 2005

Armenian Coalition To Mull Proposed Deal With Opposition

Leaders of the Armenian parliament’s pro-government majority promised
on Friday to consider an unexpected opposition offer to reach a
compromise agreement on constitutional amendments put forward by
President Robert Kocharian.

Parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian told a senior opposition
lawmaker, Victor Dallakian, that he will begin `political
consultations’ with fellow majority leaders over three constitutional
changes demanded by the Artarutyun bloc and the National Unity Party
(AMK).

The changes would empower the National Assembly to endorse
prime-ministerial candidates nominated by the president, seriously
limit the latter’s controversial authority to appoint and sack judges
as well as make the mayor of Yerevan an elected official. The two
opposition groups have indicated that they will endorse Kocharian’s
package of draft amendments if their proposals are incorporated into
it.

Dallakian told reporters that Baghdasarian promised to finish the
consultations within ten days. `We put forward a package proposal,’
he said. `If two coalition parties accept but the other rejects them,
we will not participate in this process.’

The opposition has previously rejected Kocharian’s constitutional
amendments as undemocratic and vowed to scuttle his efforts to push
them through a referendum expected this summer. Leaders of the three
parties represented in Kocharian’s government reacted positively to
the softening of the opposition stance.

`We will consider that proposal,’ said Gagik Minasian of the
Republican Party (HHK), the biggest parliamentary force.

`Most of the [opposition] proposals are quite sound ones,’ said Armen
Rustamian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun).

The coalition parties had offered the opposition the right of veto in
the reform process, in an unsuccessful attempt to stave off a
campaign of anti-Kocharian street protests last spring. Both Minasian
and Rustamian told RFE/RL that the offer may no longer be on the
table.

`It is strange that they are reacting to that offer now,’ said the
HHK representative.

`I am glad that our colleagues now accept our offer made at that
time. But there is a problem of missing the right moment,’ said
Rustamian. `The political situation makes some things possible at one
point and problematic at another. The situation has changed a bit. So
has our mood.’

CATHOLICOS OF GREAT CILICIAN HOUSE AND AMBASSADOR OF RUSSIA TO LEBANON
DISCUSS ISSUES REGARDING ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS

ANTELIAS, January 19 (Noyan Tapan). Catholicos of the Great Cilician
House Aram I and newly appointed Ambassador of Russia to Lebanon
Sergei Bukin discussed issues regarding the Armenian-Russian relations
during the January 18 meeting held in the residence of the Catholicos
in Antelias. It was stressed that these relations shouldn’t be only
political, but cultural and should also concern other spheres, taking
into account the centuries-old friendship of the two peoples and the
regional close relations. During the coversation lasted over an hour
Catholicos Aram I and Ambassador Bukin, speaking about the Middle
East, expressed concern in connection with the situation formed in
Iraq. Speaking about Lebanon Patriarch Aram I expressed his viewpoints
to the newly appointed Ambassador about a number of phenomena and also
stressed the role and place of the Armenian Community in the Lebanese
communal life. The interlocutors also touched upon the relations of
the Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholicosate of the Great
Cilician House, about which His Holiness reported wide information,
showing the different stages of the brotherly relations during the
passed years. According to the press service of the Catholicosate of
the Great Cilician House, Ambassador Bukin, who has occupied different
posts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia for over 30 years
and has worked in different Arab countries, familiarized with the
Armenian history, about which he spoke with respect.