Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Azat Artsakh – Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (NKR)
June 23 2004

OFFICIALS OF ARMENIA AND NKR DENIED

Top officials of Armenia and Nagorni Karabakh denied the news that the
American co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Stephen Mann during his
latestvisit to Yerevan (June 3) unofficially discussed with the
president of Armenia the question of returning three regions
controlled by the Karabakh armed forcesto Azerbaijan as a manifestation
of good will. In particular, in the interviews to the radio station
`Liberty’ this news was denied by the prime minister of Armenia
Andranik Margarian and foreign minister Vardan Oskanian, as well asthe
speaker of the National Assembly of Nagorni Karabakh Oleg Yessayan. ‘I
do not think that such discussions ever took place,’ stated Oleg
Yessayan and added that `if Karabakh did not agree to return five
regions for opening the railroad Yerevan-Baku, it would be naiv to
think that Karabakh would agree to return the three regions’.

PANARMENIAN.
23-06-2004

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 22 2004

SPEECH BY KONSTANTIONOS STEPHANAPOULOS, PRESIDENT OF GREECE
[June 22, 2004, 18:15:18]

Mr. President,

I thank you very much for your kind words and I would like to assure
you of my hearty feelings that reflect the feelings of the Greek
people for the people of Azerbaijan. I would also like to thank you
warmly for the cordial hospitality you extended to all of us, your
Greek guests participating at the first state visit by a Greek
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

There had been contacts between Greek and the population of this
region in Antiquity. However, today’s relations are all the more so
important; we must serve them in a spirit of confidence in the value
of our friendship. Permit me to remind that Greece hailed the
independence of Azerbaijan as early as 1991 and forthwith established
diplomatic relations with the then new country of yours.

Today’s talks corroborated the conviction of how necessary is our
cooperation as well as the fostering of a climate of mutual respect
and trust, which will help our bilateral cooperation move forward in
all fields.

Greece opened its Embassy in Baku as early as 1993, which does
reflect the importance we attach to the development of our relations
with your country. Its operation gave a strong impetus to the
progress of Greek-Azeri relations.

I take the opportunity to say how delighted we are with your
decision, adopted by the Azeri Parliament, to open an Embassy in
Athens soon; the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Athens will constitute a
live connection between Athens and Baku.

Mr. President,

In the context of this visit, it was deemed constructive to set up a
business meeting, which aims at further expanding the existing good
economic relations between Greece and Azerbaijan. Our delegation is
thus composed also of a group of prominent Greek businessmen who are
currently exploring the prospects of further cooperation in various
sectors of the economy and trade. We trust their presence here and
their contacts with their Azeri counterparts will further enhance our
economic relations.

The success of this visit in the economic field is underscored by the
signing of three very important economic bilateral agreements that
constitute the springboard for further growth of business and
investment activities.

Our relations in the energy sector are already close and I am
confident that in the near dimension will e added thanks to the
forthcoming cooperation involving the energy corridor linking
Azerbaijan with Western Europe. This link will strengthen even more
the geo-strategic and geo-economic position of your country standing
between Europe and Asia.

I would also like to welcome good progress in our cultural relations.
The implementation of the first Program of Cultural Exchange in the
framework of the Educational Agreement of 1994 ushered in an ear of
exchange in the field of cultural activities.

Cooperation between our universities is of paramount importance. This
cooperation is taking shape in the form of agreement between Greek
and Azeri Higher Education Institutions that have already been signed
or are to e signed soon.

Part of these efforts is the foundation of the Center of Modern Greek
Language and Civilization in the local Slavic University that will be
inaugurated tomorrow, in conjunction with a scholarship program
granted by the Greek government.

Mr. President,

The recent enlargement of the Europe Union constitutes a historical
leap forward for the entire European Continent; Greece specifically
welcomed the integration of Cyprus among the European family.

Said enlargement constitutes a unique opportunity for further
promoting the relations of the Union with its neighbors to the East
as well as to the South. In fact, the acknowledgement that, in the
wake of the enlargement, closer cooperation with its new neighbors
would be more than necessary, recently led the Europe Union to the
adoption of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP). The ultimate goal
of said policy is strengthening cooperation between the European
Union and the new neighbors in the fields of political dialogue of
trade and the internal market, of justice and home affairs as well as
in other sectors.

We are particularly pleased that a few days ago the European Council,
on the basis of a Greek proposal submitted under Greek Presidency,
decided to admit Azerbaijan in the European Neighborhood Policy. This
is the vindication of a Greek policy since our country has always
held the position that all three countries of the Caucasus must
become part of this policy as soon as possible end, in fact, at the
same time.

May I also remind that the decision to appoint a Special
Representative of the European Union for Southern Caucasus and to
launch the energy dialogue with Azerbaijan was also made under Greek
Presidency.

Mr. President,

Greece follows with particular interest the course of your country
and encourages every efforts in the direction of promoting political
and economic reform and strengthening democratic institutions and the
rule of law.

My country wholeheartedly supported the accession of Azerbaijan to
the Council of Europe that took place in 2001.

Greece considers existing cooperation in International Organizations
as very satisfactory. I take this opportunity to thank Azerbaijan for
having supported the Greek candidacy for the United Nations Security
Council for the period 2005-2006.

Greece attaches great importance to the initiatives undertaken by the
Azeri government to achieve a political settlement for the Nagorny
Karabakh problem. My country, as well as the Europe Union, supports
the direct negotiations between the President of Azerbaijan and
Armenia as well as the mediation efforts of the Minsk group in order
to achieve a just and viable solution of this issue. To this end it
is necessary to respect the International Law and to refrain from any
action that could endanger peace in the region.

Mr. President,

Greece considers southeastern Europe among the top priorities of its
foreign policy. We strive to enhance relations with neighboring
countries on a bilateral and a multilateral basis, aiming at securing
and maintaining pace in the region. A region that, unfortunately, is
not free of all risk of a flare up. We believe that the firm decision
of the countries of southeastern Europe to join the Europe Union and
NATO contributes to strengthening peace and cooperation in the region
as well as to the prosperity of its peoples. Greece does its utmost
to assist them in their European path; my country’s genuine interest
for its region, the Balkans, has been reflects, as we all known, at
the Saloniki Summit (21 June 2003) that put Western Balkans on the
road of accession to the European Union.

Our country also pursues its initiatives and efforts to improve
Greek-Turkish relations through cooperation in issues of common
interest. We aspire through cooperation in issues of common interest.
We aspire to more Greek-Turkish relations into a framework of good
neighborly relations governed by the rules of international law. We
hope that the sincere governed by the rules of international law. We
hope that the sincere aspiration of ours will be reciprocated by our
neighbor in the same earnest spirit. The recent visit by Prime
Minister Erdogan in Athens strengthened our hope as well as
willingness of the two countries to cooperate.

Mr. President,

The outcome of the referendum in Cyprus reflects the quasi-unanimous
conviction of Greek Cypriots that the Plan they were called the
evaluate neither secured the balance between the two Communities not
provided the necessary guarantees for the future evaluation of their
relations. I should like to assure you that Cyprus, like Greece, are
earnestly committed to achieving the reunification of the islands
through a just and functional settlement on the basis of the plan of
the United Nations Secretary General and in the context of the
Community acquis and of the fundamental principles of the Europe
Union. The accession of Cyprus has ushered in a new dynamism in view
to the forthcoming settlement of the Cyprus issue. What remains to e
done are some essential clarifications and improvements of the Plan
of the Secretary General of the United Nations that will benefit both
sides.

In concluding, may I dwell on the top global athletic event, the
Olympic Games and Greece will showcase to the world in two months,
with knowledge-legacy of our history-and with rightful pride. We
aspire to host Games that will be characterized y the quality of
organization and the sense of measure. We are doing whatever is
humanly possible in this direction and we are confident that in this
effort we will be successful. We also hope that the ideal of the
Olympic Truce during the Games, an idea revived from Antiquity, will
solidify peace and cooperation between peoples.

Mr. President,

I trust that our talks today will constitute a solid foundation for
further developing relations and deepening the cooperation between
our countries. It is in this spirit that I would like to thank you
again for your warm hospitality and raise my glass to propose a toast
wishing health and happiness to you and your wife as well as progress
and prosperity to the friendly people of Azerbaijan.

Utut holds Akopian in first game

The Jakarta Post
June 23, 2004

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Grand Master (GM) Utut Adianto, the only Indonesian representative in the
world chess championships now underway in Tripoli, Libya, had to be content
with a draw with GM Vladimir Akopian in the first game of the second round
on Monday.

Playing with black pieces, Utut pressed ahead with his attacking game.

In the game, which could be viewed live on the internet, Utut who gained his
championship berth through the Dubai qualifying tournament, won a pawn on
the 29th move.

Although he had to give away his own in the later moves, Utut looked to have
built a promising position with his pawn having a cleared passage in the
a-file.

However, Akopian, the 1999 championship runner-up from Armenia, defended
tenaciously and a draw was agreed after 39 moves.

On the other boards, favorites GM Michael Adams and GM Vassily Ivanchuk were
surprisingly held to draws by Karen Asrian and Pentala Harikrishna, who have
lower ratings than the former two.

Meanwhile, Vaselin Topalov, who has been tagged as the top seed in the
absence of a number of the world elite players, scored a 1-0 win over
Aleksander Delchev. Nigel Short and Alexander Grischuk also beat their
respective opponents.

The second games are to be played on Tuesday to decide which of the
remaining 64 contenders will qualify for the next stage.

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
 
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2004
CONTACT: David Zenian
E-mail: [email protected]

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY, ARMENIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE CHALLENGE CALIFORNIA
GENOCIDE CASE

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly of America this week, on behalf
of the Armenian National Institute and certain other individuals,
challenged a proposed class action settlement reached in the California
case of Marootian, et al. v. New York Life Ins. Co. (Marootian),
on several grounds, including that it could potentially preclude New
York State from pursuing the abandoned proceeds of Genocide-era life
insurance policies. The Assembly also recently retained a noted class
action litigator with New York-based Kaplan, Fox and Kilsheimer LLP,
to analyze the proposed settlement agreement.

“We are concerned that the language in the California settlement
may be construed as so broad as to preclude the New York State
Abandoned Property Initiative,” said Aram Kaloosdian, Vice President
and Counselor to the Assembly Board of Trustees and Chairman of the
Armenian National Institute.

In 2001, the Armenian Assembly urged the New York Office of State
Comptroller to investigate whether New York Life violated New York
State abandoned property laws by not turning over to the State the
proceeds of abandoned Armenian Genocide-era life insurance policies.
New York law provides that, if no address of the insured or apparent
beneficiary can be “ascertained…such person’s last known address
shall be presumed to be within this state if unclaimed funds are held
or owing by life insurance corporations organized under the laws of
this state.” New York Life is incorporated in the State of New York.
Under the New York law, New York Life may be liable for penalties
and accrued interest.

Recently, one of the Marootian plaintiffs’ attorneys, writing to the
Assembly in response to the Assembly’s inquiry whether the proposed
California settlement precludes New York State Initiative, wrote
that the “matters would seem to have little overlap.” But he added
that they “do not know whether the proposed settlement in the class
action would have any effect.” “If we are advised by the Court that
the California settlement does not preclude our Initiative, then we
will withdraw our challenge,” said Kaloosdian.

On February 19, 2004, Judge Christina A. Snyder preliminarily
approved the settlement agreement reached between the parties in the
Marootian case and set July 30, 2004, for the final fairness hearing.
The settlement, if finally approved, would require New York Life to
pay $20 million dollars, of which $11 million was allocated to pay
the heirs or beneficiaries, $4 million to the plaintiffs’ attorneys,
$3 million to various organizations, and $2 million allocated for
settlement implementation and administration.

In a filing with the Court, the Assembly stated that the settlement
agreement is too broadly defined to include “all other persons having
claims of any nature under life insurance policies.” Such a provision
could affect the New York State Abandoned Property Initiative, and
specifically, whether New York Life complied with state laws and
regulations regarding abandoned life insurance proceeds.

The Assembly letter to the Court also stated that “it is likely that
persons entitled to the proceeds of the life insurance polices at
issue are deceased. Accordingly, such proceeds would be considered
abandoned property and should escheat to the State of New York,
in accordance with the public policy of New York.”

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NR#2004-059

Turkey prepares to open Armenian border – Azeri paper

Zerkalo, Baku
17 Jun 04

The Turkish government has decided to open the border with Armenia
under pressure from Washington and the EU, the Azerbaijani newspaper
Zerkalo has reported. This decision runs counter to Ankara’s previous
pledges not to open the border without Azerbaijan’s consent, it
said. Relations between the two countries’ leaders are insincere, the
paper said, which is proved by the fact that the Azerbaijani leader
did not pay his first official visit to Turkey, while the Turkish
prime minister chose to go abroad during President Ilham Aliyev’s
subsequent visit. Tension between the two countries started running
particularly high after the Council of Europe vote on Northern
Cyprus which was ignored by the Azerbaijani delegation. The move
was described in the Turkish media as a “stab in the back” from
Azerbaijan. The following is an excerpt from R. Mirqadirov report by
Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 17 June headlined “Turkey is opening
the border with Armenia” and subheaded “Duty comes before friendship”.
Subheadings have been inserted editorially:

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has issued an instruction to relevant
government bodies to start preparations for the opening of the Ak Yaka
checkpoint on the Turkish-Armenian border, which has been closed for
10 years, in order to ensure the transportation of cargo from third
countries to Armenia through Turkish territory.

MPA reports quoting the Turkish NTV channel that after the opening
of the border checkpoint, cargo will proceed from Europe to Armenia
directly through Turkish territory bypassing Iran and Georgia.

Decision taken under pressure

Explaining the reasons for the decision, NTV reports that Ankara,
despite Azerbaijan’s objections, has to look for an acceptable way
out of the current situation and is under significant pressure from
Washington and the EU.

It is worth noting that Ankara is taking the step in the run-up to a
NATO meeting in Istanbul which is to be attended by representatives
of Armenia. Therefore, diplomatic sources are declining to make any
comments on the situation.

The Turkish administration has repeatedly stated earlier that Ankara
will not open the border with Armenia without the consent of Baku.

In principle, nothing extraordinary is taking place. Ankara could
have been expected to take the step long ago. The point is that Turkey
has been speculating for quite some time that it is not establishing
normal relations with Armenia due to the ongoing occupation of 20
per cent of Azerbaijani territory, while Azerbaijan was actively
following the lead as long as this policy was meeting the interests
of both sides. However, every “hoax” ends sooner or later and the
moment of truth eventually arrives.

Fraternity mere delusion

Zerkalo has repeatedly written that there is no point in deluding
ourselves and Azerbaijani society in general with false hopes
as regards fraternal relations with Turkey, even as far as the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is concerned. Because anyone even
with basic knowledge of politics could see that the tension in
Armenian-Turkish relations had very little, if anything at all,
to do with the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. First of all,
Armenian-Turkish relations have their own and no less serious problems,
including the issue of the so-called “Armenian genocide” and Armenia’s
territorial claims to Turkey. But it wasn’t these issues that got in
Ankara’s way either. After all, there are no less serious problems
in Turkish-Greek relations, which does not stop Turkey and Greece
being members of the same military and political alliance, NATO,
and maintaining normal diplomatic relations at the level of embassies.

Second, by speculating on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations for over
10 years, Turkey was actually strengthening its positions and clout
in our country, which was far more important for Turkey than the
improvement of relations with Armenia.

And third, at last, Ankara could use this factor as a means for putting
pressure on Yerevan to contain Armenia’s anti-Turkish campaign in the
international arena, particularly as Armenia was much less attractive
for Turkey than Azerbaijan and Georgia.

[Passage omitted: details of Turkey-EU relations]

Insincere relations

Azerbaijan started “recovering its sight” early this year when
certain media outlets, including Zerkalo, quoted diplomatic sources
as saying that an east European capital was hosting unofficial
negotiations on the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. Again,
there was nothing horrible in such a course of developments. It was
only necessary to develop a common line of behaviour so that both
fraternal countries could derive maximum benefit from the situation.
However, the subsequent developments showed that there was no sincerity
in bilateral relations at all. In the first half of this year the
sides repeatedly “framed” each other.

And the point here is not in finding out who is right and who is
wrong. It is much more important that the leaders of the two countries
do not seem to get along with each other.

We all remember that [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev, contrary
to expectation and traditions, did not pay his first official visit
as president to Turkey. Also, on the eve of his visit, certainly
not without the blessing of the Baku officials, a team of leading
Azerbaijani journalists went to Turkey to organize a campaign against
the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border. It is beyond doubt that
Prime Minister Erdogan saw the action as an attempt to put pressure
on him. And it was not by chance that he chose to go to Japan during
Ilham Aliyev’s visit.

Cyprus vote: “A stab in the back”

Subsequent and no less dramatic events showed that the Azerbaijani side
was not quite prepared for such a turn in bilateral relations. The
April session of PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe] discussed a resolution which would enable deputies from the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be represented in sessions
of the Parliamentary Assembly independently. Naturally, the deputies
representing two Greek states, Armenia, Russia and Serbia did their
best to prevent the resolution from being adopted in the proposed form.
And they succeeded. However, during the discussions on the resolution,
the Azerbaijani delegation was absent.

On the following day, almost all leading newspapers of Turkey,
including those close to the government, published editorials
describing the step by our delegation as nothing other than a stab in
the back on the part of “fraternal Azerbaijan”. The newspapers quoted
Azerbaijani MPs as saying that they were busy meeting Ilham Aliyev
who had come to Strasbourg. The head of the Azerbaijani delegation
to PACE, Samad Seyidov, could not conceal his disappointment with
Turkish deputies whom he accused of “washing dirty linen in public”.

“We can discuss all disputable issues with Turkish deputies ourselves,
without involving the press,” he said then.

Only a few days later, did Seyidov “come round” and say that the
Azerbaijani MPs did not join the PACE vote on Northern Cyprus because
of the Nagornyy Karabakh issue. According to Seyidov, this could have
set a precedent for the “recognition of self-styled structures”. He
said that the recognition of Northern Cyprus could indeed set a
“dangerous precedent” in terms of the possible recognition of the
separatist regime in Karabakh. The head of the Azerbaijani delegation
probably had to tell the truth as it was getting obvious that a row
was inevitable otherwise.

Under these circumstances, the Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan,
Ahmet Unal Cevikoz, tried to act as a mediator. He said that he did
not consider it appropriate to accuse the Azerbaijani MPs of failing
to take part in the Northern Cyprus vote. It is easy to understand
the Turkish envoy. Work has been done, hasn’t it? The Turkish side
has managed to trigger a public outrage both in Turkey and Azerbaijan,
and it was time to “wash hands”.

A little later the new Azerbaijani foreign minister said quite
logically that all countries, even the most friendly, may have
different interests, and that there are very serious problems in
Turkish-Armenian relations which have nothing to do with Azerbaijan.

All this testifies to the fact that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan
and the Azerbaijani president are not quite “fraternal” to each
other. Neither of them misses a chance “to punch” the other, sometimes
quite painfully.

[Passage omitted: Minor details]

WILLIAM READY TO CONQUER HARRISON

SkySports, UK
June 16 2004

William Abelyan insists he will be ready for action when he faces
Scott Harrison this Saturday, despite not fighting for over a year.
The Armenian – who is based in America – is finally fit to fight
after forcing the bout to be postponed from its’ original date due
to a shoulder injury.

Now the 25-year-old is raring to return to the ring and does not
believe his lack of action will cause him a problem as he looks to
gain the WBO featherweight crown from the Scot.

“I didn’t want to take the fight when I was injured but my shoulder
is feeling good now and I feel a lot stronger,” he said.

“It’s not a problem that I’ve been out for so long, I couldn’t get
a fight. Boxers didn’t want to fight me because I knock people out.

“I like Scott, he’s a decent fighter and I respect all fighters and
respect all world champions. But, I’d like to thank him for holding
on to the belt that we came here to get.”

Promoter Frank Maloney is also well aware of the danger opponent
Abelyan could pose Harrison this weekend and is predicting a classic
fight at the Braehead Arena.

“This will be one of the best fights the Scottish public will ever
see – I really believe that,” he stated.

“But I’m very concerned. It’s not a fight that I would have taken if
is had not been mandatory.

“Scott knows there are a lot of big names out there and big pay days
ahead but Abelyan hasn’t come over here just to pick up the pay cheque
– he fancies it big time.”

Maloney added: “Scott needs to rip the heart out of Abelyan like a
lion. He can’t take a backward step during the fight and he has to
wear him down.”

Victory for Anand’s team

Leko’s fifth-round win over Anand was not enough

Calcutta Telegraph, India
June 16 2004

Moscow: Former world champion Viswanathan Anand drew his final round
game with world No. 1 Garri Kasparov to ensure victory for the Rest
of the World team against Armenia on Tuesday.

Despite a defeat in the sixth and final round, Rest of the World held
on to their lead, winning the match 18.5-17.5.

Rest of the World began the last round with the cushion of a
two-point lead at 16-14, while Armenia looked for two extra wins,
without defeats.

Playing Kasparov with white pieces, Anand snatched the precious half
point with a comfortable draw. The Sicilian Pelican game between
Anand and Kasparov saw neither player willing to take the risk.

Anand completed the event with two wins, a lone defeat to Peter Leko
and three draws.

Leko’s fine win over the Indian in the fifth and penultimate round
on Monday, however, was not enough for his team.

Anand’s game plan did not succeed in the later stages even as pieces
got exchanged at regular intervals and the players arrived at rook
and pawns end game with equal strength.

The only decisive game of the day came from the Vaganian-Adams game,
wherein the veteran Armenian brought in all his experience in the
Queens Indian game to down the English Grandmaster.

Giving it all, Vaganian went all out on a king-side attack, marshalling
his pieces in quick time. Adams’ decision to hold on to the bishop
against knight backfired as the white knight occupied vital squares.

Holding a vice like grip, Vaganian forced Adams to resign after
38 moves.

Short draws occurred in the Valleo Pons-Leko and Akopian-Svidler games,
where peace was signed in 18 and 16 moves, respectively.

RUSSIAN BUSINESSMAN VOWS MILLIONS OF INVESTMENT IN NAIRIT PLANT

ArmenPress
June 15 2004

YEREVAN, JUNE 15, ARMENPRESS: Speaking to reporters after a meeting
with president Robert Kocharian, Andrey Ischuk, a member of the upper
chamber of the Russian Federation’s parliament and the president of
Russian Volgaburmash company, who has arrived in Armenia to accomplish
the preparatory work for the purchase of the controlling stake of the
Yerevan-based Nairit plant, said after formalizing the takeover deal
on June 30, the company will get down to putting into operation the
first conveyer of the plant that is expected to take 3-4 months. Its
production capacity is around 250,000 tons of synthetic rubber
per annum.

Ischuk said the company will conduct an aggressive marketing policy
in a bid to restore the plant’s former ties in the CIS member
countries. He said weighty investments will be made in packaging the
finished product to give it “modern appearance.”

He refused to disclose the approximate amount of the promised
investments, saying the investment plan will be unveiled immediately
after signing the takeover deal, adding though that the cash-strapped
plant may see millions of dollars to gibe it a strong boost. Ischuk
said part of the plant’s debts will be restructured, the other part
may be paid off.

1.5 MILLION ARMENIANS APPLY FOR SOCIAL CARDS

ArmenPress
June 14 2004

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS: A senior official of the Armenian
employment and social affairs ministry told Armenpress that some
1.5 million of Armenian citizens have applied for social cards. The
deadline for application is July 1. Hasmik Khachatrian, head of the
ministry’s department for public relations, said the most active
segment of Armenians will receive their social cards in due time.

The government has earmarked 120 million this year for introduction
of social card system, a move expected largely to raise the
efficiency of government bodies dealing with immediate needs of the
population. The new system is supposed to reduce also the number of
corrupt practices. Using social cards, individuals will be able to pay
their utility fees, open a bank account, receive social allowances,
pensions, and so on. A number of softer procedures are supposed to be
effective parallel to the introduction of the system to help citizens
avoid major problems.

Anand gives rousing start to World team

The Hindu, India
June 11 2004

Moscow, June 11. (PTI): Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand led
the World team to a scintillating 3.5-2.5 victory in the first match
of Armenia v/s Rest of the World contest that kicked off here at
Hotel Park Ararat yesterday.

It turned out to be a very close encounter in the first round of
the six-players Scheveningen tournament wherein all the six members
of the World team will play one game each against the member of the
rival team.

In all, 36 games will be played in this unique event being organised
to celebrate the 75th birth anniversary of late Armenian World Champion
Tigran Petrosian.

The World team comprises Viswanathan Anand, Peter Svidler of Russia,
Etinne Bacrot of France who was once the youngest Grandmaster of
the World, Francisco Vallejo Pons of Spain, Loek Van Wely of The
Netherlands and Michael Adams of England.

Russian Garry Kasparov leads the Armenian challenge that comprises
Peter Leko of Hungary, Boris Gelfand of Israel and Armenians Vladimir
Akopian, Smbat Lputian and Rafael Vaganian.

The first match ended with two victories for the World team, one for
Armenia while the remaining three games were drawn.

If Anand missed being away from classical chess for long, it did not
show in his duel against seasoned Smbat Lputian.

The Indian stalwart last played in a classical chess event in January
when he won the Corus Chess tournament comprehensively and some
experts had expected that it might take some time for him to adjust
to the conditions.