Author: Chilingarian Babken

Asia Pulse
July 27, 2004 Tuesday

INDIAN CABINET NOD TO SIGNING OF TAXATION CONVENTION WITH ARMENIA

NEW DELHI, July 27

The federal Cabinet Monday gave a formal approval for signing of a
Double Taxation Avoidance Convention with Armenia.

The approval will enable the government to ratify the Convention for
Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion
with respect to taxes on income between India and Armenia.

The Convention will stimulate the flow of cap, an official
spokesperson told reporters.

It will provide tax stability and reduce obstacles in mutual
cooperation.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
July 23, 2004, Friday

FEATURE: Spiridon Louis delights Greece at the first Olympics

By John Bagratuni, dpa
Hamburg

When Spiridon Louis was taken from Athens to Marathon on April 9,
1896, he was a poor shepherd from the village of Maroussi near the
Greek capital. But a day later the 23-year-old was the biggest hero
of the first Olympics of the modern era – winning the marathon race
by more than seven minutes and with it a place in sports history. The
legend has it that he drank a glass of wine en route and that Greek
King George I. and Crown Prince Constantine accompanied him on the
final metres to the finish line in the Panathinaikon stadium. Apart
from the official prizes – a silver medal, olive branch and diploma –
Louis received a goat, a donkey cart, a pension and a small piece of
land for his heroics. The marathon race had its tradition in ancient
Greece, but was in fact never part of the ancient Olympics which were
outlawed in 393 A.D. by Roman Emperor Theodosius because he
considered them pagan. The idea to revive the Games came from French
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who later become president of the
International Olympic Committee, in the early 1890s. Originally due
to take place 1900 in Paris, the first edition was brought forward to
1986 in Athens (the ancient site of Olympia was remote and
undeveloped) due to huge support from Greece. Prince Constantine’s
organising committee raised the necessary funds through the sale of
souvenir stamps and a donation from a businessman allowed the
renovation of the Panathinaikon stadium to become the first Olympic
stadium. It was there on Easter Monday, April 6, 1896, that George I.
officially declared open the first modern era Olympics which brought
together 245 athletes (all men) from 14 countries in 43 events. James
Connolly of the U.S. became the first Olympic champion by winning the
triple jump – 1,527 years after Varasdates, Prince of Armenia, was
the last recorded Olympic winner in 369. Connolly, 27, left Harvard
University to compete at the Games and was thrown out of the elite
university for this move. He was not rehabilitated until 1949.
Compatriot Thomas Burke won the 100m and 400m races and American
brothers John and Sumner Paine finished first and second in the
revolver shooting event. German Carl Schuhmann was the most
successful athlete, winning three gymnastics events, the wrestling
competition, placing third in weightlifting and fourth in the shot
put. Rowing and yachting events had to be cancelled owing to bad
weather while the swimming took place in chilly Mediterranean Sea
water in Piraeus. The first modern era Olympics lasted 10 days and
set the stage for the Games’ huge success. They now return to Greece
for the first time in 108 years and run August 13-29. The marathon
will end in the Panathinaikon stadium again, but the real centre of
the Games including the Olympic stadium are in Maroussi – Louis’
former home which has for a long time become part of Athens.

Medical News Today, UK
July 15 2004

Prevalence of Anemia Among Displaced and Nondisplaced Mothers and
Children — Azerbaijan, 2001

In the early 1990s, the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the
Azeri region of Nagorno-Karabakh resulted in approximately 600,000
internally displaced persons* and 200,000 refugees† in Azerbaijan
(1). After years of displacement and despite sustained humanitarian
assistance, these internally displaced persons and refugees (IDP/Rs)
are still coping with unfavorable living conditions and limited
employment opportunities (2). Results of a 1996 CDC survey in
Azerbaijan revealed high rates of malnutrition and anemia among both
the IDP/R and resident populations (3) and prompted further study of
the nutritional status of these populations. This report summarizes
results of a 2001 survey of IDP/R and non-IDP/R mothers and children
with anemia in Azerbaijan. Findings indicated that more than one
third of mothers and children were anemic, with no significant
difference in the overall prevalence between IDP/R and non-IDP/R
populations; however, among the IDP/R population, anemia was
associated with various socioeconomic factors such as education,
socioeconomic status (SES)§, and area of residence. Future studies
should focus on identifying causes for the high rates of anemia in
Azerbaijan and developing effective interventions such as iron
supplementation and behavior modification.

Data for this report are from the Azerbaijan Reproductive Health
Survey, 2001 (AZRHS01), the first nationally representative
reproductive health survey in Azerbaijan, which was conducted with
technical assistance from CDC at the invitation of the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID) (4). AZRHS01 was a face-to-face
household survey of a probability sample of 8,246 women aged 15–44
years; a total of 7,668 (93.0%) women responded. To examine
differences between IDP/R and non-IDP/R women and children, the
survey oversampled those regions heavily populated by IDP/Rs.

The survey also included a nutritional assessment module consisting
of anthropometric (i.e., height and weight) and hemoglobin (Hb)
measurements. This module was administered only to mothers with at
least one child aged 3–59 months and to those mothers’ children aged
12–59 months. A total of 2,206 mothers and 2,274 children were
eligible to participate in this anemia substudy. Before fingerstick
blood samples were taken, mothers were asked to provide written
consent for collection of blood from themselves and their children.
Trained personnel measured Hb levels on the HemoCue® (HemoCue, Inc.,
Lake Forest, California) hemoglobin test system. Mothers were
informed immediately of their results and those of their children.
Blood samples were collected from 1,913 (90.2%) mothers and 2,047
(89.7%) children. After respondents with missing Hb results or
outlying levels (i.e., <6 g/dL or >17 g/dL) were excluded, the final
sample consisted of 1,906 mothers (356 IDP/Rs and 1,550 non-IDP/Rs)
and 2,017 children (373 IDP/Rs and 1,644 non-IDP/Rs).

Anemia was defined according to the 1998 CDC criteria (5) as an Hb
level of <12.0 g/dL for nonpregnant mothers, adjusting for weeks of
gestation for pregnant mothers¶. Among children, levels for anemia
were age-specific (<11.0 g/dL for children aged 12–23 months and
<11.1 g/dL for children aged 24–59 months). Survey results were
weighted to adjust for the sampling design. Because <2% of the survey
participants were refugees, data for refugees and IDPs were combined
as one group (IDP/Rs). Data were analyzed by using SAS and SUDAAN.
Two-sided t-tests were used to determine the difference in anemia
prevalence between IDP/Rs and non-IDP/Rs and among subgroups within
those populations. Associations between sociodemographic variables
and anemia prevalence were determined by using chi-square tests,
which were calculated separately for the IDP/R and the non-IDP/R
groups. All differences are statistically significant (p<0.05) unless
otherwise noted.

The IDP/R and non-IDP/R mothers and children had similar
sociodemographic characteristics, with the exception of housing
arrangements (Table 1). At the time of the survey, approximately half
(48.5%) of the IDP/R mothers were living in temporary housing (e.g.,
public buildings, shelters, railroad wagons, and tents); 2% of
non-IDP/R mothers were living in temporary housing. Among the IDP/R
mothers, 44.2% had reported receiving humanitarian assistance (e.g.,
food supplies, household goods, clothing, and shelter) during the
previous year.

Both IDP/R and non-IDP/R mothers had a high prevalence of anemia
(39.0% and 40.1%, respectively) (Table 2). Anemia prevalence also was
high among children, in both the IDP/R and non-IDP/R groups (35.5%
and 33.2%, respectively). The prevalence of anemia did not differ
significantly by IDP/R status among mothers or among children.

Anemia prevalence was significantly higher among IDP/R mothers with
less than secondary education (64.2%), compared with non-IDP/R
mothers (37.5%) with a similar level of education. Among IDP/R
mothers, anemia decreased with higher education (64.2% for less than
secondary, 37.5% for completed secondary, and 27.3% for technicum**
or university education). Among IDP/R mothers, anemia prevalence also
was associated with other socioeconomic factors, including living in
rural versus urban areas (48.9% versus 31.9%); low versus medium-high
SES (48.3% versus 27.4%); and receiving humanitarian aid (48.2%
versus 31.2%).

For both IDP/R and non-IDP/R children, the prevalence of anemia
decreased with age and was significantly higher for those whose
mothers also were anemic (Table 2). Within the IDP/R group, children
living in households with low SES had higher levels of anemia than
those living in medium-high socioeconomic households (41.0% versus
27.6%). Children who were stunted†† were more likely to be anemic
than children who were not stunted (48.8% versus 32.8%).

Reported by: S Rahimova, PhD, Adventist Development and Relief
Agency, Azerbaijan. GS Perry, DrPH, Div of Nutrition and Physical
Activity; F Serbanescu, MD, PW Stupp, PhD, TM Durant, PhD, C Crouse,
MSc, Div of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion; LI Bhatti, MBBS, EIS Officer, CDC.

Editorial Note:

The findings in this report indicate a high prevalence of anemia
among both mothers and children in Azerbaijan, with no overall
differences in prevalence between IDP/R and non-IDP/R populations.
Similar high levels of anemia have been reported among women in
neighboring central Asian countries (6).

Iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia in most developing
countries and disproportionately affects groups with the highest iron
demands (7,8). The pattern of higher levels of anemia among younger
children and women of reproductive age in Azerbaijan, along with no
evidence of high prevalence of hookworms, malaria, or other
micronutrient deficiencies (e.g., vitamin A) suggests that iron
deficiency is the most probable cause. However, additional
assessments and research are necessary to determine the causes of the
high rates of anemia in Azerbaijan more conclusively.

At least two factors might have contributed to the similarity in
anemia prevalence between IDP/Rs and non-IDP/Rs. IDPs outnumbered
refugees by approximately 10 to 1; unlike refugees, IDPs are part of
the host population, sharing the same background characteristics,
food preferences, lifestyles, and risk factors for anemia as the
established population. In addition, nutritional deficiencies among
the IDP/R population at the beginning of displacement might have
attenuated because of the humanitarian aid provided for several years
by USAID and other international agencies.

Higher rates of anemia were found among IDP/R mothers receiving
humanitarian aid, likely because aid was provided to those groups who
were still not self-sufficient and at higher risk for anemia. The
higher prevalence of anemia among other subgroups of IDP/R women and
children (e.g., those in rural areas or with low SES) indicates the
existence of more vulnerable groups within the general population.
Special attention should be focused on improving the nutritional
status of these groups through targeted interventions such as iron
supplementation (7). In addition, iron fortification of staple foods
like flour is a key public health intervention strategy that would
benefit all mothers and children in Azerbaijan (7).

Comparing the data from the present study with the 1996 study, by
using the earlier 1989 CDC criteria for defining anemia (9),
indicates no significant change in overall anemia prevalence either
among children (43.5% in 1996 versus 35.6% in 2001) or nonpregnant
mothers (36.1% in 1996 versus 40.2% in 2001) (3,4). The lack of
improvement indicates a need to enhance health intervention programs
in Azerbaijan by including nutritional counseling, micronutrient
supplementation, and fortification of staple foods. Because anemia is
more prevalent in younger children, interventions are particularly
needed among children aged <24 months, including promotion of 1)
exclusive breastfeeding, 2) commercial or in-home fortification of
complementary foods, and 3) dietary practices that produce
improvement of iron bioavailability.

The findings in this study are subject to at least four limitations.
First, the CDC Hb levels used to define anemia are based on data from
the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of the U.S.
population. These levels are higher than World Health Organization
(WHO) cutoff levels, which are used primarily for developing
countries and might produce overestimates of anemia prevalence.
Second, higher inherent variability in capillary blood-sampling
techniques used for screening anemia might introduce errors in Hb
estimates. Third, enough information on food history and dietary risk
factors was not collected to assess whether iron deficiency was
caused by low iron intake or other factors. Finally, information on
other factors (e.g., inflammation or infection) that might affect Hb
levels was not available.

WHO considers anemia prevalence of >40% in a population as severe and
warranting immediate public health action (7); certain subgroups of
mothers and children in Azerbaijan had anemia prevalence of >40%.
With prevalence at these levels, WHO recommends the following daily
iron supplementation regimen: for children aged 6–23 months, 2 mg/kg
body weight per day; for children aged 24–59 months, 2 mg/kg body
weight up to 30 mg per day for 3 months; for nonpregnant women of
child-bearing age, 60 mg/day of iron and 400 µg of folic acid for 3
months; and for pregnant women, 60 mg/day of iron and 400 µg of folic
acid daily throughout pregnancy.

National efforts to prevent iron deficiency should involve community,
government, the private sector (e.g., food industry), and
nongovernmental organizations to develop long-term strategies that
incorporate behavior modification, food fortification, and
integration of iron deficiency–control into ongoing public health
programs. Surveillance systems should be implemented to monitor
development of these strategies and track the success of
interventions.

Acknowledgments

This report is based on contributions from U.S. Agency for
International Development Azerbaijan; Adventist Development and
Relief Agency Azerbaijan; Azerbaijan Republic Ministry of Health.
United Nations Population Fund; United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees.

References

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The state of the
world’s refugees: fifty years of humanitarian action. New York, New
York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Norwegian Refugee Council/Global IDP Project. Profile of internal
displacement, Azerbaijan: global IDP database, 2002. Available at

CDC. Health and nutrition survey of internally displaced and resident
population of Azerbaijan. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, CDC, 1996.
CDC. Reproductive health survey Azerbaijan, 2001: final report.
Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC,
2001.
CDC. Recommendations to prevent and control iron deficiency in the
United States. MMWR 1998;47(No. RR-3).
U.S. Agency for International Development, CDC. Reproductive,
maternal and child health in eastern Europe and Eurasia: a
comparative report. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Agency for International
Development, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, 2003.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations University,
World Health Organization. Iron deficiency anaemia assessment,
prevention and control: a guide for programme managers. Geneva,
Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2001. Available at

Yip R. Iron deficiency: contemporary scientific issues and
international programmatic approaches. J Nutr 1994;124(suppl
8):1479S–90S.
CDC. CDC criteria for anemia in children and childbearing-aged women.
MMWR 1989;38:400–4.

* Persons who have fled their homes because of armed conflict or fear
of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, social
group membership, or political opinion, and who have not crossed an
internationally recognized national border.

† Persons who have fled their countries because of armed conflict or
fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
social group membership, or political opinion.

§ Initially represented by a score based on household amenities and
goods (e.g., telephone, indoor toilet, central heat, television,
refrigerator, video recorder, automobile, cellular phone, uncrowded
living conditions, and recreational home/villa). Scores ranged from
zero (i.e., no amenities and goods) to 10 (i.e., all amenities and
goods). Respondents with scores of <3 were classified as having low
SES, and those with scores of >4 as having middle-high SES.

¶ For women 1–12 weeks pregnant, an Hb level of <11.0 g/dL was used.
For women 13–40 weeks pregnant, Hb levels were 10.6, 10.5, 10.5,
10.7, 11.0, 11.4, and 11.9 g/dL for 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, and 40
weeks, respectively.

** Technical vocational school.

†† Children with height-for-age Z-scores <2 standard deviations below
the CDC/World Health Organization reference.

PRESS RELEASE
“YERKIR”, UNION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
FOR REPATRIATION AND SETTLEMENT
Bagramyan ave., ap. 47/A, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel. +(374 1) 26 28 75
Web:
Contact: Robert Tatoyan, [email protected]

YERKIR
Union of Non-Governmental Organizations for repatriation and settlement
presents the schedule of grand opening ceremonies of its 2004 projects in
Armenia
(July-September, 2004)

DATE July 28
PROJECT Kindergarten
COMMUNITY MKR Nor Shahoumian Region, Yeghegnout
SPONSOR ARF Patanekan (Canada)

DATE August 15
PROJECT Kindergarten-Dance & Music School Complex
COMMUNITY RA Davoush Region, Chinari
SPONSOR Alen Gragirian (USA)

DATE August 18
PROJECT 5 single family homes
COMMUNITY MKR Hadrout Region, Haykavan
SPONSOR Armenian American Nurses Association,
Anadolian Family,
A group of LA Armenians,
Mr. & Mrs. Apo and Rose
Saghtejian,
Patyl Aposhian & Family (USA)

DATE August 18
PROJECT Clinic-Community Center
COMMUNITY MKR Hadrout Region, Haykavan
SPONSOR William So and Astghik Dadrian of
Newport Beach, California

DATE August 20
PROJECT School
COMMUNITY RA Geghargounik Region, Aregouni
SPONSOR United Armenian Students (USA)

DATE August 23
PROJECT Medical center
COMMUNITY MKR Hadrout Region, Norashen
SPONSOR Ara Aharonyan, AGBU France

DATE September 3
PROJECT 10 single family homes and School
COMMUNITY MKR Nor Shahoumian Region, Knaravan
SPONSOR Haroutiounian Family (New Jersey, USA)

DATE September 10
PROJECT School
COMMUNITY MKR Hadrout Region, Haykavan
SPONSOR Armenian American Council on Aging
(USA)

DATE September 13
PROJECT Kindergarten
COMMUNITY MKR Martakert Region, Talish
SPONSOR D.A. Connexion & France Karabagh
(France)

DATE September 15
PROJECT School
COMMUNITY MKR Hadrout Region, Tsamtsor
SPONSOR Armenia Fund (Geneva, Switzerland)

On June 1st, 2004, The MKR southern Hadrout Region community of Araler,
witnessed the grand opening of its new hospital, another Yerkir UNGO
project, sponsored by the Hayrenik Union of Los Angeles, USA.

Construction on the following projects will be completed by December 2004:

– 3 single family homes in Araler, Hadrout Region, MKR. Sponsor:
Charles Ghazerian, France.

– Water Distribution System in Araler, Hadrout Region, MKR.
Sponsor: Hayrenik Union, Los Angeles, USA.

– 10 single family homes and water distribution system in
Saralanch, Hadrout Region, MKR. Sponsor: France Karabagh and Amitie
Alsace-Armenie (France)

– 3 single family homes in Norashen, Hadrout Region, MKR. Sponsor:
AGBU.

– 5 single family homes and Clinic-Community Center, Knaravan, Nor
Shahoumian Region, MKR.
Sponsor: Haroutiounian Family, New Jersey, USA.

Yerkir UNGO invites all its sponsors and all those interested, to attend the
formal opening ceremonies of our 2004 projects. For further information
visit or call the Yerevan office at 01-262875, or “Yerkir
USA”‘s homepage at or 818-291-9703.

Baku Today
July 12 2004

KLO Activists Begin Hunger-Strike

Three members of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) started a
hunger strike on Monday in protest of the ongoing arrest of the KLO
activists detained for their unauthorized protest against the
Armenian participation of a Baku-hosted NATO conference on June 22.

The KLO activists, Barat Imani, Gultakin Quliyeva and Khayyam
Naghiyev, launched the hunger protest in the headquarters of the KLO,
demanding that the jailed KLO activists be released.

Baku’s Nasimi District court in late June sentenced six activists of
the KLO, including the organization’s leader Akif Naghi, to two
months in pre-trial imprisonment and the Appeals Court later upheld
the verdict.

Naghi, along with five other KLO activists, Firidun Mammadov, Mursal
Hasanov, Ilkin Qurbanov, Rovshan Fatiyev and Manaf Kerimov, are
charged with resisting police, violating public order and
hooliganism.

The KLO members on June 22 protested Armenian participants of the
planning conference for NATO’s `Cooperative Best Effort-2004′
exercises, Col. Murad Isakhanyan and Sen. Lt. Aram Hovhanesyan, by
breaking into a conference hall of Baku’s Grand Hotel Europe, where
the event was taking place.

As a result, the conference was stopped for several minutes. There
were no reports of serious injuries on either side.

The Sheik of the Caucasus Muslims, Allahshukur Pashazade and 21
members of the Azerbaijani parliament have appealed to the General
Prosecutor’s Office (GPO) to free the arrested on bail. However, GPO
has not responded positively yet.

Anadolu Agency
July 12 2004

Turkish F.M. Receives Oscepa Special Envoy To Upper Karabakh

ANKARA – Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul received on Monday
Goran Lennmarker, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Parliamentary Assembly (COEPA) Special Envoy to Upper Karabakh.

The Ministry did not release any statement about the meeting between
Gul and Swedish parliamentarian Lennmarker.

Canadian Press
July 6 2004

Egoyan film wins top prize at Armenian festival

YEREVAN, ARMENIA

Atom Egoyan’s two-year-old movie Ararat won the top prize at the
Golden Apricot Film Festival of works by ethnic Armenian directors,
officials said yesterday.

The festival included 57 movies by directors from 20 countries.
Egoyan is a Canadian of Armenian heritage.

The film depicts the plight of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. Armenians
say that a 1915-1923 campaign to force Armenians from Turkey left 1.5
million dead and amounted to genocide.

The title refers to the mountain that Armenians regard as their
national symbol but which now lies in Turkey.

In 2003, the film won five Genie Awards, including best picture.

ArmenPress
July 1 2004

ARMENIAN OFFICIAL TAKES ROSTRUM OF UN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL
SESSION
YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS: A senior Armenian government official
took June 30 the rostrum of the UN Economic and Social Council
session to introduce his government’s actions, aimed to alleviate
poverty. Manuk Vardanian, the chairman of a government-affiliated
state committee on real property cadastre, is heading an Armenian
delegation that has arrived in New York to attend the high-level
session, convened to explore possibilities for creating a favorable
environment to mobilize the resources of the emerging countries to
reduce poverty levels. This was the first session in which the
Armenian delegation participated after the country’s election to the
Council.
Armenian foreign affairs ministry said Manuk Vardanian’s report
centered on poverty reduction problem, saying that being an
international priority it demands mobilization of both domestic and
external resources and an effective cooperation between the
governments and international lending organizations with the active
involvement of the civic society and private business sector. He
added that direct investments are a key component of development. In
this respect he singled out the Millennium Challenges Account
projects, initiated by the US government and Armenia’s inclusion in
the list of 16 nations that may be eligible to new aid.

Armenia suggests hosting NATO exercises in 2005

Mediamax news agency
30 Jun 04

YEREVAN

Armenia has suggested hosting NATO’s Cooperative Associate-2005
military exercises within the framework of the Partnership for Peace
programme.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said this speaking at NATO’s
Istanbul summit on 29 June.

The Armenian foreign minister confirmed that Armenia was ready to
foster relations with NATO within the framework of the Individual
Partnership Action Plan. Vardan Oskanyan said that “today we can
assuredly say that Armenia is actively cooperating with NATO in all
the spheres which the allies have acknowledged as the priorities of
the partnership”.

The Armenian foreign minister stressed that “thanks to the positive
experience acquired by Armenian servicemen as a result of the
participation in peacekeeping operations under the aegis of NATO,
today we are discussing the possibility of boosting our participation
in international peacekeeping operations”.

Vardan Oskanyan recalled that Cooperative Best Effort exercises were
successfully held on the territory of Armenia in 2003.

“Thanks to our cooperation, Turkish servicemen could also participate
in these exercises. Who could think 10 years ago that Turkish
servicemen would take part in NATO exercises on Armenian land and the
Turkish flag would be waving in Armenia?” the Armenian foreign
minister said.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/29/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1. Bush Defies Chirac, Says Turkey Merits EU Place
2. Safarov Trial for Gourgen Margaryan Murder Set for Fall
3. Rights Court Condemns Turkey for Expulsion of Kurds
4. Armenia Again Ready to Normalize Turkish Relations without Preconditions
5. Monument Dedicated to Unknown Soldiers Unveiled in Stepanakert
6. ‘Shen’ Will Provide 400 Computers to Karabagh Schools

1. Bush Defies Chirac, Says Turkey Merits EU Place

ISTANBUL (Reuters)George W. Bush said on Tuesday that Turkey belongs in the
European Union and that Europe is “not the exclusive club of a single
religion.” in what amounted to a rejection of French President Jacques
Chirac.
In remarks prepared for delivery at an Istanbul university, Bush refused to
back down in the face of Chirac’s criticism on Monday that Bush had no
business
urging the EU to set a date for Turkey to start entry talks into the union.
“America believes that as a European power, Turkey belongs in the European
Union,” Bush said.
Bush is to use the speech to try to mend relations between Muslims and
Americans left tattered relations by the war in Iraq. “We must strengthen the
ties and trust and good will between ourselves and the peoples of the Middle
East,” he said.
Bush held up Turkey as an example of a Muslim democracy and said its entry to
the EU would be “a crucial advance in relations between the Muslim world and
the West, because you are part of both.”
“Including Turkey in the EU would prove that Europe is not the exclusive club
of a single religion, and it would expose the ‘clash of civilizations’ as a
passing myth of history,” Bush said.
Chirac said on Monday that Bush should not comment on Turkey’s EU entry hopes
as EU affairs were none of his business.
“If President Bush really said that the way I read it, well, not only did he
go too far but he went into a domain which is not his own,” Chirac told
reporters at the summit.
“It is like me trying to tell the United States how it should manage its
relations with Mexico,” he added.
Turkey is keen to use the NATO Summit to showcase its credentials as a
westward-looking democracy before December, when EU leaders decide if it has
met the political criteria to be put on the formal road to EU membership.
Countries such as Germany, Italy and Britain strongly back Ankara’s bid, but
Chirac’s government has expressed wariness about kicking off a formal process
to admit the relatively poor country of 70 million people.

2. Safarov Trial for Gourgen Margaryan Murder Set for Fall

BUDAPEST (Combined Sources)–Criminal proceedings against Ramil Safarov for
the
brutal killing of Gourgen Margaryan is set to begin in Budapest sometime this
fall.
Senior Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, an Azeri officer is accused of hacking
Margaryan to death, and of attempting to murder a second Armenian officer Hayk
Makuchyan. All three soldiers were attending a NATO Partnership for Peace
training program in Budapest. Margaryan, 26, was murdered with an ax as he
slept in the early hours of February 19.
Nazeli Vardanyan, the lawyer for the family of Margaryan, recently stated
that
a September trial is unlikely due to the fact that the months of July and
August are set aside for vacationing in Hungary.
Vardanyan is representing the interests of the legal successors of Margaryan
as well as Makuchyan, who is also recognized as a victim in the case.
Safarov is charged with premeditated murder which carries a 10 to 15 years or
life imprisonment. The court has yet to decide whether the trial will be
public. If he is convicted, Sarafov could be transferred to his homeland to
serve his sentence.

3. Rights Court Condemns Turkey for Expulsion of Kurds

STRASBOURG (AFP)–The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday condemned
Turkey for expelling about 15 Kurdish villagers from their homes under a 1994
state of emergency and for preventing them from recovering their property.
The decision is the first with a bearing on the inability of hundreds of
Kurds
to return home to their villages in southeastern Turkey until July 2003.
Ankara “had the essential duty and responsibility of guaranteeing the
conditions–and providing the means–to allow the plaintiffs to return home of
their free will, in security and with dignity…or to voluntarily make a new
home elsewhere in the country,” the court ruled.
Some 1,500 similar demands have been brought before the court, about
one-fourth of the total cases it is hearing against Turkey, which hosted a
two-day NATO summit in Istanbul that ended Tuesday.
Ankara, bidding to join the European Union, has faced an uphill struggle over
its human rights record.
The European judges Tuesday ruled unanimously that Turkey infringed the right
to the protection of property and failed to respect family rights.
The plaintiffs were expelled from the village of Boydas, near Hozat, during
clashes between security forces and Kurdish separatist sympathizers.
The villagers “were deprived of all the resources essential to their
livelihood,” the court said, adding that the Turkish authorities failed to
provide alternative housing.
The court noted that draft legislation on compensation for damages resulting
from the “fight against terrorism” was still under consideration and
offered no
remedy.
For 15 years, Southeastern Turkey was the scene of heavy fighting between the
Turkish army and rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, who sought
self-rule in the mainly Kurdish region.
The PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire in 1999 and withdrew from Turkey,
but
its successor, the Kongra-gel, announced last month that it was ending the
truce as of June 1.
Clashes have been on the rise in the region.

4. Armenia Again Ready to Normalize Turkish Relations, without Preconditions

ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)–Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
released details of his June 28 meeting with Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul,
noting that during the frank discussion, Turkey expressed its interest in
improving relations with Armenia, but added that the timing for such action is
not politically conducive for Turkey.
Oskanian, who met with Gul on the sidelines of the NATO summit, confirmed
that
Armenia is ready to normalize trade and diplomatic relations with Turkey
without pre-conditions. The two ministers also discussed the Mountainous
Karabagh conflict. Although no details regarding the situation in Karabagh
were
released, Oskanian did say that he briefed Gul about his meeting in Prague
with
Azeri foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov.
Later in the day, the Armenian, Azeri, and Turkish foreign ministers met to
discuss regional and international issues, including NATO priorities in the
area. The NATO summit later adopted the document Euro-Atlantic Cooperation:
Review and Reassessment that shifts the body’s attention from the Balkans and
countries of Central and Eastern Europe, to the South Caucasus and Central
Asia.
The three also discussed the future of the region in light of the European
Union’s (EU) outreach to the South Caucasus. Oskanian stressed that the
realities in the region are sure to change considering Turkey’s aspirations to
join the European body, as well as the inclusion of Armenian, Azerbaijan, and
Georgia in the EU Wider Europe: New Neighbors program. They addressed
cooperation within the framework of that program.
Though the Mountainous Karabagh conflict was not discussed in detail, the
Turkish press reported on Tuesday that Turkey seeks to assume the role of
mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan in an effort to resolve the dispute.
The Azeri newspaper 525 Gazet quoted a Turkish diplomatic source as saying
that a new formula to regulate the Karabagh conflict was put forth, similar to
that used in regulating the Cyprus issue, that “maximally considers the rights
and interests of Armenian and Azeri population of Karabagh.”

5. Monument Dedicated to Unknown Soldiers Unveiled in Stepanakert

STEPANAKERT (ARMENPRESS)A newly constructed monument dedicated to the unknown
soldiers of the Mountainous Karabagh conflict was unveiled in Stepanakert on
Monday. Family members of missing combatants and high ranking government and
military officials attended the ceremonies, including Mountainous Karabagh
Republic (MKR) President Arkady Ghougassian, National Assembly President Oleg
Yessayan and Prime Minister Anoushavan Daniyelian.
MKR Education, Culture and Sports Minister Armen Sargssian presided over the
ceremony and introduced a number of speakers, including mother of fallen
soldier Rosa Stasian, MKR military deputy Vladik Khatchadrian, International
Red Cross Stepanakert office representative Viacheslav Movsisian and Families
of Unknown and Missing Soldiers Association president Vera Krikorian.
Krikorian’s organization has registered the names of over 700 soldiers whose
whereabouts are unknown.
The construction of the monument was a collaborative effort between designer
Alexander Mamounsti, sculptor Tavit Mesrobian, and architect Nevair Mikaelian.

6. ‘Shen’ Will Provide 400 Computers to Karabagh Schools

(Azat Artsakh)The charitable organization “Shen,” which has been active in
both
Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh, has announced its plans to supply 400
computers to the schools of Karabagh. To date, the program has been
implemented
in the Askeran and Shoushi regions of the country.
“Children living and studying in the villages must not be cut from the
world,”
said Karen Aramian who serves as Shen’s representative in Karabagh. The
representative stated that schools within the Martouni region will receive
twelve computers in the near future. Program administrators have decided to
allocate at least two computers to each school. After the computers are
distributed, the organization will launch the second stage of the program,
which aims at equipping the schools with internet access.
“Shen” was established in 1988 by a group of Yerevan Polytechnic College
professors and students who were interested in addressing the myriad of
problems that emerged after the devastating Spitak earthquake, the imposition
of severe blockades of overland communications by Turkey and Azerbaijan and
the
start of the Mountainous Karabagh conflict. The word “Shen” in Armenian
means a
well-to-do, and reflects the mission of the organizations, which aims to
rehabilitate disadvantaged Armenian villages. The organization has active
chapters in the Armenia, Mountainous Karabagh, France and the United States.

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