Author: Dabaghian Diana

IRNA, Iran
January 25, 2005 Tuesday 5:56 PM EST

Haddad-Adel underlines equal rights for religious minorities

Tehran

Majlis Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel said here Tuesday religious
minorities in Iran`s legislative body have five representatives who
enjoy equal rights like all Muslims.

In his meeting with Armenian Minister of Social Welfare Agvan
Vartanyan, he said that Armenian scholars, linguists and Iranologists
have had special status for Iranian scholars and Yerevan is
considered as one of the leading Iranology center in the region.

“We do believe that the two countries, given their historical,
cultural and geographic commonalties, should make utmost efforts to
promote mutual relations in line with the national interests of the
two countries,” he added.

He termed the Armenians residing in Iran as noble and artistic people
who have no social problem in the country rather, they coexist with
their Muslim brothers and sisters.

Elsewhere, Haddad-Adel expressed hope that the Karabakh crisis would
be settled peacefully, so tranquility and stability would be restored
in the region.

He noted that the governments of Iran and Armenia have managed to
recognize their needs and potentials and opened new chapters for
mutual cooperation.

The Armenian minister, for his part, termed Iran as a great, stable
and powerful partner for Yerevan and expressed his satisfaction with
high level of political and trade relations between the two
countries.

“Iran enjoys thousand years of history and civilization and no threat
could backtrack Iran from its own path,” he added.

Referring to the upcoming presidential elections in Iran, he
expressed hope that Iran could take step towards further development.

ArmenPress
Jan 24 2005

HEALTH MINISTRY LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO IMPORTED FOODSTUFF

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian health ministry has
ordered a thorough investigation to find out which of imported
foodstuff contain E 216 and E 217 food conservants (preservatives),
which are found harmful to people health. Chief sanitary doctor,
Vladimir Davidiants, said Friday “appropriate measures will follow”
after the investigation was over.
Russia has banned import of food which contains these conservants.
According to Russian Ria Novosti news agency, E 216 and E 217
conservants were found in imported candies, meat products, chocolate,
different pates, instant soups and others.
The European Union has imposed a temporary ban on use of such
concervants since January 1, 2005.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
January 23, 2005 Sunday 8:22 AM Eastern Time

Visit by FM to Baku to help discuss reforming CIS-spokesman

BAKU, January 23

A visit by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Baku on February 1-2
“will help to discuss several questions on reforming the CIS”, along
with bilateral relations and pressing international problems, said
here on Sunday Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander
Yakovenko.

According to spokesman, Russia “heads this work in the Commonwealth
and now collects proposals from member countries”. Yakovenko noted
that Lavrov “plans to visit in the near future all the CIS states for
such discussion. For instance the diplomat noted, a trip to Georgia
is planned for February. “There are plans on visits to other
countries as well,” Yakovenko noted.

“The situation in ‘flash spots’, including Nagorno-Karabakh, will be
one of topics for talks of the Russian minister in Azerbaijan.
“Russia is a member of the Minsk Group,” Yakovenko noted. “We believe
that it is necessary to reach understandings and to follow
attentively processes in the region.”

He reported that “important events are in store” in the life of the
two countries. “2005 is Year of Azerbaijan in Russia, while 2006 –
Year of Russia in Azerbaijan.” “We are interested in consolidating
bilateral cooperation,” Yakovenko emphasized.

Speaking in Baku on Sunday at the roundtable “Russia and Azerbaijan.
United information space: issues and prospects”, the diplomat
reported that he “held today first consultations on information
coverage of foreign policy”. For instance he discussed cooperation on
such topics as struggle against terrorism, organized crime and drug
trafficking.

The spokesman underlined importance of “promoting objective
information on the contribution of our countries to the Victory in
the Great Patriotic War, 1941-1945”.

INFORMATION ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SPREAD TO 1.5 MLN ELECTRONIC
ADDRESSES

YEREVAN, January 20 (Noyan Tapan). This year the Student Council of
the State Engineering University of Armenia (SEUA) also foresees to
spread information on the Armenian Genocide to 1.5 mln electronic
addresses all over the world. Haik Hakarmazian, the Chairman of the
Student Council of SEUA, told NT’s correspondent that this figure
symbolizes the number of victims of the Genocide. It was mentioned
that information on the Genocide was spread to 150,000 electronic
addresses in 2004. Many of addressees, judging by the received
answers, learned about the Armenian Genocide that took place in the
Ottoman Empire for the first time. Some of them supported the
initiative of the Armenian youth. And Turkish and Azeri addressees
expressed their protest, calling this information “slander”. Haik
Hakarmazian mentioned that the youth of the Diaspora supports them in
this issue, providing the electronic addresses of the public,
governmental and non-governmental establishments of their countries.

ArmenPress
Jan 20 2005

ISTANBUL HOSTS ARMENIAN EXHIBITION

ISTANBUL. JANUARY 20, ARMENPRESS: Some 6,000 people have visited
an exhibition, devoted to Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in the
early 20-th century, that opened in Turkish Istanbul on January 8, a
record number of visitors for local galleries.
Entitled “My Dear Brother” the exhibition has on display around
500 old photographs, postcards and other exhibits, showing how the
most matured Armenian community lived in the empire and what role it
played in the society.
“Turkish schools and universities taught only the history of Turks
as if no other people lived in this territory. When we speak about
Armenians, we regard them not as part of the society, but as a hotbed
of problems,” the gallery director, Osman Koker, was quoted by France
Press as saying.
He said he decided to also write a book to fill the historic gaps.
“It would be impossible to talk about what happened in 1915 without
these preliminary steps,” he said, adding that he was well aware that
it is not an easy task to change the people’s way of thinking.
“Until now a sizeable segment of the society, especially in rural
areas, take the word “Armenian” as an offense,” he said.

Not all Armenian opinion favours sending contingent to Iraq, paper says

Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
18 Jan 05

Text of report by Avetis Babadzanyan entitled “People in the streets”
published in the Armenian newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak on 18 January

When it was announced that during his visit to Poland Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan had signed an agreement about sending an
Armenian contingent to Iraq, many public organizations in Armenia saw
this as an anti-Armenian and anti-national step, promising not to let
it happen. Today [18 January] when the contingent goes to Iraq, these
organizations have got nothing to say or do. The Intelligentsia Forum
that was making the most threatening statements and promised to draw
people onto the streets, is silent today. A member of the political
board of the Intelligentsia Forum Garnik Markaryan does not rule out
that nevertheless they can draw people onto the streets, but a
question arises, what is the sense of going onto the streets when the
contingent is already in Iraq ?

The Armenian people should show to the Arab world that the contingent
was sent to Iraq by the decision of one or two people who ignore a
view of the Armenian people and who are not supported by the Armenian
people. It turns out we are playing a double game: on one hand the
authorities send a contingent to Iraq, on the other we are trying to
persuade the Arab world that the Armenian people condemn those who
made the decision to send the troops. And the Arab world forgives the
Armenian people, understanding that they should punish not the local
Armenian communities but blame the authorities.

One more thing. The leader of the Armenian Aryan Union Armen
Avetisyan, who earlier formed the volunteer team for supporting the
people of Iraq in their fight against occupation, today is just sorry
that quite the contrary event is taking place and a military
contingent is going to Iraq to support the occupants.

“We warned that carrying out such a decision would be understood
negatively in the Arab world and not only local Armenians will feel
its consequences but Armenia as well. When terror actions happen in
Armenia, when we have the first victims in Iraq, then everybody will
understand that the authorities are responsible for this. Then the
people, without being urged, will go onto the streets, forcing the
authorities to bring the contingent back,” he predicts.

The head of the Gnchakyan Party Lyudmila Sarkisyan also confirms that
sending the Armenian contingent to Iraq will have some influence on
the Armenian communities of the Middle East. In December of last year
she signed a statement with the leader of the Social-Democratic Party
A. Martirosyan threatening that in the event that such a decision was
adopted, they would start the impeachment process against Robert
Kocharyan.

“We receive many telephone calls from our compatriots from Syria and
Lebanon, that the Armenian communities of these countries have a short
life. They say that if before this decision Armenians were regarded as
a friendly and entrepreneurial people, today they are seen as
ungrateful traitors. Today a variety of obstacles are being set up,
especially in Syria, preventing them from carrying out their
business,” Sarkisyan says. She said Armenians were looking for ways to
emigrate to the USA, Europe and some to Armenia.

As for the Liberated Territories Protection public initiative, this is
also silent, although its secretary Armen Agayan described the
decision to send a contingent to Iraq as a national betrayal.

Azg Daily, Armenia
Jan 20 2005

ARMENIAN PATRIARCH OF TURKEY SUES AGBU

The Zhamanak (Time) daily of Istanbul published an article on January
18 informing that the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey, archbishop Mesrob
Mutafian, applied to the Californian court to bring an action against
the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU). The Patriarch assumes
that the AGBU has violated a paragraph of Melgonian’s testament
signed in 1926 saying that the Armenian Patriarchy of Constantinople
should receive 1000 English coins from the AGBU.

The Patriarch reminds in the article that the Melgonian brothers, who
handed all their wealth down to the Armenian nation and who founded a
number of important establishments, guaranteed the future of these
national establishments. The Patriarch thinks that the Central
Administration of the AGBU appeared to be very shortsighted if it
wants to sell the Melgonian Educational Institute (MEI). The
trilateral agreement signed in 1926 by the Patriarchy the AGBU and
Karapet Melgonian, one of the brothers, handed the will over to the
AGBU. Following this document, the AGBU has been successfully
sponsoring the MEI for years now. The constructive usage of the
testament was questioned last year when the Central Administration of
the AGBU decided to close the MEI. The prudent circles of the
Armenian Diaspora tried to shield AGBU’s activity from all-out
criticism and concentrated on the issue of MEI. But the AGBU remained
inflexible. In the created situation the Melgonians’ will appeared in
the spotlight. Those opposing to the closure of the MEI were fairly
fingering that the AGBU has no right to take such a decision. AGBU is
not the owner of the MEI but it was only sponsoring the institute as
the heir of the will.

Besides, the Patriarch reminds that the will supposes that the AGBU
distributes 3000 golden English coins (at the price of the date the
document was signed) to the Yerevan State University, and 1000 golden
English coins to the Armenian Patriarchies of Jerusalem and Istanbul.
He notes that the Patriarchy of Istanbul did not receive anything
during these 79 years.

Apparently, the last fact was the reason why Patriarch Mesrob
Mutafian instituted the lawsuit. But it is uncertain if the lawsuit
will include the MEI case or not.

Extract from daily Zhamanak, Istanbul

Wholesale petrol prices rise in Armenia

Arminfo
17 Jan 05

YEREVAN

One of Armenia’s largest companies trading in oil, Flash, has raised
wholesale petrol prices by five points and reduced wholesale diesel
prices by the same amount.

The Flash limited liability company told Arminfo today that a litre of
Regular-91 petrol is being offered for 275-280 drams [55-56 cents],
Premium-95 for 285-290 drams [57-58 cents], Super-98 for 305-310 drams
[61-62 cents] and diesel oil for 238-245 drams [48 cents] at its
wholesale points.

Petrol and diesel fuel prices at Flash’s filling stations have not
changed. In particular, a litre of Regular-91 costs 290 drams [58
cents], Premium-95 320 drams [64 cents] and diesel oil 250 drams [50
cents].

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Jan 12 2005

AZERBAIJAN SATISFIED WITH REPORT ON NAGORNY KARABAKH CONFLICT
PREPARED BY D. ATKINSON
[January 12, 2005, 17:46:49]

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at its winter session
on January 25 will focus the report on the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorny Karabakh conflict.

The Report was discussed at the Political Affairs Committee and then
without any change submitted for consideration at the winter session.
At the meeting of the Political Bureau on January 11 in Vienna the
document was not changed. So, the Report of the British Deputy David
Atkinson satisfied Azerbaijan.

After the hearings at session, PACE is expected to adopt a new
resolution connected to Armenia. Already in several documents adopted
by the Council of Europe, Armenia has been recognized as an aggressor
and Azerbaijan as victim of the aggression. Adoption of the new
resolution to reflect all the realities will have positive influence
on peaceful settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh problem in the frame
of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

At the session, also will be discussed elections in Ukraine,
situation in the South Caucasus and other questions.

Agence France Presse
6 janvier 2005 jeudi 1:33 PM GMT

Départ de soldats polonais et lituaniens pour l’Irak

VARSOVIE

Une centaine de soldats polonais et 56 soldats lituaniens ont quitté
la Pologne jeudi pour l’Irak afin de relever d’autres militaires de
la division multinationale commandée par la Pologne, a annoncé
l’armée polonaise.

Les militaires appartiennent au quatrième contingent envoyé par
l’armée polonaise depuis l’automne 2003.

La Pologne a annoncé en décembre son intention de réduire son
contingent déployé en Irak de 2.400 militaires actuellement à 1.700
après les élections législatives prévus le 30 janvier dans ce pays.

Cette réduction sera compensée par la création d’une réserve de 700
soldats, stationnés en Pologne, prêts à tout moment à être envoyés en
Irak.

La division multinationale commandée par la Pologne comptera après
les élections quelque 5.500 soldats de quinze pays (Ukraine,
Bulgarie, Salvador Roumanie, Mongolie, Lettonie, Slovaquie, Lituanie,
Kazakhstan, Etats-Unis, Danemark, Pays-Bas, Norvège, Arménie)”, a
indiqué le colonel Leszek Laszczak.

L’Arménie dépêchera pour la première fois une cinquantaine de soldats
dans cette division, a-t-il précisé.

Quelque 300 Hongrois se sont retirés d’Irak à la fin de l’année,
suivant de six mois le départ en juin de 1.400 Espagnols.

“Nous n’avons pour l’instant pas d’information que d’autres pays
envisageraient un retrait de leur troupes, a ajouté le responsable
militaire polonais.

Selon un dernier sondage publié en décembre, 72% des Polonais sont
opposés à la présence de leurs troupes en Irak, où 13 militaires et
quatre civils polonais ont été tués depuis le début du conflit.