Author: Hakobian Adrine

UEFA.com
Aug 16 2004

Children bridging the gap

Some 230 children from Mostar West, Mostar East and Nervesine –
Croats, Muslims and Serbs – attended a UEFA-backed Open Fun Football
School in the Bosnia-Herzegovnian city last week.

Old bridge ceremony
The closing ceremony was relocated to the old bridge in Mostar. The
Open Fun Football School was thus part of the official international
cultural festival celebrating the reopening of the old bridge built
during the Ottoman Empire, destroyed during the war and reconstructed
with assistance from the European Community.

Historical monument
“The bridge is part of Mostar’s specific identity,” said school
leader Mensud Durakovic. “First of all, the bridge and its
construction is unique. It is a historic and national monument, and
is also the bridge between the divided Muslim and Croat societies of
Mostar East and Mostar West – and therefore acts as a symbol of the
reunification of people in Mostar.”

UEFA charity partner
This summer, Cross Cultures is organising 120 Open Fun Football
Schools for 25,000 boys and girls from 8-12 years in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, F.Y.R. Macedonia,
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Open Fun Football Schools are
part of the UEFA charity portfolio, and the objective is to promote
grassroots football and to use football to bridge the gap between
children, trainers, leaders and football clubs from divided
societies.

Meeting Place
Throughout August, the city of Mostar has been organising an
international cultural festival under the theme Meeting Place, to
celebrate the reconstruction of the old bridge. One of the main
events was the closing ceremony of the Open Fun Football School.

Bridge between children
“The Open Fun Football School has been an important event during the
cultural festival. This is a concrete activity whereby children from
the different communities have met for the first time since the war,”
explained Durakovic. “This has been a week where football has served
as the bridge between children from the different communities of
Mostar. We have had Croat, Muslim and Serb children playing football
together.

Football for all
“We have had teams of disabled children, orphans, displaced people
and children from other vulnerable groups integrated into the Open
Fun Football School. Through this, we have demonstrated that football
is for all, and that football is an important means that can bring us
all together,” he added. “But this is just the start. We are going to
follow up in the coming month with smaller events and matches, so
that the children can keep up the contact, because the children are
important to us. They are the future.”

Assa-Irada
Aug 13 2004

Armenian-Russian military training due in Armenia

BAKU

A joint Armenian-Russian military training will be held in Armenia on
August 24-27, says chief of the Armenian Armed Forces Headquarters,
first deputy defense minister Mikael Arutyunian.
He said that an enforced Armenian regiment and officers from the
102nd Russian military base in Giumri, Armenia will participate in
the training.
Various types of arms, including attack and destructive aviation and
artillery will be used.
Arutyunian added that the goal of the training will be to coordinate
interaction in defense.*

U.S. middleweight Dirrell wins first bout

SportsTicker

ATHENS, Greece (Ticker) – American middleweight Andre Dirrell won his
first bout as the Olympic boxing tournament opened Saturday, defeating
Dabateer Ha of China after a slow start.

Dirrell, one of the few true medal hopes for the United States, lost
the first round before using his tremendous hand speed to record a
25-18 four-round decision over the Asian.

“It was not a good start,” he admitted. “I should start faster, but I
always come on strong at the end.”

Making his Olympic debut, Dirrell admitted to some nerves as the
reason for his early tentativeness.

“Getting nervous is a tradition for me, but I think it is good because
I am more aware in the ring when I am nervous,” he said.

United States boxers were shut out of gold medals in Sydney four years
ago and won just one each in 1992 and 1996.

Dirrell was the only American in action Saturday. The Michigan native
owns victories over reigning 165-pound world amateur champion Gennadi
Golovkin of Kazakhstan and Cuban Olympic representative Yordanis
Despaigne Herrera.

Dirrell will have a week off before his next bout against Nabil Kassel
of Algeria, who fought off Gaucelio Abreu of Brazil, 41-36.

Herrera also was in the ring Saturday, advancing with a 36-24 decision
over Jean Pascal of Canada.

Among 12 middleweight bouts, medal contender Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov of
Russia got past Christopher Camat of the Philippines, 35-13.

There also were a dozen light heavyweight bouts, none involving any
serious medal contenders. American Andre Ward could surprise in that
weight class.

American welterweight Vanes Martirosyan faces Benamar Meskine of
Algeria on Sunday. The 18-year-old Martirosyan was born in Armenia
and moved to the U.S. when he was 4.

08-14-04 16:52 ET

Associated Press
Aug 12 2004

U.S. defense chief thanks Azerbaijan president

BAKU, Azerbaijan – U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld thanked
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliev on Thursday for his country’s
support in the war on terrorism.

Rumsfeld spoke with Aliev on a trip to visit U.S. allies in the
region.

Defense Minister Gen. Col. Safar Abiyev assured Rumsfeld that
his country is committed to keeping 150 soldiers in Iraq.

Azerbaijan is the only predominately Muslim country that has
contributed troops to the multinational coalition assisting the
emerging forces of the Iraqi interim government.

Azerbaijan, which also has 22 troops in Afghanstian, is seeking
U.S. support in mondernizing its military and resolving a territorial
dispute with neighboring Armenia.

The United States, meanwhile, is appealing to Caspian Sea
countries like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as foils to Iran, which also
borders on the oil-rich sea.

Rumsfeld in Azerbaijan for talks

Agence France-Presse
August 11, 2004

BAKU, Aug 11 (AFP) – US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived here
Wednesday for talks with leaders of Azerbaijan, the only predominantly
Muslim country with troops in Iraq.

Rumsfeld, who flew here from Afghanistan, was expected to meet Thursday
with President Ilham Aliyev for talks on issues ranging from maritime
security in the oil-rich Caspian to efforts to prevent proliferation of
nuclear materials.

He also was expected to thank leaders here for sending troops to
missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, and supporting US
counter-terrorism efforts since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the
United States, officials said.

Azerbaijan was Rumsfeld’s third stop on a trip that began in Oman.

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TOP STORIES
08/10/2004
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1) Iran Expresses Willingness to Support Azeri Stance on Karabagh
2) Georgia’s South Ossetian Economic Minister Goes Missing Amid Tensions
3) Georgia, Russia Seek Peace Over Rebel Regions
4) Young Armenian Chess Players Return from European Championship With Gold
and
Silver Medals

1) Iran Expresses Willingness to Support Azeri Stance on Karabagh

TEHRAN (AZTAG)–During a recent press conference, Iranian Deputy Foreign
Minister Hamid Reza Asefi confirmed Azeri media reports about Iran’s
willingness to support Azerbaijan’s position on the Mountainous Karabagh
conflict. “[Iranian President] Khatami’s visit to Azerbaijan was very
successful and led to an important stage in the relations of the two
countries,” Asefi noted.
Asefi also noted that President Khatami expressed Iran’s desire for a
peaceful
resolution, which entails the maintenance of Azerbaijan’s territorial control
over the enclave.

2) Georgia’s South Ossetian Economic Minister Goes Missing Amid Tensions

TBILISI (AFP)–The economic minister of Georgia’s separatist region of South
Ossetia, Ruslan Pliyev, is missing after his empty car was found in a river, a
local television news station reported, as cited by Agence France-Presse.
This report comes amid growing tension in the former Soviet republic, with
its
new president, Mikhail Saakashvili, trying to win back control over his
fractured Caucasus state–having toppled the country’s leadership in a
peaceful
“rose revolution” last year. The news station–which has not been
identified–cited undisclosed sources as saying that foul play may have been
involved in the disappearance of Pliyev, who, the station said, is in conflict
with other leaders of the separatist pro-Moscow government in South Ossetia.
Georgian officials have so far made no official comments on the reported
disappearance. Nevertheless, the alleged incident adds to the confusion
surrounding relations between Georgia, the pro-Russian region, and Russia
itself, whose defense minister strongly rejected accusations that Moscow’s
planes are spying on Georgia.
“This is all nonsense and delirium,” Russian defense minister, Sergei Ivanov,
was quoted as saying by Interfax in Moscow. Nevertheless, Georgia’s interior
minister vowed last week to shoot down the next Russian military plane flying
over Georgia. Ivanov’s comments followed a tense meeting with Georgian defense
minister Georgy Baramidze, held in an effort to resolve a growing military
conflict in the corridor between South Ossetia and Georgia, presently guarded
by Russian troops.
The conflict has so far almost totally been reserved to a war of words, but
there has been sporadic gun fire and arrests of various peacekeepers in the
region. The talks in Moscow also focused on Abkhazia, another pro-Moscow
region
in Georgia that serves as a popular summer resort for Russians.
In blistering remarks, Saakashvili threatened last week to sink foreign ships
that enter the region without permission. “Abkhazia is not a place to holiday,
it is a war zone…(Russian) tourists have nothing to do there,” he said,
before leaving for a visit to the US. But, his deputies have since said that
his comments were misinterpreted by reporters, in a move clearly aimed at
appeasing relations with Moscow.
Seen as a young, popular reformer, Saakashvili has vowed to reunify his
fractured republic since toppling the administration of veteran leader Eduard
Shevardnadze in a peaceful revolution last year. He has also developed closer
relations with the West, and his country will soon be home to a key US-backed
oil pipeline that skirts Russian territory, despite being opposed by Moscow.

3) Georgia, Russia Seek Peace Over Rebel Regions

MOSCOW (Reuters)–Russia and Georgia’s defense ministers tried to calm
increasingly shrill rhetoric over two breakaway regions on Tuesday by
promising
to cooperate in the search for a peaceful solution, Russian news agencies
reported. Georgia’s determination to bring South Ossetia and Abkhazia under
central control–spelling the end of a decade of rule by separatists with
support in Moscow–has sparked saber-rattling that over the past few weeks
threatened to turn into bloodshed.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Russia was ready to hand over two
Soviet-era military bases in Georgia–one in the capital Tbilisi and one in
the
southern town of Akhalkalak.
“In the near future we are prepared to hand them over to the Georgian Defense
Ministry–only the Georgian Defense Ministry–under an agreement,” RIA-Novosti
news agency quoted Ivanov as saying, without giving details of the agreement.
His Georgian counterpart Georgy Baramidze, visiting Moscow for three days,
praised his hosts for their approach.
“Russia’s sincerity in the search for a peaceful solution is very
encouraging,” Itar-Tass quoted him as saying.
“My Russian colleague and I have discussed the situation in the conflict
regions and how to minimize the risks for peacekeepers and peaceful citizens.
No reasonable country could have any interest in inflaming the conflict,”
Baramidze said.
The two also said they hoped to renew contacts between their militaries,
which
Ivanov said “does not need colossal steps–it’s enough just to make an
agreement and stick to it.”
Baramidze said developing Georgia’s air defenses was one potential area of
cooperation.
The apparent thaw comes less than a week after US Secretary of State Colin
Powell called for dialogue between the two sides–despite Moscow warning
Washington not to get involved.
The United States and Russia are rivals for influence in Georgia,
which–despite poverty and a history of ethnic conflict–is strategically
placed as a future conduit for massive Caspian oil resources to the
energy-hungry West.
Georgia’s US-educated President Mikhail Saakashvili, who won a landslide
election in January, has helped to escalate the disputes over the two regions
by insisting they must bow to his rule, surrendering their powers and taxes to
Tbilisi.
He angered Russians last week by saying Georgian forces would sink Russian
tour boats plying the Black Sea coast of breakaway Abkhazia, a popular beach
holiday destination for Russians since Soviet times.
The Vedomosti business daily dubbed him “our Fidel,” comparing him to Cuban
leader Fidel Castro for his hot-headed rhetoric in defiance of the dominant
power in the region.
In a potential twist to the row over one of the regions, Georgian police
found
the economy minister of the unrecognized South Ossetian government dead in a
river on Tuesday. It was not clear if he had crashed his car, found in a
nearby
gully.

4) Young Armenian Chess Players Return from European Championship With Gold
and
Silver Medals

YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–The European Junior Chess Championship, held in the
Turkish city of Urgup, came to a close with 670 representatives from various
countries having participated in ten tournaments held simultaneously in five
age groups. Armenia participated in the Championship with 14 boys and girls
performing in all age groups.
Ten year-old Robert Aghasarian from Yerevan performed successfully, earning
7.5 out of possible 9 points. He placed first for the highest tournament
coefficients, acquiring the title of European champion and won a gold medal.
Samvel Ter-Sahakian from Vanadzor, the European champion of last year, also
had high standings. He performed in the 12-year age group this year, earning
7.5 points. The chess player earned second place, and was awarded with a
silver
medal.
Fourteen year-old Varduhi Kalashian (fourth place) from Gyumri, 16-year-old
Zaven Andreasian from Yerevan (eighth place), and 18-year-old Liana Aghabekian
from Vanadzor (ninth place) also performed successfully in the tournament.

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THERE IS LACK OF BUILDERS IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, August 9 (Noyan Tapan). It’s the second year when the
Builder’s Day is marked in the newly-independent Armenia. At the
reception organized on August 7 Aram Haroutiunian, RA Minister of
Urban Construction, congratulated the builders on occasion of their
professional holiday. The congratulatorly addresses of RA President,
RA NA Chairman and Prime Minister were read.

A.Haroutiunian said that with the state resources amounting to 12b
drams allocated this year work in the sphere of construction of
schools, residential houses and other spheres will be done. It was
also mentioned that construction is carried out in the republic at the
expense of private investments: investments amounting to about $100m
have already been made. Lack of builders is felt in the republic in
the recent years in consequence of the growth of the volumes of
construction and old age of the builders’ staff. It’s planned to work
out a program of training of young builders for the purpose of
overcoming this problem. According to the Minister, during his recent
working visit to Moscow the problems of the sphere of construction
were discussed, a memorandum on cooperation was signed with Viktor
Khristenko, RF Minister of Power-Engineering and Industry. The sides
also achieved preliminary agreement about holding of a meeting of the
heads of construction sphere of CIS in Yerevan, during which issues of
cooperation and investments will be discussed.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
08/05/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) US to Urge Georgia-Russia Rapprochement During Saakashvili Visit
2) Russian State Duma Adopts Anti-Georgian Statement
3) Iranian President on Baku Visit
4) Jordan’s Prince Hassan Extends His Support to Catholicos Aram I

1) US to Urge Georgia-Russia Rapprochement During Saakashvili Visit

WASHINGTON (AFP)–US Secretary of State Colin Powell and other top US
officials
are to press Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili this week for an easing in
Georgia-Russian tensions, now inflamed over two separatist regions in the
former Soviet republic, the State Department said.
Powell will raise the issues of Abkhazia and South Ossetia when he meets with
Saakashvili on Thursday, spokesman Richard Boucher said. The president, who is
on a private trip to the United States, will also see officials from the US
National Security Council and the Pentagon.
“The Georgians and the Russians have had meetings and discussions about it,
and we have certainly encouraged them all to try to work this out and reach
arrangements that avoid raising tensions and avoid potential clashes between
them,” Boucher told reporters.
Boucher spoke as the two countries appeared on war footing after Russia
hinted
it could resort to military action in response to a Tbilisi threat to open
fire
on vessels that “illegally” entered the Black Sea waters of Abkhazia and a top
Russian lawmaker said he was shot at by Georgian troops while visiting South
Ossetia.
Russia’s defense minister said Georgia’s leaders were turning into “pirates”
while the foreign ministry in Moscow described Saakashvili’s policies were
“unprecedented” and warned of a looming war.
The 36-year-old US-educated Saakashvili has vowed to reunify his fractured
republic since toppling the old administration in a peaceful “rose revolution”
last year and has taken a dim of view of Russian involvement in his
impoverished nation.
He is coming to the United States to attend the annual convention of the
American Bar Association in the US state of Georgia during which he will be
awarded the group’s Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative Award for
promoting the rule of law in his country.

2) Russian State Duma Adopts Anti-Georgian Statement

(Combined Sources)On August 5, the Russian State Duma unanimously adopted a
special statement concerning “the deterioration of the situation in the
Caucasus.” The document reads, in particular, that there exists conditions of
unending threats on the part of the Georgian leadership in regard to Russian
citizens permanently residing in the territory of South Ossetia and Abkhazia
and “there appear circumstances that infringe upon the Russian sovereignty.”
The Russian parliamentarians noted that the conflict in Georgia “is swiftly
moving toward a large-scale military confrontation in the Caucasus.”
“Because of the Georgian leadership, the Russian Federation may be
involved in
it. In the event of the development of a military conflict, thousands of
Russian citizens residing in the Caucasian region’s republic might be
involved,” reads the document.
The State Duma called upon the President and Government of Russia to help
normalize the situation in areas of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and guarantee
the security of Russian citizens living the regions.
In responding to the Duma’s statement, the Georgian Foreign Ministry noted
that the Russian parliamentarians used “unacceptable terminology” and
misrepresented facts. Responding to an August 4 threat issued by the Russian
side concerning the use of water routes off the coast of Georgia, which stated
that “any attempts to harm, or moreover, threaten the lives of Russian
citizens
would be duly repelled,” the Georgian Foreign Ministry said that Abkhazia and
its territorial waters enter the jurisdiction of Georgia, giving Georgia full
right to establish control over the territories.

3) Iranian President on Baku Visit

(BBC)–Iran’s President Mohammad Khatami has arrived in Azerbaijan’s capital,
Baku, for a two-day visit with Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev.
The two will hold talks on Tehran-Baku relations, as well as cooperation at
the regional and international levels, and are expected to sign a string of
bilateral agreements aimed at bolstering economic, educational, and cultural
co-operation between the two states.
This is President Khatami’s first ever visit to Azerbaijan, Iran’s crucial
strategic neighbor.
The most important issues on the agenda will be regional security and
disputed
territorial rights over the oil-rich landlocked Caspian Sea.
Although Azerbaijan and Iran’s shared border runs across important oil
reserves, the two countries share more than just a frontier.
Nearly 20% of Iran’s population are ethnic Azeris and Shia Islam is the
dominant religion in both countries. Nevertheless, past relations have been
frosty.
Tehran has expressed concern over Baku’s pro-Western stance, with Azerbaijan
America’s ally in the “war on terror” and Washington backing the Baku-Ceyhan
pipeline project in the region.
For its part, Baku is worried about the possible spread of Islamic
fundamentalism in Azerbaijan.
Thus, few expect President Khatami’s visit to bring major changes, although
analysts say any co-operation with Iran is important for the security of this
extremely fragile region.
The two presidents are expected to issue separate joint statements on
political issues and that of the Caspian Sea at the end of their meeting to be
held later on in the day.

4) Jordan’s Prince Hassan Extends His Support to Catholicos Aram I

(Combined Sources)–On Tuesday, August 3, His Highness Prince Hassan Bin Talal
of Jordan–uncle of King Abdullah and brother of the deceased King
Hussein–extended his condolences and support to His Holiness Aram I,
Catholicos of all Armenians of Cilicia, on the eve of the brutal church
bombings that rocked Iraq over the weekend.
In his letter, Prince Hassan noted, “The destruction of God’s homes disturbed
us all. The mischievous acts targeted not only Iraq, but also every single one
of us. May God grant peace unto the souls of the innocent victims and
immediate
physical and spiritual recovery to the injured.”
Prince Hassan also stated that he stood in solidarity with the Catholicos’s
persistent efforts to build understanding amongst the Christian and Muslim
peoples through peaceful and productive dialogue.
Prince Hassan, who paid a visit to Aram Catholicos only two weeks ago, is
scheduled to lecture on Christian-Muslim relations at the Antelias Seminar
sometime during the upcoming weeks.

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and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
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Stuttgarter Zeitung
02. August 2004

Christliche Kirchen im Irak angegriffen

BAGDAD (dpa/AP). Erstmals haben irakische Aufständische Anschläge auf
christliche Kirchen verübt. Nach Angaben der Behörden explodierten
Autobomben vor fünf Kirchen in Bagdad und der nordirakischen Stadt
Mossul.

Dabei wurden mindestens zwei Menschen getötet und mehr als 60
verletzt.

Die erste Explosion in dem weitgehend von Christen bewohnten Bagdader
Stadtviertel Karada ereignete sich vor einer armenischen Kirche 15
Minuten nach Beginn des Gottesdienstes. Der zweite Anschlag wenige
Minuten später galt einer etwa 500 Meter entfernt gelegenen
katholischen Kirche. Vor der armenischen Kirche standen drei Autos in
Flammen. Auf dem Boden lagen überall verstreut farbige Glassplitter
von zerborstenen Kirchenfenstern. Eine Bombe vor einer dritten Kirche
in dem Stadtviertel detonierte nicht. Vor zwei weiteren Kirchen in
anderen Teilen Bagdads explodierten Sprengsätze.

Erneut wurden vier Ausländer – unter ihnen zwei türkische
Lastwagenfahrer – von Aufständischen um den Jordanier Abu Mussab Al
Sarkawi entführt. Sieben ausländische Geiseln, unter ihnen drei
Kenianer, sind dagegen nach elftägiger Geiselhaft im Irak
freigelassen worden. Sie befänden sich derzeit in der ägyptischen
Botschaft in Bagdad, teilte das Außenministerium in Nairobi mit. Aus
dem Irak gab es zunächst keine Bestätigung. Die irakische Polizei
befreite am Abend eine weitere Geisel, einen libanesischen
Geschäftsmann, aus der Gewalt von Kidnappern.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 26 2004

`One of the conflicting sides must make concessions’ – Steven Mann

The US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Steven Mann said that one of
the sides to the Upper Garabagh conflict must be ready to make
concessions. He said that the co-chairs are aware of the current
state of relations between the conflicting sides and that they
support continuation of peace talks.
`We support Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and I believe that to
resolve the conflict, first of all, one of the sides must make
concessions’, he said.
President Aliyev reiterated during his recent visit to the country’s
northern regions that Azerbaijan will make absolutely no concessions
with regard to the Upper Garabagh conflict.*