Author: Hunanian Jack

NO SHIFT IN ARMENIA’S POLICY FOR GENOCIDE RECOGNITION, MF SPOKESMAN SAYS

ArmenPress
Nov 9 2004

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS: A spokesman for Armenian foreign
ministry said Armenia’s policy for international recognition of the
1915 genocide has not changed and remains one of its foreign policy
priorities. His comment came in response to Azeri and Turkish media
reports that Yerevan may be considering a shift in its policy to help
normalization of ties with Turkey. The reports claimed the shift may
be indicated by lack of a regular reference to the genocide in next
year’s draft budget sent to parliament for approval.

The spokesman, Hamlet Gasparian, told Armenpress that the draft budget
has no relation to Armenia’s consistency and decisiveness to continue
the campaign for international recognition of the genocide. (By the
way, no previous budget has ever had a special clause earmarking
such expenditures).

“The international recognition of the Armenian genocide does not refer
to Armenia or Armenians alone, it refers to the entire humanity and
it cannot be placed within a budget or other financial calculations,”
Gasparian said.

A1 Plus | 16:03:26 | 09-11-2004 | Social |

AYB-FE NEWS AGENCY DENIED ACCESS TO NEWS CONFERENCE

A news conference focused on the isolated case of the masterminds of
October 27 terrorist act committed in 1999 in the Armenian parliament
is to be held on Tuesday in the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office.

However, not every journalist will given access to the event, despite
this contradicts Armenian law.

Chief of the office’s unit on public relations Gurgen Ambaryan
empowered himself to decide personally which media outlet to be given
entry and which not.

Ayb-Fe news agency correspondent was denied entry “because of lack
of space in the hall”.

Despite that, information about the news conference will be placed
on our site today.

FRENCH MP ON TURKEY BECOMING EU MEMBER

YEREVAN, November 6 (RIA Novosti’s Gamlet Matevosyan) — Chairman of
the Armenian-French Friendship Group at the National Assembly of
France Francois Rochebloin believes that Turkey cannot become a member
of the European Union until it admits its responsibility for the
genocide against Armenians in 1915 during the Ottoman Empire rule. The
French deputy made this statement during a meeting with Speaker of the
Armenian Parliament Artur Bagdasaryan.

According to the public relations department of the Armenian National
Assembly, Mr. Rochebloin has also emphasized the necessity to lift the
Turkish blockade of Armenia because, in his opinion, it affects
negatively the economic development of the republic.

Both sides touched upon issues of the strengthening of
interparliamentary ties between the two countries, cooperation between
delegations of Armenia and France at PACE, and the perspectives of
French-Armenian relations.

Armenia and Turkey have not established diplomatic relations, yet. The
major obstacle is the refusal of Turkey to recognize the genocide
campaign against Armenians in 1915 during the Ottoman Empire rule.

The Armenian community in France is one of the largest in the
world. It numbers about 300,000 people. Armenian diasporas popped up
in various regions of the world after the 1915 tragedy. Other large
Armenian communities are in Russia (according to some estimates – a
million people), in the United States (about 600,000 people) and in
Iran (about 250,000 people).

Xinhua News Agency
Nov 5, 2004

OTAN no desplegará bases militares en Cáucaso Sur, dice su líder

MOSCU

La Organización del Tratado del Atlántico Noprte (OTAN) no tiene
planes para desplegar bases militares en ningún país de Cáucaso Sur,
dijo hoy el secretario general de la OTAN, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, en
Yerevan, capital de Armenia, informó la agencia de noticias
Itar-Tass.

En una reunión con estudiantes y profesores de la Universidad de
Yerevan, el jefe de la OTAN, de visita aquí, dijo que la organización
no tiene planes, intenciones ni documentos acerca del despliegue
bases militares en la región.

Scheffer dijo que su visita a la región Trans-Cáucaso no tiene el
objetivo de introducir a la organización en una competencia con otras
organizaciones y países ahí.

Scheffer declaró lo anterior luego de conversar con las autoridades
armenias.

Expresó satisfacción con las relaciones entre Armenia y la OTAN,
diciendo que Armenia tomó la decisión de iniciar el desarrollo de un
plan individual de asociación con la OTAN.

Scheffer comentó que visitó la región con base en la decisión tomada
pot los jefes de estado y de gobierno de la Alianza en Estambul, que
pide poner más atención a los países de Asia Central y del Cáucaso.

Antes de Armenia, el líder de la OTAN también visitó Georgia y
Azerbaiyán.

PRESS RELEASE
Anahid Yeremian
Support Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division
P.O. Box 655, Menlo Park, CA 94026
[email protected]
650 – 926 – 4444

November 4, 2004

The Cosmic Ray Division – Shines Brighter than Ever

The Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) of the Alikhanian Physics Institute
(formerly known as Yerevan Physics Institute) shines in the
international scientific arena, despite the difficult conditions in
Armenia. Scientific advances at the CRD continue at a steady pace
with ties between the Diaspora and the CRD stronger than ever, making
us all proud of our joint accomplishments. For detailed information
about the CRD please visit . Here are a few
highlights:

Important New Scientific Partnerships

CRD is a leader in ground based Space Weather Research as indicated by
endorsements from the scientific community around the world. In 2004
the CRD officially signed a memorandum of understanding for scientific
cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European
Union’s Commission On Science and Technology (COST). These are
important additions to other prestigious research partners such as the
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) in the U.S. CRD’s
close scientific collaboration with EU scientific organizations will
strengthen Armenia’s bid to join the EU in the future.

Strong Scientific Presence in International Conferences

During the past year CRD scientists have made important scientific
contributions at several international conferences, including the NATO
Space Weather Workshop in Moscow, the European Cosmic Ray Conference
in Florence, and the COmmittee for SPace Research (COSPAR) congress in
Paris. In many cases, CRD’s participation was by special invitation.
Prof. Ashot Chilingarian, the visionary head of the CRD, is also
Armenia’s representative to COSPAR, and his active participation in
the committee’s activities have earned him a letter of commendation
from the Executive Director of COSPAR: “… I would like to take the
opportunity of this letter to thank you [Prof. Chilingarian], as
Armenian National Representative, for participating actively in the
committee’s activities. It is rare for new members to participate to
the degree that you have, e.g., attending committee meetings,
nominating candidates for awards, seeking COSPAR’s assistance in
obtaining EU funding, etc. Armenia’s participation has added to the
value of our Committee’s work and been remarked by our officers and
certainly other national and international scientific union members as
well. We look forward to future close relations, to widening
participation by Armenian scientists in the international space
research community, and trust you will not hesitate to contact us
concerning capacity building activities or other matters in which our
collaboration may be of assistance. Sincerely yours, Dr. I. Revah,
Executive Director, COSPAR”

5 International Organizations Reviewed CRD in 2004.

>From February through September, five different review commission from
the United states and Europe visited CRD’s research stations on Mt.
Aragats and headquarters in Yerevan. Visitors were introduced to the
CRD’s vision and the progress of the various projects by Prof. Ashot
Chilingarian. Discussions regarding sensible science policy,
particularly as it relates to Armenia, ensued. Several visitors, who
made their visit in the summer months and were able to go to the
mountain stations, emphasized that, although they already had plenty
of knowledge about the Aragats research center, only after detailed
examination of the facilities and the explanations presented to them,
did they fully appreciate the importance of CRD to the world-wide
attempts to create a reliable and timely service for Space Weather
forecasting. In his oral close-out report to the CRD group on
September 25, Dr. Manfred Fleischer, deputy director in charge of
research at the Deutsches Elektronen SYnchrotron (DESY), emphasized
the 3 main ingredients that characterize the relevance and importance
of good research to the world. He congratulated the CRD staff for
fully satisfying these rather severe requirements: 1. incorporation of
their research activities into numerous world-wide scientific
networks, 2. co-authorship of joint papers with other scientific
organizations, 3. the attraction of very large fraction of CRD’s
funding from international sources. All the visitors rated CRD’s
performance as outstanding and commended CRD’s important contributions
to the international scientific community.

New PhD Student, Artur Reimers

The CRD has 18 students and young trainees who are completing various
stages of their education at Yerevan State University. These students
come to the CRD for lectures on astrophysics and some of them elect to
conduct their undergraduate, masters, or PhD thesis in the field of
Cosmic Rays and Space Weather. Graduates from the CRD program are
offered research opportunities at the CRD – first as young trainees,
and then as full employees. This academic year the Support Committee
for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division (SACRD) welcomes our new PhD
student, Artur Reimers, who developed an interest in Cosmic Ray
Physics as an undergraduate student of Prof. Chilingarian.

Social Responsibility at the CRD

In addition to its outstanding international scientific
accomplishments, the CRD takes social responsibility in Armenia
seriously. As CRD’s computer systems were upgraded, the older
computers were donated to a school in the village of Antarout on
Mt. Aragats. CRD’s university students supported the school by
installing the computers and providing technical assistance to the
students and staff. Three years ago when Dr. Art Hazarabedian,
founder of the Armenian Technology Group (ATG), donated 20 beehives
with bees to the CRD to make honey for CRD’s staff stationed on
Mt. Aragats, the CRD decided to committed 10% of the honey to
soup-kitchens and orphanages in Armenia. The CRD has donated at least
10% of the honey to the less fortunate every year since.

Diaspora’s involvement with the CRD.

SCACRD member, Joe Dagdigian, recently returned from Armenia where he
visited the CRD for the 3rd time. “I am so impressed with these
people”, says Dagdigian. “They accomplish so much with so little, and
are determined to stay and prosper in Armenia. My wife Lisa and I are
extremely honored to be associated with such people, and with CRD’s
head Prof. Ashot Chilingarian. These people are both superb
scientists and dedicated Armenians. They are setting an example of
how to revitalize Armenian Science. While a lot of challenges remain,
the advances CRD has made during the past 5 years under
Prof. Chilingarian’s leadership are astounding. ”

The SCACRD thanks the AAA, ANC, ARS, ATG, KoV, UAF, and the Armenian
Diaspora press for its continued support. We thank Hairenik and NAASR
bookstores in Watertown and Belmont, MA and the Sardarabad bookstore
in Glendale, CA for carrying the CRD calendars featuring beautiful
sights from Armenia. The proceeds from the sale of these calendars
benefits the CRD.

Special thanks also go to the Armenian Engineers and Scientists of
America (AESA), 417 West Arden St., #112C, Glendale, CA 91203; the
AESA – MI Section, P.O. Box 4867, Troy, MI 48099; and the Bay Area
Friends of Armenia (BAFA), P.O. box 3584, Daly City, CA 94015 for
accepting tax deductible contributions designated specifically for the
CRD. We especially thank you, the individual Diaspora members, who
have caught the vision of Prof. Chilingarian and continue to stay with
us on this exciting journey. Most of all we thank Prof. Ashot
Chilingarian, the 80 dedicated scientists and technicians, and the 18
students of the CRD, who stay in Armenia and contribute to our
motherland’s accelerated development with their talents.

Photo: Prof. Ashot Chilingarian (left), showing the new detectors
being designed for CRD’s Space Weather program, to a US delegation
from the International Science and Technology Center.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
November 3, 2004, Wednesday

HOW DID THE LANDS AROUND KARABAKH COME TO BE OCCUPIED?

SOURCE: Vremya Novostei, November 1, 2004, p. 5

by Vladimir Kazimirov

VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV, EX-HEAD OF THE RUSSIAN MEDIATORSHIP MISSION IN
NAGORNO-KARABAKH: LEADERSHIP OF AZERBAIJAN ALSO SHARES RESPONSIBILITY
FOR ESCALATION OF THE HOSTILITIES

Acting on Azerbaijan’s initiative, the UN General Assembly will discuss
the situation in the Azerbaijani districts beyond Nagorno-Karabakh
occupied by Armenian and Karabakh troops. Official Baku claims that the
occupiers have been into mischief and atrocities there.

Full occupation of 5 districts of Azerbaijan and partial of 2 more
became a result of vicious fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh and around it
between 1992 and 1994.

Azerbaijani diplomacy is now trying to switch the attention from the
cause (status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the problem it is loath to try and
tackle) to an effect (occupied territories). Hence the traditional
figure juggling – over 1,000,000 resettlers (are the bona fide 700,000
to 750,000 too few?) and 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan occupied
(instead of 9%; in fact, even if Nagorno-Karabakh is counted – and it
cannot be regarded as “occupied” – the figure does not amount to 14%).
The problem of the occupied territories has never been solved. Both
sides are uncompromising. No progress at all has been made in a decade
of cease-fire. These days, Baku presents the occupation only as an
outcome of Armenian aggression even though there is more to it than
Azerbaijan admits.

Suspension of hostilities and a transition to peaceful discussion of
moot points would have prevented expansion of the aggression. Not a
single square kilometer of land has occupied been occupied since the
cease-fire accord arranged with Russia’s help in May 1994. I remember
how the conflict raged between 1992 and 1994 and how go-betweens were
doing their best to put out the fire. Russia pestered the warring sides
– directly and via the OSCE Minsk Group – with the proposal of
negotiations. Baku and Yerevan were given a lot of chances to put an
end to the hostilities. It was usually Baku that dismissed the chance
and even went against the already made accords.

A lot of hopes were pinned on the OSCE Minsk Conference. Were it not
for the official Baku’s demand of withdrawal of the Armenians from the
overrun Shusha and Lachin, the conference would have taken place in
June 1992.

Instead of the conference, the OSCE Minsk Group was formed. The one
Baku regularly criticizes nowadays. On Russia’s initiative, the OSCE
Minsk Group urged the warring sides to suspend hostilities for 30 days
in July 1992 and for 60 days two months later. All to no avail. Yerevan
and Stepanakert gave their consent, but it took time to get Baku’s
cooperation. The Armenians overrun the Kelbadzhar district in April
1993. Resolution 822 of the UN Security Council demanded an immediate
suspension of hostilities and withdrawal of all occupiers. Needless to
say, Baku supported Armenian pullout from the occupied districts – but
not at the cost of suspension of hostilities.

With Russia’s help, accords to restrict the hostilities were reached in
June 1993. Moscow suggested an extension of the accord by a month on
July 3. Stepanakert did not object, but acting defense minister of
Azerbaijan Safar Abiyev never bothered to respond to the suggestion.
Battle was joined again, and Agdam fell on July 23. A 5-day cease-fire
was agreed upon with Russia’s help on August 18. When the accord was
broken, Azerbaijanis lost Fizuli and Dzhebrail. The then President of
Azerbaijan Heidar Aliyev admitted that his regular army had regularly
broken the cease-fire accords.

The truce (for 10 days this time) was only resumed on August 31, when
the Armenian troops overrun Kubatly. The Kremlin succeeded in extending
the truce. It lasted 50 days but the Azerbaijanis wrecked it again and
gave the Armenians an excuse to seize all of south-western Azerbaijan.

Russia’s attempts to stop the bloodshed in late 1993 failed. I was
present when Aliyev and Karabakh leader Robert Kocharjan agreed on a
cease-fire as of December 17. Both leaders promised to have the accord
officially enacted, but the documents came from Stepanakert alone –
Baku clearly stalled for time. I managed to persuade Kocharjan to order
an unilateral cease-fire – on the basis of a “gentlemen’s accord”
(after all, everything had been agreed on the level of the president of
Azerbaijan!) – without waiting for the text from Baku. The text from
the capital of Azerbaijan came three days later – absolutely
unacceptable. Everything had to be cancelled. As it turned out later,
Baku used the breathing space to prepare an offensive on a large scale.
On December 30, Stepanakert accepted our suggestion of a truce for the
New Year festivities but Baku did not even respond to it.

Only in May 1994, after murderous losses and facing the threat of a
frontal collapse in the environs of Bardy and Yelakh, the leadership of
Azerbaijan suggested a cease-fire. It ended in the truce that has
already lasted for more than a decade.

This is not a complete list, in fact. Even this abridged version shows,
however, that Baku always relied on sheer strength of arms,
overestimating its capacities and using what breathing space occurred
only to regroup. Neglect of cease-fire accords and peace initiatives on
its part merely extended the war and enabled the Armenians to expand
the occupied territory. It means that at least a part of the blame for
the escalation of hostilities and, therefore, on the expansion of the
occupied territories rests on the authorities of Azerbaijan. The
Armenians are not lily-white either, they should have withdrawn, but it
is not they who are particularly prone to negativism in the attitude
towards peace initiatives.

Unfortunately, Armenian and Azerbaijani young diplomatic services are
way too inexperienced yet, unable to avoid half-truths. It has been
long since Baku began campaigning for an “unconditional” release of the
territories allegedly in accordance with four resolutions of the UN
Security Council dated 1993. In fact, however, the term “unconditional”
is only used in Resolution 853. Resolutions 822, 874, and 884 do not
use the term at all.

And this is why Resolution 884 did not use the term “unconditional”.
The text of the document makes it plain who broke the cease-fire demand
(the major demand in the hostilities and the major demand in all four
resolutions) through the war. It was a must for the release of the
territories in the first place. So, it was transformed from a must into
a matter for bargaining. Neither is Baku worried by its failure to meet
other demands of resolutions of the UN Security Council.

These selective approach cannot be missed. Only whoever does not know
the first thing about the conflict will take Baku’s propagandistic
tricks for real concerns. In fact, settlement of the conflict demands
efforts on both warring sides.

Vladimir Kazimirov, an ambassador, between 1992 and 1996 – head of the
Russian mediator mission, Russian presidential plenipotentiary
representative for Nagorno-Karabakh, participant and co-chairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
11/03/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://

1) Bush Wins Re-Election, Reaches Out to Foes
2) Newly Elected ARF Body Reveals Priorities
3) Abkhaz Presidential Contenders Seek Crisis Resolution in Moscow
4) Republicans Boosts Senate Majority
5) Republicans Extend Decade of House Control
6) Terror Fears, Economy Spur US Voters

1) Bush Wins Re-Election, Reaches Out to Foes

WASHINGTON (Reuters)–President Bush won re-election to a second four-year
term
over Democratic Sen. John Kerry on Wednesday and promised deeply divided
Americans he would earn their support and trust.
“A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation,” he
said in
a victory speech in Washington. “When we come together and work together,
there
is no limit to the greatness of America.”
Speaking directly to supporters of Kerry, Bush said: “I will need your
support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can to deserve your
trust.”
Bush clinched victory in a bitter eight-month struggle for the White House
when Kerry ended the suspense of a vote-counting battle in the decisive state
of Ohio and conceded the election. Kerry called Bush and later told supporters
in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall that “I hope we can begin the healing.”
In a dispute that evoked memories of the prolonged election recount in
Florida
in 2000, delays in counting provisional and absentee ballots in Ohio had
postponed the final outcome of the presidential election for hours.
Ohio’s 20 electoral votes were the final hurdle to Bush capturing an
Electoral
College majority of 270 votes after a divisive campaign that focused on the
war
in Iraq, the battle against global terrorism and the economy.
“I would not give up this fight if there was a chance we could prevail,” an
emotional Kerry said in Boston. “There won’t be enough outstanding votes
for us
to be able to win Ohio, and therefore we cannot win this election.”
Bush begins his second term with the daunting challenges of a worsening
insurgency in Iraq–the aftermath of his decision to invade the country in
2003–and soaring federal budget deficits.
Republicans also celebrated expanded majorities in the House of
Representatives and the Senate in results likely to build the president’s
mandate and ease Bush’s conservative agenda in Congress.
Bush captured a majority of the popular vote, unlike the disputed 2000
election against Democrat Al Gore. With 99 percent of precincts reporting,
Bush
had 51 percent of votes against Kerry’s 48 percent.
Kerry called Bush after meeting with running mate John Edwards and Sen.
Edward
Kennedy, his colleague from Massachusetts in the US Senate.
“Sen. Kerry waged a spirited campaign and he and his supporters can be proud
of their efforts,” Bush said.

“DESPERATE NEED FOR UNITY”

Kerry said he congratulated Bush and they discussed the country’s divisions
and “the desperate need for unity, for finding the common ground, coming
together. Today I hope that we can begin the healing.”
The dispute over uncounted ballots in Ohio had thrown the presidential result
into uncertainty, as Kerry vowed he would not concede until all the
outstanding
provisional and absentee ballots had been counted while Bush claimed victory.
White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card made a predawn appearance before Bush
supporters to say Bush had a “statistically insurmountable” lead in Ohio and
had won a majority of the popular vote.
Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell had estimated as many as
175,000 provisional ballots could be cast, and counties reported as of
Wednesday morning that 135,149 had been issued.
Republicans will hold at least 54 of the 100 Senate seats, three more than
they now have, and widen their slim majority of the 435-member House in the
new
109th Congress, set to convene on Jan. 3.
That will make it easier for Bush to push his conservative agenda through
Congress, potentially making his tax cuts permanent and appointing more
federal
judges including possibly some US Supreme Court justices.
“With a bigger majority, we can do even more exciting things,” said House
Majority leader Tom DeLay, a Republican from Texas.
Stocks soared on news of the win from Bush, with shares of major US drug and
defense companies rising on the expectation those industries would do well
under Bush.
Allies like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister
Silvio
Berlusconi saw Bush’s victory as bolstering the US-declared “war on terror.”
But some disenchanted Europeans urged Bush to heal transatlantic rifts.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush’s biggest ally in the war in Iraq,
said in London the re-election of Bush came at a critical time when the world
must unite to fight terrorism and Europe must rebuild its relationship with
Bush.
“We must be relentless in our war against terrorism,” Blair said. “We should
work with President Bush on this agenda.”
Long voter lines were reported across the United States on Tuesday and few
major voting glitches were recorded in the final act of the long campaign.
With 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House, Bush had captured 29
states with 274 electoral votes. Kerry won 19 states and the District of
Columbia and 252 votes. Bush held a lead of 3.5 million votes over Kerry
nationwide with 99 percent of the precincts reporting.
Still undecided were Iowa and New Mexico, but only Ohio could make either
candidate a winner.

2) Newly Elected ARF Body Reveals Priorities

YEREVAN (YERKIR)–Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s (ARF) Supreme Body (SB)
representative Armen Rustamian, and SB member and National Assembly’s ARF
faction leader Levon Mkrtchian, held a news conference on Wednesday, following
the organization’s 8th Supreme Convention last weekend.
Rustamian noted that the convention was unique in nature, considering the ARF
is now a partner in the coalition government.
The convention pointed out that a great deal of the priorities included in
the
ruling coalition’s memorandum [drafted at the time of its formation] have not
been fulfilled; Rustamian added that the coalition did succeed, however, in
easing political tension and maintaining stability following elections in
Armenia.
Revealing the convention’s dissatisfaction at the implementation of
government
anti-corruption measures, Rustamian stressed the newly elected ARF Armenia
body
will work to establish reforms to permanently change the country’s direction.
“We have consistently said that the country has been heading in the right
direction since 1998, but we need serious steps to make that course
irreversible,” he said.
To reach that goal, we have decided to continue our presence in the coalition
government,” but added that the ARF “reserves the right to reconsider its
participation in the coalition government in the event of a breach of the
goals
spelled out in the [June 2004] memorandum on its creation,”
The convention underscored the importance of Mountainous Karabagh Republic’s
full participation in peace talks to resolve its conflict with Azerbaijan, and
suggested that the Armenian government work with Georgia to alleviate the
deteriorating socio-economic situation of the mostly Armenian populated region
of Javakhk.
With much talk of Turkey’s aspiration to join the European Union (EU), the
convention concluded that its recognition of the 1915 Genocide and a neutral
stance toward the Karabagh conflict be preconditions to EU accession.
Touching on the issue of sending Armenian troops to Iraq, Rustamian said the
convention concluded the Armenian government be guided by UN resolutions, but
also practice caution so as to prevent Armenian communities of the Middle East
from becoming targets of international terrorism.
Concluding the news conference, Rustamian said the convention also discussed
government’s relations with the opposition, as well as constitutional and the
electoral code reforms. The ARF is pushing for electoral reforms to increase
parliamentary seats contested on the party list basis as opposed to individual
races in single-mandate constituencies.

3) Abkhaz Presidential Contenders Seek Crisis Resolution in Moscow

(Civil Georgia)–After two days of talks with unnamed Russian officials in
Moscow, the two principal contenders for Abkhazia’s presidency Raul Khajimba
and Sergey Bagapsh, returned home on November 3. It is unclear, however, if
there was a breakthrough in the political crisis that erupted after the
disputed October 3 presidential elections in the unrecognized republic.
Pro-government presidential candidate Raul Khajimba said there are
possibilities for an agreement–while opposition candidate Sergey Bagapsh
insisted he has won at the polls.
“Together with Sergey Bagapsh, we discussed possible ways out of the current
crisis in Abkhazia. Moscow’s climate is better for finding a solution,”
Khajimba told Itar-Tass news agency on November 2.
“I feel that options to overcoming the crisis exist. Everything depends on
Sergey Bagapsh and me,” he added. He refrained from specifying details.
Opposition Abkhaz presidential candidate Bagapsh reiterated that he opposes
holding repeat elections, as demanded by Khajimba.
“Elections have been held and the president has already been elected,” he
told
RIA Novosti news agency on November 3.
The Central Election Commission announced Bagapsh the winner with 50.08% of
votes–but Khajimba challenged the decision in the Supreme Court. The latter
rejected Khajimba’s appeal on October 28 and, in turn, confirmed Bagapsh as
president-elect.
But with the subsequent storming of the Supreme Court building by Khajimba’s
supporters, the court reversed its decision and ruled new elections be held.
Russia’s open support of pro-governmental candidate Khajimba, has upset
Georgia. Georgia’s Parliament Chair Nino Burjanadze accused Moscow of
employing
double standards when dealing with conflicts in the Caucasus. She said Moscow
is fighting against separatists on its territory in Chechnya while supporting
separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

4) Republicans Boosts Senate Majority

WASHINGTON (AP) –Republicans toppled Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle,
winning their biggest Senate prize after sweeping the South, including a
Florida seat Wednesday. Alaska remained undecided.
Republicans were assured 54 Senate seats, expanding their current 51-48
margin, with one Democratic-leaning independent.
Daschle, who was elected to the Senate in 1986 and also served eight years in
the House, planned to concede midday in Sioux Falls, SD, according to
congressional sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Labeled an obstructionist by Republicans, Daschle garnered 49 percent of the
vote to 51 percent for his GOP challenger, former Rep. John Thune. With all
precincts reporting, Daschle fell short by about 4,500 votes.
The last time a Senate leader was unseated was in 1952, when Barry Goldwater
of Arizona turned Senate Majority Leader Ernest McFarland out of office.
An Associated Press exit poll showed that South Dakota voters concerned with
moral values and terrorism helped Thune.
Democrats hoped for a defection to ease the pain. Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln
Chafee said he would consider switching parties if President Bush were
re-elected.
”I’m not ruling it out,” Chafee told The Providence Journal. Known for
moderate views that often run counter to the Bush administration, Chafee said
he cast a write-in vote for Bush’s father, George HAW. Bush, in Tuesday’s
election, calling it a ”symbolic protest.”
In Florida, Democrat Betty Castor conceded defeat Wednesday in a tight
contest
with Mel Martinez, a Cuban emigrant who left Bush’s Cabinet to run for the
seat
opened by retiring Sen. Bob Graham, a Democrat. Martinez will be the nation’s
first Cuban-American senator.
Republicans were surprised by their Senate showing, winning competitive races
in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana–where the GOP won
its
first seat since Reconstruction.
Democrats had a nearly insurmountable hurdle to take control of the Senate,
since most of the competitive races were in states where Bush was strong.
In Illinois, state Sen. Barack Obama easily won, making him the only black
member of the new Senate that convenes in January. He cautioned against a GOP
mandate.
”You still need 60 votes in the Senate to make things happen,” Obama said
Wednesday on NBC’s ”Today.” ”The Republicans don’t have 60 votes. My hope
would be that they recognize that, and the Democrats are willing to serve as a
loyal opposition.”
The strengthened Republican Senate probably will mean more votes to confirm
nominees to the Supreme Court in a second Bush term. One Republican winner,
Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, is in line to become chairman of the
Senate
Judiciary Committee, which holds confirmation hearings on court nominees.

5) Republicans Extend Decade of House Control

WASHINGTON (AP)–The power of incumbency and an advantageous GOP redistricting
in Texas swept Republicans to another two years of control over the House of
Representatives.
Virtually all sitting representatives in the 435-member House won
re-election,
leaving Speaker Dennis Hastert, Majority Leader Tom DeLay and their GOP
majority firmly in charge.
Republicans were poised to add a few seats as they embark on another term of
House control–the first time the party has achieved 12 consecutive years in
power in the chamber since the dozen years that ended in January 1933..
Republican leaders sought to portray the results as an affirmation of their
priorities in Congress. The vote is ”an endorsement by the American people
that you’re moving in the right direction when it comes to security and safety
and more–on terror, prescription drugs and education,” Senate Majority
Leader
Bill Frist of Tennessee told CNN.
In the House, Democrats knocked off one Republican incumbent–Rep. Philip M.
Crane of Illinois, the party’s longest-serving member–but came nowhere close
to taking the 12 seats they needed to win back control.
Even celebrity didn’t help. Kentucky Democrat Nick Clooney, father of actor
George Clooney and brother of the late singer-actress Rosemary Clooney, lost
his bid for an open seat to Geoff Davis.
By early Wednesday, Republicans had won 228 seats and were leading in five
other races, which could give them at least 233 seats. Democrats had won 199
seats and led in two other contests.
Republicans hold a 227-205 advantage over Democrats in the outgoing House,
plus two vacant seats formerly held by Republicans who have retired and one
independent who sides with Democrats.
A minimum of 218 seats are needed for House control. A final tally for the
House won’t be available for several days. Two Louisiana races headed toward
runoffs with Republican Billy Tauzin III against Democrat Charlie Melancon,
and
GOP candidate Charles Boustany and Democrat Willie Mount. Other races were yet
to be called, including in Pennsylvania, Washington state, New York, Georgia
and Indiana.

6) Terror Fears, Economy Spur US Voters

Poll Finds Americans in Pessimistic Frame of Mind

WASHINGTON (AP)–Fears of terror attacks competed in voters’ minds with
pocketbook concerns, Associated Press exit polls found–and the rival worries
kept Tuesday’s race between President Bush and Democrat John Kerry close.
Overall, the polls indicated that Americans were in a pessimistic frame of
mind.
Majorities of voters said the war in Iraq is going badly and the economy is
not doing well. But three-fourths said they are worried about the possibility
of another terrorist attack, a factor playing to Bush’s strength.
The poll exploring the voters’ frame of mind was conducted among 9,753 people
who had just cast ballots. It was conducted for AP and the television networks
by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.
“I was really disappointed with both candidates, said Melissa Smith, 40, of
Swift Creek, NC, who said she didn’t finally make up her mind until she filled
out her ballot. “Bush has made some choices for the wrong reasons. But I’m not
sure I think Kerry has the strength to lead us in the right direction.”
Young voters supported Kerry over Bush by more than 15 percentage points, but
the expected surge in their participation this year was not evident. Just
under
10 percent of voters were between age 18 and 24, about the same share of the
electorate as in 2000. But four years ago, they were evenly split between Bush
and Al Gore.
About a fifth of the voters considered themselves born-again Christians, and
they cast ballots for the president by a 4-1 margin. That’s about the same
margin as in 2000, when Christians who described themselves as part of the
religious right said they were for Bush.
Bush fared best among those who said moral values were the most important
issue, and among those who said terrorism–two of the top issues.

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Des Moines Register
26 Oct. 2004

Des Moines group hits high note on technique

But the second concert doesn’t measure up in musical content.
By ROBERT C. FULLER
SPECIAL TO THE REGISTER

After the sublime music Yo-Yo Ma and the Des Moines Symphony presented
in the first subscription concert of the season in September,
it was interesting to see how the rest of the orchestra’s season
would progress.

Under the direction of Joseph Giunta, the second concert of the series,
performed Saturday evening at the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines,
was strong on technique and balance and short on musical content.

The concert commenced with “An American Abroad” by Michael Torke. He
is one of the most successful of American composers who gained fame
in the last part of the 20th century by providing short, brilliantly
orchestrated pieces that are full of energy but light on content.

In this work, he has extended feeble musical material into a longer
work, which lasted about 20 minutes but seemed like an hour. It was
somewhat pleasant while it lasted, but totally forgettable after
it was done. Regardless, the orchestra performed it with precision
and finesse.

Next came the Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by the Soviet-Armenian
composer Alexander Arutanian. Unknown in this country, Arutanian
followed the Soviet dogma well, writing a romantic-sounding work with
echoes of Armenian folk music resulting in an forgettable piece that
offended no one.

It’s a pity that solo trumpeter Derek Stratton didn’t have a more
interesting piece to work with, because he plays with great agility
and expression. Especially beautiful was his handling of the muted
central section of the work, which he performed with poignant lyricism.

After intermission the orchestra’s principal second violinist,
Misha Rosenker, played the small but exquisite Introduction and Rondo
Capriccioso, Op. 28, by Camille Saint Saens. Rosenker easily handled
this flashy and technically demanding composition, playing it with
virtuosic surety and musical integrity. His harmonics were crystal
clear and his intonation impeccable. Although a little musically
subdued, Rosenker, along with trumpeter Stratton, demonstrate what
fine talent the Des Moines Symphony has.

The concert ended with a grand performance of Ferde Grofe’s “Grand
Canyon Suite.”

Known primarily for this one work, Grofe was mainly an arranger and
orchestrator. What a fine one at that, for the “Grand Canyon Suite”
is luminous in its sound, so gorgeous that some of the mundane musical
material is easily overlooked.

Here Giunta and his orchestra shined, creating a series of radiant
timbres that were fascinating to hear.

Robert C. Fuller is a freelance music writer and composer from
Des Moines.

Elephants a drain on state exchequer
Ravik Bhattacharya in Kolkata

The Statesman, India
25 Oct. 2004

Oct. 24. — Tamed pachyderms have become Bengal’s white elephants.
There is a sudden glut in elephants bred in captivity in West Bengal,
and the state’s cash-strapped forest department is finding it difficult
to maintain them.

There are 76 of them now in the state’s reserve forests stretching the
state’s means, but the authorities have allegedly ignored opportunities
to “gift away” some of the animals to other states and countries.

The elephants are a drain on the resources till they reach the age
of 8-10 years or six ft in height when they can be put to use, local
elephant experts said. Trained elephants are usually used to patrol
forests, carry tourists on jungle safaris and capture wild animals,
particularly untamed elephants.

Jaldapara, Buxa and Gorumara in north Bengal are home to these animals
along with their trainers.

Forest officials said these trained elephants were breeding fast and
it was becoming difficult for them to maintain them.

The forest department has identified more than a dozen elephants
from the 76 now available that could be given away to others, but
the government reportedly hasn’t moved on the suggestion.

“It requires a lot of money to maintain elephants bred in captivity.
Besides, a large number of trained manpower is needed to train these
animals,” a forest official said.

One option is to give away the animals to others needing them. And
there are quite a few takers at home and abroad.

But the state government is unmoved. It recently let slip a chance
to send one of the 76 elephants to Armenia as a gift to its President
Robert Kocharian.

There is a male elephant in Armenia’s Yerevan Zoo, but it needs a
female companion. Bengal’s forest officials had chosen Shakuntala,
a six-year-old well-mannered young elephant. However, the government
sat on the proposal and now Shakuntala has missed the flight.

Instead, Komala, a seven-and-a-half year old female elephant from
Mysore zoo has been flown to Armenia on 15 October. Other states
have also asked West Bengal for elephants, but the state government
is not acting yet.

“After a point it will be difficult to maintain any more trained
elephants. There is a glut already. We need to take steps before
these become really and truly white elephants,” an official said.

“There are various reasons behind the elephants getting costly day
by day. Firstly, the population of elephants have multiplied, but not
their utility. Previously they were used in the log and timber industry
but now machines can do the job faster,” said Mr Pradip Kumar Vyas,
director Sunderban Tiger Reserve and a wildlife expert.

“More over the elephant rides in the state is highly subsidised. You
earn less than you spend on these animals. Female elephants are used
in tourist rides because of their good temperament, yet during and
after pregnancy they are unusable for months. Last but not least,
there were many takers for elephants in the past, including the
royalty and the rich . Now they hardly have any takers,” said Mr Vyas.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Oct 23 2004

Russo-Georgian Border Reopened

23/10/2004 10:29

Reports say that Russia reopened its border with Georgia at the Larsi
checkpoint on October 22, after an almost two-month closure following
the Beslan hostage-taking tragedy in Russia’s North Ossetian Republic
in early September.

`Starting today the Larsi checkpoint will work at full capacity. The
Georgian Foreign Ministry and the Border Guard Department have
received relevant notes from Russia regarding the opening of the
checkpoint,’ Chairman of the Georgian Border Guard Department Badri
Bitsadze said on October 22.
The Larsi checkpoint, which is the only land border with Georgia
under Tbilisi’s control, was reopened only 4 times since September.
Closure of the border hit the revenues of the Georgian customs
department hard and also triggered concerns from Armenia, as the
Larsi checkpoint is the only land link with Russia for Armenian
citizens.

Russian media reported that Russia also lifted restrictions at the
Russian-Azerbaijani border on October 22.