Author: Jalatian Sonya

The Messenger
Wednesday, March 23, 2005, #052 (0826)

Press scanner

Prepared by Anna Arzanova

Georgian roads closed because of heavy snowfall

According to Svobodnaya Gruzia, heavy snowfall has caused many Georgian
roads to be closed.

According to the Roads Department press center, the movement of all
kind of transport is prohibited on the Gudauri-Kobi section of the
Georgian Military Highway.

Snow has already been cleared from the Rikoti Pass, which connects
Western with Eastern Georgia, and vehicles with snow-chains are
permitted to cross the pass; but other main roads in Western Georgia,
including those between Kutaisi and Racha and Zugdidi and Svaneti
are closed, Svobodnaya Gruzia reports.

On the Ninotsminda section of the road to the Georgian-Armenian
border transit with chains is possible, and this is now the case on
the Batumi-Akhaltsikhe highway.

Armenian politician given 3-year prison sentence for spreading anti-Semitic
propaganda

AP Worldstream
Mar 18, 2005

An Armenian court on Friday sentenced a radical nationalist politician
to three years in prison for disseminating anti-Semitic propaganda.

Armen Avetisyan, the leader of the United Armenian Aryans’ party, was
charged with spreading hatred toward Jews through the mass media in
this impoverished former Soviet republic.

Avetisyan denied the charges.

The landlocked Caucasus country, which is strongly Christian, has a
Jewish community that numbers less than 1,000.

ArmenPress
March 17 2005

KOCHARIAN DISCUSSES IT WITH LYCOS MANAGERS

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS: President Kocharian received today
top managers of German IT Lycos company to look into what can be done
to train more skilled IT specialists in Armenia. Top managers were
quoted by Kocharian’s press office as saying that they intend to
carry out projects in Armenia for next six years. Kocharian said the
government is ready to assist the process of IT development.
Lycos Armenia currently employs around 170 employees. It is
heavily growing in all areas, and is now the biggest development
location for Lycos Europe . Since there is a growing demand the
company is actually engaging new staff and plan to employ 220
employees within this year. Additionally Lycos Armenia is enlarging
its operations department which was set up in the year 2004, and now
employs 25 employees.
Kocharian also received today Vahagn Movsisian, the director of
the Armenian Development Agency (ADA). Movsisian was quoted as saying
that the ADA was recognized by World Bank as the second best
development agency among counterparts in Central Europe and Central
Asia and the best fifth in the world.
Kocharian and Movsisian also discussed ways for making Armenian
markets attractive for foreign investors.

USA, Russia pushing Armenian president towards Karabakh deal – newspaper

Iravunk, Yerevan
15 Mar 05

US pressure on Armenia is aimed at compelling President Robert
Kocharyan to sign a settlement on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, not
at orchestrating an “orange revolution”, according to an article in
Armenian newspaper Iravunk. “Both Washington and Moscow regard Robert
Kocharyan as a `politically written off’ figure who can be forced to
accept an unpleasant decision,” the article said. Some opposition
forces too would like Kocharyan to sign a settlement, as it avoids
them having to deal with the problem. A preliminary document is
expected to be signed during the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents’
next meeting in May, according to the article. The following is the
text of Ovanes Galadzhyan’s report in Iravunk on 15 March headlined
“Moscow and Washington have politically ‘written off’ Robert
Kocharyan”; subheadings have been inserted editorially:

US Senate committee hears criticism of Armenia

Of late not a day has gone by without a statement, report or
discussion that is negative for Armenia. During recent hearings at the
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on “The Future of Democracy in
the Black Sea Area”, US Deputy Assistant Secretary John Tefft said:
“Further reform is hampered by Armenia’s relatively isolated position
and the ongoing Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, which has been an enormous
drain on the government’s resources for over 10 years.” Almost the
same was said about Azerbaijan, but for the note: “Azerbaijan
continues to offer [extensive and] invaluable support to the United
States for the global war on terror, including but not limited to
blanket overflight rights, the use of Azerbaijan military bases,
information sharing and law-enforcement cooperation.”

During the same hearings the director of International Security and
Energy Programmes at the Nixon Centre, Zeyno Baran, said the Armenian
diaspora “limits US ability to encourage democratic change in this
country” and “The US simply cannot put the same kind of pressure on
President Robert Kocharyan as it was able to do with President Leonid
Kuchma of Ukraine; it is inconceivable to think that Washington would
threaten to keep senior Armenian government officials out of the USA
in case of falsified elections.” The OSCE Minsk Group was criticized
during the meeting for its inefficiency in attaining a final
resolution.

USA wants Kocharyan to sign Karabakh settlement

All this confirms the report received from US sources that US pressure
on Armenia is directed not at orchestrating an “orange revolution” in
the country, but at compelling Robert Kocharyan to sign a document on
a settlement to the Karabakh conflict. By the way a preliminary
document is expected to be signed as early as late spring, during the
next meeting of the Armenian and Azeri presidents. Something not very
pleasant is also awaiting Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan in the next
few days – he is to familiarize himself with the findings of the OSCE
fact-finding mission to the liberated territories.

Moscow is showing no signs of opposition to Washington’s pressure and
hardly anything will change after Vladimir Putin’s visit to
Armenia. In exchange one can observe some trends for the US-EU to make
some mutual compromises with Iran and consequently alleviate their
pressure on that country. This reduces the urgency of the US
aspiration to have a military presence on the Iranian border, but it
is hardly likely to influence the USA’s strategic plans.

The question is why both Washington and Moscow want nobody but Robert
Kocharyan to sign the basic documents on the Karabakh conflict
settlement. The point is that the signing of such documents means the
discrediting of any government, even if they came to power on a
national revolutionary wave. Moreover, an “orange revolution” in
Armenia would make its new president quite a strong figure with an
indisputable resource of legitimacy and overwhelming national support
– a president that may prove quite stubborn in accepting settlement
scenarios that are unacceptable for the Armenian public. That’s why
the USA and not Russia are in no hurry to give the “green light” to
the Armenian opposition and to encourage government change in the
country.

But the selfsame Robert Kocharyan understands perfectly that, after he
has signed an unfavourable settlement document, both the West and
Russia will stop caring for the weak and discredited Armenian
government. Obviously, both Washington and Moscow regard Robert
Kocharyan as a “politically written off” figure who can be forced to
accept an unpleasant decision without being cared for politically
afterwards. Objectively some opposition forces would also like Robert
Kocharyan to ratify the documents to get rid of the problem, as it
carries corresponding risks and weighty responsibilities. That is
possibly the reason why the greater part of the Armenian opposition is
taking its time too.

Kocharyan planning no government reform

And how is Robert Kocharyan responding to these challenges? Following
his latest activities one can see that he is carrying out his own PR
by making public his own achievements – real or unreal – and his daily
ordeal for the sake of his country’s prosperity. In addition during
his recent visit to a carpet-weaving company he said one important
thing, that “there is no sense in making changes to a government that
is showing such indices”.

Robert Kocharyan has, thereby, called for government consolidation and
has made it clear to everybody that the government’s ruin will be ruin
for not only top officials but most oligarchs. This was also a step to
show that there will be no wide reforms or so-called government
revolution. It is clear enough that, when a president who has no
popular or external support starts drastically reforming executives or
infringing on oligarchs, he is running a very big risk. Besides he
cannot resort to a drastic measure like early parliamentary elections,
as Georgia’s example has shown that early parliamentary elections can
easily cause a national revolt.

Opposition in no hurry for revolution

That’s why the opposition is taking its time and, for example, the
Justice bloc says that it will start revolutionary activities not in
spring but at the right moment, the referendum on draft constitutional
amendments, which will hardly come soon. By this time government
cohesion will be non-existent, ruined by severe internal conflicts
during the September local elections. Robert Kocharyan’s statement has
also put an end to the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation-Dashnaktsutyun’s plans for personnel reforms and its
aspirations to gain new positions in the cabinet, which will sooner or
latter be expressed in public.

But the opposition is not only the Justice bloc. But analysing the
behaviour of the other opposition parties one can see no Western
tendencies either. This is natural as the parties are not receiving
any appropriate signals from the West. The National Unity Party too is
passive in its revolutionary efforts, limiting its activities to harsh
criticism of the prosecutor-general, Agvan Ovsepyan, and the
pan-national action to dance in a ring round the Aragats
Mountain. This party may also be waiting for the right moment.

The only party inclined to radical measures is probably New Times,
which is holding a congress in late March to start meeting the people
on 5 April. This is due to their leader Aram Karapetyan’s promise to
start a revolution in April. This is fraught with serious risks and no
coincidence that the government is already taking actions that might
lead to Karapetyan’s criminal persecution.

Kocharyan has staying power

So everybody is waiting to see how the external pressure on Robert
Kocharyan will end. He certainly has resources to delay this process,
but one cannot say for sure for how long they will last. This may last
much longer than might be expected, as the past seven years have shown
that the president has enough strength to withstand a blow and enough
intuition to take his bearings in risky situations.

Foster’s Online
Thursday, March 17, 2005

Exhibit commemorates Armenian Genocide and Jewish Holocaust with works of
two survivor artists

Samuel Bak’s `Yiakor Theme.’

KITTERY, Maine – Haley Farm Gallery will open `Survival Through Creativity’
exhibit featuring works by Berj Kailian and Samuel Bak – two survivor
artists of the Armenian Genocide and Jewish Holocaust respectively. The
exhibit commemorates the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the
60th anniversary of the Jewish Holocaust.

Opening receptions are Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20, 2005, 3-5
p.m. at Haley Farm Gallery, 178 Haley Rd., Kittery, Maine

`Survival Through Creativity’ reflects the artists’ creative outlook toward
life having endured, witnessed and survived the atrocities of the 1915
Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks and the WWII Jewish
Holocaust by Hitler’s Nazi Germany. Works of Samuel Bak are available in
cooperation with the artist and Pucker Gallery.

Berj Kailian, myth and symbol series.

Berj Kailian was born in Armenia in 1914. Her extended family was one of the
last to be driven out. Her father, imprisoned and tortured was later asked
to dig his own grave and was buried alive by the Turkish authorities. Only
nine months old, Kailian was wrapped and tied to her mother’s back and along
with her three siblings began the forced marches through Armenia. Through
the arduous trip her siblings were lost and are presumed dead. Kailian was
wrapped in old newspapers to be kept warm; she was given away three times
but returned to her mother to remain a survivor as they reached Yerevan,
present-day Armenia’s capital. Kailian’s mother worked for the Armenian Red
Cross and they lived with other wretched refugees in devastating conditions
until 1919 when they were sent funds by an uncle in the to travel to America
via Russia and Japan. Berj Kailian now lives in Weymouth, Massachusetts and
is perhaps the only Armenian-American woman artist survivor of the Armenian
Genocide.

`I carry the memories with me every single day of my life. But you have to
survive and you just have to accept that dark companion that is with you
everywhere you go. Art was a natural selection because I could express a
great deal of thought and emotion through it in my own way. I’m still doing
it; maybe it’s an escape,’ says Berj Kailian. `I use earth
pigments…everything comes from the earth. I tear, I dig, I use sand and
earth, or gravel. I think that’s the hurt…but I can’t go beyond that. I’ve
been fortunate. I’m a survivor. A slice of bread given to me by my mother
was to be shared….and is to this day representative of nature and love for
humans.’

Samuel Bak was born in 1933 in Vilna, Poland and was recognized from an
early age as possessing extraordinary artistic talent.

As Vilna came under German occupation in 1940, Bak and his family were
forced into the Vilna ghetto, and later to a labor camp, from which he was
smuggled and given refuge in a monastery.

At the end of the war, his mother and he were the only surviving members of
his extensive family. Bak, has spent his life dealing with the artistic
expression of the destruction and dehumanization which make up his childhood
memories.

He speaks about what are deemed to be the unspeakable atrocities of the
Holocaust. He has created a visual language to remind the world of its most
desperate moments.

`I feel the necessity to remember and take it upon myself to bear witness to
the things that happened in those times, so that human beings today and
those of tomorrow, if it were only possible, are spared a similar destiny on
earth. So I have chosen the way of creating images of a seeming reality,
imbuing them with a multitude of layers, from clear and unknown symbols to
the most private and intimate feelings of a world that has its own apparent
logic. I hope that the complexity of these paintings might go beyond my
private story and beyond the vicissitudes that mark the Jewish people and
their fate.’ says Samuel Bak.

Haley Farm Gallery – Mainely Global Art Gallery, Gift Shop and Meeting Place
– opened in January of 2005 and offers works by local, national and
international artists, unique artistic gift items, and a meeting place. The
gallery owners are Jackie Abramian and Harout DerSimonian.

Haley Farm Gallery is located at 178 Haley Road in Kittery, Maine. Gallery
Hours for March and April, 2005 are: Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.,
Thursday & Friday, 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., with Saturday and Sundays by chance. For
further information or to schedule a group visit, contact the gallery at
(207) 439-2669, or email to [email protected], or visit

The Messenger

Thursday, March 17, 2005, #048 (0822)

Caucasus plagued by too many – and too loose – arms

The withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgian territory, the
requirements of the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty, the attempts
to resolve frozen conflicts in the region, and Georgia’s attempt to build a
modern army all mean that the issues of armaments and their control in the
Caucasus are of great importance.

Armament norms are strictly defined in Caucasus. According to CFE, the three
countries of the Southern Caucasus – Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia – have
equal quotas. Each is permitted 220 tanks, 220 armored cars, 285 artillery
systems above 75 millimeters, 100 fighter aircraft and 50 military
helicopters. The number of military personnel was originally limited to
40,000, but Armenia and Azerbaijan were later able to increase this number.

Despite the official statements with their precise quotas, ever since they
were agreed it has been difficult to hold countries to the agreement.
Russia, in particular, is well in excess of its limitations for the region
and argues that the war in Chechnya and instability in the Southern Caucasus
makes this necessary. It continues to maintain military bases in Georgia and
Armenia and possesses quantities of armaments that exceed the quotas
permitted Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Furthermore, the separatist regimes of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and
Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, all of which possess their own arms that are
beyond the control and scrutiny of international organizations, make the
limitations entirely ineffectual.

According to data, for example, the unrecognized republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh has more armaments than Armenia. Equally, according to the
agreement, Karabakh army personnel must be included in the quota defined for
Azerbaijan, but clearly it would be ludicrous to do so. Azerbaijan has
recently threatened that if the ongoing conflict with Karabakh is not soon
resolved peacefully, it may have to resort to force, but its is clear from
the data that Karabakh is more than capable of defending itself, even
without Armenian help.

Georgia is also too weak militarily to seek to resolve its internal
conflicts through force, and this has caused several Georgian analysts to
call for a strong rearmament program. Given the huge increases in defense
spending since the Rose Revolution, it appears that the government is
hearing their calls for military build-up to back up the country’s peaceful
overtures to the Sukhumi and Tskhinvali regimes.

In the meantime, however, both regimes continue to receive arms from Russia.
It is difficult to imagine that the Georgian military would be strong enough
at any point in the near future to overcome resistance in the breakaway
republics, and perhaps this is a good thing – a guarantee of peaceful
dialogue.

The high number of arms in these regions should be of concern to everybody,
however, as there is no control over the weapons, which can easily pass into
the hands of terrorists. There are a high number of tanks and heavy
artillery, and many ordinary citizens possess automatic weapons. The arrest
of Armenian and Georgian nationals charged with attempts to smuggle arms is
one sign of amount of uncontrolled weapons in the area.

Back in Georgia, the increased defense spending is aimed not only at
providing extra weight to Georgian efforts to resolve the frozen conflicts,
but also to enable the country to integrate into NATO as soon as possible.
This remains a top priority for the government, and it is receiving support
from a number of western countries and institutions, led by the United
States. Membership of NATO is likely to be held up, however, by the
continuing existence of Russian bases on Georgian soil, and unresolved
frozen conflicts.

CENN – March 16, 2005 Daily Digest

Table of Contents:

1. Georgia, Armenia Discuss Energy Issues

2. European Parliament Votes Yes on Financing NATURA
2000

3. Youth to the Front – Two New WCPA Scholarships for
Young Professionals in Protected Area Management

4. Azerbaijan Discloses First Transparency Initiative
Reports

5. UNDP/GEF Project: “Georgia – Promoting the Use of
Renewable Energy Resources for Local Energy Supply”

6. Call for Proposals for the European Initiative for
Democracy and Human Rights Micro projects Program

1. GEORGIA, ARMENIA DISCUSS ENERGY ISSUES

Source: RFE/RL, March 14, 2005

During a two-day visit to Yerevan on 11-12 March, Georgian Prime
Minister Zurab Noghaideli met with his Armenian counterpart Andranik
Markarian to discuss bilateral trade and cooperation in the energy
sector, Georgian and Armenian agencies reported. Bilateral trade grew by
51 percent in 2004, reaching $78 million, Caucasus Press reported on 12
March. Noghaideli raised with Markarian the possibility of Georgia and
Ukraine importing Iranian gas exported to Armenia via the gas pipeline
currently under construction, ITAR-TASS reported. Initially that
pipeline was planned exclusively to supply Armenia with gas, but
Interfax on 4 March quoted Armenian Energy Minister Andranik Manukian as
saying a second leg could be built to transport gas to Europe. The
Russian-Armenian company Armrosgasart is to undertake construction,
which will begin next month, of the Armenian section of the pipeline.

2. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VOTES YES ON FINANCING NATURA 2000

Source: IUCN March 14, 2005

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) welcomes the decision taken by the
European Parliament on Thursday 11th March in favour of a report on
financing Natura 2000. Natura 2000 is the European Union’s (EU) network
of protected areas, established to ensure the future survival of the
EU’s most important habitats and species by achieving favourable
conservation status. The successful implementation and management of
Natura 2000 sites is a key part of the EU’s work to meet its target of
halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010. This report from the European
Parliament is a critical step in the process as it requests the EU to
provide significant financing to manage the Natura 2000 network and
conserve biodiversity. The report argues that in the future, funding to
manage these protected areas should be made available from the EU funds
for agriculture, rural development and regional development

3. YOUTH TO THE FRONT – TWO NEW WCPA SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUNG
PROFESSIONALS IN PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT

Source: IUCN March 15, 2005

Junior Ranger Tshegofatso Monama challenged 3,000 participants at the
Vth IUCN World Parks Congress when he said: “The problem I have about
parks is that they do not offer opportunities. They should offer
opportunities to the young because as I look out here I see only old
people who are going to die!” Responding to the need to involve more
young people in protected area management and conservation, IUCN’s
Programme on Protected Areas and the World Commission on Protected Areas
(WCPA) launched a youth training scholarship programme at the 3rd IUCN
World Conservation Congress (WCC, Bangkok, Thailand, November 2004). The
programme, developed and implemented in partnership with the Consortium
for International Protected Area Management (CIPAM), will offer two
scholarships for talented young professionals to attend a protected area
management seminar and to develop an action plan implementing the new
seminar skills and results. Graduates of the seminars will be offered
professional mentoring subsequent to the course. The initiative is the
first undertaking of a partnership focused on increasing protected area
professional capacity amongst young protected area practitioners.

4. AZERBAIJAN DISCLOSES FIRST TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE REPORTS

Source: State Telegraph of the Republic of Azerbiajn, Agency March 16,
2005

The Committee on Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (“EITI”)
established by the government of Azerbaijan to implement its obligations
taken at the conference on EITI held in June 2003 in London, today
announced the publication of the Governments EITI first reports audited
by Deloitte & Touche, the independent Aggregator. The published
documents also include the Aggregator’s opinion based on individual
submissions of independent extractive industry companies participating
in the EITI process.

This marks the first ever aggregated government transparency report in
the world and implementation of the Azerbaijan Government’s commitment
to EITI.

The publication of Azerbaijan’s EITI reports follows the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) on November 24, 2004 between the
Government of Azerbaijan, foreign and local extractive industry
companies and a coalition of some 32 local Non-Governmental
Organizations (“NGO’s”) for Increasing Transparency in Extractive
Industries to implement EITI in Azerbaijan. The MOU set out a clear and
independent process for the implementation of EITI in Azerbaijan and
since its signing has served as the framework for implementation efforts
by all parties.

The full report as well as the Aggregator’s opinion on the document has
already been disclosed on the State Oil Fund (SOFAZ) and the EITI
Secretariat of the UK Department for International Development (DFID)
and non-governmental organizations (NGO).

Samir Sharifov, chairman of the Committee on EITI, said: “Publication of
the first report on the Government revenues from the extractive sector
that was prepared by a reputable international firm on the basis of
examination of government’s assertion and extractive sector companies’
individual reports has become another clear demonstration of
Azerbaijan’s full support to EITI process not in words but in deeds. It
has evidenced continued commitment of the authorities of Azerbaijan to
transparent management of revenues accruing from extractive sector and
to encouraging active involvement of civil society in this process”.

Speaking on behalf of local extractive industry companies Natig Aliyev,
President of SOCAR, said “Thanks to successful realization of new oil
strategy, SOCAR has obtained the recognition as one of the leading oil
producing companies in the world and reliable business partner in joint
projects. Our next task is to prove ourselves as a company which
conducts its business in compliance with internationally accepted
standards of reporting and transparency of financial and commercial
operations.

I believe that in our country we have already taken very important steps
in this direction and in future in cooperation with the NGOs we will do
our best to achieve our goal”.

Speaking on behalf of foreign oil companies David Woodward, Associate
President of BP, said: ”We welcome the publication of the first reports
for Azerbaijan which is a world first for the broader implementation of
the UK Government’s EITI initiative. We are satisfied with the
independent process implemented by the Aggregator. As these are the
first reports of these kind in the world there will, I’m sure, be ways
in which we can improve the process further, but this should not detract
from the importance of what has been achieved by the Azerbaijan
Government working effectively and efficiently with oil companies and
civil society”.

Sevgim Rahmanov speaking on behalf of the NGO coalition stated “A
significant step forward has been made towards promoting transparency in
extractive industries in Azerbaijan by publication of the EITI first
report. We look forward to working with both the Government and
extractive sector companies for further improvements in the process”.

5. UNDP/GEF Project: “Georgia – Promoting the Use of Renewable
Energy Resources for Local Energy Supply”

GOVERNMENT OF GEORGIA

UNDP/GEF Project: “Georgia – Promoting the Use of Renewable Energy
Resources for Local Energy Supply”

Invitation for Pre-qualification (Request for Expressions of Interest)

Technical Advisor Services

The companies with required expertise are requested to send their
Expressions of Interests for the provision of technical advisory
services for a five-year joint UNDP/GEF and KfW financed initiative in
Georgia including a technical assistance component and an associated US$
7 million revolving Renewable Energy Fund to promote the use of local
renewable energy resources, with the focus on small hydro and geothermal
resources.

The selected consultant is expected to take the lead on finalizing the
documentation needed for the loan applications of the pilot small hydro
power and geothermal projects seeking to use the resources of the
Renewable Energy Fund. The work will be conducted in close co-operation
with the local experts (to be paid separately by the project budget)
with the purpose of simultaneously building up the local capacity to
follow up the results and to conduct similar studies independently in
the future.

In co-operation with the local experts, the Technical Advisor will be
responsible for finalizing the documentation needed for the loan
applications for small hydropower and geothermal projects seeking to use
the resources of the Renewable Energy Fund and, as applicable, support
the further implementation of the projects approved for financing.

The Technical Advisor will report to the project manager and to the UNDP
Resident Representative in Georgia.

Qualifications

a.. Good knowledge of and extensive working experience on developing
small hydro power, geothermal and municipal heat and hot water supply
projects, including:
b.. Adequate technical knowledge and experience on the different areas
of small hydro power projects, geothermal resources and municipal heat
and hot water supply systems
c.. Demonstrated success in structuring financing for the projects
d.. Strong interpersonal and training skills
e.. Knowledge of Georgian or Russian language is an asset

The duration of the assignment will be 4 years (2004-2008).

Required Information and Documentation for Pre-qualification

1.. Signed Expression of Interest Letter;
1.. Name and ownership of a company;
2.. Field of business or areas of interest or public responsibility;
3.. Annual turnover or budget;
4.. Background of a company;
5.. CVs of experts to be engaged in the assignment;
6.. Company’s References (implemented projects and/or provided
services):
1.. Deadline for Expression of Interest is 25 March 2005 12 A.M. of
local time.

Expression of Interest and related materials should be sent to the
Project manager Mr. Paata Janelidze via mail.

Address: 150a, Agmashenebeli Ave. Tbilisi, 0112, Georgia

E-mail: [email protected]

More information can be seen at

6. Call for Proposals for the European Initiative for Democracy
and Human Rights Micro projects Program

European Commission

Delegation to Georgia and Armenia

Call reference: EuropeAid/121-162/L/G/GE

The European Commission Delegation to Georgia is seeking proposals for
micro projects in Georgia with financial assistance from the European
Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) program of the
European Communities. The global indicative amount available for this
Call for Proposals is ? 327.000.

The general objective of the EIDHR micro projects program is to respond
rapidly to requests from NGOs that are designed to promote democracy and
human rights. Proposals for micro projects should be in the following
priority areas:

Priority A: Support to the rule of law and the fight against corruption

Priority B: Protection of religious and ethnic minorities

Grants may cover a maximum of 80% of project costs. Grants will finance
projects with activities lasting up to 18 months.

Grants range from a minimum of ? 10.000 to a maximum of ? 50.000

Applicants must be non-profit-marketing and be non governmental
organization. They must have their headquarters in Georgia, or be a
local independent division of an NGO with its headquarters in another
country. Activities must take place in Georgia, preferably in one or
more of the following regions of Georgia: Kvemo Kartli,
Samtskhe-Javakheti and Adjara. Applicantrs may apply singly or as part
of a consortium.

Detailed information on this Call for Proposals is contained in the
“Guidelines for Grant Applicants”, which are published together with
this notice on the Internet Web Site of the European Commission
Delegation to Georgia: the full Guidelines
for Applicants are also available for consultation at the European
Commission Delegation to Georgia:

38, Nino Chkheidze street, 0102, Tbilisi

Tel: +995 32 94 37 63

>From Monday to Friday from 9:00 till 17:00

The deadline for submission of proposals is June 6, 2005 at 16:00
Georgian time. Any application received by the European Commission
Delegation to Georgia after this time will not be considered.

Any questions regarding this Call for Proposals should be sent, clearly
indicating the reference number by fax to +995 32 94 37 68 or by email
to [email protected]

All applicants are encouraged to consult the Internet website above
regularly before the deadline for applications, where the EC Delegation
will publish the most frequently asked questions and the corresponding
replies.

*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 75 19 03/04
Fax: ++995 32 75 19 05
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

Sun-Sentinel, FL
March 15 2005

The Shield now Close to perfect

Big-screen star brings her A-game to series.

Published March 15, 2005

What the world needs now is not a female Vic Mackey. But this is what
it will be getting on the fourth season of The Shield.

The nastiest cop show on TV has gotten even better. Michael Chiklis
is already an Emmy winner as renegade detective Vic Mackey. This
season Vic gets a new boss, Capt. Monica Rawlings, played by
five-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close.

The norm would have these two going at each other like Simon and
Paula. But The Shield disdains the safe and familiar, which is why
it’s one of TV’s sparkling gems. Rawlings, who worked her way up from
the street, shares Mackey’s philosophy that right is what works, so
they hit it off like Nick and Jessica.

Chiklis said he doesn’t mind having to share top billing with a star
of Close’s magnitude because it would bring out the best in him. He
was prophetic. Like the series, the very good has gotten better. A
second Emmy could be looming.

Clearly, Close hasn’t loaned her name to the series for a paycheck,
either. She’s brought her big screen A-game to her first episodic
starring role.

A seasoned pro, she knows how to work a scene without histrionics. A
glance here, a raised eyebrow there, perhaps an occasional dirty look
is generally all she needs to assert her authority. She can be more
forceful when necessary without losing self-control. Amazingly, the
normally insolent Vic accepts her without reservation.

It helps that at first encounter she accepts a wink-wink tale that
Vic had to kill an animal because it pulled a gun on him. Rawlings
further endears herself to Vic by exhibiting as little regard for the
outgoing Capt. David Aceveda, who has won a seat on the city council.
She also has a game plan to take advantage of forfeiture rules to let
her cops seize expensive toys for their use.

Still it’s hard to believe this partnership of strong, unbending
personalities will hold, so it should be an interesting season.

Vic needs new alliances. His old ones have crumbled in the wake of
the fiasco involving his band of rogue cops losing the fortune they
robbed from Armenian money-launderers. His former protégé, Det. Shane
Vendrell, has transferred away and their relationship has turned
frigid. Det. Curtis “Lemonhead” Lemansky is still at The Barn but he
has proven too incompetent to be trusted.

Meanwhile, Det. Claudette Wyms is seething that she was passed over
for the position she deserved more than Rawlings. Her partner,
goody-goody Det. Dutch Wagenbach, is also ticked at being treated
shabbily because of his association with Wyms.

The Shield has been able to keep its core cast intact, a reflection
of actors realizing they have been blessed to be part of something
special. CCH Pounder, as Wyms, merits equal billing with Chiklis and
Close. Benito Martinez is on his way out of The Barn but will remain
a commanding presence as the reptilian Aceveda. Walton Goggins
reprises his role as loose cannon Shane. Jay Karnes makes a
sympathetic character of Dutch. Kenneth Johnson returns as Lemonhead;
Catherine Dent is back as patrolman Danielle “Danny” Sofer; and
Michael Jace is her partner, Officer Julien Lowe, a black man
disgusted by the way his colleagues regard minorities as lesser
humans.

The Shield has been appointment viewing since its debut, although
gutter language and racy plotting make it suitable only for adults.
With Close added to the mix and NYPD Blue out of the time period,
it’s now don’t miss TV.

On TV

Program: The Shield
Stars: Michael Chiklis, Glenn Close, CCH Pounder, Walton Goggins,
Benito Martinez

Airs: 10 p.m. Tuesdays on FX.

Zaman Online

SAHIN ALPAY

03.14.2005 Monday – ISTANBUL 12:07

Is the JDP Power Being Shaken?

I believe the most penetrating analysis of the reasons for the Justice and
Development Party’s (AKP’s) success in the 2002 general and later in the
2004 local elections is the one provided by Professor Ziya Onis in his
article entitled “The Political Economy of Turkey’s Justice and Development
Party” dated November 2004.
()
The point underlined in this analysis is that AKP owes
its success mostly to its ability to bring together both the winners and
losers of the globalization of the Turkish economy, in a broad cross – class
electoral alliance. According to Onis, the AKP succeeded in raising among
broad segments of Turkish society the hope that in government it would be
able to utilize the positive aspects of globalization, consolidate freedoms
and alleviate social injustices.

Undoubtedly, external alliances also contributed a great deal to the ascent
of AKP until at least the end of year 2004. AKP government’s determination
to follow both the economic stability program and political reforms helped
relations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union
(EU) to develop in a positive direction. Relations with the United States,
strained due to the rejection in March 2003 of American troop deployment in
Turkey, were stabilized through the offer of 10 thousand Turkish troops to
be deployed in Iraq and other means. Since the beginning of 2005, however,
both the internal and external alliances of the AKP seem to suffer certain
jolts. The most problematic part in the chain of external alliances is the
relations with the United States. Ankara as a whole is upset by the Bush
administration’s Iraq policy: It is concerned with the fact that Americans
are allowing for the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) in
Northern Iraq, and that an independent Kurdish state in Iraq under U.S.
occupation is in the making. The U.S., on the other hand, is not pleased
with Ankara’s distancing itself from Israel, its rapprochement with Syria
and Iran (which Washington keeps under the threat of “regime change”), and
its reluctance to meet the new American demands concerning the use of the
Incirlik air base.

Spokespersons for the neo-conservative clique have expressed Washington’s
dissatisfaction with Ankara through articles published in The Wall Street
Journal (“The Sick Man of Europe – Again”) and in the Middle East Quarterly
(“Green Money, Islamist Politics in Turkey”). In these articles, the AKP was
accused of “secret and insidious” Islamism and of being manipulated by Saudi
Arabia. An American friend of mine, who closely follows Turkish – US
relations, wrote the following comment in a letter he sent a few days ago:
“I wonder what the secret agenda of these articles is? My guess is that the
neo-cons are extremely disturbed by Turkey’s new independent – minded
foreign policy, and want to encourage the Bush administration to topple the
AKP government. Such an attempt by Bush would be extremely foolish, and yet
he might try it. If he does, he may find himself faced with a left Kemalist
and ethnic – nationalist government in Ankara.”

The other problematic part of AKP’s external alliances has to do with the
EU. A decision was made by the EU to start accession negotiations on October
3. The conditions set are, however, tough and discriminatory. Almost no
measures were taken towards lifting of the international isolation of the
Turkish Cypriots. France has decided to hold a referendum on Turkey’s
membership. [Nicholas] Sarkozy and [Angela] Merkel have been pressing for a
“privileged membership.” “Recognize the Armenian genocide!” pressures are
mounting. These developments, which threaten the pro-EU alliance in Turkey,
do not strengthen the AKP’s hand. With no incentives to move further, AKP’s
reform agenda has “laxed”.

The most important problem in AKP’s domestic alliances is the frustrations
experienced among the Islamic circles. Due to opposition by the
military-civilian bureaucracy, the AKP government has so far been unable to
take any measures to lift the headscarf ban in the universities or to
provide equal opportunities in the national university entrance examination
for vocational high school graduates, and among them the graduates of prayer
leader and preacher schools. Reports of the EU and verdicts of the European
Court of Human Rights augment disappointments. Surely the sheer luck factor
is no longer on AKP’s side, and it has become increasingly difficult to
manage the domestic and external political alliances. As long as AKP sticks
to the economic stability and political reform agenda, however, jolts in
alliances may not lead to serious consequences.

March 8, 2005

03.14.2005

Swiss Foreign Minister set for two-day visit to Turkey

Agence France Presse — English
March 8, 2005 Tuesday 11:20 AM GMT

ANKARA March 8 – Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey will travel
to Turkey for two days starting March 29, making up for a visit that
was cancelled nearly two years ago, a diplomatic official said.

The minister was scheduled to go to Turkey in September 2003 but the
visit was pushed back by Turkish officials after the Swiss canton of
Vaud qualified as genocide the 1915 massacre of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire.

Calmy-Rey is set to meet in Ankara with Turkish President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.

She will also visit Istanbul and the medieval-walled city of Diyarbakir
in the southeast.