Author: Karagyozian Lena

Agence France Presse
April 6, 2004 Tuesday 9:17 AM Eastern Time

Global executions fell by 25 percent in 2003: Amnesty

GENEVA, April 6

The number of people executed in the world fell by 25 percent in 2003
while more than half the countries have stopped using the death
penalty, the advocacy group Amnesty International said Tuesday.

Four countries — China, Iran, the United States and Vietnam —
accounted for 84 percent of the 1,143 legally-sanctioned executions
known to have been carried out in 28 countries last year.

Nearly two-thirds (726) of the executions took place in China,
Amnesty said in its annual review on the use of the death penalty.

During 2002, 1,526 people were known to have been executed in 31
countries, spokeswoman Judit Arenas told journalists. The human
rights group is fiercely opposed to capital punishment.

At least 2,756 people were sentenced to death in 63 countries in
2003, also marking a sharp fall over the previous year, when the
human rights group counted 3,248 executions in 67 states.

The data is based on Amnesty’s own research, but does not account for
possible executions in secretive states such as North Korea, while
the true figure for some countries, including China, is thought to be
much higher.

Armenia, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Kirghizistan, and Samoa, joined 112
other countries who have now formally abolished capital punishment or
have stopped using it for several years.

“This year’s figures show that the majority of countries follow an
abolitionist path, others choose to remain on the wrong side of the
justice divide,” Amnesty said in a statement.

China last year reportedly introduced a fleet of 18 mobile execution
buses in Yunnan province, where condemned people are given a lethal
injection immediately after they are sentenced by local courts.

“That has heightened our concern about the way that the death penalty
is applied in that country, where we believe that judicial review has
not been allowed given that the time between sentencing and execution
is only a few hours,” Arenas said.

Amnesty was also sharply critical of the United States, where 65
executions took place, some of them involving people who committed
crimes when they were still juveniles or people who were mentally
ill.

2004 WEEK OF REMEMBRANCE

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS IN GLENDALE

City of Glendale, California
April 6, 2004

April 19 – An educational student discussion moderated by Sonali
Kohatkar from KPFK radio will be aired on GTV6 (check GTV6’s programming
schedule for time.) Topic will be: “Man’s Inhumanity to Man.” Panelists
include Dan Alba from “Facing History and Ourselves” and Professor John
Roth from Claremont McKenna College.

April 24* *- Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road (see below
for map) – 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Annual Commemorative Event. Members of
the public are encouraged to visit the Civic to view an art exhibit,
donate blood to the American Red Cross, or donate books and audio
materials pertaining to Man’s Inhumanity to Man for possible inclusion
in the Glendale Central Library’s planned “Genocide Collection”. At 7:00
pm, a program consisting of musical selections by local groups and
performance artists will be presented. At the program’s close, a
candlelight vigil will be held outside the Civic Auditorium.

April 25 – The Civic will again open at 10:00 am until 5:00 pm for
another opportunity for the public to visit the art exhibit and donate
blood.

For more information, contact Zizette Ayad at (818) 548-4844.

************************************
GENOCIDE COLLECTION BOOK DRIVE

Donate a book, spread the word!

The City of Glendale, in conjunction with the Annual Commemorative Event
Committee, is co-sponsoring a book drive from April 6 until April 30 to
commemorate atrocities suffered by mankind throughout the 20th Century.
Donated items may include books and audio materials which will be
evaluated for possible inclusion in the Glendale Central Library’s
“Genocide Collection” for the benefit of the public good.

Donations may be left at any Glendale Public Library Branch during
operating hours.

In addition, donations can be made at the Glendale Civic Auditorium,
1401 N. Verdugo Road between the hours of 10:00 am to 9:00 pm on
Saturday, April 24 and the hours of 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday, April
25.

For more information, contact Zizette Ayad at (818) 548-4844.

The Globe and Mail, Canada
April 2 2004

Bloodbath in the making

Ten years after Rwanda, the world must not abandon Sudan, says
GREGORY STANTON of Genocide Watch

By GREGORY STANTON

Ten years ago, the world abandoned Rwanda’s Tutsis to genocide. An
estimated 800,000 people were murdered by their Hutu neighbours.
Although a heroic Canadian general, Roméo Dallaire, requested
reinforcements for the 2,500 United Nations peacekeepers in Rwanda
and a mandate to stop the genocide, the UN Security Council instead
voted to withdraw UN troops. We watched and washed our hands.

Today 800,000 Africans from Darfur, Sudan, have been driven from
their homes by Arab militias, supported by Sudanese government air
strikes, in the worst case of ethnic cleansing since Kosovo. About
700,000 are in camps inside Sudan that are closed to relief
organizations and the press. More than 100,000 have fled across the
desert border into Chad, where they are dying of hunger and thirst. A
thousand people die daily.

Armed by the Sudanese government, the Arab Janjaweed militias murder,
rape, and pillage African villages with impunity. Their leaders
credit the “Arab race” with “civilization,” and consider black
Africans to be abd (male slaves) and kahdim (female slaves). In
Tweila, North Darfur, on Feb. 27, according to the UN Darfur Task
Force, the Janjaweed and Sudanese army murdered at least 200 people
and gang-raped more than 200 girls and women, many in front of their
fathers and husbands, who were then killed. The Janjaweed branded
those they raped on their hands to mark them permanently so they
would be shunned.

Genocidal massacres and mass rape are the tactics of ethnic
cleansing. Their intent is to terrorize Africans such as the Fur,
Massaleit, and Zaghawa into leaving Darfur, where an African kingdom
and sultanate ruled for 2,000 years.

Genocide is the intentional destruction, in whole or in part, of a
national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Ethnic cleansing is not
quite genocide, because its intent is the expulsion, rather than
physical destruction of a group. But genocidal massacres are a common
tactic. The Arab militias of Darfur want to drive out black Africans
because they want to confiscate their grazing lands, water resources
and cattle.

Farther south, the Sudanese government wants to confiscate rich oil
reserves under the lands of the Nuer, Dinka, Shilluk, Nuba and other
black African groups. A 20-year civil war has driven thousands of
Africans into refugee camps, which the Sudanese air force has
regularly bombed. The Khartoum government has repeatedly cut off food
aid. More than two million people have died.

A “peace process” mediated by the United States, Britain, Norway and
Italy is hammering out an agreement to end the civil war in the
south. Recently there was much exultation when the Sudanese
government and southern rebel leaders agreed to divide up the oil
revenues. But you can be sure no African peasants will ever see a
penny of the money. You can also be sure that in five years, when the
southerners are to decide on self-determination, the northern Arabs
won’t let them.

Many governments and human-rights groups now call for another peace
process. They also call for another UN relief program for the
refugees and displaced persons. Both are needed. But neither will
solve the fundamental problem, which is the genocidal nature of the
government in Khartoum. Ethnic cleansings in Sudan will end only when
President Omar al-Bashir’s government is overthrown.

Diplomats always prefer “peace processes.” But in Arusha, Tanzania,
in 1993-94, the “peace process” was a sideshow that distracted
attention from preparations for genocide in Rwanda. In Sudan, as in
Rwanda, diplomats see their job as “conflict resolution.” Genocide
isn’t conflict; it’s one-sided mass murder. Jews had no conflict with
Nazis. Armenians posed no threat to Turks. Tutsis did not advocate
mass murder of Rwandan Hutus. Conflict resolution isn’t genocide
prevention.

The Darfur ethnic cleansing has already spilled over the Chad border.
As a threat to international peace, it should be on the agenda of the
UN Security Council. But the UN will be paralyzed by Arab League and
Non-Aligned Movement solidarity, and Canada and the European Union
won’t act without UN authorization. The U.S. and Britain have more
than they can handle in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Why, 10 years after Rwanda, has the world reacted so slowly to ethnic
cleansing in Darfur?

Racism is one reason. African lives still are not seen to equal the
value of the lives of Kosovars and other white people, who are inside
our circle of moral concern.

National sovereignty is another. The norm of international law is
still against intervention, even when a government has forfeited its
own claim to legitimacy by committing genocide or ethnic cleansing
against its own people.

Also, the world’s leaders know they can kill with impunity. The
International Criminal Court does not have universal jurisdiction
unless a situation is referred to it by the UN Security Council. The
United States will prevent that. Sudan has not ratified the ICC
treaty, so is not subject to it.

Finally there is our indifference. We still don’t care enough to
demand that our political leaders send our sons and daughters to
prevent and stop genocides.

Two years ago, Genocide Watch and the International Campaign to End
Genocide called for the appointment of a UN Secretary-General’s
special adviser for genocide prevention, to warn the UN Security
Council of incipient genocide and ethnic cleansing. We hope Kofi
Annan will announce the creation of such a position on April 7, the
anniversary of the beginning of the Rwandan genocide.

We need military forces that can intervene with heavy infantry to
prevent or stop genocides when they begin. Canada has led the way in
preparing its armed forces for international peacekeeping. We are
hopeful about the European Union’s creation of a Rapid Response
Force, and the EU deployment to the Eastern Congo. The African
Union’s announcement that it will create a similar force is a sign
that “never again” may become more than an empty slogan.

We need a world movement to prevent genocide and ethnic cleansing, an
effort as great as the anti-slavery movement. Ultimately, preventing
genocide and ethnic cleansing means creating the political will in
our leaders to lead. We must tell them that never again will we
believe their excuses that they didn’t know. Never again will we
excuse their failure to act. Never again will we forget that we are
all members of the same race, the human race.

Gregory H. Stanton is president of Washington-based Genocide Watch.
He served in the U.S. State Department from 1992 to 1999, where he
wrote the UN resolutions that created the International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda.

Bayside Times, NY
April 1 2004

Queensboro exhibit shows century of global genocide

By Ayala Ben-Yehuda 04/01/2004

Bayside High School student Jenny Mathew reads about the Warsaw
ghetto at Queensborough Community College’s genocide exhibit.
In 1904 about 65,000 Herero cattle herders in Southwest Africa were
wiped out after rebelling against their German colonial rulers. Women
and children were driven into the desert and died of thirst and
starvation, decimating the Herero population.

In 1994 Beatha Uwazaninka had to flee her home in Rwanda when several
of her family members were murdered during a genocide in which
800,000 people were slaughtered in the space of 100 days.

These stories of mass murder 90 years apart from each other are on
display at `1900-2000: A Genocidal Century,’ the newest exhibit at
Queensborough Community College’s Holocaust Resource Center and
Archives.

`As a college student, I didn’t know about all the genocides that
were happening,’ said Sarah Roberts, assistant director for
operations at the center.

`More and more schools are getting more involved with teaching about
genocide and what’s happening today in the world,’ Roberts said.
`It’s really scary out there.’

The exhibit opened Feb. 23 and runs until the end of this year. It
features wall text by the Holocaust center’s director, William
Shulman, defining genocide and describing its use against Armenians
in 1915 at the hands of the Turks, Stalin’s starvation of Ukrainians,
the Holocaust as well as mass killings in Cambodia in the 1970s and
more recent ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Rwanda in the 1990s.

A chart on the wall depicts lesser-known genocides such as the
Guatemalan army’s killing of 200,000 Mayans from the 1950s to the
1980s and the murder of a million Ibos and other ethnic groups in
Nigeria since 1966.

School groups in Queens have been coming to the exhibit and watching
films on refugees and the Rwandan genocide, said Roberts, whose
Holocaust center is sending mailings about it to schools all over New
York City as well as to churches and synagogues.

Roberts said so far no one who had suffered under one of the
genocides in the exhibit had come up to her during a visit to the
center, but said `I’m hoping I do get that reaction.’

Arthur Flug, a former teacher and chief of staff to Councilman David
Weprin (D-Hollis) and U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside), became the
center’s educational outreach director two weeks ago.

`The Holocaust has implications that go beyond the Jewish community,’
said Flug, such as ethnic discrimination and brutality – themes all
too common to the human experience around the world.

The college will mark the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide
with a Genocide Awareness Day on Wednesday, April 28. Scheduled to
speak are Jerry Fowler, director of the Committee on Conscience from
the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and
abolitionist Maria Sliwa, who will address modern-day slavery in
Sudan.

The Genocide Awareness Day and the exhibit are open to the public.
For more information, call 718-281-5770.

Reach reporter Ayala Ben-Yehuda by e-mail at [email protected] or
call 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.

Armrosgazprom to Invest USD 24 Million in Armenian Gas Sector Over Next
Three Years

Rosbalt
01/04/2004, 12:04

YEREVAN, April 1. The gas company Armrosgazprom intends to invest nearly USD
7.7 million in 2004 into a program aimed at reconstituting Armenia’s gas
sector. As reported to a Rosbalt correspondent by the Armenian information
service, the deal was announced by the director of Armrozgazprom, Karen
Karapetian, at a working meeting chaired by Robert Kocharian. Karapetian
added that in 2005-2006, the company planned to invest a further USD 16
million in Armenia.

The Armenian energy ministry and Gazprom each control 45% of the shares of
Armrosgazprom, while 10% belong to the company Itera. The company is the
sole gas producer in Armenia.

PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-1) 52-35-31
Email: [email protected]
Web:

Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received US Deputy Secretary of State
Richard Armitage in Yerevan on Friday, March 26, 2004.

During the lengthy meeting, the Minister and the Secretary discussed many
aspects of Armenia-US relations, including the reinforcement of democratic
processes in Armenia. They also discussed Armenia¹s engagement in NATO,
parity in military assistance in the region, as well as the general
situation in the South Caucasus, prospects for development and cooperation
in the region, and the Karabakh negotiations process.

Both Minister Oskanian and Secretary Armitage expressed their satisfaction
that relations between the two countries are good, even as both agreed that
they are committed to deeper political dialogue. The Deputy Secretary said
the US is pleased with Armenia’s engagement in regional and global
processes.

The Deputy Secretary arrived in Yerevan from Kiev. His delegation included
Asst. Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones, and Matt Bryza, Director for the
Aegean, Caucasus and Central Asia for the National Security Council. They
departed later the same day for Baku.

ITAR-TASS, Russia
March 23 2004

Command-and-staff exercises begin in Armenia

YEREVAN, March 23 (Itar-Tass) – Command-and-staff exercises of
Armenia’s Armed Forces are to be held throughout the republic from
March 23 to 27, Colonel Seiran Shakhsuvaryan, the Defence Minister’s
press secretary, has told Itar-Tass.

Shakhsuvaryan said the exercises are held under the supervision of
Colonel-General Mikhail Arutyunyan, chief of the Main Headquarters of
the Armed Forces and First Deputy Minister of Defence, under this
year’s programme for the combat training of the army. Technical,
logistical and medical units will be involved in the exercises, he
pointed out.

In accordance with the plan of the exercises, mobilisation reserves
will be called up on the first day for the purpose of personnel
replacement. This is one of matters that will be drilled during the
first phase of the exercises, the Defence Ministry’s press secretary
said.

Balkanalysis.com, United States
March 22 2004

Turkey: Turkey Repudiates Israel, Rules Out Sending Troops to Georgia

by C Deliso

In a statement having somewhat ambivalent implications, Turkey has
repudiated long-standing ally Israel for its assassination of Hamas
spiritual leader Sheik Yassin.

A dawn helicopter assault on Monday morning targeted the paraplegic,
wheelchair-bound Yassin as he was leaving a Gaza mosque. Six others
were killed and 17 wounded.

While the rest of the world harshly criticized Israel, both for its
policy of targeted assassinations and for the inflammatory impact the
killing will have, the US was merely `troubled’ by the event and
reminded that Hamas was after all a terrorist organization.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan condemned the attack as contrary to
international law and harmful for the Middle East peace process.
Ominously for Israel, Hamas warned that Israeli leader Ariel Sharon
through the assassination had `…opened the gates of hell and nothing
will stop us from cutting off his head.’ Yet they didn’t stop with
threatening Israel. Now the oversized client state whose foreign
policy is increasingly inseparable from the Israeli one, America, has
also been served notice:

“…the Zionists didn’t carry out their operation without getting the
consent of the terrorist American administration and it (the United
States) must take responsibility for this crime,’ Hamas said in a
statement. `All the Muslims of the world will be honored to join in
on the retaliation for this crime.”

In typically flamboyant style, Sharon personally congratulated the
assassins. In a grandiose comment that could have just as well been
made by George Bush, Dick Cheney or Paul Wolfowitz, Sharon said,
`…the war against terror has not ended and will continue day after
day, everywhere.’

Most countries don’t find such black-and-white stances prudent.
Turkey, for example, is a Muslim country which shares borders with
Iran, Iraq and Syria. Yet it is also a secular state, with a
developed Western consumer society, and is actively seeking
membership in the EU. The sometimes uneasy balancing act between the
country’s twin orientations has been exacerbated by the war with Iraq
and now, by the increasingly belligerent actions of traditional ally
Israel.

According to Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, Monday’s
assassination will increase the risk of retributive terrorism:

`…we consider the attack which Israel has launched this morning very
dangerous… I am very concerned about this issue. Many innocent
civilians and children are also killed in such incidents. We also
condemn the suicide attacks. We continue to condemn such attacks.’

Gül’s lament was made especially bitter by the revelation that Turkey
had warned `on a number of occasions’ that Yassin would be targeted,
`adding that Ankara had always viewed such an action as a threat to
stability’:

`…because of this, we have said everybody should be more cautious and
should avoid actions that will aggravate incidents… but, I sadly see
that the attack which is launched today has become a very dangerous
event.’

It’s not often that Turkey criticizes Israel so harshly. They are in
some ways natural allies. They have common enemies, common buffer
states, formidable militaries and vast importance for the US. Not
coincidentally, neocons like Richard Perle played a large part in
bringing the leaders and foreign lobbies of the two countries
together in the 1980’s and 90’s. The victory was confirmed in 1996
when the two countries signed an agreement for `…reciprocal naval
visits, military academy exchanges and the use of each other’s air
space. Later that year a defense industry collaboration deal was
established which provided for the transfer of technologies and
technical collaboration.’

Turkey, which has already suffered coordinated terrorist attacks last
fall, is keen to avoid provocations that could cause repeats. The
relationship with Israel has had its rocky moments in the past, and
the Yassin assassination may presage another one.

Nevertheless, the two states have stepped up similar cooperation in
recent months. One complex deal looks especially likely to increase
Turkey’s strategic regional importance. The deal would see Turkey
send its outdated military hardware to its ethnic ally to the east,
replacing it with new Israeli equipment. This is sure to cause
concerns for another neighbor, Armenia, which has a feud of long
standing with Azerbaijan concerning the contested province of Nagorno
Karabakh.

A recent report claimed that in the deal `…Israel would supply
components and technology for the assembly of weapons platforms in
Turkey. Turkey would then deliver the weapons to Azerbaijan.’

If successful, the cooperation could be expanded to other Central
Asian and Caucasus countries. Azerbaijan already employs Israeli
contractors for airport and border security systems. Now Azerbaijan
is seeking military help from Israel and Turkey `…amid a
deterioration in Baku’s relations with Iran that stems from a dispute
over the energy-rich Caspian Sea.’

Sunday night, only hours before the fateful assassination of Yassin,
the Israeli Foreign Ministry warned its citizens not to travel to
Turkey for Passover, for the first time putting the country on its
terrorism danger list. At the same press conference where he
criticized Israel’s action against Hamas, Gül hit back over the
travel warning. When asked for his reaction, the Foreign Minister
said:

`…that is their business. Istanbul is one of the safest places in the
world. They should leave Israel. Terrorism is much more common in
Israel than in Istanbul.’

This response was quite appropriate. Despite the twin terrorist
attacks in Turkey’s European capital last fall, Istanbul is generally
speaking one of the safest cities in the world, especially after
dark. The Israeli government’s remarks were unhelpful, especially at
a time when the Jewish state should try to avoid isolating itself
further on the world stage. More immediately, Turkey has a truly
vital relevance for it- as a future supplier of water. On March 4,
Israel signed a `guns for water’ agreement to import water from
Turkey. Under the agreement,

`…Israel will import 50 million cubic meters of water per year from
Turkey for a 20-year period. The amount would constitute 3 percent of
Israel’s drinking-water consumption. Finding sources of water in the
parched Middle East has long been a source of concern, with some
experts predicting water disputes could prompt the next great Middle
East war.’

There had been fierce speculation that the deal would not be signed,
`…to avoid possible angry reactions from Muslim countries.’ Israeli
objectors have also recently demanded concentrating on desalinization
plants instead, which they argue is cheaper in the long-term.

As part of the deal, Turkey will buy Israeli tanks and aerial
technology. Now, bidders from 5 countries are making offers for the
actual importing, pledging `…to lower the cost of transportation by
15%, which will make the deal much more economically feasible.’

In one of the chief areas where the two countries are closely
associated, i.e., their allegiances to the US, a distancing is also
taking place. One year ago Turkey refused American orders to open the
country up as an attack route against Iraq- a rare display of
democratic defiance and a move that indicated Ankara’s ability to
respect limits and adhere to its principles. Now, with its prime
focus being EU membership, Turkey is more eager to make its own
foreign policy harmonize with that of the EU, which is also
distancing itself more and more from an increasingly isolated
America.

Turkey is also enjoying its increasingly important role in regional
foreign policy. Ankara played the recent Georgian showdown carefully,
refusing to be drawn into the fray on behalf of Adjara’s
separatist-minded leader, Aslan Abashidze. He recently told Interfax
that Turkey was duty-bound to protect his `autonomous republic’ from
the Georgian central authorities under the 1921 Treaty of Kars.
Georgia repudiated this as an absurd anachronistic reference, and
Turkey confirmed that the Ottoman-era agreements were best left to
the past:

`…asked if Turkey could send soldiers to Adzharia within the
framework of its right as the guarantor power stemming from the Kars
agreement, (Turkish EU Adjustment Commission Chairman Yasar) Yakis
said, `Turkey has never had such an intention. None of 70 million
Turks will think of sending soldiers to Adzharia.”

Instead, while meeting Saturday with Georgian Parliament Speaker Nino
Burjanadze, the envoys also said that Turkey attaches `…great
importance to Georgia’s territorial integrity.’ Referring to the two
nations’ historic friendship, Yakis added, `…there are always steps
we can take together with Georgian authorities to further improve our
friendship.’ This weekend Yakis and former Turkish State Minister
Refaeddin Sahin also held meetings in both Batumi and Tbilisi to
`…exchange views about measures to be taken between two sides to
prevent [the] reoccurrence of such a tension in the future.’

While the near violent showdown between Abashidze and Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili seems to have been averted, the latter
threatened to reintroduce sanctions Monday against Adjara, if
Abashidze doesn’t allow Georgian government representatives to run
the region’s customs operations. Adjara has a key geographic
position, on the cusp of the Black Sea and the border with Turkey.
Customs revenues, which Abashidze has refused to turn over to the
central government in the past, provide the majority of Adjara’s
revenue and go towards propping up Abashidze’s personal suzerainty
over the area. Unrest there, such as last week’s showdown, has a
direct effect on Turkish transportation, shipping and local economy.
Hence it remains in the country’s interests to facilitate a peaceful
resolution of Georgian disputes.

;file=article&sid=302

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
03/22/2004
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1) Aliyev, Oskanian Exchange Jabs on Karabagh
2) Command Staff Exercises in Armenia
3) EU’s Talvitie Visit to Armenia
4) Kocharian Removes Additional Senior Prosecutors
5) Mekhitarian School Celebrates 25th, Honors Father Augustine’s Contributions

1) Aliyev, Oskanian Exchange Jabs on Karabagh

YEREVAN (Armenpress/RFE/RL)–In a speech to a conference on European
integration held in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava late last week, Azeri
president Ilham Aliyev spoke extensively about the Mountainous Karabagh
conflict, and announced that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be
restored. “The Armenian party tries to justify its aggression and occupation,
and speaks about the right to self-determination,” Aliyev charged, saying that
Armenians have already gained independence, and have a country and state. He
called for a demilitarization of the region, comparing the presence of foreign
military troops in Armenia, and none in Azerbaijan. “When there is no foreign
military presence in the region, all conflicts will be regulated.”
Representing Armenia at the conference, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, in
an interview to RFE/RL, said it is absurd to draw such parallels. “It is
obvious that the presence of Armenian population in Karabagh is much older
than
the Azerbaijani Republic, and drawing parallels between the presence of
Armenians in other countries is ridiculous,” Oskanian said, pointing to
Aliyev’s statement as strengthening the Armenian position. “The people of
Mountainous Karabagh indeed have the right to self-determination because this
self-determination is different than others. This is the case when the people
want to gain independence on the territory which has no legal or historical
connection to Azerbaijan.”
Oskanian dismissed links between Aliyev’s call for the demilitarization of
Caucasus and the conflict in Mountainous Karabagh, adding that there is, in
fact, a Russian military presence at the Gabala radar station–a more
strategic
positioning than the physical presence of Russian forces in Armenia or
Georgia.
“Aliyev said this just to please some circles,” stated Oskanian.
Also attending the Bratislavia conference was Oskanian’s Azeri counterpart
Vilayat Guliyev, who alleged he challenged Oskanian to substantiate Armenian
claims that Kocharian and Aliyev’s late father and predecessor Heydar had
agreed on a framework peace deal during talks in Paris and on the Florida
island of Key West three years ago. “I reminded him of his statement and told
him to show me the papers,” Guliyev said, according to the ATV report
monitored
by the BBC. “He said that he will send them by fax on his return to Yerevan.”
“I asked whether the papers had been signed. He said he did not have signed
papers. I said–if there are no signed papers, then what kind of agreement
could we talk about?”
Reacting to the remarks on Monday, the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan said they
only prove the existence of the Key West agreements. “We are glad that Mr.
Guliyev has at last admitted that there is a written document certifying
agreements reached in Paris and Key West even though it has not been signed
yet,” ministry spokesman Hamlet Gasparian said. “Had it been signed, the
Karabagh conflict would have already been resolved.”
Armenia maintains that Aliyev senior scrapped the agreements shortly after
returning home from Key West. Baku denies this, saying that no specific deals
were cut. But according to the chief US negotiator on Karabagh, Rudolf Perina,
the parties were “incredibly close” to a peaceful settlement at the time.
Guliyev and Oskanian are scheduled to hold another meeting in Prague next
week. The talks will be mediated by Perina and the French and Russian
co-chairs
of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Oskanian has said he hopes they will finally clarify whether or not Baku will
ever revive the Key West deal.

2) Command Staff Exercises in Armenia

YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net)–Technical, rear, and medical units of Armenia’s
Armed Forces will conduct command staff exercises in Armenia, March 23-27.
The defense ministry reported the exercise will be held within the framework
of the program “Plan of Readiness for 2004,” and conducted under the
command of
Armenia’s colonel-general Mikael Harutyunian, who heads the general staff of
the Armed Forces.
During the initial stage of the exercises, reservists will be called to
service in order to integrate with the troops.

3) EU’s Talvitie Visit to Armenia

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–European Union’s special representative for the South
Caucasus Heikki Talvitie will arrive in Armenia on Tuesday to meet with
President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian, Foreign
Minister
Vartan Oskanian, speaker of Armenia’s parliament Arthur Baghdasarian, human
rights ombudsman Larisa Alaverdian, as well as other parliament members and
court officials.

4) Kocharian Removes Additional Senior Prosecutors

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–President Robert Kocharian continued a reshuffle of his
security cabinet on Monday, dismissing four district prosecutors in Yerevan.
The presidential decree followed last week’s unexpected removal of
Prosecutor-General Aram Tamazian and over a dozen high-level staff changes in
the Armenian police. Kocharian met with the leadership of the national Police
Service on Friday. Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, he said the role
and prestige of the Prosecutor’s Office having decreased under Tamazian, needs
to be restored in order to strengthen the rule of law.
“It must be restored with the help of people who have the skills to do that,”
he said, promising more replacements in the law-enforcement agency.

5) Mekhitarian School Celebrates 25th, Honors Father Augustine’s Contributions

LOS ANGELES–The Mkhitarian Armenian School celebrated the 25th anniversary of
its opening, as well as Father Augustine Sezekoula’s 60 years of literary and
cultural activities. Spiritual leaders, dignitaries, representatives of area
organizations and institutions, as well as school officials and benefactors
were all on hand to mark the two great milestones.
Co-emceeing the event were 1995 graduates Veronica Kouyoumjian and Vicken
Naljian, who smoothly conducted the program in Armenian and English.
Among the many honors extended to Father Augustine for his numerous
contributions were certificates of recognition from US Congressman Adam Schiff
and LA Supervisor Michael Antonovich, and an honorary professorship in
Armenian
Studies from Mashdots College.

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At Risk: Sanctions in Georgia reveal Armenia ‘s regional vulnerability
ArmeniaNow.com
March 19, 2004

By Julia Hakobyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
An agreement was reached late yesterday (March 18) that should ease
concerns that Armenia would suffer as a result of political unrest in the
autonomous republic of Ajaria on Georgia ‘s Black Sea coast.
The presidents during last weekends meeting in Yerevan..

Long-standing tensions between Georgia and Ajaria increased early in March,
when Ajaria leader Aslan Abashidze expressed concern that the central
authorities seek the “total control of Ajaria.”

Last Tuesday, President Mikhail Saakhasvili imposed sanctions on the
autonomous republic in retaliation after armed loyalists of Abashidze fired
upon a presidential motorcade as Saakhasvili attempted to visit Ajaria last
Sunday. The Georgian president had just completed a weekend meeting in
Yerevan with President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan.

Saakhasvili called the incident “a serious challenge for Georgia “.

Merchants and officials in Armenia feared that the sanctions would cripple
trade in Armenia , which – suffering from blocked borders with Azerbaijan
and Turkey – relies on sea trade through the Ajaria port city of Batumi .

But following a five-hour meeting with Abashidze yesterday, Saakhasvili
lifted sanctions, effective today.

As the sanctions were announced, Armenian officials scrambled to organize a
secondary route from the Ukraine , utilizing the Georgian port of Poti .

More than 90 percent of Armenia ‘s imported and exported goods go through
Georgian ports, with more than 1,000 freight cars of food and fuel per month
coming from Batumi . And, while some trade could still be accomplished via
Poti, that port does not have a petroleum terminal, leaving Armenia reliant
on the Batumi access.

As sanctions were imposed, Flesh Company, one of Armenia ‘s large oil
traders announced that it has petrol reserve for 20 days and did not rule
out the possibility of price increases if the situation remained.

The events in neighboring Georgia made Armenian officials talk of the
necessity of strengthening relations between countries.

“Armenia is for constructive dialogues and peaceful solutions not only
because of its trade interests, but first of all because of the stability in
the region,” says Stepan Margaryan, the Armenian Prime Minister’s advisor
for regional issues.

“Events like this only underline the necessity of elaborating and deepening
relations. We are independent states, but we are small states and economic
or political crisis in one country immediately affect the stability in
another country,” he says.

Bozoyan says the two nations share common economic concerns.
Margaryan says neither Armenia nor Georgia has a strong enough economy to
ignore each other’s interests.

Presently, trade between Georgia and Armenia amounts to about $20 million
per year, “which is very low for neighbors,” Margaryan says. The advisor
proposes that Armenia and Georgia consider developing a single economic and
trade zone which would be attractive to international investors and
partners.

During 12 years of independence, no mutual venture has been established
between Georgia and Armenia , even though the countries have friendly
relations.

“Today Georgia cuts rates for Armenian goods 24 percent for oil products and
17 percent for the rest,” Margaryan says. “But it makes a 50 percent
discount for Azerbaijan . Besides, Georgia maintains a $1,500-$2000 tariff
per freight car coming to Armenia , which also affects business.”

During Saakashvili’s weekend visit to Armenia , the leaders of both
countries vowed to promote regional cooperation and bilateral ties.
Saakashvili described Armenia as an ideal partner, saying that his country
has much to learn from Armenia .

Yervand Bozoyan, political analyst of the Media Center non governmental
organization describes Saakashvili as a strong leader and also shares the
opinion that Armenia ‘s economic success is directly connected with the
situation in its neighboring countries.

Bozoyan says that Saakashvili’s sanctions on Ajaria were also conditioned by
the upcoming parliamentary elections in Georgia and Saakashvili’s intention
not to allow Ajaria’s leader’s party to enter the parliament.

“Ajaria is a state within the state with the totalitarian leader Abashidze,
who represents the strong and old Ajarian clan which ruled Ajaria for
several centuries. In fact Abashidze wants to gain total autonomy from
Georgia , despite it participated in Georgia’s presidential elections,”
Bozoyan says.

A Georgia-Ajaria border check point..
The Autonomous Republic of Ajaria, with a population of about 300,000, was
created in 1921, populated by Muslims in the primarily Christian country.

Bozoyan says that on the one hand Saakashvili has to allow the autonomous
republic certain independence. But on the other hand Georgia risks raising
tensions with the rest of its minority-populated regions, including
Abkhazia, South Osetia , the Armenian populated Javakhk and Azeri populated
Marneuli.

The analyst says it is difficult to predict future developments in
Tbilisi-Batumi relations, but it is apparent that the image and rating of
the Georgian leader will be much conditioned by his ability to resolve the
conflict within his country.

And Bozoyan hopes the events in Georgia , which demonstrated the
vulnerability of Armenia ‘s landlocked economy, will push Armenian
authorities to promote developing a regional economical zone and elaborate
new projects.