Author: Nadirian Emma

Russia hopeful of “constructive” talks with Georgia

XINHUA online

2005-02-18 10:38:13

TBILISI, Feb. 17 (Xinhuanet) — Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said Thursday that he hoped to have “constructive” talks with Georgian
officials over their differences on a number of issues during his visit to
Georgia.

Speaking upon arrival at the airport in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital,
Lavrov said he had received proposals from his Georgian counterpart Salome
Zurabishvili and he believed the two sides “will have constructive dialogue”
over their disputes.

The Russian minister said he hoped the visit will be “fruitful.”

Lavrov’s trip, the first by a Russian foreign minister in more than a
year, is overshadowed by the two countries’ spats over Lavrov’s refusal to
lay a wreath at a memorial honoring Georgians killed in the wars in
breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Georgia on Wednesday relegated Lavrov’s trip from an official visit to a
working one. Some reports attributed it to failed bilateral talks last week
and speculated the trip could be canceled.

During a visit to Armenia on Thursday, Lavrov said Russia intends to
“develop close good-neighborly, friendly relations” with Georgia and hopes
the two sides will make progress in a numbers of areas, including the
schedule and procedure of the withdrawal of Russian military bases from
Georgia and the creation of a joint anti-terror center.

“We have definite proposals to make on the military issue and on
questions of a broader pact,” he said.

Moscow wishes to see a prosperous Georgia and will be striving to assist
it in the settlement of regional conflicts, Lavrov said.

But he defended his decision to decline to lay a wreath at a memorial
honoring thousands of Georgian soldiers killed in separatist wars in
Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“Naturally we mourn the Georgian lads who laid down their lives… but
we also mourn the victims suffered by the other side,” Lavrov said.

Negotiations between Russia and Georgia held last week in Tbilisi failed
to produce any concrete result over a security cooperation draft and a joint
anti-terror center.

Georgia blamed the failure on Russia’s insistence on a tie-up of the
anti-terror center issue to Russian troops’ pullout, while Moscow accused
Georgia of reneging on its position. But the two sides said talks will
continue.

Russia and Georgia have long been at odds over the Russian military
bases in Georgia and the two regions of Abkhazia and pro-Russian South
Ossetia. The disputes seriously hampered bilateral ties.

Zurabishvili said earlier that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
may travel to Moscow in May to attend a ceremony marking the 60th
anniversary of the victory of the anti-Fascist war.

He said the president will hopefully sign a framework agreement on
friendly cooperation between Georgia and Russia, turning a new page in
bilateral relations. Enditem

Three Azerbaijani soldiers detained by Armenian forces in Nagono-Karabakh

Associated Press Worldstream
February 18, 2005 Friday

YEREVAN, Armenia — Three Azerbaijani soldiers were detained in
Nagorno-Karabakh, where a tense cease-fire holds more than 10 years
after ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani forces went to war over the
disputed enclave, officials said Friday.

The soldiers were captured by ethnic Armenian forces Tuesday after
they crossed the line of control that separates the two sides in the
northeastern section of the enclave, Nagorno-Karabakh law enforcement
officials said.

The soldiers were being interrogated, the officials said.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry confirmed the capture.

The two sides regularly exchange gunfire across the line of control,
and troops from one side or another are occasionally caught crossing
into enemy territory. Officials with the International Red Cross
typically negotiate prisoner exchanges.

Ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia drove Azerbaijani troops out
of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s during a six-year war that killed
some 30,000 people and sent 1 million fleeing from their homes.

A cease-fire was reached in 1994, but the final status of the enclave,
whose self-proclaimed sovereignty is not recognized internationally,
has not been determined. The unresolved dispute damages both nations’
economies and the threat of renewed war continues to hang over
the region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been involved in an international effort
to reach a settlement, sponsored by the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe.

Daily Bruin
Friday, February 18, 2005

U.S. seeks to bring stability to Armenia
Ambassador speaks to UCLA community about American presence in nation

By Zahra Bazmjow
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]

Over 100 students and faculty members gathered in Ackerman Thursday
to welcome U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John M. Evans to UCLA.

People sat in chairs, stood and even sat on the ground during the
hour and a half discussion to hear Evans’ report from Armenia and
take part in the afternoon’s open forum.

During the event, Evans outlined the U.S.’s mission in Armenia
and highlighted its three projected goals there: to bring greater
stability and security to the Southern Caucasus, to build up the
economies of the region in a broad-based and sustainable way, and to
foster democratic institutions.

“We’ve had some victories and some setbacks,” Evans said.

Christina Ohanian, historian for the UCLA Armenian Students
Association, said that the interaction between the ambassador and
the local Armenian community was important.

“It’s important for the government to make such contact … so that
we can see what is going on first hand,” she said.

Evans was invited to UCLA by Modern Armenian History Professor
Richard Hovannisian. Robin Phillips, the U.S. Agency for International
Development director was also present.

Evans was sworn in as the ambassador to Armenia on Aug. 11, 2004 and
is visiting major Armenian communities for exchanges and forums.

The Armenian population in Southern California has grown to more than
500,000 since 1915, and is now the largest Armenian community outside
the country itself.

Armenia is a post-Soviet republic in the Caucasus. The country is
landlocked and on only a small portion of historic Armenia, most
of which is now in eastern Turkey. It was from this region that the
Armenian population was massacred during the genocide of 1915.

The Caucasus region is located between the Black Sea to the west and
the Caspian Sea to the east.

Armenia, a country slightly smaller than the state of Maryland,
sustained years of conflict and turmoil that culminated on April
24, 1915, in a genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks against
the Armenians.

One and a half million Armenians – 60 percent of that population –
are believed by many to have been killed between the years of 1915
and 1923.

The Turkish government denies the genocide ever occurred and the
United States refuses to term the events as genocide.

Over the centuries, Armenia, despite periods of autonomy, came
under the control of various empires. In 1991, Armenia gained its
independence from the Soviet Union.

Since then, the United States has played a major role in the
development of the country.

The per capita level of assistance offered by the United States to
Armenia is higher than any other former Soviet state, Evans said.

“From my perspective Armenia is headed in the right direction
and progress has been remarkable. We need to be patient but also
persistent,” he said.

“I think we’re making a difference,” Evans added.

Evans also said the United States supports free and fair elections
in Armenia.

“I want to put to rest the idea that the U.S. is causing turmoil in
the area. We are unabashedly in support of free leadership,” he said.

Many students agreed that the open forum and the opportunity to ask
questions during the event were highlights of the experience.

“I was excited to see the ambassador and happy that he came even
though I don’t agree with everything he said,” said Ani Nahapetian,
a member of the Armenian Graduate Student Association of UCLA.

Many students say they believe the United States would be even more
effective if it could recognize the genocide of 1915.

“The situation in Armenia is improving but there are glaring problems,
the main one being the continued denial of the Armenian genocide by
the U.S. government,” said Samvel Setyan, treasurer of the ASA.

“I feel that the United States, which stands for all of these ideals,
is hypocritical by not recognizing that the genocide occurred,” said
Gohar Gazazyan, a mass communications and history student and member
of ASA.

But overall, students seemed optimistic about the future of Armenia.

“I got a positive vibe from the forum, but the problem is that there
is still a lot left to be done,” Gazazyan said.

RUSSIA WANTS TO SETTLE CONFLICTS ON POST-SOVIET TERRITORY

RIA Novosti, Russia
Feb 17 2005

YEREVAN, February 17, (RIA Novosti) – The settlement of all conflicts
on post-Soviet territory meets our national interests, Russia’s
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said while negotiating with Armenian
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan.

The Russian Foreign Minister suggested that he and Mr. Oskanyan
discuss issues of bilateral relations, as well as the implementation of
presidential proposals. We maintain partner-like and allied economic
relations and those in the field of security, Mr. Lavrov went on
to say.

This is a historic visit, Mr. Oskanyan noted, reminding that this
was Mr. Lavrov’s first visit to Yerevan as Russia’s Foreign Minister.

You had first visited Yerevan in 1993 as Deputy Russian Foreign
Minister, Mr. Oskanyan noted. Many things have changed since then,
with Russia playing its role in the course of such changes, Mr.
Oskanyan added. We have managed to build top-level relations over
this period. Right now, our relations amount to strategic partnership,
Mr. Oskanyan went on to say.

Armenia and Russia lack any political differences, Mr. Oskanyan
stressed. We share common regional and global interests, he said
in conclusion.

Tears and fears at Hariri’s tomb in Beirut

Agence France Presse — English
February 17, 2005

BEIRUT Feb 17 — Black-clad mourners from across Lebanon flocked
Thursday to the grave of slain former premier Rafiq Hariri with tears
and fears for the future after the death of the architect of their
country’s post-war revival.

Men stood with open palms whispering the Fatiha, the first verse of
the Koran Muslim holy book, as Christians crossed themselves before
Hariri’s tomb, at the foot of the monumental Mohammad Amin mosque in
downtown Beirut.

The site has already become a pilgrimage site, with a constant flow
of men, women and children, following Hariri’s killing along with 14
other people in a massive bomb blast in the capital on Monday.

Verses from the Koran echoed from the area of the mosque, nestled
between Maronite, Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches whose
church bells rang throughout Wednesday’s funeral.

The tomb stands on the edge of what was to have turned into an open-air
archaeological museum known as the “Gardens of Forgiveness,” at the
heart of downtown Beirut, an area revived from the ashes of civil
war by Hariri.

Mourners on Wednesday night continued to light candles and lay flowers
at the tombs of Hariri and seven of his personal bodyguards also
killed before heading to the nearby site of the bombing.

“Join the peaceful candlelight vigil every night to express our
rejection of violence … Ukrainians did it, so can we,” say mobile
telephone text messages being flashed across the city.

“We cannot remain silent anymore to the series of assassinations
since the beginning of the war that have never been uncovered,” said
a member of a group of activists behind the initiative, film director
Tima Khalil.

On Thursday, women wearing black wiped their swollen eyes as teenage
girls sobbed aloud and men fought back tears in an ever-growing circle
around a heap of wreathes over Hariri’s tomb.

“We are all crying the loss of our dream for a new Lebanon with a
bright future. He was the guarantee for moderation in Lebanon at such
critical times,” said Elizabeth Nasrallah, a Christian.

“Hariri was more than a mere politician, he was the statesman who
rebuilt modern Lebanon, the man who gave us hope after (the 1975-1990)
civil war. Now, we lost this hope,” she said, tears running down
her cheeks.

Her husband, Samir, offered some consollation.

“The only good thing in this whole affair is this sight: Christians
and Muslims, poor and rich people, all sorts of people from around
Lebanon are coming to his tomb,” he said.

“On Wednesday, the authorities and their Syrian masters were banned
from the funeral. Today, we are showing them that Lebanese people
from all confessions can peacefully live, work and pray together,”
chimed in Mohammad Haidar.

Jacques Mandalian, an Armenian-born art dealer, said: “Hariri was a
school for us, a school of optimism. Everytime there were problems,
he was always optimistic and continued to work for a better Lebanon.”

“Hariri was a guarantee for our future, for Lebanon’s economic and
monetary stability. He had relations with world leaders, he had the
means to put Lebanon on the world map,” said businessman Khalil Alameh.

Church sale moving forward
By ALBERT McKEON, Telegraph Staff
[email protected]

Nashua Telegraph, NH
Feb 17 2005

NASHUA – A Superior Court judge has rejected another attempt to block
the sale of St. Francis Xavier Church.

Meanwhile, a local real estate developer who intends to buy the
property and donate it to his Armenian Orthodox faith is about to meet
with his spiritual leader in Jerusalem with the hopes of finalizing
the deal, his attorney said.

Objectors to the proposed sale of the century-old Catholic church
had a lawsuit dismissed last month, but immediately filed an appeal.
Hillsborough County Superior Court Judge William Groff on Monday
threw out the appeal, ruling that the protesters offered no legal
backing in their latest request.

Bishop John McCormack, leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Manchester, has the authority to sell the church, Groff wrote in his
order. McCormack, who oversees the church property through a statutory
trust, is following the law in selling the church to another religious
denomination, Groff wrote.

The diocese has entered into a $1 million purchase-and-sale agreement
with developer Vatche Manoukian, who has said he wants to donate the
property to the Armenian Orthodox Church.

Manoukian is in Israel and expects to meet Archbishop Torkom Manoogian,
the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, next week, said
attorney Andrew Prolman. Manoukian hopes the archbishop will soon
approve the transaction, Prolman said.

“We finally have the right people’s attention, which hadn’t happened
until recently,” Prolman said. “It’s very encouraging that they are
more active in their decision-making.”

Groff’s decision is another setback to those fighting the sale. A
group comprised mostly of former parishioners and a few architectural
preservationists objected first to the church’s closure in 2003,
and most recently to the transaction between the two faiths. When St.
Francis Xavier closed, it technically merged with St. Louis de Gonzague
Church, and many parishioners moved there.

Under the provisions of a statutory trust, McCormack must act in
the interest of those parishioners and forward the proceeds from a
sale to their new parish. Groff, in his dismissal order last month,
said he could not speculate whether McCormack would use the proceeds
for any other purpose, and said the diocese is to date following the
conditions of the trust.

In their appeal, Groff said the parishioners claimed state law
prohibits McCormack from selling the church, and the property must
be perpetually maintained in a trust for them. But “the parishioners
cite no law in support of this proposition,” Groff wrote.

The judge pointed to an earlier probate court ruling approving the
sale, and added that even without that decision, his court has found
the bishop has the right to make the deal.

Ovide Lamontagne, an attorney for the diocese, wrote in an e-mail,
“Absent an appeal, this should conclude the litigation.”

The attorney for the protesters, Randall Wilbert, could not be
immediately reached for comment.

REPUBLIC DOMAIN
by julian dibbell

Village Voice (New York, NY)
February 15, 2005, Tuesday

In olden times, when music was “sold” on shiny discs called “CDs”
and people took photographs with cameras instead of telephones,
there was this thing called an ency-clopedia, which cost as much
as a round-trip to Hong Kong, took up more shelf space than a home
entertainment center, and contained basic information on every topic
worth knowing about. Four years ago, a couple of dotcom dreamers
were inspired to reinvent the encyclopedia in the freewheeling,
massively collaborative image of the Internet itself. The result was
wikipedia.org, today the biggest encyclopedia ever compiled, with over
1 million copyright-free online articles and growing–every word of
it composed and edited by, literally, anybody who feels like it.

No, really. Go to any Wikipedia entry you choose–“Jack Fingleton”
(cricket batsman, pictured below), “Drunk Driving,” “Pataphysics”–and
click on the Edit This Page tab. Bingo: Whatever you write immediately
becomes the last word on the subject. And if this sounds like a
recipe for mob rule, that’s because it is. But mob rule turns out to
be a surprisingly good way to write an encyclopedia. Typos abound,
and especially in articles on controversial topics like the Armenian
genocide or George W. Bush, the constant wars between opposing camps
of revisers can reduce texts to a state of almost Heisenbergian
indeterminacy. But outright factual errors generally get corrected
fast (within minutes, on average), and in the range and depth of
its articles, Wikipedia handily holds its own against encyclopedias
produced the old-fashioned way. Funny: It’s almost as if the great
intellectual unwashed could be trusted to manage its own culture.

OMBUDSMAN TO WORK IN NAGORNO KARABAKH

Azg/arm
11 Feb 05

The parliament of NKR held the first sitting of this year. Deputies
adopted amendments to a number of laws, as well as adopted some
new ones. In particular, the law “On Ombudsman” was adopted in the
second reading.

The decree of NKR president “On Prolonging Military Situation” caused
some disputes among the lawmakers. Artur Mosiyan, head of Defense,
Security, and Law Enforcement Committee at NKR Parliament, member
of ARF Dashnaktsiutiun faction, spoke against this decree, saying
that the military regime is an artificial one, in fact. Taking into
account the military-political situation in the region, the majority
of the parliament voted for preserving the military regime in NKR

The Parliament also adopted the Regulation of NKR TV and Radio Company.

Mavrik Ghukasian, NKR Public Prosecutor, represented the work of
the Prosecutorâ~@~Ys Office in the course of 2004. According to
him, a huge work was done in this sphere to protect human rights,
the rights and the interest of NKR citizens, as well as the rights
of the republic. They also revealed the reasons for many violations
of law and secured all the conditions for legal work.

By Kim Gabrielian in Stepanakert

–Boundary_(ID_55syokxst3Pfy0uPi7lNLw)–

Armenian Delegation Visits A.T.O.

Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Feb 9 2005

Anadolu Agency: 2/9/2005

ANKARA – Youth Party of Armenia leader Sargis Asatryan, and Arsen
Ghazaryan, President of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen
of Armenia, met Ankara Trade Chamber (ATO) Chairman Sinan Aygun
on Wednesday.

When Aygun asked Asatryan whether he accepted so-called Armenians
genocide in 1915, Asatryan said that, “Turkey did not have any
connection with Ottomans. Many things were experienced and passed.
1,5 million people were killed, they say. Years have passed. These
are incidents which happened in sultanate and war period. Now, Turkey
is a democratic country and we have forgotten these incidents.”

Asatryan said, “we do not want anybody to intervene in development
of Turkey-Armenia relations. Third countries like the United States,
France, Azerbaijan, Uruguay and China should not intervene in relations
between Turkey and Armenia.”

Meanwhile, Aygun said, “Turkey’s accession to the EU will be beneficial
for Armenia.”

“We are uneasy about the statements of Armenian President Robert
Kocharian regarding Turkey-EU process. This does not bring any
benefit to Armenia. Turkey’s accession to the EU will be beneficial
for Armenia. Problems between Armenia and a Turkey which joined the
EU will be solved easier. Armenia should support Turkey in its EU
process,” said Aygun.

Noting that Armenian diaspora does not serve interests of Armenia,
Aygun said the genocide claims have become a tool for political gains
in France and United States. Aygun said, “Turkey does not have any
problems with Armenian people. Armenia has to stop Armenian diaspora.”

Recalling that Karabakh is still under occupation of Armenia, Aygun
wanted this occupation to end.

Aygun also said that Turkey does not accept Armenian genocide
allegations. “If we stuck into past incidents, we cannot reach
anywhere,’ he added.

Aygun said, “a migration movement happened in 1915. Greek soldiers
killed many Turks in 1919. This was a war and it ended. There are
also Turkish citizens who were killed by Armenians during the war. It
is an unjust attitude to claim Turks committed Armenian genocide.
Turning incidents of the past into a blood feud will bring no benefit,
but only disturb people. We shall make trade. Turkey opened its air
space to Armenia. We did not blockade Armenians.”

Asatryan said, “Turkey and Armenia should join the EU together.”

“There are Turkish citizens who make trade with Armenia. We want
political relations to recover,” he added.

Asatryan said, “we want to establish sincere relations with Turkey.
We will become strong together with Turkey.”

Asatryan invited Aygun to Armenia, and Aygun said that he can visit
Armenia in April or May.

OSCE FACT-FINDING TEAM ENDS INSPECTING ARMENIAN-CONTROLLED REGIONS OF AZERBAIJAN

ArmenPress
Feb 7 2005

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS: Officials from the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have ended today
a first-ever international inspection of Armenian-controlled
Azerbaijani territories around Nagorno-Karabagh to investigate
Azerbaijan’s allegations that they are being illegally populated with
Armenians. The last region they visited was Lachin. They went back
to Karabagh capital Stepanakert and were expected to leave today.

The fact-finding team was led by a senior German Foreign Ministry
official, Emily Habber, and accompanied by the French, Russian and
U.S. co-chairs of the OSCE’s Minsk Group. The US co-chairmen, Steven
Mann, had to fly to Washington on the third day of the mission.

Mission members spoke with Armenian refugees in Lachin but refused
to talk to journalists. They are expected to sum up what they have
seen and present a report in spring.