Author: Nanijanian Alex

Protesters sentenced to prison
By Jahan Aliyeva (Sun Staff Writer)

Baku Sun, Azerbaijan
Sept 3 2004

BAKU — Nasimi district court handed down prison sentences to six
members of the Organization for Liberation of Karabakh (QAT) on Monday.

Judge Famil Nasibov handed out various prison sentences ranging from
three years to five years to QAT chairman Akif Nagi, deputy chairman
Firudin Mamedov, and Ilkin Gurbanov, Mursal Hasanov, Rovshan Fatiyev
and Manaf Kerimov. QAT activists and relatives of the defendants who
protested this decision in the court were forced out and dispersed
by police.

The six men were sentenced to imprisonment for their participation
in a protest against the presence of two Armenian military officers
at a NATO-sponsored conference called Best-Efforts-2004 held in Baku,
June 21.

According to the indictment, the imprisoned QAT members are charged
with attempting to enter Grand Hotel Europe, where a NATO conference
was being held, by using force against police and guards, interfering
with traffic and attempting to prevent the NATO event. The court
sentence noted that as a result of the QAT protest, Grand Hotel Europe
suffered 1 million 700 thousand AZM ($347) in damages.

Parties from across the political spectrum have condemned the
verdict as “unjust”, including political organizations, public
activists, members of the Parliament, pro-governmental and opposition
organizations.

On September 1, the first day of the autumn parliament session,
several pro-governmental deputies and MP’s criticized the sentencing
of the convicted QAT activists.

MP, Jahangir Huseynov, said that “it was necessary to arrest not OKL
activists, but employees of the prosecutor’s office and the court”,
while Zeynab Khanlarova, also a pro-governmental MP, said that “these
persons (from the court) have Armenian blood in their veins”.

Some MP’s stressed that they are ready to reimburse the amount of
damages that was suffered by Grand Hotel Europe during the protest.

Murtuz Aleskerov, speaker of the parliament also supported the QAT
protest against the arrival of Armenians to Baku.

“However, this is the NATO requirement. If we consider NATO assistance
to settle the Karabakh conflict, then we are the subject to this,”
he added.

However, Zahid Oruj, MP from the pro-governmental Ana Vatan (HomeLand)
Party thinks that there has been a certain misunderstanding between
the government, NATO and the people of Azerbaijan that led to the
sentencing.

“There is a simple thing in the heart of the matter. Azerbaijan
has been a member of the Partnership for Peace Program within NATO,
since 1994, and actively is taking part in all of the events in the
framework of this program. In general, NATO applies to the nations that
want to take part. It contradicts NATO’s principles to force nations
to take part in such events. Armenia, which has no interest in NATO,
had special interests for taking part at NATO’s seminar that was held
in Azerbaijan,” Oruj told Baku Sun.

Oruj explained that Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkissian
repeatedly stated that Armenia not only doesn’t want to become a
member of NATO, but that it also contradicts Armenia’s strategy in
its foreign policy. Defense cooperation with Russia is more of a
priority for Armenia than becoming a member of NATO.

“The point is that Armenia was worried about the developing relations
between NATO and Azerbaijan, thus they planned to make troubles with
these relations. They tried to tarnish the Azerbaijani people’s image
in front of NATO and the member countries. It was the information war
and Armenia managed to cause problems. Two Armenian officers came
and left, but the entire nation is at odds, the relations between
the government and people are weakened.”

Shamil Mehdi, deputy chairman of QAT, who thinks that the court’s
verdict is a “political order” said in an interview with Baku Sun
that “this verdict is not against QAT members, but against the entire
Azerbaijani nation.”

Mehdi believes that the imprisoned QAT members are playing the role
of catalysts in Azerbaijan’s society.

“The Azerbaijani community has been in something like a deep depression
for a long time, in terms of the Karabakh issue, but these six people
proved enough that Azerbaijanis will never concur to the occupation
of their lands. No one can force the nation to accept this.”

“Actually, there should have been nation-wide protests against this
unjust verdict, but it didn’t happen because, people are afraid to
be intimidated. The real situation is that people know that if they
protest even once, all of their family members will suffer.

We have information that high-ranking officials from government
organizations oppose this verdict too. But we all know the reasons
why they keep silent,” Mehdi said.

He added that the government does citizens to hold any protests that
openly show their disagreement.

“So, what should we do? Then let us greet the Armenians with flowers
and make sacrifices at their feet next time they arrive at the
airport,” he said ironically, referring to the planned arrival of
Armenian officers in Baku later this month to take part in NATO’s
military training later this month.

Foreign Minister on Prague meeting results

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 2 2004

Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov expressed his satisfaction with
the outcome of the meeting with his Armenian counterpart Vardan
Oskanian in Prague on Monday. The results of the meeting have not
been disclosed. Mammadyarov told local ATV channel that
the meeting was a step forward in settling the Upper Garabagh
conflict and that a specific decision on continuing the talks will
be made after the meeting results are reported to the two countries’
presidents. Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents are scheduled to
meet within the summit of the CIS heads of state due in Astana,
Kazakhstan on September 15. Oskanian earlier told journalists that
he did not expect the Prague meeting to yield positive results and
that its only outcome was determining the direction of future talks.

Ankara to mediate talks

A meeting of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Armenian foreign ministers will
be held in Ankara in September, the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan
Ahmet Unal Cevikoz has told journalists. He said that the date and
agenda of the meeting have not been determined yet. The ministers
will exchange views on issues related to eliminating tensions in the
region, the ambassador added.

Azeri, Armenian foreign ministers hold “sterile” meeting – paper

Ekspress, Baku
31 Aug 04

The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Elmar Mammadyarov
and Vardan Oskanyan respectively, held another meeting in Prague
yesterday [30 August], as they discussed ways of settlement of
the Karabakh conflict with the participation of the OSCE Minsk
Group co-chairmen. Besides the ministers, the special envoys of the
Azerbaijani and Armenians presidents on the Karabakh conflict, Araz
Azimov and Tatul Margaryan respectively, also joined the talks. This
is Mammadyarov’s fourth meeting with his Armenian counterpart.

Two-hour meeting

The talks started at 1630 Baku time [1130 gmt] ended at 1830 [Baku
time, 1330 gmt]. The two-hour discussions held in a large group was
followed by a face-to-face dialogue of the ministers. In their press
statements following the talks, the ministers said that they had made
“some successful and objective decisions” on continuing the dialogue
“on the level of the existing realities”. But the parties did not
specify the nature of “the decisions” made “on the basis of the
principle of being constructive”.

“This is another series of the Prague process, which has assumed a
long-term nature. Specific issues were raised and views were exchanged
during the talks,” Oskanyan said.

He said the parties discussed “friendly” ways of settlement that are
based on mutual obligations. “We can continue the Prague process,”
he said.

Prague unlucky for Armenians

The main emphasis was laid on the next dialogue of the [two countries’]
presidents. “We want the heads of state to conduct a ‘dynamic dialogue’
along with the ministers,” Oskanyan said. He noted that he had received
the “directions and blessings” of the Armenian president before
visiting Prague, but it did not yield any fruits. “We hold discussions,
talks, but cannot eventually come to a specific decision. Prague
seems to be unlucky for us,” the Armenian minister complained.

Mammadyarov, for his part, said that the meeting had the nature of
mutual discussions. “We are pleased with the dialogue on this level.”,
he said. The main outcome of the meeting is that the parties have
agreed to continue the talks “in a positive spirit”. “We did not
discuss any specific proposals, we just expressed our opinion,”
the minister said.

What worries Azerbaijan is that during the talks the foreign ministries
of both countries take “their proposals” as a basis and aspire to
have the problem solved on their principles. Mammadyarov refused to
answer questions on the proposals by the Armenian side.

Issues pertaining to the recently escalating tension on the front-line,
as well as the Armenian military exercises in the occupied Karabakh
and the so-called municipal elections [there] were also discussed, as
Azerbaijan raised its objections to Yerevan on these three issues. “We
decided to treat these issues seriously and take into account their
impact on the negotiation process. I hope these cases will be put an
end to,” Mammadyarov said.

Status issue again

Oskanyan told an interview with the A-INFO news agency yesterday
evening that the foreign ministers got closer to the resolution of
the problem again in Prague, but the opinions differed on the status
of Nagornyy Karabakh. “The Azerbaijani side is again disrupting the
order of the discussions. Therefore, we again had to hold discussions
on identifying the format, getting acquainted with the positions of
the parties and finding a common position. That is it.”

The Armenian minister thinks that the latest Prague talks cannot be
regarded as “productive” judging by the results achieved. Nevertheless,
he noted that “there is a necessary potential” to continue the
dialogue.

Speaking of possible options for the settlement of the conflict,
Oskanyan said that it was important to reach agreement on the
status of Karabakh, while other issues should be resolved within its
framework. “I am ready to work with Mammadyarov on these conditions.”

Co- chairmen

There was no proposal from the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairmen. “We
did not see any such proposal. The co-chairmen just came and went
away again,” Oskanyan said.

He believes it is impossible to await “any potential” news from the
peace talks unless the co-chairmen present some “surprises” to the
parties to the conflict. Because the current discussions have the
aim of “coming to a dialogue”.

“Under these circumstances, I do not think that the co-chairmen could
draft something on paper on the basis of the bilateral talks of the
foreign ministers and the heads of state. There is no consensus of
this kind yet”, Oskanyan said.

The Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov,
told Ekspress yesterday that the mediators gave a number of new
proposals and ideas during the meeting of the foreign ministers. “We
presented them with new proposals. Since these were open discussions,
the proposals were also disclosed and it was quite a business-like
meeting,” he said. [Passage omitted: Merzlyakov happy with the talks
and the schedule of next meetings.]

Conclusion

Thus, judging by the joint statement made by the Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers yesterday, the Prague process “allowed
them to exchange views on possible steps forward”.

In the statement, Armenia and Azerbaijan reiterated that “they are
interested in settling the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and agree to
continuing this useful dialogue”. Both ministers said it was necessary
to continue the future talks “in the current course”.

It is hard to judge by these statements whether the Prague meeting
was fruitful. One may generally conclude from the above mentioned
diplomatic expressions that this meeting was sterile. In any case,
both parties stick to their own positions and neither talks of making
concessions so far. But on the other hand, the ministers meet behind
the closed doors and we do not know what they bargain over… [ellipses
as published]

60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THEATRE AFTER HAKOB PARONIAN MARKED

YEREVAN, August 20 (Noyan Tapan). The Yerevan Theatre of Comedy after
Hakob Paronian is 60 years old. In connection with this on August 19 a
jubilee event was organized within the framework of the “One Nation,
One Culture” first Pan-Armenian cultural festival. Actors from other
theatres, as well as art workers from abroad took part in the
event. Aram Ter-Hovhannisian, Armenak Ter-Abrahamian, Shara Talian,
Edvard Hambartsumian, Karp Khachvankian, Meline Hamamjian, Mayis
Gharagyozian, Tatik Sarian, Artemy Ayvazian and other great cultural
workers stood at the sources of the theatre. The famous actors with
their brilliant acting occupied their place in the history of Armenian
theatre. Yervand Ghazanchian, the Chairman of the Theatre Workers’
Union of Armenia, the Artistic Director of the theatre, told Noyan
Tapan that the theatre established in the years of the Second World
War 60 years running has made its spectators laugh. The theatre
continued this mission even in the hard years of blockade of the
newly-independent Armenia. “In the years of hunger and darkness we
tried to play without losing hope. Though it was impossible, difficult
to work in those years we played and thank God we were able to
overcome that desperate situation,” he mentioned. Meanwhile Yervand
Ghazanchian mentioned that the theatre also had losses in the previous
4-5 years, the great figures of the theatre died and only Svetlana
Grigorian has remained among them. At present actors of middle and
younger generation work at the theatre, Seda Marian Kalantarian, Zaven
Abrahamian, Boris Pepanian, Mariam Ghazarian, Varuzhan Gasparian,
Varuzhan Man ukian. The head of the theatre said that the new
theatrical season will open on September 9 with the premiere of the
“National Worker” play by Alexander Shirvanzade. And by the end of the
year the theatre repertoire consisting of 16 performances will be
completed with the “In the Reformatory” Aghasi Ayvazian’s play, which
is the staging of the “From Yerevan Reformatory” Yeghishe Charents’
work.

FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA MEETS WITH TEACHERS FROM DIASPORA

YEREVAN, AUGUST 19. ARMINFO. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
Vardan Oskanian today met with teachers from the Diaspora and chiefs
of the science-educational center “Spyurk”. We shall remind that the
teachers are in Yerevan to participate at the annual 5th training
courses.

ARMINFO was informed in the press office of the Foreign Ministry of
Armenia, during his greeting speech Vardan oskanian has highly
assessed the role of the Armenian school and Armenian teacher, an a
new situation has appeared since the proclamation of independence of
Armenia, and the idea “nation-state” has added to the idea
“national-people”. The minister thinks that one of the top priority
tasks in the mutual relations Armenia-Diaspora is the development of
the idea of the state system among the representatives of the
youth. During the meeting the participants have discussed issues of
cultural and educational relations between Armenia and the Diaspora,
the situation of the schools in the Diaspora, educational
programs. The teachers from the Diaspora showed interest in the issues
of dual citizenship, settlement of the Karabakh conflict, recognition
of the Genocide of Armenians, Armenian-Turkish relations and the
foreign policy of Armenia.

IWF suspends five more weightlifters for failing pre-Olympics drug tests

By ALAN ROBINSON
.c The Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) – Five weightlifters were suspended Thursday for
flunking drug tests they took before the Olympics, including two who
were pulled out just before walking to the lifting stand.

The International Weightlifting Federation said the suspended lifters
were Wafa Ammouri of Morocco, Zoltan Kecskes of Hungary, Viktor
Chislean of Moldova, Pratima Kumari Na of India and Sule Sahbaz of
Turkey – raising to 20 the number of world-class weightlifters
suspended this year.

Normally, suspensions are for two years unless the athlete is a repeat
offender. Earlier this year, 2000 Olympic champion Galabin Boevski was
banned for eight years following a second failed drug test.

Sahbaz is the most accomplished of the latest group, winning a
European championship in 2002 and finishing third in the world
championships at 77kg in 2003. He was second in the European
championships in April. Kecskes had an eighth-place finish at the 1996
Atlanta Olympics.

Ammouri and Kecskes were to have lifted Wednesday, but were suspended
just before their competitions. Kecskes was on the start list
distributed to the media less than an hour before he was to have
lifted, but he didn’t compete.

The news was welcomed by International Olympic Committee president
Jacques Rogge.

“The IOC praises the work and determination of the weightlifting
federation in its fight against doping by testing its athletes on a
systematic basis according to its rules,” he said in a statement.

The cases are the latest setback for a sport plagued by cheating
athletes in the last two Olympics, one that is threatening to
overshadow some exceptional performances on the lifting
stand. However, unlike the Sydney Games, the latest suspensions do not
involve weightlifters who have already competed or won medals.

So far, only one lifter who competed has been suspended: on Monday,
Myanmar’s Nan Aye Khine was stripped of her fourth-place finish
Saturday at 48kg after failing her test.

Embarrassed by four failed tests at the 2000 Games – three that cost
Bulgarians medals – the IWF tried to crack down on cheating earlier
this year by banning three Bulgarians well before the games began. Two
of Boevski’s Bulgarian teammates, former world champions Zlatan Vanev
and Georgi Markov, drew 18-month suspensions that barred them from
competing in Athens.

The three tampered with their doping tests nine months ago at the 2003
world championships in Vancouver by submitting urine samples that came
from the same person, the IWF said.

Eleven other weightlifters from 10 nations failed drug tests in
Vancouver, according to the IWF – including Shang Shichun, who set
three world records while winning the women’s 75kg for China. Banned
substances were found in the tests of nine men and two women.

Other 2003 medalists suspended and stripped of their medals were 69kg
silver medalist Vladislav Lukanin, Russia; 77kg silver medalist Gevorg
Davtyan, Armenia; 105 kg-plus silver medalist Artem Udachyn, Ukraine;
and 62kg bronze medalist Henadzi Aliashchuk, Belarus.

Sahbaz moved up to a bronze medal in Vancouver because Davtyan failed
his drug test.

Others who failed in Vancouver were Sanjar Kadyrbergenov,
Turkmenistan; Vladimir Popov, Moldova; Khalid A. Himdan, Iraq;
Mohammad Swara, Iraq; Dmitriy Lomakin, Kazakhstan; and Hungary’s Ilona
Danko. Danko, who finished fourth, said she took an unspecified
diuretic to speed weight loss.

In Sydney, Bulgaria’s Izabela Dragneva’s gold in the first women’s
event at the Olympics was given instead to the United States’ Tara
Nott. Nott, now known as Tara Cunningham, and Dragneva returned to
Athens but neither won medals Saturday, the first day of
competition. Dragneva was suspended for two years before being
reinstated.

Two Romanians also tested positive just before the Sydney Games, and
the day the Bulgarian drug scandal broke, two Qatar lifters who
trained in Bulgaria were scratched from the event without explanation.

Bulgaria’s entire team was temporarily banned, but was reinstated by
the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Afterward, Alan Tsagaev went on to
win a silver medal. Romania’s team was also banned by the IWF
following three failed drug tests within a year, but was allowed to
stay in the 2000 Games by paying a $50,000 fine.

Thursday’s drug suspensions came a day after Croatia’s Nikolai
Peshalov won a record-tying fourth Olympic weightlifting medal, a
bronze; Zhang Guozheng lifted China’s third weightlifting gold medal
in as many events, and Ukraine’s Natalia Skakun overcame a big deficit
to take the gold and force Belarus’ record-setting Hanna Batsiushka to
settle for silver.

Next up Thursday, China looks for more golds from double gold medalist
Zhan Xugang in a very competitive men’s 77kg weight class and
19-year-old world champion Liu Chonhong in women’s 63kg.

08/19/04 06:15 EDT

La Opinion
August 13, 2004 Friday

Tragico accidente en autopista 210;
Tres personas fallecen y cinco resultan heridas; nino pierde un pie
al caer sobre las vias

Agustin Duran; Reportero de La Opinion

Tres personas murieron y cinco sufrieron lesiones ayer cuando una
camioneta todoterreno volco sobre la autopista 210 en Pasadena.
Varias personas fueron expulsadas del vehiculo, entre ellas un nino
que cayo sobre las vias y perdio una pierna al ser arrollado por un
tren de la Linea Dorada del Metro.

El vehiculo, Ford Expedition 2003, sufrio el accidente alrededor de
las 10:00 de la manana a la altura de la salida Sierra Madre sobre
los carriles en direccion este de la autopista 210, la cual
permanecio cerrada completamente hasta la 1:15 de la tarde, cuando se
abrieron dos lineas. El resto de los carriles fueron reabiertos a las
4:06 de la tarde, lo que provoco embotellamientos de trafico de hasta
4.5 millas de largo.

Hasta el cierre de esta edicion se habia reportado que los heridos se
encontraban en el hospital Huntington Memorial y en el Hospital
General del Condado-USC.

De los cinco heridos, dos estaban en estado grave, incluido el nino
que perdio la pierna, y tres tenian heridas de menor gravedad. Los
pasajeros eran todos mujeres, con excepcion del nino.

“No sabemos como perdio el control el conductor; aparentemente dio
varias vueltas y expulso a varios pasajeros de su interior”, explico
Ricardo Quintero, portavoz de la Patrulla de Carreteras de California
(CHP), que llego minutos despues del accidente cuando casi todos los
pasajeros estaban fuera del vehiculo.

“Dos de las victimas murieron en el acto y la tercera en camino al
hospital”, agrego. “El nino cayo en medio de los carriles de la Linea
Dorada y el tren le paso por encima de una pierna”.

De acuerdo con las autoridades de la Direccion Metropolitana de
Transporte (MTA), el conductor del tren trato de hacer todo lo
posible para detener los vagones, pero sin embargo fue imposible
detener el convoy completamente.

“El tren viajaba del este a oeste y se dirigia a la ultima estacion
cuando el conductor se dio cuenta de que habia algo en las vias. No
pudo distinguir que era inmediatamente, pero de todas maneras trato
de detenerse. Sin embargo, no fue posible y el nino fue embestido,
explico Jose Ubaldo, portavoz de MTA.

“Es muy dificil detener un tren que viaja a 50 millas por hora con el
peso que lleva”, agrego. “Afortunadamente, el menor, de unos 8 anos
de edad, salio con vida y fue transportado inmediatamente a un
hospital local”.

En cuanto a los pasajeros del Metro, ninguno quiso recibir asistencia
medica o ser transportado a un hospital para revision.

La Linea Dorada permanecio cerrada por espacio de una hora.

Por su parte, Lisa Derderian, del Departamento de Bomberos de
Pasadena, dijo que este es uno de los peores accidentes que su
departamento haya presenciado.

“Desgraciadamente tuvimos varias fatalidades. Hasta el momento se
siguen investigando las razones del accidente”, explico Derderian,
para luego agregar que dos de las victimas en situacion critica
habian recibido golpes en la cabeza y fracturas; mientras que los
otros dos heridos solo habian sido tratados por el impacto emocional.

La identidad de las victimas no fue dada a conocer. Varias personas
ajenas al incidente mencionaron que posiblemente las victimas eran de
origen armenio. Se desconocia si eran familiares.

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
August 12, 2004, Thursday

WHY CALL IT AGGRESSION, WHEN GEORGIA IS ONLY DEFENDING ITS BORDERS?

SOURCE: Kommersant, August 12, 2004, p. 10
by Mikhail Zygar

Question: What have been the results of the Russian-Georgian talks in
Moscow?

Georgy Baramidze: An improved level of trust is the main outcome.
There can be no constructive dialogue without trust.

Question: Your words contradict Georgia’s latest statements somewhat
– concerning the intention to shoot down Russian aircraft.

Georgy Baramidze: Any country would detain a foreign vessel that
sails into its waters and refuses to receive a search party of border
guards. And any country would do everything it can to safeguard its
airspace from trespassers. Actually, Sergei Ivanov and I tried not to
talk of these matters at all.

Question: How is it possible to talk of trust while avoiding a
discussion of actual problems?

Georgy Baramidze: It is not a problem – it is a corollary. We should
get down to the root of the matter. These issues will be resolved
once Russia makes up its mind about what it wants: to rebuild an
empire, or to build a democratic state. We believe that assurances of
Russia’s intention to build a democracy are sincere – which means
Russia should want a democratic and undivided Georgia as well. But if
Russia’s real aim is to build an empire, that would explain what is
happening. We don’t think the current crisis promotes Russia’s
interests in any way. It is just that for the time being,
nationalist, chauvinist, and imperialist forces are getting the upper
hand – they are stronger nowadays in the political, military, and
financial circles.

Question: Let us discuss practical step then. President Mikhail
Saakashvili on his latest visit to the United States got Washington’s
agreement and promise to send new American instructors to Georgia.
And what did Ivanov and you agree on?

Georgy Baramidze: Unlike the previous regime, we are prepared to open
the door for Russian investment in the Georgian economy. The matter
concerns private and state capital alike. Russian capital may
participate in privatization of ordinary economic and strategic
objects. I mean the central pipeline running across Georgia to
Armenia, the electric power network, the Georgian ports. We know that
it poses no threats, on the contrary, it will benefit national
economy and our bilateral relations with Russia.

Question: Have any agreements been reached?

Georgy Baramidze: No, these are only suggestions for the time being.

Question: I find it somewhat odd that defense ministers discuss
privatization.

Georgy Baramidze: Nothing odd about it, because this is a strategic
matter. Defense ministers handle strategic issues of defense and
security. Whenever economy is apart of these matters, then they
handle the economy too. We all know the Russian approach to the
matter of the bases only recently. Russia was going to pull them out
– not because Georgia was demanding it but because the bases were an
unnecessary drain on the Russian defense budget. Russia already has a
military base in Gyumri, Armenia. It performs all necessary
functions. All the rest are a burden. Their withdrawal is just a
matter of time. And yet, the Russians followed a simple line of
reasoning: if we withdraw the bases, what then we will have there
left? Conflict areas are the only leverage. Wielding civilized
economic influence, however, Russia would have a serious argument in
favor of placing its trust in Georgia. It will mean that Georgia will
be tied to it.

Question: Did you decide on the date of the withdrawal?

Georgy Baramidze: If we do not regard Russia as a potential threat,
the matter of the bases fades into the background. We do not insist
on discussion of the matter anymore because we understand that the
bases will be pulled out sooner or later. At the same time, we are
asking Russia to remove everything it no longer needs. We suggested a
Russian-Georgian Counter-Terrorism Center. It will include
servicemen, armored vehicles, and military hardware. We will share
the burden – military hardware may be Georgian but servicemen Russian
and Georgian alike. They will monitor the situation and instantly
respond to the challenges originating in the republic because we know
what importance Russia attaches to it.

Question: Russia wants written guarantees from Georgia that no bases
of any other countries will appear on its territory when Russian
bases are gone.

Georgy Baramidze: This is not an issue of bilateral relations. If we
are talking to Russia, what do other countries have to do with it? We
have said over and over again that we do not plan to have any other
country establishing bases on the territory of Georgia. We do not
want Russian bases out because we want someone else here. It’s quite
normal I think: we feel that we do not need troops of any foreign
country on our territory. We sincerely say that Georgia doesn’t plan
to have any foreign military bases on its territory.

Question: And what forms will these guarantees take?

Georgy Baramidze: They are not going to be put in writing if that’s
what you mean because this is not a matter of our bilateral
relations. As for the relations between Georgia and NATO, and Georgia
and the United States, we do not plan to severe our contacts and
friendly relations with them. Russia itself enjoys great relations
with the United States and NATO, they are even better than Georgia’s
relations with them. Take a look at the Russian military doctrine and
military security concept. Not one document regards the United States
or NATO as potential threats. Why then are we expected to abandon our
friendship with America?

Question: What does your president wants new American instructors
for?

Georgy Baramidze: Instructors are needed to make a well-trained army.
We also have British, German, and Turkish instructors.

Question: Did you discuss the matter of General Nabzdorov? Is he
leaving?

Georgy Baramidze: Nabzdorov doesn’t really matter. Sure he is
leaving. We believe that making political statements that Georgia
will allegedly become a part of Georgia is not what officers are for.
So far as we know, Nabzdorov is out to go in for politics. This is
his manner of promoting himself. Pure PR, in other words.
Unfortunately, some part of Russian society is still infatuated with
the idea of restoration of the empire, and such people become
politicians advancing this and similar ideas. Afterwards, they are
going to boast how tough they will have been, and how they will have
defended the empire.

Question: And what about replacement of Internal Troops with units of
the regular army in the international contingent in South Ossetia?

Georgy Baramidze: Scheduled rotation. It was the army first that was
replaced by the Internal Troops. It is the army’s turn again now.

Question: But when units of the regular army replace the Internal
Troops in a problematic area, it sounds like an impending blitzkrieg.

Georgy Baramidze: I don’t know what it sounds like. Everything
depends on how one wants to interpret it. We want a better trained
and disciplined units there. The military has to be replaced or they
become obsessed or something, they develop personal hostility, etc.
We would not want to face these problems there. Moreover, we made a
pause which we think is important. We replaced the contingent only
when tension abated because we did not want undue accusations.

Question: Are you sure that the tension in the relations with South
Ossetia has abated indeed?

Georgy Baramidze: Georgia doesn’t want an armed conflict. We put
forth some peaceful initiatives but no one has responded to them yet.

First, we suggest demilitarization of the conflict area and the
region in general, withdrawal of all armed formations but
peacekeepers and the police – Ossetian and Georgian. All the rest
must be disarmed and disbanded.

Second, we suggest expansion of the OSCE mandate and an increase of
the team of observers first and foremost near the Rok Tunnel through
which military hardware, ordnance, and gunmen come to Georgia from
Russia. These gunmen posture in front of TV cameras and boast that
they have come from Kuban or Caucasus to fight Georgia. Afterwards,
they even run what they call exercises right under the peacekeeping
contingent’s noses. We want it put an end to.

Third, we suggest a direct dialogue. Do you think a country preparing
for a war will put forth initiatives like that? Do you think a
country about to go to war will suggest more observers?

Question: Did you discuss these initiatives with Ivanov? And what did
he say if you did?

Georgy Baramidze: I certainly did. If you ask me, I succeeded in
persuading defense minister of Russia that Georgia doesn’t want a
war. That’s important. As for the initiatives, everything is up to
our foreign ministries.

Question: And yet, Georgia threatens to fire on ships carrying
Russian tourists.

Georgy Baramidze: We only want to protect our maritime borders.
Making the statement, our president only intended to warn everyone
not to let their vessels into Georgian territorial waters without an
inspection by our border guards. There is nothing new about that. We
have already detained several Turkish ships, confiscated them and
sold them to the highest bidder. The authorities of Turkey did not
respond in any manner because Ankara knows that we are acting
according to the law. We opened fire on another Turkish ship not long
ago. I find it strange indeed and Abkhazian separatists and some
Russian politicians rushed to the Turkish smugglers’ defense. Why is
it all right for Russia to defend its borders, but when Georgia does
the same it’s called aggression?

As for tourists in Abkhazia, what are they doing in the conflict zone
in the first place?

Question: There are peacekeepers in the conflict area. There are
peace processes under way.

Georgy Baramidze: No – the conflict area is controlled by the forces
that have removed themselves from peace processes. That’s logic; you
know that cannot be denied or questioned.

Translated by A. Ignatkin

AzerTag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Aug 9 2004

OSCE WORKING GROUP ON KARABAKH TO ASSESS `ELECTIONS’ IN NK
[August 09, 2004, 16:17:41]

`The OSCE working group engaged in settlement of Nagorny Karabakh
conflict, should give principle assessment to the 8 August elections
to local authorities passed in Nagorny Karabakh’, Mikhail Margelov,
chairman of the Committee on international affairs of the Council of
Federation, commenting the elections at the occupied Azerbaijani
territory – Nagorny Karabakh, stated in an exclusive interview to
AzerTAj correspondent.

In his words, this action will be negatively perceived in Azerbaijan
and in such a sharp and tactful situations it is necessary restraint
and balance.

Russia many times has stated that recognizes territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan and all other states stemming from the universally
recognized international laws, he underlined. `We ourselves have been
for many years combating separatism in our country and are never
interested in expansion of separatism in the CIS space’, he added.

Chairman of the Committee of the Council of Federation on
international affairs emphasized that nobody needs war in the
Caucasus and because of this it is necessary to activate the efforts
on side of the OSCE or CIS, and also actively seek new forms and
formats for settlement of this conflict. `Perhaps, Russia will make
every effort’, concluded Mr. Margelov.

PAN-DIASPORA CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN EDUCATION OPENED IN ANTELIAS

ANTELIAS, August 6 (Noyan Tapan). The official opening of the
Pan-Diaspora Conference on Armenian Education was held at the main
hall of the Theological Seminary, in Bikfaya, Lebanon on August 5
morning. The Pan-Diaspora Conference was initiated by His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of the Great Cilician House, and organized by the
Catholicosate of the Great Cilician House. The committee consisting of
the following people appointed by the Catholicos of the Great Cilician
House carried out the organization work: Pepo Simonian, Karo
Hovhannisian and Zhirair Danielian. Around one hundred intellectuals
and experts almost from all communities in Diaspora addressed this
timely issue in different perspectives and contexts. The Armenian
department of the “Galust Gyulbenkian” Office rendered material and
moral support to the conference. The RA Minister of Education, the
President of the Cultural and Educational Commission of the Parliament
and President of the Armenian Writers’ Union Levion Ananian will
attend this conference. 75 people from the Armenian communities of
Australia, the United States, Canada, South America and other
countries will be also present at the conference. The work of the
conference will complete on August 7. According to the press divan of
the Great Cilician House, because of the unique importance of the
Conference and the special attention that the Armenian Catholicosate
of Cilicia gives to the Armenian Education, His Holiness Aram I will
address the Conference and take part in its deliberations and actions.