Author: Nargizian David

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05/20/2004
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1) Turkey’s Interior Ministry Rejects Draft Constitution for Armenian
Patriarchate
2) Russian Defense Chief Arrives in Armenia
3) Georgian Leader Visits Turkey, Urges Closer Ties
4) Armenia Turns to Cyprus as Bridge to EU
5) COMMUNIQUE

1) Turkey’s Interior Ministry Rejects Draft Constitution for Armenian
Patriarchate

ANKARA (Marmara)–Turkey’s interior ministry opposed a new constitution
drafted
by the country’s foreign ministry for the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey,
reported Turkey’s Cumhuriyet newspaper.
Citing the Treaty of Lausanne, the interior ministry said the rights foreseen
by the constitution exceed those of the treaty, and would succeed in making
Armenians of Turkey a privileged minority, thus setting an unfavorable
precedent for other minorities.
To date, the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey has not had a constitution, and
Patriarchal elections have always been carried out based on the decision of
Turkey’s Council of Ministers. The government of Turkey does not officially
recognize the Patriarchate.
It appears that the foreign ministry drafted the constitution in response to
numerous appeals to correct the situation. Though the details of the document
are not public, the interior ministry said the function of the
Partriarchate is
solely religious, and in no way does it possess political or executive
privileges.
The interior ministry also reminded that the Treaty of Lausanne makes no
mention of the Armenian Patriarchate, and that its elections have been guided
in accordance with the 1961 bylaws of Turkey’s Council of Ministers, saying
that the trend must continue.
What is most disturbing about the Cumhuriyet article is the interior
ministry’s proposal on defrocking the Patriarch. The paper reports that
whereas
the foreign ministry draft constitution stipulates that only the religious
assembly has the authority to remove the patriarch from his position, the
interior ministry grants the authority to Turkey’s Council of Ministers,
recommending the body amend its constitution to grant itself this power.
“If it
becomes understood that the elected Patriarch does not possess the expected
qualifications, or abandons any one of the qualifications at any point, as
confirmed by the courts, then the Council of Ministers may defrock the
Patriarch, on the recommendation of the interior ministry,” writes Cumhuriyet.

2) Russian Defense Chief Arrives in Armenia

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov arrived in Yerevan on
Thursday to hold talks with Armenian leaders and attend a meeting of his
counterparts from the Commonwealth of Independent States.
No further Russian-Armenian military agreements are expected to be signed
during the two-day visit, which will underscore close military ties between
the
two countries. Ivanov said that military cooperation is “developing
dynamically.”
“We are going to discuss the whole spectrum of Russian-Armenian
interaction in
areas of defense, security, and military-technical cooperation,” he told
reporters on his arrival in the Armenian capital. He said he will also discuss
regional issues such as the Karabagh conflict.
Asked whether Moscow plans further arms deliveries to Armenia, Ivanov
replied,
“We discuss such issues regularly within the framework of the Collective
Security Treaty organization. All relevant political decisions have already
been taken. The deliveries of weapons, military hardware, and other military
production [to Armenia and other organization members] are being carried
out at
domestic Russian prices.”
Visiting Yerevan last November, Ivanov assured that Russia will continue to
supply the Armenian military with new weaponry “on privileged terms,” and
plans
to modernize its military base in Armenia. No details have been given by the
two governments since then.
Ivanov revealed later in the day that the Armenian Defense Ministry has
purchased two Russian-made Ilyushin-72 transport planes within the Collective
Security Treaty framework. He said they landed at Yerevan airport shortly
after
his arrival, but Armenian and Russian officials declined to disclose how much
the aircrafts cost Armenia.
The military alliance has been the linchpin of Armenia’s defense strategy
since its independence. Yerevan has tried to balance it in recent years with
its growing participation in NATO’s Partnership for Peace program.
The Armenian government will host an annual meeting of the defense ministers
of the CIS countries on Friday.

3) Georgian Leader Visits Turkey, Urges Closer Ties

ANKARA (Reuters/Zaman)–Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili urged Turkish
investors on Thursday to help rebuild his country’s battered economy,
including
that of the formerly breakaway Black Sea region of Ajaria which borders
Turkey.

Saakashvili took charge of Ajaria earlier this month pledging to entrench
democracy there with new elections after forcing its rebellious leader Aslan
Abashidze to flee. “The resolution of the Ajaria problem brings a chance for
closer relations. New possibilities are being created for improving our
economic relations and border trade,” Saakashvili said at the start of a
two-day official visit to Turkey.
“We expect Turkey and Turkish investors to contribute to Ajaria’s development
and to the Georgian economy. What is important for us is to improve economic
cooperation.”
Turkey and its NATO ally, the United States, have strongly backed the
youthful
Saakashvili, fearing that prolonged instability in Georgia could imperil an
oil
pipeline under construction across its territory.
The pipeline, which is being built by a BP BPL-led consortium, will pump
crude
from Azerbaijan’s Caspian oilfields across Georgia to Turkey’s Mediterranean
port of Ceyhan. It is due to start operating from May 2005.
Georgia said recently it expected to receive revenues of about $50 million a
year from the pipeline.
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer reaffirmed Ankara’s support for
Georgia’s
territorial integrity and praised the 37-year-old, American-educated
Saakashvili’s handling of the Ajaria crisis, which ended peacefully.
Sezer said Turkey hoped Georgia would be able to resolve its disputes with
two
other rebellious regions, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in the same peaceful
way.
Georgian officials say winning back these two provinces will prove much
tougher
because, unlike Ajaria, they have fought ethnic separatist wars with the
authorities in Tbilisi.
Georgia’s young leader will hold a series of meetings in Istanbul and Ankara
during his 3-day visit to Turkey. Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer
welcomed
Saakasvili earlier on Thursday. The Georgian President will also meet with
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul during his visit. Saakashvili will be unable to
meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan because Erdogan who will
be in Romania during the duration of Saakasvili’s visit.

4) Armenia Turns to Cyprus as Bridge to EU

NICOSIA (dpa)–Cypriot Parliament President Dimitris Christofias, said that
his
country can act as a bridge between the European Union and its neighbors,
including Armenia, after meeting with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, who is
on a working visit to the island.
The latest developments in Cyprus were discussed, as well as the prospect of
enhanced bilateral cooperation. “Friendly relations, development of economic
and cultural exchanges, when accompanied by practical steps, become more
solid,” Christofias said.
Noting the absence of political differences between the two countries,
Christofias said that they will continue to cooperate in international
organizations, along with an increased focus on economic development.
Meanwhile, Oskanian also met with his Cyprus counterpart George Iacovou,
where
on the meeting’s agenda were Cyprus’ accession to the EU, the problems in the
Caucasus, and the Karabagh issue. Oskanian said, “We see Cyprus as a friendly
country, as an insider in the EU, and we can rely on its help to further
advance our integration processes with European structures and particularly
with the EU.”
Iacovou referred to the presence of an active economic, social, and political
Armenian community in Cyprus.
Oskanian said the Cypriot minister also explained the UN unification plan,
which envisaged joining Turkish Cypriots with Greek Cypriots, and the reasons
the Greek Cypriot community rejected it in an April 24 referendum.
“We also talked about other regional matters, particularly Armenia’s
relations
with its neighbors, Turkey in particular,” he noted, adding that “as a goal
before us, we have the normalization of ties between Armenia and Turkey.”

5) Communique

THE 32ND REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY UNANIMOUSLY RE-ELECTS ARCHBISHOP MOUSHEGH
MARDIROSSIAN PRELATE

RELIGIOUS AND EXECUTIVE COUNCILS ALSO ELECTED UNANIMOUSLY

On behalf of the 32nd Representative Assembly of the Western Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of America, we are pleased to announce that the
Representative Assembly unanimously re-elected His Eminence Arch. Moushegh
Mardirossian as the Prelate of the Western Prelacy, and also unanimously
elected the new members of the Religious and the Executive Councils of the
Prelacy.
The Representative Assembly presided by His Eminence Arch. Moushegh
Mardirossian was convened Friday through Saturday, May 14-15, at the Holy
Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church “Avedissian” Hall in Encino.
The Assembly reviewed the activities of the Prelate and both Councils of the
Prelacy and discussed the plans for the forthcoming year in diverse activities
of the Prelacy, beginning with spiritual guidance, the expansion and
organization of the parishes, as well as the educational mission of the
Prelacy
and the schools functioning under its auspices.
At the conclusion of the first day’s agenda items, His Eminence Archbishop
Moushegh Mardirossian was unanimously re-elected as the Prelate of the Western
Prelacy for a third four-year term.
The Assembly resolved that the forthcoming year should be a period of
rejuvenation of the Parishes, so that not only should the current
activities be
revitalized, but should also be extended to new areas. For that purpose, the
Prelacy should prepare plans to establish new churches, through which the
spiritual services should extend to many more believers in the Armenian
Community on the West Coast. Furthermore, the Assembly stressed plans to
revitalize and expand the activities of youth organizations under the auspices
of our churches, because the new generation has spiritual needs that can be
fulfilled through the expansion of Bible Studies sessions and the creation of
an atmosphere in which our younger generations practice their belonging to our
churches directly.
The Assembly was content about the fulfillment of the first part of the new
Prelacy Building. The renovation plans will hopefully reach its final stage by
the next Representative Assembly meeting next year.
After a detailed discussion of the plans for the fiscal year 2004-2005, the
Assembly unanimously elected the new Religious and Executive Councils.
The members of the Religious Council are: Very Rev. Vrouyr Demirjian, Rev.
Fathers Vicken Vassilian, Hrant Yeretzian, Vazken Atmajian, Vahan Gosdanian,
Razmig Khatchadourian, Nareg Pehlivanian, Khoren Babochian, and Ardag
Demirjian.
The members of the Executive Council are: Armand Keosian, Esq., Arsen
Danielian, Esq., Hagop Yedalian, Jack Kahvedjian, Peklar Pilavdjian, Hagop Der
Megerdichian, Vahan Bezdikian, Dr. Sahag Arslanian, Hrayr Balian, Garbis
Bezdjian, and Boghos Sassounian.
The unanimity observed at the election of the Prelate and the Religious and
Executive Councils is the latest expression of solidarity of the Prelacy
Parishes with respect to the mission of the Western Prelacy and all units
functioning under its auspices. The Representative Assembly strongly believes
that the Prelate and the both Councils will successfully carry on the tasks
entrusted to them.

The Divan of the 32nd Representative Assembly

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KLO Stages Picket In Front Of British Embassy, Protesting BBC

Baku Today
May 19 2004

Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) staged a picket in front of the
British embassy in Baku on Tuesday in protest against BBC s sending
its reporter Steve Eke to Nagorno-Karabakh without getting permission
from Baku.

The picketers also voiced dissatisfaction over what they called biased
reports by Eke and Mark Grigorian, an ethnic-Armenian producer of BBC
s Russian service. The protestors began chanting Shame on Britain
after British embassy officials refused to meet them on the grounds
that the ambassador was not in Baku.

But later KLO deputy head Barat Imami was invited to the embassy
and promised that the picketers complaints would be delivered to the
ambassador Laurie Bristow.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
May 14, 2004, Friday

Singer Charles Aznavour awarded Legion of Honour

Paris

French President Jacques Chirac on Friday bestowed on popular singer
Charles Aznavour the rank of commander in the Legion of Honour.

Calling him “the most popular and probably the most admired French
singer in the world”, Chirac also paid homage to Aznavour’s
songwriting and to his charitable activities.

The Paris-born son of Armenian immigrants, Azanavour turns 80 on May
22. He has said he will use the receipts from three of his series of
concerts celebrating his eightieth birthday to benefit humanitarian
aid to Armenia. dpa sm jm

Movie tells of Armenian family’s experience
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
May 11 2004

GLENDALE — Armenian-Americans are expected to respond to Glendale
resident Vahe Babaian’s film “After Freedom,” but the first-time
feature filmmaker believes his portrayal of the immigrant experience
could also appeal to a wider audience.

The film will open Friday at the Glendale Cinemas and Laemmle’s Music
Hall in Beverly Hills. Over the past two years, the film has been
shown at the Method Fest Independent Film Festival, the Montreal
World Film Festival and the Avignon Film Festival.

“It’s about people; everyone can relate to it,” said Babaian, 43,
an Armenian-American who grew up in Iran.

“After Freedom” is about a young Armenian-American man, played by
Mic Tomasi, and his relationships with his father, his fiance and
his at-times reckless friends.

Tomasi’s character, Michael Abcarian, feels obligated to his father,
who brought his family to the United States and struggles to make a
living in his new country.

Like the father in the film, Babaian’s own father, who had worked
for British Airways before coming to the United States from Lebanon,
could not find comparable work in the United States and instead worked
for a carpet store and a fan company before he died in 1987.

Babaian’s mother died when he was getting ready to shoot the film.
The relationship between father and son plays a prominent role in
the film, and that will be compelling for viewers, he said.

“A lot of questions are not answered when you lose your parents like
that early on,” he said.

Both Babaian and Tomasi attended Herbert Hoover High School in
Glendale.

Glendale is briefly mentioned in the film as being where Tomasi’s
character lives, but the film was shot throughout the Los Angeles area,
Babaian said.

The budget for the film, which was finished in 2002, was less than
$1 million.

Greg Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theatres, said his company has
had success showing films by or about Armenians in the past, and that
Armenian-Americans respond.

“While they don’t come out for every picture, when they do they come
out in large numbers,” he said.

Babaian has lived in Glendale since he came to the United States
at the age of 16 knowing only a few words of English. He learned
filmmaking at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and paid his
way by working full time at a supermarket.

In a future project, “Hotel Luxe,” Babaian plans to convey his
experience in a hotel in war-torn Beirut, where his family stayed
while trying to arrange their immigration to the United States.

Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 [email protected]

Vladimir Zhirinovsky: Georgia brings trouble to Russia

Pravda, Russia
MAy 10 2004

Vladimir Zhirinovsky estimates the latest events in Adzharia as the
defeat of Russia in the Caucasus region.

This will result in unfavorable consequences for Russia for long-term
perspective – Georgia will remain instability zone, said Vladimir
Zhirinovsky in a Newsinfo interview.

Newsinfo Your opinion on the latest events in Georgia – resignation
of leader of Adzaria autonomous republic Aslan Abashidze?

Vladimir Zhirinovsky Historically, Georgia has been a burden for
Russian empire and the Soviet Union. This is the zone of corruption
and conflicts, the collapse of the USSR was started in Georgia and
followed with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Central Asia, then it reached Moscow
and all regions. Georgia’s being in Russian state was a major mistake.

This continues today, we are still sponsoring Georgia. This is very
convenient for them. They receive money from Moscow and Washington and
do nothing. They have never been able to do anything, they have always
had a rest, I lived there for 2 years and know what I am saying. This
nation likes to eat, drink and play football, and this is it. Then
they can complain, cry and call to Moscow and Washington, receive some
gifts and continue enjoying themselves. This incapable area is going to
have conflicts forever. Leader of Adzaria Aslan Abashidze withdrew to
Russia temporarily,>Latest News Vladimir Zhirinovsky: Georgia brings
trouble to Russia Cuba: Bush insists with the “dumbest policy of the
world” War as a drug Son of popular leader elected president of Panama
Abashidze resigns; Saakashvili’s next target– Abkhazia

there are many Georgian emigrants here, 800,000 Georgians, many of
Georgian intelligentsia. They all were in opposition to previous
Georgian leaders Gamsakhurdia and Shevarnadze, currently they will
be in opposition to Saakashvili. Georgia brought Russia only losses.

Newsinfo What do you think about future developments in Georgia and
Caucasus region?

Vladimir Zhirinovsky Saakashvili is excited about his victory in
“velvet revolution” in Tbilisi and making the leader of Adzaria
to resign. He is going to advance to Abkhazia and then to Southern
Osetia, and Russia will have new refugees from these regions. Moscow is
making mistakes. No way it should have allowed Saakashvili to do this,
Moscow should have had tough position to Saakashvili. He overthrew
President Shevarnadze, this was against the law, overthrew leader of
Adzharia autonomous republic, and is going to dismiss other elected
leaders in Abkhazia and Southern Osetia. He is winning, we are losing.
Moscow supports this policy and thinks that united Georgia will not
support Chechen terrorists. This is an illusion, Georgia will not
change its policy! Georgia will join NATO soon, NATO troops will be
deployed there to encourage instability in the Caucasus region from
the South. This will result in instability not only in Chechnya,
but also in Karachaevo-Cherkesia region, which will be far worse
than the Chechen problem. Then Azerbaijan will join NATO and will
“put us on fire” through Dagestan republic bordering Chechnya. We
will be losing until major war breaks out in the Northern Caucasus,
and this region will be separated from Russia. This is the kind of
“velvet revolution” we are going to have.

Interfax
May 3 2004

Armenia says PACE resolution “throws us one step back”

YEREVAN. May 3 (Interfax) – A top member of Armenia’s parliament on
Tuesday said a recent Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE)
resolution “throws us one step back” but that PACE “has effectively
recognized the legitimacy” of Armenian elections disputed by the
opposition.

The resolution, passed last week, expressed concern over the current
political situation in Armenia, including the use of force by the
government to disperse opposition rallies. It urged the government and
opposition to avoid actions that might provoke violence and to hold
talks.

PACE also presented Armenia with demands and threatened to consider
suspending the country’s membership in the Assembly in September if
they have not been satisfied.

The resolution “has thrown us one step back from our former positions,”
deputy parliamentary speaker Tigran Torosian, leader of Armenia’s
delegation to PACE, told a briefing in Yerevan.

But “PACE has effectively recognized the legitimacy of the results of
the presidential elections in Armenia, which are disputed by the
opposition, and has refused using the demands of the opposition for a
referendum on confidence in the government as a condition for Yerevan,”
he said.

He called on the opposition to start talks with the government without
any conditions. “It is still not too late to normalize the situation by
joint efforts within a short period of time.”

Meanwhile, the leaders of the opposition Justice bloc told a news
conference on Monday that there was nothing they were prepared to
discuss with the government other than their demands for President
Robert Kocharian’s removal and for a referendum on confidence in the
government.

Viktor Dallakian, secretary of Justice’s parliamentary group, said the
opposition planned to continue fighting for Kocharian’s removal. He
said the opposition would hold another rally in central Yerevan on
Tuesday despite not receiving approval from the mayor’s office.

Two rivaling opposition parties represented in parliament – Justice and
National Unification – have formed a temporary bloc to press for
Kocharian’s overthrow.

CENN – APRIL 23, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. Archeological Researches Underway on BTC Pipeline Territories
2. Ambassador Mann Discusses BTC with Saakashvili
3. Baku-Ceyhan to Start Pumping by Mid 2005
4. OSI-AF/Azerbaijan and BP are Pleased to Announce That They Have
Signed an Agreement
5. OSCE Office in Baku marks Earth Day
6. Assistance with Forest Inventory and Forest Management Planning in
the Forests Development Project -Working Group meeting
7. EU Enlargement and Biodiversity

1. ARCHEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES UNDERWAY ON BTC PIPELINE TERRITORIES

Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, AzerTag,
April 21, 2004

In accordance with the plan of archeological researches on the
territories, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline lays, archeological digs
are carried out on the ancient settlement of Saidlar of Samukh region,
early March, AzerTAj correspondent learnt from the research officer of
the Institute of Archeology and ethnography of Azerbaijan National
Academy of Sciences, PhD of historical sciences Safar Ashurov. It was
ascertained that ancient parking refers to II- I B.C.

The archaeologist noted that Moslem graves have been also revealed with
adornments – gold ear- rings, about 400 beads as a result of digs
carried out in the environs of Gushgara River. The graves are
presupposed refers to VII-VI B.C.

2. AMBASSADOR MANN DISCUSSES BTC WITH SAAKASHVILI

Source: The Messenger, April 23, 2004

US Ambassador Steve Mann met with the President of Georgia Mr.
Saakashvili on April 20, 2004 together with US Ambassador Miles where
they discussed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, reports the US Embassy.

As the senior US official dealing with Caspian energy issues, Ambassador
Mann is involved in realizing the BTC pipeline in the launch of the
Caspian Consortium (CPC) line, and a range of other Eurasian energy
responsibilities while acting as Special Negotiator. In 2003 Ambassador
Mann joined the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq where he worked
to manage transition of the UN Oil-For-Food Program.

3. BAKU-CEYHAN TO START PUMPING BY MID 2005

Source: The Messenger, April 23, 2004

According to the Ekho Baku, USD 2 billion has already been spent on the
project to construct the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. David
Woodward, President of BP Azerbaijan, stated that the first oil to be
shipped through BTC pipeline might take place in June next year.
According to him the process filling the pipeline is planned to be
started only after the reception of the first oil from the oilfield
`Central Azeri’ (CA) and the conclusion of all technical works connected
to its delivery onto the shore.

It is also planed to transport mixed oil from CA as well as from the
staging platform `Chirag’. `We decided not to start the infill of BTC
before the reception of the first oil from `Chirag’, but as for the
launching of the oil plant at the Sangachal terminal we expect to use
the oil from `Chirag’ stated the president of BP Azerbaijan. Mr.
Woodward also said that costs on using the BTC will total more than USD
4 million per 24 hours. The building of the pipeline requires USD 2.95
billion and USD 3.6 billion is the entire cost of the project, including
the infill of the pipeline and the interest on loans used to finance the
construction.

`It is enough for the construction on the pipeline to be finished by the
end of the first quarter of next year,’ noted Mr. Woodward. He also said
that USD 1 billion from already received credits is being directed to
the return of extra investments deposited by stockholders. `This year we
held negotiations with our contractors and they decided to recruit
additional employees for this process and acquire equipment needed to
complete the construction of the pipeline schedule’, stated Mr.
Woodward.

Regarding concerns with the Georgian parliament, Mr. Woodward said, `In
the near future we intend to present a document in which our actions in
connection with the project will be fixed, and we think that this
information will be satisfactory for them and that there will be no
problems.’

A for Turkey, Mr. Woodward said that the Turkish Company BOTAS agreed to
open one more work site in Turkey near the Georgian boarder and to work
out an integrated plan in connection with the pump stations for
providing the timely completion of the project.

4. OSI-AF/AZERBAIJAN AND BP ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEY HAVE
SIGNED AN AGREEMENT

OSI-AF/Azerbaijan and BP are pleased to announce that they have signed
an agreement under which OSI-AF will co-ordinate monitoring of the BTC
pipeline construction by NGOs in Azerbaijan. For more information,
please find the press release below.

For Immediate Release
Contact:
Rovshan Bagirov: (99412) 986933, 412722

PRESS RELEASE

BAKU, April 22, 2004. OSI-AF and BP are pleased to announce that they
have signed an agreement under which OSI will co-ordinate monitoring of
the BTC pipeline construction by NGOs in Azerbaijan.

Under the agreement, which lasts until construction of the pipeline is
complete, OSI-AF will act as facilitator between the participating NGOs,
and as the principal liaison point between the NGOs and BP.

Over the coming weeks OSI-AF will work with the NGOs on themes,
timescale and processes for their monitoring activities. The NGOs taking
part in the monitoring will receive information about the pipeline
project and about BTC health, safety, environmental and social
standards. External experts will provide them with training in
monitoring and evaluation techniques and report writing.

OSI-AF will contribute financially to the NGO monitoring activities,
while BP will pay for the training costs.

The monitoring process is aiming to increase public awareness about BTC
project development, about challenges and concerns raised during
construction period and also serve for the establishment of healthy
cooperation between all stakeholders to develop a good practice of civic
involvement.

5. OSCE OFFICE IN BAKU MARKS EARTH DAY

On April 22, 2004 a series of events and outdoor activities for
Azerbaijani children, aimed at teaching them to understand the global
environmental challenges and to be more responsible towards nature were
held throughout the country as part of a campaign dedicated to Earth
Day.

`It is the duty of the government and the people to make sure that the
land is preserved, the air is clean and the water is pure,” said
Ambassador Peter Burkhard, Head of the OSCE Office in Baku. “Our Office
is ready to provide assistance and support to ensure that Azerbaijan can
effectively address the environmental challenges it faces”.

Several non-governmental organizations, including Ecosphere, Gulum (My
flower) and Green Patrol, are leading a campaign, supported by the OSCE
Office in Baku, under the educational and awareness raising programmes
of the Aarhus Centre. Among the activities are seminars, opinion polls
on environmental awareness, cleanups of public parks and areas around
schools, as well as tree planting and water testing events.

Commenting on the results of the project, Firuza Sultanzadeh, Chair of
Ecosphere said: `Although Earth Day is celebrated once a year, we want
to encourage people to be more active in preserving the environment, and
making the world a better place to live. When people learn to care for
the Earth, we will have a healthier planet.’

Earth Day has been commemorated since 22 April 1970, when some 20
million people held peaceful demonstrations in cities across the United
States of America to draw attention to increasing environmental problems
in their neighborhoods and around the world.

For further information, please contact:

Ulvi Akhundlu
Media and Political Assistant
OSCE Office in Baku
4 Magomayev Lane 2nd floor Icheri Sheher
37004, Baku, Azerbaijan
Tel.: +994-12 97 23 73
Fax: +994-12 97 23 77
E-mail: [email protected]

6. ASSISTANCE WITH FOREST INVENTORY AND FOREST MANAGEMENT PLANNING IN
THE FORESTS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT -WORKING GROUP MEETING

Tbilisi, Georgia — The second meeting of the working group of the
Forest Inventory and Forest Management Planning in the Forests
Development Project has been carried out in Tbilisi in April 21, 2004.
The meeting was dedicated to the preparation of the stakeholder meeting
in the Borjomi area.

Another preparatory meeting will take place on April 28, 2004.

Irina Kitiashvili, CENN

7. EU ENLARGEMENT AND BIODIVERSITY

Source: IUCN, April 22, 2004

On May 1, 2004, all eyes will be on the European Union and the
additional 75 million people who will be joining. Although it is
undoubtedly for the benefit of all Europeans, the environment is among
the most complicated issues to be dealt with during the process of
enlargement of the European Union. The enlargement presents some
long-term challenges for the rich natural heritage of the new member
states. Accession countries are enriching the EU through the
biodiversity they are bringing, as they represent a large proportion of
Europe’s remaining natural wealth. However, the greatest challenge for
the new EU member states today is to retain their natural resources
while offering their citizens opportunities for improving their well
being. IUCN – The World Conservation Union takes stock of the
biodiversity assets of the new member states and highlights
opportunities and challenges for biodiversity conservation in an
enlarged EU.

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

Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

ArmeniaNow.com, 23 April 2004

Hell Night: A victim’s story of police brutality

By Zhanna Alexanyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

Ani Kirakosyan is 22. She will not let us take her photograph, because she
is afraid. By her accounts of what happened to her during a police crack
down on Armenia’s political opposition, her fear is justified.

Ani got a degree in journalism at Yerevan Pedagogic Institute and after
graduation was offered a job collecting information for the online magazine
of the Republic party.

On the evening of April 13, Ani was in the headquarters of the party. It is
oppositional leader Aram Sargsyan’s office, but Ani is not a member of the
party and says she is apolitical. For her, the work is a job, not a passion.

Police raided the office where Ani works during a sweep of oppositional
members ordered by authorities on a night when hundreds were attacked with
water canon, percussion grenades and beaten by police with batons.

At about 2 a.m., police reached the Republic party headquarters near the
Opera House.

First, police took away the men in the office. Then they came back for the
women. Ani was one of 13.

“We switched off the lights and were waiting,” says Ani. “I was terribly
afraid. When police officers began beating a woman under our window, I
approached the widow as I decided to help that woman. But at that very
moment they began fiercely knocking at our door.”

One man was left in the office, Artak Zeinalyan a disabled veteran who lost
his left leg in the war in Karabakh. He tried to intervene when police came
in, but was pushed to the floor.

“They were cursing us and roughly dragging us into a car,” Ani recalls.
“There was an elderly woman with us who was feeling very bad. We asked them
to at least let her go but they refused.”

When Ani asked: “Where are you taking us?” A policeman replied: “I don’t
know. Somewhere, where we find spare place.”

Lockup was at a premium that early Tuesday morning as an estimated 400
arrests were made. More would follow.

The women were taken to the Erebuni Community Police Department. Ani was
questioned by an officer named Grigor Mitoyan.

“First, Mitoyan entered the room with four or five policemen then a
high-ranking policeman came and everybody stood,” Ani recalls. “I was
sitting and watching. I didn’t know what would happen next. He approached me
and kicked me: ‘Stand up, I say!’ I stood up and he began kicking my legs,
belly and hitting my face with his hands. I was crying but I didn’t say
anything. He was cursing us using profanity toward me. I was so scared that
I urinated on myself.”

Ani says she was beaten for about 10 or 15 minutes by an officer named
Poghosyan. One of the women in the group identified him as Kamsar Poghosyan,
deputy head of the department.

When that officer left the room, other officers gave Ani water and warm
clothes.

“I asked what I did and why he beat me? He could have had a daughter of my
age. Policemen told me that nobody beat me and it was only my imagination.”

In a few minutes she heard shouts and curses coming from a corridor. The
policemen quickly took away the warm clothes and water from Ani. At that
moment head of Erebuni Community’s Police Department Nver Hovhannisyan
entered the room.

“I don’t remember, at that moment I was standing . . . He came at me in a
fury and was kicking me. I urinated on myself three times. I dropped on my
knees, I was crying: ‘What have I done, why are you beating me?’,” Ani says.

“You were at demonstration, I saw you there,” she recalls the head of police
saying. “You were standing in the front rows. So you wanted to change the
president?”

“I told him he mistook me for someone else,” Ani says. But he continued to
kick my back and belly.”

Ani says the department chief threatened that “he would bring all his
policemen and they would rape me or he would arrest me”.

One of the 13 women, Oghide Harutyunyan, was taken to police department with
her 19-year-old daughter. They were kept in the department for 36 hours, in
separate places.

Harutyunyan, 45, has a degree in law. She previously held the rank of major
in the Ministry of Defense.

She says she tried to defend the women by telling police of their rights.
She says a policeman told her: “Don’t you live in Armenia? The law is at the
top. We do whatever we are told to do.”

>From a floor above her, Harutyunyan heard screaming and feared it was her
daughter. (She and her daughter were also beaten by Hovhannisyan, she says.)

“I could clearly hear horrid yells of a girl coming from the third floor. I
didn’t know whether it was my daughter crying or someone else. Later I knew
it was Ani Kirakosyan,” Harutyunyan says.

When Hovhannisyan left the room (according to Ani, he was beating her longer
than the deputy head) Ani continued to cry loudly. One policemen asked her
not to cry so loudly. “If he hears you crying, he’ll return and beat you
again,” the policeman said.

Eventually, police took Ani to the Erebuni Medical Center.

In a waiting room one of the nurses saw bruises on the girl’s legs and back.
The nurse asked Ani if she had fallen.

“I said I was beaten in the police department,” Ani says. “A doctor, who was
present during the conversation, interrupted the nurse and was treating me
roughly. I saw an investigator waiting in the lobby.”

Ani, afraid that she had passed out during the worst of her experience,
asked to be examined by a gynecologist. She was denied.

She was examined by sonogram, then asked to pay 5000-6000 drams (about
$9-$11), however, Ani said she had no money with her.

She was discharged, but not given documents of her examination.

“I never knew what had happened with me,” Ani says. “They said everything is
ok but their faces said completely different things to me.”

(Ani is currently recovering at home. She suffers acute abdominal pains and
doctors say her internal organs are bruised.)

When Ani left the hospital she saw her parents and relatives waiting at the
entrance. However, an investigator didn’t allow her to talk with them and
again she was taken to Erebuni Police Department.

After spending 15 hours in the Police Department seven women were gathered
in one room. “All of them were beaten but not so much as I was,” Ani says.
“There was a woman among them, who was also beaten very fiercely. All of us
were crying.”

At 7 p.m. five women, including Ani, were let go.

When Ani tried to find out why only five had been set free policemen told
her: “Because you are not guilty”.

Editor’s note: Twice during the preparation of this article, ArmeniaNow made
attempts through police department officials to verify the claims of women
in this article. We told a police spokesperson that allegations were being
made, and that members of the department should be given an opportunity to
respond.

Sarkis Martirossyan, Head of Operations at Erebuni Police Department
“categorically rejects the fact of women being beaten” at the department.

Press and Public Relations Department of the Republic of Armenia Police
Mushegh Kroyan told ArmeniaNow: “If these women were subjected to acts of
violence, then let them go to the law. It is natural that policemen of
Erebuni Police Department will not confess that they had beaten them.”

—

Metro Detroit Armenians remember genocide victims
Weekend events to commemorate 89th anniversary of massacre in Turkey

By Christopher M. Singer / The Detroit News
April 22, 2004

DEARBORN – Metro Detroit’s 40,000-member Armenian communityon Friday
will launch a series of events marking the 89th anniversary of the
20th century’s first genocide.

This year, the commemoration follows news that New York Life Insurance
Co.

last month agreed to place $1.7 million in a fund for what the company
called ` unclaimed or heirless’ life insurance policies from which
Armenian religious groups in the United States will benefit.

Descendants of Armenian genocide victims in 1999 brought a
class-action lawsuit against New York Life to pay on 2,186 policies
purchased by victims. But the lack of Armenian birth certificates or
Turkish death records made it virtually impossible for descendants to
prove victims ever existed.

Lawmakers, including Michigan Democratic Sen. Carl Levin, are pushing
for a commemoration of the genocide. Levin has signed a letter to
President Bush urging him to officially call the deaths from 1915-23
of 1.5 million Armenians a genocide, a press aide said.

Before April 24, 1915, an estimated 3 million Armenians lived in
Armenia and Turkey. By the time Turkey stopped the killing in 1923,
about 1.5 million Armenians still were alive but scattered in places
like the United States, Palestine, Lebanon, France and Brazil, along
with Armenia and Turkey.

The exact number of victims will never be known because Armenian birth
records were destroyed and Turkey kept no records of what Armenians
label`the massacre.’ The Rev. Daron Stepanian, pastor of St. Sarkis
Armenian Apostolic Church in Dearborn recalled the story of what Talat
Pashah had declared when the killing started.

Pashah was the leader of the Young Turks, a group of military officers
who in 1908 staged a coup to overthrow the sultan who ruled the
Ottoman Empire.

`He said they would keep one Armenian in a museum so future
generations would know what an Armenian looked like,’ Stepanian said.

April 24 is marked as `Martyr’s Day’ because 400 Armenian
intellectuals were rounded up and murdered in Istanbul on April 24,
1915.

Turkey, an ally of Germany and an enemy of czarist Russia in World War
I, announced during the war that Armenians had been, for their own
safety, evacuated to strategic hamlets so they wouldn’t be caught
between Turkey and Russia.

In reality, Armenians forcibly were marched into the Syrian
desert. Those who didn’t die of thirst or exposure, starved or died of
disease.

Even today, the modern secular nation of Turkey rigidly denies that a
genocide occurred.

`The world should care,’ an agitated Stepanian demanded.`Hitler
himself said, `Who remembers the Armenians?’ Acknowledgement must
come.’ On Saturday night, Armenians from three different churches
will gather at St. Sarkis to worship and to remember at the khach kar,
or `cross of the stones,’ a peculiarly Armenian art form dating to 301
A.D., when the nation was converted to Christianity.

Worshippers will wear white carnations. Genocide survivors will be
given red carnations. Stepanian fears there soon will be no one to
give red carnations to.

Bruce Russel, professor and chairman of the philosophy department of
Wayne State University, sees meaning and value when attention is
given, whether it’s remembering the genocide during the gathering at
St. Sarkis or a pilgrimageto Auschwitz in his native Poland by Pope
John Paul II.

`There’s some value in acknowledging these things,’Russell said. `You
want to acknowledge that human beings can do awful things. We need to
acknowledge evil because it keeps it in the forefront of our minds,
and we can’t push it to the back.’ Acknowledgement won’t be easy.

Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned his
country’s border with Armenia – closed following the fall of the
Soviet Union’ will not be reopened `unless the Armenian lobby in
the U.S. drops its false claims about the alleged Armenian genocide.’
The issue of Turkey’s denial bothers some Turks.

Fatma Muge Gocek is an associate professor of sociology at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Born in Turkey, Gocek came to the
United States in 1981 to earn her doctorate in sociology at Princeton.

Gocek is on a sabbatical to write a book on a topic she calls
`Deciphering Denial.’ `I try to understand why the denial occurred,’
she said.`They admit that there were massacres, but they reject the
charge of genocide.’ Gocek said her motivation was simple: As a Turk
herself, she got worn out answering questions about the genocide.

You can reach Christopher M. Singer at (734) 462-2093 or
[email protected].

The Saratogian, NY
April 20 2004

BALLSTON SPA — The bell rings. The school day is over, but not for
the 22 Ballston Spa Middle schoolers who pile into the school
library.

These energetic and friendly students are members of the Charlotte
Book Award Book Club, the brainchild of three seventh-grade English
teachers: Katie Marcincuk, Jen Hughes and Joe Shaver.

The Charlotte Award is a New York state effort to encourage students
to read outstanding literature and to give them a voice in deciding
which of the nominated books deserve special recognition.

The CBABC in Ballston Spa has been meeting every other week since
Jan. 21, 2004. It was going to disband on April 7, after members
voted and celebrated their own recommendations for the Charlotte
Award. The group, however, has decided to continue.

Today, as the students eagerly greet Marcincuk with comments like:
‘I’m thinking about writing a letter to one of the authors’ and ‘May
I help you set up the snacks?’ I wonder how to bottle and dispense
their enthusiasm to jaded juveniles and apathetic adults.

Not only does the CBABC have school support, it is supported by the
community, as well.

‘The teachers applied and received a grant from the Ballston Spa
Education Foundation,’ says the school’s principal, Helen Stuetzel.

The foundation, comprising Ballston Spa residents, raises money and
provides grants for worthy school projects.

‘We needed the money,’ Stuetzel says, ‘to pay for multiple copies of
the books on the list, so several students could read the books at
one time.’

At this meeting on March 24, the students are gathered to discuss two
books: ‘Forgotten Fire’ by Adam Bagdasarian and ‘The Sisterhood of
the Traveling Pants’ by Ann Brashares. The students have had the
opportunity to read 14 of the 30 nominated books, and they will be
casting ballots for their favorite among these books.

To get things started, Marcincuk, who acts as group moderator, asks:
‘Who read ‘Forgotten Fire?’ Several hands go up at once. ‘Can anyone
give us a brief overview?’

KT Dickman responds with poise: ‘This book tells the story of the
Armenian Holocaust during World War II. A young boy watches as people
in his town and family are taken from their homes to be tortured and
killed. Somehow the boy survives.’

Stacy Machley adds, ‘It was very sad, but also very exciting because
it was true.’

‘And every once in a while,’ offers Taylor Grant-Knight, ‘something
happy would actually happen.’

The general consensus, however, is that ‘Forgotten Fire’ is a hard
book. ‘I tried to read the book a couple of times,’ volunteers
Kristina Mirett. ‘But I just couldn’t get into it.’

Marcincuk sums up: ‘This is a book for mature readers not only
because of the violence but also the story can make the reader feel
very sad.’

Everyone agrees that this is not a book for elementary school
children.

She then introduces the second book for discussion, ‘The Sisterhood
of the Traveling Pants.’

‘We put this book last on the list,’ explains Marcincuk, ‘because it
is long and deals more with mature, contemporary issues than the
other books.’

Alex Ruggiero objects, ‘But the book is so girly.’ Alex is one of six
boys at today’s meeting.

Josh Palumbo concurs: ‘The ‘Rules’ in the book are so stupid. This
must be a humorous or immature book.’

Taylor, also one of the six boys, agrees and disagrees: ‘It took me
days to get through the first four pages, but then shabam! It really
moved.’

Krystal Dee concedes that ‘perhaps the book is more for girls than
for boys.’

I, too, can well imagine how middle school boys might be turned off
by a book that starts with four best girlfriends on a shopping spree.
The book, however, eventually delves into more serious matters such
as divorce and the consequences of sex.

Jessica McDonald says that she ‘can really relate to the character
Carmen.’ Taylor feels the same: ‘I didn’t cry, but I felt sad for
her. She has divorced parents like me.’

Taylor’s assessment of the character named Lena, however, is not so
sympathetic. ‘She was the most boring, and she whined most of the
time.’ But to Taylor, Bridget, the character who is cute and blond,
is another story: ‘I really liked her.’

So did Alex, who admits, ‘I only read the Bridget part of the book.’

Marcincuk looks at the clock and at the table where the cheese puffs,
brownies, cookies, popcorn and soda once stood and knows it’s time to
bring today’s meeting to a close. She and Hughes and Shaver hand out
ballots.

The students make up their minds quickly and stuff their ballots into
the make-shift ballot box.

Before everyone leaves, Marcincuk brings up the idea of continuing
the book group for the rest of the school year. The students are
unanimous in their enthusiasm.

Marcincuk suggests that students bring in books that they
particularly liked. I can hear them suggesting book titles to each
other as they file out.

As I trail out behind them, I reflect on what I’ve just witnessed —
intelligent youngsters engaged in lively yet polite discourse about
books, history, human nature and morality. Though some may have
disagreed with each other, they are willing to listen and even
entertain other points of view. If these children are America’s
future, then I can look forward to it with optimism.

The students who attended the March 24 meeting were Chelsea Ahrens,
Brittany Cain, Leslie Cairns, Brittney Czub, Krystal Dee, KT Dickman,
Stefanie Gentili, Taylor Grant-Knight, Artie Knapp, Kayla Lawrence,
Sarah leBarron, Elizabeth Lincoln, Stacy Machley, Jessica McDonald,
Shannen Menia, Kristina Mirett, Josh Myers, Joshua Palumbo, Chloe
Pecorino, Alex Ruggiero, Mike Venturiello, and Kathy Zink.

Susan Van Raalte’s book club series continues Friday, May 7, on the
cover of the Life section. Thereafter, it will run every other
Friday. If you are in a book club that you would like profiled in
thes series, e-mail Susan Van Raalte at [email protected].