Author: Navasardian Karapet

ANALYSTS SAY IRAN WILL TOP AGENDA FOR AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT’S U.S. TRIP
Aida Sultanova

AP Worldstream
Apr 24, 2006

As the starting point for a pipeline that will pump 1 million barrels
of oil a day to Western markets, the former Soviet republic Azerbaijan
has long ranked as a strategic foothold for the United States in the
Caspian Sea region.

But it’s the shared border with Iran, where up to 30 million ethnic
Azeris live, that has earned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev an
invitation to the White House this week, analysts say. Aliev leaves
Tuesday for a three-day visit on the invitation of President George
W. Bush.

“The Iranian problem will doubtless form the background to this
visit,” said Ilqar Mammadov, an independent analyst. “The United
States probably wants to get some clear position from Azerbaijan on
this question, so that bearing this position in mind it can build
its further strategic plans.”

Azerbaijan has sought to balance its aspirations for closer cooperation
with the United States with its former imperial master Russia and
its volatile neighbor Iran. Now the nation of 7.9 million faces the
question of whether it should attempt a role as mediator _ and what it
could respond to any request by Bush to join a coalition to pressure
Tehran to abandon its alleged nuclear arms program.

On a visit to the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, last week, Iranian
Defense Minister Mustafa Mohammad Najjar suggested Aliev could use his
Washington visit to “explain to the Americans, so that they correctly
understand a series of questions” concerning Iran. And Washington,
which cut virtually all relations with Iran 27 years ago, could send
a message to the Iranians through Aliev, should he choose to deliver
it next week when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to
visit Baku for a regional economic conference.

But the more likely scenario is for U.S. officials to ask for support
from Azerbaijan.

“For America, it is important to announce that a Muslim country
is also taking part in the anti-Iranian coalition,” said analyst
Zardushta Alizade. “This is the role being prepared for …

Azerbaijan, although it doesn’t answer the interests of the Azerbaijani
people since the proximity with Iran makes any willingness to cooperate
with the United States on this question very dangerous.”

For Aliev, the top item on his Washington agenda will be the
grinding, 18-year-old conflict with Armenia over the enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh. At least 30,000 people were killed and 1 million made
refugees during six years of war that ended with a shaky cease-fire
in 1994. Ethnic Armenian forces occupy the enclave inside Azerbaijan.

The United States, together with Russia and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, is trying to mediate a resolution.

“We not only expect but demand that the United States … exert
pressure on Armenia,” said Ali Hasanov, a senior aide to Aliev.

Opposition leaders said they considered it unrealistic for Aliev to
expect any progress on Nagorno-Karabakh from his Washington visit.

And they complained that by hosting Aliev, the White House was turning
a blind eye to his government’s democratic shortcomings, including last
fall’s parliamentary elections that foreign observers said did not meet
international standards. The country’s weak opposition was shrunk by
arrests and many campaign rallies were broken up with police beatings.

There has been “no development in the area of democratization” since
those elections, much less the allegedly fraudulent 2003 election that
cemented Aliev’s hold on power following the death of his strong man
father, Geidar Aliev, said Ali Kerimli, the leader of the opposition
Popular Front of Azerbaijan. “So for us, this visit is as unexpected
as it is strange.”

Even before the Iranian crisis heated up, U.S. criticism of Aliev’s
domestic policies was muted, due in large part to Baku’s role in
supplying the West with Caspian Sea oil through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline. The first shipments are due this June, and in the fall the
new Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will provide a new source of
energy for the Turkish market.

In addition to Bush, Aliev is scheduled to meet with Vice President
Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Energy Secretary
Samuel Bodman and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.

Thousands celebrate Orthodox Easter “holy fire” ceremony in
Jerusalem’s Old City

AP Worldstream; Apr 22, 2006
LAURA RESNICK

A flame, believed by some faithful to be miraculously ignited,
illuminated thousands of worshippers’ torches and candles at
Christianity’s holiest site on Saturday, as tense hours of waiting
and shoving culminated in the celebration of the Orthodox Easter
“holy fire” rite.

With pilgrims from all over the world attending the ceremony, security
was extremely tight in and around the Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
where tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried.

Tempers flared as thousands of worshippers waited to pass through
security barricades into Jerusalem’s Old City, with priests and
pilgrims shoving and punching police. Inside the church, people
scuffled with each other and with officers as they waited for the
ceremony to begin.

Believers see the passage of the flame among worshippers as connecting
many of the 200 million Orthodox Christians worldwide to their
spiritual roots.

The ritual dates back at least 1,200 years. The precise details of
the flame’s source are a closely guarded secret, but some believe it
appears spontaneously from the burial area, as a message from Jesus on
the eve of the Orthodox Easter that he has not forgotten his followers.

The strains of the long wait on Saturday receded as the Greek
and Armenian Orthodox patriarchs in the Holy Land descended into
the church’s underground tomb to bring out the flame. Worshippers
clutching bundles of unlit tapers and torches waited in the darkened
church for the church leaders to emerge.

When the church leaders reappeared with lighted torches, church bells
pealed. Worshippers cheered, shrieked “Christ, Christ,” and ululated.
The flames were then passed around to the thousands of faithful
who packed that area of the church. Light _ and smoke _ filled the
cavernous church within seconds.

Jeanette Gennetian, 66, of Watertown, Massachusetts, said the
experience brought her greater religious strength.

“My connection to Jesus is stronger, my connection to Jerusalem is
stronger now,” said Gennetian, a member of the Armenian Apostalic
church.

Police, she said, knocked down her 68-year-old husband, Sarkis
Gennetian, a church deacon.

“I’m very disappointed with the whole Israeli setup,” he said. “This
is not the spirit of Christianity.”

Religious observations historically have touched off clashes among
the different Orthodox denominations, who have argued over protocol.
Just a day earlier, screaming Coptic priests threw punches over
where and how long different sects would stand during the Good
Friday service.

The sectarianism was also in evidence Saturday as groups of people
shouted, “Armenia, Armenia” in Armenian, and “Greece, Greece”
in English.

The holy fire ceremony took place without incident despite talk that
the ousted Greek Orthodox patriarch of the Holy Land, Irineos I,
might put in an appearance.

An attempt by Irineos to directly challenge the authority of his
successor, Theofilos III, at the flame ceremony would have almost
irreparably ruptured the already splintered Greek Orthodox church in
the Holy Land.

Church officials deposed Irineos last year over accusations he leased
prime church properties in east Jerusalem to Jews seeking to bolster
Israel’s claim to that largely Arab section of the city. Irineos
has refused to recognize his dismissal and still commands a band
of loyalists.

Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state,
and the church’s mostly Palestinian flock in the Holy Land denounced
the leases as weakening the Arab presence in the disputed city.

Israeli security was heightened last year because of showdowns over
the land deal. This year, police said the heavy security was standard
practice at large public events.

Dimitri Diliani, who leads a coalition of Palestinian Christians,
said Israeli police blocked Palestinian Christians from entering the
Old City, allowing only foreign worshippers in.

“We’re not going home,” he vowed.

Orthodox churches use a different calendar from Roman Catholics and
Protestants, who celebrated Easter last week.

Nouvelles St-Laurent, Canada
April 21 2006

Filmmaker to discuss documentary

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Andrew Goldberg will be the guest
speaker at the Armenian General Benevolant Union of Montreal’s 7th
annual distinguished speaker series on April 29, at 7 pm at 805
Manoogian Street, in the Jirair and Dervishian hall of the AGBU
centre. There will also be a screening of the film. Admission is
free. Information: 748-2428 or visit

1.3 THOUSAND UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE GOT JOB IN ARMENIA STARTING EARLY THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The average number of economically
active inhabitation of Armenia made 1163.1 thousand people in
January-February, 92.4% or 1074.3 thousand of who were engaged in
economy. 88.8 thousand people having no job have been registered in
the “RA Employment Service” of the RA Ministry of Labour and Social
Issues and got status of unemployed people. According to data of the
RA National Statistical Service, as of late February, 92.5% or 107
thousand of the 115.7 thousand people searching a job registered in
the agency were unemployed people 83.6% or 89.4 thousand people of who
got status of unemployed people. Women made 70.8% of the registered
unemployed people. This index increased by 0.5% compared with the same
period of time of the last year. 1.3 thousand people got job starting
from early this year. Women make 59.2% of them.

Today, Azerbaijan
April 20 2006

Adil Ismayilov dissatisfied with Hungarian lawyer for Ramil Safarov

20 April 2006 [10:35] – Today.Az

“I do not want to leave for Hungary with my current responsibilities
next time. They demand much from me but I do not have a right as a
lawyer. I only represent Ramil Safarov’s family in Hungary,” legal
representative of Azerbaijani army officer Ramil Safarov’s family,
lawyer Adil Ismayilov said.

The lawyer told APA that one person should be charged with the case
on Safarov, and that person should have wide responsibilities.

Ismayilov also said that it is not enough attending only trials in
Hungary. Some issues are needed to be done before the trial. And all
these can be done by a responsible person.

Adil Ismayilov expressed his dissatisfaction with the speech
delivered by the Hungarian lawyer for Ramil Safarov in the trial. He
said there are enough professional lawyers in Azerbaijan who can
defend Ramil’s rights.

Spokesman of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Ilgar Verdiyev told APA
that Hungarian laws do not let an Azerbaijani lawyer defend Safarov’s
rights. Safarov’s father Sahib Safarov told APA that it is early to
say whether Adil Ismayilov will be charged with additional
responsibilities. He said the issue will be cleared after meeting and
discussing it with Ismayilov.

The Budapest court has recently jailed Azerbaijani army officer Ramil
Safarov to life in prison for murdering Armenian army officer Gurgen
Markarian in Hungary.

URL:

AZERI LAW ENFORCERS THWART SMUGGLE OF ARMENIAN GOODS

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 19 2006

Baku, April 18, AssA-Irada
Azeri law enforcers have prevented an attempt to smuggle Armenian-made
food containing harmful substances from its northern neighbor Russia,
officials have said.

Investigators say that an individual named Rovshan Hajiyev was planning
to deliver the consignment from the Russian Vladimir province to the
Baku-based Kutas Limited Liability Company, according to the Samur
border checkpoint.

The same source said that substances harmful for the human body were
found in the goods, which mostly included breadcrumbs.

“THE NKR ARMY IS THE MOST EFFICIENT IN THE REGION”, SEYRAN OHANYAN CLAIMS

A1+
[01:13 pm] 19 April, 2006

“To our delight the NKR army can defend the borders of the country
without any foreign help. Our army solves that problem not only thanks
to the number but also thanks to their spirit. The army solves all its
problems with the immediate participation of the people”, announced
Seyran Ohanyan, commander of the NKR Defense Army during the meeting
with journalists.

These days in NKR the 2006 military trainings of the Defense Army are
going on with the participation of the armed forces. The Commander
said he considered it his duty to make a report about the NKR army
for Armenia.

“This year too, like the previous year the alertness of the army
departments is at the center of our attention. If the heads of the
structures are competent and have organizational and pedagogical
skill, it will be easier to develop the structure”, Commander Seyran
Ohanyan said.

According to the Minister, there are three preconditions for having a
professional soldier: the knowledge, the beliefs and the customs of
the soldiers. Mr. Ohanyan found the social problems of the soldiers
extremely important. “We try to secure the officers and soldiers who
have devoted their life to the army with houses.”

The commanders of the RA Armed forces with RA Defense Minister Serge
Sargsyan at the head are also present at the military training.

BAKU APPRECIATES G8’S ATTENTION TO THE NK CONFLICT

Today, Azerbaijan
April 19 2006

Azerbaijan highly appreciates the G8’s attention to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.

The fact that the conflict issue might be raised at the meeting,
may have a huge political influence on the resolution of conflict,
the Deputy Foreign Minister, Araz Azimov told, commenting the fact
that the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict might be included on the G8
meeting agenda, that is due to take place in Saint-Petersburg.

Besides, from the economic point of view the G8’s assistance in the
infrastructure reconstruction on the occupied territories may prove
vital, the Deputy FM said.

However, if the Armenian leadership won’t show any comprehension,
the G8 just as any other structure would barely be able to affect
the outcome, Mr. Azimov concluded, as Trend reports.

URL:

YEREVAN CHILDREN LIBRARY TO HOST EXHIBITION OF RUSSIAN BOOKS

Armenpress
Apr 17 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS: The biggest Khnko Aper children
library in Yerevan will host in late May an exhibition of children
books published in Russia in the last five years. The display will
have around 400 pieces of books.

The library director, Ruzan Tonoyan, said the exhibition is part of
the Armenian Year in Russia. She said Russian ministry of culture and
the embassies of both countries will help to hold the event, following
which the books will remain in Armenia and will be distributed to
children libraries and schools as gift of Russia.

A return exhibition of Armenian children books will be held in Moscow
in late September and early October.

She said some 300 books will be shown in Russia. She said the Armenian
urban ministry has promised to release funds for a major repair of
the library building in 2007-2009.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Safarov’s Defenders Going to Appeal to European Court of Human Rights

14.04.2006 22:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `In case the Hungarian supreme court
instances do not reconsider Ramil Safarov’s verdict an
appeal will be sent to the European Court of Human
Rights,’ Safarov family lawyer Adil Ismaylov informed.
He remarked that the court passed `unfair’ verdict to
the officer of the Azerbaijani armed forces. `The
Hungarian lawyers said they will appeal the verdict.
In case the Hungarian Court of Appeals upholds the
verdict, the decision will be appealed in the Supreme
Court. Then, in case of failure, an appeal will be
sent to the European Court of Human Rights,’ Ismaylov
said, reported Trend news agency.