Author: Tadevosian Garnik

Movie News

VH1.com
03-16-2005

By Larry Carroll

Brittany Murphy will be adding the name Luc Besson to her little black
book as the name behind such action classics as “The Professional” and
“La Femme Nikita” plans to produce the star’s upcoming romantic comedy.
Directed by “Truth or Dare” helmer Alek Keshishian, the film is about an
assistant at a U.K. fashion magazine who tries to help her friends find
love, Variety reports. We can only pray that Jean Reno and a really big
gun are somehow involved.

Communist leader scoffs at calls to withdraw Russian troops from Armenia

Arminfo
16 Mar 05

YEREVAN

“Only the [Armenian] politicians registered in the Washington’s
personnel department today can speak about the need to withdraw
Russian troops from Armenia,” the first secretary of the Communist
Party of Armenia, Ruben Tovmasyan, has told an Arminfo
correspondent. He was commenting on frequent statements by some
politicians in the republic about the need of Armenia’s integration
into NATO and the withdrawal of the Russian contingent from Armenia.

Given such a bloodthirsty neighbour as Turkey, the demand for the
withdrawal of the Russian troops means initiating a repetition of 1915
[events in Ottoman Turkey described in Armenia as genocide]. “The
withdrawal of the Russian troops will means an end to Armenia,” the
leader of the Armenian communists stressed. He recalled that there had
been rises and declines in a 300-year-old history of the
Russian-Armenian relations, but at the same time these relations had
never cooled down.

The Western countries’ anti-Armenian position is an incontestable
fact, Tovmasyan said. In particular, none of the US leaders has ever
used the word “genocide” giving an assessment of the sad events in
western Armenia [northeastern Turkey] in the beginning of the last
century [1915].

Meanwhile, new steps have been taken in Russia for the international
recognition of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. For
example, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation this January
helped the Armenian communists to achieve a condemnation of the
genocide by the Union of the Communist Parties. The communist parties
of the former 15 Soviet republics called on their countries’
governments and also the international community to condemn the
Armenian genocide.

Tovmasyan said that the communist parties of foreign countries as well
as the socialist forces which have strong positions in a number of
Latin American and European countries are currently joining the
process of the recognition of the genocide.

Reporter.gr

Greece: OTE’s CEO to meet with Armenian officials

12:10 – 15 March 2005 – OTE’s CEO will meet with the Armenian government
today, in order to discuss the fate of its 90% subsidiary Armentel. OTE has
stated in the past that is planning to exit the Armenian telecom market.

In other news, there is no further progress in the negotiations between OTE
and the Unions regarding the voluntary retirement plan and the changes in
employment status.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
March 11 2005

Treasurer, clerk candidates square off

A heated exchange between treasurer incumbent and challenger
highlights double-dosed night.
By Darleene Barrientos, News-Press and Leader

GLENDALE CITY HALL — Experience and accessibility were the key words
at a forum pitting city treasurer and clerk candidates against one
another Thursday night.

Treasurer Ron Borucki defended himself against questions of openness
and accountability from challenger Phillip Kazanjian in an exchange
early in the forum, which took place at City Council chambers and
was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Glendale and Burbank.

The forum’s format was unusual because of the highly technical skills
each office required, said Chris Carson, president of the league.
Instead of only posing questions submitted to the league, the city
clerk and treasurer from Burbank were invited to pose their own
questions as well.

The portion for the city treasurer was a half-hour, and an hour and
15 minutes was allotted to the clerk candidates.

Borucki in his opening statement lauded his record of six years of
working with the city after a 34-year banking career, beginning with
$283 million in investments and increasing that amount to $550 million.

Kazanjian questioned Borucki’s background, noting that Borucki failed
to provide where he worked during his banking career or give his
educational background.

“Look at the ballot statements,” Kazanjian said. “We want openness
and accountability … he said he’s had a 34-year banking career,
but he failed to say what bank or where.”

Borucki in his closing statement answered Kazanjian by stating that
those interested in the city’s financial statements can visit the
site for monthly information reports.

“I’m proud of my record of keeping the city’s dollars safe,” Borucki
said. “I don’t take chances with the public’s trust.”

Questions for the clerk candidates ranged from what the position’s
responsibilities were regarding absentee ballots to how the Brown
Act affects the city clerk.

“The city clerk’s job is to post meeting agendas for city meetings,”
candidate Steve Ropfogel said. “I would also say they should continue
to be posted on the Web and to people who have opted to receive them.”

Another question posed was how to put the permit process online when
some permits require a fingerprint and signature.

Candidate Lorna Vartanian said it might not be possible to keep
the process entirely online, but it could perhaps be kept partially
electronic.

“I would like to see the license and permit process go online, so you
can track it as it’s going through the process,” Vartanian said. “I
would also like departments to approve them electronically … so
that it may require [a fingerprint] upon approval.”

Several Clark Magnet High School students were assigned to watch the
forum by their political science teacher Nick Doom.

“I thought the treasurer forum was more heated,” 18-year-old Rene
Menjivar said. “I would vote for [Ardy] Kassakhian. He seems straight
with his answers.”

As for treasurer, resident Edwin Croft thought Borucki’s track record
spoke for itself.

“I think anytime you can double your money, you’ve done pretty well,”
Croft said.

ARMROSGASPROM READY TO UNDERTAKE MANAGEMENT OF PART OF
SHARES OF “FACTORY NAIRIT” AGAINST PAY OFF OF DEBT

YEREVAN, MARCH 11. ARMINFO. ArmRosgasprom cjsc is ready to undertake
the management of a part of the shares of “Factory Nairit” cjsc against
pay off of the debts for the used gas, if it results in stable work
of the plant, Chairman of the Bard, General Durector of ArmRosgasprom
cjsc Karen Karapetian stated during the news conference, Friday.

According to him, such a proposal is now being considered at the
enterprise. ArmRosgasprm is interested in the work of Nairit, as it
is the largest gas consumer in the republic. He added that the debt
of Nairit is the most problematic for his enterprise.

As Minister of Energy of the Republic of Armenia Armen Movsisian
informed ARMINF, the shares of the Factory Nairit cjsc will be
transferred to ArmRosgasprom cjsc, Armgasprom cjsc and Yerevan Thermal
Power Plant cjsc, the debt to which total $6 mln, $28 mln and $1.5
mln respectively. The total debt of Factory Nairit to power engineers
totals about $40 mln.

Glendale News Press
Published March 12, 2005
FROM THE MARGINS

A pair doesn’t beat a flush
By PATRICK AZADIAN

FROM THE MARGINS – According to the Bible, after Noah’s Ark landed
on Mount Ararat, humankind was given a second chance to redeem
itself. Just to make sure redemption was not left to chance, different
groups were assigned unique languages from the heavens to discourage
the exchange of destructive ideas.

There was probably some kind of a meeting, where up-and-coming nations
were assigned their respective lingo and handed out the resources
to prosper.

It’s not clear why the Armenians were short-changed in this
meeting. Rumor has it that the Armenian representatives may have been
late. Another version of the story suggests that the representatives
were too timid to ask for their rights. They kept quiet in order to
win the authorities’ affection. By the time they had learned the rules
of the game, most of the special coupons had already been handed out.

The Italians were given the right to rule the West for decades as
Romans, and later, the ability to produce mobster movies without
damaging their image. The Chinese were given the ability to multiply
until they were the most populous nation on Earth and suppress Tibet
without meaningful sanctions from the West. The Greeks, of course,
were to set the foundations of Western civilization and democracy.

Armenians finally asked: “What do we get?”

The answer went something like this: “There isn’t much real estate
left, so we’ll have to squeeze you in a rugged land among hostile
nations. Not only will the land lack natural resources, but it will
also be earthquake-prone. All the coupons for having an expansionist
army have already been handed out, so there will be none of that
nonsense for you guys. Just to give you the heads-up though, there
will be an attempt to annihilate you. The only thing we can do for you
at this time is to give you two of everything.” The representatives
responded: “We’ll take it!”

The deal went as follows: “We can give you two types of Armenian
coffee. Those of you living in the Western provinces will make coffee
without the ‘purpoor’ (foam in Armenian) and the ones from the East
will enjoy it with ‘kaf’ (foam in Persian). In the West you will have
to boil the water first and then add coffee, while the rest of you
will bring the coffee and the water to boil together.

“You’ve tentatively been assigned a majestic mountain, called
Ararat. At some point, we’ll have to take it away from you, but
you can still think it’s yours. It will be a look-but-don’t-touch
situation. There will actually be two Ararats, the small one and
the big one. Just in case you get bored of the name, since we have
a feeling you’re going to call everything from old folks’ homes to
wild-cherry jams ‘Ararat,’ we’ll let you call the mountain ‘Massis’
as well.

“Your language will be its own branch of the Indo-European
languages. You can have two dialects, Eastern and Western. You can
also have two ways to spell words, one originating from Mesrob, the
guy who’ll come up with your alphabet, and the other will be courtesy
of the Soviets, who will try to expedite the spread of literacy and
Leninism when they rule Armenia. “As a bonus to the language deal,
you can have two ways of saying ‘spoon.’ The ones in the East will
call it ‘ktal,’ and the ones West will call it ‘tkal.’

“Unofficially, there will be two Armenias: Western and Eastern. You
can also have two Armenias in yet another sense. One will be like any
other developing nation, with its own set of achievements as well as
problems, including corruption, unfair distribution of wealth and
poverty. The other Armenia will be in the minds of Armenians who
have no desire to live there. This Armenia will be an illusion,
a paradise where no societal ills exist, a utopia where no other
nation has ever been able to achieve.

“You will get two opportunities to become an independent nation in
modern times. One in 1918, which will last two years. The next will
be in 1991. Because of this, you can enjoy two independence days,
one in May, and one in September. This will give you the opportunity
to organize two sets of picnics every year.

“Last, but not least, you’ll have two separate Apostolic church
structures. This will be a legacy of the Cold War, but you will get
attached to it so much, you’ll probably want to keep it forever.

“Finally, you have a choice of having a relatively glamorous
civilization now or later. What do you prefer, ancient glory or
modern splendor?” The Armenians asked: “What are other nations doing?”

The answer was: “The Persians and the Greeks have asked to cash in
on glamour soon. The Americans have passed up the option for later
in history.” Since the Americans were unknown in ancient times,
Armenians decided to follow a familiar example:

“We’ll do what the Greeks are doing. We’ll take glory now, suffer
later.”

* PATRICK AZADIAN works and lives in Glendale, he can be reached
at [email protected]

Realities, not labels, should define response to genocide
By David Bosco

Washington Post
March 11 2005

On Feb. 1, the United Nations issued a finding that sounded like
hopeful news about one of Africa’s worst conflicts.

“U.N. report clears Sudan government of genocide in Darfur,” reported
Agence France-Presse.

“U.N. Panel Sees No Genocide in Darfur,” a St. Petersburg Times
headline on a Reuters wire story said the next day.

“Report on Darfur Says Genocide Did Not Occur,” read another in the
New York Sun.

The headlines said more about the mind-set of the people reading the
report than they did about the long-awaited investigation by the U.N.
commission of inquiry on the conflict in western Sudan. The 176-page
document provided a litany of misery and blamed the government in
Khartoum. But to many readers, it appeared to have let Sudan’s leaders
off the hook by not branding their actions as genocide, as the Bush
administration and U.S. Congress had already done.

It’s not as though the report gave Sudan a seal of approval. It
detailed extensive atrocities authorized by the Sudanese government
and carried out by Janjaweed militias. Its authors concluded that the
government and militias conducted “indiscriminate attacks, including
killing of civilians, torture, enforced disappearances, destruction of
villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced
displacement throughout Darfur.” They added that the government’s
brutal campaign had displaced more than 1.5 million people. But
for many news editors and readers, one conclusion overshadowed all
the rest: There was no genocide in Darfur, after all.

In considering whether and where to intervene, one question has assumed
talismanic significance: Is it genocide? In the words of judges on
the international tribunal for Rwanda, genocide is the “crime of
crimes.” Such a finding has become a signal for the world to act.

But as the Darfur report shows, genocide is an unreliable trigger.
For all its moral power, genocide is both hard to document and linked
to questions of race, ethnicity and religion in a way that excludes
other – similarly heinous – crimes. Intended as a clarion call,
the term itself has become too much of a focal point, muddling the
necessity for action almost as often as clarifying it.

Few issues have been more important in the last decade than reacting
to the bloody civil conflicts that still haunt many parts of the
globe. The film “Hotel Rwanda” hammers audiences with the tale of the
world’s shameful failure to stop the 1994 Rwandan massacres. Looking
to the genocide label to motivate international intervention in
places like Rwanda, however, overlooks two sad truths: Widespread
slaughter can demand intervention even if it falls outside of the
genocide standard. And the world is quite capable of standing by and
watching even when a genocide is acknowledged.

‘A Problem from Hell’

To a remarkable extent, the term genocide was the product of one man’s
work. As Samantha Power recounts in her recent book, “A Problem from
Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,” Raphael Lemkin placed the term
into public discourse and international law through sheer willpower. A
Polish Jew who narrowly escaped the Nazis, Lemkin was instrumental in
drafting and winning support for the 1948 Convention on the Prevention
of Genocide. He wanted a law that captured the unique horror of a
concerted campaign to deny a specific group’s right to exist, and
that is what he got.

In international law, genocide is a crime of specific intent – it
requires that the guilty parties intended to destroy all or part of
an ethnic, racial, national or religious community. Identifying that
intent can be a struggle.

In 1995, Bosnian Serb forces killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the
besieged town of Srebrenica. It was Europe’s worst massacre since
World War II. But when the U.N. tribunal finally got hold of one of
the Bosnian Serb generals who had been at Srebrenica, it found him
guilty only of aiding and abetting genocide – not actually committing
it. “Convictions for genocide,” that court said, “can be entered only
where intent has been unequivocally established.”

If getting inside the mind of the killers is one complication,
identifying and classifying the victims is another. The commission
investigating Darfur immersed itself in the details of local tribal
structures as it tried to puzzle out whether the victims of that
conflict fit under the definition of genocide. “The various tribes
that have been the subject of attacks and killings,” the report
conceded, “do not appear to make up ethnic groups distinct from the
ethnic group to which persons or militias that attack them belong.”
Only after lengthy analysis did the authors conclude that the
victimized population in Darfur was a different tribe and therefore a
“protected group.” But they were still unable to identify the intent
needed to show genocide.

Documenting genocidal intent and determining whether the victims are
part of a protected group eats up time when time is of the essence;
a few weeks of concentrated violence killed more than 800,000 people
in Rwanda. Waiting for the lawyers to decide is perilous, as became
apparent once again when the Sudan commission released its report. To
many observers, it appeared that the U.N. experts were downgrading
the Darfur crisis when it was really struggling – in good lawyerly
fashion – to meet a very high evidentiary burden.

Beyond the ‘G-word’

The intense focus on genocide has allowed a U.N. report that
documents widespread atrocities to serve as moral cover for official
lethargy. The United States has been the leading player in diplomatic
efforts in the Sudan, but has not pushed as aggressively as it
could for sanctions. There is an alternative to this intense focus
on genocide. The category of “crimes against humanity” – first used
to describe the massacres of Armenians after World War I and then
codified at the Nuremberg trials – is simpler and broader but still
morally powerful. It encompasses large-scale efforts to kill, abuse
or displace populations. It avoids messy determinations of whether
the victims fit into the right legal box and whether the killers had
a sufficiently evil mind-set.

Do we really care, after all, whether the victims of atrocities are
members of a distinct tribe or simply political opponents of the
regime? Moving beyond what has by now become a warped diplomatic
parlor game (who will say the G-word first?) would have the added
benefit of shifting the debate from the abstract to the practical.
The word genocide may be too powerful for its own good.

And there are small but concrete steps that the United States could
take to fight the mass killings and crimes in Darfur, without sending
a U.S. combat force. The most critical step would be to bolster the
African Union force there now. For almost a decade, the United States
has sought to strengthen Africa’s ability to tend to its own crises.
That effort – and tens of thousands of lives – are on the line
in Sudan.

The A.U. has promised a force of almost 3,500 troops, but only about
half of them have arrived. Getting those soldiers to Darfur fast may
require airlift capacity that is a U.S. specialty. And the fragile
A.U., which is struggling to bear the costs of the Sudan operation,
needs immediate cash.

The Darfur Accountability Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate last
week, calls for increased aid to the A.U. force, as well as a military
no-fly zone and a tight arms embargo. It’s a start. If the government
in Khartoum gets in the way, the Security Council should impose tough
and targeted sanctions. And if China and Russia get in the way of
the Council, the United States and Europe should act without it. The
United States and Britain (which has gone furthest in discussing a
deployment) should send their own small tripwire force to accompany
the African monitors.

Some of these measures may require a U.S. policy that borders on
unilateralism. But this administration has not shown undue patience
with or deference to the often dysfunctional and amoral U.N. Security
Council – and there’s no reason to start now. Realities, not labels,
should define our response. When the world chooses to immerse itself
in terminology rather than take action, it does today’s very real
victims no good at all.

COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS TO HOLD SIXTY-FIRST SESSION AT PALAIS DES NATIONS
FROM 14 MARCH TO 22 APRIL 2005

The principal human rights organ of the United Nations, the Commission on
Human Rights, will conduct its annual six-week session for 2005 from 14
March to 22 April.

i-Newswire, 2005-03-11 – The Commission, which was created in 1946 and is
made up of 53 Member States, will begin its session at the Palais des
Nations with a three-and-a-half-day ~Shigh-level segment~T featuring speeches
by government officials of elevated rank and by heads of various United
Nations agencies and intergovernmental organizations.

It will then work its way through an agenda covering such topics as the
right of peoples to self-determination; racism and all forms of
discrimination; the question of the violation of human rights around the
world; economic, social and cultural rights; civil and political rights;
issues relating to women, children, migrants, minorities and indigenous
peoples; and the promotion and protection of human rights.

Under various agenda items, the Commission will consider the situation of
human rights in Colombia, the Sudan ( including Darfur ), Iraq, occupied
Palestine, the occupied Syrian Golan, Cuba, the Democratic People~Rs Republic
of Korea, Belarus, Myanmar, Cyprus, Cambodia, Somalia, Burundi, Liberia, the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Haiti,
Nepal and Timor-Leste.

Trends and themes in the field of human rights deemed pressing enough to
warrant the appointment of Special Rapporteurs, Special Representatives,
Independent Experts, or Working Groups also will be reviewed. Reports will
be presented, among other things, on combating defamation of religions; the
effective implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action;
contemporary forms of racism; women~Rs ownership of property and adequate
housing; the effects of structural adjustment policies and foreign debt on
the full enjoyment of human rights; the right to food; cultural rights; the
effects of unilateral coercive measures, poverty, and globalization on human
rights; arbitrary detention; torture; arbitrary executions; freedom of
expression; the independence of the judiciary; trafficking in persons,
especially women and children; and the rights of children, migrants,
internally displaced persons and indigenous peoples.

In addition, as in previous years, the Commission will consider particular
situations of alleged violations of human rights in specific countries in
closed meetings under what is called the ~S1503 procedure~T.

The Commission on Human Rights in January elected Makarim Wibisono of
Indonesia as Chairperson of the sixty-first session. Hernán Escudero
Martínez ( Ecuador ), Mohamed Saleck Ould Mohamed Lemine ( Mauritania ) and
Anatoliy Zlenko ( Ukraine ), were elected as Vice-Chairpersons and Deirdre
Kent ( Canada ) was elected Rapporteur.

Questions to Be Examined

Specific Country Situations Concerning Human Rights

Under its agenda item on the organization of work of the session, the
Commission will remain actively seized with the grave situation in the
occupied Palestinian territory. It will have before it the report of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in
Colombia ( E/CN.4/2005/10 ). It will also have before it the report of the
Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Sudan, Emmanuel Akwei
Addo ( E/CN.4/2005/11 ) who was appointed in July 2004 on a one-year
mandate.

Under its agenda item on the report of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights, the Commission will have before it the reports of the former Acting
High Commissioner for Human Rights, Bertrand Ramcharan, on the situation of
human rights in the Darfur region of Sudan ( E/CN.4/2005/3 ), and on the
present situation of human rights in Iraq ( E/CN.4/2005/4 ).

Under its agenda item on the right of peoples to self-determination, the
Commission will have before it the report of the Secretary-General on the
situation in occupied Palestine ( ECN.4/2005/13 ).

Under its agenda item on the question of the violation of human rights in
the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine, the Commission will have
before it the report of the Secretary-General on the situation of human
rights in the occupied Syrian Golan ( E/CN.4/2005/26 ). It will also have
before it the report of John Dugard, the Special Rapporteur on the violation
of human rights in the occupied Arab territories, including Palestine (
E/CN.4/2005/29 and Add.1 ) and the report of the Secretary-General (
E/CN.4/2005/28 ).

Under its agenda item on the violation of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in any part of the world, the Commission will have before it the
report of the Personal Representative of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Christine Chanet, on the situation of human rights in Cuba(
E/CN.4/2005/33 ). It will also have before it the report of the High
Commissioner on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People~Rs
Republic of Korea ( E/CN.4/2005/32 ) and the report of the Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in that country, Vitit
Muntarbhorn ( E/CN.4/2005/34 ).

Reports by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
Belarus, Adrian Severin ( E/CN.4/2005/35 ); by the Secretary-General on
cooperation with representatives of United Nations human rights bodies (
E/CN.4/2005/31 and Add.1 ); by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro ( E/CN.4/2005/36 ); and by
the Secretary-General on the question of human rights in Cyprus (
E/CN.4/2005/30 ) will also be considered.

Under its 1503 Procedure, the Commission will deal confidentially with
situations of alleged violations of human rights in particular countries.
Following established practice, the Chairperson of the Commission will
announce in a public meeting the countries that have been examined under the
procedure, as well as the countries no longer being dealt with under it.

Under its agenda item on advisory services and technical cooperation in the
field of human rights, the Commission will consider the report of Peter
Leuprecht, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on technical
cooperation and advisory services in Cambodia ( E/CN.4/2005/116 ); the
report of Ghanim Alnajjar, the Independent Expert on assistance to Somalia
in the field of human rights ( E/CN.4/2005/117 ); the report of Akich Okola,
the Independent Expert on advisory services and technical cooperation in
Burundi ( E/CN.4/2005/118 ); the report of Charlotte Abaka, the Independent
Expert on technical cooperation and advisory services in Liberia (
E/CN.4/2005/119 ); the report of Titinga Frederic Pacere, the Independent
Expert on technical cooperation and advisory services in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo ( E/CN.4/2005/120 ); the report of Monica Pinto, the
Independent Expert on technical cooperation and advisory services in Chad (
E/CN.4/2005/121 ); the report of the High Commissioner on assistance to
Sierra Leone in the field of human rights ( E/CN.4/2005/113 ); the report of
Cherif Bassiouni, the Independent Expert on technical cooperation in the
field of human rights in Afghanistan ( E/CN.4/2005/122 ); the report of
Louis Joinet, the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in
Haiti ( E/CN.4/2005/123 ); the progress report of the Office of the High
Commissioner on human rights assistance to Nepal ( E/CN.4/2005/114 ); and
the report of the High Commissioner on technical cooperation and advisory
services in Timor-Leste ( E/CN.4/2005/115 ).

Report of High Commissioner for Human Rights

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it the annual report
of the High Commissioner ( E/CN.4/2005/12 ).

Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and All Forms of Discrimination

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it the report of the
High Commissioner on combating defamation of religions ( E/CN.4/2005/15 )
and the progress report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou
Diene, on the situation of Muslim and Arab peoples in various parts of the
world in the aftermath of the events of 11 September 2001 ( E/CN.4/2005/19
).

Concerning the World Conference against Racism, the Commission will have
before it the progress report of the Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights on the implementation of relevant recommendations of the second
session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective
Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (
E/CN.4/2005/16 ), a note by the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the
possibility of the development of a racial equality index ( E/CN.4/2005/17
), the report of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Effective
Implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (
E/CN.4/2005/20 ), the report of the Working Group of Experts on People of
African Descent ( E/CN.4/2005/21 ), and a note by the Secretariat
transmitting the recommendations adopted by the independent Eminent Experts
on the implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (
E/CN.4/2005/125 ). The Commission will also have before it a note by the
Secretariat transmitting the report of the regional workshop for the Latin
American and Caribbean region, held in Brazil on 1-2 December 2004 (
E/CN.4/2005/22 ).

The Commission will also have before it the reports of the Special
Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination,
xenophobia and related intolerance, Doudou Diene ( E/CN.4/2005/18 and Add.
1-6 ).

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

Under this agenda item, the Commission will consider:

— The report of Okechukwu Ibeanu, the Special Rapporteur on the adverse
effects of the illicit movement of toxic and dangerous products and wastes
on the enjoyment of human rights ( E/CN.4/2005/45 and Add. 1 ); and a note
from the secretariat transmitting the report of the former Special
Rapporteur, Fatma Zohra Ouhachi-Vesely, on her mission to Turkey (
E/CN.4/2005/44 );

— A consolidated document which includes the analytical report of the
Independent Expert on the effects of structural adjustment policies and
foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights, Bernards Andrew Nyamwaya
Mudho, and his report containing preliminary draft general guidelines to be
followed by States and by private and public, national and international
financial institutions in the decision-making and execution of debt
repayments and structural reform programmes ( E/CN.4/2005/42 and Add. 1 );

— The report of Jean Ziegler, the Special Rapporteur on the right to food (
E/CN.4/2005/47 and Add. 1-2 );

— The report of the High Commissioner on the establishing a thematic
procedure to implement the promotion of the enjoyment of the cultural rights
of everyone and respect for different cultural identities ( E/CN.4/2005/40
);

— The reports of Miloon Kothari, the Special Rapporteur on adequate
housing, on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate
standard of living ( E/CN.4/2005/48 and Add. 1-3 ) and on women~Rs equal
ownership to property and adequate housing ( E/CN.4/2005/43 );

— The report of the Secretary-General on human rights and unilateral
coercive measures ( E/CN.4/2005/37 );

— The report of Arjun Sengupta, the Independent Expert on human rights and
extreme poverty ( E/CN.4/2005/49 );

— The comprehensive analytical study of the High Commissioner on
globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of human rights (
E/CN.4/2005/41 );

— The report of Vernor Munoz Villalobos, the Special Rapporteur on the
right to education ( E/CN.4/2005/50 );

— The report of the Secretary-General on access to medication in the
context of pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (
E/CN.4/2005/38 );

— The report of Paul Hunt, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone
to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental
health ( E/CN.4/2005/51 and Add. 1-4 ); and

— The report of the Working Group on options regarding the elaboration of
an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights ( E/CN.4/2005/52 ); and the report of the Secretary-General
( E/CN.4/2005/39 ).

Civil and Political Rights

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it:

— The report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on
human rights and forensic science ( E/CN.4/2005/56 );

— The report of the Office on the conclusions of the expert seminar on the
interdependence between democracy and human rights ( E/CN.4/2005/58 ) and
the report of the Office on the same subject ( E/CN.4/2005/57 );

— The report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on
enhancing the role of regional, sub-regional and other organizations and
arrangements in promoting and consolidating democracy ( E/CN.4/2005/127 );

— The note by the Secretariat ( E/CN.4/2005/67 ) transmitting to the
Commission the final report of the Special Rapporteur on human rights and
terrorism, Kalliopi Koufa, submitted to the fifty-sixth session of the
Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights(
E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/40 );

— The report of the Working Group on arbitrary detention ( E/CN.4/2005/6
and Add.1-4 );

— The report of the former Special Rapporteur on the question of torture,
Theo C. van Boven ( E/CN.4/2005/62 and Add.1-2 ). A study on the policy to
control the trade, production and proliferation of torture technology is
included in that document;

— The report of the Secretary-General on the operations of the United
Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture ( E/CN.4/2005/54 and Add.1 ),
and a note by the Secretariat transmitting the final evaluation report on
the function of the Fund ( E/CN.4/2005/55 );

— The annual report of the Secretary-General on the status of the
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment ( E/CN.4/2005/53 );

— The report of Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary executions ( E/CN.4/2005/7 and Add.1-2 );

— The report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
( E/CN.4/2005/65 and Add.1 );

— The report of the Working Group on a draft legally binding normative
instrument for the protection of all persons from enforced disappearance (
E/CN.4/2005/66 );

— The report of Ambeyi Ligabo, the Special Rapporteur on the right to
freedom of opinion and expression ( E/CN.4/2005/64 and Add.1-5 );

— The report of Leandro Despouy, the Special Rapporteur on the independence
and impartiality of the judiciary, jurors and assessors and the independence
of lawyers ( E/CN.4/2005/60 and Add.1-4 );

— The note of the High Commissioner on the third consultative meeting on
the revised version of the basic principles and guidelines on the right to
reparation for victims of [gross] violations of human rights and
international humanitarian law ( E/CN.4/2005/59 ); and

— The report of Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of
all forms of religious intolerance ( E/CN.4/2005/61 and Add.1 ).

Integration of the Human Rights of Women and a Gender Perspective

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it the updated
report of the Secretary-General on integrating the rights of women into the
human rights mechanisms of the United Nations and the elimination of
violence against women ( E/CN.4/2005/68 ) and the report of the
Secretary-General transmitting the joint work plan of the Division for the
Advancement of Women and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights ( E/CN.4/2005/69 ).

It will also have before it the report of Sigma Huda, the Special Rapporteur
on trafficking in persons, especially women and children ( E/CN.4/2005/71 );
and the report of Yakin Erturk, the Special Rapporteur on violence against
women, its causes and consequences ( E/CN.4/2005/72 and Add.1-5 ).

Rights of the Child

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it the report of
Olara Otunnu, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
children and armed conflict ( E/CN.4/2005/77 ). It will also have before it
the report of the High Commissioner on the abduction of children in Africa (
E/CN.4/2005/74 ). It will also consider the substantive progress report of
the Secretary-General on the study on violence against children (
E/CN.4/2005/75 ) and the report of Juan Miguel Petit, the Special Rapporteur
on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (
E/CN.4/2005/78 and Add.1-3 ).

Specific Groups and Individuals

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it the report of
Gabriela Rodríguez Pizarro, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of
migrants ( E/CN.4/2005/85 and Add.1-4 ). It will consider the report of the
High Commissioner on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic,
religious and linguistic minorities ( E/CN.4/2005/81 ). It will also
consider the analytical report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on
human rights and mass exoduses ( E/CN.4/2005/80 and Add.1 ); the note by the
Secretary-General transmitting the mission report to Darfur, Sudan, by the
former Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced
persons, Francis Deng ( E/CN.4/2005/8 ), and the annual report of
Representative of the Secretary-General on the human rights of internally
displaced persons, Walter Kalin ( E/CN.4/2005/84 and Add.1 ); the report of
the Secretary-General on the United Nations Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms
of Slavery ( E/CN.4/2005/86 and Corr.1 and Add.1 ); the report of the
Secretary-General on the protection of human rights in the context of human
immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( AIDS
) ( E/CN.4/2005/79 ); and the report of the Office of the High Commissioner
on the human rights of persons with disabilities ( E/CN.4/2005/82 ).

Indigenous Issues

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it the report of the
High Commissioner in her capacity as Coordinator of the International Decade
of the World~Rs Indigenous People 1994-2004 ( E/CN.4/2005/87 ); the report of
the Working Group of the Commission on Human Rights to elaborate a draft
declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with paragraph
5 of General Assembly resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994 ( E/CN.4/2005/89
and Add.1 ); and the report of Rodolfo Stavenhagen, the Special Rapporteur
on human rights and indigenous issues ( E/CN.4/2005/88 and Add.1-4 ).

Promotion and Protection of Human Rights

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it, among other
reports, the quinquennial report of the Secretary-General on capital
punishment ( E/CN.4/2005/94 ); the report of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights on the role of good governance in the promotion of human rights (
E/CN.4/2005/97 ); the report of Diane Orentlicher, the Independent Expert
assigned to update the Set of Principles for the protection and promotion of
human rights through action to combat impunity ( E/CN.4/2005/102 and Add.1
); the report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the protection of
human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism (
E/CN.4/2005/100 ); and the report of Robert Goldman, the Independent Expert
on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering
terrorism ( E/CN.4/2005/103 ).

The Commission will also consider the report of Hina Jilani, the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights
defenders ( E/CN.4/2005/101 and Add.1-3 ); the report of the
Secretary-General on development of public information activities in the
field of human rights, including the World Public Information Campaign on
Human Rights ( E/CN.4/2005/92 ); the report of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights on progress made towards the implementation of a world
programme for human rights education to begin on 1 January 2005 (
E/CN.4/2005/98 ); and the report of the Office of the High Commissioner
containing a compilation of the essential aspects of the replies received on
the pre-draft declaration on human social responsibilities ( E/CN.4/2005/99
).

Effective Functioning of Human Rights Mechanisms

Under this agenda item, the Commission will have before it, among other
reports, the report of the Secretary-General on regional arrangements for
the promotion and protection of human rights ( E/CN.4/2005/104 ); the report
of the Secretary-General on national institutions for the promotion and
protection of human rights ( E/CN.4/2005/106 ) and the report of the
Secretary-General on ways and means to enhance participation of national
institutions in the work of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies (
E/CN.4/2005/107 ); and the report of the High Commissioner on the
composition of the staff of the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights ( E/CN.4/2005/109 ).

Other Issues

Under its agenda item on the right of peoples to self-determination, the
Commission will have before it the report of Shaista Shameem, the Special
Rapporteur on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights
and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination (
E/CN.4/2005/14 ). It will also have before it the report of the third
meeting of experts on traditional and new forms of mercenary activities as a
means of impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination
( E/CN.4/2005/23 ).

Under its agenda item on the right to development, the Commission will have
before it the report of the High Commissioner on the right to development (
E/CN.4/2005/24 ) and the report of the Working Group on the right to
development ( E/CN.4/2005/25 ).

Under its agenda item on the work of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and
Protection of Human Rights, the Commission will consider the report of the
Sub-Commission on its fifty-sixth session (
E/CN.4/2005/2-E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/48 ) and the report of the Chairperson of
the fifty-sixth session of the Sub-Commission ( E/CN.4/2005/90 ). It will
also have before it the report of the Office of the High Commissioner on the
responsibilities of transnational corporations and related business
enterprises with regard to human rights ( E/CN.4/2005/91 ).

Under its agenda item on advisory services and technical cooperation in the
field of human rights, the Commission will consider the report of the
Secretary-General ( E/CN.4/2005/110 ) on the Board of Trustees of the United
Nations Voluntary Fund for Technical Cooperation in the Field of Human
Rights.

Composition of the Commission

The composition of the Commission for 2005 is the following. The term of
membership of each State expires on 31 December of the year indicated in
brackets:

Argentina ( 2005 ), Armenia ( 2007 ), Australia ( 2005 ), Bhutan ( 2006 ),
Brazil ( 2005 ), Burkina Faso ( 2005 ), Canada ( 2007 ), China ( 2005 ),
Congo ( 2006 ), Costa Rica ( 2006 ), Cuba ( 2006 ), Dominican Republic (
2006 ), Ecuador ( 2007 ), Egypt ( 2006 ), Eritrea ( 2006 ), Ethiopia ( 2006
), Finland ( 2007 ), France ( 2007 ), Gabon ( 2005 ), Germany ( 2005 ),
Guatemala ( 2006 ), Guinea ( 2007 ), Honduras ( 2006 ), Hungary ( 2006 ),
India ( 2006 ), Indonesia ( 2006 ), Ireland ( 2005 ), Italy ( 2006 ), Japan
( 2005 ), Kenya ( 2007 ), Malaysia ( 2007 ), Mauritania ( 2006 ), Mexico (
2007 ), Nepal ( 2006 ), Netherlands ( 2006 ), Nigeria ( 2006 ), Pakistan (
2007 ), Paraguay ( 2005 ), Peru ( 2006 ), Qatar ( 2006 ), Republic of Korea
( 2007 ), Romania ( 2007 ), Russian Federation ( 2006 ), Saudi Arabia ( 2006
), South Africa ( 2006 ), Sri Lanka ( 2005 ), Sudan ( 2007 ), Swaziland (
2005 ), Togo ( 2007 ), Ukraine ( 2005 ), United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland ( 2006 ), United States of America ( 2005 ), Zimbabwe (
2005 ).

ANNEX

List of thematic and country-specific procedures and other mechanisms of the
commission on human rights:

Country-specific procedures

Belarus
Mr. Adrian Severin
( Romania )
Special Rapporteur

Cuba
Ms. Christine Chanet
( France )
Personal Representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Democratic People~Rs Republic of Korea
Mr. Vitit Muntarbhorn
( Thailand )
Special Rapporteur

Myanmar
Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro
( Brazil )
Special Rapporteur

Palestinian territories occupied since 1967
Mr. John Dugard
( South Africa )
Special Rapporteur

Sudan
Mr. Emmanuel Akwei Addo
( Ghana )
Independent expert

Thematic procedures

Adequate housing
Mr. Miloon Kothari
( India )
Special Rapporteur

Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance
Mr. Doudou Diène
( Senegal )
Special Rapporteur

Education
Mr. Vernor Muñoz Villalobos
( Costa Rica )
Special Rapporteur

Extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
Mr. Philip Alston
( Australia )
Special Rapporteur

Extreme poverty
Mr. Arjun Sengupta
( India )
Independent expert

Freedom of opinion and expression
Mr. Ambeyi Ligabo
( Kenya )
Special Rapporteur

Freedom of religion or belief
Ms. Asma Jahangir
( Pakistan )
Special Rapporteur

Highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
Mr. Paul Hunt
( New Zealand )
Special Rapporteur

Human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people
Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen
( Mexico )
Special Rapporteur

Human rights defenders
Ms. Hina Jilani
( Pakistan )
Special Representative of the Secretary-General

Human rights of internally displaced persons
Mr. Walter Kälin
( Switzerland )
Representative of the Secretary-General

Human rights of migrants
Ms. Gabriela Rodríguez Pizarro
( Costa Rica )
Special Rapporteur

Illicit movement and dumping of toxic waste
Mr. Okechukwu Ibeanu
( Nigeria )
Special Rapporteur

Impunity
Ms. Diane Orentlicher
( United States of America )
Independent expert appointed by the Secretary-General

Independence of judges

and lawyers
Mr. Leandro Despouy
( Argentina )
Special Rapporteur

Mercenaries
Ms. Shaista Shameem
( Fiji )
Special Rapporteur

Protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering
terrorism
Mr. Robert K. Goldman
( United States of America )
Independent expert

Right to food
Mr. Jean Ziegler
( Switzerland )
Special Rapporteur

Sale of children, child

prostitution and child pornography
Mr. Juan Miguel Petit
( Uruguay )
Special Rapporteur

Structural adjustment policies

and foreign debt
Mr. Bernards Andrew Nyamwaya Mudho
( Kenya )
Independent expert

Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Mr. Manfred Nowak
( Austria )
Special Rapporteur

Trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
Ms. Sigma Huda
( Bangladesh )
Special Rapporteur

Violence against women, its causes and consequences
Ms. Yakin Ertürk
( Turkey )
Special Rapporteur

Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
Ms. Leila Zerrougui
( Algeria )
Current Chairperson

Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
Mr. Stephen J. Toope
( Canada )
Current Chairperson

Working Group on People of African Descent
Mr. Peter Lesa Kasanda
( Zambia )
Current Chairperson

Technical cooperation programmes

Afghanistan
Mr. Cherif Bassiouni
( Egypt )
Independent expert appointed by the Secretary-General

Burundi
Mr. Akich Okola
( Kenya )
Independent expert

Cambodia
Mr. Peter Leuprecht
( Austria )
Special Representative of the Secretary-General

Chad
Ms. Mónica Pinto
( Argentina )
Independent expert

Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mr. Titinga Frédéric Pacéré
( Burkina Faso )
Independent expert

Haiti
Mr. Louis Joinet
( France )
Independent expert appointed by the Secretary-General

Liberia
Ms. Charlotte Abaka
( Ghana )
Independent expert

Somalia
Mr. Ghanim Alnajjar
( Kuwait )
Independent expert appointed by the Secretary-General

1503 procedure

Uzbekistan
Mr. Latif Huseynov
( Azerbaijan )
Independent expert

If you have questions regarding information in these press release contact
the company listed below. Please do not contact us as we are unable to
assist you with your inquiry. We disclaim any content contained in this
press release.

–Boundary_(ID_oMQwKGldogAuQx7IjepOLA)–

ANTI-IRANIAN ATTACKS TO HINDER IMPORTING MIDDLE EAST OIL

Azg/arm
8 March 05

If the American forces attack Iran, the import of the Middle East oil
from all the Persian Gulf countries will suffer. Mohsen Rezay, Iranian
high-ranking official, presidential candidate, made such statement.

He reminded that the 40% of the international import of oil is carried
out through the Persian Gulf. The gulf is being controlled by the
Iranian Armed forces from one side. Besides, Tehran can surround the
gulf with its rockets.

The World Tribune newspaper cites Mohsen Rezanâ~@~Ys statement saying
that in case the West unfolds a war against Iran the price per 1
barrel of oil will amount to $70, meanwhile, it is $53-55, at present.

The observers think that such a statement is the response of the
Iranian authorities to the steps made by the US and Israel that are
openly preparing to begin air attacks of the Iranian nuclear objects.

Besides, on March 3, the International Atomic Energy Agency accused
Iran of hiding nuclear fuel and other components of mass destruction
weapon in the undergrounds.

The new report on Iranâ~@~Ysâ~@~Y nuclear program made by the
International Atomic Energy Agency includes information about the
underground plant in Isfahan that is believed to protect the nuclear
materials from the attacks of the air forces. RIA agency informed that
the underground stretches for several hundred meters and is made of
concrete and other special materials.

By Petros Keshishian

–Boundary_(ID_mptmhn6ZTGaF/97cPIZrbg)–

Bllomberg.com

Europe

EU’s Rehn Says Turks Must Implement EU-Sought Changes (Update1)

March 7 (Bloomberg) — Turkey must keep implementing measures needed to join
the European Union as it prepares for membership talks in October, EU
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said.

Turkey should continue to strengthen minority and women’s rights in all
areas of the country, including the mainly Kurdish southeast, Rehn told
reporters in Ankara late yesterday, after meeting Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul.

“It’s very important that the momentum of the reforms is kept up, that
Turkey keeps up the momentum of the legal, political and also increasingly
the economic reforms, especially as regards the implementation of these
reforms,” Rehn said.

Turkey says the membership talks with the EU will help it reduce the cost of
servicing its $250 billion debt and attract foreign investment. Hansjoerg
Kretschmer, the head of the European Commission in Turkey, last week said
Turkey’s implementation of EU- backed laws had slowed since it won a date to
start membership talks with the EU three months ago.

The EU will run the so-called “screening process” for membership parallel
with accession negotiations when talks with Turkey begin in October, Rehn
said. Turkey before then should maintain zero tolerance for torture and
respect freedom of expression and the rights of non-Muslims, he said.

The U.S. and Britain says the EU must embrace a country that’s both Muslim
and democratic to help win the war on terror and encourage democracy in the
Middle East. Turkey, which became a candidate for membership of the EU in
1999, borders countries including Iraq, Iran, Syria and Armenia. It’s the
only member of the North Atlantic treaty Organization that’s 99 percent
Muslim.

Government Denial

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied that his government has
slowed the pace of legislative change aimed at meeting EU and International
Monetary Fund criteria, the daily Sabah said, citing comments made by
Erdogan in Ankara yesterday.

The European Union aims to publish a framework for the negotiations with
Turkey by the end of June, Rehn said. The document outlines the political
and economic steps the nation must take before it can join the 25-nation EU.

“The work will have to go on, the reforms have to be consolidated and
continued,” he said. “This means that we will continue monitoring and we
will support the reform work done by Turkey to make the rule of law apply in
all walks of life, in all areas of Turkey. This is a process, not a
one-stop.”

EU Talks

Rehn, Gul and Jean Asselborn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, which
currently holds the EU presidency, are meeting in Ankara today for talks on
Turkey’s candidacy. They are due to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. local
time.

“The government has perhaps been too busy with other domestic and political
issues,” said Volkan Kurt, an economist at Finans Yatirim Securities in
Istanbul. “The problem of course has been on the implementation side. The
government needs more time for implementation of the reforms.”

Turkey’s government says it displays “zero tolerance” toward torture in
the nation’s police stations and jails. The government must do more to
implement that policy, particularly in the mainly-Kurdish southeast of the
country, Yusuf Alatas, head of the Human Rights Association, said in an
interview on March 3.

The government must tackle problems with freedom of expression that have
resulted in several court cases against the media in the past year, the EU’s
Kretschmer said last week.

Turkey can’t join the EU because its culture and history isn’t sufficiently
European, say some EU politicians including Nicolas Sarkozy, leader of
French President Jacques Chirac’s Union for a Popular Movement Party. Chirac
last year said the talks may take 15 years to complete.

By 2025, Turkey would swallow up EU farm and regional subsidies equal to
about 0.17 percent of annual European economic output, or about $20 billion
in today’s terms, the European Commission said in a report published in
October. France, the biggest beneficiary of the EU’s $47 billion budget for
agriculture, gets $9 billion in farm aid.

The EU’s political leaders agreed at a summit on Dec. 17 to start the
negotiations with Turkey after the government curbed the political influence
of the military and improved cultural and language rights for the nation’s
12 million Kurds.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Mark Bentley in Ankara at [email protected].

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Catherine Hickley in Berlin at [email protected].
Last Updated: March 7, 2005 04:20 EST