Author: Tashjian Arbi

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
July 8 2005

FOREIGN MINISTER OF AZERBAIJAN RECEIVES HEAD OF IRCC AZERBAIJAN
REPRESENTATION
[July 08, 2005, 21:01:53]

Foreign minister of Azerbaijan Republic Elmar Mammadyarov on 8 July
received head of the International Red Cross Committee (IRCC)
Azerbaijan Representation Ms. Mary Wernz.

Greeting the guest, the Minister had comprehensive exchange of views
on activities of IRCC in Azerbaijan. Discussed were questions
connected to POWs and the missing, situation in the places of
confinement, the work carried out with numerous governmental bodies.

Minister Mammadyarov noted that positive solution of such questions
would strengthen trust in the Republic carrying out peace
negotiations. Azerbaijan adheres principles of the International
Humanitarian Law, which constantly have been violated by Armenia, and
which also found reflection in the report of OSCE fact-finding
mission.

Finally, Minister Mammadyarov wished success to activity of the
Committee in Azerbaijan, stating that the Ministry stands ready for
close cooperation in any quesiton.

ARKA News Agency
July 6 2005

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES GOVERNMENT’S 2004 STATE BUDGET REPORT

YEREVAN, July 6. /ARKA/. Armenian Parliament approved Wednesday the
Government’s 2004 state budget report. Armenian Deputy Finance and
Economy Minister Atom Janjughazyan, who presented the report, said
GDP nominal index was AMD 1trillion 893bn. In his words, 2-percent
inflation was recorded in the republic instead of planned 3%.
Monetary base rose 11.4%, compared with early 2005, reaching
AMD132.05bn. The budget part related to income was exceeded planned
figure by 2.4%, Janjughazyan said. In his words, actual feasibility
of income made AMD 302.2bn instead of specified indices equal to AMD
295.1bn. Janjughazyan noted that AMD 288.5bn made the budget’s own
income while AMD 13.7bn official transfers from outside sources and
AMD 6.1bn came from the income not included in program indices.
Taking into account this fact the income part of the budget was
recorded at 100.4%. The Deputy Minister also said the budget expenses
totalled 96.4% or AMD 334bn. He pointed out that AMD12.6-bn gap is
due to incomplete fulfilment of credit and grant programs funded from
the outside. Feasibility of such a kind of programs made 76% (39.5bn
against AMD 51.7bn).
According to Janjughazyan, the budget deficit financing for the
mentioned period totalled AMD 31.7bn instead of planned AMD 51.4bn
(61.7%). ($1-AMD 440.76). M.V. -0–

CATHOLICOS OF GREAT HOUSE OF CILICIA AND PRESIDENT OF LEBANON DISCUSS
POSSIBILITIES OF INCREASING ROLE OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

ANTELIAS, JULY 4, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. A long meeting took
place between Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia and
Emil Lahud, the President of the Republic of Lebanon, on June 30. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the Press Service of the Patriarchy of the
Great House of Cilicia, issues concerning the current state of
Lebanon, formation of the new government and possibilities of
increasing the role of the Armenian community were discussed at the
meeting.

PRESS RELEASE
Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
Contact: V.Rev.Fr. Krikor Chiftjian, Communications Officer
Tel: (04) 410001, 410003
Fax: (04) 419724
E- mail: [email protected]
Web:

PO Box 70 317
Antelias-Lebanon

Armenian version:

TWO NEW BOOKS ABOUT THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ARE REPRESENTED DURING A CULTURAL EVENT

Two publications about the Armenian Genocide were presented to the public
during the cultural hour held at the Catholicosate of Cilicia on June 23.
The two books, one of them a new version of the 1915 publication of “Armenia
Hayatert” and the other a new publication entitled “Genocide and Survival”
were presented as “witnesses” of the first Genocide of the 20th century.

Members of the Cilician Brotherhood, representatives of the sister
denominations, MP Hagop Pakradouni and intellectuals attended the cultural
hour, held under the patronage of His Holiness Aram I and presided by him.

Rev. Anania Koujanian delivered the opening remarks, considering the event
as an opportunity to pay respects to the memory of the Genocide’s victims
through culture.

Mr. Jirayr Tanielian presented the first publication, “Armenia Hayatert”,
which is the new version of the original book published in Bulgaria in 1915.
The numerous references in the book to the day-to-day events of the Armenian
Genocide made it worthy of republication as an important source shedding
light on the details of this crime against humanity.

Tanielian talked about the revelation of “Armenia” in the personal
collection of prominent editor Garo Kevorkian, its contents and its
signatory writers. He said some of these writers had to use fake names in
their by-lines, because they produced accounts of the Armenian Genocide.

Tanielian highlighted the names of Shavarsh Miskaian, Gosdan Zarian and
Lepsius, “who passed through Sofia on his way from Germany to Istanbul and
wrote a significant part of his two publications relating to the Armenian
Genocide in Armenia’s editing house.”

“This is a memorial standing in the memory of the innocent victims and
reading it will be an opportunity to talk about some of them,” said
Tanielian.

In the introduction of the newspaper’s newly published version, His Holiness
Aram I writes: “This paper is a rich source about the Armenian Genocide, a
periodical about events, incidents and people related the Genocide. Its
editorials present an accurate account about the first Genocide of the 20th
century, with all its faces, circumstances and consequences.”

Mr. Bebo Simonian presented the second publication entitled “Genocide and
survival”, which was published by the “Kevork Melidinetsi” literary prize on
the occasion of the Armenian Genocide’s 90th anniversary. The book has been
edited by Kevork Kandaharian, Bebo Simonian and Jirayr Tanielian. It
includes writings related to horrors of the pre-genocidal massacres of the
Armenians, works dedicated to the Genocide by martyred authors and
survivors, and reflections by second and third generation Armenians.

Simonian talked about the strength of the book as documented evidence
created by a combination of old and new testimonies. He described the book
as “a publication presenting the Genocide to the new Armenian generations
through poems.”

“It is a reflection of the Armenians’ pain and dreams. Its pages ‘beat’ with
the nation’s heart. They ‘breathe’ with belief, suffering and the hopes of
survival,” he said. He then talked about the content of the book in general,
mentioning the names of Armenian authors from the old and new generations
who have contributed to it.

His Holiness Aram I delivered the concluding remarks of the cultural event,
commending the people who either financially or morally contributed to the
publication of the two books.

Aram I particularly praised Dr. Zaven Yegavian, the director of the Armenian
department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, who made the publication
of “Armenia Hayatert” come true. He also commended the members of the
judicial committee of the “Kevork Melidinetsi” literary award, who oversaw
the preparation of “Genocide and Survival.”

His Holiness also remembered Yervant Pamboukian, Fr Norair Ashekian
(Director of the Catholicosate’s publishing house), Mrs. Zevart Tanielian
and the late Miss Manoushag Boyadjian, as contributors to the publication of
the two books.

His Holiness talked about the significance of the two publications in
relation to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. “The task of
transmitting the Armenian spirit to the new generation is part of our
collective mission. This mission is carried out in all the fields of our
lives, in the church, in schools, through art, poetry and many other means,”
said His Holiness.

“The cultural mission of our Holy See will continue. Culture constitutes a
part of our church’s being and spirit, and faith often expresses itself
through culture. We clearly see the relation between faith and culture in
our nation’s life,” added His Holiness.

Intellectuals attending the event also expressed their views and
compliments, praising the immense efforts put into work for the publication
of the new books.

##

View picture here:

*****

The Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia is one of the two Catholicosates of
the Armenian Orthodox Church. For detailed information about the books
published in the Printing House of the Cilician Catholicosate, you may refer
to the web page of the Catholicosate, The Cilician
Catholicosate, the administrative center of the church is located in
Antelias, Lebanon.

Conciliation Resources’ Annual Report for 2004

PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
June 30 2005

We are pleased to inform you that Conciliation Resources’ Annual
Report for 2004 is now available on our website as a downloadable
PDF file at:

Last year marked CR’s first decade and another year of hard work and
significant achievements. We expanded the scope and impact of our
Caucasus programme’s dialogue and civil society capacity-building work
in Georgia and Abkhazia, and extended our media and public awareness
work into Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorny Karabakh. We also moved
from having projects and partnerships in Uganda to establishing a
coherent programme.

Accord had another productive year, with initiatives and new
publications on Colombia and Angola. Our West Africa programme carried
out groundbreaking work with partners engaged in community-based
mediation, as well as peacebuilding work with media, youth and women’s
groups in Sierra Leone and the sub-region.

Drawing upon this work with local partners in conflict zones, CR is
taking steps into the arena of influencing international policies
that affect the resolution and transformation of conflicts. Our
latest Accord publication, Choosing to engage: armed groups and peace
processes, released this month, is a good example and builds upon our
earlier conclusions on the global need for better public participation
in peacemaking. It makes the case for a policy shift towards more
committed dialogue with armed groups and other non-state actors to
end violent conflicts and strengthen the rule of law.

We look forward to future contact and cooperation with you, and wish
you all the best in your work.

Yours sincerely

Andy Carl Director

Conciliation Resources 173 Upper Street, Islington London N1 1RG
UK Telephone: +44 (0) 20 73597728 Fax: +44 (0) 20 73594081 Email:
[email protected] Website:

Turkish leader: Turkey won’t sway Russia’s decision on military base transfer
19:09

RIA Novosti, Russia
June 30 2005

Baku, June 30 (RIA Novosti, Gerai Dadashev) – Turkey will not try
to sway Russia’s decision on the transfer of its military bases from
Georgia to Armenia, the Turkish Prime Minister said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference here Thursday that it
was up to Russia to decide whether its bases should be re-deployed
and that Turkey could only be a passive onlooker in this situation.

A week ago, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev announced plans to increase
national defense spending to $300 million, almost double last year’s
$175 million. He said the decision had been prompted, among other
things, by Russia’s planned transfer of its military bases from
Georgia to the neighboring Armenia.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that only part
of the weaponry and hardware would be moved in, in order to comply
with the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. Russia will not
hand any of its weapons over to Armenia, he said.

On May 30, Russia and Georgia agreed that Russia’s two bases pull out
by 2008. The withdrawal of military hardware from the Akhalkalaki
base near the Georgian-Armenian border is scheduled for 2006 and
the facility’s closure is due the following year. The Batumi base,
on the Black Sea coast, will go in 2008.

Islamic Countries to Convene for Structural Reform
By Suleyman Kurt

Zaman, Turkey
June 29 2005

Islamic countries will be convening in Yemen’s capital Sana’a in order
to undertake a more effective role in the international arena and to
better express Islam to the West.

The foreign ministers meeting for the Organization for Islamic
Conference (OIC) starts today. The historic transformation within
the organization and the reform issues will be the main point on
the agenda during the meeting, in which Turkey will be represented
by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. He will draw a framework for the
reform efforts in Islamic countries during his opening speech at the
meeting that will continue for three days. The Minister will emphasize
that internal dynamics should be activated for reform efforts, and
should be sustainable and based on a real process. A call will be
made for the abolition of the isolation on the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and to bring the situation of the Karabagh
occupation to the agenda are also among the points that Gul will
make. Ministers will also attend an exhibition of Ottoman documents
relating to Yemen. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi chose
the historic Ottoman Barracks for a luncheon that he will host.

Three reports prepared by sixteen specialists from Islamic countries
within the framework of reform efforts initiated after the election
of Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu as OIC secretary-general will be
discussed during the meeting. Proposals regarding changing the title
of the organization will also be debated. A suggested new title
for the organization will be either the “Organization for Islamic
Countries” or “Organization for Muslim Countries” it was revealed.
The reports focus on problems faced by the Islamic world in the 21st
century and alternative solutions required to combat these problems.
A “security council” similar to that of the United Nations (UN) will
be formed in the structure of the organization. The OIC will also
fight against anti-Islamism though science and more productive and
open explanations of Islam to the West. In this respect, a concept
of “enlightened moderation” will be prompted, think tanks will be
formed and Islamic media will be strengthened. Contributions for the
development of democracy, human rights and civil society will be held
in member countries.

The reports stress the motivation of Muslim countries for democratic
norms and values, decreasing the gap between governors and the
governed and principals like self-determination of the people. A
center is planned to be opened to provide women the opportunity to
have effective roles in daily life and governance. The three-day OIC
meeting will discuss issues like increasing the authorization of
the organization’s secretary-general, strengthening its financial
structure and forming socio-economic funds, solving disputes among
member countries and establishing centers for Muslim minorities.

Helsinki Federation slams dozens of OSCE countries for violating human rights
By DANICA KIRKA

AP Worldstream; Jun 27, 2005

An international human rights organization slammed many former Soviet
republics and some of the world’s leading democracies on Monday for
torture, unlawful detention and restricting press freedoms _ often
in the name of fighting terrorism.

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights’ surveyed
38 countries that belong to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, sharply attacking practices that led to a
lack of independence in the judiciary, police brutality and torture.
Though the United States and other established democracies came under
fire, the report was particularly critical of countries in Central
Asia, such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.

“These countries have been independent now for 14 years,” said Aaron
Rhodes, the executive director of the Vienna-based federation,
“The excuse that they are still grappling with the transition to
democracy is increasingly weak.”

The federation ,which surveys OSCE nations annually, criticized the
United States, Britain and Russia for having serious human rights
violations stemming from anti-terrorism measures, with anti-Semitism,
Islamaphobia and other forms of intolerance on the rise. The group
charged that in the course of trying to improve security, the OSCE
members weakened human rights _ and set a poor example for countries
struggling with a shift toward democracy.

“This is something that threatens the human rights of everyone and
doesn’t improve security,” Rhodes said. “It alienates populations
from Western democracies and undermines their faith in the ideals
represented by these countries.”

Activists heaped pressure on Central Asian nations such as Uzbekistan,
where government troops opened fire on unarmed protesters in the
eastern city of Andijan last month after militants seized a local
prison and government headquarters.

Human rights activists say 750 people died, while Uzbek authorities say
173 people were killed. The ex-Soviet republic’s autocratic government
rejected calls for an independent international investigation into
the violence and President Islam Karimov has blamed the unrest on
Islamic extremists, accusing them of using civilians as human shields.

“They’re justifying massacres of civilians in the name of fighting
terrorism,” Rhodes said. “It’s outrageous.”

The organization noted the abuse of prisoners at the detention center
in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but revealed no new
details.

It said torture remained a serious concern in Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan,
Moldova, Ukraine Uzbekistan and Chechnya, where it said gross human
rights violations _ such as “disappearances” and extra-judicial
killings _ continued with virtual impunity.

The group also painted a bleak picture of media freedoms in the former
Soviet bloc, reporting that the government in Turkmenistan practiced
direct censorship and imposed total media control. In Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, the expression of
political opposition resulted in prosecution.

Even in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, led by pro-Western
President Mikhail Saakashvili, diversity in the media has narrowed
significantly since he took office, the federation said.

In Turkey, nearly 700 people have been sentenced to prison terms or
fines for expressing their views, the group said.

Turkish Press
June 24 2005

Press Review

MILLIYET

ARMENIAN WRITER, A FRIEND OF TURKEY, DIES

Armenian writer Edward Taschi, who has defended Turkey throughout his
life against the so-called genocide allegations, died yesterday in
New York, where he had been undergoing medical treatment since March.
Although a lifelong US resident, he learned Turkish and will be
buried tomorrow in a cemetery belonging to Karachay Turks in New
Jersey. Tashci was known for his love for Turkey, which he called his
motherland. /Milliyet/

A1plus

| 20:08:12 | 22-06-2005 | Politics | PACE SUMMER SESSION 2005 |

GEORGIA AND AZERBAIJAN JOINED AGAINST RUSSIA

The issue of ousting the Russian military forces from Georgia is included
into the process of honoring of obligations and commitments by the Russian
Federation. Member of the Azeri delegation Molazade represented offers about
the changing this issue.

«The Russian Federation ousts the military forces from Georgia but not from
the region. It means that in the region a re-distribution of powers will
take place as Russia will remove the forces to Armenia», mentioned Mr.
Molazade. The member of the Azeri delegation demanded the PACE to make RF
remove the forces from the region at all instead of removing them to
Armenia. The offer of Molazade was turned down.

The Georgian delegation insisted on the offer of Molazade. And the Russian
side advised them not the use the situation for their aims and not to forget
that the PACE is an advisory body.