Author: Tigranian Ani

Uzbekistan: Dancing as the people die

The New Statesman
May 23 2005

BY JULIAN HOLLOWAY

I once danced with President Karimov’s daughter Lola
at her nightclub, the Katakomba. After a few seconds
her bodyguard cut in, and off she went past
Uzbekistan’s elite, her head set like a princess’s
under the flashing lights.
Since then things have changed in Tashkent. Local news
reports are heavily censored, but friends in the city
tell me people on the buses and metros are talking
openly about the massacre of hundreds of Uzbek
citizens in the east of the country by security forces
loyal to Lola’s father.
I have been to Andijan three times in the past few
years, researching a book on Babur, the first Mughal
emperor of India.
The Ferghana Valley was his first kingdom, and as
Babur’s story attests, what happens there can have
far-reaching consequences.
In his day, Andijan was famous for its music. It was
also prosperous from the soil and from trade. But
Karimov has maintained the Soviet policy of turning
the valley over to cotton, and has stifled the
cross-border trade in the interests of `security’. I
have seen people there living under plastic sheeting
in the fields. Despite the poverty, Andijan still
loves its music, and in the tea houses and pavement
cafés, as in Lola’s nightclub, the music is always
played too loudly.
Since last summer, the people of the town have been
deeply uncomfortable about the arrest and trial of 23
local businessmen: one owns a furniture factory,
another a private medical centre. The men are
followers of Akram Yuldashev, a local maths teacher
who wrote a book, The Path to Faith, about how to live
a good Muslim life. They are popular because of
their contributions to a fund distributing significant
sums of their money to causes such as an orphanage.
Religiously motivated actions of any kind are very
dangerous in Uzbekistan. Many more of Yuldashev’s
followers, or `Akramiya’, as the
government has branded them, have been arrested in
Tashkent. Men from the SNB, the Uzbek version of the
old KGB, are said to have taken their cars and
computers. Andijan has long been a town of fear, with
its prison sitting like a monument to
state terror between the town centre and the municipal
gardens on the outskirts. I remember asking a man in a
conspicuously empty museum in a fine, 19thcentury
religious building what it had been. He replied that
it had been a madrasa – `before the Wahhabis
disappeared’.
`Wahhabi’ was the earliest of a series of labels
designed to confuse pious Uzbek Muslims with armed
militants. After the `Wahhabis’ came `Hizb ut-Tahrir’,
and then `the Akramiya’. I wonder whether Yuldashev,
who is in prison in Tashkent, will be seen again.
Andijan is also pious and independent. Tension has
been growing in the town since the start of the trial
of the 23, fuelled by their hunger strike. On the
night of 12 May, a group of townspeople stormed the
jail and supporters of the 23 crowded into Babur
Square, a great crossroads divided with lawns between
whitewashed stones. When, two days later, I saw a
photograph of bodies swathed in white sheets, I
recognised the building as the unspeakable old hotel
in which I once stayed. All around Babur Square,
hiding behind the façade of Soviet town planning, is
an old town of courtyard houses where pomegranate and
apricot trees grow. The security forces have been
breaking down doors in the city, looking for the
ringleaders.
Who is really to blame for this atrocity? As always in
central Asia, that depends on whom you ask. The people
of Andijan say they were protesting against poverty
and injustice. After his return from `taking personal
control of the situation’, Karimov declared: `Members
of the Akramiya, which is a new sect of the Hizb
ut-Tahrir, have organised this disorder.’ There
certainly are Uzbek militants, but the Akramiya are
not these.
The next time Lola Karimova goes dancing, perhaps it
will be in Moscow, in exile. But how many will have
died before then?

Email: [email protected]

PHOTO CAPTION: A bloody response: supporters of the teacher Akram Yuld

Armenians violated the ceasefire in Gazagh, Jebrail and Aghdam fronts

20 May 2005 [16:33] – Today.Az

Armenians violated the ceasefire in the region Gazakh yesterday.

According to the information given to APA from the press service
of Defense Ministry, the divisions of the Armed Forces of Armenia
from their positions in 0.5 km south of the occupied village Baganis
Ayrim of Gazakh region, 0.3 km north-west of the occupied village
Ashagi Askipara and 1km north-east of the occupied village Kheyrimli
fired at the opposite positions of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan in
the villages Baganis Ayrim and Mazamli of that region at 23.15 till
23.30.The ceasefire was broken today, too. The enemy forces from
their positions in 1.5km south-west of the village Chochug Marjanli of
Jabrayil region fired at the positions of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
located in that territory at 02.40 till 02.50, from their positions
in 1.5 km south-east of the occupied village Yusifjanli of Aghdam
region fired at the opposite positions of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
in that village with submachine guns and snipers at 07.00 till 07.05.

The enemy was resisted by responding fire in all cases. There is no
loss of life.

Talysh minority conference opens in Armenia

AP Worldstream
May 20, 2005

A conference devoted to studying the Talysh minority opened in the
Armenian resort of Tsakhkadzor on Friday.

The minority, estimated to number 80,000 people, lives in Azerbaijan
and Iran.

Twelve experts were to address the conference, including two
specialists from Azerbaijan who have been living in exile in
Moscow. Vardan Voskanian, one of the conference organizers, said
Armenia was chosen as the venue because it has a well developed
specialty of eastern studies.

Azerbaijan, Armenia’s rival, has accused the Talysh of separatism,
and Azerbaijani media have reacted negatively to the prospect of
the conference.

Emigre recalls jump for life in Azerbaijan
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

The Republican, MA
May 18 2005

On Jan. 19, 1990, at the age of 68, Grigory Karamov jumped from a
fourth-floor balcony.

The jump itself was easy; the difficult thing was scaling the
balcony’s railing.

In the previous five days as a captive in Baku, Azerbaijan, he had
eaten only a few eggs and had been beaten so badly several times that
he just didn’t know if he would be able to scale the railing. When
a guard fell asleep, he finally had a chance to escape.

“They won’t let us return home alive, colonel,” a Baku University
professor told Karamov that morning.

There were only two of them left; all the other captives – about
15 people tortured to reveal the locations of their valuables and
relatives – had disappeared from the apartment one by one.

The professor was now lying on a bed, unconscious, with a dozen knife
slashes across his throat. The gang, mostly college students who came
to Baku from other cities, had just left, taking away another victim.
The only guard, who had knocked out two of Karamov’s teeth, decided
to take a nap.

“There were the clotheslines strung along the front of the balconies
on every floor. So I figured out, if I grab them, they would help
break my fall. I managed to grab only the first set, though.”

The students were Azerbaijanis. The professor, the colonel and other
prisoners were Armenians.

“I had a lot of friends among Azerbaijanis. We used to be wonderful
neighbors. I don’t know what happened. Those guys, maybe they were
just drug addicts with sticks. But they knew where to seek us. They
had lists of Armenians, which means somebody provided them with that
information. They just broke down the doors and chased us out.”

Grigory Karamov, who is 83 now and lives in Springfield, was very
lucky.

He only broke his leg, the one that was punctured by six shell
fragments in 1943 in the Caucasian Mountains, where the then Lt.
Karamov was fighting the German division “Edelweiss” in World War II.

“I was sent to a hospital. It wasn’t very easy to get there, given
the fact that I couldn’t walk and that we were in the mountains. I
was riding a horse that another lieutenant was leading by the bridle
as we were heading to the hospital.”

He would go on to graduate from a military medical school and then
spend another 33 years with the army, as an officer in the medical
service corps. Trained as a radiologist, he served three years at
the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site in Kazakhstan, where he witnessed
dozens of nuclear mushroom clouds from nuclear explosions.

“Of course, I received some radiation doses. Everybody did. Back
then, 50 years ago, we didn’t have any special protection. That’s
why I didn’t get married until 36. I knew I couldn’t bring anybody
over there.”

He retired as a colonel and lived in Baku until January 1990, when
anti-Armenian riots started in the city where five generations of
Karamov’s ancestors rest.

“The next day, Jan. 20, Gorbachev finally sent troops to Baku, but
everything was done pretty much during those previous five days.
Fortunately, Russian doctors found me in a hospital where I was put
after that jump and took me away to Moscow. I spent six months in a
hospital over there. My wife found me. She had been told I was killed.”

They moved to America 11 years ago.

“I don’t know whom to blame. I still don’t understand why people all
of a sudden turn into beasts eager to kill each other, why they are
calling for a war every now and then.”

Alex Peshkov, a staff writer for The Republican, emigrated from
Arkhangelsk in 2002. His column focuses on the Russian-American
community.

Pan Armenian News

TURKISH SCHOLAR: NO TURKISH GENE IN PURE FORM

19.05.2005 04:02

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The gene of Turks, who moved to Anatolia from Central
Asia along with Seljuks, was not widely spread in this region, officer
of National Geographic Spencer Wells considers. This statement was
not a surprise for Turkish scholars, as most of them have a similar
point of view, reported the Yerkir newspaper. Professor of Faculty of
Molecular Biology and Genetics of Istanbul Bogazici University Aslihan
Tolun reported that research heald 5-6 years ago along with foreign
scholars showed Turks were “multi-elemental”. In Tolun’s words,
“in genetic respect Turks are very much like the Balkan peoples,
Caucasians, Armenians and Arabs, however they have peculiarities.” “We
never stayed at the same place and easily became close with local
populations, preserving our language and our culture. Thus, it is
natural there is not Turkish gene in pure form,” said professor of
Medical University of Ankara Khakan Shataroghlu.

Turkey: military’s nationalist campaign conceals rapprochement with US
By Justus Leicht

World Socialist Website
WSWS.org
18 May 2005

During the past seven weeks a wave of chauvinism has swept through
Turkey. Initially aimed against the Kurds, its real target is the AKP
(Justice and Development Party) government of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and its orientation towards membership in the European
Union (EU). The nationalist hysteria has not emerged spontaneously from
the population, but has been manufactured by a faction of the state
apparatus, especially the military and security forces, supported by
organized fascistic bands.

The campaign was triggered by an event during the Kurdish New Year’s
celebration in March. In the city of Mersian, some Kurdish children
tried to burn a Turkish flag at the fringes of the festivities. They
had neither support nor success, and were immediately arrested
by police.

The episode went largely unnoticed, until the general staff of
the armed forces issued a strongly worded statement two days later,
denouncing it as an act of “treason” by “so-called citizens.” The army
would stand ready to “fight until the last drop of blood to protect
the country and its flag,” the statement added. President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer also condemned the incident. The leadership of the University
of Istanbul published a statement in major newspapers declaring its
“disgust” over the incident. All well-known Kurdish nationalist
politicians distanced themselves from the attempted flag burning.

The country was then virtually drowned in Turkish flags, which had
to be displayed at all shops, public places and buildings. Gangs of
the fascist “Grey Wolves” roamed the streets and the media created
a nationalist hysteria close to a pogrom atmosphere against Kurds.

During the same general timeframe, the internationally renowned
writer Orhan Pamuk became victim of a witch-hunt by media outlets
and politicians. After he remarked during an interview about his
book Snow that “in Turkey, one million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds
were killed” during World War I, regional politicians called for
his books to be burned. Pamuk was accused of “insulting the state,”
newspapers branded him a “traitor” and he could not appear in public
due to numerous death threats.

In April, right-wing extremist groups staged provocations and physical
attacks against leftists in various cities, especially in the Gazi
neighborhood of Istanbul and the northern city of Trabzon. At least
one person, Esat Atmaca, a member of the minority Alewite population,
was killed and several more injured by the ultra-nationalists. Mobs
attacked supporters of TAYAD, an organization of relatives of left-wing
political prisoners, most of whom are in solitary confinement. On
each occasion, the TAYAD supporters, who had done nothing else but
peacefully distribute legal leaflets, narrowly escaped being lynched
after police intervened.

Nevertheless, the police detained the victims for “provoking the
public.”

The military then escalated its campaign. On April 20, Chief of
General Staff Hilmi Ozkok gave a political speech at the War Academy
in Istanbul.

His remarks were by no means limited to military matters, but ranged
over every major issue of domestic and foreign policy, opposing the
positions of the elected moderate Islamist government on virtually
all questions.

Turkey was neither a moderate Islamic state nor an Islamic country,
he emphasized, warning that the “Turkish people” would block any
effort to lead the country in such a direction. This served as
an ominous reminder of the military-instigated overthrow of the
government of Necmettin Erbakan in 1997. The general went on to
exclude any concession towards Greece on the questions of the Aegean
Sea or Cyprus. Cyprus was still of such vital strategic value that
Turkish troops had to stay there, he said. After all, Ozkok remarked,
Britain had a military base on Cyprus for this reason as well.

The head of the army also demanded a tough line against
Armenia. Armenia, first of all, had to respect international
law. Turkey accuses Armenia of illegally occupying Nagorno-Karabakh,
a predominantly Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan, as well as a
corridor between Karabakh and Armenia. For Ankara, the “return” of
all former Azerbaijani territories has always been a precondition for
establishing diplomatic relations with Armenia. In addition, Turkey
wants Armenia to stop its demands for recognition of the atrocities
committed against the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. In
his speech, Ozkok again explicitly denied that the Armenians had been
the victims of genocide.

Erdogan, who also denies the genocide, has proposed to establish
a common commission of historians before establishing diplomatic
relations, in order to “find out the historical truth.” This proposal,
praised by some Western governments as a gesture of conciliation,
is actually an affront against Armenia. For Armenians, as for most
historians, it is well established that the events of 1915 constituted
genocide. Recently Erdogan has indicated that political relations
could be established independently of the work of an historians’
commission, a course which seems to differ from Ozkok’s hard line.

Ozkok also went into detail on the Kurdish question. The activities
of the PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) had increased dramatically, he
claimed, accusing the EU of acting as a mediator for the PKK. EU
membership would be “no blessing,” he said, and it would not be
“the end of the world” if Turkey did not become a member.

The chief of staff demanded that the US move against the PKK, which
has many fighters based in northern Iraq. The general also warned
that the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk was “on the brink of an
explosion.” Kirkuk, which is the estimated to hold up to 25 percent
of Iraqi oil, is claimed by Kurdish nationalists as the capital of a
future autonomous or independent Kurdish state. Under the eyes of the
American occupiers, they systematically moved Kurds from other parts of
Iraq into the city, which has Turkmen and Arab citizens as well. The
Kurdish nationalists claim the new settlers to be exclusively those
Kurds who had been driven out of the city under the former Baathist
regime. It is, however, almost impossible to verify this.

The background to the military’s aggressive stance is the deep crisis
of the Turkish government caused by developments both in the Middle
East and in Europe.

Since March 2003, when the Turkish parliament opposed the use of
Turkish territory as a staging ground for American troops to attack
Iraq, Erdogan has tried to repair relations with the US. The aggressive
policy of Bush and Israeli’s Sharon, however, was a source of great
concern in the Turkish population, especially among Erdogan’s electoral
base. This has escalated with the US threats against Iran and Syria.

While Erdogan has tied his political future to EU membership, the
EU euphoria has markedly faded since the EU summit of December 17,
when Turkey was offered the opening of membership negotiations this
year. In particular, the French decision to hold a referendum over
Turkish membership has nurtured the suspicion that the EU demands
a lot of things, but in the end is not very serious about Turkey’s
membership. At the end of February, the French national assembly
adopted a change of the constitution, dubbed the “Turks’ article,”
which says that every future expansion of the EU must be subjected
to a referendum by the French electorate.

In Germany, the conservative parties CDU (Christian Democratic Union)
and CSU (Christian Social Union)-which might well be in government next
year-vehemently oppose full EU membership for Turkey. The suspension
of Croatia’s entry and the discussion about Ukraine, whose demand
for membership has so far been rejected, were all closely followed
in Turkey.

Right-wing forces are using the disappointment over the perceived
dishonesty of the EU, along with social discontent over the
consequences of the AKP’s right-wing economic policy, in an attempt
to destabilize the government.

More than a dozen MPs have left the AKP faction in parliament during
the last three months, many of them joining right-wing parties.

For the military, the developments in Iraq are especially
alarming. Turkey is among the countries that have criticized the
results of the January 30Iraqi elections, which have strengthened
both the Kurdish nationalists and Shiite fundamentalist parties,
both of which are perceived as a threat to Ankara’s interest. If
Kirkuk were to come under Kurdish dominance, it could become the base
for a Kurdish state and encourage separatist Kurdish tendencies in
neighboring states as well.

Two recent articles by American authors also caused alarm in
Ankara. Writing in the Wall Street Journal in February under the
headline “The sick man of Europe-again,” Robert Pollock sharply
attacked Turkey for “anti-Americanism.” In the second article,
Michael Rubin, a former Bush administration advisor associated with
various right-wing think tanks, warned that in the case of insufficient
Turkish cooperation, the US might decide to build a military base in
Iraqi Kurdistan.

The PKK, which in the last five years has done all it could to distance
itself from its militant nationalist past and demonstrate its readiness
to loyally support the Turkish state, has recently shown signs of
renewed radicalism. Just a few weeks ago they readopted their old
name, after renaming the organization several times previously. Their
leader Abdullah Ocalan has developed a perspective of a “Democratic
Confederation,” encompassing the Kurds of the whole region, including
Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. The PKK claims that the Turkish army
has carried out major military operations against them.

The generals fear that the discussion about the Armenian genocide, the
EU’s insistence on Kurdish rights and the situation in Iraq may revive
the question of oppressed nationalities, undermine the nationalist
state ideology of Kemalism and destabilize the Turkish state.

They aim to counter these dangers by strengthening Turkish nationalism
and simultaneously aligning themselves more closely with the US
and Israel.

During a visit by Erdogan to Israel earlier this month, Ankara and
Tel Aviv agreed to closer collaboration on intelligence. After their
meeting in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister and his Turkish
colleague revealed that they had installed a direct telephone line
between their two offices to facilitate this relationship.

In addition, the two countries are reported to have agreed signed a
deal worth US$400-500 million to modernize Turkish fighter jets. In
April they concluded a contract for the delivery of spy drones and
other reconnaissance technology.

Turkey recently concluded a $1.1 billion contract with the US
for the modernization of its 117 F-16 fighter jets. In addition,
Turkey extended a treaty for the use of the Incirlik base by the
US. Both contracts were concluded only after April 24. The Turkish
government wanted to see whether Bush would utter the word “genocide”
in his commemorative address on the 90th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide. He did not.

There are other indications that the US is trying to improve
relations with Turkey. Citing “highly placed Kurdish sources in the
Baghdad government,” the English-language Turkish newspaper the New
Anatolian reported May 2 that the US, and in particular the Pentagon,
is pressuring the new Iraqi regime to move against the PKK in northern
Iraq. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld demanded this action during
his recent visit to Iraq, the paper reported.

CEOs at Toll Bros., Hovnanian, KB Home top pay list
By JANET MORRISSEY

The Associated Press
Dow Jones Newswires

NEW YORK (Dow Jones/AP) – Chief executives at Toll Brothers Inc.,
Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. and KB Home topped the list of the
highest-paid CEOs in the home-building sector in 2004, according to
a study by investment manager UBS AG.

The study, released this week, found the highest-paid executives
weren’t necessarily from the companies that delivered the best stock
performance. However, since a big chunk of the compensation comes from
options, the compensation is connected to stock performance over the
long term, the report said.

UBS said Toll Brothers Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Toll took
home a salary, bonus, options and other compensation totaling $42.8
million in 2004, up 77 percent from 2003. This company also delivered
the biggest stock returns in 2004 as shares rose 73 percent, the
study said.

Hovnanian’s Ara Hovnanian saw his compensation package rise 78 percent
to $36.7 million, while KB Home’s Bruce Karatz received $32.8 million,
up 38 percent from 2003, the study said. Hovnanian’s stock was up
only 14 percent in 2004 while KB Home’s rose 44 percent.

On average, a home-building chief executive pocketed $18.1 million,
up 52 percent from $11.9 million in 2003.

The report concluded that D.R. Horton Inc. and Pulte Homes Inc.
offered the best value based on compensation and stock performance.
D.R. Horton Chief Executive Don Tomnitz received a compensation package
worth only $9.8 million – even though his company’s stock increased
40 percent. Pulte’s Richard Dugas took home a compensation package
valued at $15.3 million while his company’s stock rose 36 percent.

The builders posting the biggest stock gains in 2004 were Toll at 73
percent, Meritage Corp. at 69 percent, and NVR Inc. at 65 percent.

The study concluded that Lennar Corp. and Hovnanian offered the
poorest value based on compensation and stock performance.

Lennar’s Stuart Miller took home a compensation package valued at
$21.5 million, but his company’s stock rose only 18 percent.

UBS, based in Zurich, is one of the world’s largest investment managers
with offices in some 50 countries.

05/13/05 12:51 EDT

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AGAINST THE COALITION DRAFT CONSTITUTION

A1plus
| 15:53:07 | 18-05-2005 | Politics |

The non-governmental organizations union «Constitutional Initiative»
has decided to organize meetings with the residents of the regions
before the Constitutional referendum to raise public awareness
about the Constitutional draft. The union which consists of 6
non-governmental organizations calls the citizens to actively take
part in the process of discussion of the Constitutional amendments
organized by them.

Today during the press conference organized by the Union several
amendments were represented. In particular, according to Khachik
Voskanyan, president of the non-governmental organization «Choice
is Yours», by the coalition draft Robert Kocharyan has super
authorizations. According to him, the President must not appoint
either the Attorney General or the Prime Minister or the mayor, «The
National Assembly has small authorizations which gives the President
the possibility to become the only governor».

According to Artak Kirakosyan, President of the Civic Society
Institute, the coalition draft has serious shortcomings which are
dangerous for the society. According to him, the authorities are
indifferent towards the Constitutional amendments, and the opposition
has decided to unanimously say «NO» to the coalition draft.

–Boundary_(ID_Kzv2UViZnoRahNhH4DurLA)–

QUANTITY OF PEOPLE SEEKING JOBS MAKES 4334 IN NKR AS OF MAY 1, 2005

STEPANAKERT, May 18. /ARKA/. Quantity of people seeking jobs made 4334
in NKR as of May 1, 2005, of them 4007 are women. As Lenston Gulyan,
the NKR Social Security Minister told ARKA News Agency, the status of
unemployed was given to 3403 people, of which 3133 are women. According
to him, the quantity of people receiving unemployment benefits makes
251, 209 of which are women. During January-April 52 got fixed up in a
job, 47 of them were women. “The quantity of jobseekers as of January
1, 2005 made 4223, which is by 1,1% or by 49 people less compared to
the indicator of the same period of 2004”, noted Gulyan. L.V. -0–

MERZLYAKOV: KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING CONVEYED POLITICAL IMPULSE TO TALKS

Pan Armenian News
19.05.2005 02:22

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs assess the recurrent
round of direct negotiations between the Presidents of Azerbaijan
and Armenia held in Warsaw May 15 as very positive, stated MG
Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov, reported Trend Azeri agency. “In
our opinion it conveyed a political impulse to further talks. It
is very important, these will be continued in the direction set
by the Presidents by their discussion. Thus, we will try to aim at
that point hoping for success,” he said. Answering a question on the
refusal of Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian to make a final statement
upon the completion of the talks, the Russian Ambassador noted it is
“their right.” “It does not indicate they have nothing to say. Quite
the contrary they have much to say. I am afraid they would like to
say many things, however they could not yet. Maybe in contrast to
previous meetings they have got things to say, so they decided to say
nothing,” Yu. Merzlyakov added. Touching upon the last statement of
the Azeri Foreign Minister E. Mamedyarov on Armenia’s readiness to
return 7 occupied Azeri regions, the Co-Chair said, “Judging from the
Minister’s words, he did not state it so definitely – it is rather a
journalist interpretation. What does it mean – Armenia is ready? The
matter of withdrawal of troops is considered. And the Armenian party
does not question the principle that Armenian troops will be withdrawn
from the regions around Nagorno Karabakh. However, there is no final
arrangement over the terms, order of withdrawal, time and details on
the whole.” In the diplomat’s words the issue of withdrawal of the
troops is not “a question of tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.”