Author: Toneyan Mark

Azerbaijani Media Protest Visit of Armenian Officers

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 3 2004

Media in Azerbaijan released a statement protesting visit of Armenian
officers to Baku to attend training to be held within NATO
Partnership for Peace Program on September 12, 2004.

The statement considers visit of Armenian officers who occupied
Azerbaijan’s almost 20 per cent of territory as a stab against
independence of Azerbaijan.

“Letting the officers of occupational forces in the training
facilities of Azerbaijan, letting them train together with our
soldiers means disrespect towards the military interests of the host
country and playing with the nerves of the Azerbaijan nation,” reads
the statement.

“We think that admission of the Armenian forces to Baku is insult to
Azerbaijani nation, which lost thousands of its sons, aggravates a
political situation in the country, causes mass protest, and creates
ground for infringement of existing stability and unpredictable
negative consequences.”

“Considering all of the above mentioned, we, undersigned media
representatives of Azerbaijan categorically condemn planned visit of
the Armenian militants to Baku. We declare that as a sign of the
protest and not being beyond our professional activity, on Saturday,
September 4th, as an action of protest electronic media will suspend
its broadcast for three hours and newspapers will publish the first
pages empty.”

The statement further reads: “Depending on development of events we
reserve the right to broaden our protest activities even further and
to suspend our activity for longer term. This statement is available
for other media representatives to join.

ANS Group of Companies, Vahid Mustafayev, President
Ayna-Zerkalo, Elchin Shikhli, Editor-in -Chief
Yeni Musavat, Qabil Abbasoglu, Deputy Editor-in-Chief
Azadliq, Qanimat Zahidov, Editor- in-Chief
Azer.Net Group of Companies, Ramin Iskenderov
Echo, Rauf Talishinski, Editor-In-Chief
Iki Sahil, Vugar Rahimzadeh, Editor-in-Chief
525-ci, Rashaf Majid,Editor-In-Chief
Sharg, Akif Ashirli

World’s oldest sewer system found in Van

The find revealed a far more advanced understanding of architecture and
plumbing that had hitherto been known

NTVMSNBC.com
August 23, 2004

August 23 – What is believed to be the world’s oldest first toilet
and sewer system, dating to prehistoric times, has been unearthed in
the eastern Turkish province of Van.

The sewerage system was found by archaeologists working on excavations
at the site of a Urartian castle in Gurpinar region of eastern Turkey.

According to Professor Dr. Oktay Belli, the director of Istanbul
University’s Eurasian Archaeology Institute, the find was of
particular significance. The discovery of a toilet in the western
part of Cavustepe Castle built by Urartian King Sarduri II in 764 BC
pushed back the dating for such systems, he said in an interview with
the Anatolian news agency.

“We revealed that Urartian architects had formed a sewer system before
building the castle. The toilet and sewer system in the castle is
similar to today’s toilets,” the professor said.

The Urartu Kingdom gave great importance to architecture,” Belli said.
“Their architects used the most developed techniques of the prehistoric
period. They had built their castles in strategic areas after carrying
out ground studies. We believe that Urartu Kingdom was the first
civilisation to use toilet and sewer systems.”

The Urartu Kingdom was formed in eastern Anatolia at the beginning
of the first millennium BC after the fall of the Hittite empire and
survived for three centuries.

Civil Georgia, Georgia
Aug 31 2004

Pulling Back Troops, Georgia Calls for European Help
by Jaba Devdariani / 2004-08-31 18:25:46
Reposted from Central Asia – Caucasus Analyst

President Mikheil Saakashvili’s decision to pull back his troops from
South Ossetia is almost desperate cry for the political assistance from
the European powers. Georgia is ready to accept suboptimal solutions
with regards to peacekeeping, but return to the pre-July status quo
is no longer acceptable. If no definitive answer is received within
a month, resumption of hostilities becomes likely.

Background: On August 19, in a first offensive military operation
since the resumption of fire in South Ossetia, Georgian special
forces captured the strategic heights from which Georgian villages
were pounded during almost two weeks. Despite popular calls for a
continued offensive, Georgian authorities decided to hand over the
heights to the tripartite peacekeeping troops and withdraw the police
and military detachments from South Ossetia.

Simultaneously, President Saakashvili called upon the international
community to assist in elaborating a new format of the peace process,
which would allow for international presence during the political
negotiations, and for increased international military monitoring on
the ground. The Georgian government has reiterated that the format
of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) established in accordance with
the 1992 peace accords is no longer acceptable, as it allows South
Ossetia, backed by two other members – North Ossetia and Russia –
to stonewall all Georgian proposals. Top Georgian officials also
repeated offers of substantial autonomy for South Ossetia.

Before Saakashvili’s decision became known on August 19, Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was no need for an
international conference or any new peace process in South Ossetia,
as the JCC format already provided for a political mechanism. The
U.S. State Department also accepted the language of using “existing
political mechanisms” for defusing the crisis.

However, after the decision on troop pullout, the OSCE’s ambassador to
Georgia hinted optimism on a potential expansion of OSCE monitoring
in South Ossetia. EU special ambassador Heikki Talvitie was visiting
Georgia on August 23, OSCE Permanent Council members are invited
to visit Georgia on September 5 and the president of the European
Commission Romano Prodi is to visit Tbilisi in mid-September.

Implications: The armed clashes in August confirmed the presence of
armed volunteers or mercenaries that have infiltrated South Ossetia
from Russia to fight against Georgian authorities. Following the
most fierce exchanges of August 17-18, independent military analysts
tend to conclude that specific night vision and sniper equipment used
against Georgian detachments indicates either that the Russian special
forces are participating in the clashes directly, or that they have
been training and equipping the Ossetian military for a substantial
period of time.

Saakashvili is determined to engage South Ossetian de facto authorities
in a dialogue over the political status of South Ossetia. However,
Russia’s military backing gives no incentive for the South Ossetian
president, Eduard Kokoity, to launch such a dialogue. Simultaneously,
Georgia has no confidence in a Russia-dominated JCC format.

On August 18, Georgian foreign minister Salome Zourabichvili formulated
the Georgian vision of the peace process at the OSCE Permanent Council
session in Vienna: “demilitarization, ceasefire and direct dialogue
[with South Ossetian authorities].” To achieve these aims, Georgia
calls for an expanded OSCE monitoring, which should include the South
Ossetian section of the Russo-Georgian border (Roki tunnel). Georgia
also calls for an international conference under a OSCE/UN aegis to
discuss the proposals for a political settlement.

So far, the OSCE’s reaction has been cautious, and the support of
the EU and the U.S. rather lukewarm. The Russian foreign ministry
characterized the Georgian requests to increase the OSCE role on July
31 as “obviously unattainable” and accused OSCE monitors of siding
with Georgians in South Ossetia. This is an interesting twist, as
on July 8 the OSCE was accused by CIS countries (except Georgia and
Azerbaijan) of focusing “exclusively on monitoring human rights and
democratic institutions” in the CIS.

The statement argued for an increased security role of the organization
to “correct the imbalance.” Strengthening the security arm of
the OSCE (where Russia has an effective veto right) in Europe to
counterweigh NATO is a familiar goal of Russian diplomacy since
the mid-1990s. Still, Russia consistently objects to even OSCE
participation in South Ossetia, apparently unwilling to dilute it
own direct influence even to a slight extent.

Recently, some Russian politicians commented positively on using the
“Minsk group” format, applied to Nagorno Karabakh conflict since
1992. The “Minsk Group” – a consultative political forum of selected
members of the OSCE – has failed to deliver results in Nagorno
Karabakh, not least because its mandate was blurred, its participants
had no clear commitments, and the initiatives were at times blocked
or ignored by Russia. Involvement of Western powers would still be
a positive outcome for official Tbilisi, but a “Minsk Group” format
can be one, but by no means the only new mechanism for South Ossetia.

For Georgia, expanded OSCE involvement is a suboptimal option.
Certainly, Tbilisi would like to see NATO or EU peacekeepers replace
the Russian ones. Nonetheless, Saakashvili is pragmatic about
available options. U.S. troops are tied down in Iraq and Afghanistan
and Washington is consumed by the upcoming presidential elections.
The EU recently took over an operation in Afghanistan and plans to
do the same in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Thus Georgia’s requests to the international community are rather
minimal: to give an international backing to the political dialogue
by the means of a conference (Bulgaria already offered Sofia as a
venue) and to significantly increase monitoring of South Ossetia as
a confidence-building measure. The Russian-dominated multipartite
peacekeeping forces are allowed to remain in South Ossetia.

If Saakashvili fails to secure this minimal support, Tbilisi would
not be able to restore the situation to pre-escalation status quo.
This would mean a re-opening of the gushing smuggling from South
Ossetia, and a major loss of face with the electorate by backtracking
on key election commitments. There would be a strong public support
for a military operation in South Ossetia, possibly endorsed by
the security establishment in the government and the parliament.
Sustained clashes will undoubtedly damage Georgia’s economic reforms
that the European powers have staked on through a Euro 1 billion
support package. While Saakashvili-Zhvania’s government is genuinely
committed to these reforms, the issues of national security are bound
to prevail.

Conclusions: It would be an illusion to assume that the JCC framework
is capable of addressing the current situation in South Ossetia.
Georgian authorities have acted to solve the key economic (smuggling)
and political (territorial integrity) issues by “de-frosting” the
South Ossetian conflict and it is impossible to reset the clock to
the situation of Spring 2004. Georgian authorities have indicated
willingness to compromise and accept suboptimal security arrangements
to the extent that they ensure minimal security of its citizens and
a progress at the negotiating table.

If the EU and OSCE shuttle diplomacy fails to deliver results within
the coming month, resumption of hostilities could be real in mid-
to late October.

Jaba Devdariani is the founder of Civil Georgia (Civil.Ge), currently
works for the OSCE mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Melbourne Herald Sun, Australia
Sunday Times, Australia
Advertiser, Australia
The Mercury, Australia
Aug 31 2004

On this day

31 aug 04

1990 – About 250 militant Armenian nationalists give up their weapons
after the republic’s parliament declares a state of emergency.

1290 – Jews are exiled from England by proclamation of King Edward I.

1422 – King Henry V of England dies of dysentery in France and is
succeeded by his nine-month-old son, Henry VI.
1688 – Death in London of John Bunyan, English author of The
Pilgrim’s Progress.
1704 – Forces of Russia’s Tsar Peter the Great take Narva in Russia.
1823 – French forces storm the Trocadero and enter Cadiz in Spain.
1846 – Committee is established in Sydney to organise appeal for
Irish famine.
1871 – Basutoland is united with Cape Colony, South Africa.
1876 – Turkey’s Sultan Murad V is deposed on plea of insanity and is
succeeded by Abdul Hamid II.
1887 – US inventor Thomas A Edison receives a patent for his
Kinetoscope, a device which produces moving pictures.
1888 – Body of Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols, first victim of murderer
“Jack the Ripper”, is found in London.
1900 – British forces under Frederick Roberts occupy Johannesburg.
1907 – Anglo-Russian Convention is signed in St Petersburg, settling
differences between the two over Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet.
1918 – Bolshevik troops attack British embassy in Petrograd, Russia.
1920 – First ever news program is broadcast by the radio station 8MK
in Detroit, Michigan.
1922 – Czech-Serb-Croat Alliance is signed at Marienbad.
1923 – Italy occupies Corfu in Greece.
1939 – Attempts by French Premier Daladier and British Prime Minister
Chamberlain to negotiate with Adolf Hitler of Germany fail.
1942 – German General Irwin Rommel renews offensive against British
at Alam Halfa in North Africa in World War II but is driven back to
original lines.
1950 – Contingent of 80 men from First Battalion, Royal Australian
Regiment, leaves for the Korean War.
1957 – Malaya becomes an independent member of the British
Commonwealth.
1962 – Trinidad and Tobago becomes independent nation within the
British Commonwealth.
1967 – Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Malaysia are
re-established, following Indonesia’s opposition to the formation of
the Malaya federation.
1968 – West Indian Garfield Sobers becomes the first cricketer to
score six sixes off one over in first-class cricket, in England.
1969 – Rocky Marciano, former world heavyweight boxing champion, is
killed in an air crash in Iowa.
1973 – Death of John Ford, US film director.
1977 – Ian Smith wins the Rhodesian general election with 80 per cent
of the overwhelmingly white electorate’s vote.
1980 – Polish labour leaders sign agreements with Communist
government, establishing for first time in a Soviet-bloc nation the
rights to strike and to establish free trade unions.
1983 – Murdered opposition leader Benigno Aquino is buried in Manila,
with over a million mourners being addressed by his widow Cory.
1986 – Soviet passenger ship Admiral Nakhimov collides with a
merchant vessel in the Black Sea, causing both vessels to sink; 448
die.
1986 – Moscow’s secret police hold US correspondent Nicholas Daniloff
on spying allegations.
1987 – Government and opposition officials in South Korea agree on
revising Constitution to clear way for direct presidential elections
and other reforms.
1989 – Princess Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips separate
after 16 years of marriage.
1990 – East and West Germany sign a treaty to harmonise their legal
and political systems after merging on October 3.
1990 – About 250 militant Armenian nationalists give up their weapons
after the republic’s parliament declares a state of emergency.
1991 – Uzbekistan and Kirgyzstan become ninth and tenth Soviet
republics to declare independence.
1992 – Palestinian Arabs dismiss Israel’s self-rule proposals as
unacceptable and say peace negotiations are at an impasse.
1994 – IRA declares an open-ended ceasefire in its 24-year campaign
against British rule of Northern Ireland.
1995 – Bomb-laden car explodes in a crowded square outside Algeria’s
national police headquarters, killing 10 and injuring 15.
1996 – Iraq captures Irbil in northern Iraq, a key city inside the
Kurdish “safe haven” protected by US-led forces, in Saddam Hussein’s
largest military action since the end of the Gulf War in 1991.
1997 – Princess Diana and her millionaire companion Dodi Al Fayed are
killed in a Paris car crash.
1998 – North Korea launches a new, more powerful long-range ballistic
missile that crosses over Japan’s main island and crashes into the
Pacific Ocean.
1999 – Opposition lawmakers in Venezuela pledge to defy a decision by
supporters of President Hugo Chavez to shut down the legislature,
worsening the country’s constitutional crisis.
2000 – The United States decides to boycott several meetings in Japan
dealing with science and the environment in a protest of the
expansion of Japanese whaling.
2001 – Delegates from more than 160 countries attend the weeklong
United Nations-sponsored World Conference Against Racism in Durban,
South Africa.
2002 – A Russian Mi-24 assault helicopter is shot down by a missile
in Chechnya. Both of the gunship’s pilots are killed. Chechen rebels
claim responsibility.
2002 – Lionel Hampton, one of America’s jazz legends, dies. He was
94.
2003 – Kenya lifts a ban on the Mau Mau movement, which spearheaded
an uprising against British colonialists in the 1950s.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
August 27, 2004 Friday 1:00 PM Eastern Time

EU should assist Armenia-Turkey normalization – foreign minister

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

The European Union should play a role in the normalization of
relations between Armenia and Turkey, Armenian Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanyan said at a joint briefing with Danish counterpart Per
Stig Moller on Friday. Armenia is a leg of Moller’s South Caucasian
tour.

EU member countries, including Denmark, can also make a contribution
to better relations between Armenia and Turkey, Oskanyan said. If
Turkey has equal relations with all countries of the South Caucasus,
it will play a special role in the region because it is the only NATO
country bordering on Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan and the only
regional state, which enjoys the official status of candidate to the
EU, he said.

PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIAN RELIEF MISSION
BOX 571
WINNETKA IL 60093
contact: Gary Peter Rejebian
TEL: 312-726-4600 x313
FAX: 312-726-9570
[email protected]

If it can be built, will they come?

Article & photos by Kim Karpeles

Piles of playground material stacked neatly outside a medical clinic
in Vanadzor, Armenia awaited a group of 10 volunteers–five men and
five women–who recently travelled across 10 time zones to reconstruct
the equipment. Two questions hung over the group from the United
States: Can the playground be finished in the allotted 3½ days? And
when it is built, will anyone come?

The playground adventure had its start several months beforehand when
the Northbrook, IL Park District announced it would be replacing an
aging playground in the downtown area. Residents of Northbrook and
others affiliated with the Armenian Relief Mission (ARM), headed by
Steve and Rozik Kashian of Winnetka IL, banded together to secure the
donation of the equipment graciously donated to ARM, and in September
2003 disassembled it for shipment. Each piece was meticulously labeled
and the structures photographed to assist in reconstruction. In early
November, three shipping containers, donated by United Armenian Fund,
were loaded and sent to the ARM clinic in Vanadzor.

Construction co-foremen Meredith TeGrotenhuis and Laurie Nelson
immediately plunged in and oversaw the organization of materials and
determined placement for the main structure, swing set and train which
the group hoped to finish. It didn’t take long before a small crowd
of curious children and adults had gathered along the fence
surrounding the play area – a sight that was to become very
familiar. What were these Americans doing? What were they going to
build? Meredith and Laurie shared a notebook of CAD designs and
photographs of the playground in Northbrook with the onlookers. Though
few of the Armenians understood English, they quickly understood the
plans and their eyes shone with excitement. Unseasonably wet and cold
weather faced the construction crew for the next three days as the
playground took shape, section by section. Clad in winter clothing
donated to the clinic, the crew kept working despite rain and hail and
the frustration that the arrival of one box of key construction tools
was delayed until the project was completed.

Four Armenian men worked primarily on the swing set construction, but
also assisted the crew when many hands and strong arms were needed to
place flooring sections and raise beams. Working side by side required
everyone to improve their sign language skills and to learn a few key
words of Armenian or English. The “thumbs up” sign was exported to
Armenian while the US team mastered shnorhagalem (thank you).

Opening day for the playground dawned bright and clear. The team went
door-to-door throughout the neighborhood inviting families to join the
4:00pm festivities with welcoming speeches planned and music provided
by local church singers. Before the gates opened, children and their
parents and grandparents lined the fence standing three and four deep.
Excitement and anticipation filled the air as hundreds of kids awaited
their chance to swing and climb and slide.

The crowd surged forward and more than 400 children converged at once
filling every conceivable square inch of playground equipment. For
hours, children went down the slide, two or three at a time. They
stood patiently in line for a chance to swing or took a seat in the
train and enjoyed the thrill of the first playground for their town of
75,000. And the construction team held their breath and prayed that
every bolt would hold!

With the sun setting behind distant mountains and the playground still
filled with joyous children, the volunteers gave thanks to God that
the answer to both questions was a resounding: “HARGAV! OF COURSE!”

The Armenian Relief Mission, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit
organization, was started by Dr Steve Kashian, a Chicago-area
physician,and his wife Rozik to provide medical and humanitarian aid
to Armenia “one person at a time.” Since 1991, the organization has
opened a pharmacy and built and run a new medical clinic facility in
Vanadzor, helped an Armenian man develop one of the largest sausage
businesses in the country, visited numerous orphanages to bring school
supplies and good cheer to Armenian children, and even helped the
residents of an apartment building renovate their common areas. ARM
is currently working on starting a residential home for young women
who have been `aged out’ of state orphanages to prevent them from
ending up on the street. If you would like more information about ARM
activities please email: [email protected] or write to: Armenian
Relief Mission, box 571 Winnetka IL 60093

AVAILABILITY OF GREAT RESOURCES OF PORTABLE ENERGY-CARRIERS FOUND OUT
IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, August 25 (Noyan Tapan). The Institute of Geophisics and
Engineering Seismology carried out geophisical researches in the
Jermaghbiur region of the Syunik region by the order of the
“Armenergo” company. RA Minister of Energy Armen Movsisian told
journalists on August 25 that the purpose of these researches was to
specify the availability of portable energy-carriers in the young
volcanic zone. It was found out that there are such resourcse here,
and according to the Minister of Energy, their number is quite
great. Armen Movsisian said that it is expected that a concrete
program on the exploitation of these resources will be elaborated till
the end of next year. It should be mentioned that it is expected that
the first geothermal laboratory will be constructed in Armenia, which
will be of great importance for the increase of the energetic security
of the country.

Deutsche Welle
25 Aout 2004

Le président azerbaidjanais à Berlin…

– A l’issue d’un entretien avec le président azerbaïdjanais Ilham
Aliev à Berlin, le chancelier allemand Gerhard Schroeder a salué les
réformes réalisées en Azerbaïdjan. Le chancelier a salué les efforts
du pays pour améliorer la sécurité juridique et l’Etat de droit.
Gerhard Schroeder a appelé les investisseurs allemands à “renoncer à
leur réserve” dans la région. L’Allemagne soutient par ailleurs une
solution politique de la crise dans l’enclave du Nagorny Karabakh et
entend poursuivre ses efforts en ce sens au sein de l’OSCE,
l’Organisation pour la coopération et la sécurité en Europe …Le
président azerbaïdjanais effectue à Berlin sa première visite depuis
son élection contestée en octobre dernier…

Agency WPS
The Russian Oil and Gas Report (Russia)
August 23, 2004, Monday

ITERA QUITS THE CIS AND FOCUSES ON DEEP GAS PROCESSING

Over the first seven months of 2004, gas supplies of ITERA to the CIS
decreased by more than 80%. ITERA does not plan to restore the gas
export contracts. Instead, the company started searching for
financing for its new projects of deep hydrocarbon processing.

Between 2003 and 2004, Gazprom took from ITERA and regained the
markets of Ukraine, Moldova and Baltic republics. In 2003, Gazprom
started gas supplies to Armenia and in 2004 to Azerbaijan. In the
last six months, Gazprom actually ousted independent gas suppliers
from the market.

In 2004, ITERA reduces the gas sales target figure from 28.7 billion
cubic meters to 19.1 billion cubic meters. The PR service of ITERA
reports that there is no decrease of gas production. The company
sells all gas produced in Russia in the Sverdlovsk Region. Press
secretary of ITERA Yevgeny Ostapov comments, “Because the gas
supplies markets shrunk from 90 billion cubic meters in 1990 to 33
billion cubic meters in 2003 and would decrease further in 2004,
management of the company soberly estimates the situation and seeks
the ways for further development.” ITERA is going to focus on gas
processing and production of raw materials for mineral fertilizers
and chemical industry. The company is studying opportunities for gas
processing in the Krasnodar Territory and Astrakhan Region and is
negotiating on financing of new projects. ITERA also plans to build a
power station in Moldova. In late August, the Board of Directors of
ITERA will meet to approve the new corporate strategy.

Source: Kommersant, 21/08/04

San Diego Union Tribune, CA
Aug 20 2004

Mexico detains 8 from Armenia, Iran, Iraq

By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
August 20, 2004

Mexican authorities detained eight people from Armenia, Iran and Iraq
at a Mexicali hotel yesterday after exchanging information with the
FBI, Mexican police said.

The six men and two women, one of whom is eight months pregnant, were
found about 11 a.m. by members of the State Preventive Police at the
hotel, in the city’s center.

The continuing threat of a terrorist attack has raised concerns that
terrorists could try to enter the United States from Mexico.

Mexican immigration officials are interviewing the detainees and
examining their documents to determine whether they are in the
country legally. U.S. authorities are interested in learning if any
have ties to groups intent on harming the United States.

Based on initial interviews, most of those being held appear to have
come from Armenia after fleeing religious persecution in Iran and
Iraq, said Alfredo Arenas Moreno, the international liaison for the
State Preventive Police.

The group appears to have flown from Moscow to Mexico City and then
to have made its way north to Mexicali.

Baja California has historically been a conduit for Middle
Easterners, particularly Iraqi Catholics, or Chaldeans, some of whom
try to seek asylum in the United States. It wasn’t clear if any of
the detainees are Chaldean.

One of the detainees appeared to be a smuggler, and another was
overseeing the group’s transportation from Armenia to Mexicali,
according to the State Preventive Police.

Four apparently are legal residents of the United States, and Mexican
authorities were preparing to arrange interviews for the FBI.