Author: Torgomian Varazdat

INTERNATIONAL TOURISM EXHIBITION OF SILK ROAD STATES OPENS IN GEORGIA

IRNA news agency, Tehran
30 Apr 04

BARADI’I

The 6th international tourism exhibition of Silk Road states kicked
off in Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi on Thursday (29 April) in
cooperation of Iran’s five provinces.

According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Georgia’s Deputy Prime Minister
Tamar Beruchasvili expressed satisfaction over active participation of
Iran’s Khorasan, Semnan, Zanjan, Qazvin and Golestan provinces and
called for establishing further ties between the two countries’
tourism organizations.

Meanwhile, Iran’s ambassador to Georgia stressed the importance of
cultural exchanges between the two countries and said Iran and Georgia
should use such opportunities to introduce their culture to each
other.

Tourism organizations from Iran, Turkey, Austria, Armenia, Albania,
Japan, Greece and Russia are attending the exhibition.

The ancient Silk Road, extending over 12,000 kms, was used by traders
of all nationalities from 100 B.C. to 15th century A.D. and linked
China, India, Iraq, Iran, Greece and Rome.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER VIEWS COUNCIL OF EUROPE DISCUSSIONS

Iravunk, Yerevan
30 Apr 04

Text of a telephone interview with Artashes Gegamyan, leader of the
Armenian opposition National Unity Party from Strasbourg in the
Armenian newspaper Iravunk on 30 April headlined “A resolution on
Armenia was adopted by PACE on 28 April”

(Yerkir correspondent) During these days the coalition member deputies
are often voicing (from the National Assembly rostrum as well) a view
that it was Armenians used to search for Tizbon (town in Iran) for a
long time, during the Soviet times it was Lenin’s mausoleum and the
Kremlin and today it is the Council of Europe.

(Artashes Gegamyan) Those who make such parallels are at least
political ignoramus. They do not understand what processes take place
in the 21st century world and in particular in Europe. I can surely
say that they are dealing with prostitution but not politics. If they
deal with politics, they would know that since 1 May the European
Union which will involve 25 member-countries, is developing a general
constitution and in all probability it will be confirmed this
year. Any country which does not even join the European Union, should
aspire to come closer to the European standards, if it wants its state
and people to have prospects and progress.

(Correspondent) How will you assess the PACE discussions on 28 April?

(Gegamyan) They were of a principal significance for Armenia, in
particular for those hundreds of thousands of our compatriots who want
the resignation of the present administration.

(Correspondent) In what sense?

(Gegamyan) In the sense that they heard the people’s voice in the PACE
session, about the events that took place in April, behind which
Robert Kocharyan stands. The events have become a subject of serious
discussion and 106 stood for its discussion. The last point of the
adopted resolution is evidence of the fact PACE allows in Armenia
significant regress from the pan-European values. It is not at all
accidental the authorities were given until September to stop the
barbarous actions and pressure against the opposition that were
mentioned in the resolution. They (Armenian authorities) were obliged
to keep human rights and freedoms, that is, organization of free
demonstrations and rallies and free movement right. They (PACE)
demanded the release of political prisoners immediately. They also
specially mentioned that the diplomatic immunity of PACE deputies
should be preserved.

(Correspondent) What did they mean?

(Gegamyan) They meant in particular a search in Shavarsh Kocharyan’s
and my flat and many hours examination by the workers of the
prosecutor’s office. (Passage omitted: He says that the Armenian
nation sticks to the European values, when it chose that way 1703
years ago and adopted Christianity on a state level and held to the
Christian values.)

This is the main symbol and main lesson.

(Correspondent) What was Russia’s position during the discussions?

(Gegamyan) The point is that Mr Zavgaev from the Russian delegation,
who is Chechen, made a speech. This is evidence of the fact that
unfortunately in Armenia Kocharyan relies on the criminal element, and
in the world sphere on famous functionaries, sirs,
Zavgaevs…(ellipsis as published)

(Correspondent) How will you comment on the fact that PACE registered
that the opposition should nevertheless start dialogue and that the
dialogue should take place in the National Assembly?

(Gegamyan) PACE will gradually see that there is the Kocharyan
administration in Armenia on the one hand and on the other there is
the Armenian nation. Naturally the Armenian nation has only one
language to talk to the occupant of power, that is a language of law.

(Correspondent) By the way, the authorities of Armenia have not
accepted the PACE report and resolution badly and are already trying
to express their satisfaction.

(Gegamyan) Naturally, one can understand them, as they know very well
what a shame took place in Armenia during the passed months, they also
know that any country that implemented only 10 per cent of their
actions would be withdrawn from the Council of Europe.

(Correspondent) But nevertheless we were not punished but given time
to correct our mistakes.

(Gegamyan) Naturally the given five months should raise inspiration in
the authorities. But we know very well what will take place in
September.

Toronto Daily Reporter
Sat, May 1, 2004

Oscar who?

Genies won’t try to copy Hollywood’s hoopla By bruce Kirkland

The Genie Awards often have been called Canada’s answer to the Oscars.
“Who’s kidding who?” asks Paul Gratton, chairman of the Academy of
Canadian Cinema & Television and an executive at Bravo in the CHUM
Television group, which will broadcast the Genies live on a
cobbled-together, cross-Canada network. The action kicks off a 8
p.m. from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

“It’s not the Oscars,” Gratton says. “We don’t have the star power. We
don’t have the recognition factor.”

FUNKY PARTY

While Mayor David Miller has proclaimed this Genie Awards Day in
Toronto, that honour is limited. So CHUM, working with the Academy for
a year’s trial, will present the 24th Canadian film awards as a funky
party hosted by Kids In The Hall comic Scott Thompson.

“CHUM very specifically is trying to change the energy in the room,”
Gratton says, “and one of the first ways we did this was to emulate
the Independent Spirit Awards more than the Oscars.

“Let’s not try to do a traditional show. Let’s throw a party because
there is stuff to celebrate this year — honestly! The success in
Quebec is part of it, but the overall quality of the movies that we
had to evaluate — all bulls— aside — really was higher this year
than in some recent years.”

After what Gratton calls “the Ararat/Spider fiasco” of 2003, the
Academy also overhauled its faulty nomination procedures. Last year,
Atom Egoyan’s Ararat won as best picture, but Egoyan was not even
nominated as best director. David Cronenberg won as best director, but
his Spider masterwork was not even nominated as best
picture. Cronenberg complained bitterly about the injustices,
including the exclusion of his star, Ralph Fiennes, as a best-actor
nominee.

“It was embarrassing,” Gratton says. “This system was flawed. David
Cronenberg was extremely upset about the results and this was one of
those cases where you say: ‘I don’t blame him.’

“So we re-invented that this year as well … There was far less
controversy this year. There were quirks, but there weren’t too many
things in there that were manifestly bizarre.”

Going into tonight’s awards, Quebec films — riding the crest of a
stellar year — dominate with the eccentric comedy Seducing Doctor
Lewis (La Grande Seduction) leading with 11 nominations. The Barbarian
Invasions (Les Invasions Barbares), which has already won the Oscar as
best foreign language film, and The Snow Walker, a B.C. production,
both have nine nominations. Also nominated as best picture are Owning
Mahowny and La Face Cachee De La Lune.

WORTH CELEBRATING

Says Gratton of the lineup: “There are at least three or four movies
that did not make the cut for the five best films that I think, in
numerous other years, would have. We’ve had some years where it was
hard to come up with five worthy best-picture nominees. This year, it
was not hard. So that’s worth celebrating and drawing attention to,
even if much of the audience is indifferent.

“This is really a re-invention of the Genies. I don’t think anyone
expects the bun to come out of the oven fully baked the first
year. So, what you want to see are elements that can be built
upon. You want to avoid a total disaster.

If it works, next year is the 25th anniversary, so it’s an important
year.”

Monday Morning, Lebanon (weekly)
May 3 2004

Boosting exports of natural gas

Iran, which holds some 15 percent of the world’s natural gas reserves,
is boosting exports of gas to its neighbors in the hope of picking up
sales to Asia and Europe in the future.

`In the short term, we are looking to export our gas to neighboring
countries, but we are also working on exports of liquefied natural gas
[LNG] to Asia and Europe’, said Rokneddin Javadi, director of Iran’s
National Gas Export Company.
`The issue is that the projects to export to neighbors, such as those
across the Persian Gulf, can be completed in two years. But an LNG
export project needs five years’, he told reporters on the sidelines of
a gas export conference in Teheran.
He said Iran expected to sign a contract soon to supply 15 million
cubic meters a day by pipeline to the United Arab Emirates. And he said
the Islamic republic was also in talks with Kuwait and the UAE for two
other similar contracts, hoping to export 1.5 billion cubic meters to
the two countries each year.
Also expected later this year are contracts with Armenia and
Nakhichevan, an autonomous region of Azerbaijan, covering the sale of
three billion cubic meters annually.
And a 25-year contract with Turkey enabled Iran to sell 3.5 billion
cubic meters there in 2003. That figure is expected to rise to five
billion cubic meters in 2004, if a contractual dispute can be worked
out.
Turkey, complaining that the gas is of poor quality, has demanded a
price cut and has threatened to turn to Russia instead. `You have to
ask the Turks what is going on. If they abandon the contract, they will
have to pay a heavy fine’, an Iranian industry official said.
Despite the ongoing difficulties with Turkey, Javadi nevertheless said
he hoped Iranian gas sales would total two billion dollars annually by
2010.
But Iran is also counting on this figure jumping dramatically if it can
get LNG exports by tanker moving further afield, notably to the
potentially enormous markets of South Asia, China — with whom a
memorandum on future sales has already been signed — and Europe.
The country currently has three LNG production projects under way,
NIOC-LNG of the National Iranian Oil Company, the Pars-LNG consortium
of NIOC, Total and Petronas, and Persian-LNG of NIOC, Shell and Repsol.
But such sales are pending the completion of LNG production facilities,
as well as the costly laying of pipelines that need to cross sensitive
areas such as the Pakistani-Indian border.
Furthermore, there is tough competition from Russia, holder of the
world’s largest reserves and geographically better placed to tap the
European and Chinese markets. Competition from Algeria and Qatar is
also tough, and Iran has found itself lagging due to the late
development of its gas sector.
In the case of Qatar, the world’s number-three for gas reserves has
been quicker than Iran to tap its offshore resources and is now pushing
to become the world’s top exporter.
In March, Qatar signed a six-billion-dollar protocal accord with the
South African-US Sasol-Chevron consortium for three LNG production
projects. It has also already got a foot in the Indian market.
Political pressure on Iran, including United States sanctions that
target foreign companies investing there, are also major hurdles.
`These kinds of investments represent billions of dollars, and it is
not certain that international companies will accept to finance them’,
one Western industry expert commented in Teheran.
Iran has decided to award the French oil giant Total a
1.2-billion-dollar contract to develop phase 11 of the big South Pars
offshore gas field, according to Mahdi Mirmoezi, the republic’s deputy
oil minister.
`The final negotiations are in progress, and unless there is a problem,
the contract will be signed in one or two months’, he said.
British Petroleum (BP), Italy’s ENI and Norway’s Statoil had also been
competing for the contract. But Total is believed to have benefitted
from its already strong presence in Iran, including in the field of
liquefied natural gas (LNG). Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanghaneh had
already voiced his desire to see a company deeply engaged in LNG
operations get the deal, so as to facilitate exports.
Gas from phase 11 is earmarked for European markets. In 1997, Total was
awarded buyback contracts for phases 2 and 3.
Under the Iranian constitution, foreign companies are not allowed to
take an equity stake in any national oil and gas projects, but can
participate under a buyback scheme enabling them to invest and later
receive a portion of sales.
Aside from South Pars, Total is engaged in the Sirri A and E oil
fields, which began producing in 1998-99, and the already exploited
Dorood and Balal fields.
In February, Total — together with Malaysia’s Petronas and the
National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) — won a two-billion-dollar
contract for an LNG plant at South Pars.
Under that contract, Total and Petronas are bound to find LNG buyers —
a process the deputy minister said would take seven or eight months.
Pending exports, its production will serve the expanding domestic
market.
South Pars is the Iranian sector of the world’s largest natural gas
field, situated in the Gulf and shared with Qatar. The Iranian sector
is set to be divided into roughly 25 phases.
Phases 1, 6, 7 and 8 have been awarded to the private Iranian firm
Petropars; Phases 4 and 5 to Petropars/ENI and Phases 9 and 10 to South
Korea’s Lucky Goldstar (LG).
Iran is seeking to boost its gas production, but badly needs foreign
markets. It is currently working on tapping the Indian market,
including pushing for a pipeline that crosses Pakistan.
Production is hoped to increase from 110 billion cubic meters in 2000
to 292 billion in 2010. Gas already meets a third of domestic energy
needs.

Rolling Stone
April 26 2004

System Honor Armenian Souls

Benefit seeks to raise awareness of genocide

Before System of a Down wrapped up their Souls 2004 benefit with the
song “P.L.U.C.K. (Politically Lying, Unholy, Cowardly Killers),”
frontman Serj Tankanian yelled from the stage, “I want to thank you
guys for making this one of the best fucking shows!”
The sold-out concert, held Saturday night at Los Angeles’ Greek
Theater, raised awareness of the World War I-era mass murders of
Armenians by Turkey’s Ottoman Empire, which Turkey and several other
nations, including the U.S., refuse to recognize as genocide.

System began with a five-song barrage that began with “Aerials” and
ended with “Chop Suey.” During a high-octane version of “War?,”
Tankian chanted “Bush is gonna let us all mother fuckers die” to
thunderous applause.

Guitarist Daron Malakian then addressed the crowd: “We ain’t fucking
around. We’re not gonna gyp you like all those fucking bands on MTV.”
Malakian surprised his bandmates by singing an Armenian love song and
concluding “P.L.U.C.K.” with a solo guitar version of the Armenian
national anthem that moved bassist Shavo Odadjian to tears.

It was one of two times on this night the bassist admitted to letting
his emotions go. “My grandpa walked backstage and when he was hugging
me he was crying,” he said backstage after the show. “And it made me
start bawling. He witnessed it. He had to eat grass for weeks. He
doesn’t know his age, we don’t know his birthday and we don’t know
our family trees. To be able to make our families and all these
people we don’t know feel this way is so important to us.”

If there was one downside for fans, it was that the band, which is in
the midst of writing a new album, due by the end of the year, didn’t
play any of the new songs. Odadjian said it wasn’t for lack of
material. “We have a lot of songs, but we’re not going to play them
and perform them until they’re really ready.”

System of a Down set list:

Aerials
Suite-Pee
Suggestions
Psycho
Chop Suey
Kitt
Soil
Forest
War?
Mind
Mr. Jack
Sugar
Chick ‘N’ Stu
Innervision
ATWA
Prison Song
Needles
Deer Dance
Toxicity
Science
Roulette
Unnamed Armenian Ballad
P.L.U.C.K.

STEVE BALTIN
(April 26, 2004)

A1 Plus | 14:07:54 | 24-04-2004 | Social |

GREAT BRITAIN AMBASSADOR IN TSITSERNAKABERD

Some Ambassadors in Armenia including United Kingdom Ambassador Thorda
Abbott-Watt who refuted the fact of the Armenian Genocide have today
visited Tsitsernakaberd.

A1 Plus | 13:13:31 | 24-04-2004 | Social |

YOUNG NATIONALISTS DEMANDING FOR HONOR

Armenian Nationalist Youth Bloc has today held a protest action near Great
Britain Embassy against Ambassador Thorda Abbott-Watt over her statement
denying the fact of the Armenian Genocide.

“We demand the Ambassador for honor to have insulted dignity of our people.
She must apologize to the Armenian people for her statement. Each Armenian
has the right to demand for explanation”, Bloc Vice-Chair Roman Gevorgyan
says.

The protestors conveyed a letter to the Embassy and are now expecting for
the answer of the Ambassador. “Being nationalists we will press for it”,
Bloc Vice-Chair added.

FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE
pour la Justice et la Démocratie
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B – 1000 BRUXELLES
Tel./Fax : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
E-mail : [email protected]
Web :

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
22 avril 2004
Contact: Talline Tachdjian
Tel.: +32 (0)2 732 70 27

LA FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE SALUE LA RECONNAISSANCE PAR LE CANADA DU
GENOCIDE DES ARMENIENS

— La chambre des communes du Canada a adopté une motion par laquelle elle
« reconnaît le génocide des Arméniens de 1915 et condamne cet acte en tant
que crime contre l’Humanité » —

Bruxelles, Belgique – La Fédération Euro-Arménienne annonce que le Canada a
reconnu ce mercredi 21 avril le génocide des Arméniens et qu’elle a condamné
cet acte en tant que crime contre l’Humanité.

La motion adoptée par 153 voix contre 58 avait été déposée par Mme Madeleine
Dalphond-Guiral (Bloc Québécois) en dépit de l’opposition affichée du
gouvernement libéral de Paul Martin. M. Graham, le ministre des Affaires
Etrangères chargé de défendre la position de son gouvernement, avait déclaré
que « le Canada voulait maintenir les meilleures relations possibles avec le
gouvernement d’Ankara ».

Cependant, les parlementaires libéraux qui avaient reçu une consigne de «
vote libre » ont massivement rejoint les députés bloquistes et les
conservateurs pour faire du Canada le quinzième Etat ayant reconnu au plus
haut niveau le génocide des Arméniens.

La Turquie avait préalablement proféré les menaces habituelles de rétorsions
économiques en citant l’exemple de firmes canadiennes à la recherche de
contrat en Turquie.

« Nous adressons nos plus chaleureuses félicitations aux représentants du
peuple canadien ainsi qu’aux organisations qui ont travaillé à cette
reconnaissance » a déclaré Laurent Leylekian, le directeur de la Fédération
Euro-Arménienne.

« En faisant `uvre de vérité, le Canada fait `uvre de justice et c’est le
seul chemin possible vers une réconciliation franche et sincère. C’est
pourquoi nous appelons l’Union européenne à exiger sans délai la
reconnaissance et la réparation par la Turquie du génocide des Arméniens
avant que d’examiner sa demande d’adhésion à l’Union. » a conclu Laurent
Leylekian.

#####

Russian energy minister reports to Duma on electricity reforms, strategy

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow,
21 Apr 04

Russian Energy and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko has told the
State Duma that the recently established free market in electricity is
performing well, the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS reported on 21
April.

According to TASS, the minister told deputies during today’s
“Government Hour” that since it started operating in November 2003,
the market “has proved its effectiveness and has become one of the
most important steps of the first period of reform”. He noted that the
average daily volume of sales on the market had grown from 12m kWh in
November 2003 to 142m kWh in March 2004. Khristenko said this increase
had been accompanied by a rise in the number of participants on the
market from 14 to 75. A significant number of these are companies
independent of the national grid company, Unified Energy System of
Russia.

TASS also quoted Khristenko as saying that the “operation of the
market needs some adjustment”. In particular, he stressed the need for
a more balanced mechanism for setting prices.

Another TASS report quoted Khristenko as saying the average price on
the free segment of the market was lower than on the regulated
market. However, he also said prices on the regulated market were well
within the limits set by the government. “The price limits for
electricity in 2004 will be fully observed”. The report said that the
price limit per kWh is R0.846, and the current price is R0.822 per
kWh.

However, TASS reported Khristenko as saying that, unlike electricity
prices, gas prices would increase by more than the consumer price
index. He said serious measures needed to be taken to lower production
costs and increase the efficiency of the fuel’s use for the
electricity sector.

According to TASS, Khristenko said that among the government’s main
objectives in the reform of the electricity sector was the formation
of wholesale generating companies and territorial generating
companies, and the separation of 37 regional energy companies. He also
said that it is “vital to develop state regulation, and create a
system of antimonopoly control and ensure there was non-discriminatory
access to the market.”

“It is also necessary to create an integrated system of tariff
regulation during the transitional period,” TASS quoted Khristenko as
saying. He added that the question of Siberia joining the competitive
electricity market should be decided in 2004.

Khristenko also told MPs that energy integration could contribute to
the solution of political issues in the CIS, according to another TASS
report. “One of the key elements in this process is infrastructure
integration, which concerns not only the acquisition of assets of CIS
companies, but also the main planks of the distribution systems,”
Khristenko was quoted as saying.

The same report quoted the head of Unified Energy System of Russia,
Anatoliy Chubays, as saying that “the acquisition of assets in CIS
energy companies is a new strategy for us.” We have restored a single
energy system in 14 of the 15 former Soviet republics, and this means
that it is possible to take the next step – the acquisition of
companies,” Chubays was reported to have said. He added that, having
started this process in Georgia and Armenia, “we are now conducting
serious and complex negotiations with Ukraine, preparing for
negotiations in Kazakhstan, and planning vigorous activity in the
Baltic States”. Chubays also said that the company was not intending
to limit its activity to the CIS. “We are ready to participate in
tender processes in a number of countries in Eastern Europe,” Chubays
was quoted as saying.

Armenian foreign minister says next meeting with Azerbaijan over
disputed enclave will be in May

Associated Press
April 19, 2004

YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said
Monday that he planned to meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart in
May to continue discussions on resolving the countries’ dispute over
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Oskanian said that the meeting he held last week in Prague with
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov was useful but did not
break new ground.

Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan.
Ethnic Armenian forces drove out Azerbaijan’s army from the region in
the 1990s and ethnic Azeris fled. Since a 1994 cease-fire,
Nagorno-Karabakh has been run by an internationally unrecognized
government.

Despite the cease-fire, shooting still breaks out sporadically across
the so-called “line of control,” a demilitarized strip separating
Azeri and Armenian forces.

The unresolved status of Nagorno-Karabakh keeps tensions high between
the countries and apparently discourages foreign investors fearful
of a new outbreak of fighting and instability.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani officials met under the auspices of the
“Minsk Group,” an arm of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe devoted to resolving the dispute. The Minsk Group is led
by a troika of diplomats from the United States, France and Russia.

The newly appointed top U.S. official for the group, Stephen Mann,
met on Monday with Armenian officials.

“What I will be doing in this position is representing the
U.S. national interests and it is in the American national interest
to work for a peaceful, negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue,” Mann told reporters.