Author: Vardanian Garo

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
25 Oct. 2004

Human Right Report may end up in court

The controversial report by the Prime Ministry’s Human Rights Advisory
Board was rejected by senior officials, who denied it was commissioned
by the government.

October 25– A report on ethnic minorities in Turkey released by an
advisory body linked to the office of the Turkish Prime Minister may
end up in the courts, with a member of the Human Right Advisory Board
saying he had applied for the authors to be prosecutors.

Fethi Bolayir a member of the board on Monday said the report attacked
the national and spiritual values of the republic. Bolayir, who is also
the chairman of Social Thinking Association, described the report as a
“a document of treason” and called for legal action to be taken against
those involved in preparing it.
The report, issued last week, said that there should be greater
recognition given to ethnic minorities in Turkey. Currently, only three
ethnic minorities are officially recognised in Turkey, these being
those of the Jewish, Armenian and Greek communities.
Bolayir said the report disregarded the Laussane Treaty, the
international treaty that set out the status of minorities in Turkey.
Bolayr said some of the articles in the report were treasonous.
“If this report that suggests that unchangeable articles of the
constitution be changed over its limiting of minority and cultural
rights is not a document of treason then what is it?” he said.
He underlined his organisation supported getting rid of
injustice, corruption and poverty but not the division of the Turkish
Republic.
Bolayr said that the board had more than 30 members and seven
including himself voted against the report. He added that changes were
made in the section covering minorities without the information of the
members meant that an abuse of office and breaching of confidence has
also been committed.
Although the government officials denied having anything to do
with the report the chairman of the board, Ibrahim Kaboglu, said that
report had been submitted to the Prime Ministry.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
October 23, 2004 Saturday

Guns found in music hall shortly before president’s arrival

By Tengiz Pachkoria

TBILISI

Special services found a submachine gun and a sniper rifle in one of
the music halls that the presidents of Georgia and Armenia are
supposed to visit on Saturday evening.

The State Security Ministry said the submachine gun and the sniper
rifle were found in one of the storage rooms several hours before the
arrival of Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Armenian
President Robert Kocharyan.

It is not known yet who is the owner of the weapons or how they got
into the building. Special services searched both the performers and
spectators.

Britain tells Azerbaijan MPs’ visit to Karabakh private

ANS TV, Baku
22 Oct 04

[Presenter] Baku’s sharp protest against the visit by a British
parliamentary delegation to Nagornyy Karabakh has been conveyed to the
leadership of the United Kingdom.

[Correspondent Afat Telmanqizi over video of news conference] The
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry sent appropriate notes to the British
embassy in our country over the fact that Deputy Speaker of the
British House of Lords Baroness Caroline Cox and other MPs visited
Stepanakert without the permission of the Azerbaijani government, head
of the press service of the Foreign Ministry, Matin Mirza, told a news
conference today. Mirza said that Azerbaijan’s dissatisfaction had
been passed on to the British leadership through the embassy. We have
already received an answer.

[Mirza] The Foreign Ministry was told that the visit had been made at
the initiative of pro-Armenian Cox. The embassy said that the British
parliament had been repeatedly asked to put an end to Cox’s
destructive position.

[Passage omitted: the OSCE will be informed about recent truce
violation on the front line with Armenia]

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 22 2004

Baku condemns Russian companies’ activity in Upper Garabagh

The 4th meeting of the Azerbaijani-Russian inter-parliamentary
commission was held at the Milli Majlis (parliament) on Thursday. The
meeting was co-chaired by First Vice Speaker of the Milli Majlis Arif
Rahimzada and member of Russia’s Federation Council Konstantin
Markelov. The participants focused on the situation caused by
restrictions applied on the Russian-Azeri border.
Commenting on the issue, Markelov said the problem will be resolved
soon. Touching upon the Azerbaijan-Russia relations in fighting
international terrorism, he said the two countries’ secret services
are closely cooperating in this field. The participants also
exchanged views on expanding inter-parliamentary ties and cooperation
with international organizations.
During the meeting Rahimzada expressed a strong protest against the
activity of Russia’s Rostelecom company in Upper Garabagh and
granting international rights to Garabagh Telecom company.
Markelov pledged to raise the issue before the Russian company’s
administration.*

ARMENIA RESUME SUPPLYING GEORGIA WITH ENERGY

Azg/am
20 Oct 04

It Won’t Be Dark in Javakhk This Winter

Armenian-Russian joined Hayrusgazard Company and Georgian United
Switch Energy Company signed an agreement these days according to
which Armenia will resume supplying Georgia with energy, Ministry of
Energetics of Armenia informed Azg Daily. According to the agreement,
Armenia will provide energy for Georgian Samtskhe-Javakhk and Kvemo
Qartli regions through Ashotsq-Ninotsminda and Lalvar medium-voltage
lines.

The Georgian United Switch Energy Company, which is run by American PA
Consulting Company, informed yesterday that energy supply from Armenia
willcontinue till April 1 of 2005. Georgia is going to pay 13 AMD per
kilowatt-hour. Around 60 megawatt of energy will be exported to
Georgia daily.

The price for consumers is uncertain so far. Georgy Ioseliani, head of
the Samtskhe-Javakhk line of the United Switch Energy, stated later on
that the population will pay 22 AMD per kilowatt-hour. The population
of Akhalkalak and Ninotsminda used to pay 30 AMD last winter.

Nika Gulauri, minister of energetics and fuel of Georgia, said to
Novosti news agency that Telasi Company (belonging to Russian RAO EES)
is also tending to import energy of 100 megawatts per hour from
Armenia. Georgia’s debt from previous energy supplies amounts to $4
million.

By Tatoul Hakobian

El Mundo
October 17, 2004

LA ERA POST SADAM / Muere una persona y otras nueve resultan heridas
tras impactar dos morteros en el jardin de un hospital / Es el
segundo ataque en cadena contra templos no musulmanes que se produce
este ano en Irak.

Oleada de explosiones sin victimas en cinco iglesias cristianas de
Bagdad.

NAMIR SOBHI / ALISTAIR LYON. Efe / Reuters / EL MUNDO

Irak. Atentados. Oleada de explosiones sin victimas en cinco iglesias
cristianas de Bagdad. Portada

BODY:
BAGDAD.- Varios morteros y bombas de fabricacion casera estallaron
ayer por la manana en cinco iglesias en Bagdad en una nueva ola de
atentados contra templos cristianos que esta vez no causaron
victimas, informaron fuentes del Ministerio iraqui del Interior.Los
ataques alcanzaron tambien un hospital, donde dejaron un muerto y
nueve heridos, y un hotel de la capital.

El portavoz de ese Ministerio, Adnan Abdelrahman, preciso que las
explosiones se produjeron en las iglesias de San Jose, en el barrio
de Nafaq al Shurta; de San Jorge y San Jacobo, en Al Dura; de Roma,
en Al Karrada; y de la Virgen Maria, en Al Mansur.

La fuente indico que las deflagraciones causaron diversos danos en
los muros, ventanales y puertas de los templos, asi como en viviendas
aledanas.

Segun el relato de testigos proximos a las iglesias, las explosiones
fueron casi simultaneas, ya que se produjeron con un intervalo de
entre 10 y 30 minutos.

“Este es el tercer ataque que sufre mi templo desde que fue derribado
el regimen del presidente Sadam Husein, el 9 de abril del ano
pasado”, dijo a Efe el sacerdote Yebrail Chamaty, parroco de la
iglesia de San Jose, catolica de rito caldeo.

Por su parte, Abu Daud, guardian de la iglesia de la Virgen Maria, en
la que se congregan los armenios ortodoxos, dijo: “poco despues de
entrar en el templo para telefonear al parroco escuche una fuerte
explosion que arranco la puerta, los ventanales y la verja externa”.

Segunda ola de atentados

Daud preciso que antes del estallido vio a dos jovenes que descendian
de coches negros y que “traian entre las manos algo grande, pero
cuando grite para llamarles la atencion ellos emprendieron la fuga”.
“No esta bien. Vivimos en medio del miedo”, dijo Marlene Mijail, una
vecina de 40 anos que aguardaba mas noticias de su iglesia sentada en
su casa, rodeada de cruces e iconos cristianos, informa Reuters.

La ola de atentados es la segunda contra iglesias tras la del pasado
1 de agosto, cuando estallaron varios coches bomba en cinco templos
cristianos de Bagdad y Mosul, norte de Irak, que dejaron 11 civiles
muertos y decenas de heridos.

Los cristianos de Irak, cuya presencia tiene raices muy antiguas
hasta el punto de que ellos se definen como “hijos de Santo Tomas”,
son unos 800.000 por todo el pais, lo que supone casi el 3% de la
poblacion.

Poco despues de los ataques contra las iglesias, una persona moria y
otras nueve resultaban heridas por la explosion de dos bombas de
mortero que cayeron en el jardin del hospital Eben al Beitar y en un
lugar proximo, en el barrio de Al Salehiya.El ataque se produjo
despues de que en la zona bagdadi de Al Mansur otro proyectil de
mortero cayera en el garaje del hotel Melia, en el que la embajada de
la Republica Popular China tiene su sede y donde residen algunos
corresponsables extranjeros.

Cinco automoviles estacionados en el lugar resultaron destruidos por
la explosion del proyectil, indicaron fuentes del hotel.

El mando militar estadounidense informo, por su parte en un
comunicado, de que un soldado norteamericano murio ayer a
consecuencias de las heridas que sufrio en un atentado perpetrado el
viernes, contra su patrulla, al norte de Bagdad.

El militar resulto herido al estallar un coche al paso de su convoy a
mediodia del viernes, en el centro de Mosul.

Otros tres soldados norteamericanos, asi como un marine y un
interprete iraqui murieron tambien el viernes en un atentado suicida
perpetrado por un hombre que se lanzo en su coche contra un convoy
militar americano al oeste de Irak, segun informo ayer un portavoz
del cuerpo de Marines.

Estas muertes elevan a 1.087 el numero de militares norteamericanos
fallecidos en Irak desde la invasion del pais en marzo de 2003, segun
los datos facilitados por el Pentagono.

Asimismo, tres personas murieron por la explosion de una bomba
colocada en una carretera en la localidad de Mansuriya al Yabal,
proxima a Baquba, a unos 90 kilometros al noreste de Bagdad.

Por ultimo, fuentes del Ministerio iraqui de Educacion denunciaron
que uno de sus responsables de Kirkuk, a unos 290 kilometros al norte
de Bagdad, fue asesinado por desconocidos. La victima, que no fue
identificada por las fuentes, era miembro de la Union Patriotica del
Kurdistan (UPK) de Irak y fue tiroteada cuando salia de su casa para
dirigirse al trabajo.

El Gobierno, que busca pacificar el pais antes de las elecciones de
enero, ha prometido restaurar la autoridad estatal en bastiones
rebeldes como la localidad musulmana suni de Faluya, si es necesario
por la fuerza.

The Brown and White
Oct 18 2004

Distinguished panel of journalists hold forum
By Megan Schuler
Online News Writer
10/17/2004

The upcoming presidential election is very important to the future of
the world, a panel of journalists said Wednesday.

`The future of world government is at stake,” Sema Emiroglu, a
panelist from Turkey, said. “Kerry would win in a landslide if the
world voted.”

The panelists included five foreign correspondents from their
respective country’s journalism publications. They included Philippe
Coste, from L’Express, a French news magazine; Khaled Dawoud from
Al-Ahram, an Arab paper; Sema Emiroglu, from Milliyet, a Turkish
paper; He Hongze from The People’s Daily, a Chinese newspaper; and
Antonio Pasini from America Oggi, a US-based Italian daily newspaper.

The purpose of the panel discussion was to give audience members a
foreign perspective about the upcoming election and views of Bush’s
policies towards Iraq.

`The outcome of this election will shape the future of the world.
[The Prime Minister of Italy] is putting his political future in
this,’ Pasini said.

Hongze also agreed about the results.

`The number one issue is the Taiwanese, is worrisome, especially the
sale of arms,” Honze said. “The situation is now quite dangerous.
This election affects US/China relations.”

The discussion mainly focused on the war in Iraq.

`’My way or the highway’ attitude caused animosity. Turkey thought
the [Iraq] war was illegal,’ Emiroglu said.

`[The US thought] once we have a stronghold [in the Middle East],
there will be a domino effect, making the region pro-Western,’ said
Coste.

Dawoud said, `[Kerry] said he does not plan to occupy Iraq. [This
administration] is building military bases in Iraq.’

The war threatens possible stability in the region.

`Whatever happens in Iraq affects [Turkey],’ Emiroglu said. `There is
the possibility of civil war. If the Kurdish region becomes
independent, that is a huge threat to Turkey.’

All panelists agreed that world sympathy for the US after 9/11
quickly disappeared after Bush’s policies were started.

`He squandered all the worldwide support after 9/11. [Support]
started to erode with the attack on Iraq,’ Pasini said.

Emiroglu said, `Bush alienated the world, bullied allies, came [to
the Middle East] when it was advantageous. It cost the US
credibility. [The US] created more enemies at a time when they needed
friends.”

`I think people do not hate Bush, they hate his foreign policy,’ said
Hongze.

There was reference to a report that tried to justify the war in Iraq
even though there were no weapons of mass destruction.

Dawoud said, `To try to justify war, a team set out to predict what
Iraq capability would have been in 2008. In 2003, Iraq had 30% of its
1991 power.’

Pasini offered an explanation for the administration pursuing the
Iraq War.

`From Day One, this administration was planning a war with Iraq, and
they finally got an excuse [with 9/11],’ he said.

Coste said that if John Kerry was elected, problems would still
exist.

`John Kerry thought it was okay to commit European allies around him
if he was elected. [We are] afraid of ill-defined pressure,’ he said.

For Turkish-Americans, the recognition of the Armenian genocide is
their main issue.

`Kerry’s pro-Armenian position is important to us,’ said Emiroglu.
Each president has promised to recognize the event, but all have
reneged.

The panel discussion was sponsored by Global Union, International
Relations, Department of Journalism and Communication and Department
of Political Science.

This event happened on Wednesday in Whitaker 303, hours before the
final Presidential debate took place.

Russia to increase military presence in Central Asia, Caucasus

Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow
15 Oct 04

The Russian military has changed its policy on Central Asia and the
Caucasus and is stepping up its presence there in response to increased
US military aid to the region, the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya
Gazeta said on 15 October. Russia is formally opening a military
base in Tajikistan on 17 October, and expects to keep its troops in
Georgia for at least another seven years. The following is the text
of article by Vladimir Mukhin, “The RF Defence Ministry will increase
its influence in the near abroad”, published in the Russian newspaper
Nezavisimaya Gazeta on 15 October; subheadings inserted editorially:

The military is laying stress on bases in Central Asia and the
Trans-Caucasus.

Russia’s military department has recently been looking at decisions
reached earlier on the fate of military contingents stationed
abroad. This is taking place against the background of another series
of troop reductions and reforms. Along with this, it is notable that
the garrisons in the near abroad [republics of the former Soviet Union]
are not being significantly reduced. They are being strengthened with
new aviation and other combat-capable, high-tech subunits (precision
artillery, communications, intelligence, etc) at the same time.
We note that there are aviation subunits in all the Russian troop
contingents stationed abroad.

In the opinion of observers, strengthening the Russian presence in
the CIS countries goes against what has been noted earlier. Thus,
a year ago the chief of General Staff at the time, Gen Army Anatoliy
Kvashnin, signed a directive in which military garrisons on Georgian
territory were to be significantly reduced in 2004. The same directive
proposed reducing the numbers of the 201st Motorized-Rifle Division
in Tajikistan, which on Sunday [17 October] will receive the status of
a military base. The same document proposed reducing the peacekeeping
subunit in the Dniester Region.

Military aid to Georgia

But nothing outlined by Kvashnin has been carried out yet. Because
of problems with removing the munitions of the 14th Soviet Army, the
Russian “blue helmets” will remain in Tiraspol for at least another
year. The new chief of General Staff of the Russian Federation Armed
Forces, Yuriy Baluyevskiy, is preparing another directive which
should cancel Kvashnin’s decision to reduce the Tbilisi garrison,
including the dissolution of the 376th Military Clinical Hospital
of Group of Russian Forces in the Transcaucasus. Troops are being
rotated and special subunits (intelligence, communications, etc)
are being updated in Armenia. Apparently, the military subunits in
Georgia will also be updated and modernized. With all its problems,
Tbilisi is interested in Russia giving help in setting up the Georgian
Army. Of course, relations between Moscow and Tbilisi are now complex,
but the RF Ministry of Defence is certain that the status of the Group
of Russian Forces in the Transcaucasus will allow Russian troops
to remain in Georgia for a minimum of another seven years. We note
that on 7-8 October, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Ground
Troops, Lt-Gen Georgiy Yevnevich, arrived in Tbilisi. In addition
to peacekeeping issues, he discussed with Georgian Defence Minister
Georgiy Baramidze the prospects of the protocol signed in August by
the heads of the military departments of the two countries, in which
Russia is obligated to train military cadres for the Georgian Army
and cooperate in the military-technical sphere.

It is these aspects that will be discussed at the next session
of the committee drawing up a framework agreement between Russia
and Georgia. According to information from military sources, the
committee session will take place at the end of October. The RF
Defence Ministry does not doubt that Tbilisi will make concessions
if Moscow obligates itself to provide military aid not only in
deliveries, but in modernizing the Georgian Army. “There is a certain
understanding about these issues on the Georgian side,” commented
Russian military-diplomatic sources on the upcoming negotiations.

Base in Tajikistan

In regard to the 201st Division, this will receive the status of
a Russian military base on 17 October. For reasons of economy,
the division is currently not manned with contract servicemen, but
with conscripts. The commander of the 5th Army of the RF Air Force,
stationed in the Volga-Urals Military District, Lt-Gen Yevgeniy
Yuryev, said that in addition to transforming the 201st Division
into a military base, the aviation component will be significantly
strengthened. “I hope that at the end of October a final decision
will be made on the place for stationing this grouping,” concluded
Yuryev. In exchange for the military base, Dushanbe wants increases
in Russian investment, military aid, etc. Moscow is still bargaining,
but in the opinion of experts, is ready to make concessions.

A well-known ethno-political analyst, academician of the Academy of
Military Sciences Col Vladimir Popov told NG that the United States
and NATO are presently increasing their military groupings in Central
Asia and also plan to strengthen them in the Caucasus and Middle and
Near East. “The United States plans to spend 500m dollars in 2005 on
military support alone for the regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq. The
armed forces of Georgia, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan will receive 20m
dollars each. The other former republics of the USSR will receive a
little less. Moscow must react, and it is doing this by strengthening
its military bases in CIS territory,” the military analyst commented
on the situation.

MEMORANDUM FOR REHABILITATION OF LAKE GILI SIGNED

ArmenPress
Oct 14 2004

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 15, ARMENPRESS: Armenian nature protection
minister, the governor of Gegharkunik province and the UNDP
Resident Representative in Armenia signed October 15 a memorandum
for rehabilitation of Lake Gili. The rehabilitation project, worth $1
million, is to be implemented by UNDP and Global Ecological Fund (GEF).

The main objective of the project is protection of rare and endemic
biodiversity already present in Lake Gili as part of the Lake Sevan
basin, and the provision of a first-best habitat for threatened wetland
biodiversity in Armenia (currently found in second-best habitats).

Nature protection minister Vartan Aivazian said some 560 hectares of
land belonging to residents of a nearby village of Norakert will be
covered by water. He said the residents will get new land plots from
state-owned reserve fund.

UDDP Resident Representative Lise Grande said the UNDO and GEF will
help the Norakert community to avoid the negative consequences of
the project by assisting it to solve its social issues and improve
water supplies.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address: Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel: (374 1) 517 163
Fax: (374 1) 517 301
E-Mail: [email protected]
October 14, 2004

Re-Consecration of Historic Church of Karmravor

On September 12, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the
faithful of the Diocese of Aragatsotn gathered in the city of Ashtarak
in central Armenia, to participate in a joyous and memorable event.
Through the generosity of Armenian benefactors from the United States,
Mr. and Mrs. Ohannes Meguerian of Pennsylvania, the historic Church
of Surb Astvatsatsin (Saint Mary Mother of God) was re-consecrated.
One of the masterpieces of early VII century Armenian architecture,
the church (commonly known as “Karmravor”) had been in dire need
of renovation for most of the twentieth century due to neglect and
non-use.

Prior to the celebration of Divine Liturgy, the celebrant, His Grace
Bishop Paren Avedikian, Director of Administrative-Organizational
Affairs of the Mother See, offered the consecration service in
the presence of the benefactor, members of his family and hundreds
of faithful. Assisting Bishop Paren was Rev. Fr. Torgom Tonikian,
the Representative of the Catholicos of All Armenians for the Diocese
of Aragatsotn.

Following the consecration service, Bishop Paren celebrated Divine
Liturgy and afterwards congratulated the faithful in attendance on
this memorable occasion. “This is an unforgettable day for all of us,
as one more house of prayer is being opened in Armenia. It is our
prayer to God that this magnificent church should always be a place
where God and man will meet, where we can share our pains, concerns
and joy with our Lord, where we can pray to our Savior and receive His
Divine Grace through Holy Communion,” noted His Grace in his sermon.

Father Torgom read the Pontifical Encyclical of His Holiness Karekin
II granted to the benefactor on this occasion. The Pontiff of All
Armenians awarded Mr. Meguerian with the “St. Nerses the Graceful”
Medal of the Armenian Church in recognition for his dedication to
the Mother Church and the Republic of Armenia.

The Pontifical Encyclical states in part, “Your significant
contribution and spirit of participating in the great work of building
churches, which received new vitality in the new millennium, and as
a result of which you sponsored the renovation and restoration of the
Church of St. Mary Mother of God, is the testimony of your patriotism,
boundless filial love, devotion and loyalty to the Armenian Church and
the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.We confirm with joy that although
living far from Armenia, you have the Homeland in your heart and you
support your Motherland.”

High-ranking clergymen, the Regional Governor of the Aragatsotn Region,
many guests from the United States and hundreds of faithful attended
the service and Divine Liturgy.

In celebration of this significant event in the life of the faithful
of Aragatsotn, His Holiness Karekin II presided during a reception
hosted at the Diocesan Headquarters Church of St. Mesrop Mashtots in
Oshakan later that same evening.

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