Author: Zakarian Garnik

PanArmenian News
Nov 18 2004

AZERBAIJAN`S STATEMENTS ON INTENTION TO GET BACK TERRITORIES
BORDERING WITH KARABAKH NOT SERIOUS

BAKU, 18.11.04. A $30 million project called `The restoration of
freed territories` financed by the World Bank is being realized in
Azerbaijan. The project aims at the re-settlement of refugees and
forced migrants of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict period and is
carried out by the Agency for restoration and reconstruction of the
territories of Azerbaijan. Thus, against such a background,
Azerbaijani leadership`s statements on intention `to return` by force
the territories, which make a safety belt around NKR, sound rather
doubtfully.

RIA Novosti, Russia
Nov 17 2004

ARMENIAN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT CLOSURE TO COST EU A LOT

YEREVAN, November 17 (RIA Novosti) – The European Union intends to
fund the search for alternative sources of power in Armenia since it
is going to close the only Armenian nuke facility. The money is
supposed to be included into the budget of the EU new programme of
cooperation with CIS commonwealth.

On Wednesday Levon Vardanyan, in charge of the main board for
technical development and external relations at the Armenian Energy
Ministry, said that the project will be carried out irrespective of
the EU other programmes regarding the Armenian nuclear power
facility.

“We are well aware that the Armenian facility will eventually be put
out of service. The problem is under what conditions this whether
there is an alternative might be”, Vardanyan siad.

The European Union insists on mothballing the Armenian nuke and is
ready to allocate 100 million euros. Armenian experts say that the
creation of alternative generating capacities will cost almost a
billion euros.

The Armenian nuclear power plant was put into operation in 1980 and
shut down in March 1989. The energy crisis in Armenia restarted it in
November 1995.

Having the Russian VVER-440 power reactor of the first generation,
the Armenian facility’s second unit accounts for an average of 30 to
40 percent of the national electricity output. Experts say the plant
can remain in use until 2016.

In September 2003 the Armenian nuclear power plant was passed in
trust management for five years to INTER RAO UES, a subsidiary of the
RAO Russia’s Unified Energy Systems and the Rosenergoatom concern.

Eradicating terrorism among Russia’s priorities in Caucasus

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Nov 13 2004

VENICE, November 13 (Itar-Tass) — Russia’s State Duma first deputy
speaker Lyubov Sliska said the eradication of terrorism and extremism
was Moscow’s priority in the Caucasus.

Speaking at a session of NATO’s parliamentary assembly on regional
security in the Transcaucasia on Friday, Sliska said, “Russian society
is watching events in the Caucasus with apprehension. … The resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh, Georgia-Abkhazian and Georgian-South Ossetian
conflicts is also among Russia’s priorities.”

“The elections in Abkhazia are important for Russia primarily in
terms of their impact on further negotiations,” she added.

Sliska urged NATO officials not to focus on the legitimacy of the
elections in Abkhazia. “It is necessary to prepare for continued
negotiations with the new leadership to be elected in this unrecognised
republic. Russia will move in this direction together with the United
Nations,” she said.

On the situation in South Ossetia, the first deputy speaker expressed
concern about the growing number of attacks on peacekeepers in this
republic.

Regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, she stressed, “The main
role in this process belongs to the OSCE”.

“It is necessary to make a full use of the existing negotiating
mechanism and the mediation of the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk
Group on Nagorno-Karabakh,” she said.

In her words, “Other co-chairmen of the Group – the United States
and France — share this approach”.

Russia hopes that after the latest meeting between Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan and Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev in Astana,
Kazakhstan, the sides will continue negotiations and use the positive
arrangements made during four rounds of ministerial consultations,
Sliska said.

“We hope that the NATO Parliamentary Assembly will support the
peacemaking efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen,” she said.

Sliska also urged NATO policymakers to exercise “extremely cautious
policies in the Trans-Caucasian area” and to establish “transparent
cooperation with Russia there”.

She warned the alliance, saying: “Any actions of such a powerful
political bloc are risky in that they can stir up old conflicts there”.

“The situation in the Caucasus, a region with a high risk of conflicts,
requires maximum caution and carefulness,” she said.

Sliska indicated at the same time that Russia could not but watch
with concern the direction that its NATO partners would channel their
efforts into.

“We advocate stability and peace in the Caucasus and oppose revisions
of the strategic balance of forces there, nothing to say of the
attempts to compel us to withdraw from that region,” Sliska said,
adding that Russia is open to cooperation with all states and
international organizations seeking peace settlement in Northern
Caucasus, too.

She called on NATO and Russia to establish the contacts marked by
credibility and account for the interests of all countries.

“It’s essential that our cooperation with NATO in the Caucasus be
transparent and predictable,” Sliska said.

–Boundary_(ID_wo9xSGAflzLsObOoEcK7Ww)–

UNICOMP INSTALLS IN ARMENIA FIRST WIRELESS INTERNET SPOT FOR MASS USE

Noyan Tapan
Nov 11 2004

YEREVAN, 11.11.04. The Unicomp company has installed in the Akumb
organization the so-called `hot spot` – a wireless Internet connection
spot. Armen Baldrian, Unicomp`s Director General, told journalists on
November 9 that this is the first facility of this kind installed in
Armenia and intended for mass public use. According to him, Unicomp
has obtained the right to act on behalf of the Intel Technologies
corporation (US) and soon the list of wireless Internet spots at the
corporation`s site will be completed by one more which is installed
at the Akumb organization.

According to A. Baldrian, everyone can make use of this wireless
Internet connection for 15 minutes free of charge: the aim of such time
limitation is not to turn the organization into an Internet club. It
was noted that the users will be charged only for the technical means
to be provided: those not having their own notebooks will get them
at Akumb. It was also announced that Akumb`s visitors will be given
discounts to buy notebooks produced by Unicomp.

–Boundary_(ID_HGBhe6UBiMDvnZ2TvPSv+A)–

Harvard Independent, MA
Nov 7 2004

Interview with Brian Viglione of The Dresden Dolls
An intimate look at punk.
By Justine Nagurney

With their eponymous debut album garnering national attention, and a
recent US tour hot on the heels of a European one, one might have
assumed that Amanda Palmer (piano, vocals) and Brian Viglione (drums)
of The Dresden Dolls had finally outgrown Boston. Then they go and
win “Best Local Act,” “Best Live Act,” and “Best Female Vocalist” in
the Phoenix’s Best Music Poll. To convince you, we even tracked down
the affable and articulate Viglione en route to South Carolina to
explain his cross-dressing, the real meaning of “punk cabaret,” and
why the duduk is “righteous.” Enjoy.

I: How has it been interacting with fans across the nation? Are you
seen as a novelty act or do people know your music?

BV: We get the same overwhelmingly positive and heartfelt response
wherever we go. Like last night, there were kids who were crying at
the show, hugging us. We dole out more hugs than Mr. Rogers. It is
pretty ridiculous at times, and pretty beautiful… and we are
traveling with a fantastic band from Boston, Count Zero, who we love
dearly…

I: I think that what makes your live show one of the best I have seen
in recent years is the element of theater, and I was wondering how
you saw that fitting into your music.

BV: It’s definitely an integral part of who we are as people. And the
music is really a vehicle to be able to express all those different
sides of us…Acting is something that has been with both of us since
we were little. We both love theatrics and getting dressed up in
costumes and makeup and playing with images. We were extremely
fortunate to have found in each other the ability to play around and
manipulate these looks and roles and to find that sort of central
duality that we are involved with….We used to just get up and play
in our street clothes and let the passion and energy speak for
itself. We’ve found that the passion and energy can still hold their
own without our being seen as pretentious in having a look. It’s only
an enhancement and not a crutch.

I: No, it seems completely organic. That’s what is so powerful.

BV: Yeah, absolutely. It’s great to see people turned on by that. We
are lucky that the climate right now is very conducive to playing
with image. Bands like Slipknot, Britney Spears, whatever, are all
very much into that kind of play. So for us, we’ve always seen this
look as a neutral, traditional kind of look. We perform wearing suits
and striped stockings, which we see as a timeless, classic
look….People ask us, “How do you feel about kids coming to the
shows dressed up as the two of you?” Well, if that is a starting
point, then so be it. But we hope that it carries on beyond the
Robert Smith phenomenon of everyone coming in white face and big hair
and the same kind of makeup. We hope that kids really take this and
run with it to their own punk shows, their own creative outlets. It’s
more of an idea and a spirit than a look that needs to be copied.

I: Your music is characterized as “punk cabaret.” Do you think having
this terminology that people aren’t necessarily familiar with has
helped you?

BV: Absolutely. We saw that as an empowering move, to label our own
music before the press did…. We said, it’s definitely punk in the
spirit and energy of it, as well as the rebelliousness of saying that
this is absolutely our own thing that sprung from pure energy and
ambition. There is no conforming to any preconception…A really fun
aspect of the show is that people come and say, “Okay, I see a girl
on piano and this guy drummer in a suit and I know what this is going
to be,” and then, by the end of the show, these people say, “God, I
had no fucking idea.” The cabaret aspect is there in the very
intimate atmosphere, the intimate connection with the audience, and
the very vulnerable open lyrics. We hope for the audience to have the
same sort of release that we are afforded ourselves as performers.
That’s very much what cabaret was: to hold up this mirror for people
to take a look at their own lives, you know, through parody or satire
or drama or comedy or whatever, and that is something that we
definitely hope to provide for our audience as well. Joni Mitchell
said she felt that in recent times there have been a severe lack of
role models for young performers to try and emulate or glean ideas
from for direction and I sort of agree. I definitely have found
myself looking back for inspiration to these jazz drummers from the
1940s and 1950s, and performers like Billie Holliday, Louie
Armstrong. We definitely have a lot of inspiration from that kind of
dedication to art and the delivery of the performance.

I: Is there a role for politics in your art?

BV: Hopefully it’s again that we can challenge people to think for
themselves…. I think that is the greatest thing that an artist can
offer the public: the chance to challenge your preconceptions and
perspective…

I: [rambling question about creative energy, influences, and
lynchpins]

BV: I have been listening to a lot of weird world music, a lot of
jazz stuff recently.

I: Like what?

BV: Well there is this amazing group of gypsy musicians who put out a
CD called “Taras de haïdouks.” and another one called “Armenian
Lullabies” which is beautiful stuff, all sort of traditional
lullabies from Armenia with the duduk. It’s totally
righteous….Another great woman called Iva Bittova who’s got a
record called “Bile Inferno.” And so that stuff, mood-wise, has
absolutely influenced the stuff I play…And Amanda keeps me in touch
with the newer stuff, like The Decemberists…we have a lot of
different stuff.

I: I know you guys are working on a new album. Do you see it as going
in more of a rock kind of direction?

BV: There is always a natural sort of mix of moods. The last record
had “Coin-Operated Boy” and “Miss Me,” and this record may have
“Amsterdam” and “Pierre.” There is a lot of driving material on this
record…. Sean Slade is a great Boston rock producer and has worked
with bands like Dinosaur Jr and the Pixies and Radiohead and Hole, so
he has a real handle on what we are trying to do and I think we are
going to really try and harness the energy from the live show….It
is going to be very stripped-down, only drums and piano and just
really to keep straight on record what we do live.

I: I’ll look forward to hearing the new stuff on Saturday.

BV: We have some surprises planned. It should be cool.

Different country

The Guardian – United Kingdom
Nov 05, 2004

In Soguksu, which has been under the command of fundamentalist sheikhs
since Ottoman times, few have heard of the EU. Only one man in the
village of 2,700 has been to university.

Like many of Turkey’s 12 million ethnic Kurds, the girls who weave
colourful kilims in a chilly room on Soguksu’s treeless outskirts do
not speak enough Turkish to follow events conveyed by the community’s
sole concession to modernity – the satellite dish.

Of the EU, one girl says: “No, I don’t think I know that place. Do
they have sheep?” Like the rest of the group, her birth has never been
registered, and she has not received an education.”Do people marry
there?” she asks. “Do they believe in God? What do they eat?”

Outside the workshop, Bekir Bingol, a father of15, says he has heard
that Europe is “very clean”. He adds: “But I’ve got the brains to know
that all these mountains and all these hills don’t belong
there. Anyway, I wouldn’t want my daughters not keeping our
traditions. If they got other ideas they might not read the Qur’an.”

Mr Bingol’s neighbour, Ali Cicek, agrees. “In real life we’ve never
seen anything like it,” he says. “How can we even dream of such stuff?
Once I went to western Turkey and it was beautiful, but it really felt
like a different country.”

Soguksu is almost two hours north of the formerly Armenian city of
Van, one of Turkey’s most primitive regions and certainly its
poorest. It has become a no-go area during the country’s bitter
campaign against Kurdish separatists. Forced marriages have prompted
at least five newlyweds to take their lives since September. With 70%
of the population unemployed, most barely scratch a living from the
land.

But although it is awash with refugees and smugglers, Van is also on
the mend. The EU has launched an aid programme and, as in other towns
in Turkey, civil society has undergone a revolution.

Zozan Ozgokge, who runs Van’s EU-backed women’s association, says:
“Before I even put up our new group’s sign, women were lining up
outside the office door. Sometimes, we’ve had women rushing in here in
their slippers, after being beaten by husbands, fathers, uncles and
even their sons. Before, these women rarely left their homes.”

At 26, Ms Ozgokge is typical of a new generation of bright ethnic
Kurds now improving lives in what once seemed like eastern Turkey’s
irredeemable badlands.

“When I was at university, western Turks would sneer and ask if I
lived in a tent,” she says. “They had seen so many TV documentaries
that portray eastern Turkey in a very bad light, but for Kurds Europe
has been a salvation.”

Under Turkey’s drive to meet EU membership criteria, she says, human
rights have improved to such an extent that most Turkish Kurds have
turned their backs on the prospect of violence solving their problems.

Prof Ergil identifies four types of Turks: the global Turk who lives
abroad (numbering 500,000); the well-off international Turk, who reads
the foreign press (5.5 million); and the rural and urban parochial
Turks (30 and 35 million respectively) who are desperate to improve
their lot.

“The first two categories can communicate with each other and the
outside world, and for them Turkey is just like a European country,”
he says. “The other two have absolutely nothing in common with the
first, but they are very supportive of Turkey joining the EU. Frankly,
these people are like cannonballs chained to the ankles of this
country. It has to drag them in its race towards civilisation.”

The president’s life in danger

The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 28, 2004

As reported in Akhali Versia, the blast on Heroes Square on October
20 and weapons which were found in the Adjara Music Hall on October
23 have been connected with one name-Mikheil Saakashvili.

The organizers of the blast on Heroes Square left a letter near the
dustbin in the street addressed to “President Saakashvili immediately.”
Nobody knows whether the president has read this letter or not, as the
president himself has not made any comment on this incident. Three
days later, during the visit of Armenian president Robert Kocharian
to Georgia, weapons were found in the Adjara Music Hall, where both
presidents were attending a jazz concert in honor of Kocharian.

According to the Head of the Ministry of State Security’s Legal
Department, it is early to speak about an attempt on the presidents’
lives. “The Ministry of Security will comment on this only after we
have found the owners of the weapons,” he stated.

Former high-ranking official of the Security Service Irakli Batiashvili
spoke regarding the alleged attempt on Saakashvili’s life recently.
Batiashvili says that the president needs to be more careful and to
take appropriate measures to protect himself. “The fact of the weapons
is a very serious issue. I make my statement on the basis of concrete
facts and now will do my best to learn more. My forecast may be much
more serious than you can think,” stated Batiashvili. He said it was
possible that the incident in the nightclub could be a trial run for
a terrorist act, saying “This method is said to be typical of real
terrorist acts.”

Armenian govt puts off changing ArmenTel’s license to Nov 7

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
October 26, 2004

YEREVAN, Oct 26 (Prime-Tass) — The Armenian government has postponed
the introduction of amendments to the license of Armenian national
telecommunications company ArmenTel that aim to limit the company’s
monopolistic status to November 7 from October 28, a representative
of the governmental press service told Prime-Tass on Tuesday.

The amendments to the license were initially expected to come into
force on June 30 but were postponed several times due to legal
proceedings related to the case at the London Court of International
Arbitration. The London Court of International Arbitration is currently
hearing two suits, the Armenian government vs the Greek company
Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA (OTE), which holds 90%
in ArmenTel, and ArmenTel vs the Armenian government.

While the exact text of the amendments has not yet been released,
Armenian Justice Minister David Arutyunyan said on October 11 that
the government wants ArmenTel to vacate some of its GSM 900 channels
for the use of the country’s second mobile operator that is yet to
be created. The government also wants to allow the new company to
use ArmenTel’s fiber-optic communications line.

In 1997, Greek company Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA
(OTE) paid U.S. USD 142.470 million to gain control of the 90% stake
in ArmenTel that was formerly held both by the Armenian government
(41% stake) and Trans-World Telecom (49%).

According to the agreement between OTE and the Armenian government,
ArmenTel was granted the right to a monopoly for 15 years, but
in September 2003 the government initiated a procedure to amend
ArmenTel’s license.

ARMENIA STUDIES EU COUNTRIES EXPERIENCE IN MORTGAGE CREDITING SPHERE

YEREVAN, October 23 (Noyan Tapan). The existence of an efficiently
functioning mortgage market bears evidence of the public’s trust in
the government and business circles of a given country. Kenneth
Munther, the European Director of the Armenian-European Economic
Policy and Legal Advice Center (AEPLAC), expressed this opinion during
the October 22 discussion on the subject ” The EU Experience in
Mortgage Market Development” at the AEPLAC. According to him, the
purpose of the discussion is to present to Armenia the tendencies of
mortgage market development in the EU countries. According to the
Central Bank Chairman Tigran Sargsian, Denmark’s experience in this
sphere is of great importnace to the Armenian side. Among the EU
counries Denmark is in the first place in terms of mortgage credits’
share in GDP. According to the CB Chairman, the first steps are being
taken for establishing the mortgage market in Armenia, and it is
extremely important to select the right model. According to Ole Bus
Henriksen, former Director General of the European Commission and
Advisor to Denmark’s Mortgage Banks Association, the mortgage
crediting concept varies greatly in the EU countries. For example, in
Italy and France mortgage crediting is implemented by commercial
banks, in Great Britain and Austria – by the organizations set up with
this aim, while in Denmark and Germany – by mortgage banks. In Denmark
credits are given on condition that real estate is the security. When
providing a credit, the mortgage bank issues financing bonds, which
are registered in its balance. This gives an additional value to the
bond since it is secured by the bank’s own financial resouces.

Times of Central Asia , Kyrgyzstan
Oct 22 2004

Seismic hazard high in Tashkent
Topic: Environment
Country: Uzbekistan
Date: 22-10-2004 07:09
Source: TCA

TASHKENT (TCA). The Uzbek capital recently hosted an international
seminar on seismic safety of Tashkent which gathered more than 70
experts from government, non-governmental, and research institutions
of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and the United States.
Organized by the Uzbek ecological association Hayet and GeoHazards
International through USAID’s funding, the seminar aimed at combining
efforts to reduce the seismic hazard of Tashkent.

According to Kahhar Abdullabekov, director of the Uzbek Seismology
Institute, earthquakes measuring up to 7.5 on the Richter scale are
possible in Uzbekistan. The activity of tectonic movements in
Uzbekistan has increased since the late 1990s. Strong earthquakes
occurred in Andizhan in 2002 and in Kashkadarya in 1998.

Pulat Abdullakhanov of the Uzbek Red Crescent Society spoke about his
organization’s measures to prepare the citizens for possible
earthquakes. In his words, the Uzbek Red Crescent Society can quickly
set a field camp for 600 people. They also teach first aid skills to
the citizens. Since 2000, 50,700 people (including 9,100 residents of
Tashkent) have attended first aid courses. First aid groups have been
formed at 975 companies and organizations.

“In two makhallyas (neighborhoods) in Tashkent and eight makhallyas
in Tashkent province we are implementing a pilot project teaching
people to give first aid to victims of natural disasters,”
Abdullakhanov said.

A representative of the Tashkent department of the Emergency Ministry
said they coordinate the actions of the rescue and technical services
in case of an earthquake. In 449 makhallyas they have conducted
explanatory work and established rescue teams.

According to experts, a destructive earthquake in Almaty could kill
75,000 of 1.5 million residents of Almaty, 55,000 of 1.1 million
people in Dushanbe, and 45,000 of 2.2 million residents of Tashkent.
It is necessary to prepare citizens for natural and technogenic
disasters, thinks expert Vitaly Khalturin. In his words, an
earthquake in Kyoto, Japan, caused the largest economic damage in
history – US 0 billion, but killed only about 6,000 city residents
(which was due to the high level of preparedness for possible
earthquakes). The destructive earthquake in Iran in December 2003
took the lives of 43,000 people because they did not know the rules
of behavior and rescue in an earthquake.

“An earthquake in Spitak, Armenia, in 1988 killed 67% of the city
residents, the 1949 earthquake in Ashgabat killed 70,000 people, and
16,000 died in an earthquake in Istanbul in 1999,” said Khalturin. In
his opinion, it was corruption that played its negative role in the
severe consequences of these earthquakes. Buildings were constructed
according to unacceptable design projects, and without the geological
structure of this or that territory in mind. Thefts of building
materials at construction sites resulted in a bad quality of
buildings.

Experts said that an earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale
would destroy non-earthquake-proof buildings, seriously damage
standard-design buildings, and slightly damage earthquake-resistant
buildings. Today 39% of all apartment buildings in Tashkent are
large-panel buildings and accommodate 35% of the city residents.
Brick buildings make up 30% of all residential houses and are home to
28% of Tashkent’s citizens.

According to experts, more than 25% of multi-story apartment
buildings in Tashkent were built before 1958 and do not meet today’s
seismic resistance norms. More than 12% of residential houses and
non-residential buildings consist of vulnerable skeleton panels.
Tashkent also has industrial enterprises that might cause ecological
hazards in case of earthquakes. The 167-meter high Charvak dam is
located 70 kilometers from Tashkent. If destroyed, the dam will
release water that will flood a significant part of the city. An
underground nuclear reactor of a Tashkent’s research institute is
another potential hazard for the city.

More than 25% of Tashkent’s hospitals, schools, and kindergartens are
vulnerable to earthquakes because they were built on the subsided
soil which makes up more than 70% of the city area. The basements of
many buildings have subsided due to the leakage of water from the hot
and cold water pipeline systems and sewer systems.

The seminar participants came to the conclusion that Tashkent’s
citizens, authorities, companies and organizations have poor
knowledge about seismic hazards and their vulnerability to natural
and technogenic disasters. It is necessary to teach people how to act
in emergency situations like earthquakes. The seismic hazard map
prepared in 1977 does not meet the present-day requirements.

By the way, an earthquake that happened at 5:00 a.m. on 11 October
2004 (several hours before the seminar’s beginning) measured 2 on the
Richter scale and its epicenter was 210 kilometers from Tashkent, in
Kyrgyzstan’s territory.