Author: Zakarian Garnik

COUNCIL OF EUROPE ASSESSES AZERBAIJANI MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

AZG DAILY
25-12-2009

Regional

According to Azerbaijani Trend News, The Council of Europe’s Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities assessed the municipal elections
in Azerbaijan, congress Vice President Jean-Claude Freon said at a
news conference in Baku yesterday.

Monitoring showed a need to improve ballot quality, he said.

The observation mission monitored voting at over 100 constituencies.

The mission assessed the organization of the elections as satisfactory
from a material point of view. However, the observers noted several
violations, he added.

The mission will publicize the results of its monitoring Jan. 15
at a congress meeting. A final report will be presented in March,
Frecon said.

FORMER SPEAKER GETS PRICEY PERKS
Jake Sherman & John Bresnahan

Asbarez
12/21/09 3:53 AM EST

The federal government pays $6,300 per month to rent an office for
Hastert and his staff in Yorkville, Ill.

U.S. taxpayers are spending more than $40,000 per month on office
space, staff, cell phones and a leased SUV for former House Speaker
Dennis Hastert, even as he works as a lobbyist for private corporations
and foreign governments.

The payments are perfectly legal under a federal law that provides
five years of benefits for former speakers – but only if Hastert never
makes use of his government-funded perks in the course of his lobbying
work. Ethics experts say that sort of separation is hard to maintain.

Hastert "has to be meticulous in his schedule to make sure there
is no bleed from his publicly subsidized office into his private
practice," said Kenneth Gross, a former Federal Election Commission
general counsel and congressional ethics authority. Steve Ellis,
vice president of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense,
called the arrangement "really concerning."

"It is specifically prohibited – federal dollars can’t be spent on
lobbying operations," Ellis said. "We are paying for his staff [and]
for a car, and we need to be very sure that he isn’t spending a dime of
that money on lobbying operations. "That all needs to be above board,
in the clear and transparent. And it’s not."

Hastert declined to discuss the situation with POLITICO.

But his spokesman, Brad Hahn, said the former 11-term congressman
is in full compliance with rules covering how the federal funds are
spent. Hahn said Hastert’s lobbying work "is completely separate
[from the office of the former speaker], and he keeps them completely
separate."

The federal government pays $6,300 per month to rent an office for
Hastert and his staff in Yorkville, Ill. Hahn conceded that Hastert
has no other office set aside for lobbying work in Illinois but said
that the former speaker travels to Washington frequently for work.

In addition to the office, the government pays the salaries of three
of Hastert’s assistants in his Illinois office – each more than
$100,000 in 2008. Bryan Hardin, Hastert’s administrative assistant
(the title often used by a chief of staff in a congressional office)
earned $138,000.

"The office of the former speaker has specific functions that are
tied to Denny being the former speaker, but he does not receive any
compensation and is not an employee," Hahn said. "There are three
staffers that carry out the functions – archiving, correspondence,
speaking engagements – and working with the Hastert Center" at
Wheaton College.

House disbursement records show that the office is spending an
additional $2,000 per month in taxpayer money on a consulting firm,
Burnham Strategies, that is run by several of Hastert’s former
staffers, including Hahn. Altogether, the firm was paid $30,000
through Sept. 30 of this year, records show.

Taxpayers also make the lease payments on a 2008 GMC Yukon and pay for
a satellite TV subscription, cell phones, laptops and other expenses.

Since Hastert opened the Illinois office in early 2008, records show,
the government has paid for five computer monitors at a total cost of
$1,125, spent almost $1,300 for desks and shelled out an additional
$4,460 for Hewlett-Packard laptops. Other expenditures include $745
for a printer and about $620 to transport a clock.

Hastert, who served in the House for almost 21 years, signed on with
Dickstein Shapiro in 2008. He is now a registered foreign agent,
representing in Washington the interests of the governments of Turkey
and Luxembourg. He also lobbies on behalf of three U.S. corporations.

Democrats enacted new lobbying restrictions in 2007 in a bid to curb
the influence of registered lobbyists after Hastert’s Republican
colleagues were entangled in a slew of ethical and legal scandals.

These restrictions curbed gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers and
lawmaker travel paid for by federally registered lobbyists, and
they instituted a period during which former members could not lobby
Congress. But those measures do not prohibit what Hastert is doing now.

Under a federal statute enacted in 1974, former House speakers are
entitled to an allowance to set up and run an office, a payment that
includes salaries for several aides. In 1995, then newly empowered
Republicans – who had seized control of the House for the first
time in four decades – put a five-year deadline on this allowance,
a move aimed at former Speaker Tom Foley (D-Wash.), who had lost his
reelection bid the previous November.

The formula for calculating the allowance given to former speakers
is based on that used by current lawmakers. Former speakers are
prohibited from taking the funds only if they take some other
"appointive or elected office or position" in the federal or D.C.

government, according to a 2007 Congressional Research Service report.

Hahn said Hastert is authorized to spend as much as $840,000 annually
to run his office but has not used all the money made available to
him by Congress. "He’s worked on a nonpaid basis, but as a former
speaker, [Hastert] helped out with the Chicago Olympic bid, Advance
Illinois [an education program] and Illinois Works," a jobs program,
Hahn added. "These are nonlobbying and nonpaid. These are duties he
was asked to help [on as] official causes – because he was a former
speaker and to add his expertise."

Hastert is not the first former speaker to become a lobbyist. Foley
worked as a lobbyist for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld after
serving as U.S. ambassador to Japan, representing clients such as
AT&T, Walt Disney Co., CSX Corp. and the State University of New
York. Jim Wright, a Texas Democrat who was speaker from 1987 to 1989,
was a consultant for Arch Petroleum Co., although it is unclear if he
was ever a registered lobbyist, said the Office of the Historian of
the House. Other former speakers, including Georgia Republican Newt
Gingrich, never registered as lobbyists.

When he retired from Congress two years ago, Hastert told an Illinois
newspaper he would go back home and unwind from nearly three decades
in public office. Hastert predicted, "I don’t really see myself as
a lobbyist and would probably not do that at all."

DAVUTOGLU REITERATES KARABAKH LINKAGE WITH PROTOCOLS

Asbarez
Dec 23rd, 2009

BRUSSELS (Hurriyet)-Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu reiterated
Turkey’s long-standing claim and precondition that normalization
of Turkey-Armenia relations was linked with the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Ruling out criticism of Ankara for linking the issues of normalization
of relations between Ankara and Yerevan to the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Baku and Yerevan, Davutoglu said:
"Normalization at the bilateral level is linked with an improvement
in the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Turkish-Armenian border has
been closed for years but we are still trying to resolve this issue.

If the same kind of good intention can be shown on the other issue,
then it may reach a further level as well."

When reminded of Armenian officials’ recent statements threatening
to annul the protocols signed by Ankara and Yerevan in October for
the normalization of relations if Ankara fails to ratify them before
April, Davutoglu said the issue should be dealt with via a "visionary"
approach instead of by enacting arbitrary deadlines.

Dismissing reports that he plans to pay a visit to Israel, Davutoglu
reiterated his harsh criticism of Israeli inaction on the ongoing
humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.

Recalling a recent call by former US President Jimmy Carter for world
powers to coerce Israel to end its blockade of Gaza, Davutoglu asked,
"Should we now call Carter anti-Semitic for what he said?"

Israel’s Gaza offensive last winter "killed the peace perspective,"
he said, adding, "If the peace perspective is rebuilt, then we will
not avoid having contact."

THE HIGHER SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, MOSCOW: PERSPECTIVES OF COOPERATION WITH ARMENIA.

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.12.2009 10:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In the period from late January up to early
February 2010 State University Higher School of Economics, Moscow
(HSE) is holding winter schools for graduate and undergraduate
students on their 3-5 courses from universities of Russian Federation
and other CIS countries to present master programs on the following
areas of specialization: economics, management, business informatics,
international relations, political science, psychology, law, sociology,
mathematics, philosophy, journalism.

As a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from Moscow, for the first
time the winter school of HSE for the graduate and undergraduate
students of Russian universities and universities of the other CIS
countries was held in February 2009. The school was attended by over
300 students from different regions of Russian Federation and the
CIS countries, including Armenia. HSE is going to further extend the
number of budget places in the master courses. In this respect the
organization of winter Schools of HSE, which gives the opportunity for
students and graduates from Russian universities and the CIS countries
to meet with the university staff, lecturers and professors as well
as get acquainted with the master programs of HSE and develop their
professional knowledge, is becoming a good tradition. Winter School
of HSE 2010 is going to be held in guesthouses under Moscow, the cost
of educational and cultural programs, accommodation and meals as well
as transfer from Moscow to the guesthouses and back to Moscow is paid
by HSE. Official site of the SU-HSE offers more detailed
information about the winter schools.

HSE continues to develop the cooperation with Armenia in the sphere
of education and science within the framework of agreement signed in
July 2009 with "Rossotrudnichestvo" on international humanitarian
cooperation and development of educational and scientific programs
in the CIS countries. In late October 2009 the first visit of
Yerevan by the delegation of the HSE took place in the framework
of the above mentioned agreement. The trip was conducted within the
framework of the second Russian Industrial Exhibition "EXPO-RUSSIA
ARMENIA" in Yerevan. Meetings were held with the administration of
Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, Yerevan State University,
Yerevan State Engineering University, private higher educational
institutions of Yerevan. The development of the HSE cooperation with
universities in Armenia is going to be based on various projects:
joint seminars and conferences, including student conferences, joint
research and monitoring studies and so forth.

YEREVAN "AMBULANCE" SERVICE RECEIVED 145 THOUSAND 748 CALLS IN THE 11 MONTHS OF THE RUNNING YEAR

ARMENPRESS
Dec 22, 2009

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS: Yerevan "Ambulance" service has
received in the 11 months of the running year 145 thousand 748 calls,
19 thousand 628 cases of hospitalization have been registered.

An official from the service told Armenpress that in the same
period of 2008, 144 thousand 192 calls and 18 thousand 315 cases of
hospitalization have been registered.

Over 11 months of the running year the number of child calls has made
12 thousand 143, the number of hospitalizations – 2 thousand 811,
which are more over the same period of the last year in 1265 and
205 respectively.

According to an official from the service, 35 medical brigades work
all-day-round, which is wholly enough for serving the residents of
the capital properly. The service is ensured with relevant equipments
and cars. Fifteen new cars have been obtained over the last 4 years.

The service has 7 sub-units, which is very important for giving a
quick response to any call. There is no problem connected with cadres,
and the service does its best to display first assistance to patients
as quickly as possible.

ALLOCATION OF AID TO SEPARATIST NAGORNO KARABAKH IS CONTRARY TO US POLICY

news.az
Dec 21 2009
Azerbaijan

Brenda Shaffer It’s not the first time that the congress allocated
aid to Nagorno Karabakh, but it completely contradicts the US policy,
professor Brenda Shaffer.

"The decision of the US Congress on allocating direct aid to Nagorno
Karabakh is contrary to the policy pursued by an official Washington",
said Professor of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy and University of
Haifa Dr. Brenda Shaffer.

According to Shaffer, it’s not the first time that the congress
allocated aid to Nagorno Karabakh, but it completely contradicts the
US policy. If even the financial aid is allocated, the uses of this
money must be shown. If not, the aid money is thrown away from the
US tax payers.

Shaffer noted that the Congress, which passed this decision, is not
thinking about the US national interests, they are thinking about the
interests of Armenian lobby. However, she thinks the US Administration
will not support such decision of the Congress.

Commenting on settlement perspectives of Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
Shaffer stated that it’s critical and quite important to link this
process with the opening of Turkey-Armenia borders: "The opening
of Turkey-Armenia borders is very significant in terms of progress
in Nagorno Karabakh issue. The border issue is only non-military
means to encourage Armenia to release some of the territories and it
should also be used as an opportunity to promote the Nagorno Karabakh
resolution. If it isn’t, I think it will be a huge mistake on Turkey’s
part, on the US part and even on part of Armenia".

To Shaffer, if the borders are opened Armenia’s position in Nagorno
Karabakh issue will be more severe and that’s why everything must be
linked. She said if the borders are opened and nothing significant
happens on the Karabakh it will be very dangerous for the region.

Aronian invited to participate in Linares 2010
19.12.2009 13:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian grand master Levon Aronian will participate
in Linares Chess tournament due February 12-25, 2010 in Spain.

Armenian grand master will rival another 5 top chess payers: Veselin
Topalov (Bulgaria), Alexander Grischuk (Russia), Vugar Gashimov
(Azerbaijan), Francisco Vallejo Pons (Spain) and probably, Boris
Gelfand (Israel).

2010 Linares chess tournament is part of the Grand Slam circuit and
one of the top chess events in the world.

Aysor, Armenia
Dec 19 2009

`Winter Festival Armenia-2009′ changed the marching place

Few hours later launches the winter marching of the `Winter Festival `
Armenia 2009′. The organizers warn that the place of the marching has
been changed, it will start from the Yerevan Municipality at 14:00.

It is the second time that the `Winter Festival’ is being organized.
The idea of organizing the festival belongs to the `Deem
communications’ Company which has been supported by the `Greenland’
(`Kanachastan’) NGO. This year the festival is organized by the
support of the RA Economy Ministry and the Ministry of Culture, the
municipality of Yerevan, the fund Poghosyan and the `Counterpart
International’.

The organizers call everyone for getting dressed warmer and going out.
They promise an unforgettable marching for the participants and the
citizens of Yerevan.

The marching will launch from the Yerevan Municipality and will move
to the Park of Beloved, where the participants will get many
surprises. There will be a presentation of the Armenian Santa Claus,
tasting of Armenian New Year day dishes and an exhibition shop of New
Year day souvenirs and accessories.

The organizers have prepared a surprise also connected with the New
Year day tree. There will be presented an exhibition of the New Year
day trees.

GlobalPost
December 7, 2009 Monday 11:17 AM EST

Opinion: Explaining Turkeys high-risk activism

BYLINE: Ronald H. Linden

Dec. 7, 2009 (GlobalPost delivered by Newstex) —

WASHINGTON ‘ On Monday, Prime Minister Recip Erdogan of Turkey arrived
in Washingtontrailing a list of actions designed to achieve Å`zero
problems with his countrys neighbors. Considering how many immediate
neighbors there are (seven) and who they are (e.g. Iran, Iraq, Syria,
Armenia) this is a tall order. Ankaras activism has raised the stakes
in its own neighborhood and eyebrows in the United States.

Turkey has long been a valuable member of NATO and supporter of U.S.
initiatives, e.g. the first Gulf War, Afghanistan. Its application to
join the EU has been in Brussels mailbox for more than 20 years. Now,
several developments in the region ‘ an erosion of U.S. interest and
power, the rise of an assertive Russia and Iran, a nonexistent Å`peace
process in the Middle East and the emergence of the Black Sea as a
central energy corridor ‘ have spurred Turkey to carve out its own
distinctive role.

Turkey is poor in energy resources but rich in strategic location.
Russia is now its largest trading partner and energy supplier. Ankara
has agreed to let the Russians build the Å`South Stream pipeline across
Turkish territorial waters. Last year Turkish reaction to Russian
dismemberment of Georgia ‘ with whom Turkey had extensive ties ‘ was
muted and U.S. attempts to put more naval forces in the Black Sea at
the time were rebuffed. When the foreign minister visited Georgia, a
deputy undersecretary simultaneously visited the breakaway Abkhazia
region.

But it would be misleading to see this as an East-West choice. Turkey
has not retreated from involvement in European energy plans and signed
the long-delayed agreement on the Nabucco Pipeline the same month as
that on South Stream. It rapidly recognized the new state of Kosovo,
which the EU and U.S. wanted and Russia did not. President Obamas
visit in April, 2009 produced a jump in favorable views of the U.S.
but suspicions linger from years of being other countries instrument.

What we are seeing is a Turkish foreign policy that is viewing its
neighborhood through Turkish lenses unrestrained by allies views or
old paradigms. As such, Turkeys search for its own path is accompanied
by significant risks. In October the government signed protocols with
Armenia pledging to open a border that has been closed for more than
15 years in support of Azerbaijans position in Nagorno-Karabakh. This
has infuriated the Azerbaijani public and government, which has
threatened Turkeys privileged access to Azeri energy supplies. If
Turkish-Armenian normalization goes ahead without progress on
Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey will have traded longstanding and much needed
ties with resource-rich Azerbaijan for a new uncertain level of
involvement with landlocked, Russian-dominated and quite poor Armenia.

This risk is minor compared to those in the Middle East. American
desires to isolate and pressure Iran run directly counter Turkeys $10
billion annual trade with the Islamic Republic. The same prime
minister who is coming to Washington has sharply criticized talk of
sanctions and proclaimed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to be
Å`our friend. A friend he may be, but if he persists with uranium
enrichment and threatens others in the region, Turkey will seem an
enabler.

Probably no change of direction has been as dramatic as Turkeys
courting of good relations with its Arab neighbors, Iraq and Syria,
combined with its simultaneous slaps at Israel, a long time ally. An
emotional outburst by Prime Minister Erdogan at Davos in January was
followed by visceral criticism of Israeli action in Gaza and, most
recently, cancelling of Israeli participation in the Å`Anatolian Eagle
military exercises. The gains are substantial for Turkeys image among
Arab states and with Iran.

But the risks are great. Ankara risks losing the valuable military and
technological cooperation it had enjoyed with Israel, not to mention
the $300 million annually derived from Israeli visitors ‘ some 500,000
last year. It has raised great suspicions among Americans concerned
about the fate of Israel and forfeited its role as an Å`honest broker
in the Middle East ‘ a role that almost succeeded in creating direct
Israeli-Syrian talks. Instead, Turkey now has a Å`strategic partnership
with Syria, another Å`trade that may bring it closer to a much poorer,
weaker and more isolated country.

More broadly, virtually all of the Turkish moves strengthen the hand
of Russia in the region, already boosted by its actions in Georgia.
Turkish-Azeri tension over the Armenian overture, for example, rebound
to Russias advantage, as the major gas supplier to Turkey and
alternative market for Azerbaijan.

Why would Turkey pursue such policies, especially given recent failed
gambles? In 2004 it reversed decades-long policy to back an
EU-brokered settlement in Cyprus. The result? Greek-Cypriots rejected
the plan, northern Cyprus is still isolated and Cyprus has been
admitted to the EU while its own prospects languish.

Domestically, Turkish policies resonate positively with an important
part of the public. Changes in Turkey in the last decade have brought
to influence more conservative and more Islamic actors from Anatolia
and eastern Turkey, a newly empowered elite no longer as interested in
getting the Wests approval. Ironically, the very democratization that
the West has pushed has given this group more influence over foreign
policy.

Internationally, Turkey is asserting ‘ or reasserting ‘ itself in a
region that was once under its sway. This is not a revival of the
Ottoman Empire, but a move to fill the vacuum created by missing U.S.
influence in the Middle East and a weak, uncoordinated European
response to Russia in the Black Sea. Given history and the countrys
geostrategic position, it seems to the Erdogan government both natural
and obligatory to fill this vacuum. The aim is to create a less
turbulent region and a more secure energy supply while satisfying an
important domestic constituency. But internationally there is another
constituency, here in Washington, that needs some reassuring.

Ronald H. Linden is a Senior Fellow of the Transatlantic Academy based
at the German Marshall Fund in Washington D.C.

SERZH SARGSYAN WILL HAVE TO KEEP HIS WORD

david-petrosyan
18/12/09

Political analyst David Petrosyan thinks in the first half of
2010 Serzh Sargsyan will have to keep his promises given to world
superpowers.

"I think that Serzh Sargsyan has given the outer forces different,
at the same time mutually contradicting promises.

If Serzh Sargsyan executes the demand of one side, the other side
will demand a counter step. This will create serious problems from
the RA authorities and personally for Serzh Sargsyan," says the
political analyst.

Regarding Armenian-Turkish rapprochement David Petrosyan said:
"In his recent announcements Serzh Sargsyan reconfirmed that he had
taken David Shanazaryan’s advice according to which Armenia should
ratify the Armenian-Turkish Protocols earlier than Turkey. Besides,
Turkey must ratify the document within 60 days otherwise Armenia will
annul the protocols. I salute this decision."

Anyway, the political analyst thinks that the passing year registered
progress in Armenian-Turkish relations and the main reason for this
was the agreement of superpowers.

"No progress would have been achieved if the USA, Europe and Russia
hadn’t given their consent. Yet, it doesn’t mean they have agreed
over the Karabakh issue. I don’t exclude that they have agreed on the
withdrawal of Armenian troops from the five territories adjacent to
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic," he said.

Asked whether the Armenian side has agreed to withdrawal its troops,
David Petrosyan replied: "I think they have given a verbal consent."

David Petrosyan didn’t rule out that the Armenian Constructional
Court will approve of the Armenian-Turkish Protocols on January 12.

"For the first time in the history of Armenia we have a literate
opposition (Armenian National Congress) guided by the interests of
the country," concluded the political analyst.