Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006

Azeri leader sees Armenia as regional threat

Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada

There are problems hampering peace and security in the region and
fight against international terrorism is among them, President Ilham
Aliyev told the 9th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in
Baku Friday.
The president said Azerbaijan was in favor of joining the forces of
the whole world in combating this global evil because not a single
country can cope with terrorism on its own.
`The international community should not draw any distinctions between
terrorist organizations of the world,’ he stressed.
The head of state added that Azerbaijan too was a victim of
terrorism. Aliyev said Armenian terrorist organizations had
masterminded more than 30 acts of terror against Azerbaijani
interests, which claimed the lives of over 2,000 people. The
president said further that the biggest problem impeding regional
cooperation was the continuing Armenian aggression against
Azerbaijan.
Aliyev told the summit participants that Azerbaijan was interested in
resolving the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict in peace.
`We think it is still possible to resolve the conflict peacefully.
Therefore, we have to explore all possible avenues. But at the same
time, the patience of the Azerbaijani people is not boundless,’
Aliyev said.
The president called on all ECO member-states to support Azerbaijan’s
cause. He said the development of mankind would be ensured thanks to
low risks, successful economic cooperation and energy security. He
said member-countries of the organization were located in a very
important and sensitive region, but also pointed to regional threats.
Aliyev stressed the importance of cooperation under such
circumstances.
`I have no doubt that the ECO will fulfill its mission with dignity.
Bilateral and
multilateral cooperation between member countries will be in the
interests of the whole region,’ Aliyev said.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006

Aliyev expects no new ideas from Garabagh mediators

Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada

The OSCE mediators brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict are reviewing various options and
there could be new ideas in the proposals regarding the conflict
resolution to be further made to the sides, President Ilham Aliyev
has said. He said, however, that he does not believe the novelties
will be of fundamental nature.
`I don’t think the co-chairs will come up with brand new proposals,’
he told a news conference after the ninth summit of the Economic
Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Baku on Friday.
Aliyev said the mediators are likely to make some additions to the
proposals already discussed on various levels. In this case, it will
be possible to achieve progress in peace talks, he said.
As for Azerbaijan’s position, the president said it hasn’t and will
not change. `We do not want any emergencies. Azerbaijan is seeking a
conflict resolution based on the principles of international law.’
Aliyev said Baku supports applying the existing international
practice on ethnic minorities to the Garabagh conflict. `We will not
support the use of new methods that run counter to international
legal norms.’
The Azeri leader reiterated that to achieve a peace accord, first of
all, Armenia has to withdraw from the occupied Azeri territories and
refugees must return home. `Our position remains unchanged,’ he said.
Aliyev expressed hope that the intermediaries, and, more importantly,
the Armenian leadership, will realize this. `Only in this case can
any results be achieved in the negotiating process,’ he added.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006

Azeri, Armenian ministers to table Garabagh in two weeks

Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada

Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia Elmar Mammadyarov and
Vardan Oskanian will hold another meeting to discuss settlement of
the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict in two weeks, Armenian media
reported.
Oskanian said the meeting will take place at a meeting of the Council
of Europe Ministerial Committee in Strasbourg.
He said the discussions would center on making preparations for a
meeting of the two countries’ presidents scheduled for early next
month. He said the precise timeframe and venue for the two leaders’
meeting is not known yet.
The Azeri government has not released any information concerning a
meeting of the two presidents.
The OSCE mediators will visit the region individually, but not as a
group. Commenting on the matter, Oskanian said one should not look
for any political connotation over this, as soon afterwards they will
arrive in the region together.
Oskanian’s statement, released by Armenian Mediamax news agency, came
after his meeting with the French co-chair of the mediating OSCE
Minsk Group Bernard Fassier.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006

OSCE rapporteur says 2006 suitable for Garabagh accord

Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada

The visiting OSCE Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, Goran
Lennmarker, has said there are great opportunities to solve the
long-standing dispute this year.
Lennmarker, who earlier held talks with Armenian officials, told
journalists in Baku after meeting Azeri officials on Friday that it
is possible to reach an accord producing good results for both
countries.
`We discussed technical aspects of a possible agreement both in
Yerevan and Baku,’ he said.
The rapporteur noted that his responsibilities included studying the
situation with the Garabagh settlement and he held talks on the issue
with the Azeri side. He added that regional integration was discussed
as well.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Gazette (Montreal)
May 8, 2006 Monday
Final Edition

Cast Your Vote

Yesterday’s question was: Do you think Stephen Harper was right to
acknowledge the 1915 Armenian genocide?

Yes: 97% of votes
No: 3%

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

New Statesman
May 8, 2006

Commentary

BYLINE: Alev Adil

Literature matters in Turkey – really matters. Just about every
Turkish writer with an international reputation has been persecuted
by the state, from the nation’s greatest poet, Nazim Hikmet, who died
in exile in Moscow, to Orhan Pamuk. Even the prime minister, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, did time for misquoting poetry.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that the controversial columnist and
novelist Perihan Magden is to be prosecuted, too. Magden’s
bestselling latest novel Two Girls, the story of an intense lesbian
affair, was recently published in the UK to acclaim. Writers such as
Pamuk and Magden are among Turkey’s most convincing ambassadors as
the country bids to join the EU, not because they peddle any
political agenda, but because they articulate the complex and
compelling hybridity of modern Turkey. You’d think they would be
lauded for providing a fresh vision of their homeland, but instead
Turkey seems intent on prosecuting its writers.

Magden will stand trial on 7 June, charged with “alienating the
people from military service”. In a column in Aktuel in December last
year, she drew attention to the case of Mehmet Tarhan, a
conscientious objector imprisoned for refusing to do military
service. Magden suggested that a modern country with ambitions to
enter the EU should respect the rights of conscientious objectors and
provide non-violent options such as community service. For this she
faces three years’ imprisonment.

Magden isn’t alone. Around 60 writers, publishers and journalists
have been before the courts in Turkey in the past year, many charged
under Article 301 of the penal code, which states that “a person who
explicitly insults being a Turk, the Republic or Turkish Grand
National Assembly, shall be imposed a penalty of imprisonment for a
term of six months to three years”. Recent cases include Hrant Dink,
editor of the Armenian-Turkish-language weekly Agos; the publishers
Ragip Zarakolu and Fatih Tas; and the journalists Ismet Berkan, Murat
Belge, Haluk Sahin, Hasan Cemal and Erol Katircioglu. Turkey amended
its penal code last year, in an attempt to remove human-rights
anomalies from its law. But the EU’s enlargement commissioner, Olli
Rehn, has said that such trials have cast a shadow over Turkey’s
application. Perhaps that’s just what Magden’s prosecutors want.

The plight of Turkey’s writers reflects clashes in the wider culture.
The country’s identity is in flux as it moves into the 21st century,
with capitalism, minority rights, feminism, Islam, secularism,
socialism and multiculturalism coexisting uneasily. Magden is a
feisty and courageous woman. She’s a playful writer, but that doesn’t
mean she isn’t serious. When it comes to freedom of expression,
there’s everything to play for in modern Turkey, but the stakes are
high and the game is a dangerous one. Without international pressure,
Magden could end up in jail.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006

Garabagh mediator to discuss `new ideas’ in Baku

Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada

`Difficult issues like reaching a conflict settlement are within the
remit of the OSCE Minsk Group. Negotiations are still under way to
bring the positions of parties closer together, but there is still a
lot to be done,’ the French co-chairman of the mediating OSCE Minsk
Group, Bernard Fassier, told journalists upon arrival in Baku on
Friday.
The objective of the visit is to inform the parties to the conflict
of the results of the co-chairmen’s recent meeting in Moscow. Prior
to coming to Baku, Fassier visited Yerevan and met senior Armenian
officials.
In Baku, the diplomat will meet with President Ilham Aliyev and
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
`I hope to discuss the new ideas which surfaced in the latest meeting
in Moscow and during the negotiations with the Armenian leadership.
But I can’t give you the details,’ he said.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
May 08, 2006

Q&A: ILHAM ALIYEV; INTERVIEW; Pg. 24; Vol. 140, No. 17

A Big Ally in a Tiny Country

by Bay Fang

The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, had a lot to discuss with
President Bush last week. Not only does the small Muslim nation
occupy a strategic location between Russia and Iran at a time when
tension between the United States and Iran is high, but it is also on
the verge of a huge oil boom. This summer, a 1,000-mile pipeline
originating in Azerbaijan will begin pumping oil across three
countries to a Turkish port on the Mediterranean Sea. Aliyev spoke to
U.S. News about these developments and about how he hopes Washington
will help resolve the country’s decade-long conflict with Armenia.
How will the completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline affect
world oil and gas markets?
This pipeline means we will be able to produce more oil and
deliver it to world markets. When we started building it five or six
years ago, oil prices were not as high as they are today. Now, it
becomes more and more important for the world’s energy security. It
is a new route that will deliver oil from the Caspian to the
Mediterranean, which has never existed before.
Is it possible to quantify the effect on the markets?
The pipeline will transport at least 1 million barrels of oil a
day in 2008. In the future, the pipeline’s capacity can be expanded;
it will depend on the level of production. It has huge potential.
How do you avoid what some people call the “oil curse”?
We are very determined to use oil wealth to develop a strong
economy, and not to depend on oil and oil prices in the future. To
achieve that, we need to have a high degree of transparency in
accumulating and spending oil wealth. Azerbaijan is a leading country
in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which has a
main goal of having transparent accounting.
How does Azerbaijan see itself developing as a secular democracy?
As a secular state with a predominantly Shiite population, can it be
a model for Iran?
What we do and what we plan is not aimed at being used as an
example. It is just for the sake of the people of Azerbaijan, for the
development of our country. We are secular not only by constitution
but by our lifestyle. It is a very good example of how
representatives of various nations and allegiances can live together
in peace and autonomy. We have a predominantly Muslim population, but
at the same time we have substantial Christian and Jewish
communities.
What other democratic reforms are coming up?
Azerbaijan over the last five years has adjusted most of its
legislation to the standards of European countries. All of the basic
political freedoms are available; political institutions are becoming
stronger. At the same time, they should be accompanied by strong
economic reform. When people are poor, they think not about
democratic development but about day-to-day needs. Last year we had a
GDP growth of 26 percent, the highest in the world.
Was the GDP growth mostly in the oil sector?
It was 12 percent in the non-oil sector, 14 percent in the oil
sector. We are trying now to diversify the economy. Oil will come to
an end sooner or later, so the country’s long-term development should
not depend on oil.
You have said that the United States ‘standoff with Iran should be
resolved diplomatically. But if the United States decides to react
militarily to Iran, what will Azerbaijan’s reaction be?
We still hope that it will be resolved in a diplomatic way. The
other option may lead to catastrophe in the region and may damage all
the positive trends and prospects for cooperation and development.
Azerbaijan, for more than a decade, has had part of its territory
under Armenian occupation. And all of the advice in the West is to
resolve it peacefully, despite the fact that 10 years of negotiations
led to no results. Therefore, we also think that in this case a
peaceful solution, patience, diplomatic efforts should be tried until
the very possible end.
Do you have high hopes for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict?
On the one hand, we’ve been in a cease-fire regime for 12 years.
Despite various periods of negotiation, no result. That does not add
optimism. But on the other hand, the latest activity of mediators,
including the U.S. and Russia, creates hopes. But to resolve it, both
sides need to stick to international law and principles: Occupied
territories of Azerbaijan should be returned without any
preconditions. And the millions of Azerbaijanis who suffered from the
policy of ethnic cleansing by the Armenian government have the right
to return to their homeland.
How will Azerbaijan’s role in the war on terrorism change because
of the U.S. loss of the K2 air base in Uzbekistan last year?
We joined the antiterror operation as soon as the United States
invited allies to join. We are still committed to the partnership. We
have our soldiers serving alongside U.S. soldiers in Kosovo, Iraq,
and Afghanistan. This policy has not changed at all. The role of
Azerbaijan as the United States’ ally in the region is significant,
and the significance of this role may change due to circumstances
that develop, but our policy is not changed based on it.

RA PRIME MINISTER TAKES PART IN OPENING OF MEMORIAL COMPLEX
SYMBOLIZING ARMENIA-ARTSAKH FRIENDSHIP IN SYUNIK

GORIS, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. On May 7, RA Prime Minister Andranik
Margarian took part in the ceremony of opening of the memorial
symbolizing Armenia-Artsakh friendship and Artsakh heroic fight in
Syunik. According to the Prime Minister, the day is symbolic as it is
the first time a memorial is placed not to the memory of those who
died but to symbolize victory and friendship. “The place was not
chosen by accident, either. This is the place where Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh cross,” the Prime Minister mentioned. Syunik Governor
Surik Khachatrian, heads of Syunik town communities, other
high-ranking officials took part in the ceremony. Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian left Goris for Nagorno Karabakh.

SOCIAL-DEMOCRAT HNCHAKIAN PARTY’S CENTRAL BOARD SENDS MESSAGES OF
CONDOLENCE ON OCCASION OF ACCIDENT OF A-320 PLANE

BEIRUT, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Central Board of the
Social-Democrat Hnchakian Party sent messages of condolence to
Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, RA NA Speaker Artur
Baghdasarian and Prime Minister Andranik Margarian on the occasion of
the accident of the Armavia airline’s A-320 plane carrying out
Yerevan-Sochi flight. The messages provided to Noyan Tapan from the
party’s Central Board, in particular, read: “We were deeply depressed
to learn about the accident of the plane belonging to the Armavia
airline. This unexpected loss shocked the relatives of the victims and
all Armenians. The Social-Democrat Hnchakian Party’s Central Board
presents its deep condolences to you, to the families and relatives of
the victims wishing your people and homeland to have no such
catastrophes in the future”.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress