Armenia, UN sign memorandum to combat human trafficking

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
14 Jun 05

[Presenter] The Armenian Prosecutor-General’s Office will soon present
the government with a draft law on additions and changes to the
Armenian Criminal Code. The main goal of these changes is to improve
the struggle against human trafficking. Human trafficking is a new
type of crime for Armenia, and the United Nations and the Armenian
Prosecutor-General’s Office have launched a joint struggle against it.

Armenia’s Prosecutor-General Agvan Ovsepyan and the UN deputy permanent
coordinator in Armenia, Aleksandr Avanesov, have signed a memorandum
on mutual understanding in which the parties agreed to set up a new
department at the Armenian Prosecutor-General’s Office within the
framework of this memorandum in order to combat this type of crime.

[Avanesov speaking in Russian with Armenian voice-over] We believe that
this memorandum is an integral part of the UN programme. There is such
a problem in all the post-Soviet countries and similar programmes are
also being implemented in Georgia and Azerbaijan. Our donor countries
have also welcomed the implementation of this programme.

[Armenia’s Prosecutor-General Ovsepyan] We have taken considerable
measures to solve crimes in 2004-2005 and have made progress. A
general mechanism of investigating criminal cases has been established.

PRESS RELEASE
The National Citizens’ Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

June 15, 2005

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN AWARDED FRIDTJOF NANSEN GOLD MEDAL

Yerevan–The National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI) was the site today of
an official ceremony to confer upon its founder Raffi K. Hovannisian
the Memorial Gold Medal of historic humanitarian and Nobel peace
laureate Fridtjof Nansen. NCI members, Heritage party supporters,
journalists, and university students from across Armenia took part
in the event.

“For his long-standing commitment to civil rights, national and
universal values, and affirmation and condemnation of the Armenian
Genocide,” Hovannisian received the award from Suren Movsisian,
executive director of the Nansen Foundation. Asserting that it
is impossible to talk about Fridtjof Nansen and Raffi Hovannisian
without emotion and high responsibility, Movsisian concluded:
“The name that this beautiful medal carries and the man upon whom
we bestow this award of distinction keep us warm and secure in the
realization that human kind and demeanor are not solely black and
white. The presence of such men allows us not to be alarmed over the
loss of human conscience and the lack of contemporary heroism.”

Thereupon, beneath the standing applause of those gathered, the
Nansen Foundation official pinned the medal of honor upon Raffi
Hovannisian. In his reply of gratitude, Hovannisian offered his
highest assessment of the productive life and bright legacy of the
great humanitarian and friend of Armenia.

Hovannisian accepted the award as a guiding benchmark and “advance
payment” on the service yet to be rendered in the national quest for
historical and contemporary justice, both foreign and domestic. “I
am proud from now on to bear the memorial medal of a man who has
bequeathed to the generations an entire value system based on liberty,
dignity, mutual respect, and humanitarian duty,” he said.

The day’s meeting continued with a roundtable discussion among the
newly-elected chairman of the Heritage party, youth activists, and
university student representatives. Hovannisian responded to the
various questions of students and journalists alike which touched
on Heritage’s recent empowerment and future plans, Armenian foreign
policy, corruption challenges, youth priorities, Mountainous Karabagh
and Turkish-Armenian relations, and the nation’s socioeconomic plight
and ways to improve it.

The 50 student participants expressed their displeasure and outrage
in connection with the last-minute withdrawal from an agreement to
hold the award ceremony in a university conference hall with a more
representative audience. In fact, today’s meeting was originally
scheduled to take place at the Yerevan State Economics Institute until
its officials, following the suit of other “public” universities in
the capital, informed NCI about its cancellation.

Evaluating these breaches as but one link in the chain of successive
violations of democratic standards and human rights in Armenia, the
students voiced their combined opinion that it is imperative to unite
against such caprice, servility, and effective violence against the
rights of free speech and assembly.

Parallel with the student interventions, NCI coordinator Hovsep
Khurshudian, Heritage board member Vardan Khachatrian, youth organizer
Edgar Hakobian, and Arthur Galstian of Yerevan State University
characterized the “robbery” of an important part of the life of a
patriotic man and public figure–in the form of long postponements
and undue process in his quest to receive Armenian citizenship–as
a flagrant departure from human and civil rights. Those assembled
voted unanimously to initiate a republic-wide youth campaign to
collect from fellow citizens their signatures in solidarity with
Raffi Hovannisian’s right to Armenian nationality as of his first
application and the Republic’s founding.

The National Citizens’ Initiative is a public non-profit association
founded in December 2001 by Raffi K. Hovannisian, his colleagues,
and fellow citizens with the purpose of realizing the rule of law
and overall improvements in the state of the state, society, and
public institutions. The National Citizens’ Initiative is guided
by a Coordinating Council, which includes individual citizens and
representatives of various public, scientific, and educational
establishments. Five commissions on Law and State Administration,
Socioeconomic Issues, Foreign Policy, Spiritual and Cultural
Challenges, and the Youth constitute the vehicles for the Initiative’s
work and outreach.

For further information, please call (37410) 27-16-00 or 27-00-03;
fax (37410) 52-48-46; e-mail [email protected]; or visit

RA MINISTER OF DEFENCE RECEIVES THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE COLLECTIVE
SECURITY TREATY ORGANIZATION

YEREVAN, June 15. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Defence, Secretary of the
National Security Council adjunct to RA President Serge Sargsyan
received the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha. According to the Press Secretary
of RA Minister of Defence Seiran Shakhsuvaryan, the sides discussed
issues included in the agenda of the session of the Council of CSTO
on June 22-23 in Moscow. Also, problems of the organization, ways to
overcome them and further plans were discussed. A.H. –0-

FORMER SOVIET STATES MIGHT JOIN OPEN SKIES TREATY AT ANY TIME

A1plus

| 20:57:43 | 14-06-2005 | Politics |

New nations are welcome to join the 2002 Open Skies Treaty — a
confidence-building agreement involving unarmed aerial observation
flights over the territories of its participants, according to an
updated State Department fact sheet.

The Open Skies Treaty, to which 34 nations are parties, ~Sis of
unlimited duration and open to accession by other states.~T Any
nation that signs the treaty agrees to open all of its territory
to overflights by other signatories. Nations who have most
recently joined the effort designed to promote the openness and
transparency of military activities include Finland, Sweden,
Latvia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Estonia and
Lithuania. Kyrgyzstan has signed but not yet ratified the treaty.

States of the former Soviet Union who have yet to do so may accede at
any time, while other interested parties may apply to the Open Skies
Consultative Commission, based in Vienna, Austria, for a consensus
decision. An application by Cyprus is now before the commission.

Applications from other interested States are subject to a consensus
decision by the Open Skies Consultative Commission (OSCC), the
Vienna-based organization charged with facilitating implementation
of the Treaty, to which all States Parties belong.

The Open Skies regime covers the territory over which the State Party
exercises sovereignty, including — land, islands, and internal and
territorial waters. The Treaty specifies that the entire territory
of a State Party is open to observation. Observation flights may
only be restricted for reasons of flight safety; not for reasons of
national security.

IN EXPECTATION OF SITTING

A1plus
| 20:53:25 | 14-06-2005 | Official |

Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization
(CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha is arriving in Yerevan tomorrow.

He is scheduled to meet with Robert Kocharyan and Defense Minister
Serge Sargsyan. During the visit Nikolay Bordyuzha will report on
issue included in the agenda of the upcoming CSTO sitting as well as
problems, ways of their settlement and further plans.

To note, Robert Kocharyan will take part in the CSTO sitting to be
held in Moscow June 22-23. The sittings of the Foreign and Defense
Ministers, Secretaries of National Security Councils of the CSTO
member-states are also scheduled.

A Convenient Myth Through the Filter of Reality
by George de Poor Handlery

Intellectual Conservative, AZ
June 15 2005

America’s myth of convenience is that the “new Europe” is on her
side, while America is being deserted by “old Europe” that the US
alienated by saving it repeatedly.

Let this begin with an admission. The subject pains the writer and
therefore, he would prefer not to have to write the essay. Generally
a topic one elaborates elicits pleasure as it takes shape. In this
case the sensation is vinegary. Thus only the intellectual commitment
to causes that by definition transcend personal preferences, furnish
the energy to proceed.

The recent experience that triggered this piece had its venue in
Hungary. In many ways the locale is not decisive in determining the
content and the conclusions that issue from it. What happened could
have occurred anywhere in the “West’s” new “East.” Here the term
“Europe” has been consciously avoided. In what most Americans still
mean under the word, namely Western Europe, the barbs connected to
the arguments reconstructed would have been more poisonous and the
arrows carrying them laden with supplementary energy.

Let us begin with what the title refers to as the “myth.” America’s
myth of convenience is that the “new Europe” is on her side while the
country is being deserted by “old Europe” that the US alienated by
saving it repeatedly. While it would be comforting if it would be so,
the sad fact is that on the whole, the “new Europe” is not so
inclined when the going gets tough with the US. This gap between the
desired and the actual is no accident. The “filter of reality” is,
therefore, essential.

For the purpose of a discussion, a (science) Ph.D. friend, who lives
in the West, brought a group together in his vacation home. The truly
native participants need introduction. They consisted of another
science Ph.D. and of a Professor, who is a hospital director and
heart specialist of repute. Both share the honor of membership in the
National Academy. The latter’s wife, an MD, also participated. The
Ph.D. had extensive living experience abroad. It began when as an
eleven-year-old he was a POW in US custody. Then he spent years
outside the “Socialist Block,” for he was delegated to serve as an
expert, mainly in Geneva, in an UN-affiliated body. Describing the MD
it is to be noted that the man is strongly religious.

Triggered by the crisis of her Red-Green coalition, the foreseen
topic was Germany. Within seconds this subject got side-lined and the
focus fell on the USA. That was the point where I chose to become a
silent observer intent to suck up uncensored views for subsequent
use. It is to be assumed that only my host — who shares my
world-view and knows my vocation — understood the strategic concept
behind my tactical comportment as a grey mouse.

In some ways the surprising thing about the lively exchange of
perceptions was that there was no overriding local color to it.
Except for a few asides and referrals to past events, the very
cosmopolitan “locals” — interrupted by the skeptical questions of my
host — sounded much like the fashionable America-bashers of Western
Europe. This should be something of a surprise. What used to be the
Outer Empire of the USSR was, except for geography, in everything
that determines life, further from “Europe” than Tasmania is
geographically. Nothing is revenged more vociferously than good
deeds. However, Hungary’s region never got American help. One would,
therefore, assume it not to have developed the resentment that fuels
the desire to retaliate as in the case of the French after ’45 and
lately the Germans.

The prejudices voiced were “standard.” That suited them for
evaluation without needing reconstruction prior to an evaluation.
Only one outrageous point departed from the mold cast by local PC. It
came from the MD who revealed, with others seconding her that, she
would have voted for Kerry. For this the reason given was that he had
a European background which furnished a civilizing influence. His
ancestors’ recent immigration makes him “sympathetic” and could be
taken as a sign of culture lacked by Bush the bloke. This was the
point where I briefly fell out of my role. I proved to be unable to
withhold that by this standard Szalasi, Hungary’s Hitler, should also
find approval, having been of (Armenian) immigrant stock.

Such views my reader might take as pertaining to a marginal issue
that inadvertently degenerates into the ridiculous. Let me submit
that, while we are talking about marginal symptoms, these harken back
to roots that are significant.

The distorted image depicting the US has several sources. One issues
from the current weakness of Europe. Originally the feebleness was
only military to which, currently, an economic dimension is being
added. Europe is not only wanting in power-terms, the reaction to the
new economy of globalization is equally feeble. Overcoming these gaps
is currently unlikely, as the will to do so is lacking. Therefore
American successes are not an example to follow, but due to their
accomplishments, a humiliating provocation. A further component of
the hostility is that, instead of making the effort to cope with the
US by catching up to surpass her, hammering America into the ground
gains favor. In Hungary and her likes, the very fact of the US’
leading position is, regardless of all the evidence to the contrary,
a proof of an intent to dominate and to exploit. The fact-defying
assumption finds support in a very real but subjectively interpreted
past. The small countries of the zone in which Hungary is located
have during the past been under the domination of major powers. All
have used their muscle to squeeze the peoples that fell in their
sphere of influence. This activates a Pavlovian reflex. The US, being
“top nation,” is in a position to do whatever the Germans and the
Russians have done. In the light of local experience, if the
Americans can oppress they must be bullies, because all others powers
in a comparable position have been oppressors.

Thus, ignoring experience, it is no surprise that in both Europes the
view that the US (and Israel) is the major threat to world peace
prevails. No change in American foreign policy will make this
impression fade. Europe happens to find the thesis of America’s
threat to global security a convenient dogma. Accepting the notion
enables her to see threats, such as North Korea and a nuclear Iran,
through the filter of equivalency. These regimes might be up to no
good. But so is America in case it undertakes to mobilize against
them, while it rates as unreliable if it desists from acting.
Naturally, should containment fail, the US’ ineffectiveness will be
the cause. The pleasant upshot: Europe needs to do nothing. Take the
case of the EU’s own mild sanctions in 2003 against Cuba for its hard
line towards its dissidents. Socialist Spain removed Europe from even
appearing to be close to the US in the firefight between Castro and
Washington by suspending the implementation of her sanctions in the
interest of a “constructive dialogue.” Since then — what a shock! —
persecution continues. So does the suspension. No surprise. All
considered, not a bad situation: nothing is done and the independence
from cowboy America is maintained.

Listening to Europeans it quickly dawns on you that much of the
problem is compounded by ignorance of the US’ modus operandi and by a
tendency to misinterpret much that is connected to her. A case in
point came about when the group voiced the idea that America’s
barefootedness is natural as it is a young country. Whether a long
history and wise, proper and decent comportment on the world scene
correlate, is open to debate. As a secret observer the writer
refrained from provoking it. The same is true regarding the
consideration that if you take measures by comparing unbroken
political traditions, the US wins easily. She happens to have, since
the acceptance of her constitution, by far the oldest system of them
all.

Misunderstanding — being a category separate from “not knowing” —
reinforces pre-conceived images. When the discussion shifted to
America’s desire to grab the world’s resources, the former pre-teen
POW found confirmation in the American soldiers’ who took his cap.
You and I might surmise that the motive was not pecuniary gain but
the collection of memorabilia. Within that category, parts of a
child’s adult uniform are likely to score high. Also from this Gent
came the observation that at the UN, by innuendo due to Washington’s
efforts, there are too many Americans. Here obviously a Soviet block
effort, to infiltrate with politically screened personnel, who de
facto represented the Kremlin’s interests, is applied, assuming
equivalence, to the US. What a field-day it would be for the media
from the NYT to PBS, if Washington’s efforts to inject its agents in
the world organization’s civil service could be unmasked! A society
contributing 22% of the UN’s budget and generating about a quarter of
global GNP, and one that also produces excellent post-graduates, is
naturally likely to fill a lot of slots without its government’s
octopus arms heaving its citizens into openings. Actually, America’s
threat to the UN is not kidnapping it to be used as an instrument,
but in abandoning it.

As disappointing as opinions such as those regurgitated here might
be, their main impact on American and Atlantic security does not end
with the current shaky state of the alliance. Assuredly, the matter
is serious, it acts as a brake on the conduct of foreign affairs, and
it demands that those relationships that by now have only tradition
to recommend them, be reassessed. However, the thought that emerged
in the course of the discussion took a turn in an entirely different
direction. My insight had been that the main problem is not the tone
and the content of talks such as the one I was involved in.
Ultimately, the efficacy of US policy serving the national interest
and protecting the freer part of the world is decided on her home
front. That is why I imagined the presence of a largely apolitical
American at the table. How would he react? The US must be doing
something perennially and knowingly wrong to provoke hostile
reactions. This is also the wide-spread logic behind the idea that
the outrage of 9/11 must have its roots in an even greater inequity.
“Cleaning up America’s act,” stroking those who snap at her hand
might just be the solution. Precisely this “Europeanizing” of US
policy constitutes the major danger. America can easily overbid
Europe with concessions aimed at buying cooperation. If, however, the
reaction is contempt — as in Pyongyang’s armament program — the
threatening question is this: who will defend the US the way America
is ultimately likely to cover her allies, once conciliation leads to
confrontation?

George Handlery is an historian. He has lived and taught in Europe
since 1976.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The New Anatolian, Turkey
June 15 2005

Armenian Lobby Pushes Resolution in US Congress
The New Anatolian / Washington

The Armenian lobby in the U.S. Congress is preparing to push a new
resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives this month.

Democratic California Congressman Adam Schiff, who is known as a
friend of the lobby, announced yesterday that a new resolution to
recognize the so-called Armenian genocide will be presented to the
U.S. House of Representatives within two weeks.

The resolution is expected to be discussed by a subcommittee of the
U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee.
Diplomatic sources think that the Armenian resolution will be
approved by the subcommittee, but it’s not certain whether the full
committee will considerit.

Diplomatic sources also claim that even if the resolution passes the
International Relations Committee, U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert
would prevent it from reaching the House floor.

In October 2000, Hastert withdrew a similar resolution at the behest
of then U.S. President Clinton.

Pro-Armenian congressman stymied

Last week, pro-Armenian Congressman Schiff tried to add two
amendments concerning the controversial Armenian problem during
International Relations Committee hearings on a State Department
authorization bill.

The amendments would have required the U.S. government to analyze
diplomatic responses

to the Armenian “genocide” and urge Turkey to open its border with
Armenia. The amendments’ failure coincided with Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the U.S. and pressure from
the Turkish Embassy in Washington. Schiff’s efforts to add the
amendments were unsuccessful.

GB-Turk Dialogue Committee works to block resolution

In related news, the Britain-Turkey Dialogue Committee is preparing
to block discussions of a Armenian resolution by the Edinburgh City
Council on June 30. The committee will visit the mayor of Edinburgh
to persuade him not to discuss the measure in the City Council.

CENN – JUNE 15, 2005 Daily Digest

Table of Contents:

1. Adjara is Preparing for Tourist Season
2. Workers World: BTC Strengthens Grip of US and British oil
Monopolies
3. Month Long Environmental Protection Festival in <?xml:namespace
prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”
/>Georgia
4. Carbon Dioxide Usage Fee to Rise
5. Oil Production in Azerbaijan to Reach 63 Million Tons in 2010
6. Casualties of the Oil Stampede
7. Construction of a Freeway through Shikahogh Reserve
8. The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus – Internship
Programme

1. Adjara is Preparing for Tourist Season

Source: The Messenger, June 6, 2005

Tour operators, employees of hotels, tourist agencies of Tbilisi and
Batumi gathered to discuss the questions of tourism development
tendencies on the conference in Batumi on June 4-5, 2005.

The Prime-News was told at the administration of government of
Adjarian autonomous republic that a discussion on theme “Summer
Holydays in Adjara” was held in Batumi hotel “Sputnik” on June 5,
2005.

2. Workers World: BTC Strengthens Grip of US and British oil
Monopolies

Source: The Messenger, June 13, 2005

Are “energy diversity” and “regional cooperation” really priorities
in the White House and in oil company boardrooms?

The history of the energy industry is a history of conspiracies to
rig prices by restricting supply. That’s what monopoly is all about.

That was true when Rockefeller Standard Oil agents dynamited
competitors’ refineries in the 1870s Pennsylvania oil wars. It’s true
in the oil wars in the Middle East today.

In the 1980s, Western Europe tried to diversify its energy supply by
buying natural gas form the Soviet Union. The result was a stupendous
feat of engineering called “Urengoi 6”, a 3,600-mile pipeline across
Eurasia. The Wall Street Journal called it “the largest commercial
transaction ever between East and West.”

How did Washington react to this attempt at peaceful cooperation in
the field of energy? The Reagan-Bush regime worked night and today to
block the project….

The revenues will go into the pockets of Western bankers and
investors. And, unlike Urengoi 6, BTC will not loosen the US and
British oil monopolies’ grip on Western Europe’s economy. It will
strengthen that grip.

3. Month Long Environmental Protection Festival in Georgia

Source: The Messenger, June 13, 2005

There are so many challenges; the Georgia community cannot be
complacent

A message from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan reads, “By 2030, more
than sixty percent of the world’s population will live in urban
areas. Such rapid urbanization presents profound challenges, from
poverty and unemployment to crime and drug addiction. On this World
Environmental Day, I urge individuals, business and local and
national; governments to take up the urban environmental challenge.
Let us tap the great knowledge and natural dynamism of urban areas
and let us create “green cities” where people can raise their
children and pursue their children and pursue their dreams in a well
planned, clean and healthy environment.”

It is already 4 years since WomenAid International created the
“Caucasus Zone Green”, an “Environmental Protection Festival” and
multimedia awareness campaign held annually during the month of June,
to encourage the public to contribute actively towards a better
environment and to encourage governments in the South Caucasus to
increase public participation in environmental decision making.

This year the theme selected for World Environmental Day is “Green
Cities – Plan for the Planet!” Thus, WomenAid International with the
support of a team delegated by Tbilisi Mayor Zurab Chiaberashvili,
lit up the Mayor’s building “green” on June 5th to draw attention to
World Environmental Day. According to Tbilisi Premier Temur Kurkhuli,
this will now be an annual event on June 5th to draw attention to
environmental issues.

GT spoke with Pida Ripley, founder of WomenAid International, to get
detailed information about the activities planned for the
Environmental Protection Festival and about the environmental
problems Georgia faces.

Q: As I understand, the “Environmental Protection Festival” is a
multimedia awareness campaign held annularly during the month of
June. What concrete activities have been planned for the “Caucasus
Zone Green” in Georgia this year?

A: The “Caucasus Zone Green” campaign is a people’s “Call to Action”
promoting activities such as clean up campaigns, tree planting,
street rallies, concerts, competitions, seminars, roundtables,
meetings and s symposia.

Various environmental activities are arranged by active NGOs,
kindergartens, schools, local administrations and media partners. For
example, once again we are working with the Ministry of Refugees and
Accommodation and with IDP communities to clean centers, as
inadequate rubbish collection causes serious problems. Regional
Gamgebeli of Zugdidi-sagarejo support similar activities and
especially welcome new information. Members of Parliament receive
information packets. Several cities are developing audits on “how
Green is our City?” Children will be responding to “Alexandra’s
Message” — an 11th grade Ukrainian student’s call for environmental
action and in Tbilisi we will be screening films with environmental
focus. Distribution of information sheets, postcards and badges will
promote greater awareness and stimulate action.

Q: This is already the fourth celebration of World Environment Day in
Georgia. Will this become a tradition, and are the activities on a
large scale this year?

A: This year, WomenAid International asked the Tbilisi Mayor’s team
if we could light up the Mayor’s building ‘green” to draw attention
to UN World Environment Day. This was a great success and it will now
be an annual tradition every June 5th. Last year, over 120 events
were organized in Georgia by our campaign partners. This year we are
expecting even more activities. The commitment and volunteer efforts
of all the organizations and individuals participating in the
campaign is the basis for its ongoing success.

The Caucasus Zone Green aims to facilitate information exchange and
collaboration among all sectors of civil society and to increase
public awareness and knowledge of environmental issues and risks,
with the aim of changing the behavior of citizens. This supports the
objectives of the European Union’s sixth Environmental Action Plan
and utilizes the empowering principles of the Aarhus Convention.

Q: You have been working in Georgia for more then ten years. What are
the main environmental problems here that challenge Georgia’s future?

A: Scientists and environmentalists warn that over the next decade
many environmental problems will continue to deteriorate. One fact
that especially concerns me is that global water supplies are falling
while the demand is dramatically growing at an unsuitable rate. One
of every five people in the world today lacks access to safe water
supply. Over the next 20 years, the average supply of water worldwide
per person is expected to drop by one third. Of all the social and
nature crisis we face, the water crisis is the one that lies at the
heart of our survival. No region will be spared from the impact of
the crisis. Georgia has good water resources but a significant
portion of the population has no access to safe drinking water that
meets sanitary hygienic requirements. The scarcity of water in many
parts of our world will lead to intense social and political
pressure. The careful and efficient use of this essential resource
should be one of our most important concerns.

There is no question: we breathe, eat and drink the environment. Air
is also a carrier element of water. The inseparable symbiosis of the
four elements becomes quite apparent here: fossil fuels create
emissions which affect the air, and pollution air combines with water
and comes down to the earth as acid rain. Health risks caused by air
pollution are an important issue, especially in densely populated
areas. Lead contamination in the air due to road traffic is drawing
worldwide attention, and studies of lead concentration in the air in
the inner city environment of Tbilisi have indicated that we are not
within the safe level.

There are so many challenges: The Black Sea ecosystem has been
seriously damaged as a result of pollution; the cutting down of trees
leads to soil loss of biodiversity and natural habitats; increasing
waste volumes; the build up of chemicals in the environment; air and
water pollutants; and of course, the question of the development and
the integrity of the BTC pipeline construction. The Georgian
community can not be complacent.

Q: How actively do you think the Georgian government is in dealing
with environmental problems in the country?

A: The government is facing profound challenges in numerous
directions, like other countries in transition. However, it appears
to be tackling some of these issues when resources are available.
Regional cooperation on bilateral levels for environmental issues
such as water protection is welcome, but agreements need to be made.
Georgia intends to apply for EU membership, and all candidate
countries are called upon to apply the EU’s existing environmental
legislation fully. The EU recognizes the need to support governments
in transition, and Georgia will continue to receive substantial
support in tackling environmental problems. All countries face
similar and complex environmental problems and developing the
“political will” to take the appropriate measures quickly remains the
major challenge.

Q: What activities are WomenAid International engaged in pursuant to
solve environmental problems in Georgia?

A: One of the Key activities within the campaign is the promotion of
UN World Environmental Day each year on June 5, as it is one of the
principle vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide
awareness of the environment and empowers people to become active
agents of sustainable ad equitable development – promoting an
understanding that communities are pivotal in changing attitudes
towards environmental issues. WomenAid International views public
participation and access to information as essential elements in
strategies for achieving environmentally sounds, health enhancing and
sustainable forms of development.

The role of communication – awareness raising, the promotion of
public participation, education, or communication and information –
in the policy making process is becoming increasingly recognized as
an increasingly recognized as an instrument with great potential to
help achieve a sustainable society. Health concerns prescribe what
should be done in the environmental field. In fact, health concerns
have always influenced environmental policy, but both policies were
kept away from each other for reason of conflicting “economic and
industrial” interests. Politicians now understand that this approach
does not work, and that the practice of protecting the environment
and health is changing. It is now commonly accepted that health,
environmental and social issues are complex subjects to address, and
are often interrelated to one another as well as to other development
and economic issues.

The EU’s sixth Environmental Action Plan is health driven, and one of
the four priority area is “environment and health”. The effects of
environmental pollution on human health are being increasingly
recognized and legislation has addressed many problems. However, a
more holistic policy approach is needed to address in interrelations
between different environment related health risks. Women, children
and elderly are especially vulnerable groups.

WomenAid has supported and facilitated the National Environmental
Health Action Plan (NEHAP) development process, organizing a
presentation of a NEHAP draft at a national conference, facilitating
comprehensive public input through public discussion and debate. This
was followed up with a series of consultation seminars on all key
issues, which ensured valuable input prior to its submission to
Parliament. The NEHAP for Georgia is one of the basic documents for
preliminary planning, action, and daily work of all related
governmental structures that determine environmental health policy.

Q: What international or local organizations are your donors and
partners, and how active is their support for Georgian addressing
problems in the field?

A: The basic prerequisite for the development of civil society is the
building of cooperation and trust between the government and NGOs.
Our campaign partners are several government ministries, numerous
regional administrations, the Tbilisi Mayor’s Office and the press
and media. WomenAid has funded this campaign for the past four years.
Initially, a request for $10,000 to create the campaign was submitted
to the Regional Environmental Centre, but it was considered too
ambitious and it was rejected …so we went ahead on our own! The
campaign is based on voluntary partnership forged through a common
concern and commitment to protecting the environment.

It would be a great tribute to the voluntary efforts of so many NGOs
and individuals if the fifth “Caucasus Zone Green” in 2006 received
some financial support.

4. CARBON DIOXIDE USAGE FEE TO RISE

Source: Sarke, June 14, 2005

Parliament has considered today in the first reading amendments to
the bill “On Using Natural Resources”, under which the fee for carbon
dioxide (CO2) use will rise from 18 to 20 lari per 1 ton. Authors of
the bill claim that the amendments are made on purpose to guarantee
the rational use of natural resources and the appropriate income of
the budget.

5. OIL PRODUCTION IN AZERBAIJAN TO REACH 63 MILLION TONS IN
2010

Source: State Telegraphic Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
Azertag, June 14, 2005

The volume of oil produced in Azerbaijan will reach 63 million tons
in 2010, AzerTAj correspondent learnt from the State Oil Company of
Azerbaijan.

The Company claims gas production will rise as well. Azerbaijan will
be exporting 36,5 billion cubic meters of gas in 2015.

6. Casualties of the oil stampede

Those behind human rights abuses and an alleged safety cover-up
around the Caspian pipeline must be held to account

Source: The Guardian, June 15, 2005

A huge new oil pipeline, opened a week ago but not fully operational
till August, is set to become an environmental, political and
economic timebomb. Over 1,000 miles long, it is a classic example of
pretensions to corporate social responsibility claimed by the BP
consortium being trampled all over by the stampede for oil.

The new Great Game is the competition for control of the world’s few
remaining big oilfields. Global oil production will probably peak in
2010-15, and for the last 40 years new annual discoveries of oil have
been far short of the increase in annual demand. The end of Big Oil
is in sight, and with it the oil-powered civilization we’ve all grown
accustomed to. The struggle to dominate remaining supplies is
intense, nowhere more so than in the Caspian basin, with probably the
largest remaining oil deposits after the Middle East.

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, bordering the Caspian, together hold oil
reserves three times the size of America’s. The route most favored by
the west to transport the oil out of the Caspian goes from Baku in
Azerbaijan via Tbilisi in Georgia to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan
in Turkey. This Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) project costs around
£2.4bn, with BP leading a consortium of 11 companies. Almost
three-quarters of the funding comes from bank loans, with public
bodies such as the World Bank providing £350m, including £56m from
the British Export Credits Guarantee Department.

BP trumpeted that they had “established a new international benchmark
in human rights and environmental standards”. Perhaps, but not quite
as they intended. The Georgian group Green Alternative has compiled a
220-page dossier alleging the project breaches World Bank guidelines
on 173 counts, including failure to consider the danger of
earthquakes. Georgia’s environment minister said BP also forced his
government to violate its own legislation and route the pipeline
close to mineral springs in a national park. Human-rights cases
related to the pipeline have been taken against the Turkish
government to the European court of justice and European court of
human rights. Other cases reported by NGOs include peasants being
misinformed by the authorities about their legal rights – for example
that if they went to court they would receive no compensation or that
they could not challenge the compensation paid. Many other cases are
reported of farmers receiving far less compensation than promised,
and being threatened with violence if they refused to accept what was
offered. Ferhat Kaya, a lawyer, was badly beaten in police custody,
he believes, for trying to inform peasant landowners of their rights.

According to the NGO coalition Baku-Ceyhan Campaign, there are
serious allegations of malfeasance by the authorities in the
acquisition of land along the route, in particular the expropriation
of land before compensation has been agreed – a violation of the
rules of the International Finance Corporation (one of the main bank
lenders). And when construction damaged many roads, drainage and
irrigation systems, the Georgian government stopped the work, but
then backed down after a meeting between the new pro-western
president and Donald Rumsfeld.

However, redress is virtually impossible because the BTC consortium
had already concluded an unprecedented agreement with the Turkish
government that, according to Amnesty International, grants them a
power over the corridor overriding all environmental, social, human
rights or other laws. In effect it strips local people and workers of
all civil rights – a frightening exclusion when Turkey lies in an
earthquake zone or if the pipeline were attacked by terrorists.

BP is also now facing accusations of covering up safety problems that
threaten a major spill. The 160,000 joints need to be coated to stop
water getting in, or the pipes will corrode, leak and may even
explode in sub-zero temperatures underground. Yet BP chose an untried
coating for the joints that cracks when cold and does not stick to
the plaster jacket of the steel pipeline. It is alleged that BP was
aware the coating would not work because its own consultant, Derek
Mortimore, told it so in November 2002. Instead of heeding his
report, BP pressed ahead and, it is claimed, did not pass on
Mortimore’s warnings to the international funding bodies; it sacked
him in January 2003.

The joints duly cracked in November 2003, and at least a quarter of
the coated joints in the Georgian section alone have to be replaced.
This issue is now subject to legal action – BP blames the
contractors, who claim BP forced them to use a coating with no track
record. BP suspended work on the project for 10 weeks, again without
informing the World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development or ECGD of their problems before accepting the $2.6bn
loan, which seems a violation of the loan agreement. BP refuses to
release the results of its investigation into the procurement fraud
allegations, which it says exonerates all those involved.

It is clear that the ECGD and other lenders did not undertake any
extra due diligence to ensure the project’s safety. The ECGD
minister, on defective advice, told parliament in June 2004 that the
problematic coating had been used on major pipelines. In fact it has
no track record on plastic-coated pipelines such as the one in the
BTC project.

The lessons of this appalling saga are many. First, we need an
immediate independent audit of the BTC pipeline set up by the
lenders’ group. Second, a judicial inquiry is needed into the
funders’ supervision of the project. Third, we need two reforms to
ensure multinational companies can be held to account over their
disregard for environmental, social, civil and legal rights: they
should be legally responsible for the actions of their agents or
subsidiaries abroad, and action against a UK company abroad should be
enforceable in UK courts. Where the government will not act, NGOs
should be able to take proceedings to enforce rights and legal
agreements, funded by the public purse where an overriding public
interest warrants it.

Michael Meacher is the Labour MP for Oldham West and Royton; he was
environment minister from 1997 to 2003.

7. construction of a freeway through Shikahogh Reserve

Public forum

The public is cordially invited to attend a public forum, which will
take place on Friday, June 17, 2005 from 10:00-13:00 at American
University of Armenia Small Auditorium (5-thfloor) to discuss the
proposed construction of a freeway through Shikahogh Reserve.
American University of Armenia is located at 40 Baghramian Avenue,
Yerevan.

Upon the order of Ministry of Transport and Communication of the
Republic of Armenia the “Transproject” CJSC has developed a project
on construction of a freeway Kapan-Tsav-Shvanidzor, which plans to
cross the Mtnadzor section of the Shikahogh State Reserve.

“Shikahogh” reserve is habitat for many species of plants and animals
registered in the Red Book. Breaking the conservation regime of
Shikahogh will result in the mass destruction of these species.

In the opinion of experts and non-governmental organizations, there
are a few alternatives to the proposed road, which are more expedient
from the strategic and economic points of view and will have less
acute impacts on the environment.

Passage of the road through the mentioned reserve is violating the
provisions of international conventions ratified by the Republic of
Armenia as well as of laws and Government decrees of the Republic of
Armenia.

Environmental Public Alliance of Armenian NGOs organizes a Public
Forum to discuss the expediency of passage of the freeway through
Shikahogh reserve and possible alternatives.

Participants of the Forum will include representatives of the
National Assembly, President’s Office, Government Ministries,
academia, international organizations, non-governmental
organizations, etc.

Renee Richer, PhD

Environmental Conservation and Research Center

American University of Armenia

Yerevan,

Armenia

–Boundary_(ID_aglWlxcRjiqEYpLjaw8Svw)–

EX-AUTHORITIES ARE NOT FOR THE CHANGE OF CONSTITUTION

A1plus

| 15:02:36 | 15-06-2005 | Politics |

“The authorities will try to forge 100 thousand votes”, said Hovhannes
Hovhannisyan, leader of the Armenian Liberal Progressive Party in
connection with the coming constitutional referendum. According to
him, the number of electors – 2 million 400 thousand – was fixed with
that purpose.

During today’s seminar titled “The Necessity of Constitutional Reforms”
Mr. Hovhannisyan claimed that the authorities will not come to an
agreement with the Venice Commission experts and “will try to adopt
the reforms with a strong hand”. “Our authorities tend to trick the
International structures and reproduce themselves. This is their aim”,
concluded Hovhannes Hovhannisyan.

Before that he tries to understand what the opposition must do
if “Kocharyan theoretically accepts the conditions of the Venice
Commission”. “I think the opposition must make a decision”, concluded
the reporter.

The next speaker was Vahagn Khachatryan, the ex-advisor of Levon
Ter-Petrosyan. He said that the violation of the Constitution is a
common thing for Robert Kocharyan, and the only thing to understand is
that what happens to the violator. “There is not a single law about
those who violate the Constitution, and we do not have any variant
of calling Robert Kocharyan to take the responsibility for what he
has done”, said Mr. Khachatryan.

The latter does not understand why the opposition tries to use the
legislative language speaking to the authorities. According to him,
not the Constitution must be reformed, but the authorities must be
dethroned as soon as possible. “The Constitution gives us the right,
simply we are too weak. There are many variant – riots, meetings,
etc”, said the ex-advisor.

According to the member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Administration David Shahnazaryan, Robert Kocharyan reforms the
Constitution for himself, and he sees himself as his successor. “He
thinks he will be forever sitting in that place, but forever he will
be sitting in a completely different place”, foresaw the ex-head of
the RA National Security.

WILL USA RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE?

A1plus

| 14:35:34 | 15-06-2005 | Politics |

Washington, DC – Congressmen George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff
(D-CA), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today
introduced an Armenian Genocide resolution that would reaffirm the
U.S. record on this crime against humanity. Fifty additional Members
of Congress have signed on as original co-sponsors to this bipartisan
effort to have the United States reaffirm the Armenian Genocide.

The legislation calls upon the President to “ensure that the foreign
policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding” of the
“Armenian Genocide” and to “accurately characterize the systematic
and deliberate annihilation of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide”
in the President’s annual message.

“On the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide it is high time
to recognize the deliberate murder of a million and a half Armenians
during the first genocide of the 20th century. Passing a resolution
commemorating the genocide will be an important first step in the
long process of healing that needs to take place,” said Schiff.

There is a growing trend internationally to acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide. Just since 2000, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy,
Lebanon, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden have passed
legislation affirming the massacres and expulsion of the Armenian
people as genocide.

Additionally, the European Parliament resolved that Turkey must come
to terms with its genocidal legacy as part of its European Union
accession process. Turkey has responded with bombast internationally
and repression at home.

“The government of Turkey does its country and people great damage by
threatening nations that acknowledge the truth,” said Pallone. The
European Union will not embrace a nation that criminalizes free
speech and prosecutes its citizens for challenging official Turkey’s
unconscionable denial of the Armenian Genocide. At a minimum, enacting
this resolution will effectively end the ongoing campaign of denial.”