Catholic World News
Jan 20 2005

Armenian patriarch, Pope dedicate statue at St. Peter’s

Vatican, Jan. 19 (CWNews.com) – Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX, the head
of the Armenian Catholic Church, was in Rome on January 19 for the
installation of a statute of St. Gregory the Illuminator–the
“Apostle of Armenia”–outside St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope John Paul blessed the statue prior to his weekly public
audience. During that audience the Pontiff called attention to the
presence of the Armenian Catholic patriarch and several other
Armenian bishops who had accompanied him.

PRESS RELEASE
UN Department of Public Information, Yerevan Office
2 Petros Adamyan str., First Floor
Yerevan 375010, Armenia
Contact: Armine Halajyan, UN DPI Information Assistant
Tel.: (374 1) 560 212
Fax/Tel.: (374 1) 561 406

SECRETARY-GENERAL ANNOUNCES GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON 24 JANUARY
TO COMMEMORATE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF LIBERATION OF NAZI DEATH CAMPS

The following statement is attributable to the Spokesman for
Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is pleased to announce that a majority of Member
States have now agreed to the request to convene, on 24 January 2005, a
special session of the General Assembly to commemorate the 60th anniversary
of the liberation of the Nazi death camps. This will be an important
occasion, since the United Nations was founded as the world was learning the
full horror of the camps, and is dedicated to doing everything in its power
to protect human dignity and prevent any such horror from happening again.
He calls on all Member States to give the session their full support.

Provisional agenda of the twenty-eighth special session of the General
Assembly*

To convene at United Nations Headquarters on Monday,
24 January 2005, at 10 a.m.
1. Opening of the session by the Chairman of the delegation of the President
of
the fifty-ninth regular session of the General Assembly.
2. Minute of silent prayer or meditation.
3. Credentials of representatives to the special session of the General
Assembly.
4. Election of the President.
5. Organization of the session.
6. Adoption of the agenda.
7. Commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi
concentration camps.

—————–
* Issued in accordance with rule 16 of the rules of procedure.

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 14-20, 2005

HIGHLIGHTS:

MDI SEMINAR FOR “ARMENPRESS” STAFF

DEFENDANT ON ASSAULT ON “HAIKAKAN ZHAMANAK” CORRESPONDENT PLEADED GUILTY

NCTR FINED “HAYRENIK TV”

“PAKAGITS” WILL BE ISSUED THREE TIMES A WEEK

“SHOGHAKAT” TAKES A TECHNICAL BREAK

MDI SEMINAR FOR “ARMENPRESS” STAFF

On January 17-19 in Yerevan a training seminar on covering diversity for the
staff of “Armenpress” state news agency was held. The training was organized
by the London-based Media Diversity Institute under the project “Minority
Empowerment and Media Development in South Caucasus”, implemented with the
financial assistance of the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of the Netherlands. The MDI partner in Armenia is Yerevan Press
Club.

Theoretical and practical aspects of covering minority and vulnerable groups
of the society were discussed in interactive communication, moderated by
experts Mike Jempson, PressWise Trust journalistic organization, and Arjum
Wajid, BBC World Service, from the United Kingdom and Tatul Hakobian,
observer of “Azg” daily, from Armenia.
The practical continuation of the training will be the 50 articles that the
journalists of “Armenpress” must produce in the course of 6 months and
disseminate among their subscribers.

At the seminar the monitoring of how the print media of Armenia, Azerbaijan
and Georgia cover various groups/minorities in the society was discussed.
The study was conducted in September 2004 by common methodology and within
identical time period in all the three countries of South Caucasus. The
monitoring object was five national newspapers in each of the countries. The
head of the monitoring in Armenia Elina Poghosbekian presented its findings
to the seminar participants. In particular, the extremely low attention of
the print media studied in Armenia and Azerbaijan towards the groups and
minorities existing in the countries was noted. Thus, of the total number of
pieces studied only 1.7% of publications in Armenian newspapers dealt with
the monitoring subject. In Azerbaijani media this figure did not exceed 1%.
The highest level of coverage was recorded in Georgian media – 7.5%. Out of
the five target groups of the monitoring, during the study period, the
Armenian media most frequently addressed the problems of the disabled, the
Azerbaijani media – the problems of refugees/displaced persons, the majority
of mentionings in Georgia referred to ethnic minorities. The third by the
media attention distribution in all the three countries were religious
minorities, the fifth (the last) were the sexual minorities that were
recorded 4 times in studies of Armenian and Georgian media each, and not
even once – for the media of Azerbaijan. A similar monitoring will be
conducted in February this year, but this time among the broadcasters of the
three countries.

DEFENDANT ON ASSAULT ON “HAIKAKAN ZHAMANAK” CORRESPONDENT PLEADED GUILTY

On January 19 at the court of primary jurisdiction of Center and Nork-Marash
communities of Yerevan the hearings of the case of assault on Arman Galoyan,
the correspondent of “Haikakan Zhamanak” daily, continued. As it has been
reported, the incident occurred on September 23, 2004, when the journalist
was interviewing the owners of the trade stalls demolished around one of the
Yerevan markets. The investigation identified one of the assaulters,
impeding the work of the correspondent of “Haikakan Zhamanak”, to be the
market supervisor Armen Vardanian. It also appeared that a month before the
incident this same Armen Vardanian beat two Yerevan residents next to the
same market. The two cases were united into one litigation, and Vardanian
was charged on these two episodes: by Article 164 (“Obstruction of
legitimate professional activities of journalist”) and 258 (“Public
disorder”) of the RA Criminal Code. The defendant failed to be present at
opening session of the trial on December 20, and the court ruled to bring
him to court by force (see YPC Weekly Newsletter, December 17-23, 2004).

At the hearings of January 19 Armen Vardanian pleaded guilty on both
episodes. The interrogation of the witnesses started, too.

The next session is scheduled for January 25.

NCTR FINED “HAYRENIK TV”

On January 18 at the session of the National Commission on Television and
Radio a decision was made to impose a fine of 200,000 (over $ 400) on
“Hayrenik TV”. The grounds for the penalty were the rebroadcasting of the
programs of French “Mezzo” TV channel by “Hayrenik TV” on December 23, 26,
27, 2004 and January 3-8, 2005. According to NCTR, by this TV company
violated the provisions of part 2 of Article 10 of the RA Law “On Television
and Radio”, stipulating the rebroadcasting of programs of foreign companies
only on a contractual basis and only with a prior written notification of
the National Commission about this. Besides, “Hayrenik TV” made an
unauthorized broadcast of a number of films.

At the same session on January 18 the NCTR resolved to change certain
frequencies previously allocated to the Public Radio of Armenia. The PRA
programs at the Sevan Pass will be aired on the frequency of 102.3 MHz
(instead of the previously allocated 102.1), in Vedi – on 102.5 MHz
(instead of 102.1), in Berd – on 103.0 MHz (instead of 100.5). The frequency
change is pre-conditioned by the electromagnetic incompatibility.

“PAKAGITS” WILL BE ISSUED THREE TIMES A WEEK

On January 18 “Pakagits” informed about the change in the periodicity of its
publication. From now on, the newspaper will be issued not once, but three
times a week.

“SHOGHAKAT” TAKES A TECHNICAL BREAK

Since January 17 “Shoghakat” TV channel stopped going on air. The suspension
of the broadcasts is due to the technical re-equipment of the TV company and
will last a week.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

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Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
____________________________________________
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
375007, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 1) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 1) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Jan 20 2005

US finally tackles Garabagh conflict

US and Russian presidents George Bush and Vladimir Putin will discuss
the Upper Garabagh conflict in Bratislava, Slovakia in February,
along with other issues, says US Assistant Secretary for European and
Eurasian Affairs Elizabeth Jones.

The two presidents will call for stepping up activity in resolving
conflicts in the former Soviet Union countries, including the
Garabagh problem, she said.
Jones also said the Bush administration is concerned over the lack of
efforts being taken by Moscow in this area.
“Russia should be interested in maintaining stability in Upper
Garabagh, North Ossetia, Abkhazia and Dnestr, fighting corruption
there and driving ‘criminal elements’ out of power.”

A while ago political analysts voiced their hopes for the settlement
of the Upper Garabagh conflict, saying that this will depend on
whether or not Bush will make resolution of conflicts in CIS a
priority in US foreign policy.
The United States is obviously keeping in focus the existing
conflicts in the once-powerful former Soviet Union. Several days ago
Bush forwarded to the US Secretary of State a memorandum extending
the suspension of Section 907″ to the Freedom Support Act which bans
direct US assistance to Azerbaijan. The document says that the step
was taken considering Azerbaijan’s support in combating terrorism,
the interests of the coalition partners, the US extends the
suspension of Section 907.
The US president said that this will not impede the
Azerbaijan-Armenia peace talks and will not be directed against
Armenia.
Section 907 was passed in 1992 and suspended for the first time by
the US president in January 2002.

‘Unequivocally support’
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in a reciprocal letter to Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, stated US support for Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.
“The United States unequivocally supports Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. The Upper Garabagh conflict must be fully resolved through
peace talks being held by the two sides, considering their
positions.”
Powell expressed his gratitude for Azerbaijan’s letter, which lays
out an initiative to discuss the situation in the occupied Azeri land
at the United Nations. He added that the US is pleased to be a part
of the fact-finding mission to visit occupied Azerbaijani territories
[to look into the illegal settlement of Armenians] and is looking
forward to getting estimates from experts.
Powell termed as reassuring ‘the important steps’ taken by the two
countries during the Prague meetings of Azeri and Armenian foreign
ministers and those between the two presidents in Warsaw and Astana.

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Jan 20 2005

Baku hopes for progress in peace talks

2004 can be described as a more active year in terms of the
negotiating process on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper
Garabagh, Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told a Thursday press
conference dedicated to peace talks held last year. He said that
during the three meetings of the Azerbaijani and

Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian and the four
meetings of Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian
held in 2004, “views were exchanged, which resulted in commonalities
currently being discussed”.

Azimov stated that the approaches of the two sides are very different
and the situation is complex, but said the parties are interested in
continuing the talks and consider them useful. He said that “the
meetings held are very important, but ‘sensitive”, therefore, the
sides agreed to provide the media “not with the details but general
information about them”.
He emphasized that there are still a lot of differences but voiced
his confidence that “the discussions will yield concrete results”.
Azimov said that Armenia is becoming more interested in the talks. He
explained it by this country’s trying to gain additional time but
emphasized that Azerbaijan hopes the other side indeed has an
intention to resolve the problem.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also pointed out that that the conflict
can be settled only within the principles of international law and
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. He said however, that restoring
the country’s territorial integrity does not imply solution for all
existing problems, namely, the peaceful co-existence of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Upper Garabagh in the future.

With regard to possible compromises on part of Baku, Azimov said that
if the occupied territories are liberated, Azerbaijan will be ready
to restore economic and other relations with Armenia. Shortly after
that the issue of returning Azerbaijani population to the region and
co-existence of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Upper
Garabagh must be resolved.
Azimov regarded as speculations the reports concerning the
discussions on liberating three Azerbaijani regions. He said that
liberation of all the seven regions around Upper Garabagh in the
initial stage is being discussed within the Prague talks.
The Deputy Foreign Minister stated that in 1998 Azerbaijan proposed
to free five regions on the initial stage in favor of implementation
of the TRACECA project. In spring and summer of 2002, Azerbaijan
restated the proposal. In both cases, the European Union supported
the initiative, while Armenia rejected it.
Azimov also dismissed speculations released by Armenia concerning the
‘Key West’ agreements. He said that so far the parties have signed
only one written document, namely, a joint statement of Heydar Aliyev
(former Azerbaijani President) and Levon Ter-Petrosian (former
president of Armenia) in Strasbourg on October 10, 1997.
The parties were also close to concluding accords in 1999 but Armenia
rejected them.

Illegal settlement
The OSCE Minsk Group (MG) co-chairs from Russia, United States and
France are due to arrive in Baku on January 28 as part of the OSCE
fact-finding mission to look into the illegal settlement of Armenians
in the occupied Azerbaijani lands, Azimov said. The mission will also
include OSCE MG co-chairs from Germany, Italy, Switzerland and
Finland.
The Deputy Foreign Minister said that the mission members will meet
with Azeri officials and then tour the region. As part of
preparations for the visit, the co-chairs will meet with the other
mission members in Vienna on January 21 to outline a plan of
activities, he said.
Azimov continued that “the mission will not give any political
assessment but prepare a report on the facts that it witnesses and
confirms”.
The mission will visit five Azerbaijani regions – Kalbajar, Lachin,
Jabrayil, Gubadly and Zangilan – where Armenians were purposefully
settled, Azimov said.
A day prior to the mentioned new conference, Armenian “Azg” newspaper
published a story on relocating 100 Armenian families to the Kalbajar
region occupied by Armenia in 1993.
As for holding discussions on the Upper Garabagh conflict at the
United Nations, the Deputy Foreign Minister said that the Azerbaijani
side does not intend to raise the issue at the organization yet.
“First, let the mission visit the region, prepare and present its
report to the United Nations. We will take appropriate steps after
getting familiar with the report.”

Positions of Baku, Yerevan getting closer – Russian Foreign Ministry
Russian Foreign Ministry says that certain progress is observed in
the positions of Baku and Yerevan getting closer and their approaches
to the Upper Garabagh conflict, the Ministry said.
The statement came after another meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian
foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian was held in
Prague January 10-11 and attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
(Russia, United States and France).
“Moscow welcomes the fact that the meetings of the two sides on
different levels, including those between Presidents and in the
“Prague format”, have become regular”, the Russian Ministry said.
Representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia are considering literally
all aspects of the situation with the Garabagh conflict in their
internationally-mediated talks, the same source said.
“These include such thorny issues as withdrawal of armed forces,
demilitarization of the territory, international guarantees and the
status of Upper Garabagh.”
From: Baghdasarian

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 20 2005

President to visit Russia in February

President Ilham Aliyev is expected to visit Russia in the second half
of February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press
conference in Moscow on Wednesday.
Lavrov said that he would arrive in Baku on February 2 and discuss
with the Azeri side preparations for the visit. Cooperation and
conducting reforms in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
will be considered as well.
The Russian minister said resolution of the Upper Garabagh conflict
may also be discussed during the visit. He added that progress is
observed after the Astana meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents and their meeting with President Putin.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 20 2005

OSCE mission to travel to occupied territories through Armenia

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, USA and France), due to
arrive in Baku on January 28 as part of the OSCE fact-finding
mission, will head for Azerbaijan’s Khankandi region under Armenian
occupation passing through Armenia, Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov
said.
The mission representatives will gather in Yerevan, and then leave
for Khankandi, along with the OSCE chairman’s special envoy Anjei
Kaspshik, Merzlyakov said. The mission’s credentials include looking
into the illegal settlement of Armenians in the occupied Azerbaijani
lands, but not giving any political assessments.
Deputy Foreign Minister, President’s special envoy on Upper Garabagh
Araz Azimov regarded the fact the mission will enter occupied Azeri
territories from Armenia as `a technical and temporary step’, as
there is no other alternative.
Azimov added that the mission must guarantee that relocation of
Armenians to the occupied Azerbaijani land will stop.
The mission is expected to will visit five Azerbaijani regions –
Kalbajar, Lachin, Jabrayil, Gubadly and Zangilan – where Armenians
were purposefully settled.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 20 2005

Pressure group concerned over OSCE fact-finding mission

The Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) issued a statement on
Wednesday voicing concerns over some facts related to the expected
visit by the OSCE fact-finding mission to the occupied Azerbaijani
land. It says that the mission does not include any representatives
of Azerbaijan and will conduct monitoring only in the areas outside
Upper Garabagh’s administrative borders, and not all the occupied
territories.
The OSCE chairman’s special envoy Anjei Kaspshik stated earlier that
the mission may enter the occupied territories through Armenia.
GLO said that this make-up of the OSCE fact-finding mission and
Kaspshik’s irresponsible utterances once again show the pro-Armenian
position of international entities.
`This once again shows that Azerbaijan should reject the false
mediation of international organizations and talks on all levels, and
liberate lands from Armenian occupation through military action.’
The decision to set up the fact-finding mission was made only after
Azerbaijan put the issue of Armenians’ settlement in the occupied
land on the agenda of the UN General Assembly session.*

The Messenger, Georgia
Jan 20 2005

Sabotage in Kodori takes out Kavkasioni

Electricity officials link attack to local residents seeking jobs as guards
By Christina Tashkevich

Georgian law enforcers continue to investigate Tuesday’s failure of
the Kavkasioni high-voltage transmission line that imports
electricity from Russia via Georgia’s Kodori Gorge.

Evidence suggests sabotage is to blame for the failure of the line in
the gorge, a failure that put significant strain on the country’s
energy grid until the line was reconnected at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

According to government officials, the line was damaged by gunfire.
“The line itself is not broken, an insulator was damaged,” the
Minister of Police and Public Safety Vano Merabishvili said late on
Tuesday after arriving in Kutaisi with a special law enforcement
unit.

The attack damaged all the insulating chains which support the line
on one tower and one insulating chain on a second tower, according to
the Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE). A note was found nearby
threatening injury to anyone who attempted to repair the line.

Merabishvili promised his ministry’s armed unit would ensure the
safety of workers doing repairs on the line.

On Tuesday, Minister of Energy Nika Gilauri said he did not know how
much time the repairs would take, although he warned Tbilisi might
face electricity problems during the week.

“If Kavkasioni is not connected, there will be more limitations in
Tbilisi,” the technical director of Tbilisi’s distributor Telasi,
Algirdas Kirnish, told journalists on Tuesday.

Gilauri, however, promised that Telasi will equally distribute the
existing energy supplies among all Tbilisi districts. Without imports
from Russia, Georgia must instead rely on electricity imports from
Armenia and energy generated by the Enguri hydroelectric dam and the
Ninth power plant at Tbiltsresi, Gardabani.

The Director General of GSE, Joe Corbett, confirmed on Wednesday that
a note was found near to the damaged tower threatening attacks on
workers who attempt to repair the line, a fact that led him to
suspect local residents.

“This is done to extort money,” he said, explaining that local
residents are the ones typically hired as guards to prevent further
attacks. “This has happened in past years and it is now likely
happening again,” he said.

The government stressed the importance of investigating the situation
in the Kodori Gorge. Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said Kodori Gorge
should be “an object of particular care” for the government.

Meanwhile the Secretary of the National Security Council Gela
Bezhuashvili denied media reports that the government plans to launch
a special law enforcement operation in Kodori. “We don’t plan to
launch any special operation: there is no need for that,”
Bezhuashvili assured journalists on Tuesday.

The government and international donors have repeatedly emphasized
the importance of securing Georgia’s energy facilities from sabotage.

Kavkasioni has been a target for criminals and even for those
protesting energy shortages in the regions, and several times in 2004
the line was attacked.

“We will not allow anyone to threaten Georgia’s five-million
residents and blackmail them with sitting in the dark,” Prime
Minister Zhvania said on Tuesday.

Zenit News Agency, Italy
Jan 20 2005

St. Gregory Finds a Niche at a Vatican

Pope Blesses Statue of Apostle of Armenia

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II blessed a
statue of St. Gregory the Illuminator which now stands in one of the
exterior niches of St. Peter’s Basilica.

It is the first time that a statue of an Eastern-rite saint — in
this case, the apostle of Armenia — has been placed among the
founding saints that surround the exterior of St. Peter’s, according
to the basilica’s archpriest, Cardinal Francesco Marchisano.

The ceremony, which took place today as the Pope was on his way to
Paul VI Hall for the general audience, was attended by Patriarch
Nerses Bedros XIX of Cilicia of the Armenians, whose see is in
Lebanon.

Nerses Bedros XIX leads approximately 10% of the Armenian Christians
who live in his homeland and in the diaspora, and who are in
communion with Rome.

Some 90% of Armenian Christians obey the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarchate, which separated from Rome after the Council of
Chalcedon in 451.

A key step was taken in 1996 to overcome this division, when John
Paul II and then Patriarch Karekin I signed a joint declaration that
resolved misunderstandings on the nature of Jesus.

Attending the ceremony were representatives of the Armenian Apostolic
Patriarchate and the Armenian republic.

The statue of Gregory the Illuminator — also known as Gregory the
Armenian — was sculpted by artist Khatchik Kazandjian, of Lebanese
origin. He won a competition convoked by the Vatican and the Catholic
Armenian Patriarchate.

The statue, 5.64 meters (18 feet) high and weighing 18 tons, is in
Carrara marble and cost 250,000 euros ($325,000).

With this gesture, the Pope wished to culminate the celebrations for
the 1,700th anniversary of the Armenian people’s conversion to the
Christian faith.

According to Armenian tradition, Gregory, who was born around
250-252, miraculously cured Armenian King Tiridates III, who
converted to Christianity in 301 together with all his court, making
Armenia the first Christian nation.

The gesture of placing the statue at the basilica, said Cardinal
Marchisano, “expresses marvelously” the “natural variety of the
traditions and rites of the Church, which contribute to her spiritual
enrichment.”