Armenian defectors go on hunger strike – Azeri TV

ANS TV, Baku
17 May 04

Roman Teryan and Artur Apresyan, Armenian citizens who fled from
[Armenian President] Robert Kocharyan’s regime and arrived in
Azerbaijan, started a hunger strike today. They asked international
organizations for political asylum in a third country.

Teryan and Apresyan, who are being held in the Azerbaijani National
Security Ministry’s remand centre, are protesting against the
indifference that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees’ Baku
office has shown to their plight and a failure to send them to a
third country.

[Passage omitted: minor details]

Iran, Armenia gain “stategic importance” from pipeline – Armenian minister

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
17 May 04

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said in Yerevan today [17
May] that “the construction of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline will
seriously change the situation in the region”.

The Armenian foreign minister called the signing of the document on the
construction of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline “a most important event”.

Vardan Oskanyan expressed the opinion that after the construction
of the gas pipeline, Iran and Armenia “will acquire new strategic
importance in the region”.

Protestors urge release of Armenian political prisoners

A1+ web site
17 May 04

17 May: An initiative group of the “For and against civic will”
public organizations today staged another picket outside the
Prosecutor-General’s Office.

The aim of the action has not changed, i.e. the release of political
prisoners. Shayane Yesayan, a member of the Nor Hayastan [New Armenia]
public organization, says that the protest action will continue until
there are no political prisoners in Armenia.

She believes that one should not take seriously a statement by Deputy
Speaker of the National Assembly Tigran Torosyan that we have no
political prisoners in the country at all, whereas, there are 14 men
in Armenia. A list of them was submitted to journalists by members
of the Nor Hayastan.

The protest action was attended by Dzhemma Galstyan, the mother of
Suren Surenyants, a member of the Anrapetutyun Party and a political
prisoner.

She said that Suren Surenyants was in a poor health at present:
“We have repeatedly appealed to various instances, asking for the
transfer of Surenyants from the investigatory isolation ward of the
National Security Ministry to another place, however, our requests
remained unanswered.”

Surenyants’ mother considers that his issue can only be resolved
through the mediation of international organizations: “I am not
permitted to see my son because of a special instruction from the
prosecutor-general.”

At the end of the protest action, members of the initiative group
handed over a statement to the Prosecutor-General’s Office, which was
signed by 1,700 citizens, urging it to release the political prisoners.

Azeri daily says cease-fire plays into Armenia’s hands

Yeni Musavat, Baku
17 May 04

Text of Elsad Pasa report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on
17 May headlined “Protracted cease-fire” and sub-headed “Why are the
authorities speaking out against Heydar Aliyev’s ‘heritage’?”

The news that the question “Is there an alternative to the
cease-fire?” has finally been answered affirmatively by a number of
people representing the circles close to the incumbent authorities
for the first time in the last 10 years continues to reverberate.

Members of the [ruling] New Azerbaijan Party and those patronizing them
have been eulogizing about the cease-fire since 12 May 1994, heaping
praise on [former Azerbaijani President] Heydar Aliyev for signing
the accords equivalent to acknowledging defeat. They even ignored
the death of thousands of their compatriots who fell victim to enemy
sniper shots already after the agreement and continued describing
the cease-fire as something extraordinary. They kept saying in all
election campaigns that “there are no more war victims, mothers are
no longer shedding tears for their killed sons”, trying to convince
the nation that the cease-fire was the best available option.

Eventually, the fact that several opposition candidates standing in
the latest [presidential] elections voiced their intention to start
war if they come to power won considerable support in society. It is
the result of Heydar Aliyev’s unsuccessful “peace-loving” policy that
Azerbaijani society now believes in the inevitability of war in order
to regain control over our lands. Moreover, many see [Azerbaijani
President] Ilham Aliyev’s suggestion to start the Karabakh talks
from scratch as a conclusive proof of the collapse of his father’s
“wise policy”.

And finally, the deputies known for their dedication and intimacy
to the tribal leader are clearly expressing their concern with the
fact that the cease-fire has become so protracted. It is noteworthy
that even MP Qudrat Hasanquliyev voiced his protest at calls to view
the cease-fire as a victory, suggested that military expenditure
from the state budget be increased, stressed that the cease-fire was
playing into the hands of the Armenians and that the enemy should be
given one year to vacate our lands or face war. His colleague Elman
Mammadov also acknowledged that the cease-fire was more in Armenia’s
interests than in Azerbaijan’s. In any case, the fact that calls for
war are being made by the people close to the authorities, especially
members of the parliament, makes the issue quite serious. Those who
earlier accused us of impeding Heydar Aliyev’s peace negotiations
and vehemently blamed us for condemning the cease-fire regime are
now making exactly the same statements.

According to political analyst Rasim Musabayov, there are people in
the parliament who seem to understand that the cease-fire is not in
Azerbaijan’s interests.

“On the other hand, the Azerbaijani authorities want to reinforce their
positions by using the military tone in the negotiations. However,
they don’t realize that it is no longer possible to intimidate anyone
in the modern world by such methods. Everyone knows only too well
the real strength of the parties to the conflict. They should try
to appear more flexible in the talks and in the meantime change the
balance of forces in their favour.”

Musabayov thinks the Azerbaijani authorities are unlikely to decide
to start military action in the foreseeable future.

“To make the decision to go to war, the Azerbaijani army has got to
be adequately prepared. I cannot say how prepared the army is now,”
he said.

Armenia to continue cooperation with ITERA

Gateway 2 Russia, Russia
May 17 2004

Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with Igor Makarov, head of the
ITERA group. Mr. Kocharian expressed interest in further cooperation
with ITERA. The agenda was dominated by natural gas supplies to the
republic and cooperation in the energy sphere. Armenian President
praised ITERA’s performance in Armenia in the past years. He said the
company was Armenia’s long time partner, which met its obligations,
and expressed confidence that mutually beneficial cooperation would
continue.

Mr. Kocharian visited Russia on May 13-15. During the visit, he met
with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov
and Alexey Miller, head of the Gazprom company.

Armenia’s energy sector relies heavily on imported gas. ITERA
supplied gas to the republic from 1996 to 2004. Until 2002, it fully
satisfied Armenia’s natural gas needs. Since 1996, the company has
supplied about 9bn cubic meters of natural gas to the republic.
Gazprom resumed gas supplies to Armenia in June 2003, and it is the
only gas supplier now. In 2003, Gazprom supplied 288.4m cubic meters
of gas to Armenian consumers, and ITERA – about 1bn cubic meters of
gas. This year, Gazprom plans to deliver about 1.4bn cubic meters of
gas to the republic.

ITERA has a 10 percent stake in Armrosgazprom, set up in 1997. The
Armenian government and Gazprom have each 45 percent in the project.
Armrosgazprom controls the entire gas distribution system in Armenia.
It supplies natural gas and generates electricity.

Azeri pressure group demands end to BBC’s “biased coverage” of Karabakh

MPA news agency
17 May 04

Baku, 17 May: Members of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO)
and public figures are expected to visit the Martyrs’ Avenue tomorrow
(18 May) to mark the anniversary of the occupation of Lacin. Leaflets
calling for a guerrilla war against the Armenian occupiers will be
handed out, the chairman of the KLO, Akif Nagi, told MPA.

He said the organization’s youth subdivision had appealed to Grave
Crimes Court Judge Mansur Ibayev, asking him to release [Chairman
of the Karabakh war veterans organization] Etimad Asadov on bail
considering his participation in the protection of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity and the fact that he was wounded [in the Karabakh
war]. Young members of the organization said that each of them was
ready to take Asadov’s place in prison.

Nagi added that the KLO had addressed the British embassy in Azerbaijan
over misinformation about the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict by the
BBC’s Central Asia and Caucasus correspondent.

[Passage omitted]

The KLO demands that the diplomatic mission address relevant bodies in
Great Britain in order to put an end to the BBC’s biased coverage. The
organization places responsibility for the consequences of such
actions with the British embassy.

Azeri ANS TV blames BBC radio for making pro-Armenian reports

ANS TV, Baku
16 May 04

[Presenter] Here is the view of the Russian leading media outlets
on a possible war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. [Passage omitted:
quotes from Russian web sites and newspapers]

[Correspondent over video of Russian web sites] Izvestiya carries
reports saying that the military potential of the Karabakh Armenians
is higher than that of Azerbaijanis.

Strange as it may seem but Britain’s BBC radio also makes similar
reports reflecting the interests of the Armenians. The situation has
reached a point where Azerbaijan’s ruling party and the Milli Maclis
[parliament] administration have expressed their protest to the
BBC management.

Le Figaro
17 Mai 2004

Un effet boule de neige

L. M.

Depuis que le président de la Convention européenne Valéry Giscard
d’Estaing a lancé un pavé dans la mare, en affirmant que la Turquie
«n’avait pas vocation à entrer dans l’Union européenne», la
géographie, l’islam, la porosité des frontières turques aux trafics
en tout genre, la peur de migrations massives ou l’absence de
reconnaissance du génocide arménien sont tour à tour brandis comme
autant de raisons de dire non aux Turcs.

Longtemps confisqué par le petit cercle des dirigeants européens, le
débat sur la Turquie fait boule de neige et revient aujourd’hui en
boomerang à la tête de l’Europe, malgré l’appui notable apporté à la
candidature turque par la Grèce. En France et en Autriche, les
partisans du «non» semblent majoritaires. La droite allemande est,
elle aussi, turco-sceptique, de même qu’une partie des politiciens
hollandais. Beaucoup s’alarment de la présence au pouvoir d’un parti
islamiste, l’AKP, certes modéré et réformé. D’autres s’interrogent
sur la capacité de la Turquie à se débarrasser d’un système
bureaucratico-mafieux et clientéliste, dominé par le lobby militaire.
Le visage européen de la Turquie, incarné par ses élites modernes et
polyglottes, séduit. Mais l’autre visage, celui d’un Sud-Est
anatolien arriéré, effraie.

Glendale News Press
LATimes.com
May 17 2004

A Celebration of Heritage

Aremnian Relief Society’s annual festival features foods, dance
shows, singers, arts and crafts

By Darleene Barrientos, News-Press

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Delicious food, rousing music, arts and crafts,
elaborate fashions and spontaneous dance circles — there was a little
bit of everything at the Armenian Relief Society’s third annual
festival.

Between 7,000 and 8,000 people passed through the doors of the
Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Rd., for the weekend
festival by Sunday afternoon, and at least 3,000 more people were
expected until the doors closed at midnight, said Nova Hindoyan, one
of the society’s executive board members. Hindoyan admitted she was
one of the dozens of people who joined the spontaneous dance circles
that broke out in the middle of the eating area on the auditorium’s
second level.

“It’s been very good, a very good turnout,” she said. “People are
enjoying the dancing.”

The upper level of the auditorium was filled to capacity with people
eager to watch the dancing and watch Armenian clothes be modeled by
local teenagers. Vendors lined the auditorium on both levels, selling
artwork, ceramics, jewelry, T-shirts, food, drinks, books, clothes
and desserts. Informational displays were available on the lower
level of the auditorium, filled with postcards and stamps from
Armenia and pictures of the country’s men and women and their fashion
from different eras.

People throughout the festival greeted old friends with shouts, hugs
and hearty handshakes.

Robert Yacoub, 51, of Pasadena, took his wife, his son and his baby
daughter to the festival after his mother told him about the event.

“I wanted to come,” Yacoub said. “I wanted to see the dances.”

His wife, Michelle, 32, said she was more interested in the fashion.

“I’m actually looking forward to the wedding,” she said of the
traditional wedding ceremony scheduled to be demonstrated.

Julia Mangurian Haviland, 81, of Studio City, took her daughter and
teenage granddaughter to the festival. Haviland said she wanted her
family to learn about their culture.

Haviland said she had been trying to teach her family about their
Armenian heritage and had sent them to Armenian dance classes, which
her granddaughter enjoyed.

“There are a lot of people out there who love the music, but they’re
just not aware,” she said.

New French envoy to Azerbaijan appointed

Turan news agency, Baku
17 May 04

Paris, 17 May: Roland Blatmann has been appointed as new ambassador
of France to Azerbaijan.

A corresponding resolution was signed by the French president and
prime minister on 13 May, Turan has learned from a diplomatic source.

According to the source, Blatmann used to hold the post of France’s
general consul in the Greek city of Saloniki. The new ambassador is
expected to come to Baku in June.