A1 Plus | 16:10:49 | 06-04-2004 | Politics |

DASHNAKS READY FOR CONCESSIONS

Dashnaktsutyun party issued Monday a statement with package of proposals to
the opposition in it.

Dashnaks offer opposition representatives membership in the
president-affiliated Security Commettee headed by Defence Ministry Serge
Sargssyan as one of the ways out of political turmoil in Armenia.

Dashnaktsutyun party board member Armen Rustamyan and Dashnaktsutyun
parliamentary fraction member Levon Lazarian answered the questions
journalists put to them.

Q:Was the statement coordinated with the coalition?

A.R.: This is a call for dialogue, which is already offered by the coalition
other member parties.

Q: Do you view yesterday’s arrest of Republic party member Suren Surenyants,
attack on the head of the party’s Ararat office and today’s detention of six
opposition activists as a call for dialogue?

L.M.: If the opposition has no intention to abandon its ambitions of
obtaining power, it should dictate political situation.

Q: What way Dashnaktsutyun will act in the event of facing confrontation
with people?

A.R.: People don’t want confrontation. Dashnaks intend to do their best to
prevent confrontation. If we fail to avoid it, we will consider other
solutions.

Q: Don’t you think that deadlock situation is created?

A.R.: Incompatibility run high and tomorrow we can grow even worse. All
possible efforts should be made to prevent any clash.

Q: If clashes occur, don’t you think they can escalate into civil war?

A.R.: I don’t think confrontation can turn into civil war. There are some
rational ideas in the opposition stance but, at the same time, there is a
hard-line approach. Authorities consider the opposition as revolutionary
force. In all countries, the authorities’ main tool is the law. Our current
constitution gives the authorities sweeping powers while the opposition
activists put themselves above the law.

Q: If the coalition rejects your proposals, then what will be your attitude?

A.R.: Possible agreement could speed up our country’s development.

Q: Is it possible you will quit the coalition in case of failure to reach
accord?

A.R.: We are not fastened with the current status quo. Dashnaktsutyun party
is eager for compromise and ready to prove that right now.

Q: Asked about the idea of appointing opposition members to any post,
Defence Minister answered he found it ridiculous. How you imagine an
opposition representative in Security Committee?

A.R.: Any step will be well thought-out. Today’s situation needs concessions
from at least one side.

Q: Over what issues you are ready for compromise?

A.R.: Anticorruption campaign and constitutional reforms.

—

Forgetfulness and Denial

04/06/2004

In my book, Civilization and Its Enemies, I wrote that the West is
suffering from forgetfulness. After reading and listening to some of
the responses from the Right to Fallujah, I am inclined to believe
that I was being an optimist in my assessment. The problem, it is
beginning to appear, is not forgetfulness, but denial. It is not that
we in the West have forgotten what our enemy is like; it is that we
refuse to see what he is like even when it is being shown right before
our eyes, as was the case with the atrocities in Fallujah. Just as
the editorial board of The New York Times, on the second anniversary
of 9/11, wanted to persuade us that 9/11 was simply a fluke, unlikely
to happen again, so many on those on the opposite side of the
political spectrum have wanted to persuade us that Fallujah was a
similar fluke. Just as the left wants us to think that 9/11 tells us
nothing about the nature of the enemy we are facing, so now the right
wants us to think the exact same thing about Fallujah. For both
parties, it has become politically necessary to deny theevidence of
their senses in order to bolster the ideology of their own pet
fantasies.

“Fallujah was contrived. It was all the fault of the cameramen. It was
a cunning tactic used in the hope of causing reprisals.”

It is not as if the savagery so endemic to the Arab world needs new
apologists; the Left, all around the world, have been working night
and dayto make excuses for precisely the kind of horror that was
enacted in Fallujah. Eachtime a Palestinian elects to martyr himself
in the name of Allah and to murder innocent Israelis in the process,
there is someone to tell us that this is the only way that the
Palestinians can express their desperation — though oddly enough no
other desperate group, such as the Armenians or the Jews, has ever
chosen to express their desperation by encouraging their children to
blow themselves up.

The apologists of the Left argue that 9/11 is a natural response to
the wickedness of the West. The apologists of the Right argue that
Fallujah is a response to the wickedness of Saddam Hussein. On both
readings, neither event is seen as evidence of a profound
civilizational chasm between us and them — a chasm so wide and deep
that it will inevitably swallow even the best-intentioned efforts to
bridge it.

Both sides of the political spectrum today have developed cottage
industries designed to minimize the crisis that we are facing, and to
minimize it by denying the plain and self-evident fact that we in the
West can no longer even imagine doing what the men and boys of the
Arab world dream of doing. 9/11,the suicide bombings, Fallujah —
these are not flukes or isolated events. Theyare the sordid hopes and
aspirations of literally millions of young Muslims around the world.

“Only four men were killed in Fallujah.” What is so significant about
the death of four men?

In reading these words I was reminded of an article written by Father
Andrew Greeley after 9/11. Only two thousand people died on 9/11, he
said. What is that compared to the forty thousand Americans who are
killed each year on our highways? We accept those deaths as a matter
of routine. Why not these two thousand? In a couple of years, he
wrote, who will really remember them?

In the case of Fallujah, the passage of years was unnecessary in the
minds of many on the Right. A few hours seemed to do the trick.

And so, on both Right and Left, there are astute minds always ready to
deny that the Enemy exists, always prepared to minimize his cruelty
and his utter indifference to human life, always quick to explain away
acts of the most horrendous savagery, always willing to sacrifice
judgment in the name of party line.

Our collective refusal to face up to the nature of our enemy imperils
the future of the civilization that it has taken centuries upon
centuries to achieve, and those who contribute to this refusal by
minimizing the brutality and ruthlessness of Fallujah are acting no
different from those who minimize the brutality and ruthlessness of
9/11.

The American obsession with putting partisan politics above all else
is robbing us of the only thing that can save us: the will to see the
world asit is, and not as we wish it to be.

Lee Harris recently wrote for TCS about The Lesson of Fallujah. He is
author of Civilization and Its Enemies.

Copyright © 2004 Tech Central Station –

[03-04-2004 ‘Karabagh Conflict’]
————————————————- ———————
BY CYPRUS EXPERIENCE?
Source : `Echo’ newspaper (Azerbaijan)
Author: R. ORUJEV

There is an opinion in Turkish media that Washington is ready to
publicize the `Cyprus option’ of settlement for the territorial
problem of Azerbaijan

By May 1, international community anticipates final resolution of the
Cyprus issue. As `Radical’ Turkish newspaper reported yesterday, the
current option of Cyprus problem settlement is considered by official
Washington and European Union as quite applicable for other conflicts
of the Middle East, in particular Mountainous Karabagh. `Radical’
newspaper reports that Washington has `more than one aim in Cyprus
problem settlement”. Resolution of the conflict in Eastern
Mediterranean may serve as an example for the conflicts between Israel
and Palestine, Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, the newspaper states
that Armenian Diaspora in USA may serve as an impediment. At the same
time, the author of the article asserts, `Cyprus settlement might help
USA in making Armenians change their minds”.

It is common knowledge that EU and USA worked out a joint plan for
conflict settlement in Europe. Initially it was planned to be
pre-tested in Cyprus and later to apply the experience of successful
resolution of a rooted dispute to Armenian-Azerbaijani and
Georgian-Abkhaz conflicts. The idea rests on the proposal initiated by
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

The Cyprus example suggests the following: united Cyprus emerges as `a
bizonal, bicommunal federation’. Greek Cypriotes will get the
reunified island and regain part of the territory under their control;
Turkish Cypriotes will be ensured autonomous territory. The main
attraction of this plan is accession to the European Union, right of
the citizens for work and residence in any EU country, as well as
funds provided to post-conflict parties through European Union
assistance programs.

In case of Karabagh conflict, it is probably something close to
`common state’ that is meant – Baku rejected this concept at the time,
as you know. The bait, as in case of Cyprus settlement, is most likely
the same – European integration, European money, etc.

But there are doubts that the European Union pays as much attention to
Mountainous Karabagh problem as to the Cyprus issue. The Cyprus
problem certainly raises concern of the Brussels because it is purely
a European issue for Greece is involved in this conflict, and is a EU
member. Besides, Turkey and Greece are members of NATO, and
aggravation of conflict between them may have direct consequences for
EU.

The Cyprus option may hardly be applicable in our case since the
countries of our region are not even included in the list of
candidates for accession to EU.

Among other things, as `Echo’ already reported, at the Istanbul summit
of 1999 the idea of immediate integration of Azerbaijan and Armenia as
NATO members was put forward, in case they quickly resolve the
Karabagh problem. At that time, Turkish President Suleyman Demirel
proposed his Caucasus stability pact. He also considered those options
for resolution that are now suggested to Cyprus. The three states of
the Caucasus were proposed to withdraw all foreign armed forces from
their territories, to sign a security agreement among themselves,
after which EU and USA were to provide vital investments (in millions
of dollars) in the development of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian
economies. Russia and Turkey were to act as parties ensuring agreement
compliance. Initially, Armenia accepted this plan but later evidently
under Russia’s pressure, refused to sign the pact. This document was
very similar to the Cyprus option of settlement; it also contained the
factor of encouragement for the parties to the conflict.

It is interesting how seriously the Foreign Office of Azerbaijan
considers such settlement options of our territorial conflict. Also
whether the activity of RA MFA pays due attention to studying foreign
experience in conflict resolution.

Unfortunately, MFA press service failed to provide a more or less
satisfactory answer to these questions. As press secretary of the
Ministry, Metin Mirza declared to `Echo’, “the officials directly
involved in Karabagh conflict settlement need to be addressed in this
case”. However it is always very difficult to directly contact these
persons…

“For the time being, even the attempts to settle the situation in the
Cyprus did not succeed’, former Ambassador to China Tamerlan Garaev
says. `And commenting on how the Cyprus option is applicable for
Mountainous Karabagh conflict is no easy task for present. Will this
plan really work in Cyprus and lead to the results aspired for by the
parties?’

According to the expert, “The situation we have is somewhat
different. In our case, it is not a sort of enclave that is meant. The
point is that a war broke out between the two countries, as a result
of which Armenia, taking advantage of USSR disintegration and absence
of troops in Azerbaijan, occupied part of our state territory. I do
not know how the Cyprus situation may be related to the development of
events in our region”.

As for the programs of large financial assistance to the parties of
the conflict and guarantees for their future accession to EU,
T. Garaev holds that this instrument of influence should primarily be
directed at Armenia, “at the attempt to convince Armenia to take more
constructive position”. “The point is how successful will be the
option of urging Armenia towards peaceful resolution of Karabagh
conflict on the part of USA and EU, taking into consideration
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan? It is not easy to discuss, yet
basically possible because in accordance to commonly accepted
international standards, Karabagh conflict resolution is possible only
through ensuring territorial integrity of our country”, the expert
concluded.

[01-04-2004 ‘Economic Development’]
———————————————————————-
GORDIAN KNOT OF CASPIAN ENERGY RESOURCES
(abridged)
Source : `Golos Armenii’ newspaper (Armenia)
Author: Edward Safarian, Master of Energy
Politics, Delaware University, USA

For the past 10 years, the Caspian Sea has been the focus of attention
for world superpowers and large energy companies. It interests experts
in different spheres – political scientists, economists, power
engineering specialists – due to its abundance of natural resources,
oil and gas fields in the first place. There are certain opinions that
the Caspian is rich in hydrocarbon resources, which may be competitive
with the oil deposits of the Persian Gulf. Others assert that the
attempts of international energy companies, to get multimillion
profits out of oil and gas extraction from the bottom of the lake,
resemble a venture similar to the `Gold Rush’ in Wild West at the
beginning of the past century.

The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle. For instance, Energy
Information Administration (EIA) of US Energy Department estimates the
official oil deposits in the Caspian at 10 milliard barrels. Still 233
milliard more barrels, as the source states, may potentially be
discovered. It is to be noted, that EIA has a reputation of a too
optimistic information source among the experts. According to USA
Geological Inspection (the most reliable source for the experts),
there is 50% confidence that Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian
contains up to 5.8 milliard barrels of oil and about 68 trillion cubic
feet of gas. Besides, American expert Lagerer asserts that among
developing CIS countries and states there is a tradition of
deliberately inflating data on oil and gas deposits to attract foreign
capital in the country.

In expert evaluations, construction of Baku-Ceyhan main export
pipeline, enabling to transport Azerbaijani and potentially Kazakh and
Russian oil to the Turkish Mediterranean coast, will be economically
viable if in the course of pipeline exploitation no less than 6
milliard barrels of oil are pumped through it. According to
information stated, there is 50% possibility of Azerbaijan’s having
these oil resources. In other words, if exclusively Azerbaijani oil is
pumped through the pipeline, the completed project will finally cover
only its prime cost. The construction of Baku-Ceyhan pipeline may
bring profit only in case Kazakh and/or Russian oil is transported
through it. Then why Western companies and `British Petroleum’ (BP) in
the first place, as the main investor and operator of the project, are
eager to have this dubious project implemented?

First, BP, despite its name, is essentially an American company. In
USA this company develops activity equal to the United Kingdom in its
scale and, similarly to all large companies, it is dependent on the
political forces of this country. This dependence became more obvious
after George Bush’s victory in 2000 USA presidential elections; his
family has old ties with oil business. After accession to the White
House, Bush administration sharply reduced financing of projects on
alternative energy sources and started to support large projects on
extraction and transportation of hydrocarbons. One of the instances of
such projects, provoking public discontent in USA, is extraction of
the deposits on the territory of national natural reserve in
Alaska. Despite the fact that the initiative of constructing
Baku-Ceyhan pipeline came from Bill Clinton administration, yet it is
during George Bush’s government that this project got a chance for
implementation.

One of Bush administration’s top priorities was provision of new
routes of oil import (the portion of imported oil in USA amounts to
over 55%) and decreasing the dependence of the country on supply from
such unstable countries- exporters as Columbia, Venezuela and
Nigeria. Therefore, Bush administration supported even such
inefficient projects as Baku-Ceyhan, placing the burden of financing
on the dependent oil companies. In any case, oil giants will pay off
only about 30% of the project costs, while the rest of financing will
be provided by international structures – World Bank and European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development. State Oil Company of Azerbaijani
Republic (SOCAR), BP and ExxonMobil already expressed their desire to
finance their shares.

It is now the turn of international financial structures that do not
yet hasten to provide funds for implementation of this project, whose
costs surpass 3 milliard USD. Certain experts even think that pipeline
construction costs will be much higher than previously expected,
amounting to 4 milliards. The decision-makers, responsible for
provision of credits, are primarily concerned over the circumstance
that the pipeline is very close to the hotbeds of open ethnic
conflicts – such as Mountainous Karabagh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia. One
more crisis point, Ajaria, was added in the list. Besides, a
considerable part of the pipeline passes through Eastern regions of
Turkey, mostly populated by the Kurds not very loyally disposed to the
Turkish authorities. Inspired by the success of their compatriots in
Iraq, they are ready for resistance. In all these regions, military
operations may potentially be resumed, which cannot but impede regular
exploitation of the pipeline.

But the truth is that American authorities, which are most interested
din this project implementation, are not very much concerned with
these circumstances. The priority for them is getting one more
alternative route for import of the oil so essential for its
economy. According to USDA special representative in the Caspian
region, Steven Mann at the conference devoted to Caspian energy
resources (New Orleans in 2003), this project is more political than
economic. Apparently, USA is least interested in economic profit of
the countries participants of the project or the countries on whose
territory it will be implemented.

One more interesting factor is that Azerbaijan has considerable
reserves of natural gas, in particular Shakh Deniz deposit, which
contains up to 1 trillion cubic meters of gas according to expert
estimates. This volume of gas is sufficient to be commercially
attractive for Western energy companies. But there are certain nuances
here. It is a disadvantage for Azerbaijan that this deposit is located
in the region where various countries have much larger gas reserves,
which they would willingly export on the world energy markets.
Suffice it to say that cumulative gas reserves of Russia and Iran
equal almost 50% of world reserves of this energy
resource. Turkmenistan, where the ratio of gas reserves to the volume
of production is 180 years, does not lag far behind.

It is to be noted that the characteristic of gas as an energy source
considerably differs from that of oil. And if the portion of
transportation in the oil cost, delivered to the immediate consumer,
does not surpass 10%, allowing to transport this product at farther
distances with no considerable expenses, then in case of gas this
portion is higher than 40%. Therefore, usually natural gas is not
transported at long distances from those regions where it is produced.

The exception is a technology of liquefying natural gas when it is
cooled up to 160 degrees and as a result passes to liquid phase, which
allows transporting gas in special tankers at long distances,
similarly to oil. But this option is not acceptable for Azerbaijan
since it is common knowledge that this country has no access to high
seas, making this type of transportation a complex task. To make
things worse, the technology itself (terminals for gas conversion, as
well as special tankers which are far more expensive than oil)
requires tangible investments.

It was initially planned that the gas extracted in Shakh Deniz deposit
will be delivered to Turkey, where economic boom was expected, and as
a result – sharp increase of gas consumption. However, the
expectations of Turkish economists and BOTAS state oil company were
not justified. For the past few years, economic recession and decrease
of GDP were observed in Turkey. For this reason the Turkish company,
having already signed the agreement with `Gasprom’ on the supply of
gas through `Blue Stream’ gas pipeline via Black Sea bottom, even
turned to the Russian side with a request for decrease of the supply
volume. Thus, the economic expediency of Azerbaijani gas supply to
Turkey is out of the question. At best, Turkey may serve as a transit
country for Azerbaijani gas, whose streams will flow to Europe, though
this option is hardly likely, given the mentioned specifics of gas
transportation economy.

In conclusion, it needs to be sated that Azerbaijan possesses
hydrocarbon resources, which through advantageous development of
events on world energy markets, may yield profits for this
country. However, too many factors come to prove that these profits
will be much lower contrary to the expectations of our neighbors and
those in our country who are too much concerned over fast enrichment
of the Azerbaijanis and, consequently, over the possibility of
breaking the balance in the region.

[01-04-2004 ‘Region’]
———————————————————————-
WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM CYPRUS PROBLEM RESOLUTION AND HOW?
Source : `Radikal’ newspaper (Turkey)
Author: Murat Yetkin

Greek Cypriots are most reluctant to see the problem resolved. The
settlement is beneficial for EU, USA and Russia.

Not far ahead is the outcome of the disputes on Cyprus problem
resolution. To discuss the current state of affairs, Ankara convened a
session of the Ministry of National Security again. Conferences of
similar type will be conducted in other capitals as well. It really
makes sense for everyone to discuss what expectations and prospects
they have from resolving one of today’s most acute problems.

CYPRUS GREEK STATE: It is the side least of all supporting Cyprus
problem resolution to be adopted on May 1, 2004. Despite the economic
and political embargo imposed by the Turkish part of the island, there
is a certain progress. Although no option of dividing the island is
proposed, the Greek side already feels comfortable as a member of EU.
However, the issue of relations with the Turkish part of the island
and the international pressure induced by it are still on the agenda.

CYPRUS TURKISH STATE: The greatest expectations of Lefkosia are
getting international recognition, accession to EU, preserving the
guarantees of Turkey and the status quo. The position of President
Rauf Denktas on the referendum appears to have no future for
present. In case the people approve of the agreement, the coalition
between Mehmet Ali Talat and Serdar Denktas may prove to be the
victorious party.

GREECE: If the sides do not come to agreement, Greek Cypriotes will
become members of EU, and the Athens will keep the promise given by
the Greek side to Lefkosia. But in this case EU may be placed under
still greater pressure having problems not only with division of the
island but with alienation of Turkey as well. If no solution is found
for Cyprus problem, it will have consequences for the whole Aegean
region.

TURKEY: Stable resolution of the Cyprus problem will be advantageous
for Turkey from various aspects. In the first place, this option will
allow removing the greatest obstacle for Turkey’s accession to
EU. Second, it will prove that Turkey keeps to the framework of the
European culture of political agreement. And it is has much to do with
Copenhagen criteria. Third, Turkey will be able to more efficiently
use all the potential of its foreign policy directed at Cyprus in the
past 30 years. Middle East, Balkans and the Caucasus will have a
chance to take more active steps for consolidating their independence.

ENGLAND: England, one of the three guarantor states in Cyprus, will be
more secure in case of simultaneous accession of Greek and Turkish
sides to EU. The Cyprus problem will become a part of EU system as a
whole. If this process eventually ends up with Turkey’s accession to
EU, stability and security will be ensured on southern borders of
Europe.

EUROPEAN UNION: The Cyprus problem resolution will undermine the
positions of those who are against Turkish EU membership or view this
prospect with certain fear. It will also strengthen the position of
Turkish supporters. Thus there will be an impetus to Germany’s
conception by which Muslim and Soviet Turkey, becoming a part of
Europe and adopting European values, will serve as a sort of bridge
between the Old World and many powerful Muslim countries. France,
with its ties enlarged, will also strengthen its positions. With
Turkish influence in EU, Europe’s southern and eastern borders will be
expanded; consequently it will become a more integral and strong
contingent.

USA: Washington is one of the capitals to receive most benefit from
Cyprus problem resolution. Such an outcome of solving this political
problem, in USA opinion, may serve as an example for settling
conflicts between Israel and Palestine, also between Azerbaijan and
Armenia. Israel is one more proponent of this scenario. However, in
case of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the Armenian Diaspora in USA is
the greatest obstacle to `world for security’ principle applied in
Cyprus. At the same time, any option on Cyprus may result in the fact
that USA, with Turkey’s and most likely Russia’s assistance, will
induce Armenia to comply with this plan.

RUSSIA: Moscow will benefit from the stable and predictable policy of
Turkey in the Caucasus, which is one of the most problematic regions
for Russia. Strengthening of democracy in Turkey, necessitated by this
country’s possible accession to EU, will contribute to
it. Consequently, Cyprus problem resolution will help Russia defend
its most vital interests.

—
Yerevan Press Club of Armenia, ‘Yeni Nesil’ Journalists’ Union of
Azerbaijan and Association of Diplomacy Correspondents of Turkey
present ‘Armenia-Azerbaijan-Turkey: Journalist Initiative-2002’
Project. As a part of the project web site has
been designed, featuring the most interesting publications from the
press of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey on issues of mutual
concern. The latest updates on the site are weekly delivered to the
subscribers.

New York Armenian Students’ Association
PO Box 7876
New York, NY 10116-4634
Web:
Contact: [email protected]

April 6, 2004

Contact: New York ASA: [email protected]
WHAT: NY ASA and St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral presents:
Professor RICHARD G. HOVANNISIAN, UCLA

`LOOKING BACKWARD, MOVING FORWARD’

WHERE: Vartan Hall, St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016

WHEN: Wednesday, April 7, 2004, 7:00- 9:00 PM

FEES: Students/ASA members free
Donations to the ASA are welcome!

New York, NY – The New York Armenian Students’ Association and St. Vartan
Armenian Cathedral are honored to have Professor Richard G. Hovannisian of
the University of California, Los Angeles, speak on Wednesday evening, April
7, on the subject of his most recent publication, Looking Backward, Moving
Forward -a discussion on the Armenian Genocide, entailing the question of
how to move forward while not losing sight of the past, namely
universalizing the Armenian experience.

Professor Hovannisian is well known to the Armenian community as the Holder
of the Armenian Educational Foundation Chair in Modern Armenian History at
UCLA and the founder and three-time president of the Society for Armenian
Studies. He is the author of numerous works on the Republic of Armenia,
1918-1920, the Armenian Genocide, and the historic Western Armenian
provinces. Hovannisian has received many honors for his scholarship, civic
activities, and advancement of Armenian Studies. He serves on the board of
directors of nine scholarly and civic organizations and has made numerous
television and radio appearances on issues relating to the Armenian people
and Armenian, Near Eastern, and Caucasian history. In 1990 he was elected to
the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, has been awarded honorary
doctoral degrees by Yerevan State University and Artsakh State University,
and has received encyclicals and medals from Their Holinesses, the
Catholicoses of Holy Etcmiadzin and of the Great House of Cilicia. Mort
recently, Dr. Hovannisian served as the historical consultant for the
National Geographic Magazine feature article on Armenia.

For more information about the NY ASA please visit

For more information about St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral please visit us
online at

A1 Plus | 14:10:21 | 06-04-2004 | Social |

ARRESTS CONTINUE

Yesterday at 6:30 PM after Artashes Geghamyan’s meeting with the electorate
on the way from Yerevan to Shamshadin people in civil clothes stopped the
car of Serjik Ayvazyan, Chair of Shamshadin branch of “Republic” Party and
arrested him.

The same party member Vardan Sahakyan and the driver were arrested, too.
They were taken to an unknown place and it is not known yet where they are.

Last night the arrested heads of Arabkir, Zeytun and Ajapnyak branches of
“Republic” Party were released.

—

A1 Plus | 14:59:41 | 06-04-2004 | Social |

SURENYANTC WILL BE CONDEMNED

On April 4, at 6:00 PM, Suren Surenyantc, member and press secretary of
“Republic” Party political board was arrested.

He was brought a charge against for public statements over forced change of
the Constitutional order and addressing insult to the Authorities.
Surenyantc is now in Nubarashen jail.

We have just been informed that a verdict will be reached against Suren
Surenyantc in a private court session in a few minutes.

—

CENN – APRIL 6, 2004 DAILY DIGEST
Table of Contents:
1. NGO Targets Pipeline Disclosure
2. BTC Sangachal Terminal Construction Works Fits The Schedule
3. Rigid Tariff Policy of Russia
4. Caspian Sea States to Discuss the Sea’s Status
5. Creation of Alternative Energy Sources is Dictate of Time
6. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
7. Transport corridor North-South actively operating, developing
8. Switzerland provides Armenia with 6.5m Swiss aid
9. KFW Bank to give 4.7m euros to reconstruct of Alaverdi substation
10. Germany to loan Armenia 4.7 mln euros for power station
11. International Press Release by: Bankwatch (Czech Republic), Campagna
Per La Riforma Della Banca Mondiale (Italy), Amis De LA Terre (France),
Both Ends (Netherlands)

1. NGO TARGETS PIPELINE DISCLOSURE

Source: Georgia’s English Language Daily, `The Messenger’, April 6, 2004

The Krtsanisi-Mtasminda District Court satisfied the appeal of the
Georgian NGO Green Alternative (GA) on April 2, 2004 and called for
parliament to guarantee the official publication of the
intergovernmental agreement on the BTC construction.

The agreement signed between Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey and its
appendixes were ratified by the Parliament on Amy 31, 2000, but the
Georgian government has not officially publicized these documents.

According to GA, `the public should be aware and interested of what is
written in these documents,’ because this agreement describes the legal
aspects behind the BTC project. As the representative from the NGO
stated: `maybe the document was not publicized because the government
should pay money for printing it and it is large.’

Meanwhile, BP claims it `did everything’ to make the public aware of the
text of the agreement and points to its online document collection. As
Rusudan Medmariashvili from BP explains, the company has a text of the
agreement on its website `presented in two languages’, Georgian and
English. She adds it is impossible to publicize the complete text of
agreement itself `is a large volume’.

Mrs. Medmariashvili says the agreement between governments is available
in the collection of the government to make such documents public’. The
text of the agreement as well as other documents on the BTC pipeline can
be found on: in Turkish, Azeri,
Georgian and English.

The environmental NGO actively working on monitoring the BTC pipeline,
GA has frequently appeared in court to challenge the pipeline project.
In late March the group appeared in the court on another case regarding
the BTC that it finally lost. GA brought a case against the Ministry of
Environment of Georgia and the BTC Co., in Tbilisi Regional Court. The
NGO asked the court to annul the document issued by the Ministry on
November 30, 202 that permitted the construction of the BTC pipeline on
Georgian territory.

GA claimed the permission was issued in violation of Georgian
legislation and citizens’ constitutional rights. It also claimed that
the process lacked transparency and that the public should have been
informed about the government’s decision.

As a result, the NGO claims the Aarhus Convention was violated a UN
sanctioned document that provides for proper access to information in
decision-making processes regarding environmental issues.

Defendants at the BTC Co. said it took all necessary measures to ensure
the proper access to information and public participation and therefore
met all obligations of the Georgian government.

In response to the court verdict, the environmental group argues `the
judges were biased’ and that is why they gave wrong interpretation to
the articles of the Georgian Constitution and the Aarhus Convention.

According to GA it plans to apply to the Supreme Court as well as to the
Aarhus Convention committee in Denmark to appeal the Tbilisi Regional
Court decision on that case.

2. BTC SANGACHAL TERMINAL CONSTRUCTION WORKS FITS THE SCHEDULE

Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, AzerTag,
April 5, 2004

The construction works, carried out on Sangachal terminal, within the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan project, fits the schedule.

How report experts, 60% of works on BTC head pumping station PS-A1
construction works have been completed by the present time. The station
will consist of four main and one additional pump. The pumps have been
delivered to the terminal and installed, currently; they are being
connected to the pumping station.

An alliance Spie Capag/Petrofag is the contractor on the BTC pumping
stations construction on the territory of Azerbaijan and Georgia, which
at the same time carried out construction of the Georgian pipeline
section.

The length of BTC pipeline is 1,762 km, diameter is 42 inches, has eight
pumping stations (4 on the territory of Turkey, 2 on the territories of
each Azerbaijan and Georgia) and 98 stations with stopcocks.

Sangachal terminal extension works have been completed by 90% within the
project of full-scale ACG (Azeri-Chyrag-Guneshli) field’s development.
According to experts, the frameworks of the first and second oil storage
reservoirs each with an 800 thousand barrel (110 thousand tons) capacity
have been already assembled. Currently the reservoirs are painted. Apart
from that the construction of associated water storage reservoir with a
50 thousand barrel capacity has started. In particular, the reservoir
foundation is being prepared.

A French company CMP Enterpose realizes the construction of storage
reservoirs on Sangachal terminal. The contract includes the construction
of two oil storage reservoirs each with a 110 thousand ton (800 thousand
barrels) capacity and the smaller associated water storage reservoir
with a 50 thousand barrel capacity. The oil storage reservoirs must be
ready by June 2004. As per the estimation, the cost of works will make
$16 million.

In the future the construction of another 800 thousand barrel capacity
reservoir is planned, which will allow bringing the oil storage
capacities to 2.5 million barrels.

The Sangachal terminal extension is run by Azfen/Tekfen. Its total cost
will equal approximately $345 million. The new terminal total area will
make 540 hectares.

On the peak of ACG oil extraction in 2008 the terminal capacity will
reach 1 million barrels of oil and 700 million cubic feet of natural gas
per day.

3. RIGID TARIFF POLICY OF RUSSIA

Source: Russian Information Agency, NOVOSTI, April 5, 2004

Russian deputy foreign minister Viktor Kalyuzhny believes that the
reason for the connection of Kazakhstan to the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline is
the rigid tariff policy of Russia, he said at a press conference in RIA
Novosti on April 5, 2004.

“We should be more flexible in the issues of the tariff policy. This
will make Russia attractive for the transit of energy products through
its territory,” Kalyuzhny pointed out.

According to him, the Russian northern route Baku-Novorossiisk can
ensure the transportation of all the oil produced in the Caspian region.
In particular, Kalyuzhny is of the opinion that the Russian Transneft
Company may be in charge of transporting the energy products.

“It has a great backlash of possibilities for this,” he said

4. CASPIAN SEA STATES TO DISCUSS THE SEA’S STATUS

Source: Iran Press Service, April 5, 2004

Kamal Kharrazi, the Foreign Affairs Minister of Iran called Monday for a
“friendly and just” solution to the crippling problem of dividing the
Caspian Sea waters.

Arriving to the Russian Capital for taking part at a meeting of foreign
affairs ministers of the world’s biggest land-locked lake littoral
states to discuss the Sea’s legal status as from Tuesday, he said Iran
was working hard to find a “just solution acceptable to all neighboring
states”, but did not spelled out details of the solution Iran is
seeking.

Sources close to the meeting told Iran Press Service that the ministers
are expected to discuss ways of removing obstacles to the sharing of the
waters and its huge energy resources, including finding a “viable”
convention on legal regime” of the Caspian Sea.

While Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have already defined their deep
water borders and exploits its natural resources, including oil and
natural gas, Iran calls for a condominium, or common sovereignty, over
the Sea and has made it known that it will reject any unilateral action
for energy exploration before the issue of the legal regime is settled.

Iran insists that the waters must be divided on equal shares of twenty
per cent for each coastal nation while it would not get more than 13 if
the waters are allocated according to each country’s coast that give
Kazakhstan 33 per cent, Russia 19, Azerbaijan 18 and Turkmenistan 17 per
cent.

Two years ago, Iran threatened Azerbaijan with military action with
sending gunboats and warplanes after oil exploring ships working for
Azerbaijan’s State Oil Company started working in waters that Iran
claims sovereignty.

For its part, Turkmenistan, due to disputes with Azerbaijan, has also
refused to define its water borders with other neighbors.

“This meeting is considered as a good opportunity for exchanging views
on issues of the Caspian Sea at the foreign ministerial level”, he told
journalists on his arrival, adding one has to held each other in trying
to find a solution that would satisfy all parties”.

The Caspian Sea is believed to hold the world’s third-largest oil and
natural gas reserves and a general consensus of territorial issue is
seen as vital for the development and export of the region’s natural
resources.

But observers noted that for the first time, Tehran was not trumpeting
on its known position of sharing the waters, softening its attitude that
has kept many international oil companies from entering the lucrative
market.

“The Islamic Republic always supports the resolution of issues relating
to the Caspian Sea and in Moscow too would outline its stances and call
for the exploitation of Caspian resources by all its littoral states and
cooperation among them in various fields”, the official news agency IRNA
quoted Mr. Hamid Reza Asefi, the senior spokesman for the Iranian
Foreign Affairs Ministry as having said.

The meeting would also examine the possibility of holding the next heads
of state meeting of the Caspian littoral countries in Tehran, he added.

“The five states have tried to keep a lid on their differences since the
legal regime of the land-locked waters was catapulted to the core of the
dispute following the collapse of the Soviet Union”, IRNA noted in a
dispatch from Tehran.

Kharrazi also voiced Tehran opposition to the presence of foreigners in
the region, a reference to the presence of American forces in
neighbouring Azerbaijan.

Russia that is also against the presence of foreigner in the region has
warned the United States to `not interfere in talks on delineating the
oil-rich Caspian Sea.

“The countries of the Caspian region should settle the problems by
themselves, in a family way, so to speak, without attracting mediators,”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor Kalyuzhny, a presidential envoy
on the Caspian basin, said in an interview published in Nezavisimaya
Gazeta, adding that “the external factor will only cause problems”.

5. CREATION OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES IS DICTATE OF TIME

Source: State Telegraph Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan, AzerTag,
April 5, 2004

Natural climatic conditions in Azerbaijan open wide possibilities for
use solar and wind energy as alternative sources. According to Chair of
the Milli Majlis Standing Commission on Natural Resources, Energy and
Ecology Asya Manafova, the `State Program of Social and Economic
Development of Regions of the Azerbaijan Republic’ underlines the
necessity of use of the alternative energy sources to supply to the
country’s population with electric power in full measure in 2004-2008.
`No state duty will be collected for import of necessary technical
equipment for creation of alternative energy sources,’ she said.

6. STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS
(POPs) to enter into force on 17 May 2004
PRESS RELEASE

Geneva/Nairobi, 18 February 2004 – The 2001 Stockholm Convention on
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) will become legally binding on 17
May 2004, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced today.

The 90-day countdown to the treaty’s entry into force was triggered on
17 February 2004 when France became the 50th state to ratify the
agreement. `Of all the pollutants released into the environment every
year by human activity, POPs are the most dangerous. For decades these
highly toxic chemicals have killed and injured people and wildlife by
inducing cancer and damaging the nervous, reproductive and immune
systems. They have also caused uncounted birth defects,’ said UNEP
Executive Klaus Toepfer.

`By committing governments to eliminating production and environmental
releases of these chemicals, the Stockholm Convention will greatly
benefit human health and the environment. It will also strengthen the
overall scope and effectiveness of international environmental law,’ he
said. Governments will pursue a rapid start to action under the treaty
when they meet for the first session of the Conference of the Parties to
the Convention (COP 1) in Punta del Este, Uruguay in early 2005. One of
this meeting’s priorities will be to assist countries to combat malaria
by replacing DDT with the increasingly safe and effective alternatives.
The COP will also establish a Committee for evaluating other chemicals
and pesticides that could be added to the initial target list of 12 POPs
(these are aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex,
toxaphene, polychlorinated biphenols or PCBs, hexachlorobenzene, dioxins
and furans).

Still another key goal for the COP will be to finalize guidelines for
promoting `best environmental practices’ and `best available techniques’
that can reduce or eliminate releases of dioxins and furans (perhaps the
most toxic of all the POPs) from a wide range of industrial and other
sources.

Every human in the world carries traces of these chemicals in their
bodies. POPs are highly stable compounds that can last for years or
decades before breaking down. They circulate globally through a process
known as the “grasshopper effect”. POPs released in one part of the
world can, through a repeated process of evaporation and deposit, be
transported through the atmosphere to regions far away from the original
source. In addition, POPs concentrate in living organisms through
another process called bioaccumulation. Though not soluble in water,
POPs are readily absorbed in fatty tissue, where concentrations can
become magnified by up to 70,000 times the background levels. Fish,
predatory birds, mammals, and humans are high up the food chain and so
absorb the greatest concentrations. And when they travel, the POPs
travel with them. As a result of these two processes, the Inuit and the
animals they consume in the Arctic — thousands of kilometers from any
major POPs source – suffer particularly high levels of POPs in their
bodies. But POPs are equally dangerous to people working with pesticides
or living near POPs sources, particularly in developing countries, where
a lack of equipment and expertise leads to accidental exposures.

Most of the 12 chemicals will be banned immediately. However, the use of
DDT for disease vector control under World Health Organization
guidelines is considered an acceptable purpose because it is still
essential in many countries to control malaria transmission by
mosquitoes. This will permit governments to protect their citizens from
malaria – a major killer in many tropical regions – until they are able
to replace DDT with chemical and non-chemical alternatives that are
cost-effective and environmentally friendly. So, contrary to some
claims, no one will die of malaria because of the Stockholm Convention.
In fact, the Convention should help direct research and development
towards more effective means of malaria control.

In addition to banning uses, the treaty focuses on cleaning up the
growing accumulation of unwanted and obsolete stockpiles of pesticides
and toxic chemicals. Dump sites and toxic drums from the 1950s, `60s,
and `70s are now decaying and leaching chemicals into the soil and
poisoning water resources, wildlife, and people. In the case of PCBs,
although they are no longer produced, hundreds of thousands of tons are
still in use in electrical transformers and other equipment. Governments
have until 2025 to phase out these uses, which gives them time to
arrange for PCB-free replacements. Not later than 2028, governments must
dispose of these PCBs in an environmentally sound manner.

Fortunately, there are alternatives to POPs. The problem is often that
high costs, a lack of public awareness, and the absence of appropriate
infrastructure and technology have often prevented their adoption.
Solutions must be tailored to the specific properties and uses of each
chemical, as well as to each country’s climatic and socio-economic
conditions.

To ensure that such solutions are exploited, donors have pledged to
contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in new funding over the next
several years. The Global Environment Facility is the principal entity
of the interim financial mechanism of the treaty. It has already
mobilized resources to support POPs projects in more than 100 countries.
Backed by an alliance of developed and developing countries – and with
both industry and environmental groups on board – the Stockholm
Convention holds the promise of a POPsfree world for future generations.

For additional information, please contact:

Eric Falt, Spokesperson/Director of UNEP’s Division of Communications
and Public Information, on
Tel: +254 20 623292,
Mobile: +254 (0) 733 682656,
E-mail: [email protected];

Nick Nuttall, UNEP Head of Media, on
Tel: +254 20 623084,
Mobile: +254 733 632755,
E-mail: [email protected]; or

Michael Williams in Geneva at
Tel: +41-22-917 8242, +41-79-409
Mobile: 1528 (cell) or [email protected].
See also

7. TRANSPORT CORRIDOR NORTH-SOUTH ACTIVELY OPERATING, DEVELOPING

Source: ITAR-TASS News Agency, April 5, 2004

The transport corridor North-South “is actively developing and already
the operational project,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Viktor
Kolyuzhny said on Monday. Russia and Iran initiated the creation of the
corridor.

“The project is operational, evokes great interest, but additional
efforts to create the fleet of ferry boats and unify the tariff policy
of states concerned will be needed,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile the deputy minister noted that many countries wish to join the
project. “Russia has already considered and put forth a proposal to
include Azerbaijan and Armenia in the project,” the diplomat pointed
out.

8. SWITZERLAND PROVIDES ARMENIA WITH 6.5M SWISS AID

Source: ArmenPress, April 5, 2004

The governments of Armenia and the Swiss Confederation signed on April
3, 2004 an agreement on technical, financial and humanitarian
cooperation as part of the regional cooperation in the framework of
which Armenia will receive 3.5 million Swiss Frank as a technical aid
and 3 million Franks as a humanitarian assistance. Armenian Finance and
Economy minister Vartan Khachatrian and Head of Policy Department at the
Swiss Foreign Ministry Blez Goden signed the agreement.

The focus of the cooperation program, which will be implemented in
Georgia and Azerbaijan as well, will be on promoting quality of
governance, effective exploitation of natural resources and the disaster
consequences. The program also aims at promoting the economy and
integrating Armenia into the world economy.

Switzerland has assisted Armenia since 1988 earthquake, mainly in the
form of humanitarian assistance. Starting 1991, major focus was on
long-term development programs. During 1993-2001, the government of
Switzerland provided Armenia with 23-25 million dollars of humanitarian
assistance within the framework of regional programs.

9. KFW BANK TO GIVE 4.7M EUROS TO RECONSTRUCT OF ALAVERDI SUBSTATION

Source: ArmenPress, April 5, 2004

Armenian finance and economy minister Vartan Khachatrian and Germany’s
ambassador Hans Wulf-Bartels signed an agreement by which the German KFW
bank will allocate a 4.7 million euro credit for reconstruction of a
major power sub-station in the northern Armenian town of Alaverdi to
ensurea better transmission of Armenia-generated electricity to
neighboring Georgia.

A KFW representative in Armenia, Karapet Gevorkian, recalled that KFW
had already released loans for major reconstruction of two other major
sub-stations in Vanadzor and Kamo. The reconstruction of Alaverdi
sub-station will increase its reliability and capacities to allow an
uninterrupted transmission of electricity to Georgia and through it to
also other countries.

The project is part of a major program aimed to reform the power grid.
Unlike other previous two loans this one is given not to the government,
but to High Voltage Electricity Lines Company with the government
assuming to guarantee its return. The loan is given with two-year grace
period, for five years at 2 percent of annual interest rate.

The amount of German loans to Armenia since 1995 has amounted to 110
million euros.

10. GERMANY TO LOAN ARMENIA 4.7 MLN EUROS FOR POWER STATION

Source: Information Agency, Interfax, April 5, 2004

The German government is to allocate a 4.7 million euro loan to Armenia
for an upgrade of the Alaverdi-2 power station, from which electricity
is delivered to Georgia.

German Ambassador to Armenia Hans Wulf Bartels and Armenian Finance
Minister Vardan Khachatrian signed the loan agreement on April 5, 2004.

The loan will be disbursed through KfW of Germany for 12 years at 5%
annually with a two-year grace period, Khachatrian said at a briefing.

The upgrade will increase the reliability of the power station and equip
it with modern European equipment as well as increasing its capacity, he
said.

11. INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE BY: BANKWATCH (CZECH REPUBLIC), CAMPAGNA
PER LA RIFORMA DELLA BANCA MONDIALE (ITALY) , AMIS DE LA TERRE (FRANCE),
BOTH ENDS (NETHERLANDS)

A EUROPEAN APPEAL TO THE WORLD BANK:
Make poverty alleviation a priority! Support renewable energies and
phase out oil projects!

Yesterday the European Parliament approved a resolution in support for
the adoption and implementation of the two-year-long highly professional
multi-stakeholder analyses by the Extractive Industries Review of the
Bank’s involvement in financing extractive industries report
recommendations. The day before the European Commission, called by the
Green Group to answer before the European Parliament, expressed its
strong support for the full implementation of EIR recommendations.

The independent study was commissioned by WB President Wolfensohn in
2000 to examine the World Bank Group’s (WBG) support for oil, mining,
and gas projects within the context of the World Bank’s affirmed mission
of poverty reduction and promotion of sustainable development. The
recommendations of the review team, led by Emil Salim, former
Environment Minister of Indonesia, are up for decision after the Spring
Meetings of the Bretton Woods Institutions in May.

An overwhelming majority of Euro Parliamentarians from all political
groups demanded yesterday in the resolution, that the World Bank Group
has to change his energy lending priorities and reform its social and
environmental standards, along the report recommendations, in order to
make financial support for oil gas and mining conditional on ‘good
governance’, respect for human rights by companies and governments,
pro-poor achievements and sustainable development.

`The European Parliament resolution calls on the Irish Presidency to
consult with relevant ministers of Member States on the Extractive
Industries Review in order to reach a common position in support of the
report’ says Jaroslava Colajacomo of the Italian based NGO Campagna per
la riforma della Banca Mondiale `this is an important message from the
Parliament to the EU Councill. We hope that this time European
countries, which hold almost 30% of the vote on the Boards of the World
Bank and the IMF, would use their leaverage in the World Bank
decision-making process if a concerted EU approach were achieved.
Moreover we strongly hope for a transparent and participatory
consultation process to be set up by the Bank for the full
implementation of the EIR recomendations’.

` We welcome the fact that the resolution calls on the Member States to
raise the findings of the report in other national or international
financial forums, such as the EIB, EBRD, national credit agencies’ says
Sebastien Godinot of FOE France ` and we hope that the official position
expressed by the Commission will be reflected in the future
implementation of EU environmental and social guidelines for economic
and development cooperation and notably in its cooperation with the
European and international financial institutions’.

`The Irish Presidency recalled the Member States’ obligations in the
framework of the Kyoto Protocol and of the Johannesburg Summit
Commitments and that the EIR findings are consistent with those
recognized needs,” says Petr Hlobil of Bankwatch, `We therefore appeal
to the Council and the member states to follow up on their commitments
when acting in the World Bank Board of Directors to phase out World Bank
financing for oil projects until 2008 and to increase financing for
renewable by 20 percent year on year.’

`The support from the European Union for the EIR will be good news for
civil society all over the world, especially in the south, where
millions of affected people are strongly opposing the devastating
effects of extractive industries’ says Pieter Jansen of Both ENDS,
Netherlands.

Today more then 100 Members of Parliament worldwide from left to right,
sent a petition to Mr. Wolfensohn asking him to adopt all the EIR
recommendations. The petition was initiated in February by Members of
the European Parliament on the occasion of the visit of Mr. Emil Salim
EIR Eminent Person to Europe.

The Commission in all international fora will defend European MP, Ms.
Monica Frassoni President of the Green/EFA Group, committed to call on
Mr. Prodi to make sure that this line.

For more information:
Jaroslava Colajacomo – Campagna per la riforma della banca Mondiale
Italy –
+39 (0)6 7826855 / (mobile) +39 338 3279035
Sebastien Godinot – Friends of the Earth France – + 33 6 68 98 83 41
(Mobile) / + 33 1 48 51 18 92

Pieter Jansen – Both ENDS Netherlands – (mobile) + 31 6 20712191

Petr Hlobil – CEE Bankwatch Network Czech Rep. – (mobile) + 420 603
154349

Manana Kochladze

Regional Coordinator for Caucasus
CEE Bankwatch Network

Visiting address: Rustaveli avenue. 1. Entrance I. Floor 4
Mailing address: Chavchavadze 62, Tbilisi, Georgia, 380062
Tel: 99532 93 24 03; 99 04 72
Fax: 99532 22 38 74
E-mail: [email protected]

—
*******************************************
CENN INFO
Caucasus Environmental NGO Network (CENN)

Tel: ++995 32 92 39 46
Fax: ++995 32 92 39 47
E-mail: [email protected]
URL:

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (E.)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Chris Zakian
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

April 6, 2004
___________________

THE EASTER MESSAGE OF ARCHBISHOP KHAJAG BARSAMIAN
Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America

(Attached pdf file includes English and Armenian version of the Easter
message)

SOMETHING MORE THAN SACRIFICE

He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with
grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we
esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him
was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:3-5)

* * *

THESE SOMBER, SOBERING WORDS come from the inspired pen of the prophet
Isaiah. For seven centuries, they remained pregnant with meaning: an
indistinct glimmer of something yet to come, something waiting to happen,
sometime, somewhere. One can envision the ancient Hebrews faithfully
reading and re-reading the words, generation after generation, for seven
hundred years–until what was once an anguished plea from the soul had
become tame and familiar. Until prophecy had become mere poetry.

And then, suddenly, at the most unexpected moment, Isaiah’s words became
neither poetry nor prophecy, but history. Fact. The searing biography of
one in whom all the prophecies and promises, all the hopes and dreams of
prior generations, found their long-awaited fulfillment.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Our Savior.

Imagine, if you will, how heavily Isaiah’s words must have weighed on Jesus,
every day of His earthly life. His very consciousness of the sacrifice to
come is what would have made Him a “man of sorrows.” Imagine Him in the
synagogue of His boyhood, attending to those well-rehearsed verses, alone in
His understanding that they were not a symbolic abstraction, but an
all-too-concrete prediction of His own future.

And how accurate a prediction it was! We sense it simmering just below the
surface of the gospel reports of the Crucifixion, where the same sense of
scorn and affliction come heartbreakingly to life:

“And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they
crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. And
Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.’ And
they cast lots to divide His garments. And the people stood by, watching;
but the rulers scoffed at Him, saying, He saved others; let him save
himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!’ The soldiers also
mocked Him, coming up and offering Him vinegar, and saying, If you are the
King of the Jews, save yourself!'” (Lk 23:33-37)

Of course, Jesus was not the only one who understood the terrible
significance of this spectacle. In the aftermath of their master’s
crucifixion, it must have dawned on Christ’s followers that Isaiah had been
referring, not just to Him, but also to them. Jesus was the suffering
servant; but it was His own friends who cravenly “hid their faces” at the
decisive hour. What a demoralizing jolt it must have been to the disciples,
when they realized at last the full meaning of Isaiah’s seven hundred
year-old words.

Recently, a similar realization seems to have dawned with the film, “The
Passion of the Christ.” The sufferings of our Lord have been depicted many
times–in film as well as in literature, art, and music–but not, in recent
memory, so vividly, so publicly, and in so focused a way on one aspect of
the Christian drama: our Lord’s suffering. For many people, viewing the
film has opened a new window onto the events surrounding Christ’s final
hours.

What have we seen through that window? In many ways, a reflection of our
own times and our own selves. Take away the exotic languages and costumes,
and the society depicted in the film (and in the gospels) does not differ so
greatly from our own. Careerist politicians; cynical priests; the fickle,
roiling mob, which can acclaim you a king one day, and condemn you as a
criminal the next–sadly, these are still recognizable characters in the
human drama, down to the present day. Evil still walks with an easy
familiarity through our city halls, our religious temples, our public
squares and private gardens.

And yet–there is good in the world, too. The steadfastness of John, the
penitence of Magdalene, and rarest of all, the precious holiness of Mary,
each has its analog in our own time. God sees all these things, as He saw
them from the cross. Against the dark voices that tempt us to just give up,
He insists that there is hope. In Christ, He showed us that we are worth
struggling for, worth sacrificing for–even worth dying for. Despised and
rejected, wounded and bruised, Christ would not relinquish His love for
mankind. And not simply mankind at its finest, but also at its worst, its
most venal and cruel. That is the meaning–is it not?–of Christ’s
anguished plea for mercy on His persecutors: “Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they do.”

He pleads for us, as well. Perhaps that, finally, is what people have seen
in the film–the reason they have been so affected. It has jolted them into
a deeper realization that their own lives are bound to Christ’s sacrifice.
“With His stripes, we are healed.”

Of course, Christ did not stop at simply healing us. The story does not end
with His sacrificial death, but with His resurrected life. Unknown to His
followers on the first Good Friday, unguessed even by the prophet Isaiah,
our Lord had something more to offer those He loved. Death on the cross was
only the vehicle to give us something greater: the promise of life with Him,
for eternity, in God’s Kingdom.

That is the gift He holds out to us–the gift that is ours, if we will
accept it. These past weeks, people have been deeply moved to reflect on
the great debt we owe to Jesus. But in so doing, let us not fail to respond
to the gift He offers, which transformed suffering and death into hope: the
gift of Easter Sunday. It is hope born of that gift, and not guilty
self-consciousness, which truly distinguishes us as Christians, and inspires
our joyous greeting:

Krisdos haryav ee merelotz! Orhnyal eh harootiunun Krisdosee!
Christ is risen from the dead! Blessed is the resurrection of Christ!

Easter 2004

# # #

Azeri journalists to protest against opening of Armenian-Turkish border

ANS Radio, Baku,
6 Apr 04

On the initiative of independent TV company ANS, a group of leading
Azerbaijani journalists left for Turkey this morning to stage a
protest action on the Armenian-Turkish border under the banners:
“Turks must support Turks” and “No to the opening of borders”.

Let us remind you that the action will be launched in the towns of
Kars and Igdir near the border and continue in numerous populated
areas. The protest action will end in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

The action by the well-known Azerbaijani journalists will aim to urge
Ankara not to yield to pressure on the issue. They will explain to the
people the consequences of such a step for the region. The journalists
and the local population will create a human chain of goodwill.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
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04/05/2004
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1) ARF Body Calls for Dialogue, Outlines Proposal to Defuse Crisis
2) Opposition Rejects ARF Call for Negotiations, Seeks Regime Change

1) ARF Body Calls for Dialogue, Outlines Proposal to Defuse Crisis

YEREVAN (YERKIR)As political tension sharply escalated in Yerevan between the
government and the opposition, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Supreme
Body of Armenia issued a statement during a news conference on Monday.

The following is the full text of that ARF statement.

The internal political tension in the Republic is approaching the brink of
outright confrontation. Further escalation may result in destabilizing the
country, undermining the authority and credibility of the state, and impeding
the normal process of the country’s development. Public resentment stemming
from socioeconomic problems is being politically exploited with the aim of
bringing about a political crisis to attain a swift change of power.

The tactic of creating political instability and an environment of
intolerance
leads to unacceptable internal political relations.

At the core of the current political tension lies, on the one hand, the
opposition’s intolerance and extremism and its modus operandi of rejecting the
legitimacy of the authorities, which leads to political disobedienceand, on
the
other hand, the [authorities’] failure to secure the full participation of the
opposition in resolving the issues that are critical to the development of the
country.

The real reasons for the current discontent are the persistent, grim social
conditions and the low level of efficiency in resolving those critical issues.
The ARF fully recognizes and acknowledges the extent of its share of
responsibility in this matter.

Today we confront the imperative of preventing that potential confrontation,
and the best means of doing so is to reach a political agreement. An
awareness
of the need to jointly tackle the critical issues vital to the welfare of the
people, and a willingness to do so, must form the basis of that agreement. The
possibility of reaching that agreement can be ensured only if there is the
willingness to reach a commonality of goals, guarantee the resolution of
critical issues and obtain the opposition’s active participation in those
efforts, and to meet each other halfway.

Taking into account the complexity of internal political relations and the
degree of mutual exclusion among the various positions, we propose a possible
mechanism for reaching an agreement.

It is necessary to initiate dialogue regarding the prospect of reaching an
agreement, but each side must refrain from issuing demands that are a priori
inadmissible and unacceptable to the other side. It is necessary to abstain
from dividing society into allies and enemies, and to avoid taking actions
that
risk bringing about clashes.

Dialogue in accordance with the following principles might be productive:
Armenia’s Constitution and laws should form the legal basis of the dialogue;
the actions of the sides should fall strictly within the limits of the law and
constitutional order.

In this process, both sides should moderate their views.

The dialogue must not bring about winners and losers: either we shall all
win,
ensuring the rapid and stable development of the country, or we shall all
lose,
reaping the devastating consequences of confrontation and civil conflict.

The objective of ensuring real and guaranteed reforms in the life of the
country and its people might form the substance of the agreement, which would
include the following priority issues:

The formation of an electoral system that entirely meets international
standards

Constitutional reforms that strengthen democratic mechanisms

A comprehensive fight against corruption, the shadow economy, and the system
of clans

Ensuring the proper level of opposition involvement is an important guarantee
of the agreement’s effectual implementation. That may mean including the
opposition in the Security Council and the fight against corruption,
delineating possibilities of adopting the constitutional and electoral reforms
through consensus, and resorting to various other options and solutions,
depending on the extent of the agreement.

Efficient use of the present moment is necessary for achieving voluntary
mutual concessions. Otherwise, full responsibility for any clashes that occur
will fall squarely on the shoulders of those who allowed to slip away an
opportune occasion for reaching agreement. Subsequent developments will, in
any
event, compel the political forces to make involuntary concessions, with all
their attendant consequences.

The political coalition should be the guarantor of, and responsible for, the
establishment of dialogue and agreement.

The ARF resolutely rejects any action that might thrust the country into
unpredictable external or internal consequences, thus condemning the people to
an uncertain future; it steadfastly stands for the upholding of the legal and
constitutional order; and it is prepared to back all constructive initiatives
aimed at achieving guaranteed political reforms and civil accord.

2) Opposition Rejects ARF Call for Negotiations, Seeks Regime Change

YEREVAN (Armenpress/RFE/RL)Armenia’s two main opposition groups announced
Monday that their long-anticipated joint campaign to topple President Robert
Kocharian will get underway this Friday.
The leader of the Artarutyun (Justice) bloc Stepan Demirchian, and the leader
of the National Unity Party Artashes Geghamian, together vowed to join forces
and “restore constitutional order in Armenia.” They issued a declaration
urging
opposition supporters to take to the streets of Yerevan, calling for the
removal of President Kocharian.
Both Demirchian and Geghamian told reporters on Monday that starting April 9
they will launch “mass protest actions,” to ensure the “departure of the
illegitimate regime,” and rejected a call on Monday by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation to engage in dialogue to diffuse the tension.
Demirchian said that a referendum of confidence in President Kocharian is the
only pre-condition for engaging in dialogue.
The two leaders refused to disclose details of the planned protests, saying
that they want to keep the authorities guessing about their tactics. It thus
remained unclear whether Friday’s rally will be an ordinary one or will
continue “day and night” as was promised by some Artarutyun leaders. Nor is it
known how the opposition will respond if the authorities block the city’s main
square and the street leading to Kocharian’s official residence.
The Office of Prosecutor-General confirmed on Monday reports that Suren
Sureniants of the Hanrabedutyun party, a leading Artarutyun force, was
detained
the previous night in connection with an official criminal investigation into
the ongoing opposition rallies held across the country. Officials there said
that no charges have been brought against him yet.
Demirchian claimed that not only had Sureniants been arrested, but also the
head of the opposition Nor Jhamanak party Aram Karapetyan, who a few hours
later, said that he, in fact, had not been apprehended, but that a cousin
and a
leader of his party Samvel Khatchatrian had.
The prosecutors claim that the opposition protests, launched by Artarutyun
and
the National Unity Party in February, are accompanied by calls for a “violent
overthrow” of the ruling regime and offensive language directed at senior
government officials.

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