Armenia aims to blame Azerbaijan for delay in Karabakh talks – TV

Lider TV, Baku
1 Apr 04

[Presenter] Yerevan is trying to blame Azerbaijan for any delay in
talks on resolving the Nagornyy Karabakh issue.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said that the cancellation
of the meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers
due in Prague shows that Azerbaijan is worried. According to Oskanyan,
Azerbaijan needs time to clarify its position on Nagornyy
Karabakh. Having stressed that Yerevan is always ready for talks,
Oskanyan ruled out the possibility of starting dialogue from
scratch. Let Baku turn to Stepanakert if it has such intention, he
said.

The head of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press service, Matin
Mirza, said that Azerbaijan’s position on the resolution of the
conflict has remained unchanged. As for Oskanyan’s statement, Mirza
said that Baku has never regarded the so-called Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic as a party to the conflict and will continue to adhere to
this position. Armenia wants to win time and strengthen its aggressive
policy by making such statements, Mirza said.

The head of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press service said that
irrespective of the stage of talks, Azerbaijan aims to maintain its
territorial integrity.

Armenian prosecutor opens criminal case against opposition

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
31 Mar 04

[Presenter] The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office has issued an
official report saying that from February 2004 activists of the
Justice bloc and their supporters have been organizing illegal rallies
and meetings in various regions of the republic and communities of the
capital, where the representatives of the authorities have been
insulted and calls have been made to throw out the state’s leadership
by force and change the constitutional system.

Such calls were voiced during rallies in the Shengavit, Nor-Nork,
Avan, Achapnyak and Davidashen communities in Yerevan and in the
regions of Nor Achin, Egvard, Nor Gekhi, Garni, Abovyan, Razdan,
Azatavan, Verin Artashat, Aygezard and Alaverdi. The rally in the town
of Gyumri was accompanied by outrage and disorder, violence against
citizens who did not share their views and disobedience to the
employees of the law-enforcement bodies, who were also injured.

The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office initiated a criminal case on
30 March 2004 under Article 318 of the Armenian Criminal Code,
publicly insulting an official, and Article 301, public calls to
change the authorities and constitutional system by force. The
investigation department of the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office’s
is carrying out the investigation.

Azeri Islamic Party calls for pull-out of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan

Ekho, Baku
1 Apr 04

Terrorist attacks may be made against Azerbaijan, if its troops are
not withdrawn from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Islamic Party of
Azerbaijan has said. The Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan,
another member of the left-of-centre Union of Azerbaijanist Forces,
said that allowing the USA to deploy its troops in Azerbaijan may
result in a regional conflict. The union called for a balanced policy,
“which must not negatively affect relations with Russia and Iran”.
The following is the text of R. Orucev’s report by Azerbaijani
newspaper Ekho on 1 April headlined ” Islamists warn about possible
terrorist attacks against Azerbaijan and suggest immediate withdrawal
of our peacekeepers from Iraq and Afghanistan”; subheadings inserted
editorially:

Yesterday’s session of the left-of-centre Union of Azerbaijanist
Forces [UAF] has proven productive. The gathering brought together
leaders of the Unity Party, Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan
[SDPA] and the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan [IPA].

US troops in Azerbaijan

The USA intends to station soon its mobile troops in Azerbaijan, and
this runs counter to the state interests and security concerns of
Azerbaijan, the leaders of the three parties said yesterday [31
March]. The American objective is not protecting the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, but rather “the true US goal is to
complete the blockade of Iran”. They believe that the USA plans to
launch an attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran. “This may
result in a conflict in our region, and Russia may take part in it,”
the [co-]chairman of the SDPA, Elsan Manafov, said.

Azerbaijani Defence Minister Safar Abiyev’s visit to the USA was not
successful, since he mainly met third and fourth-level officials [as
published] in the Congress, Pentagon and State Department, the UAF
said. However, the visit in itself shows that the USA has some plans
about deploying its mobile subunits in Azerbaijan. That Russia’s State
Duma discusses this issue is further confirmation of this, as “Moscow
certainly has quite accurate reports in this regard”.

Regional developments and balanced policy

The recent municipal elections in Turkey showed that Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s [Justice and Development] Party enjoys large
support among the public. The Turkish voters voted for the ruling
party and the UAF believes that this will not affect Turkey’s policy
towards regional states.

However, taking into consideration the European Union’s pressure on
Turkey and US Deputy State Secretary Richard Armitage’s remarks in
Baku (that the Turkey-Armenia border has to be opened), the UAF
reckons that the resolution of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict will
drag on, and sooner or later Turkey may take a decision which goes
against Azerbaijan’s interests. Therefore, the Azerbaijani government
should conduct a clearly balanced foreign policy, which must not
negatively affect relations with Russia and Iran.

The union had predicted the outcome of the parliamentary election in
Georgia, but [Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili’s National
Movement did to some extent falsify the election results to achieve a
landslide victory. The UAF believes that Georgia’s Labour Party and
Ajarian leader Aslan Abashidze’s Revival union did pass the 7-per-cent
threshold. Some international observers too have reported that.

Azerbaijani president’s reshuffle welcomed

The union welcomed the reshuffle carried out by the Azerbaijani
president, which replaced the heads of five districts. “If the
president is forming a new team capable of carrying out social and
economic reforms in the districts, then we welcome those steps,” the
UAF leaders said.

The union also supported the initiative of several MPs from the ruling
[New Azerbaijan] Party to begin drafting a law on amnesties. On the
other hand, the union deems it unnecessary to tie this event with
[late President] Heydar Aliyev’s birthday or with the name of any
other statesman.

Threat of terrorist attacks

Certain forces who resent the country’s participation in the
anti-Iraqi coalition stand behind the terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan,
said the secretary general of the IPA, Rovsan Ahmadli. “The
Azerbaijani leadership should hurry to pull out its troops from Iraq
and Afghanistan. Otherwise, it cannot be ruled out that there may be
terrorist attacks in Azerbaijan,” Ahmadli said.

A1 Plus | 18:05:29 | 01-04-2004 | Social |

JIRAYR SEFILYAN DENIED ARMENIAN CITIZENSHIP

Armenian prominent intellectuals released a statement Thursday
protesting denial of Shushi battalion commander, Jirayr Sefilyan’s
request for granting him Armenian citizenship.

“We were surprised by Kocharyan’s refusal to give citizenship Jirayr
Sefilyan who has been fighting for independence of Artsakh”, the
intellectuals say in their statement.

—

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

=================================================

Thursday 1 April 2004
TURKMENISTAN: RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES THEORETICALLY PERMITTED, BUT ATTACKED
IN PRACTICE?

Despite Turkmenistan now theoretically allowing minority religious
communities to get state registration, Forum 18 News Service has learnt
that in practice attacks have been renewed against the Jehovah’s Witness
and Baha’i minority communities. President Saparmurat Niyazov announced the
changes on 11 March, the same day that a Jehovah’s Witness was arrested and
pressured by officials, including a Mullah, to renounce his faith and then
fired from his job. There have also been at least three raids on Jehovah’s
Witnesses in the capital Ashgabad and reported raids in other towns. Also,
a Baha’i has had his home raided and been pressured to renounce his faith.
Believers from the country’s banned minority faiths – including Catholics,
a variety of Protestant groups, Shia Muslims, Jews, Adventists, Pentecostal
and Armenian Apostolic Christians, Hare Krishna devotees, Jehovah’s
Witnesses and Baha’i – are unsure whether it is apply for state
registration. Although some Protestants are optimistic about the situation
improving, the NSM secret police told an arrested Baha’i that the new law
“applies only to Sunni Islam and the Orthodox Church, while such dubious
groups as yours will be thoroughly checked out with the aim of preventing
any possible conflicts.” And on 29 March President Niyazov banned Muslims
from registering new mosques.

TURKMENISTAN: RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES THEORETICALLY PERMITTED, BUT ATTACKED
IN PRACTICE?

By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service

Despite the new religion law allowing minority religious communities to
register – at least in theory – for the first time since 1997, Forum 18
News Service has learnt that pressure has been renewed on some minority
communities. Since President Saparmurat Niyazov heralded the legal changes
in an 11 March decree, the home of a Baha’i in the town of Balkanabad
(formerly Nebit-dag [Nebitdag]) was raided and he was pressured to renounce
his faith, while there have been at least three raids on Jehovah’s
Witnesses in the capital Ashgabad [Ashgabat] and reported raids in other
towns. “Officials are quite nervous at the moment,” believers in Ashgabad
told Forum 18, “as they react to international pressure.” However, the
latest raids indicate that even senior officials are continuing to pressure
members of some communities, with the Baha’i and one of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses even pressured to renounce their faith. The Jehovah’s Witnesses
complain of a “new wave” of persecution against them. “The attitude to our
work has not changed,” one told Forum 18.

Believers from the country’s banned minority faiths – including Catholic,
Protestant (including Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, Adventist and New
Apostolic), Shia Muslim, Jewish, Armenian Apostolic, Hare Krishna,
Jehovah’s Witness and Baha’i communities – are divided as to whether it is
safe to apply for registration with the Adalat (Fairness or Justice)
Ministry. Some have sought information about how to apply and are preparing
to lodge applications, while others remain suspicious that putting
signatures to applications will only open up the signatories to
persecution. On 29 March President Niyazov appeared to rule out Muslims
from registering any new mosques under the new religion law (see F18News 30
March 2004 ).

Despite the raids on the Baha’i and the Jehovah’s Witnesses, an Ashgabad
Protestant Radik Zakirov told Forum 18 on 1 April that he is not aware of
any Protestant Christian churches that have suffered raids or fines since
members of an unregistered Baptist congregation in Balkanabad were fined in
January in the wake of a raid last November (see F18News 9 January 2004
). Unregistered Baptists
in Moscow, who retain close links with their communities in Turkmenistan,
told Forum 18 on 1 April that these fines and the confiscation of property
in lieu of a fine from a Baptist family in Turkmenbashi [Türkmenbashy] in
January (see F18News 26 February 2004
) are the most recent
incidents. “We have not learned of any problems since then.”

Jehovah’s Witness representatives in Russia, who maintain close contacts
with their communities in Turkmenistan, have told Forum 18 that “there is
no realistic chance” of getting registration. “There has been no real
change,” one Jehovah’s Witness told Forum 18 on 1 April. “Until our
prisoners are freed and until we can meet undisturbed there won’t be any
serious attempt to change.”

On 11 March – the same day the president issued his decree – a Jehovah’s
Witness in Ashgabad was taken to the government’s Gengeshi (Council) for
Religious Affairs, where seven officials – including a mullah – pressured
him to renounce his faith. It remains unclear if the mullah was either the
Gengeshi’s chairman, Yagshymyrat Atamyradov, or the deputy chairman,
Kakageldy Vepaev (who is also the government-appointed chief mufti of
Turkmenistan). That same day, after refusing to renounce his faith, the man
was fired from his job, leaving his family with no breadwinner.

Reached at the Gengeshi on 1 April, Muhamed Resulov – who gave his position
as assistant to the deputy chairman Andrei Sapunov, who is a Russian
Orthodox priest – declined to discuss this case – or indeed anything else –
with Forum 18.

On 13 March, more than twenty Jehovah’s Witnesses, including women and
children, were interrogated by National Security Ministry officers after
being detained for meeting in a private flat in Ashgabad (see F18News 23
March 2004 ).

On 18 March, Jehovah’s Witness sources told Forum 18, police visited the
home of another Jehovah’s Witness in Ashgabad, claiming that he had not
paid his most recent fine imposed for conducting unregistered religious
activity. “This is not true – he had paid,” sources told Forum 18, “but
without any court hearing they insisted he pay 250,000 manats [350
Norwegian Kroner, 41 Euros, or 51 US dollars]. He had to pay again.” The
man is believed to have been fined up to ten times in the past few years
for his religious activity. The average monthly salary is estimated to be
less than 30 US dollars a month.

The Jehovah’s Witness sources declined to name their members targeted in
the three Ashgabad raids for fear of making their situation worse. The
raids came in the wake of a 9 March incident in Ashgabad when a female
Jehovah’s Witness was taken to the police station, had her Bible and other
literature confiscated and she was threatened with rape. The Jehovah’s
Witnesses said there had been raids in other towns since the 11 March
decree. “No-one mentioned to our people the new law during the raids, or
the possibility to register,” the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18. “We
expected that they would have mentioned this.”

On 24 March, local officers of the National Security Ministry (NSM) secret
police raided the home of a Baha’i, Rahman S. (full name unknown), in the
town of Balkanabad. The exiled human rights group the Turkmenistan Helsinki
Initiative reported that the officers confiscated religious literature and
other materials belonging to the local Baha’i community. The officers
demanded that Rahman renounce his faith which, they complained, “provokes
schism in our democratic society” and threatened to have his home
confiscated from him.

“I thought that with the signing of the new decree on religious freedoms,
our situation would improve,” Rahman was quoted as stating, “but nothing
has changed.” He complained that Balkanabad’s Baha’i community has not been
able to function legally since 1997 as it had not been able to gather the
signatures of 500 adult citizen members required until the change in the
law in March of this year. Rahman tried to tell the NSM officers of the new
law, but they reportedly responded: “This applies only to Sunni Islam and
the Orthodox Church, while such dubious groups as yours will be thoroughly
checked out with the aim of preventing any possible conflicts.”

The Turkmenistan Helsinki Initiative reported that the Balkanabad Baha’is
have in recent years suffered numerous police raids on meetings in private
homes, while members have been detained, sacked from their jobs and
fined.

However, Zakirov, a member of a non-denominational Protestant church in
Ashgabad, said he was “very optimistic” that the situation for believers
would change for the better. “The government has responded quickly to
international pressure,” he told Forum 18. “This shows they have learnt.”
He said his church is not intending to register under the new law. “We do
not consider it necessary.” After explaining to officials that they are
merely a “circle of friends” and not an organisation with a hierarchy, he
said they understand. “They know our community inside out anyway, they know
who all our members are,” Zakirov declared. “They know we’re not
dangerous.”

For more background see Forum 18’s report on the new religion law at

and Forum 18’s latest religious freedom survey at

A printer-friendly map of Turkmenistan is available at
tml?Parent=asia&Rootmap=turkme
(END)

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved.

You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News

Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at

=================================================
If you need to contact F18News, please email us at:
[email protected]

Forum 18
Postboks 6663
Rodeløkka
N-0502 Oslo
NORWAY
=================================================

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St. NW Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 2004

Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Telephone: (202) 775-1918

SEN. KERRY THANKS ANCA SUPPORTERS FOR
SPONSORING MAJOR CAMPAIGN FUNDRAISER

— Discusses Support for Armenian American
issues with ANCA Leaders

LOS ANGELES, CA – Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry
thanked Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman Ken
Hachikian and other leaders and supporters of the ANCA, who
participated as sponsors in a major Beverly Hills campaign
fundraiser that brought an estimated $3 million dollars into the
Kerry campaign.

During a private reception, Hachikian spoke with the Massachusetts
Senator, who noted his long-time support for Armenian American
issues and his close relationship with the Massachusetts Armenian
community. He recalled the 1990 bipartisan Senate battle to adopt
the Armenian Genocide resolution, led by Senate Majority Leader Bob
Dole, noting his commitment to the passage of that and subsequent
legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The 1990 bill was
defeated with a filibuster by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), an outspoken
advocate in the Senate of Turkish Government interests. In a
September, 2003, meeting with ANCA Western Region Executive
Director Ardashes Kassakhian and community activist Mihran
Toumajan, Sen. Kerry commented on the 1990 Genocide recognition
effort, stating “I was incensed when the Turkish lobby and its
allies disrupted the bill in the Senate… It is called justice,
and we will get there together.”

Former Clinton Administration official and leading community
activist Mike Mahdesian, who took part in the event, commented on
the key role of Armenian Americans in the upcoming presidential
race, noting the community presence and activism in key swing
states around the country. “This was a great opportunity to speak
to Senator Kerry and build on his strong twenty-year relationship
with the Armenian American community,” commented Mahdesian
following the function. “Senator Kerry spoke highly of the efforts
of the Armenian National Committee and looks forward to working
closely with the Armenian American community on the road to victory
in November.” Mahdesian served for more than seven years as Deputy
for the Bureau of Humanitarian Response at the State Department and
U.S. Agency for International Development. During this period, he
was integrally involved in the U.S. response to crises in Haiti,
Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo, Indonesia, and other trouble spots around
the world.

Hachikian and Mahdesian were joined by a leading group of Armenian
American activists at the gala event, including ANCA Western Region
Chairman Raffi Hamparian, Board Members Aida Dimejian and Souzi
Zerounian-Khanzadian, Executive Director Ardashes Kassakian, United
Armenia Fund Executive Director Harout Sassounian, as well as
several other long-time ANC supporters.

The March 30th event was held at the home of noted Los Angeles
businessman Ron Burkle and featured a concert by James Taylor.
Among the notable Hollywood stars present at the event were Barbra
Streisand, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt, Michael
Keaton, Jason Alexander, Lucy Liu, Sharon Stone, Leonardo DiCaprio,
Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Christina Applegate, Oliver Stone,
Dustin Hoffman and Angelica Huston.

Senator Kerry, during his long tenure in the U.S. House and Senate,
has consistently been a leading advocate of issues of concern to
Armenian Americans. As a U.S. Senator, Kerry has forcefully fought
for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide. He is currently a
cosponsor of the Genocide Resolution, S.Res.164, and he voted, in
1990, on the Senate floor for Senator Bob Dole’s (R-KS) Genocide
Resolution.

The Massachusetts Senator has been a vocal and effective champion
of stronger U.S.-Armenia relations and has consistently backed
legislative initiative to increase aid and expand trade with
Armenia. He is currently a cosponsor of legislation, S.1557, which
would grant Armenia permanent normal trade relations status.

Senator Kerry has spearheaded a number of initiatives to lift the
Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. In 1991, he was the lead
sponsor of legislation, which was later enacted as Section 907 of
the Freedom Support Act that restricted U.S. aid to the government
of Azerbaijan until it lifted its blockades of Armenia and Nagorno
Karabagh. He also worked for the adoption of the Humanitarian Aid
Corridor Act, which called for U.S. aid to Turkey to be cut off
unless Turkey lifted its blockade of Armenia. As recently as this
January, Senator Kerry formally called on President Bush to press
the visiting Prime Minister of Turkey to lift his nation’s illegal
blockade of Armenia.

First elected in 1984 from Massachusetts, Sen. Kerry is currently
serving a fourth term in the US Senate, where he represents one of
the largest Armenian American communities. He serves on the Senate
Finance Committee, the Committee on Commerce, Science and
Transportation, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the
Subcommittee on Central Asia and South Caucasus.

The ANCA recently released its Armenian American Presidential
Report Card, which gave the Bush Administration generally low marks
on fifteen issues of special concern to Armenian American voters.

#####

Azeri minister says use of Karabakh for drug trafficking finally proven

ANS TV, Baku
31 Mar 04

[Presenter] After the terror blasts in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan is also
strengthening its fight against terrorism, like other member countries
of the anti-terror coalition. Azerbaijani National Security Minister
Namiq Abbasov said there were people in Azerbaijan who could commit a
terrorist act in the country. Mr Abbasov also spoke about an
operation that has proved that Armenians are using Azerbaijan’s
occupied territory of Nagornyy Karabakh to cultivate and traffic in
drugs.

[Correspondent over archive footage of Karabakh] Although it has been
known for a long time that Armenia has used these territories, beyond
Azerbaijan’s control, to cultivate and traffic in drugs, this was
proved three days ago. We are referring to the detention of Iranian
citizen, Xudan Panahi, 35, and four other members of a criminal group
who smuggled drugs into Azerbaijan from the Fuzuli sector of the
Iran-Azerbaijan state border.

[Abbasov, speaking to microphone] The investigation into the case is
still under way. We cannot say anything else for now. The person whom
we caught red-handed disclosed in his testimony where he had got the
drugs from. The territory of Nagornyy Karabakh is a main source for
financing the Nagornyy Karabakh separatists. The detention of a
non-Azerbaijani citizen, an Iranian citizen, once again confirmed
this.

[Correspondent over video] According to Abbasov, they received
information about drugs cultivation in Nagornyy Karabakh a few years
ago. This fact has been proven for the first time.

[Abbasov] We believed 100 per cent in our operational reports. Because
our sources were reliable. Simply, we could not disclose them. This
could have caused them tragedies in Armenia. We revealed the first
evidence and made it public.

[Correspondent, over video] Although there is factual information
showing that Armenians use Azerbaijan’s occupied territory of Nagornyy
Karabakh to traffic in and cultivate drugs, Armenia has denied this
every time and regarded this as a fabrication by Azerbaijan. We wonder
how Yerevan will react to this now.

Parvana Sabirqizi, Ali Ahmadov, ANS.

BILL ON ORDER OF HOLDING GATHERINGS, MEETINGS, PROCESSIONS AND
DEMONSTRATIONS PRESENTED FOR PUBLIC JUDGEMENT

01.04.2004 18:56

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Taking into account the interest of the Armenian public to
the law on the order of holding gatherings, meetings, processions and
demonstrations, the Ministry of Justice of Armenia is present the bill text
in the library section of our site
As reported by Press
Secretary of the Ministry of Justice Ara Saghatelian, citizens interested in
the matter can submit their suggestions and opinions to [email protected].

A1 Plus | 16:44:13 | 01-04-2004 | Politics |

PARLIAMENTARIANS’ CLUB BACKING A1+ COMPANY

Armenian parliamentarian’s Supreme Council club’s chair Ruben Torossyan
issued a statement on Thursday on behalf of the club in support of A1+ TV
Company expressing appreciation of the company’s “great contribution to the
process of republic’s democratization” and saying nobody can dispute that.

The fact that the company has undergone oppression by the authorities is
“disgrace for all of us”, the statement says. The A1+ reputation hasn’t been
tainted by that.

The club members view company’s firm stance as a challenge to all those
trampling on our national values.

—

uefa.com, Switzerland
April 1 2004

Defeat costly for Sargsyan

FC Kilikia coach Albert Sargsyan has stood down after his team were
humbled by FC Pyunik in their Armenian Cup quarter-final.

‘Horrible result’
Sargsyan and his assistant Armen Bagumyan took the decision to quit
following a 7-0 away defeat by the defending champions in the
second-leg tie. He said: “One of the reasons for my leaving is this
horrible result, although there are other reasons as well. I also
need a rest after last season, which was quite hard.”

Won promotion
Sargsyan guided Kilikia to promotion in 2003, but will not lead the
team into the new Premier League season after the 8-0 aggregate loss.
Armen Khachatryan has been named caretaker coach.