Polish Press Agency
March 17, 2004 Wednesday

Sejm MPs, Bagdasarian discuss international affairs

Warsaw, March 17

Head of the Armenian National Assembly
Artur Bagdasarian met in Warsaw on Wednesday the presidia of the
Sejm foreign affairs and European committees to discuss
international policy and bilateral relations.

Foreign affairs committee head Jerzy Jaskiernia told PAP
the talk focused on Polish-Armenian cooperation in trade,
science and culture with both sides acknowledging huge potential of
their countries that fell short of the actual state.

According to Jaskiernia, Bagdasarian said both countries
should establish closer inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Head of the Sejm European committee Janusz Lewandowski said
that Armenia showed clearly its European aspirations.

The Armenian guest also met with Sejm Speaker Marek
Borowski and Foreing Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz. He is also to
be received by President Aleksander Kwasniewski and PM Leszek
Miller.

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: George Kassis, Executive Director
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 54; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 17, 2004
___________________

SUPPORT OF PEOPLE LIKE SARKIS BEDEVIAN STRENGTHEN ARMENIAN CHURCH

When he first came to America from Jerusalem in 1959, Sarkis Bedevian was
just a student. He shared a small apartment with a handful of other recent
Armenian immigrants. They lived in a building that stood on the site that
is now the headquarters of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern).

He spent his time volunteering as the Diocese and the St. Vartan Cathedral
grew up around him. He stuffed envelopes, ran errands, whatever needed to
be done. Later on he would attend New York University, with the help of
scholarships from Armenian organizations, to study accounting and finance.

Today a success in business, Mr. Bedevian is still not afraid to roll up his
sleeves to help the Diocese and related Armenian organizations succeed.
Though his schedule is easily filled by his work as a developer and
syndicator for real estate investment projects, Mr. Bedevian continues to
give of his time, energy, and skills.

“Sarkis is truly a exemplary leader for this church and the Armenian
people,” said Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, Primate of the Eastern Diocese.
“He understands that the organizations that keep our Armenian culture alive
here in the great nation of America are powered by the dedication and
support of volunteer leaders. He continues to serve at all levels of the
church, because this is his home.”

A strong supporter of his local community, Mr. Bedevian has been served his
parish, St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, NJ, for many years as parish council
chairman, a Diocesan delegate, and co-chairman of the parish’s community
center building committee.

SERVICE TO ACEF: SUPPORTING THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

Mr. Bedevian has also stepped forward to assume a variety of larger
leadership roles in the Diocese. A member of the Diocesan Council since he
was reelected in 2001, Mr. Bedevian was the Council Treasurer from 1982 to
1990. From 1988 to 2002, he also served on the Board of Trustees of the
Armenian Church Endowment Fund (ACEF), which is responsible for raising and
investing the endowments that provide an annual income for the Eastern
Diocese, local parishes, and a variety of other related organizations.

As a member of the ACEF Board of Trustees, Mr. Bedevian helped manage the
investments and promote the establishment of endowments. In the past few
years the board successfully steered the fund through the stock market’s
darkest days. The years 2000 to 2002 were the three worst years since the
Depression. However, with the board’s proactive planning, ACEF faired
remarkably well and rebounded from that dark time to hit historic highs. In
2003 ACEF distributed $2.7 million to recipient organizations. The fund has
grown now to $65 million.

Managing the fund is just one responsibility of ACEF Board of Trustees.
They must also encourage people to start new endowments. In the past six
years alone more than $25 million dollars have been raised as new
endowments. Not just encouraging others to give, Mr. Bedevian has
generously instituted an endowment with ACEF to benefit his local parish in
Fair Lawn, NJ, and St. Nersess Seminary.

“It is thanks to the guidance of ACEF Board of Trustees members such as Mr.
Bedevian, that the Armenian Church Endowment Fund has continued to grow and
go from strength to strength.” said George Kassis, executive director of
ACEF. “With their input, the money raised is soundly invested, ensuring a
sustained level of distributions through market ups and downs. ACEF ensures
support to our Armenian Christian ministry for generations to come.”

Other organizations Mr. Bedevian has served include the Diocesan Stipend
Committee, the Diocesan Auditing Committee, and since 1980 the St. Nersess
Seminary Board of Trustees. He has also been a commander with the Knights
of Vartan and an active member of the Armenian Assembly of America.

DEDICATION TO ARMENIANS WORLDWIDE

In 2002, Mr. Bedevian and his wife, Ruth, sponsored the construction of the
Mother Cathedral in Vanadzor, Armenia. They’re also benefactors of a youth
center, medical facility, and soup kitchen in Vanadzor.

For their dedication to their faith and selflessly giving, not only from
their business success but also of their time and skills, His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians, bestowed the St. Gregory the
Illuminator medal — the highest honor of the Armenian Church — on Sarkis
and Ruth Bedevian in a ceremony in Armenia on May 24, 2002.

The Bedevians have three grown children: Peter, Debra, and Peggy.

— 3/17/04

# # #

Armenian leader replaces prosecutor-general

Mediamax news agency
17 Mar 04

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan dismissed Aram Tamazyan from the
post of prosecutor-general today.

Robert Kocharyan has appointed Agvan Ovsepyan Armenia’s new
prosecutor-general, the press service of the Armenian president has
told Mediamax.

Agvan Ovsepyan has already occupied the post of prosecutor-general
several years ago.

Armenian foreign minister accuses Azeri leader of obstructing talks

Mediamax news agency
17 Mar 04

YEREVAN

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said today that the
“contents of the negotiations between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents, Robert Kocharyan and Heydar Aliyev, had justified the fact
that representatives of Nagornyy Karabakh were not involved in the
negotiations”.

Mediamax reports that speaking at a joint briefing with the OSCE
chairman-in-office [Solomon Passi] in Yerevan today, Vardan Oskanyan
explained that this was the reason for a recent statement by the
Armenian Foreign Ministry which said that “if Baku wants to start the
talks from scratch, it has to talk exclusively to Stepanakert
[Xankandi]”.

The Armenian foreign minister sharply criticized Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev for “trying to cross out what had been achieved by his
father [Heydar Aliyev] and Robert Kocharyan over years”.

Oskanyan said Armenia was trying to take advantage of visits by the
leaders of international organizations in order to bring Azerbaijan
back into the path of previous agreements.

The minister added that consultations between the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairmen and the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers would
be held in Prague on 29 March. He expressed the hope that the meeting
would “help us understand how exactly Azerbaijan wants to continue the
negotiations”.

Ajaria crisis to affect Armenian economy – paper

Azg, Yerevan
17 Mar 04

Text of Tatul Akopyan report by Armenian newspaper Azg on 17 March
headlined “Saakashvili promises to gain a victory over Abashidze in
two weeks”

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s ultimatum to Ajarian leader
Aslan Abashidze expired on Monday [15 March]. Following tension
between the Georgian and Ajarian authorities after President Mikheil
Saakashvili proposed abolishing the Ajarian ministry of state security
and demanded that the autonomous republic’s leader Aslan Abashidze
detain those who attacked an opposition rally on 20 February,
Saakashvili presented Abashidze with an ultimatum to accept his
demands, otherwise “severe repressive measures will be taken”.

Moreover, as he was barred from entering Ajaria, Saakashvili added
more points to his ultimatum, the first of them being to allow him
(Saakashvili) to travel freely on the territory of the autonomous
republic to meet his voters (parliamentary elections in Georgia are
expected on 28 March).

Saakashvili also wanted to “disarm illegal armed groups” of 1,500
guerrillas in Ajaria and to allow the central authorities of Georgia
to “carry out their duties in the autonomous republic and control the
region’s borders and customs”, particularly the port of Batumi and the
Sarpi checkpoint between Georgia and Turkey. As was expected, Aslan
Abashidze did not give in to Tbilisi’s pressure and rejected the
ultimatum. An economic blockade was imposed on the defiant region of
Georgia on Monday with the Georgian navy barring ships from entering
the port of Batumi and the authorities freezing all the bank accounts
of Ajarian banks and organizations linked to the Ajarian
authorities. Air and sea communications were also cut off in a move
that Saakashvili described as a bid “to exhaust the Ajarian regime’s
resources in two weeks”. “In two weeks the Ajarian leadership’s
resources will be exhausted as a result of these sanctions,”
Saakashvili added, saying that “this is the first time that Georgia
has used these measures”.

The closure of the port of Batumi will have its direct impact on the
everyday market of the three South Caucasus countries, for most of the
products coming from Europe are sent, for example, to Armenia via the
port of Batumi. Anxiety about a possible fall in the volume of
products coming into Armenia was voiced by Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan at yesterday’s news conference where the Armenian leader
expressed the hope that the Ajarian and Georgian authorities will to
negotiate ways out of the current situation as soon as possible.

Fuel, grain, sugar, construction materials and various household goods
are shipped to Armenia via the port of Batumi. If the port stops
operating, this will naturally lead to a rise in the prices of
different products in Armenia.

Strong army guarantees peace in region – Armenian leader

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
16 Mar 04

[Presenter] The commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces,
President Robert Kocharyan, visited the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military
School today.

[Correspondent over video of meeting] The director of the institute,
Maj-Gen Stepan Mirzoyan, greeted Robert Kocharyan. Early in the
morning today, the cadets of the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military Institute
met the commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces, Robert
Kocharyan, and marched in front of the president. The institute, which
was formed 10 years ago, accepts 250 young men every year. The defence
minister noted that the role of the institute is inestimable as it
trains officers for the army.

[Defence Minister Serzh Sarkisyan] People who come and see the
institute say it is unbelievable that such an institute has existed
for 10 years. We also know that we have various tasks and problems –
starting from military personnel to technical facilities. There are
the best conditions in this institute.

[Correspondent] The commander-in-chief was shown around the
institute. Robert Kocharyan stated that he was visiting the institute
to see the results of work carried out in the last three
years. Armenia was the only country that did not have such a military
structure in the region before. This gap has been filled in today and
the commander-in-chief is pleased with the activities of the military
institute.

[President Robert Kocharyan] I am sure that it was very important to
establish this military institute. Such military institutes are not
formed in one or two years, this is a long and laborious process that
requires a technical base and traditions, and it is impossible to
establish it even in one generation. I think that we have filled in
this gap and now we have to work more actively every year to improve
its quality.

The recent meeting with the students of Yerevan State University
prompted me to visit the military institute. The students put forward
many proposals on the recent law on alternative military service, on
visiting a military unit once a week and spending several hours there
in order to receive the rank of officer. If I had suggested studying
law or economics, it would not have been taken so seriously. It is
impossible to prepare any specialist in this way, especially here, as
it requires a deep and comprehensive education.

If we think about our security and our role in this region, then our
army must have serious officers who are being educated in the military
institute.

[Correspondent] Robert Kocharyan noted that despite the law on
military service, his sons, who already have sufficient physical
training, will serve in the army too.

[Robert Kocharyan] My sons will not have physical problems. Yes, they
will serve.

[Correspondent] Then Robert Kocharyan visited the cadets’ canteen,
library, museum and familiarized himself with the living conditions of
the cadets. The commander-in-chief of the Armenian armed forces stated
once again today that an organized and competitive army is needed for
secure, stable and peaceful life in the region.

Lilit Setrakyan, Aylur.

[Presenter] The Armenian president also spoke about the situation in
Georgia during his visit to the Vazgen Sarkisyan Military
Institute. Robert Kocharyan expressed the hope that the Tbilisi-Batumi
conflict will be settled peacefully.

[Robert Kocharyan] I think that they will resolve this problem at a
negotiating table. This is our wish as Georgia at large and the Black
Sea ports of that country are of extremely special importance to
Armenia.

[Serzh Sarkisyan] Stability in Georgia is very important to us. We
want stability in Georgia. I do not want to share the thoughts that a
new war will start in the region. We hope that there will be stability
in Georgia.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
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03/17/2004
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1) EU-Armenia Parliamentary Commission Reaffirms Necessity of Nuclear Plant
Closure
2) Regulation without Karabagh Impossible Says Ghukasian
3) Spain’s New Prime Minister Thanks ARF Bureau
4) Oskanian to Meet with Guliyev in Prague
5) Soprano Arpine Pehlivanian Passes Away
6) Georgian President To Meet Rebel Region Leader

1) EU-Armenia Parliamentary Commission Reaffirms Necessity of Nuclear Plant
Closure

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The 6th session of the European Union-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Commission held in Yerevan, March 15-16, discussed
the shutting down of Armenia’s nuclear power plant.
The sides agreed that in its current state, the plant poses serious dangers.
On the other hand, its closure would require that an reliable alternative
energy source exist to guarantee engery security for Armenia.
The commission reafirmmed that the nuclear power plant be shut down, but that
an alternative reliable, secure energy source replace it.
“There are many ways to do this, but the future will show which way is the
most optimal for Armenia,” stated commission chair Armen Rustamian.

2) Regulation without Karabagh Impossible Says Ghukasian

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) President Arkady
Ghukasian called on OSCE’s visiting chairman-in-office, Bulgarian Foreign
Minister Solomon Passy to create an opportunity for direct dialogue between
MKR
and Azerbaijan, stressing the necessity of MKR’s involvement in the
negotiating
process and willingness to enter negotiations without preconditions.
The meeting took place in Yerevan on Wednesday, where MKR Foreign Minister
Ashot Ghulian and MKR permanent representative in Armenia Arman Melikian were
also part of the discussion.
Passy said that the quick and uniterrupted restoration of dialogue between
the
sides is crucial and that he will exert all efforts toward that goal.
Ghukasian said that dicussions included not only the political process to a
resolution, but also a potential legal one. “I am confident that a legal
package would promote political regulation. I believe the OSCE acting chairman
agreed, but it is clear the OSCE is complicated mechanism: all 55 member
countries have the right to exercise a veto. . . In any case, we must work and
we are ready to work and are confident that our position is very
constructive.”
Asked by reporters about MKR’s role in the regulation process, Ghukasian said
Karabagh is a full-fledged participant in the conflict, as confirmed by the
1994 Budapest Summit. “The president of Azerbaijan also participated in
Budapest sessions and agreed with this. This is no longer a topic for
discussion. . . I assure that Mountainous Karabagh will be involved in the
process of talks as a full-fledged participant,” stressed Ghukasian “Without
Karabagh, the issue will not be regulated.”

3) Spain’s New Prime Minister Thanks ARF Bureau

YEREVAN (YERKIR)– Spain’s newly elected prime minister José Luis Rodríguez
Zapatero, in a letter thanked Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau
representative Hrant Margarian, both for the party’s condolences and
congratulations, reported the ARF press service.
In a March 12 letter, the ARF Bureau conveyed condolences and offered support
after the Madrid bombings, and on March 15, congratulated Zapatero for his
party’s victory in the parliamentary election.
Zapatero said that his wish is that his party’s victory will serve to benefit
the international community. “Now more than ever, we need to restore dialogue
and multilateral cooperation in order to change cultural and economic
inequality, which gave rise to terrorist attacks,” Zapatero’s letter
concludes.
Zapatero is the Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party,
which has established close ties with the ARF, since the latter became a
member
of the Socialist International recently.
Zapatero, who became the youngest member of Spanish parliament in 1986, is
considered moderate, adhering to a more social democratic ideology than
socialist. His right-hand-man is the Galician member of parliament, Jose
Blanco.

4) Oskanian to Meet with Guliyev in Prague

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian announced on Wednesday that
he will meet with his Azeri counterpart later this month for talks, which
should finally clarify whether Baku is ready to revive agreements on Karabagh
reached three years ago.
Oskanian said the meeting will take place in Prague on March 29 in the
presence of the American, French, and Russian mediators leading the Minsk
Group
of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He said he hopes
Azeri Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev will officially state “from which point
Azerbaijan is ready to continue negotiations.”
Guliyev said last month that Baku reserves the right to restart the peace
process “from scratch,” again denying any major understandings reached by the
Armenian and Azeri presidents in Paris and the Florida island of Key West in
2001. The statement came after Azeri President Ilham Aliyev’s remarked that he
is not in a hurry to embrace a compromise deal because he believes the
Armenians are more interested in a quick solution to the Karabagh dispute than
his oil-rich nation.
Oskanian again warned that Aliyev will have to negotiate only with the
Karabagh Armenians if he finally decides to walk away from the agreements
reached by his late father and predecessor Heydar and Armenia’s president
Robert Kocharian.
The announcement of the Prague meeting came at a news conference that
followed
Oskanian’s talks with the OSCE’s visiting chairman-in-office, Bulgarian
Foreign
Minister Solomon Passy. Passy also met with Kocharian and Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian as, well as the president of Mountainous Karabagh Republic
Arkady Ghukasian. The Karabagh conflict was a major topic of the discussions
during which the sides reportedly agreed that “there is no alternative but a
peaceful settlement”
Speaking in Baku on Tuesday, Passy said that the OSCE will continue the
active
mediation but added that the responsibility is on Armenia and Azerbaijan to
end
the dispute “with mutual compromises.”
“The OSCE is not capable of miracles and can’t impose a ready solution,” he
said. “History teaches us that with conflicts time always works against us.
The
later a solution is found, the more painful it may be for the people of the
region.”

5) Soprano Arpine Pehlivanian Passes Away

On March 16, Diasporan soprano Arpine Pehlivanian, passed away after
struggling
a long term illness. Her dedication to the world of music and her contribution
to the preservation of Armenian musical heritage are part of the legacy she
leaves behind.
She performed in over 800 concerts in Europe, the United States, Canada, the
Middle East, the former Soviet Union, and Africa. Her Carnegie Hall debut was
in 1974. She has performed in most of the internationally known concert halls,
including the Parisian Salle Pleyel, the Salle Gaveau and the Spendiarian
Opera
House in Yerevan, Armenia. Her recordings include The Artistry of Arpine
Pehlivanian, (1982 Arzach Productions) Armenian Sacred Music, (1986 BLM
Studios) Armenian Romance Songs, (1997 Hamazkayin) and Armenian Art Songs and
Live Concert.
The lyrico-coloratura soprano earned the highest honors in her field
including
advanced diplomas in voice and (Summa Cum Laude) from the Lebanese National
Conservatory of Piano. She studied piano under the tutelage of Michel
Cheskinoff, St. Petersburg, American composer Anis Fuleihan, and voice with
Alvarez Boulos, London. Four years of additional study with La Scala soprano
Antonia Perazzi prepared her for the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Italy, where
she earned Diplomas di Merito in Opera Interpretation under Gino Bechi, Vocal
Chamber music under Giorgio Favaretto and Opera Direction under Bruno Rigacci.
The National Symphony of Lebanon appointed Pehlivanian official soloist, a
position she held for 18 years along with academic duties at the Lebanese
Conservatory of Music where she was both a Professor of Voice and Piano and
the
Director of Opera Interpretation Studies. During that period she was awarded
the Cilician Great Cross with the rank of Knight, the Lebanese National
Said-Akl Cultural Award, and the Syrian Educational Ministry’s Gold Medal.
Pehlivanian, who consistently championed professionalism and artistic
interpretation in the rendition of the Armenian Art Song, was the first singer
from the Diaspora to be invited to perform leading roles with the Spendiarov
Opera House in Yerevan, receiving rave reviews. Called the Ambassadress of
Armenian Song, she premiered the works of many Middle Eastern and Armenian
composers including the American, British, and Middle Eastern premieres of
Khatchaturian’s Agh Tamar.
As concert artist and teacher, she was awarded the Bronze Halo Award (1983)
from the Southern California Motion Picture Council for her contribution to
the
arts, and the Music Teacher’s Association of California Service Award (1987),
for her contributions to the American Community. She was also a member of the
National Association of Teachers of Singing.
In 1999, the Armenian community in Los Angeles joined together to pay tribute
to the Nightingale of the Armenian Diaspora for her forty years of service in
both the artistic and the academic domains. At her Fortieth Jubilee the late
Karekin I, Catholicos of all Armenians, bestowed on her the most coveted Sts.
Sahag and Mesrob Medal of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, Armenia. Catholicos
Aram
I of the House of Cilicia honored the singer with the first ever Dame of
Cilicia Medal, to be given to women of distinction.
Funeral services will take place on Saturday, March 20, 10:30 am, at the Holy
Cross Church of Montebello.

6) Georgian President To Meet Rebel Region Leader

BATUMI (Reuters)–The leaders of Georgia and its rebellious Ajaria region
agreed on Wednesday to meet to defuse a crisis, which has strained ties with
Georgia’s giant neighbor Russia.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who swept to power in a popular
revolution last year, has been locked in conflict with the leader of
autonomous
Ajaria Aslan Abashidze, accusing him of hindering free parliamentary elections
due in 11 days.
Saakashvili and Abashidze are due to meet on Thursday in the regional capital
Batumi, a Black Sea port near Turkey, the Ajarian leader told reporters, after
seven hours of talks with Georgian parliamentary speaker Nino Burdzhanadze.
Georgia’s location on Russia’s southern border and work on a key Western oil
pipeline running through it has focused the attention of both Moscow and
Washington on the country.
Forces loyal to Abashidze prevented Saakashvili from entering Ajaria over the
weekend. The president responded by slapping economic sanctions on the region,
cutting rail and road access to Ajaria, closing its airspace, and blocking its
port.
For his meeting on Thursday, Saakashvili will cross the same road checkpoint
where Abashidze’s troops fired a warning shot at his convoy on Sunday, a
presidential spokesman said.
“I am a supporter of the idea that all issues should be solved not by using
force but in a human fashion,” Abashidze told reporters in Batumi, where
soldiers and masked armed loyalists patrolled the streets and waterfront.

BLOCKADE SOON OVER?

“We have to do everything to make sure tomorrow’s meeting is meaningful,”
said
Burdzhanadze, a Saakashvili ally, adding that the blockade might “no longer be
an issue” after the talks.
The blockade has stopped oil shipments from a 200,000 barrel per day terminal
at Batumi.
Burdzhanadze previously played a key role in persuading pro-Russian Abashidze
to allow presidential elections in Ajaria in January that resulted in a
landslide victory for Saakashvili, a 36-year-old nationalist backed by the
United States.
Ex-Soviet Georgia has had uneasy relations with its old colonial master,
Russia, for most of the 12 years since the Soviet Union collapsed–often
arising from Georgian suspicions that Moscow was trying to profit from
autonomous movements.
In an unannounced exercise, a Russian military base near Batumi fired rounds
of tank shells into the sea on Tuesday where the Georgian coastguard was
patrolling.
Russia has urged Saakashvili to find a peaceful way out of the current crisis.
But its tacit sympathy for Ajaria became clear when Moscow’s flamboyant mayor
Yuri Luzhkov–a powerful politician at home–flew in on Tuesday to show
solidarity with Abashidze, causing consternation among Georgian officials.
Luzhkov, who has business interests in the construction industry, is a close
associate of Abashidze and Moscow building firms have picked up many lucrative
contracts in Ajaria.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov showed some unease over Luzhkov,
dodging a direct question on his exact mission.
He said Luzhkov was there in an “inter-regional” context, adding: “Given
this,
Luzhkov’s efforts have the support of the Russian leadership.” He said
indications that Saakashvili would meet Luzhkov offered hope for a solution.
The parliamentary elections on March 28 are a rerun of a poll last November
when veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze was still in power. That vote was
widely seen as rigged.
Allies of Saakashvili are expected to do well and to support his efforts to
cut corruption, unite the divided Caucasus nation of around 4.5 million
people,
and press for Russia to withdraw from two military bases.
Georgia has two openly separatist regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where
Tbilisi no longer exerts any control.

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EU parliament presses Turkey on human rights

BRUSSELS, March 17 (Reuters) – Turkey must improve its record on human
rights and the rule of law before European Union member states start
talks with Ankara on adopting EU laws, the European Parliament said on
Wednesday.

Turkey has been trying to join the EU for decades, and has faced
consistent calls to remedy human rights abuses. The bloc is due to
decide by the end of this year whether to set a date when accession
negotiations may begin.

The entry of any new member state requires the approval of the
parliament, but the assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee made clear
Ankara had a long way to go — even though the Union is committed to
its eventual membership.

Deputies “criticised the continuing influence of the army in politics,
business, culture and education, continuing torture practices and
mistreatment, the intimidation and harassment of human rights
defenders, the discrimination of religious minorities and the fact
that trade union freedom is not fully secured,” they said in a
statement.

Deputies noted Turkey had made many important reforms since last year
to meet the membership criteria, and praised the government’s
political will to improve conditions, while saying reforms could only
be judged by how they were implemented.

Members of the parliament called on the EU’s executive Commission to
press Ankara on these issues.

“The Commission should, as part of the pre-accession strategy,
systematically address the shortcomings in the rule of law and the
democratic deficit,” the statement said.

The Foreign Affairs Committee insisted that settlement of the Cyprus
conflict was “an essential condition for progress” in Turkey’s
membership bid, and also urged Ankara to open its borders with
Armenia.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when troops from Turkey occupied
the north of the island in response to a coup in Nicosia engineered by
the junta then ruling Greece.

The United Nations is brokering reunification talks bringing together
Greece, Turkey, and Greek and Turkish Cypriots, to try to unite the
island before it joins the EU on May 1.

Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Armenia, independent since the
break up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Armenians say 1.5 million people were killed in a 1915-1918 campaign
to expel them from eastern Turkey, calling it genocide, a charge
Turkey denies.

03/17/04 11:46 ET

FACTBOX-Factbox on Adzhara region

LONDON, Mar 17 (Reuters) – Georgia offered the rebel region of Adzhara
an olive branch of talks on Wednesday but kept up an economic
stranglehold on the territory.

Here are basic facts about the Adzhara region in Georgia:

Adzhara has a population of 400,000 and is located on the coastline of
the Black Sea in the southwest of Georgia.

The capital, Batumi, is a large oil refining centre which supplies
Georgia and neighbouring Armenia. After Georgian President Mikhail
Saakashvili was prevented from entering the region this weekend,
Georgian troops cut rail and road access, forcing the 200,000
barrel-per-day oil terminal to stop loading oil.

The region declares itself to be autonomous although it’s status has
not been resolved since Georgia declared independence in 1991 after
the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The president of Adzhara, Aslan Abashidze, is backed by Russia which
keeps a controversial Soviet-era military base outside Batumi, seen as
leverage against Georgia.

Adzhars are ethnic Georgians but unlike most Georgians, who are mostly
Christian, the Adzhars are Muslims after centuries of Turkish
occupation, which ended in the 19th century.

03/17/04 12:20 ET

RIA Novosti, Russia
March 17 2004

NEW FOREIGN MINISTER’S FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE

By Dmitry Kosyrev, RIA Novosti political analyst

After Sergei Lavrov was appointed foreign minister, Russian analysts
wrote there would be no major changes in Russia’s foreign policy,
while the work of Russia’s Security Council should be watched closely
because it is now headed by ex-foreign minister Igor Ivanov. This
forecast was proved perfectly correct during the first press
conference of Sergei Lavrov, who moved into his new office this week.

“I see no need to amend the strategic elements of the concept of
Russia’s foreign policy,” he said, recalling Vladimir Putin’s recent
statement: “We shall try to guarantee Russia’s national interests
without reverting to confrontation or aggression.”

Lavrov also said, “It is encouraging that Igor Ivanov has been
appointed Secretary of the Security Council, which is designed to
co-ordinate the work of all departments responsible for national
security.” The minister expressed the hope that the Security Council
will become more effective under Igor Ivanov.

Sergei Lavrov, who spent a lifetime in New York, is well versed in
international politics and the intricacies of Russia’s position on a
variety of issues. He clearly answered questions about Russia’s
relations with the EU and the USA, the Cyprus and Karabakh
settlements, the situation in Kosovo and Bosnia, co-operation with
Iran, etc.

The triumphant Moscow debut of Russia’s new foreign minister can be
attributed to Lavrov’s service at the UN, where he represented Russia
for ten years, from 1994 to 2004. However, some say he worked there
for 17 years, since in 1981-1988 he was first secretary, counsellor
and then senior counsellor in the Soviet Union’s permanent mission at
the UN. By studying “the world as it is” at the UN, he has a thorough
knowledge of virtually every international problem.

One consequence of this is the word “we,” which the minister
sometimes uses. When he says it, he usually means “we the
international community” or “we the UN Security Council.” Another and
far more serious result of that experience is Lavrov’s conceptual
view of modern developments. In his words, the new world system is
still under construction. The mechanisms that prevented many
conflicts in the past became ineffective after the end of the Cold
War, thereby giving rise to new crises to which the world is
straining to find a common answer. Taken together, this forces the
world community to search for new solutions in the dark and on the
move. The main thing is to do this collectively rather than
unilaterally.

The new minister mostly replied to questions in a calm and easy
manner. Take the answer to a question about the right to pursue and
eliminate terrorists beyond national territory. “This is not a
question to Russia,” said Lavrov. “We should better recall the
actions of Israel and what has been done to the Taliban, al-Qaeda and
the Iraqi regime.” The minister pointed out that there were many
difficulties today, but said this was not a reason to avoid facing
problems or giving answers to questions that affect Moscow’s
legitimate answers.

Sergei Lavrov is a globally respected diplomat, which his first
confident actions as the new foreign minister of Russia show
convincingly. He is perfectly suited to the image of new Russia, a
country that has emerged stronger from the crisis of the 1990s and
whose role on the world scene will continue to grow.