Dear Colleagues,

  On behalf of the Asian Seismological Commission Bureau, we sincerely 

invite you to participate in the 5th ASC General Assembly to be held in 

October 18-21, 2004, in Yerevan, Armenia.

 

  There was one more tragic event in Asia after the announcement of the 

5th General Assembly 2004 - the devastating earthquake in December 

26,2003 in Bam, Iran, where at least 30,000 people were killed.

  The nature once more reminded us about the necessity to cardinally 

improve the earthquake risk reduction practice in order to achieve safer 

and more sustainable future, in particular for the very vulnerable 

Asian and Pacific countries, joining efforts of experts from different 

fields: seismologists, geophysicists, geologists, earthquake engineers, 

architects, psychologists, leaders of executive and legislative bodies, 

leading businessmen, the representatives of mass media, as well as 

prominent international organizations.

  The 5th ASC General Assembly must become a remarkable international 

event for thorough evaluation of the multi-disciplinary and multi-

sectoral earthquake risk reduction issues in order to understand why 

there are so many victims and losses after each earthquake in earthquake 

prone regions. Is it only a scientific problem in earthquake hazard and 

risk assessment and reduction, or it is multi-sectoral fault of 

scientists, policymakers, leaders of executive and legislative 

authorities, and society at whole?

  In order to achieve this goal, I would like to invite your attention to 

the next potential earthquake victims in Asia and Pacific, and join 

IASPEI Commissions・and Working Groups・efforts in promoting lively and 

efficient discussion of the seismic protection issues of the population 

in earthquake prone countries.

  In order to achieve this goal we need a broad participation of the 

internationally recognized experts from IASPEI Commissions and Working 

Groups, leaders from the national and international organizations, 

scientific community of the Asia and Pacific, and, particularly, young 

scientists from developing countries.

  The General Assembly will include a Symposium on Seismic Hazard 

Evaluation and Risk Reduction (October 18-20); Pre-symposium 

International Training Course on Recent Trends in Seismic Networks Data 

Processing & Exchange, Hazard and Risk Assessment (October 4-17) and 

Post-symposium Field-Trip (1988 Devastating Spitak Earthquake Area 

(October 21). 

  In that regard I cardinally invite you to actively support and 

contribute in 5th ASC General Assembly, as participants and co-sponsors 

of the 5th ASC Symposium sessions, as well as Pre-symposium Training 

Course on Recent Trends in Seismic Networks Data Processing & Exchange, 

Hazard and Risk Assessment. 

 The Symposium Sessions are the following:

  Session 1. Recent Devastating Earthquakes 

  Session 2. Earthquake Source Physics: Pre-seismic, Co-seismic and post-

  seismic phenomena

  Session 3. Stress field, seismotectonic, paleoseismology, focal 

  mechanisms & GPS observations

 Session 4. Strong ground motion, earthquake hazard and risk assessment

 Session 5. Current seismic hazard assessment, early warning, earthquake 

  forecast and predictions

 Session 6. Seismic risk reduction & management

 Session 7. Heatflow, Volcanology, lithosphere, structure of Earth痴 

  interior

 Session 8. Public awareness, education and training; social impacts of 

  strong earthquakes.

 Please contact or kindly send me your proposals about the possible 

contribution of your organization or any other individual or 

organization, which you could approach or try to involve in this process 

of sponsorship of the 5th ASC General Assembly: Sessions of the 

Symposium and/or Pre-symposium Training Course.

 I am looking forward for your prompt reply.

 With my warm and best personal regards,

 Serguei Balassanian,

 ASC President