Month: October 2005

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| 20:30:02 | 07-10-2005 | Politics |

TWO FRONTS OR SEPARATE OPPOSITIONS

Agitators

Yesterday coalition parties proportionally formed a pre-election staff of
agitation of constitutional amendments.

Budget will also be formed proportionally, leader of Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Levon Lazarian stated today during Parliamentary briefings.
Until November 27th coalition staff will persuade and explain to society
privileges of constitutional amendments. It won’t be difficult to persuade
members of United Labor Party. Though principle suggestions of ULP were not
taken into account, they have no serious reasons to say `no’ to
constitutional amendments, member of the party Grigor Ghonjeyan said.

`There’s no a single serious factor that amendments make the Constitution
worse’, – Mr. Ghonjeyan noted, not considering that such position means à
disawoval of principles.

The coalition staff will be supported by People’s party, not financially as
member of the party Mkrtich Minasyan stated. The latter is going to say
«yes» to constitutional amendments.

Anti-Agitators

According to NU deputy Koryun Arakelyan constitutional amendments do not
solve the existing problems, do not make our country mor democratic, so
they’ll agitate against constitutional amendments.

Why then NU did not join the 16 parties saying «no» to constitutional
amendments. Mr. Arakelyan marks, that they wanted to form a `second front,
like during World War II». Besides those 16 parties haven’t decided yet
whether they would vote in or boycotte the referendum. NU is against
boycotte, as `those boycotting do not follow their results’. Secretary of NU
party Viktor Dallakyan says he is for voting and saying `no’ to
constitutional amendments.

By the way, it’s not clear yet who will lead both agitators and antis.

| 20:30:02 | 07-10-2005 | Politics |

TWO FRONTS OR SEPARATE OPPOSITIONS
Agitators

Yesterday coalition parties proportionally formed a pre-election staff of
agitation of constitutional amendments.

Budget will also be formed proportionally, leader of Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Levon Lazarian stated today during Parliamentary briefings.
Until November 27th coalition staff will persuade and explain to society
privileges of constitutional amendments. It won’t be difficult to persuade
members of United Labor Party. Though principle suggestions of ULP were not
taken into account, they have no serious reasons to say `no’ to
constitutional amendments, member of the party Grigor Ghonjeyan said.

`There’s no a single serious factor that amendments make the Constitution
worse’, – Mr. Ghonjeyan noted, not considering that such position means à
disawoval of principles.

The coalition staff will be supported by People’s party, not financially as
member of the party Mkrtich Minasyan stated. The latter is going to say
«yes» to constitutional amendments.

Anti-Agitators

According to NU deputy Koryun Arakelyan constitutional amendments do not
solve the existing problems, do not make our country mor democratic, so
they’ll agitate against constitutional amendments.

Why then NU did not join the 16 parties saying «no» to constitutional
amendments. Mr. Arakelyan marks, that they wanted to form a `second front,
like during World War II». Besides those 16 parties haven’t decided yet
whether they would vote in or boycotte the referendum. NU is against
boycotte, as `those boycotting do not follow their results’. Secretary of NU
party Viktor Dallakyan says he is for voting and saying `no’ to
constitutional amendments.

By the way, it’s not clear yet who will lead both agitators and antis.

Pan Armenian

Indian Vice President Invited Artur Baghdassaryan to Delhi

07.10.2005 12:11

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdassaryan met with
Thiru Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, RA NA press center reported. The discussions
focused at the development of the Armenian-Indian relations. Artur
Baghdassaryan voiced assurance that the visit of the Vice President will
become a new stimulus for the development of bilateral relations. He also
noted the importance of the development of interparliamentary ties and
informed that an Armenian-Indian parliamentary friendship group was formed
in the RA National Assembly. The parties discussed the possibilities of
cooperating in IT sphere. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat invited Artur
Daghdassaryan to Dehli.

Armenpress

AARHUS CENTERS TO OPEN IN ARMENIAN REGIONS

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS: Local public environmental information
Centers (Aarhus Centers) will soon open in the capitals of the Syunik,
Tavush and Lori regions of Armenia with the help of the OSCE Office in
Yerevan, which signed yesterday an agreement with the Ministry of Nature
Protection and local administrations, OSCE Yerevan Office said.
The Centers will promote access to information, including through the
Internet, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in
environmental matters-the three main pillars of the Aarhus Convention,
ratified by Armenia in 2001. They will also contribute to the creation of a
public climate of transparency in environmental affairs and to the general
democratization and good governance in the region.
The need for local Aarhus Centers in the regions was one of the
recommendations of the OSCE-supported study of the perspectives of the
socio-economic development of the Syunik region, conducted last year. The
Centers will also serve as a link between governmental authorities and
non-governmental organizations (NGO) in the field of environmental
policy-making, promote co-operation between all environmental stakeholders
and their potential counterparts, such as national, foreign and
international NGOs, as well as the business community, and serve as a basis
for coalition-building among local environmental NGOs.
The Centers will open later this year and make use of the experience and
expertise of the Yerevan Aarhus Center, established in 2002 as the first one
in Southern Caucasus.
The OSCE Office in Yerevan supports the establishment of a network of
Aarhus Centers in Armenia to promote the principles and values of the
international Aarhus Convention, which combines both environmental issues
and democratic spirit.

Pan Armenian

NATO Exerts Big Effort to Prevent Escalation of Karabakh Conflict

07.10.2005 11:02

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia has fixed considerable progress in cooperation
with NATO, Romualdas Razuks, NATO Officer-Coordinator for South Caucasus
stated during the `Security in the South Caucasus’ Rose-Roth NATO PA seminar
that started October 6 in Yerevan. He reminded that the South Caucasus has
been announced a priority zone for NATO and the implementation of the
Individual Partnership Action Plan in the states of the region is the
evidence of it. In his words in autumn 2005 the plans will be discussed and
the elaboration process will be completed by the end of the current year.
The NATO Officer noted that the level of cooperation mostly depends on the
internal processes in the states of the region. He stressed that the IPAP
provides for conformity of the partner Armed Forces with the NATO standards.
In this view, representative of the Russian delegation Victor Ozerov
expressed opinion that urging the partners to bring the military and
technical basis to the NATO standards, the `Alliance as if artificially
incites them to retrofitting and purchase of armament from the NATO
member-states.’ When touching upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement
Mr. Razuks noted that however the organization exerts every effort to
prevent the escalation of the conflict and resumption of hostilities. He
also informed that NATO is going to open a scientific and technical center
in Armenia, reported IA Regnum.

Pan Armenian

CE Sec. Gen. Hopes For Karabakh Issue To Be Solved Soon

06.10.2005 12:25

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Restoration of communication between Armenia and
Azerbaijan is only possible after settlement of the NK conflict, Council of
Europe Secretary General Terry Davis said. In his words a fortnight ago he
visited Azerbaijan and the Karabakh settlement was one of the major issues
discussed. «Restoration of rail communication between Armenia and Azerbaijan
is a very important question, however it cannot be achieved without solving
the main problem,» T. Davis remarked. The CE Sec. Gen. appreciated the OSCE
MG activities. «I hope the NK conflict will be solved soon,» T. Davis summed
up.

Panorama

15:54 07/10/05

TAX HUBBUB IN AKHALKALAKI

`The Tax officers from Akhaltsakha checked some ten shops in Akhalkalaki. In
some shops they found Armenian products without excises and closed them. The
result was that a group of people have gathered in front of the local
administrative building and organized the act of complain’, said today the
administrative member of `Hzor Haireniq’ party Shirak Torosyan commenting
the situation in Akhalqalaqi took place on October 5. `Then came newly
formed gendarmerie and fired in the air with guns. Fortunately there are no
victims. The head of Samtskhe-Javakheti (Akhalkalaki region) Georgi
Khachidze qualified it as a crime, and he has promised to punish the
criminals’, added Shirak Torosyan.

Panorama.am was also interested in the nationality of gendarmes, and
concerning this question Mr. Torosyan answered, `They are all Armenians from
Akhalkalaki and neighboring villages’. /Panorama.am/

Panorama

12:55 07/10/05

WANT PEACE, PREPARE TO …

Rose-Roth NATO PA International seminar dedicated to the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and the role of international community in it, is taking place in
Yerevan in these days. During the seminar the International Crisis Group
representative Sabin Freiser informed about the content of negotiations on
Karabakh conflict. Taking into consideration the observations of the
International Crisis Group Mrs. Freiser informed, `I think that next year
it’ll be possible to get the peace agreement, in case if it is not this
year.’ She also noticed that in Key West the sides were more than close to
the possible solution but it didn’t happen and added,’I’ll be optimistic
when I see that the governments through Mass-media are trying to explain the
people what is peace’.

OSCE PA Special Representative on Nagorno-Karabakh issue Goran Lennmarker
thinks that there is some progress in negotiating procedure and for reaching
mutual beneficial agreement the sides must do only one thing that is, to
prepare both societies for the possible solution. Optimism of two
representatives concerning to the positive solution of negotiating procedure
is based on the obtained arrangements in the frameworks of Minsk group.
According to their reports the conflict will be solved by stages. The first
stage is to give back of seven liberated territories, then to open regional
transportation communications and Armenian-Turkish border as well, the next
stage is resettling refugees. And only after 10-15 years, peace makers will
talk about the Nagorno Karabakh status.

But as some experts note presently this resolution can not be implemented as
the offered consensuses by Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan do not satisfy
the demands of the sides. /Panorama.am/

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MGM MIRAGE, Press Release
PRNewswire-FirstCall
Oct 7 2005

In Memoriam: George Mason, Longtime Member of the MGM MIRAGE Board of
Directors and Senior Managing Director of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc.,
1930-2005
Friday October 7, 6:03 pm ET

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — George Mason, a longtime
member of the MGM MIRAGE Board of Directors and a highly respected
member of the financial community as Senior Managing Director of
Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., Los Angeles, passed away October 5, 2005.
He was 74.

“We are deeply saddened at George’s passing,” said Terry Lanni,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MGM MIRAGE. “He was an
incredibly influential figure in the gaming and finance industries.
With his remarkable business instincts and extraordinary intellect,
he made valuable contributions to our Board of Directors for many
years. Personally, he had a warm and generous spirit and he will be
missed by the MGM MIRAGE family and so many others whose lives he
touched.”

Mr. Mason previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for
Mirage Resorts from 1973 to 2000, and was a member of the Board of
Directors of MGM MIRAGE from 2000 to present. He was a member of the
Audit, Stock Option and Bonus committees of Mirage Resorts from 1973
to 2000, and a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of
Directors of MGM MIRAGE from 2002 to present.

>From 1973 until his passing, Mr. Mason was Senior Managing Director
at the Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. Los Angeles office.

“George was not only highly gifted in his understanding of the world
of finance, but he was also a warm and compassionate person who was
loved and respected by all who knew him,” said Renee Fourcade, Bear,
Stearns Managing Director who, for the past 18 years was Mr. Mason’s
close business partner. “Every client was family to George and
nothing was more important to him than earning the confidence and
satisfaction of all those who entrusted him.”

Mr. Mason founded the first English-written Armenian newspaper called
the California Courier in Fresno in 1958 and served as editor of the
newspaper until 1970.

“I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that George’s California
Courier was and will be remembered as a journal of Armenian life in
Calfornia,” said Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Armenia. “It reflected his pride in his identity and his
heritage at a time when it was not fashionable to do so. George Mason
was a man of great integrity and sincerity. He will indeed be
missed.”

At Bear, Stearns, Mr. Mason created a newsletter for clients that he
looked forward to writing each month. Some of the top “Masonisms”
published by the prolific writer included:

“Borrow from pessimists — they don’t expect it back.”

“If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”
“Here it is. In 2004, the market will go down dramatically. But it
could also continue to go up dramatically. The final possibility is
that it will just go up or down a little bit or stay about the
same. That is my opinion and I’m sticking to it!”

Mr. Mason also worked as an executive for Kirk Kerkorian’s Tracinda
Investment Company from 1970-1973.

Born in Los Angeles on Nov. 9, 1930, he was raised there and lived
his adult life in L.A. and Fresno. He served in the U.S. Air Force as
a Staff Sergeant from 1951 to 1954.

Mr. Mason is survived by his wife of 52 years, Sally, and their six
daughters, Cassandra Goehner, Melanie Goodman, Teresa Mason, George
Ann Mason, Dina Chakalian, and Mary Mason; and by his sister, Shirley
Rakoobian.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. at St.
James Armenian Church, 4950 West Slauson Ave., Los Angeles. A
reception will immediately follow at The Fairmont Miramar Hotel, 101
Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of
George John Mason be made to: Nevada Cancer Institute, Continued
Research in the Field of Bladder Cancer, 10000 W. Charleston
Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89135. Attention: Ms. Jennifer Haley, phone
(702) 821-0018.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Peninsula, Qatar
Oct 8 2005

Turkey sentences journalist for comments
Web posted at: 10/8/2005 2:28:24

ISTANBUL: A Turkish court gave an Armenian-Turkish journalist a
six-month suspended prison sentence on Friday for `insulting Turkish
identity’ in an article he wrote, the journalist said.

The issue of freedom of speech has dogged every stage of Turkey’s
efforts to join the European Union. While the EU agreed this week to
start entry talks with Turkey, such court cases are likely to hinder
Ankara’s progress toward full membership.

The Istanbul court found Hrant Dink, the editor-in-chief of the
bilingual Turkish and Armenian weekly Agos newspaper, guilty of
`insulting and weakening Turkish identity through the media’ in an
article he wrote last year.

`Whether the sentence was for one day or six years, it doesn’t
matter. The important thing, and what saddens me, is that I was
sentenced. I did not commit this crime,’ Dink said.

Hindu, India
Oct 8 2005

Shekhawat conferred with honorary degree

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat was on Friday
conferred with a honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine by the Yerewan
State Medical University at Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.

Mr. Shekhawat is the first Indian to receive this Armenian honour.
The degree along with a gold medallion was presented to Mr. Shekhawat
at a special convocation that coincided with the diamond jubilee of
the university, according to reports received here.

Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-President said that improving the
quality of education and providing effective healthcare were the two
primary means to achieve the objectives of human development and
happiness.

He said the challenge to build an affordable public health system was
very formidable and demanded an innovative approach.

Earlier, Mr. Shekhawat held talks with the Prime Minister of Armenia,
Andranik Margarian. He also visited the Holy Echmiadzin Church.