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08/15/2006
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1. ARF Supreme Council Sets Up Lebanese Relief Fund 2. Kocharian, Putin Discuss Bi-Lateral Relations 3. Turkey Wants Clarity from UN Before Committing Troops to Lebanon Ceasefire 4. Government Reports Continued Growth In Tourism 1. ARF Supreme Council Sets Up Lebanese Relief Fund YEREVAN (Yerkir Daily)--In an announcement issued Tuesday, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council outlined efforts to join the international effort to assist in the humanitarian relief efforts for Lebanon by setting up special bank accounts for donations to the relief efforts to the Lebanese-Armenian community. "All communities in the Diaspora have embarked on efforts to assist the Lebanese-Armenian communities," the announcement stressed. "In order to provide assistance to our brethren, the ARF Supreme Council of Armenia has set up special accounts in ArExImBank. For donations in Armenian drams the account number is 2380002225190700 and for donations in US dollars the number is 2380002225190301," the ARF announced. 2. Kocharian, Putin Discuss Bi-Lateral Relations SOCHI, Russia (Armenpress)--Armenian president Robert Kocharian met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Tuesday in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, where they discussed bilateral relations, including economic and cultural matters, as well as a number of regional issues. Putin highly praised the positive development of cooperation in trade between the two countries and expressed his conviction that Russian-Armenian economic relations will prove successful. Kocharian emphasized the importance of establishing effective cooperation mechanisms in the communication, transport and investment sectors. The two leaders also discussed the successful progression of events in relation to the "Year of Armenia in Russian" program. The delegation Kocharian arrived in Sochi Tuesday to participate in the non-official summit of the Eurasian Economic Association, which will conclude Thursday. Armenia is participating in the summit as an observer. At the airport, Kocharian was met by the governor of Krasnodar province Alexander Tkachov, Russian deputy foreign minister and executive secretary of Eurasian Economic Association Grigori Rapota and Armenian consul in Sochi Vardan Azoyan. Members of the Eurasian Economic Association are Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Armenia, Moldova and Ukraine have observer status. 3. Turkey Wants Clarity from UN Before Committing Troops to Lebanon Ceasefire ANKARA (Combined Sources)--The Turkish government led by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday signaled that it will await a UN resolution on a planned international force for Lebanon before making a formal decision on whether  to contribute troops, although the office of the Lebanese prime minister had earlier listed Turkey among the six countries that have already agreed to send troops to bolster the UN force there, the Turkish Daily News reported "A new resolution to be adopted at the UN Security Council in the coming days is expected to bring more clarity" to the terms of the planned deployment, the prime minister's press office said in a written statement following a senior level meeting at the office of the prime minister. At the meeting, Erdogan discussed the conflict with senior government and military officials. Present were Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, outgoing Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and his successor, Land Forces Commander Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, who takes office next week. However, Gul will travel to Lebanon and Israel Wednesday for a one-day visit to discuss the aftermath of the ceasefire between the two countries, Foreign Ministry said Tuesday. -In the interest of preventing further regional unrest--and mindful of Turkey's violent legacy in the Middle East--the Armenian National Committee of America this week expressed the Armenian American community's opposition to the prospect of Turkish armed forces being deployed between Lebanon and Israel as part of a future peacekeeping operation. In an August 9 letter to President George W. Bush, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian called upon the Administration to oppose any proposal to include Turkish troops in such a deployment, noting that, "Turkey's presence on Lebanese soil will only make the current situation even worse."  He added that, "as Armenian Americans--the sons and daughters of a people who endured genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government--we are especially mindful of raising the legacy of Turkey's brutal Ottoman rule over the Middle East and unnecessarily introducing a nation with history of destabilizing behavior into an already complex and highly sensitive region." Stressing that, "Turkey's record of persecution and genocide has left deep scars in the collective memory of the Lebanese people," Hachikian explained that, "it would be immensely insensitive on the part of the United States to promote Turkish participation in an international peacekeeping force that will need every ounce of credibility and goodwill that it can muster in order to succeed in such a highly delicate and challenging mission." Late on Sunday, a statement released by the office of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Morocco, Indonesia, Italy, Turkey, Spain and Malaysia had agreed to send troops on the condition that "all the Lebanese parties accept their participation," Agence France-Presse reported from Beirut. The Lebanese government's statement followed a telephone conversation between Erdogan and Siniora earlier on Sunday. According a report by the semi-official Anatolia news agency, the conversation took place upon Siniora's request and he informed Erdogan about recent developments following the release of Resolution 1701 of the UN Security Council, under which a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect Monday. The agency's report didn't elaborate whether the two prime ministers talked about Turkey's possible contribution to the planned international stabilization force in Lebanon, while it said that Erdogan and Siniora exchanged views concerning the upcoming process in Lebanon. The Turkish statement described the UN resolution as "an important step to stop the fighting before the crisis in Lebanon reaches more serious proportions and to find a permanent settlement to the problem," adding that "Turkey will consider its possible contributions to finding a permanent resolution to the problem [in Lebanon] in the light of developments. It is expected that a new decision to be approved by the UN Security Council will shed more light" on the peacekeeping force. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Gul reiterated that Ankara would look favorably on sending peacekeepers to southern Lebanon only after a full ceasefire was achieved, while Turkey's expected participation in the international peacekeeping force has also become a matter of debate on the international platform. Pro-Israeli commentators in Washington advocate a leading role for Turkish troops while others, including Britain's Robert Fisk, expressing concern. Fisk, a seasoned left-wing Middle East analyst and a correspondent for The Independent, says a Turkish move to send a contingent to the Lebanon force would be "unwise." He believes the international force plan will not work. Noting that the people of southern Lebanon have not been consulted "about the army which is supposed to live in their lands," Fisk said recently, "So when this latest foreign army arrives, count the days--or hours--to the first attack upon it." 4. Government Reports Continued Growth In Tourism YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Armenia's tourism industry continued its steady growth in the first half of this year, with the number of foreign visitors rising by 11.6 percent to over 122,500, a senior government official said on Tuesday. Mekhak Apresian, head of the tourism department at the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, told the Regnum news agency that the figure is expected to total at least 350,000 by the end of the year. The peak period of travel to Armenia usually starts in August and ends in October. According to official statistics, the country already had a record-high 318,000 tourists last year. Most of them are believed to be ethnic Armenians from Europe and the United States. Government officials and industry executives in Yerevan say the share of non-Armenian visitors has been steadily growing in recent years. The reported further growth of the tourism sector is supported by anecdotal evidence, with virtually all hotels in central Yerevan fully booked at the moment. Flying there is also not an easy task despite the increased frequency of flights to the Armenian capital carried out by several major European airlines. President Robert Kocharian reiterated last week that the sector's development is a top economic priority for the Armenian government. Kocharian said the country should be able to attract 500,000 tourists a year in the near future. He also promised more government investments in the still underdeveloped tourism infrastructure in regions outside Yerevan. Local travel agencies say the sector's more rapid expansion is also hampered by the relatively high cost of travel and accommodation in Armenia. Ara Petrosian, deputy minister of trade and economic development, estimated earlier this year that the average foreigner has to spend approximately $1,000 on a one-week stay in the country. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets. --Boundary_(ID_xRX4PDpEn908p6Xp0X2IyQ)--