Month: October 2006

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SOMETIMES BRIBE IS NO BRIBE?
[05:26 pm] 27 October, 2006

Will the opposition have majority candidates in all the electoral
areas during the 2007 Parliamentary elections? According to deputy
Stepan Zaqaryan, this is an idea which must be discussed taking into
account the experience of the previous elections.

«We must discuss if a famous politician, for example Vazgen Manoukyan,
should be nominated in an electoral area where people have been bribed
during the last four years. Although, if they give people money for
several years in a row, maybe it is no more bribe; maybe people prefer
not an experienced politician but those candidates who solve their
everyday problems», Mr. Zaqaryan said half jokingly.

During the NA briefings the journalists tried to find out the opinion
of deputy Mekhak Mkhitaryan about the possible initiatives of the
opposition. He considered this `a truly progressive step’ saying that
putting forward candidacies by the majority system the opposition will
be able to check its reputation in the society.

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PROTEST ACTION IN AKHALQALAQ
[07:13 pm] 27 October, 2006

more images A protest action took place in the Freedom square of
Akhalqalaq against the arrest of Vahagn Chakhalyan, member of the
presidium of democratic alliance `United Javakhq’. Thousands of
residents of the city, as well as of nearby villages participated in
the meeting.

The participants of the meeting expressed their indignation at the
absurd accusation of illegal crossing of border and demanded to set
him free at once.

At the end of the meeting the participants adopted a statement which
said that in case Vahagn Chakhalyan is not set free they will resort
to other measures, Javakhq-Info reports.

Panorama.am

14:40 27/10/06

OPPOSITION SAYS IT WILL PROPOSE CANDIDATES ON MAJORITARIAN LIST

Mkrtich Minasyan, member of Joghpatgamavor (People’s Deputy) group,
said the opposition can realize its intention to propose candidates in
all 41 electoral centers on the majoritarian list. He referred to the
example of Viktor Dallakyan from the opposition who has participated
as a majoritarian candidate several times and could win the
elections. Minasyan said there are other people, too who have high
reputation and can win the elections.

Mekhak Mkhitaryan, secretary of Businessman parliamentary group, said
it would be good if the opposition leaders proposed their candidacy on
majoritarian list and checked their reputation. The deputy said people
like individual persons and even if they vote for a party they mean
its chairman or one of the members. /Panorama.am/

Serbia holding a Constitutional Referendum

ArmRadio.am
28.10.2006 12:04

Serbs are holding a national referendum on a new constitution, which
declares the UN-run province of Kosovo an integral part of Serbia. If
accepted, it will be the first constitution of the Serbian state,
following the break-up of Yugoslavia.

The draft pre-empts UN-backed talks on the status of Kosovo, which are
meant to draft a settlement by the year-end.

Serbia’s prime minister urged a "Yes" in this weekend’s vote, saying
Kosovo was at the heart of Serbian statehood.

Serbia became an independent country earlier this year when its union
with neighboring Montenegro was formally dissolved.

The draft constitution has already received the backing of the Serbian
parliament, but now has to be approved in a national referendum, to be
held on Saturday and Sunday.

Around 6.6 million voters will be able to cast ballots The
constitution will be approved if it receives the support of more than
50% of the electorate.

Mammadyarov: Principles of territorial integrity and the right of
self-determination do not contradict

ArmRadio.am
28.10.2006 14:30

The two fundamental principles of territorial integrity and the right
of self-determination of peoples do not contradict each other,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov declared during the
meeting with members of the US German Marshal Fund delegation, reports
Day.Az., referring to Azeri MFA Press Service. Presenting the recent
developments in the settlement process, Mammadyarov said that the
international legislature clearly regulates the right of
self-determination of peoples with preservation of territorial
integrity of this or that state.

CBDN PROGRAM TO HELP ESTABLISH COOPERATION OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI
BUSINESSMEN

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The purpose of the Caucasian
Business and Development Network (CBDN) program is to establish
business links among small and medium enterpeises of the conflict
countries in the South Caucasus, thus assisting with the settlement of
these conflicts. Aghavni Karakhanian, Director of the Civil Society
and Regional Development Institute, Coordinator of the CBDN Yerevan
Office, said this at the ceremony of opening the CBDN Yerevan Office
on October 27. According to her, one of the peculiarities of this
program financed by the British government is to involve not
recognized states of the South Caucasian region: Nagorno Karabakh,
Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the indicated process. It was mentioned
that thanks to studies and negotiations over the past three years, an
agreement on economic cooperation was reached by several
represenatives of the private sectors of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

BBC News
29 October 2006

Romanian senator withdraws EU bid
Varujan Vosganian (file image)

Vosganian failed to get the EU chief’s backing

Varujan Vosganian has withdrawn his bid to be Romania’s new European
Union commissioner after failing to win backing from EU officials.

Mr Vosganian, 48, who sits in the Senate, denied allegations of links
to the former secret police.

But he said he withdrew to prevent damage Romania’s image. Prime
Minister Calin Tariceanu had accepted Mr Vosganian’s decision, a
spokesman said.

Romania and Bulgaria are due to join the European Union in January
2007.

On Friday, Bulgaria’s Minister for Europe Meglena Kuneva was approved
as Bulgaria’s new EU commissioner.

‘Baseless’

But after meeting European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on
Thursday, Mr Vosganian returned to Bucharest without being officially
nominated by him.

The Socialist group in the European Parliament, which must approve Mr
Barroso’s nominations for commissioners, had expressed doubt about his
credentials.

They said they wanted to further explore Mr Vosganian’s "acceptance of
European standards and European values".

Mr Vosganian announced his decision in a press conference in the
Romanian capital, Bucharest.

"Although the accusations against me are baseless, the examination of
my candidacy may be prolonged, and that could damage Romania’s image,"
he said.

Government spokeswoman Oana Marinescu said Mr Tariceanu would consult
Mr Barroso and then put forward a new candidate.

Today, Azerbaijan
Oct 28 2006

Former king against pro-Armenian candidate

28 October 2006 [13:08] – Today.Az

Former Bulgarian King is against the pro-Armenian candidate to presidency.

Influential King Simeon Movement headed by the former Bulgarian King
Simeon II in the second turn of presidential elections announced that
he supports incumbent president Georgy Pirvanov’s candidature as a
sign of protest to pro-armenian Volen Siderov, the leader of the
Ataka Party.

Being the member of the current government coalition the former king
stated that he did this "For normal future in Bulgaria".

He characterized Siderov as a person inciting enmity. In the first
turn of presidential elections Pirvanov, the only candidate who is
not against Turks collected 63%, and Siderov 20% of votes.

But as only 40% of the electors have taken part in the elections
there is a need for second turn.

According to the local legislation the elections are considered to be
effective if more than 50% of the electors participate. The second
turn will take place on October 29, APA reports.

URL:

Thursday, October 26, 2006
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DIARY
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Paul Johnson on Brahms’s Intermezzo in B flat minor: “I have a beautiful recording of it by the Turkish pianist Idil Biret, a pupil of Cortot…”
My first thought: Biret must be either Armenian or half-Armenian. Once a chauvinist, always a chauvinist.
Even when one’s mind adopts an anti-chauvinist stance, one’s gut remains chauvinist.
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It never pays to examine too closely a man’s ancestry. If he identifies himself as a Patagonian, a Hottentot, or a Mongol, we should take his word for it. Speaking for myself, you may simply identify me as a human being.
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Socrates said, “Of the gods we know nothing.” But if you read the Bible from beginning to end you will reach the exact opposite conclusion: Of God we know everything and then some!
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Memo to an Armenian writer:
If you have more than two or at most three fans, you must be doing something wrong.
#
Friday, October 27, 2006
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ARMENIAN INTELLECTUALS
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During the Soviet era I wrote about twenty letters to writers in the Homeland asking if I could interview them. Only one of them replied suggesting I write a letter of congratulations on the 25th anniversary of the magazine he was then editing. I had never seen or heard about his magazine but I wrote a brief cliché-ridden paragraph, which he promptly published, and that was the only thing by me that ever saw the light in Soviet Armenia.
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Last summer I was interviewed by e-mail by an Armenian editor in Moscow. When he disagreed with my answers, he sent follow-up question with whose answers he also disagreed. This routine was repeated a few more times. When the interview finally appeared, it bore the following Pinteresque title: “Interview with an Armenian Dissident: Incomprehensible Answers to Misunderstood Questions.”
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Long before I met Vahé Oshagan I was told he was, like his illustrious father, partial to blunt talk, especially when dealing with lesser writers in no position to retaliate. So when I found myself seated beside him at a banquet in an Armenian community center, I told him in no uncertain terms what I thought of his poetry, which was not one hell of a lot; to which he said: “You and I have nothing further to say to each other.” When I got up to leave, I heard him say: “Not so fast, my friend!”
Did he get even? I no longer remember. But he did say I was wasting my time translating a phony like Zarian, and if I wanted to make myself useful I should get busy translating such worthy and authentic writers as his father.
Shortly thereafter mutual friends informed me that Vahé Oshagan’s opinion of me was so low that it could not be quoted or even paraphrased in polite society. Strange as this may seem to some readers, this development flattered my vanity instead of offending my ego.
#

Saturday, October 28, 2006
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THEORY AND PRACTICE
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Theory: Since you and I are Armenian, we must be brothers.
Practice: Since you and I belong to different tribes, we cannot even begin to communicate with each other.
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ENIGMA
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Being wrong I understand. What I don’t understand, and I doubt if I ever will, is being catastrophically wrong with total unawareness, like the good citizens of Athens who condemned Socrates to death with the unshakable conviction that they were discharging their patriotic duty.
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TRANSLATION
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Perhaps a modern translation of the commandment “Love your enemy” is “Humanize yourself.”
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HOW TO READ
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When I don’t understand a sentence or a paragraph I seldom reread it because (a) I lose interest in a writer or translator who makes no effort to make himself accessible to the general reader, and (b) the certainty that someday I will read the same idea in another context more clearly expressed.
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If an idea is good, it will be remembered, rephrased, and repeated an infinite number of times.
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TO KNOW IS TO REMEMBER
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All so-called new or original ideas are as old as mankind. The meaning of the word “original” is going back to the origins. We sometimes forget that when we speak of the history of ideas, what we mean is written ideas. For thousands of years men could not write. That does not mean they did not think.
#

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Oct 26 2006

FORMER FRENCH AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA AWARDED "MKHITAR GOSH" MEDAL

YEREVAN, October 26. /ARKA/. By the decree of the Armenian president,
former French Ambassador to Armenia Henry Cuny was awarded a Mkhitar
Gosh medal for the strengthening and development of the
Armenian-French relations, the press service of the Armenian
president reported.
Giving the award to the former ambassador at the meeting on Thursday,
Kocharian expressed gratitude for the effective cooperation. He
pointed out that tangible progress in the Armenian-French relations
was recorded during his activity in Armenia.
In his turn, Cuny thanked him for such honor and said that the award
was very valuable to him. He highly appreciated the warm attitude of
Armenia toward France and characterized the awarded medal as a pledge
of the Armenian-French friendship.
Cuny wished Armenia prosperity, the people – well-being, and the
president – success in his activity. R.O. -0–