Month: October 2006

From: Sebouh Z Tashjian <[email protected]>
Subject: The Republican Party Will Be Neutral

A1+

THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL BE NEUTRAL
[02:26 pm] 27 October, 2006

Head of the Republican Party faction Galust Sahakyan thinks that this
time the NA will adopt the RA draft law on «Alienation of property for
state and public needs». The draft has been turned down three times.
Galust Sahakyan thinks that it was not thanks to the opposition that
the draft was rejected; according to him, the draft has in fact been
adopted, simply quorum was not secured.

`This time quorum will be secured and the draft will be adopted’,
announced the head of the Republican Party faction. Let us remind you
that the discussion of the draft finished yesterday in the Parliament
and the voting was postponed at a proper hour as there were not enough
deputies in the Parliament building in order to secure quorum.

By the way, Galust Sahakyan informed that they will not defend any
candidate in the October 29 elections of Ajapnyak community
head. According to him, their neutrality will contribute to the
fairness of the elections.

RA PRIME MINISTER VISITS YERABLUR PANTHEON

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Prime Minister Andranik Margarian
paid tribute of respect at the Yerablur Pantheon to the memory of
statesmen died in the consequence of the October 27, 1999, crime at
the RA National Assembly.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Government’s Information and
Public Relations Department, RA Government members, with the Prime
Minister, visited the pantheon on October 27.

RPA TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION TO KEEP NEUTRALITY AT AJAPNIAK COMMUNITY
HEAD’S ELECTIONS

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The RPA territorial structure
decided not to interfere in the elections of the community head of
Ajapniak, Yerevan, to be held on October 29, to exclude possible
tension. Head of NA RPA faction Galust Sahakian stated about it
responding the Noyan Tapan correspondent’s question at the October 27
briefing. "We’ll support with our neutrality for it will be just as if
the party’s territorial structure and its head name anybody, I think,
just he will pass, but strainings will arise in the whole process,"
G.Sahakian mentioned.

To recap, candidatures of 3 members of the Nig-Aparan compatriotic
union, non-partizan Ruben Hovsepian, ARF member Gagik Sargsian and
Ishkhan Arshakian, the head of the territorial structure of the
"Zhoghovrdavarakan Ughi" (Democratic Path) party, will be voted at the
elections to be held in Ajapniak. By the Nig-Aparan council’s
decision, the union supports its Honourary Chairman, RA Prosecutor
General Aghvan Hovsepian’s brother, R.Hovsepian.

A NUMBER OF EVENTS DEDICATED TO 15th ANNIVERSARY OF RA SOCIAL SECURITY
FUND TO BE HELD TILL LATE THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. A number of events dedicated to the
15th anniversary of foundation of the RA Social Security State Fund
will be held till late this year. The Noyan Tapan correspondent was
informed about it by the Foreign and Public Relations Department of
the fund. Particularly, "Taregir" (chronicles) dedicated to the find
activity will be published, TV clips will be prepared, exhibitions
dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the fund will be organized, long
year employees of the system will be encouraged, a solemn sitting and
concert will be held. Besides, the "Voske Karas" (Gold Pitcher)
awarding of best publications dedicated to covering of the pension and
social security sphere will be held in December. Its winner will be
given monetary prizes.

GALUST SAHAKIAN: MAIN CRIMINALS OF 1999 TERRORIST ACT ARE NOT PUNISHED YET

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. In the personal opinion of RA NA RPA
faction Head, Galust Sahakian, which he expressed at the October 27
press briefing, the main criminals of the terrorist act committed in
1999 at the parliament are not punished yet. "Maybe I give free play
to my emotions, nevertheless, I think that at certain time, under
certain circumstances we will also learn concretely from what side the
blow was delivered," G.Sahakian said clarifying that he means "blows
from outside."

He also expressed an opinion that those convicted on the case of the
terrorist act and the criminals were merely instruments. This year the
day of a regular NA press briefing coincided with the 7th anniversary
of the terrorist act committed at the parliament hall.

Eight state and political figures, including NA leadership and the
country’s Prime Minister became victims of the crime of 1999. In
G.Sahakian’s words, we always feel both pain, grief and something like
inner strengthening in these days.

"We feel pain, as the nation and we have lost our friends. We feel
strengthening as we have responsibility in connection with this day,"
RPA faction Head said.

Would Speaker Pelosi recognize Armenian genocide?

The Fresno Bee
Fresno Bee Opinion Blog

October 25, 2006

The Armenian National Committee of America thinks so. House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi, who could be speaker next year if the Democrats
take over the House, supports the Armenian Genocide Resolution being
pushed by Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa. The current speaker,
Republican Dennis Hastert, has blocked the genocide resolution in the
House. The Armenian National Committee issued this press release today:

NANCY PELOSI PLEDGES TO SUPPORT CONGRESSIONAL ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
RECOGNITION

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a
longtime supporter of Armenian American issues who is expected to become
Speaker if the Democrats win a majority in the House this November,
pledged today to support Armenian Genocide legislation next year during
in the 110th session of Congress.

In a statement released to Harut Sassounian, Publisher of the California
Courier, Congresswoman Pelosi stated that:

"I have supported legislation, including H.Res.316, that would properly
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. It is imperative that the United
States recognize this atrocity and move to renew our commitment to
eliminate genocide whenever and wherever it exists. This effort enjoys
strong bipartisan support in the House, and I will continue to support
these efforts in the 110th Congress."

Sassounian’s weekly column appears internationally in more than a dozen
newspapers, as well as in the widely read Huffington Post.

"Nancy Pelosi’s powerful words and principled actions underscore the
stark difference between her and Dennis Hastert, who, during his tenure
as Speaker has consistently prevented a bipartisan majority from voting
in favor of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

The ANCA press release continues: Congresswoman Pelosi’s statement is
consistent with her past record of energetic and principled support for
U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, dating back nearly 20 years.
Since her election to the House in 1986, she has worked closely with the
Bay Area Armenian National Committee, enjoying warm relations with the
Armenian American community in the greater Bay Area.

"The principled stand of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi comes as no
surprise, and we’re proud that she confirmed it again today," said Bay
Area ANC Chairwoman Roxanne Makasdjian. "The Bay Area Armenian community
has long known and respected Congresswoman Pelosi’s leadership o – n
genocide prevention, from her advocacy of Armenian Genocide recognition,
to ending the genocide taking place today in Darfur."

Speaker Hastert (R-IL), despite his pledge in August of 2000 to schedule
a vote o – n the Armenian Genocide Resolution, pulled the measure from the
House floor in October of that year, o – nly moments before it was set to
be adopted by a broad, bipartisan majority. He has, in every year since,
actively blocked legislation properly commemorating this crime against
humanity.

In July of 2004, following Congressman Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) successful
effort to secure the adoption by the U.S. House of an amendment
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Speaker Hastert joined with other
members of the House leadership in vowing to block the final adoption of
the measure. In remarks posted at the top of the Speaker’s website o – n
the day after the amendment’s adoption, the Speaker stated that, "Turkey
has been a reliable ally of the United States for decades, and the deep
foundation upon which our mutual economic and security relationship
rests should not be disrupted by this amendment." He and his leadership
colleagues also vowed to
block any future consideration of the Armenian Genocide Resolution by
the full House of Representatives.

Speaker Hastert has received an "F" rating from the ANCA, while Minority
Leader Pelosi has consistently received "A" grades from the ANCA for her
principled support for Armenian American issues.

Speaking at a Capitol Hill observance in April of 2005, the California
Congresswoman countered those who have cited Turkey’s strategic position
as reason to oppose Armenian Genocide legislation, stressing that:

"First at the time of the Iron Curtain, [they cited] the strategic
location of Turkey, after that it was the Gulf War and Turkey’s
strategic location . . . Turkey’s strategic location is not a license to
kill."

In May of 2001, during her remarks at the ANCA’s annual Capitol Hill
Armenian Genocide observance, ongresswoman Pelosi noted that:

"The sad thing about that tragedy is that it is a tragedy twice. Once in
the course of the Genocide and secondly in the fact that we cannot get
the United States to pass a resolution memorializing and acknowledging
the terrible things that happened then . . This Armenian Genocide is a
challenge to the conscience of our country and the conscience of the
world. We will not rest until we have recognition of it."

Speaking o – n the House floor in April of 2001, she reminded her
colleagues that:

"Our alliance with Turkey should not deter us from learning the lessons
of past mistakes. If we ignore the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, we
are destined to repeat those same mistakes. The horrible conflicts in
Sudan, Sierra Leone, and East Timor remind us that we must do more to
prevent the systematic slaughter of innocent people. We must learn from
the past and never forget the victims of the Armenian genocide."

In April of 1999, in a statement o – n the House floor, the Congresswoman
stressed:

"As we enter the Third Millennium of the Christian Era, it behooves us
to remember. If we ignore the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, then we
are destined to continue our stumblings through the long, dark tunnel of
endless ethnic-cleansings, genocides, and holocausts Let us, then,
remember to remember."

In remarks marking the Armenian Genocide o – n the House floor in April of
1998, she explained that:

"On April 24, 1915, the rulers of the Ottoman Empire set out to
annihilate the Armenian minority. Over the course of the next eight
years, the Turkish government systematically murdered 1.5 million
Armenians and deported 500,000. By the end of 1923, the entire Armenian
population of Anatolia and Western Armenia was either murdered or
deported . . . While a growing number of Americans come to understand
the horror of this episode in history, the
perpetrators continue their denial."

In her April 1997 remarks to her House colleagues, the San
Francisco-based legislator reminded Members of Congress that:

"In 1944, noted jurist and scholar, Raphael Lemkin looked to a previous
generation when he coined the word `genocide’ to describe the systematic
annihilation of the Jewish people by the Nazis. Lemkin was thinking of
the Turkish attempt in 1915 to extinguish from this earth the ancient
community of Armenians living within
the Ottoman Empire. Ironically, Hitler had also referred to the
extermination of the Armenians when he spoke of his plans for the Jewish
people in 1939: `Who, after all, speaks today of the Armenians,’ Hitler
said."

In June of 1996, speaking in support of a Congressional measure,
authored by Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) to cut aid to Turkey until it
ended its denial of the Armenian Genocide, Congresswoman Pelosi argued
that:

"Passage of this [Radanovich] amendment will serve to deter the Turkish
government from pursuing their unconscionable cover-up of this
internationally recognized crime against humanity."

In his most recent column, Sassounian criticized the current Speaker as
someone who "not o – nly has broken his pledge repeatedly, but has
actively blocked the Armenian Genocide resolution from being brought to
a floor vote." He stressed that, "On Nov. 7, members of the Armenian
American community should vote for all those [House] candidates,
regardless of their party affiliation, who are supportive of Armenian
issues. In the case of equally
supportive candidates in a particular race, the preference should be
given to the o – ne who is a Democrat in order to secure a Democratic
majority in the House, helping make Congresswoman Pelosi the next
Speaker, which will enable her to schedule a long overdue vote o – n the
Armenian Genocide resolution."

Posted by Jim Boren on October 25, 2006 08:35 AM

Imedi TV, Georgia
27 Oct 06

ETHNIC ARMENIAN MOVEMENT RALLIES IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA TO DEMAND
RELEASE OF LEADER

[Presenter] Supporters of the Javakhk movement are holding a rally in
front of the cultural centre in Akhalkalaki [a predominantly ethnic
Armenian town in southern Georgia]. The Javakhk members are calling
for one of their leaders, Vakhtang (?Chakhalyan), to be released.
Chakhalyan was one of those behind the seizure of the local
administration building in Akhalkalaki on 8 October. He is being held
in Yerevan. Young people appeared at the rally in special outfits
with Armenian flags on their sleeves. Political statements are being
made at the rally.

[Arab Batoyan, addressing crowd in Russian] Those who want to improve
their lives risk being arrested. Today it will be for illegally
crossing the border but tomorrow it could be for breathing in too
much air. We call on the leaders of Armenia and Georgia not to
resolve their problems at the expense of the future of Javakhk
[Javakheti] and to take into account the interests of our people. We
gathered here to demand the immediate release of illegally detained
Chakhalyan. Thank you.

[Artur Polosyan, captioned as Javakhk member, addressing crowd in
Russian] In all these years not one job has been created. The
government of this country promised to create thousands of jobs in
Akhalkalaki to replace those lost when the Russian military base is
withdrawn. However, that has not yet happened. That could lead to a
tense social and economic situation. It is not possible to resolve
social and economic problems in the region just by painting the
facades of buildings.

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 27 2006

ARMENIANS ARE FOR PEACE SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

The results of the poll conducted by the Armenian Sociological
Association and the Gallup Institute among 1200 residents of Armenia
suggest that the majority of the people of Armenia are for a peace
settlement of the Karabakh conflict, reports the ARKA news agency.

82 percent of the respondents voted for a peace settlement, 17
percent think if necessity arises, a military settlement is possible,
1 percent did not vote. 41 percent think that in the future NKR may
become a region of Armenia, 31 percent think NKR will become a
sovereign region in Armenia, and 27 percent think that NKR will
remain an independent state. None of the respondents sees Karabakh in
Azerbaijan.

75 percent of the respondents emphasize the importance of settling
the issue in the nearest future, 21 percent consider it rather
important, 2 percent consider it not very important, and only for 0.3
percent the rapid settlement of the Karabakh issue is not important.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITV, Azerbaijan
26 Oct 06

AZERI CAPITAL HOSTS INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON ARMS SMUGGLING

[Presenter] The working group on prevention of illegal circulation of
munitions and radioactive materials of the international conference
on border issues has held a regular meeting in Baku. One of the main
issues of concern discussed at the meeting was illegal circulation of
munitions and radioactive materials in Azerbaijan’s territories
occupied by the Armenian armed forces.

[Correspondent over video of meeting] The Azerbaijani State Border
Service intends to further step up its cooperation with the working
group of the international conference on border issues in order to
ensure the security of major energy projects like the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [oil pipeline] and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum [gas
pipeline].

It was also noted at the Baku-hosted meeting of the working group
that as a country that has suffered from terrorism Azerbaijan
attaches great importance to international cooperation in ensuring
the security of its energy projects, as well as its borders.

[Farhad Tagizada, captioned as member of the working group, with
Azeri voice-over] Ensuring of Azerbaijan’s energy security is
important to Europe, too. In this sense, there is always a need for
joint security measures and exchange of experience.

[Correspondent] A member of the working group, Farhad Tagizada,
voiced his concern at the fact that Azerbaijani territories remain
under occupation by the Armenian armed forces.

[Tagizada] Azerbaijan is a country that has suffered from terrorism.
More than 2,000 people have died in more than 30 terrorist attacks in
Azerbaijan in the past few years. In addition, 20 per cent of
Azerbaijan’s territory are still occupied by the Armenian armed
forces. A total of 132 km of Azerbaijan’s border are uncontrolled.
Arms and radioactive materials are illegally circulated in the
occupied territory. We hope that this meeting of the working group
will give an impetus to taking relevant steps in this area, too.

[Correspondent] Besides Azerbaijan, representatives of the border
services of Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Hungary, the USA, Russia
and Georgia attended the meeting.

Work done to prevent illegal circulation of munitions and radioactive
materials, the expertise of the world’s leading countries in this
area and other issues were discussed and specific recommendations
were adopted at the meeting.

The guests will familiarize themselves with the work of the Caspian
Sea coast guard of the Azerbaijani State Border Service on 27
October.

Azeri Press Agency
Oct 26 2006

ARMENIANS BEEF UP MILITARY PRESENCE IN OCCUPIED AZERI LANDS

Baku, 26 October: The Armenian armed forces have started bringing
extra armoured hardware and troops to the occupied Azerbaijani lands.
The concentration of armoured hardware and troops is being observed
along the front line in the occupied section of [Azerbaijan’s] Agdam
District, APA’s Karabakh bureau reported.

The permanent movement of lorries to the front line in this area is
also observed. Since December 2005, the Armenian armed forces have
been strengthening their positions and building new fortifications in
the occupied Azerbaijani lands.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress