Month: November 2006

BIGGEST WINNERS: HOUSE DEMOCRATS
Inside Bay Area (California)
November 8, 2006 Wednesday
WASHINGTON — Parochially speaking, the Republicans’ Capitol Hill
loss could be California’s gain.
When the 110th Congress is sworn in next January, a Californian will
hold the most powerful position in the House of Representatives. At
least 17 other California House Democrats are likewise poised by dint
of seniority to chair committees or subcommittees.
“It’s always great to have people in leadership, from either party,
from your state,” noted Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced.
The full impact of Tuesday’s election will unfold over time, as House
Democrats adjust to their newfound majority status.
There will be unforeseeable ripple effects, as one change begets
another. “There’s a lot of jockeying that’s going to happen before
the end of the year,” Cardoza said.
Still, the ascension of Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco to House
speaker will give the Golden State considerable clout. She will be
the first Californian to take the House’s top job, as well as the
first woman.
As speaker, Pelosi will direct what bills reach the House floor. She
picks who gets plum assignments. She appoints House negotiators who
compromise with the Senate. She will be in earmark heaven, shaping
legislative bottom lines to her satisfaction.
“It’s a big step forward,” said Vic Fazio, a Washington lobbyist who
formerly represented the Sacramento Valley in the House. “For the
region, it’s actually quite good.”
Pelosi’s top lieutenants are likewise attuned to California’s
appetites. They include close advisers like Rep. George Miller,
D-Concord, and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Eureka. Pelosi’s chief of staff,
John Lawrence, holds a doctorate in history from the University of
California, Berkeley, and cut his political teeth on Central Valley
water politics.
Californians will chair at least five full committees, if seniority
prevails.
Miller will take over the House Education and the Workforce
Committee. Even the committee’s name might change. When Democrats
controlled Congress, they symbolically saluted their union allies by
calling the panel the Education and Labor Committee.
More substantively, Pelosi has promised that within the “first 100
hours” of the new Congress, Democrats will emphasize six priorities
that include increasing the national minimum wage to $7.25 an hour,
up from the current $5.15. California’s current minimum wage is $6.75.
The wage hike could still flounder amid Senate and White House
resistance. So could other House Democratic priorities, like the
costly proposal to screen 100percent of the 7million-plus ocean cargo
containers that arrive annually in Oakland, Long Beach and other ports.
Currently, inspectors reach only about 5 percent of seaborne containers
entering the United States.
“It is realistic to set out an agenda,” said Tim Ransdell, executive
director of the California Institute for Federal Policy Studies. “It
is less realistic to think that every item on a grand wish list can
be achieved.”
Another Bay Area lawmaker, Rep. Tom Lantos of San Mateo, is the senior
Democrat on the House International Relations Committee. The panel
will certainly become a forum for critiquing Iraq policies.
More narrowly, fresh hearings are likely for ethnic political disputes,
such as an Armenian genocide resolution favored by San Joaquin Valley
lawmakers.
The House Government Reform Committee under Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los
Angeles, will aggressively investigate the Bush administration.
Californians are likewise in line to chair committees handling ethics
and House administration.
The state’s defense industry is watching whether Los Angeles Democrat
Jane Harman will head the House intelligence panel. She has the
seniority and is lobbying hard, but she’s at odds with Pelosi, who
handpicks the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Besides committees, power will flow anew to certain coalitions.
Cardoza and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, are among 37 members of the
Blue Dog coalition. The centrist Democrats seek more influence,
bridging the gap between Democratic liberals and moderate Republicans.
“We will have to shift into defensive mode,” said Rep. Devin Nunes,
R-Visalia. “This will mean working in a coalition with the Blue Dogs,
to stop bad things for the Valley from coming through.”
California is also losing some stature. The House water and power
subcommittee responsible for shepherding a San Joaquin River settlement
bill, for instance, is now passing from the hands of Republican
Rep. George Radanovich of Mariposa.
“I think the Valley agenda will be the same,” predicted Rep. Richard
Pombo, R-Tracy, “but it will be much harder to get things done.”

PELOSI’S RISING STAR A BEACON FOR CALIFORNIA
By Michael Doyle, Bee Washington Bureau
Modesto Bee
Sacramento Bee
November 8, 2006 Wednesday
Parochially speaking, the Republicans’ Capitol Hill loss could be
California’s gain.
When the 110th Congress is sworn in in January, a Californian will
hold the most powerful position in the House of Representatives. At
least 17 other California House Democrats likewise are poised by dint
of seniority to lead committees or subcommittees.
“It’s always great to have people in leadership, from either party,
from your state,” noted Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced.
The full impact of Tuesday’s election will unfold over time, as House
Democrats adjust to their newfound majority status. There will be
unforeseeable ripple effects, as one change begets another.
“There’s a lot of jockeying that’s going to happen before the end of
the year,” Cardoza said.
Still, the ascension of Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco to House
speaker will give the Golden State considerable clout. She will be
the first Californian to take the House’s top job, as well as the
first woman.
As speaker, Pelosi will direct which bills reach the House floor.
She picks who gets plum assignments. She appoints House negotiators
who compromise with the Senate. She will be in earmark heaven,
shaping legislative bottom lines to her satisfaction.
“It’s a big step forward,” said Vic Fazio, a Washington lobbyist who
formerly represented the Sacramento Valley in the House. “For the
region, it’s actually quite good.”
Pelosi’s top lieutenants are likewise attuned to California’s
appetites. They include close advisers such as Rep. George Miller,
D-Concord, and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Eureka. Pelosi’s chief of staff,
John Lawrence, holds a doctorate in history from the University of
California at Berkeley and cut his political teeth with Central Valley
water politics.
FIVE COMMITTEES LIKELY FOR STATE REPS.
Californians would lead at least five full committees, if seniority
prevails.
Miller would take over the House Education and the Workforce
Committee. Even the committee’s name might change. When Democrats
previously controlled Congress, they symbolically saluted their union
allies by calling the panel the Education and Labor Committee.
More substantively, Pelosi has promised that within the “first 100
hours” of the new Congress, Democrats will emphasize six priorities
that include increasing the national minimum wage to $7.25 an hour,
up from $5.15. California’s current minimum wage is $6.75 an hour.
The wage hike still could founder amid Senate and White House
resistance. So could other House Democratic priorities, like the
costly proposal to screen 100 percent of the 7-million-plus ocean
cargo containers that arrive annually in Oakland, Long Beach and
the nation’s other ports. Inspectors reach only about 5 percent of
seaborne containers entering the United States.
“It is realistic to set out an agenda,” said Tim Ransdell, executive
director of the California Institute for Federal Policy Studies. “It
is less realistic to think that every item on a grand wish list can
be achieved.”
Another Bay Area lawmaker, Rep. Tom Lantos of San Mateo, is the senior
Democrat on the House International Relations Committee. The panel
certainly would become a forum for critiquing Iraq policies.
More narrowly, fresh hearings are likely for ethnic political disputes,
such as an Armenian genocide resolution favored by San Joaquin Valley
lawmakers.
The House Government Reform Committee under Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los
Angeles, would aggressively investigate the Bush administration.
Californians are likewise in line to run committees handling ethics
and House administration.
The state’s defense industry is watching whether Los Angeles Democrat
Jane Harman will head the House intelligence panel. She has the
seniority and is lobbying hard, but she’s at odds with Pelosi, who
hand-picks the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
Besides committees, power will flow anew to certain coalitions.
BLUE DOGS SEEN AS KEY FOR VALLEY
Cardoza and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, are among 37 members of the
Blue Dog coalition. The centrist Democrats seek more influence,
bridging the gap between Democratic liberals and moderate Republicans.
“We will have to shift into defensive mode,” said Rep. Devin Nunes,
R-Visalia. “This will mean working in a coalition with the Blue Dogs,
to stop bad things for the valley from coming through.”
California also is losing some stature. The House water and power
subcommittee responsible for shepherding a San Joaquin River settlement
bill, for instance, is passing from the hands of Republican Rep. George
Radanovich of Mariposa.
“I think the valley agenda will be the same,” predicted Rep. Richard
Pombo, R-Tracy, who held a slim lead in his race at press time “but
it will be much harder to get things done.”

Armenian Library & Museum of America, Inc.
65 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-926-2562 ext. 3
Fax: 617-926-0175
Contact Person: Mariam Stepanyan
Website:
November 13, 2006
Press Release: For Immediate Release
THE WORD OF GOD: Armenian Illuminations
Featuring Herra Karagozyan’s Collection
In celebration of the 1600th anniversary of the Armenian alphabet,
the Armenian Library & Museum of America (ALMA) will be exhibiting
a unique collection of 30 artworks of ornamental letters inspired by
medieval illuminations. The plates, originally drawn by master-restorer
Herra Karagozyan, represent samples of ornamentations drawn from the
thousands of manuscripts housed in the Mesrop Mashtots Matenadaran, the
Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia. The collection
on exhibit enables the visitors to view the evolution of the art of
ornamentation from 9th to late 15th centuries in Armenia.
The development of ornamentation in Armenian manuscripts emerged
with the creation of the Armenian alphabet in the 5th century
and the development of written literature. The tradition started
gradually: initially, ornamentations appeared on the title pages of the
manuscripts, and later, in “khorans”, in margins, and in the details
of dominical and plot-oriented miniatures and on surrounding areas.
Zoomorphic, floral, and geometrical motifs, as well as heavenly
bodies and architectural structures were predominantly used in
Armenian ornamentation. The art of illuminations flourished in the
12th-14th centuries in the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Of all schools
of illuminations, the Cilician school is unique in the brilliance of
ornamentations and opulence of colors, including the application of
gold leaf to the manuscripts. Manuscripts became one of the original
places for the practice of Armenian fine art. The forms and colors of
these ornamentations were lasting creations of talented illuminators,
who were gifted with infinite imagination, limitless creativity,
and subtle taste.
One such contemporary artist was the celebrated miniature artist and
manuscript restorer Herra Karagozyan. A student of the famed Lidia
Durnova’s school of art restoration and reproduction in Yerevan,
Karagozyan was considered one of the most talented modern restorers,
particularly due to her fine perception of colors, keen artistic
taste, skillful drawings, and extraordinary attention to detail. Her
renditions of medieval manuscripts and frescos were difficult to
differentiate from the originals. Karagozyan worked for decades as a
restorer in the Matenadaran, and her works have been exhibited at the
National Art Gallery of Armenia and in Matenadaran. She worked on the
restoration and reproduction of the manuscripts of Gndevank and Haghpat
monasteries in Armenia and the St. Khach and St. Nshan monasteries
in the Crimea. Herra Karagozyan also participated in the restoration
of the frescoes painted by Hakob Hovnatan in the Echmiadzin Cathedral.
The exhibit of this unique art collection will be on display at
ALMA’s Terjenian-Thomas Gallery through January 31, 2007. Museum is
open to public on Thursday 6-pm, Friday and Sunday 1-5pm and Saturday
10am-2pm. For more information please contact ALMA offices 617.926.2562
or visit the website

ARMENIAN OFFICER’S LEG AMPUTATED AT AMERICAN HOSPITAL
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
Georgy Nalbandyan, officer of the Armenian contingent in Iraq was
injured, and his leg was amputated at the American hospital. The U.S.
Embassy expressed its deepest concern for the Armenian soldier who was
injured in Iraq, as well as its condolences for the Polish and Slovak
soldiers who were killed during the incident. “Armenia’s contingent
in Iraq is carrying out the extremely important but dangerous work
of bringing peace and democracy to the country. The injured Armenian
solider is receiving the best medical care available, and we would
like to thank him and his Armenian colleagues for their vital role
in the international coalition fighting the global war on terror,”
runs the message of the U.S. Embassy to Armenia.

PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-10) 52-35-31
Email: [email protected]
Web:
Minister Oskanian in Brussels for Armenia-EU Cooperation Council and
Karabakh Talks
Minister Oskanian is in Brussels to participate in the 7th session
of the Armenia-EU Partnership and Cooperation Council. Together with
the foreign ministers of Georgia and Azerbaijan, Minister Oskanian
met with the EU leadership — the Foreign Minister of Finland, which
holds the EU Presidency, the Secretary of State of Germany which will
hold the Presidency in the first half of 2007 as well as EU High
Representative, Javier Solana, and External Relations Commissioner
Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
During the first day’s dinner meeting, the participants discussed
developments in the region, including Caucasus states’ relations
with neighbors, and also prospects for regional cooperation. Regional
conflicts, especially Nagorno Karabakh, were the focus of much of the
discussion, particularly in light of the upcoming meeting between the
foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The dinner meeting was
followed by a press conference, during which Minister Oskanian thanked
the EU for its persistence in concluding the Action Plan process.
He also noted that “this year’s meeting of the Partnership
and Cooperation Council will be particularly memorable because
it represents the beginning of a new chapter – for each of us
individually, for our relations with the EU, and for the EU itself.”
The meeting was followed by a Press Conference. On November 14,
during the formal Council meeting the European Neighborhood Policy
Action Plan will be adopted.

from the November 14, 2006 edition –
html < .html>
New push to resolve after-effects of USSR’s forgotten war
The Minsk Group meets in Brussels Tuesday in a fresh attempt to break
the deadlock over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region
By Fred Weir | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
SABIRABAD, AZERBAIJAN
Since being driven from her family’s comfortable farmhouse in eastern
Azerbaijan by Armenian forces 14 years ago, Salbeh Suleimanova has
raised four children in a canvas-roofed mud hut , making do with
state assistance worth about $40 per month in this squalid refugee
camp of 10,000 people.
But she has never stopped yearning for her home, now occupied by
Armenians, 100 miles down the road.
“Not a day goes by that we don’t dream of liberation, going back to
our own place,” she says. “I don’t feel any hatred, but I’m always
angry. No one should have to live like this.”
Ms. Suleimanova is among the nearly 1 million Azeris and 400,000
Armenians uprooted from their homes in the Soviet Union’s longest,
bloodiest, and – in the West – most widely forgotten war.
As the USSR was crumbling in 1998, brutal ethnic cleansing erupted
between this region’s Muslim Azeris and Christian Armenians, and the
subsequent war left 30,000 dead.
The trigger: Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave claimed by Azerbaijan but
populated mainly by Armenians, which had enjoyed autonomous status
under the USSR.
The Minsk Group – co-chaired by Russia, France, and the US – meets
Tuesday in a fresh attempt to break the deadlock over Nagorno-Karabakh,
after a dozen years of fruitless international diplomatic efforts.
But with a region-wide military buildup in full swing, and impatience
with the flagging peace talks mounting, some experts fear renewed
warfare is growing more possible.
“The negotiating process is in a serious crisis,” says Sergei
Markedonov, a regional expert with the independent Institute of
Political and Military Analysis in Moscow. “There is absolutely no
confidence between any of the parties to this war.”
Mutual recrimination persists
Tuesday’s meeting brings the Azeri and Armenian foreign ministers
together in Brussels, but there is a new complication: Nagorno-Karabakh
last month adopted a local constitution that declares the tiny statelet
a “sovereign, democratic and independent” nation.
Similar to Monday’s independence referendum in Georgia’s breakaway
South Ossetia region, which passed with 99 percent support, the move
is largely symbolic – but fiercely contested.
“The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is not a subject for
negotiation,” says Azeribaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, in a meeting
with visiting journalists.
“The Armenian position is based on dreams and desires,” he says. “They
think their temporary military advantage gives them the right to think
that Nagorno-Karabakh can be separated from Azerbaijan and joined to
Armenia. This will not happen.”
Mr. Aliyev says he’s willing to grant the region’s Armenians “autonomy”
under Azerbaijani rule, but only if all Azeri refugees are allowed
to return to their former homes.
Azeri officials refuse to even discuss, however, any possible return
for the nearly half-million ethnic Armenians who were expelled from
the capital, Baku, and other Azeri cities amid the USSR collapse.
Petro-sweepstakes winner
Azerbaijan, once one of the poorest republics of the former Soviet
Union, has won the petro-sweepstakes over the past three years.
As major Caspian oil and gasfields have come on-stream, the little
Caucasus country’s economy is set to grow by a third this year alone,
while the state budget has quadrupled since 2004.
British Petroleum’s Baku-Ceyhan pipeline opened this year, and will
be pumping 1 million barrels of Caspian crude daily to Western markets
by 2009.
Oil money could fuel military
With its burgeoning wealth and growing role in global energy security,
Azerbaijan is rising dramatically in strategic importance. The US
has courted Aliyev as an ally in the global war on terror, and the
Islamic world’s only leader of a predominately Shiite nation who
champions secular government and pro-Western policies.
“Azerbaijani oil is making a difference already,” in world petroleum
markets, says Peter Sinott, an expert at Brooklyn College, in New
York. “Baku’s oil revenues will grow substantially for the next five
years, but what will they do with it?”
One thing Aliyev intends to do is build a world class war machine
. Azerbaijan’s military expenditures have exploded, from $135
million in 2003 to a projected $1 billion next year. That’s part of
a Caucasus-wide trend, which will see Armenian armed forces’ spending
grow by 22 percent, to $212 million in 2007. Georgia’s defense budget
also leapt from $146 million in 2005 to $218 million this year,
according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
“We are in a situation of war, and we must be strong,” says Aliyev.
But he quickly adds his belief that time is on Azerbaijan’s side,
as oil revenues transform his country into a modern, diversified
economy. “We are negotiating, but we understand that if you are strong,
your negotiating position becomes stronger.”
But that long-term view may not play well in Azerbaijan’s hinterland,
where refugees from the Karabakh war make up more than 10 percent of
the population.
Temporary solution
In Bilesuvar, an Azeri town near the Iranian border, Yagoub Aleskerov
is one of thousands of refugees who’ve recently been resettled from
a Sabirabad-type camp by the Azeri government.
He’s been given a comfortable two-room matchbox house with a small
plot of land to grow vegetables. Despite the radical improvement in
his conditions, however, Mr. Aleskerov remains bitter.
“This is just temporary,” he says. “The president has promised us
that we will return to our homes, and that’s the only thing we’re
waiting for.”
Makhmoud Goulayev, the district head in Bilesuvar, suggests
Mr. Aleskerov is not alone in his discontent.
“People here are very angry, and they want action against the
Armenians,” says Makhmoud Goulayev, district head in Bilesuvar.
“The aggressors must be punished. If the peaceful way doesn’t work
to return our lands, then we shall have to find other methods.”
<; | Copyright © 2006 The Christian Science Monitor. All rights reserved. --Boundary_(ID_GYmnTWE+AmN0lHPrjsqDqw)- -

TRADE IN BIG-BOX CHRISTMAS FOR SOMETHING FAIRER
By Susan Semenak, The Gazette
The Gazette (Montreal)
November 13, 2006 Monday
Final Edition
Social Justice Group holds sale of exploitation-free goods
Looking to get a headstart on Christmas shopping? Want to do some
good while you’re at it?
[parts omitted]
A group of young Montrealers of Armenian descent are doing their part
to make a difference. The Armenagan youth club of the Tekeyan Cultural
Association of Montreal held a very successful Bal des Debutantes on
Nov. 4.
This young group, led by the dedicated Florida Balian, worked for
more than two months to prepare and organize the gala event, during
which 10 young couples were presented to the audience.
It wasn’t just for fun, either. The ball was organized to raise funds
for the youth group’s trip to Armenia next summer. Their aim is to
participate in a construction or renovation project in one of four
Tekeyan schools in Armenia.
The funds raised in Montreal will be used for the purchase of materials
as well as the hiring of local professionals.
Tax-free donations can be made to the Tekeyan Cultural Association
(Armenia project) and sent to 825 Manoogian St., St. Laurent H4N 1Z5.
Seats are filling up fast for another Armenian community event: the
Armenian General Benevolent Union’s 514 Poker Series. The no-limit
Texas Hold’em charity poker tournament will take place at Armina
Reception Hall in Laval (1003C Cure Labelle Blvd.) on Saturday, Nov.
18, at 6 p.m.
The grand prize is a trip for two to Las Vegas and a seat at the Main
Event at the 2007 World Series of Poker. The top 10 finishers will
also receive prizes.
The player fee for the tournament is $125, which includes cocktails
and sandwiches.
For information and tickets, call Admission at 514-790-1245, visit
its website at or email AGBU at [email protected].

REBORN OPERA HOUSE WILL HIT A HIGH NOTE
By Susan Doolan
Barrie Examiner (Ontario, Canada)
November 11, 2006 Saturday
Opera has arrived in Barrie.
Opera Bel Canto of South Simcoe turns to Barrie next weekend to follow
its inaugural hit performance with another operatic showcase.
The opera company, based out of the Beeton area, has ambitious plans to
resurrect an 350-seat opera house down the road from that community,
but until it is complete has chosen Barrie as its home base to stage
all of its concerts.
The 35-member choir draws from all over the county, south to Toronto
and north to Muskoka. It is opera singer, conductor, and voice
teacher David Varjabed who has attracted these talented singers to
the professional level non-profit opera company.
“The reason we started this company is because there is a lot of
talent in the area and they’ve got no place to go, no prospects,
“Varjabed said, adding that Bel Canto is also a training ground for
singers he maintains are better than the Canadian Opera Company.
“This region should be proud of them,” he said. “This opera company
will be the place for people starting their professional career and
to go much broader in the future.”
He would know, as Varjabed has sung professionally all over the globe
for three decades.
Born in Armenia, he first appeared in La Traviata in 1971 while still
at school, studying for his masters in opera performance and voice
pedagogy at the Komitas National Conservatory in Yerevan, Armenia,
and came to Canada in 1974, at the age of 20. He was immediately
accepted in to the Canadian opera company with a five- year contract.
Once established here, he brought his wife and baby daughter over.
He started the opera company last year, encouraged by the community,
once members of local arts council and county council discovered
his presence in Cafe Maestro, a coffee shop belonging to his son,
located on the main street in Beeton. “Everybody was asking ‘who,
what and why are you not doing something (musical) for this area’,”
Varjabed said. “So they grabbed me.”
Varjabed, a baritone, is trained in the bel canto technique, an Italian
voice-training style of breathing and projection that is unique to
Italy, and the reason so many of that country’s opera singers have
become so famous.
Translated bel canto means beautiful singing.
Operatic Showcase II features the company chorus, nine soloists, a
15-member orchestra and guest pianist Adolfo De Santis. Varjabed has
selected well-known excepts from popular operas such as La Boheme,
Don Carlo, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Don Giovanni, and the Marriage
of Figaro, among other works, for the program.
The concert takes place Saturday, Nov. 18 at First Christian Reformed
Church, 33 Shirley Ave., Barrie, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Admission is
$30 for adults, $20 for seniors. For tickets, call 435- 3730.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE REMAINS URGENT PROBLEM IN NAGORNO KARABAKH
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
Although many people connected the problem of the NKR presidential
election with the adoption of the draft constitution by the parliament,
the meeting of parliament on November 1 did not bring about anything
important. The members of parliament approved the draft constitution,
which will be put to popular voting. The rumors about the relation
between the decision of the parliament and the upcoming presidential
election have diminished. The country is going to hold a referendum and
find out the attitude of the citizens of NKR towards the constitution.
It is possible that more people have realized that one decision or
another of President Arkady Ghukasyan on his further political career
has little relation to the Constitution. Moreover, in his October
11 statement President Ghukasyan explained his decision by other
circumstances than the adoption.
Certainly, the general political problems also have importance, both
home and international. Despite deep doubts about the statement of
President Ghukasyan (most people detect symptoms of preparations for
a third term in the actions of his team), some aides are asserting the
president’s unlikelihood to run a third term. Moreover, the discussion
about the new president is said to be underway among his aides.
One way or another, both the government and the society are facing the
necessity to discuss the problem of electing a new president of NKR. In
this connection, Nagorno Karabakh is specific. The usual practice of
waiting until the next president is named will not work here. First,
NKR is a small country and everyone knows in person the figures around
the president. And in this connection, President Ghukasyan cannot be
proud at all. He has been heard speak about the difficulty of naming
the next president.
Of course, this does not mean that there are no candidates
in Karabakh. Most probably, there are no candidates around the
president. The names of the Secretary of State Security Bako Sahakyan
and Speaker Ashot Ghulyan mentioned recently hardly mean anything to
the society. And if the public is not delighted about these persons
who have a negative image, other high-ranking officials around the
president, as the results of polls suggest, are not perceived by the
society as new leaders of NKR.
This circumstance shows that the figures, who are not seen beside
President Ghukasyan, will most probably have a greater chance to
be named. These are not only figures from the opposition but also
government officials, who belong to the so-called reformist branch
of the government. This state of things appears natural, considering
another specific feature of the political life in NKR.
Here there is no gap between the government system and the society
unlike other post-Soviet states. In other words, the visible opposition
of forces is between the top officials and pro-government members of
parliament on one side and the society with the majority of public
officials on the other. This circumstance undoubtedly acquires a
political meaning. The example was the election of the mayor of
Stepanakert in 2004 when the candidate of the opposition Edward
Aghabekyan was supported by not only the society but also most
public officials, which helped the candidate of the opposition win
the election.
It is not accidental that presently the attention of the society
focuses on the deputy minister of foreign affairs Masis Mayilyan. The
loyalty of even the radical opposition and the mass media to this
figure is already evident. If the events develop similarly, it is
possible that naming a new president of Nagorno Karabakh will be
based on a scheme of an expansive consensus among the society of NKR.
This is an interesting phenomenon against the background of the
underdeveloped party systems of such states like NKR, and the social
and economic reality typical of the rule of the same regime lasting
for a decade.
It is clear that the traditional influence of the government and
political forces of Armenia will also be observed in the upcoming
presidential race in Nagorno Karabakh. However, with the current
state of indefiniteness in Armenia this influence will hardly have
a deciding role. There can be a sudden shift in this influence only
in case of an inadequate behavior of President Ghukasyan, for the
rumors about the third term in NKR is widely perceived in Armenia
as an effort to create as a precedent for Armenia. In the context of
the upcoming elections in Armenia the idea of this precedent arouses
a strong nihilistic approach not only among the opposition but also
the potential presidential candidates in Armenia.

A NEW STEP FORWARD IN DEMOCRATIZATION OF NAGORNO KARABAGH REPUBLIC
Yerkir, Armenia
Nov 13 2006
On November 1 the National Assembly of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic
approved the decision of holding a referendum on the draft constitution
of Nagorno Karabagh Republic.
Armenian Revolutionary Federation’s Artsakh organization has repeatedly
stressed the importance of adopting the Constitution of Nagorno
Karabagh Republic considering it one of the most urgent issues to
be addressed.
ARF has always had its representatives in the committees dealing with
adoption of the constitution. In the end of 1990’s ARF even developed
its draft of the constitution. Both ARF’s Artsakh organization and
the Deputy Group “ARF-Movement 88” participated actively in the
elaboration of the draft constitution.
We voted for putting this draft of the constitution for a referendum
because in addition to adoption of more than three dozens of proposals
we stress the importance of stating in the constitution a provision
on the territories, clear separation of power, limitation of the
president’s and government’s competencies and strengthening the role of
the National Assembly, introducing the main changes in the judiciary,
establishing the institute of the ombudsperson, etc.
All this derives from ARF’s strategic interests that are stated
in ARF’s Programme and the election platform of the ARF-Movement
88 deputy group. ARF’s Programme states, “Democracy is anchored on
respect for human and civil rights and liberties.
It protects pluralism, multi-party system and fundamental freedoms
of speech, conscience, media, and work. Democracy is characterized
by the individual’s right for free and equal vote and equality of
free citizens in front of the law.
It ensures free and unrestricted expression of the people’s will
and people’s full participation in political, social, economic
and cultural life through various organizations and representative
institutions thus making the interaction between the state and the
people efficient. Democracy is characterized by separation and balance
of legislative, judicial and executive powers”.
The electoral platform of ARF-Movement 88 Deputy Group states,
“ARF-Movement 88 Deputy Group believes the consolidation of the public
administration and judicial systems must be anchored on the following
principles. Adoption of Nagorno Karabagh Republic’s constitution
through wide discussion among the population and the political forces
and finally a referendum is of crucial importance.
It will ensure separation of legislative, executive and judicial power
clearly defining their functions and the mechanisms for mutual checks
and balances.
– In order to further promote democracy it is necessary to limit the
competencies of the president strengthening the National Assembly
instead.
– In the unity of democratic principles and the interests of the nation
state we must follow the principle that democracy is the foundation
for establishment of political institutions of the Armenian nation,
and is the main guarantee for recognition of Artsakh’s right to
self-determination.
It should be stated that some proposals made by ARF-Movement 88
Deputy Group were not accepted, among them, the proposal to make
the posts of heads of administrations elected, the proposals to
prohibit those engaged in the law enforcement system to engage in
political activities, invalidate the Law on the President, make the
provisions for protection of heads of communities more clear-cut,
establishment of a professional parliament starting in 2010. However,
we will have an opportunity to pursue some of these proposals in the
future through our legislative activities (for instance the issue of
professional parliament, or the protection of heads of communities).
By voting for the draft constitution of Nagorno Karabagh Republic
we will make another step forward on the way of state building and
consolidation in Nagorno Karabagh.
“Aparazh” (“Rock”), Stepanakert
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress