Month: November 2006

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
ARMENIA JOINS TRANSASIAN RAILWAY NETWORK CREATION PROGRAM
BUSAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Armenia and 17 other countries,
including Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and Russia signed an agreement in
the city of Busan (South Korea), by which they envisage to create a
branchy network of railways that will join Asia and Europe. According
to Radio Liberty, under this program initiated in the UN as far back
as the 1960s and now called “Railway Silk Road”, the railaways will
pass through 28 countries covering over 80 thousand kilometers.
The RA Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication Hrant Beglarian
told Associated Press that Armenia with its only railway exit to a
Georgian port hopes that implementation of the program will allow to
reduce the price of transported goods. “Any regional program related
to cooperation in the sphere of transport is very important for us,”
the deputy minister stated.
According to preliminary calculations, new railways of a total of
6,500 km will be constructed, which will require about 2.5 bln USD.

Aravot, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
LONG LASTING TREATMENT
If you aren’t sick in cough or tonsillitis but in a serious chronic
disease, each conscientious physician will tell you: 2-3 months
lasting treatment may have a short- date effect, you must do my
demands in all your life, or at least for years. And the sick person
must be consistent; otherwise the organism will again catch that
disease.
In this case, it is meaningless to hold 10 days or a month of
security traffic. The drivers and passengers who used to break the
rules of traffic won’t learn the rules in a month. They won’t respect
the laws so soon. Or another example; the policemen make the buses
stop only on bus stops and not there where the drivers want. If that
obligation lasts a day or a month or even a year, it won’t be useful.
But if the policemen do it for three years, stopping on bus stops
will become a conditional reflex for drivers.
It’s all the same in every sphere. The entrance examinations for the
institutes of higher education will be replaced by final examinations
at schools in the coming summer, the schools will produce false marks
of their pupils to the institutes of higher education. Which is the
antidote? The Institute mustn’t accept graduates from the schools,
which have produced false marks for about five years. So the school
will understand that falsifying the mark is meaningless.
If the prosecutor’s office brings a criminal case by «slander»
accusation, no TV Company will show the same material given by the
ruling clique. Certainly we may accuse A. Hovsepian for double
standards: on the one hand he suggests to put the right hand on the
Bible, on the other hand when anybody suspects him he calls that
person to his office and investigates. But the Prosecutor is right:
we, the media representatives must train such kind of readers and TV
watchers for whom reading each `compromise’ won’t be interesting. It
is a problem for 50 year every day work.
Aram Abrahamian

Aravot, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
SLAP IN THE POLICE SYSTEM
The Police haven’t detected yet the attack on former Minister of
Internal Affairs, general Suren Abrahamian.
Deputy chief of RA Police Ararat Mahtesian has informed Panorama.am
lately that those who have attacked on Suren Abrahamian haven’t been
detected yet. «We have carried out a great work, interrogated a lot
of persons, have made serious joint works but the event remains
undetected’, – Mr. Mahtesian said and added that Suren Abrahamian’s
neighbors had also been interrogated but in vain. And the deputy
chief of Police mentioned other reasons for not detecting the case.
«Mr. Abrahamian wasn’t able to testify in the first two days.’ The
correspondent understood from Mahtesian’s words that Suren Abrahamian
was himself guilty, as he didn’t testify at once though the police
have made an enormous work.
Suren Abrahamian told `Aravot’ on this occasion: `If there have a
problem to demonstrate a scaled work, our street a little short for
it, it will be better to interrogate inhabitants on Kievian street
or, perhaps, the whole Arabkir community». Mr. Abrahamian then said
more seriously: «Maybe Mahtesian doesn’t know that the person who
rendered first aid at the first second was a major of police, the
officer of central machinery. Frankly speaking, I don’t want to
accuse the investigator or operative official, as they are simply
executors, however they work. But now I want to ask a question. Has
this case been discussed once at any official of high rank? Who from
the ministers, deputy ministers or Yerevan municipal department did
place this case under control? These are elementary things the
importance of which I and professionals can understand».
The general affirmed again that the case was more a moral pain for
him than a physical: «But that slap didn’t cause so much damage to me
than to the whole system, they will reap the fruits of their actions
sooner or later. In my case I feel underlined negative attitudes of
the RA Police leadership towards my person but they don’t understand
that this will turn against them.
Defense Minister Serge Sargsian, replying to the observation as if
what happened to Suren Abrahamian was organized by the third power to
embroil internal political forces of Armenia had said: `What does the
third power mean, the second power has committed it which considers
these people as it enemies.’ Suren Abrahamian promised to speak about
these affirmations in the near future.
Anna Israelian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
MINISTER OF DEFENSE IS AGAINST SUSTAINING ARMY AT THE EXPENSE OF
OLIGARCHS

I am against boosting the army’s budget by extorting money from
oligarchs, stated the minister of defense Serge Sargsyan in a
briefing on November 10. During the meeting with the professors of
Yerevan State University, where the draft strategy of National
Security was discussed, there was a proposal to impose more taxes on
the oligarchs and boost the budget of the army, and the news
reporters inquired about Serge Sargsyan’s attitude towards this
proposal.
`There was no such opinion, they proposed extorting money from
oligarchs and transfering it to the army’s budget, and I am
categorically against it. And if legal taxes are concerned, why the
oligarchs only? The legal taxes should be collected, the black
economy should be battled. There is no reason for doubt,’ says Serge
Sargsyan.

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
SERGE SARGSYAN WILL NOT MEET ARMAN BABAJANYAN’S REQUEST

The commission of the Ministry of Defense discussed the application
of Arman Babajanyan, Editor-in-Chief of the Time Yerevan Newspaper,
and rejected it. On November 10 the minister of defense Serge
Sargsyan stated this to news reporters.
Arman Babajanyan was sentenced to four years of imprisonment for
forging documents and avoiding military service. Babajanyan appealed
to the Court of Cassation and the case is on trial. At the same time,
the editor-in-chief of the Time Yerevan Newspaper submitted an
application to the minister of defense on applying the law on
pardoning persons who avoided military service in 1992-2005 if the
latter pay a certain sum.
`We have a written conclusion, which runs that the commission cannot
attend to a cases if there is already a decision of the court. The
commission cannot be superior to the court,’ stated the minister of
defense. According to him, the commission has never attended to cases
if there is already a decision of the court.
It should be noted that several days ago Arman Babajanyan’s attorney
stated in a news conference that the decision of the court has not
come into force yet because the case is tried by the Court of
Cassation, which means that Arman Babajanyan remains under
prosecution.

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
VICTOR DALLAKYAN REMAINS NON-PARTISAN

On November 10 Member of Parliament Victor Dallakyan did not give a
clear answer to news reporters when he will enter the Bargavach
Hayastan Party. There have been rumors since spring 2006. `My
affiliation is not the most important political problem,’ stated
Victor Dallakyan. According to him, Bargavach Hayastan has not run in
any election yet, it is neither pro-government, nor opposition. It is
a new force.
This new force, as well as other old and new forces are distributing
aid, including potato and wheat seeds, free medical aid, all over the
country. In this connection, Victor Dallakyan says if the government
fulfilled its function, such things would not happen. `The government
fails to fulfill its functions, and benefactors replace it.’

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
PEOPLE ARE PREPARED FOR FAIR ELECTION, GOVERNMENT LACKS POLITICAL WILL

`Armenia suffers the complex of illegitimate elections and,
unfortunately, one of the underlying principles of democracy –
forming and changing government through an election – did not take
place in Armenia. In Armenia, change of power never took place
through elections,’ stated Member of Parliament Victor Dallakyan
November 10 at the Pastark Club. Victor Dallakyan thinks 2006 is a
pre-election year and political activity of the population thereof,
controversies inside the government, the possibility of the
opposition to form different poles, the issue of Nagorno Karabakh,
the end of the office of Robert Kocharyan, etc., may affect the
political situation in Armenia.
There are peculiarities. In 2003 the presidential election was held
first, then the parliamentary election, now we will elect parliament
in 2007 and president in 2008. `In 2003, the so-called coalition
joined their efforts to falsify the outcome of the presidential
election and got their share at the National Assembly and the
government. This time it will be more difficult because there are a
number of candidates both in the government and the opposition, and
they will hardly ally for the parliamentary election.’ The second
peculiarity is the situation after the conference of the Republican
Party. `The neutral and non-pro-government opposition may target at
the Republican Party because the Republican Party can be used in an
effort of reproduction of power.’ `There is an opportunity for a
peaceful change of power,’ states Victor Dallakyan. He is for a 100
percent proportional system of elections and fair elections. But if
the 100 percent proportional system was rejected, he will be
nominated in the electoral district of Vanadzor from where he was
elected three times, and if there are irregularities, Victor
Dallakyan will not keep silent.
And if the government has political will, they had better follow the
example of Georgia, where the representatives of the opposition were
the electoral commissions. Of course, the government needs vivid
fantasy for such moves. And according to Victor Dallakyan, even a
vivid fantasy cannot help imagine that in Armenia the ministry of
home affairs can hold elections like in France, or the tax and
customs agencies like in Sweden. In these countries nobody doubts
that the outcome of the election is fair.
Besides, Victor Dallakyan reminds the statements of the European and
American observers that in Armenia the public is ready for a fair
election, whereas the government lacks political will.

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
HAY DAT FACILITATES VICTORY OF DEMOCRATS

The excited and hopeful exclamations celebrating the victory of the
Democrats still can be heard in the Armenian Diaspora of the United
States, and the Armenian state propaganda machine guarantees
information support. Everyone expects that the bills on the
recognition of the Genocide, which were rejected formerly, will be
passed in a couple of minutes by the Democratic Congress. The
Armenian Diaspora, namely the Armenians who uphold Hay Dat (the
Armenian cause) are most probably in a state of amnesy caused by
extreme joy. Meanwhile, if their memory recovered, the victory of the
Democrats would not appear as a reason for the joy of the pro-Hay Dat
Armenians.
In the history of the United States, including the recent history the
Democrats have been majority in the Congress for several times. But
everyone knows that the U.S. Congress has never adopted a resolution
recognizing the Armenian Genocide. And it means that the recognition
of the Armenian genocide has nothing to do with the Democrats or the
Republicans in power. For the United States, this issue is a
geopolitical one, and not only the United States but also for the
other countries which recognize or try to recognize the Genocide.
In this case, it is ingenuous to think that with the arrival of the
Democrats the Turks will not get away with it. But of course, the
presumption of non-ingenuousness of the organizations of the Diaspora
upholding Hay Dat and their Armenian counterparts should be honored.
And if a person is not ingenuous but insists that with the victory of
the Democrats the possibility of adoption of the bills increases,
either they have every reason for optimism or they pursue other
goals. For instance, the geopolitical situation may allow for
optimist, which can arrange the things so that the recognition of the
Genocide may become instrumental for the United States in its
relations with Turkey. These relations are not having their best
times, of course. But the United States has more serious instruments
for setting their relation with Turkey on a desirable track than the
Armenian Genocide. It is the issue of sovereignty of the Kurds.
The Unites States can use this issue to give rise to a greater threat
for Turkey than the bills on the Genocide. Moreover, presently, the
bills on the Genocide are successfully used by the countries of the
EU as an instrument to block the membership of Turkey to the EU, of
course, if all the other means prove ineffective. Therefore, in
Europe they keep the fire burning to kindle it whenever necessary.
Meanwhile, for the United States, the presence of Turkey in the EU is
only positive, for it would be desirable for the United States to
have another country under its influence inside this organization.
Consequently, for a long time the United States will not use the
issue of the Genocide against Turkey. At least as long as Europe uses
this issue.
Hence, it appears that there is another purpose to celebrate the
victory of the Democrats in the context of the recognition of the
Genocide. And this purpose probably is different from the goal of the
Armenians of Armenia and worldwide because it has too little relation
to still the only recognized Armenian state in the world. The
relevant organizations of the Diaspora and their Armenian
counterparts are obliged to celebrate the victory of the Democrats
and present it in a favorable light in terms of Hay Dat. These
organizations do not have another way of justifying the spending of
millions of dollars, and the victory of the Democrats was a vital
necessity for them to say that the money raised from the Diasora for
the recognition of the Genocide and the fair settlement of Hay Dat
was not wasted and reached somewhere by favoring the victory of the
Democrats. But the problem is not only to justify the millions they
have already spent but to guarantee the raising of more millions, for
the money was spent on the first stage on the track of the solution
of Hay Dat – support for the victory of the Democrats, now raise more
to implement the second stage – the adoption of the bill by the
Democrats.
HAKOB BADALYAN
From: Baghdasarian

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 10 2006
Arkady Ghukasyan: NKR people will not refuse from its independence
11.11.2006 15:25
`NKR people will not refuse from its independence. For the sake of
long-term peace, stability and economic development in the region, we
re ready for a serious dialogue and cooperation with all the
interested parties, NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan declared in an
interview with `Novoye Russkoe Slovo’ and `Inner Street Press’
newspapers.
Turning to the current state of the Karabakh conflict settlement,
Arkady Ghukasyan pointed out the non-constructive position of the
Azerbaijan President, particularly his refusal from direct talks with
Nagorno Karabakh and establishment of the atmosphere of trust in the
conflict zone, which hinders the final resolution.

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 11 2006
EU-Turkey relations force out the Armenian issue (analysis)
11.11.2006 15:10
Tatul Hakobyan
“Radiolur”
In the first half of this year the meetings of representatives of
Armenian and Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs registered no
progress in Yerevan-Ankara relations. Despite the bilateral
arrangement to conceal these contacts from the press, there was an
outflow in Armenian and Turkish media, following which
Armenian-Turkish contacts suspended, yielding no results.
During the past 15 years after Armenia’s independence there have been
no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey. At different
times Ankara has been suggesting different preconditions to Yerevan
-Armenia should refuse from the Armenian Genocide, recognize the
territorial integrity of contemporary Turkey, suspend its military
presence in Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent territories. Thus, the
Turkish side presents preconditions, which hinder the progress of the
Armenian-Turkish dialogue.
Recently after a break of several months, the Armenian-Turkish
dialogue resumed on the level of Foreign Ministers.
Abdullah Gul declared in Moscow that on the whole the borders are
open, since there are air flights between Armenia and Turkey and 70
thousand Armenians work in Turkey. However, RA Foreign Minister
characterized Gul’s statement as unfair. `First, the number of
Armenians living and working in Turkey is much less. Second, open
borders assume direct contacts between the peoples and working
transport communications,’ Vartan Oskanian stated.
Actually today Armenian-Turkish relations have entered a phase that
the normalization of these is associated with pressures and
expectations of third parties. Thus, those in Yerevan hope that in
case of accession to the EU, Turkey will have to lift the blockade,
that is to say that Armenian-Turkish relations are conditioned by the
wishes of Europe.
By the way, November 7 the European Commission issued a report titled
`Strategy of enlargement: the challenges of 2006-2007,’ in which
Ankara was severely criticized. Regarding the Armenian issues, the
regular report failed to denounce the denial campaign waged by
Turkey, both on its own territory and throughout the Union. Previous
mentions of the Genocide in previous reports – characterized
euphemistically as “tragic events” – were not reflected in this new
document.
On freedom of speech, only Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code was
mentioned. The Commission failed to denounce the other provisions of
Turkish law aimed at freedom of speech, especially Article 305, which
penalizes the affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. Finally, the
illegal blockade of Armenia is described using the dismissive
terminology, “closed border.”
Sure, Europeans say strictly say that Turkey cannot enter the
European Union with closed borders, but they do not undertake serious
measures to make Ankara lift the blockade before full membership to
the European Union. This means that Turkey can keep the borders
locked up until Turkey’s accession to the EU, and this day may come
in 10 or 15 years. Americans also escape to undertake concrete steps
and exert pressure to make Ankara lift the blockade of Armenia. As
for our friend Russia, the latter even benefits from the closed
Armenian-Turkish border, since in case the border is opened the
question of appropriateness of Russian presence in Armenia will come
forward.
Thus, like in the past, Europeans, Russians and Americans try to make
the lack Armenian-Turkish relations serve their interests.