Month: April 2007

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY’S ‘CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II WORK PROJECT’ STARTS

BosNewsLife, Hungary
April 10 2007

Volunteers are to help to fight poverty in Armenia

YEREVAN, ARMENIA – Paint brushes, trowels and hammers will swing into
action this week, as Habitat for Humanity begins to lift 37 families
from poverty housing in Armenia. The second annual Habitat for Humanity
"Catholicos Karekin II Work Project" kicks off in Armenia today.

Volunteers from around the globe will descend upon Armenia to build
homes side by side with homeowner families, local sponsors, volunteers,
dignitaries and monks from the Armenian Apostolic Church.

"The Armenian Apostolic Church is delighted to launch this event once
again with Habitat for Humanity. It’s not only a celebration of people
coming together to help families in need, but it’s also an important
step toward removing the blight of poverty housing in Armenia,"
says Archbishop Vicken Aykazian of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

During building events around the country from April through October,
37 homes built in partnership with families in need will be completed
in Armenia, symbolizing 36 worldwide dioceses, plus the Holy See.

His Holiness, Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians, is expected
to bless the event’s official opening at the Etchmiadzin Gevorgyan
seminary on April 10.

Churches and individuals are challenged to fully sponsor or to
contribute to a home. The Catholicos Project Family Sponsorship Cost
(FSC) for 2007 will be $7,360, which is an average for the cost of
renovations, half-build homes and new construction.

The first building event kicks off with a volunteer team coming from
the United States. The Habitat volunteers will be completing homes
that were abandoned and left unfinished after the economic collapse
in the early 1990s in Armenia where nearly half of the country still
lives in poverty conditions.

The Haroyan family of the Khor Virap village is the first selected
among the 37 families. Sahak, 43, and his wife Piruza, 36, are
vegetable farmers currently residing in a neighbor’s basement with
their three children, ages 18, 16 and 14. Economic strife forced
the family to live in the basement for seven years, as they have
been unable to raise enough funds to complete their own home. Piruza
suffers rheumatism in her legs due to the humidity. "If you help us,
we will finish and move to our new house by the next winter," Piruza
said to a visiting Habitat team.

The Armenian Church signed a historic partnership with Habitat for
Humanity in April 2006, aimed to combat poverty housing in Armenia
and worldwide. The first "Catholicos Karekin II Work Project" was held
in Gavar, Armenia, where a building was renovated in partnership with
24 families, with an additional 13 homes built around the country.

In Michigan in 2005, the Catholicos participated in Habitat’s annual
home blitz build, the Jimmy Carter Work Project, where he met with
President Carter. Following that, the Catholicos gave his blessing
for a home-building event to be created and held in Armenia.

Armenia is a country of 3 million nestled in the southern Caucasus.

Over the past decade, a devastating earthquake, conflict, the Soviet
Union’s collapse and a newfound independence have led to economic
crisis. Thousands still live in metal "domiks," iron containers used
for temporary earthquake relief, which act like refrigerators in the
winter and boilers in the summer. Habitat for Humanity Armenia has
been working with families in need since 2000 and provided homes in
partnership with more than 1,000 people.

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TURKISH GOVERNMENT MAY TAKING ADDITIONAL MEASURES AGAINST TERRORISM

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
April 9 2007

Ankara, 9 April: "Turkey revises measures to be taken regarding fight
against terrorism. Turkey will take additional measures if necessary.

We are decided to take additional steps. Our government is resolute
to do whatever necessary," said Government Spokesman and Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek said on Monday [9 April].

After the meeting of Council of Ministers, Cicek said foreign policy
and security issues were discussed at the meeting.

Noting that Iraq was high on their agenda, Cicek said, "Turkey is
interested in this issue because this threat – that violates peace,
country’s integrity, law and order in Turkey’s national borders – has
its roots in Iraq. And we will be interested in it to the bitter end."

Cicek said tomorrow’s National Security Council meeting will discuss
this issue too.

"In Turkey, everybody knows that terrorist activities would not occur
if these activities were not supported by external powers," Cicek said.

Another subject of the cabinet meeting was the bills criminalizing
denial of so-called Armenian genocide, Cicek noted.

Stating that an EU draft framework decision will come up on 18
and 19 April during Germany’s presidency, Cicek said a draft will
be discussed which would inflict imprisonment up to three years for
denial (of so-called Armenian genocide) remarks. Cicek stressed that
this draft would remove freedom of expression, noting that it would
even remove the research opportunity of historical facts.

Cicek stated that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will bring up
this matter during his visit to Germany this weekend.

"This draft is a quite big mistake," he added.

NOTEBOOK ON SOME TOPICS IN TURKEY YOU MUST PUSSY-FOOT
by Robert Colvile

The Daily Telegraph (LONDON)
April 10, 2007 Tuesday

"I have to warn you – there’s a 50 per cent chance that there’s a dead
cat in our flat." It wasn’t the welcome to Istanbul I was expecting,
but my hostess soon explained: the previous evening, she and her
flatmate had rescued a desperately unwell kitten they’d spotted
shivering on the streets.

Istanbul is a pretty lively place – more people than London, packed
into a warren of sloping streets on the banks of the Bosphorus. It’s
also home to an astronomical population of street cats, of which
theirs was a particularly adorable example.

Fortunately, she made a remarkable recovery and, now that she was going
to live, needed a name. One suggestion was to pay tribute to Turkey’s
Great Leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk – why not "Mustafa Katmal"? This,
I was firmly told, would be a Very Bad Idea. The Turks venerate Ataturk
with a fervour that more strictly Islamic countries reserve for the
Prophet. Any insult to his memory – even naming a kitten after him –
would be a matter for the police.

They settled on the eminently English name of "Milly" – which,
conveniently, sounds like the Turkish word for "national". But
they weren’t joking about the "Father of Turks". In Turkey, his
reputation is protected by law; his picture hangs in every home;
"Principles of Ataturk" is a compulsory course at universities; even
YouTube was briefly banned after some Greeks posted a video labelling
him homosexual.

Then there is Anitkabir, Ataturk’s mausoleum in the capital, Ankara.

It’s an area half the size of Hyde Park, with a vast neo-Roman plaza
and memorial at its centre. You approach via the "Lion Road", a paved
path flanked by stone lions and live soldiers, intended, according
to the guide, "to make visitors ready for the presence of Ataturk".

All this is in stark contrast to the treatment of the Ottoman
sultanate’s relics of Mohammed, tucked away in a side room in
Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace. But it’s not without cause. Ataturk’s
accomplishments were immense – as a soldier in the First World
War, he repulsed the landings at Gallipoli, and later defeated the
occupying Allied and Greek armies (depicted in the Anitkabir museum as
cross-brandishing despoilers of women); as president, he revolutionised
Turkish society and created a secular, democratic, prosperous nation.

He wasn’t perfect, though. He liked his drink and his women, didn’t
have much time for opposition, and was harsh, to say the least, to
the Kurds, Armenians and Ionian Greeks. Anitkabir’s holy of holies
includes his last orders to the Turkish army, engraved in giant golden
letters, authorising it to intervene in politics to protect his vision
– as it has on several occasions.

Of course, discussing any of these issues in Turkey, or attacking
"Turkishness", is still taboo – best to swallow your tongue and follow
it with another shot of raki.

A stiff drink was also on the cards after a day spent tramping round
the rugged landscape of Cappadocia.

It is a wonderland of geology in action – volcanic rocks carved into
all kinds of extraordinary shapes by natural erosion. And by man.

Most remarkable are the 40 or so underground cities hewn beneath
the rock of the plains. Entire towns would disappear into them when
marauding tribes appeared, re-emerging months later when they’d
marauded off elsewhere.

You can tell the inhabitants were Christian, because they had an
astonishing propensity for carving out churches in the caves, many of
which still retain their thousand-year-old frescoes. I like to imagine
that the extraordinary ratio of churches to caves is a testament to
how fissile religion can be: the congregations splitting into rival
groups over the years, until the valleys were full of hermits, each
preaching solemnly to an empty cave.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIA GETS INVOLVED IN THE ARMENIAN ELECTION
by Vladimir Soloviev
Translated by Elena Leonova

Source: Kommersant, April 9, 2007, p. 9
Agency WPS
What the Papers Say Part A (Russia)
April 10, 2007 Tuesday

Armenian Authorites Resort To External Assistance

An update on the parliamentary election campaign in Armenia; Yesterday
marked the start of official campaigning in Armenia’s parliamentary
election, scheduled for May 12. Armenian President Robert Kocharian’s
term will expire next year, and the current election is viewed as a
rehearsal for the presidential race.

Yesterday marked the start of official campaigning in Armenia’s
parliamentary election, scheduled for May 12. Armenian President Robert
Kocharian’s term will expire next year, and the current election is
viewed as a rehearsal for the presidential race. In order to avoid
any potential surprises, the Armenian government has thrown all its
efforts into supporting the ruling party: the Armenian Republican
Party (ARP), headed by Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian. And Moscow
is working for his victory as well – some of Russia’s most senior
officials are campaigning for Sarkisian.

Armenia’s parliamentary election is taking place amidst unprecedented
political activity: 1,314 candidates from 24 parties and blocs are
competing for only 131 seats. This intensity is due to the fact
that President Kocharian’s term is drawing to a close, and whichever
political forces manage to secure a place in the new parliament will
get a chance to fight for the grand prize of the presidency.

Under the circumstances, the Armenian government is endeavoring to
ensure the success of the upcoming Operation Successor. Kocharian’s
team has decided to back the ARP, headed by Serge Sarkisian (former
defense minister, now prime minister). He took over as prime minister
following the sudden death of Andranik Margarian from a heart attack
on March 25. After Sarkisian officially became the prime minister
last week, Kocharian’s team started saying openly that he would make
an ideal presidential candidate. The first to speak out in support of
Sarkisian and the ARP was President Kocharian himself, as he introduced
Sarkisian to the parliament: "I have known him for a long time: this
is a hard-working, honest, consistent person. I’m sure that he is
capable of heading the government at this decisive moment in Armenia’s
history. We don’t have anyone else who could match his experience."

Following Kocharian’s example, presidential administration officials
joined in publicity efforts for Sarkisian.

"Serge Sarkisian is the best presidential candidate," said Garnik
Isagulian, Kocharian’s security adviser, on April 7. Isagulian
also made a prediction about the configuration of forces in the new
parliament after May 12. According to him, only six out of 24 parties
will make it into parliament: "The ARP, the Prosperous Armenia party,
the Dashnaktsutiun Revolutionary Federation, the Orinats Erkir
(Law-Abiding Country) party, National Unity, and the People’s Party."

It’s hardly surprising to see Prosperous Armenia in second place
on Isagulian’s list. Its leader is Armenia’s richest citizen: Gagik
Tsarukian, head of the National Olympic Committee. He supports the
president, and has been spending a lot of money on various charity
events recently. Thanks to the financial capacities of its leader,
Prosperous Armenia has become the second most popular political force
in Armenia. Observers believe it to be the government’s alternative
political project – intended to safeguard Kocharian against the ARP’s
potential failure.

However, at present there is nothing to cast doubt on the ARP’s chances
of victory on May 12. Sarkisian has access to administrative resources
– and external support as well. Russia, with its traditionally
important role in Armenia’s domestic political processes, has made it
clear whose side it’s on. The first to start campaigning for Sarkisian
was Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who visited Yerevan last
week. When Armenian journalists asked him about some articles in the
Russian media that referred to Sarkisian as Kocharian’s successor,
Lavrov said that on this issue, "Russia’s official position coincides
with its unofficial position."

After that, the Russian authorities unleashed a storm of compliments
– as if on command – aimed at Armenia’s new prime minister. Russian
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov described Sarkisian as "a proponent
of developing Armenian-Russian relations." Nikolai Bordyuzha,
secretary-general of the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization,
praised Sarkisian for "his contribution to strengthening Armenia’s
statehood and the cause of ensuring its defense capacities and
security." Auditing Chamber Chairman Sergei Stepashin said that with
Sarkisian in office, "the ties between our two countries and peoples
will continue to develop intensively."

Sarkisian has already let it be understood that he won’t let Moscow
down. His first meeting as prime minister with a foreign official
was a meeting with Vladimir Rushailo, head of the CIS Executive
Committee. Sarkisian assured Rushailo that Armenia "has an objective
interest in the success of CIS reforms, along with reinforcing and
developing cooperation, and will continue to play an active role in
these processes."

SHAHE GUEBENLIAN

The Times (London)
April 10, 2007, Tuesday

Shahe Guebenlian, journalist, was born on September 25, 1920. He died
on March 2,2007, aged 86

Reuters’ man in the Middle East who also laid the foundations for
the company’s commercial successes in the region

Shahe Guebenlian, known by colleagues, businessmen and politicians
alike simply as Gubby, worked for Reuters in the days when the agency’s
representatives were expected to be both journalists and salesmen. He
did both jobs well, occasionally brilliantly.

He covered the big stories in the Middle East and Africa during the
1950s and 1960s.

He had wonderful contacts in both regions and was on first-name terms
with many prominent people. His sources were legendary.

At the same time, as an innovative and wily businessman, he laid the
foundations for much of Reuters’ commercial successes in those areas.

His ability as a salesman in getting new subscribers for the news
and commercial services was never in doubt.

Some colleagues thought him overoptimistic about the speed and size
of the resultant revenue. But Guebenlian was forthright and unswerving
in his opinions.

He could be acerbic and thus could antagonise many of his colleagues
as well as rivals in collecting news or selling services.

His abilities were obvious even to the sternest critics, and many
who worked with him were passionate in their appreciation and loyalty.

Shahe Guebenlian was born in the ancient city of Adana in Turkey in
1920. He never lost his roots as an Armenian and like so many in that
community was a talented musician and a multilingual raconteur. He
was taken by his parents to Cyprus aged just 6 months, wrapped, so
he said, in a valuable rug. It was in Cyprus that the family became
British citizens.

Guebenlian was educated at Nicosia’s English School where he learnt
to play the viola and showed a talent for languages. By the end of
his life he spoke six well and had a smattering of three others.

Often in telling hilarious stories, based on fact or on his vivid
imagination, he would switch easily between the tongues.

>>From an early age he was fascinated by what was going on in Cyprus
and the world in general, and liked to write it down. By the age of
11 he was producing his own hand- written newspaper.

>>From 1948 to 1950 he edited the Cyprus Sunday Mail in Nicosia and
at that time became a stringer (part-time local correspondent) for
Reuters as well as for many other newspapers and news agencies. He
carried out several assignments for Reuters outside Cyprus and
impressed so much that in 1953 he was appointed to the staff as
special representative for the Middle East, where he successfully
sold both news and commercial services to several countries.

With his base in Cyprus he was involved in covering the Eoka
emergency. He did this with skill but not without being accused of
bias by all sides -the mark of a really successful reporter.

In 1957 he married Iris Russell, a highly regarded staff reporter for
the Daily Mail. They lived in a part of Nicosia known to the British
Army as "Murder Mile".

There was so much violence that they had to be careful when they
ventured out and were often in danger. But their home always provided a
haven and lavish hospitality to foreign correspondents and many others.

Guebelian was a member of the Reuters team that covered the Suez
invasion in 1956 and was involved in reporting much else in the
region. This included the trial, conviction and hanging in 1962 of the
Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who had been located by the Israeli
secret service in Argentina in 1960 and brought to the country in
secret to stand trial for his crimes.

>>From 1963 until 1966 Guebelian held various senior administrative
positions in Africa. This also meant that he was responsible for
reporting the accession to independence of Kenya, Malawi and Zambia,
as well as various ministerial summits throughout the continent. He
introduced Reuters’ African service to Kenya and a number of other
countries.

In 1968 he was posted to London as manager for Africa, the Middle East
and later the Caribbean. He was thus in charge of trading operations
for Reuters media and commercial services for a large part of the
world. His final task before retirement was as publicity manager for
the whole company.

But he continued to serve Reuters as a consultant primarily on matters
concerning the developing world. He was also one of a panel selecting
candidates for the Reuters Foundation, which brought journalists from
all over the developing world to study at universities in Britain,
France and the United States.

Iris, to whom he was married for 50 years, survives him. They had
no children.

RUSSIA ASPIRES FOR COOPERATION WITH ARMENIAN RAILROADS

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
April 10, 2007 Tuesday 11:27 AM EST

Russia will take part in a tender for cooperation with Armenian
railroads, Russian Railroads CEO Vladimir Yakunin said.

"Terms of the Armenian railroads’ concession are being defined,
and Russia will take part in a respective tender. The idea has been
approved by the Russian president," he said.

He said they discussed cooperation with Kazakhstan and other CIS
countries and the reconstruction of the Abkhaz railroad line at a
Tuesday meeting chaired by the president. The construction of the
Trans-Korean railroad and cooperation with China and Europe was also
discussed, as well.

The integration of Russian and European systems is a key goal, Yakunin
said. "We target for competitive railroad traffic control systems,
modern rolling stock and new locomotives," he said.

"Western partners have suggested laying wide gauge lines to Europe.

The idea gained support of the president and meeting participants."

FARMER LIVED A BROAD LIFE: PETER V. SIMONIAN TAUGHT AG TECHNIQUES TO NICARAGUANS
by Jim Steinberg, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

The Fresno Bee (California)
April 10, 2007 Tuesday

Apr. 10–Pete Simonian grew melons near Kearney Park, and took his
agricultural know-how and a passion for working with the poor to
Nicaragua, where he taught better farming techniques.

Mr. Simonian, 68, a past Fresno and state president of the Cabrillo
Clubs of California, died Saturday of complications from diabetes.

His charity work included the annual Easton auction and support
for the Burn Center at Valley Medical Center, then at University
Medical Center.

Mr. Simonian was born in Fresno and grew up on a farm. His parents,
Vasken and Lorenna Simonian, had him farming at an early age. He also
excelled at football, winning three all-state awards while playing
middle linebacker and team captain for Central Union High School.

He also played football at Fresno City College, but diabetes forced
him to leave the sport while he earned his bachelor’s degree in
agricultural machinery at Fresno State College. He married Patty
Costa in 1961, graduated from college in 1964 and went to work for
a farm equipment dealer.

Mr. Simonian and his wife began their own farming operation in 1971.

He became a consultant for melon growers in Nicaragua while he and
his family continued growing vegetables and fruit west of Fresno. He
also taught farm tractor classes at Fresno State.

The Simonians grew various strains of peppers. A light yellow pepper,
featured in a Burbank delicatessen, was a favorite of celebrity Zsa
Zsa Gabor, Patty Simonian said.

Mr. Simonian worked for six months every other year for nearly a
decade for a company doing business in Managua, Nicaragua, Patty
Simonian said:

"He was a little farmer from Rolinda who went to Managua and taught
people to grow crops that went onto Russian ships for sale in
Belgium. His life was farming."

Mr. Simonian enjoyed working with Nicaraguans.

"It was Third World. The people were so hungry," Patty Simonian said.

"He did whatever he could."

Mr. Simonian showed farmers how to pack their crops and avoid
scarring. He taught about nurturing bee colonies for pollination and
about the use of smokers — cans used to make and puff smoke into
hives — for calming bees.

In a written eulogy, Nanette Simonian remembered her father believing
deeply in God, if not attending church regularly. She recalled her
fights with her brothers, Talbert and Peter John, during which Mr.

Simonian was slow to anger — to a point. Past it, she said, "we knew
lightning was going to strike."

Nanette Simonian said her father’s outstanding traits were strength,
toughness and courage, "but he loved to joke around."

He turned on the sprinklers during one large outdoor dinner party to
enjoy the scramble.

A Trisagion service will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Jay Funeral Chapel
in Madera. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday in St.

George Greek Orthodox Church in Fresno.

The family requests that any remembrance be sent to the California
Armenian Home, the St. George Memorial Fund or the Fresno County
Cabrillo Civic Club No. 10 Scholarship Memorial Fund.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UN VOYAGE MUSICAL EN ARMENIE
Par Jean-Louis Validire

Le Figaro, France
10 avril 2007

IMPOSSIBLE pour un Armenien d’oublier le genocide. Les enfants de la
diaspora ont ete eleves par les temoins de cette tragedie du XX e
siècle qui devait en connaître bien d’autres. Un drame encore plus
douloureux en Armenie meme. Ces deux experiences se retrouvent
dans leur disque et dans le spectacle qu’ont monte Jean-Marc
Phillips-Varjabedian et son frère Xavier Phillips, eleves en France
dans la memoire de la tragedie, et Vahan Mardirossian, qui a passe
les dix-sept premières annees de sa vie a Erevan avant de s’exiler
et avant d’etre autorise a rentrer dans son pays, il y a quinze jours
seulement, quinze ans après son depart.

Trois facons de penser a l’Armenie, pour celui qui y est ne et
ceux qui l’ont idealisee. Tous trois se retrouvent demain sur la
scène du Theâtre de l’Athenee, a l’occasion d’une veritable fete
placee sous le signe du pays si lointain et si proche, en musique
et en images, grâce au concours d’un videaste, Jose Cristiani. Un
concert-images dont Herve ­Chaussard assure la choregraphie. Mariage
entre le concert et la creation d’images Ils ont bien entendu decide
de presenter Khatchaturian et sa celèbre Danse du sabre dans leur
disque et leur spectacle, mais aussi d’elargir leur propos a des
compositeurs moins connus comme Babadjanian ou Komitas et a deux
artistes contemporains, Vahan Mardirossian, le pianiste du trio,
et Alexandre Gasparov. " Un siècle de musique armenienne en sachant
que les chansons de Komitas sont bien anterieures car il les a
recueillies comme Bartok et Kodaly l’ont fait pour les chants hongrois
", explique le pianiste. Un personnage etonnant que ce Komitas,
enfant recueilli par les moines, homme d’Eglise lui-meme et qui avait
decide de prendre ce nom en memoire d’un musicien du VI e siècle. Il
mourut a Paris en 1935, aphasique en raison des tortures qu’il avait
subies en 1915, en emportant dans la tombe les secrets de la notation
musicale medievale. Deja associes dans un remarquable disque en duo
consacre a Bartok et Kodaly, les frères Phillips entament avec ce
projet qui leur tient a coeur depuis longtemps une collaboration
avec Vahan Mardirossian qu’accompagneront pendant trois ans Warner
et Lontano. Jean-Marc, l’aîne des deux frères, est depuis dix ans le
violoniste du trio Wanderer, les deux autres ont plus une carrière de
solistes. " Notre reunion et notre spectacle, c’est aussi une facon
de nous liberer d’un joug artistique professionnel pour retrouver,
sans vulgariser dans le mauvais sens du terme, un public qui veut
ressentir des emotions. Il faut essayer de moderniser le discours et
la presentation pour que le spectacle vivant le soit encore plus aux
yeux des spectateurs " , explique Xavier Phillips.

D’où l’idee de ce voyage musical nostalgique. Les musiciens joueront,
a trois, a deux ou en solo, alors que des images seront projetees
sur de grands ecrans. " Le double interet, c’est ce mariage entre
le concert qui peut paraître un peu abstrait et rebarbatif et la
creation d’images ", rencherit Jean-Marc, encore emu par le premier
concert qu’il avait donne en Armenie, le jour où l’image abstraite
d’un pays mythique est devenue une realite. Une emotion que le trio
fait passer partout où il se produit. Mercredi 11 avril a 20 heures,
Theâtre de l’Athenee-Louis-Jouvet. Tel. : 01 53 05 19 19.

–Boundary_(ID_Jtzux7zt3qBDpVBya1EJQA)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMMEMORATION SOIREE TO BE HELD IN U.S. CONGRESS APRIL 24

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.04.2007 15:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A commemoration soiree dated to the 92nd anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide will be held in the U.S. Congress April
24. Former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans will be the speaker
of the event initiated jointly with the RA Embassy in the U.S.,
Yerkir reports. In the course of the recent several years the Armenian
Genocide anniversaries have been marked by initiative of Congressmen
Frank Pallone and Joe Knollenberg.

U.S. FINANCED UPGRADED ANPP PHYSICAL SECURITY SYSTEM

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.04.2007 17:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On April 10, 2007, the staff of the Armenian Nuclear
Power Plant dedicated an improved and upgraded Physical Security
System. As PanARMENIAN.Net came to know from the U.S. Embassy, this
new system, developed with $3.5 million in technical and financial
support from the U.S. Department of Energy, includes upgraded physical
access infrastructure, badges and video monitoring. Acting Deputy
Chief of Mission Robin Phillips presented the remarks below at the
dedication ceremony.

"It is a pleasure to be here today to mark another milestone in the
long-standing cooperation between Armenia and the United States on
improving safety at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant.

We appreciate the Armenian government’s commitment to promoting
safer operations at the plant while at the same time working towards
plant decommissioning. Since 1996, the USG has provided more than
$35 million to upgrade the plant and to ensure the safest possible
operation until its closure.

We are here today to dedicate an upgraded physical security system
at the plant. New access and badge policies, improved security
infrastructure and video surveillance are all tools which we are
proud to provide to help you maintain high levels of security.

Strong nuclear security is particularly important given the current
threat environment and the risk that terrorists and others will try
to use nuclear material against innocents.

In addition to improved security, it is critical that the Armenian
government continue to build a culture of safety at the plant,
by completing IAEA identified safety upgrades, and reinvesting a
sufficient portion of the cash flow obtained from the energy sector
into plant safety and maintenance.

As Armenia follows through on its commitment to a culture of safety
and a comprehensive decommissioning plan, we will continue to work
with Armenia to develop safer and more sustainable alternatives to the
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant including providing technical assistance
to support plans for a new nuclear power plant.

The U.S. government will not, however, be able to fund plant
construction directly and any proposal for U.S. assistance would have
to compete for scarce development assistance funds.

I thank you for our excellent and on-going cooperation on nuclear
safety issues and urge you to make the most of this new equipment to
better protect this plant and the Armenian people," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress