Month: July 2007

ARFD REPS, IRAQ’S PRESIDENT DISCUSS ISSUES OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 2 2007

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. Representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Dashnaktsutyun (ARFD), ARFD Bureau member Mario Nalbandyan
and Representative of the ARFD Supreme body Armen Rustamyan met with
President of Iraq Jalal Talabani in Geneva, where they participate
in the session of the Socialist International Council.

The ARFD press service reported that during the meeting the
representatives of the "Dashnaktsiutiun" discussed issues connected
with the Armenian population in Iraq.

President Talabani promised to solve these problems consulting and
cooperating with the Armenian community.

At present 15ths Armenians live in the Iraqi cities of Baghdad,
Kerkut, Basra, as well in the territory of South Iraq, in the city
of Mosul.

ARMENIA NOT TO ACCEPT MILITARY SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 2 2007

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. Armenia will not accept military settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Armenia’s Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian during the press-conference in Yerevan.

"Peaceful settlement of the conflict is the only way of settling the
Karabakh conflict," he said.

Oskanian pointed out that Armenia intends to suppress all the
statements that do not correspond to the "spirit and letter of
negotiation process", despite their being a well thought-out step
or misunderstanding.

"We have already submitted our written complaints concerning the
statements of the CE Secretary-General Terry Davis and have already
declared about the unacceptability of these statements, which do not
correspond to the spirit and essence of the conflict," Oskanian said.

One of these days CE Secretary-General Terry Davis declared that
Nagorno-Karabakh is considered a conquered territory and is a part
of Azerbaijan.

Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988, when Nagorno-Karabakh populated
by Armenians declared secession from Azerbaijan.

Starting from 1992 negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the
conflict have being held within the OSCE Minsk Group, the Co-Chairs
of which are the USA, Russia and France.

K-TELECOM" ANNOUNCES NEW ORDER FOR PURCHASE OF PREPAYMENT MOBILE CARDS IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 2 2007

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. "K-Telecom" Armenian telecommunication company
(VivaCell trademark) announced a new order for purchase of prepayment
cards of "Alo" mobile communication.

The new procedure was introduced by the management of "K-Telecom" based
on the decision of Armenia’s Public Services Regulating Commission
of March 30 2007.

As of July 1 2007, prepaid cards will be given on the basis of
written agreement with the copies of subscriber identity documents
attached. Subscribers that purchased their cards before the mentioned
time will have to sign the respective agreement by November 1 2007.

The new procedure also covers rights and obligations of the parties,
service quality requirements, submission and payment of accounts,
dispute settlement matters.

The other operator of mobile communication "ArmenTel" made a similar
announcement on June 22.

Under the decision of Armenia’s Public Services Regulating Commission
of March 30 2007, all mobile communication operators in the country
must sign written agreements with subscribers for purchase of prepaid
cards. This procedure is introduced for reasons of national security
and anti-terrorism measures.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE IN YEREVAN

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 2 2007

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. Armenian Defense Minister Michael Haroutounyan
received Personal Representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzey
Kasprzyk on Saturday.

Seyran Shahsouvaryan, the ministry’s spokesman, said that
Kasprzyk congratulated Haroutounyan on his appointment to the
defense-ministerial post.

Karabakh conflict settlement was discussed at the meeting.

Armenia’s relations with neighboring countries were discussed as
well.

‘NEW LAW SHOULD NOT BE AIMED AGAINST FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION,’ RA FOREIGN MINISTER STATES

Noyan Tapan
Jul 2, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Foreign Minister, Vardan
Oskanian, at the June 29 press conference, commenting upon the bill
"On Making Amendments to the Law On Television and Radio" submitted for
parliament’s discussion by the government, said that it is unacceptable
if the new law is aimed against freedom of expression.

In response to the question of how he treats the stopping of
retransmission of the broadcasts of the Radio Liberty’s Armenian
service on the frequences of the Public TV and Radio Company, the
Minister said: "I will be pained if this happens and I think that
many figures in power think just this way."

It should be mentioned that the government is suggesting prohibiting
broadcasting of other organizations on the frequences used by the
Public TV and Radio Company. The government motivates the amendment
proposed by saying that the Public TV and Radio Company has a special
status and its activity is aimed at solution of problems of an
exclusively public nature. In the government’s opinion, the status of
the Public TV and Radio Company cannot be combined with the activity
of other organizations solving other private problems.

ARMENIAN DEFENSE MINISTER, US EMBASSY REPS DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 2 2007

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. Armenian Defense Minister Michael
Haroutounyan, U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Armenia Anthony Godfrey, and
military attache, Colonel Russ Grimley discussed issues of military
cooperation Monday.

Press-Secretary of the defense minister Seyran Shahsouvaryan reported
that they touched upon this topic in connection with expiration of
American diplomats’ official powers in Armenia.

At the beginning of the meeting, Godfrey introduced new military
attache, Colonel Robert Bexter to the defense minister. Haroutounyan
expressed gratitude to Russ Grimley for productive cooperation and
wished him success in future missions and awarded him the Garegin
Nzhdeh medal of the Armenian Armed Forces.

At the end of the meeting, Haroutounyan congratulated the
newly-appointed attache and expressed a hope for expansion of military
cooperation during his office period.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN CB DECREASES BANK INTEREST RATE BY 1%

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
July 2 2007

YEREVAN, July 2. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia decreased the
bank interest rate by one percent to 12% annual interest rate. The
CBA press-service reported this decision was made by the Central Bank
of Armenia Council on June 29, 2007.

The last change in the interest rate was made on March 2, 2007, when
the Central Bank decreased the bank interest rate by one percent to
13%.

"ASSASSINATION OF HRANT DINK TRIAL BEGINS"

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
July 2 2007

ISTANBUL (A.A) -02.07.2007 -A high court in Istanbul started hearing
18 suspects accused of participation in the assassination of Hrant
Dink, a Turkish journalist of Armenian descent, on Monday. Twelfe of
them are in prison.

52-year-old Dink, editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos,
was shot dead in front of his office in Istanbul on January 19th, 2007.

The hearing will be held behind closed doors since O.S., accused to
be the hitman, is below 18.

Fethiye Cetin, one of lawyers of Dink family, said that Turkish
Parliamentary Human Rights Commission Chairman Mehmet Elkatmis and
parliamentarian Cavit Torun also participating in the hearing.

-INDICTMENT-

The prosecutor asks for life imprisonment for Erhan Tuncel and Yasin
Hayal on charges of inciting to murder, while he demands that O.S.

should be sentenced to prison terms between 18 to 24 years.

Prison terms ranging between 7.5 and 35 years are requested for
Mustafa Ozturk, Tuncay Uzundal, Zeynel Abidin Yavuz, Ahmet Iskender,
Ersin Yolcu, Salih Hacisalihoglu, Alper Esirgemez, Irfan Ozkan, Osman
Alpay, Erbil Susaman, Numan Sisman, Senol Akduman and Veysel Toprak.

"TURKEY’S WORKERS’ PARTY CONDEMNS DETENTION OF 2 TURKS IN SWITZERLAND"

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
July 1 2007

ANKARA (A.A) -01.07.2007 -Turkey’s Workers’ Party (IP)
Secretary-General Nusret Senem condemned Switzerland for detaining
two Turks, who denied so-called Armenian genocide in this country.

A group of IP members protested Switzerland outside Swiss Embassy
in Ankara, carrying Turkish flags and chanting slogans against
Switzerland.

IP Secretary-General Nusret Senem told reporters that his party
representative Ali Mercan and Ethem Kayali, the Chairman of Kemalist
Thought Association (ADD) in Bern, were taken into custody in
Winterhurt, on charges that they said "Armenian genocide is an
imperialist lie."

Senem said they were released after being held in a cell for eight
hours and then interrogated for two hours.

"We learned that Swiss authorities will file a lawsuit against Mercan
and Kayali," Senem said.

"We will continue to raise our outcry against you (western countries)
that Armenian genocide is a lie. We repudiate your laws and we will
keep violating them," he added.

In July 2005, Dogu Perincek, Chairman of IP, was detained in
Switzerland for saying, "Armenian genocide is an imperialist lie"
in a press conference. He was released after being interrogated for
more than three hours.

Perincek was later tried in Swiss court in March 2007 and was fined
to 9,000 francs, but this sentence was delayed for two years. The
Lausanne court also fined Perincek to 3,000 Swiss francs, and decided
to sentence Perincek to 30 days in prison if the Turkish party leader
does not pay this fine immediately.

Perincek was also asked to pay 1,000 Swiss francs to the Armenian
community in Switzerland, and 10,000 francs to Sarkis Sahinyan,
who filed this lawsuit against him.

Perincek, whose appeal was rejected a while ago, filed lawsuit to
federal court.

SWISS POLICE DETAIN TWO TURKISH ACTIVISTS IN ARMENIAN GENOCIDE DENIAL CASE

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
June 30 2007

Winterthur, 30 June: Swiss police on Saturday [30 June] detained
Ali Mercan, representative of Workers’ Party (IP) in Switzerland,
and Ethem Kayali, the Chairman of Kemalist Thought Association (ADD)
in Bern, on charges that they said so-called Armenian genocide is an
"imperialist lie".

Mercan and Kayali were interrogated by Winterthur Prosecutor’s office.

On the other hand, Kemal Albayrak, one of IP’s representatives in
Switzerland, said the meeting was held getting permission from police.

Dogu Perincek, Chairman of IP, was detained in Switzerland on July
24th, 2005 for saying, "Armenian genocide is an imperialist lie"
in a press conference.

He was released after being interrogated for more than three hours.

Perincek was later tried in Swiss court in March 2007 and was fined
to 9,000 francs, but this sentence was delayed for two years.

The Lausanne court also fined Perincek to 3,000 Swiss francs, and
decided to sentence Perincek to 30 days in prison if the Turkish
party leader does not pay this fine immediately.

Perincek was also asked to pay 1,000 Swiss francs to the Armenian
community in Switzerland, and 10,000 francs to Sarkis Sahinyan,
who filed this lawsuit against him.

Perincek, whose appeal was rejected a while ago, filed suit to
federal court.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress