Month: May 2008

THE "MUSEUM NIGHT" WILL START ON MAY 17

armradio.am
12.05.2008 11:45

This year the traditional annual "Museum night" will start in the
republic on May 17. Armenpress was informed from the Public Relations
Department of RA Ministry of Culture that within the framework of
the event all participant museums will host the art-loving public
free of charge until 1 a.m.

In 2005 about 1 200 museums of Europe united and organized the first
"Museum night" event, wishing to present their exclusive collections
in a new manner.

Armenian museums have also been participating in the initiative ever
since 2005 together with more than 2 000 art, folk, history museums
of 40 countries.

ARONYAN SHARES THE 4TH AND 5TH POSITIONS IN THE M-TEL MASTERS

armradio.am
12.05.2008 12:52

Armenian Grand Master Levon Aronyan played a draw with Teymur Rajabov
of Azerbaijan in the third round of the M-Tel Masters under way
in Sofia.

Currently Aronyan and Rajabov share the 4th and 5th places with
one point.

In the other games of the round Ukrainian Vasily Ivanchuk defeated
Bu Syan Czin, Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria lost to his compatriot
Veselin Topalov.

After three rounds Vasili Ivanchuk is in the lead with 3
points. Veselin Topalov is the second with 2 points. Cheporinov comes
third with 1.5 points.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: TER-PETROSYAN HAS POOR RELATIONS WITH MORALS

armradio.am
12.05.2008 14:35

On April 9, 2008 RA President Robert Kocharyan’s tenure in office came
to an end. About a month after the inauguration of the new President
gave an exclusive interview to Mediamax, commenting on the latest
statement of Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

– Speaking at the congress of his supporters, Levon Ter-Petrosyan
dedicated most part of his speech to accusations against you. Would
you react to those?

– I should say that I was not about to give any interview, but I have
to do that after the absurd statements made by Levon Ter-Petrosyan ,
whom I had almost forgotten about.

By throwing mud at others, Levon Ter-Petrosyan will not become
purer himself. His manner of self-justification causes a feeling of
disgust. He never had the courage to take responsibility. At times
of crisis he always though only about himself. It was the case after
the arrest of the "Karabakh" Committee, during the Karabakhi War and
in 1998. The same is taking place today.

I will not turn to the chronology of events: the investigation should
restore the events of March 1-2 minute by minute. I hope that the
special commission suggested by the Council of Europe will also address
the issue. I also hope that the materials will be publicized, and
every citizen ill be able to distinguish between the lie and the truth.

– Levon Ter-Petrosyan and the media and political organizations
supporting him present the events of March 1-2 in such a way that
it comes out that the mass disorders and application of force were
previously planned by the authorities. What would you say in this
regard?

– Only a dull and a deeply indecent person could assert that the
authorities had previously planned the application of force.

One should understand whom it is profitable to. Any clashes of this
kind are first of all a blow to the authorities. It’s obvious that
the opinion that the authorities failed to do everything possible
to avoid deaths will always prevail. This is the reality. It is
true for similar situations in European countries. In such cases
the application of force should be a compulsory measure for the
authorities, which prevents more serious consequences, especially
for me as an outgoing President.

To understand the truth one must simply remember: who was trying
to defame the authorities during the whole election campaign and
especially after the elections? Who was calling the authorities a
"group of gangs?" Who was making the servicemen and policemen break
their pledge? Who was blackmailing the international structures
and observers for their positive conclusions? Ter-Petrosyan
and the Pan-Armenian National Movement (HHSh) needed blood
as a tool of continuing the struggle after the defeat in the
elections. Ter-Petrosyan did everything to provoke disorders and make
the Police apply force.

At last, who continues to use the events of March 1 for political
purposes?

Let everyone answer for himself, applying to his/her conscience and
draw conclusions.

– Ter-Petrosyan attracts special attention to the fact of his "home
arrest? How can this be explained?

– Levon Ter-Petrosyan needs the version of home arrest like
air. Without it is hard to justify his absence from the square
next to the City Hall on March 1. I insist that there was no home
arrest. Moreover, the Armenian legislation does not provide for
any such legal regime. Ter-Petrosyan was told he could go anywhere
and any time. However, the participation of the guards in illegal
rallies, which grew into mass disorders, was impermissible. By the
way, a responsible man would behave just that way. No revolutions
are carried out with participation of the State Guard Service.

Did he want to go there, and was forced to return? Let him say
who has done that. Let him apply to the Prosecutor’s Office. Levon
Ter-Petrosyan’s escort is comprised of people loyal to him, who were
allowed to stay him upon his request. The head of the escort is a
man close to his family. Everyone knows that they are only formally
registered in the State Guard Service.

The topic of "home arrest" should be in the focus of attention of
the Prosecutor’s Office and the commission to be formed. If someone
has committed a crime ex officio, let him answer before law.

The legend about home arrest is a justification of a coward who is
trying to avoid responsibility. I’m not a President any more, and
I cannot afford using freer vocabulary, calling the things by their
right names.

– In Ter-Petrosyan’s words, "the authorities have something to
conceal." According to him, that is the reason why no one has
been charged with using weapons against the Police. Besides, the
ex-President speaks about your negotiations with you through foreign
Abassadors on March 1. Which is the truth?

– Why hasn’t anyone been accused of using weapons against the Police?

Because some of the main participants still avoid the investigation. In
case of having two killed and 41 injured policemen, it’s stupid to
question the application of force. I’m speaking only about 43 persons
who received gunshot or missile wounds.

Ter-Petrosyan noticed some contradiction in my speech during a
press conference, when I was saying that the Police troops were not
armed. The ex-President should know the difference of the regime of
carrying weapons in the Police and the Police troops. The clashes
started with the Police troops, the soldiers of which were armed only
with truncheons and shields.

The two killed and most of the injured were from the Police troops. I’m
confident that Ter-Petrosyan knows about it, but deliberately misleads
his supporters.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan asserts that he negotiated with me on March
1 through diplomats accredited in Armenia. I’m not aware of the
fact, I held no talks on March 1 through foreign diplomats and
have not received any suggestion. Upon my instruction, the Head of
President’s Staff Armen Gevorgyan had two meetings in the evening with
representatives of international organizations and Ambassadors of EU
member states. The meeting was of informative nature and included no
elements of negotiations.

Generally, judging from everything, Levon Ter-Petrosyan has poor
relations with morality. I think he needs all this lie to keep his
supporters and the opportunity to guide them.

ELMAR MAMMADYAROV: ARMENIAN, AZERI PRESIDENTS MAY MEET IN JUNE

armradio.am
12.05.2008 15:27

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told reporters in Baku
that the meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh
Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev may take place in June of the current year.

"We decided that the negotiations should continue. Most probably,
a meeting on the level of Presidents will take place in June,"
Mammadyarov said.

To remind, on May 6 the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
met in Strasbourg.

"A new President has been elected in Armenia. It is very important for
Azerbaijani side to meet with new government of Armenia. We should know
whether they are ready for peace negotiations, or not," Mammadyarov
added, noting that during the meeting with Edward Nalbandian he once
again declared about the position of Azerbaijan, according to which
the Karabakh conflict should be solved in the framework of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity."

TOUGH TALKS LOOM AFTER SERB POLLS

BBC
KarabakhOpen
12-05-2008 15:37:13

Results from Serbia’s elections point to a triumph for President
Boris Tadic’s pro-European Union bloc.

Mr Tadic claimed victory, with his bloc set to win nearly 40% of the
vote, but he may need the support of at least one nationalist party
for a majority.

The European Union has welcomed what it called a clear victory for
pro-European forces in the parliamentary elections.

The nationalist Radical Party, though, insists that it could still
head a coalition forming the next government.

Ultra-nationalist leader Tomislav Nikolic said he would have talks
with parties which were close ideologically.

Formation of the new government could take up to three months,
analysts warn.

Kosovo

In a victory speech, President Tadic said the Serbian people had in
effect given their approval to the country’s future membership of
the EU, with whom a long-delayed agreement was signed just before
the election.

"The citizens of Serbia have undoubtedly confirmed a clear European
path", he said, adding: "It is necessary to form a government as soon
as possible".

But he also vowed that a new government led by his Democratic Party
would not recognise Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo as an
independent state.

Mr Tadic faces the challenge of finding stable partners for his
already complex three-party coalition without making too many political
concessions, the BBC’s Ivana Miloradovic reports.

Even with the support of Hungarian, Muslim and Albanian minority
parties and the small Liberal Democrats – the only party ready to
recognise the independence of Kosovo – his coalition falls short of
the necessary majority.

The previous government fell over the issue of how to react when most
EU countries recognised the independence of Kosovo.

Coalition

Mr Nikolic’s Radical Party won 29% of the vote according to an
independent projection. The official count has yet to be completed.

The Radicals’ leader said he planned to meet both the Democratic
Party of Serbia of outgoing Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and
the Socialists – the party of the late Serbian strongman Slobodan
Milosevic.

Theoretically, the three parties could form a coalition with a
wafer-thin majority in parliament.

Either the three parties would form a coalition, Mr Nikolic said,
or Serbia would "not have a government at all and have to go to
new elections".

Mr Kostunica said after the election that he was open to talks with
the Radicals.

"It’s too early to say anything specific, but I hope that we will
be one of the main players in the formation of the new government,"
he added.

Parties have a legal deadline of three months to reach agreement.

International isolation

Ironically, the key player that could make or break any future
coalition seems to be the Socialists.

The party responsible for the country’s international isolation under
Milosevic has reinvented itself as an advocate of social justice and
attracts many young, often poor or unemployed voters.

Mr Kostunica’s coalition would be a less desirable partner for the
pro-EU bloc and the political cost of attracting it back into a new
government could prove to be too high.

A statement from the EU’s Slovenian presidency welcomed a "clear
victory" for pro-European forces, and said it hoped they would quickly
form a government

Tadic supporters have been celebrating in Belgrade with fireworks.

Cars decked with party and EU symbols blew their horns as they circled
the city centre.

Serbs in Kosovo also voted, both in the general election and in
council elections, in defiance of the ethnic Albanian government and
international authorities.

Some 300 polling stations opened in areas with a sizeable Serb
population and the vote passed off peacefully.

However, even before the polls closed, the United Nations mission
issued a statement, condemning the council elections as illegal and
saying the results would not be recognised.

AZERBAIJAN ATTACKS THE ARMENIAN MILITARY POSITIONS

armradio.am
12.05.2008 16:28

Press Service of RA Ministry of Defense informs that on May 12,
at about 11 a.m. the Azerbaijani Armed Forces bombarded the military
positions of the Armenian Armed Forces near Baghanis village in Tavoush
Marz. Press Secretary of RA Minister of Defense, Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvaryan informed Radiolur that resident of Baghanis village,
herdsman Lorik Avagyan (born in 1957) was wounded as a result of
the offensive.

Lorik Avagyan was taken to the town hospital of Ijevan, where he was
operated on. His condition is moderate.

NO LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICER BORE RESPONSIBILITY

A1+
[12:30 pm] 12 May, 2008

A year ago, on May 12, Levon Gulian aged 31 was invited to a police
station to an interrogation. That day Gulian didn’t return home.

According to a police release, "during the questioning Gulian asked
a law-enforcement officer for water.

Meanwhile, he attempted to take to flight through an open
window. Unfortunately, he stumbled and fell down from the second
floor. As a result, Gulian died of injuries on the spot."

Gulian’s relatives state that it was but a murder.

The criminal case has been dismissed and no policeman has born
responsibility.

At 8.00 p.m., May 12, Gulian’s relatives and a number of NGOs hold
a funeral procession from Republic Square to the RoA Police building
in memory of Levon Gulian.

ARMENIANS OF LEBANON HAVE NOT SUFFERED

A1+
[04:17 pm] 12 May, 2008

No Armenian has suffered during the recent clashes in Lebanon, the
press service of the RoA Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed A1+. At
least forty people died during the recent clashes in the country.

The RoA MFA reports that the situation is not as tense as it was two
years ago. No charter flight has been made to Armenia.

The Migration Agency of Ministry of the RoA Territorial Administration
reports that no Armenian living in Lebanon has sought asylum over
the past days.

Reminder: "Sevan" radio station was set on fire during the Saturday
clashes in Beirut. The property of the radio station was partly saved.

RISE IN PRICES WAS EXPECTED

A1+
[02:54 pm] 12 May, 2008

"Our country would have counteracted the recent price hike if it had
taken the right path," says the Chairman of the Armenian Consumers
Union Armen Poghossian.

He thinks Armenia could have found a way out if it had carried out
a sound policy with regard to two powerful enterprises-ArmRusGasArd
and ArmenTel.

Poghossian says ArmRusGasArd is the most powerful, lucrative and
well-equipped enterprise in Armenia and its authorized capital stock
mounts one milliard dollars. Armenia could have more profit from the
company if it had kept its shares. "Armenia owned 45 percent of the
company’s shares, but they have fallen up to 22%."

The chairman of the RoA Consumers Union thinks that Armenia’s
government should have taken steps to increase its shares as it
was possible. "For instance, former heating systems, boiler-house,
could have been shifted to the company’s balance thus increasing
Armenia’s shares.

Similarly, the recent rise in prices wouldn’t have affected Armenia’s
economy so much if the country /possessing 10% of ArmenTel’s shares/
hadn’t sold them at a symbolic price-30 million dollars.

The country lacks an economic policy. Ours is a "patched" hole,"
he says.

180 BAILIFFS GAVE OATH

Panorama.am
17:15 10/05/2008

Today at 11:00 180 bailiffs gave oath in the RA Police Academy. The
bailiff service implemented from this year is a part of RA Court
Department. The mission of the service is to protect and control
social order and security, court session process, court building,
equipments and territory.

The new service is coordinated by the leader of Court Department,
and every court has its service subdivisions. Note that there are 507
bailiffs in Armenia 57 of which are women. Today only 180 bailiffs
took part in the oath ceremony.

The difference between the bailiffs and court police officers is
that they are not allowed to wear weapons but rubber sticks. They
were special uniforms affirmed by the RA Government.