Month: May 2008

TURMEPA TAKES MEASURES TO SAVE LAKE VAN

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

ANKARA, MAY 19, ARMENINS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Lake Van, the fifth
largest lake in Europe, is dying, Internet sites report, saying that
unless urgent measures are taken, the lake will dry up within the next
10-15 years. The Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association
(TURMEPA) has included Lake Van in its project "Limitless Blue" that
has been carried out for two years to save coastlines. As it works
to protect a coastline of 8,333 kilometer from Hopa to Iskenderun,
TURMEPA plans to save Lake Van as well.

The association has organized an event to clean the shores of the lake.

MEETING BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND TURKISH YOUNG PEOPLE TAKES PLACE IN KARS

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 19, NOYAN TAPAN. 20 Armenian young men left for the
town of Kars on the initiative of the Association of Young Women of
Armenia to take part in the program under the title Role of the Youth
in Social Work.

According to the Association, the group of Armenian young men is
headed by Lilit Asatrian, the Chairwoman of the organization.

Program’s goal is to mitigate the stereotypes among youth in Armenia
and Turkey, to give them a possibility to get acquainted with the
two countries’ cultures, and to form cultural understanding through
voluntary work.

A working discussion on subjects of communication, dialogue, and
peace will be also organized within the framework of the program,
as well as a visit to Ani is planned.

30TH GENERAL MEETING OF ARMENIAN REVOLUTIONARY FEDERATION – DASHNAKTSUTIUN TO BE HELD IN TSAGHKADZOR BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The official opening of the 30th General
Meeting of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutiun
will take place in the RA Government’s sitting hall at 12:00 on May
21. Hrant Margarian, a representative of the ARF Bureau, will deliver a
speech during the official opening. Then, the 30th ARF Dashnaktsutiun
General meeting will continue its proceedings in Tsaghkadzor behind
closed doors.

MPs of the party institutions operating in 30 countries, as well
as other officials will take part in the 30th ARF Dashnaktsutiun
General Meeting.

After the re-independence of Armenia, the 28th (2000) and 29th (2004)
General Meetings of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun were convened in the
Republic of Armenia. The 25th General Meeting of ARF Dashnaktsutiun,
which opened in Yerevan in 1992, was thwarted by the authorities and
forcedly continued in France.

As the ARF Bureau informs, the General Meeting of the ARF
Dashnaktsutiun is the higher meeting of the party, which is convened
once in four years and checks the political strategy of the party.

At the end of its proceedings the General Meeting will elect the higher
executive body of the party: Bureau, which heads the activities of
the party until the next General Meeting. The members of the Bureau
are elected from different countries, and the residence is in Yerevan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARUSYAK SAHAKIAN TO GIVE LECTURE ON ARMENIAN WOMAN’S IMAGE IN PASADENA

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

PASADENA, MAY 19, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Ethnographer Arusyak
Sahakian will give a lecture under the title "Armenian Women as Leaders
and Political Figures Over Centuries" on June 14 in Pasadena. According
to the reports of local Armenian media, the lecture is organized by
the Armenian Woman organization of the Armenian General Benevolent
Union (AGBU).

MEETING BETWEEN LEVON TER-PETROSIAN AND CE DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL HELD

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The meeting between Levon
Ter-Petrosian, the first President of the Republic of Armenia,
and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, the Deputy Secretary General of the
Council of Europe, was held in Yerevan. The latter was accompanied
by her assistant Gianluca Esposito and Bojana Urumova, the Special
Representative of the of the CE Secretary General to Armenia. The
demands of Resolution 1609 adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe (PACE) on April 17, which have been introduced
to the authorities of Armenia, as well as their implementation process
were discussed during the meeting. This information was provided by
the RA first President’s Press Office.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

2 RA NA MPs AS WELL TO OBSERVE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS OF GEORGIA

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Volodia Badalian and Armen Purtoyan,
members of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) faction of the
RA National Assembly, will implement monitoring mission in the
parliamentary elections to be held in Georgia on May 21. This
information was provided to a Noyan Tapan correspondent by Tigran
Torosian, the Speaker of the RA National Assembly.

The above-mentioned two MPs will not be included in the staff of the
monitoring mission of any international organization. According to
Tigran Torosian, the RA National Assembly has preferred to respond
to the invitation of Nino Burjanadze, the Speaker of the Parliament
of Georgia, on sending its representatives.

GENOCIDE TEXT PULLED FROM HIGH SCHOOL READING LIST

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 19, 2008

TORONTO, MAY 19, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. A text about genocide
has been pulled from the recommended reading list of a new Toronto
public school course because of objections from the Turkish-Canadian
community, the author says. Barbara Coloroso’s Extraordinary Evil:
A Brief History of Genocide was originally part of a resource list for
the Grade 11 history course, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity. The
book examines the Holocaust, which exterminated six million Jews in
the Second World War; the Rwandan slaughter of nearly one million
Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994, and the massacres of more than a
million Armenians in 1895, 1909 and 1915. But a committee struck to
review the course decided in late April to remove the book because
"a concern was raised regarding its appropriateness". The Committee
determined this might be included in a course on the social psychology
of genocide because of her posited thesis that genocide is merely
"the extreme extension of bullying".

AMENDMENTS AND ADDENDA TO LAW ON "HOLDING OF MEETINGS ASSEMBLIES, MARCHES AND DEMONSTRATIONS" ADOPTED BY FIRST READING

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 20, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia passed the bill of Tigran Torosian, the Speaker of the
National Assembly, with which amendments and addenda are made to the
law on "Holding of Meetings, Assemblies, Marches and Demonstrations"
with 93 for, 6 against and 1 abstaining votes on May 20. The members
of the Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction were against the bill and
independent MP Viktor Dallakian voted abstaining.

The parliament also discussed the annual report of the execution of
the RA 2007 state budget on the same day.

The ballot of the election of the NA Vice Speaker was carried out
in the hall adjacent to the NA sitting hall until 13:35. The only
candidate of the vote is Hrayr Karapetian, the former Head of the ARF
faction. American Armenian famous historian Richard Hovhannisian,
who was greeted with cheers at the suggestion of the NA Speaker,
was present at the NA sitting.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NA SPEAKER NOT GOING TO WORK ANYWHERE ELSE BUT PARLIAMENT

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 20, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. "I said still before the May 12 elections
that I am not going to work enywhere else but the parliament," Tigran
Torosian told journalists on May 19 in connection with the rumours
circulating about the possible resignation of the post of the Speaker
of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and appointment as
an ambassador. He expressed regret that "nonsenses, gossips become part
of the work of journalists as well." "On the contrary, in my opinion,
it is you, who should assist that those senseless mechanisms, which
are applied for creating certain problems, are not paid attention to,"
the NA Speaker said.

THE WORLD WANTS TO PROHIBIT CLUSTER BOMBS WHICH ARE WELL-KNOWN IN KARABAKH
Naira Hayrumyan

KarabakhOpen
20-05-2008 13:03:14

A conference is held in Dublin on prohibiting cluster bombs. Over
100 countries are for prohibition. Russia is not.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union Azerbaijan inherited an
immense amount of ammunition, including cluster bombs RBK 500 (500 kg)
which can be stuffed with different ammunition. In Karabakh everyone
knows pellet bombs ShOAB 0.5 (0.5 kg), as well as AO 2.5 and PTAB
1M. Azerbaijan used those weapons during the war.

Presently only one international organization has an office in
Stepanakert.

It is The HALO Trust, registered in the UK.

Artem Harutiunyan was in the first mine clearance team of The HALO
Trust in Karabakh in 2000. In 2002 he was seconded to Mozambique where
he worked till 2006. Now he is technical adviser for Landmine Action
in West Sahara.

"From 2000 to February 20, 2008 7812 cluster ammunition (3847 pellet
bombs and 3965 others) were found and disposed," Artem Harutiunyan
said in an interview with Karabakh-Open.com.

He said there are conventions on anti-personnel mines but Azerbaijan,
Armenia and Karabakh have not joined them. "It will hardly happen
unless relations are established between these countries," the
expert said.

"The recent case of use of mines was reported in 2006, the Azerbaijani
army laid mines around their positions near Aghdam (according to
the report of the Azerbaijan national landmine agency)," Artem
Harutiunyan said.

Since 1995 225 mine and ammunition explosions occurred, 298 people
were injured, including 78 children. 66 died. Most incidents occurred
in 2004, 27 and 10 people died. This year one incident was reported,
which took the life of a 15-year-old boy. By the number of incidents
per person Karabakh exceeds Afghanistan 3 times.

According to the HALO Trust, mines in Karabakh were laid during the
military conflict, during which cluster bombs, artillery and other
ammunition was used widely.

The signing of the convention is determined by the fact that mostly
civilians suffer from cluster bombs, and not only at war.

The international humanitarian organizations think it is time to sign
a binding agreement because peaceful people suffer from cluster bombs.

However, some countries which produce or use cluster bombs, such as the
United States, China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Israel, are against
such an agreement, BBCRussian.com reports. These countries claim
that cluster bombs are necessary for solving military problems. Their
representatives are not going to take part in the conference. Cluster
bombs are used by the armies of many countries, and are often used
in military conflicts. For instance, in summer 2006 Israel used them
in the south of Lebanon.

At present chemical and biological weapons are prohibited.