Month: August 2008

ISRAEL, U.S. EXACTING DATE OF ATTACK ON IRAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 16:57 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Al-Siyassa Kuwaiti daily quoted sources in Washington
as saying that the date of an Israeli and American attack on Lebanon
and Iran is approaching.

According to the sources, preparations for the attack were coordinated
during recent frequent visits by senior Israeli officials to the U.S.,
and that Israeli Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has got a green light
from President Bush to carry out an extensive air and ground attack
against Hezbollah. The sources added that this attack, which could be
in late September or early October, would be a prelude to an expected
attack on Iran in November or December.

It was also reported that the Israelis informed the Bush administration
about the transfer of surface-to-air missiles from Iran to Hezbollah,
that the missiles had already been positioned in the Beq’a Valley
and at the foot of Mt. Lebanon, and that all Hezbollah missiles were
deployed in extensive areas of the country.

Also according to the sources, Syria was refraining from arming
Hezbollah with similar missiles that it and Iran received several
months ago from Russia. They said that in recent talks in Turkey
between Israeli and Syrian representatives, Syria had received
guarantees that it would not be attacked, and at the same time the
Syrian representatives announced the removal of a surface-to-air
missile network from the western mountain chain bordering Lebanon,
placed there out of fear of an Israeli aerial attack.

Kayhan Iranian daily, which is close to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei, stated that the frequent trips by senior Israeli officials
to Washington attest to Israel’s fear of concessions being made by
the U.S. in light of Iran’s increasing demands, and that these trips
were unplanned and not routine, MIGnews reports.

UAR: ACTUALLY, RELATIONS BETWEEN ARMENIA AND TURKEY WRETCHED

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 17:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Closed borders and absence of diplomatic ties prove
that relations between Armenia and Turkey remain wretched, said Gegham
Khalatyan, Vice President of the Union of Armenians of Russia.

"The Presidents’ statements on normalization of relations are just
declarative and do not inspire optimism," he said.

"It’s well known that Armenia reiterates readiness to normalize
relations without preconditions, while Turkey goes on stipulating
conditions, including resolution of the Karabakh conflict in favor
Azerbaijan and change of policy of calling for worldwide recognition
of the Armenian Genocide, a crime which has been already condemned
by 20 countries throughout the globe. There is no force that can
prevent triumph of justice. Neighborliness is impossible unless the
Turkish leaders find the courage repent of their deeds. Turkey openly
supports Azerbaijan which threatens Armenia with war. It’s not a sign
of good intentions," UAR Vice President said, ANF news agency reports.

ARIF YUNUSOV: TALKS ON KARABAKH WILL LAST LONG BUT THERE WILL BE NO WAR

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 17:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Talks on Karabakh will last for many years without
any result but there will be no war, said Arif Yunusov, head of the
Department of Conflictology at the Institute for Peace and Democracy.

"The problem is that each side drags out time, although the talks in
the Prague process framework are more favorable for Armenians. The
process envisages that Armenia returns three regions, then two
more regions. Kelbajar and Lachin will be returned at the end,
simultaneously with the return of refugees to Karabakh. In exchange,
Azerbaijan is supposed to give consent to conduction of a referendum
on Karabakh’s status in 10-15 years," he said.

Agreeing to these principles in 2004, the Azeri side made a mistake,
according to Yunusov. "It was erroneous to think that things can
change in 10-15 years," he said. "A huge gap between positions of
the sides hampers the process."

"The Armenian position is as follows: in some 10 or 15 years the
West’s investments in the Azeri oil will be compensated and the Kosovo
model will be applied to Karabakh while Azerbaijan will yield to
the West’s pressure and relinquish the territory. The Azeri position
implies exhausting armament race that will bring to collapse of poor
Armenian economy," Yunusov said, adding that the Azeri authorities
will not agree to the Prague principles while western investments
in the Azeri economy will prevent any possibility of war, Novosti
Azerbaijan reports.

ARMENIAN INTERESTS WILL NOT BE DAMAGED IF GUL WATCHES FOOTBALL IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 17:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Union of Armenians of Russia supports the
initiative of RA President Serzh Sargsyan to invite his Turkish
counterpart Abdullah Gul to Yerevan.

"The Armenian Diaspora numbers 8 million people and all have different
opinions. We rate President Sargsyan’s invitation as a good will
gesture. Armenian interests will not be damaged if Gul watches football
in Yerevan," said Gegham Khalatyan, UAR Vice President.

"Armenia will benefit anyway. As to the United States and
Russia… Over 100 of U.S. Congressmen and presidential candidate
Barack Obama stand for recognition of the Armenian Genocide. At the
same time, Turkey is an important ally for the U.S. and it’s natural
that each initiative for normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations is welcomed," he said. "To achieve serious results,
Turkey should first of all openly face the dark pages of its
history. Otherwise, all efforts will be useless."

"Russia pursues a pragmatic policy in the region, although it often
doesn’t meet long-term strategic interests. However, presence of
the border guards and a military base in Armenia is a restraint for
Turkey," Khalatyan said, ANF news agency reports.

RELATIONS BETWEEN ANKARA AND TEHRAN ARE BECOMING RED-HOT

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.08.2008 GMT+04:00

Not once Iran has tried to put the Turkish Islamists under her
protection, and at least twice Iranian diplomats have been accused
in Turkey of being personas non grata, after they took part in the
religious-political rallies.

The verdict of "not guilty" of Turkey’s Constitutional Court against
the claim to ban the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) brought
no peace to Turkey’s home policy. The party of Gul and Erdogan survived
by a miracle, but there is no guarantee that quiet times will set in
Turkey. Just on the contrary, appointment of General Ä°lker BaÅ~_bug
on the post of Chief of the General Staff can only precipitate the
onset of crisis in the country.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ BaÅ~_bug is a staunch supporter of cooperation with
NATO and Israel. Besides, as many observers claim, like his predecessor
he will conduct a brutal policy towards the moderate Islamists of
the AKP. Two years ago the General declared political Islam to be a
threat to the secular Turkish Republic. BaÅ~_bug himself has not once
been attacked by Turkish Islamists. The "Vakit" newspaper published
BaÅ~_bug’s photos in Jerusalem at the Wailing Wall, noting that
he might be Â"a bit too close to the JewsÂ". Besides, some sources
declare that Ä°lker BaÅ~_bug tried to influence the verdict of the
Constitutional Court.

Turkey faces problems in its foreign policy too. Not so long ago
there were hopes of Turkey’s mediation in the settlement of the
Iranian nuclear problem and restoration of relations between Israel
and Syria. However, judging by lots of indications, relations between
Ankara and Tehran are becoming red-hot, on the initiative of Iran
though. Even theoretically Turkey could not overlook the situation,
when the Iranian side declared that in case of attack Iran would
strike a blow Â"on the 32 U.S. air bases in the region and on the
heart of IsraelÂ". Among these 32 bases is the Turkish-American Air
Base "Incirlik", located not far from the Baku-Jeihan pipeline.

A particular role in the Iranian-Turkish relations, to be more exact
in their tenseness, may play Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s
visit to Turkey, due on August 14. Ahmadinejad did not wish to visit
the Mausoleum of Ataturk in Ankara, so the Turkish Government found
a way-out: format of the visit was changed, so that the Iranian
President would arrive in Istanbul, bypassing Ankara. However,
this move may cost dear to President Gul and Prime-Minister Erdogan,
after all often has Iran tried to put the Turkish Islamists under her
protection, and at least twice Iranian diplomats have been accused
in Turkey of being personas non grata, after they took part in the
religious-political rallies.

As for mediation between Israel and Syria, negotiations were broken off
as soon as they started. Naturally, Israel is reluctant to leave the
Golan Heights, which means failure of any kind of negotiations with
any Arab country, except for Egypt. But there is also the Achilles’
heel of Turkey – the Armenian-Turkish relations. Some analysts consider
that in response to the support of the AKP the European Council will
demand opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and re-establishment
of relations between the two countries. All this makes one believe
that the period of stagnation in the Armenian-Turkish relations is
a past story.

Another proof of development in the Armenian-Turkish relations is
the fact of opening an Armenian Language and Literature Department
in one of the Universities of NevÅ~_ehir Province, Trend Azeri
news agency reports. After getting official permission from the
Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Education of Turkey opened in
the University of NevÅ~_ehir a Faculty of the Armenian Language and
Literature. According to professor of the University Mehmet Metin
Hulagu the Faculty will serve as a bridge in the relations between
the two countries. Taking into consideration the lack of Armenian
specialists in Turkey, the possibility of inviting teachers from
Armenia is not excluded. However, on the whole Turkey’s attitude
towards Armenia has not changed. As Turkish Daily News reports, Â"The
main demand of Turkey is omission of the term "Western Armenia" from
the Declaration of Independence of Armenia, adopted on August 23, 1990
and recognition of the current Turkish borders. The second demand is
withdrawal of the Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, and, finally,
the third claim is refusal of international recognition of the Armenian
Genocide in the Ottoman Empire in the years of the World War IÂ",
declared Kasim, Associate Professor and Writer at the International
Strategic Research Center (USAK). He also noted that the Â"football
diplomacyÂ" cannot be compared with what the U.S.A. undertook in 1971
by organizing a Â"diplomaticÂ" match of table tennis with China. Â"It
became a turning-point in the Â"cold warÂ" and led to a compromise
between the two powerful states, a fact which cannot be observed in
the relations between Ankara and YerevanÂ", the Turkish expert said.

–Boundary_(ID_YbvjlfAsU/5H4MmiDarwQg)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EMERGENCY MINISTER SAYS 5-YEAR-LONG STRATEGIC PROGRAM ON ANTI-HAIL ACTIVITY BEING DEVELOPMED

ARMENPRESS
Aug 6, 2007

YEREVAN, AUGUST 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Emergency Ministry
is developing a 5-year long strategic program on anti-hail
activity. Minister Mher Shahgeldian said that hail causes damages
to the agriculture, deepens poverty. He said 30 anti-hail stations
are functioning in Armenia but there is a necessity of having 1,000
of them. The minister said that the strategy is for consolidation of
anti-hail defense and its expansion.

The minister also referred to the cases of drowning, noting that the
issue is quite urgent in Armenia as far as besides Lake Sevan around
100 water reservoirs exist in Armenia. He said that the officials of
the water guard services are paying special attention to the increase
of the level of awareness of the population.

According to him, they are not able to establish rescue services
near all water reservoirs. It is necessary to increase the level of
awareness of the people so that they understand where they may swim
where not.

PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH HEADS OF CUSTOMS WAREHOUSES TO CONVEY GOVERNMENT’S NEW APPROACHES

ARMENPRESS
Aug 6, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 6, ARMENPRESS: Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met
today with heads of customs warehouses to convey to them the revised
government’s approaches on how these warehouses should operate from
now on.

He said the ultimate goal is to raise drastically and in a short
period of time the quality of services offered by warehouses and to
achieve this all customs bodies will have to combine their efforts.

He then focused on key legislation requirements which should be
observed strictly by all.

He said warehouses must give up whole and retail sale of goods. He
added this will be observed very strictly.

He said warehouses must be separated from other facilities and those
that fail to meet the deadline, set by the government, will be deprived
of their licenses.

The prime minister also spoke about technical equipment of warehouses
saying the government will watch closely that all these requirements
be observed strictly.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN RECEIVES SHEIKH SAUD BIN SAKR AL KASIMI OF U.A.E.

ARMENPRESS
Aug 6, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 6, ARMENPRESS: On August 6 President Serzh Sargsyan
signed a decree to approve a supplement to the 2007 list of first
instance court judges’ promotion. In accordance with the supplement,
Arsen Mkrtchian, head of the judicial department of Armenia was
included in the list.

The presidential press service told Armenpress that Serzh Sargsyan
signed another decree today to appoint Arsen Mkrtchian judge of the
Civil Court of Review.

The president also decreed to renounce Court of Appeals judge Samvel
Gyurjian’s authority.

PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSYAN APPROVES SUPPLEMENT TO 2007 LIST OF JUDGES’ PROMOTION

ARMENPRESS
Aug 6, 2008

YEREVAN, AUGUST 6, ARMENPRESS: President Serzh Sargsyan received
today Sheikh Saud Bin Sakr al Kasimi, the Ras al Khaima emirate’s
successor to the throne and the United Arab Emirate’s (U.A.E.) deputy
prime minister, and members of his entourage.

The presidential press service quoted Serzh Sargsyan as saying that he
was pleased with dynamically developing relations between Armenia and
the UA.E., saying also various-level reciprocal visits and partnership
projects have become more frequent in recent years.

"Armenia has always been striving to have friendly relations with
the Arab world, including Gulf countries and this is a historical
strive," he said. The Armenian president described the achievements
of the U.A.E. in recent years as impressive.

Stressing that there is a big potential for both countries to boost
their relations, President Sargsyan emphasized its full use. He said
the fact that trade between the two countries doubled in the last
six months is the testament of more active contacts between their
business people.

Sheikh Saud Bin Sakr al Kasimi thanked for the support of Armenia
to U.A.E.’s companies operating in Armenia expressing hope that
this partnership will continue. He said his country seeks to create
an environment of prosperity, stability and economic growth and is
cooperating with those countries which pursue these same objectives.

The two men spoke also about joint programs in development of tourism,
mining and other industrial sectors. Sargsyan said foreign investments
in Armenia bring not only new jobs and experience but also a new
quality and new culture. He pledged his government’s support to
these projects.

AMERIABANK: SATURDAY IS A WORKING DAY

Panorama.am
20:21 06/08/2008

In August 2007, the shares of Ameriabank (former Armimpexbank) were
bought by "TDA Holdings limited" affiliated with Russian greatest
investor "Troyka Dialogue". At the moment, the capital of the bank
counts almost 8 bil. AD.

As a result of structural modifications many changes were made in
the work style of the bank as well. Thus, in the great hall of the
central office new working hours were fixed(9:30-17:00).

Moreover, taking into consideration the demands of its customers
Ameriabank also fixed new service hours for accounting/calculation
operations (every Saturday 10:00-16:00) and for systems of remuneration
(every day 9:30-19:00, and on Saturday 10:00-16:00).