Month: August 2008

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION STARTS MASS RALLY

ArmInfo News Agency (in Russian)
Aug 1 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 1 August: Today at 1940 [1440 gmt] on the territory adjacent
to Matenadaran museum of ancient manuscripts, the supporters of
first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan started another rally
involving about 20,000 persons as estimated by an Arminfo news agency
correspondent.

As was said in the beginning of the rally, today’s speeches will
be short in order to enable the rally participants to listen more
to the leader of Armenian opposition Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Recently
released from custody, former deputy head of the national security
department of Armenia (back in 1990s), Col Gurgen Yegizaryan has said
that the Pan-National Movement may not be stopped with mass repression
carried out by the authorities. He underlined special significance of
"diverse rallies staged by the opposition because of which the regime
is obliged to set free some of the political prisoners".

The Centre for Pan-National Movement read out a statement during the
rally in which it said that it would support the candidacy of the son
of the leader of opposition party (Democratic Path), Manuk Gasparyan,
who passed away in January, Manvel Gasparyan, during the 7 September
election to the perfect of Yerevan’s Kanaker-Zeytun.

Hrant Baghratyan [former prime minister] criticized the economic
situation in Armenia.

Several minutes after the rally started, an unidentified person
appeared on the platform and tried to hamper the rally, but the
representatives of the opposition protecting the platform removed
him easily.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AKP AVOIDS BAN BUT WILL BE PUNISHED WITH FINANCIAL SANCTIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2008 22:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s Constitutional Court has decided not to ban
the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), accused of undermining
the country’s secular system. But the judges did cut half the AKP’s
treasury funding for this year.

The AKP, which won a huge poll victory last year, denies it wants
to create an Islamist state by stealth. It called the case an attack
on democracy.

The powerful military sees itself as the guardian of the modern
secular state founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Court president Hasim Kilic said the financial sanctions imposed on
the AKP were a "serious warning", BBC reports.

The prosecutor had argued that the secular system was in grave danger
and accused the AKP of using the advantages of democracy to achieve
a Islamist regime "which involves violence." His key argument was an
AKP-sponsored constitutional amendment passed in February that aimed
to abolish a ban on the Islamic headscarf in universities.

The Constitutional Court ruled that the amendment violated secular
principles and scrapped it in a separate case in June.

The prosecutor also cited attempts by AKP municipalities to ban or
restrict alcohol sales and promote religious education and Islamist
lifestyle.

At least seven of the 11 court judges would need to vote in favor for
the party to be banned. But six judges wanted a ban and five did not
want to do so.

EU officials expressed some relief at the court’s ruling on Wednesday.

"It is positive. Turkey is living a tense situation and we very
much hope that the decision by the court will contribute to restore
political stability," said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU
foreign policy chief Javier Solana.

The foundations of modern Turkish Republic were laid in 1923 by
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Turkey was proclaimed a secular country. 20
parties representing Islamist or Kurdish forces have been banned as
jeopardizing the constitutional regime.

Ataturk’s line was traditionally defended by army that seized the
power in1960, 1971, 1980 and 1997.

IRAN’S PRESIDENT DEMANDS TO CHANGE AGENDA OF HIS VISIT TO TURKEY OVER UNWILLINGNESS TO ATTEND ATATURK MAUSOLEUM

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2008 22:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is
expected to visit Turkey in August, has demanded to change the agenda
of his visit due to his unwillingness to visit mausoleum of Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk.

According to Turkish Star TV Channel, it will be a working visit to
Istanbul on invitation by Turkey’s Abdullah Gul. The date will be
exacted through a mutual agreement.

Turkish former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who paid a formal visit to
Iran, had never sent an official invitation to his Iranian counterpart.

GEORGIA SHOULD OFFER RUSSIA, EUROPE AND U.S. TO COME TO GEOPOLITICAL COMPROMISE

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2008 22:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Some people in Georgia erroneously think that joining
NATO will resolve all problems, Georgian political scientist Joumber
Kirvalidze said.

"Actually, we will immediately undertake the problems Americans
experience in Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran and will immediately become
a target for Islamic fundamentalists. Thanks to our wise ancestor,
Muslims respect us as noble and courageous nation," he said.

"Nevertheless, I think that Georgia should not dispatch forces to
Islamic states, no matter who patrons peacekeeping operations. We
should remember that the Islamic world surrounds us. Those who attempt
to alienate Georgia and Russia are imposing a fatal game on us. Some
"farseeing" politicians suppose that Russia will decline soon and
the issue of autonomies will be resolved in our favor."

Russia’s policy is Achilles’ heel for Georgian politicians, according
to Kirvalidze. "Those wishing Georgia welfare should alleviate
tensions. Some figures trying to get dividends from the U.S.-Russia
confrontation are far from being politicians. I am surprised to hear
some intellectuals saying that Russia is a hostile country. The fact is
that Russian intelligentsia treats us just the opposite way," he said.

"To re-unite Georgia we should offer Russia, Europe and U.S. to come
to geopolitical compromise on the basis of the international law,"
Kirvalidze said, Free Georgia reports

FIRST ARMENIAN DELEGATION OFF TO BEIJING FOR OLYMPIC GAMES

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2008 22:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On July 31, the first Armenian delegation is
departing for Beijing to participate in the 29th Summer Olympic Games,
said Natella Hovasapyan, spokesperson for the Armenian National
Olympic Committee. "The initial delegation included judoists and
rifleman Norayr Bakhtamyan. The other sportsmen will leave for the
Chinese capital from August 1 to 7," she said.

The Armenian delegation totals 60 members. 25 sportsmen – rifleman,
swimmer, weightlifters, wrestlers, boxers, judoists and athletes –
will represent our country. The delegation is led by Gagik Tsarukyan,
President of the Armenian Olympic Committee.

"The Olympic Games open on August 8. Rifleman Norayr Bakhtamyan,
judoist Hovhannes Davtyan and boxer Andranik Hakobyan will start
competition on August 9," Ms. Hovasapyan said, Novosti Armenia reports.

TALVITIE: PRINCIPLES OF SELF-DETERMINATION AND TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY TO UNDERLIE KARABAKH STATUS

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2008 22:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Special Envoy of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Ambassador Heikki Talvitie said in Baku that the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict should be resolved in the framework of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity while the status of Karabakh should be chosen on
the basis of territorial integrity and the right to self-determination.

These two principles are not mutually exclusive, according to him.

Amb. Talvitie also welcomed the contacts between Armenian and
Azerbaijani officials.

"We are hopeful that after the Azerbaijani presidential election,
the two countries will continue contacts to continue discussing the
principles that are on the agenda today," he said, Day.az reports.

EU: KARABAKH TALKS SHOULD BE CONTINUED IN COMPLIANCE WITH BASIC PRINCIPLES

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.07.2008 22:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ EU Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby met
with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to discuss the
ways of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

"We discussed the meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
Foreign Ministers due in Moscow on August 1 and concluded that the
talks should be continued in compliance with the basic principles,"
Mr Semneby told reporters, Trend Azeri news agency reports.

U.S. ADMINISTRATION DISCUSSING WAYS TO PROVOKE A WAR WITH IRAN?

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2008 14:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Speaking at the Campus Progress journalism conference
earlier this month, Seymour Hersh – a Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist
for The New Yorker – revealed that Bush administration officials held
a meeting recently in the Vice President’s office to discuss ways to
provoke a war with Iran.

In Hersh’s most recent article, he reports that this meeting occurred
in the wake of the overblown incident in the Strait of Hormuz, when
a U.S. carrier almost shot at a few small Iranian speedboats. The
"meeting took place in the Vice-President’s office. ‘The subject
was how to create a casus belli between Tehran and Washington,’"
according to one of Hersh’s sources.

Asked specifically about this meeting and if he could elaborate on
what occurred, Hersh explained that, during the meeting in Cheney’s
office, an idea was considered to dress up Navy Seals as Iranians,
put them on fake Iranian speedboats, and shoot at them. This idea,
intended to provoke an Iran war, was ultimately rejected.

"There was a dozen ideas proffered about how to trigger a war. The one
that interested me the most was why don’t we build – we in our shipyard
– build four or five boats that look like Iranian PT boats. Put Navy
seals on them with a lot of arms. And next time one of our boats goes
to the Straits of Hormuz, start a shoot-up," he said. "Might cost
some lives. And it was rejected because you can’t have Americans
killing Americans. That’s the kind of – that’s the level of stuff
we’re talking about. Provocation. But that was rejected."

Hersh argued that one of the things the Bush administration
learned during the encounter in the Strait of Hormuz was that,
"if you get the right incident, the American public will support"
it, thinkprogress.org reports.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JAVAKHK EVENTS SHATTERED ILLUSIONS ABOUT ‘DEMOCRATIC AND EUROPEANIZED GEORGIA’

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2008 14:40 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With the recent violence in Javakhk, Georgian
military and policing branch of government has demonstrated that the
country can’t become a member of western military and political blocs,
an Armenian expert said.

"The events in Javakhk shattered illusions about a ‘democratic and
Europeanized Georgia’. Illegal intrusion into the houses and arrests as
well as illegal detainment of elderly relations of Armenian activists
create an impression that Georgia has become a medieval principality
with no law and civil rights and where the local princes have full
control over the residents," Eduard Abrahamyan, expert at Mitq
analytical center told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

"Akhalkalaki police chief Samvel Petrosyan acts as "prince"
here. He actually ruined his part, incurring displeasure of the
Georgian authorities and angering the Armenian population. The
republic’s leadership will never excuse blunders in the process of
neutralization of Armenian activists. Petrosyan will apparently be
replaced by a young mercenary official who will spare no effort to
subdue the freedom-loving Armenians of Javakhk. The recent events
are the start of Georgian lawlessness and forcible assimilation of
Javakheti Armenians," he said.

"Due to complete lack of information, the Armenian population of
Javakhk sometimes invents various versions of Gurgen Shirinyan’s
escape, the only fighter against Georgian illegal actions, who has
become a hero for the Javakheti youth. Under the circumstances, Armenia
should take the only outlet to the Black Sea under its political,
economic and public control," Abrahamyan said.

SOME 200 ASSAULTS THROUGH NATIONAL HATRED COMMITTED IN RUSSIA THIS YEAR

PanARMENIAN.Net
01.08.2008 14:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Some 200 assaults through xenophobia and national
intolerance have been committed in Russia this year, resulting in
73 deaths.

According to Alexander Brod, director of the Moscow Bureau for Human
Rights (MBHR), Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sverdlov region are leading
with such crimes.

The number of radical nationalist activists in Russia reaches 60
thousand.

Most of assaults are committed against natives of Caucasus and Central
Asia as well as representatives of sexual minorities, RFE/RL reports.