Month: December 2008

INCORRIGIBLE OPTIMIST

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
18 Dec 2008
Armenia

Touching upon the PACE Monitoring Committee’s session held in Paris,
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan mentioned that the Committee had
made a proposal unfavorable for Armenia.

"It is a working process, and out of the more than 80 members of the
Committee only 15 people participated in the session. 10 people among
them voted in favor of the proposal advanced. The issue concerning
Armenia will be put to discussion during the January session of the
Parliamentary Assembly."

And before that, rapporteurs J. Prescott and J. Columbier are to
visit Armenia. "I believe the developments in January will make it
possible to revise the current proposal and confirm that Armenia has
really implemented the major part of Resolutions # 1609 and 1620,"
Ed. Nalbandyan underscored.

MONITORING COMMITTEE DID ITS BAD JOB

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
18 Dec 2008
Armenia

In its session convened yesterday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a decision on suspending Armenia’s
right to vote, David Haroutyunyan, Head of the Armenian Delegation
of the Parliamentary Assembly, announced.

Co-rapporteurs John Prescott and Jorge Columbier submitted to the
Committee the draft report on the process of Armenia’s implementation
of Resolutions # 1690 and 1620.

David Haroutyunyan yesterday said that "the report contains quite
a lot of negative shades" in terms of the clauses concerning the
prosecutions.

He also added that Armenia’s steps in the sphere of mass media,
electoral reforms and the formation of the fact-finding group have
been estimated as positive.

"There was a question concerning the political prisoners, i.e. the
fact that there may be political prisoners in Armenia. In principle,
the question needs additional analysis, and because this was the
Monitoring Committee’s last meeting before the January session,
the proposal was advanced. However, the co-rapporteurs are to visit
Armenia in January to introduce relevant amendments to this decision,"
Head of the PACE Armenian Delegation mentioned.

Concretizing the proposals adopted by the Monitoring Committee,
David Haroutyunyan came to the following conclusion, "In general,
they propose to suspend the Armenian delegation’s right to vote."

18 U.S. EMBASSIES, 40 U.S. GOVERNORS’ OFFICES MAILED ENVELOPES WITH WHITE POWDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.12.2008 13:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. embassies in Prague and Tokyo have received
envelopes with apparently harmless white powder, bringing the total
number of U.S. missions targeted in the case to 18, officials said
Thursday.

"Eighteen embassies, US embassies have received envelopes containing
white powder. The new ones to the list from (Wednesday) are Prague
and Tokyo," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

The State Department said Wednesday that envelopes with white powder
were mailed to U.S. embassies in Berlin, Berne, Brussels, Bucharest,
Copenhagen, Dublin, Luxembourg, Madrid, Oslo, Paris, Reykjavik, Riga,
Rome, Stockholm, Tallinn and The Hague.

"Thus far the tests, the results that we have received back from
all the affected embassies have come back negative for any sort
of… harmful pathogens or anything harmful," McCormack said.

The U.S. embassy’s consulate building in Bucharest was temporarily
closed to the public Tuesday and reopened the same afternoon, while
the U.S. embassy’s consulate building in Rome was closed Wednesday
and Thursday, McCormack said. "I expect that (the consulate in Rome)
will reopen for regular business soon," he added.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is conducting the
investigation into the mailings, said that similar envelopes with white
powder were also received at more than 40 U.S. governors’ offices.

The contents initially tested negative, but more tests were planned,
it said.

The FBI’s Dallas office said the letters were all similar, post-marked
from Texas, with the earliest sent on December 8.

The FBI said on December 10 that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin,
the former Republican vice presidential candidate, and seven other
U.S. governors had received letters with a suspicious white powder.

It said the letters were also sent to governors’ offices in Rhode
Island, Michigan, Mississippi, Alabama, Minnesota, Montana, and
Missouri.

"Sending a hoax letter is serious and can have severe
consequences. This is a great drain on each city’s response teams,"
according to the FBI statement on Wednesday.

In 2001 letters containing anthrax killed five people and spread
panic. Since then, police and fire officers have been called out to
investigate suspicious mailings across the country – most of them
harmless, the AP reports.

RICHARD G. LUGAR: U.S. CAN THINK OVER INSTALLATION OF MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD IN AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.12.2008 13:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia should be offered a possibility to watch
U.S. missile defense system in Czechia and Poland, according to a
U.S. Senator.

"Besides, we can think over installation of a missile defense shield
in Azerbaijan," said Richard G. Lugar, United States Senator for
Indiana. "We should reason out the ground for rockets and radars."

"I think we could reach an agreement with Moscow, since we have common
interests. We are concerned over installation of rockets in Iran,
what is dangerous not only for the United States but also for the
entire world. Russia could be helpful to improve the situation,"
Senator Lugar said, the Echo of Moscow reports.

WILL ELECTRONIC AUCTION BE CANCELED?

A1+
[03:22 pm] 19 December, 2008

Armenia’s Compulsory Execution Service (CES) is scheduled to put up the
assets and the right of property of Bjni Company for electronic auction
on December 19. The auction hasn’t started yet. There is no information
about the pending auction available on the service’s website wither.

CES Spokesman Ruben Grzelyan couldn’t give us any definite information
about the auction. Still yesterday it was supposed that the action
would be canceled as one of the creditors -"Saturn ShinMontaj" brought
in an action against recognising the bankruptcy of Bjni Ltd. The
Northern Civil Court noted the claim and appointed a temporary
administrator.

Grzelyan says they haven’t got an official recognition of the company’s
bankruptcy which would allow them to cancel the auction.

Ruben Grzelyan also added that yesterday the company’s administration
petitioned them to withdraw the action relying on the court’s
decision. "They have attached a copy of the court decision to
the petition. Yet, we cannot dismiss the case on that ground. The
court must officially inform us about its decision," note the CES
Spokesman. He promised to give us a concrete answer within two hours.

Advocate of the Bjni Company Ara Zohrabyan noted that if a suit is
filed against bankruptcy, the Service of Compulsory Execution must
dismiss the case.

SUPER GM TOURNAMENT IN NANJING CONTINUES

Panorama.am
15:23 19/12/2008

At the moment super GM tournament in Nanjing continues. The pairs of
the eighth round of the super GM tournament held in Nanjing, China on
December 19 are: Topalov – Ivanchuk, Aronian – Movsesian, Svidler –
Bu Xiangzhi.

Note that in FIDE "Grand Prix" championship Vladimir Hakobyan ended
his game with Ukrainian Pavel Elianov in a draw. Today is announced
free day of the championship.

Another chess news: WIM Knarik Mouradian (Lebanon) scored 2,5 points
of 3 and is leading at the Arab Women’s Championship held in UAE.

FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER AND SIX OPPOSITIONAL SUPPORTERS ON TRIAL

Panorama.am
15:24 19/12/2008

Today the former Foreign Minister of Armenia Alexander Arzumanyan,
three members of parliament Hakob Hakobyan, Myasnik Malkhasyan and
Sasun Michaelyan and two other government critics will go on trial
at 12:00. The trial of Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s seven supporters will
take place in Shengavit community court.

Note that seven oppositionists are accused of the articles 225 and
300. Numerous opposition supporters have gathered in front of the
court building.

The prosecutors of the current trial are Ashot Nadoyan, Harutyun
Harutyunyan, Aram Amirzadyan, Lilit Tadevosyan, Hovsep Sargsyan and
Koryun Piloyan.

ARONYAN HAS 4.5 POINTS

Panorama.am
15:30 19/12/2008

The eights round of Super GM Tournament in Nanjing finished. In this
round Levon Aronyan met with another Amenian chess player Sergey
Movsisyan who presents Slovakia in the tournament. The game ended
in draw and Armenian chess players have their half points after
this round.

Svidler – Bu Xiangzhi meeting ended by the victory of Svidler. In
Topalov – Ivanchuk pair Topalov defeated his rival.

To conclude, after this round Aronyan has 4.5 points.

TURKISH METHODS TO DISTORT FACTS MISLEAD READERS
Armen Minasyan

Panorama.am
21:45 18/12/2008

It is a pure fact that recently Turkish society is no more convicted
to traditional taboos regarding Armenian Genocide. Perhaps, Hrant
Dink’s activities and his achievements were conditioned by it. At the
same time those problems did not receive the adequate repercussions
of the public as they were pressed by total anti-Armenian campaigns.

And the evidence to this is Hrant Dink’s murder.

In these days a group of Turkish intellectuals has taken the
initiative to apology on behalf of Turkish people to Armenians,
which they preferred to name "Great Catastrophe". In fact such
initiatives are taken by and in a public which has rejected it for
so many years. Surely, this is another evidence of "those changes"
listed above. It was difficult to imagine that another part of Turkish
society would keep a silence and that prediction was soon a mystery.

Ertugrul Ozkok a Turkish journalist who writes editorials for Turkish
"Hurriyet" daily has mocked the initiative of his people in his "The
apology campaign for Armenians is a joke" article published yesterday.

When trying to bring some evidence that the current initiative is
"unacceptable" he makes an irrational request: the journalist expresses
his embarrassment as famous British singer, the member of "Genesis"
group Peter Gabriel joined the apology. "He apologizes on behalf of us,
"Turks", to the Armenians for the bad things that "we Turks" did to
the Armenians," writes Ozkok. Keeping mocking element in his words,
the Turkish journalist proposes Mick Jagger to apologize on behalf of
Armenians to Turkish for murdered Turkish diplomats, or, he himself
apologizes to the Indians, the Pakistanis and to the indigenous people
of former colonies in the Far East on behalf of the "Brits". First
you think that the observation is logical, but…Turkish journalist
tries to misguide the reader. If Ozkok thinks that British Empire
has violated human rights in the colonies and committed anti-human
activities, then he is free to make his own judgments and to take
the imitative to condemn them.

In this regard, note that any effort to make Armenian Genocide
recognized and condemned is first of all aimed to prevent from the
similar crimes, hence, we highly recommend the Turkish journalist
not only to speculate historic facts, but to be so honest to speak
about the crimes committed against mankind, which are committed in
present days also.

Analyzing the fact of apologizing on behalf of Armenians, then the
journalist again warps the facts and distorts the reality. The most
important element in this observation is that those two examples
are completely incomparable; how we can compare genocide with a few
private cases of murders (note that those Turkish "diplomats" notified
by Ozkok were members of "Gray Wolves" terrorist organization which
was under the support of the local government). From another side,
various condemning announcements were made on the murder of Turkish
diplomats and some persons were sentenced. But till today official
Ankara has made not a single announcement on taking the responsibility,
or condemning, or else apologizing. The authorities themselves have
supported the policy to renounce the facts and have committed violence
against those who have accepted it within their country.

Regarding Ozkok personally, note that he did not express his
own position on apologizing to Armenians and joining the apology
campaign. Would he sign under that apology if Peter Gabriel has
not done it? This is the question which should be answered by
Ozkok. Avoiding the explanation of his own position his words are no
more than pure attempts to criticize the campaign.

HIP JOINT DYSPLASIA TO BE DIAGNOSED IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
15:21 19/12/2008

By the support of "Vivacell-MTS" company, "Children’s revival"
NGO bought special equipments costing 2.540 million AMD for those
children who suffer physical disability.

Note that children’s death rate in Armenia is above the average
rate. The rate of children’s physical disability is also high. Today
only due to modern equipments it is possible to save the life of
disabled children and their mothers. Hip joint dysplasia is a serious
disease which any child can suffer. This equipment gives chance to
diagnose the disease in their early age.

"These little creatures are the flowers of our life. And they need to
be taken care of from the cradle. We feel deep responsibility towards
the children and we are obliged to take care of their health," said
the General Director of the company Ralf Yirikyan when placing the
equipments in "Mother and Child" health center.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress