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FOOTBALL: ARMENIA’S SQUAD FOR KAZAKHSTAN FRIENDLY

Agence France Presse — English
March 19, 2008 Wednesday 11:40 AM GMT

Armenia’s 25-man squad announced on Wednesday for the international
friendly against Kazakhstan at Yerevan on March 26:

Goalkeepers: Roman Berezovsky (Khimki/RUS), Gevorg Ksparov
(Rahahan/IRI), Mais Azizyan (Ulyss Yerevan)

Defenders: Sarkis Ovsepyan, Karen Dokhoyan (both Pyunik Yerevan),
Alexander Tadevosyan (Vitebsk/BLR), Agvan Mkrtchan (Gomel/BLR),
Robert Arzumanyan (Randers/DEN), Grair Mkoyan (Ararat Yerevan)

Midfielders: Genrikh Mkhitaryan, Karlen Mkrtchan (both Pyunik
Yerevan), Romik Khachatryan (APOP/Kinyras Peyias/CYP), Artur
Voskanyan (Vitebsk/BLR), Ararat Arakelyan (Metalurg Donetsk/UKR),
Artavazd Karamyan (Politechnica/ROM), Levon Pachadzhan (Gais/SWE),
Karen Aleksanyan (Banants Yerevan), Vaagn Minasyan (Ararat Yerevan)

Forwards: Gamlet Mkhitaryan (Rahahan/IRI), Arman Karamyan
(Politechnica/ROM), Ara Akopyan (Zimbru Chisinau/MOL), Samvel Melkonyan
(Metalurg Donetsk/UKR), Edgar Manucharyan (Ajax/NED), Gevorg Kazaryan
(Pyunik Yerevan), Robert Zebalyan (Kaliningrad/RUS)

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES STRESS VIGILANCE AS THE KEY TO ENDING THE CYCLE OF GENOCIDE

AZG Armenian Daily
21/03/2008

Armenian Genocide

Members of Congress, speaking to anti-genocide activists from around
the nation at a Capitol Hill program hosted by the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) and Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net),
urged continued civic education and advocacy to bring about the types
of U.S. action and international response needed to end the cycle
of genocide.

The activists were gathered in Washington, DC for three-days of
Congressional meetings as part of Capitol Hill Advocacy days held
from March 12th to 14th. They were joined by local activists from
the Greater Washington, DC area.

Nine House Members, among them Representatives Jim Costa(D-CA),
Rush Holt (D-NJ), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Betty McCollum (D-MN),
James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
Laura Richardson (D-CA), and John Tierney (D-MA), joined the citizen
activists, many offering poignant remarks regarding the importance
of vigilance in recognizing past genocides, even as the world works
to stop the current genocide in Darfur and prevent future genocides.

"What you do in keeping that issue [the Armenian Genocide] alive,
making sure that all of us stay involved in it and that we don’t let
it slide to the back burner is exceedingly important," noted Rep. John
Tierney in his opening remarks for the evening.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy concurred, noting that, "Armenia has always
met our values but they’ve been discarded in favor of Turkey, for
expediency purposes, and that’s something that we’ve always got to
fight against because it goes against our values as a nation."

Many Members of Congress expressed frustration at the Turkish
government’s worldwide campaign of genocide denial, citing the Turkish
threats used to delay the full House’s consideration of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106) following its passage last October in
the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "I am sad to say that Congress
didn’t have the backbone to stand up to a well-financed lobby by the
Turkish government and do the right thing, but we’re going to come
back, and come back, and come back until we do the right thing," noted
Rep. McGovern. "This isn’t over so anyone who thinks it is, is wrong."

Rep. Napolitano concurred, noting that "If they [Turkish lobbyists]
want to challenge me, fine, challenge me. But I’ll back it up with
whatever I know, and I know this [the Armenian Genocide] to be a fact
and the truth. That’s why I am very, very supportive and continuing
to work on this."

Rep. Richardson, who cosponsored H.Res.106 within weeks of joining
Congress in a special election, stated, "I’ve made a commitment to
support [H.Res.106] and you can keep me on that list until we get
this done."

Commenting on the often-repeated refrain that it is not the right
time to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Rep. Costa noted that,
"the timing will never be ‘right’ and therefore we must continue. We
must continue these efforts because, eventually, Turkey will have to
deal with the reality of its history…

It’s important to recognize the Armenian Genocide because, sadly,
man’s inhumanity to man continues."

Rep. McCollum summed up Congressional and anti-genocide advocate
concerns alike, stating "I’m very proud of the leadership that your
community has taken with what is happening in Darfur… You’re an
inspiration for all of us to be here to stand up for what is best in
human beings when they try to save one another’s lives and stand up
for basic human rights.

That’s what your movement is all about and the only way we can do that,
as a former history teacher, is by recognizing our history. You can’t
go forward until you know where you’ve been."

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: IMMEDIATE MEASURES MUST BE TAKEN TO PROTECT STATEHOOD BASIS

arminfo
2008-03-20 15:40:00

ArmInfo. Immediate measures must be taken to protect the statehood
basis, President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan said at a press
conference, Thursday.

It is noteworthy that Robert Kocharyan met journalists for the last
time as president.

He said that 1 March unrest in Yerevan showed that the Constitution
does hot provide for such measures. ‘It is surprising. German
legislations provides for up to 5 years of imprisonment for offences
against statehood, whereas the Armenian legislation provides for
nothing. That is why, I intend to initiate touch amendments to the
Constitution in order to give an adequate response to those who try to
destroy statehood basis to execute someone’s order. It is necessary to
protect democracy from crowd and anarchy and to prevent adventurism’,
Robert Kocharyan said.

He said special Police subdivisions must be modernized and retrained;
the special methods must be made safer. ‘Three of total seven
casualties were because of outdated and unsafe methods’, Robert
Kocharyan said.

Asked who ordered the law-enforcers to open fire, the president said
there is no such order since the legislation exactly says when and
in what circumstances a police officer has a right to apply service
weapons.

Robert Kocharyan said some public organizations must not be let
to politics.

It is not a secret that the full staff of public organization ‘Testing
the Spirit’ participated in the unrest and pogroms, and the Union of
Volunteers Yerkrapah participated in it partially. ‘It is necessary
to rule out the situation when public organizations played the role
of joker’, the president said. It is necessary to raise the public
responsibility for violence propaganda.

ANTI-IRAQ WAR US DIPLOMATS POORER BUT PROUD
by Adam Tanner

Reuters
March 19, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO – In 2003, three senior U.S. diplomats abruptly ended
prestigious careers and gained international attention by noisily
resigning in protest over the U.S. war in Iraq.

In interviews on Tuesday on the eve of the fifth anniversary of
the invasion, the three said they have lived more modestly without
government salaries but the chaos that has followed President George
W. Bush’s Iraq policy shows their actions were justified.

"The decision I took was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,"
said John Brady Kiesling, 50, who had served as a political officer
in Greece, Armenia and Morocco.

Kiesling was the first diplomat to go public with his dissent,
publishing his resignation letter to then-Secretary of State Colin
Powell. Powell’s reputation was to be tarnished by his public embrace
of the war, while Kiesling became a rare diplomat whose private
opinions garnered public attention.

"Our fervent pursuit of war with Iraq is driving us to squander the
international legitimacy that has been America’s most potent weapon of
both offense and defense since the days of Woodrow Wilson," Kiesling
wrote in his resignation letter.

The war did lead to the hanging of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein but
officials never found weapons of mass destruction that the Bush
administration had cited as a key reason for the invasion and many
nations denounced the U.S.-led war.

Now a resident of Athens, Greece, Kiesling and two others that followed
him in resigning, John Brown and Mary Ann Wright, said leaving their
diplomatic careers had been hard.

"I’ve had to tighten my belt," said Brown, 59, who served in London
as well as Moscow, Prague and Belgrade. "I have to be very careful
about my budget."

Wright, 61, who helped reestablish the U.S. Embassy in Kabul,
Afghanistan, in 2001, has become active in the anti-war movement. She
relies on the hospitality of others as she travels to rallies and
events.

Kiesling says he lives in a modest one-bedroom apartment and relies
on a bicycle and walking to get around.

STARTING OVER

All three remain engaged in public policy issues but say it was not
always easy to start afresh in middle age.

"There is something terrifying about no longer having an identifiable
role in the world," Kiesling said. "I was part of a very clear social
hierarchy. I knew my place, and that’s very comforting."

Kiesling taught at Princeton University for a year and in 2006
published the book "Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved
Superpower." He is now researching a book on a Greek terrorist group.

Brown, who said he was inspired to go public after Kiesling’s
resignation, said he wanted the world to know some diplomats dissented.

Looking back, he said: "I have my reservations on what impact, if any,
it had on policy."

Brown has taught at Georgetown University in Washington, written
frequently and maintained a blog on diplomacy.

While Kiesling and Brown have focused on academic work, Wright,
who served in the military for 29 years before joining the Foreign
Service, has focused on the anti-war movement and published "Dissent:
Voices of Conscience."

Before her resignation, she sent a cable in the State Department’s
dissent channel, a mechanism set up during the Vietnam War in 1971 for
internal disagreements. She received a stock reply and then decided
to go public.

"It was a big step. I was pretty senior in rank, just below
ambassador," said Wright, a former deputy chief of mission in Mongolia
who moved to Hawaii to be far from Bush’s Washington.

"My whole life has really changed," she said. "Most of my life is
dedicated to trying to stop the war."

The three former diplomats did not know each other before, but have
written a joint opinion article they hope to publish on Wednesday’s
anniversary.

"The war happened, with tragic but predictable consequences," they
wrote. "The invasion of Iraq had a terrible impact on America’s
relationship with the world."

"Our gesture earned us a brief moment in the media and the cautious
respect of our colleagues. Five years later, we do not regret our
decision to leave the profession we loved."

ARFD ARMENIAN SUPREME BODY PROPOSES CREATING PUBLIC COUNCIL CONSISTING OF FIGURES ENJOYING PEOPLE’S CONFIDENCE

Noyan Tapan
March 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 19, the ARFD Armenian Supreme
Body made a statement, which read:

"The presidential elections obviously showed that a considerable part
of the people exactly needs implementation of serious reforms. However,
unfortunately, the destructive way of confrontation was chosen instead
of protecting and guiding moods of people by political means:

As a result:

– moral-psychological low spirits among the people, the feeling of
despair, bifurcation, mutual intolerance, distrust, vagueness of the
countty development prospect, violation of human rights and basic
freedoms has reached a dangerous extent,

– tendencies of dividing the political forces into foreign ones and
one’s own people, locality differentiations become prevailing in
political life, there are no normal relations and dialogue between
the authorities and the opposition, extremism and maximalism are
leading in political processes,

– the reputation and status of Armenia as a favorable investment
environment, having a developing economy and stable progress,
is endangered,

– an unprecedented growth of threats to RA and NKR security has been
recorded, new foreign challenges emerge.

The further worsening of the situation is fraught with
military-political threats to independence and security of the two
Armenian states.

In the formed situation the country is faced by the necessity to
reaffirm its national-state guideline, to deepen the process of
many-sided democratic reforms, to restore solidarity inside the nation,
to form an atmosphere of national consent.

Prevention of a new migration wave, neutralization of investment
risks, restoration and strengthening of an atmosphere favorable for
progressive development is the first and foremost task in the country.

Under the circumstances the only way out is unreserved subordination
of the faction-party interest for the sake of the fulfilment of the
national-state goals set before the homeland and the Armenians. The
best solution can be formation of a government of national consent
with involving all parliamentary forces.

The ARFD Armenian Supreme Body is ready to make part of the government
of consent aimed at fulfilment of these goals and calls the political
opposition for evaluating the seriousness of the situation, using the
given possibility, and with its participation making the process of
reforms in the country more complete and full-value.

The government of consent should consider its first and foremost
tasks the following things:

– exclusion of the intervention of the executive power into the
judicial system, securing of complete independence and impartiality
of that system,

– liquidation of impunity and arbitrariness, everybody’s equality
before the law, irrespective of the position they take,

– formation of a new, absolutely independent electoral system
guaranteeing public confidence to political processes, excluding
executive power’s intervention,

– establishment of a fair competition order by creation of an efficient
anti-monopoly legislative field excluding economic monopolies,

– full-value plurality, freedom of expression, guaranteeing of
unbiassed and transparent activity of Public TV and Radio Company,

– securing of guarantees of full-value activity in the political
system for the opposition,

– carrying out of social policy on the basis of taking account of
minimum living basket.

In order to lead the country to normal course of life, to successfully
solve the above mentioned problems, to quickly discharge the
post-electoral tension, the ARFD Armenian Supreme Body considers it
necessary to implement a program of urgent events. The creation of a
Public Council under the RA President, consisting of figures enjoying
people’s confidence, representatives of NGOs, extra-parliamentary
forces can contribute to the implementation of that program. The
Council is to promote creation of the atmosphere of confidence
and establishment of permanent contact between the authorities and
society."

POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS TO LAW ON SIMPLIFIED TAX DISCUSSED

Noyan Tapan
March 19, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The current situation from the
viewpoint of application of simplified tax is that small enterprises
cannot mostly make use of the opportinities of this tax, whereas big
enterprises "have fouled" the RA Law on Simplified Tax, as a result
of which the state has now raised the issue of abolishing simplified
tax. Deputy of the RA National Assembly Hermine Naghdalian stated
this at the March 18 discussion of the law at the RA Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (CCI). Today the problem is not to allow –
by using the opportunities provided by the current legislation –
big enterprises to enter "simplified tax field".

The chairman of the RA CCI, National Assembly deputy Martin Sargsian
reminded that during the March 15 consultation conducted by the prime
minister Serge Sargsian, the heads of the State Tax Service adjunct to
the Armenian government suggested submitting proposals on additions
and amendments to the RA Law on Simplified Tax. By instructions of
the prime minister, such proposals have to be submitted until March 22.

The chairwoman of the Union of Merchants of Armenia Tsolvard Gevorgian
said that since the above mentioned consultation, the union received
over a hundred proposals from businessmen. She expressed a hope that
taxation of small and medium business will be regulated in such a
way that corruption factors will be reduced to a minimum.

The deputy head of the State Tax Service Armen Alaverdian said that
the use of efficient tax levers to promote small and medium business
rather than the issue of application of simplified tax should be
discussed. In his opinion, the definition of small and medium business
should be given once more.

According to the director of Logicon Development company Vahe
Petrosian, under the provisions of the new Law on Simplified Tax,
natural persons and private businessmen engaged in industry and the
service sector, except for manufacturers of agricultural products and
those engaged in some other activity, can no longer be considered as
simplified tax payers. In his words, SMEs in industry and service
sectors have no opportunity to work by paying simplified tax as
they mainly purchase raw material at fairs, without confirmative
documents. As a result, a 20% value added tax forms on sales, which
is a profit tax making up 15% of surplus sales. Taking other taxes
into account, the tax burden of such economic entities makes 35-37%,
whereas in case of using simplified tax this burden would make 5%.

V. Petrosian proposed that opportunities should be created for small
and medium producers, as well as for enterprises engaged in tourism,
services, software and Internet access services to work by paying
simplified tax.

The deputy chairman of the RA CCI, director of Viasphere Technopark
Aram Vardanian proposed that the minimum amount of annual turnover for
application of simplified tax for newly-created high-tech production
enterprises should be established at a higher level than the index
of 50 million drams (about 161,812 USD) currently used for all
the branches, because these enterprises are especially in need for
introduction of expensive equipment.

A. Alaverdian objected to the introduction of simplified tax in
production, saying that in this case two regimes of producers’ taxation
and a possibility of unequal competition will form. He said that 2%
of the annual rvenues of the RA state budget come from taxation of
simplified tax payers.

According to the executive director of the National Center for
Development of Small and Medium Entrepreneurship Ishkhan Karapetian,
over 97% of business entities currently registered in Armenia are small
and medium enterprises, more than 80% of which have up to 5 employees.

DEPUTY FM OF RUSSIA AND ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE DISCUSSED SITUATION IN TRANSCAUCASIA

arminfo
2008-03-18 11:25:00

ArmInfo. Yesterday, Secretary of State, deputy FM of Russia Grigory
Karasin met acting Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, being
in Moscow within the frames of the Russian-American negotiations in
‘two plus two’ format.

As RF FM’s press-service reports, during the meeting, the parties
discussed the relations of Russia and USA with the CIS states in
details. Special attention was paid to the problem of NATO extension
to the East and the situation in Transcaucasia.

IN ESTIMATION OF VIKTOR DALAKIAN, LATEST BILL ON RALLIES NOT TO CONTRIBUTE TO RELAXATION OF TENSION CREATED IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
March 18, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The amendments in the law on "Holding
of meetings, rallies, marches and demonstrtions" are conditioned
by the end of the term of the state of emergency on March 21 and
by the necessity for showing an adequate attitude towards possible
rallies. This opinion was expressed by MP Viktor Dalakian during the
discussion of the bill in the National Assembly.

According to him, the presented legislative initiative has a distinct
political implication and direction, and, in fact, is a bill on "Not
privileging rallies in Armenia." The MP called the authorities to be
led by the version that they may vecome opposition tomorrow.

Viktor Dalakian mentioned that after the 2008 presidential elections a
new situation has been created in Armenia. "In consequence of the March
1 tragic events the people, the international prestige of the country,
the authorities and the opposition suffered. Both the authorities and
the opposition should realize that they are in the same ship and are
shipping together," he stressed.

According to the MP, in connection with the consequences of the
created situation, they are trying to solve a situation problem,
however, the reasons are not being discussed. He mentioned that
according to the data of the Central Electoral Commission, more than
350 thousand citizens have voted for Levon Ter-Petrosian and there
is an impression that most of them have voted not for the former
President but against the current authorities, thus expressing their
protest. Levon Ter-Petrosian has, all in all, managed to generalize
the discontent existing among people and under these conditions one
should not think about the person, who has made that generalization,
but clarify the reasons of that discontent.

According to Viktor Dalakian, the domestic political complicated
situation created in Armenia can have two solutions: a repressive
solution of the issue, which is a short-term way and a political
solution of the issue, which is more expedient. He mentioned the
statement of the current Prime Minister, according to which those,
who were holding rallies in the Liberty square "are our brothers and
sisters", as well as his suggestion for forming a coalition. The MP
expressed an opinion that both the authorities and the opposition
should go along the way of agreement and that such legislative
initiatives do not contribute to the relaxation of the tension created
in Armenia.

ROBERT KOCHARIAN: ARMENIA IS INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENT OF BILATERAL CONTACTS WITH GREAT BRITAIN

Noyan Tapan
March 18, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Charles Lonsdale, the Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland to Armenia, handed his credentials to
RA President Robert Kocharian on March 18. Noyan Tapan was informed
about it by RA President’s Press Office.

Congratulating the diplomat on the occasion of assuming his post,
the RA President expressed confidence that during his activity
the newly elected Ambassador will contribute to deepening of the
Armenian-British relations for even more. According to R. Kocharian,
Armenia is interested in both development of bilateral ties with
Great Britain and in carrying out cooperation within the framework
of the European integration process. He highly estimated the program
assistance of the United Kingdom to the reforms of the government
system, as well as emphasized the active work of the British Council.

Touching upon issues of economic cooperation, R. Kocharian said that
though there are British investments in Armenia, unused possibilities
are still much more, and work should be done in that direction. He
attached importance to formation of the proper legal-contractual
field nececcary for promotion of economic cooperation.

PACKAGES GIVEN TO VULNERABLE FAMILIES OF 3 COMMUNITIES OF TAVUSH REGION WITHIN FRAMEWORK OF HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND’S OROROTS PROGRAM

Noyan Tapan
March 18, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Within the framework of the Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund’s program under the title Ororots, National Care
of New-born Babies, packages with necessary things have been given
to families having children aged below one year in the Ijevan,
Noyemberian, and Berd communities of the Tavush region. Clothes,
shoes, children care items are included in the packages.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Fund’s Public Relations Department,
the program is implemented jointly with the Coordinating Council of
the Women’s NGOs. Every year, when making a decision on choosing the
area, priority is given to families of people, who suffered from war,
families of border regions, and those having a low birth rate.

The money needed for the program implemented since 2003 is given
by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s Brazilian, New York (U.S. East
Coast local structure), Toronto (Canada local structure), as well as
by individual benefactors residing in Armenia and abroad.