Author: Antonian Lara

SAFAROV SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT
Yerkir
13.04.2006 17:59
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Azeri officer Ramil Safarov was sentenced to life
imprisonment for murder of Armenian lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan that
he committed on February 19, 2004.
Budapest court judge Andras Vaskuti announced the verdict, according
to which Ramil Safarov is sentenced to life imprisonment without the
possibility of parole for the first 30 years, the Public TV Company
of Armenia reported.

POPULIST “INTRIGUES” IN THE PARLIAMENT
A1+
[02:34 pm] 13 April, 2006
Today the NA was full of the “legislative branch representative.” The
Republican Party “gathered” all its deputies. Even Levon Sargsyan
(“the flouring – mill Ljovik”) and Samvel Aleksanyan (“Lfik Samo”)
were present.
On the whole, the Parliament was ready to put “the program of 2001
– 2003 privatization revenue” to the vote but before carrying the
ballot the Chairman of the Dashnaktsutyun Party Levon Lazarian and
the Vice-Deputy of the “Justice” Fraction Victor Dallakyan made
interpreting speeches on it. Levon Lazarian explained that they
were against the 2001 – 2003 privatization revenue and now they don’t
vote the program of 2001 – 2003 privatization but the privatization
procedure from January 1 to December 31 of the year 2004. He informed
that they approved of it.
Victor Dallakyan said that people who don’t approve of the program
must not vote so that the bill will not be passed and then he
asked for a 20 – minute break. The deputies “overcame the 20 –
minute test” and finally carried a vote on “the program of 2001 –
2003 privatization.” After the break, before carrying the ballot the
member of the ND Fraction Hakob Hakobyan made a speech and addressed
to the NA Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan, “We have spoken about robbery
for 2 days and criticized it but as Victor Dallakyan mentioned “if we
vote against, the bill will pass. How can people know whether it is
all formality or not? Which will be you next step? Will you organize
a hunger-strike or a protest?” Arthur Bagdasaryan answered that it
was a position of principle, they will say “no” to the privatization
program and they have already taken measures for the further prevention
of the privatization procedure.
Anyway, the bill passed with 65 “pros,” 10 “cons” and 10
“abstentions.” Only the Opposition did not participate in the
ballot. The 2005 – 2007 privatization program was also confirmed with
80 “pros,” 0 “cons” and 5 “abstentions.” After the voting the hall
became empty within 3 minutes. The NA continued its current work.
The Vice-Deputy of the “Justice” Fraction Victor Dallakyan commented
on the events of the Parliament in the following way, “If any of the
Coalition representatives is against the Government policy it must
raise the question of no-confidence and the vice versa. In developed
countries the Government would arouse the question of Government’s
confidence in case the party led by the Parliament Speaker behaved
like this. Neither of them occurred. Thus, the next populist step
was made in the Parliament.”
By the way, the balloting had a rather interesting result. For
instance, the member of “National Conciliation” Party Haroutyun
Muradyan approved of the privatization revenue program. The Deputies of
Orinats Yerkir, despite Arthur Baghdasaryan’s calls to vote against
the program, voted in its favour; let us mention Artak Sargsyan
(the owner of “Sas” supermarket).

5th UNIT OF HRAZDAN TPP TO BE SOLD TO ARMRUSGASPROM RATHER THAN TO GASPROM
Noyan Tapan
Apr 12 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Contrary to the previously made
statements, the 5th unit of Hrazdan Thermal Power Plant will be sold
not to Gasprom company (Russia) but to its Armenian subsidiary –
ArmRusgasprom, which follows from new reports of Gasprom. There was
a press release on Gasprom’s website on April 11 about a meeting
between Chairman of Gasprom board Alexei Miller and Director General
of ArmRusgasprom Karen Karapetian. The press release in particular
reads: “Gasprom OJSC and the Armenian government on April 6 signed
a 25-year agreenment that specifies the strategical principles of
cooperation in gas energy projects in the territory of the Republic
of Armenia. The document envisages that ArmRusagasprom will take
over the 5th unit of Hrazdan TPP (Hrazdan-5), as well as some
facilities of Armenia’s gas sector from the Armenian government. The
preliminary sale agreements shall be signed until April 14, 2006,
while the transfer of property rights with respect to the indicated
facilities shall take place until January 1, 2007. By the end of
the deal, Gasprom’s stake in ArmRusgasprom’s capital will make a
qualified majority.” Thus, the main mechanism of the deal between
the RA government and Gasprom may be as follows. ArmRusgasprom’s
capital increases to at least 248 mln USD, and the new shares are
acquired by Gasprom. As a result, Gasprom’s stake in ArmRusgasprom
will make a “qualified majority”. (At the moment it is not yet clear
what percentage it will constitute). Gasprom and the RA governemnt
currently have a 45% stake each. With this sum, ArmRusgasprom will
purchase the 5th power unit and other “gas facilities” from the RA
government. It is not also clear what “facilities” are meant, but
it is almost obvious that it may be the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline,
the construction of which is not completed at the present time and,
according to RA Energy Minister Armen Movsisian, it may not be sold,
but it is envisaged to complete its construction by late 2006. NT
failed to receive any comments on the above mentioned press release
of Gasprom from official Armenian bodies.

NATO DOESN’T OBJECT TO RUSSIAN TROOPERS IN ARMENIA – OFFICIAL
ITAR-TASS, Russia
April 11 2006
BAKU, April 11 (Itar-Tass) — NATO does not object to the deployment
of Russian forces in Armenia, special representative Robert Simmons
told a Tuesday press conference in Baku.
He said the alliance does not compete with Russia in the South Caucasus
and does not plan to interfere in regional conflicts. The conflicts
are being settled, and the alliance thinks that the sides are capable
of settlement, he said.
The NATO opinion of the Karabakh conflict is similar to that of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he said.
The deployment of peacekeeping forces is up to the sides, if Armenia
and Azerbaijan make this decision, he added. If they reach the
agreement and make the request to the alliance, NATO is ready to
discuss the deployment of peacekeepers, Simmons said.
Regional conflicts do not hamper NATO cooperation with South Caucasian
countries, he said, adding that settlement of the conflicts would
make the partnership more efficient.
Simmons described Azerbaijan as a leading regional partner to NATO and
said that both sides are interested in the development of cooperation,
which needs to be updated to modern realities, and related changes
need to be made in the Azerbaijan-NATO individual partnership plan.

GENOCIDE HAUNTS SURVIVORS: TESTIMONIALS MARK 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF RWANDAN TRAGEDY
by Trevor Wilhelm, Windsor Star
Windsor Star (Ontario, Canada)
April 10, 2006 Monday
Final Edition
Her parents, grandparents, five siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins
were all murdered.
Later, when the extermination squads of the Rwandan genocide came
for her, Grace Mukasekuru — then 13 years old — survived by hiding
beneath the body of a murdered family friend and playing dead.
“I’ve seen so much that no one should ever have to see, at any age,”
said Mukasekuru, 25. “I’ve seen people get killed, I was lined up
waiting for my turn to get killed.”
Mukasekuru was an organizer on the weekend of a three-day memorial
commemorating the 12th anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
For 100 days following the murder of ethnic Hutu president Juvenal
Habyarimana, extremist Hutu authorities organized the slaughter of
about 900,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Events this weekend included a gathering Saturday at the University
of Windsor, with testimonies from survivors of the Rwandan genocide,
the Jewish holocaust and atrocities in Armenia, Cambodia and Sudan.
Sunday, there was a prayer service at Assumption Church.
Organizer Hiram Gahima, 42, who lost his family to the genocide,
said holding remembrance ceremonies brings awareness, which can help
to end such atrocities.
“Genocide is a tragedy, it’s an evil we need to fight against and
never allow to happen again,” said Gahima, an engineer in Windsor.
“It happened all over the world. It’s still happening. We need to
stand up as a community, as one people, and fight this evil.”
The evil is etched in Mukasekuru’s brain. When she left Rwanda 11
years ago, bodies literally filled the streets.
“It was before they started burying people,” she said.
When the genocide began, her father and brother fled because the
Hutus were only killing the men. The restraint didn’t last long.
“They started killing everybody, the mothers, the kids,” said
Mukasekuru, who still has two siblings with her in Windsor. “That’s
when I lost my mom.”
It was a pitch black night when killers came to the house in which
she and others were hiding. The men said they would let their victims
live if they handed over their valuables. It was a lie.
“They started killing and killing,” Mukasekuru said.
“Everything became chaotic.”
In the chaos, she fell to the ground from a blow to the head. Lying
there, she watched the murder of a man who worked for her family.
“He fell on top of me, so I pretended to be dead,” Mukasekuru said.
“That’s how I survived — that’s how I survived that night. The rest
of the story is just a long story.”
She said it’s a tale that will never finish for her.
“The genocide ended 12 years ago,” she said. “But it doesn’t end
for me. Every day is a scar. Every day it is something I have to
deal with.”

VARTAN OSKANIAN HAS MEETINGS WITH SYRIAN PRESIDENT AND FOREIGN MINISTER
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 10 2006
DAMASCUS, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The delegation
headed by RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian arrived on a working
visit to the Arab Republic of Syria on April 8. In Damascus, on
April 8, Minister Oskanian met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid
al-Moualem. During that meeting, the two spoke at length about
bilateral as well as regional matters. They specifically focused on
cooperation in international forums, educational and economic exchange,
as well as institutional cooperation. They also spoke at length about
the Nagorno Karabakh negotiation process, Armenia-Turkey relations, as
well as the situation in Iraq and other matters in both regions. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press amd
Information Department, earlier in the day, Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad also received the Armenian delegation. Minister Oskanian
informed him about political and economic developments within Armenia
and in the region. President Assad expressed his appreciation at the
traditionally warm relations between Armenians and Syrians and said
that should serve as a foundation for deepening ties, especially
in the economic sphere. The Minister’s Damascus visit concluded
with a reception at the embassy, attended by representatives of
community organizations and religious leaders. On Sunday, the Minister
participated in Aleppo in the 100th anniversary celebration of the
Armenian General Benevolent Union and the 75th anniversary celebration
of the Armenian Youth Association.

ARF Bureau representative meets with US ambassador
07.04.2006 17:50
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau
representative Hrant Margarian met on April 7 with US Ambassador to
Armenia John Evans at the US Embassy in Yerevan. The parties
exchanged views over the Armenian processes, relations between the US
and Armenia and the regional developments.
Following the meeting, Margarian said, “I saw it important to directly
present some of our views to the US ambassador. I expressed our
concerns over provoking anti-Armenian sentiment in Iran by Azerbaijan
as well as the escalation of the relations of the United States and
Iran. Armenia has good relations with both the US and Iran and Armenia
prefers to see normal relations between those countries.”

CENTRAL ASIA’S RAPID GROWTH TO CONTINUE IN 2006-2007, SAYS ADB
Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 6 2006
Central Asia will maintain its rapid economic expansion with GDP growth
in the region projected at 10.3% in 2006 and 9.8% in 2007, according
to a major ADB report released today. The region grew 10.9% in 2005.
Regional inflation is expected to rise slightly to about 7.9% in 2006,
but the current account is now expected to post a strong surplus due
to high oil prices.
“Many Central Asian economies are benefiting from a range of reform
measures under way. But the overall picture masks a large gap between
growth in the oil-producing nations and the rest,” said ADB Chief
Economist Ifzal Ali in launching the 2006 edition of ADB’s flagship
annual economic publication, Asian Development Outlook (ADO).
“As a region, Central Asia would benefit most from an aggressive
campaign to remove barriers to trade and foster closer economic
cooperation,” he said.
ADO 2006 forecasts overall growth for the 43 countries of developing
Asia of 7.2% in 2006 and 7% in 2007.
In Armenia, rapidly rising incomes and falling poverty rates
abetted by well-sequenced economic reforms are the country’s current
hallmarks. GDP growth is forecast between 6% and 7% in 2006-2007 as
inflation is expected to be well contained, and the current account
deficit is expected to narrow further. The medium-term outlook is
favorable although prospects would brighten if an agreement to resolve
the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was concluded and the country’s
borders were fully open to trade.
Azerbaijan experienced unprecedented GDP growth of 26.4% in 2005.
This momentum is set to build further to 30.5% in 2006 and nearly that
rate in 2007, driven by oil and gas production and exports as recent
large investments come fully online. The 2006 budget calls for a very
large increase in spending and the Government will need to carefully
manage expenditure to avoid stoking inflation, which started to pick
up last year. Key challenges are controlling inflation, preventing
excessive appreciation of the Azerbaijani manat, and diversifying
the economic base.
Ambitious structural changes, foreign investment, high prices for
hydrocarbons, and political stability have spurred Kazakhstan’s
economy and improved living standards in recent years. GDP growth is
projected to average 8.5% in 2006-2007 as high investment continues
in this oil-driven economy. The challenge ahead is to maintain
past successes and ensure broad-based development and employment by
expanding non-oil manufacturing, raising productivity in agriculture,
and extending the reach of small and medium-sized enterprises.
In the Kyrgyz Republic the “Tulip Revolution” and the fall in gold
production at the country’s major mine adversely affected the economy
in 2005. The outlook is for recovery and GDP growth is projected at
5% in 2006 and 5.5% in 2007 based on implementation of an economic
program supported by the Poverty Reduction and Growth facility of
the IMF. The new Government has declared its commitment to addressing
the three main challenges facing the country: low living standards,
unemployment, and widespread corruption.
GDP growth in Tajikistan slowed to 6.7% in 2005 due mainly to falling
cotton production and deterioration in the terms of trade. The
outlook is for a recovery in activity with GDP growth projected at 8%
in 2006 and then moderating to 6% in 2007. Progress has been made
in implementing a poverty reduction and growth strategy in recent
years, despite the legacy of weak institutional capacity and a limited
resource base. Medium-term economic prospects are promising in view of
the start of major foreign-invested projects and intensified efforts
to advance structural reforms.
The outlook for growth in Turkmenistan is subject to considerable
uncertainty because of the economy’s heavy reliance on exports of a
handful of energy and agricultural products. If prices for exports
of natural gas rise in 2006 this will provide a short-term stimulus
to the economy and GDP should grow 5%-7% a year in 2006-2007.
Uzbekistan has posted strong growth over the past two years with
significant contributions from agriculture and robust performance
on external trade. This growth momentum is expected to continue in
2006-2007 with GDP projected to expand about 6% annually, aided by
greater foreign direct investment in the hydrocarbon sector.
Medium-term prospects are bright; however, a sustained, broad-based
high-growth track would require undertaking the critical mass of
reforms needed for private sector-led growth.

FUEL PRICE DECLINES BY 0.1% IN ARMENIA IN MARCH
Noyan Tapan
Apr 04 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN. A 0.1% price fall was registered in the
fuel commodity group of Armenia in March on Febraury 2006. According
to the RA National Statistical Service, the price of gasoline remained
unchanged in March on February 2006, while the price of diesel fuel
grew by 0.1%. The gasoline and diesel fuel price growth made 14.4%
and 12.4% respectively compared with March 2005, and 33.3% and 58.9%
respectively compared with March 2002.

Armenia: Independent TV Station Faces Renewed Pressure
Embattled channel sees political motives behind eviction order.
By Gegham Vardanian in Yerevan (CRS No. 333, 30-Mar-06)
Caucasus Reporting Service
Four years ago, Armenia’s A1+ independent TV station was forced off
the air in what its journalists maintain was a government-inspired
vendetta.
Now, A1+ says the authorities are behind moves to force the TV station
out of its offices.
For 15 years, A1+ has rented space on Grigor Lusavorich Street in
downtown Yerevan.
But the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, which owns the building,
is suddenly demanding that A1+ leave.
“The academy is just a tool. I am deeply convinced that had it not
received ‘instructions’, [the academy] would not have resorted to
such a step,” human rights activist Avetik Ishkhanian told IWPR.
“All this is aimed at creating new obstacles for A1+, in order
to complete the process started four years ago of closing the TV
station down.”
Last year, the Academy of Sciences filed a suit demanding the eviction
of A1+ from the building, and eventually won the case.
Court officers suddenly showed up at A1+ on March 16. They told the
journalists to gather their equipment and get out within 17 hours.
“The court officers have two months to implement the court’s
decision. How can it be explained that a company is given a few hours
to empty the premises when they understand full well that this is
impossible to do in such a short time?” said Olga Safarian, a lawyer
for the NGO Internews, which promotes the development of free media.
A1+ was forced off the Armenian airwaves on April 2, 2002, when the
National Television and Radio Commission, appointed by the president,
took away A1+’s licence and gave it to another company.
The Council of Europe, the OSCE, and international watchdog groups
have defended A1+ on several occasions over the last few years.
“The government continued to restrict full media freedom in the
country,” said Human Rights Watch’s 2005 report on Armenia. The
report noted that as well as A1+, Noyan Tapan television and Russia’s
state-controlled NTV also remain unable to broadcast because the
government has taken away their frequencies.
Over the past four years, A1+ has filed eight applications to obtain
TV frequencies and two applications to obtain radio frequencies. Each
time the National Television and Radio Committee refused.
A1+ has also brought numerous legal actions in various Armenian courts
to win the right to a license. These suits have similarly failed,
and the TV company is now trying to press its case at the European
Court of Human Rights.
Academy of Sciences manager Ermir Grigorian denied politics were
behind the decision to try and evict A1+.
“A1+ should leave those rooms, because our language institute is to
be located there,” said Grigorian.
But on March 17, the day that A1+ was told to vacate the building,
human rights activists, public figures, and journalists assembled at
the broadcaster’s offices. The court officers postponed their visit.
Thereafter, Prime Minister Andranik Margarian met with academy
president Fadey Sargsian and promised that A1+ would be given
alternative premises to rent.
“We offered A1+ appropriate space and promised to resolve the problem,”
the prime minister told journalists in the national assembly on
March 22.
“Until the problem of the new premises is resolved, A1+ will have
no problems and the TV company will not leave its current premises,”
National Academy of Sciences head Sargisian told the Haikakan Zhamanak
newspaper.
But A1+ director Mesrop Movsesian, who claims A1+ spent 34,000 US
dollars on upgrading the facilities at its present offices, said
the government was already trying to force the company to accept far
inferior premises.
“The size of the offices is satisfactory, but everything is ruined
there. We cannot go and work in a dirty building. We will need
financial expenditures to repair rooms and the corridor,” Movesian
told IWPR. He said that even if A1+ did accept the space, it could
be impossible to empty its current premises within two months, as
the Academy of Sciences is demanding.
“A1+ should retain its premises, especially as it has been an honest
tenant which has invested money in the building,” Boris Navasardian,
head of the Press Club in Yerevan, told IWPR.
“Providing suitable new premises for A1+ would be a positive step
which would demonstrate a commitment to enhance media freedom and
pluralism in Armenia,” said Bojana Urumova, Special Representative
of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to Armenia.
“Any move from one place to another creates additional problems for
any organisation. Although A1+ is not broadcasting now, it continues
to be an active player in the information field that produces serious
products,” said Navasardian.
The station continues to produce TV shows, and publishes a weekly
edition and daily news through the internet.
Every year, Armenian journalists and human rights activists organise
protests on the April 2 anniversary when A1+ was deprived of the
license.
“The media and those in the journalist community who are ready to
fight for freedom should assist A1+ in whatever decision it might
make,” said Navasardian.
Gegham Vardanian is a journalist for Internews in Armenia.