Author: Badalian Vardan

TANKS PATROL ARMENIAN CAPITAL AFTER EIGHT KILLED

Agence France Presse
March 2 2008

YEREVAN (AFP) – Tanks and troops patrolled the Armenian capital
Yerevan on Sunday after eight people were killed and dozens injured
during violent protests against the result of a presidential election.

Authorities imposed a state of emergency in Yerevan late on Saturday
following violent clashes between riot police and protesters.

Army chief of staff Seiran Oganian warned in televised comments that
fresh protests would be met with "a severe response."

The United States meanwhile urged calm and Europe’s top security
watchdog sent an envoy to promote talks.

A dozen armoured personnel carriers and about 100 soldiers stood
guard outside the main government building and foreign ministry.

Several tanks could be seen at the scene of the night-time clashes.

A spokeswoman for the foreign ministry said seven civilians and one
police officer had been killed. One police officer was in critical
condition and 17 had been hospitalised with gunshot wounds, she said.

The health ministry said on Sunday that 72 police and 59 civilians
had been injured in the unrest.

"The police are calling on all citizens to be careful, to hold
back and to obey all the rules of the state of emergency," a police
statement read.

The US State Department called in a statement for all sides "to avoid
further violence, act fully within the law, exercise maximum restraint,
and resume political dialogue."

The city was relatively calm on Sunday and shops and cafes around
Yerevan were open as residents examined the damage. Dozens of burnt-out
cars, stones and metal poles from the night of violence were cleared
from the streets.

Pointing to a broken shop window, 60-year-old pensioner Arman blamed
both the authorities and the protesters for the unrest.

"They both refused to back down and look — this is how it ended,"
he said.

The state of emergency will be in effect until March 20 under a decree
signed by President Robert Kocharian. It bans public demonstrations and
requires the media to put out only information from government sources.

Armenia’s National Assembly voted overnight to approve the measure.

The violence began early Saturday when riot police cleared a central
square in front of Yerevan’s opera house where protesters had been
camped since the presidential election won by Kocharian’s ally,
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

Between 6,000 and 8,000 demonstrators quickly regrouped in another
square.

When police tried to disperse them after nightfall the protesters
fought back with petrol bombs, sticks and stones. Police used tear
gas and fired live ammunition into the air.

Protesters finally left the streets after an appeal by their leaders.

The runner-up opposition leader in the presidential election, former
president Levon Ter-Petrosian, said he was being prevented by police
from leaving his home.

Authorities said his state-assigned security detail was acting out
of concern for his safety.

Ter-Petrosian also said on Sunday the opposition may now seek to
organise protests outside the capital, where emergency rule is not
in effect.

"We might organise demonstrations in other cities not far away from
Yerevan, it would be legal," he told reporters in his home.

Ter-Petrosian blamed authorities for provoking the unrest and
criticised foreign observers for backing the elections.

"Until the attack in front of the opera everything was peaceful …

But if you had been hit on the head there, at the next demonstration
you would grab a rod to defend yourself.

"I hope the international community understands that the regime in
Armenia does not have the support of the people. This conflict will
now last five years, with full-time violence."

Europe’s main election monitoring body, the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said the election had "mostly"
met international standards.

In a statement, OSCE chairman Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva,
said he was sending a special envoy to Armenia "to try to bring both
sides to the negotiating table and to find a way out of this crisis
through political dialogue."

Official results gave 52.9 percent of the vote to Sarkisian and 21.5
percent to Ter-Petrosian.

CHIEF OF KOCHARIAN’S STAFF MEETS EUROPEAN AMBASSADORS

ARMENPRESS
March 2, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS: Chief of president Robert Kocharian’s
staff, Armen Gevorkian, met today with ambassadors of the OSCE
member countries stationed in Yerevan and representatives of several
international organizations to present the situation that has
emerged after March 1 clashes between security forces and opposition
demonstrators in Yerevan.

Acting at Kocharian’s instruction, Armen Gevorkian explained the
motives behind Armenian authorities’ actions, particularly, the
consequences for imposing state of emergency.

The diplomats were told that the government exercised all its powers
vested in it by the law to stop unlawful actions and restore stability
and order in Yerevan. He stressed that the authorities are resolute
to call to account the masterminds of the riot and provocateurs.

31 CITIZENS INJURED; NO MURDERS

Panorama.am
15:45 01/03/2008

Today 31 citizens were injured in the result of disorder events
in the Freedom square. There are six policemen in those injured
people. Panorama.am reporter was informed from the Health Ministry
that the 31 injured were transferred to hospital with middle physical
injuries.

Note that their lives are not under threat. There are no murder
cases. 10 of the injured thirty one were hospitalized, and the rest
were cured and sent home.

Source: Panorama.am

Armenian protesters reportedly attack Public TV cameraman

Mediamax, Armenia
March 1 2008

Yerevan, 1 March: Supporters of the first president of Armenia, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, who have gathered outside the French embassy in Yerevan,
attacked Hakop Sargsyan, a cameraman of the "Haylur" news programme
of Armenian Public TV, today, the "Haylur" programme has told Mediamax.

There is no information yet about the injured cameraman and the safety
of his equipment.

Anand draws with Levon Aronian

Hindu, India
March 2 2008

NEW DELHI: Defending champion Viswanathan Anand drew with Armenia’s
Levon Aronian in a well-fought game spread over 27 moves and stayed
ahead after nine rounds of the Linares-Morelia chess tournament at
Linares, Spain, on Friday.

Anand’s tally now stands at six points, half-a-point ahead of Norway’s
Magnus Carslen, who benefited from a late blunder from Alexei Shirov.

In the day’s other decisive game, Vassily Ivanchuk defeated last-man
Peter Leko.

In Queen’s Indian, Aronian offered a pawn sacrifice to exert some
pressure in the opening. Once Anand returned on the pawn after a
questionable queen-move from Aronian, the players signed peace.

The results: Ninth round: Levon Aronian (Arm, 5) drew with Viswanathan
Anand (6); Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 5.5) bt Alexei Shirov (Esp, 4); Peter
Leko (Hun, 3) lost to Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr, 4); Veselin Topalov
(Bul, 4.5) drew with Teimour Radjabov (Aze, 4). 10th round pairings:
Anand-Carlsen; Radjabov-Aronian; Ivanchuk-Topalov; Shirov-Leko.

Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

February 28, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian

ANC-WR Continues Outreach Program to Armenian Schools

Los Angeles, CA – On Tuesday, February 26, 2008, Armenian National
Committee – Western Region (ANC-WR) Community Relations Director Haig
Hovsepian met with over 100 grade 11 and 12 students at Ferrahian
High School in Encino, California. Hovsepian discussed the programs
and activities of the ANC-WR, and informed the students about several
programs within the ANC that cater to students seeking a volunteer
experience with the organization. Hovsepian also emphasized the
importance of getting involved in local communities and the internship
programs as a means by which they can become more knowledgeable and
confident to do so.

"The session was very interesting and Haig did a great job," stated
senior Ferrahian student Nareen Melkonian. "Haig related current ANC
activities to issues and concerns among Armenian youth. Although I
was aware of how the ANC conducts its programs, it was valuable to
understand how the programs benefit students," she added.

Also present were two former interns, Aida Siyahian and Nareg
Bostanian, who are both summer 2007 ANC-WR Internship-Externship
Program graduates. Also in attendance was current ANC-WR
Internship-Externship Program (IEP) participant Lori Kechichian.

In response to questions posed by a non-Armenian teacher, Hovsepian
stressed the importance of working with other community organizations
such as the Genocide Intervention Network.

"This was a great opportunity to connect with our high school
activists," said Hovsepian. "It is important that we help keep them
updated regarding issues of concern to our community and continue to
engage them – especially in our local ANCs and internship programs."

The Armenian National Committee – Western Region is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization
in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network
of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United
States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANC-WR
advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad
range of issues.

###

Birthright Armenia Participants Find Much Warmth In The Homeland

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
February 28, 2008
Phone: 610-642-6633
[email protected]

Yerevan, Armenia-Despite frigid temperatures, sidewalks covered in
ice, and multiple layers of outerwear that can make recognition of a
familiar face out in public quite challenging, there is a handful of
diasporan volunteers who are quite hot on the Homeland. The physical
conditions associated with harsh Armenian winters seem a mere blemish
in the larger scheme of what living in Armenia has to offer them.

It is true. January, February and March are traditionally not the
most popular months of the year to be living in Armenia. However, the
current winter group of Birthright Armenia participants hailing from
Aleppo, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Scarborough, Ontario
and Edmonds, WA is getting charged emotionally and spiritually, and
is reaping the unique benefits of the off-peak immersion experience.

Areg Maghakian, Mher Azezian, Nyree Abrahamian, Viktoria Simonyan,
James Keshgegian and Ryan Weber feel pretty fortunate. Most of them
were scheduled to return to their countries of residence months ago,
but each has decided to stay on in Armenia for varying, personal
reasons. There are different aspects of living in Armenia as a
volunteer that resonate loud and clear with them. Some like the
obvious benefits their valuable community service or professional
internship will bring to the resume building process. Others thrive
on their much improved language skills. Yet others find the newfound
friendships and other soul-searching relationships they build while
volunteering in Armenia to be the most noteworthy reason they continue
to stay. And for others still, they cannot bear the idea of not being
with their homestay families who have truly made them feel at "home".
In a way, they have discovered a new home. As one volunteer noted,
"what was once a place that I associated only with my grandfather’s
stories is now very much an integral part of my own life".

Areg Maghakian and Ryan Weber were June 2007 arrivals with the Armenia
Volunteer Corps (AVC). Ryan, a native of Milwaukee, came with the
initial intent of carrying out community service for three months and
returning to the US. He stayed on an extra six months because "I loved
my work, fellow volunteers, coworkers, host family, Birthright/AVC
staff and the city and country I was living in. The only question I
was faced with when I was considering extending was "why return?" As
for Maghakian, if he finds a job that pays for his living expenses,
his plans are to stay long-term and make Armenia his home.

Newtown Square, Pennsylvania is a long way from Yerevan, but Jimmy
Keshgegian was determined to return to Armenia this winter after
spending three weeks there with the ACYOA Armenia Service Program
this past summer. Aside from an interesting job placement in the music
industry working for Sharm, there were many other facets of Armenian
life that were enticing him back. He explains, "Something about my
summer stay was not complete. I wasn’t finished yet. I could tell
there was more to it."

Nyree Abrahamian of Ontario, packed her bags for a six-month
volunteer opportunity at the Armenian Tourist Development Agency,
ending in Feburary. Chances are slim that she will be returning in
February, however. She sought and was offered employment at her
internship site as a marketing specialist, and looks forward to
staying longer-term. Says Nyree, "I’ve decided to stay and work in
Armenia. I may not know exactly what is ahead of me, but I know that
I am on the right track. I’m in the right place at the right time, and
I’ve never felt so connected to something that I care so deeply about."

To get a much richer and truer sense of what life in Armenia
is like, Birthright Armenia, together with one of its sponsored
organizations, the Armenian Volunteer Corps, actively promotes and
sponsors volunteerism during the non-summer months. As one volunteer
recently stated, "If it weren’t for Birthright Armenia and AVC,
visiting Armenia would be comparable to seeing Paris in August – not
the most true picture of what that city and its people are all about ."

Birthright Armenia’s mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland
and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part
of Armenia’s daily life and to contribute to Armenia’s development
through work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a
renewed sense of Armenian identity. For more information, or to make an
online donation, please visit our web site at
<http://www.birthrigh tarmenia.org/> .

# # #

RA MFA: AZERBAIJAN IN PANIC BECAUSE OF POSSIBILITY OF KOSOVO PRECEDENT

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Feb 29 2008

YEREVAN, 29.02.08. DE FACTO. Azerbaijan is obviously in panic fearing
that the Kosovo issue can become a precedent. They are attempting
to express their position concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
settlement, which is one-sided and favorable for them, via others",
the head of RA MFA Information and Public Relations Department Tigran
Balayan stated answering an ArmInfo correspondent’s question.

Tigran Balayan noted Armenia had reaffirmed its position concerning
each conflict’s specific nature and also confirmed that every movement
targeted at self-determination should be given possibility to develop
and achieve its natural and logical settlement, RA MFA Press Office
reports.

"The more Azerbaijan insists that Kosovo cannot be a precedent the
more public opinion shapes that there are really obvious parallels
between Kosovo and other conflicts", T. Balayan noted.

PRESIDENT OF TURKMENISTAN CONGRATULATES PM SERGE SARGSYAN

armradio.am
28.02.2008 11:56

The President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov congratulated
RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan on his victory on the presidential
elections.

The message says:

"Dear Mr. Sargsyan, Accept my congratulations on the occasion of your
victory in the presidential elections of the Republic of Armenia.

With all my heart I wish you sound health and success in this high
state position for the sake of development and prosperity of friendly
Armenia."

TER-PETROSIAN APPEALS FOR WESTERN SUPPORT
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 28 2008

Tens of thousands of opposition supporters marched past the OSCE
office in Yerevan on Thursday after their leader, former President
Levon Ter-Petrosian, appealed to Western powers to back his demands
for a re-run of Armenia’s disputed presidential election.

In a speech before a big crowd that filled the city’s Liberty Square
for the ninth consecutive day, Ter-Petrosian criticized Western
observers for calling the vote largely democratic and portrayed his
ongoing street protests as a pro-democracy movement based on liberal
democratic values.

"The West, the election missions must not display a formalistic
approach to what is happening in Armenia," he told the crowd. "The
fate of democracy in Armenia is in the hands of the West. Namely,
the United States and the European Union countries and structures like
the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the observers representing them."

"So the West, the European countries, the United States of America
and their international organizations must make the following choice.

Either they are with the people of Armenia — and that means standing
for democracy, the rule of law and a market-based economy — or with
Armenia’s kleptocratic, rotten regime," said Ter-Petrosian.

Ter-Petrosian thanked Western governments for urging the Armenian
authorities not to use force against his supporters holding non-stop
rallies in Yerevan but said "more needs to be done" to promote
the country’s democratization. That, he said, means demanding the
scrapping of the official results of the February 19 election which
gave victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

The appeal came the day after Ter-Petrosian met with Peter Semneby,
the EU’s special representative to the South Caucasus who arrived
in Yerevan to discuss growing post-election tensions in Armenia
with government and opposition leaders. Ter-Petrosian’s office said
the ex-president assured Semneby that "the movement led by him will
continue to act within the framework of the constitution and laws." He
at the same time reaffirmed his plans to "fight against the existing
kleptocratic system to the end."

Semneby also met with Sarkisian on Thursday. A government statement
quoted the EU envoy as congratulating the Armenian premier on his
election win and praising the government’s conduct of the vote. The
statement said Semneby also conveyed to Sarkisian a message from the
EU’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, which called on the two
rival camps not to take "steps leading to violence."

"We will be extremely patient as long as they don’t try to abuse
that patience, and that would lead to bad consequences," Sarkisian
was reported to reply.

In his speech, Ter-Petrosian commended Russia for displaying a more
"serious" attitude towards the post-election unrest. Ter-Petrosian,
who reportedly met outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s likely
successor on the eve of the vote, said Moscow is closely monitoring
the situation in Armenia and "will make the right decision."