Author: Badalian Vardan

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY OPENS IN UN ARMENIAN OFFICE
Noyan Tapan
Mar 09 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. An exhibition of photos and women
artists’ works dedicated to the International Women’s Day opened at
the UN Armenian Office on March 7. This was organized by the joint
efforts of the UN Armenian Office and the Association of Diplomates’
Wifes. The UN Development Program’s “Gender and Policy in South
Caucasus: Georgia and Armenia” program supported implementation of the
display titled “Creative Synthesis” of more than 30 paintings, gobelins
ann other works of women artists. 60 best works of the three painters,
Albert Babelian (Armenia), Sanan Aleskerov (Azerbaijan) and Natella
Grigalashvili (Georgia) are presented in the photo display titled
“Women of South Caucasus” presented by the UN Development Fund for
Women (UNIFEM). 12 photos having been presented in the UNIFEM 2006
regional annual calendar are among the above-mentioned works. UN
Resident Coordinator Consuelo Vidal and Chairwoman of the Association
of Diplomates’ Wifes Nani Oskanian were present at the opening of
the exhibition and addressed welcome speeches to the participants.

ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT ALLOCATES 100 MLN DRAMS FOR MEASURES ON PROTECTION
OF RIVER ARAX BANKS
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 9 sitting, the Armenian
government decided to allocate 100 mln drams (about 222 thousand USD)
from the 2006 state budget-envisaged governmental reserve fund in
order to take measures on protection of the River Arax banks after
spring flooding. NT was informed about it from the RA Government
Information and PR Department.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

LYCOS-ARMENIA GIVES CERTIFICATES TO 35 STUDENTS OF YEREVAN STATE
UNIVERSITY AND YEREVAN STATE ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY
YEREVAN, MARCH 9.ARMINFO. Lycos-Armenia handed certificates to 35
students of the Yerevan State University and the Yerevan State
Engineering University, today.
Robert Chaplin, general director of LYCOS-Armenia, informed that this
arrangement is held in Yerevan for the second time already. The
students learnt Java, JavaScript, Web Technology, OOP, MySQL, PHP ¨
Flash programs at the courses initiated by Lycos-Armenia. Chaplin
informed that 17 graduates of the last year’s classes are already the
employees of their company, while 20 gradutes work for Sourcia. The
officials of the company stated that LYCOS-Armenia proved to be a
succesfully working branch for LYCOS-EUROPE.
It’s worth mentioning that LYCOS-Armenia opened computer rooms at the
Yerevan State University and the Yerevan State Engineering University
with the assistance of DEG, the German Public Fund.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
March 10 2006
4.3 BILLION EUROS INVESTED BY EBRD IN 2005
YEREVAN, March 10. /ARKA/. European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development invested 4.3 billion euros in 2005under under 151
projects made, the EBRD press service told ARKA News Agency.
According to the press service, this amount exceeds the bank’s
previous investments and targets 27 South-Eastern Europe, Caucasus
and Central Asia countries as well as Russia.
The press release says 2.46bln euros or 58% of total amount of
investments are sent to transition-economy countries (in 2004
1.93bln), 1.12bln euros or 26% were given to Russia (1.24bln euros in
2004) and 699mln euros or 16% to successfully developing transition
countries (in 2004 964mln euros).
The EBRD investments are focused on encouraging market economy in the
region where the bank runs its activity. 85% of the bank’s new
projects were qualified in 2005 as having good and excellent
potential impact, the press release says.
The EBRD attracted 2.6bln euros from commercial banks export credit
organizations and other international financial institutions as
co-financing. Donors gave 75mln euros for preparation and
implementation of projects. The money was also given for
strengthening investment environment.
The EBRD works in 60 countries and 2 non-governmental organizations.
Its activity is focused on promotion of transfer from central
planning to market economy in Eastern and Central Europe and CIS
countries.
Armenia with its share of 10mln euros became EBRD member in 1992.
The bank allocated 39.3mln euros for 24 programs implementation in
Armenia. M.V. -0—

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
March 11 2006
Int’l conference on preparations for 14th economic forum of OSCE due in Baku
11/03/2006 08:45
An international conference dedicated to preparations to the 14th
economic forum of OSCE member-countries will be organized in Baku on
16-17 March 2006.
Baku office of the organization told Trend that the conference which
will focus on removal of risks in the sphere of transport security
within the OSCE will bring together over 100 delegates from foreign
countries.
Attending the conference will be an envoy of the OSCE
chairman-in-office, the OSCE coordinator on economic and
environmental issues and UN experts.
Baku for the first time will host a conference of such scale, which
is one of three preparatory events to be held under the 14th economic
forum of OSCE due in Prague in May 2006.
Meanwhile, Ulvi Akhundlu, spokesman for the Baku Office of OSCE,
noted that invitations for the conference had been sent to 55
ember-states of the organization, including Armenia.
`The conference is organized by the OSCE and the leadership of the
organization sent invitations to all member-countries of the
organization,’ Akhundlu, noting the absence of information on the
participation of the Armenian delegates at the event.

MERCENARY CLAIMS ACQUIRE NEW TWIST
By Graham Kirwa ( Monday, March 13, 2006)
Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya
March 13 2006
One Artur Sargsyan who was alleged by Langata MP Raila Odinga as
being part of mercenaries operating in the country Monday denied
the allegation accusing Raila of trying to defraud him of over 100
million shillings he lent him.
Speaking at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Sargasyan who claims
to be an uncle to Armenian president alleged that Raila and Kalonzo
Musyoka approached him for a loan of 3 billion shillings to finance
a vote of no confidence in the government which he and his brother
Artur Margaryan declined.
He claimed that he owns vast business empires in Dubai and various
investments in other countries.
Sargsyan said he come to Kenya last year to seeking investment in
Hotel industry upon which he was introduced to Kalonzo and Raila.
He has now threatened legal action against Raila and Kalonzo for
tarnishing his name and reputation.
He said he jetted to Kenya Monday to demand his money from Raila
Odinga and clear his name.
Meanwhile Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka have refuted Sargasyan
claims saying allegation that they had sought 3 billion shillings to
fund a vote of no confidence in the government as bassles and lacking
in authenticity.
Raila claimed that he has never met Sargasyan and has never transacted
any business with him. He has challenged Sargasyan to table prove
that he lent him 1.5 millions US dollars and where the business
was transacted.
Raila alleges that was a conspiracy to malign his name. Kalonzo Muyoka
on his part claimed that he might have met Sargasyan but has never
sought a loan of 3 billion shillings from any quarter.
Kalonzo also denied discussing the acquisition of bullet proof jacket
with Sargasyan. Kalonzo dismissed the allegation as a ploy to taint
his name.

PHANTOM-GRAVE SELLER NABBED
By Alex Dobuzinskis, Staff Writer
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
March 13 2006
GLENDALE – A former Forest Lawn employee who sold phantom grave
plots to unsuspecting buyers has been charged with grand theft and
embezzlement in a scheme that cost the alleged victims more than
$67,000, authorities said.
Robert Ovsepyan, 34, of Burbank was extradited from Armenia over the
weekend and is being held without bail. Prosecutors filed charges
against him while he was on the lam abroad, alleging he ripped off
people in 10 fraudulent sales of nonexistent grave plots.
Armenian authorities agreed to extradite Ovsepyan because he is a
U.S. citizen and overstayed his visa in Armenia. He faces a maximum
of 35 years in prison if convicted of all the charges.
“It’s good for the victims. … They’re going to feel good, they’re
going to feel satisfied that justice prevailed,” Glendale police Sgt.
Ian Grimes said.
“But I think it sends a larger message to people in Glendale and people
in Armenia that you’re not going to be able to use one place to hide,
commit a crime in one place and hide in another.”
Starting in November 2004, Ovsepyan allegedly supplemented his income
from Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, where he sold grave plots for a living,
by selling nonexistent plots as well. All the victims who bought them
from him were Armenian-Americans he knew.
The buyers complained to Forest Lawn when they never received paperwork
for the sales, and Forest Lawn cooperated with police when they
suspected fraud. Ovsepyan stopped showing up for work in October 2005.
The buyers were different ages and included individuals and entire
families. Their losses ranged from $3,000 to $14,000.
One elderly woman had been saving two years to buy a plot for herself,
hoping to keep from burdening her children, police said.
In a prepared statement, Forest Lawn officials said they are
cooperating with the Glendale Police Department.
“We are working with the families to achieve a swift resolution and
are taking all necessary steps to protect against future wrongdoing,”
read the statement attributed to John Warren, the senior vice
president of marketing for Forest Lawn. “Forest Lawn maintains a
strict confidentiality policy and wishes to reserve comment at this
time to protect the privacy of the families we serve.”
Police are unsure how Ovsepyan decided who to engage in legitimate
sales and who to target for fraud.
“Some of them trusted him because of past association or relationship,”
financial crimes Detective Tigran Topadjhikyan said.
“One of the victims had a husband that was deceased, and Ovsepyan
was a friend of the husband’s. So it was the association that built …
the trust.”

DE JURE RECOGNITION OF KARABAKH – POLITICAL ACTION TO BE HELD AT EXACT MOMENT
PanARMENIAN.Net
14.03.2006 20:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There is no need to state that Yerevan agreeing
to talks with Baku is the biggest concession by Armenia, Armenian FM
Vartan Oskanian stated when answering questions of Azg Daily readers.
In his words Armenia taking part in talks and Karabakh’s de facto
independence for already 15 years show Armenia is ready to compromise
option of settlement. As of recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh
independence de jure, the Armenian MFA head said, “De jure recognition
is a political action. It should be held at the exact moment, if a
decision is made to do it so as to have a positive outcome, not a
negative effect.”
Answering a question on the probability of the script, in compliance
to which Armenia will return territories that form the security belt
during the short war, Oskanian said, “No. These theories of plots
should not be believed to, one should not trifle with war. I rule
out a script like that.”

FORUM EXPLORES IRAQ WAR
By Rick Malwitz
Staff Writer
New Brunswick Home News Tribune, NJ
Oct 18 2005
Home News Tribune Online 10/18/05
RUTGERS – No matter what form of government is created by the
constitution approved by Iraqi voters over the weekend, do not expect
it to look familiar soon.
“We are not going to install Jeffersonian democracy overnight,”
said U.S. Army veteran Gregg Bumgardner, who joined U.S. Rep. Frank
Pallone, 6th Dist., and Prof. Lloyd C. Gardner at a forum on the war
yesterday at the Student Center.
Listening to the three-man panel were about a 12 students and a
half-dozen members from the community. Based on what the panel had
to say, and questions they were asked, everyone in the room agreed
the United States is committing a major blunder in Iraq.
The most immediate cost is borne by the soldiers, according to
Bumgardner, a Collingswood resident who left the military after
12 years.
“We broke it and we are going to buy it, unfortunately, with the cost
of our troops,” he said.
Bumgardner, who can speak Arabic and Persian Farsi, served in
psychological operations, with the task of providing information to
the local citizens.
“They do not share our world view. They are an Islamic society, and
you are never going to be able to separate Islam from the government,”
said Bumgardner.
He recalled speaking to women prior to an election in January. “I asked
them if they were going to vote. They said, “No, it’s not my place.’ ”
The irony of his observations was not lost on Kay Tsurumi of Highland
Park, a member of the Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War,
discouraged that the proposed Iraqi constitution does little to protect
the rights of women. “George Bush is the first Christian to establish
an Islamic nation,” she said.
The linkage between religion and the state is not uncommon in the
Middle East. Pallone, the co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus
on Armenian Issues, noted Armenia is 95 percent Christian and that
Armenians “don’t want to separate Christianity from the state.”
Beyond religion, there are other factors Americans find difficult to
understand, said Gardner, who has written 15 books on foreign policy.
He noted how the boundaries of modern Iraq were dictated by the British
at the fall of the Ottoman Empire, who declared: “You are Iraq.”
Gardner noted that the United States, with 172 bases worldwide, is
seen as an occupation force. The United States ought to declare it
will not create permanent bases in Iraq, although he said he did not
believe this is possible. “If they aren’t permanent, we have poured
an awful lot of concrete for no reason,” said Gardner.
Asked if Iraqis would believe the United States if it vowed to
leave Iraq without planting permanent bases, Bumgardner said no:
“They don’t believe anything we tell them.”
He said it’s far easier to get Iraqis to believe rumors, such as a
common rumor that the Americans have imported snipers from Israel.
He said for many Iraqis the greatest challenge is a simple one: Getting
a job to support a family. On some projects, civilian employees have
been brought in from places like Pakistan and Syria, while Iraqis
are on the outside of the fence, looking at foreigners getting paid
for work.
The problem is, said Bumgardner, “nobody trusts the people outside
the wire,” not knowing who is an insurgent and who is not.
Pallone, who said we now have an obligation to mend the broken Iraq,
said his preferred solution is to enlist international organizations –
such as the United Nations and NATO – which formed the broad coalition
that fought the Gulf War in 1991.
“It will dispel the notion that the U.S. is a permanent occupying
force, a theme used by the insurgents to justify their continued
attacks,” said Pallone.
He said that would require the Bush administration to “admit they
were wrong” after embracing a “go-it-alone approach.”
Gardner lamented that so few Rutgers Unviersity students seem
interested in the war. Pallone said the war is not given enough
attention in Washington.
“The hurricane dominated the conversation and the war is no longer
on the front burner,” said Pallone.
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MILITARY ATTACK AT NALCHIK FORCE STRUCTURES
A1+
| 22:44:10 | 13-10-2005 | Politics |
October 13 the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria was attacked. Armed
forces attempted to capture the force structures of Nalchik. Several
hundreds of military rushed into the city.
According to the latest data, 50 hirelings were eliminated, 12
civilians were killed and 88 taken to hospital.