Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

US MEDIATOR UPBEAT ON KARABAKH SETTLEMENT – ARMENIAN AGENCY

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Dec 25 2006

A senior US diplomat has described as important the decision of the
Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders to continue negotiations to resolve
the long-standing dispute over Nagornyy Karabakh.

Speaking to the Armenian Mediamax news agency, the US deputy assistant
secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, who is also
the US co-chairman for the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza, said it
meant that "the window of opportunity that the OSCE mediators talked
about in 2006 is not yet shut".

"The co-chairs will continue to work with the two sides, even
as campaign season begins for the 2007 parliamentary elections
in Armenia," Bryza told Mediamax. "We will work together quietly,
but we hope to continue making progress on the details of the basic
principles that the two sides still need to agree upon."

Asked about the possibility of the Nagornyy Karabakh population being
involved in the talks, the US mediator said that it was important
for the populations of the region to play a role in finding ways to
co-exist peacefully with each other.

"I think it’s safe to say that representatives of the people of
Nagornyy Karabakh will need to be involved in this process as we get
closer to a comprehensive peace agreement," he said.

The USA is closely involved in the resolution of conflicts in Georgia
and Moldova as well, Bryza noted.

"The sad fact is that we are not seeing progress in the resolution
of those conflicts like we’re seeing in the Minsk Group process for
Nagornyy Karabakh," Bryza said.
From: Baghdasarian

IF AN ACCEPTABLE SOLUTION IS MADE ON KARABAKH ELECTIONS WILL NOT HINDER

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.12.2006 18:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If during the Nagorno Karabakh conflict process an
acceptable solution is made for the sides a conduction of elections
will hinder. If a ‘bad decision’ is made, it is not important if
elections have been organized or not, said Speaker of Armenian
Parliament Tigran Torosyan, commenting on President’s comments that
till the parliamentary elections there won’t be active negotiations on
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Alongside he stressed that such an approach
should not be ascribed to the president only and make conclusions,
since such a stance hold and the international organizations. "For
example, OSCE MG Co-Chairs also stated that electoral processes
decrease the temps of negotiations and just because of this reason
2006 considered to be so-called a window for settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict," said Torosyan, IA Regnum reports.
From: Baghdasarian

ALMOST ALL RESPONDENTS OF SURVEY CONDUCTED AT ARMENIAN UNIVERSITIES AFFIRM THAT THERE IS BRIBERY AT THEIR UNIVERSITIES

Noyan Tapan
Dec 21 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the results of the
sociological survey initiated by the Social-Democrat Hnchakian Party
in 2006 December at state universities of Armenia, in the opinion of
1821 out of 2000 respondent-students, there is corruption at Armenian
universities. This was mentioned in the report submitted to NT by the
party. It is also mentioned that according to the survey data, 96% of
250 respondent-students at Yerevan State Agrarian University answered
that there is corruption at the University. 83% of them confessed that
they have given bribe: they have paid 20 dollars for quizes and up to
50 dollars for exams. In the opinion of almost all students, lecturers
treat well students giving them bribe. The majority of students
interrogated at Yerevan Mkhitar Heratsi State Medical University also
answered that there is corruption in their University and they also
have given bribe to the lecturers. The prices are a little higher here:
the majority of students have given 200 dollars and more for exams and
100-200 dollars for quizes. The student council impeded the survey at
this University. 85.5% of 300 students interrogated at Yerevan State
Engineering University considers that there is corruption at their
University, but only 20% respondents personally have given bribe. 81%
respondents at the Economic University answered that the University
is corrupted. At a number of higher educational institutions, Yerevan
V.Brusov State Linguistic University, Yerevan State University, Academy
of Art, Yerevan State Conservatory and State Institute of Cinema and
Theater, a lower percent of students considers that there is bribery
at their educational institution. Almost all respondents propose
raising salaries of lecturers and making internal discipline stricter
at educational institutions as the best way of liquidating corruption.
From: Baghdasarian

ROBERT GETIKIAN’S FILM’S PREMIER TAKES PLACE IN VIENNA

AZG Armenian Daily
19/12/2006

The press service of RA Foreign Ministry informed that on December 12,
the premier of French-Armenian film-director Robert Getikian’s "Trip
to Armenia" film took place in Vienna. The Department of the Armenian
Apostolic Church of Austria, the French University and "Burg Movie
Theatre" organized the premiere. Ashot Hovakimian, RA Ambassador to
France and French Ambassador became the sponsors of the film premier.

The author of the film was present at the premier and responded the
questions of the viewers. Welcoming the film premier in Austria,
Ashot Hovakimian stated that this is another opportunity for the
Austrian people to get familiarized with the art of the French Armenian
film-director and share the spirit of Armenia’s Year in France.

The Austrian high ranked officials, as well as artists, journalists
and representatives of the Austrian-Armenian community were present
at the premier.
From: Baghdasarian

SOUTH OSSETIANS STAY CLEAR OF HOSPITAL
By Alan Tskhurbayev in Tskhinval

A1+
[04:34 pm] 18 December, 2006

People prefer to go to Russia or Georgia for treatment than rely on
their capital’s crumbling medical centre.

South Ossetia’s main hospital in Tskhinval, the capital, is almost
deserted. Above the main entrance, bullet holes are still visible
from the fighting in 1992 when the territory won de facto independence
from Georgia.

Inside, the scene is much more shocking. The plaster is peeling off
the walls, and there are holes in the ceiling. Rats dart about the
corridors.

Under the windows in the surgery department, there are sacks of
sand. In the summer of 2004, there was an upsurge of fighting and
the sacks defended the doctors and patients from bullets. They have
not been removed.

The only patient in the urology department bears the same name as
the unrecognised republic’s recently re-elected president, Eduard
Kokoity. Fyodor Kokoity, a World War II veteran, is 83 years old and
his condition, second degree prostate adenoma, could be cured with
an operation – only the hospital does not have the necessary equipment.

The department is intended for 60 patients, but everyone who can
seeks treatment outside South Ossetia – either in Russian North
Ossetia or Georgia.

Kokoity’s family does not have the money to fund his treatment
elsewhere and so he is a prisoner of this ward in Tskhinval.

"My son lives in Vladikavkaz," Fyodor Kokoity manages to say through
his pain. "He sends me money from there, but he has his own family
to look after."

"Every time I have to apologise to the patients on behalf of the
rulers of South Ossetia, who force their citizens to get treatment in
conditions unfit for normal people," said Sarmat Parastayev, head of
the urology department and co-chairman of the association of doctors
of South Ossetia. "It’s become a professional habit to apologise."

Parastayev said that in the previous month, 11 people with urological
problems had come to him but ten of them, seeing the conditions of
the hospital, had chosen to be treated elsewhere. Most go to North
Ossetia, although some opt for Georgia.

"Whole branches of medicine have stopped functioning in South Ossetia,"
said Parastayev. "For example, I can’t say that we have urology here,
if we don’t have the basic essential equipment. And I’m not even
mentioning more advanced fields of medicine."

Local people said they heard promises that there would be a "complete
re-fit" of the hospital during the recent election campaign, but say
nothing has been done here since 1989.

South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoity recently threatened to dismiss
health minister Jemal Jigkayev, but locals say the problems go beyond
one individual.

The international medical organisation Medecins sans Frontieres used to
provide aid to South Ossetia, but stopped working here in 1997. Now,
the health sector, like much else in the republic, mostly gets its
funding from Russia.

On October 30, truckloads of humanitarian aid arrived in South Ossetia
sent by the government of Moscow and personally by the mayor of Moscow,
Yury Luzhkov. A public relations campaign organised around the event
emphasised that the cargoes contained hi-tech medical equipment.

Alla, who works at the Tskhinval hospital, tells a different
story. "There were just operating tables, lamps, sterilizers – useful
things, but nothing really important and that we don’t have already,"
she said.

"What we need is diagnostic and operating equipment."

"The basic approach to these problems in Moscow has not changed,"
said Parastayev. "South Ossetia is regarded as a humanitarian disaster
zone and supplies are limited to humanitarian aid. So they do not
send equipment and supplies here which raises the standard of living
or might bring jobs. And local politicians support this situation."

Well-known local non-governmental activist Alan Parastayev, the brother
of Sarmat, says that Russia uses these aid deliveries to make South
Ossetia dependent.

"Luzhkov’s aid…no way allows the social rehabilitation of a conflict
zone, as not a single person is provided with work," he said. "Moscow
is creating the ideal conditions for the further transformation of
the country into a real conflict zone."

Despite the unresolved Georgian-Ossetian conflict, sophisticated
medical equipment does come from Tbilisi. The Professor Todua centre
there has supplied a tomography computer to the Tskhinval hospital
and the urology department is negotiating to be supplied with new
modern equipment.

"Medicine is outside politics," said Sarmat Parastayev. "I am in
constant touch with doctors from Tbilisi and it is only through this
kind of personal agreements, with good will on both sides, that you
can solve a crisis."

A Tbilisi doctor, Levan Nachkebia, studied at university with Sarmat
Parastayev. Though divided by the conflict, the two men have kept up
a friendship.

Nachkebia is now studying to gain extra qualifications in Australia –
something his South Ossetian colleague can only dream of.

"One of the biggest problems for medicine in South Ossetia is a lack
of qualified personnel," said Lev Gagiev, a surgeon in the Tskhinval
hospital. "But how can there be any specialists here if I a surgeon
have a monthly salary of 1,800 roubles (68 US dollars)?

Naturally people just leave this place."

The head of a department in the health ministry, who asked not to be
identified by name, was frank about the problems of South Ossetia’s
health system.

"I have an idea of what sums are needed to bring medicine here up
to a modern level," the official told IWPR. "The sums which reach us
and which pass across my desk are tiny."

"I agree that the clinical hospital has basically turned into a big
reception centre, where people can receive first aid but they are
sent for clinic analysis or treatment to North Ossetia or Georgia.

That is the reality here. Unfortunately."

Alan Tskhurbayev is a reporter for in North Ossetia

Institute for War and Peace Reporting’s , Caucasus
Reporting Service
From: Baghdasarian

YEREVAN PRESS CLUB WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 8-14, 2006

HIGHLIGHTS:

SECOND FINAL ISSUE OF "PRESS-CLUB+": PARTIES, EXPERTS AND AUDIENCE DISCUSS
DOMESTIC POLICY

TESEV HOSTED BY YPC

LITIGATION ON INSULT OF "ALM" HEAD STARTED

PACE DRAFT RESOLUTION STRESSES THE NEED TO ENSURE BROADCAST MEDIA PLURALITY
FOR ELECTIONS

PRESS DOING ITS BEST TO WIGGLE OUT

WINNERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANTICORRUPTION COMPETITIONS ANNOUNCED

SECOND FINAL ISSUE OF "PRESS-CLUB+": PARTIES, EXPERTS AND AUDIENCE DISCUSS
DOMESTIC POLICY

On December 12 the last "Press Club+" talk show in 2006 went on the evening
air of "Yerkir-Media" TV company. The program was dealing with domestic
policy and was one of the two final issues of 2006 (the first one on
December 5 focused on foreign policy of Armenia). Its participants – experts
and audience – discussed the stances of the parties that were the guests of
"Press-Club+" in September-November on such hot topics as elections, social
conditions in the country, corruption, good governance and democracy.

Unfortunately, "Yerkir-Media" company without notifying YPC changed the time
of the program and did not ensure its quality broadcast. Due to this, on
December 13 in "Yerkirn Aysor" newscast the TV company made an apology to
the viewers and informed that this issue of "Press-Club+" will be repeated
on December 15 at 19.30.

On December 19 (next Tuesday) at 21.00, "Yerkir-Media" will air the final
"Press-Club" TV show.

TESEV HOSTED BY YPC

On December 9 Yerevan Press Club hosted a meeting with Turkish journalists
and researchers who visited Armenia under the project of the Turkish
Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) "Normalization of
Turkish-Armenian Relations". From Armenia representatives of Yerevan Press
Club, "Aravot", "Azg" dailies, Public Radio of Armenia, "Bnagir" online
magazine took part in the meeting, from Turkish – TESEV, "Referans",
"Turkish Daily News", "Zaman", "Yeni Safak" newspapers, Istanbul University
of Culture, Middle East Technical University and Galatasaray University. The
relations between Armenia and Turkey and the potential role of media in
their normalization were discussed.

LITIGATION ON INSULT OF "ALM" HEAD STARTED

On December 14 the court of primary jurisdiction of Center and Nork-Marash
of Yerevan started hearing the case of a professor of Yerevan State
Institute of Cinema and Theater, theater director Armen Mazmanian, charged
with libel and insult of the head of "ALM" TV company Tigran Karapetian. The
criminal proceedings were instituted on August 23, 2006 by the Prosecutor’s
Office of Yerevan basing on the appeal of Tigran Karapetian submitted to the
General Prosecutor’s Office on July 21. The reason for the address was the
statements of Armen Mazmanian to the address of Tigran Karapetian that the
latter qualified as libelous and insulting. The statements were made in the
program of "ARMENAKOB" TV company "The Word with No Tie On", aired on July
18, 2006. According to the charges made, Armen Mazmanian called the head of
"ALM" "a populist parrot, semi-literate, a pickpocket" and announced that
while residing in Volgograd Tigran Karapetian was convicted for "sexual
abuse of minors". The appeal of Tigran Karapetian had a videotape of the
program enclosed. The investigation on the case was completed on October 23.
Armen Mazmanian was charged with Part 1, Article 135 ("Libel") and Part 1,
of Article 136 ("Insult") of the RA Criminal Code, stipulating penal
sanctions.

At the session of December 14 Armen Mazmanian’s attorney Haik Halumian
addressed the court with a motion to give him time to study the case
materials. The motion was secured.

The next session is scheduled for January 12, 2007.

PACE DRAFT RESOLUTION STRESSES THE NEED TO ENSURE BROADCAST MEDIA PLURALITY
FOR ELECTIONS

On December 13 in Paris at the session of the Monitoring Committee of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe the Draft Resolution on
Armenia’s honoring of its obligations and commitments to the CE was adopted.
The Draft was approved on the basis of the report, developed by PACE’s
Armenia Co-rapporteurs George Colombier and Mikko Elo, to be debated at PACE
plenary session in January 2007. At the meeting it was stressed that "simply
passing legislation is not enough to implement democratic reforms in the
country. The laws must be applied". A proof of Armenia’s progress on the way
to democracy and European integration, in the opinion of Monitoring
Committee, will be the upcoming elections that "must comply with European
standards for free and fair elections, and media coverage of the election
campaign and the elections must be pluralist and unbiased".

The need to ensure the pluralism of broadcast media is also stressed in item
6.2 of the Draft Resolution of PACE. It notes, in particular, that
"equitable access to the electronic media by all political parties is an
absolute prerequisite for the holding of free and fair elections". The
adopted amendments to the RA Constitution made it possible to ensure the
greater independence of the bodies, regulating the broadcast media; however,
the Draft Resolution notes, subsequently the draft law package on
broadcasting was developed by the Government without first consulting the
representatives of media and CE and was strongly criticized, not least
concerning the formation of the National Commission on Television and Radio
and appointment of its members. The need to hold consultations with CE
experts and take their recommendations into account before the adoption of
the amendments to the broadcast law is stressed (item 6.2.1). Armenian
authorities are also urged to adopt an open, transparent process of
appointment of members of the Council of Public Television and Radio
Company, as recommended by the Venice Commission (item 6.2.2). "Apart from
reforming the legislation, the Armenian authorities must take steps to
ensure the freedom and pluralism of public television and radio on a
day-to-day basis", item 6.2.3 says. The next item, 6.2.4, expresses full
backing to the monitoring of TV and radio programs with a view to assessing
their independence and impartiality, as provided for in the action plan to
support the parliamentary elections in Armenia in 2007, approved by the CE
Committee of Ministers following a request by the Armenian authorities.

As to print media, "which are reputed to be free and pluralist but play only
a minor role in the provision of public information on account of their
small circulation", item 6.3 of the PACE Draft Resolution notes with
satisfaction that "no criminal libel proceedings have been instituted
against journalists for some years now". "Since the reform of the Criminal
Code in 2004, libel has been punishable by a prison sentence only in the
event of a repeat offence", the Draft says. At the same time, the Armenian
authorities are urged to decriminalise libel and abolish Article 318 of the
RA Criminal Code "Insult of the Representative of Power".

PRESS DOING ITS BEST TO WIGGLE OUT

The paper shortage that occurred in early December at "Tigran Mets"
publishing house, printing about three dozens of newspapers, endangered
their publication and induced the press to look for alternative ways of
overcoming the crisis. As it has been reported, the problem was due to the
stoppage of Ilyichevsk (Ukraine)-Poti (Georgia) ferry: hundreds of railway
carriages intended for Armenia, including those with print paper, gathered
in the Ukrainian port (see details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, December 1-7,
2006). As "Tigran Mets" Director Vrezh Markosian announced, the paper
arrival was expected by this week-end. At this point, not to cease
publishing, the press is doing its best to wiggle out. This, however, did
not tell on the prices, despite the increased publishing expenses of, say,
"Azg" and "Golos Armenii". From December 9 to 13 these newspapers were
printed in "Noyan Tapan" publishing house on a more expensive paper.
Besides, the technical facilities of "Noyan Tapan" did not allow "Golos
Armenii" to retain its standard volume (8/A2 pp.), and the newspaper was
published in 8/A3 pp. A number of other national dailies had to move to
other publishing houses, too. Thus, the official "Respublika Armenia" is
temporarily published in "Gandzapress" publishing house, "Novoye Vremya" and
"168 Zham" – in "Gind".

WINNERS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANTICORRUPTION COMPETITIONS ANNOUNCED

On December 12 in Yerevan the award ceremony of "Environment and
Urbanization" competition was held. The competition was organized by OSCE
Office in Yerevan, "Environmental Survival" NGO and the Aarhus-Center of
Yerevan.

In "TV journalism" nomination the first award was granted to Nelli Danielian
("Yerkir-Media" TV company) for the film on mining industry issues in Teghut
village of Lori region. The second prize was received by Vahe Ghazarian
("Kentron" TV company) for the film on Yerevan green zones. The third prize
was conferred on Lilit Davtian ("Shoghakat" TV company) for film on forests
of Tsaghkadzor, and on Seda Grigorian ("Lusalik" TV company, Charentsavan)
for film on green zones of Charentsavan.

In "Press" nomination the first prize went to free-lance journalist Ashot
Gareginian for articles raising the issues of illegitimate wood cuts, the
Yerevan green zones and the mining industry in Teghut village of Lori
region. The second prize was received by Galust Nanian ("Hayastani
Hanrapetutiun" daily) for articles on air pollution in Yerevan and the
environmental situation around the Yerevan Lake. The third award was
received by a journalist of Vanadzor Naira Bulghadarian for an article on
illegitimate wood cuts in Lori region, published by "Hetq Online".

Encouraging prizes in both nominations were granted to films of Haik Kbeyan
("VEM Media Arts" studio) and Armineh Sukiasian ("Shant" TV), publications
by Marianna Grigorian ("ArmeniaNow" online weekly), Ruzanna Bisharian
("Golos Armenii" newspaper) and Susanna Shakhnazarian ("Ban u Gorts"
newspaper, Goris).

Earlier, on December 8, the winners of the anticorruption competition of the
OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Writers Union of Armenia were announced. The
award for the best verse was granted to the Chief Editor of "Loru Marz"
newspaper (Vanadzor) Manvel Mikoyan. The member of Journalists Union of
Armenia Armenak Manukian (Arman Amrikian) was awarded for the best story,
the Chief Editor of "Grakan Tert" Samvel Kosian for the best drama. The
prizes for publicism were conferred on writers Margo Ghukasian, Board member
of Journalists Union of Armenia, and Hrachia Matevosian. The competition
jury acknowledged Nikita Zarobian’s publications on corruption.

When reprinting or using the information above, reference to the Yerevan
Press Club is required.

You are welcome to send any comment and feedback about the Newsletter to:
[email protected]

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this mailing list, please send a message to: [email protected]

Editor of YPC Newsletter – Elina POGHOSBEKIAN
_____________________________________ _______
Yerevan Press Club
9B, Ghazar Parpetsi str.
0002, Yerevan, Armenia
Tel.: (+ 374 10) 53 00 67; 53 35 41; 53 76 62
Fax: (+374 10) 53 56 61
E-mail: [email protected]
Web Site:
From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIA COMPLETES MILITARY HARDWARE WITHDRAWAL FROM GEORGIA

MosNews, Russia
Dec 14 2006

The last train carrying military hardware and property owned by
units of the Group of Russian Troops in the Transcaucasia that are
being withdrawn from the Tbilisi garrison has left for Armenia, the
group’s deputy commander Col. Vladimir Kuparadze told the Interfax
news agency on Thursday.

"The engineering equipment, communications vehicles and other property
will be deployed on the premises of Russia’s 102nd military base in
the Armenian town of Gyumri," he said.

"Servicemen who arranged the departure of trains with property from
Tbilisi are to leave for Russia’s 12th military base in Batumi on
December 15. The operational group that replaced the command center
of the Group of Russian Troops in the Transcaucasia headquarters will
go there as well," he said.

An agreement on pulling Russian forces out of two bases which both
were scheduled to be fully closed by October 2008 was reached by
Russia and Georgia last year.

Russian Defense Ministry decision to withdraw troops from Georgia ahead
of schedule followed the rapid worsening of Russian-Georgian relations,
as Tbilisi accused Moscow of supporting separatists, and Moscow feared
Georgia was moving further out of its shadow toward the West.
From: Baghdasarian

BLAIR AND BUSH HOLOCAUST COMMISSION AND DENIAL

MWC News, Canada
Dec 14 2006

HOLOCAUST DENIAL is repugnant because it denies the horrendous
suffering of those who died; adds to the continuing suffering of
their surviving families and descendants; and threatens repetition
of like atrocities because History ignored or denied yields History
repeated. Notwithstanding issues of freedom of speech, denial of
the Jewish Holocaust is so repugnant to some countries particularly
affected by this catastrophe that it is illegal to deny the actuality
of the Jewish Holocaust (6 million victims) in Austria, Belgium,
France, Germany, Israel and Switzerland. Indeed France and Belgium
are variously extending this crime of holocaust denial to include
denial of the World War 1 Armenian Genocide (1.5 million victims).

The post-1950 Muslim Holocaust involving 0.6 billion post-1950 excess
deaths (avoidable deaths, deaths that did not have to happen) in the
Muslim World (as estimated from UN Population Division data ) is of
course IGNORED by the First World-dominated world, as is the post-1950
Third World Holocaust involving 1.1 billion avoidable deaths. These
horrendous excess death statistics for Spaceship Earth make a
compelling case for sanctions against holocaust denial in general.

One can well understand the legitimate upset throughout the world
over the current conference about the World War 2 Jewish Holocaust in
Teheran, Iran. However the criticism of this conference by British PM
Blair is the height of hypocrisy because, while Blair has admitted and
apologized for the 19th century Irish Famine that killed 1 million and
exiled a further 1.5 million people, he has certainly NOT done the same
in relation to the World War 2 man-made famine in British-ruled Bengal
that killed 4 million people. This atrocity (that may have been due
to a deliberate scorched earth policy to protect British-ruled India
from Japanese invasion) was associated with a Bengal 1940s demographic
deficit of 10 million and horrendous civilian and military sexual
abuse of starving women and girls (see: here) -Blair War on Terror
(more realistically a War on Women, a War on Women and Children or
more specifically still, a war on Asian Women and Children and a War
on Muslim Women and Children). Indeed as outlined below both Bush
and Blair are guilty of both Holocaust Commission and Holocaust Denial.

Bush & Blair Holocaust Commission

In October 2006 a top US medical epidemiology research group from
a top department in a top US university (Johns Hopkins) published a
peer-reviewed paper in the top medical journal The Lancet in which
they estimated 655,000 (0.7 million) post-invasion excess deaths
in Occupied Iraq. This estimate was in good agreement with 3 other
estimates from 3 other data sets yielding post-invasion excess death
estimates in the range 0.6 million to 0.8 million (see MWC News
). If one uses the UN-derived "annual death rate" figures for Iraq’s
impoverished but PEACEFUL neighbours Syria and Jordan as a baseline,
the post-invasion excess deaths in Occupied Iraq total 0.9 million.

Using this latter figure for Iraq and a UN-derived estimate for
Afghanistan, the post-invasion excess deaths in Occupied Iraq and
Occupied Afghanistan total 0.9 million and 2.1 million, respectively
– a total of 3.0 million deaths, 1,000 (one thousand) times the
number of people murdered on 9/11. These estimates are consonant
with independent UN data on post-invasion under-5 infant deaths,
currently 0.4 million and 1.7 million, respectively, for Occupied
Iraq and Occupied Afghanistan. (see MWC News ).

These horrendous excess deaths have arisen through war, invasion,
violence and occupation PLUS the deliberate refusal of the Occupying
Powers to provide the life-sustaining requisites demanded unequivocally
of Occupiers by the Geneva Conventions (see Articles 55 and 56 in
particular ). Thus under Blair and Bush, the "annual total per capita
medical expenditure" permitted by the merciless Occupiers in Occupied
Iraq and Occupied Afghanistan are about $58 and $16, respectively
(see: MWC NEWS). It is important to read the actual words of the
Geneva Convention:

Article 55

To the fullest extent of the means available to it the Occupying
Power has the duty of ensuring the food and medical supplies of
the population; it should, in particular, bring in the necessary
foodstuffs, medical stores and other articles if the resources of
the occupied territory are inadequate …

Article 56

To the fullest extent of the means available to it, the Occupying
Power has the duty of ensuring and maintaining, with the cooperation of
national and local authorities, the medical and hospital establishments
and services, public health and hygiene in the occupied territory,
with particular reference to the adoption and application of the
prophylactic and preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of
contagious diseases and epidemics. Medical personnel of all categories
shall be allowed to carry out their duties …

From: Baghdasarian

CE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS CONFIRMED READINESS TO ASSIST OSCE MG COCHAIRMEN IN PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

Yerevan, December 14. ArmInfo. The Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe has proclaimed a statement in view of December 10
Constitutional Referendum in NKR.

As the CE headquarters told ArmInfo, the statement of the Committee of
Ministers, where the Republic of San-Marino chairs now, notes that the
Referendum in Karabakh is not recognized by the international community
and the readiness to assist the efforts of OSCE MG cochairmen in
peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict is confirmed. An anxiety
is expressed in the statement that the conduction of plebiscite opposes
to the negotiation results and cannot serve in favor of the conflict
resolution. The Committee of Ministers calls all the conflict sides
to activate their efforts in search of a peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh conflict according to the liabilities assumed by Armenia
and Azerbaijan at joining the Council of Europe.
From: Baghdasarian

NKR CONSTITUTION CORRESPONDS TO INTERESTS OF ARTSAKHI PEOPLE AND REFUGEES
By Gohar Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
15/12/2006

"The adoption of NKR’s constitution corresponds to vital interests
of Artsakhi people and refugees and it will serve as a ponderable
spur for putting the negotiation process on rational rails. The
next step of NKR people and authorities must be not more important
for the country than the adoption of the law on citizenship, which
will give an opportunity to refugees to reacquire their citizenship
in NKR", Refugees and International Law, a civil society network,
stated yesterday on behalf of Azerbaijani SSR and hundred thousands
of refugees from Nakhijevan.

By accusing the co-chairs of ignoring the issue of half a million
refugees of Azerbaijani SSR and Nakhijevan, the civil society network
reconfirms its determination to reach the legal transfer of former
Aghdam, Fizuli, Jebrail and other lands of former Azerbaijani SSR to
Azeri refugees as reparation.
From: Baghdasarian