Author: Boshkezenian Garik

A1+
| 15:14:37 | 20-09-2005 | Social |
ARMENIAN YOUTH TO RETURN TO HOMELAND
September 21 17-year-old David Harutyunyan will arrive in Armenia from
Yekatirenburg.
Native of Karabakh, the boy left the homeland together with his father. For
13 years they have lived in the Russian town of Nizhni Tagil. Thanks to the
efforts by Armenian Human Rigts Defender Larisa Alaverdyan and head of the
department of human rights of the Sverdlovks oblast Tatyana Merzlyakova the
boy was found and he will soon return to Armenia, where his mother lives.

PRESS RELEASE
sherman/pr_sherman_codemnarmgen.html
September 15, 2005
House Panel Condemns Armenian Genocide Congressman Sherman Backs
Resolutions
Washington, D.C. – The House International Relations Committee on
Thursday adopted a pair of resolutions calling on Turkey to
acknowledge the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks around the
time of World War I.
`It is long past time for us to criticize the Ottoman Empire for the
first genocide of the 20th century,’ said Congressman Brad Sherman, a
member of the prestigious panel.
`Ignoring genocide is the last act of genocide,’ Sherman added.
`Where would modern Germany be if it was ruled by a government denying
the Holocaust?’ One resolution calls on Turkey to acknowledge the
actions of the Ottoman state from 1915 to 1923, when the extermination
campaign claimed about 1.5 million Armenian lives. It also urges
Turkey to build closer relations with Armenia. The second measure
calls on U.S. presidents to take the Armenian genocide into account in
determining this country’s foreign policy.
Both resolutions, which are opposed by the Bush administration, were
approved by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. Similar measures have
cleared committee before, but were stymied by House leaders who
blocked consideration by the full House. Sherman urged House leaders
to permit votes on the latest resolutions.
The committee votes coincided with visit of Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the US.
`It is an act of friendship with the people of Turkey that we
passthese resolutions,’ Sherman said. `Turkey can move forward onlyby
truthfully acknowledging its past.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RAGOSINA AND KENTIKIAN TONIGHT IN GERMANY
By Ewan Whyte
WBAN
Sept 17 2005
(SEPT 17) Two women’s matches feature on the bill for tonight’s SES
Box Gala in Ilsenburg (Germany), parts of which will be broadcast live
on the Astra satellite by D:SF (23:00-00:30 CET): the 7th fight on
the bill pits 17-year-old Susianna Kentikian (6-0 5KOs), an Armenian
now resident in Hamburg (who has won her last four fights in either
the first or second round), against Renata Vesecka of the Czech
Republic; whilst the 8th fight – a late addition to the programme –
is a sharpening-up operation for Natascha Ragosina prior to a promised
world title fight with Jacqui Frazier-Lyde.
Ragosina, who was born in Karaganda (Kazakhstan) but fights out
of Magdeburg, is matched here at super middleweight against Maria
Velichkova of Sofia (Bulgaria), who is making her professional debut.
In her last outing, in which she coped easily enough with the veteran
Valerie Mahfood of the States without ever finding the finish, Ragosina
seemed still to be suffering the after-effects of an illness that
had put her out of action for several months earlier in the year;
nonetheless, in terms of style she seemed markedly improved, having
abandoned the rather upright stance (once compared with that of Vitali
Klitschko) that had brought her the world championship as an amateur
in favour of a more fluid shoot-from-the-hip style reminiscent of
Muhammad Ali.
A strikingly beautiful 28-year-old with tremendous natural athleticism,
Ragosina won European championships in 1996 and 1998 as a kickboxer
before switching disciplines in 1999. This will be her eighth fight
as a professional; her record currently stands at 7-0 (5 KOs).
In a second women’s match, Susianna Kentikian defeated Renata Vesecka
in the fourth round by 58 seconds TKO.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA PM: ARMENIA SUPPORTS EFFORTS AIMED AT REFORMING UN
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 16 2005
YEREVAN, September 16. /ARKA/. Armenia supports the efforts aimed at
reforming the United Nations; RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan
said in his speech at the 60th session of the UN general Assembly,
press-service of the RA Government reported ARKA News Agency. Armenia
attaches importance to enhancement of the role of the General Assembly,
creation of the Human Rights Council, and especially at increasing the
effectiveness of the working methods of the Security Council. “We are
confident that the reformed United Nations Organization will be in a
position to successfully address today’s ever-increasing challenges”,
Margaryan said.
It is five years now that the Heads of State and Governments adopted
the Millennium Declaration thus assuming responsibility to reach
the development goals as outlined in the Declaration. By joining the
Declaration Armenia included the development goals in its long-term
strategic programs. By the decision of the Government and with
the assistance of international organizations Armenia adopted a
Poverty Reduction Strategy Program, which envisages measures aimed
at implementation of MDGs and is in compliance with the strategic
development of the country. A.A. -0–

RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN MILITARY EXERCISE ANACHRONISTIC
By Vladimir Socor
Eurasia Daily Monitor,
Jamestown Foundation
Sept 16 2005
On September 10-13, Russia and Armenia conducted a tactical
military exercise at the Marshal Bagramian training grounds, close
to the Armenian-Turkish border. President Robert Kocharian and other
Armenian officials attended the final, live-fire stage of the joint
exercise. Each side committed a motor-rifle regiment, artillery, and
tank company, for a total of 1,300 ground troops, to the four-day
exercise. In addition, four Su-25 and four MiG-24 planes from the
Armenian side, S-300 air defense systems, and four MiG-29 planes from
the Russian side, and combat helicopters from both sides took part.
Armenia’s Deputy Defense Minister, Lt.-General Mikael Grigorian, acted
as coordinator of the exercise in the presence of Maj.-General Andrei
Popov, commander of Russia’s Group of Forces in the Transcaucasus
(GRVZ), to which the Russian forces stationed in Armenia are
subordinated. The GRVZ command headquarters has yet to be moved out
of Tbilisi by Russia’s Defense Ministry, presumably to the Russian
base at Gyumri in Armenia. Russia stations an estimated 5,000 troops
of all types in Armenia, including 3,000 officially reported to be
based at Gyumri.
The exercise aimed to test the interoperability of Russian and
Armenian forces. It rehearsed a defensive battle against “aggressor
forces from the direction of Turkey” that attacked on the ground
and in the air, advancing into Armenia during the first stage of
the battle. In the follow-up stages, Russian and Armenian forces
counterattacked and destroyed the invader’s forward elements, then
encircled and attacked the main invasion grouping, forcing it to
surrender. This type of scenario is traditional at Armenian-Russian
annual tactical exercises, but it now seems out of step with the
bilateral rapprochement between Russia and Turkey on all levels,
including that of regional security. This year’s exercise scenario
added for the first time an “anti-terrorist operation” to suppress
a diversionary terror attack by the invading force.
Armenia’s Su-25 planes made their first public appearance in the
country on this occasion. Armenia took delivery of 10 planes of
that obsolescent type from Slovakia’s air force last year. They are
co-located with the Russian base in Gyumri.
Addressing all troops in Russian after the exercise, Kocharian
characterized Armenia-Russia relations overall as “brotherhood…thanks
to which the Russian military base exists and we conduct joint
exercises to ensure our countries’ security.” If viewed in those terms,
however, the exercise scenario of battling Turkey seems anachronistic
and unrealistic. For his part, Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian cited
Azerbaijan as a source of threats to Armenia’s security; he expressed
confidence in the Armenian army’s readiness to face that challenge.
While Yerevan portrayed the exercise accurately as a bilateral
event, Moscow billed it as an undertaking of the CIS Collective
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Russia’s Security Council
Secretary Nikolai Bordyuzha, also attending the event, listed the
Russia-Armenia “group of forces” as a CSTO component, together with
a Russia-Belarus group of forces and the Collective Rapid Deployment
Forces in Central Asia. However, those two “groups of forces” exist
only virtually, in Russian planning for wartime operations, and remain
at any time a matter of Russia’s bilateral relations with Armenia or
Belarus. Armenia’s participation in CSTO exercises remains confined
to the annual air defense practice.
Moscow traditionally relies on bilateral relations for alliance
management. However, Russia is interested in advertising the CSTO in
order to enhance Russia’s own status vis-a-vis NATO. Attending the
NATO-Russia meeting of Defense Ministers on September 13 in Berlin,
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov cited the Russian-Armenian
exercise as part of ongoing CSTO activities. He sought to portray the
CSTO as an operational reality and urged NATO to establish cooperation
with this Russian-led organization. Armenia, however, is interested
in developing its own ties with NATO through an Individual Partnership
Action Plan.
(Interfax, Regnum, Arminfo, Armenian Public Television, September
12-14; Air Force Monthly, August 2005)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BELGIAN FM: WE SHOULD STICK TO OUR COMMITMENTS OF DEC. 2004
By Selcuk Gultasli Zaman
Journal of Turkish Weekly
Sept 17 2005
Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht says European Union, or the
EU, should stick to its decisions and commitments that were taken in
the historic EU Summit of December 2004.
In an exclusive interview to ZAMAN during the heated debates on the EU
counter declaration on Cyprus and the negotiating framework document
among member countries, De Gucht said EU has not forgotten who said
“yes” and who said “no” to Annan Plan in Cyprus.
He called on the EU and the Commission in particular to end the
isolation of Turkish Cypriots. Here are the excerpts:
There are calls on Turkey to recognize Greek Cypriot government for
accession talks. Is EU changing the rules of the game?
My position has always been very clear. When we decided on December
17 about the conditions for opening talks with Turkey, recognition
by Turkey was not a condition. It is crystal clear that it is not a
condition. The condition was that Ankara protocol enlarging customs
union to new member countries will be signed and already at the time
of the December Council, Turkey made it clear that signature of
the Ankara protocol does not imply the recognition of Cyprus. The
position taken in the unilateral declaration a couple of weeks ago
saying that signature did not mean an implicit recognition of Cyprus
is not a new position, Turks have always taken that position. That
is very clear. On the other hand it is also obvious that Turkey will
never be able to enter EU without recognizing Cyprus, let’s say during
the negotiations. In a given moment there should be a recognition
of Cyprus by Turkey but I am of the opinion that this should be
ideally done in the larger equation of the status of Cyprus. We can
not forget that there has been a proposal by the UN Secretary General
about Cyprus that has been refuted by the Greek Cypriots and accepted
by the Turkish Cypriots.
Turks have the impression that all 25 members have forgetton what
happened in the referanda.
I was in Newport, Gymnich meeting and several member countries made the
link. It is simply not true. Politicians are not people who forget so
much, but politicians tend to use the argument to serve their purpose
of the given time. Several member countries made references to Annan
Plan and underlined that it was refuted by the Greek Cypriots and
accepted by the Turks on the island.
Was it a mistake to admit Greek Cypriots to the Club without a
solution?
No, I was not a member of the Council when it was admitted. This
is an agreement and EU should live up to its commitments. I am not
questioning that but it is also very important that we come to a
solution, a lasting one making it possible, two communities living
peacefully on the same island and that same island being a member
of the EU. I can hardly imagine that Turkey and Cyprus are in EU
and yet we do not have a solution, that will create a very unstable
situation. It is important that we keep this link. On the one hand
Turkey should realize she shall come to grips with the Cypriot problem
but also Greek Cypriots shall come to grips with the Turkish part of
the island. Annan Plan or with some adjustments to it should be the
basis for the solution.
You said EU has not forgotten the “yes” and “no” sayers; however,
EU has forgotten packages to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
I would not say nothing has come out of the packages. Green line
regulation has come out. The EU commission should be vigilant on the
faithful execution of the packages. It is a decision taken in April
2004 by the EU Council to end the isolation and it is now a part
of the acquis. The EU should execute this and the Commission should
closely monitor this.
Can you agree with the latest draft declaration that was struck
between Britain and France?
I can agree to this. That is exactly our position, recognition is not
a condition to start talks. But it is stated Turkey should realize
she should recognize Cyprus before entering EU and use the interval
for a possible solution. This is reflected in this compromise.
Greek Cypriots could prevent opening and closing of chapters anyway.
Everybody can. Chapters can only be opened and closed with the
consent of all member states. I am not so much afraid about this. The
only possible solution for the Cyprus problem is within the EU, we
must effectively use the accession process of Turkey to make this
happen. It won’t be easy but it is the only option. It is true that
you need unanimous decision for opening chapters too. You can also
have suspension of talks with the proposal of commission or a number
of member states. You can say it is very difficult to have a unanimious
decision when you are 25 instead of six. That is true. It is also true
it is much easier to have a veto when you are six rather than 25. When
you are the only one in 25 to use veto then you get marginalized. To
be the only country to use veto in 25 is not that easy. You can see
it from both angles. You can say that it is difficult to reach a
unanimity in a club of 25 but it is also difficult to be the only
member to use veto in 25.
You reportedly said in your meeting with Belgian ambassadors in the
beginning of September that “we were quick on Turkey?
I never said that. What I said was we went very quickly in the
enlargement process that has already happened. 10 joined, two will
join in 2007. I said after the fall of Berlin Wall, we went very
quickly for political reasons sometimes not quite understanding its
effects on economy and society. What I said with respect to Turkey
is we should open talks with Turkey and it will take a long time and
we can only have decision when we agree on financial perspectives
for the period 2014-2020. This is different from what we did with
the others because now we do not have financial perspectives. We did
not adapt our institutions for another enlargement. We are much more
cautious with our negotiations with Turkey than it was the case with
the others. We are actually blamed that we are fast with Turkey. If
you look at the process, the process is open-ended, talks can be
suspended, chapters will be opened with unanimity, there are a lot of
conditions that we never envisaged for the 12 countries, whose 10 are
now members and the other two will be in 2007. It is strange that we
are blamed that we went too fast on Turkey. But it is a fact of life,
if you make a referendum today on Turkey’s membership, the result in
Belgium will not be certain in advance. Nevertheless I have always
been a supporter of Turkish accession and let me remind that I was one
of the foreign ministers who worked for a compromise at the December
Summit. We have given this perspective to Turkey since the 1960s and
we should give a chance to Turkey to demonstrate that she can be a
member of the EU. So I never had doubts about this but it is a fact
of life at this particular time the idea of Turkey’s membership is
not very popular. But as a politician you sometimes do things which
are not immediately supported by the public.
Some members are pushing for privileged partnership
We should stick to our decision of December 2004. It was decision
between EU Council and Turkey. It is very important in politics and
as well as in life you keep your commitments and promises.
Senate is now bringing up again Armenian genocide allegations that
could poision bilateral relations.
It shall not poison relations between Turkey and Belgium. Any senator
has the right to make a proposal and submit it to the Senate. That is
part of our democratic system. You know there was a proposal in the
Senate and it disappeared. We can not prohibit that senators submit
proposals and that proposals are discussed. Not specifically with
respect to “Armenian genocide” but in general as a lawyer and as a
liberal I have my doubts about this kind of “crimes”. I think that in
Belgian law you have to limit it to very specific cases. I think you
should really limit it to very specific cases i.e. negationism with
respect to Holocaust. Holocaust is very clear. This is also part of
our society. We lived the WWII and we were involved in it. We still
have a limited number of people who negate the Holocaust but this is
completely different.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
09/19/2005
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) EU Approves Turkey Declaration 2) Turk Politician Again Charged in Switzerland for Denying Armenian Genocide 3) Turkey Slights Passage of Armenian Genocide Resolutions 4) Baroness Caroline Cox Awarded 'Mkhitar Gosh' Medal 5) ARF at Women's Socialist International Conference 6) Computer Science and Information Technology Conference in Yerevan 1) EU Approves Turkey Declaration (Bloomberg)--European Union governments resolved differences over Turkey's refusal to recognize Cyprus, keeping alive plans to start Turkish membership talks on Oct. 3. Representatives from the EU's 25 nations approved a common response to Turkey's diplomatic boycott of Cyprus, which joined the bloc last year. The dispute distracted EU attention from a negotiating plan for Turkey that needs the backing of all member nations. The declaration urges Turkey to ensure free trade with Cyprus while moving toward normal political ties "as soon as possible," according to a copy released today in Brussels by the British government, current holder of the EU's rotating presidency. The bloc will review progress in 2006, the statement said. The Turkish government in July said its signature of a protocol extending a European trade accord to Cyprus didn't amount to recognizing the Mediterranean island, whose northern tier Turkey has occupied since 1974. Signing the protocol was a condition the EU set in December for starting decade-long membership talks. "Turkey must apply the protocol fully to all EU member states," the statement said. "Recognition of all member states is a necessary component of the accession process. Accordingly, the EU underlines the importance it attaches to the normalization of relations between Turkey and all EU member states, as soon as possible." Cyprus joined the EU without the Turkish-speaking north because voters in the Greek-speaking southern republic rejected a United Nations-backed unification plan. CYPRUS PROBLEM The declaration said EU member states support UN efforts to reach a "comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem" and will review this issue and Turkey's respect for the trade pact in 2006. Monday's accord follows four failed attempts this month to agree on the wording of the declaration. EU ministers are due to endorse it in routine procedure tomorrow, Jonathan Allen, a British government spokesman, said by telephone in Brussels. The dispute interfered with EU preparations for entry negotiations with Turkey. European governments still must approve a plan covering 35 areas from customs and public procurement to energy and fisheries where Turkey would have to meet the bloc's regulatory standards. Turkey, a nation of 72 million people, is counting on the accession talks to attract record foreign investment to its $300 billion economy. It would be one of the two most populous EU nations along with Germany, and become the bloc's first mainly Muslim member as well as widen the EU's borders to Iraq. This prospect has some politicians in nations including France and Germany urging nothing more than a "privileged partnership." The demand may complicate approval of the negotiating plan, which EU diplomats are due to discuss on Sept. 21. The European Commission, the EU's executive arm in Brussels, pressed last week for the start of membership talks with Turkey. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said national governments would have dozens of veto chances later and entry negotiations would encourage a settlement of the Cyprus problem as well as economic reforms in Turkey. 2) Turk Politician Again Charged in Switzerland for Denying Armenian Genocide (AP)--Swiss authorities brought a third charge against a Turkish politician for breaking Switzerland's racial discrimination laws by denying that the killings of Armenians around the time of World War I was a genocide, police said Monday. Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Turkey's Workers' Party, made the remarks Sunday in a speech in central Switzerland, Bern cantonal police said in a statement. He already had been charged twice by Swiss authorities for two previous, similar incidents. Denying that the Holocaust or other cases of genocide took place is regarded as racial discrimination under Swiss law, and can be punished by up to three years in prison and an unspecified fine. "Based on the fact that, in the course of his address, Dogu Perincek denied the Armenian genocide and expressed prejudices against the western world, the Bern cantonal police have put down a complaint because of suspicion of racial discrimination," the police statement said. Perincek will be questioned Tuesday by police in neighboring Vaud canton, where he is already under investigation for similar remarks made in May, Bern police spokeswoman Anastasia Falkner said. Swiss authorities launched a second investigation into Perincek in July for making similar remarks in northern Switzerland, and Perincek was briefly detained after that speech. Turkey called the Swiss ambassador to the Foreign Ministry to protest Perincek's detention and investigation. Similar disputes have erupted in the past between Turkey and Switzerland. In June, a Turkish Cabinet minister postponed a visit to Switzerland to protest an investigation of a Turkish historian who denied in a separate speech that the killings were genocide. In July, Turkey canceled a proposed visit by Swiss Economics Minister Joseph Deiss because of "schedule clashes," Deiss's spokesman said. 3) Turkey Slights Passage of Armenian Genocide Resolutions Turkey's Foreign Ministry said Friday it "greeted with sadness" the passage by a US congressional committee of two resolutions that denounce the deaths of Armenians early last century as genocide, and hoped US legislators would not allow the resolutions out of committee. "In the period ahead, we believe that members of the US Congress will act with a responsibility befitting the Turkish-American relationship, and strongly hope that the resolutions will stay in the committee and not be carried to the floor," the statement said. Turkey's response came after September 15 when the House International Relations Committee voted in favor of two measures calling for proper US recognition of the Armenian Genocide and urging Turkey to end its decades long denial of this crime against humanity. HRes316, which was introduced by Representatives George Radanovich (R-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), calls upon the President to ensure US foreign policy reflects appropriate understanding of the Armenian Genocide, while HConRes195 calls on Turkey to abandon its ongoing campaign of Armenian Genocide denial and to work with Armenia to come to terms with its tragic history. Representative Knollenberg commented that "this legislation will show the world that America is not going to forget this horrible crime. The victims of the Genocide and their families deserve to have the crime recognized for the atrocity that it was. The committee's action today--and hopefully the approval of the full House soon--will help make sure that this terrible offense is never forgotten." 4) Baroness Caroline Cox Awarded 'Mkhitar Gosh' Medal YEREVAN (Arka)Armenian President Robert Kocharian awarded Baroness Caroline Cox his country's "Mkitar Gosh" Medal for her efforts in developing Armenian-British relations, and for her humanitarian undertakings, specifically her consistent work in Mountainous Karabagh Republic. Cox, who has served as the Deputy Speaker of House of Lords of British Parliament since 1985, has visited Karabagh 60 times since 1989. Her most recent visit just this month was a pilgrimage there with a delegation that included 20 representatives from various Christian organizations throughout Great Britain. Karabagh Parliament Speaker Ashot Ghulian recently praised Baroness Cox, saying that she "had always been with the people of Karabagh--during the hardest war, during heavy post-war years, and today." In a 1997 article in "Contemporary Review," Baroness Cox wrote: "The Armenians of Karabakh can never again submit to Azeri sovereignty, given all they have suffered at the hands of Azerbaijan. They will fight to the death to preserve their freedom and their historic land... One option is quite definitely not open; namely, any attempt to declare Nagorno Karabakh to be part of Azerbaijan. That would be to reward those who indulged in aggression and invasion of a neighboring independent state, as well as to cause gross violations of human rights in total defiance of treaty obligations .We should remember the statement made by President Elchibey in June 1992, when, after opening full hostilities against Karabakh, he said that if there were any Armenians left in Karabakh by October they could hang him in the central square of Baku. It is a pity they did not! No amount of oil-lubricated waffle or diplomatic flannel in the West can excuse this clear statement of intent by a head of state. It has the underlying unequivocal ring of statements made by Genghis Khan, and we all know what his intentions were." The Baroness is a consistent defender of human rights in the House of Lords, primarily involved in helping people in Myanmar, Sudan, Indonesia and Mountainous Karabagh Republic. 5) ARF at Women's Socialist International Conference LIMASSOL(CNA/Yerkir)--A regional conference "Women for Peace" was organized in Limassol, Cyprus on September 18 by the Women's Socialist International. Representatives from 25 Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and South Caucasus countries attend the conference. Armenia was represented by Armenian Revolutionary Federation member Maria Titizian. Prospects for a Cyprus settlement and the role of Cypriot women, the situation in the Middle East, and women's role in political, economic, and social development were discussed. Speaking at the conference, Pia Locateli, Women's Socialist International President and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) said the participation of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot women at the conference was a particularly important step. She noted the participation of women from Palestine and Israel at the conference Regarding the Cyprus problem, she said the the referendum on the Annan plan in April 2004 proved that people did not trust this plan for a Cyprus settlement. "People must feel safe and we must try to create the preconditions for this human security," she said. Keynote speakers included Marcia Alexaki, SIW Vice-President and member of the Movement of Social Democrats EDEK, and Mirjana Feric-Vac from Croatia, and Wafa Abed, president of the Union of Progressive Women in Lebanon. 6) Computer Science and Information Technology Conference in Yerevan YEREVAN (ARKA/CSIT)The fifth international computer sciences and information technology conference kicked off in Armenia on September 19. According to the Vice-President of Armenia's National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Yuri Shukuryan, the conference will promote the exchange of information and help establish contacts between scientists and information technology specialists. The first such conference in 1997, explained Shukuryan, helped Armenia to advance significantly in the IT sector, with the introduction of an experimental high productive system. "After the first conference we did a lot, and we learn from our colleagues, that include well-known scientists," he said. Participants this year include representatives from the Scientific and Research Institute of Informatics of Tuluza, Institute of High Productive Computing and Database of Saint Petersburg, Institute of System Programming and Computing Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ukrainian Institute of Cybernetics, Tehran University and of other scientific institutions participate in the conference. The conference is organized with the support of the International Scientific-Technical Center, National Fund of Sciences and Advanced Technologies, Incubator Enterprises Foundation, Arminco Company, Unicomp, Haylin, and others. Participants include over 35 specialists from 12 countries including the US, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, France, India and Iran. This year's conference features 135 reports, including 40 from young Armenians. Theoretical research is based on what is currently being developed in Armenia, and serves as the basis for applied work: theory of algorithms, machines and mathematical logic, discrete math and theory of combinations, artificial intellect, recognition of samples and processing of images, theory of information and coding. Special attention is paid to the development of a high productive system for scientific calculations in Armenia, based on "Armclaster," a highly productive computing system developed by the International Scientific and Technical Center of IPIA, and its software development based on theoretical research and technology of parallel programming. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

US AID AIMED AT PREVENTING GAS PIPELINE PRIVATIZATION – GEORGIAN TV
Rustavi-2 TV, Tbilisi
13 Sep 05
[Presenter] In New York today an agreement was signed with the
Millennium Challenge Corporation, as a result of which Georgia will
receive 295m dollars. Of this, 44m dollars will be for repairing the
[Russia-Georgia-Armenia] gas trunk pipeline . The only condition is
that this strategically important asset is not sold. Davit Nikuradze
joins us live from New York. Dato, why is the gas pipeline attracting
such attention in Washington? Usually, the White House is not so
openly categorical.
[Correspondent] America’s interest is simple to understand. They do
not want eastern European countries to be dependent on the Russian
Federation. The USA has been opposed to the privatization of the trunk
gas pipeline ever since State Minister Kakha Bendukidze put the idea
to the Georgian government. The USA believes that the privatization
of the trunk gas pipeline would result in Georgia losing its energy
independence. It is also linked to the Sah Daniz and Ceyhan projects,
in which the Americans have a major interest.
Recently, this has been the most sensitive issue in Georgian-American
relations.
After the meeting in New York, you could say that the privatization
of the gas pipeline is off the agenda for the time being, but only
time will tell if it is forever.
[Passage omitted]

SIXTH SESSION OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT OF THIRD CONVOCATION UNDERWAY
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12. ARMINFO. A regular 6th session of the Armenian
Parliament of the third convocation has started with the state hymn
of Armenia today.
In his speech, Parliamentary Speaker Arthur Baghdasaryan said the
agenda consists of some 90 bills and international agreements. The
bill on VAT and others will be discussed in a special regime.
Representatives of the opposition, that earlier boycotted the session,
participate in it. Moreover, Leader of the National Unity opposition
party and its parliamentary faction Artashes Geghamyan warned to demand
deprivation of the accreditation of pro- governmental Mass Media in
case of a biased coverage of the opposition’s work in the parliament.

LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ELECTION – NOT A PRIORITY
Diana Markosyan
A1+
| 18:33:38 | 10-09-2005 | Politics |
Two wings of the parliamentary opposition will not take part in
election to the local self-government. Justice bloc will take a
passive part to suuport its candidates while the National Unity will
press for fair and transparent election.
Justice faction secretary Victor Dallakyan conditioned the passiveness
of the party by the passiveness of the nation. “The main goal of
the opposition in to establish the legal power, while the people
pay special attention to presidential or parliamentary election
only. To our remark that the occupation of the posts in the local
self-government by opposition members V. Dallakyan reminded of the law
“On the local self-government” according to which the authorities
are free to dismiss any community head. “It does not mean that the
opposition will fully refrain form participation in the election. Our
party will nominate its candidates and we will support them”, he noted.
Over the passiveness of the opposition the authorities use the local
self-government bodies as an instrument and the system is politicized
as an administrative instrument for electoral falsifications as it was
during the presidential and parliamentary election in 2003. “Democracy
is based upon two main principles: the formation of powers via fair
elections and the rule of law”, V. Dallakyan noted.
National Unity faction secretary Alexan Karapetyan informed that they
will not take part in the election/ “The incumbent leadership distorted
the notion of election thus the participation in such election can
easily cause a military collision. It is inadmissible for our party.”