Author: Chakrian Hovsep

DEUTSCHE BANK AND DRESDNER BANK REPRESENTATIVES REFUSE TO MEET WITH AMERICAN ARMENIAN ATTORNEYS

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 16 2007

BERLIN, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. German representatives
of the Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank refused to meet with three
American Armenian attorneys Vartkes Yeghiayan, Mark Geragos and
Brian Kabateck who are in Berlin. To recap, the attorneys brought a
criminal action the last year against those two German banks as the
latters hid the property deposited by Armenian before the World War
I and Armenian Genocide and hindered from their compensation.

But, the American Armenian attorneys managed to meet with the German
officials. The attorneys mentioned that the meeting was effective
for both sides.

The meeting details are kept secret. During the press conference
followed the meeting, the attorneys called on the banks representatives
to cooperate with them and discuss the demands presented by them
round the negotiation table.

The American Armenian attorneys were in Paris earlier to bring a
criminal action against the AXA Insurance Company as that French
company did not pay the compensation of 17.5 mln dollars to be given
to heirs of the 1915 Armenian Genocide victims.

Martin Marothy from attorneys reached an agreement with the New York
life company which was obliged to pay 20 mln U.S. dollars to heirs
of the victims.

In Vartkes Yeghiayan’s words, those agreements with the banks and
insurance companies bring the world recognition of the Armenian
Genocide a step close, making all those who disprove the Genocide
not being aware of the 1915 cases, and particularly those Turks who
were for years led into error by the state propaganda, conciliate
with the reality and understand that if there was no genocide, those
structures would not pay compensation of millions of dollars.

Heirs of the Armenians insured their life at the AXA Insurance Company
in 1880 and 1930 may visit web
site to get detailed information.

TAX COLLECTIONS SURPASSED ESTIMATE BY 20 PERCENT

KarabakhOpen
15-05-2007 10:39:47

In the first quarter of 2007 the budget receipts totaled 2721.6
million drams, surpassing the estimate by 20 percent.

Return on tax provided 87.9 percent of receipts and totaled 2392.6
million drams, surpassing the estimate by 25.7 percent (684.4 million
drams).

Budget expenditure totaled 5886.7 million drams, 81.2 percent more
than the estimate. In the first quarter of 2007 2739.8 million drams
was allocated for building, which is two times more compared with
last year.

RA FM AND AUSTRIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSSED VIENNA’S ASSISTANCE IN ARMENIA-EU ACTION PLAN IMPLEMENTATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.05.2007 18:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Newly appointed Austrian Ambassador Marius Calligaris
handed the copy of his credentials to the Armenian Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian. The parties considered bilateral cooperation
and Vienna’s assistance in the implementation of the Armenia-EU
Action Plan. By the Ambassador’s request, Mr Oskanian briefed on the
preliminary outcomes of the parliamentary elections and the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement talks, the RA MFA press office reports.

ARMENPRESS

PRO-GOVERNMENT PARTIES WIN MAJORITY OF SEATS IN PARLIAMENT

YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS: Armenia’s Central
Election Commission (CEC) announced the voting returns
from all 1,923 polling stations throughout the
country.
According to it, 1,389,521 citizens or 59.9
percent of eligible voters out of 2,316,038
participated in the elections. The votes have been
distributed in the following way:
The National Democratic Party received 8,591 votes.
The National Accord- 4,251 votes.
The National Unity – 49,863 votes.
The Prosperous Armenia – 204,443 votes.
The Dashink (Alliance) – 33,093 votes.
The Heritage Party – 80,890 votes.
The People’s Party – 37,034 votes.
The Democratic Path – 8,468 votes.
The Impeachment bloc – 17,808 votes.
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation – 177,192 votes.
The Democratic Party of Armenia-3,780 votes.
The Youth Party of Armenia – 2,303 votes.
The People’s Party of Armenia – 23,629 votes.
The Communist Party of Armenia – 8,835 votes.
The Republican Party – 457,032 votes.
The Marxist Party – 2,896 votes.
The Hanrapetutyun (Republic) – 22,609 votes.
The United Labor Party – 59,307 votes.
The New Times Party – 47,018 votes.
The Orinats Yerkir Party – 95,256 votes.
The overall number of inaccuracies is 10,942.

Armenian prime minister’s party takes most votes in parliamentary
election; observers note improvements

AVET DEMOURIAN, AP Worldstream
Published: May 13, 2007

The party of Armenia’s prime minister garnered the most votes in
parliamentary elections, officials said Sunday, as foreign observers
praised the vote and opposition parties accused authorities of fraud.

Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian’s Republican Party was leading in the
list of five parties topping the 5 percent minimum for seats in the
131-seat National Assembly.

Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, meanwhile, commended the vote, saying it was, on the whole,
better than the previous one four years ago.

"The election campaign was dynamic with extensive media
coverage. Election day was calm, with no major incidents reported, but
a few cases of fraud schemes were observed," the OSCE’s election
monitoring team said in a report. "Some procedural problems arose
during the count and tabulation of votes as well as isolated cases of
deliberate falsifications."

The organization also said there were some problems and
inconsistencies in election regulations, and officials were slow to
correct irregularities.

Central Elections Commission figures said the Republican Party, with
32.8 percent of the vote, was trailed by Prosperous Armenia, with 14.7
percent, and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, with 12.7
percent. Two other parties, Country of Law and Legacy, got less than
10 percent each, but enough to obtain seats in parliament.

Of the 131 seats, 90 are chosen according to proportions that parties
get nationwide and 41 in single-mandate contests.

Roughly 1.37 million people, or about 60 percent of registered voters,
cast ballots in Saturday’s election, officials said.

The Country of Law party, meanwhile, said it had noted "mass election
violations," including bribery and improper balloting and
vote-tallying. The party’s representative to the election commission
refused to sign the final protocol and promised to file suit against
election officials to keep final results from being published in the
official register.

Election officials refused to comment on the allegations.

Most political observers said Republican Party would likely join with
Prosperous Armenia and Armenian Revolutionary Federation to form a
ruling coalition and return Sarkisian to the post of prime minister.

Prosperous Armenia is a comparatively new player on the political
scene, having been formed in 2004, and its origins are unclear. Some
observers suggest it was formed at the initiative of President Robert
Kocharian as a way to have a counterbalance to the Republican Party.

All the main parties call for addressing economic and social problems,
including finding ways to increase the population of about 2.9
million. The population has dropped sharply in the post-Soviet period
as the birth rate declined and an estimated 900,000 people emigrated,
largely because of economic problems.

The tiny South Caucasus nation has few natural resources and its
economic development is restricted by the closing of its borders with
Azerbaijan and Turkey _ both of which were shut in protest against
ethnic Armenian troops taking control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory
in Azerbaijan, during a six-year conflict in the early 1990s.

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
May 13 2007

Head of the CIS Observation Mission meets the Armenian President

Yerevan, May 13. /Mediamax/. The Head of the CIS Observation Mission,
the Executive Secretary of the CIS Vladimir Rushailo met the Armenian
President Robert Kocharian in Yerevan today.

As Mediamax was told in the presidential press service of Armenia,
Vladimir Rushailo stated that the elections proceeded in accordance
with the functioning electoral legislation, and assessed them as
`free, fair and transparent’.

The CIS Executive Secretary also informed the Armenian President on
some technical shortcomings and presented proposals of the observers
for eliminating them.–0–

Agence France Presse
13 mai 2007 dimanche 5:29 PM GMT

L’OSCE salue les législatives en Arménie, un pas vers la démocratie
(ACTUALISATION, PAPIER GENERAL)

EREVAN 13 mai 2007

Les observateurs occidentaux ont salué dimanche les élections
législatives organisées la veille en Arménie, estimant que ce scrutin
remporté par les partis pro-présidentiels, mais critiqué par
l’opposition, favorise le développement de la démocratie dans cette
ex-république de l’URSS.

"Ces élections marquent une nette amélioration par rapport aux
élections précédentes et cela est bon pour la démocratie arménienne",
a déclaré le coordinateur de la mission d’observation de
l’Organisation pour la sécurité et la coopération en Europe (OSCE),
Tone Tingsgaard.

Les législatives arméniennes se sont déroulées "selon les normes
internationales", pour la première fois depuis la chute de l’URSS en
1991, a souligné M. Tingsgaard.

L’OSCE qui avait dépêché près de 300 observateurs en Arménie a mis en
relief une campagne électorale "dynamique" avec une "large couverture
médiatique", peu d’irrégularités le jour du scrutin et un décompte
des voix plus transparent qu’autrefois.

L’opposition arménienne a cependant dénoncé des "violations massives"
dans ce scrutin alors que l’OSCE n’a noté que "des cas isolés de
falsifications délibérées".

Le soutien de l’OSCE est un triomphe pour le président arménien
Robert Kotcharian et son gouvernement qui risquaient de perdre l’aide
financière de l’Occident accordé à leur pays miné par la pauvreté.

Les Etats-Unis et l’Union européenne, grands pourvoyeurs d’aide à
Erevan avec la diaspora arménienne, ont en effet averti qu’une
élection falsifiée aurait des conséquences négatives dans ce domaine.

Une suspension de l’aide étrangère aurait été lourde de conséquences
dans un pays sans ressources naturelles où 30% de la population vit
avec moins de deux dollars (1,50 euro) par jour.

Trois partis d’opposition — Les temps nouveaux, la République et la
Dissolution– qui n’ont pas réussi à entrer au Parlement ont réuni
près de 2.500 manifestants à Erevan, réclamant "une enquête sur les
falsifications".

Trois des neuf membres de la Commission électorale centrale,
représentants de l’opposition, ont refusé de signer les protocoles
sur les résultats du scrutin.

Le parti d’opposition Le pays de la Loi a dénoncé dans un communiqué
"un large éventail de violations". Des "Menaces, distribution massive
des pots-de-vins, bourrage d’urnes, irrégularités dans le décompte
des voix, déformation des résultats mettent en doute la légalité des
élections", selon ce communiqué.

Les opposants ont promis une nouvelle manifestation vendredi.

Selon les résultats préliminaires, cinq partis vont pouvoir entrer au
Parlement qui compte 131 sièges: trois pro-gouvernementaux et deux de
l’opposition.

En tête, le parti Républicain du Premier ministre Sarkissian qui a
recueilli près de 32,9% de voix. M. Sarkissian est le successeur
désigné du président Kotcharian qui doit quitter son poste l’année
prochaine, à l’issue de son second mandat.

Le parti pro-gouvernemental L’Arménie prospère du millionnaire Gaguik
Tsaroukian a acquis 14,7% de voix, suivi par la Fédération Arménienne
révolutionnaire, membre de l’ancienne coalition au pouvoir avec
12,8%.

Loin derrière, deux partis d’opposition : Le pays de la Loi dirigé
par Artur Bagdasarian avec 6,9% et l’Heritage conduit par un
ex-ministre des Affaires étrangères, Raffi Hovannissian, avec 5,8%.

Environ 1,3 million d’Arméniens, sur 2,3 millions d’inscrits, ont
participé au scrutin.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 12 2007

Defense Ministry: Strong Azeri Army worries foreign countries and
`evil forces’ inside

[ 12 May 2007 15:45 ]

Defense Ministry has commented on statements on May 11 by several
representatives of pro-military non-governmental organizations (NGO),
ministry press service told APA.

The ministry stated that all statements are groundless.
`Defense Ministry always keeps the interests of military servants on
focus by appropriate laws of Azerbaijan. Salary deduction and social
protection of the military servants are carried out by standard
acts’, it noted.
The statement made by the ministry says the strengthening of
Azerbaijani Armed Forces increase the number of foes.
`Like some foreign countries, `evil forces’ inside are worried about
the existence of strong Azerbaijan Army. `Military experts’, removed
from Armed Forces for misbehavior seem more active in such
statements. While Armenians are afraid of improvement in Azerbaijani
Army, some figures and NGOs in the country spread groundless
information about wrongdoings in the army’, it reads. /APA/

Scotsman, UK
May 11 2007

Eurovision song contest
DAVID ELDER

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
HARTWALL AREENA, HELSINKI

THE vast, cavernous hall is packed with fervent followers, eager to
hear what their newly discovered guru has to tell them. A hush falls
over the audience as she appears amid an imposing entourage, which
includes her mother in a head scarf. "Hello everybody, my name is
Verka Serduchka, me English nicht verstehen." The crowd goes wild.
Screams of laughter echo around the Helsinki press centre. The
Ukrainian representative in this year’s Eurovision has arrived, and
the assembled press from more than 50 countries love her to bits.

Verka is one of the biggest stars in the former Soviet nations. No
mean feat for a drag queen. Her unconventional look (Su Pollard meets
Dame Edna) features a mirror-encrusted headdress topped by a huge
silver star, as big as the outrageous persona she adopts in her stage
show.

Preparations for the 52nd Eurovision Song Contest, being held this
weekend in Helsinki, started almost as soon as the closing bars of
last year’s winning entry by hard rock monsters Lordi were being
played.

We’re in the Hartwall Areena, normally the home to Finland’s big ice
hockey matches, but its capacity to hold an audience of around
12,000, coupled with its proximity to the nearby Fair Centre, which
houses the extensive press facilities, made it the obvious choice for
the organisers. The infrastructure of the city also means that the
5,000 or so delegates can be assured of first-rate travel,
accommodation and entertainment facilities.

The city has embraced its strange and colourful new visitors with
unyielding passion. Hardly surprising for a nation that previously
had the worst record in the contest, having competed for 45 years
without so much as a sniff at a top-five placing.

Wherever you go in the city you can’t fail to notice flags, posters
and billboards proclaiming that Europe’s greatest kitsch-fest is in
town. Shop windows are festooned with flags and merchandise. Oh yes,
only the coolest people will be wearing a hoodie featuring the
contest’s "heart" logo this summer! There is a large international
market, with stalls from every competing nation set out in the
picturesque and upmarket Eteläesplanadi shopping street. Huge video
screens around the city centre show the preview videos of the 42
competing songs 24 hours a day. I had previously though it was only
during Edinburgh’s festivals that you could experience the dubious
pleasure of staggering through the streets in the early hours with a
bag of cheese and chips only to be confronted by a group of vampires
decked out in full Bela Lugosi garb. But no, Helsinki can now offer
that, thanks to the Swiss entry.

Rehearsals began last Thursday, with each country having two slots on
the impressive stage (which this year boasts the largest video
wrap-around screen in the world). As well as singing through their
songs, and practising their routines, they have the opportunity to
change the lighting, sound and staging.

Don’t forget the props. Gone are the days of standing in front of an
orchestra and belting out your chanson in the vague hope that the
citizens of Europe will take you to their hearts. Eurovision today is
far more about the performance, and the rule of thumb is that more is
definitely more. The greater the visual impact of the song, the
higher your points are going to be. Take last year’s winners, Lordi,
for example. Can you remember anything about their song? No. Everyone
will immediately remember, though, that they were horror film
monsters with fireworks coming out of their guitars. This year you
can look forward to a full in-flight trolley service courtesy of our
own Scooch, an Armenian oak tree complete with yellow ribbons (hasn’t
that one been done before?) and some magic mirrors from the Ken doll
look-alike from Belarus.

Costumes play a large part in the look of a song, so it seems only
fitting that the French entrants asked Jean-Paul Gaultier to design
them something fantastique to wear. He went for pink – shocking pink
– and even designed a cat for one of the band to wear around his
neck. "This is my little Fou Fou," enthused the beaming singer. Nice.

For many of the 2,500 journalists who report back on the festivities,
their trip to the contest is anticipated even more than Christmas.
Fans of the show make up the majority of those reporting. They know
the facts, they’ve heard each song hundreds of times, and they can
tell you with authority where the all-important douze points are
headed way before the voting begins.

As Verka continues her one-woman mission to take the contest back to
the Ukraine for the second time in four years, her disciples hang on
her every word. "You are very big boy. You Dutch?"

"No, I’m from Switzerland."

"Pah, no use. Goodbye!"

– The Eurovision Song Contest is on BBC1 from 8pm tomorrow.

SHUSHA’S OCCUPATION PROTESTED IN US

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 9 2007

Azerbaijani community in the US organized a series of demonstrations
on the 15th anniversary of the occupation of Azerbaijani town of
Shusha by Armenian forces, APA’s US bureau reports.

The Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) together with Turkish diasporas
organized a protest action outside the UN headquarters in New York. The
crowd of about 100 protesters was holding posters, photos demonstrating
the occupation of Susha-center of Karabakh by Armenian aggressors.

ASA president Tomris Azeri read the letter addressed to the UN
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The UN high official was called for
taking urgent actions about the implementation of the UN Resolutions
on immediate withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces from Azerbaijani
territories.

Azerbaijan Council of America together with consulate general in Los
Angeles, California organized an event on the invasion of Shusha.

Azerbaijani consul general Elin Suleymanov making an opening speech
stressed the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural center Shusha is
inadmissible. He said Armenians continue to destroy cultural-historical
monuments in other occupied territories of Azerbaijan aiming to wipe
out Azerbaijani signs.

The consul general called for the international community, civilized
world and authoritative bodies not to ignore this fateful issue.

The Azerbaijan Council of America executive director Javid Huseynov
presented photos on the history of Shusha. The photos reflected the
history of the ancient Azerbaijani town from the period of founder of
the town Panaheli khan till present day of the town reflected in the
newly-taken photos by Turkish Zaman newspaper. The participants were
introduced the facts on Armenians destroying Azerbaijani monuments.

Azerbaijani Embassy in US, Azerbaijani Society of Houston and Northern
Azerbaijan Cultural Center of California addressed to local communities
on the anniversary of Shusha’s occupation. They informed about the
Nagorno Karabakh problem.