Author: Chalian Meline

ACTION AGAINST CONCESSIONS IN KARABAKH ISSUE HELD IN FRONT OF ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

Today.Az
cs/49152.html
Nov 21 2008
Azerbaijan

The protest against the territorial concessions was held in front of
the Armenian Foreign Ministry in Yerevan on November 21.

The action participants sent a petition to Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandyan with a demand not to cede a single piece of land.

"Possible ceding of any of the liberated lands is a crime against
the Armenian statehood and an inadmissible aggression against the
life of Armenian soldiers", says the petition.

Armenian police officers were deployed near the Foreign Ministry.

No incidents were recorded and after long talks between the organizers
of the action and police the event ended peacefully.

The organizer of the event was Miatsum initiative.

Film director Tigran Khzmalyan, head of the organization "Protection
of liberated lands" Jirayr Sefilyan, participan of the initiative
Alexander Kakanyan and others got involved into the meeting,.

The participants had stands with slogans "Artsakh-Armenia-unification",
"Tho se who cede land are betrayers" and so on.

According to deputy of the Heritage parliamentary faction Heritage
Zarui Postandjan told reporters that the action ended under police
pressure, which stated that the event is not sanctioned.

The deputy noted that the protest also involved representatives
of Armenian ombudsman, who fixed the fact of creating obstacles in
holding the action.

Postandjan promised that she will raise the issue in the Armenian
parliament about the lawfulness of such actions of the police,
especially because the action participants raised such an important
issue for the Armenian statehood.

IT IS NO COINCIDENCE THAT SONY ERICSSON’S OFFICIAL DEALER IN ARMENIA DECIDED TO ‘AMAZE’ THE MARKET WITH NEW SERVICE

ArmInfo
2008-11-19 17:37:00

ArmInfo. Sony Ericsson’s official dealer in Armenia decided to "amaze"
the market with new "unprecedented" service. The company store of
cellular telephones offered the population extremely unprofitable
conditions of service by banking cards. If a mobile telephone and
accessories are bought by cards of the Armenian Card national payment
system, the seller adds 2% of the goods value to the price, and 3%
in case of purchase by cards of Visa and Master Card international
systems. The store didn’t specify what marketing solutions made Sony
Ericsson representatives choose work principles running counter to
international standards, however, the store said that the issue of
levying the commission fee in case of cashless settlement by cards
was discussed with INECOBANK which secures transactions through its
own POS-terminal.

Meanwhile, David Makaryan, the head of INECOBANK plastic cards
department, denied pointblank any agreements with Sony Ericsson on
levying commission fees, and this contradicts both the regulations
of the bank’s work and basic principles of securing payment
operations. According to him, levied commission fees are the initiative
of the store itself, and unfortunately, it is impossible to see whether
the merchant partner observes the terms of the contract with the bank.

However, in a conversation with ArmInfo correspondent, the financial
director of a large merchant network which has been operating in the
Armenian market for over 3 years and has acquired no POS-terminals
yet, complained of extremely unprofitable terms of acquiring. The
director, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that banks want to
levy high commission fees from transactions – up to 3% of the deal,
in extremis – up to 2.75%.

Moreover, he thinks that banks have a quite jealous attitude
to possible installation of one more POS- terminal of a
bank-competitor. The banks demand exclusive rights for themselves
even despite the fact that in the overwhelming majority of cases
terminals are capable to serve the cards of only one international
payment system in addition to the national one. "As a famous brand,
eventually we’ll have to launch POS- terminals in our network,
however, the terms we are offered may affect our price policy", –
the interlocutor said explaining the reason of Sony Ericsson dealers’
behavior in the quite competitive market.

To note, the Armenian government has prepared a new draft law on
acquiring development. The legislative decision implies compulsory
installation of POS-terminals for merchant enterprises occupying a
trade area from 100 sq.m.

since 2009; from 50 sq.m. since 2010, from 15 sq.m. since
2011. According to experts, the law provisions may seriously change
the volume of installed terminal equipment and abruptly increase the
cashless payments in economy.

Experts think this decision may cause a slight growth in prices of
certain kinds of goods.

AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY MUST NOT BE DAMAGED – AZERI OFFICIAL

Interfax
Nov 18 2008
Russia

BAKU. Nov 17 (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – Azerbaijan is ready to grant
"a broad status" to Nagorno Karabakh within Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity, said Novruz Mamedov, the head of the presidential staff’s
foreign relations department on Monday.

"Baku has always been ready to grant any status to Nagorno Karabakh
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. We could
grant Nagorno Karabakh the broadest possible status only in the
framework of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan," Mamedov said.

Azerbaijan’s position is based on the current world practice, he
also said.

"The country’s territorial integrity must not be violated. This is
not being discussed so far. Concerning national self- determination,
Armenians did decide on this once already. The world will never
accept the emergence of Armenian states whenever Armenians live. No
one will accept this. Azerbaijan will never recognize this, either,"
Mamedov said.

CEMETERIES PROFANED

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
18 Nov 08
Armenia

There was an attempt to profane cemeteries in Tbilisy.

On November 16, at 01.00 p.m. some tried to profane two famous
cemeteries of Mikhael Ivanovich and Lydia Petrovna, belonging to
Tamamshevs, located in the territory of Surb Norashen church.

RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR OF OSCE MINSK GROUP: IT IS HARD TO EXPECT INTERPRETATION OF MOSCOW DECLARATION IN ARMENIA TO COMPLETELY COINCIDE WITH THAT IN AZERBAIJAN

ArmInfo
2008-11-17 15:45:00

ArmInfo. "It is hard to expect interpretation of the Moscow Declaration
in Azerbaijan to completely coincide with that in Armenia, Russian
Co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov said during a
press-conference, Monday.

"It is also hard to imagine complete unanimity on this issue in both
countries", – he said.

He also added it is difficult for him to comment on the statements made
in Azerbaijan. "We are judging by what we heard from President Aliyev
when meeting him three days ago. His assessments were quite positive.

Particularly, he said signing of the Declaration is the direct evidence
of the fact that each party sees positive things in this document,
and this is quite natural", Merzlyakov said.

"The document says nothing about certain possible settlement. It
only says that settlement must be political, peaceful, which is not
insignificant by itself, and that the talks must be continued on the
basis of International Law principles and standards. In addition,
the document says that the settlement will be based on the proposals
handed over to the parties to the conflict by the co-chairmen in Madrid
last year (the so-called Madrid principles), and finally, the document
contains instruction to both countries’ foreign ministers to activate
their efforts to complete the coordination on the basic settlement
principles on the above-mentioned basis through the mediation of the
MG co-chairmen", Merzlyakov said in conclusion.

EXPECTATIONS HIGH FROM DA PLATFORM FOR RECONCILIATION

Today’s Zaman
Nov 17 2008
Turkey

An Azerbaijani deputy has expressed hope that the Dialogue Eurasia
(DA) Platform may manage to smooth out relations between Azerbaijan
and Armenia, which have been at odds for many years over the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"The DA Platform has significant influence on Caucasian nations. I
believe this influence may be used to give an end to the 15-year-old
grief in the region," stated Professor Nizami Caferov, adding that
the platform may help find a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
issue over which Azerbaijan and Armenia have been at odds for
years. Nagorno-Karabakh’s mostly ethnic Armenian population broke
away from Azerbaijan in a war in the early 1990s as the Soviet Union
collapsed. It now runs its own affairs, with support from Armenia.

"As an Azerbaijani who is closely interested in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, I wish Armenian intellectuals had participated in today’s
conference. I wish they had expressed their opinions to contribute to
the peace process [between Azerbaijan and Armenia]. It is possible
to search for solutions to such issues as Nagorno-Karabakh in such
platforms," Caferov said. His remarks came during a conference titled
"Tolerance and Discrimination in Education," held last Friday in the
southern city of Antalya by the DA Platform.

"Conflicts do not provide benefits to any nation. Humanity wants
peace. Turkish President Abdullah Gul recently held talks with Armenian
officials. This was a step taken for regional peace," Caferov went
on to say. He also stated that the Azerbaijanis were ready for the
solution of problems with Armenia and added: "The Azerbaijani and
Armenian heads of state had a meeting in Moscow. This is a very
serious development."

Journalists and Writers Association (GYV) President Harun Tokak
stressed he hopes the DA Platform creates an atmosphere of peace
among the nations. "We find work by the DA Platform in the field of
tolerance and dialogue to be sincere. I hope this platform will take
concrete steps in these fields. I believe it will become Eurasia’s
conscience," he stated.

TURKEY CANNOT BE A MEDIATOR
SHOUSHAN MATEVOSYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
15 Nov 08
Armenia

`Turkey may offer its assistance, but it cannot be a mediator. And the
only form of assistance, in my understanding, is to influence
Azerbaijan,’ AGHVAN VARDANYAN, member of the ARFD Bureau announced
yesterday in a press conference, speaking about Turkey’s possible role
in the settlement of the NKR conflict.

Assessing the policy conducted by Turkey over the recent months, the
speaker considered it very flexible not only on the regional but also
on the global level. `Turkey is trying to raise its role, and uses all
kinds of tools to protect its interests both in the region and in the
world.’ The examples are quite obvious. `Following the war in South
Ossetia, Ankara immediately made a proposal on initiating peace and
stability processes in the Caucasus. Now, after the presidential
elections in the United States, Turkey offers its role as a mediator in
establishing new kinds of relations between Tehran and Washington.’

Viewing the foreign policy conducted by Armenia over the recent months,
A. Vardanyan considers it interesting and at the same time full of
controversial interpretations. `Some people welcome it, others are
critical, while another group of people expresses concerns. But we will
have a more comprehensive picture of the situation if we combine and
analyze all the events and statements.’

As regards the options of settling the Karabakh conflict, Aghvan
Vardanyan finds that a solution `will be found as a result of long and
goal-oriented activities. There mustn’t be hasty decisions.’

A. Vardanyan is convinced that there are many issues arousing concern.
He believes that Armenia currently adheres to the policy that has
existed for several years continuously and is sure that the political
forces, leadership and people of Armenia will share similar opinions
with regard to the most serious matters concerning the country’s
security. The activist of Dashnaktsutyun does not see any hazard in
this respect.

Touching upon the Moscow Declaration, the member of the ARFD Bureau
noted that `the signature of the Declaration gave us an extra
opportunity to discuss the issue of the Karabakh conflict and underline
Russia’s role in its settlement.’

Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
Nov 16 2008

Better Assessment System¨for Students Required

by Dhanusha Gokulan
16 November 2008

DUBAI – The UAE educational system has been shifting away from the
traditional ways of assessment which involves students memorising
study material.

On these grounds a promise was made for providing world class higher
education and a more comprehensive assessment technique in the UAE by
Dr Tayeb A. Kamali, Vice- Chancellor of the Higher College of
Technology.

Dr Kamali made this commitment at the introductory speech of the 12th
Annual Current Trends in English Language Testing (CTELT) Conference,
at the Dubai Men’s.The highlight for this year’s CTELT is the
presentation of the the topic `Developing Assessment Literacy’.

Dr Kamali said: `The progress of students must be measured accurately
and consistently and it is important to improve the effectiveness of
teaching and learning practices in the region.’

He added that the Higher College of Technology emphasised on a
continuous learning process and there was a need to modernise methods
of assessment which is often coined as complicated by teachers and
educators.

Plenary speakers of the symposium included Natalie Kuhlman, San Diego
State University, California, US, Ali Shehadeh, United Arab Emirates
University, Al Ain, UAE, Annie Brown, National Admissions and
Placement Office, Abu Dhabi, UAE and Hossein Farhady, American
University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia.

On speaking to the teachers who were participating in the symposium,
Khaleej Times found that most educators were content with the current
assessment technique in educational institutes but teachers voiced
their concern on how many Emirati students were required to perform
better at competitive examinations like the TOEFL and IELTS.

Jeff Verbeem, a teacher at the College of North Atlantic, Qatar said
that proper training has to be provided to Emirati students right from
the kindergarten level.

`The students here need to be exposed to English language training
right from a very young age. As compared to other GCC countries, the
training given to students for competitive exams are commendable but
there is always room for improvement.’

Kiya Murman, a teacher at the Emirates College, Abu Dhabi agreed
saying that the Emirati students can do better if they are provided
with the correct cultural exposure right from a very young age.

Saad Hafez, the English Language Supervisor at the Ministry of
Education, Ras Al Khaimah said: `The ministry has been doing its part
to improve the status of language studies in the country like
introducing the CEPA (Common Educational Proficiency Assessment) for
better performance but more time and effort were required to provide
quality assessment to students.’

THE PRESIDENTS CAN MEET BY THE END OF THE YEAR

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
14 Nov 08
Armenia

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairman Bernard Facieses said it is not excluded
that by the end of the year the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
will meet again.

The diplomat added that it is up to the two presidents to come to
the decision; as for the mediators they are always ready to organize
the meeting.

Bernard Facieses considered the declaration signed in Moscow on
November 2, an important action towards the settlement of the conflict:
"The document runs that the conflict must be settled in compliance
with the international norms, which means it will be based on Helsinki
final act, which covers the principles of the rights to territorial
integrity and self-determination," the diplomat said and added that
the peaceful settlement of the conflict derives from the interests
of the whole region.

Facieses assessed Turkey’s activeness in the settlement process and
the relations with Armenia, as a "new stage in the life of the region".

Meanwhile he underscored that there is one format in the negotiations
on the settlement of Karabakh conflict, which is OSCE Minsk
Group. "Turkey is Minsk Group member country, and in that framework
they do their best to assist the settlement process. But in our view
there is one format in the negotiation process, as the Presidents
underscored in 0AMoscow, and that format is Minsk Group with the
Co-Chairmen," Bernard Facieses believes.

6 HURT BY BOMB AT STUDENT PARTY

Gulf Times
Nov 13 2008
Qatar

MONTPELLIER: At least six students from Eastern Europe were injured
yesterday in southern France when they set off a homemade bomb at a
drunken party in a campus accommodation block, officials said.

Two of the party-goers were seriously injured in the blast, which
appears to have resulted from an experiment during a 20th birthday
party rather than from any terrorist intent, according to the
Montpellier prosecutor’s office.

Police said five young men – two Russians, a Moldovan, a Ukrainian
and an Armenian – and a Ukrainian woman were in the flat when the
device exploded at 4.20am. Another 100 people were evacuated from
the building.

"From the first results of the enquiry it doesn’t seem that we’re
dealing with terrorists but perhaps with some young people with
some background in chemistry, who wanted to test a homemade bomb,"
prosecutor Brice Robin said.

Nevertheless, he added, if clues ended up pointing to criminal intent,
his office would hand over the case to the anti-terrorist squad. One
of the Russians was from Chechnya, a republic with a history of
guerrilla violence.

According to emergency personnel, alcohol had been consumed at
the party.

The student who was renting the flat suffered third degree burns on
50% of his body and is in intensive care. A second student suffered
a perforated lung. Four more guests received treatment.

It is thought that a seventh witness was present and lightly hurt,
but fled the scene, police said.

Police found potassium nitrate, aluminium powder, caustic soda,
nitric acid and sulphuric acid in the flat, all of which are legally
on sale in France but which when mixed correctly can form an explosive.

The tenant of the third-storey flat was a Montpellier University
electrical engineering student who had previously followed a chemistry
course and is thought to have been the one who triggered the device,
Robin said.

The blast enveloped two rooms in flames and blew out all the windows
of the flat and those on the floors above and below.