Author: Chalian Meline

HURRICANE AFFLICTED GREAT HARM ON KARABAKH

KarabakhOpen
25-03-2008 14:10:49

As of Tuesday morning, part of Stepanakert and most communities are
in an outage. Transmission lines ripped off by the gusts on March 22
are being repaired by several teams in several shifts.

According to the deputy mayor of Stepanakert Georgy Hairyan, the
roofs of 62 blocks of apartments were fully destroyed, and the roofs
of 92 blocks were partly damaged. 7 of 12 schools of the capital were
damaged considerably.

The roofs of 40 houses were ripped off, 500 houses were damaged partly.

In Martakert, the roofs of 153 houses, a club and a school were
damaged. A shop was destroyed.

In Martuni, the roofs of 46 houses were ripped off, the roofs of 50
houses were damaged, a nursery school, warehouses, the medical station,
two clubs, two schools were damaged. The roofs of 2 schools were
ripped off. In the village of Nor Shen the gust pulled down a monument.

In Hadrut, 18 transmission towers were pulled down, the roofs of two
schools, 16 buildings and 5 houses were partly damaged, the roofs of 5
houses were ripped off. In the village of Azokh, 7 houses were ruined.

In Askeran the roofs of 91 houses, the buildings of the village
administration and the club were partly damaged, the roofs of 5
houses, a warehouse and two production facilities were ripped off. A
farm burned.

In Shushi 32 buildings were damaged, the roof of one house was
ripped off.

In the village of Karin Tak 40 buildings were damaged, including
22 houses.

In Kashatagh the roofs of 7 houses were damaged, one house was
destroyed.

Nor Shahumyan did not suffer from the hurricane.

Fortunately, no deaths were reported. Several dozens of people got
injuries.

State-run and private construction companies are involved in
reconstruction.

Specialists have been invited from Armenia, the Azat Artsakh reports.

FAU PRESENTS TWO LECTURES ON ARMENIA

Boca Raton News
au-presents-two-lectures-armenia.php
March 24 2008
USA

Florida Atlantic University will present two lectures about Armenia
by Richard G. Hovannisian, professor of Armenian and Near Eastern
History at the University of California, Los Angeles

The first lecture, entitled "The Armenian Genocide as a Prototype,"
will take place Wednesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. in the Senate Chambers
of the Student Union on FAU’s Boca Raton campus.

The second lecture, entitled "The Changing Landscape of Historic
Western Armenia," will take place Sunday, April 6 at 4 p.m. in the
Grand Palm Room of the Student Union Building.

Both lectures are free and open to the public.

Among his distinctions, Hovannisian was appointed the first holder of
the Armenian Educational Foundation Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian
History at UCLA. He is also a Guggenheim Fellow and has received
many honors for his scholarship, civic activities and advancement of
Armenian Studies.

The lectures are sponsored by Jim and Marta Batmasian, along with
Alan Berger, FAU’s Raddock Family Eminent Scholar Chair in Holocaust
Studies, and the Center for the Study of Values and Violence after
Auschwitz in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters.

Glendale News Press, CA
March 22 2008

Hundreds rally on Brand

Protest is held to honor 8 people slain in the Republic of Armenia
during a clash on March 1.

By Chris Wiebe

DOWNTOWN – Shortly after 7 p.m. on Friday, hundreds of people
gathered along a nine-block stretch of Brand Boulevard, holding
candles and enlarged photographs of smiling faces.

The candles served to commemorate eight people who were killed on
March 1 in the Republic of Armenia, when a clash between police and
protesters turned violent. The people in the photographs were among
the more than 800 political prisoners held by the country’s
government.

`Any one who stands up for their rights, they are arrested as a
political prisoner,’ said Arsen, a member of the Coalition for a
Democratic Armenia, who asked that his last name be withheld for
safety reasons.

The unrest in Armenia was sparked by allegations that a Feb. 19
election was rigged in favor of Prime Minister Serge Sarkissian.

Protesters had camped out in an area known as Freedom Square for more
than a week before tension boiled over.

Officials declared a state of emergency that was lifted on Friday and
Armenians took to the streets in a `Silent March’ in remembrance of
the victims. Assembling on Brand was a way for Armenians in Glendale
to show their support as well, Arsen said.

`What happens here is an extension of what happened in Armenia,’ he
said.

Organizers were expecting a few hundred demonstrators to line the
street on Friday. And by 7:30 p.m. it seemed to be at least that,
with many more expected. advertisement

`This is kind of in solidarity, to commemorate the victims of the
March 1 events and also to express support to the political prisoners
and also denounce the actions of the government,’ said Harry
Sarafian, co-chair of the Glendale-based Coalition for a Democratic
Armenia.

The state of emergency declared in Armenia kept mourners from holding
funerals and memorials because police would disperse any gathering
crowds, Sarafian said.

`This is the first day that people can show their support and
commemorate the deaths,’ he said.

Shortly after the deaths in Armenia, thousands of Armenian immigrants
took to the streets of Hollywood on March 2 to show solidarity with
those who have denounced the election and continue to demand a
reassessment of the voting process.

The coalition submitted a petition to the U.S. State Department
calling on United States officials to put pressure on Armenian
President Robert Kocharian to end political persecution of
demonstrators and annul the election results.

ARMENIA’S POLITICAL COALITION SETS DARING GOALS OF COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT

ARKA
March 21, 2008

YEREVAN, March 21. /ARKA/. Armenia’s political coalition sets itself
daring goals of developing the country.

"Taking as a basis the results of the February 19 presidential election
ands with a view to ensuring Armenia’s progress, forming an atmosphere
of social partnership and solidarity in Armenia’s society, the four
political forces represented in the National Assembly, supported
by Armenia’s President, are forming a political coalition," says a
statement put on the website of the RA Government.

According to the document, the coalition’s aim is to form efficient
authorities that would enjoy the confidence of the greater part of the
population, develop democratic reforms, improve mechanisms of human
rights protection and elaborate and implement a program of action
of the RA Government based on the comparison of the signatories’
election programs.

"The parties forming the political coalition re-affirm their resolution
to realize the coalition’s ideas, assume political responsibility for
the authorities’ activities for stable and long-term development of the
previous years’ achievements, essential improvement of our citizens’
living standards, implementation of daring and realistic reforms,
effective opposition to external and internal problems facing Armenia,"
says the statement.

Under the document, the parties forming the political coalition,
guided by the principles of mutual respect, mutual understanding,
tolerance, solidarity, readiness to settle disagreements by means
of negotiations and discussions, pledge to act in the spirit of the
agreement, implement a policy in cooperation with each other and
the President.

Agreement also points out that the sides will involve civil society
in the decision-making process, ensure publicity and transparency of
government bodies’ activities, apply effective mechanisms of state
officials’ reporting.

The coalition’s priorities are the completion of harmonization
of Armenia’s legislation with the reformed Constitution and with
European standards, institution of constitutional guarantees of
forming a full-fledged system of restraints and counterbalances
into the legislation and civil system, development of an effective
multiparty system based on democratic principles and ensuring political
competition.

The coalition also aims to strengthen the potential of the
parliamentary opposition, create favourable conditions for the
formation of civil society, freedom of speech, measures to enhance
the independence of mass media and ensure pluralism as well as public
confidence in election processes.

The parties forming the coalition also point out the necessity for
the application of mechanisms to ensure efficient activities of the
Security Council, enhance the efficiency of national potential through
further consolidation of Armenia’s ties with the Diaspora.

Among the goal of the agreement is to enhance the efficiency of
state government and public control over the system, form efficient
government system, apply mechanisms of battling shadow economy, ensure
fair distribution of incomes and encourage export-oriented production.

The parties that signed the agreement pledge to exert every effort
toward effective implementation of the coalition government’s program,
ensure the execution of the agreements within the coalition, not take
any steps having a potential threat to the realization of the goals
in the memorandum.

The agreement is to take effect from the moment of signing. It may
be cancelled in case of insurmountable obstacles or disagreements
between the parties on the basis of one of the parties’ statement.

AZERBAIJAN DISAVOWS RUSSIA, THE USA AND FRANCE WITHIN THE OSCE MINSK GROUP

Panorama.am
18:33 20/03/2008

The press-centre of the Ministry of Defense of the RA interviewed
the Head of the Institute for National Strategic Studies of the
MoD, Doctor of Political Sciences, Major-General Hayk S. Kotanjian
requesting to evaluate the situation evolving after the adoption of
the UN GA Resolution on the Karabakh Problem.

What are the objectives pursued in the statement by the Deputy
Minister of the Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan claiming that "the
status of Nagorno Karabakh is not a target of the OSCE Minsk Group
and a topic of discussion with Armenia"?

The Baku authorities undertook to address a task which is quite
obviously beyond their sole competence. By their actions the
Azerbaijani authorities are trying to persuade the international
community that the application of common principle of respect towards
the Armenians of Karabakh based on the human rights and freedoms
registered in the UN Charter as a universal norm is purely their
own internal business. They aim at disavowing the OSCE Minsk Group
and removing Russia, the US and France from the group in connection
with their systemic approaches to the application of the norms and
principles of International law on the Karabakh Problem resolution.

What is underlying suchlike position of Azerbaijan?

The essence is that the Baku politicians are trying to impose their
own opportunistic-local interpretation of the International law
concerning the settlement and resolution of the Karabakh Problem. And
they are doing it with presumption of "lawmakers and indisputable
interpreters" of international law not only domestically but also
before the international auditoria. The head of the neighboring
state, as well as the Foreign Affairs Ministry officials in their
statements on the Baku authorities’ commitments to the conflict
resolution underline the "strict conformity with the international
law", persistently paralleling this very conformity with only one
of the common norms of the International lawthe principle
of territorial integrity and ignoring the other norms applied when
dealing with the problems like that of Karabakh. In this context the
ignorance of the principle of peoples’ equality and their right to
self-determination is of strictly manipulative nature.

This unilateral approach by Baku to the norms of International law
cannot be of serious influence upon the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs’
expert position.

Let’s go back to the legal aspect of the problem. What are the
commitments of the states, by example of Azerbaijan, in compliance
with the norms and standards of the International law in the system
of the national law?

Azerbaijani official establishment announces that "the Karabakh
status problem can be resolved only on the basis of the internal
legislation of Azerbaijan" and the activities of the Minsk Group,
in consultations with the conflict sides on the status, are allegedly
an intrusion into the domestic affairs of Azerbaijan.

A symptomatic illustration appears to be the incompatibility of the
Republic of Azerbaijan’s Constitution with the essence of international
legal norm on the principle and right of peoples to master their fate
independently by means of free expression of popular will in conditions
of complete freedom, stipulated by the UN Charter and International
Covenants on Human Rights of 1966. As it is known, these documents
in the international relations system are treaties consolidating the
states’ commitment to adhere to and respect universally recognized
fundamental principles and norms of the International law, first and
foremost – human rights and freedoms.

It concerns those principles of the International law, which comprise
its most stable kernel and are a universal criterion to evaluate
legitimacy of states’ conduct.

Applying the legitimacy criteria accepted in the international
community, how would you evaluate the conformity of Azerbaijan’s
conduct with its international commitments concerning the Karabakh
settlement?

The norm of the Azerbaijan’s Constitution "on change of territory by
holding a referendum among all the Azerbaijani population" contradicts
the other norm of the same document, defined in the article "The
ultimate goal of the state". In accordance with the given definition
"human and citizen rights and freedoms, enumerated in the present
Constitution are employed in conformity with the international
treaties, which are supported by the Republic of Azerbaijan". In this
case the above mentioned international treaties should be touched upon.

Thus the assertions of the Azerbaijani authorities on their adherence
to the international law in the Karabakh conflict resolution
don’t correspond to reality. The conduct of Azerbaijan in terms of
consistent reflection of universally accepted principles and norms of
the International law in the Constitution, as well as in the Karabakh
conflict settlement practice, doesn’t correspond to the international
legitimacy criterion.

What is your take on the position of the Minsk Group which voted
against the UN Resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh proposed by Azerbaijan?

Judging from the official statements made by Russia, the USA and France
before and afterwards of the General Assembly, they voted against the
resolution, because the Azerbaijan’s project contradicted, firstly,
the common fundamental principles and norms of the International law,
as well as the criterion of the international legitimacy of their
application.

Secondly, the conduct of Azerbaijan does not coincide with the
balanced approach of the Minsk Group which endorses the solution of the
Karabakh conflict within the system of the International relations. 100
abstained members of the UN virtually demonstrated their understanding
of the balanced position of Russia, the USA and France.

Being obsessed with the independence of Kosovo and exploiting the
internal situation in Armenia, the authorities in Baku attempted to
entrap the international community into an act that would put under
doubt the legality of the future status of Nagorno Karabakh. But
that was a flop. And just yesterday the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
re-confirmed that ‘the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter
of negotiations between the parties’.

How would you explain the driving force of those 39 members of the UN,
which voted for the resolution?

The mentioned states, mainly representing the Organization of Islamic
Conference and the GUAM, backed the Azerbaijan’s initiative from the
position, which was more characteristic to the period of the Cold War,
i.e. on the principle of bloc solidarity.

Unfortunately, some of the countries that supported Azerbaijan’s
unilateral initiative are just the hotbed of international terrorism.

Due to the results of the voting, Azerbaijan threatens to review her
policy on Russia, the USA and France.

How to elaborate the disrespectful position of Azerbaijan to the
contribution of the Minsk Group in the process of the peaceful solution
and the ferociousness of Baku vis-a-vis Russia, France and the USA?

Azerbaijan perceives the designated to her role in the European Energy
policy as a "historical" mission of geo-economic and geo-strategic
importance to compete with Russia. Playing on the strategic interests
of the EU, the USA, Russia, Iran, Turkey and Central Asia, Baku is
trying to at most bid for highest stakes in this way to use this
resource for illegal forcing through its interests in the Karabakh
settlement. In pursuit of these purposes Azerbaijan will now allow
itself to blackmail Russia, the USA, France and the Minsk Group on
the whole. According to many international observers Azerbaijan is
losing the sense of reality.

MORE THAN 100 ARRESTED OVER ARMENIA PROTESTS

Agence France Presse — English
March 19, 2008 Wednesday 8:44 PM GMT

Armenian police have arrested 106 men for allegedly plotting to bring
about a coup during protests accusing the government of electoral
fraud, the state prosecutor’s office said Wednesday.

"They are all accused of organising and taking part in mass
demonstrations in violation of the law, (issuing) calls to disobey
legitimate demands by representatives of the authorities, actions
designed to bring about a coup and the illegal possession of arms,"
a statement said.

The source specified there were no women or minors among those
arrested.

A state of emergency in the capital Yerevan is due to end on Thursday,
having been imposed after deadly street battles between riot police
and opposition supporters who had rallied for 11 days against the
result of a presidential election officially won by Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian.

Seven civilians and one policeman were killed, with dozens more
injured.

THE HISTORICAL COMPLEX IS RE-ESTABLISHED

Azat Artsakh Daily
Published on March 18, 2008
NKR Republic

The process of rehabilitation works of monastical complex of Amaras
was discussed on March 17th at the conference held by NKR Prime
Minister Ara Harutyunian. By participation of the primate of Artsakh
diocese Pargev archbishop Martirosian, minister of culture and youth
N.Gasparian and members of other departments, an exchange of viewpoints
took place concerning rehabilitation project, quality, expediency of
the complex and other questions. It is foreseen to turn Amaras into
spiritual-cultural centre, to whom the state will allocate necessary
means. The Prime Minister demanded from the members of academic
council to strengthen the control over realizing works, that there
wouldn’t be digressions from the established project. Voluminous
works are expected in the sphere of NKR monuments’ restoration and
protection, so A.Harutyunian suggested to increase the status of
the acting academic council, which, by suggestion of the presents,
the Prime Minister will lead. It was decided to adjust the sphere’s
urgent problems by periodic discussions. The perspectives and process
of restoration of Shushi will be discussed at the next conference.

ARMENIA’S REPRESENTATIVES TAKE PART IN FIRST SESSION OF CSTO COORDINATION COUNCIL ON EMERGENCY SITUATIONS BEING HELD IN MOSCOW

arminfo
2008-03-18 11:31:00

ArmInfo. Representatives of Armenia take part in the first session
of CSTO Coordination Council on emergency situations being held in
Moscow. As the Rescue Service of Armenia told ArmInfo, deputy Director
of RSA, Major-General Aram Tananyan and Head of the Administration
for Protection of Population and Territories, Colonel Sergey Azaryan
take part in the session.

To note, the Council’s work is aimed at creation of an efficient
system of prevention and elimination of consequences of natural
and anthropogenic disasters. As CSTO Secretary General Nikolay
Bordyuzha said earlier, the series of the recent emergency situations
in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Russia confirm necessity of
activating the work in CSTO format on joint prevention and elimination
of consequences of emergency situations of natural and anthropogenic
nature.

PARLIAMENT VOTES TO CHANGE LAW ON RALLIES, PROCESSIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS

ARMENPRESS
March 18, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, ARMENPRESS; With a vote of 91 to 6 and 1 abstention
Armenian lawmakers pushed through late on Monday a set of changes
and amendments to the law on mass assemblies, processions and
demonstrations.

The draft bill was presented by Rafik Petrosian, a member of a
parliament committee on legal issues, who said the move was prompted
by the recent standoff between the opposition and the authorities
showing that the law has some loopholes and vague wordings.

"The events in Yerevan on March 1 demonstrated that the existing law
has a number of drawbacks which need to be addressed. This is prompted
by the lesson we learnt," he told the parliament.

One of the amendments allows the authorities to ban a rally "if they
receive trustworthy police or security service reports that such
an action may threaten national security, public order or violate
citizens’ constitutional rights".

According to Rafik Petrosian, this amendment is in line with relevant
international conventions and Armenia’s Constitution.

Under another change, the organizers will have to inform authorities
about their wish to hold a public rally 5 days prior to it, up from
current 3 days.

The bill was defended, apart from the governing Republican Party
and its junior partner -the Prosperous Armenia-also by the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and was voted against by the opposition
Zharangutyun (Heritage) party.

Shortly before midnight the emergency session of parliament voted
90-6 to pass the two readings of the law.

Commissioner Hammarberg calls on the Armenian government to lift
emergency measures, ensure media freedom and initiate an impartial
investigation into recent violent acts

Strasbourg 18.03.2008 – "The State of Emergency should be lifted in
Armenia and an independent, impartial and transparent inquiry initiated
to clarify what actually happened during the confrontations in Yerevan
between the police and opposition demonstrators on 1 March", said
Council of Europe Commissioner on Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg after a
three-day visit to Armenia.

He held discussions with the President, the Prime Minister and
President-elect, the Foreign Minister, the Minister of Justice, the
Prosecutor General and the Head of Police. He also met the President of
the National Assembly, representatives of political parties including
those in opposition and had a separate meeting with former President and
presidential candidate Ter-Petrosian.

Commissioner Hammarberg visited places of detention and interviewed
persons recently arrested. Furthermore, he visited hospitals and met
policemen and civilians who had been injured during the violence on 1
March. He also met with the National Human Rights Defender (ombudsman),
defence lawyers, representatives of the media, non-governmental
organisations as well as foreign diplomats and representatives of
international and regional organizations in Yerevan.

"The censorship which was introduced with the state of emergency has
contributed to rumours and anxiety among the population about what was
happening, at a time when measures to rebuild trust should have been
promoted. The fact that some pro-government media tended to demonise the
opposition while opposition papers were out of circulation did not
contribute to a constructive atmosphere", said Thomas Hammarberg. He
suggested that all limitations on the media and freedom of expression
now be lifted.

"Seven civilians and one policeman were killed and many others were
injured. There is a need to clarify what actually happened and what
provoked the outbreak of violence. The two sides describe the events
very differently and it is important, also in a human rights
perspective, to establish the basic facts. This can only be done through
a comprehensive inquiry which is independent, impartial and transparent
and perceived as credible by the whole population."

"Such an investigation should also aim at drawing lessons and giving
recommendations on how similar situations should be handled in future.
For instance, it seems clear that the Armenian police needs more
training in acceptable riot control measures, serious mistakes were
made."

"The establishment of an inquiry of this kind will not be easy in the
present polarised climate in Armenia. The international community has
expressed its willingness to offer participation or other assistance to
such a comprehensive investigation into the 1 March events in order to
contribute experience, professionalism and credibility".

"Demonstrators who committed violent acts should be held accountable, as
should policemen who used excessive force. However, the arrests and
prosecutions should not target people for having merely been present at
the demonstrations or expressed anti-government opinions. The
Commissioner also calls for the release of all apprehended children
under 18 years in this connection.

It appears that some articles of the Criminal Code are interpreted
broadly by the prosecutors, banning in practice all strong criticism and
agitation against the government. This is not consistent with the
European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms."

Commissioner Hammarberg also stressed the importance of preventing any
improper treatment of those arrested. There were cases after 1 March
when the detainees had difficulties to contact family members and to
have access to a lawyer. Also, the registration of their arrest was not
done in accordance with national rules in some instances.

The Commissioner was also told about cases of ill-treatment during
arrests and in a few cases during transport to the police station. He
welcomes the decision of the Prosecutor General to investigate ex
officio all acts of violence committed by police forces against
demonstrators and passing civilians on 1 March. The Commissioner
underlines the absolute importance of ensuring respect for agreed
safeguards against torture and ill-treatment as well as the procedural
rights of the accused.

The Commissioner welcomed the statement by the President that the
current human rights restrictions would be gradually reviewed and
lifted. He stressed the importance of now bringing the state of
emergency to an end.

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