Author: Chatinian Lara

200 ARMENIAN CITIZENS ON LIST OF ARMENIAN EMBASSY IN BEIRUT
Yerevan, July 19. ArmInfo. As of now the Armenian Embassy in Beirut
has registered 200 Armenian citizens and Armenians wishing to leave
Lebanon, says the acting spokesman of the Armenian FM Vladimir
Karapetyan.
He says that this is not the final list. 160 people have already come
to Yerevan. A Syrian Airlines plane is arriving in Yerevan today. It
may also have Armenian citizens onboard. The Armenian FM is also
planning to arrange 1-2 flights to Aleppo.
The “hot line” service of the Armenia FM (58-60-17) has told ArmInfo
that lots of people have already phoned them to inquire about their
relatives.

AZERBAIJAN, UZBEKISTAN AMONG OTHERS SHORTLISTED FOR GOLD IMPORT
Financial Express, India
July 18, 2006 Tuesday
With India being the world’s largest gold consumer, the government is
on the look out for larger supply of the yellow metal. The commerce
ministry has shortlisted some former Soviet Union countries –
Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Armenia – besides Venezuela in
South America for the import. “After oil, gold is the second largest
item on our import bill.
So we need to urgently find long-term sources to meet our demand,”
minister of state for commerce, Jairam Ramesh told FE. Azerbaijan
contains gold deposits of about 1,000 tonne, which include reserves
in regions in conflict with neighbouring countries. MMTC and NDMC
have asked Azerbaijan for the geological data on gold deposits there.
Meanwhile, Uzbekistan has expressed interest in a joint venture
participation with India in gold mining. During the joint working
group meet with Uzbekistan this March,India had also evinced keen
interest in cooperation in exploration of gold, sources said.India
has asked Uzbekistan to nominate their agency to ink an MoU with
MMTC and MNDC. The government is also waiting for the Uzbek report
on techno-economic details to start the mining project, sources said.
The government will also be opening a dialogue with Kazakhstan, which
has approximately 800 mt of gold reserves. Kazakhstan has small gold
fields containing 25 tonne, and medium fields of 25 to 100 tonne, where
about 70 % of its gold is mined. India is making efforts to obtain a
geological data from Kazakhstan in this regard. Gold would figure in
the agenda during the Indo-Armenia joint trade committee meet this
October. The government is keen on striking deals with Venezuela,
which has gold reserves estimated to be over 8,000 tonne. Of this
5,000 tonne are at the surface level and is suitable for open cut
mining. The chairman of MMTC and a government representative had called
on Venezuelan foreign minister during his recent visit to India to
discuss possible cooperation in the gold sector. Following this, MMTC
forwarded a proposal to Venezuela for joint venture in the gold sector.

Council of Europe Committee of Ministers discusses AGO Group’s report on South Caucasus
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 14 2006
[ 14 Jul. 2006 18:42 ]
The Council of Europe Committee of Ministers discussed the report
drawn up by the AGO Monitoring Group on the latest visit in the South
Caucasus states. APA’s Europe bureau reports quoting the Committee
of Ministers Secretariat that the report was presented by the former
head of the Group, German ambassador Ronald Wegener.
The report is composed of documents collected during the visit in the
region. It analyzed the situation on Azerbaijan’s and Armenia’s meeting
commitments assumed while joining the Council of Europe. The report
reads that there are some problems in meeting some of the commitments,
and Azerbaijan has problems in legislation and improvement of election
practices stressing the importance of amending the Electoral Code.
It also mentioned problems on reforming judicial system, freedom of
expression and pursuit of political figures. According to the report,
the AGO Group will also follow the implementation of the laws alongside
their adoption in Azerbaijan.
The report also touched on the Nagorno-Garabagh conflict. According to
the document, commitments undertaken by both sides for the settlement
of the conflict remain to be essential. The AGO Group also noted its
mission regarding settlement of the conflict is to encourage both
parties to the conflict to continue the negotiating process./APA/

The critical BTC pipeline
TODAY’S COLUMNIST
By S. Rob Sobhani
July 14, 2006
Washington Times, DC
July 14 2006
Yesterday, at the southern Turkish Port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean
Sea, the 1,087-mile Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) crude-oil pipeline will
be inaugurated at an official ceremony with the presidents of Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan in attendance. This historic event marks
the culmination of a major U.S. foreign policy effort to connect
the Mediterranean with the heretofore landlocked but energy-rich
Caspian Sea.
Since the discovery of sizable hydrocarbon reserves in the Caspian
Sea, a fundamental premise of U.S. energy policy has been the
uninterrupted transportation of the Caspian’s 80 billion barrels
of oil to international markets, thereby diversifying world energy
supplies and easing Western reliance on Middle East crude supplies.
The new pipeline is the linchpin of this policy because it carries
crude oil directly from the offshore oil fields of Azerbaijan to the
Mediterranean via Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
This world-class marvel of the 21st century runs entirely underground
in order to preserve the environment. Operated by BP, it has the
capacity to deliver more than 1 million barrels per day of crude oil
to the port of Ceyhan, where the oil can be offloaded to tankers with
destinations worldwide.
Support from both the private (BP) and public (World Bank) sectors
for the BTC pipeline has helped bring prosperity to the region. More
than 500 villages along the pipeline route have received improvements
in their medical, water and educational facilities.
Interestingly, of the 15,739 micro-loans issued by the World Bank
in Azerbaijan, 49 percent were to women. The gross domestic product
of Azerbaijan alone is expected to grow by 20 percent per annum,
transforming this nation into the Kuwait of the Caspian Sea.
Sadly, the man most responsible for making the BTC pipeline a reality
died before it was completed. Former Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev
used his formidable leadership capability, determination and courage
to bring the pipeline into existence. The obstacles Mr. Aliyev faced
were tremendous. When the U.S. government determined that it did not
want a pipeline from the Caspian Sea to run through the territory
of Iran, then-President Aliyev showed enormous courage and stood up
to the clerical regime in Tehran, despite the latter’s vociferous
objections. Azerbaijan’s neighbor to the north also objected to the
U.S. policy of multiple pipelines, but Mr. Aliyev did not buckle
under Moscow’s pressure. He forged ahead because he realized that
U.S.-Azerbaijan interests were mutually reinforcing, and nowhere did
they overlap more than in the uninterrupted exploration, development
and transportation of Caspian Sea oil and natural gas to international
markets.
Upon Mr. Aliyev’s death in December 2003, the responsibility for
ensuring the completion of BTC was inherited by his son, Ilham
Aliyev, who was elected president after his father’s death. The young
president, who recently visited President Bush at the White House to
discuss global energy security, has continued his father’s legacy
and can be credited for turning this South Carolina-sized country
of 8 million into the transport hub of the Caspian Sea region,
thus elevating Azerbaijan’s strategic importance to the West. Just
last month, oil-rich Kazakhstan signed a long-term agreement to
transport 140 million barrels per annum through the BTC pipeline,
thereby enabling it to deliver crude oil to Western markets without
Russian involvement.
Credit for today’s historic event must also be given to those many
individuals within the U.S. government who fought day and night
for years to see this pipeline become a reality. Furthermore, the
personal commitment to the pipeline by Sir John Browne, chairman of
BP, was also instrumental in giving confidence to the international
financial community to finance the $3.4 billion project.
BTC must be seen as a project of geo-strategic significance: linking
three allies of the United States along an East-West energy corridor,
loosening Russia’s long-standing grip over oil exports from the
Caspian and denying the Islamic regime of Iran transit revenues.
In order to ensure the viability of this strategic asset, which is
of enormous importance to Western energy security, Washington might
consider the following initiative: First, the resolution of the
Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict over the territory of Nagorno-Karabagh
should be a priority of American diplomacy because resumption of
this conflict could negatively affect the flow of oil to the United
States. And second, Congress must immediately allocate funding to
bolster U.S.-Azerbaijan military ties.
Over the last decade, the strategic partnership between the United
States and Azerbaijan has helped both countries significantly.
Today, with the flow of oil through the BTC pipeline, this important
relationship has also enhanced global energy security.
S. Rob Sobhani, Ph.D., is president of Caspian Energy Security.

OSCE proposals basis for future talks – Armenian foreign minister
Arminfo
14 Jul 06
Yerevan, 14 July: The disclosure of the main principles by the
co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group was no surprise for the Armenian
side, Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan said during a news conference at the Mirror
Discussion Club today.
“Of course, we had information that the co-chairmen were discussing the
issue of disclosing the contents of the meeting in Vienna, however, no
information was given to us until recently,” the foreign minister said,
recalling that the interview of the US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group, Matthew Bryza, followed the statement made by the co-chairmen.
“I consider that all this is good for us to start healthy discussions
in our society,” the minister pointed out. As for different and
frequent critical opinions about these principals, the minister said
that he treats them calmly. The minister said that he considered
as natural the existence of different opinions and people and forces
that are against the “principles”.
However, he noted that at the moment, he does not intend to persuade
anyone, especially the people, about the need to accept provisions
of the document. “In fact, the Azerbaijani side has not accepted
them yet. If this document was a completely ideal for us, I would
start persuading people regardless of whether Azerbaijan has accepted
it or not. But this is a document of compromises on which we have
already expressed our position. We consider that these principles
are comprehensive, well-thought out and have a correct combination
of mutual compromises. They can serve as a basis for us in future
negotiations. But the document is not perfect. So why should we
persuade our people? This is not that stage. We will enter that stage
when there is an agreement between two or three sides,” the Armenian
foreign minister said.
[Passage omitted: Oskanyan commented the visit to the region by the
US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza]

Lost in a warzone
Daily Telegraph, Australia
July 15 2006
By Lillian Saleh
UP to 25,000 Australians are stranded in Lebanon as Israeli jets strafe
the streets in a nation virtually cut off from the outside world.
With the Australian Embassy in Beirut shut, they are being forced to
fend for themselves.
The battle between Israel and terror group Hezbollah has turned a
traditional annual pilgrimage for thousands of Australian-Lebanese
into a living nightmare.
Among those trapped were 70 teenagers from the Armenian Sydney Dance
Company and their 10 chaperones.
The troupe was only stopping in Lebanon for two days after returning
from a dance competition in Armenia.
As bombs rained down on the Lebanese capital, the dancers — average
age 17 — have been told to stay in their rooms at the White Tower
Hotel.
Half a world away, frantic parents are desperately trying to reach
their children to ascertain their well-being.
Dance company president Reg Kolokossin’s two sons, Peter, 16, and
Garbis, 18, are among those trapped in their besieged Beirut hotel.
“Some parents here are comforted by the fact their children are
telling them they are okay, but we are worried about the long term
affects and how long they are going to be stuck there,” Mr Kolokossin,
whose three nieces are also stranded, said.
“None of us here have been getting any sleep. We are overcome
with worry.
“We are hearing the American President talking about bringing in
ships and helicopters to get their citizens out.
“We want to hear what our Government is going to do and how quickly
they’re going to do it to bring our children home.”
Australian Muslim Doctors Against Violence president Dr Jamal Rifi
fears for the safety of his sister Rajja Rifi, her husband Azam
Allouche and their three sons Hilal, 12, Adam, 15 and Ahmed, 17.
“My sister hasn’t been back to Lebanon since she moved here 20
years ago — she has spent the past six years planning this trip,”
Dr Rifi told The Saturday Daily Telegraph.
He spent several hours yesterday trying to contact his sister via
telephone.
“We just can’t get through. The other night we tried for four hours
but the lines are constantly congested,” he said.
Dr Rifi said his sister and her family were seeking refuge in northern
Lebanon while plans were being arranged to get them out via Syria
or Jordan.
“The problem with that is that the Australian Embassy is closed and
they cannot get visas,” he said.
He said, with major highways in the country closed, any plans to
escape via the road network would be fraught with danger.
In Sydney, Arabic-speaking Australians with relatives stranded in
Lebanon are inundating Arabic commercial radio station 2ME with their
fears for loved ones.
Station general manager John Martin told The Saturday Daily Telegraph
the network’s 16 phone lines had been in “meltdown” since the crisis
in Lebanon escalated.
He said listeners were desperate to know why the decision was made
to close the Australian Embassy — effectively stranding thousands
of Australians enjoying the northern summer.
He said callers had put aside religious differences to express their
fears for their motherland and relatives caught up in the bloody
violence.
“We have 16 phone lines and every one of them has been in complete
meltdown all day,” Mr Martin said.
“People are validly worried for their relatives.”
For announcer Anis Ghanem, that fear is close to home, with his wife
Jacqueline stranded in eastern Beirut.
“She went over late last month to visit her sick mother and was due
back in two weeks,” a worried Mr Ghanem said.
“I have been trying to get through to her for the past two days
but because others are also trying to check on relatives, the lines
are congested.”

GUNSHOTS BECOME REGULAR IN YEREVAN
Panorama.am
22:57 14/07/06
It seems that you will not surprise anyone with outrageous criminal
acts committed in broad daylight in Yerevan. The impression is that the
law enforcement bodies have gone on vacation to plant trees, fish or
get acquainted with the menu of some newly opened restaurant while the
criminals have got card blanche. So, they open fire here and there.
Another gunshot is reported at Malatia Sebastia community on July 13
at about 7.20 p.m. General prosecutor’s sources say “unknown people
have opened gunfire with an intention to kill on Armen Novikov who
was driving Vaz -21101 type care with US 461 state numbers. Novikov
was kidnapped after serious wounds.
He was taken to Armenia medical center by unknown people later that
day at about 8.30 p.m. where he underwent operation. A criminal case
is instituted into the incident. Witnesses say the criminals introduced
themselves as national security service and asked not to interfere.
The investigation services have discovered the identity of one of the
criminals being Yerevan resident L. Ghazaryan. He is now under search.
So, arm yourself with patience! The most important thing – do not
go out of your houses, do not go to shops, do not stand at the bus
stops, even do not look out of windows. Is there any guarantee that
you will not fall victim of a “blind shot” opened in gunfire between
two criminal groups? No guarantee!/Panorama.am/

DAVIT HARUTUNYAN SAYS HIS STATEMENTS MAY CHANGE
Panorama.am
18:02 13/07/06
Justice minister Davit Harutunyan told a briefing that his statement
on possible promotion of his candidacy during presidential elections
may change. “I do not exclude anything. Everything will depend on
specific circumstances,” he said.
The justice minister also said that he will determine which political
force to join only after they make their practical steps to reach their
objectives more clear. “Most probably that will take place during
hot political campaign by the end of this year or early next year,”
he said. According to the minister, the priorities of the political
parties are not well defined by now.
He also said, however, he is actively involved in politics and has
proposed a number of amendments to laws./Panorama.am/

RA MILITARY PROSECUTOR PAYS A COGNITIVE VISIT TO NKR
STEPANAKERT, JULY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. On July 12, Arkadi Ghukasian,
President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic received Armen Khachatrian,
RA Military Prosecutor who was on a cognitive visit to NKR.
During the meeting the interlocuters discussed a number of issues
concerning the cooperation between the two Republics in the sphere
of struggle against the crimes committed among the conscripts and
by the conscripts. NKR Defence Minister Lieutenant-general Seyran
Ohanian also took part in the meeting.

NA to start working on the draft of the “Amendments to the Electoral Code”
ArmRadio.am
14.07.2006 11:26
The task force comprised of representatives of National Assembly groups
and factions will start working on the draft of the “Ammendments to
the Electoral Code.”
The arrangement on starting the work waas reached three days ago,
after the consultations at NA Chairman’s.