Author: Chatinian Lara

"HERITAGE" PARTY ALLPIES TO COURT WITH REQUEST TO INVALIDATE DECREE ON DECLARATION OF STATE OF EMERGENCY

Noyan Tapan
March 14, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Zharangutyun" ("Heritage") party
on March 14 applied to the RA Administrative Court with the request
to recognize as invalid the RA presidential decree on declaration of
a state of emergency of March 1, 2008.

According to a press release of the party, "Heritage" finds that
among other restrictions, the suspension of activities of democratic
institutions, in particular, the narrowing of the subject limits of
the mass media contradicts the requirements of the Armenian legislation
and the European Convention on Human Rights. "As a result of all this,
the work of the independent and opposition newspapers and websites
has been frozen, which represents a gross violation of citizens’
rights to receive impartial and comprehensive information," is stated
in the lawsuit of the party.

In its lawsuit filed to the court, "Heritage" requests to invalidate
the above mentioned decree, which, according to the party, is outside
the law and is not in line with the current situation. The plaintiff
petitions the court to use a measure to ensure the lawsuit’s execution:
to ban imposition of new restrictions on constitutional rights by
the Armenian president and to conduct an accelerated court examination.

UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SUPPORTS RESOLUTION ON SITUATION IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF AZERBAIJAN

Trend News Agency
March 14 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 14 March / Trend News / On 14 March the UN General
Assembly supported the Resolution on Situation in Occupied Territories
of Azerbaijan, which was presented by the Azerbaijani side.

Some 39 countries voted for and seven countries against the
resolution. 100 members abstained voting.

The Resolution highlights serious concerns that the armed conflict
in the Nagorno-Karabakh territory of Azerbaijan and its surrounding
regions is continuing presenting threats for the international peace
and security and adversely affects the humanitarian situation in the
South Caucasus countries.

The UN General Assembly urges the member-countries to respect and
support sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within
its internationally recognized borders. "The General Assembly
again states that no country should recognize legal the situation
created as a result of occupation of the Azerbaijani territories. No
country should promote or assist continuation of the situation,"
the adopted document says. In a new resolution Azerbaijan calls on
UN Secretary General to deliver a comprehensive report to implement
the resolution. The draft resolution requires an immediate, complete
and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian Armed Forces from the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan urges UN member states to confirm the indefeasible right
of the people driven out from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan to
return to their land and states the need to provide conditions for
them to do so including the full rehabilitation of the territories
damaged by the conflict.

TIGRAN BALAYAN: WE’RE ASTONISHED AT BRYZA’S STATEMENT

Azat Artsakh Daily
13-03-2008
NKR Republic

"We’re astonished that even after his visit to Yerevan, after meeting
with and hearing from various official and unofficial sources,
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza could make such
arbitrary statements," said Tigran Balayan, Head of the Armenian
Foreign Ministry Press Division.

"Assigning such one-sided blame is unfounded and not helpful. The
number of wounded law enforcement officers (108) – 43 of them wounded
by firearms and hand-grenades – clearly demonstrates that rioters
were in possession of firearms and explosives. That coincides with the
operative information of law enforcement agencies which had informed
the public about all this, days before the events of March 1. In
that case, labeling the reaction of the government as "a crackdown
on opposition protests", or qualifying it as "harsh and brutal" is
incorrect. This was not at all an attack by policemen on civilians,"
he said.

"The violence of March 1 is indeed of great concern to all of us in
Armenia, including and foremost, the government, which believes it
is responsible for the maintenance of public order and safety. It
attempted to do so, exercising restraint, but as law enforcement
bodies had earlier cautioned, turned into a clash between officers
and demonstrators. With eight people dead (including one policeman)
and dozens injured (many from law enforcement), there is no doubt that
this was serious violence, and indeed deplorable, as Mr. Bryza says,"
Mr Balayan noted.

Armenia’s challenge, now, 10 days after that disastrous day, is to
fully explore and understand what happened and find ways to move
forward together, according to him.

"The international community’s focus should be to encourage all
involved to take responsibility for the damage to the fabric of our
society and to look for inclusive ways to move forward. Ill-informed
statements can and do contribute to an escalation of political
tension," he resumed.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza said that
"United States is frustrated by the arrests of opponents since his
meetings in Armenia." "It is not only frustrating that the government
has imposed restrictions on independent media and left in place
a state of emergency, but also that it has stepped up arrests of
opposition leaders," he said. "It is crucial that the arrest of
opposition figures stops."

Bryza also called on the government to investigate and prosecute all
those from the opposition or the government, who violated election
laws and unlawfully used violence.

RESERVES OF SHAHUMYAN MINE ENOUGH TO CREATE HUGE PIT

ARKA
March 13, 2008

YEREVAN, March 12. /ARKA/.The reserves of the Shahumyan-based
gold polymetallic mine are enough to build a huge open pit, the
Deno Gold Mining Company told ARKA referring to the results of
exploratory drilling conducted in Armenia by the Dundee Precious
Metals Corporation.

The Deno Gold Mining Company represents the Dundee Precious Metals
Corporation in Armenia operating the Shahumyan polymetallic mine as
well as the copper-pyritic mine of the Kapan-based ore-mining and
processing enterprise.

The Kapan-based mine has two parts – the copper mine known as the
Central Deposits and the poly-metallic mine of copper, gold, silver,
zinc and lead known as the Shahumyan mine. The Shahumyan deposits are
currently being mined, Jonathan Goodman, the owner and president of
Dundee Precious Metals, said.

The volume of the Deno Gold Mining Company output reduced 4% in 2007
and totaled AMD 6.25bln. Deno Gold Mining focuses on the operation of
the Shahumyan gold polymetallic mine since the Central mine is quite
old and has exhausted its resources making it difficult to assess
its capacities.

The Shahumyan mine was launched in 1996, however, the real operation
started in 2002-2003 only.

Dundee Precious Metals is an ore mining company with the head office
based in Canada. The company is engaged in mining, purchasing,
exploring and processing precious metals. The company bought 95%
shares of the Kapan-based mine in 2006.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH PRESIDENT SIGNED DECREE ON REWARDING

DeFacto Agency
March 12 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 12.03.08. DE FACTO. March 12 the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
President Bako Sahakian signed a decree on rewarding.

According to the Central Department of Information under the NKR
President, the following persons are awarded the medal "For Courage"
for courage and bravery displayed while protecting the borders of
the Motherland: Karen Arstamian, Nairi Beglarian, Eric Grigorian,
Khachik Tavadian, Hayk Musaelian, and Arthur Petrosian.

Rafik Harutyunian as awarded a medal "Fighting Service" for skillfully
fulfilling fighting tasks and courage displayed while protecting the
state’s borders.

KARABAKH ISSUE NEEDS CONSISTENT AND PATIENT MEDIATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.03.2008 17:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The problem of Nagorno Karabakh is aggravated by
Armenia’s control over the territories adjacent to NK, said Zbigniew
Brzezinski, currently a professor of American foreign policy at Johns
Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and
United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter
from 1977 to 1981.

"The issue needs consistent and patient mediation, which, with the
lapse of time, might allow decreasing the amount of hatred and anger
both sides in conflict experience now," he said, BBC reports.

CE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER ARRIVING TO ARMENIA

Regnum
March 11 2008
Russia

Commissioner for Human Rights of the Coucil of Europe Thomas Hammarberg
is to visit Armenia March 12 on a three-day visit. The goal of the
visit is to to cooperate with the Armenian authorities in effective
protection of the fundamental human rights in the aftermath of the
turmoil in Yerevan. During the visit, the commissioner is going
to meet with the president of Armenia Robert Kochyaryan, prime
minister Serzh Sarkisyan, parliament speaker Tigran Torosyan,
ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan, constitutional court chairman
Gagik Harutyunyan, ombudsman Armen Arutyunyan, representatives of
international organizations, diplomats, and activists of civil society,
REGNUM correspondent was informed at the CE Yerevan press service.

Hammarberg is also going to visit prisons, police stations, and
hospitals to meet participants of the recent events in Armenia. The
commissioner said he was concerned with the human rights situation
in Armenia and the outcomes of the announced state of emergency. He
has stressed the need to urgently "restore the situation with no
hindrances for the work of media, political parties, and non-government
organizations.

IMPROVEMENT WORKS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH IN APRIL

DeFacto Agency
March 3 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, 11.03.08. DE FACTO. April 1-30 the works on planting
trees, sanitary cleaning and improvement will be carried out in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. A corresponding decree was adopted by the
NKR PM Ara Harutyunian. According to "Azat Artsakh", the heads of
the NKR ministries, state government bodies under the NKR government,
departments, the Stepanakert city hall, administrations and regional
communities have been charged to elaborate and realize specific
measures on determination of spheres of the works to be carried out,
solution of technical, material and organization issues.

According to the results of a month’s campaign the state government
bodies under the NKR government, departments, territorial organs
and self-government organs will present a report to the NKR National
Statistic Service until May 15, 2008.

Republic mass media are delegated to widely cover the course and
results of the month’s campaign.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH PROBLEM IS COMPLICATED BECAUSE OF IT BEING UNDER ARMENIA’S CONTROL: FORMER US ADVISER

Trend News Agency
March 3 2008
Azerbaijan

The Nagorno-Karabakh problem is complicated because this territory
[of Azerbaijan] is under Armenia’s occupation, Zbignev Bzhezinskiy,
the former adviser to national security at the US Presidents’
Administration, stated in an interview for BBC Russian Service on
11 March.

"This issue needs continuous and patient mediation, which will enable
a decrease in the level of hostility and hatred, which both sides in
the conflict guide," he said.

With respect to independence of Kosovo and Chechnya, Bzhezinskiy
said that both Kosovo and Chechnya deserve independence, whereas it
is impossible for Chechnya due to political realities.

SOME 4,000 TROOPS TO PARTICIPATE IN RUSSIA-LED INTERNATIONAL DRILL

Interfax News Agency
March 11 2008
Russia

Moscow, 11 March: Around 4,000 servicemen are to participate in the
Frontier 2008 command-post drill of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), to be held in Armenia and Russia in the summer
and autumn.

"Armoured vehicles, cannon and rocket artillery, missile systems,
army, attack and fighter aircraft, air defence weapons and engineering
and liaison units will be involved," Maj-Gen Vitaliy Kormiltsev,
head of tactical and combat training at the CSTO Joint Staff, told
Interfax-AVN.

"The drill is ranked as a brigade-level exercise," the general said.

The troops to be involved in the drill will only act as "conditional
forces" [Russ: voyska oboznacheniya], he said.

The Rubezh (Frontier) 2008 is a command-post exercise, not
force-on-force manoeuvres, Kormiltsev said.