Author: Chatinian Lara

"HERITAGE" PARTY REPRESENTATIVE BELIEVES THAT "THE SOCIETY SHOULD TAKE UP EFFORTS FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA TO BE HELD IN 2 ROUNDS"

Mediamax
January 31, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Member of parliamentary faction of "Heritage"
Larisa Alaverdian stated in Yerevan today that "the society should take
up efforts for the presidential elections to be held in two rounds".

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a news conference in Yerevan today,
she stated that the victory of "the candidate from the ruling party
in the first round will be quite doubtful and not corresponding the
real moods of the electorate".

Larisa Alaverdian expressed readiness to participate in the grounded
protest actions of any of the presidential candidates. According
to her, starting from the parliamentary elections of 1995 and
the presidential elections of 1996, "seizure of power by means of
falsification of election results is regularly taking place in the
country".

The MP stated the presence of "low provincial level of understanding
of the pre-election campaign". In the course of the recent few
years the level of political culture in Armenia slumped, Larisa
Alaverdian stated. She noted that proper campaigns are held only by
two presidential candidates – Vazgen Manukian and Arman Melikian, and
other two candidates – Vahan Hovhannissian and Artur Baghdasarian –
are "partially proper".

5 PER CENT OF AUSTRIANS SUPPORT TURKEY’S EU BID

PanARMENIAN.Net
31.01.2008 16:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Only 5 per cent of Austrians support Turkey’s
accession to the European Union. The index has considerably decreased
against that of 2002, when Turkey’s bid was supported by 32 per
cent. At that, only 7 per cent of respondents have no exact stance
on the issue.

Turkey’s accession is supported by 46 per cent in Sweden and 22 per
cent in France. Even Cyprus, an old enemy of Turkey, backs the bid
with 19 per cent, according to the results of a survey held by the
European Stability Initiative (ESI).

According to the survey, 60 per cent of the respondents do not
highlight the religious aspect.

28 per cent think Europe is a "Christian stronghold".

74 per cent of the respondents do not eye Turkey as a European state.

54 per cent pointed out to cultural differences, Die Presse reports.

IRAN’S RELIGIOUS MINORITIES TO CELEBRATE VICTORY OF ISLAMIC REVOLUTION

Tehran Times
Jan 30 2008
Iran

TEHRAN — The director of Iran’s office for religious minority
affairs has provided some details about the programs the office will
be holding in commemoration of anniversary of the victory of Iran’s
Islamic Revolution.

At a session at the office on Monday, Saeid Taqavi said that the
office, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Islamic
Guidance, actively participates in the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations
(February 1 to 11) every year.

He noted that there are about 150,000 Iranians who are practitioners
of the three main minority religions (Zoroastrianism Christianity, and
Judaism), adding that special programs will be held in West Azarbaijan
and East Azarbaijan provinces and in the cities of Shiraz, Kerman,
Yazd, and Isfahan since many practitioners of minority religions
reside in those places.

He stated, "Members of parliament and the religious figures of all the
minority religions gathered at the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini
to pay tribute to the Founder of the Islamic Republic on January 25."

Taqavi added, "The programs will include decoration of sacred monuments
and schools, participation in the opening ceremony of the 10-Day Dawn
at the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini, the ringing of church
bells on the morning of February first (to commemorate the arrival
of Imam Khomeini in Tehran on that day in 1979), a ceremony to honor
Armenian martyrs (of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war) at their graveyard
on February 7, and a rally on February 11, the day of the victory."

Robert Markarian of the Armenian Christian community also took part in
the session, saying that the unveiling of the book "Armenians and the
Iraqi Imposed War", art and cultural contests, and visits to patients
at the Avedisian charity clinic are some of the programs Armenians
are organizing for the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations.

Zoroastrian Rostam Khosravian said his community would be arranging an
exhibition of handicrafts by Zoroastrian women and special programs at
schools and holding ceremonies to commemorate the Zoroastrian martyrs
of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war during the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations.

Representatives of the Assyrian and Chaldean Christian communities
and the Jewish community also attended the session and spoke about
the programs they would be holding for the Ten-Day Dawn celebrations.

42% OF ARMENIAN CITIZENS TRUST THE PRESIDENT, 19% TRUST THE PARLIAMENT AND 27% TRUST THE GOVERNMENT
By G. Gevorgian

AZG Armenian Daily
30/01/2008

Regional

Today is to take place the presentation of the global survey
by Caucasian Centers of Research Resources, which represents the
statistics of social, economic, demographic and political processes in
Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Over eight thousand adult citizens
of the aforementioned states answered about 300 questions, referring
to their political views, social values and their attitude to the
current political processes.

About 50% of the questioned Armenian citizens stated being not
interested in politics, and the 26% of citizens interested in
politics stated being unsure of the national policy of Armenia. The
survey also showed that 46% of the citizens of Armenia trust the
President, 19% trusts the National Assembly and the 27% trusts the
Government. Residents of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, appeared
to trust the Government more.

In all the three Southern Caucasian states working hard and being
responsible for one’s action were recognized the most important
virtues of a citizens.

In Azerbaijan and Georgia independence of male citizens was also
accounted among one of the most important features, and in Armenia
tolerance and respectfulness was. The most important feature of a
good female citizen in Armenia is accounted modesty, in Georgia –
religious piety and in Azerbaijan – household skills.

It is also remarkable that in 36% of questioned Armenian citizens said
that their future very little depends on themselves, while only 21% and
30% of Georgian and Azerbaijani citizens were of the same point of view

Turkish Daily News, Turkey
Jan 28 2008

‘Untouchables’ nabbed in raid
Monday, January 28, 2008

A new chapter opens in the investigation into the ‘Ergenekon’ gang,
which some claim is part of Turkey’s deep state. ‘The court decides
that 13 suspects be arrested, among them Ret Gen Veli Küçük

ISTANBUL – TDN with wire dispatches

After a record amount of time in Istanbul’s 13th Criminal Court,
eight alleged members of the `Ergenekon’ gang – including a former
top military commander – were arrested at the beginning of the
weekend on charges of `provoking armed rebellion against the
government.’ With Saturday’s arrests the total number of arrested has
risen to 13. Among those arrested is Ret. Brig. General Veli Küçük,
the alleged founder of the Gendarmerie Intelligence Anti-Terror Unit
(JÝTEM). Despite various allegations against him, Küçük has remained
virtually untouchable for the last decade.

The crackdown follows a promise by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdoðan to eradicate clandestine hard-line nationalist groups that
allegedly target people they consider to be a threat to the country’s
unity, The Associated Press said in a report.

Following a four-day police interrogation, the suspects were taken
to court late Friday where they were interrogated by the prosecutor
until 5 a.m. Saturday. They were then taken to appear in front of the
judge by 5 p.m. on the same day, after which 13 of them, including
Küçük, were arrested and imprisoned, according to newspaper reports
yesterday.

High-profile names:

Those arrested include Ret. Col. Fikri Karadað, president of the
`Kuvayi Milliye’ (National Forces) Association, lawyer Kemal
Kerinçsiz, the public relations representative of the Turkish
Orthodox Church, Sevgi Erenerol, and alleged mafia boss Sami Hoþtan.

Kerinçsiz gained notoriety for leading campaigns against prominent
intellectuals including novelists Orhan Pamuk, Elif Þafak and
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was murdered in January
2007.

Among detainees released on Friday was columnist Güler Kömürcü of
daily Akþam, a lawyer, Fuat Turgut who defended an alleged instigator
in the Dink murder and Ali Yasak, an alleged crime boss.

The suspects were all taken into custody after a police raid in
Istanbul’s Ümraniye district in June that uncovered dozens of hand
grenades. The grenades were seized at the home of a retired,
non-commissioned military officer.

The suspects were `preparing to assassinate a leading figure,’
according to press reports. Mass-circulation daily Hürriyet said
Nobel literature prize laureate Orhan Pamuk was on the `hit list,’
while other newspapers reported that pro-Kurdish politicians Leyla
Zana and Ahmet Türk were also targets of the shadowy organization.

Provoking a coup?:

The gang `hoped’ that the chaos after those murders would provoke a
military coup that would topple the Justice and Development Party
(AKP) government, according to various newspaper reports.
Nationalists and ultra-nationalists accuse the government of having a
hidden `Islamic agenda,’ and for making too many concessions to the
European Union.

A court has issued a news blackout on the investigation into the
gang.

With the arrests Küçük became the third former – or actual – member
of the powerful Turkish military to be imprisoned. Throughout the
Republic’s history only two other `pashas’ have been arrested: The
first one was General Mustafa Muðlalý, charged with ordering the
killing of 32 Kurdish peasants who were caught smuggling goods from
the Iranian border and accused of stealing livestock. The peasants
were executed by a shooting squad on July 30, 1943. Muðlalý was tried
at a military court three years later and was sentenced to 20 years
of prison, but died in prison in 1951.

The second `pasha’ to be put behind bars was Admiral Ýlhami Erdil,
who was arrested last year on charges of illegal enrichment.

The Þemdinli bombing:

Meanwhile, in an unusually harsh speech Saturday, a former
lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP)
pointed to the many unresolved murder cases in the southeast.

`The real Ergenekon are those that have killed people in the
[southeast] region with identity cards given by the state itself,’
Mesut Deðer, a member of the CHP executive board, said during the
party’s district congress in Van, 1,250 kilometers east of Ankara.

`In the Þemdinli case, the accused were set free,’ Deðer was quoted
as saying by the Doðan news agency, referring to another shadow case.
`Now we see the start of the Ergenekon case. What is Ergenekon? They
say it is defending the unity of the state. Are we aiming for
something else? The real Ergenekon are those that have their
signatures on many unsolved murders in this region,’ he said.

The Þemdinli case takes its name from Hakkari’s Þemdinli town, some
1,500 kilometers southeast of Ankara. On Nov. 9, 2005, a bookstore in
the town belonging to a former member of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) was bombed, leaving one person dead. Minutes
after the attack locals caught the alleged criminals and handed them
over to the police. The identities of the suspects created
controversy, as two were active sergeants on duty and the third one
was a former PKK confessor. On the same day, as CHP Hakkari deputy
Esat Canan and a state prosecutor were mobilized to investigate the
incident, they were fired upon and a second person was killed in this
attack. Claiming clandestine state forces were on a killing spree,
locals at various towns in Hakkari protested in the streets, and
three more people were killed during clashes between the police and
protesters.

ACCORDING TO VAZGEN MANUKIAN’S PREELECTION PROGRAM, ARMENIA SHOULD BE COUNTRY CARRYING OUT DIALOGUE AMONG CIVILIZATIONS

Noyan Tapan
Jan 25, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The necessity of Armenia’s European
integration is mentioned in the foreign policy part of the preelection
program of Vazgen Manukian, a candidate for presidency, the leader of
the National Democratic Union party. Shavarsh Kocharian, the Chairman
of the National Democratic Party, supporting V. Manukian said at the
January 25 discussion on foreign political provisions of candidates’
programs, that two ways, fulfilment of commitments assumed towards
the Council of Europe and membership to the European Union, are
outlined for the successful process of European integration in the
candidate’s program.

As S. Kocharian stated, V. Manukian’s program mentions that Armenia
should be a country carrying out a dialogue among civilizations. "In
that respect we have much to do at international structures," the
NDP Chairman said mentioning that Armenia should "show" the world the
Armenian-Iranian fully-fledged relations as an example of co-existence
of two too different civilizations.

S. Kocharian said that according to the NDU leader’s program, Armenia
should be the guarantor of Artsakh people and its self-determination,
but only the Karabakh party should conduct the negotiations on the
NKR status and liberated territories.

AZERBAIJAN HANDS OVER CAPTURED SOLDIER TO ARMENIA

Trend News Agency
Jan 25 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 25 January / Òrend corr K. Zarbaliyeva / Azerbaijan
has handed over the captured Armenian soldier to his country on 25
January, the Baku office of the International Red Cross Committee
informed Trend.

Armenian soldier Ambartsum Asatrian had been in captivity in Azerbaijan
since 4 August 2007.

The soldier was handed over to Armenia at 1.00 pm local time at border
in the Ijevan-Gazakh region.

Previously, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry, as well as the
Azerbaijani State Commission on POWs, Missing Persons and Hostages
had reported that Asatrian did not want to return to Armenia and
requested asylum in other country.

–Boundary_(ID_O8JDmzwJfrGV+6pt7kjoJw)–

ARMRUSGAZPROM INITIATES INSTALLATION OF GAS-SENSITIVE DEVICES

Noyan Tapan
Jan 24, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. ArmRusgazprom has initaited
installation of gas-sensitive devices with the aim of increasing the
safety of operation of in-house gas service systems and the level of
accident prevention. NT correspondent was informed by spokeswoman for
the company Shushan Sardarian that in order impement this process and
start the activity of providing gas consumers of apartment buildings
with safety systems throughout Armenia, ArmRusgazprom has applied to
the RA ministry of urban development with the request to make changes
in technological normative documents and to the RA Public Services
Regulatory Commission with the proposal to include this program in
the company’s investment program.

According to the spokeswoman, signaling devices are used to control
content of inflammable gases in buildings with installed domestic
gas equipment. In case when the established amount is exceeded, such
devices produce a light and sound signal and give a command to stop
gas supply to gas equipment.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL TEAM OF HOCKEY PLAYERS AGED 20 AND BELOW DEFEATS AUSTRALIAN TEAM IN 5th TOUR OF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
Jan 24, 2008

BELGRADE, JANUARY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The group tournament of World
Championship of hockey players aged 20 and below is going on in
Belgrade.

The Armenian national team defeated the Australian team in the 5th
tour with the score of 6 to 5. In the last game the Armenian national
team will compete with the Bulgarian team.

PARK CITY ’08 NOTEBOOK
International Films Shine At Sundance: "Abu Raed"; "Absurdistan";
"Mermaid"; "Stranded"

Indiewire
January 24, 2008
by Eric Kohn

Movies made outside the United States can illuminate the individuality
of distant cultures for American audiences–while simultaneously
highlighting the similarities to our particular surroundings. In both
its narrative and documentary components, the international entries of
the Sundance Film Festival convey both possibilities. The best of them
combine universal storytelling devices with a unique sense of places.

"Captain Abu Raed," a bittersweet feature in the World Cinema Dramatic
Competition, offers little in the way of originality–but its precise
conventionalism has a distinct appeal. Touted in the Sundance catalog
as "the first independent film to come out of Jordan," the movie
follows the life of the titular elder gentleman (Nadim Sawalha), whose
dead-end job as a floor cleaner has left him feeling isolated after
the death of wife. After randomly plucking a pilot’s hat from the
garbage and wearing it home, Abu Raed catches the attention of several
local boys eager to hear tales of his aerial adventures. Intrigued by
the sudden popularity, Abu Raed sustains their misconception and finds
himself uncharacteristically content. The plot builds to a climax as
Abu Raed takes particular interest in a neighborhood child whose
father constantly abuses him; meanwhile, an authentic female pilot
develops a vested interest in Abu Raed’s kindliness, leading to a
friendship that unlocks a bleak secret from his past.

Because it combines an airport setting with heavy sentimentalism,
"Captain Abu Raed" suggests a foreign version of "The Terminal," but
writer-director Amin Matalqa brings a steady approach to the material
that allows it to surpass that notorious Steven Spielberg
misfire. With a gorgeous score and subtle performances all around, it
introduces Capra-esque pathos to fresh terrain. Matalqa’s competent
technique struggles near the end, when the story grows too sappy and
loses its convincing edge. But these flaws arrive after "Captain Abu
Raed" becomes just solid enough to work.

Matalqa’s directorial debut fails to break familiar rhythms, but two
of its categorical neighbors, both from Russia, appear to have arrived
from distant lands. "Absurdistan," the sophomore feature from playful
visionary Veit Helmer, blends fantastical imagery with folktale
simplicity. Helmer’s production has no relation to the popular novel
by Gary Shteyngart of the same name, but both survey confused young
men through quirky humor. The film "Absurdistan" is set in a tiny,
insular village where the all the men are hypersexual oafs and the
women dutifully serve them. When soft-spoken teen Temelko (Maximilian
Mauff) takes an interest in his childhood companion Aya (Kristyna
Malerova), their burgeoning courtship veers into conflict after a
drought causes the women to abstain from sex until the men repair the
water pipe. About as arbitrarily interesting as it sounds,
"Absurdistan" compensates for ugly, brutish stereotypes with sparkling
visual finesse, giving literal meaning to the term "flight of fancy":
Its strongest sequences involve airborne characters adrift in a
whimsically colorful world. Consequently, "Absurdistan" is flawed, but
never grating.

The other Russian narrative at the festival, "Mermaid," contains
comparable surrealism and a versatile performance at its center, but
the themes rarely stray from reality. A gentle and considered portrait
of growing up, "Mermaid" revolves around contemplative teen Alisa
(Masha Shalaeva), whose uncomfortable childhood (during which she
rebels against her neglectful mother) is supplanted by an alienated
young adulthood filled with random sexual encounters and a
discomfiting gig in the advertising business. The direction, by
neophyte Anna Melikyan, engenders an omnipresent surrealism: Alisa
develops spectacular telekinetic abilities, but they can’t repair her
troubled personal life. For its lighthearted whimsy, "Mermaid"
instantly recalls "Amelie," but its immersive exploration of the
blurry distinction between imagination and its material origins has
plenty of novelty.

In heavy contrast to the blithe patterns in "Mermaid," the darker
components of human nature take central stage in Gonzalo Arijon’s
"Stranded": I’ve come from a plane that crashed in the mountains," a
thrillingly provocative look at the unbelievable survival tale of
young rugby players whose lack of food after their downed aircraft
traps them in the Andes forces them to turn to cannibalism. Despite
the sensationalistic description (many people compare it to "Alive"
after hearing the synopsis), "Stranded" remains firmly believable and
non-exploitative, alternating between philosophical ruminations from
the remaining survivors and reenactments of their journey through the
frosty landscape. Their group decision to survive on the bodies of
dead passengers is merely one aspect of the extraordinary saga, but it
introduces a shockingly nightmarish element to the gripping adventure.

A scene from Amin Matalqa’s "Captain Abu Raed." Image courtesy of the
Sundance Film Festival.

Other international documentaries at the festival take measured
approaches to their divergent locales. The lavish Chinese film "Up the
Yangtze" studies the remarkable construction of a dam to power the
country’s electricity, and Tanaz Eshaghian’s "Be Like Others" provides
viewers with the plight of transsexuals in Iran. The latter film could
benefit from a larger scope to explore its issue, but Eshaghian brings
an exclusive glimpse at the country’s specific religious regulations,
which permit sex changes but not homosexuality. Another impressive
look at social confusion in the Middle East arises in "Recycle,"
Mahmoud Al Massar’s calculated examination of the clash between
fundamentalist ideology and apolitical daily routine.

Given the public’s general disdain for subtitled films, it’s important
to rally for them, but not all of Sundance’s international fare merits
recommendation. The uneventful Swedish narrative "King of Ping Pong"
doesn’t justify its zany title, which refers to a lonely sixteen year
old whose troubles at home lead him to the eponymous sport. And where
"King of Ping Pong" suffers from too little action, "Mancora" is
afflicted by an overabundance of contrivances. The Peruvian movie
develops a juicy love triangle between three acquaintances after a
young man (Enrico Murciano) loses his father and launches on a
soul-searching (and, admittedly, beautifully shot) roadtrip to the
countryside. Promising at first, "Mancora" can’t maintain its initial
emotional lift, wasting time with pointless orgy scenes and a lame
conclusion.

Fortunately, a few nice surprises lurk among the relatively unnoticed
foreign titles. The Danish film noir "Just Another Love Story" crafts
an expressionistic remake of the standard woman-in-despair scenario,
with a crime photographer daringly pretending to be the boyfriend of
an amnesiac crash victim. Hong Kong’s "The Drummer" begins as a
cliched gangster flick, but it delves into novel territory when the
troublemaking lead is forced out of town by a dangerous crimelord and
finds himself immersed in a jungle community where drumming provides
an essential component of the town’s meditative qualities. There’s an
argument to be made for relying on the cinema to access other worlds,
but these works allow us to visit unlikely places in our own.