Author: Chmshkian Vicken

ARGENTINEAN SENATE APPROVES THE LAW ON APRIL 24

ArmRadio.am
14.12.2006 11:50

Thirteen days after the adoption of the law on the Armenian Genocide by
Parliament, the Argentinean Senate confirmed in unanimity, Wednesday,
the law of April 24 "Day of action for tolerance and respect between
the people." By this unanimous vote, Argentina recognizes officially
the reality of the Armenian Genocide (1915-1923) by the Ottoman Empire,
Jean Eckian informs from France.

Present in the enclosure of the Senate during the vote, Armenian
ambassador, S.E. Vladimir Karmirshalyan declared: " I share the joy and
the pride with present people, all community and all Armenia. Argentina
showed, once again, its devotion to the respect of human rights and
its serious comprehension of the aspirations of the Armenian people
". The law should be promulgated soon by the Argentinean President.

EU SUMMIT WILL NOT AVOID TURKISH QUESTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.12.2006 16:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A two-day meeting of the European Union opens in
Brussels December 14. Though the EU Foreign Ministers already found a
compromise on Turkey-EU negotiations, the discussion of that subject
will be continued on the level of Prime ministers.

Commenting on EU’s decision to halt the negotiations with Turkey on
its membership bid German Chancellor Angela Merkhel stated, "I hope
the Turkish side will understand: we are not talking about toughening
the conditions for Turkey to enter the European Union. We just say:
those things, which were not implemented but should be implemented
before membership, will have its consequences."

It is worth reminding that the Turkish authorities did not fulfill
Brussels’s demand to open a port and an airport for the Republic of
Cyprus. This step would mean an indirect acknowledgment of the republic
by Ankara. In the light of upcoming parliamentary elections in Turkey
in 2007 it would mean political death for Erdogan’s government. The
Turkish Prime minister called Brussels’s decision ‘too tough’, which
do not correspond to the level of relations reached by Turkey and the
European Union last year. "We were treated unfair, though we performed
good will. The split in ‘Cypriot problem’ will lead to the worsening
of bilateral relations. Instead the Greek Cypriots and Greece will
win and they use this fact very well," Erdogan stated.

Despite the interruption in negotiations, Ankara declared that the
course of reforms necessary to enter the EU will be continued. The
European Union welcomed this approach: even those states, which
are standing in tough positions on Turkey, are not interested in
estrangement of Ankara from Brussels.

At the same time Brussels refuses to mention concrete schedule
for Turkey’s membership: The European Union needs to ‘swallow’ the
upcoming adjournment of Romania and Bulgaria. And Croatia already
stands on the threshold. Up till now, after the negotiations were
partially frozen with Ankara, Zagreb occupied the place of number one
candidate. Croatia does not hide that wants to become an EU member
already in 2009, reports Deutsche Welle.

OSCE CIO’S STATEMENT DISREGARDS HISTORICAL EVENT FOR NKR PEOPLE

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.12.2006 15:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The statement by OSCE Chairman-in-Office Karel
De Gucht is an open disregard for an event carrying historical
importance for the people of Karabakh – the constitutional referendum,
RA President’s Spokesman Victor Soghomonyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net
reporter. In his words, such attitude can undermine the trust in
the OSCE and the Minsk Group. "The best thing they could do is to
keep silent. We are forced to state that comments of the kind do not
promote the peaceful settlement process.

The NKR citizens have made their choice in favor of freedom
and independence, as it was 15 years ago, during the previous
referendum. The choice that doesn’t need to be recognized by a European
official," he underscored.

ANKARA REJECTS NAGORNO-KARABAKH REFERENDUM

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Dec 12 2006

Turkey said on Monday that it would not recognize the outcome of a
referendum backing independence in the breakaway Azerbaijani region
of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry, in a written statement, said that
Ankara learned that Azerbaijan’s disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh
overwhelmingly voted in favor of its first controversial constitution
while ignoring international laws and the expectations of international
society.

The statement underlined that Ankara does not recognize the
independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, neither the "referendum" nor its
outcome, while condemning the development.

The statement said that people in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region under
the occupation of Armenia, live as refugees and in prison-like
conditions. The Foreign Ministry described the development as a new
violation of Azerbaijan’s political unity, sovereignty and territorial
integrity by Armenia.

The statement also underlined that the referendum move ignored
co-constructive efforts at peaceful conflict resolution that were
implemented under the Minsk Group in the European Security and
Cooperation Organization (OSCE).

In related news, the European Union said that it would not recognize
the outcome of a referendum backing independence in the breakaway
Azerbaijani region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

ARMENIAN MPS DEMONSTRATE DIFFERENT POSITIONS ON TALKS OF AZERBAIJANI, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS – HEAD OF AZERBAIJANI DELEGATION AT PACE
Author: A.Ismayilova

TREND, Azerbaijan
Dec 11 2006

MP Samad Seyidov, the head of the Azerbaijani Delegation at the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said on
December 11, that Armenian MPs demonstrate different approaches on
the talks on the level of Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Trend
reports. He was commenting the Armenian delegation refuse from the
participation in PACE Political Committee Meeting in Baku on December
11, 2006 in Baku.

MP Seyidov said that the CE insisted on the participation of
Armenia at a meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on Media in Baku and
they refused. The same was repeated at this meeting and it actually
testifies Armenian non-constructive position.

ARMENIAN NA SPEAKER, INDIAN AMBASSADOR DISCUSS BILATERAL RELATIONS

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 11 2006

YEREVAN, December 11. /ARKA/. Speaker of the Armenian Parliament
Tigran Torosyan held a meeting with Indian Ambassador to Armenia Rina
Pandei. The sides discussed issued of Torosyan’s forthcoming visit
to India and prospects of bilateral relations.

Ambassador Pandei pointed out the importance of the planned visit for
maintaining and strengthening the high-level bilateral relations. He
said that it will be an impetus to further cooperation in various
fields.

Among the promising spheres of cooperation the Indian Ambassador
pointed out interparliamentary relations and exchange of law-making
experience, healthcare and alternative medicine, agriculture,
information technologies. She addressed the issue of opening the
Yerevan-Delhi air route, which facilitates the establishment of
business ties.

Pandei also thanked Armenia for supporting India in international
structures.

In his turn, Speaker Torosyan stressed the necessity if using the
whole potential of bilateral relations, elaborating and implementing
specific programs. He reported that after a three-year interval,
the Armenian-Indian intergovernmental commission will hold its meeting.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT DEMANDS ELIMINATING ALL LOOP-HOLES IN TAX LEGISLATION AND CREATING EQUAL CONDITIONS FOR ALL ECONOMIC ENTITIES

Noyan Tapan
Dec 08 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian President Robert
Kocharian on December 8 conducted a working consultation on state
revenues collection problems. NT was informed from the RA President’s
press service that the prime minister, the minister of finance and
economy, the minister of trade and economic development, the chairman
of the Central Bank of Armenia, the heads of the State Tax Service and
the State Customs Committee participated in the consultation. Noting
that at the end of a year the work done is usually summarized and
the activities and programs to be done next year are outlined, R.
Kocharian said that their implementation greatly depends on the
work of tax and customs bodies. In his words, a serious increase in
revenues is envisaged in 2007, so one must be sure that the reforms
will continue and the planned work will be done efficiently and
fully. Although in the past one-two years, some work has been carried
out for improving the tax and customs administration, according to
the RA President, it is far from being satisfactory. Noting that
various tax revenues are not in line with the existing potential,
R. Kocharian demanded focusing on the elimination of all loop-holes
in the tax legislation and ensuring equal conditions for all economic
entities. He said that next year he will be more demanding and he
anticipates an improvement in the quality of work. According to him,
good work will allow to increase considerably the revenue collection,
which in its turn will help with implementation of more programs and
solutions of more problems.

GALUST SAHAKIAN: RPA HAS ITS MODEST PLAN AND ITS MODEST CONTRIBUTION INSIDE STATE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 07 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. "The nearer the elections are
the more the people try to present themselves as David of Sassoun,
while David of Sassoun is a collective image," RA NA RPA faction Head
Galust Sahakian said at the December 8 press briefing commenting upon
ambitions of some political forces to register greater progress at the
2007 parliamentary elections. In his words, the processes taking place
inside the state that "very often are directed to RPA with bayonets"
cannot be a political factor for the forces that "appeared in the
situation of having lost everything and have fallen into hysteria."

According to the RPA faction leader, the latters try to blacken RPA
and its leaders ignoring the path passed by them and trying to distort
another’s biography. "We have our modest plan, as in 2003, and we
have our modest contribution inside the state. And our political
manifestation will be based on the very two arguments," G.Sahakian
said. And the political hysteria, in his words, can give rise to
greater tension. However, as G.Sahakian forecast, "there will be no
distortion or marked tension" in connection with the parliamentary
elections.

THE ORIGIN OF HAMSHEN ARMENIANS NOT UNDER QUESTION

ArmRadio.am
06.12.2006 13:26

The hypothesis of Turkish scholars about the Turkish origin of "
Armenian-speaking Hamshens" has been refuted. He first results
of the molecular-hereditary expertise of Hamshen Armenians are
already ready. "Yerkramas" newspaper of Russian Armenians reports
that according to Dr. Levon Yepiskoposyan, the coordinator of the
given project, the hereditary examination of DNA samples of Hamshen
Armenians has been carried out in the London University College
together with British colleagues.

According to Levon Yepiskoposyan’s data, the examinations allow to
confirm that the Armenian origin of Hamshen Armenians is not under
question.

To note, Hamshen Armenians comprise the majority of the Armenian
population of Krasnodar region and Kuban. They moved to Kuban still
in mid-19th century after the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman
Empire. According to the data of experts, about 250 thousand Hamshen
Armenians reside in Kuban and Abkhazia, while according to different
sources, 700,000 – 2 million Islamized Hamshen Armenians reside
in Turkey.

WAR DISRUPTS, BUT DOES NOT DETER, LEBANESE PRODIGY
by Pirate Irwin

Agence France Presse — English
December 5, 2006 Tuesday 8:27 AM GMT

Four years ago renowned American athletics coach John Smith tipped
Lebanese sprinter Gretta Taslakian as a future star if carefully
nurtured.

Four years on a mixture of personal misfortune and war has prevented
it from happening.

She may be just 21 but the four years since Smith spotted her on the
training track at the 2002 Busan Games have not been kind to Taslakian,
whose descendants were Armenian and fled to Lebanon during the 1915-17
genocide by the Turks.

Now her generation are discovering what it is like to be bombarded
having come through the 34-day war between Israel and Lebanon-based
Hezbollah in July which left a huge swathe of Lebanon destroyed and
thousands dead.

"We were preparing for the Asian Games this summer and then the
war started in July," said Taslakian, who is one of a five-strong
Lebanese team here for the Asian Games athletics which gets underway
on Thursday.

"What happened was very dramatic in Lebanon so we were not in the
right frame of mind to train for this big event.

"Because of the war the Lebanese championships were cancelled so the
Lebanese Federation sent us (with the help of governing body the IAAF)
to Singapore where we stayed for three months and we worked on the
technical rather than the physical areas."

Taslakian, national recordholder in the 100, 200 and 400m,
is realistic about her chances of success at the Games given her
disrupted preparation.

Her ultimate goal is for an emotional triumph next year at the Asian
Championships in Lebanon.

"The Asian Games would be a fantastic preparation for the Asian
Championships in Lebanon next year," said Taslakian, whose father
inspired her to take the sport up aged 15.

"I cannot guess what my result will be here as I have not competed
for a long time but I aim to beat my personal best in the 200m."

Things looked distinctly rosier not only for Lebanon but also for
Taslakian two years ago as she went to the Athens Olympics and was
not disgraced while running a personal best in the 200.

She was rewarded by the IAAF with a nine-month scholarship to train
in Cologne, Germany, with higher class facilities than she could ever
hope for back home. But it didn’t go as planned.

"It was originally a dream come true," she said.

"I tried to make the most of my good fortune but I tore a calf muscle
and couldn’t do what I had in mind.

"The good side was that when I was fit I was able to compete with
high class athletes but on the down side I didn’t get the attention
of the coaches because they prefer to focus on the star athletes.

"So I felt very alone without my family and friends," added Taslakian.