Author: Chmshkian Vicken

Panorama.am

18:20 11/11/06

CABINET OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE AFTER LIKHACHOV OPENS AT
SLOVIANSKI UNIVERSITY

Russian-Armenian (Slovianski) University opened a cabinet after
Likhachov within the framework of days dedicated to the memory of the
literary critic and academician. Armen Darbinyan, rector of the
university, said, `the room of Likhachov is a little late. However, it
will become a spiritual answer to the great contribution of Likhachov
in the development of Armenian history.’

Dozens of books were donated to the cabinet, including books with
Likhachov’s signature. The university also summed up the competition
for the best essay on the subject of Likhachov. /Panorama.am/

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Nov 11 2006

Poland seeks to mediate between Turkey, Armenia

The New Anatolian / Warsaw

Polish Senate Chairman Bogdan Borusevic on Friday requested to
mediate between Ankara and Yerevan, through representing Armenia in
Turkey and vice versa until the two countries normalize their
relations.

Speaking to reporters following his contacts in Baku, Azerbaijan,
Borusevic stressed that the Polish initiative aims at easing tensions
and strengthening trust between Turkey and Armenia, noting his
country’s good relations with both countries.

"Although the border between Turkey and Armenia is closed, there are
limited and indirect economic relations between them," he said.
"There is the need to establish the appropriate atmosphere to solve
the problems. Therefore, the Polish Foreign Ministry has requested to
represent the interests of Armenia in Turkey and Turkey in Armenia.
We are awaiting replies." He also underlined the need for a positive
stance from both sides for the Polish initiative to succeed.

Borusevic also touched on the situation of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying,
"Poland thinks that the problem of the disputed enclave should be
solved through peaceful means through protecting the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan."

Praising the efforts of Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group towards finding a peaceful solution to the
dispute in Nagorno-Karabakh, Borusevic said, "They are bringing
apparent suggestions and direct parties about what kind of steps
should be taken."

The disputed territory in Azerbaijan has been under the control of
Armenian and ethnic Armenian Karabakh forces since a 1994 cease-fire
ended a six-year separatist war that killed about 30,000 people and
drove about 1 million from their homes. The region’s final status has
not been worked out, and years of talks under the auspices of
international mediators have brought few visible results.

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 10 2006

"WE MUST WORK WITH BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS," AAA REGIONAL
DIRECTOR SAYS

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. "The Armenian Assembly of America
(AAA) is a non-partisan public organization, and there is no
difference for its representatives who won the elections of the U.S.
Congress, and that we must continue working both with democrats and
with republicans: both parties are very important for us" Arpi
Vardanian, the AAA Regional Director for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh
stated about it in the interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
responding a question on the issue what meaning results of the late
Congress elections will have for Armenian lobbying organizations of
the U.S.

She reminded that before the elections the Congress Armenian Caucus
consisted of 163 people. In her words, it is quite obvious that this
number must change after the elections, as at the moment it is not
known yet who from this congressional caucus is re-elected, and some
weeks are necessary for summing up final results. "We must meet and
start working with newly elected members of the Congress to involve
them in work of this caucus," Arpi Vardanian stated.

As for possible election of democrat Nancy Pelosi, a member of the
Congress Armenian Caucus, for the position of the House of
Representatives Speaker, in Arpi Vardanian’s words, though this issue
is not solved yet,"everybody considers in Washington that just she
will become the Speaker."

A.Vardanian mentioned that N.Pelosi’s activity was addressed to
assisting solution of Armenian issues and during her pre-electoral
campaign N.Pelosi stated about the necessity of the Armenian Genocide
recognition. Besides, in A.Vardanian’s words, N.Pelosi has always
actively participated in actions of the Armenian community, addresed
to the Armenian Genocide recognition. "We’ll work with Nancy Pelosi
in the way we have always worked, and we hope that she will continue
its activity on assisting Armenia as the Speaker of the House of
Representatives as wll," the AAA Regional Director stated.

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 10 2006

ARMENIAN SCHOOL FUND TO CONTINUE DONATING SCHOOL PROPERTY TO 333
ARMENIAN AND ARTSAKH SCHOOLS IN FUTURE

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian School charity fund
plans to continue donating school property – desks, blackboards and
other necessary things to 333 schools of Armenia and Artsakh in the
future. Levon Aharonian, Chairman of fund’s Board of Trustees, said
this at the November 10 press conference. He said that lately the
fund gave school desks intended for 9400 pupils to schools that were
in hard financial position.

In L.Aharonian’s words, the primary goal of the fund functioning
since 2003 is especially to assist Armenian and Artsakh border
schools by giving them pupils’ and teachers’ desks and chairs. "Is is
no secret what depression shabby and broken property can cause among
children entering school for the first time," the Chairman of the
fund’s Board of Trustees said. For the present, needy schools have
received 6000 pupils desks thanks to the Armenian School. He said
that the materials needed for making school property are bought by
the fund abroad and are made at local enterprises.

Levon Aharonian said that the fund obtains resources thanks to
fund-raisings.

RA Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchian appreciating the
fund’s work and donations regretted to say that only Diasporan
benefactors are included in the fund, while in Armenia we also have
some persons who "if they wish can provide part of their sums for
native school building."

NEW US CONGRESS TO POSE MORE TROUBLES FOR TURKEY

Turkish Daily News
Nov 9 2006

The Democratic Party’s landslide win in Tuesday’s U.S. congressional
polls will mean more headaches for Turkey, at least in the House of
Representatives, whose control now belongs to the election’s victors.

Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat who is expected to become the
House’s first female speaker in the new Congress, already has pledged
to support efforts for recognition of the Armenian killings in the
last days of the Ottoman Empire as genocide.

The Democratic Party garnered a clear majority in the House, Congress’
lower chamber, and also may win control of the Senate after the fate
of at least two contested seats there becomes clear.

The election outcome is a clear defeat for Republican President George
W. Bush and his Iraq policies.

The repercussions of losing even one of the houses is enough to pose
grave consequences for Bush, whose "lame duck" presidency in his
remaining 26 months in office will likely worsen under increasing
attacks by a hostile Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

There will also likely be adverse implications of the Democratic
takeover of Congress for Turkey, although Turkey is never an actor in
U.S. domestic politics, Turkish diplomats fear. The likeliest fallout
will be on the Armenian genocide controversy.

"I have supported legislation … that would properly acknowledge the
Armenian genocide. It is imperative that the United States recognize
this atrocity and move to renew our commitment to eliminate genocide
whenever and wherever it exists. This effort enjoys strong bipartisan
support in the House, and I will continue to support these efforts in
the 110th Congress," Pelosi said in a recent message to a prominent
U.S. Armenian publisher.

In the outgoing House, there were also resolutions for genocide
recognition, but Dennis Hastert, current speaker and a close Bush ally,
had never brought them to a full floor vote.

As Pelosi points out, there is strong bipartisan backing for
genocide recognition in the House, and her speakership will be a
great encouragement for Armenian groups who emphatically will seek
a genocide resolution’s passage before April 24 of next year.

The new Congress will meet in January, and new genocide recognition
resolutions are expected shortly after.

A potential U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide would be a top
prize for the Armenians, who subsequently would raise compensation
and land issues with Ankara, the Turkish diplomats fear.

And that is not all. There is also the Iraq quagmire, and the Democrats
want to shape U.S. policies in ways that could hurt Turkey’s interests
even more.

Turkey has suffered enough from the Republican invasion of Iraq,
but there is more to come from Democratic-inspired approaches,
the diplomats fear. Ankara supports continued U.S. commitment to a
unified Iraq because other options will present even worse outcomes.

Recently, prominent Democrats, including leading former diplomat
Richard Holbrooke, have called for a redeployment of U.S. troops in
Iraq to Kurdish-controlled northern areas.

At a time when Sen. Joseph Biden, a top foreign policy figure in
the Democratic Party, is calling for Iraq’s effective partitioning
through the creation of three statelets in a very loosely federated
Iraq, such proposals are likely to be increasingly embraced by the
Democrats as well as by some Republicans.

Biden will become chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee
if the Democratic Party wins the upper chamber’s control.

Such plans, including redeployment of U.S. forces in the north,
are seen by Ankara as moves that would finalize the formal creation
of a Kurdish state that could have huge repercussions on Turkey’s
Kurdish population.

ARMENIA CAN SUSTAIN ONE SCIENTIFIC SYSTEM

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 9 2006

Armenia has delayed considerably the reform in science, stated the
economist Edward Aghajanov November 9 at the Pastark Club. For the
new policy on the scientific reform, Edward Aghajanov said he is not
acquainted with this policy because he was not invited to cooperate
on working it out. However, the economist thinks that the financial
possibilities of Armenia does not allow having both academic and
university science.

"Armenia is a poor country. I think Armenia needs a system of
scientific education. In order not to demolish the Academy, and not
to destroy and cause a painful transition, I think institutions of
scientific educational should be established, which combine both
science and education," says the economist.

AZERBAIJAN INTERESTED IN DEVELOPMENT OF BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH POLAND
Author: S. Aghayeva

TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006

"Azerbaijan is interested in the development of bilateral relations
with Poland", Ogtay Assadov, Speaker of the Milli Majlis (Azerbaijan’s
Parliament), said during the today’s meeting with Bogdan Borusevich,
Speaker of Poland’s Senate, Trend reports.

He expressed his confidence that his present visit to Azerbaijan
would give an impetus to the further development in bilateral
relations between the two countries. According to the Azerbaijani
Speaker, these relations began as far back as the beginning of the
last century. Mr. Assadov expressed his gratitude to the Polish
guest for the Polish support to Azerbaijan’s fair position in the
Azerbaijani-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Poland and Azerbaijan
are friendly nations, and the present visit must serve developing both
parliamentary and bilateral relations in al spheres of cooperation
between the two countries.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: IF FOREIGN MINISTERS WILL RESULT WELL, WE WILL BE ABLE TO MEET WITH ILHAM ALIYEV

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 8 2006

2006 is convenient year for Azerbaijan and Armenia to solve Nagorno
Garabagh conflict, because any elections are held during this year,"
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said during his meeting with the
representatives of Armenian community in Astana, APA reports.

He did not rule out his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Minsk
Summit in late November.

"If foreign ministers talks will result well, we will be able to
meet with the president. My last meeting with the president was not
optimistic and it seems to me that the conflict will not resolved in
2006," Robert Kocharyan said.

Rocklin & Rosevill Today
Wednesday, November 8, 2006

California gains clout with House switchover

Wednesday, November 08, 2006 / MICHAEL DOYLE (McClatchy Newspapers)

WASHINGTON — Parochially speaking, the Republicans’ Capitol Hill loss
could be California’s gain.

When the 110th Congress is sworn in next January, a Californian will
hold the most powerful position in the House of Representatives. At
least 17 other California House Democrats are likewise poised by dint
of seniority to chair committees or subcommittees.

"It’s always great to have people in leadership, from either party,
from your state," noted Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced.

The full impact of Tuesday’s election will unfold over time, as House
Democrats adjust to their newfound majority status. There will be
unforeseeable ripple effects, as one change begets another.

"There’s a lot of jockeying that’s going to happen before the end of
the year," Cardoza said.

Still, the ascension of Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco to House
speaker will give the Golden State considerable clout. She will be the
first Californian to take the House’s top job, as well as the first
woman.

As speaker, Pelosi will direct what bills reach the House floor. She
picks who gets plum assignments. She appoints House negotiators who
compromise with the Senate. She will be in earmark heaven, shaping
legislative bottom lines to her own satisfaction.

"It’s a big step forward," said Vic Fazio, a Washington lobbyist who
formerly represented the Sacramento Valley in the House. "For the
region, it’s actually quite good."

Pelosi’s top lieutenants are likewise attuned to California’s
appetites. They include close advisers like Rep. George Miller,
D-Concord, and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Eureka. Pelosi’s chief of staff,
John Lawrence, holds a doctorate in history from the University of
California at Berkeley and cut his political teeth with Central Valley
water politics.

Californians will chair at least five full committees, if seniority
prevails.

Miller will take over the House Education and the Workforce
Committee. Even the committee’s name might change. When Democrats
previously controlled Congress, they symbolically saluted their union
allies by calling the panel the Education and Labor Committee.

More substantively, Pelosi has promised that within the "first 100
hours" of the new Congress, Democrats will emphasize six priorities
that include increasing the national minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, up
from the current $5.15. California’s current minimum wage is $6.75 an
hour.

The wage hike could still founder amid Senate and White House
resistance. So could other House Democratic priorities, like the
costly proposal to screen 100 percent of the 7 million-plus ocean
cargo containers that arrive annually in Oakland, Long Beach and the
nation’s other ports.

Currently, inspectors reach only about 5 percent of seaborne
containers entering the United States.

"It is realistic to set out an agenda," said Tim Ransdell, executive
director of the California Institute for Federal Policy Studies. "It
is less realistic to think that every item on a grand wish list can be
achieved."

Another Bay Area lawmaker, Rep. Tom Lantos of San Mateo, is the senior
Democrat on the House International Relations Committee. The panel
will certainly become a forum for critiquing Iraq policies. More
narrowly, fresh hearings are likely for ethnic political disputes,
such as an Armenian genocide resolution favored by San Joaquin Valley
lawmakers.

The House Government Reform Committee under Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los
Angeles, will aggressively investigate the Bush
administration. Californians are likewise in line to chair committees
handling ethics and House administration.

The state’s defense industry is watching whether Los Angeles Democrat
Jane Harman will head the House intelligence panel. She has the
seniority and is lobbying hard, but she’s at odds with Pelosi, who
handpicks the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Besides committees, power will flow anew to certain coalitions.

Cardoza and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, are among 37 members of the Blue
Dog coalition. The centrist Democrats seek more influence, bridging
the gap between Democratic liberals and moderate Republicans.

"We will have to shift into defensive mode," said Rep. Devin Nunes,
R-Visalia. "This will mean working in a coalition with the Blue Dogs,
to stop bad things for the Valley from coming through."

California is also losing some stature. The House water and power
subcommittee responsible for shepherding a San Joaquin River
settlement bill, for instance, is now passing from the hands of
Republican Rep. George Radanovich of Mariposa.

"I think the Valley agenda will be the same," predicted Rep. Richard
Pombo, R-Tracy, "but it will be much harder to get things done."

(Distributed by Scripps-McClatchy Western Service.)

BORUSEWICZ: POLAND SUPPORTS TURKEY IN EU ACCESSION

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.11.2006 16:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Poland may become a mediator in improving the
Armenian-Turkish relations, however bilateral agreement of the parties
is necessary to that end, Polish Senate Marshal Bogdan Borusewicz
stated November 7. In his words, Polish leadership offered it to
Turkey and there are positive responses from the Armenian party
over the matter. "Turkey and Armenia have mutual interests and there
is a need to present these now," the Marshal noted. Remarking that
Poland supports Turkey in EU accession, Borusewicz underscored that
Turkey’s accession to the EU issues also from interests of Armenia. In
his turn Armenian Speaker Tigran Torosyan also noted that Turkey’s
accession to the EU is in line with Armenia’s interests, as if it is
the case the Turkish party assumes the obligation to follow democratic
principles. Moreover, Torosyan added, it is hard to imagine Turkey
joining the EU having closed borders with a friendly country to the
EU, reports IA Regnum.