Author: Dabaghian Diana

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ADMITTED THAT 3 HUMAN LOSSES MIGHT HAVE BEEN AVOIDED, IF THE POLICE WAS EQUIPPED WITH MODERN SPECIAL MEANS

Mediamax
March 20, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian President Robert Kocharian stated today
that the law-enforcement bodies of Armenia need better technical
equipment.

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a news conference in Yerevan today,
Robert Kocharian stated that this became one of the most important
lessons of the mass unrest in the capital city on March 1-2.

"We in fact used out-of-date special means. The preliminary results
of the investigation evidence that three human losses among the
civilians might have been avoided, if the used special means were
safer", the Armenian President stated.

All in all, 8 people died in the process of the unrest, including
one police officer.

WHOLE AZERBAIJAN POPULAR FRONT PARTY CALLS TO REFUSE MEDIATION OF OSCE MG

Azeri Press Agency
March 17 2008
Azerbaijan

Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party has held the next meeting today,
Press Service of the Party told APA.

The Party condemned OSCE MG member countries’ position on resolution
on Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan adopted in UN General Assembly
.The party stated that OSCE MG member countries were not interested
in just solution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The Party’s statement
says that the member countries want to frozen the conflict for a
long time. Voting against the resolution on Occupied Territories
of Azerbaijan proves that they have hypocritical position," the
statement reads.

"The ongoing situation shows that member countries do not want the
solution of the conflict within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

This shadows the above-said countries’ statements on inviolability
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity," the statement says.

The Party considers that OSCE MG Co-Chairs’ activity is unacceptable.

"We should appeal to the UN Security Council for the implementation
of resolutions on liberation of Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan as
well as solution to the conflict within international legal norms,"
the statement says.

WAPFP Management Board considered the necessity of explanation from
the countries, which were against or abstained on the resolution.

The statement covers that incomes from energy recourses should be
allocated for army building.

"Azerbaijani Armed Forces should be provided with the cutting-edge
military facilities and aggressors should be expelled from the lands
and the territorial integrity should be restored," reads the statement.

The Management Board also discussed the preparation for the next
assembly.

OSCE MG THINKS AZERBAIJAN’S RESOLUTION UNJUST

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.03.2008 13:28 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states, including
Russia, have taken a tough stand on the UN resolution on Azerbaijan,"
Russia’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasily Istratov said when commenting
on the March 14 vote.

"The OSCE Minsk Group co-chair states think that resolution as unjust,"
he said, Azeri Press Agency reports.

On 14 March, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Nagorno
Karabakh, in which Azerbaijan called for the immediate, complete and
unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces "from all the occupied
territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan."

With 39 votes in favor, 7 against and 100 abstentions, the Assembly
adopted a text that also called for "continued respect and support
for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of
Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders."

In favor: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei
Darussalam, Cambodia, Colombia, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Georgia,
Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Moldova,
Morocco, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda,
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Against: Angola, Armenia, France, India, Russian Federation, United
States, Vanuatu

UN resolution on Nagorno Karabakh to undermine peaceful process: RA
Permanent Representative to UN Armen Martirosyan

2008-03-15 13:48:00

ArmInfo. "The Resolution of UN General Assembly on Nagorno Karabakh
with requirement of immediate withdrawal of the Armenian forces "from
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan", having been passed the day
before, will undermine the peaceful process, Permanent Representative
of Armenia to UN Armen Martirosyan said from the tribune of UN General
Assembly, the foreign Mass Media report. "The weighed and responsible
mediators in this conflict considered that the Resolution does not
contribute to peaceful negotiations. Armenia knows that it will
undermine the peaceful process", Martirosyan said before voting. The
General Assembly passed the document with 39 votes "for" and 7
"against". Total of 147 out of 192 UN members- states took part in the
voting.

According to the message, 100 UN member-states abstained during voting
on the Resolution on "the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which
asks to confirm its right for Nagorno Karabakh and the adjacent
territories". The document emphasizes the necessity of "immediate,
complete and unconditional withdrawal of all the Armenian forces from
all the occupied territories of the Azerbaijani Republic". A.
Martirosyan qualified the document, introduced by Baku, which, as he
said, conflicts with the basic international standards, as an attempt
of "sabotage" of the negotiation process by Azerbaijan. The document
could get the official approval of the General Assembly due to support
of the Islamic Conference Organization, on behalf of which Permanent
Representative of Pakistan Munir Akram came forwards.

"We are deeply concerned over Armenia’s attempts to confirm the
status-quo of occupation, in particular, through the attempt of illegal
settlement of the Armenian population in the occupied territory", Akram
said. He called on UN states to confirm the integrity of the
internationally-recognized borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan with the
status of a wide self-government of Nagorno Karabakh in the structure
of Azerbaijan. The document, from which 100 countries dissociated, was
introduced for discussion by the nations in less than a month after the
Serbian Territory of Kosovo declared independence on February 17, which
has been already recognized by 30 states. Russia and a number of other
countries consider this a violation of the international law and feared
of the "domino effect".

The Resolution, confirming the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, was
supported by Serbia, Georgia and Ukraine.

The General Assembly claims once again that no state should recognize
the situation, developed as a result of occupation of AR territories,
legal and should not contribute to or promote preservation of this
situation", the Resolution reads. The General Assembly’s Resolutions
have no compulsory power of performance.

PROPAGANDA TERROR – NOT SOMETHING NEW
Lilit Poghosyan

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
March 14, 2008

As we know, under the March 1 decree on imposing a state of emergency
in the town of Yerevan, President Robert Kocharyan has, along with
other temporary restrictions, "narrowed’ the scope of the activity
of the media to a certain extent, prohibiting to disseminate false
"information" aimed at destabilizing the situation and arbitrary
"political analyses".

In accordance with the above mentioned, it was particularly prescribed
that the information on state and internal political issues should
be presented in a "pure" form, i.e. in the form of official reports,
without individual comments.

In response to the questions of the journalists, the President promised
the previous day to review the relevant clause of the decree. "In the
framework of the state of emergency, it is prescribed what publications
concerning the internal political situation may be available. The new
decree will prescribe the things that are not allowed to do. And the
restrictions will only apply to the dissemination of provocative and
obviously false information," the President said.

Considering that no incidents and violations were observed
in connection with the legal regime of the state of emergency,
R. Kocharyan yesterday signed a new decree (as he had promised) on
introducing changes in the decree issued on March 1. Accordingly,
the clause restricting the activity of the media is reworded in the
following manner, "The mass media are prohibited from publishing
and disseminating obviously false information, concerning state
and internal political issues, or any other information aimed at
destabilizing the situation, as well as calls for participating in
unauthorized (unlawful) events".

Time will show to what extent such "mitigation" will contribute to
stabilizing the situation, and to what extent it will allow us to
resist the goal-oriented lie and fraud with the help of which the
propaganda machine of the Armenian Pan-National Movement consistently
and persistently poisoned the people for several years continuously,
sowing total intolerance, hatred and hostility in relation to the
authorities and dissidents in general.

One thing is clear: the "March 1" events wouldn’t have happened had
the authorities tried to call to order the professional falsifiers
who were engaged in "propaganda diversion" against the state under
the cover of freedom of speech, who represented gossips and rumors as
100 percent "reliable information", their own desires – as "analysis"
and the fruits of their own morbid fantasy – as "political prediction".

Was it necessary to declare a state of emergency in the country so as
the media would be offered to mind their own business at last? That’s
to say, to present true information to the public with regard to the
developments taking place in the country, to have an elementary sense
of responsibility, not to tell lies or defame people and to refrain
from turning the events upside down.

After all, the pro-Levon propaganda terror, which intensified after the
elections and, having reached its peak as a results of the incessant
brainwashing continued in Theatrical Square for 9 days, surged a wave
of mass psychosis and developed into a "spontaneous massive violence",
is not something new.

The organized misinformation campaign has always accompanied us after
the 1998 shift of power. The propaganda of hatred, as a political
category, i.e. a tool and a factor of a political confrontation,
became fantastically active after the "October 27" acts, continuously
polluting the atmosphere of public confrontation with the poisonous
manifestations of mutual distrust, suspicion and spite. And today,
it is doing its dirty business from the "underground", ignoring the
restrictions envisaged by the regime of the state of emergency.

Isn’t it accounted for by the fact that instead of subjecting
the liars to liability and thus contributing to the formation of
‘liability institutions’, the law enforcement agencies ignored, for
several years, the obvious misinformation circulating in the press
supporting the Armenian Pan-National Movement and the unfounded
accusations addressed to different people?

IF WE WERE NOT ABLE TO PREVENT MARCH 1 EVENTS, WE ARE TO BLAME, SERGE SARGSIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
March 14, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 13, RA Prime Minister, newly
elected President Serge Sargsian answered the questions of citizens
asked through Internet. The most part of the questions addressed to
the Prime Minister regarded the events that happened in Yerevan early
in the morning of March 2.

In response to the question of whether he feels responsibility for
the events in Yerevan, the Prime Minister said that certainly he
feels. In his words, he, he team-mates, and the other presidential
candidates have repeatedly expressed such anxiety. However, "we
were not able to prevent and if we were not able to prevent, it
means that we are to blame, we are guilty," the Prime Minister said
adding: "However, today we should think not about the extent of the
fault, but should think how to liquidate the consequences of that
tragedy. In my opinion, the most correct way will be our good work,
the most correct way will be implementation of reforms in our society,
the most correct way will be that after our first steps of principle
the people is convinced that it has done a right choice."

In response to the question "in consideration of the latest events,
what feelings did you have after the elections" S. Sargsian said:
"Under usual conditions, after such elections, after finding a
format of political cooperation, agreement, it could be indeed a
holiday. However, the post-electoral processes, certainly, delivered
a blow not only to the elections, but also to whole our people,
our state, to the mood of all of us." "Certainly, I am not glad
now, certainly, I am pained: but this pain should make us not cry,
not become passive, but this pain should make us act, as only with
action we can achieve success, only with action we can restore the
authority of our state, our people, our authorities," S. Sargsian said.

In response to questions about himself and his nearest circle
S. Sargsian categorically refuted the rumors of his being a gambler
and visiting gambling houses, having a share in all big businesses
in Armenia.

THOMAS HAMMARBERG CONDUCTS MEETINGS IN PARLIAMENT

ARMENPRESS
March 14, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS: Armenian National Assembly Speaker
Tigran Torosian received today the Council of Europe Human Rights
Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg.

NA press service told Armenpress that at the meeting present was
special representative of the Council of Europe secretary general
Bojana Urumova.

During the meeting Torosian underscored the visit of the commissioner
to Armenia for getting acquainted with situation as different agencies
present the situation in a different way. The NA speaker noted that
in the created situation the authorities have undertaken the steps
in accordance with the Armenia’s Constitution and European Convention
on Human rights.

It was also noted that the limitations of state of emergency have
been smoothened. He said the limitations were only directed towards
stabilization of the situation.

Referring to different foreign statements, the speaker described
them as not relevant especially when it is being stated that all
the arrested must be released and a dialogue must be established
with the opposition, particularly with Levon Ter-Petrosian and his
associates. He said that first of all it is necessary to arrest those
who have committed crimes.

The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner agreed with the
speaker that the international establishments must be careful not to
make the situation more tensed.

According to him, in Armenia the public is polarized and people are
very sensitive to the political events. Th. Hammarberg underscored
the lifting of the restrictions in the work of the media and creation
of atmosphere of full trust.

During the meeting the sides also discussed the conduction
of comprehensive investigation which is an adopted way in the
international practice aimed at finding out those who are really
guilty in the developments which took life of 8 people.

Th. Hammarberg also said that it is necessary to develop concrete
processes over the steps which the police must undertake during the
public unrest so that they will be within the limits of law.

The NA speaker agreed that there is a necessity to make surveys and
may be after some time when everything will be calm and the situation
will stabilize such a group will be set up.

In this respect it was also noted that from 1988 crowded rallies were
taking place in Armenia but neither of them ended in such a way.

The Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner also conducted meetings
with the NA factions.

SERZH SARKISIAN REGRETS THAT GENERAL MANVEL GRIGORIAN TRIED TO GET INVOLVED IN POLITICS

Mediamax
March 14, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister, President-Elect Serzh
Sarkisian stated that he never tried to involve the Deputy Defense
Minister Lieutenant-General Manvel Grigorian into politics.

Mediamax reports that Serzh Sarkisian said this in a TV interview,
answering the questions, sent to him through internet.

"Manvel Grigorian is my battle companion, and I regret that he
tried to get involved in politics and not to obey the order of
the Commander-in-Chief. I think that all the conditions should
be investigated and the problem should be solved", Armenian Prime
Minister stated.

Serzh Sarkisian stated that the authorities never used the Army for
solving political issues and its participation in securing the state
of emergency order is provided for by the Armenian Constitution.

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN RECEIVED THE COE COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

armradio.am
13.03.2008 16:58

RA President Robert Kocharyan received the delegation headed by the
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg,
President’s Press Office reported.

The discussions mainly focused on the situation in Armenia in
post-election period and the problems connected with it.

According to President Kocharyan, unfortunately, we did not manage
to avoid the undesirable development of events and the state had to
undertake certain steps to normalize the situation.

The interlocutors turned to the condition of human rights protection
under the state of emergency and attached importance to undertaking
necessary steps for the soon settlement of the situation.

Robert Kocharyan said the situation in the capital is now calm. It’s
stabilizing and due to that the provisions of the state of emergency
have been mitigated twice.

ATTACK ON IRAN WILL TRIGGER MUSLIM FURY

press tv
Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:58:59

The CSTO Secretary General, Nikolai Bordyuzha, has warned of dire
negative consequences should a military option be taken against Iran.

Resolution of Iran’s nuclear issue through military actions would
create tension in Islamic countries and also provoke reactions of
all Muslims, particularly the Shiites, the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO) chief stated in a round table conference in Moscow.

With the recently issued 1803 sanctions resolution against Iran,
who is there to guarantee the forestalling of military action against
the Islamic Republic, questioned Bordyuzha.

He also noted that the CSTO is not indifferent to Iran’s issue,
pointing out that some signatories to the treaty have close ties with
the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, Bordyuzha accused the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) of trying to weaken Russia’s cooperation with all former
Soviet Union republics, adding that NATO is striving to segregate
Moscow from its Central Asian partners.

Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia and
Uzbekistan are members of the CSTO.