Author: Ekmekjian Janet

ACCORDING TO AHARON ADIBEKYAN THERE WON’T BE SECOND PART

Panorama.am
21:11 18/12/2007

"Sociometer" social centre directed by Aharon Adibekyan started
to conduct presidential survey in the beginning of the year. "We
started to carry out the examination stage of the candidates, as we
were interested in how they would behave during the parliamentary
elections and after them," said the leader of the centre in a press
conference held today.

According to him when they started the names of the candidates were
unknown. A question "Who do you want to see as a president" was asked
and 41 names were mentioned. The centre conducted the last poll and
2220 people took part but only 1650 of them answered to the question.

According to Aharon Adibekyan the parliamentary elections had very
serious results, as after the rating of some political leaders
decreased and the opposite. "After the parliamentary elections the
ratings of Serzh Sargsyan and Raffi Hovhannisyan increased, Artur
Baghdasaryan’s ratings remained the same, and those of Artashes
Geghamyan and Vazgen Manukyan decreased," he said. According to him
Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s rating doubled: from 1.3% to 2.7%.

In January 7.7% of the participants said that they would vote for
Serzh Sargsyan, whereas in the results of October month 27.2% would
vote for him. In January 33% of the participants said that Serzh
Sargsyan would be elected, and in October-48%. Correspondingly the
results for Raffi Hovhannisyan are 10.5% in January, 5.4 in October;
Artur Baghdasaryan – 9.4% and 4.8%; Levon Ter-Petrosyan – 1.3%
and 2.7%; Artashes Geghamyan’s ratings decreased from 8.2% to 2%;
Vahan Hovhannisyan’s rating was zero in January, and 1.4% in October;
Vazgen Manukyan’s rating decreased from 3.5% to 1.1%.

According to Adibekyan former officials will vote for Levon
Ter-Petrosyan, and as well as the businessmen.

"After Serzh Sargsyan became a Prime Minister, the customs sphere
was straitened. That’s why they prefer Levon Ter-Petrosyan," he said.

Acording to Adibekyan there are little chances for the second part
of the elections.

U.S. DIPLOMAT URGES ARMENIA AND TURKEY TO MEND THEIR RELATIONS

ARMENPRESS
Dec 17 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS: U.S. charge d’affaires in Armenia,
Joseph Pennington, said today his government would like Armenia and
Turkey to step up the dialogue that would lead to normalization of
ties between the two nations, establishment of diplomatic relations
and opening of their sealed borders.

Speaking at a news conference the U.S. diplomat said that would
benefit not only Turkey and Armenia but the entire region.

"We have called on Turkey’s and Armenian governments to move in this
direction,’ he said.

He also said the U.S. government has clearly asked the government in
Ankara to abolish a notorious article 301 of the criminal code which
is used by the authorities to persecute and prosecute prominent voices
for alleged denigration of ‘Turkishness’.

Before moving to Armenia Joseph Pennington had served for U.S. embassy
in Ankara for 4 years. He said he hopes that the experience he has
gained in the region will help him to be as useful as possible for
promoting Armenian-American partnership.

Joseph Pennington said also the USA and its cochairman in the OSCE
Minsk Group (Mathew Bryza) do not think there is a military option
for ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The American diplomat said negotiations to seek a mutually acceptable
peace formula go on within the frameworks of Minsk Group. He said
the U.S. is committed to continue the process.

"Serious progress has been registered and we are hopeful that this
progress will lead to a (peace) agreement," he said.

The Minsk Group co-chairs will pay another visit to the region in
mid-January to learn the reaction of Armenian and Azeri leaderships
to a package of their proposals on basic principles for peaceful
settlement of the conflict.

The package was handed to Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers in
Madrid in late November.

JOSEPH PENNIGTON: DESPITE BELLIGERENT STATEMENTS OF AZERBAIJAN, U.S.
EXCLUDES POSSIILITY OF KARABAKH PROBLEM’S MILITARY SOLUTION

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The U.S. will continue providing
full assistance through the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for
the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, the U.S. Charge
d’Affaires in Armenia Joseph Pennington stated during a meeting with
the RA defence minister Mikael Harutyunian in Yerevan. He said that
despite the belligerent statements frequently made by Azerbaijan in
recent period, the position of the U.S. remains the same: to exclude
the military solution of the problem.

According to the spokesman for the RA defence minister Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvarian, the sides also discussed the current state and prospects
of the Armenian-U.S. military cooperation.

"ARMECONOMBANK" PRESENTED A GIFT-BOOK FOR VIP-CUSTOMERS

Mediamax Agency
Dec 14 2007
Armenia

Yerevan, December 15 /Mediamax/. "Armeconombank" presented a gift-book,
which provides for discount and special offers for VIP-customers of
the bank.

As Mediamax was told in the Marketing Department of "Armeconombank",
the gift-book is published jointly with "Corporate Image Center"
Company, and it includes 71 companies, which present special offers
to 2500 selected customers of "Armeconombank".

As the Chairman of the Board of "Armeconombank" David Sukiasian stated,
one can find a number of well-known companies in the book, "which
appreciated the customers of the bank and offered them preferential
terms and surprises".

THREE THEATERS OF SHUSHI WILL BE JOINED IN ONE

KarabakhOpen
13-12-2007 13:03:23

Next year the three theaters of Shushi will be joined in one, and will
be called Atsghik. The minister of culture and youth Norek Gasparyan
says it is not reasonable to have three state theaters in a town with
a population of 2500, especially that none of the theaters has a full
staff. Norek Gasparyan says the new theater will have a full staff.

The minister of culture also said in 2008 a theatrical studio,
a record studio, a folk band and a jazz band will be set up in Shushi.

A NUMBER OF AGREEMENTS SIGNED BETWEEN UAE AND ARMENIA

armradio.am
13.12.2007 10:52

RA President Robert Kocharyan had a number of meetings in the framework
of his working visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Mediamax correspondent reports from Abu Dhabi that agreements of
cooperation were signed particularly in the spheres of agriculture,
tourism and air communication.

An agreement on financing the reconstruction of the Arpa-Sevan
tunnel was signed between the Armenian Government and the Abu Dhabi
Development Fund.

Robert Kocharyan met with the President of the United Arab Emirates
Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zaid Al Nahayan and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Robert Kocharyan also participated in the opening of the new Armenian
Embassy building in the United Arab Emirates.

GAZPROM LOOKING TO INCREASE NATURAL GAS SUPPLIES TO BRITAIN

RIA Novosti
20:06 | 12/ 12/ 2007

MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) – Gazprom is seeking to increase
natural gas supplies to Britain, the Russian company said on Wednesday
after a meeting between CEO Alexei Miller and British Minister of
State for Energy Malcolm Wicks.

The Russian natural gas monopoly has been selling natural gas to
Britain under short-term contracts since 1999, with its gas exports
to the country increasing rapidly. Last year, the company supplied
8.7 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Britain.

"Prospects for expanding Russian natural gas supplies to the British
market and Gazprom’s joint activity with British energy companies
in the oil and gas sphere were considered at the meeting," the
statement reads.

The parties also discussed the implementation of cooperation agreements
between Gazprom and Britain’s energy giant BP, including natural gas
and liquefied natural gas deliveries.

Britain has been a natural gas net importer since 2004. A number of
Western experts have forecast that the country’s demand for natural
gas imports will reach 40 billion cubic meters by 2010. The Nord
Stream gas pipeline currently being built under the Baltic Sea to
pump Russian natural gas to Europe should become a new channel of
natural gas supplies to Britain.

In April 2006, Gazprom Marketing & Trading Ltd, a Gazprom subsidiary,
delivered the first 140,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas
(around 85 million cubic meters of natural gas) to the Isle of Grain
terminal in Britain.

In June 2007, Gazprom, Ã~BÃ~P and the Russian-British joint oil venture
TNK-Ã~BÃ~P signed an agreement to establish a strategic alliance for
long-term investment in joint energy projects and asset swaps both
in Russia and in third countries.

Latest reports say that the Gazprom board will consider the company’s
participation in gas and energy projects in Armenia at a meeting next
Tuesday, when the company’s performance in 2007 is due to be reviewed

–Boundary_(ID_jwTZpa/62X016JcCVPj++w)–

ARMENIAN PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS DECLARE ASSETS
By Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 12 2007

All nine politicians seeking to stand in Armenia’s forthcoming
presidential election have released their mandatory income and asset
declarations, with Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian claiming to own no
real property in the republic, it emerged on Wednesday.

According to income declarations obtained by RFE/RL from the Central
Election Commission (CEC), Sarkisian stated that he only co-owns
an apartment in his native town of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s
capital.

He also told the CEC that he only has 58 million drams ($191,000)
in bank savings, about 40 paintings and an unspecified number of
antiques. He did not estimate the monetary value of those items,
saying only that some of them date back to the 18th century.

Sarkisian, who has lived in a state-owned residence ever since
moving to Yerevan from Stepanakert in 1993, is believed to wield huge
influence on economic affairs, maintaining close ties with some of
the country’s wealthiest businessmen. Political opponents have long
alleged that the prime minister has amassed a huge fortune while in
office, a charge he denies.

Also claiming to have no real property is former parliament speaker
Artur Baghdasarian, who leads one of the two opposition parties
represented in the National Assembly. Baghdasarian lives in an
expensive apartment in downtown Yerevan and reportedly has business
interests. He said in his income statement that he only has some
$215,000 worth of cash on his bank accounts.

Another leading opposition candidate, former President Levon
Ter-Petrosian, declared ownership of a three-story house in Yerevan
and some 10,000 square meters of adjacent land that was granted to
him by the government after he lost power in 1998. Ter-Petrosian also
told the CEC that he co-owns office space in two separate locations
in the city center and has no personal bank savings.

Ter-Petrosian’s mansion is much bigger than even the home of
Tigran Karapetian, a controversial millionaire businessman and TV
commentator. Karapetian, who speaks on his own ALM TV station on a
virtually daily basis, said he also owns five cars and 2,300 square
meters of business property.

Karapetian’s declared home is smaller than a three-story apartment
owned by Vazgen Manukian of the opposition National Democratic Union
party. Manukian also owns two Russian-made cars.

Another major candidate, Vahan Hovannisian of the governing Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, declared the largest amount of money on
his bank accounts equivalent to roughly $250,000. He also claimed to
own two apartments in central Yerevan and a plot of land in a village
outside the capital.

Under the Armenian Election Code, individuals seeking registration
as presidential candidates also have to deposit an equivalent of
$20,000 with the CEC. The electoral authority has until January 20
to process applications from the nine contenders and decide whether
to put their names on the ballot.

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN LEAVING FOR THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

armradio.am
11.12.2007 10:08

President Robert Kocharyan will leave for the United Arab Emirates
today for a working visit, President’s Press Office reports.

The delegation headed by the President comprises RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian, Minister of Trade and Economic Development Nerses
Yeritsyan, Head of the President’s Staff Armen Gevorgyan, President
of the State Tax Committee Gagik Khachatryan, other officials.

December 12 in Abu Dhabi RA President Robert Kocharyan is expected to
meet with the President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khalifa
ibn Zaid Al Nahayan, following which Mr. Kocharyan will meet with
UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Robert Kocharyan will also meet with the Director General of the
Abu Dhabi Development Fund Ahmad Al Mazru and will attend the solemn
ceremony of opening of the Armenian Embassy in The United Arab Emirates
and will met with representatives of the local Armenian community.

Agreements on bilateral cooperation in the spheres of agriculture,
tourism, air communication will be signed in the framework of the
meeting.

On the last day of the visit Robert Kocharyan will leave for Ras al
Khayma, where he will meet with Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler Shaikh
Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi.

The delegation headed by President Kocharyan will return to Yerevan
on December 13.

LEVON EFFENDI AND THE RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Armen Tsaturyan

Hayots Ashkharh Daily
Dec 11 2007
Armenia

Trying to completely devaluate the achievement of our country in the
issue of the recognition of Genocide in the last 10 years, during
December 8 demonstration Levon Ter-Petrosyan came out with different
anti-national statements and conclusions.

The principle chosen by Levon Effendi in the evaluation of Armenian
authorities in their policy regarding the recognition of Armenian
Genocide derives from his practical interests. Which he formulates
in the following way: "Politics is not words but first of all
actions and only actions." Based on this principle the ex-president
states that, by including the issue of the recognition of Armenian
Genocide in Armenia’s foreign policy agenda the government in power:
" can’t differentiate practical politics from making announcements
and swaggering" and periodically reach a deadlock.

It is indisputable that during his years of power Levon Ter-Petrosyan
didn’t even try "to put pressure" on Turkey and the issue of the
recognition of Armenian genocide has never been included in the
Foreign policy agenda.

Turkey didn’t give way to Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s friendly gestures
and has always imposed new and new pre-conditions for eliminating the
blockade. As a consequence the process of the international recognition
of Armenian Genocide marches on the same spot, and it was during
the power of this very government that this issue recorded decisive
success. Those who have any knowledge about arithmetic can count the
results and conclude that if in the first sphere the achievements of
the former authorities are the same, in the second the present ones
have definitely recorded indisputable and apparent results in the
issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide.

Trying to devaluate the achievements in this sphere as well, in his
speech delivered in December 8 demonstration Levon Ter-Petrosyan
advanced the idea, that by raising the issue of the recognition of
Armenian Genocide from the UN tribune the government in power, in
reality was trying to make heroes from themselves: " Had Kocharyan
and Oskanyan had more serious intentions, they must have started a
concrete process aimed at the recognition of the Genocide, by the
protocol established under the UN charter, the result of which should
have been the relevant resolution passed by that organization."

A question arises here – what do they call the policy of regulating
the process of the world recognition of Armenian Genocide, if not
increasing the votes in support of this issue, given in the UN and
only after that making the issue a matter of discussion in the United
Nations Organization?

Is it a secret for anyone that, to settle any issue in UN, you must
first of all get the approval of pivotal countries such as the USA,
France, Russia and other countries of the Security Council? The fact
that the issue of the recognition of Armenian Genocide that has been
adopted by Russia and has even obtained a force of all law by France
is knocking at the doors of the US Congress and House of Commons of
Great Britain, can’t be refuted even by Levon Effendi.

What did we get from the parade of the international recognition of
Armenian Genocide that has been recorded due to the consistent policy
pursued by the government in power?

First: we obtained and in future will obtain new and new guarantees
for security from the superpowers and separate countries that have
already recognized and will recognize Armenian Genocide.

Second: It was during the recent ten years that the world really
came to know our country and our people, and learning about our past,
not only did they show interest and sympathy towards Armenia but also
made the issue of reinstating the violated rights the components of
international politics.

Third: The "power of right" achieved by Armenia in the international
arena, became one of those factors that made our "use of force in"
Nagorno Karabakh comprehensible for the international community."

Though even now Levon Ter-Petrosyan is trying to "naively" state
that only if we establish "kind-friendly relations and atmosphere
of trust" with our neighbors, will Turkey definitely recognize
Armenian Genocide. A question arises here how is Levon Effendi going
to establish the "kind-friendly relations and atmosphere of trust"
with our neighbors, when for Turkey the pre-condition of friendly
relations is our giving up the "Genocide allegations".

This means either the ex-President is so naive that he didn’t manage
to learn lessons from the failure of his policy towards Turkey,
or most probably he is trying to mislead himself and us.