Author: Ekmekjian Janet

PanARMENIAN.Net

In Azerbaijan there are people who realize that the war for someone
else’s territory is committed to defeat

`The image of the enemy’ is once and for all formed and if things go
on like this, perhaps the inner instability will lead to civil strife
like it had happened before Heydar Aliyev.
14.06.2007 GMT+04:00

The President of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan didn’t come
to any common conclusion in Saint Petersburg just like it should have
been expected. However the meeting of the two Presidents gave grounds
for different announcements and discussion of the document about the
resolution, which according to the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vartan Oskanyan, will firstly determine the status of Nagorno-Karabakh
and then will help find answers to the other questions.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In Baku immediately after the meeting the Karabakh
Forum with participation of deputies and political parties was
held. It launched with a scandal. On the list of the announced
organizers there was the name of the political scientist Ilgar
Mamedov, who, according to the articles, is against the radical means
put forward by Akif Naðý. Day. az has published the announcement
made by Mamedov, where he emphasizes; `The information about my
participation in organizing the Karabakh Forum is a complete lie. I
encourage practically all the initiatives of the public discussion of
the Karabakh Conflict and I always take very active part in their
works. However, I never agreed to become one of the organizers of the
mentioned Forum. That is why I am surprised and disappointed that the
Karabakh Liberation Organization has mentioned my name among the
initiators of this event, while I had agreed to participate in the
discussions only.’

But the matter is not in Ilgar Mamedov only, but that Baku seems to
have started to realize that sooner or later it will have to reach the
agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh status and only then solve the other
problems, such as territorial problems, the problem of refugees,
borders and so on.

`Karabakh Liberation Organization thinks that Azerbaijan should cancel
the idea of holding the referendum on determining the further status
of Nagorno-Karabakh,’ announced Akif Naði. The president of the
party of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimli said in his
speech that `The international organizations strive to once and for
all tear away Nagorno Karabakh from Azerbaijan.’ According to him, in
case Kosovo gains its independence, Azerbaijan will have a rather
serious danger to face. Kerimli also said that it was very
unreasonable to hold the referendum on the status of Nagorno Karabakh
in Azerbaijan. The President of the oppositional National Democratic
Party Bozgurd Iskender Hamidov came forward with the idea of
discontinuing the OSCE Minsk Group’s activity, as well as demanded to
reject the implementation of the policy of `National Diplomacy’.

All the participants of the Forum are active supporters of the
conflict resolution by use of force, who for some unknown reasons
forget that as Agber Hasanov writes, `If on the streets of Baku there
is no one ready `to liberate’ Nagorno-Karabakh, in our opinion it
means that this land didn’t and doesn’t belong to
Azerbaijan’. Moreover, Baku will hardly dare to unleash any war, in
spite of all the preparations being held within and beyond of the
borders of the country. `The image of the enemy’ is once and for all
formed and if it goes on like this, perhaps the inner instability will
lead to civil strife like it had happened before Heydar Aliyev. Then
the President Aliyev will hardly be concerned about Karabakh, as he
will have to save his position by all means, even by war. The hope
will fall upon oil and gas supplies, yet, as it has already been
mentioned, war cannot be won by the help of growing military budget
only. Elmar Huseynov is one of the few journalists in Azerbaijan, who
paid with his life for his views, wrote in 1997 `We lost the war,
because we didn’t fight for our land. Our refugees do not want to
return, as it is not their land…’ These lines were published in the
newspaper `Monitor’, which was shut down by Heydar Aliyev. This was
and still remains the only truth. «PanARMENIAN.Net» analytical
department

ARMENIA, IRAN TO SIGN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 14 2007

YEREVAN, June 14. /ARKA/. Armenia and Iran are expected to sign an
agreement on free trade regime. The issue was discussed at a meeting
between RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan and Iranian Ambassador to
Armenia Alireza Khakikian.

The Public Relations Department, RA Government, reports that Premier
Sargsyan expressed hope that the meeting of the Intergovernmental
Commission scheduled for July will contribute to the development and
consolidation of economic relations.

Premier Sargsayan expressed satisfaction over successful implementation
of the programs under high-level agreements.

In his turn, the Iranian Ambassador pointed out the importance of
the planned meeting. He said that the Iranian side is making serious
preparation for the meeting.

Besides the free trade agreement, Ambassador Khakikian emphasized
cooperation in the petrochemical industry, as well as the construction
of a hydro-power plant on the Araks River. He stressed that the
energy to be generated by the hydro-power plant will contribute to
the development of a number of borderline regions, and the energy
surplus will be used in exchange with Iran.

The Ambassador also reported that a join commission is expected to
be formed to encourage investments.

During the meeting Ambassador Khakikian conveyed to Premier Sargsyan
congratulations on his appointment from the Iranian Vice-President,
as well as success to the Armenian Government and the entire Armenian
people.

Eurasia Daily Monitor

June 13, 2007 — Volume 4, Issue 115

RUSSIA DEMANDS A TOTALLY CHANGED TREATY ON CONVENTIONAL FORCES IN
EUROPE

by Vladimir Socor

The `Extraordinary Conference of States Parties to the Treaty on
Conventional Forces in Europe’ (CFE), under way in Vienna since June 11 at
Russia’s initiative, is developing in a wholly different way than had been
expected. Russia is proposing what amounts to an almost total rewrite of the
1999-adapted CFE Treaty, which has not been ratified and brought into force
since then. The version currently in force is the original 1990 CFE Treaty.

Only Russia and three other CIS member countries have ratified the
1999-adapted Treaty. The other signatory countries condition their
ratification on the withdrawal of Russian forces from Georgia and Moldova
(the 1999 Istanbul Commitments). Apparently, Russia deemed the treaty at
least acceptable to itself as recently as 2004 when it initiated that
ratification (hoping to generate pressure on the Baltic states to join a
ratified treaty). Now, however, the Kremlin seeks in fact to scuttle this
same treaty, the ratification of which it was urging upon the West until
mere months and even weeks ago. Moscow’s move is central to a comprehensive
challenge to the post-Soviet status quo on security in Europe.

Euphemistically dubbed `modernization’ of the 1999 treaty, Russia’s
goal is a complete re-negotiation of that treaty package. However, Russia
still wants the 1999 CFE treaty to be brought into force — largely in order
to restrict defense options in the Baltic states — and only then proceed to
re-negotiate the treaty with regard to other areas, in quest of Russian
unilateral advantages.

The Russian delegation’s chief, Anatoly Antonov, listed Russia’s
grievances and demands in his June 12 official introductory speech. The
salient points include:

1) The 1999-adapted CFE Treaty to be ratified and brought into force
quickly, or at least to be declared `temporarily valid’ by July 1, 2008.

2) Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to sign the ratified or at least
temporarily validated treaty, so as to fall under its restrictions.
Curiously, Moscow claims that the three Baltic states should `return to the
CFE Treaty which they quit in 1991,’ implying that the three states somehow
inherited the 1990 treaty as parts of the Soviet Union, which was still
occupying them at that point;

3) New `group’ limits to be negotiated on NATO armaments and military
hardware, so as to `compensate’ [Russia] for the accession of new member
countries to NATO and the U.S. military installations in Romania and
Bulgaria. Arms deployments and/or numerical ceilings to be lowered in most
of those countries.

4) A political decision to remove the `flank’ limits on Russian force
deployments in the North Caucasus and a part of Russia’s northwest. Russia
`cannot and will not fulfill the provisions of the obsolete treaty to the
detriment of its security’ regarding flank limits. This seems to allude
mainly to the northwestern flank, since Russia has for years exceeded the
CFE treaty limits on the North Caucasus flank, using a treaty escape clause
with full Western understanding.

If no agreement is reached on these and apparently also some other
Russian demands, Russia reserves the right unilaterally to `suspend the
validity’ of the treaty or even abandon it altogether, Antonov warned the
conference in his presentation. Suspension, he explained, would mean in
practice that Russia would exempt itself from the treaty’s quantitative
force ceilings and would quit the treaty’s system of mutual inspections and
information exchanges on forces and movements.

Russia takes the position that `suspending the validity is a means for
revitalizing the treaty.’ It expects other signatory countries to refrain
from `actions that would hamper the treaty’s revitalization’ during the
period of Russia’s unilateral suspension, should it come to that. Such
`hampering’ actions could lead Russia to abandon the CFE treaty, Antonov
warned. He called for dialogue on the basis of these conditions.

This argument seems legally nihilistic on at least three counts: a)
the treaty does not envisage any unilateral moratorium on obligations or
suspension of terms; b) Moscow wants the treaty to be ratified quickly — or
even `temporarily validated’ — in order to achieve its specific goal
regarding the Baltic states, but wants the same treaty to be `temporarily
suspended’ if Russia does not achieve its other goals; c) Moscow apparently
presumes to define itself what would constitute `hampering actions.’

Antonov, who is Russia’s top arms control official (chief of the
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Security and Disarmament Department)
presented Moscow’s position to the closed-door conference, as reported by
Russia’s official media (Itar-Tass, RIA-Novosti, June 12). The delegation’s
deputy chief, Mikhail Ulyanov, elaborated on some of those points for
Western media (AP, Reuters, International Herald Tribune, June 12, 13).

Moscow’s agenda at this conference goes vastly beyond what the Western
allies and their partners had expected only days earlier. Generally they had
expected a relatively simple, largely familiar scenario: Russia would demand
ratification of the 1999 treaty, despite having only in part fulfilled its
1999 Istanbul Commitments; the Western allies would seek to square this
circle in a creative way, particularly regarding Russian troops in Moldova;
the door might then open for the Russia-desired accession of the Baltic
states to the adapted CFE Treaty. However, Russia’s strategic ambitions in
Europe seem to be outpacing even the pessimistic Western prognostications
(see EDM, May 25, June 8, 11).

–Vladimir Socor

AZEBAIJANI MPS SUGGEST TO DECLARE CURFEW

ArmRadio.am
13.06.2007 17:22

The Azerbaijani authorities must declare curfew within the frames
envisaged by the Constitution of the republic and take real steps to
restore the territorial integrity of the country, opposition Deputy
of Milli Majlis Panah Husein declared during the so-called Karabakh
forum, featuring representatives of the Azerbaijani political parties
and non-governmental organizations. "If the authorities establish
curfew, the opposition parties are ready to suspend their activity
and cooperate with the Government to restore the territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan," he underlined.

The suggestion was supported by the President of the "Musavat"
opposition party Isa Gambar, who declared his distrust in the OSCE
Minsk Group, declaring that "one should not expect real success from
the negotiations in the near future."

Presidnet of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Ali Kerimli declared
in his speech that "international organizations are aspiring to finally
secede Nagorno Karabakh from Azerbaijan." In his words, "if Kosovo
gets independence, it will present a serious danger to Azerbaijan."

"It is necessary to provide some time to the Armenian side, during
which Yerevan should recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,
otherwise our country will launch activities to resolve the Karabakh
issue in a military way," declared hudrat Hasanghuliyev, member of
the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan.

EXPERT: USA IS CONSTRUCTING ITS OWN RADAR SYSTEM IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

Regnum, Russia
June 13 2007

"It seems to me that the proposal made by Russian President Vladimir
Putin to use jointly the Gabala radar system in Azerbaijan was
an invitation for a political dialog on wide range of issues in
international security," political analyst Karine Gevorgyan said in
an interview to a REGNUM correspondent.

"Vladimir Putin’s proposal was treated as a sensational one;
meanwhile, as early as on May 2, 2007, information from an unnamed
source in the Pentagon was seen in the internet that the United States
would appreciate it if Russia and Azerbaijan agreed for joint use
of the Gabala radar station. He alleged to express opinion of the
US leadership. So, the Russian president, possibly, reacted to the
proposal from the USA itself, where, as it seems, there had been no
unanimous opinion between the Department of State and the Pentagon
from the start," she said. Besides, according to Karine Gervorgyan,
Azerbaijani officials made no secret of the fact that the question
had been discussed during Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov’s
visit to Baku. Putin’s statement that he had had a discussion with
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who, according to the Russian
leader, said Azerbaijan would be happy to participate in the security
issues that concern Russia and the USA, confirms the fact of Russia’s
consultations with Azerbaijan, believes the expert. "I know from
official sources that in the frameworks of an agreement on military
cooperation signed by the USA and Azerbaijan the United States is
planning to include the radar station in Lerik and a radiotelephone
observation station in Agstafa into the Caucasnet radar net. Last year,
the USa deployed radars in two districts in Azerbaijan.

Besides, they modernized an air defense base in Kurdamir. On
this background, Russia is selling defensive weapons to Iran and
strengthening its positions in Armenia. The contract between Russia
and Azerbaijan for renting the Gabala Radar System expires in 2012.

Now it is not working to its full capacity," Karine Gervorgyan said.

According to the analyst, Iran’s position on the issue is the same
as it is on the issue of stationing two US radar systems, one of
which will be targeted for Iran. "Tehran has nothing against it,"
said Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Afshar Suleimani earlier. "Such
reaction is possibly caused by change of Iran’s defensive status,"
supposes the expert. At the same time, Karine Gervorgyan ruled out
a possibility of a connection between the Russian-US dialog on joint
use of the Gabala radar station and the process of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement. Nevertheless, according to her, a "plot" between
Moscow and Washington about Karabakh is generally plausible.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Ankara `condemned’ resolution of Chilean Senate, which recognizes
Armenian Genocide
09.06.2007 14:51 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Expressing regret over the passage
of a resolution by the Chilean Senate recognizing the
Armenian Genocide, Turkey emphasized that the
resolution’s text is full of incorrect information.
`As is known, in his April 30 speech UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated that the UN does
not have official position regarding the 1915
incidents. We condemn and reject the resolution of the
Chilean Senate, which serves to distort history for
political purposes. We consider the Chilean Senate’s
resolution to be an attitude casting a shadow over
friendly relations between the two countries,’ the
Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement
released on Friday, Zaman newspaper reports.

On June 5 the Chilean Senate unanimously adopted a
resolution, which condemns the Armenian Genocide of
1915 perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire and called
governments of all countries in the world to join the
1985 document by the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention
of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

CONCLUSIONS OF 3 OUT 5 EXPERT EXAMINATIONS ON L. GULIAN’S DEATH CASE
NOT YET RECEIVED

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The tradic death of Levon Gulian is a
blow not only to his family and friends but also to Armenia. Chairman
of the "Zharangutyun" ("Heritage") party Raffi Hovannisian expressed
this opinion at the public discussion "Levon Gulian. A Man’s Life:
Challenge to the Society" on June 8.

To recap, according to official information, Levon Gilian, 31, director
of the Pandok Restaurant in Yerevan, on May 12, 2007, fell from a
window on the second floor of the building of the Main Criminal
Investigation Department of the RA Police and died on the spot. On that
day, at about 2:30 pm he was invited to the police for questioning in
connection with the murder of Stepan Vardanian committed on May 9 near
the above mentioned restaurant at 17 Manandian Street. During a
conversation in an office of the department, L. Gilian asked an
employee to bring him a glass of water and in the latter’s absence he
tried to escape through the window but fell down and died from injuries.

In the words of R. Hovannisian, "the state and police must conduct an
internal investigation, reveal the truth, present it to the society and
the victim’s family, and, irrespective of who the guilty person is,
bring him to justice."

Jemma Gulian – L. Gulian’s widow said that on May 12 L. Gulian came
(not accompanied by anyone) to the Main Criminal Investigation
Department of the RA Police from Yerevan’s Shengavit police department
where he had been invited several times. She expressed confidence that
he did not intend to escape as he had other possibilities to escape.

The victim’s father Ashot Gulian considered it obvious that on May 12
L. Gulian was invited to Hovik Tumanian, first deputy head of the Main
Criminal Investigation Department (MCID), but the investigation is
trying not to mention that name. So far it has not been announced who
had invited L. Gulian to the MCID. In Ashot Gulian’s opinion, the law
enforcers’ statement that the battery of L. Gulian’s cell phone was
found at the place where S. Vardanian was killed is an attempt to
present L. Gulian as a person involved in the murder of S. Vardanian.
Especially as Ashot Gulian has L. Gulian’s cell phone and its battery
with him. The victim’s father said that L. Gulian couldn’t have
received so many injuries as a result of falling from a second floor.
He stated that they will submit to the RA Prosecutor General’s Office
an application to ascertain this circumstance through an examination of
independent criminalists.

Hrayr Ghukasian, representative of L. Gulian’s legal successor,
reminded that in connection with the death of L. Gulian, a criminal
case was opened under Article 110 (causing a person to commit suicide)
of the RA Criminal Code: Yerevan prosecutor’s office is conducting an
investigation into the case. According to him, a forensic,
dactyloscopic, chemical and fibre-examining expert examinations were
made, then another forensic examination with the participation of a
German and a Danish experts were made on the initiative of the victim’s
legal successor. So far the legal successor has received the
conclusions of the dactyloscopic examination and the forensic one made
by local experts. He has not been informed about other actions of
investigators either.

Another representative of the victim’s legal successor, Aram
Karakhanian noted that several parts of the conclusion of Armenian
expert-made forensic examination (which is available at the website of
the RA Prosecutor General’s Office) do not allow to form a full notion
of the conclusion. In his words, a full notion can be formed only after
publication of the conclusion of the forensic examination by foreign
experts. It is expected that this conclusion will be given to the legal
successor’s representatives within the next two days. He expressed an
opinion that from the viewpoint of the criminal case opened based on
the fact of L. Gulian’s death, the police statements on L. Gulian’s
being connected to the murder of S. Vardanian are of no significance.

Chairman of "Hyus" ("Hope") NGO Karen Hakobian stated that an
initiative group "For Defence of Levon Gulian" has been set up.
According to him, unlike Armenian NGOs, "Human Rights Watch"
international organization has formed its position on the case of L.
Gulian and issued a statement. He added that L. Gulian’s case has been
included in the Strategic Trials project implemented by the Soros
Foundation in Armenia. In his opinion, this circumstance is likely to
help solve some financial problems in order to achieve a fair trail on
L. Gulian’s case.

According to Larisa Alaverdian, first Armenian ombudsperson, executive
director of "Against Court Arbitrariness" NGO, with respect to the case
of L. Gulian, public opinion should be formed which will allow to get
the answer to the question about who is to blame for L. Gulian’s death
rather than to the question of whether H. Tumanian is quilty or not.
She said that some Armenian newspapers write that "the state body in
the person of the police views this matter in terms of justifying H.
Tumanian." She underlined the fact that no explanation has been
provided in connection with the fact that L. Gulian died in the
territory of a state structure – the Main Criminal Investigation
Department of the RA Police.

Niagara Falls Review (Ontario)
June 9, 2007 Saturday

Armenian youth walk to raise funds for church

Canadian Press

Young people from the Armenian community in the Montreal area plan to
hold a walkathon to raise funds for the new Holy Cross Church and
Community Centre in Laval, Que. The walkathon June 16 will start at
10 a.m. at the diocesan headquarters in Outremont and finish at the
building site in Laval, reports the Armenian Church of Canada’s
website, Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, primate of
the diocese of the Armenian Church, and the diocesan assembly have
dedicated this coming year to the youth of the community. The
fast-growing Armenian community in Laval has for several years been
in need of a new church and community centre, according to the
website.

also printed in
Belleville Intelligencer (Ontario),
Chatham Daily News (Ontario),
Peterborough Examiner (Ontario),
The Standard (St. Catharines, Ontario),
Timmins Daily Press (Ontario),

TIGRAN TOROSYAN BACKLASHES OPPOSITION’S REFUSAL TO APPEAR IN PARLIAMENT TODAY

Panorama.am
18:28 07/06/2007

"I hope by September they will overcome their complexes and will take
part in the fall session of the National Assembly," Tigran Torosyan,
newly elected chairman of National Assembly, said speaking about the
absence of two opposition parties, Zharangutiun and Orinats Yerkir,
in the parliament session today.

Torosyan recalled the experience of the opposition in the last
parliament. He said they followed the practice of boycott and
consequently are not represented in this parliament. "It shows our
society’s attitude to such practices. Our colleagues must take that
into consideration," Torosyan said. The chairman rhetorically asked,
"Who are they upset with?"

VAHAN HOVHANNISYAN AND ISHKHAN ZAKHARYAN ELECTED NA VICE-SPEAKERS

ArmRadio.am
07.06.2007 16:50

With a secret ballot member of ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau Vahan
Hovhannisyan and member of the Political Bureau of the Prosperous
Armenia Party Ishkhan Zakharyan were elected Vice-Speakers of the
Armenian National Assembly of fourth convocation. 112 out of 130
Deputies participated in the voting.

VahanHovhannisyan received 110 pros and 2 cons. Ishkhan Zakharyan
received 120 pro and 9 con votes.