Author: Ekmekjian Janet

FOURTH MONASTIC CONGRESS CONTINUES WORK AT VAZGENIAN SEMINARY OF SEVAN
SEVAN, AUGUST 18, NOYAN TAPAN. Two regular meetings of the fourth
monastic congress, which opened in the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin
the day before, were held at the Vazgenian Seminary of Sevan on August
17. During the meetings, Archmandrite Mkrtich Proshian, inspector of
the Vazgenian Seminary, made the report “The Monk as a Teacher of
Belief”, and Archmandrite Komitas Hovnanian (Marseilles, France) –
the report “The Monk as a Preacher”. The participants discussed the
problems addressed in these reports. According to the information
system of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin, following the meeting,
the monks participated in the evening divine service held in Surb
Arakelots Monastery of Sevan.

GUAM Countries Establish Their Own Military Unit
ArmRadio.am
17.08.2006 18:30
Establishment of a joint military unit by the Organization for
Democracy and Economic Development — GUAM has been discussed at
a meeting of representatives of defense ministries and general
staffs of Armed Forces of Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan in Tbilisi
on August 17. Moldavian military officials do not participate in the
discussion. The country’s foreign ministry explained it by a number
of technical reasons.
As Spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Viktor Matko says,
the GUAM meeting is dedicated to further development of military
cooperation in the framework of Guam. According to him, it goes about
establishing a joint military unit, to which each country will send
its troops. In his turn, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Anatoly Gritsenko
noted that GUAM peacekeeping corps in case it is established will be
fulfilling tasks under a UN or an OSCE mandate, Regnum reported.

GOLDEN POMEGRANATE ANNUAL TRADE FAIR OF ARMENIAN PRODUCTS TO BE HELD IN MOSCOW ON SEPTEMBER 9-10
Arka News Agency, Armenia
Aug. 17, 2006
YEREVAN, August 17. /ARKA/. “Golden Pomegranate” annual trade fair
of Armenian products will be held in Moscow Revolution square on
September 9-10. The representation of Yerevan in Moscow informed
ARKA News Agency that Armenian producers of industrial products and
foodstuffs had been informed to take part in the fair. Jewelries and
souvenirs, different makes of national and art will be exhibited at
the fair. By tradition Armenian producers will present to the visitors
of the fair products of the Armenian national cuisine, which will be
available for tasting for everybody.
In the scope of the program citizens and guests of Moscow will be
able to enjoy a rich cultural-entertainment program: performances
of stars of Armenian and Russian stages, children’s and adults’
folk collectives, dance and instrumental groups.
“Golden Pomegranate” trade fair is held within the framework of
implementation of the agreement on trade-economic cooperation between
the governments of Moscow and Republic of Armenia. “NEVA-EXPO” jsc
authorized by the RA government is the organizer of the fair.
The fair will be held with the support of the RA government, Armenian
Embassy in Russia, Moscow city government, Yerevan municipality,
representation of Yerevan municipality in Moscow, consumer market
department of Moscow, department of food resources in Moscow and
Moscow prefecture.

LIVNI: WAR NOT OVER, WE ARE FIGHTING DIPLOMACY BATTLE
By Shlomo Shamir and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Staff and Agencies
Ha’aretz, Israel
Aug. 17, 2006
NEW YORK – Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in New York yesterday to meet
with United Nations officials, called on the international community
to help uphold the UN-brokered cease-fire agreement and to prevent
the replenishment of Hezbollah’s arms.
In opening remarks to the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations, Livni said the Security Council resolution that
brought about the cease-fire is a first step toward peace, but that
“the war is not over yet.”
Livni met with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday to discuss
the importance for Israel of a speedy deployment of the 15,000-strong
UN force, her spokesman Mark Regev said. The foreign minister accused
Hezbollah of being a pawn for Iran’s larger goals for the region.
“Hezbollah, which is a terrorist organization, represents the Iranian
interest in the region, the Iranian hatred, the Iranian ideology
against the West and its values,” she said.
Calling Hezbollah weaker after the Israeli offensive, Livni underscored
the importance of enforcing the arms embargo on Hezbollah, as is
called for in the resolution.
The foreign minister also called for the closure of the Syrian and
Lebanese border, in order to hamper any aid from reaching Hezbollah.
Livni reiterated her call for the unconditional release of two Israeli
soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah on July 12, also stipulated in the
council resolution.
“The fact that these soldiers are being kept by Hezbollah is in
violation of the Security Council resolution,” Livni said. “Before
I came here, I met the families … and I promised we are not going
to rest until these soldiers come back to their families.”
Meanwhile, the upgrading of the present peace-keeping force in Lebanon
from 2,000 to 15,000 soldiers, as called for in the UN resolution,
has been delayed. Sources at UN headquarters told Haaretz Monday that
no official agreement had yet been reached with any of the members the
UN had approached on the matter. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told
Haaretz that the UN is in talks with 40 countries that have expressed
willingness to take part in the force, but conceded that at present
“none of the countries have given official agreement.”
Dujarric also said that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had spoken by
phone with European Union representatives for foreign and security
affairs, and with senior French government officials, in order to
deploy the force as quickly as possible. The French are expected to
send thousands of soldiers.
Other countries named as possible members of the force include Italy,
Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey.
However with regard to the latter, Turkey’s Armenian political party
Tashnak released a statement announcing its opposition to Turkey
joining the peace-keeping force in Lebanon. The party said Turkey had
committed genocide against the Armenian people in the last century,
and that 4 percent of Lebanon’s citizens are Armenians, who the party
said have no real political power. Tashnak said its opposition also
stemmed from the fact that Turkey had military agreements with Israel.
Sources in New York said building a peace-keeping force normally takes
a few months. However this time, the sources said, the Security Council
resolution required quick deployment – meaning that some procedures
had to be detoured.

RULING PARTY AGAIN LINKED WITH ‘CRIMINAL ELEMENTS’
By Anna Saghabalian
Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Aug. 16, 2006
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) faced on Wednesday more
opposition allegations that it is increasingly relying on “criminal
elements” to retain and bolster its strong presence in the government.
Representatives of leading Armenian opposition parties said at a
roundtable meeting in Yerevan that the recent influx of more wealthy
and influential individuals into the HHK bodes ill for the freedom
and fairness of the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
“Pro-government forces have, of course, used criminal elements
before,” said Stepan Zakarian of the opposition People’s Party of
Armenia (HZhK). “Now they are merging with those elements within the
framework of that party.”
“An attempt is being made to drive ideology out of the political
field,” he added.
“The political field is infested with criminal thinking, not to mention
criminal elements,” agreed Paruyr Hayrikian, a prominent Soviet-era
dissident and veteran politician who leads a smaller opposition party
called the National Self-Determination Union.
The statements echoed serious concern voiced by former parliament
speaker Artur Baghdasarian at the weekend about what he described as
a growing involvement of reputed crime figures in political processes
in Armenia. He was understood to refer to individuals that joined
the HHK this summer along with Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian.
Most of the new HHK recruits are wealthy businessmen reliant on
government connections. Some are notorious for their nicknames that
have long sullied their reputations. Their political and economic
clout is seen as an additional boost to the HHK’s plans to secure
victory in the 2007 elections.
Mher Shahgeldian, deputy chairman of Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir
party, claimed that they represent an additional obstacle to
Armenia’s democratization. “We must fight against that,” he told
fellow oppositionists.
Hayrikian, who initiated the discussion, called for the creation of
a broad-based alliance of “ideology-carrying parties.” He said he is
“surprised” by the absence of representatives of another governing
party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), among
roundtable participants.
Dashnaktsutyun leaders have repeatedly expressed concern at the
increased role of “apolitical elements” in government affairs. The
HZhK’s Zakarian warned that the nationalist party will risk being
“forced to serve those criminalized forces” if it fails to cooperate
with the Armenian opposition.

AZERBAIJAN FORWARDED RESOLUTION PROJECT TO UNO REGARDING FIRES IN NK – AZERI DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER
Author: E.Javadova
TREND, Azerbaijan
Aug. 14, 2006
Azerbaijan has forwarded a resolution project to the United Nations
Organization regarding the fires committed by Armenians in Azerbaijan’s
territories occupied by Armenian armed forces, the deputy foreign
minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov told journalists, Trend reports
with reference to “Lider” TV.
“In relation with fires, Azerbaijan will take additional measures
together with international organizations. But it needs to take
into consideration that it is impossible to achieve something in
this direction, using the potential of one organization. Therefore,
there is a need for the support of UNO, OSCE and other organizations,”
Azimov told.

EVICTED FAMILIES DISMISS KOCHARIAN’S EXTRA CASH PLEDGE
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Aug. 14, 2006
Disgruntled families whose old houses have been torn down in an
ongoing redevelopment in downtown Yerevan on Monday bristled at
President Robert Kocharian’s pledge to slightly raise compensations
paid to them by his government.
In televised remarks broadcast late Friday, Kocharian announced
that the government was wrong to controversially levy a 10 percent
income tax from the already modest sums paid to hundreds of displaced
families. He said proceeds from the tax, worth about 1.3 billion drams
($3.3 million), will be given back to them in the next few months.
Kocharian’s remark that “the issue will be closed” with the payment
of extra cash seems to have angered those former house owners who
feel that the compensations offered to them were well bellow the
market value of their demolished properties. Vachagan Hakobian, head
of a group representing their interests, said it does not represent
a fundamental solution to their grievances.
“We are not fighting for 10 percent,” Hakobian told RFE/RL. “We just
want the amount of compensation to be revised [upwards] and individuals
who committed illegal acts to be punished.”
“They won’t deceive us with that sum. Of course, we will take the cash
because it was stolen from us. But we will continue our struggle to
the end,” he said.
The pledge of extra money was Kocharian’s first public statement
on the controversy surrounding his government’s handling of the
redevelopment program that was effectively declared illegal by
Armenia’s Constitutional Court in April. Angry evicted residents,
backed by human rights activities, opposition politicians and
prominent public figures, have for months protested outside his
officials residence in the hope of clinching heftier sums.
The Armenian constitution stipulates that private property can
be confiscated by the state “only in exceptional cases involving
overriding public interests, in a manner defined by law, and with a
prior commensurate compensation.” The court backed critics’ argument
that the process, marred allegations of high-level corruption,
has been regulated only by a government directive and is therefore
unconstitutional. Still, it stopped short of ordering the authorities
to return the increasingly expensive land to their former owners.
Some of those residents were baffled by the timing Kocharian’s
announcement and saw political motives behind it. “Elections are
coming up,” one of them, Aleksandr Safian, said. “The president has
gone public to present himself in a better light. We don’t believe
in fairy tales.”
Another man, Zohrab Vahanian, claimed that the Armenian authorities
are worried about lawsuits filed by several disgruntled families to
the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. “They have realized
that we can’t do anything against them only in Armenia and that things
work a bit differently there [in Strasbourg,]” he said.
Kocharian’s statement, whatever its motives, is totally irrelevant
to Gohar Gharibian and her family that were offered $14,000, barely
enough to buy a tiny apartment in a Yerevan suburb, for their now
demolished house in the city center. They rejected the sum and now
hope for a “just” verdict by the Strasbourg court.
“We didn’t sign any [compensation] agreements,” said Gharibian. “They
came and threw us out. Our case is now considered by the European
court. That’s why I don’t care about that 10 percent.”

MAJORITY OF ARMENIAN CONSUMERS ARE NOT AWARE OF THEIR RIGHTS, CRP
CHAIRMAN SAYS

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, NOYAN TAPAN. A sociological survey conducted under
the program “Social Initiative on Consumer Rights Protection in
Armenia’s Public Service Sector” has identified the public service
sector’s problems that most concern citizens. Abgar Eghoyan, Chairman
of the Consumer Rights Protection (CRP) NGO, stated this during the
August 11 press conference. According to him, consumers are mainly
concerned with issues related to gas, water, electricity supply and
telecommunications. “There are numerous complaints about the low
quality of Internet connection service provision, especially regarding
bills sent against services that were not delivered,” A. Eghoyan
said. The survey revealed that the majority of Armenian consumers are
not aware of their rights. Particularly, most of them are not
informed about tariffs of gas supply network installation in their
houses or apartments. A. Eghoyan said that in order to fill this gap,
with the assistance of the Eurasia Foundation the CRP has implemented
a program of measures aimed at informing the population. A “Consumer
Guide” was published, posters with information about water, gas and
electricity supply and telecommunication were put up at minicipalities,
condominiums and some banks’ branches. Thanks to a hot line at the
CRP, consumers can get free advice. “Consumer Guide: Book 2” was
published by CRP’s Civil Interests Protection Assistance Program
jointly with Counterpart International, it is distributed free of
charge. The book contains examples of applications, complaints and
claims, as well as information about the appropriate state bodies and
organizations.

Official Kremlin Int’l News Broadcast
August 10, 2006 Thursday
INTERVIEW ON RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES, RUSSIAN NAVY WITH MIKHAIL
BABICH, DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE STATE DUMA COMMITTEE FOR DEFENSE GAZETA
DAILY, P. 5, AUGUST 10, 2006
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE DUMA DEFENSE COMMITTEE MIKHAIL BABICH:
“IF WE CAN’T USE OUR FLEET AT A TIME OF CRISIS, WHAT’S THE POINT OF
KEEPING IT THERE?” Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense
Committee and the head of the State Duma Working Group on Legislative
Support for the Operation, Financial Welfare and Social Guarantees of
Military Servicemen, Civilian Personnel and Their Dependents, Mikhail
Babich, speaks in an interview with Gazeta correspondent Madina
Shavlokhova about how the legislative branch plans to solve the
problems facing the military.
Q: How many military bases does Russia have in the near abroad now?
A: There are three to four bases in Central Asia. There are bases in
Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is
stationed in Sevastopol.
Q: Has the status of our bases outside the country been determined?
A: Yes. There are international agreements ratified by the
parliaments of all countries where we have our military contingents.
Everything is all right with their legal status. But there are some
problems in details.
Q: Where do we have most of all problems?
A: In Ukraine. But politics have nothing to do with this. There are
other reasons that come to the fore. For example, the size of the
lease payment for the use of the Black Sea Fleet’s base.
Q: Wasn’t the size of the lease payment determined in the middle of
the 1990s when the agreement on the division of the Black Sea Fleet
between Russia and Ukraine was signed?
A: It was. We divided the Fleet in accordance with the previously
agreed-upon terms. The size of the lease payment was determined in
1997. But today our Ukrainian colleagues say the economic situation
has changed and the lease payment should be much higher. This is
wrong because Russia, as a legal successor to the Soviet Union,
assumed many obligations and honors them.
Our position is clear: increasing the lease payment for the Black Sea
Fleet’s base is out of the question. One must not forget whose
financial resources have been invested in the development of this
base and who paid Ukraine’s debts to the European Union for the use
of the Black Sea.
Q: Is this where our disagreements with Ukraine end?
A: I wish it were so! There are many disagreements over social
guarantees to military servicemen, the privatization of their
housing, and dual citizenship of our military.
The State Duma Defense Committee, jointly with the Defense Ministry
of Russia, has prepared two bills: “On Social Guarantees for Military
Servicemen Undergoing Military Service in Military Units of the
Russian Federation Stationed in the Territories of the Republic of
Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and Civilian Personnel of These
Units” and “On the Terms of Mandatory Pension, Social, and Health
Insurance of Civilian Personnel, Members of Military Families within
Military Units of the Russian Federation Deployed in the Territories
of CIS Member States.”
The first bill has gone through all stages approval in the government
and will be submitted to the State Duma this fall. The draft budget
for 2007 already envisages funds for its implementation. The second
bill has not yet been discussed with ministries.
Q: Several years ago our ships stationed in the Sevastopol Bay were
not let out to take part in military exercises. Has anything changed?
A: We no longer have such acute situations. But then, the Fleet is
different and Russia’s policy is tougher. I can hardly imagine any
forces trying to prevent our Fleet from carrying out its missions.
And yet from time to time there emerge different frictions over the
use of military infrastructure, airspace or training ranges.
Q: Can the Russian Fleet be used for psychological pressure in an
international conflict, for example in the Georgian-Abkhazian
conflict?
A: This is one of the disputable issues. For example, there is an
emergency situation where the Fleet has to be used for its direct
purpose. Our Ukrainian colleagues think that if Ukraine assumes a
neutral position in such a conflict, Russia may not use its Black Sea
Fleet. And if Russia does otherwise, Ukraine will press for an early
withdrawal of the Russian Fleet from its territory. A fleet or any
military unit is deployed in a certain place in order to be used in
the interests of the state wherever necessary. There are relevant
international practices. If we cannot use our fleet at a time of
crisis, what’s the point of keeping it there.”

POET FROM TAVUSH WRITES ODE DEDICATED TO U.S. AMBASSADOR
Noyan Tapan
Aug 10 2006
IJEVAN, AUGUST 10, NOYAN TAPAN. Lyubik Chibukhchian, the Tavush
Regional Governor’s Assistant, a poet from Ijevan completed the ode
entitled “John Evans” where he did honour to the U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia for calling the Armenian Genocide with its name. In the past,
he wrote the “Vladimir of Vladimirs” poem dedicated to RF President
Vladimir Putin which he translated into Russian and sent to the RF
President’s staff. To recap, L.Chibukhcjian has recently joined the
opposing “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) party.