Author: Emil Lazarian

WHITE HOUSE AGAIN PROPOSES BREAKING IN ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN MILITARY ASSISTANCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.02.2007 13:56 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Bush Administration, in its FY2008 federal
budget, has proposed a 49% cut in aid to Armenia, and is – once again –
seeking to break the agreement it struck with Congress more than five
years ago to maintain parity in military aid levels to Armenia and
Azerbaijan. The President’s budget recommends cutting U.S. economic aid
to Armenia from the FY2006 actual level of $69 million to a proposed
FY2008 level of $35 million.ANCA (Armenian National Committee of
America) reports, that moreover, the budget proposal does not include
any specific assistance figures for Nagorno Karabakh. The proposed
military aid cuts come in two broad categories, Foreign Military
Financing (FMF) and International Military Education and Training
(IMET). The proposed FY2008 FMF figure for Armenia is $3 million, a
cut of $960,000, fully 30% less than the proposed FY2008 figure for
Azerbaijan of $4.3 million. The President is seeking only $300,000
in IMET for Armenia, down $538,000 from FY2006, a dramatic cut of
64%. In sharp contrast, the White House is proposing that Azerbaijan
receive $1 million in IMET, a considerable increase over their FY2006
level of $823,000 and more than three times the IMET levels being
proposed for Armenia. Overall, the President’s budget proposes 38%
less in U.S. military aid for Armenia than for Azerbaijan.

"We are troubled, once again, both by the President’s breach of his
agreement with Congress to maintain military aid parity to Armenia
and Azerbaijan, as well as by the drastic cut that he is proposing
in economic development assistance to Armenia. We look to our friends
in Congress to help restore military aid parity and to substantially
increase aid levels to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh that reflect
Armenia’s growing partnership with the United States, as well as
the shared values and enduring friendship between the American and
Armenian peoples," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian

The Foreign Operations Subcommittees of the Senate and House
Appropriation Committees will now review the budget and each draft
their own versions of the FY 2008 foreign assistance bill. The
agreement to maintain parity in U.S. military aid to Armenia and
Azerbaijan was struck between the White House and Congress in 2001, in
the wake of Congressional action granting the President the authority
to waive the Section 907 restrictions on aid to Azerbaijan. The ANCA
has vigorously defended this principle, stressing that a tilt in
military spending toward Azerbaijan would destabilize the region,
emboldening the Azerbaijani leadership to continue their threats to
impose a military solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AIR POLLUTION INDEX IN GYUMRI EIGHT TIMES HIGHER OF PERMITTED LEVEL

Armenpress
Feb 06 2007

GYUMRI, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: Air pollution index in Armenia’s
second largest town of Gyumri in winter months is eight times higher
of the permitted level.

Rolan Gasparian, head of the local environmental monitoring laboratory,
said homeless families in the town still leaving in temporary homes
use wood stoves to warm their houses and since woods are too expensive
they burn whatever they find on streets, including plastic bottles
and garbage that can burn.

He said the air in the town is relatively clean in daytime when these
people are out of their homes.

Unlike in winter in summer months the air pollution source are dust
and construction debris.

IRAN, SYRIA AGREE WITH TURKEY THAT IRAQ SHOULD NOT BE DIVIDED — GUL
By Ronald Baygents

Kuwait News Agency, Kuwait
Feb 7 2007

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (KUNA) — Iran and Syria agree with Turkey that Iraq
should not be divided, Abdullah Gul, the deputy prime minister and
foreign minister of Turkey, told KUNA following his meeting at the
State Department with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday.

During an appearance at the National Press Club, Gul was asked by
KUNA what the United States wanted Turkey to do in the coming months
to help stabilize Iraq, particularly in terms of Iran and Syria —
which have been accused by U. S. officials of playing a destabilizing
role in Iraq.

Gul said there are "some countries in the region" that Turkey is
asking to "be constructive in this process" by making a "positive
contribution".

U.S. officials know that Turkey has some advantages in the region,
and "they want us to use these," he said.

There have been nine meetings already among the interior ministries
of key neighbors of Iraq, Gul said, and these countries have signed
a protocol "to fight terrorism in the region".

"We all have the same target, the same vision," he said, and that is
to maintain the "territorial integrity of Iraq." All of the countries
are aware that the disintegration of Iraq would be disastrous for
the region, he said.

"All of us — Iran, Turkey, Syria — do not want to see this," he
told KUNA. If it happens, it would be chaotic, and the Middle East
has enough problems already, he added.

"The neighbors (of Iraq) have to involve (themselves) on this,"
Gul said. "Iran and Syria do not want to see Iraq divided. We are
together on this".

While some advocate a "soft partition" of Iraq, Gul said this is not
a panacea, and if it happens, everyone in the region would suffer.

The Iraqi Constitution has "a lot of ambiguities," he said, and there
"are no easy solutions" to the problems in Iraq. "We must work together
to prevent things from getting much worse," he said.

Gul also said that in the war on terror, all parties must be interested
in fighting all terrorist organizations, including the PKK (Kurdistan
Workers Party).

The sectarian conflict in Iraq must not also become an ethnic conflict,
he said.

Asked if he and Rice discussed the possibility of a U.S.-Iranian
military confrontation, Gul said "no", and that U.S. and Iranian
problems "should be solved in a peaceful way".

Gul noted that Turkey was instrumental in seeing that Sunnis were
brought into the current Iraqi unity government, "thereby increasing
its legitimacy".

Turkey supplies 50 percent of Iraqi oil product needs in northern
Iraq, including every city in northern Iraq, Gul said, and one million
trucks in goods go from Turkey to Iraq each year.

He also noted the Turkish contribution to UNIFIL, the United Nations
peacekeeping forces in Lebanon, as well as Turkish contributions to
Afghanistan, including assuming control of forces for stability in
Kabul and helping with hospitals and schools there, and working to
stabilize the Caucasus and the Balkans.

Gul also noted the long history of U.S.-Turkish relations, and said
both countries share "democratic values and ideals." He also mentioned
U.S. use of Incirlik Air Force Base in Turkey.

One "challenge" he mentioned was a resolution introduced recently in
the U.

S. House of Representatives regarding the 1915 "Armenian tragedy,"
which many in the United States and Armenia term a "genocide".

If this resolution passes, Gul said, it would "seriously harm"
U.S.-Turkish bilateral relations.

Turkey has opened all its archives from the late Ottoman period to
historians from everywhere so they can share their findings on "this
tragic chapter in our history," Gul said. (end) rm.bz.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER IN USA EXPECTS "DESIRED" MOVES ON REBEL KURDS’ PARTY

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Feb 6 2007

WASHINGTON (A.A) -06.02.2007 -"Certain developments on terrorist PKK
are likely to take place as desired by Turkey", said Abdullah Gul,
Turkish FM and Deputy PM, on Monday.

Gul talked to the press corps after meeting the United States
Vice-President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Stephen
Hadley.

"Both meetings were fruitful. You all know the important topics. The
future of Iraq, Armenian resolution and the fight against terrorism
were among them," told Gul.

Asked if Vice-President Cheney promised the closure of PKK camps in
north of Iraq, Gul replied that he saw a serious approach from VP
Cheney to the terrorist PKK problem.

"It is not possible to explain the presence of a terrorist organization
in a friendly country (Iraq) and which is controlled by allies,"
remarked Gul.

In response to a question on the postponement of the referendum in
Kirkuk, Gul indicated that Kirkuk is an Iraqi city and that sectarian
violence should not be spread into this city. "It is highly important
for everyone to live in peace in Kirkuk," underlined Gul.

In reply to a question on the resolution related to the so-called
Armenian genocide (which was submitted to US congress), Gul underscored
that the Bush administration will do what it takes on this matter.

Meanwhile, sources indicated that Gul-Cheney meeting lasted longer
than planned. The two men discussed regional issues, especially energy
and security problems.

Gul also met representatives of prominent Jewish organizations in
Washington D.C. on Monday. Jewish leaders expressed their satisfaction
regarding the role played by Turkey in the region, and Turkey’s
relations with Israel.

Abdullah Gul is scheduled to meet the US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice on Tuesday.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SANTORO’S FAMILY: WE FORGIVE WITH ALL OUR HEARTS
AyªE Karabat Trabzon

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 6 2007

A memorial Mass was celebrated by the head of Italy’s bishops on
Monday for a Catholic priest slain in Turkey at the time of widespread
anger in the Islamic world over the publication of caricatures of
the Prophet Muhammad.

A 16-year-old youth is serving an 18-year prison sentence for the
murder, which was believed to be linked to the outrage over the
publication of the caricatures in European newspapers.

"I hope this service will help deepen our friendship," Cardinal
Camillo Ruini, accompanied by Santoro’s mother and two sisters, told
reporters upon his arrival in Trabzon. "I hope it will help us find
the truth and bring us closer to God," added Ruini.

Maddelana Santoro, the sister of the deceased Father Santoro — a
theology teacher — said that she and her family forgave the killer
with all their hearts and that they still believe in interfaith
dialogue, as did their brother.

In an exclusive interview she gave to Today’s Zaman in the small
and simply decorated working room of Santoro that is adjoined to the
Santa Maria Church where he was killed, Maddelana Santoro said their
brother was very happy to be in Turkey.

"He loved beauty. That’s why he was so happy to stay in Turkey. It
was his decision. From a religious point of view, these are holy
lands. They are the lands of belief; Prophet Abraham was born in this
land and God gave his mission to him here. The Apostles were also in
Anatolia. They came to these holy lands first and announced the New
Testament here. These lands were the center for Christianity before
the message spread to Europe."

She said she visited her brother with 10 of her friends in September
of 2005. She added that Santoro took them to churches on the Aegean
coast and then to the mosques in Trabzon because he believed in
interfaith dialogue.

"While he was here, he used to speak about dialogue between religions
and talked about love and that he was trying to live according to these
ideals. He told us that if you act like sheep, then the people will
approach in an innocent way; if you stay pure and peaceful, people
will love you. He liked to live among people because he believed that
Jesus would carry love to people through his body."

When asked about the wars going on due to conflicts over religion,
she said that this was because people had lost their beliefs.

"People should return back to their beliefs because lack of belief is
replaced by hostility and animosity. This is the main reason behind
all these evil events that we are witnessing. Freedom is the biggest
gift that God has given humanity. But the bases of freedom should come
from love and respect. This must be the starting point. Nothing can
be done by force. As my brother always said, ‘Life is a road and the
human being is walking on this road in order to develop himself.’
This applies to all of us. Eastern and Western countries should
walk together. They need to take this long road throughout life —
we still have a long road ahead of us."

She said that when she heard about the murder of Hrant Dink, she
prayed and wished that one day everybody in Turkey would be able to
voice their ideas in love and respect; everybody should have freedom
of expression. She said that she would always remember her brother
as a person who was enthusiastic and willing to share love. She added
that they never felt any hostility toward anyone following his death.

"We are a religious family. We know the New Testament. Before Jesus
died, he said ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’"
When asked if she had forgiven the killer, she replied: "Yes. Yes. My
family and I have forgiven with all our hearts."

Violence against Christians Trabzon, on Turkey’s eastern Black Sea
coast, has come under intense scrutiny following the killing of
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink last month. Dink spoke out about the
mass killings of Armenians in the early 20th century, drawing the
wrath of nationalists.

Prosecutors have charged eight people in connection with the killing,
including a teenage gunman and an alleged instigator, who, like
Santoro’s killer, were from Trabzon.

Pope Benedict XVI remembered Santoro — who worked toward interfaith
dialogue between Christians and Muslims — during his visit to Turkey
in November of 2006.

Santoro’s killing was one of the many recent attacks against Christians
in this predominantly Muslim country. Two other Catholic priests were
attacked last year in Turkey, where Christians have often voiced that
they are of victims of discrimination and persecution.

A group of young men attacked and threatened a Catholic priest in
the Aegean port city of Izmir. The priest, a Slovenian, told Italian
state TV at the time that the men grabbed him by the throat, threw
him into a garden and threatened to kill him.

A French priest, Pierre Brunissen, 74, suffered a hip and leg injury
when a man stabbed him. The attack took place in the Black Sea port
city of Samsun.

Of Turkey’s 70 million people, some 65,000 are Armenian Orthodox
Christians, 20,000 are Roman Catholic, and 3,500 are Protestants.

Around 2,000 are Greek Orthodox while 23,000 are Jewish.

–Boundary_(ID_c4pGfiWNnZjMcFowaBOcKA)–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Armenia

14, Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 0010, Armenia
Tel: +374 10 56 60 73 + 121
Mob: +374 91 43 63 12
Fax: +374 10 54 38 11
URLs:

PRESS RELEASE

CONTACT: Aramazd Ghalamkaryan
E-mail: [email protected]

UNDP AND THE IZMIRLIAN FOUNDATION SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT TO JOIN
EFFORTS IN FAVOUR OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL COMMUNITIES

February 5, 2007, Yerevan, Armenia – Today, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia and the Izmirlian Foundation
announced a new phase in their partnership directed toward economic
and cultural development of rural communities in Armenia. Ms. Consuelo
Vidal, head of UNDP and UN in Armenia, and Mr. Jaques Sarkissian,
Senior vice-president of the Izmirlian Foundation (based in Geneva,
Switzerland) signed the agreement.

UNDP and Izmirlian foundation are already working together in the
town of Meghri in Southern Armenia, and with this agreement the
parties will continue and expand their work. As part of it, the
local Crafts Center will be renovated and revitalized, to generate
employment opportunities in this region. Also, the local church’s
old and beautiful frescoes will be protected by renovating its roof,
as they are being depleted because of rain and snow. And the major
component of the project will be the organization of the garbage
system of the town by providing the needed machinery and equipment.

This project is a continuation of an earlier initiative of UNDP
and Izmirlian Foundation – the establishment of Bed-and-breakfast
Guesthouse in Meghri city. Then, a XIX century cottage house has
been reconstructed into a small hotel facility fostering the region’s
potential for ethno-tourism development. In this way, a small tourist
route will be enabled.

Other projects are being discussed by the two institutions, to continue
supporting towns and rural villages of Armenia, particularly supporting
projects that enhance local development and job creation opportunities.

Syunik marz is located in the South of Armenia. The city of Meghri is
one of the southernmost parts of Armenia. It is situated on the lower
part of the Fortress of Meghri, in a large slope. Due to its location
in the beautiful highlands of the Armenian south and the availability
of various historical-cultural monuments, the city of Meghri has
the potential of becoming a center of tourism if the corresponding
infrastructures are developed. In the long run, development of tourism
will contribute to sustainable economic development and improvement of
the welfare of the community residents through creation of employment
in the sphere of tourist services.

The Lesser District of Meghri presents an open-air museum of folk
architecture, and this district is especially valuable because a
section of the settlement has been preserved up to now. The church
to be renovated is also located in this district.

By renovating and revitalizing the Crafts Center, UNDP And Izmirlian
Foundation aim to contribute to the reduction of unemployment in
this remote community, especially among young people. The Crafts
Center will become a training facility that will prepare a variety
of crafts people, and this will also conduce to the development of
Meghri as a tourism center.

The overall project budget for this phase is USD 155,000. The
beneficiaries of the project are the population of Meghri (12,200
people).

* * *

UNDP is the UN’s global development network. We operate in 166
countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and
national development challenges. As they develop local capacity,
they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.

* * *

For additional information please contact Mr. Vrej Jijyan,
tel.: (+37410) 56 60 73 ext. 220, e-mail: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected] rg>, or Mr. Aramazd Ghalamkaryan, tel.:
(+37410) 56 60 73 ext. 121, e-mail: [email protected]
<mailto:aramazd.g [email protected]>.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA UNRUFFLED BY BELARUS-AZERI MILITARY TIES, ENVOY SAYS

Belapan news agency
5 Feb 07

Minsk, 5 February: The leadership of Armenia does not worry about
Belarus’s cooperation with Azerbaijan in the military-technical sector,
Oleg Yesayan, the Armenian ambassador to Belarus, told reporters in
Minsk on Monday [5 February].

"We (Belarus and Armenia) cooperate rather closely within the
framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and
each of our countries can join and be a member of various international
regional organizations," the ambassador said. "We build our relations
with states, and with Belarus in particular, irrespective of their
political relations with other countries. We build our relations on
an entirely independent basis with due regard for the intentions,
wishes and capabilities of our two countries."

Belarus’s relations with Armenia in the military sector are maintained
within the framework of the CSTO, whereas its relations with
Azerbaijan are mostly developed on a bilateral basis. The governments
of Belarus and Azerbaijan have signed agreements on cooperation in the
military-technical sector, as well as on cooperation between defence
industry enterprises and research and development organizations.

[Belarusian President] Alyaksandr Lukashenka said at a meeting with
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Minsk on 17 October 2006 that
Belarus was ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan in all areas. "For
Azerbaijan, as well as for many other brotherly countries, there are
no closed themes," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN GRAND MASTERS SUCCESSFULLY PLAY IN THE GERMAN CHESS BUNDESLIGA

ArmRadio.am
06.02.2007 17:38

Leading Grand Masters of Armenia Levon Aronyan and Gabriel Sargsyan,
who are playing within the "Kreuzberg" club of Berlin in the German
Chess Bundesliga defeated the "Verder" of Bremen.

Levon Aronyan beat English Grand Master Luke Mcsshein, Gabriel Sargsyan
defeated Ukrainian Zakhar Efimenko.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COLLECTION OD STATE DUTIES GROWS BY 9.9% IN ARMENIA IN 2006

Noyan Tapan
Feb 06 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. In 2006, the RA state budgetary
revenues from state duties made about 19 bln drams (45.7 mln USD), as a
result of which the annual program was overfulfilled by 0.5%. According
to the RA Ministry of Finance and Economy, collection of state duties
grew by 9.9% or more than 1.7 bln drams compared with 2005. This growth
was mainly conditioned by an increase in licensing duties, as well as
payments from consular services, state registration, granting certain
legal documents to natural persons, provision of certain services.

Non-tax revenues of the state budget amounted to 26.5 bln drams in
2006, exceeding by 48% the programmed annual index. This is partly
due to the payment for the exclusive right to conduct negotiations
with purchasers during the privatization process of Zangezur Copper
and Molybdenum Plant CJSC. The fulfilment index of non-tax revenues
without this payment made 115.6%.

Non-tax revenues decreased by 9.2% or 2.7 bln drams in 2006 on 2005,
which is mainly conditioned by a decrease in dividents and non-tax
revenues stipulated by the law and other legal acts.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA PROTESTS THE ADMINISTRATION’S RENEWED CALL FOR MILITARY AID DISPARITY BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Feb 6 2007

February 5, 2007 the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) called the
Administration’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 budget request fundamentally
flawed with respect to funding levels for Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh. It also protested the Administration’s renewed call for
military aid disparity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which only
serves to undermine stability in the South Caucasus.

According to the information DE FACTO got at the AAA, Bryan Ardouny,
Executive Director of the Armenian Assembly, stated, "The request for
asymmetrical military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan not only
runs counter to what Congress has appropriated in previous years,
but also sends the wrong message to Armenia, an important U.S. ally".

Ardouny further stated the Armenian Assembly would seek to reverse the
proposal and ensure parity. In its FY 2008 Budget, the Administration
proposed boosting Azerbaijan’s military financing over Armenia’s by
$2 million. In previous years, through the combined efforts of the
Armenian-American community and the Assembly, Congress ultimately
ensured security aid parity.

The Administration’s 2008 funding proposal for Foreign Military
Financing (FMF) calls for $4.3 million for Azerbaijan and only $3
million for Armenia. The proposed budget also suggests $1 million
for Azerbaijan versus $300,000 for Armenia in International Military
Education and Training (IMET) assistance.

The FY 2008 budget also recommended $35 million for Armenia in Freedom
Support Act (FSA) funding to "help implement economic and democratic
reform and fight corruption. FSA assistance will complement major
MCC resources for agricultural development."

"The House of Representatives last week approved FY 07 funding for
Armenia at the 06 level – nearly $75 million. This budget request
therefore represents more than a 50 percent reduction in assistance.

This is simply unacceptable," said Ardouny. "Further, despite
ongoing funding by Congress, the Administration fails to recommend
any assistance to Nagorno Karabakh. We will work with Congress to
correct the glaring deficiencies in the Administration’s request,"
Ardouny continued.

The announcement is the first step in a lengthy process. The next step
is for the House and Senate to review the Administration’s request
through committee hearings, the first of which will take place later
this week, when the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice testifies
before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress