Author: Emil Lazarian

ARMENIAN AIDE CONDEMNS "AGGRESSIVE" STATEMENT BY AZERI PRESIDENT

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
Dec 22 2006

Yerevan, 22 December: The press secretary of the Armenian president,
Viktor Sogomonyan, said in Yerevan today that aggressive statements
by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are "a specific way of
self-assertion and compensation for his lack of confidence".

The Armenian president’s press secretary said this while commenting at
the request of Mediamax on yesterday’s speech made by Ilham Aliyev
in which he described as "provocative" [Armenian President] Robert
Kocharyan’s statement that the negotiations on the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict will not be active until the parliamentary elections
in Armenia end.

"We are used to the fact that public speeches by the Azerbaijani
president regarding the settlement of the Karabakh conflict are
noted for their aggressiveness. Most likely, it is a specific way of
self-assertion and compensation of his lack of confidence.

"The statements made by Mr. Aliyev in Naxcivan were also tactless. We
regret that the Azerbaijani president, who inherited his post from
his father, did not inherit his wisdom. It is not the presidents’
business to bandy words with each other," Viktor Sogomonyan said in
an interview with Mediamax.

Gazprom worries about future gas supplies to Armenia

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
December 22, 2006 Friday

Gazprom worries about the absence of a new contract on Russian gas
transit to Armenia across Georgia, Deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said
on Friday.

He said they had signed three contracts on gas deliveries to Georgian
companies in 2007.

"We have not signed contracts on gas supplies to chemical plants and,
unfortunately, on gas transit to Armenia," he said.

"Although terms of gas transit to Armenia through Georgia fail to meet
international requirements, we are ready to retain them in 2007," he
said. "Georgia levies the transit rate of about $8 per 1,000 cubic
meters of gas transported by 100 kilometers. No such rates exist
anywhere in the world."

Georgia has an old pipeline, and transit charges are internationally
calculated on the basis of the initial capacity. Thus, Georgia should
charge about $1 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, Prime Tass said.

Gazprom is ready to work on terms of the current contract for the
sake of gas security of Armenia, Medvedev said.

"However, no contract has been signed, although we sent [to Georgia] a
copy of the contract that fully meets last year’s terms and was signed
by us," Medvedev said. He hopes Georgian colleagues will explain
to the national administration "why Gazprom offers are founded and
acceptable."

RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ACCEPTS PRESIDENT’S PROPOSAL

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, NOYAN TAPAN. At the December 22 sitting, the RA
National Assembly with 74 votes in favor and one abstention accepted
the Armenian president’s proposal on expediency of cancelling the
operation of the July 6 1992 Agreement on Status of CIS Economic
Court. This proposal was discussed by the parliament during the last
4-day sittings of the autumn session.

According to the RA Juctice Minister Davit Harutyunian, by taking
a juridical and financial part in the CIS Economic Court, Armenia
in fact participates in the survival of a judicial body of low
efficiency, which is not justified both from juridical and economic
point of view. To recap, the indicated proposal of the president
was not accepted on October 3, as the necessary number of deputies –
at least 66 did not participate in the vote.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Gas deliveries to Armenia resume through repaired pipeline

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Dec 22 2006

YEREVAN, December 22 (Itar-Tass) — Gas deliveries to Armenia have
resumed following repairs of a landslide-stricken pipeline in
Georgia, Shushan Sardarian, spokesman for the ArmRosGazprom
Russian-Armenian joint venture, told Itar-Tass on Friday.

She said the deliveries should fully resume by night, while currently
Armenia is receiving 330,000 cubic meters of gas per hour. The normal
hourly amount is 350,000.

The deliveries shrank after the landslide hit the trunk pipeline in
Georgia in the small morning hours of December 17. However, citizens
and industrial enterprises were not affected because Armenia was
using gas from an underground storage facility near Yerevan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OLD NUCLEAR PLANT WILL WORK TILL NEW IS BUILT

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 22 2006

According to the Armenian minister of energy Armen Movsisyan, the
greatest achievement in 2006 is the conference on upgrading the
security of the nuclear plant of Metsamor and building a new nuclear
plant. Armen Movsisyan stated this in a news conference on December
22. The minister of energy said there are initial arrangements with
international organizations and donors on upgrading the security of
the nuclear plant. "Everyone accepts that only a new nuclear
generating unit complying with security regulations can be an equal
alternative to the nuclear plant of Metsamor in Armenia."

There is also agreement on technical and economic projects of the new
nuclear plant, which will be financed by the IAEA and the USAID. The
Armenian side realizes that we cannot afford to build a new atomic
plant, and adopted a law inviting private investors. Armen Movsisyan
says it takes 7-8, even 10 years to build an atomic plant. The scheme
of the minister of energy keeps up with the timing. The atomic plant
of Metsamor will operate until 2016, and Armen Movsisyan says the
project of the new atomic plant will take as much as two years. And
if the construction starts immediately after the project is ready, we
will have a new atomic plant in around 2016. The construction of a
new atomic plant will cost as much as 1 billion dollars.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Associated Press
December 22, 2006 Friday 6:51 PM GMT

Senate report says EU freeze on adding new members sends dangerous
message to aspirants

By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer

The European Union’s decision to put a hold on admission of new
members sends a "dangerous message" to aspiring members in Eastern
Europe and could slow the pace of reform in these countries,
according to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff report.

The report said Georgia, Ukraine, Armenia and Moldova, the so-called
GUAM countries, are clearly eager for EU membership because of the
economic and political benefits they would derive.

But it said, "without the hope of EU accession, GUAM governments will
be under little pressure both from within their own societies and
from Western democracies to continue down the democratic road. The
administration needs to pressure EU member states to reverse this
‘closed door’ policy."

The report examines the state of democracy in selected countries
worldwide, with particular emphasis on programs funded by the U.S.
government that are designed to promote democracy.

The report expressed concern that the prodemocracy revolutions in
Georgia and Ukraine, abetted by democratic grass-roots groups, have
resulted in "a counteroffensive" by neighboring governments against
such groups.

Committee Chairman Richard Lugar has expressed alarm about this
phenomenon, according to the report, declaring this year,
"Representatives of democracy assistance NGOs have been harassed,
offices closed, and staff expelled. Even more vulnerable are local
grantees and project partners who have been threatened, assaulted,
prosecuted, imprisoned and even killed."

The study recalled that in January 2006, Russian President Vladimir
Putin signed a controversial new law imposing heightened controls on
local and foreign NGOs operating in Russia.

The report called into question the stability of former allies of the
Soviet Union in Central Europe that have been democracies and EU
members for many years. They include the so-called "Visegrad Four"
countries of Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

"Now is indeed the time for consolidation of the democratic reforms
made since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the administration must
keep a vigilant eye on each of the four to prevent any backsliding
and ensure forward movement," the report said.

Belarus was the only country to deny visas to the committee staff.
"Such actions only reinforce the conclusions that have been drawn
regarding Alexander Lukashenko’s iron-fisted regime," the report
said.

It said the administration and the Congress must recognize that the
world "still confronts dangerous ideologies antagonistic to free,
democratic and open societies and economies.

"In order to foster the growth of these ideas, we must revisit the
concept of U.S. government-staffed libraries and centers," it said,
adding that existing efforts are falling short.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
December 22, 2006 Friday

BYE MOM, ILHAM NEEDS ME!

by political observer Grigori Aleksandrjan

ARMENIAN POLITICAL OBSERVER COMMENTS ON INNOVATIONS IN THE MILITARY
LEGISLATION OF AZERBAIJAN; New Year surprise for Azerbaijani
draftees?

Azerbaijani authorities intend to amend the acting legislation in
order to boost numerical strength of the regular army. The idea is
promoted by the presidential apparat i.e. by President Ilham Aliyev
himself. Judging by what is contemplated, Azerbaijani youths are in
for trouble.

Azerbaijan runs conscription campaigns four times a year – in
January, April, July, and October. It means that whoever is
disinclined to go to the army is kept under pressure the year round,
constantly compelled to pay bribes for their freedom for another
couple of months. Conscription campaigns have been limited to the
first 20 days of the abovementioned months until now. The idea is to
extend their duration to 30 days every 3 months.

Graduates from universities and colleges are to be drafted for
eighteen months in the army, not twelve anymore.

The new amendments will be particularly harsh on conscripts with
three children. No more deferments for them.

Conscription to the regular army in Azerbaijan applies to men aged
18-35. It means that Azerbaijan experiences difficulties with
staffing the army.

Only five years ago the conscription age in Azerbaijan ended at 27,
like in the good old USSR.

Independent military experts do not expect these innovations in the
legislation to improve the state of affairs in the Azerbaijani army
or to do away with its problems that worry society. Here is a list of
some of these problems or shortcomings. Corruption of the officer
corps. A lot of senior officers of the Azerbaijani army are guilty of
theft of state property, bribes, abuses of power, forgery, and so on.
Senior positions in the regular army are reserved for incompetents
with pipelines into high places or with money sufficient to buy the
position and promotions afterwards. Cruelty in the barracks is
omnipresent. A great deal of youth drafted in the army are physically
unfit.

The Azerbaijani army is literally a disease-breeder.

All of that compels families to seek ways and means to spare their
young the necessity of military service. Many of the latter leave the
country, mostly for Russia. The authorities therefore cannot help
taking measures to staff the regular army.

Uzeir Jafarov, a military expert prominent in Azerbaijan, does not
think meanwhile that quantity means quality. Janmirza Mirzoyev,
former commander of the Baku Supreme Naval College, agrees with
Jafarov. He is convinced that these new amendments will only breed
corruption in conscription campaigns. "Our army is unfortunately
corrupt," Mirzoyev said. "Whatever sums set aside for the Armed
Forces are mostly embezzled. If you ask me, this is what
parliamentarians should be paying attention to."

Parliamentarians all but appointed by Aliyev himself are unlikely to
listen to Mirzoyev who is out of favor with the powers-that-be.

"We know that Karabakh is still occupied. Everyone believes that
these lands should be fought for and returned to Azerbaijan. Once we
begin preparations for it, however, everyone finds an excuse to be
doing something else," said Ali Guseinov, Chairman of the
Parliamentary Commission for Legal Policy and State Development.
Sound reasoning indeed.

Is the regular army of Azerbaijan ready for combat? Another military
expert Alekper Mamedov is absolutely correct when he says that it is
something that may be decided only when the hostilities have already
begun. "No matter how we extol certain accomplishments in the sphere
of national defense, we should never forget that the neighbor country
(Armenia – author) has not been idle either. It has built up its
military potential too," he said. That is why Mamedov promotes
reforms in all spheres from staff policy to technical rearmament as
the only means of strengthening the army. According to Jafarov, even
Turkey seems to be rapidly losing interest in the Azerbaijani army.
"If you ask me, the Turkish military has perceived Azerbaijan’s
disinclination to implement NATO theoretic and practical programs of
development of the armed forces," he said. As a matter of fact,
Jafarov does not even think that the ever increasing arms spending
signify strengthening of the army because the military budget is
anything but transparent. There are no guarantees that the money does
not end up in someone’s pocket.

In any case, presidential amendments will be certainly adopted which
we believe will only anger the Azerbaijanis whose sons are doomed to
encounter all peculiarities of military service in Azerbaijan.

Source: Novoye Vremya (Yerevan), December 19, 2006, EV

Translated by A. Ignatkin

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russia to cut off gas to Georgia

ArmRadio.am
22.12.2006 17:49

Russian Gas Company Gazprom has said it will cut off gas supplies
to Georgia from 1 January in an escalation of a long-standing price
dispute.

Georgia has refused to accept Gazprom’s demand for a doubling in its
gas price to $230 per 1,000 cubic meters.

Georgia says it is being punished for its western-leaning policies,
but Gazprom says the rise will bring the rate into line with European
prices.

In a similar dispute earlier this year, Gazprom cut off supplies
to Ukraine.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GURGEN ARSENIAN ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR 2007 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, NOYAN TAPAN. On December 21, RA NA in second
reading discussed the legislative package on making amendments
and additions to the Electoral Code, the voting of which was
postponed. About 1.5 dozens of MPs were present at the discussion
lasting the whole day, among which the oppositionists distinguished
themselves by their activity. As it was expected, the Ardarutiun
(Justice) and National Unity factions that refused of the latter’s
co-authorship some months ago spoke against the draft. They blamed
political forces making part of the ruling coalition for violating
the political agreement reached at the initial stage of draft’s
elaboration, for rejecting their proposals of principle, for not only
keeping loop-holes of possible falsifications, but also stipulating
new ones in the draft. The Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) faction,
that has withdrawn its signature lately, also expressed an opinion
that after the first reading "some retreat has been registered"
on the part of 10 amended articles. Among draft co-authors, ULP
faction leader Gurgen Arsenian declared on hehalf of himself and
the party headed by him that he assumes responsibility for the
2007 parliamentary elections. In his words, the oppositionists’
statements on falsification of the forthcoming elections can not
only contribute to public’s passivity, but also enable non-friendly
foreign forces to speculate the Armenian elections and to use them
against the country. RPA faction head Galust Sahakian reminded to the
draft’s opponents that if the package of amendments is voted down, the
current code will remain in force, as there is no time for beginning
a new process of elaboration of amendments any more. Opposing to
oppositionists’ accusations, he declared: "Maybe the people does not
like us, but it does not accept you at all."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Radio Netherlands, Netherlands
Dec 22 2006

Ukraine wants Russia to recognise genocide

Thijs Papôt*

22-12-2006

Between five and seven million Ukrainians died from starvation in the
winter of 1932-1933. The Ukrainian parliament maintains this was a
deliberate attempt by the Soviet Union’s then leader, Joseph Stalin,
to exterminate the Ukrainian people. As such, this would make the
famine equal to genocide.

A monument to the genocide in Kiev

The recent decision by parliament in Kiev – declaring that the famine
was indeed genocide – would therefore seem to be a political move on
the part of Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko to put pressure on
the fragile relationship with Russia.

"My mother tried to flee to Russia with her children, but I was too
weakened by hunger, so she left me behind in a hospital,"

says Kateryna Kholovan, who survived the famine at the age of four
but never saw her family again.

"The winter of famine left its mark on my body. I never grew fully,
and I’ve often been ill throughout my life."

At just 1.30 metres, Kateryna is indeed very small.

Famine
During the ‘Holodomor’ (death by starvation), as the Ukrainians refer
to the great famine, an estimated five to seven million people lost
their lives.

"I remember how brigades stormed into our village and literally took
away everything that was edible or growing in the gardens."

How could it be that Ukraine, the grain store of the Soviet Union,
with its fertile black soil, suddenly found itself without food? It’s
said that it was all a deliberate attempt by Joseph Stalin and the
Communist Party in Ukraine to force Ukraine’s obstinate farming
community to accept the Soviet collectivisation of agriculture.

Starvation as a means of repression. Historian Vasyl Marochka, who
has studied the famine, says the evidence is conclusive:

"The harvest was made more difficult because the farmers’ cattle was
confiscated. The harvest itself was exported to Europe and the United
States, and Ukrainians who tried to flee were stopped at the border
or had their passports removed."

Material from the archives of the KGB, the one-time secret service
of the Soviet Union, allegedly shows that Stalin himself gave the
order that anyone who tried to steal food should be shot.

Extermination
However, the decision to officially describe the famine as genocide –
which implies a targeted attempt to exterminate the Ukrainian people
– is a controversial one.

"Yes, mistakes were made,"
says Sergei Gmyrya, a historian of the Communist Party in Ukraine,
"But there was also a failed harvest, problems with collectivisation,
and there was hunger in all parts of Europe."

He would rather describe the famine as a ‘tragedy.’ However, the new
genocide law makes that a punishable defence,
"Because I am now, in fact, a genocide denier."

Majority
Ukraine’s President Victor Yuschenko managed to get the law through
parliament with a narrow majority, much to the dismay of his
political rival, pro-Russian Prime Minister Victor Yanukovitch, who
doesn’t want to strain ties with Moscow with this painful issue from
the Soviet era. Messrs Yuschenko and Yanukovitch are caught up in a
fierce battle for power over the issue of whether Ukraine should
align itself with Moscow – as Mr Yanukovitch would like – or turn
more towards the West, as Mr Yuschenko would prefer.

It would, therefore, seem to be no coincidence that the question of
the famine has now ended up on the political agenda. Sergei Gmyrya
believes that President Yuschenko is deliberately politicising the
genocide issue for his own anti-Russian purposes.

"Yuschenko is fanning anti-Communist hysteria and anti-Russian
feelings in society. This weakens our relationship with Russia."

Embargo
In Poland too, where incomprehension at, among other things, the
Russian embargo on Polish food products recently led to a significant
cooling of the relationship with Moscow, the parliament has –
unanimously – declared that the Ukrainian famine was genocide.

Meanwhile, Mr Yuschenko is trying to get official recognition of the
genocide from the United Nations.

Just as the European Union has confronted Turkey with the genocide in
Armenia, Ukraine is now calling for Moscow to acknowledge the
genocide it suffered. With Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting
Ukraine this weekend, this could be an opportunity to find out how
far the Kremlin is prepared to meet that wish.

"The question will certainly be raised at some point,"
ays Vasyl Marochka, who has little hope of any gesture of
recognition being forthcoming. "I was shocked recently when Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke of a ‘so-called’ famine. But if
Russia wants to have moral and political authority as part of the
international community, it has to be capable of recognising the
mistakes of the past."

–Boundary_(ID_h8yRCzY8eKFYdkMOybFHqQ )–

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress