Author: Emil Lazarian

KARABAKH APPROVES ITS FIRST EVER CONSTITUTION

Armenpress
Dec 11 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS: The overwhelming majority of voters
in Nagorno-Karabakh who went to the polls on Sunday to cast ballots
in the first-ever constitutional referendum, approved their first
constitution.

According to the preliminary returns of the Sunday plebiscite, released
on Monday, 98.6 percent of voters approved the constitution, which
describes Karabakh as a sovereign state. The turnout was 87.2 percent.

"According to preliminary results, the constitution is adopted and
December 10 from now can be declared as a Constitution Day," election
commission chief Sergey Nasibian told journalists in Nagorno-Karabakh
capital Stepanakert.

The vote was held on the 15th anniversary of a referendum in which
Nagorno-Karabakh split from Azerbaijan in 1990. Nagorno-Karabakh’s
leader Arkady Ghukasian hailed the vote as a landmark move that would
"determine the Nagorno-Karabakh’s people destiny."

At least one third of the region’s eligible voters were needed to
make the vote valid, and a simple majority of those who cast ballots
was necessary for the constitution’s approval.

Azerbaijan and the international community do not recognize
Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence.

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister Elmar Mamedyarov was quoted by Trend
news agency as saying his country will never recognize the validity
of the plebiscite.

The Council of Europe said also it will not recognize the outcome of
the December 10 constitutional referendum. A statement issued by its
secretary general, Terry Davis, said. ‘This Sunday’s vote organized by
the ‘de facto’ authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot have any legal
validity. It will not be recognized by the international community
and is therefore of no consequence."

THE GHOST OF 1937 WANDERS IN ARMENIA

A1+
[06:46 pm] 11 December, 2006

"At night on December 9 15 masked people broke into one of the
restaurants in Yerevan where coordinator of the initiative ‘Protection
of Liberated areas’ Zhirayr Sefilyan was having dinner with his wife
and friends.

He was arrested as a most dangerous criminal. The masked policemen took
Sefilyan to the central office of the fund ‘Arax-Kur’ and carried out
a search confiscating computers and other things", announced member of
"Armenian Volunteers Union" Samvel Haroutyunyan during the discussion
organized by the anti-criminal movement in connection with the arrest
of Zhirayr Sefilyan.

During the same night the houses of 40 members of the union were
searched. The workers of the National Security Service manifested
unprecedented cynicism while searching the house of Vardan Malkhasyan,
the head of the Aragatsotn regional structure. They arrested Malkhasyan
at the presence of the two-year-old child and the sick wife.

"This remind us if the year 1937. The authorities do whatever
they want. Today the Alfa of the NSC can stop my car in the street
every moment and search it", said leader of "New Times" party Aram
Karapetyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ETHIOPIA: SHOE FACTORY REVIVED BY ITALIAN CONTRACT
Issayas Mekuria

Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa) – Ethiopia
Dec 12 2006

Anbessa Shoe Factory is ready to export shoe upper to Italian Co.
Adelchi after a contractual agreement between the companies. This
will be the most demanding order Anbessa has yet to fulfil.

The state-owned Anbessa Shoe Factory S.C signed a 104,000-dollar
contract with La Nuova Adelchi SPA, enabling it to supply the Italian
company with semi-finished shoe products.

Eniyew Zeleke, general manager of the Factory and Adelechi Sergio,
owner of the Company signed the contract on November 18, 2006; Anbessa
was to provide 13,000 pairs of shoe upper, without soles to Italy in
two phases.

"This contract is going to revive our factory from demise," a
machine operator that has worked at Anbessa for the past 32 years
told Fortune. "We are truly happy."

Anbessa Shoe Factory is the first of its kind to be established in
the country. An individual, whose identity remains unknown, founded
the Factory in 1939 and ran it for the following three years. As of
1942, Mardious Darmar, an Armenian citizen, owned it and renamed it
Darmar Shoe Factory. He managed it for 33 years until in 1975, Darmar,
which at that time had a capital of 217,000Br was nationalized by
the Derg Regime and renamed Anbessa Shoe Factory and Awash Tannery
for the next 17 years.

In 1993, Anbessa Shoe Factory was reorganized with a capital of
6.3 million Birr. This Factory, which has 16 outlets in Addis Abeba
and its regional towns, employs 650 workers and has the capacity to
manufacture 350,000 to 360,000 pairs of shoes every year.

Although Anbessa Factory had previously exported its products, such
as 5,000 bowling shoes to Canada, it has never received an order to
produce the volume of shoes as contracted with Adelchi. According to
the agreement, Anbessa Shoe Factory is to provide Adelchi with its
first supply of shoe upper in December 15, 2006.

Alemu Hailu, head of the Factory’s marketing department, told Fortune
that Anbessa has already prepared and packed 4,000 shoe uppers
readied for export. He said that as soon as the letter of credit
(LC), processed by the banks, is finalized the items would be shipped.

Adelechi first came to the country to purchase its first Ethiopian
shoe products from Peacock Shoe Factory, owned by Dire Industries Plc
in 2005. This Italian company sells over 11 million pairs of shoes
a year, in many countries in the world. It is famous for offering
moccasins for sale. It has over 1,600 workers and also has factories
in Albania as well as Bangladesh.

Upon his visit to Ethiopia in 2005, Adelchi Sergio, ordered a supply
of 27,000 dollars worth of moccasins from Peacock Shoe Factory,
which the latter is still in the process of supplying. Anbessa has
also signed a contract with Peacock to supply it with 100,000 parts
of the shoe upper.

Moreover the Italian company has also requested sandals from Ramsse
Shoe Factory Plc, located in the Addis Abeba Industrial Estate.

Zelalem Habte, general manager of Ramsse refused to comment on the
details of the terms of the agreement.

"We refrain from making any comment on the matter until we have
shipped our first export items," he said.

Ramsse, which is said to have imported new machineries from Italy
a month ago, has another factory in Addis Ketema District known as
Kuas Meda, where it supplies shoes for local consumption.

Sources from the Ministry of Trade and Industry told Fortune that after
Adelchi receives and evaluates the quality of the first batch of shoes
supplied by Anbessa, it intends to shift its shoe upper supply business
from other supply companies in Albania and award it to the state-owned
factory. According to the sources, the reason for this shift is due
to the ample supply of leather in Ethiopia and reduction in cost.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry, in 2006-2007, aim for 300 million
dollars in shoe exports.

5.html

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PHOTOSITE CELEBRATES ITS 3RD ANNIVERSARY

AZG Armenian Daily
12/12/2006

The opening of photo exhibition on the occasion of the 3 years’
anniversary of the Armenian Photosite () took place at the
Yerevan State Puppet Theatre, on December 11, 5:00pm. The ceremony
of awarding the winners of "Panorama" photo-competition will be
held during the exhibition. The mentioned competition was organized
thanks to the joint efforts of the Armenian Photosite, Yerevan.ru
and AG Print Company. Armenian Photo-site is a virtual space for
participation of professional and armature photographers. Participants
of the site are being provided an opportunity to solve their issues
of self-identification and self-recognition effectively.

The site provides a virtual space for searching and finding new rules
and expressions of photography. The main criterion of the site is a
high artistic level of the works presented there. In spite of the
fact that the site functions for only 3 years there are about 300
participants.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT BUSH REAFFIRMS HIS SUPPORT FOR TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2006

U.S. President George Bush reaffirmed his support for territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan while receiving credentials from newly
appointed Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Azerbaijan
Yashar Aliyev, at the White House, on December 8, AzerTAc’s Washington
D.C.-based correspondent reports.

Presenting credentials to President Bush, Ambassador Y. Aliyev said
Azerbaijan has always felt U.S. support of its efforts to build and
strengthen a sovereign state.

He added that Azerbaijan will continue to follow the path of political,
economic and social reforms. The Ambassador expressed confidence that
as a super power and co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group, the United
State will continue its efforts to achieve fair and long-lasting
solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

President Bush said that with establishment of the national Oil Fund to
ensure transparency of the revenues from the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, Azerbaijan can be serve as an example for other countries
with rich natural resources.

He said he believes that Azerbaijan’s role as an energy supplier to
Europe and a transit country, will keep growing, and welcomed ongoing
political and economic reforms here.

The U.S. President called for continuation of democratic reforms to
promote the rule of law, civil society, independent media, market
economy and effective democratic institutions.

On the role of Azerbaijan in fighting terrorism, he named the country
U.S. strong ally. The President said Azerbaijan’s future lies within
the EuroAtlantic community, and promised to help the country strengthen
its ties with NATO and the European Union.

President Bush said the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan
continues to hinder stability in the South Caucasus. He called on
the sides to resolve the conflict peacefully and find the ways of
building confidence between the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The President said the United States supports territorial integrity
of Azerbaijan, and as the OSCE Minsk group co-chair, together with
Russia and France, will continue its efforts towards urgent and
peaceful resolution of the conflict.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TOP ARCHITECTS UP IN ARMS OVER YEREVAN ‘DESTRUCTION’
By Gayane Danielian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 12 2006

A group of renowned Armenian architects are ringing alarm bells over
the few remaining old buildings in central Yerevan that seem to be
disappearing in a construction boom which is rapidly changing the
city center.

In a joint appeal to Prime Minister Andranik Markarian, they called
for the Armenian government’s "immediate intervention" in what they
see as an illegal destruction of the country’s historical and cultural
heritage.

They listed in particular a dozen buildings dating back to the
pre-Soviet period that were supposed to be protected by the state
but have been torn down by private developers over the past two years.

All of those buildings were included in December 2004 on a government
list of over a hundred properties that are not subject to demolition.

The list was meant to regulate a massive redevelopment in central
Yerevan that began in 2002 and is now in full swing. Hundreds of mainly
small and decrepit houses have since been controversially torn down to
give way to modern high-rises offering luxury housing and office space.

The letter’s signatories led by Varazdat Harutiunian, a veteran
member of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences, believe that the
process is threatening to wipe out what remains of old Yerevan. They
are particularly concerned about the fate of a famous building that
was constructed in 1905 to serve as the headquarters of the regional
governor of what then was the Russian Empire. It later housed the
government of an independent Armenian republic that existed from
1918-1921.

Karo Ayvazian, a Culture Ministry official in charge of protection of
historic monuments, confirmed reports that the government has sold
the building to Hirair Hovnanian, an U.S. businessman of Armenian
descent. Hovannisian plans to radically remodel the three-story
building by adding two more stories and preserving only its ornate
facade, he said.

The remodeled building will house the Yerevan office of the Armenian
Assembly of America, an advocacy group sponsored by Hovnanian,
and private firms. "The historical value of the building will be
preserved," the office director, Arpi Vartanian, told RFE/RL.

But Artsvin Grigorian, another prominent architect who signed the
letter to the Armenian premier, disagreed. "They say the building won’t
be damaged because they have no idea of what a historical monument is,"
he said,. "A monument can not be redesigned or reshaped."

Mkrtich Minasian, chairman of the Armenian Union of Architects,
took a similar view: "Surely, a monument loses its significance when
it is torn down or moved. It ceases to be a monument and becomes a
mere decoration."

Minasian also shared widespread criticism of the government’s handling
of the ongoing redevelopment. "As a result of these policies, we have
been all but deprived of buildings constructed in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries," he said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN: PROBING CHANNEL PULLED OFF THE AIR

A1+
[03:49 pm] 09 December, 2006

Dramatic shutdown of popular TV station seen as blow to freedom of
speech. Azerbaijan’s most popular and longest-running independent
television channel, ANS, was unexpectedly closed on November 24,
the culmination of a bitter dispute with the government.

The decision was taken that morning by the national television and
radio broadcasting council. Council chairman Nushiravan Magerramli,
said the channel’s license was not being extended and called on it
to stop broadcasting within three hours.

The ANS management was not given written notification of the
council’s decision, but at precisely three o’clock, operatives
from the communications ministry, accompanied by policemen, broke
into the company’s headquarters and switched off and sealed all its
transmitters.

The council said that ANS had repeatedly received warnings for breaking
broadcasting regulations. For the past few years, the company had
been broadcasting without a license, because of an ongoing dispute
with the government. ANS said it had repeatedly applied for a new
license but had been refused.

Mekhti Mamedov, assistant to the chairman of the council, told IWPR,
"Since the council was created in the spring of 2005, ANS was given
nine warnings, and on two occasions it was fined. That is why the
decision to revoke its license is absolutely justified." Mamedov said
ANS had failed to observe advertising regulations and opened a branch
in the town of Sheki without permission.

ANS general director Fuad Jabbarly told IWPR that the channel had
received only five written warnings from the council and reacted in
a proper way to all of them. "I have no idea where the figure nine
comes from," he said. "It’s true that we were fined twice and paid
the penalties on time. Until recently, the council never approached
us with any complaints."

ANS started broadcasting in November 1991 and is, according its
president Vahid Mustafaiev, the first private and independent
television channel in the former Soviet Union. It won a reputation
for its frontline reporting from the Nagorny Karabakh conflict – and
has maintained an aggressive stance on the Karabakh issue to this day.

The channel also won popularity for its news reporting, which was more
independent than the official television channels, and for programmes
such as "Internal News", where ordinary citizens were allowed to ask
questions of government officials.

A grand concert had been scheduled for November 26 to mark the
channel’s fifteenth birthday, however the administration of the
Heidar Aliev Concert Palace, where the event was due to be held,
cancelled the party, citing the need to make essential repairs.

Rashid Gajily, an expert on media and director of the Institute of Law,
said the council had exceeded its authority by issuing the decision
to close down ANS.

"The council does indeed have the authority to issue and extend
licenses or not to extend them," he said.

"But it is up to a court to decide on the closure of a media
outlet. There were no legal proceedings in the ANS case."

The ANS management says it intends to challenge the decision in court,
while the broadcasting council announced a tender for the station’s
frequency with a deadline of January 7.

President Ilham Aliev hinted there was room for compromise, saying,
"There are state organs and they have well-justified demands that
need to be fulfilled.

I think that the dispute with ANS can be resolved in a businesslike
manner and with good will. If all demands are met its activity can
be restored."

But presidential aide Ali Hasanov, apparently with the approval of
his boss, warned, "Even the president himself does not have the right
to interfere in the process of issuing licenses. Responsibility for
this lies with the broadcasting council."

The dramatic shutdown of the popular television channel has triggered
feverish speculation in Azerbaijan.

One interpretation is that the government was planning to make major
concessions to the Armenians in the ongoing peace talks over the
Karabakh issue and therefore wanted to take off the air a station
which strongly opposed compromise in the dispute.

"It’s true, the most convincing explanation for the closure of ANS is a
forthcoming surrender of Karabakh," said journalist Ilgar Mamedov. "As
long as ANS was on the air, it would be hard to impose on the people
a peace plan that meant defeat."

Einulla Fatullayev, a former ANS employee who is now a strong critic
and the editor-in-chief of the Realny Azerbaijan newspaper, sees
domestic politics as being at the root of the issue.

"ANS was closely tied to former economic development Farhad Aliev, who
is now accused of plotting a coup d’etat," said Fatullayev. He said
the president could not forgive the station’s perceived "treachery"
towards the government.

Most observers are inclined to see the shutdown within the context of
a general move against the independent media in Azerbaijan. Political
scientist Rasim Agayev, who was formerly a government official said,
"ANS was the only media outlet which defended me at a difficult time
when Heidar Aliev was in power and when I was arrested. I consider its
closure a blow against freedom of speech and the image of Azerbaijan
and I am ready to do everything I can to defend it."

US ambassador Ann Derse told the Turan news agency that Azerbaijan
should remember its obligations on freedom of speech under
international treaties and called on the government to reconsider
the issue.

In the meantime, ANS’s entire staff is currently on unpaid leave
and waiting to see what happens next to their channel. And millions
of viewers are deeply unhappy. "ANS stood out from the other TV
channels for being much more professional," said 37-year-old Tarlan
Babayev. "With ANS closed it feels as though the airwaves of Azerbaijan
have been orphaned."

Shahin Rzayev is IWPR’s Azerbaijan country director.

Matanat Alieva is editor-in-chief of Impuls newspaper.

By Shahin Rzayev and Matanat Alieva in Baku for Institute for War
and Peace Reporting’s Caucasus Reporting Service

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SECTION 907 LIMITING US-AZERI CO-OP

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Dec 9 2006

The partial repeal of Section 907 to the Freedom Support Act restricts
cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States, Azerbaijani
Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said in a meeting with the visiting US
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Jim McDougall on Thursday.

Section 907 bans direct US assistance to the government of Azerbaijan.

Abiyev said bilateral relations are developing in all areas. The
unresolved status of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh is a major obstacle to the development of
Azerbaijan’s military cooperation with the United States and NATO,
he said.

"We will never accept the occupation of our territories by Armenia.

The Azerbaijani armed forces will liberate the occupied lands if the
conflict is not resolved in peace," the minister said.

McDougall concurred that the provisions of Section 907 actually
restrict cooperation between the two countries.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH TV STATION CAMPAIGNS TO GIVE NOBEL LITERATURE PRIZE WINNER PAMUK A HERO’S WELCOME

Associated Press Worldstream
December 9, 2006 Saturday 6:54 PM GMT

A Turkish television station on Saturday urged Turks to flock to the
airport and give Nobel literature prize winner Orhan Pamuk a hero’s
welcome on his return from the award ceremony in Sweden.

In its campaign, private Haberturk television said the novelist
deserved the same joyous welcome that the Turkish soccer team had
received on its way back from Japan, after coming third in the 2002
World Cup.

Pamuk, author of novels such as "Snow" and "My Name is Red," drew
ire in Turkey for telling a Swiss newspaper that "30,000 Kurds
and 1 million Armenians were killed in these lands, and nobody
but me dares to talk about it." He was tried earlier this year on
charges of insulting his country, but the charges were dropped over
a technicality.

Pamuk’s Nobel prize was met with a mixed reaction in Turkey, where
nationalists professed shame at the selection of a man who spoke of
the oppression of Armenians and Kurds, while many writers called it
a historic moment for their rich literary tradition.

"It is time for us to embrace Orhan Pamuk, it is time to forget the
past," said journalist Tufan Turenc, who called in to lend support
to the campaign.

Pamuk, 54, is to collect his 10 million kronor (euro1.1 million;
US$1.4 million) award in a ceremony on Sunday.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SUPREME COURT ALLOWS PROSECUTION OF EX-SENATOR

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
December 8, 2006 Friday

The Russian Supreme Court has met the Prosecutor General’s Office
request for prosecution of former Kalmykia representative in the
Federation Council Levon Chakhmakhchyan.

"The court confirmed formal elements of a crime in the Chakhmakhchyan
behavior," lawyer Boris Kuznetsov said. The hearings were held
in camera.

Previously, the Prosecutor General’s Office was unable to start
criminal proceedings, because Chakhmakhchyan was a member of the
Federation Council and enjoyed parliamentary immunity.

"I disagree with the judgment and will certainly challenge it,"
Kuznetsov said.

The Prosecutor General’s Office suspects Chakhmakhchyan of fraud.

Investigators say that the former senator conspired with another three
men to extort $1.5 million from Chairman of the Transavia Airline
Board of Director Alexander Pleshakov for special consideration of
the company situation at the Federation Council.

Transavia owed $300 million in taxes.

Meanwhile, Chakhmakhchyan denies his culpability. "This is absurd,"
he said.

Two suspects have been taken into custody, and the prosecutors will
soon decide what to do with Chakhmakhchyan. One more suspect is wanted.

Chief accountant of the Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation
Association Igor Arushanov and assistant auditor of the Russian Audit
Chamber Armen Oganesyan were apprehended in Moscow on June 2, 2006,
on suspicion of taking a bribe. Investigators said they demanded $1.5
million from a businessman for crossing out negative information from
the Audit Chamber report. Police seized $300,000 in marked banknotes
while apprehending the suspects in the presence of Chakhmakhchyan.

The latter enjoyed parliamentary immunity and was free to go.

The People’s Khural (parliament) of Kalmykia terminated the office
of Chakhmakhchyan ahead of time by proposal of Federation Council
Speaker Sergei Mironov on June 23, 2006.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress