Author: Emil Lazarian

PRINCESS DIANA’S 10TH ANNIVERSARY TO BE CELEBRATED BY SONS IN A HUGE CONCERT
By Topi Lyambila And Agencies

Kenya London News, Kenya
sh/article_1716.shtml
Nov 27 2006

Diana, Princess of Wales, is to be honored on the 10th anniversary of
her tragic death with a huge concert. Her two sons, Princes William
and Harry, who are second and third, respectively, in line to the
throne of the United Kingdom, will host the concert.

The gig will be staged at the new Wembley Stadium on July 1 next year,
which would have been Diana’s 46th birthday. It will also be held a
month before the 10th anniversary of her death in a Paris car crash
on August 31, 1997.

An insider told the Sunday Mirror: "The princes wanted to organize
something very special to mark not only the anniversary of their
mother’s death but also her birthday. This will be a spectacular day.

The boys want to show the world that their beloved mother will never
be forgotten." The event is set to be the first concert to be held
at the new £757 million stadium after it opens next May.

William and Harry are expected to host the concert for 90,000 fans,
featuring high profile performers from Britain and the United States,
among them Elton John. The royal brothers wanted it to be an "upbeat,
joyous tribute to her life and work". The concert is expected to be
shown live on television to a worldwide audience of millions with
proceeds going to charity.

Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor; born
Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of The
Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of Elizabeth II.

Diana came from a royal and aristocratic background. On her
mother’s side, Diana was partially American in ancestry; one of her
great-grandmothers was the American heiress Frances Work. On her
father’s side, Diana was also a direct descendant of King Charles II
through two illegitimate sons and King James II through an illegitimate
daughter. And, according to her biographer Lady Colin Campbell, Diana’s
great-great-great-grandmother Eliza Kewark (some sources spell the
surname Kevork or Kevorkian) was a native of Bombay, India and likely
of Indian descent, though family lore identifies Kevork/Kewark as of
Armenian ancestry.

Nearing his mid-thirties, Prince Charles was under increasing
pressure to marry. Legally, the only requirement was that he could
not marry a Roman Catholic, but a member of the Church of England
was preferred. His great-uncle Lord Mountbatten of Burma, who was
assassinated in 1979, had advised him to marry a virginal young woman
who would look up to him. In order to gain the approval of his family
and their advisors, any potential bride was expected to have a royal
or aristocratic background, as well as be Protestant and, preferably,
a virgin. Diana seemed to meet all of these qualifications.

The wedding took place in St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Wednesday,
29 July 1981, before 3,500 invited guests and an estimated 1 billion
television viewers around the world. Among other performers, the
acclaimed New Zealand soprano Kiri Te Kanawa sang Handel’s "Let
the Bright Seraphim" during the wedding ceremony, at the request of
Prince Charles.

In the mid-1980s, the marriage of Diana and Charles fell apart, an
event at first suppressed, but then sensationalized, by the world
media. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales allegedly spoke to the
press through friends, each blaming the other for the marriage’s
demise.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were separated on 9 December 1992;
their divorce was finalized on 28 August 1996.

On 31 August 1997 Diana was involved in a car accident in the Pont de
l’Alma road tunnel in Paris, along with Dodi Al-Fayed, and their driver
Henri Paul. Their Mercedes-Benz S280 sedan crashed on the thirteenth
pillar of the tunnel. The two-lane tunnel was built without metal
barriers between the pillars, so a slight change in vehicle direction
could easily result in a head-on collision with the tunnel pillar.

Fayed’s bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was closest to the point of impact
and yet the only survivor of the crash. He was the only occupant of
the car who was wearing a seatbelt, which is not the normal practice
of bodyguards – who don’t wear seatbelts, so as to have freedom of
movement in case of an assassination attempt – and later claimed that
he had no memory of the crash. Henri Paul and Dodi Fayed were killed
instantly, and Diana – unbelted in the back seat – slid forward during
the impact and "submarined" under the seat in front of her, causing
massive internal bleeding. She was transported to the Pitie-Salpetrière
Hospital where, despite lengthy resuscitation attempts, she died at
4am. Her funeral on 6 September 1997 was broadcast and watched by
over 1 billion people worldwide.

–Boundary_(ID_9DE3pTiUWbJaXbx/taFGpA) —

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA RATIFIES AGREEMENT ON ESTABLISHING CIS HUMANITARIAN COOPERATION FUND

UzReport.com, Uzbekistan
Nov 27 2006

The Parliament of Armenia ratified the Agreement on establishing CIS
intergovernmental fund of humanitarian cooperation.

The agreement was signed by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz
republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan on 25 May 2006 in
Dushanba.

The main goal of this Agreement is development of humanitarian
cooperation between CIS countries. It will facilitate close
collaboration in the sphere of sport, culture, education, tourism,
youth programs implementation, AI Armenia-News informs.

Gegam Garibdjanyan, the deputy Prime Minister of Armenia says:
"According to the Agreement terms and conditions the aim of this fund
is to provide an appropriate financing aid to the events (projects)
in a sphere of humanitarian cooperation. The fund will be formed based
on the voluntary investments from CIS countries. The Agreement also
states the policy of intergovernmental fund of CIS countries."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PKK PROPAGANDA PROGRAMS BROADCASTED ON FRENCH RADIO

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Nov 27 2006

PARIS – France had stopped broadcasting Turkish programs on Radio
France International (RFI) on grounds of financial difficulties, while
it remained silent on pro-PKK broadcasts. The Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK) is listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union,
which includes France. The United States and many more countries also
consider the PKK as terrorist organization.

Pro-PKK associations are allowed to broadcast on the Frequence Paris
Plurielle, a state radio station allocated to associations by France.

France is known for its anti-Turkey policies in the recent years.

Paris Government strongly supports the Greek Cyprus, Greece and
Armenia against Turkey in many areas.

During the yesterday’s broadcast, PKK supporters were asked to attend a
program that would be organized for the 28th anniversary of the PKK on
Sunday. Terrorism propaganda is banned in France according to the laws.

The announcement was delivered in both in French and Kurdish languages.

A number of Kurdish artists will attend the program. "We celebrate
the 28th anniversary of the PKK," a program ticket reads.

One-third of radio frequencies were allocated to stations during
presidency of Francois Mitterand.

Funded by France, many associations conduct their activities and
organize broadcasts on French radio stations for an allotted time
every week.

* ‘Year of Armenia’ Conference Addresses Turkey

The history of Kurdish, Pontus Greek, Chaldean and Armenian minorities
in Turkey was discussed in a conference held in the Parisian suburb
of Versailles by Armenians.

The conference was held as part of the "Year of Armenia" in France
and attended by Pontus Greek historian Vassia Karkayannis-Karabelias,
head of the Kurdish Institute of Paris Kendal Nezan, Secretary-General
of the International Federation of Human Rights Raffi Kalfayan and
President of the Chaldean Association of France Naman Adlun.

The French Chaldean community asserts Chaldeans were exterminated by
Turkey and built a Chaldean genocide monument in Paris last year.

The monument was received with surprise by Turkish diplomats in Paris,
who have good relations with Chaldeans.

Representatives from the Chaldean community were invited to this
year’s Republic Holiday reception at the Turkish embassy in Paris as
usual despite the genocide monument.

Chaldean priests in Paris attended the reception.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STARTING JANUARY 1 THE MINIMUM SALARY IN ARMENIA WILL BE 20,000 DRAMS

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

Starting January 1, 2007 the minimum salary of Armenian citizens
will comprise 20 thousand drams, increasing with 5 thousand drams
as compared to 2006. RA Minister of Labor and Social Issues Aghvan
Vardanyan said in the National Assembly today that by the year 2009 the
minimum salary in Armenia will reach 30 thousand drams. According to
the Minister, in case of undertaking adequate measures, this process
can be accelerated. It is envisaged to allocate 505 million drams
from the state budget to resolve the issue.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ROBERT KOCHARYAN TO PARTAKE IN THE SITTING OF THE CIS COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

November 28 Armenian President Robert Kocharyan will leave for Minsk
to participate in the recurrent sitting of Council of leaders of CIS
member states.

The sitting of the CIS Council of Presidents will open with the
meeting of the heads of states. Later the Foreign Ministers will
joint the Presidents to hold the plenary sitting.

The discussions will mainly focus on the report on raising the
effectiveness of the CIS and prospects of its development.

Views will be exhanged on the cooperation in the humanitarian and
economic spheres, as well as the issues of fighting illegal migration.

More than ten documents will be signed during the sitting, which will
enlarge the legal basis of cooperation between the CIS member states.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY IN PANIC AND TRYING TO ATTACK FIRST

Public Radio, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

Turkey’s statements about transferring the discussion of the Armenian
Genocide issue to the International Hague Tribunal are attempts to
find ways out of a panic in the country, Director of the Oriental
Studies Institute of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben
Safrastyan said in an interview with "Armenpress." He said that
after the victory of Democrats in the US Congress and election of
pro-Armenian politicians to responsible positions those in Turkey
realize pretty well that the Democratic Party can pursue the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Turkey is trying to attack
first. In Ruben Safrastyan’s opinion, Turks realize that if the
Congress adopts a bill condemning the Armenian Genocide a new wave
of Genocide Recognition will rise in the world, and 1-2 dozens of
countries will follow the example of the US.

In Safrastyan’s words, despite the statements that Turkey has launched
a serious study of the opportunity to apply to the International Court,
it will not take this step. Instead, it will continue the policy
of denialism. Representatives of the Turkish elite also know that
the Armenian Genocide really occurred, but they will not question
the Turkish policy on this issue. The question of applying to the
International Tribunal was discussed in Turkey still in the year 2000.

Director of the Oriental Studies Institute considers that
Armenian should launch a serious preparation work. To transfer the
Armenian Genocide recognition issue from the political level to the
international legal field. In his words, we should create commissions
comprised of historians, lawyers and political scientists, which will
turn the great historical material on the Armenian Genocide into
a legal document, and Armenia, as a state, should prepare to apply
to the International Court, accusing Turkey as the successor of the
Ottoman Empire, of committing the Genocide and demand reimbursement.

"It is a question that should assemble the whole Armenian nation. As
the center of all Armenians, Armenia should take the initiative and
call a pan-Armenian forum, where all the political forces and NGOs
of Armenia and Diaspora will be represented.

"The Genocide is a heaviest international crime and the criminal
should be punished," Safrastyan assures. Armenia should decide what
kind of reimbursement it will demand. Forms of compensation should
also be correctly assessed.

It should be noted that up to now 18 states have recognized the
Armenian Genocide. Ruben Safrastyan emphasized the importance of
adoption of the bill criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide
by the French Parliament. Discussions of adopting similar bills are
underway in Belgium and Netherlands.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SUCCESS OF MONEY GATHERING IS PROVIDED BY ARMENIANS’ READINESS TO CREAT FUTURE OF ARTSAKH WITH JOINT EFFORTS, NKR PRESIDENT BELIEVS

Noyan Tapan, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

LOS ANGELES, NOVEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. NKR President
Arkady Ghukasian participated on late November 24 in the banquet
organized by benefactor Albert Boyajian, living in Los Angeles.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Information Department General
attached to the NKR President, making a speech for those present
among who Mariam Mihanian, the Los Angeles branch head of the Hayastan
(Armenia) All-Armenian Fund, former Mayor of Glendale Larry Zarian,
benefactors Mr. and Mrs. Turpanjians (sponsor of Stepanakert No11
school), Arkady and Irene Hovhannisians, Tony and Irene Gezayans,
Kosti and Merriam Shirvanians were, Arkady Ghukasian expressed warm
words of gratitude to the telethon organizers and participants.

The President mentioned that successes fixed during the money gathering
became possible owing to the Armenians’ joint efforts and readiness
to creat future of Artsakh with joint forces.

As it was during the previous meetings and events in the U.S. west,
the NKR President was this time as well accompanied by Armen Liloyan,
the RA Consul General to Los Angeles, and Vardan Barseghian, the NKR
Permanent Representative to the U.S.

MEETING IN MINSK WILL NOT BE A PROGRESS

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

The meeting of Kocharyan and Aliyev in Minsk in the framework of the
CIS summit on November 28 and 29 will not make an essential progress
towards the settlement of the conflict, says Vahagn Khachatryan, one
of the initiators of the Alternative Political Initiative. On November
27 he stated at the Friday Club that "today’s government is carrying on
with a policy that there will be no settlement of the Karabakh issue."

"Although there is information that the Azerbaijani side should
express certain views connected with the referendum, accept the
timing of holding a referendum, but at any rate I believe that no
important decisions will be made during the meeting in Minsk, I
cannot see willingness, at least on behalf of the Armenian party,"
Vahagn Khachatryan says.

He also mentions that Aliyev’s militaristic statement preceding the
meeting in Minsk shows that Azerbaijan’s stance is not flexible either,
and Vahagn Khachatryan says it confirms that there is no possibility
of progress.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BROADCASTER SHUT-DOWN, OFFICE EVICTIONS STIR FREE-SPEECH CONCERNS IN AZERBAIJAN
Rovshan Ismayilov

EurasiaNet, NY
Nov 27 2006

An Azerbaijani state commission’s November 24 decision to suspend
broadcasts by independent television and radio station ANS, followed
within hours by the court-ordered eviction of pro-opposition media
outlets and an opposition party from their offices in Baku, has raised
concerns of freedom of speech in Azerbaijan. While the government
has not yet commented on recent developments, Western embassies and
international organizations have strongly condemned the moves.

The decisions bring to a head two long-standing tussles between
the government and independent media outlets. The first, with ANS,
Azerbaijan’s first privately owned broadcaster, focused on the
company’s right to rebroadcast foreign-produced news items. [For
details, see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The second involves a
long-standing fight between the State Property Committee and several
pro-opposition tenants of a building in downtown Baku, including the
opposition Azadliq (Freedom) newspaper, the pro-opposition news agency
Turan and the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, the country’s largest
opposition party, over their right to occupy a downtown building free
of charge. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive].

The ruling on ANS came first. The National Radio and Television Council
(NRTC) decided not to prolong ANS TV and ANS CM radio’s broadcast
licenses. An NRTC press release cited "systematic violations by ANS of
the requirements of the law on broadcasting and not paying fines" as
the reason for the decision to suspend the company’s broadcast license.

Despite their ongoing dispute with the NRTC, ANS executives say that
the decision was unexpected. The council did not issue an official
warning to ANS executives that it was considering suspending the
stations’ broadcast licenses. Both ANS television and radio continued
to broadcast until 3:20 pm on November 24, when all satellite and
regular broadcast frequencies were cut off. The decision to stop ANS’
broadcasting was taken two days before the company’s 15th anniversary
as Azerbaijan’s first independent television and radio broadcaster.

Several hours after the decision, law enforcement agency and Ministry
of Communications representatives appeared at ANS offices and began
to dismantle the company’s transmitters and antennas. Access to ANS’
satellite broadcasting equipment was also blocked, while policemen
surrounded the company’s headquarters.

In response to the NRTC’s decision, ANS argued that the failure
of a court to rule on the broadcast suspension makes the NRTC’s
license suspension illegal. "Such actions by the NRTC cause damage to
Azerbaijan’s international image as a democratic state," a statement
issued by the media company read. The company said that it intends
to use "all means" to restore its broadcasts, and expressed hope
that President Ilham Aliyev would intervene on ANS’ behalf to find
"a fair solution."

"ANS was never involved in politics and I believe that the people
who took this decision will change it," commented Vahid Mustafayev,
president of the ANS Group of Companies, at a press conference on the
evening of November 24. "We will appeal to President Ilham Aliyev and
I hope he will be able to restore justice." A source within ANS, who
asked to remain anonymous, told EurasiaNet that the company had turned
down an offer from opposition parties to hold joint demonstrations
against the license suspension.

Other media organizations that have voiced criticism of the government
are now under pressure, too. A few hours after ANS was silenced,
the Azerbaijani Economic Court ordered the immediate eviction of
all tenants from the building involved in the Azadlig newspaper’s
dispute with the State Property Committee. While representatives from
Western embassies and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) looked on, more than 50 policemen, led by Baku Deputy
Police Chief Yashar Aliyev, blocked the building until November 25,
when trucks from the State Property Committee arrived to remove
the organizations’ property to office space on the outskirts of Baku
designated by the State Property Committee. The building is now empty,
sealed up and guarded by police.

The decisions, however, are unlikely to put either dispute to rest.

Already, the NRTC has announced plans to accept bids from other
interested parties for ownership of ANS’ television and radio broadcast
frequencies. "Next week we [the NRTC] will announce a new contest
for the ANS TV and ANS CM frequencies," the council’s chairman,
Nushiravan Maharramov, told the APA news agency on November 25. "Even
if ANS applies for these frequencies again, the preference will be
given to other candidates. The NRTC has the authority to do this."

The international community responded immediately to the NRTC’s
decision. Ambassador Maurizio Pavesi, head of the OSCE’s mission
in Baku, said in a statement that he was "perplexed as to why the
decision, which was issued in the absence of any definitive reasoning,
should come into force immediately." The independent television and
radio company "has always been considered by international observers
as the most objective in the country," he added.

The United States embassy, calling for reconsideration of the decision,
termed the closure of ANS a "serious blow to . . . freedom of the
media" that has placed "Azerbaijan’s commitments on democratic
development and freedom of speech under . . . question." The German
Embassy, speaking on behalf of the European Union, described the EU as
"very concerned," noting that it is "actively seeking an explanation
from the [Azerbaijani] government."

Azerbaijani media and analysts have reacted more strongly, with some
arguing that the decision to shut down ANS and evict the Azadliq
building occupants was made at the highest levels of the government.

"I am shocked by this news. I have no words to explain what is
going on in this country," commented Elchin Shikhlinsky, chairman
of Azerbaijan’s Journalists Union and editor-in-chief of the
Russian-language daily Zerkalo (Mirror), about the ANS decision. "I
did not hear a competent and reasoned explanation for this action. I
have more and more pessimism about the future of freedom of speech
in Azerbaijan."

One observer of the Azadlig building eviction process, which did not
involve the use of force, commented that intervention by a United
States Embassy official was required before police would allow the
pro-opposition Turan news agency to remove their property from the
State Property Committee-designated office space on the outskirts of
Baku to downtown offices already rented by Turan.

"We expected the court’s decision and had already rented another
office in downtown. So, we were going to move our property there. But
the police did not allow it," said Turan reporter Farid Gahramanov.

"They did not allow us to move it until the US embassy representative
called the police. Only after that we were able to rent new trucks
and return our staff back downtown."

Both ANS and parties involved in the Azadlig building dispute have
said that they plan to fight the decisions. A hunger strike conducted
by protestors at the Azadlig building since November 9 resulted in
the hospitalisation of Azadlig Editor Ganimat Zahidov on November 24.

Government officials have not issued statements on either decision
as yet. Speaking with a group of editors from the independent and
opposition press (Zerkalo, Echo, Yeni Musavat, Baki Khabar, Novoe
Vremya, Gun Seher, Azadlig and Turan news agency) on November 24 before
the ANS license suspension, US Ambassador Anne E. Derse stated that
she had discussed freedom of the press issues with President Aliyev
on November 23, and had urged a dialogue between the government and
independent media to resolve existing differences.

While editors at the meeting reportedly expressed interest in the idea,
the government has not responded.

Meanwhile, in the absence of official explanations for the November
24 decisions, observers are struggling to explain the authorities’
hasty actions.

Some conjecture that the measures taken against ANS and the Azadlig
building occupants may be designed to strengthen the government’s
position for taking a potentially unpopular position during the
expected November 28 meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharian on the sidelines of a
Commonwealth of Independent States summit in Minsk. The two leaders
have agreed to discuss proposals for a resolution to their dispute
over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. [For background see
the Eurasia Insight archive]

"Maybe they [the government] are getting ready to sign any agreement
with Armenia on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution," suggested
journalists’ union chief Elchin Shikhlinsky. "And we know that ANS,
which was the most popular television in the country, always was
strongly against any defeatist peace with Armenia."

Ilgar Mammadov, a Baku-based political analyst, shares this point of
view. "There is no logical justification for these actions [of the
authorities]. The only explanation is an upcoming possible breakthrough
on the Karabakh peace process," he said.

Another analyst, Eldar Namazov, a former opposition movement leader and
former advisor to the late President Heidar Aliyev, holds a different
view, however. "I do not expect the signing of any peace agreement
between Azerbaijan and Armenia," he said. "What happened with ANS and
the Azadlig building is just the reinforcement of authoritarianism
in Azerbaijan."

Instead of Karabakh, Namazov points to a recently floated proposal
that the constitution be amended to extend the president’s term
from five to seven years. [For background, see the Eurasia Insight
archive]. "And the November 24 events are another attempt by the
ruling elite to secure power for a longer period."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN REGULATORY COMMISSION FOR PUBLIC SERVICES PROPOSES GAS PRICE REDUCTION

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

YEREVAN, November 27. /ARKA/. The RA Regulatory Commission for Public
Services is to discuss the "ArmRosgasprom" CJSC’s application for
recalculation of gas prices.

The Commission intends to partially satisfy the application lodged
by the company and its structure, Transgas" Ltd, on November 8, 2006.

As regards industrial enterprises, which consume over 10,000 cubic
meters a month, the Commission proposes a rise from $146.51 to $153.26
(in AMD equivalent) through ArmRosgasprom intended to bring the gas
price to $178.72.

On the other hand, the Commission intends to reduce gas prices for
the population using less than 10,000 cubic meters from AMD 90,000
to AMD 84,000 for 1,000 cubic meters, whereas ArmRosgasprom proposed
leaving the price unchanged.

The Commission proposes a rise in prices for suppliers of natural gas
from AMD 18.03 (VAT inclusive) up to AMD 18.334 (AMD 37.887 in the
application), AMD 5,656.21 to 8,057.945 for distribution of 1,000
cubic meters (AMD 15,383.637 in the application), AMD 3,445.115 to
4,638.841 for transportation (AMD 5,503.441 in the application).

The Commission’s decision is to take effect on January 1, 2007.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress