Author: Emil Lazarian

AZERI MPS ASK FRANCE TO BE “SENSITIVE” WHEN DEBATING GENOCIDE BILL
ITV, Baku,
10 Oct 06
[Presenter] The Milli Maclis [Azerbaijani parliament] has voiced
concern about the Armenian genocide bill to be discussed at the
French parliament. The [Azerbaijani] MPs regarded the bill as an
attempt to violate human rights and freedoms and decided to appeal
to the French parliament.
[Passage omitted: MPs voice their attitude to the French bill]
[Correspondent] In the afternoon, the MPs adopted the appeal to the
French parliament.
[Deputy Speaker Bahar Muradova, reading the appeal at the rostrum] The
law that may be passed following the activity of various political
groups and ethnic lobbies, can only discredit the influence of
France, a country that has old democratic traditions. In addition,
[if passed] the law will call into question impartiality of France as
a co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group for the peaceful settlement of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagornyy Karabakh. Therefore,
the Milli Maclis of the Azerbaijani Republic calls on colleagues at
the French parliament to be careful and sensitive when debating the
mentioned issue.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY HOPES FRANCE WILL NOT PASS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
11 Oct 06
Ankara, 11 October: “We hope that French authorities will reject the
draft law (criminalizing denial of so-called Armenian genocide),”
Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Namik Tan said on Wednesday
[11 October].
In his weekly press conference, Tan noted that French government has
launched some initiatives to counter the draft law, stating that it
was a positive development.
“(French) government has undertaken some initiatives against this
bill,” he stressed.
On the other hand, a delegation headed by Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the
Chairman of the Union of Chambers & Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
(TOBB), met representatives of French Economy & Social Labour Council
in Paris this morning.
Sources quoted Hisarciklioglu as saying in the meeting that the
bill was against freedom of expression, stressing that it would harm
relations between the two countries.
After holding talks in Paris, TOBB delegation left France for Turkey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH ASSEMBLY SUBCOMMITTEE CONSIDERING BILL AGAINST FRANCE, ARMENIAN “LIES”
Anatolia news agency, Ankara,
11 Oct 06
Ankara, 11 October: Turkish Parliamentary Justice Commission has sent
the draft laws on criminalizing “lies on so-called Armenian genocide”
and “denials of Algerian genocide by France” to a sub-commission on
Wednesday [11 October].
According to the bill submitted to the sub-commission, any verbal
or written claims of Armenian genocide by Turks will receive a jail
term of 1 year up to 3 years. If the claims are made overseas, the
penalty then may be increased to 4 years in prison.
The other bill envisages to declare 8 May the day to commemorate
French genocide of Algerians. Those who deny the Algerian genocide
by the French will receive a jail sentence of 1 year up to 3 years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UN Development Programme Armenia
14, Petros Adamyan St., Yerevan 375010, Armenia
Tel: +374 10 56 60 73 + 121
Mob: +374 91 43 63 12
Fax: +374 10 54 38 11
E-mail: [email protected]
URLs: ;
PRESS RELEASE
October 12, 2006
CONTACT: Aramazd Ghalamkaryan
E-mail: [email protected]
UNDP AND CHILDREN OF ARMENIA FUND CONTINUE RURAL POVERTY REDUCTION
PROGRAMME
Two remote villages benefit from an enhanced partnership
Yerevan, October 12, 2006 – Today, at the UN office in Armenia, United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Children of Armenia Fund
(COAF), and the mayors of Yervandashat and Shenik villages launched
two projects aimed at community development and rural poverty
eradication – a priority both for the government and the international
community.
Rural poverty eradication was the focus of the recently held
Armenia-Diaspora Third Conference, where UNDP and the Children of
Armenia Fund also participated and presented their corresponding
programmes. An initiative by Mr. Garo Armen, founder of the Fund, was
considered as exemplary and UNDP is proud to partner with such a
renowned and respected organization.
The two village projects are only part of a broader community
development programme that UNDP implements in 20 border villages of
the country. Village development plans were developed with direct
participation of the village inhabitants and the local self-governance
bodies, with UNDP’s assistance. UNDP-COAF cooperation started from
Karakert, another village in the Armavir province. The projects
launched for Yervandashat and Shenik villages are a continuation of
the success in Karakert.
UNDP and partners will rehabilitate, in fact – revive, the water
system Yervandashat village: this will provide the inhabitants with
clean and around-the-clock water supply. In Shenik we will
rehabilitate the secondary school building and thus provide children
with an acceptable educational environment.
It is noteworthy that the communities constantly transform from a
“receiver” to a “partner”: in this case, communities of Shenik and
Yervandashat were directly involved in the planning process, are
involved in funding the initiatives and will contribute to the
implementation.
As UNDP resident representative Ms. Consuelo Vidal noted in her
speech: “The projects that UNDP supports in the villages and urban
areas, are based on joint local priorities and, in particular, on
those who will help overcome poverty and create jobs a the local
level, outside the capital city Yerevan.”
After the signing of memorandums, a film produced by Internews-Armenia
titled “The Life on Border” was screened: the film tells about the
life in Yervandashat and Bagaran villages that border with
Turkey. Packages of 20 village development plans were distributed to
the journalists and partners.
* * *
The story on UNDP website: ;id=326
&lt ;;id=326&gt ;
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CHIRAC & FRENCH GOVERNMENT AGAINST ARMENIAN BILL
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 11 2006
The French government and the ruling party have differing views on
the Armenian bill. Both the French president and the French government
evidently oppose the Armenian bill in the French National Assembly.
Chirac repeated his opposition even in his speeches in Armenia, where
he mostly dwelled on the issue. However, Internal Affairs Minister
Nicholas Sarkozy and his right hand man Patrick Deveciyan support
the Armenian bill. By supporting the bill, Sarkozy may be trying
to undermining Chirac’s camp, his main opponent in the upcoming
presidential elections.
Foreign Minister Douste Blazy made a strong speech last May speaking
out against the bill.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACCORDING TO UNOFFICIAL INFORMATION, ARMENTEL SOLD TO ARAB CONSORTIUM
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 10 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. 90% of shares of the
telecommunication company ArmenTel that belong to OTE company (Greece)
have been sold to the Arab consortium Emirates Telecomminications
Corporation (ETISALAT)/ Istithmar PJSC/Emergent Telecom Venures
(ETV) for 600 million USD. The news agency Regnum reported that
this information was neither confirmed nor refuted by ArmeTel
itself. According to spokeswoman for ArmenTel Hasmik Chutilian, she
has no information about the winner of the international tender. In the
words of spkeswoman for the RA Ministry of Transport and Communication
Tamara Galechian, the minsiter is away on a business trip so she can’t
get any information about the new owner of 90% of ArmenTel’s shares.
It is worth mentioning that last year OTE announced a tender for
sale of 90% of ArmenTel’s shares. 16 companies participated in
the tender, with the Russian companies VympelKom and MTC, as well
companies ETISALAT (Emirates Telecommunications Corporation/Istithmar
ETV/Emergent Telecom Ventures) and VTEL Holdings/Knightsbridge
Associated reaching the second stage of the tender.
To recap, in 1997 OTE acquired 90% of shares of the telecommunication
company ArmenTel for 142.47 million USD through an international
tender. 10% of ArmenTel’s shares belong to the Armenian government.
Recently the RA Minister of Transport and Communication Andranik
Margarian stated that the purchaser of ArmenTel’s shares must waive
the right of monopoly on a number of activities, and the companies
intending to acquire the company’s shares agreed with this requirement.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HRANT DINK IS READY TO STATE IN FRANCE THAT “TURKS DID NOT CONDUCT GENOCIDE”
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 10 2006
ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. If Frenchmen
adopts the draft law considering denial of the genocide as a crime,
“Akos” editor Hrant Dink will go to France, and how much he believes
the opposite, unfortunately, he will insist that Turks did not conduct
a genocide. According to the “Milliyet,” H.Dink made such a statement,
adding that to puhish in Turkey people recognizing the genocide and
to punish people in France denying the genocide is the same thing and
the one who is against violation of the freedom of opinion in Turkey,
must be against it in France as well. “If I’m sentenced here, I’ll
be sentenced there as well,” Dink said. He also expressed an opinion
that the French draft will damage the Armenian-Turkish relations and
will weaken possibility of ideological exchanges.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VIC DARCHINYAN RETAINS IBF TITLE
Armenpress
Oct 09 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, ARMENPRESS: Australia’s Armenia-born Vic Darchinyan
retained his International Boxing Federation flyweight title with
a technical decision over Glenn Donaire from the Philippines on
October 8.
Darchinyan knocked Donaire down in the fourth round with a short
right on the way to recording his fifth successful IBF title defense
and fourth International Boxing Organization title defense.
The bout was stopped at 1min. 27sec of the sixth round when Donaire
sustained a jaw injury from what referee Tony Weeks determined was
an accidental head clash. The ringside doctor recommended the bout
be stopped.
The fight went to the scorecards with the hard-punching Darchinyan
leading 60-53 on all three.
He improved his overall professional record to 27 wins and no losses
with 21 KOs. Darchinyan was disappointed the result was recorded as
a technical decision rather than a KO, as he was adamant that any
injury Donaire suffered was caused by a punch not a head clash.
“I nearly knocked him out and they stopped the fight for nothing,”
Darchinyan said. “There was no real reason to stop it.
“It was one of my best, but not my best performance, because I was
very sharp and I did what I wanted.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPUBLICAN MP RULES OUT PROGRESS IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT UNTIL 2009
Armenpress
Oct 11 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 11, ARMENPRESS: A parliament member from the ruling
Republican Party predicted today that a real window of opportunity
to settle the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will likely to
start outlining in 2009 or at best in 2010.
Armen Ashotian, who is the youngest lawmaker in the 131-member
legislative, said all optimistic forecasts made earlier this year
that a major breakthrough is possible this year will remain as
forecasts only.
“The year is moving swiftly towards the end but there are no
indications, even slightest signs of a possible breakthrough in
the solution efforts ,” he argued, citing also the decision of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to transfer
hearing of a report on the Karabakh conflict to 2007 and the delay
of a PACE monitoring commission’s visit to the region to ground
his deduction.
“European structures, at least on the level of the Council of Europe
are realizing well that the problem cannot be settled before the end
of this year and this is why they have postponed all related meetings
until next year,” he argued.
He said no progress could be expected in 2007 or 2008 either as these
are the years for holding parliamentary and presidential elections
in Armenia respectively.
He then moved to underscore a constitution that Nagorno-Karabakh
is going to adopt in December saying it would first reconfirm that
Nagorno-Karabakh is a sovereign state and it would also prove that
Karabakh has chosen the democratic path of development.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY SAYS FRENCH BILL ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE “GREAT INJUSTICE”
PanARMENIAN.Net
11.10.2006 16:15 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The adoption of the bill penalizing the Armenian
Genocide denial in France is a “great injustice” toward Turkey,
Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Turan Morali told reporters October
11. He remarked that France’s move aroused anxiety in Turkey.
“The step taken by the French government is very primitive. The
adoption of the bill by a country like France arouses regret,” Morali
said. The diplomat considers that the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by France will hamper Turkey’s accession to the EU.
Morali also remarked that the Turkish government welcomes the Azeri
parliament’s stand on the issue.
“Yesterday we spoke to the chairman of the state committee on the
affairs of Azeris living abroad,” he said and thanked the Azerbaijani
government for support, reports Trend news agency.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress