Author: Emil Lazarian

UNESCAP to hold a joint seminar with RA Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labor and Social Issues

ArmRadio.am
24.07.2006 12:07

July 26-26 the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) jointly with RA Ministries of Foreign
Affairs and Labor and Social Issues will hold a national seminar on
"Programs of income and opening work places, Their joint planning,
control and development in Armenia."

Armenian and foreign experts, as well as representatives of regional
structures will participate in the seminar.

EUROWAGEN COMPANY PLANS TO INCREASE VOLKSWAGEN SALES IN ARMENIA

Yerevan, July 24. ArmInfo. Volkswagen’s dealer in Armenia, Eurowagen,
is planning to increase Volkswagen sales in Armenia this year,
says the head of the communication cooperation department Mikayel
Minassyan. He did not give specific figures.

He said that last year the sales exceeded plans – 100 cars. 60-70% of
them were Premium, Touareg, Passat, Golf – all with 2-year guarantee.

At the same time, the "Armenian mentality" prefers second-hand
luxurious Mersedes E, BMW 5 or 7, TOYOTA to new smaller economy cars
for the same $12,000-17,000.

This year Eurowagen has delivered just 10 second-hand 6-month guarantee
cars worth $6,000-15,000. In cooperation with Armeconom and Anelik
banks the company provides cars on an instalment basis. In Anelik Bank
the prepayment is 20%, the interest 15% a year, the credit period 4
years. Minassyan says that because of climatic conditions the company
imports into Armenia only 20-22 of 87 possible Volkswagen models.

He says that today Eurowagen is building a new office. 80% of
exterior and 20% of interior is ready. The company has spent $1.6
mln on the project from its profits. The building will be opened by
Mar 5 2007. Besides, the company has built its own wharehouse for
storing 14,000 original spare parts and accessories. Now there are
5,000 spare parts stored there.

Minassyan says that in the future Eurowagen will start producing
spare parts and cars on its own.

Minassyan says that cars in Armenia are gradually becoming not only
a means of transportation but a cult and lifestyle which is proved
by the abundance of tuning companies.

Eurowagen has been working in Armenia since Mar 2004. It was selected
by Volkswagen from among 10 applicants. According to the contract,
Volkswagen should provide cars ad German now-how, Eurowagen –
maintenance building and show-room.

The National Statistical Service of Armenia reports that in Jan-May
2006 car trade in Armenia totalled 27 bln AMD ($60 mln) out of the
total trade worth 349.8 bln AMD ($779.9 mln).

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AN INFORMAL FAREWELL TO THE DYSFUNCTIONAL COMMONWEALTH

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
July 24, 2006

By Pavel K. Baev

There were plenty of good reasons to organize an informal top-level
meeting of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Moscow last
weekend. Old conflicts and new tensions dividing its 12 member-states,
from the deadlocked antagonism between Armenia and Azerbaijan to
the ongoing spy scandal between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, require
the urgent attention of their leaders and good-neighborly mediation
between the parties. The broad theme of "energy security" needs to
be collectively elaborated by producers and consumers in order to
harmonize their interests and prevent new "gas wars." Yet none of
these real issues was actually put on the agenda of the summit, which
started with a long dinner at a restaurant on the shore of Moscow River
on Friday evening and ended with horse racing on Saturday afternoon
(Izvestiya, July 24).

When inviting his "junior allies" to spend some quality time together,
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not have in mind discussing
conflict management or gas prices; his main topic was the success he
had achieved at the G-8 summit the previous weekend. He had played
host to the leaders of the most influential countries in the world
and not only provided an excellent venue but proved his status as
a rightful member of the most elitist of political clubs, brushing
aside questions about the quality of democracy in Russia (Kreml.org,
July 20; Moskovskie novosti, July 21). By all accounts, Putin scored a
big victory and was eager to translate that result into a more usable
position of power in the CIS.

Such a prospect was not exactly enthralling for the invitees, and
four presidents opted to skip the occasion at the last minute, giving
various excuses (EDM, July 21; Kommersant, July 22). Turkmenistan’s
President Saparmurat Niyazov has never been a fan of the CIS and,
after reducing his status to an "associate member" last year, he
refused to interrupt his vacation this year. Armenia’s President
Robert Kocharian caught a cold, which was probably unfortunate, but
of no great import, since Moscow was not planning to launch any fresh
initiative on Karabakh and is generally inclined to take Yerevan for
granted. Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko decided that he had
nothing to discuss with Moscow until a government is formed in Kyiv,
since Putin’s opinion of Viktor Yanukovych, who hopes to claim to the
position of prime minister, is known only too well. Georgia’s President
Mikheil Saakashvili needed and even asked for a face-to-face meeting
with Putin, but when the request was diplomatically turned down,
he cancelled the trip at the last moment.

The Georgian case is perhaps the most burning one in the entire
CIS zone, and Putin’s clearly conveyed refusal to give it due
attention is even more worrisome than the shootouts and explosions
in Tskhinvali. Saakashvili paid a visit to Washington two weeks prior
to the G-8 summit, and he had expected that President George W. Bush,
together with his European allies, would raise the issue of Russia’s
support to secessionists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia at an opportune
moment. It did not happen, perhaps because Lebanon demanded priority
attention (Prognosis.ru, July 19). Putin now feels emboldened to
experiment with direct pressure on Georgia, such as staging military
exercises, while in the Russian mainstream media the campaign against
"war mongers" in Tbilisi has reached new highs (Nezavisimaya gazeta,
July 24). The din drowns out rare voices, like Yulia Latynina’s, that
warn about the risk of being drawn into a full-scale interstate war
by the force of Moscow’s own propaganda and the parochial interests
of a few "peacekeeping" colonels who control the smuggling business
in South Ossetia (Ekho Moskvy, July 22).

The "frozen" conflict in Transnistria has also recently shown dangerous
spasms, so Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin decided to come to
Moscow in an attempt to cut some ice in bilateral relations, which
have stayed on a very low plateau since he declined Putin’s peace
plan in December 2003. Having no illusions about the prospects of
integration, Voronin was generous with his praise of the value of
CIS, hoping at least to get some relaxation of the Russian ban on
imports of Moldavian wine (Ekho Moskvy, July 21). President Ilham
Aliyev from Azerbaijan probably enjoyed the races, where his horse
finished nose-to-nose with the Russian favorite, but it was hard to
detect any interest in the CIS on his part (Kommersant, July 24). The
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, which was joyfully inaugurated on the
eve of the G-8 summit, is a project hugely more important to him than
anything in the Babylonian tower of paperwork produced during the 15
years of the Commonwealth’s fruitless existence.

Only one diehard enthusiast of deepening cooperation (as he was
of preserving the USSR in 1991) attempted to make a difference at
the summit. Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev presented a
well-developed draft for reforming the CIS centered on a proposal to
adopt decisions strictly by consensus on the few matters that were of
importance for all members and to guarantee that such decisions would
be mandatory to implement (Polit.ru, July 21). By no means an idealist,
Nazarbayev appealed to the common political sense of his colleagues,
suggesting a drastic streamlining of the bureaucratic procedures and,
taking a clue from the G-8 method, appointing "sherpas" for hammering
out the details (Vedomosti, July 24). His sound ideas could have
reinvigorated the Commonwealth a few years back, but now they are
demonstratively out of place.

The problem is not that Ukraine has lost interest in the CIS and
is considering an "exit strategy"; neither is it Georgia’s desire
to join NATO nor Turkmenistan’s self-isolation. The main problem
for Nazarbayev’s plan is that it does not fit Putin’s vision of
a Russia-centered, tightly controlled organization that has few
"horizontal" links between its members. Insisting on adopting a
binding "common position" on international issues around the Russian
line, Putin is challenging the malcontents to quit the CIS. By the
official summit later this year, some of them might indeed do it;
but that hardly would make it possible to transform the curtailed
Commonwealth into a functional structure.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian Journal: In Caucasus enclave, journalists find improvement

International Journalist’s Network
July 24, 2006

By Timothy Spence, Knight International Press Fellow

Around the corner from the government offices of the self-declared
Nagorno-Karabakh republic, two journalists spend a recent Friday
evening working in the small offices of the local press club.

That there is not much news this evening may be a good thing-more
than a decade after a ceasefire between Karabakh separatists and the
armies of two former Soviet republics, the peace in this picturesque
Caucasus region remains fragile.

And so do conditions for the journalists who work here. Salaries
are low, information can be hard to come by, and the 11 independent
newspapers depend on outside sponsors for survival. Most residents
of the economically struggling region of 145,000 people cannot
afford the 100 dram (about 23 U.S. cents) it costs for a newspaper.
Advertising is scarce.

The government-run public broadcaster controls the radio and
television stations in Karabakh, and there are several state-sponsored
newspapers. But journalists interviewed here say that while there are
obstacles to getting information, the working environment has become
more free in recent years.

Naira Hayrumyan, left, and Karine Ohanyan say low wages and a reserved
society make work in Nagorno-Karabakh difficult for journalists.
It was hard to imagine this a few years ago, when there were no
alternative and independent mass media in Karabakh," says Karine
Ohanyan, who works for the independent "Demo" newspaper and corresponds
for the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting. "However,
now that we have a number of publications independent of authorities,
reporters are able to cover developments fairly by means of such
mass media. As a result, readers can get information from different
sources and formulate their own objective opinion."

Naira Hayrumyan, editor of the online news service KarabakhOpen.com,
also says there is greater freedom for journalists. Officials use
"friendly advice" rather than "threats or force" in dealings with
reporters, she says.

Still, journalists face significant challenges in a region still
scarred by ethnic conflict that turned bloody as the Soviet Union
disintigrated. Self-censorship, the small size of the region and
fears of self-expression-a byproduct of Soviet rule-all make the job
difficult. And a reserved society makes it tough for even the most
aggressive journalists to have their reporting effect change.

"Karabakh reporters live in a small country where all the people
know each other, and many of them simply refuse to be in a story,"
says Hayrumyan, adding that in Karabakh, "we seek to observe the
decencies and not to offend anyone."

Ohanyan and Hayrumyan were interviewed in English and Armenian at the
three-room press club in the capital Stepanakert, and later answered
questions about press freedom by e-mail. Their answers were translated
from the Russian.

Ohanyan of "Demo" says the lack of media influence hurts the
unrecognized Karabakh republic, saying there is no "fourth estate"
to spur public debate or create awareness about citizens’ concerns.

"They are on their own, in a way, a separate link in the chain, and
on the whole their quality matters little," Ohanyan said. "The media
perform an information function and that’s it."

Karabakh got much less international media attention than other
post-Soviet conflicts. The rugged moutnains of the landlocked region
made access difficult and its small size made this a secondary story to
the battles in Chechnya and the former Yugoslavia, and less compelling
a story than the peaceful revolutions and independence movements in
the Baltic states and Eastern Europe.

Two boys sit in front of the clinic in Shushi, a once-thriving mountain
town where most homes and buildings lie in ruin 12 years after the
ceasefire. Both Ohanyan and Hayrumyan say that too little attention
has been given to their homeland’s struggles and that even regional
media neglect to report about how the current political stalemate is
affecting people. "The Azerbaijan and Armenian media often feature
the lives of their citizens, but the way simple people live in the
conflict region gets little coverage," Ohanyan says.

Karabakh-which means "black garden" and is also known in Armenian
as Artsak-was a majority Armenian area that in the earliest years of
the Soviet Union was incorporated into Azerbaijan. Tensions began to
grow in 1988 as the ethnic Armenians sought autonomy from Azerbaijan.
Soviet interior ministry forces were sent to quash the separatist
movement, but war broke out in the final months of the Soviet Union
in 1991

Christian Armenia backed Karabakh against mostly Muslim Azerbaijan.
The fighting, punctuated by accusations of ethnic cleansing and
forced expulsions on both sides, mirrored the ethnic conflicts in
the Balkans. Armenian forces and the Karabakh militia succeeded in
driving out the better-armed Azeri army before Russia brokered a
ceasefire in 1994.

As many as 30,000 people died in the conflict, and tens of thousands
of people were driven from their homes. Nearly everyone was affected by
the fighting in the enclave, which is the size of the American state of
Delaware. Hayrumyan’s husband was killed in 1992 during the conflict.

Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan and aligned itself
with Armenia, but the international community does not recognize it
as an independent republic. Talks have stalled on a lasting peace
deal despite renewed efforts earlier this year.

While Karabakh is largely peaceful today, scars of war remain. The
once-thriving mountain city of Shushi lies in ruin. Some 3,000 people
live there, about 10 percent of its population before the war.

While the media in Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan often wage
wars of rhetoric and nationalistic sentiment, that may be changing.
"Recently," says Ohanyan, "there was a breakthrough in the independent
printed press, namely analytical and other information have appeared
covering the security issue. I figure it’s the opinions of people
in a story that can be nationalistic, but the story itself gives
fair coverage."

Timothy Spence is a Knight Fellow working with journalists
in Armenia. This is his second tour with the program; he
was previously in Ethiopia. The John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation sponsors the fellowships, administered by the
International Center for Journalists. For more information, visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE
July 24, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

STATE DEPARTMENT MISLED SENATE ON
TURKISH COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT AMB. EVANS

— Signed Statements Contradict State Department’s
Official Denial

— Justice Department Records Reveal Repeated Contacts
by Turkey’s Foreign Agent with the State Department
Concerning Remarks by the Ambassador to Armenia

WASHINGTON, DC – In yet another troubling development concerning
the controversial nomination of Richard Hoagland to serve as U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia, Department of Justice records have revealed
that the State Department has misled the U.S. Senate regarding its
communications with the Turkish government concerning the February
2005 public affirmation of the Armenian Genocide by U.S. Ambassador
to Armenia John Marshall Evans, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).

In a letter, dated June 28, 2005 written on behalf of Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice to Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), the Ranking
Democrat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the State
Department denied that the Turkish government had even approached
the Administration on this issue. However, official Foreign Agent
Registration filings by the Turkish government’s registered foreign
agent, the Livingston Group, document that, in the days following
Ambassador Evans’ February 19, 2005 remarks, one of Turkey’s agents
communicated on at least four different occasions with State
Department officials concerning the envoy’s statement and his
subsequent retraction.

"With each new revelation, we see more clearly the corrosive impact
that the Administration’s complicity in Turkey’s denial is having
on our own core values as Americans," said ANCA Chairman Ken
Hachikian. "This latest failed attempt by the State Department to
mislead the Senate adds to the many compelling reasons to block the
confirmation of a new Ambassador to Armenia."

Consistent with the pattern of unresponsiveness that has come to
characterize the Administration’s actions on the Hoagland
nomination, the only answer the State Department chose to provide
in response to Senator Biden’s four questions was a misleading one.
His other inquiries – including an official request for an
explanation of why Ambassador Evans was being replaced prematurely
– remain unanswered.

On June 23rd, as part of Ambassador Richard Hoagland’s confirmation
process to replace Amb. Evans in Yerevan, Senator Biden wrote a
letter asking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice a series of
questions including the following: "Has the State Department
received any communication – written, electronic, or spoken – from
the Turkish Government concerning Ambassador Evans?"

Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs Jeffrey T.
Bergner responded on behalf of Secretary Rice with the following
assertion: "Please be assured that allegations that the U.S. is
removing Ambassador Evans under pressure from the Government of
Turkey are simply untrue. The Government of Turkey has not
approached the Administration on this issue, and the United States
and Turkey engaged in no diplomatic exchanges related to this
matter."

However, Justice Department filings by the Livingston Group reveal
that a day after Amb. Evans’ statements on the Armenian Genocide
were publicized in an ANCA-San Francisco press release dated
February 24, 2005, a Turkish agent communicated with the State
Department concerning his statements. On February 28, 2005, one
business day after the agent’s first phone call, Ambassador Evans
issued his first public retraction – noting that his mention of the
Armenian Genocide was made in a private capacity. Later that same
day, the Livingston Group reported three additional calls between
one of Turkey’s agents and State Department officials including the
Deputy Chief of Mission-designate at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara to
discuss Ambassador Evans’ retraction. The very next day on March
1, 2005, Ambassador Evans issued a public correction of his
retraction – removing entirely any mention of the Armenian
Genocide.

In addition to the Justice Department filings, several Turkish
press accounts reported that officials of the Government of Turkey
communicated their concerns to the State Department regarding
statements made by Ambassador Evans:

1) Turkish Press

On March 3, 2005, Turkish Press reported that, "Turkey’s Ambassador
in Washington Faruk Logoglu reacted to this. Ambassador Logoglu
reminded his interlocutors in the State Department that the United
States did not recognize ‘Armenian genocide’ noting the expression
in Evans’ apology was unacceptable. Justifying Turkey’s warning,
US State Department made Evans to issue a ‘correction’ for the
apology." ("Evans Had to Correct His Statement Again After Using
‘Genocide’ in His Apology," Turkish Press, March 3, 2005)

2) Anadolu News Agency

On March 4, 2005, the Anadolu News Agency reported that, "The
Turkish ambassador to Washington Faruk Logoglu reacted to this
message and the Washington administration approved Turkey’s demand
and made Evans correct the message of apology. Logoglu reminded the
US State Department that the US does not recognize the Armenian
genocide, but the term was used in the message of apology of the US
Yerevan Ambassador. Logoglu noted that a term that is not accepted
by USA could not be used in a statement of policy." ("Double
Genocide Correction from US Yerevan Ambassador," Anadolu News
Agency, March 04, 2005)

3) Turkish Daily News

On May 27, 2006, Turkish Daily News reported that, "’After his
remarks last year that caused reaction at the State Department and
by Turkey, Evans was given a second chance, but he continued to
deviate from the official U.S. policy, working almost as a part of
Armenian groups that have a specific agenda,’ one U.S. analyst
familiar with the matter said on Thursday. ‘As a result he was
recalled.’" ("US Envoy Fired Over ‘Genocide’ Claims," Turkish Daily
News, May 27, 2006)

The ANCA has circulated relevant sections of the Justice Department
FARA filings to Congressional offices.

H. Silvanyan: Extremism against Armenians Rare in Georgia

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.07.2006 15:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia supports any initiatives targeted at
improving the living conditions of population of the Armenian-inhabited
region of Javakhk (Georgia), RA Ambassador to Georgia Hrachya Silvanyan
stated in an interview with Novoe Vremya newspaper. In his words,
the interaction on the Javakhk issue is discussed at the meetings of
government officials while a number of regional projects provide for
contribution by the Armenian side. He reminded that at the recent
sitting of the Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental commission RA
Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan reiterated Armenia’s readiness to
promote implementation of program for reconstruction of Javakhk’s
infrastructure.

"Armenia can assist in finding an optimal solution for stabilization
in the region." Hrachya Silvanyan said. At that he underscored
that he stands against the notion of "anti-Armenian spirit"
in Georgia. "National extremism against Armenians is rare in
Georgia. Of course there are nationalists but their number is small
while unproductiveness of their political choice is obvious in
multinational Georgia," the Armenian diplomat said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPUBLICAN PARTY CONGRESS ELECTS DEFENSE MINISTER CHAIRMAN OF GOVERNING BOARD

Armenpress

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS: An extraordinary congress of the
governing Republican Party elected last Saturday defense minister
Serzh Sarkisian chairman of its governing council. This position was
specially created to be given to the influential minister.

Speaking to reporters after his election Serzh Sarkisian explained
his desire to formalize his membership in this party by a long record
of mutual cooperation. He recalled also that he had been elected to
parliament in 2003 elections on this party’s ticket.

"Though the defense minister has become member of a political party,
the armed forces remain non-partisan and therefore my decision is
legally correct," he said. The extraordinary congress has raised the
number of members of its ruling council from 42 to 70. It now comprises
many parliament and government members, wealthy businessmen. It
also incorporated a series of changes to its statutes. Addressing
the congress, the chairman of the party, prime minister Andranik
Margarian, spoke also about the resolution of the Karabakh conflict,
reiterating that the most recent proposals put forth by the OSCE Minsk
group, calling for the pullout of Armenian troops from some of regions
surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, deployment of international peacekeeping
contingent and a referendum to decide the final status of Karabakh,
were largely acceptable for Armenia. Margarian, however, added
that these principles were again rejected by Azerbaijan. Margarian
said this conflict must be resolved based on four basic principles:
international acknowledgment of the Nagorno-Karabakh population’s
right to self-determination, Nagorno-Karabakh must have an overland
connection with Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh must never become part of
Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh must have international guarantees of
security of its people and borders. Speaking about other priorities
of the government, the prime minister listed the European integration
and boosting cooperation within CIS. The Republican Party, making
the coalition government together with the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation and the United Labor Party, has more seats in the parliament
than other forces and boasts of some 30,000 members.

There is still a chance for reaching an agreement

Yerkir.am
July 21, 2006

In this politically peaceful summer period when no one seems to
have any desire to work the political forces in the parliament are
engaged in heated debates of the CoE Venice Commission’s opinion on
the amendments to the Electoral Code.

The fifth session of these discussions will be held today. National
Assembly’ s ARF faction leader Hrayr Karapetian presents his opinion
on the results of the previous discussions.

The CoE Venice Commission’s comments on the amendments to the Electoral
Code are divided into three main groups. According to Karapetian,
the first group includes amendments that the VC welcomes considering
that they contribute to free and fair elections.

These amendments include the proposal to place the ballots into
envelopes, proposals about making the punitive measures in case of
electoral violations stricter in the Criminal Code. There are some
amendments for which the VC has requested further clarifications from
the National Assembly.

The Commission has noted that some of its proposals were not included
into the draft amendments and believes these proposals should be
discussed as well. For instance, finger inking, mobile ballot boxes,
video taping in the voting site and the issue of people who cannot
vote at the voting site should also be further discussed.

"Our factions believes that all proposals related to the amendment
of the Electoral Code that will contribute to the transparency of
electoral mechanisms and democratic elections should be adopted. The
question is that there are issues that should be further discussed
based on the specific situation in Armenia. We will discuss these
issues with the Venice Commission again.

For instance, the issue of mobile ballot boxes. We have not
included this in the amendments since it can result in a number
of violations. Meanwhile, the Venice Commission believes that the
absence of mobile ballot boxes will deprive people who cannot vote
at the voting site of their voters’ rights.

The finger inking also may arise some problems taking into
consideration our people’s psychology. The question of video taping
is under discussion. If we manage to find some mechanisms to insure
technically the implementation of these proposals while at the same
time ensuring the secrecy of the vote, this also can be applied,"
Karapetian noted.

As to developing a mechanism for recalling electoral commission
members, the National Unity party insists on this proposal. Meanwhile,
the Venice Commission believes this proposal should be excluded. "We
believe that the recalling mechanism should be excluded. The opposition
believes that the recalling mechanism can be used under certain
time frames.

This issue is also under discussion. Overall, we hope that it will be
possible to reach a point when all political forces will come to an
agreement, of course going for compromises on certain issues so that
both the pro-governmental and opposition political forces sign under
the amendments to the Electoral Code to be discussed in the National
Assembly. There are still chances that we will manage to do this,"
Karapetian noted.

When the political forces come to a final agreement the questions
related to the amendments will be discussed with representatives of
the Venice Commission in mid August.

As to the proportion of majoritarian and proportional votes, ARF has
always supported 100% proportional vote. However, Karapetian noted, if
we see today that there is no agreement on this issue today, we will
try to shift the proportion between majoritarian and proportional
votes in favor of the proportional – 75% proportional and 25%
majoritarian. This issue should be decided based on a consensus.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

No panic among Lebanese Armenians as situation escalates

Yerkir.am
July 21, 2006

By Karine Mangasarian

The military operation unleashed by Israel against Lebanon has already
killed and wounded hundreds. Speaking to Yerkir, Shahan Gantaharian,
the editor-in-chief of the Armenian-language Aztag Daily published
in Beirut, said that despite the dangerous situation the Lebanese
Armenians do not plan to flee the country.

Gantaharian: The Israeli army continues its military operation in the
south causing thousands to flee. The only way to leave Lebanon is the
Syrian border but it is not safe either. The Armenian community too
has found itself in a desperate state but they have not intention
to leave the country.

Many refuges have found refuge in Armenian-populated areas, including
Beirut, Burj Hamoud and Antelias. The Lebanon Central Committee of
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation has set up a body to coordinate
the assistance to refugees. The body, in cooperation with the Burj
Hamoud municipality, is engaged in delivering aid.

The main task of the body is to set up contacts with Armenian charity
organizations. The ARF Lebanon CC has already issued a statement
condemning the Israeli violence against innocent civilians. Q: The
Armenian government has decided to aid the victims of the military
actions. Could you say where the Armenian government could be helpful?

Gantaharian: If the situation escalates there would be a need for
medical assistance and food. Currently, there is no such danger
although the power blackouts become more frequent, the gas prices
have soared, there is shortage of food but the government has announce
the stocks would last for several months.

To avoid panic in the community, all the Armenian organizations and
clubs are engaged in the ARF preparatory works. If there is need, we
can also coordinate our efforts with those of the Armenian government.

Gantaharian also informed that taking into account the immense
interest of the international community and Armenian communities
worldwide, the Aztag has placed relevant information on its website
at

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Story of a pilgrimage

Yerkir.am
July 21, 2006

There was a surprise waiting for me in the newsroom. Robert Arakelian’s
"In the Footsteps of the Past" was on my desk.

An actor, Arakelian had been working for the Yerevan Drama Theater
until 1992 when he moved to Lebanon and settled down in Ainchar,
a town with a significant number of Armenians. Since then he is the
director of the "Lusardzak 40" troupe of the "P.Sevak" branch.

Sponsored by the Hamazkayin, his first book, "In the Footsteps of the
Past," has been published by the Vahe Satian Publishing House. This is
a story of a pilgrimage, or to put it more accurately, a long return
of an Armenian from Lebanon to Cilicia and Cappadokia. To say that
an Armenian pilgrim is just a tourist is equal to saying nothing.

Every town is a historic holy site and no matter how hard the current
owners of those lands try to erase the traces of the Armenian presence,
those traces remain and speak of themselves.

The language of the book is a unique combination of the Eastern and
Western Armenians.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress