Author: Emil Lazarian

RA DEFENCE MINISTER ESTABLISHES FACT OF EFFECTIVE COOPERATION WITH EMBASSY OF GREAT BRITAIN
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Serge Sargsian, the Secretary of the RA
National Security Council attached to President, the Defence Minister
established the fact of the effective cooperation with the Embassy
of Great Britain at the meeting with Anthony John James Cantor,
the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the RA. The Minister
expressed confidence that new succeesses will be fixed during the newly
appointed Ambassador’s officiating. Touching upon the RA Armed Forces’
mutual cooperation in the peace-keeping mission, the Minister attached
importance to the main sphere of cooperation in the military sphere
which is teaching of the language to the officers’ staff. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by Colonel Seiran Shahsuvarian, the RA Defence
Minister’s Press Secretary, the sides touched upon the visit to be
paid to Great Britain by RA Deputy Defence Minister Artur Aghabekian.

SPRING SOWING WORK FAILS IN HRAZDAN
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
HRAZDAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Out of the planned area of 10
thousand ha, only 2,500 ha was sown with grain in Kotayk marz due
to bad weather. 2,100 ha of land under grain crops are in low-lying
areas, while the rest are located in the middle zone, particularly
in Argel, Alapars, Arzakan and Bjni communities. Thus, the spring
sowing activities failed in Hrazdan. Autumn sowing is also procceding
slowly in the marz: out of the planned area of 12 thousand ha, about
6 thousand ha has been sown.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN LEADER NOT TO ATTEND NATO PA SESSION
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 17 2006
Armenian President Robert Kocharian has refused to attend the session
of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly due in Paris May 26-30, the Assembly
told Armenian media.
The source quoted Kocharian’s spokesman Viktor Sogomonian as saying
that the decision is explained by the president’s busy work schedule.
“During the session, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs [mediating
settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh] are to visit the region. Moreover, the event will overlap
with the holidays in Armenia,” said Sogomonian.
The NATO PA president Pierre Lelouche earlier invited the Azeri and
Armenian leaders to participate at the spring session.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KOCHARIAN ‘WILL BECOME PRIME MINISTER AFTER RESIGNATION’
By Ruzanna Stepanian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 17 2006
President Robert Kocharian will be replaced by Defense Minister
Serzh Sarkisian and become prime minister after completing his second
five-year term in office in 2008, a controversial lawmaker reputedly
linked to the Armenian authorities claimed on Wednesday.
Hmayak Hovannisian presented to journalists what he called a scenario
drawn up by Armenia’s two most powerful men for the approaching
parliamentary and presidential elections. Under that scenario, he said,
Sarkisian will contest and secure victory in both polls, due in 2007
and 2008 respectively, on the ticket of the governing Republican Party
of Armenia (HHK) led by the current prime minister, Andranik Markarian.
“After the parliamentary elections Serzh Sarkisian will become prime
minister and Andranik Markarian speaker of the National Assembly,”
Hovannisian said. “What will Robert Kocharian do? Who else is to occupy
the post of prime minister when Serzh Sarkisian becomes president of
the republic?”
The Armenian constitution bars incumbent presidents from holding
the post for a third consecutive term and Kocharian has so far left
no indication that he will try find a legal loophole for contesting
the 2008 presidential ballot. But meeting with university students in
Yerevan last November, Kocharian admitted that he will not be averse
to continuing to run government affairs in a different capacity. “Who
is better than I in terms of knowledge, experience, hard work and
resilience?” he declared.
Some local analysts and politicians have speculated over the past
year that Kocharian is aiming for the post of prime minister, which he
had occupied for about a year before being catapulted to the Armenian
presidency in March 1998.
In Hovannisian’s words, helping Kocharian become prime minister is
the main mission of the ambitious Prosperous Armenia party that was
set up recently by Gagik Tsarukian, an influential “oligarch” close
to the ruling regime. He claimed that the authorities will ensure that
Prosperous Armenia, the HHK and another pro-establishment party linked
to Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian have an absolute majority in
the next parliament. Parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian and his
Orinats Yerkir party have been forced out of the ruling coalition
because their far-reaching political ambitions endangered realization
of that scenario, said Hovannisian.
The Kocharian administration has assured the West that the upcoming
elections will be more democratic than the ones held until now. Such
assurances are brushed aside by opposition leaders who maintain that
Armenia’s post-Soviet history of electoral fraud will continue as long
as the Kocharian-Sarkisian duo remains in power. Some oppositionists
have threatened to boycott next year’s legislative vote, saying that
the authorities may have already predetermined its outcome.
They will likely take Hovannisian’s predictions seriously. The
ostensibly independent parliamentarian has a history of scandalous
defections from political parties opposed to successive Armenian
governments. He was elected to the current National Assembly from
the electoral list of the opposition National Unity Party (AMK)
in May 2003 but quit it a year later for still uncertain reasons.
AMK leader Artashes Geghamian has repeatedly accused Hovannisian
of secretly collaborating with Sarkisian, a view shared by other
politicians and journalists. Hovannisian, however, has flatly denied
this.

MAN SELLS CAR TO PAY ‘DENIAL’ FINE
By Murat Kaban, Cihan News Agency, Kars
Zaman Online, Turkey
May 17 2006
An unusual protest against the “Armenian Genocide” law facing the
French parliament came from Turkish eastern city of Kars.
Erkan Birdal, head of a foundation which provides support to those
“murdered by Armenian guerillas” in the 1st World War, went on a
hunger strike.
Birdal said he will risk imprisonment and the 45,000 euro fine proposed
by France to those who deny the “Armenian genocide”; and consequently,
he sold his car to pay the fine.
In an art exhibition organized about the Armenian genocide opposite
the governor’s office, Birdal covered his car with slogans criticizing
France and mounted a Turkish flag on the car.
With over 500 signatures collected on the first day of his campaign,
Bridal also claimed he will go on a hunger strike in Paris and Belgium
if the genocide bill is approved.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MEETING IN PARLIAMENT
National Assembly of RA, Armenia
May 17 2006
On May 17 RA NA Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan received Stephen B. Nix,
Regional Program Director for Eurasia at U.S. International Republican
Institute and political expert Rasa Alisauskiene.
During the meeting issues concerning the activity of the International
Republican Institute in Armenia were discussed. The sides highlighted
the necessity of deepening democratic reforms. The guests presented
Artur Baghdasaryan the results of their researches over different
key problems.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CEASE-FIRE BROKEN, ONE AZERI SOLDIER KILLED
Author: E.Javadova
TREND, Azerbaijan
May 17 2006
As a result of the cease-fire breaking by Armenian military forces
at 630AM, May 17, one soldier of Azeri Military forces was killed,
Trend reports quoting Ilgar Verdiyev, acting chief of press service
of Defense Ministry.
Armenian forces located in occupied villages of Terter area fired
positions of Azeri army and positions in Tapgaygoyunlu village of
Geranboy area. As a result, private Eldar Rafik oglu Hajigaiobov was
killed in action.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PANIC IN THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA OVER TURKISH PRESSURE ON FRANCE
Hurriyet, Turkey
May 17 2006
Sources are reporting that the Armenian diaspora in France is reacting
negatively to the general reaction from both business and civilian
organizations in Turkey in the run-up to the debates tomorrow in
the French Parliament on a bill which, if approved, would mandate
prison sentences for those denying Armenian claims against Turkey of
a genocide. Fearful that the law may not pass tomorrow, organized
members of the Armenian diaspora in France put a full page ad in
yesterday’s French newspaper “Liberation” in support of passage of
the bill. The ad noted that “denial is a crime” and that “a law is
necessary” to deal with the denial.
One web site run by Armenians in France, “Nouvelle d’Armenie,”
reflected the general feeling in the community yesterday, with an
article entitled “Turkey’s unacceptable blackmail.” Portions of the
article read “For days, Turkey has been putting pressure on France
to prevent the passage of the denial bill. Prime Minister Erdogan is
himself threatening French firms with boycotts. There is an aggressive
e-mail campaign aimed at the French Parliament members.
Despite this propoganda, the French Armenian Organization Coordination
Council believes that the interference by a third country in France’s
business will not be accepted, as French laws concern only French
citizens.”
Meanwhile, Turks living in Paris have organized a group in connection
with the controversial “genocide denial” bill, and have sent more
than 12 thousand e-mails and letters to French MPs and top level
authorities over the past weeks. Tomorrow, during the talks in the
French Parliament on whether or not to pass the bill, the Turkish
group, calling themselves “Soz Hurriyeti Kolektifi,” will protest in
Paris’ La Place d’Invalides.” Armenians have also reportedly received
permission from the police to protest at a different spot.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

STEP TOWARD CLOSURE?
By Yonet Tezel
Charge d’affaires, Turkish Embassy
Globe and Mail, Canada
May 17 2006
Ottawa — It might surprise many Canadians to know that, for centuries,
the Turkish-Armenian relationship was predominantly about friendship,
tolerance and peaceful co-existence. It is unfortunate that, all too
often, only the incriminating version of the tragic events of 1915
are taken to represent this relationship.
It should not be inconceivable for both nations to come to terms with
what happened during the First World War and renew their friendship.
That is why Turkey has made a serious effort to engage the Armenian
side in a dialogue about that tragic phase and has proposed
establishing a group of Turkish, Armenian and other historians and
experts to study the events, not only in the archives of Turkey and
Armenia, but in all relevant archives. Their findings would then be
presented to the international community.
Despite Turkey’s offer, however, some accuse the Turks of being
“denialists” and try to discredit any non-Turkish scholars, should
they dare question the validity of Armenian claims.
It is disappointing that Patricia Marchak (The Bonds of History —
letter, May 12), in stating that she has already done research on
this subject for a book she wrote, brushes aside this honest effort
to get to the bottom of the claims of genocide by conducting a joint
study of the primary sources.
Genocide is a very serious accusation. The language of knowledge,
not conviction, should prevail. It could be the first step toward
real closure for both peoples.
tory/LAC.20060517.LETTERS17-11/TPStory/Comment
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED INVOLVED IN “PAID PUBLIC WORKS” PROGRAM TO INCREASE IN SYUNIK
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
KAPAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. By the decision of RA Government, 85.6 mln
drams has been allocated to Syunik region this year for implementing
the “Paid Public Works” program. The resources allocated this year
exceed by 15.6 mln drams (about 35 thousand dollars) the sum allocated
in 2005 for these works. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed
from the regional structure on program’s implementation, this will
enable to increase not only the programs to be implemented in the
region, but also the number of the unemployed involved in them. The
Syunik Regional Commission on Assistance to Employment has already
distributed these resources according to the unemployment level in
the regions of Syunik. Thus, 35.5 mln drams will be given to Kapan
region, 25.7 mln drams to Goris region, 18.3 mln drams to Sisian
region, 6.1 mln drams to Meghri region. It is envisaged to give more
than 57 mln drams to rural communities.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress