Author: Emil Lazarian

Agence France Presse — English
April 13, 2006 Thursday 10:39 PM GMT
Armenian, Azerbaijani leaders could meet again on Karabakh: French
negotiator
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan may meet again in the coming
months to resume talks over the contested Nagorno Karabakh region, a
French mediator in the conflict said here Thursday, expressing the
hope that negotiations between the leaders could take place in June.
“We are prepared to present the presidents with new ideas to renew
and develop the principles on which the parties are already working,”
Bernard Fassier, who co-chairs the Minsk group of Russian, French and
American mediators on Karabakh, told reporters.
The negotiation process continues, despite failed talks between
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani leader Ilham
Aliyev at the Rambouillet castle near Paris last February, Fassier
said.
He said the Minsk Group’s co-chairmen would meet in Moscow in May,
before visiting the Caucasus region.
The Armenian-majority enclave of Nagorno Karabakh seceded from
Azerbaijan in the late 1980s, sparking a six-year conflict between
Armenia ad Azerbaijan that claimed that 25,000 lives and displaced
hundreds of thousands of people.
Despite a 1994 ceasefire, tensions remain high and the mountainous
region, surrounded by Azerbaijani territory, is separated by one of
the world’s most militarized zones.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
April 13, 2006 Thursday
AZERBAIJANI OFFICIAL SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR KILLING ARMENIAN
Budapest, April 13 (MTI) – An Azerbaijani army officer who killed an
Armenian classmate during a NATO Partnership for Peace course in
Budapest two years ago was sentenced to life imprisonment by a
Budapest Court on Thursday.
Ramil Safarov, when he was 27, used an ax to hack to death his
sleeping colleague Gurgen Markarian, 26, of Armenia, in the dormitory
of Miklos Zrinyi National Defence University, where both of them were
attending a three-month English-language course.
Safarov, who showed no repentance in court, said the murder had been
a revenge for a 1992 Armenian assault of Azerbaijanis in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, which he witnessed as a child. The
Azerbaijani officer said that the Armenians he had met in the
dormitory “were smiling mockingly and were behaving the way members
of a victorious army usually behave towards the defeated.”
Safarov was charged with premeditated murder carried out with unusual
cruelty and vicious motives and sentenced to life in prison without
any chance of parole.
Safarov’s lawyer said they would immediately appeal the verdict.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

An exhibition to open at “Arshil Gorki’ Fund

ArmRadio.am
15.04.2006 11:44
An exhibition dedicated to the 102nd anniversary of famous artist Arshil
Gorki will open today at `Arshil Gorki’ Fund.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkish minister says nuclear energy is a must
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
14 Apr 06

Ankara, 14 April: “Nuclear energy issue is not only a preference; it
is a must,” said Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi
Guler.
Guler held today a meeting in Ankara with 150 scientists from Turkish
Atomic Energy Agency (TAEK) on nuclear energy.
Following the meeting, Guler told reporters, “Researches of TAEK and
related departments of universities on nuclear energy have been going
on for 56 years.”
Regarding the safety aspect of the issue, Guler said that they are
working on the safest and most modern methods.
On the other hand, TAEK Chairman Okay Cakiroglu said, “We have made a
preliminary study in Sinop. We haven’t still decided on the exact
place where the nuclear power plant will be built. Inceburun region of
Sinop is appropriate in geotechnical aspect. We will make our decision
within a year.”
Recalling that they can also build a nuclear power plant for civilian
use in Akkuyu (in southern city of Mersin), Cakiroglu said, “We did
not give up Akkuyu. We can build a power plant in Akkuyu any time if
necessary.”
He added, “However, we looked for another alternative because Akkuyu
is a tourist region. Thus we chose Sinop.”
When asked how long it will take to build a power plant, Cakiroglu
said that the construction may take 60 months.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday had selected Black
Sea city of Sinop as the city where the nuclear power plant will be
built.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net
U.S. President Nominated Anne E. Derse for Ambassador
to Azerbaijan
14.04.2006 21:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The President intends to nominate
Anne E. Derse, of Maryland, to be Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States
of America to the Republic of Azerbaijan, a White
House statement says. Ms. Derse, a career member of
the Senior Foreign Service, most recently served as a
Director for Bio Defense Policy at the Homeland
Security Council at the White House. Prior to this,
she served as Minister Counselor for Economic Affairs
at the United States Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq. Earlier
in her career, she served as Minister Counselor for
Economic Affairs at the United States Mission to the
European Union in Brussels, Belgium. Ms. Derse
received her bachelor’s degree from Macalester College
and her master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net
Arif Yunusov: Ramil Safarov’s Case Ordinary Murder for
Europe

14.04.2006 22:07 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Safarov’s defense was organized
incorrectly from the very beginning. Our society had a
wrong idea about the legal proceedings in Europe and
the Europeans’ attitude to cases of the kind. It’s an
ordinary murder for them,’ head of the Conflictology
Department of the Institute of Peace and Democracy
Arif Yunusov stated. In his words, Safarov should have
been presented as the victim of the Karabakh conflict.
`With availability of confession and some extenuating
circumstances Safarov’s sentence could be milder,’ he
said.
`However some politicians launched a gambling on Ramil
Safarov’s tragedy. Some declared him the Man of the
Year and set him as example for the Azeri youth. All
these statements reached the Hungarian court and
played a negative role for the decision. Unfortunately
these statements covered President Aliyev and our
Foreign Ministry’s statement that said we regret over
the incident,’ Yunusov said, reported Day.az.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net
Safarov’s Sentence Consequence of Azerbaijan’s
Propaganda Hysteria
14.04.2006 22:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `The decision of the Budapest court
is the consequence of the propaganda hysteria launched
by the ANS TV channel, KLO leader Akif Naghi and other
`patriots’, who used the tragedy of the young Azeri
officer for their own interests,’ editor-in-chief of
`Real Azerbaijan’ newspaper Eynullah Fatullayev
stated.
`I think it would be more correct to abandon
militaristic accents and apologize to Gurgen
Margaryan’s family. We offered to press for smoothing
the Armenian position on the issue, prevent the storm
of the Armenian Diaspora and succeed in Safarov’s
extradition to Azerbaijan. Unfortunately we failed.
The Azerbaijani authorities, which crawfished giving
ok to the ANS and `patriotic’ spirits in Azerbaijan,
are to blame for it first of all. I think these
`patriots’ should be glad to know that Safarov is
sentenced to life imprisonment,’ he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net
Armen Ayvazyan’s Book on Karabakh Problem Presented in
Glendale

14.04.2006 23:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Director of Pan-Armenian
Commonwealth NGO, doctor of political sciences,
historian Armen Ayvazyan presented his book titled
`The Liberated Territory of Armenia and the Settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh Conflict’ in Glendale. The
event was attended by representatives of the clergy
and intelligentsia, political workers and the Armenian
community. The book contains analytical and
documentary materials compiled by over 30 experts,
political scientists, lawyers, culture workers and
military reporters.
During the presentation Armen Ayvazyan familiarized
the attendees with the basic clauses of the book and
remarked its appearance was conditioned by the rumors
that emerged in late 2005 – early 2006 on the
possibility of signing of a preliminary document on
the fundamental principles of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. In Ayvazyan’s opinion, even if signed the
document cannot be implemented until a Big Treaty is concluded.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net
Armenian Genocide: Polish MFA Went Back on Word
15.04.2006 00:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `The Armenian Genocide Resolution
adopted by the Polish Seym doesn’t mean recognition of
the Genocide committed against Armenians. The
resolution should be viewed as an expression of
opinion,’ Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller stated
in Ankara.
In his words, the `Armenian Genocide Resolution
reflects the atmosphere on the Armenian issue in
Poland.’ `Historically Poland enjoyed good relations
with Armenians. There were many officials and art
workers of Armenian origin in the country. However
these relations should not tell on Poland’s foreign
policy,’ Stefan Meller said, reported Turkish Daily News.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+
NEW VERGES OF ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN COOPERATION
[07:38 pm] 14 April, 2006
`There can be no judicial reforms in the country
without the will of the political leaders,’ announced
Constantine Kublashvili, the head of the Supreme Court
of Georgia, during a joint press conference in Yerevan
with the head of the RA Court of Cassation.
Before the press conference the two officials signed a
memorandum about `Mutual cooperation and exchange of
judicial information’. `The memorandum will contribute
to our cooperation, the organization of different
joint conferences and seminars, which will allow our
countries to use more efficient mechanisms while
realizing judicial reforms and to avoid the mistakes
made by the neighbors,’ said Hovhannes Manoukyan, head
of the RA Court of Cassation.
Hovhannes Manoukyan was interested in the experience
of Georgia in the combat against corruption.
Constantine Kublashvili informed that during the
judicial reforms in Georgia 15 decisions have been
made against high officials.
Mr. Manoukyan was also interested in the salary of the
Georgian judges, `The salary of the Georgian judges is
twice as much as that of the Armenian judges, but even
that is enough got the independence of the judges’.
By the way, at the end of April a joint seminar will
be held in Tbilisi with the participation of the court
system representative of the Transcaucasian countries
on the initiative of the German court system.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress