Author: Emil Lazarian

VERDICT EXPECTED IN TRIAL OF AZERBAIJANI ACCUSED OF MURDER AT NATO COURSE
AP Worldstream
Apr 13, 2006
A court in Hungary is expected to issue a verdict Thursday in the case
of an Azerbaijani officer accused of murdering an Armenian classmate
with an ax at a NATO training course in Budapest.
Lt. Ramil Safarov of Azerbaijan has confessed to hacking Lt. Gurgen
Markarian of Armenia to death with an ax in February 2004 in
a dormitory used by participants of a NATO Partnership for Peace
English language course in Budapest.
Police said Safarov confessed to the killing, claiming that the
conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia was at the root of his act.
The two neighboring, former Soviet republics remain at odds over
the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave within
Azerbaijan.
Safarov is scheduled to make his final statement Thursday morning
and the Budapest City Court is expected to announce its verdict in
the afternoon.
Prosecutors asked that Safarov be sentenced to life in prison, with
a 30-year minimum before any parole hearings.
Armenian-backed forces drove Azerbaijan’s army out of the ethnic
Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s.
A 1994 cease-fire ended the six-year war that killed 30,000 people
and left about 1 million homeless and the enclave is now under the
control of ethnic Armenians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WHOSE FACTS ARE TRUE?
Lragir.am
13 april 06
The idea that was most often repeated during the parliamentary debates
on the report on performance of the 2001-2003 program of privatization
was the great difference between the value of the company and the price
at which it was sold. For instance, Orbita Factory was assessed at
3 billion but sold for 116 million. Hours after the debates on this
issue the minister of trade and economy Karen Chshmarityan replied
to similar accusations made during the debates on April 10-12.
The minister, as well as the head of the Department for Management
of State Property Karineh Kirakosyan delivered a small lecture on the
topic of value and price, then said, “Orbita was assessed at 3 million
drams and sold at 750 million.” Plus, the company owed debts of 320
million, 220 million other liabilities, salary debt, and products of
550 million produced for the Near East, which, however, the company
had been unable to sell due to the embargo.
Before the privatization 30 people were employed in Orbita who were
paid 15 thousand drams monthly, after the privatization 150 people
work here and get 60 thousand drams, says Karen Chshmarityan. And such
allegations may have a negative impact on the investment environment
in Armenia, he believes. It should be noted that the allegations
of the members of parliament are based on the facts that another
representative of the Executive, the head of the Department for
Management of State Property Karineh Kirakosyan had provided. The
latter characterized Victor Dallakyan’s allegation that the minister
of trade and economic development Karen Chshmarityan owns several
buildings in the center of Yerevan as “irresponsible.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

‘HOLY FIRE’ EASTER RITUAL CASTS LIGHT ON GREEK ORTHODOX BATTLES IN JERUSALEM
Brian Murphy
AP Worldstream
Apr 13, 2006
ATHENS, Greece _ For Orthodox Christians, one of the most stirring
images of the Easter season is a burning candle being carried from the
site in Jerusalem where tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried.
The “holy fire” is passed among worshippers outside the Church of
the Holy Sepulcher and is taken aboard special flights to Athens and
other cities _ connecting many of the 200 million Orthodox worldwide
to their spiritual roots.
But in recent years, it also has illuminated the messier passions
of the Holy Land: religious rivalries among the Orthodox and the
building-by-building competition between Israelis and Palestinians
in some parts of Jerusalem.
Greek and Armenian clergymen have exchanged blows over who would
be the first to bring out the flame. Last year, Israeli police held
back Palestinians outraged by alleged deals to lease Greek Orthodox
properties to Jewish investors in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The upcoming ceremony on April 22 _ the eve of Orthodox Easter _
has elements for even higher drama. The land scandal has splintered
the Greek Orthodox, one of the caretakers of the Holy Sepulcher shrine.
Orthodox leaders last May ousted the church’s Jerusalem-based
patriarch, Irineos I, after reports of deals for several prime
buildings near Jaffa Gate. The church’s mostly Palestinian Christian
congregation denounced it as another attempt to weaken the Arab
presence in east Jerusalem _ which Palestinians insist must be the
capital of any future state.
Irineos, however, has not gone quietly. He has refused to recognize
his dismissal and still commands a band of loyalists. Israel, too,
has not given its formal backing to the new patriarch, Theofilos III,
who says he opposes the reported leases. Traditionally, the Greek
patriarch needs three-way approval that includes Jordan and the
Palestinians, which have given the nod to Theofilos.
The patriarchate dispute is now before Israel’s Supreme Court.
In Greece, meanwhile, investigators are digging deeper into a possible
espionage affair involving Irineos’ selection as patriarch in 2001.
The probe centers on whether a convicted drug trafficker, Apostolos
Vavilis, was sent on secret missions to lobby for Irineos, who was the
choice of Greek officials and clerics at the time. Vavilis _ whose
aliases included Apostolos Pavlos, or Apostle Paul _ was extradited
from Italy on April 6 to face charges including “revealing state
secrets” to foreign agents. He was returned to Greece wearing the
black robes of an Orthodox priest, although he is not ordained.
The official who allegedly negotiated the leases, church financial
officer Nikos Papadimas, remains a fugitive.
It’s possible Irineos could attempt to directly challenge Theofilos’
authority at the flame ceremony, but that would constitute an almost
irreparable rupture in the church. More likely is a noisy showdown
of taunts and name-calling between the rival groups. Israeli security
was heightened last year because of showdowns.
“Father Irineos is the legal patriarch,” said a supporter, a clergyman
also called Irineos. The former patriarch could not be reached for
comment.
Archbishop Aristarchos, who handles security for the patriarchate,
said there are “rumors” Irineos could make an appearance but “there
is no way that the previous patriarch will come to the ceremony as
the patriarch.”
“Only Theofilos III will come to the ceremony as the patriarch,”
Aristarchos said. “I hope and I wish that there will not be any
unpleasant episodes.”
The Orthodox ritual of the “holy fire,” performed alone by a
patriarch in the tomb of Jesus, dates back at least 1,200 years, and a
“miraculous” fire is mentioned in earlier texts. The precise details of
the lighting are a closely guarded secret, but some faithful consider
it an annual miracle.
It also illustrates another of the intricate protocols that govern
the site, which is administered by Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic
and Roman Catholic clerics. The Coptic, Ethiopian Orthodox and Syriac
Orthodox churches also have duties to maintain specific areas. Under
a pact going back to 16th century Ottoman rule, two Muslim families
share duties as the sole gatekeepers.
For some, the tensions this Easter also help drive home demands to
end Greek control of the Jerusalem patriarchate and its 40,000-member
flock.
The Greek clerics leading the church “are foreigners who don’t work
for the best interests of the Palestinian Christians,” said Dimitri
Diliani, who leads of a coalition of Palestinians Christians that plans
to bring more than 1,500 faithful to the flame ceremony. “They have
been irresponsible in handling the property of Palestinian Christians
and have been involved in ‘Judaizing’ Jerusalem.”
But Daniel Rossing, who heads a Jerusalem-based group that promotes
inter-religious dialogue, said it’s difficult to make such sweeping
changes to religious traditions in Jerusalem, which has deep
significance for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
“Any event in Jerusalem, like the Greek church troubles, cannot
just be looked at as a local squabble,” he said. “It affects all of
Christianity because of the universal nature of Jerusalem.”
___
Associated Press reporter Laura Resnick in Jerusalem contributed to
this report.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HEARINGS ON THE KARABAKH ISSUE TO BE HELD AT NKR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
ArmRadio.am
13.04.2006 14:47
April 21 hearings on “Karabakh Issue: Prospects for Resolution ”
will be held at the National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh. Head of
the RA NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Rustamyan,
a number of political scientists and experts of Armenia have been
invited to participate in the hearings.
In his talk with “Radiolur” correspondent Tatul Hakobyan, President
of the NKR NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Vahram
Atanesyan said that this is the second time such hearings are
organized. According to Atanesyan, the forces represented in NKR
Parliament will try to evaluate the negotiation process since the
establishment of the cease-fire and to decide upon the future deeds.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PLANNING CONFERENCE ON RESCUER-2006 EXERCISE TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.04.2006 19:03 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The final planning conference on the Rescuer-2006
exercise will be held in Yerevan April 19-21, RA Defense Minister’s
Spokesman, Col. Seyran Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net. 250
participants from 12 countries will take part in the exercises.
Rescuer 2006 exercises are of command and staff nature and are aimed
at organizing and comparing the work of the military and medical
department of the Armenian MOD with the Rescue Service of Armenia,
as well as expansion of cooperation opportunities with NATO partner
states.

AZERI LAWMAKER SUGGESTS JOINT SEARCH FOR WAYS TO SETTLE KARABAKH ISSUE
Armenpress
Apr 13 2006
BAKU, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS: An Azerbaijani parliament member said
lawmakers from Armenia and his country could meet to discuss the best
ways to resolve their dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Sabir Hajiev, who is also chairman of a small party called Civic Unity,
was quoted by Trend news agency as saying that the accord of Armenian
and Azeri presidents was needed to convene the first such meeting. “If
they (the presidents) believe a joint search for ways to settle the
conflict by lawmakers could help they should endorse this proposal,”
he was quoted as saying.
This idea was supported also by another Azeri lawmaker, Fazan
Gazanfarogly, who however, argued that this problem could not be
solved by the efforts of deputies, because it was not solved so far
either by presidents or their foreign ministers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA’S MFA EXAMINES QUESTION OF 19-YEARS-OLD ARMENIAN TO BE DEPORTED TO BAKU BY AUTHORITIES OF GREAT BRITAIN
Yerevan, April 12. ArmInfo. The Armenia’s MFA examines the question
of a 19-years-old Armenian Karen Avanessyan , whom the authorities
of Great Britain intend to deport to Baku.
As the press-secretary of Armenia’s MFA Hamlet Gasparyan told to
ArmInfo, the Armenian party worries that Karen Avanessyan can be
conveyed to Baku as his fate there is In view of this, Armenia’s
MFA and the Embassy of Armenia to London undertook steps to bring
Avanessyan to Armenia. The situation will clear up today in the second
half of the day, taking into account time difference between Yerevan
and London.
Karen Avanessyan had arrived in Great Britain three years ago as an
illegal emigrant. He was studying in school and living within the
state-paid allowances since he had no right to work. Avanessyan’s
father was Azerbaijanian. He leaved the family when his son was still
a child. The young man could not get the right for sanctuary in Great
Britain. As Avanessyan was born in Nagorno Karabakh, the Englishmen
decided that his motherland was Azerbaijan and decreed to send him
to Baku. According to the previously made decision, Avanessyan has
to be deported today by the London-Moscow route and then to Azerbaijan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

QUAKE IN GREECE
Yerevan, April 12. ArmInfo. A 3.5-point earthquake took place in
Greece, 60 km south-east of Patras Apr 11 10:29 PM local time,
reports the National Seismic Protection Service of Armenia.
In the epicenter the magnitude was 8 points (on 12-point scale). No
reports of casualties.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, US DELEGATION DISCUSS AID PROGRAMME, KARABAKH
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
12 Apr 06
A US delegation led by Congressman Jim Kolbe is in Yerevan. The
delegation also includes Congressman Scott Garrett and Millennium
Challenge Corporation Chief Executive Officer John Danilovich.
At a meeting with the delegation, President Robert Kocharyan said that
Armenian-US relations were dynamically developing and the Armenian
side was expecting clear and open partnership relations with the
corporation. The president said that the programme was important as
it covered all regions of Armenia, could lead to great qualitative
changes and would contribute to the reduction of the gap between
rural regions and Yerevan.
The sides also spoke about the importance of fair management, good
economic indicators and fight against corruption. They stressed the
importance of improving the Electoral Code and also touched on the
Karabakh conflict.
[Video shows Kocharyan meeting the delegation members at the
presidential residence]
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SALE OF POWER PLANT’S UNIT TO STRENGTHEN ENERGY SECURITY – ARMENIAN PREMIER
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
10 Apr 06
[Presenter] New gas prices are coming into force from 10 April. The
population will pay 65 drams instead of 59 drams for 1 cu. m. of
gas, whereas commercial enterprises will pay 94.5 dollars for 10,000
cu.m. [as heard].
Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan again confirmed that the government
would do everything possible to keep gas and electricity tariffs
unchanged in the next three years. He also said that there had been
no agreement between Russia’s Gazprom company and Armenia on the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline. Speaking about the sale of the fifth unit
of the Razdan thermal power plant, he said that it was not connected
with the gas price.
The prime minister described the deal as a successful transaction
which would strengthen Armenia’s energy security.
[Andranik Markaryan, captioned] This is a successful deal. We sold
the unit for 250m dollars on the condition that 140m dollars will be
invested into its reconstruction and upgrading in two years’ time.
This will strengthen our energy security. From this point of view,
I consider this is a right decision and the Armenian government has
got an opportunity to use this money to finance domestic gas consumers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress