Author: Felekian Ara

HARIRI TO HOLD ANOTHER ROUND OF FPM NEGOTIATIONS
Elias Sakr

Daily Star
Lebanon
September 29, 2009

BEIRUT: No progress was made on cabinet formation front on Monday,
as opposition and majority groups clung to their stances as
Premier-designate Saad Hariri resumed his deliberations with
parliamentary blocs.

As part of his efforts to break the cabinet deadlock, Hariri is
expected to hold another round of deliberations with a delegation of
the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) headed by MP Michel Aoun on Thursday
as well as the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Phalange Party.

Hariri met at Parliament on Monday with the Armenian Tashnaq party
bloc, al-Jamaa al-Islamyia MP Imad Hout and independent MP Boutros
Harb.

After the meeting, the Tashnaq party stressed its support for Hariri as
well as the necessity to form a national-unity cabinet that guarantees
partnership given the upcoming challenges.

Meanwhile, opposition parties including Hizbullah and Amal Movement
reiterated their support for the resumption of negotiations over the
cabinet based on the 15-10-5 formula.

Conversely, the LF stressed Monday that the legitimacy of any cabinet
should be evaluated according to the Constitution, a reference
to Hizbullah’s criticism of LF head Samir Geagea’s call to form a
majority cabinet.

Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc chief MP Mohammad Raad stressed
on Monday that the foundations of a national-unity cabinet were in
place and awaited the premier-designate to coordinate the distribution
of portfolios and candidates.

"The fundamentals of a national-unity cabinet are available and
only lack the premier-designate’s will to creatively manage the
distribution of portfolios and names to bring to light a government
that would save Lebanon ahead of upcoming challenges," Raad said.

Raad reiterated his party’s support for the 15-10-5 formula, adding
that given the current domestic challenges and the ongoing Israeli
threats, the structure was the best to guarantee national Amal Movement
MP Ali Hassan Khalil called on Monday to form a national unity cabinet
based on the 15-10-5 formula, adding that Lebanon should seize the
opportunity that emerged as a result of Syrian-Saudi rapprochement.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Monday that Saudi King
Abdullah bin Abdel -Aziz received on Sunday an undisclosed invitation
from Syrian President Bashar Assad.

The agency added that Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal
delivered the message to Saudi Information and Culture Minister
Abdel-Aziz Khoja.

"The recent inter Arab contacts created a new dynamic; we should
seize the opportunity… and take responsibility for the cabinet’s
formation rather than toss the burden on foreign powers with regard
to details linked to the distribution of portfolios," Khalil said.

Khalil praised President Michel Sleiman’s insistence to form a
national-unity cabinet while he slammed statements by certain political
groups contradicting the principles of partnership and coexistence.

Also, Liberation and Development bloc MP Ali Bazzi said Assad’s
visit to Saudi Arabia had a positive impact on inter-Arab ties,
which reflected positively on Lebanon and the region.

"However, this positive atmosphere does not liberate the Lebanese from
their responsibility to work in order to re-establish warm relations
among each other," Bazzi added.

Echoing Geagea, Parliament Deputy Speaker and Future Movement MP Farid
Makari called on Sleiman and Hariri to from a cabinet in accordance
with constitutional norms if negotiations to reach an agreement over
a national-unity government failed.

In a speech on Saturday, Geagea urged Hariri and the president to
form a majority cabinet if the opposition does not relinquish its
conditions concerning the government.

"The time has come to reach a conclusion; if it turns out that we
would hit a deadlock and another round of stalled deliberations,
then the premier-designate along with the president should form a
cabinet in accordance with constitutional n rom being a hostage to
obstruction," Makari said.

In response to Hizbullah’s criticism, LF MP Antoine Zahra stressed on
Monday that the legitimacy of any government or power in Lebanon should
be evaluated based the Constitution and the implementation of its laws.

"Geagea’s statement was an attempt to prevent the ongoing provoked
series of crisis for five consecutive years including the obstruction
of presidential elections and the cabinet’s formation which threatens
to abolish the Constitution and thus Lebanon’s presence and entity,"
Zahra added.

LF ally the Phalange Party expressed hope on Monday that the minority
transform its talk about the positive atmosphere with regard to the
cabinet formation into deeds so as to facilitate the process. Following
a meeting of the party’s politburo, the Phalange issued a statement
calling on Hariri to form a cabinet that reflects the outcome of the
June 7 elections and the Phalange’s true representational size.

The statement also denied that the Phalange bloc tackled during talks
with Hariri the expected portfolios to be allotted to the party or
the candidates to be nominated.

In other news, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit said
in remarks published in Ash-Sharq al-Awsat on Monday that his country
supported the designation of Hariri for the post of premier-designate
while denying claims saying otherwise.

"Claims that Egypt does not want Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri
to form a cabinet in Lebanon are inaccurate," Abu al-Gheit said, adding
that "we expressed back then our belief that he would face obstacles."

Abu al-Gheit added that foreign obstacles hampered the formation of the
government as he stressed that Saudi Arabia plays a very supportive
role while Egypt was keen to see a government formed as soon as
possible. The Egyptian foreign minister hinted to a significant
Iranian influence in Lebanon, adding that Syria has also historic
and strategic interests in Lebanon.

Lebanese regime ‘on its deathbed’ says ian paper

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s political regime in its current shape is no longer
viable, the Syrian state-run newspaper Tishrin reported in remarks
published on Monday.

The paper added that the Lebanese regime was on its "deathbed" and
needed radical changes to revive it.

"How can we claim that a sectarian regime is a democratic one,
if loyalty to religions exceeded loyalty to the nation; thus the
country faces a regime crisis rather than a government crisis,"
the report said. – The Daily Star

OSCE CHANGES MONITORING SITE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.09.2009 11:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE mission will conduct monitoring not in
Berkaber village as it was planned but in Mazamli Azeri village near
Ghazakh, a PanARMENIAN.Net correspondent reported from the scene.

The sides reached agreement on security guarantees.

YEREVAN HOSTS "PROBLEMS OF DIFFERENT FAITHS ADHERENTS WITH ARMENIAN ROOTS IN WESTERN ARMENIA"

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
29.09.2009 15:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The round table "Problems of different faiths
adherents with Armenian roots in Western Armenia" was held in
Yerevan. Opening the round table, the director of the Institute of
Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan
said that the round table is devoted to a topical issue. "We hope
that this event will continue the study of this important issue,
which today has a political purpose," Ruben Safrastyan said.

President of National Academy of Sciences, academician Radik
Martirosyan mentioned that through these round tables academic circles
of Armenia would provide the necessary documentary material necessary
in addressing national issues.

OSCE TO CONDUCT REGULAR MONITORING

8/monitoring
03:06 pm | September 28, 2009 | Official

The OSCE will conduct regular monitoring of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border on September 29.

The monitoring will be conducted near the settlement of Kirants,
Tavush marz of Armenia, and will be followed by a briefing in the
Tavush marzpetaran, reports RA Defense Ministry.

TO TAKE OR NOT TO TAKE THE MANDATE

17:18:04 – 25/09/2009
ahos15307.html

Rumors that the Heritage leader Raffi Hovhannisyan is possible to
withdraw his application on resignation are circulated. He may do it
until September 30. If he does not take the application back by that
time, it will be considered accepted and the Heritage leader will be
deprived of his mandate. But, not only rumors are spread on this
topic, but also the Heritage faction head Stepan Safaryan does not
rule out such a possibility.

We deal with a situation either when the Heritage parliamentary
members are making fun of their leader or former leader, or the
Heritage leader is making fun of the Armenian citizens making and
withdrawing applications. But it is unknown what is funny there if
Raffi is diverting himself. Maybe Raffi thinks that after the laid
down his mandate the party abolished and it will revive if he
withdraws it. It is a version but very hypothetic because the mandate
is not a magic wand with the help of which you may take apart and then
assemble the party.

Maybe Raffi Hovhannisyan liked being in the centre of the attention
and he decided to take back his mandate and after some time to lay it
again down becoming a `newsmaker’ moreover it is harmonious with the
Armenian modern thinking, in particular, journalistic thinking. But
the second laying down of the mandate will hardly provide the same
`newsmakerism’ to Raffi Hovhannisyan as the first one. In this case,
the national joke on a liar is worth remembering who liked to have fun
of the villagers and regularly alarmed them of wolves’ assaults. Every
time the villagers run to help, they saw that he was just joking. But
when one day wolves in reality assaulted, there was no one to pay
attention to his shouting.

So, the second laying down will not procure the effect of the first
one. Consequently, Raffi Hovhannisyan had better think why he wants to
take back the mandate moreover he did not think good when laying it
down as now he thinks about retaking it. Though what Raffi
Hovhannisyan himself thinks is not known as always. Stepan Safaryan
does not rule out taking back the mandate but is his opinion based on
Raffi Hovhannisyan’s moods. It is difficult to say because
Hovhannisyan continues being mysteriously silent.

Though, on the other hand, what is going to change in the public life
after Raffi Hovhannisyan takes back his mandate. Just what changed
after he laid it down. In other words nothing of course if someone
does not think to stake or to bet what in the end he will do.

JAMES HAKOBYAN

On Protocols, Authority and Resignations

-protocols-authority-and-resignations/
By Contributor on Sep 25th, 2009

By Ara Papian

A question has been raised a great deal lately, to which a clear
answer has not been given. Why is the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation demanding the resignation of the foreign minister, but does
not demand the resignation of the president? Although I am not a
member of the ARF, I shall try to answer this question, because it is
bad form, in principle, to leave questions raised by society
unanswered.

According to the current Constitution (Article 55, clause 7), the
president of the Republic of Armenia shall `… execute the general
guidance of the foreign policy …’. That is to say, as the leader, he
has the prerogative of generally directing foreign policy, but not
carrying it out. As a part of the executive branch, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs has, in turn, the prerogative of actually implementing
foreign policy. Moreover, the Foreign Ministry is bound to be lead by
the directives of this `general guidance’ and take corresponding steps
only within the given directives. Officials of the Foreign Ministry do
not have the right to work outside presidential directives and
negotiate on other issues, much less take on additional liabilities in
the name of the country.

What is our current situation? The president of the country has on
many occasions stated explicitly in public the normalization of
relations with Turkey without preconditions as a prime directive of
foreign policy. The foreign minister has also publicly repeated the
president’s position, emphasizing the main characteristic of the
policy being `without preconditions’. What is more, both the president
and the foreign minister have clarified more than once that
normalization in the current stage will essentially have two
directions: the establishment of diplomatic relations with Turkey, and
the opening of the – so-called, as I like to put it – border between
Armenia and Turkey.

There are no concerns on the first point. Naturally, we have
expectations from Turkey, and therefore we must establish diplomatic
relations so that we negotiate our expectations or equivalent
reparations. There are some questions pertaining to the second
point. However, there are no disputes really. We shall open the border
and we shall see that our expectations are not coming through, and we
shall be disappointed.

Now let us look over the current two protocols and see how exactly
they correspond to the president’s directive without preconditions. I
shall yet have the opportunity to discuss the said documents and to
reveal the more than ten unrelated liabilities in place, point by
point. Unrelated, because they do not have anything to do with
establishing diplomatic relations and to open the so-called border.

For now, let me bring up only one point, the presence of which
testifies as such to the dismissal of the policy directive and is
enough to render the entire document useless. The fifth clause of the
protocol on establishing diplomatic relations between the Republic of
Armenia and the Republic of Turkey says the following, word-for-word:
`Confirming the mutual recognition of the existing border between the
two countries as defined by the relevant treaties of international
law’.1

Putting aside in general the question of the relevance of such legal
treaties, let me simply stress that the aforementioned clause is well
beyond any precondition. This is a non-negotiable, sovereign duty of
the Republic of Armenia. That is to say, the parties have based the
establishment of diplomatic relations on `the mutual recognition of
the existing border’.

Clearly, the negotiators have acted ultra vires, that is to say, it is
evident that they have surpassed their own authority and ignored the
president’s directive. In a word, the negotiators acted in an area
which fell outside their legal authority.

How to salvage the situation? Armenia must not ratify the signed
protocols, citing that they do not reflect the intent and essence of
the negotiations as they were announced from the very beginning. The
Republic of Armenia must reaffirm its willingness to establish
diplomatic relations with the Republic of Turkey without preconditions
and to open the crossing points at the frontier, signing brief and
pointed documents which consists solely of those clauses.

Hurriyet Daily News

Renowned Armenian artist on stage for the disabled

Thursday, September 24, 2009
ISTANBUL – Antolia News Agency

Worldwide known Armenian lute virtuoso Ara Dinkjian, whose family
migrated to America in the beginning of 19th century, will appear on
stage in Istanbul’s Hagia Irene as part of a hospital project to be
built for the disabled.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Dinkjian said his grandfather
went from the eastern Turkish city of Diyarbakır to France at
the beginning of the 19th century, and after the death of his parents,
his father was adopted by a family. Later on, his father immigrated to
America and he was born in 1958 in New Jersey, Dinkjian said.

Dinkjian said he didn’t have relatives in Diyarbakır, adding
that he went there for the first time in his life five years ago. He
said his father was involved in music and thanks to that he learned
how to play lute on his own in his early childhood.

Dinkjian said he had formed a band named Night Ark with Arto
Tunçboyacıyan, and made two albums titled `Armenian in
America’ and `Peace on Earth.’

His biggest dream is to give a concert in Diyarbakır

`One side of me is Armenian, and the other is American. Both sides are
nourished by each other. I am inspired by all types of music, such as
Armenian music, Anatolian melodies and American blues,’ Dinkjian said.

He said his biggest dream was to play for an audience in
Diyarbakır, and that he would feel like returning home if he
got a chance to perform there.

Dinkjian, who has previously given a concert in Turkey, will appear on
a Turkish stage once again on Sept. 26 for the benefit of the Turkish
Disabled Society, or TSD. Dinkjian will be accompanied by Turkish folk
singer Erdal Akkaya during the concert titled `Roots and Branches.’

The revenues from the show will be donated to the project `life
house,’ to be constructed with a capacity of 500 beds in the Marmara
city of Balıkesir’s Gönen district.

Alcohol intoxication
11:23 am | Today | society

cohol

Talin’s citzens Arthur Khachatrian, 1961, Gagik Srqoyan, 1961, and
Vardan Qamalian, 1960, were taken to hospital with alcohol
intoxication) on September 24.

Doctors say their conditions are satisfactory, reports the RA Rescue
Service.

"SASUN MIKAELIAN DOESN’T RECEIVE PROPER TREATMENT"

/09/23/hovik-arsenian
September 23, 2009

Advocate Hovik Arsenian is indignant at the fact that Armenia’s former
MP Sasun Mikaelian undergoes treatment in the "Hospital for Convicts"
Penitentiary Institution.

I have submitted all documents certifying to Mikaelian’s illness
during the preinvestigation and legal proceedings and demanded that
my client be set free. During the trial doctors have been sent for
to examine Sasun Mikaelian. Undoubtedly, Sasun must be under constant
supervision of doctors," says the advocate.

Remind that on September 12 Armenian opposition parliamentarian
Sasun Mikaelian was taken to the "Hospital for Convicts" with rapid
heartbeats and high blood pressure. Besides, Sasun felt pain in his
body from the shell-splinters received during the war.

"Can a person having so many complaints and being deprived of sunlight
for a year and a half get proper treatment in the "Hospital for
Convicts"? Surely, he cannot," says Hovik Arsenian.

"Keeping a national hero like Sasun Mikaelian in custody is high
treason," adds the indignant advocate.

"All non-government organizations should join in protest against
Sasun Mikaelian’s detention. It is a matter of honour for all of
us. The Armenian legislation enables to quash the lawsuit against
Sasun Mikaelian."

THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARAM KHACHATRYAN TRIO

Aysor
Sept 23 2009
Armenia

This year Aram Khachatryan trio is celebrating the 10th anniversary
of its foundation. On this occasion the members of the trio Armine
Grigoryan, the pianist and Karen Shahgeldyan, the violinist met with
the journalists. The trio is supported by Asatur Guzelyan from London.

On September 26 in the music hall of the Camera house will take place
the presentation of the new CD of Aram Khachatrian trio.

"This is the first CD of our ensemble where the works of Arno
Babajanyan and Dmitri Shostakovich are recorded", – Karen Shahgeldyan
the violinist of Aram Khachatryan trio said, and added that the
assembling of the Armenian and Russian composers are symbolic.

K. Shahgeldyan presented the cover of the CD where are depicted
fragments from the pictures of Arshil Gorki and Marc Shagall. According
to him these two symbols have visually joined the Russian and Armenian
cultures which are also harmonious with the recordings of the CD.

The CD has been recorded in Armenia but has been released in Moscow.

As for the trio’s concerts K. Shahgeldyan assured that they will go
on also in 2010 and there are also a lot of new projects.