Author: Frangulian Shushan

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 12 2007

"ALL REFORMS IMPLEMENTED IN CAPITAL ARE DIRECTED AT SETTLEMENT OF
SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF POPULATION," MAYOR OF YEREVAN SAYS

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Day of Yerevan" festival
dedicated to the 2789th anniversary of the foundation of Yerevan
started with a great concert held in the Opera and Ballet National
Academic Theater after Al. Spendiarian on October 11. Serge Sargsian,
the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, other officials, as
well as guests, who had arrived from different countries, were
present at the concert.

Yervand Zakharian, the Mayor of Yerevan, mentioned in his speech that
1/3 of the population of the republic, about half of the industrial
enterprises, most of the cultural and scientific offices are
concentrated in the capital. In his words, the macro-economic indices
of the capital essentially surpass those of the previous 10-12 years
taken together, the volumes of investments being implemented in all
the spheres of the economy of the city have increased for the past
five years.

"Today most of the population of Yerevan is provided with components
of everyday facilities of primary importance: gas supply, water
supply . However, the sphere that is very prominent among
restorations being implemented in the capital is the urban
development, which develops, justifying the expectations of our
people," Yervand Zakharian mentioned. In the words of the latter, all
the reforms envisaged and being implemented in the capital are
directed at the solution of the social problems and the improvement
of the standards of life of the population.

Exercising the decision of the Council of Yerevan, Yervand Zakharian
handed diplomas of citizens of honor of Yerevan to Martin
Vardazarian, an RA artist of honor, and prose-writer Aghasi Ayvazian.

Author: Hakobian Hasmik
Editor: Eghian Robert

Hartford Courant
Oct 11 2007

Acknowledge The Genocide
October 12, 2007

Imagine a president opposing a congressional resolution condemning
the Holocaust. Imagine today’s Germany denying there was a Holocaust
and warning of retaliation if Congress approved a nonbinding
statement denouncing Nazi atrocities against Jews in World War II.

Such denial at the highest level of government would be unbelievable
and grotesque. Yet it’s happening today with the first genocide of
the 20th century.

The Bush administration has denounced a resolution approved Wednesday
by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that calls the massacre of
Armenians in Turkey during World War I "genocide."

Turkey’s government vehemently protests the claim that the Ottoman
Empire adopted a policy of eradicating Christian Armenians beginning
in 1915, before modern Turkey was born in 1923.

Armenians constituted one of the largest minorities in the empire at
the time. Even bringing up the subject is considered a crime in
Turkey punishable by a long prison sentence.

President Bush acknowledges the "immense suffering" of Armenians and
supports "a full and fair accounting of the atrocities that befell as
many as 1.5 million Armenians," but he opposes the House resolution.

The president of the United States fears that passage of such a
statement in Congress would damage relations with Turkey, whose
government has threatened unspecified retaliation. So much for the
self-described "Decider" sticking to high principle.

Acknowledging genocide shouldn’t be controversial, given the
extensive State Department archives and voluminous news accounts
during that dark period. President Theodore Roosevelt called the
Armenian slaughter "the greatest crime of the war." President Ronald
Reagan described the killings as "genocide."

Twenty countries and organizations, including the European Parliament
and the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, recognize the Armenian
genocide.

Modern Turkey’s refusal to acknowledge the obvious reflects an
insecurity that doesn’t suit a nation that calls itself great. Why
the Bush administration is being held hostage by the government in
Ankara is worse than puzzling. It’s immoral.

torials/hc-armenia.artoct12,0,4522396.story

BUSH: NO ARMENIA GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
by Staff

Post Chronicle
ngnews/article_212108372.shtml
Oct 11 2007

U.S. President Bush lobbied Wednesday against the Armenian Genocide
Resolution as a U.S. House committee prepared to vote on it.

The administration fears that the symbolic resolution would hurt U.S.

relations with Turkey, a critical partner in the Middle East and
especially in the war in Iraq.

ARMENIA BILL SPARKS CONCERN

SBS – World News Australi
Oct 11 2007

US politicians have defied warnings by President Bush and Turkey by
voting to label the Ottoman Empire’s World War I massacre of Armenians
as "genocide".

To cheers and applause from emotional Armenians, including elderly
wheelchair-bound survivors, the House of Representatives Foreign
Affairs Committee voted for the resolution by 27 votes to 21.

Mr Bush was unusually blunt in attacking the resolution, warning that
it would trigger Turkish reprisals and undermine US efforts in Iraq,
Afghanistan and the Middle East.

The vote "may do grave harm to US-Turkish relations and to US
interests in Europe and the Middle East," State Department spokesman
Sean McCormack said.

"Nor will it improve Turkish-Armenian relations or advance
reconciliation among Turks and Armenians over the terrible events of
1915," he said.

The measure is likely to be sent on to a vote in the full
Democratic-led House, where a majority has already signed on to
the resolution.

A parallel measure is in the Senate pipeline.

Bryan Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America,
lauded "a historic day" after the committee’s vote.

"It is long past time for the US government to acknowledge and affirm
this horrible chapter of history – the first genocide of the 20th
century, and a part of history that we must never forget," he said.

The text says the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians was a
"genocide" that should be acknowledged fully in US foreign policy
towards Turkey, along with "the consequences of the failure to realise
a just resolution."

While the American-Armenian community celebrated, Turkish President
Abdullah Gul denounced the vote as "unacceptable", and accused the
House members of sacrificing US interests to "petty games of domestic
politics."

Turkey’s ambassador to Washington, Nabi Sensoy, told AFP the vote was
"very disappointing", and called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to
refrain from bringing it to a full vote.

Sensoy, who has personally lobbied more than 100 House members against
the resolution, added that "those who said it won’t do any harm,
we will have to wait and see."

Mr Bush said the resolution would do "great harm" to ties with Turkey,
a Muslim-majority member of NATO whose territory is a crucial transit
point for US supplies bound for Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to the Armenians, 1.5 million of their kinsmen were killed
from 1915 to 1923 under an Ottoman Empire campaign of deportation
and murder that later encouraged Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s Holocaust
against the Jews.

Rejecting the genocide label, Turkey argues that 250,000 to 500,000
Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died in civil strife when
Armenians took up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia during
the war.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Defence Secretary Robert
Gates, also denounced the measure before the hearing, after veiled
threats from Ankara that US access to a sprawling air base in southern
Turkey could be denied.

But despite the warnings, the resolution’s backers warned the issue
could not be ignored as they drew parallels to the Holocaust and the
present-day bloodshed in the Sudanese region of Darfur.

"We’ve been told the timing is bad," Democratic House member Gary
Ackerman said in an emotional hearing that lasted nearly four hours.

"But the timing was bad for the Armenian people in 1915."

GOVERNMENT OF AZERBAIJAN GLAD THAT US CONGRESS CANCELLED DISCUSSIONS ON SO-CALLED ‘ARMENIAN GENOCIDE’: DEPARTMENT CHIEF OF PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION

TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 10 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend K. Ramazanova / The Head of the
Social-Political Department of the Azerbaijan President’s Executive
Office, Ali Hasanov, said on 10 October that the Government of
Azerbaijan is glad that the US Congress cancelled the discussions
over the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’.

Hasanov said that the position of official Baku on this issue is
clear. "We insist that the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ is fiction
created by the Armenians who try to use it in their favor," Mammadov
said.

Mammadov said that several large countries support Armenia as a result
of false propaganda spread by the international Armenian lobby.

"ARMENIA’S 12 CAPITALS" EXHIBITION AT EC HEADQUARTERS

ArmRadio – Public Radio
Oct 10 2007
Armenia

"Armenia’s 12 capitals" exhibition was opened today at the European
Commission building in Brussels.

Mediamax correspondent reports from Brussels that the exhibition was
opened by RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, and EU Commissioner for
External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The ceremony was attended
by RA President Robert Kocharyan.

The exhibition was opened on the first floor of the European Commission
headquarters and will be on display by October 30.

This year "Armenia’s 12 capitals" exhibition was displayed in the
framework of the year of Armenia in France as well.

ARMENIAN MP PRAISES AZERI SECURITY FORCES

ARMENPRESS
Oct 9, 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, ARMENPRESS: Stepan Safarian, a parliament member
from the opposition Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, praised today
Azerbaijani authorities for providing him with complete security
during a recent visit to Baku.

Safarian traveled to Baku for a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization.

Speaking today in Yerevan he said his trip to Baku was a good
opportunity to resume reciprocal visits of both countries parliament
members. An Armenian parliament member was in Baku before Safarian’s
trip in 2001.

Safarian argued in favor of launching dialogues with Azeris in every
direction.

THERE ARE ISSUES OVER WHICH ALL POLITICAL FORCES MAY COOPERATE

Lragir
Oct 9 2007
Armenia

The secretary of the Heritage Party faction Stepan Safaryan told
reporters today that his party commends the meetings of the party
leaders with Levon Ter-Petrosyan because there is no political
competition in Armenia. "There are political activists, a number of
parties in Armenia, but there are very few centers of force around
which they could come together and we commend every step taken in
that direction," Safaryan says, News Armenia reported.

In this context he did not rule out a redistribution of political
forces on the eve of the presidential election in 2008.

"Consultations between the political forces are desirable, however, it
would also be desirable if the stereotyped opinion that the government
is a cluster of corrupt forces, and that the consultations between the
opposition and the government forces are condemnable were overcome,"
Safaryan says.

According to him, there are issues over which all the political forces
may cooperate, namely over holding a transparent election.

KIRO MANOYAN IS AT VARIANCE WITH SERGE SARGSYAN

A1+
[07:25 pm] 08 October, 2007

Kiro Manoyan, the Head of the Hay Dat and Political Affairs of the
ARF Bureau, is not surprised at the RA authorities’ announcement to
surrender territories.

Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan has stated in Moscow that the Karabakh
conflict will be resolved in case Azerbaijan recognizes Karabakh’s
right for self-determination and Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.

"Artsakh is not part of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. We
haven’t got occupied territories. We have liberated territories. The
territories belong to Artsakh. Azerbaijan’s borders have not been
defined which serves a perfect legal ground. Administrative borders of
an empire are not sufficient ground to recognise a state’s territorial
integrity. The Nations League considered Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and did not recognize it because of a heated territorial
dispute-the Karabakh issue," Kiro Manoyan says.

In reply to A1+’s question regarding the liberated territories,
Kiro Manoyan said, "No president will surrender the liberated
territories. The resolution of the Artsakh issue should be based on
a referendum."

Even international organizations do not recognize Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity because of the dispute over Karabakh. If they
said they didn’t recognize the territorial integrity, it would mean
that they recognized the independence of Karabakh.

Armenia doesn’t say that we recognize the territorial integrity. The
Karabakh issue is the core issue," Kiro Manoyan said.

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 5 2007

WHAT SERGE SARGSYAN BELIEVES AND WHAT SERGE SARGSYAN DISBELIEVES

When Vladimir Putin in Russia agreed to lead the ticket of the
pro-government Yedinaya Rossia Party and did not rule out taking up
the office of prime minister after leaving office of president, many
started thinking in Armenia that Robert Kocharyan might do the same.
Certainly, Robert Kocharyan cannot lead the ticket of the Yedinaya
Rossia Party. The post of prime minister is meant. There had been
such suppositions before Putin’s statement. When Robert Kocharyan
said he was not worse than others and he was not likely to retire,
the society thought that the president hinted at the post of prime
minister after his term of presidency ends. When Putin did not rule
it out, the society in Armenia came to the definitive conclusion that
if Putin decided to become prime minister, he would approve Robert
Kocharyan for the post of prime minister.

Perhaps Serge Sargsyan is also anxious, who stated a few days after
Putin that he does not think Robert Kocharyan wants to be prime
minister. `I have no reason not to believe Robert Kocharyan,’ Serge
Sargsyan stated. Now it is interesting to know what reason he has to
believe Robert Kocharyan. Not in the sense that the president
regularly lies, but in the sense what Serge Sargsyan believes and
what Serge Sargsyan disbelieves. Did he have Robert Kocharyan’s word
not to wish to be prime minister? Perhaps it is rather important
because if Serge Sargsyan has his word and says he trusts him not to
go back on his word, it means he fears that if Robert Kocharyan does
not keep his word, and wishes to be prime minister, Serge Sargsyan
cannot prevent him. In this case, it is interesting to know what the
parliament majority led by Serge Sargsyan is for. After all, the
president appoints prime minister when the parliament majority
approves the nomination, and if Robert Kocharyan wished to be prime
minister, Serge Sargsyan could prevent him by relying on the
parliament majority or might not prevent him but would control Robert
Kocharyan the prime minister through the parliament majority.

In other words, the absolute victory on May 12 was thought to
guarantee Serge Sargsyan absolute control of government levers, and
his further actions show that he got and uses this possibility. Serge
Sargsyan leaves no space for even the weather forecast on the air and
pages of the government propaganda machine. Consequently, he should
not worry who the next president will be for the parliament is his
for the next five years. Consequently, when Serge Sargsyan
disbelieves that Robert Kocharyan will break his promise, which is
the same as the arrangement, it means he does not think himself to
control fully the situation, and what Serge Sargsyan is doing now is
but with the approval of Robert Kocharyan. In other words, the TV
channels and print media, meetings in the regions, the parliament
majority have been generously provided to Serge Sargsyan by Robert
Kocharyan. And it is interesting to know in return for what this
generosity is. Only security of his life and possessions in the
future? Judging by Robert Kocharyan’s statement that he is not worse
than others, he would not have been so generous in return for that
much and would not have given all to Serge Sargsyan and kept only
retirement for himself. But if they had arranged something else,
Serge Sargsyan would not fear that Robert Kocharyan would become
prime minister and take away all his power, turning him into an
observer. It means Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan have no
long-term arrangement. And in this case Robert Kocharyan has more
advantages because, unlike Serge Sargsyan, his goal is uncertain. It
is clear that Serge Sargsyan wants to be president but it is not
clear what Robert Kocharyan wants to be. Consequently, it is easier
to hinder Serge Sargsyan, for it is known where he is headed for,
than Robert Kocharyan, for it is unknown toward where he will be
moving.

HAKOB BADALYAN