Author: Frangulian Shushan

COE SEC. GEN. CONGRATULATED SERZH SARSGYAN ON ELECTION RA PRESIDENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2008 15:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Secretary General of the Council of Europe,
Mr. Terry Davis congratulated Serzh Sargsyan on election President
of Armenia. The congratulatory address says:

"Dear President-elect,

I am writing to you to congratulate on your election President
of Armenia.

Following the recent parliamentary and presidential elections, the
Armenian people have now chosen the leaders who will be responsible
for the ongoing reform program. For our part, the Council of Europe
will continue to assist Armenia in meeting all the challenges which
stem from the commitments undertaken by Armenia at the time of joining
our organization.

I wish you every success in your new duties, and I look forward to
meeting you again in the near future," the RA government’s press
office reported.

INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENTS OF ARMENIA’S DOMESTIC SITUATION BALANCED AND IMPARTIAL

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2008 17:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The Armenian public had lost a good opportunity
of dialogue before March 1. International structures also insisted
on dialogue. If the opposition agreed, there would be no state of
emergency imposed," Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told
a news conference today.

"The Armenian society has become alienated in a way but it can’t last
long. Now much depends on Levon Ter-Petrosyan, who should make proper
moves. No one has the right to build his election campaign on hatred
and revenge, setting people on each other," the Minister emphasized.

At that he noted that international assessments of Armenia’s domestic
situation are balanced and impartial. "As to rumors on suspension
of the European Neighborhood Policy, they do not correspond to the
truth," he said.

VIKTOR SOGHOMONYAN: LAW-ENFORCEMENT BODIES MUST BE EXEMPT FORM ANY PRESSURE

armradio.am
14.03.2008 13:56

Law-enforcement bodies should be guided in their actions only by the
requirements of the law and be free from any pressure, including the
external one, Spokesman of the Armenian President Viktor Soghomonyan
stated, commenting on the statement of the Presidency of the European
Union (EU), which expresses concern that the arrests in Armenia may
exert influence on the law-enforcement bodies.

"Not only opposition representatives are arrested, but also people
accused of committing criminal offences. Not in a single European
country the factor of involvement in politics is a pardon for
relieving the citizen from the responsibility for violating laws,"
Viktor Soghomonyan stated.

Speaking about the call of European structures to Armenian authorities
to take up all the necessary steps to ease the tension, the Spokesman
of the President noted that "that is exactly the basis for all our
actions."

TEENAGER KILLED IN MINE EXPLOSION NEAR NORASHEN

KarabakhOpen
13-03-2008 13:18:00

On March 9 near the village of Norashen a cluster bomb exploded,
and a 16-year-old boy died, said the coordinator of The Halo Trust
program Gala Danilova. The workers of the organization visited the
stage of the accident and reported all the details of the incident,
Gala Danilova said.

According to the Mine Action Center, the name of the boy is Zhamharyan
Sasun, a 16-year-old inhabitant of the village of Norashen. Three
friends – Kostanyan Hunan, 1991, Avetisyan Avet, 1990, and Zhamharyan
Sasun, 1991, were gathering posts at the abandoned vineyard near the
village of Norashen. Sasun hit the basis of the post with a hammer and
apparently struck the bomb lying in the ground, there was a powerful
explosion, the boy was injured badly and died at the hospital.

This is the first incident this year. A similar incident occurred
in June 2006 in the village of Mehmana, Martakert region. Atabekyan
Mikhail, member of the municipal council of the village, born in 1951,
hit the cluster bomb while cutting a tree and died before he would
be taken to hospital.

In 2007 casualties caused by mine explosions were 5, including two
children.

As of the beginning of 2008, the total number of casualties caused
by unexploded ammunition is 298.

KOCHARIAN SOFTENS CURBS ON PRESS FREEDOM

Radio Liberty
March 13 2008
Czech Rep.

President Robert Kocharian on Thursday softened severe restrictions
on media freedom stemming from the state of emergency in Yerevan which
he imposed in the wake of last month’s disputed presidential election.

Media outlets not controlled by his government were not sure, however,
that they can resume uncensored news reporting on Friday.

Under the 20-day state of emergency declared by Kocharian on March
1, Armenian media could only cite the government and law-enforcement
bodies when covering national politics. More than a dozen independent
and opposition newspapers and online news services suspended or were
forced to suspend their operations as a result.

Kocharian’s office said they can now resume their work provided that
they do not publish "obviously false or destabilizing information"
about domestic political affairs. It said they will also not be
allowed to call for or disseminate calls for Armenians to participate
in unsanctioned demonstrations.

The Yerevan Press Club, an independent media watchdog, criticized these
conditions, saying that they may serve as a smokescreen for government
censorship. "They may well be used for muzzling the independent and
opposition press," Mesrop Harutiunian, an YPC expert, told RFE/RL. He
said any newspaper report that containing views differing from the
official version of the March 1 unrest in Yerevan may be construed
by the authorities are "obviously false information."

Aram Abrahamian, editor of the independent daily "Aravot," shared
Harutiunian’s concerns. "The question is what the authorities mean by
destabilizing reports," he said. "If they mean the opposition’s views,
then they are wrong."

"We will try to publish tomorrow," Abrahamian told RFE/RL. But he
said the paper will again suspend publication "if we are told to
remove a particular word or even a letter."

Gegham Nazarian, editor of the opposition newspaper "Hayk," was also
skeptical about the easing of the media ban. "We will try to publish
tomorrow, even though we suspect that censors at the printing house
won’t allow that for some reason," he said.

But Satik Seyranian, editor of another, more neutral publication,
"168 Zham," disagreed. "I think the decree is acceptable," she told
RFE/RL. "We must take into account the fact that the situation in
the country is tense. I think the media should refrain from carrying
inflammatory reports."

It was also unclear whether Kocharian’s decree means the websites
of local electronic publications will be automatically unblocked by
the authorities on Friday. Nor was it immediately known if local
radio stations will be able to resume the retransmission of daily
Armenian-language news programs of RFE/RL.

SERZH SARKISSYAN: "AFTER A COUPLE OF MEETINGS I WILL UNDERSTAND WHETHER PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN IS READY TO FOLLOW PEACEFUL WAY OF RESOLUTION"

Today
olitics/43676.html
March 12 2008
Azerbaijan

Armenia will not make unilateral concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

The due announcement was made by Armenian Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkissyan during his meeting with students.

"I think we have good opportunities for the peaceful resolution of
Karabakh conflict", Sarkissyan noted.

At the same time Armenian Prime Minister confirmed the negative
influence of events in Yerevan which occured on March 1 and said
they limited potential of the Armenian President, regardless of who
is responsible for them.

"Our image has been spoiled. However, it will not affect the
negotiation process. Moreover, we will be loyal to a more principal
position and will not contradict our own interests", Sarkissyan
announced.

At the same time, the Prime Minister noted that Armenia will try
to obtain results favorable for the people. "The people of Karabakh
should have a right for self-determination no matter if Azerbaijan
accepts it or no", Sarkissyan noted,

The Armenian Prime Minister said international development proves
that people should live where they want.

"In 1-2 months after I become a president I will have an exact response
regarding further steps in the negotiation process. I have not met
President of Azerbaijan yet and I hope I will understand whether he
is ready for the peaceful settlement or no". he said.

MASS DISORDER COST 68 MILLION 959 THOUSAND DRAMS

Panorama.am
17:43 10/03/2008

On 1-2 March the organized disorder held in Yerevan cost 68 million
959 thousands drams: state buildings, territories, administrative
territories were broken and injured. Today Kamo Areyan, the first
deputy mayor met with the journalists and said that city’s general
used territories were also injured and it cost 34 million 762
thousands drams.

"It is needed to carry out some reconstruction in those territories,"
he said. Areyan also said that the amount of injured territories under
Central administrative body covers 24.5 million drams. And the social
transport was also damaged; it cost 6 million 394 thousands drams.

According to Areyan, the municipality building is damaged and it
cost 3 million 207 thousands drams. Now the reconstruction process
is being held, and the municipality damages are also covered.

All the damages are covered by municipality and some by Central
Administrative financial means. To the question whether those people
would get compensation for their broken cars, he said that he has no
competence to give answer to such question.

ARMENIA ACCUSED OVER KILLING OF CIVILIANS IN VOLATILE KARABAKH

Agence France Presse — English
March 9, 2008 Sunday 3:53 PM GMT

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry accused Armenian forces on Sunday of
opening fire on a residential area near the disputed region of Nagorny
Karabakh and killing two civilians.

The defence ministry said that two men, 26-year-old Niyamaddin Ismaylov
and 38-year-old Etibar Mikayilov, were killed when Armenian forces
opened fire on the residential area and Azerbaijani positions in the
frontline Aghdam region.

Two other men were wounded in the shooting which began Saturday night
and continued until early Sunday, a defence ministry spokesman said.

It followed one of the worst breaches of a 1994 ceasefire in the
region in years on Tuesday. Both sides accused the other of taking
advantage of the volatile political situation in Armenia to violate
the ceasefire.

The Armenian capital Yerevan is under a state of emergency after eight
people were killed on March 1 in street battles between riot police and
opposition supporters protesting the result of a presidential election.

Azerbaijan claimed that four of its soldiers and 12 Armenian servicemen
were killed in the fighting Tuesday, while Armenia claimed it had
lost no soldiers and that eight Azerbaijanis died.

Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny Karabakh and seven
surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in the early 1990s, in a war that
claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and forced about a million people
to flee their homes.

The two countries have cut direct economic and transport links and
failed to negotiate a settlement on the region’s status.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a ceasefire line in
and around Nagorny Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.

REPORTS: AZERBAIJANI SOLDIER KILLED IN CONFLICTS WITH ARMENIA
Sun Yunlong

Xinhua

March 10 2008
China

MOSCOW, March 10 (Xinhua) — One Azerbaijani soldier was killed
and another one wounded in a conflict with Armenian troops Sunday,
Russian news agencies reported Monday.

The 19-year-old soldier, Ramin Ismailov, was killed in a "violation of
the ceasefire by the Armenian side" near the separation line between
the two Caucasus states that have long been in territory disputes,
Interfax said, citing sources of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

There were no immediate comments available from the Armenian side on
the reports.

Armed conflict broke out in the early 1990s between Azerbaijan and
Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region’s status after it declared
independence, which was not recognized by the international community.

Nagorno-Karabakh, a northwest region in Azerbaijan, was populated
mostly by ethnic Armenians.

A Russian-brokered ceasefire halted the fighting in 1994, but the
dispute remains unresolved.

Military clashes, however, broke out again last week near the region
and caused casualties.

RA president’s spokesman: Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s statements saying he is
under home arrest turned out to be inconsistent

2008-03-07 17:19:00

ArmInfo. The statements of RA presidential contender Levon Ter-
Petrosyan saying that he is under home arrest, turned out to be
inconsistent, RA president’s spokesman Viktor Soghomonyan said at
today’s briefing. He recalled that L. Ter-Petrosyan, who has been
claiming, since March 1, that the authorities keep him under home
arrest, further arrived calmly to the session of the Constitutional
Court and made a speech there. "I think the fact that a smile was
shining on Ter-Petrosyan’s face these tragic days, is a typical one",
V. Soghomonyan said.