Author: Hakobian Adrine

TREND, Azerbaijan
May 26 2006

Prague format creates a good basis for further movement forward –
special envoy of OSCE chairman-in-office

Source: Trend
Author: R.Abdullyev

26.05.2006

Trend’s interview with special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office
on Nagorno-Karabakh, Andrzej Kasprzyk

Question: How do you characterize the state in the
Armenian-Azerbaijani frontline?

Answer: The cease fire at front lines generally holds. However
tension sometimes increases – for a variety of reasons. We regret
that there are occasionally casualties as a result of such tension.
In our view even one serviceman killed is one too many. One has to
remember that there is a political will on all sides to preserve the
cease fire, which is also a condition for conducting the negotiations
on the settlement of the conflict which are now in a delicate stage.
.

In such conditions it is unacceptable when a young serviceman is
wounded or killed, especially deliberately by a sniper.

Question: How often was the ceasefire regime broken in 2006? What
measures should the sides take prevent the armistice breaches?

Answer: We cannot quote exact figures on cease-fire violations – we
rely on figures provided by the Ministries of Defence. Generally,
only when there is a casualty (or deliberate aiming), or if the
shooting is protracted and lasts for at least 20 minutes it is
considered as a cease fire violation.

We expect the sides to display maximum restraint on the front lines.
If there is a more serious violation, we also expect the sides to
make use of the hotline between them at senior level. A lot depends
also on the will of the local commanders to maintain the cease fire
and how they keep the discipline among their troops.

Question: Are there any preconditions for the resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in 2006?

Answer: The negotiations are continuing apace and have become quite
intensive in the last period, with many meetings, including at the
level of the Presidents. The Co-chairs have been very active which
has been applauded by the Presidents.

In the year 2006 there is a good window of opportunity for the
resolution of the conflict, taking into consideration that there are
no elections this year neither in Armenia nor Azerbaijan.

Question: How do you estimate the talks on resolution of
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

Answer: There is an effort from all sides to bring the positions of
the parties closer. The issues are extremely complicated and
painful; nevertheless it seems that what has been accomplished so far
during the rounds of the Prague format and at other meetings creates
a good basis for further movement forward. It is a question also of
the political decisions that have to be taken by the Presidents on
the basis of their nations’ best interest. One has to remember that
for both nations there will be substantial benefits from peace which
cannot be ignored.

Question: Is it worth to hold monitoring in the frontline if they
cause doubts?

Answer: It has been stated on different occasions and at different
levels by the parties that Monitorings have a stabilizing effect on
the situation in case of a flare-up of tensions.

On occasions we have been requested by one or the other party to
conduct a Monitoring at a specific location precisely to stabilize
the situation. If anybody’s life was saved thanks to it I would
already consider it an achievement.

Monitorings also serve as an early warning to all – to the parties,
the Minsk Group and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in case there is a
threat of deterioration of the situation along the front lines. It
is also an important tool as a confidence building measure in the
military sphere between the parties – once my teams are permitted to
enter a specific territory it means there is nothing hidden.

The information received from the parties during the Monitoring is
passed on with our comments as to the seriousness of the incident to
the OSCE Chairmanship and the Minsk Group. Our mandate does not
foresee investigations which would also require cooperation between
the parties in facilitating evidence to the investigating teams.

MEASURES NECESSARY FOR MAKING INSURANCE PAYMENTS TO FAMILIES OF PLANE ACCIDENT VICTIMS UNDERTAKEN

Noyan Tapan
May 24 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The Grand insurance company
is undertaking the measures necessary for making payments to the
families of the victims of the May 3 plane accident as quickly as
possible. This was mentioned in the statement spread by the company
on May 23. In the statement the company proposes that on working
days the relatives of the victims visit the Yerevan office of Grand
in Tumanian 38 (telephone number +374 10 512824 or +374 93 400914).

On May 5, Grand had declared that the causes of the accident of A-320
plane of Armavia airline are investigated by the Airclaims expert
organization and Beaumont&Son juridical-expert organization.

They had also informed from the Grand insurance company that
the above-mentioned plane, the latter’s crew and passengers had
insured themselves by the Grand insurance company, which in its turn
transferred the risks assumed by it to 14 large reinsuring companies
working on London insurance market. The amount of compensation to be
given to the relatives of the accident victims will be determined on
the basis of Airclaims and Beaumont&Son.

Grand had explained that according to Warsaw Convention of 1929,
in the circumstance of international air transportations the amount
of life insurance cases is limited to 20 thousand USD.

CHANGES TO CRIME CODE

Lragir.am
23 May 06

On May 23 the National Assembly passed the bill introduced by the
government of Armenia on first reading. If it is enacted, hard labor
will be eliminated as a punishment. The minister of justice Davit
Harutiunyan said this punishment is hardly ever administered and
is formal.

Besides, the government suggests defining crimes on their graveness,
and adopting fine or social work as punishment for not only felonies or
misdemeanors. If the sentence is two years of imprisonment, a convict
may appeal for replacing his or her punishment with social work.

DELAY OF GENOCIDE CRIMINALIZATION DISASTER FOR FRENCH PARLIAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.05.2006 13:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The aim of the comedy that we witnessed was to
prolong the discussions not to put the draft criminalizing the denial
of the Armenian Genocide for discussion, Patrick Devedjian, an MP
representing the Union for Popular Movement and Adviser of Interior
Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, told Le Figaro. “I did not think they would
dare to go that far. The aim of the comedy that we witnessed was to
prolong the discussions not to put the draft for discussion. This game
was organized by the socialists’ spearhead and part of the rightists
acting apparently on demand. This is a disaster for the parliament
where seems to be a ban on discussing concerns facing the French,”
Devedjian remarked, the Azg newspaper writes.

THEY SAY GOOD-BYE THANKING EACH OTHER

A1+
[07:00 pm] 22 May, 2006

109 deputies arrived at the Parliament hall today to be present at
the resignation of the NA President.

First Arthur Baghdasaryan read out the names of the deputies who left
the OYP faction. Then RA deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan informed
that according to the 20th article of the NA regulations Arthur
Baghdasaryan has submitted a letter of resignation from the post of
the NA President.

Arthur Baghdasaryan started his resignation speech thanking all
the deputies irregardless of their political beliefs and attitudes
towards him, the NA staff, the journalists and his colleague parties –
the ARF and the Republican Party.

Then he started criticizing. “Social surveys show that 70% of the
population of Armenia is afraid. We will fight against the society
of fear. We will fight for the free society”, Arthur Baghdasaryan
announced today. He said that if the present rates of birth and death
are preserved, even if no one leaves the country, in 2050 there will
be 500 thousand people left.

“When we said that the state must support young families they said it
was populism. It is not populism; it is the road to the development
of the country. We think that social-economic reforms must be
deeper. Being part of the authorities for three years we tried to
introduce our approaches. Many good things have been done, but many
have been omitted. And now we have decided to follow our own route”.

After Arthur Baghdasaryan, Mher Shahgeldyan, the President of the NA
Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs,
and Gagik Mkheyan, the President of the NA Standing Committee on
Social Affairs, Health Care and Environment resigned too. After that
the members of the OYP left the hall.

Before that Tigran Torosyan who presided over the session thanked
Arthur Baghdasaryan and the OYP for the joint work for the last
three years.

By the way, Arthur Baghdasaryan announced that in 2003 he was honestly
for Robert Kocharyan.

CERTAIN FIGURES DO NOT STAND TRIAL

Lragir.am
22 May 06

In the May 22 meeting of parliament the adoption of the agenda was
hampered again by the opposition. The first meeting of the four-day
session, opened with the resignation of the speaker, was “devoted” to
the resignation of the speaker of the National Assembly. In accordance
with the bylaws, within five days Arthur Baghdasaryan must reaffirm his
resignation, which is then accepted by the parliament. The opposition,
however, claimed debates on the resignation of the speaker before
adoption of the agenda. Tigran Torosyan replied that this is not
foreseen in the regulations. Then the opposition decided to use the
opportunity, and the time foreseen for speeches on the agenda were
used for assessments of the opposition to the resignation of the
speaker. The leader of the National Unity Artashes Geghamyan was
highly vigorous, who accused Arthur Baghdasaryan of avoiding giving
the names of Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan and bypassing
them in criticism. Artashes Geghamyan suspects that this might be
the consequence of the atmosphere of fear pointed out by Arthur
Baghdasaryan. Geghamyan thinks that Arthur Baghdasaryan himself
became the victim of the same atmosphere of fear. Hovanes Margaryan,
a member of the Orinats Yerkir faction, retorted, saying that Orinats
Yerkir is not a scared political force.

“Our fear was arrested and imprisoned long ago. We have established
our political line and we have always frankly and clearly expressed
our opinions,” said Hovanes Margaryan.

Victor Dallakyan made a statement about the political and parliamentary
crisis, saying that the secession of Orinats Yerkir marked the
collapse of the coalition. “In accordance with the coalition memorandum
signed in 2003, if a party secedes from the coalition, the coalition
stops. In other word, what we have today in the Republic of Armenia
is a parliamentary and political crisis. The coalition does not exist
any longer, and there can be two solutions from the points of view of
politics and political science. One is to dissolve the parliament,
the other is to dismiss the government and form a new parliamentary
majority,” says Victor Dallakyan.

According to Victor Dallakyan, it is political nonsense to pretend
that nothing happened, and to trade in offices.

Despite the attempts of Deputy Speaker Tigran Torosyan to
prevent discussion at the expense of adoption of the agenda, he
was nevertheless, involved in the debate, mostly due to Artashes
Geghamyan. Geghamyan reminded about Arthur Baghdasaryan’s statement
that a number of bills damaging the interests of people may be
introduced to the parliament. According to Geghamyan, it is a direct
accusation against the Republican majority.

Tigran Torosyan thinks that what happened is a regular political
process, and requires an adequate attitude. According to Tigran
Torosyan, this is required from all the political forces.

“Orinats Yerkir does not need protection, and the opposite is
Pharisaic. As well as attempts to protect, attempts to say something.

Whatever outlooks Orinats Yerkir had, it expressed them directly
and straightforwardly. It does not depend on whether I agree, or you
agree, or both of us disagree. It is a matter of morality, a moral
attitude towards our colleagues. And it will be correct if we remain
within these limits. I agree that a number of challenges and abusive
phrases have nothing to do with morality, and unfortunately, the first
steps show that certain political figures do not stand this trial,”
stated Tigran Torosyan.

GIBRAHAYER
e-magazine
SPECIAL EDITION – SATURDAY 20/05/06 – 22:00

VICTORY IN BOLIS
Zaruhi Harutyunyan wins her first ITF title in Turkey

Gibrahayer Saturday 20 May, 2006 – Armenia’s rising tennis star 15 year old
Zaruhi Harutyunyan won her first ITF title by defeating South Africa’s number
one player Bianca Swanepoel in the singles of the international world
ranking tournament that concluded today at the Enka Sports Club in Bolis.

In a three-set nail-biting final that was watched by local tennis fans and
cheering Bolsahays, Harutyunyan found herself losing 3-1 and 15-40 in the
final set before regrouping and fighting back to clinch the set, the match
and the championship, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4.

“I refused to let the championship slip away after having come so close …
not here, not today”, said young Zaruhi in a telephone interview after the
match. “I look forward to doing equally well in the second tournament this
week,” she concluded.

The TED tournament begins on Monday in Bolis.

Today’s championship win will most likely place her in the top 300 in the
world, a dramatic climb of 900 positions in a few months when she began her
tour in January 2006 in Bangladesh at position 1245 in the world.

Harutyunyan has been practising in Cyprus since September 2005 in a program
with the Cyprus National tennis team and since March 2006 in England, with ex
Wimbledon champion Jo Durie in the Academy of Alan Jones in Hazelwood.

NEW REFERENDUM SHOULD TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION NEW REALITIES

Lragir.am
20 May 06

This opinion was expressed by the representatives of two major
political parties in Karabakh, considering the idea of a new
referendum for KarabakhOpen.

The OSCE Secretary General had spoken about the opportunity of the
people of Karabakh to express their will during his visit to Yerevan.

Gagik Petrosyan, Azat Hayrenik Party, said a referendum was held in
the Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh and the region of Shahumyan
on December 10, 1991. `If another referendum is held, taking into
consideration the new realities, and if the results of this referendum
is recognized by the international community and Azerbaijan, we think
it would be useful,=80=9D said Gagik Petrosyan.

Arthur Mosiyan, Armenian Revolutionary Federation, thinks that the
referendum would have sense if the liberated areas were also
involved. `Although the question of territories must not necessarily
be solved in a referendum. We have called the parliament for
recognizing the dominance of NKR over these areas. After 1991 and the
war imposed on us the realities changed, and every step that is taken
must take into consideration the new realities.’

Scotsman, United Kingdom
May 20 2006

Britain turns to rap to regain former Eurovision glory

LONDON (Reuters) – Humiliated three years ago with “nul points” and
placed nowhere ever since, Britain is seeking a return to Eurovision
Song Contest glory by turning to rap.

Its torch-bearer for Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest final is Daz
Sampson with a track called “Teenage Life”, complete with backing
singers in school uniform.

Britain has won the contest five times over the past half-century and
has come second a record 15 times, but recent results have been
dismal.

Jemini’s 2003 offering, the out-of-tune “Cry Baby,” was judged its
worst offering ever, garnering not a single vote and coming a richly
deserved 26th.

James Fox did a little better in 2004, coming 16th but last year
Javine Hylton again plumbed the depths by coming 22nd.

Rapper Sampson, a self-confessed Eurovision fan, is determined to
improve matters.

“So-called political voting does go on but nowhere near as much as
people in the UK say,” he admits. “I think we hide behind that a bit.

“The fact is, for the past 10 years or so we haven’t sent anything
good.”

Britain qualifies automatically for the final, along with France,
Germany and Spain, as the four biggest countries in the event.

HEAVY METAL

This year’s contest takes place in Athens following Greece’s first
ever Eurovision victory in 2005.

Among the more bizarre finalists are Finland’s Lordi, a heavy metal
band who perform in monster masks and costumes. Their song “Hard Rock
Hallelujah” may just give the Finns their first ever win after over
40 years of trying.

Others are going for more tried and tested entrants.

Ukraine, which won in 2004 on only the second attempt, spent months
looking for the perfect entrant and song before coming up with Tina
Karol, one of the biggest stars in the former Soviet state.

Contest debutants Armenia have sent Andre, an award-winning singer
who has performed all over the world, while Bosnia and Herzegovina’s
entrant, Hari Mata Hari, “the nightingale of Sarajevo,” is another
well-known regional performer.

Spain and Ireland are following suit.

Spain will be represented by Las Ketchup, best known for their 2002
global chart-topper The Ketchup Song, and Ireland is hoping for a
Eurovision comeback with Brian Kennedy, who recently sang at George
Best’s funeral and scored a top three hit in the UK with a cover of
Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up.”

The other qualifiers from Thursday’s semi-final are Russia,
Lithuania, Sweden and Turkey.

PASSPORT TO FAME?

The contest has produced its fair share of stars: most famously it
launched the career of Abba when they won with Waterloo in 1974, and
Bucks Fizz enjoyed plenty of chart success following their 1981
victory.

But often the winners fail to make much of an impact on a global
scale, with many slipping back into obscurity after their moment in
the spotlight.

Recent examples include Latvia’s 2002 winner Marie N and 2004’s
Ukranian victor Ruslana, who might be big stars at home and in
neighbouring territories but haven’t made much impression on UK
audiences.

Many UK performers have also disappeared without trace, from 1998’s
Imaani to 2001’s Lindsay Dracass.

“Admittedly the end result was a big disappointment,” says former UK
representative Nicki French, who came 16th in 2000 with “Don’t Play
That Song Again.”

“But it didn’t seem to matter to the real diehard fans of the
contest,” she added. “Since my participation, I have performed as a
special guest for numerous Eurovision events in various countries,
including Germany, Sweden and the UK — and the diary always gets a
fair bit busier in May nowadays.

“I would dearly love to have the chance to do it again, only
hopefully with a better placing at the end.”

OSCE SECRETARY GENERAL WELL INFORMED ABOUT THE DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN CEMETERIES IN NAKHIJEVAN

ArmRadio.am
19.05.2006 13:40

“I am well informed about the fact that the destruction of Armenian
cemeteries in Nakhijevan caused strong emotions in Armenia. The
Catholicos of All Armenians expressed his deep sorrow on this
occasion. We intend to work actively in the direction of resolving
the conflict to eliminate the roots of such phenomena,” OSCE Secretary
General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut told in his interview to MEDIAMAX
Agency.

In response to the question whether the OSCE is going to pay greater
attention to expressions of intolerance in our region, Marc Perrin
de Brichambaut said, “You raised a very important question. If the
existing political conflict acquires also a cultural nature, it will
become a rather complex factor.”