Author: Hambardsumian Paul

REPORTING AND PEACEMAKING

KarabakhOpen
26-04-2007 11:28:37

In the framework of Stepanakert Resource Center project implemented
in partnership with International Alert, the Young Democrats NGO
holds discussions on "Peacemaking and Reporting". The first meeting
at Mesrop Mashtots University in Stepanakert was conducted by
Karen Bekaryan, the head of European Integration, a Yerevan-based
NGO. During the discussion it was mentioned that according to the
results of a monitoring of the media of Armenia, in 30-40 percent of
materials Azerbaijan and the conflict are mentioned. In Azerbaijan,
this index is much higher, up to 60 percent. The internal and even
social problems are often connected directly with the conflict. This
approach creates a nationalist screen behind which political mistakes
and adventures are hidden.

Karen Bekaryan thinks the first effective step in peacemaking could
be the supply of objective information. He shared his vision of
peacemaking – it must run between absolute tolerance and radical
concern for the country’s security. "The governments which speak
about security only without considering tolerance towards neighbors
are bound to reject radically an alternative opinion.

However, absolute tolerance is possible when your neighbor displays
identical tolerance," said Karen Bekaryan.

The participants of the discussion got acquainted with the projects
for reporters implemented with Azerbaijani colleagues under the aegis
of the international organizations. According to the co-coordinator
of the Young Democrats Karine Ohanyan, similar discussions will be
held for other journalists and students.

REPRESENTATIVES OF US TURKISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES HELD PROTEST ACTIONS IN USA

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
April 25 2007

Turks living in USA will fight against Armenian propaganda within new
organization – Association of American Turks, fighting against Armenian
lie. On the eve of anniversary of false "genocide of Armenians",
Association held mass protest actions in Washington and New York.

April 21, representatives of Turkish communities of USA gathered
on the Times Square in the center of Manhattan, and April 22 – on
Farragut square in Washington near White House, to protest Congress’s
interference in Turkish-Armenian issue. Compatriots who arrived on
bus from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut joined Turks living
in capital of USA. With demand "To end Armenian lie!" they called to
entrust historians not politicians with disclosure historical truth.

Leaders of Azerbaijani communities were among participants of the
action. President of Azerbaijani Community of America, Tomris Azeri,
while making speech during the action, said that international
community is bothered by false rhetoric of Armenians.

Every day one more member of Congress refuses to support pro-Armenian
resolution after hearing Turks’ testimonies. With these attempts
Armenians try to hide crimes they committed. Over 200 years Armenians
have been attempting to create "great Armenia", attempting to remove
Azerbaijanis from their native lands. The fact that Azerbaijani
territories are occupied, and that over 1 mln. Azerbaijanis turned
to be refugees and internally displaced can’t be denied. President
of Azerbaijani Community of America said that Turkish speaking
communities should cooperate in order to demonstrate real intentions
of Armenians, to spread the truth about Khojali genocide; they should
inform Americans and international community.

President of Association of Turkish Communities of America, Nurtan
Ural, called resolution on "genocide of Armenians" being presently
high on the agenda of the House of Representatives and Senate, as
one-sided document, distorting events that took place during World War
I. He said that the given issue should be solved by joined researches
of Turkish and Armenian historians. Armenia does not accept proposal
of Turkish government on opening of archives and start of Academic
dialog. Such steps of Congress may hold away Armenia from dialog.

–Boundary_(ID_HINtCR18evRV7Md8O+YbMg)–

BORIS YELTSIN’S FUNERAL HELD IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.04.2007 18:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia bid farewell to his first President Boris
Yeltsin.

After the religious service accompanied by tinkling of bells of the
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour the funeral procession with Yeltsin’s
body made for the Moscow’s Novodevichy cemetery. B. Yeltsin’s body was
taken to the cemetery by Cadillac catafalque. But near the cemetery
it was put on an artillery carriage decorated by flowers and colors
of Russian State banner.

An armored troop-carrier pulled the carriage, which was followed by the
clergy, relatives and friends of the late President. A thrice-repeated
volley was fired and Russia’s state hymn was played in the cemetery.

Several thousands of people gathered near the Novodevichy cemetery
to bid farewell to Boris Yeltsin. The chain of people stretched for
500 meters.

Heads of a number of countries and international organizations arrived
in Russia to attend the mourning ceremony. President Robert Kocharian
headed the official delegation of Armenia.

Boris Yeltsin died untimely from heart failure on Monday, aged
76. April 25 is proclaimed a national mourning day in Russia.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS AND CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE TO MEET IN MADRID

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 24 2007

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Matthew
Bryza (US), Bernard Fassier (France) and Personal representative
of OSCE chairman-in-office Andrzej Kasprzyk will meet with OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos
on May 10 in Madrid, Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov told the APA
exclusively.

The mediators for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will
debate on arranging a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents
Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian.

The co-chairs will visit the region in late May.

In Azerbaijan, embattled editor jailed for libel and insult

Nieuwsbank , Netherlands
from Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
April 21 2007

New York, April 20, 2007 –The Committee to Protect Journalists
condemns today’s imprisonment in Baku of Eynulla Fatullayev, editor
of the independent Russian-language weekly Realny Azerbaijan and the
Azeri-language daily Gundalik Azarbaycan.

The Yasamal District Court convicted Fatullayev on charges of libeling
and insulting Azerbaijanis in an Internet posting that was attributed
to the editor. But Fatullayev, who is known for his critical reporting
on government affairs, said he never made the comment and that the
case had been manufactured to silence him.

Under Article 147.2 of Azerbaijan’s penal code, Fatullayev was ordered
to serve 18 months, according to the news agency Turan. He was jailed
immediately after the court hearing, becoming the fifth journalist
behind bars in Azerbaijan.

"The jailing of Eynulla Fatullayev is part of a pattern of increasing
repression of independent media in Azerbaijan, often through
politically motivated defamation cases," CPJ Executive Director Joel
Simon said. "It is outrageous that he should be imprisoned for a
statement he says he never made. He should be freed immediately."

Tatyana Chaladze, head of the Azeri Center for Protection of Refugees
and Displaced Persons, filed civil lawsuit in February and a criminal
complaint in April against Fatullayev. Chaladze cited a remark
attributed to the editor that said Azerbaijanis were responsible
for the 1992 massacre of residents of the Nagorno-Karabakh town of
Khodjali, according to local press reports. The statement was a
"deliberate effort to defame Khodjali residents and veterans of
the Karabakh war," the independent daily Zerkalo quoted Chaladze as
saying. The Yasamal District Court ruled in favor of Chaladze’s civil
claim on April 6, ordering Fatullayev to pay damages of 10,000 manats
(US$11,600), Turan reported.

The remark was first published on the Web site Aztricolor, although
the precise posting date was unclear. In a March interview with CPJ,
Fatullayev said he never made the Khodjali statement, which was later
posted on other Web sites. After the statement was circulated widely
on the Internet, unidentified protesters, up to 80 at a time, started
picketing the offices of Realny Azerbaijan and Gundalik Azarbaycan,
he said. The protesters would come in buses to the papers’ premises
and protest for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, throwing eggs and stones
while shouting for Fatullayev’s expulsion, according to local press
reports. Dozens of police officers, Fatullayev told CPJ, stood by. He
said he believed authorities were behind the protests and had used the
trumped-up case to prevent him from reporting on government corruption
and the unsolved murder of former colleague Elmar Huseynov.

Realny Azerbaijan is the successor of the opposition weekly Monitor,
which was shut down after the March 2005 contract-style assassination
of Huseynov. Like its predecessor, Realny Azerbaijan is known for
its critical reporting.

On March 6, four days after he reported that high-ranking Azeri
officials ordered Huseynov’s killing, Fatullayev received a death
threat, but authorities did not investigate it or provide him with
personal protection.

Fatullayev told CPJ in March that his position on the Karabakh
conflict was outlined in a 2005 article headlined "The Karabakh
Diary." Fatullayev, then an investigative reporter with the Monitor,
traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh in February 2005 to interview leaders
of the region’s unrecognized government. He received threats from
Azerbaijani nationalists who opposed his trip. His piece said that
constructive dialogue is the only way to alleviate tensions between
Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh broke out during the first years of the Soviet Union’s
collapse. Inter-ethnic fighting escalated when Nagorno-Karabakh’s
parliament voted to form the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) in
December 1991. (NKR is not recognized internationally.) A ceasefire
was negotiated in 1994, but the territorial dispute lingers today.

According to official statistics, 613 people were killed in Khodjali
on the night of February 25-26, 1992, when heavily armed Armenian
forces stormed and captured the town.

© 2007 Committee to Protect Journalists. E-mail:
[email protected]

–Boundary_(ID_joZCpOOXquC09 D8wH5VhRg)–

RA CASSATION COURT REVERSES RULING ON FINING ARMEN MAZMANIAN FOR
DISCREDITING TIGRAN KARAPETIAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Cassation Court reversed the
February 14 decision of the court of first instance of Yerevan’s
Kentron and Nork-Marash communities, according to which a fine of
300 thousand drams (about 840 dollars) was imposed on film maker
Armen Mazmanian for insulting and discrediting Tigran Karapetian,
Chairman of ALM Holding. A. Mazmanian told this to reporters on April
19, adding that he did not attend the court sitting. He said that
T. Karapetian withdrew his application for opening a criminal case
against A. Mazmanian. "We have come to an agreement that I will no
longer watch his programs, while he will leave me alone," said the
film maker, who during one of his television speeches called Tigran
Karapein a "populist parrot", "semi-literate person", "pickpocket",
and "one who was convicted in Volgograd for pedophilia".

Vartan Oskanian: Lachin corridor issue never discussed during talks

PanARMENIAN.Net
20.04.2007 19:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Finally a chance occurred for settling the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
stated at the interview to Austrian newspaper Der Standart. He said,
currently Armenia and Azerbaijan discuss a text, which is very
rational and since we agreed on various moot points, "this document
offers a real chance for reaching an agreement." Speaking about how
close the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement is, the RA FM said,
"Close" is a relative notion. I mean, if compared with the previous
text, we’ve approached the solution. But we all must continue the
talks over its principles."

Mr. Oskanian underlined the issue of Lachin corridor has not been
discussed. "This corridor is a guarantee of free and unhampered
communication between Armenia and the Nagorno Karabakh. But it must
be viewed as a part of Nagorno Karabakh. Recently the Azeri side
tried to push forward the idea of its common use. But it has never
been a subject of talks. The international mediators too immediately
rejected that idea," Oskanian stressed.

The Armenian FM reminded that country’s former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian had to resign since he tried to settle the problem
step by step. "He was ready to return territories, which now are under
Armenia’s control, but without clear definition of Nagorno Karabakh’s
future status. It was unacceptable for the Armenian society. Today’s
difference is that all moot points are components of agreement,
if even its realization will be carried out step by step," Vartan
Oskanian said.

"ZHARANGUTIUN" PARTY TO BE "SURPRISE" OF NEW PARLIAMENT THIS TIME, SAMVEL NIKOYAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 20 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, NOYAN TAPAN. 6-7 parties will enter the parliament
after the May 12 elections. If the NA "surprise" the previous time was
"the ULP, Zharangutiun (Heritage) party will be this time." Samvel
Nikoyan, a RA NA deputy, member of the RPA Council made such a
statement at the April 20 press conference. But, in his opinion,
unlike the ULP, which did nothing new at the parliament and did not
bring freshness, "Zharangutiun will bring new speech, new approach
and new way of thinking to the NA." "I will be very glad to see Raffi
Hovannisian at the parliament instead of many many other. Finally,
he will not humble the picture of the parliament, but will raise it,"
S. Nikoyan emphasized.

He also mentioned that according to surveys, the Republican Party
of Armenia, Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia), Orinats Yerkir
(Country of Law), Armenian Revolutionary Federation and Zharangutiun
parties will overcome 5%.

According to S. Nikoyan’s estimation, the propaganda mission is in
general held in civilized conditions, and there is no mutual hatred
or serious competition among the authorities and opposition.

"The opposition understood that it did not got a positive image
by scolding the authorities. That was the reason that the Bargavach
Hayastan party, entering the political field, immediately attracted the
society’s attention," the deputy mentioned, adding that the Bargavach
Hayastan party was created to take the votes of the opposition.

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN CLOSE TO RESOLVING NAGORNO-KARABAKH ISSUE : ARMENIAN ACTING FOREIGN MINISTER

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
April 20 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku/ Trend / Vardan Oskanian, Armenia’s Acting Foreign
Minister, has stated during the joint press conference being held with
his Latvian counterpart, Artis Pabriks in Yerevan today that Armenia
and Azerbaijan are close to resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"While comparing the document, which is presently on the negotiations
table together with the previous documents, it is evident that the
document is more realistic for both disputing parties. The principles
that are included in the document have been more balanced. In addition,
the overwhelming majority of approaches to the issue have been agreed
by the both parties. We are really close to settling this conflict,"
he stated, Trend reports referring to ARKA.

At the same time, the Head of the Armenian Foreign Ministry noted
that there were some approaches and principles left disagreed by
the disputing parties, but these are to be agreed during the meeting
between the Presidents of the two states. "Only after that, it will
become clear whether the peaceful negotiations will progress or not,"
he added.

Commenting on his last meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart,
Elmar Mammadyarov, Mr. Oskanian refused to comment by stating that
"the time has not yet come to do it". However, during the last meeting
with his Azerbaijani counterpart he did say that the next date for
negotiations between the two Heads of the Foreign Offices of the two
countries had not been determined.

"No agreement was reached on the next forthcoming meeting. However,
the OSCE Minsk Co-Chairmen will certainly visit the region to become
acquainted with the situation there and prepare a ground for the
meeting between the two Presidents prior to the Armenian parliamentary
elections to be held on 12 May" stated Mr. Oskanian.

Notably, the last meeting was between the Armenian and Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministers held in Belgrade on 18 April where both Ministries
participated in the sixteenth meeting of Foreign Ministries of
BSEC (Black Sea Economic Cooperation). All the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairmen, namely Matthew Bryza (U.S.A.), Yuriy Merzlyakov (
Russia), and Bernard Fassier ( France), as well as Andjey Kaspshik,
the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office participated
in the meeting between the Foreign Ministries of the disputing parties.

During the discussions held, the Minsk Group Co-Chairmen put forward
some proposals to the disputing parties emphasizing a number of issues,
which have been not been agreed within the principles being presently
viewed by the parties.

GOVERNEMT APPROVES BILL ON APPROVAL OF ANNUAL REPORT ON EXECUTION OF 2006 RA STATE BUDGET

Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2007

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 19 sitting, the Armenian
government approved the bill on approval of the annual report on
execution of the 2006 RA state budget, which will be submitted to the
RA National Assembly in prescribed order. The bill proposes approving
the annual report on execution of the 2006 RA state budget in the
amount of 441 bln 483 mln 135.6 thousand drams (revenues). 481 bln
183 mln 188.4 thousand drams (expenditures), and the budgetary defecit
in the amount of 39 bln 700 mln 52.8 thousand drams.

The RA Deputy Minister of Finance and Economy, the RA Chief Treasurer
Atom Janjughazian said after the sitting that taking into account the
economic developments in 2006, the amount of revenues was reconsidered
and set at 451.461 bln drams instead of the planned revenue amount of
412 bln 356 mln drams (based on 2006’s average exchange rate – about
991 mln USD), with a 97.8% fulfilment being registered. In his words,
the main reason for underfulfilment of the revenue index was receiving
only 15.2 bln drams (38.4% of the envisaged amount) instead of the
envisaged 39.5 bln drams from foreign sources. The fulfilment of the
expenditure index was low – 523 bln drams or 92% for the same reason.

A. Janjughazian said that the fulfilment index of expenditures
from own sources made 98%, that from foreign sources – 46%. 55.5%
fulfilment was registered against 71.6 bln drams envisaged by the
2006 deficit financing program.