Author: Hunanian Jack

AGO GROUP CRITICAL ABOUT ARRESTS OF JOURNALISTS IN AZERBAIJAN – CHAIR

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Dec 4 2007

France, Strasburg / Òrend corr A. Maharramli, S. Ilhamgizi / Trend’s
interview with the chair of the Ago Monitoring Group of the Ministerial
Committee of the Council of Europe, permanent representative of Sweden
to the Council of Europe, Pier Sjorgen..

Question: How well does Azerbaijan implement its obligations to the
Council of Europe?

Answer: Azerbaijan made great progress in fulfilment of its obligations
to the Council of Europe (CE). The progress made especially in
legislation after Azerbaijan entered the CE should be recognized,
but it still requires more improvement. The Ago Monitoring Group
constantly negotiates with the Azerbaijani Government, opposition,
NGOs, Ombudswoman and other structures and institutions of the country,
as well as with the Azerbaijani permanent representation in the CE.

I will speak on three areas connected to Azerbaijan which are
considered to be important – judicial system, media, and election
issues.

Last year we paid special attention to the judicial system of
Azerbaijan. A round table on ways of improvement to the judicial
system, independence of attorneys, prosecutors and judges, their
education and training took place in Baku for this purpose. Different
supportive programs and events will be implemented in this field.

Along with a continuation of the work in the judicial system,
special attention will be paid to the mass media. We are concerned
about the state of the media in Azerbaijan and we believe that the
situation should be improved. We are critical about the arrests of
journalists, long-term arrests. We are alarmed about the fact that
several journalists were arrested within a year. This issue is of
great importance for the CE, as it is directly linked to freedom
of expression. We want changes to be made in some laws envisaging
responsibility for defamation.

The issue of training journalists is also unresolved. Special programs
on support to train amongst journalists are planned to be implemented.

The third significant field we are working on is elections. Next year
will be remarkable for Azerbaijan as the presidential elections will
take place. We want the election to be free and democratic. For that
purpose first of all the items of the Election Code must completely
comply with the recommendations of the Venice Commission. An intensive
dialogue on the improvement of the Election Code is underway between
the Azerbaijani Government, Azerbaijani Parliament and the Venice
Commission. The composition of election committees is the centre of
attention. Freedom of meetings and how this is reflected in legislation
is very important. The second very important point in elections is that
in order to provide transparency and justice, elections should be held
under control. The presidential elections to take place in Azerbaijan
will naturally be controlled by an international observation mission.

Political prisoners are still a problematic matter. The members of the
working group state that there are political prisoners, representatives
of the Government and NGOs in Azerbaijan. We very positively treat
that working group which is a joint initiative of the Government and
civil society, but we would like to see its more active work.

Question: How do you assess the results of the round table on the
Election Code which took place in Baku in November?

Answer: According to the Venice Commission, a good round table
took place in Baku in November. They said in the Commission that
the round table and workshops went in the right direction. I think,
through discussions over the composition of election committees and
election complaints are advancing in the right direction, there are
still uncoordinated issues and the work is not yet complete.

Question: Which questions were reflected in the report developed
during the Ago Group’s visit to Azerbaijan in July this year?

Answer: In July of this year the report with conclusions we made
during the visit was submitted to the CE Ministerial Committee. We
paid special attention to the judicial system.

Question: When will your next visit to Azerbaijan take place?

Answer: Our next visit is planned to take place in the spring of next
year, but the exact date for the visit has not been set yet. During
the visit we will focus on the elections in Azerbaijan, the media
and the judicial system. The Nagorno-Karabakh problem and persons
considered to be political prisoners will also be discussed.

Question: What priority is the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict for the Ago Group?

Answer: The Nagorno-Karabakh issue is important for us. We attentively
observe the conflict as far as possible. In order to get information
on the course of peaceful negotiations we always keep in touch with
the OSCE Minsk Group. But our mandate envisages only support to a
peaceful settlement process and formation of an environment necessary
for a peaceful settlement. We deal with the issue only in terms of
human rights.

Question: Armenia states that religious elements lie in the root
of the conflict and tries to exaggerate this side of the issue. How
much does that comply with the dialogue among religions which is so
encouraged by CE?

Answer: We believe that dialogue among religions sometimes may be an
element of conflict settling. However, in most conflict situations that
is just a part of the problem. Conflicts have political, historical
and other aspects and special attention should be paid to them. The
visit of a group of Azerbaijani cultural people to Nagorno-Karabakh
and Armenia this year attracted my attention. Such initiatives are
important for encouragement of talks.

–Boundary_(ID_puES3XgZguGQk2KpL3Seug)–

ARTASHES GEGHAMIAN PREDICTS CIVIL DISTURBANCES

Noyan Tapan
Nov 27 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. According to Artashes Geghamian,
the leader of the National Unity party, confrontation of the current
and former authorities is much more dangerous than reproduction of
the current power and return of the previous one. As A. Geghamian
stated at the November 27 press conference, the goal of his party is
to prevent that confrontation.

"We should preserve society from civil disturbances. It is inadmissible
that the people has to choose between black and white," the National
Unity Chairman said.

He confirmed the fact that he has lately met with RA President Robert
Kocharian, Prime Minister Serge Sargsian, first President Levon
Ter-Petrosian, and other politicians. According to A. Geghamian,
the political-economic challenges faced by the country, "country’s
sad state" were discussed during all meetings. He is convinced that
preservation of stability in the country is very important at the
moment, as otherwise "Armenia’s centuries-old enemies will take
advantage of that."

GYUMRI HAS 3972 HOMELESS FAMILIES 19 YEARS AFTER THE DISASTER

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 28 2007

On November 27 several NGOs of Gyumri held a discussion at the Hall of
Freedom of Speech at the Asparez Club of Journalists which aimed to put
an end to uncertainty and controversies over the number of homeless
families in Gyumri. The representatives of the City Hall, the head
of the department of urban planning of the regional administration
of Shirak, heads of NGOs and reporters had been invited.

Anushavan Papikyan, a senior official of the City Hall, said according
to the official statistics of the City Hall and corresponding
documents, there are 3972 homeless families in Gyumri as of November
27, 2007.

Then Albert Margaryan, head of the department of urban planning of
Shirak, presented the statistics of purchase of apartments through
housing certificates. According to the regional administration,
4-5 years ago 4091 homeless families bought apartments in Gyumri
through the program of certificates funded by the USAID and the Urban
Institute. In the entire region 4838 families have bought apartments
through this program. In 2006 240 families bought apartments which is
73 percent of families which responded to the call of the regional
administration. In 2007 389 families have turned to the regional
administration, 193 of which have already bought apartments. In
implementing this program the regional administration is guided by the
list of homeless families (2802) issued by the City Hall of Gyumri
on March 1, 2004. Nominal prices fixed in the program are reviewed
once a quarter.

Nevertheless, the participants of the discussion say the prices fixed
in the program are lower than the market price, therefore the buyers
have to get additional money to pay for the apartments. Often the
families which bought an apartment through this program sell it and
migrate or return to live in cottages because they have no money to
live on.

Albert Margaryan says in 2008 the government will allocate 815 million
drams for the program, of which 100 million is for the homeless
families of the town of Spitak. Most participants of the discussion
think the solution of this problem through the certificate program is
not realistic because it will take 10-15 years to provide all the 3972
families with apartments. They proposed finishing the buildings which
had been started to built in the Soviet Union, launch a grant project,
ask for assistance from Armenia Foundation, request additional funding
from the government.

ALLOTMENTS FOR DISABLED INCREASED, BUT PROGRESS NOT SEEN

Panorama.am
22:20 03/12/2007

Today Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan visited Special School No. 15 in
Nork-Marash. The purpose of the visit was to become acquainted with
the building’s condition, as well as to meet with representatives of
those working with the disabled. "In spite of the fact that government
financing for this field has increased significantly, everything has
stayed as in the past," Sargsyan stated during the meeting. In the
prime minister’s opinion, this is because the disabled are seen as
objects of pity by the general public.

"Much depends on our society and its organizations. I understand that
much also depends on the government, but help and investment by our
society is important.

We too are ready to, and are making, investments, and are setting an
example in this way," Sargsyan pointed out. The government leader
emphasized that some 300 organizations are working in this field,
but few are delivering. "We aren’t against making contributions to
the field, even more than is asked, but taking money only from the
government isn’t really the right thing to do, as these organizations
should be helping too," the prime minister stated.

Of questions raised, emphasis was placed on employment and activities
for the disabled, as well as physical access to public places now
under construction. "If there are any locations without wheelchair
access, let us know, as this is definitely in the plans for all new
construction," Sargsyan said.

Returning to the question of employment for the disabled, the prime
minister pointed out that there are disabled individuals with high
positions in the military, as discrimination is nonexistent in
this regard.

As issues related to the handicapped were being presented by
representatives of the various social organizations, the prime minister
requested this all to be put down in writing. Concerning the question
of hearing, it was noted that deaf individuals are deprived of viewing
most television programs, most importantly news programs. The prime
minister closed by saying such meetings would happen more frequently
in the future.

DESIGN BOARD MEMBER DRAWS PUBLIC IRE
By Jason Wells

Glendale News Press, CA
Nov 15 2007

Vartan Gharpetian’s involvement with group pushing property rights
may lead to investigation.

CITY HALL – At least two City Council members confronted Design Review
Board No. 1 Chairman Vartan Gharpetian on Tuesday night after he called
critics of his involvement in a private property rights association
liars and discriminatory.

Gharpetian has been the target of critics at numerous recent City
Council meetings who have said that, as a reviewer of commercial and
single-family home design, his involvement in the Glendale Property
Owners Assn. LLC – which asserts on its website that view and privacy
protection ordinances may "further restrict and negatively affect"
property rights – represents a conflict of interest.

Gharpetian’s comments on Tuesday were his first given in public on
the matter since news of the group became widely known, and he has
so far refused to speak to the media.

"I joined the commission system to serve the city, and that’s what
I did," Gharpetian told the council. "I don’t have a conflict. Don’t
assume things. Get your facts in order and then make judgments."

But a review of state and local records shows that Gharpetian voted
to approve a 6,100-square-foot, single-story commercial building
on South Central Avenue owned and presented by Artak Dovlatyan –
who in state records is listed with Gharpetian as a co-manager of
the association – just 10 days before filing papers to form the
association. advertisement

Design Review Board No. 1 unanimously approved the project – which
would require the demolition of an existing building at 919 S.

Central Ave. – at its April 19 meeting, where Dovlatyan presented
the project for review, according to city staff reports.

Ten days later, Gharpetian filed papers to form the Glendale Property
Owners Assn. LLC, and in July amended the company’s structure to
include Dovlatyan as its co-manager, state records show.

Calls made to Dovlatyan were not returned Wednesday.

City Atty. Scott Howard said he did not know enough details about
the men’s relationship or circumstances of the timelines to determine
whether a conflict of interest existed, but that on its face it had
"piqued" his interest.

"That might be something we need to look into," he said.

Dovlatyan is listed as the vice president of Glendale-based Specialized
Realty, and in city documents as owner Abstract Holdings, Inc.

Councilman Dave Weaver, who is currently charged with nominating a
possible replacement for Gharpetian’s seat on the Design Review Board
in about a month, said on Wednesday that financial ties between
Gharpetian and Dovlatyan would be key in determining whether a
financial conflict of interest existed.

"If they were willing to form a limited-liability company, it would
seem to indicate a very good relationship, and that relationship
would had to have existed prior to April," Weaver said.

While proving legal conflicts of interest can be difficult, Howard
said, the threshold for City Council members removing a commissioner
is relatively low since they all serve at their pleasure.

Councilman Frank Quintero and Mayor Ara Najarian said it was too soon
to tell whether a conflict of interest existed and cautioned against
jumping to conclusions.

Even though a close friendship might raise the perception of a conflict
in making an unbiased decision, in a close-knit town, where everyone
seems to have extensive contacts, officials need to use caution in
determining where to draw the line, Howard said.

But on Tuesday, Councilman John Drayman called Gharpetian’s defense
of his participation in an association that has so far remained silent
"absurd."

"No one seems to know what the devil is going on here," Drayman said.

Since the association is a limited-liability company, it is
not subject to the same level of transparency as tax-exempt
organizations. Gharpetian has refused to reveal the identities of
its board of directors, saying they prefer to remain anonymous.

And until Quintero pressed him on Tuesday to reveal the true purpose
of the association, Gharpetian had refused to stray beyond vague
references to the group’s online mission statements.

On Tuesday, Gharpetian said members of the group pay a $25 subscription
fee for a service that would notify them of possible changes to the
city’s zoning codes or development regulations.

"What is wrong with that?" he asked the council.

For most on the council, nothing. But in October, Gharpetian’s
colleague on the review board and fellow association member, John
Cianfrini, said the group was organized to counteract the influence
of the city’s 19 homeowners associations, and that it was made up
mostly of developers, architects and other building professionals.

Those comments have been at the center of criticism from homeowners
who feel membership in such an association would be unethical for
Design Review Board members.

A door hanger prompting north Glendale homeowners to "save" Brand
Library by signing a petition and joining the association has also
drawn criticism from residents and historic preservation advocates
who say the move amounted to a "bait-and-switch" tactic to increase
membership.

Drayman took Gharpetian to task Tuesday night for the door hanger
that the association distributed, part of which included "Save!!

Brand Library" in large, bold typeface with instructions directly
below to join the association online – which costs $25.

To date, library officials and Glendale Historical Society members
– who have been actively involved in preservation efforts at Brand
Library – say no one from the association has contacted them about
their drive, which in of itself seems overblown, said Arlene Vidor,
president of the historical society.

The City Council has appropriated more than $4.5 million for the
upgrades the door-hanger fliers claim are at risk of not being
funded, including seismic retrofits. A request for $2.75 million
to fund cosmetic upgrades and a service area reconfiguration at the
library is under consideration as part of ongoing capital improvement
funding talks.

"To me, this urgent-sounding message about the Brand Library sounds
like a ploy to get people’s names and addresses since the seismic
upgrade is in process," Vidor said. "To go to the extreme step of
door hangers with an urgent message is highly misleading."

Drayman agreed, and rejected Gharpetian’s assertion that his group
spent $7,000 on the mailers as a way to do something positive for
the community.

"What does this mean, ‘Save the Brand Library?’" Drayman asked as
he held up a copy of the hanger. "There’s been no indication that
money will be deferred or spent in any other way than to improve
the library."

Gharpetian insisted that the perception of the door hanger as a
"bait-and-switch" trick was wrong.

Still, with a possible investigation from the city attorney’s office
looming and Gharpetian’s seat up for reappointment in 30 days,
Drayman said a determination could ultimately rest with the court of
public opinion.

"This isn’t the court of law," he said. "I guess timing is the
question."

"STOP TO THIS GENOCIDARY TURKEY IN EUROPE"

armradio.am
14.11.2007 10:29

In front of the decline values and morals displayed by various
international institutions, the blackmail, the arrogance and persevered
denial of the Armenian Genocide by Turkish authorities, the Armenian
Committee of France (CDCA-ANCA) with the support of Coordination
Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) calls upon all the
Armenians of Europe and in the world to come to Brussels on December
14 to make hear their voice and to express their opposition to the
entry of this Turkey in the European Union.

"There will be many of us and we will be vigilant. We will not let
Turkey carry out the play," Mourad Papazian, chairman of the ARF
Dashnaksutyun Western Bureau said, independent correspondent Jean
Eckian informs from France.

He adds, "Europeans must force Turkey to respect truly Copenhagen’s
criteria. And, we consider that the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide forms share of the criteria of Copenhagen."

December 14, 2007, the 27 Heads of State and governments of Europe
will meet in Brussels to still discuss Turkey’s candidacy.

SARKISIAN OFFERS OLIVE BRANCH TO OPPOSITION
By Ruzanna Khachatrian and Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 13 2007

Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian sought on Tuesday to lower the
temperature in his war of words with Armenia’s former President Levon
Ter-Petrosian, who is increasingly emerging as his main challenger
in the upcoming presidential election.

Ter-Petrosian, meanwhile, claimed that the Armenian authorities have
stepped up the harassment of his supporters in an effort to disrupt
his next rally in Yerevan scheduled for Friday.

"Let us not get petty and squander our resources in debates on the
mistakes and omissions of the past," Sarkisian said in a speech
in parliament. "Let us debate and cooperate on issues relating to
the future."

The remarks, clearly addressed to Ter-Petrosian, came just three days
after Sarkisian effectively kicked off his presidential campaign with
strong verbal attacks on the ex-president. He said Ter-Petrosian must
"repent and apologize to the Armenian people" for his past failings and
warned the latter against changing the country’s existing political
order.

The attack, launched at a congress of the governing Republican Party
(HHK), was Sarkisian’s first public response to Ter-Petrosian’s harsh
criticism of Armenia’s "corrupt and criminal" leadership. The bitter
recriminations set the stage for a fraught clash between the two
rival camps in the presidential ballot slated for February 19.

The Armenian premier, who held key security positions in the
Ter-Petrosian administration from 1993-1998, now appears keen to
defuse the mounting political tensions, promising to be forgiving
towards his political opponents.

Presenting his cabinet’s draft budget for next year to the National
Assembly, he said: "In the next five years, the government’s response
to our opponents will be the following: A more single-minded work, the
formation of an atmosphere of solidarity and cooperation, magnanimity,
mutual love and respect."

The Ter-Petrosian camp sees no such tolerance at the moment, however.

In a joint statement printed by several pro-opposition newspapers
on Tuesday, Ter-Petrosian and one of his top opposition allies,
Hanrapetutyun party leader, Aram Sarkisian, said the authorities are
illegally trying to minimize attendance at the Friday rally. They
urged supporters to document and report all instances of government
"repression" against them.

"Let no policeman, tax inspector, local government official or crime
figure doubt that they will think criminal liability in four months
from now," the statement said. "The authorities’ frantic efforts
to impede the rally show that the Kocharian-Serzh regime is scared
of nothing other than speech. One is scared of speech only when it
is true."

The Ter-Petrosian camp says in particular that the authorities are
trying to prevent it from spreading word of the upcoming rally in
the city’s Liberty Square. Two youth activists of a small opposition
party aligned with the ex-president claimed to have been detained
on Monday night while posting leaflets urging Armenians to "reject"
Serzh Sarkisian. One of them, Narek Galstian, told RFE/RL that they
were set free three hours later after proving a written explanation
of their actions.

95% PROGRAMS OF YEREVAN MAYOR’S OFFICE ENVISAGED FOR 2007 ALREADY IMPLEMENTED

Noyan Tapan
Nov 12 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The programs envisaged by
Yerevan Mayor’s Office for 2007 have been implemented by 95%. As Vano
Vardanian, the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan, said at the November 12 press
conference, reinforcement work of 8 accident-prone houses of third
degree has been already completed, as well as repairs of irrigation
network with the total length of 6 thousand meters have been done in
the Achapniak and Shengavit communities.

According to V. Vardanian, external lighting networks with the total
length of 150 km have been repaired in 74 Yerevan streets, and another
two streets’ external lighting work is underway at present. The Deputy
Mayor said that development and repairs of Sasuntsi Davit, Sebastia,
Leningradian streets have been already finished. Construction work
of six underground passages and street crossings will be finished by
the end of November.

It was also mentioned that asphalting of 420 thousand square meters
has been done in 107 Yerevan streets, as well as 120 thousand long
meters of cracked road have been repaired this year.

Tigran Torosyan: speculating on terrorist act of October 27 1999
inadmissible

2007-11-10 13:30:00

ArmInfo. It is inadmissible to speculate on the terrorist act of
October 27 1999 like ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his
supporters do, Vice Chairman of Republican Party of Armenia (RPA)
Board, Speaker of Armenian Parliament Tigran Torosyan said at the 11th
Congress of RPA, Saturday.

The speaker briefed on the RPA successes and mentioned that RPA
consists of 135,000 members, 61 territorial and about 1,600 primary
organizations. In his speech the speaker mainly criticized the October
26 statement by L. Ter-Petrosyan. Thus, T. Torosyan was indignant that
after 9 years of silence L. Ter- Petrosyan re-launched his activity
with speculations on October 27 1999 i.e. he stated that the Armenian
party won the military actions in Karabakh only due to the weakness of
Azerbaijan. ‘I do not understand why Ter-Petrosyan calls the members of
the Armenian government released from their posts in different periods
of time exclusively the members of RPA and People’s Party. After all
Leonid Hakobyan, Levon Barkhudaryan, Shahen Kara-Manukyan and others
have never been members of RPA or PPA. Moreover, Levon Ter-Petrosyan
also demonstrates an absolute illiteracy of economy. It is impossible
to reverse the course of history and the public has no short memory as
some people think, and it will be evident after the presidential
election,’ T. Torosyan said.

RPA Congress is to approve the executive body consisting of 13 people,
including Serzh Sargsyan, T. Torosyan, David Haroutunyan, Karen
Karapetyan, Galust Sahakyan, and Hranush Hakobyan

Serzh Sargsyan denies the statement ascribed to him that religious
factor is prime mover of Karabakh conflict

2007-11-10 23:28:00

ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister, Leader of the Republican Party of
Armenia (RPA) Serzh Sargsyan denied the statement, which was ascribed
to him, that the religious factor is the prime mover of the Karabakh
conflict.

"It is merely funny as I didn’t express such a thought in an interview
with Los Angeles Times", S.Sargsyan said to journalists after the 11th
congress of the RPA, Saturday. "In this interview I said that the
religious factor finds place in this conflict. If it were not so, why
are our historical monuments and khachkars (cross- stones) being
demolished, and after all, why were Armenians killed just for being
Armenians?", he said. To note, according to some media, S.Sargsyan said
in his interview with the Los Angeles Times newspaper that the
religious factor is the prime mover of the Karabakh conflict.