Author: Hunanian Jack

Kommersant, Russia
Dec 15 2006

Tbilisi Free of Russian Military

The Group of Russian Forces in the Transcaucasus dispatched the last
of its property and equipment from Tbilisi suburb of Vaziani to the
102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia, yesterday. There
remain only 13 Russian officers in Georgia now, who are overseeing
the closure of the bases at Batumi and Akhalkalaki. Commander of the
North Caucasus Military District Army Gen. Alexander Baranov told
journalists that eight closed car and 16 open train cars containing
arms and equipment have been dispatched to Armenian.
Today and on December 19, two convoys containing 12 pieces of
equipment each will be sent by road. The personnel of the Tbilisi
garrison will leave next week. The military operational staff of the
Group of Forces will leave Tbilisi on December 25. `There will not be
a single Russian serviceman left in the Tbilisi garrison by the end
of the year,’ Baranov stated. An exception will be the guards at the
Russian embassy in Tbilisi, which was vacated by Russian diplomats
after the October spying incident. The Group of Forces school, where
both Russian children and Georgian children studied, has also been
closed.

The decision on early withdrawal of the Tbilisi garrison from Georgia
was made by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov in October during
the scandal over the arrest of several Russian officers in Tbilisi
and Batumi on espionage charges. The Tbilisi garrison had previously
been slated for withdrawal by the end of 2008. The base in Batumi
will be closed by the end of next year and the base in Akhalkalaki by
the end of 2008.

Mamuka Panchulidze, a spokesman for the Georgian Ministry of Economic
Development told Kommersant that the large Group of Russian Forces’
building and its grounds in the most exclusive neighborhood in
Tbilisi would be turned over to that ministry and the government
would decide how to put them to use. He said that the facilities may
then be auctioned off. `It could be turned into a five-star hotel,’
he observed. Several construction firms have also expressed interest
i n tearing the building down and putting up new elite housing in its
place.

A1+

«IT’S A MATTER OF TASTE»
[08:27 pm] 15 December, 2006

«No individual can pose serious threat to the RA», said
Secretary of the Security Council adjunct to the RA President Serge
Sargsyan answering the question if leader of the «Union of Armenian
Volunteers» Zhirayr Sefilyan was a dangerous person that he was
arrested.

«Have you read in the announcements of the national security that
Zhirayr Sefilyan is seriously dangerous for the RA? There are
3000-4000 citizens of Armenia in prison at present and separately none
of them is dangerous for the country. Some of them can be dangerous
for the society, others – for other individuals», said Serge
Sargsyan.

Asked by «A1+» what he personally thinks about Karabakh hero
Zhirayr Sefilyan, Serge Sargsyan answered, «Sefilyan was one of the
thousands who fought in Karabakh, but if you think you can compare him
with Monte Melqonyan or with other commanders, it’s a matter of
taste».

THEY WILL PAY 1.3 MILLION LESS
James Hakobyan

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 14 2006

The Millennium Challenge program has set off in Armenia. Of course,
it is difficult to call the first tranche of the MCA as a start,
considering that Armenia had expected to get more in 2006 than the
Americans gave. When the Armenian officials signed the agreement and
spent 15 minutes in the office of Condoleezza Rice, after returning to
Yerevan the minister of finance and economy Vardan Khachatryan stated
that Armenia hopes to get the first tranche of 6 million dollars out of
235 million this year. Meanwhile, the Americans gave only 800 thousand
dollars, though another 500 thousand is expected by the end of this
year. In other words, Armenia will get 1.3 million this year. This
is less than the second expectation of the minister of finance who
stated about two weeks ago at the parliament that Armenia expects 2
million dollars. What Armenia got is even less than the sum mentioned
by the prime minister at the parliament. He said 1.5 million dollars.

Hence, the so-called start of the MCC program resembles a formality
rather. And the statements by the American officials in charge of the
program suggest that the program may be suspended rather than have
an effective continuation. But even if by miracle or by unsoberness
of the government Armenia complies with the political benchmarks
essential to the continuation of the MCC program, its effectiveness
is highly doubted. And the reason must be clear to everyone. It is
the revaluation of the dram. When Armenia worked out the action plan,
estimated the costs and submitted the request with the MCC, the rate of
exchange of the dollar was different than now. And this correlation
has changed in favor of the dram. It means that in December 2006
the value of this 1.3 million will be lower than in spring 2006 when
Armenia signed the agreement. Moreover, in January and February 2007
1.3 million dollars is going to have a lower value when it is spent.

Meanwhile, the program is 235 million dollars, and the dram will keep
revaluating and the dollar will keep depreciating before this money
comes to Armenia. Moreover, building materials are becoming more
expensive, which are going to be the main cost of the program. It
allows supposing that the program will undergo significant changes
because the estimates will become unrealistic, and 1 USD will be
losing its value every month. In this case, the Americans will have
to give more money, or the government of Armenia will have to cover
the missing part, or the program should be curtailed. Yet, finally,
a policy of a fixed exchange rate should be conducted. It is clear,
however, that the government will not stop the double or triple
lucrative fluctuations of the exchange rate. For the Americans
and the government is much more favorable to curtail the program,
because it is not harmful for their pockets. Besides, the Millennium
Challenge program is an investment program for the Armenian farmers
only, since for the governments of Armenia and the United States it
is only a political project. Thereby the United States is trying to
gain additional control of the actions of the Armenian government,
and the Armenian government expects to use it as election bribe in
the form of implemented programs under the slogan of salvation of the
village, and in this case it makes not difference if it is 6 million
or 1.3 million, it is important that they give, for they will spend
less during the election.

ARMENIAN YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS INITIATE MOVEMENT FOR RELEASE OF ZHIRAYR SEFILIAN AND VARDAN MALKHASIAN

Noyan Tapan
Dec 14 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Over ten youth organizations of
Armenia have issued a statement, in which they demand releasing the
coordinator of the public initiative "Liberated Territories Protection"
Zhirayr Sefilian and member of the political board of the Homeland
and Honor Party Vardan Malkhasian.

Considreing as absurd the accusation that these persons tried to
carry out a military coup in Armenia, the statement authours note
that these men, who are well-known to the Armenian public, have
repeatedly presented in the press their real programs, the main
goal of which is the protection and resettlement of the liberated
territories. "Being aware of the role of the youth in prevention of
such steps by the authorities, we start a public initiative, whose main
objective is the release of Zhirayr Sefilian and Vardan Malkhasian,"
the statement reads.

JACK KEVORKIAN TO BE PAROLED

Armenpress
Dec 14 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS: After more than eight years
behind bars for murder, an ailing Jack Kevorkian, a son of Armenian
immigrants, will be paroled in June on a promise not to help anyone
else commit suicide, U.S. news agencies reported.

The parole board took the 78-year-old Kevorkian’s declining health
into consideration, along with the question of whether the former
pathologist would be a danger to society. Kevorkian, once the nation’s
most vocal advocate of assisted suicide, is serving a 10- to 25-year
sentence. It would be a much quieter existence for the 78-year-old
retired pathologist than the one he led before being convicted in
1998 of second-degree murder in the assisted suicide of a Michigan man.

Kevorkian, who waged a defiant campaign for nearly a decade to help
other people kill themselves, will be released June 1 – the first day
he is eligible for parole. By the time he was convicted of murder,
he proudly claimed to have assisted in at least 130 deaths.

Now, after sitting in prison for eight years and suffering various
health ailments, that defiant tone has changed. Kevorkian vows he will
never again commit a crime. After being released in June, Kevorkian
will be on probation for two years, during which time he can’t leave
the state or change his residence without written permission.

MONITORING WAS CANCELLED BECAUSE OF AZERBAIJAN

A1+
[08:14 pm] 13 December, 2006

On December 13, according to a previous agreement between the
authorities of the two counties, the OSCE mission was to carry out
monitoring in the contact line of the Karabakh and Azeri armed forcer,
near Fizouli.

According to the press service of the NKR Foreign Ministry, the
monitoring mission left for the site, accompanied by representatives
of the Foreign and Defense Ministries, but taking into account the
fact that the Azeri side did not take the observers to the point
agreed upon, the mission decided to cancel the monitoring due to
security reasons.

TRANS-DNIESTER DELEGATION FIXES CONFORMITY OF NKR REFERENDUM WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 13 2006

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. NKR President Arkady
Ghukasian received on December 11 Miroslav Ribyakin and Claudia
Treskova, delegation members of the Trans-Dniester Moldovian Republic,
parliamentarians who were in the NKR to take part with the observation
mission in the NKR constitutional referendum of the previous day. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the Information Department General
attached to the NKR President, the guests fixed correspondence of
the constitutional referendum taken place in the NKR to the adopted
international standards and mentioned that they are impressed with
the success of Artsakh fixed during the recent years in the state
building, social-economic and political spheres. Arkadi Ghukasian
addressed his greetings and congratulations to President Igor Smirnov
and PMR people on the occasion of successfully holding the president’s
elections and expressed confidence that relations between the Artsakh
and Trans-Dniester peoples will be built on bases of friendship and
mutual understanding from now on as well.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM SET TO REAFFIRM INDEPENDENCE BID
By Avet Demourian, Associated Press Writer

Associated Press Worldstream
December 10, 2006 Sunday 5:33 PM GMT

The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave on Sunday held a constitutional
referendum that was expected to reaffirm its independence bid.

The draft constitution describes Nagorno-Karabakh as a "sovereign,
democratic" state.

More than 74,500 people, or 83.7 percent of the region’s 89,000
eligible voters, cast ballots, said Mikael Adzhian, a spokesman for
the region’s Central Election Commission.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s leader Arkady Gukasian hailed the vote as a landmark
move that would "determine the Nagorno-Karabakh’s people destiny."

At least one third of the region’s eligible voters were needed to
make the vote valid, and a simple majority of those who cast ballots
is necessary for the constitution’s approval.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan that has been under the
control of Armenian and ethnic-Armenian Karabakh forces since a 1994
cease-fire ended a six-year separatist war that killed about 30,000
people and drove about 1 million from their homes.

The region’s final status remains unresolved, and years of talks
under the auspices of international mediators have brought few
visible results.

Gukasian insisted the vote would not jeopardize peace talks. "The
passage of the constitution will have a positive impact on talks,"
he told reporters.

Azerbaijan has rejected the referendum as having no legal meaning.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Azeri population fled the conflict more
than a decade ago, and large numbers of them have lived as internally
displaced people since then.

In December 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh held a referendum in which ethnic
Armenian residents voted overwhelmingly for independence.

Masis Mailian, deputy foreign minister in the Nagorno-Karabakh
administration, said the constitution was essential to codify the
structure of its administration and citizens’ rights.

"It’s necessary to formalize the already existing foundations of
state system and relations between the state and its citizens,"
Mailian told The Associated Press.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN NKR HELD IN COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL NORMS, FRENCH OBSERVERS SAY

ArmRadio.am
11.12.2006 13:27

"The Constitutional referendum in NKR was held in compliance
with international norms. Step by step you are approaching to your
objective, declared French observer Alen Fresner, ArmInfo correspondent
reports from Stepanakert.

Another French observer, editor of a geopolitical edition Ives
Batay, who has a rich experience of participating in elections
in different countries, noted that the voting process was very
correct and expressed hope that the people of Nagorno Karabakh will
achieve its right for independence. "Why should it be possible for
separate peoples. Standards should be equally applied to all peoples
irrespective of the place of their residence," Ives Batay underlined.

OBSERVERS: REFERENDUM IN KARABAKH MEETS MOST OF INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

PanARMENIAN.Net/
11.12.2006 16:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The referendum conducted on December 10, 2006 on
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) constitution meets most of the
standards of the OSCE, the Council of Europe and other international
structures in terms of democratic elections, equally used for
the referenda as well. The referendum followed the broad and open
discussions of the draft Constitution, where the proposals of both
local organizations and international experts of Constitutional
Law were taken into account. The broad public confidence, which is
typical of an election in the NKR, has impressed greatly," says the
report issued by international observers upon the outcomes of the
constitutional referendum in Karabakh, reports the RA MFA press office.

"The campaign was of pluralistic nature and gave an opportunity to
all the political parties and unions to show their stance towards the
draft Constitution to their electorates. The campaign was exercised
mainly via media by having relatively a few numbers of big meetings.

The Central Referendum Commission (CRC) has made praise-worthy
efforts to conduct this election in a professional and trustworthy
manner and the due respect and honor should be given to the election
administration for their endeavors under tough conditions.

Transparent ballot-boxes were used during the referendum that ensured
more transparency for the voting.

We have not fixed any significant violations on the very day of
the referendum.

The remarks made by the observers and the shortcomings in the work of
the referendum commissions, which were rather of a technical nature,
were taken into account and the necessary steps were undertaken to
eliminate them.

The counting of the votes in the polling stations visited by us was
exercised effectively and transparently," the document says.