Author: Jagharian Tania

PanARMENIAN.Net

OSCE/ODIHR to send observation mission to Armenia upon
receipt of formal invitation
06.12.2007 15:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights will send an observation mission to Armenia immediately
after receipt of a formal invitation, ODIHR Director, Ambassador
Christian Strohal said. `Presidential elections in Armenia will follow
elections in Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. This weekend we will
launch short and long-term missions to Georgia. I would like to
mention that the Office receives valuable assistance from individuals
concerned,’ he said, RFE/RL reports.

The Armenian presidential elections are due February 19,
2008. Georgian early elections are scheduled for January 5.

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IS MARCOS FORGOTTEN?
[01:21 pm] 07 December, 2007

As we have already informed our readers the Football Federation of
Armenia has publicized the list of best football players of
Armenia. Levon Pachajian, the half back of Pyunik, was named the best
footballer of the year.

Robert Arzumanian, Pyunik, and Sargis Hovsepian, Pyunik, occupied the
second and third positions respectively.

It turns out that Levon Pachajian went ahead of Arzumanian and
Hovsepian with insignificant points. Pachajian gained 137 points as a
result of a poll conducted among football clubs, referees and
journalists.

Robert Arzumanian gained 136 and Sargis Hovsepian-135 points. Then
comes Ararat Aakelian of Banants, with 65 points, followed by Samvel
Melkonian, Banants, with 48 points.

Surprisingly though it may seem the best shooter of the Armenian
Football Championship 2007 Marcos gained 35 points.

The polling participants, namely the referees, may have forgotten that
the Brazilian footballer scored 22 goals during the championship.

The respondents named 14 footballers: six from Pyunik, three from
Banants and three from Ararat, Mika and Gandzasar.

MUSEUM OF ARMENIAN HISTORY TO TAKE PART IN EXHIBITIONS IN RUSSIA, THE USA AND GREECE IN 2008

arminfo
2007-12-05 14:55:00

ArmInfo. Museum of Armenian history will take part in exhibitions in
Russia, the USA and Greece in 2008.

As director of the museum Anelka Grigoryan told ArmInfo correspondent
two exhibitions are scheduled in Hermitage next year. The museum will
also take part in the exhibitions in New-York and Athens. Relevant
contract have been already made with Hermitage, Metropolitan Museum
and Byzantine Museum.

She also added that in 2007 Museum of Armenian History took part in
11 exhibitions within the frames of the Armenia’s Year in France.

CEC STOPPED ACCEPTING DOCUMENTS: 9 PEOPLE HAVE CLAIMS FOR THE POSITION OF THE ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Mediamax
December 6, 2007

Yerevan /Mediamax/. The documents presentation term for nomination
of candidates for the President’s position to the Central Electoral
Commission (CEC) for participation in the elections of February 19
of 2008 expired at 18:00 today.

Mediamax reports that 9 candidates for the position of the President
presented their documents of the Commission: Leader of "Orinats
Yerkir" party Artur Baghdasarian, Leader of "National Unification"
party Artashes Geghamian, Leader of People’s Party Tigran Karapetian,
Leader of "National Democratic Union" Vazgen Manukian, former Councilor
of the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Arman Melikian,
member of "Dashnaktsutiun" Bureau, Vice-Speaker of the parliament
Vahan Hovhannissian, Leader of the Republican Party of Armenia,
Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, first President of Armenia Levon
Ter-Petrosian, Leader of "National Consent" Party Aram Harutyunian

In accordance with the established schedule, the registration of
candidates for the position of the President will start on December
31 of 2007 and will be concluded on January 20 of 2008.

The pre-election campaign will last from January 21 up to February
17 of 2008.

RESULTS OF ACTIVITY OF SERVICE OF OBLIGATORY EXECUTION OF JUDICIAL ACTS PRESENTED TO RA PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan
Dec 6, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. On December 6, RA President Robert
Kocharian had a working meeting with Gagik Ayvazian, the RA Chief
Obligatory Executor of Judicial Acts. The latter presented the work
done by the Service of Obligatory Execution of Judicial Acts in 2007
to the President.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s
Press Office, issues regarding raising efficiency of activity of the
Service of Obligatory Execution of Judicial Acts were also discussed
during the meeting.

oikotimes.com, Greece
Dec 7 2007

Complete results of JESC Europrediction

Europe’s largest online Junior Eurovision poll, Junior
Europrediction, has come to an end after one month of voting to
decide who you, the public, think will win this year’s Junior
Eurovision Song Contest. Junior Europrediction used a new format this
year, allowing viewers to see how their votes had affected the
standings within minutes of casting their ballot. Over the last
month, the lead has changed hands several times, and with only a few
hours remaining before voting closed a few points separated the top
three.

Europrediction Junior represents the votes 1-12 (no 9,11) given by
voters from: a) participating countries in JESC (17), b) press voting
gathered by oikotimes.com and c) by voters living in countries not
participating in JESC 2007. In total, 12,242 valid votes were cast in
this year’s prediction. More than 1.000 votes were found to be
invalid, and are therefore not counted in the scoring. Junior
Europrediction used the latest technology from DM / INETWORKS to sift
out the valid votes from the invalid ones. Here are the final
standings:

129 pts Serbia
121 pts Netherlands
119 pts Armenia
111 pts Lithuania
106 pts Belarus
101 pts Romania
092 pts FYR Macedonia
076 pts Cyprus
073 pts Ukraine
032 pts Sweden
031 pts Russia
030 pts Georgia
025 pts Bulgaria
022 pts Belgium
019 pts Greece
019 pts Malta
002 pts Portugal

WATCH THE SCOREBOARD GRID
jesc.xls

JUNIOR EUROPREDICTION 2007 PARTNERS

JUNIOR EUROPREDICTION 2007 SUPPORTERS

Reuters, UK
Dec 7 2007

Bosnia genocide survivors join relay for Darfur

Fri 7 Dec 2007, 17:30 GMT
By Daria Sito-Sucic

SARAJEVO, Dec 7 (Reuters) – Hollywood actress Mia Farrow joined
families of Bosnian Muslim victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre
and activists at a torch-lighting ceremony on Friday calling on
Olympic host China to help stop genocide in Darfur.

Farrow and Hatidza Mehmedovic, who lost her husband and two young
sons in Srebrenica, lit a torch as a symbol of peace and solidarity
with the victims of genocide in the African nation.

"We are passing this torch to call for an end to the ongoing crime of
genocide in Darfur," Farrow told the crowd in Sarajevo. "We are
calling upon China to end the suffering in Darfur by forcing Khartoum
to allow a protection force in Sudan."

Critics say China’s military aid to and oil purchases from Sudan give
it influence it could use to push Khartoum to halt the violence in
Darfur, where some 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million
driven from their homes in fighting since rebellion broke out in
2003.

The Sarajevo event was part of an Olympic-style torch relay, the
"Olympic Dream for Darfur" campaign, led by Farrow and launched last
August at the Chad-Darfur border to press for action by China, which
hosts the Olympic Games next year.

The relay has already passed through genocide sites in Darfur,
Rwanda, Armenia, Bosnia and Germany. Next month the torch will be lit
in Cambodia and the last destination will be Hong Kong.

"China is the host of the 2008 Olympic ggames and China is also an
accomplice in Darfur genocide," Farrow said. "It cannot sponsor the
Olympic Games at home and underwrite genocide in Darfur."

People in Sarajevo cried while watching pictures taken by Farrow in
her seven visits to Darfur, in remote western Sudan.

Bosnian Serb forces besieged Sarajevo for 43 months during the
1992-95 Bosnia war.

The United Nations war crimes tribunal in The Hague considers the
death of some 11,000 people during the siege as genocide, along with
the slaughter of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim males by Bosnian Serb forces
near Srebrenica.

Bosnian Serb wartime commander Ratko Mladic and his political boss
Radovan Karadzic, indicted by the court for their role in the
atrocities, are still on the run.

Other activists, survivors of genocide in Rwanda and Darfur, said
they felt they had to react to genocide anywhere in the world. "We
are trying to link genocide survivors so that they call in one voice
‘Never Again’," said Omer Ismail from Darfur.

The delegation also visited the cemetery and memorial for the
Srebrenica victims on Thursday.

"Instead of waiting for wedding bells and grandchildren, instead of
building factories for them, we are building the cemetery," said
Mehmedovic, who found the remains of her husband and one son after 12
years. "I don’t wish it on anyone." (Editing by Ellie Tzortzi and Tim
Pearce)

PanARMENIAN.Net

Moscow not apt to think U.S. eased stand on Iran
05.12.2007 17:22 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Moscow not apt to think that the U.S. has eased its
position on Iran by publishing the intelligence report,’ Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. `The fact is that the information
obtained by the U.S. intelligence was made public.’

`Data that we have seen don’t allow to say with certainty that Iran
has ever had a nuclear weapons program,’ Lavrov said adding that Iran
was committed to cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog and had
confirmed its adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Speaking after President Vladimir Putin’s meeting in Moscow with
Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, Lavrov said, "We noted
the willingness of Iran to adhere to cooperation with the
International Atomic Energy Agency, and Iran again confirmed its
adherence to an observation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty."

"Mr Putin reiterated his call for Iran’s leadership to ensure honest
and full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency in
order to clarify all of the issues interesting the agency," he added.

Western countries led by the U.S. suspect Iran of pursuing a secret
nuclear weapons program but the Islamic Republic insists its nuclear
research is civilian.

President Putin said earlier Tuesday Russia expects Iran’s nuclear
programs to be transparent and fully monitored by the IAEA.

At talks with Jalili, at the presidential residence near Moscow, Putin
welcomed Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA.

"It’s pleasant to note that contacts between Russia and Iran have
intensified at all levels," Putin said, recalling that the Russian
foreign minister had recently visited Iran.

Earlier in the day Iran had praised a U.S. intelligence report on its
nuclear program saying that Tehran had halted weapons production in
2003.

The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), published on Monday,
contradicted a previous intelligence assessment in 2005 which stated
Iran was actively pursuing a nuclear bomb, RIA Novosti reports.

BAKO SAHAKIAN SATISFIED WITH U.S. TELETHON OUTCOMES

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.12.2007 14:31 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ December 3, Nagorno Karabakh President Bako Sahakian
held a meeting dedicated to the telethon organized by Hayastan
All-Armenian Fund.

Speaker and vice speaker of the NKR NA, Prime Minister, government
members, prosecutor general, supreme court chairman and other officials
as well as journalists attended the meeting.

The head of state expressed satisfaction with the course and outcomes
of the telethon. Briefing on the U.S. meetings, which mostly focused
public health, energy, water supply and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement, President Sahakian said that Diaspora representatives
voiced readiness to deepen cooperation. He rated creation of proper
information field as guarantee of uninterrupted and efficient
Artsakh-Diaspora relations and issued appropriate instructions,
the NKR presidential press office reported.

MONITORING IS IMPETUS

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[02:44 pm] 05 December, 2007

more images RA Prime Minister Serzh Sarkissian received the delegation
headed by Georges Colombier, the rapporteur on Armenia in the
Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Colombier told Armenia’s
Prime Minister that their visit is aimed at getting acquainted with
the situation in Armenia six months after the parliamentary elections
and two months ahead of the presidential ones. They are interested
in the developments in the country in the pre-election period.

"I’m glad that the reforms in a number of directions have been
accomplished, including the amendments to the Constitution, the
Electoral Code, the reforms in the judicial sphere, which helped
register positive progress in Armenia," Georges Colombier said. The
Armenian Premier welcomed the visit of the PACE Monitoring Committee
delegation to Armenia and noted that the monitoring conducted by the
Council of Europe is an additional impetus for the implementation of
reforms in compliance with the preset schedule.

The parties also turned to the upcoming presidential elections in
Armenia, conduct of free and fair elections, issues relating to
freedom of speech and plurality of opinions, corruption combat,
as well as the recent developments of the Karabakh conflict settlement.