FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER DETAINED IN TURKEY
PanARMENIAN.Net
23.05.2007 18:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A female suicide bomber preparing for a terrorist act
was detained in Adana city in southern Turkey, NTV company reports
quoting a source in police. The woman has four kg of A-4 plastic
explosives like those detonated Tuesday in the trade center mall
in Ankara.
The female terrorist detained in Adana is a member of outlawed
Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS GROW BY 39.74% IN ARMENIA IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2007 ON SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR
Noyan Tapan
May 23 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 23, NOYAN TAPAN. Most of electronic payments through
the payment systems of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) in the first
quarter of 2007 was made through the electronic payment system.
According to CBA data, electronic payments of the system’s participants
made up 63.10% of the total amount of payments and 95.3% of their
number. The amount of electronic payments increased by 39.74%
(564 bln drams or about 1 bln 568 mln USD), their number – by 15.86%
(40,670 payments) on the same period of last year. Transfers related
to stock exchange operations amounted to 27 bln drams. Payments made
by commercial banks through the electronic payment system (without
stock exchange related operations) made up about 40% (increase of 55
bln drams) of all payments, their number – about 99%.
The average daily number of monetary transfers through the electronic
payment system grew by 635 payments as compared with the first quarter
of 2006 and made 4,006 transfers, while their amount grew by 8 bln
817 mln drams to 22 bln 185 mln drams. The average daily amount
of transfers related to stock exchange operations made 6 bln 549
mln drams. The average amount of an electronic transfer through the
electronic payment system, without transfers related to stock exchange
operations, grew by about 1.7 mln drams to 3.9 mln drams. The average
amount of stock exchange related transfers by commercial banks through
the electronic payment system made 201 mln drams.
ZHARANGUTIUN PARTY DOES NOT GET PROPOSAL TO ENTER NEW GOVERNMENT STAFF
Noyan Tapan
May 22 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. "It is impossible to compare the present
elections with the previous ones, what is proved also by the positive
estimations of international observers,’ Karen Avagian, the head of
the youth branch of the Republican Party of Armenia stated at the
May 22 discussion at the Hayeli (Mirror) club. He explained the great
quantity of votes given for the RPA by the fact that votes of those
political forces which were not able to unite were given for the RPA.
Hovsep Khurshudian, a representative of the Zharangutiun (Heritage)
party expressed an opposite opinion concerning the May 12 elections. In
his words, there were many violations during the elections, no equal
conditions were created for holding the pre-electoral campaign,
etc. Responding Avagian’s question how a party passed through all
the difficulties of the pre-electoral struggle may speak from such
positions, H. Khurshudian said: "In any case, the elections results
did not reflect the real number of votes given for our party."
Reponding the question if the Zharangutiun party got a proposal
to enter the new government staff, H. Khurshudian gave a negative
answer. In his words, Heritage is an opposition party which is for
system changes. He also mentioned that any proposals are discussed
at the sitting of the party Council. "We see borders of cooperation
with other parties. We do not observe anybody as our enemies and
suppose that there are issues on which all the political forces must
cooperate," H. Khurshudian stated.
ARMENIA ELECTED MEMBER OF UNCITRAL
armradio.am
23.05.2007 16:35
On May 22 in New York Armenia was elected members of the United
Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) for the term
of six years.
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL)
was established by the General Assembly in 1966. In establishing
the Commission, the General Assembly recognized that disparities
in national laws governing international trade created obstacles to
the flow of trade, and it regarded the Commission as the vehicle by
which the United Nations could play a more active role in reducing
or removing these obstacles.
The General Assembly gave the Commission the general mandate to
further the progressive harmonization and unification of the law of
international trade.
The Commission has since come to be the core legal body of the United
Nations system in the field of international trade law.
The Commission is composed of sixty member States elected by the
General Assembly. Membership is structured so as to be representative
of the world’s various geographic regions and its principal economic
and legal systems.
Members of the Commission are elected for terms of six years, the
terms of half the members expiring every three years.
VILLAGES OF FUZULI REGION UNDERGO WOLVES’ ATTACKS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 22 2007
Residents Ahmadalilar, Kazakhlar and Mirzanagili villages of Fuzuli
region undergo attacks of wolves. Local residents told the APA’s
Karabakh bureau.
Wolves’ attacks became intensified.
Wolves tore domestic animals and damaged private farms. Nearly 50 cows,
buffalos, sheep, horses and donkeys underwent wolves’ attacks.
The residents said the injured domestic animals are dreadful as a
source of hydrophobia.
The residents also said that wolves squeeze themselves into stables
and tore big and small cattle. They do not allow their children to
play in the yard because of the threat and say they children can
confront with the wolves any time.
"We are under the threat of Armenians’ fires on one side and pack of
wolves, jackals and foxes on the other side," he said.
THE YEARLY CAUCASUS CONFERENCE AT CMI
ArmRadio.am
22.05.2007 15:02
The Caucasus Media Institute (CMI) holds its fourth Yearly Caucasus
Conference in. The event will be held in Yerevan on May 24 and will
bring together experts from the Caucasus and beyond in an effort to
identify the region’s main development trends.
The main topics of the conference are main trends of political,
social and economic development in 2006 of every country of the South
Caucasus and adjacent parts of the Northern Caucasus, and the ways
those trends affected the region as a whole, with view to external
influences and the impact of neighboring states and world powers.
Speakers and presentations will include Arif Yunusov (Baku),
Marina Muskhelishvili (Tbilisi), Richard Giragosyan (US), Alexander
Iskandaryan (Yerevan), Sergey Markedonov, (Moscow) and Sergey Arutyunov
(Moscow).
CHARGES OF FALSIFYING VOTING RESULTS BROUGHT AGAINST 9 MEMBERS OF No 15/16 POLLING STATION’S ELECTORAL COMMISSION
Noyan Tapan
May 21 2007
YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The prosecutor’s office of Aragatsotn
marz completed the investigation into the criminal case opened
in connection with the fact of falsifying the voting results, as
a result of which charges were brought against 9 members of the
electoral commission of polling station No 15/16.
The investigation has revealed and substantiated that after the end
of the elections to the RA National Assembly on May 12, 2007, being
motivated by personal interest, Armen Eloyan, chairman of precinct
electoral commission No 16 (electoral district No 15) located in the
village of Getashen (Armavir marz), during the counting of votes by
the propotional electoral system, put 92 ballots with votes in favor
of a number of parties on the ballots with votes for such parties as
"Prosperous Armenia" party, "Alliance" party, Republican Party of
Armenia, People’s Party of Armenia, United Labor Party and "Orinats
Yerkir" party. On 21 out of the 91 extinguished ballots, he made marks
for United Labor Party, on 20 ballots – for "Orinats Yerkir" party, on
12 ballots – for "Alliance" party, on 38 ballots – for Republican Party
of Armenia, and then he put them on legally voted ballots – by parties.
Along with committing the above mentioned actions, A. Eloyan, while
summarizing the final results of the voting by the proportional
electoral system, made obvious mistakes in the counting of votes
and dictated it to the commission secretary Gyulnara Grigorian, who,
being aware of these figures’s being false, put them in the summary
protocol, after which A. Eloyan and G. Grigorian, as well as the
commission members Vasil Yenokian, Saro Petrosian, Manvel Shahinian,
Magtagh Kyarimian, Davit Gevorgian and Garik Abgarian approved the
summary protocol with the obviously wrong data in it, thus falsifying
the voting results.
According to a press relase of the RA Prosecutor General’s Office,
based on the evidence obtained, charges were brought against A. Eloyan,
G. Grigorian, V. Yenokian, S. Petrosian, M. Shahinian, M. Kyarimian,
D. Gevorgian, G. Abgarian and H. Khachatrian under Article 150 of
the Criminal Code of the RA.
The criminal case was sent on May 21 to the court of first instance
of Armavir marz for examination.
ARMENIAN MERITED ATHLET GARNIK GHUKASIAN’S MEMORY TOURNAMENT HELD IN ARTASHAT
Noyan Tapan
May 21 2007
ARTASHAT, ARARAT, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. The traditional memory
tournament after Garnik Ghukasian was held in Artashat on May 20.
Aram Davtian (400 m run, 49.1 seconds, Artashat), Vahagn Javakhian
(100 m quick run, 10.3 seconds, Yerevan), Melik Janoyan (spear, 72
m 39 sm, Gyumri), Arsen Sargsian (long jump, 7 m 64 sm, Vanadzor),
Yeghish Karapetian (800 m run, 1 minute 56.2 seconds, Yerevan) and
Anna Kochinian (100 m run, 12.3 seconds, Vanadzor) showed high results.
PRIME MINISTER DANIELIAN MET DELEGATION FROM GERMANY
Azat Artsakh Daily, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
NKR Government Press Service
21 May 07
On May 17 NKR Prime Minister Anushavan Danielian met the German
delegation including German politicians, representatives of NGOs and
businessmen, as well as reporters of influential media of the country
visiting Artsakh. The director of the European Academy of Berlin
Dr. Eckhart Strattenschulte heads the delegation. The prime minister
welcomed the initiative and underlined the importance of this meeting
with the country’s government and non-governmental organizations,
especially that the international recognition of NKR is on the agenda,
and mutual visits and contact may be fruitful. Anushavan Danielian
said the German delegation will manage to get enough information on
the Karabakh issue, the ongoing political developments and the social
and economic state and wished them good luck in their mission. The
head of the delegation thanked for the warm welcome and shared
their impressions from their visit to Nagorno-Karabakh and meetings
with the country’s leadership, the foreign ministry, the NGOs and
people. At the request of the guests the prime minister answered their
questions. Namely, he touched upon the recent foreign investments in
Nagorno-Karabakh fostered by the tax reforms. Anushavan Danielian said
unfortunately the country cannot cooperate with international donors
because it is not recognized, otherwise new possibilities would open
up for the economic development of NKR. One of the German reporters
wondered why the claim of a part of a nation to unite with the other
part is neglected if there is a principle of self-determination of
nations, why Azerbaijan bombed the peaceful population of Stepanakert
if there are civilized ways of settlement of the problem.
The reporter said this referring to the fact of demolition of the
wall in Berlin, which marked the unification of two parts of the same
nation. "In that case Moscow (the Kremlin) welcomed the demolition of
the wall of Berlin, whereas the claim for the unification of Armenia
and Artsakh was accepted with a mysterious, even dangerous silence,
which authorized Azerbaijanis to attack the people of Nagorno-Karabakh
and destroy the country," said Anushavan Danielian. "Fortunately, our
freedom fighters defeated the foe and won the war, though the sacrifice
was great." At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister Anushavan
Danielian and the head of the delegation Eckhart Strattenschulte
exchanged souvenirs.
REPORTERS ON THE JOB
David Clark Scott World editor
Christian Science Monitor, MA
May 21 2007
~U Who Are You? While in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory claimed
by Azerbaijan and populated mostly by Armenians, correspondent Nicole
Itano was struck by two things. First, while talking to young Armenians
about their future, she expected them to tell her that their most
important ally was the US (see story).
"Surprisingly, they said it was Russia," says Nicole. "The older
generations all speak Russian. Fewer of the younger ones do, but many
of them know people who have migrated to Russia for work. They don’t
need a visa to go there."
The other surprise? How often she was asked about her ethnicity
during interviews. "They knew I was American, but asked about my
ethnicity. I’m half Japanese, half Mexican. But, because of my surname,
they thought I might be Italian. The question seems important here
because ethnicity is more important to Armenians than nationality. If
you’re Armenian, your defining identity is not found in your passport
or your place of citizenship."