Author: Jagharian Tania

UNICEF COOPERATING WITH THE ARMENIAN DIASPORA
A1+
| 13:22:48 | 19-09-2005 | Social |
YEREVAN, 19 September – Partnering with Armenian diaspora organizations
such as the Millennium Armenian Children’s Vaccination Fund (MACVF) is
crucial for successful implementation of programs benefiting children,
UNICEF said today, speaking of the importance of the vaccination
program in Armenia.
“UNICEF values highly its partners in the diaspora, and one of our
most important partnerships in Armenia is with the Millennium Armenian
Children’s Vaccination Fund. Financial support to UNICEF from MACVF
has enabled us to procure essential vaccines for Armenian children
and has helped to sustain the high immunization rate in the country,”
UNICEF Representative, Sheldon Yett noted.
UNICEF and the Millennium Armenian Children’s Vaccination Fund sealed
a long-term partnership agreement in 2002 in order to support the
implementation of the National Immunization Program in Armenia. The
agreement covers the 2002-2009 period during which the Millennium
Armenian Children’s Vaccination Fund pledged to provide 500,000 USD
for procurement of vaccines to prevent such deadly childhood diseases
as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria.
MACVF has contributed over 100,000 USD to UNICEF to date. In 2005
alone, MACVF funding has enabled the immunization of approximately
100,000 children in Armenia against measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus
and diphtheria.
The assistance provided by MACVF to children in Armenia is invaluable
and has helped protect thousands of children from serious illness. Not
only do these children benefit directly from the vaccinations, but
immunization also provides a mechanism through which health services
can make contact with children and women whom they need to reach with
other interventions, further enhancing the value of immunizations.
“We will continue to strengthen our relationships with Armenian
diaspora organizations and will seek their active involvement in
the implementation of programs that contribute to the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals,” UNICEF Representative Sheldon
Yett stressed.

A1+
| 12:26:41 | 17-09-2005 | Politics |
POTENTIAL VOTERS ARE NOT NUMEROUS
The constitutional referendum to all appearances will be held on November
20. According to the preliminary data, the draft will be submitted to the
last reading in the NA October 3-7. The operating Constitution says that the
draft submitted to the referendum is considered adopted of over half of the
voters but no less that a third of those included in the electoral rolls
vote `for’.
This week we tried to find out whether our citizens are going to take part
in the upcoming referendum. We surveyed 100 people. Only 19% of the
respondents are going to participate in the referendum. `I wish dual
citizenship were adopted’, a woman said. Some are going to vote `for’
because according to the draft the Mayor of Yerevan should be elected but
not appointed.
24% of those surveyed are going to vote `against’. `I am going to vote
`against’ over some reasons, for example, after the resignation the
President cannot be called to account’, one of them said.
35% confessed that they will not take part in the referendum because they
are not aquatinted with the issue. 22% found it hard to answer. Some of them
cannot decide whether the reviewed Constitution is progress or regress.

Pan Armenian News
NKR CAN LIVE WITHOUT CONTACTS WITH AZERBAIJAN
16.09.2005 07:43
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `Nagorno Karabakh Republic can easily live without any
contacts with Azerbaijan,’ advisor to the NKR Foreign Minister Ruben
Zagaryan stated when addressing the international conference titled
`Simultaneous CIS. Abkhazia, Transdnesria, South Ossetia and Nagorno
Karabakh as of post-soviet space realities’ held in Moscow September 14-15.
During his speech R. Zargaryan pointed out to the conditions essential for
the Karabakh conflict settlement. These are Baku’s recognition of Karabakh’s
right for self-determination, restoration of Karabakh’s territorial
integrity, return of all the territories, civilized approach to the conflict
settlement, international recognition of NKR, amends to the aggrieved
persons of the genocide perpetrated by Azerbaijan against the people of
Karabakh.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenpress
ECAC NOTES PROGRESS IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS; Before wrapping up a visit to Armenia,
Kis Laszlo, the chairman of the European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC),
commended today in Yerevan the Armenian Civil Aviation Department for doing
a great deal of work to meet European aviation requirements, both in terms
of legislation and safety measures. He said the progress is important for
Armenia’s cooperation with European carriers within the frameworks of the
European Neighborhood Policy (ENP).
Chief of Armenian Civil Aviation Department, Artiom Movsesian said
delegation members took a close look into what Armenia did to meet European
safety requirements. He said the findings of the ECAC will serve as a basis
for development of a plan of actions which Armenia should implement until
next February. Asked to comment on Belgium’s decision to include Armenian
Air Van Airlines into its list of air companies which are not allowed to
land in that country, Laszlo said there is no official list approved by the
European Union and every country has its own.
Movsesian added that the company was given two months to eliminate the
shortcomings. He said the Department will hire an international auditing
firm to check the books of those Armenian carriers which operate outside
Armenia. Thirteen Armenian 13 carriers were licensed to operate flights.
Altogether they run 50 aircrafts.
ECAC was founded as an intergovernmental organization by the Conference
on the Co-ordination of Air Transport in Europe ( CATE) in Strasbourg in
1955. In close liaison with ICAO and the Council of Europe, ECAC’s aim is to
promote the continued development of a safe, efficient and sustainable
European air transport system that has regard to environmental requirements.
ECAC is composed of 37 Member States.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“ENEMY” WAS DEFEATED
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| 16:32:28 | 13-09-2005 | Politics |
There are no obstacles on the way of promotion of the Armenian-Russian
military cooperation,” Secretary of the National Security Council at
the Armenian President, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan stated
today when commenting on the Armenian-Russian joint exercise held on
the ground after marshal Baghramyan in Armavir region of Armenia.
1307 servicemen took part in the exercise.
Today the federal forces were eliminating the “enemy” and preventing
terrorist acts. The operations were watched by Armenian Defense
Minister Serge Sargsyan, CSTO Sec. Gen. Nikolay Bordyuzha and Commander
of Russian troops in Transcaucasus Andrey Popov.
“Not the effect of exploding bombs, but efficient cooperation of the
Armed Forces of the two countries is the thing that is important,”
he said. “We observed exercises held at a high level,” Bordyuzha
remarked. At that in his words, there is always space for expansion
of joint activities. “It might be as well for the special forces to
take part in the next exercise to work out counter-terror tasks,”
he summed up,
When commenting on the recent statement by Ilham Aliyev regarding the
Azerbaijani military budget Serge Sargsyan said, “The Azeri President
wished to demonstrate that they have strong army. But it does not
mean that our army is weak. The efficiency of our army is very high”.

President: Azerbaijan is strong enough to solve Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict by force
.c The Associated Press
LYANKARAN, Azerbaijan (AP) – Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev said
Thursday that while the ex-Soviet nation still hopes for a peaceful
solution to the long-running Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, it has enough
military strength to solve it by force.
Aliev made the statement while campaigning for the ruling Yeni
Azerbaijan (New Azerbaijan) party in the run-up to the Nov. 6
parliamentary elections in an apparent response to the opposition’s
claim that a change in government is necessary to win back control
over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed enclave that has been under the
control of Armenian separatists since the early 1990s.
“We are creating a strong military potential, and the enemy must know
that Azerbaijan is capable of liberating its lands at any moment,”
Aliev said in a speech in the town of Lyankoran, some 270 kilometers
(170 miles) south of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.
He said the oil-rich Caspian nation, which budgeted over US$300
million (euro240 million) for defense this year, will double its
defense spending next year.
Tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains high more than a decade
after a 1994 cease-fire ended a six-year war that left
Nagorno-Karabakh in Armenian hands. Some 30,000 people were killed and
a million displaced, and the lack of resolution of the enclave’s
status has impeded economic development in the region.
09/08/05 14:51 EDT

ARMENIA, THAILAND TO SIGN JOINT ACTIONS PROGRAM THURSDAY IN YEREVAN
ARKA News Agency
Sept 7 2005
YEREVAN, September 7. /ARKA/. Program of joint actions is to be
signed by Armenia’s and Thailand’s Governments Thursday in Yerevan.
According to Armenian Foreign Ministry’s press service, from Armenian
side the document will be signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Armen
Baiburdyan and from the opposite side his Thai counterpart Virachai
Virameteekul. M.V. –0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARDARUTYUN TO RECONSIDER ITS PARLIAMENT BOYCOTT DECISION
Armenpress
Sept 8, 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS: Parliament member Viktor Dalakian
from the major opposition Ardarutyun (Justice) bloc told a news
conference today the bloc is preparing to launch a nationwide campaign
to persuade voters to reject a package of constitutional amendments
which president Kocharian and his ruling coalition want to put to a
referendum in late November.
He also confirmed that the block is very likely to reconsider its
decision to boycott the parliament work ‘in response to people’s
demands to go back to parliament and expose the real face of the
regime.”
Dalakian also regretted the decision of several prominent members
of another opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party to leave it,
saying united the party would be more stronger, but singled out one
of the dissenters, Albert Bazeyan’s assurances that if they decide
to form a new party it will act as an opposition force to the regime.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER ESTABLISHES LINKS OF COOPERATION WITH VARIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN USA
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 5. ARMINFO. Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Arthur
Baghdasaryan, who is on an official visit to the USA, held a number
of meetings with representatives of international organizations in
the sphere of development of democracy, combating corruption and
human rights protection.
The Armenian Parliamentary press-service informs ARMINFO that
the speaker, in particular, met with the heads of transparency
International, Freedom House, ABA-CEELI, National Institute of
Democracy Development of the USA and the US Peace Corps. In the
course of the meetings, issues of reforming the election legislation
and the Constitution of Armenia, struggle against corruption, human
rights protection, contribution to establishment of independent
Mass Media and joint struggle against international terrorism were
discussed. The parties reached specific agreements in the aspect of
further cooperation.
It should be noted that within the framework of his visit to the
USA starting from August 31 to September 9, Armenian Parliamentary
Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan will participate in the World Assembly of
Parliamentary Chairmen in New York. The visit is sponsored by the US
Department of State. During the visit, many meetings are expected
at the US Congress, the Department of State, White House. Artur
Baghdasaryan is expected to given an interview to US Mass Media.

ONE MORE FORECAST
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| 20:22:02 | 01-09-2005 | Politics |
The draft constitutional amendments adopted in the second reading
by the NA would become a good basis if it were adopted in the
first reading, since many clauses need further elaboration
and coordination. However it is already impossible taking into
consideration the fact that the third reading is called for editorial
remarks only, constitutional right specialist Vardan Poghosyan
considers.
In his opinion, the draft contains a number of complicated and
dangerous clauses. “The ruling coalition is not ready to make
mutual concessions. It even did not adopt some items proposed by
the United Labor Party, which earlier announced of its support to
the draft. Moreover the draft was not adopted in the atmosphere of
political consensus. “In such an atmosphere the referendum is doomed
to failure”, Vardan Poghosyan said.