Author: Jalatian Sonya

SERGE SARGSYAN TO TAKE REPUBLICAN PARTY BOARD CHAIRMANSHIP

Panorama.am
15:31 19/07/06

The extraordinary congress of the Republican Party, which will be held
next Saturday, will make amendments in the party charter, introducing
the position of board chairman. The vice chairman of the Republican
Party Razmik Zohrabyan thinks that Serz Sargsyan will be nominated
to that position.

In his words, Serge Sargsyan has alway closely cooperated with the
Republican Party. He was also nominated by Republican ballot ticket
in 2003 parliamentary elections./Panorama.am/

SERGE SARGSYAN TO BE OFFERED POST OF CHAIR OF COUCIL OF REPUBLICAN PARTY

Lragir.am
19 July 06

Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan, who is already a Republican, will
be offered the post of chair of the Council of the Republican Party,
announced Razmik Zohrabyan, Deputy Leader of the Republican Party
July 19.

"Changes in the bylaws are required to appoint Serge Sargsyan to
this post because the post of the chair of the political party has
been abolished," said Razmik Zohrabyan. He mentioned that the defense
minister cannot become leader of the political party. Zohrabyan said
after the election 2007 Serge Sargsyan will decide on his nomination
for presidency. "Considering this, occupying the post of the leader
of the party is not expedient for Serge Sargsyan," he said.

The Council of the Republican Party discussed and approved Serge
Sargsyan’s membership bid on July 18.

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
July 17 2006

Armenia And Azerbaijan Are Far Away From The Agreement, President
Ilham Aliyev

17.07.2006

In an interview to Turkey’s newspaper Cumhuriyet, President of
Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said international mediators – Russia, France
and the United States of America – work to settle Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and assist us in reaching any kind of
agreement.

According the President, the Minsk group has recently made a statement
with some details of their proposals made public. He said, "We have
not come to agreement. Armenia and Azerbaijan are far away from the
agreement. We did not raise our objection to the proposals put forward
by the Minsk Group"

"We never wanted the talks be held in the dark. We have nothing to
hide. Considering the other side’s suggestion, we also agreed to hold
secret negotiations. As Minsk group has decided to go public about
the details of the peace talks, thus, we have to make some things
clear too", said the Head of State.

–Boundary_(ID_9xCYxv56ABhQvIkweTfFsQ)–

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

LOS ANGELES TIMES CALLS ON SENATE
TO BLOCK HOAGLAND NOMINATION

— Urges Foreign Relations Committee to Require
that Nominee Properly Recognizes the Armenian
Genocide as a Condition for Approval

WASHINGTON, DC – A policy editorial published today by the Los
Angeles Times, largest newspaper in the Western United States,
marks a major and very public setback for the U.S. Department of
State’s increasingly untenable policy of complicity in Turkey’s
denial of the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).

The editorial sharply criticizes the Bush Administration’s decision
to fire the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, for truthfully
discussing the Armenian Genocide.

Noting that half of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has
already raised concerns about this matter, the editorial board
calls on the panel to block the nomination of the ambassador-
designate, Richard Hoagland, until he properly recognizes the
Armenian Genocide. They closed their powerfully worded piece by
stressing that, "the Bush administration should have the courage of
its lack of conviction and explain forthrightly ­ not just to
Armenian Americans but to all Americans who believe in calling evil
by its proper name ­ why U.S. policy is being dictated by Ankara
nationalists."

The Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times has a circulation to
over 1.2 million households and reaches millions more over the
internet.

To join with the thousands of activists around the nation who have
written to the State Department on this matter, visit:
d=8896316&type=CO

The full text of the Los Angeles Times editorial is provided below.

#####

ition/opinion/la-ed-
armenia16jul16,1,920143.story ?ctrack=1&cset=true
>From the Los Angeles Times

EDITORIAL
Speak no evil?
July 16, 2006

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU refer to Turkey’s 1915-1923 genocide of
Armenians, accurately, as "genocide"? In Turkey, you face a
possible three-year jail term, even if it wasn’t you using the term
but a character in your novel. In the United States, you just lose
your job as ambassador to Armenia.

The novelist is Elif Shafak, who learned last week she will go on
trial for defamation of the Turkish Republic. The former ambassador
is John M. Evans, who was recalled from Yerevan in May after
referring to the "Armenian genocide" in a speech before a group of
Armenian Americans in February 2005. As one State Department bigwig
told an Armenian newspaper: "Ambassadors serve the president, and
they are obliged to follow his policy. President Bush’s policy as
regards the mass killings of Armenians is precise."

Precisely what purpose this policy serves is clear: avoid using the
most truthful word in the English language to describe an eight-
decade-old atrocity for fear of offending a crucial NATO ally. As
Bush’s proposed replacement for Evans, Richard Hoagland, put it
last month during his confirmation hearing, "Instead of getting
stuck in the past and vocabulary, I would like to see what we can
do to bring different sides together."

Vocabulary may not be the president’s best subject ­ Bush himself
has poked fun at his frequent malapropisms ­ but he’s shown he
knows the meaning of the word "genocide." Campaigning for the White
House in 2000, Bush told Armenian American groups that "the 20th
century was marred by wars of unimaginable brutality, mass murder
and genocide" and that "history records that the Armenians were the
first people of the last century to have endured these cruelties …
If elected president, I would ensure that our nation properly
recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people."

It’s one of the more blatant of Bush’s broken campaign promises.
Luckily, the Senate is showing signs of giving this rhetorical
appeasement the rebuke it deserves. Half of the senators on the
Foreign Relations Committee have demanded that the State Department
give an official explanation for Evans’ premature recall, and some
have hinted that Hoagland’s appointment could hang in the balance.
They should block the nomination altogether until the ambassador-
to-be dares to utter the g-word.

And the Bush administration should have the courage of its lack of
conviction and explain forthrightly ­ not just to Armenian
Americans but too all Americans who believe in calling evil by its
proper name ­ why U.S. policy is being dictated by Ankara
nationalists.

#####

–Boundary_(ID_ckiBmJ mKiMwcGTFuCR54tw)–

Aussie dance troupe stranded

Daily Telegraph, Australia
July 15 2006

An Australian dance troupe stranded in Lebanon by the bombing of
Beirut airport has been told by Australian authorities to stay put
in its hotel in the Lebanese capital.

Israel has blockaded Lebanese ports and struck Beirut airport and two
military airbases, expanding reprisals that have killed 53 civilians in
Lebanon since Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers a day earlier.
The parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander
Downer, Teresa Gambaro, said 2200 Australians were registered as
being in Lebanon.

But she said that figure could be much higher.

More than 27,000 Australians visited Lebanon last year, she said.

Ms Gambaro said the Australian embassy in Lebanon has temporarily
closed.

The advice from DFAT was for Australians in Lebanon is to "stay put"
in what is a "very volatile situation".

"The best they can do is to remain in a secure location indoors. To
monitor the media and follow the instructions of local authorities,"
she told ABC radio.

The Sydney-based Armenian dance group of 43 performers, travelling
with family and friends, arrived in Beirut from Syria two days ago.

The group left Sydney three weeks ago and performed for two weeks in
Armenia before spending three days in Syria.

Troupe spokesman Joseph Diodarty said the group could not see or hear
the effects of any of the attacks from their hotel, 30 minutes drive
from the airport.

Australia Department of Foreign Affairs officials have been in contact
with the group and advised them to stay at their hotel and not move
about the city, he said.

"For two days at least, until there’s news from the airport whether
they are ready to go or not," Mr Diodarty told ABC Radio.

The group had believed they would be able to leave Lebanon while
hostilities were confined to southern Lebanon.

But when the group discovered today that three runways at the airport
had been bombed they started to worry.

"We all just sort of thought, ‘OK, how are we going to get out of
here?’," Mr Diodarty said.

The group made inquiries about travelling overland to Syria but were
told the border was closed.

"There’s no way we can travel to any bordering country either by train,
especially by plane, or bus or car," Mr Diodarty said.

"It’s left us stranded … .

"We’ll just see how we go in the next couple of days."

Rescuer 2006 Opened in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.07.2006 19:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On July 14 the United States and Armenia opened
Rescuer 2006 in Armenia. Rescuer 2006 is an annual exercise sponsored
by the U.S. European Command and conducted in the spirit of NATO’s
Partnership for Peace program. This multinational computer-assisted
command post exercise will be co-directed by military officers from
the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the Kansas National Guard.

This year’s exercise will focus on the capability to lead a
multinational task force. The Primary objective is to train commanders
and staff in the conduct of multinational consequence management,
disaster response, and humanitarian assistance operations.

Furthermore, the exercise will assist in the development of a common
understanding of coalition staff planning procedures. The exercise’s
300 participants come from the United States, Armenia, Albania,
Austria, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Tajikistan and
Ukraine.

THE PROGRESS REPORT OF AGO’s GROUP
Anna Israelian
Strasbourg

Aravot.am
13 July 06

The CE representatives of ministers discussed the report of monitoring
group on commitments of Armenia yesterday.

The head of the group Roland Vegener made an oral report about his
visit to Armenia from 9 to10 of June on 21 of June, and yesterday
his written report was accepted.

It is mentioned in this seventh progress report that the authorities
of Armenia have designed a Â"pretensionÂ" project of legislative
reforms: more than 67 amendments must be adopted in two years. And
it is underlined that this legislative activities must be made in
Armenia first "democratic reforms by documents" then it must be in
use practically.

The monitoring committee of the CE committee of Ministers expresses
its regret that the Parliament pf Armenia has adopted 5 laws connected
with commitments to the CE: "About Constitutional Court", "Criminal
Code", laws about police, advocates and "About defender of human
rights" without sending them to the expertise of the commission of
Venice beforehand.

It is also mentioned that the NA chairman has promised to send these
laws as soon as it is possible and make amendments according to the
experts’ proposals.

Another section of the report refers to the amendments of "electoral
Code".

And it is underlined here that these amendments are important for
holding free and democratic elections.

The delegation has underlined that the "Electoral Code" must be
reformed corresponding to the conclusion of the commission of Venice
produced on 15 of June. It is also mentioned that the group of the
CE Ministers’ committee will follow thoroughly. And it is mentioned
beforehand that free and fair elections not only suppose the work
of commissions but also free and balanced elucidation of activities
of political parties and candidates in particularly by media and the
respect for the freedom of meetings.

Another section refers to the reform of court system. It is mentioned
here, that irrespective of everything those representatives of public
organizations whom the delegation has met in Yerevan criticize the
independence of courts.

Another section refers to the Defender of Human Rights. There is an
allusion to the decision of the Constitutional Court about alienation
of property of the inhabitants of Kentron in the context that the CC
decisions aren’t come true.

The report about Armenia is over by Â"Freedom of the press and
various thoughts". The necessity to change the law "About TV
and Radio" is mentioned here according to the constitutional
amendments. The group considers important not only to provide for
the NCTR security but the independence of the Council of Public TV
and Radio Company and " to determine more distance between these
bodies and the authority". According to Roland Vegener’s group,
beside legislative reforms, steps must be taken to provide for
everyday freedom and independence of the press and public TV and
Radio Company in particular. "The delegation listened to a lot of
complaints from the representatives of political parties and public
organizations about the lack of independence of the Electronic
media." It is mentioned that the authorities of Armenia argue these
affirmations and offer the CE to hold a monitoring for finding out
the balance of representation of political powers. It is known that
Robert Kocharian has made that proposal. The position of the group is
that the monitoring must be held very quickly for taking appropriate
steps before the parliamentary campaign in 2007.

–Boundary_(ID_f9rmuB04YZxDrynNmxtC5g)–

Russian minister tells Armenians checkpoint to open in late July

Arminfo
12 Jul 06

Yerevan, 12 July: The Kazbegi – Verkhniy Lars checkpoint on the
Russian-Georgian border, through which Armenia delivers agricultural
cargoes to Russia, will be fully opened in late July 2006, Russian
Transport Minister Igor Levitin told a news conference in Yerevan
today.

He said that when the decision to close Verkhniy Lars for repair was
taken and construction work was being taken, Russia was sure that
the second border crossing, (?Nizhniy Zamarak), which is equipped
with all necessary infrastructure to receive and dispatch cargoes,
was operating. "Therefore, it is incorrect to say that Russia closed
the border," the minister said.

However, later it emerged that Georgia stopped allowing Armenian
cargoes through this checkpoint, he noted. "We are negotiating
with Georgia so that it temporarily allow Armenian cargoes through
the second border crossing and we will do our best to use it," the
minister said.

He noted that Armenia was not notified in advance that the checkpoint
was being closed for repairs.

[Mediamax news agency, Yerevan, in Russian 0955 gmt 12 Jul 06 said
that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Levitin discussed the
closure of the checkpoint and the latter told Kocharyan that the
reason for the closure was construction work]

Bulgarian premier delivers lecture on EU integration, reforms in Strasbourg

BTA website, Sofia
10 Jul 06

Strasbourg/Sofia, 10 July: "Europe must be confident to continue the
EU enlargement, the prospective members need political commitments
and assistance:" this was the highlight of a nearly hour-long lecture
that Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev delivered within the
framework of at the concluding seminar of the Summer University for
Democracy in Strasbourg on Monday [10 July], the Government Information
Service said in a press release.

Within this context, the PM said that Bulgaria firmly supports the
Western Balkans’ EU integration. He expressed his conviction that the
policy of integration with the Western Balkans will be a clear sign of
the EU’s new capabilities, especially concerning the important role of
regional cooperation. "It is a sine qua non condition for membership
and for the membership prospect, which is why the EU should outline
a clear European perspective for the Western Balkans," Stanishev
said. He expressed the opinion that the European Constitution fell
victim to the inadequate communication and to the negative public
moods in the EU, due to insufficient information on the essence of
that instrument. Institutions at all levels therefore need to engage
in vigorous dialogue with citizens, the prime minister said.

"A stable democracy should have shared values, ideas and a critical
mass of public support and participation," the Bulgarian head
of government said. "A lot of people want to get involved in the
democratic process, and freedom of speech is not enough in this
sense. It also takes responsibility and accountability. A multi-party
system and free-elections are not enough, either: what really matters
is the rule of law," Stanishev stressed in his lecture. "We are
witnessing a number of institutional problems, but the EU impact
instruments seem insufficient and, therefore, the worst problem to
my mind is the lack
of communication and dialogue with citizens," he added.

The prime minister expressed the opinion that the ever decreasing
participation of people in political life makes it possible for
populism to find ever broader support in the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe, even though it does not propose feasible solutions
to problems. "At the same time, however, the space of democracy has
expanded, and this is an enormous success for Europe," he noted. "The
societies of Central and Eastern Europe thus got closer to the
democratic traditions and to one another, and EU integration became
a model and a factor of change. The very fact of harmonization of
legislation is a major success," the prime minister said. Stressing
that the democratic European societies need more common policies and
a balance between values and changes, he expressed his categorical
conviction that Europe can achieve this goal. In his lecture Stanishev
also analysed the problems of globalization, arguing that Europe must
make efforts at the economic as well as the political level.

The prime minister answered exhaustively the numerous questions
he was asked by the participants in the Summer University for
Democracy. Replying to a question, he reiterated that the reform
process in Bulgaria will continue even after 1 January 2007 in close
cooperation with the European Commission. "Some things remain to be
done, but with the help of the European institutions and internal
pressure, say, by the strong media in Bulgaria which are independent
from the government, I believe that we will achieve a positive
result," the
prime minister said.

Later in the day, Stanishev attended a formal luncheon hosted by
Council of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis. The first school was
founded in Moscow in 1992, to train the new generation of political,
economic, social and cultural leaders. It is not an academic study
course as such, but a series of seminars and annual conferences
on such themes as European integration, democracy, human rights,
the rule of law and globalisation. The annual programme includes
national activities and a closing session at the Council of Europe’s
headquarters in Strasbourg. At present 11 schools are operating
in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria,
Serbia, Kosovo/UNMIK, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and
Croatia. New schools are in the process of constitution in Albania,
Azerbaijan, and Bosnia and Hercegovina.

Yerevan has not yet received proposals from Gazprom to acquire Iran-Armenia pipeline

Regnum, Russia
July 10 2006

The Armenian side has not received any proposals from Gazprom
concerning acquiescence of the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline,
which construction is now underway, spokeswoman for the Armenian
Energy Ministry Lusine Arutyunyan is quoted as saying by a REGNUM
correspondent. According to her, the ministry received no proposals
and has no talks concerning sale of the pipeline. Commenting on a
recent statement of Gazprom Deputy CEO Alexander Ryazanov, who said
the company was intending to buy the pipeline, spokeswoman for the
Armenian energy ministry noted, "it was probably an intention by the
company itself."

It is worth reminding, late June Gazprom deputy CEO announced that
the company intended to buy the Iran-Armenia pipeline. According to
him, putting the pipeline into operation would let secure stable gas
supplies in Armenia. "There are problems with gas transit to Armenia
via Georgia, as Georgia presumes unsanctioned pumping out of gas,"
Ryazanov said.

The Iran-Armenia pipeline is supposed to be put into operation in
the end of this year. The pipeline that connects Iran and Armenia
has a diameter of 700 mm, and its estimated capacity is 1.2 bln cubic
meter of gas per year. The project of constructing the Iran-Armenia
pipeline 141 km long has estimated cost of $120 million.