Author: Jidarian Alex

ARMENPRESS

UNITED COMMUNISTS TO SUPPORT SERZH SARKISIAN’S
PRESIDENTIAL BID

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS: Chairman of the
United Communist Party of Armenia (UCPA) said today
some 70 percent of the party members would vote for
prime minister Serzh Sarkisian when they will go to
polling stations on February 19 to elect a next
president of the country.
Yuri Manukian was expelled from the Communist Party
of Armenia several years ago for dissent and set up an
alternative communist party.
Speaking at a news conference today he said during
several visits to regional chapters of his party he
made sure that the majority of party members would
cast their ballots for Serzh Sarkisian.
He said the other 30 percent would in all
likelihood vote for Vahan Hovhanesian, nominated by
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), because
of its social ideology.
Manukian predicted no run-off and an outright
victory for Serzh Sarkisian. He also predicted that
some 1.6 million eligible voters would go to the polls
and 1 million of them would vote for the prime
minister.
Manukian also urged rivals to avoid smearing each
other and build their campaigns by advertising their
election platforms.
`We think that the Republican party is the best
placed political force to withstand the challenges
faced by our country. We shall do our best for
preservation of political stability and maintaining
the environment of tolerance,’ Manukian said.
Yuri Manukian also urged the former president Levon
Ter-Petrosian, who some political analysts say will be
Serzh Sarkisian’s main rival, to withdraw his
candidacy in order not ` to split the people’s unity
and atmosphere of tolerance.’
`I think Levon Ter-Petrosian should stay up to the
mark (of the country’s first post-Soviet president)
and not to downgrade to the level of some groundless
people, who also are competing for presidency,’
Manukian said.

VARDAN OSKANIAN PRESENTS OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS WITH RA’S APPROACHES TO
DOCUMENT PROPOSED IN MADRID

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian,
on January 15, received OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs Yuri Merzliakov
(RF), Matthew Bryza (U.S.), and Bernard Fassier (France), who are in
Yerevan on a regional visit. The Co-chairs presented the results of the
negotiations with the Azeri leadership they had the day before in Baku.

According to the report provided to NT by the RA Foreign Ministry Press
and Information Department, V. Oskanian, in his turn, presented RA’s
approaches to the document proposed by the Co-chairs in November 2007
in Madrid.

PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S., Germany planning to recognize Kosovo independence
12.01.2008 15:35 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The United States and Germany have
agreed to recognize Kosovo after it declares
independence and to urge the rest of Europe to follow
suit, say senior European Union diplomats close to
negotiations over Kosovo’s future.

In a recent conversation about Kosovo, a Serbian
province that has been under United Nations
administration since 1999, President Bush and
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany agreed it was
vital to recognize Kosovo to stabilize the western
Balkans, European officials said Wednesday evening.
After months of failed negotiations, Kosovo is
expected to declare independence after the second
round of Serbian elections, planned for Feb. 3.

The European officials said the United States was
aggressively pressing the European Union to ensure
that the recognition of Kosovo was not delayed by even
a week. They spoke on the condition of anonymity
because diplomatic negotiations were continuing.

"The cake has been baked, because the Americans have
promised Kosovo independence," a senior European Union
official said. "And if Washington recognizes Kosovo
and European nations do not follow, it will be a
disaster."

The German Foreign Ministry said no decision had been
reached on when the European Union would recognize
Kosovo, The New York Times reports.

ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS SERVICE IN PARIS DISTURBED BY BOMB SCARE

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.01.2008 13:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 6 January, 2008, the Armenian Christmas Day, a
bomb scare disturbed the religious service of the Armenian Church in
Paris, independent French journalist Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net.

After an anonymous call coming from a phone box located close to the
Avenue des Champs-Elysees police launched a vast operation.

The police force carried out an evacuation during the liturgy chanted
by Archbishop Norvan Zakarian of the French Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church.

After a meticulous research, the policemen allowed to proceed with
the service.

"I think that this is a joke," the Archbishop said when commenting
on the incident.

Metropolitan News-Enterprise, CA
Dec 31 2007

Services and Viewing to Be Held This Week for Judge Haig Kehiayan

By a MetNews Staff Writer

A viewing will be held Wednesday for retired Los Angeles Superior
Court Judge Haig Kehiayan, followed by services on Thursday.

Kehiayan, who retired from the court in 1998 but continued to hear
cases by assignment until 2001, passed away in his sleep Dec. 25
after having spent Christmas Eve with his family.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich said in a
statement:

`Haig was a good friend and civic-minded judge who, even as a member
of the judiciary, remained strongly engaged in the community.
Christine and I send our prayers and deepest sympathy to his wife and
family.’

Attorney Barbara Jean Penny, Kehiayan’s successor as president of the
San Fernando Valley Bar Association, said that she became close
friends with Kehiayan and his immediate predecessor as president, Lee
Kanon Alpert, and recalled many happy days that the three spent
walking every morning around the California State University,
Northridge campus.

Remarking that Kehiayan was `well thought of and loved by his
colleagues,’ she noted that his legacy includes his involvement in
the founding of the association’s Family Law Center for indigents.

`Many people are still getting services from him,’ she said.

Former Rep. Barry M. Goldwater Jr., who represented northern Los
Angeles County in the Congress from 1969 to 1983, told the MetNews
that Kehiayan, who ran his first campaign, was mostly responsible for
his election.

`His wisdom and political savvy were greatly responsible for my
victory,’ he said. `He had a place in my heart because he was smart
and sharp, and also a nice person.’

Kehiayan’s family sent a statement to The Signal, a Santa Clarita
Valley newspaper, saying, `Haig was a loving and caring husband. He
was gentle, hard working and well respected and loved by many. He
will be missed.’

The viewing will take place from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Eternal
Valley Memorial Park Mortuary, located at 23287 N. Sierra Hwy. in
Newhall, (661) 259-0800.

Thursday services will take place at 11 a.m. at the St. Peters
Armenian Apostolic Church, located at 17231 Sherman Way in Van Nuys,
near Balboa Boulevard, (818) 344-4860.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Peters Armenian
Church, or the Ararat Home of Los Angeles in Mission Hills, the
family said.

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ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 28 2007

Space station to be installed in Armenia for composing accurate
topographic map

YEREVAN, December 28. /ARKA/. A space station is planned to be
installed in Armenia for composing accurate topographic map of the
country’s territory, Armenian State Real Estate Cadastre Chairman
Manuk Vardanyan said.

`No appropriate official agreement has been signed yet, but
negotiations with Roskosmos on the station installation in Armenian
territory are under way now’, he said.

In his words, a cooperation memorandum is planned to be signed in
early 2008 with Roskosmos, Russian Federal Space Agency. M.V.-0—

PanARMENIAN.Net

Baku recognizes right Karabakhi people to
self-determination but within Azerbaijan?
26.12.2007 17:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Azerbaijani authorities have recognized the
right of Karabakhi people to self-determination, Azeri Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in Baku. `This is an important issue
not only for the Armenian but also for the Azeri population of
Karabakh. Azeri refugees should return to Nagorno Karabakh. The two
communities should live side by side and should speak out about their
vision of the region’s future,’ he said, Interfax reports.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 26 2007

Inflation to total 7% in Armenia in 2007, CBA chairman says

YEREVAN, December 26. /ARKA/. 7% inflation will be recorded in
Armenia in 2007, 2.6% of which being a result of monetary factors,
Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) reported the ARKA News
Agency.

The main obstacle CBA had to face while implementing the
monetary-credit policy was the world economic trends of 2007,
according to Sargsian.

`The world goods markets surprised us and seriously affected the
world economy,’ he said.

First of all, this was the rise of prices of bread, bread-made
products and butter. Moreover, oil prices have also increased since
early 2007. According to CBA Chairman, these factors influenced the
world prices and countries with transitional economy suffered greater
losses than countries with developed economy, as the above mentioned
products have a lion’s share in the consumer basket in developing
countries.

As a result, inflation exceeded the expected notch in countries with
transitional economy, according to Sargsian. `Inflation in the CIS
exceeded the expected rates by 4%, while in Russia it totaled 12%.
High inflation rates are expected in Georgia, Azerbaijan, twice
higher than in Armenia,’ he said.

Inflation totaled 6.8% in Armenia in November 2007 against 5.7% in
October 2007 – 1.3pct increase of target inflation (4+/-1.5%). At the
same time, inflation as a result of monetary factors (excluding the
rise of prices of bread-made products, vegetable oil and ghee as a
result of the increase of world prices) totaled 2.9%. -0–

ACCORDING TO RESULTS OF HAYELI CLUB’S SURVEY, GAGIK TSARUKIAN
RECOGNIZED BUSINESSMAN STANDING CLOSE TO PEOPLE

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the results of the
survey conducted by the Hayeli club among residents of various RA
regions, Gagik Tsarukian, the Chairman of the Bargavach Hayastan party
and the head of the RA NA faction of the same name, has been recognized
the winner in the nomination Businessman Standing Close to the People
in Armenia. Angela Tovmasian, club’c Chairwoman, said this at the
December 27 meeting with the businessman.

According to the head of the club, as a motivation of their choice the
survey participants mentioned the following traits of the businessman:
charity, generosity, major repairs of a number of structures, creation
of new structures, promotion and raising sport level in Armenia.

According to G. Tsarukian, for him, the most important is people’s
estimation. "We once more commit ourselves to be more considerate to
the people. I have always done this and do it more and more every
year," he said.

AZG Armenian Daily #242, 29/12/2007

Culture

CENTER OF ARMENIAN CULTURE IN VENICE

An Armenian culture center is to be opened in Venice
in 2008. The center is to specialize in organization
and coordination of culture events, science
conferences, exhibitions, concerts, etc.

Culture Minister of the Republic of Armenia Hasmik
Pogosian said on a press conference on December 28
that Armenian eminent businessmen shall take part in
the funding of the center’s activities. The Minster
said that later the center shall also focus on
summarizing the Armenian culture programs in Europe
and realizing science researches.