Author: Kajoyan Gevork

REPUBLICAN AGENT. "ARP HAS A PROBLEM: TO HAVE TRUE ELECTIONS"

Panorama.am
21:51 14/11/2007

"The Republican party is not the only responsible body of the
elections. The responsible of the elections is the parliament, as
they form the election communities," said Hakob Hakobyan, a member
of the Republican Party.

"To say that if the republicans wish, we’ll have true elections,
and if not – falsified, is not right," said Mr. Hakobyan.

Recently Serjh Sargsyan announced that after 5 years Armenian families
will be able to buy a house and a car. Mr. Hakobyan explained that in
the nearest future it will be possible for some part of the population,
as they examined international experience and hope so.

LORIS CHGNAVORIAN: WAC ASSOCIATION OF YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS IS AN ARMENIA-DIASPORA BRIDGE
By Mariam Martirosian, translated by L.H.

AZG Armenian Daily #209
14/11/2007

Culture, Social

"The Association of Youth Organizations of the World Armenian
Congress is a peculiar bridge between the Armenian youth of Diaspora
and Armenia", mentioned Loris Chgnavorian at the meeting with the
members of WAC Association of Youth Organizations, on November 11.

The Association takes a new initiative of organizing youth meetings
with famous peoples of different spheres (music, literature, movie,
theatre, etc.).

Similar meetings will help the youth not only to recognize and
appreciate our well-known people, but also to present their concerns
and problems.

The meeting with Mr. Chgnavorian took place in a warm and emotive
atmosphere. Loris Chgnavorian spoke about his activities, his
pilgrimage to Gyumri and the construction of the cultural center
in Gyumri.

Mr. Chgnavorian mentioned the importance of Armenia for an Armenian
far from his/her motherland and attached great importance to the role
of the Association in Diaspora and in making relations between the
youth of Diaspora and Armenia.

Loris Chgnavorian attached also importance to the role of the youth
in building of future and thanked for the invitation.

CURRENT STAGE OF KARABAKH FROZEN CONFLICT DAMAGES WHOLE REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.11.2007 14:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It is very important to find a resolution to the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, which would satisfy both sides and guarantee
peace in the region, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev told
reporters in Baku November13, when commenting on Bulgaria’s stance
on the issue.

"The current state of ‘lingering conflict’ damages both Azerbaijan
and Armenia, as well as the whole region," Stanishev said.

"The OSCE Minsk Group has been involved in the conflict settlement for
many years and during its chairmanship at the OSCE in 2004 Bulgaria
seriously contributed in bilateral negotiations," he said.

"Bulgaria, as an EU member country, and as a country related to the
region, wishes the region well and stability and thinks it necessary
to find a lasting solution to the conflict," he said, Trend reports.

SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC HNCHAKIAN PARTY’S CENTRAL BOARD CONDEMNS ILLEGAL ACTS OF POLICE

Noyan Tapan
Nov 13 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The Central Board of the
Social-Democratic Hnchakian Party, on November 13, made a statement,
according to which the previous day, at about 23:30, the Police
of Yerevan’s Kentron community brought to the police station Narek
Galstian and Edmond Makarian, members of the party’s Sargis Tkhruni
student-youth union, for pasting leaflets. Mentioning that the
union’s act does not contradict the RA Constitution, the party’s
Central Board strictly condemns the illegal act of the Police.

COURT JUDGMENT ON ARAT DINK DOESN’T CORRESPOND TO DEMOCRACY

AZG Armenian Daily
13/11/2007

German Ambassador to Ankara Eckert Kuntz wrote a letter to Hrant Dink’s
son Arat Dink, who is sentenced to one-year conditional imprisonment,
and the responsible secretary of "Akos" daily Sargis Serobian.

The Ambassador wrote about his concern over the judgments on Arat
Dink and Hrant Dink for publishing his interview with Reuters in
"Akos" daily, under Article 301 of Turkish Criminal Code.

The Ambassador mentioned that the court judgment does not correspond
to democracy.

IAF Train Intensively for Iran Strike with Mini-Nukes

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10/11/2007

The Israel Air Force is training for a tactical nuclear strike on
Iranian nuclear production facilities. The IAF is practicing for a
mission to destroy key Iranian facilities, at least one with low-yield
nuclear munitions, the Times of London reported. Citing "several
Israeli sources," the Times said that two IAF squadrons are training to
blow up an Iranian facility using a combination of precision laser
bombs and low-yield nuclear "bunker-busters". The Times report was
supplemented by one from Fox News.

The attack would be the first with nuclear weapons since 1945, when the
United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and
Nagasaki. The Israeli weapons would each have a force equivalent to
one-fifteenth of the Hiroshima bomb, the Times said. Under the plans,
the report said, conventional laser-guided bombs would open shafts into
the targets. Then the "mini-nukes" would then be fired into a plant at
Natanz, exploding deep underground to reduce the risk of radioactive
fallout.
"As soon as the green light is given, it will be one mission, one
strike and the Iranian nuclear project will be demolished," said one of
the sources. Israeli intelligence recently announced that Iran is on
the verge of producing enough enriched uranium to make nuclear weapons
by 2009. Meir Dagan, head of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service,
told the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, also believes that the Iranians
will have a complete nuclear device by 2009. Israel has identified
three prime targets south of Tehran believed to be central to Iran’s
nuclear program, the Times reported: Natanz, where thousands of
centrifuges are being installed for uranium enrichment; A uranium
conversion facility near Isfahan, and a heavy water reactor at Arak.

Ephraim Sneh, the former deputy Israeli defense minister, said last
month: "The time is approaching when Israel and the international
community will have to decide whether to take military action against
Iran." But he lamented that "At the end of the day it is always down to
the Jews to deal with the problem." The United States has described a
strike against Iranian targets as a "last resort", leading Israelis to
believe that it will be left to the IAF to strike.

The Times, citing Israeli sources, said Israeli pilots have flown to
Gibraltar in recent weeks to train for the 2,000-mile round trip to the
Iranian targets. The report said that the air force squadrons are based
at Hatzerim in the Negev desert and Tel Nof, south of Tel Aviv, under
the personal supervision of Major General Eliezer Shkedy, commander of
the Israeli Air Force, training to use Israel’s arsenal of tactical
nuclear weapons on the mission.

The Israelis believe that Iran’s expected retaliation "would be
constrained by fear of an Israeli second strike." The leak of a
possible nuclear option by Israel may be intentional, US analysts have
said. "In the cold war, we made it clear to the Russians that it was a
virtual certainty that nukes would fly and fly early," said an American
defense source. "Israel may be adopting the same tactics: ‘You produce
a weapon; you die’."

OSKANIAN RECEIVES NEW AMBASSADOR

A1+
[04:40 pm] 09 November, 2007

November 9 the newly appointed Ambassador of Greece Ioannis Korinthios
handed over the copies of his credentials to RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian.

The RA Foreign Minister wished the Ambassador success in his high
mission. Minister Oskanian underlined the high level of bilateral
relations and noted that Armenia is interested in fostering political
and economic dialogue between the two countries.

Ambassador Korinthios also highlighted the active partnership between
Armenia and Greece and assured that he will spare no effort to further
reinforce the bilateral relations.

The interlocutors turned to the great potential of development of
bilateral economic relations and discussed the opportunities of
implementation of joint programmes.

CIVIL WORKS BEGIN ON RURAL REHABILITATION PROJECT

A1+
[04:30 pm] 09 November, 2007

MCA-Armenia announced today the beginning of civil works on the Rural
Road Rehabilitation Project. An opening ceremony was held in the
village of Getap (Aragatsotn Marz) and attended by Serge Sargsyan,
Prime Minister of Armenia and Millennium Challenge Corporation Vice
President Darius Mans.

The opening ceremony marks the beginning of construction on a
24.5 kilometer section of the H-17 "Armavir-Isahakyan-Gyumri"
road. Construction work is being executed by "Dorozhnik" LLC, and
scheduled to be completed by December 15, 2008.

The $235.65 million MCA-Armenia Compact includes $67.1 million
to rehabilitate up to 943 kilometers of rural roads, equaling more
than a third of Armenia’s 2,703 kilometer Lifeline Road Network. Upon
completion this project will ensure that every rural community has road
access to markets, services, and the main Armenian road network. Under
the Compact, the Government of Armenia will be required to commit
additional resources for maintenance of the road network.

The Compact, signed on March 27, 2006, with Entry into Force
on September 29, 2006, aims to reduce rural poverty through a
sustainable increase in the economic performance of the agricultural
sector. Armenia plans to achieve this goal through a five-year program
of strategic investments in rural roads, irrigation infrastructure
and technical and financial assistance to improve the supply of water
and to support farmers and agribusinesses. The program will directly
impact approximately 750,000 people, or an estimated 75 percent of
the rural population, and is expected to reduce the rural poverty
rate and boost annual incomes.

The Compact also includes $146 million to increase the productivity
of approximately 250,000 farm households (34% of which are headed
by women) through improved water supply, higher yields, higher-value
crops, and a more competitive agricultural sector.

TAX WORKERS BEAT "GALA" CAMERAMAN

Panorama.am
19:52 06/11/2007

Today three tax workers from the province of Shirak beat "Gala"
television cameraman Grigor Shaghoyan. As reported by a Panorama.am
journalist stationed in Gyumri, a criminal case has been started in
the local police station, under article 164, interfering with the
professional duties of a journalist.

The event started like this. When the tax workers appeared in the
television station, as they had in the past, with the results of
their many investigations, cameraman Grigor Shaghoyan tried to put
all this on film. The tax workers demanded he unplug the camera,
to which station manager Vahan Khachatryan said there was no need to
create a scene. Then pushing and shoving started.

As our journalist reported by telephone, all of this was filmed and
shown to journalists who were visiting Gyumri under the initiative
of the Yerevan Press Club.

For now Shaghoyan feels fine, as he has suffered no injuries. The
journalists are returning to Yerevan late tonight. More details will
be presented later.

FERGUSON LINKS PROGRESS AND WAR
By Bonnie J. Kavoussi

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Published On Tuesday, November 06, 2007 11:26 PM

The 20th century was a time of unprecedented progress, Tisch Professor
of History Niall Ferguson said yesterday. Life expectancy soared,
quality of life improved, and democracy spread. But why was the
twentieth century also the bloodiest?

According to Ferguson, who spoke to a crowd of 20 students at Hilles
as part of the "Coffee with a View" series yesterday afternoon,
the answer lies partly in that very progress.

In a talk entitled, "The War of the World," Ferguson argued that the
major ingredients for world war continue to loom today.

Ferguson said that economic volatility, ethnic disintegration, and
empires in decline– what he called the "three E’s"–are responsible
for the unprecedented scale of violence in the past century.

In the economic booms, said Ferguson, it was often minorities–such
as the Jews in Europe and the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire–who
disproportionately benefited. Then, "in the crunch, the blame for
economic downturn could be placed on the successful minority," he said.

In a time of Western decline–as in any time of imperial
decline–Ferguson said, "the question is: Who is in charge now?"

While violence in the first half of the 20th century was concentrated
in Central and Eastern Europe, Ferguson said the next fulcrum of
violence will probably be the Middle East. All the ingredients for
"megadeath" are there, he said.

But Ferguson said that "the importance of human agency" in starting
wars should not be dismissed.

In the question and answer session that followed, when multiple
students asked him to predict the level of violence in the next few
decades, Ferguson said that "there’s no such thing as the future–there
are only futures."

Although Ferguson said that a major war within the next decade is
likely, he said, "I’m describing to you only the preconditions for
violence.

This does not make it inevitable."

Just as Nixon visited Beijing, he said, the next American president
can visit Tehran and draw back from the brink of war.

"Violence is quite likely, and avoiding it will require leadership,"
concluded Ferguson.