Author: Kalantarian Kevo

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SEES NO NEED FOR PROLONGING EMERGENCY RULE – SPOKESMAN

Mediamax
March 17 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 17 March: Spokesman of the Armenian President Viktor
Soghomonyan stated today that up till now no cases ofviolation of
the state of emergency order, imposed on 1 March by the decree of
the President, were registered.

Mediamax reports that, speaking at a briefing in Yerevan today,
Viktor Soghomonyan stated that the President does notsee perquisites
for prolonging the term of effect of the state of emergency.

"The limitations of the media are of temporary nature. Besides, these
limitations were considerably mitigated,and we gave clear directions
as to what actions are banned," the Spokesman of the President stated.

Today, Azerbaijan
March 15 2008

Araz Azimov: "Adoption of the resolution by UN General Assembly
should become a serious message for Armenia and a serious warning for
the co-chairs"

15 March 2008 [15:37] – Today.Az

"We have already been informed that the resolution, reflecting basic
principles of the conflict settlement and presented by Azerbaijan,
was adopted at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York".

The due announcement was made by Araz Azimov, deputy Foreign Minister
of Azerbaijan.

He said 39 countries attending the session voted for Azerbaijan, 7
against and 100 abstained from voting.

"Our opinion on the issue is positive. We consider that a document of
utmost importance has been adopted".

He said during adoption of the resolution, its discussion and
throughout the whole campaign Azerbaijan faced sharp resistance.

"It came not only from Armenia. Armenia was supported by the
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group including the United States, Russia
and France and they worked hard to make positions of other countries
closer to theirs. Position of these three countries seemed so
miserable when they were supported only by a small island state
Vanuatu, which perhaps does not know the location of Armenia and
Azerbaijan. Among the states, which voted against the resolution,
there was such a large state as India. But we do hope that next time
India will change its position basing on principles of international
law", he said.

He called on the Azerbaijani people not to be frustrated by results
of voting.

"I will cite an example. Each year Cuba presents its resolution
against the United States under which the United States keep this
country in economic isolation, to the UN. Several years ago the
resolution was supported by only 40 countries and over 120 countries
abstained from voting. Now Cuba managed to get support of 184
countries".

He voiced hope that next year we will not have a reason to promote
this resolution in the UN.

"Until Azerbaijani lands are under occupation, Azerbaijan will do
everything possible and no one will be able to make us give up this
way. Yesterday’s voting proved that".
According to him Azerbaijan has always made everything possible for
continuation of discussions and will do it in the future as well.

"The resolution also supported the activity of the Minsk Group. This
indicates the fact that Azerbaijan, which is the only author of this
resolution, by introducing the paragraph on support to Minsk group’s
efforts, has demonstrated its position on the issue", Araz Azimov
noted.

He said the world community has stated its position on the issue and
Armenia should realize that there are definite principles and norms.
"This resolution was timely", said Azimov.

He said the recent deterioration of the state on the front line
proved that the Armenian leadership made use of the old famous
example-violation of ceasefire-after the political situation in the
country complicated.

"Adoption of the resolution by UN General Assembly should become a
serious message for Armenia and a serious warning for the co-chairs
that we will not move in a dark direction. We want clarity which is
possible only within the territorial integrity", said Azimov.

He noted that the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group should continue on
basis of the UN resolution, adopted yesterday.

/Day.Az/

URL:

NATO SECRETARY GENERAL TO VISIT KOSOVO

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.03.2008 15:21 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer plans
to travel to Kosovo on Friday.

It will be the first visit by the Alliance’s top diplomat since the
territory declared independence from Serbia.

De Hoop Scheffer will meet with Kosovo’s President and Prime Minister
as well as commanders of NATO’s 16,000-strong forces there, the
AFP reports.

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority proclaimed independence from
Serbia on February 17, a move that has been recognized by more than
25 countries, including major Western powers like the U.S., U.K.,
France and Germany.

ARMENIAN BOOKS TO BE SHOWCASED IN USA AND GREECE

ARMENPRESS
March 13, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 13, ARMENPRESS: About 150 books by Armenian authors
released last year will be shown at book fairs in Los Angeles,
California, USA and in Saloniki (Greece) in late May and ealry June.

Vahagn Khachatrian, chairman of the Association of Armenian Publishers,
said to Armenpress that participation in international book fairs
enhances popularization of Armenian literature.

He said Book Expo America in Los Angels will also feature the English
translation of some Armenian books.

SERZH SARKISIAN STATED THAT ROBERT KOCHARIAN WILL NOT OCCUPY THE POSITION OF THE ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER

Mediamax
March 14, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister, President-Elect Serzh
Sarkisian stated that the current President Robert Kocharian will
not occupy the position of the Prime Minister of the country.

Mediamax reports that Serzh Sarkisian said this in a TV interview,
answering the questions, sent to him through internet.

President-Elect noted that "Robert Kocharian and I are so honest
that we stated that before the presidential elections, as Putin and
Medvedev did that in Russia".

Serzh Sarkisian stated that he has not yet gotten determined as to
the candidature of the Armenian Prime Minister.

ARMENIA MEDIA CHIEFS PROTEST STATE OF EMERGENCY RESTRICTIONS

ITAR-TASS
March 13 2008
Russia

YEREVAN, March 13 (Itar-Tass) – Chiefs of several Armenian periodicals
have voiced protest against the restrictions on operation of the
mass media that were imposed for the period of a state of emergency
in Yerevan.

"Our constitutional right to spread and receive information has been
stamped upon, the generally accepted principle of the freedom of
speech and press have been violated," chief editors of 12 newspapers,
Internet editions and other mass media, and leaders of Yerevan’s Press
Club and journalist organization Internews said in a joint statement
published on Thursday.

"The mass media are incurring material losses, the censorship is
being carried out in Armenia, and our country has found itself in a
total information blockade," the statement says.

"Armenian authorities have just banned the activity of mass media
that are undesirable for them," the editors said.

The statement said Internet sites, CNN and EuroNews news bulletins on
the events in Armenia are cut short and commercials are shown instead.

The broadcasting of the Armenian service of Radio Liberty on local
airwaves has been shut down.

"All this does not help the relief of tension in society," media
chiefs said in their statement.

ARMENIAN POLICE CHIEF CALLS FOR "DECISIVELY" COUNTERING RIOTERS

Public TV
March 10 2008
Armenia

[Presenter] The chief of the Armenian police has called an
extraordinary meeting to discuss the operative situation in the capital
[Yerevan] in the days the state of emergency.

[The following segment is provided by the police] An extended
operative meeting was held at the police on 10 March, and Col-Gen
Hayk Harutyunyan, the chief of the Armenian police, presided over it.

The meeting was attended by heads and deputy heads of the police
services and divisions.

[Passage omitted: the police chief spoke about shortcomings, gave
more instructions.]

Harutyunyan instructed to be more decisive in locating and holding
responsible the organizers and participants of the [1-2 March
post-election] mass unrest. He emphasized that despite the circulating
distortions, the police tolerance towards the law-breakers is not
due to indecisiveness but an effort to persuade our misled citizens
to behave in line with the law. Summarizing the meeting, Harutyunyan
instructed the participants [of the meeting] to fully apply all the
powers and authorities granted to the police, and to decisively counter
those attempting mass unrest by restoring stability in the republic.

STATE BUDGET REVENUES FROM COMPULSORY SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS GROW BY 12.4% IN JANUARY 2008 ON SAME MONTH OF 2007

Noyan Tapan
March 10, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA state budgetary revenues from
compulsory social security payments made more than 6.2 bln drams (about
20.21 mln USD) in January 2008, as a result of which the quarterly
program was executed by 27.9%. Compulsory social insurance payments
grew by 12.4% or 685 mln drams as compared with the same month of 2007.

According to the press service of the RA ministry of finance and
economy, official grants of 6.1 mln drams were received and transferred
to off-budget accounts of state institutions in January 2008.

Other revenues of the state budget amounted to 2 bln drams in January
2008, as a result of which the quarterly program was executed by
51.5%. This high index was mainly conditioned by the fact that the
revenues of the State Committee of the Real Estate Cadastre adjunct
to the government exceeded the expenditures: 500.1 mln drams was
received instead of the envisaged 70 mln drams.

Other revenues declined by 68.6% on the same period of 2007, which was
conditioned by a payment of 4.6 mln drams made under the reconciliation
agreement with ArmenTel CJSC in 2007. Without this sum, the growth
of other revenues made 20.9% as compared with the same period of
2007 due to an increase of payments for punitive measures envisaged
for offences (50.8%), lease of state property (54.2%), as well as
payments that form the state budget’s other revenues stipulated by
law and other legal acts (45.7%).

MORE DEADLY FIGHTING REPORTED IN KARABAKH

AP
11 March 08

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) – Azerbaijani and ethnic Armenian forces
exchanged more gunfire near the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh
over the weekend, killing two civilians and at least two soldiers,
officials in Baku said Monday.

There has been an alarming spike in shootings that Azerbaijani
officials say has killed seven soldiers and civilians this month
alone. The violence has raised new fears that full-scale fighting
could break out again between both sides.

Armenian officials confirmed the weekend shooting, but denied there
were fatalities on either side.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said two
Azerbaijani civilians were killed and two wounded in the shooting
overnight Saturday in the Agdam region.

On Sunday, meanwhile, more small-arms fire broke out in another
adjacent region, killing one Azerbaijani soldier and injuring
another. An Armenian soldier was killed also, Sabiroglu said.

A Nagorno-Karabakh military spokesman, Lt. Col. Senor Hasratian,
denied there were fatalities, either civilian or military during
the weekend skirmishes. "As long as you don’t consider the regular
violations of the cease-fire from the Azerbaijani side, then one could
say that the situation along the line of control are fully normal,"
he told The Associated Press.

In Yerevan, meanwhile, the skirmishes prompted comment from President
Robert Kocharian, who told reporters that two ethnic Armenian
officers were wounded when Azerbaijani forces attacked an outpost on
Nagorno-Karabakh’s outskirts.

"It’s been a long time since artillery was used on the front line,"
he said.

He said mediators from the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe later worked to persuade both sides to halt their gunfire.

Ali Hasanov, a top official with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev’s
administration, accused Armenia of sparking the violence, and he linked
it to the continuing unrest in Armenia that broke out following the
Feb. 19 presidential election.

Police violently cracked down on days of protests by supporters
of opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian, who claimed the vote
was flawed.

Officials say the man Kocharian endorsed – Prime Minister Serge
Sarkisian – won.

"The Armenian leadership has resorted to such provocations to distract
attention of Armenians and the international community from the
internal situation in the country," Hasanov alleged. He said five
Azerbaijani soldiers and two civilians have been killed this month
alone in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, and several civilians and
soldiers injured.

OSCE/ODIHR INTERIM REPORT REAFFIRMS THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS WERE BASICALLY IN LINE WITH ARMENIA’S INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS

armradio.am
10.03.2008 11:19

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that OSCE/ODIHR Election
Observation Mission has released its third interim report on Armenia’s
Presidential elections. The report reaffirms the ODIHR Election
Observation Mission’s assessment that the February 19 Presidential
election "was administered mostly in line with OSCE and Council of
Europe commitments and standards."

The government of Armenia notes that some of the problems cited in
this post-election interim report have already been at the center of
attention by certain law enforcement bodies, and that appropriate
steps are taken to respond, including to criminally charge some of
those responsible for certain electoral irregularities.

At the same time, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that in
spite of the government’s repeated inquiries, the government has not
been provided with the identifying numbers of 13 of the 17 precincts
where, according to the report, the counting process was "bad" or
"very bad", and therefore, without such information, the government
is unable to conduct the appropriate investigation.

The interim report also includes interpretative statements based on
unverified data. Thus, the report expresses doubt about the high
turnout in precincts 37/18, 37/29, 37/38 and 37/39. Prior to the
issuance of the report, the authorities had explained that there are
military posts in those precincts which naturally raises the numbers
of those voting, and thus the percentage of voter turnout in those
precincts can be not just near 100, but also in excess of 100 percent.

The Armenian government will closely examine each problem, as well
as inconsistency and error cited in the report, and will provide
comprehensive information about each both to the Armenian public and
to OSCE/ODIHR in order to assure that the final report is even more
objective and complete.