Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Mediamax, Armenia
Feb 13 2007

SWISS FERRY DEAL TO FACILITATE CARGO TRANSPORTATION TO ARMENIA

Yerevan, 13 February: The Kavkaz-Poti ferry service will start
operating on 15 March. Cargo in railway wagons will be carried from
Armenia and back.

A protocol to this effect was signed in Yerevan today between the
Armenian Transport and Communications Ministry and the Swiss
corporation (?Reserve Capital), the owner of the ferry.

Armenian Transport and Communications Minister Andranik Manukyan
pointed out that an agreement had been reached on the construction of
a ship holding 50 railway wagons. The ferry will take two trips a
week and work only for Armenia.

The minister said that this will make it possible to reduce the
expenses of Armenian transport companies by 20 per cent because cargo
has been transported up to date only through the port of Ilyichevsk
where the Ukrainian company Ukrferry has a monopolistic position.

The owner of the ferry, (?Hakim Machanov), believes that the opening
of the ferry link via the Kavkaz-Poti route meets the interests of
both Armenian and Russian exporters and importers. He also said that
the Reserve Capital corporation has started building a second ship
which will be commissioned in May.

GERMAN FM TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA FEBRUARY 20

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.02.2007 15:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
will arrive in Armenia February 20, the RA MFA press office told a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. The German FM will attend the RA Foreign
Ministry and meet with Armenian top officials.

SITTING OF COORDINATION COMMITTEE ON AIR DEFENCE OF CIS COUTRIES TO TAKE PLACE IN YEREVAN ON FEBRUARY 14-16

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The sitting of the Coordination
Committee on Air Defence attached to the Council of Defence Ministers
of the CIS countries will take place in Yerevan on February 14-16. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the Defence Ministry’s Press Service,
Vladimir Mikhaylov, the Chairman of the Coordination Committee on
united air defence system of the CIS countries, Army General will
arrive in Armenia for that purpose.

BAYKAL LASHES OUT AT POLICE IN DINK MURDER CASE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
Feb 10 2007

Leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Deniz
Baykal criticized the police for mishandling the investigation of
the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink and said the
Ýstanbul police chief should be removed from office.

"Why is the chief of Ýstanbul police still in office? Is it possible
that an investigation conducted in this manner can yield healthy
results?" Baykal asked as he spoke to reporters in Munich, Germany.

"I want a proper police chief," he exclaimed.

Dink was murdered on Jan. 19 by 17-year-old Ogun Samast, outside
his newspaper office in Ýstanbul. As the investigation continued,
the police came under fire for mishandling the case with revelations
that they had failed to follow up on an earlier tip-off about a plot
to murder Dink.

The criticism deepened when video footage showing members of the
police and the gendarmerie posing for souvenir photos with Samast at
a police station in Samsun appeared on national television. Samast is
from the Trabzon region of the Black Sea and was captured in nearby
Samsun after a nationwide manhunt. The scandalous pictures were taken
some time after his arrest when he was remanded into custody pending
a trial. The police and gendarmerie are two separate organizations but
share internal security duties in Turkey. Early reports said that the
footage had been shot at a gendarmerie station, but the gendarmerie
angrily denied it, saying the leak of the footage was a deliberate
plot. Inspectors have requested permission to launch a preliminary
investigation into Ýstanbul Police Chief Celalettin Cerrah. He may face
a full investigation according to the results of the preliminary probe.

Baykal said the Dink murder probe put the police under the spotlight
and added that Turkey should dig deep into what is happening inside
the police services.

In an interview broadcast on CNN Turk television, Baykal said the
police department was plagued by "religious sectarian elements"
and called for efforts to restructure the department.

"There is dangerous nepotism in the police department. If we don’t take
measures to tackle this, there could be bigger incidents," he said.

In comments published in the daily Milliyet yesterday, Baykal claimed
that the murder had "official links," saying it would be difficult
to believe that the murder had been planned by a small group without
knowledge of the police.

The opposition leader also dismissed talk of the "deep state,"
a term used to refer to elements within the state working together
with criminal gangs in secret unsanctioned operations for the "high
interests" of the state.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has suggested that the murder
could have a linkage with the deep state and said Turkey has paid a
heavy price for its failure to dismantle it.

"This is empty talk," Baykal said of the deep state debate and stressed
that the Dink murder once again brought to the surface a rift between
the police and the gendarmerie.

"I have never seen the gendarmerie accuse the police of any
wrongdoing… It has always been the opposite," Baykal said. "Those
who do not fulfill their duties blame those who do."

The CHP leader also reiterated his call for the dismissal of Interior
Minister Abdulkadir Aksu in connection with the handling of the Dink
murder case. "The responsibility for this incident lies with the
interior minister and the prime minister… A security policy promoted
by them is being pursued at the moment and this policy is wrong."

–Boundary_(ID_VQlGHebunfJ+9H1HZ0d9G Q)–

BBP: PARTY BEING PUSHED INTO DINK MURDER SPOTLIGHT

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Feb 10 2007

The leader of an ultranationalist political party on Friday challenged
recent media reports linking his party to the perpetrators of last
month’s killing of journalist Hrant Dink.

Muhsin Yazicioglu of the Grand Unity Party (BBP), citing media reports
alleging that Yasin Hayal, the alleged second man behind the murder,
was given money by a BBP official, said that he will get even through
the courts with those bringing charges against him and his party.

Daily Radikal claimed that Hayal confessed that BBP Trabzon head Yasar
Cihan gave him YTL 1,000 via his family after he was sent to prison
on charges of bombing a McDonald’s restaurant in the city three years
ago. The daily last week also claimed that Ogun Samast, the arrested
gunman, had a very warm welcome from prison staff who allegedly
provided him with new sheets and a newly painted prison cell. The
claims were promptly denied by both prison authorities and the Cabinet.

Yazicioglu claimed that certain circles are working to making the BBP
the focal point of the incidents, branding it an attack on the party.

A photo of Yazicioglu with suspect Erhan Tuncel, arrested on charges
of soliciting the murder before his being a former police informant
came to light, was published by the media in the immediate aftermath
of the killing.

The party leader also said that these reports are clearly meant to
interfere in the judicial process.

The party’s Trabzon head, Cihan, confirming news that he gave money
to Hayal’s family, said that he has been serving in the party as the
provincial head for almost eight months and that as a businessman
he is used to assisting needy families. "I don’t know Hayal’s family
personally; I helped them three years ago as they asked me for help,"
he added.

In related news, yet another suspect, identified as M.K. and detained
in Trabzon late on Thursday in light of Hayal’s testimony, was
delivered to Istanbul police.

Police deny problems with gendarmerie

Investigations into the murder of journalist Hrant Dink are being
carried out in full coordination and without overlooking any details,
said Police spokesperson Ismail Caliskan on Friday.

Asked about the police and the gendarmerie allegedly being at odds,
a claim afloat ever since the bombing in the southeastern Semdinli
district in November 2005, Caliskan denied any problems between the
institutions, saying such speculation is being leaked to the media
by certain malevolent people.

Vartan Oskanian to partake in the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy

ArmRadio.am
09.02.2007 17:58

February 10 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian will leave for Germany
to participate in the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy to
be held February 9-11.

A number of bilateral meetings are expected in the framework of the
conference. Minister Oskanian is scheduled to meet the representative
of Germany presiding over the European Union and Georgian Foreign
Minister Gela Bezhuashvili.

February 11 the Foreign Minister is due to leave for Koln, where he
will meet with representatives of the Armenian community to discuss
issues of accomplishment of decisions taken during the Armenia-Diaspora
Third Forum in 2006.

ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN BLACK SEA COUNTRIES FIRST SPORTS GAMES

Noyan Tapan
Feb 08 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. Representatives of Armenia will
also take part in the Black Sea countries first sports youth games to
be held on July 2-8 in the Turkish city of Trapison. As Noyan Tapan
correspondent was imformed by Yuri Alexanian, Spokesperson of RA
Sports Committee, 6 Armenian sportsmen will take part in free-style
wrestling competitions, 6 in Greco-Roman wrestling competitions,
3 boys and 1 girl in taekwondo competitions, 4 girls and 1 boy
in athletics competitions, the team of 16-17-year-old players in
football tournament. In addition to the above mentioned kinds of
sports, shooting, art gymnastics, volleyball (girls), basketball
(boys) and swimming are also included in the games’ program. Besides
Armenia, sportsmen from Albania, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Georgia,
Greece, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine and Turkey will
take part in the games. Second Black Sea countries’ youth sports
games will be held in three years, in 2010. Starting third games,
the event will take place by the olympic cycle, once in four years.

DEPUTY CHIEF OF POLICE SAYS PRISON RULES MUST BE RECONSIDERED

Panorama.am
19:31 08/02/2007

Hovanes Hunanyan, deputy chief of police, told reporters today that an
independent committee is reviewing past mistakes in granting premature
release from arrest. He said sometimes prison administration releases
serious criminals before their end of sentence and these people commit
a new crime before they get home.

CONCLUSIONS ARE ANACHRONISTIC

Panorama.am
16:17 06/02/2007

We present answers of Executive of the Hye Dat office of ARF Bureau,
Kiro Manoyan, to Panorama.am.

– Aren’t the authorities of Russia consistent in the issue of revealing
and condemning murders on the national ground?

– The fact that, in general, the most part of the murders in Russia on
national ground, not only against Armenians, have not been revealed and
or it is not always that the revealed cases get relevant accusation and
sentence, testifies that not at all levels of the Russian authorities
and not all branches show sufficient consistency. Taking into
consideration that the murders on the national ground testify about
the disease of one part, then the healthy section of the society, the
intellectuals as well have the great thing to do to cure the disease.

– Was the reaction of official Turkey adequate in the aroused
situation, and whether Ankara is ready to reveal the case of the
assassination of Hrant Dink up to the end?

– Official Turkey tried to go out of the situation with minimum
losses. The statements, made with propagandistic view, and the
expressions of condolences did not show that official Turkey does
not concern that the murder of Hrant Dink was committed just through
their fault, that he was killed with just the motivation that the
court of Turkey had judged him. Official Turkey will hardly display
readiness to reveal the case up to the end, because it will mean
a non-official conflict with the structures, which are called an
aboriginal state. Official Ankara will not go to it for the murder
of an Armenian.

– Whether the authorities of Armenia and the Armenian society have
displayed an adequate reaction to the committed crimes. "In one case
they didn’t say anything, in other case were engaged in anti-Turkish
propaganda".

– The assassination of Dink on political ground should not be compared
with the murders being committed in Russia on national ground. The
assassination of Dink was a terrorist act committed by the political
order.

In general the reaction of the Armenian authorities and the society
was adequate. And what happened in Turkey, was a political action to
which an adequate response was given.

– Is it possible that the processes taken place in Russian and Turkey,
will bring amendments in the consciousness of the society, in view
of worsening of Armenian-Russian friendly relations on one hand,
and mollification of Armenian-Turkish hostile relations.

– I have already said, if murders of Armenians on national ground
continue, it is natural that anti-Russian mood will develop in
the Armenian society. And in Turkey the processes are the same as
before the assassination of Dink. The actions of a small part of
the population of Istanbul, including of thousands of Armenians
and non-Turks the day of Dink’s funeral, should not be considered
yet as the beginning of the process. Many distinguished Turks, who
took part in the procession, already state that the behest of Dink,
according to them, was not to use the word "genocide"… The process
is out of question.

OUTDOOR GRILLING GOES UP IN SMOKE
– Martin Booe

epicurious
Feb 6 2007

Food tastes different when it’s cooked outdoors. Just ask Vrej
Sarkissian, who in Glendale, California, is known as the kings of
kabobs. His are simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and extra virgin
olive oil, just enough to bring out the natural flavors of the meat,
which is all the more savory when cooked over mesquite charcoal.

"People can always tell the difference," says Sarkissian, who owns
Anoush Banquet and Catering. "They want the original flavor of home."

"Home," in this case, refers to Armenia. Glendale is home to 85,000
Armenians. Here, as in the old country, outdoor grilling is fundamental
to hospitality, a fact that banquet-hall owners have seized on in
the past few years as an important selling point.

However, complaints from residents about the smoke from these barbecues
have led to new enforcement of the city’s long-standing but largely
ignored ban on outdoor grilling, passed years ago out of concern for
air quality. And that enforcement has Armenian banquet-hall owners
burned up. The politics of grilling has erupted into what Glendale
city councilman Ara Najarian characterized as a "gourmet war."

"It’s a really emotional issue for a lot of people," says Najarian,
adding that the enforcement has been seen by many as an insult to
Armenian traditions. "In Armenian culture, one of the ways to honor
your guests is by providing them food hot off the grill. A lot of
Armenian banquet owners feel picked on." He says that opponents of the
banquet halls’ cookouts didn’t target other commercial establishments
and that moving grills indoors would only mean the same smoke would
spew out through ventilation, so it would still end up in the air.

Last year, voters elected an Armenian majority of three to the
five-member city council, but overturning the ban requires four votes,
and the pro-grillers have so far come up short.

Meanwhile, Sarkissian is reluctantly planning to move his grill
indoors from the restaurant’s parking lot. He estimates it will cost
him about $80,000. "We’re going to try and figure out a way to use
mesquite indoors," said Sarkissian. "We’re going to do whatever we
can to keep the flavor going."

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