Author: Karabekian Emil

ARMENIA SET TO SEARCH FOR URANIUM MINES

Arminfo, Yerevan
6 Feb 07

Yerevan, 6 February: Serious work on the search for uranium mines has
started in Armenia, Armenian Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan has said
in the National Assembly.

He said uranium is necessary to ensure that the Armenian Nuclear
Power Station [ANPS] has necessary volume of fuel. It is necessary
to acquire 150 tonne of nuclear fuel for needs of the ANPS. Today
the country has all necessary preconditions not only to resolve this
issue at the spot but export uranium as well. The implementation of
the project will allow to reduce Armenia’s dependence on supply of
this fuel by several times.

As Movsisyan said, Russia is currently experiencing a deficit of 6,000
tonne of uranium, other countries have also faced with the problem
of the uranium deficit. The minister said that Armenia is one of the
few states of the world possessing a surplus of uranium.

At the same time, he noted that the issue is not about processing
uranium in Armenia. It will be send for processing to those countries
which has appropriate experience. With the implementation of this
project, there will be a need for the construction of a new nuclear
power station in Armenia which will meet the world standards.

To recap, two Russian companies, the names of which have not yet
been disclosed, have recently appealed to Rosenergoatom requesting
authorization to search for uranium mines in Armenia and study the
archives of the Soviet times concerning this project.

KOCHARIAN SHUNS TOP OSCE OFFICIAL
By Karine Kalantarian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 6 2007

President Robert Kocharian declined on Tuesday to meet with a visiting
high-level official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe who planned to discuss his government’s conduct of the
upcoming parliamentary elections.

Goran Lennmarker, chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, said
he was scheduled to meet Kocharian at the end of a two-day visit to
Armenia that was part of his ongoing regional tour.

"I should have met him this morning," Lennmarker told RFE/RL. "But
I was told that he is out of Yerevan. I don’t know where."

However, Kocharian’s spokesman, Victor Soghomonian, insisted that
such a meeting was never planned and officially confirmed.

Soghomonian said Lennmarker was informed beforehand that the Armenian
leader will be on vacation and can not receive him during his stay
in Yerevan.

Kocharian similarly shunned the U.S. ambassador at the OSCE
headquarters in Vienna, Julie Finley, when she visited Yerevan
last October. The diplomat was "very, very disappointed" with the
apparent snub.

Both Finley and Lennmarker discussed the unfolding preparations for
the May 12 elections which the West says will put Armenia’s democratic
credentials to the greatest test yet. The OSCE assembly chief discussed
the matter with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, parliament speaker
Tigran Torosian and other senior Armenian lawmakers on Monday. They
assured him that they will do their best to ensure that the polls
are more democratic than the ones held until now.

Lennmarker was confident that Yerevan will formally ask the OSCE to
send an vote monitoring mission. The first OSCE observers will arrive
in Armenia in early April, he said.

OSCE observers reported serious fraud during the previous Armenian
parliamentary and presidential elections, giving weight to opposition
claims that they were rigged by the authorities. The Armenian
opposition has used the criticism in challenging Kocharian’s
legitimacy.

US ex-generals reject Iran strike

Story from BBC NEWS:
middle_east/6328801.stm

Published: 2007/02/04 02:20:36 GMT

Three former high-ranking American military officers have warned
against any military attack on Iran.
They said such action would have "disastrous consequences" for security
in the Middle East and also for coalition forces in Iraq.

They said the crisis over Tehran’s nuclear programme must be resolved
through diplomacy, urging Washington to start direct talks with Iran.

The letter was published in Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper.

It was signed by:

Lt Gen Robert Gard, a former military assistant to the US defence
secretary

Gen Joseph Hoar, a former commander-in-chief, US Central Command

Vice Adm Jack Shanahan, a former director of the Center for Defense
Information
"As former US military leaders, we strongly caution against the use of
military force against Iran," the authors said.

They said such action would further exacerbate regional and global
tensions.

"A strategy of diplomatic engagement with Iran would serve the
interests of the US and the UK and potentially could enhance regional
and international security," the letter said.

It also said that "the British government has a vital role play in
securing a renewed diplomatic push and making it clear that it will
oppose any recourse to military force".

The US and its Western allies suspect Iran of using its nuclear
programme as a cover to produce nuclear weapons, a claim denied by
Tehran.

Washington has so far refused to rule out military action if Iran does
not halt its nuclear activities.

The US has also recently beefed up its military presence in the Gulf.

Le Figaro, France
03 février 2007

Aznavour à Garnier pour l’Arménie

Le 30 septembre dernier, Charles Aznavour a ouvert l’année de
l’Arménie en se produisant à Erevan, place de la République. Le 17
février, il va chanter à Paris, au Palais Garnier, entouré de
plusieurs générations d’artistes, à ses côtés, le temps d’un duo.
L’accompagnement musical sera assuré par l’Orchestre symphonique
d’Erevan, et Robert Kotcharian, président de la République d’Arménie,
se trouvera dans la salle. Les bénéfices de cette soirée
exceptionnelle, tant par le lieu que par le générique, permettront de
faire venir en France mille adolescents, « les jeunes ambassadeurs
pour l’Arménie » , qui désirent apprendre notre langue. Levon Sayan,
manager d’Aznavour, a produit ce spectacle dont les répétitions
seront très limitées. Charles est en effet actuellement au Japon pour
une « tournée d’adieux » de sept concerts. Ce qui ne l’empêche pas de
songer à son retour à Paris, à la rentrée, le temps de vingt nouveaux
concerts au Palais des congrès.

RESTORATION OF AZERI CEMETERY WAS ONE OF THE KEY ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2006

Yerevan, February 2. ArmInfo. Last year, for the first time since the
Karabakh war, we restored the Azeri cemetery of the former Azeri
village of Saral, presently, Nor Khachakap, says the head of the
Vanadzor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly Artur Sakunts.

The project was finished in July 2006. The cemetery has been visited
by representatives of ICRC, local authorities, Culture and Youth
Ministry, Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. "We should pass from
discussions to specific actions in forming atmosphere of mutual
confidence between the conflicting parties and organizing meetings
aimed at overcoming mutual distrust. We must show that we are not
barbarians," says Sakunts.

SNOW CLEANING CONTINUES IN YEREVAN

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. Over 225 units of special mechanisms
of 12 sanitary cleaning companies within the jurisdiction of Yerevan
communities took part in snow cleaning activities on January 31. 320
tons of salt and 650 c/m of sand was spent on cleaning streets.

As Noyan Tapan was informed from Communal Utilities Department of
Yerevan Mayor’s Office Staff, snow cleaning in Nor Nork, Avan,
Kanaker-Zeytun, Nork-Marash, Erebuni and Arabkir communities started
at 3:00 at night. First busy streets and avenues, then secondary
streets and pavements were cleaned. According to Mayor’s Office, snow
cleaning activities in Yerevan streets are going on.

Hürriyet, Turkey
Jan 31 2007

Ertugrul Ozkok:Those Armenians will never be men

I grew up with the following phrase, which my now-dead father used to
whisper often into my ear when I was a child: "My son, these
Armenians are incapable of being true men…."

Even when I protested, he would insist "You just don’t know these
things." In France, when I was student, many of my friends held the
same views as my father. When I would say "Armenians have been
changed by the Armenian diaspora," my friends would reply "No my
friend, these people can never change. An Armenian is an Armenian."

I was naive. Very naive. Even when the father of one of my best
friends was killed by an Armenian terrorist in Madrid, I still held
onto my beliefs. Even when I saw that not a single Armenian tear was
shed for one of our many diplomats killed in Western capitals, I
still didn’t sway from my naive beliefs.

When I learned that one of these Armenian killers wasn’t even a full
adult yet, one of these same friends of mine said "You see, that’s
it. Is the Armenian society as a full even adult?" He then went on to
add:

"The Armenians live in a society that has been prevented from
maturing. The time has come to ask this question: I wonder if the
Armenian society, which turns its own character problems into violent
acts against others, is a society which remains immature in order to
carry out these acts?"

I was always told this by those around me: "Of course some Armenians
can change, but the other Armenians? Never."

Yes, my whole life has passed hearing these things about Armenians.

******

OK, let’s leave this idiocy behind and return to reality. My own
now-dead father in his whole entire life never said anything about
Armenians to me. And not just Armenians; he also never said a bad
word about the Bulgarians, despite the fact that he had escaped from
Bulgaria to Turkey with just his life. I never heard anything like
"Those Bulgarians will never be men. They are killers who will never
change" from him. This, despite the fact that we lost many many
relatives in the Balkan Wars. Also, my friend whose father was killed
by ASALA terrorists in Madrid actually never said anything bad about
Armenians either. To the contrary, he put extra effort into
strengthening the bonds between Turks and Armenians living in Turkey.
And we, as a society, when putting our murdered diplomats to rest
after their deaths, spoke only of "ASALA terror," not of the
Armenians.

******

But then where did I come up with the disgusting first part of this
column today? Well, I did not make it up. I read it in a column by
Zaman newspaper’s Etyen Mahcupyan. In other words, in a column by the
new general editor of the Agos newspaper. Not only this, I read it
only days after one of the biggest funeral ceremonies this country
has ever participated in. After the most sincere songs ever sung for
someone for whom we mourned were sung. What I wrote above, in the
first part of this column, was exactly what Etyen Mahcupyan wrote in
his column, with one difference: instead of writing about Armenians,
he was writing about Turks. The main point of his article was that
"Turks can never change…." And so, I decided to write my today’s
column just to show how incorrect this perspective is. I also
apologize to all the Armenian citizens of this country who I know
love this country as much as I do. I am sure they were made
uncomfortable by the tone of the start of this column. And for that
reason, I think it’s necessary that the Armenian intellectuals in
this country use a more careful style from now on in their writings.

UNICEF (press release), NY
Jan 31 2007

Limited knowledge of HIV risk and prevention among high risk groups
increases AIDS menace in Armenia

© UNICEF Armenia/2007/Emil Sahakyan

>From Left to Right: Dr.Arshak Papoyan, Head of the Epidemiological
Surveillance Department, Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in
Armenia, Dr.Samvel Grigoryan, Director of the National Centre for
AIDS Prevention, Renate Ehmer, UNAIDS Country Coordinator.
YEREVAN, 30 January — Adolescents and young people aged 10-24 from
vulnerable and higher risk groups in Armenia have insufficient levels
of knowledge to protect themselves against the spread of HIV
infection, according to a study launched today.

The assessment conducted by a multi-disciplinary team with support
from the National Centre for AIDS Prevention, UNICEF and UNAIDS
provides valuable data on HIV and AIDS-related knowledge levels and
the vulnerability and needs of adolescents and young people from
groups at higher risk such as children who are deprived of parental
care, children in conflict with the law, injecting drug users, other
drug users, commercial sex workers and men who have sex with men.

`This assessment is important because it provides evidence that those
most at risk of contracting the disease have only limited knowledge
of their own vulnerability and what actions they need to take to
reduce their risk of contracting the disease,’ UNICEF Representative
Sheldon Yett said in his opening remarks at the launch.

This assessment makes clear that communications campaigns and other
activities targeting those at highest risk of contracting the disease
are essential to check the spread of HIV and AIDS in this country.’

The `Rapid Assessment and Response of HIV/AIDS among Especially
Vulnerable Young People in the Republic of Armenia’ found that only
30 per cent of young commercial sex workers, 40 per cent of young
injecting drug users and under 50 per cent of young men who have sex
with other men have a clear understanding of how HIV/AIDS is
transmitted and what they need to do to protect themselves.

The assessment also found that only 12 per cent of adolescents
between the ages of 10-19 living in institutions have sufficient
knowledge on how HIV/AIDS is prevented. A similar level of knowledge
was observed among children in conflict with the law.

The results and recommendations made in the report on Rapid
Assessment were used in the development of the `Country Specific
Strategic Plan on HIV prevention among Especially Vulnerable Young
People and Most At-Risk Adolescents’ adopted by the Armenia Country
Coordination Commission on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Issues (CCM).

The recommendations were also incorporated into the National
Programme on the Response to HIV Epidemic in the Republic of Armenia
for 2007-2011 which has been submitted to the Government of Armenia
for final endorsement.

Among the specific activities recommended in the assessment are the
following:

– Raise awareness of HIV prevention, not only by informing young
people but also by involving them in awareness-raising campaigns and
peer education;
– Ensure that schools address HIV more openly, including in life
skills education;
– Ensure a strong gender focus and targeted policies to reach those
from the most disadvantaged backgrounds;
– Build accessible and youth-friendly health care and advisory
services;
– Foster more inclusive attitudes towards those infected/affected and
those at high risk.

`Although the prevalence of the disease in Armenia remains relatively
low, the lesson from other countries has been that unless early and
effective action is taken to address the spread of the disease among
high risk groups, the disease will spread unchecked into the
mainstream population,’ Yett said. `The time to act is now.’

About UNICEF

For 60 years UNICEF has been the world’s leader for children, working
on the ground in 156 countries and territories to help children
survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The
world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF
supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation,
quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of
children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded
entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses,
foundations and governments.

For more information please contact:

Sahakyan, Information & Communications APO, UNICEF Armenia: Tel +
(374-10) 523-546/580-174/543-809
Email: [email protected]

Related resources:

UNICEF in Armenia :

Unite for Children, Unite against Aids: Eastern Europe and Central
Asia Regional update, June 2006
al-en.pdf
u.pdf

Agence France Presse — English
January 31, 2007 Wednesday 3:38 PM GMT

MEPs observe minute’s silence for slain Turkish journalist

The European Parliament observed a minute’s silence on Wednesday in
memory of slain journalist Hrant Dink, a leading member of Turkey’s
tiny Armenian minority.

The 52-year-old was gunned down outside the offices of his bilingual
Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos in central Istanbul on January 19.

"I would like, in the name of the European Parliament to express our
indignation," said the assembly’s president Hans-Gert Poettering
during a plenary session in Brussels.

The fact that thousands attended Dink’s burial "gives us hope that
this sad event will be a catalyst for the Turkish authorities to go
forward with fresh reforms to guarantee freedoms," he added.

The European Union has repeatedly called on candidate nation Turkey
to reform its penal code which limits the freedom of expression.

Dink was hated by nationalists for calling the World War I massacres
of Armenians genocide and urging an open debate into this
controversial period in Turkish history.

Agence France Presse — English
January 30, 2007 Tuesday 2:31 PM GMT

Turkish police failed to act on tip-off on journalist’s murder: press

Turkish authorities are investigating claims that police received
intelligence last year of a plan to kill ethnic Armenian journalist
Hrant Dink but failed to act on it, a senior official said.

"We are looking into allegations regarding Erhan Tuncel," an alleged
police informer and one of the six suspects charged in connection
with the January 19 killing of Dink, the Anatolia news agency quoted
Istanbul Governor Muammer Guler as saying late Monday.

Several reports in the Turkish press Tuesday said Tuncel, a
university student in the northern city of Trabzon with links to the
ultranationalist group blamed for the killing, warned local police in
February 2006 of a plan to assassinate the prominent journalist.

Tuncel reportedly told police that Yasin Hayal, also under arrest in
connection with the murder, planned to travel from Trabzon to
Istanbul to kill Dink, the 52-year-old editor of the bilingual
Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos.

The informant furnished the address where Hayal would stay in
Istanbul, the mass-circulation Sabah said.

The intelligence was passed on to Istanbul police, who found nothing
suspicious at the address and took no further action, the liberal
Milliyet reported.

It said Tuncel turned informer in 2004 in exchange for immunity after
he was detained in connection with a bomb attack on a McDonald’s
restaurant in Trabzon, for which Hayal served 11 months in jail.

In the summer of 2006, police stopped working with Tuncel on
suspicion that he was a double agent, Milliyet said.

Dink, branded a "traitor" by nationalists for urging open debate on
the massacres of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire, which he termed
genocide, was shot three times in the head outside the Agos offices
in central Istanbul.

A Turkish court has charged Ogun Samast, a 17-year-old unemployed
middle school graduate, with the murder.

Hayal is believed to have given Samast money and the gun that killed
Dink and Tuncel is suspects of instigating the murder.

Apart from the six people already charged, police said they detained
two others on Monday and three more on Tuesday.

The identities of the five new suspects, who are being interrogated
by Istanbul police, have not been disclosed.