Author: Karagyozian Lena

GERMAN BUNDESTAG’S LEFTIST FACTION CONDEMNS ARMENIA’S OCCUPYING AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIES

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 10 2007

German Bundesdtag’s leftist faction has made a statement on the
Nagorno Karabakh problem.

Yesterday’s statement by Bundestag’s "Linke" (Leftist) faction
condemned Armenia’s occupying Azerbaijani territories and required
unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani
territories.

The statement says as a result of ethnic cleansing policy committed
by Armenians, one million of Azerbaijanis have become internally
displaced persons. "Approximately 20,000 IDPs have settled in temporary
displaced- persons camps. The damage Azerbaijan suffered amounted to $
60 billion following the war".

The leftists welcoming the decision of German government which did not
recognize separatist regime in Nagorno Karabakh and its referendum,
demanded restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. "The new
escalation of the conflict will lead the Caucasus region into the
new instability and worsen humanitarian situation".

The faction called for the European Union to participate in the
disarmament of the region, peaceful settlement of the conflict
stressing the necessity of bringing IDPs back to their original
places. The statement called for the German government as the member
of OSCE Minsk group to prevent the escalation of war again.

This is the fist statement by a Bundestag faction in this content.

"OUR GOAL IS TO BECOME A DOMINATING POLITICAL FORCE," MEMBER OF RPA BOARD SAYS

Noyan Tapan
May 08 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. RPA Board member Artak Zakarian has
found the way of winning the parliamentary elections: in his words,
this is implementation of active agitation. At the May 8 meeting with
journalists A. Zakarian expressed confidence that the Republican
Party of Armenia has a great opportunity to make majority in the
parliament. As RPA Board member estimated, the turnout of May 12
parliamentary elections will be 50-55%.

In A. Zakarian’s words, another 10 NGOs and compatriotic unions have
joined 72 ones supporting RPA. Artak Zakarian answered the assertion
that in the preelection period NGOs support the parties, supporting
which will be more beneficial for them in the future, saying: "There
cannot be mutually beneficial preconditions between parties and NGOs,
as in difference to parties, NGOs do not strive for power and our
goal is to come up as a dominating political force."

VARTAN OSKANIAN: REFUSAL TO PROVIDE VISAS TO TURKISH OBSERVERS WAS NATURAL

ArmRadio.am
09.05.2007 14:14

The refusal to provide visas to Turkish observers was natural, RA
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told the journalists today.

The Foreign Minister mentioned that it’s impossible to provide visas
to representatives of a country with which Armenia has no diplomatic
relations and the border is closed. In Mr. Oskanian’s words, with
this step Armenia once again calls the attention of the international
community to the unsettled Armenian-Turkish relations. The Foreign
Minister informed that one Turkish observer received an entry visa,
because he represents the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe and not Turkey as separate.

As for the elections, the Minister expressed hope that these will be
free and fair.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER TO LEAVE FOR STRASBOURG ON MAY 10

Noyan Tapan
May 09 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian will
leave for Strasbourg on May 10 to take part in the 117th sitting of
Committee of Foreign Ministers of Council of Europe. According to
the report provided to Noyan Tapan from RA Foreign Ministry Press
and Information Department, RA Foreign Minister is to make a speech
on May 11.

During his stay in Strasbourg V. Oskanian will meet with OSCE Minsk
Group Co-chairs, as well as with members of Ago Group following
fulfilment of Armenia’s commitments in CE Committee of Ministers.

ARMENIA CELEBRATES VE-DAY

ITAR-TASS, Russia
May 9 2007

YEREVAN, May 9 (Itar-Tass) — Armenia is celebrating the 62nd
anniversary of the victory over nazi Germany in World War II.

Hundreds of people with flowers and wreaths came to Yerevan’s Victory
Park to the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisyan and Defence Minister Mikhail Arutyunyan
attended the ceremony.

The remains of the Unknown Soldier were brought to the tomb from
the mass grave near the city of Malgobek, Chechen-Ingush Republic,
and reburied on May 9, 1970. The 89th Armenian Infantry Division had
its baptism of fire near Malgobek on October 17, 1942 and liberated
the city on January 1, 1943.

Wreath-laying ceremonies took place in all cities, towns, settlements,
and villages where war memorials are across the country.

Tens of thousands of people from Armenia were sent to the frontline
in the first days of the war. A total of 450,000 people from Armenian
fought in the war, and over 200,000 died.

President Robert Kocharyan paid tribute to his fellow citizens who
had fought in World War II.

"Numerous sons of the Armenian people made their significant
contribution" to the victory in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War,
Kocharyan said.

"The end of World War II and the establishment of peace was crucial
for Armenia, as this created new broader opportunities for prosperity
and multifaceted development of our republic," he said.

One hundred and three people from Armenia were awarded the title of
Hero of the Soviet Union. Legendary flier Nelson Stepanyan and Soviet
Marshal Ivan Bagramyan received it twice.

About 100,000 Armenians abroad participated in the Resistance Movement
and fought in allied armies.

MACHINIST PROUD OF ARMENIAN HERITAGE

Toledo Blade, OH
May 4 2007

VARKES ‘TAFT’ TAVTIGIAN, 1921-2007

Varkes "Taft" Tavtigian, 86, owner for nearly 60 years of a successful
machine shop in South Toledo, died Sunday in St. Anne Mercy Hospital
from complications of an infection.

Mr. Tavtigian of Ottawa Hills, was president, and owner of Taft Tool
and Production Co. on South Byrne Road, which provides machining and
precision tooling for manufacturers.

He also was a co-founder in 1957 of Power Brushes Inc., a custom
manufacturer of industrial brushes, located in the Taft Tool complex.

He began Taft Tool in 1948. He was back from Army service in the
Pacific during World War II. He knew machine shops and the skill
of machining.

"He had to have a job and figured he’d start a shop," said Paul
Sneider, Taft Tools general manager, who is his son-in-law.

Mr. Tavtigian began the business with a partner, whom he later
bought out. Owens-Illinois Inc. and Champion Spark Plug were customers
through the years. The business at its peak had more than 20 employees,
Mr. Sneider said.

As much as his skill, his winning personality contributed to the
firm’s success, Mr. Sneider said.

"As soon as you met him, you liked him. It was just that way," Mr.
Sneider said.

Mr. Tavtigian learned his life’s work at the Henry Ford Trade School
in his native Dearborn, Mich., from which he received his high
school diploma.

He took pride in his Armenian heritage and kept close to his family.

"He was a gentleman," his granddaughter Leah Sneider said. "He had
a good sense of right and wrong and exemplified that to his children
and grandchildren."

He was a member of Robinson Locke Lodge, F&AM, and Heather Downs
Country Club.

He and his wife, Rose, married in February, 1944. She died in November,
2003.

Surviving are his daughters, Yvonne Szyperski, Katherine Tavtigian,
Archel Sneider, and June Blaisdell; sister, Margaret Van Dooren;
12 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.

Services will be at 11 a.m. today in the Walker Funeral Home.

POMPIDOU CENTRE HAS RETROSPECTIVE OF EGOYAN FILMS

CBC News, Canada
May 3, 2007 Thursday 1:02 PM GMT

One of France’s great museums, the Pompidou Centre in Paris, is
presenting its first retrospective of the Toronto-based director
Atom Egoyan.

The retrospective begins Thursday evening with Egoyan and wife Arsin?e
Khanjian at a screening of the documentary Citadel, which follows
Khanjian as she returns to the city of her birth in Lebanon.

Khanjian left Lebanon as a child when the country was torn apart by
civil war and Egoyan’s lens captures her returning to Beirut 28 years
later on the eve of another war.

Egoyan often explores themes of displacement and alienation in his
films, including Ararat, about the killings of hundreds of thousands
of Armenian by Ottoman Turks.

Those killings affected his own family: Egoyan was born in Egypt of
Armenian heritage and grew up in Canada.

The filmmaker has been gaining fans in France since 1985, when he
produced and directed his first full-length work, Next of Kin.

At the world renowned Cannes Film Festival, he won the Cam?ra d’or in
1989 and 1991 for Speaking Parts and The Adjuster. He also competed
there with Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter and Felicia’s Journey.

The festival at Pompidou Centre, running until June 4, will present
all of Egoyan’s films from his first shorts to his recent features,
such as Where the Truth Lies.

Parisians will have a chance to see some of Egoyan’s more experimental
films, including Krapp’s Last Tape, based on a work by Samuel Beckett,
and a collection of early works such as Bolus/Nexus and Open House.

Pompidou Centre has twice focused on the work of another Canadian
filmmaker, David Cronenberg.

According to a report in Parisian newspaper Lib?ration, French
filmgoers are interested in works by Quebec filmmakers and that
has drawn them to other Canadians, including Egoyan and Winnipeg’s
Guy Maddin.

ULNP IS A WESTERN-STYLE PARTY, ITS LEADER SAYS

ARMENPRESS
May 03 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS: Levon Martirosian, the 30 year-old chairman
of a recently established United Liberal National Party (ULNP) party,
told a news conference today that the party has fulfilled its major
first stage task-that is to position itself as a new western-type
political party. He stressed the words ‘western type’ saying this
should not be confused with ‘pro-western’ notion.

He said the party represents a new generation of people and is not
engaged in assessing individuals and parties contesting the May 12
parliamentary elections, but is advertising its approaches and ideology
with a focus on the necessity of the second generation reforms.

‘The first generation reforms were implemented in the early 90-s, but
regretfully the authorities failed to pass to the second generation,
which has actually resulted in stagnation… Our party is the sole
party that has adopted the ideology of implementing the second
generation reforms,’ he said.

Martirosian said all Armenians with liberal views are the party’s
potential supporters.

"Our campaign is successful and unlike three months ago when we did
not exist, now people are talking about us which means we are on the
right track," Martirosian said, adding that after the May 12 polls
many politicians who will fail to win a seat in the National Assembly
will have to depart and the turn is for young people.

GEORGIA READY TO CONSIDER HOSTING PARTS OF A U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD ON ITS TERRITORY

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.05.2007 15:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia has said it will consider hosting parts of
a U.S. missile defense shield on its territory.

Gela Bezhuashvili, the foreign minister, said: "If [the U.S.] came
and told us that they want to, we would certainly be willing to talk
about it."

Mr Bezhuashvili said the U.S. had not requested talks with Georgia
formally. "There is no formal application, not even informal talks,"
he said. "But if they ask for help, we will talk with them," The
Financial Times reports.

In early March Missile Defense Agency Lt. Gen. Henry Henry Obering
stated in Brussels that the Pentagon would like to install a
U.S. air-defense radar in one of Caucasian countries. At the same time
he did specify the country. All official representatives of Armenia,
Georgia and Azerbaijan said they have not received such an offer from
the United States.

Later Mr Obering said, "We have not offered any Caucasian state to host
an anti-missile radar." He said in order to strengthen defense and
protection from possible threats by Iran, experts examined possible
trajectories of missile strikes by Iran towards Europe and U.S.,
after which it became clear that the countries, where air-defense
systems can be stationed, are Poland and the Czech Republic. "We have
not turned to any country except Poland and the Czech Republic with
a request to install air-defense system elements," he said.

COMMISSION FOR PROTECTION OF ECONOMIC COMPETITION OF ARMENIA FINED ‘ARMENTEL’ CJSC TO THE SUM OF $277 FOR UNFAIR COMPETITION

Arminfo Agency
2007-05-02 14:26:00

The Commission for Protection of Economic Competition of Armenia
resolved today to fine the "ArmenTel" CJSC to the sum of 100,000
drams ($277) for unfair competition. The Commission Chairman Ashot
Shahnazaryan said at today’s session that the Company misleads the
consumers. In particular, the matter concerns the "Family and the
Friends" service, according to which the Company offers to create a
group of five subscribers and talk by tariff of 27 drams per minute
within the group, that is cheaper by 50% than the Company’s average
tariff. However, A. Shahnazaryan said, the advertising spot does
not indicate that besides the per minute payment, the subscribers
should also settle the subscriber payment every month at the rte of
300 drams. By estimations of the Commission specialists, the tariff
of the "family and the Friends" costs now not 27 drams but 39,8 drams
on average, taking into account the subscriber payment.

Director General of "ArmenTel" Oleg Blizniuk does not agree with the
Commission decision and considers it "one-sided". "We advertise only
one of the price proposals of one of the already functioning tariff
plans, which includes 27 drams as well. We do not advertise the tariff
plan in whole, but introduce some changes to it", O. Blizniuk said. He
explained that 300 drams of the subscriber payment by the tariff plan
are fixed not just for the "Family and the Friends" service. This
amount is permanently present in the tariff plan irrespective of
changes of the prices for any calls.