Author: Karagyozian Lena

VARTAN OSKANIAN: DOCUMENT PROPOOSED BY CO-CHAIRS IS NOT A PERFECT ONE, BUT THERE ARE ENOUGH SOLID AND BALANCED PROVISIONS, WITH RIGHT TRADE-OFFS ON THE MAIN ISSUES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 29 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “The actual
negotiating document on the principles that is on the table today
is all-encompassing. It covers all the principles affecting the
resolution of the conflict. It includes the core issue of status of
Nagorno Karabakh, territories, refugees, security issues, peacekeeping
and every other conceivable issue that is necessary in order to
arrive at a lasting resolution of the conflict.” The Armenian Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian stated this, when commenting, at the request
of the mass media, on the June 22 statement of the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. In his words, “only after full agreement on all these basic
principles would the parties, as the actual negotiating text says, “in
cooperation with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group to begin work
on the elaboration of an agreement on the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. In other words, the agreement on principles will
be comprehensive. The final agreement may envision implementation
over time.”
Asked about what the co-chairs’ “special modalities” for Kelbajar
and Lachin are ( “the principles include the phased redeployment of
Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories around Nagorno Karabakh,
with special modalities for Kelbajar and Lachin districts”), Vartan
Oskanian replied:
“This formulation is indeed very broad, and for a reason. This
issue has two layers. One is the issue of Lachin, where the actual
negotiating text on principles provides clear language stating that
there will be “a corridor linking Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia.” For
Armenia, it’s very clear that this corridor must have the same status
as Nagorno Karabakh. The second layer is the issue of Kelbajar. For
Armenia, this also is clear: based on security concerns, Kelbajar can
be returned only after the referendum is conducted and the final status
of NK is determined. Azerbaijan’s position is different on Kelbajar.
That’s the disagreement that the co-chairs are addressing in their
statement.
The co-chairs’ language in the actual negotiating text, with regard
to this issue, is generally in line with our approach.”
The co-chairs say that there will be a referendum / popular vote
“to determine the final legal status of Nagorno Karabakh,” but they
don’t say who will vote. According to the Armenian foreign minister,
” the actual negotiating text on principles clearly specifies that
“the final legal status will be determined through a referendum /
population vote by the population of Nagorno Karabakh.”
The co-chairs also say “certain interim arrangements for Nagorno
Karabakh would allow for interaction with providers of international
assistance.” In the words of V. Oskanian, “this is only one element
of a much more detailed section in the actual negotiating text
which addresses interim status for Nagorno Karabakh.” “We think the
co-chairs have emphasized international engagement, because that’s
a major problem for the people of Nagorno Karabakh. Their current,
unrecognized, de-facto status, has not allowed them to benefit
from the generosity of international organizations. In the actual
negotiating text, the provisions address such rights as control over
their political and economic viability and security, upholding their
personal privileges and freedoms, the right to democratically elect
officials to govern Nagorno Karabakh, the authority to effectively
legislate and administer the internal affairs of Nagorno Karabakh,”
the Armenian foreign minister noted.
In response to the question about what Armenia’s overall assessment
of the content of the document is, Vartan Oskanian stated: “This not
a perfect document. For anyone. However, there are enough solid and
balanced provisions, with the right trade-offs on the main issues –
status, territories and security – that we are prepared to continue
to negotiate on the basis of these principles. In today’s context,
Azerbaijan’s rhetoric about autonomy and desperate calls for
militarization surprise us. We have at hand a real opportunity to
resolve all issues, including the much-maligned issue of refugees. But
Azerbaijan must revert to real situations and real opportunities,
rather than illusory maximalist hopes. Today, we hope that Azerbaijan
will realize that we have a chance to resolve the conflict and achieve
a lasting peace.”

VAHE VOSKANIAN ARRESTED FOR FALSIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS AND FINANCIAL EMBAZZLEMENT IN USA
Yerevan, June 29. ArmInfo.As of June 23, RA Public Prosecutor’s
Office was informed by RA National Security Service that RA citizen
Vahe Voskanian tried to steal $15 thousand from “Bank -f America”
by means of falsifications in Los Angeles. He was detained by the US
law enforcement forces.
RA Public Prosecutor’s Office instituted a suit on the given case on
June 23, 2006. Voskanian was released on bail and managed to escape to
Armenia. At present, he is announced wanted in USA. Only on June 24,
2006, by court decision Voskanian was sentenced to imprisonment.
It’s worth mentioning that Voskanian is the son of Gagik Voskanian,
the head of RA Control House.

G8 SUPPORTS OSCE MG MEDIATING EFFORTS
PanARMENIAN.Net
30.06.2006 14:45 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Foreign Ministers confirmed that the G8 supports
the mediating efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group for the peaceful
settlement in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, says the statement by
the G8 chairman made at the meeting of the G8 Foreign Ministers. “We
stressed the necessity of the soonest coordination of fundamental
principles of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement in order to make
it possible in 2006. We call on Azerbaijan and Armenia to demonstrate
political will and reach an agreement during the current year and
prepare the publics for peace but not for war,” says the document,
reported RF MFA press office.

FOREIGN MINISTER VARDAN OSKANYAN TO LEAVE FOR GEORGIA JUNE 27
ArmRadio.am
26.06.2006 17:22
June 27 RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will pay a working visit
to Georgia. During the visit the Minister will meet the President
of Georgia Mikhail Sahakashvili, Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili,
and Parliement Speaker Nino Burjanadze.
June 28 the Foreign Minister will deliver a speech on regional policy
issues at the Georgian foundation for strategic and international
studies.
The same day the delegation headed by Minister Oskanyan will return
to Armenia.

TODAY AT WIMBLEDON
The Guardian
Tuesday June 27, 2006
Matches of the day Andy Murray v Nicolas Massu The hopes of a nation
will be with the temperamental Scot but he could have done with
a more favourable draw. Massu is seeded 33rd and has two Olympic
titles to his name. “I am probably not going to win it this year,”
said Murray. “So if I lose in the first round or the quarter-final
it doesn’t make a big difference.”
Meng Yuan v Justine Henin-Hardenne Is this the Belgian’s year?
Henin-Hardenne’s preparations, usually dogged by injuries, have
been near perfect this year and 2006 may represent her most genuine
opportunity of winning the title. Her Chinese opponent should offer
little threat in this Centre Court opener.
Outside interest Tathiana Garbin v Katie O’Brien The 20-year-old
Briton, whose father is the former Watford full-back Phil O’Brien,
is capable of springing a surprise against her Italian opponent.
Seed in doubt Paul-Henri Mathieu v Mark Philippoussis Philippoussis
may be approaching his 30th birthday but the big serve still sends
a shiver down most players’ spine at the championships. Mathieu is
seeded 32nd and his place will be in serious danger if he is unable
to combat the Scud’s missiles.
Anorak’s corner David Nalbandian, the fourth seed from Argentina who
plays Wesley Moodie, is of Armenian descent. In Persian his surname
means “one who makes horseshoes”.

Hamilton Spectator, Canada
June 24 2006
Keeping the faith in Iran
Minority Rights; Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Judaism: Opening a
window on religious tolerance
By Karl Vick
The Washington Post
YAZD, IRAN (Jun 24, 2006)
The legend describes one cloud of dust chasing another across the epic
desert landscape. Arab horsemen were gaining on the Iranian princess,
it is said, when she reached the looming cliffs, slipped into a seam
in the rock and disappeared forever.
As told by followers of the Zoroastrian faith which was on the run
along with the princess, the tale nurtures not so much hope for the
return of royalty as the survival of minority religions. In a country
whose government is based on the Islamic faith that Arabs carried to
the Persian plateau, that survival is enshrined in law.
The same constitution that created the Islamic Republic of Iran
explicitly protects three other faiths: Zoroastrianism, Christianity
and Judaism.
But how their followers, especially Jews, fare provides a barometer
of actual religious tolerance in Iran and a window into a national
culture with shadings far more subtle than the extremist caricature
its leaders both decry and occasionally encourage.
Iran’s Muslim theocracy reserves one parliamentary seat each for
Jews, Zoroastrians and Assyrian Christians, and two for members of
the Armenian Orthodox community. The slots reflect both respect for
Zoroastrian’s deep roots in Persia, and for the faiths that, like
Islam, trace their origins to Abraham.
“They are the roots; we are the branches,” said Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
That protection does not appear to extend to the Bahai, who practice
a faith the government regards as heretical. Human rights groups have
documented scores of cases of persecution, including executions. Last
month, 54 Bahai youths were arrested in the southern city of Shiraz,
where the faith originated in the 19th century.
In addition, some Iranian Jews complain of occasional harassment
since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad focused new wrath on Israel.
When Ahmadinejad expressed doubts in December that the Holocaust
occurred, Moris Motamed called a news conference in his role as the
member of Parliament representing Iranian Jews. “I said this kind
of comment is a way of insulting the Jewish community as a whole,
not only inside Iran,” Motamed said in an interview.
Iranian officials emphasize that Iran objects not to Judaism but to
Zionism, the effort to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. Yet
in Tehran, Jews say Ahmadinejad’s rhetoric has prompted threats not
heard in more than 15 years.
“No, not ordinary people, but mostly the Basij,” said a Jewish
shopkeeper, saying the harassment came from the paramilitary from
which Ahmadinejad emerged. “The thing they usually say is ‘dirty
Jew.’ But I believe these people are insane. They’re not real people.”
Motamed said he had received few complaints and was working with
Ahmadinejad’s government to follow through with a deal negotiated
under his predecessor, former president Mohammad Khatami, to permit
Iranian Jews to travel to Israel for Jewish holidays.
He said police responded “right away” a week earlier when a Tehran
Jew reported being threatened. “And I say this with confidence: If
the same thing happened with Muslims, the police would not have been
as quick to act.”
The situation of Christians appears more elusive.
“We have many problems,” said the man outside St. Sarkis Church, the
Armenian Orthodox headquarters where officials twice declined requests
for an interview. He gave only a first name, Patrick. “Everyone has
problems, but for Christians it’s harder than others.” Like other
Christians who spoke privately, he complained that government jobs
are off-limits.
Numbers tell part of the story. Since the 1979 revolution, Iran’s
Jewish population has dropped from more than 100,000 to perhaps 25,000,
Christians from 300,000 to around 100,000. But some say the exodus
reflects less specific persecution than the opportunity to escape a
country where almost everyone was being made miserable. The religious
minorities, with concerned sponsors offering relocation funds, had
a way out.
“Whatever the government does, they do it to all of us,” said Ardeshir
Bahrami, 64, a Zoroastrian in Yazd.
Zoroastrians appear to enjoy the most respect inside Iran. Reasons
relate to Iran’s 2,500-year history. The faith claims to be the first
to recognize a single, omniscient god. Until its founder, Zoroaster,
emerged as early as the 14th century B.C. (the date is disputed),
people were paying tributes to pagan gods and grappling fearfully
with questions of cause and effect.
Zoroaster made it simple. There was good, he said, and there was
bad. Darkness and light. Zoroastrianism urges following the light,
symbolized in the open flame nursed for 1,536 years on the andirons
in the house of worship, called a “fire temple,” on Yazd’s main street.
A plaque lists the creed:
Good thoughts. Good words. Good deeds. “It’s a simple religion,”
Bahrami said. “It’s really not very hard to observe.”
In Yazd, a pleasant, desert city in the centre of Iran, Zoroastrians
are known for honesty. Prices in a shop owned by a Zoroastrian are
considered a benchmark that competing shops are compared against.
Children are told that when arriving in a strange town near dark,
seek out a Zoroastrian home to spend the night in.
“I’m sorry to say it and it might sound offensive, but these
Zoroastrians are better Muslims than we are,” said Yazd driver
Mohammad Pardehbaf.
Iranians also respect Zoroastrianism as the faith of Iran’s heroic
age. It was the state religion under emperors as Cyrus, Xerxes and
Darius, whose tombs are adorned with the Zoroastrians’ distinctive
symbol of a bearded man in profile between outstretched wings. The
symbol is also atop a towering monument that Iran’s clerical
leaders erected in Yazd’s Zoroastrian cemetery to honour a hero of
the eight-year war with Iraq. Like others in the cemetery, the stone
lists not date of death but date of “second birth.” Zoroastrians
celebrate funerals as birthday parties.
“There is no mourning. If someone dies, we celebrate it, because we
know what’s going to happen after death,” said Payman Bastani, 27.
The faith was not always so simple. As the state religion,
Zoroastrianism spawned a priestly class that grew less popular as it
grew more corrupt. Zoroastrianism survived, especially in the deserts
of central Iran, where the royal family was said to disappear. And as
it returned to its essence, it also emerged as an example to faiths
supposedly fuelling a clash of civilizations.
“This is exactly what we believe,” Bastani said. “Religion is not
here to complicate your life. It’s all about simplicity. God created
it to give comfort to human beings, not to frustrate everyone.”

Regional rail project feasible without US support: Turkish diplomat
Baku Today, Azerbaijan
June 23 2006
AssA-Irada 23/06/2006 09:36
A Turkish diplomat has said the decision adopted recently by the
US Congress not to back the Gars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku regional
railway project won’t impede its implementation.
“The parties to the project will be able to carry out the operations
without the aid of other countries,” said the spokesman for the
Turkish Foreign Ministry, Namik Tan.
“I believe that Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia [the three countries
hosting the rail line] have sufficient funds. This means we will be
able to finance the construction on our own,” Tan said, adding that
the three countries are looking to start the operations soon.
Commenting on the statements regarding Armenia’s possible involvement
in the project, the diplomat said that Turkish Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul had discussed the issue with Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev. Armenia’s participation is impossible until after the Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh dispute is settled, the spokesman said.
“The question is whether or not to allow Armenia to participate in
the project after the conflict is resolved,” he added.

BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF LINCY FUND PROGRAMS SUMS UP RESULTS OF
COMPETITION FOR CONSTRUCTION OF NEW HIGHWAY IN YEREVAN
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 22 2006
YEREVAN, June 22. /ARKA/. The board of governors of Lincy fund programs
summed up results of competition for construction of a new highway
connecting streets Heratsi, Saralanji and Avetisyan within bounds of
“Reconstruction of Yerevan Streets” program during a session held
under the direction of the Board’s Chairman, head of President’s
administration, the RA President’s Press service reports.
On basis of proposal made by the Competition Commission the board
of governors chose three construction companies, which will do the
construction work in three parts of Yerevan.
Lincy Fund has been functioning in Armenia since 2001 and is financed
by an American entrepreneur of Armenian origin, billionaire Kirk
Kirkoryan.
In Armenia the second 2006 program of the fund amounts to $60 mln,
which will be spend on construction and reconstruction of roads,
schools and Yerevan streets. S.P.–0–

OTE RECEIVES OFFERS FOR ITS 90% STAKE IN ARMENTEL
Armenpress
Jun 22 2006
ATHENS, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS: The Hellenic Telecommunications
Organization (OTE), the full-service telecommunications provider,
told Armenpress today it received a total of 10 non-binding offers for
its 90% stake in ArmenTel, the incumbent telecommunications operator
in Armenia.
OTE said after reviewing the bids, it has invited the following
parties to participate in the next phase of the sale process: Russian
Vimpelcom and Mobile Telesystems (MTS), as well as the consortium of
Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (ETISALAT) / Istithmar PJSC
/Emergent Telecom Ventures (ETV) and the VTEL Holdings / Knightsbridge
Associates.
OTE could not say when exactly the next phase of the sale process
may take place saying preparations for it may take weeks.

PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Contact: Information Desk
Tel: (374-10) 52-35-31
Email: [email protected]
Web:
Statement by His Excellency Vartan Oskanian
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
At the First Session of the UN Human Rights Council
June 21, 2006
Geneva
Mr. President,
I congratulate you on your selection, and the new Council on this, its
inaugural session. The third pillar of the UN ­ human rights ­ is now on a
par with the other two ­ peace and security, and development. Humanity¹s
stake in each of these interdependent aspects of life has been affirmed by
the creation and mandate of this council.
Securing protection and respect for human rights will, arguably, continue to
be the most tortuous and contentious of the UN¹s three challenges. This
principle assumes for each member state responsibility for one¹s neighbors
as well as for oneself. And this, in a world where distance does not
determine who your neighbor is.
Globalization and the electronic media enhance our knowledge and increase
our liability. It is as easy to look into our neighbor¹s living room as our
own. To hear the screams next door and do nothing will be as difficult as
ignoring uproar at home. We are now the first generation who simply cannot
afford to do so. And ironically, we are the first generation that is able to
afford to systematically, fundamentally address the problems ­ and even the
crises. We can muster the time, skills and resources to construct a new
pro-active, daring, spirited international system that not only has the
moral authority but also the tenacity to protect the powerless.
This, combined with national programs and institutions, with resolve and
muscle, can work wonders. After all, the world is held together, however
precariously, by the vision, leadership and struggle of its leaders. If we
are committed to a world of justice, equality and rule of law, then each new
institution, each new decision, each new mandate will move us toward that
end.
Mr. President, I know that the struggle to empower individuals so that they
believe in their individual and collective civil and human rights, has as
much to do with economic and social progress, as it does with education. I
know that it is only when the preconditions for a full and free life of
dignity are in place, only then are markets powerful engines of development,
only then is critical infrastructure sustainable, and only then do
individuals stand up to demand and protect individual and collective human
rights. I know that prosperity and stability depend on collective decisions,
critical infrastructure and united action. I know that by helping raise
productivity and escaping endless cycles of poverty, we will have done more
to provide individuals with the tools to defend their human rights than all
the declarations and conferences combined.
In Armenia, we are tackling this greatest challenge through a public-private
partnership that will engage the government of Armenia, Armenia¹s business
community, the international community and individual countries, as well as
our generous Diaspora, to embark on eradicating rural poverty through a
comprehensive, integrated approach. Our intent is to meet the Millennium
Development Goals, and to replace hopelessness and desperation with a sense
of self-worth and security.
We will do this within our borders, to the extent that we can. For regional
and global security, however, we count on this new body to demonstrate a new
readiness to react promptly to prevent serious human rights abuses. This is
incumbent at a time when technology makes each abuse and vulnerability
immediately felt and shared, yet politics prevents societies from doing for
each other what trusting friends would automatically do ­ reach out, defend,
protect, pressure and rebuff.
Armenia has and continues to promote stronger international mechanisms to
prevent and eradicate the crime of genocide, and all of its precursors ­
including efforts, too often successful, at not just cleansing a region of
its indigenous people, but also erasing their memory. Armenians have
survived and gone on to live through each of these attempts. Even today, in
the 21st century, we have watched helplessly as the spiritual and cultural
markers of our people are decimated. This violation of the memory and
spirit of centuries of Armenian existence on lands which are today
Azerbaijan¹s is cynical and dangerous. These huge, exquisite, unique stone
crosses which were both sculpture and tombstone are now gone ­ 2,000 of
these medieval markers were destroyed just a few months ago. The
gravemarkers are gone, and Armenian and international fears that
Azerbaijan¹s authorities might in fact not be serious about peace have been
reinforced. After all, their organized, violent, armed response to peaceful
calls for self-determination two decades ago, was the first attempt at
ethnic cleansing in the soviet space and ignited the conflict which remains
unsettled today. This most recent manifestation of organized violence, in a
place where no Armenians live today, and far from the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict area, tells us that neither Azerbaijan¹s methods nor its intent has
changed. Such unambivalent, callous demolition of culture and history also
destroys trust and peace.
If Azerbaijan¹s one step forward, one step back approach in the negotiations
was simply alarming, their recent, desperate offers of autonomy are concrete
examples of a retreat from the letter and spirit of these talks, and clearly
not in sync with international trends. Offering autonomy to a people who
have for nearly two decades been in control of their lives on their own
historic lands is at the very least, self-deception. We hope the talks will
go forward in a way to provide everyone involved with a real hope for
lasting peace.
Mr. President, we are proud that over the last decade and a half, we have
served as members of the Human Rights Commission, we have acceded to
significant conventions, and have created a variety of institutions,
including the Office of the Human Rights Defender. We have issued an open
invitation to special procedures and are open and ready to co-operate with
the UN Human Rights mechanisms. This is good for each country, as it is for
a vigilant world.
Thank you.
–Boundary_(ID_tCTsXlN5Z/VyULkxDIBxRg)–