Author: Karagyozian Lena

POISON MUSHROOM EYED FOR LANDING THREE IN HOSPITAL
Linda Yee
Reporting
CBS 5, CA
March 30 2006
SAN FRANCISCO A family was fighting for their lives in the hospital
Wednesday after they may have consumed poison mushrooms.
Three members of a family that recently immigrated from Armenia are
at California Pacific Medical Center, where they are being treated
for severe liver damage.
Doctors say two of the family members are expected to be okay, while
the third may need a liver transplant.
The family consumed what doctors believe is the Amanita phalloides
mushroom, which is also known as the “death-cap” or “skull-cap”
The family may have bought the mushrooms from a roadside stand or
farmers market in Sacramento and Placer counties.
It is also possible the family could have picked the mushrooms.
Officials say the incident serves as a reminder to always buy mushrooms
from a reputable source and to avoid picking and mushrooms on your
own for consumption.
Eating poisonous “death-cap” mushrooms can cause abdominal pain,
cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage and death, according to
the California Department of Health Services. Abdominal symptoms are
usually delayed six to 12 hours, so victims may not initially connect
their symptoms to the wild mushrooms. As the initial gastrointestinal
symptoms subside, evidence of liver damage appears and some victims
may require a liver transplant to survive.
The California Department of Health Services says individuals
who develop any of these symptoms after eating wild mushrooms
should immediately contact the California Poison Control System at
1-800-8-POISON (800-876-4766) or 1-800-222-1222 and seek medical
attention.

THE ILLEGAL STEPS TOWARDS THE DEAF REMAIN UNPUNISHED
A1+
[04:07 pm] 30 March, 2006
Today the representatives of the Deaf and Mute Union organized a
press conference in the club “Fastark” in order to prevent the illegal
steps of the Union leader Jora Varagyan. According to the complains
the latter is going to estrange 9000 square meters, the enterprise
of about 1 acre, the hostel of Gyumri and other territories.
It is already 73 years the Union exists. The Union representatives
claim that the Union leader illegally aliened the property and the
territories of the Deaf and Mute Union, wasted the money taken from
them and appropriated the sums in the account. Out of 9 members of the
Union Administration 5 were unaware of the value of the territories
estranged in 2000 – 2002. The group of independent experts affirmed
those facts, and the case is being investigated in the Prosecutor’s
office now.
The representative of the Union Partev Muradyan met the investigator of
the case Gharakhanyan together with other representatives today. “We
have got such an impression that the investigator doesn’t deem
Varagyan’s steps as a crime as no examination has been held so
far,” Partev Muradyan says and adds, “The estrangement of the
territories will only be possible to stop after Varagyan’s bearing
the responsibility.”
By the way, Partev Muradyan assures that about 15 people of Jora
Varagyan’s adherents threat them with murder and beating in case
they protest. Those people have their personal interests with
Varagyan. Partev Muradyan urges, “If they realize their threats we
shall backfire.”
If the complaints which reached to the Prosecutor’s Office are not
asserted Muradyan is going to apply to all courts and take all the
possible and impossible measures. They are going to form a new public
organization and name it “The Alliance of the Deaf” which will have
the program of “poverty elimination strategy model.” They have got
manufacturing area and means to provide the most vulnerable layer of
the society with work. The membership of the Deaf and Mute public
organization will be realized on volunteer bases, there won’t be
membership fees and the territory will work due to the investments.
Let us mention that Partev Muradyan complained of the fact that the
deaf have tax privileges as they have excellent leaders whereas they
don’t have such privileges.

OFFICIALS: BIRDS CAUSED CRASH OF ARMENIAN CARGO PLANE IN IRAN
AP Worldstream
Mar 29, 2006
The crash of an Armenian cargo plane in Iran was prompted by a
collision with a flock of birds that caused engine failure, the
Armenian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
The Antonov An-12 plane crashed Tuesday on the outskirts of Karaj,
near Tehran, injuring four members of the 12-person crew, according
to Iranian state television.
The plane ran into a flock of birds shortly before the crash, causing
three of its four engines to fail, the Foreign Ministry said, citing
information from the Armenian Embassy in Iran. It referred to the
accident as an emergency landing.
Iranian state television reported Tuesday that the plane was flying
from Armenia to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, but the Armenian
ministry said it was on a charter flight from Sharjah to Karaj. It
said the crew included 11 Armenians and one Ukrainian.

INTER RAO UES HAS NO MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS WITH “ELECTRICITY NETWORKS OF ARMENIA”
Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 29 2006
Yerevan, March 29. /ARKA/. The “INTER RAO UES” Company has no
management problems with “Electricity Networks of Armenia”, Director
General of INTER RAO UESYevgeny Dod told reporters.
“We have no claims to make to Mantrov and Gladunchik. What is going
on is a domestic situation. The Network is steadily operating.
Collection is payments is at 102% level, with no management problems,”
Dod said.
In his turn, Leonid Drachevsky, Board Vice-Chairman, “UES of Russia”
stated that the problem was a psychological and emotional, rather
than a technical one.
“This does not contribute to stability… But from the technical
point of view, we have no problems with the electricity network,”
Drachevsky said.
Armenia’s mass media started disseminating the information on
disagreements between Director of the “Electricity Networks of Armenia”
CJSC Yevgeny Gladunchik and Deputy Director of INTER RAO UES Mikhail
Mantrov. In this connection, Mantrov’s release from the post of Head
of the “Southern Section” of the company was not ruled out.
INTER RAO UES holds 100% of the “Electricity Networks of Armenia”
CJSC, Sevan-Hrazdan coordinated hydro-power system, as well as is
the financial managers of the Armenian nuclear-power plant.

AMERICAN ARMED FORCES CONFERENCE IN ARMENIA
Lragir.am
27 March 06
On September 11-15, 2006 the opening planning conference of the
Cooperative Effort 07 of the U.S. European Command will take place,
told the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia Seyran
Shahsuvaryan to the news agency Novosty-Armenia, informs the news
agency ARKA. Seyran Shahsuvaryan mentioned that in 2006 the exercise
will be coordinated via the communication network in Germany.
“The representatives of the Armenian armed forces will participate in
the exercise via satellite,” said the press secretary of the Ministry
of Defense. He informed that in 2005 two planning conferences were
held in Albania and Macedonia, and the main planning conference took
place in Croatia on January 22-28, 2006. The press secretary of the
Ministry of Defense mentioned that the signalers of the Armenian
armed forces took part in all these conferences, the final one of
which was held in Georgia on March 21-24.

CONFERENCES ON DEMOCRACY DEVELOPMENT ISSUES TO BE ORGANIZED IN YEREVAN AND HAGUE
Noyan Tapan
Mar 27 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues of development of the
Armenian-Nethelandian interparliamentary cooperation were discussed
at the March 24 meeting of RA National Assembly Speaker Artur
Baghdasarian with Eimert van Middelkoop, Senator of the Upper House of
the Parliament of Netherlands. An agreement was reached on organizing
conferences on issues of development of democracy in Yerevan and
Hague joint with the Parliament of Netherlands within the framework
of the “New Democracy” program. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the
NA Public Relations Department, Artur Baghdasarian asked to pass his
congratulation to the Parliament of Netherlands for recognition of the
Armenian Genocide what will prevent any repetition of similar crimes.

TURKISH LOBBYIST ACCUSES ARMENIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY OF SEEKING TO
IMPOSE “TYRANNY OF THE MINORITY”
YEREVAN, MARCH 25. ARMINFO. Turkey’s top Washington, DC lobbyist,
former Louisiana Congressman Bob Livingston, in perhaps his most
strident attack to date, has accused Armenian Americans of seeking to
impose a “tyranny of the minority” by urging the Congress to adopt
human rights legislation concerning the Armenian Genocide, according
to documents obtained this week by the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).
“It’s truly the height of hypocrisy for a paid foreign agent for
Turkey – a government that violates the rights of its citizens on a
wholesale basis – to try to diminish the role that American citizens
play in the formulation of our nation’s foreign policy,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “But, apparently, in the ‘Alice in
Wonderland’ world of Bob Livingston, other nations dictate
U.S. policy, genocides remain unpunished, and foreign lobbyists get to
silence American voters. He would do well to spend more time
encouraging his Turkish clients to learn about democracy, and less
time seeking to abridge the democratic rights of Americans here at
home.”
In letters sent to Congressional offices last September, prior to the
House International Relations Committee’s consideration of Armenian
Genocide legislation, Livingston, escalated his rhetoric to
unprecedented levels, arguing, in his capacity as a paid agent of a
foreign government, that he believed the measure “cater[s] to a small
minority of citizens promoting the narrow goals of the minority at the
expense of America’s broader interest.” He went on, in an example of
overstatement rare even by Washington, DC standards, to contend that
Armenian Genocide legislation “is the truest expression of the tyranny
of the minority.” The panel rejected Livingston’s attack, voting 40 to
7 to approve the legislation.
In July of last year, CongressWatch, an arm of Public Citizen,
released a 49-page report highlighting ethical concerns about the
Livingston Group’s lobbying efforts for the Turkish Government. The
report details the efforts by Livingston, to secure a “$1 billion
supplemental appropriation for Turkey. . . despite that country’s
refusal to allow U.S. troops to use its soil as a staging area for the
Iraq invasion. He also helped kill an amendment that would have
formally recognized the Armenian Genocide that occurred between 1915
and 1923.” The Livingston Group has received over $10 million in
payments from Turkey.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 23 2006
Crisis Group urges EU’s greater role in Garabagh settlement
Baku, March 22, AssA-Irada
The International Crisis Group, an organization working to prevent
conflicts worldwide, has presented its report on the resolution of
conflicts in the region.
`To guarantee its own security, the EU must become more engaged in
resolving the conflicts in the South Caucasus lest they ignite into
full-fledged wars in Europe’s neighborhood,’ said the report,
`Conflict Resolution in the South Caucasus: The EU’s Role,’ which
examines the EU’s efforts to address tensions over the long-standing
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, the Abkhazia
and South Ossetia problems, and future steps.
`Greater engagement is a challenge Brussels has only just begun to
address’, says Sabine Frasier, the ICG project director. `There have
been a few promising steps, but there is a long way to go.’
The report said the EU has carried out insignificant work with regard
to the Garabagh settlement and should therefore step up its efforts
in solving regional disputes.
`With its reputation as an `honest broker’, the EU has a greater role
to play, and offers added value to compliment the UN and the OSCE,’
the report said.
`We are not saying that the [mediating] OSCE Minsk Group’s format
should be altered or its involvement reduced. Our position is that
the European Union should be more extensively involved in the ongoing
negotiations,’ Frasier told local ANS TV channel.
The ICG said that the efforts by the European security body have
yielded no fruit so far and EU could play a greater role in the
conflict resolution. The newly-appointed EU envoy on the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby could be closely involved in the OSCE-brokered
peace talks. The European Commission should set up and delegate a
mission to examine the situation in the occupied Azeri territories.
Preliminary assessment should be carried out by the fact-finding
mission, a strategy on EU’s involvement in the rehabilitation of
territories prepared and the contingent of peacekeeping forces
determined, Frasier said.
The ICG representative added that she would visit the United States
soon and submit the mentioned report to the United Nations office and
the State Department.*

“CATHOLICOS KAREKIN II WORK PROJECT” ANNOUNCED
ArmRadio
22.03.2006 17:57
Habitat for Humanity and the Armenian Church announce commencement of
an historic event to address poverty housing in Armenia: “Catholicos
Karekin II Work Project: An Armenian Building on Faith Project.”
The home-building blitz will take place September 5-9, 2006, in
northern Armenia, near Lake Sevan. Thirty-seven homes – symbolizing
36 worldwide Dioceses, plus the Holy See, representing the Catholicos
and Supreme Patriarch of all Armenians – will be built for families
in need in Armenia.
“His Holiness personally invites all Armenians worldwide to galvanize
and join this unique opportunity to rebuild Armenia,” said Bishop
Vicken Aykazian. ” Armenians worldwide will come together in a
spirit of community and goodwill to reconnect with their roots,
their homeland, and their faith.”

SEPARATIST KARABAKH SEEKS “ENERGY INDEPENDENCE”
Regnum, Moscow
18 Mar 06
18 March: Under a long-term energy programme developed by the
government of Nagornyy Karabakh, this year will see the start of the
construction of a cascade of three hydroelectric power stations on the
River (?Trga) and the Madagis hydroelectric power station, which will
allow Nagornyy Karabakh to meet its domestic demand for electricity,
our Regnum correspondent in Stepanakert quoted the Nagornyy Karabakh
minister for territorial administration and [development of] production
infrastructure, Arnold Abramyan, as saying. Abramyan said that Nagornyy
Karabakh’s water resources have a great energy potential, and that
the implementation of relevant programmes will make it possible to
use them efficiently for both energy and irrigation purposes.
A total of 17 small hydroelectric power stations are to be built,
which will ensure Nagornyy Karabakh’s energy independence. Moreover,
electricity generated will exceed the demands of the population
three-folds.
For the time being, Nagornyy Karabakh’s main energy donor is
the Sarsang hydroelectric power station on the River Tartar which
generates 65m kWh of electricity a year. The rest of electricity that
the republic needs is exported from Armenia.
The territorial administration and production infrastructure minister,
Armo Tsaturyan, said that the republic’s state budget envisages 250m
drams [569,000 dollars] for the development of the energy sphere in
2006, including 40m for the capital – Stepanakert.
However, the minister noted that this amount is clearly not enough
to resolve the complex of problems existing in this sphere.