Author: Karakhanian Suren

ARGUMENT OF ESTABLISHMENT OF NAGORNO KARABAKH INDEPENDENCE IS MORE BENEFICIAL THAN IDEA OF UNIFICATION, ALEXAN MANASIAN CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 13 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The referendum on NKR Constitution
was to take place earlier, as it is able to regulate the whole
public life and to give a legal status to the acting bodies
of the power. Political scientist Alexan Manasian, Head of YSU
Theoretical Philosophy and Logic Department, gave assurance at
the December 13 meeting with journalists. In his words, Artsakh
people’s active participation in the referendum is evidence that
the Constitution has been approved by the whole people. "Since 2001,
RA and NKR state officials have adopted the policy of establishment
of Karabakh independence, which is more beneficial than the idea of
unification," A.Manasian said. In his words, thanks to such approach
is will be possible "to register diplomatic success." A.Manasian
also said that one should not depair of the negative reaction of
some countries and international structures in connection with the
referendum. The political scientist reminded the OSCE’s 1992 decision,
according to which this organization considers as conflict parties
RA, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh’s "elected representatives." In
A.Manasian’s words, this decision itself obliged NKR population to
hold elections. And to have elected representatives means to have
legal authorities and laws, which is also registered by the newly
adopted Constitution.

5 MEN ACCUSED IN MORE THAN 70 AREA BURGLARIES
By Mary Frances Gurton Staff Writer

Pasadena Star-News, CA
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA
Dec 12 2006

Juvenile is among the suspects

Pasadena authorities believe they have stemmed a wave of summer
burglaries with the recent arrests of four men and a juvenile.

The suspects are believed to be responsible for more than 70 thefts
at homes and businesses across the city. Most were arrested separately
in September.

"There were several bad people doing a series of burglaries who have
been arrested," said Mayor Bill Bogaard, whose district actually showed
a slight decline in burglaries in the same period. "It happened that
a few burglars operated for a time before they were caught. I would
hope that when the fourth-quarter data is released, it reflects a
decline in the number."

The thefts – ranging from bikes, wallets and keys to laptop computers –
caused a 52.7 percent spike in the number of reported burglaries from
July through September 2005 to the same period in 2006, according
to a Pasadena Police Department report to the City Council released
last month.

"This is an anomaly," said Pasadena police spokeswoman Janet Pope
Givens, of the third-quarter crime surge. "It’s pretty evident that
when we arrested these suspects the burglaries stopped."

Responsible for at least six area burglaries is a 15-year-old boy who
suffers from an alleged compulsion for stealing, according to police.

He was arrested after a short foot pursuit when officers were called
to a break-in at 776 E. California Ave., according to the report.

"Especially during the summer, juveniles can be responsible for a
crime trend in a neighborhood," said Pope Givens. "Most crimes are
crimes of opportunity, and when kids are out of school with time on
their hands, this can be one of the things that happens."

A number of residential burglaries in the North Pasadena Heights area
targeting Armenian victims ceased after a known Armenian gang member
was arrested and found to be carrying a handgun lost in one of the
burglaries, according to the report.

"He was arrested for a DUI in Glendale," said Pope Givens, "and then
found to be connected to the North Pasadena Heights burglaries. We
can’t definitely connect him, but after he was arrested that series
stopped."

Another suspect was arrested after several daytime commercial
burglaries, according to the report.

In yet another instance, a latent fingerprint lifted from one of
five "hot prowl" burglary sites – so named when a resident is home –
in the area of Colorado Boulevard and Allen Avenue, led to another
suspect’s arrest, the report reads. Councilman Chris Holden, whose
district includes Old Pasadena, where some of the crimes occurred,
said the arrests reflect city and policeattempts to concentrate law
enforcement on crime "hot spots."

"Not unlike some of the other commercial shopping districts in the
Southland," he said, "we want to make sure nothing unsafe happens in
Old Pasadena."

MUNICIPALITY OF YEREVAN DECIDED TO INTERRUPT "NUSHIKYAN" ASSOCIATION’S CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN CENTER OF YEREVAN

Yerevan, December 12. ArmInfo. The Municipality of Yerevan which
had licensed the "Nushikyan" Association’s construction works made
a decision on interrupting the works under the pressure of the
"Population Rights Protection Group" and MP Khachatur Sukiasyan. The
construction works were to result in cutting down 20 trees, the
"Population Rights Protection Group" told the ArmInfo news agency.

The members of the Group also appealed to the Prosecutor-General’s
Office to suppress the corrupted activity of some high ranking
officials of the Yerevan Municipality and protect the legal rights
of the organization’s members.

AZERI MINISTER SAYS KARABAKH REFERENDUM "FARCE"

TREND, Azerbaojan
Dec 11 2006

Baku, 11 December: It is too early to speak about whether Armenia
is ready go ahead in the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict settlement,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said today at the
opening of the meeting of the political committee of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe in Baku.

He noted that the "referendum" in Nagornyy Karabakh shows that Armenia
is not ready for talks. "Possibly, involvement in the talks is a
move aimed at getting the West’s support in order to retain power,"
Mammadyarov said. He believes that the farce with the "referendum"
will have negative consequences.

Mammadyarov stressed that once the conflict is resolved, roads will be
unblocked, stability in the region will be ensured, and thus Armenia’s
economy will also develop, the minister said. He added that the three
South Caucasus countries can achieve a lot together.

RESULTS OF "M CLUB 2ND ANNUAL MUSIC VIDEO AWARDS-2006" COMPETITION TO BE SUMMED UP ON DECEMBER 22

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Dec 12 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Results of the "M
Club 2nd Annual Music Video Awards-2006" competition will be summed up
on December 22 at the Kodak theater of Los Angeles. As the Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed by the Armenian Music Center, the internet
vote proceeding in the site "; will continue
till the awarding day, and winners will be decided just on the bases
of those results. Prizes will be this year given in 5 nominations:
"Best Singer" (female), "Best Singer" (male), "Best Duet" as well "Most
Sold MP3" and "Most Sold CD" by the ";
internet site during the year. Prizes will be given to artists
working both in Armenia and Diaspora. According to the Armenian Music
Center, the awarding ceremony will be live broadcast by "Armenia TV"
television company.

ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN IS CONCERNED ABOUT HIS PROBABLE BANISHMENT FROM THE COUNTRY

A1+
[06:10 pm] 12 December, 2006

"Zhirayr Sefilyan is not surprised by his arrest", Vahe Grigoryan,
Mr. Sefilyan’s advocate informed A1+.

In Mr. Grigoryan’s words, Sefilyan is not discouraged by his arrest; he
is currently concerned over his probable banishment from his homeland.

"Zhirayr Sefilyan deems his banishment probable as the steps of the
acting authorities lead to it", says Vahe Grigoryan and adds that the
representatives of the National Security Service treat Sefilyan kindly
and politely. "Their treatment is determined by Zhirayr Sefilyan’s
reputation". Vahe Grigoryan informed us that Zhirayr Sefilyan cannot
be banished from the country without the corresponding legal grounding.

Reminder: Zhirayr Sefilyan, coordinator of a public organization
Protection of Liberated Territories and commander of the Shushi
battalion has settled in Armenia since 1988. He had his great share
in the Artsakh war and its victory.

All his applications to receive RA or NKR citizenship have been turned
down by the current authorities – by the very authorities who have
granted Sefilyan many titles and awards.

PROVOCATIVE REFERENDUM IN KARABAGH
By Faruk Akkan, Cihan News Agency, Moscow

Zaman Online, Turkey
Dec 10 2006

The Nagorno Karabagh region, the separatist Azerbaijani territory
under Armenian occupation, held an independence referendum Sunday.

The referendum can be compared to those in Moldova’s Transdinyester
and Georgia’s South Ossetia regions.

Azeri foreign minister Elmar Mehmedyarov called the referendum a
disappointing move for the attempts to maintain peace in the region.

The minister warned that any referendum held prior to the return of
the Azeri population removed from the region since the occupation
would not be fair and legitimate.

Pro-Western GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) countries
criticized the Karabagh referendum. The jointly issued statement
raised concerns that the referendum would deteriorate the overall
situation in the region.

Recalling that the referendum had no legal basis, the statement
further noted that it would constitute a beach under Azerbaijan’s
constitution and international law.

After a meeting in Minsk, Azeri and Armenian leaders had announced
their optimism about peace. This referendum held at a time when
prospects for a workable peace were most likely since the truce accord
of 1994 raises serious concerns.

The Nagorno Karabagh region declared de facto independence from
Azerbaijan after the dissolution of Soviet bloc in 1990. With its own
army, flag, and government, the region acts like and independent state.

The international community recognizes the region as part of
Azerbaijan. Russia has often threatened that if regions seeking
independence through referendums were not recognized by the United
Nations, it would veto Kosovo’s attempt to declare independence in
the U.N. Security Council.

Roughly 140,000 Armenian residents in Karabagh depend on financial
aid of the Armenian diaspora in Russia and Western countries.

No significant progress has been in the region since the truce.

People have trouble meeting fundamental needs, such as heating,
shelter and food.

The armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted in the late
1980s. While more than 35,000 died in the fighting, nearly 1,000,000
Azeri had to migrate from the region. The refugees are trying to
survive in camps under dire conditions and are looking forward to
return to their homes.

THE STATEMENT OF GROUPS AND FACTIONS OF NKR PARLIAMENT

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]
11 Dec 2006

On December 10, 2006 a referendum on the adoption of Constitution will
be held in Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Over the past years about 500
laws have been adopted, including constitutional laws. It is time
to set down the real basis for public order, organization of the
society, the relations of person and state. The analysis of 15 years
of experience of NKR as an independent state, which survived through
the war that was imposed on it, the success as well as difficulty
of the reform of the society and settlement of economic problems
show that there is no alternative to the track it has taken. The
basis of a democratic society and free market economy was created
in a short period of history. The system of public administration,
democratization and promotion of political reforms, the development
and strengthening of the principles and mechanisms of market economy,
the reform of the legal basis, establishment of the institutions
of civil society, the adoption of the European principles of local
government are the result of the path we have already passed. The
presidential, parliamentary and local elections, which preceded the
constitutional referendum, were a serious test on mature democracy,
commitment to free and transparent elections compliant with European
principles and proved that the line adopted by NKR is irreversible. The
characteristic feature of the development of the state is the urge
of the society for renovation. In this respect, the referendum on
December 10 will become a logical summary of the stage of political
self-organization of the society, which started 15 years ago and was
marked by the expression of the will of people in connection with the
independence. The adoption of the Constitution of Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic is the imperative of the time. It will enable not only to
set down the basic principles of sovereignty in the Constitution and
mark the new stage of development of our Republic but will also become
an impetus for the establishment and development of new, more liberal
principles and the civil society. Our people have the right to decide
the fate of the present and future generations by expressing their
will freely, and we expect that the international community, which
upholds the right of nations for self-determination, and principles
of civilized cooperation will appreciate duly the referendum on
the NKR Constitution. The Democratic and Hayrenik factions and the
ARF-Movement 88 Group of the NKR National Assembly made a statement
during the December 6 meeting of the NKR National Assembly.

AZERBAIJAN REGION BACKS SECESSION

Aljazeera.net, Qatar
Dec 11 2006

Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh are keen to break away from the central
authorities of Azerbaijan

Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan have
overwhelmingly approved a new pro-independence constitution in
a referendum.

According to official preliminary figures released on Monday, 98.6
per cent of voters approved the constitution, which describes Karabakh
as a sovereign state. Turnout was 87.2 per cent.

"According to preliminary results, the constitution is adopted and
December 10 from now can be declared as a Constitution Day," said
Sergey Nasibyan, the election commission chief.

The vote on Sunday was held on the 15th anniversary of a referendum
in which Karabakh declared independence.

Karabakh split from Azerbaijan in a 1990s war that killed 35,000
people.

The new plebiscite is seen as a signal of commitment to independence
by the region.

No recognition

Azerbaijan and the international community do not recognise
Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence and Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry
said in a statement that holding the referendum "may impede the
peace process".

It said: "Azerbaijan does not recognise the results of the referendum,
which contradicts efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in
the region."

On December 10, 1991, the self-styled Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
declared independence from Azerbaijan, but despite having its own flag,
military and government, remains unrecognised as a separate state by
other countries, including Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government continues to seek
recognition. The majority of people in Nagorno-Karabakh are Christian
ethnic Armenians who associate themselves with neighbouring Armenia
rather than Azerbaijan, a majority Muslim state.

Azerbaijan wants to restore its control over the region and said the
referendum was illegitimate.

Tentative peace

Sporadic clashes inside the territory between Azeri and ethnic Armenian
fighters began in 1988 and escalated to full-scale hostilities in 1992
between Azeri forces and troops from the neighbouring state of Armenia.

About 35,000 people have died in the conflict and up to one million
people have been displaced.

A ceasefire was signed in 1994 but a peace deal has yet to be
successfully brokered.

The Karabakh vote follows similar polls in a number of other
unrecognised former Soviet Union states, including Georgia’s breakaway
South Ossetia and Moldova’s Transdniestr earlier this year.

ARMENIA-NATO RELATIONS ARE A COMPONENT OF THE BALANCED SECURITY SYSTEM

ArmRadio.am
08.12.2006 14:33

Armenia-NATO relations are one of the pillars of the enlarged
cooperation policy with European structures and have turned into one
of the pivotal foreign policy directions, RA Deputy Defense Minister
Arman Kirakosyan declared todat at the "Armenia-NATO: New agenda of
cooperation" forum. In his words, the full cooperation with NATO is
a component of our multi-layer and balanced security system.

"We are often asked why Armenia has chosen the European standards. The
answer is very simple: Contemporary Europe is a successful model of
state building, public relations and economic development. Therefore,
judging from its political history, the Republic of Armenia is
more interested in adhere to the values, ob the basis of which the
well-being and security of peoples is built," the Deputy Minister said.

In the result of two enlargement phases and becoming the
strategic-political alliance of 26 Euro-Atlantic states, NATO has a
pivotal position in the world security system.