Author: Kharatian Ani

"OCCASIONALLY KOCHARIAN SAYS CLEVER THINGS"

A1+
[03:08 pm] 02 November, 2007

"A president must serve national interests and democracy due to his
personal qualities," Alliance of National Democrats (AZhD) Leader
Arshak Sadoyan says.

The AZhD will back Vazgen Manukian at the presidential election as
he is gifted with unique personal characteristics.

During the 26 October rally Armenia’s former President Levon
Ter-Petrossian announced about his intention to run for
presidency. Didn’t Ter-Petrossian’s announcement affect your stance?

Levon Ter-Petrossian’s nomination was considered for a long time. I
have said many times that the first president had better second the
coordinator of the Karabakh Committee Vazgen Manukian so that the
acting authorities would not have a chance to nag at the faults or
shortcomings. But my proposal was turned down.

And why doesn’t Vazgen Manukian back the first president?

I don’t find it expedient know. People strongly believe that the
current criminal regime will be replaced by the former imperfect one,
and no one will be able to combat it.

Will Robert Kocharian’s announcement that the opposition will name
a few candidates come true?

Kocharian occasionally says clever things. Obviously, Arthur
Baghdasarian, Aram Karapetian and Tigran Karapetian will run in
the election.

Can we speak of the opposition’s victory in case there are a few
presidential nominees?

I think the opposition had better support a joint candidate, Vazgen
Manukian. Only in that case we shall be able to seize power. We
shouldn’t let authorities take measures, recall the vote tampering of
the 1996 and try to choose the lesser of the two evils-Serzh Sarkisian.

TV Channels are presently actively engaged in propaganda against
the first president. Doesn’t it imply that the authorities see
Ter-Petrossian as their main rival?

Ter-Petrossian’s nomination is advantageous for the authorities but
they cannot fight Vazgen Manukian with such primitive methods.

Knarik Isoyan

AZERBAIJAN SHOULD BE READY TO RECLAIM OCCUPIED TERRITORIES – ALIYEV

Russia & CIS General Newswire
October 30, 2007 Tuesday 3:13 PM MSK

Azerbaijan has to be ready, at all times, to liberate its territories
occupied by Armenia using force, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said.

"Azerbaijan has been building up its military might in a concerted
effort. We should be ready for war at any time, because we have no
peace yet, we have only a truce," Aliyev said at the opening of a
Training Center of the State Special Security Service in the village
of Perekushkul.

The Azeri Army should remain at a high level of combat readiness for
this end.

Azerbaijan has been permanently increasing its military expenditures.

"In 2004, we allocated $175 million for these tasks, and in 2008,
$1.3-billion are previewed. This is a very high figure and it will
make it possible to resolve all military issues," Aliyev said.

"We intend to create a very strong military-industrial sector,
to strengthen the social sector supporting troops. After this, the
buildup of the military will be accelerated," Aliyev said.

THREE ARMENIAN BOXERS QUALIFY FOR BEIJING 2008

armradio.am
01.11.2007 14:40

Armenian boxer Hovhannes Danielyan (48kg) scored a knockout victory
over Zviad Khaduri of Georgia in the 1/8 final of the World Boxing
Championship underway in Chicago, thus proceeding to the quarterfinal
of the Championship and qualifying for Beijing 2008.

Another Armenian boxer Hrachya Javakhyan (60kg) defeated Erick Donovan
of Ireland and booked a 2008 Beijing Olympic berth.

Before that Edward Hambartsumyan (64kg) had also qualified for the
Olympic Games.

It should be mentioned that in case the sportsmen go to the semifinal,
they will ensure at least bronze medals.

Let us remind that only one Armenian boxer, Alexan Nalbandyan,
participated in the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004.

LE VOYAGE EN ARMENIE

En Primeur, Canada
Oct 30 2007

Journey to Armenia

Date de Sortie: vendredi 13 avril 2007
Genre: Drame
Realisateur: Robert Guediguian
Producteur: Robert Guediguian
Scenario: Ariane Ascaride, Marie Desplechin, Robert Guediguian
Studio: Mongrel Media
Duree: 125 min.

Resume:
Cardiologist Anna (Ariane Ascaride) discovers that her father (Marcel
Bluwal) has a serious heart problem. In response, he skips surgery and
disappears, leaving clues that he’s gone back to his native country –
Armenia. Anna, whose deceased mother was Italian, knows nothing about
her Armenian background, having been at odds with her father for many
years. But feeling a familial obligation, Anna sets out to bring him
back for his operation, even though she doesn’t speak the language. Did
her father know what just one week in Armenia would do to Anna?

En Vedette: Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan, Jean-Pierre Darrousin,
Chork Grigorian, Marcel Bluwal, Madeleine Guediguian.

SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE RECEIVES IRANIAN AMBASSADOR

Panorama.am
22:51 30/10/2007

Today Superior Court judge Hovhannes Manukyan received Iran’s
ambassador to Armenia, Alireza Haghighian. As the court’s press
secretary Alina Yengoyan stated, the ambassador highly rated the
relations between Armenia and Iran, which have especially improved
during recent years.

In the ambassador’s opinion, improvement in cooperation in the legal
field is necessary. He said an important first step was made by the
Armenian president in coordinating investigation of criminal activities
by citizens of the two countries, including extradition rights,
which has already been put into law by the Armenian National Assembly.

In turn, Manukyan promised the advancement of relations between the
legal bodies of the two countries, also suggesting mutual visits,
seminars, and meetings to realize the exchange of experiences gained
by legal experts from the two countries.

DASHNAK LEADER SLAMS TER-PETROSIAN SPEECH
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 30 2007

A top leader of the governing Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun) criticized on Tuesday former President Levon
Ter-Petrosian’s latest public speech, saying that it was too radical
and lacked self-criticism.

Hrant Markarian, the de facto head of the nationalist party’s worldwide
governing body, also insisted that Ter-Petrosian stands no chance
of winning next year’s presidential election. He said Armenians are
unhappy with their current and former rulers and only trust third
forces like Dashnaktsutyun.

Dashnaktsutyun has pointedly refused to endorse Prime Minister Serzh
Sarkisian’s presidential bid and will nominate its own candidate
instead, despite being represented in his coalition cabinet.

"I very much want Levon Ter-Petrosian to stand in the elections,"
Markarian told RFE/RL in an interview. "If the past 17 years have not
been enough to make him a realist, then let him run and find his real
place in this society."

Ter-Petrosian announced his decision to run for president on Friday
in a 90-minute speech at a Yerevan rally attended by more than
20,000 people. He reiterated his harsh criticism of Armenia’s current
leadership, describing it as a "kleptocracy" which is disinterested in
rule of law and controls the most lucrative forms of economic activity.

Markarian stressed that while his party agrees that the Armenian
government’s "policy of economic monopolization has reached its
climax" it believes that the root causes of this and other fundamental
problems facing the country date back to Ter-Petrosian’s 1991-1998
presidency. "That speech could have been somewhat convincing if he
had started it by evaluating his years [in power,]" he said.

Dashnaktsutyun was bitterly opposed to Ter-Petrosian throughout that
period, resenting his liberal economic policies and what it saw as
a soft line on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and relations with Turkey.

Ter-Petrosian controversially banned the party in 1994, accusing it
violating Armenia’s laws and running a secret death squad. The ban
was lifted shortly after his dramatic resignation in 1998.

Dashnaktsutyun has since been among the most loyal allies of his
successor, Robert Kocharian.

Markarian, who was among Dashnaktsutyun leaders jailed by the
Ter-Petrosian administration, claimed that the ex-president suggested
no remedies to right the wrongs mentioned in his speech. "His speech
contained [words like] destroy, break up, eliminate," he said. "But
there was nothing on what to create."

"Only a person detached from reality for ten years could make such
a speech. You can’t change anything in this country by means of
extremism," he added.

The Dashnaktsutyun leader went on to condemn Ter-Petrosian for
effectively implicating Kocharian in the organization of the October
1999 terrorist attack on the Armenian parliament and the resulting
assassination of then Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian and parliamentary
speaker Karen Demirchian.

"October 27 was the tragedy and even the shame of our nation," he
said. "But it must not be a subject of political exploitation. Only
an unsavory person can use October 27 for furthering his career and
winning [political] dividends."

Ter-Petrosian said that the parliament killings enabled Kocharian
to assert his supremacy in the country’s leadership and tighten his
grip on power. He charged that the Armenian president only deepened
lingering suspicions about his involvement in the shock attack by
"scuttling" the search for its possible masterminds.

Markarian argued, however, that the criminal investigation into the
killings was initially led by "members of Vazgen’s team" who never
came up with compelling evidence of Kocharian’s possible involvement.

SOCIAL ISSUES TO BE DISCUSSED AT NKR GOVERNMENT’S CURRENT SITTING

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 30 2007

Yesterday the issues of the agenda of the Republic government’s
current sitting to be held October 30 were discussed in the course
of a sitting at the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic government presided
over by Ara Harutyunian.

It was noted that a considerable part of decisions and bills of the
agenda was referring to social and educational spheres. The issue
referring to maintaining the Republic’s small villages was also
considered in the course of the sitting. In this connection the state
will elaborate and implement new programs.

Summing up, Nagorno-Karabakh government’s head charged the
representatives of the Republic executive power with missions. In part,
the government’s members are commissioned to complete the works on
the preparation of the NKR draft state budget 2008.

Karabakh PM also charged to hold propaganda work among the Republic’s
population to properly organize fund raising to be held current
November. The fund raising is targeted at Artsakh’s further development
and revival.

ARMENIAN TEAMS OF MEN AND WOMEN GAIN VICTORY IN FIRST STAGE OF EUROPEAN CHESS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

Noyan Tapan
Oct 29 2007

HERAKLION, OCTOBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Chess Championships
of men and women have started in Heraklion (Greece). The games of
the first stage took place on October 28. The Armenian national team
of men defeated the chess players of Romania with the score of 3:1,
and the team of women gained a victory over the chess players of
Sweden with the same score.

The representatives of Russia are the competitors of the Armenian
teams of men and women in the second stage being held on October 29.

VLADIMIR KARAPETYAN: THERE ARE NO BASES FOR SPEAKING ABOUT PROGRESS

armradio.am
29.10.2007 15:15

October 27 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-Chairs who arrived in Yerevan from Baku. MFA Spokesman
Vladimir Karapetyan told Armenpress that there are no particular
bases to speak about achieving progress.

It was a recurrent meeting, and the Co-Chairs were trying to bring
the parties’ positions closer on controversial issues. According to
Vladimir Karapetyan, the process continues and the Co-Chairs intend
to return to the region in the near future.

As for Matthew Bryza’s statement in Baku that Armenia and Azerbaijan
will possibly sign a framework agreement by spring, Vladimir Karapetyan
noted that the Co-Chair himself has already refuted this publication
of Azeri media, saying it was a result of incorrect translation.

DECREASE OF TEMPERATURE AND SHOWERS IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
15:03 27/10/2007

Until November 1, the temperature in Armenia will decrease by 2-3
degrees, as the Panorama.am correspondent was informed by Natalya
Besharyan, leading specialist of the Armhydromet Department.

According to her estimation, a temperature ranging between 15-16C is
expected in Yerevan tomorrow. Till October 31 in several regions of
the Republic and in Yerevan precipitations will be observed in the
form of rain, which will stop starting from November 1.

It should be noted that, according to experts, after the precipitations
are over, a 2-3 degree increase in the temperature on the territory
of the Republic is expected.