Author: Khoyetsian Rose

RA AUTHORITIES TRY TO LIMIT IMPORT OF OLD AUTOMOBILES TO REPUBLIC

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 28 2006

RA authorities try to limit the import of old automobiles to the
Republic since 2007 by introducing changes to the present Legislation
that already has caused a rise in prices for the cars.

As the Head of the Economy Department of the RA Ministry of Nature
Conservation, Ashot Harutiunyan, told ArmInfo, RA Parliament has
passed a first reading of a bill on the rates of nature-conservative
payments. According to the Law, the rate for 5-10-year automobiles will
make up 2% and that for 10-15-year automobiles – 10%, for automobiles
older than 15, the rate will make up 20%. Harutiunyan noted that a
nature-conservation payment is introduced in Armenia for the first time
and the Law is called to limit the import of old vehicles to Armenia
as to reduce the emissions of harmful substances to the atmosphere.

To note the import of foreign cars to the Republic at present is laid
a 20% value-added tax and 10% of state due. The import of Russian
vehicles is exempted of state dues since 2004. Introduction of the Law
will increase the payment for the of over 15-years-old automobiles from
the present 32% to 52%. The Law has not been passed yet in the final
reading, however, it already caused a rise in prices of 10-20% for
automobiles in Armenia. According to the estimations of specialists,
a half of over 15-years-old vehicles, imported to the Republic and
their cost varies within $6,000.

Agence France Presse
25 novembre 2006 samedi
Correction Appended 5:09 PM GMT

Génocide: le chef de la diplomatie arménienne tend la main à la Turquie

Le ministre arménien des Affaires étrangères Vartan Oskanian a tendu
la main à la Turquie pour normaliser les relations entre les deux
pays, comme une étape-clé vers un accord politique sur le sujet
ultra-sensible du massacre d’Arméniens au début du XXè siècle.

"Pour l’Arménie, la reconnaissance (du génocide) par la Turquie n’est
pas une condition préalable pour des relations normales de bon
voisinage", a déclaré à l’AFP M. Oskanian, lors d’une visite à
Chypre, qui s’est achevée samedi.

La Turquie n’entretient pas de relations diplomatiques avec l’Arménie
voisine en raison notamment du différend sur les massacres
d’Arméniens en 1915-17 sous l’Empire ottoman, qualifiés par de
nombreux historiens, le Parlement européen et la France de
"génocide", une appellation catégoriquement rejetée par Ankara.

Les massacres et déportations ont fait plus de 1,5 millions de morts
selon les Arméniens, 250.000 à 500.000 selon la Turquie.

M. Oskanian a estimé que les deux pays avaient besoin de
"transcender" leur passé commun.

"Cet obstacle (de la reconnaissance turque) peut être supprimé et
(les idées que les deux peuples peuvent avoir sur l’autre) peuvent
être améliorées par de nouvelles expériences", a-t-il ajouté.

Cependant, M. Oskanian a rejeté catégoriquement une offre turque de
mise en place d’un comité mixte d’historiens des deux pays pour faire
la lumière sur la question.

"La suggestion du (Premier ministre turc Recep Tayyip) Erdogan a été
un écran de fumée", a-t-il dit, se demandant comment une commission
conjointe pourrait être mise en place sans relations diplomatiques
entre Ankara et Erevan, capitale de l’Arménie qui a obtenu son
indépendance en 1991, après la chute de l’URSS.

"Vous devez gérer ce sujet d’un point de vue politique", a-t-il
poursuivi.

M. Oskanian a critiqué en outre ce qu’il a qualifié de nouvelle
"politique d’Etat" d’Ankara de négation du génocide.

"Alors que davantage de pays reconnaissent (le génocide), la Turquie
devient (…) plus agressive dans sa politique de négation", a-t-il
estimé.

Une récente proposition de loi française rendant passible de prison
la négation du génocide arménien est, selon lui, "une réaction claire
à cette politique agressive de négation d’Ankara".

L’écrivain turc Orhan Pamuk, lauréat 2006 du Nobel de littérature, a
été poursuivi par la justice turque en 2005 pour des propos tenus sur
le massacre d’Arméniens.

Accusé d’"insulte ouverte à la nation turque", il était passible de
six mois à trois ans de prison. Sous la pression internationale, les
poursuites ont été abandonnées début 2006.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Nov 23 2006

TURKISH MARMARA GROUP STRATEGIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION
BECOMES PABSEC OBSERVER
[November 23, 2006, 22:26:45]

Akkan Suver, the President of the Turkish Marmara Group Strategic and
Social Research Foundation, participating in the 28th Plenary Session
of the General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC), announced at
a press briefing today that his organization has joined the PABSEC in
an observer capacity.

He said the Foundation has become the first non-governmental
organization granted membership of the PABSEC adding it has observer
status also in UN, OSCE PA, NATO PA and other international
structures.

Akkan Suver stressed importance for Turkey and Azerbaijan of being
members of such influential international organizations.

He promised the Foundation will do all it can for the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh to be resolved
peacefully and in accordance with the principle of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan.

Mr. Suver said they will assist Azerbaijan’s non-governmental
organizations in their efforts to be represented in international
structures.

He thanked the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation for the support
for his Foundation’s accession to the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

ALL RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN TO WITHDRAW FROM TBILISI GARRISON BY DEC 25

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
November 21, 2006 Tuesday

All Russian servicemen will leave the Tbilisi garrison by December
25, troops commander of the North Caucasus military district /SKVO/,
General of the Army Alexander Baranov said on Tuesday.

A total of 97 units of equipment and 353 tonnes of property and
ammunition will be withdrawn from the premises of the Tbilisi garrison,
Baranov said, adding that the number of withdrawing personnel slightly
exceeds 350.

Two freight trains with garrison property will be evacuated to Russia,
and another two – to the Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia,
through Azerbaijan.

Georgia has not hampered the pullout efforts so far, according to
the commander.

Baranov also said no reservist from among the troops withdrawing from
Georgia will be left without an apartment. The issue is as good as
settled, he added.

Earlier, he stated that many servicemen from the units which Russia
is withdrawing from Georgia, have opted for continuing service in
the North Caucasus, Moscow and Volga-Ural military districts.

But part of the military have to be discharged from the armed forces
as the term of their service has expired. "For those who are to
be transferred to reserve and who will live in Russia, 80 housing
certificates have been allocated, and 56 apartments purchased in
the territory of the Southern Federal District. No serviceman will
be transferred to reserve until he’s been given an apartment," the
commander underlined.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS ARRIVED IN BAKU
Author: A.Mammadova

TREND, Azerbaijan
Nov 22 2006

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group from France, Bernar Face,
and Russia, Yuri Merzlyakov, arrived in Baku on the morning of 22
November. The mission also includes the personal representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Andzey Kasprzyk, Trend reports.

The agreement by the Co-chairs’ visit to the region was reached
during the 14 November meeting in Brussels of the Foreign Ministers of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenia Vardan Oskanyan. The mediators
will hold negotiations with the heads of these countries to discuss the
final proposals regarding the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. During the visit, the topic of discussions
will be the organization of the meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian
Presidents which is scheduled to take place on 28 November in Minsk.

The American Co-chair of the Minsk Group, Matthew Bryza, will not be
included in the mission due to celebrations of the National holiday
Thanksgiving Day in the USA.

KHACHQAR ERECTED FOR THE FRIENDSHIP OF ARMENIANS AND RUSSIANS

A1+
[02:43 pm] 22 November, 2006

In the town of Barnaul, region of Altay, the crosses of the newly
built church St. Hripsime were anointed by Bishop Nersisyan of
the Armenian Diocese of Russia and New Nakhijevan. A red khachqar
brought from Armenia was also anointed. It was donated by Aramayis
Martirosyan. The khachqar was erected near the church in memory of
the long-lasting friendship of Armenians and Russians.

Bishop Maxim, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Altay,
President of the Barnaul Duma S. Krasnov, as well as representatives
of the city municipality were present at the ceremony.

GOVT SAYS ARMENIAN BROTHERS NOT IN THE COUNTRY
By Carol Gakii

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Kenya
Nov 16 2006

The government has Thursday dispelled allegations that the alleged
Artur brothers are back in the country.

Government Spokesman Dr. Alfred Mutua has dismissed allegations by
Lang’ata MP Raila Odinga as baseless and asked Kenyans not to fall
for such claims.

He said the foreigners will never be allowed back into the country,
adding that reports by the Kiruki Commission would soon be made public.

Early this week, Raila alleged that the foreigners were back in
the country.

At the same time, Mutua said the government is committed to providing
security to all Kenyans.

He said security operations were underway in parts of the country
that have recently been hit by clashes.

Mutua urged Kenyans to support the government in the fight against
organized crime.

ILHAM ALIYEV: WE ARE CLOSE TO RELEASE OUR TERRITORIES, THEREFORE ARMENIANS COMMIT ARSONS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 15 2006

"20% of the Azerbaijani territories were occupied by Armenia. The
situation in the occupied territories is very bad. The forces occupied
the Azerbaijani territories not only destroyed our historical,
national, religious monuments but also damaged our nature," Azerbaijan
President said during his speech in the presentation ceremony of the
prize set by Michael Zukov Fund of Germany.

The President said the nature was damaged, precious trees were cut,
and arsons were committed in the occupied territories.

"We have irrefutable facts. OSCE fact-finding mission held a monitoring
in the occupied territories. The report they made is very terrible,
everything, buildings, historical monuments were destroyed, precious
trees were cut. As a result of it several large furniture plants
function at the moment," the President said.

Ilham Aliyev said that Armenians realize that they will leave our
lands; we are close to release our territories, therefore they commit
arsons. He said they raised this problem on the level of UN. We ask
all organizations and NGO to pay attention to this problem.

Committing arsons in the occupied territories is unbearable fact;
these actions cannot be made by the people living in the XXI century.

MINISTER OSKANIAN IN BRUSSELS FOR COOPERATION COUNCIL MEETING

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 14 2006

Minister Oskanian is in Brussels to participate in the 7th session of
the Armenia-EU Cooperation Council. Together with the foreign ministers
of Georgia and Azerbaijan, Minister Oskanian met with the EU leadership
– the Foreign Minister of Finland, which holds the EU Presidency, the
Secretary of State of Germany which will hold the Presidency in the
first half of 2007 as well as EU High Representative, Javier Solana,
and External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

During the first day’s dinner meeting, the participants discussed
developments in the region, including Caucasus states’ relations
with neighbors, and also prospects for regional cooperation. Regional
conflicts, especially Nagorno Karabakh, were the focus of much of the
discussion, particularly in light of the upcoming meeting between the
foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The dinner meeting was
followed by a press conference, during which Minister Oskanian thanked
the EU for its persistence in concluding the Action Plan process.

He also noted that "this year’s meeting of the Cooperation Council
will be particularly memorable because it represents the beginning
of a new chapter – for each of us individually, for our relations
with the EU, and for the EU itself."

The meeting was followed by a Press Conference. On November 14,
during the formal Council meeting the European Neighborhood Policy
Action Plan will be adopted.

"GO AWAY, THIEVES!"

A1+
[04:40 pm] 14 November, 2006

Today, at about 11:00 the residents of North and Main Avenues, Kozern
and Firdus Districts, as well as the owners of Dalma gardens initiated
a rally of complaint.

The residents of the capital assembled opposite the National Assembly
with the posters, "Go away, thieves!" "Civil Disobedience," "Put
the law on alienation of property for Public and state needs into
mass discussions" etc. The rally participants urged the NA deputies
to vote down the draft law on "Alienation of Property for State and
Public Needs" during the third hearings.

The residents were indignant at the prime minister’s announcement
made yesterday. "In reply to a journalist’s question "what the
prime minister will do in case people go on strikes and demand his
resignation", Mr. Margaryan answered it doesn’t go in line with the
constitutional. Does his treatment with us comply with the law?" says
Vachagan Hakobyan, former resident of North Avenue.

By the way, On Thursday, at 11:00, the above-mentioned residents are
going to demand the government’s resignation.

The draft law on "Alienation of Property for Public and State Needs"
wasn’t passed after the second hearing.

Over 73 deputies participated in the voting – 69 deputies voted for
the bill and there were 4 abstentions.