Author: Madatian Greg

OWNER OF ARMAVIA COMPANY SURE THAT BLACK BOXES OF CRASHED A-320 WILL BE FOUND

Yerevan, May 6. ArmInfo. The owner of the Armavia company Mikhail
Bagdassarov is sure that the black boxes of the crashed A-320 will
be found.

In an interview to Gazeta.ru he says that there are still lots of
questions. The plane was landing normally. Why was it sent – in a quite
rough manner – to make the second turn? And where is the controller
who did that? Nobody can find him. He has been hidden somewhere. This
might well be done for avoiding revenge by relatives, especially
as we all remember the tragic story with the Swiss controller whose
mistake caused a collision of two planes over Boden Lake.

Bagdassarov also comments on the version that some Armenian from
Sochi was near the controller when he spoke with pilots and heard the
pilots to reportedly say that their had problems with fuel and say:
“we are landing, we must pray.” He says that, first, it is strange
that some stranger was near the controllers as nobody can enter their
room. And second, the plane was refueled in Moscow (in Yerevan fuel
is more expensive). It had 17 tons. When it came to Yerevan it had
10 tons, which should suffice him for 4 hours. Those who have little
to do with aviation think that the plane ran out of fuel. This is
not true. The crew was very experienced and would never make such a
mistake, says Bagdassarov.

Armenian official bewares possible military action

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 5 2006

Baku, May 4, AssA-Irada — Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian
has called on Azerbaijan to refrain from military action to settle
the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.

Addressing a conference held in Lithuania on Thursday as part of
the summit of Baltic and Black Sea member states, Oskanian stated
that Azerbaijan has strengthened its military power owing to its oil
revenues and is seeking to solve the long-standing dispute through
military action. He also called on the European Union to put pressure
on Azerbaijan in this respect.

Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizada speaking at the summit
criticized Armenia for its policy of aggression. He reaffirmed his
country’s stance, saying Azerbaijan backs a negotiated settlement
based on the principle of its territorial integrity.*

Russian Catholics Pray for Jetliner Victims

Zenit News Agency, Italy
May 6 2006

MOSCOW, MAY 5, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Catholics in Russia will unite
their prayers for the some 113 passengers of an Armenian jetliner
that crashed into the Black Sea.

Catholics will dedicate today and Sunday to pray for those who died
Wednesday when Armenian Airbus A-320 crashed near Sochi, Russia. The
majority of those on board were Armenians returning to their country,
or going to visit relatives.

Today has also been declared a joint day of mourning by Russia and
Armenia.

Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz of the Archdiocese of the Mother of
God in Moscow, in statements to ZENIT, expressed his profound
sympathy for the Armenian and Russian community “over the death of
their loved ones.”

Armenian faithful hold an important place within the Christian
community of Russia, not only because of their number — around
54,000 — but because they have kept their own ancient liturgical
rite.

Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official
religion in the early fourth century.

The Catholic community and parishes of the Armenian Apostolic Church
worldwide will offer a Requiem Mass for the dead.

USINFO.STATE.GOV
02 May 2006
New Studies Note Decline of Free Media in Former Soviet Union
Studies by press freedom groups mark World Press Freedom Day
By Jeffrey Thomas
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington — Free media in a number of countries that once belonged to
the former Soviet Union continue to decline, according to new studies
released by press freedom groups to mark World Press Freedom Day May 3.

Turkmenistan President Saparmurat Niyazov personally approves the
front-page content of the major dailies, and the Central Asian
country’s newscasters begin each broadcast with a pledge that their
tongues will shrivel if their reports ever slander Turkmenistan,
the flag or the president.

Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov has re-established a Soviet-style
dictatorship that relies on “an informal system of state censorship,”
forcing foreign correspondents to leave the country and jailing Uzbek
journalists, six of whom were in prison at the end of 2005. (See
related article.)

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s administration has
stopped independent newspapers from being printed and distributed,
jailed journalists for attempting to cover opposition rallies,
and criminalized criticizing the president or “discrediting Belarus
abroad.”

Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus represent the worst of the
worst in the former Soviet space, according to an analysis released
May 2 by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which called
state-sponsored censorship one of the most urgent threats facing
journalists worldwide.

In compiling its “10 most-censored” list, CPJ used such criteria
as state control of all media; the existence of formal censorship
regulations; the use by the state of violence, imprisonment and
harassment against journalists; jamming of foreign news broadcasts;
and restrictions on private Internet access.

“People in these countries are virtually isolated from the rest of the
world by authoritarian rulers who muzzle the media and keep a chokehold
on information through restrictive laws, fear and intimidation,”
said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper.

FREEDOM HOUSE STUDY A major study released April 27 by the independent
nongovernmental organization Freedom House documents setbacks in
press freedom in last year in a number of countries, including Russia,
Uzbekistan and Belarus.

The study, “Freedom of the Press 2006: A Global Survey of Media
Independence,” also shows a longer-term pattern of decline in press
freedom in the former Soviet Union.

The report noted improvements in press freedom in Ukraine and
Kyrgyzstan, both of which are rated “partly free.” The report rates
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia as “free.”

Freedom House bases its classification of each country on the degree
to which the free flow of news and information is permitted.

Turkmenistan once again was ranked among the five worst countries for
press freedom – along with Burma, Cuba, Libya and North Korea. Press
freedom conditions in Uzbekistan and Belarus put those two countries
in the bottom ten. The study deemed an additional 62 countries “not
free,” including Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Azerbaijan,
Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

Concerning Russia, the study cited obstacles created by Russian
President Vladimir Putin’s government to prevent reporting on
sensitive topics, as well as numerous cases of journalists being
assaulted because they sought to report on corruption or protests
against the government.

“Although the Russian constitution provides for freedom of speech
and of the press, authorities were still able to use the judicial
system to harass and prosecute journalists for independent reporting,”
according to the Freedom House report.

The report also says the Putin government exerts direct influence on
media outlets and determines news content through state ownership or
control of the country’s three main national television networks —
Channel One, RTR and NTV.

But the Freedom House study is not without some good news, according to
the group’s Christopher Walker, director of studies, who described the
report’s highlights in an article for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Ukraine since the Orange Revolution of 2004 has significantly improved
its media climate, Walker said. Although the country “still confronts
the challenges that accompany oligarchic ownership structures,” he
said, its media “have achieved a degree of pluralism and independence
that would have been unthinkable in the pre-Orange Revolution era.”

“The significant yet incomplete progress in Ukraine should serve as
a reminder that overcoming deeply entrenched Soviet-era habits and
practices will be a trying, long-term effort for reform of the media,
as well as for other key institutions that form the building blocks
of democratic societies,” according to Walker.

The study by the Committee to Protect Journalists is available in
English and Russian (PDF, 11 pages) on the group’s Web site.

The Freedom House study includes a global table, regional tables,
and charts and graphs, as well as the survey methodology and detailed
country narrative drafts (PDF, 190 pages).

Christopher Walker’s article, “Press Freedom in Former Soviet Union
Under Assault,” is available on the RFE/RL Web site.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
)

e.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&am p;y=2006&m=M
ay&x=200605021656491CJsamohT0 .7066614&t=eur/eur-latest.html

AZERI STUDENTS IN UK PROTEST AT HUNGARIAN SENTENCE AGAINST OFFICER

Lider TV, Baku
2 May 06

[Presenter] Azerbaijani students are protesting outside the Hungarian
embassy in the UK against the sentence handed down by a Hungarian judge
and are demanding that the Hungarian government deliver a fair ruling
[on Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov sentenced to life imprisonment
on charges of killing his Armenian counterpart at a NATO course in
Budapest in 2004]. Our correspondent Xalil Elvaroglu has details of
the protest from London.

[Correspondent by phone] [Azerbaijani] students studying in London and
other British cities are holding a protest outside the UK embassy in
Hungary. The protest was organized by the club of young Azerbaijanis in
London. The organization’s chairman, Vusal Hamzayev, is now delivering
a speech. He said in his speech [changing tack], they said in their
statement that charges levelled against Ramil Safarov coincided with
those levelled by the Armenians. That’s to say the Budapest court
adopted a decision that could be expected from a Yerevan court. This
decision should be changed and a fair sentence should be handed down
on Ramil. London police officers are here and they are ensuring the
students’ security. The students keep coming now. The statement will be
submitted to the Hungarian embassy in London in a few minutes. There
are a lot of students there. Representatives of the Hungarian embassy
have not turned up yet. They are just watching our protest from the
embassy’s windows.

ZEYNO BARAN: PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH ISSUE IMPOSSIBLE NOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
02.05.2006 21:20 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “At present peaceful settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict is not possible,” stated Director of International
Security and Energy Programs of Nixon Center Zeyno Baran. “If the
parties were ready to compromise, they would pursue another foreign
and domestic policy,” the expert believes. “Possible operation against
Iran may have a negative impact on Azerbaijan, however assessing the
scale of that impact is still hard,” she said. When commenting on
Iran’s negative stance over the project of an oil pipeline between
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan on the bottom of the Caspian, the expert
noted that Teheran cannot prevent its implementation, reports IA
Regnum referring to Turan agency.

ARMENIA IS MADE TO GIVE

Lragir.am
28 April 06

It depends on the conditions how expedient it will be to give the
section of Iran-Armenia running through Armenia to Russia, said Kiro
Manoyan, member of the ARF Bureau, answering the question of
Lragir.am. Nevertheless, he said it would be better if the
Iran-Armenia gas pipeline belonged to Armenia and Iran. However, Kiro
Manoyan also said that Armenia might be made to give the pipeline to
the Russians.

`The government might have to give something in some place,
it is not a matter of joy or wishes. The foreign minister, for
instance, announced about funding, how it should be funded,
etc. However, it is preferable if the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
belongs to Iran and Armenia only, or at least the country which has
great possibilities and influence on the energy sector in Armenia is
not engaged,’ says the representative of Dashnaktsutiun
(Armenian Revolutionary Federation). Kiro Manoyan says it would be
better if the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline were the way where Russia
would have no influence.

KHACHATUR SUKIASIAN RECOGNIZED BY BUSINESSMEN AS MOST PROFESSIONAL
POLITICAL FIGURE

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. An Internet survey of 231 citizens
revealed that 25% of respondents consider Khachatur Sukiasian, RA
National Assembly deputy, founder and chairman of SIL Concern, to be
the most professional political figure among 9 members of the Armenian
business elite who are also members of the RA National Assembly. The
results of the survey conducted on March 1 – April 25 by the Vox
Populi public opinion survey center were presented during the
discussion “Business and Politics” held at the Political Debate Club
on April 28. Gurgen Arsenian, Chairman of Arsoil CJSC, founder of the
United Labor Party (ULP), was in second place (15%), and Chairman of
Multi Group concern Gagik Tsarukian – in third place (8%). They were
followed by Founder and Director of Eurostan-Uyut Manvel Badeyan (7%),
Chairman of Armtobacco OJSC Ruben Hayrapetian (6%) and Chairman of
Board of Directors of Hrazdan Sport Complex company Ashot Aghababian
(1%). In the opinion of repsondents, Alexander Sargsian (brother of RA
Defence Minister Serge Sargsian), Samvel Sargsian (founder of Fleet
Food and Astghatsolk companies), and Sayad Zakharian (executive
director of Argali Group company, brother of Yerevan’s Mayor Ervand
Zakharian) cannot be considered professional political figures, while
33% of those surveyed said that none of these 9 businessmen can be
considered a professional politician. The purpose of another survey
conducted by Vox Populi was to find out whose interests the RA
National Assembly protects. In the opinion of 81% of 109 respondents,
the Armenian parliament is a body that expresses and protects the
interests of business elite, 9% of those surveyed responded that it is
a body regulating the state legislation, 7% said that the National
Assembly is a body expressing and protecting the public’s interests,
and 1% found it difficult to answer this question. The same
respondents were asked the question “What is your attitude to
politicization of the country’s business elite?” 84% responded that
this phenomenon hinders the rapid development of the Armenian economy,
7% said that it promotes the country’s economic development, and 7%
found it difficult to answer.

A1+

ANOTHER SUIT AGAINST RA

[01:05 pm] 28 April, 2006

The complaint of the deputy group `Supreme Council’ about the
violation of their rights of observers during the 2003 Parliamentary
elections has been accepted by the European Court of Human Rights. The
suit had been sent to the Court in March 2004.

According to Ruben Torosyan, the head of the club, they received a
letter from the Court yesterday that on April 11 the Court has made a
decision informing the RA Government about it and offering them to
express their attitude towards the complaint in a written form by July 6.

CANADIAN PARLIAMENT KEEPS MINUTE OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF VICTIMS OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 27 2006

Yerevan, April 27. /ARKA/. The Canadian Parliament kept a minute
of silence in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide in
the Ottoman Empire in 1915. The pres and information department,
RA Foreign Office, reports that an Armenian delegation was invited
to the Parliament’s sitting on April 24, 2006.

The minute of silence was announced by Speaker Peter Milliken with
the parliamentarians’ consent at the end of the Government’s hour.

Hundreds of representatives of Armenian communities in Canada arrived
in Ottawa from Montreal and Toronto. The Armenian delegation visited
the RA Embassy in Canada and laid a wreath to the monument “Eternal
Armenia” in front of the Embassy. The same day, Armenian organizations
held a procession of protest in front of the Turkish Embassy in Canada.

On April 23, a large-scale function in memory of the Genocide victims
was held at the Armenian center in Toronto. Speaking were Chairman
of the New Democratic Party Jack Leyton, the leader of the official
opposition John Torin, candidate for the post of chairman of Liberal
Party Joe Volpen, representatives of the Greek and Armenian communities
of Canada, members of the Canadian Parliament. Premier of Ontario
Delton Mcguiny addressed a message to the participants.

Executive Director of the Canadian Institute of Genocide Research
Rich Hinges was a keynoter at the function.

Similar arrangements were held in Montreal on the initiative of the
Hay Dad Montreal Commission and the Armenian Congress in Canada.

On April 23-24, Canadian TV channels marked the 91st anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide. Liturgies were offered in Saint Grigor
Lusavorich and Saint Hakob churches in Montreal and in Saint Mesrob
church in Ottawa.