Author: Madatian Greg

YEREVAN’S ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS TO BE RESETTLED INTO ONE AREA

YEREVAN, JULY 13. ARMINFO. Within a year the Architectural Council of
Yerevan will make a list of the capital’s architectural monuments,
says Yerevan’s chief architect Samvel Daniyelyan.

There are two categories of monuments: to be preserved on their
historical location and to be relocated. Daniyelyan says that the
scattered historical monuments do not reflect the whole color of
Yerevan and discord with the architectural style of the “new center.”

He says that new the construction of business centers and hotels in
the center of Yerevan requires new stylistic approaches. It would be
absurd to build in XXI in the style of XIX, says Daniyelyan.

And so the municipality has decided to bring together part of
Yerevan’s architectural monuments into a small area covering Aram,
Buzand and Koghbatsi streets.

AZG Armenian Daily #129, 14/07/2005

Armenia-Turkey

TURKISH PRIME MINISTER CONSIDERS GENOCIDE RECOGNITION TO BE A
SECONDARY ISSUE

In his speech in San Francisco, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said that “Armenia should withdraw its forces from the
occupied territories of Nagorno Karabakh and hand them over to
Azerbaijan”. He noted that the fact that various parliaments of the
world have recognized the Armenian Genocide does not solve issues in
Armenian-Turkish relations. He called Armenian government not to use
the historic past of two neighbors for seeding hostility, as there are
more important issues that need to be settled in the first place.

Space Ref
July 11 2005

NASA Space Station On-Orbit Status 11 July 2005

SpaceRef note: This NASA Headquarters internal status report, as
presented here, contains additional, original material produced by
SpaceRef.com (copyright © 2005) to enhance access to related status
reports and NASA activities.

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted
previously or below. Underway: Week 12 for Increment 11.

Before breakfast and exercise, CDR Sergei Krikalev and FE/SO John
Phillips completed their third session with the Russian crew health
monitoring program’s medical assessment “Biochemical Urinalysis”
(MO-9). Afterwards, the CDR stowed the hardware. [MO-9 is conducted
regularly every 30 days (and also before and after EVAs) and is one
of five nominal Russian medical tests adopted by NASA for US
crewmembers for IMG PHS (Integrated Medical Group/Periodic Health
Status) evaluation as part of the “PHS/Without Blood Labs” exam. The
analysis uses the sophisticated in-vitro diagnostic apparatus Urolux
developed originally for the Mir program. Afterwards, the data are
entered in the medical equipment computer (MEC)’s special IFEP
software (In-Flight Examination Program).]

The crew had several hours blocked out for gathering & pre-packing
hardware and other cargo to be returned on the Shuttle. [An updated
list of ~83 Russian items for return was uplinked to assist in the
marshalling ops.]

The CDR serviced the Russian BMP harmful impurities removal system,
starting the “bake-out” cycle to vacuum on absorbent bed #1 of the
regenerable dual-channel filtration system. Before sleep time today,
the bake-out will be terminated. [Regeneration of each of the two
cartridges takes about 12 hours and is conducted only during crew
awake periods. The BMP currently still uses the same vacuum vent
valve for regeneration as the Elektron (the latter for venting
hydrogen).]

The FE/SO deployed two passive FMK (formaldehyde monitoring kit)
sampling assemblies in the Lab (below CEVIS) and Service Module (SM,
most forward handrail), to catch any atmospheric formaldehyde on a
collector substrate for subsequent laboratory analysis. (Last time
done: 6/14).

In preparation for the LF-1 docked period, the crew assembled and
prepared the ETVCG (external television camera group) assembly for
its installation in the lower outboard position of the P1 truss
during EVA-3.

Krikalev took two photos of the Service Module (SM) aft-end passive
docking assembly (SSVP StA) used for the Progress M-53/18P linkup, a
standard practice after Russian dockings. These images, taken with
the Nikon D1X digital still camera, will be used to refine current
understanding of docking conditions. Later in the day, the pictures
were downlinked via OCA/S-band. [The objective is to take photo
imagery of the scratch or scuff mark left by the head of the docking
probe on the internal surface of the drogue (docking cone) ring, now
rotated out of the passageway. As other cosmonauts before him,
Krikalev used the Kodak 760 digital still camera to take two pictures
with the hatch closed down and downlinked them later via OCA.]

Working on the Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2”) experiment,
Sergei today deactivated the greenhouse system for a sampling of the
plant growth, photographing the most developed root plant from the
root module. The image was then to be downlinked via Regul-Packet or
BSR-TM [Rasteniya researches growth and development of plants
(currently horse radish) under spaceflight conditions in the Lada-7
greenhouse.]

Krikalev also did the daily routine maintenance of the SM’s
environment control & life support system (SOZh), including its
toilet system (ASU). Later, working off his voluntary “time
available” task list, he prepared the IMS (inventory management
system) “delta” file for automated export/import top the three IMS
databases.

Both crewmembers conducted their regular 2.5-hr. physical exercise
program on the TVIS treadmill, RED resistive machine and VELO bike
with bungee cord load trainer. [Sergei’s daily protocol prescribes a
strict four-day microcycle exercise with 1.5 hr on the treadmill and
one hour on VELO plus load trainer (today: Day 1 of a new set).]

Afterwards, John transferred the exercise data files to the MEC
(Medical Equipment Computer) for downlink, as well as the daily
wristband HRM (heart rate monitor) data of the workouts on RED,
followed by their erasure on the HRM storage medium (done six times a
week).

Another item in today’s Russian “job jar” was a session with the
“Uragan” (hurricane) earth-imaging program, focusing the Nikon D1X
digital camera with f400 or 800 mm lens from an SM window on targets
specified by an uplinked list. [Today’s targets included the Far East
and the coastline of the Russian Federation, the Island of Sakhalin
with its coastline, the Kuril Island at low sun, Armenia and mountain
slopes from nadir to Lake Sevan, Dagestan with mountain valleys
towards Makhachkala, and Kazakhstan (environmental status at oil
fields in the eastern part of Mangyshlak peninsula.]

At ~11:24am EDT (DO-2), TsUP/Moscow prepared the Progress propellant
system (KDU) remotely for the subsequent prop transfer from the BG1
tank of 18P to the SM. Transfer of approximately 92 kg fuel (UDMMH)
was set to begin at ~1:00pm (DO-3), to be terminated at 3:25pm on
DO-4.

Over the weekend, the BVK-1 vacuum valve group of the Vozdukh carbon
dioxide (CO2) removal system failed three times. After the first two
times, it was restarted in Manual Mode. After the third failure, the
valve group was removed & replaced with a spare. Vozdukh was then
reactivated in Manual Mode and later transitioned into automatic
mode. At present, it appears to be functioning nominally.

Also during the weekend, SSC-8 (Station Support Computer #8), an A31P
ThinkPad laptop, suffered a screen failure. The computer is
functioning, but the screen is down. [That leaves one operational SSC
and the CPSD (Crew Personal Support Disk) machine in the Lab. There
are a several options to getting a second SSC functioning in the Lab
before STS-114 docking.]

Update on STS-114 Launch: Eileen Collins and Jim Kelly flew training
rounds in the STA (Shuttle Training Aircraft) today. Results of the
current L-2 meeting will be available later tonight in a scheduled
press conference (check KSC website). Launch weather outlook remains
unchanged from yesterday: expected is a 30% chance that weather may
prevent launch on Wednesday. In the event of a delay, the forecast is
slightly less promising, with the chance of weather violating launch
constraints rising to 40% on Thursday and Friday.

No CEO (crew earth observations) targets today.

CEO photography can be viewed and studied at the websites:

See also the website “Space Station Challenge” at:

To view the latest photos taken by the expedition 11 crew visit:

at NASA’s Human Spaceflight website.

Expedition 11 Flight Crew Plans can be found at

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
The Jamestown Foundation
July 8 2005

U.S. CONTINUES LARGE-SCALE ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA

By Emil Danielyan

Friday, July 8, 2005

Reflecting the influence of the Armenian community in the United
States, the U.S. Congress is blocking yet another attempt by the
White House to sizably cut long-running American assistance to
Armenia. The small South Caucasus state is thus due to remain one of
the world’s leading per-capita recipients of U.S. economic aid, more
than $1.6 billion since 1992.

The House of Representatives voted on June 28 to approve its version
of the U.S. foreign aid bill for the next fiscal year, which
allocates $67.5 million for Armenia — up from the $55 million
requested by the administration of President George W. Bush. The U.S.
Senate’s Appropriations Committee raised the number to $75 million,
the amount Armenia will receive in 2005.

Citing growing budgetary constraints, the Bush administration has
steadily reduced the level of U.S. assistance to former Soviet
republics in recent years. Armenia has been the least affected of
them and has its million-strong Diaspora in America to thank for
that. Armenian-American organizations were instrumental in the latest
aid allocations that followed a familiar pattern. In 2003, for
example, the Bush administration requested $45 million for Armenia
before legislators raised the sum to $75 million.

One of the most powerful ethnic lobbies on Capitol Hill essentially
consists of the Armenian Assembly of America, which is mostly
sponsored by wealthy individuals, and the more nationalist Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) known for its well-organized
grassroots structures. The two groups were behind the creation of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues in the late 1990s.

The caucus currently numbers 142 members, making it the largest
bipartisan ethnic coalition in the House of Representatives. Most of
those congressmen are from California, New York, New Jersey,
Michigan, and Massachusetts, the states with the highest
concentration of Americans of Armenian descent. But there are also
members who represent places like Indiana, Kentucky, or Oregon where
the Armenian presence is minuscule.

One of the Armenian lobby’s key allies in the Senate, Mitch
McConnell, is also from Kentucky. McConnell is the Senate majority
whip and chairman of the Foreign Operations Appropriations
Subcommittee. Both the Armenian Assembly and the ANCA personally
thanked the ranking Republican for the latest aid allocation.

One of the two Armenian Caucus co-chairs, Representative Frank
Pallone, says the Armenian-Americans have managed to pull together so
many lawmakers because they “work very hard.” The New Jersey Democrat
is bound to secure strong Armenian support for his plans to run for
the Senate.

The U.S.-Armenian community may have built a strong support base in
Congress, but its influence on the White House and the State
Department remains much weaker. This situation exists in part because
ethnic Armenians are mostly concentrated in the traditional
Democratic strongholds where the outcome of the last two U.S.
presidential elections was never in doubt. Bush didn’t have to woo
ethnic Armenians simply because very few of them live in “swing
states” like Florida and Ohio. His administration therefore has no
qualms about its hitherto successful efforts to prevent a
congressional resolution describing the 1915-18 slaughter of an
estimated 1.5 million Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide.

Such a resolution has for decades been a key aim of Armenian lobbying
activity. Some Armenian-American activists feel they can eventually
overcome White House opposition by further expanding the Armenian
Caucus and turning it into a House majority.

The Bush administration clearly had to reckon with the Armenian
community’s clout when it included Armenia last year in the list of
17 developing nations eligible for additional multimillion-dollar
assistance under Washington’s Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)
program. Neighboring Georgia was the only other ex-Soviet state
selected for the scheme, which is designed to promote political and
economic reform around the world.

Georgia is increasingly emerging as a U.S. bulwark in the South
Caucasus, due to its new leadership’s pro-Western foreign policy.
Still, it may get less American economic aid in 2006 than Armenia,
which continues to be seen as Russia’s key regional ally.
Furthermore, close defense links with Moscow have not prevented
Yerevan from securing over $20 million in U.S. military assistance
since 2002. It is expected to make up at least $5.75 million in
fiscal year 2006.

That assistance was the main condition for Congress’s decision in the
wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks to allow the Bush
administration to suspend the decade-long aid restrictions that had
been imposed on Azerbaijan under Armenian-American pressure. Congress
has also forced the administration to maintain parity in military
funding to Armenia and Azerbaijan, despite the latter’s greater
contribution to the U.S. war effort in Iraq. Armenian-American
lobbyists say Yerevan’s highly unpopular decision to send a small
army contingent to Iraq last January helped to neutralize senior
Pentagon officials who question the wisdom of helping the Armenian
military.

Azerbaijan has also been infuriated by the continuing provision of
direct U.S. government aid to Karabakh, which will equal at least $3
million next year. Bypassing the Azerbaijani government, the money is
mainly used for rebuilding homes and infrastructure destroyed during
the 1991-94 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Baku has repeatedly complained
that the Americans thereby undermine its internationally recognized
sovereignty over the Armenian-controlled territory.

“There is no way that any negotiation should result in Karabakh going
back to Azerbaijan,” says Pallone. “Karabakh is an independent state
and Karabakh must remain Armenian.” Years of successful Armenian
lobbying have meant that many other U.S. lawmakers would also
subscribe to this view.

(Statements by the Armenian Assembly of America, June 29, November
22, 2004; Statements by the Armenian National Committee of America,
June 30, November 23, 2004; Interview with Frank Pallone, June 9,
RFE/RL Armenia Report, December 9, 2003)

A1plus

| 17:27:03 | 08-07-2005 | Social |

WHAT IS THIS?

The World Bank tries to find out what is going on around the company
`Armenian Electricity Supply Network’. The head of the Yerevan office of the
Bank Roger Robinson mentioned in the press conference today that the
Armenian Government has made no announcement which would highlight the
information about the purchase of the company `Armenian Electricity Supply
Network’ by the daughter company of the Russian `United Electricity Systems’
`RAO EES’.

He reminded that the sale of more than 25% of the stock of the company must
be privileged by the Government and the Committee regulating the social
services.

`The distributing electricity network is one of the most profitable fields
in Armenia which has strategic meaning for all the Armenians and I find it
extremely necessary that the events connected with it be announced fairly
and transparently’, said Roger Robinson.

The head of the Yerevan office of the World Bank said that he intends to
spend the coming week in the Armenian Government and find everything out. By
the way, today the World Bank Directors Council approved the project of
allotting 20 million dollars of credit to Armenia.

The sum will be allotted for 40 years.

Armenian, Iranian governors sign cooperation protocol

Mediamax news agency
7 Jul 05

YEREVAN

The governors of Iran’s Hormozgan Province, Ebrahim Derazgisu, and of
Armenia’s Ararat Region, Alik Sarkisyan, signed a protocol of mutual
understanding in Yerevan today.

Alik Sarkisyan said the protocol envisages cooperation between the two
regions in the spheres of agriculture, industry, trade, tourism and
culture. He said that Iranian businessmen expressed their readiness to
invest in Ararat Region.

An agreement was reached on the opening of trade representations in
Hormozgan and Ararat as a result of Ebrahim Derazgisu’s visit.

Alik Sarkisyan noted that businessmen of Ararat Region are interested
in the implementation of projects in Hormozgan since the region can
serve as a “gate to the Arab world”.

Paris court fines reference book editors for portrayal of Armenian
killings

.c The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) – A Paris court on Wednesday ordered the editors of a
French reference book to pay a small fine for an unbalanced portrayal
of the killings of hundreds of thousands of Armenians during World War
I, which Armenians say was genocide.

The court said the Quid reference book favored Turkey’s position and
only briefly described the Armenian point of view.

The court issued a fine of euro1 ($1.19) and ordered the publication
of its verdict in three daily newspapers, three weekly newspapers and
on the Quid internet site.

The committee for the defense of the Armenian cause filed a complaint
against the encyclopedia in 2003.

Defense lawyers for the reference book underlined its editorial
freedom and pointed out that the book mentions a 2001 French law that
recognizes the killings as genocide.

Armenians say some 1.5 million of their people were killed as the
Ottoman Empire forced them from eastern Turkey between 1915 and 1923
in a deliberate campaign of genocide.

Turkey says the death count is inflated and insists that Armenians
were killed or displaced in the civil unrest during the collapse of
the Ottoman Empire.

The two countries do not have diplomatic relations because of the
dispute.

07/06/05 12:12 EDT

A1plus

| 18:24:56 | 04-07-2005 | Social |

«TSITSERNAK» TO OPEN ITS DOORS

On July 8 the summer camp «Tsitsernak» of the Armenian Apostolic Church
Gugarq diocese will open its doors to the children. The camp was created 4
years ago. For these years about 4000 children from Lori Tavoush and other
regions of Armenia have spent their summer holidays here.

This year «Tsitsernak» became a complex including another camp for children
– «Krunk». The complex has been completed with a pool, a new playground and
sports ground.

As previous years, this year too the children of poor families will spend
their holidays here. Among them there will also be children who have been
here once.

Mehr News Agency, Iran
July 3 2005

Tomas Tomasian house to be added to National Heritage List

TEHRAN, July 3 (MNA) — The house of Armenian merchant Tomas Tomasian
has been registered on the National Heritage List, a Cultural
Heritage and Tourism Organization official announced here on Sunday.

The mid 20th century building was inspired by the modern
architectural style and has two floors connected by a spiral
staircase, Mohsen Shaikh-ol-Eslam said.

The philanthropist merchant, who supported school construction during
his lifetime, donated his house to be converted to an art center for
the Armenian community of Iran after his death, he explained, adding,
`The house was given to the Mostazafan Foundation after his death,
and last year it was sold to a private owner.’

There is also a painting depicting a scene of a battle between the
Armenians and their enemies in the house.

Tomasian’s house is located on Jomhuri St. in Tehran.

Pan Armenian News

INFLUENTIAL ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF LEBANON – BRIDGE BETWEEN TWO STATES

01.07.2005 08:35

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met today with
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, RA MFA press center reported. The
Minister congratulated Mr. Berri with the re-election to the post. The
interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the consistent development of the
Armenian-Lebanese interparliamentary elections and formation of friendship
groups. The parties also attended to issues referring to consolidation of
business ties and activation of mutual visits. In this view Nabih Berri
attached importance to the activities of the Lebanese deputies of Armenian
origin adding that the Armenian community is a bridge between the two
states. To note, during the parliamentary elections held in Lebanon this
year 6 delegates of the Armenian community received deputy mandates.