Author: Madatian Greg

LIBERTY SQUARE BECOMES SQUARE OF TRAITORS TO THEIR COUNTRY, GALUST SAHAKIAN CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 26, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. "At this moment Liberty Square is
not "free" and becomes a square of traitors to their country. It will
be freed only when Levon Ter-Petrosian comes to see reason." Galust
Sahakian, the Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA),
said at the February 26 press conference. "Those who were professors of
robbing our state, electoral falsifications, agitate freedom today,"
he said. At the same time G. Sahakian said that he does not share
the opinion that the current situation is grave and strained.

In his words, during the whole election campaign they did not predict
a single thing: that there will be a political force or forces, which
will try to endanger Armenia’s independence for an exact purpose,
especially will speculate the Nagorno Karabakh problem.

In G. Sahakian’s opinion, a solution should be found to unauthorized
rallies, and the state’s competent bodies will pursue that issue. At
the same time, in his words, there is a misguided people in Liberty
Square, which has gathered there for different reasons, with different
problems. And the rally organized by the Republican Party of Armenia
is the last victorious rally.

Touching upon a possible dialogue with Levon Ter-Petrosian, G. Sahakian
said that the dialogue has its limits and framework. "This is not a
team, but people setting traps, who were celebrating their victory
still at the beginning of the elections. Their task is not becoming
President, but weakening Armenia, ceding Karabakh with trifling crumbs
in order to do a service to their masters, oil and gas magnates,"
G. Sahakian said.

As for the ARFD’s proposal on stopping cooperation in the coalition,
G. Sahakian said that the statement was made not long ago and it should
be deeply analysed and only then they will give an estimation to it.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS INDIGNANT AT THEIR COLLEGUE’S ACTION

arminfo
2008-02-25 15:56:00

ArmInfo. Armenian parliamentarians from the Prosperous Armenia
faction Tigran Stepanyan, nonparty man Karo Karapetyan and a member
of RPA faction Hrant Grigoryan told ArmInfo they are indignant at
the statement that they allegedly support Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

T. Stepanyan said the partymen have always been loyal to the party
and supported the prime minister, leader of RPA, Serzh Sargsyan. For
his part, K. Karapertyan said: ‘We just called on the public not to
yield to the calls of the demostrators and not to destabilize the
situation in the country’. G. Grigroyan added that parliamentarian
Manvel Ghazaryan, who read out their names at the rally in Liberty
Square, will have to refute his statement.

In the meanwhile, the parliamentarians from RPA faction, the owner
of Vedi Alco Manvel Ghazaryan, Armen Mkhitaryan and Seyran Saroyan,
who allegedly joined Levon Ter-Petrosyan, were absent from Monday
sitting of the Palrismrent.

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
Feb 20 2008

Kosovo independence, or a precedent of threats and bribery

20 February 2008 [11:32] – Today.Az

Declaration of Kosovo independence caused euphoria among the
unrecognized formations on the territory of the former Soviet Union.

This was mainly promoted by the position of Russia, which is
considered the main stimulator as well as a direct sponsor of
separatists in case of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdnestria.
Putin’s positive tone, who excluded Nagorno Karabakh separatists from
the list of unrecognized countries skillfully,voicing the right of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for international
recognition, should be praised.

However, amidst the chaos with Kosovo independence or a "precedent"
(this is how Moscow prefers to call it now), people forget an
important detail-the declaration of Kosovo independence followed
elections in Serbia. It means that the United States and the European
Union preserved the chance of Serbian voters to choose between Kosovo
and perspective integration with the European Union till the end.
Gradually, these were Serbian not Kosovo voters, who made this
choice, being aware that Tadich’s government will not demonstrate
serious resistance to Kosovo’s separation.

It should be reminded that a similar choice have recently been
introduced on Cyprus by Kofi Anan’s plan and on April 24, 2004 Cyprus
Creeks also voted for integration with the European Union in exchange
for factual separation of Norther Cyprus.Thus, it can be stated from
the Cyprus and Kosovo examples that the United States and European
Union have successfully tested their new model of solution of
separatist conflicts-a free choice between threats and bribery. It
seems that Servian voters preferred the Trans-Atlantic model to the
Russian variant of threats.

Certainly, to apply the trans-Atlantic model of the Kosovo precedent
in the separatist formations of the former USSR, the peoples of
Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan must be given a chance to choose
between the European Union and loss of a part of their territory.
However, this detail, which is not quite comfortable, is absent in
the comments of "the supporters of justice" from the former
superstate, as it will mean the loss of influence over four neighbors
under any development of events.

Surprisingly, the detail was perceived by Armenian Prime Minister
Serj Sarkisyan, who noted that though Kosovo and Karabakh conflicts
are similar, "Kosovo is not a precedent for us". No doubt that the
plebiscite on Karabakh in Azerbaijan will not be suitable for
Yerevan, which declares the right of people for self-determination
and assures the world of the truthfulness of its own illusion about
independence of Nagorno Karabakh.

/Day.Az/

URL:

TER-PETROSYAN CALLED JAHANGIRYAN’S DETAINMENT POLITICAL PERSECUTION

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.02.2008 17:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan told
RFE/RL liberty that detainment of former deputy prosecutor general
is political persecution.

"His detainment is an attempt to scare other officials," he said.

"I appealed to the RA Ombudsman to look into the case, since
Jahangiryan’s lawyer is not allowed a meeting," he said.

At that, Levon Ter-Petrosyan doesn’t think that Gagik Jahangiryan’s
life is in jeopardy, Novosti Armenia reports.

According to the RFE/RL, the Ombudsman has already visited Jahangiryan
and had a conversation with the detained.

Panorama.am

15:23 23/02/2008

`PROSPEROUS ARMENIA’ COMPLAINS

Yesterday the oppositions held a meting in Freedom
square and announced that if Karo Karapetyan and
Tigran Stepanyan from the `Prosperous Armenia’ joined
the movement headed by them.

`We are not pleased with the fact that our names were
used without getting permission of us. We announce
officially that we are faithful to `Prosperous
Armenia’, its ideology and policy,’ is said in the
message.

The deputies and the representatives of the Prosperous
Armenia announced that no one is competent to use
their names. Their party and they supported Serzh
Sargsyan and they are not going to betray what they
have already started.

Source: Panorama.am

GREEK PRESIDENT CONGRATULATES SERGE SARGSYAN

armradio.am
23.02.2008 12:03

The president of the Republic of Greece, Karolos Papoulias sent a
congratulating message to RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan, which
says, in part: "Let me congratulate you on being elected to the post
of the President of the Republic of Armenia and wish you success in
your responsible work and in resisting the future challenges. I’m
sure the traditional friendly relations between our two countries
will continue developing for the benefit of our peoples."

SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN DESCRIBES PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AS ‘STEP FORWARD’

ARMENPRESS
Feb 22, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS: A former parliament member Shavarsh
Kocharian brushed off today opposition’s claims that the February 19
presidential election was marred with wholesale election fraud.

Speaking at a news conference, Kocharian (no relation to president
Robert Kocharian) said one should be blind with hatred not to see
‘the progress.’ During the official electioneering period Shavarsh
Kocharian campaigned for Vazgen Manukian, the chairman of the National
Democratic Union (NDU), one of the nine candidates for the highest
post of the country, who received only 5,000 votes of some 1.7 million
voters, who went to the polls.

To substantiate that the ballot was progress Shavarsh Kocharian cited
from the preliminary report of the International Election Observation
Mission (IEOM), which said the February 19 poll was mostly in line
with Armenia’s international commitments.

But Kocharian added this election is not compared with similar polls
in Finland or Sweden, but with the previous 2003 presidential election
in Armenia and from that perspective it marked progress.

Shavarsh Kocharian said Manukian’s campaign office is aware of reports
about election fraud and other irregularities, but people there do
not consider them enough to claim they have had any impact on the
final outcome.

He said Manukian’s campaign office will make the final statement
after the recounting of votes in some precincts is over.

WHILE EVERYONE WAS BUSY WATCHING ELECTIONS IN AMERICA AND ARMENIA …
By Harut Sassounian

AZG Armenian Daily
22/02/2008

International

In recent weeks, while Armenian-Americans were preoccupied with
Presidential elections in America and Armenia, there were other
interesting developments that may not have attracted public
attention. Here are my brief observations on some of them:

– Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates will be visiting Turkey next month, accompanied by several
high-ranking military and civilian officials. They were preceded by
General James E. Cartwright, Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff;
Frank C. Urbancic, Jr., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and
Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism; and Attorney General Michael
Mukasey who rushed to Ankara last week. It looks like Cheney and
the others may be taking advantage of their last year in office to
travel overseas at taxpayers’ expense; or are they plotting another
dangerous Middle East adventure?

– Prof. Israel W. Charny, Executive Director of the Institute on the
Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, has written a thought-provoking
analysis titled: "The Question of a Possible Relationship Between
Mental Disturbance and Denials of Known Genocides such as the Holocaust
and Armenian Genocide." Dr. Charny, a practicing clinical psychologist,
wonders whether "some deniers of the Holocaust or other genocides
are, in fact, quite crazy, or in more polite scientific parlance,
mentally ill. For on the surface of it, the basic claim that a major
historical event of genocide — which the whole world knows took
place — never took place, is madness." Prof. Charny also writes:
"There may very well be in a given denier a bona fide psychiatric
paranoid personality disorder or even a worse psychotic paranoid
condition." Although Charny’s diagnosis does not come as a surprise
to Armenians, it is good to get the views of a mental health expert
on this sordid subject.

– The Turkish government, under great pressure from European Union
officials, shortly will submit to Parliament an amended version of
the infamous Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code on "Insulting
Turkishness." This law has been used to prosecute all those who
dare to utter the words "Armenian Genocide," including Hrant Dink,
Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak. The revised version of this preposterous
law will still prosecute all those who insult the Turkish people,
the Turkish Republic, the State, the Parliament, the courts, the
military and the police. Those who violate the "amended" law could
receive a prison sentence of up to 24 months. It is hard to imagine
that this draconian law would make Turkey worthy of joining the ranks
of civilized European countries.

– Not satisfied with the ridiculous claim that "dark-skinned" Americans
are descendants of Turkish sailors who were shipwrecked on the US East
Coast centuries ago, some Turks are now alleging that they are blood
relatives of Native Americans (American Indians), according to a report
by Elif Ozmenek in the Turkish Daily News. The article also claims
that there are similarities between the Turkish and Native American
languages. Some Turks attending a recent conference in New York
organized by "the Istanbul University Alumni Association of the USA"
were asking if Turks could now get visas to come to the United States,
at the invitation of their newly-found American Indian relatives! The
true agenda of this bizarre conference was revealed by Ali Cinar,
President of the Alumni Association, when he solemnly declared: "In the
U.S. Senate there are 15 (sic) Native American Senators. Therefore,
I see this conference also as an important element in strengthening
the Turkish lobby and increasing its supporters in the U.S. Senate."

– Ali H. Aslan, the well-known Turkish commentator for "Today’s Zaman"
newspaper, echoed my earlier column titled: "Erdogan’s Insulting
Words about Obama May Haunt Turkey after the Elections." In his Feb. 8
article, Mr. Aslan wrote: "Bad news for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan. Given the results of the ‘Super Tuesday’ primaries in the
US, Barack Obama, whom Erdogan lashed out at after he promised to
acknowledge the so-called ‘Armenian genocide,’ has never been so close
to winning the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 2008 presidential
elections." Should Sen. Obama win in November, Armenian-Americans may
wish to remind him of the Turkish Prime Minister’s insulting words,
so that he could deal with Turkey appropriately.

– Finally, the newly-formed "U.S. Azeris Network" announced that its
"400,000 members" would be supporting Republican Presidential candidate
John McCain. Azerbaijani-Americans, like all Americans, have the right
to support the candidate of their choice. The only problem is that
there may not be more than a couple thousand Azerbaijanis who are
U.S. citizens and registered to vote. Sen. McCain better not count
on a handful of Azerbaijanis to secure his political future.

SERZH SARGSYAN: ARMENIAN PEOPLE HAVE CHOSEN PEACEFUL AND ECONOMICALLY STRONG FUTURE FOR THEIR COUNTRY

arminfo
2008-02-21 15:09:00

ArmInfo. Armenian people have chosen peaceful and economically strong
future for their country, Armenian Prime Minister, Leader of the
Republican Party of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said.

Sargsyan’s statement disseminated by the RPA says: "Armenian people
have chosen the way of continuation of democratic and socio-economic
progress.

Serzh Sargsyan has been elected by the majority of voices – 52.86%. The
election in Armenia was held freely and fairly, in compliance with
international standards. Numerous observers from the OSCE, PACE and
Council of Europe took part in the election and they have already
given their assessment". Sargsyan stressed that he is "proud of the
fact that he received the citizens’ credence to promote the country
along the path of economic and social development". "I am grateful to
everybody who voted in my favor. As I stated before the election, I am
going to become the president of all citizens of Armenia. All of us can
confidently celebrate the victory of democracy. We’ll start a new work
tomorrow which guarantees progress for each citizen, and everybody can
say proudly: Forward, Armenia!", Sargsyan said. "I am glad that for
the second time this year I am getting people’s support and credence,
which will help me confidently conduct the country’s foreign policy in
conditions of existing foreign challenges", the prime minister said,
adding that after preliminary publishing of the election returns some
oppositional forces are trying to express their concern by provocation
and violence. "Everybody has the right of freedom of speech in Armenia,
however, there should be no distress and violence in the democratic
republic", Sargsyan said. According to him, the law-enforcers will
interfere only in case the law and order should be restored.

LEVON TER-PETROSIAN’S PREELECTION HEADQUARTERS DOES NOT RECOGNIZE DATA PUBLISHED BY CEC AND DEMANDS HOLDING NEW ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 20, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The preelection headquarters of
RA presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian does not recognize
the results published by the Central Electoral Commission and
demands holding new elections. Nikol Pashinian, a member of the
candidate’s central headquarters, stated at the February 20 rally
near Matenadaran. In his words, the Armenian people has elected its
President and that President is L. Ter-Petrosian. "Our struggle has
no stop until the final victory. We will never entrust the Republic
of Armenia and our children to the power of Kocharian-Serge hyenas,"
N. Pashinian stated.

As he evaluated, L. Ter-Petrosian’s empowered persons "were not
in polling stations, they were at a war, they fought against
Serge-Kocharian criminal bashibuzuks, they fought for the sake of
Armenia’s freedom. "We should prove that their struggle was sensible,
the struggle was victorious, and we have no right to entrust the
fruits of that struggle to Kocharian-Serge hyenas," N. Pashinian said.

Aram Karapetian, the Chairman of the Nor Zhamanakner (New Times)
party, stated that after the "beating and fight" they will stand
until the end and will stand as long to show their victory."

It should be mentioned that the speeches were periodically interrupted
with the words "Levon President," "Sergik, Go Away!," as well as
"Haylur, Go Away!" voiced by the rally participants.