Author: Maghakian Mike

Baku for early settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
by Ksenia Kaminskaya

ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 5, 2006 Thursday

Azerbaijan hopes for an early settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Elmar Mamedyarov, the Azerbaijani foreign minister,
told Itar-Tass on Thursday. He arrived in Moscow for talks on
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with his Armenian counterpart Vartan
Oskanyan.

The Azerbaijani minister said, "Baku hopes the results in the
negotiating process will soon be achieved." "We want changes and
specific arrangements," he remarked. "The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh
is deteriorating." "This should not be so," Mamedyarov believes. "This
runs counter to the logic of international, regional and interstate
relations."

At the same time, the minister believes "it is yet early to speak
about a meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement at the summit level."

"Much depends on the results of the talks in Moscow," he noted.

"The presidents will be informed of the results, and it is for the
heads of state to decide when they should meet," he said.

ACLU Sues DEA, Police Officers for Roughing Up Amtrak Passengers

THE TORCH, Fall 2006, Volume 41, Number 3
The Newsletter of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico

A drug enforcement agent and two police offices illegally searched
and roughed up an Armenian couple as the couple’s Amtrak train stopped
in Albuquerque on the afternoon of August 17, 2005.

During the search, one agent pulled bras and underwear from a
personal bag belonging to Diana Arutinova, smiling lasciviously as
the accompanying agents laughed and made coarse jokes. Arutinova and
her partner, Edgar Manukian, told the three agents they had nothing
illegal in their bags and to stop searching. The officers ignored
their wishes.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Mexico sued the
officers on the couple’s behalf, claiming multiple violations of both
Arutinova’s and Manukian’s civil rights.

"This was a gross abuse of power," said ACLU executive director
Peter Simonson. "The agents had Arutinova and Manukian at their
mercy and they used the opportunity to entertain themselves and to
terrorize the couple."

Things went from bad to worse after the illegal search. Manukian
asked the officers for their names and badge numbers. Agent Jay
Perry pushed Manukian toward the train door and said, "You want my
name? What are you gonna do about it, —hole?"

Fearing for her husband’s safety, Arutinova stepped in between the
two men, but Perry grabbed her roughly by the arm and shook her so
hard that her head struck the wall. Perry then dragged Arutinova by
the arm back down the hallway toward the couple’s roomette, striking
her head against the wall two or three more times. He stopped only
when Arutinova began to scream.

Manukian took photos of the departing agents, but one officer noticed
the camera and the agents returned. Perry grabbed Manukian’s arm and
yelled, "What the hell are you doing taking pictures of us?

Give me that camera!" The agents seized the camera and walked away.

Simonson said, "Clearly the officers were trying to cover their tracks
by seizing the camera. The act was as cowardly as it was illegal."

Zachary Ives and Martha Mulvaney of Freidman, Boyd, Daniel, Hollander
and Goldberg PA are litigating the case for the ACLU along with
ACLU staff attorney George Bach and ACLU Legal Director Phil Davis.
The case was filed in federal district court.

The counts against the officers include retaliation for protected
speech, excessive use of force, and unreasonable search and seizure.
The plaintiffs seek compensatory and punitive damages.

FIRST DEBATES ON CONSTITUTION INVOLVING POLITICAL FORCES
Srbuhi Vanian

Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Oct 3 2006

On September 28 the National Assembly kicked off debates on the draft
Constitution of NKR. The first debates involved the representatives
of political forces and parliament factions. It should be noted that
this is going to be the first Constitution of our republic, and this
fact was appreciated by everyone present (independent from their
opinion about the draft). The debates were conducted by the chair
of the Defense, Security and Legality Committee Rudolf Martirosian,
the chair of the State and Legal Committee Yuri Hairapetian, and
the head of the Task Force on Constitution Armen Zalinian. Speaker
Ashot Ghulian was present too. The text of the draft Constitution was
presented to the members of parliament, organizations and political
parties several months ago, and they had time to study the draft and
come up with proposals and questions during the debates. The members
of parliament long discussed the draft and did not reach agreement
on the way of organizing the debates. Member of Parliament Maxim
Mirzoyan said it would be expedient to discuss every chapter of the
draft separately because it is the basic document of the country and
is intended for a long period. "There should be consistency in every
action. Especially in this case. We should not be afraid of not being
recognized. Let us shake off all the complexes and discuss it part by
part considering the regional, political and military peculiarities,"
he said. Everyone appeared to approve the proposal, but Ashot Ghulian
said the shortage of time may not allow this. "The debates, in fact,
must underlie the adoption of the Constitution, but we are obliged
to take into account the time. It does not depend on our desire
and wish," said the speaker of the National Assembly. It became
known that the first reading of the draft will be in early October,
and it may be adopted at the end of the same month. In the middle
of the debates two or three people left the hall demonstratively,
and the remaining participants presented their proposals and
evaluations. The ARF Dashnaktsutyun put forward a number of questions
connected with the activities of the local governments (they say the
governors should be elected), human rights and civil rights. It was
mentioned that our system of government is saturated and certain posts
could be eliminated. Besides, it was emphasized that the parliament
majority should name the prime minister. Besides, an individual at a
government office should be a citizen of NKR. "This must be set down
in the Constitution to empower the parliament to give a vote of no
confidence to one minister or another," said V. Balayan. A. Zalinian
said for the citizenship of a high-ranking government official that
thus the deep love and care of Armenians living outside the country
is doubted. Meanwhile, the adoption of the Constitution will provide
a quite new model of forming executive power to our state, where
the role of the National Assembly will be enhanced. A. Zalinian
elucidated the questions about territorial integrity and borders
put forward by A. Mosiyan. Edward Aghabekian, ARF Dashnaktsutyun –
Movement 88 Alliance wondered if the Constitution enables people to
elect their government and participate in the activities of these
authorities. Member of the Alliance A. Sargissian pointed out the
shortage of time as the greatest drawback in adopting the Constitution,
and proposed holding debates involving the political parties, which
are not represented in the parliament. "The Constitution must first
of all be written for us, for our life, not for displaying it to
the world. In my opinion, it should solve national and territorial
problems, sustain democracy, marking its viable forms for our country,
and decentralize policies," he said.

Although there was disappointment (several members of parliament
left the hall), during the first debates Armen Zalinian called for
more responsible and balanced approach to the continuing debates on
the constitution. "The Constitution must be the product of efforts
by everyone of us, because it is our present and future," he said.

ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS REMAIN UNDEVELOPED: ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

ARMINFO News Agency
September 30, 2006 Saturday

Armenian-Turkish relations remain undeveloped, Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan said during a joint press-conference with French
President Jacques Chirac.

He said that Armenia is interested in having a more predictable,
safe and democratic neighbor. In this light, we have no fears about
Turkey-EU membership talks, on the contrary, we would like to see
certain problems to be resolved in this process. Kocharyan hopes that
the system of values, respect for freedom of movement, open borders
and other values applied in Europe will cover Turkey too and not at
the end of the talks but from the very beginning.

In his turn, asked if Turkey will have to recognize the Armenian
Genocide to qualify for EU membership, Chirac said that each country
and nation can develop only if it realizes its past. By admitting its
acts against Jews Germany did not lose its grandeur and reliability,
on the country. A country seeking EU membership must respect human
rights as this is the top value in Europe. Turkey should think well
and recognize and condemn its past, Chirac said.

ARMENIAN BEAUTY TO REPRESENT ARMENIA AT BEAUTY CONTEST "MISS EUROPE JUNIOR- 2006" FOR THE FIRST TIME

ARMINFO News Agency
September 27, 2006 Wednesday

A 19-years-old Mariam Melyan will represent Armenia for the first
time at the Beauty Contest "Miss Europe Junior-2006", to be held
October 14, 2006, in a Czech town of Liberec, the President of the
International Organizational Committee of "Miss & Mister World"
Contest, Ashot Khachatryan, said at yesterday’s press-conference.

A. Khachatryan noted that M. Melyan has underwent a difficult
selection round in July, 2006, with participation of 40 girls. The
main requirements, besides good physical data , included knowledge of
English, computer and Internet. Today M. Melyan leaves for Prague to
actively prepare for the coming Contest. Moreover, she will take part
in the Contest "Miss Talent" to be held in Tunis on September 30 –
October 6, 2006. Besides M. Melyan, the girls at the age of 20 from
30 countries of the world, including Russia, will participate in the
Contest "Miss Europe Junior- 2006". To be noted, M Melyan is the only
representative of the Caucasian region in this Contest.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
Government House # 2, Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Republic of Armenia
Telephone: +37410. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +37410. 562543
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

27-09-2006

Minister Oskanian Meets with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs

On September 26, Minister Oskanian met with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The interlocutors discussed the present state of the conflict settlement
process from the perspective of the new initiative introduced by GUAM and
included in the agenda of the 61-th Session of the UN General Assembly.

They also touched upon possible developments and resumption of the process.

Later that day, Minister Oskanian met with Nicholas Burns, US Under
Secretary of State for Political Affairs, and Sheikha Haya Rashed Al
Khalifa, President of the UN General Assembly.

MEPs set to greenlight Turkey report without genocide clause
27.09.2006 – 09:40 CET | By Lucia Kubosova

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – The European Parliament is expected to approve a
critical report on Turkey and its progress on EU membership talks, but MEPs
have signalled they are prepared to drop the suggestion that Ankara must
recognize the Armenian genocide before it can join the bloc.

The plenary vote on Wednesday (27 September) on the report by Dutch
centre-right MEP Camiel Eurlings comes after weeks of heated discussions
topped by a final plenary debate in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

Opening the parliamentary forum, Mr Eurlings said his report was "tough but
fair," reflecting the EU legislature’s regret about the slowing down of the
reform process in Turkey.

He highlighted three key areas where improvement is necessary – freedom of
expression, minority religion rights and the Cyprus issue.

EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn echoed the same concerns, urging
Ankara to undertake "a more resolute reform process" and noting that he is
"rather tired of repeating himself" on human rights issues.

"Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of the reforms. Journalists,
authors, publishers and human-rights activists still face judiciary
proceedings for violations of article 301 of the penal code on the vague
grounds of ‘insulting Turkishness’."

"It is now high time that Turkey amends the restrictive articles in the
penal code" and brings them into line with basic EU principles, noted Mr
Rehn, adding that the national leaders should pursue these reforms "for the
sake of Turkish citizens, not merely to please the EU."

He also suggested that the country needs an "open and constructive exchange
of views, also on "the most sensitive issues" – such as re-conciliation with
its neighbours, including Armenia.

The parliamentary report – as adopted in the foreign policy committee – was
particularly criticised in Turkey for its suggestion that Turkey should
recognize the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 as a pre-condition of its
EU membership.

However, both the centre-right and socialist debaters in the plenary hinted
on Tuesday that they would vote against this particular article to prevent
further controversy.

Cyprus deadlock
Concerning Turkey’s reluctance to open up its ports and airspace to Cypriot
ships and planes, both MEPs and commissioner Rehn noted that the EU’s
December deadline is fast approaching.

"The progress in the negotiations also depends on Turkey meeting its
obligations," said commissioner Rehn, adding that Ankara’s legally binding
duty to fulfill the customs union accord with the EU is not linked with the
bloc’s political commitment to end economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriot
community on the divided island.

Still, he praised the Finnish EU presidency for its effort to break the
deadlock and prevent the suspension of Turkey’s negotiations at the end of
this year, stressing that it is in Europe’s own interest that the country
keep on its democratic path with the goal of joining the bloc.

"If Turkey succeeds, with our consistent support, it can become an ever
sturdier bridge of civilisations, at a moment when the relationship between
Europe and Islam is the greatest challenge of our time."

The European Commission will publish its annual report on Turkey’s EU
progress on 8 November – it is expected to suggest in the report what the EU
should do if Ankara misses the deadline on Cyprus.

ALL ARMENIAN YOUTH CONFERENCE "NATION AND HERITAGE" TO LAUNCH IN STEPANAKERT

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2006

YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. All-Armenian youth conference "Nation
and Heritage" will be held on September 26-30, 2006 in Stepanakert.

Thirty nine young people submitted applications for participation
in this event: 21 – from Nagorno-Karabakh, 18 – from Yerevan and
different Armenian regions.

The conference was initiated by the NKR Ministry of Health, Culture
and Sports and the Center for organization of youth activities of
the Ministry of Culture and Youth.

NKR REPRESENTATIVE IN THE U.S: THERE ARE POSITIVE
TENDENCIES IN THE PROCESS OF NKR’S RECOGNITION

Defacto.am
2006-09-20 15:31:00

Today, DiplomaticTraffic.com, an online periodical of the East West
Communications, published an interview with NKR Representative to
the U.S. Vardan Barseghian.

According to Vardan Barseghian, although not recognized formally
by any government, Karabakh’s continued march to secure lasting
independence is irreversible. "There is no going back for us,"
he said. "Just because Stalin gave Karabakh to Azerbaijan does not
mean that the international community has to reinforce what Stalin
did." He continued: "What [Stalin] did at the beginning of the last
century was against the will of our people. And now we are at the
beginning of the 21st Century." Barseghian noted that GDP doubled
from 2001 to 2005 (increasing to $114 million from $53 million),
and economic growth last year was 14 percent.

Investments have been in telecoms, gold mining, diamond polishing,
jewelry and agriculture. During Soviet times, Karabakh was the
biggest per-capita producer of grapes in the USSR. Karabakh is also
known for its Mulberry brandy, called Tti Oghi locally. "It is a
beautiful country," Barseghian said, offering prospects for tourism
development. Some 4,000 foreigners visited in 2005.

Asked about possible recognition of their republic, Barseghian
said "there are positive tendencies" in that direction. He said
"governments recognize the fact that the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
has been established and functioning as a country, and more and more
contacts look like regular government-to-government contacts." However,
"the US government tries not to portray these as regular contacts,
for obvious reasons." Nevertheless, "what’s interesting is that
Washington tracks what’s going on in Nagorno-Karabakh, including
economic progress and democratization. We have indications through
third parties that they are happy with the progress, although they
would not say that in public."

Regarding relations with Azerbaijan, he said: "I don’t think we have
illusions about being able to negotiate with Azerbaijan directly for
our independence."

Commenting on the work of the Minsk Group, he noted that, "The main
purpose of the Minsk Group is to facilitate negotiations, and not to
achieve a pre-determined outcome." Barseghian said that by fighting
for independence, the people of Karabakh had "reaffirmed our right
to live on the land of our ancestors in the way that we feel is good
for us." He said "It was a very heavy price," with several thousand
ethnic Armenians killed.

He noted that de facto Azerbaijan had recognized Nagorno-Karabakh’s
existence by recognizing the line of contact that separated the
two sides under the ceasefire. "This is the de facto border between
Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh."

"I believe the world recognizes that we deserve to be free, and as a
minimum we should avoid another disaster. International recognition
of Karabakh’s independence will discourage another attack by
Azerbaijan. The ceasefire has held for 12 years, and we believe this
is due to the natural balance of forces." He noted that Azerbaijan’s
oil revenue had been used in part to strengthen its armed forces, and
Karabakh (and Armenia) stress to the US Congress and administration
that a military balance should be maintained to prevent a new attack
by Azerbaijan.

The Governor has issued the following message on the occasion of the
15th Anniversary of Armenian Independence.

Lisa Kalustian

Chief Deputy Director

Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

300 South Spring Street, Suite 16701

Los Angeles, CA 90013

(213)897-0322

FAX (213)897-0319

[email protected]

Septemb er 21, 2006

Armenian Independence Day

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to all those commemorating
the fifteenth anniversary of Armenian Independence.

It is always a special occasion when a people gather to rejoice
in their heritage, and I am privileged to join with the
Armenian-American community on this day of celebration. You enrich
our nation – and especially our state – through your hard work,
spirit of service and wonderful blend of cultural traditions. Thank
you for your contributions to California’s unique and evergrowing
diversity.

In honoring our own ancestries, we not only come to a better
understanding of ourselves, but we also gain a greater appreciation
for the breadth of cultures and customs that make up our Golden State.

On behalf of all Californians, please accept my best wishes for
a meaningful celebration and every future success.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger