Author: Maghakian Mike

Armenian Airlines’ A-320 flight modeled in France
by Yevgeny Nikitin

ITAR-TASS News Agency
July 7, 2006 Friday 01:56 PM EST

The Interstate Aviation Committee has modeled the flight of the A-320
jet of Armenian Airlines that crashed near Sochi on May 3, Committee
Deputy Chairman Oleg Yermolov told Itar-Tass on Friday.

He said that Russian, Armenian and French specialists did the job.

The information will now be compared with earlier data, he said. A
technical commission will make a summary and announce results of
the investigation.

The crash killed 113 people onboard.

DEPUTY: "SPEAKING ON THE ARSONS, AZERBAIJANI MEDIA REFLECT EVERYTHING IN DISTORTING MIRROR"

Regnum, Russia
July 5 2006

"Speaking on arsons in territories occupied by Nagorno Karabakh,
Azerbaijani media reflect everything in distorting mirror," Chairman
of Nagorno Karabakh Republic National Assembly Permanent Commission
on Defense, Security, Law, and Order Rudolf Martirosyan stated to
republican Azat Artsakh newspaper; REGNUM correspondent in Stepanakert
reports.

Republican fire-prevention service is permanently on duty to ensure
that the population could harvest without losses. Republican government
granted additional funds to fire-prevention service to make its more
effective. "We handle the situation; we are aware of all the cases
of local fires an do the utmost to prevent them," Martirosyan stressed.

In his turn, NKR Minister of Territorial Governing and Development of
Industrial Infrastructures Armo Tsaturyan informed that there were
really many fires. However, usually they moved to Nagorno Karabakh
territory from Azerbaijan. "The border zone has been sown with wheat
from the Armenian side. The wildfires have caused damage to owners
of the sown areas. More than 165 hectares of wheat have been consumed
by the wildfire. It is, at least, unserious to say that somebody from
our side intentionally sets ripe wheat on fire," the minister said.

AHMADINEJAD STRESSES BOOSTING OF ALL-OUT TIES WITH YEREVAN

Today, Azerbaijan
July 5 2006

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tehran welcomes development
of all-out ties with Armenia, in the spheres of transportation,
culture, sports, tourism and energy in particular.

According to the Fars News Agency, during the meeting, Ahmadinejad
noted 6 rounds of successful joint cooperation commission meetings
and said that the two countries also enjoy desirable and expandable
cooperation in dealing with regional and international issues,
expressing the hope that the visit to Tehran by the Armenian
President would be a significant step ahead in further progress and
reinvigoration of the two states’ mutual relations.

For his part, Armenian President Robert Kocharian expressed pleasure in
visiting Tehran and said that it reminds him of beautiful reminiscences
of the past, adding that his country and the Islamic Republic of Iran,
fortunately, enjoy extensive relations.

Reminding that the two states have so far endorsed 90 agreements
on joint cooperation, he called for taking the steps required for
gaining practical results from the previously held agreements.

Kocharian also voiced Armenia’s enthusiasm for developing cooperation
with the Islamic Republic of Iran in various grounds, including energy,
transportation, linking the two countries’ railroads and increasing
the two states’ capacity of power exchange.

He also extended an invitation to President Ahmadinejad to pay a visit
to Armenia and attend the inaugural ceremony of some joint projects.

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NKR MFA CLOSELY FOLLOWS PROCESSES IN TRANSDNESTR, ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
July 3 2006

The NKR MFA closely follows the processes going on in the Transdnestr
Moldavian Republic, Republic of Abkhazia and Republic of South Ossetia,
as well as the corresponding conflicts’ settlement, Nagorno Karabakh
Republic FM Georgy Petrosyan stated while commenting on the adoption of
a declaration on the establishment of the triple alliance by Abkhazia,
Transdnestr and the South Ossetia, KarabakhOpen reports.

"We regularly keep in touch at various levels, exchange information
and hold multipartite and bipartite consultations. I would not say
that the NKR is distant from its partners. We build our policy taking
into consideration our own interests and the specific features of the
situation in the each of the above-mentioned countries. Our colleagues
from TMR, RA and RSO show great understanding to the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic’s stand", noted the NKR FM.

THE 102ND BASE PREFERS A TRAINING RANGE
by Alexander Tikhonov, Oleg Gorupay

Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, June 29, 2006, p. 2
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
July 3, 2006 Monday

THE 102ND MILITARY BASE OF THE GROUP OF FORCES IN TRANSCAUCASIA:
ONLY THROUGH INTENSIVE COMBAT TRAINING IS IT POSSIBLE TO COMPENSATE
FOR THE PERSONNEL COLLAPSE OF THE 1990S; Meeting of commanders of
regiments, separate military units, their deputies and commanders of
the branches and services of the Armed Forces was accomplished in the
group of Russian forces in Transcaucasia (GRVZ) under supervision of
GRVZ commander Mayor General Andrei Popov at the 102nd military base
deployed in Gyumri (Armenia).

Meeting of commanders of regiments, separate military units, their
deputies and commanders of the branches and services of the Armed
Forces was accomplished in the group of Russian forces in Transcaucasia
(GRVZ) under supervision of GRVZ commander Mayor General Andrei
Popov at the 102nd military base deployed in Gyumri (Armenia). For
a month subordinates of commander of this base Mayor General Andrei
Kholzakov and officers of the GRVZ staff were preparing for training
exercises and working out a plan a plan of the demonstrative battalion
tactical exercises.

Preparation of the meeting was impacted by the fact that simultaneously
personnel of the military base and the GRVZ in general was occupied
with withdrawal of armament and combat hardware from the military
bases in Georgia to Russia and partially to Armenia. Along with this,
this factor did not impact the quality of the training.

In the course of the meeting it was noticeable that representatives
of the younger generation (up to 30 years old) having the posts of
commanders and deputy commanders of some separate battalions and even
regiments had a level of training a little lower and sometimes much
lower than that of representatives of the older generation occupying
the same posts. Control exercises in the training subjects organized
during the meeting demonstrated significant difference in theoretical
and practical level of training of officers depending on their age.

According to opinion of one of commanders of the branches of Armed
Forces of the 102nd military base (an experienced combat officer)
shared by very many people, in current circumstances quitting of
the Armed Forces by officers born between 1958 and 1969 may result
in collapse in a level of combat readiness of the Armed Forces. It
will be simply impossible to substitute them with anyone. To be more
accurate, the substitution will be unequal.

There are several reasons for this. The first is the level of training
of graduates of the military educational institutions of 1995-2004
(in the troops they are even sometimes called a lost generation). A
significant part of them tried to retire immediately.

Second, it is impossible to organize efficient combat training in
military units of reduced strength. Eight training days a month for
military units manned less than 50% is probably the optimal possible
figure, although it is evidently insufficient for training of a highly
professional soldier, leaving apart improvement of combat skills of
officers. In such circumstance when an officer in a rank of major
enters the academy in the best case he manages to receive superficial
acquaintance with the procedure of preparation and conduction of
company tactical exercises and to visit demonstrative battalion
tactical exercises in capacity of a student.

In the current situation, the 102nd military base is in a slightly
better situation than some other units. First, every year one of its
mechanized infantry units (with significant reinforcement) participates
in joint regimental tactical exercises crowned with firing practice
with the Armenian party. Second, command of the GRVZ and the 102nd
base decisively stops attempts of some officers to insist that for
mechanized infantry units of reduced strength manned less than 50%
the highest form of training (field training) is firing practice of
platoons according to normative documents. Finally, there are three
training ranges at disposal of the 102nd base. These are Nubarashen,
Kamkhud and Alagyaz (a tank and artillery range). The mountain
training center Pambak is also used actively under an agreement with
the Armenian party. Availability of a developed training range base
allows the maximum efficient use of the training time determined by
normative documents for units of reduced strength.

There is no doubt that it is not easy for subordinates of General
Kholzakov, commander of the 102nd military base, to combine
fulfillment of the everyday tasks including reception of the Russian
armament removed from Georgia with the training process. However,
senior officers say that more active combat training has positive
influence on all aspects of the base’s activities. First of all,
observance of regulations by servicemen is improved, the field becomes
a familiar training place for soldiers and company and battalion
tactical exercises become a norm of life for mechanized infantry. It
is possible to say for sure now that affairs of the 102nd military
base are going on well and that only through intensive combat training
it is possible to compensate for the personnel collapse of the 1990s.

KILLINGS OF ARMENIANS IS ON THE AGENDA

Lragir.am
03 July 06

Killings of Armenians in Russia is a burning issue of the Armenian and
Russian relations, confessed Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan July
3. Two days past another attack on Armenians the minister announced
in Yerevan that Armenia is continuing to raise the issue of killings
before Russia.

"You know we will keep raising this issue. It is on the agenda, you
already know. The issue is raised in different level meetings. It
equally worries Russia," stated Vardan Oskanyan.

"This phenomenon is widely spread in Russia and continues, and the
Russian government, I think, should consider more sufficient efforts
for prevention. Otherwise, it may grow into a serious threat against
the Russian public," said the foreign minister of Armenia.

SUMMER SESSION OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY TO START IN BRUSSELS

ArmRadio.am
03.07.2006 10:45

The summer session of the OSCE Parliamentary assembly will start today
in Brussels. Goran Lenmarker may possibly publicize his report on
the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Despite this fact, the Azeri delegates
have decided to use the session as a platform for anti-Armenian
statements. Head of the delegation Eldar Ibrahimov noted that the
discussions on "Provision of human security over OSCE territory"
will be used for this purpose.

WITHDRAWAL OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES FROM CONFLICT ZONE WOULD RELAX TENSION IN REGION

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 1 2006

The Co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group have led the peaceful dialogue to
a certain stage after which the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia
should make a decision, Mathew Bryza, the USA state secretary advisor
on Europe and Eurasia, co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group, told in his
interview with Radio Liberty, Trend reports.

"My words may urge people to create a condition for healthy debates
in the region," told Brysa.

"I am surprised not at the debates, but at the issue that several
persons who are not familiar with the recent statement of co-chairs
of Minsk group in Vienna gave a rapid reaction to the meeting. In
the statement of co-chair, everything was stated obviously, but my
statement was shorter and common," Bryza added.

Bryza answered the question "May your peaceful plan statement be
considered part of the strategy on beginning of debates?" that "May
be yes or may be no. I only gave information on happening events. The
document offered to the Permanent Council of OSCE is open for society."

"Co-chairs of Minsk Group used all their abilities and energy to
prepare a "framework agreement" where the main principles of settlement
found their reflections. The president need time to make a decision on
the agreement," stressed Bryza. I’m very energetic and familiar with
the leaders enough. We will continue working with them and don’t state
that the process has been ceased forever. However, we want to note
that the dialogue was held till the definite level, after which the
heads of the conflict countries should themselves take a resolution.

Touching on the contradictory statements on the conducting of
referendum on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, American co-chair noted
that the sides couldn’t come to an agreement on main principles of
the solution. Therefore, both presidents take responsibility that
no agreement was reached up to now. "I cannot say which president
takes greater responsibility. The presidents may declare that an
agreement was reached on the main principles or may announce that
the agreement was made changes and a packet plan will be prepared,"
told new co-chair.

At the same time Bryza noted that he withdrawal of the Armenian armed
forces from the conflict zone, undoubtedly, increase the tension in
the region. "Therefore, the issue is important element of the major
principles of resolution. However, stating to Armenians that withdraw
the arms from the region and it will relax the tension in the region
and we will achieve the desired. The Armenians will go to it, if they
will receive anything in exchange. That is the major principle. The
experts are right -the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces will
relax the tension. But they should receive something in exchange.

Therefore, the heads of state ought to take a difficult resolution.

Bryza noted that the demilitarization of the region will be
accompanied with national voting or referendum on future status of
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The problem is linked with coordination of the time parameters for
withdrawal or re-dislocation of Armenian forces with the status of
Karabakh. That’s the major problem complicating the process.

In the end Bryza voiced his hope that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
will be included in the agenda of the meeting of G8 in St-Petersburg.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the issue will
be under discussion. "We’d like the issue to be included in the agenda
of the meeting," the adviser to the US Secretary of State in Europe
and Eurasia, said.

PRESENTING A FRIENDLIER FACE FOR AMERICA IN IRAQ
By Richard H. Humke
Special to The Courier-Journal

Louisville Courier-Journal, KY
July 2 2006

Iran has been off-limits for most Americans for the last 27 years,
since the beginning of the Iranian revolution in 1979 and the taking
of hostages at the American embassy in Tehran shortly thereafter.

Iranian-Americans and their families have continued to travel there
to visit, of course, but few other Americans have done so.

When the opportunity arose to visit Iran for 12 days, seven
Louisvillians eagerly joined 16 other persons from around the United
States and Britain to do so; I was pleased to be a part of that
group. The visit was sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation,
an international peace-making group now approaching its 100th
anniversary. The Fellowship is experienced in sending groups of
visitors to places like Iran, where tensions between the United States
and that country are particularly great.

Before we left, we were questioned repeatedly by friends and family
about our sanity, and the question most often asked us was, "Aren’t
you afraid?" Of course, we weren’t afraid, or we probably wouldn’t
have gone. But the question did plant some seeds of apprehension in
us nonetheless. What we found in Iran was a welcoming hospitality,
tinged with surprise, everywhere we went. "Thank you for coming." "I
can’t believe you’re Americans." "Did they really give you a visa?"

And most surprising of all: "I’ve never talked to an American."

Making a difference Such expressions of surprise helped us to realize
that we were accomplishing one of our goals: to present a friendly
face of America without the shrill rhetoric that so often accompanies
relations between our governments. We had no misapprehensions that we
could accomplish great things or change the direction of international
relations, but we did believe that each one of us could make the
difference that an individual can make.

We were not blind to the problems that we knew existed in Iran:
persecution of members of the Baha’i religion; zero tolerance for
homosexuals that could result in execution; political oppression
of opposition voices; widespread use of capital punishment and
restrictions on women. Nor did we think we could affect any of those
serious matters. We went to see and to listen and to learn.

We visited some of the many beautiful and ancient sites to be found
in Iran. Iran is not a country whose boundaries have been cobbled
together by Western powers, as Iraq was 75 years ago. It is an ancient
nation with a rich culture and history of which its people are rightly
very proud. Persepolis, Isfahan, Shiraz, Qom — these places are not
very familiar to most Americans, but like Florence or Delphi, they
are rich in architectural and historical interest. I considered our
visiting them as more than going to tourist destinations. Our visits
were also acts of affirmation for our Iranian hosts.

There are religious minorities in Iran, which is 98 percent Muslim.

Twenty-five thousand Jews still call Iran home, a remnant of what was
once a large and thriving ancient community. We visited a synagogue in
Tehran and listened to its president talk about Jewish life in Iran
today. We would have liked to ask him about Israel, and particularly
about the Iranian president’s inflammatory remarks about Israel,
but we knew that to do so would place him and our Iranian hosts in
a very difficult position.

We also visited an Armenian cathedral and its precincts, the Armenians
being the largest of a number of Christian groups in Iran totaling
as many as 250,000. Accepting the reality of living in an Islamic
republic, Christians, too, seemed to have a freedom to practice
their faith.

The Zoroastrians are the ancient, pre-Islamic religion of Iran, and
a visit to one of their centers and a talk (through an interpreter)
by one of their priests gave us further understanding of this very old
religion. They, too, appeared to be free to exercise their religious
faith within their own community.

It was only by accident that we were in Iran at a particularly tense
time, shortly after Seymour Hersh alleged in The New Yorker that our
government was considering the use of nuclear weapons against Iran’s
underground uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz. We visited the
village of Natanz and on the way passed that nuclear facility.

Our destination in Natanz, however, was a home for girls who for
various reasons were no longer able to live with their parents. The
home had been begun by a gentle-faced mullah who joined us and the
girls for a sumptuous Iranian lunch which they served us as we sat
on lovely carpets spread on the floor. As these beautiful and very
intelligent young women, enveloped in their chadors, spoke to us
about their hopes and dreams for their lives, I could not get out of
my mind the specter of those nuclear weapons which the United States
might possibly use. Because, of course, there would be no need for
those beautiful girls to have plans for the future. There would be
no future for them.

War ‘cannot be the answer’ I came back more convinced than I had
ever been that war cannot be the answer to our difficulties with
Iran. We must learn to talk together and to negotiate in good faith
— and so must they, of course — without the threat of destroying
one another. This great country of ours surely can take the lead in
doing that.

The Rev. Richard H. Humke is a retired Episcopal priest who lives in
Louisville. For many years, he was rector of St. Matthews Episcopal
Church.

Jerusalem Post
June 30 2006

Jerusalem of Film

By HANNAH BROWN

Israeli film buffs, your prayers have been answered. The 23rd
Jerusalem Film Festival, which runs from July 6-15 at the Jerusalem
Cinematheque and other Jerusalem theaters, has a star-studded guest
list, led by Life Achievement Award winner Roman Polanski, director
of such classics as Rosemary’s Baby and Chinatown, who will be here
to present his latest film, a new, grittier version of Oliver Twist.
In addition to Polanski, this year’s festival will host movie stars
and directors who will thrill serious cineastes and more casual movie
lovers alike and will feature nearly 200 movies from all over the
world.

"This year, we have some very gifted people coming," says Lia van
Leer, Jerusalem Film Festival founder and director, as well as
founder of the Jerusalem Cinematheque, in an understatement. "And we
have some wonderful films."

In the movie star category, there’s actress Debra Winger (An Officer
and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment), who will be attending the
festival as a juror for the Wolgin Awards for Israeli Features and
the Drama Award in Memory of Anat Pirchi. She also narrates the
newest documentary by Lily Rivlin, Can You Hear Me? Israeli and
Palestinian Women Fight for Peace. Actress Kim Cattrall, best known
as Samantha on the television show Sex and the City, will also be
attending as part of a Canadian delegation (please see sidebar on
special programs). Other festival guests (at presstime) include
director Chen Kaige, here with his latest film, The Promise ; Istvan
Szabo, who will present Relatives ; actress Julie Depardieu (daughter
of Gerard), the star of Sauf Le Respect Que Je Vous Dois ; and
Baltasar Kormakur, director of A Little Trip to Heaven, best known
for Reykjaviik 101.
Achievement Award winners this year are Atom Egoyan, the Canada-based
director of Armenian descent, whose 2002 film, Ararat will be
screened; producer Robert Lantos, who has made such films as
eXistenZ, Felicia’s Journey and Being Julia and who first visited
Israel as a water polo player for the Canadian team in the 1969
Maccabiah Games; and director/actor Eli Cohen, who has made such
films as summer of Aviya and the documentary in the current festival,
Fence, Wall, Border . . .
It’s no surprise that an Israeli shares the honors with distinguished
foreign winners, because this festival is the coming-out party for
the Israeli film industry: It has officially come of age. Two years
ago, the success – both here and abroad – of such movies as Avi
Nesher’s Turn Left at the End of the World, Eytan Fox’s Walk on
Water, Joseph Cedar’s Campfire, Keren Yedaya’s Or, Gidi Dar’s
Ushpizin, Eran Riklis The Syrian Bride and many other Israeli films
came as a surprise. Now, with Israeli films picking up major awards
at festivals all over the world, the time has come to acknowledge
Israel’s place in international cinema and van Leer has chosen to
mark this passage by opening the festival with an Israeli film for
the first time ever.

On July 6 at the Sultan’s Pool amphitheater, before a crowd of
thousands, Oded Davidoff’s Someone to Run With, an adaptation of
David Grossman’s bestselling novel will play on a giant screen. It
tells the story of a teenage boy and girl in Jerusalem who meet while
tracking down a lost dog and the girl’s drug-addicted brother.
Following the screening, there will be an opening party right nearby
at The Lab.

Someone to Run With is just one of a large group of promising Israeli
films competing this year for the Wolgin Awards (see sidebar on
Israeli cinema). Fourteen films from all over the world will also
compete for the Wim van Leer in the Spirit of Freedom Awards, which
are given in memory of Lia van Leer’s husband and deal with the quest
for freedom.

The festival has a special section on French cinema, which now
includes films in French from Francophone countries around the world.
Abderrahmane Sissako’s Bamako is set in Mali and interweaves stories
about families in a courtyard with a mock-trial of World Bank
officials. Alain Tasma’s Nuit Noire, 17 Octobre 1961 is a feature
film about a massacre in France of Algerians who protested the French
occupation of that country. Well-known French directors such as
festival guest Chantal Ackerman are also in the lineup. Her latest
film, a documentary called La Bas, is a film diary about her 2005
stay in Tel Aviv and her feelings about her own Judaism.

The rich Panorama Section features movies from all over the world,
including American movies with big-name stars such as Jennifer
Aniston, who appears in Nicole Holofcener’s Friends with Money.
Sidney Lumet’s latest film, the crime thriller Find Me Guilty
starring Vin Diesel, will be shown. But some of the most intriguing
films come from Asia, including Hong Kong director Johnnie To’s
Election and Election II look at the succession in a Sopranos-style
crime family. Super-cool Japanese crime star "Beat" Takeshi is faced
with an imposter in Takeshis’. The life of a family living in the
Mongolian plains is the focus of The Cave of the Yellow Dog,
Byambasuren Davaa’s follow-up to his international hit, The Story of
the Weeping Camel.

Latin American films also have a strong presence, with such movies as
Claudia Llosa’s Madeinusa, about a young woman in a remote Peruvian
village who sees a way out when a geologist comes to town.

As you flip through the 300-page festival catalog, certain themes
emerge. "There are wars everywhere, but there is also daily violence.
There are the same problems all over the world," van Leer comments.
As in past years, many of the films deal with refugees and others who
don’t feel at home in the countries they live. For example,
Lebanese-born, Sweden-based Josef Fares’ latest film, Zozo, looks at
a teenage boy moving from Beirut to Sweden. And a special program of
films from the Sarajevo Film Festival examines the fallout from that
country’s civil war, with films such as Jasmila Zbanic’s Grbavica,
the story of a Sarajevo girl searching for the truth about what her
father did during the war.
The trend of strong documentaries continues with such films as Micha
Peled’s China Blue, a look at Chinese migrants from rural areas to
the cities; A Lion in the House, a portrait of children coping with
cancer; festival guest director Alan Berliner’s latest, personal look
at the universal problem of insomnia, Wide Awake; The Pervert’s Guide
to the Cinema, a portrait of festival guest philosopher and
psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek by Sophie Fiennes (sister of actors Ralph
and Joseph); Ashim Ahluwalia’s John & Jane shows what really goes on
in a Mumbay international call center; and Deborah Scranton’s The War
Tapes focuses on three American soldiers in Iraq who document their
experiences with video cameras.

Werner Herzog is represented at the festival by two documentaries,
The White Diamond, about zeppelins and The Wild Blue Yonder, a
quasi-documentary look at people who believe in aliens. He is also
the subject of a third documentary, Walking to Werner.
The Jewish Experience program also features some intriguing
documentaries, including Mimmo Calopresti’s Volevo Solo Vivere, a
look at Italian concentration camp survivors. Among the feature films
vying for the Jewish Experience Awards are Song of Songs, Josh
Appignanesi’s look at British ultra-Orthodox; Richard Dembo’s La
Maison de Nina, about a Jewish refugee from Greece who sets up an
orphanage after World War II; and Nina’s Journey, Lena Einhorn’s look
at her family’s fight to survive the Holocaust in Poland.

Festival consultant Vivian Ostrovsky spotlights the best of
avant-garde cinema in her "Carte Blanche" program, including a look
at multi-media artist Matthew Barney, Matthew Barney: No Restraint.