Author: Maghakian Mike

OSCE MONITORING HELD WITHOUT CAUSALITIES
Author: E.Javadova

TREND Info, Azerbaijan
May 11 2006

No breach has been fixed in the OSCE monitoring held in the contact
lime of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in Ashagi Eskipara
village of Gazakh District on 11 May in accordance with schedule, the
acting spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Ilgar Verdiyev, told Trend.

Field assistants to the special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office,
Oleksander Samarskiy, Imre Palatinus and Peter Key held monitoring
in the Azerbaijani side of the frontline.

Andjey Caspzyk, special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office and
his field assistants Harry Eronen and Jiri Aberle, were in charge of
monitoring in eh Armenian side of the contact line.

RA POPULATION’S MONETARY PROFIT INCREASES 16% COMPARED WITH FIRST QUARTER OF PREVIOUS YEAR

Noyan Tapan
May 11 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 11, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-March 2006, monetary profit
of the population in Armenia made 312 mln 792 thousand drams (about
695 thousand U.S. dollars), and monetary expenses made 326 mln 800
thousand 400 drams.

According to data of the RA National Statistical Service, speeds
of their increase made correspondingly 16% and 18.3% compared with
January-March of 2005. The population’s really managed monetary profits
(profits without compulsory payments, taking into account changes
of indexes of consumer prices) increased 16.6% in January-March,
2006 compared with January-March of 2005.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
05/10/2006
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1) Karabagh Celebrates Victory Day
2) Erdogan Asks French Firms to Help Defeat Genocide Bill
3) Azeri And Armenian Foreign Ministers to Meet Next Week
4) Armenians Participate in Fourth European Social Forum
5) FC MIKA Wins Armenian Cup

1) Karabagh Celebrates Victory Day

STEPANAKERT (Armenpress)The Soviet victory in WWII, the liberation of Shushi,
and the creation of the Mountainous Karabagh Defense Army were celebrated
Tuesday in the Mountainous Karabagh Republic on Victory Day.
Columns of MKR Defense Army units marched solemnly in the Stepanakert
streets.
Meetings with veterans of WWII and the Artsakh War, concerts, sporting events,
and art expositions took place all over the republic.
The events ended with fireworks in the Republic’s Square of Revival.

2) Erdogan Asks French Firms to Help Defeat Genocide Bill

(Combined Sources)–Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with
representatives of French companies Tuesday and warned them that a French bill
criminalizing denial of Armenian genocide would damage relations between their
countries, the state-owned Anatolia news agency reported. Erdogan’s spokesman
confirmed the meeting took place.
The French Parliament will discuss the proposed bill next week, which would
make it a crime to deny that the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks at
the beginning of the 20th century constituted a genocide.
The French bill was proposed by the opposition Socialist Party and submitted
to the French parliament. It is similar to a law making it a crime in
France to
deny the Holocaust of World War II.
On Monday, Turkey recalled its ambassador to Paris, Osman Koroturk, over the
proposed bill. Koruturk, who went to Ankara to offer an official analysis
through diplomatic channels, will return to Paris by this weekend.
Turkey is exerting efforts in diplomatic, political and economic channels
against the bill in question.
Turkey has used economic leverage before to punish France for its stance on
the Armenian genocide: in 2001, Turkey canceled millions of dollars worth of
defense deals with French companies after lawmakers in France recognized the
Genocide.
Erdogan reportedly told the assembled company representatives in Ankara that
he wanted them to pressure the French government not to enact it.
“We expect executives of French firms to react to the draft law,” Erdogan was
quoted as saying, warning that its passage would negatively affect relations.
Erdogan added that the law was not conducive to freedom of thought and
expression, Anatolia reported.
As part of the concerted efforts, the Turkish Parliament Foreign Affairs
Commission went to Paris Tuesday to meet with representatives of political
parties represented in the French Parliament and ask for the motion to be
withdrawn.
The Turkish deputies are expected to warn the French politician that the
motions’ becoming law may lead to irreparable damages in bilateral relations.
Also, earlier this month, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul was widely quoted in
the Turkish news media as asking his French counterpart, “Will you throw me in
jail too?” if he stated that the killings were not genocide, which is official
Turkish government policy.
Meanwhile, France’s Ambassador to Ankara, Paul Poudade, said that he does not
think that there will be a big crisis between the two countries.
Poudade said France’s relations with Turkey are important, but added, “at the
same time, keeping ties with France, a European Union member, is also to the
advantage of Turkey.”
Ankara also does not expect rocky relations with Paris at this point. It has
not taken any extreme measures, such as officially withdrawing the Turkish
ambassador.
The temporary recalling of the ambassador, however, was a strong statement by
Turkey, which faces an uphill battle to win over the French public in hopes of
gaining eventual entrance to the European Union.
Turkey also recalled its ambassador to Canada over the Genocide issue, saying
remarks by the Canadian prime minister recognizing the Genocide could
seriously
harm Turkish-Canadian relations.
Turkey has said it would return both ambassadors after consultations in
Ankara.

3) Azeri And Armenian Foreign Ministers to Meet Next Week

BAKU (Armenpress)–The Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers, Vartan Oskanian
and Elmar Mamedyarov, will meet on May 18-19 in Strasbourg, France.
Mamedyarov confirmed Oskanian’s statement Wednesday that the two would
meet in
Strasbourg to discuss the possibility of holding a meeting between the
Presidents of the two countries in June.
The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk will also join the talks to be held between
Oskanian and Mamedyarov.
Meanwhile, Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yury Merzlyakov, said
that he and his two counterparts from the US and France, Steven Mann and
Bernard Fassier, were waiting for reaction to their latest proposals from
officials in Yerevan and Baku.
These new proposals were delivered to the Azeri and Armenian governments by
Fassier during his latest visit to the region.
“I think it was the most important visit following our meeting in Moscow to
formalize these proposals,” Merzlyakov said.

4) Armenians Participate in Fourth European Social Forum

(Combined Sources)Approximately 30,000 people gathered in Athens on May 4-7
for
the fourth annual European Social Forum (ESF) to discuss the war in Iraq,
neoliberalism in Europe, and immigrant rights.
The forum, which brings together all social movements in Europe, featured
hundreds of seminars, booths sponsored by various organizations at the event’s
main fair, and a meeting on Friday night to hear anti-war activists.
At the end of the forum, over 80,000 people joined a demonstration through
the
center of Athens, where “hands off Iran” echoed through the streets.
Two representatives from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) youth
organization of Armenia and five ARF youth organization members from Greece
participated in the Forum.
The delegates ran a booth during the fair, where they handed out
informational
packets and brochures educating attendees about the organization, the Armenian
genocide, and selling Armenian CDs.
With over one thousand Turks also participating in the forum, representatives
of the two groups had a chance to discuss some of the most pertinent issues in
Armenian-Turkish relations.
The Armenian delegates spoke to their Turkish counterparts about the
importance of Genocide recognition.
The Turkish participants agreed that Turkey must recognize the Armenian
genocide and acknowledged the wrongdoing of their government.
Although the Armenian and Turkish delegations got a chance to meet and
discuss
important issues, the ESF did not have any plenary sessions where participants
could debate some of the major issues facing the movement.
Organizers of the ESF reported that it was the biggest political gathering in
Greece since the student uprisings of the 1970s.

5) FC MIKA Wins Armenian Cup

FC MIKA won their fifth Armenian Cup after a 1-0 win against FC Pyunik in
Tuesday’s final. Both teams played a great game, but it was Armen
Shahgeldyan’s
23rd minute
goal that clinched the game for MIKA.
MIKA and Pyunik are the only two teams to have won the Armenian
Cup since 2000, but they had never played each other in the final before.

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U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
May 08, 2006

Q&A: ILHAM ALIYEV; INTERVIEW; Pg. 24; Vol. 140, No. 17

A Big Ally in a Tiny Country

by Bay Fang

The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, had a lot to discuss with
President Bush last week. Not only does the small Muslim nation
occupy a strategic location between Russia and Iran at a time when
tension between the United States and Iran is high, but it is also on
the verge of a huge oil boom. This summer, a 1,000-mile pipeline
originating in Azerbaijan will begin pumping oil across three
countries to a Turkish port on the Mediterranean Sea. Aliyev spoke to
U.S. News about these developments and about how he hopes Washington
will help resolve the country’s decade-long conflict with Armenia.
How will the completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline affect
world oil and gas markets?
This pipeline means we will be able to produce more oil and
deliver it to world markets. When we started building it five or six
years ago, oil prices were not as high as they are today. Now, it
becomes more and more important for the world’s energy security. It
is a new route that will deliver oil from the Caspian to the
Mediterranean, which has never existed before.
Is it possible to quantify the effect on the markets?
The pipeline will transport at least 1 million barrels of oil a
day in 2008. In the future, the pipeline’s capacity can be expanded;
it will depend on the level of production. It has huge potential.
How do you avoid what some people call the “oil curse”?
We are very determined to use oil wealth to develop a strong
economy, and not to depend on oil and oil prices in the future. To
achieve that, we need to have a high degree of transparency in
accumulating and spending oil wealth. Azerbaijan is a leading country
in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which has a
main goal of having transparent accounting.
How does Azerbaijan see itself developing as a secular democracy?
As a secular state with a predominantly Shiite population, can it be
a model for Iran?
What we do and what we plan is not aimed at being used as an
example. It is just for the sake of the people of Azerbaijan, for the
development of our country. We are secular not only by constitution
but by our lifestyle. It is a very good example of how
representatives of various nations and allegiances can live together
in peace and autonomy. We have a predominantly Muslim population, but
at the same time we have substantial Christian and Jewish
communities.
What other democratic reforms are coming up?
Azerbaijan over the last five years has adjusted most of its
legislation to the standards of European countries. All of the basic
political freedoms are available; political institutions are becoming
stronger. At the same time, they should be accompanied by strong
economic reform. When people are poor, they think not about
democratic development but about day-to-day needs. Last year we had a
GDP growth of 26 percent, the highest in the world.
Was the GDP growth mostly in the oil sector?
It was 12 percent in the non-oil sector, 14 percent in the oil
sector. We are trying now to diversify the economy. Oil will come to
an end sooner or later, so the country’s long-term development should
not depend on oil.
You have said that the United States ‘standoff with Iran should be
resolved diplomatically. But if the United States decides to react
militarily to Iran, what will Azerbaijan’s reaction be?
We still hope that it will be resolved in a diplomatic way. The
other option may lead to catastrophe in the region and may damage all
the positive trends and prospects for cooperation and development.
Azerbaijan, for more than a decade, has had part of its territory
under Armenian occupation. And all of the advice in the West is to
resolve it peacefully, despite the fact that 10 years of negotiations
led to no results. Therefore, we also think that in this case a
peaceful solution, patience, diplomatic efforts should be tried until
the very possible end.
Do you have high hopes for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict?
On the one hand, we’ve been in a cease-fire regime for 12 years.
Despite various periods of negotiation, no result. That does not add
optimism. But on the other hand, the latest activity of mediators,
including the U.S. and Russia, creates hopes. But to resolve it, both
sides need to stick to international law and principles: Occupied
territories of Azerbaijan should be returned without any
preconditions. And the millions of Azerbaijanis who suffered from the
policy of ethnic cleansing by the Armenian government have the right
to return to their homeland.
How will Azerbaijan’s role in the war on terrorism change because
of the U.S. loss of the K2 air base in Uzbekistan last year?
We joined the antiterror operation as soon as the United States
invited allies to join. We are still committed to the partnership. We
have our soldiers serving alongside U.S. soldiers in Kosovo, Iraq,
and Afghanistan. This policy has not changed at all. The role of
Azerbaijan as the United States’ ally in the region is significant,
and the significance of this role may change due to circumstances
that develop, but our policy is not changed based on it.

“Blessed by Fire” and “The War Tapes” Take Take Tribeca Film Festival Honors

indieWIRE
May 7, 2006

By Brian Brooks

Two war-inspired films took top honors at the 5th Tribeca Film Festival.
“Blessed by Fire” (Iluminados por el Fuego) by Tristan Bauer and U.S.
director Deborah Scranton’s “The War Tapes” won the Best Narrative
Feature prize and Best Documentary Feature prize respectively during an
awards dinner this evening (Saturday) in Chinatown in Lower Manhattan.
“Fire,” (Argentina, Spain) is based on the memoir of a veteran of the
Falklands Islands War between Argentina and the U.K. in the early ’80s,
while present-day Iraq is the backdrop for “War Tapes,” which chronicles
the stories of several members of a National Guard unit deployed to Iraq
sharing their experiences and lives from their point-of-view. Also
taking honors this evening were Marwan Hamed for “The Yacoubian
Building” for Best New Narrative Filmmaker (Egypt) and Pelin Esmer for
“The Play,” which took Best New Documentary Filmmaker (Turkey).

The New York Loves Film Documentary prize went to Dan Lohaus’ “When I
Came Home.” The film centers on Iraq war veteran Herold Noel who suffers
from post-traumatic stress disorder and lives out of his car in
Brooklyn. Both the director and Mr. Noel took the award Saturday evening
and gave a short, but emotional acceptance. “I never thought I’d do a
documentary about homeless Iraqi war veterans, but we’ve got them, and
we have them here in [New York],” said Lohaus. But it was Noel who
brought the audience to its feet with a moving speech about the war and
its personal toll, thanking the Tribeca Film Festival for giving him
strength. “I thought nobody cared,” he said. Closing out the ceremonial
part of the evening after accepting his best narrative feature award,
Bauer seemed to provide the popular sentiment of the crowd. “Please…
no more war in the world. No more war in Iraq.”

The full list of the Tribeca Film Festival winners:

The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature: “Blessed By Fire”
(Iluminados por el Fuego), directed by Tristan Bauer, Argentina, Spain.

Best Documentary Feature: “The War Tapes,” directed by Deborah Scranton,
USA.

Special Documentary Jury Prize: “Voices of Bam,” directed by Aliona van
der Horst and Maasja Ooms, Netherlands.
Outstanding achievement in documentary to ” Jesus Camp,” directed by
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, USA; “Jonestown:The Life and Death of
Peoples Temple,” directed by Stanley Nelson, USA; “MAQUILOPOLIS: city of
factories,” directed by Vicky Funari and Sergio de la Torre, USA/Mexico.

Best New Narrative Filmmaker: Marwan Hamed for “The Yacoubian Building”
(Omaret Yacoubian), Egypt

Best New Documentary Filmmaker: Pelin Esmer for “The Play” (Oyun), Turkey.

Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film: Juergen Vogel in “The Free Will”
(Der Freie Wille), Germany.
Special mention to Adel Imam, “The Yacoubian Building” (Omaret
Yacoubian), Egypt.

Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film: Eva Holubova in “Holiday
Makers” (Ucastnici zajezdu), Czech Republic.
Special mention to the ensemble cast of “Holiday Makers” (Ucastnici
zajezdu).

NY Loves Film Documentary: “When I Came Home,” directed by Dan Lohaus, USA.
Honorable mention to Jack Smith and the “Destruction Of Atlantis,”
directed by Mary Jordan, USA and “The Cats of Mirikitani,” directed by
Linda Hattendorf, USA.

Best Made in New York Narrative Feature: “The Treatment,” directed by
Oren Rudavsky, USA.
Honorable mention to “A Very Serious Person,” directed by Charles Busch,
USA.

Best Narrative Short: “The Shovel,” directed by Nick Childs, USA.
Special mention to “Topor and Me” (Topor et moi), directed by Sylvia
Kristel, Netherlands.

Best Documentary Short: “Native New Yorker,” directed by Steve Bilich, USA.

Student Visionary Award: “Dead End Job,” directed by Samantha Davidson
Green, USA.

Audience Award: “The Cats of Mirikitani,” directed by Linda Hattendorf,
USA.

Tribeca Film Institute/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Screenplay Development
Winners:
Signature series: “The Starry Messenger,” screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan
Main program: “Project Mustard,” Screenwriter Ban Zeff and Producer
Andrew Bendel and “Challenger,” screenwriter Nicole Perlman.

Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award for Narrative Feature: “Before
the Beast Returns” by Sterlin Harjo.

Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award for Documentary Feature:
“Outside the Box” by Lacey Schwartz.
Honorable mention – “Free Angela & All Political Prisoners” by Shola Lynch.

Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award for screenwriting: Milton Liu
for “John Hughes Ruined My Life.”
Honorable mention – Ose Oyamendan for “Resistance.”

Black Sea air crash compensation to be set after investigation

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 03, 2006

YEREVAN/SOCHI, May 3 (RIA Novosti) – A decision on compensation
following the deaths of all passengers of an Armenian Armavia
Airlines plane that crashed over the Black Sea will be reached after
an investigation, the airline said Wednesday.

All the 113 passengers and crew are presumed dead after an Airbus plane
flying from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to an airport servicing
the popular Russian resort of Sochi disappeared from radar screens
at 2:15 a.m. local time (Tuesday 10:15 p.m. GMT).

Independent experts appointed by insurers are assessing the level
and procedures for compensation payouts, Armavia Airlines said.

“All passengers of the crashed A-320 airliner were insured in
accordance with international regulations and standards. Risks were
reinsured on the international market,” an airline source said, adding
that the airline would announce the final details as soon as possible.

Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin is currently meeting with
Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sargsyan at Adler Airport, which
services Sochi. A crisis center has been set up there.

Eighty-six relatives of the victims have arrived at Adler, and a
further 120 are expected soon.

The airline said, “On arrival, everyone is being put in hotels in
the city, and is being brought food. Where necessary, they are being
provided with medical and psychological help.” The Russian Emergency
Situations Ministry said bad weather was most likely to blame for
the loss of the A-320.

Medical aid is also being provided to families of victims staying at
Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport while the bodies of their relatives are
being recovered from the sea, airport doctor Lyudmila Avakyan said.

May 5 and 6 have been declared mourning days in Armenia, and May 5
in Russia.

Georgia Tries to Politicize Tragedy in Black Sea

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.05.2006 15:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia is trying to politicize the tragedy of the
Armenian airbus in the Back Sea, former Chair of General Department of
Civil Aviation of Armenia, Chair of the National Aviation Union, USSR
honored pilot Dmitry Atbashyan told journalists in Yerevan. “Official
Tbilisi tries to divide Russia and Armenia,” he said, when commenting
on statements of Georgian dispatcher services that landing the A-320
plane in Sochi airport was not possible due to bad weather.

According to Atbashyan, the data of Sochi dispatcher service could
not be less reliable than those of the Georgians. “During the flight
constant communication is present between the pilot and dispatchers
of the taking off location and the destination,” he said, reports
Novosti Armenia.

Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
May 5, 2006  
CONTACT: Karoon Panosyan
E-mail: [email protected]

CA ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE PASSES BILL OFFERING ARMENIAN
CREDENTIAL FOR TEACHERS

Beverly Hills, CA – The Armenian Assembly welcomed the news that
the California Assembly Education Committee unanimously passed
legislation that would expand the single subject foreign language
California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET) to include the
Armenian Language (AB 2913).

The Armenian Assembly sent a letter of support urging the passage of a
bill which ensures that the Armenian language is included in the CSET’s
single subject teaching credential. The bill states that the first
Armenian CSET must be administered by September 1, 2009 and will allow
high schools, colleges and universities to offer the Armenian language
as a course in the curriculum by teachers credentialed in Armenian.

“Our state boasts the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia,
and yet we have no program available for teachers who want to be
credentialed in the Armenian language,” California Assembly Majority
Leader Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) said in a press statement on April
27. “This bill will not only better equip teachers in districts
with large Armenian populations, it will also allow all interested
students to study the Armenian language in high schools, colleges
and universities.”

“We appreciate Assembly Majority Leader Frommer’s leadership on this
issue,” said Western Office Director Lena Kaimian. “We are pleased
that the Armenian language teaching credential is in the process of
being added to the curriculum given the increasing number of students
that claim it as their native language and we look forward to its
complete approval.”

Frommer’s assembly district, representing the communities of Glendale,
Burbank, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, North Hollywood and Toluca Lake,
has the largest concentration of Armenians in the United States. The
Glendale Unified School District, reported that it had 3,904 English
language learners who primarily speak Armenian, making up 49% of the
districts total English language learner population. This legislation
will provide a balance in that the Armenian language will be treated
equally as other numerous foreign languages are in the State. The
legislation will next be considered by the Assembly Appropriations
Committee later this month.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

###
NR#2006-045

–Boundary_(ID_fBy DtYOL0NXbMvtg2En22w)–

RECORDS ON RECOGNIZING 113 DEATHS IN A-320 CRASH BEING EXECUTED IN SOCHI

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.05.2006 14:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Records on recognizing 113 persons dead at the crash
of the Armenian liner are being executed in Sochi on Saturday. At
the meeting of the Governmental Commission for research of the air
crash causes, search of remains and assistance to relatives of the
victims advised all to relatives, who arrived in Sochi, to travel home.

“We will execute all necessary documents on recognition of the
persons dead,” Deputy chair of the Governmental Commission, Russian
Deputy Minister of Transport Sergey Aristov assured relatives of the
victims and journalists. No corpses were found within the past day,
Aristov said after an 11-hour conference of the staff, reports the
National News Agency (Russia).

DOCUMENTARIES OF TURKISH, IRANIAN AND RUSSIAN FILM MAKERS TO BE DEMONSTRATED IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
May 05 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Within the framework of the documentary
film program “Film Makers Without Borders”, the Golden Apricot cinema
development fund and Art-film will show 3 Turkish documentaries, 2
Russian and 3 Iranian ones at the cinema hall of the National Picture
Gallery on May 7. All eight documentaries have been demonstrated at
various international film festivals and won awards. Art Director of
the Golden Apricot international film festival Susanna Harutyunian told
NT correspondent that the same program enviasages demonstration of 7
Armenian documentaries in Turkey in May. The works of Armenian film
directors will be shown once again in Turkey, this time during the
1000 and One Documentaries film festival to be held in the period
of September 29 to October 5, 2006. It is envisaged to organize
discussions and meetings with film directors of various countries
during the festival. The Armenian documentaries will be also
demonstrated at the Kinoshock international festival in the Russian
city of Anapa in October. According to S. Harutyunian, Iranians also
had the opportunity to watch these Armenian documentaries in February
of this year.