Author: Maghakian Mike

Daily Post (Liverpool)
June 23, 2006, Friday
North Wales Edition
THE WAY I SEE IT;
I’ve witnessed the eerie, evil silence that envelops the death camp
at Oswiecim – known in German as Auschwitz. That’s what you call
racism
by ian PARRI
THE World Cup has certainly succeeded in stirring up a few emotions.
Take reader Bryant Merrick, who calls himself “a proud Yorkshireman”,
and who in a letter dubs me a “racist” because I choose not to
support his country’s football team. Get real.
Didn’t they knock us out of the World Cup, having booed our anthem
with venom before the teams met at Old Trafford? You surely don’t
expect me to support them? I’d rather back Greenland. True, we booed
their anthem in Cardiff too, but that was surely knock for knock in
car insurers’ parlance. Wasn’t it?
But how ludicrous can you get? It’s only a game, for crying out loud.
If through some aberration I was to support England in Sunday’s clash
against Ecuador, would I then be accused of racist anti-Ecuadorian
bias? Even a hatred of the entire people of the Andes, duty bound
never to buy an album of pan-pipe music ever again?
Paul Balsom similarly finds himself under the cosh. The 42 year-old
Englishman, who’s worked for the Swedish FA for the last eight years,
was branded a traitor in the London press for preparing a dossier on
England’s team prior to the two teams’ clash on Tuesday.
Which was a bit rich considering that England’s management team
consists of more Swedes than your average farm field. What’s the
Swedish for “traitor”, then?
Such accusations are too easily bandied about and applied to sporting
banter. I’ve seen the rows upon rows of graves in the Terezin ghetto
in the Czech Republic, and I’ve stood at the moving eternal flame
memorial in Yerevan to the one million Armenians slaughtered by the
Turks during World War I. I’ve witnessed the eerie, evil silence that
envelops the death camp at Oswiecim – known in German as Auschwitz.
That’s what you call racism.
On an admittedly far less bloodthirsty scale, I live in a state where
the laws declare categorically that I don’t have the same rights as
those for whom English is their mother tongue.
The unilateral Act of Union of 1536, annexing this country to England
in the same manner as Germany’s THE World Cup has certainly succeeded
in stirring up a few emotions. Take reader Bryant Merrick, who calls
himself “a proud Yorkshireman”, and who in a letter dubs me a
“racist” because I choose not to support his country’s football team.
Get real.
Didn’t they knock us out of the World Cup, having booed our anthem
with venom before the teams met at Old Trafford? You surely don’t
expect me to support them? I’d rather back Greenland. True, we booed
their anthem in Cardiff too, but that was surely knock for knock in
car insurers’ parlance. Wasn’t it?
But how ludicrous can you get? It’s only a game, for crying out loud.
If through some aberration I was to support England in Sunday’s clash
against Ecuador, would I then be accused of racist anti-Ecuadorian
bias? Even a hatred of the entire people of the Andes, duty bound
never to buy an album of pan-pipemusic ever again?
Paul Balsom similarly finds himself under the cosh. The 42-year-old
Englishman, who’s worked for the Swedish FA for the last eight years,
was branded a traitor in the London press for preparing a dossier on
England’s teamprior to the two teams’ clash on Tuesday.
Which was a bit rich considering that England’s management team
consists of more Swedes than your average farm field. What’s the
Swedish for “traitor”, then?
Such accusations are too easily bandied about and applied to sporting
banter. I’ve seen the rows upon rows of graves in the Terezin ghetto
in the Czech Republic, and I’ve stood at the moving eternal flame
memorial in Yerevan to the one million Armenians slaughtered by the
Turks during World War I. I’ve witnessed the eerie, evil silence that
envelops the death camp at Oswiecim – known in German as Auschwitz.
That’s what you call racism.
On an admittedly far less bloodthirsty scale, I live in a state where
the laws declare categorically that I don’t have the same rights as
those for whom English is their mother tongue.
The unilateral Act of Union of 1536, annexing this country to England
in the same manner as Germany’s anschluss or annexation of Austria in
1938, was never repealed. It states that it aims “to extirpate (from
Wales) all and singular the sinister usages and customs differing
from the same (the Kings’ realm)” and that “no person or persons that
use the Welsh speech or language shall have or enjoy any manor,
office or fees within the realm of England, Wales or the king’s other
dominions.”
That, again, is racism. Supporting others at football is a wheeze we
enjoy because our team isn’t there – especially when there’s a tenner
riding on the winner. Viva Argentina!

Ïðaâî Âûaîða, Azerbaijan
Democratic Azerbaijan
June 23 2006
“Zerkalo”: Uncontrolled Territories May be Dangerous for Europe
23.06.2006
It was stated by the head of the Ministry of National Security during
the meeting with Chief Executive of International Organization on
Migration.
Yesterday Minister of National Security of Azerbaijan, Eldar
Makhmudov met with Chief Executive of International Organization on
Migration, B. McKinley. Minister acquainted guests with processes
going on in the region. Possible dangers in this direction were
focused on, as “Trend” informs referring to information from Public
Relations Center of the Ministry.
During the meeting problems of international terrorism, illegal drug
transaction, illegal migration and transnational organized crime were
discussed. E. Makhmudov acquainted B. McKinley with work carried out
by the Ministry in this direction.
Minister touched upon problems connected with occupied territories of
Nagarni Garabagh. Accordingly to him, the fact that over 132 km. of
frontiers are not controlled now, is dangerous not only for
Azerbaijan but for Europe, as it would be helpful for illegal drug
transaction and illegal migration.
–Boundary_(ID_xY7IqFzWwXxm0KkkV+3krA )–

One Nation, One Culture Festival Starts in Armenia
PanARMENIAN.Net
23.06.2006 13:35 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The second pan-Armenian festival “One Nation, One
Culture” is starting in Armenia today. Over 40 events will be held
in all the regions of Armenia, Javakhk and Nagorno Karabakh during
seven days. The festival will start with the parade of participants,
outdoor fetes and non-stop performances with elements of theater,
cinema, national music and dances. Days of theater, cinema, painting,
literature and poetry, music, dance and museums will be held.
Some 2000 people from Armenia, Russia, Italy, the U.S., Austria,
Australia, Turkey, UK, France, Iran and Syria are expected to
participate in the second pan-Armenian festival.
The festival was initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Youth and
One Nation, One Culture Fund and will be held under the RA President’s
patronage. In 2006 the state assigned 117 million drams (some $280
thousand) for the conduction of the festival, reported Novosti-Armenia.

ALERT WATCH OF PUBLIC ORDER
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir.am
23 June 06
After the epic battle of Tetsi Krug in Yerevan everybody believes
that the society is regularly going to witness criminal skirmishes,
for the criminals were not punished. If a criminal is dismissed,
crime is automatically encouraged. And it reoccurs with some delay
to express itself more brazenly than before. The June 22 incident
proved this. If in Tetsi Krug the criminals nevertheless avoided
battle in broad daylight (although they may also have taken into
consideration tactical problems), Malatia was a “daytime show,”
let’s wait for the dawn.
Most probably, we will not have to wait long. Very soon the government
will encourage the valiant soldiers of Malatia in court.
After all, they have to show that intellect is not the only power of
the government. Intellect was useful in Torino, whereas in Yerevan they
need a “mauzer” not to let the people, excited about chess, think that
the ruling elite became intellectual. A long pause between gunshots can
shatter the government because dictatorship fears civilization. This
fear helps the police disperse peaceful protestors in a couple of
seconds, whereas they miss the raging criminal. And it would be too
ingenuous to think that the guilty will be punished this time. There
will not be such a thing, especially on the eve of elections. The
government will not break up with the criminal because very soon the
government will need it. And who knows, maybe it was the order of
the government to start exercising, and we should even be grateful
that they at least shoot one another.
However, passers-by suffer too. In other words, the public is already
in danger. It means that the law enforcement agencies fail. And
it is strange that on their professional day Robert Kocharyan
awarded law-enforcers with different awards and medals. As they
say, for good work. The job of a law enforcers is to guarantee the
security of the citizens. If the life of citizens is in danger, as
we become convinced every 6 months, so for what good work does the
president award the Police, the National Security Service and other
law enforcement agencies? What do they rely on to announce that the
Police succeed in maintaining public order? Maybe they really succeed,
whereas what happens outside the public order is not the business
of the Police. They are not awarded for this. They are awarded for
not interfering.

REPUBLICAN AND BARGAVACH HAYASTAN ARE COMPETING
Lragir.am
22 June 06
The Lragir.am has learned that the relations between the Republican
party and the Bargavach Hayastan Party have become tense. In
particular, these tensions are reflected in the “hunt” for school
directors and teachers. The local governments are in trouble because of
the competition of these two political parties, for they do not know
whose instructions they had better follow in “enlisting” people. It
was even reported that a school director, who had become Republican,
joined the Bargavach Hayastan Party in several days. The Lragir.am
has learned that Bargavach Hayastan has been especially successful
recently, whereas a month ago the “Republicanization” of schools
seemed impossible to prevent.

SHORTAGE OF SPECIALISTS IN ARMENIA
Lragir.am
21 June 06
On June 21 at the National Press Club Manvel Badalyan, chair of the
Council of Civil Service, questioned the statements that there are a
great number of specialists in Armenia. He announced that 431 contests
held by the Council of Civil Service did not have a winner.
Hence, Manvel Badalyan asks where the specialists “the excess of which
is so often considered” are. Manvel Badalyan answers his question:
“They are in the private sector where they are paid better.” The chair
of the Council of Civil Service explains the complaints that people
who are not aware of the sphere win contests for civil service posts
are explained by the lack of specialists.
According to Manvel Badalyan, if the examinations were unfair, and
higher marks were mediated, 431 contests would not remain without
winners. “One of these people would have found a mutual friend or
acquaintance,” says Manvel Badalyan. However, despite the lack of
qualified specialists, the number of participants of contests for
vacant posts of civil servants grows, the age becomes younger.

A WEEK OF IMPROVISATIONS IN YEREVAN
A1+
[07:49 pm] 19 June, 2006
Cultural center “Psalm” which was founded in 2000 will hold a festival
titled “Week of Surprises” in about three cultural houses since June
20. The slogan of the festival will be “Friends for friends”.
According to Anna Mayilyan, the head of the center, “This festival
will give us a chance to gather together with our friends and rejoice
at our meeting.
Our days are so clod and boring”. Photographers, composers and
musicians from France, Germany and Armenia will participate in the
creative events.
Within the framework of the festival two films will be shown in French
translated into Armenian. The first is a 15-minute documental called
“Karskaya” which tells about the life of painted Ida Karskaya. The
second is an animation film by French Armenian famous actor Serge
Avetiqyan called “The Price of Life” which tells about German
concentration camps.
Anna Mayilyan also promised that there will be a number of
improvisations, and the cultural evenings will not have a clear-cut
scenario. “It will be more interesting”, she added.

BATUMI WELCOMES FIRST DIRECT TRAIN FROM YEREVAN
by Tengiz Pachkoria
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
June 18, 2006 Sunday 12:10 PM EST
The first direct train from Yerevan was welcomed at the Batumi railroad
terminal on Sunday. The train brought representatives of the Armenian
and Georgian railroad companies, who attended the train seeing-off
ceremony in Yerevan on Saturday.
The six-car train will be a quicker and cheaper way of transportation
than buses, the officials said.
Plenty of Armenian tourists have been visiting Georgian Black Sea
resorts, and bilateral and economic contacts between Armenia and
Georgia have broadened in the recent years. Georgian and Armenian
trains will be making the shuttle trips.
There was no direct railroad line between Yerevan and Batumi not
only in the 1990s but also in the Soviet period – two cars were first
brought to Tbilisi and then attached to a Tbilisi-Batumi train.

ARMENIANS DROP TAXES FOR GEORGIAN CARGO CARRIERS
The Messenger, Georgia
June 19 2006
Press Scanner
According to Rezonansi, MPs of the Armenian parliament ratified the
Georgian-Armenian agreement on international auto transport. Both
sides signed an agreement on April 25 in Tbilisi. According to Armenian
Minister of Transport and Communication, Andranik Manukian, the aim of
this agreement is putting contract law in order between the two states.
According to the agreement, carriers from both countries are
released from transport and customs taxes, taxes on certain vehicles
will remain, however, Currently, owners of cars pay 10.000 dram
(approximately USD 20); owners of buses pay between 20 000 – 60 000
dram (USD 40-120) depending on the number of passengers; and owners of
trucks pay from 15 000 to 150 000 dram (approximately USD 36 to 360),
depending on size of the truck and cargo.
Manukian stated that these taxes would be abolished and this makes
it possible to intensify bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
Georgia stopped taxing Armenian transport two years ago, while Armenia
had been continuing to collect taxes from Georgia. The paper noted
that neither Georgia nor Armenia have collected traffic taxes.

“RECORD BOXES” REVEALED ALL THE SECRETS
A1+
[12:58 pm] 19 June, 2006
Today the International Aviation Committee officially announced that
the deciphering of the record boxes of the Armenian plane A-320 which
crashed in the Black Sea on May 3 has been concluded. The records of
the plane and those of the airport have also been compared.
One of the record boxes contains information about the last eight
flights if the plane made from April 30 to May 3. The total duration
of the record is about 26 hours. The duration of the lat record is
1 hour and 26 minutes.
The deciphering revealed that the plane did not deconstruct in the
water and the engines worked till the very last moment when the
plane crashed with the water. It was also confirmed that the plane
had enough fuel. Agency “Itar-Tass informed that the autopilot system
was switched off.
At present the Committee analyses the records. At the end of the
investigation a conclusion will be made about the reason of the
crash. The International Aviation Committee does not give any details
about the conclusion.