Author: Nadirian Emma

A1+

ARMENIA’S SUCCESS DEPENDS ON THE WORLD BANK
[04:58 pm] 16 March, 2007

On March 16, RA President Robert Kocharyan received Ms. Donna
Douset-Koirolo, the World Bank (WB) Regional Director for South
Caucasus and the newly-appointed head of the WB Yerevan office
Aristomene Varoudakisi.

The sides highlighted the high level of the bilateral collaboration
and the mutual efficiency.

Robert Kocharyan pointed out the importance of high-quality reforms
and dwelt on the Armenia-WB relations from this angle.

In Mr. Kocharyan’s words, the current prosperity in the country’s
economic sphere is determined by the fruitful cooperation with the WB.

While introducing the newly-appointed head of the Yerevan office,
Ms. Donna Douset-Koirolo assured that Aristomene Varoudakisi will
continue the economic reforms further on and enhance cooperation.

The sides also referred to the programs realised by the WB in
Armenia. The RA President sees the social issues the country’s number
one priority. In this view he suggested paying more attention to the
social sphere.

ARAM HAMBARIAN: I HOPE ALL EMPLOYEES OF U.S. EMBASSY IN RA WILL SPEAK ABOUT
GENOCIDE WITH SAME BRAVERY AS JOHN EVANS DID

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN. "Candidate for U.S. Ambassador to RA
Richard Hoagland answered to Senators Kerry and Boxer in a written
form that there has been no Genocide and questioned the massacres of
Armenians in the Ottoman Empire." Aram Hambarian, Executive Director
of Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), stated this in his
commentary given to the Yerkir web-site touching upon the statement
spread the day before by U.S. Embassy in RA.

A. Hambarian once more stated that firstly, Richard Hoagland
pretending to the post of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia refuted the
Armenian Genocide. "Secondly, if you want to understand the position
of U.S. government, you should form a clear idea about the position of
the authorities in this issue of great importance for Armenians. They
can play on words, but for us, the most important is the legislation,"
Hambarian emphasized.

In the words of the Armenian lobbyist, it is very sad that the
American government does not respect the moral aspect of this
issue. "The U.S. Foreign Ministry with its conduct considerably lags
behind U.S. Congress, American public, American media and U.S.
states. We call American authorities for recognizing the Genocide, but
the American government remains the protector of Turkish interests,"
he added.

The Executive Director of Armenian National Committee of America
expressed the hope that all employees of U.S. Embassy in RA should
speak with the same sincerety and bravery about the Armenian Genocide
as former Ambassador John Evans did.

FM: SOUTH CAUCASIAN REGION MAY BECOME EXAMPLE OF FACT HOW THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS CAUSED CONFLICTS

Arminfo
2007-03-15 13:10:00 RA

The South Caucasian region may become an example of the fact how
the violation of human rights has initiated conflicts, RA Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan said at the session of the UN Committee on
Human Rights, RA FM’s press-service told ArmInfo.

"From pogroms to ethnic extinctions, from destruction of spiritual
heritage to representation of some ethnical groups by criminals –
we have experienced all the worse that a human being may cause to a
human being", RA FM said.

According to the Minister, it becomes more and more clear that the way
out of the situation is possible only by recognizing and fulfilling
the main human rights. "This is the real world formula: violations
of human rights have led us to this Gordian knot, while the respect
of human rights may help us to untangle it", V. Oskanyan said.

OPPOSITION PARTIES DIVIDED OVER JOINT CONTROL OF VOTE CONDUCT
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
March 14 2007

Having failed to form election alliances, Armenia’s main opposition
forces look too divided to also closely cooperate with each other
in trying to avert massive fraud in the forthcoming parliamentary
elections.

Some of them have called for the creation of an umbrella structure
that would enable the opposition to jointly monitor the Armenian
authorities’ conduct of the election and counter attempts to falsify
their results. Only one top opposition leader, Artashes Geghamian,
has backed the idea so far, however.

"The issue of joint opposition oversight [of the electoral process] is
becoming imperative," Gagik Tadevosian, a senior member of Geghamian’s
National Unity Party (AMK), said on Wednesday.

In his words, that would mean ensuring close interaction among members
of election commissions affiliated with opposition parties.

The proposed structure would also have to organize joint opposition
rallies and coordinate other "post-election processes," said
Tadevosian.

But other opposition heavyweights have serious misgivings about the
wisdom of such an arrangement. "We are against setting up structures
that won’t work," said Stepan Zakarian of the People’s Party of Armenia
(HZhK). "What powers should that structure have?"

Another, more radical opposition party, Hanrapetutyun (Republic),
rejected the idea out of hand, saying that Geghamian should have
shown greater willingness to join opposition alliances in the first
place. "United is a nice word," Aram Sarkisian, the Hanrapetutyun
leader, told RFE/RL. "The people making such a proposal are trying
to capitalize on the effect of that word."

"A joint campaign headquarters would make sense only if the opposition
acted in a united front," Sarkisian said. "When the opposition is
acting in a divided manner, that means we are all rivals."

Hanrapetutyun is angry at both the AMK and the HZhK for rejecting
its repeated calls for the formation of a broad-based opposition bloc.

Geghamian and HZhK leader Stepan Demirchian, who were President Robert
Kocharian’s main challengers in the 2003 presidential election, seem
to have concluded that they are popular enough to do well on their own.

PACE Standing Committee to discuss international moratorium on the death
penalty

Strasbourg, 14.03.2007 – The Standing Committee of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) will meet in Paris on Friday 16 March. A
current affairs debate on the promotion by Council of Europe member
states of an international moratorium on the death penalty (*) and a
debate on the United States of America and international law are among
the highlights of the agenda.

The Standing Committee acts on behalf of the Assembly between plenary
sessions, bringing together some 80 parliamentarians from the Council of
Europe’s 46 member states.

Following the opening of the meeting by PACE President René van der
Linden, the committee will hold an exchange of views with Göran
Lennmarker, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

The agenda also includes debates on the situation of women in the
Caucasus, management of electronic and solid waste, respect for the
principle of gender equality in civil law, the role of ethical and
solidarity-based financing and responsible consumption in social
cohesion as well as professional training of journalists.

Link to the draft agenda of the meeting (PDF format)
< Agenda/EAgenda070316.PDF>

* * * *

The meeting, which is open to the press, takes place from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m. on Friday 16 March in the French National Assembly (room 6217) 126,
rue de l’Université, Paris.

Contact:
Micaela Catalano, Head of the PACE Communication Unit, mobile phone: +33
6 08 56 40 65.

——————
(*) Debate requested by the Italian delegation, subject to a decision to
hold the debate by the Standing Committee.

ED037a07

"POWERFUL STATE WITH DEMOCRATIC ELECTION" PROGRAM IS IMPLEMENTED IN MARZES OF SYUNIK AND VAYOTS DZOR

Noyan Tapan
Mar 13 2007

KAPAN, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The Kapan Youth Scientific-Cultural
public organization holds a course-training for youth of the marzes
of Syunik and Vayots Dzor, juveniles at the pre-recruiting age and
more passive voters, within the framework of the "Powerful State with
Democratic Election" grant program.

7360 people will be informed till May 12 about the electoral right,
proportional and majoritarian electoral systems, order of vote. To
recap, course participants are given copies of those decisions of
the Central Electoral Commission which relate to the voters’ rights
and order of vote.

NO MEETING BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS WILL BE HELD UNTIL MAY 12, BERNARD FASSIER DECLARES

Noyan Tapan
Mar 12 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, NOYAN TAPAN. "All conditions necessary for holding
a meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers have
been created and if the sides manifest will, the meeting will be
successful." OSCE Minsk Group French Co-chairman Bernard Fassier
declared this at the March 12 press conference. He reported that
after his visit to the region, the final point of which was Yerevan,
he will leave for Geneva where he will meet with his colleagues of
OSCE Minsk Group to discuss the details of the meeting between the
two countries’ Ministers. In his words, the idea to organize such
a meeting occured to OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs after "the climate
around the negotiations changed a little" lately. B. Fassier said
that one of the most important goals of his current visit to the
region was preparation for the meeting in Geneva.

"I mean not new or some magical proposals. Proposals on the
negotiations table require hard work." The French diplomat
estimated meetings held both in Baku and Yerevan as constructive
and useful. B. Fassier stated that no meeting between Armenian and
Azerbaijani Presidents will be held until May 12, i.e., until the
parliamentary elections, as the preelectoral process "is not the best
time for this." Meanwhile, he added that in that case the activities
on negotiations will continue, too.

European Parliament refused to condemn French bill on Armenian Genocide

09.03.2007 15:52

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – The European Parliament has refused to condemn the
French bill making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide.

As reported by the Armenian European Federation (EAFJD), November 13,
2006 three European parliamentarians introduced a statement `On the
passage of the French bill criminalizing denial of the Armenian
Genocide of 1915′.

Late February the statement was signed by 38 out of 785
parliamentarians and the document wasn’t consequently put on the
agenda. The statement reads regret at the adoption of the bill that
`doesn’t contribute to the activities of those who struggle for
respect for freedom of speech and expression in Turkey.’

The authors of the statement consider that the passing of the French
bill ` will have a negative impact on the Turkish-Armenian relations
and will create a dangerous precedent in the form of punishment for
the events not officially recognized by all interested sides.

EAFJD Executive director Loran Leylekian said that Hrant Dink’s murder
should be a lesson for those who fight against recognition of the
Armenian Genocide and adoption of the bill criminalizing its
denial. These people are responsible for creation of atmosphere of
hatred for Armenians, according to him.

RAFFI HOVANNISIAN: "ALL PARTIES MUST BE GIVEN EQUAL CONDITIONS FOR
HOLDING FREE AND FEAR ELECTIONS"

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Today everybody, from the ruling forces
to strongest opposing one, speaks about the necessity of holding free
elections. But, as "Zharangutiun" (Heritage) party founder Raffi
Hovannisian stated at the March 9 press conference, to turn speech
into deed, all parties must immediately be given equal conditions
first of all to communicate with the society with the help of media,
and in the second turn, to solve organization issues. He stated that
at present the Zharangutiun" party is not given possibility to open
offices in the marzes and to get halls for meetings with the people.
Touching upon not uniting of the Armenian opposition, R.Hovannisian
mentioned that the life is ahead, and unification of opposing forces
may happen both after the parliamentary elections and on the threshold
of the 2008 president’s elections. He also mentioned that during the
recent months the majority of Armenian TV companies persistently does
not cover his press conferences, and the Public Television selectively
broadcasts only unsuccessful frames. R.Hovannisian sent a "brotherly
and civil" greeting to those who attemp to arise problems of the human
rights, particularly, of protection of the right of liberty of
expression in international instances. In his words, those instances
are really interested in holding free and fear elections in
Armenia. "I want such a generation of journalists which, estimating
its own independence, will stand upper the level of instructions and
orders," R.Hovannisian said.

BRITISH AMBASSADOR VISITS CHILDREN’S ADMISSION AND ORIENTATION CENTER OF FUND FOR ARMENIAN RELIEF

Noyan Tapan
Mar 07 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 7, NOYAN TAPAN. The British Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Anthony Cantor on March 6 visited the
Children’s Admission and Orientation Center of the Fund for Armenian
Relief (FAR). NT was informed from the FAR press service that the
ambassador presented a DVD palyer, a karaoke device and cartoons to
the center nurslings. The FAR Children’s Admission and Orientation
Center is a unique organization that provides help to beggar, vagrant,
homeless children aged 3-18, as well children left without care,
subjected to violence and those in difficulty and their families.

Hundreds of such children have found a temporary refuge in the
center. Since 2000, it has accepted over a thousand of children. The
center has a "hot line", gardian family-related and other services.