Author: Nadirian Emma

GLOBAL WARMING-UP IS REACHING ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2009-02-27 17:56:00

ArmInfo. Introduction of the "green" technologies is the most effective
way of fighting global warming-up and pollution of environment,
Ambassador of the Great Britain to Armenia, Charles Londsdale, said at
"Low carbon technologies and climate change" held in Yerevan today.

He also added today the world community raised against the necessity
of taking specific actions for fighting climate changing. He also
said it is necessary to inform public about the concrete actions
of the state and representatives of business in this direction. The
ambassador said that today introduction of the "green" technologies
is the most effective way of fighting pollution of environment.

For his part, the head of the working group of UNDP/GEF programme
on creation of the II National report on climate changing, Aram
Ter-Zakaryan, said that raising of temperature by 2 degrees may
lead to raising of desertification volumes by 33%, reduction of
rainfall by 10%, of the number of mammals by 28-33% and harvest
by 8-14%. Moreover, the Alpine zones will be reduced by 22%, and
the border of the landscape zones will grow by 100-150 meters. The
annual flow of the rivers of the republic will decrease by 15%,
and evaporating capacity of the Lake of Sevan – by 13-14%.

Ter-Zakaryan said that global warming-up will negatively affect
health as well. According to specialists, malaria and cholera and
cardiovascular diseases will develop in Armenia.

Certain weather anomalies can be observed in Armenia at present. For
instance, low temperature in Ararat Valley in December 2002 to 32
degrees cold Celsius and the 43 degrees heat in July 2006. Such
anomalies lasted a day no longer before. However, over the recent
years such anomalies last for several weeks. In addition, sediments
(snow or rain) as well as frosts (especially in Ararat valley) in
Armenia last too long and reach dangerous scales. The cases of big
hails have become rather frequent as well. Operative Hydrometeorology
Center forecasts average annual rise of temperature of Armenia by 1
degree for the coming 50 years. UN Human Development Report Fighting
Climate Change: human solidarity in a divided world forecasts 1.8-4
degrees increase of temperature in average and even by 6.4 degrees in
isolated regions on the Earth by the end of the 21st century. Experts
say this will lead to more frequent weather anomalies such has extreme
heat and heavy sediments. In addition, tropic cyclones, typhoons and
storms will be intensified.

ERWAND ZAKHARYAN IS NOT A SUITABLE CANDIDATE"

A1+
[05:30 pm] 23 February, 2009

Most Yerevan civilians don’t want Erwand Zakharyan to be elected
the Yerevan Mayor as they are discontent with his work. Most of our
respondents say they would vote down Erwand Zakharyan if the latter
ran for the mayor.

I am not pleased with Zakharyan’s work as during his tenure Yerevan
fully lost its face. Each city stands out with its history and image
but Erwand Zakharyan did his best to stain Yerevan’s image. Corruption
boosted during his office. A good mayor should love his city and
should do everything to tackle the existing problems but Zakharyan
has neglected all his responsibilities," says mechanical engineer
Lena Davtyan.

Surely, I am not pleased with Zakharyan’s work. He is not a suitable
candidate for the post. Gagik Beglaryan is rumoured to run for the
mayor. Let’s not forget that Yerevan is our capital city with a lot of
garbage in its central streets. Millions of drams have been squandered
under the guise of road construction," says Hrachya Atarbekyan.

Erwand Zakharyan must be made accountable for the fate of numerous
Yerevan citizens who were made homeless and forced into streets. They
were not even fully compensated for their alienated homes. Zakharyan
made a grave mistake treating these people so brutally and sooner
or later he will be made accountable, said Vardan Sargsyan, a former
resident of Yerevan’s Kentron district.

Head nurse Karine Aghabekyan is of a different opinion. She is pleased
with the acting mayor’s work and wants him to be reelected. "If
someone else is elected, he will fist think of his wallet. Zakharyan
has a long work experience."

Many say no matter who is elected to the post nothing will change in
the city.

Remind that the election to the City Mayor is scheduled for May
31. The Municipal Council of 65 members will elect a mayor for four
years’ term. The Coalition is supposed to nominate Erwand Zakharyan
or Gagik Beglaryan.

Erwand Zakharyan has held the post since 2003.

PARLIAMENT VOTES TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE MARCH 1 COMMISSION
Lena Badeyan

"Radiolur"
24.02.2009 16:56

With 95 voted in favor, 1 against and 1 abstantion, the National
Assembly of Armenia today decided to extend the term of activity of
the ad hoc commission set up to probe into the events of March 1 in
Yerevan until September 15. Members of the "Heritage" faction did not
take part in the voting, declaring that the grounds presented were
not sufficient. ARF Dashnaktsutyun also boycotted the voting today.

The delegation of the Georgian Parliament led by Chairman David
Bakradze was present at today’s sitting of the National Assembly. The
Georgian Parliament Speaker addressed the Deputies. He referred to
the friendly relations between the two nations, the cooperation in
the economic and other fields.

David Bakradze spoke about the establishment of stability in the
Caucasus, noting that the key task is to protect the states from outer
aggression. The Georgian Parliament Speaker said: "I think that the
events that took place in Georgia recently, the aggression against
our country once again evidenced how impotent regional cooperation is.

GEORGIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER ARRIVING IN ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.02.2009 17:11 GMT+04:00

Georgian Parliament Speaker is arriving in Armenia on a 2-day formal
visit on February 24.

David Bakradze is scheduled to meet with Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan, Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan and Catholicos of All
Armenians, His Holiness Garegin II.

The Georgian delegation will participate in a session of the Armenian
National Assembly also lay a wreath to Armenian Genocide Memorial,
the RA NA press office reports.

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze was in Armenia on a formal
visit last week.

ANCA MAY FACE INVESTIGATION

Hurriyet
Feb 23 2009
Turkey

ISTANBUL – The Washington based ethics monitor, Citizens for
Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, has filed complaints
with federal agencies against the Armenian National Committee of
America, or ANCA, for various lobbying and campaign violations.

CREW submitted voluminous materials to the U.S. Department of Justice,
Internal Revenue Service, Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the
House on Thursday that complained ANCA, the largest U.S. Armenian
group had engaged in prohibited activity as a charitable organization,
violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act and also skirted the
Lobbying Disclosure Act.

The letters of complaint said ANCA had violated restrictions on
charitable organizations "by participating or intervening in any
political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate
for public office." It said the organization illegally participated
in the endorsement of Barack Obama for U.S. President and Joseph
Biden for Vice-President, as well as some 15 U.S. Senate candidates
and 211 U.S. House candidates.

Moreover ANCA executives "have lobbied Congress and the executive
branch heavily with regard to perennial congressional Armenian
genocide resolutions and other legislation bearing on U.S.-Armenia,
U.S.-Turkey or U.S.-Azerbaijani relations without even registering
with the Secretary of the Senate or Clerk of the House."

ANCA takes an active role in seeking formal recognition in the United
States for the Armenian claims of "genocide".

‘BE THE VOICE OF THE SILENT MASSES’

Sabah
Feb 20 2009
Turkey

The following issues were discussed during the telephone conversation
held between US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Tayyip
Erdogan:

* "(Regarding world-wide expectations) A while back, journalists
asked me what my expectations were for the new US administration
and President Obama. I told them, "I expect President Obama to be
the voice for those in the world who have nothing, the voice of the
silent and destitute masses.’ I am also mentioning this desire now
to you. The day you won the election, the speech you made positively
affected the entire globe. I also want to express that I found your
messages of dialogue and peace especially influential and appropriate."

* "(Regarding the Middle East) The tragic events that transpired
in Gaza are equivalent to a massacre for us. I have shared with
the entire world Turkey’s humanistic reflexes and the sensitivity
expressed towards achieving peace in the region. We are also the only
nation that has been approached by both Israel and Syria in order
to act as mediator for meetings between the two nations. However,
the fact that Gaza was attacked while we were acting as mediator has
seriously disappointed us."

* "(Genocide bill) The putting forth of this draft, is an effort
that will harm relations between the US and Turkey. Turkey is
currently engaging in extremely active diplomacy in order to find
a solution to the issues between Turkey and Armenia. According to
us, there is no problem regarding relations normalizing between the
two nations. However, the Armenian diaspora is exerting efforts for
relations to remain strained. The US administration must take this
point into consideration."

FROM OBAMA TO ERDOÄ~^AN:

* "We place much importance on Turkey’s leadership in the
region. Furthermore, we are also very well aware of your own personal
efforts and leadership. We hope that Turkey will act as mediator
again in the future. We are well aware of Turkey’s importance in
terms of finding a solution to the Syria-Israel issue as well as
other problems in the region."

* "I want to commend Turkey for taking the first step in order to
correct Turkey-Armenia relations and for making finding a solution
a priority. The normalization of relations between Turkey and
Armenia will be an important factor that will lighten the pressure
on the US administration. We also place much importance on Turkish
sensitivities."

CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY PERSIST IN A BROKEN WORLD
by Chelsea Milko

UNLV The Rebel Yell
Feb 19 2009
NV

Response to war crimes must be attuned to changes

Upon hearing news of the Khmer Rouge genocide tribunal opening up
in Cambodia this week, my nostrils were reminded of the assaulting
stench of genocide that fouled much of the 20th century.

The grisly photos circulating of Pol Pot’s killing fields, where
a quarter of the country’s population perished due to starvation,
overwork and execution more than 30 years ago prompts me to wonder
if the decades-long epoch of such atrocities will ever receive its
own death knell.

Recent action taken to persecute culprits and accomplices was seen
as a breakthrough in corralling law enforcement agencies. The July
apprehension of the Srebrenica massacre mastermind Radovan Karadzic was
heralded as a victory for democracy against genocidal injustice. "The
butcher" of Bosnia now has an impending date with the United Nations
war crimes tribunal to face allegations of complicity in the horrific
ethnic cleansing of the 1990s.

In spite of that, the glacial pace at which war crimes are prosecuted
and the corrupt, biased elements that weaken international courts
counteract any movement to snatch human rights violators-at-large. Even
more maddening is that some of the most merciless perpetrators of
mass murder and torture techniques still roam free.

I am afraid that haunting images and sharp lessons from the abuses
the 20th century has not translated into networks and systems of
preventing more of the same in the future.

The carnage from mass exterminations in Armenia and Nanking, the
Nazi-led Holocaust and the Soviet-engineered famine in Ukraine were
supposed to sober us up. The calamitous 1994 extermination of 800,000
ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus by rival Hutu extremists in Rwanda
leveled a heavy helping of shame on international actors who failed
to respond swiftly to the mass killings. Those humanitarian crises
should have defogged the goggles of the U.N. and Western governments
in order to foresee military debacles and state collapses and prepared
for the inevitable fallout.

At the same time the world has been trying to piece together a
sensible analysis of the why and how of crimes against humanity-
the nature of war has been changing. Formal military clashes between
sovereign states over territory and resources are gradually being
replaced by small-scale proxy conflicts focused on ethnic tension and
historical hatred. Latent hostilities further inflame in ungoverned and
misgoverned regions where fragility breeds illegality. Rebel movements
are on the rise compared to major armed conflicts and have very similar
unraveling effects. As violent outbreaks in the Congo and rampant
hunger in Darfur demonstrate, vacuums of explosive conflict persist.

Those fertile zones of human rights violations and war crimes are not
just unspeakable pockmarks of the dotted geopolitical landscape of
the last century; they are also bitter representations of government
failure, political turmoil and warped economies. As long as militants,
warlords and insurgents can profiteer from the victimization of their
own people, global instability will be chronic in nature.

Civilian deaths are all too often deliberate and sponsored by the
plunders of war. Calculated attacks against non-combative civilians and
widespread brutalities including rape and disfigurement are strategies
that will not cease unless the incentive for militias to fight is
removed. In many ways, most of the intervening countries interested
in nation-building and humanitarian relief are tributaries of funding
that feed right into the raging rivers militant authoritarianism,
unsteady security and waning prosperity.

Western and many developing countries do have the means to guarantee
large-scale tragedies of the past and the horrors of today do not
endure. A multi-dimensional approach is needed to remove justification
and weaponry. We should not appease or galvanize the genocidists
any longer.

Policies must be crafted to end the definitional paralysis caused by
disagreement over what the term ‘genocide’ really entails. Foreign aid
donor must selectively withdraw contributions from the most egregious
violators while working to target monies to the survivors who need
it desperately. The transformation in the way wars are fought demands
more than just an upgrade in crisis management.

Decisive action is needed from the international community
to neutralize the root factors of inequality and discord- strip
combatants of legitimacy and incentives to resolve the debate over
how best to intervene.

THE U.S. MUST ENSURE THAT THE EFFORTS OF TURKEY AND ARMENIA HAVE ACHIEVED GOOD RESULTS – REPRESENTATIVE OF THE U.S. CONGRESS

Trend News Agency
Feb 19 2009
Azerbaijan

Co-Chair of the Turkey-Caucasus in the U.S. Congress Robert Wexler
believes that Congress should pay more attention to the negotiations
between Ankara and Yerevan, and the issue of the Armenian claims on
the "genocide of 1915". He told to reporters in his statement after
meetings with the President and the Prime Minister of Turkey in Ankara.

According to the Turkish agency Cihan, Wexler stressed the importance
of continuing negotiations between Turkey and Armenia to establish
normal neighborly relations between the two countries.

The representative of the U.S. Congress also noted "courageous policy"
about normalization of relations with Yerevan, the President Abdullah
Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan. "This time is very important and
should be taken into consideration by the U.S. Congress. We must do
everything possible to ensure that the efforts of the Governments of
Turkey and Armenia have achieved the desired result ", – said Wexler.

DESIGN FOR REHABILITATION OF ARARAT VALLEY DRAINAGE SYSTEM CONTRACT SIGNED

armradio.am
20.02.2009 15:59

The Millennium Challenge Account – Armenia SNCO announced the award
of a consulting contract to the joint venture consortium of GITEC
Consult GmbH (Germany) in association with HGSN Ltd (Armenia). The
consortium will provide consulting services for the design solutions
for rehabilitation of Ararat Valley Drainage System under the
MCA-Armenia Irrigated Agriculture Project Infrastructure Activity.

The contract was signed at the MCA-Armenia office on February 20, 2009
by Mr. Ara Hovsepyan, MCA-Armenia CEO and Mr. Wolfgang Jendrischewski,
Director of Water Resources and Sanitary Engineering Department of
GITEC Consult.

The contract includes analysis of the ecological situation, hydrology,
surface and subsurface horizontal drainage systems and wells in the
Ararat Valley, social and health assessment, as well as designer’s
field supervision.

The contract value is $998,243, and will last 31 months, including
17 months for design activities and 14 months for field supervision.

NKR PRESIDENT CONVOKED A CONSULTATION ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE FOREIGN MINISTRY

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2009-02-19 10:26
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

On 18 February President of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic Bako Sahakyan
convoked a working consultation on the summing up the activities of
the NKR Foreign Ministry in 2008 and action plan for the year of 2009.

NKR foreign minister Georgy Petrosyan, permanent representatives of
the republic abroad and the head of International Cooperation Center
under the foreign ministry delivered reports.

In his speech the Head of the State touched upon issues that should
become the basis for further activities of the republic’s foreign
ministry. The President gave some instructions to solve these issues
in an effective way.

In particular, it is necessary further strengthen ties between the
ministry’s central apparatus and the permanent representation missions,
reorganize the work of the missions deepening and widening cooperation
with local Armenian communities, political and analytical circles of
the host states.

Bako Sahakyan also spoke about the fundamentals of the NKR’s foreign
policy, which are balanced and multidirectional foreign policy,
commitment to peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh
conflict, restoration of the full-fledged negotiation format with
full participation of Artsakh as party to the negotiation.

The President once again underlined that indep endence and security
of Artsakh are exclusive values and cannot be doubted.

The head of the Office of the NKR President, secretary of the security
council Marat Mousaelyan, senior officials of the Office of the
President and the Foreign Ministry partook at the consultation.