Author: Nahapetian Samvel

CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF ARMENIA ARMAN MELIKYAN BELIEVES HE HAS GOOD CHANCES FOR VICTORY

2007-12-24 14:44:00

ArmInfo. Candidate for president of Armenia Arman Melikyan said at
Mirror Club, Monday, that he has good chances for victory. A. Melikyan
was NKR Foreign Minister and then Adviser to NKR President.

Melikyan said his electorate ‘are the people who are against the
return of the territories, who want to life in the country respecting
the law, and who are against corrupted government system’. He also
added that his electors are the refugees from Azerbaijan that have
been naturalized in Armenia. ‘At the same time, these people cannot
put up with the method of score settling and disorders either by the
authorities or by the opposition’, the candidate said. He thinks that
no other candidate for president demonstrates such approaches as he,
which is the key reason of his running for president. Asked why he
did support ARFD that is also against returning the territories of
‘the security belt’ to Azerbaijan, Melikyan replied that ARFD has
been either part of the authorities or cooperated with them for many
years, but it has not yet made any exact provision against the return
of the above territories. ‘It does not allow thinking that ARFD will
be against if that question comes up’, Melikyan said.

RUSSIA TO VETO UN RESOLUTION ON KOSOVO UNILATERAL INDEPENDENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.12.2007 13:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia’s Foreign Minister said the country would
veto a United Nations resolution granting independence to Serbia’s
Albanian-dominated breakaway province of Kosovo.

"If a decision to approve a unilateral proclamation of independence
by Kosovo is made, the veto will undoubtedly be applied," Sergei
Lavrov said.

"It is not that Russia wants to create obstacles or feel important. A
veto is an important part of international law, which has helped
avoid major global conflicts since World War II," he said. "The
responsibility of the UN Secretary General and UN mission in Kosovo
is to create conditions for a political resolution."

Lavrov also said that if the European Union recognizes Kosovo’s
independence "ignoring existing UN legal mechanisms," and "divide
Serbia, tearing out Kosovo and depriving ethnic Serbs of their right
to express their opinions," it will be putting itself outside the
international legal framework.

The UN Security Council failed on Wednesday to bridge divisions over
the future of Kosovo. The province’s drive for independence has been
backed by the West and firmly opposed by Serbia and its ally Russia,
which has a veto on the Security Council as a permanent member.

Western nations also said the EU and NATO should take over police
duties in Kosovo from the United Nations, which administered the region
since NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign that ended a conflict between Serb
forces and ethnic Albanian separatists.

Some other Security Council members, including Cyprus and Greece,
have also voiced opposition to a unilateral declaration of sovereignty
by Kosovo, fearing this could set a precedent for other separatist
regions, RIA Novosti reports.

HOW THEY SLANDERED VAZGEN MANUKYAN
Vrej Aharonyan

Hayots Ashkharh
Dec 21 2007
Armenia

We have already published Vazgen Manukyan’s announcement in the
previous issue of "Hayots Ashkharh" daily. Leader of the National
Democratic Union demanded to institute a criminal case on the article
entitled as "MENI KAMPF"(My Struggle), published in "Haykakan Jamanak"
daily, 15.12.2007, for slandering and insulting his personality.

By our request Vazgen Manukyan’s representative, member of Attorneys’
Palace Vardan Zurnachyan gave us the copy of this application-complain,
the abbreviation of which we introduce to the attention of our readers.

"I inform You, that a big article has been published in 224 issue of
"Haykakan Jamanak" daily, entitled as "VAZGEN MANUKYAN’S MENI KAMPF"
(my struggle), which has publicly spread obvious lies, discrediting
my honor and dignity. The before mentioned information is combined
with grave and especially grave crimes in my address.

Besides that the author of the article has indecently tried to
humiliate my honor and dignity.

Thus the author of the article Garegin Asoyan, in the purpose of
slandering me: 1) has spread obviously false information, according to
which on September 27, 1996 handwritten documents have been confiscated
from the office of the National Democratic Union, which, as he said,
have been written by me during the period between 1995 parliamentary
elections and 1996 presidential elections.

2) To confirm this obvious false information they have published some
parts of the document in the handwritten form and the other parts in
italics – with the estimations and commentaries of the author.

3) The article has been divided into 8 subtitles. Each of them
contained indecent insults in my address.

4) Aimed at ascribing the written texts to me the author of the
article made false statements, saying that I allegedly speak about
myself in the third person and that I have made remarks about myself
in the handwritten texts, again in the third person.

I have been informed about the confiscation of one handwritten document
from the office of the National Democratic Union, from 17.10.1996
issue of "02" weekly. The documents mentioned in the article are not
written by me. And it hasn’t been confirmed by any competent body that
the documents confiscated from the office of the National Democratic
Party had been written by me.

In such circumstance the editorial staff and the author of the
newspaper didn’t have the right to spread information saying that the
before mentioned documents are written by me. Thus the information
that I have written these documents and that "they have served as a
practical program to come to power and a mechanism to realize this
program" are not grounded, it is an obvious lie and slander against me.

With this article the author went beyond all the limits of journalistic
ethics and morality, by label me as a "criminal", "immoral", "evil",
person a "traitor", "wild fanatic" and "dictator", aimed at humiliating
my honor and dignity.

In fact the author of the article, by the permission or even the
leadership of the editor-in-chief did something, which is envisaged
as crime by articles 135 and 136 of RA Criminal Code.

Based on the before mentioned, I appeal to You, honorable Prosecutor
General, to check all the facts mentioned in my application-complain,
and to institute a criminal case against those who are accused of
insulting and slandering me."

POVERTY REDUCTION FASTER IN CITIES THAN IN VILLAGES IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency
Dec 21 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, December 21. /ARKA/. Poverty reduction rates in Armenian
cities exceed the similar indicators of the country’s villages, officer
of Armenia’s National Statistical Service Diana Martirosova said in
presenting the report on the social picture and poverty in Armenia.

Martirosova reported that in 2006 the highest rates of poverty
reduction – 28.1% as compared with 2004 – were recorded in Yerevan
where the main economic capacities are concentrated.

"In other cities of the country the poverty reduction rates are
somehow lower than in Yerevan – 18.5%," she said.

Martirosova also said that the poverty reduction indicators in
Armenia’s regions are in harmony with the trends in the countries of
Europe and Central Asian.

"Actual data of the studies conducted in these countries show that it
is the residents of capitals who take advantage of economic development
most of all. Rural areas are behind; population of other cities,
except the capital, take the advantage of economic development to
the least extent," she said.

According to the National Statistical Service, about 260,000 citizens
of Armenia overcame the poverty line in 2004-2006 and the share of
the poor in the country’s population reduced by 23.4%.

The study on the social picture and poverty in Armenia was conducted
in the country in the period from January 1 to December 31 2006 among
5,184 households in 29 cities and 112 villages. It has been prepared
with assistance of the World Bank, USAID and the ministries of labour
and social issues, healthcare, science and education.

150 TONS OF CITRUS FRUIT SMUGGLED

Panorama.am
15:24 21/12/2007

In the course of recent ten days, customs state committee has found
150 tons of citrus fruit and nuts.

Committee press services informed that the smuggled fruits and nuts
were found in the passenger halls and in the cabin of the conductor
in Tbilisi-Yerevan train. Total of 38 cases of smuggling were found
out in Tbilisi-Yerevan train.

According to the same source, legal violations were reported at the
open border sections between Armenia and Georgia bypassing Bagratashen
customs point. Here 16 cases of customs violations were reported.

The press services of customs state committee say total of 99 cases
of food smuggling were reported this year, including 7 cases of 100
kg of black and red caviar.

"PISCES" COMMEMORATIVE SILVER COIN INTRODUCED IN ARMENIA

ARKA News Agency
Dec 20 2007
Armenia

YEREVAN, December 20. /ARKA/. The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
put into circulation "Pisces" commemorative silver coin. The coin
has been issued in the scope of international numismatic program
"Zodiacal Signs", the CBA Press Service reported.

According to the press release, 12,000 commemorative coins were issued
with 100Drams nominal value each. The coin weighing 28.28 grams is
made of silver standard 925 and is 38.61mm in diameter.

The national emblem of Armenian is on the obverse of the coin with
the value underneath. All 12 zodiacal signs are represented in the
middle circle. Zodiacal "Pisces" are at the coin reverse against the
background of sky of stars.

The coin has been minted by the Polish Mint. The coin outlines are
made by designer Ursula Valezhak.

GOODS WITH LABELS IN ARMENIAN LANGUAGE SOLD IN AZERBAIJAN WITHOUT INFORMATION IN AZERBAIJANI

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 19 2007

Day.Az has received a letter from one of its readers, who presented
a package, bought at the local market of sweets.

It was a package of Kinder Surprise, so much adored by many kids,
which contained information about the product in Russian and…

Armenian languages, but lacked information in Azerbaijani.

In this connection, Day.Az has addressed for comments to the chairman
of the Free Consumers Association of Azerbaijan Eyub Guseynov.

"I am aware of this problem. Not only Kinder Surprise but also baby
food, coffee, juices and other products, contain such information in
Russian and Armenian without the due information in Azerbaijani.

All these facts evidence that the Laws "On state language", and "On
foodstuffs" are completely ignored in Azerbaijan. We have repeatedly
raised this issue.

Moreover, we have sent messages to over 100 companies with a request
to label goods in Azerbaijani.

We are also planning to initiate a large scale campaign, aiming to
boycott goods, sold in Azerbaijan, which do not contain information
in Azerbaijani language, within two months", E.Guseynov said.

KOSOVO SETTLEMENT IS A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR CONFLICTS IN AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA – AMERICAN CONFLICT SCIENTIST

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 19 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Òrend corr S. Agayeva / The Kosovo variant of
the conflict settlement, is a dangerous precedent for the settlement
of the conflicts in Azerbaijan and Georgia, Tomas Golz, an American
conflict scientist, said to journalists in Baku on 18 December.

Wolfgang Ishinger, a representative of the European Union (EU) for
the negotiations on the Kosovo status, recently stated that the West
does not rule out that the region, which was a subject for a fierce
military conflict between the Serbs and the ethnic Albans in 1998-1999,
may be divided into at least the two administrative and territorial
regions. "Presently, the US media often reports that the Kosovo
variant may be acceptable for the settlement of other conflicts. I
consider such an approach to be dangerous and unacceptable," Golz said.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to the Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven neighbouring districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement which ended
time the active hostilities. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding the peaceful
negotiations.

–Boundary_(ID_zr7EFEY6BGY xy3kiwujXBw)–

NEXT MONITORING ON ARMENIAN-AZERI BORDER TO BE HELD ON DECEMBER 19

Noyan Tapan
Dec 17 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Next monitoring on Armenian-Azeri
border will be held on December 19 near the village of Barekamavan,
Tavush region, within the framework of the mandate of Andrzej Kasprzyk,
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. Noyan Tapan
was informed about it by the Press Service of the RA Defence Ministry.

COE REPRESENTATIVE: EVERY CITIZEN MUST PARTICIPATE IN THE PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH ISSUE

armradio.am
18.12.2007 15:08

The Council of Europe creates all possible conditions for the
organization of meetings and exchange of opinions between the parties
to the Karabakh conflict on the level of the authorities and the
public, Special Representative of the Council of Europe to Azerbaijan,
Head of the CoE Office in Baku Denis Bribosia told the journalists
in Baku.

"The main role in the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue
belongs to the OSCE Minsk Group, but every citizen must participate
in that process, an we positively assess the conduct of international
events in this directions," the CoE representative noted, commenting
on the international conference on the "Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict:
The role of the youth in the settlement of armed conflicts" underway
in Baku.