Author: Nahapetian Samvel

S. OHANYAN: "BALANCE BETWEEN ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN SHOULD BE KEPT"

Panorama.am
21:00 12/05/2008

Armenia should take measures to keep the balance irrespective of Azeri
increasing military budget and Armenia’s opportunities, said Seyran
Ohanyan the Minister of Defense of Armenia. "We are conscious that
the military budget of Armenia increases every year, Armenia has also
increased its expenses compared with the last year, those expenses have
been directed to implement educational and other mission," he said.

"From one side we are concerned that Azerbaijan increases its
military budget but from another hand it is the reality and we
should do everything to keep the balance by appropriate qualities,"
he said. Since 2007 the salaried of the military officials have
increased by 20%.

MONETARY BASE DECLINES BY 2.2%, BROAD MONEY GROWS BY 0.7% IN ARMENIA IN MARCH 2008

Noyan Tapan

Ma y 12, 2008

YEREVAN, MAY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. As of March 31, 2008, monetary base
made 380 bln 822 mln drams (about 1 bln 236.2 mln USD), declining by
8 bln 493 mln drams or 2.2% on the previous month.

According to preliminary data transferred by the Central Bank of
Armenia (CBA) to the RA National Statistical Service, as of March 31,
2008, broad money made 678 bln 658 mln drams, increasing by 4 bln
903 mln drams or 0.7% on the previous month.

The balance of the population’s deposits with banks amounted to
188 bln 632 mln drams as of March 31, 2008, growing by 16 bln 48 mln
drams or 9.3% on the previous month and by 56 bln 692 mln drams or 43%
as compared with the same day of last year.

ARMENIAN SHEPHERD INJURED BY AZERI SOLDIERS

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.05.2008 17:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On May 12, 2008, the positions of the Armenian army
were fired upon by the Azeri side.

As RA Defense Minister’s spokesman, col. Seyran Shahsuvaryan told
PanARMENIAN.Net, resident of Baghanis village, shepherd Lorik Avagyan
was wounded.

"He was taken to Ijevan hospital and was operated on," he said.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 7 2008

Elmar Mammadyarov: `Definition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status will be
possible only after its reintegration into Azerbaijan’

[ 07 May 2008 16:45 ]

Baku. Lachin Sultanova-APA. The 118th session of the Council of Europe
Committee of Ministers was held in Strasbourg on May 7. Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry’s Press Service told APA that Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov had addressed the session.

He said that in the contemporary world intercultural and
interreligious dialogue had become one of the most topical issues and
drawn the interest and attention of the international community.
The minister mentioned that on December, 2008 Baku will host the
Informal Conference of the European Ministers of Culture with
representatives from the Council of Europe, ISESCO, and ALECSO, which
will focus on intercultural dialogue of civilizations.
Elmar Mammadyarov said at the Warsaw Summit of the Council of Europe,
the Heads of State and Government expressed their concern over the
unresolved conflicts that still affect certain parts of the European
continent.
The minister noted that the conflicts continued to endanger human
security, sustainable development and normal relations between the
countries of the affected regions and it was crucially important to
commit ourselves on achieving lasting solutions to these disputes.
`The position of Azerbaijan with regard to the solution of the
conflict with Armenia is simple: withdrawal of Armenian armed forces
from all occupied territories, reintegration of the Nagorno-Karabakh
region into the political, economic, legal and social systems of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, rehabilitation of the conflict-affected
territories, return of the displaced population to their places of
origin, re-establishment of favorable environment for peaceful
co-existence of both Armenian and Azerbaijani communities living in
peace and harmony, side-by-side within the Nagorno-Karabakh region of
the Republic of Azerbaijan’, the minister said.
Elmar Mammadyarov said that all these could create necessary
conditions for the definition of the status of self-rule of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region within the Republic of Azerbaijan.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Armenia lacks possibility to weaken Georgia’s anti-Armenian position
07.05.2008 19:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia could play a more important
role in the region, irrelative of the NKR issue or
blockade imposed by Turkey, chairman of Mitq
analytical center, historian Eduard Abrahamyan said in
an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net.

The role of our state is badly demanded over the lack
of flexibility in the foreign policy, according to
him.

`Armenia proves unable to suppress the growing
anti-Armenian moods in Georgia. But as a matter of
fact, our republic could be an unofficial guarantor of
sustainable development of Armenian-inhabited Samtskhe
Javakheti and strengthen Armenian economic and
political influence on Ajaria via promoting political
and territorial autonomization of Samtskhe Javakheti.
It would force Georgia to consider Yerevan’s opinion.
Ajaria and Samtskhe Javakheti make the outlet toward
to the Black Sea which is the solution to the problem
of blockade,’ he said.

`Let’s look how Baku pursues its policy in Kvemo
Kartli, where plants and enterprises are established
with the Azerbaijani capital. Furthermore, political
consolidation of Azeri population in Georgia has
started with formation of regional political bodies
like the Azeri national assembly and the Party of
Azerbaijanis of Georgia,’ the expert emphasized.

`To avoid a calamity, the new leadership of Armenia
should prevent Georgian assimilation and outflow of
Armenians from Samtskhe Javakheti via direct
investments in its economy and its transformation into
a political entity,’ he resumed.

All About Jazz, PA
May 5 2008

Gene Ess and Tigran Hamasyan – Recording and Dates
Posted: 2008-05-05

Guitarist Gene Ess and his quartet will be recording a new album in
June, 2008. This new work will feature the 2006 Thelonious Monk Piano
Competition 1st place winner Tigran Hamasyan on piano. Along with the
recording dates, the quartet will perform the new material on June 12
at Cachaca and on June 17 at Drom NYC.

At twenty-one, pianist Tigran Hamasyan has already done much to launch
his name into the world of emergent young lions. He has toured
throughout Europe, moving beyond his native Armenia to take prizes in
jazz competitions from Moscow to Monaco. And, after winning the
prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Piano Competition in 2006, he studied
in the United States before returning to Paris, where he recorded his
first album, New Era. Tigran will be joining Gene Ess, Harvie S, and
Tyshawn Sorey for these New York dates.

Gene Ess brings his award-winning musicianship from a very diverse
background. He grew up playing the classical piano, due to his mother
being a classical pianist and a well-known piano instructor. His early
years were filled with the classical sounds of Beethoven and
Chopin. Simultaneously, Gene was receiving a mix of influences: he was
exposed to the indigenous music of Okinawa, and – growing up on a US
Air Force Base- to the pop and jazz music of the day.

Cindy McLeod of Jazz Review writes `With the release of Sandbox and
Sanctum, Gene Ess has firmly cemented his place as a major jazz artist
of the new millennium. His post-bop work is delivered with adventurous
spirit and intense ethos, offering a powerful, unique voice to the
idiom. A guitarist of virtuosic proportions, Ess plays fluid chromatic
lines sometimes reminiscent of John Abercrombie. His performance is
simply stated, yet reveals stunning technical fluency, the signature
of all true greats. There’s a delicious sense of tension/release with
his performance riding over the rhythm section, Ess is a master of the
art of creating dynamic interplay. Supple, sanguine, and superb are
the three words that kept popping into my head as I listened, this
recording knocked my socks off and will be in my CD player on a
regular basis for many years to come."

The performances are on June 12, 2008 at 7PM @ Cachaca Jazz Club. 35
West 8th Street, New York, NY 10011 and June 17, 2008 at 8PM @ Drom
NYC Club. 85 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009. Both shows are $15.00
cover. The album will be recorded on June 14 and 15 at Kaleidoscope
Sound. Performances produced by SIMProductions.

Sada Al-Watan (Arab-American News), Michigan
May 5 2008

Christian divisions complicate politics

By Mona Alami
Saturday, 05.03.2008, 09:39am

BEIRUT (IPS) ‘ The political crisis gripping Lebanon has chipped away
at what has been viewed by most since the 2005 parliamentary elections
as an unlikely alignment of two political heavyweights.

The recent falling out between Michel Aoun, head of the Christian Free
Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Michel Murr, the Greek Orthodox former
vice-president of parliament, heralds a change that will undoubtedly
affect the 2009 electoral landscape in the Lebanese Christian region
of the Metn in the north.

Inexplicable alliances have long been a tradition of Lebanese
politics, defined by short-sighted tactical partnerships rooted in the
intense rivalry of opposing parties, communities and political
families. Such alliances have played a key role in the struggle for
power among the various Christian factions.

To strengthen their positions, the Christian Kataeb party
(Phalangists) and the Lebanese Forces ‘ led by Amin Gemayel and Samir
Geagea respectively ‘ joined forces in the 2005 elections with the
largely Sunni Future Movement (headed by Saad Hariri, son of slain
former prime minister Rafik Hariri) and the Progressive Socialist
Party (PSP) headed by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. Comprising the
March 14 Movement and holding a total of 67 seats out 128 in
parliament, the alliance is considered the majority.

At the other end of the spectrum is the opposition, consisting of the
surprising "memorandum of understanding" between the FPM and
Hizbullah, the Shia "Party of God," which is led by Hassan
Nasrallah. Also part of the alliance is the Shi’a Amal party, headed
by current speaker of the parliament, Nabih Berri.

Since the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005, the two sides have
failed to reach a compromise on the balance of power in government,
which has resulted in an ongoing sit-in protest by the opposition in
Beirut since December 2006 and an empty presidential seat since the
position was vacated by former president Emile Lahoud in November
2007.

It is, in fact, the postponement of presidential elections 19 times
thus far that has incited Murr to warn Christian MPs who abstained
from voting that they might not be re-elected. "Christians should not
be lied to; under the false pretense of defending the rights of their
community, presidential elections are being blocked," he said.

"Murr believes presidential elections should take place as soon as
possible, while the FPM links elections to a basket of measures, such
as agreement on the future cabinet composition and the replacement of
the inequitable 2001 parliamentary law," says Armenian MP Hagop
Pakradounian.

So, what does the growing rift between Murr and Aoun over the
appointment of a president mean for the 2009 elections?

The battle for power in the Metn pits the Kataeb party and LF against
the FPM, which is joined by a few independents, including Murr. The
impact of Murr’s defection from the opposition can be measured by his
political weight in the area, which affects the outcome of eight
parliamentary seats: four Maronite positions, two Greek Orthodox, one
Catholic and one Armenian.

Research shows that participation of voters has been customarily low
in the area, as is the case with the rest of the country. According to
statistician Kamal Feghali, 51.2 percent of registered voters
participated in the 2005 elections, in which Murr represented 20,000
votes. In the 2007 partial elections (prompted by the assassination of
Kataeb MP Pierre Gemayel), 47.2 percent of voters participated, with
15,600 votes influenced by Murr. During both elections, total votes
amounted to about 80,000.

"There are currently four independent members of parliament, of which
three are allied with the FPM ‘ Hagop Pakradounion, Selim Salhab and
Ghassan Moukheiber ‘ while the fourth is Michel Murr. Four other seats
are occupied by FPM deputies," explains Alain Aoun from the FPM.

According to Aoun, Murr’s new position will be restricted to the Metn
and will not affect national elections. "It is too early to measure
the exact repercussions of this new realignment on the political
landscape. The disagreement between Mr. Murr and the FPM might
dissipate before the 2009 elections, as long as the political
discourse remains toned down," he points out, adding that the
political context in 2009 will ultimately define the outcome of the
next parliamentary elections.

Another factor that could disrupt the balance of power in the Metn is
the Armenian sway. "Armenian voters represent some 12,000 votes in the
Metn, of which our party, Tachnag, traditionally garners 80 percent,"
explains Pakradounian. Some 10,000 people voted for the Tachnag party
in the 2005 elections, while this figure came down in 2005 by 1,150
votes, according to statistics provided by Feghali.

"Murr’s recent change of heart does guarantee his realignment with the
majority," says Pakradounian. "I think his main objective is to exert
enough pressure to resolve the deadlock and accelerate presidential
elections. My belief is that he is still trying to find a common
denominator between the opposition and majority.

"We maintain excellent relations with both Gen. Aoun and President
Murr, who are our allies, and their disagreement may be short-lived,"
continues Pakradounian. While Tachnag’s alliance with Michel Murr is
more than 44 years old, Pakradounian states that General Aoun has also
frequently proven his loyalty to the Armenian party by refusing to
participate in the cabinet in the absence of the Tachnag.

With the power to sway votes in one direction or the other, the
Tachnag is certainly proving a force to be reckoned with. Their
influence could even reach the elections of the eastern Bekaa city of
Zahle, where the party holds one of seven seats.

.php?mod=article&cat=Lebanon&article
– 7

Panorama.am

18:36 05/05/2008

B. FUSSIER: `SARGSYAN AND ALIEV PROBABLY MEET IN
ST.PETERSBURG IN JUNE’

The OSCE Minsk group co-chairmen are going to raise
the question of Serzh Sargsyan’s and Ilhaam Aliev’s
meeting in the further discussion with the Foreign
Affairs Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to French co-chairman Bernard Fussier the
meeting of the both ministers will have more
introducing mission. According to him the meeting will
take place on 7 May before the Council of Europe
Ministers 118th session. `We can see a wish to
continue the negotiations in the both sides,’ said B.
Fussier.

He also notified that they are not going to make any
proposals but hey will discuss some questions about
their visit to the region and should try to organize
the meeting of the two presidents.

Source: Panorama.am

AND YOU SAID THEY DON’T ALLOW MEETING RELATIVES
VREJ AHARONYAN

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on May 06, 2008
Armenia

According to the latest information received from the General
Prosecutor’s, from the 89 criminal cases under the proceeding of the
special investigative service, 60 people were detained as a
precautionary measure and 29 people gave signatures on not leaving the
country, by pledge. Another 44 cases have been sent to the court – 9 by
the National Security Service and the others by the special
investigative service.

It’s worth mentioning that the before mentioned number changes very
frequently and swiftly, because lots of cases are being sent to the
courts, in some cases the precautionary measures are being changed (a
fresh example is Yerjanik Abgaryan, the latter’s precautionary measure
has been changed to a signature on not leaving the country), many facts
are clarified during the court procedure.

In parallel to all this some Mass Media continue to spread
misinformation saying that: `They torture and torment the detainees,
the human rights are violated and they don’t allow the detainees to
meet with their relatives¦’ and so on and so forth. These people are
trying to make an impression that they torture the detainees and they
don’t even allow them meet with their lawyers.

But, as it turned out in reality, the inquest bodies have put
restrictions on only 20 detainees to meet with their relatives,
considering the interest of the inquest.

Of course these people can meet their lawyers. They can meet with their
defenders any time. The before mentioned restrictions are conditioned
by the fact that, in the beginning there were cases when, some people
introduced themselves as the relatives of this or that person trying to
meet with them, but as it came clear later they were not their
relatives. Thus they were trying to put pressure on the investigation
process or the detainees

The restrictions lasted around a month, and even less, but during this
period the before mentioned detainees have received lots of parcels
from their relatives and after lifting the restrictions they have met
them many times. Whereas many of them have met their relatives more
than two times in a month, in a manner envisaged by the law.

By the way the detainees can receive only a 20 kg parcel, and not more
than 70 kg during a month.

As it came clear Davit Matevosyan, for example, has met his relatives
three times and has received 16 parcels.

Sasus Mikaelyan’s relatives, his wife, his daughter and son, have
exceeded others in terms of their visits. They have visited him four
times. He has received 7 parcels.

In this regard a former Chief Prison Officer Mushegh Saghatelyan also
doesn’t leg behind ` three meetings, 19 parcels.

Former Assistant to the Head of the National Security Service Gurgen
Yeghiazaryan had three meetings with his relatives and received 8
parcels.

As for the former Judge-Advocate Gagik Jhangiryan, he met with his
relatives two times, as envisaged by the law and was satisfied with 8
parcels.

The same is about Karapet Rubinyan and Yerjanik Abgaryan, in terms of
their meetings with the relatives, and they were satisfied with 7
parcels.

Hakob Hakobyan had three meetings with the relatives and received 7
parcels.

Aram Karapetyan met with his relatives once and received 8 parcels.

As for Harutyun Urutyan, from Shirak marz arrested for beating Serge
Sargsyan’s entrusted individual, he has established a record. Urutyan
met his relatives 8 times and received 16 parcels.

A question arises here: Doesn’t all the before mentioned testify to the
fact that the rights of the detainees have not been violated, they meet
their relatives and get parcels. The only thing left to do is to allow
money transfers.

PRESS RELEASE
Office of Assemblymember Paul Krekorian
Adrin Nazarian Chief of Staff
620 N. Brand Blvd. Suite 403
Glendale, CA 91203
(818) 240-6330
(818) 240-4632 fax
[email protected]

May 5, 2008
Contact: Adrin Nazarian

Assemblymember Krekorian Announces Panel of Judges for FILMFEST 43

Glendale, CA – Praising their "artistic ability and experience," and "a
willingness to donate time and expertise to reviewing films of aspiring
local filmmakers," Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) named the
judges who will consider the 103 submissions to the first FILMFEST 43,
set for 6:30 pm, Friday, May 16, at Glendale’s iconic Alex Theatre.

"I am very grateful that Mike Petros, Dug Ward and Robert Peterson have
taken time from their busy schedules to judge the work of these talented
and ambitious filmmakers from a dozen high schools throughout my
district," Assemblymember Krekorian said. "These visual-arts
professionals bring a wealth of experience and fine critical eyes to
their task. FILMFEST 43 is greatly enhanced by their presence and
judgment," he added.

Mike Petros is an associate professor of television at Glendale
Community College. He teaches writing and production, and lectures on
the pervasive influence of this medium. Dug Ward is an adjunct faculty
member at UCLA’s Animation Workshop. A former animator for Fox’s King
of the Hill, he directs the school’s MFA graduate-animation program.
Robert Peterson chairs the graduate film program at Art Center College
of Design, in Pasadena. He has more than 25 years as an award-winning
director/cinematographer.

"FILMFEST 43 submissions include narrative, documentary, animation and
experimental projects," Assemblymember Krekorian said. "I am very proud
and pleased that so many young artists in my district have entered their
work," he added. "This bodes well for the future of the film industry
in California." Assemblymember Krekorian chairs the Select Committee on
the Preservation of California’s Entertainment Industry.

FILMFEST 43 is open to the public and admission is free. To RSVP for
free tickets contact Assemblymember Krekorian’s District Service Office
at (818) 240-6330.

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