Author: Nahapetian Samvel

ARMENIA’S SUPERVISION CHAMBER TO MONITOR SPENDING OF BUDGET, LOAN FUNDS

ARKA
March 26, 2008

YEREVAN, March 26. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Supervision Chamber is to conduct
monitoring of the spending of budget and loan funds, the Chairman of
the Chamber Ishkhan Zakarian said.

Inspections are to be made in the period from April 22 to June 20
and will cover the period of August 1 2006 to January 1 2008 "If
violations are revealed, we will not be turning blind eye to them.

The law provides for ways bring to account. If it is found to be
a public wrong, all cases will be sent to the prosecutor office,"
Zakarian said.

He stressed that the Chamber is going to inspect all organizations
within the scope of budget financing and loan programs.

Any protocol compiled by the Chamber after inspections will be first
discussed with respective agencies and ministries binding them to then,
during a month, provide information on the works done, Zakarian said.

He also urged the chamber members to consistently study the state
appropriations for road construction.

"About 41bln Drams will be directed to road construction, thus a
specialized commission needs to be set up since it quite difficult
to supervise this sphere," Zakarian said considering involvement of
foreign experts possible.

He also pointed out that more often check-ups are to be implemented
in organizations where serious loan programs are planned to be
implemented.

Among the target ministries Zakarian mentioned the Ministry of
Agriculture where a number of state programs are to be implemented on
seed-growing, forestry and veterinary for total of 11bln Drams. "We
should ensure that no dissatisfaction occurs among rural communities
and that all the appropriations to the last penny are under control,"
Zakarian said.

NDP: "EVENTS WERE NOT UNDER OUR INTERESTS"

Panorama.am
15:50 25/03/2008

"The authorities should learn from what has happened," said Shavarsh
Kocharyan the chairman of National Democratic Party (NDP) in a press
conference held on today. He mentioned that considering the fact that
the authorities established a political coalition proves that they
are conscious of the danger.

Kocharyan said that what has happened was the explosion of discontent
of nation and if they do not take appropriate measures to cover the
situation the things can be repeated. "Though the first president
himself was the founder and provoker of today’s situation, the amount
of votes he received prove that some democratic wave was pushed,"
he said.

The politician reminded that situation in 1996 and added "then it was
obvious that Vazgen Manukyan gained the victory, but today we should
speak about first or second round."

As for the foreign affairs he said that the situation seems to
be changed in the USA, "Armenian community in the USA wants to be
separated as one part is ready to support Armenia but the other one
makes some antigovernmental announcements."

Armenian National Committee of Australia
The Peak Public Affairs Committee of the Armenian-Australian Community
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068 ~ PO Box 768, Willoughby NSW 2068
Tel: (02) 9419 8264 ~ Fax: (02) 9411 8898
Email: [email protected] ~ Website:

26 March, 2008

MEDIA RELEASE: For Immediate Release

{CONTACT: Haig Kayserian (Communications Officer) ~ 0403 317 903 ~
[email protected]}

ANC AUSTRALIA’S CANBERRA TRIBUTE TO RELIEF FUND

SYDNEY: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) and the
Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group hosted an event in
Canberra’s Parliament House last week, recognising the enormous human rights
contribution of the Armenian Relief Fund of Australia.

The event, an Australian Institute of Holocaust and Genocide Studies’
(AIHGS) photo exhibit titled From Beyond Anzac Cove, was attended by key
parliamentarians from both sides of the political spectrum.

The photos of the Armenian Relief Fund of Australia were uncovered by the
AIHGS from various Australian archive sources, and represent the efforts of
the Australian public who, from 1915-1929, provided humanitarian assistance
to victims of the Armenian Genocide. Dr. Panayiotis Diamadis and Mr. Vicken
Babkenian of the AIHGS were in attendance to guide the parliamentarians
through the exhibit.

ANC Australia President, Mr. Varant Meguerditchian said: "The Armenian
Relief Fund of Australia represents a proud moment in Australian history and
today we thank you, as representatives of our great nation for the
generosity of your forebears."

Throughout WWI, some 300 Australians were taken prisoner by the Ottoman
Empire. Many of these POWs lay witness to the systematic destruction of the
indigenous Armenian, Greek and Assyrian populations of Anatolia at the hands
of the Ottoman government.

The first genocide of the 20th century triggered an incredible humanitarian
response across the globe. In Australia, from 1915 to 1929, the Armenian
Relief Fund of Australia provided food, clothing and shelter to victims of
the Armenian Genocide. By 1922, these efforts had become the first major
international humanitarian project and set a precedent for providing aid to
disaster areas to this day.

VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV: RENOUNCING MINSK GROUP CAN INCREASE TENSION

Noyan Tapan
March 24, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov, who
in the middle of the 1990-s was the representative of Russia in the
negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh settlement, at the request of
Noyan Tapan agency commented upon Azerbaijan’s attempts to renounce
the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Q. How much juridically grounded is Azerbaijan’s demand to dissolve
Minsk Group?

A. There are no exact, juridically fixed norms about it. Besides,
the OSCE system had no decision about creating Minsk Group, it even
has no mandate.

There is a kind of a draft of mandate of OSCE Minsk Conference on
Nagorno Karabakh adopted on March 24, 1992. The Minsk Group Co-chairs
and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
have mandates, but Minsk Group itself does not have: it was formed
spontaneously, after a series of meetings held in Rome in summer of
1992. However, the order of Minsk Group’s dissolution or renunciation
of its mediation is not registered in the existing mandates. It is
supposed that its necessity will disappear itself after the peaceful
political settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The OSCE Budapest summit laid holding of negotiations on Karabakh
between the conflict sides (and not only between the recognized states)
not on Minsk Group, but on its Co-chairs. Since then Minsk Group has
been only used for consultations with the Co-chairs.

Intimidation with renunciation of OSCE’s mediation, even development
of that demand in Azerbaijan is Baku’s style of working familiar
long ago, with elements of obvious blackmail. None of the conflict
sides giving OSCE a consent of mediation is able to change that
without the agreement of the other side or to be more exact, the
other sides. Certain decisions of international structures would be
also necessary for changing the mediators.

Besides, it would not be so easy to find volunteers for working in the
direction of making the sides’ positions closer. Experience teaches
something even to others. However, a new mediator cannot be thrusted
by one side: consent of all sides of the given conflict will be needed
in this case as well.

Q. What can replace the format of Minsk Group under the current
conditions?

As OSCE is as if responsible for the Nagorno Karabakh problem with
the consent of the UN Security Council.

A. The UN Security Council contented itself with the circumstance
that OSCE is engaged in the settlement of that conflict, supports its
peacekeeping activity and has never pretended to UN’s being directly
engaged in that conflict. Moreover, after in 1993-94 Azerbaijan for
more than a year had not been fulfilling the requirements of its
four resolutions to stop military operations, and the Armenians had
not fulfilled the requirement to withdraw the occupied territories,
the UN Security Council, not wishing to permit discreditation of its
decisions, stopped adopting resolutions on Karabakh.

Daily exposing Armenians’ not fulfilling the requirement to leave the
occupied territories, Baku in all possible ways keeps silent about
three facts: 1) who did not wish stopping of military operations and
led the case to the occupation of the territories of AR, and 2) there
is no essential requirement of the UN Security Council resolutions,
which has been fulfilled by Azerbaijan, except the forced conclusion
of truce. I suppose no stimulus for direct involvement of UN in that
settlement has appeared in the UN Security Council over the past years.

Q. If only stopping of negotiations on Karabakh proves to be the
result of Azerbaijan’s efforts, what one can expect further?

A. Renunciation of one of the sides would mean only suspension of the
negotiations, which would be followed by searching for a way out of
the deep deadlock with unpredictable results.

Hypothetically three variants are possible: 1) resumption of the
negotiations by the former plan with considerable political costs
for the side-initiator of that renunciation; 2) agreement among
all sides of the conflict about a new mediator with approval of the
international structures; 3) long interval in the negotiations with
an excruciating search for a way out of the formed situation and
growth of tension. At that, influential states’ and international
organizations’ coming up with new initiatives excluding resumption
of military operations or stopping them is very probable. To break
is easier than to build. But one should think well before acting.

MORE DETENTIONS AND ARRESTS IN ERGENEKON CASE
Erol Onderoðlu

BIA
March 24 2008
Turkey

After 37 people were arrested in the Ergenekon case in January, there
was a new wave of police detentions on Friday. Journalist Selcuk,
former university rector Alemdaroglu, and party leader Perincek were
among those taken into custody.

On Friday morning (21 March) at 4 am, more people were taken into
police custody in relation to the Ergenekon case. There are said to be
12 people involved, among them Dogu Perincek, chair of the Workers’
Party, Ilhan Selcuk, columnist at the Cumhuriyet newspaper, as well
as Kemal Alemdaroglu, former rector of Istanbul University.

Ergenekon gang

There have been 37 previous arrests in the investigation into the
ultranationalist Ergenekon gang, which is said to have planned a coup
d’etat for the following year. There are also suggestions that the gang
was involved in the attack on the State Council in 2006, and perhaps
also the murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.

Furthermore, some of those arrested previously are linked to the
Susurluk scandal which rocked Turkey in 1996, when a car accident
revealed connections between police, mafia and politicians. Ever since,
Turks have been aware of the so-called "deep state", which rules the
country behind the screen of a democratically elected government.

The first evidence of a criminal organisation came in July 2007,
when a weapons arsenal was found in a home in Umraniye, Istanbul.

Among the 37 arrested at the beginning of the year were retired general
Veli Kucuk, retired colonel Fikret Karadag, ultranationalist lawyer
Kemal Kerincsiz, Sevgi Erenerol, press spokeswoman for the so-called
"Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate", and Associate Professor Emin Gurses.

Kemalists question motivation behind latest arrests The latest
detentions have been contested by members of the Republican People’s
Party (CHP), as well as Kemalist supporters of the Cumhuriyet
newspaper, who protested in the streets of Istanbul on Saturday.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been accused of
trying to relate the Ergenekon case to the attempt to close the AKP.

Deniz Baykal, chair of the CHP, said, "Turkey is being pushed into a
dangerous conflict." He accused the AKP of "trying to build its own
‘deep state’."

"This cannot go on like this. There are natural limits to this.

Turkey’s law and people are paying the price for these developments."

Former CHP MP Bulent Tanla likened the events to the Hitler period
in Germany.

Prof. Dr. Erol Manisali, lecturer at the Istanbul University economics
faculty, told the private Sky Turk channel, "I could not believe
it. This means that some powers in Turkey have pressed the button."

He added, "The powers which have interests in Turkey and our region,
as well as their extensions, really want to make things tense in
Turkey. In time, we will understand this."

Hurriyet journalist Yalcin Bayer told Sky Turk that anyone whose
telephones were bugged may be taken into police custody in this
manner. He added that the current broadcasting and publishing ban on
the case prevented anyone from finding out real information.

"Because of the ban on broadcasting and publishing, your lawyer does
not know what the other side is saying and cannot make comparisons. I
don’t know where this is leading to. Turkey is slowly moving towards
darkness. If it is even a crime to defend one’s patriotism, then that
means we have come to a very dark point."

CHP’s Izmir MP Ahmet Ersin said, "The people who arrested in such a
hurry are respected individuals. If their statements need to be taken,
they could have been called at a suitable time. This is an attempt to
change the agenda from the AKP closure attempt. There may be other
undemocratic developments now. The AKP is trying to create its own
deep state."

Four arrests After being questioned, Workers’ Party Dogu Perincek
was arrested, as were Ferit Ilsever of the Ulusal TV channel, Serhan
Bolluk, the editor-in-chief of the Aydinlik magazine, and journalist
Adnan Akfirat.

Perincek has been accused of "being a leading member of the Ergekon
terrorist organisation and of acquiring and having secret state
documents in his possession." He has ben taken to Bayrampasa prison
in Istanbul.

Alemdaroglu and Selcuk released The Istanbul Duty 11th Heavy Penal
Court decreed that there were "strong suspicions of guilt" against
former rector Alemdaroglu, seen in the picture. However, because of
his age and health he was released under control. He will have to
register with is local police station every two weeks.

83-year old Cumhuriyet columnist Selcuk was also released after
questioning. He is not permitted to leave the country.

In today’s Radikal newspaper, Selcuk’s lawyer Fikret Ilkiz said that
Selcuk was asked whom he knew of those investigated, who came to the
Cumhuriyet newspaper office. He was also asked about some telephone
conversations, which, so the newspaper, had been recorded.

Journalist Ugur Dundar, who visited Selcuk at his home was quoted
as saying, "He is accused of being the intellectual leader of the
Ergenekon gang. Daily conversations, jokes with the newspaper on the
telephone had been recorded for a long time."

Businessman Ibrahim Benli, who had also been detained, was released
by the prosecution.

–Boundary_(ID_UJYgTN5MiTbOmQaFJbUXj Q)–

Detroit Free Press, MI
March 23 2008

Kevorkian to launch his bid for seat in Congress

BY KATHLEEN GRAY – FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER – March 23, 2008

Jack Kevorkian, who spent eight years in prison for his role in an
assisted suicide, will take on another crusade Monday: a race for
Congress.

He has planned a 10 a.m. news conference in Southfield to discuss his
decision to run for Congress. He lives in the 9th Congressional
District, which is represented by U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, a
Bloomfield Township Republican.

Knollenberg already has one announced challenger, former Lottery
Commissioner Gary Peters, a former state senator from Bloomfield
Hills. The race has been targeted by the Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee as one of the most competitive in the nation.

Kevorkian, 79, is expected to run as an independent. He was convicted
in 1999 of second-degree murder in the Sept. 17, 1998, death of
Thomas Youk, 52, of Waterford. Youk had Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Kevorkian has said he participated in at least 130 assisted suicides
during the 1990s. He was released from prison in June.

He will have to get 3,000 petition signatures by July 17 to qualify
for the ballot.

States News Service
March 21, 2008 Friday

TEMPORARY DENIAL ORDER ISSUED FOR EXPORT OF U.S. AIRCRAFT TO IRAN

WASHINGTON

The following information was released by the U.S. Department of
Commerce:

The U.S. Commerce Department’ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
today issued a Temporary Denial Order (TDO) suspending the export
privileges of Balli Group PLC and related companies and individuals (
Balli Goup ), Blue Airways, and Mahan Airways for 180 days. Evidence
obtained by BIS shows that the respondent parties knowingly
reexported three U.S. origin aircraft to Iran in violation of the
Export Administration Regulations ( EAR ), and are preparing to
reexport three additional U.S. origin aircraft to Iran in further
violation of the EAR.

In addition, false statements were made to BIS regarding the ultimate
destination and end-user of the aircraft. BIS has ordered the
redelivery to the U.S. of the three aircraft about to be reexported
to Iran, but Balli Group PLC has not complied and has indicated that
it will not cooperate. Balli Group PLC and the other named Balli
Group respondents are based in the U.K., Blue Airways is based in
Armenia, and Mahan Airways is based in Iran.

TURKISH SOLDIERS ADMIT THEY KNEW OF PLOT TO KILL ETHNIC ARMENIAN: REPORT

Agence France Presse
March 20, 2008 Thursday

Two Turkish soldiers admitted in court Thursday they knew of a plot
to kill ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink months before the murder
happened, Anatolia news agency reported.

The two are the first members of the security forces to stand trial
in the Black Sea city of Trabzon, where the murder was planned,
amid widespread allegations that some officials condoned the killing.

The investigation is seen as a test for Ankara’s resolve to eliminate
the "deep state" — a term used to describe security forces acting
outside the law to preserve what they consider Turkey’s best interests.

The 52-year-old Dink, whom Turkish nationalists hated for calling
the World War I massacres of Armenians genocide, was shot dead
on January 19, 2007, outside the offices of his Agos newspaper in
central Istanbul.

One of the defendants told the judge Thursday he was informed of the
plot in August 2006 by a relative of alleged mastermind Yasin Hayal,
Anatolia reported.

He said he duely passed the tip-off to his superiors at the local
paramilitary force policing rural areas, but no action was taken.

"We did not do anything afterwards because we were not given any
instructions or orders," said the defendant, identified only as O.S.

He charged his superiors fabricated documents after the murder to
create the impression they had no prior knowledge of the plot, adding
that he came under "psychological" pressure to collude and lie to
government inspectors who probed the conduct of the security froces.

The other defendant, identified as V.S., agreed with the statement
of his colleague.

The two soldiers risk between six months and two years in jail for
"abuse of power."

The judge decided to ask prosecutors to launch an investigation into
the officials who were implicated at Thursday’s hearing.

Hayal’s uncle has already testified that he informed the two defendants
of his nephew’s plans to kill Dink, but the pair sought to cover up
the issue.

The self-confessed hitman, 17-year-old Ogun Samast, went on trial in
Istanbul last year, along with Hayal and 17 suspected associates.

Lawyers for Dink’s family say the police also withheld and destroyed
evidence to cover up the murder, including footage from a bank security
camera near where Dink was killed.

In September, two policemen went on trial in the northern city of
Samsun for their role in a scandal that saw security forces pose for
"souvenir" pictures with the gunman after he was captured there a
day after the murder.

Dink had won many hearts in Turkey with his efforts for
Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and more than 100,000 people marched
at his funeral.

JOURNALIST AMONG 11 DETAINED IN INQUIRY INTO TURKISH NATIONALISTS

The Guardian
Associated Press
Saturday March 22 2008

Turkish police detained 11 people yesterday in an investigation
into a gang of extreme nationalists who allegedly want to topple the
Islamic-rooted government, local media said.

Detainees included a journalist, a former university president and
the head of a small political party, according to the private NTV
television station.

The website of Ulusal TV station confirmed the detention of Dogu
Perincek, head of the Turkish Workers’ party, which won a tiny
fraction of votes in general elections last summer. It said the
offices of the station, which often carries statements by the party,
were being searched by police.

In 2007 a Swiss court convicted Perincek of racism for denying that the
mass killing of Armenians in the early 20th century was genocide. He
made the claim during trips to Switzerland.

The detained journalist, Ilhan Selcuk, writes a column for the secular
Cumhuriyet newspaper and is a fierce critic of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
government.

Military-backed circles of power, which include the state bureaucracy
and judiciary, suspect Erdogan and his allies seek to inject Islam
into political life, undermining the secular principles outlined in
the constitution.

The government denies it wants to erode secularism, citing reforms
it has made to try to gain EU membership.

Authorities had previously arrested several dozen alleged members
of the gang, known as Ergenekon. A retired military commander and a
lawyer were among those arrested earlier, and reports said they are
suspected of plotting to murder Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, who was
prosecuted under a law barring insults to Turkish identity. Kurdish
leaders, seen by many as a threat to national sovereignty, were also
reportedly on the hit list.

Officials have not commented publicly on the investigation. Most
reports have emerged in local media and are based on anonymous sources.

FOUR PARTIES REPRESENTED IN PARLIAMENT SIGN A COALITION MEMORANDUM

Noyan Tapan
March 21, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. On March 21 a coalition memorandum was
signed between four political forces represented in the parliament:
the Republican, Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous Armenia), Orinats Yerkir
(Country of Law) and the ARF Dashnaktsutiun parties.

As Hrayr Karapetian, the Head of the ARF faction mentioned during the
parliamentary briefings, after long-lasting negotiations Dashnaktsutiun
joined the coalition, as it will adopt certain principles, which
are of importance for the ARF. They include, in particular, an
active dialogue with the opposition, the provision of the political
field for the activities of the opposition, the involvement of only
undiscredited political figures, the settlement of the social problems,
the elimination of monopoly, as well as many others.

H. Karapetian attached importance to the increase in the role of
the Security Council. According to him, newly-elected President
Serge Sargsian gives a great significance to the activities of that
council. The MP mentioned that the representatives of all the coalition
forces will be included in the Security Council. The coalition also
attaches importance to the creation of a Public House, which will
include the representatives of the non-parliamentarian opposition
as well. H. Karapetian expressed repent that the Armenian National
Movement, which was a radical opposition before, missed the opportunity
for being elected in the parliament. In his opinion, the "street"
events cannot be a productive means for struggle and the opposition can
conduct political negotiations with separate parties or the coalition.

H. Karapetian stated that they are still speaking only about the
signing of a document concerning principles. As regards positions, no
one, even the President of the republic, can at this moment provide
information concerning them. He mentioned that the political forces
will be given certain spheres, the issue of the leaders of which will
be decided by the parties. In response to the question of whether
the involvement of the opposition and the first president in the
government is possible, H. Karapetian reminded that there are also
other forces supporting Levon TEr-Petrosian, the participation of
which in the government is not excluded.

In response to the question of a Noyan Tapan correspondent,
H. Karapetian mentioned that being in the previous coalition,
Dashnaktsutiun expressed its protest with regard to the activities of
the government. In his words, if this time the principles suggested
by Dashnaktsutiun are violated, the ARF Dashnaktsutiun will not only
appeal but will also leave the coalition.