Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

TURKISH AMBASSADOR RETURNS TO WASHINGTON

Khaleej Times
Oct 22 2007
United Arab Emirates

ANKARA – The Turkish ambassador to the United States, who was withdrawn
in a row over a US Congress bill condemning the mass killing of
Armenians decades ago, has returned to Washington, a report said
on Monday.

Turkey recalled its ambassador to Washington on October 11 in a
diplomatic row over a vote in the US Congress to label the massacre
of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks an act of genocide, Anatolia news
agency reported.

Ankara staunchly rejects the genocide tag for the 1915-17 mass killings
of Armenians and had threatened to cut off logistical support for
US-led war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

HEAD OF GENERAL STAFF OF GREEK AF ARRIVES IN YEREVAN TODAY

ArmInfo
2007-10-22 10:34:00

Head of the General Staff of the National defense of Greece, General
Dimitrios Grabsas will arrive in Yerevan today with a three-day
official visit. The visit will be held by invitation of the first
deputy Defense Minister, Head of RA AF General Staff, Colonel-General
Seyran Ohanyan.

Meetings with RA Defense Minister Mikael Harutyunyan and Head
of the General Staff Seyran Ohanyan are scheduled during
the visit of D. Grabsas. It is also scheduled to visit the
peacemaking subdivision. On October 23, D. Grabsas and his wife
will visit the Memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims, the
Tsitsernakaberd. Armenia-Greece military cooperation programme for
2008 will be also signed during the visit.

Conditions favorable for boosting Iran-Gazprom cooperation
Print Date : Sunday, October 21, 2007

TEHRAN (PIN) – Oil minister’s deputy for international affairs here
Saturday termed current conditions as satisfactory for expansion of
cooperation between Iran and Gazprom as well as other oil and gas
companies of Russia and Caspian Sea littoral states.

Hossein Noqrekar-Shirazi pointed to the recent meetings of Russian
company Gazprom officials with Iranian oil officials and added, `Given
appropriate atmosphere created by the summit of Caspian Sea littoral
states in Tehran and the first visit of Gazprom officials’ to Iran,
the sides have explored avenues for bilateral and multilateral
cooperation.’

According to the official, the parties reviewed the already defined
cooperation and enlisted their future cooperation.

`Cooperation revolves around oil and gas projects and development of
refineries, pipelines, and phases of South Pars field,’ said the
deputy oil minister.

National Iranian Oil Co. (NIOC) and Gazprom would form working groups
in the near future, said Noqrekar-Shirazi, adding the working groups
had already helped the two sides reach agreement in the gas sector in
general and liquefied natural gas (LNG) proposed by Gazprom in
particular.

Last Wednesday, Gazprom officials and Iran’s Acting Oil Minister
Gholamhossein Nozari discussed reinforcement of cooperation.

Gazprom said it was still positive about joint project between Russia,
Iran, and Armenia to construct an oil refinery in Armenia.

Gazprom Neft – the oil arm of Russian energy company Gazprom =80′ is
reportedly considering an investment of $1.7 billion to build the
joint oil refinery, which will process oil pumped from Tabriz in
northern Iran, `The Messenger’ reported.

Gazprom officials said it would process 5-6 million tons of oil
annually. Some would be used by Armenia; most would be shipped back
to Iran.

Valery Golubev, head of Gazprom’s Investment and Construction
Department, commented that the project was still in the offing but an
appropriate 400-hectare site for the refinery had not yet been found.

Some Russian commentators suggest the project was motivated by
political rather than financial interests, as usually the most
economically productive location for an oil refinery was near a major
pipeline route or at a seaport.

However, Gazprom replied that with effective management, the refinery
could be economically profitable and may offer competition for
Azerbaijan, the main oil exporter in the South Caucasus.

However, Regnum quoted Gobulev as saying, `Building an oil refinery in
Armenia is interesting for Gazprom from the geopolitical point of
view.’

Russia & CIS Business and Financial Newswire
October 18, 2007 Thursday 6:55 PM MSK

Feasibility study for new Armenian NPP to be ready by next summer

Armenia is planning to build a new nuclear power plant and put it
into operation by 2016-2017, Armenian Deputy Energy Minister Areg
Galstian told an international energy conference in Yerevan on
Thursday.

The conference was devoted to Armenia’s geothermal energy potential.

The technical and economic feasibility study for the new NPP will be
ready by mid-2008, and after that, technical requirements for the
plant’s construction will be developed, Galstian said.

A new 1,000-megawatt power generating unit will be built on the
territory of the existing NPP, which is to be shut down by 2016, he
said.

DON’T ROAST TURKEY

Times of India
Oct 19 2007

Despite calls from the United States and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki to show restraint, the Turkish parliament authorised its
army to launch a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels in
Iraq on Wednesday. The move has created fears that such an incursion
could destabilise a peaceful part of Iraq and ignite a regional crisis
with unpredictable consequences. Oil prices have already surged to
a record high making a seemingly local crisis a matter of global
concern. President George Bush has begun intense diplomatic efforts
to convince the Turkish government against the incursion.

However, past indifference of the US about the outlawed Kurdish
Workers’ Party (PKK) staging attacks against the Turkish army does
not leave a lot of room for persuasive negotiation. US forces are
stretched too thin to be able to be shifted to the north. In recent
weeks, PKK guerrillas have killed 15 Turkish troops and 12 civilians.

There is no real doubt that the PKK is striking from sanctuaries in
northern Iraq. And the US and Iraqi governments have failed repeatedly
to pressure Kurdish leaders into closing their borders to prevent
cross-border raids or to expel separatist rebels.

Tensions have been increased by the introduction of a Bill in the US
House of Representatives that wants to belatedly recognise Turkish
atrocities against its Armenian population in the early 20th century
as genocide. California’s powerful Armenian lobby was instrumental
in pushing the Bill, though concerted opposition has left the
passage of the Bill now in doubt. However, the damage has been
done. Turkey is outraged that the US would meddle in its internal
affairs by gratuitously bringing up actions taken against Armenians
by the Ottoman empire nearly a century ago. This has unnecessarily
complicated the case for the US to persuade Turkey to refrain from
attacking the Kurdish part of Iraq.

An opinion poll shows that nine out of 10 Turks are now hostile to
the US, whose interests they increasingly perceive to be against
their own. This crisis indicates a failure on the part of the western
world to deal with Turkey. The EU continues to waffle over Turkey’s
inclusion in the union, and US politicians, displaying bad timing,
have embarrassed a country that is trying hard to demonstrate that
Islam and democracy can coexist. It is extremely important, therefore,
that the US now convinces Turkey that the PKK will be denied sanctuary
in Iraq, if the world is to be spared the consequences of an entirely
avoidable flare-up.

TURKEY LOBBIES US ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Sami Kohen, Ankara

Jewish Chronicle , UK
Oct 19 2007

The Jewish community of Turkey is actively campaigning to block a
US House of Representatives a draft resolution labelling the mass
Ottoman-era killings of Armenians as "genocide".

Turkey has threatened to take action that would seriously damage
US-Turkish relations if the resolution was to pass. The Bush
administration has also striven to dissuade Congress from approving
the draft.

Despite all these efforts, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted
through the resolution last week. The draft goes now to the House
floor, where it is likely to be passed unless lobbyists succeed in
blocking it.

The controversy relates to the killing of 1.5 million Armenians
between 1915 and 1922. Turkey insists that both Armenians and Turks
died in the context of ethnic conflict.

Ankara has asked Israel and US Jewish organisations for support,
and last month Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan met Jewish leaders and
lobbyists in New York to get their backing.

Turkish Jews, uneasy about the consequences that the bill might have
on attitudes towards them, have contacted US Jewish groups and placed
advertisements in the media.

"We have been trying to convince congressmen that it is not right nor
wise to pass such a resolution," said Lina Filiba, vice-president of
the Jewish community. "We have been in close touch with the ADL and
other Jewish organisations. We hope that, at the end of the day, the
resolution will not be passed. It is hard to predict the implications
and effects if the House passes the resolution, but it may create
problems for everybody."

Levent Bilman, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: "We highly
appreciate all these efforts.

"The leaders, businessmen and associations of the Jewish community in
Turkey – being an integral part of our society – have been active to
prevent the passage of the resolution. They have been holding meetings
with the relevant people abroad and publishing letters and statements
in the media."

However, Jewish bodies in the US are divided on the issue.

In August, the ADL faced a split when a regional director was fired
because of his campaign to support the Armenian case. An uneasy
compromise was finally reached when Abraham Foxman, the national
director, stated the ADL accepted the genocide label but rejected
the congressional action.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan last week met President Shimon
Peres in Israel, after which Mr Peres reportedly urged leading
congressmen to consider the ill effects the resolution would have on
Turkey’s relations with the US.

"We oppose the controversial resolution not only because of our
friendship with Turkey but also as a matter of principle," said
Israeli ambassador Gaby Levy. "It is for historians and not for
parliamentarians to investigate [genocide]."

However, he added: "Israel cannot be held responsible if the resolution
is passed. This is the decision of the US Congress and not of Israel or
the Jews. Our relations should not be affected by such a resolution."

ParentId=m11s19&SecId=19&AId=56125&ATy peId=1

NANCY PELOSI HAS FORETHOUGHT TO FIX THE RIGHT TIME FOR VOTE ON H.RES.106

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2007 12:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Congressmen, who recalled their signatures,
had been severely pressed by the Bush administration, Director of
the Institute of Oriental Studies at the RA Academy of Sciences,
prof. Ruben Safrastyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

These are serious people and their decision is final, according to him.

"However, I think Speaker Pelosi will not cancel the vote. Pelosi is a
California democrat and the Armenian community is her electorate. She
will not risk her political career. She is a wise politician and has
the forethought to fix the right time for the vote," prof. Safrastyan
said.

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer indicated that he’s reconsidering
plans to bring up the measure for a floor vote.

CONGRESSMEN: WE MUST HAVE THE COURAGE TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2007 13:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and George Radanovich
(R-CA), lead sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution; Frank
Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), co-chairmen of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues; and Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Ed
Royce (R-CA), senior members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
highlighted the importance of recognizing the murder of a million
and a half Armenians between 1915-1923 as Genocide, Sean Oblack,
Press Secretary for Congressman Adam Schiff, told PanARMENIAN.Net.

The six lawmakers, all Members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues, issued the following statement today:

"Today, Congress rightly honored the Dalai Lama with the Congressional
Gold Medal at a ceremony in the Capitol, despite the ardent objections
of the Chinese government. In this demonstration of moral virtue,
Congress today stood up for what is right and would not be intimidated
by threats from another nation. In awarding the Dalai Lama the highest
civilian honor Congress can bestow, Congress showed its commitment
to promoting peace around the world. We will not let another country
impede our efforts to speak out against inhumanity."

"As we take this principled moral stand in defiance of the Chinese
government, we must similarly be willing to speak out on the Armenian
Genocide. If we as a nation are to be a moral leader around the world
we must have the courage to recognize genocide whenever and wherever
it occurs."

The Armenian Genocide has been recognized by more than 20 nations
including Canada, Italy, Sweden, France, Argentina and Russia. This
resolution is consistent with the record of the U.S. House of
Representatives in speaking out against genocides – past and present.

The House has passed resolutions on the Holocaust and the genocides
in Cambodia, Darfur, Ukraine and Bosnia.

SECOND STAGE OF "MODERNIZATION OF HEALTH SYSTEM" PROGRAM HAS STARTED

Noyan Tapan
Oct 16 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The second stage of the
"Modernization of the Health System" program, which is envisaged to
finish in 2012, has started. The program is being implemented since
2004, its total value makes more than 29.6 million dollars, 22 million
out of which has been provided by the World Bank in the form of credit.

According to the information provided by Sergei Khachatrian, the
Head of the Program Implementation Office under the RA Ministry of
Health, during the meeting held on October 16, the aim of the second
stage is to support the modernization of the regional health systems
of Armenia, in particular, as well as the strengthening of their
governing capacities. According to him, it is envisaged to spend 10
million dollars for the implementation of the program in 2008 instead
of the 4 million dollars of 2007.

Sergei Khachatrian mentioned that one of the components of the program
is the optimalization of the regional hospital system. According to
him, the aim is to improve the quality and availability of hospital
services in the regions of the republic. In his words, a space of
about 70 thousand square km will become free as a result of the
optimalization of the medical institutions in regions. The value of
this component of the program makes approximately 20.8 million dollars,
within the frameworks of which repair of hospital institutions,
allocation of modern medical equipments, as well as equipments and
appurtenances rendering harmless medical waste will be implemented.

Haroutiun Kushkian, the RA Minister of Health, gave a positive
estimation to the results of the first stage of the program. He also
stated that the repair work of the central hospitals of Hrazdan and
Ijevan will start in November.

SEVERAL DOZENS LICENCES GRANTED SINCE LIBERALIZATION OF ARMENIAN ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION MARKET

Noyan Tapan
Oct 16, 2007

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 16, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Public Services Regulatory
Commission at its October 16 sitting made a decision on granting of
18 licences for provision of data transfer, Internet access and voice
services to a number of companies and private businessmen.

To recap, in August the commission took a decision to amend Licence
60 granted to ArmenTel Company and to liberalize the electronic
communication market. The decision took effect on October 1. The
head of the legal and licensing department of the commission Hmayak
Amirkhanian told NT correspondent that 34 licences for provision of
voice services have already been granted. The commission received
many bids for licences on service provision in the electronic
communication sector. H. Amirkhanian said that licences are granted
by the simplified order. In case of availability of the necessary
documents, any applicant may receive such a licence. The state duty
for receiving a licence makes 100 thousand drams (about 300 dollars).