Author: Nalbandian Albert

Tajikistan: CIS security chief says NATO reluctant to cooperate

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
1 Mar 07

Dushanbe, 1 March: The secretary-general of the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolay Bordyuzha, has described the fight
against drug trafficking as one of the priorities in the activities of
the CSTO special services.

"I think our collaboration in counteracting drug trafficking from
Afghanistan is fairly successful and fruitful." Bordyuzha told the
press after talks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmonov.

As an example he cited the carrying out last year of the "Kanal" joint
operation, during which "tonnes and tonnes of drugs and thousands of
firearms" were seized. In his words, "other countries, e.g. such as
India, Pakistan and Ukraine," take an active part in CSTO operations.

The CSTO includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and
Tajikistan.

Asked by an ITAR-TASS correspondent on cooperation with NATO forces in
Afghanistan, Bordyuzha said he regretted "the lack of such
cooperation".

"Having acknowledged the growing drug trafficking threat, we proposed
the alliance our own collaboration plan back in 2003, and have been
looking for a reply ever since," the CSTO secretary-general said.

He believes that "political motives are most likely behind, as a
matter of fact, the refusal to cooperate in the sphere of security and
combating drugs".

[Passage omitted: up to 800 t of heroin may be produced in Afghanistan
this year, according to UN estimates]

NATIONALISTES TURCS GENANTS

Le Matin
01 mars 2007 jeudi
Edition Semaine

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN. Le procès d’un leader turc negationniste inquiète
la police

LAUSANNELes supporters du negationniste turc Dogu Perincek, en procès
dès le 6mars a Lausanne, sont interdits de rassemblement. Ils denoncent
les mesures de securite de la policek Gregoire gregoire.

Ils se disent victimes d’un mauvais procès d’intention. C’est le cas
de le dire. A cinq jours de l’audience qui verra comparaître un leader
politique turc, mardi6 mars a Lausanne, pour avoir nie la realite du
genocide armenien, ses supporters enragent. "La police a refuse qu’on
manifeste devant le Tribunal de Montbenon. Qu’est-ce qui derange si
on est la pour soutenir pacifiquement Monsieur Perincek?"

s’interroge Hamdi Sahin, representant lausannois du Parti ouvrier
de Turquie. La tension est perceptible. Plusieurs centaines
d’intellectuels turcs negationnistes sont attendus dès lundi dans
la capitale vaudoise en marge du procès de Dogu Perincek qui, lors
d’une manifestation organisee a Lausanne deja en juillet 2005, avait
qualifie le genocide armenien de "mensonge international".

kRefus "diplomatiques"

Pour Hamdi Sahin, la police a decide de serrer la vis afin d’empecher
tout rassemblement politique. "Cela fait deux mois que je cherche
des salles. Chaque fois, on nous refuse diplomatiquement", denonce
le militant d’origine kurde, vendeur de kebabs installe depuis 24ans
a Lausanne. Mardi, Hamdi Sahin a recu une lettre explicite de la
commune de Renens (VD): "La Municipalite a decide de vous refuser la
location de sa Salle de spectacles", peut-on y lire. Meme echo negatif
auprès d’une multitude de restaurants, dont l’hôtel Beau-Rivage a
Lausanne. "Ils nous ont dit qu’ils etaient obliges d’annuler après
un contact avec la police", deplore Hamdi Sahin.

kManifestation maintenue

Hier, la police cantonale se refusait a tout commentaire sur le sujet,
admettant du bout des lèvres que "des contacts" avaient ete etablis. La
syndique de Renens, Marianne Huguenin, confirme avoir ete "alertee"
par les forces de l’ordre, "d’autant que nous ne connaissions pas
les gens qui ont fait la demande". Avant de lâcher: "Et sur le fond,
c’est vrai que nous n’avions pas envie de louer cette salle a des
militants appartenant a l’extreme droite turque nationaliste. " Extreme
droite? "Rien a voir", recuse Hamdi Sahin qui evoque des militants
de tous bords. Et de rassurer: "Nous ne sommes pas du tout racistes,
juste pas d’accord avec l’idee du genocide.

Nous manifesterons quand meme mardi prochain, mais pacifiquement,
sans toucher a une seule petite fleur."

–Boundary_(ID_2Nv1leC1FJr1/Fy0fkDGs g)–

DEPUTY SAYS 5 YEARS NEEDED FOR DEPUTIES TO LEARN PARLIAMENT LIFE

Panorama.am
18:48 01/03/2007

Paruir Hairikyan, chairman of National Self-Determination Union (AIM),
believes that there are no profound lawyers in the parliament causing
incomplete laws. Speaking about the Law on Dual Citizenship, he said
that some citizens may have the right to vote without any expenses
whereas others have to spend thousands dollars to come to Armenia
in order to vote. Hairikyan said that many citizens will apply to
Constitutional Court to discuss the violation of their right to vote.

In a debate with Hairikyan, Rafik Petrosyan, chairman of state and
legal committee at the National Assembly, praised the Election Code
saying it has advantages that in case put into practice will ensure
"free, fair and transparent elections" in Armenia. Hairikyan believes
that the election order must have been defined in Constitution to
have free elections in Armenia.

Hairikyan believes the election order must have been 100 percent
proportional.

He also believes that the parliament term should not have been made 5
years instead of 4. "A country like the United States holds elections
every two years," AIM leader said. Petrossyan argued that long term
is needed for the deputies "to learn the parliament life."

NO PROGRESS IN OPPOSITION TALKS ON ELECTION BLOC
By Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Feb 27 2007

Several major Armenian opposition parties reported no progress late
Tuesday in their last-minute negotiations over the possible formation
of a new electoral alliance.

They appeared to have finally failed to bring Stepan Demirchian,
President Robert Kocharian’s main challenger in the last presidential
election, into the fold.

Demirchian’s People’s Party of Armenia (HZhK) was not participating
in the talks involving the Hanrapetutyun, Zharangutyun and National
Democratic Union (AZhM) parties. The former ruling Armenian
Pan-National Movement was also involved in them.

There were no indications that the four mostly pro-Western parties
can reach agreement even among themselves. "We have no ideological
disagreements. There are only differences in our tactical approaches,"
a Hanrapetutyun leader, Suren Sureniants, told RFE/RL.

"The talks can not continue endlessly, and late in the evening the
Hanrapetutyun party will decide on the form of its participation in
the elections," he said.

Hanrapetutyun’s outspoken chairman, former Prime Minister Aram
Sarkisian, has been particularly keen to see a broad-based opposition
bloc take on Kocharian’s political allies in the May 12 elections.

Zharangutyun leader Raffi Hovannisian has also strongly advocated the
idea, warning that the opposition will face defeat unless it closes
the ranks. It was not immediately clear what exactly stood in the
way of their consolidation.

Meanwhile, Demirchian’s party blamed its erstwhile opposition allies
for the lack of opposition unity. "To say that the HZhK is deliberately
going it alone is inadmissible," an HZhK lawmaker, Grigor Harutiunian,
said in parliament earlier in the day. He said they rejected
Demirchian’s offer to preserve the HZhK-led Artarutyun alliance.

Two other leading opposition parties, Artur Baghdasarian’s Orinats
Yerkir and Artashes Geghamian’s National Unity, have also decided to
contest the elections on their own. Most local observers say this
will make it easier for Armenia’s leadership to retain its control
of the National Assembly.

AT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY STANDING COMMITTEE SITTINGS

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
Feb 27 2007

On February 26 all the drafts debated at the Standing Committee on
Financial-Credit, Budgetary and Economic Affairs were endorsed. Two
drafts will be proposed for the inclusion on the agenda of the ninth
session as well as two drafts and legislative packages will be proposed
to put on the four-day sittings agenda.

The executive body intends to clarify the cases of the exempt from
the VAT the bank gold circulation by the amendment to the law on
Value Added Tax.

Making addenda to the law on Property Tax the MPs of the RPA faction
envisage exempting from property tax the disabled who received cars
on favorable terms by social security bodies.

The legislative package, which envisions amendment to the law on Trade
and Services, will be submitted to ratification by the parliament
for the second time. Mr. Ara Petrosyan, Deputy Minister of Trade and
Economic Development, presented that the package was revised and
edited after the first reading based on Mrs. Hermine Naghdalyan’s
and Mrs. Hripsime Averisyan’s proposals.

According to Mr. Tigran Sargsyan, Chairman of the Central Bank of
Armenia, the proposals related to the law on Banking Secret and
legislative package of the amendments in the other laws, were not
received after the adoption in the first reading.

At the sitting of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations,
presided over by Mr. Armen Roustamyan, Mr. David Lokyan, Minister
of Agriculture, presented the Agreement on the Loan of the Program
of Restoration of Industrial Infrastructures between RA and the OPEC
Fund for the International Development, signed on January 17, 2007.

The Minister noted that the total cost of the program is 12,9 million
US dollars, with 2 million US dollars of the RA Government. The program
aims to create favorable conditions for the stable growth of the
incomes of the communities of the regions included in the program. The
problem is to support to the activity of the private sector as well
as to the development of the entrepreneurship opportunities in the
included territories through the reconstruction and construction of
the necessary infrastructures. The territory of the program includes
the marzes of Shirak, Lori, Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and
Aragatsotn.

The agreement will be submitted to ratification of the parliament
with the endorsement of the committee.

GUL GENOCIDE SURPRISE

Sabah, Turkey
Feb 27 2007

It has turned out that Abdullah Gul, the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
who went to the USA and returned to Turkey on February 11, came
across a bad surprise in the Lufthansa plane. According to the
information "Time" magazine was distributed to the passengers
and in the magazine’s appendix there was a CD about the claims
of the Armenian genocide. According to the information obtained,
the passengers complained to Gul about the situation. The passengers
expressed frustration that even on the plane carrying Turkey’s Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Armenian propaganda was present. Gul then stated
that he will investigate the issue.

718A0297EC14401C9F.html

TURKISH HISTORIAN HALACOGLU CHALLENGES ARMENIAN HISTORIANS: LET’S EXCAVATE DISPUTED SITE TOGETHER

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Feb 27 2007

ANKARA – Prof. Dr. Yusuf Halacoglu, head of the Turkish Historical
Society (TTK), is urging a leading Armenian historian to officially
declare his intent to work alongside Turkish historians at an alleged
mass grave site near Harput town.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Halacoglu said that Armenian
historian Ara Sarafian claimed Leslie Davis, who was on the Harput
Council in 1915, said 12,000 Armenian were killed and thrown into a
valley near Lake Hazar.

"Upon his allegations I told Sarafian we should open this so-called
mass grave together," said Halacoglu. "The allegations are so
groundless that it wasn’t possible to find a grave to put 12,000
people in those days. Moreover, it was impossible to cover up 12,000
people by working with shovels."

Halacoglu said that when the Armenian historian went there to do
research he didn’t find anything.

"So I told him that he can’t claim what he didn’t find as real by
citing some reports as evidence," he continued. "Basing allegations
on rumors of missionaries without researching the Ottoman archives or
other archives isn’t suitable for a scholar or historian. I proposed
to Sarafian that we investigate together what had happened to the
Armenians all over Anatolia in those days, and what had happened
to Muslims; in other words what happened generally in 1915. Upon my
offer I think they came with a suggestion to work together regarding
the alleged mass grave in Nusaybin."

Claiming that both Ottoman and Armenian archives should be researched
thoroughly regarding the issue, Halacoglu said that working alone
doesn’t work out.

The historian added that Sarafian didn’t write to him directly.

"He should have make contact directly with us," said Halacoglu. "Now
if he didn’t write to us officially his intention won’t be seen as
sincere. They should have sent us their offer officially. We can’t
solve a problem by just saying, ‘Let’s deal with an event in Harput.’
It may only be a beginning. The reason behind my accepting his
suggestion immediately was to show that we don’t have anything to
hide. We can work wherever they want."

Halacoglu said that they are ready to confront everything with every
kind of method. "If they want to open a grave, then let’s do it;
if the want to do research, let’s do it," he said.

Stating that the atrocities Armenian committees committed on Turks
and Muslims should also be dealt with, Halacoglu said that the
Armenian Dashnak organization’s atrocities were recorded in archives
in Yerevan and Boston. He added that opening these archives will shed
light on history.

Halacoglu also said that forming a tribunal to deal with the 1915
events is not possible. "If such a court is formed, then it should
deal with the deeds of many countries," he claimed.

"What Armenians or Russians or Greeks did to Turks should be
investigated by the tribunal as well. In other words, 5.5 million
people were deported in the Balkans, which can be called ethnic
cleansing. This should also be investigated."

Halacoglu said that some world parliaments say Turks should
confront their past. "But which Turks? Turks in the Middle East,
in the Caucasus, the Balkans? Turks today?" he asked. "How can they
accuse me of committing the worst crime of humanity before giving me
a chance to defend myself? If I make an application at the European
Court of Human Rights I can get compensation. Accusing them of hurting
me and humiliating me with their accusations, I can get a huge amount
of compensation. We can do it together."

Halacoglu said that rather than officials, ordinary people and
non-governmental groups should do this against the 19 countries
which have taken decisions regarding the so-called Armenian genocide,
including Italy, Germany, Belgium, Poland and France.

Armenians claim that large numbers of Armenians — with figures
ranging between 300,000 and 2.5 million — were massacred by the
Ottomans during the World War I, which they say amounts to genocide.

The Turkish side says that there were many deaths on both sides,
fiercely denying any systematic massacres. More than 520.000 Muslim
Ottomans were massacred by the armed Armenian groups.

US BUSINESSMEN CALLS ON GEORGE BUSH NOT TO RECOGNIZE SO-CALLED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Today Azerbaijan
Feb 26 2007

Hundred prominent US businessmen appealed to President George Bush.

The appeal signed by Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and other famous
businessmen says that the recognition of the so-called Armenian
genocide will create problems for the US.

"The recognition of Armenian genocide will harm trade relations
between the US and Turkey," the appeal says.

The authors of the appeal stressed that the recognition of the genocide
will impede reconciliation of Turkey and Armenia.

The resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide was submitted to
the US Congress in January this year, APA reports.

URL:

HAYKO TO REPRESENT ARMENIA IN EUROVISION-2007 COMPETITION

Noyan Tapan
Feb 26 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. As a result of the televiewers’
SMS messages and by the February 25 decision of the jury, Hayko,
recongized the singer of the year in 2006 will represent Armenia at the
Eurovision-2007 international competition. To recap, the semi-final
stages for choosing the Armenian participant of the Eurovision-2007
were held by the H1 TV channel on February 23-24. 7 from the 20
participants entered the final stage. They were Arina Hovhannisian,
Emmy, Meri Voskanian living in Germany, Karine Asrian living in Moscow,
Hayko, Sergey Grigorian and Asta. To recap, the Eurovision-2007 will
be held in Finland in May.

Arminfo
2007-02-23 19:55:00

In Armenia securities market is more developed than in Georgia and
Azerbaijan

Armenia is one step ahead of Georgia and Azerbaijan under the regional
program for securities market development, syas President of Central
Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan.

He hopes that Armeconombank, who has got Moody’s Investors Service
rating, will become one of the most active participants in the
program.

To note, this program is carried out in cooperation with OMX
(Stockholm).

Sargsyan says that Armenia has preferred the European model of stock
market development to the American one as it gives commercial banks
access to securities market and allows creating a floor for limited
number of listed emitters on a commercial stock exchange. The list
will comprise several dozens of concerned enterprises.

"We are ready to regard their bonds as state securities, to carry out
REPO transactions with them and to provide them with definite tax
privileges: during the first two years they will pay 50% of the profit
tax and afterwards – even less. They will be given access to IPO and
cheap resources. This is essential for reforms," says Sargsyan.

ArmSwissBank has already applied for participation in the
program. That bank already has necessary risk management system. It
will enjoy even simpler procedure of securities operation than
professional participants do.

To note, OMX has actively joined in the program. It has studied
Armenia’s securities market and has presented its findings. The
content of the findings is kept confident. OMX seeks control over
Armenian Stock Exchange (ArmEx) with a view to integrate stock
exchanges of several countries, including the South Caucasian and
Baltic states.