Author: Nalbandian Eduard

RECOGNITION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH WOULD BE UNTIMELY – ARMENIAN PM

ITAR-TASS News Agency
September 25, 2007 Tuesday

The recognition of the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh
now would be ill-timed, Armenia’s Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian told
a news conference at the Itar-Tass head office on Tuesday.

"The Armenian leadership has said more than once that the recognition
of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence would be untimely and I agree with
this," Sarkisian said.

At the same time the Armenian prime minister said that "negotiations
on that issue are in progress and the talks have not exhausted all
opportunities yet."

In his opinion, "this dispute can be resolved solely through
compromises."

"The way I see it, there is every opportunity in place to resolve
the problem of Nagorno-Karabkh’s independence by peaceful means,"
he said. "The negotiating partners are unable to put forward all
proposals they have, but there will always be people who might upset
this process. Armenia and Azerbaijan are destined to live side by side,
and we would like to have a good relationship with the neighbor."

KOCHARIAN REACTS TO PREDECESSOR’S CRITICISM

ARMENPRESS
Sept 25 2007

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS: President Robert Kocharian reacted
today to a September 21 speech by ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosian
that he was still examining, weighing up, considering things before to
decide whether to join the presidential race for 2008 election or not.

Asked by journalists to comment on these remarks, Kocharian said if
his predecessor decides to re-inject into big politics and contest the
highest post of the country he will not differ from many " ordinary’
oppositional leaders with presidential ambitions.

On September 21 former president Levon Ter-Petrosian broke his nearly
decade-long silence during a reception organized by his Armenian
National Movement (ANM) to mark Independence Day with an unusually
harsh attack on the current authorities in Yerevan, branding them as
"criminal and corrupt."

Robert Kocharian said he was avoiding criticism of his predecessor
for ten years.

" I believe that the first president of Armenia should be surrounded
by a flavor of mystery, there must be a sort of mystery connected with
establishment of independent state and this responsibility should be
sensed by ex-president first of all,’ he said.

Kocharian said Armenia would not be able to report for years
double-digit economic growth if his administration was corrupt and
criminal.

‘Armenia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. This
growth goes hand in hand with massive reforms. If Ter-Petrosian’s
assessments were true Armenia would have never achieved this
development rate," Kocharian said.

He said when he was appointed prime minister ten years ago he received
a legacy of a $300 million budget with a $40 million deficit.

He said the 2008 budget is to grow to $2.5 million.

"One has to be in a deep seclusion not to see all these achievements,’
Kocharian said.

CITY COUNCIL URGES CITIZENS NOT TO BREAK LAWS

Panorama.am
20:45 24/09/2007

For several months, city council officials, led by vice-mayor Kamo
Areyan, have been walking the streets of Yerevan, and are revealing
structures on the verge of collapse. Responsibility of these structures
will pass to the vice-mayor’s office, which has stated that structures
that do not meet building codes and standards should be torn down. In
the course of 20 days, 164 sites have been registered, of which 76
have been declared as in a state of collapse. "Our purpose is to stop
the construction of illegal buildings.

There is no choice in the matter," Areyan said today, adding that as
a result of their work less such illegal structures are being built.

In his words, courts now are studying 145 such cases.

Possible fines range from 200,000 dram up to 1.5 million dram. "Day
and night we are spending time telling our citizens that they should
obey the law, and not to build illegal structures," Areyan said.

We asked Mr. Areyan if in fact there were such statistics, or if
government officials were merely carrying out orders, since the
population of Davit Bek boulevard is protesting that homes constructed
by city officials aren’t being torn down, while theirs are, to which
he replied, "All are equal in front of the law.

Those buildings were constructed by different people from different
fields. No exception was made for them."

AFRICAN SWINE FEVER IN ARMENIA

European Report
September 11, 2007

The European Commission sent an expert (Dr Domenico Rutili, head of
the national reference laboratory for African swine fever-ASF-at
the Istituto Zooprofilattico, Perugia, Italy) from the Community
Veterinary Emergency Team to Armenia on 10 September to take part in
a joint EU-OIE-FAO mission to assist the Ministry of Agriculture in
investigating ASF outbreaks. Armenia notified the World Organisation
for Animal Health (OIE) ten days ago of several outbreaks of this
highly contagious pig disease close to the border with Georgia,
where there is currently an ASF epidemic. While ASF does not affect
humans, it can have severe implications for animal health and for
the international trade of animals and animal products. (EVP)

ic Wales, United Kingdom

Sunday 23rd September 2007

Boxing: Lockett likely to face Abraham for IBF title

Sep 22 2007

by Our Correspondent, South Wales Echo

GARY Lockett is in line to challenge IBF middleweight
champion Arthur Abraham in Germany – but he may decide
to wait for a likely shot at the WBO version some time
next year.

The 30-year-old Cwmbran puncher, who wears the
second-tier WBU crown, is likely to be offered a crack
at 27-year-old Abraham on December 8, although he
would start a long-odds underdog against the
Berlin-based Armenian in his adopted homeland.

But this week has also seen him elevated from fifth to
second spot in the WBO ratings – as he has not boxed
since April, the alphabet body must have given him
extra credit for getting married last month – and he
will therefore be the mandatory challenger to the
winner of next weekend’s showdown between holder
Jermain Taylor and number one–ranked Kelly Pavlik.

If Taylor wins, he may well relinquish his belts and
step up to take on the winner of the super-middle
crunch between Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler. That
would leave Lockett in the frame for a shot at the
vacant WBO title.

A Pavlik victory would see the big-hitting American,
already flavour of the month with TV moguls across the
Atlantic, become a top-flight attraction.

A defence against the comparatively-unknown Welshman
would be unlikely to interest him or the money men, so
once again the WBO belt might well be discarded –
although probably not for a few months.

The rules decree that a vacant title should be
contested by the top two available men in the
rankings, but the current number three, veteran
`Winky’ Wright, is another targeting the likes of
Oscar de la Hoya rather than Lockett.

That would leave Lockett to meet unbeaten Irishman
John Duddy (fourth), German Sebastian Zbik, also
undefeated (fifth) or former `Contender’ star Joey
Gilbert (sixth). Reno-based Gilbert defends his North

Any of these would pose fewer problems than Abraham,
who has stopped 19 of his 24 victims and fought eight
rounds with a broken jaw to outpoint dangerous
Colombian Edison Miranda.

`The Rocket’ may stall any decision until after next
Friday’s Taylor-Pavlik clash, when things should
become a little clearer.

Prensa Latina, Cuba

Millions of European Children Uneducated

Geneva, Sep 20 (Prensa Latina) More than 14 million children in
Central and Eastern Europe and the Independent State Communities do
not have elementary and high school education, a UN Children’s Fund
report informed on Thursday.

According to the document released in Geneva, 2.4 million children do
not receive elementary education and 12 more million do not attend
high school in these territories of the old continent.

UNICEF urged the nations of those regions to increase budgets for
education to six percent of the GDP, because it is usually less than
three percent.

In countries such as Slovakia, Croatia and Poland, unemployment among
young people is over 30 percent, a situation that is worse in Serbia,
Armenia and Macedonia, with 50 percent.

Gypsies are among the most underprivileged minors, mostly in Bulgaria,
Hungary and Romania, with only between 10 and 35 percent attending
elementary schools, UNICEF said.

Children’s education mainly depends on the resources of families that
can pay for their schooling and the poor lack those possibilities to
educate their children.

hr ccs iom bts

PL-55

BAZEYAN IS FREE TO CHOOSE AND HIS PARTY WILL NOT SPLIT

A1+
[06:07 pm] 18 September, 2007

Today the "National Renaissance" party made an announcement, thus
putting an end to the talks on joining the "Armenian Democratic
Liberal Party" and "Alliance" party. The announcement says:

"Ignoring the interests of the party, Albert Bazeyan leads a policy
aimed at dissolving the party on political grounds. The former chair
of the party’s political council negotiates with the above mentioned
parties to join them through dissolving the "National Renaissance"
party, without discussing the issue with the party memebers.

Albert Bazeyan criticizes the split of parties in his speeches only,
but in fact he spares no efforts to reach the split of his party.

Coming out of the aforementioned and following the real interests of
the party, on behalf of all functioning regional parties

We announce

A/ We criticize the incoherent activities of the party member, that is
out of party’s interests. We decisively reject Albert Bazeyan’s policy
to split the party based on any motivation. Joining of the "National
Renaissance" party with the "Armenian Democratic Liberal Party" and
"Alliance" party is unacceptable for the "National Renaissance" party.

B/ Respecting the constitutional right of each individual to have
his own viewpoint, we announce that any person who wants to negotiate
with the "Armenian Democratic Liberal Party" and "Alliance" party and
become its member is free in his behavior and may implement his wish
without leading the party to splitting.

C/ We find that the "National Renaissance" part may participate in
the political procedures in the country and may have its input in the
social-political procedures in the country. We will take all necessary
steps to improve the situation in compliance with the party rules",
says the announcement.

The announcement was signed by regional heads of Aragatsotn, Armavir
and Shirak regions of "National Renaissance" party.

IFEX Action Alert Network
18 September 2007

From: IPS Communication Foundation (BIANET), [email protected]

Activists Complain Against Racist Song

The prosecution has reacted to controversy over a song praising Hrant
Dink’s murder suspects and started an investigation. Human rights groups
are filing a suit additionally.

bia news centre – Ýstanbul
17 September 2007, Pazartesi Erol Önderoglu

The song "Plan, don’t make a plan", composed by Ozan Arif and sung by
Ismail Türüt gained notoriety when it was played on Youtube’s website,
accompanied by a clip.

Singer Türüt, speaking by telephone to several television channels, has
said that he stands behind the song, but does not approve of the clip. He
says that the song does not aim at praising the murder.

Investigation started Following a report from the Istanbul Police
Department, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has started an
investigation of Türüt and composer Ozan Arif.

According to NTV channel, the Istanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace has
decided to block access to the video images on the Youtube site.

Although the prosecution has acted, the Istanbul branch of the Human
Rights Association (IHD), the Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism
Initiative and many other NGOs have decided to meet in front of the
Sultanahmet Law Court tomorrow (18 September) at 1 pm to read a press
statement.

Joint criminal complaint The IHD said, "We invite everyone to join
this criminal complaint activity in order to react against efforts to make
racism and murderers seem harmless." In addition, the IHD and the
Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER)
are going to collaborate in filing a criminal complaint in Ankara. They
are going to accuse Arif, Türüt and those preparing the clip of "praising
a crime and criminals".

Representatives of the associations are going to meet in front of the
Ankara Law Court at 11.30 am tomorrow (18 September).

Fethiye Cetin, one of the Dink family lawyers, told bianet, "In this
case the prosecutors, charged with guarding the public good, need to act
on their own account. This is not just the problem of the Dink family, it
is a problem for all of us. We will support anyone who wishes to act in
addition to the prosecution." Lyrics of the song The song’s lyrics
are as follows: Plan, do not make a plan, that does not suit the Black
Sea, Stabs in the back, lies and untruths do not succeed at the Black Sea,
Let neither Johnny (i.e. the Americans) nor the Russians lay traps, The
horn of separatism does not blow at the Black Sea, Stop ringing (church)
bells, stop being pro-Armenian, The people do not swallow such food at the
Black Sea, Let them say this on that day ("Ogün") and this today, The
Black Sea does not run out of Fatihas (Muslim prayer) and Yasins Put forth
your honour, glory and life, At the Black Sea no one sells their homeland,
If a person sells the homeland, business ends immediately, The sun of the
Turk and Islam does not set at the Black Sea, As long as we stand like
that, even if Bush is your uncle, Your jeer is not worth five cent.

We know you’re offended and hold a grudge, (But) you’re not strong enough
to cause a disturbance at the Black Sea.

It is assumed that the line "Let them say this on that day",where "that
day" can be read as a name, "Ogün", refers to murder suspect O.S., and the
line "The Black Sea does not run out of Yasins" to Yasin Hayal, who
stands accused of planning the murder.

"Souvenir" pictures with murder suspect The clip on Youtube also
includes images of O.S. as he was photographed standing under a Turkish
flag on the night of his arrest, on 20 January. It had emerged later that
police and gendarmerie officers took "souvenir" pictures of and with O.S..

Meanwhile, the Say Stop to Racism and Nationalism Initiative have
organised a campaign entitled "Article 301 to be Abolished, Racists to be
Judged" and a panel entitled "Why does Article 301 need to be abolished?"
Article 301 needs to be abolished Referring to the Supreme Court of
Appeal’s decision to overturn academics Prof. Dr. Baskin Oran and Prof.
Dr. Ibrahim Kaboglu’s acquittal, lawyer Turgut Tarhanli spoke out against
Article 301.

Tarhanli, the Dean of Bilgi University’s Law Faculty, said that the
article was "too abstruse for international standards" and that it needed
to be "abolished".

The campaign organisers have prepared a text to be presented to the
Turkish Parliament. The text can be signed by anyone wanting a change in
the articles of the Turkish Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law which
restrict freedom of expression. (EÖ/NZ/AG) Anasayfa | Baþa Dönbaþa dön |

**The information contained in this autolist item is the sole
responsibility of BIANET**

Panorama.am

14:39 15/09/2007

PRIME MINISTER TO MAKE HIS FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO RUSSIA

Prime Minister of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan will leave for Moscow on an
official visit on September 24, government press secretary, Mary
Harutunyan, told Panorama.am. In her words, it is the first official
visit of the prime minister. The composition of the Armenian
delegation is not known yet.

Sargsyan underscored the importance of this visit during a joint press
conference with Igor Levitin, transport minister of Russian
Federation. In his words, this visit is a chance to meet with the new
prime minister and the new government of Russia.

Source: Panorama.am

BIRTH CONTROL

TOL Czech Republic
14 September 2007

Paying people to have babies in Nagorno-Karabakh overshadows the need
to resolve an old conflict.

If you want to have children, France is not a bad place to start. If
that enviable national sense of style, manner and sensuality aren’t
reasons enough to encourage love, the state provides generous
incentives to couples who perpetuate the Gallic stock.

Acknowledging a declining birth rate, Russia has also started offering
incentives to families that have a second or third child. And the
governor of the central Russian region of Ulyanovsk recently offered
cars or other prizes to couples who have a baby on the next Russian
national day, 12 June.

Not to be outdone, the tiny, breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh
is offering its own rewards to prolific parents. According to media
reports, the local authorities will pay $700 for the third child born
to a family, $1,000 for the fourth child, and raise the payments in
steps up to $3,000 for the 10th offspring. The Armenian news agency
ArmInfo reported this week that one Nagorno-Karabakh mother, Emilia
Poghosian, received $5,000 for giving birth to her 15th child.

But Nagorno-Karabakh is not France or Russia, and a parent would have
to have a certain amount of daring – or a lot of altruism – to want
to bring children into the world there. It is technically still in a
state of war with Azerbaijan. There are few jobs for young people and
access to the world beyond is limited to the narrow Lachin corridor,
a mountainous passage heavily fought over in the war between Armenia
and Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. Most students have to settle on
Armenia for a university education.

Nagorno-Karabakh relies almost entirely on its benefactor state,
Armenia, and Armenian diaspora communities for support. Funds raised
in the United States, France and other places with affluent and
influential Armenian communities have helped pay for roads, schools
and reconstruction projects. Some Armenians visiting their ethnic
cousins there lament that public facilities are better in the breakaway
region than their own country. Indeed, the capital Stepanakert has
a far more prosperous look than the closest Armenian town, Goris.

The self-declared Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh has about 140,000
residents who are technically stateless.

The region once had a significantly larger population, a mix of
ethnic Armenians and Azeris, when it was a semi-autonomous part of
the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. The separatist war, one of
several triggered in the Caucasus as the Soviet Union disintegrated,
created one of the largest refugee exoduses since the second world
war as Azeris fled the region and other parts of Azerbaijan that were
seized by the Armenian army.

LINGERING HATRED

Antagonisms exist in the political realm, but also in personal
relations between Armenians and Azeris that keep the conflict alive,
more than a decade after a cease-fire went into effect. To highlight
the tense relations, Azeris and Armenians got into raucous arguments
at sessions of a recent economic gathering in Poland aimed at finding
common ground on trade and business cooperation.

Old-guard politicians routinely use Nagorno-Karabakh for political
advantage, perpetuating the nationalist sentiments that have undermined
peace efforts. And there seems to be no letup in the tragic state
of events.

Armenian Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian, the favorite to succeed
President Robert Kocharian, told the National Assembly this week that
the government would ensure a "balance of forces" in the region, while
the nation’s defense minister announced increased spending on weapons
and air power. Sarkisian, like the president, was a leader in the
Nagorno-Karabakh separatist movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Earlier this summer, Azeri President Ilham Aliev did little to defuse
tensions when he declared that his nation was living in a "state of
war" and called for more defense spending – this in a petroleum-rich
country where nearly half of people live in poverty.

In July, Nagorno-Karabakh’s leaders angered the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe and other mediators by holding
a presidential election full of verbal attacks on Azerbaijan and
opponents of an independent republic. Mediators fear that the
heated rhetoric of the election in Nagorno-Karabakh is a harbinger
for presidential elections scheduled next year in both Armenia and
Azerbaijan.

Amid all this political bombast, it remains to be seen whether
couples in Nagorno-Karabakh will jump at the chance to get paid to
have babies. No doubt leaders there think there is a pressing need to
address the demographic imbalances in the region. Friendly Armenia,
with barely 3 million people, has a declining growth rate while
arch-foe Azerbaijan, with 8.1 million, has a growing population.

The war between Armenia and Azerbaijan killed more than 30,000 people,
and each year more people are wounded or die in mine accidents along
the militarized border. The least the leaders of today could do
for the generations of tomorrow is to ensure that the killing ends
and conciliation begins. And that’s a far more lasting investment in
demographic stability than gimmicks to get people to produce children
into a troubled and uncertain environment.