Author: Nalchajian Markos

TER-PETROSYAN TEAM GOING TO URGE CC TO DECLARE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION INVALID

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.02.2008 21:12 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ When addressing the opposition rally on Sunday,
Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan said his team intends to
urge the Constitutional Court to declare the presidential election
invalid. "We have 10-15 more days to appeal the outcomes of the
election. Let no one doubt that we will win, the RA ex-President said,
calling to bring the number of protesters at Liberty Square at least
to 10 thousand.

Defender of the Motherland Day celebrated in Yerevan Victory Park

2008-02-23 11:58:00

ArmInfo. Defender of the Motherland Day was celebrated in Yerevan
Victory Park on February 23.

Although February 23 is not an official holiday in Armenia, the Defense
Minister Mikael Haroutunyan, representatives of the Command, as well as
RF Ambassador to Armenia Nikolay Pavlov and Director of the Frontier
Department of RF Federal Frontier Service, Lt. General Sergey Bondarev,
visited the Memorial for the Unknown Soldier in the city Victory Park.
The officials laid wreaths to the Memorial.
Afterwards, a not large joint parade took place with participation of
the Frontier Department subdivisions, the 102nd Russian military base
in Armenia and the troop of the Defense Ministry Honor Guard.

‘Many of our officers served in USSR and we always celebrate this day
together. Although this holiday is not celebrated it Armenia
officially, but we still celebrate February 23 with our Russian
colleagues’, Defense Minister Mikael Haroutunyan told journalists. The
minister congratulated his colleagues and wished everyone health,
happiness and peace.

"RALLIES OF LEVON TER-PETROSIAN WILL BECOME TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR AND BE OF PERMANENT CHARACTER," NIKOL PASHINIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 21, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 21 Levon Ter-Petrosian,
the first President of the Republic of Armenia, started his regular
rally with a joke, declaring that he has ordered the sunny weather
of today and that he is in a very high mood.

Nikol Pashinian, the representative of the Alternative public-political
initiative and the man, who is conducting the rally, declared that
since February 21 their struggle will be "of permanent character and
will not stop any longer." The rally will be a twenty-four-hour one
and marches, demonstrations and pickets will constantly take place.

Heghine Bisharian, the Deputy Chairman of the Orinats Yerkir (Country
of Law) Party, also took part in the rally. She mentioned that
despite the fact that offensive words were voiced from the rostrum
a few days ago addressed to Arthur Baghdasarian, the Chairman of
the Orinats Yerkir Party, she has come to the rally. She declared
that a recalculation of the votes has started in different pollings
stations on February 21 and the Orinats Yerkir Party is waiting
for that recalculation, as a result of which, in her conviction,
the votes of Arthur Baghdasarian are to increase. Heghine Bisharian
said that according to the data of the Orinats Yerkir Party, Arthur
Baghdasarian has received much more votes than the number officially
presented. In response to this, the participants of the rally started
crying: "Levon – President."

Nikol Pashinian mentioned that they demand to arrest "the whelps
of "muk" of Mkhchian" (the relatives of Deputy Prime Minister
Hovik Abrahamian – N.T.), the prefects of the Arabkir and Erebuni
communities, as well as to broadcast live the rally by the Public
Television.

TURKISH PARLIAMENT ADOPTS LAW TO RETURN PROPERTIES TO CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH MINORITY FOUNDATIONS

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.02.2008 15:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey’s parliament approved a law Wednesday to
return properties confiscated by the state to Christian and Jewish
minority foundations – a key reform demanded by the European Union,
the AP reports.

The EU has long been pressing Turkey to pass the measure that would
allow the foundations belonging to minority groups to reclaim seized
assets – including churches, school buildings and orphanages – that
were registered in the names of saints.

Turkey is far from European Union accession, said European Commission
Vice President Franco Frattini, in a statement to Italian daily Il
Giornale di Vicenza yesterday. Turkey has many deficiencies in terms
of freedom of speech, women’s rights and prison standards, he said,
adding that the EU cannot talk about Turkish membership before these
obstacles are overcome.

The parliament passed the measure 242-72. President Abdullah Gul,
a close associate of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is expected
to sign the measure.

Turkey seized some properties owned by minority foundations in 1974
around the time of an invasion of Cyprus that followed a coup attempt
by supporters of union with Greece.

The country’s population of 70 million, mostly Muslim, includes 65,000
Armenian Orthodox Christians, 23,000 Jews and fewer than 2,500 Greek
Orthodox Christians.

Parliament first approved the measure in November 2006. But the
president at the time, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, was a secularist who
was often at odds with Erdogan’s Islamic-rooted government, and he
vetoed it.

LEVON TER-PETROSYAN: I HAVE GAINED VICTORY AT THE ELECTION AND WILL ASSERT MY VICTORY

arminfo
2008-02-20 19:56:00

ArmInfo. "I have gained victory at the election and will assert
my victory.

I’ll have the resoluteness to do this even if nobody remains
beside me", Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the first president of Armenia,
a presidential candidate, said at a multi-thousand rally of his
supporters at Liberty Square in Yerevan, Wednesday.

According to Ter-Petrosyan, he was informed by ambassadors of several
foreign countries today that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan told
them about his negotiations with the Armenian ex-president. "I am
making an official statement that Robert Kocharyan made no proposals to
me on holding negotiations, and I leave the comments to you", he said.

Ter-Petrosyan said that the Feb 20 conclusion of international
observers is extremely favorable for him and his supporters. "All of
you will see a pleasant surprise at 3:00 pm, Thursday. Believe me,
I am informed better than you", he said.

Editor-in-Chief of Haykakan Zhamanak daily Nikol Pashinyan, the
conductor of the rally, said that the next rally of Ter-Petrosyan’s
supporters will take place at Liberty Square at 3:00 pm, Thursday. "The
victory doesn’t like to hurry, we have already delivered a crushing
blow on the regime of Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan. Come at
3:00 pm tomorrow, wear warm clothes and watch no news on Armenian TV
channels, get information from Liberty Square", Pashinyan said.

To note, the center of Yerevan was literally "stuffed" with special
subdivisions of internal troops and police cars all day long, there
were numerous law-enforcers near the places where Ter-Petrosyan’s
activities took place. No incidents were registered.

OMBUDSMAN’S OFFICE REPORTS

Panorama.am
21:27 19/02/2008

The ombudsman’s office informs the following in regards to
complaints-applications submitted to the office and the actions taken
by the ombudsman in their relation.

Ombudsman’s office could receive no explanations from the Central
Electoral Commission in relation to a case reported by a reporter
which says that some citizens were given Form 9 at Republican Party
election center in the territory of Zeitun dormitory and later they
were taken to precincts in microbuses. The information received by
an emergency call was forwarded to chief prosecutor’s office. The
ombudsman’s staff emergency group left for the mentioned precinct
and could record the quantity and car numbers of the minibuses.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s proxy Hakob H. informed that people were taken
in microbuses from Davitashen community 4 to the precincts. The
ombudsman’s emergency group has recorded the quantities of the
microbuses which were stopped at the precinct center closer than the
law requires.

A report was made that proxy Larisa Tadeovsyan has been beaten up in
Abovian. According to unchecked information, the citizen has reported
to the police and was given a medical certificate.

Proxy Iveta G. informed that in the precinct organized in Artashat
School 5 extra ballot papers were added.

Some 250 persons have entered the precinct and added extra
ballot papers into the ballot box. The information was forwarded
to Territorial Election Committee 17 Chairman who refuted the
information. The information was forwarded to CEC legal department
employee Sevak. The information is being checked.

National Assembly deputy Karen Karapetyan and citizens accompanying him
Stepanian Vardan and Stepanyan Stiopa have entered into the election
precinct in Shahumyan village of Ararat region. They took the ballot
papers and passports from other citizens and voted instead of them. The
emergency information was forwarded to the respective police department
responsible person Niulbenkyan. The information is being checked.

Proxy Pargev Mnatsakanyan has been beaten up at Malatia-Sebastia
community in the course of his attempts to prevent election
breaches. The emergency group has left to the place of the incident
and later to the police where materials were prepared on the case,
which were later forwarded to the chief prosecutor’s office.

National Assembly deputy Armen Martirosyan, member of observation
group Seda Melikyan and a reporter were beaten at precinct 13/16
of Erebuni community. The emergency group of the ombudsman have
met them. The meeting unveiled that the mentioned persons received
information that election breaches were made at the precinct and left
for the mentioned venue. A police officer approached them and invited
out. Beating up started and police department head arrived. Haikakan
Jamanak newspaper reporter tried to record the incident. He was beaten
in his stomach and the recorder was taken away. The mentioned persons
applied to the prosecutor’s office and the ombudsman. The information
is being checked.

Ruben Torosyan informed that at 3:21 PM on February 19 Artashes
Geghamyan has engaged in anti-propaganda on Radiolour program of the
Public Radio. The information is being checked.

Citizen Shushan Sardaryan informed the human rights ombudsman of
Armenia that at precinct 5/20 located at Shirvanzade school of Arabkir
community there were two proxies of Levon Ter-Petrosyan at the same
time which is a violation of law.

Observer Marine Madatyan informed that she approached
Ter-Petrosyan’s proxies and said that the law does not permit
two proxies in the precinct at the same time and suggested one of
them to leave. Ter-Petrosyan’s proxies said they were not going to
leave. Observer Madatyan reported a violation of the law and invited
police officers who accompanied one of the proxies out.

Other incidents were not reported at the precincts.

Déja vu 20 years later. Who will be the second?

Naira Hayrumyan
19-02-2008 11:44:36 – KarabakhOpen

Reports on Kosovo declaration of independence were on all
the channels. It was reported like information of universal
importance. Even the show celebrating the independence was fully
broadcast live. All this is evidence that in a few days the great
powers will have recognized the independence of the self-declared
republic.

On these days Karabakh is preparing for the celebration of the 20th
anniversary of the beginning of the Karabakh movement. The movement
which started in 1988 led to declaration of independence in 1991,
bloodshed in 1991-1994, the OSCE mediation mission, fruitless talks,
a diplomatic war. As a result the international community rejects
recognition.

Politicians assert that Kosovo cannot be a precedent. The fact how
zealously they say it is evidence that there are points in common
with other conflicts. And right away the question occurs why some
countries are going to recognize the independence of Kosovo.

The answer to this question should be sought elsewhere. First of all,
in geopolitics. Experts assert quite logically that a combustible and
uncontrollable region at the center of Europe is unacceptable. Albania
is not a member of the European cultural family. Moreover, it is an
aggressive opponent regarding several issues. And it is necessary
to establish control over the territories which may do unpredictable
actions.

The second is religion. People who live in Kosovo are Muslims. The
"Christian" West would not recognize "Christian" unrecognized states
but it recognized the Muslim state. It means either the West fears
the Muslim factor and is reluctant to confront the "hazardous"
confession or the establishment of a Muslim state at the heart of
Europe is favorable for someone.

Diplomacy is the third place where the question of the answer could be
found. The recognition of Kosovo among other states means that Kosovo
conducted a correct policy. It means this country could concentrate
its home political and external political resource and prove its
independence.

The fourth is security. What threat does the recognition of Kosovo
pose? Actually no threat. Most probably all Serbia will do is a
few peaceful rallies, and Russia may blackmail the West regarding
several issues. Most probably, there will be no military actions,
since everyone still has fresh memories of shelling of Belgrade by
the NATO force, bypassing the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, the
recognition of other states, such as Karabakh may bring about military
consequences which may cause a permanent reaction across the world.

Nevertheless, Kosovo has declared independence. The others should
analyze thoroughly the reasons why the United States, France and the
UK need a Muslim Albanian state at the heart of Europe.

–Boundary_(ID_3y/LcgqnRcBdfsbeoIcJZA)–

If Kosovo Can Be Free, Why Not Palestine?
John V. Whitbeck, Arab News

Arab News, Saudi Arabia
Feb 19 2008

As expected, Kosovo has now issued its unilateral declaration of
independence, and the United States and most European Union countries,
with which this declaration was coordinated, are rushing to extend
diplomatic recognition to this "new country", a course of action which
should strike anyone with an attachment to either international law
or common sense as breathtakingly reckless.

The potentially destabilizing consequences of this precedent (which the
US and the EU insist, bizarrely, should not be viewed as a precedent)
have been much discussed with reference to other unhappy portions
of other internationally recognized sovereign states with strong
separatist movements practicing precarious but effective self-rule,
such as Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transniestria, Ngorno-Karabakh,
Bosnia’s Republika Srpska, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and
Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as to discontented minorities elsewhere. One
potentially constructive consequence has not yet been discussed.

The American and EU impatience to sever a portion of a UN member state
(universally recognized, even by them, to constitute a portion of
that state’s sovereign territory), ostensibly because 90 percent
of those living in that portion of the state’s territory support
separation, contrasts starkly with the unlimited patience of the
US and the EU when it comes to ending the 40-year-long belligerent
occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (no portion of which
any country recognizes as Israel’s sovereign territory and as to
which Israel has only even asserted sovereignty over a tiny portion,
occupied East Jerusalem). Virtually every legal resident of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip seeks freedom – and has for over 40 years.
For doing so, they are punished, sanctioned, besieged, humiliated
and, day after endless day, killed by those who claim to stand on
the moral high ground.

In American and EU eyes, a Kosovar declaration of independence from
Serbian sovereignty should be recognized even if Serbia does not
agree. However, their attitude was radically different when Palestine
declared independence from Israeli occupation on Nov. 15, 1988. Then
the US and the EU countries (which, in their own eyes, constitute
the "international community", to the exclusion of most of mankind)
were conspicuously absent when over 100 countries recognized the new
State of Palestine, and their nonrecognition made this declaration of
independence purely "symbolic" in their own eyes and, unfortunately,
in most Palestinian and other eyes as well.

For the US and the EU, any Palestinian independence, to be recognized
and effective, must still be directly negotiated, on a wildly unequal
bilateral basis, between the occupying power and the occupied people –
and must be agreed to by the occupying power. For the US and the EU,
the rights and desires of a long-suffering and brutalized occupied
people, as well as international law, are irrelevant.

For the US and the EU, Kosovar Albanians, having enjoyed almost nine
years of UN administration and NATO protection, cannot be expected
to wait any longer for their freedom, while the Palestinians, having
endured over 40 years of Israeli occupation, can wait forever.

With the "Annapolis process" going nowhere, as was clearly the Israeli
and American intention from the start, the Kosovo precedent offers
the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership, accepted as such by the
"international community" because it is perceived as serving Israeli
and American interests, a golden opportunity to seize the initiative,
to reset the agenda and to restore its tarnished reputation in the
eyes of its own people. If this leadership truly believes, despite
all evidence to the contrary, that a decent "two-state solution" is
still possible, now is an ideal moment to reaffirm the legal existence
(albeit under continuing belligerent occupation) of the State of
Palestine, explicitly in the entire 22 percent of Mandatory Palestine
which was not conquered and occupied by the State of Israel until 1967,
and to call on all those countries which did not extend diplomatic
recognition to the State of Palestine in 1988 – and particularly the
US and the EU states – to do so now.

The Kosovar Albanian leadership has promised protection for Kosovo’s
Serb minority, which is now expected to flee in fear. The Palestinian
leadership could promise to accord a generous period of time for the
Israeli colonists living illegally in the State of Palestine and
the Israeli occupation forces to withdraw, as well as to consider
an economic union with Israel, open borders and permanent resident
status for those illegal colonists willing to live in peace under
Palestinian rule.

Of course, to prevent the US and the EU from treating such an
initiative as a joke, there would have to be a significant and explicit
consequence if they were to do so. The consequence would be the end
of the "two-state" illusion. The Palestinian leadership would make
clear that if the US and the EU, having just recognized a second
Albanian state on the sovereign territory of a UN member state,
will not now recognize one Palestinian state on a tiny portion of
the occupied Palestinian homeland, it will dissolve the "Palestinian
Authority" (which, legally, should have ceased to exist in 1999,
at the end of the five-year "interim period" under the Oslo Accords)
and the Palestinian people will thereafter seek justice and freedom
through democracy – through the persistent, nonviolent pursuit of full
rights of citizenship in a single state in all of Israel/Palestine,
free of any discrimination based on race and religion and with equal
rights for all who live there, as in any true democracy. Palestinian
leaderships have tolerated Western hypocrisy and racism and played
the role of gullible fools for far too long. It is time to kick over
the table, constructively, and to shock the "international community"
into taking notice that the Palestinian people simply will not tolerate
unbearable injustice and abuse any longer.

If not now, when?

– John V. Whitbeck, an international lawyer has advised the Palestinian
negotiating team in negotiations with Israel.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM VISIT TO KARABAKH

19-02-2008 13:55:26 – KarabakhOpen

With St. Valentine’s Day just behind us and the Presidential elections
fast approaching, this week we are truly caught in the middle of the
two great powers – love and politics. Nevertheless, we will resist
the temptation to stray away and are determined to stick to our core
topics. So, this week’s topics are: the Rural Development Program
working trip to Karabakh (with a little something extra) and yet
another small project coming to life. In the spotlight of the meet
the people section is Sevan Varteressian, who made the latest small
project possible.

On February 11, the Armenia Fund Rural Development Program staff made
a three day working trip to Karabakh. The aim of the visit was on
the ground assessment of the situation in some of the border villages.

The revitalization of the border villages of Karabakh is very much in
the focus of the Rural Development Program and while the challenges
we face are comparable to the ones we have in Armenia, the magnitude
of the work to be done is significantly larger. Where in Armenia
we are working on reviving the infrastructure damaged by the lack
of maintenance and a turbulent transition period, in Karabakh we
are dealing with places directly and painfully affected by an armed
conflict.

While the capital Stepanakert is a rapidly developing, vibrant city,
the rural areas still very much bear the heavy marks of war. The road
through these villages is a powerful testament to the extent of the
devastation. A lot has been done both by the governments of Armenia
and Karabakh and organizations like the Armenia Fund yet the signs
of war are not easy to

15 FEBRUARY, 2008 RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION OFFICE
WEEKLY UPDATE OF THE ARMENIA FUND RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Newstrack India
Feb 18 2008

Aronian upsets Anand
New Delhi, Mon, 18 Feb 2008 NI Wire

Armenia’s Levon Aronian scored an upset victory over World champion
Viswanathan Anand, after cashing on the gaffe made by India’s top
ranked player on the 30th move in the second round of the
Morelia-Linares chess tournament being played at Morelia in Mexico on
Saturday.

After first round convincg victory over Alexei Shirov, Anand knocked
down himself to an appalling blunder on move 30 in his game against
Levon Aronian, who bounced back after facing first round defeat.

Playing with white pieces, Anand made out a blunder with his
knight-move on the 30th turn in Ruy Lopez game, and lost the battle
after 34 moves after facing checkmate. Aronian chose his favourite
Marshall’s attack over the reigning World champion.

In the other crucial battle of the day, Ukraine’s Vassily Ivanchuk
defeated Peter Leko. Leko similarly lost the plot around move 38
against Ivanchuk and gave up full point.

Azebiazan’s Teimour Radjabov had to settle for a draw after a
promising start against Veselin Topalov, while Spaniard Shirov and
Carlson also split points.

RESULTS (Second Round):

Viswanathan Anand (Ind, 1) lost to Levon Aronian (Arm, 1); Vassily
Ivanchuk (Ukr. 1.5) bt Peter Leko (Hun, 1).

Teimour Radjabov (Aze, 0.5) drew with Veselin Topalov (Bul, 1.5);
Alexei Shirov (Esp, 0.5) drew with Magnus Carlsen (Nor, 1).