Author: Tadevosian Garnik

OF COURSE YOU, LIKE ALL ARMENIANS, HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS

KarabakhOpen
30-11-2007 09-32-59

Dear Madame Odette Bazil,

The TV news report you referred to has NOT reported what you claim it
has. The news report is on their website () and you can
check it out. It clearly states that the candidate will be chosen at
the party’s Supreme Assembly of Armenia. It also mentions that those
taking part in this exercise in Yerevan like it and even suggest that
other parties should adopt similar practices too. Is it possible that
this positive assessment about something the Dashnaktsutyun is doing is
what you did not like and it prompted you to write your first letter?

Allow me to doubt the veracity of your statement that you "had also
received calls from Yerevan where it was said that already people, in
the streets, were electing their new President." Had your statment been
true, I am certain you would have referred to those "calls" in your
initial letter, whereas you had written "It might even be confusing
to some". The party members conducting this exercise, before asking
"the ordinary man/woman in the street" their opinion on either of
the two possible candidates, in addition to verbal expalanations,
are giving out flyers which explain the whole process.

Dear Madame,

Of course you, like all Armenians, have the right to express your
views on what the political parties, in this case the Dashnaktsutyun,
are doing in Armenia. But when you criticize a party for exactly
doing that, i.e. asking the public for their opinion, any member of
that party, or anyone for that matter, also has the right to ask you,
a non-member, to mind your own business, because in this case your
real concern is not for the citizens of Armenia. Because, in this
case, it is obvious that you do have an ax to grind; how else would
you qualify a call to party members to "promptly withdraw support
and allegiance to that party," namely the Dashnaktsutyun?

Sincerely yours, Giro Manoyan Yerevan

OSCE MG: OUR PROPOSALS NOT NEW

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.12.2007 14:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Despite some controversy, parties to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict are holding constructive talks on the whole. If they
came to an agreement we would enter the final stage of the process,
OSCE MG U.S. Co-chair Matthew Bryza said.

He said the package of base principles was conveyed to Armenian
and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers for further submission to the
Presidents. "During past 18 months we kept on improving these
principles and now we expect the Presidents’ feedback. We have
developed the best proposals for a compromise," the mediator said,
Day.az reports.

ARMENIAN SCHOLAR CONVINCED THAT POLICY OF INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF "GENOCIDE OF ARMENIANS" SHOULD BE GIVEN UP
Rizvan Huseinov

DemAz.org
Dec 3 2007
Azerbaijan

Armenian issue once again turned to be "headache" for Turkey for the
issue of recognition of "Genocide of Armenians" touches the fundaments
of Turkish identity, declared in Yerevan director of the institute on
oriental studies of National Academy of Science of Armenia, professor,
Professor. Ruben Safrastyan.

"The only chance to establish relations with Turkey is to give up
policy of international recognition of "genocide of Armenians". The
rest is political game. If Armenia makes concession in this issue,
then Turkey may even promote taking decision on conflict in Garabagh
taking into consideration interests of Armenia", underscored Armenian
specialist in Turkic philology.

"Late 90-s Turkey entered the stage of political and economic bloom,
what became possible at result of activity of middle class which
created ruling party of Justice and Development. The advent of Party
of Justice and Development is natural being phenomenal occurrence of
political history of Turkey; it is a party which regards conception of
"soft" Islam with market economy. And of course symbol of all this
transformation is Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Erdogan", Safrastyan
concluded.

PACE MONITORING COMMISSION CO-REPORTERS ARE VISITING ARMENIA

Lragir
Dec 3 2007
Armenia

George Colombier and Neven Mimika, the PACE Monitoring Commission
co-reporters and the secretary of the commission Despina
Chatzivassiliou arrived in Armenia on December 2.

On December 3 they are going to meet with the ambassadors of the CoE
countries, NGOs and the media.

On December 5 the co-reporters of the PACE Monitoring commission
will meet with the members of parliament of the Heritage Patry, the
Orinats Yerkir Party, the ARF Dashnaktsutyun, the Bargavach Hayastan
Party and the Republican Party factions, the chairs of the state and
legal committee, the committee of human rights and public affairs
and the committee of external relations of the National Assembly. The
meetings in parliament will be concluded with a meeting with Speaker
Tigran Torosyan.

On the same day the co-reporters will meet with President Robert
Kocharyan and Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan, the department of public
relations of the National Assembly reports.

LEGAL STATE TO WATCH OVER VOTE IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE

Panorama.am
22:16 03/12/2007

"The freedom less and unjust people is a result of the freedom
less and unjust government," Artur Baghdasaryan, leader of Legal
State and the party’s candidate for president, said today at
Legal State’s convention. The candidate stated that even though
the current authorities are speaking about free elections, yet are
buying people’s votes, are speaking about free competition, yet are
promoting monopolies, and are talking about a free justice system,
yet the system is under the watchful eye of the authorities. As
he presented, the most important issue today is the interpretation
of the Constitution, as today people’s rights are being trampled,
people’s rights are being limited, criminalism and corruption are
being institutionalized, and both television and the courts are being
carefully watched over by the ruling authorities.

Referring to Legal State’s ability to free the country of its problems,
Baghdasaryan said that as part of the government for three years,
his party attempted to its best ability to do this, but, as the system
wouldn’t buckle, his party found itself in the oppositional field.

"We are struggling for democracy, for a competitive and free state,"
he said, adding that as important as victory is, it can’t be gained
by bribery.

The Legal State president said that they would do their best to prevent
violations in the upcoming elections, in any way possible, adding that
sadly the past shows that free elections have still not taken place,
and speaking about them has become nothing but a "political bluff."

RUSSIAN MPS, SENATORS EXPRESS CONCERN AT SITUATION IN GEORGIA

ITAR-TASS
Nov 7 2007
Russia

The dispersal of the opposition rally in Tbilisi shows "the
authorities’ weakness and their fear and lack of desire to hear
the voice of the people and the opposition demands", Vadim Gustov,
head of the Federation Council committee for CIS affairs, has told
ITAR-TASS. According to Gustov, the republic’s leaders should resolve
the issues of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, "improve the economy and
establish normal trade relations", unblock the railway linking Russia
and Armenia, and join the countries that together with Russia will
be building a new generating unit in Armenia.

Andrey Kokoshin, chairman of the State Duma committee for CIS affairs
and links with compatriots, has told ITAR-TASS that the use of force
to disperse the opposition protest in Tbilisi will lead to a further
aggravation of the situation. According to him, "Western human rights
organizations and official bodies should give their utmost attention"
to the situation in Georgia and to "mass violations of democratic
norms and human rights" there.

According to State Duma deputy speaker Vladimir Pekhtin, the events
in Georgia are a deplorable result of Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili’s political course. He told ITAR-TASS that the Georgian
authorities "long ago stopped dealing with problems in a civilized
way". He drew attention to the fact that in some countries "coups
d’etat supported by Western foundations" had never led to the
"countries functioning normally, just to nonstop political struggle".

These conflicts affect, above all, ordinary citizens as the most
vulnerable members of society, Pekhtin said.

ARMENIA FUND LAUNCHES PHONETHON – 2007

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 12 2007

Armenia Fund is launching its traditional fund-raising phonethon
on November 14. To encourage donor participation, calls from the
Fund Executive Board will be made to around 2500 Armenian business
organizations. Funds raised in Phoneathon – 2007 will support
development of Armenian and Karabakh rural communities.

The Armenia Fund’s annual phoneathons are conducted on the eve of its
Telethons. "Donations to the Phoneathon – 2007 will be directed to
the newly adopted Rural Development Project, the selected beneficiary
project for this year. The event will strengthen recognition by the
Armenian community of their duty for National Giving and encourage
public participation in the forthcoming Telethon – symbol of our
unity and

dedication," The Armenia Fund Executive Director Vahe Aghabegians said.

Phoneathons headed by the Fund’s French local committee take place
in a number of European countries. Phoneathons conducted in Armenia,
Europe and Argentina have secured significant increases in donations
during the last three years.

The Phonetahon will be held from 14 -16 including.

COE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS CHAIRMAN TO VISIT KARABAKH CONFLICT REGION

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.11.2007 18:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ New chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe, Slovakian Foreign Minister Jan Kubis intends to
visit the Nagorno Karabakh conflict region in the near future.

"First of all, I must familiarize myself with the conflicts existing
on the territory of the Council of Europe. Therefore I will visit
the region in the shortest terms," Jan Kubis told a news conference
in Strasburg.

Slovakia took over Committee of Ministers Chairmanship from Serbia
November 12.

"I respect the endeavors of the organizations dealing with the
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict," he said, Trend reports.

PLAYGROUND ENDANGERED

A1+
[01:14 pm] 12 November, 2007

Children’s playground is being pulled down in the city of Gyumri.

Yura Khnkoyan, the owner of the "Ojakh" department stores, has recently
purchased 0.2796-hectare territory belonging to the "Shirak Centre"
Company.

Khnkoyan is going to build workshops and garages, the Gyumri
Municipality reports.

He intends to open a second entrance and wants to demolish the
children’s playground.

This is a rough breach of children’s rights. By erecting a car complex
on the sight they hurt children’s souls, the residents of Miasnikian
Street say.

They call on the RA President, Prime Minister, Shirak Marzpet and Edik
Manukian, the Chairperson of First Instance Court of Shirak Marz to
make an unbiased decision.

"ARMAVIA" TO INCREASE NUMBER OF YEREVAN-DUBAI FLIGHTS

Noyan Tapan
Nov 12 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting from November 18, Armavia
company will increase the frequency of Yerevan-Dubai-Yerevan flights
by making their number three instead of two a week. NT correspondent
was informed by the company that the increase in the number of flights
is conditioned by a growth in the number of passengers. The munimum
price of a ticket will make 138 euros (without taxes).

To recap, Air Arabia company operates two flights a week from Yerevan
to the city of Sharjah (UAE), which is 20 km away from Dubai.