Author: Takmazian

ARMENIA-MONGOLIA COMPETITION

A1+
[12:30 pm] 03 April, 2007

RA National Hokey team, headed by chief coach Douglas Dechezari
is getting ready for the World championship, held on April 6. The
Armenian hokey players are involved in C group. They are going to
compete with the national team of Republic of Mongolia, New Zealand,
Luxembourg, Ireland as well as with that of South Africa.

Karen Khachatryan, chairman of RA Hokey Federation has informed
‘A1+’ that the sportsmen will do their best to acquire the permit of
competing with B group teams.

POLITICIAN DETAINED IN DINK CASE RELEASED

Baku Sun, Azerbaijan
April 2 2007

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – A right-wing politician detained for questioning
in connection with the killing of an ethnic Armenian journalist was
released Tuesday without charge.

But police were still questioning three other members of the local
branch of the conservative and nationalist Great Unity Party over the
Jan. 19 murder of journalist Hrant Dink. The three were scheduled to
appear in court on Wednesday to face possible charges or be released
from custody.

Yasar Cihan, the head of Great Unity Party in the Black Sea port
city of Trabzon, was detained late Sunday and taken to Istanbul for
questioning. Authorities did not say on what grounds Cihan and the
three others were detained, but the politician had admitted giving
money to the family of one of the suspects charged in the killing.

Cihan had insisted the money was a charitable gift – he said he often
helps needy families.

Dink was shot dead outside the offices of his paper, Agos, in
Istanbul. Prosecutors have pressed charges against 10 suspects,
including some former members of the youth wing of Great Unity. The
killing prompted international condemnation as well as debate within
Turkey about free speech, and whether state institutions showed
tolerance to militant nationalists.

IRAQI ARMENIANS DO NOT APPRECIATE PRESENCE OF ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS IN COUNTRY

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.03.2007 18:47 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Iraqi Armenians have never had problems with
the authorities, head of Central Armenian National Administration
of Iraq Paruyr Hakopian stated at his meeting with "Noravank"
scientific-educational fund in Yerevan March 30. He said, it is not
important who was ruling in Iraq, Armenians never had problems with
the ruling regime.

Alongside Hakopian stressed that representatives of the Armenian
community have not actively been involved in policy. According to
Hakopian representatives of Armenian community were involved in this
or that party, even represented in the parliament, however they did
not introduce problems of the Armenian community and served interests
of the party, since the legislation of the country states it.

The head of Armenian community in Iraq informed that Armenians have
never involved in the struggle between Shias and Sunnis. "And Armenians
as Iraqi citizens expressed extremely negative to American invasion.

>From the beginning of the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime up to March
1, 2007 28 Armenians have died. In this regard the community does not
appreciate the presence of Armenian peacekeepers in the country and
tries not to contact with them," the head of the Armenian community
of Iraq stressed, IA Regnum reports.

NO U.S. MISSILE SHIELD ELEMENTS DEPLOYMENT IN RUSSIA – MINISTRY-1

RIA Novosti
13:24|31/ 03/ 2007

MOSCOW, March 31 (RIA Novosti) – A spokesman for the Russian Foreign
Ministry denied Saturday media reports that Russia proposed the United
States to deploy elements of missile defense shield on its territory.

On Friday some West mass media sources reported that Russia had
proposed the United States to deploy elements of missile defense shield
on its territory if Washington refuses its plans for Central Europe.

"The reports do not correspond with reality and do not reflect Russia’s
stance on the [U.S.] missile shield issue," Mikhail Kamynin said.

Washington has announced its intention to deploy elements of its
missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, citing possible
threats from Iran or North Korea as a reason for the program, and
will soon begin consultations with these countries.

On Wednesday, the Czech government confirmed that it will begin
official talks with the U.S. on the deployment of the system on its
territory. The negotiations which will start as soon as possible will
last through to the end of 2007.

Russia sees the prospective deployment as a threat to its own national
security, and fears the base may trigger a new arms race.

U.S. plans to deploy elements of the missile shield in Central Europe
are expected to cost $1.6 billion over the next five years. The program
will later be expanded to include sea-based missiles and space-based
missile tracking systems.

On Wednesday U.S. and Russian Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir
Putin discussed the issue on the phone, with President Bush saying
that his country was ready to discuss in detail U.S. plans.

Javier Solana, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, also called
Thursday for broader talks on the issue saying that EU states should
be involved.

He said the EU is not a defense alliance or a decision-making platform
for defense issues, but suggested it would be useful to think about
and discuss the subject in an open and transparent manner.

He also said EU sovereignty should be in harmony with its security
interests, and urged all EU countries to state their positions on
the issue in the context of the union.