Author: Tambiyan Samvel

LEVON TER-PETROSIAN STATES THAT 90 PERCENT OF POLITICAL FORCES JOINED NATIONAL MOVEMENT

Noyan Tapan
Feb 15, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. "This rally with the participation
of thousands of people shows that Etchmiadzin becomes the second
most important center of the national movement after Yerevan", the
RA presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian stated at the February
15 rally in the central square of the city of Etchmiadzin.

According to him, the major goal of national movement is to show that
in case of being resolute it is possible to prevent reproduction of
the country’s authorities, and the movement has achieved its goal.

L. Ter-Petrosian announced that it is already several days that
the oligarchs close to the authorities have withdrawn huge amounts
from Armenian banks, which, on one hand, is a sign of capitulation,
but on the other hand, the national wealth is being taken out of
Armenia. He called on the chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia to
take respective measures to stop this process. L. Ter-Petrsosian also
declared that 90 percent of the forces representing the political
field of the country (including "Yerkrapah" ("Defender of Land")
volunteer union and "Trial of Spirit" organization) have now joined
the national movement: "All freedom fighters without exception are on
our side". L. Ter-Petrosian underlined the contribution of Etchmiadzin
units to the victory in the Karabakh war. "Etchmiadzin is the Armenian
city to have given the greatest number of generals," he stated.

According to him, over 90 percent of policemen and employees of the
National Security Service also support the national movement. At the
same time L. Ter-Petrosian said that the resources in the hands of the
authorities’ candidate Serge Sargsian should not be underestimated. The
first Armenian president called attention of those present to the fact
that although 9 candidates are participating in the election campaign,
the real struggle is going on between two of them: one is the candidate
of the robber state, while the other is the candidate of the people.

By various estimates, 5-7 thousand people attended the rally. They
carried posters "Holy Etchmiadzin is With Its Christian President"
and "Residents of Musa Ler are With You".

EUROPEAN INTEGRATION IS HIGHLY IMPORTANT FOR ARMENIA AND KARABAKH

KarabakhOpen
14-02-2008 12:44:32

Interview of the chair of the European Integration NGO (Armenia)
Karen Bekaryan with Karabakh-Open.com

Mr. Bekaryan, what is the role of the pro-European direction in the
foreign policies of the South Caucasian states, namely Armenia?

The pro-European direction has a special role in foreign policies of
the South Caucasian countries. In Georgia, European integration has
been declared the main benchmark of the foreign policy. In Azerbaijan
this direction is not the main one, and in Armenia which has declared
a complementary policy, European integration is one of the priorities.

Do European values contradict to national priorities?

I don’t thinks so. I think we have much in common, alike. The question
is whether our elite work toward establishment, dynamic development
of our national values and do not oppose them to European values. I
think there are no major controversies.

What role could Europe have in the settlement of the Karabakh issue?

You already know that the OSCE Minsk Group mediates the settlement
of the Karabakh issue. The European community also has a role,
which is gradually increasing. If we add major controversies between
the United States and Russia to this, the role of Europe could be
described as mediatory. I think this role will grow more important,
and the contribution of the EU Representative for the South Caucasus
will be great because his mandate involves settlement of conflicts.

What is the role of the non-governmental sector in bringing the
Caucasus and Europe closer?

The non-governmental sector may have an important role because
it facilitates cooperation between societies. Confidence is built
through the non-governmental sector. The Armenian and Azerbaijani
NGOs have partners in the European countries. It enables talking
about the prospects of bringing our societies closer. The problem is
initiative. I think we lack initiative.

What are the main factors which hinder integration of Armenia with
Europe?

There are both objective and subjective reasons. Our foreign political
stance and strategic partnership with Russia are among objective
reasons.

Many people, including politicians, think that one should necessarily
replace the other, and if the pro-European direction becomes stronger,
problems with Russia will occur. There are also subjective factors. Our
society is unaware of the procedure of European integration. There
is no demand on behalf of the society, and not because of the lack
of interest in the society but because our governments, our partners
do not provide sufficient information. In think European integration
is highly important for Armenia and Karabakh because we live in the
21st century. In the century of globalization a country cannot develop
in separation. And if we can see the system fo values which is close
to us, in which we feel comfortable and we can develop, there is no
alternative to European integration.

OYP STATED THAT "PASSPORT DELUGE" IS TAKING PLACE IN ARMENIA

Mediamax
February 14, 2008

Yerevan /Mediamax/. "Passport deluge is taking place in Armenia",
Head of the Staff of Armenian presidential candidate, Leader of
"Orinats Yerkir" Party (OYP) Artur Baghdasarian Heghine Bisharian
stated in Yerevan today.

Mediamax reports that according to her, their staff received
information, according to which in the Police Department of the Yerevan
Erebuni Community there is a "huge number of passports" at present,
which gives grounds for suspicion.

"We are actively cooperation with the Passport and Visa Department
of the Police, and we found out that birthdates of 74.000 electors
are not stated in the electors’ lists, and 11.500 electors lack
addresses", Heghine Bisharian stated. She also noted that over 5
thousand electors are revealed, who were born before 1912, "which
also gives ground for suspicions".

BIA, Turkey
Feb 14 2008

RSF: Article 301 is `Enemy of Press Freedom’

In its annual report for 2008, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
criticised Article 301 and the nationalist obstruction of press
freedom. The murder of Hrant Dink could have been prevented.

Rsf
14-02-2008

2007 began very badly, with the murder of Turkish-Armenian Agos
newspaper editor Hrant Dink. It was a tough year for press freedom,
with authoritarian behaviour and nationalist violence.

Dink’s murder could have been prevented
Hrank Dink was shot dead on 19 January 2007 in front of the Istanbul
offices of the privately-owned bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly
magazine Agos he edited. The killer, O. S., from Trabzon, a bastion
of Turkish nationalism, was arrested hours later and investigations
soon showed he had ties to the security forces, which had been warned
several times Dink was going to be killed.

But officials refused to prosecute the police suspects and evidence
was reportedly destroyed. The trial of the 19 suspects began in
Istanbul in July amid tight police security and because O.S. (17) was
a minor, was held in secret. The second hearing mentioned the police
involvement. The third hearing was on 11 February 2008, and the next
hearing is on 25 February.

Article 301, the enemy of press freedom
When the hitman was arrested he expressed no remorse and said Dink
deserved to die for insulting Turks. Dink had been prosecuted several
times for calling the Ottoman Empire massacre of Armenians
`genocide,’ a term that Turkey rejects. Article 301 of the criminal
code provides for between six months and three years in prison for
anyone `openly denigrating’ the government, courts, police or armed
forces.

Dink was given a suspended six-month prison sentence in 2005 under
this article and was prosecuted again in September 2006 for calling
the Armenian massacre `genocide’ in an interview with Reuters news
agency. His son Arat and two other Agos staffers were given year-long
suspended prison sentences in October 2007 for reprinting the
interview in the magazine.

Promises of amendment not kept
A few days earlier, newly-elected Turkish President Abdullah Gül told
the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly that he favoured
amending article 301. The EU’s annual progress report on Turkey’s
application to join the EU said very serious efforts were still
needed to improve freedom of expression.

Justice minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said on 6 November the government
would amend article 301 and that the cabinet would give priority to
proposals based on calls from civil society groups. Prime minister
Erdogan made similar promises a year earlier.

The army as a threat to the media
Nationalism was behind many attacks on press freedom. Yasin Yetisgen,
owner-editor of the Kurdish paper Coban Atesi, was thrown in jail for
printing an article on 2 August saying the town of Antep was in
`northern Kurdistan,’ an officially-illegal term. Journalists were
several times forbidden to report on Turkish military operations in
Iraqi Kurdistan against PKK rebel bases, officially so as not to
demoralise the population with `negative’ news but in fact to
preserve the image of the army.

This desire for control was shown in March when two reports, from the
the military high command and the prime minister’s office, were
leaked to the media. They revealed that media outlets and journalists
were classified as to how far they agreed with government policies
and that official accreditation was used to either exert pressure on
a media outlet or journalist or to reward those that backed the armed
forces.

Three French journalists – Guillaume Perrier of Le Monde and two
photographers for the Capa photo agency – were arrested on 24 October
at the Habur border-crossing between Turkey and Iraq for refusing to
show their film to customs officials, who roughed one of them up.
They were held for questioning with no reason given, separated and
interrogated. They were freed by the town prosecutor the next day but
their film and equipent was not returned.

Kurdish media faced obstacles
Many Kurdish media outlets were shut down, sometimes more than once,
mainly for supposed `terrorist propaganda,’ and most often the
newspapers Gündem and Güncel. Gün TV, broadcasting in the southern
region of Diyarbakir and the only station allowed to put out
Kurdish-language programmes, ran into many problems, including when
it broadcast Kurdish songs.

Columnist Aydin Erdogan was dismissed in October by the daily
Cumhuriyet for criticising, during a TV debate on the pro-Kurdish Roj
TV channel, planned constitutional changes and for advocating a
peaceful solution to the Kurdish conflict. He was also not allowed to
present his own books put out by Cumhuriyet Publishing at the Tuyap
book fair as had been planned. (RSF/AG)

04909/rsf-article-301-is-enemy-of-press-freedom

PETER SEMNEBY DISAPPOINTED AT LACK OF KARABAKH ISSUE’S RESOLUTION

DeFacto Agency
Feb 13 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 13.02.08. DE FACTO. "The fact that after such a long
dialogue the resolution of the Karabakh issue has net been found
yet is disappointing. However, certain calmness reigns there, and
it reassures", stated the EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Peter Semneby in an interview with Russian "Kommersant"
newspaper, while speaking of the Karabakh conflict settlement.

Answering a question if he considers it strange that in the context
of discussion of the possibility of application of the Kosovo issue’s
resolution for other conflicts on the post-Soviet territory Karabakh
is not mentioned Peter Semneby stated, "I can just state it’s good
even if one conflict in the South Caucasus does not appear in this
context. No talks are held in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. I hope
they will be resumed after tension around Kosovo is reduced and the
situation in Georgia is settled. As for Karabakh, the negotiation
process goes on. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan participate in it within
the frames of the OSCE Minsk group. And this fact keeps both parties
from some dramatic actions".

OSCE TO HOLD MONITORING ON CONTACT FRONT LINE OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES

Today
095.html
Feb 13 2008
Azerbaijan

A monitoring on the contact front line of Azerbaijani and Armenian
armed forces is planned to be held near Tapgaragoyunlu village of
Geranboy on Thursday.

The due announcement was made by the press service for Azerbaijan’s
Ministry of Defense, according to Day.Az.

The monitoring will be held in accordance with the mandate of the
personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office.

Azerbaijan will be represented by a personal representative of the
OSCE chairman-in-office Andjey Kaspshik his field assistants Imre
Palatinus and Jaslan Nurtazin.

Armenians will be represented by field assistants of the personal
representative of the OSCE chairman Antal Kherdich and Miroslav
Vimetal.

"TIGRAN KARAPETIAN HAS EARNED PEOPLE’S RESPECT"

A1+
13 February, 2008

"Presidential candidate Tigran Karapetian is warmly welcomed in all
settlements of Armenia. The warm reception is determined by mutual
respect," Karapet Hakobian, Head of the pre-election office for Tigran
Karapetian, says.

"Tigran Karapetian is known everywhere. He has earned people’s respect
and confidence due to his long-term and assiduous work. So far we
have encountered no obstacles but a few insignificant trifles,"
Hakobian says.

As a rule, the People’s Party Leader holds outdoor meetings. "If
people support us and want to listen to our speech they will attend
our meeting despite unfavourable weather conditions," Karapet
Hakobian adds.

The presidential candidate is scheduled to meet with residents of
Hrazdan on February 14. He will hold a rally near the Matenadaran at
4:00 on February 17.

To note, at 2:00, February 17th, Serzh Sarkissian’s supporters hold
a rally at Republic Square.

Asked whether the two rallies won’t hamper each other, Hakobian said,
"I see no problems in this connection as the rallies are due at
different hours."

RA CITIZENS RESIDING IN GERMANY PROTEST IN CONNECTION WITH BEING DEPRIVED OF SUFFRAGE

Noyan Tapan
Feb 13, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, NOYAN TAPAN. "The fact that the Armenian
government deprives its citizens residing abroad of the suffrage
is more than understandable: why should the RA government need
citizens living in democratic countries and familiar with democratic
principles?" A group of RA citizens residing in Germany made such
a statement in their letter to the OSCE/ODIHR, RA Foreign Ministry,
and RA Central Electoral Commission.

The letter, in particular, mentioned that part 2 of Article 2 of RA
Electoral Code, according to which the participation in elections of
RA citizens abroad was ensured, was invalidated in early 2007. "Among
democratic principles of each country is not to deprive its citizens
of elections held in the country. Unfortunately, it is not this way in
Armenia," the letter read. The authors of the letter also state that
the agreement of OSCE and Venice Commission to the above mentioned
decision "goes beyond all boundaries of reason."

RA citizens residing in Germany consider that fact as violation of
the suffrage granted to all RA citizens by the Constitution.

THE MAIN CANDIDATES WILL GET EQUAL VOTES

Lragir
Feb 12 2008
Armenia

On February 12 the reporters asked the presidential candidate Vazgen
Manukyan whom he considers his likely opponent in the second round.

The presidential candidate first said in case of a fair election the
government candidate cannot win in one round because he lacks the
resource. Vazgen Manukyan also rules out the victory of any candidate
of the opposition, and thinks such announcements are clear bluffing.

He thinks nobody’s rating is above 20 percent, therefore the main
candidates will most probably get equal votes.

As to the second round, the presidential candidate says one of the
representatives of the opposition will run in the second round, and
the opposition candidate will win the second round if the opposition
comes together around him. As to who the likely candidate from the
opposition is, Vazgen Manukyan declines to tell.

NIKOLAI RYZHKOV: ARMENIAN PEOPLE WOULD BE CORRECT TO SUPPORT SERGE SARGSYAN

armradio.am
13.02.2008 17:18

Member of the Council of Federation of Russia, Co-Chair of the
Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Cooperation Commission Nikolai
Ryzhkov declared in an interview with RIA Novosti that Serge Sargsyan’s
election would be the best outcome of the presidential lections
in Armenia.

"Personally I do not conceal that I think the Armenian people would
be correct to support Serge Sargsyan. He has occupied senior positions
and is already prepared tot work at the highest position," he said.

Ryzhkov expressed the opinion that Serge Sargsyan will not destroy the
economic and political ties with Russia and the humanitarian relations.