Author: Tavakalian Edgar

HRANT MARGARIAN: PROSECUTOR HAS NO RIGHT TO CREATE A PARTY

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 31 20060

YEREVAN, MAY 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “A Prosecutor
has no right to create a political party either directly or
indirectly. The country should not permit him to do this,” Hrant
Margarian, representative of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun Bureau, declared
to radio Liberty commenting upon the rumors that the Union for the
Sake of Armenia party is created by Armenian Prosecutor General
Aghvan Hovsepian. In response to the question, whether these rumors
are true, Hrant Margarian said: “Yes, I am convinced of it.” He also
expressed an opinion that “there are people in Armenia who consider
themselves to be the feudal of this or that marz (region). I mean
the Aragatsotn marz.” Hrant Margarian did not clarify whom he meant
by saying “feudal.” Touching upon the forthcoming elections, Hrant
Margarian said that he is not going to nominate his candidature at the
presidential elections but did not exclude that at the parliamentary
elections his name will ne included in the Dashnaktsutiun’s list,
at that, according to ARFD Bureau representative, some businessmen
will be also included. He added that the Dashnaktsutiun does not
consider the Union for the Sake of Armenia or the Bargavach Hayastan
(Prosperous Armenia) parties to be its rivals. Speaking about the
current political situation in Armenia, Hrant Margarian stressed that
“no one has perceived the Orinats Yerkir’s leaving the coalition
with pleasure. “Now the coalition consists of the Dashnaktsutiun,
the Republican Party and the President,” he stated.

OSKANIAN TO PAY TWO-DAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN MAY 31

PanARMENIAN.Net
30.05.2006 15:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian will pay a two-day
official visit to Kazakhstan May 31, reports the Press Service of
the Armenian MFA. The Minister is scheduled to meet with Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbayev and FM Kasimvomarat Tokayev in
Astana. June 1 Oskanian will address students of the Diplomatic
Academy of Kazakhstan. Later he will leave for Almaty, where he will
meet with local Armenian community members. Oskanian will return to
Armenia June 2.

ANDRE ALMOST SWALLOWED THE MICROPHONE

A1+
[05:02 pm] 31 May, 2006

Making the journalists wait for about 20 minutes as usual Andre
arrived and asked them to speak not about the past but about the
future plans. And still, the conversation was mainly about Andre’s
participation in “Eurovision2006”.

Andre confessed that his performance was not spotless.

According to him, it is not right that he forgot to sing the last
sentence, “Perhaps you didn’t notice that I almost swallowed the
microphone. I don’t know how it happened. Nothing of the kind had
ever happened during the rehearsals”, Andre said.

According to him, the competition assesses not the abilities of the
singer but the song and the show.

“Eurovision” is a totally unpredictable competition.

If during the previous competitions ethnic-modern styles were highly
assessed, this year rock music was given more attention. I like rock
music, but as for the Finnish and Lithuanian bands, they were as if
making fun of the “Eurovision””, he said.

As for the results of the voting, the 10 points from Turkey were not
strange for Andre. On the contrary, he was surprised that he did not
receive 12 points from Turkey. “The Turkish side kept mentioning that
they have a positive attitude towards our song. Moreover, they were
well acquainted with many of my songs,” the singer said.

Andre does not deny that the Armenian Diaspora had a great contribution
to his victory. The Armenian community of France played a major
role. Armenia was one of the most active voters: over 250 thousand
people participated in the voting.

Sunday, May 28, 2006
First Loading from BTC pipeline begins at Ceyhan

Cihan News Agency 27/05/2006

Caspian oil pumped through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline has
reached the Mediterranean Turkish port of Ceyhan, and the first loading of
Azeri oil to tankers will take place today.
The British Hawthame tanker will dock at the Ceyhan terminal to load the
Azeri oil.
There will be no an inauguration ceremony to mark the transfer of the crude
oil to oil tankers today, but the presidents of Turkey, Georgia and
Azerbaijan, the three countries the BTC passes through, are to meet on
July 13th in Ceyhan for official ceremony.
The Azeri oil in the pipeline covered 1,076 km of its total voyage in
Turkey. The long awaited Azeri oil has arrived at the Ceyhan marine terminal
on the Mediterranean coast last week after a year of delay and re-scheduling.
The 1,760 km-pipeline had originally been scheduled for opening in the
second half of 2005. However, construction of the Turkish section of the
pipeline was not completed on time, causing oil export from the terminal to
be delayed.
The first crude oil was pumped from the Azeri capital Baku on May 10, 2005
and arrived at the Turkish border on November 17, 2005.
Turkey will gain annual $300 million from the pipeline which will transport
daily 1 million barrel oil.
The BTC pipeline runs from the Azeri capital Baku, passes by the Georgian
capital Tbilisi and reaches its destination at the Turkish Mediterranean port
of Ceyhan.
The pipeline is expected to reduce tanker traffic through the Bosphorus and
Dardanelles.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER AND RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SPAIN TO OSCE
DISCUSS PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED BY OSCE IN ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MAY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Programs implemented by OSCE in Armenia
and the further tasks were discussed at RA Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian’s May 26 meeting with Resident Representative of Spain to
OSCE Carlos Sanchez De Boado. Expressing satisfaction with the opening
of the Syunik branch of OSCE Yerevan Office in the future, the sides
expressed confidence that this will contribute to the region’s
socio-economic development and solution of the nature protection
problems. Issues relating to OSCE’s assistance in improvement of the
electoral legislation were also discussed. RA Foreign Minister
presented the negotiations process and prospects of the Nagorno
Karabakh settlement, as well as the current state of Armenian-Turkish
relations. As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA Foreign Ministry Press
and Information Department, Ambassador De Boado’s visit to Armenia has
a cognitive character and has a goal to prepare Spain’s chairmanship
in OSCE next year. The Ambassador was accompanied by the Resident
Representatives of Germany, Norway and Liechtenstein to OSCE.

BOTH COUNTRIES SHOULD PREPARE THEIR PUBLICS FOR PEACE AND NOT FOR WAR,
REPRESENTATIVES OF OSCE MG CO-CHAIR COUNTRIES DECLARE

YEREVAN, MAY 25, NOYAN TAPAN. “We, the representatives at the Deputy
Minister level of the Russian Federation, the United States, and
France, together with the Co-chairs and the Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, have come together in this joint
diplomatic mission because of the need to promote a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and because now it is time
for the sides to reach agreement on the basic principles of a
settlement,” the joint statement of the representatives of OSCE Minsk
Group Co-chair countries for press spread in the evening of May 25
read. “We were received by President Kocharian and met earlier with
Foreign Minister Oskanian. As we did yesterday in Baku, we have
discussed important aspects of a future settlement. We have worked to
create the conditions for a meeting of the two presidents in the near
future. We have stressed the belief of our nations and, more widely,
of the international community that the conflict can be resolved in no
way than a peaceful one. Both countries should, moreover, prepare
their publics for peace and not for war.” According to the document,
discussions, both in Yerevan and the day before in Baku, were
constructive. The representatives of OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair
Countries met the day before with President Aliyev and Foreign
Minister Mammadyarov. They will return to their capitals the next day
to brief their leaders. The Co-chairs will, as well, brief, the OSCE
and the international community. “A joint mission such as this one is
a special event. It must be taken as a sign of the seriousness with
which we approach the issue and, in particular, a belief that we are
at the point where a mutually beneficial agreement is achievable. What
happens now will be up to Armenia and Azerbaijan. We leave with hopes
and expectations of progress. We are pleased to be in Yerevan and wish
to express our gratitude to President Kocharian and the people of
Armenia for receiving us,” the statement read.

ARMENIA READY TO SUPPORT TENSION RELIEF IN JAVAKHK

Panorama.am
00:25 26/05/06

The Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan yesterday evening
met with Georgy Baramidze, Georgian Vice Prime Minister, during his
business trip to Dushanbe.

According to government press services, Andranik Margaryan and Georgy
Baramidze were pleased with the process of clarifying the borderlines
between Armenia and Georgia, saying that the regular session of the
respective committee will be held in Yerevan in August, this year.

During the talk, the sides touched upon issues on Javakhk and Javakhk
Armenian challenges. The Armenian Prime Minister re-confirmed
Armenia’s readiness to support comprehensive program implemented
in Javakhk infrastructure by the Georgian authorities. To relief
the tensions among the locals, it will be expedient to involve the
local community and the businessmen in the construction works, he
said. Andranik Margaryan noted that upon the decision of the two prime
ministers, the Armenian side will render assistance in recovery of
educational establishments in the region. The comprehensive program on
infrastructure reconstruction, which will be submitted to the Armenian
authorities, will determine the size of the assistance.

EUROPEANS AGAINST TURKEY’S ACCESSION TO EU

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.05.2006 15:34 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ According to a survey among 97500 Europeans, 52%
were against Turkey’s accession to the EU. Only 37% of respondents
believe that the geopolitical location and market economy of Turkey
will promote soonest accession. Most respondents are worried by the
fact that the percentage of poor is higher in Turkey than in other
European countries, as well as that most population are Muslims. 48%
of participants of the survey do not see any need to expand the EU
composition and consider accession of new members incorrect. In their
opinion, the EU can be enlarged only with the joining of Norway and
Switzerland, Day.az reports.

THE DELEGATION OF MEDIATORS TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA

ArmRadio.am
25.05.2006 10:14

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs assisted by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister
Grigori Karasin, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried
and Director on Political Issue of the French Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Stanislas de Laboulaye will arrive today in Yerevan.

During the meetings with RA President Robert Kocharyan and Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan issues related to the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict will be discussed. This time the mediators are not
scheduled to meet NKR President Arkadi Ghukasyan.

AIRBUS BLACK BOX’S MAGNETIC TAPE DAMAGED, OFFICIAL SAYS – 1

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 24 2006

(Adds paragraphs 2-3, 5)

SOCHI, Southern Russia, May 24 (RIA Novosti) – Experts may face
problems deciphering flight data from an Armenian Airbus that crashed
into the Black Sea May 3 as the magnetic tape of its cockpit flight
recorder was seriously damaged, an official said Wednesday.

Tatiana Anodina, head of the Interstate Aviation Committee, said:
“The cockpit voice recorder has a magnetic tape and, therefore, is more
affected by the marine environment and serious mechanical effects.”

She said experts might have to decipher each fragment of the tape
separately, and that they may not be able to do this within the 15-day
timeframe announced earlier.

The recovery operation at the scene of the tragedy, which left 113
people dead, was officially declared over earlier Wednesday.

The airliner, operated by Armenia’s Armavia, crashed while flying
from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, in stormy weather 6 kilometers
(3.7 miles) from Russia’s Adler airport, which services the popular
resort of Sochi.