Author: Torgomian Varazdat

POLITICAL ELITE IS SHOCKED
Lragir.am
26 May 06
The statement of Garnik Isagulyan, the adviser to the President of
Armenia, that Robert Kocharyan is unlikely to run for the third term
and is reluctant to take up the post of prime minister, is apparently
the second significant event in the ruling elite of Armenia after the
resignation of Arthur Baghdasaryan.
The burning question of the day is what is going on with the
leadership of Armenia. This does not appear to be just a question
after a scrutiny of this information psychosis, following the
processes inside the authorities. Even one can see with the naked eye
that the influential figures in the leadership, the mass media that
work on them and `political scientists’ keep trumpeting one single
thing until their voice goes harsh: nothing has changed and nothing
can change in Armenia. However, since changes in the political life
of the country occur every day, it is more often confirmed that what
happened was due to the influential figures in power.
There are no more fools in Armenia. If they keep talking about the
`eternal peace,’ it means that the peace has been troubled. The rest
is simply an effort to stop the time and keep the state of things
unchanged. Since thisstate of things is related with the interests of
all citizens, it would be interesting to understand why all these
efforts resemble a psychosis and how the leadership tries to sustain
the shattered order.
In this context, one has to admit that this collapse of the Armenian
government camp would not be without a serious cause. And the main
cause is, in our opinion, the inconsistency of the political abilities
of the influential figures in power and the key members of the
government camp with the new political realities. The leadership does
not know how to behave. In fact, coercion and trade have become the
only means of holding power. The leadership has nothing to tell or
offer to the public. In other words, the present elite lacks political
tools.
On the other hand, there is another key cause: certain political
forces are beginning to use more effective political technologies. The
influence of these technologies on the political system is starting to
break the order in Armenia. In fact, one may state today that all the
links of power are shocked by the feeling that they are powerless in
this new reality. This state of shock is already apparent in public
speeches and opinions in press.
The apologetics of the existing order is amazing. Hence, its first
apologetist Hmayak Hovanisyan would not stop asserting that there is
no remedy to this order, for it is so immoral and corrupt that nothing
can change it.
Subsequently, they suggest admitting it and legalizing the existing
reality. In addition, Hmayak cannot explain why they start talking so
much about it when, according to him, nothing could trouble the
leadership.
Hence, the leadership would even agree to be called criminal and
malefactor not to let anyone think that it cannot sustain itself. In
fact, the newspapers and `political scientists’ are paid to inspire
the public (and, more importantly, the members of the camp too) that
nothing can trouble the government and there is nothing they can do
but to admit.
The effect is amazing. The panic-stricken leadership starts taking off
its mask, believing deeply in the efficacy of this technology. Many
start believing seriously that power can be held by open crimes only,
which means that serious deconstruction is coming up in Armenia. This
will produce a natural effect: the members of the government camp will
try the fruits of terror. The businessmen-members of parliament have
already experienced this. Their mandates turned from a `roof’ into a
tool of enslaving in the handsof the persons who had given out these
mandates. Then the corps of electoral fraud will come.
The last will be the law enforcement agencies, for their patience is
wearing thin.
Hence, everything is in the hands of a new political pole, which will
be ready to take up power in Armenia. The present government has run
out of resource. They are merely trying to stop the time, as
`clutchers at straws.’ Robert Kocharyan has perhaps realized this,
letting everyone know that he can seea better future for himself than
the Armenian actualities. His brothers-in-arms would not believe it,
and they even feared publishing Robert Kocharyan’s remarks performed
by Garnik Isagulyan. It means they also feel that the time of the
elite has expired in Armenia. They simply do not know what to do. The
new ones will show them what to do.
MELIK AVANYAN

ELECTIONS IN CYPRUS
By George Der Parthogh
AZG Armenian Daily
24/05/2006
AKEL and Democratic Party Lead
NICOSIA, MONDAY – Nicosia businessman Vartkes Mahdessian is the new
Armenian Representative in the Cyprus Parliament for the next four
years. Mahdessian, 55, clinched 52.6 percent of the votes while his
opponent Dr Vahakn N. Atamyan secured 47.395 percent of the votes
cast by the 3,000 strong Armenian community of Cyprus.
Under the terms of the constitution of the Cyprus Republic, the
Armenians, Maronites and Latins, officially termed as religious
groupings, elect their own representatives who deal with only
educational and religious matters, but are usually members of
parliamentary sub-committees. They have no vote on other matters
in parliament.
The Cypriot Armenian community has three elementary schools – in
Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol, which come under an overall committee
appointed by the elected representative. These schools are entirely
financed by the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture and children
of Cypriot Armenians attend free of charge.
Non-Cypriot Armenians pay a small annual fee.
Mahdessian was the candidate of the Dashnak party while Atamyan was
supported by the Ramgavars, Hentchaks, the AGBU clubs and the small
Shahumian grouping attached to the Cyprus communist party.
When former representative Bedros Kalaydjian died in September last
year, Dr Atamyan won interim elections against another local Dashnak
leader Dr. Antranig Ashdjian.
Then, just as in the present case, one of the main topics during the
electioneering campaign was the unilateral decision of the AGBU Board
to close down the Melkonian Educational Institute, which created a
serious breach in the non-dashnak camp.
Meanwhile, in the Cypriot parliamentary elections, which were also
held on Sunday, Marios Karoyian (Armenian From his father’s side and
Greek from his mother’s) became the first Armenian to become a full
member of the House of Representatives (parlia^_ment).
In a brief statement during celebrations at Mahdessian’s election
he said: “Now we will have two Armenian voices in the Cypriot
legislative”. Ha was elected on the ticket of “Dimocratiko Komma”
(Democratic Party) founded by former Cypriot President, the late Spyros
Kyprianou and currently led by President Tassos Papadopoulos. For the
past three years, Karoyian was the Director of President Papadopoulos’
Political Office and often acted as government spokesman.
In the parliamentary elections, the Cyprus Communist Party AKEL
secured 31.13 percent of the cast votes, very closely followed by
the Democratic Rally (right wing) with 30.34 percent, while President
Papadapoulos’ Democratic Party could only muster 17.91 of the votes,
and the local socialist party EDEK clinched 8.92 percent. Ecologists
and Environmentalists collected 1.95 percent.
Highlights of Mahdessian’s manifesto include improvement of the
living conditions and problems of compatriots from Armenia and other
countries, get more Armenians to serve on government boards, secure
additional funds from European Union programs for the needs of the
community. He also promises to be “the impartial representa^_tive of
all members of our community, because we can only achieve our goals
through cooperation.”
Mahdessian pledged full support to the Armenian Patriarch of
Constantinople in the fight against the closure of the Melkonian,
as well as the Melkonian Alumni Association’s efforts to find a
solution to the problem of the Melkonian, the only Armenian boarding
high school in the Diaspora.

AIRBUS BLACK BOX RECOVERED
The Moscow Times, Russia
May 23 2006
Searchers on Monday recovered the cockpit voice recorder from an
Armenian passenger jet that crashed in the Black Sea nearly three
weeks ago, killing all 113 people aboard, Transportation Minister
Igor Levitin said.
Workers using a remote-controlled diving apparatus with a robotic
arm plucked the recorder from the sea floor nearly 500 meters beneath
the surface after removing a layer of silt up to half a meter thick
that had covered the black box and hidden it from searchers for days,
he said.
Levitin said at a news conference that authorities hope to soon
recover the flight data recorder, which they believe is under silt
just three to five meters away.
Officials hope the recorders will help determine the cause of the
May 3 crash of the Armavia Airbus A-320, which plunged into the sea
in heavy rain and poor visibility as it approached the airport on a
flight from the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to Sochi.
“I think that what happened would be revealed,” said Tatyana Anodina,
head of the Interstate Aviation Committee, the civil agency that
links Russia with 11 other former Soviet republics.
Anodina said the cockpit voice recorder was damaged by the crash and
may have suffered from the harsh conditions beneath the silt, but
expressed confidence that it would yield information “very important
to investigators” — a recording of the voices and other sounds in
the cockpit in the final minutes of the doomed flight.

The Sun (England)
May 20, 2006 Saturday
SUN GUIDE TO TONIGHT’S SONG CHEESEFEST; EUROVISION SONG CONTEST
ATHENS 2006
Wogan’s heroes
Nick Francis
THE most spectacular event of 2006 is upon us.
No, it’s not the World Cup or the Oscars. Tonight is Eurovision Song
Contest time.
It’s that magical moment in the year when nations from across the
Continent surrender the cream of their musical crop -and usually
their dignity -to do battle in front of millions of viewers…and
Terry Wogan.
It is a fantastic celebration of the naffest, cheesiest and most
downright atrocious music to ever be produced.
And we love it.
Tonight’s extravaganza stays true to form with a wonderful array of
flop pop set to blast out of our tellies and radios and then be
instantly forgotten.
The UK has not won since 1997, with Katrina & The Waves, and this
year our hopes are pinned on Daz Sampson’s Teenage Life.
Luckily we’re used to losing.
In preparation for the big event, we have had a listen to the 2006
line-up to give you a quick guide to the good (ahem), the bad and the
downright awful.
ARMENIA: Andre -Without Your Love: The bouncy and punchy beat is
typical Europop rubbish and does not make much of an impression. The
lyrics, however, leave a big impression -but of the wrong kind: “Fly
with me, take my wings and dream away.”
How we wish we could.
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: Hari Mata Hari -Lejla: Any song that uses pan
pipes deserves to score low, yet somehow this offering has a certain
bizarre charm. It would make quite a nice love ballad, if you were
hearing-impaired.
CROATIA: Severina -Moja Stikla: This makes the Crazy Frog sound
musically gifted.
With a beat and melody lifted straight from a nursery rhyme, the
entry will surely bring a smile to the face of even the most dead-pan
Eurovision critic.
DENMARK: Sidsel Ben Semmane -Twist Of Love: It is a long time since
anyone has sung while doing The Twist, but perhaps Sidsel is a big
Beatles’ fan. A shame, then, that her music sounds nothing like the
Fab Four.
FINLAND: Lordi -Hard Rock Hallelujah: Ridiculous camped-up
gravel-voiced singers thrashing guitar riffs with make-up straight
out of a Lord Of The Rings movie.
What’s not to like? This novelty act is so bad it could win.
FRANCE:Virginie Pouchin -Il Etait Temps: Sad, forlorn, painful. And
that’s just the singing. This isn’t particularly awful music, but
it’s a touch sombre to be a winner.
F.Y.R MACEDONIA: Elena Risteska -Ninanajna: This tune would be more
at home playing in the background of a kebab shop. Sample lyric:
“Tell me what you want.”
Extra chilli sauce please.
GERMANY: Texas Lightning -No No Never: It pains us to praise
Britain’s traditional rivals, but this Country & Western effort is
far from terrible.
Granted, the singer sounds like Dolly Parton on an off-day, but it
deserves points for being an alternative to the mass of cheesy pop.
GREECE:Anna Vissi -Everything: Once again, true to form, Greece has
turned out an entry that sounds like the cabaret act at a Butlins
holiday camp. Close your eyes and you can smell the scampi in a
basket.
IRELAND: Brian Kennedy -Every Song Is A Cry For Love: There’s
probably not much point in giving this tat any kind of review, seeing
as Ireland seem to win every year -or at least they did in the
Nineties. Admittedly, Eurovision is supposed to be naff, but this
“ballad” takes it to new extremes. Cry for love? Cry for help, more
like.
ISRAEL: Eddie Butler -Together We Are One: This entry is crooned half
in English and half in Israeli. Presumably they couldn’t afford a
translator for the full three minutes. Naff is not the word.
LATVIA: Cosmos -I Hear Your Heart: A slow starter, with almost no
music for the first minute. And once it kicks in you will wish they
had kept it that way. A brave effort to harmonise, however, so good
luck to it.
LITHUANIA: LT United -We Are The Winners: If you do nothing else with
your life, listen to this song. It is so abysmal that it’s brilliant.
The lyrics, safe to say, are the funniest thing we have heard in a
long time, and they sound like they are sung by TV’s Avid Merrion:
“We are the winners of Eurovision, vote for us now.” Do it, do it, do
it!
MALTA: Fabrizio Faniello -I Do: We’re guessing Westlife are big in
Malta because this is exactly what the Irish band would sound like
with a backing track provided by a mouth organ. Tries to be an epic
love song but more a monumental mess.
MOLDOVA: Arsenium feat. Natalia Gordienko -Loca: “Every night I need
my Loca, give me your Boca, I’ll give you my choca.” This song is a
joke-a.
NORWAY: Christine Guldbrandsen -Alvedansen: A slow, mushy entry. We
think Norway have missed the point of Eurovision here. The aim is
surely to be as annoying and cheesy as possible, yet this sounds like
elevator music. You could easily drift off to this…
ROMANIA: Mihai Traistariu -Tornero: Tries to be a serious and even
spooky track but it fails to scare or impress. With an ultra-cheap
Europop beat it’s so bad it’s just bad. Nil points, not even for
naffness.
RUSSIA: Dima Bilan -Never Let You Go: Is it us or is the backing
track provided by a flock of gulls? If so, full marks for
originality. Only the Russians could train birds to belt out a
number.
SPAIN: Las Ketchup -Bloody Mary: If it’s possible, this track is even
worse than Las Ketchup’s chart effort back in 2002. At least that had
a beat that got every ten-year-old girl in the country bopping along.
This is devoid of any funky beat, cheesy chorus or catchy lyrics,
which are all vital ingredients of a Eurovision winner.
SWEDEN: Carola -Invincible: If their football is anything like their
music, Sweden pose no threat to us in the World Cup this summer. The
singer sounds like Celine Dion trying to sing Abba’s The Winner Takes
It All. In fact, does anyone know what happened to Celine Dion?
SWITZERLAND: Six4one -If We All Give A Little: A contender for the
worst, most tacky track in the entire line-up, and that’s saying
something. This “song with a message” won’t have Bono quaking in his
boots just yet. “If we all give a little” croons the male/female
duet. Give a little what exactly -time to singing lessons?
TURKEY: Sibel Tuzun -Super Star: A brilliant fun track. It sounds
like the theme tune from a Seventies cop show. You can just picture a
Turkish version of Shaft busting bad guys along to these lively riffs
and funky beat.
UKRAINE:Tina Karol -Show Me Your Love: This starts promisingly but,
like so many others, descends into complete pap. Typical Europop beat
makes this nothing special.
UNITED KINGDOM: Daz Sampson -Teenage Life: UK’s answer to Vanilla
Ice. We’d love to say that Britain have turned out a strong contender
this year. But we haven’t.
Even if the track didn’t sound like the Smurfs were making a
comeback, the very fact that Daz Sampson is clearly in his 40s yet
surrounds himself with schoolkids will preclude this from big points.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 is on BBC1 and Radio 2 tonight from
8pm.
LATEST BETTING
3/1………….Sweden
7/2………….G reece
11/2………..Bosnia
6/1………….Russ ia
6/1………….Romania
7/1………….Unite d Kingdom
10/1………..Finland
12/1………..Ge rmany
20/1………..Norway
33/1………..Maced onia
33/1………..Croatia
25/1………..Irela nd

OPPOSITION TO BOYCOTT ELECTION OF NEW ARMENIAN SPEAKER
Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
May 18 2006
Armenia’s two main opposition groups said on Thursday that they will
boycott the upcoming election of the new speaker and the chairmen
of two standing committees of parliament, dismissing it as an
“illegitimate” body.
The Artarutyun alliance and the National Unity Party (AMK) said the
move is in line with their three-year politically motivated boycott
of most parliament sessions. Both opposition forces had refused to
participate in the formation of the National Assembly’s leadership
following the disputed parliamentary election in May 2003.
“The elections of the National Assembly took place [in May 2003] with
serious violations and did not correspond to the people’s choice,” an
Artarutyun spokeswoman said after a meeting of the bloc’s governing
council. “Therefore, the Artarutyun alliance is not going to take
part in those intra-government games.”
“We will only take part in debates and express our position,” clarified
Victor Dallakian, a senior Artarutyun lawmaker.
“We have neither a desire nor an intention to join the coalition
games,” Aghasi Arshakian, a parliament deputy from the AMK, told
RFE/RL.
The Armenian parliament will have to pick a new leader after
its outgoing speaker, Artur Baghdasarian, formally ceases to
perform his duties at the end of this month. The chairmen of the
parliament committees on security and social affairs affiliated with
Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir party have also stepped down as a result
of the party’s withdrawal from the governing coalition.
The vacant posts will likely go to two other pro-establishment parties
that remain represented in President Robert Kocharian’s government. The
opposition minority in the National Assembly does not have enough
seats to seriously affect results of the planned parliament vote.
Artarutyun’s decision to boycott the process was not unanimous,
with at least one of its leaders, Arshak Sadoyan, insisting that the
opposition should field a candidate for the post of speaker.
In a related development, opposition leaders denied a newspaper
report that Baghdasarian, who now claims to be in opposition to
Kocharian, has asked them to relinquish their parliament seats in
protest against the ruling regime. Dallakian said he is against the
idea in the first place.
“It is those deputies who got their mandates by illegal means who must
hand in mandates,” he said. “The Artarutyun deputies rightly earned
their mandates, and if the elections had not been rigged Artarutyun
would have had a majority in parliament.”
Another leader of the bloc, Vazgen Manukian, did not rule out the
possibility of the opposition’s cooperation with Orinats Yerkir. “For
all its shortcomings and its participation in many bad things, there
are people in that party with whom we can cooperate,” he told RFE/RL.

GENOCIDE ARMENIEN: LES DEPUTES ENTAMENT L’EXAMEN DE LA PROPOSITION DE LOI
Agence France Presse
18 mai 2006 jeudi
Les deputes ont entame dans la confusion jeudi en fin de matinee
l’examen de la très sensible proposition de loi socialiste visant a
reprimer la negation du genocide armenien.
La majorite et le gouvernement ont fait traîner le debat sur un
premier texte consacre au contrôle du Parlement inscrit dans cette
seance reservee a des propositions socialistes.
Après de vifs echanges, rappels au règlement et suspensions de seance,
l’opposition de gauche protestant contre “l’obstruction de l’UMP et
du gouvernement”, les deputes ont finalement adopte la proposition
precedente et pu entamer le debat sur la question armenienne.
Le texte ne sera toutefois pas vote, le temps du debat de cette seance
ne pouvant se prolonger au dela de 13H30.
Le texte sur le genocide armenien, qui fait de la negation du
genocide un delit punissable d’un an d’emprisonnement et de 45.000
euros d’amende, divise les deputes au-dela du clivage gauche/droite,
et cree des tensions entre la France et la Turquie.
–Boundary_(ID_ml4Foh2+CzSk2N1b6JKReQ)–

DASHNAKS GET ANOTHER MINISTERIAL POST
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 17 2006
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) boosted
its presence in Armenia’s government on Wednesday when one of its
leaders was named by President Robert Kocharian minister of science
and education.
Levon Mkrtchian, who has led the nationalist party’s parliament
faction until now, replaced Sergo Yeritsian as a consequence of the
Orinats Yerkir party’s expulsion from Kocharian’s ruling coalition.
Yeritsian was sacked by Kocharian despite defecting from Orinats
Yerkir along with the two other ministers representing the party led
by Artur Baghdasarian, the outgoing parliament speaker. He is expected
to be given another, less important government post.
Orinats Yerkir has controlled the Armenian ministries of education,
urban development and culture under a power-sharing agreement which it
had signed with Kocharian, Dashnaktsutyun and Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian’s Republican Party (HHK) three years ago.
Dashnaktsutyun had been given three other ministerial portfolios and
reportedly laid claim to the Education Ministry immediately after
Baghdasarian announced his exit from the coalition on Friday.
Mkrtchian, who already served as education minister in 1998-99 and
2001-03, emerged as the top contender for the job. Speaking to RFE/RL
on Tuesday, he did not deny that his appointment is imminent. “The idea
of taking over [the ministry] for a third time is not quite attractive
to me, but I am the kind of person who complies with party discipline,”
he said.
Mkrtchian indicated that Dashnaktsutyun will not claim the post of
parliament speaker when it formally becomes vacant next week. One
of the National Assembly’s two deputy speakers, Tigran Torosian,
appears to be in pole position to succeed Baghdasarian.
The second vice-speaker, Vahan Hovannisian, is also a Dashnaktsutyun
leader.

UN REPRESENTATIVE MEETS WITH STUDENTS OF GYUMRI PEDAGOGICAL INSTITUTE
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
GYUMRI, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Within the framework of the “Civil
Dialogue and Practical Steps” program, Valeri Tkachuk, a representative
of the UN Public Information Department had a meeting on May 16 with
students of the Gyumri State Pedagugical Institute after Mikayel
Nalbandian. V.Tkachuk presented students the UN and Public Information
Department activity, problems put in front of the UN at present. It
is already for a year, that the “Civil Dialogue and Practical Steps”
program has been implemented at the Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute
and Gavar State University. Numerous discussions on themes interesting
for students and meetings with representatives of different spheres
were organized within the framework of the program. According to
those responsible for the program, similar meetings has a goal to
make students active members of the society.

PACE TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE OF ARMENIAN MONUMENTS IN NAKHIJEVAN
ArmRadio.am
17.05.2006 10:28
The PACE Commission on Culture will discuss today the fate of the
Armenian monuments in Nakhijevan.
PACE Rapporteur on preservation of cultural heritage in South Caucasus
Edward Ohara is expected to deliver a speech.

RESCUERS FIND BODY OF YOUNG MAN WHO DROWNED IN HRAZDAN RIVER ON MAY 9
Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. After a 3-day serch, the rescuers
of Kotayk marz on May 12, at about 3:15 pm found the body of Karen
Shahinian, 16, in the gorge of the village of Nerkin Ptghni, in the
Hrazdan River – 25 km from the place where the incident occured. To
recap, on May 9 Gor Aghayan, 13, of the Nor Hachn village, fell
into the Hrazdan River at the buidling No 2 of the Arzni health
resort. K. Shahinian hurried to save the boy. G. Aghayan was rescued,
while K. Shahinain drowned.