Author: Torosian Aram

MAN FACING JAIL FOR ‘ILLEGAL’ BID TO ENTER U.S.
By Karine Kalantarian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Jan 8 2007

A Syrian national of Armenian descent will go on trial in Yerevan
Tuesday on charges of attempting to enter the United States with a
fake Armenian passport and other forged documents.

The man, identified by law-enforcement authorities as Bedros Garabed,
was arrested and charged with fraud after allegedly submitting them
to the U.S. consulate in Yerevan last August. Also facing prosecution
are six citizens of Armenia who are accused of helping him obtain
the documents. Two of them are also kept in pre-trial detention.

Law-enforcement sources divulged some details of the case to RFE/RL
on Monday, saying that Garabed had been expelled from the U.S. and
sought to re-enter the country as an Armenian citizen. They said the
forged papers included a bogus bank account as well as marriage and
birth, marriage and property ownership certificates.

Garabed also falsely claimed to be affiliated with the Armenian
Ecological Fund, a non-governmental organization, they said. The
chairman of the fund, Armenak Dovlatian, will also face trial for
certifying that with a relevant statement.

It was not immediately clear whether Armenia’s Office of the
Prosecutor-General was informed of the alleged forgery by U.S. consular
officials in Yerevan.

Garabed’s defense lawyer, Robert Grigorian, said his client, who
is a doctor by training, will plead guilty to only one of the two
accusations levelled against him. "He had no participation in the
creation and production of any forged documents," Grigorian told
RFE/RL. "He only ordered them."

"He was told that there is a positive attitude towards Armenia in the
United States, that Armenian citizens are not suspected of terrorism
there, and that he will find it easier to get a U.S. visa as an
Armenian citizen," added the lawyer.

Nancy Pelosi to officially chair the House of Representatives

ArmRadio.am
04.01.2007 13:55

The 110th Congress is starting its activity today. It will start with
the oath ceremony of Senators and members of the House of
Representatives. Congressmen will officially elect Nancy Pelosi known
for her pro-Armenian position as new Speaker of the House of
Representatives. She will be the first woman to hold this post.

Congressmen intend to strengthen the control over the policy of Bush
Administration towards Russia. RIA Novosti was told at the Secretariat
of the Hose of Representatives that this kind of prediction was made
in a 76-page-long analytical report on the suggestions of the
`Democratic’ Congress. The report titled `The core issues of the 110th
Congress’ has been prepared by foreign affairs, defense and trade
analytical services. It is noted in the report that during the past
two years Russian-American relations have taken a negative route. It
also provides the assessment of the successful Russian-American
cooperation, as well as the circle of issues on which the stances of
the parties differ.

As an example of successful cooperation is noted the fight against
corruption and the partnership in the energy sphere.

Hugh Pope: Apologist for Turkey
By Gene Rossides

Hellenic News of America, PA
Jan 3 2007

Hugh Pope, the author of Sons of the Conquerors: The Rise of the
Turkic World (2005), wrote a length article which appeared in the
November 28, 2006 edition of the Wall Street Journal.

The article, titled "The West’s Eastern Front" is a blatant piece of
propaganda that, in effect, supports Turkey’s entry into the European
Union (EU) without having to meet the EU’s conditions for admission
that all other members have had to meet. The article is also riddled
with mis-statements and serious omissions of issues and facts.

Mr. Pope refers to the issue of access to Turkish ports and airports
by Cypriot ships and planes as a "conveniently distracting issue" and
omits to mention that Turkey had signed the Ankara Protocol to allow
such access in order to get the EU to allow accession negotiations
to begin.

With Pope Benedict about to visit Turkey on the eve of his article,
Hugh Pope states that "it’s worth thinking again about who the Turks
are, what they want, and how helpful to Europe their practice of
Islam really is."

Mr. Pope then sets forth his arguments as to why the Turks should be
admitted to the EU without any discussion of the extensive requirements
that Turkey must meet, including the settlement of the Cyprus problem
and Turkey’s outrageous claims to one-half of the Aegean.

Mr. Pope goes to great lengths in arguing that, in effect, the Turks
are Europeans. First, he made the outrageous statement that "No clear
answer exists, of course, to the question of whether the Turks are
Europeans. There are just too many subjective variables."

Then he actually states that "one must note that the Turks are already
much more European than the Europeans realize." This is historical
nonsense. He equates Turkey’s relations with Europe and the EU as
somehow making them Europeans.

He writes: "Arguments that Turks are somehow ethnically Asiatic and
non-European also hold little water." He’s clearly wrong and his
next sentence proves that he is wrong. He states: "Yes, the original
Turkish tribes and dynasties like Seljuks and the Ottomans came from
Central Asia."

He then tries to argue that that was long ago and that because they
want to enter the EU and be a part of Western culture, they are, in
effect, Europeans. He also asserts that "Western Turkey, at least,
is not much different from other Eastern European members of the
European Union, where Bulgars, Finns and Hungarians also have origins
in the eastern Steppe."

The fact that Turks are basically and fundamentally Asians, does not
bar Turkey’s admission to the EU. What Turkey must do is meet fully
the EU’s criteria for accession, namely the acquis communaitaire
and fundamental democratic norms, including purging itself of its
aggression in Cyprus and occupation of 37.3 percent of Cyprus, now
entering the 33rd year.

"Purge" is the word used by former Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance,
and George Ball in their joint testimony in Congress on July 10,
1975 opposing legislation, initiated by then Secretary of State,
Henry Kissinger, to lift the rule of law embargo on arms to Turkey.

Turkey and its advocates like Mr. Hugh Pope need to stop trying
to alter the conditions for admission and stop accusing the EU of
discrimination. Turkey and other non-EU members have no legal or other
"right" to admission to the EU.

It comes with ill-grace when Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, accuses the EU of being a Christian club and discriminatory
against Turkey, while denying Turkey’s responsibility for killing
two million Christians in the 20th century — the Armenian Genocide,
the Pontian Genocide, the Assyrian Genocide, and the slaughter of
the Armenians and Greeks of Smyrna.

Hugh Pope falsely states that "Turkey started its acrobatic effort
to assimilate European culture in the early 19th century Ottoman
Empire." Tell that to the Greeks who valiantly struggled for their
independence in the early 19th century.

Then he incredibly states: "In the 1920’s, the present Turkish Republic
took Europe as its model for almost everything, since back then,
Europe equaled modern progress."

Is Mr. Pope not aware that in the 1920’s Turkey, under Ataturk,
continued its Armenian Genocide campaign which started in 1915 under
the Young Turks, with the slaughter of innocent Armenian and Greek
civilians in Smyrna and the burning of Smyrna, all under the direct
orders of Ataturk?

Is Mr. Pope not aware that Ataturk was the dictator of Turkey until
his death in 1938?

The EU must stick to its principles and insist that Turkey meet all
the conditions for entry to the EU. Foremost among these conditions
should be the purging by Turkey of its invasion of and occupation in
Cyprus, and that means compliance with unanimous UN General Assembly
Resolution 3212 of November 1, 1974 endorsed by the Security Council
on December 13, 1974 (SC Res. 365), which calls for the removal all
of its troops from Cyprus and that all the refugees should return to
their homes in safety.

There are an estimated 120,000 illegal Turkish settlers from Turkey
in violation of the Geneva Convention of 1949. Their return to Turkey
should be required by the EU.

Turkey should also be required to tear down the infamous Turkish
barbed wire fence across the face of Cyprus, which together with
Turkey’s armed occupation forces and the Turkish administration of
Cyprus are the cause of the Turkish Cypriot isolation.

Britain and the U.S., Turkey’s main supporters for admission to the EU,
should forcefully urge Turkey to advance its prospects for admission
to the EU by taking the above actions regarding Cyprus.

If any reader wants to help, he or she should write to President
Bush and call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111 and urge
President Bush to tell Turkey to get out of Cyprus.

Readers should also call at (202)647-9752 and write to Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice with the same message. Gene Rossides is
President of the American Hellenic Institute and former Assistant
Secretary of the U. S. Treasury

l?newsid=6111&lang=US

Azerbaijani TV Channel One, Azerbaijan
Dec 31 2006

AZERI LEADER SETS KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2007

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has given priority to further
strengthening of the army building, liberating occupied lands and
improving living standards of people in his New Year address. The
president praised economic development in 2006 and commended the
commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline for improving
economic situation. Aliyev reiterated that the breakaway Karabakh
will never be independent and that Azerbaijan is always ready to
liberate occupied lands by any means. The president also applauded
the country’s role in securing Europe’s energy security. The
following is the text of President Ilham Aliyev’s New Year address to
the nation broadcast by Azerbaijani TV on 31 December; subheadings
have been inserted editorially:

Dear ladies and gentlemen! Dear compatriots!

I congratulate you heartily on the New Year. The year 2006 is over.
Last year was entirely very successful for Azerbaijan. Our country
strengthened and further reinforced its positions worldwide. We have
very perfect public and political atmosphere in the country. In 2006
Azerbaijan economically managed to maintain very successful
development pace. For the second year, our country is No 1 world
state for the economic development pace. Undoubtedly, it is a
dazzling achievement to be in the first place in the world,
especially for the significant indicator of economy, i.e. the growth
of GDP is no doubt is a splendid achievement. Our economy showed the
growth rate of 26 per cent in 2006, and 35 per cent in 2007, and
certainly this indicator played a significant role for Azerbaijan’s
comprehensive development.

Social policy priorities

We have been doing a lot of work for the elimination of unemployment
in the country for over the last three years. A total of 500,000 new
jobs have been created. When I was elected to the post of president,
I declared that I would create 600,000 new jobs in Azerbaijan, and
500,000 of them have already been created. The level of poverty has
been reducing quickly in Azerbaijan, the social and economic
development of the regions are continuing at great speed and the
regions are being modernized and renewed, new infrastructure projects
are being implemented. At the same time, the social policy is very
strong in Azerbaijan and attention to social issues should always be
on our agenda, and this is one of directions of my policy. Pensions
and wages rise every year and the minimum wages and pensions will
rise from 1 January.

Of course, we are not fully satisfied with the amount of wages and
pensions. Nevertheless, the growth dynamics is very strong and the
living standards of the people will further improve following the
quick reduction in poverty level and the eradication of joblessness.
This is our main task. Everything for people, everything for the
people of Azerbaijan. The people of Azerbaijan should live well and
for this to happen, both economic and political reforms should go
ahead and a viable social policy should be pursued for the
comprehensive development of our country.

The outgoing year also saw great construction and renovation work,
hundreds of new schools were built, most up-to-date hospitals meeting
world standards were commissioned, new roads, highways are being
built. Huge construction and renovation projects are being
implemented for tackling Baku’s transport problems as well as rural
road problems. We have been doing all these to provide more
comfortable life for people and in all, for strengthening the
country’s infrastructure and pushing forward our development.

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline of geopolitical importance

The year 2006 is also of historical importance for us because in 2006
two historical events occurred in Azerbaijan. The Heydar Aliyev
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was put into operation and we
managed to get first gas from Sah Daniz deposit. These two historical
events will determine Azerbaijan’s long-term development strategy,
will strengthen Azerbaijan economically and certainly contribute to
the consolidation of its worldwide positions. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
is a historical achievement for Azerbaijan, this is not an ordinary
oil pipeline, this is not an ordinary infrastructure project that
carries Azerbaijan’s oil to world markets, this is of great
geopolitical significance. With commissioning of this project,
Azerbaijan is already yielding its excellent results. The Azerbaijani
Oil Fund has billions of dollars, our currency reserves have exceeded
4bn dollars, the budget revenues have grown fourfold over the last
three years. Azerbaijan’s budget was about 1.5bn dollars in 2003, in
2007 this will amount to 6.5bn dollars. The key reason for all these
is the execution of the Contract of the Century which was signed at
the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev in 1994. We are reaping
the fruit of this and will further reap. Azerbaijan’s economic
potential is growing, Azerbaijan’s political weight is increasing,
our international positions are strengthening and no doubt Azerbaijan
is becoming an important country worldwide.

In particular, now when the world and the West are more preoccupied
with energy security issues, the exploitation of Azerbaijan’s oil and
gas deposits and importing them to world markets are of great
significance. From this point of view, gas from Sah Daniz deposit and
its expected transportation through the Southern Caucasus gas
pipeline certainly makes Azerbaijan’s political positions stronger.
This gladdens my heart, I feel pride that Azerbaijan implemented
these big and transnational and very difficult projects successfully
and did not change its position under difficult situation,
demonstrated its will and as a result of the will of the people, the
authorities and the pursue of independent policy, we succeeded in
these historical achievements. From now on, Azerbaijan will see no
economic problem. We have a well-thought-out conception, we are
resolute to continue economic and political reforms, we are doing it
and will do. Therefore, the role of these two events in the history
of Azerbaijan is immense. The contemporary Azerbaijani history has
not seen a similar event.

Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity out of the question

We certainly pay great attention to the resolution of international
issues. Both domestic, economic and foreign policy issues of
Azerbaijan were very successful in 2006. We managed to resolve all
tasks with dignity in combination of these policies. In 2006
Azerbaijan reinforced its international positions. We cooperate
efficiently and in a businesslike atmosphere with all our neighbours
and pursue an open policy. Azerbaijan’s ability to conduct an
independent policy takes its strength from our will, our economic
might and Azerbaijan’s future will undoubtedly depend on our
independent policy. Therefore, what we are doing is to strengthen
Azerbaijan’s positions. At the same time, our cooperation with
international organizations is very successful and cooperation with
important international organizations entered a new stage in 2006. In
particular, the European Neighbourhood Policy action plan signed with
Azerbaijan will create favourable conditions for the continuation of
both economic and political conditions in the next five years.

At the same time, the memorandum on strategic cooperation in the
energy section with the EU is making Azerbaijan a gas transporting
country for consumers in Europe and certainly, its economic and
political significance is obvious. Our international activities are
worthwhile and all efforts of Azerbaijan in international
organizations are directed at a resolution of a single issue, i.e.
the Armenian-Azerbaijan- Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. Our position
remains unchanged, Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity must be
restored, Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is not a topic of the
negotiations, Azerbaijan’s will never let Karabakh be independent.
Our policy is based on the norms and principles of international law
and Karabakh can be granted greater autonomy opportunities within
Azerbaijan on condition that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is
secured. This is our constructive position and beyond this no
negotiations were held and will not be held in future. The most
gratifying case is that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the Minsk
Group, international organizations support Azerbaijan’s position. The
territorial integrity will never be a topic of discussions. The
recent self-styled referendum in Nagornyy Karabakh once again proved
how strong and fair our positions are. The whole world condemned the
referendum and expressed their negative attitude towards the
referendum conducted by the illegal and criminal regime. The
negotiations are under way and I hope that the opposite side will
demonstrate constructive position and thus Azerbaijani lands will be
liberated from the occupiers.

Army building tops the agenda

At the same time, the army building process is being paid great
attention to. Two years ago, I declared and pledged that Azerbaijan’s
military budget must be equal to Armenia’s whole budget, and in 2007
we succeeded in this target. Azerbaijan’s military spending is equal
to Armenia’s whole spending and this will be bigger in the years to
come. On the one hand, this shows that all the promises are honoured,
on the other hand, we have to reinforce our army. We are at talks but
the enemy should know that Azerbaijan can liberate native lands by
any means at any time and we shall liberate it. From now on, the army
will be paid much attention, this is our policy and I am glad to see
that the people support this policy which is very important for me.

In all, processes in Azerbaijan continue positively, I try and will
further try to justify hopes placed on me by the people. I try to
resolve duties vested in me with dignity. My sole aim is to serve the
people of Azerbaijan, to strengthen Azerbaijan, reinforce our
country’s positions worldwide, carry out our activities for the
improvement of welfare of the Azerbaijani people. I want to
strengthen the country with implementing wide-ranging projects and
transforming Azerbaijan into a modern and strong country.

I can state that over the last three years there remained no
unresolved issues for us. All the issues have been resolved,
Azerbaijan develops very dynamically, our policy is flexible,
expedient and is being conducted on the basis of well-thought-out
programmes and I am sure that this policy will further bring
successes to Azerbaijan.

Solidarity of Azerbaijanis key issue

Dear compatriots!

Today we also mark Id al-Adha, dear for every Azerbaijani people. I
congratulate you heartily on this splendid holiday. We are loyal to
our national traditions and this loyalty united the people of
Azerbaijan for many years even before Azerbaijan gained its
independence. Our loyalty to national and spiritual values, our
respects for them should without fail continue and we mark this
splendid holiday together and will do the same from now on.

At the same time, I congratulate you heartily on the Day of
Solidarity of world Azerbaijanis. The solidarity of world
Azerbaijanis is very significant and important for all of us. In 2006
the second congress of world Azerbaijanis was held splendidly, with
full of enthusiasm and almost the second congress of world
Azerbaijanis was a triumph of ideology of Azerbaijanism. I wish world
Azerbaijanis peace and tranquillity. They should know that Azerbaijan
is their single country.

Dear sisters and brothers! Esteemed ladies and gentlemen! I once
again congratulate you on the New Year, I wish you family happiness
and good health. Thank you!

Pray for little countries that believe in empty promises of a superpower

The Independent – United Kingdom; Dec 29, 2006
ROBERT FISK

By this month, Lebanon’s sectarian crisis, its attempted coups d’etat
(by the Iranians, by the Syrians, by the US, take your pick) had
struck even the humble journalist.

Each year at this time, I renew my residence card. To receive my card
from the office of "General Security" at a whacking cost of around
pounds 1,300, I need a valid government-issued press card. To receive
my press card, I need to present the Lebanese ministry of information
with a valid work permit. And to receive a work permit, I have to ask
the minister of labour for his signature on an insurance document. But
– reader, you may have guessed – the Lebanese minister of labour is an
elected member of the Hizbollah. And the Hizbollah – along with other
Shia ministers – has resigned from the elected government of Fouad
Siniora in an attempt to overthrow it, create a "national unity"
government with more pro-Syrian ministers and, if you believe
Siniora’s supporters, prevent the UN tribunal into the murder of the
ex-prime minister, Rafiq Hariri, last year from ever arresting the
culprits.

So after 30 years of legal residency in Lebanon, I now have to apply
for a humble tourist visa each time I arrive at the airport that is
named after the man whose assassination changed the political face of
the country in 2005 and produced elections that, for the first time in
decades, freed the nation from Syrian hegemony and forced Damascus to
withdraw its 22,000 soldiers. It didn’t prevent the continued murder
of Syrian opponents in Lebanon, but those of us who live there no
longer had to look over our shoulders when we talked politics in
Beirut’s best restaurants – or, at least, we could glance over our
shoulders more briefly than before. The US had promised to protect
what the State Department called Lebanon’s "Cedars Revolution". Well,
maybe.

So when 2006 began, Lebanon felt like a safe home again – for its
people as well as foreigners. There were "conciliation" talks in
parliament between men with blood on their hands and men who have no
blood on their hands (yet). General Michel Aoun, the crazed Christian
ex-army officer who had returned from exile to found his own political
party, the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Rafiq Hariri’s son Saad, the
Christian ex-militia murderer Samir Geagea, even the Hizbollah leader
Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, gathered in central Beirut for coffee,
croissants and manouches (a thick, toasted cheese sandwich) to discuss
how they would work together in the new "Syrian-free" Lebanon (the
quotation marks are a necessary precaution). The problem they had to
confront – and preferred to avoid, especially Nasrallah – was that the
same UN Security Council Resolution that successfully called for the
Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, also called for Syria’s Hizbollah
guerrilla allies, whose weapons come from Iran, to be disarmed.

Since it had been the Hizbollah that had largely driven the Israeli
army out of Lebanon in 2000 (and since the resolution looked, even to
Jumblatt and others, like a US attempt to "soften up" a powerless
Lebanon for a peace treaty with Israel), it was agreed that the future
of Nasrallah’s earnest and ferocious young men would be regarded as a
local, Lebanese issue rather than an international demand. But the US
and France, who had sponsored the UN resolution, continued to ask when
they could expect the Hizbollah to abide by the UN’s
instructions. Save for a few desultory incursions across the UN’s blue
line to attack an Israeli held-district called Shebaa Farms (which was
Lebanese under the pre-Second World War French mandate but was
regarded by the Israelis as occupied Syria), the Hizbollah was silent;
Nasrallah even indicated to the Lebanese government, in which it had
two ministers, to expect a quiet summer.

But on 12 July, it struck across the border and seized two Israeli
soldiers, killing three others. Four other Israeli troops would be
killed that same day when their tank was blown up by a mine. Israeli
forces had many times captured or kidnapped Hizbollah men in Lebanon
without eliciting a massive bombardment from the guerrillas, or any
protest from the world. But Israel’s response to its soldiers’ capture
was a bombardment of Lebanon that pulverised hundreds of villages, the
Beirut suburbs, more than 40 road bridges, factories and civilian
homes in the capital, along with the headquarters of the Hizbollah
itself. The latter responded with thousands of new, long-range rockets
into Israel, hitting Haifa and other northern cities.

The Israelis blamed Siniora’s powerless government, and the US, hoping
that Israel could fulfil its hopeless boast that it would destroy the
Hizbollah (and thus intimidate Iran into abandoning its nuclear
ambitions) postponed any talk of a ceasefire. George W Bush, along, of
course, with Tony Blair, allowed the bombs to keep falling on Lebanon,
killing a total of 1,300 civilians and a handful of guerrillas and
causing billions of dollars’ worth of damage. So much for Washington’s
support for Lebanon’s democracy.

Hizbollah might not have won its "divine victory", but Israel
certainly lost (Bush said the opposite, of course). Its soldiers
fought to a standstill after one of its warships was set afire, its
top-secret air-traffic control centre was hit by missiles, several of
its major cities were struck by rockets and 40 Israeli troops were
killed inside Lebanon in 36 hours. Fewer than 200 of its people were
killed, more than half of them soldiers. The world, as usual, promised
to rebuild Lebanon. The UN force in southern Lebanon was expanded to
include thousands of Nato troops and the Lebanese acknowledged – at
first – Hizbollah’s courage. But as the scale of the destruction to
the country and the millions of cluster bomblets with which the
Israelis had soaked southern Lebanon was discovered, Hizbollah was
held to account.

Which was when Nasrallah began to demand the overthrow of the
"traitor" Siniora, whose government was "owned" by the US ambassador,
whose ministers had supposedly urged the US to arrange an Israeli
attack on Lebanon. The Hizbollah, in alliance with Aoun’s Christians
(he probably thought he might be made president) called for the
overthrow of the non-Shiite Lebanese cabinet. Lebanon’s Christians
were now dangerously divided between two factions: those loyal to the
messianic Aoun and those who followed Geagea’s gangster politics.
And, to place Lebanon even closer to the ghosts of the civil war, the
Christian minister Pierre Gemayel was killed in east Beirut last
month. The assassins were still at work.

If Lebanon survives into next year, it will be the only "democracy" in
the Arab world to have done so. Afghanistan is crumbling, Iraq is
already a mass grave. The Palestinians face their own inter-factional
catastrophe. But desperate for the help of Syria and Iran to ease his
trapped legions from Iraq, Bush is now urged to deal with Israel’s
Arab opponents. By year’s end, the UN’s tribunal investigator was no
longer blaming Syria for Hariri’s murder and the Lebanese awaited
their second betrayal by the US: to be fed back to Damascus in return
for salvation in Iraq. The world should watch what happens to little
countries that believe in the promises of a superpower – and pray for
their salvation.

2006 IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL YEARS FOR PROCESS OF ARMENIAN ARMY BUILDING: DM

Yerevan, December 27. ArmInfo. 2006 was one of the most successful
years for the process of Armenian army building, Armenian Defence
Minister Serzh Sargsyan says in an interview to Public TV.

We have solved a number of social problems. We have raised the wages
of military men. In 2007 the average salary in the army will be raised
to $500. Much has been done to solve the problem of housing.

412 military men will get new houses. We have also provided houses to
families of killed soldiers and disabled people. We are modernizing
the military hospital. In 2-3 years it will become the best equipped
medical institution in the country, says Sargsyan.

U.S. OFFICIAL VOWS MORE KARABAKH EFFORTS IN 2007
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Dec 26 2006

International mediators will continue to press for a peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh next year despite parliamentary
elections in Armenia, a senior U.S. administration official was
reported to say late Monday.

In an interview with the Armenian Mediamax news agency, Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza said the failure by Armenia
and Azerbaijan to strike a peace deal in 2006 did not shut a rare
"window of opportunity" in the protracted negotiating process.

"The co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group] will continue to work with the
two sides, even as campaign season begins for the 2007 parliamentary
elections in Armenia," Bryza was quoted as saying. "We will work
together quietly, but we hope to continue making progress on the
details of the basic principles that the two sides still need to
agree upon."

Bryza, who co-chairs the Minsk Group together with senior French and
Russian diplomats, insisted last July that the 2007 polls as well
presidential ballots due in both Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2008 are
not an insurmountable obstacle to peace. He argued that the ruling
regimes in Yerevan and Baku could actually win votes if they find a
mutually acceptable solution to the dispute.

"I would argue that the elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan don’t
pose an obstacle to reaching an agreement," Bryza told RFE/RL in an
interview. "They just pose an additional complicating factor … If
the presidents succeed, with our help as mediators, in finalizing
and eliminating the final differences with regard to this framework
agreement, and if they come up with an agreement that’s mutually
acceptable, that should be a plus in an election.

"That’s a huge achievement that should actually help political leaders
and their parties to win votes."

However, President Robert Kocharian announced on December 15 that
he will not sign any peace accords with Azerbaijan before the May
elections, saying that his political opponents would exploit any
settlement proposed by the mediators. "Before the elections to the
National Assembly, there will be no active negotiating process,"
he said.

Kocharian’s foreign minister, Vartan Oskanian, clarified afterwards
that this does not mean the peace process will be put on hold.

"Perhaps there will be fewer meetings with less publicity," said
Oskanian. "But I think negotiations on the content [of Minsk Group
proposals] will continue."

SERBIAN WORKERS PROTEST AT BAN ON ARMS EXPORTS TO ARMENIA

Radio B92, Belgrade,
Dec 26 2006

Kragujevac, 26 December: About 100 workers of the Zastava weapons
factory are protesting in front of the local municipal building.

They are protesting the fact that the state has prohibited weapons
exports to Armenia. The workers are demanding that the Serbian
government pay reparations for the prohibited exports and the
implementation of the investment plan worth 279m dollars. [Trade] union
president Jugoslav Ristic has said that the strikers are doing alright.

CBA CHAIRMAN: THREE PROBLEMATIC BANKS IN ARMENIA’S BANKING SYSTEM

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 25 2006

YEREVAN, December 25. /ARKA/. Armenia has three problematic banks
now, Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) Tigran Sargsyan
told ARKA.

Referring to the CAMELS analysis system, Sargsyan said that these banks
received rather low ratings. This is first of all a low management
level as well as money-laundering, which is unacceptable for Armenia,
Sargsyan said.

He pointed out that the CBA is currently exercising a strict
supervision over the three banks.

Sargsyan reported that the CBA is conducting negotiations with the
banks’ owners and prepared a list of measures to implement.

"The owners’ understanding is inspires hope that he problems with
the three banks will be resolved in 2007," Sargsyan said.

He stressed that the CBA does not want the banks’ licenses to be
revoked.

"They have a serious potential for resolving their problems. So we
are not for revoking their licenses, but for the implementation of
the agreements we reached," Sargsyan said.

He added that if the owners fail to meet the requirements, the banks’
licenses will be revoked.

Twenty-one banks are currently operating in Armenia.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTED ELECTORAL CODE

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 22 2006

Today the National Assembly adopted the Electoral Code. In particular,
the new code provides for 7-8 thousand policemen voting in the place
of their service. It is not difficult to conclude how many times
these 7-8 thousand policemen can move from one place to another to
vote. The authors of the amendments are against publishing the lists
of the policemen beforehand, explaining it by confidentiality. The
other disputable provision, which was defined as unconstitutional
by the Constitutional Court of Armenia, involved including judges
in the electoral commissions. The judges will be replaces by
court officers. The commissions will be set up 19 days before the
election. It is also set down in the new code that the international
observers can observe the election if they have an official invitation
of the president or the government.