Author: Torosian Aram

WHAT PRESIDENT’S SILENCE IS HIDING
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 4 2006

The Armenian government’s words and actions have never been as
inconsistent as presently. The wings of power, two of which are
definitely known – Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan – are avoiding
showing the controversies between them, maybe because they "have not
realized" yet that these exist. Meanwhile, their public appearances
show that there is a rather deep controversy. For instance, recently
the minister of defense has announced at the National Assembly that
82 percent of the public trust the army, and invited the members of
parliament (Victor Dallakyan) to show another government institution
"which has at least half of this rating" in terms of confidence. It may
sound as just another statement by Serge Sargsyan. However, since the
defense minister considers himself totally responsible for the army
and invokes this 82 percent of confidence as an achievement of the
organization he is in charge, this statement of his cannot be described
otherwise but a gauntlet to all the government institutions. Half of
82 is 41. This is an interesting index for several reasons. First, if
Serge Sargsyan says show another government institution with half as
much confidence as 82, he questions such government institutions like
the President of Armenia, the National Assembly, the Government. In
fact, the defense minister doubts their legitimacy, and thinks that
these institutions of statehood do not enjoy the trust of more than
41 percent of the public. Considering that the defense minister has
been a member of government for already 13 years and before that he
had been engaged in the establishment of the Armenian statehood with
another status, the defense minister should know that the President
is also a government institution, and it follows that the defense
minister acknowledged what he was saying. Moreover, it is beyond
doubt that he was absolutely sober at the moment of saying this.

However, more evidence comes that he was conscious of his words, which
makes the circumstance of 41, half of 82, more interesting. The point
is that officially Robert Kocharyan got as much votes in the first
round of the presidential election n 2003. And Serge Sargsyan is the
person who surely knows the real percentage of votes Robert Kocharyan
got. Robert Kocharyan also knows this, who removed Serge Sargsyan from
the headquarters of his election campaign and replaced him by the ARF
Dashnaktsutyun. Meanwhile, judging by official figures, 41 percent is
not bad for the first round of election, and it is strange why Robert
Kocharyan was dissatisfied not to trust his second round to Serge
Sargsyan. Perhaps, because Robert Kocharyan knows perfectly the rate
of trust for the government institutions. In other words, the defense
minister is not inventing anything but he is only reminding the past
things, perhaps because his motto is "the one who forgets the past has
no future". We only need to find out for whose future Serge Sargsyan
is recalling Robert Kocharyan’s past, his or Robert Kocharyan’s. With
regard to this, the situation would be much clearer if Robert Kocharyan
also said something. However, he would not speak. Although, on the
other hand, his silence tells much more and testifies that Serge
Sargsyan is, nevertheless, recalling the past of the president for
the sake of his own future. Serge Sargsyan seems to realize that
his interest and Robert Kocharyan’s interest are at the historical
watershed. The silence of the president is evidence to this. If Robert
Kocharyan approved the actions of the defense minister, he would
certainly hurry to announce it personally. His years of presidency
show that Robert Kocharyan would not allow the public think for even
a moment that any process in the economic or political spheres takes
place without the direct participation of the president, be it a horse
race or operation of heavy industry. And now the president’s silence
shows that the president does not mind the events underway. It is
strange, however, that he would not speak up this time, and at best
he conveys certain things through his speaker. Therefore, it seems
more likely that Robert Kocharyan’s silence is hiding his disagreement
with the actions of the defense minister in this particular case. The
point is that if the president stated that he disagreed with what
is underway, either he would have to dismiss the defense minister
or he would display unintentionally that he no longer controls the
actions of the leadership of this country. And in this case, he should
resign for the sake of the security of the state. Meanwhile, Robert
Kocharyan’s silence aggravates the danger threatening the state. What
if it is not established yet? Such countries are more vulnerable in
such situations. It is clear that in case of dismissing the defense
minister Robert Kocharyan would face up to several vacant offices
at once, on the other hand, however, the president would have a good
chance to employ about ten citizens of the Republic of Armenia.

A TRIBUTE TO ANDREW GOLDBERG WITH ROBERT MORGENTHAU AND PETER BALAKIAN

tewithdamorgenthaubalakianhooshere_11162006.html
T uesday December 12th 2006

A Tribute to Andrew Goldberg with Robert Morgenthau and Peter Balakian
and his Eminence Archibishop Khajag Barsamian, hosted by the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America

A thanks and tribute to Emmy Award winning Filmmaker Andrew Goldberg,
producer of the PBS Documentary, THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE. Featuring
NY District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, Peter Balakian, and other
prominent speakers.

Music by Hooshere. Special film clips not seen in the Documentary.

All are invited.

Where: Kavookjian Auditorium, Armenian Diocese, 630 Second Avenue,
NYC (between 34 and 35th Streets)

Misc: Free admission. Sponsored by the Krikor and Clara Zohrab
Information Center of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America.

Tel: 212 686 0710 Online Contact: [email protected]

SUMMARY OF APOSTOLIC TRIP TO TURKEY:
NOVEMBER 30 – DECEMBER 1
HEAL THE WOUNDS OF SEPARATION BETWEEN CHRISTIANS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 30, 2006 (VIS) – In Istanbul this evening, after visiting
the Museum of Santa Sophia, the Holy Father went to the Blue Mosque where he
and the Grand Mufti paused for a moment of meditation. The Pope then
travelled to the city’s Armenian apostolic patriarchate where he
participated in a celebration of the Word in the Cathedral of the Mother of
God. The patriarchate of Istanbul is under the jurisdiction of the
Catholicos of all Armenia, Karekin II.

Upon his arrival, Pope Benedict was received by His Beatitude Mesrob II,
Armenian patriarch of Istanbul, with whom he entered the cathedral in
procession. After the ceremony and an address by Mesrob II, the Holy Father
addressed some brief remarks to those present.

"With great affection," said the Holy Father, "I greet the entire Armenian
apostolic community. … My fraternal greeting goes also to His Holiness
Karekin II, Catholicos of Holy Etchmiadzin, and the hierarchy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church. I give thanks to God for the Christian faith and
witness of the Armenian people, transmitted from one generation to the next,
often in very tragic circumstances such as those experienced in the last
century.

"Our meeting," he added, "is more than a simple gesture of ecumenical
courtesy and friendship. It is a sign of our shared hope in God’s promises
and our desire to see fulfilled the prayer that Jesus offered for His
disciples on the eve of His suffering and death: ‘that they may all be one.’
… The tragic divisions which, over time, have arisen among Christ’s
followers openly contradict the Lord’s will, give scandal to the world and
damage that most holy cause, the preaching of the Gospel to every creature.
Precisely by the witness of their faith and love, Christians are called to
offer a radiant sign of hope and consolation to this world, so marked by
conflicts and tensions.

"We must continue therefore to do everything possible to heal the wounds
of separation and to hasten the work of rebuilding Christian unity," said
the Holy Father. "In this respect I can only offer heartfelt thanks to the
Lord for the deeper fraternal relationship that has developed between the
Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church."

In closing, the Pope quoted the words of one of the great Doctors of the
Armenian Church, Nerses of Lambron, who lived in the thirteenth century:
"’Now, since we all need peace with God, let its foundation be harmony among
the brethren.’ … These words of Nerses have lost nothing of their power.
Together let us continue to pray for the unity of all Christians."

Following the ceremony, a stone tablet in the form of an Armenian cross
was unveiled, bearing inscriptions in Latin and Armenian recalling the
visits to the cathedral by Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

CHURCH ASKS TO LIVE IN FREEDOM IN ORDER TO REVEAL CHRIST

VATICAN CITY, DEC 1, 2006 (VIS) – At 8.30 a.m. today, the Pope celebrated
Mass at Istanbul’s Latin Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, in the presence of
faithful from various communities present in the city and from a number of
Catholic rites. Also present were Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of
Constantinople, Armenian Apostolic Patriarch Mesrob II, and Syro-Orthodox
Metropolitan Filuksinos Yusuf Cetin, as well as representatives from the
Protestant Churches.

The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit was inaugurated in 1846. Under the altar
are relics of certain saints, among them St. Linus, pope and martyr (67-69),
St. Peter’s immediate successor. In 1884, Pope Leo XIII donated the
cathedral a relic of St. John Chrysostom. In May 1989, the cathedral was
affiliated to the Vatican Basilica.

In the courtyard of the building is a statue of Benedict XV (1914-1922),
erected by the Turks in memory of that Pope’s commitment in favor of the
Turkish victims of World War One. An inscription on the statue reads: "To
the great pontiff of the world tragedy, Benedict XV, benefactor of peoples
without distinction of nationality or religion, in recognition."

In 1967, Pope Paul VI visited the cathedral in the company of Patriarch
Athenagoras, a gesture repeated by John Paul II, accompanied by Patriarch
Dimitros I, in 1979.

Before Mass, the Pope paused in the courtyard to bless a statue of Blessed
John XXIII which is to be placed in a local church. He also freed three
white doves.

Various languages were used during the Eucharistic celebration, including
Latin, Turkish, French, German, Syriac, Arabic and Spanish. The entrance
antiphon and the "Sanctus" were left to the Armenian Catholics; the
responsorial psalm and the offertory antiphon to the Chaldeans; the
proclamation of the Gospel to the Syro-Catholics.

"As Saint Paul has just reminded us," said Benedict XVI in his homily,
"the Spirit is the enduring source of our faith and unity. He awakens within
us true knowledge of Jesus and He puts on our lips the words of faith that
enable us to acknowledge the Lord."

"To manifest the Spirit, to live by the Spirit, is not to live for oneself
alone, but to let oneself be conformed to Christ Jesus by becoming, like
Him, the servant of his brothers and sisters. Here is a very concrete
teaching for each of us."

The Church, said the Pope, "has been charged to proclaim His Gospel to the
ends of the earth, transmitting to the men and women of our time the Good
News which not only illuminates but overturns their lives, even to the point
of conquering death itself. This Good News is not just a word, but a person,
Christ Himself, risen and alive!"

"The Church’s mission is not to preserve power, or to gain wealth; her
mission is to offer Christ, to give a share in Christ’s own life, man’s most
precious good, which God Himself gives us in His Son."

"You know well," the Pope told his listeners, "that the Church wishes to
impose nothing on anyone, and that she merely asks to live in freedom, in
order to reveal the One whom she cannot hide, Christ Jesus. … Be ever
receptive to the Spirit of Christ and so become attentive to those who
thirst for justice, peace, dignity and respect for themselves and for their
brothers and sisters."

"Together with the Virgin," he concluded, "let us pray to Christ her Son:
Send forth, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit upon the whole Church, that He may
dwell in each of her members and make them heralds of Your Gospel!"

Following Mass, the Pope expressed his appreciation for "the understanding
and patience," and for "the truly warm welcome I have been shown, also
because I know that my presence over these days has created no small
disturbance in the daily lives of people in this city."

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Pope went by car to the airport of
Istanbul where he bid farewell to the ecumenical patriarch, the Armenian
apostolic patriarch and the Syro-Orthodox metropolitan. Before boarding the
plane bound for Rome, he met briefly with the governor of the local region
and the mayor of Istanbul.

BBC NAMES ARMENIAN POP SINGER GLOBAL TALENT FINALIST

Armenpress
Nov 30 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS: A 17-year-old Armenian pop singer
Silva Hakobian is among the finalists in the BBC World Service’s
search for the world’s best young band.

More than 1,000 artists, all aged 18 or under, entered the Next Big
Thing competition in September.

The seven finalists are expected to fly into the UK next week to
perform at the BBC’s famous Maida Vale studios. A winner will be
chosen by a panel of music industry experts.

The competition was open to groups and solo artists in any genre
of music, as long as they were under 18 and performed their own
songs. Entries came from 36 countries, "from Armenia to Azerbaijan
and from Uruguay to Ukraine".

The BBC is working with British embassies to help artists arrange
travel to the UK in time for next week’s recording.

ALIEV, KOCHARIAN IN FRESH KARABAKH TALKS
By Harry Tamrazian in Prague and Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 28 2006

The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan were meeting in the Belarusian
capital Minsk late Tuesday for crucial peace talks which international
mediators hoped will produce a breakthrough in their long-running
efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliev came face to face for a third time
in less than a year on the sidelines of a summit of former Soviet
republics making up the Commonwealth of Independent States.

An Armenian diplomatic source told RFE/RL that the talks, held at the
Russian embassy in Belarus, began in the presence of Russia’s Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov and the chairman-in-office of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel
de Gucht. French, Russian and U.S. diplomats co-chairing the OSCE’s
Minsk Group were also in attendance before the two leaders continued
their discussions in a tete-a-tete format, the source said.

Kocharian’s spokesman, Victor Soghomonian, was quoted by the Russian
Regnum news agency as saying that no statements are likely to be made
after the talks.

The Minsk talks were widely seen as the last real chance to settle
the Karabakh conflict before national elections that are due to take
place in Armenia and Azerbaijan next year and in 2008. The mediators
have indicated that failure to cut a framework peace deal now would
keep the conflict unresolved at least until 2009. They arranged the
latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit during a visit to Baku and Yerevan
last week. It followed a series of negotiations between the foreign
ministers of the two South Caucasus states.

Those talks reportedly centered on what the Minsk Group co-chairs
call "complementary elements" to their existing peace plan that was
discussed by Aliev and Kocharian during their two previous encounters
earlier this year. The two men failed to reach any far-reaching
agreements, contrary to unusually high expectations of a breakthrough
in the Karabakh peace process.

The Minsk Group plan calls for a gradual resolution of the dispute
that would lead to Armenian withdrawal from most of the Azerbaijani
districts surrounding Karabakh and culminate in a referendum on
the disputed territory’s status. Officials in Yerevan have said the
peace formula is largely acceptable to the Armenian side. Official
Baku’s position on the issue is more ambiguous, with Aliev repeatedly
stating that he will never recognize Karabakh’s secession from Soviet
Azerbaijan.

The unpublicized "complementary elements" are aimed at helping the
parties bridge their differences. Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov indicated after
their recent talks that they managed to make further progress towards
that goal.

However, Kocharian sought to cool fresh talk of Karabakh peace during
a visit to Germany earlier this month, saying that he is not optimistic
about the success of the Minsk meeting.

ARMEN BAIBOURTIAN: ARMENIA INTENDS TO IMPLEMENT ENP ACTION PLAN IN A RAPID AND EFFICIENT WAY

Noyan Tapan, Armenia
Nov 27 2006

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. The European Neighbourhood Policy
(ENP) Joint Action Plan (JAP) signed between the European Union and
Armenia signifies a new stage in the relations between the Republic of
Armenia and the European Union. The Deputy Foreign Minister of the RA
Armen Baibourtian told NOYAN TAPAN correspondent that the distinctive
feature of this new stage is that unlike the previous documents, the
Action Plan, which will determine the principles and modalities of
Armenia’s participation in the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP),
is a political document laying out the strategic objectives of the
cooperation between Armenia and the EU and envisaging certain actions.

The 5-year Action Plan specifying the joint actions of Armenia and the
EU in the political, economic, legal, cultural and other spheres was
signed by the Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and Finnish
Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Paola Lehtomaki on November
14 in Brussels, and approved at the EU-Armenia Cooperation Council
7th meeting.

The deputy minister said that one of the main features of the
Action Plan is that it will be in joint ownership and will contain
benchmark-based perspectives. This makes it quite different from all
previous forms of cooperation as it will primarily focus on what the
Armenian government and the EU jointly agreed to be priorities for
them. The value added of this arrangement is that both sides will
share responsibility both for the progress and the failure.

The Joint Action Plan is based on the principle of conditionality
that is usually methodology wise used for the countries – candidates
for the EU membership. The progress in our relations will mainly
depend on the progress in implementation of domestic political and
economic reforms. This principle envisages that the Armenian side
(like the other ENP member states) takes certain steps, and if they
are considered successful, the EU opens a new program for Armenia.

"So we have a gradually developing program," he said. That means
participating countries will receive a new impetus for furthering
their reforms on the one hand and the new commitments on the other.

Armenia has a framework agreement on the EU-Armenian Partnership
and Cooperation. It was signed in 1996, took effect in 1999 and is
envisaged for 10 years. According to the agreement, the approximation
of the Armenian legislation to the aquis – the EU legislation,
supplemented with institutional and policy approximation parts, shall
take place. This agreement formed the legal basis for adoption of the
Joint Action Plan. Upon successful completion of the Action Plan new
enhanced contractual relationship may be established between Armenia
and the EU.

In the words of A. Baibourtian, another important circumstance that
distinguishes the Action Plan from the previous documents signed
between Armenia and the EU is that in addition to cooperation, it
also presupposes some integration in certain fields, first of all
in some sectors of the economy. The document stipulates that, as a
result of this integration process, Armenia may have its stake in
the EU’s internal market. The deputy minister underlined that this
provision is often misinterpreted as allocation of some trade quotas.

"In reality development of a more essential regulation is envisaged,
that is, the whole economic and regulatory framework of Armenia is
brought into line with the European legal acts to such an extent that
it allows Armenian economic entities to have a direct facilitated
relationship with the EU and enter its market," Armen Baibourtian
said. As a result, the current GSP+ trade regime (entailing a special
status in trade for a prevailing number of goods with the EU) may be
replaced with a free trade agreement, i.e. a duty free trade regime
may function between the RA and the EU.

According to the deputy minister, the Action Plan is for five years
but the Armenian side does not rule out that the agreement on free
trade may be signed even earlier.

In response to the question about what specific actions must be taken
in the near future under the Action Plan, Armen Baibourtian said
that the adopted document is a general outline of the actions. The
Action Plan’s implementation plan with relevant scheduling and with
the priorities of particular actions has to be developed in the near
future. For example, the schedule may indicate what specific steps
are envisaged by each point: strengthening of democracy, in economy,
culture and other spheres. Based on the joint priorities, there may
also be a provision on the holding of the elections and the EU may
assume the obligation to assist Armenia with preparing for them.

A. Baibourtian also informed that Armenia has made a proposal that the
sides monitor the Action Plan’s implementation at regular intervals and
Armenia should be invited to provide information for the reports. This
proposal was welcomed by the EU and shows that Armenia is inclined
to implement the Action Plan in an efficient way.

A first review of the implementation will be undertaken within two
years of its adoption.

The three South Caucasian countries signed their Action Plans with
the European Union on the same day – November 14. The deputy minister
noted that these three documents are in general similar but they differ
from each other by some details conditioned by the peculiarities and
requirements of each country. For example, in the Armenian document,
there is a reference to the principle of self-determination of peoples
in the part related to the peaceful solution of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.

Armen Baibourtian also stressed that the Action Plans may contribute
to the settlement of the conflicts in the region, including that
of Nagorno Karabakh. "The EU itself does not have a mechanism of
conflict settlement but in these documents it offers its assistance
to the OSCE involved in the conflict settlement process. Besides,
recently the EU has become more active in its efforts for Karabakh
conflict’s resolution: previously the mandate of the EU’s special
representative for South Caucasus stated to "assist", whereas now it
was changed to "contribute" to the peaceful resolution," he said. The
increased role of the EU’s special representative is also reflected
in the ENP Action Plan. In addition, it is extremely important that
the involvement in EU integration processes may be conducive to the
improvement of the conflict resolution atmosphere. "The fact that
immediately after the signing of the Action Plans both the Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers expressed their optimism on this
issue may be the first signal in that direction," A. Baibourtian
said. Another positive factor is that all the three Action Plans
envisage closer regional cooperation.

A YEAR AFTER THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

A1+
[08:17 pm] 27 November, 2006

"With the Constitutional Referendum the authorities tried to prove once
more that they are the owners of the country", said leader of the New
Times party Aram Karapetyan in the National Press Club exactly a year
after the referendum. He noted today that the Armenian nation made sure
once more that it is impossible to change the authorities by the simple
way – throwing a ballot into the ballot box. He said that society
followed the advice of the opposition and boycotted the referendum.

"And the authorities fabricated the referendum; after that it was
not a complicated thing to fabricate the other laws", said Aram
Karapetyan. By the way, he announced that the constitutional "reforms"
did not good to the 90% of the society.

Secretary of the political council of Liberal-Progressive party of
Armenia Edward Antinyan informed that the only positive reform was
the every citizen can turn to the Constitutional Court. But speaking
about the reform, Mr. Antinyan said, "While the citizen passes through
all the instances and reaches the CC, his house is leveled to earth"
and an elitist building is constructed instead.

Representative of Justice bloc in the Central Electoral Committee
Felix Khachatryan reminded that in two electoral areas there had been
more than 1800 flaws, whereas the Committee stated there had been 1576
flaws in the whole republic. He also reminded about the 10 thousand
ballots which were printed and simply "lost" from the printing house.

RA first Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan also participated in the
meeting. She noted that since 1995 all the elections have used
so-called "black technologies".

Representatives of the Republic Party and the ARF Dashnaktsutyun were
also invited; but none of them showed up.

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Nov 24 2006

ANM LEADER WARNS ARMENIAN PUBLIC AGAINST DISTINCT MESSAGES OF RUSSIA

Russia once again threatens Armenian independence, Aram Manoukyan,
one of the leaders of the Armenian National Movement ruling in
Armenia in 1990s, said at a press-conference, Friday.

A.Manoukyan noted that on the threshold of parliamentary elections in
Armenia, Russian "groupings" have sharply activated their work in the
political field of the republic. Though this has a negative effect on
political processes of the country, Armenia, however, will continue
to be on friendly terms with Russia. The latter tries to put all the
countries under its supervision. The case of Georgia is a distinct
message for all of them who doesn’t want to maintain good relations
with it, Manoukyan noted. According to him, there started a real
struggle between Armenian politicians trying to prove their devotion
to Russia. Leaders of practically all the parties stand in queue to
get Moscow’s approvement of their activity, though the country’s
independence should be superior to the party’s interests, he said.
A.Manoukyan connected the process of rapid "russification" of
Armenian politicians with the pre-electoral race, in the course of
which leaders of Armenian parties try "to build themselves up".
Particularly, he pointed out the hunting of people carried out by the
"Prospering Armenia" and the Republican Parties of Armenia which
fight for greater number of followers. A.Manoukyan said that he
himself would like to know the real results of the parliamentary
elections. He said that even if honest and transparent elections are
held in spring 2007, both Serzh Sarkisyan and Gagik Tsarukyan will
fail to get the overwhelming majority of votes, as no citizen of the
Republic will vote for them voluntarily.

At the same time, A.Manoukyan admitted that the action of
"distributing potatoes", implemented by Gagik Tsarukyan, the leader
of "Prospering Armenia", may have a considerable effect on the
pre-electoral mood of dwellers of the Armenian remote regions, and
this will turn the Armenian Parliament into "an assembly of people
having thick necks and thick wallets" and "not knowing how many
letters the Armenian alphabet has". He expressed hope that one day
the Armenian Parliament will consist of deputies having at least
distinct political views.

Turan News Agency, Azerbaijan
Nov 23 2006

OSCE MEDIATORS CONFIRM AZERI, ARMENIAN LEADERS TO MEET IN BELARUS

Baku, 23 November: The [French and Russian] co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group, Bernard Fassier (who also acted on behalf of US
co-chairman Matthew Bryza), and Yuriy Merzlyakov, visited Yerevan and
Baku on 20-21 November. They met the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents and the foreign ministers of the two countries.

The talks resulted in the two presidents accepting the co-chairmen’s
proposal to meet in Minsk next week [28 November] on the sidelines of
the next summit of CIS heads of state, says a joint statement by the
co-chairmen which Turan news agency has received from the OSCE
office.

The talks in Yerevan and Baku confirmed that the three rounds of
consultations between the foreign ministers held in Moscow, Paris and
Brussels in October and November were useful in advancing
negotiations.

"In light of the current meetings with the two countries’ foreign
ministers and presidents, the co-chairmen are hoping that the
forthcoming meeting between the presidents in Minsk will allow both
sides to make a new step towards reaching agreement on the basic
principles of the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. The
principles were backed by the leaders of G8 in Saint Petersburg in
July 2006 and are still remaining on the negotiating table as the
best opportunity to achieve fair and durable peace," the statement
said.

‘WE ARE AFRAID:’ MOST OF BEIRUT SPENDS INDEPENDENCE DAY IN STATE OF SHOCK
By Iman Azzi

Daily Star – Lebanon
Nov 23 2006

BEIRUT: A day filled with quiet mourning and shock replaced planned
festivities to commemorate Independence Day on Wednesday after the
assassination of industry Minister Pierre Gemayel a day earlier. Blue
lines painted on Beirut’s streets in anticipation of a parade were
the only markings that remained of the expected celebrations as
stores stayed closed and people stayed home. The climate more closely
resembled that of a Sunday morning than a weekday afternoon.

"The future is black. Darker than black," said Pierre Suleiman,
owner of a small chicken restaurant in Hadath.

Few people dared to point fingers after the sixth prominent anti-Syrian
figure was assassinated since February 2005, but all expressed concern
over the future of the country.

Suleiman lived in Paris for five years and doesn’t want to move abroad
again. He doesn’t think it will come to that, but when asked if Prime
Minister Fouad Siniora’s government should resign, he was unsure.

"I don’t know," he said. "But how come those who used to collaborate
with Syria are still in the government? Syria left and they stayed?

Am I crazy?"

Roger, a Christian shopkeeper in Ain al-Roummaneh, thought the
government should resign but that assassinations were no path to peace.

"Probably [they should resign], because they can’t do anything,"
he said, adding that he didn’t think Gemayel’s assassination would
provoke the country into civil war.

"The assassinations need to stop, though," he added. "Whoever did it
doesn’t want the country to be fixed."

Hizbullah, Amal and Free Patriotic Movement flags flew together in
front of stores throughout the Dahiyeh. Hizbullah-funded patrols helped
direct traffic as men sold olives, bread and fruits on the sidewalks.

Rida Assaghir, an employee at a cell-phone store in Dahiyeh, said
everything in the southern suburbs was "normal."

He admitted that there were fewer cars on the streets but said that
he didn’t see an increase in tension.

"There was tension on the ‘Green Line’ last night but Hizbullah
controlled it," he added, referring to the former dividing line between
Muslims and Christians in Beirut during the 1975-1990 Civil War.

"Last night, there was a bit of tension. We saw tires burning … on
the television," Fatima, a mother of five, said while walking with
three of her children in Jammous. "I’m not into politics that much
and I can’t tell you who did it but the current situation is not very
comforting. We are afraid."

Some drivers in Achrafieh expressed their commitment to Gemayel’s
Phalange on Wednesday, waving the green cedar tree flag of the party
from the car windows.

"Achrafieh, Achrafieh," a convoy sang as it drove around the
predominantly Christian districts in East Beirut.

"We lost a good man. A great man," said Asaad as he sipped coffee
outside of a small convenience store in Gemmayzeh.

Most restaurants and bars along Gemmayzeh’s main artery remained
closed Wednesday after closing early on Tuesday.

"We don’t know who killed him but whoever it is, is trying to create
a divide between the government and Hizbullah. Maybe it’s Syria,
or Israel. Who knows?" he added.

A marching band played through the streets of Achrafieh, ending in
front of Phalange headquarters on Wednesday night. The peaceful vigil
gathered nearly 100 people and was organized by the two Armenian
youth parties.