Author: Torosian Aram

EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
For Justice & Democracy

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PRESS RELEASE
Wednesday 11 March 2009
Contact : Varténie ECHO
Tel. / Fax. : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27

FIASCO FOR THE AZERI PROPAGANDA IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

– The anti-Armenian Pogroms in Sumgait were evoked at the Azerbaijani
commemoration of Khojalu

– The ambassador of Azerbaijan prohibited to speak

The `commemoration’ of the Khojalu events that was for Azerbaijan the
pinnacle moment of its ongoing misinformation campaign turned to a
fiasco on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, in the European Parliament.

Alerted by the European Armenian Federation and other voices of
European public opinion, the MEP Mrs. Gisela Kallenbach (Greens,
Germany) which initially had sponsored the exhibition of the `Aliev
Foundation’, became aware that she was the object of the Azeri attempt
of manipulation. Consequently, she surprised the participants,
primarily the Azeris by declaring that she was there only `because it
was too late to cancel the exhibition’.

In her inaugural speech, Gisela Kallenbach did not hesitate to say that
she regretted that the exhibition did not include pictures of the
anti-Armenian pogrom that was committed in the Azerbaijani city of
Sumgait in 1988, before taking one minute of silence in memory of the
victims of all the conflicts of the South Caucasus. She criticised
implicitly the Azeri attempt of misinformation and stated that she
learnt that this exhibition `could be used in order to destroy the
promising and recent process of reconciliation between Armenia and
Azerbaijan’ and `that was absolutely not’ her intention.

The short speech that Mrs. Kallenbach delivered on this occasion is
available here.

Mrs. Kallenbach quickly put an end to her participation while the
ambassador of Azerbaijan was prevented from expressing himself and
distributing his false propaganda.

According to various sources, Mrs. Kallenbach had been deceived by
officers of her political group directly financed by the Aliev
Foundation.

`We congratulate Mrs. Kallenbach for her courage and her perspicacity’
declared Hilda Tchoboian, the chairperson of the European Armenian
Federation; `it is clear that the commemorations of Khojalu organized
everywhere in Europe and in the United States form part of the
political warmongering of the leaders of Azerbaijan; they aim to
prevent the settlement of the conflict by prohibiting any concession to
its public opinion, while masking its own crimes’ she continued.

Within the framework of a worldwide campaign of disinfor
mation, the
Baku regime intends to make the international institutions acknowledge
that the events which would have occurred in Khojalu in 1992 at the
time of Artsakh liberation war (formerly Nagorno Karabakh) would have
constituted war crimes ` even a `genocide’. These events ` presented as
such using photos taken in Kosovo were never clarified but several
sources ` in particular Azeri ` tend to prove that they would have been
caused by the Aliev clan to destabilize the Azeri regime of Mutalibov
which was at that time in power.

The massacres and pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad,
recalled by Mrs. Kallenbach, are on the other hand, attested as having
constituted the response of Azerbaijan to the peaceful process by which
the Armenian populations of Karabakh had requested their unification to
Armenia, in accordance with the Soviet constitution which was into
force at that time. These pogroms caused the Artsakh liberation war to
begin.

At that time, the European Parliament strongly criticised the actions
of Azerbaijan towards its Armenian population, pointing out `the
blockade and the aggression of Azerbaijan’, `the 300,000 Armenian
refugees who fled the pogroms’, the murders of Armenians perpetrated
`in horrific circumstances’, `the economic blockade of Armenia’, `the
unprecedented attack against the Armenians of Karabakh’ and
their
`right to self-determination’.

These resolutions of the European Parliament are available on the
European Armenian Federation website.

`Taking into consideration the serious incriminations that the
European Parliament and the International community charged against
Azerbaijan, for the first time, the machine of Azeri misinformation
failed to use the European Assembly as a springboard to spread its
falsified interpretation of the history’ commented Hilda Tchoboian.

`The abusive exploitation by Azerbaijan of the Karabakh conflict to
justify the warmongering and racist speech of his leaders towards
Armenia and the Armenians, will have to be condemned by the European
Union which carries a real interest with the establishment of a durable
peace in the area’ continued the Chair of the European Armenian
Federation.

The European Armenian Federation recalls that for several years, the
Azeri power has tried repeatedly to discredit the OSCE Minsk group who
is in charge of the peace negotiations in order to move their
framework. In spite of these attempts, the European Parliament
constantly affirmed its confidence in the Minsk group which takes into
account the right to self-determination of the Karabakh people in
compliance with the principles of the International law.

ALLA PUGACHEVA: WHEN I’M SAD, I ALWAYS RECOLLECT THE CONCERT IN YEREVAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.03.2009 22:10 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today, during Moscow-Yerevan-Tbilisi-Kiev live
broadcast, Alla Pugacheva’s "Alla Art" photo album presentation was
held. The album features singer’s concert photos, among them, photos
of a girl of 16 made at the outset of her breathtaking career.

"The album clears away the "yellow foam" that the yellow press
has built up around the signer and leaves the pure art for you
to see," the idea author and album producer Pavel Tokarev noted,
adding that the album would be a great gift to connoisseurs of good
photographs. According to Pughacheva, the second edition of the album
will feature her photos with friends, family and ex-husbands.

"The album includes a picture made during the concert at Razdan
stadium, which I particularly like. When I’m sad, I always recollect
this concert in Yerevan. I saw genuine affection in the eyes of the
audience, which was unforgettable," the signer said.

Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet

PRESS RELEASE
March 4, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA WELCOMES ICC ARREST WARRANT FOR SUDANESE PRESIDENT AL-BASHIR

— Turkey Appears Set to Use U.N. Security Council Seat to Delay Arrest

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision to
issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for
crimes against humanity and war crimes, while at the same time
warning about Turkey’s likely efforts to obstruct efforts to bring
him to justice.

"The ICC decision to issue a warrant for Sudan’s Omar Hassan al-
Bashir sends a clear message to genocide perpetrators and deniers
that crimes against humanity will be prosecuted and punished," said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We look forward to swift
action to bring him to justice and call upon the international
community to forcefully stand up against those countries, such as
Turkey, that appear set to obstruct this landmark legal effort to
end the cycle of genocide."

Last week, the ANCA circulated three policy memos to Capitol Hill
offices, outlining for legislators how the Turkey-Sudan "axis of
genocide" relationship is materially undermining international
efforts to isolate Khartoum and end its genocide against the people
Darfur.

The ICC issued its arrest warrant today, citing five charges of
crimes against humanity and two of war crimes including murder,
extermination, torture and rape. ICC Chief Presecutor Luis Moreno-
Ocampo noted, "The reality now is that Omar al-Bashir is attacking
his own citizens who he is supposed to protect as leader of the
country. The solution for Sudan has to start with arresting Omar
al-Bashir."

Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper was quick to report that "Diplomatic
sources said Turkey is likely to push for a delay in the
implementation of the arrest warrant in the Security Council." Just
days earlier, the ruling AK Party sympathetic Today’s Zaman
newspaper noted that Turkey was weighing its options regarding
Sudan, given recent African support for Turkey’s elections as a
temporary member of the U.N. Security Council. In return for
support in winning this seat, Turkish President Abdullah Gul vowed
to be the "voice of Africa" in the international body.

Meanwhile, U.S. reaction to the ICC arrest warrant for President
al-Bashir was largely supportive, with Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton stating that "Governments and individuals who either
conduct or condone atrocities of any kind, as we have seen year
after year in Sudan, have to be held accountable."

Across the United States, Darfuri human rights groups this week
planned rallies welcoming the ICC decision. Speaking at an event
in New York City earlier today organized by the Darfur
Rehabilitation Project, ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director
Karine Birazian pointed to counterprotesters, stating, "Look across
the street – those are the faces of genocide denial. Just as we
cannot allow Turkish government denial to impede international
Armenian Genocide recognition, we must not allow al-Bashir and his
cronies to stop us from taking decisive action to end the
atrocities in Darfur."

Birazian continued, noting the importance of vigilance in the face
of genocide denial. "Here in America, we have the choice to speak
out against genocide. The people of Darfur can be raped or killed
for simply collecting firewood – much less speaking out to stop the
violence. In Turkey, you can be prosecuted, jailed, or – in the
case of Hrant Dink – killed for speaking the truth about the
Armenian Genocide. That makes our role all the more imperative – to
speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves."

The New York Darfuri rally ended in violence, as genocide deniers
attacked participants, ending in arrests by New York City police.

#####

Photo Caption: Darfur Rehabilitation Project founder Yahya Osman
with ANCA Eastern Region Executive Director Karine Birazian.

TIGRAN SARGSYAN ASSURED PRICES WILL STABILIZE WITHIN NEXT FEW DAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.03.2009 23:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The prices in shops will stabilize within next few
days, Armenian Prime Minister said.

"The buying craze was quite predictable. We have witnessed such
phenomena many times," Tigran Sargsyan said. "The stock market has
already stabilized in some way. Bargains to the amount of $7 million
were struck. Everything will flow in the accustomed grooves as soon
as the importers clarify their price policy."

"The importers worked under favorable conditions and have enough time
for gradual transition to floating rate. Presently, tax officers make
an inventory of supply of goods to prevent profiteering," he said,
adding that 8% inflation is expected.

PUBLIC UTILITIES TARIFFS RISE IS NO HARM?

PanARMENIAN.Net
04.03.2009 23:27 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The recent rise in prices for water supply,
electricity and gas means extra 2000 drams in the budget expenses of
an ordinary Armenian family, RA Prime Minister said.

"Increasing pensions by 14%, the government intended to smooth the
negative impact of tariff rise on the budget of Armenian citizens,"
Tigran Sargsyan said.

The Public Services Regulatory Commission of the Republic of Armenia
satisfied the bids of ArmRosgazprom CJSC, Electric Networks of Armenia
(ENA) CJSC and Armenian Water Supply CJSC for increase in gas,
electricity and water tariffs respectively, the Commission’s press
office reported.

The committee approved gas tariff increase of AMD 96 000 per thousand
cubic meter for those using less than 10 000 cubic meters, and an
increase of $215 for those who use more than 10 000 cubic meters.

Daily electricity tariffs will comprise AMD30 per kilowatt – hour,
and nightly tariffs – AMD20 per kilowatt – hour.

Water tariff will amount to AMD 179, 78 per cubic meter.

New prices are valid from Apr.1, 2009.

ZUMWALT: OBAMA MESSAGE FOR ISLAM?
James Zumwalt

Washington Times
/04/obama-message-for-islam/
March 4 2009

COMMENTARY:

Within the first 100 days of his term, President Barack Obama has
said he will visit the capital city of a Muslim country to deliver
a foreign policy speech breaking new ground in U.S. relations with
the Muslim world. It is a bold move that can very quickly set his
presidency on course for success, or failure.

The message he delivers will cause him to navigate some fairly
treacherous waters between democratic and Islamic values. And,
should the wrong thing be said, or the right thing left unsaid, the
new captain of our ship-of-state may find his vessel taking on water.

Mr. Obama’s speech involves three considerations – audience, location
and content.

His audience is clearly defined. In descending size, it includes
Muslims firmly committed to Islam’s peaceful practice; Muslims not so
firmly committed but not extremist; and Muslims firmly committed to the
extremist view seeking to rid the world of all nonbelievers. Only the
first two groups will really hear Mr. Obama’s speech. It is foolish
to believe his words will give pause to extremists – committed as
they are to a world unified under but one religion and to which they
attach such hostility – to reconsider their viewpoint.

The location Mr. Obama selects for his speech will also be
important. Site selection honors should not go to an "unworthy"
Muslim state – i.e., one lacking tolerance towards nonbelievers. Thus,
Saudi Arabia, though an ally, should not be considered.

But countries where the seed of tolerance has clearly blossomed –
Muslim majority democracies such as Turkey, Indonesia or Mali,
or, perhaps, even a tolerant Muslim constitutional monarchy such
as Morocco – should be considered. The more tolerant the country
selected, the more positive is the message of tolerance toward all
religions conveyed by the leader of the Free World.

But it is the content of Mr. Obama’s speech that will prove
challenging. Just as our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan know
not whether an explosive device lies on the road ahead, Mr. Obama
will deliver his speech not knowing whether something he innocently
attempts to communicate will be misunderstood, triggering an explosive
reaction. Our Muslim brothers have clearly demonstrated disdain for
criticism, triggering violence when interpreted as such. Consider
the reactions to Pope Benedict XVI’s innocent historic observation
about Islam, Danish newspapers’ publication of Muhammad caricatures,
furor over a report (later proven false) that a U.S. military guard
at Guantanamo flushed a Muslim prisoner’s Koran down the toilet. All
provided such triggers. But, if Mr. Obama intends to say the things
that need be said in his speech, he risks an explosive reaction.

In trying to curry favor among his Muslim audience, the new president
may be giving thought to apologizing for actions undertaken by his
predecessor. But, in taking a conciliatory tone, Mr. Obama walks a
fine line. Culturally, Muslims perceive atonement as weakness. For
thousands of years, the Muslim world has not only feared, but revered,
the Sumerian "lugal" or strongman – of which Saddam Hussein was but
one in a long line.

Mr. Obama will be measured against this backdrop. As such, he should
understand any self-flagellation or "mea culpa" delivered on behalf
of America will only contribute to a perception of American weakness
by the Muslim world. (Consider Turkey’s longstanding reluctance to
acknowledge responsibility for the World War I genocide of Armenians –
even passing a law prohibiting such allegations.)

Mr. Obama would do better to focus his remarks on past U.S. efforts
that saved Muslim lives and what the Western and Muslim worlds,
working together, can do in the future to improve relations, forgoing
apologies for perceived, past wrongs.

One issue, in particular, Mr. Obama must tackle in his speech
will prove difficult for fear of triggering an explosive Muslim
reaction. But, address it he must as it goes to the heart of the
conflict between Islam’s believers and nonbelievers. If omitted,
or not appropriately worded, Mr. Obama’s message will fail.

In 1948, United Nations member states drafted and passed with no
negative votes despite wide-ranging ideological differences between
the Western and Muslim worlds – the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR). Even Muslim countries like Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and
Egypt supported it. The Declaration’s foundation belief appears in
the first sentence of Article 1: "All human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights."

The Universal Declaration remained global law for more than three
decades – until Islamic extremists took power in Iran in 1979,
attacking the Declaration for representing "a secular understanding of
the Judeo-Christian tradition," unacceptable to Muslims for violating
Islamic law.

Nine years ago in June, 57 member Muslim states of the Organization
of the Islamic Conference, following Iran’s lead, supported a new
definition of human rights according to Islam’s Shariah law under
the 1990 Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI). The
Universal Declaration and the Cairo Declaration mandate human
rights coverage for groups of vastly different sizes. The Universal
Declaration extends coverage to 100 percent of the world population;
the Cairo Declaration to roughly 8 percent – i.e., male Muslims,
excluding nonbelievers and even Muslim women.

Westerners reject subordination of Muslims to nonbelievers by accepting
the Universal Declaration; therefore, why not ask Muslims to reject
subordination, as provided under the Cairo Declaration, of nonbelievers
to Muslims? Nonbelievers tolerating their own subordination under
the Cairo Declaration signal their weakness and provide no basis
upon which to build a bridge traversing the religious divide between
Islam’s believers and nonbelievers.

President Obama must challenge Muslims to rejoin the fold of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, bridging this divide by
recognizing "universal" human equality. An enormously gifted speaker,
Mr. Obama must craft this message as only he can. The Muslim world
must be encouraged to open its borders to all religions.

Mr. Obama should take a page from Ronald Reagan’s historic 1987 speech
challenging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Wall
separating East and West Berlin, thus recognizing freedom. In similar
fashion, Mr. Obama should challenge Muslim leaders to tear down the
wall separating Islam from other world religions, thus recognizing
universal human equality.

James G. Zumwalt, a Marine veteran of the Persian Gulf and Vietnam
wars, is a contributor to The Washington Times.

REPORT: ARMENIA CALLS ON TURKEY TO JOIN NUCLEAR TENDER

Today’s Zaman
March 3 2009
Turkey

In another sign of the warming atmosphere between Ankara and Yerevan,
Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sarksyan has called on Turkey to join
a tender for the construction of a new reactor for his country’s sole
nuclear power plant, a news report has said.

"In addition to our strategic partner, Russia, we also want our
neighbor Turkey to participate in the construction of the power
plant, which will help stability in our region," Sarksyan was quoted
as saying by Russian daily Nezavisimaya, the CNN-Turk news channel
reported yesterday. The Armenian prime minister also stressed the
economic and political importance of the power plant.

The tender for the new reactor was announced last Monday. Armenia is
seeking a new 1,000 megawatt reactor for the plant, built in 1980 about
30 kilometers west of the capital, Yerevan. The plant had been shut
down after a devastating earthquake in 1988, but it was reactivated in
1995 due to energy shortages caused by blockades imposed by Azerbaijan
and Turkey. The Turkish side is expecting official confirmation of
Sarksyan’s public call, the Nezavisimaya report said, citing unnamed
sources in Ankara. "There is a possibility of accepting Yerevan’s
proposal," a high-level Turkish official was quoted as saying by
the newspaper.

The report noted that Sarksyan’s call for Turkish participation in
the project has been warmly welcomed in Armenia, except by extreme
nationalist groups. The Armenian Energy and Natural Resources Ministry
estimated value of the project at about $5 billion. The deadline
for filing bids is April 1. Armenia’s parliament abolished a state
monopoly on the ownership of new reactors at the plant in 2006 in
a bid to attract foreign investment. Russia, the United States and
France have shown interest in the project.

The plant has been operated by Russia’s Inter RAO UES since 2003 as
part of a 10-year deal to help pay off Armenia’s debts. The current
reactor will reach the end of its operational life by 2016.

Hopes for rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey, which do not have
diplomatic ties, have been high since President Abdullah Gul visited
Armenia last September to watch a World Cup qualifying match between
the national teams of the two countries. Since then diplomats have
been holding closed-door meetings on how to normalize ties.

Agence France Presse
February 27, 2009 Friday 1:48 AM GMT

Armenia marks anniversary of deadliest post-Soviet clashes

Mariam Harutunian
YEREVAN, Feb 27 2009

Armenia’s opposition on Sunday marks the first anniversary of the
country’s deadliest political clashes since the break-up of the Soviet
Union, with analysts warning the threat of further turmoil remains.

The opposition, which plans to hold an unsanctioned rally Sunday to
mark the March 1 anniversary of clashes that left 10 dead, seems
marginalised and divided.

But analysts say that Armenia, which has suffered repeated bouts of
civil violence since gaining its independence from the Soviet Union in
1991, remains a political powder keg.

"If living standards worsen for a significant part of the population,
the public will lose faith and direct their anger at (President Serzh)
Sarkisian," Yerevan-based political analyst Manvel Sarkisian said.

"He can be forgiven many things, even repression, but not social
problems," he said.

Armen Martirosian, a member of parliament with the opposition Heritage
Party, added: "There is a huge mass of frustrated people within
society, not only the most vulnerable groups but also some in business
circles.

"The current internal political situation is like a volcano waiting to
erupt."

Protesters will call on Sunday for the release of dozens of opposition
supporters jailed following last year’s clashes, including a former
foreign minister whose prosecution some observers fear is politically
motivated.

The street battles broke out last March 1 as police moved to disperse
thousands of supporters of former Armenian president Levon
Ter-Petrosian who had rallied for 11 days to denounce Sarkisian’s win
in a February election.

Two police officers and eight civilians were killed and dozens more
were injured, many from gunshot wounds. Ter-Petrosian had finished
second in the vote.

The authorities said the protesters were preparing to launch a coup,
but opposition supporters insisted their intentions were peaceful.

In the year since, the opposition has failed to galvanise
anti-government sentiment and when a series of planned protests
flopped, announced a break in public demonstrations.

Sunday’s rally will be the first serious attempt at renewing
protests. Analysts are predicting a large turnout but doubt the
protest will mark the beginning of a serious new challenge to the
government.

More worrying for the authorities are the potential losses of
thousands of jobs due to the global economic downturn, analysts said.

The country has already had to turn to close ally Russia for a
500-million-dollar (392-million-euro) stabilisation loan amid reports
of massive job cuts in Armenian industry.

Armenia’s important mining sector has permanently or temporarily laid
off at least 2,500 people in recent months, local media have said. One
Yerevan-based chemical factory alone has laid off more than 1,400
workers.

In a country of just under 3 million people, the loss of a few
thousand jobs can have an enormous impact, analysts said.

Government supporters say the number of job cuts is being exaggerated
and that the authorities will manage to keep the economy strong.

"Major employers have said they are not planning mass firings and many
of them are already receiving loans from the government," said Naira
Zohrabian, a parliamentarian with the Prosperous Armenia party, a
member of the country’s governing coalition.

But with no signs of a global recovery, analysts said the authorities
will only be able to prop up the economy for so long.

"If the crisis lasts for a longer period and there are major job cuts
this may lead to serious instability," said Alexander Iskandarian, the
director of the Caucasus Media Institute.

VARDAN ABRAHAMIAN APPOINTED CHAIRMAN OF YEREVAN ACHAPNIAK AND DAVTASHEN COMMUNITIES’ GENERAL JURISDICTION COURT

Noyan Tapan

F eb 27, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, NOYAN TAPAN. Under RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s
February 27 decree, Vardan Abrahamian was appointed Chairman of
Yerevan Achapniak and Davtashen communities’ general jurisdiction
court. Under the same decree, his powers of Chairman of Yerevan
Criminal Court were stopped.

Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the RA President’s Press Office.

RPA DEPUTY DOES NOT AGREE WITH HEAD OF WB YEREVAN OFFICE

ArmInfo
2009-02-26 18:11:00

ArmInfo. The policy carried out by the World Trade Organization in
the South Caucasus is preventing competition between local producers
and importers, the member of the parliamentary group of the republican
party of Armenia Gagik Melikyan said in an interview to ArmInfo while
commenting on the statement bythe head of the World Bank Yerevan
Office Aristomene Varoudakis that the Armenian authorities should
stop their policy of ptotectionism.

"I don’t agree with Mr.Varoudakis, who says that raise in customs
duties on imported products would have a negative effect on socially
disadvantaged people. His urge to give up the policy of protectionism
is aimed at boosting the import of products of developed countries (the
shareholders of the World Bank) to less developed states," Melikyan
said. He does not agree with the opinion that state guarantees and
loans do not help local business to solve its problems. "I am sure
that the $10mln loan given to Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine
will help it to develop its production and to preserve its personnel
despite the global crisis," Melikyan said.