Author: Torosian Aram

DELIBERATE "MISTAKE"
R. Manafli

DemAz.org

Feb 12 2008
Azerbaijan

The way the map of South Caucasus published on site of British Council,
on which the Upper Garabagh was shown as Armenian territory was
called in Azerbaijan Incident connected with the map of South Caucasus
published on official internet site of British Council on which the
Upper Garabagh is shown as Armenian territory is settled. Head of
press service of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Khazar
Ibrahim, informed "Echo" about.

We should underline that Day.Az received letter of reader who paid
attention to the map of Armenia published on official site of British
Council. On the map of South Caucasus made by educated professionals
of British Council one can see that occupied regions of Azerbaijan,
particularly, the ones belonging to the Upper Garabagh and part of
Geranboy region called by separatists as "Shaumyan region of the
Upper Garabagh" are shown as Armenian territories. Moreover, English
version map gives Armenian-style writing of Nakhchivan – Nachijevan,
at the same time belonging of this territory to Azerbaijan is not
indicated. "The fact that Armenian dreamers with "deep" knowledge
of political geography "have forgotten" to indicate 3 Azerbaijani
exclaves – one Karki to the west from Sadarak and 2 other exclaves
referring to Gazakh region is also noticeable. At the same time
amnesia suddenly disappears when the case concerns Armenian exclave –
Arzvashen situated in the center of Gedabey region of Azerbaijan. So,
again everything is done Armenia-like".

We should remind to readers that British Council is section of UK
government involved in the spread of British culture outside Britain.

Centers of British Council are functioning in 110 countries and
territories. Formally British Council is a part of UK Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. At the same time British Council is reportedly
governed and worked independently from Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
though in close cooperation with it. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Azerbaijan promptly responded to ignorance of political geography
by British Council. As Khazar Ibrahim informed "Echo" "Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan dealt with the issue thoroughly in
order to correct this gross mistake in a short period of time. Right
after coming of this information Ministry of Foreign Affairs applied to
British Council. Representatives of British Council promised to correct
mistake in short time. In a half an hour Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Azerbaijan got the answer that mistake was corrected and in 2-3 hours
internet site would be updated with no map of such kind". In turn
marketing director of British Council in Azerbaijan, Elman Sofiyev,
informed that position of British Council is the same as the one of UK
government, asserting that territory of the Upper Garabagh is integral
part of Azerbaijan and they would call Armenia-based office to remove
the map. To the question who published the map – Armenia-based office
or UK – Sofiyev answered that it is the act of Armenia-based office.

MM deputy, deputy chairman of MM standing commission on defense
and security, member of political council of ruling party "Yeni
Azerbaijan", Aydin Mirzazade, said that time from time in some parts of
the world in directory books, maps internet sites the Upper Garabagh
occupied by Armenian separatists is shown either as part of Armenia
or independent state and sometimes Nakhchivan is referred to Armenia.

In this case, following Azerbaijani parliament member, the question
arises: "Are map makers really so ignorant in political geography
or they are making map at their discretion with no use of official
data?" Accordingly to him, Armenian diaspora can be traced in
such deeds. "These people are able to find the place in different
institutes, centers etc, I hold that it is not simply mistake but
deliberate work of Armenian diaspora and its representatives", Aydin
Mirzazade declared.

However, MM deputy said that despite it representatives of Armenian
diaspora know that sooner or later such mistakes will be corrected
and removed. "Azerbaijani specialists are following such processes
and prevent such deliberate mistakes".

A LOOK AT OTHER FORMAL APOLOGIES ISSUED BY GOVERNMENTS TO OPPRESSED POPULATIONS

International Herald Tribune
Feb 12 2008
France

_ 2008: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd due on Wednesday to
introduce to Parliament a formal apology to the so-called Stolen
Generations ~W thousands of Aborigines who were forcibly taken from
their families as children under assimilation policies that lasted
from 1910 to 1970.

_ 1998: Canada apologizes to its native peoples for past acts of
oppression, including decades of abuse at federally funded boarding
schools whose goal was to sever Indian and Inuit youths from their
culture and assimilate them in white society.

_ 1992: South African President F.W. de Klerk apologizes for apartheid,
marking the first time a white leader in the country expressed regret
for the system of legalized segregation that allowed 5 million whites
to dominate 30 million blacks.

_ 1990: The Soviet Union apologizes for the murder of thousands of
imprisoned Polish officers shot during World War II and buried in
mass graves in the Katyn Forest.

Today in Asia – Pacific Australian prime minister asks Parliament
to approve apology to AboriginesAustralian troops rush to East
TimorJapan’s leader calls alleged rape by U.S. marine ‘unforgivable’
_ 1988: The U.S. Congress passes a law apologizing to
Japanese-Americans for their internment during World War II and
offering US$20,000 payments to survivors.

_ 1951: West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer acknowledges the
suffering of the Jews in the Holocaust and the following year,
Germany agrees to pay reparations to Israel. In 1990, the then East
German Parliament issues an apology to Israel and all Jews and others
who suffered.

NO APOLOGIES:

_ The U.S. has never issued a formal apology for the African slave
trade or paid reparations to slave descendants. In 2007, Virginia
became the first state to apologize for its involvement, followed by
Alabama, Maryland and North Carolina. No state has offered reparations.

_ The U.S. has never apologized to American Indians for past actions,
including forced relocation and broken treaties and promises.
American Indians have received compensation for their lands over the
years, but no formal apology.

_ Armenia has repeatedly requested an apology from Turkey for the
killings of what historians estimate was up to 1.5 million Armenians
by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I. Turkey maintains the
toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil
war and unrest.

_ China has accused Japan of not fully atoning for its invasions
and occupation of China in the 1930s and 1940s, including wartime
atrocities like the Rape of Nanjing, in which Japanese troops massacred
as many as 300,000 people while taking the Chinese city in 1937.

OTHER:

_ Although Japan issued a carefully worded apology in 1993 to the tens
of thousands of women from neighboring countries forced to serve as sex
slaves for its soldiers during World War II, the Japanese parliament
never formally approved it. Japan has rejected most compensation
claims, saying they were settled by postwar treaties. A fund created
in 1995 by the government but run independently has provided a way to
compensate former sex slaves without making it official. Many women,
however, have rejected the money.

22714 PENSIONS FIXED IN ARMENIA IN 2007, 56% OF WHICH DISABLEMENT PENSIONS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The factual collection of compulsory
social insurance payments made 88.1bn drams (nearly 288m USD) in
2008, including bank payments 85.1bn drams, payments of insurers
by individual state insurance programs 2.9bn drams. As Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed by the Social Insurance State Fund, the
total amount of social payments collected in 2007 exceeded the 2006
level by 12.1bn drams.

As of January 1, 2008, 522 662 pensioners were registered in the
territorial centers of the Social Insurance State Fund, including
insurance 469 107, social 47 140, military service 12 009 (of which
those receiving double pension 5594). In comparison with the early
2007, the general number of pensioners has reduced by 4 833.

Pension was fixed to 22 714 people during last year, 81% of which
insurance, 19% social. 526 pensions by privileged conditions, 60 of
long-term service, 1 186 partial were also fixed. Disablement pensions
made a large number among newly fixed pensions, 12 684 or 56%.

Last year Fund’s Hot Line Service and its territorial centers received
10 500 application-complaints, 6 252 out of which on restoration of
pension payment.

It was also mentioned that 618 082 individual reports and 203 783
bids of opening individual accounts were presented to the Fund
in 2007. As of January 1, 2008, 1 685 734 individual reports were
presented by 52 160 insurers, 1 524 697 out of which were entered
computer information base.

VARDAN KHOJAYAN RECOGNIZED AS WINNER OF "MOSCOW OPEN" "B" GROUP TOURNAMENT

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12, 2008

MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. On February 10 the "Moscow Open"
International Tournament finished in the capital of Russia and about
1200 chess players took part. Artyom Timofeev (Russia) received 7.5
out of 9 possible points in the "A" group tournament and was recognized
as winner.

Karen Asrian was the best among the Armenian delegates, who shared
the 22nd-44th place with six points.

Vardan Khajoyan became an individual winner with 8.5 points in the "B"
group. Tigran Gasparian received 7.5 points and shared the 3-8th place.

In the struggle of women Elina Danielian shared the 6-11th place with
6.5 points.

WITH LIST OR ON LIST

Lragir
Feb 11 2008
Armenia

We have learned that today is the last day when the institutions and
companies of the country, both public and private, which had been
instructed to make lists of voters, must submit them to the election
office of the presidential candidate Serge Sargsyan. Although the
government denies the existence of such lists, almost all the private
and public institutions throughout Armenia have made such lists,
and every employee had to have the names and the number of passports
of some of their relatives, at least five, and sometimes even ten
relatives registered. The head of Levon Ter-Petrosyan~Rs election
office has revealed such lists, saying that they got those lists from
a source in Serge Sargsyan~Rs election office. And we have learned
that February 11 is the deadline, and they have to be submitted to
the election office of the presidential candidate Serge Sargsyan. Our
source did not deny that considering the Armenian habit of delaying
everything long queues may appear in front of the election offices
of the Republican Party, paralyzing ~Sproceeding~T of Armenia.

EurasiaNet, NY
Feb 8 2008

ARMENIA: LITTLE NOTICED JUDICIAL REFORMS COULD HAVE ROLE IN ELECTION
Haroutiun Khachatrian 2/08/08

Recent judicial reforms in Armenia could influence the conduct of the
country’s February 19 presidential election. New legislation, which
went into force at the start of 2008, has established three
specialized courts to try civil, criminal and administrative cases.
They will exist in parallel with so-called "general jurisdiction
courts."

The newly created Administrative Court has unprecedented powers to
examine electoral disputes in detail. The court is also authorized to
have access to the ballots to verify the tabulation. Collegial
hearings (with up to five judges) are required for cases such as the
annulment of a candidate registration that are considered to carry
heavier consequences for mistakes.

The powers of the Constitutional Court, the final judicial stage for
resolution of electoral disputes, have also been extended. The court
can now make a ruling based on a "tendency," or a pattern of
electoral violations, even if the number of proven violations is
insufficient to declare a vote invalid.

While ruling Republican Party of Armenia members have regularly
lauded the reforms for supposedly strengthening the country’s
judiciary system, the opposition has taken a different tact.

President Robert Kocharian has widely been assumed to control the
country’s judicial process, though changes introduced by the 2005
constitutional referendum have removed him (and the minister of
justice) from the Council of Justice, the body in charge of
nominating judges and starting disciplinary proceedings against them.

Under reforms enacted in 2007, judges now have the right to defend
themselves when challenged during a disciplinary action. The most
sensational recent case has been that of Pargev Ohanian, who lost his
post after ruling to release from prison two Royal Armenia company
executives, who had been accused of tax fraud and smuggling after
raising allegations about an alleged customs fraud scheme.

The case has been cited as an example of Kocharian’s ongoing
influence over the judiciary system, though David Haroutiunian, a
former minister of justice who was the reforms’ chief architect, said
that Kocharian has no power by law to start the procedure. "The
powers of the president are extensively cut by the constitutional
amendments of 2005," said Haroutiunian, who now sits as chairman of
the parliamentary committee of state and judicial affairs. "Many of
the current presidential candidates are promising things that the
president simply cannot do, as he has no such powers any more."

The 2005 amendments were the first realization of a process that
began 10 years earlier with the passage of the 1995 constitution. The
Council of Europe called on Armenia to overhaul its judicial system
when the country became a Council member in 2001. The 2005 referendum
was the result.

Over two years later, Armenian lawyers’ reactions to the reforms are
mixed. Hayk Alumian, a board member of the Armenian Chamber of
Advocates, expressed concern that the Armenian judicial system has
been in "constant flux" for the past decade, making it difficult for
attorneys to have a thorough understanding of procedures and codes.

"[N]one of us, judges, prosecutors or lawyers, has studied Armenian
legislation in university. We are just dilettantes, as we only have
read the recently adopted laws and attended a couple of seminars,"
Alumian commented. "This is quite insufficient for professional
practice, and is very dangerous for justice itself."

Alumian terms the changes "revolutionary" rather than "evolutionary."
The court system has been transformed from a three-tier to a two-tier
system. Greater emphasis is expected to be put on courts at the
bottom tier – the so-called "general jurisprudence courts" and civil,
criminal and administrative courts. The appellate court will no
longer perform fresh hearings, but rule on whether or not trials
carried out by the lower-tier courts were correctly handled or not.

The former third-level court, the Court of Cassation, will ensure
unified application of the law. Haroutiunian has given this reform
round another "eight to 10 years" before another revision of the
judicial system is needed.

But critics question what the current changes will mean for the
independence of the judiciary. "A judge is now as dependent on the
will of the chairman of the Cassation court, as he was dependent on
the justice minister before," said Alumian.

The reforms, he continued, may bring about a situation where the
judicial system is isolated from any external control, and becomes a
self-reproducing "caste" or "clan."

Haroutiunian, a member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, is
more optimistic.

"This legislation has good guarantees to ensure the independence of
the court," he said in reference to the separation of the Council of
Justice from the government. "What we lack is the political will," he
said. Judges can initiate cases for attempts to exert pressure on
them, but, to date, none have done so.

"[W]e have had no trials so far against any official who has
attempted to influence the court," Haroutiunian continued. "On the
day when the first official making such an attempt is prosecuted, we
can say that the foundation stone of judicial independence has been
laid."

Editor’s Note: Haroutiun Khachatrian is a journalist based in
Yerevan.

Azat Artsakh Tert, Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Feb 8 2008

The process has begun

One of the pre-election programs of NKR President Bako Sahakian
is again realizing. Unlike previous years, from January 1st 2008, by
the government’s new decision unemployed expetant mothers henceforth
will also get pregnancy and birthrate benefit. From February 5th in
town committee of state fund of social insurance the first three
applicants have got benefits of such order. The process is going on.
In the program another circumstance is also taken into account:
according to the 2nd part of the 5th point of corresponding decision
of the government in case of bearing untimely from pregnancy’s 154
days, as well as adopting a new-born, only half of defined benefit of
154 thousand is allocated to an unemployed woman.

Zarine Mayilian.
08-02-2008

PanARMENIAN.Net

Loss of Armenia will exclude Russia from South Caucasus
07.02.2008 15:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia lacks well-defined policy as
regards the South Caucasus, deputy director of the
center of Caucasian studies at the Moscow State
Institute of International Relations, professor
Vladimir Zakharov said at Caucasus and Middle East:
Possible Partners in Formation of Regional Security
System international conference in Yerevan. South
Caucasus becomes one of NATO’s priorities forming a
new geopolitical configuration where Russia has no
place, he said.

`Georgia and Azerbaijan have actually separated from
Russia. Losing Armenia, Russia will lose the way to
South Caucasus,’ he said adding that any armed
conflict in Georgia will initiate U.S. incursion in
the region and, possibly, further attack on Iran.

Presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan forming his constituent body
and unification with another opposition candidate not essential for
him: local political expert

2008-02-08 13:49:00

ArmInfo. Presidential candidate, first president of Armenia, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan is forming his constituent body and unification with
another opposition candidate is not essential for him, Head of
Caucasian Media Institute, political expert Aleksander Iskandaryan says
in an interview with ArmInfo.

Prime Minister of Armenia, Leader of the Republican Party of Armenia
Serzg Sargsyan and first president of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan are
the only of the 9 candidates who strive for the presidential post and
do not pursue other goals such as to confirm their position in
politics, to unite with another candidate etc. Nevertheless, if, for
instance, Leader of Heritage party Raffi Hovannisian joins
Ter-Petrosyan, it will ensure more votes for him in Yerevan. However,
it will not have any significant impact on his rating. As regards
possible unification with Orinats Yerkir Leader Artur Baghdasaryan,
part of the constituency will not vote for Ter-Petrosyan, Iskandaryan
says.

Generally, Iskandaryan divides voters into three groups. Thus, the
first group votes for stability and legal succession (officials,
businessmen), and it is S. Sargsyan’s constituency. It is not so
significant part of the public. The second group is the
bright-protesting constituency ready to vote against elite. This group
will not sell their votes. This group is not significant part of the
public either. The third and the most significant constituency is the
so-called apathetic electorate ready to sell their votes and listen to
blandishment. It is the very constituency that S. Sargsyan and L.
Ter-Petrosyan are fighting for. First one uses state, bureaucratic and
administrative levers in this fight, the second one influences the
electorate through blandishment and promises, the expert says.

CHAIRMAN OF PACE SUB-COMMITTEE ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH IN BAKU

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Feb 7 2008

Chairman of the PACE Sub-Committee on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
over Nagorno-Karabakh Lord Russell-Johnston arrived in Baku today.

Russell-Johnston will hold discussions with Azerbaijani officials on
the dispute.

In 2005, PACE adopted resolution #1416 stressing the fact of occupation
of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia and making proposals for settlement
of the conflict.

Lord Russell-Johnston will end his visit on Saturday.