Author: Tumanian Talar

AZG Armenian Daily #241, 16/12/2006

Cinema

PARAJANOV’S FILMS TO BE SHOWN IN FRANCE

It is envisaged that within the framework of Armenia’s year in France
the retrospective session of Sergey Parajanov’s films will take place
in one of French cities on March 14-31, 2007. Another arrangement
dedicated to Parajanov will be held a bit later in Paris. Amatouni
Virabian, head of RA State Archive, stated that the arrangement
includes photo exhibition entitled "In Battles of Two World Wars." The
photo exhibition will contain the photo chronicles of the Armenian
detachments fighting in the structure of the French Army in the World
War I.

By Aghavni Harutyunian

WILD: ATTITUDE INSTEAD OF REASSURANCE
By Patricia Wild

Somerville Journal, MA
Dec 14 2006

While waiting for a bus recently at New York City’s Port Authority,
an alarm suddenly went off. You know the sound; you’ve heard it a
thousand times: an insistent, rhythmic, loud beeping, annoying but
since you have heard that noise a thousand times, hardly alarming.

Nevertheless, a soothing voice immediately could be heard on the
Port Authority’s public address system, reassuring commuters and bus
travelers that the beeping meant nothing, please don’t be frightened,
everything’s okay.

"What’s the big deal?" I wondered. "Someone must have accidentally
set off an emergency-exit alarm. This must happen all the time. Why
the announcement?"

And then, of course, I remembered: I was sitting in a building in a
city that had been attacked. I was surrounded by men and women who
had lived and worked in NYC on Sept. 11, 2001 and who, quite possibly,
were still traumatized. To its credit, therefore, the Port Authority
made a point of letting people know that in this particular instance,
they had no cause to be afraid.

That incident in the Big Apple came back to me on the evening of Dec.
6 when, suddenly, my house and every house on my block lost our
power. Like many of my neighbors, I imagine, I immediately assumed
the worst: A terrorist attack on Boston. Hadn’t I read recently
that Gary Hart (Gary Hart?) had proclaimed that another Sept. 11 was
inevitable? Simply a matter of time? Panicked, heart racing, I groped
around in the dark for my cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. (Only later
did I realize that I should have at least tried the landline. Which
worked.) A state dispatcher immediately connected me to a Somerville
dispatcher. And that’s when the gaping disparity between my Port
Authority experience and my hometown reaction to this situation
kicked in.

Because, I’m afraid, instead of reassurance I got attitude. Instead of
someone on the other end of the phone understanding that I’m standing
in the dark, I’m terrified, I’m imagining the worst, I’m definitely
not thinking straight, I got impatience. A deep sigh. A female voice
whose bored, dispassionate tone communicated, "Why are you bothering
me with this?"

Yes, it’s true, she did explain that a manhole cover on Somerville
Avenue had just exploded. That was useful information. But at any time
in the conversation did she give any indication that she understands my
panicked, terrified state? Did she ask me if I was okay? If I’d hurt
myself stumbling around in the dark? If anyone else was hurt? Heck,
no. I got zero questions about my safety, what was happening on my
darkened street. Wouldn’t you kind of hope that a Somerville 9-1-1
dispatcher would understand how panicky people think? Wouldn’t you
kind of hope that in an emergency situation, a Somerville 9-1-1
dispatcher would ask the questions that should be asked?

There’s so much more that could be said about this: About how, when I
found out that the Central Library had power, I decided to go there so
I could read. About how, driving down my street, I passed an elderly
neighbor’s house and realized with horror that I hadn’t thought to
call her to make sure she was all right. About how, at the library,
I sat beside a Muslim grandmother keeping watch over a sleeping baby
lying in a carriage while the baby’s mother searched for VHF movies
and I wondered about the circumstances which had brought these three
to Somerville. Had they huddled together in the dark, terrified,
panicked? About how the subject of the book I’d read is the 1915
Armenian genocide and about how, sitting in a well-lit, warm, safe
place, reading that 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered while their
Turkish neighbors watched, my guilt at not calling my elderly neighbor
increased. About how much more brightly my neighbors’ Christmas lights
seemed to glow when the electricity finally came back on.

The day following the power outage was Dec. 7, the 65th anniversary
of Pearl Harbor, an ironical coda to this incident. Pearl Harbor’s
anniversary was a tap on the shoulder from the past. Remember:
History happens. Life changes on a dime. Keep candles, matches,
and flashlights handy.

IN ARAM KARAPETIAN’S OPINION, AUTHORITIES DELIBERATELY DESTABILIZE SITUATION IN COUNTRY

Noyan Tapan
Dec 14 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. "We have an atmosphere of pressure
in Armenia, this process is developing and the authorities will not
limit themselves to the arrests of Vardan Malkhasian and Zhirayr
Sefilian." Aram Karapetian, Chairman of the Nor Zhamanakner (New
Times) Party, declared at the December 14 press briefing held after
the regular sitting of the anti-criminal movement. In his words, the
arrests of the above mentioned freedom-fighters, the attempt to set
on fire the office of the Liberal-Progressive Party and the planned
closure of the Pakagits newspaper are the links of one chain. In
A.Karapetian’s words, the authorities try to destabilize the situation
in the country pursuing the purpose of implementing "a power shift
within the power." The party leader said that a Committee for Defence
of Political Prisoners has been founded within the framework of the
Consolidation of Armenian Volunteers organization and Defence of
Liberated Territories public initiative. The anti-criminal movement
is also going to found a similar committee. It was announced that in
the evening of December 15 the movement will spread a statement on
the situation formed in the country.

KOCHARIAN REJECTS KARABAKH VOTE CRITICISM
By Emil Danielyan

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 13 2006

President Robert Kocharian condemned international mediators
and European officials through a spokesman on Wednesday for their
strong criticism of the weekend referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh on a
constitution declaring the disputed region an independent state.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council
of Europe and the European Union joined the Azerbaijani government
in rejecting the legitimacy of the vote that reaffirmed Karabakh’s
de facto secession from Soviet Azerbaijan.

The OSCE chairman-in-office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht,
said it is "counter-productive to the ongoing conflict settlement
process." In a separate statement, French, Russian and U.S. diplomats
co-heading the OSCE’s Minsk Group on Karabakh likewise called it
"unhelpful." A similar statement issued by Terry Davis, the Council
of Europe secretary general, said the international community will
not recognize the referendum outcome.

"This is an overt display of disrespect for an event of historic
significance for the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,"
Kocharian’s press secretary, Victor Soghomonian, was quoted by the
Regnum news agency as saying.

"Such an attitude can only undermine the trust in the OSCE and the
group of mediators. I believe the best thing these gentlemen — as
well as ‘commentators’ from the Council of Europe — could have done
was to keep silent," Soghomonian snapped.

Kocharian on Monday welcomed the official referendum results that
showed the overwhelming majority of voters in Karabakh approving
the constitution drafted by their government. He described the vote
as "another milestone in the establishment of Nagorno-Karabakh’s
independence."

The authorities in Stepanakert also received a congratulatory message
from the two U.S. congressmen co-chairing the 142-strong Armenian
Caucasus in the House of Representatives.

ARMENIA’S KOCHARIAN SEEKING CONTINUED ROLE IN GOVERNMENT
By Emil Danielyan

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
Dec 13 2006

With just over one year to go before the end of his second and final
term in office, Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian does not leave
the impression of a man preparing for retirement. The past week has
seen further indications that he wants to dominate Armenian politics
— or at least retain a key role in government — in the years to
come. Whether this sits well with his most likely successor, Defense
Minister Serge Sarkisian, is not yet clear.

Armenia’s constitution bars Kocharian from seeking a third five-year
term in the next presidential election, due in early 2008. This
restriction was unaffected by a package of constitutional amendments
that was controversially enacted by the Armenian authorities in
November 2005. There were opposition fears that Kocharian could
sidestep it by declaring that because the country has a new basic law,
the clock on his years in office should start in 2005. But his aides
and political allies have repeatedly dismissed such fears.

The 52-year-old Armenian leader, who has gone to great lengths to hold
off numerous challenges to his decade-long rule, seems to be trying to
secure his political future in a different way. His national security
adviser, Garnik Isagulian, admitted on December 4 that he intends to
retain a "big influence" on political processes in the country. "The
role to be played by President Kocharian [after 2008] will be quite
large," Isagulian told reporters in Yerevan. The official would not
specify whether Kocharian is aiming for another high-ranking government
post or plans to pull the strings from behind the scenes.

The remarks only stoked mounting speculation that Kocharian has set
his sights on the post of prime minister, which he held for almost
a year before being catapulted to the Armenian presidency in 1998.

According to Hmayak Hovannisian, a maverick parliamentarian reputedly
linked to the ruling regime, this is part of a scenario drawn up by
the country’s leadership. "After the parliamentary elections [slated
for next spring] Serge Sarkisian will become prime minister and
[current Prime Minister] Andranik Markarian [will become] speaker of
the National Assembly," Hovannisian claimed at a May news conference.

"What will Robert Kocharian do? Who else is to occupy the post of
prime minister when Serge Sarkisian becomes president of the republic?"

It is widely assumed that Kocharian’s preferred successor is Sarkisian,
Armenia’s second most powerful man. Both men are natives of Karabakh
who governed the disputed Armenian-populated territory during its
secessionist war with Azerbaijan before ending up in top positions
in Yerevan. They have jointly weathered many political storms and
share a vested interest in keeping their bitter political foes at
bay. Either man’s downfall would almost certainly mean the other’s
exit from the political arena.

Sarkisian increasingly acts like a president-in-waiting, tying
the state apparatus, wealthy businessmen, and the broader "power
class" to the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), his main
support base. He is also organizing public relations stunts such as
high-profile visits to Armenian army units, meetings with soldiers’
parents, and academic debates on Armenia’s new national security
doctrine, which was drafted by Sarkisian. His early November visit to
Iraq, ostensibly aimed at inspecting a small contingent of Armenian
troops stationed there, was widely seen as an attempt to win U.S.

support for his presidential ambitions.

The question is whether Sarkisian is willing to share power with
Kocharian in the event of his victory in the 2008 election. Kocharian
may well be trying to make sure that the powerful defense chief
remains dependent on him after 2008 by covertly sponsoring a new
and extremely ambitious party led by one of Armenia’s wealthiest
"oligarchs," Gagik Tsarukian. The party, called Prosperous Armenia,
has been busy in recent months, distributing large-scale relief aid
to low-income farmers, providing free medical services, sponsoring
pop concerts, and engaging in other "charitable" activities.

Tsarukian already claims to have the largest following in the country
as a result of what his detractors, including some HHK leaders,
regard as massive vote buying.

In lawmaker Hovannisian’s view, shared by some local analysts,
Prosperous Armenia’s main mission is to form one of the largest
factions in the next Armenian parliament and thereby help Kocharian
become prime minister. Other commentators say Sarkisian does
not necessarily have a problem with that, insisting that the two
leaders continue to work in tandem and may have already agreed on the
outcome of the 2007 parliamentary elections. (Little suggests that
the polls will be democratic, despite constant government pledges
to end Armenia’s post-Soviet history of electoral fraud.) Hayots
Ashkhar, a daily newspaper close to Sarkisian, predicted on December
6 that the bulk of the parliamentary seats will be given to the
HHK, Prosperous Armenia, and another pro-establishment party,
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. For all their bickering,
each of these parties will be satisfied with its share of the pie,
the newspaper wrote.

Whatever the real story, Kocharian is clearly taking every opportunity
to remain in the limelight, showcasing what he considers to be
the major achievements of his rule and maintaining a busy travel
schedule. As if to demonstrate that he is no lame-duck president, he
held an extraordinary meeting with Prime Minister Markarian and several
other top officials on December 8 to lambaste the Armenian government
for its failure to tackle widespread tax evasion. Kocharian warned them
that he will be "more demanding" towards the work of the government’s
tax collection agencies during the final year of his presidency.

(Statement by the Armenian president’s press service, December 8;
Hayots Ashkhar, December 6; Haykakan Zhamanak, December 5; RFE/RL
Armenia Report, December 4, May 17)

REVALUATION OF DRAM THREATENS ECONOMY

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 12 2006

On December 12 the expert of the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development Alexander Kirmichu stated that the absence of competition
in the Armenian economy is the greatest obstacle to its development,
and the revaluation of the dram threatens the country’s economy in
general, reports ARKA News Agency.

The expert mentioned that the revaluation of the dram will lead to
dramatic consequences if the growth of production stops. By the way,
according to the National Statistics Service, the rate of production
in Armenia has dropped.

Alexander Kirmichu also said that Armenia has carried out the first
stage of economic reforms, i.e. privatization, meanwhile Armenia
is behind of the other CIS states in implementing the second stage
of reforms. Nevertheless, the EBRD forecasts a 8.5 percent economic
growth in 2006.

EUROPEAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE APPRECIATES WORKS OF NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE OF ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Dec 12 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The General Assembly of the
European Olympic Committee was held on December 8-10, in Brussels,
the capital of Belgrade. Patrick Hickey, the Chairman of the European
Olympic Committee, who visited Armenia a month ago, touched upon in his
report works done by the National Olympic Committee of Armenia (NOCA),
estimating them as excellent and model ones. Armen Grigorian, the
NOCA Secretary General participated in the assembly from Armenia. He
mentioned in the interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent that
representatives of many European countries, especially of the CIS,
were interested in the Tsaghkadzor sports complex. The representative
of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia facted that members of
the national team of swimming of their country, which recently held
a teaching and training gathering in Tsaghkagzor, certainly improved
their results.

KARABAKH PREPARING FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 8 2006

The Democratic and Hayrenik factions and the ARF-Movement 88 group
of the NKR National Assembly adopted a joint statement connected
with the upcoming referendum on constitution. "On December 10,
2006 a referendum on the adoption of Constitution will be held in
Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Over the past years about 500 laws have
been adopted, including constitutional laws. It is time to set down
the real basis for public order, organization of the society, the
relations of person and state," runs the statement.

The analysis of 15 years of experience of NKR as an independent state,
which survived through the war that was imposed on it, the success
as well as difficulty of the reform of the society and settlement
of economic problems show that there is no alternative to the track
it has taken. The basis of a democratic society and free market
economy was created in a short period of history. The system of public
administration, democratization and promotion of political reforms,the
development and strengthening of the principles and mechanisms of
market economy, the reform of the legal basis, establishment of the
institutions of civil society, the adoption of the European principles
of local government are the result of the path we have already passed,
stated the Karabakh parliament members.

"The presidential, parliamentary and local elections, which preceded
the constitutional referendum, were a serious test on mature democracy,
commitment to free and transparent elections compliant with European
principles and proved that the line adopted by NKR is irreversible. The
characteristic feature of the development of the state is the urge
of the society for renovation. In this respect, the referendum on
December 10 will become a logical summary of the stage of political
self-organization of the society, which started 15 years ago and was
marked by the expression of the will of people in connection with the
independence. The adoption of the Constitution of Nagorno Karabakh
Republic is the imperative of the time. It will enable not only to set
down the basic principles of sovereignty in the Constitution and mark
the new stage of development of our Republic but will also become an
impetus for the establishment and development of new, more liberal
principles and the civil society.

Our people have the right to decide the fate of the present and
future generations by expressing their will freely, and we expect
that the international community, which upholds the right of nations
for self-determination, and principles of civilized cooperation
will appreciate duly the referendum on the NKR Constitution," runs
the statement.

By the way, already 278 polling stations have been opened, including
one at the Representation of NKR to Armenia, where the NKR citizens
living temporarily or staying in Armenia, will vote.

The draft constitution of NKR was published in the Azat Artsakh
newspaper and distributed in the regions. Besides, 3500 copies of
the draft were printed and distributed in the communities. "I cannot
say how these were used. The heads of communities and the regional
administrations attended to this. Our recent visit to the regions of
Martakert and Hadrut showed that there is activity in these regions.

When the idea is explained, people understand that we need to adopt
the Constitution. Meanwhile, some people even don’t know why it is
adopted," said the chair of the Central Commission on Constitution
Sergey Nasibyan in an interview with the Azat Artsakh.

According to the bylaws, the roundup of the preliminary results of
the constitution will be on the next day, within 28 hours. And the
final results will become known within three days. All the citizens
aged 18 and up are eligible, including the military servicemen. The
Constitution will be adopted if at least half of 60 thousand voters
vote for the constitution.

SELF-IMMOLATION ATTEMPT IN FRONT OF RESIDENCY OF ARMENIAN PRESIDENT

Yerevan, December 7. ArmInfo. A family of Yezids committed an
attempt of self- immolation in front of the residency of the Armenian
President.

Chairman of the Union of Yezids of Armenia Aziz Tamoyan told ArmInfo
that an action of protest was held in front of the residency Thursday
against the ineffective investigation of the murder of Kyaram Avdalyan,
a member of Yezid community, resident of Zovuni village, Kotayk
region. In the course of the protest action, the wife of the murdered
Gyulizar Amaryan and her three children committed a self-immolation
attempt. Fortunately, the fire-brigade arrived on the spot timely and
prevented the tragedy. At present, the family is in the burn center.

The relatives of the murdered believe the investigation too slow.
They accuse a group of fellow-villagers of the murder.

CONFLICT AROUND EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF ARMENIA RUNS HIGH

Yerevan, December 6. ArmInfo. The conflict around the European Academy
of Armenia runs high.

At a meeting of the Government and Parliament members, Wednesday,
Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Representatives of ARFD
party, Vahan Hovhannissyan, raised the issue of the fate of the
Academy students. His colleague on party, Minister of Education and
Science Levon Lazarian, said the Government has elaborated a program
of rehabilitation of the given educational establishment. The problem
is connected with the certificates of the Academy. L. Lazarian said
that the quality of education at the European Academy does not meet
the necessary standards. In addition, the minister said that the
three key members of the Council of Trustees from Germany, Italy,
and Austria say they were even unaware of their inclusion into the
Council of Trustees and ask not to use their good name. The ministry
had no member at the Council of Trustees either, although it is
a compulsory condition. The minister said that the former French
Ambassador to Armenia has recently applied to him and indicated at
the critical situation at the Academy. L. Lazarian mentioned that
a similar situation was also at the French University. However,
the situation was saved due to the measures taken.

However, Vice Chairman of "Orinats Yerkir" party Mher Shahgeldyan
believes the statements of L. Lazarian groundless. He said that the
representative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry did not attend the
last session of the Council of Trustees of the French University.

However, no one raised the issue of legality of the decisions made by
the Council. M. Shahgeldyan accused L. Lazarian of party "showdown"
and added that the case of the European Academy will be considered
at the court. To recap, Chairman of the Council of Trustees of the
European Academy and French University was Head of "Orinats Yerkir"
party, ex- speaker of the Armenian Parliament. Arthur Baghdasaryan.