Author: Tvankchian Parkev

"NO" TO VIOLENCE, "YES" TO PEACE AND LOVE

Panorama.am
17:46 12/12/2007

Today an action was organized within the framework of "Peace, love and
care" project in the streets of Yerevan. Young people from Latvia,
Turkey, Poland and Georgia were distributing leaflets together with
their Armenian fellows with sayings on tolerance, love and equality.

Before that, an exhibition of pictures was organized under the same
title during which the young people from different countries tried to
say "no" to violence and discrimination. Similar actions were organized
in Vanadzor and some areas of Azerbaijan. Within the framework of
the project, films on violence and discrimination were shown.

The participants will leave for Georgia from Armenia.

Each country is represented by 8 young people who are later joined
by local students and youth organizations. "Our aim is to unite the
youth of different countries against violence and discrimination,"
project coordinator Nana Shaginashvili said. Speaking about the slogan
of the project she said "love, peace and care cannot go without each
other." The participants of the action claim young people in the
European countries have more serious attitude to such issues.

GEGHAMYAN WARNS AGAINST THE FIRST PRESIDENT

Lragir
Dec 13 2007
Armenia

The leader of the National Solidarity Party Artashes Geghamyan held a
news conference on December 13 to sum up the year. However, the summary
took only a few minutes, and for the rest of the news conference
Geghamyan criticized Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was
accused of planning civil clashes. "The former government is up
for that. They realize that they have no chance to get at least 5-6
percent, therefore they are going to instigate civil clashes. We have
learned that they are going to provoke certain people to provoke
public disorder in at least 400 or 500 polling stations to have
certain international organizations intervene. In January, mind my
words, a flow of compromising materials will appear in either local
or foreign media, against both the opposition and the government. In
addition, they are going to publish things which will petrify people,"
Artashes Geghamyan says.

In answer to the question whether he has reliable information
to support his forecast, Artashes Geghamyan says it is enough to
read attentively Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s speeches and the media which
support him. What is the government going to do? The reporters asked
Geghamyan since he is so informed. The government will react to
violence with violence. Their goal, according to Artashes Geghamyan,
is to maintain national solidarity, which is going to be his slogan in
the presidential election. Geghamyan thinks his purpose is to protect
people from civil clashes, therefore they will call people not to
take part in rallies because they may be provoked, even provocative
murders are possible.

"A third force should come to power. Neither the former government,
nor the present government can bring peace to the society of the
Republic of Armenia. They cannot consolidate the nation.

Unfortunately, this process became deeper in the past one or two
months when the ex-president stepped on the stage, and seems to
be poisoning all the other presidential candidates intentionally,"
Artashes Geghamyan says.

INDIAN RUGBY TEAM

Hindu, India
Dec 12 2007

KOLKATA: The Indian Rugby Football Union announced a 24-member team
for the Asian Trophy under-19 championship under the captaincy of
Ajmin Shahi Janitirkordy.

India has been placed in a strong group alongside Chinese Taipei,
Arabian Gulf and Brunei. The tournament will be played in Brunei
from Dec. 15 to 21. The winner of the group, which will be decided
in a play-off following a round-robin league, will get a place in the
under-19 World Cup, informed Noomi Mehta, a senior IRFU functionary.

The team, coached by former Fiji international Usaia Rokonai, consists
pickings mainly from Armenian boys from the city, who dominate the
country’s rugby scene.

There are some players from west and south. The selection will form
the nucleus of the Indian team, which will participate in the 2010
Commonwealth Games in Delhi. – Principal Correspondent

ARMENIANS TEND TO MARRY AT LATER AGE

ARMENPRESS
Dec 11, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS: In Armenia couples are tying the
knot at a later age now than several years ago, according to a joint
study conducted by the UNICEF and WHO Armenia Offices.

It has found that males tend to marry when they are 25.5 years
old. Their marriage age has increased from 22.5 some 6-7 years
ago. Females marry when they are 22.3 years old, up from 21.

The study has uncovered many differences in marriage habits of people
in different regions of the country. Armenians in rural areas tend
to marry earlier than those living in towns.

According to the study, later marriage is very strongly associated
with higher levels of education.

Another finding of the study is that on average every married woman
gives birth to 1.7 babies. This figure is higher for women living in
rural areas.

Women with higher education prefer to have less children-1.5- than
women with lower educating levels.

Women in well-off families have on average 1.5 children.

RA PRESIDENT ESTIMATES ACTIVITIES OF AMBASSADOR OF BULGARIA AS PRODUCTIVE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 11, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Robert Kocharian, the President
of the Republic of Armenia, received Stepan Dimitrov, the Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria, who is finishing
his diplomatic mission in Armenia, on December 11. Estimating the
activities of the Ambassador as productive, the President of the
Republic of Armenia mentioned that it has contributed to the expansion
of the Armenian-Bulgarian economic and cultural relations. The
Ambassador in his turn said that it would be impossible to achieve
such results without the readiness and assistance of the Armenian side.

According to the information provided to Noyan Tapan by the
RA President’s Press Office, the parties also spoke about the
opportunities for expanding the Armenian-Bulgarian cooperation within
the framework of the European New Neighbourhood.

EXPERTS APT TO RECOGNIZE NKR INDEPENDENCE OR PROBABLE ANNEXATION TO ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
10.12.2007 12:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Irrelative of the talks mediated by the OSCE
Minsk Group, judging by my contacts with international experts, I
can say that over the past years they were inclined for recognition
of independence of NKR or unification of NKR and Armenia.

Most experts in our region rule out return of the status quo of 1988,"
former NKR Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan said.

"Those who track the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement are no more
surprised to hear mutually exclusive statements from diplomats after
similar meetings. With regard to this particular case, ostensibly a
referendum or a plebiscite on the status of Karabakh is concerned. In
this case, I think the parties are telling the truth but not the
whole truth.

In other words, they give information that favors them," he noted. "As
to whether the Armenian government agreed on all the other issues,
as far as I know, the principle of the consultations is ‘we agree on
nothing unless we agree on everything’. Even if we assume that there
is agreement on several issues, all that has been agreed on earlier
will be conventional until a final agreement is reached."

If independence of Kosovo is nevertheless recognized, it would be
remarkable that the province gained independence not owing to but
despite the will of the former metropolis, according to him.

"We are going to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the new stage of
the Karabakh Movement soon. Over these years more than twenty new
states have appeared on the political map of the world. Unlike Kosovo,
however, these countries gained independence thanks to the agreement
of the central government (Ethiopia – Eritrea, Indonesia – East Timor,
and others)," he said.

"Since Azerbaijan is not ready either to recognize independence of
NKR or to hold a dialogue, the Kosovo precedent may be useful for the
diplomacy of both Armenian states," he resumed, Karabakh Open reports.

PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S. may bomb PKK bases?
06.12.2007 13:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ If Iraqi Kurds refuse to support in the U.S. in
fighting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), labeled as a terrorist
organization by the Department of State, the U.S. may bombard the
bases of the Kurdish rebels, said professor Amatzia Baram of the
United States Institute of Peace.

The U.S. undertook to cooperate with administration of the Northern
Kurdistan for neutralization of PKK rebels at the Iraqi-Turkish
border, according to him. `If Iraq holds back, the United States will
have to allow a limited Turkish incursion. The Iraqi government is not
capable to control Baghdad, not to mention mountainous Kurdistan
situated hundreds of miles northward of the capital,’ he said, Trend
reports.

November 30, following the government’s approval of the cross-border
operation, Turkish artillery and helicopters shelled positions of the
Kurdish rebels. Reports said the operation was a success and the
enemy suffered fatal casualties

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN RECEIVED THE HEAD OF THE SERVICE FOR COMPULSORY ENFORCEMENT OF JUDICIAL ORDERS

armradio.am
06.12.2007 15:52

President Robert Kocharyan today had a working meeting with the Head
of the Service for Compulsory Enforcement of Judicial Orders Gagik
Ayvazyan, President’s Press Office informs.

Mr. Ayvazyan presented the work done in 2007.

Reference was made to the problems the Service for Compulsory
Enforcement of Judicial Orders faces and a number of issues related
to raising the efficiency.

COOPERATION MEMORANDUM SIGNED BETWEEN JUSTICE MINISTRIES OF ARMENIA AND KARABAKH

Noyan Tapan
Dec 03 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 3, NOYAN TAPAN. A cooperation memorandum was signed
on November 30 in Stepanakert between the justice ministries of Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh, NT was informed on December 3 by spokeswoman
for the RA ministry of justice Lana Mshetsian.

The memorandum was signed during the two-day working visit of the
delegation headed by the RA minister of justice Gevorg Danielian to
the NKR. It envisages holding annual cooperation events and developing
short-term programs on solution of the most urgent problems.

VIKTOR DALLAKYAN: LEVON TER-PETROSYAN REALIZES THAT SERZH SARGSYAN IS A SERIOUS STATE FIGURE

2007-12-04 22:17:00

ArmInfo. The coming election will resemble the ones held in 1998, when
Speaker of the National Assembly Karen Demirchyan was in an analogous
situation with the one, in which the first Armenian president Levon
Ter- Petrosyan is now.

According to him, in this context it is necessary to scrutinize Levon
Ter- Petrosyan’s first political statement after 10 years lasting
silence on October 26, when Leader of People’s Party of Armenia Stepan
Demirchyan and Leader of Republic Party Aram Sarksyan stood side by
side with him. "It is difficult to say if Levon Ter-Petrosyan will
succeed in breaking the thick ice cover of people’s distrust in his
personality. It is more important how one will take the president’s
office than who will become the president", he emphasized. According
to V. Dallakyan, even the toughest opponent of Prime Minister Serzh
Sargsyan- Levon Ter-Petrosyan realizes that he faces a serious
state figure.