Author: Vanyan Gary

242550220070523

Noah’s Ark rebuilt to show climate change threat

Wed May 23, 2007 7:07AM EDT

By Daren Butler

MOUNT ARARAT, Turkey (Reuters) – Noah’s Ark, built to save humanity
and the animal kingdom in the face of a great flood, is being
reconstructed in model form on Mount Ararat as a warning to mankind to
act now to prevent global warming.

Environmental activists are behind the initiative in the lush green
foothills of the snow-capped mountain in eastern Turkey, where the
Bible says the vessel came to rest after a flood had wiped out corrupt
humanity.

Volunteers are racing to complete the wooden vessel under bright
sunshine by end-May, to coincide with a summit of leading countries
next month in Germany where climate change will be high on the agenda.

"This is directed mainly at the politicians of this earth, to world
leaders who are primarily responsible for the climate catastrophe
which is taking place and for the solution," said Wolfgang Sadik,
campaign leader for Greenpeace, which is behind the project.

"The aim is to put on Mount Ararat a memorial, a warning sign that
also gives hope, to shake up the world and to say that if we don’t
react now it is too late," he said, as carpenters hammered away at the
Ark’s bow at an altitude of 2,400 meters.

The U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has warned
carbon dioxide emissions should at least be halved by 2050 to avoid
climate changes which the European Union says would be dangerous.

Rising seas are a central concern of climate change. The U.N. climate
panel says seas are set to rise 18-59 cms this century, up from 17 cms
in the 20th century.

But there are deep divisions on ways to tackle the threat.

Germany wants G8 countries at next month’s meeting to agree to the
IPCC target and promote carbon trading as a way to penalize greenhouse
gas emissions.

But U.S. chief climate negotiator Harlan Watson said last week the
United States will continue to reject emissions targets or
cap-and-trade schemes, and will fight climate change by funding clean
energy technologies.

PUNISHMENT

In the Biblical Noah’s Ark story-well-known to Jews, Christians and
Muslims-God decides to punish humanity’s sins by destroying life on
Earth with a flood.

He chooses righteous Noah to preserve life by saving his family and
pairs of all the world’s animals-which board the boat two by two.

Such a menagerie would strain the model Ark, which at just 10 meters
long and four meters high would barely house Noah’s family. The Bible
says the original ark was 300 cubits long-longer than a soccer pitch.

The model will even be a tight fit for climbers if, as planned, it
ultimately becomes a mountain hut.

Timber for the boat was hauled by horse up the mountain last week and
the volunteers face logistical problems working at high altitude in a
remote place.

They are also working against the clock for a May 31 ceremony, when
doves will be released from the boat and an appeal made to world
leaders to counter global warming: Noah sent a dove out from the Ark
to see if the flood had subsided.

"A boatbuilding master said they would not have the courage to do this
given the short period of time," said German carpenter Rainer
Brumshagen. "But I had the feeling that it could work."

"It all feels very good with the energy people are bringing here,
uniting those from different countries to work together."

The political wrangling feels a world away from the idyllic slopes of
Mount Ararat, where shepherds graze their sheep and swallows circle
the brightly colored tents of the two dozen activists involved in the
Greenpeace project.

"But", one of Brumshagen’s carpenter colleagues said of the model Ark,
"I am not so sure that it will float."

© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved

CHANGE IN PRESIDENCY IN FRANCE WILL NOT AFFECT BILATERAL RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN: CHAIR OF FRENCH-CAUCASUS FRIENDSHIP GROUP

TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 21 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend I.Alizade / Senator Ambruaz Dupont,
the chairman of the French-Caucasus friendship group at the French
Senate, stated on 21 May that the change in presidency in France will
have no affect on bilateral relations with Azerbaijan.

He noted that bilateral relations between the two countries are at
a high level and well organized.

"During Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to France
we witnessed the level of bilateral relations," he stressed.

He noted that Paris puts every effort to see peace reigning in the
South Caucasus and intends to proceed with its activities in this
direction.

Speaking on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Dupont announced that the
conflict caused much harm to Azerbaijan. "Nevertheless, peace ought
to reign in the region," he stated.

"It will only be possible when both sides are eager to achieve peace.

The OSCE Minsk Group continues its activities in this direction.

French Ambassador Bernard Fassier, an OSCE Minsk Group co-chair,
is to tour the region on 24 May. At the same time the chairman of
the French Senate is personally interested in the resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," he noted.

With respect to his current visit to Azerbaijan the Senator said that
it is just a visit paid within the framework of the friendship group,
but nothing extraordinary.

"The Senate and the National Assembly have established friendship
groups with many countries. I have numerously visited Azerbaijan within
the framework of the friendship group. I observe over the functioning
of the French Culture Center and over the development of relations,"
he stressed.

During the visit a delegation of the French Senate visited the Cemetery
of Honors, ex President Heydar Aliyev’s grave and the Cemetery of
Honors. The French guests also plan to meet with MP Mehriban Aliyeva,
the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, as well as leaders of
the parliament and members of the Azerbaijani-French interparliamentary
friendship group.

The delegation led by Dupont is expected to be received by Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev.

FIDH
Gaël Grilhot
Responsable du Bureau Presse
17, Passage de la Main d’Or – 75011 Paris
tél. : +33-1 43 55 90 19
port. : +33-6 10 60 05 57
E-mail : [email protected]

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
Civil Society Institute (CSI)

PRESS RELEASE

Armenia: Witness to a shooting dies in custody

Monday, May 21, 2007 – The International Federation for Human Rights
(FIDH) and Civil Society Institute (CSI), its member organisation in
Armenia, express their deep concern about the death of Levon Gulyan in
custody under strongly suspicious circumstances.

On May 12, 2007 Mr. Levon Gulyan, a 31-year-old restaurant manager, died
in the Headquater of Police in Yerevan, where he had been invited to
testify as a witness in a murder case.

On May 9th, Mr Gulyan witnessed the killing of Stephan Vardanyan, which
occurred during a fight, in front of Mr Gulyan’s restaurant. As an
eyewitness to the murder, Mr Gulyan and two of his employees, Mr
Melkumyan and Mrs Grigoryan, were taken into custody by the police.
There, he wrote a testimony, however he was kept until late evening on
May 10th. He was then twice allowed to go home but was told to return
back to the police station, which he did in both of the cases. After his
return to the local Police Station for the second time, Mr. Gulyan was
taken to the main Police Department by the order of Mr. Hovhannes
Tamamyan, Chief Deputy of the Police Department.

At around 5:00 pm on May 12th, Mr. Gulyan’s family was told that he
had
died. The police officers stated that Gulyan committed suicide or tried
to escape, by jumping from the 2nd floor. Considering that his relatives
observed bruises on Mr Gulyan’s body when he previously returned home,
and that Mr Melkumyan was beaten heavily when taken into custody, Levon
Gulyan’s family suspects that he was ill-treated by the Police officers
before he fell from the window.

In order to protect the confidentiality of pre-trial investigation, the
lawyers who were present during forensic expertise on the body refuse to
give details, however they acknowledged that the body was marked with
beatings.

Death in custody in Armenia are not unprecedented since there have been
a number of very similar cases happening in the past. This last event
demonstrates the need for an increased public control and access to the
police stations, which has been stressed in the suggestions of the Group
of Public Observers of the detention facilities of the Police of RA in a
recent report. See

FIDH and CSI call upon the Armenian authorities to conduct a full,
independent and impartial investigation, to ascertain the facts and, if
relevant, to bring those responsible to justice.

FIDH and CSI call upon the Armenian authorities to fully conforming to
the provisions of the European Convention on the Prevention of Torture
and the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

About FIDH:
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), headquartered in
France, is an international non-governmental organization for the
defense of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights of 1948. It is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1922, it
includes 155 national member organizations over 5 continents. The FIDH
acts as a relay between its members and international authorities. To
date, the FIDH has undertaken more than a thousand missions of
investigation, trial observations, mediation, and training in some one
hundred countries.
FIDH enjoys consultative status with the United Nations, UNESCO, the
Council of Europe, the International Labor Organization and observer
status with the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights.

NA SPEAKER URGES THE DEFEATED OPPOSITION FORCES TO ANALYZE THEIR MISTAKES

armradio.am
18.05.2007 17:07

Speaker of RA National Assembly, Deputy Chairman of the Republican
Party of Armenia Tigran Torosyan expressed confidence today that the
next president of the country will be a member of a certain party.

Speaking at a news conference in Yerevan, Tigran Torosyan commented
on the behavior of the parties, which failed during the elections.

According to him, "the behavior is more like an excuse than an
impartial assessment of the elections". The Speaker stressed that "it
does not matter that some forces did not enter the parliament, as the
elections were fair and each one received the mark for the work done."

"What concerns the forces, which gave unrealistic promises and
expressed confidence in their victory, they were the ones to believe
in it," Tigran Torosyan noted, adding that "now the disappointed
opposition forces organize disputes not only at the political level,
but at the personal as well."

He expressed confidence that "if the political forces don’t try
to soberly analyze their mistakes, they will be failing in future
as well."

Tigran Torosyan stressed that the Republican Party of Armenia "is
ready to cooperate with everyone, even the opposition forces," noting
that the cooperation can have not only coalition nature.

RA PM ISSUES A MESSAGE OF CONDOLENCE

armradio.am
17.05.2007 17:13

RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan issued a message of condolence for
the death of the most prominent representatives of Armenian vocal
art, world-famous singer Gohar Gasparyan, in which he expressed deep
condolence with her relatives, friends and admirers of her art. "With
great sorrow I heard about the death of the National Artist of the
USSR, famous Armenian singer Gohar Gasparyan.

Being one of the most prominent representatives of Armenian classical
and opera art, she created a brilliant creative biography. The singer’s
performances brought great fame and popularity not only to her but
also to our Motherland. At this hard moment of grief accept my and
the Government’s condolences and sympathy," the Prime Minister’s
message says.

SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPIL TEACHES HER CLASSMATES HISTORY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 16 2007

NEW HAMPSHIRE, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Last week
top class pupils of American New Hampshire high school gathered
at school’s theater to see their classmate Rachel Manukian’s film
about the Armenian Genocide. The American Armenian pupil as a theme
for final examination had chosen "Influence of Armenian Genocide on
Cultural Ties Between Generations of Armenians and on Each Armenian."

The family of Rachel Manukian-Braiman’s mother has experienced the
Genocide and in the film she tried to break her ancestors’ silence and
to show how the world concealed the mass slaughter of Armenians. In
specialist’s words, this 20-minute film is very cognitive and the
story of its heroes too impressive.

She dedicated that film to her family, her ancestors and all Armenians.

"Those having experienced the Genocide are already old, but I am
young and I should work hard to achieve international recognition of
Genocide, as far as it is not late," Rachel said.

American Armenian writer Peter Balakian and Armenian National Committee
of America supported making the film.

The pupils and teachers who were present at film’s showing collected
more than 100 signatures from Congressmen and Senators demanding to
assist with Resolution N 106 on Armenian Genocide.

ALEX RUSSIN: MCC EXECUTIVE BOARD "HAS NOT MADE ANY NEW DECISIONS REGARDING ARMENIA"

ArmRadio.am
15.05.2007 18:04

Armenia Resident Country Director of the US Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC) Alex Russin stated in an interview to Mediamax
that the Executive Board of the Corporation "has not made any new
decisions regarding Armenia," Mediamax reports.

Alex Russin reminded that "the authority to make decisions as to
whether Armenia remains eligible for Millennium Challenge Corporation
funding resides with the MCC Executive Board, in Washington."

Alex Russin stated that the General Director of the "Millennium
Challenge Account- Armenia" Corporation Ara Hovsepian "should not
have made any comments regarding eligibility" and expressed regret
in connection with the " confusion regarding this matter."

The day before, Ara Hovsepian stated that by the end of the year
Armenia may receive $12mln from the USA within the framework of the
MCC program. He noted that the schedule of fund allocation will not
change, as the parliamentary elections in Armenia were successful.

In December of 2005, the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
approved a five-year $235.65 million Compact with the Republic
of Armenia. MCC announced that the funds would be directed to the
reduction of poverty in rural areas, where over one million Armenians,
about 35% of the population, live.

The Compact consists of two investments: a Rural Road Rehabilitation
Project and an Irrigated Agriculture Project. It includes a $67
million project to rehabilitate up to 943 kilometers of rural roads,
and a $146 million project for irrigation.

The program will directly impact 75% of the rural population of
Armenia and is expected to increase annual incomes by $36 million in
2010 and over $113 million in 2015.

EU PRAISES ARMENIAN ELECTIONS

AFP
Radio Liberty, Czech rep.
May 14 2007

The German presidency of the European Union said on Sunday that weekend
elections in Armenia were "on the whole" conducted fairly and freely.

"The Presidency welcomes the fact that, compared to previous elections,
significant progress has been made," a statement said.

It called on Armenia ahead of presidential elections in 2008 "to
investigate and resolve the procedural problems which still exist,
particularly those concerning vote-counting but also the isolated
cases of irregularities which were observed."

No Armenian election has been judged free and fair since the country
became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
which sent 300 observers, said earlier on Sunday that the vote was
a clear improvement over previous polls.

NEW PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE FIRMLY ON PATH OF REFORM, EU COMMISSIONER SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
14.05.2007 16:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ European Commissioner for External Relations and
European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) Benita Ferrero-Waldner stated today
that holding the parliamentary elections largely in accordance with
the international standards, "Armenia has thus made an important step
forward in fulfilling a key priority of the EU / Armenia Action Plan
under the European Neighborhood Policy".

She expressed confidence that "the new parliament, together with the
new government, will continue firmly on the path of reform".

"This is vital for the Armenian people as well as for the future of
our relationship", Benita Ferrero-Waldner stated, Mediamax reports.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 0033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 10) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:

The National Citizens’ Initiative
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 0033, Armenia
Tel.: (+374 – 10) 27.16.00, 27.00.03
Fax: (+374 – 10) 52.48.46
Email: [email protected]
Website:

May 10, 2007

ACNIS and NCI Conclude Monitoring of Pre-Election Media Coverage

Yerevan–The Armenian Center for National and International Studies (ACNIS),
together with the National Citizens’ Initiative (NCI), today convened a
policy roundtable to present the final results of its monitoring project
that focused on media coverage in the run-up to the parliamentary elections
of May 12. The meeting brought together NGO representatives, leading
analysts, policy specialists, and members of the press.

ACNIS director of research Stepan Safarian opened the conference with the
reminder that, at the beginning of 2007, a specialized monitoring group
under the auspices of ACNIS had launched a four-month project to analyze
television and print media coverage, specifically as they relate to the
forthcoming elections. The monitoring, which covered the country’s
most-watched television programs, accounted for all information disseminated
about the leaders of major political parties, the distribution of airtime,
and several other key factors. "According to the monitoring results,
pro-establishment forces have carried out an extensive campaign in
electronic media which support the incumbent authorities and certain
parallel political forces," Safarian said. "The election-related activities
of the various political players were not covered equally. The coverage of
opposition campaigns was either biased or tainted with sarcasm. Very often,
however, there was no coverage to speak of."

The first speaker, ACNIS analyst Syuzanna Barseghian, presented the final
results for the monitoring of television newscasts. According to her study,
H1 Public Television was the clear leader with respect to the most airtime
devoted to the forthcoming elections. The monitoring did not include, she
made sure to mention, the activities of political parties and state
officials that did not relate directly to the elections.

"The monitoring has illustrated that certain electronic media advance the
interests of specific political parties or pro-establishment forces," the
monitoring group concluded.

In her turn, ACNIS associate expert on human rights Zhanna Aleksanian
presented the final results for the monitoring of the pre-election cycle.
The report incorporated party actions that conflict with the Election Code,
illegal acts committed by state bodies that are charged with the conduct of
fair elections, and all criminal actions that cast doubt on the election
process. In Aleksanian’s words, reported intimidation reached its peak
during the campaign season. "The official campaign period-as well as the
interval leading up to it-was full of blatant violations of the Election
Code," Aleksanian noted. "The authorities, therefore, have demonstrated
their lack of political will to conduct free, fair, and democratic
elections."

Participants in the ensuing discussion included Artak Zeinalian of the
Republic Party; analyst Karine Batoyan; policy specialist Levon Zurabian of
the International Crisis Group; and various others.