Author: Vardanian Garo

40 ‘FAST’ LEGAL ADVICE MOTOR VEHICLES TO RUN AT THE TERRITORY OF ARMENIA AT THE ELECTION DAY

arminfo
2008-01-21 09:39:00

ArmInfo. A total of 40 "fast" legal advice motor vehicles will run at
the territory of Armenia at the election day – 19 February, the leader
of the project "Legal initiative, election – 2008", Gayane Markosyan,
said at the seminar "For the love of well-informed citizen and voter".

She said that from 15 January to 15 March "hot telephone line" will
function ar the territory of the republic 080-080-804, and citizens
may apply free for legal advice. For fast reaction to the signals
about violation of voters’ rights, 40 motor vehicles will run at
the territory of the republic (10 in Yerevan and the rest in other
regions). The "crew" of the motor vehicle will consist of a lawyer,
civil activist, observer and a journalist in case of necessity.

HRANT DINK COMMEMORATED IN ISTANBUL

PanARMENIAN.Net
21.01.2008 12:23 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On January 19, thousands of people gathered to
commemorate Hrant Dink, the editor of Agos bilingual newspaper killed
a year ago by ultranationalist Ogun Samast.

Representatives of the Turkish media and NGOs took part in the event,
said a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter in Istanbul. The demonstrators urged
the Turkish authorities to completely solve the crime.

RA CEC REGISTERS 9 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

PanARMENIAN.Net
18.01.2008 18:11 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Central Election Committee has completed
registration of nine presidential hopefuls today. National Consent
party leader Aram Harutyunyan, RA NA former speaker, Orinats Yerkir
party leader Artur Baghdassaryan, National Unity party leader Artashes
Geghamyan, ALM Holding president, chairman of People’s Party of Armenia
Tigran Karapetyan, chairman of the National Democratic Union Vazgen
Manukyan, RA NA vice speaker, ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau member Vahan
Hovhannisian, RA Prime Minister, RPA chairman Serzh Sargsyan and
Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan will run for the post.

The presidential election is scheduled for February 19, 2008. The
election campaign will kick off January 21 and finish February 17.

PRO-GOVERNMENTAL PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER HAS NO SUCH RATING TO GAIN VICTORY IN FIRST ROUND OF ELECTION: SECRETARY OF ORINATS YERKIR PARLIAMENTARY FACTION

arminfo
2008-01-16 16:27:00

ArmInfo. Prime Minister of Armenia, presidential contender from the
Republican Party of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has no such rating to
gain victory in the first round of presidential election, Secretary
of Orinats Yerkir (OY) party parliamentary faction, Head of the
campaign headquarters of OY leader and presidential contender Arthur
Baghdasaryan Heghine Bisharyan said at Pastark Club, Wednesday.

She believes that second round of presidential election is
inevitable. ‘All the officials in Armenian regions make their fellows
vote in favor of Serzh Sargsyan otherwise they will be dismissed. I
made sure of it when contacting the people in regions’, H. Bisharyan
said. She also stressed that the opposition forces will unite in case
of mass election rigging. The front-runners will be Artur Baghdasaryan,
Serzh Sargsyan and first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan. ‘Artur
Baghdasaryan will enter the second round, undoubtedly’, she said.

YURY MERZLYAKOV: "KARABAKH SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS"

A1+
[12:56 pm] 16 January, 2008

After a meeting with NKR President Bako Sahakian, OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chair Yury Merzlyakov (Russia) said that an agreement was being
worked out between the conflicting sides on the main principles of
the Karabakh conflict at this phase of negotiations.

"Now it is still impossible to find a mutually beneficial
solution. However, this year the main principles of the Karabakh
conflict resolution can and must be agreed upon," he said.

After reaching an agreement they will draft the text of the
agreement. I am confident that no progress will be made unless the
NKR is involved in the process. The agreement is impossible without
Nagorno Karabakh, since it refers to the life of the Karabakhi
people." Merzlyakov said.

French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier noted that there is hope that the year
2008 will become decisive for a breakthrough and accomplishment of
the process of reaching agreement on the main principles. He informed
that during the visits to Baku and Yerevan the Co-Chairs raised the
question of how to involve representatives of Nagorno Karabakh in
the negotiations, karabakhopen reports.

"LEVON TER-PETROSSIAN HAS SUPPORTERS IN UPPER ECHELONS"

A1+
[05:44 pm] 16 January, 2008

Leader of the National Democratic Alliance (AZhD) Arshak Sadoyan is
more than confident that the upcoming presidential elections will be
rigged like the elections of 1998 and 2003.

The AZhD leader says Vazgen Manukian will win if the elections
are free and fair. All activists who believe that Ter-Petrossian’s
victory may bring about real changes in Armenia are mistaken. A great
disappointment awaits them.

Sadoyan called on his opponent, All-Armenian Party (HHSh) member Aram
Manukian, to join their team and to back Vazgen Manukian as he is
immaculate and is capable of changing the situation in Armenia. People
respect Vazgen Manukian. He has faked no election.

In answer to this remark Aram Manukian stated that "their goal is
not to settle problems among parties.

Levon Ter-Petrossian finds it his mission "to remove the Karabakh
clan."

"Politics is rather the art of possibility than desires. Our team is
guided by this principle. We believe that only Ter-Petrossian stands
possibility to remove the clan. Ter-Petrossian runs in the election
race to overthrow the acting authorities. He doesn’t strive for
power. Meanwhile the other candidates are proteges and dance to the
Government’s tune. I advise you to sober up and face the reality,"
he said.

In reply to Manukian’s question which candidate Sadoyan will second if
Serzh Sarkissian and Levon Ter-Petrossian appear at the second round,
Sadoyan said, "None of them. "

"You have just proved that you are not an oppositionist," Manukian
said and added, "We shall back Vazgen Manukian if he competes with
Serzh Sarkissian at the second round."

Manukian also noted that the government control on the public
administration, police and other law enforcement agencies will
significantly weaken.

"There will be sudden changes in the system of government and the
political domain in mid-February.

Levon Ter-Petrossian has supporters in ministries who work for the
first President but do not reveal themselves. Soon a number of people
will defect from the government camp and join Ter-Petrossian’s team."

Lragir, Armenia
Jan 14 2008

VAZGEN MANUKYAN’S ELECTION OFFICE RESPONSE TO LEVON TER-PETROSYAN

"During the news conference on January 11 Levon Ter-Petrosyan said
answering the question of reporters that he will not break fences and
beat the president of the parliament hinting at the popular movement
against presidential election in 1996.

The popular movement of 1996 was the consequence of the presidential
election falsified by the ruling regime.

The people and the political forces participating in the movement
want to live in a democratic country and stand up for their votes
when the regime tampers their votes.

When Levon Ter-Petrosyan condemns the uprising in 1996, his
strictures are not only against Vazgen Manukyan but also a fair
election to shape a democratic government.

The Constitutional Court shaped in accordance with the Constitution
establishing autocracy did not accept that the election of 1996 was
rigged, like it later denied that the presidential election of 2003
and the parliamentary election of 2007 were falsified.

As to the percentages concocted after the falsified elections of
1996, 1998, 2003, which are ascribed to Vazgen Manukyan, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan who manipulates them should admit that the votes
ascribed to father and son Demirchyans in 1998 and 2003 are true.
Besides, although he stated that all the elections held after him
were falsified, he nevertheless congratulated Robert Kocharyan in
1998.

Finally, nobody doubts that Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s resignation in 1998
was the consequence of the election of 1996. If the official results
of the election of 1996 had been true, and Levon Ter-Petrosyan had
received the officially announced number of votes, people would
hardly have accepted his resignation with silent agreement.

Vazgen Manukyan’s election office states that one of the points of
his election program is the adoption of a new Constitution which will
enable mechanisms to prevent election fraud, ensure the independence
of the judicial power from the executive and prevalence of justice
over the will of the person at the top of government. It will enable
us to rid of the regime holding on to power through the tradition of
the Constitution of 1995 and take the track for development.

Vazgen Manukyan’s election office’

Friday, Jan. 4 2008
The Final Score
Kasparov: The Real ‘Man of the Year’

David Asman (mailto:[email protected])
FOXBusiness

NE W YORK — When Time Magazine chose Russia’s Vladimir Putin as its Man of
the Year, a lot of folks were outraged.
Time answered back that their pick wasn’t an endorsement of Putin. After all,
they chose Adolf Hitler as Man of the Year in 1938, even though they were
appalled by what he was doing. But Hitler used Time’s designation as an
endorsement, propagandizing that it elevated his status as a statesman.
And according to Garry Kasparov, Putin’s doing the same thing. The Kremlin’s
ad men are using the Time cover at home to portray Putin as a class act.
That got us thinking. Why didn’t Time put Garry Kasparov on the cover as Man
of the Year?
Kasparov’s battle with Putin is the kind of David and Goliath storythat Time
used to love. Kasparov is a former world chess champion who could easily sit
back with his millions, living the lush life in Paris or New York. Instead,
he puts his freedom and his life on the line, fighting against a former KGB
bully, who uses the full force of a powerful state to crush all competition.
Now we admit we’re biased, because we know and like Kasparov. And we also
recognize that one guy trying to reform a state like Russia is the long shot of
all time.
But because Scoreboard loves long shots and genuine class acts, we pick Garry
Kasparov over Vladimir Putin as our Man of the Year.

Aronyan plays a draw with Peter Leko

armradio.am
15.01.2008 12:43

Armenian Grand Master Levon Aronyan played a draw with Peter Leko of
Hungary in the third round of the Corus International Chess
Championship underway in the Dutch city of Wijk aan Zee. Gaining 2.5
points Aronyan shares the 1st and 2nd positions in Group A with Magnus
Carlsen of Norway.

In Group B Armenian Grand Master Gabriel Sargsyan lost to L.
Nepomnyashchuk and shares the 10th to 12th positions with 1 point. With
two points Grand Master Sergey Movsisyan of Slovenia shares the 3rd to
6th positions.

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 15 2008

Armenian President Meets with OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-chairs
15.01.08 15:19

On 15 January, the Armenian President Robert Kocharian received the
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Yuri Merzlakov ( Russia), Matthew
Bryza ( United States) and Bernard Fassier ( France), who arrived in
Yerevan within the framework of a regional visit.

Andzey Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office, also participated in the meeting, the Press
Service of the Armenian President reported to Novosti-Armenia. The
issues regarding the current stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
were discussed at the meeting.

The co-chairs arrived in Yerevan on 14 January. On 16 January, they
will head for Nagorno-Karabakh and will return to Yerevan on 17
January.

On 13-14 January the co-chairs visited Baku.

The negotiations on peaceful settling of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict have been held within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group
since 1992.