Author: Varosian Antranik

Court passed verdict on scandalous case

29-12-2007 12:47:30 – KarabakhOpen

The trial of the former director Nonna Avagimyan and three other
officers of the State Cadastre Committee lasted for a year. A few days
ago Justice Madatyan of the district court passed the verdict. Nonna
Avagimyan admitted to misuse and embezzlement. She was sentenced to 4
years. Two of her colleagues were sentenced to three years, and one was
fined 500 thousand drams.

Women were under arrest for a year. The trial lasted too long.
Interestingly, the court passed a verdict only after Prosecutor General
Armen Zalinyan was replaced by Arshavir Gharamyan.

ALEXANDER YAKOVENKO: POTENTIAL FOR KOSOVO RESOLUTION NOT EXHAUSTED

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.12.2007 16:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia stands for a balanced solution to the Kosovo
problem, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yakovenko.

"We could not support Mr Martti Ahtisaari’s "status package" which
calls for division of a sovereign state and conflicts with norms of
international law, UN Regulations and Resolution 1244," he said. "The
UN is the body to take a final decision on Kosovo’s status," he added.

The main result of the UN Security Council’s work on Kosovo is
prevention of resolution proposed by Europe, according to him.

"Troika of international mediators was formed in August with a
purpose to establish a correct dialogue between Serbs and Kosovar
Albanians. Although no agreement was reached on the expiry of the
120-day term, we are convinced that the potential to resolve the
problem via talks has not been exhausted. However, unilateral scenarios
can provoke destabilization and encourage separatists throughout the
globe," Mr Yakovenko said, the RF MFA press office reported.

ARMENIAN SPORTSMEN ACHIEVED 104 MEDALS IN 2007

armradio.am
25.12.2007 15:34

2007 Armenian sportsmen achieved 104 medals in international
competitions in all age groups. RA Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs
Armen Grigoryan told a news conference today that more than 5 000
sportsmen participated in hundreds of competitions, including 78
national, European and World Championships.

A government delegation headed by RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan
has bee formed for the preparation of Armenian sportsmen for the 2008
Olympic Games in Beijing. The National Olympic Committee of Armenia
has created its Olympic headquarters headed by Gagik Tsarukyan,
the President of the National Olympic Committee.

Tickets and hotels and have been reserved in Beijing for the Armenian
delegation. Twelve Armenian sportsmen have already qualified for the
Olympic Games. Supposedly, 10-12 sportsmen will still book Olympic
berths.

OUTCOMES OF KARABAKH STATUS REFERENDUM NOT PREDETERMINED, ICG SAYS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.12.2007 16:16 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The outcomes of referendum on Nagorno Karabakh’s
status are not predetermined.

Azerbaijan will have the opportunity to offer full-fledged citizenship
to Armenians of Karabakh," said Sabine Freizer, the International
Crisis Group Director of the Europe Program.

"It’s premature to speak of referendum results unless troops are
withdrawn and refugees return to their homes," she said.

"The situation in Karabakh will clear up when refugees come back to
their homes, an interim administration is formed, rule of law and
human rights are secured.

Anyway, irrelative of the outcomes of the referendum, owing to the
geographical peculiarities of the region, all residents of Karabakh
will have to keep in contact with Azerbaijan for the glory of the
region," Ms. Freizer said, Day.az reports.

GEORGIA WILL SPARE NO EFFORT TO CONVINCE EU OF IMPOSSIBILITY OF ABKHAZIA’S INDEPENDENCE

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.12.2007 16:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgia spares no effort to persuade the
European Union to officially announce inadmissibility of Abkhazia’s
independence, Georgian presidential hopeful Mikheil Saakashvili said.

"Diplomats are carrying out serious work to urge the EU to declare
that it will never recognize Abkhazia’s independence. And there is
a real chance that the European Union will support our position,"
he said on Rustavi 2 during a TV dialogue with Georgia Diaspora.

December 11, official Sukhumi called on Europe to put an end to the
policy of double standards. "If Kosovo’s independence is recognized
the same should be done with respect to Abkhazia. Otherwise, Abkhazia
will refuse mediating efforts of states which recognize Kosovo but
don’t recognize Abkhazia," President of the unrecognized republic
Sergei Shamba said during a conversation with UK Ambassador to Georgia
Denis Keefe, Kavkaz Press reports.

LABORATORY DIAGNOSING BIRD FLU IN ARMENIA

Panorama.am
19:58 20/12/2007

"This year a laboratory was created in Armenia; this laboratory
discovers different diseases," said Grisha Baghyan, the head of
foodstuff security and cattle-breeding state department of Agriculture
Ministry.

According to him one sector of state cattle-breeding antiepidemic
disease centre was reconstructed, and the laboratory was established
there. The head of the department said that the laboratory is equipped
by new and modern technologies.

Swine plague was found in this laboratory. And we have all the
necessary equipment to discover bird flu," said G. Baghyan. He said
that World Bank disposed 200 thousands dollars to buy important
equipments for the lab.

TURKISH POLITICIAN LOSES FINAL APPEAL AGAINST SWISS RACISM CONVICTION, HIGH COURT SAYS

Associated Press Worldstream
December 19, 2007 Wednesday 3:03 PM GMT

Switzerland’s highest court confirmed the sentence against a Turkish
politician convicted of racism for denying that the early 20th century
killing of Armenians was genocide, according to a ruling published
by the court Wednesday.

Dogu Perincek, the leader of the Turkish Workers’ Party, lost his final
appeal in Swiss courts against the conviction by a lower tribunal
in March and a fine of 3,000 Swiss francs ($2US,450; euro1,870). He
now will appeal the ruling to the European Court of Human Rights,
according to the office of his lawyer, Laurent Moreillon.

Perincek, who was also given a suspended penalty of 9,000 francs
($7US,360; euro5,600) and ordered to pay 1,000 francs ($820US; euro620)
to an Armenian association, had repeatedly denied during a visit to
Switzerland in 2005 that the World War I-era killings of up to 1.5
million Armenians amounted to genocide.

The Federal Tribunal said in its ruling that many historians, the
European Parliament and numerous national parliaments considered the
killings as genocide. In literature, the slaughter is mentioned as
a classic example of genocide, the tribunal said.

The case was seen as a test of whether Switzerland’s anti-racism law
can be invoked against someone who denies that the Turks committed
genocide in the killings. The legislation has previously been applied
to Holocaust denial.

The case has caused diplomatic tension between Switzerland and
Turkey, which insists Armenians were killed in civil unrest during
the tumultuous collapse of the Ottoman Empire and not in a planned
campaign of genocide.

Turkey has called the case against Perincek "inappropriate, baseless
and debatable in every circumstance."

NO INCIDENT OCCURS DURING MONITORING OF CONTACT FRONT LINE OF AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN TROOPS TODAY

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 19 2007

The contact line of Azerbaijan and Armenian troops near Kamarli
village of Gazakh region was monitored today, in accordance with the
mandate of personal representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Defense
Ministry’s press service told the APA, monitoring passed normally,
no incident occurred during monitoring.

The monitoring was held by the field assistants of personal
representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miroslav Vimetal and Imre
Palatinus from Azerbaijani side. The monitoring in the opposite side
of the contact line was held by the field assistants of personal
representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Colonel Lieutenant Peter Ki,
Antal Herdich and Jaslan Nurtaz.

ARTSAKH YOUTH CONFERENCE

Azat Artsakh Tert, Nagorno Karabakh Republic
Dec 19 2007

On december 14,15 it was held Artsakh youth forum in the house of
culture and youth by participation of the repsentatives of youth
structures of the regions . The aim of 2nd forum was the increasing
of the political activeness of the youth, the elaboration of joint
programs for carrying out effective youth policy and so on.

Joint Efforts Are The Pledge For Success

Inaugurating the forum the minister of culture newly appointed
N.Gasparyan told the youth to undertake the practical steps. The
middle age of the employees of several ministries hesitates from
25-35.The minister says the only way for breaking the deadlock, the
grouping the power of all youth organisations and strengthening their
cooperation with the ministry. He concluded."I propose the cooperation
without complexes and problems". the youth of the village is as it
is After the speeches of the representatives from the regions, the
problems of youth were marked distinctively. The same problems are
available everywhere: unemployment, the flat problem,the absence
of the opportunities for organizing leisure-time. As a result, the
youth of the regions leave the villages for better life. Everyone
agreed that the problems are much in the regions one policy must
be carried out. The problems raised by province youth don’t threat
the youth of the town any longer. It’s not secret, that the youth
structures have different,often opposite approachings about the
youth problems. It’s natural. Nevertheless, there are questions about
which the youth structures must have one point of view, among them is
Karabakh question.The problem is important and the efforts of youth
structures can be significant in the case of representing Karabakh
problem on public level.Deputy minister of foreign affairs Atanesyan
said that the ministry will help in the question.

In Conclusion

The youth representatives told about necessity to work jointly.One
part of the youth proposed to organize pan Artsakh youth festival,
the other part proposed to work out joint vision on Karabakh problem
together with the ministry.They decided on the level of working group
to discuss it in near future.Deputy minister of Culture G. Grigoryan
told that it’s time to do the practical steps and our aim is the
centralisation of the power and grouping the youth. She also marked
that this meeting helped us to imagine today’s developments and
opportunities and to mark the policy, which must be done in future.

GUAM DIDN’T SUBMIT DRAFT RESOLUTION ON FROZEN CONFLICTS TO UN

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.12.2007 16:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova)
didn’t submit any draft resolution on frozen conflicts to the UN
General Assembly. The organization presented an application for
consideration of issue in the GA, Azeri MFA Spokesman Khazar Ibrahim
said.

"Before submitting such a resolution, GUAM working groups should
examine all proposals and then elaborate a document that can be
amended in case of necessity.

Afterwards, the paper is handed to the leaders for approval and
signature," he said. "Submission of the document to the UN General
Assembly can follow all these procedures," he added, IA Regnum reports.

Earlier, some media circulated reports that GUAM introduced a draft
resolution on frozen conflicts to the UN General Assembly.