Author: Varosian Antranik

POLITICAL PARTIES AND PARLIAMENTS PERCEIVED AS MOST CORRUPTED STRUCTURES IN WHOLE WORLD

Noyan Tapan
Dec 6, 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the 2007 data of
the Global Corruption Barometer annual survey of the Transparency
International organization conducted in different countries of the
world, political parties and parliaments are perceived as the most
corrupted structures by citizens. 63 199 citizens of 60 countries
have taken part in the survey this year.

As Amalia Kostanian, the Chairwoman of the Transparency International
– Armenia NGO, said on December 6, when presenting survey’s results,
more than 10% respondents said that they had to give bribe. The highest
level of everyday bribery was registered, in particular, in Albania,
Cambodia, Pakistan, Romania, where more than 30% respondents gave
bribe. The law enforcement bodies and courts most of all demanded
bribe. In the opinion of 54% respondents, the level of corruption
will grow in the coming years, especially in Philippines and India.

A. Kostanian said that this year Armenia also for the first time took
part in the survey being held since 2003.

2 481 respondents took part in the survey in Armenia. In the opinion
of 54% of them, the level of corruption will grow in the country
in the coming three years, in the opinion of 26% will decrease,
and 20% considers that it will remain the same. 54% respondents
evaluates government’s anti-corruption efforts as inefficient,
28% efficient. Courts, educational institutions and the Police are
perceived as the most corrupted structures in Armenia. 9.1% has dealt
with everyday bribery in Armenia, who mainly have bribed cadastre
structures, the Police and courts.

MONETARY BASE GROWS BY 4.2%, BROAD MONEY BY 3.1% IN ARMENIA IN OCTOBER 2007

Noyan Tapan
Dec 04 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. As of October 31, 2007, the monetary
base made 346 bln 862 mln drams (about 995.6 mln USD) in Armenia,
growing by 13 bln 848 mln drams or 4.2% on the previous month.

According to the data transferred by the Central Bank of Armenia
(CBA) to the RA National Statistical Service, as of the same day,
the broad money made 600 bln 156 mln drams in Armenia, growing by 18
bln 265 mln drams or 3.1% on the previous month.

The balance of the population’s deposits with banks made 162 bln 301
mln drams as of October 31, 2007, increasing by 1 bln 735 mln drams
or 1,1% on the previous month and by 54 bln 276 mln drams or 50.2%
as compared with the index as of October 31, 2006.

Glendale News Press, CA
Dec 5 2007

Nonviolence seminar is off

Hoover High event gets canceled after Armenian groups express
concern over its sponsor.

By Ryan Vaillancourt

GLENDALE – Citing pressure from Armenian-American community groups
and parents, Glendale Unified School District officials on Monday
postponed a nonviolence seminar at Hoover High School because the
program’s sponsor, the Anti-Defamation League, did not support a
pending U.S. House resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

The three-day seminar, which was paid for by a state grant intended
to promote nonviolence and diversity training, was supposed to start
Tuesday.

But district Supt. Michael Escalante opted to postpone the event
after the Glendale chapter of the Armenian National Committee, as
well as other unnamed community groups, on Monday urged him to cancel
the seminar in protest, Escalante said.

`It’s not critical that the training be done tomorrow, next week or
next month,’ Escalante said. `So what I need to do is stop, evaluate
the situation, get with my staff and make a good decision about where
we go from here.’

The Anti-Defamation League has been at political loggerheads with the
national Armenian-American community since the town council in
Watertown, Mass., a heavily Armenian community, voted in August to
cancel its partnership with the league in an anti-racism program
called No Place For Hate. The fallout prompted a flurry of other No
Place for Hate participants on the East Coast to pressure the
Anti-Defamation League to come out in support of House Resolution
106. advertisement

The controversy prompted Anti-Defamation League Executive Director
Abraham Foxman to issue a statement recognizing the genocide, but in
the same statement he called the pending resolution
`counterproductive.’

The resolution itself has since lost steam. After passing the House
Foreign Affairs Committee in October, support for the bill withered
amid concerns that its passage would disrupt diplomatic relations
with Turkey, which is billed as a key Middle East ally for the U.S.
Major backers of the measure, including Rep. Adam Schiff, whose
district includes Glendale, later urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to
postpone a vote on the bill.

Armenian political organizations called the Anti-Defamation League,
an internationally reputed nonprofit whose motto is `To stop the
defamation of the Jewish people . . . to secure justice
and fair treatment to all,’ hypocritical for its stance on the bill.

Foxman’s comments, however, do not amount to an official position
taken by the group, said Amanda Susskind, Anti-Defamation League
regional director, South Pacific.

The Anti-Defamation League board was slated to discuss the pending
legislation at its November meeting, but the item was taken off the
agenda when the bill itself was postponed, Susskind said.

Though Susskind was under the impression Tuesday that this week’s
planned seminar at Hoover was delayed for logistical reasons, she
acknowledged that the organization’s educational programs sometimes
fall victim to political tension.

`We’ve had people sometimes complain that we take a pro gay-rights
agenda, and they’re concerned that our diversity training
. . . is promoting the gay agenda, and we always say
don’t hold the kids hostage to whatever political views and concerns
you might have with the ADL,’ Susskind said.

`These programs stand alone as having enormous
value. . .  . They’re considered the Rolls Royce of
these kinds of programs.’

The district has not made any decisions about whether to greenlight
the Anti-Defamation League training at Hoover at a future date, said
Greg Krikorian, president of the board of education.

les/2007/12/05/politics/gnp-hoover05.txt

OSCE: ALTHOUGH MG EFFORTS HAVE NOT RESULTED IN ANY BREAKTHROUGH, PARTIES CONTINUE TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.11.2007 18:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On the threshold of the sitting of the OSCE
Council of Foreign Ministers an annual OSCE magazine was published in
Madrid. Commenting on the outcomes of 2007, OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos called it the year
of ordeals.

"Throughout 2007, the Co-Chairpersons of the Minsk Group, with
the active support of the Personal Representative of the Spanish
Chairmanship, Josep Borrell Fontelles, have continued their
efforts to facilitate a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. Although these intensive mediation efforts have not resulted
in any breakthrough, the parties remain committed to continuing the
negotiations and finding a common vision to overcome their remaining
differences," he said.

He also welcomed Kazakhstan’s bid for OSCE chairmanship. "This is
the first post soviet state to take an initiative that opens a way
to Central Asia.

The magazine also contains remarks by Foreign Affairs Minister Ilkka
Kanerva of Finland that will assume OSCE chairmanship in the OSCE in
2008, the OSCE press office reported.

ISOLATION OF ARMENIA AT ANY PRICE IS MORALITY FOR RUSSIANS
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir, Armenia
Nov 27 2007

When the U.S. House brought up the issue of recognition of the
Genocide, the Russian politicians and experts reacted right away,
sending their emissaries to Armenia or addressing Armenians from
Moscow with judgments that the United States took that move out
of its own interests and aims rather than morality. In fact, one
needs not be Russian to understand this. Also it is not difficult to
understand why the Russians worry. There was fear that the Armenian
resolution would push Armenia to make its relations with the United
States warmer. Besides, there is danger that this process may bring
about certain tendencies in the Armenian and Turkish relations, namely
establishment of relations. Turkey may at least pretend taking certain
moves to temporize and undermine the U.S. House initiative.

Meanwhile, the improvement of the Armenian and Turkish relations is
not favorable for Russia. That is why the Russians recognized the
Armenian genocide in the early 1990’s. And there was no crumb of
morality in it. Which is normal, by the way. It is abnormal that
for the Russians it is moral when they pursue their interests,
and when other states pursue their interests, the Russians think
they are self-interested. What was the interest of Russians to
recognize the Armenian genocide? In fact, the recognition delays the
Turkish-Armenian conciliation because after recognition Turkey has
no motivation for conciliation with Armenians. The vivid evidence to
this is that after the recognition by Russia and France the Armenian
and Turkish relations did not improve, and Turkey’s stance toward
the recognition of the genocide did not become milder by at least one
millimeter. It means an increasing degree of independence of Armenia.

When the Armenian and Turkish relations improve, Armenia gains
certain independence in the sense that at least the degree of our
country’s security increases. This degree is different in the case
of unsettled relations with Turkey and in the case of improvement of
these relations.

Meanwhile, a change in the security mode of Armenia automatically makes
the Russian military presence in Armenia unnecessary. Not immediately
but in the course of time. Along with the improvement of Armenian and
Turkish relations the withdrawal of the Russian military bases from
Armenia will start, which may take years but will be inevitable. For
its part, it will be the definitive withdrawal of Russia from the
Caucasus even though this country controls almost 90 percent of the
energy sector of Armenia, which is equal to military presence. However,
the economic expansion is also greatly determined by the fact that the
physical security of Armenia is guaranteed by Russia. In other words,
with our present economic capacity the Russian assistance is the only
way to maintain the military balance in the region. Meanwhile, if a
steady tendency of improvement of relations with Turkey appears, the
danger of resumption of the war in Karabakh will vanish. Consequently,
when our dependence on Russia in terms of security weakens, this
enables conducting an economic policy independent from Russia, based
on the interest of Armenia. Naturally, considering this prospect,
Russia cannot welcome any process that contains certain elements
of Armenian and Turkish dialogue deep inside. The vivid evidence to
this is the Russian and Georgian relation. It seems that Georgia is
causing tensions with foolish actions. In reality, those tensions
favor Russia because by cutting communication with Georgia it pushes
this country to look for ways out in cooperation with Turkey and
Azerbaijan, which leads to such projects as Kars-Akhalkalaki. Such
projects increase the isolation of Armenia from the world, in other
words, the dependence of Armenia on Russia.

ELECTION CAMPAIGN SHOW BECOMES MORE SPECTACULAR
By Marietta Khachatrian, translated by L.H.

AZG Armenian Daily
28/11/2007

Many things will become clear at the end of the last week of
November. We will eventually know whom Artashes Geghamian will
support. Or maybe he will nominate himself.

In these days we will be informed of the position of Raffi Hovhannisian
and "Jarangutiun" (Heritage). ARF (Dashnaktsutiun) will finally
announce his candidate.

Of course, there will be surprises, as Vazgen Manukian, Artashes
Geghamian, Raffi Hovhannisian, ARF, Artur Baghdasarian and
Aram Karapetian didn’t want to play in the black-white field
authorities-Levon Ter-Petrosian outlined by someone. Maybe it will
be finally thrown light on the image of Aram Karapetian.

Finally, Artur Baghdasarian position will be cleared up. Let’s count
– Aram Karapetian – one, Artur Baghdasarian – two, Vazgen Manukian
-three, ARF candidate – four, candidates of previous and present
authorities – five, six. Tigran Karapetian is also nominated – seven,
as the most alternative candidate.

Anyhow, after a week many things will be cleared up in this trade of
election campaign, as the deadline of nominations is December 6. Our
press is sick and tired of predictions – who with whom? After a week
or 10 days the business of the "analysts" will become easier.

Nevertheless, regardless of all of these, regardless of the number of
the candidates, which, by the way, should exceed number ten, otherwise
it will be a shame on us, taking into account our last experience,
the election campaign show has already started.

Representatives of the previous and present authorities have made
a big bonfire of candidates’ disputes and the sides put a lot of
firewood to make the show more spectacular.

Bonfire making was started by Levon Ter-Petrosian, and the present
authorities didn’t fall behind.

Others are also active. Samvel Babyan spoke and put his firewood in
the bonfire. Besides announcing their unification with Democratic
Liberal Party of Armenia (Ramkavar Azatakan) he also announced that
that time political figures committed a crime, as they didn’t want
to let them liberate the territories in Nagorno Karabakh. "I will
tell the names and surnames of the people, what kind of instructions
they issued, and what instructors they sent to Karabakh, Zangezur,
in order not to participate".

Of course he will tell, there is no doubt. This promise means "Show
must go on". Soon one will remember the poisonings of Masis and
will tell the names of the transgressors. The other will find the
initiators of Hambartsum Ghandilian’s murder and the third will show
the clients of October 27.

In a word, even before the basic campaign the two sides sling mud at
each other not even thinking a moment that the voters are expecting
from them something clever, even a promise to cure his/her wounds,
readiness to become a normal guarantor of his/her children’s future,
and not a dirty dispute.

They should not make the voters sick and tired of it, they should
stop and change their attitude. It first of all refers to Levon
Ter-Petrosian, who for the third time reads only blaming speeches,
not reaching to a conclusion of stopping it and speaking about what
to change, how to change, by what resources and what kind of economic
policy.

People every day can see the heated atmosphere and that in the disputes
the sides forget about the necessity of a civilized campaign, civilized
elections and a legitimate president. In this way we can only have a
society of hostility, though after the elections the small society of
this small country will continue live with its common life. The society
cannot be in hostility. If we continue like this, we will have if not
a political chaos, then a civil war in peoples’ souls, when we can
see red faces with hatred or meaningless eyes because of the dispute.

I am against to live in this kind of Armenia. It’s enough to slander
each other.

Now you should speak and think of the things how to make people’s
life better.

RELATIONS OF KARABAKH AND ARMENIA FOUNDATION SHOULD BE DISCUSSED PUBLICLY
Naira Hayrumyan

KarabakhOpen
29-11-2007 18:19:18

The tenth annual telethon which raised 15 million drams finished a
few days ago, and the Karabakh delegation has already returned home.

Different opinions were expressed about the telethon, from
optimistic to pessimistic. Along with cheerful exclamations about the
unprecedented sum concern was voiced that the dollar is depreciating so
fast that if converted this sum will have a lesser value than earlier.

Some people also said that control of spending and quality of work
is not strict enough. Special focus was on the topic of the debut
of Bako Sahakyan as president in the telethon: some people ascribe
this considerable outcome to his personality, others say it is no
confidence in the government of Arkady Ghukasyan.

The relations of Armenia Foundation and the government of Karabakh is a
separate topic. Over the past few years the ex-prime minister Anushavan
Danielyan and the leadership of the foundation have voiced accusations
against each other which were not discussed publicly but made think
that these two organizations were not getting on well. The reason
is not clear: it could be personal motives, competition for control,
unregulated relations, but this misunderstanding had a negative effect
on the work. For instance, they say one of the sections of North-South
has not been finished yet because the government of Karabakh and
the experts of the Foundation disagreed over the budget and other
technical matters.

Evidence to mutual "dislike" was that the Foundation did not have an
office in Karabakh for a long time, and has had no representative to
Karabakh. Only the director of Artsakh programs Michel Tancrez works
in Karabakh, but it is rather enthusiasm of a good man.

Another topic is, and it is almost already voiced, that this telethon
may be the last, and Armenia Foundation needs to invent new forms of
work. Firstly, the board of trustees will undergo changes which will
not affect the style of work. Secondly, time has changed, and it is
time to replace social programs by others, and the rural development
program probed for several years now should be made to comply with the
new conditions. Thirdly, the foundation has turned into a heavy and
sophisticated structure the decisions of which are hopelessly delayed,
and it may take the conclusion of 50 experts to modify a project.

The society needs distinct answers to all these questions. Nothing
is known about the rumored news conference of Bako Sahakyan during
which all these answers could be asked to him. However, the longer
backstage discussions within elite circles continue, the more
negativity accumulates around them.

These questions worry everyone, and everyone has the right to know
about them. The society dislikes the rule accepted by certain circles
to talk about patriotism but not problems. It is important to solve
problems unless they are voiced.

KARABAKH MEDIATORS GIVE "BASIC PRINCIPLES" TO AZERI, ARMENIAN MINISTERS

Turan News Agency
Nov 29 2007
Azerbaijan

International mediators have submitted the foreign ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia a list of "basic principles" on the resolution
of the long-running dispute over Nagornyy Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Ministry has said, according to Turan news agency.

Only one of the principles remain unagreed between the conflicting
sides, Foreign Ministry spokesman Xazar Ibrahim said, but did not
elaborate on that.

The mediators, who represent the USA, Russia and France, presented
the list of basic principles to Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and
Vardan Oskanyan of Armenia in Madrid on 29 November, the report said.

Ibrahim said the principles which have already been agreed upon
include withdrawal of occupying troops from Azerbaijani territories,
return of refugees to their homes, restoration of communications and
confidence-building measures between the conflicting sides.

Nagornyy Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of
Azerbaijan, broke away from the central government’s control after a
separatist war in the early 1990s. Now the region, along with a chunk
of Azerbaijani territory, is being controlled by ethnic-Armenian and
Armenian forces.

The region’s political status is the bone of contention between the
sides. While Azerbaijan is offering a high autonomy to the ethnic
Armenians living in Nagornyy Karabakh, Armenians are demanding either
independence or unification with Armenia.

Following the meeting in Madrid, Mammadyarov said that Nagornyy
Karabakh’s status was not subject to talks at the moment.

"Before discussing the issue of status, the occupied territories should
be vacated and the Azerbaijani population which lived in Karabakh
before the conflict should return to their homes, communications
should be restored and security should be ensured," APA news agency
quoted Mammadyarov as saying.

"It is impossible to resolve the issue of status without consent of
both the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Karabakh," he added.

TURKISH ELITE IS SERIOUSLY ANXIOUS ABOUT ARMENIAN CAUSE, RUBEN SAFRASTIAN CONSIDERS

Noyan Tapan
Nov 29, 2007

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 29, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian Cause once more became
a "headache" for the Turkish government, this issue is a key one the
Turkish elite is anxious about. Ruben Safrastian, the Director of the
Institute of Oriental Studies of the RA National Academy of Sciences,
expressed such an opinion at the November 29 round table.

The round table dedicated to reforms in public-political and economic
life of Turkey was organized by the Caucasian Media Institute with
the support of the Heinrich Boll Foundation and the Swiss Agency for
Development and Cooperation.

"The only possibility to expect from Turkey mitigation of its
position towards Armenia is Armenia’s concessions in recognition of
the Genocide," Safrastian mentioned.

Safrastian also said that at present Turkey is experiencing a
large and complicated process of transformation. In particular,
non-governmental organizations, including women’s movement, develop
considerably. Besides, a process of weakening of authoritarian model
of Turkish state is taking place. Thus, according to Safrastian,
a process of limitation of influence of servicemen in the Security
Council of that country has started. He expressed confidence that
Turkey will be able to get over the period connected with strengthening
of transformation processes.

HOPEFULLY ICG WILL MAKE EFFORTS FOR MANAGEMENT OF CRISES RATHER THAN THEIR ESCALATION

KarabakhOpen
03-12-2007 10:34:12

The NKR foreign ministry commented on the ICG report "Nagorno-Karabakh:
Risking War" issued on November 14, for the Demo Newspaper. According
to the NKR foreign ministry, the report is highly professional and
is based on considerable scientific, media and other literature on
the conflict, as well as interviews with the representatives of the
government of the conflict sides, experts and diplomats.

"Unfortunately, the report has also inherited the negative aspects of
the previous reports, namely the authors present the conflict as a
territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, downplaying the
role and importance of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the settlement
and reducing it to the level of an object of a territorial dispute,
saying nothing about the problems of Armenian refugees and the occupied
territories of NKR (Shahumyan, part of Martakert and Martuni regions),
blaming the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides equally," runs the comment
of the foreign ministry.

According to the ministry, the report intentionally ignored most
important issues, approaches and goals of NKR toward the settlement of
the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict. Appearing when the Prague process
has reached a deadlock, the report urges Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign
framework agreements without NKR, despite disagreement on key issues,
persuades the sides of the conflict, namely Armenia and NKR that the
alternative to this decision is war, and says the plan proposed by
the OSCE Minsk Group is the best option, based on compromise.

According to the foreign ministry, the ICG presents the idea of
granting status of NKR in distant future as a positive factor and a
compromise to Nagorno-Karabakh, at the same time ignoring the fact
that the status of NKR as an independent state has already been
determined, and the determination of status is the indivisible right
of the people of NKR and no one else’s. In addition, the authors of
the report on Kosovo issued on August 21 say any delay of granting
independence to Kosovo means frustration of the expectations of
people living there. "The ICG report on Nagorno-Karabakh ignores
the logic and principles applied to the settlement of Kosovo. The
ICG reports on Kosovo distinctly state the necessity for recognition
of the independence of Kosovo as soon as possible," the comment of
the foreign ministry runs. According to the foreign ministry, NKR is
interested in argumentation in favor of the independence of Kosovo:
the conflict has been protracted, there is no point in waiting any more
when the parties cannot even approach a compromise. Kosovo defies delay
because if protracted the problem will escalate, and independence is
the best option for the prevention of escalation. It is also applicable
to the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict, the NKR foreign ministry holds.

The report focuses on the risk of war. The authors acknowledge that
Azerbaijan poses threat to peace in the region. Nevertheless, they
offer a resolution based on unilateral compromise on behalf of NKR,
namely withdrawal from territories and agreement to hold a referendum
in future.

"In addition, the authors of the report think the referendum should
give "Baku a sense of security the referendum will not necessarily
result in Karabakh’s secession and Armenians some reason to believe
Karabakh independence is a real possibility." This makes think that the
authors fail to realize the responsibility of people and structures
willing to make mediation efforts. The proposal of the ICG to force
through the negotiations in detriment to the security of NKR in the
absence of mechanisms of prevention of the conflict may well lead
to escalation.

We would like to hope that the ICG will make efforts for management
of crises rather than their escalation," the foreign ministry states.