Author: Vasilian Manouk

THE INSURANCE SETTLEMENT OF THE HEIRS OF 1915 ARMENIAN VICTIMS CONTINUES
By Melanya Badalian

AZG Armenian Daily
26/06/2007

Armenian-American attorneys Vardgez Eghiayan, Mark Geragos and Brian
Kabatech, filed a suit against New York Life Insurance Co. in 1999. The
long-running suit was settled for $20 million – a compensation for
the descendants of Armenian victims in 1915.

Now they carry negotiations with French "Axa" company, which agreed
to compensate $17, 5 million to the heirs of the Armenian victims of
the 1915 massacres. $3 million of it will be given to the Armenian
organizations in France.

"Axa" beneficiaries can check their names in
website list until October, 2007.

On May the Armenian-American attorneys will visit Berlin to meet
the representatives of "Deutsche bank", who don’t agree with them on
this issue.

According to French newspaper "Yaraj", the reason is in one-century
silence of Germany on the 1915 Genocide, its fault for it and also
the pressure that Turkey applies.

According to the newspaper this time the pressure is bigger than in
the case of New York Life Insurance Co.

An appeal was filed against another German bank "Drezdner", which is
considered as an appropriator of the sums of Armenian depositors. The
Armenians deposited different valuable things in the cashboxes of
the bank. Thousands of Armenians, who worked on the construction of
Berlin-Baghdad railway, made payments before they were driven away
to Der Zor Desert or just murdered there.

"Deutsche bank" was the general investor and tax-farmer of the
construction of Berlin-Baghdad railway.

The evasion of "Deutsche bank" makes the attorneys to schedule meetings
with the officials of the Ministry of Finance of Germany.

"Yaraj" informs that there is no limitation of time on the persecution
of bank accounts, but the last date for the kept property in the
cashboxes is 2016.

The American attorneys said that "Deutsche bank" is not the last
organization in their mission; they are going to pursue this issue
against 20 other organizations.

68 DELEGATES FROM 4 COUNTRIES TAKE PART IN SECOND INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CHESS TOURNAMENT HELD IN JERMUK

Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 200

JERMUK, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The second international youth chess
tournament started in Jermuk on June 25 and 68 chess players from
Belarus, Russia, France, and Armenia are taking part. They are divided
into three age groups (10, 14, and 18). The tournament will finish
on July 4.

UNICOMP INCREASES PRODUCTION OF NOTEBOOKS IN 2007

Noyan Tapan
Jun 25 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 25, NOYAN TAPAN. According to official statistics,
927 computers were produced in Armenia in January-April 2007 against
565 ones in the same period of 2006. Two companies are engaged in
sertified activity of mass assembly, testing and sale of computers in
Armenia. One of these companies – Unicomp started producing noteooks
in July 2004. In the words of Armen Baldrian, director general of
the company, in 2005-2006, 30-40 notebooks were sold a month, while
in 2007, 50-60 are sold monthly.

According to him, an increase in sales of notebooks has been registered
around the world, and in many developed countries, thier sales exceed
sales of usual personal computers. This is conditioned by the fact
that technical parameters of notebooks are not inferior (and even
better in some cases) to those of usual computers. On the other hand,
many settlements have been covered with wireless telecommunication
networks, which facilitates the use of notebooks.

A. Baldrian said that wireless networks are widespread in Yerevan
where there are places with 7-8 providers offering wireless Internet
connection.

At the same time, in his opinion, the organizational level is not high
in this market. "Being a subscriber of a network, we cannot work in
another, and the reason is the absence of connection among channels
of some networks," A. Baldrain noted.

He added that starting from 2008, Unicomp will produce notebooks with
devices allowing to connect not only to Wi-Fi but also Wimax networks,
which will promote the use of these computers.

ITALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SUPPORTS TURKEY IN EU, CAUTIONS ON CROSS BORDER OPERATION

New Anatolian, Turkey
June 14 2007

Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema
says he strongly supports Turkey’s European Union membership but also
cautions Turkey against undertaking any cross border operation into
Iraq that will destabilize the northern Kurdish regions.

D’Alema first reaffirmed Italy’s support to Turkey’s EU membership
during his meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan
on Tuesday. D’Alema also indicated that the United Nations is the
right platform for finding a solution to the Cyprus problem.

D’Alema also urged the government to refrain from cross-border
incursions into Iraq.

Instead, D’Alema urged Turkish officials to work with the Iraqi
government and leaders in Iraqi Kurdistan on denying a safe haven to
the PKK.

On Wednesday D’Alema was received by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer,
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and
also met with main opposition leader Deniz Baykal.

D’Alema said he had chance to discuss relations between Italy and
Turkey with Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Baykal. He said
they also had chance to discuss the problems of the left as two
politicians who have similar political views.

The visiting minister met with Arinc at the Parliament. During the
meeting, Arinc thanked D’Alema for Italy’s and Italian government’s
determined support to Turkey’s EU process. "Turkey has strong support
of Italy in its EU process," Arinc said.

Meanwhile, D’Alema said that his visit aimed at extending support to
Turkey prior to the parliamentary elections.

D’Alema said that the role undertaken by Turkey in its region should
be appreciated.

Referring to recent acts of terror in Turkey, D’Alema said that
contribution of whole international community terrorism was essential
in the international fight against terrorism. He stressed that the EU
could be beneficial for Turkey, but in fact Europe needed Turkey more.

At a joint press conference Foreign Minister Gul lauded Turkish-Italian
relations and said the two countries "strongly agree on issues."

"There is great harmony between Turkey and Italy on political
matters. Italy has extended strong support to our EU membership bid
since the beginning, and we are pleased to see that this support will
continue," Gul said.

Turkey and Italy are in close cooperation within NATO, UN and other
international organizations, he explained.

He said Italy’s contributions to the Turkish economy are
satisfactory. "Italy is Turkey’s number three trade partner. There
are 500 Italian companies operating in Turkey in all fields. Italian
companies are involved in the energy sector in a very strong manner.

Trade volume between Turkey and Italy exceeded 12 billion euro last
year while he forecast it to reach 15 billion euros this year."

Gul also said that Turkish and Italian companies have close cooperation
in energy, and recalled that two countries are cooperating in
projects like Blue Stream (natural gas), Samsun-Ceyhan (crude oil),
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (crude oil).

D’Alema on his part lauded Turkey as good partner and said he
thanks Turkish leaders for receiving him as they are so busy with an
elections campaign.

D’Alema said that Italy continues to support Turkey’s EU membership
bid, and noted that his country will work to launch negotiations with
Turkey on three new chapters before Germany hands over the rotating
presidency of the EU (at the beginning of July) to Portugal.

D’Alema stated that Cyprus problem should be solved under the umbrella
of the UN, and Italy, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security
Council, exerts efforts to this end. Underlining importance of
resumption of talks between the two sides in the island, the Italian
foreign minister said that this will also contribute to Turkey’s EU
membership bid.

D’Alema stated that Italy wants stability to be ensured in Iraq
and works to this end. He argued Turkey should avoid a cross-border
offensive into Iraq and urged Baghdad to cooperate with its neighbor
against Iraq-based guerrillas, saying, "Italy is for territorial
integrity of Iraq and wishes that Iraq will cooperate with its
neighbors in fight against terrorism."

"In general, I am against cross-border offensives. It is of benefit
to no one to create an environment of more tensions," he said. "We
expect Iraq to cooperate with its neighbors in the struggle against
terrorism. It is more useful and effective to seek dialogue and
cooperation in the struggle against terrorism."

The Italian foreign minister expressed deep sorrow over recent
terrorist attacks on civilian people and security forces in Turkey
while recalled that Italy and the EU want Turkey to improve human
rights and fundamental freedoms. "But these demands do never justify
attempts of some circles to gain their rights by means of terrorism,"
he added.

Terrorist leader Abdullah Ocalan

D’Alema said he does not feel himself guilty for his decision regarding
head terrorist Abdullah Ocalan, when he was the prime minister of
Italy (in 1998). "It was not possible under Italian laws to extradite
Ocalan to Turkey since there was death penalty in Turkey those days,"
D’Alema told.

"When I think of that day, I do not feel myself guilty (of this
decision) since it was in line with the provisions of the Italian
Constitution. Secondly, all politicians have to obey the provisions
of the Constitution. Turkey abolished death penalty two years later.

And, this pleased us," D’Alema said.

Commenting on the claims that some weapons used by the terrorist
organization PKK in terrorist attacks were brought from Europe, and
mines were brought from Italy, D’Alema said "It is possible that some
of the weapons used may be Italian-made. Because, there were weapons
sent to Iraq long years ago and therefore there may be Italian weapons
among them. But if some sales are made, I don’t think they are made
in recent years."

D’Alema added that there have been firm controls in Italy for some
time to prevent sale of weapons to terrorist organizations.

Italy ‘vigilant and if necessary critical’ ally of Turkey

Italian foreign minister Massimo D’Alema has described his country
as a "vigilant" but if necessary "critical" ally of Turkey in its
attempts to join the European Union.

D’Alema who was in Ankara on Wednesday made the remarks in a letter
he wrote to the editor-in-chief of the Italian business daily,
Il Sole 24 Ore. "We have the ambition to propose ourselves as an
attentive interlocutor with Turkey, as a partner that strengthened by
a hard-won credibility, can maintain an intense dialogue – vigilant
and if necessary critical – to support Turkey in its integration into
Europe," D’Alema wrote in the letter.

"Europe does not ‘export’ democracy, with all the risks and
uncertainties that entails, but it tends to generate or consolidate
the indigenous democratic components of the countries that adhere or
aspire to adhere to the European Union," the Italian foreign minister
wrote in his letter to editor-in-chief Ferruccio De Bortoli.

Turkey’s membership process would be evaluated on the basis of
"specific and as yet unresolved issues, such as freedom of expression
and religion, the still awaited solution to relations with Cyprus,
the ‘Kurdish issue’ and relations with Armenia," D’Alema added in
the letter.

ARMENIAN JOURNALIST SUES RFE/RL IN PRAGUE OVER DISMISSAL – PRESS

Czech Happenings, Czech Republic
Author: ÈTK 57527
June 14 2007

Prague- Czech courts will probably deal with the alleged discrimination
against some employees of the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio
Liberty (RFE/RL) seated in Prague, the daily Lidove noviny (LN)
writes, referring to the case of Armenian reporter Anna Karapetian
who complaints against her dismissal from the radio after 12 years.

Karapetian claims that the notice is invalid and wants the employer
to annul it, LN adds.

RFE/RL refused to comment on the case.

The RFE/RL employees who do not come either from the United States or
the Czech Republic have problems with defending their rights. While
Czechs can rely on the Labour Code, disputes with U.S. employees
are solved by the Washington-seated Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission.

But foreign employees from the third countries have no institution
to turn to with labour disputes. They sign contracts with RFE/RL on
the basis of U.S. laws but they have not right for the U.S. Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission to deal with their cases, LN writes.

Czech courts had ruled in the case of another employee that the RFE/RL
can sign contracts with foreigners on the basis of U.S. law.

This actually means that foreigners working in the Czech Republic
can be deprived of the employees’ rights guaranteed for Czech citizens.

The defence counsel of this female employee, who requested anonymity,
has filed a recourse with the Supreme Court and his client is prepared
to turn to the Constitutional Court. Karapetian says she is willing
to do the same, LN notes.

LN commentator Martin Zverina writes in today’s issue of the paper
that the practice in the RFE/RL concerning its different approach to
employees is at variance with the radio station’s ideals.

"Prague’s office of the Radio Free Europe promising to promote the
ideas of freedom, democracy and law is behaving as an employer as
if the proclaimed principles should apply ‘only’ to the whole world,
but not inside this respected institution," Zverina says.

He adds that the radio employees are divided into three "castes"
– Americans, Czechs and those from the third countries who "enjoy"
no protection.

The radio management grossly abuses this situation and treats such
employees like "a colonial power treated natives with no rights,"
Zverina says.

It is also strange, if not even alarming that Czech courts consider
this practice correct. It will be interesting to watch the higher-level
court’s stance on these cases as in relation to the possible stationing
of a U.S. radar defence base on Czech territory, the Czech Republic
should clearly prevent such practice, Zverina writes in LN.

–Boundary_(ID_YRx+ZZpRNcXy0Clf3G4oXA)–

6 CANDIDATES NOMINATED FOR ARARAT MAYOR’S ELECTIONS TO BE HELD ON JULY 1

Noyan Tapan
Jun 12 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Regular elections of Mayor will be
held on July 1 in the city of Ararat. Six candidates are nominated:
Hakob Tovmasian (2001 Mayor, RPA member), Gagik Gasparian (Chairman of
City Council in 1990-1996, Mayor in 1996-2001, non-partisan), Abraham
Babayan (head of Ararat network of Araks branch of Armenian Electric
Networks CJSC, member of Yerkrapah Volunteers Union), Hayk Haykian
(lecturer at Ararat’s industrial-pedagogical college, ARFD member),
Karen Khachatrian (BH member), Grigor Avetisian (ARFD member).

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
June 8 2007

Biography of Ishkhan Zakaryan, Vice President of the National
Assembly of the Republic of Armenia

He was born on October 21, 1961 in the village Zovashen of Ararat
marz.

In 1979 he finished the secondary school in Byuravan with a gold
medal.

In 1984 he graduated from the Faculty for the History of the YSU with
excellence and worked in Yerevan city Department of the company
Gitelik/Knowledge as an organizer of lectures.

In 1989 – 1990 worked as a secretary of the Young Communists of the
Spandarian district committee.

In 1990-1993 he was the Deputy Chairman of the Youth Union of
Armenia.

In 1993 he was appointed as a deputy head on Youth Affairs of the
Department of the National Committee of Physical Education, Sports
and Youth Affairs adjunct to the RA Government.

In July 1995 he was elected as a deputy of the National Assembly. He
was a member of the Standing Committee on Defense, National Security
and Internal Affairs of the National Assembly.

In 1997 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Culture and Youth Affairs
of the Republic of Armenia.

In2000-2004 he was the President of the National Olympic Committee of
Armenia.

In 2003-2007 he worked as a Chairman of the National Committee of
Physical Education and Sports adjunct to the RA Government.

He was awarded with a Movses Khorenatsi Medal and an Order of Honour
by the Association of the International Olympic Committee.

He is a member of the political council of the Bargavach Hayastan
(Prosperous Armenia) party.

On May 12, 2007 he was elected as a deputy of the National Assembly
from the PAP proportional electoral list.

On June 7, 2007 he was elected Vice President of the National
Assembly.

He is married and has three children.

"HEALTHCARE AND PHARMACY EXPO 2007" SIXTH INTERNATIONAL SPECIALIZED EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON JUN 29 – JUL 1 2007

Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 7 2007

YEREVAN, June 6. /ARKA/. Healthcare and Pharmacy EXPO 2007 sixth
international specialized exhibition is to be held in Yerevan on June
29 – July 1 2007.

"The exhibition is to cover the main fields of activities in the
sphere providing an excellent opportunity to all participants and
visitors to get familiar with recent technologies in medicine and
establish new business contacts during three days," reported the
LOGOS EXPO Center that holds the event.

The main topics within the exhibition are preventive medicine,
clinical medicine, stomatology, pharmacy, diagnostics, maternity and
childhood, medical and laboratory equipments, hygiene and treatment
with mineral waters.

Among the participants of the exhibition are major medical centers,
pharmaceutical companies, producers and suppliers of medical equipment
both for local and foreign companies.

LOGOS EXPO Center is the first exhibition company in Armenia (1999)
and is the leader in organizing tradeshows, national and international
exhibitions and congresses in Armenian and abroad.

During the last 6 years LOGOS EXPO Center organized over 72 specialized
and international exhibitions in various economic sectors.

ARMENIA BEATS POLAND 1-0 IN EURO 2008 QUALIFYING

International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
June 6 2007

YEREVAN, Armenia: Armenia upset Poland 1-0 Wednesday in a European
Championship qualifying match, with Hamlet Mkhitaryan scoring the
winning goal.

Mkhitaryan scored from a free kick in the 66th minute, curling the
ball over the wall and into the top right corner of the net.

Poland dominated the game and outshot the hosts 5-0 in the first half.

Armenia goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov blocked Marek Saganowski’s shots
in the 26th and 28th minutes and stopped Marcin Wasilewski’s free
kick a minute later.

Arman Karamyan nearly made it 2-0 on a solo effort down the right
flank in the 45th. Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc failed to block his
shot and defender Grzegorz Bronowicki clear the ball from the line.

Poland remained at the top of Group A with 19 points after nine
games. Armenia has seven.

___

Lineups:

Armenia: Gevorg Kasparov, Sargis Hovsepyan, Robert Arzumanyan (Levon
Pachajyan, 83), Aleksander Tadevosyan, Aghvan Lazarian, Vahagn
Minasyan, Artur Voskanyan, Ararat Arakelyan, Yeghishe Melikyan, Hamlet
Mkhitaryan (Arman Karamyan, 74), Armen Shahgeldyan (Aram Hakobyan, 46).

Poland: Artur Boruc, Dariusz Dudka, Grzegorz Bronowicki, Jacek Bak
(Radoslaw Sobolewski, 65), Euzebiusz Smolarek (Maciej Zurawski, 60),
Jacek Krzynowek, Marek Saganowski, Marcin Wasilewski, Michal Zewlakow,
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Jakub Blaszczykowski, 60), Mariusz Lewandowski.

ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE LEADS TO DISASTER
by Alexei Nikolayev
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: Novye Izvestia, June 7, 2007, p. 2
Agency WPS
What the Papers Say Part B (Russia)
June 7, 2007 Thursday

Congress of the Caucasus Peoples pledges to fight extremism; The
Congress of the Caucasus Peoples was convened by activists from
Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachaevo-Cherkessia,
North Ossetia, Chechnya, Adygea and representatives of the Armenian,
Azeri, and Georgian diasporas. It will promote integration of people
from the Caucasus.

The Congress of the Caucasus Peoples was convened by activists from
Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, North
Ossetia, Chechnya, Adygea and representatives of the Armenian, Azeri,
and Georgian diasporas. The congress is expected to promote integration
of people from the Caucasus into life elsewhere in Russia. It is also
seen as a means of fighting extremism and bigotry.

"Russia is the motherland of a great many different peoples," said
Aslambek Paskachev, Congress chairman and director of the Research
Center for Tax System Development. "That is why we maintain that ethnic
and religious intolerance is unacceptable. It is a road leading to
cataclysms, disintegration of Russia, and a disaster for everyone
in Russia."

The organization intends to address social problems of the Caucasus
and Russia in general. Its activists claim they have already drafted
a number of documents that will "alleviate ethnic tension fomented
by the so-called Caucasus factor in Russian society."

"Some politicians refuse to recognize the fact that anti-Caucasus
trends are deeply rooted in Russian society," an insider said.

Encroachment on civil and labor rights, and administrative abuses with
regard to individuals’ regional or ethnic origin, are practically
the norm in some Russian regions – and this practice foments ethnic
tension. "We will fight xenophobic propaganda in the media and attempts
from abroad to split society into ethnic and religious fragments,"
Paskachev said. "No amount of revenues from exporting oil – or
diamonds, gold, timber, or anything else – can save us from social
disturbances if the authorities don’t listen to the people."

The Congress hopes to set in motion some projects that will hopefully
solve the problem of mass unemployment in the Caucasus and do away with
vestiges of extremism and separatism." The idea is to move part of
the population to Siberia and the Russian Far East. "We are prepared
to select personnel in the Caucasus for regional and federal program
of Siberia and Far East development," Paskachev said. "We intend as
well to ask the republican authorities and their missions in Moscow to
draw up and put into motion small businesses development programs. The
region as such should be made more attractive to investors. This
would create jobs."