Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

FASSIER: “NK CONFLICT CAN BE SOLVED IN A WAY THAT SATISFIES THE SIDES 80%”

Today, Azerbaijan
April 12 2006

Bernard Fassier, French co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group said at the
press conference in Baku today that the co-chairs intend to continue
the Prague process in an intensive way as it was in the previous year.

The co-chair reminded the statistics of the meetings held last year.

He said that the co-chairs met with Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign
Ministers for 12 times and visited the region for three times in
2005. OSCE Fact-Finding Mission investigated illegal settling in the
occupied territories, met with one President for seven times and
with the other for eight times and organized two meetings between
the Presidents.

“The objective of the all meetings was to determine main principles
of peace agreement. The talks at Rambouillet were to increase the
number of agreements. Regrettably, the Presidents could not reach a
consensus on main principles,” Fassier said.

The Minsk Group co-chair stressed both sides are responsible for the
failure. He said he shares the opinion “there should be a peace that
satisfies both sides” voiced by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev
during his talks with him.

Fassier also said that he will visit Yerevan tomorrow and the co-chairs
will meet in Moscow following that. American co-chair Steven Mann
and Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov will visit the region by the
end of April. He also said the co-chairs might pay a joint visit to
the region by the end of April.

“The co-chairs will meet in Moscow in May to consult together on
the talks held in April, and to determine the base of future peace
agreement and will visit the region in May. The objective of the visit
is to organize the meeting of the Presidents,” the co-chair reported.

Bernard Fassier hopes the co-chairs will be able to make both
Presidents agree to the meeting. The French diplomat thinks there exist
opportunities to achieve improvements. Admitting that decisions will
be very difficult, the co-chair underlined that there is no peace
agreement that can meet interests of both sides 100 percent.

“However, there is a way out that can satisfy both sides 80 percent,”
he emphasized.

Fassier reiterated that war is not the solution way.

Commenting on the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s new proposal
to Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers, the co-chair said that
the new proposal has not been made by the United States only.

“Condoleezza Rice conveyed opinions shared by the three co-chairing
countries,” he concluded.

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DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER OF ARMENIA AND AMBASSADOR OF HUNGARY MENTION NECESSITY OF COMPLETING LEGAL-CONTRACTUAL FIELD OF BILATERAL COOPERATION

Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Arpad Szekely, the newly appointed
Ambassador of Hungary to Armenia (residence in Moscow) handed on
April 11 copies of his credentials to Armen Bayburdian, the Deputy
Foreign Minister of Armenia.

Congratulating the guests on the occasion of appointment, A.Bayburdian
wished the Ambassador success in his responsible mission. During
the conversation the sides touched upon issues of bilateral
cooperation. The necessity of completing the legal-contractual field,
purposefulness of organizing visits at high level as well as holding
of consultations among the Foreign Ministries were bilaterally
mentioned. The Ambassador presented briefly the situation created
after the parliamentary elections held two days before in Hungary as
well as the Hungarian experience of Eurointegration. The RA Foreign
Ministry’s Press and Information Department submitted to Noyan Tapan
the Hungarian Ambassador’s brief biographic data. Arpad Szekely was
born in 1957 in the Hungarian city of Miskolc. In 1976 he graduated
from the Physics Department of the Foldes Ferenc Grammar School
of Miskolc. In 1976-1981 he studied at the International Journalism
Department of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. In
1981 he started work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary. In
1984-1989 he worked at the Embassy of Hungary to Germany. In 1990-1992
he worked as the Prime Minister’s Personal Assistant for Inner Policy
and Trade. In 1990 he was the representative of the Hungarian part
of the Hungarian-Bavarian Intergovernmental Council. In 2005 he was
appointed the Ambassador of Hungary to Russia. He knows Russian,
English, French. Married, has three children.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENTREPRENEURSHIP GRANT PROGRAM TO BE IMPLEMENTED FROM MAY

Noyan Tapan
Apr 11 2006

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN. Starting May 1, a one-year
Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Grant Program (STEP)
will be implemented by the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF)
jointly with the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation
(CRDF). EIF Director Bagrat Engibarian stated this during the April
11 press conference. According to him, the grants will be provided to
those groups engaged in applied sciences that will submit the best
proposals for cooperation with US partners. Under the program, the
Armenian scientists will receive advisory assistance on development
of business programs, licensing of intellectual property objects,
and technology examination. Besides, the scientists will be provided
advice on how to enhance the capacities of establishing links with
enterprises in other sectors of the economy. EIF Director noted that in
case of availability of a contract on scientific developments between
a scientific group and an enterprise, the scientific group will be
allocated a grant in the amount of 50 thousand dollars. Scientific
groups or scientists will be allocated grants in the amount of 3-5
thousand dollars for realization of new development ideas. In the words
of B. Engibarian, it is envisaged that the grant component of STEP
will also be financed by some donor organizations in Armenia. He said
that the joint grant program of the EIF and the CRDF will be followed
by a venture conference, after which financing of the scientific
developments programs from a joint venture fund of the EIF and the
Cafesjian Family Foundation will start. The venture fund’s capital
makes 1 mln USD.

ARMENIAN YOUTH DOES NOT REFUSE TO PRESENT LAND DEMANDS TO TURKEY, TURKISH NEWSPAPER WRITES

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 11 2006

ISTANBUL, APRIL 11, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The most part
of young people of Armenia does not want to refuse to present land
demands to Turkey.

The Turkish “Milliet” daily informs about this, quoting results of
the sociological survey held in Armenia. According to the Istanbul
“Marmara” daily, “Milliet” wrote that in the opinion of the 90%
of young people participated in the sociological survey, Turkey’s
recognition of the Armenian Genocide and that country’s returning
the captured Armenian lands is a condition for establishment of
normal relations between those two countries. Only the 4% of those
participating in the survey considered possible establishment
of relations between the two countries without implementation of
conditions. In the opinion of the 91% of those surveyed, establishment
of normal relations with Azerbaijan is not possible without solution
of the Karabakh issue.

CUT & PASTE: DON’T FORGET THAT JAPAN IS OUR BEST FRIEND IN ASIA

The Australian, Australia
April 11 2006

Former West Australian premier Geoff Gallop, in an address at
Murdoch University in Perth last week OUR growing links to China
and India [should be] put into the context of our long-term and
still developing partnerships with Japan. In all of our thinking
about Asian engagement we cannot ignore the strength of our links
to Japan. We share democratic values, face similar demographic and
social challenges, and have many interests in common in respect of
regional and international issues.

Let me take you back to the 1990s when Japan was in a protracted slump
and many questioned its ability to reform and revive. All through that
period Japan remained our major export market, with exports growing
by 44 per cent, and we worked together to ensure that the Asia-Pacific
[Economic] Co-operation [forum] was given a good start.

It has not just been a case of co-operation between the national
governments of Australia and Japan.

Each state of Australia has an active sister-state relationship
with a Japanese prefecture. There are 99 sister-city links and 369
partnerships involving higher education institutions. About 300,000
young Australians are learning Japanese today.

Add to that the 44 Japan-Australia societies in Japan and 15
counterpart associations in Australia, and you can begin to comprehend
the strength of the people-to-people links.

Deep beneath the surface of the high-level political relationships, a
level of trust and understanding has been built up and new directions
for the Australia-Japan partnership explored. This is an invaluable
asset and it is not surprising, then, that there has been an important
deepening and broadening of the trade and investment relationship…

All too often we hear Australia’s leaders using the distinction between
history (European) and geography (Asian) to describe our position in
the world. It is as if we are on the outside looking in, interested
but not really committed. This has led to mixed signals being sent
about our belief in regional participation and co-operation, and has
fed the assumptions of those who want to exclude Australia on the
basis of Asian values.

Japan is a country that supports Australian participation. In his
visionary speech delivered in Singapore in 2002, Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi outlined his conception of East Asia. He spoke
of an East Asian community, including Australia and New Zealand,
that sought harmony despite the diversity of historical, cultural
and ethnic traditions, and one that would not be exclusive but open
to those outside the region, most notably the US and India.

Australia was initially lukewarm about the idea but eventually came
to the party and the first East Asian summit was held in Kuala Lumpur
last December. Although incremental, this is a first move towards
consolidation within the Asian community … To be cynical and
half-hearted about genuine Asian engagement would be to let down our
people and take a risk with the future that we simply cannot afford.

William Pfaff, in the International Herald Tribune, on a welcome and
long-overdue debate about the Israel lobby:

THE note of panic in some of the attacks on distinguished US academics
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt [who discuss the Israeli lobby’s
effect on US foreign policy] contrasts with the fact that what they
say is no secret in American foreign policy circles. People have for
years taken for granted the informal censorship, or self-censorship,
exercised in the government and the press on this issue. It is a
fact of democratic life in the US that determined interest groups
annex their own spheres of federal policy. Energy policy is run by
the oil companies, and trade policy by manufacturers, exporters and
importers, with an input from Wall Street. US Cuba policy is decided
by the Cuban lobby in Florida and policy on Armenia by Americans
of Armenian descent. The Middle East, or at least its part of it,
belongs to Israel.

However, in the Israeli case, the lobbying effort is linked to a
foreign government, even if the lobbyists sometimes take a policy line
not that of the government. Moreover, the lobbying involves issues of
war and peace. US President George W. Bush said a few days ago that,
in connection with the supposed threat of Iran, his concern is to
protect Israel. Critics ask why Israel should not protect itself. The
same has been asked about Iraq.

In this respect, the controversy over the Israeli lobby is potentially
explosive. This is why denials, secrecy and efforts at intimidation
are dangerous. David Levy, a former adviser to [former Israeli prime
minister] Ehud Barak, is right when he says that Israel itself would
be served “if the open and critical debate that takes place over here
[in Israel] were exported over there”, meaning the US.

ALIYEV TO DISCUSS KARABAKH ISSUE IN US

PanARMENIAN.Net
12.04.2006 00:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the
United States scheduled for 28 April has long been planned. During
the visit, bilateral issues between the two countries will be
discussed,” Ali Hasanov, head of the Presidential Administration
social and political department told journalists. Mr. Hasanov said
that President Aliyev will have talks with US President George Bush,
State Secretary Condoleezza Rice and OSCE MG American co-chair Steven
Mann. The Nagorno Karabakh issue and relations with Iran will be in
focus of the meetings, Hasanov said.

Hasanov also criticized the OSCE MG activities. “If Russia, France,
US shut their eyes on “Armenia’s aggression” the OSCE Minsk Group
is pointless institution then. It is natural that the United States
does not want the war to break out in the South Caucasus, neither
do we. We do not want our oil revenues to be spent on war. However,
for the sake of liberation of our territories we’ll mobilize not only
oil revenues but also family incomes. It is important to put pressure
on Armenia to prevent war,” Hasanov remarked.

The head of the department does not think that the Azerbaijan-US talks
will also focus on Iran issue. He said Iran and US will decide their
relations themselves. “This issue concerns these two countries.

We have relations with the US as well as with Iran.

Our citizens keep in touch with Iran,” he concluded, APA reports.

UN SYMBOLE DE L’AMITIE FRANCO-ARMENIENNE
par Charmot Francois

Paris-Normandie , France
10 avril 2006

Vendredi en fin d’après-midi, le depute-maire Jean-Louis Debre et
Edvard Nal Bandian, ambassadeur d’Armenie, ont plante un abricotier
dans le parc Francois-Mitterrand.

Entoures de nombreuses personnalites, parmi lesquelles le prefet et
le depute Jean-Pierre Nicolas, les deux hommes, qui ont aussi devoile
une plaque destinee a commemorer l’evenement, ont, l’un et l’autre,
rappele l’amitie qui unissait nos deux pays et nos deux peuples.

Une amitie qu’il convenait de materialiser de manière durable, en
cette annee de l’Armenie en France.

–Boundary_(ID_AU3NerCcEZQl3xQEyDnyww)–

THE DEPUTY DID NOT ORGANISE AN ENCROACHMENT

A1+
[03:27 pm] 11 April, 2006

Today the Armavir deputy Nahapet Gevorgyan who rarely appears
in the Parliament was present in the session after a long
absence. According to the data of the mass media the latter is
suspected in the organization of encroachment on the Chairman of
the “Erkrapah-Kamavor Alliance” (“Alliance of Volunteer-Defenders”)
of Armavir Rustam Gasparyan.

Let us remind you that Rustam Gasparyan was taken to hospital
with serious bodily injuries. There are certain versions on their
hostility; some sources say that they had business affairs with
each other and their conflict is connected with the so-called market
“Sadakhlu.” Others say that Rustam Gasparyan is going to the Parliament
but their territory already has a deputy – Nahapet Gevorgyan.

Today answering the question of the correspondent of “A1+” Nahapet
Gevorgyan refuted the accusations addressed to him and said, “I have no
connection with the encroachment, and all the accusations are false.”

Asked why he doesn’t sue the people spreading such rumors he answered,
“I am not inclined to such things.

Everything is aspersion; I have nothing in common with it.”

While answering the question of “Aravot” newspaper whether he ever
had any problems with Rustam Gasparyan the deputy said, “No, never.”

VELTI RAISING £10M FOR EXPANSION IN BALKANS AND TURKEY
By Maija Palmer,IT Correspondent

FT
April 10 2006 03:00

Velti, the Greek mobile phone technology company, will on Monday
announce plans to list on London’s Aim in a move expected to raise
£10m in new money and value the company at up to £35m.

The company, whose financial backers include Nicholas Negroponte, the
founder of the MIT Media Lab, is planning to use the funds to increase
its presence in the Balkan and Turkish telecommunications markets.

Velti provides software and services that allow mobile phone operators
– including Vodafone Greece – to track and manage the content that
their subscribers access. It also provides technology for media
companies wanting to offer content or run promotions over the mobile
phone network. Velti currently works with mobile phone operators
and content companies in Greece, Turkey, Armenia and Cyprus but is
planning to expand its business into Romania and Bulgaria as well as
deepening its penetration in Turkey.

Alexandros Moukas, chief executive, said it was an optimal time to
enter these markets.

Mobile phone penetration in the Balkans is still about 60 per cent,
lower than levels in the rest of Europe, but growing quickly.

Both Vodafone and OTE, the Greek mobile phone operator, have signalled
plans to expand in the region.

Velti, which was founded in 2000 and employs 90 people, has seen
recent strong growth. Revenue rose 31 per cent to â~B¬4.9m (£3.4m)
in 2005 while pre-tax profit jumped from â~B¬29,000 to â~B¬1.1m.

–Boundary_(ID_b9+Tt/Iu/Zf1W6ILC/vvNw)- –

Today, Azerbaijan
April 8 2006

Defense Ministry: “Rumors about order of mobilization in Azerbaijan
are not true”

08 April 2006 [08:01] – Today.Az

“Some TV channels and newspapers aim at generating public excitement
by having recently spread reports that mobilization has been ordered
in Azerbaijan, and military units in home front have been dislocated
to battle field,” Defense Ministry spokesman, major Ilgar Verdiyev,
stated.

As APA reports, he said that ratification of the bill on mobilization
by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief did not mean the start of
mobilization. This law existed in all countries worldwide, including
the former Soviet countries.

“However, some aims to cause public panic. Mobilization is ordered by
the Supreme Commander-in-Chief,” the Defense Ministry spokesman said.

Major Verdiyev also commented on dislocation of military units in
Armenia-Azerbaijan frontline and sending of soldiers drafted in April
to the battle field directly. He said that military units and
equipment could be dislocated in any place in the country and it’s a
regular process.

“As coming to send new draftees directly to the frontline, it is
possible only after 6 months of service. Majority of units of the
Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces are located near the front line. Do not
believe in hearsays that aim to make people worry,’ Verdiyev
stressed.

According to the bill on mobilization, not only citizens but also
conditions of various spheres of the country economy, cars owned by
civilians and other equipment and etc should be registered.

The mobilization in Azerbaijan is carried out by the same system
existed in the Soviet Army, and servicemen in reserve have not been
called to meetings since 1994.

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