Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK UP: WHO DO WE HELP BY THAT?
By Karine Mangassarian

Yerkir/arm
March 10, 2006

If you follow the statements made by some Armenian politicians after
President Kocharian expressed his recent position on the issue of
Nagorno Karabagh you might get an impression that they have never
heard the position expressed by the Azeri leadership in the media.

Meanwhile, the Azeri side usually refers to the military settlement of
the conflict and increasing funding allocated to the army by millions
of dollars.

We are sure that this approach also underlies Azerbaijan’s position in
the negotiation process. Meanwhile, when negotiations do not yield any
results some politicians in Armenia start claiming that our country
again lost in the negotiations.

We are sure that such statements made by the former leadership of the
country or by the present opposition forces derive not from their
concern about the settlement of the Karabagh conflict but by their
desire to take every opportunity to criticize the government and the
president at the same time warning the population that another was
is possible.

Why didn’t they ever respond to Azerbaijan’s similar statements
in the past? Why is this sudden activation today? What is this –
a tactical move to help the other side? Don’t they understand that
such statements reach the Azeri side as well and give them another
playing card to use in the negotiation process?

An ‘excellent’ example of such a statement was the opinion expressed
yesterday by the leader of the Armenian Democratic Party Aram Sargsian
saying that the Armenian president lost at a certain stage of the
negotiation process and this is why he is making such militaristic
statements. A question arises – what is then the logic underlying
the militaristic statements Azerbaijan has been making for a long
time? If the Azeri side is losing in the negotiation process who is
then in a more favorable position?

Why are some political forces in Armenia criticizing the Armenian
president’ s response to Azerbaijan’s militaristic statements saying
that the president has chosen the wrong strategy? Answering this
question leader of National Revival Party Albert Bazeyan said,
“I think we should not make any statements about withdrawing from
the negotiation process. Let Azerbaijan do this.”

Bazeyan says Azerbaijan does not accept any compromises and the state
which declares its decision to withdraw from the negotiation process
first will have to deal with the pressure from the international
community. “Meanwhile, Armenia has to exert diplomatic flexibility
and resume the talks,” Bazeyan noted.

Head of ARF’s parliamentary faction Levon Mkrtchian recently expressed
an opinion that the opposition forces in Karabagh, especially in
the Karabagh parliament, have adopted a more balanced approach on
this issue.

The joint statement adopted by all forces included in the Karabagh
parliament is a proof of this point. However, the same cannot be said
about the opposition forces outside the parliament – their approach
is very different.

As to the statement made by the president, Mkrtchian believes it was a
commensurate response to Azerbaijan’s militaristic stance. We should
not forget that Armenia never resorted to such measures during the
negotiation process and this was a goodwill act aimed at ensuring
the continuation of talks.

“No one can scare us with perspectives of war because we have defended
our homeland. The side that starts a war now will be trying to conquer
the territory of another nation,” Mkrtchian said.

Head of Orinats Yerkir Party’s parliamentary faction Mher Shahgeldian
also believes the president’s response followed the recent statements
made by Azerbaijan. As vice speaker of the National Assembly Vahan
Hovhannissian stated in the press, we should by no means neglect the
statements made by the Azeri side.

Hovhannissian believes these statements show that Baku is not even
thinking about any concessions and it is important to counter
Azerbaijan’s political propaganda with a commensurate political
response while at the same time continuing to strengthen our army.

ALMOST CAUGHT WITH HANDS IN FORGERY

A1+
| 19:54:21 | 17-10-2005 | Politics |

Member of the delegation of the CoE Local and Regional authorities
Congress David Lloyd Williams from Britain told the journalists today
about the fact he witnessed in Vanadzor during the elections of mayor
where he was fulfilling his duties as observer.

“There was a case when we were looking for one of the electoral areas
and we noticed a group of about 150 people. We found out that it was
the headquarters of one of the candidates. The people hesitated to
answer our questions. They had heard that if they went there with their
passports, they will receive money. I entered and asked why they were
outside. The people inside confirmed the existence of the gossips but
they said they were spread by their opponents. So we left the place as
it was not a proper place for observation”, David Lloyd Williams told.

AREA ARMENIANS TWICE BLESSED

San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA
Oct 17 2005

Aram I is second Apostolic Church pope to visit Pasadena this year
By Marshall Allen, Staff Writer

PASADENA — The city’s Armenian Christian community celebrated its
second pontifical visit in the past four months Sunday, as a pope
from the historic church consecrated a new church building in Pasadena.

While the world’s billion Catholics follow one pope, the Armenian
Apostolic Church has two pontiffs. With equal authority, the popes
lead two arms of the same church, sharing history and doctrine.

In June, His Holiness Karekin II, who is based in Armenia, visited
St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Pasadena. On Sunday,
His Holiness Aram I, who is based in Lebanon, led a ceremony at
Pasadena’s Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church.

Both popes visited the Los Angeles area this year to celebrate the
1,700-year anniversary of the church in Armenia, and the 1,600-year
anniversary of the creation of the Armenian alphabet.

The two Armenian Catholicos date back to 1441 and are a testimony to
the suffering experienced by Armenians. For centuries, Armenia has
been overrun by enemies, and its people scattered to neighboring
regions. The years of conflict and domination resulted in the
reorganization of the church to ensure its survival, Armenian Christian
leaders said.

The two branches of the Armenian Apostolic Church — called the Diocese
of the Armenian Church and the Prelacy of the Armenian Church — now
enjoy friendly relations. But their relationship was strained during
much of the 20th century, when the Diocese in Armenia came under the
control of the Soviet Union, said Raffi Hamparian, a board member of
the Armenian National Committee of America.

During the Cold War, there was the impression that the church in
Armenia, because of Soviet oppression, was not free to operate
independently, said Hamparian, 37, who attends St. Sarkis Armenian
Apostolic Church.

“For an Armenian-American born and bred on apple pie and the

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First Amendment that doesn’t cut the right way,” he said.

With the fall of the Soviet Union and the establishment of an
independent Armenia in 1991, the relationship between the two branches
has strengthened, Hamparian said.

Now, Armenians often go back and forth between the two branches of the
church, said Bo Patatian, a member of St. Sarkis who helped organize
the visit of Aram I.

“The church isn’t divided, it’s diversified,” Patatian said. “Most
people only have one pope. We’re blessed that God has provided us
with two popes.”

In the past month, St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church has been
transformed in preparation of the pope’s visit. The church spent
about $1.5 million on the purchase and renovation of the building,
a former hall owned by the Boys and Girls Club, said the Rev. Khoren
Babouchian, pastor of the church.

The church owned the building at 58 S. Sierra Madre Blvd. for about
a year before completely changing its interior. It used to be dark
inside, with musty carpets, church members said. But now sunlight pours
into the room through broad, arched windows, on to a hardwood floor.

The renovations were performed almost completely by the Armenian
community and much of the work was donated, church leaders said. The
new building, combined with the visit of Aram I, has brought pride
to the community, Babouchian said.

Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, UK
Oct 15 2005

Man `confessed killing to me’

15 October 2005 07:00

A woman told a jury at Norwich Crown Court yesterday a relative
confessed to her he had killed a man whose body was found burnt in a
field.

Detectives spent almost a year trying to identify the body of
42-year-old Armenian Hovanhannes Amirian, whose body was found at
Upton, near Peterborough in December 2002.

Armenians Nishan Bakunts, 28, and his father-in-law Misha
Chatsjatrjan, 44, allegedly killed their countryman Amirian – also
known as Sako – over a ‘family quarrel’, then sought to destroy
evidence linking them to him.

Sako was said to have been shot and stabbed in the medical room at
the Cooper Roller Bearings factory at King’s Lynn, where Bakunts was
a security officer. His body was then taken to the field and set on
fire.

Giving evidence yesterday, Bakunts’s sister, Irina Aroustamian, who
is seeking asylum to live in Belgium, said when she spoke to
Chatsjatrjan – her brother’s father-in-law – he had confessed to
putting eight bullets into Sako’s head.

She said he made his confession as at the time he thought he had
liver cancer and had three months to live.

Speaking through an interpreter, Ms Aroustamian said Chatsjatrjan
told her Sako had gone on his knees and pleaded to him: “Don’t kill
me, I have children”.

She said after the killing her brother helped Chatsjatrjan clean up
the room.

Cross-examined by Nigel Lithman, QC, defending Chatsjatrjan, she
denied she had been telling a “pack of lies.”

The jury also heard more details about the dead man Sako being wanted
for questioning about the murder of Pogosian Ernait, who was killed
on November 30, 2000 at Ostend, in Belgium.

Det Chief Inspector Kurt Devilder, of the Belgian police, told the
jury that he had helped with the identification of Sako by obtaining
DNA samples from the dead man’s child.

He said Bakunts was originally linked to the murder of Mr Ernait but
further investigations eliminated him from the inquiry and it was
found that references to him had been made maliciously.

He agreed that Sako was now suspected of being the culprit.

Det Chief Insp Devilder also said that Sako was known for extorting
money from members of the Armenian community and was a
“self-confessed Mafia man” who was feared within the Armenian
community in Belgium.

Bakunts, of Lichfield Road, Yarmouth, and Chatsjatrjan, who was
living in Holland, have both denied murdering Sako, who was the
Godfather of Bakunts and his wife Arpine Karapetian, 24.

The trial continues.

HAYRIKYAN SAYS “YES” TO SPITE OPPOSITION

A1+
| 17:40:06 | 13-10-2005 | Politics |

The National Self-Determination Union will declare its finite position
on the constitutional amendments on October 15, NSDU leader Paruyr
Hayrikyan stated during today’s press conference.

“As you see we are not adherents to fanatic approach towards
the issue. We prefer practical approach”, P. Hayrikyan said. The
NSDU leader supposes that the constitutional amendments provide
for progress. In his opinion, the draft gives the parliament the
possibility to discuss and make decisions.

“Dual citizenship is a strategically important for Armenia. Some
politicians say they will vote against the amendments over this
clause. I think that they did not come to understand the core of the
issue”, he noted.

In his opinion, dual citizenship first of all refers to those2-3
million people and their descendants who left Armenia during recent
15 years and now being Russian citizens are forced to relinquish from
Armenia “thanks” to our constitution. “There are over 100 million
people of Armenian origin throughout the globe. And we wish to reduce
this number”, he said.

The NSDU named all the positive sides of the constitutional amendments
including the dual citizenship, parliament formation, availability of
the Constitutional Court, formation of the Justice Council. Paruyr
Hayrikyan does not share the opinion that the President’s immunity
is a negative clause. “A President should be immune not only during
the office but after it as well”, Hayrikyan considers.

RA PRESIDENT RECEIVED RUSSIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER

A1+
| 16:08:04 | 13-10-2005 | Official |

Today Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with Minister
of Transport of Russia, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian
Inter-Governmental Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical
Cooperation Igor Levitin.

In R. Kocharian’s words, the Commission is an important mechanism
in the Armenian-Russian relations, that were always marked with
efficiency. The parties discussed bilateral cooperation programs,
paying special attention to issues of development of energy,
transport and communication. As of restoration of communication
via the Abkhaz part of the railway, the state of the rail line and
conditions necessary for its restoration are being examined at present,
the parties said. The conditions include participation of Russia,
Georgia and Armenia as well. The parties also discussed matters of
beginning exploitation of Armenian enterprises, conveyed to Russia
within Property for Debt Treaty.

In Levitin’s words, Russia is interested in soonest exploitation of
these enterprises, so a special working group is formed to that end.

STUDENTS IN GYUMRI WILL STUDY WITH COMPUTERS

A1+
| 13:09:53 | 12-10-2005 | Regions |

In Gyumri in the journalism faculty of the Pedagogical Institute after
Michael Nalbandyan a new auditorium equipped with all the innovations
of the technique has been created. It gives the students the
possibility to get not only theoretical, but also practical knowledge.

The auditorium has been created by joint effort of the journalism
faculty of the Gyumri Pedagogical Institute, the US Florida Agriculture
and Mechanics University and the Journalism Institute.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE SAYS CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM ‘VITAL’ FOR ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan and Astghik Bedevian

Armenialiberty.org, Armenia
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 10 2005

The top decision-making body of the Council of Europe urged Armenians
on Monday to vote for President Robert Kocharian’s constitutional
amendments at next month’s referendum, saying that they are “vital”
for Armenia’s democratic future.

“The referendum to be held on 27 November on this reform will be vital
for Armenia,” Diogo Freitas do Amaral, Portugal’s foreign minister
and the chairman of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers,
said in a statement.

“By turning out to vote during the referendum, the people of Armenia
will indeed be deciding on changes of fundamental importance for
their future,” he said, adding that the proposed changes would shore
up Armenia’s weak judiciary and create a “more balanced distribution
of power between the executive and the legislative branches.”

Amaral emphasized the fact that Kocharian’s constitutional package
has been endorsed by the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s
advisory body on legal reform which has been actively involved in the
reform process. The head of the commission, Gianni Buquicchio, called
for a “yes” vote at the referendum during a recent visit to Yerevan.

The European Union and the United States have also expressed support
for the draft amendments. Western officials say that as well as curbing
sweeping powers vested in the Armenian presidency, the proposed reform
would facilitate Armenia’s integration into pan-European structures.

A similar statement was adopted on Monday at a conference of an
organization representing various-level Armenian judges that are
presently appointed and can be dismissed by the president. Under the
proposed reform, the president would continue to appoint them but
would have less control over a body that nominates judges.

“The constitutional draft is close to being a perfect legal document,”
stated the chairman of the Union of Judges, Hovannes Manukian.

The one-day gathering was also attended by Justice Minister David
Harutiunian, who is believed to exercise considerable influence
on Armenian courts notorious for their corruption and lack of
independence. “If our country is to maintain the existing pace of
growth, we must make great efforts to have an established judicial
system in Armenia,” Harutiunian said in his address to nearly two
hundred judges.

Armenia’s leading opposition groups, meanwhile, remain adamant
in rejecting the amendments as insignificant and irrelevant to
the country’s democratization. In a joint statement last month,
17 opposition parties said their enactment would only “legitimize
the regime and prolong its life.” They pledged to work together in
trying to scuttle the referendum.

But the opposition leaders disagree on whether they should urge
Armenians to boycott the referendum or vote against the draft
amendments. The National Unity Party (AMK) of Artashes Geghamian
announced last week that it prefers the latter option, while the
second opposition force represented in parliament, the Artarutyun bloc,
has yet to formulate a common position on the issue.

One of the nine parties aligned in the bloc, the National Democratic
Union (AZhM), decided at the weekend to urge supporters not to take
part in the upcoming referendum. The AZhM’s prominent leader, Vazgen
Manukian, argued earlier that a low voter turnout would make it more
difficult for the authorities to rig the vote.

The AZhM said in a statement that it will deploy observers in all
1,865 polling stations across Armenia in an effort to prevent vote
falsifications. The party also pledged to step up its “propaganda
struggle” against Kocharian’s constitutional changes.

US charges 3 with bribery in Azeri oil deal

Reuters
Thursday, October 6, 2005

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Three men have been indicted in a scheme to fly
tens of millions of dollars into Azerbaijan to bribe officials there
and gain control of the state oil company.

The defendants include the internationally wanted Czech investor
Viktor Kozeny, who was arrested in the Bahamas on Wednesday, and a
managing director of AIG Global Investment, a subsidiary of American
International Group, the world’s largest insurer by market value.

“This was a brazen attempt to steal the wealth of a sovereign nation,”
U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia told a news conference on Thursday to
announce the indictments by a federal grand jury.

Lawyers for the AIG employee, David Pinkerton, and another defendant,
Frederic Bourke, said they were both victims who were defrauded by
Kozeny and that they were helping to build a case against them.

Pinkerton, who was placed on leave with pay by AIG pending the
resolution of the case, and Bourke both pleaded not guilty on Thursday
to a series of charges including conspiracy to violate the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering.

They had turned themselves in to the FBI earlier on Thursday.

The Americans are seeking Kozeny’s extradition. He was previously the
subject of fraud charges in the Czech Republic and of a New York state
fraud indictment.

The case involves the former Soviet republic’s state oil company,
SOCAR.

VOUCHERS FOR SHARES

The country had been preparing the privatization of SOCAR in the 1990s
by issuing vouchers to bid for its shares, and the freely traded
instruments were typically bought and sold with dollars, officials
said.

Foreigners could also own vouchers if they purchased a
government-issued option for each voucher held.

Kozeny sent millions in cash on private jets or planes he chartered
into Azerbaijan via Switzerland to buy vouchers, and Bourke and
Pinkerton “knowingly participated in the scheme,” Garcia said.

Azerbaijan holds parliamentary elections on November 6.

AIG said no charges had been brought against the company itself and
that no client money was involved.

AIG said the Azerbaijan privatization program was brought to
Pinkerton’s group by Omega Partners Advisors, a New York hedge
fund. AIG, as co-investor, contributed about $15 million of a total
$180 million invested in 1998.

When AIG discovered in 1999 that it had been defrauded, it sued Kozeny
and has cooperated fully with the investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s
office, the company said in its press release.

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4 MILLION USD AGAINST AIDS

A1+
| 17:12:46 | 05-10-2005 | Social |

The Global Fund of combat against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria
allotted 4 million USD to RA to support the national program of
combating AIDS for the coming 3 years. This is the second phase of
the 7.2 million USD grant. The first phase finished in September 2005.

By the way, the speed of spreading of the AIDS/HIV virus is the
highest in our region. According to official data, there are 2800-3000
HIV bacilli carriers in Armenia. 78.3% of them are men, and 21.7%
are women.