Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Mediamax News Agency, Armenia
May 13 2007

Head of the OSCE Mission of Long-Term observers expressed hope that
`the election in Armenia will contribute to restoring the trust of
voters in the election process’

Yerevan, May 13. /Mediamax/. OSCE Special Coordinator for the
elections in Armenia, the Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly Tone Tingsgaard expressed opinion in Yerevan today that the
violations, noticed during the parliamentary elections of May 12,
could not influence the results of the voting process.

Mediamax reports that Tone Tingsgaard stated that `these elections
were a clear improvement and that is good for Armenian democracy’.

The statement of the joint Observation Mission of ODIHR/OSCE, the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary
Assembly of OSCER and the European Parliament reads that `the
parliamentary elections in Armenia demonstrated improvement from
previous ones and were largely in accordance with international
commitments of Armenia, although some issues remain unaddressed’.

The statement reads that the mission `commended steps taken by the
Armenian authorities to address serious shortcomings, including
amendments to the Electoral Code’.

`The election campaign was dynamic with extensive media coverage.
Election day was calm, with no major incidents reported, but a few
cases of fraud schemes were observed. Some procedural problems arose
during the count and tabulation of votes as well as isolated cases of
deliberate falsifications’, the statement reads.

Leo Platvoet, Head of the PACE delegation said: `We congratulate the
Armenian people on showing the will to hold democratic elections’. He
noted that some challenges remain and the Council of Europe and its
Assembly continue to stand ready to assist Armenia in this process.

Head of the OSCE/ODIHR long-term mission Boris Frlec expressed hope
that `this election will contribute to restoring the trust of voters
in the election process’. At that, he noted, `but the election is not
over’.

`We will continue to follow the post-election developments; only once
they have been concluded, we will have the full picture’, Boris Frlec
stated.–0–

AGO GROUP TO VISIT SOUTH CAUCASUS EARLY JULY

PanARMENIAN.Net
11.05.2007 16:26 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Ago Group of the Cabinet of Ministers of the
Council of Europe (CoE) will visit South Caucasus countries (Armenia,
Georgia, and Azerbaijan) in the first half of July, the permanent
governmental representative of Azerbaijan to the CoE, Arif Mammadov,
reported from Strasbourg on 11 May.

A meeting of the Ago Group was held in Strasbourg on 10 May,
attended by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. One
of the issues under discussion was the peaceful settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Mammadov said. The representatives of the
Ago Group held consultations with Azerbaijan and Armenia’s Foreign
Ministers separately. The agreement upon the forthcoming visit of
the Ago Group to the region was achieved.

Azerbaijan’s obligations to the CoE along with the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict will be discussed during the visit, Trend reports.

TURKISH ORGANIZATION INITIATES COMPETITION OF POSTERS ADDRESSED TO DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 10 2007

ANKARA, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Turkish Union
Struggling against Baseless Insistences of Genocide" (ASIMED) organized
competition of posters addressed to denial of the Armenian Genocide.

According to the Hurriyet daily, Union Chairman Egilmez stated that
"as a result of falsehoods and slanders of the Armenian Diaspora,
the Republic of Turkey and the Turkish nation appeared in a difficult
situation in front of the world society." He emphasized that they
did works of different characters against the activity promoted by
Diaspora: "We organized the competition to show the acts of violence
committed by Armenians against Turks and the baseless insistences of
the genocide."

RAFFI HOVHANNISSIAN: MAY 12 SHOULD BECOME A DAY OF VICTORY OF LIBERTY

ArmRadio.am
08.05.2007 16:55

The day of the parliamentary elections, May 12, should become "a
victory day of liberty and interests of the people," leader of
"Heritage" Party Raffi Hovhannissian stated in Yerevan today,
Mediamax reports.

Speaking during a briefing in Yerevan, the politician stated that
"holding free and fair elections will allow solving the problems the
country faces."

"Falsifications and violations are inadmissible, as the authority of
Armenia, the national security and the regional role of our country
are put on the scale," Raffi Hovhannissian stated.

He stressed that "serious frauds on the election can lead to national
defeat and we all will be guilty of that."

PRE-ELECTION SITUATION CALMER THAN DURING ALL OTHER ELECTIONS, MINISTER OF JUSTICE SAYS

Panorama.am
17:25 08/05/2007

The following are excerpts from the interview with Davit Harutunyan,
minister of justice and member of Armenian Republican Party (HHK)
board.

-Mr. Harutunyan, how would you evaluate the pre-election situation
in Armenia and what are your expectations from the elections?

-The pre-election situation in Armenia is rather calm, far calmer
than during all other elections. The political combat is far more
civilized than ever.

Speaking about my expectations, I must say that each party has high
expectations and internal anticipations. Our calculations are ambitious
and I hope they will be justified.

-You said the situation is incomparably calmer.

However, some media publications pinpoint to different political actors
who say that there is an atmosphere of fear in the country. Have you
noticed that?

– I have held many meetings throughout Armenia which will continue
today and tomorrow. Frankly speaking, I have not witnessed any
atmosphere of fear. I also do not see a reason for that.

– People are threatened that in case they do not go to meetings with
HHK, they will be fired.

– It is not fear. We may call a fear when a person is afraid of secret
ballot. What has HHK done? We have repeated in our speeches that
voters are free and it is impossible to control votes. We speak about
two things: is it possible to freely express political viewpoints or
are they restricted? I believe all political parties freely express
themselves, including extremists. The second issue concerns the day
of elections. HHK has done a lot for that day. Seminars and meetings
have been held, a memorandum was prepared for proxies to underline the
weak points of election processes and attract their attention to them.

-Mr. Harutunyan, do you expect post-election tensions or an attempt
of colorful revolution?

– There may always be temptations but they turn into a serious process
when they have objective support like unfair elections or when people
doubt in transparency of elections. I believe this time not only the
election will be fair, but also everything will be done that people
make sure no secret mechanisms are applied. In that case, there will
be no serious threat for destability.

GOAL OF STATEMENTS OF AZERBAIJANI SIDE IS TO INFLUENCE ON RESULTS OF ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA, POLITICIAN LEVON MELIK-SHAHNAZARIAN FINDS

Noyan Tapan
May 08 2007

YEREVAN, MAY 8, NOYAN TAPAN. The goal of the statements recently made
by the President and Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan was to influence
on results of the parliamentary elections to be held in Armenia on May
12. Politician Levon Melik-Shahnazarian expressed this opinion at the
May 8 press conference. He reminded that according to those statements,
particularly, there is an agreement with the Armenian side to return
7 regions of the NKR to Azrebaijan. In L. Melik-Shahnazarian’s words,
those statements, fortunately, did not find any response in Armenia
"as the Armenian people is not enough politisized in foreign issues."

"If we believe in what they said it means that our present authorities
betrayed the Armenian people’s interests, so representatives of
those authorities has no right of occupying state posts any longer,"
L. Melik-Shahnazarian said. And, according to the Azerbaijani
scenario, as the politician mentioned, those political forces which
are advantageous for Azerbaijan will come to power in Armenia, as a
result of the parliamentary elections.

Touching upon the negotiations proceeding on the peaceful settlement of
the Karabakh problem, L. Melik-Shahnazarian mentioned: "This process is
at present as far from the solution as it was in 1994." In his words,
the circumstance of continuously being changed of the contents of the
part relating to Nagorno Karabakh of the report of the U.S. Department
of State proves that the U.S. lost the moral and legal right to
participate in the negotiations.

THE KNOCK AT THE DOOR: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE DARKNESS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
by Elizabeth R. Hayford

Library Journal Reviews
May 1, 2007
REVIEWS; Social Sciences; Pg. 85

Ahnert, Margaret Ajemian. The Knock at the Door: A Journey Through
the Darkness of the Armenian Genocide. Beaufort: Beaufort Books,
dist. by Midpoint Trade Bks. 2007. c.240p. ISBN 0-8253-0512-8 [ISBN
978-0-8253-0512-2 ]. $24.95. AUTOBIOG

Ahnert writes of her relationship with her mother, Ester, as she
approaches 99 in an Armenian nursing home in New York, integrating
the experience of an adult daughter connecting with her elderly
mother into the story of her mother’s early years in Armenia. In
the pre-World War I Ottoman Empire, Armenians, like other ethnic
and religious minorities, lived a stable life defined by family,
community, and religious ties. Ester’s childhood in a rural town
was characterized by hard work and enriched by traditional and
seasonal customs and celebrations. That life was destroyed in 1915
when the Ottoman government expelled Armenians from their homes
and confiscated their property. Once-friendly Turkish neighbors
watched as thousands of Armenians were killed by soldiers or died
of exhaustion or starvation during the forced evacuations. Ester
survived by "marriage" to a Turk that included harsh treatment and
heavy labor. She eventually escaped and emigrated to the United
States. This memoir puts the tragic Armenian experience in personal
terms and reminds us Americans of one early genocide as we try to
respond to repeated global disasters. Recommended for its deft balance
between personal story and historic tragedy.

-Elizabeth R. Hayford, formerly with Associated Coll. of the Midwest,
Evanston, IL

TRIAL OF DINK’S ALLEGED KILLERS TO START ON JULY 2

NTV MSNBC, Turkey
May 7 2007

Two of the accused face life sentences if found guilty, while the
gunman who carried out the killing could be gaoled for 24 years.

ISTANBUL – An Istanbul court is to start hearing the case against
19 men charged with involvement in the murder of prominent
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink on July 2.

Dink, the editor of the Turkish-Armenian language newspaper Argos,
was gunned down outside his office in Istanbul on January 19. A 17
year old youth, identified as O.S., was later charged with the killing.

Another 18 people have also been charged with being linked to Dink’s
slaying, including Erhan Tuncel and Yasin Hayal, who have been accused
of inciting O.S. to carry out the killing. The Istanbul prosecutor
is seeking life imprisonment for both Tuncel and Hayal.

Both also face charges of being a senior member of an armed terrorist
group. If convicted, O.S could face up to 24 years behind bars for
the murder of Dink.

The indictment tabled by the prosecutor also called for various
terms of imprisonment for Mustafa Ozturk, Tuncay Uzundal, Zeynel
Abidin Yavuz, Ahmet Iskender, Ersin Yolcu, Yasar Cihan, Halis Egemen,
Salih Hacisalihoglu, Alper Esirgemez, Irfan Ozkan, Osman Alpay, Erbil
Susaman, Numan Sisman, Senol Akduman and Veysel Toprak on charges of
aiding and abetting in the killing of Dink.

ARONIAN-KRAMNIK SPEED CHESS YEREVAN TOURNAMENT FINISHES WITH ARMENIAN
GRAND MASTER’S VICTORY

YEREVAN, MAY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. Levon Aronian – Vladimir Kramnik speed
chess tournament finished on May 6 in Yerevan. The Armenian grand
master defeated his competitor with a score of 4 to 2.

At A. Spendiarian National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet, the
last, 6th game of the tournament was also watched by RA President
Robert Kocharian and Chairman of Armenian Chess Federation, RA Prime
Minister Serge Sargsian.

V. Kramnik said after the tournament that L. Aronian is in a good form
and played excellently at the end of the games. And L. Aronian thanked
his competitor for his skilful game and sports fans who supported him.

amNewYork, New York
May 5 2007

International films reign supreme at Tribeca

BY GENE SEYMOUR, Newsday Staff Writer
[email protected]

The awards at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival assumed a decidedly
international flavor.

"My Father, My Lord," Israeli director David Volach’s story of a
rabbi torn between the conflicting demands of faith and family in an
ultra-Orthodox community, won the festival’s $50,000 Founders Award
for Best Narrative Feature. Volach accepted the award in cash and art
at Thursday night’s ceremony from festival co-founders Robert De Niro
and Jane Rosenthal.

A Moroccan film, "Making Of," won two Tribeca festival awards.
Writer-director Nouri Bouzid’s story of a Tunisian breakdancer (Lofti
Edbelli) whose life is changed when he becomes involved with radical
Islamic fundamentalists won the $15,000 award for Best Screenplay,
while Edbelli was honored as Best Actor in a Narrative Feature. The
Best Actress prize went to Marina Hands for playing the title role in
"Lady Chatterly."

Alex Gibney ("Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room") won the $25,000
Best Documentary Feature cash-and-art prize for "Taxi to the Dark
Side." an inquiry into the death of an Afghan cab driver from
injuries inflicted by U.S. soldiers.

Mexican director Enrique Begne was honored as Best New Narrative
Filmmaker for "Two Embraces" ("Dos Abrazos") about four lost souls in
Mexico City who find — and embrace — each other. Vardan
Hovhannisyan was named the Best New Documentary Filmmaker for "A
Story of People in War and Peace," a meditative look at the 1994
conflict between the director’s homeland of Armenia and Azerbaijan
over the Nagorno Karabakh region.

"A Walk into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory," Esther
Robertson’s delicate probe into her late uncle’s involvement with the
1960s underground art movement, won the $5,000 "NY Loves Film"
Documentary award. The "Made in NY" Narrative prize, also $5,000,
went to "The Education of Charlie Banks," a coming-of-age story
directed by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst. Andrew Piddington’s "The
Killing of John Lennon" was given special recognition by the "Made in
NY" jury.

The Tribeca Film Festival continues through Sunday. The audience
award will be presented at the BMCCI Tribeca Performing Arts Center
Saturday night at the screening of "The Gates."

Award-winning films will be screened throughout the weekend.
Information is available at tribecafilmfestival.org.