Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

PSRC APPROVES PROCEDURE AND TERMS OF LICENSE AND FREQUENCY PROVISION TO THIRD MOBILE OPERATOR IN ARMENIA

ArmInfo
2008-07-16 12:20:00

Public Services Regulatory Commission (PSRC) of Armenia approved the
procedure and terms of license and frequency provision to a third
mobile operator in Armenia Wednesday.

Head of PSRC Department for Telecommunication Gevorg Gevorgyan
said the parties interested must apply for participation in a tender
within 10 days after it is announced. The companies that will pass the
pre-qualification stage will be named within 40 days. The winner will
be declared within 90 days. The tender is to be announced on July 18
after relevant announcement in The Financial Times. In conformity with
the package of documents approved by the PSRC applicants are to pay
10,000 euros for registration. The opening offer for 15-year license is
10 million euros. The third operator must have relevant experience and
ability to invest at least 200 million in development within 2 years.

The following codes will be provided to the third operator +374 (0)
55 and +374 (0) 95. If the operator fails to use the provided codes
by at least 60% by the end of the year, the PSRC has a right to take
back the unused numbers. The third operator will be provided with GSM
frequency and an opportunity to provide 3G services including voice
and data transmission.

The frequencies will be provided within the following limits: 880-890,
925-935, 1745-1765, 1840-1860, 1910-1915, 1950-1965, 2140-2155 MHz.

For his part, PSRC Chairman Robert Nazaryan told media the entry of
a third operator in the Armenian market will stiffen the competition,
which will reduce tariffs and upgrade the quality. The third operator
will be given a right to provide Internet services as well. With
development of telecommunication technologies in future the third
operators may provide also fixed-line telephony services using its
radio frequencies. R. Nazaryan said that the Armenian market is
attractive for a big operator since both the existing operators have
1.7 million subscribers whereas the population totals 3.2 million
people. He underlined that the third operator may buy over the
subscribers if it provides high-quality and accessible services.

ROSE MARIE GAVOOR

Exeter News-Letter
July 15 2008
NH

EXETER — Rose Marie Gavoor(ian) Nee Kalepgian-Zorian, 96, died
Tuesday, July 8, 2008, at RiverWoods in Exeter.

She was born June 5, 1912, in the Forest Hill section of Newark,
N.J. She attended public schools there and studied art and fashion
design at the Fawcett School of Fine & Industrial Art.

She married Rouben Gavoor in 1936 and left for Europe in 1956 when her
husband was sent on assignment for the State Department Agency for
International Development. After serving his country in Yugoslavia,
Nepal, Sudan, and Ethiopia they retired to Rye in 1968.

She is survived by one nephew, John Fahr of New Jersey; several cousins
and beloved members of her husband’s family, the Fernalds and Quirks
of Rye; first cousins Gloria and Marie Zakarian of New Jersey and
Richard Zorian Devan of Norristown, Penn.; the Aftandilians, Baronians,
Carol O’Brien and Wisner families all of Massachusetts; Aram Gavoor
and family of Michigan and Richard Gavoor and family of Summit, N.J.

WE REMEMBER: Mrs. Gavoor was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church
in Portsmouth; an active volunteer worker for 10 years; a member of
the Art Study Group; the Rye Garden Club; the Tuesday Club, serving
as publicity chairman for both clubs; the Rye Arts and Crafts. She
was a former member of the Guild of Strawbery Banke and the Armenian
Relief Society in Washington, D.C.

Funeral services were held July 11 in St. John’s Episcopal Church,
Portsmouth.

Memorial donations may be made to the Saints Vartanantz Armenian
Church, 180 Old Westford Rd, Chelmsford, MA 01824; Armenian Assembly of
America, 122 C Street NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC, 20001; Armenian
Children’s Milk Fund, P.O. Box 652, Belmont, MA 2178-0005.

Arrangements are by the J. Verne Wood Funeral Home — Buckminster
Chapel.

SAROYAN PHOTO EXHIBIT ON DISPLAY IN SACRAMENTO

NOYAN TAPAN

JU LY 15
SACRAMENTO

ARMENIANS TODAY

A Fresno photo exhibit from January featuring images of famed writer
William Saroyan now is on view at the California State Capitol Museum
in Sacramento. The author of the the black-and-white photographs is
photographer Boghos Boghossian. They were taken of Saroyan on visits
to his ancestral homeland of Armenia in 1976 and 1978. The Boghossian
pictures capture the dramatic visage of an older Saroyan in different
moods and surroundings. The exhibit started June 30 and runs through
Aug. 24.

MEHMET YILMAZ: THE THING MISSING IN THE ERGENEKON INVESTIGATION

Hurriyet
July 14 2008
Turkey

Something drew my attention in the news published in the country’s
dailies on Sunday regarding the Ergenekon investigation:

A connection is being established between the Ergenekon Terrorist
Organization’s "chaos creating acts" and the Hrant Dink Assassination*
and the attack against the Council of State.

The opinion of a connection between the hand grenades found in a house
in the Umraniye district of Istanbul and the Council of State attack
case has emerged as the investigation has unfolded.

At that time, the court did not take the opinion of a connection into
consideration when it handed down its ruling on the case.

On the other hand, the trial for the assassination of Hrant Dink is
still continuing and so far we have not witnessed any efforts to make
a connection between this case and the Ergenekon investigation.

Moreover, it is obvious that the negligence of the police and the
gendarmerie intelligence services had led to his murder, yet we have
not heard anything reports that the investigation is deepening in
that direction.

Perhaps if it had, it might have been possible to understand the
branches of the Ergenekon network within the state.

This why I am suspicious about the methods being executed in this
investigation:

Some very serious claims are being made, yet the branches of this
network are not even on the agenda of the investigation.

Note: Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, was shot dead outside his
in Istanbul in January 2007 by a nationalist minor. The assasination
created a huge reaction in Turkey and hundreds of thousands of people
held demonstrations to protest the incident.

AZG Armenian Daily #132, 11/07/2008

Karabakh issue

BAKU EXPECTS RESOLUTENESS FROM OSCE

"We are expecting a resolute position from OSCE. The latter as the
main organization in Europe on security and cooperation issues should
act for rehabilitation of Azerbaijani infringed rights and
corresponding to UN mandate", announced Azerbaijani President’s
Administration Head of Public and Political Department Ali Hasanov,
according to "Trend News".

"We demand that OSCE should make its standpoint clear and declare a
resolute position", he added.

According to Hasanov, Azerbaijan has become a serious factor in the
world economic, political and energy security. "We should make use of
it. Especially in our biggest issue ` the settlement of Karabakh
conflict", mentioned he.

Translated by L.H.

Daily Star – Lebanon
July 11 2008

Tashnak, Murr ‘will run on same slate’ in 2009 legislative elections

Daily Star staff
Friday, July 11, 2008

BEIRUT: MP Hagop Pakradounian, head of Tashnak, the largest Armenian
bloc in Lebanon’s Parliament, underlined the "historic alliance which
dates as far back as 45 years" between his community and powerful Metn
MP Michel Murr following a meeting between the two on Thursday.

Pakradounian said that Tashnak and Murr would be running on the same
slate for seats in the Metn area in the 2009 parliamentary elections.

Concerning the recently tense relations between Murr and Christian
opposition leader MP Michel Aoun Pakradounian said he could not
understand "why people are making a big deal out of this," adding:
"There has never been any rivalry between Murr and Aoun."

Murr and Aoun did not need "intermediaries to solve their
differences," Pakradounian said, "because their relationship is older
than Aoun’s relationship with the Tashnak."

Murr also publicly announced his alliance with the Tashnak for the
2009 polls. The MP added that he had "no major problem" with Aoun.

Murr ended his alliance with the Change and Reform bloc earlier this
year, saying he "always favored middle positions."

"There is no disappointment and thus no need for reconciliation," Murr
said. "I am independent in politics. I am not accustomed to adhering
to parties and I did not leave the bloc to enter another bloc."

Murr added that he had information that a new cabinet would be formed
in the coming 24 hours, but did not rule out that it might take
longer.

On the phone conversation between Lebanese President Michel Sleiman
and Syrian President Bashar Assad on Wednesday, Murr said the move was
"an excellent and important step." – The Daily Star

Blast in Georgian Rebel Region Kills 4
Michael Schwirtz

The New York Times Company
July 8, 2008

MOSCOW — An explosion in a cafe in a separatist region of the former
Soviet republic of Georgia killed four people Sunday night, including
a security service official from the rebel government. Six people
were injured in the blast.

It was latest in at least half a dozen bombings in less than a week
in Abkhazia and the first to cause deaths.

Although no suspects have been identified, leaders of the separatist
government blamed Georgia, which they accused of inflaming a 15-year
conflict that has been marked by increasing violence in recent
months. Georgia, which claims Abkhazia as part of its territory,
has denied involvement.

The bomb exploded at about 11 p.m. Sunday at a café in the city of
Gali in the southeast of Abkhazia close to the Georgian border, said
Alkhad D. Cholokua, a spokesman for the president of the separatist
government. The blast killed the chief of the security service in
Gali, along with a border guard. A female employee of the cafe and a
translator for the United Nations mission in Abkhazia were also killed.

"We are considering many possibilities, but the main theory is that
this was a terrorist attack," said Mr. Cholokua.

Sergei V. Bagapsh, Abkhazia’s president, told the Interfax news
agency on Monday that Georgia had planted the bomb to "destabilize
the regional situation."

"The new incident confirms that Georgia has taken the path of state
terrorism," he said.

Abkhazia, a slice of mountains and subtropical beaches on the Black
Sea, gained de facto independence from Georgia following a fierce
war from 1992 to 1993 that left thousands dead. Since then, sporadic
violence has punctuated an uneasy stalemate.

The conflict intensified after Georgia’s president, Mikheil
Saakashvili, took office in 2004 vowing to bring Abkhazia and another
breakaway region, South Ossetia, under Georgia’s control. In recent
months, Abkhaz officials have accused Georgia of preparing for
another war.

Shota Utiashvili, a senior official in the Georgian interior ministry,
said Georgia had nothing to do with Sunday’s explosion.

"We heard from the media about the explosion in Gali," he said. "All
the information that we have about that explosion comes from open
sources."

Georgian police are also investigating five nearly simultaneous
explosions just across the border from Gali in the Georgian-controlled
Zugdidi region, Mr. Utiashvili said. One police officer was slightly
injured.

Georgia has accused Russia in the past of aiding the separatists,
providing them with weapons and other equipment. Russia says it
maintains a peacekeeping force of about 2,500 troops in Abkhazia,
although Georgia says there could be hundreds more clandestinely
training and leading Abkhaz units.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims, and charges Georgia with
stoking tensions.

In a meeting with President Bush on Monday at the Group of 8 meeting
in Japan, President Dmitry A. Medvedev of Russia said his country was
prepared to normalize relations with Georgia, but that Georgia lacked
the will to move toward reconciliation, the Kremlin Web site said.

A day earlier, according to the Kremlin site, Mr. Medvedev met
with Mr. Saakashvili in Astana, Kazakhstan, and warned his Georgian
counterpart against "inflaming the situation in the region."

–Boundary_(ID_gtbFAz16cO9pJUuWZPTz Wg)–

Leader of Armenian opposition calls on incumbent president of Armenia
to dissociate from his predecessor – ex-president Robert Kocharyan

2008-07-04 23:09:00

ArmInfo. The first president of Armenia, leader of opposition Levon
Ter-Petrossyan called on the incumbent RA president Serzh Sargsyan to
dissociate from his predecessor Robert Kocharyan.

At the July 4 multi-thousand strong rally of opposition supporters near
Matenadaran Depositary of Ancient Manuscripts, Levon Ter-Petrossyan
said that the incumbent president has two ways of his further activity.
The first way of Serzh Sargsyan is to release all the political
prisoners, stop political persecutions against opposition, and
reconsider the monopoly policy in the economy. "If Serzh Sargsyan takes
these steps, he may try to legitimize himself by participating in snap
presidential election. In this case, Sargsyan will be able to be a more
or less serious rival for me. However, I see that Serzh Sargsyan is
inclined to the second variant, i.e. he will continue the evil policy.
Over three months in presidential office, he did nothing except beating
a record in banning opposition’s rallies and appointing more an more
incompetent people to posts", Ter-Petrossyan said.

Coastweek, Kenya
July 04 – 10, 2008

NEW DUBAI RAFFLES NOW
DOMINATES THE SKYLINE

Coastweek – – The new Dubai Raffles is a 19 storey Pyramid.

Development is the name
of the game in the city !

SPECIAL REPOPRT FROM NETA PEAL IN DUBAI, U.A.E.

Coastweek – – A "Pyramid” shaped hotel now dominates the skyline in
Dubai.

It is a development by ‘Raffles’ responsible for Raffles hotel in
Singapore, one of the most famous hotels in the world.

This new Dubai Raffles is a 19 storey Pyramid with 248 Suites palatial
in style, in size and include a Royal, penthouse and presidential
suite they are thermatically styled with Middle eastern and Asian
designs.

It is situated within the Wafi complex on Sheikh Zyed road and only
five kilometres from the Dubai international airport.

Also offered is the Raffles Amrita spa including seven treatment rooms
Gym Sauna and Jacuzzi.

A one hectare Raffles botanical garden culinary preferences spanning
the globe are served at the eleven restaurants and bars.

Located at the pinnacle of the new Raffles pyramid Dubai is the
‘Asiana’ restaurant offering a new business lunch with tantalising
flavours from the far East and mesmerising views from every seat.

¢ Raffles in Singapore was built in the French renaissance stlye
and has been described as an architectural rarity it has been utilised
for many different purposes including being taken over by others.

It was renovated in 1991 to look very much as it was when first built.

It had a British Colonial ambiance but was built by Armenian pioneers.

It opened in November 1896 and gazetted as a National monument in
1987.

Among its guests, Royalty from Europe, Thailand, Japan, the middle
East and Malaysia, writers like Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maughan and
Noel Coward, many Distinguished personalities and film stars.

¢ Development is the name of the game in Dubai: one of the latest
being the introduction of trams.

The ‘AL Safoo’ tram will transport up to 200,000 passengers a day.

It will be the first tram to have a specific section designed for
women and children only.

The present demand for transport is badly needed as the roads are very
congested.

¢ Meanwhile the Cargo arm of Emirates Airline has extended to
China.

The new Guangshou service will provide Chinese shippers with an
additional 80 plus tonnes of weekly belly hold cargo capacity in each
direction.

Said Ram Mensen Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo:

SAGALA LODGE – TSAVO

"The addition of Guangzhou to our network will offer shippers to and
from Southern China even better connections to their trading partners
around the world."

QANIRA PASHAYEVA: "REPRESENTATIVES OF FOREIGN COMPANIES, FUNCTIONING IN THE OCCUPIED LANDS OF AZERBAIJAN, SHOULD BE DECLARED PERSONA NON GRATA"

Today.Az
04 July 2008
Azerbaijan

We should seriously deal with the problem of Armenia’s attracting
foreign companies to activity in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan",
said deputy Qanira Pashayeva at a session of Azerbaijani parliament
today.

"Foreign companies, functioning in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan
in some cases present their apologizes to our government, yet they
do not cease their activity", said she.

The deputy offered to adopt a definite law according to which
all persons, working in foreign companies, functioning in the
Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani lands, will be declared Persona non
Grata in Azerbaijan.

"This norm should refer to everyone, who will transfer to another
company and try to set business in Azerbaijan", noted Pashayeva.