Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

EUROPEAN DEPUTY QUESTIONS TRUST IN TURKISH JUDICIARY

The New Anatolian
March 27 2008
Turkey

Christian Democrat MEP Ria Oomen-Ruijten said Thursday there is no
judiciary in Turkey that every one can rely on.

"Turkey needs to work on this matter," Oomen-Ruijten, who is also
Turkey rapporteur of the European Parliament (EP), said during a
meeting at the External Relations Committee of the EP in which MEPs
discussed a draft report on Turkey.

Oomen-Ruijten said Turkish parliament decided to free headscarf in
universities with two-third majority but this decision cannot be
implemented. "I do not know any other country like this. I am for
the independence of the judiciary but there is no judiciary in Turkey
that every one can rely on," she said.

Oomen-Ruijten also said she is totally against the closure of the
Justice and Development (AK) Party and the Democratic Society Party
(DTP).

"This problem can be overcome by making rapid reforms concerning the
judiciary," she stressed.

On the other hand, Joost Lagendijk, the co-chair of Turkey- EU Joint
Parliament Committee, said judiciary considers ‘wrong" the preference
of majority of the nation and this is unacceptable. Lagendijk said
the EU should strongly ask for a judicial reform in Turkey.

The draft report recommends Turkey to provide a large participation
of NGOs in efforts to prepare a new constitution, and asks Turkey to
amend the Article 301 of TCK as soon as possible.

Condemning the acts of the terrorist organization PKK, the draft asks
the PKK to lay down arms without any precondition.

The draft calls on Iraqi government and the regional administration in
Iraq not to "allow PKK to use its territories as a base for terrorist
attacks against Turkey."

On Cyprus problem, the draft report says that a comprehensive solution
should be found under the auspices of the UN.

The report does not touch on Armenian allegations regarding the
incidents of 1915, and calls on the European Commission and Turkey
to launch negotiations on a visa simplification agreement.

The EP is expected to vote the report in a plenary session in May.

EURO-ARMENIAN GAMES 2008 TOURNAMENT HELD IN VIENNA

Noyan Tapan
March 27, 2008

VIENNA, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Euro-Armenian
Games 2008 Tournament was held in Vienna on March 21-24 with the
efforts of the "Ararat" Armenian Sports Association and under the
patronage of the Ambassador of Armenia to Australia Ashot Hovakimian
and Vienna Mayor Michael Haupl. 25 delegations with more than 650
Armenian sportsmen from different cities of Europe and Lebanon took
part in this tournament.

Competitions were held in the following kinds of sports: mini football,
basketball, volleyball, table tennis, badminton, chess.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the Press and Information Department
of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the official opening solemn
ceremony of the tournament Ambassador Hovakimian made a greeting speech
addressed to the sportsmen. He expressed satisfaction on the occasion
of holding such all-Armenian events and wished the Armenian sportsmen
success. The Ambassador also mentioned that the all-European Armenian
games are not only a sports event but also promote unity of Armenian
young people living in different countries of Europe and preservation
of Armenian nation.

During the award giving ceremony held after the end of the games,
the Stuttgart mini football team was awarded a special prize "For a
fair game" by Ambassador Hovakimian.

At the closing ceremony, Ambassador Hovakimian in his speech
congratulated all the sportsmen for successful holding of the
tournament and expressed a hope that they all will take part in the
next pan-Armenian games to be held in Yerevan.

The next Euro-Armenian games will be held in Switzerland and in 2010
in Amsterdam.

THE IN-DEPTH REASON

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
March 26, 2008

"The fact that L. Ter-Petrosyan received quite a large number of votes,
despite being the founder of all kinds of inadmissible phenomena
existing in the country, evidences that our society is in a crippled
state: the instability characteristic of transitional countries,
revolutions and coups, internal clashes. We are in a medium position
which allows for destabilizing the situation.

But there is also an opportunity to reform all the spheres of human
activity. The greater and healthier part of our society desires
changes. I find it quite possible that L. Ter-Petrosyan’s received
so many votes due to some subtle technologies elaborated in the West
as well as large amounts of money. However, the in-depth reason, when
the protesting people follow the leader pursuing no goals and ideas,
results from the absence of an influential opposition," SHAVARSH
KOCHARYAN finds.

MANAGER OF ARMWATERCANAL ENVISAGES TO RAISE WATER TARIFF

Noyan Tapan
March 26, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, NOYAN TAPAN. Since 2004, the French manager of
ArmWaterCanal company has invested 18 mln USD in the system – at
the expense of WB credit resources and its own funds (250 mln drams
or about 806 thousand USD a year). The company’s director general
Patrick Loren told reporters on March 26 that the volume of water
supply has increased as a result of these investments: the average
duration of water supply made 12 hours in 2007 – against 9.5 hours
in 2006. 19 thousand water meters were installed in 2007, and it is
envisaged to install 30 thousand ones in 2008.

P. Loren said that a program on sewage cleaning around Lake Sevan
will be launched jointly with the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development (EBRD) within a month.

According to him, the agreement on ArmWaterCanal’s management expires
this year but they intend to work for another two years.

It was announced that the manager is going to submit a bid for raising
the water tariff (currently making 140 drams) to the RA Public Services
Regulatory Commission.

REHAB PIONEER, ENERGETIC DAD
Dana Borcea

Hamilton Spectator
March 25 2008
Canada

Dr. John Basmajian did a good chunk of his groundbreaking work in
rehabilitative science from the comfort of his living room couch.

Working at home gave the father of three a chance to combine his twin
passions for medicine and his family.

His daughter Nancy recalled her father’s "immense powers of
concentration" and marvelled at his ability to focus on writing his
books and lectures within feet of his children banging on the piano.

"He could work through anything," she said.

The hard-working father and former head of the Chedoke Rehabilitation
Centre died last Tuesday after a brief illness.

He was 86.

Basmajian was born in present-day Istanbul to Armenian parents and
raised in Brantford.

He graduated from medical school at the University of Toronto in
1945. In the decades that followed, his work as a doctor, researcher
and professor saw him and his family put down roots in Toronto,
Kingston, Ont., and Atlanta.

In 1977, he moved to Hamilton and assumed the role of director of
the Chedoke Rehabilitation Centre as well as professor of medicine
and anatomy at McMaster University.

Basmajian was best known for his pioneering work in electromyography,
the study of electrical discharge from muscles, and later
biofeedback. He was honoured for his research in 1995 when he was
named to the Order of Canada.

Basmajian spoke about the significance of his work in an interview
with The Spectator after the announcement.

"I started working on muscle in the days of polio and afterwards,
when it was licked, people asked me why I continued. I was able to
discover some things that became important later on," he said.

His work on how muscle could be trained to recover translated into
significant progress in the world of rehabilitative science. He also
developed new technologies and invented devices, including electrodes
used to measure electrical discharge from muscle fibres.

Outside of the labs and clinics, Basmajian kept himself busy with
writing and was considered a bestseller in the world of medical
textbooks. His books on anatomy and electromyography sold well over
one million copies.

But at least as important was the legacy he left as a teacher and
mentor.

His son Haig, a Cobourg-based surgeon, figured his father trained
more than 1,000 Canadian doctors, many of whom remembered him vividly
years after leaving his class.

"He managed to inject enthusiasm into his lectures on anatomy, which
is not always the most exciting subject," his son said.

Former pupils often remember Basmajian — who was ambidextrous —
at his blackboard drawing diagrams with one hand while labelling them
with the other.

Haig remembered his father taking calls at home from students with
questions and remembering their names years later.

"I didn’t have a lot of professors like that when I was in medical
school," he said.

Basmajian’s wife of 60 years, Dora, said she appreciated her husband’s
generosity with others.

"He made time for everyone but I didn’t mind sharing him," she said.

"He had so much energy, I couldn’t have handled it all alone."

Malaysia Sun, Malaysia
March 22 2008

State of emergency over in Armenia

Malaysia Sun
Friday 21st March, 2008

Armenia has ended the state of emergency introduced after protests
against the result of the presidential election.

At the beginning of the month, riot police used heavy-handed tactics
to disperse demonstrators. The opposition accused the government of
electoral fraud, after the former Prime Minister Serzh Sarkasian won
an absolute majority.

Outgoing President Robert Kocharian says there is no need for the
state of emergency to remain in place.

A ban on demonstrations, however, will stay in force.

ARMENIAN NATIONAL KILLED IN MOSCOW REGION

Interfax News Agency
March 21 2008
Russia

Moscow, 21 March: An Armenian national with a knife injury to the neck
was found in Pushkinskiy District, Moscow Region, on Thursday morning
[20 March].

The 43-year-old Armenian was found in Vokzalnaya Ulitsa [street] in
the village of Zavety Ilycha, a source in the regional law-enforcement
agencies has told Interfax.

"The man died from a stab injury when medical assistance was being
given to him," the source said, adding that criminal proceedings had
been instituted over the incident and a search operation was under way.

MINISTER OSKANIAN MET WITH EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE PETER SEMNEBY

armradio.am
21.03.2008 14:40

On March 21 RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian received the delegation
headed by the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter
Semneby.

The interlocutors turned to the internal political situation in
Armenia after the presidential elections and the post-election
developments. The possible steps directed at the restoration of
concord among the society were discussed.

Minister Oskanian and Mr. Semneby discussed the voting on the
resolution on Nagorno Karabakh at the UN General Assembly and its
consequences.

The parties underlined that maintenance of stability in Armenia is
the guarantee of the country’s development and the continuousness of
regional programs.

Reference was made also to regional issues, the Armenian-Turkish
relations and their perspectives.

ARMENIA TO LIFT STATE OF EMERGENCY ON 21 MARCH – PRESIDENT

Mediamax
March 20 2008
Armenia

Yerevan, 20 March: The state of emergency will be lifted in Yerevan
on 21 March, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said today.

Addressing a news conference in Yerevan today, the president of
Armenia said that he did not see any reasons for extending the state
of emergency.

"The imposition of the state of emergency on 1 March allowed us to
avoid new human casualties and heavier consequences for the country,"
Robert Kocharyan said, adding that no violations were registered during
the 20-day state of emergency. The president recalled that over the
last 20 days, he signed two decrees easing the state of emergency.

"Now my main objective is to fully stabilize the situation in terms
of controllability and return to the situation that existed prior to
the election in Armenia. There is no doubt that more time is required
to overcome the psychological consequences," Kocharyan added.

The Armenian president said that the preliminary results of the
investigations show that the mass unrest in Yerevan on 1-2 March was
well-organized and that "there is no doubt" about this.

Robert Kocharyan said that the cases of 40-50 arrested people would
soon be sent to court and examined as soon as possible.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN: IF MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT COMPACT IS SUSPENDED, WE WILL SEEK OPPORTUNITIES TO CONTINUE IT

arminfo
2008-03-20 15:48:00

ArmInfo. If the Millennium Challenge Account Compact is suspended,
we will seek opportunities to continue its implementation, President
of Armenia Robert Kocharyan said at a press conference, Thursday.

The president said he received a letter from Millennium Challenge
Corporation Director John Danilovich wherein he warned of possible
suspension of the US assistance under the program. ‘We would not like
the program to be suspended but if the USA makes such a decision,
Armenia will implement the envisaged anyway on the funds of other
organizations, particularly, Lincy Foundation, all Armenian Charitable
Union, Hayastan Foundation, and other donors. The USA has not made
a final decision so far’, Kocharyan said.