Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

ARA ABRAHAMIAN: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DOES VERY LITTLE TO MAKE
TURKEY KEEP ELEMENTARY RULES OF HUMAN CO-EXISTENCE

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. There are many interethnic and
intercivilization problems in the South Caucasus and in Near East,
which are played up in the implication of creation of a new world order
and are reflected in the policy of the leading countries. It is not a
mere accident that the foreign political subjects touched upon in the
U.S. presidential election campaign mainly relate to Iraq and the
Israeli-Palestine conflict, as well as settlement of relations between
the United States and Iran. This was mentioned in the text of speech of
Ara Abrahamian, the Chairman of the World Armenian Congress, made at
the international conference on the subject "The countries of the
Caucasus and Near East as possible partners in the process of formation
of a regional security system."

According to him, the power actions of the United States and NATO cause
anti-American moods in Near East and serve the goals of those, who try
to present that conflict as a war between Islamic and Western
civilizations.

He said in his speech that Russia should carry out more active policy
in the region in order to jointly with China, India, and a number of
European countries contribute to reconsideration of the not well
thought-out policy of the U.S. in the region.

Touching upon the issue of interethnic conflicts in the South Caucasus,
A. Abrahamian mentioned that in spite of the international community’s
active participation, the Nagorno Karabakh, Georgian-Abkhazian,
Georgian-Ossetian conflicts are still far from mutually acceptable
solutions. According to him, statements on the necessity of power
settlement of the conflicts are often voiced in some capitals of the
region, the regional countries are involved in arms race. Though
Washington and Moscow try to cooperate over settlement of the problems
of the South Caucasus, that cooperation is not intensive enough and has
not yielded tangible results so far. At the same time it was mentioned
that NATO’s entering the South Caucasus may change the balance existing
in the region and damage Russia’s interests, which may make the region
a conflict zone and aggravate relations between Russia and the United
States.

The speaker also mentioned existence of many problems between Armenia
and Turkey. According to A. Abrahamian, Turkey, which has committed the
Armenian Genocide, continues keeping Armenia in a blockade, puts
forward preconditions to Armenia for establishment of diplomatic
relations and raising the blockade. In his words, the UN Security
Council, the European Union, the United States, Russia, and the whole
international community do very little to make Turkey, which is
striving for joining EU at any price, keep the elementary rules of
human co-existence and international relations.

SERGE SARGSIAN WARNS HEADS OF EXECUTIVE BODIES TO ABTAIN FROM
IMPLEMENTING PRE-ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN IN WORKING HOURS

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, NOYAN TAPAN. In the February 7 sitting of the RA
government before passing to the issues of the agenda, Serge Sargsian,
the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia warned the heads of the
Republican executive bodies to pay a special attention to the strict
preservation of the demands of the RA legislation in the implementation
process of the pre-electoral campaign by the collaborators of their
system and in conformity with this to abtain from implementing
pre-electoral campaign in working hours. This information was provided
to Noyan Tapan by the Information and Public Relations Department of
the RA Government.

ABRAHAMIAN’S NEPHEW PROVOKES INCIDENT

A1+
[04:15 pm] 06 February, 2008

An attempt on presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrossian was
instigated today in the town of Artashat. A huge ice was thrown in
the direction of the first President. Fortunately, the first President
was not injured.

According to our verified sources, Ter-Petrossian’s bodyguard got
serious corporal injuries, his jaw was broken.

He is presently bearing testimony at the Police Department of Ararat.

During the meeting with the former President, residents pointed at
some women who had been assigned to instigate an incident. They had
been given 5000 drams each.

Just at that moment, a group of fellows got off a car and began
throwing stones and pieces of concrete at Levon Ter-Petrossian’s
team. They picked a fight with one of the bodyguards, Sargis,
inflicting serious injuries on him.

"This is but an attempt on my life," Levon Ter-Petrossian announced
over the loudspeaker. The incident turned out to be provoked by
Hovik Abrahamian’s nephew. Ter-Petrossian publicly demanded to sue
the initiators and urged Marzpet Alik Sargsian to bear responsibility
for the incident.

The latter admitted full responsibility and called for vigilance
and restraint.

To note, the police had noticed the car but they had taken no measure.

SARKISIAN CONTINUES GOVERNMENT-BACKED RALLIES
By Karine Simonian and Ruzanna Stepanian

Radio Liberty, Czech Republic
Feb 7 2008

Authorities in Armenia’s third largest city of Vanadzor provided for
free public transportation, cancelled classes and suspended the work
of other public institutions in an apparent effort to ensure high
turnout at Prime Sarkisian’s campaign rally there on Thursday.

The effort clearly paid off, with thousands of people gathering in
the main town square early in the afternoon to hear Sarkisian speak
mid-way through a concert of Armenian pop singers supporting his
presidential bid.

Vanadzor Mayor Samvel Darpinian could be seen there already in the
morning, overseeing preparations for the rally. He visibly counted
the number of people in attendance moments before the start of the
high-profile event.

"We have no attendance targets," Darpinian told RFE/RL. "If people
want to come here, they will. If not, they won’t come." The mayor
also said that the municipality has nothing to do with the fact that
public transportation in Vanadzor was free of charge on Wednesday.

But bus drivers claimed the opposite. "The municipality is sponsoring
us today," one of them told RFE/RL. "The owner of the bus route gave
me money and said that I will be driving free of charge today."

By noon classes in local schools, colleges and even kindergartens
ground to a halt, with teachers and lecturers flocking to the square
along with their students. "This was not done for the rally," said
Edita Vartanian, principal of the Vanadzor School No. 9. "It’s just
that first-rate bands will be arriving from the capital. We just
wanted to expose the kids to the spirit of the capital a little."

The administrative measures followed what appears to have a become
pattern in Sarkisian’s government-backed election campaign. Teenage
students, teachers and other public sector employees have been a
fixture in the prime minister’s other campaign rallies in Yerevan
and other parts of the country.

Sarkisian began his speech in the capital of the northern Lori region
by attacking unspecified presidential candidates who are "filled with
malice" and "throw mud at what is being created." He also assured local
residents that if elected president he will complete the protracted
reconstruction of Lori and other Armenian regions devastated by the
1988 earthquake.

Sarkisian gave similar promises in Spitak, another Lori town which
was razed by the calamity. "Without your assistance, your active
participation we will not be able to build a just society," he told
a rally there. "Without your active involvement we will not be able
to fight against corruption."

"So those who think that by voting for Serzh Sarkisian they will vote
for easy life are wrong. Those who vote for Serzh Sarkisian, vote for
hard work, prosperity and a decent life," added the election favorite.

Incidentally, Sarkisian’s most formidable challenger, former President
Levon Ter-Petrosian, visited Spitak earlier in the day and pulled
a much smaller crowd. Ter-Petrosian accused local authorities of
bullying people not to attend his meetings

"Remove that fear from yourself," he told local residents. "Rest
assured that there is nothing these authorities can do to you. They
are weak and petty. Straighten your backs, and a lot will change in
your lives."

Campaigning in nearby villages still reeling from the effects of
the devastating quake, Ter-Petrosian deliberately stood next to
Sarkisian’s ubiquitous campaign banners to address small crowds. Many
local residents complained about their poor housing conditions. One
man in the village of Gyulagarak wondered how much the ex-president
would pay for his vote. The father of eight explained that he wants to
sell his vote to the highest bidder because he needs money to repair
the leaking roof of his shack.

"I don’t need your vote for money," responded Ter-Petrosian. "Give
your vote to Serzh."

ONE OF PKK TERRORISTS KILLED IN TURKEY’S BINGOL REGION WAS ARMENIAN

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 6 2008

Istanbul. Mayis Alizade -APA. The details of the operation, which was
carried out against PKK in Bingol region, the south-east of Turkey
on February 3 and killed ten terrorists, are known.

APA’s Turkey bureau reports that the group considered "brain" of the
military wing of the terrorist organization was destroyed as a result
of the operation. The group was independent in committing terrorist
actions without informing the central headquarters based in Kandil
mountain in the north of Iraq. It was found out that they committed
13 terrorist acts. Governor of Bingol region Irfan Balkanlioglu said
that most of the killed terrorists were foreigners. One of them is
said to be Armenian. The head of the group is the citizen of Syria.

THE HISTORY OF GENOCIDE
By Hazhar Aziz Surme

Kurdish Globe, Iraq
Feb 6 2008

A Kurdish woman looks at pictures of Anfal Victims.

Genocide had been introduced to many nations in practical terms.

Before including the term ‘Genocide’ into the international
dictionaries, and before the disciplines and rules concerning
genocide were set; before international communities dealt with it
and punished the criminals of genocidal crimes and considering it as
an obvious phenomenon, genocide had been introduced to many nations
in practical terms and the history of it goes back to the centuries
before the Christ.

Here, we study the historical examples of genocide:

The genocide as a phenomenon in history:

In 615 B.C., the Babylons had murdered Assyrians in a massacre,
and murdered most of them, and destroyed the city of Nineveh, to the
extent when the Greek leader (Xenophon) in (427-335 BC), after two
centuries, passed through the Nineveh city, he did not note that once
upon a time people lived in the city.

It is also worth mentioning that in 596 B.C., Abu Khuznasri, the
Chaldean King (605-562 B.C.), brought down the city of Yahooda in
Israel, and put an end to two Israeli revolutions, but in 539 B.C.,
the Persian King (Cyrus 1) freed the Jewish people by destroying the
Babel city.

In February 1258, the Mongols and Tatters, led by Holako, attacked
the city of Baghdad, and then killed children, women, detained and
disabled people (Mongols made no difference between those who stood
against them and those who surrendered themselves to them, both
were murdered). Aa a result, they killed 80000 people of Baghdad’s
residents in a period of 40 days.

When America was discovered in 1492, the original residents were
Indians, a people of millions, but after the mass-migration of
Europeans to the Americas, the Indians became foreigners in their
own land, furthermore, their number, centuries later, were fewer than
ever. If they were not annihilated, where to did they disappear?!!

Another kind of genocide, that is taken place in a different way,
is that of British Imperialism spreading opium in China of 19th
century, having negative influence on the Chinese community. Chinese
youths, as a result were not able to stand up for their country, as
addicted consumers of opium, and this indeed was the aim of English
colonialism. When China closed the opium stores in the country, it
had a negative aspect against the British economy, this is perhaps
why, three years later, in 1842, Britain succeeded to set the Treaty
of Nanjing that was considered as a blow to China, and then Hong
Kong submitted to British demands. This is historically called the
Opium War.

With the start of the First World War in 1914, many genocidal
operations were taking place against various peoples around Europe,
as a result, and millions of people were victims.

During the First World War, In April 22, 1915, the Germans used the
Chloral poisonous Gas against the Frenchmen, and soon afterwards, the
Englishmen started the first poisonous attack in September 25, 1915.

In April 24, 1915, the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hammed and the Turkish
Youth organization, tried to put an end to the Turkish Armenians (to
forbid the separation of Eastern Armenian from Turkey), and created
the most infamous massacre against the Armenians. Sultan Abdul Hammed
had killed about 300 thousand Armenians on the first hand.

Separately, the attacks of the Young Turkey had killed about a
million and half of the Armenians and also made 800 thousand others
displaced. That’s why, the Republic of Armenia, in the most recent
years, made this day a memorandum day for the major genocidal events
that were taken place against Armenians in history.

In 1933, the Iraqi authority of the time, murdered and annihilated more
than 4 thousand Assyrians in the district of (Smel) of the Duhok city.

Franko, the Spanish dictator, during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939),
was the cause of annihilating hundreds of thousands of people,
especially in the Jernica town, that became the source of Pablo
Picasso’s inspiration in his famous painting.

During the Second World War, 1939-1945, 18 million people from
Sharistan were annihilated. 70 thousand Jews, and millions of Russians,
Polish, hundreds of thousands of French, Dutch and Yugoslavian
people?etc. were also murdered.

In 1948, Israel in Deer Yaseen, in a mass killing, murdered 252
people. In 1979, Bokasa, a brutal dictator, in the Central African
Republic, was in charge of beheading approximately 100 children.

Clearly, there are many more examples of genocide and annihilation
that the racialist dictators committed against other nations.

Examples of these dictators like: Troilus, Chowchesku, Saddam, Castro
and Radovan Kardchic. The latter, under the name of racism, annihilated
and murdered many peace-lover Bosnians, especially in the city of
Srebrenitsa, where 40 thousand people became victims and were murdered.

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‘DEATH TANGO’ BOOK BY AZERBAIJANI SCIENTIST PUBLISHED IN MOSCOW

Trend News Agency
Feb 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 5 February /corr. Trend F.Rzayev / The book ‘Death
Tango’ by Rovshan Mustafayev, doctor of political sciences and Head
of the Human Rights Institute of Azerbaijan’s National Academy
of Sciences, was published in Moscow. The book includes facts of
disclosing groundless ideology ‘Armenianism’ which was established
by the Armenian scientists for many years.

Rovshan Mustafayev’s book sets examples regarding the efforts of the
Armenian writers who groundlessly believe that Armenia has a network
of multi-dimensional relations with the world. According to their
last ‘rough account’, this country has twelve capitals. The Armenian
writers consider that as though Tbilisi, Diyarbakir, Baku, Odessa,
Kiev, Jerusalem, Sochi were capitals of Armenia.

Mustafayev considers that to protect themselves from the anabolic
threats of ‘Armenianism’, the Jews of the Ottoman Turkey succeeded,
refusing to recognize them as ‘Armeniod origin’ and to be considered as
‘genetic continuers of the Armenian civilization’.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ISSUES OF REGIONAL SECURITY TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan
Feb 5, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, NOYAN TAPAN. The second international conference
"Countries of Caucasus and the Middle East – Possible Partners
in the Process of Formation of Regional System of Security" with
the participation of political scientists and experts from Russia,
Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Austria, China, other countries will be
held in Yerevan on February 7-8. Among the conference participants
are Prof. Hans Kehler (University of Innsbruck, Austria), Vyacheslav
Igrunov (director of International Research Institute of Humanity
and Politics, Russia), Bao Yi (leading specialist of Institute of
Eastern Europe, Rissia and Central Asia of the Academy of Social
Sciences of China), Cemal Usak (Secretary General of "Platform
for Intellectual Dialog, Turkey), Zulfugar Farzaliev (journalist,
Azerbaijan), Mohamed Shakir (Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs),
Prof. Gokhan Bacik (University of Fatih, Turkey), Georgi Petrosian
(Minister of Foreign Affairs, NKR) and others.

At the opening event to be held in the Armenia Hotel, speeches of
welcome of Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and the conference
organizer – the chairman of the World Armenian Congress (WAC), UNESCO’s
Ambassador of Good Will Ara Abramyan will be read. After the opening
speech of the first deputy chairman of the WAC Aram Sargsian, other
participants will make reports to be followed by the discussion "New
Generation of National Elites on the Way to Integration in the Global
Processes" (moderator Dr. Hans Kehler – one of the world’s leading
experts in economics). Then the works will be presented by sections:
"Peaceful Way of Solution of Inter-State Disputes Does not Have
Alternatives" (moderators: Ruben Safrsatyan, director of East Studies
Institute of the RA National Academy of Sciences and Prof. Vladimir
Zakharov of Moscow State Institute of International Affairs), "From
Regional to Global Security System, from Interbloc Cooperation to
Stable Peace" (moderator Hans Kehler), and "Realization of Integral
Forms of All-Regional Economic, Socio-Cultural, Inter-Civilized
Projects – Safe Basis for Realization of Peaceful Initiatives"
(moderator Garnik Asatryan, head of the Iranian department of Yerevan
State University).

At the final plenary session on February 8, the Conference Declaration
will be discussed and adopted. Its draft in particular reads:
"Indicating the geopolitical realities, which have formed in the
region as a result of non-homogeneity of historical, political,
ethnic-cultural peculiarities of development of peoples in Caucasus
and the Middle East, the representatives of the interntional conference
participants Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Egypt, China, the
NKR, Russia, Turkey state: Caucasus and the Middle East is a region
of nonintegrated interests. <…> However, the similarity of unsolved
problems of territorial, religious, economic, socio-cultural nature
and the urgency of formulation of a unifying all-regional idea of
peaceful and constructive development of the regional countries give
the conference participants the right to assert that the regional
leaders’ and social elites’ awareness of the danger of continuation
of a policy not in line with geostrategical goals, as well as their
political will allow to conduct discussion of the principles of
building the region of Caucasus and the Middle East as a new single
geopolitical whole.

The absence of aspiration to achieve a baseless dominating position
over neighbors must become a precondition for starting negotiations. As
a task for taking the first step on the course to the integration
process, the conference participants consider the development of
"Declaration" by authorized representatives of the regional countries
– with presentation of general problems, examination of the potential
and prospects of integration, as well as integration-related threats
and risks, and modelling of the options of solution of all-regional
problems.

Defining regional security as a general system of inter-civilized
relations, the conference participants take the view that the regional
concept of security in the form of army poliical blocs does not
correspond to global challenges and the parameters of development
of security and stability in the region. <…> We proceed from the
fundamental principle that global security directly depends on the
level of good-neighbourly relations of regional countries <…>.

The conference participants appeal to the heads of states, parliaments,
governments, political organizations and NGOs of Caucasus and the
Middle East to present the ideas and proposals laid out in the
Declaration’s text to their societies for discussion. We hope to
launch a constructive dialog in the name of implementing a program
of stable peace and development in Caucasus and the Middle East".

ARMENIA’S PARLIAMENT APPROVES 2008 PROGRAM OF SUPERVISORY CHAMBER

ARKA News Agency
Feb 5 2008
Armenia

YEREVAN, February 5. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Parliament approved the program
of activities of the Supervisory Chamber of Armenia’s Parliament for
2008. In 2008 the Supervisory Chamber is to tighten supervision of loan
programs implemented by the country’s ministries and state agencies,
the Chairman of the Chamber Ishkhan Zakarian said. Particularly,
supervision will be exercised over 31 of 33 loan programs in the
country’s ministries, Zakarian reported.

He also pointed out that in 2008 the Chamber also plans to supervise
the programs that remained beyond control during the last 4-5 years.

Among the fields to be supervised are healthcare, agriculture, urban
planning, transport and communication, as well as performance of the
Police and the State Customs Committee, regional administrations
of Siunik, Gegharkunik and Ararat regions, prefectures of Kentron
(Center), and Nor-Nork and Davidashen communities of Yerevan.

"In 2008 full control will be exercised over use of lands in the
National Park of Lake Sevan, over legalization of illegal construction
and liquidation of joint stock companies with government share,"
Zakarian said.

CBA BOARD RAISES REFINANCING RATE BY 0.25%, FIXING IT AT 6%

Noyan Tapan
Feb 4, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 4, NOYAN TAPAN. At the sitting held on February
4, 2008, the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) Board raised the CBA’s
refinancing rate by 0.25%, fixing it at 6%.

NT was informed by the CBA press service that 2.4% inflation was
registered in Armenia in January 2008 on December 2007, as a result
of which the 12-month inflation made 6.6%, remaining at the level of
late 2007.

The CBA Board takes the view that the high inflation environment,
which formed in global market, is still remaining and creates no
bases for weakening inflation pressures in the domestic economy. At
the same time, developments of the domestic environment will continue
to be conditioned by high rates of private consumption, also being
impacted by the tax and budgetary policy with an expanding effect,
which is expected in 2008. In the opinion of the CBA Board, the
indicated inflation pressures will remain throughout 2008, and it
will be possible to mitigate inflation expectation and keep inflation
within the target level only by gradually tightening the monetary
and credit conditions in Armenia.