Category: News

Armenian nuclear plant to stop for repairs on June 15
Interfax
May 31 2004
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Armenian Nuclear Power Plant, which is managed
by ZAO Inter RAO UES is to halt operations on June 15, 2004 for
maintenance and for fuel to be loaded, plant General Director Garik
Markosyan told Interfax.
He said that the work will take 65 days, during which major repairs
will be carried out to the reactor after the fuel is loaded, and to
two turbines in the second power-producing unit.
The general director said that this year the U.S. has already paid out
$4 million to increase safety at the plant. As regards the European
Union, the amount of financial aid will be agreed in Brussels this
summer, he said.
Markosyan said the plant produced 1.1 billion kWh of electricity from
the start of the year until May 30. The plant produced 1.9 billion
kWh of electricity in 2003, which is 36% of total energy production
in the republic.
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant was transferred to ZAO Inter RAO UES
in September last year. Inter RAO UES is an electricity export and
import operator on energy markets in Russia and abroad. The company is
a subsidiary of UES of Russia (60% of shares) and Rosenergoatom (40%).

OSCE Official Questions Opposition Arrests In Armenia
By Ruzanna Stepanian 31/05/2004 15:53
Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
May 31 2004
A senior official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe on Friday criticized the continuing imprisonment on criminal
charges of more than a dozen individuals arrested in connection with
the opposition campaign for regime change in Armenia.
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, who heads the OSCE office in Yerevan,
said the law-enforcement authorities’ decision to keep the opposition
activists in jail pending the inquiry into their alleged coup attempts
and “hooligan” acts is too strict and unjustified. “We insist on
a detailed investigation into all those cases in order to rule out
a biased and politically motivated treatment of [the detainees],”
Pryakhin told RFE/RL. “There is no criminal substance as such
[in their actions] or it is too insignificant to warrant such a
preventive measure.”
“Undoubtedly their detention was politically motivated and linked to
their political activities. But during those activities they may have
carried out actions that are punishable by criminal law,” he said.
The Russian diplomat acknowledged that the OSCE played a role in the
release earlier this week of two senior members of the opposition
Hanrapetutyun party accused of publicly insulting the authorities. He
said he will hold more meetings with Armenian prosecutors to discuss
the fate of the other detainees.
At least 11 opposition activists are kept in jail on criminal
charges. Three of them have already been sentenced to between 9 and
18 months in prison by courts. The opposition and some local human
rights groups regard all of them as political prisoners.
The authorities have also detained and briefly jailed in the last two
months more than one hundred participants of unsanctioned opposition
rallies under Armenia’s Soviet-era code of Administrative Offences.
Opposition sources say 15 people are currently serving prison terms
ranging from 8 to 10 days.
The authorities continue to resort to the controversial “administrative
detentions” despite repeated protests from the Council of Europe
and other international watchdogs. According to Pryakhin, the OSCE
also stands for the abolition of what he described as a “vicious
practice.” “The administrative detentions is a legacy of Soviet
jurisprudence which allowed law-enforcement bodies to detain certain
dissident individuals for the so-called prophylactic purposes,”
he said.
“We have set a goal of having this vicious practice scrapped this
year,” Pryakhin added.
Between 200 and 400 opposition supporters were jailed in similar
circumstances during and in the aftermath of last year’s disputed
presidential election. The arrests were criticized by Amnesty
International on Wednesday. “Reportedly denied access to lawyers,
they were sentenced in closed trials without legal representation,”
the London-based group said in an annual report on human rights abuses
around the world.

CIS Kurds support People’s Congress decision to end truce
Interfax
May 31 2004
MOSCOW. May 31 (Interfax) – The International Union of Kurdish Public
Organizations, which unites Kurds in Russia and other CIS nations,
thinks the decision of the People’s Congress of Kurdistan (the former
Kurdistan Workers’ Party) to end its truce with the Turkish authorities
is well-founded.
“We think this decision is grounded, because the Turkish authorities
have done nothing to resolve the Kurdish problem, but have intensified
punitive operations during the cease-fire period,” Union Deputy
Chairman Kamis Jabrailov told Interfax on Monday.
“Yet the Kurds who live in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
and Armenia object to any use of force on the part of governments or
organizations, and want a peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem,”
he said.
“Kurds will not be the first to spill blood, but they will launch
an offensive if the Turkish army continues military operations,”
Jabrailov said.
A statement by the administration of the People’s Congress of Kurdistan
was released last Sunday. It said the truce with Turkey, announced
five years ago after the arrest of party leader Abdullah Ocalan, is
“senseless,” and they will resume hostilities. <>

Transitions on Line, Czech Rep.
May 31 2004
Deputy Regional Program Manager
TITLE: Deputy Regional Program Manager
REPORTS TO: Regional Program Manager in Baku and PTD Deputy Director
in Washington, DC
POSITION LOCATION: Yerevan, Armenia
US Citizenship Required
IREX, a nonprofit in international education and training, seeks
qualified professional to fill the position of Deputy Regional
Coordinator for the Internet Access and Training Program (IATP)
sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US
State Department.
About IREX:
IREX (the International Research & Exchanges Board) is the premier US
nonprofit organization specializing in higher education, independent
media, Internet development, and civil society programs in the United
States, Europe, Eurasia, the Near East, and Asia. IREX’s mission is
to foster democracy in transitioning societies; strengthen and help
internationalize educational, nongovernmental, and media
organizations; support the highest quality research in the social
sciences and humanities; and identify and train the next generation
of leaders by working together with universities, nongovernmental
organizations, foundations, governments, and corporations.
IREX has had an on-the-ground presence in the Caucasus since 1992,
when it opened its Yerevan, Armenia field office. Offices in Tbilisi,
Georgia followed in 1994, and in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1998. IREX
programs in the region span academic exchanges and advising, Internet
access and training, curriculum reform, and short-term professional
training.
Summary of Position:
IREX seeks a qualified professional to fill the position of Deputy
Regional Program Manager for the Internet Access and Training Program
(IATP). The Deputy Regional Program Manager will be based in Yerevan,
Armenia with substantial travel to Georgia and Azerbaijan. The
position requires substantive experience coordinating international
assistance programs with knowledge in utilizing Internet technology
as an educational and training tool. IREX seeks a minimum one-year
commitment.
The Deputy Regional Program Manager will work closely with the
Regional Program Manager to:
– Supervise a network of 35 Internet access sites and more than 60
local staff
– Coordinate program activities with the Public Affairs Sections of
local US Embassies
– Oversee and manage the budget, reporting, statistics collection,
and program direction.
Qualifications:
– Two-three years experience with international assistance and
development programs
– Knowledge of local language preferred
– Experience in using the Internet and integrating information
technology resources in professional and educational settings
– A minimum of one-year experience working and living in Eurasia
– An understanding of LAN architecture and hardware
Submit cover letter and resume to: PTD/DS, [email protected], fax
(202) 628-8189, No phone calls please.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
May 31 2004
AZERBAIJAN, FRANCE: RELATIONS DEVELOPING
PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVED AMBASSADOR OF FRANCE TO
AZERBAIJAN
[May 31, 2004, 16:06:35]
President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev on 31 May at the
President Palace received the ambassador of France to Azerbaijan
Chantal Poiret.
Expressing regret for termination of her diplomatic mission in the
Republic of Azerbaijan, President Ilham Aliyev thanked the French
Ambassador for her useful and fruitful activity.
President Ilham Aliyev said that in the period of her activity
in Azerbaijan, mutual relations between the two countries in the
political, economic and other fields have intensively developed. And
highly assessing the Ambassador’s efforts in organizing his visit to
France, stressed the importance of conclusions of this visit.
Reminding service of the ambassadors in development of the mutual
relations between the states, president Ilham Aliyev said that as OSCE
Minsk Group co-chair, France makes enormous efforts for settlement
of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict, and Ms. Chantal
Poiret has actively taken part in this process.
President Ilham Aliyev once again thanked the Ambassador and wished
success in her future activity.
Noting that she did not spare strength to require high level of the
relations between France and Azerbaijan, Ms. Chantal Poiret stated
that she deeply regards the people of Azerbaijan and its leader.
Expressing her pleasure with hospitability of the Azerbaijan people,
the Ambassador said she would continue her links with Azerbaijan
in France.
At the meeting, also were exchanged views on numerous items of the
prospects of Azerbaijan-France relations.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EVERYBODY MUST COMPLETE NATIONAL SERVICE DUTY BEFORE TAKING HIGH POST
A1 Plus | 21:22:25 | 31-05-2004 | Politics |
Supreme Council MPs’ club issued a statement Monday attracting public
attention to those high-ranking state officials, who had dodged
military service in a clear breach of the law.
The club appealed to court demanding to announce Armenian president’s
five orders on appointing culture minister Hovik Hoveyan, justice
minister David Harutyunyan, foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan, defense
minister Serge Sargssyan and prime minister Andranik Margaryan to
their positions invalid.
The court accepted only two of the five motions submitted by the club.
Motions on Andranik Margaryan and Hovik Hoveyan were taken by the
court while the rest three ones on Serge Sargssyan, Vardan Oskanyan
and David Harutyunyan were declined, despite all five cases are
completely alike. “The explanation of the rejection was absolutely
absurd: only Constitutional Court can dispute any presidential decree’s
correspondence with the Constitution”, the statement says.
The club members think the court accepting two and rejecting three
above-mentioned motions displayed political approach instead of
juridical, as Hoveyan’s and Markaryan’s candidacies had been put up
by Orinats Erkir and Republican parties while the rest three officials
were president Kocharyan’s direct nominees.

Tehran to Host Armenian Cultural Week
Mehr News Agency, Iran
May 31 2004
TEHRAN May 31 (MNA) — Armenian Cultural Week is due to open on June 24
at the Niavaran Artistic Creations Foundation in Tehran. According to
the public relation department of the foundation, paintings and cubic
works by prominent Armenian artists will be displayed.
Film screenings of “Pomegranates’ Color”, “Myth of Suran Castle”,
and “Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors” by prominent Armenian filmmaker
Sergei Parajanov, holding gatherings, and an exhibition of conceptual
artwork as well as three special workshops are among the main programs
being sponsored by the foundation.
A total of 40 paintings by renowned Armenian artists Samuel Khachikian,
David Petrosian and Nagiz Pashaian are also to be displayed at the
exhibition.
Additionally, during the week lectures on cinema, acting, and directing
will be conducted by Professor Yervan Qazanchian director of the
Armenian Theater Center.

Fresno Bee
May 31 2004
Day of Remembrance
Armenian church in Yettem celebrates how early Valley settlers
worshipped.
By Ron Orozco
Choir members sing during a special outdoor service Sunday
commemorating the 100th anniversary of St. Mary Armenian Apostolic
Church in Yettem. The service was held under trees adjacent to the
church, where early settlers to the area held their first service.
Richard Darby / The Fresno Bee
YETTEM — Under a canopy of trees, parishioners of St. Mary Armenian
Apostolic Church in eastern Tulare County symbolically celebrated
the church’s 100th anniversary on Pentecost Sunday.
Pentecost is the Christian festival on the seventh Sunday after Easter,
celebrating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.
In the central San Joaquin Valley, Pentecost is observed with special
sermons from the pulpit.
St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated under its trees to
remember how early settlers in the area worshipped.
In 1904, settlers gathered under a tree at the home of Tateos Davidian
to celebrate Feast of Pentecost, thus beginning the religious life
of the community.
Sunday, the symbolism left parishioners with a sense of gratitude to
the settlers.
Yettem is the Armenian word meaning Eden.
“It takes you back in memory in how they did it before,” said Charlie
Basmajian of Selma. “They put their heads together and built a church.”
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At the outdoor service Sunday, birds chirped from branches and
morning sunlight glistened on leaves as nearly 150 parishioners
were reminded that the early settlers sang the hymn “Aravod Loosoh”
(“Morning of Light”) and read from the New Testament book of Acts.
The Rev. Vartan A.K. Kasparian, pastor of St. Mary, and Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian
Church in America, chanted the service in Armenian along with deacons
and 14 choir members.
Mary Enfiedjian of Visalia followed the service in her prayer book,
“Pokrikneroo Jamakirk.”
“It gives people the courage and inspiration to recall what our
forefathers have gone through as survivors of genocide,” said
Derderian, who visited from Burbank.
An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the Armenian genocide
in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923.
“In a short period, they had a vision to establish a church, to be
fully integrated in the community and to give life to the community.
“This is special for all of us, not just for Yettem. This will be
the beginning of many more celebrations.”
At the end of the service, Kasparian invited parishioners to come
forward to kiss the Gospel book — and a line quickly formed.
After a short break, parishioners filed inside the church, where
Derderian blessed a new Rodgers pipe organ and celebrated Divine
Liturgy.
In the afternoon, nearly 300 people filled the parish’s Majarian Hall
for a luncheon.
“This is so exciting,” Lucinne Bennett of Visalia said of the
celebrations. “My family has lived here for many, many years.”
It definitely was a day of remembrance.
Betty Farsakian, one of two St. Mary organists, remembered with pride
that her father, Garabed Charles Simonian, built the church.
Member Araxie Menenian also remembered her father: Garbed Kalfayan.
He was parish priest from 1939-65, including during one of the most
difficult times for parishioners.
In 1955, a fire destroyed the church.
“When it burned, he was in Armenia voting for the ‘pope’ of the
church,” Menenian said.
If parishioners had a hard time remembering, six display boards with
the names of Yettem residents in 1910 helped them.
The oldest living person on the board who was in attendance Sunday:
Harry S. Jenanyan, 95.
The Rev. Kasparian pointed out that many have moved away from Yettem,
which remains a hamlet with a population of just 284.
Kasparian said, “Even though a lot of people have moved away from
the area, some to the East Coast, Yettem is still home to them.”
The reporter can be reached at [email protected] or (559) 441-6304.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WEB SITE DEVOTED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN OTTOMAN TURKEY OPENED IN
GERMANY
PanArmenian News
May 31 2004
BERLIN, 31.05.04. A web site devoted to the Armenian Genocide in
Ottoman Turkey in early last century has opened in Germany. In
the words of the creators of the site – leaders of the Recognition
Germany-based committee– the main goal of the project is to propagate
and achieve recognition of the fact of the Armenian Genocide by
Bundestag (the Parliament). The site is in German yet, however
English and Armenian versions will appear soon. The Genocide history,
documents and photographs of 1890-1922 are presented at the site.
Here one can find latest news on the process of world recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, specifically in Germany.

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Center for National and International Studies
75 Yerznkian Street
Yerevan 375033, Armenia
Tel: (+374 – 1) 52.87.80 or 27.48.18
Fax: (+374 – 1) 52.48.46
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website:
ACNIS
Summary Report of Expert Opinion Polls
May 2004
“My View of Armenia’s Future”
In April-May 2004, the Armenian Center for National and International
Studies (ACNIS) conducted its first two focus-group surveys on
“My View of Armenia’s Future” and “Armenia’s Foreign Policy,
Orientation, and Attitude toward Power Centers of the World.” Fifty
experts participated in the survey, 30% of whom work at state-run and
70% in non-governmental institutions. 72% of them are male and 28%
female. 18% are 20-30 years old, 40% 31-40, 32% 41-50, 6% 51-60, and
4% 61-70 years of age. Among them 98% had received higher education,
2% incomplete higher education. 2% of the respondent specialists were
full professors, 32% were candidates of science, 60% had a Master’s
degree, while 6% had earned only a Bachelor’s degree.
Within the framework of the expert poll entitled “My View of Armenia’s
Future,” 16% are satisfied with current realities and ongoing policies,
while 10% are reconciled to them but not satisfied, and 70% reject
them; 4% consider themselves indifferent. 14% think they are able
to change everything, 80% are able to change something or other,
whereas 6% believe they are unable to change anything.
50% of the respondents deem themselves to be well informed, politically
active and influential, 46% are well informed but do not struggle
for the realization of their own opinions; only 4% view themselves as
passive. As for social changes, 80% of the polled specialists are for
systemic reforms in state and society, while 20% are for changing
at least what is practicable. On Armenia’s economic system, 16%
assess it as extremely negative, 54% as negative, and 30% as positive
with certain reservations. 100% have a positive attitude only to the
concepts of profit and competition. Meanwhile, 30% carry a positive
and 70% a negative attitude toward the ideas of super-profit and
privilege. The categories of fair competition, equal participation,
and liberalism are viewed as positive by 96% and negative by 4%
of them. 16% consider monopolies as positive, 84% as negative. 90%
are for employee participation in the management of organizations
and enterprises, as well as for trade unions, while 10% are against
them. 14% are for and 86% against the command system of management.
Generally, capitalism is viewed as positive by 72% of experts and
negative by 28%, while socialism as positive by 70% and negative by
30%. 4% identify themselves as left-leaning, 30% as center-left, 30%
as right-leaning, 30% as center-right, and 6% on the extreme right. 60%
are of the opinion that the development of Armenia is possible in
a liberal democracy, just as 20% prefer social democracy and 20%
national democracy.
The respondent experts also express their opinion about different
problems facing Armenia. 18% think that the most urgent issue for
Armenia in the near future is regional cooperation and the same
number prioritize the deepening of democracy, 16% believe it to be
regulation of the Karabagh conflict, 10% a reassessment of Armenia’s
foreign policy, 10% establishment of law and order, 8% a strengthening
of the army and maintenance of stability in the country. 6% find the
struggle against corruption and 4% job creation to be imperative. As
for the most vital issue for Armenia in the long run (10 years), 18%
think it is democratization of political life and the same number the
formation of a national security system, 12% activation of societal
consciousness, and 4% the Karabagh question. 20% consider economic
development of the country and elevation of living standards as the
most important issues, while the highest index, 28%, favors human
rights and freedoms.
As for the problems inherited from the near and far past, 52% consider
international recognition of the Armenian Genocide as feasible and 48%
improbable in the next 10 years; 6% view the return of historical
Armenian lands as possible and 94% impossible; 56% find resolution
of the Karabagh conflict as achievable and 44% not; 68% see ways to
prevent emigration and 32% do not; 52% consider poverty surmountable
and 48% do not. Only 6% of respondents believe in the success of the
campaign against corruption, while 94% do not.
12% regard the apathy and inconsistency of both government and society
as the main reason for the country’s problems, while 10% think it
is the incompetence of the authorities, 2% each the intervention of
international actors, Armenia’s lack of resources, and the absence of
a requisite political atmosphere. 6% find that problems are not solved
as it is already too late to solve them, and an equal number that civil
society institutions do not present problems to the authorities in a
timely and proper manner. Another 6% believe that public support of the
authorities is unsatisfactory or even absent, and finally a plurality
of 24% are convinced that the principal reason for these problems is
the absence of the necessary political will of the authorities.
24% of respondents fear the arbitrariness of the government, 18%
life’s uncertainty, 12% war with Turkey, 6% war with Azerbaijan,
6% further deepening of relations with Russia, 6% poverty, 6% loss
of relatives, 6% God, 4% violence, and 4% death. 2% choose “other”
and express concern about the need to defend the present authorities,
while 6% are afraid of nothing.
40% of the experts surveyed are of the opinion that Armenia’s dominant
potential is the human one, 18% pinpointing the people themselves as
the strongest resource; 16% select Armenia’s geographical position
and geopolitical importance, 14% the Diaspora, and 8% cultural
heritage. 4% believe that none of the above can be considered as
potential. Armenia’s economic capacity, its natural resources, and
attractiveness of the land and nature are not marked at all. After 10
years, 4% find that the territory of Armenia has expanded, and 8% that
its political and geopolitical rating has risen. 18% note an increase
in economic potential, 20% in human potential, 4% in cultural wealth,
38% in political maturity. 8% think that none of the cited resources
has grown.
As for the presentation and pursuit of the nation’s interests, only 14%
conclude Armenia to be completely free, 50% partially free, and 36%
not free. Simultaneously, 86% believe that Armenia does not define its
own national aspirations and moves forward spontaneously, while 14%
find its future imposed from outside.
According to the forecasts of 50%, Armenia will be a mediocre state
in 10 years, 46% think it will be weak, and only 4% expect it to be
a strong country. 80% note that today the prospect for Armenia to
be a sovereign, democratic, legal and social state is in danger,
and 20% do not think it is in jeopardy. Among the reasons for the
above-mentioned problem, 44% are of the opinion that today the country
lives exclusively in the past or at best in the present, but nobody
thinks about the future; 26% see that the future is not charted today;
18% cite the difficult challenges of the future, and 6% think that
the above mentioned ideals were threatened even in the past.
74% are convinced that Armenia will overcome all the difficulties of
the present time, while 26% are of the opposite opinion. 36% think that
most people in Armenia believe in the future of their country, but 64%
think they do not. 28% find that people explain the country’s problems
by reference to their tough fate and bad neighbors, and 24% refer to
pointless reliance on others. 20% are convinced that people consider
themselves unable to solve their own problems; 12% think that in this
case people view the world and their partners in it as dishonest and
solely driven by their own interests; 10% respond that people think
they are alone in the world and do not have any partners. Finally,
4% believe people blame themselves for overestimating their abilities.
“Armenia’s Foreign Policy, Orientation, and Attitude toward Power
Centers of the World”
Within the framework of the expert poll entitled “Armenia’s Foreign
Policy, Orientation, and Attitude toward Power Centers of the World,”
56% find Armenia’s most important obligation before the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Council of Europe to be human rights protection,
including freedom of speech, conscience, assembly and press, while
34% think it is constitutional reforms and only 6% judicial-legal
reforms. The vast majority of respondents, 82%, evaluate the process
of carrying out these commitments as unsatisfactory. 50% are of
the opinion that the gradual fulfillment of these obligations has a
“partially positive” influence on the current state and demeanor of
society, 6% say “partially negative,” and 16% register no impact.
56% view the arbitrariness of the authorities as the most widespread
and flagrant violation of human rights in Armenia, while 34% consider
themselves to be deprived of the opportunity to live in dignity.
18% believe that the executive branch of government hampers the
development of society and thus improvement in living standards, 18%
blame overall unlawfulness, and 16% the delay in solving the Karabagh
conflict. It is noteworthy that only 12% find the major obstacle to
be corruption and 12% the country’s clans and oligarchs.
In response to a question about which state or international structure
restricts the republic’s independence and state-building, 56% note the
Russian Federation and 12% the Armenian government, with 6% each for
the United States and the Commonwealth of Independent States, while
interestingly 10% fault noone. As for the countries or international
bodies promoting the development and sovereignty of Armenia, 72%
cite the Council of Europe and the European Union taken together,
22% identify none, and 6% say the United States. No respondent
names Russia.
The survey includes a number of questions concerning Armenia’s security
system and its further viability. 66% opine that Armenia should join
NATO during the upcoming 10-12 years, 28% do not think so, and 6% find
it difficult to answer. As for the presence of the Russian military
base in Armenia as the main guarantee for national security, only 18%
of the specialists surveyed agree with this assertion, 76% do not,
and 6% do not answer at all.
72% are convinced that the changes in volume of the US government’s
financial or humanitarian assistance to Armenia do not affect the
well-being of their families in any way, 22% think they do, and 6%
do not make up their mind.
The final, and frequently contemplated, question on the improvement
of Armenian-Turkish relations and the opening of borders is viewed
as urgent by 50% of respondents and not urgent by 40%. 10% encounter
difficulty in responding.
¡2004, Armenian Center for National and International Studies