OSCE OFFICE HELPS PRESENT REPORT ON ARMENIA’S IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AARHUS CONVENTION

Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE)

Dec 13 2006

YEREVAN, 12 December 2006 – A report on the implementation of the
Aarhus environmental convention and activities undertaken in this
respect was presented in Yerevan today with the support of the
OSCE Office.

The report analyses the situation with access to information, justice
and public participation in decision-making on environmental issues,
as well as the existing and pending legislation.

The event was organized together with the Ministry of Nature
Protection, the Environmental Public Advocacy Centre and the Yerevan
Aarhus Centre.

"Promoting the principles of the Aarhus Convention is part of the
awareness-raising activities on environmental rights and ecological
education," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the Head of the
OSCE Office.

Gennady Kojoyan, Adviser to the Nature Protection Minister,
expressed his appreciation with the OSCE Office’s activities aimed
at implementing the Aarhus Convention and welcomed the expansion of
Aarhus Centres in the regions.

Winners of the "Environment and Urbanization" competition for
journalists, organized by the OSCE Office, were announced and awarded
at the end of the event.

US SENATORS CALL PRESIDENT TO PROPOSE NEW CANDIDATURE FOR POST OF AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA

Regnum Agency, Russia
Dec 13 2006

Senators Robert Menendez and Harry Reid called upon President George
Bush to propose a new candidature for the post of US ambassador to
Armenia instead of Richard Hoagland blocked by the Senate.

As REGNUM was told at the Armenian National Committee of America,
in a letter to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the senators
recommend introducing another candidature to speed up appointment of
Armenian ambassador. "The Armenian community in the US welcomes the
principal position taken by senators Menendez and Reid on protection
of obligations on recognition, prevention and condemnation of the
Genocide. The senators comprehend a very simple truth – denial of
the Armenian Genocide cannot be effective from the point of view of
promoting interests of the United States in Armenia, the country,
which was subjected to violent deportation and genocide by Turkey,"
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian said.

Armenian public was extremely negative on Richard Hoagland’s
candidature after the diplomat presumed to make statements denying
the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915. But despite
protests of the Armenian public, particularly, some NGOs in Armenia,
Richard Hoagland’s candidacy proposed by President George Bush was
considered and approved. New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez spoke on the
issue saying that many, including the US president avoid assessing the
evil done in the beginning of the last century in Turkey as genocide,
and appointment of Hoagland can become a setback, which is not either
in interests of Armenia or interests of the Diaspora.

As Washington office of Hay Dat, in January, when office of the
110th US Congress starts, the president can either introduce a
new candidature or insist upon Hoagland’s candidature or using the
interruption in functioning of the parliament appoint Richard Hoagland
without being appointed by the Senate. Otherwise, the post of the US
ambassador to Armenia will be vacant.

ATTACK HELICOPTER BID POSTPONED ONCE AGAIN
By Cihan News Agency

Zaman, Turkey
Dec 13 2006

Turkey could not make a decision at the helicopter bid held on Tuesday
and postponed the announcement of the results to a later date upon
the General Staff’s request to test the helicopters again.

The Defense Industry Executive Committee convened on Tuesday, chaired
by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The committee was to
decide on either Italian Westland’s Mangusta or South African Denel’s
Rooivalk proposal for the attack helicopter deal, which is worth at
least $2 billion.

Minister of National Defense Vecdi Gonul told reporters following
the meeting that the bid was postponed once more for further tests
required by the General Staff on the helicopters. The decision on
the type of the helicopter will be made in the following days.

The South African helicopters use French engines, which may be an
obstacle due to the discord on the so-called Armenian genocide between
Turkey and France.

The contract is for the purchase of 50 helicopters and then
co-production of 20 helicopters with an option for 21 more.

The committee also decided to buy 130 F-35s from the United States
which will cost Turkey about $2 billion, Gonul added.

The Undersecretariat of the Defense Industry was also authorized
for the purchase of another 30 F-16 fighters for approximately $1.6
billion.

JUSTICE MINISTERS BUILD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GEORGIA AND ARMENIA
By Diana Dundua

The Messenger, Georgia
Dec 13 2006

The Armenian Minister of Justice David Arutinian arrived in Tbilisi on
a two-day official visit on December 11. Georgian Minister of Justice
Gia Kavtaradze met his Armenian colleague at the Georgian-Armenian
border.

On December 12, the Justice Minister signed a Memorandum of
Understanding in order to foster bilateral cooperation.

"For me it is a great pleasure that Armenian Justice Minister David
Arutinian and his delegation are visiting Georgia. I want to say
that we are historical neighbours and the relationship between our
countries has always been fairly friendly. Cooperation between the
two ministries is also vitally important for Armenia and Georgia. I am
sure that from now on, our joint efforts will reach positive results
more easily and our future cooperation will be much more productive
and successful," Kavtaradze stated at the briefing on Monday.

The Memorandum of Understanding discusses cooperation in the areas of
law enforcement, experience-sharing in the prison system, exchanging
ideas and experiences to raise the level of personnel skills,
information sharing and legal assistance as well.

The sides also agreed to exchange information about their
organizational structure, experts’ opinions, legal acts, publications
as well as others.

"It is true that presently the Ministry of Justice is starting to play
a significant role in establishing better relationships between our
countries. I will say that Armenia and Georgia resemble each other in
many ways, in mentality and in structure. Both of us are ambitious,
we want to achieve our goals in a short period of time.

And thus each of us does his best to find new, interesting solutions
that will advance our country forward. I am sure that our mutual
cooperation will give us additional support," Arutinian told The
Messenger on December 11.

Besides the Ministry of Justice, the Armenian delegation visited the
National Bureau of Forensic Expertise. They met with the Minister of
Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili and Chairman of the Supreme Court
Kote Kublashvili as well.

ARREST IS CHOSEN AS PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES TOWARDS ZHIRAYR SEFILIAN AND VARDAN MALKHASIAN

Noyan Tapan
Dec 13 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The Court of First Instance
of the communities of Kentron and Nork Marash of Yerevan, under
the chairmanship of judges Gayane Karakhanian and Edik Avetisian,
satisfied on December 12 the mediations of the RA National Security
Service, correspondingly, to choose 2 month arrest as the precautionary
measures towards Zhirayr Sefilian and Vardan Malkhasian. The Noyan
Tapan correspondent was informed about it from the judges’ office. To
recap, Zhirayr Sefilian, the coordinator of the "Defence of Liberated
Territories" public initiative, "Shoushi" battalion commander, and
Vardan Malkhasian, a member of the "Hayrenik u Pativ" (Fatheland
and Honour) party political council, were arrested on December 10 by
the National Security Service employees. They are accused of blowing
public calls addressed to violently changing the RA constitutional
order (Article 301 of the RA Criminal Code).

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TRANS-DNIESTER DELEGATION FIXES CONFORMITY OF NKR REFERENDUM WITH INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS

Noyan Tapan
Dec 13 2006

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. NKR President Arkady
Ghukasian received on December 11 Miroslav Ribyakin and Claudia
Treskova, delegation members of the Trans-Dniester Moldovian Republic,
parliamentarians who were in the NKR to take part with the observation
mission in the NKR constitutional referendum of the previous day. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the Information Department General
attached to the NKR President, the guests fixed correspondence of
the constitutional referendum taken place in the NKR to the adopted
international standards and mentioned that they are impressed with
the success of Artsakh fixed during the recent years in the state
building, social-economic and political spheres. Arkadi Ghukasian
addressed his greetings and congratulations to President Igor Smirnov
and PMR people on the occasion of successfully holding the president’s
elections and expressed confidence that relations between the Artsakh
and Trans-Dniester peoples will be built on bases of friendship and
mutual understanding from now on as well.

KAZIMIROV: AZERI MEDIA DISTORTED OSCE MINSK GROUP STATEMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
13.12.2006 13:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On December 11 APA and Trend Azeri news agencies
distorted the OSCE Minsk Group’s statement on the referendum in
Nagorno Karabakh. At that there is no doubt it was not accidentally
(for example over insufficient knowledge of English or French)
but a cynic and purposeful pretence targeted at deceiving media,
using the materials of these agencies, and their audience, OSCE MG
Russian Co-chair in 1995-96, Ambassador Vladimir Kazimirov said in
the statement addressed to PanARMENIAN.Net.

"As once a participant of the OSCE Minsk process I closely watch
the documentation and must tell you the following: the falsifiers
did not satisfy with the fact that the OSCE MG hasn’t recognized the
referendum in Nagorno Karabakh. They tried to create an impression
that the mediators do not recognize Nagorno Karabakh as a side in
conflict and negotiation process on its settlement. Here is an extract
from the mediators’ statement: ‘any future legal status of NK should
be determined without threats or appliance of force but via political
talks between all the conflicting sides within the Minsk process.’ The
APA interpreted it the following way: ‘Nagorno Karabakh cannot be
imposed a status by threats or weapons. The conflict should be resolved
only within the OSCE MG framework with obligatory participation of both
sides.’ The point is not incoherent stylistics but semantic meaning. As
you see the phrase was turned out as if referring to the referendum
itself (whether it was held under threats or with the help of weapons).

The forgery with the number of the sides is obvious (Kazimirov’s note)

Trend news agency did not prove more conscientious.

"Any status of Nagorno Karabakh should be determined without threats
or appliance of force but only as a result of political talks between
the two states within the Minsk process. The number is distorted; the
term ‘states’ is used instead of ‘sides’. Can two agencies coincide
in distortion? Or is there any directive? We should give due to Day.az
information webside, which presented the document correctly.

Zerkalo Baku-based newspaper appeared either as a victim of accomplice
to the deceit (reporter Bayramova quotes ARA). This is the way the
handweel of lie and deception of their own people functions. Isn’t
it clear that the authors of the falsifications cast a shadow on all
Azeri media and call in question other publications? Both nations
involved into the Karabakh conflict need true information on every
point referring to it.

I would like to believe that both agencies and the newspaper will
have the courage to correct the ‘mistakes’ and publish the proper text
of the statement issue by the OSCE MG Co-chairs. This sentence is of
course dictated by the naivete of belief in the truth, professional
honesty and responsibility before their public. But there is no
belief. Just on the contrary. I can bet it won’t happen. Paradoxically
such media ‘save their face’ with shamefully passing over in silence,
Amb.

Kazimirov’s letter says.

NK ISSUE TO BE DISACUSSED AT EU-AZERBAIJAN INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION COMMITTEE SITTING

ArmRadio.am
13.12.2006 14:40

The Nagorno Karabakh issue will become one of the main topics discussed
at the two-day sitting of the EU-Azerbaijan Interparliamentary
Cooperation Committee, which is starting in Strasbourg today. Press
Service of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis informs that reference will be
made also to issues of Azerbaijan-EU cooperation in economic, social,
agricultural and environmental spheres, the political situation in
the country, the state of human rights, freedom of speech and press.

RENOVATED KINDERGARTEN IN VERISHEN READY TO PROVIDE IMPROVED EDUCATIONAL AND CARE CONDITIONS

ArmRadio.am
13.12.2006 14:52

On December 14, 2006 at 13:00 the official opening ceremony of the
kindergarten in Verishen village will take place. The kindergarten
was renovated through the US Embassy and USAID-funded Community
Self-Help Fund (CSHF) program, which is implemented by Save the
Children. Representatives of the US Embassy, USAID, Save the Children,
Syunik Marzpetaran, Verishen local government and the community will
participate in the event.

The kindergarten of Verishen village (2,250 residents) is a two-storied
building constructed in 1974. Until 2001 the kindergarten functioned
with 120 children enrolled, including 30 from the neighboring Akner
village, and run by 18 staff. Strong winds in 2001 swept away the roof
of the building due to which the rainwaters systematically penetrated
into the building and flooded the interior. This led to complete
destruction of the building – sanitary units and heating system went
out of order, hindering the functioning of the kindergarten. Though
in 2002 the building’s roof was renovated through the funding from
World Vision, however the overall problem still existed. Due to poor
hygiene and heating conditions the number of children enrolled in the
kindergarten gradually decreased which resulted in the final closure of
the kindergarten in 2004. As the re-opening of the kindergarten was of
vital importance for the village, the local authorities intensively
began seeking funding for the renovation of the building. In 2005
Jinishian Family Foundation helped renovate the sanitary units of the
kindergarten. However, the kindergarten still had major unresolved
problems, which impeded the kindergarten’s functioning.

Thus the kindergarten administration applied to Save the Children for
a CSHF program grant to renovate the heating system and finalize the
internal renovation.

The Community Self-Help Fund program helped renovate and upgrade
the kindergarten’s kitchen, laundry, health post, events’ hall, 3
playrooms and 3 bedrooms, and install a gas boiler and an internal
heating system. As a result, the heating system and the building’s
premises were improved, and the kindergarten finally got ready to
receive children in proper educational and care conditions. After
the kindergarten’s re-opening, 90 children will begin attending it,
and 18 staff will be hired.

The total cost of the project was USD 26,599 of which USD 18,199
was provided by the Community Self-Help Fund, while USD 8,400 (about
32% of the project cost) was contributed by the Verishen and Akner
villages municipalities in form of labor and construction materials. In
addition, the local dairy producing company "Elola" LTD committed to
provide dairy products in the amount of about USD 180 per month.

GOVERNMENT PROMISES FUNDS FOR DIGITIZATION OF DOCUMENTARIES

Armenpress
Dec 13 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS: The government of Armenia has
promised to release 66 million drams annually up to 2011 for a
wholesale digitization of 1,350 documentary films kept at Armenia’s
National Archives.

Amatuni Virabian, head of the Archives, said every year 450
documentaries will be digitized. He said a tender will be announced
for the project. CS Film, the new owner of the ArmenFilm Studio,
has pledged, under an agreement it signed with the government, to
digitize free of charge 396 feature, documentary and other films shot
by the studio in the past.

The CS Films has also pledged to help shoot 50 motion films and 11
cartoons. Virabian said the CS Films has digitized so far only 8 films.