CHANGE OF ARMENTEL BRAND DISCUSSED

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.12.2006 16:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The change of brand of ArmenTel is being discussed
at the moment, said Oleg Bliznyuk, ArmenTel’s newly appointed Director
General. In his words, presently the expert commission is examining
the interaction of various elements available at the market but the
final decision has not been taken yet.

"Anyway I am hopeful that reason will dominate," he resumed. Oleg
Bliznyuk also remarked that VympelCom is not afraid of
competition. "There were cases when the company entered developed
markets with 5-6 operators functioning but managed to succeed," he
said. When commenting on demonopolization of Armenia’s communications
he said it’s a complicated process, reports IA Regnum.

ARMENIAN MINISTER DESCRIBES GUAM STATEMENT ON KARABAKH MISGUIDED

Public Television, Armenia
Dec 6 2006

[Presenter] Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, who is attending
the summit of the Council of the OSCE foreign ministers in Brussels,
described a statement by the GUAM [regional alliance of Georgia,
Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova] about a referendum scheduled to take
place in Nagornyy Karabakh [on 10 December] misguided, the minister
told "Aylur" news bulletin.

The other member countries of the GUAM have simply yielded to
Azerbaijan’s desire and hurriedly announced that the referendum to
be held in Karabakh will obstruct the negotiations process, Oskanyan
said. The minister believes that on the contrary, the democratic
measures under way in Nagornyy Karabakh are speeding up a solution
to the problem.

[Oskanyan] Azerbaijan mainly creates obstacles to the negotiations
process but not Nagornyy Karabakh or Armenia. I believe that such
statements hinder the continuation of the process. Azerbaijan’s
bellicose statements and refusal to Karabakh’s involvement in
negotiating process as well as Azerbaijan’s attempts to prevent the
[OSCE] Minsk Group from continuing the negotiating process cause doubts
in Nagornyy Karabakh about Azerbaijan’s promise. The main obstacles
to the process are those, but not the constitutional referendum to
be held in Nagornyy Karabakh.
From: Baghdasarian

OSCE SAYS NAGORNO-KARABAKH TO BE RESOLVED WITHIN A YEAR

IRNA, Iran
December 5, 2006 Tuesday 12:58 AM EST

OSCE says Nagorno-Karabakh to be resolved within a year Brussels,
Dec 5, IRNA Belgium-OSCE-Nagorno-Karabakh Belgian Foreign Minister
Karel De Gucht who currently chairs the Organisation for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Monday that a solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is "in reach within one year."

"We have made really substantial progress if not a breakthrough with
respect to Nagorno-Karabakh," de Gucht told a press conference in
Brussels Monday night following the end of the first day of the 2-day
OSCE ministerial meeting.

The Belgian foreign minister said he has held several meetings with
the Presidents of both Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"The trust between the two countries has grown considerably," he noted.

On other "frozen conflicts" in former Soviet states such as Abkhazia
and South Ossetia regions in Georgia, in Moldova , de Gucth said no
text was possible because of Russian opposition.

"There is a clear refusal on the Russian side even to discuss it.

No text possible," he said.

Foreign ministers from the 56 OSCE member states are holding their
annual Ministerial Council in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday.

The OSCE is a western security organisation founded in 1973, which
is concerned with conflict prevention, election observing and the
rehabilitation of post-conflict areas.

CONCERT POUR L’ARMENIE

Le Figaro, France
06 decembre 2006

CHORUS

Un splendide concert qui rassemble des virtuoses tels que Vahan
Vardirossian, place sur l’orbite de geants du piano tels Richter et
Casadesus. Ici, l’elan artistique se double d’une demarche affective
car avec ses amis du groupe Maestria, aussi talentueux que lui, il
aidera l’Ugab, association creee il y a cent ans et qui soutient le
developpement de la culture armenienne, fragilisee.

TCE, le 10 decembre a 17 h. Loc. : 01 49 52 50 50

Helène Grimaud tout terrain

La diva aux yeux de loup est très presente ce mois. Elle joue Beethoven
le 11 decembre, est recitante dans Persephone de Stravinsky, et tient
le piano dans l’une des chansons du dernier album de Francoise Hardy
" Parenthèses " (Virgin). Il faut dire que c’est pour la Valse des
regrets de Brahms.

TCE, le 11 decembre a 20 h.

Quarante ans de Rock & Folk

Creee en novembre 1966, la grande revue de rock a revele des signatures
aussi diverses que Philippe Garnier, Bayon, Laurent Chalumeau,
Thierry Ardisson, Karl Zero… Les editions Flammarion publient le
recueil epique de cette aventure avec dessins, photos, temoignages,
extraits d’articles… L’ouvrage, signe Christophe Quillien, seduit
par son beau lettrage, sa presentation claire, ses anecdotes a foison.

" Generation Rock & Folk, quarante ans de culture rock ". Flammarion.

400 pages. Prix : 19,90 Euro.

–Boundary_(ID_9vo5ubVIlZd257b6QXXt2w)–

LES DEUX AUTEURS DU VOL D’UN MONUMENT SUR LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN INTERPELLES

Agence France Presse
5 decembre 2006 mardi 10:54 AM GMT

Les deux auteurs presumes du vol d’un monument de bronze dedie aux
rescapes du genocide armenien a Chaville (Hauts-de-Seine), dans la
nuit de 13 au 14 octobre dernier, ont ete interpelles ce week-end,
a indique la police mardi.

Selon elle, il s’agit de "classiques voleurs de metaux" et la "piste
politique" a ete ecartee par les enqueteurs de la police judiciaire
des hauts-de-Seine (SDPJ).

Les deux suspects, âges de 26 et 29 ans, ont ete arretes samedi a
Issy-les-Moulineaux, dans le meme departement, après un vol de tuyaux
de cuivre.

Le SDPJ a alors fait un rapprochement avec le vol du monument, selon
la source.

La sculpture de Chaville, representant l’alphabet armenien, coulee
dans 300 kilos de bronze, avait ete dessoudee et subtilisee deux
jours après le vote a l’Assemblee nationale d’une proposition de loi
penalisant la negation du genocide armenien.

Le monument, d’une valeur de 50.000 euros selon la municipalite,
avait ete offert en 2002 a la ville par la communaute armenienne en
memoire des rescapes du genocide armenien.

Depuis le mois de juin, plusieurs vols de metaux ont ete enregistres
sur le departement, selon la police. Les vols de metaux en France
sont en forte hausse depuis l’explosion du coût des matières premières.

Les deux suspects ont ete deferes devant la justice a l’issue de leur
garde a vue au SDPJ, a precise la source.

–Boundary_(ID_2zTsHEGGuvCCDZ+r/WBd7w)–

ARMENIA’S MILITARY FOR CLOSER TIES WITH NATO

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Dec 6 2006

YEREVAN, December 6 (Itar-Tass) – Intensification of Armenia-NATO
cooperation "is an imperative of the day aimed at counteraction to
challenges," Armenian Defense Minister, Secretary of the National
Security Council Serzh Sarkisian said at a meeting with the head
of a delegation of the European Commission in Armenia Per Eklund
on Wednesday.

"Relations with NATO are one of the components of Armenia’s national
security," the minister said. According to the minister, "involvement
in the European neighbourhood policy was the turning point in Armenia’s
relations with the European Union."

He stressed the importance of the republic’s plan for actions within
this policy’s framework adopted on November 14 and the activities
of the President Robert Kocharyan-led coordination commission for
relations with European structures.

DEAL ON ARMENTEL BIGGEST FOR VIMPELCOM OUTSIDE RUSSIA: VICE-PRESIDENT

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 6 2006

YEREVAN, December 6. /ARKA/. The deal on purchase of 90% shares of
ArmenTel Telecommunications Company was the biggest one for VimpelCom
Company outside Russia, VimpelCom Vice-President for corporate
development Vladimir Ryabokon reported at a press conference in
Yerevan Wednesday.

He said that one of the priorities of the company’s strategies is
active expansion throughout CIS.

He pointed out that ArmenTel has a special status in Armenia.

Ryabokon reported that VimpelCom plans to share its huge experience
and introduce its own operational model considering local peculiarities
and traditions.

RUSSIAN GAS PRICE FOR ARMENIA NOT TO CHANGE UNTIL 2008

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 6 2006

YEREVAN, December 6. /ARKA/. The price for the Russian gas supplied
to Armenia will not change until 2008 inclusive, and remain will
remain $110 for 1000m3, Sergey Kupriyanov, press secretary of GazProm
Company’s president reported. "We signed this agreement to be effective
until 2008. According to it, the gas price is not subject to change,"
he reported.

Kupriyanov reported that the agreement allows GasProm to increase
control over the Armenian-Russian company ArmRosgasprom that has the
monopoly right to supply gas to Armenia. "The part of GasProm’s shares
in this company will increase, now it amounts to 45%," he said.

According to the agreement on strategic partnership between the
Armenian government and GasProm as of April 6, 2006, Russia fixes
the gas price at $110 for 1000m3.

Director General of ArmRosgasprom Karen Karapetyan previously
reported that GasProm plans to increase its share in the capital of
ArmRosgasprom from the current 45% to 58% as a result of the purchase
of the additional issue of the Armenian-Russian company’s shares for
$118.8mln.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA LEFT WITHOUT ANTHEM
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Dec 6 2006

Armenia was effectively left without a national anthem on Wednesday as
its parliament failed to meet a constitutional deadline for reaffirming
the existing state symbol or introducing a new one.

The deadline was set by one of the amendments to Armenia’s constitution
that were enacted by the authorities in a hotly disputed referendum
late last year. It meant that the "Mer Hayrenik" (Our Fatherland)
song will automatically lose its official status unless the National
Assembly passes a special law on the anthem by December 6, 2006.

The clause was widely seen as a prelude to the abolition of "Mer
Hayrenik" which was the official anthem of an independent Armenian
republic in 1918-1920 before being reinstated by Armenia’s first
post-Communist government in 1990. President Robert Kocharian and
many of his political allies, backed by some artists and composers,
consider its tune and lyrics too unsophisticated.

But their plans have met with strong resistance from some opposition
groups and, more importantly, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun), a member of the governing coalition which had
founded the First Republic. They forced the government last month to
scrap the results of a contest for a new Armenian anthem.

Still, the government kept open the possibility of anthem change on
November 29, pushing through the Kocharian-controlled parliament a bill
that gives "Mer Hayrenik" only a "provisional" status. The parliament
was due to debate the bill in the second and final reading this week.

But its speaker, Tigran Torosian, blocked the discussion on
Tuesday and Wednesday, citing procedural violations committed by
the government. The move was criticized by Rafik Petrosian, the
pro-government chairman of the parliament committee on legal affairs.

He accused Torosian of bowing to opposition pressure.

"The situation is unpleasant," admitted Prime Minister Andranik
Markarian. "We will probably not have, de jure, a national anthem for
a few more days. But those few days won’t have any practical impact
on the existence of our state."

Markarian added that the government will initiate an emergency
parliament session on the issue "soon."

Dashnaktsutyun lawmakers, meanwhile, insisted on their alternative
bill that would perpetuate the official status of "Mer Hayrenik."

"Armenia is in a situation where if, God forbids, there is an official
ceremony in the next few days [involving anthem rendition], it can not
play any music as an national anthem," one of them, Gegham Manukian,
complained.

"The fact that we essentially have no national anthem is unacceptable,"
said Grigor Harutiunian of the opposition Artarutyun alliance.

ARMENIAN FORCES BROKE CEASE FIRE REGIME IN SEVERAL DIRECTIONS
Author: Sh. Jaliloghli

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Dec 6 2006

During the visit of a delegation of Azerbaijani MPs to Aghdam,
units of Armenian Forces repeatedly broke the cease fire regime from
several directions. Trend Regional Correspondent reports that units
of Armenian Forces subjected opposite positions of Azerbaijani Army
to a gun fire, from the positions located on the occupied Azerbaijani
villages of Aghdam District of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani village
of Abdulrahman of Fuzuli District of Azerbaijan.