VUSAL GARAJAYEV’S MOTHER: WE ARE NOT INFORMED ABOUT MY SON TAKEN CAPTIVE

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2006

Azerbaijani soldier Vusal Garajayev’s family has no information about
his taken captive by Armenians, APA reports.

His mother Zeynab Garajayeva said that Vusal was drafted by Balaken
Military Commissariat in April, 2006. Zagatala Millitary Police officer
Amir Heshimov and other two came to Balaken on Dec 7, told the family
that Vusal had escaped the military station and kept the house under
control that day. Zeynab Garajayeva said that she had heard the
TV news of her son taken captive and directed to Commissar Mezahir
Muzefferov’s office to get more precise information. But commissar
could not tell whether he was taken captive or lost.

Mother noted that Vusal is suffering bronchial asthma and he had had
headaches. They could not afford to cure their son. She said that
the Commissariat is aware of illness.

The parents were invited to the International Red Cross Committee
office in Azerbaijan.

CAMP DARFUR AT CSULB
By Kevin Butler, Staff writer

Long Beach Press-Telegram, CA
Dec 12 2006

Inside mock refugee tents, people learn about conflict in Sudan.

LONG BEACH – Cal State Long Beach student Tammy Dao was not aware of
the humanitarian catastrophe occurring in the war-ravaged region of
Sudan called Darfur.

While watching a television documentary being shown at a campus event
Monday, she heard African children – refugees from the three-year-old
conflict – tell of their parents being killed and their villages
being burned and bombed.

"I didn’t know this was happening," Dao said. "It’s really sad to
see all the suffering."

The event, called Camp Darfur, featured several mock refugee tents
erected on campus by the group CSULB Darfur Action League. Inside the
tents were pictures, videos and articles designed to raise awareness
of the brutal conflict in the African nation.

The tents also featured information about incidents of genocide in
world history, including the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide and
the massacres in Cambodia, Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia.

The Darfur conflict has pitted ethnic African rebels against Sudan’s
Arab-dominated government and pro-government Arab militias.

The violence has claimed more than 200,000 lives, according to research
published in the journal Science.

Human-rights groups and the U.S. government have said the atrocities
constitute genocide, although the United Nations has stopped short
of using that term.

The event, which ends today, aims to make students "realize that
genocide is a theme that is recurring throughout history," said Peter
Sablove, president of the CSULB Darfur Action League. "And the earlier
we catch it, the earlier we can stop it."

Sablove and his organization also were asking fellow students to
support efforts to get assurances from the CSULB Foundation that it
has not invested in companies doing business with Sudan’s government.

The foundation has no direct investments in any companies doing
business in Darfur, said Joseph Latter, CSULB associate vice president
for financial management and the foundation’s assistant treasurer.

"Most of our investments are in mutual funds, and we have no control
over what companies the funds invest in," Latter said in a statement.

"We also are sensitive to human-rights concerns as stated in our
investment policy, and we will continue to monitor these issues as
they change throughout the world."

Sablove said he wants to see the university investigate further to
ensure the foundation has not invested in companies doing business
with Sudan’s government.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU-AZERBAIJAN EXPAND PARLIAMENT CO-OP

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2006

As is reported, on 13-14 December, the 7th meeting of the European
Union-Azerbaijan Parliament Cooperation Committee will be held in
Strasbourg.

A delegation led by deputy speaker, chairman of the natural resources,
energy and ecology standing committee of Milli Majlis Valeh Alaskarov
will take part at the event. The Azeri parliamentarian delegation
comprises MPs Rovshen Rzayev, Azer Amiraslanov, Guler Ahmadova,
Zhala Aliyeva, Chingiz Asadullayev, Rauf Aliyev, Ulvi Guliyev and
Fuad Muradov.

The meeting participants will discuss issues of partnership and
cooperation relations in the fields of economic, social, agricultural,
protection of environment between the Committee and Azerbaijan. Also
are to be discussed the political situation in the country, human
rights, word and press freedom, democratic steps, as well as the
questions related to the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Vice-speaker of Azerbaijan Parliament Valeh Alaskarov is to present
a report on the results of the Committee’s meeting in 2005.

REFERENDUM IN NAGORNO KARABAKH HAS NO LEGAL VALIDITY

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Dec 12 2006

The referendum held in Nagorno Karabakh by the separatist authorities
of the self-proclaimed ‘republic" has been resolutely condemned by
the world states and international organizations.

"The referendum held in Nagorno Karabakh has no legal validity",
Russell Johnston, Chairman of the PACE Subcommittee on Nagorno
Karabakh, stated at the Baku meeting of the Assembly’s Political
Affairs Committee. As in the soviet times, along with the Armenians,
there have lived and Azerbaijanis in Nagorno Karabakh. Therefore,
in fact, the referendum should be conducted with participation of
these people.

Participants of the Baku meeting have univocally noted that this
political action is unlawful. At their opinion, such steps impede
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

AZERBAIJAN REJECTS NAGORNO-KARABAKH REFERENDUM

Source: Xinhua
People’s Daily Online, China
Dec 12 2006

Azerbaijan refused on Monday to recognize the results of a vote in
its breakaway region of Nagorno- Karabakh on its first constitution,
rejecting Sunday’s referendum as "a farce."

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in Azerbaijan populated mostly by
ethnic Armenians. Armed conflict broke out in the early 1990s
between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the region’s status after it
declared independence, which was not recognized by the international
community. A Russian-brokered ceasefire deal ended the fighting in
1994 but the dispute remains unsolved.

Preliminary results from the region’s election commission on Monday
showed 98.6 percent of the voters approved the region’s constitution.

The region had 90,000 voters and turnout stood at 87 percent.

"This referendum is a farce and it is not worth wasting time on it,"
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov was quoted by the RIA
Novosti news agency as saying.

The European Union and other international organizations, including
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said they
would not recognize the referendum, Mamedyarov said.

5 MEN ACCUSED IN MORE THAN 70 AREA BURGLARIES
By Mary Frances Gurton Staff Writer

Pasadena Star-News, CA
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA
Dec 12 2006

Juvenile is among the suspects

Pasadena authorities believe they have stemmed a wave of summer
burglaries with the recent arrests of four men and a juvenile.

The suspects are believed to be responsible for more than 70 thefts
at homes and businesses across the city. Most were arrested separately
in September.

"There were several bad people doing a series of burglaries who have
been arrested," said Mayor Bill Bogaard, whose district actually showed
a slight decline in burglaries in the same period. "It happened that
a few burglars operated for a time before they were caught. I would
hope that when the fourth-quarter data is released, it reflects a
decline in the number."

The thefts – ranging from bikes, wallets and keys to laptop computers –
caused a 52.7 percent spike in the number of reported burglaries from
July through September 2005 to the same period in 2006, according
to a Pasadena Police Department report to the City Council released
last month.

"This is an anomaly," said Pasadena police spokeswoman Janet Pope
Givens, of the third-quarter crime surge. "It’s pretty evident that
when we arrested these suspects the burglaries stopped."

Responsible for at least six area burglaries is a 15-year-old boy who
suffers from an alleged compulsion for stealing, according to police.

He was arrested after a short foot pursuit when officers were called
to a break-in at 776 E. California Ave., according to the report.

"Especially during the summer, juveniles can be responsible for a
crime trend in a neighborhood," said Pope Givens. "Most crimes are
crimes of opportunity, and when kids are out of school with time on
their hands, this can be one of the things that happens."

A number of residential burglaries in the North Pasadena Heights area
targeting Armenian victims ceased after a known Armenian gang member
was arrested and found to be carrying a handgun lost in one of the
burglaries, according to the report.

"He was arrested for a DUI in Glendale," said Pope Givens, "and then
found to be connected to the North Pasadena Heights burglaries. We
can’t definitely connect him, but after he was arrested that series
stopped."

Another suspect was arrested after several daytime commercial
burglaries, according to the report.

In yet another instance, a latent fingerprint lifted from one of
five "hot prowl" burglary sites – so named when a resident is home –
in the area of Colorado Boulevard and Allen Avenue, led to another
suspect’s arrest, the report reads. Councilman Chris Holden, whose
district includes Old Pasadena, where some of the crimes occurred,
said the arrests reflect city and policeattempts to concentrate law
enforcement on crime "hot spots."

"Not unlike some of the other commercial shopping districts in the
Southland," he said, "we want to make sure nothing unsafe happens in
Old Pasadena."

BTA INVESTBANK ARMENIA INTRODUCES EXPRESS MONEY TRANSFER SYSTEM

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Dec 11 2006

YEREVAN, December 11. /ARKA/. The BTA Investbank Armenia has introduced
the "FATSER" system of express money transfers. The BTA press service
reports that the system allows individuals to effect and receive
express money transfers to and from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus,
China, etc..

The "FASTER" system allows the recipients to receive the money in
one minute. The BTA Investbank also cooperates with the "Migom" and
"Western Union" systems.

The bank’s principal stockholder, Bank Turan Alem, intends to expand
its activities in Armenia in 2007. Among its strategic goals is
increasing its presence in the CIS retail, small and medium-sized
businesses and corporate service markets.

The FASTER" system was developed by the Bank Turan Alem in 2006.

Armenia’s commercial banks are currently participating in the following
money transfer systerms: Western Union, Money Gram, Anelik, Unistream,
Express Post, Interexpress, Contact, Lider, Migom, Privat Money
Transfer, STB Express, Armenian Express.

The BTA Investbank is the success of the International Investment
Bank founded in 1991. The bank is a strategic partner of one of the
largest banks in Kazakhstan, Bank Turan Alem, which purchased 48.9%
of shares in the authorized capital of the "InterInvestBank" CJSC,
which was renamed BTA Investbank.

By September 30, 2006, the bank’s assets had amounted to AMD 9.7bln,
credit investments AMD 6.7bln, total capital AMD 3.1bln, net profit
AMD 46.1mln (in January-September 2006). The bank’s authorized capital
is AMD 3.4bln.

54% OF CHILDREN ARE IN A VERY BAD STATE

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 11 2006

According to UNICEF, 54 percent of children of Armenia are in a very
bad state. This information was released on December 11 in Yerevan,
on the 60th anniversary of UNICEF, during the presentation of the
report on the state of children in the world, reports ARKA news
agency. The representative of UNICEF in some communities populated
by ethnic minorities 20 percent of girls are not educated. According
to the representative of UNICEF, the children of parents with basic
education have more possibilities to develop their abilities. The
representative of UNICEF emphasized the relation between children’s
rights and the state of women. Educated and strong women support
their children to get basic education, take care of their health and
nourishment, the growth of the family’s income and prosperity of the
civil society, said the representative of UNICEF.

WE PROMISED AND AMERICANS BECAME OPTIMISTIC

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 12 2006

The Millennium Challenge Corporation has provided the first tranche
of 882 thousand dollars and will provide another 507 thousand out
of 236 million dollars by the end of this year. On December 12 the
leadership of the Millennium Challenge Account Armenia State Non-Profit
Organization and the representatives of the Armenian party held a news
conference to congratulate the Armenian government and people. The
speakers started and finished their speeches with congratulations
but more interesting things were stated between these congratulations.

For instance, Anthony Godfry, the U.S. Charge d’Affaires to Armenia
stated that this project with a total value of 236 million dollars
will continue if the elections in 2007 and 2008 are free and fair.

Like six month ago, the American party fears that Armenia still has
problems with fair governance, political rights, civil freedoms and
corruption, but the Americans are optimistic that these problems will
be settled. They are optimistic because the Armenian government has
assumed obligations, and has promised to honor these obligations.

Anthony Godfry stated that hopefully the Armenian public will help
honor these obligations, while the international community is already
giving practical assistance. We tried to find out that if it is
possible to consider free and fair processes in a country where the
media are controlled by the president. Anthony Godfry only said that
they will rely on the evaluations of the World Bank with regard to
fair governance.

The speakers declined to say how and with whose help the MCA is going
to evaluate he state of political and civil freedoms, fair governance
and transparency in elections, but they noted that the press will have
importance, and international observers will be observing the elections
in Armenia. It was not clear whose evaluation of the elections will
shape the opinion of the MCA. For its part, MCA Armenia guarantees
that thee will be no corruption. Alex Russin, the director of the MCC
Program for Armenia stated that this is an investment in the future of
Armenia, and they are interested in the right use of these funds. He
believes that transparency will be helpful for entitled spending of
these funds.

Meanwhile, Ara Hovsepyan, the chief executive of the MCA Armenia
advised not to focus on political problems. "The country may do
well in political matters, but the MCA program may be uneffective
and pointless."

ARMENIA SHOULD USE IRAN-ARMENIA ALTERNATIVE PIPELINE FULLY

Lragir, Armenia
Dec 12 2006

Michael Weinstein, head of the EBRD’s Resident Office in Yerevan,
stated December 12 that Armenia should use the advantage of the
alternative gas pipeline fully. He stated that the geographical
position of Armenia is favorable because it has an alternative supply
of gas, which separates Armenia from other countries which depend on
the Russian gas supply. Mr. Weinstein stated that Armenia should use
its favorable geographical position to have an alternative route of
gas supply.

He also stated that this circumstance makes Armenia more attractive
in terms of investments.