U.S. SENATE RETURNS HOAGLAND NOMINATION TO THE PRESIDENT

A1+
[03:20 pm] 12 December, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Senate, having failed to confirm Dick
Hoagland to serve as Ambassador to Armenia, returned his nomination
to the President on December 8th, upon the adjournment of the 109th
Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
[Ho. He. Dashnaktsutyan Washington-ee Hai Tahd-ee Krasenyag].

"With the adjournment of the 109th Congress, we renew our call upon
the President to recognize that – as a matter of basic morality – a
genocide denier should never represent the United States in Armenia,
and that – as a matter of diplomacy – a denier of the Armenian Genocide
simply cannot effectively promote U.S. interests or advance American
values in Yerevan," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian.

Among the options available to the President after the convening of
the 110th Congress in January are to offer an entirely new nominee,
to resubmit Hoagland’s nomination for a second round of consideration,
to make a recess appointment of Hoagland circumventing the Senate
confirmation process, or simply to allow the ambassadorial post in
Yerevan to remain empty.

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) placed a hold on the Hoagland nomination on
September 12th. In announcing this decision, the New Jersey legislator
cited the principled stand taken by former U.S. Ambassador John Evans,
who was fired for speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide,
underscoring his "great concerns that Mr. Hoagland’s confirmation
would be a step backward."

Citing the opposition of the Armenian American community and the
growing controversy within Congress surrounding the nomination, Senator
Menendez was joined on December 1st by incoming Senate Majority Leader
Harry Reid (D-NV) in calling on President George W. Bush to withdraw
the Hoagland nomination and propose a new candidate to serve in this
important diplomatic post.

They stressed that, in light of the broad-based opposition within
Congress, the extensive media coverage this issue has received,
and the strong stand of the Armenian American community against the
nomination, "it would serve neither our national interests nor the
U.S.-Armenia relationship to expect Ambassador-designate Hoagland to
carry out his duties under these highly contentious and profoundly
troubling circumstances."

According to Section 6 of Rule XXXI of the Standing Rules of the
Senate: "Nominations neither confirmed nor rejected during the session
at which they are made shall not be acted upon at any succeeding
session without being again made to the Senate by the President;
and if the Senate shall adjourn or take a recess for> more than
thirty days, all nominations pending and not finally acted upon at
the time of taking such adjournment or recess shall be returned by
the Secretary to the President, and shall not again be considered
unless they shall again be made to the Senate by the President."

RA NA DEPUTIES CONTEMPLATE OVER THE NKR REFERENDUM

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[05:04 pm] 12 December, 2006

Armenian FMs found the position of the international institutions
not to recognise the NKR referendum quite natural.

Shavarsh Kocharyan, NA deputy commented on the loyalty of the
deputies in this respect. "The referendum of which country has been
recognised? Have you ever come across cases? In case international
structures recognise the NKR referendum, it will be a scandal."

On December 10, the mission of 9 Armenian NA deputies observed the
NKR Constitutional Referendum. They were guided by the practice of
OSCE observers’ missions – they worked out similar questionnaires,
studied the provisions – as international observers usually do.

The Armenian deputies concluded; "The NKR Constitutional Referendum
was fair, free and transparent. It was but apparent".

The Referendum of Nagorno-Karabakh even has aroused "envy" among the
Armenian PMs and they consider the balloting as a good model.

"The referendum opened a new phase in the political life of
Karabakh. We can call it a phase of democracy establishment. It is
upon international structures to endorse or turn down the results. It
is not them who must say whether the Karabakh residents must live in
a country with a constitution or without it", noted Samvel Nikoyan,
member of the Armenian observers’ mission.

Shavarsh Kocharyan who was also among the observers claims that the
referendum will have its direct influence on the negotiation process,
but the impact won’t be negative as is often predicted. "We may not
feel it now, but time will put everything in their places", added
Mr. Kocharyan.

"The referendum is aimed at eliminating the ambiguity existing in the
negotiation process. The ambiguity is that the conflict has become
an apple of discord between Armenia and Azerbaijan where Armenia has
the role of an aggressor. Whereas now it is already proved that the
sides involved in the conflict are Azerbaijan and Karabakh. The panic
of Azerbaijan is determined by it".

Today RA FMs mentioned that everything in Karabakh has been done
willingly and not by the order of European structures.

The Armenian deputies claim that after comparing the constitutions of
Karabakh and Azerbaijan it becomes obvious which of them is democratic.

On the whole Shavarsh Kocharyan maintains that "it is high time the
two Armenian countries competed with each other to see which of them
is more democratic and legal".

Judging by the vivacity of the Armenian deputies, the NKR referendum
holding and adoption, the level of the citizens’ participation,
it becomes clear who is the current winner.

OSCE SATISFIED THAT PRIVATE BROADCASTER IN AZERBAIJAN RESUMES TRANSMISSION

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[05:38 pm] 12 December, 2006

The OSCE Office in Baku and the Organization’s Representative
on Freedom of the Media have welcomed yesterday’s decision to
allow Azerbaijan’s private TV and radio broadcaster ANS to resume
transmission.

The National TV and Radio Council (NTRC), has said that, as an
exception, ANS can resume broadcasting so that "the channel’s
frequencies do not stay empty until the recently announced tender
closes". The Council also explained that the decision was a result of
"the good will of President Ilham Aliyev and numerous appeals made
by the public and rights activists."

"We commend this decision, which signals some political flexibility
by the National Council in view of the public’s desire to see the
channel on air," said Robin Seaword, Acting Head of the OSCE Office.

"We understand that no conditions accompany the decision to allow
the resumption of ANS work and hope to see an unchanged editorial
line of the channel as confirmation of that."

Commenting on a tender announced for the frequencies currently used
by ANS, Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the
Media, said: "The people of Azerbaijan are entitled to choose out
of variety of information sources to know about what’s happening in
their country, region, and the world. "

"We hope that next February, when the NTRC will be considering
applications for frequencies, it will do it in a transparent and
fair manner in order to take into account pluralism and reflect on
the already expressed choices of the public of Azerbaijan," he added.

Founded in 1991, ANS is considered as one of the most-viewed and
professional TV channels in Azerbaijan. ANS TV and ANS Ch.M radio
were taken off air on 24 November without being allowed to appeal an
NTRC decision.

ARMENIANS WORKING IN RUSSIA TO GET PENSION

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[07:03 pm] 12 December, 2006

Armenia is the forth country that will sign an agreement with the
Russian Federation on social reforms, namely referring to the sphere
of pensions.

This means that the Armenians working in Russia will have no troubles
and concerns while retiring. They can be convinced that the years in
Russia haven’t been in vain.

"This is really a good chance for all the citizens of Russia who
once worked in RF and now fear that they may lose their pensions of
that period and stay in Russia for that reason. This will become a
kind of incentive for them to return to their Motherland without any
further fear", announced Vazgen Khachikyan, president of the Social
Insurance Foundation.

On December 5-6, joint consultation of the heads of Armenian and
Russian Social Insurance Foundations was held in Moscow. The parties
focused on a number of issues; including the citizens of the two
countries, the provision of pensions of oversea workers, the reforms
of the pension system, the activities of the foundations and their
further improvement.

Which country will appoint and pay the pension? Vazgen Khachikyan
claims that citizens’ pensions are discussed and fixed in the country
where they have applied.

For example, if any Armenian has worked in RF for 10 years, RF (which
has got Department of International Pensions) will pay for those 10
years and the rest will be paid by Armenia. According to statistics
data, 600 – 800 thousand RA citizens have settled in Russia over the
past 10-12 years.

In Mr. Khachikyan’s opinion, the number of pensioners will surpass
100 thousand. Though the head of the Social Insurance Foundation is
unaware of the number of the Russian workers in the boundaries of
Armenia, he assumes that it is not great.

There are vital differences between the pensions of the two
countries. Pensioners get 3000 rubles (approximately 120 USD) in Russia
whereas Armenian pensioners get 11 400 AMD (approximately 32 USD). "The
point is that life costs higher in Russia", says Vazgen Khachatryan.

Currently the base pension is 4250 AMD in Armenia.

Average pension will be increased to 13500 AMD in 2007.

By the way, while calculating the pensions of the Armenians working in
Russia, they will take into consideration the payments to the social
insurance foundations and not work experience.

It is not a secret that most of the Armenians working in Russia haven’t
got legal right to work, thus they will not make use of this privilege.

It is noteworthy that 1317 pensioners of Armenia, who were deprived
of pensions because of the absence of social cards, can already get
their pensions.

"Under the decision of Constitutional Court according to which the
existence of social card is no more obligatory, everyone can get
pension henceforth. 700 pensioners have already got pensions", says
Vazgen Khachikyan.

GARI KASPAROV’S HEADQUARTERS SEARCHED

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[07:30 pm] 12 December, 2006

Today United Civil Front headed by Gari Kasparov was searched in
Moscow.

Marina Litvinovich, Kasparov’s assistant, informed Radio Liberty that
remedial body representatives confiscated the material connected with
the launch of the so-called Disobedient’ march.

The march is scheduled on December 15 but the city authorities didn’t
approve of it.

Nevertheless, the initiatives have announced that they will realise
their plan despite the preventive measures of the authorities.

Gari Kasparov claims that the search was held on the day of the
Russian Constitution.

Gari Kasparov doesn’t approve of Vladimir Putin’s policy saying that
it is becoming more and more tyrannical.

FESTIVAL OF EUROPEAN FILMS KICKS OFF

Armenpress
Dec 12 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS: Today the festival of European films
kicked off in Armenia. In Yerevan the festival will be conducted from
December 12 to 16, in Gyumri from December 14 to 17 and in Kapan from
December 16-19. It is the third festival conducted in Armenia.

Robin Lidel, the first consultant of the European Commission in
Armenia, told today at a press conference that within the framework
of the festival three films in Gyumri and Kapan will be shown free
of charge. In Yerevan the income which will be gathered from the sale
of the tickets will be used for charity reasons. Overall, as part of
the festival 10 films from Germany, Spain, Portugal, Poland, France,
Great Britain and Holland will be shown.

Poland and Portugal have joined the festival in Armenia for the
first time. R. Lidel expressed hope that the Armenian audience will
be interested in the films and quoted "film will never be a good one
if the camera is not an eye placed in the head of a poet".

According to the German ambassador to Armenia Heike Renate Peitsch,
it is very important that such like cultural events organized by the
EU member countries are held not only in Yerevan but in the Armenian
provinces as well.

The festival was opened today by "Destroyed Art" short film (Poland,
director Tomash Baginski).

‘PROBLEM IS NOT BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND TURKISH PEOPLE’ – II

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Dec 10 2006

Mr. Wally Sarkeesian’s Second Open Letter to Dr. Sedat Laciner on
Armenian Issue

"Dear Sedat,

Thanks for your reply.

I welcome the opportunity to visit you and Turkey to see the country
and those things you mention, I would also love the opportunity to
see where my father was born being that it is now located in Turkey.

I will take your word on the Armenian literature that is available
in Turkey but I would love to read some of them outside of Istanbul
in Anatolian region?

I would like to begin this dialog by asking you some questions of my
own and then I will respond to your questions.

1- I am curious at what age you were taught about the Armenian
Massacre. All the research that I have done demonstrates that the
curriculum in the public schools do not mention the Armenian issue.

It is not until you become an adult and are subjected to alternative
publications.

2- As you are aware Orhan Pamuk, the Nobel Prize winner admitted the
massacre of one million Armenians. How come the Turkish government is
not privy to these facts? Do you think he is falsifying the information

3- Just look at information from Turkish Weekly archives. The
articles in the archives claim that there were Armenians Senators,
Ministers and Civil Servants during the Ottoman Empire. What happened
to them? Is there any Senators, Ministers or civil servants in today’s
Turkish government?

.php?id=114

4- Do you believe that over 50 governments around the world
including 38 states of the US recognized Armenian Genocide without
any foundational proof? Is it simply just a rubber stamp without any
fact? Why would they do that?

5- I would also like to extend to you a similar offer of travels.

Please travel to any country of the world where there is an Armenian
community I will be happy to join you. Go to the Armenian churches
or community center and I guarantee you that you will find that 95%
of there roots stem back to land now claimed by Turkey. They will all
speak of stories from there relatives about the massacre. I guarantee
this so much that if this is false I will pay for all your expenses.

Just for your information after over 90 year of the massacre today
still most Armenian in the Diaspora they refer to each other by the
city where there parents or grand parents where born not where they
where borne even though some for example if Hagop was born in Iraq
and his father was borne in VAN they call him VANEZY Hagop not Iraqzy
Hagop from Iraq. Just to tell you how much Armenian in the Diaspora
is attached to there ancestral land…

6- The last questions I have for you is, do you really believe that
Armenians in the Diaspora are fabricating the genocide? I recognize
that you admit that there were Armenians massacred at the hands of
the Turks but you still deny the atrocity is genocide. Please let me
provide you with Article 2 of the Geneva Convention, straight from
the website of the United Nations. This should clarify the dispute
as the statement is VERY clear.

Article 2

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts
committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national,
ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated
to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

.htm

Now about the 70,000 Armenians working in Turkey compare that to
the million of Turks working in the EU, does this mean Turkey is a
bad country or the Turkish population is dwindling? Why have they
left Turkey?

About the Armenia population declining; I have no idea where you are
getting this information. In fact last September was the first time
I visited Armenia and I expected to see a third world country. I was
pleasantly surprised to see the monumental progress they have made in
last 15 year despite a major earthquake, and a war with Azerbaijan,
shortage of fuel as well as the hostile environment at the two borders
Turkey and Azerbaijan. In the last 5 years Armenia’s economy has grown
12% every year and Yerevan is becoming a little Paris with tourists
from all over the world. I even had hard time finding a hotel because
they were all booked. I plead with you to stop providing misleading
information about Armenian statistics. Yes, when USSR collapsed they
lost most of there manufacturing industry.

Armenian had to come out of the wreckage and build a country pretty
much from scratch. Please do not worry about Armenia’s population with
the last 15 years as a testament to Armenian people capabilities;
they will build the entire economic infrastructure. If there is one
good thing about Armenians it is that they are great entrepreneurs.

About Karabagh: When the USSR occupied Armenia, Azerbaijan and other
countries it was to keep the Moslems happy. They too carved Armenia
and gave it to the Azeri to keep the Moslems populations in USSR
happy. When the USSR collapse occurred, the Armenians in Karabagh did
not want to be part of Azerbaijan just like the people in KOSOVO they
declared there independence, it was the Azeri who sent there mighty
military, tanks and all to crash down the Karabagh Armenians.

Unexpectedly to the Azeri, the 100,000 brave Karabagh Armenians not
only repelled the Azeri’s military force but with simple shot guns
they also occupied extra Azeri territory as a buffer zone. It was not
the Armenians who began the war in the first place and so please let
us stick to Armenian and Turkish issue.

You also claim the Armenians in Diaspora are boycotting Turkish
products and I have not found that to be true, in fact I have a bowl
of Turkish dried figs on my kitchen table.

>>From my recent visit to Armenia, as well as my consistent monitoring
of the Armenian press, I have not seen any objections to the Turkey
becoming a member of EU. In fact, if I am not mistaken, the Armenian
President has publicly stated that he supports Turkey’s entrance into
the EU but I am not 100% sure.

To answer your last statement, firstly, through all our discourse I
have never mentioned that the Turkish people hate Armenians neither
Armenian people hate Turks in contrary even during the massacre Turkish
people helped there fellow Armenian. They are unhappy with the Turkish
government but not the Turkish people. Also, you mentioned that the
Turkish people are making great efforts to be friends again with the
Armenian people like Orhan Pamuk. It is the Turkish government that
has caused such hostilities between the two nations. Karabagh would
have been the best opportunity for Turkey to have played a positive
leadership roll but instead they simply dismissed the situation and
closed its borders.

Turkey could have played a good neighbor roll and solved the issue
of Karabagh instate they close the borders build gas pipeline from
Azerbaijan by passing Armenia through Georgia, and now building
rollway in same way by passing Armenia, do you really think these
are the great efforts by Turkish government to establish a good
friendship despite objections by all EU members and US show me one
of these great effort have Turkish government done?

I strongly believe that we must keep the communication and dialogue
open between people like your self and Armenian Diaspora like my self
and others however; we cannot do it by just throwing dirt back and
fort in to each other face and mixing one issue with other you are
making this is though it is a Franco Turkish issue… Any dialog and
or discussion must lead to some where…

One thing I can assure you as an individual Armenian in Diaspora this
issue will never go away whether present Turkish government or future
government they have to deal with it you just cannot go on boycotting
other countries.

I look foreword one day meeting you face to face and hopes your next
articles will be more toward bringing these two people together then
dividing them it start with good people like your self who has great
tools to achieve it…

Have a nice day…."

Wally Sarkeesian The US

TURNOUT IN NAGORNO KARABAKH CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM EXCEEDS 80%

Interfax, Russia
Dec 10 2006

STEPANAKERT. Dec 10 (Interfax) – The constitutional referendum in
the breakaway republic of Nagorno Karabakh ended on Sunday.

Early reports say the turnout was 83.7% of the 90,000 or so registered
voters, the republic’s election commission said.

A commission spokesman added that tentative results will be announced
on Monday.

Meanwhile, a group of European observers noted that the referendum
had been conducted correctly.

"We have not complaints to make," one of them told the press.

Luciano Ardesi, an observer from Italy and head of the International
League for the Rights and Liberation of Peoples, said the referendum
observed all voting standards.

"What the people of Nagorno Karabakh did today is quite legitimate.

The international community must recognize the right of the people of
Nagorno Karabakh to either establish its own state or join Armenia,"
he said.

AZERBAIJAN’S REBEL REGION VOTES ON CONSTITUTION

EuroNews.net, France
Dec 10 2006

It is a controversial ballot in a bitterly-disputed territory.

Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region has been voting on a
proposed constitution. It comes 15 years to the day since a referendum
in which it declared independence.

But, for the international community, it is not a sovereign state.

Nagorno-Karabakh officially remains part of Azerbaijan. This, is
despite the fact that it has been controlled by Armenian separatists
since armed conflict erupted in the early 1990s.

etail_info&article=395330&lng=1
The fighting was the bloodiest of the separatist wars that broke out
when the Soviet Union disintegrated. Some 35,000 people died. A fragile
ceasefire has been in force for over a decade. But the conflict is
still unresolved and exchanges of gunfire continue.

PROVOCATIVE REFERENDUM IN KARABAGH
By Faruk Akkan, Cihan News Agency, Moscow

Zaman Online, Turkey
Dec 10 2006

The Nagorno Karabagh region, the separatist Azerbaijani territory
under Armenian occupation, held an independence referendum Sunday.

The referendum can be compared to those in Moldova’s Transdinyester
and Georgia’s South Ossetia regions.

Azeri foreign minister Elmar Mehmedyarov called the referendum a
disappointing move for the attempts to maintain peace in the region.

The minister warned that any referendum held prior to the return of
the Azeri population removed from the region since the occupation
would not be fair and legitimate.

Pro-Western GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) countries
criticized the Karabagh referendum. The jointly issued statement
raised concerns that the referendum would deteriorate the overall
situation in the region.

Recalling that the referendum had no legal basis, the statement
further noted that it would constitute a beach under Azerbaijan’s
constitution and international law.

After a meeting in Minsk, Azeri and Armenian leaders had announced
their optimism about peace. This referendum held at a time when
prospects for a workable peace were most likely since the truce accord
of 1994 raises serious concerns.

The Nagorno Karabagh region declared de facto independence from
Azerbaijan after the dissolution of Soviet bloc in 1990. With its own
army, flag, and government, the region acts like and independent state.

The international community recognizes the region as part of
Azerbaijan. Russia has often threatened that if regions seeking
independence through referendums were not recognized by the United
Nations, it would veto Kosovo’s attempt to declare independence in
the U.N. Security Council.

Roughly 140,000 Armenian residents in Karabagh depend on financial
aid of the Armenian diaspora in Russia and Western countries.

No significant progress has been in the region since the truce.

People have trouble meeting fundamental needs, such as heating,
shelter and food.

The armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted in the late
1980s. While more than 35,000 died in the fighting, nearly 1,000,000
Azeri had to migrate from the region. The refugees are trying to
survive in camps under dire conditions and are looking forward to
return to their homes.