ArmeniaNow.com
Spin Doctors: Marriott fitness team rolls out another
charity ride

By Suren Musayelyan
ArmeniaNow reporter

An international fitness consultant has kept his
promise of a year ago, to turn a charitable spinning
marathon into an annual event.

Last year’s spinfest prompted the 2006 repeat.

This Saturday, September 16, will see the second
annual `National Charity Schwinn Cycling Marathon in
Armenia’ with hopes that it will raise even more than
it did last year for a charitable project.
Last October’s similar spinning marathon drew about 50
cyclists representing a number of organizations and
hundreds of onlookers and guests who also had a chance
to contribute to charity while 11 (one-wheeled)
bicycles were in motion for six hours. As a result,
Armenia’s first spinfest raised $3,200 for the Nerses
Mets Special Boarding School.
Co-organizer of the event, Marriott Hotel Fitness
Consultant Andrzej Hentszel, from Poland, says: `I
feel very happy that I can organize it again. We hope
to raise even more money for charity this year,
especially that now we have sponsors who support our
preparations.’
All money raised during this year’s marathon will be
spent to support Yerevan Special School N 15 for Deaf
Children and Children with Hearing Disabilities.
Charity cyclists who have reserved bicycles already
began training at Marriott Hotel on weekday nights in
preparation for the Saturday event.
Schwinn “Spinning” is an indoor training on a special
bike accompanied by loud music with a clear beat.
Participants spin according to the trainer, and each
rider can change speed and resistance of the bike.
The six-hour marathon will begin near Armenia Marriott
Hotel in the capital’s Republic Square at 2.00 pm
Saturday. Throughout the event participants and guests
will be entertained by singers, dancers, comedians,
and will have a chance to watch fashion and martial
art shows.
`Our goal is not only to make it to the end of the
marathon, but we mostly wish to collect funds for
charity. We want people to come and join us, support
our charity goals and simply have fun with us,’ say
Hentszel, who together with instructor and event
co-organizer Mher Grigoryan, plans to repeat their
achievement of last year, by spinning all six hours.
Other participants may replace each other.
Each participant offers a symbolic contribution of
10,000 AMD (about $26) for each hour spent on the
bike.
Raffle tickets, at 2,000 AMD, will give buyers a
chance to win a flight to Vienna for one person and a
weekend stay for up to two people, as well as gifts
and prizes.
Armenia Marriott Hotel will also support the school
with the entire revenue made on September 16 in the
outside restaurant `Vienna Café’.
Hentszel says the motto of the marathon remains the
same: `There are no losers – we all can feel like true
winners’.
The event is held in partnership with Armenia Marriott
Hotel, ArmenTel, Austrian Airlines, HSBC Bank, Kotayk,
the British and US. Embassies in Armenia, Quality
School International (QSI), IAB Center.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
FM OF AZERBAIJAN RECEIVES USA DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ON
EURASIA AFFAIRS
[September 16, 2006, 10:52:59]
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan on 15 September received the USA Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense on Eurasia Affairs Mr. Jim MacDougall.
The guest highly assessed the reforms conducted in Azerbaijan in
military sphere, noting that the country comes closer to NATO
standards. Emphasizing that NATO is not only a military organization
and it also unites political elements.
Minister Mammadyarov noted that there is decisive move in the defense
sphere.
Highly estimating development in Azerbaijan, J. MacDougall pushed to
forward the importance of equal partner relations in the defense
field, took interest in the talks aimed at settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Informing the guest on major elements of these negotiations,
E. Mammadyarov, first of all, noted necessity of withdrawal of the
Armenian armed forces form the occupied Azerbaijani territories, and
then, return of refugees and IDPs to native lands and maintenance of
their safety, restoration of infrastructure and communications.
Noting significance of the ecological investigations to be conducted
by the international experts in the field o prevention of arsons,
committed by Armenians at the occupied areas, the Minister also stated
that would be sent experts of OSCE, UN and other structures.
Informing on the large-scale projects being implemented in the
Republic, including realization of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, completion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas main, realization
of intensive works connected to Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway,
the Minister brought to notice that because of aggressive policy,
Armenia remained out of this projects.
In meeting, also discussed were a range of issues representing mutual
interest.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net
Cilicia Vessel to Arrive in Yerevan Today
16.09.2006 15:24 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Cilicia Armenian vessel, which is a copy of a
thirteenth-century commercial ship, will arrive in Yerevan September
16, reported Ayas club of sea research, which initiated the
round-the-world voyage of Cilicia. The vessel will be exhibited in the
central square of Yerevan during festivities on the 15th anniversary
of Armenia’s independence, marked on September 21. Next spring the
vessel will drop its anchor in Lake Sevan to be turned into a museum
later.
Having sailed along medieval commercial routes through the Black,
Mediterranean, North and Baltic Seas, as well as the Atlantic, Cilicia
vessel reached Batumi port in Georgia in the beginning of September.
During its voyage Cilicia repeated for the first time within the past
800 years the route of Cilicia traders. Within 2 years the ship passed
15 thousand nautical miles and visited 63 ports in 26 countries of
Europe and the Mediterranean basin, becoming a symbol of peace and
good, to which Armenian people have always been committed to, reports
Novosti-Armenia.

Messenger.ge, Georgia
Friday, September 15, 2006, #175 (1195)
Georgia needs European reforms more than European integration
Georgia’s dream of EU integration is no secret, the EU flag is even
emblazoned on the ruling National Movement’s logo, and the first step
along this long and winding road-hopes the government-is the European
Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and its attendant action plan. The
negotiations are over and the plan is due to be signed off at a
ceremony during the visit of the EU’s Neighbourhood Commissioner
Benita Ferrero-Waldner. The action plan has a five year term, during
which major and lasting reforms are expected of Georgia. With
characteristic bravado, the government has promised to complete these
reforms in three years rather than five.
The ENP sets out a bilateral relationship which offers deeper
integration with countries bordering the EU. However, the policy
“does not have an enlargement perspective”, in the EU’s words, and is
results based, meaning that any further economic and political
integration is wholly contingent on the neighbour country achieving
the reforms prescribed, and the neighbour countries still have no
guarantee of an invitation to join the EU. Also, the South Caucasus
was not even considered to be part of Europe’s neighbourhood until
2004, when the three countries were hastily tacked on to the scheme.
Head of the delegation of the European Commission to Georgia and
Armenia, Torben Holtze, praises Georgia’s institutional and economic
reforms, macro-economic development and customs and tax
reform. However, Georgia came in for criticism over the supremacy of
the rule of law, the freedom of the media and the fact that more than
fifty percent of Georgians live in poverty.
The EU also upbraided Georgia on its huge military spending, something
Ferrero-Waldner recently panned Georgia and Azerbaijan for. The EC
delegation recommend Georgia spend some of those vast sums on
education, reports the newspaper Rezonansi.
Under the ENP action plan, over the next five years (or three years if
you’re as optimistic as the government) Georgia is expected to
entrench the supremacy of the rule of law, improve the business
climate, decrease poverty, cooperate with the EU in security matters
and seek peaceful resolution of the Abkhazian and South Ossetian
conflicts. Even in ten years Georgia will have its work cut out.
In an interview earlier this year the EU’s top Caucasus expert Dov
Lynch, who is convinced of Georgia’s importance for Europe, commented
that, in spite of Georgia’s repeated assertions that they are a
European country and their eagerness to accede to all the structures
and bodies associated with that status, Georgia is less successful at
implementing the necessary reforms suggested by the EU than
neighbouring Armenia. There is some irony in this, as there are no EU
flags flying on public buildings in Yerevan, and Armenia is a close
ally of Russia.
The government, which is still characterised by a high degree of
revolutionary fervour, must make sure that the rule of law is indeed
supreme, and not something that can be put aside for temporary
benefit, if they are to fulfil the action plan, and move a little
closer to Europe.
The Rose Revolution alerted a complacent EU to the reality of the
South Caucasus as a region, hence the three countries hasty inclusion
on in the ENP. For the EU it is vitally important to have a stable,
predictable and prosperous region on its south-eastern flank, a region
which borders three EU candidate countries, Turkey, Romania and
Bulgaria, as well as the Middle East. For Europe to achieve this it
needs the South Caucasus countries to be representative, stable and
predictable as only democratic states can be. It needs property to be
protected and international norms and rules to be observed. Above all,
the EU wants peace in the region, and the end to the quasi-states,
that funnel people, drugs guns and possibly worse to Europe. This is
why the South Caucasus is included in the ENP, but Europe may find its
desires more difficult to achieve here than it is used to.
Because the ENP “does not have an enlargement perspective” the
incentives for the governments of the region to adopt reforms which
may curtail there own powers are not so apparent. Although it is clear
that having open societies and rule of law based states is in the
interest of all three countries of the South Caucasus, it may not be
in the interests of their rulers. Unlike in Eastern Europe, and now in
Turkey, where the EU could say ‘if you want to be in our club you have
to follow our rules’, with the ENP there is no invitation to join the
club. Hopefully the Georgian government will realise that the reforms
themselves matter more than the integration they may or may not bring.

PanARMENIAN.Net
Azeri FM and OSCE MG Did Not Progress
16.09.2006 15:03 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ No progress is made at the meeting of Azeri FM with
OSCE MG co-chairs in London, stated Azeri Deputy FM Hafiz Pashayev.
`Introducing the issue on frozen conflicts in the UN GA session agenda
can be considered as positive,’ he remarked. This may be important
from the point of view of attracting attention of the international
community to that issue, Pashayev underscored. `However, I do not
think it can influence settlement of the issue,’ the Deputy FM of
Azerbaijan said, reports Trend.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Conference of Caucasus Intercultural Festival in Kars
postponed
[ 15 Sen. 2006 18:31 ]
The Conference of the Caucasus Intercultural Festival,
which was expected to be held in the Turkish region of
Kars today, has been postponed.
Azerbaijani consul in Kars Hasan Zeynalov told the APA
that the postponing was caused by the conflict between
Armenian folklore group and Azerbaijani folklore
groups.
`Armenians behaved immorally against Azerbaijani
representatives using insulting words in Armenian,’
the consul said.
Azerbaijani folklore group protested against Kars
local authority and left Turkey yesterday.
Mr.Zeynalov said he met wit the head of the local
authority. During the discussions, the local authority
head said he will achieve opening of Turkey-Armenia
border and make efforts for the solution of the
Nagorno Garabagh conflict. The conference is due to be
held tomorrow.
Kars local authority has recently stated that it will
make efforts for the opening of Armenia-Turkey
borders./APA/

Armenpress
IT MONTH AND OPEN PROGRAMMING COMPETITION KICKS OFF

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS: A month of
Information Technology kicked off today in Armenia. As
part of the month international conferences, summits,
competitions and exhibitions will be held. The aim of
the event is to present Armenia’s IT sphere, promote
its development as well as to show the international
community Armenia’s potential and opportunities in the
sphere.
Within the framework of the event an open
programming competition kicked off today aimed at
disclosing the professional skills of young people
under 30 years old. The competition is being organized
for the fourth year.
Bagrat Yengibarian, the director of the
`Enterprises Incubator Foundation’, told Armenpress
that they have received 355 applications for
participation. He said on September 16 the
pre-selective round of the competition will take place
and on September 20 the individual competition will be
held.
The 30 best participants will take part in summer
school which will be organized by October 3 in
Tsakhkadzor where they will be prepared for the team
competition. On October 5, the last day of the
competition, prizes will be distributed at Armenia
Marriott hotel with the participation of Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian.

Armenpress
BUSINESSMAN PARLIAMENTARY GROUP FREE TO CHOOSE THE WAY
TO CONTEST 2007 ELECTIONS

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS: Mekhak
Mekhitarian, the secretary of a parliamentary group
which is made of defectors from former parliament
chairman Arthur Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir faction,
said today the ten members of the group called
Businessman are free to join a political force or an
alliance to contest the 2007 parliamentary election.
He said some may choose to run from single-mandate
constituencies, while some others are very likely to
be placed on some party’s slates.
He said the time will show what format 10 members
of the group, five of whom were elected form
single-mandate constituencies and the other five on
party lists, will eventually choose. Mekhitarian said
members of the group maintain ‘normal, human
relationships with Orinats Yerkir.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CBC Nova Scotia, Canada
British artist charged in Turkey for insulting the PM
Last Updated Fri, 15 Sep 2006 12:13:49 EDT
CBC Arts
A British artist living in Turkey is facing up to three years in
prison after being charged with insulting the Turkish prime minister’s
dignity with a work of art he created.
Michael Dickinson, who has lived in Turkey for 20 years, was arrested
outside a courthouse in Istanbul on Tuesday where he was protesting at
another freedom of speech trial.
He refused to put away a poster with a collage showing Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a dog attached to a Stars and Stripes leash.
“I wasn’t even planning to open it up,” said Dickinson in a telephone
interview with the Guardian newspaper.
“But then I said ‘in for a penny in for a pound’ – if I’m here at all,
it’s about freedom of speech.”
Dickinson, an English-language teacher as well as a writer and artist,
was at the courts in support of anti-war activist Erkan Kara. Kara was
in court because he displayed one of Dickinson’s works depicting the
U.S. president pinning an award rosette on Erdogan at a dog show.
Another author to be tried on insult charge
Freedom of speech has become an explosive issue in Turkey recently.
In a highly-publicized trial, the government took one of the country’s
best-known authors, Orhan Pamuk, to court for “insulting” the Turkish
identity.
The charges stemmed from an interview Pamuk gave in 2005 to a Swiss
newspaper in which he criticized the Turkish government for refusing
to recognize the Armenian genocide.
After intense pressure from the European Union and other countries,
the government dropped charges against the best-selling author of Snow
and My Name is Red.
Erdogan has been criticized for abusing a clause in Turkish law to
attack anyone who criticizes him. In March 2005, he sued a cartoonist
for portraying him as a cat tangled in a ball of wool.
Article 301 makes it an offence to insult the “Turkish identity” or
state institutions, including the armed forces.
Reports say the prime minister has earned as much as 115,000 ($163,000
Cdn) in damages from insult cases.
Next week, another Turkish novelist goes on trial in a freedom of
speech case. Elif Shafak is accused of “insulting Turkishness” in her
new novel The Bastard of Istanbul.
The Armenian characters in Shafak’s book make disparaging comments
about Turks and refer to a genocide of Armenians during the last years
of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey denies allegations that 1.5 million Armenians were killed in a
systematic genocide from 1915 to 1917.

Kommersant, Russia
United Nations Gets Involved in Conflicts in the CIS
Sep. 16, 2006Print | E-mail | Home United Nations
Gets Involved in Conflicts in the CIS
// Against Moscow’s Will
At its 61st session in New York, the UN General
Assembly resolved to discuss frozen conflicts in the
former USSR. The initiative was put forth by the GUAM
association of countries (Georgia, Ukraine,
Azerbaijan, and Moldova), which managed to get the
question included in the session’s agency despite
vigorous opposition from Russia. The fact that the
General Assembly agreed to discuss the question
amounts to an admission by the international community
that the activities of Russian peacekeepers in the
conflict zones are ineffective.
The resolution was adopted on Thursday by the General
Assembly after a fierce struggle in which 16 countries
sided with the GUAM countries and 15 opposed the
motion, with 65 abstaining. The request of the GUAM
countries to include the matter in the General
Assembly’s agenda was originally turned down two days
ago by the UN general committee, but with the help of
the US and Great Britain, among others, the motion was
passed in a second attempt.
A spokesman from the Azerbaijani government blamed
Armenia and, especially, Russia for trying to hush up
the problem of frozen conflicts in regions of the
former USSR. Armenia and Azerbaijan are still locked
in a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region that
lies between them and is claimed by both countries.
Russia’s influence in the region’s frozen conflicts is
felt most keenly in Moldova and Georgia, however,
where the breakaway regions of Transdniestr in Moldova
and South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia are seen as
being courted by Moscow. Georgia’s Foreign Ministry
likewise took aim at Russia for its unwillingness to
see the problem of such conflicts discussed in the
General Assembly.
Diplomats from the GUAM countries did not hide their
satisfaction at the adoption of the motion, calling it
testimony to the rising political clout of their union
and a show of interest by the UN in conflicts in the
territory of the former USSR. The Russian Foreign
Ministry, however, noted dryly in response that the
fact that only 16 countries were for the motion, while
80 either opposed it or abstained from voting, does
not point to any particular interest in the matter on
the part of the UN.
Although the resolutions adopted by the UN General
Assembly, unlike those of the Security Council, have
no legal force, the beginning of a broad discussion in
the international community of the problem of frozen
conflicts is still widely seen as an unexpected
success for the GUAM countries and as a diplomatic
defeat for Moscow. Though it is too early to talk
about what the General Assembly’s final words on the
matter will be, it is possible that the discussion
could lead to success for the GUAM countries in
replacing Russian peacekeepers in the regions with an
international peacekeeping contingent.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress