THE POWER OF DISCIPLINE
Aram Abrahamian

Aravot.am
06 June 06

The victory of our combined team in the 37th World Olympiad of
Chess comes to prove that Armenia, which has less than 3 millions of
population, can compete with the most developed and rich countries
and win them in some spheres. I think the main reason of it is that
our nation is gifted by talented persons.

But sometimes the plenty of those individuals is “compensated”
by bad discipline, lack of diligence, martial spirit and not strong
nerves. When those gifted persons are being succeeded in discipline,
Armenians can work wonders.

My words have no connection with what the RA President calls
“disciplined state”. When there are some hundreds persons who
depend on the “king” and whose the latter can say “guys go there,
guys come here”, it is very pleasant for the ”king” but is too far
from discipline and is too close to the Asian ”bedlam”. Fredric
Engels who is out of mode nowadays but isn’t fool at all cites with
pleasure in one of his books Napoleon’s judgment about that two
mamluks /soldiers of the Egypt sultan/ will win three Frenchmen,
the strength of 100 mamluks is equal to 100 Frenchmen, 300 Frenchmen
will win 300 mamluks and finally 1500 mamluks will be won by 1000
Frenchmen. That means as far we go from personal level as important
the degree of civilization and discipline is.

Our problem is to be a Frenchman” and not “mamluk”.

The victory of our chess combined team was of course combined. Our
guys were personally strong but there were stronger together for four
times. But the times have been changed; when Yerevan “Ararat” won the
Cup of the Soviet Union in 1973 the citizens were rejoicing together
in the streets. But today such sincere rejoicing is impossible. But
it doesn’t mean we weren’t support our team.

Speaking about the victory of the Armenian chess players it wouldn’t
be fair not to mention the merit of the chairman of Chess Federation
Serge Sargsian temporary putting aside his political activities. But
on the other hand being the best in the world in this game is also
a policy. Policy with a good meaning of that word.

–Boundary_(ID_tpLgA4mFtEhQHVYeASlZeA)–

“YOU DO NOTHING”
Naira Vanian

Aravot.am
06 June 06

6 Armenians have been killed for national hostility in Moscow in 2006.

Ten public organizations organized action of protest in the RA in
front of Embassy of Russia and then Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The
organizers of the action were accusing our authorities of being
indifferent towards those incidents. The action started by quarrel
between journalists and security officials at the Embassy. The latter,
seeing the participants of the action from distance, and their cameras
stopped their progression. “Don’t shoot”, I’ll take your camera and
I’ll be responsible for it”, – the security official said.

The journalist of “Hetq” was surprised at that behavior; “I have
always taken photos and I haven’t been forbidden anyway, why do you
forbid?” “It isn’t my problem what you do anywhere else”, – was the
answer. Anyway the initiators of the action had closed the way of
entrance to the RF Embassy with “STOP” posters. Demonstrators made
an announcement to the Embassy where it is said; “Demonstrations of
racism and hatred in Russia in last years are too anxious.

28 foreigners were killed and 402 suffered from attacks by
racist groups in 2005. Foreigners from Caucasus and Middle
Asia become the victims of attacks in most where there
are also Armenians. Nationalistic groups cry anti Armenian
expressions… Improhibitive actions of racist, fascistic groups
and unpunishment of crimes and actions make us think that the
above-mentioned groups act by support of the RF state structures. We,
the representatives of public organizations of Armenia and citizens of
Armenia strongly condemn actions of racist groups and not correspond
steps of the RF authorities to arrest and punish the killers.” To
the question whether the sponsorship of some Russian state structures
addressed against Armenians or against other foreigners too, one of
the organizers of the action Avetiq Ishkhanian answered; “Let give
me an example. Sergey Baghdasarian’s trial which was spread in media
as if he had wanted to violated a Russian girl wasn’t true. There was
a severe murder by a drunk woman Ivankova. And she was justified and
all people gathered round the court, including the members of Russian
liberal-democratic party were crying anti-Armenian expressions. We
can say that the court authority in this case and other powers which
have some influence on him assist that hatred”.

But can we say that those incidents are small demonstrations of foreign
relations between our country and the RF. Mr. Ishkanian answered; “I
see a great logic in it. When you bow more you lose you respect. There
is a truth in it.

If the authorities of Armenia sent a serious note in time the situation
would calm down, while the authorities of Armenia don’t want to offend
Russia as a lot of things depend on it, even the authority of Armenia.”

The member of “In favor of development of science” initiating group
Arsen Kharatian criticizing indifference of the Armenian authorities
said; “Doing nothing is also a sin, not expressing a position is
a part of crime itself. The frightened behaivior of the Armenian
authorities is shameful. Naming such a privilege, about which we have
spoken for many years, having the Russian Army in Armenia which as if
defends the Republic of Armenia and its citizens but at the same time
Armenians are killed in Russia must cause a serious anxiety for the
Armenian authorities. If Russian authorities punished such groups,
demonstrations wouldn’t be repeated. We have never seen the reply of
our country to that reality. If they have sent a note of protest we
aren’t introduced to its text. We want to break the stereotype that
it isn’t allowed to say anything to Russians. The problem must be
raised to diplomatic level and to influence on Russian authorities
in that way.”

–Boundary_(ID_+pxEAkLZrnvkQMT4Tr0LFg)–

VIMPELCOM BIDS FOR ARMENIA MOBILE OPERATOR ARMENTEL

RIA Novosti, Russia
June 7 2006

MOSCOW, June 7 (RIA Novosti) – VimpelCom (RTS: VIMP) has tabled a
bid for a 90% stake in Armenia’s leading cell operator ArmenTel,
Russia’s no.2 mobile phone company said Wednesday.

Greek company OTE (Hellenic Telecommunications Organizations SA)
said in April it was planning to sell the stake.

“We will take part in the first stage of the tender,” said VimpelCom
spokesperson Yulia Ostroukhova. “But we are not going to reveal any
details until the tender results are announced.”

Russia’s telecommunications company AFK Sistema (RTS: AFKS; LSE: SSA)
is also bidding for ArmenTel, the company’s chief executive Vladimir
Yevtushenkov said.

The Armenian government holds 10% in ArmenTel, which with about
330,000 users counts just over a tenth of the population as its
clients, as of late March 2006.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS SAY PEACEFUL RESOLUTION TO CONFLICT OVER NK IS ‘IMPERATIVE AND ACHIEVABLE’

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
June 7 2006

BUCHAREST, 6 June 2006 – The three Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,
which deals with the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, have issued
a statement following their June 4 meeting in Bucharest with the
presidents and foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Their
statement reads:

“In Bucharest on June 4, 2006, the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,
Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov (Russian Federation), Ambassador Steven
Mann (USA), and Ambassador Bernard Fassier (France), and the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman in Office (PRCIO), Ambassador
Andrzej Kasprzyk, assembled at the Embassy of Poland and met with
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev, together with their Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Vartan
Oskanian and Elmar Mammadyarov. This meeting followed the late May
joint visit to Baku and Yerevan at the Deputy Minister level of the
Co-Chair countries, in which these representatives urged the sides
to intensify their dialogue to achieve an agreement on the basic
principles of the settlement. The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE,
Minister Karel de Gucht, welcomed the Presidents and delivered
opening remarks. The discussion covered the full range of issues
relating to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. On June 5, the Co-Chairs,
the PRCIO and the Presidents, with their Foreign Ministers, conducted
a second meeting.

The Co-Chairs remain of the opinion that a peaceful resolution of the
issues is both imperative and achievable, and that 2006 remains the
favorable window to achieve such progress. The Co-Chairs continue to
believe that the basic principles they have identified and proposed
to the parties for settlement of the conflict offer an equitable
basis for such a resolution. They regret that the parties have not
yet come to agreement on these principles.

The Co-Chairs expressed their intention to report to the Permanent
Council of the OSCE later in June on their activity in the previous
months.”

OSCE OFFICE HOLDS OPEN LESSON TO COMMEMORATE WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY IN ARMENIA

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
June 7 2006

YEREVAN, 6 June 2006 – The OSCE Office in Yerevan marked World
Environment Day yesterday by holding an open lesson for around 30
schoolchildren and teachers together with the Public Environmental
Information Centre (Aarhus Centre).

World Environment Day, established by the United National General
Assembly in 1972, aims to promote worldwide awareness of the
environment and attract political and public attention.

“Environmental degradation, unsustainable use of natural resources,
mismanagement of waters and pollution have a negative impact on
health, welfare, stability and human security,” said Ambassador
Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan. “Protecting
the environment is an obligation for all of us.”

During the lesson, Ambassador Pryakhin introduced environmental
publications and posters produced with the OSCE Office’s support
and encouraged participants to use resources available at the Aarhus
Centre.

The OSCE Office in Yerevan has been implementing an environmental
programme since 2000, focusing its activities on promoting the
principles of the Aarhus Convention, which include access to
information, public participation in decision-making and access to
justice on environmental matters. The Office has established a network
of Aarhus Centres in Armenia and organizes annual competitions for
journalists to encourage environmental journalism.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WELSH MEMBERS OF UK PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZE ASSYRIAN GENOCIDE

Assyrian International News Agency, CA
June 7 2006

YEREVAN (YERKIR) — Following intensive lobbying from the above
organization, over half the eligible Welsh Representatives of the UK
Parliament have signed a motion recognizing the Armenian and Assyrian
Genocide of 1915.

“This is a historic day for Wales. “There can no longer be any doubt
that Wales has recognized the Armenian and Assyrian Genocides. We will
continue to expose this government denial of the genocide in order to
protect British investment in Turkey and to further Britain’s strategic
interests in the region. Our priority will be to put the issue of
restitution and reparations for the genocide on the political agenda.

The reunification of Armenia must no longer be a taboo subject during
Turkey’s accession talks. We in Wales can raise our voice to insist
that Turkey should yield back land to the Armenian nation if she is
to accede to the European Union,” said a spokesman for Wales-Armenia
Solidarity.

NEXT MEETING OF COUNCIL OF CHAIRMEN OF POLITICAL COORDINATION CENTER OF OPPOSITION WAS HELD
Author: J.Shahverdiyev

TREND, Azerbaijan
June 7 2006

The next meeting of the Council of Chairmen of Political Coordinating
Centre of Opposition (CCPCCO) discussed three issues on June 7,
Ayaz Rustamov, the executor of the authorities of the chairman of
Azerbaijan National Independence Party (ANIP), informed Trend.

Two issues covered the continuing repressions against our compatriots
in South Azerbaijan. “We made a statement on a protest against arrest
of our compatriots and decided to combine our forces to take such
steps,’ told Rustamov.

Besides, the meeting discussed the social-political aituation
in Azerbaijan. “In particular, we discussed the final meeting of
Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Bucharest on Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict,” stated Rustamov.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KARABAKH TO HOLD CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN DECEMBER
By Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 7 2006

The leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh will hold a referendum next December
on its draft constitution that declares the Armenian-controlled
territory an “independent and sovereign state,” a senior official in
Stepanakert said on Wednesday.

Rudik Hyusnunts, deputy speaker of the Karabakh parliament, told RFE/RL
that the decision was made on Monday at a meeting of a government
commission that has for years been working on the text of a first-ever
Karabakh constitution. The commission is headed by Arkady Ghukasian,
president of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

“The NKR president will sign a decree to hold a referendum on the
constitutional draft on December 10,” said Hyusnunts.

The decree can be signed only after the NKR National Assembly debates
and endorses the commission’s constitutional draft. According to
Hyusnunts, the assembly will receive the draft on June 15 and open
debates on it in September. The Karabakh parliament is dominated
by members of Ghukasian’s Democratic Artsakh Party and its junior
coalition partner, the Azat Hayrenik Party.

Stepanakert’s decision to effectively set a date for the referendum
came on the same day as the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
again failed to reach a framework peace agreement, all but dashing
hopes for a settlement of the Karabakh conflict in the near future.

Meeting in Bucharest on Sunday and Monday, Robert Kocharian and Ilham
Aliev apparently discussed a peace deal that would enable Karabakh’s
predominantly Armenian population to determine the disputed region’s
status in a future referendum.

Ghukasian and other Karabakh leaders have been less than enthusiastic
about this formula proposed by international mediators, saying that
the Karabakh Armenians had already voted to secede from Azerbaijan in
December 1991. The legitimacy of that referendum was never recognized
by Azerbaijan and the international community, however.

“On December 10 we will try to reaffirm the results of our independence
referendum,” said Hyusnunts.

ARMENIAN PROSECUTOR ‘ALARMED’ BY HUMAN TRAFFICKING
By Karine Kalantarian and Anna Saghabalian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 7 2006

A senior prosecutor dealing with human trafficking admitted on
Wednesday that transport of Armenian women for sexual exploitation
abroad has reached “alarming” proportions but denied that Armenian
law-enforcement authorities are too lenient towards traffickers.

Armen Boshnaghian, a member of an anti-trafficking task force at
the Armenian Prosecutor-General’s Office, said prostitution rings
operating in the country are making “large-scale criminal revenues.”

“I would say that the phenomenon is an alarming reality in Armenia,”
he told RFE/RL. “Some steps have been taken to counter it. They are
only the first steps. They are just the beginning of a very long and
difficult road.”

In an annual global report on the problem released on Monday, the
U.S. State Department said Armenia remains a “major source and, to a
lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls
trafficked for sexual exploitation.” The department placed Armenia
on its human trafficking “watch list” for a second consecutive year,
saying that Yerevan’s stated crackdown on the practice has made
little progress.

The U.S. report also said that despite a reported increase in the
number of trafficking-related criminal cases opened by Armenian
prosecutors only a handful of individuals were imprisoned on relevant
charges last year. “While the government increased implementation of
its anti-trafficking law, it failed to impose significant penalties
for convicted traffickers,” it said.

Boshnaghian disagreed, insisting that in fact 15 persons convicted of
involvement in trafficking were handed jail sentences in 2005. He did
acknowledge that Armenian courts are not tough enough on traffickers,
but said Armenia’s “lenient” Criminal Code is primarily to blame
for that.

The prosecutor also dismissed U.S. claims that the Armenian authorities
are reluctant to punish law-enforcement officials allegedly cooperating
with prostitution networks that recruit and send young women abroad,
mainly to the United Arab Emirates. He argued that an Armenian police
officer was fired and prosecuted on related charges last year.

The State Department report noted that another member of the Armenian
anti-trafficking unit, Aristakes Yeremian, was implicated by an
investigative journalist in extorting bribes from Armenian pimps and
prostitutes in Dubai. The Prosecutor-General’s Office said earlier this
year that it has investigated the allegations and found them baseless.

John Miller, a senior State Department official in charge of tracking
the problem around the world, insisted on Wednesday that there is a
public perception in Armenia that corruption among law-enforcement
officials seriously hampers the fight against human trafficking. “The
lack of public trust [in law-enforcement bodies] is a serious obstacle
to progress in this area,” Miller told Armenian journalists in a
video conference from Washington.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AUTHOR ELIF SAFAK ACCUSED OF ‘INSULTING TURKISHNESS’ IN LATEST NOVEL
By Cihan News Agency

Zaman Online, Turkey
June 7 2006

Ultra-rightwing Turkish Lawyers Association Chairman Kemal Kerincsiz,
who is infamous for filing complaints against journalists and authors
in the country, has filed a complaint against author Elif Safak for
her book “Baba and Pic” (Father and Offspring).

Kemal Kerincsiz, who has sued famous Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk and
ethnic-Armenian writer Hrant Dink, has now also accused Elif Safak of
‘insulting Turkishness’ – over remarks made by Armenian characters
in her latest book.

“Baba and Pic” is the story of relations between an Armenian and two
Turkish families.

Elif Safak, who also writes for Zaman daily, has been summoned by the
Beyoglu Prosecutions Office to make a statement following Kerincsiz’s
complaint. Safak said that the remarks of the Diaspora Armenians in
her book had been wrongly attributed to her.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress