A NUMBER OF EVENTS DEDICATED TO 15th ANNIVERSARY OF RA SOCIAL SECURITY
FUND TO BE HELD TILL LATE THIS YEAR

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. A number of events dedicated to the
15th anniversary of foundation of the RA Social Security State Fund
will be held till late this year. The Noyan Tapan correspondent was
informed about it by the Foreign and Public Relations Department of
the fund. Particularly, “Taregir” (chronicles) dedicated to the find
activity will be published, TV clips will be prepared, exhibitions
dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the fund will be organized, long
year employees of the system will be encouraged, a solemn sitting and
concert will be held. Besides, the “Voske Karas” (Gold Pitcher)
awarding of best publications dedicated to covering of the pension and
social security sphere will be held in December. Its winner will be
given monetary prizes.

GALUST SAHAKIAN: MAIN CRIMINALS OF 1999 TERRORIST ACT ARE NOT PUNISHED YET

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN. In the personal opinion of RA NA RPA
faction Head, Galust Sahakian, which he expressed at the October 27
press briefing, the main criminals of the terrorist act committed in
1999 at the parliament are not punished yet. “Maybe I give free play
to my emotions, nevertheless, I think that at certain time, under
certain circumstances we will also learn concretely from what side the
blow was delivered,” G.Sahakian said clarifying that he means “blows
from outside.”
He also expressed an opinion that those convicted on the case of the
terrorist act and the criminals were merely instruments. This year the
day of a regular NA press briefing coincided with the 7th anniversary
of the terrorist act committed at the parliament hall.
Eight state and political figures, including NA leadership and the
country’s Prime Minister became victims of the crime of 1999. In
G.Sahakian’s words, we always feel both pain, grief and something like
inner strengthening in these days.
“We feel pain, as the nation and we have lost our friends. We feel
strengthening as we have responsibility in connection with this day,”
RPA faction Head said.

Would Speaker Pelosi recognize Armenian genocide?
The Fresno Bee
Fresno Bee Opinion Blog
October 25, 2006
The Armenian National Committee of America thinks so. House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi, who could be speaker next year if the Democrats
take over the House, supports the Armenian Genocide Resolution being
pushed by Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa. The current speaker,
Republican Dennis Hastert, has blocked the genocide resolution in the
House. The Armenian National Committee issued this press release today:
NANCY PELOSI PLEDGES TO SUPPORT CONGRESSIONAL ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
RECOGNITION
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a
longtime supporter of Armenian American issues who is expected to become
Speaker if the Democrats win a majority in the House this November,
pledged today to support Armenian Genocide legislation next year during
in the 110th session of Congress.
In a statement released to Harut Sassounian, Publisher of the California
Courier, Congresswoman Pelosi stated that:
“I have supported legislation, including H.Res.316, that would properly
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. It is imperative that the United
States recognize this atrocity and move to renew our commitment to
eliminate genocide whenever and wherever it exists. This effort enjoys
strong bipartisan support in the House, and I will continue to support
these efforts in the 110th Congress.”
Sassounian’s weekly column appears internationally in more than a dozen
newspapers, as well as in the widely read Huffington Post.
“Nancy Pelosi’s powerful words and principled actions underscore the
stark difference between her and Dennis Hastert, who, during his tenure
as Speaker has consistently prevented a bipartisan majority from voting
in favor of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
The ANCA press release continues: Congresswoman Pelosi’s statement is
consistent with her past record of energetic and principled support for
U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, dating back nearly 20 years.
Since her election to the House in 1986, she has worked closely with the
Bay Area Armenian National Committee, enjoying warm relations with the
Armenian American community in the greater Bay Area.
“The principled stand of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi comes as no
surprise, and we’re proud that she confirmed it again today,” said Bay
Area ANC Chairwoman Roxanne Makasdjian. “The Bay Area Armenian community
has long known and respected Congresswoman Pelosi’s leadership o – n
genocide prevention, from her advocacy of Armenian Genocide recognition,
to ending the genocide taking place today in Darfur.”
Speaker Hastert (R-IL), despite his pledge in August of 2000 to schedule
a vote o – n the Armenian Genocide Resolution, pulled the measure from the
House floor in October of that year, o – nly moments before it was set to
be adopted by a broad, bipartisan majority. He has, in every year since,
actively blocked legislation properly commemorating this crime against
humanity.
In July of 2004, following Congressman Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) successful
effort to secure the adoption by the U.S. House of an amendment
recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Speaker Hastert joined with other
members of the House leadership in vowing to block the final adoption of
the measure. In remarks posted at the top of the Speaker’s website o – n
the day after the amendment’s adoption, the Speaker stated that, “Turkey
has been a reliable ally of the United States for decades, and the deep
foundation upon which our mutual economic and security relationship
rests should not be disrupted by this amendment.” He and his leadership
colleagues also vowed to
block any future consideration of the Armenian Genocide Resolution by
the full House of Representatives.
Speaker Hastert has received an “F” rating from the ANCA, while Minority
Leader Pelosi has consistently received “A” grades from the ANCA for her
principled support for Armenian American issues.
Speaking at a Capitol Hill observance in April of 2005, the California
Congresswoman countered those who have cited Turkey’s strategic position
as reason to oppose Armenian Genocide legislation, stressing that:
“First at the time of the Iron Curtain, [they cited] the strategic
location of Turkey, after that it was the Gulf War and Turkey’s
strategic location . . . Turkey’s strategic location is not a license to
kill.”
In May of 2001, during her remarks at the ANCA’s annual Capitol Hill
Armenian Genocide observance, ongresswoman Pelosi noted that:
“The sad thing about that tragedy is that it is a tragedy twice. Once in
the course of the Genocide and secondly in the fact that we cannot get
the United States to pass a resolution memorializing and acknowledging
the terrible things that happened then . . This Armenian Genocide is a
challenge to the conscience of our country and the conscience of the
world. We will not rest until we have recognition of it.”
Speaking o – n the House floor in April of 2001, she reminded her
colleagues that:
“Our alliance with Turkey should not deter us from learning the lessons
of past mistakes. If we ignore the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, we
are destined to repeat those same mistakes. The horrible conflicts in
Sudan, Sierra Leone, and East Timor remind us that we must do more to
prevent the systematic slaughter of innocent people. We must learn from
the past and never forget the victims of the Armenian genocide.”
In April of 1999, in a statement o – n the House floor, the Congresswoman
stressed:
“As we enter the Third Millennium of the Christian Era, it behooves us
to remember. If we ignore the lessons of the Armenian Genocide, then we
are destined to continue our stumblings through the long, dark tunnel of
endless ethnic-cleansings, genocides, and holocausts Let us, then,
remember to remember.”
In remarks marking the Armenian Genocide o – n the House floor in April of
1998, she explained that:
“On April 24, 1915, the rulers of the Ottoman Empire set out to
annihilate the Armenian minority. Over the course of the next eight
years, the Turkish government systematically murdered 1.5 million
Armenians and deported 500,000. By the end of 1923, the entire Armenian
population of Anatolia and Western Armenia was either murdered or
deported . . . While a growing number of Americans come to understand
the horror of this episode in history, the
perpetrators continue their denial.”
In her April 1997 remarks to her House colleagues, the San
Francisco-based legislator reminded Members of Congress that:
“In 1944, noted jurist and scholar, Raphael Lemkin looked to a previous
generation when he coined the word `genocide’ to describe the systematic
annihilation of the Jewish people by the Nazis. Lemkin was thinking of
the Turkish attempt in 1915 to extinguish from this earth the ancient
community of Armenians living within
the Ottoman Empire. Ironically, Hitler had also referred to the
extermination of the Armenians when he spoke of his plans for the Jewish
people in 1939: `Who, after all, speaks today of the Armenians,’ Hitler
said.”
In June of 1996, speaking in support of a Congressional measure,
authored by Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA) to cut aid to Turkey until it
ended its denial of the Armenian Genocide, Congresswoman Pelosi argued
that:
“Passage of this [Radanovich] amendment will serve to deter the Turkish
government from pursuing their unconscionable cover-up of this
internationally recognized crime against humanity.”
In his most recent column, Sassounian criticized the current Speaker as
someone who “not o – nly has broken his pledge repeatedly, but has
actively blocked the Armenian Genocide resolution from being brought to
a floor vote.” He stressed that, “On Nov. 7, members of the Armenian
American community should vote for all those [House] candidates,
regardless of their party affiliation, who are supportive of Armenian
issues. In the case of equally
supportive candidates in a particular race, the preference should be
given to the o – ne who is a Democrat in order to secure a Democratic
majority in the House, helping make Congresswoman Pelosi the next
Speaker, which will enable her to schedule a long overdue vote o – n the
Armenian Genocide resolution.”
Posted by Jim Boren on October 25, 2006 08:35 AM

Imedi TV, Georgia
27 Oct 06
ETHNIC ARMENIAN MOVEMENT RALLIES IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA TO DEMAND
RELEASE OF LEADER
[Presenter] Supporters of the Javakhk movement are holding a rally in
front of the cultural centre in Akhalkalaki [a predominantly ethnic
Armenian town in southern Georgia]. The Javakhk members are calling
for one of their leaders, Vakhtang (?Chakhalyan), to be released.
Chakhalyan was one of those behind the seizure of the local
administration building in Akhalkalaki on 8 October. He is being held
in Yerevan. Young people appeared at the rally in special outfits
with Armenian flags on their sleeves. Political statements are being
made at the rally.
[Arab Batoyan, addressing crowd in Russian] Those who want to improve
their lives risk being arrested. Today it will be for illegally
crossing the border but tomorrow it could be for breathing in too
much air. We call on the leaders of Armenia and Georgia not to
resolve their problems at the expense of the future of Javakhk
[Javakheti] and to take into account the interests of our people. We
gathered here to demand the immediate release of illegally detained
Chakhalyan. Thank you.
[Artur Polosyan, captioned as Javakhk member, addressing crowd in
Russian] In all these years not one job has been created. The
government of this country promised to create thousands of jobs in
Akhalkalaki to replace those lost when the Russian military base is
withdrawn. However, that has not yet happened. That could lead to a
tense social and economic situation. It is not possible to resolve
social and economic problems in the region just by painting the
facades of buildings.

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 27 2006
ARMENIANS ARE FOR PEACE SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

The results of the poll conducted by the Armenian Sociological
Association and the Gallup Institute among 1200 residents of Armenia
suggest that the majority of the people of Armenia are for a peace
settlement of the Karabakh conflict, reports the ARKA news agency.
82 percent of the respondents voted for a peace settlement, 17
percent think if necessity arises, a military settlement is possible,
1 percent did not vote. 41 percent think that in the future NKR may
become a region of Armenia, 31 percent think NKR will become a
sovereign region in Armenia, and 27 percent think that NKR will
remain an independent state. None of the respondents sees Karabakh in
Azerbaijan.
75 percent of the respondents emphasize the importance of settling
the issue in the nearest future, 21 percent consider it rather
important, 2 percent consider it not very important, and only for 0.3
percent the rapid settlement of the Karabakh issue is not important.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITV, Azerbaijan
26 Oct 06
AZERI CAPITAL HOSTS INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON ARMS SMUGGLING
[Presenter] The working group on prevention of illegal circulation of
munitions and radioactive materials of the international conference
on border issues has held a regular meeting in Baku. One of the main
issues of concern discussed at the meeting was illegal circulation of
munitions and radioactive materials in Azerbaijan’s territories
occupied by the Armenian armed forces.
[Correspondent over video of meeting] The Azerbaijani State Border
Service intends to further step up its cooperation with the working
group of the international conference on border issues in order to
ensure the security of major energy projects like the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan [oil pipeline] and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum [gas
pipeline].
It was also noted at the Baku-hosted meeting of the working group
that as a country that has suffered from terrorism Azerbaijan
attaches great importance to international cooperation in ensuring
the security of its energy projects, as well as its borders.
[Farhad Tagizada, captioned as member of the working group, with
Azeri voice-over] Ensuring of Azerbaijan’s energy security is
important to Europe, too. In this sense, there is always a need for
joint security measures and exchange of experience.
[Correspondent] A member of the working group, Farhad Tagizada,
voiced his concern at the fact that Azerbaijani territories remain
under occupation by the Armenian armed forces.
[Tagizada] Azerbaijan is a country that has suffered from terrorism.
More than 2,000 people have died in more than 30 terrorist attacks in
Azerbaijan in the past few years. In addition, 20 per cent of
Azerbaijan’s territory are still occupied by the Armenian armed
forces. A total of 132 km of Azerbaijan’s border are uncontrolled.
Arms and radioactive materials are illegally circulated in the
occupied territory. We hope that this meeting of the working group
will give an impetus to taking relevant steps in this area, too.
[Correspondent] Besides Azerbaijan, representatives of the border
services of Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Hungary, the USA, Russia
and Georgia attended the meeting.
Work done to prevent illegal circulation of munitions and radioactive
materials, the expertise of the world’s leading countries in this
area and other issues were discussed and specific recommendations
were adopted at the meeting.
The guests will familiarize themselves with the work of the Caspian
Sea coast guard of the Azerbaijani State Border Service on 27
October.

Azeri Press Agency
Oct 26 2006
ARMENIANS BEEF UP MILITARY PRESENCE IN OCCUPIED AZERI LANDS
Baku, 26 October: The Armenian armed forces have started bringing
extra armoured hardware and troops to the occupied Azerbaijani lands.
The concentration of armoured hardware and troops is being observed
along the front line in the occupied section of [Azerbaijan’s] Agdam
District, APA’s Karabakh bureau reported.
The permanent movement of lorries to the front line in this area is
also observed. Since December 2005, the Armenian armed forces have
been strengthening their positions and building new fortifications in
the occupied Azerbaijani lands.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WEEK OF ARMENIAN CULTURE TO BE HELD IN KRASNODAR UNIVERSITY OF
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS

KRASNODAR, OCTOBER 27, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The week of
national culture of Armenia will be held from October 30 to November 3
in the Krasnodar University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of
Russia. As they informed from the editorial office of the “Yerkramas”
(country) newspaper of Armenians of Russia, the week during which
different events will be held at the university is held within the
framework of the “Year of the Republic of Armenia in the Russian
Federation” being marked in 2006.

Press freedom in US slips
24/10/2006 13:18 – (SA)
Paris – North Korea is the worst violator of press freedom while
journalists in Finland, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands enjoy the
most liberty, according to a new index released this week by Reporters
Without Borders.
South Africa came in at No. 44, ahead of the United States at No. 53 –
a spot it shared with Croatia, Botswana and Tonga. Russia came in at
No. 147. The Paris-based media advocacy group relied on its network
of 130 correspondents, plus journalists, legal experts and human
rights activists, to come up with the ranking.
Worst offenders The worst offenders, in order, were North Korea,
Turkmenistan, Eritrea, Cuba, Burma, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia,
Reporters Without Borders said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, nothing has changed in the countries that are the
worst predators of press freedom, and journalists in North Korea,
Eritrea, Turkmenistan, Cuba, Burma and China are still risking their
life or imprisonment for trying to keep us informed,” the organisation
said.
In the country at the bottom of the list, “the all-powerful North
Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, also continues to totally control the
media,” the group said.
US has steadily declined
In the index’s first year, 2002, the United States was in 17th place
and has steadily declined since then.
“Relations between the media and the Bush administration sharply
deteriorated after the president used the pretext of ‘national
security’ to regard as suspicious any journalist who questioned his
‘war on terrorism,”‘ the report said.
US press freedom is slipping even when terrorism is not at stake, the
report said, citing the case of Joshua Wolf, a freelance video
journalist jailed after he refused to turn over footage of a political
protest to a grand jury. France fell back five places to No. 35,
which it shared with Australia,
Bulgaria and Mali, and Japan dropped 14 places to No. 51.
Bolivia and Bosnia, meanwhile, moved into the top 20. Bolivia shared
16th place with Austria and Canada, while Bosnia was in 19th place
with Denmark, New Zealand and Trinidad and Tobago.
Denmark suffers over cartoon threats
Denmark, which shared first place last year, suffered a sharp loss of
press freedom because of threats against the authors of the Prophet
Muhammad cartoons that caused an uproar in September 2005.
“For the first time in recent years in a country that is very
observant of civil liberties, journalists had to have police
protection due to threats against them because of their work,” the
report said.
Russia
Among European nations, press freedom is worst in the ex-Soviet
states, the group said.
Media freedom in Russia – where award-winning investigative reporter
Anna Politkovskaya was shot to death on October 7 in a suspected
contract killing – has not improved, the report said.
“Russia, which suffers from a basic lack of democracy, continues
slowly but steadily dismantling the free media, with industrial groups
close to President Vladimir Putin buying up nearly all independent
media outlets and with passage of a law discouraging NGO activity,” it
said.

Today, Azerbaijan
Oct 27 2006
Serge Sarkisian: “We did not touch upon the settlement of Nagorno
Karabakh conflict in the meeting with Azerbaijani Defence Minister”

27 October 2006 [11:08] – Today.Az

“The violation of ceasefire is normal, because there are thousands of
armed personnel on both sides of the border. But it should not grow
to large-scale standoff,” Serge Sarkisian, Armenian Defence Minister
told journalists.
He said that Azerbaijani Defence Minister is for maintaining of
ceasefire regime in the region. Sarkisian also noted the meeting with
his Azerbaijani colleague was organized by co-chairs.
The minister said that they had talks on the maintaining of ceasefire
only and did not touch upon the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh
conflict.
In response to the question “who will sign the peace agreement?”
Sarkisian said that it is in the president’s competence.
Asked whether he would make a president, the minister answered that
he will think about it if journalists help the people to hold free
and fair parliamentary elections.

URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress