TWO ROUNDS TO CHAMPIONSHIP

Lragir.am
03 June 06

The Armenian men’s chess team won another round in the World
ChessOlympiad in Torino. In the 11th round the Armenian chess players
defeated the Czech team 3:1, which had won all the previous
rounds. This was the tenth victory of the Armenian team. This victory
has strengthened even more the position ofa sole leader, and the
Armenian team now tops the chart with 32 points. France and China
sharing the second and third places fall behind by 3.5 points. There
are still two rounds to go, and if other teams do not give a surprise,
the Armenian team will become World Chess Olympiad Champion for the
first time.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to meet in Bucharest

ArmRadio.am
03.06.2006 11:58

Preceding the meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, today
and tomorrow OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will hold consultations in
Bucharest. The Presidents are scheduled to meet tomorrow, on June
4. It is expected that the meeting will feature Foreign Ministers of
the two countries, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Belgian Foreign
Minister Karel de Gucht, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk. Later
the meeting of Presidents will continue tête-à-tête

`Mobilnie Telesistemi’ intends to buy 90 percent of “ArmenTel” shares

ArmRadio.am
03.06.2006 13:30

`Mobilnie Telesistemi,’ the largest cell operator in the CIS applied
the Greek OTE Company for purchasing 90 percent of `ArmenTel shares,
`Oreanda’ informs.

In 1997 OTE purchased 90 percent of `ArmenTel’ shares at an
international tender, at the same time gaining the right of monopoly
for providing telecommunication services for the period of 15
years. According to the data of ACM Consulting, as for the start of
2006 `ArmenTel’ had over 321 000 subscribers, about 300 000 people
used the services of the second cell operator of Armenia `VivaCell’
Company.

Parties have already agreed upon the major points of Karabakh
settlement, Azeri paper states

ArmRadio.am
03.06.2006 13:37

The parties have already agreed upon the major points of the
negotiations process over the settlement of the Karabakh conflict,
Baku based `Echo’ newspaper informs, referring to anonymous sources of
the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the newspaper, there is an agreement on withdrawing from
the territories under Karabakh control. It notes that for some time
Armenia will be allowed to control the Lachin corridor, which will
link Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. Besides, the source underlines that
the version of `provision of security of Kelbajar region by the
Armenian side’ is also discussed at the negotiations.

Child clothing made in China can cause cancer

ArmRadio.am
03.06.2006 14:55

It turns out that child clothing made in China can cause different
kinds of oncological diseases. The matter, which the clothes are made
of, can result in cancer in case of long contact with the
skin. Armenian market is also flooded with Chinese production.

`The Armenian Union of Consumers has received not complaints from
Chinese production,’ President of eth Union of Consumers of Armenia
Armmen Poghosyan told `Radiolur.’ In his words, there is no
laboratory in Armenia that will provide the opportunity to draw
technical conclusions about the quality and safety of clothes.

Armenian students to hold an act of protest in Moscow

ArmRadio.am
03.06.2006 16:10

At 20.00 Moscow time today about 200 Armenian students will organize an act
of protest in front of the Kremlin to express objection against the racist
outrage in Moscow. RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia
Armen Smbatyan told `Radiolur’ that the action is sanctioned and will feature
other nationals as well. Law-enforcement bodies of Moscow seem to ignore the
cases of murder of two Armenian young men in the recent months. No measures
are being undertaken by Moscow authorities, Armenian authorities are also
silent.

Armenian leader pins “modest hopes” on talks with Azeri president

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
2 Jun 06

[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan does not hope that
special changes will happen at the forthcoming meeting in
Bucharest. The Armenian president said today that he pinned modest
hopes on his forthcoming meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev.

Kocharyan also said that the framework of issues discussed currently
creates an opportunity to ensure a stable and lasting settlement of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, but there is an impression that
Azerbaijan is in no mood to resolve the conflict peacefully, which is
proved by bellicose statements made in Baku.

[Correspondent] Asked by journalists whether he has expectations from
one more meeting with Aliyev in Bucharest, if we take into account
bellicose statements made by the Azerbaijani president who accuses
Armenia of taking a nonconstructive position, the Armenian president
said at a news conference in [Armenia’s] Vayots Dzor Region that he
pinned modest hopes on the forthcoming meeting.

[Kocharyan] I have modest hopes on the forthcoming meeting because of
bellicose statements and comments that have nothing to do with issues
under discussion. This creates the impression that the opposite side
is in no mood to resolve the conflict seriously.

[Correspondent] The president also noted that statements made by
Azerbaijani officials that the problem should be solved on the basis
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity are surprising.

[Kocharyan] Since the establishment of the UN, there has not been any
nation that gained independence and then changed its mind and returned
to the state from which it had broken away.

[Correspondent] The Armenian president pointed out that when the UN
was established, it had 51 members, but there were about 70 countries
in the world.

Today the UN has 191 members, but the number of countries in the world
is about 200. The Armenian president believes that this progress
results from national liberation movements, the implementation of the
right to self-determination and the downfall of empires.

[Kocharyan] I do not understand why the Armenians – the Karabakh
people – should make a decision that they do not need independence and
think about returning somewhere. I am surprised why they are thinking
of us in this way.

[Correspondent] Kocharyan also spoke about the Orinats Yerkir
(Law-Governed Country) Party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition
and the changes that have taken place in the coalition. The president
described as absurd the comments that the authorities have allegedly
sent Orinats Yerkir on a mission to the opposition. We are not so
skilled in politics, he said.

[Passage omitted: Kocharyan spoke about the role of the opposition and
ruling coalition; he said that relations between him and Orinats
Yerkir leader Artur Bagdasaryan worsened because of their different
views on foreign policy; he said that Bagdasaryan tried to offer his
personal approaches to issues that were directly related to Armenia’s
national security and that he disagreed with Bagdasaryan]

Armenian leader not to sign peace deal with Azerbaijan – paper

Aykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
3 Jun 06

Armenian President Robert Kocharyan cannot sign the peace agreement
proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group because it suggests conditions that
cannot be compared even with the approaches proposed in 1997 by
Armenia’s former president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the Armenian
newspaper Aykakan Zhamanak has said.

The option currently proposed by the OSCE mediators is much more
disadvantageous to Armenia, the paper said. By signing this agreement,
Kocharyan will admit that predictions made by former President Levon
Ter-Petrosyan are now coming true and that “the regime change in 1998
was an ordinary coup”, the paper said.

It went on to say that Kocharyan’s only task at the moment is to
remain in power until his tenure expires in 2008.

In another article on Kocharyan’s forthcoming talks with Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev in Bucharest, Aykakan Zhamanak said that
Kocharyan will not sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan because he
does not have public support. “He does not know what public support is
because in the eight years of his presidency, he has had everything
but public support,” the newspaper said. He would probably have the
courage to sign an agreement if he was motivated to do so, it
said. Aykakan Zhamanak stressed that Kocharyan could be motivated to
sign an agreement if it confirmed Karabakh’s independence or if the
United States and the international community promised that after
signing the agreement, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan would
have confidence during the entire period of their rule. However, these
promises are absolutely worthless because Kocharyan might be deceived
in the end, Aykakan Zhamanak said.

At the same time, he needs titanic courage to refuse to sign the
agreement, the newspaper said.

For this reason, Kocharyan should be cunning and hold the talks in a
way that will not bring about the signing of any document, and at the
same time, make sure that no-one blames him for that, Aykakan Zhamanak
said.

Karabakh’s independence impossible – Armenian paper

Aravot, Yerevan
2 Jun 06

Text of Aram Abraamyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Aravot on 2 June
entitled “Without white gloves”

They say that in early 1998 when a coup was being plotted and
“nationalist” forces were going to displace non-nationalist ones, an
official was asked: “How do you see the settlement of the Karabakh
problem?” and he replied: “If it is settled one day, it will be
settled in the way as Levon [Ter-Petrosyan, first Armenian president]
wanted”. Politics are dirty business and do not need white gloves at
all.

Approximately the following will be suggested in Bucharest. Armenian
troops should be withdrawn from the occupied five districts. Meanwhile,
communication roads will be opened and refugees will return, Karabakh
will get an “intermediate status”, and peacekeeping forces will be
deployed. Actually, the problem of a final status will be put off for
an indefinite period. There is nothing about the “package” settlement,
as the “package” (as it was understood in 1998) supposes the
withdrawal of troops and an independent status for Karabakh or its
unification with Armenia.

Unfortunately, this option is impossible. But this does not mean that
the problem should not be settled at all. If a miracle happens and
Kocharyan and Aliyev come to agreement on the suggested option, that
agreement should be welcomed. There is no need to enumerate advantages
that Armenia and Azerbaijan will gain if lasting peace is established
in the region. Let our authorities describe this option as
“victorious”, let them prove that this is not the “stage-by-stage
option” proposed in 1997. Let it be so. Let them only find the
strength to make concessions.

But no miracle will happen in Bucharest. The only thing for which the
two presidents are going to meet is to disrupt the talks, but to do it
in such a way that an opponent will be held responsible for that.

Armenia’s positions are stronger in this strategic task. Aliyev, who
became blind because of oil dollars, thinks that he can reach more.
But this “tactical” victory is a very weak consolation.

Russian company bids to take over Armenian telecom firm

Arminfo
3 Jun 06

Yerevan, 3 June: Russia’s largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems
(MTS), one of the biggest companies in the CIS, is bidding to buy 90
per cent of the shares of the biggest Armenian GSM operator ArmenTel
from the Greek telecommunications group OTE, [the Russian news agency]
Oreanda reports.

OTE bought 90 per cent of ArmenTel shares in an international
competition at the end of 1997 and obtained a monopoly on
telecommunications services for 15 years.

According to ACM-Consulting, at the beginning of 2006 ArmenTel had
more than 321,000 customers, while Armenia’s second mobile operator –
VivaCell – had about 300,000.