NO AMBASSADOR FOR ARMENIA
The Moscow Times, Russia
Aug 7, 2006
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee is putting
off until September consideration of career diplomat Richard Hoagland
as ambassador to Armenia.
The delay stems from objections by some senators to U.S. President
George W. Bush’s administration’s refusal to classify the deaths of
1.5 million Armenians in 1915 as “genocide.” (AP)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARE CYPRIOTS A POST-COLONIAL ANOMALY?
Assyrian International News Agency
Aug 6, 2006
Recently after having a debate on the identity of Cypriots, I was
informed that Cypriots are a colonial anomaly, or deviation from the
common order of being either ‘Greek or Turkish.’ The opinion did not
surprise me as I have often witnessed Istanbulites and Athenians
hesitate when describing who Cypriots are, with many highlighting
the Britishness of the Cypriot character.
In hindsight, the British period of rule in Cyprus was important in
the sense that it coincided with several important and unprecedented
events, which unfolded simultaneously. The British period, which was
the last foreign rule of Cyprus, coincided with an advancement or
giant leap in our understanding of medicine and technology, which
bettered life for Cypriots. It was equally in this period that the
concept of political independence rose to the fore.
Perhaps one of the most significant vestiges of British rule is
language; Cypriots whether Greek, Turkish, Maronite, Armenian or Latin
usually have a good command of the language, some even imitating the
speech of colonial Etonians. Others have acquired colloquial knowledge
of the language through time spent in Britain or other Anglophone
nations. Nevertheless, this is by no means a negative trait; rather it
is a strength and skill that enables Cypriots to open up to the world.
However, we cannot alone look at the interactions between rulers and
their colonials, many people, some persecuted, immigrated to the island
leaving their own mark. Maronites and Armenians to name a few of the
well-known ones, but also Jacobites and Assyrians as well as Jews,
a subject which historian Stavros Panteli has researched extensively.
Cypriot topography too reflects the island’s long history of being
a sanctuary for displaced people from the Levantine and elsewhere.
Villages such as Komi Kebir and Kantara reflect Arabic influences;
Komi Kebir denotes large or noble estate while Kantara means ‘bridge’
in Arabic. Kandou, Gonyeli and Kaymaklý and quite possibly Gaziveren
too reflect Ottoman Turkish influences while Syrianochori and
Armenichori reflect the presence of both Assyrians and Armenians on
the island. Louroudjina, originally known as Laurentia and Bellapais
reflect an Italian influence, whilst Temblos is reminiscent of the
presence of Templars on the island during the crusades.
In culinary terms, Cypriot cuisine represents influences of Cyprus’
foreign rulers and residents. The Cypriots with their predilection
for such delicacies as Bumbar have naturally selected and kept for
themselves the most delicious products brought by their past rulers.
>>From the Egyptians, Molokhia and Kolokas were adopted, while Þamiþi
(Damascus pastry) reflects a Syrian influence. One of the few British
influences I can think of in Cypriot cuisine is the term “Verigo”,
used to describe a large Cypriot grape, locally coined after a British
officer after having tasted a grape remarked “Very Good.”
Equally the laxity towards religion demonstrated by Turkish Cypriots
stems not from spending time with the ‘godless’ British but again
from our diverse origins. The arrival of Alevis from Anatolia in the
16th century (who were later Sunnified) and the conversion to Islam
of mostly Latins and Maronites have instilled a more relaxed attitude
towards religion by the Turkish Cypriots.
In terms of Cyprus’ dialects, one might add that there are numerous
English influences, but Cypriots even before the arrival of the
British had a distinct dialect. Both Kýbrýslýca (Cypriot Turkish)
and Kypriaka (Cypriot Greek) reflect the islands many rulers, foreign
influences, and archaic expressions from both Ottoman Turkish and
Classical Greek. Dialect reflects one’s environment, coexistence and
varied origins.
Contrary to being a mere anomaly, many terms Turkish Cypriots use
are in fact more archaic and original forms of Turkish than Istanbul
Turkish. The Cypriot Turkish suffix –inan, which denotes ‘with’
originates from the Old Anatolian Turkish –ilan, while our preference
for Aorist tense as opposed to Present Progressive merely demonstrates
the fact that the –iyor suffix (pr.progressive) developed in Anatolia
after the settlement of Cyprus by the Ottomans. Expressions such as
“Beytambal galsýn” derive from Yoruk Turkish, a dialect spoken by
partially nomadic Turkmens living in the Taurus Mountains.
The serendipity of crossing cultures predates the British period of
rule in Cyprus and has been propitious in some cases. But the exchange
of culture brought by successive rulers is not however confined
to Cyprus; all neighbouring countries, Greece and Turkey included
have their own degree of inter-cultural contacts and exchanges. Such
cultural contacts and exchanges do not lead to an anomaly of a ‘pure
culture’ but rather it build bridges with new territories and peoples,
injecting new and perhaps better ideas and innovation.
Foreign influences whatever way it may manifest itself does not
necessarily terminate the longevity of a people, but provides new doors
of opportunities too. For the Cypriots the British period increased
the enlightenment of the populace resulting in new positions for
Cypriots. Cypriots through the British served in such places as Hong
Kong, Malaya and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe), where a Turkish Cypriot man
was appointed Supreme Court Judge in Harare.
Despite the obvious influences of British rule, one cannot ignore
Cyprus’ long list of other rulers and residents. As is often the case
the British take case is highlighted as it was one of the last of
Cyprus’ rulers. Let us not also forget that the process of cultural
and linguistic influences is continuing albeit in a different form.
Today the time of colonialism may be over but Cyprus is still presented
with a profusion of foreign influences owing to its position as a
gateway to he Near East.
The relative ease at which Cypriots can now travel is bringing
different ideas and ways of thinking to the island. So too the
influence of Kurdish, Syrian and Black Sea Laz residents in Northern
Cyprus, and Sri Lankans, Thai and Russians in Southern Cyprus will
also gradually shape our culture in time. Cypriots today are the
current result of not just British rule but their entire history and
cultural contacts, but the process is far from over.
By Alkan CHAGLAR
–Boundary_(ID_onIIIgncbZeN C2LvBbn4pA)–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH ASSYRIANS CONDEMN ISRAELI ATTACKS
Assyrian International News Agency
Aug 6, 2006
The Assyrian Christian community in Turkey has condemned the ongoing
Israeli aggression against Lebanon, criticizing Israel for massacring
innocent people.
Christian Assyrian Church priest Gabriel Akyuz labeled the Israeli
attacks as savagery. Akyuz said that the attacks were not justified.
“The United Nations should immediately call for a ceasefire in
Lebanon,” he said.
“We, as men of religion, can only pray for peace,” Akyuz added.
Father Akyuz said that thousands of Assyrian in Lebanon were living
in fear due to the Israeli attacks. “Some Assyrians who fled from
Beirut found shelter with the Assyrian community in Antakya.”
“We are all members of the same family; there is no discrimination
among Muslims, Christians, Jews and Armenians. The war should be
stopped.”
Cihan News Agency zaman.com

Andre the Giant
Aug. 6, 2006. 08:58 AM
GARTH WOOLSEY
Hair today. Gone tomorrow.
How trite. But as Andre Agassi prepares for retirement, also how true.
Agassi has been the face, and the hairstyle, of men’s tennis for two
decades. From mullet to buzz cut, he has been the long and short of
a sport that rises and falls with the popularity of its stars.
Canadian tennis fans have watched Agassi grow up during his visits here
over the years and hoped to bid farewell to the 36-year-old native of
Las Vegas at the Rogers Cup this week. But Agassi, who will retire
following the U.S. Open later this month, pulled out of the Toronto
event on Friday after an embarrassing defeat in Washington last week
to a player ranked 246th in the world. Agassi said earlier in the
season he doesn’t want to play when he’s not competitive.
Agassi has always been about style, but it is underlying substance
that has allowed him to endure:
He is one of only five men ever to win all four Grand Slam events
(eight in total, plus seven runner-up finishes).
He has an Olympic gold medal from the Atlanta Games of 1996, plus a
30-6 record in Davis Cup play for the U.S.
His 60 titles (seventh most in the Open era) include three in 14
appearances at Canada’s premier event – over Ivan Lendl in 1992,
Jason Stoltenberg in 1994 and Pete Sampras in 1995. Last summer in
Montreal he lost the final, beaten by Rafael Nadal.
Asked recently what advice he might have for himself if he was starting
over again, Agassi replied with the sort of gentle good humour that
has contributed to his immense popularity: “First, tell him to cut
his hair. Then, laugh at him because he would have a long road ahead,
but I would wish him well.”
Ah, yes, the hair. It was ’80s hair, the kind you’d find on stage
with a glam rock band, not on the tennis court, which back then was
still the preserve of mostly whites if not all whites. Agassi wore
denim shorts over spandex, wildly colourful tops, crazy headbands,
baseball caps (to hide the creeping baldness, it would turn out) and
(egad!) black socks with his white or whatever shoes. He lived on a
bowling-alley diet of cheeseburgers and Mountain Dew. But the girls
and the grandmas and the advertisers loved him – he was a natural
for the Canon Rebel camera ads that boasted: “Image is everything.”
“He was very flamboyant and he cultivated that image, and the teenagers
were really drawn to it,” Jim Courier, a French and Australian Open
champion, told reporters recently. “It was exciting to be around as
another player; it was exciting to come to a tournament and have the
kids screaming. That kind of energy is what you dream of playing in
front of.”
His long-time trainer Gil Reyes said last year of Agassi’s
transformation into consummate professional and family man: “Andre
has chiselled away the things from his character he wished to get
out of the picture. He had to prove his substance, and he has.”
One of his children with Steffi Graf (herself a courts legend),
5-year-old Jaden Gil, is named in honour of the trainer. The
Agassi-Graf doubles team has also produced a daughter, 3-year-old
Jaz Elle. Spending more time with the family is another reason for
the retirement timing. All kids, not just his own, seem to love him –
one of those guys they take to instantly. It makes all kinds of sense
that his major charitable work is with a school for underprivileged
kids in Las Vegas.
Before Graf there was a match-made-in-Hollywood marriage to actress
Brooke Shields. ‘Way back when there was a dalliance, too, with a
much older Barbara Streisand, who made the gossip as well as sports
pages with observations like: “He plays like a Zen master out there.”
His critics, and there were a few, said Agassi at times seemed
to be on another planet if not another plane. Agassi was groomed
from birth (shades of Tiger Woods) by an obsessive father, Mike, an
ethnic Armenian who had himself competed in the Olympics, for Iran
in boxing. But young Andre had to work for his success and bottomed
out at least twice in his career.
A pro when barely 16, a winner of $2 million (U.S.) after only 43
tournaments, his first Grand Slam final in the books in 1990 and his
first win (Wimbledon) in 1992, Agassi seemed to have the tennis world
by the rat-tail. But he was having growing pains and his confidence
hit a low in 1993 and into ’94, when he came back from a serious wrist
injury and a severely beaten-up ego. Winning in Canada in 1994 would
prove to be an important boost and a repeat in Montreal in ’95 was,
too. He was mobbed by tennis fans, especially younger ones, at that
tournament. “When you take the time to be with them one-on-one or
in a group like that … a smile on their face is a great reward,”
he told the Toronto Star then. “It’s different with adults. Adults
get on your nerves.”
Again in 1997, a year after his Olympic high and into his glittery
marriage to Shields, Agassi lost focus, fitness and confidence and
plunged to No. 141 in the rankings. A decade on and Agassi appears
comfortable in his (slightly) wrinkled skin.
He finished the year ranked No. 1 only once, in 1999 (after rising
from the depths, phoenix-like), winning both the French and U.S.
Opens – an indication of the strength of competition through his
career, spanning Connors, McEnroe, Lendl, Edberg, Becker, Sampras,
Courier, Chang, Federer, et al. But only Jimmy Connors finished in
the top 10 as many times as Agassi – 16.
His longer-term success has been based upon relentless training and
a competitive drive that simply wears down opponents, combined with
one of the best returns of service ever and an ability to not only
play from the baseline but mostly from just within it, employing a
deadly quick set-up.
Brad Gilbert recently asked Agassi to help him train Scottish
up-and-comer Andy Murray. “He will be able to see how hard Andre
still works at 36,” said Gilbert. “He trains like an animal.”
“He’s aggressive, non-stop,” Roger Federer said at Wimbledon this
year. “That’s his game. That you have to admire.”
Last week in Washington, D.C., at a tournament he had won five
times, Agassi was eliminated in the first round by qualifier Andrea
Stoppini. Agassi broke his racquet in frustration while afterward
Stoppini, 26 and ranked No. 246, said he’d first seen Agassi play on
TV when he was a kid. “He had more hair then.”
The hair, always the hair.
“He’s done wonders for our sport right around the world,” said
Lleyton Hewitt shortly after Agassi announced his retirement plans at
Wimbledon, where he lost to Nadal in the round of 32. “Out of anyone,
Andre Agassi, everyone knows him around the world even if you’re not
a huge tennis fan.”
Andy Roddick: “Andre’s probably the biggest crossover star tennis
has ever had.”
That’s saying a lot, putting him in the company of the likes of
Arthur Ashe. But Courier has said Agassi’s good works set him apart:
“Arthur Ashe is at the peak as far as someone transcending the game
to make a difference in the world. I think Andre is climbing up to
join him on that Mount Rushmore.”
Part of the appeal comes from Agassi’s palpable openness, a willingness
to look people in the eye and cameras in the lens. His aura is
all-inclusive and when he delivers his trademark end-of-match bow
and kisses it is hard not to feel it is just for you.
A man who has won more than $31 million (U.S.), he still has the
common touch, qualities that emerged after his own struggles led to
a rededication to the basics.
Not all athletes go out gracefully or on their own terms. Nothing
would be better than one more win at Flushing Meadows. At the very
least, he seems determined to leave while he is still a force.
“I’d rather people have that conversation – saying, `He shouldn’t
stop!’ – than the alternative of playing through a time where it’s
as painful for everyone else as it is for me,” Agassi said on one of
the stops on the summer’s farewell tour. “It’s a good situation to be
in if my game is meriting that sort of concern (prompting people to
suggest he reconsider). I feel comfortable with my decision. … The
last 20 years on the tennis court has all been practice for me for
tomorrow. I’ve spent a lifetime on the tennis court preparing myself
for the next battle.”
The abiding image of Agassi will have colour in it. Intense colour and
penetrating looks. Early in his career he refused to play Wimbledon
because he didn’t want to wear the all whites. He didn’t want to
be a square peg in a round hole. But when he finally showed up, he
wore white. They loved him and the feelings were mutual. All these
years later, Agassi is establishment, the soft-spoken, been-there,
done-that personification of an era of tennis that is ending.
“I’m not really worried about retirement,” he has said of these final
few weeks. “I don’t know quite what to expect, but being bored is
not on the list.”

PLANT POWER BERRIES AND BEANS AS MEDICINE SEND EMERITUS PROFESSOR ON A WHOLE NEW MISSION
Ann Arbor News, MI
Aug 6, 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
BY ANNE RUETER
News Staff Reporter
At 78, Peter Kaufman has work to do. Work that excites his scientist’s
brain, tied to the boom globally in interest in the health benefits
of plants. In the last year, he has been lucky enough to see the
lessons of the laboratory intersect with real life – his own.
Kaufman has just seen exhilarating proof under his own roof that
antioxidants and other plant compounds can heal. In the last six
months his wife, Hazel, has made a remarkable comeback from advancing
Parkinson’s disease that was so severe it had sent her into hospice
care. So why wouldn’t Kaufman set out eagerly for a University
of Michigan lab each day, to probe the disease-fighting powers of
soybeans, chokeberries and even that despised Southern vine, kudzu?
The work he does now is a second career for Kaufman. He retired from
his job as a U-M biology and biomedical engineering professor in 1998,
after spending more than four decades teaching and publishing studies
of plant biology.
He was not in the mood to kick back in leisurely retirement. Instead,
he crossed from Central Campus to the vast medical center to get
on board a new venture called the Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine Research Center. He got involved in a study
of hawthorn’s potential benefits for heart patients, funded by the
National Institutes of Health.
Now Kaufman keeps exploring the healing powers of plants in U-M cardiac
surgeon Steven Bolling’s Cardioprotection Research Laboratory. It is
part of the U-M Integrative Medicine Program, which runs a holistic
medicine clinic and conducts research on alternative medicine
techniques.
The lab’s supervisor is Mitch Seymour, 33, a nutritional biochemist.
He likes to see Kaufman, a beaming, fast-talking emeritus professor
prone to making puns, walk in the door.
“He’s a breath of fresh air. He’s very energetic, he’s always
enthusiastic about new ideas,” says Seymour. “He’s just always going
for it, in every way.”
In the lab, Kaufman works closely with Ara Kirakosyan, a plant
scientist a bit more than half his age. Kirakosyan brings from
his native Armenia a similarly intense interest in plants as little
factories of beneficial chemicals. Kirakosyan calls their collaboration
“good synergy between two eras.”
The two men have published about 15 scientific papers in the last
four years. With other scientists, they co-authored a new book,
“Natural Products from Plants,” a technical source for chemists,
plant biologists and other scientists, people in alternative medicine
and people in the pharmaceutical industry.
To identify compounds that may prove useful against heart disease,
neurological diseases, depression, diabetes and osteoporosis, Kaufman
and Kirakosyan have studied or are about to study peanuts, mung beans,
soybeans, fava beans and a winged bean from New Guinea. And then
there are the fruits.
Whipping up a turnaround
“Blueberries,” Kaufman says, respect in his voice. He’s excited about
the natural chemicals in their dark skins, rather than the tart taste
that adds zing to pancakes. Last fall, his wife fell increasingly
prey to weight loss, jerky movements, hallucinations, sleepless nights
and other severe symptoms of worsening Parkinson’s disease.
In response, Kaufman threw half a cup of blueberries into a blender
with milk, whey, ice cream and yogurt. With the daily shake, served in
a crystal glass with a straw, he tempted her to eat again – her weight
had dropped to 89 pounds. He also gave her pills with concentrated
doses of the beneficial antioxidants found in blueberries.

Civil War Unlikely in Lebanon
PanARMENIAN.Net
04.08.2006 21:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A civil war is unlikely to start in Lebanon, Lebanese
Ambassador Gebrail Jaaray stated in Yerevan when responding to a
PanARMENIAN.Net reporter’s question. In his words, now the people
of Lebanon irrespectively of nationality and religion are ready
to counter Israel’s attack. “As for Iran’s position, I should say
that Iran plays an important role in the region and it enjoys good
relations both with Hezbollah and the Lebanese government. One should
not forget that Hezbollah is a part of the Lebanese society and has it
representatives in the parliament and government of the state. Upon
accomplishment of seven items of the government’s decision Hezbollah
will give place to the Lebanese regular army,” Gebrail Jaaray said.
At that the Ambassador underscored that the U.S. attitude to Lebanon
is friendly and voiced hope that America will assist in resolving
the crisis and establishing peace in the Near East.

CHARGES MADE BY CONTROL CHAMBER GROUNDLESS AND EXAGGERATED
Panorama.am
19:01 04/08/06
The General Prosecutor’s Office considered valid only 4 out of
16 charges made by the Control Chamber of the National Assembly
against the government of Armenia and Yerevan municipality on the
program of privatization in 2003-2006. Gevork Danielyan, deputy
chief prosecutor, told reporters today that the fact that 12 other
charges were not considered valid speaks about the failure of the
lawyers at the Control Chamber of the National Assembly, saying that
charges may have been made either deliberately or because of lack of
professionalism. Danielyan said he was concerned only about the legal
aspects of the case and did not want to see any political meaning in
the case.
Danielyan assures that General Prosecutor’s office very often receives
reports with exaggerated figures, which do not prove themselves in
the course of investigation.
Note: The Control Chamber of the National Assembly forwarded two
packages of reports to the General Prosecutor’s Office regarding the
program of privatization in 2003-2006. /Panorama.am/

Georgia, Azerbaijan Agree on 30-kilometer Border Portion
Tbilisi, (Civil Georgia) – The Georgian and Azerbaijani officials
have agreed on demarcation of a 30-kilometer border line as a result
of talks in Tbilisi on August 3-4.
As a result, a total of 300-kilometer section of the Georgian-Azeri
border is now agreed, but about 35% of border line still remains
disputed, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Giorgi Manjgaladze, who
led the Georgian delegation at the talks, said on August 4.
Disputed areas involve Tsiteli Khidi (the Red Bridge) and Davit Gareji
sections of the border.
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalap Khalapov told reporters
after talks on August 4 that disputed issues will be discussed at
the next round of talks, which are scheduled for September in Baku.
Georgia also has to demarcate its borders with Russia and Armenia.
Disputed border line with Russia involves Larsi, Pichvebi and
Chero-Intsokhi sections of the border.
A 110-kilometer section has already been agreed with Armenia, while
the rest 110-milometer remains disputed.

Internet down in Armenia again due to accident in Georgia – agency
Regnum, Moscow
5 Aug 06
5 August: Armenia’s population has been twice deprived of Internet
within the past two days. A Regnum correspondent reported by phone from
Yerevan yesterday [4 August] that disruption to Armenian providers’
operation on 4 and 5 August had been caused by an accident on the
fibre optic communications cable in Georgia.
ArmenTel company, the national operator with exclusive rights to
provide international telecommunications from Armenia, said that
the cable had been damaged near the town of Kutaisi on 4 August that
caused a six-hour disruption in Internet. Today the cable was damaged
on the Black Sea bed, the company’s press service said. There is no
information as to when the link will be restored.
The Armenian government considers the development of information
technologies as the main priority of the country’s economy. Meanwhile,
the country is very vulnerable because its communications are connected
via the only cable that goes from Armenia to Ukraine through Georgia
and the Black Sea bed. In the south, the cable is connected to Iran’s
communications. The current incident is the third major accident on
the cable in Georgia.

No tanks shown at Russian ground troops exhibition – TV
Sources:
RBK TV, Moscow 4 Aug 06
Centre TV, Moscow 4 Aug
Bad weather precluded the demonstration of heavy armour and artillery
pieces at the Krasnoarmeysk artillery range in Moscow Region as part
of an international arms exhibition, Russian RBK TV channel reported
at 1400 gmt on 4 August quoting the exhibition organizers.
The report said the organizing committee of the MVSV 2006 International
Defence Exhibition of Ground Troops blamed poor weather conditions on
the show day for the absence of tanks and howitzers, whose performance
was eagerly awaited by foreign spectators.
Despite the fact, Russian defence industry officials were reportedly
upbeat on the Krasnoarmeysk range’s prospects of becoming more
prominent than the Staratel artillery range near Nizhniy Tagil,
Sverdlovsk Region, which has until now been the primary showground
for Russian ground weapons systems.
Vladimir Palishchuk, deputy director of the Federal Service
for Military-Technical Cooperation, said: “We are on the right
track. Yesterday we held preliminary talks with Nizhniy Tagil, so
far unofficially; we will be doing everything possible to ensure
that the Russian Federation has one major exhibition of conventional
weapons – I would not like to limit its scope to the ground troops –
of conventional weapons of the armed forces, and also a good exhibition
in the Urals.”
A later RBK TV report on the same day showed a motionless tank at the
range but made a special mention of no heavy equipment having been
shown in action, likewise quoting the show organizers as blaming the
poor weather. Military observer Viktor Litovkin commented that the
exhibition, whose static part was held at the VVTs national exhibition
centre in Moscow, had “numerous drawbacks”. “Far from the entire range
of ground weapons systems was demonstrated. The absence of ground
troops’ air defence also stuck out: only the Igla [MANPADS system]
and other products of the Kolomenskoye machine-building design bureau
were displayed in the pavilions, but neither the Tor, nor the Buk,
nor the Osa [SAM systems] were shown on static display,” Litovkin said.
The correspondent quoted the Defence Ministry’s explanation
that the exhibition venue was not decided on until days prior to
its opening. The original plan was to hold the exhibition at the
Zhukovskiy airfield in Moscow Region, which traditionally hosts the
MAKS aerospace exhibition in the summer of every odd year, but the
MAKS organizers refused to host the MVSV. An agreement eventually
reached with the VVTs management does not include the permission to
deploy heavy tracked vehicles. The MVSV organizers were therefore
forced to urgently move the demonstration part of the exhibition to
the Krasnoarmeysk range. Said Palishchuk: “All MAKS [2007] floor space
is currently sold out or earmarked for sale. The aerospace exhibition
organizers have therefore decided to build a new pavilion to measure
6,000 sq.m. Due to the construction work we were asked not to hold
the ground weapons exhibition at Zhukovskiy”.
The correspondent said dozens of kilometres of roads had been urgently
tarmacked in Krasnoarmeysk in the run-up to the show, a car park for
20,000 vehicles opened at the entrance to the artillery range and
a grandstand seating 6,000 people erected. Back in the studio the
presenter said no major contracts had been signed at the exhibition,
except for an agreement on military technical cooperation with Armenia.
A Centre TV report at 1550 gmt on 4 August mentioned that a
paratrooper attack, which had been planned to open the demonstration
at Krasnoarmeysk, was eventually cancelled due to poor weather. Video
showed troops flying paragliders while simultaneously firing
assault rifles. The correspondent did not mention the absence of
heavy vehicles, noting that the organizers were pleased with the
exhibition and promised that from 2008 it will be held jointly with
the MAKS aerospace show.
Video showed a machine gun and grenade launchers being fired, a unit
of troops assaulting a minivan, tracked and wheeled military vehicles
on the move, a Kord machine gun, a UAV in flight.