FM VARDAN OSKANIAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE UN SESSION
ArmRadio.am
06.09.2006 11:00
RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian will leave for New York to
participate in the UN session. The Minister told the journalists that
his speech at the session is scheduled September 25. He informed
also that he will have a number of bilateral meetings with his
counterparts. Vardan Oskanian underlined that he is not scheduled to
meet with US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minks Group Matthew Bryza, but such
a meeting is not ruled out.
Turning to the Azeri initiative to have the question of fires at the
contact line be included in the agenda of the sitting, Vardan Oskanyan
declared that it is the right of Baku. The Minister noted that the
issue might be discussed in the framework of the OSCE parliamentary
Assembly, especially considering that the UN can do no more than the
OSCE. “I tin that only Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan can discuss
and resolve the question of fires. I do believe that involvement of
the UN is not proper here. The most proper structure for considering
the issue is the OSCE, the Minister declared.
Vardan Oskanian did not rule out the opportunity of including
the questioning the agenda. The minister reported also that he has
received a letter from the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Karel de Gucht,
in which he suggests sending a mission to the inflammation zones. “We
have already responded that we no problem here. We are satisfied with
assessment of the fires at the contact line by Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.
However, Azerbaijan is not happy with the report,” Vardan Oskanian
declared.

RA PRESIDENT’S CONGRATULATION TO THE CREW OF “KILIKIA”
ArmRadio.am
06.09.2006 11:39
RA President Robert Kocharyan addressed a message to the crew of the
“Kilikia ” sailing ship. President’s Press Office informs that the
message says, in particular:
“Dear friends,
For three years our people have been closely observing the
unprecedented voyage of the Armenian “Kilikia” vessel. After eight
centuries you repeated the historical route of the sailors of
the Armenian state of Kilikia, crossing a long way and overcoming
dangerous difficulties. I want to lay special emphasis on the fact
that during the whole course of the voyage state flats of European
and Mediterranean countries were fluttering on “Kilikia” together
with the Armenian tricolor. The cruise was also a good example for
the boys and girls, who intend to go in for sailing sports I wish
safe home-coming to you and to “Kilikia” vessel.”

SHAHEN HOVHANNISYAN KILLED IN THE CENTER OF YEREVAN
ArmRadio.am
06.09.2006 11:58
At about 9:30 this morning member of the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, Head of the Operative Investigation Department of the
Governmental Tax Agency Shahen Hovhannisyan was killed at Byron Street
near the Yerevan Conservatory. According to preliminary data, Shahen
Hovasapyan’s GAZ-31 car was exploded.
“Radiolur” correspondent reports there are signs of blood at the
site of the murder. Law-enforcement bodies do not comment on the
accident. No other details are known.

CRIMINAL ACTIVITY UNABELE TO ALTER STATE POLICY IN THE TAX SPHERE
ArmRadio.am
06.09.2006 12:49
RA President Robert Kocharyan instructed the law-enforcement bodies
to undertake all measures to disclose the case of murder of Shahen
Hovasapyan, Head of the Operative Investigation Department of the
State Tax Agency, as soon as possible, President’s Spokesman Viktor
Soghomonyan told MEDIAMAX agency.
Robert Kocharyan conveyed condolences to Shahen Hovasapyan’s relatives.
“The criminal activity directed against the efforts of establishing
equal tax conditions for everyone is severely damnable and is unable
to alter the state policy in this sphere,” Viktor Soghomonyan said.

THE CATHOLICOSATE OF CILICIA ALLOCATES 250,000 US DOLLARS TO ARMENIAN SCHOOLS
ArmRadio.am
06.09.2006 13:57
The “Khatchig Babikian” Fund, operating under the sponsorship of
the Catholicosate of Cilicia, will donate 250,000 US Dollars to the
Armenian national schools of Lebanon, announced His Holiness Aram I
during a special interview with the Catholicosate’s Communications
Office.
“As we had previously announced through the media, the yearly income
of this fund will be channeled for use in educational, cultural,
social and publishing projects. However, considering the hardships
created in Lebanon as a consequence of the recent war, we decided to
exceptionally grant the largest part of the fund’s allocation this
time to our schools. We believe this was a wise decision considering
the importance of the Armenian school in the life of the community,”
said His Holiness Aram I during the interview.
“The Catholicosate of Cilicia and We, personally, will continue to
consider the Armenian school as one of the most important aspects of
our mission,” Aram I added.
The decision was taken on September 1 to make the grant for the
academic year 2006-2007. The Khatchig Babikian Fund was established
recently at the Antelias headquarters of the Catholicosate of
Cilicia. It is run by a special committee under the direct supervision
of the Catholicos.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SKINHEADS BEAT EDITOR OF “IRAVUNK” NEWSPAPER HOVIK GALAJYAN
ArmRadio.am
06.09.2006 14:55
This morning skinheads assaulted editor of “Iravunk” newspaper Hovik
Galajyan.
Fortunately, our colleague was not seriously injured.
Hovhannes Galajyan told “Radiolur” correspondent Armine Minasyan, “Two
skinheads attacked me when I was leaving home and started hitting with
feet. I managed to show resistance. They were intentionally hitting me
in the head, but seeing people at out entrance the skinheads fled. The
reasons of the attack may be different. There is no doubt, however,
that it was directed against my professional activity. The Police
have been notified about the accident.”

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN HAD A FAREWELL MEETING WITH US AMBASSADOR JOHN EVANS
ArmRadio.am
06.09.2006 15:44
President Robert Kocharyan had a farewell meeting with US Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary John Evans, who is completing his
two-year diplomatic mission in Armenia.
According to President’s decree of September 5 John Evans was
awarded Mkhitar Gosh medal for his considerable contribution to the
reinforcement and development of Armenia-US friendly relations.
Robert Kocharyan thanked the Ambassador for productive cooperation
and noted that a serious progress has been registered in Armenia-US
relations during the two years of his tenure in office. According to
the President, the scope of cooperation has considerably expanded.
Expressing confidence that the relations will continue developing with
the same effectiveness, Robert Kocharyan wished success to Ambassador
John Evans in his future activity.
In his turn, John Evans appreciated the two-year cooperation. Attaching
importance to the joint programs accomplished in a number of spheres,
he particularly emphasized the “Millennium Challenge” Armenia Program,
which opens broad perspectives for the development of the country.
During the meeting the parties turned to the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, regional developments and security issues.

LEBANON, ARMENIANS AND OTTOMAN TURKEY
Herald Tribune
6 Sept 06
ANKARA, Turkey Some Turks see participating in the Lebanon peacekeeping
force as a chance to reassert Turkish influence in the region,
decades after their Ottoman Empire ruled across southeastern Europe,
North Africa and the Middle East.
But others see a more dangerous outcome if they send troops to
help enforce a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah militants:
a Mideast quagmire that could engage Turkish troops in hostile fire
with fellow Muslims.
“Turkey having a military presence beyond its borders would be a
prestigious development,” said Turhan Comez, a legislator from the
ruling Justice and Development Party.
“However, such a risk taken under these unstable conditions will draw
Turkey into the line of fire, and I don’t even want to think of the
consequences,” he added.
The government asked parliament late Friday to approve sending troops
to monitor the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas
that ended 34 days of fighting last month.
The lawmakers were expected to vote on the resolution Tuesday –
the day U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is to arrive in Ankara. The government
has yet to determine the number of peacekeepers it would send, but
it was expected to range between 500 and 1,000.
Europe, the U.S. and Israel are eager to see peacekeepers from Turkey –
NATO’s only Muslim member and one of the few Muslim nations with ties
to Israel – in the hope it could avert the impression the U.N. force
is primarily Christian and European.
And Ankara, nostalgic for the former glory of the Ottoman Empire,
has hankered for a key role in a country it ruled for centuries.
The Ottoman Turks – who began conquering nearby lands with the decline
of the Arab empire in the 14th century – added Lebanon and Syria
to their domain in 1516. By the 19th century, however, the Ottoman
Empire was unable to stop Western interest in the oil-rich Middle
East and regional desires for independence. After World War I, France
and Britain divided what remained of the empire into protectorates:
today’s Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.
Since then, however, the region has fallen into turmoil – and the
Islamic-rooted Turkish government believes it could play a role in
returning stability to the region.
“Turkey has an obligation as a regional power and the old guardian
of the Middle East to exert its positive influence on developments,”
editor in chief Ilnur Cevik wrote in The New Anatolian.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is responding to Lebanese
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora’s request for Turkey’s help monitoring the
truce. He assured Turks the soldiers would only be protecting peace
and helping with humanitarian aid, not disarming Hezbollah militants.
“It would be treason to our history, our future and the high interests
of our people to stay away,” Erdogan told the nation in a televised
address Thursday, playing on the emotional outpouring of support in
Turkey for the Lebanese people.
“Let’s not forget: If we shut our doors, we can’t escape the flames
that are surrounding us,” he said. “If you stay away, you become
spectators to the killings of innocent people and to your own future.”
The government is also aware that responding to the international
call for help could boost Ankara’s efforts to join the European Union.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso highlighted Turkey’s
“strategic role” in the U.N. force Wednesday, praising the “significant
reforms” Ankara has made on democracy and the economy, according to
Turkey’s state-owned Anatolia news agency.
But some analysts question the consequences of Turkish participation.
“No good can come of this deployment for Turkey,” said Michael Rubin
of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington
think tank.
“There is no real peace between Hezbollah and Israel. Does Turkey
really want to be in the middle of it?”
Rubin said joining the U.N. mission would have little meaning other
than being “a triumph for Erdogan’s neo-Ottomanism.” He also warned
that any confrontation with Hezbollah could pit Turkey against Iran,
a key backer of Hezbollah with which it now has cordial relations.
“Such an unwanted development would amount to an undeclared war
against Iran,” said Nihat Ali Ozcan, an analyst with the Economic
Policy Research Institute in Ankara.
And then there is the potential for fierce opposition at home.
Many Turks fear their soldiers could end up facing hostile fire
with fellow Muslims. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who serves in
a figurehead role but has enormous influence in the country, has
already spoken out against such a mission.
“It is not our responsibility to protect the interests of other
countries,” he said last week.
Lebanon’s Armenians, who make up about 4 percent of the country’s
population, have also come out against Turkish participation –
a reminder that some in the region have not completely shed bitter
memories of Ottoman rule.
Armenians accuse the Ottoman Turks of killing 1.5 million ethnic
Armenians in 1915 in what they call a campaign of genocide. But
Turkey vehemently denies any systematic genocide, insists the number
of dead is significantly inflated and says most died from disease and
hunger when they fled or were deported to Syria and Lebanon during
World War I.
An estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians live in the country today –
some 50,000 in Beirut alone.
The spiritual leader of Lebanon’s Armenians, Catholicos Aram I,
released a statement calling Turkish participation in the peacekeeping
mission “morally unacceptable,” and also warning Annan against the
deployment.
ANKARA, Turkey Some Turks see participating in the Lebanon peacekeeping
force as a chance to reassert Turkish influence in the region,
decades after their Ottoman Empire ruled across southeastern Europe,
North Africa and the Middle East.
But others see a more dangerous outcome if they send troops to
help enforce a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah militants:
a Mideast quagmire that could engage Turkish troops in hostile fire
with fellow Muslims.
“Turkey having a military presence beyond its borders would be a
prestigious development,” said Turhan Comez, a legislator from the
ruling Justice and Development Party.
“However, such a risk taken under these unstable conditions will draw
Turkey into the line of fire, and I don’t even want to think of the
consequences,” he added.
The government asked parliament late Friday to approve sending troops
to monitor the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas
that ended 34 days of fighting last month.
The lawmakers were expected to vote on the resolution Tuesday –
the day U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan is to arrive in Ankara. The government
has yet to determine the number of peacekeepers it would send, but
it was expected to range between 500 and 1,000.
Europe, the U.S. and Israel are eager to see peacekeepers from Turkey –
NATO’s only Muslim member and one of the few Muslim nations with ties
to Israel – in the hope it could avert the impression the U.N. force
is primarily Christian and European.
And Ankara, nostalgic for the former glory of the Ottoman Empire,
has hankered for a key role in a country it ruled for centuries.
The Ottoman Turks – who began conquering nearby lands with the decline
of the Arab empire in the 14th century – added Lebanon and Syria
to their domain in 1516. By the 19th century, however, the Ottoman
Empire was unable to stop Western interest in the oil-rich Middle
East and regional desires for independence. After World War I, France
and Britain divided what remained of the empire into protectorates:
today’s Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan.
Since then, however, the region has fallen into turmoil – and the
Islamic-rooted Turkish government believes it could play a role in
returning stability to the region.
“Turkey has an obligation as a regional power and the old guardian
of the Middle East to exert its positive influence on developments,”
editor in chief Ilnur Cevik wrote in The New Anatolian.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is responding to Lebanese
Prime Minister Fuad Saniora’s request for Turkey’s help monitoring the
truce. He assured Turks the soldiers would only be protecting peace
and helping with humanitarian aid, not disarming Hezbollah militants.
“It would be treason to our history, our future and the high interests
of our people to stay away,” Erdogan told the nation in a televised
address Thursday, playing on the emotional outpouring of support in
Turkey for the Lebanese people.
“Let’s not forget: If we shut our doors, we can’t escape the flames
that are surrounding us,” he said. “If you stay away, you become
spectators to the killings of innocent people and to your own future.”
The government is also aware that responding to the international
call for help could boost Ankara’s efforts to join the European Union.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso highlighted Turkey’s
“strategic role” in the U.N. force Wednesday, praising the “significant
reforms” Ankara has made on democracy and the economy, according to
Turkey’s state-owned Anatolia news agency.
But some analysts question the consequences of Turkish participation.
“No good can come of this deployment for Turkey,” said Michael Rubin
of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington
think tank.
“There is no real peace between Hezbollah and Israel. Does Turkey
really want to be in the middle of it?”
Rubin said joining the U.N. mission would have little meaning other
than being “a triumph for Erdogan’s neo-Ottomanism.” He also warned
that any confrontation with Hezbollah could pit Turkey against Iran,
a key backer of Hezbollah with which it now has cordial relations.
“Such an unwanted development would amount to an undeclared war
against Iran,” said Nihat Ali Ozcan, an analyst with the Economic
Policy Research Institute in Ankara.
And then there is the potential for fierce opposition at home.
Many Turks fear their soldiers could end up facing hostile fire
with fellow Muslims. President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, who serves in
a figurehead role but has enormous influence in the country, has
already spoken out against such a mission.
“It is not our responsibility to protect the interests of other
countries,” he said last week.
Lebanon’s Armenians, who make up about 4 percent of the country’s
population, have also come out against Turkish participation –
a reminder that some in the region have not completely shed bitter
memories of Ottoman rule.
Armenians accuse the Ottoman Turks of killing 1.5 million ethnic
Armenians in 1915 in what they call a campaign of genocide. But
Turkey vehemently denies any systematic genocide, insists the number
of dead is significantly inflated and says most died from disease and
hunger when they fled or were deported to Syria and Lebanon during
World War I.
An estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians live in the country today –
some 50,000 in Beirut alone.
The spiritual leader of Lebanon’s Armenians, Catholicos Aram I,
released a statement calling Turkish participation in the peacekeeping
mission “morally unacceptable,” and also warning Annan against the
deployment.

RA STATE TAX SERVICE OFFICIAL KILLED IN YEREVAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.09.2006 12:43 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The service car belonging to Shahen Hovasapyan,
the head of the operating and investigating department of RA State
Tax Service, exploded in Baryon street, Yerevan, September 6 at about
10 a.m. local time. Shahen Hovasapyan died immediately; his driver
was gravely injured. The crime is being investigated by the Armenian
Office of Prosecutor General, reported IA Regnum.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY TO SEND PEACEKEEPERS TO LEBANON
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.09.2006 13:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With 340 votes for and 192 against the Grand National
Assembly of Turkey has approved the sending of several hundreds
peacekeepers to Lebanon, reported Gazera.ru. To note, the Armenian
community of Lebanon protested deployment of Turkish peacekeepers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress