SERGE SARGSYAN DOES NOT DENY THAT HE MAY BECOME CO-PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
ArmRadio.am
29.06.2006 15:35
Head of the Republican faction of the National Assembly Galust Sahakyan
declared one of these days that during the meeting of the Republican
Party on July 22 code changes will be implemented to allow a number of
political figures, including Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan to join
the Political Council of the Party. The press wrote that the Defense
Minister would be elected co-President of the Party. Serge Sargsyan
said today that he is not aware of such statement, “Possibly, such
opinions exist. I think everything will become clear in the coming
7-10 days. I neither deny nor confirm this. You see how the events are
developing. Don’t pay that much attention to the issue, it is a normal
process. I will joint some party, of course having no intention to
establish hostile or unfriendly relations with other political forces.”
As for the suppositions that the Defense Minister is going to
occupy the Prime Minister’s and later the President’s position,
Serge Sargsyan responded, ” We’ll go for parliamentary elections,
and these will show what every political force should be engaged in.”

SEYRAN OHANYAN: LATEST KOCHARYAN-ALIEV MEETINGS CANNOT BE CONSIDERED PART OF THE NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS
ArmRadio.am
29.06.2006 15:45
NKR Defense Minister, Lieutenant-General Seyran Ohanyan declared
today in Yerevan that the latest meetings between the Presidents of
Armenia and Azerbaijan “cannot be considered negotiations process.”
Seyran Ohanyan said that Azerbaijan continues to oppose the involvement
of NKR authorities in the talks, “which evidences that the Azeri side
does not want to resume the full negotiations process.”
Commenting on the Azeri statements on resolving the question in a
military way, Seyran Ohanyan declared, “We are not afraid of war and
in case of necessity we are confident of our ability to resolving
military problems.”

CBA TO PUT INTO CIRCULATION A MEMORIAL COIN DEDICATED TO ARTEM MIKOYAN’S 100TH ANNIVERSARY
ArmRadio.am
29.06.2006 13:17
Starting July 1st the Central Bank of Armenia will put into circulation
silver memorable coins dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Artem
Mikoyan.
Mig-25, Mig-19 and Mig-3 planes are pictured on the obverse of
the coin.
Artem Mikoyan’s portrait is depicted on the reverse side. The memorial
coin has been decorated by artist Vardan Vardanyan. It has been minted
in the Czech Republic.

NOMINEE FOR U.S. ENVOY TO ARMENIA REJECTS DEMANDS HE CALL 1915 OTTOMAN ACTION ‘GENOCIDE’
William C. Mann
AP Worldstream
Jun 28, 2006
Senators failed to persuade the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Armenia
to describe the deaths of 1.5 million Armenians last century as
“genocide.”
“I have not received any kind of written instruction about this,”
Ambassador-designate Richard E. Hoagland said Wednesday. “I simply
have studied the president’s policy. I’ve studied the background papers
on the policy. And my responsibility is to support the president.”
The Bush administration does not question that Turkish troops in the
dying days of the Ottoman Empire killed or drove from their homes
1.5 million Armenians starting in 1915. In a presidential message on
the 91st anniversary April 24, President George W. Bush called it
“a terrible chapter of history” that “remains a source of pain for
people in Armenia and for all those who believe in freedom, tolerance
and the dignity and value of every human life.”
As in previous such messages, he omitted using the word “genocide”
to describe what happened.
Turkey strongly objects to the use of the word “genocide” to describe
what happened in 1915. U.S. policymakers are wary of antagonizing an
important strategic NATO ally.
Bush is ordering home the current ambassador in Yerevan, John Evans,
two years into the normal three-year diplomatic term. In announcing
his recall last month, the White House gave no reason and praised
Evans for his service. Last Sunday was his second anniversary in the
Armenian capital.
In February 2005, Evans told Armenian-Americans, “The Armenian genocide
was the first genocide of the 20th century.”
Sixty members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice protesting that Evans was being
punished for his reference to “genocide.” In a separate letter,
Democratic Sens. Edward Kennedy and John Kerry of Massachusetts
demanded an explanation from Rice for Evans’ recall.
Sen. George Allen, a Virginia Republican who presided over Wednesday’s
confirmation hearing for Hoagland before the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, recalled remarks made by Adolf Hitler on the eve of World
War II.
Allen referred to an August 1939 meeting between the Nazi leader
and his generals, some of whom protested that the world would not
stand for the slaughter of civilians during the coming war. Allen
paraphrased Hitler: “Who remembers the Armenians”
Another Republican senator, Norm Coleman of Minnesota, told Hoagland
that the State Department was putting him in a difficult position.
“It’s almost absurd to sit here and you can’t utter the word
genocide. The president’s statement that he issues every year is a
description of genocide,” Coleman said.
He said former President Ronald Reagan spoke of the Armenian genocide
in an official proclamation in 1981, and even Bush used the word in
2000, when he was governor of Texas and campaigning for president.
“Now we have ambassadors who can’t say, use a word, just a word,”
Coleman said. “But words have meaning. Words have meaning, and it
says to the people, `I understand what you’ve been through.'”
The word “genocide” did not exist in 1915. Its first legal application
was in the indictments of the 1945-46 Nuremberg Tribunal for Nazi
war criminals.
“I fully agree that the events that occurred in 1915 and following
were of historic proportions, as I said, well-documented, horrific,
horrifying,” said Hoagland, who is currently the ambassador to
Tajikistan.
He quoted Sen. Paul Sarbanes, a Maryland Democrat, who read a
statement about the situation, that “hundreds of valleys (were)
devastated, no family untouched. It was historic. It was a tragedy,
everyone fully agrees with that, sir.”
The events occurred during the expulsion of ethnic Armenians from
eastern Turkey into Syria in 1915-16. Turkish officials traditionally
have maintained that 300,000 died.
Whether the Ottoman Turks waged a genocide against the Armenians has
colored relations between the two neighbors for decades, even while
Armenia was a republic of the Soviet Union. Armenian terrorists, mainly
members of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia,
roamed through Europe and the United States in the 1970s and 1980s
and claimed more than 60 attacks against Turkish targets. The army
claimed the campaign killed 30 Turkish diplomats and dependents.

“THE POET’S RETURN” FILM BY HAROUTIUN KHACHATRIAN TO PARTICIPATE AT KARLOVY VARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Yerevan, July 28. ArmInfo. “The Poet’s Return” film by Haroutiun
Khachatrian will participate in the competition program of the Karlovy
Vary International Film Festival. Haroutiun Khachatrian, said this
at today’s press conference. He said that the film festival will take
place on July 8.
He said that about 16 films from Brazil, Russia, Denmark, Germany,
Spain and Sweden participate in the Karlovy Vary film festival.
“The Poet’s Return” have already participated in the Rotterdam Film
Festival and, according to the regulation of the Karlovy Vary Film
Festival, it couldn’t be included in its competition program. But,
according to Sousana Haroutiunian, film critic, the organization
committee of Karlovy Vary Film Festival made an exception for
Khachatrian’s film. The film attracted the attention of the foreign
film makers by its sincerity and professional technical solutions.
She added that thanks to the participation in the Rotterdam Film
Festival, the film can be represented also in 20 other festivals. The
film was shown in Tehran and Getteborge.

“METAKSIA” THEATRE FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA ON JULY 2-8
Yerevan, July 28. ArmInfo. On July 2-8, “Metaksia” first republican
theatre festival will be held in Armenia. The festival is dedicated to
80th anniversary of the outstanding Armenian actress Metaksia Simonian.
In the course of today’s press conference, Vahe Shahverdian, art
director of the Yerevan State Academic Theatre after G. Soundoukian,
said that 15 performances will be staged at the Armenian theatres
within the framework of the festival.
It’s worth mentioning that by RA Government decision, the anniversaries
of nine prominent Armenian art workers will be celebrated, namely
the anniversaries of Hakob Hovnatanian, Dmitriy nalbandian, Grigor
Khanjian, Mkrtich Armen, Hakob Gyurjian, Metaksia Simonian, Makar
Yekmalian, Tatevik Sazandarian and Tigran Levonian.

CE SECRETARY GENERAL: FORCEFUL METHODS IN SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT INADMISSIBLE TO COUNCIL OF EUROPE
Strasbourg, June 28. ArmInfo. Council of Europe Secretary General
spoke at a press conference in Strasbourg. He expressed hope that the
settlement of Karabakh conflict will meet the interests of Nagorny
Karabakh people, Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the whole South
Caucasus region.
He said he attentively follows the negotiation process as the
settlement of Karabakh conflict is one of the commitments of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to the CE. The commitment implied display of only
peaceful initiatives on the conflict’s resolution, T. Davis said. He
expressed disappointment at the protraction of the process. He said in
the course of the recent international conference he met with Ilham
Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, who informed him of the current
state of affairs. T. Davis intends to discuss the Karabakh conflict
with the leadership of the Armenian delegation to PACE this week. He
reiterated that the Council of Europe is for peaceful settlement
of the conflict on the basis of a compromise treaty. T. Davis is
disappointed about the lack of an agreement unlike the encouraging
moments before the last round of negotiations of the presidents in
Bucharest. Terry Davis said he is well aware of all the difficulties
the parties are facing and tries not to criticize them.

BAKU USES PACE AS PLATFORM FOR INVENTED ACCUSATIONS AGAINST ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
29.06.2006 12:59 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Speaker, head of PACE Armenian delegation
Tigran Torosyan yesterday met with CE Sec. Gen. Terry Davis, reports
the Press Service of the NA of Armenia. During the meeting Torosyan
remarked that after the constitutional referendum changes should be
introduced to over 60 laws to make them comply with the Constitution
of Armenia: changes are already made in 10 out of these. In his words,
during the summer active work will be carried out for the Electoral
Code to be adopted this autumn. The Speaker noted the importance of
forming of atmosphere of solidarity with political forces.
In his turn Mr. Davis congratulated Torosyan over election as
Parliament Chair and noted the importance of the Parliament’s work
during the next year from the point of view of democratic development
of Armenia, especially the coming election in 2007.
The interlocutors also noted the issue of Azeri delegation’s aggressive
policy at the PACE. As Torosyan noted, Azeri MPs use PACE as platform
to spread senseless and false information, as well as invented
accusations against Armenia. Specifically, in this case during
discussion of all issues Azeri delegation members raised the issue
of fires in the Nagorno Karabakh security zone. Torosyan presented
the true state of affairs to the CE Sec. Gen. The Armenian Speaker
underscored that while the NKR leadership addressed the Office of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office, asking for monitoring to refute the alleged
accusations, Azeris organized a political show in Strasbourg. In
the situation it is not possible to make Armenian MPs refrain from
statements in response.
Torosyan underscored that spreading invented accusations runs
counter to CE principles and suggested taking measures to fix the
situation. Terry Davis agreed that the problem is serious and promised
to take respective steps.

NEXT ECHELON WITH RUSSIAN MATERIAL FROM AKHALKALAKI HEADS FOR ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
29.06.2006 13:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An echelon of 24 units of material left the 62nd
Russian military base in Akhalkalaki, heading for Armenia. The
motorcade comprises 18 units of wheeled equipment and 6 pieces
of ordnance. The materiel is sent to Gyumri Armenian city for
being completing bringing Russian 102nd military base there up
to strength. This is not the first echelon with equipment sent to
Gyumri. In June 17 cars with 106 tons of various ammunition were
taken there.
Two days ago 12th echelon with arms of Russian bases, being withdrawn
from Georgia, left Tsalka railway station. The echelon was included 22
self-propelled artillery plants, as well as 72 tons of ammunition and
other military property from the 62nd Russian military base. Earlier 7
consists with equipment, arms and other property of the 62nd Russian
military base (Akhalkalaki) and 12th base (Batumi) were transited
to Russia through Azerbaijan. Another four echelons left Batumi
for Armenia to complete bringing the 102nd military base in Gyumri,
reports Interfax.

PLATVOET PROPOSED FORMING WORKING GROUP WITH PARTICIPATION OF ARMENIA, KARABAKH AND AZERBAIJAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
29.06.2006 14:53 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At a meeting with Armenian Speaker Tigran Torosyan
PACE Rapporteur for the Missing in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan,
Dutch MP Leo Platvoet discussed the outcomes of his latest visit
to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Torosyan thanked Platvoet for
meeting during the visit with NKR NGOs dealing with the affairs of
the missing and is committed to not politicizing the issue. Platvoet
noted it would be very important for his mission to visit Nagorno
Karabakh and Abkhazia. The PACE Rapporteur suggested that Tigran
Torosyan provide him a lit of missing Armenians to organize search for
them in Azerbaijan and “find those, who is, maybe, still alive.” To
promote search for the missing, Platvoet proposed to form a working
group with participation of all parties under the patronage of the
Red Cross. The Speaker was ready to assist in drawing a report aimed
at solving that important human problem, reports the Press Service
of the NA of Armenia.