ARMENIAN FM PROMISES TO BE POLITICALLY ACTIVE DURING FORHTCOMING ELECTIONS
ARMINFO News Agency
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan promises to be politically
active during the forthcoming elections.
Asked by Hayastani Hanrapetoutyun daily if he may become an active
politician, Oskanyan says that he is Armenian citizen, he and his
family live here and he wants to see Armenia stable, developed
and democratic. “I think that an election, especially presidential
election, is a historic occasion to do something. It is a new chance
for us and if we miss it, we will lose the next 10 years. That’s why
I am going to be politically active for resolving our national tasks,”
says Oskanyan.
To note, during a press-conference Oct 10 the vice speaker of the
Armenian parliament, member of the ARF Dashnaktsoutyun party Vahan
Hovhannissyan said that ARFD may nominate Oskanyan for presidency
in 2008.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN CALLS OPPOSITION FOR UNIFICATION BEFORE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
ARMINFO News Agency
October 11, 2006 Wednesday
Shavarsh Kocharyan, MP, Leader of the National- Democratic party
of Armenia, called the native opposition for unification before
parliamentary elections, Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference, he said that the authorities will
try to hold the elections on their own scenario to achieve their
reelection. In this situation, the opposition must come out with
a united front at the elections. A single program and not a single
proportional ticket is in question. The opposition must take advantage
of this chance, otherwise it can be replaced by criminals who are
bored with serving the authorities, Shavarsh Kocharyan said.
He added that the National Democratic Party will come out as
an alternative to the authorities alone if the opposition does
not support its call. However, there is something indisputable:
Armenia has entered the phase of reforms and we should achieve a
final transition from dictatorship to democracy, he said.

FRENCH BILL ON TURKISH GENOCIDE WOULD BLOCK EADS FROM BIG COPTER SALE
AFX International Focus
October 11, 2006 Wednesday 9:32 AM GMT
PARIS (AFX) – EADS would see its chance to sell military helicopters
worth hundreds of millions of euros to Turkey reduced to virtually
nil if French legislators approve a bill making it a crime to deny
that Turkey committed genocide against Armenians during World War I,
a source close to the matter said.
Turkey, angry at the pending bill, has denied that the massacres
were genocide. Shunning EADS would be seen as retaliation for the
bill’s passage.
EADS unit Eurocopter is one of four companies competing to supply
Turkey with 52 military helicopters in a deal that is expected to be
decided by the end of this year.
The bill is scheduled to be debated in Parliament on Thursday. It calls
for a year in prison and a 45,000-eur fine for anyone who denies that
the massacres of Armenians constituted genocide.

ALIYEV: ENTIRE WORLD EXCEPT ARMENIA ACKNOWLEDGES AZERBAIJAN`S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
TREND, Azerbaijan
Oct 11 2006
“We are interested in restoration of peace and security in the
region. The Azerbaijani-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the
most sensible and dangerous point. This conflict can be a significant
barrier for regional cooperation”, Azerbaijan`s President Ilham Aliyev
stated during the today`s joint press-briefing devoted to the visit
of Romania`s President Traian Basesku to Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
According to him, Azerbaijan can take all necessary measures to
guarantee security of the Armenians living there. “We are speaking that
Nagorno-Karabakh can be granted with a status of a higher autonomy but
only in within Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity. But, a separation
of Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan, as well as foundation of another
Armenian state on the territory of Azerbaijan, or Nagorno-Karabakh`s
joining Armenia cannot be a topic of negotiations “told the Azerbaijani
leader.
“Azerbaijan`s position remains unchanged. Nagorno-Karabakh is an
Azerbaijani land both from historic and legal viewpoints. We insist
that all the four UN resolutions will be fulfilled by the Armenian
party”, pointed Mr. Aliyev.
“Azerbaijan acknowledges the territorial integrity of all the
states, and demands that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
will be acknowledged as well. I dare say that the Entire World except
Armenia acknowledges Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity. Azerbaijan
just with Nagorno-Karabakh, as its integral part was affiliated to
UN. Therefore, this issue can be settled only legally”, stated the
Azerbaijani President.

FRENCH AMBASSADOR: “I DO NOT THINK FRENCH PARLIAMENT TO ADOPT THE BILL ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE”
Today, Azerbaijan
Oct 11 2006
France extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Azerbaijan
Bernard Amaudric du Chaffaut held a press conference on discussion
of false Armenian genocide in France parliament.
He said he does not believe that the parliament will accept the bill.
“This bill was suggested by Socialist Party. If the National Assembly
adopts the bill it will be presented to the Senate. The Senate
may adopt ore refuse it. The president cannot override veto to the
decision of the Senate. If National Assembly does not adopt the bill
the problem will end. Turkey and France Foreign Ministers talked over
the phone today. They discussed bilateral relations,” he said.
The Ambassador also said that there exists a law for punishing
those who deny Armenian genocide in France, but it was not applied
to anybody.
He also touched upon France Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy’s
statement on the problem, APA reports.
“Sarkozy said this not as the government representative, but as
party leader. I do not want to comment on his statement. As concerns
Minsk Group French co-chair’s activity, I would like to say that the
co-chair represents neither the parliament nor the opposition. He
tries to solve Nagorno Garabagh conflict,” the Ambassador said.
URL:

GREECE’S OTE DECLINES RUMORS ARMENTEL SALE COMPLETED
Cellular-News, UK
Oct 11 2006
MOSCOW, Oct 11 (Prime-Tass) — Greece’s Hellenic Telecommunications
Organization (OTE) has denied rumors in the media that it has picked
a tender winner for its 90% stake in ArmenTel, the incumbent telecoms
operator in Armenia, OTE said in a statement Wednesday.
OTE said that the tender has not been yet completed and the company
would make an official announcement in due time.
On Monday Armenian news agency Arminfo reported, citing a source,
that a consortium from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) including
telecom company Etisalat and investment fund Istithmar, had won the
tender for the 90% stake in ArmenTel with an offer of US$600 million.
Besides Etisalat and Istithmar, Russian companies AFK Sistema and
VimpelCom have also bid for ArmenTel, as well as a consortium of VTEL
Holdings and Knightsbridge Associates, OTE said earlier.
ArmenTel has a monopoly on fixed-line and long-distance services in
Armenia. The company also had a monopoly on mobile services until
mid-2005. ArmenTel’s fixed-line subscriber base stood at about 600,000
users and its mobile subscriber base at about 330,000 users, as of
mid 2006. Armenia’s population amounts to about 3.2 million people.

FRENCH RULING PARTY TO ABSTAIN FROM ARMENIAN BILL VOTE
By Cihan News Agency
Zaman Online, Turkey
Oct 11 2006
The French ruling Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) has condemned
Socialist Party (PS) for a bill that was tabled by PS, declaring that
the UMP would absent itself from the vote.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei stated that
the bill, which penalizes those who deny the alleged Armenian genocide
during World War I, was unnecessary according to their point of view.
The UMP, however, agreed to support draft resolution of Patrick
Devedjian, Deputy Minister of Interior, on the controversial Armenian
bill. Devedjian had proposed that historians should be exempted
from punishment.
The draft bill, which was originally brought before the French
parliament in May, is to be debated again on Thursday.
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ROYAL SAYS TURKEY MUST RECOGNISE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
By Kerstin Gehmlich
Reuters, UK
Oct 11 2006
PARIS, Oct 11 (Reuters) – Turkey has to recognise Armenians suffered
genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks if it wants to enter the
European Union, French Socialist presidential frontrunner Segolene
Royal said on Wednesday.
Royal, who heads opinion polls to become the leftist party’s candidate
for next year’s presidential poll, did not say whether she personally
supported Turkey’s EU membership, saying the French people would
decide the issue in a referendum.
“If Turkey should one day confirm its candidacy and enter Europe,
it is obvious that it must recognise the Armenian genocide,” Royal
told a press conference.
Royal was speaking just a day before the French parliament was to
vote on a bill that will impose prison terms on anyone who denies
the 1915 genocide of Armenians took place.
The bill, proposed by Royal’s Socialist party, has strained relations
between Paris and Ankara, with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan
telling France to examine its own colonial past.
Ankara denies that some 1.5 million Armenians perished in a systematic
genocide last century, saying large numbers of both Christian Armenians
and Muslim Turks died in a partisan conflict raging at that time.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said he hoped France, “a country
of freedoms”, would not become “a country where people are jailed
for expressing views and releasing documents”.
“If this bill is passed, Turkey will not lose anything but France
will lose Turkey and it will no longer remain as France that boasts
the values I mentioned,” Gul told reporters.
The European Commission has criticised the French bill, saying it
undermines its efforts to persuade Turkey to increase freedom of
expression by scrapping article 301 of the penal code used against
Turkish intellectuals and writers.
NO LECTURING
Turkey began EU entry talks last October and France is especially
cool on taking in the large, mainly Muslim nation.
Royal said France had also found it painful to deal with darker
chapters of its past.
“It’s not easy for certain countries to recognise a number of actions
or episodes that are totally counter to the respect of human dignity,”
she said.
Asked whether she personally supported Turkey’s entry into the EU,
Royal said the French people would decide this issue in a referendum.
Royal’s likely conservative competitor for the 2007 poll, Interior
Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, is a long-standing opponent of Turkey’s
EU entry.
Some deputies in Sarkozy’s UMP party say there is no need for the
controversial bill, but the mood has toughened since President Jacques
Chirac visited Armenia last month and said Turkey should recognise
the genocide before joining the EU.
UMP party officials expect around 60 of their 362 parliamentarians
to back the motion, with most of the rest likely to skip the debate,
handing victory to the Socialists.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

JAVAKHETI ARMENIANS URGED TO SHOW RESTRAINT
By Hovannes Shoghikian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 11 2006
The head of an organization uniting natives of Georgia’s restive
Javakheti province living in Armenia on Wednesday condemned a local
Armenian nationalist group that staged violent protests against the
alleged falsification of local election results.
The group called United Javakhk rallied hundreds of supporters in the
regional town of Akhalkalaki and briefly seized a local government
building on Monday, saying that they were robbed of victory in the
polls held across Georgia last Thursday. Their official results showed
the National Movement Party of President Mikhail Saakashvili winning
the majority of votes in most parts of the country, including the
Armenian-populated Javakheti. Observers from the Organization for
Security and Cooperation said the vote was “conducted with general
respect for fundamental freedoms.”
The leaders of United Javakhk, who demand greater autonomy for
Javakheti, ran for the Akhalkalaki district council on the ticket of
Industry Will Save Georgia, a Tbilisi-based major opposition party.
They claim to have won 70 percent of the vote.
Maksim Mahtesian, the ethnic Armenian chairman of the district
election commission, denied the allegations on Tuesday, insisting
that vote irregularities were not serious enough to affect the
election outcome. “The situation here is calm now,” he told RFE/RL
from Akhalkalaki.
In Yerevan, the head of the Javakhk Compatriots’ Union, Shirak
Torosian, denounced the United Javakhk actions as “treason.” “We
are calling on all forces in Javakheti to show prudence, put aside
personal, factional interests and not serve third forces,” he told
a news conference.
Torosian also urged Javakheti Armenian activists to drop their demands
for the impoverished region to be given the status of an autonomy. The
Georgian government and the international community associate the word
“autonomy” with separatism these days, he said.
Incidentally, another Akhalkalaki-based Armenian group demanding
autonomy, Virk, reportedly teamed up with Saakashvili’s party
to contest the polls and won several council seats. According to
Mahtesian, 27 of the 32 newly elected members of the legislative
council are ethnic Armenians.

SARKISIAN SEEKS CLOSER MILITARY TIES WITH BRITAIN
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 11 2006
Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian called for the deepening of defense
and security ties between Armenia and Britain during talks with a
visiting senior British official on Wednesday.
Meeting with British Minister for Europe Geoff Hoon, Sarkisian
suggested that the two countries draw up “long-term programs of
military cooperation.” A statement by the Armenian Defense Ministry
cited him as saying that such programs are needed for achieving
“tangible results” in the ongoing bilateral activities in the areas
of international peace-keeping, military training and defense reforms.
The statement said Hoon, who served as Britain’s defense secretary
from 1999-2005, welcomed the idea and expressed his readiness to help
to solve “problems arising during the deepening of [British-Armenian]
cooperation.” It did not give further details, saying only that the
two men also discussed the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
other challenges to regional security.
Hoon arrived in Yerevan on Tuesday and left it later on Wednesday as
part of his tour of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The low-key visit
involved no talks with President Robert Kocharian, with Hoon meeting
only with Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. The latter’s
press office did not immediately release any statements on the meeting.
Sarkisian’s calls for closer British-Armenian military ties came amid
Yerevan’s growing cooperation with NATO and the U.S. military in
particular under an “individual partnership action plan” which was
launched late last year. Sarkisian has repeatedly stated that that
cooperation is now an increasingly important elements of Armenia’s
national security doctrine that continues to be anchored in a military
alliance with Russia.