ROBERT KOCHARIAN IS AGAINST 100% PROPORTIONAL ELECTORAL SYSTEM
Noyan Tapan
Aug 30 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Robert Kocharian is
against 100% proportional electoral system. Victor Soghomonian,
the RA President’s Spokesman stated about it at the August 30 press
conference. He reminded that during the gathering taken place recently
with participation of representatives of the coalition political
forces, an agreement was reached that during the coming parliamentary
elections, 90 deputies are elected by the proportional electoral
system, and 41 ones by the majoritarian electoral system. “The
RA President is against review of agreements: there was a clear
agreement,” V.Soghomonian mentioned. In his words, Robert Kocharian is
against the 100% proportional electoral system also for the reason that
the political field of Armenia is imperfect, and in those conditions,
“it will be wrong to separate a deputy from his direct voters, his
electoral district.” Victor Soghomonian assured that “there is no
conflict” between the RA President and Defence Minister Serge Sargsian,
elected recently the Council Chairman of the Republican Party of
Armenia. According to his estimation, there is no conflict between the
Republican and “Bargavach Hayastan” (Proseprous Armenia) parties, but
there are condradictions and disagreements. V.Soghomonian came to this
opinion by following publications in press and “different speeches.” He
also stated that talks spread in press, concerning criminalization
of the authorities of Armenia, were vain as nobody presented such a
definite fact. Responding a journalist’s question, Victor Soghomonian
emphasized that “as for the moment, there is no question that the RA
President will become a member of this or that party.”
The President’s Spokesman has no intention to join any party, either,
as “the RA President’s staff will be non-partisan as long as Robert
Kocharian is the RA President.”

ARMENIA NOT TO PARTICIPATE YET IN PEACE-KEEPING MISSION IN ISRAELI-LEBANESE CONFLICT ZONE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenia is not
going at present to send a formation to the Israeli-Lebanese conflict
zone to implement peace-keeping mission. Victor Soghomonian, the RA
President’s Press Secretary stated about it at the August 30 press
conference. In his words, the first reason for Armenia’s not taking
such a step is that the mandate of peace-keeping forces, the circle
of their actions, is not finally defined yet.
According to Victor Soghomonian’s estimation, that step will create
additional difficulties, especially when it’s clear that “the Armenian
formation may not have a serious role near formations of other
countries.” On the other hand, in his words, “the Republic of Armenia
should be concerned with interests of Lebanese Armenia Diaspora
of great number, understanding that the Armenian peace-keepers’
participation in different clashes may arise problems for the
Armenian community.” “Official Yerevan is simply ought to think of all
these. This arises the decision which exists today: the peace-keeping
forces of Armenia will not participate yet in the peace-keeping mission
in the Islaeli-Lebanese conflict zone,” the RA President’s Spokesman
emphasized. To recap, formations of Armenia participate at present
in the peace-keeping mission being implemented in Kosovo and Iraq.

ANDRANIK MARGARIAN CONGRATULATES ROBERT KOCHARIAN ON OCCASION OF 52TH BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY
Noyan Tapan
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian congratulated President of the Republic of Armenia
Robert Kocharian on the occasion of the 52th birthday anniversary. As
Noyan Tapan was informed by the Government’s Information and Public
Relations Department, the Prime Minister wished the country head sound
health, sucesses in his high and responsible work and happiness in
his private life.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER CONGRATULATES RA PRESIDENT UPON 52ND BIRTHDAY ANNIVERSARY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA National Assembly
Speaker Tigran Torosian sent a congratulation message to RA President
Robert Kocharian, on the occasion of his birthday. The message,
submitted to Noyan Tapan by the NA Public Relations Department, says:
“Dear Mr.President I warmly congratulate You upon the 52nd birthday
anniversary. I am sure that Your devotion and will which were decisive
for the fatal period of time for our country, will from now on as well
serve for development of our Fatherland and for justice solution of
the Nagorno Karabakh problem. Congratulating again, I wish You good
health, happiness, successes.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“SHOUSHI” ELECTRONIC SCIENTIFIC-POPULAR JOURNAL OPENS IN INTERNET SITE OF “SHOUSHI” CHARITY FUND
Noyan Tapan
Aug 30 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, NOYAN TAPAN. The “Shoushi” electronic
scientific-popular journal opened in the interner site ()
of the “Shoushi” charity fund. It functions by the on-line regime. The
goal of the magazine is, by using archive documentaries, ancient
resources, to present the history, culture of Artsakh, political,
economic developments taking place around the NKR, etc. In
words of Bakur Karapetian, the editor-in-chief of the journal,
a writer-publicist, one of the goals of the magazine is to support
mutual understanding and reconciliation of the peoples living in
the region, establishment of peace, implanting of democracy. The
magazine is opened with the materials of the conference taken place in
Stepanakert in July by the fund’s complex program “On Study of Cultural
Heritage of Fortress City Shoushi and its Surroundings, Development
of the City. The “Shoushi” scientific-popular magazine is ready to
publish materials of foreigners, including of Azeri or Turk authors,
if they are not aimed to spread enmity among the peoples. To recap,
readers may make use of site as well.

RA PRESIDENT DOES NOT PARTICIPATE IN SILVA KAPUTIKIAN’S FUNERAL FOR THE REASON NOT TO ARISE PROBLEMS BY DEFENCE SERVICE DURING BURIAL RITES
Noyan Tapan
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA President almost does not
participate in burial rites as the country head’s participation in
similar events demands implementation of a number of events by the RA
President’s defence service what may arise some problems during those
rites. RA President’s Press Secretary Victor Soghomonian stated about
it at the August 30 press conference, explaining why RA President
Robert Kocharian refused to participate in Armenian eminent poetess
Silva Kaputikian’s funeral.

ARMENIAN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP OPPOSES DEPLOYMENT OF TURKISH FORCES IN LEBANON
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 31 2006
WASHINGTON, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenian
Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical churches in the United States
were joined by leading grassroots Armenian American organizations in
urging President Bush to oppose the deployment of Turkish forces within
Lebanon as part of an international peacekeeping operation. According
to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), in a letter sent
to the White House on August 30, the community leaders stressed that,
“Turkey’s record of genocide, massacres, aggression and torture
is deeply inscribed in the collective memory of the Lebanese, the
Armenians, the Greeks, the Cypriots, the Kurds and the Arab people
everywhere.
Far from being a credible peacemaker, Turkey carries heavy liabilities
that would only complicate an already complex peacemaking mission
that the U.S. must pursue in Lebanon and the region.” The following
Churches and community organizations participated in this initiative:
Armenian Catholic Exarchy of the United States and Canada, Armenian
Missionary Association of America, Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, Eastern U.S., Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Western U.S., Armenian American Democratic Leadership Council, Armenian
National Committee of America, Armenian Relief Society, Armenian Youth
Federation, Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural and Educational Society,
Homenetmen Armenian General Athletic Union, National Organization of
Republican Armenians. The leadership of the Lebanese Armenian community
unanimously and forcefully opposes the introduction of Turkish troops
onto Lebanese soil. Earlier this month, the three Armenian political
parties in Lebanon, namely the Armenian Revolutionary Federation,
the Social Democratic Henchakian Party, and the Armenian Democratic
Liberal Party, issued a joint declaration expressing the collective
opposition of Lebanese Armenians to any Turkish participation in
peacekeeping operations. An appeal against the introduction of Turkish
forces was also released by Lebanon’s Armenian religious leadership,
comprising the Armenian Apostolic, Armenian Catholic, and Armenian
Evangelical communities.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, earlier this week wrote
a letter to Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations,
expressing opposition to the deployment of Turkish forces in
Lebanon. In a powerfully worded letter he addressed Turkey’s ongoing
use of aggression and genocide, describing Turkish participation in
a peacekeeping mission as “morally unacceptable.” The opposition of
the Greek American community to the inclusion of Turkish forces in
Lebanon’s peacekeeping operation was communicated to the President
last month in a letter from the American Hellenic Institute.

YURI MANUKIAN: “IN THE CASE OF RIGHT RELATIONS OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ARMENIA AND BARGAVACH HAYASTAN PARTY, WE’LL HAVE A POWERFUL RAMPART WHICH MAY FACE ANY OPPOSITION”
Noyan Tapan
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The United Communist Party of Armenia
(UCPA) will alone go to parliamentary elections. Yuri Manukian,
the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the party stated
about it at the August 31 press conference. In his words, the party
will take such a step even “in the case of full absence of a chance
to reach success.” In Manukian’s opinion, only the circumstance that
“mentioning the communist party, a reservation is noticed, thus, it’s
spoken about this or that wing, speaks about fail of that party in
perspective.” In the UCPA head’s word, there is nothing “marvellous”
or special today in the political field of Armenia. “As an apologist
of the Armenian statehood, as an Armenian, only then, as a communist,
I believe that everything is done to keep and develop the Armenian
statehood. I am sure that in the case of a right development of mutual
relations between the Republican Party and the “Bargavach Hayastan”
(Prosperous Armenia), we’ll have in Armenia a powerful rampart which
may face any opposition,” he stated. In Manukian’s words, “if we
want that the Karabakh issue is solved, those two parties must make
majority in the Parliament.” But the UCPA does not intend to form an
alliance with the above-mentioned parties as “no party stated itself as
a communist may form an alliance with any force of the right field.” In
Yuri Manukian’s words, it’s not an end in itself for his party to have
mandates in the Parliament. In his words, the UCPA is not like those
political unities which “standing in a ownerless dead-end, tie their
carriage to tail of any locomotive, to again enter the parliament.”

RA PRESIDENT’S SPOKESMAN DOES NOT EXCLUDE THAT KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING TO TAKE PLACE TILL LATE THIS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN. It is not excluded that the regular
stage of negotiations on the Karabakh conflict settlement will take
place till 2006.
Victor Soghomonian, the RA President’s Press Secretary stated about
it at the August 30 press conference. In his words, an agreement
on the two countries’ foreign ministers’ meeting was reached on the
previous day. Victor Soghomonian reminded that according to the already
created process, Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers’ meeting is
followed by a meeting of the two countries’ Presidents. Responding the
Noyan Tapan correspondent’s question, how the year of 2006, considered
favourable for the conflict settlement in conditions of absence of
great inner-political events in Armenia and Azerbaijan, is used, the
President’s Spokesman mentioned that “the window of possibilities
about which the Minsk Group Co-Chairmen and politicians of world
importance spoke so much,” may be considered used if a final result
of the conflict settlement is fixed till late 2006. At the same time,
according to Victor Soghomonian’s estimation, “judging of different
non-realistic statements of official Baku, the moment for reaching
result is not so near.” He reminded that the RA President spoke about
the year of 2006, which is considered “a window of possibilities,” with
“very careful optimism.” According to the RA President’s Spokesman’s
estimation, disclosures of negotiation documents of the Karabakh
conflict settlement were made by Minsk Group American Co-Chairmen
Matthew Bryza “fragmentary and selectedly what creates an imagination
that one of negotiating sides goes in the way of policy of obvious
defeatism.” “We stated that we are ready to make public all documents
which were ever put on the negotiation table. I am sure that after
making public, many people will understand many things: what kind of
policy who led, when and which negotiator about what spoke, who was
ready to give and take what,” the President’s Spokesman mentioned,
adding that the documents, as much secret they are, are made public
even in 100 years, and the history puts everything in its place. He
again emphasized that “if there are similar fragmentary and selectedly
disclousures, we are ready to make public all the documents.”

OFFICIAL DELHI APPRECIATES CONSTANT ASSISTANCE OF ARMENIA IN INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Aug 31 2006
YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Official Delhi
appreciates constant assistance of Armenia to India in international
issues. Rina Pandey, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
of India to Armenia stated about it at the August 31 event taken place
in Yerevan, dedicated to the presentation of the Indian jewelry. In
R.Pandey’s words, “India has had a role of the second Fatherland of the
Armenian Diaspora for a long time, and Indians lived in Armenia still
in the 5th century B.C.” He also mentioned that “the political and
cultural ties between the two countries have always been strong.” The
Ambassador reminded that RA President Robert Kocharian visited Delhi
in 2003, and Vice-President of India Bhairon Singh Shekhawat visited
Yerevan in October, 2005. Other official visits are expected. R.Pandey
also informed that a 16-person song and dance group of India will
participate in the celebration dedicated to the 15th anniversary of
the independence of Armenia.