PPA PLANS ITS ACTIONS IRRESPECTIVE OF PROCESSES INSIDE PRO-GOVERNMENTAL CAMP: PPA LEADER
Yerevan, August 22. ArmInfo. The People’s Party of Armenia plans
its further actions irrespective of the processes inside the
pro-governmental camp, the leader of PPA and Justice bloc Stepan
Demirchyan says in an interview to Iravunk daily.
He says that his programs do not depend, say, on the possibility of
a conflict between Robert Kocharyan (President) and Serzh Sargsyan
(Defense Minister). Both are responsible for the present situation
in the country and transfer of power from Kocharyan to Sargsyan is
not real.
Demirchyan refutes the reports that he has had a secret meeting with
Serzh Sargsyan. This is a lie, he says.

MFA OF AZERBAIJAN THREATENS NOT TO ADMIT FOREIGN CITIZENS, WHO VISIT NKR, TO AR TERRITORY
Yerevan, August 22. ArmInfo. MFA of Azerbaijan threatens not to admit
foreign citizens, who visit NKR, to AR territory.
As the “Echo” Baku newspaper informs, Tair Tagizade, the Head of
the Department of Information Policy and Press of AR MFA, came
out with such a threat. “It must clear to anyone, who visit Nagorno
Karabakh, that a trip to the territory of Azerbaijan, not controlled by
Azerbaijan Government, without a corresponding permission by Azerbaijan
can and, most likely, will entail the most serious consequences, up
to the denial of entry to Azerbaijan in future”, Tagizade said. The
anxiety of Azerbaijan is connected with the coming celebrations of
15th anniversary of NKR independence. Different events, concerts
with participation of singers from Armenia and abroad are scheduled
in Stepanakert September 2.

PRESENCE OF TURKISH TROOPS IN LEBANON WOULD PERPETUATE INSTABILITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST
ArmRadio.am
23.08.2006 13:22
The European-Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy welcomes
with relief the cease-fire that has put an end to the Israeli bombings
of Lebanon and to the suffering of the people. The Federation also
supports the international community’s current efforts aimed at
the normalization of the region under the aegis of the United
Nations. However, the European-Armenian Federation is gravely
concerned about the possibility of Turkish troops participating in
the peacekeeping force in this sensitive region.
“Let’s remember that Turkey is the old colonial power of the Near East
with clear territorial ambitions vis-a-vis Arab countries. Turkey’s
record of genocide, torture and suffering is permanently inscribed
in the collective memory of the Lebanese. Furthermore, Turkey’s
current abuse of its own ethnic minorities, including those of Arab
nationality, is a well-known reality in the region,” declared Hilda
Tchoboian, chairwoman of the European-Armenian Federation.
“The presence of Turkish troops in an international force would
be a serious mistake with dire consequences for the peacekeeping
operations. Turkey is not a peacemaker. Turkish forces will only
aggravate the current delicate situation in South Lebanon by adding
Turkey’s own regional liabilities to the present complexities in
Lebanon. After so much suffering, the Lebanese people deserve better,”
added Hilda Tchoboian.
The European-Armenian Federation also emphasizes that Turkish
troops would be particularly ineffective and inappropriate due to
the fundamental conflict of interest between their responsibility
as credible and responsible peacekeepers and the higher national
interests of Turkey anchored in the extensive requirements of its
military and strategic alliance with Israel.
The Federation therefore urges the international community to make
a more suitable choice for the makeup of the UN peacekeeping force.

GRAND MASTER ELINA DANIELYAN THE 2ND IN THE “ACROPOLIS CUP”
ArmRadio.am
23.08.2006 14:20
Grand Master of Armenia Elina Danielyan gained 5.5 points out of 9
possible in the “Acropolis Cup” held in Athens, Greece, thus taking
the second place.
Georgian chess player Salome Melia won the tournament with 6.5 points.
In the men’s contest of the same tournament Grand Master of Armenia
Tigran Kotanjyan gained 6 points out of the 9 possible and ranked 9th
among 68 participants. Georgian Tamaz Gelashvili won the tournament
with 7 points.

ARMENIAN PREMIER SAYS MAJOR PROGRESS ACHIEVED AFTER INDEPENDENCE DECLARATION
Arminfo
22 Aug 06
Yerevan, 22 August: Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan has
issued an address on the occasion of the day of adoption in 1990 of
the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia, which is
marked on 23 August.
The message, in particular, noted that with the signing of the
Declaration of Armenia’s Independence, Armenian people showed
adherence, accumulated through centuries, to the aspirations and goals
put into life a year later in September as a result of a referendum
on independence, the press service of the Armenian government told
Arminfo.
“Thus, the history of the established independent Armenian state is 15
years old now and we are going to solemnly celebrate this anniversary
with our compatriots,” the Armenian politician noted.
He added that the Armenian state had overcome difficulties and achieved
considerable progress over the past 15 years. “These difficulties
did not break the will, nor did they devalue the most important
achievement – the very idea of independence which is consistently
strengthening, including in the work with the young generation,
towards consolidation of statehood, improvement in the welfare of
Armenian society, resolution of vital problems and integration into
the civilized world on the path of the establishment of civil society,”
the prime minister noted in the address.

AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA MAY JOIN EFFORTS TO PUT OUT FIRES – OFFICIAL
Turan news agency, Baku
23 Aug 06
Azerbaijan may cooperate with Armenia in putting out fires in the
Karabakh conflict zone, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz
Azimov has said.
Azerbaijan wants the fires to be extinguished and proposes an
ecological operation to this effect in the occupied territories,
Turan news agency quoted Azimov as saying on 23 August.
Azimov said that Azerbaijani and international experts may go the
affected zone if the Armenian side provides security guarantees. If
the Armenian side agrees to this, it will be very important for
confidence-building, the agency quoted him as saying.

RUSSIAN PASSENGER JET CRASHES IN UKRAINE, KILLING ALL 170 ABOARD
Sergei Venyavsky
AP Writer Irina Titova contributed to this report from St. Petersburg.
AP Worldstream
Aug 23, 2006
Investigators on Wednesday combed through the wreckage of a Russian
passenger jet that crashed into a Ukrainian field during a severe
thunderstorm, killing all 170 people aboard.
The flight recorders of the Pulkovo Airlines’ Tu-154 have not been
found.
The recorders could explain the cause of the third fatal crash this
year of a Russian passenger airliner.
Emergency officials said preliminary information suggested that
weather caused the crash about 45 kilometers from the city of Donetsk
in eastern Ukraine.
The plane was flying to St. Petersburg from the Russian Black Sea
resort of Anapa _ a holiday destination popular with families, flying
over Ukraine when it ran into trouble.
“Right now, it is difficult to determine the cause of the accident,”
Ukraine’s Transport Minister Mykola Rudkovsky said in televised
remarks. He noted, however, that weather had been severe, and suggested
the plane might have flown into a cyclone.
Ukrainian officials said a storm with heavy winds, driving rain and
flashes of lightning was raging through the region at the time. Russian
Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Irina Andrianova, citing
information from her Ukrainian counterparts, said the plane was likely
hit by lightning.
The pilot asked to make an emergency landing before disappearing
from the radar screens at around 2:30 p.m. (1130GMT), said Mykhaylo
Korsakov, spokesman for the Donetsk department of Emergency Situations
Ministry, said. Rudkovsky also said that the pilot had asked for
permission to change course by about 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the
east, and was given permission.
The wreckage was found about an hour after the plane disappeared
from radar screens in Sukha Balka, a village about 400 miles (640
kilometers) east of Kiev. Under sunny skies Wednesday, fragments of
the plane _ its engines, parts of the landing gear, the nose and
chunks of the fuselage _ were scattered around fields and a small
forest. Authorities had stretched red tape around a 700 square meters
(7,500 square feet) area as investigators hunted for the flight
recorders.
Vadim Seryogin, head of the team from the Russian Emergency Situations
Ministry, said Russian investigators, prosecutors and security service
officials were at the site. Authorities planned to begin collecting
the bodies later Wednesday, and relatives were expected to visit the
crash scene.
Of the 170 people on board, 45 were children, Pulkovo Airlines
deputy director Anatoly Samoshin told reporters at the St. Petersburg
airport. The list of passengers, most of whom were from St. Petersburg,
appeared to include many families.
The crash was the third major incident involving Russia’s aviation
industry this year. It came less than two months after an Airbus A-310
of the Russian airline S7 skidded off a runway and burst into flames
on July 9 in the Siberian city of Irkutsk, killing 124 people.
On May 3, an A-320 of the Armenian airline Armavia crashed into the
Black Sea while trying to land in the Russian resort city of Sochi
in rough weather, killing all 113 people aboard.
Russian-made Tu-154s are widely used by Russian airlines for many
regional flights.

POPULATION IN NAGORNYY-KARABAKH REPUBLIC [NKR] IS OVER 137,000
Mediamax news agency
22 Aug 06
Yerevan, 22 August: The permanent population of the Nagornyy-Karabakh
republic [NKR] totals 137,737 people.
These are the final results of the census held in October 2005,
the NKR National Statistical Service told Mediamax today.
Men comprise 48.3 per cent of the population and women 51.7 per cent.
Urban and rural residents makes up 47 and 53 per cent of the population
respectively.
About 49,986 people live in the NKR capital Stepanakert.

THE FLAG OF KUBAN CAPITAL TO FLUTTER ON THE PEAK OF ARARAT MOUNTAIN
ArmRadio.am
23.08.2006 14:56
A group of alpinists of Krasnodar region headed by Vardan Vardanyan
headed to conquer the holy mountain of Armenians -Ararat.
“Yerkramas” newspapers of the Armenians of Russia informs that
alpinists of the “Everest” club, including heads of large companies
and enterprises, photographers and artists have already left for
Iran, from where they will arrive in Turkey to climb to the peak
of Ararat. The international group devotes this tour to the Year of
Armenia in Russia. In Vardan Vardanyan’s words, on the peak of Ararat
the alpinists will raise the flag of the capital of Kuban.

CONSTRUCTION OF NORTH-SOUTH HIGHWAY HALTED
Lragir.am
23 Aug 06
Recently the construction of North-South Highway in Nagorno Karabakh
Republic has come to a halt, moreover, many sections of the new
road are already ruined. In this connection Armenia Foundation and
the NKR government accuse each other. The causes are said to be the
lack of bitumen, tenders with breaches, etc. We have learned that
Armenia Foundation sent the results of the audit of construction of
the highway to the procuracies of Armenia and Karabakh. It is notable
that the tenders are won by the relatives and friends of high ranking
officials of Armenia and NKR.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress