BOXING: VIC “RAGING BULL” DARCHINYAN RETURNS HOME THURSDAY!
Hardcore Boxing, CA
June 6 2006
“Team Fenech” Media Release
IBF/IBO flyweight world boxing champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan
– Australia’s only current male boxing world champion – will return
home to Sydney from the USA this Thursday 8th June 2006 at 8am after
one of his career best wins.
Darchinyan was at his destructive best last weekend, defending his
world titles against previously undefeated Mexican Luis Maldonado
on Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, USA in
front of a huge worldwide television audience.
30 year-old Darchinyan’s power packed left hand destroyed the 28
year-old from Mexicali with an eighth round TKO stoppage at the 1:38
minute mark.
Considered one of the hottest new stars in world boxing, Vic “Raging
Bull” Darchinyan now has an undefeated record of 26 wins, 0 losses
and 21 knockouts
Darchinyan will arrive by overseas flight at approximately 8am and
once he clears customs, will be available for interviews with the media
in the International Arrivals area at Sydney International Airport.
Exact flight details will be issued to the media on Wednesday
afternoon.
Darchinyan’s trainer is three-time world boxing champion and
International Boxing Hall of Famer Jeff Fenech.
30 year-old Darchinyan, the Armenia born Australian citizen southpaw,
is promoted by well-known American Gary Shaw, who guides the careers
of some of the best active boxing talent today.
Television agencies in Australia requiring footage of Vic Darchinyan’s
latest win can contact Mr David Spencer at Main Event Television on
0418 861233.

U.S. KEEPS ARMENIA ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING ‘WATCH LIST’
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 6 2006
The United States has placed Armenia on its human trafficking
“watch list” for a second consecutive year, citing the Armenian
government’s failure to take tough action against prostitution rings
and law-enforcement officials allegedly connected with them.
In its annual Trafficking in Persons Report released Monday, the U.S.
State Department said Armenia remains a “major source and, to a
lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls
trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the United Arab Emirates
and Turkey.”
“While the government increased implementation of its anti-trafficking
law, it failed to impose significant penalties for convicted
traffickers,” reads the report. “The government failed to vigorously
investigate and prosecute ongoing and widespread allegations of public
officials’ complicity in trafficking.”
The report covering the entire world is a further blow to the
credibility of Yerevan’s assurances that it is doing its best to tackle
the problem. Armenian officials point to a toughening of punishment
against the practice and a rise in the number of relevant criminal
cases brought by law-enforcement bodies.
The Armenian Prosecutor-General’s Office estimates that criminal groups
sent at least 140 Armenian women abroad, mainly to the UAE, for sexual
exploitation last year. It says it opened 30 trafficking-related cases
in the course of 2005, resulting in 14 prosecutions and 17 convictions.
The State Department dismissed these figures, saying that both Armenian
prosecutors and courts remain too lenient towards traffickers. “During
the reporting period, only a few convictions resulted in actual
imprisonment; the remaining offenders received suspended sentences,
corrective labor and fines,” says its report.
“Lack of public confidence and allegations of official complicity
continued to hurt the credibility of the government’s anti-trafficking
efforts.”
The report specifically mentions media reports that accused a senior
prosecutor of closely collaborating with Armenian prostitution rings
active in the UAE. A series of investigative reports that appeared
in the Hetq.am online publication last year quoted several unnamed
Armenian prostitutes in Dubai as saying that they and their notorious
pimp paid the official, Aristakes Yeremian, thousands of dollars
in bribes.
Yeremian strongly denied the allegations in an RFE/RL interview in
April 2005. He said he met Armenian pimps in Dubai in September 2004
only to “question” and warn them against continuing their illegal
activities. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in an official inquiry
conducted by the Prosecutor-General’s office earlier this year.
Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian ordered the inquiry following
an embarrassing “interim assessment” of the situation with human
trafficking in Armenia which was released by the State Department
on February 1. The document noted that “a government official, who
has been frequently criticized by victims and NGOs for trafficking
complacency, remains in his position within the Prosecutor General’s
anti-trafficking task force.”
The authorities largely ignored the problem of human trafficking until
the State Department included Armenia in 2002 into its Tier 3 group of
nations which Washington believes are doing little to prevent illegal
cross-border transport of human beings and can therefore be stripped
of U.S. economic assistance. Armenia was removed from the blacklist
and upgraded to the Tier 2 category the next year after what the State
Department described as “significant efforts” taken by its government.
However, the department went on to downgrade the country to a Tier 2
“watch list” in June 2005, citing the Armenian authorities’ “failure
to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking over
the past year.” Its latest report draws very similar conclusions.
Furthermore, the 2006 report expresses concern at a “dramatic” increase
in profits reportedly made by the Armenian traffickers over the past
year. It also notes that Armenian law-enforcement bodies and courts
are often hostile toward trafficking victims. “Some victims continue
to receive poor treatment during court cases, reducing the likelihood
of future victims willing to come forward to testify against their
traffickers,” it says.

ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN ANNOUNCE NO PROGRESS IN KARABAKH TALKS
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 6 2006
The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia said Tuesday that
talks between their countries’ leaders had made no progress toward
a settlement of the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, but that they had
instructions to continue negotiations.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliev discussed the long-standing conflict on the sidelines of a
Black Sea summit in Bucharest, Romania, on Sunday and Monday.
Representatives of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe, which is trying to broker a resolution of the 18-year-old
conflict, were also present.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told state television that
the talks had been conducted “in a normal atmosphere, but they did
not succeed in registering progress and giving a positive impulse to
solving the problem of the Karabakh conflict.” Still, he said that
he and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov had orders
to try to find points on which they could bring the two countries’
positions closer.
Mammadyarov said that, in spite of the lack of a breakthrough,
the Aliev-Kocharian meeting had seen a “wide discussion” of the
details of a settlement. “We decided to continue the process and, if
necessary, to hold another meeting at the level of foreign ministers,”
Mammadyarov said.

AZERBAIJAN SIDE WANTS PROPOSALS BE INCLUDED IN REPORT DEVELOPED BY REPORTER OF PA OSCE
Author: J.Shahverdiyev
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 6 2006
The report of the reporter of the Parliamentary Assembly (PA) of OSCE
Goran Lenmarker on Nagorno-Karabakh may be included in the agenda
of the next meeting of the bureau organization, Eldar Ibrahimov,
the deputy head of the Azerbaijani delegation in PA OSCE and also the
chairman of the permanent parliamentary commission on agrarian policy,
informed Trend.
The Azerbaijani delegation will met with the reporter Goran Lenmarker
at the summer session of the organization scheduled for 3-7 July in
Brussels. “Lenmarker forwarded the report on Nagorno-Karabakh to
Azerbaijani and Armenian sides. After the sides get familiar with
the report, they will put forward their proposals. After that the
reports will be presented to the agenda of the summer session of the
organization,” told Ibrahimov.
After the proposals are accepted, the report may be presented to
discussions. “According to the procedures, the sides should agree
their proposals with the reporter himself. If the reporter includes
these proposals in his report, then the document will be presented
to the discussion. We try to include the proposals reflecting our
interests,” stressed Ibrahimov.

ARMENIA, ADZHARIA SHOULD SPUR THEIR BI-LATERAL RELATIONS BY WORKING OUT NEW MODELS OF MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL COOPERATION
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006
YEREVAN, June 5. /ARKA/. Armenia and Adzharia should spur their
bi-lateral relations by working out new models of mutually beneficial
cooperation, Armenian Ambassador to Georgia Hrach Silvanyan and
Adzharian Prime Minister Levan Varshalomidze said as met last week
in Batumi. In particular, the PM said Adzharian Batumi and Armenian
Vanadzor cities had ties of brotherhood. He thinks this tradition
can be revived. The Premier also said that Adzharia is interested in
Armenian investments.
In his words, there are successful investments of Armenian capital.
As an example of these successful investments, Varshalomidze singled
out Armenia Restaurant and a company producing ice-cream.
Silvanyan held a series of meetings with other officials. He met with
Murman Beridze, Acting Mayor of Batumi. The mayor pointed out that
many investment programs are being implemented there in recent years.
At the same time, he said Adzharian authorities expected greater
investments from Armenian businessmen.
The Armenian ambassador met Armenian entrepreneurs and urged them to
keep investing in Adzharia and intensify their activity there.

OSKANYAN: ARMENIAN, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS FAIL TO GIVE POSITIVE IMPULSE TO NK SETTLEMENT
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006
Yerevan, June 5. /ARKA/. The Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents,
Robert Kocharyan and Ilkham Aliyev, failed to give a positive impulse
to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, RA Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanyan told reporters.
“The problem the Presidents tried to resolve in Rambouillet was not
resolved in Bucharest either despite the fact that during this period
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs proposed a number of new approaches
and wordings,” the Minister said.
According to Oskanyan, after the Bucharest meeting, both countries’
Foreign Ministers were instructed to continue the negotiations and
try to find new grounds for cooperation in settling the conflict
before the next possible meeting of the Presidents.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents held a meeting in Bucharest
on June 4, 2006, as part of the Black Sea forum of Dialogue and
Partnership.
The previous meeting was held in Rambouillet, France, with the
participation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and French President
Jacque Chirac, on February 10-11, 2006.

ARMENIA MUST BE MORE ACTIVE IN DEFENDING ITS CITIZENS’ RIGHTS ABROAD
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006
YEREVAN, June 5. /ARKA/. Armenia must be more active in defending
its citizens’ rights abroad, Vice-Chairman of the Constitutional
Right Union (CRU), Chairman of the Editorial Board, “Iravunk” (Right)
newspaper, Hayk Babukhanyan told reporters.
“I believe that the measures taken by our Government in this direction
are extremely unsatisfactory. The result is a negative attitude to
Armenians both in Russia and in other countries over the last few
years,” he said.
In this context Babukhanyan pointed out that Armenia’s authorities
must create such conditions in the country that would allow people
to stay instead of going abroad for money. “Armenians staying in
other countries, particularly in Russia, are is unsatisfactory social
conditions, not equal with the local population, which is frequently
the cause of their violating the law,” Babukhanyan said. He pointed out
that this phenomenon casts aspersions on the entire Armenian nation.
He also stressed that Armenia’s authorities have no political programs
of raising Armenia’s reputation abroad.
The Migration Agency, RA Ministry of Territorial Administration,
reports that a total of 833.3ths people left Armenia in 2005 against
737.8ths in 2004.

MURAKHYAN ELECTED ARMENIAN SEU RECTOR
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006
YEREVAN, June 5. /ARKA/. Voskanik Murakhyan was elected Rector of
State Engineering University of Armenia (SEU).
Thirty out of 32 SEU Council members participated in the voting,
and Murakhyan was elected by 29 to one.
Voskanik Murakhyan is currently Head of the SEU Department of
Heat-Power Engineering and Engineering Environmental Protection on
a voluntary basis.
On May 25, 2003, Murakhyan was elected to the RA Parliament by the
ARF party-ticket. He is a member of the Standing Commission for State
and Legal Affairs and of the ARF parliamentary faction.
Married, with two children.

WB APPROVES $6.25M CREDIT FOR ARMENIA UNDER GPAI
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006
YEREVAN, June 5. /ARKA/. The World bank Armenia Country Manager
Roger Robinson said the Board of Executive Directors of the World
Bank approved $6.25 credit for Armenia under the Global Program for
Avian Influenza.
He said the program implementation will be contributed by grant
amounting to $804 thsd, provided by the Government of Japan. The
program on the whole is meant for an emergency situation in Armenia
connected with threat of avian influenza spread.
“The program contains three main components: healthcare, veterinarian
measures, informing people, as well as compensation to those small
and medium farmers of the country who can lose birds in case of threat
of the avian influenza”, Robinson emphasized.
He informed that discussion over this program lasted since the end
of 2005; the project elaboration was quick, taking into account the
situation in the region. He expressed belief that soon the program
will be approved in the RA National Assembly as well.
The terms of the credit are standard – 40-years time to run and
10-year grace period.
Since 1992 the World Bank has given Armenia credits in the amount of
$927.25 for implementation of 43 programs.

REDUCTION OF DOLLARIZATION TO BE STRATEGY OF ARMENIAN CB IN NEAR 3 YEARS
Arka News Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006
YEREVAN, June 6. /ARKA/. Reduction of dollarization in the country
will become the strategy of the Central Bank of Armenia in the near
three years, Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia Tigran Sargsyan
told reporters.
According to him, dollarization of economy decreases Armenia’s credit
rating. “One of the signals to reduction of dollarization will be
AMD revaluation. That is why economic entities and Armenian citizens
should give preference to AMD,” he said.
According to Sargsyan, reduction of dollarization of economy will
result in the improvement of Armenia’s economic situation and growth
of the independent credit rating of the country.
At the same time, Sargsyan pointed out that the Central Bank of Armenia
urges Armenian citizens to plan incomes and expenses in AMD and watch
the prices, not the exchange rate.
“The thinking of the Armenian population is extremely dollarized. We
need radical changes. We need to understand: if we keep our savings
in USD it means that we support the US economy,” he said.
Sargsyan said that the fact that the Armenian population does not
keep their savings in AMD means delaying the country’s economic growth.
4.35% AMD revaluation against USD was recorded in Armenia in May
2006. During the first five days AMD increased by more 0.28%. As of
June 5, the CBA set USD 1 – AMD 426.37 exchange rate.
As compared to the beginning of 2006 AMD revaluated by 5.75%.