A-320 FLIGHT RECORDERS TO BE DECIPHERED IN 1.5-2 MONTHS
by Yekaterina Kalinina
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
June 6, 2006 Tuesday 01:14 PM EST
It will take 1.5-2 months to decipher information from flight recorders
of the Armavia A-320 jet that crashed near Sochi on May 3 and killed
113 people onboard, Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said in
St. Petersburg on Tuesday.
“The two-month deadline we have suggested is quite realistic. The
deciphering of the flight recorders keeps to the schedule,” he said.
Conversations between the Armenian crewmembers are being translated.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EFFORTS TO CONCILIATE STANDS TAKEN AT AZERBAIJANI-ARMENIAN SUMMIT
by Viktor Shulman
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
June 6, 2006 Tuesday
Efforts to conciliate Karabakh settlement positions were taken at the
Bucharest negotiations between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and
Armenian President Robert Kocharian on June 4-5, Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov told the press in Baku on Tuesday.
“It is hard to say how much the efforts have succeeded,” he said.
The presidents held most of their negotiations without intermediaries,
the minister said. “This is a positive process, which will eventually
bring results,” he said. A Karabakh economic development program may
be a possible solution, and the Azerbaijani government can set up a
special fund for that purpose, the minister said. However, the plan
can be fulfilled if members of the Azerbaijani community come back
to Karabakh, he said.
Mamedyarov hinted that a Karabakh referendum is not on the agenda.
Judging by his cautious statements, the Karabakh status has not been
coordinated either.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NO HEADWAY ON KARABAKH SETTLEMENT AT BUCHAREST MEETING
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
June 6, 2006 Tuesday 11:52 AM MSK
A recent meeting of Armenian President Robert Kocharian and his
Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Bucharest did not make
any progress toward a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian told journalists.
“In spite of a good atmosphere, no progress was made,” Oskanian, who
accompanied the Armenian president during his visit to Bucharest, said.
“At their recent meeting in Bucharest, the presidents could not resolve
the issue, the same issue they failed to resolve during their meeting
in Rambouillet, France, in February, although the Russian, French
and U.S. co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group presented proposals
discussed in Rambouillet, but in a slightly different format,” he said.
“The fact that the two countries’ presidents ordered their foreign
ministers to continue taking steps to bridge the gap between their
positions on the issue is already an achievement,” the minister said.
During their February meeting in France, Kocharian and Aliyev failed
to reach an agreement on the main principles of the settlement.

ANOTHER TRAIN WITH COMBAT MATERIEL LEAVES GEORGIA FOR RUSSIA
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
June 6, 2006 Tuesday
Another train, carrying Russian arms and materiel being withdrawn
from Georgia, left the Georgian Tsalka railway station on Tuesday,
Deputy Commander of the Russian Task Force in Transcaucasia Colonel
Vladimir Kuparadze told Interfax-Military News Agency.
“The train, carrying ten T-72 MBTs, spare parts and other equipment,
belonging to the Russian 62nd military base, deployed in Akhalkalaki,
went through the customs on Monday, and left for Russia at 9 a.m.
Moscow time (0500 hours GMT) on Tuesday,” Kuparadze said.
“The train will go through Azerbaijan, which has signed an agreement
on transits of Russian military cargo with Russia,” he added.
Kuparadze said that it was the sixth train, loaded with military
hardware, to leave Georgia. Three other trains, carrying hardware of
the 62nd base left for Russia earlier, and two more trains, loaded
with materiel of the 12th base, left Batumi for Armenia to equip the
Russian 102nd base.
He also pointed out that a convoy of 20 wheeled vehicles would leave
Akhalkalaki for Armenian Gyumri on Thursday to equip the 102nd base.
“In addition to that, 40 other wheeled vehicles would be sent to
Gyumri from Batumi by train,” Kuparadze said.
Russian military bases are to be withdrawn from Georgia by 2008.

REPLACEMENT OF OSCE MG US CO-CHAIR TAKEN AMBIGUOUSLY BY MOSCOW
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2006 15:31 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group being appointed
to another office in the heat of Karabakh talks was taken ambiguously
by Moscow.
Russian temporary Charge d’Affaires in Azerbaijan Peter Burdykin
regretted over Mann’s appointment to another office. In the Russian
diplomat’s words, Mann “defended interests of the US and is an expert
on matters of Azerbaijan and Armenia. A replacement like that at the
moment of Armenian and Azeri Presidents’ meeting is not a very good
step.” We remind that OSCE MG US co-chair, State Department Special
Representative for Eurasian Conflicts Steven Mann is appointed Deputy
Assistant State Secretary for Central and South Asia, reports Day.az.

ALEXANDER RAHR: ARMENIA HEADS FOR BECOMING CLOSER TO WEST IN FOREIGN POLICY
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2006 15:57 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Program Director at the Korber Center for Russia/CIS
Studies Alexander Rahr speaking of prospects for Asian states and
Armenia joining a union state stated in an interview to DW-WORLD.DE the
following, “A number of integration initiatives can be and are being
implemented in the post-soviet space, for example, the Collective
Security Treaty Organization. I admit unification based on common
economic interests or security interests.”
“However, political reintegration of post-soviet republics is
unlikely. Today many CIS states are more interested in becoming closed
to the West, while in the long-term prospect the political role of
China will also increase. As of Armenia and other Transcaucasian
republics, in their foreign policy they have headed for becoming
closer to the West and first of all the US long ago,” Rahr noted.

ARMENIA CONCERNED OVER MURDERS OF ARMENIANS IN MOSCOW
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2006 16:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Via the Spokesperson of the Russian MFA Yerevan has
expressed concern over latest murders of ethnic Armenians in Moscow,
Armenian Deputy FM Gegham Gharibjanyan stated in a conversation with
journalists. In his words, the issue is rather serious. “Officers
of the Armenian Embassy in Moscow hold meetings and I believe the
matter will be discussed at these. We should do our best to avoid
such incidents in the future,” the Armenian Deputy FM said.
Gharibjanyan also remarked that addressing the issue in the plane
whether they are Armenian citizens or not is incorrect. “I intend to
discuss the issue with Russian Deputy FM,” he remarked. He said the
matter does not concern Russian state structures supporting nationalist
organizations. At that the Armenian Deputy FM underscored that the
issue of ethnic discord is present in many countries with cheap labor
force, reports IA Regnum.

UKRAINE SELLS MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO AZERBAIJAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2006 16:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Ukraine sold twenty-five T-72 tanks, two BMP-1
(armored carriers), eleven 9A52 and twenty-three PM-38 artillery
mounts to Azerbaijan in 2005, says Ukraine’s report on selling of
weapons and military equipment to world countries submitted to the
UN. On the whole Ukraine gained $680 million from selling arms and
military equipment. Aviation, armored equipment, anti-aircraft systems
occupied the main place in the export, reports APA.
May 24, 2006 Chief of the Ukraine’s General Staff, colonel general
Sergey Kirichenko stated at a news conference in Yerevan that reports
on arms supplies to Azerbaijan are false. “Ukraine does not interfere
with conflicts between states and does not supply arms to any of the
parties. This refers to light armament, as well as tanks, planes,”
the Chief of the Ukraine’s General Staff underscored.

MAMMADYAROV: REPLACEMENT OF MANN NOT TO HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON KARABAKH PROCESS
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2006 16:41 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azeri FM Elmar Mammadyarov is sure that replacement
of US co-chair of the OSCE MG Steven Mann will not have a negative
impact on the process of the Nagorno Karabakh settlement. In his words,
this is owing to professionalism of US diplomats. “The important
thing is that Americans remain in the settlement process and want
to continue it,” the Azeri FM said. One to two months are enough for
bringing the new co-chair up to date, Mammadyarov said.
We remind that the previous OSCE MG co-chair Steven Mann is appointed
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSKANIAN TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO UKRAINE JUNE 19
PanARMENIAN.Net
06.06.2006 17:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ June 19 Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian will pay
official visit to Ukraine, Ukrainian MFA Spokesperson Vasily Filipchuk
reported. In his words, talks and meeting with Ukrainian top leadership
are planned during the visit. Besides, a number of urgent matters
of bilateral cooperation are to be discussed, specifically ways to
expand trade and economic cooperation, interaction within international
organizations, as well as European integration. In Filipchuk’s words,
special attention during talks with Ukrainian authorities will be
paid to settlement of “frozen conflicts in the South Caucasus,”
reports Novosti-Ukraina.