NO CITIZENS OF ARMENIA ARE LEFT AT ERGNETTI
Lragir.am
28 July 06
The deputy foreign minister of Armenia Arman Kirakosyan told the news agency
ARKA that no citizens of Armenia are left at the checkpoint of Ergnetti.`At
present, they have been transported to Armenia in a motorcade,’ said the
deputy foreign minister, adding that the Armenian embassy to Georgia did
everything for their secure return.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMAVIA DISAGREES WITH INTERSTATE AVIATION COMMITTEE
Lragir.am
28 July 06
Armavia Airlines disagrees with the conclusion of the Interstate
Aviation Committee on the cause of the crash of the Armenian
A320. This disagreement was stated by Arshak Nalbandyan, Armavia
executive in charge of flight safety, reports ARKA News Agency.
`The conclusion of the IAC gave a surprise to the Armenian party, for
it states that the investigation is over, which is not true,’ said
Nalbandyan. He stated that the task force carrying out the
investigation did not finish the work, for he is a member of this task
force and has not signed the conclusion yet. Arshak Nalbandyan says
the Armenian side did not receive any final document except the press
release. Nalbandyan says it is possible that thecrew of the ship
could make a mistake, but he says it cannot be asserted that it was
the cause of the crash.
`It could be the fault of the dispatcher, the conditions of the
airport of Sochi, the weather, but these are only suggestions,’ said
Arshak Nalbandyan.
He stated that if the work of the task force continues to be
insufficient for the Armenian party, Armavia will apply to a third,
neutral party for an independent investigation.

REPUBLICAN IS NOT A PARTY ANY MORE
Lragir.am
28 July 06
`Tax avoiders, bribers, corrupt officials centered in ministries and
business monopolies were rounded up in a place,’ stated Member of
Parliament Manuk Gasparyan July 28 at the National Press Club in
connection with the unification of the Republican Party and Serge
Sargsyan. He does not know how to define the situation in the
political sphere of Armenia.
Manuk Gasparyan thinks there are two main reasons for enlargement and
consolidation of the Republican Party. `First, they rounded up in this
half-criminal organization, as they call it, and decided that power
reproduction may be impossible. What do they have to do for
reproduction? They have to round up.
They fear too. Do no think that it was just a call for
consolidation. It was made out of fear,’ says the member of
parliament.
`Second, the call for consolidation was such that if power
changessuddenly in the country, because there are two scenarios, one
is an early election,I do not deny that it may take place this year,
the second is a scheduled election. Reproduction of power is 100
percent impossible in an early election, and in a scheduled election
this consolidation may lead to something, but it is their
scenario. Because people saw during the extraordinary conference who
was sitting there in the hall of the conference, especially in the
upper part,’ Manuk Gasparyan says.
The member of parliament says 80 percent of people enjoying the hatred
of the public were sitting at the chair during the extraordinary
conference of the Republican Party. Earlier he had even presumed that
Serge Sargsyan would be elected president if the opposition were
divided and passive. `ButI immediately realized that it was
impossible, for the mask was torn and it became clear with what team
Serge Sargsyan is going to come to power,’ says Manuk Gasparyan.
He thinks that Serge Sargsyan’s team `marred’ the Republican Party,
`which was partly marred in 1999, and now it stopped being a political
party at all.
‘Manuk Gasparyan has not found a definition for the present
Republican Party.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Senator Reed presses Secretary of State for answers on Evans firing

ArmRadio.am
28.07.2006 11:55
Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) has indicated that he is not prepared to
support the nomination of Richard Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia until he receives meaningful responses to a series of
questions – including several specific inquiries concerning the firing
of the current Ambassador John Evans, reported the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA).
In a July 26th letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Senator
Reed explained that he is “concerned that Ambassador Evans is being
forced to resign prematurely.” He stressed that he is “particularly
troubled” by reports that he is being recalled because he properly
characterized the Armenian Genocide as a genocide. “Had the term
genocide been coined in the early 1900s, it would have been used to
accurately describe the situation,” added the senior Senator from
Rhode Island.
In closing, Senator Reed asserted that he would not be prepared to
support the nomination of a new ambassador to Armenia until he
understands the answers to the following questions:
1) Why is Ambassador Evans being replaced a year before the end of the
customary three-year ambassador term? If he resigned, why would the
State Department accept the resignation of a truly dedicated
individual who is highly respected by the Armenian community?
2) Has the President or State Department directed, either through
written or oral means, Executive Branch personnel not to use the word
‘genocide’ when referring to the atrocities waged against the Armenian
people by the Ottoman Empire? What is the justification for such a
policy?
3) If it is the policy of the United States to not characterize the
systematic killing of over 1.5 million Armenians as genocide, please
elaborate on why these events do not meet the definitions of the
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
4) During Ambassador Richard Hoagland’s confirmation hearing before
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, regarding the Armenian
genocide he stated “I simply have studied the president’s policy.
I’ve studied the background papers on the policy, and my
responsibility is to support the President.” What do the background
papers say regarding the Armenian Genocide? I respectfully request a
copy of these background papers so I can better understand the
President’s policy. If that is not possible, I would like to know why.
5) A recent press report outlined Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Matthew Bryza as saying the following regarding Ambassador Evans,
“Ambassadors serve the President and should follow his
policy. President George Bush’s policy on the mass killings of
Armenians is very clear, as he points out in his annual addresses. If
someone disagrees with it, they are at liberty to make their own
decisions, but these should not be divulged. Certainly, our job is
also to advise him, but we must support his policy when it comes to
public statements.” This reporting indicates that Ambassador Evans was
asked to resign based on this prior statements regarding the Armenian
genocide. If this is not the case, would you explain the statement by
Mr. Bryza and mits relation to Ambassador Evans?”

5 Armenian judo players to participate in an international tournament in
Berlin

ArmRadio.am
28.07.2006 13:25
August 11-18 five young judo players of Armenia will participate in an
international tournament to be held in Berlin. The chief trainer of
the youth team of Armenia is Tigran Babayan. The team comprises Areg
sukiasyan and Paylak Vardanyan, Robert Vardanyan, Garik Gevorgyan and
Hakob Arakelyan.
Chief trainer of the youth team informs that this is the last serious
test for Armenian judo players on the eve of the European Youth Judo
Championship to be held September in Tallin.

Artyom Movsisyan: Human factor was the cause of the A-320 crash

ArmRadio.am
28.07.2006 14:32
Unfortunately we can state that the reason for the A-320 crash was the
human factor ` the uncoordinated actions of the crew during the last
17 seconds of the flight. However, it’s not clear so far what was the
cause of such activity of the pilot, and it needs to be clarified,
Head of the Chief Board of the Civil Aviation of Armenia Artyom
Movsisyan said during a press conference, commenting on the
conclusions of the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC) on the causes
of the Armavia A-320 crash.
`It’s not clear for us what served as a reason for the uncoordinated
actions of the crew, since the modeling of the flight in Toulouse
revealed that during the last 17 seconds the flight of the plane was
stable. Suddenly, 17 seconds before the crash, the actions of the
crewmembers became uncoordinated. Possibly, this was connected with
the pilot’s health condition, which worsened under extreme
circumstances or the state of mind caused by the actions of the flying
control officer, or even the loss of orientation in the space,’
Movsisyan said. He added that decoding of the voice recorder revealed
that the crew was extremely nervous and discontent with the activities
of the flying control officer. However, he avoided providing a direct
answer to the question whether the Civil Aviation Committee agrees
with the conclusion of the Interstate Aviation Committee that the
responsibility for the accident falls on the crew. He noted only that
the information in the IAC conclusion corresponds to the data of the
A-320 flight recorders.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Grand Master of Armenia Lilit Lazarian beats world champion Antonetta
Stefanova

ArmRadio.am
28.07.2006 15:02
Grand Master of Armenia Lilit Lazarian celebrated her first victory
in the 5th round of the celebrated `Northern Ural Cup ` 2006′ chess
tournament held in Krasnoturinsk, Russia. She bet world champion,
Bulgarian Antonetta Stefanova and with 2.5 points she currently shares
the 3rd to 6th places with Russian Nadezhda Kozineva, Georgian Maya
Chiburanidze and Antonetta Stefanova. After the five rounds of the
tournament Katerina Lachno is leading with 4.5 points. The second is
Chinese Zhu Chen representing Qatar.

“Mika” out of the contest for the UEFA Cup

ArmRadio.am
28.07.2006 15:15
July 27 `Mika’ football team of Ashtarak lost 0:1 to the Swiss `Young Boys’
in the response game of the first qualification round of the UEFA Cup, thus
staying out from the further competition.
To remind, in the first game in Yerevan `Mika’ lost with the score of 1:3.
Thus, all of the four Armenian teams left the race for 2006 European Cups
from first qualification rounds.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ambassador to Armenia designate responds to Senators’ questions

ArmRadio.am
28.07.2006 15:43
As the Senate Foreign Relations Committee weighs the nomination of
Richard E. Hoagland as America’s next Ambassador to Armenia, the
Foreign Service officer says that if confirmed, he will uphold the
President’s policies with respect to the Armenian Genocide, which
neither denies nor properly acknowledges the events of 1915.
Several Committee Members including Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA),
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Russell Feingold (D-WI), John Kerry (D-MA) and
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) submitted a series of questions to Hoagland
following the June 28 proceedings. The lawmakers asked Hoagland to
clarify US policy on the Armenian Genocide and to explain what, if
anything, the State Department has directed him to say publicly on the
Armenian Genocide.
“The State Department has not directed me to make or avoid specific
statements about the tragic events that occurred at the end of the
Ottoman Empire, but has rather provided me with information on the
President’s policy which, if confirmed, I will represent faithfully,”
Hoagland stated in his response to Kerry. Hoagland did not deviate in
his response to Committee Members with similar policy questions.
Kerry also asked Hoagland to explain why the Administration refuses to
recognize the crimes as genocide. Hoagland provided the following:
“The US believes that the question of how to characterize these
horrific events is of such enormous human significance that it should
not be determined on the basis of politics, but through heartfelt
introspection among academics, civic leaders and societies.”
Feingold asked Hoagland how he plans to respond to those in the
Armenian community who are upset by Ambassador John M. Evans’
premature departure. Hoagland replied that the US and Armenia have a
deep and robust relationship, stating “this relationship is based on
close ties and mutual interests on a variety of issues. We expect this
relationship to continue and deepen.”
In response to a question from Chafee on what he might say to
Armenians and Armenian-Americans on April 24, Hoagland said he will
work to draw attention to the events as the President has done. “I
will work to encourage dialogue between Armenia and Turkey on this
issue and to encourage all parties to examine the historical events of
this time with honesty and sensitivity,” he stated.
Hoagland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently
serves as United States Ambassador to the Republic of
Tajikistan. Prior to this, he served as Director of the Office of
Caucasus and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State. Earlier
in his career, he served as Director of the Office of Public Diplomacy
in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs.

Azeri Defense Minister discontent with OSCE Minsk Group activity

ArmRadio.am
28.07.2006 16:42
Defense Minister of Azerbaijan Safar Abiyev is discontent with the
activity of the OSCE Minsk Group engaged in the resolution of the
Karabakh conflict, the statement of the Azeri MFA says, `Interfax’
reports.
“The situation in the region is very strained. The
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has not been settled yet, and the
activity of the Minsk Group is insufficient,’ Abiyev declared during
the meeting with the Commander of the National Guard of the US State
of Oklahoma Harry White.
The Minister said `Azerbaijan wants the conflict to be resolved on the
basis of the international law and in the frames of the territorial
integrity of the country and demands the Armed Forces of Armenia to
immediacy withdraw from the occupied territories.’ In his turn, Harry
White declared that `the US supported and continues to support the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.’
`The US wants the conflict to be settled in a diplomatic way and
appreciates the efforts of Azerbaijan in this direction. We are ready
to assist you on this route,’ the US General stated.