ARMENIAN THEMES NOT COMPULSORY FOR TAKING PART IN GOLDEN APRICOT
FESTIVAL’S “ARMENIAN PANORAMA” CONTEST PROGRAM

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Like the previous
years, works by Armenian film directors living in different countries
will compete in the Golden Apricot (Voske Tsiran) Yerevan Third
International Film Festival’s “Armenian Panorama” contest program. As
cinema critic Mikael Stamboltsian, Director of festival programs,
mentioned in his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent, though the
compulsory condition for taking part in the program is being Armenian,
they are free in the issue of choosing themes. “In the creative
respect the subject’s being Armenian becomes senseless as for the
spectator the most important is the film’s quality and not the
director’s origin or the circumstance of his being an Armenian,”
M.Stamboltsian emphasized. The Director of festival programs did not
give any comment or estimation on the selected films. He just said
that in the creative respect the films do not essentially differ from
the works presented in the previous years: “There are succeeded and
interesting films, there is also the opposite. Everything will be
cleared up after the festival.” M.Stamboltsian said that 25 films,
from Canada, USA, France, Holland, Russia, Serbia and Armenia will
compete in the three nominations of this program. One film, “Wedding
Box,” is a joint Russian-Kyrghyzian-German-French production. Its
scenario was written by Yekaterina Trdatova from Moscow.

YOUTH UNION OF ARARAT DIOCESE TO DISCUSS STATE OF MONUMENTS IN ARMENIA
AND BEYOND ITS BOUNDARIES

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 2, the members of the Youth
Union of the Ararat Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church will
discuss the subject “State of the Armenian Historic Monuments in RA
and Beyond Its Boundaries.” As Noyan Tapan was informed from the
Diocese’s Press Service, the guests of the event will be archimandrite
Hovakim Manukian and employee of the Institute of Political Studies
under RA President’s Administration, candidate of historical sciences
Hayk Demoyan.

FAMOUS SPANISH DIRECTOR PEDRO ALMODOVAR’S “RETURN” FILM INVOLVED IN
COMPETITION PROGRAM OF “GOLDEN APRICOT” FESTIVAL AS WELL

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. 11 full-length films
created in 2004-2006, among them films of such famous directors as
Pedro Almodovar from Spain, Hou Hsiao-Hsien from Taiwan, Robert
Gudiguian from France, Rakhshan Bani-Etemad from Iran, Krzsystof
Zanussi from Poland, Aleksei German Junior from Russia and others are,
are involved in the competition of the feature films of the “Golden
Apricot” (Voske Tsiran) Yerevan International Third Film Festival. As
Mikayel Stamboltsian, the Director of the festival programs informed
at the May 31 press conference, most part of the chosen films already
got prizes at the best festivals of the world, including Spanish
famous director Pedro Almodovar’s “Return” film which was recently
awarded at the Cannes festival two prizes: the best director’s work
and the best woman performance.
M.Stamboltsian also mentioned that Pedro Almodovar is also invited to
the festival and in most probability, will arrive in Yerevan. The
Director of the festival programs informed that the competition
program of documentary films is still being formed, as there are so
many and various presented films that the selecting commission was not
able to watch them within the fixed term.
M.Stamboltsian mentioned that the number of applications of the
“Golden Apricot” Yerevan International Film Festival has considerably
added this year what proves the festival’s getting wider recognition
in the world. Creators of 58 countries presented 280 films 92 of which
were selected for competition and extra-competition programs.

GRASSROOTS PRESSURE BUILDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS ON EVANS FIRING
WASHINGTON, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Tens of thousands
of Armenians – in the United States and Armenia – have voiced their
outrage over the Administration’s firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Marshall Evans, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA). In Armenia, tens of thousands of Armenians took part
in the “Yellow Ribbon Campaign” to protest the Evans firing and, more
broadly, to voice opposition to a number of recent instances in which
foreign diplomats stationed in Armenia have denied the Armenian
Genocide. The campaign, which took place at the Tsitsernakaberd
Memorial to the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan, started on April 24th
with countless thousands of individual Armenians each tying a single
yellow ribbons on 100-yard lengths of rope stretched along the walking
path leading to the Genocide Monument. In the United States, Armenian
American activists have called for Congressional hearings into the
Government of Turkey’s role in dismissal of this highly-respected
35-year Foreign Service veteran over his honest and accurate
description of the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide. The
ANCA WebFax system – on the web at – has been used by
activists from throughout the United States – including a large number
from state and districts represented by Members of committees with
oversight responsibility of the State Department. In their WebFaxes,
these concerned citizens have stressed that: “Ambassador Evans is, in
effect, being punished for honoring his President’s pledge to properly
recognize the Armenian Genocide – a promise that George W. Bush made
on the campaign trail in February of 2000 but abandoned once in the
White House. Ambassador Evans should be praised, not dismissed, for
rejecting “gag-rules” imposed by the Turkish Government on the
discussion of the Armenian Genocide by America’s leaders at home and
diplomats abroad.” In demanding hearings on the Evans firing, the
WebFaxers note that these inquiries should “include testimony by all
the key figures involved, including the Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley. Among the issues
that should be explored are the role of the Turkish Government in
exporting its suppression of speech to the United States and the
implications for the future of the Foreign Service if a senior
American diplomat’s career has been ended simply for acknowledging the
historical record on one of the world’s greatest human rights
tragedies.” Commenting on the lack of openness by the Administration
in dealing with this matter, the WebFax letters note that, “the
Administration has lacked the courage to speak honestly – either to
Congress or the American people – about its reasons for firing
Ambassador Evans. Hopefully, these hearings will provide the
transparency that we, as citizens, have the right to expect of our
government.” The firing of Amb. Evans was the result of his February
2005 statements at Armenian American community functions
characterizing the Armenian Genocide as a genocide.
Following his statements, Amb. Evans was forced to issue a statement
clarifying that his references to the Armenian Genocide were his
personal views and did not represent a change in US policy. He
subsequently issued a correction to this statement, replacing a
reference to the genocide with the word “tragedy.” The American
Foreign Service Association, which had planned to honor Amb.
Evans with the “Christian A. Herter Award,” recognizing creative
thinking and intellectual courage within the Foreign Service,
reportedly rescinded the award following pressure from the State
Department a few days before Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan traveled to Washington, DC to meet with President Bush.
Congressional Response: On the eve of the announcement of Evans’
replacement, sixty Members of Congress, led by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA),
sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking for
clarification of the reasons behind Amb. Evans’ recall. Earlier,
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Adam
Schiff (D-CA) and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) had each officially
called on Secretary Rice for a clarification of the State Department’s
position on this issue. They have yet to receive any response to their
inquiries. Media Response: The Los Angeles Times, in a strongly worded
March 22nd editorial, made direct reference to Amb. Evans’ impending
dismissal, calling on the Turkish Government and U.S. State Department
to end their policies of Armenian Genocide denial. On March 24th, the
Fresno Bee, published a similarly strong editorial condemning Evans’
firing. The Washington Times, on May 26th, ran a story about the
“geopolitical firestorm” created by Evans’ remarks. The publisher of
the California Courier, Harut Sassounian, in his weekly column, urged
U.S. Senators to place a “hold” on the nomination of Richard Hoagland,
the diplomat slated to replace Ambassador Evans. This action in
response to the Administration’s unresponsiveness, argued Sassounian,
will force the White House to fully explain the reasons behind its
early termination of Ambassador Evans’ career. Armenian Youth
Response: At the Armenian Youth Federation Junior Educational Seminar,
held in Western Pennsylvania over the Memorial Day weekend, over 400
young Armenian Americans designed, produced, and signed original
petitions protesting the Administration’s decision to fire Amb. Evans
for telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide.

MORE THAN 500 BUSINESSMEN EXPECTED TO PARTICUIPATE IN 2nd ECONOMIC
FORUM ARMENIA-DIASPORA

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. More than 500 businessmen will
participate in the 2nd economic forum Armenia-Diaspora in Yerevan on
September 20, 2006. Within the framework of the forum, a large
exhibition Pan-Armenian EXPO 2006 “Armenia’s Economy During 15 Years
of Independence” will be held on September 22. RA Deputy Minister of
Trade and Economic Development Tigran Davtian stated this at a press
conference on June 1. According to him, the plenary sittings of the
economic forum will be held in the Sport and Culture Center after K.
Demirchian. It is envisaged to have sittings on information and high
technologies, industry, small and medium business and tourism. 50-60
businessmen are expected to take part in the sitting on issues of
information and high technologies. T. Davtian said that in order to
ensure the participation of the maximum possible Diasporan Armenian
and foreign businessmen in the forum, an open letter-invitation of the
RA Minister of Trade and Economic Development will be disseminated in
Geneva, Brussels and Moscow through commercial representatives of
Armenia. The open letter-invitation is placed on the website
, through which the registration of the event
participants and collection of participation payments will be done. It
was announced that in case of submitting a bid until September 1, the
participation payment will make a sum in drams equivalent to 50 euros
(in 2003, the payment for participation in the 1st economic forum
Armenia-Diaspora made 100 euros). Starting September 1, the payment
will make 100 euros. The speaker noted that in 2001-2005, the Diaporan
Armenian businessmen carried out more active invetsment activities in
Armenia than previously, which was due to holding a investment forum
on Armenia in New York in 2001 and Armenia-Diaspora forums in Yerevan
in 2002. According to expert opinions presented by T. Davtian, in
1998-2004, 55-65% of foreign investors operating in Armenia had links
with the Diaspora, and their investments in the indicated period made
up 55-65% of the total amount of investments. He reminded that in
1991-2005, private foreign investments of 2 bln USD were made in
Armenia, 1 bln USD of which – in 2001-2005, while in 2005 alone,
investments amounted to 0.5 bln USD.

Gazeta.KZ, Kazakhstan
June 2 2006
President of Kazakhstan receives Armenian Foreign Minister

Kazakhstan today
ASTANA. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, received
Vardan Oskanyan, Foreign Minister of Armenia, yesterday, June 1,
Kazakhstan Today reports citing the presidential press service.
Further development of political, economic, and cultural co-operation
between the two states was discussed.
“We perceive Kazakhstan as the main regional leader and therefore we
would like our relationship to develop wider and deeper. There are no
political contradictions between our countries, a big number of
agreements were signed, an intergovernmental commission is
operating,” – Mr. Oskanyan stressed at a briefing.
“We have agreed to boost our economic co-operation,” – he added.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 2, 2006 Friday
DEFENDING OIL
by Igor Plugatarev
CIS LEADERS CONSIDER USING COMMON FORCES TO DEFEND PIPELINES; Defense
of oil and gas pipelines could soon become a priority for the CIS
Collective Security Treaty Organization. The subject has been
discussed for some time already, but the heads of state have yet to
make up their minds. US Army and NATO units will provide security for
the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.
Defense of oil and gas pipelines could soon become a priority for the
CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). The matter
concerns pipelines built across the territories of member states –
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
Alexander Orlov, advisor to the CSTO secretariat, says that the
subject has been discussed for some time already, but the heads of
state have yet to make up their minds. Orlov says that it is not
permanent defense of the pipelines that it meant at this point, it is
their defense for the duration of “special circumstances periods”
that may occur every now and then. “When the pipeline defense is to
be upgraded, it may be done by deployment of the Fast Response
Collective Forces or Collective Peacekeeping Forces. Organization
General Secretary Nikolai Bordyuzha recently said that provisions and
other necessary documents on the latter are being drafted now,” Orlov
said.
“There is already a precedent for it,” the advisor continued. “CSTO
members signed a Railroad Defense Agreement in 2004.” Orlov said that
he himself supports the idea of defense of pipelines but promoted
what he called “correlation of actions with oil and gas
transportation companies.”
“Moscow is out to augment its already dominating role in Central
Asia, in the Caucasus, and in Eastern Europe,” said Colonel Anatoly
Tsyganok of the Center of Military Forecasts. “It stands to reason to
expect that railroads and pipelines are just the beginning, and that
other strategic objects (oil terminals, major airports, nuclear
objects, and power plants) on the territories of Organization members
will end up under the protection of Moscow’s military structures as
well. Establishing base stations and plain bases within the framework
of the CSTO, Russia will solidify its positions in these regions in
line with the concept of a new center of power on the geopolitical
map.”
Oblique confirmations of all this include the statement from the CIS
Counter-Terrorism Center to the effect that an exercise will be run
on the premises of a bona fide nuclear power plant in Armenia this
autumn. Ostensibly organized within the framework of the CIS, the
exercise will only involve CSTO units and formations stationed in
Armenia.
In fact, there is nothing unusual about what the CSTO is doing or
considering. Security for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, for
example, is to be provided by the US Army and NATO units. According
to the Special State Security Service of Azerbaijan, eight units
totalling 800 personnel have been set up to defend pipelines on Azeri
territory. US Army personnel, assisted by local personnel, guard
pipelines in Georgia.
Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, June 1, 2006, pp. 1, 4
Translated by A. Ignatkin

COALITION WAS NEW BUT DID NOT BRING ALONG ANYTHING NEW
Lragir.am
02 June 06
There are no major controversies between the Country of Law Party
(Orinats Yerkir) and the other forces in the coalition. On June 2 this
was stated by Karapet Rubinyan, All-Armenian Movement, the former
deputy speaker of the National Assembly. According to him, Arthur
Baghdasaryan was simply dissatisfied with his present status and
future prospects.
`Arthur Baghdasaryan thinks he deserves more. I do not want to judge
how fair his calculations are, but Arthur Baghdasaryan thinks so and
he chose another path to achieve more,’ said Karapet Rubinyan. He
thinks the rest of the path will become visible in the result of the
activities of the Country ofLaw.
The member of the All-Armenian Movement forecasts that at some point
on this path Arthur Baghdasaryan will go on to criticize the
government more severely.
Karapet Rubinyan, says despite the statement made by the president
three years ago that the coalition is something new in the Armenian
political life, he has not seen anything new over these years that the
coalition has brought along.

VAHAN HOVANISYAN SPOILT THE HOLIDAY
Lragir.am
02 June 06
Instead of speeches about the incomplete change of power in 1998
Dashnaktsutiun had better recall its steps in that period. On June 2
Karapet Rubinyan, All-Armenian Movement, and Haik Babukhanyan,
Constitutional Right Union, commented on the June 1 statement of
Deputy Speaker Vahan Hovanisyan, Dashnaktsutiun, to this tune. Vahan
Hovanisyan announced that Robert Kocharyan had stopped the change of
power halfway, whereas he had better disband the parliament and hold a
new election. Vahan Hovanisyan thinks that now the political situation
would be different in Armenia.
With regard to the opinion of Vahan Hovanisyan, Haik Babukhanyan says
Dashnaktsutiun likes to speak in terms of history and keep silent
about the present. Haik Babukhanyan recalls an episode from the change
of power in 1998.
`When in 1998 the Constitutional Right Union demanded to condemn all
the crimes committed under the All-Armenian Movement, three forces
voted for the document we had drawn up, which was discussed by the
political council under the president. Dashnaktsutiun was against it
because it had come to power and probably thought that while in power
it would take steps which could be condemned later and scrutinized by
the next governments,’ says Haik Babukhanyan.

REPRESENTATIVES OF OVER 120 ORGANIZATIONS FROM ARMENIA, RUSSIA AND
IRAN TO PARTICIPATE IN CONSTRUCTION – 2006 CONGRESS

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN. Representatives of more than 100
Armenian enterprises of almost all sectors of the construction and
investment market, as well as representatives of 20 large companies,
unions and associations of builders from Russia, Iran and Ukraine will
take part in the 2nd international congress “Construction – 2006” in
Tsakhkadzor on June 2-5. According to the Master international
integration assistance center – the organizer of the event, the
congress participants will discuss such issues as ways of developing
architecture and design, interior and exterior design, new
technologies of production and use of building materials, stone
working and heat supply and climatization of buildings, and the real
estate market. The official sponsors of the event are the RA Ministry
of Urban Development, Yerevan Mayor’s Office and the Union of
Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia.