PEOPLE BECOME VICTIMS IN PUBLIC TRANQUILITY
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[07:41 pm] 11 September, 2006
Today Ararat Mahtesyan, RA deputy chief of the Police, was in the
Parliament. Though the deputies aroused the question of the deepening
criminal situation in the republic, none of them asked Mr. Mahtesyan
about it.
Instead of the deputies, the journalists tried to ask Ararat
Mahtesyan’s opinion on the recent tendencies of the existing
crime-generating situation.
It turns out that Mr. Mahtesyan’s opinion is based on the impression
of foreign “tourists” instead of real numbers or existing picture
but. “I must confess that today international organizations, observers,
mediators and foreigners consider Armenia to be a country of public
tranquility.”
Asked whether he can say the same words to the relatives of Karine
Sargsyan, who became innocent victim during Zatikyan’s murder or
Siranoush, killed during Givoyev’s murder, Mr. Mahtesyan answered, “I
don’t think we face crime-generating situation in Armenia today. Just
on the contrary, I assume that the above-mentioned situation is under
control,” says Ararat Mahtesyan.
He thinks the situation is not appalling. The police are concerned with
it and are working to reveal the recent murders “though they counter
some specific features and difficulties connected with those crimes.”
Mr. Mahtesyan claims there are doubtful questions in statistic data
“but they are very little. Surely, there is certain increase of
murders but these numbers are nothing.”
Asked the question how the police control the situation in the
republic in his opinion when a crime was committed by a kidnapped car
only a few meters away from the sentry post, Mr. Mahtesyan answered,
“It is conditioned by the lack of legislative order.
Suppose there are 100 and more kidnapped cars how can policemen know
of them? Should they know the numbers of all cars by heart? The car
may pass by a policeman and he may know nothing of it unless the
driver breaches traffic rules,” says Mr. Mahtesyan and enumerates
all the technical means required to reveal the kidnapped cars. But
unfortunately they are too expensive.

RA FM DEPARTED FOR PARIS
PanARMENIAN.Net
11.09.2006 18:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
departed for Paris to meet with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs,
reported the RA MFA press office. September 12 Vartan Oskanian and
French FM Philippe Douste-Blazy as well as RA Minister of Culture
and Youth Affairs Hasmik Poghosyan and French Minister of Culture
and Communications Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres will give a joint press
conference dedicated to the Year of Armenia is France.

ARMENIA HAS SPECIAL PLACE AMONG IRAN’S NEIGHBORS
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 14:33 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian President Robert Kocharian met
with Iranian Mejlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, reports the
Press Service of the Armenian leader. During the meeting the parties
discussed the issue of development of Armenian-Iranian relations and
the process of implementation of joint programs.
Kocharian stated he is content with development of bilateral
relations. He specially remarked that cooperation in private
infrastructure binds the two countries with more prospective
programs. The Armenian leader also added that the Armenian and Iranian
parties display consistency to implement joint programs in a timely
manner and at a high level. In the words of Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel,
the fact that not problems, but plans of actions issuing from
agreements are discussed, evidences a high level of development of
relations. The Iranian Speaker added that Armenia has a special place
among the neighbors Iran has acquired after the collapse of the Soviet
Union. The parties noted the need to develop parliamentary relations,
adding that legislators still yield to government representatives on
the degree of their activity.

COOPERATION WITH IRAN FAVORABLE TO ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 14:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Iranian people are very warm towards the Armenian
community and this is one of the causes of friendly relations between
Armenia and Iran, Iranian Mejlis Chair Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel stated
at a news conference in Yerevan. In his words, Iran is a very large
and rich country and close cooperation on a mutually beneficial basis
will be favorable to both countries.
At the same time the Mejlis chair noted that visits at the level of
parliament leaders will promote solution of issues, which sometimes
are not solved in inter-state relations. “I hope my first visit to
Armenia will stimulate development of more productive and friendly
relations between our countries,” underscored Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PROBABILITY OF KOCHARIAN-ALIYEV MEETING IN MINSK SHOULD NOT BE TOTALLY RULED OUT
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 15:11 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Probability of a meeting between Armenian and Azeri
Presidents Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev should not be totally
ruled out, however speaking of it is still early, Armenian leaders’
Spokesperson Victor Soghomonyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.
October 17 a CIS summit will take place in Minsk. On the eve of the
event, on October 16, the Council of FMs and Council of CIS State
Leaders will convene in Minsk. As customary, the holding of a meeting
of the Presidents will depend on the meeting of the FMs. If after
Oskanian-Mammadyarov meeting there is a need for that between the
Presidents, Aliyev and Kocharian will meet in Minsk.

ARRIVAL SECTION OF NEW TERMINAL AT ZVARTNOTS AIRPORT TO BECOME EFFECTIVE IN TWO DAYS
Armenpress
Sept 12 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS: Argentina’s Aeropuertos Argentina
that was granted the right to lease Armenia’s main airport Zvartnots
in 2001 for several decades took today a group of local journalists
to the airport to show the arrival section of its new international
terminal.. The arrival terminal will handle the first flight that
will arrive from the southern Russian Mineralny Vodi on September 14.
Juan Pablo Gechigjian, the chief manager of the airport, told
journalists that out of $63 million investment earmarked for the
construction of the new terminal $35 million were spent on building
the arrival section, which he said is furnished with the most advanced
equipment. He said the departure section will be ready to process
passengers only in 2007 May.
The state-of-the art terminal makes Zvartnots airport number one
airport in the South Caucasus.
Juan Pablo Gechigjian said the arrival section is capable to process
around 1000 passengers an hour, twice more than the old one. According
to him, when accomplished the new terminal will be able to handle
some 2 million passengers a year, significantly up from 1,1 million
now. He said the new terminal has an advanced security system.

A VISIT TO ARMENIA MAY BE FATAL
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[01:04 pm] 12 September, 2006
Eleven Azeri journalists and legal representatives are in peril lest
they should be deprived of citizenship because of their 5 – day visit
to Armenia.
The Azeri “Civil Solidarity” youth organization demands to deprive Arzu
Abdulaeva, chairman of the Helsinki National Committee, and other 10
participants of citizenship who were involved in the works of “Trust
Building” summer camping which were implemented in “Gugark” camp not
a long way from Vanadzor. The authors of the announcement find their
action a “treachery” to the country; “It is treachery to have a rest
in a country which captured 20 percent of the lands, committed the
Khojalu holocaust, one of the bloody genocides of the 20th century.”
It will be interesting to know the reaction of the authors of
the announcement when they learned that their compatriots besides
having a good rest in Armenia, managed to make friends with some
people of their age in Armenia and in Artsakh as well. By the way,
most of the Artsakh residents felt the menace of the Azeri bombing,
lost their husbands, parents and other close relatives in the war,
but it didn’t hinder them from shaking hands with the Azeris, making
friends with them and getting excited when parting with them.

ARMENIANS OF LEBANON UNANIMOUS ON NOT ADMITTING TURKISH PEACEKEEPERS TO LEBANON
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 13:02 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Not to allow Turkish peacekeepers to Southern
Lebanon as part of the UN peacekeeping forces, we act as a united
front, editor-in-chief of the Azdak, the largest Armenian newspaper
of Lebanon, Shahan Kandakharyan stated in an interview with
PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, at the community level Armenian
political parties and NGOs will make statements. “The Armenian
community has no discrepancies over this issue. We also hold protest
actions in front of a number of embassies of western countries. We
handed letters to ambassadors and diplomatic representatives,
indicating grounds for not admitting Turkish troops in the south
of Lebanon. The special message of Catholicos of the Great House of
Cilicia Aram I to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is among respective
actions,” he said.
The editor-in-chief of the Azdak also noted that local, regional and
world media pay much attention to protest actions of the Armenian
community. “We hope our efforts will not be in vain and Turkey will
not be included in the UN peacekeeping contingent. A country, which
is a strategic and military partner of Israel and blocks Cyprus must
not be admitted to Lebanon.
Also a country, where human rights are violated and the Armenian
Genocide of 1915 is denied cannot take part in settlemetn of the
Middle East crisis,” noted Shahan Kandakharyan.

EMIGRATION OF ARMENIANS FROM NOT OF MASS CHARACTER
PanARMENIAN.Net
12.09.2006 13:08 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian community of Lebanon, like the
entire Lebanese society, has just started recovering from the war,
unleashed by Israel, editor-in-chief of the Azdak, the largest Armenian
newspaper of Lebanon, Shahan Kandakharyan stated in an interview with
PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, although hostilities did not touch
towns and blocks, populated by Armenians, the huge damage and economic
crisis had their impact on the community. We do not have statistical
data yet, however, for sure the emigration of the Armenian community
was not of mass character.
Nevertheless, many members, having dual citizenship, left the
country. We believe most of them are absent temporarily. A country,
which has experienced a war, finds itself in a situation, in which
emigration increases and economy falls into decay. The Armenian
community cannot stay and live under those conditions.
All organizations of the community work jointly to end this
situation. We work to create a future for the country and Armenians
of Lebanon.
Kandakharyan underscored that unless the Middle East crisis gets is
political solution, forecasting the developments is difficult. “It
is not clear whether there will be an attempt to solve the issue by
military and political tools. At present the international community
and superpowers should be interested in establishment of peace in
the region.
This is the only way to put into effect programs on restoration of
the destroyed infrastructure of Lebanon, to revive the economy,”
the editor-in-chief of the Azdak underscored.

A RALLY AGAINST “ARMENTEL”
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[01:55 pm] 12 September, 2006
more images Today a rally was organized against “ArmenTel” opposite the
Ministry of Transportation and Communication. This time the initiators
of the rally were a number of companies providing Internet services.
The strikers claim that over 100 companies were deprived of telephone
connection without preliminary warning at 2:00 on September 7. When
they tried to make inquiries from the Committee Regulating Public
Services they were told that they must turn to “ArmenTel” with that
question as the Committee is not entitled to deal with the matter
bothering them. “When the Ministry of Transportation and Communication
regulated the sphere we had no problems on this score.
But now neither the Committee Regulating Public Services nor “ArmenTel”
want to fulfil their functions and obligations,” says Gnel Militonyan,
head of one of the companies.
He assures that their activity doesn’t contradict the provisions of
License 60; they made their payments in due time and have faced no
problems. Then the participants of the rally headed to the Committee
Regulating Public Services to talk to Robert Nazaryants, chairman of
the Committee.
They have also issued a complaint-statement to the Committee
Regulating Public Services, President Kocharyan, RA NA Speaker and RA
Prime Minister. The statement says that many employees of companies
providing Internet services have been left without work because of
the telephone disconnection and they demand either to resume their
connection or to provide their workers with job. By the way, their
workers are mainly pensioners, invalids, students and most of them
live in regions. Over 50 companies signed the statement.
At present, the strikers are opposite the Committee Regulating Public
Services.