US EMBASSY DONATES NEW COMPUTERS TO YEREVAN STATE PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY
ArmRadio.am
18.05.2006 15:05
US Ambassador John Evans participated today in the official opening
of the Library Science Computer Laboratory at the Yerevan State
Pedagogical University. The creation of the computer lab was made
possible by the donation of six computers and the installation
of library automation software by the US Embassy in Armenia. The
Pedagogical University provided the newly refurbished room for the
laboratory.
Since 2000, the Information Resource Center of the US Embassy has
cooperated with the School of Library Science at Yerevan State
Pedagogical University.
This has included bringing in American speakers every year to lecture
on modern developments in library science, as well as an expert in
2005 to help design a new, up-to-date library science curriculum.

DEEP-SEA OPERATION ON SITE OF PLANE CRASH IN BLACK SEA
by Dmitry Nezdorovin
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 16, 2006 Tuesday
A deep-sea apparatus RT- 1000 is continuing an examination of part of
the sea bottom, where the Airbus -320 crashed on May 3, searching for
the plane flight recorders. The search is going ahead in a scheduled
regime, a source from the headquarters for technical support to the
search operation told Tass.
The flight recorders have not been found yet.
The RT-100 has been working at the depth of 500 meters, examining a
territory of twenty square meters, said Chief of the Federal Agency
for Sea and River Transport Alexander Davydenko. The Navigator search
ship has been coordinating the deep-sea robot’s efforts.
The search for the flight recorders will be continued without breaks.
Search teams numbering eighteen will replace each other as the search
continues. The search for the flight recorders might take from two
to three days, weather permitting. At present, the weather in the
search area is warm and fine; the flight recorders were presumably
lost at the depth of 496 meters and should be staying at a distance
of five meters from each other.
The Airbus -320 owned by the Armenia Company crashed early on May
3 when it was making a landing approach to Sochi airport. The air
disaster claimed 113 lives.

GREEK PRESIDENT WARNS TURKEY TO RESPECT KURDISH RIGHTS
Agence France Presse — English
May 17, 2006 Wednesday 3:43 PM GMT
Greek President Carolos Papoulia warned Turkey on Wednesday that it
must respect human rights, notably those of the Kurds, if it wants
closer ties with the European Union.
“I don’t think that Turkey will be able to have closer ties with the
EU by violating fundamental rights; this is true for the Kurds but
not them alone,” he said in a speech at the European Parliament.
“These are problems that are the responsibility of the Turkish
government,” he said, adding that the EU has “laid out a framework
of principles within which Turkey must operate.”
Turkey was accepted in October as a candidate to join the EU but
no guarantee was given that it will be made a member once it has
undertaken reform to bring into line with the bloc, a process likely
to take more than a decade.
The EU has long pressed Ankara to grant equal cultural freedoms to its
large Kurdish minority — estimated at about 12 million people — as
well as smaller, non-Muslim communities of Greeks, Armenians and Jews.

QUITTING THE OYP DID NOT HELP YERITSYAN
A1+
[07:26 pm] 17 May, 2006
Robert Kocharyan signed a decree about the discharge of Sergo
Yeritsyan, the ex Minister of Education, from office. Let us remind
you that a week ago Sergo Yeritsyan quit the Orinats Yerkir party.
By another decree of the President Levon Lazarian has been appointed
Minister of Education and Science. This is the first time he is
appointed in this post.

THE DEPUTIES WHO LEFT ORINATS YERKIR INTEND TO CREATE A NEW DEPUTY GROUP
Yerevan, May 17. ArmInfo. The deputies who have left the Orinats
Yerkir (Country of Law) party intend to form a new deputy group,
informed ArmInfo correspondent owner of MAP company Alexan Petrosian.
The creation of the new group will be officially announced on May
22 at the National Assembly. A. Petrosian said that the name of
the deputy group is not decided yet. Most probably the head of the
new deputy group will become Mekhak Mkhitarian or Grigor Margarian,
owner of ‘Bellaggio’ restaurant network. To be reminded, lately 10
deputies left the Orinats Yerkir party. Now only 9 people remain in
the party’s parliament group, which formerly consisted of 20 people.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER TO LEAVE FOR STRASBOURG, THEN FOR U.S. AND CANADA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian left for Strasbourg on May 18 to participate in the
116th session of the Foreign Ministers’ Committee of the Council
of Europe. The RA Foreign Minister together with Foreign Ministers
participating in the session will have a non-official meeting on the
same day with CE Secretary General Terry Davis.
The meeting in which Marti Ahtisaari, the former President of
Finland, the UN Secretary’s General Special Envoy to Kosovo status
talks participated, will be dedicated to the future status of
Kosovo. Minister Oskanian’s meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mamediarov and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen is envisaged in
Strasbourg. Minister Oskanian will make a speech on May 19. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, on the same day Vartan Oskanian will leave for the U.S.
and Canada where he will meet with representatives of the Armenian
community of Los Angeles, Boston and Ottawa. A wide circle of issues
connected with organization of the Armenia-Diaspora third conference
to take place in Yerevan on September 18-20 will be discussed at the
meetings. RA Foreign Minister Oskanian will return Armenia on May 24.

GOAL OF REGIONAL POLICY OF ARMENIA IS EXCLUSION OF FORMATION OF “SEPARATING LINES,” RA DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “We are supporters of
the dialogue of civilizations, but not of conflicts. Settlement of
the ethno-political conflicts in the geopolitical space of Caucasus
is one mechanisms assisting formation of measures of confidence,
economic and cultural integration of peoples of Caucasus,” World
Armenians Congress Chairman Ara Abrahamian stated at the May 17
opening of the international conference “Caucasus without Conflicts
and Terrorism. Dialogue of Civilizations at the Caucasian Crossroad.”
He mentioned that the idea of former President of Iran Doctor Khattami
became a reality. According to Ara Abrahamian, it is necessary to lead
an active work for finding common borders and common interests in the
region: “One must not forget that when a large-scale conflict appears
we all will appear in danger.” According to the Gegham Gharibjanian,
the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, in implementation of the
regional policy, the goal of Armenia is exclusion of formation of
“separating lines” and striving for making the region of Caucasus
a zone of cooperation. He mentioned that a similar position is
coming out of realities of the modern world order and necessity of
development of the state, based on democracy and the human rights. The
OSCE Yerevan Office Head Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin pointed out
a number of problems, struggle against which will demand united
efforts by the region states. It is, particularly, the struggle
with drugs trafficking, terrorism, struggle against soiling the
environment. Representatives of Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, Georgia,
Russia, Iran and Turkey participate in the conference organized by
the World Armenian Congress. A Declaration will be adopted by data
of the conference.

MPs TRANSFER SUMS TO ACCOUNT OPENED FOR PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO RELATIVES OF ACCIDENT VICTIMS
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. A consultation of the working group
created for the purpose of providing assistance to the relatives of
the May 3 plane accident victims took place on May 17 at RA NA Speaker
Artur Baghdasarian’s office. During the consultation representatives
of NA factions and groups informed that a fund-raising was held and
sums were transferred to accounts opened for this purpose. Noyan
Tapan was informed about it from NA Public Relations Department.

IN OPINION OF CHAIRMAN OF KARABAKH “HELSINKI INITIATIVE-92” ORGANIZATION, THERE WILL BE NO PROGRESS IN NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS IN COMING TWO YEARS
Noyan Tapan
May 17 2006
VANADZOR, MAY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Representatives of political parties,
NGOs and mass media took part in the discussion dedicated to the
12th anniversary of concluding a ceasefire agreement on May 12 1994
in the zone of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, organized on May 16
in Vanadzor by the Vanadzor Office of Helsinki Civil Assembly. The
prehistory and process of Nagorno Karabakh conflict were presented
by Karen Ohanjanian, Chairman of the Nagorno Karabakh “Helsinki
Initiative-92” organization. According to him, achievement of peace is
an intermediate stage in the process of Nagorno Karabakh’s recognition
as an independent state. “It is impossible for the region to completely
integrate into international processes without settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” K.Ohanjanian said. “Nagorno Karabakh should
take part in the negotiations process without fail. It is impossible to
solve the Nagorno Karabakh problem without Karabakh’s participation”,
he emphasized. Another participants of the event also presented their
viewpoints on the process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement. They, in
particular, were anxious about the issue, whether the civil society
takes part in the negotiations process. In Karen Ohanjanian’s opinion,
the civil society can take part in the negotiations process only by
means of the international organizations, which can have an impact on
the local authorities. Karen Ohanjanian gave a peculiar commentary to
the statement of OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut that
Nagorno Karabakh belongs to the people that lives there: according
to Ohanjanian, the OSCE representative meant that Nagorno Karabakh
belongs to the Armenians and Azeris living there. Karen Ohanjanian also
considers that no progress will be observed in the negotiations process
in the coming two years and no document will be signed by the sides.

ARMAN MELIKYAN: THE MINSK FORMAT ENVISAGES THREE PARTIES
Tatul Hakobyan
“Radiolur”
17.05.2006 18:00
May 18 Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will leave for Strasburg to
participate in the 116th session of the Committee of Ministers of the
Council of Europe. In the framework of the visit Foreign Ministers
of Armenian and Azerbaijan are scheduled to meet OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. The way the process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict
will be known after this meeting, since after the failed Rambouliet
meeting the talks have found themselves in an uncertain deadlock.
What does the Karabakh side expect from the Oskanyan-Mamedyarov meeting
to be held in Strasburg and the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs
to the region? Adviser to NKR President Arman Melikyan said in his
talk with “Radolur” correspondent, “We can have expectations only from
ourselves, with others we can discuss different topics. But if there is
a clash of interests and it’s not surmountable, it does not mean the
life is over. Twelve years have passed since the cease-fire, but we
have no visible results today. It’s a tragedy, which we cannot ignore.”
By the way, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mathew Bryza
declared that the US evaluations of opportunities of Armenia
and Azerbaijan to come to an agreement on the Karabakh issue are
optimistic. Bryza said that “today the parties are closer to an
agreement than before.”
According to the American diplomat, the governments of the two
countries should demonstrate political courage to overcome the
remained disagreements.
“We consider that the coming few months will provide that opportunity,”
Bryza assured.
“Instead of having expectations from the experts it is more correct
to strictly organize own activities, for instance, in regard to the
controlled territories,” Arman Melikyan said.
“We have domestic problems, through resolution of which we can present
ourselves to the world in a more advantageous way. For example, the
issue of Armenian referees has been ignored, the Azeris ever speak
about the Armenian refugees today, Armenia is silent, the mediators
have forgotten about them. It is only Karabakh that has made this
topic a matter of discussion. People were forcefully deported from
Azerbaijan, they had many losses. I’m confident that if these people
are given the chance to settle in Karabakh, and if Azerbaijan refuses
to provide compensation, Karabakh will provide this reimbursement to
Azerbaijani Armenians at the expense of these territories.”
To remind, the EU-Azerbaijan talks in the framework of the European
Neighborhood Program have been suddenly suspended because the EU
has certain doubts about the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. At
least, Azerbaijani politicians, particularly Rasim Musabekov, keep
to this opinion.
“It is clearly noted in the documents signed with Moldova and Georgia
that the territorial integrity of these countries is a priority,
i.e. the European Union backs the territorial integrity of these
countries. Azerbaijan insists on such formulation, while the EU gives
evasive answers,” he said.
According to Musabekov, it is this issue that does not allow the
parties to discuss the Actions Plans in the framework of the European
Neighborhood Program.
Executive Director on Azerbaijan of the Coordinating Bureau of the EU
Technical Support Programs Asker Alekperov declared that “the document
did nit include a point, according to which the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict will be settled on the basis of territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan. The European Union excluded the point from the document,
which disappointed the Azeri government.
Therefore, this issue is still disputable.” Does the international
community conceive that Karabakh cannot be part of Azerbaijan?
“I am confident that this comprehension has always existed. It is
another issue how the Europeans will present the fact of Karabakh’s
not being part of Azerbaijan to Azeris. The European interests demand
that the issue is settled in a peaceful way,” Asker Alekperov said.
Armen Melikyan said that the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani
Presidents cannot be considered part of the Minsk negotiations
process. “These are consultations between the leaders of the two
countries on the settlement of the issue. The Minsk format envisages
three parties, and unless the third party is involved, this cannot
be considered talks in the Minsk format.