TODAY IS THE WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION DAY
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[01:16 pm] 17 May, 2006
The annual observance of World Telecommunication Day, marking the
founding of the International Telecommunication Union on 17 May 1865,
has drawn attention to the work of ITU and the broader challenges
of global communication. From the days of the telegraph through
space-age communication, and now in cyberspace, ITU has helped to
connect the world.
In recognition of this evolution, the World Summit on the Information
Society, which was held in two phases (in Geneva in 2003 and in
Tunis in 2005), proposed that 17 May henceforth be celebrated as
World Information Society Day. The Summit’s aim was to build an open,
inclusive, people-centred, knowledge-based information society that
will accelerate the pace of development. This occasion now highlights
the link between the great potential of information and communication
technologies and our goal of accelerating the pace of development.
The Summit recognized the importance of building confidence and trust
in the use of ICTs. This is reflected in the theme for this year’s
observance, /promoting global cybersecurity/. In an increasingly
interconnected and networked world, it has become critically important
to safeguard our vital systems and infrastructures against attack by
cybercriminals, while instilling confidence in online transactions in
order to promote trade, commerce, banking, telemedicine, e-government
and a host of other e-applications. As this depends on the security
practices of each and every networked country, business and citizen,
we need to develop a global culture of cybersecurity.
I therefore urge all Member States and stakeholders to help
increase global awareness of cybersecurity, and to develop an
international network of initiatives and ICT-based countermeasures
to enhance security and build trust in the use of information and
communication technologies. This is essential for the continued
growth and development of our economies, and especially important
for developing countries.
More broadly, on this annual observance, let us all pledge to connect
the unconnected and build a free and safe information society that
will spur development for all the world’s people.

PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE IS BEING ELECTED
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[01:58 pm] 17 May, 2006
At present the general session of the RA National Academy of Science
is under way. The session is to elect a new President. There are three
candidates for the post: Head of the NAS Mechanics Institute Lenser
Akhalovyan, Scientific secretary of the Academy Edward Ghazaryan and
ex rector of the Yerevan State University Radik Martirosyan.
79 academicians and correspondents participate in the closed
session. The voting will take place at about 03:00 PM.
Let us remind you that the post has been vacant since the resignation
of Fadey Sargsyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VARTAN OSKANYAN TO MAKE A SPEECH AT COUNCIL OF EUROPE FOREIGN MINISTERS’ COMMITTEE SESSION
Panorama.am
12:45 17/05/06
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan will make a speech May 19
at the Council of Europe FM Ministers’ Committee 116 session with
a launch tomorrow in Strasburg. Oskanyan will leave for Strasburg
tomorrow to participate in the event.
According to FM press services, Oskanyan will hold a non-official
meeting with Terry Davis, CE Secretary General together with other
foreign ministers. The meeting will be devoted to the status of
Kosovo. Our interest is whether there will be any reflections upon
Nagorno Karabakh conflict regulation. It is expected that Oskanyan
will meet Azeri foreign minister E.
Mamediarov and OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen in Strasburg.
Oskanyan will make two more trips to USA and Canada after
Strasburg. The head of the Armenian foreign agency will meet the
Armenian community there. They will discuss 3rd conference on
Armenia-Diaspora relations to be held in Yerevan September 18-20.
Oskanyan will fly back to Yerevan on May 24.

ARMENIA NUMBER 83 ACCORDING TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX
Panorama.am
14:26 17/05/06
According UN research studies conducted on human development index,
Armenia is number 83 among 177 countries. According to the same
indicator, Azerbaijan and Georgia are in 101st and 100th places
respectively. Vladimir Priakhin, OSCE Yerevan Office Head, publicized
the information today during an international conference on Caucasus
without Terrorism and Conflicts.
In his words, at this moment Southern Caucasus is not a comfortable
place for people to live. “The low indicators are conditioned by
a number of reasons connected first of all with economic crisis,
transition period challenges as well as regional conflicts,” Priakhin
noted. In his words, 3 out of 5 biggest so-called “frozen” conflicts
in post-soviet area are on the territory of Southern Caucasus.

COURAGE NEEDED FOR SETTLING THE KARABAKH CONFLICT
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[04:20 pm] 17 May, 2006
Two State Department officials said Tuesday they were optimistic
about the possibility of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and
Armenia over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabach. “The two
sides are closer to an agreement than they have been in the past,”
said Matthew Bryza, a State Department European affairs expert. He
spoke to a meeting of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, which
was convened to examine humanitarian suffering in the region a dozen
years after the war over Nagorno-Karabach ended.
Bryza said the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments will have to show
political courage to bridge the final gaps. “We look at these next
couple of months as a real window of opportunity,” he said.
A second State Department official, David Appleton, said one sign
of progress is that the Azeri government is asking the U.N. refugee
agency to draw up plans for the return of the displaced to their
homes once a peace agreement is signed.
Baroness Caroline Cox, the British humanitarian and member of the
House of Lords, who has visited Nagorno-Karabach 60 times, criticized
the United Nations for refusing to provide relief to the people
of the enclave under its policy of not doing work in “unrecognized
territories.” She said the policy deprives the suffering people of
the region of much-needed aid.
“U.N. organizations working in Azerbaijan have been very vocal on
behalf of displaced Azeris but have been silent about Armenians
suffering at least as severely,” the baroness said. “This asymmetry
is unjustifiable,” she added. “The Karabach authorities have made
repeated requests for help to the U.N. for assistance, but these have
been unsuccessful.”

OSKANIAN TO DEPART FOR STRASBOURG TO PARTICIPATE IN COE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS SESSION
PanARMENIAN.Net
17.05.2006 13:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ May 18 Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
will depart for Strasbourg to participate in the 166th Session of
the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, reported RA MFA press
office. Within the visit framework Vartan Oskanian and the Foreign
Ministers taking part in the session will meet with CoE Secretary
General Terry Davis to discuss the status of Kosovo. Special Envoy
of the U.N.
Secretary-General for the Future Status of Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari
will also be present at the meeting.
Vartan Oskanian is also scheduled to meet with Azeri Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov. May 19 the RA FM will address the session.
On the same day Vartan Oskanian will depart for the U.S. and Canada
to meet with the Armenian communities of Los Angeles, Boston and
Ottawa. He will discuss a wide scope of issues referring to the
Armenia-Diaspora third forum scheduled for September 18-20. The
Armenian Minister will return to Yerevan May 24.

VARDAN OSKANYAN: INTERNAL POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS WILL NOT AFFECT THE SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT
ArmRadio.am
16.05.2006 13:45
In their statements the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have many times
noted that 2006 is a favorable year for resolution of the Karabakh
conflict, considering that no elections are expected in Armenia
and Azerbaijan.
Won’t the latest internal political developments affect the settlement
of the Karabakh conflict, especially in regard to terms? Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan noted that the political development cannot
have an impact, at least at this stage.

BAKU SAYS CEMETERY STILL INTACT
The Moscow Times, Russia
May 17 2006
BAKU, Azerbaijan — An aide to Azerbaijan’s president on Tuesday
denied a report that a centuries-old ethnic Armenian cemetery had
been destroyed.
The report by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting said the
medieval Djulfa cemetery in the exclave of Nakhichevan, which once
included thousands of intricately carved crosses, had vanished. The
report said its journalist was not allowed by accompanying security
forces to go to the cemetery site, but that the journalist was near
enough to see the cemetery was gone.
“This is an absolutely lying publication and statement,”
said Ali Khasanov, an aide to President Ilham Aliyev. “Not one
cultural-historical monument, not one Armenian cemetery in the
autonomous Nakhichevan republic has been destroyed.”
Accusations that Azerbaijan had destroyed the cemetery have raised
tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which are at odds over
Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave in Azerbaijan that has been under control
of Armenian and local Karabakh forces since a separatist war ended
with a shaky cease-fire in 1994. The Djulfa cemetery site is generally
off-limits because it lies in a security zone along the Iranian border.
Khasanov said the government was ready to work with international
commissions to clarify the status of cultural and historical sites.(AP)
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ACCORDING TO PRELIMINARY INFORMATION, FROST CAUSES DAMAGE OF 635.5 MLN DRAMS TO AGRICULTURE OF LORI MARZ
Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006
VANADZOR, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. On April 28, the temperature dropped
as low as 8 degrees below zero in some regions of Lori marz. Vazgen
Ohanian, Chief Expert of the Agriculture and Environmental Protection
Department of the Lori regional administration, told NT correspondent
that the agriculture of the marz suffered considerable damage as
a result of it. Thus, according to information as of May 12, the
frost caused damage to an area of a total of 202 ha sown with potato
(losses made 158.05 mln drams), fruit gardens of 549.5 ha (losses
of 461.78 mln drams) and vineyards (losses of 15.75 mln drams). The
regional agriculture sustained losses, which, according to preliminary
information, amount to 635.58 mln drams (about 1.4 mln USD).

FOUNTAINS AND GREEN ZONES OF NORTHERN AVENUE TO BE CHANGED
Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. A considerable reconstruction work
is necessary in order to put in operation again the fountrains of
Yerevan’s Northern Avenue currently under construction, because
the infrastructures supplying these fountains are too old. Chief
Architect of Yerevan Samvel Danielian told NT correspondent about
it. According to him, the Urban Development Council of Yerevan is
now examining a version of constructing Northern Avenue, by which the
upper level of the avenue is viewed as a green area, while fountains
will be installed below – at the “minus 1” level. Besides, a version
to build an underground car parking space at the “minus 2” level all
along Northern Avenue is being discussed. The car parking lots will
not be built only at the area limited by Eznik Koghbatsi and Abovian
Streets, where it is envisaged to construct the Old Yerevan historical
and architectural complex of 14 buildings.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress