WILL ARMENIA EXPORT OIL?
Artem Yerkanyan “PanARMENIAN.Net” analytical department
PanARMENIAN.Net
23.06.2006 GMT+04:00
International experts are optimistic about the restarted works in
search for oil and gas occurrences.
In September Transeuroenegery Corporation, Canada, will launch
exploring works to search for hydrocarbon in Armenia. The essential
equipment will be brought in the near future and very soon it will
be possible to say whether Armenia has a chance to enter the cartel
of oil exporting states.
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Specialists spoke of the necessity of exploring
works still in 1950-ies. In mid 1970-ies the matter grew serious. But
at that time the exploration was rather scientific than commercial
and no serious funds were invested in it. Now the optimism has grown
and Transeuroenegery Corporation has long-term plans. Canadians are
ready to spend over $10.5 million on the first stage of the works
that will take some 5 years. If things go well new investments will
be made. The other day the company leadership concluded an agreement
with a foreign company engaged in prospecting of oil and gas, which
will deliver modern equipment to Armenia. This equipment will allow
prospecting the bowels of the earth at a depth of 2500 km. The works
will start in September while the first results will be known in
February 2007. The Yerevan office administration is more optimistic
about gas than oil. It should be also noted that the gas-well boring is
easier. The exploring works will be launched in three Armenian regions
– Armavir, Krasnoselsk and Shoghaghbyur. The Armavir sector is rated
as the most promising. The only question is how much it will cost.
The first serious attempt to set oil and gas prospecting on a
commercial path was made 10 years ago. At that time the California
Energy Commission came to rather optimistic conclusion on oil
and gas occurrences in the Armavir sector and even calculated the
presumable amount of oil. January 27, 1997 the Armenian government
and the Armenian-American exploration company signed a contract on
prospecting in the Armavir license sector. The works were launched
the same year however they did not last long. In July 2000, after
the death of company owner Alen Poslen, the works were stopped. Since
that time the company has just been processing the data received and
looking for financial partners. In early 2004 Canada-based Idusmin
Energy purchased the rights of the Armenian-American exploring company
and resume works in Armavir. In autumn the company was renamed into
Transeuroenegery Corporation. Before this the Canadians proceeded to
prospecting in the northeast sector near Krasnoselks. In January 2003
the Corporation signed an appropriate memorandum with Geoenergetika
CJSC. At that time Indusmin Energy received the right for conduction
of exploring works on a territory of 3.5 thousand km2.
“I am sure there are oil and gas deposits in Armenia,” said Head of
the Corporation Armenian Office Mike Smith. According to him, the
optimist is conditioned by the fact that there are rich occurrences of
hydrocarbon stuff very close to the Armenian border with Turkey. There
are also hydrocarbon occurrences in Georgia and foreign companies have
already invested over $70 million in oil exploring in Georgia. By
the way, Indusmin Energy, which is engaged in prospecting works in
two geological sectors in Imeretia, was among the investors. The
Canadians put up over $35 million.
They bored a well that has given 160-170 tons of oil annually since
1995. In Ninotsminda region, Javakhk, oil is being prospected
for a long time already. It’s unnecessary to speak of Iran and
Azerbaijan. Thus, if all our neighbors have hydrocarbon we should
have it too. The problem is that no proper attention was paid to oil
and gas prospecting. Now, when the matter is seriously treated we
can hope that Armenia will transform from an oil importing country
into an exporting one.

PUBLIC ORGANIZATION WANTS ARMENIA TO WRITE IN CLASSICAL SPELLING
Panorama.am
15:23 24/06/06
The Union for Recovery of Mesropian Spelling again raised the issue
of shifting to classical spelling.
The head of Diaspora Research and Education Center Suren Danielean
(we write his surname in classical spelling upon his request) is sure
that the shift to classical spelling will further strengthen the ties
with the diaspora. He is sure that the differences between Western
Armenian and Eastern Armenians are caused by Russians. “Return to
classical spelling will be a return to our origins. That return will
signify unification because the diaspora does not recognize today
the communist edition,” he said.
Danielean was asked if they have studied public opinion on the issue
to which he answered, “it is not always that the relations between the
majority and minority reflect the truth. Our teachers were separated
from the diaspora and the diaspora separated the whole educational
system from Armenia.”
According to Danielean, 19 schools have shifted to classical spelling
in Armenia. This year 7 schools will also teach classical spelling,
including one in Echmiadzin and 6 in Yerevan.

TYSON SYMPATHIZES VIC DARCHINYAN
Panorama.am
14:54 24/06/06
“Amateurish box is a duel and professional box is a fight,”
Vakhtang Darchinyan (Vic), 5 times champion in professional
IBF boxing and 4 times world champion in IBO boxing told a press
conference today. Speaking on his upcoming fight with Omar Narvayes,
an Argentinean world champion in WBO boxing, Darchinyan said “he has
had 21 fights, never lost a game, has won by knock-outs a lot but I
will win over him and of coarse by knock-out.”
V. Darchinyan has been living in Australia for 6 years and fights
in professional boxing. He has combated 26 times and has as many
victories, 21 of which by knockouts.
Vakhtang says he is a close friend of world famous Mike Tyson and
the latter promised to be present during his fight with Mexican
Luis Maldonado in Las Vegas. However, before the fight Tyson called
Vakhtang saying that he cannot come promising to follow the game on
TV. The fight ended with the victory of Vakhtang Darchinyan over the
Mexican boxer.

WILL THE FESTIVAL BECOME TRADITIONAL?
Panorama.am
14:26 24/06/06
The participants of One Nation, One Culture festival, which launched
yesterday evening, were discontent with the organizational matters
upon their visit to Tsitsernakaberd. They put flowers on the eternal
fire commemorating the genocide victims and also planted a tree in
the fir-tree grove.
Vigen Sargsyan, president assistant, who deals with the organization
of the festival, was not aware of the discontents. Tamar Poghosyan,
who has won the title of unsuccessful culture vice minister told that
discontents are due to large number of participants.
In her words, delegations from 20 countries take part totaling 2000
participants.
“Nothing can be perfect. We deal with 2000 people and each has her/her
own demands, understanding and mentality. Difficulties are mainly
connected with the lack of information. We really have problems in
organizational matters since we cannot provide the level of service
for such mass events. Some think that they will get personal service
cars. There are some groups which have performed on big stages of
the world. We provide whatever we have. We should work with the
delegations and explain them,” T. Poghosyan said.

OLYMPIC DAY OF RUNNING RACE HELD IN YEREVAN
Panorama.am
13:37 24/06/06
Running on the occasion of Olympic day of race started in Yerevan
today at 10.00 from the Republic Square.
The action is held in many countries around the globe and nominates
the anniversary of the establishment of International Olympic
Committee (June 24, 1894). The participants of the race, students
and schoolchildren, will run to Hrazdan stadium. Certificates will be
handed to the first 20 winners of the race. The runners will be met by
the National Olympic Committee of Armenia and other Olympic champions.
The transport movement is partly stopped in the city due to the
race.

URBAN ASSAULT RACERS TAKE ON AUSTIN
By Kate Alexander
Austin American-Statesman , TX
June 25 2006
Bike race requires blood, sweat and sense of humor
Austin’s urban warriors faced their foe Sunday morning and it was
not the four-foot rubber duckie, with its bulbous head and mocking,
wide-eyed grin.
Though vexing, the rubber duckie and its tendency to tip could be
overcome. Mount Bonnell proved a far greater challenge.
For Team Crazed Armenians, just the idea of the gravity-defying climb
up Mount Bonnell had them questioning their fortitude.
“You want to talk about our strategy?” asked Shant Donabedian, as
they prepared to take off toward the daunting hill.
“Survive,” responded teammate Krikor Deurdulian.
Some 800 competitors in the third annual Austin Subaru Urban Assault
bike race slogged through foam, slip-n-slides and potato sack races
along the 20 to 25 mile trek. One of seven races across the country,
the contest in Austin, the race’s hometown, is by far the largest,
said race director Josh Kravetz. The Dallas contest last month drew
300 racers.
The goal: ride to checkpoints throughout Austin and complete the
various challenges at each destination.
At the Rowing Dock on Town Lake, one member of the team had to mount
the enormous rubber duckie as the other person swam them , duckie in
tow, to a buoy and back. The duckie was rarely cooperative.
Other challenges had the teams searching for plastic aquatic animals
in a vat of foam, riding mini-bikes through an obstacle course and
running a potato-sack race.
At the same time, the competitors had to decipher the clues to three
local landmarks. The clues led them to Mount Bonnell, the University
of Texas Tower and Treaty Oak.
The first two-person team to collect the beads at all 10 checkpoints
and return to Run-Tex on Riverside Drive won.
That honor went to doctors Lee Chilton and Brannan Smoot, who repeated
their victory from the first urban assault race in 2003.
Team Inaugural winners said the key to their dominance is planning.
“You win the race in the days before it and not on the day of,”
Smoot said.
Chilton left a good chunk of skin on the asphalt near the corner of
Barton Springs Drive and Lamar Boulevard when he hit a grease spot
in a parking lot and took a tumble off his bike. But a little blood
dripping down his leg did not slow them down. They completed the race
in just over an hour and a half.

CIS, EURASEC, SCO, CES AND OTHERS: GENESIS OF POST-SOVIET INTEGRATION PROCESSES
Regnum, Russia
June 25 2006
A session of EurAsEC Interstate Council presided by Byelorussian
President Alexander Lukashenko convened in Minsk on June 23. The
agenda has been announced beforehand: the heads of states discussed
Uzbekistan’s access to the organization, creation of the Customs union,
and the concept of EurAsEC’s international policy were discussed.
EurAsEC is an international economic organization whose functions
are to form common external custom borders of its founding countries
(Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan),
developing a common foreign economic policy, tariffs, prices, and
other constituents of common market functioning. A treaty on EurAsEC
foundation was signed on October 10, 2000 in Kazakhstani capital
Astana by presidents of Byelorussia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
and Tajikistan. In May 2002, a EurAsEC observer status was granted to
Moldavian and Ukrainian leaderships on their request, later Armenia
also received the status.
EurAsEC is an open organization. It could be accessed by any state
that will not only take on responsibilities defined in the Convention
on the foundation of the Community and other conventions effective in
the framework of the Community, but will also take efforts to meet
these obligations. EurAsEC observer status is granted to a state or
an international (intergovernmental) organization on their request.
EurAsEC is a successor of the CIS Customs union that is fully
consistent with the UNO principles and international legal norms. It
is designed to effectively promote the process of creating by the CIS
Customs union member countries of a Common Economic Space (CES) and
coordinating their approaches to the integration into international
economic and trade system.
Among the top near-term EurAsEC priorities are:
1) transport: solving the problem of common tariffs, increasing
commodity traffic, simplifying customs rules, completing internal
official procedures on the signed conventions, and creating
transnational forwarding corporations;
2) power industry: joint exploration of hydro-energy complexes in
Central Asia, solving the problem of energy and water supplies,
and creating a common energy budget;
3) workforce migration: assuring migrants’ social protection, creating
an effective system of regulation and control of workforce migration,
combating migration-related crime, solving problems due to migrants’
and their employers’ taxpaying;
4) agro-industrial complex: coordinating agricultural policies of
EurAsEC member countries, creating a common grocery market of Community
member countries, reducing transporting expenses, and establishing
new market institutions in the field.
Interestingly, EurAsEC creation and functioning is considered one of
the most successful projects within the CIS. On June 7 2006, Community
Secretary General Grigoriy Rapota said that the Minsk session would
become decisive in EurAsEC formation and development.
He also informed that a Customs union contractual base of 12 agreements
had been developed on the expert level, 16 more agreements still were
to be adopted. Discussing access of EurAsEC member states to the WTO
was also planned to be discussed at the meeting. “How the Customs union
can be married to accessing WTO? There are several options,” Rapota
said. “First is to create a Customs union, with its eventual access to
WTO. Another option is to join WTO independently, coordinating member
countries’ positions with all others, thereby minimizing possible
‘damage.'” Rapota also said that almost everything was ready for
the Customs union establishment; time schedules and development pace
remained to be set.
The CIS has essentially accomplished its historical mission. And the
fact that a number of CIS member countries – seriously or jokingly –
announced their intent to exit the organization since the beginning of
2006 is yet another evidence of the trend. Nobody is questioning such
intentions; in fact, Russia’s authorities themselves openly admitted
that the CIS had been created for the “civilized divorce” of the former
union republics. They also pointed out to the fact that it is thanks
to the CIS that former Soviet republics managed to escape repeating
the Balkan-style “blood-bath divorce” on the post-Soviet space.
A lot of CIS “subsidiaries” have been created right inside the CIS
all along its existence: Customs union, Central Asian union, Eurasian
union, the Russia-Belarus Union State, and, of course, GUUAM-GUAM.
For different reasons, the only effective structure within the CIS is
CSTO which is a military, military-political, and military-technical
rather than economic cooperation organization. In other words, at
least for the six CIS member countries, the set of challenges and
risks of the current period appeared to be a better unifying factor
than the desire to join efforts catching up with economic development
of the world “economic locomotives” and improving welfare of their
own peoples.
That is why, frankly speaking, as early as when the projects on
EurAsEC and CES creation started to emerge, they were envisioned
as prototypes of some political and economic future of CIS and all
the integration structures that were created within it. Only with a
greater accent on purely economic aspects, rather than military and
military-related ones, due to the necessity of developing cooperation
in such a sensitive field as establishing national security of member
countries from the viewpoint of joint resisting the attacks of the
terrorist “international.”
The year 2006 is, however, a decisive one in many respects. May be that
is why we sense the tension and hear public apprehension voiced in a
number of western capitals, related directly to the efforts to take
steps towards further EurAsEC development? All the more so, toward the
development of SCO that is, we believe, is also one of the integration
structures that arouse within the CIS, despite the Chinese membership?
The western creature (some argue that it is a purely a U.S.-Turkish
strategic project) in the face of GUUAM kicked the bucket after
the so-called “Andijan events,” when the Uzbekistani leadership got
disappointed in the U.S. tutelage over the “democratic processes”
in Central Asia. First, the leadership almost immediately drew the U.S.
military base out of the Uzbekistani territory. Second, it also did
not hesitate to withdraw from GUUAM, which automatically returned
the bloc to the embryo state. Third, on January 25, it formalized
Uzbekistan’s full-fledged membership in EurAsEC. This was how the
initiative to create and raise a U.S.-Turkish Trojan horse within the
CIS to counterweight the growing Russian influence on the Eurasian
space collapsed.
True, instead of GUUAM-GUAM, the CIS public received a set of two odd
symbiotic structures: the Organization for Democracy and Economic
Development-GUAM (ODED-GUAM) and the notorious Commonwealth of
Democratic Choice (CDC). If one looks at them closely, they will
notice that “geographically speaking,” the only aim of creating
these quasi-structures (whose member countries have very little in
common economically) is imposing strict limits on Russia’s room for
maneuver in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, as well as fencing
these reservoirs from other CIS countries who decided not to put
bets on the openly anti-Russian integration structures created in
the post-Soviet space.
It is hard to believe that the proposed ODED-GUAM and CDC projects
would create “alternative” to Russia suppliers or transit zones of
energy carriers in the post-Soviet space, as is apparently desired
by the Washington gurus of the “Baltic-Black Sea union.” For all the
projects put forward by Baltic, Ukrainian, and Georgian spokespeople
could be at best described as economically unprofitable from the
start. Indeed, they are not at all economic in their nature: they
just broadcast of the anti-Russian political trend that has become so
popular today to the west, north-west, and south-west of the modern
borders of the Russian Federation.
The senseless strategic projects are not viable, no matter how many
states were pushed in their boundaries by the authors of the projects,
and how much money was assigned for the waste paper.
Speaking frankly, today, both the patrons of ODED-GUAM and CDC and the
heads of member states of these structures do not have as much time as
they used to have in the 1990s when foundations for the anti-Russian
strategic projects were laid in the post-Soviet space.
Really well-grounded Eurasian projects mentioned above, like EurAsEC,
CES, and, of course, the SCO are a different story. In fact, CSTO
and SCO have started cooperation, at least, in the issue of joint
resistance to the international terrorism.
Today, it is becoming ultimately clear that in some of their aspects
the original plans of EurAsEC, CES, and CSTO creators also crashed,
since it was assumed that, sooner or later, Ukraine would become
a qualified member of these integration projects. As we can see,
the “revolutionary” leadership of the modern Ukraine is even ready
to induce the emergence of intra-national “demarcation lines,” as
long as it “breaks away” and becomes the updated “sanitary cordon”
designed to “restrain” Russia and her allies. As for the Ukraine’s
desire to trench herself all along the Russian-Ukrainian border, it
is reminiscent of a swift-flowing episode of regressive schizophrenia,
just as the revived talks about Kievan Rus being a historical precursor
of Ukraine, not of Russia.
Therefore, we must give up the hope that the Ukrainian leadership at
some last moment will “jump on a departing train,” realizing that
all the western roads, except for the one to NATO, are blocked by
exactly economical barriers richly seasoned with political reasoning
about the Constitution of the United Europe not being ratified. In
this case, perspectives of EurAsEC and CES, rather than of CSTO,
are more interesting, although these days in Minsk issues are being
discussed at the CSTO, not CES Heads of states’ council.
If we manage to resolve issues impeding activities of EurAsEC member
countries, then, keeping in mind that the Community is in its essence
an expanded CES option, we should also remember that the structure
still remains open for new memberships, i.e., to everyone, including
states that have never been CIS or former USSR members. Comparing
the levels of interstate negotiations, especially for the last 6-8
months, one will notice that countries that have never been former
USSR members are interested not only in SCO but also EurAsEC.
Opinions have already been voiced that the Ukraine itself (apparently,
the country will soon also depart from its observer status in the
Community) could be replaced in the margins of the structure by
Iran who already has an observer status in the SCO and continues to
develop ties and cooperation almost with all the CIS member countries
bordering it.
Thus, the Minsk summits will really become decisive ones. But not
only for the EurAsEC further development. Essentially, the issue at
stake is about what the geopolitical layout in the post-Soviet space
may become on the eve of G8 summit in St. Petersburg coming July.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN TO EARN $140 BLN FOR 20 YEARS
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
June 25 2006
By estimation of international financial institutions, Azerbaijan
will earn $140 bln only from the oil projects for 20 years.
“Azerbaijan will take advantage of these opportunities to strengthen
the army, so that any moment it could win our occupied lands back. I
have no doubt about that and hope that our policy will lead to this,”
said President Ilham Aliyev at the graduation ceremony at the Heydar
Aliyev High Military School.
According to the President, Armenia gets nothing by temporizing.
“The time is not working for them, and on the contrary, the time is
on our side” said the President.
“Azerbaijan will never put up with separation of Nagorno-Karabakh
from Azerbaijan, and will restore its territorial integrity by either
peaceful or military means.”

ARMENIA’S NON-CONSTRUCTIVE STANCE DOES NOT ALLOW RESOLVING CONFLICT
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
June 25 2006
Speaking at the graduation ceremony at Heydar Aliyev high
military school President Ilham Aliyev said that resolution of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the number one
problem for Azerbaijan.
“Unfortunately, there is no progress in this sphere. Indeed, the
talks are going on; the talks are being held within some framework.
However, they are all not effective because we cannot achieve any
results” said President Ilham Aliyev in his speech.
According to the Head of State, Azerbaijan’s commitment to the
negotiations for over ten years demonstrates its constructivism.
Despite occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the fact that over 1
million Azerbaijan became refugees and IDPs because of the Armenia’s
policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijan, our country is trying
to take advantage of all the available opportunities for peace.
Therefore, Azerbaijan’s stance in the negotiations is very
constructive. Unfortunately, Armenia’s non-constructive stance does
not allow us to resolve this conflict.
“I reiterate that we highly appraise the efforts of the international
community, their decisions including the activity of the OSCE
Minsk Group. Indeed, they try to secure an agreement. Armenia’s
non-constructive stance, disregard for the international legal norms
do not allow to settle the conflict. In this case, Azerbaijan should
make some corrections in its policy. Our patience is not endless,”
added the President.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“LIVE FREE OR DIE”
By: Preston Taran*
AMIN – Arabic Media Internet Network
June 25 2006
This simple phrase is something that should be taken to heart by the
Palestinian people. By now it should be clear to the Palestinians,
that aside from words by a few European leftists, they are clearly
alone. Remember, they cannot be fed by these words. Whether Hamas
recognizes Israel or not, they will still be without help. During
the two Intifadas worldwide support was minimal. Not even their Arab
brothers helped them. Perhaps, Arab states are fearful that many
aspects of the Palestinian people are more advanced than their own
societies (a free press, but for how long?)
South Africa received support and obtained their independence. The
Armenians, though ignored eventually obtained a state of their own.
The list of successful independence movements is endless. The
Palestinians in comparison are forgotten and ignored. Perhaps, they
have a poor public relations section in their ministry, both now and
in the past.
The Palestinian people are starved in more ways than one. Not only
is their economy in shambles, but even their military ordnance is
pathetic. Their childlike rockets are useless and only give the
Israelis an excuse to pummel them with real firepower. What is next?
A civil war?
Should they not look at themselves and say that even if they accept
the Israeli state, they will not be free? Freedom is earned with
unselfish sacrifices by the community as a whole; not with wishful
thinking and platitudes.
What is to be done? I have come to the conclusion that the immortal
words “Live Free or Die: Death is Not the Worst of Evils” is something
that is quite relevant at this fateful juncture in history.
These words of American Revolutionary war hero General John Stark in
1809 (the hero of the Battle of Bennington in August, 1777) should be
taken to heart. Stark knew that life was pointless without the basic
freedoms given to us by the Creator. Having a beating heart is not
the only criteria for living.
The Palestinian people have not one corner of their rump state safe
from Israeli aggression. The children and others die on a daily basis,
so we can no longer say that to be militant will cost lives. A greater
effort must be made to obtain their rightful place in the community
of nations. Palestinian life is already cheap in the eyes of the world.
It is time to do anything that any people desiring to be free would
do. Ultimate sacrifices must be made, as they were in our American
Revolution and for that matter during our Civil War. Men sacrificed
their lives so a nation united and free could come into being. Yes,
to live as a slave is a far worse proposition than to be sacrificed
in order that a sovereign Palestinian state becomes a reality.
* Preston Taran is a writer and editor living in New York.