PRAVDA, Russia
April 28 2006
Young woman denies reports she won Miss Iraq contest and returned the
title
04/28/2006 00:42 Source:

A young Iraqi woman has denied reports that she won the Miss Iraq
beauty pageant and returned the title after receiving threats from
Islamic extremists.

“Everything is a big lie and fabricated. I never took part in such an
event and did not even know that a beauty pageant had taken place,”
Tamar Goregian told The Associated Press in a phone interview on
Thursday.
Earlier this month, the American TV network ABC reported that
Goregian had won the Miss Iraq contest which was held in a Baghdad
social club on April 9. She gave back the beauty crown four days
later because she was threatened by religious extremists who called
her as “the queen of infidels” for taking part in a contest that
violated Islamic principles.
The Associated Press reported the ABC story on April 12. A person
familiar with the pageant confirmed the report to the AP but insisted
on anonymity as he said he also feared retribution from Islamic
militants.
Goregian, 29, an engineer and a Christian of Armenian origin, said
she came to Jordan on April 10, the day after the contest, to look
after her mother who was to undergo an operation in the kingdom.
“Those lies caused me fear and worry,” Goregian said Thursday. “The
false reports that I have taken part in the pageant contest and
(received) threats from Muslim groups could expose me to danger.”
“I am afraid to return to Iraq and I’m afraid for my family, who
remained in Baghdad,” she added.
Asked about the person who confirmed the ABC report to the AP,
Goregian insisted that she did not take part in any Miss Iraq
contest.
ABC said that after Goregian handed back the award, the title of Miss
Iraq went to Silva Shahakian, another Iraqi Christian.
Shahakian was quoted by ABC’s “Good Morning America” as saying she
would keep the title, but she planned to change her residence for
personal safety.
“This chance does not come to every girl. So, I’m lucky to have that.
I’m not going to lose it,” she said in the program broadcast April
11.
The network said the pageant organizers are hoping to send Shahakian
to the Miss Universe contest which is due to be held in Los Angeles
on July 23, reports AP,.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

COMMISSION ON WORKING OUT DRAFT NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY CONVENES
ITS FOURTH SITTING

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The fourth sitting of the
interdepartmental commission coordinating the works of elaboration of
the draft national security strategy was held on April 28. The sitting
was presided over by Serge Sargsian, Secretary of the National
Security Council under RA President, RA Defence Minister. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, Spokesperson for RA
Defence Minister, among about 250 proposals received by the
interdepartmental commission, those included in the agenda of the
fourth sitting, regarding the departments “Strategy of Armenian
Foreign Security.
Strategy of All-Armenian Integration” were discussed. The revisions
implemented as a result of exchange of opinions, on the whole, were
approved and the commission’s secretariate was charged to additionally
edit them.

The Messenger, Georgia
April 28 2006
Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund hits the ground running
By Nino Kopaleishvili
The Samtskhe-Javakheti Road Rehabilitation Project, which calls for
the of a 245 kilometer stretch of the region’s main road, as well as
the of some of Georgia’s most remote areas with the rest of the
country, will commence in the spring of 2007.
Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund (MCG) started preliminary work on
the road in the autumn of 2005 within the framework of the USD 4.1
million “pre-compact” grant allocated by the Millennium Challenge
Corporation (MCC).
Since the compact itself entered into force this April, the total
budget for the road rehabilitation scheme shot up to USD 102.2
million. The German consulting firm The German consulting firm Kocks
Consult GmbH has been conducting a feasibility study, environmental
impact assessment and created the final design for the road since
winter 2006.
The project will focus on improving the network of roads in Georgia’s
long neglected southern region which is adjacent to the neighboring
state of Armenia with the ultimate goal of connecting a number of the
area’s attractions and historic sights – ranging from Teleti,
Manglisi, and Tsalka to Akhalkalaki, Ninotsminda, and Vardzia – to
the rest of the country.
As the Millennium Challenge Georgia Compact officially entered into
force in April of this year, the Millennium Challenge Georgia Fund
took the opportunity this week to sum up the preliminary activities
that it has been carrying out over the past two years.
On April 9 Georgia’s Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli and CEO of the
Millennium Challenge Corporation Ambassador John Danilovich announced
the “Entry into Force” of the Millennium Challenge Georgia Compact.
The duration of the USD 295.3 million Millennium Challenge Account
(MCA) Compact is five years.
The organization’s activities are overseen by a supervisory council
chaired by the prime minister. Currently, the organization is
focusing on two projects – Regional Infrastructure Rehabilitation and
Enterprise Development.
The Regional Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project is divided into
three primary activities: the rehabilitation of the
Samtskhe-Javakheti Road – for which USD 102.2 million has been
allotted; the rehabilitation of Georgia’s North- South gas pipeline,
which has a budget of USD 49.5 million; and the USD 60 million
Regional Infrastructure Development plan that encourages regional,
local, and self-governance units to propose projects in the fields of
water supply, sanitation, irrigation, municipal gasification and
overall water processing infrastructure.
“The majority of the projects are in the field of water and
irrigation” said MCG’s Public Outreach Director Eka Zguladze, who
believes that this is an area of particular need as a number of
cities in the country – Poti, Rustavi, Kutaisi – have no potable
drinking water. “Compared to this, other projects seem to have less
importance,” she said.
Explaining why the regional infrastructure projects can be undertaken
solely by state structures Zguladze said, “We want to ensure
sustainability of the investment. It might be that the idea belongs
to a non-governmental organization, but the project proposal must be
submitted by the governmental agency actually owning or operating the
specific infrastructure.”
MCG has identified two Municipality Development Fund projects this
year – the Sioni and the Algeti irrigation schemes – and another four
projects are currently under discussion and are expected to be
implemented with the help of cofinancers such as EBRD.
MCG’s total 2006 budget for Municipality Development Fund projects is
USD 27 million, and the same amount will be provided the next year.
The two year long gas pipeline rehabilitation project is expected to
play a pivotal role in the development of Georgia’s energy security.
Zguladze explained that initially MCG had been planning to work on
hydroelectric power stations, however after the Georgian government
changed course and put hydroelectric power on the privatization list,
“there has been no alternative to the gas pipeline project,” she
said.
Project executives expect that the allotted sum of USD 49.5 million
for the pipeline still is not enough to carry out the total necessary
rehabilitation, however, according to Project Director of the Energy
Rehabilitation Project Activity Ilia Eloshvili the most vulnerable
spots will be repaired and the consequent reduction in carbon
emissions will enable Georgia to amass and hopefully sell USD 26
million worth “carbon credit” by the end of the Compact period.
“Carbon credit” is the prevention of the emmission of one metric ton
of carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels. Credits can be
traded for or developed into financial instruments such as bonds or
credit lines. The strategy was put forth to curb the emission of
greenhouse gasses by creating an international market in emissions
credits. The idea was proposed at the third session of the Conference
of the Parties (COP) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
in Kyoto, Japan December 1997. The Kyoto Protocol commits developed
countries to reduce their emissions of six greenhouse gasses by at
least five percent of 1990 levels by 2012. The country that fails to
meet its target can buy carbon emission permit from other country
that is under target. The Kyoto agreement became legally binding on
February 16, 2005 when 132 signatory countries agreed to decrease
carbon dioxide emissions.
The pipeline rehabilitation is expected to decrease Georgia’s losses
by three percent, or approximately 300 million cubic meters, a
reduction which should equal USD 30 million.
Preparatory work on the pipeline started in 2005 and at this stage
the work is focused on the Pasanauri- Saguramo and Saguramo-Red
Bridge sections of the structure.
The Enterprise Development Project at present is concentrating on two
activities: the Georgian Regional Development Fund Activity (GRDF),
which is funded by an earmarked USD 32.5 million and the Agribusiness
Development Activity for which USD 15 million has been allotted.
The GRDF is a 10 year lifetime investment fund that offers financing
to regional small and medium sized enterprises (SME) predominantly in
the fields of agriculture and tourism. The fund, which will be
created as a separate legal entity from MCG, will be run by a
managing company which will assist the funded companies on technical
and managerial levels. The managing company will be named within a
month.
The SMEs that will participate in the project should have more than
10 but less than 250 full-time employees and their total turnover
should not be greater than USD 5 million.
The Agribusiness Development Activity will provide grants to three
directions for farmers and farm enterprises, service providers and
enterprises that focus on processing, packaging and market
acquisitions.

Mehr News Agency, Iran
April 28 2006
Iran-Armenia pipeline is not for sale: minister
TEHRAN, Apr. 28 (MNA) – Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan
denies it while Manok Gasparian, an MP, says that the contract
indicating the sale of Iran-Armenia Gas Export Pipeline is on his
table.
However, the Prime Minister did acknowledge the sale of 5th energy
unit of Hrazdan (Harazdan-5) to Gazprom of Russia for $60m as part of
ongoing privatization process in Armenia, the Persian service of ISNA
reported on Friday.
Elsewhere in the news, the nation’s Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan
reiterated that the pipeline is not for sale while the Russian
company omitted this section from its news site and corrected it
later. The energy minister also rejected that the money has been
transferred to the Defense Ministry’s account.
`The contract clearly states that 40 km of the pipeline will be sold
to Gazprom and the plan to construct additional 137 km is on the
agenda,’ Gasparian emphasized.

ACCORDING TO CBA CHAIRMAN, LEVEL OF SHADOW ECONOMY IS HIGH IN SOUTH
CAUCASIAN COUNTRIES

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. “Today we live similarly badly, but
differently well.” Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
Tigran Sargsian stated this at the opening of the international forum
Caucasus 2005, when analyzing the development dynamics of the South
Caucasian economies. According to him, the situation assessment by
using the main criteria of the Maastricht Agreement shows that the
level of shadow economy is high in the three South Caucasian
countries, which are also facing the problem of poverty and unsettled
conflicts. The first criterion is inflation level. In this respect
Armenia is in the most favorable state, which, according to
international organizations, is conditioned by the efficient monetary
and credit policy. Currency rates prevail in the monetary and credit
policies of Georgia and Azerbaijan, which may lead to macroeconomic
problems in both countries in the next few years. T. Sargsian noted
that in 2006 Armenia adopted the inflation targeting policy, while it
will take Azerbaijan and Georgia 3 years to shift to this policy.
Besides, the highest level of economy’s dollarization is in
Azerbaijan. In the opinion of CBA Chairman, in terms of the ratio of
state debt to GDP, all the three countries are in a favoravle
state. At the same time, it was noted that only in Armenia, the
government places 15-year state bonds at an annual interest rate below
10%. In terms of salaries, Armenia is in first place in the region
(145 USD), followed by Georgia and Azerbaijan. The higest index of
poverty is in Georgia – 52%, with this index making 34% and 29% in
Armenia and Azerbaijan respectively. By the economic growth index,
Azerbaijan is the leading state among CIS member states, however, oil
products account for about 41% of Azerbaijan’s GDP. In Georgia, GDP
growth made 9.3% in 2005, but the inflation level was quite high –
over 6%. In Armenia, economic growth made 13.9% over the same period
with a 0% inflation. T. Sargsian said that in connection with a growth
in their expenditures, all the three countries are trying to icrease
tax collection. Azerbaijan’s state budget expenditures have
especially grown, particularly defence expenditures. In 2006 alone,
the country’s defence expenditures will amount to 650 mln USD, which
is 4 times as much as Armenia’s defence expenditires.

PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA AND RUSSIA DISCUSS TOPICAL ISSUES OF
ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN COOPERATION

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On the initiative of
the Armenian side, a telephone conversation took place on April 28
between the Presidents of Armenia and Russia, Radio Liberty reported
referring to a press release of the Kremlin’s press service.
According to the press release, Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharian
“discussed some topical issues of Armenian-Russian cooperation.”
“As part of regular exchange of opinions, the leaders of Russia and
Armenia also addressed partnership issues in multilateral formats,”
the press release says. No details were reported.

EurasiaNet, NY
April 28 2006
ALIYEV IN WASHINGTON: NO CHANGE ON IRAN POSITION
Shahin Abbasov 4/28/06
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said April 28 that his three-day
visit to Washington would play an “instrumental” role in promoting
the democratization of the Caucasus nation. He added that the visit
had not altered Baku’s position on the Iran crisis, appearing to
reduce the White House’s room for geopolitical maneuver on the issue.
Aliyev met with top US officials on the final day of his Washington
stay – President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Speaking to journalists, the
Azerbaijani leader said his talks with Bush “covered all aspects of
our bilateral relations.” Bush said he emphasized three topics –
energy, Iran and democratization. The US president added that global
democratization efforts would benefit from Azerbaijan’s emergence as
“a modern Muslim country that is able to provide for its citizens,
that understands that democracy is the wave of the future.”
The Azerbaijani leader said the trip would prove “instrumental in the
future development of Azerbaijan as a modern, secular state.” Aliyev
went on to stress the stalemated Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks,
expressing hope for a negotiated end to the conflict and adding that
any settlement would have to preserve Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
“Armenian troops have to withdraw from occupied territories,
Azerbaijani internally displaced persons have to return, and after
that we can discuss the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Aliyev said.
On Iran, the two presidents provided scant details on their
discussions, suggesting that a significant geopolitical difference
exists. Political analysts in Baku believed that US officials were
eager to obtain Azerbaijani support for possible military strikes
against Iran in order to prevent Iran from continuing with its
nuclear research. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Baku has been opposed to the use of force against Iran, which is
Azerbaijan’s southern neighbor. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. Aliyev told Azerbaijani television April 28 that
“our position has not changed – the problem should be resolved by
diplomatic means.”
Prior to the presidential meeting, Elmar Mamedyarov, Azerbaijan’s
foreign minister, said the Bush-Aliyev discussions would aim to
provide US officials with a clearer picture of Azerbaijani-Iranian
relations. “Iran is our neighbour and many Azerbaijanis are living
there. We carry cargo to Nakhchivan [an Azerbaijani exclave] via
Iran. We supply Nakhchivan with Iranian gas. That is why we do not
want a military solution to the Iranian problem,” he told journalists
on April 27. Mamedyarov also discouraged speculation that Aliyev was
acting as a go-between in the US-Iranian dispute. He denied that
Iran’s defense minister, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, who visited Baku on
April 19, had asked Azerbaijani officials to pass along a message to
the Bush administration.
Though military cooperation and US access to bases in Azerbaijan now
seem out of the question, the United States may tighten intelligence
gathering and sharing, suggested Kaan Nazli, a Europe and Eurasia
analyst with the New York-based consulting firm, Eurasia Group. “The
real issue is continuation of intelligence cooperation,” Nazli said.
That Aliyev met with John Negroponte, director of national
intelligence, and that the Azerbaijani president’s entourage included
National Security Minister Eldar Makhmudov lend credence to the idea
that the two states explored ways to enhance intelligence
cooperation.
Some analysts in Baku characterized the Washington visit as an
all-around success for Aliyev. “His position in Azerbaijan is stable,
and he did not have to ask any favors of the United States.
Meanwhile, the United States needs Azerbaijani support in the Iran
issue,” said Ilgar Mammadov, an independence political analyst.
Opposition leaders in Baku, struggling to regain traction after
parliamentary elections in late 2005, attempted to stir up the
domestic political scene with unsubstantiated speculation that Aliyev
cut a secret deal with Bush to make Azerbaijani bases available to US
forces. A report posted April 27 on the Day.az web site quoted Isa
Gambar, head of the anti-Aliyev Musavat Party, as saying, “now it is
time for official recognition of the existence of such agreements
between Azerbaijan and US.”
Upon his return to Baku, experts expect Aliyev to follow up on his
democratization rhetoric with reforms — both substantive and
symbolic – that are designed to improve Azerbaijan’s international
image. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Arif
Yunusov, head of the Conflict Prevention Department at the Baku-based
Institute for Peace and Democracy, suggested that Aliyev might reopen
channels of communication with his political opponents, adding that
the opposition could very well win a few additional seats in repeat
parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 13.
Mammadov said that Aliyev’s enhanced international stature could
prompt him to undertake liberalizing economic and political changes.
“There is no elections scheduled in the country soon and the
opposition is weak, so the president may easily initiate some liberal
steps and reforms,” Mammadov said.
Concerning the Karabakh issue, Azerbaijani officials are now looking
forward to the next meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group, which
Mamedyarov, the foreign minister, indicated would convene May 2 in
Moscow. The Minsk Group is charged with mediating peace talks, and
Baku’s expectations are high that US negotiators will press for a
settlement that conforms to Azerbaijan’s wishes. “They [US officials]
need stability in the South Caucasus given the rise of tension over
Iran,” Yunusov said.
Editor’s Note: Shahin Abbasov is a free-lance journalist based in Baku
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

“NOR ZHAMANAKNER” PREPARES ACTION OF PROTEST AGAINST POWER STRUCTURES’
INTERFERENCE IN POLITICAL PROCESSES

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The “Nor Zhamanakner” (New Times)
party envisages a mass meeting and march in the capital on April
28. As party Chairman Aram Karapetian informed journalists on April
27, both events are endowed by the Yerevan Mayor’s Office. He
mentioned that the mass meeting will be held in the territory near
Matenadaran (Armenian repository of ancient manuscripts), then its
participants will go in march towards the Police’s and National
Security Service’s buildings, with a demand of power structures’ not
interfering in political processes. According to Karapetian, the “Nor
Zhamanakner” party has no other demand towards the police as the
equipment having been taken from the party in last November were
returned in proper state. As for the National Security Service,
according to Karapetian, in contrary to the promise, yet this
structure has not return gas pistols of the party Chairman’s guard.
Aram Karapetian stated that there are 14 agents in buildings of the
“Nor Zhamanakner” party, 6 of who were put in by the Police, and 8
ones by the National Security Service. According to the party
Chairman, it became known about some of them still two years ago. He
mentioned that not all of the agents have contacts with the
administration of the party. According to Karapetian, there are people
put in his own surrounding as well. He promised to make public in
future the dates of recruiting the agents and pseudonyms of some of
them.

El Vaquero, CA
Glendale College
April 28 2006
Armenians Protest 1915 Genocide Denial
By OLGA RAMAZ
El Vaquero Arts and Entertainment Editor
April 28, 2006
For 91 years the Turkish government has vehemently denied the
annihilation of a million and a half Armenians.
On Tuesday, the Armenian Student Association (ASA), with the help of
the Associated Students of Glendale Community College (ASGCC),
converted Plaza Vaquero into an outdoor classroom in order to educate
the local community in regards to the genocide of 1915.
`April 24, 1915, was when the Ottoman Turkish government gathered all
the Armenian intellectuals in the Ottoman empire and killed them,’
said ASA President Ani Daniyelyan. `What followed was eight years of
suffering, cries and despair.’
Through historical documents, video and photographs, the events
leading up to and after the genocide were depicted at large before
students, faculty and staff.
`Even though we’re in Glendale, there’s so many people that still
don’t know about the genocide,’ said Daniyelyan.
Aside from educational material on display, the afternoon was also
filled with speeches, a performance by Tina Issa and Marina Terteryan
of the ASA at Cal State Northridge, and lyricist Knowledge, who
rapped about the Armenian genocide.
`All the other genocides came from that [Armenian genocide],’ said
Knowledge, who believes that if everybody in the United Nations had
been on the ball and given recognition to the Armenian genocide, the
number of deaths as a result of mass murders would be significantly
lower.
As a sign of solidarity, yellow ribbons were handed out in order to
show support for John Evans, the American ambassador to Armenia whose
job is in jeopardy for publicly acknowledging the mass extermination
of Armenians as a genocide.
`He did nothing but speak the truth,’ said Daniyelyan. On Monday,
several hundred members of the Armenian community, including members
of the ASA at Glendale College, made their presence felt at the
annual march held in Little Armenia, located in Hollywood.
`We demanded justice, nothing else,’ said Musheg Akopyan, ASA club
advisor. `But we have to work everyday to get Turkey to recognize the
Armenian genocide.’
Los Angeles City councilman, Eric Garzetti, gave an opening speech
and explained the special connection that L.A. has with the Armenian
community.
`Eight months ago I left Little Armenia to go to big Armenia,’ said
Garzetti. `I spent time by the solemn plain in the capital of
Yerevan, the largest city of Armenians in the world, bringing
greetings and friendship to the second largest city of Armenians in
the world, Los Angeles.’
Garzetti’s trip to Armenia spawned an agreement between Yerevan and
L.A. to become sister cities so that Armenia’s past would never be
forgotten.
`We lost too many fellow brothers and sisters, and their memories are
not forgotten, but they are uplifted,’ he said.
Entire families participated in the mass procession, from youngest to
oldest. They waved flags, carried banners with slogans such as `shame
on Turkey,’ and shouted out demands for justice. The youngest member
of the Garapetian family, 3 1/2-year-old-Stepan, proudly waved an
Armenian flag made out of construction paper and a straw.
Garapetian, like almost every other child participating in the
protest, were all in agreement that the reason as to why they were in
attendance was because their people were struggling.
On her way to the march former GCC student Anahid Davidian,
reminisced about her grandmother’s struggle during the Armenian
genocide.
Davidian’s grandmother was a survivor of the genocide and raised her
own child as well as orphaned Armenian Children.
Due to her family’s struggle in the genocide, Davidian makes it a
point to participate in the protests.
`The Armenian genocide is like blood running through every Armenian’s
veins,’ she said. `It is a part of all of our lives and that is why
it is important for us to honor and remember our people.’

KHACHATUR SUKIASIAN RECOGNIZED BY BUSINESSMEN AS MOST PROFESSIONAL
POLITICAL FIGURE

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. An Internet survey of 231 citizens
revealed that 25% of respondents consider Khachatur Sukiasian, RA
National Assembly deputy, founder and chairman of SIL Concern, to be
the most professional political figure among 9 members of the Armenian
business elite who are also members of the RA National Assembly. The
results of the survey conducted on March 1 – April 25 by the Vox
Populi public opinion survey center were presented during the
discussion “Business and Politics” held at the Political Debate Club
on April 28. Gurgen Arsenian, Chairman of Arsoil CJSC, founder of the
United Labor Party (ULP), was in second place (15%), and Chairman of
Multi Group concern Gagik Tsarukian – in third place (8%). They were
followed by Founder and Director of Eurostan-Uyut Manvel Badeyan (7%),
Chairman of Armtobacco OJSC Ruben Hayrapetian (6%) and Chairman of
Board of Directors of Hrazdan Sport Complex company Ashot Aghababian
(1%). In the opinion of repsondents, Alexander Sargsian (brother of RA
Defence Minister Serge Sargsian), Samvel Sargsian (founder of Fleet
Food and Astghatsolk companies), and Sayad Zakharian (executive
director of Argali Group company, brother of Yerevan’s Mayor Ervand
Zakharian) cannot be considered professional political figures, while
33% of those surveyed said that none of these 9 businessmen can be
considered a professional politician. The purpose of another survey
conducted by Vox Populi was to find out whose interests the RA
National Assembly protects. In the opinion of 81% of 109 respondents,
the Armenian parliament is a body that expresses and protects the
interests of business elite, 9% of those surveyed responded that it is
a body regulating the state legislation, 7% said that the National
Assembly is a body expressing and protecting the public’s interests,
and 1% found it difficult to answer this question. The same
respondents were asked the question “What is your attitude to
politicization of the country’s business elite?” 84% responded that
this phenomenon hinders the rapid development of the Armenian economy,
7% said that it promotes the country’s economic development, and 7%
found it difficult to answer.