AN UNSEEN VICTORY
Hakob Badalyan
Lragir.am
07 June 06
The political sphere of Armenia is always in the focus of
dissatisfaction of the public. One of the often-mentioned reasons for
this dissatisfaction is that the players on the political sphere are
not replaced. Moreover, the tools, we may even say requisites that
these figures use also remain the same. And in this general stagnation
the introduction of a new political tool, namely a finger, worked
to the bone to achieve something good, somehow passed unnoticed in
Armenia. However, the society had not managed to pay due attention
to all this, and the new tool had not become adjusted to the new
environment, when chess became involved. It is difficult to tell
whether it got mingled with politics or is going to. However, even
if it does, it is welcome, because at last a new tool appeared in
politics, which brought joy to the public.
The achievement of the Armenian chess players in Torino is simply
invaluable for a tiny country and nation such as Armenia, a nation
so tiny that any victory appears big. In fact, a real victory cannot
be small or big. A victory is a victory, and we must congratulate
the winners. However, it is highly uncertain who the winners are,
who we should congratulate, and who worked their fingers to the bone
for this victory, who checked and who mated. Whereas it is utterly
important to know in person who brought the victory, for as Serge
Sargsyan, the minister of defense of Armenia, the president of the
Chess Federation, said, “there are going to be more victories.” And we
would feel somewhat uneasy not to know who we owe in case of another
victory. At least, one thing is certain that we owe our chess players
for the Olympic gold, who remained on top all through the 13 rounds,
and did something that has not been achieved over the past 13 and
more years. It is surprising, however, that it is not the winners of
this victory who announce about future victories.
On the whole, the World Chess Olympiad had other curious aspects for
us. Particularly, it was surprising that the Minister of Defense
decided to go on holiday in a crucial home political period for
Armenia, and take up the duties of a chess federation president and
commentator. It was surprising that having a chess commentator in
Torino, who is quite professional, we could hear comments by Serge
Sargsyan from time to time. It was also surprising that the tournament,
which began and continued so successfully for us, was not televised and
all we were able to see were photos and comments. Of course, in this
sense, the victory of our chess team appeared more mysterious but why
did we miss the chance to televise this historical tournament? Is the
Olympic gold less important than the eighth place on Eurovision? Or
maybe the most important events are going to take place in Yerevan,
and it is not worthwhile to go to a lot of expense and take the camera
to Torino, wasting both the money and mystery.
It’s a pity. Whereas, we would be happy to not only hear but also
see the victory. And this victory was, in fact, worth seeing and
cheering. Who knows when it will happen next time? We were promised
new victories but we were not told in which sphere and for who.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU IS A HORIZONTAL ORGANIZATION
Lragir.am
07 June 06
Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice President of the European Parliament,
thinks there is no reason why Armenia should not become member of
the European Union within the upcoming decade. However, it is clear
that the EU views the South Caucasus as a single unit and in the
majority of cases Armenia suffers from the non-constructive approach
of Azerbaijan. Edward McMillan-Scott says he personally would prefer
separate approaches to separate countries, considering the visible
cultural and historical differences. He stated that this approach
had been applied to the Balkans, and it could be applied to this
region as well. He stressed that this was his personal opinion,
not the opinion of an MEP.
Edward McMillan-Scott vowed to speak to his colleagues on his return
to Brussels to prevent any artificial obstacles to EU membership. The
EU official thinks that membership to this organization is an active
process, and even Palestine is seeking for membership. However,
it is impossible in the nearest future, says Edward McMillan-Scott.
However, very soon Bulgaria, Romania and several Balkan states,
Croatia and Serbia will become members of the EU if the problem of the
criminals of war is solved. The EU refers to Ukraine as its potential
member, whereas Turkey’s membership has caused a lot of concern within
the EU.
Edward McMillan-Scott thinks that the recently circulated term “EU
absorbability” is just an artificial excuse, for the EU is an open
and horizontal organization.

ARMAVIA AIRBUS MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING IN MINERALNIYE-VODI BECAUSE OF A WOMAN IN CHILDBIRTH
Yerevan, June 6. ArmInfo. A-319 Airbus of Armavia airline flying from
“Vnukovo” airport in Moscow to the town of Gyumri had to land in the
town of Mineralniye- Vodi, Armavia press-service told ArmInfo.
The source reports the airbus had to land because of the birth pangs
of a pregnant woman. After the airbus landed, the woman was taken to
the local hospital.
To note, the company announces Yerevan-Frankfurt flights each Wednesday
from June 17 to September 7. In addition, the airline offers new summer
tariffs for the tickets to Amsterdam, Paris, Athens and Frankfurt.

ROUNDTABLE ON NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN
ArmRadio.am
06.06.2006 17:57
Roundtable on “National Strategy and National Plan of Action to Combat
Trafficking in Armenia” will be held on 8 June 2006 in Yerevan.
The event is organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in close
co-operation with the Armenian Inter-Agency Commission with the US
State Department support.
The roundtable aims to discuss the implementation of the current
National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings (NPA)
and the development of a new one. International experts–Hana Snajdrova
from the Czech Ministry of Interior and Liliana Sorrentino from the
OSCE Anti-Trafficking Assistance Unit will share their experience in
this field.
The event will be opened by Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head
of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Mr. Valery Mkrtoumian, Chairman of
the Inter-Agency Commission on Anti-Trafficking Issues and Head of
the International Organizations Department of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry and Ms. Blanka Hancilova, Democratization Officer at the
OSCE Office in Yerevan.

GEGHAM GHARIBJANYAN: VLADIMIR USTINOV WAS DISMISSED ALSO BECAUSE OF THE RECENT MURDERS ON ETHNIC BASIS IN RUSSIA
ArmRadio.am
06.06.2006 17:48
Deputy Foreign Minister, Coordinator of CIS countries Gegham
Gharibjanyan declared today that former Prosecutor General of Russia
Vladimir Ustinov was dismissed also because of the recent murders on
the ethnic basis in Russia.
“I think this is a fact evidencing that one of the first steps to
be undertaken by the newly appointed Prosecutor will be fighting
interethnic conflicts,” said Gegham Gharibjanyan. According to him,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has reacted correspondingly
to the recent events in Russia. He said, “We are concerned with the
issue and we have submitted it to the Spokesman of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of Russia, who is in Armenia these days.
As CIS coordinator I will speak to the Deputy Foreign Minister of
Russia about the issue.”

PRESIDENT KOCHARYAN MET LEONIDAS CHRISANTHOPOULOS
ArmRadio.am
06.06.2006 18:10
President Robert Kocharyan received today Secretary General of
the Standing International Secretariat of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization Leonidas Chrisanthopoulos.
The interlocutors exchanged ideas about the developments in the Black
Sea region, particularly issues related to economy, security and
stability. They attached importance to developing such approaches,
which will strengthen the common aspiration for partnership.

CHRISTIAN UNION WANTS TO MAKE THE DENIAL OF GENOCIDE PUNISHABLE
Anp (Dutch Press Agency)
1 June 2006
THE HAGUE (ANP) – The denial of genocide, such as the Holocaust,
must be punishable. To this end the Christian Union (ChristenUnie)
party has submitted a bill to the Parliament. Anyone who intentionally
denies a genocide or a crime against humanity in order to insult
others or incite hate shall be accountable as having committed a
crime which can carry a maximum sentence of one year imprisonment,
according to the draft law.
The presenter of the bill, Dutch MP Mrs. Tineke Huizinga, wants to
have this provision included in the Dutch Penal Code as a clear signal
that such denials would not be tolerated. The law should also make it
easier to combat discrimination on Internet, said Huizinga Thursday
during the introducing of her bill.
For the victims of genocides and their surviving relatives the
intentional denials of the committed evil or distorting of the
facts are “indigestible”. Huizinga named as an example, next to
the persecution of the Jews during the Second World War, the extent
and dimensions of the slavery in which The Netherlands has played a
“disgraceful” role.
In addition, the parliament member recalled the Genocide of the
Armenians in 1915 during the Ottoman Empire, which is still being
denied by the present day Turkey and the Turks elsewhere. Huizinga and
other members of the Parliament have recently been bombarded by E-mails
forwarded especially by the Turks who oppose the Christian Union bill.
Huizinga emphasised that the bill does not seek to restrict the freedom
of speech. According to her, the historical facts should always be
open to discussion. The denial, approval or justification of genocide
should therefore be punishable when it concerns a deliberate expression
to insult and discriminate people.
The Federation of Armenian Organisations in The Netherlands called
the bill a step forward and is happy that the Armenian Genocide has
been explicitly mentioned in the Explanatory Memorandum of the bill. A
representative of the organisation, Mrs. Inge Drost, thinks that the
adoption of the bill should make it possible to close Internet sites
which engage in the denial of Armenian Genocide, such as seemingly
innocent site www.armenië.nl
In a reaction, the National Bureau for Combating Race Discrimination
and the Israel Information and Documentation Centre, likewise
announced their support of the bill. The draft law should go first
to the Council of State for advice, following which the Parliament
can start the proceedings on the bill.
–Boundary_(ID_3WOmGgCmjqCgQBxXehac0w)–

IT IS DANGEROUS TO TURN KARABAKH REASON FOR CHANGE OF POWER
Lragir.am
06 June 06
Azerbaijan and Armenia have opposite stances on the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict, therefore it is pointless to anticipate anything
from the meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Albert
Bazeyan, the leader of the National Revival Party made this statement
on June 6. He does not think that these meetings and talks may lead
to dramatic events in Armenia.
“There are political forces and sets, who may suggest or would like
that the Armenian side were pushed to make important and unilateral
concessions which would serve as an opportunity to call people for a
riot. We have never had such illusions, and we think that the issue
of Karabakh is a national problem. We would not like our government,
no matter we accept them or not, to lead the talks to a failure to
enable us to use this to settle certain home political problems,”
says Albert Bazeyan. According to him, if there is a change of power
for which the Karabakh issue is an excuse, the new leadership will
appear in the same situation as the old one.

WHAT IS SERGE SARGSYAN’S BUSINESS?
Lragir.am
06 June 06
The leader of the National Revival Party Albert Bazeyan met news
reporters at the Pastark Club on June 6. By the end of the meeting
Bazeyan congratulated everyone on the Olympic gold of the Armenian
men’s chess team. The reporter of Lragir.am asked Albert Bazeyan if
he did not fear that this victory would add to the political dividends
of Serge Sargsyan, the president of the Chess Federation.
Albert Bazeyan first ironically quoted Serge Sargsyan that nothing
good happens in this country without him. But then he reminded that
everyone in this country should do their duty. “I think that politics,
political activities should be distinguished from success in sports,
social activities, and so on. And in our country everyone should do
their job. In other words, the prime responsibility of the minister of
defense is to enhance the country’s security, to settle the problems
of the army, and only then take care of a political or social image,”
says Albert Bazeyan.

ARMENIAN ATTORNEYS IN JAVAKHETI WERE REFUSED LICENSE
Lragir.am
06 June 06
AKHALKALAKI, JUNE 5, A-INFO. The people of Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda
have been unable to use the services of the local Armenian attorneys
since June 1, 2006.
The Association of Georgian Attorneys refused to grant licenses to the
Armenian lawyers of Javakheti because the latter do not speak Georgian.
This fact will complicate the state of the Armenians of Javakheti,
who will have to spend several times more money to hire a lawyer from
other regions of Georgia.