KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT “DEPENDS ON ENSURING DEMOCRACY IN ENTIRE OSCE SPACE”
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.05.2006 15:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Austrian FM Ursula Plassnik stated that peaceful
settlement of frozen conflicts in Transnistria, Nagorno Karabakh and
South Ossetia “depends on ensuring democracy in entire OSCE space.”
The FM of Austria, which presides the EU, states it after a meeting
of the OSCE Troika led by organization Chairman-in-Office Karel de
Gucht. “Strengthening democracy is a basic precondition for lasting
peace,” Ursula Plassnik said, reports Mediamax.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN: ONE DOES NOT BECOME OPPOSITION BY ANNOUNCING
Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. As a result of the constitutional
amendments, a situation is created in the country when having the
parliamentary majority’s assistance, the Prime Minister factually
becomes the head of the authorities. The rulling camp has understood
it very well, and the interpolitical discontents taking place in the
country are provided by that.
Shavarsh Kocharian, a RA NA Deputy, the Chairman of the National
Democratic Party made such a statement at the May 13 meeting
taken place in the “Azdak” club of the “Sahmanadrakan Iravunk”
(Constitutional Right) union. According to the speaker, the changed
game rules suppose that before the elections, the rulling team must
have an agreement on posts of the Prime Minister, President and
Parliament Speaker. And as the number of pretenders is more than
three, and still in 2005 it became clear that present Speaker of
the National Assembly, “Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) party head
Artur Baghdasarian may not pretend for any of those posts, then
it was forseeable that he must leave the rulling camp. According
to Shavarsh Kocharian, Artur Baghdasarian skilfully uses the
circumstance that the elite does not clearly put the Eurointegration
issue in the country. According to him, the issue that the OYK states
democratization and Eurointegration, is possible by itself: “Another
issue is that it is done for playing up to the West and I consider
inadmissible shaking a finger at Russia.” According to the speaker,
in the case when a beneficial situation is created in the country
for taking serious steps addressed to progress, the opposition is
unprecedently weak.
An as far as the opposition field became empty, an attempt is made
to fill it. Shavarsh Kocharian mentioned that the OYK still just
announced about its intension to become an opposing force, but “by
announcing, one neither becomes opposition nor makes revolution,
nor comes to the power.” According to him, possibilities of the
OYK on the opposition field is provided by the issue how the people
will accept him. Kocharian mentioned that unlike the authorities,
where one may establish greater influence due to inner intrigues,
it does not happen in the opposing field, and the force may have
success which will have the people’s assistance. According to him,
an oppising force having no assistance of the people, may not enjoy
assistence of the West either. “It is obvious that there is positive
attitude towards Artur Baghdasarian in some western circles, but
its continuation or deepening is provided by the issue if the people
accepts him or does not,” he mentioned. Touching upon the possibility
of the opposing forces’ cooperation with the OYK, Shavarsh Kocharian
mentioned before speaking about it, it is necessary for the “Orinats
Yerkir” party estimates 2003 elections and violations conducted
against peaceful demonstrators in April, 2004.

TIGRAN TOROSIAN SEES NO TRAGEDY IN COLLAPSE OF COALITION
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 15 2006
BRUSSELS, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The most probable
candidate of the next Speaker of the RA National Assembly, Deputy
Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia and NA Deputy Speaker
Tigran Torosian relates to rumours about his appointment calmly. “Those
are usual rumours, there is nothing to be specially interpreted. We’ll
see what will be, and according to it, interpretations and explanations
will be,” he said to Radio Liberty.
As for the collapse of the coalition, Tigran Torosian said: “Coalitions
are always provisional, there is no tragedy either in formation or in
destroying. Everything is normal, it is important that works continue
at the National Assembly normally.” National Assembly Speaker Artur
Baghdasarian did not ascribe at the May 12 press-conference the
“Orinats Yerkir” (Country of Law) party’s leaving the political
coalition to any pressure. Responding the question about pressures
from the presidential residence, Tigran Torosian mentioned: “I have no
basis not to believe Mr.Baghdasarian.” Deputy Speaker of the National
Assembly considers natural the flow of deputies, ministers from the
“Orinats Yerkir” party: “Movements within the party are painful for any
party. It is very important that the multi-parties system is stable
in Armenia and does not subject to different concussions. Weakness
of multi-parties system, its being still incompleted is today the
greatest challenge of the political sphere.” “I hope that no similar
serious concussions threaten the Republican Party, But, naturally,
it is impossible to exclude that if the RPA is not ever at power,
people will leave our party as well. But I’m sure that our party will
lose nothing from that,” Tigran Torosian summed up.

WERE DISMISSED WITHOUT ANY WARNING
A1+
[12:11 pm] 16 May, 2006
16 workers of the “ArmenTel” Toumanyan telephone service department
were informed that they are considered to be unemployed since
yesterday, May 15.
The doors of their rooms are already closed. The reduction of the staff
members was held without any warning and without any warrants. The
workers claim that the administration is unaware of it, the order of
the reduction was issued by the regional board of “ArmenTel.” None
of them signed at the bottom of the order.
THE CHURCH OF ODZUN IS BEING DESTROYED
Ter Vrtanes priest Baghalyan will be consecrated into the priest of the
Odzun church. He will also serve 9 other villages adjacent to Odzun.
But before the ceremony, Ter Vrtanes priest Baghalyan has been
celebrating liturgies since the holiday Tsaghkazard in order to create
spiritual atmosphere in the church. The priest claims that the village
inhabitants rather frequently go to church but the sore point is the
terrible state of the building. The cracks of the building start from
the cross and go to the bases which gives ground for serious concern.
“Ankyun plus 3” TV company of Alaverdi.

TURKEY MAY RECOGNIZE “GENOCIDE COMMITTED BY FRANCE IN ALGERIA”
PanARMENIAN.Net
16.05.2006 15:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In response to debates in the French Parliament on
a new bill for prosecution of persons openly denying the Armenian
Genocide, Turkey is seriously considering the possibility of
recognition of “a genocide committed by France in Algeria.” Among
scheduled steps is erection of a monument in one of districts
of Istanbul “in memory of victims of the genocide of peaceful
population in Algeria committed in the years of struggle for national
independence,” Trend reports.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OYK DISPROVES NEWS ABOUT EXISTENCE OF “AMIRIAN” COUNCIL AND ITS MEMBERS’ LEAVING PARTY
Noyan Tapan
May 15 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The special sitting of the “Orinats
Yerkir” (Country of Law) party administration took place on May
12. It discussed the strategy of the party’s activity in the created
interpolitical situation.
According to the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the “Orinats
Yerkir” party administration, all the marz structures and unions of the
party again re-affirmed their inflexibility and resoluteness to protect
the party’s political line. The information published in press recently
about the issue that the “Amirian” council of pedagogues consisting
of 98 members left the “Orinats Yerkir” party, is estimated by the
party as a usual falsification and “a black PR,” as the pedagogues’
union joint with other unions made a united decision to protect the
party’s political line. “The fact that there is no “Amirian” council
of pedagogues in the OYK and there is no Council Chairman Artur
Azarian, just on behalf of you similar aspersians are presented to
press, is more absurd,” is said in the statement. The OYK stated that
“functioning on the opposition field, it will continue its successive
struggle to built a country of law, based on the slogan “With People,
For People,” condemning any conspiratorial step taken against the
party. We state that we are decisive and consider inadmissible any
attempt directed to political speculation,” is said in the statement.

THE ARMENIAN RESIDENTS OF SHOUSHI WERE DISPLACED 18 YEARS AGO
A1+
[03:18 pm] 16 May, 2006
These days, tragic events took place in Shoushi 18 years ago which
played a significant role in the further escalation and increase of
the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict: on May 16-17, 1988, the leadership
of the Azerbaijani SSR via its emissaries and local Azerbaijani
authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Shoushi region started the
deportation of the Armenian population of the town of Shoushi.
These actions which became possible due to the impunity of the Armenian
pogroms organized the same year in the town of Sumgayit pursued the
aim to extirpate the Armenian element in Nagorno Karabakh.
Absence of adequate estimate, first of all, of the USSR leadership
to these actions which, according to international-legal norms were
an act of ethnic cleanings, allowed the Azerbaijani SSR authorities
to realize pogroms and deportation of the Armenian population of
the republic in 1988-91s (Khanlar, Kutkashen, Vartashen, Shamkhor
regions, the town of Mingechaur, etc. – November-December of 1988,
Kirovabad – November 1989, Baku – January 1990, “Kolco” operation –
April-June 1991) which actually created preconditions for the following
full-scale aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
The NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs focuses the attention of the
international community to the fact that the militaristic rhetoric and
charging of the atmosphere of xenophobia in the Azerbaijani society is
the continuation of the policy conducted by the Azerbaijani authorities
and calls to give a worthy evaluation to these events and recognize
the international-legal responsibility of the Azerbaijani Republic
for mass violation of the basic rights of the Armenian population of
the former Azerbaijani SSR and unleashing of aggressive war against
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, which will have immense significance
for strengthening the security and peace in the region and will allow
to approach the final solution of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.

NOTHING TO THE AVIATION
A1+
[04:06 pm] 16 May, 2006
“Nothing is allocated to such an important field as is aviation,”
announced deputy of “Justice” faction Tatul Manaseryan today.
“Justice” will soon suggest setting up a commission which will deal
with the issues of aviation. The commission will be aimed at the
survey of the current situation in the field of civic aviation and
will try to find out measures of overcoming the crisis.
The commission will also observe the procedure of the implementation
of investment programs in Zvartnots airport and aviation board. Tatul
Manaseryan, deputy of the “Justice” faction made this announcement
today.
He illustrated an example of investments and programs under way
proving the fact that “great sums of money are being embezzled.”
According to him the aviation has spent 10.5 million USD for the
reconstruction of 1800 meters runway whereas the same work was
implemented in Dushambe with the same equipment at the cost of 2
million USD to reconstruct 3000 meters runway.
Tatul Manaseryan claims that the person who urges that aviation is not
a profitable field leads people to confusion; “Aviation is doomed to
work with profits,” stated the deputy and added that only the above
mentioned field can put “1,5 – 2 budget on the table.”
In his words though the monopoly of the field was not affirmed,
everybody is aware of the fact that many organizations hold various
services and the sum accumulated goes into the pockets of definite
people whereas normal aviation organizations were deprived of licenses.
By the way, “Justice” faction suggested to pass an air legislation
which would regulate the sphere of aviation but the Government did
not approve of the bill, and the chief of aviation board promised
to give the deputy their bill 8 months ago but so far he hasn’t kept
his promise.
It turns out that the representatives of the aviation are concerned
by the similarity of the bill presented by the “Justice” faction with
the air legislation of our military partner, RF. Tatul Manaseryan
claims that there is nothing strange in the fact that they have much
in common as, “We must speak in the same language if we are partners,”
especially taking account the fact that our legislation is partly a
copy of those of other countries. This is only the apparent ground
for it, the main reason is the next grant given to the aviation.
Tatul Manaseryan reminded that the head of the civic aviation turned
to the Defense Minister two months before signing the agreement and
informed him that they cannot guarantee the security of flights. The
letter did not find its response.

NDU NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN ELECTION WHICH ARE GOING TO BE FAKE
Panorama.am
14:45 16/05/06
“We will not participate in the parliamentary elections either as an
alliance or separately,” NDU Chairman Vazgen Manukyan told a news
conference today saying that the authorities will do everything to
fake the elections.
According to NDU Chairman, another situation would be if NDU formed
a mass movement and changed the system.
Vazgen Manukyan would only then participate in the elections.
Responding to a reporter’s question why such movement is not formed,
Manukyan answered that the public doubts about it.

ORINATS YERKIR PAYS “INTERESTS” FOR GETTING INTO OPPOSITION
Panorama.am
14:40 16/05/06
By the decision of the Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan,
Araik Grigoryan is dismissed from the post of deputy Trade and Economic
Development Minister as of May 15, 2006. According to government
press services, Artsruni Aghajanyan is also dismissed from the post
of deputy Employment and Social Affairs Minister by another decision
of the prime minister.
These decisions stem from the recent internal political developments
connected with the departure of Orinats Yerkir from the ruling
coalition. Both deputy ministers were nominated by Orinats Yerkir
and were approved by the ruling coalition. Because OY has left the
coalition, its ministers, consequently, leave the executive branch. In
fact, they should have done so on their own will.
Until now, only Stepan Barseghyan, today already former Gegharkunik
regional governor, has resigned on his own will among the officials
nominated by OY.
Sergo Yeritsyan, OY deputy chairman and Aram Harutunyan preferred to
leave the party.