SEAN MCCORMACK HOLDS STATE DEPARTMENT REGULAR NEWS BRIEFING – ABOUT AMB. EVANS

Congressional Quarterly, Inc
March 8 2006

Washington, D.C.

Speaker:
Sean Mccormack, Assistant Secretary Of State For Public Affairs

[parts omitted]

QUESTION: So as far as for Greece, I have to ask — to refer my
question to the DOD…

MCCORMACK: In terms of any DOD activities, yes, talk to the Department
of Defense.

QUESTION: And the last one, why did you recall your ambassador to
Armenia, Mr. John Evans. Are you going to replace him?

MCCORMACK: I’m not aware that we have recalled anybody, our ambassador
to Armenia.

QUESTION: Not in Germany, in Armenia.

MCCORMACK: What’s that?

(CROSSTALK)

MCCORMACK: I’m not aware. I believe that he’s still serving as
ambassador in Armenia.

QUESTION: On the subject of ambassadors, are there any plans yet to
fill the vacant spot in Australia in Canberra, because I believe it’s
still vacant, isn’t it? There is not a U.S. ambassador…

MCCORMACK: Yes, I believe you’re right. The personnel process sometimes
works on its own schedule. It’s an important appointment.

It’s an important post.

And I don’t have any announcements for you. Those come out of the
White House, in terms of ambassadorial announcements.

But I know it has been a topic of discussion. And we’re very anxious
to get somebody nominated and then before the Senate so they can
start their work.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA TAKES MEASURES AGAINST BIRD FLU

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
6 Mar 06

[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has instructed
the government to waive the added value tax on the imported
poultry feed for six months [to help farmers cope with the bird flu
situation]. Although not a single case of bird flu has been registered
yet by international and local organizations in Armenia’s Ararat and
Armavir districts, the local governments of both districts are taking
measures to discover the infection in time.

In connection with this, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization
[FAO] will give additional technical assistance to Armenia. The
Armenian agricultural minister and the subregional representative of
the FAO for Central and Eastern Europe signed an agreement today on
an assistance programme for taking preventive measures against bird
flu in Europe and the Caucasus.

[Armenian Agricultural Minister David Lokyan] By signing this agreement
the Armenian government tries to solve a difficult problem in the
agricultural sphere and ensure the safety at the poultry plants which
employ 3,000 people. This is part of a complex programme against
the disease.

[Maria Kadlecikova, subregional representative for Central and Eastern
Europe of the UN FAO, speaking in English with Armenia voice-over]
This is the first programme in the region. Preventive measures
against bird flu are at a low level in Eastern Europe. Therefore,
it is impossible to step up the public awareness efforts regarding
the preventive measures against bird flu.

AZERI PARLIAMENT SLAMS EUROPEAN RESOLUTION ON ARMENIAN CEMETERY

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
March 8, 2006 Wednesday 10:35 AM MSK

The Azeri parliament’s commission for international relations has
held closed-door parliamentary hearings on the European Parliament’s
February 16 resolution addressing the demolition of an Armenian
cemetery in Djulfa, Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan autonomous republic.

The commission dismissed the resolution as “biased” and called on
the European Parliament to revisit the issue, a parliament source
told Interfax-Azerbaijan.

RA PRESIDENT CONGRATULATED ARMENIAN WOMEN ON MARCH 8

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2006 20:00 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA President Robert Kocharian issued a congratulatory
address on the occasion of the International Women’s Day. The address
says in part, “Dear women. I congratulate You on the International
Women’s Day. It is hard to name all the fields where Your participation
is traditionally great. Women have always played an important role
for Armenia’s prosperity. No one realizes the importance of peace and
sustainable development better than women do. I especially congratulate
our mothers. You maintain our century-lasting traditions. Your
upbringing forms the image of our next generations. I wish you the
happiness of being proud of this future. Congratulating You on this
wonderful spring holiday I wish to remain beautiful and charming and
let warmness and love reign in your families.”

CIS FM COUNCIL SITTING TO BE HELD IN SAINT PETERSBURG APRIL 21

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2006 20:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The regular meeting of the Council of the CIS
Foreign Ministers will be held in Saint Petersburg April 21. Having
considered the draft agenda the Council rated it as formed. In accord
with the draft the participants will discuss the consultations to be
held between the Foreign Ministries within the CIS in 2006 as well
as the perfection and reformation of the CIS bodies, reported Interfax.

ANKARA AND BAKU CAPABLE TO GUARD BTC AT OWN EXPENSE

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2006 20:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkey and Azerbaijan are capable to guard the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline at their own expense, Turkish
Ambassador to Azerbaijan Turan Morali stated. In his words, presently
the issue of formation of military units for guarding the oil pipeline
is not being discussed at the state level and there is no need in
it. “The formation, coordination of activities and deployment of
joint forces is a complicated process demanding great deal of time. We
can help the country which is not able to secure the sector passing
through its territory,” he noted. According to Mr.

Morali, the Georgian government requested oil companies to render
assistance in guarding the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. As for
the possibility of attacks on the Turkish sector of the pipeline by
Kurdish military units and other terrorist groupings, the Ambassador
noted there are no problems in this view, reported APA news agency.

PACE PRESIDENT URGED COE MEMBER STATES TO COMBAT TRAFFICKING

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2006 20:44 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ With a view to the International Women’s Day,
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Rene van der Linden
today urged the organization’s member states as well as the European
Community to adhere to the Convention on action against trafficking
in human beings. “Whilst fully supporting all current initiatives
for a ‘red card to forced prostitution’, I hope we can avoid yellow
cards for our member states for not having taken the necessary legal
action to prevent trafficking in general, and forced prostitution in
particular,” he said. Mr. van der Linden stressed that after drugs and
arms, trafficking in human beings represents the third most lucrative
criminal business. Estimates of the number of victims vary from 120
000 to 500 000. “In Europe, trafficking in human beings is above
all synonymous with forced prostitution. This form of modern-day
slavery replaces chains by rape, psychological terror and complete
dependence through the deprivation of the women’s personal and civil
identity. These are unbearable facts.

Forced prostitution is a crime and a blatant violation of human
rights,” Mr van der Linden said. “On the occasion of this year’s
World Cup in Germany, a strong temporary rise in the demand for
sexual services is expected. This represents a considerable risk of
an increase in forced prostitution,” he added. “The Council of Europe
Convention on action against trafficking in human beings offers the
necessary legal means to prosecute traffickers, to better protect
victims, safeguard their rights and to fight trafficking. It was opened
for signature on 16 May 2005, but has so far been signed by only 25
out of the 46 member states and not ratified by any member state. It
is high time to take resolute action. As the organizer of the World
Cup, Germany could take the lead and set an example by ratifying the
Convention,” Rene van der Linden concluded.

SERGE SARGSYAN: I DON’T THINK COLOR REVOLUTION THREATENS ARMENIA

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2006 20:55 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “A revolution will hardly take place in Armenia,”
RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan told Russian journalists. “I think
this phase is already over, since revolutions are attractive during a
certain period for a certain part of the society. Then soberness and
understanding come. I have always been an adherent to evolutionary
but not revolutionary development,” he added. “I do not think color
revolution threatens Armenia. The Armenian society is able to develop
evolutionary. This September we will mark the 15th anniversary of our
republic. 15 years in not very much but for Armenia it’s a sufficient
term to be considered a mature state.

Unfortunately our first republic existed several months only and
these 15 years is an achievement for us,” Serge Sargsyan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

UN RESOLUTIONS LEGALIZE NAGORNO KARABAKH AS NEGOTIATION PARTY

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2006 20:59 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The UN resolutions maintain positive nuances,
as they not merely condemn the activities of local forces and urge
to abandon the seized regions. As a matter of fact the resolutions
legalize Nagorno Karabakh as a party to negotiations, chairman of
the RA National Assembly Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs in
1995-1999 Hovhannes Igityan told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his
words, presently it’s very important not to make abrupt moves and
sharp statements. “Hostilities may change the format of the talks.

Countries wide of the conflict will settle the Nagorno Karabakh
problem. This is the purpose of Azerbaijan, which says that the OSCE
MG is already exhausted and tries to transfer the issue to the UN,”
he said.

Hovhannes Igityan also noted that the right to self-determination
of nations within the UN transformed in the right of peoples. “Any
change of format demands new juridical basis. In this case Armenia and
NKR can face the worst scenario – something like the Moscow Treaty
of 1921 between Russia and Turkey or the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact,”
Igityan emphasized.

POSSIBILITIES OF KARABAKH PROBLEM PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT IN 2006 NOT EXHAUSTED

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.03.2006 21:14 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the meeting with U.S. Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Mr. Matthew Bryza
Armenian parliament speaker Artur Baghdassaryan thanked the United
States for the assistance rendered to Armenia, reported RA NA press
service. Artur Baghdassaryan noted that the U.S.’s economic assistance
is accompanied by the assistance in conducting democratic reforms in
the republic. For his part Mr. Bryza noted that the settlement of
conflicts, energy security and economy development can be achieved
vie democratic reforms. The parties attached great importance to
the Millennium Challenge Account and also referred to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. According to Baghdassaryan, the possibilities to
resolve the problem in 2006 are not exhausted. Mr. Bryza also noted
the importance of the conflict settlement for the whole region. The
interlocutors also discussed the European Neighborhood Policy and
the possible development of the Euro- Atlantic cooperation.