FRANCE SPLIT OVER ARMENIAN BILL
By Ali Ihsan Aydin, Paris
Zaman, Turkey
May 11 2006
French National Assembly President Jean-Louis Debre is opposed to
the bill that would penalize those who deny the so-called Armenian
genocide.
It is not the job of the parliament to record the history of other
nations, Debre told Zaman.
Chairmen from both the ruling party and the opposition Socialist Part
(PS) have opposed the bill prepared by the PS; and although it was
rejected by the Regulations Commission Wednesday, the legislative
proposal will be discussed at the General Assembly on May 18.
Debre said they continuously remind the parties involved that history
cannot be written with laws. “It is just an offer for now,” he added.
Following PS Parliamentary Group Chairman Jean Marc Ayrault, the
Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Parliamentary Group Chairman
Bernard Accoyer also opposed the legislative bill. Focused on recent
discussions over the colonialism law, Accoyer yesterday recalled a
discussion held a few weeks ago that ended with the conclusion that
no law should be passed on historical issues. However; the PS is
again leaning in the same direction with this initiative, Accoyer
criticized. They will nevertheless not endorse a group decision,
and the UMP deputies will be free to vote as they see fit.
Jean Marc Ayrault, PS parliamentary group chairman, does not hide
his concerns either. Ayrault warning the legislative offer will be “a
source of chaos and difficulty,” stressed the offer came to the agenda
as “a result of big pressure from the party.” Ayrault told Zaman that
the bill has divided the parliament as well as the party, and as the
PS group chair he does not wish to further comment on the issue.
PS Secretary-General Francois Hollande maintained politicians have
the right to speak on historical issues and supported the bill.
Hollande claimed the acceptance of the so-called genocide is a
pre-condition for Turkey’s membership to the European Union. Agence
France-Presse (AFP) reported the bill has divided French politics and
whether or not the bill will pass will depend on the number of deputies
participating in the vote. Very few deputies had joined in the2001 vote
where the parliament recognized the 1915 events as “Armenian genocide”.
Armenian bill process continues amid French Commission’s rejection
The French National Assembly’s Regulatory Commission Wednesday rejected
a bill proposed by socialist deputy Didier Migaud.
Assembly analysts say the Commission’s rejection of the bill
criminalizing denial of the so-called Armenian genocide, means the
actual rejection.
The draft law will be submitted to a parliamentary discussion on May
18, since the PS brought up the bill for discussion in parliament
since it met “its limited number of rights” to set the parliamentary
agenda, a permission that is granted in accordance with a party’s
share of seats in parliament.
The parliamentary speaker will, however, ask for a preliminary vote
prior to the parliamentary investigation into the bill.
If the majority votes against the parliamentary investigation, the
bill will automatically be left off the parliamentary agenda.
Parliamentary approval of the bill will be followed by a Senate
discussion.
If the bill is approved, denial of the so-called Armenian Genocide
would result in a fine of ~@45,000 and up to five years imprisonment.

BLACK BOXES IN BLACK SEA AIR CRASH LOCATED, OFFICIAL SAYS
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 11 2006
SOCHI, May 11 (RIA Novosti) – The flight recorders of an Airbus that
crashed into the Black Sea last week killing 113 people have been
located to within 5 meters, a rescue operation official said Thursday.
“The location of the black boxes has been established with an accuracy
of 5 meters,” he said.
The official said two measurements had been made using a French
high-precision direction-finding system and confirmed by the Russian
deep-sea Kalmar vessel. He said another Kalmar submersion was scheduled
for Friday.
Russia’s health minister said earlier Thursday the government would
pay 100,000 rubles ($3,700) to families of people killed in the crash.
On May 4, the head of Armavia said all passengers had been insured and
their families would receive $20,000 each, and the Armenian government
promised compensation worth $3,400.
The Airbus, owned by Armenia’s Armavia airline, crashed in stormy
weather near the Russian resort of Sochi on May 3.

ARMENIA DEPLOYS NEW BATCH OF PEACEKEEPERS TO KOSOVO
AP Worldstream
May 11, 2006
Armenia deployed 34 peacekeepers to join the U.N. mission in Kosovo
Thursday as part of a regular rotation, officials said.
It was the fifth rotation of Armenian peacekeepers to Kosovo, where
they have served since 2004 alongside a Greek battalion, Defense
Ministry spokesman Col. Seiran Shakhsuvarian said.
Some 17,000 NATO-led peacekeepers are deployed to Kosovo, which has
been administered by the U.N. and NATO since 1999 when a U.S.-led
air war put an end to attacks by Serb forces against the province’s
ethnic Albanian majority.
Armenia has also deployed nearly 50 troops to Iraq to serve as part
of the U.S.-led coalition.

A-320 CRASHED WHILE CLIMBING
Regnum, Russia
May 11 2006
Before crash of the A-320 airbus belonging to Armavia Armenian airlines
on May 3 off Sochi coast, air traffic controller of the Adler Airport
ordered to stop descent and commence climb because of unfavorable
weather conditions. While performing the command, the plane crashed,
head of the Department for Flight Incidents Investigation Alexei
Morozov has told the press. According to him, now recordings of Air
Traffic Control (ATC) are being decoded.
Its final communication with the ATC was registered at 02:12 a.m.
Moscow time on May 3. The final radar blip from the aircraft was
recorded on the radar screens at 02:13 a.m. Moscow time.
Search for flight data and communication recorders has continued at the
crash site. French experts with special equipment joined the operation.
113 people were killed in the catastrophe; bodies of 51 victims are
drawn out from the sea.

YOUNGEST DELEGATION HEAD FOR EURO CONTEST: MEET DIANA MNATSAKANYAN FROM ARMENIA!
esctoday.com, Netherlands
May 11 2006
We already knew Diana Mnatsakanyan is the Armenian delegation head
before, but now we can reveal more about the person behind!
Active member
Diana is the head of the international relations department of Armenian
broadcaster ARMTV. After making ARMTV an associate member of the
European Broadcasting Union, she managed to get the Armenian national
broadcaster the status of active member last year, which opened the
way to Armenian Eurovision Song Contest participation for 2006.
Youngest delegation head
So far, no news. However, everyone who knows that Diana is 24 years
young, it’s hard not to admit that she achieved big things already
at such a young age.
To esctoday.com, Diana spoke out about Andre’s first rehearsal on
stage, earlier this morning. “I learn a lot from all the other
delegations! Everyone seems to be very eager and professional”,
she said, adding that she is giving Andre “as much as feedback as
possible”.
Esctoday.com welcomes Armenia and Diana, as responsible Head of
Delegation, to the Eurovision Song Contest!
for photo:

OSCE MONITORING HELD WITHOUT CAUSALITIES
Author: E.Javadova
TREND Info, Azerbaijan
May 11 2006
No breach has been fixed in the OSCE monitoring held in the contact
lime of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in Ashagi Eskipara
village of Gazakh District on 11 May in accordance with schedule, the
acting spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Ilgar Verdiyev, told Trend.
Field assistants to the special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office,
Oleksander Samarskiy, Imre Palatinus and Peter Key held monitoring
in the Azerbaijani side of the frontline.
Andjey Caspzyk, special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office and
his field assistants Harry Eronen and Jiri Aberle, were in charge of
monitoring in eh Armenian side of the contact line.

TURKEY: ERDOGAN TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN ISSUE WITH CHIRAC
Reporter, Greece
May 11 2006
11:43 – 11 May 2006 – I believe France will not let this virus
infiltrate our relations,’ Prime Minister Erdoðan says, while
describing a bill that criminalizes denial of an alleged Armenian
genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire last century as a ‘virus’.
A report coming from Paris yesterday on the rejection of a bill by a
parliamentary commission has pleased Ankara, with Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdoðan expressing hope that common sense would eventually win
out over the bill as Turkey has repeatedly warned that the bill’s
adoption could cause serious damage to bilateral relations between
the two countries.
Speaking to reporters at the airport ahead of his departure for
Vienna, where he will attend the three-day 4th European Union-Latin
America/Caribbean Summit at the invitation of his Austrian counterpart,
Wolfgang Schuessel, Erdoðan said he believed common sense would
eventually win out as French-Turkish relations were not “ordinary
bilateral relations.”
The prime minister described the bill criminalizing any denial of the
Armenian genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Empire last century —
an allegation that is categorically denied by the Turkish Republic —
as a “virus.”
“I believe France will not let this virus infiltrate our relations,”
Erdoðan said, while also mentioning the fact that investments by
French companies in Turkey top the list of foreign investment.
Referring to a meeting he held on Tuesday with a group of senior
directors of French companies doing business in Turkey, Erdoðan
said the Turkish government and those directors shared a common view
concerning the bill: that French-Turkish relations are so strong they
cannot be victimized by such a bill.
Also yesterday, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau
apparently felt the need to publicly express his country’s
“attentiveness” regarding Ankara’s anger over the bill.
Erdoðan said he would meet with French President Jacques Chirac
in Vienna.
–Boundary_(ID_Iqay2ncncWe8odYrgdx3+Q)–

RA PRESIDENT CONTINUES TO RECEIVE CONDOLENCES
ArmRadio.am
11.05.2006 14:20
RA President continues to receive condolences connected with the
crash of the A-320 airplane of Armavia Company.
President’s Press Secretary Viktor Soghomonyan informs that telegrams
of condolence have been received from the King of Belgium Albert II,
President of India Abdul Kalam, President of Hungary Laslo Sholom,
President of Croatia Styepan Mesich, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan
Nazarbaev, President of Mongolia Nambarin Enkhbayer, President of
Egypt Hosni Mubarack.

WHY THEY WERE NOT DISMISSED FROM THE PARTY
Lragir.am
11 May 06
The outflow of businessmen members of parliament from the Orinats
Yerkir Party has been one of the burning issues recently. The political
party has not given an official assessment yet. We have information
that it was known inside the party that these members of parliament
would quit, however, they did not attempt to dismiss them.
An Orinats Yerkir member of parliament told our reporter that the
political council did not make such a decision, despite the demand
of the political party, not to deal a blow to these members of
parliament. “Although the decay of morality in politics led to a
great tragedy, we did not take that step,” said the OYP representative.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OMBUDSMAN UNHAPPY WITH UN
Lragir.am
11 May 06
The election of Azerbaijan to the newly established UN Human Rights
Council will not affect the state of human rights in Armenia, said
Ombudsman Armen Harutiunyan May 11 to the reporter of Regnum.
Nevertheless, he said the election of Azerbaijan was not desirable.
“Azerbaijan’s election is not desirable because it establishes
asymmetrical relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan. I am not
satisfied with the state of human rights in Armenia but I am also
unlikely to think that in Azerbaijan it is better,” said Armen
Harutiunyan. According to him, the presence of Azerbaijan in the
council restricts Armenia’s opportunities. “There they will have more
opportunities than Armenia to defend their subjectivity,” said the
defender of human rights. He said that the outcome of the election to
the UN Human Rights Council confirms that there was a nonobjective
approach. Armen Harutiunyan states that every election involves a
political approach as well.