RUSSIAN TANKS TO COME TO ARMENIA
Lragir/am
18/03/06
By the end of the current year the 62nd Russian military base will
have been completely withdrawn from Akhalkalaki, said the deputy
minister of defense of Georgia Mamuka Kudava. According to him,
the Russian party has already extended to Tbilisi the schedule of
withdrawal. In accordance with the schedule, 358 units of military
equipment and weapons, including 113 tanks and armored machines,
will be transported from Georgia to Russia by sea. Besides, 369
units of heavy arsenal, including 35 tanks and armored machines,
will be brought to the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia.

FOR ARMENIA QUITTING THE TALKS IS EQUAL TO WAR
Lragir/am
18/03/06
The leader of the Christian Democratic Party of Armenia Khosrov
Harutiunyan stated on March 17 that Armenia should not quit the
negotiations for the settlement of the conflict over Karabakh.
“Armenia has no right to quit the negotiations. It would mean a
declaration of war,” said Khosrov Harutiunyan.
He said he did not remember that Karabakh has ever participated in the
talks since 1994. Khosrov Harutiunyan thinks, however, that Karabakh
participated in the talks indirectly. According to the leader of the
CDP, the international community also admits that it might be easier
to reach an agreement in bilateral talks, but the implementation of
this agreement would be impossible without the consent of the third
party – Karabakh.
Khosrov Harutiunyan thinks the famous statement of NKR President
Arkady Ghukasyan and the famous interview of Armenian President Robert
Kacharyan are addressed to the world. According to the leader of the
Christian Democratic Party, it is important to display a character,
and it is important how this character is perceived by the central
players in world politics.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THE EXPERT SUGGESTS SPURRING OLIGARCHS
Lragir/am
18/03/06
The resource of the Armenian nuclear plant expires in 2016, and in
the upcoming 15-20 years Armenia cannot afford to build a nuclear
plant on its own, said the minister of energy of Armenia Armen
Movsisyan. According to the minister, 400 million dollars is required
to close down the nuclear plant, and one billion is needed to build
a modern nuclear plant, which equals to the state budget of Armenia
in 2006. According to the minister, the resource expires, but it does
not mean that the nuclear plant will be closed down in 2016. He said
that the nuclear plant will operate until the new plant is built.
Armen Movsisyan assures that there is not a precedent of re-operation
of a closed down nuclear plant, which happened with the nuclear plant
of Metsamor, but there were cases when the expiry date of the reactor
was prolonged.
The EU is going to allocate 100 million euros to Armenia; the
stipulation is to close down the nuclear plant of Metsamor. Armenia
still disagrees: “100 million will not solve the problem.”
Experts consider the construction of a new nuclear plant an important
component of independence and security in energy. Edward Aghadjanov,
the director of the Center of Independent Experts, suggests building
a new nuclear plant on the resources of Armenia. “By different
evaluations the capital of the oligarchs of Armenia exceeds the
state budget of Armenia several times. The oligarchs should build a
nuclear plant instead of a sauna or a casino,” says Edward Aghadjanov.
The expert thinks that the construction of a new nuclear plant should
be a national program based on the cooperation of the private sector
and the government. The capacity of the nuclear plant should not be
less than 1000 megawatts and it should have a regional importance.
The important thing to do is to persuade the Armenian oligarchs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

WHAT THE OPPOSITION WANTS
Lragir/am
18/03/06
Many people in Armenia are wondering where the opposition is and if
there is an opposition at all. The opposition asks back where people
are, and if they really want to change something in this country.
>From the first sight it seems normal when people wonder if there is
opposition, and the opposition wonders if there are people.
But the opposition seem to have decided to change their relations
with people. This approximately sounds like democracy is something
that you need, a civil society is something that you need, hence you
have to initiate and to act.
The opposition have started talking to people in this mode. When on
March 11 one of the outstanding representatives of the opposition
Hovanes Hovanisyan was asked at the Azdak club why the opposition
delays bringing into being the initiative Civil Armenia Movement,
Hovanisyan said people do need all this and people must be the
moving force.
In other words, you live bad and you are to be interested to change
everything, for they have always solved their problems and will later
on do. Do people want changes, do they want to live better, do they
want justice? I wonder what the opposition wants. Of course, better
life, but if changes are necessary for it, let people make changes,
if they need justice, let people seek for justice.
Changes, justice. What for if they do without these very well. For
instance, Artashes Geghamyan had no problems renting the hall of
the meetings of the government and swearing at the government
with the fables of Aesop. Sitting in the hall of the PACE in
Strasbourg, Stepan Demirchyan did not have pains in the heart from
the memories of the life of people full of injustice, poverty, and
what not. Aram Karapetyan has a son in Moscow, so far away from his
beloved Fatherland. Raffi Hovannisyan would not go to the court of
law although the Public TV channel accuses him of wasting the money
of the Diaspora. Hrant Khachatryan says as an ombudsman he was a
predictable person for the government. Aram Gaspari Sargsyan has
decided from out of nowhere that Karabakh is first of all. Victor
Dallakyan would not state that he is not going to be member of the
political party of the pro-governmental oligarch.
Aram Zavenich is left, who goes to the reception at the U.S Embassy
with Serge Sargsyan, so that when the Brabus of the defense minister
parked in front of the Embassy, the Americans would see that not
only the government rides in a Brabus but also the opposition,
and the revolutionary plans of Aram Zaveni Sargsyan do not have a
social context.
After all, Yegisheh Charents would appear to have been right to tell
that the salvation of the Armenian people is their collective force.
The rest are hired workers, they do what they are told to do. Thus
the opposition became a mercenary. If people demand nothing from the
opposition, the opposition will do what the government wants them to
do. It does not matter whose tasks the fulfill. It is important that
the hirer is generous and punctual.

CORRUPTION IN Karabakh IS “DEMOCRATIC”
Lragir/am
18/03/06
In Stepanakert the survey “Corruption and Conflict in the South
Caucasus” was evaluated. The survey, which was funded by International
Alert, is based on the results of surveys conducted in Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia and South Osetia. The
initiator of the survey, Natalia Merimanova stated that the aim was to
study the impact of corruption on the settlement of the conflict and
vice versa, the impact of the conflict on the rate of corruption. The
initiators had also tried to find out the difference between the
rates of corruption in recognized and unrecognized countries.
The survey revealed that people in all these countries insist that
governments are always corrupt. And if the government is corrupt, it
cannot be legitimate, and therefore it cannot have a positive impact
on the peace settlement. On the other hand, corrupt governments prefer
a status quo to resuming war.
Valery Balayan, the head of the cultural center Avanduyt, said the
rate of corruption in Karabakh is too high due to several reasons.
The businessmen participating in the debate said it is difficult to
run a business in Karabakh without breaching. If a businessman is not
giving a bribe, it means he has good connections. It was mentioned
that there is no equity in business.
The Scottish benefactor Robin McLarry, working at the Rehabilitation
Center of Stepanakert, participating in the debate, said many
international organizations, including Disaporan Armenian organizations
he had turned to refused to work with the governments of Armenia and
Karabakh because they are corrupt. These organizations prefer working
with individuals.
The participants of the debate concluded that traditions of corruption
persist in the entire post-Soviet space and are modernizing, acquiring
a “democratic” form. Although there is legislative basis for equal
competition, those who want to run a “clean” business, leave Karabakh
for other countries.
The participants of the debate set forward proposals to involve
the civil society in the struggle against corruption. First, it is
necessary to have independent mass media. It is also necessary to
extend legal information to people and to involve the civil society
in law making.
The survey has been translated into English, and soon will appear
in Russian.

Two Azeri soldiers killed in Armenian truce violation – TV
ANS TV, Baku
19 Mar 06
Two Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and another one was wounded
on 18 March while repulsing an Armenian attack in Tartar District,
270 km west of the capital Baku, commercial ANS TV has reported.
Soldiers Huseyn Bandaliyev and Elcin Bayramov, both 19-year-old,
were killed by Armenian fire while defending Azerbaijani positions
in Tartar’s Torpaqtapa area.
“The Armenian attempt to take control of the area was foiled. They
were forced to retreat after sustaining heavier casualties,” ANS said.
President Ilham Aliyev had awarded one of the killed soldiers,
Bayramov, a wristwatch during his visit to front-line districts
earlier this month, the report said.

PARTIES OF KARABAKH CONFLICT CANNOT REALIZE GRAVENESS OF SITUATION
Lragir/am
18/03/06
The year 2006 is the best time for the settlement of the conflict
over Karabakh, told the leader of the Christian Democratic Party
Khosrov Harutiunyan to news reporters on March 17. He thinks the
geopolitical atmosphere that has emerged thanks to the consonant
attitude of the world powers towards the region creates favorable
conditions for this. “We think the year 2006 will be the year of
settlement of the conflict over Karabakh. But it does not mean that
Armenia has to make compromises under Azerbaijani coercion,” says
Khosrov Harutiunyan. He believes that the Azerbaijani militarism is
for home consumption mainly, but is also directed at the world.
“Nevertheless, the right thing is to carry on the talks, because the
war will give nothing to either of the parties. I do not think that
the failure in Rambouillet drew the possibility of war closer. I do not
think, of course, that the war would be disastrous for Armenia, but it
is not a prospect for the region,” says Khosrov Harutiunyan. However,
he mentions that along with expressing willingness for carrying on the
talks Armenia should state to the international community that it would
not make compromises under the coercion of Azerbaijan. Compromises
should be achieved in the talks, says the leader of the Christian
Democratic Party. He thinks the future developments will outline
more clearly after the meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in
Istanbul on March 20.
“Of course, it should be noted that the parties are not fully aware
of the consequences of the delay of the settlement,” says Khosrov
Harutiunyan. The consequence might be a resolution that will not favor
any of the parties rather than war. Although presently the central
players in world politics are not pressing, they, especially the main
player – the United States, do not have time to wait, thinks Khosrov
Harutiunyan. “The United States has a special role in this process. In
the context of the problems they have set with regard to the region
it is apparent that the United States are short of time, and their
interests require rapid settlement of the existing problems. The
United States has a considerable potential of diplomatic pressure,
and it would be too ingenuous to think that they would not use this
potential,” says Khosrov Harutiunyan.
He thinks the parties should realize that if they do not reach an
agreement, a resolution will be imposed on them which will not favor
any of their interests.

AFTER FRIED’S VISIT ALIYEV FALLS BACK INTO HIS OLD DAYS
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily #049, 18/03/2006
Karabakh issue
“Year by year Azerbaijan increases its military might, and this year
the country’s military budget will amount to $600 million. I have set
a task to raise Azerbaijan’s military budget to the entire budget of
Armenia,” Azeri President Ilham Aliyev stated at the second assembly
of Azerbaijan’s of the world in Baku.
According to Trend news agency, Aliyev drew fabulous oil prospects,
saying that by winning European markets Azerbaijan would enhance its
position “in the region, on the continent and the whole world.” The
Azeri leader is sure that Azerbaijan plays the most active role in the
region thanks to its developing economy, and without its participation
no political and economic projects will be implemented.
Despite the arms race in the neighboring country, Aliyev stated
that he stands for peaceful settlement but “when we face Armenia’s
destructive stance, we lose our patience.” Aliyev pointed out once
again that territorial integrity of Azerbaijan cannot be discussed. He
added that Armenia will answer for ethnic cleansings too.
Against the background of the recent visits of high-ranking
officials to the region and high expectation for 2006, it’s merely
incomprehensible what US state department representatives Daniel
Fried, Matthew Bryza and Minsk group co-chairs discuss with Aliyev
if the latter keeps on declaiming his favorite sentences?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI AD HOC COMMISSION ON REFUGEES APPROPRIATES RAISED FUNDS
AZG Armenian Daily #049, 18/03/2006
Neighbors
In its Human Rights Report the US State Department condemned the
Azerbaijani ad hoc commission on refugees and internal displaced
people. Part of the $82 million spent in 2005 was appropriated by
the commission thus drawing America’s strong condemnation.

AZG Armenian Daily #049, 18/03/2006
Armenian Genocide
TAVIANI BROTHERS TO SHOOT A FILM ABOUT GENOCIDE
Europe Assigns 600.000 Euros
The March 9 sitting of Eurimages foundation of the Council of Europe
took a decision to assign 600.000 euros to famous Italian filmmakers
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani brothers to shoot “The Larks’ Hamlet”
feature film dealing with the Armenian Genocide. All members of the
foundation’s jury except for Turkish one voted for the decision. This
foundation that supports European film production has 32 member states.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Armenia, French chairman
of the foundation Jacques Toubon resolutely backed this decision in
his speech and accused Turkey of the Genocide calling it a historic
fact. Despite dissatisfaction of the Turkish representative and
official Ankara, the jury’s opinion remained unchanged.
By Tamar Minasian