RIA Novosti, Russia
May 8 2006
French experts to bring search devices to Black Sea crash site
14:19 | 08/ 05/ 2006
SOCHI, May 8 (RIA Novosti) – French specialists will arrive in Sochi
on Tuesday bringing equipment needed to search for the flight
recorders of an Armenian Airbus A-320 airliner that crashed off
Russia’s Black Sea coast last week, a Russian official said Monday.
Vladimir Derkunov, the head of the local search headquarters, said
the specialists would arrive late in the evening bringing equipment
capable of distinguishing the black boxes from the plane’s fuselage,
and flexible devices for extracting and lifting them.
Experts earlier said parts of the plane, which crashed killing all
113 people on board, had been discovered at a depth of 400-450 meters
(about 1,470 feet).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Hürriyet, Turkey
May 8 2006
Parliament delegation to travel to France over Armenian bill
Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc said on Sunday that a delegation of
four parliamentarians is planning to travel to France tomorrow.
Speaking to reporters, Arinc, currently paying an official visit to
Sweden, stated that France’s Parliament is set to debate a bill
concerning the so-called Armenian genocide on May 18, adding that the
Turkish parliamentarians will hold a series of talks with their
France counterparts to convince them not to pass the bill.
Regarding the issue, Arinc also sent a message to France Parliament
Speaker Jean-Louis Debre last month.

RIA Novosti, Russia
May 8 2006
Images of Black Sea plane wreck flight recorders expected
11:24 | 08/ 05/ 2006

SOCHI, May 8 (RIA Novosti) – Rescuers expect to receive Monday images
of objects believed to be the flight recorders of an Armenian Airbus
A-320 airliner that crashed off Russia’s Black Sea coast last week,
killing all 113 people on board.
A rescue worker said experts had obtained hydroacoustic data using a
new Kalmar deep-sea search vehicle working at the scene to locate
pieces of the wreckage and the flight recorders, which are key to
identifying the cause of the tragedy.
“Several objects have been found with the same coordinates as the
radio signals picked up by French experts, believed to be coming from
the flight recorders,” the rescuer said. “If these objects are the
black boxes, we will try to retrieve them.”
He said experts had established that the objects were at a depth of
around 400-450 meters (about 1,470 feet).
Experts earlier said the plane parts had been discovered at a depth
of 680 meters (2,230 feet) and were skeptical over the possibility of
retrieving them from thick sulfuric hydride sludge on the seabed.

Gulf Times, Qatar
May 8 2006
French expertise, equipment sought over Armenian crash
Published: Monday, 8 May, 2006, 10:01 AM Doha Time

MOSCOW: Russia will ask France for help in retrieving the black box
flight recorders of an Armenian aircraft that crashed in the Black
Sea earlier this month, a Russian minister said yesterday.
`The aeronautical safety committee of the (12-nation) Commonwealth of
Independent States will approach French specialists,’ said Russian
Transport Minister Igor Levitin.
All the passengers and crew aboard died when an Airbus A320 operated
by the Armenian airline Armavia plunged into the sea on Wednesday as
it tried to land at Sochi in bad weather on a flight from the
Armenian capital Yerevan.
`We have looked at the French experience at Sharm el-Sheikh,’ Levitin
told reporters after a meeting with Emergency Situations Minister
Sergei Shoigu.
In January 2004 after a Flash Airlines Boeing crashed off the
Egyptian resort, a Scorpio robot sent by France recovered the two
black boxes from a depth of more 1,000m.
`French colleagues have told us what equipment they used and French
companies have said they are ready to help us,’ Levitin said.
`We can suggest to France that it take part with us in the search
operation and the task of bringing to the surface aircraft parts and
bodies’ which have not been recovered, he said.
The plane probably either came down when heavy rain forced a loss of
speed, or was actually struck by lightning, according an aviation
specialist. Parts have been located at a depth of 680m.
The bodies of 32 of the dead passengers have been taken to Yerevan,
Armenian Civil Aviation confirmed.
Rescuers have so far only found 51 bodies and seven of these have not
yet been identified, Sergei Aristov, Russia’s deputy transport
minister, said. – AFP

Assyria Times, CA
May 8 2006
Assyrian Genocide Seyfo 1915: The Missing Chapter of Ottoman History
5/7/2006 23:29:32
For Immediate Release
Wednesday, May 10, 2006 at 6:00 PM
The Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre
SCHOOL Of ORIENTAL and AFRICAN STUDIES
Thornaugh St Russell Square London WC1H 0XG
The genocide of over 750,000 Assyrian Christians at the hands of the
Ottoman Empire in 1915 has largely been forgotten by the world. The
pain of this genocide is still a dark shadow over the Assyrian
people. This pain and suffering continues in the collective
conscience of the Assyrian Christians as Turkey continues to deny and
publicly denounce responsibility for this largely forgotten genocide
during the First World War.
The Department for the Study of Religions (SOAS), together with
Firodil and Gomidas Institutes, two prominent and leading Assyrian
and Armenian institutes dedicated to lobbying for the recognition of
the Assyrian and Armenian genocide through academic and scholarly
research, have organized a prestigious speaking event and the premier
of Cry Unheard, a documentary film by Nuri Kino at SOAS.
The leading speakers will include:
Dr. Erica Hunter: BA MA DPHIL PHD Dept for Study of religions SOAS.
Sabri Atman: Assyrian scholar specializing in the Assyrian Genocide,
author of I long for Mesopotamia and The Assyrian-Syriacs.
Nuri Kino: Award winning Swedish Journalist, and winner of 2006
Golden Palm Award at the Beverly Hills Film Festival.
Mr. Andrew Michael of Firodil Institute said: `We are organising this
event to present academic scholars and students alike with unbiased
and factual information regarding the genocide of the Assyrians. The
academia world and the intelligentsia have a pivotal role to play; it
is their moral obligation to take a stance and advocate Turkey’s
recognition of these atrocious crimes committed against the Assyrian
and Armenian Christians.’
For more Information Contact:
Nineb Lamassu
Tel: 07-96-922-4642
Email: info@ firodil.co.uk
Ninos Warda
Tel: 07-75-904-6837
Email: [email protected]
e/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3200

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006
Azeri leader sees Armenia as regional threat
Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada
There are problems hampering peace and security in the region and
fight against international terrorism is among them, President Ilham
Aliyev told the 9th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in
Baku Friday.
The president said Azerbaijan was in favor of joining the forces of
the whole world in combating this global evil because not a single
country can cope with terrorism on its own.
`The international community should not draw any distinctions between
terrorist organizations of the world,’ he stressed.
The head of state added that Azerbaijan too was a victim of
terrorism. Aliyev said Armenian terrorist organizations had
masterminded more than 30 acts of terror against Azerbaijani
interests, which claimed the lives of over 2,000 people. The
president said further that the biggest problem impeding regional
cooperation was the continuing Armenian aggression against
Azerbaijan.
Aliyev told the summit participants that Azerbaijan was interested in
resolving the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict in peace.
`We think it is still possible to resolve the conflict peacefully.
Therefore, we have to explore all possible avenues. But at the same
time, the patience of the Azerbaijani people is not boundless,’
Aliyev said.
The president called on all ECO member-states to support Azerbaijan’s
cause. He said the development of mankind would be ensured thanks to
low risks, successful economic cooperation and energy security. He
said member-countries of the organization were located in a very
important and sensitive region, but also pointed to regional threats.
Aliyev stressed the importance of cooperation under such
circumstances.
`I have no doubt that the ECO will fulfill its mission with dignity.
Bilateral and
multilateral cooperation between member countries will be in the
interests of the whole region,’ Aliyev said.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006
Aliyev expects no new ideas from Garabagh mediators
Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada
The OSCE mediators brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan
Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict are reviewing various options and
there could be new ideas in the proposals regarding the conflict
resolution to be further made to the sides, President Ilham Aliyev
has said. He said, however, that he does not believe the novelties
will be of fundamental nature.
`I don’t think the co-chairs will come up with brand new proposals,’
he told a news conference after the ninth summit of the Economic
Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Baku on Friday.
Aliyev said the mediators are likely to make some additions to the
proposals already discussed on various levels. In this case, it will
be possible to achieve progress in peace talks, he said.
As for Azerbaijan’s position, the president said it hasn’t and will
not change. `We do not want any emergencies. Azerbaijan is seeking a
conflict resolution based on the principles of international law.’
Aliyev said Baku supports applying the existing international
practice on ethnic minorities to the Garabagh conflict. `We will not
support the use of new methods that run counter to international
legal norms.’
The Azeri leader reiterated that to achieve a peace accord, first of
all, Armenia has to withdraw from the occupied Azeri territories and
refugees must return home. `Our position remains unchanged,’ he said.
Aliyev expressed hope that the intermediaries, and, more importantly,
the Armenian leadership, will realize this. `Only in this case can
any results be achieved in the negotiating process,’ he added.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006
Azeri, Armenian ministers to table Garabagh in two weeks
Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada
Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia Elmar Mammadyarov and
Vardan Oskanian will hold another meeting to discuss settlement of
the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict in two weeks, Armenian media
reported.
Oskanian said the meeting will take place at a meeting of the Council
of Europe Ministerial Committee in Strasbourg.
He said the discussions would center on making preparations for a
meeting of the two countries’ presidents scheduled for early next
month. He said the precise timeframe and venue for the two leaders’
meeting is not known yet.
The Azeri government has not released any information concerning a
meeting of the two presidents.
The OSCE mediators will visit the region individually, but not as a
group. Commenting on the matter, Oskanian said one should not look
for any political connotation over this, as soon afterwards they will
arrive in the region together.
Oskanian’s statement, released by Armenian Mediamax news agency, came
after his meeting with the French co-chair of the mediating OSCE
Minsk Group Bernard Fassier.*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
May 8 2006
OSCE rapporteur says 2006 suitable for Garabagh accord
Baku, May 5, AssA-Irada
The visiting OSCE Parliamentary Assembly rapporteur on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, Goran
Lennmarker, has said there are great opportunities to solve the
long-standing dispute this year.
Lennmarker, who earlier held talks with Armenian officials, told
journalists in Baku after meeting Azeri officials on Friday that it
is possible to reach an accord producing good results for both
countries.
`We discussed technical aspects of a possible agreement both in
Yerevan and Baku,’ he said.
The rapporteur noted that his responsibilities included studying the
situation with the Garabagh settlement and he held talks on the issue
with the Azeri side. He added that regional integration was discussed
as well.*
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Gazette (Montreal)
May 8, 2006 Monday
Final Edition
Cast Your Vote
Yesterday’s question was: Do you think Stephen Harper was right to
acknowledge the 1915 Armenian genocide?
Yes: 97% of votes
No: 3%
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress